Chapter 5:

(Isabella POV)

I watched as the only home I had ever known started to crumble around me. I went over behind Abuela trying to get Mirabel and her out of there when we heard a loud crack, "THE CANDLE!" Tío Felix called out and all our eyes went up there. Abuela turned to face me and started forcing me towards the door, "You need to get out Isabella. We will talk about all of this later." I stopped though as I looked around at my family before shaking my head, "No Abuela." "Isabella what Mirabel..." She started but I called a vine and it wrapped around my wrist. I used it to pull me over her and I ran closer to the window and used a vine to swing towards the candle.

I was getting to reach out for the candle when suddenly the vine disappeared and Casita caught me as I fell to the floor. I tried to use my gift. I tried to make something happen, but it wasn't working. Why wasn't it working? I looked up and saw Camilo suddenly shift back into himself mid air reaching for the candle and he fell down next to me wide-eyed. Neither of us knew what was happening. All this stuff about the gift dying and the candle that Mirabel was talking about. It was all real. I looked up and saw that Mirabel was still climbing towards the candle. Casita began forcing Camilo and I towards the door. I wasn't entirely sure on what was going on anymore.

I finally snapped back to reality as I saw Mirabel falling into the center of Casita. What was she going to do? Was she going to be ok? Casita collapsed around her and all I could do was stare. Mama went running into the debris, "MIRABEL! MIRABEL!" We stood up and followed Mama, we saw that Casita had protected her from all the falling debris and she was ok. My little sister almost died and I had been awful to her most of her life and most of mine.

I was totally disoriented from everything that just happened. I tried calling on the plants or flowers around me but, it wasn't working my gift was gone. It was gone forever. I began helping everyone clean up when we realized that Mirabel was missing. We broke off into groups and began searching for Mirabel in town, in the jungle anywhere really.

We all reconvened at the site where Casita once stood not really saying anything. I looked over at Luisa and she was looking at me. Neither of us really knew what to say. I went over to her and wrapped her in a hug and she held onto me. We didn't say a word. Suddenly we heard the bells on the church ringing and went over to see what was going on. Mirabel was back. She was safe. She was ok. A wave of relief overtook me as tears stung my eyes and when I looked at Luisa I could tell that she was feeling the exact same way. I held onto her hand and gave her a gentle squeeze. I wanted her to know that I was there for her. I was going to be here for both of them now. I was done trying to be perfect.

Mirabel took the lead on rebuilding our home and Tío Bruno came back and everyone seemed to be happy. There were just a few people I still needed to talk to. I looked for Abuela and pulled her aside, "Abuela we need to talk." She nodded her head. I had a feeling she was expecting this and I might just be the latest stop on her apology tour but, that wasn't what I was looking for. I took a deep breath, "I don't want to marry Mariano." I said. Her eyes widened in shock, "But, I thought..." I smiled, "I only agreed to it because I thought that it would make you and the family happy but I don't want to marry him. I don't love him." She nodded her head and I continued, "I also don't want to be your perfect Isabella anymore. I want to be able to figure out who I am outside of all of this." She nodded her head again and I added one last thing, "I love you and I love this family but I don't want to be the future head of it and you and I both know who it should really be." She nodded her head one last time before saying, "I'm sorry." I sighed "I never said any of this before to anyone until the day our home fell apart. I don't want things to be built up like that again do you think you can give me the room to figure our who I am?" She nodded her head, "All I ever wanted was for my family to have what I wasn't able to have. I thought that by giving you all of this you would have the perfect life." I looked at her, "I never wanted the perfect life, I just wanted a happy one." She nodded her head, "I hope that you find it Isabella." I smiled and walked away.

