Antonio smiled as he knocked on Mirabel's door, "Mirabel, you there?" he asked eagerly, "Come play in my room with me. Please?"
"Go away!"
"But Mira!"
"I said go away!" Mirabel snapped, throwing open the door and glaring at the little boy. Antonio frowned, as the door slammed shut in his face again.
"Mirabel," Antonio called out, "Please, Parce said he'll let you ride him if you come."
There was no response as he pounded louder on the door, "Mirabel please."
Bruno was heading downstairs to the kitchen when he saw Antonio pounding on Mirabel's door, "Open up, please?" Antonio pleaded.
"Hey, Kid, what's up?" he asked, crouching down next to him.
"Mirabel won't play with me!" Antonio wailed, "Why does she hate me?"
"I'm sure that Mira doesn't hate you," Bruno insisted, "She's just… going through a lot right now."
"She slammed her door in my face," Antonio pointed out, "She never used to do that before," he sniffled, "She used to be my best friend."
"Hey Kiddo, would you like to play with my rats?" Bruno asked him, "I'm sure that they'll love to see you, as long as you leave Parce outside of my room. I think he makes them nervous."
"He wants to eat them," Antonio confessed.
Bruno nodded, "Yeah, I'm not surprised, come on."
"But what about Mirabel?"
"I'll talk to your Tia about her, maybe she can figure out what's wrong," Bruno insisted, pulling the five-year-old away from the door.
…
Mirabel sank down onto the floor in front of her door. She felt horrible about yelling at Antonio like that, but… she simply couldn't help it. All she wanted was for him to stop pestering her. All she wanted was for them all to stop pestering her. It was constant, day in, day out, every single day.
When it wasn't Antonio wanting to play or to be more accurate showing off his gift, it was Isabela, wanting to show her the newest thing she had grown, or Luisa wanting to tell her all about the new book she had read. She didn't care! They just needed to stop hovering! Sure they said that they were going to do better. That they had always loved her, but she knew that it wasn't true.
Everybody knew that it wasn't true, everybody knew that the only reason that she hadn't been kicked out of Casita or the Encanto was that it would reflect badly on the family. Everybody knew that the only reason that she was still a part of the family, why she even had her own room, was because of the mere fact that she was the one who brought the miracle back. Abuela couldn't risk sending her away. Everybody knew it, but her family seemed to think that she didn't believe it.
They promised that things would be better now, but they had promised back when she first didn't get her gift that nothing would change. Everything changed back then, and she was sure that nothing would be better now. She couldn't trust the promises they made, especially Abuela's promises.
…
"She yelled at Antonio," Julieta asked her younger brother in disbelief.
"Yeah, it took me a while to cheer him up after that," Bruno said, "Look I know that I only caught glimpses of them from the walls, but they always seemed close to me. This doesn't make sense to me."
"Mirabel's behavior recently has been baffling to Agustin and me as well. It's like… I don't know, she changed somehow without explanation or permission. Since we've moved back into Casita she's been spending all of her time up in her room…"
"Probably just enjoying actually having some privacy," Bruno pointed out.
"I don't know about that Bruno," Julieta insisted, sighing heavily, "It just, she's not I don't know, herself I guess? She used to be so happy, and cheerful, and helpful, and now…" she sighed again shaking her head, "I don't know what to do with her."
"You have to consider the big picture here. She's, I'm sorry but I have to say this, she's been ignored for the past ten years and all of a sudden everybody is paying attention to her. It can be a bit overwhelming. I'm still struggling with being around the family at times."
Julieta hummed, glancing at her younger brother with a heartbreaking look, "Can you? Will you please talk to her? She isn't talking to Agustin and I. We'd get pretty much the same response Antonio gets. She's slipping away like you did. I don't want that to happen."
"I'm not… I'm not good with words, Juli…" Bruno protested, absently knocking on the wooden table in front of him, "You know that."
"You also might be the only one who Mirabel will truly open up to," Julieta pointed out, "You're the only one of us that truly knows what it's like to be an outcast from the family. Just tell her what you wished that we told you all those years ago."
"I don't know, Juli… I'll try, but…" Bruno pulled a white powder substance from his pocket and tossed it over his shoulder, "She won't be willing to talk to me if she just thought that I was going to turn around and tell you and Agustin everything. That's part of the reason why I never confided in you or Pepa. I knew that you would just tell Mama."
Julieta sighed, "You're right, I'm sorry, I should have been a better hermana," she admitted, "I need to do better with Mirabel, please Bruno, just… Tell me what you wished that Mama and I did for you so that I can do it for Mirabel."
