AUTHOR'S NOTES: An anonymous reviewer made mention on the previous chapter that Alma not wanting Mirabel to have a Gift didn't mesh with treating her granddaughter so poorly.

There's a lot more to that which I cover in this chapter along with even more family revelations.

Chapter 6

When Alma joined the rest of her family in the kitchen for breakfast the next morning, she looked at Mirabel who was sitting between her sisters. "Anger has been my constant companion for many years. The loss of your Abuelo Pedro left deep wounds and I wrongly shared my pain with all of you."

"Why did you hate me for not having a Gift?" Mirabel wanted to know, not bothering with dancing around the issue. "I don't understand why you started lashing out at me when my door disappeared. Telling me that you were angry and wanted to hurt everyone else tells me nothing about why you targeted me."

Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Alma pressed on, not giving in to her negative emotions. "Before you were born, I began to truly see the demands the village made on our family's Gifts and the consequences of those expectations. Pepa's anxiety that led to unpredictable storms. Luisa's insecurities that she was only useful because of her Gift. Isabela's strive for perfection... They all came from the town holding the Madrigals to a higher standard than anyone else. We had been given a miracle. We were the guardians of the encanto and therefore we were responsible for helping it grow."

"Everything we did became a reflection on Abuela," Isabela chimed in, nodding in agreement as she turned to Mirabel.

"I spent so much of my time away from everyone because my Gift only showed the harshness of the future," Bruno added, remembering the years before he went into hiding.

Seeing that Mirabel was still confused what any of her family's confessions had to do with her, Alma continued. "You were so eager to have a Gift. So ready and willing to share in your family's magic and make us proud... You were too young to understand what the future might hold for you... and I was too afraid to tell you the truth."

Mirabel felt emotionally crushed as she realized, "You never wanted me to have a Gift, did you? But... But why did you make Tio Bruno have a vision to find out what was wrong with the magic when my door vanished?"

"Because I never expected the magic to accommodate my desire," Alma admitted. "And I was afraid that if you hadn't been given a Gift, then perhaps the rest of the family could have their magic stripped from them as well." Giving her granddaughter an imploring look, she went on. "I was also confused by the fact that you were saddened and angry over not receiving your own magic. I understood at first, because of the failed ceremony, but as the months passed, you were still unhappy."

Flabbergasted, Mirabel stared at her abuela as though she were talking nonsense. "How was I supposed to be happy without a Gift?!" she snapped, angrily. "What, because you didn't want me to be able to help our family and the encanto?"

"Because she didn't want the village to take advantage of you like they did with the rest of us," Julieta sighed with dawning comprehension.

"You were given a chance to have a normal childhood, with no expectations made of you," Alma explained. "You could go play or do whatever you wanted. But what you wanted... was to be special and helpful like the rest of your family. And I am ashamed to say that I encouraged everyone to push you aside in the foolish hopes that you would find your happiness away from work and chores."

Tears welled up in Mirabel's eyes as she looked at Abuela, feeling even more hurt than before. "It never occurred to you that helping others was what made me happy? Seeing Isabela smile when she didn't feel perfect made me happy. Helping Luisa not feel the weight she was carrying made me happy. Mama teaching me how to cook and seeing her light up as she shared her secrets and recipes made me happy. I felt better about not having a Gift by helping others carry the weight of theirs!"

"I never thought of it like that," Alma admitted, sadly.

"You never talked to me about it!" Mirabel snapped, standing up. "And you think you know the ways the Gifts turned into curses, but you don't know everything because you never talked to anyone about what the magic was doing to them." Pointing to her mother, she began, "Mama is always scared to be in the kitchen after she hurts herself because she doesn't want to injure herself further. Camilo wakes up in the middle of the night not knowing who he is. Luisa is afraid to hug people because she doesn't want to hurt anyone. And Tio Bruno..."

Alma turned her attention to her son, afraid to hear what his Gift had done to him.