A weight was lifted off my chest but I still had to talk to Mariano. It was getting dark and Luisa, Camilo, Dolores and I went to the church where we were sleeping tonight and Mirabel was going to meet us later. We all claimed our cots but, I wanted to talk to someone. I looked over at Dolores. She was pretty much my best friend and I knew that I could talk to her. I went over to her cot and sat down next to her. She sat up and looked at me, "Long day?" I nodded my head, "I am still not entirely sure what happened to Abuela and Mirabel out there today." She smiled, "Let's just enjoy the peace." I laughed looking down at my lap. Dolores could always make me laugh. She cleared her throat, "Um Isabella, Mirabel said something the other day about needing to ruin your proposal to Mariano. What was she talking about?" I realized that I never told Dolores about this either and took a breath, "Look Mariano is a great guy, I mean if you ask Abuela he is perfect, but I never wanted to be with him much less marry him. I'm not ready for any of that." I looked back down at my lap, "I was doing it for her.

She began to stutter, "But I thought... your vision?" I smirked, "You thought that my vision was about Mariano?" She nodded her head. It was never about Mariano I was realizing that more and more now and I was relieved that I was finally taking steps toward the life of my dreams, "No, it wasn't. Turns out it was about Mirabel." Her eyes widened, "Does Mariano know you don't intend on marrying him every?" I thought over all the time that Mariano and I spent together. Every moment. He didn't love me either I always knew that, "I'm pretty sure he does but, I"m clearing the air once and for all tomorrow. He deserves to know the truth." Dolores seemed to be stunned, "So getting married and having a family with Mariano, not your vision?" I had been holding back my laugh up until this point but I was done, "Exactly. How hard is that for you to believe?" She started laughing, "I'm sorry but I have spent the last 15 years thinking that, you have to give me a minute to catch up. I thought that you were in love with Mariano and I that I was going to have to watch the man of my dreams marry you.

I immediately stopped laughing, "What did you just say?" She snapped forward, "Nothing. I said nothing." I grabbed both her shoulders and turned her to face me, "You like Mariano?" She didn't say anything but I knew. It made so much sense. They spent so much time together as kids. They had more to talk about then Mariano and I ever did. He was always smiling in her direction and she would always blush. She let out a relenting breath, "Dolores! Why didn't you tell me?" I asked playfully shoving her arm. She sighed, "Up until now I thought that he was a part of that life of your dreams you got in your vision. I didn't want to mess any of that up. Besides, he never wanted me. He wanted to be with you." That wasn't even entirely true and now there was no reason for them not to be together, "But, Dolores now..." She shook her head, "Isabella, he never wanted me." I knew that everyone else was listening to us and a plan was forming in my mind. First I needed to talk to Mariano and then I needed to talk to Mirabel. My family was going to be happy.

- the next day-

We were all rebuilding Casita when I saw Mariano. I went over to him, "Do you think that we can talk?" He nodded his head and we went off to the side. He looked me in the eye, "You want to call off everything right?" I nodded my head, "Yeah. I'm so sorry it's just..." "You don't love me? It's ok I don't really love you like that either." I smiled, "Are you ok?" He nodded his head, "Look we were friends before everyone in town decided we were destined for each other I'm sure we can find our way back there eventually." I saw him frown slightly, "Mariano?" He sighed, "I just liked the idea you know of having a family. Especially like the one you have here." I smirked, "Yeah most of them are pretty great." I looked back at him, "You know Dolores is single." He shook his head, "No. She isn't intrested in me. She has made that very clear over the years." I examined his face, "And if she was?" He rolled his eyes, "Right now I just want to talk to my friend Dolores. I owe her an apology." He went to walk away when I said, "Hey I really do want us to be friends again." He smiled nodding his head, "Yeah I want that too."

I watched as he looked at Dolores. I went over to Mirabel and Luisa and gestured at them, "We are so setting them up." I said. They both nodded their heads and we continued working on the house setting up this new pillar and planting in the family garden. WE WERE GOING TO HAVE CACTI!

- 2 days later -

I watched as Dolores did everything in her power to avoid Mariano. I saw her coming back from the masonry with Camilo and I knew what to do. I pulled Mirabel aside. "Mariano is alone of the front stoop and Dolores is coming over," I whispered she nodded her head and I went to hide behind a donkey. I watched as Mirabel was talking Dolores up and she came out. She told Mariano everything and they both leaned in closer, "Yes." Mirabel and I said. It worked. I wrapped an arm around Mirabel, "Let's get back to work." She said. I rolled my eyes, "Whatever you say task master." I jokingly said as we got back to work.