Chapter 7
(Isabella POV)
- a week later -
I tied my hair back as I looked myself over in the mirror again. I don't know why I still felt the constant need to look myself over in the mirror. I wasn't the perfect Isabella that everyone used to expect me to be but, I guess I was so used to it by now. I knew who I was and I figured out that I liked not having to be perfect. Still I had a lot I needed to get done today. I was still covering for Dolores out in the fields and I wanted to get there as soon as possible.I also knew that Dolors had no idea I was covering for her because she still insisted on going to check each morning.
I walked along the trail I walked everyday to check the border. I relaxed into my stride as I made my way further from everyone else. I made my way to the cavern when I heard something. I used the vines and slipped into the trees. "It is probably just some animal," I muttered to myself but, I didn't think that it was true. My eyes stayed glued on the cavern as I watched as someone began hacking through the vines I had grown from the other-side of the cavern.
I didn't know who it was or what they were doing but I glanced back at Encanto and knew that I had to keep them safe. I remembered Papa telling me about these old rope traps that he used to make. I held my breath as I created a loop in a vine that descended from a tree and waited. Suddenly a person made their way through with a knife in their hand. Their face was covered by some type of mask or helmet and they wore a long black cape with some gold that caught my eye. They took one step forward. Two steps.
I waited until the third step when they stepped in the loop and then I made the vines come up and hang them up from the tree. The mask and knife both hit the ground and I watched as the man hung from their trying to make his way out. I slid down the tree careful not to use my powers as I walked over to him. He tried to swing himself up, my guess to see if he could break the vine, but I knew that would never work, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
He looked at me, "You there. Get me down." I scoffed, "And who are you to tell me what to do? You are the one coming into my home. Why have you come here?" He rolled his eyes, "Look SeƱorita I have bigger problems than figuring out your home. Let me down." I glared at him as I examined him more. The gold on the back of his cloak was more clear now and it was clearly some symbol or insignia. I made my way to his face. He had dark brown eyes that were almost black and light hair that reminded me of sand.
He rolled his eyes, "What part of get me down, don't you understand?" I crossed my arms over my chest, "What part of you not being in charge of me do you not understand? Who are you?" He tried to pull at the vine again but he knew it was pointless he looked at me and resigned, "Caleb." I looked at him and I could tell he was lying, "No it is not." He smirked, "That is the name that you are going to get." "Fair enough," I said as I nodded my head and looked around before looking him in the eye. I don't know why but there was something there that felt so familiar. I let out a breath, "Look Caleb, outsiders don't belong in Encanto if I let you down will you leave us alone?" He looked at me confused, "Encanto?" No, I shouldn't have said that. Why did I say that? "Will you leave us alone?" I asked again my voice was clearly stern. He nodded his head, "Yeah I will leave them all alone." I went over to the vine and encouraged it to release him but not before growing a cactus where he would fall. I watched as he feel to the ground and screamed out as he hit the cactus. I smiled to myself and I helped him up. He looked at me gruffly, "Thank you." I nodded my head, "Now go."
I went to turn away when I felt his hand grab on my shoulder and I turned around to faced him, "Go." He shook his head, "What is your name?" I shook him off, "Irrelevant. Go." He shook his head, "Where is Encanto?" "Go," I said again. He started to ask another question but I called on the plants around me and began to force him back, "YOU NEED TO GO!" I yelled. He looked at me wide-eyed and I saw the plants that were growing around me. I let them relax slightly. I shouldn't have done that. No one outside of town knew about our gifts and that was how it had to stay I needed to think quickly, "How did you do that?" He asked but I shook my head, "I didn't do anything." "But the plants," he started pointing behind me. I looked and they were all back into the positions they had been in before.
It was time for a different approach. "If you know what is good for you forget this place." I said trying to maintain my stern tone. "Who are you?" He asked again. "Go," I gestured my head to the cavern behind him, "Please." His eyes. I don't know why but I kept finding myself starring at his eyes, "I can't tell you that. You need to go." He nodded his head and turned to walk away but I heard him say, "I promised to leave them alone but, if I came through here again who would I find?" I turned back to face him but he was already walking farther and farther away. I felt a pit in my stomach I didn't know what I had done but I had to think of something. I waited until he was out of sight before regrowing the vines in the cavern.
I made my way back to Casita and looked at the flowers on the ground. I thought about the insignia that was on his cloak. I used the yellow flowers to make the symbol before I covered it up. I don't know why I kept picturing it in my mind. I couldn't explain it but it felt like it was important. That insignia just kept replaying in my mind. I was supposed to see my family maybe see if anyone in town might need help, but I couldn't. I couldn't stop thinking. I needed to stop thinking.
I went into my room and tried to stop, but I couldn't. The more I tried to stop thinking about it the more focused I became. I laid back in bed as I let out a breath. It had been 5 years since the mountain went down 55 years since the invaders had taken all of us away from our home. We had all said that we were ok with a part of the mountain being down and although Dolores or I checked daily everyone was open to leaving Encanto. Why was it such a problem if someone came into Encanto? Why were we so terrified of the outside world? What did Caleb mean? Why was I thinking about Caleb? Should I have told someone about him? Should I tell someone about him?
I looked at the floor of my room as the different flowers began to grow. An array of yellow flowers began to bloom in the shape of that insignia. I knew I had never seen it before. I knew that it was impossible and yet it felt eerily familiar. It was almost frightening it scared me in a sense, but Caleb hadn't made me feel that way. Caleb seemed like he was just as confused to find Encanto as I was that he found us.
- the next day -
I hadn't told anyone about Caleb. I figured if one person found Encanto on one day it wasn't worth worrying everyone. If he came back again then I would tell everyone. I had convinced myself that, that was for the best. I made my way down and did what I did each time I went. Nothing was different I convinced myself that that was true. I was just going through my normal routine. I made my way to the cavern and went up into the tree to see if anyone was coming. I sat there for hours but no one ever came. I don't know what I was expecting.
I made my way home when I heard screaming coming from upstairs. I went over to Mirabel, "What's going on?" She smirked, "Dolores is having her baby." I nodded my head, "Oh." Another scream was heard throughout the house, "Yeah, I'm never having kids." Mirabel rolled her eyes, "Well you need to put one of the poor boys in town out of their misery and agree to date one of them before that would even be a concern." I smirked, "And you know the likelihood of that happening." Suddenly Abuela made her way out of Dolores' room, "It's a girl." I smiled. We passed by Dolores' room and saw her Mariano and their daughter all sitting together, "Still never having kids?" Mirabel whispered. I looked at her nodding my head, "Yeah, but that doesn't mean I won't be a great Aunt."
- 4 years later -
I continued to take over for Dolores. Her insistence to listen outside the mountain stopped not long after Daniela was born and then Pedro, not that I minded. I don't know why I was still looking for Caleb, I told him to stay away. It had been years since I saw him. I was starting to think that I had made him up in my mind. I checked over the vines in front of the cavern, strengthened the ones that needed it and looked around at everything around me, "So are you going to tell me how you did that now?" My eyes widened as I looked up the tree and saw Caleb standing there. "What are you-" He jumped down and looked at me. I re-examined the cavern and saw that none of the vines were cut, "How did you-" He walked in front of me, "I think I am the one who needs an explanation here."