"I-I-I sometimes go weeks on a few hours of sleep a night," Bruno confessed. "Between involuntary visions and the headaches and nightmares... And-And then there are other times when I can't do anything but sleep. I haven't had a regular sleep pattern in decades, Mama."

Julieta and Pepa exchanged a heartbreaking look as they recalled that morning when they complained about Bruno's snoring. Realizing that he was probably having the best sleep he'd had in years made the two sisters feel incredibly guilty for nudging him awake.

The family gave a start as the cracks began again but before anyone could talk about anything else, a rumbling sound shook the floor and Dolores's eyes grew wide as she looked at the ceiling. "Bruno's tower! It's going to collapse!"

The stone and masonry cracking loudly confirmed things and everyone ran out to the courtyard looking up at the tower just as Casita began rolling the floor tiles towards the front door, trying to keep the family safe by pushing everyone out.

Mirabel, however, darted forwards and with an athleticism that surprised everyone except Bruno, she quickly made her way up to the second story and towards Abuela's room, climbing up to the roof to get the candle which had fallen over as the rest of the house started to crack and crumble.

Standing with her family, Alma could only stare in horror as she watched Mirabel grabbing the candle while Bruno's tower began to fall, crashing into the courtyard. 'Not Mirabel... Please don't take my granddaughter,' Alma prayed, falling to her knees. 'I don't care about the miracle or the Gifts... I just want my nieta safe...'

"Mirabel, get out of there!" Julieta shouted, urgently, letting out a shriek of horror as her daughter was caught in a shower of rubble. 'I just got my little girl back,' Julieta thought, offering up as many prayers as she could. 'Don't take her away from me again. Whatever was broken between us, we can mend.'

The rumbling and cracking slowly came to a stop, although that didn't prevent other damaged parts of the house from crumbling and falling, littering the grounds and courtyard with more broken stone and masonry.

"Where's Mirabel?" Julieta wanted to know, hurrying forward. "Mirabel!"

There was no response and Bruno felt his heart breaking and crumbling like their casita had done. "Juli, stay with Agustin and Mama," he instructed, signaling to Camilo, Luisa, and Isabela that they should follow him back into the courtyard.

The four cautiously entered the space, taking care around the piles of stone and plaster, looking for any sign of Mirabel.

"If she got buried under all this..." Camilo murmured, looking at his tio and primas, not wanting to say what he was really thinking.

"I can still hear her heartbeat," Dolores assured her brother as she listened carefully, looking around. "She's over there!" She stated, pointing at the far side of the courtyard.

Camilo gave a shout as he darted over to a spot where two doors and a chair were shielding...

"Mirabel!" Luisa exclaimed, relieved joy in her voice as caught a glimpse of her sister's ruana. Going over to Camilo, she strained as she helped him move the debris so they could get Mirabel free.

Leaning heavily on Camilo after she was pulled out from under the detritus, Mirabel watched Abuela hurrying over and she held out the candle. It was nearly out, but the tiniest flame continued to flicker.

Accepting the candle with a silent nod, Alma backed away a bit as Julieta came forward, examining Mirabel's right leg, frowning in dismay as she felt that the limb was broken. Looking up at her sister and husband, she instructed, "Pepa, you and Agustin find whatever supplies you can so I can stabilize this break. I don't know how much of our magic we have left."

As Camilo and Isabela tried using their own powers, both found that their abilities were on the fritz. Although Julieta tried to sound reassuring as she claimed that magic would be back to normal eventually, she didn't have much confidence that it would return, and she hated thinking about how much things would change if that was the case.

Slowly sitting down for a moment and staring at the candle that she had once believed to be the source of her family's magic, Alma now looked at the flame differently. Starting today, it would represent, not a miracle given to her family by her late husband's sacrifice, but the hope and love her family possessed. All was not lost, and family bonds and houses could be rebuilt.