"Just…" Bruno frowned, "I don't know, I just… just let her know that you are there for her, no matter what. It shouldn't matter what you are doing. If she comes to you, stop doing what you're doing and give her your full attention."
Julieta nodded, "I can do that," she said, "I should have done that with you. Is that why you always changed your mind about talking to me? Because I wasn't paying attention?"
"No, because you were busy," Bruno said, "You were always cooking or handing out food, I didn't want to disturb you."
"I see," Julieta hummed softly, "I'll do better, for Mirabel and for you."
"That's all I can ask," Bruno said, "I'll see if I can't talk to her, but… can you make chocolate santaferno for us? And maybe make Mirabel's favorite for cena. That's a good start, after that… let her lead."
…
Mirabel was glaring at her sewing machine when she heard the sound of someone knocking on her door. She scowled, she really didn't want to have to deal with anyone at the moment, "Go away!" she growled, scowling at the door as it swung open by itself. Seriously, did no one care about privacy anymore?
Tio Bruno stood in the doorway with two steaming cups of chocolate santaferno in his hands, "Umm, hi," he said slowly, holding up one of the mugs, "Your madre made chocolate santaferno, and I was wondering, would you like some?"
Mirabel glanced at the thick, dark liquid, before shaking her head, "No thank you, Tio," she insisted, "Thanks for stopping by, but I'm fine, really, I don't need anything," she stood up, about ready to shut the door on his face when he took a step into the room.
"Sorry no can do," he claimed, "I promised your madre that I'll talk to you, and for crying out loud, that is what I'm going to do!"
"Well would you look at this, we're talking, you've done your brotherly duty to Mama, now if you'll excuse me…"
"Mirabel, look your Mama is extremely worried about you, the whole family is."
"Strange they weren't concerned about me a couple of months ago when I came home late. So why should they be worried about me now?"
Bruno arched an eyebrow, filing this information away, before continuing, "You made Antonio cry."
"So, all he wanted to do was rub it into my face that he had a gift and I don't," Mirabel grumbled, "I'm sorry if I upset him, but…" Mirabel shrugged, trailing off, "I don't really care."
"You should."
"Look, I get that the whole family is trying to convince me that they've always loved me, but they don't fool me. The only reason that they are keeping me around is that I brought the miracle back and if I leave there's a chance that the Miracle will go out again."
"You know that isn't true Kid, right?"
"It's true enough, come on, you can't tell me that Abuela's one apology makes everything hunky dory for you."
"I admit that your Abuela made some mistakes but she is learning from them. You need to give her another chance."
"Another chance, another chance?" Bruno was alarmed by the venom in Mirabel's voice as her eyes darkened, "I begged for a second chance after my gift ceremony, and it never happened. Why should I give her something she never gave me!" Mirabel was trembling with anger now, which was alarming to Bruno. He had never witnessed her like this before. Especially when she finally let out an ear-splitting scream and flung her mug of hot chocolate against the wall.
Casita must have felt like Bruno was in danger, for at that moment it quickly pushed him out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
…
"So how did the talks go?" Julieta asked as she wiped her hands on her apron and turned around to face her brother as he entered the kitchen.
"How did you know that it was me?" Bruno demanded.
"You are the only one I know of that that knocks on a wooden door frame before entering a room," Julieta pointed out, "So how did the talk with Mirabel go."
"I'd rather tell Pepa that it looks like rain than have to go through that again," Bruno said dryly.
"Come on it couldn't have been that bad."
"She threw her mug at the wall," Bruno announced, "It was bad enough that Casita kicked me out."
"Casita kicked you out?" Julieta repeated, "Are you sure Mirabel didn't ask Casita to kick you out? Casita doesn't usually do that unless that person is a threat or in danger."
"Trust me, Mirabel was so mad she couldn't form a single word, let alone a sentence to tell Casita to get rid of me. Besides, Casita doesn't always listen to Mirabel, just like she doesn't always listen to you, me, or Mama."
"I really thought having you talk to her would work," Julieta admitted with a sigh.
"So did I."
"I just wish I knew what to do with her, this isn't like her, at all."
"I can, if you want, I can try to have a…" Bruno gulped, shaking his head, trying to force him to say it.
"You don't need to do a vision unless you want to," Julieta insisted, "We'll figure this out…" she paused as she heard shouting, a string of swear words, and the slamming of a door somewhere above them, "Somehow."