Standing and approaching Mirabel who was now sitting on the ground, her injured leg stretched out before her, Alma knelt down next to her, tears in her eyes as she spoke. "You risked your life to save the candle. Thank you."

"It's important to you," Mirabel replied, hissing in pain as her mother felt the break again.

"Not nearly as important as you are," Alma assured her. "Our family can live without Gifts or a miracle." Straightening Mirabel's glasses and taking her hand, she added, "We cannot live without each other. We are each a building block to create a stronger family. But blocks that are worn are not as strong, and we have weakened over time."

"Blocks can be rebuilt," Mirabel reminded her abuela, giving her a faint smile.

Squeezing Mirabel's hand, her eyes filling with the promise of a better future, Alma nodded. "Than that's what we'll do." Turning to Julieta, she wanted to know, "How bad is it?"

Julieta's expression was one of regret as she studied Mirabel. "We're going to have to set the bone before we can immobilize your leg. This is going to hurt, Mira... a lot."

Calling Bruno over and waiting until he was sitting with Mirabel before she stood, Alma held her granddaughter's knee and upper leg steady while Julieta gripped Mira's lower leg with her left hand while placing her right hand on the fracture. With practiced skill, she pulled and pushed simultaneously, wincing as she heard her daughter's agonized scream. "Lo siento, lo siento, mi dulce bebe," Julieta soothed, holding Mirabel's leg level as she felt the broken bone move back into place. "Estaras bien."

Mirabel just nodded as she wailed from the pain in her leg, her breathing becoming erratic.

"She's going into shock," Julieta noted, looking up sharply as she called, "Pepa! Agustin! I need you now! Someone get blankets and some water!"

Camilo darted up followed by Luisa and Isabela. Luisa handed over a blanket while Isabela poured a cup of water from a jug she'd brought over. Camilo gave a sheepish grin as he held out an arepa wrapped in a napkin. "I-I tucked it away during breakfast."

Despite feeling like... well, like a house had fallen on her, Mirabel accepted the arepa, nodding gratefully, as she ate a small bite. The warm rush of her mother's magic was absent as she swallowed, but it helped her relax just a touch. Taking a sip of water, she found that she felt unusually tired.

"Stay awake, Mira," Julieta instructed. "You might have a concussion. Does your head hurt?"

Mirabel shook her head briefly. "Just my leg," she groaned, eating more of the arepa before taking another drink of water. "No blurry vision either."

Hearing rushed footsteps approaching, Julieta looked up to see her husband and sister bringing bandages and other supplies. "Good," she breathed, nodding to Agustin before signaling that he needed to take her place. "Hold Mira's leg just like this. Alright, bend her knee just a bit more... Perfect. Just keep her leg in that position." Looking up at Isabela, she waved her closer. "Isa, you'll need to help your father keep Mirabel's leg steady."

"I can help you wrap her leg," Alma offered, rolling up her sleeves as she moved into position. Seeing her daughter's thin smile, she felt a warmth in her heart that had been missing for too many years.

x

Once Mirabel's leg was properly wrapped and immobilized, Luisa and Dolores took her over to the Guzmans' home to rest, with Bruno and Abuela joining them.

"Mirabel's going to be fine," Dolores assured everyone once her prima was on the sofa in the sitting room, her leg propped up on several pillows. Exchanging a brief look with Bruno, she added, "It's not the first time Mirabel has broken a bone."

"What?!" Luisa and Abuela exclaimed in unison.

"Part of the floorboards behind the walls were broken," Bruno explained, simply. "Before Mira got really good at using the broken pieces on the sides to jump across the hole-"

Abuela cursed under her breath before looking from her son to her granddaughter. She was about to say something to the pair when she suddenly turned her attention to Dolores. "You knew where they were this whole time?"

Mirabel sat up, ready to engage in further verbal battle with her grandmother to defend Dolores. Bruno also looked like he expected his mother to start yelling again.

It was therefore a surprise to both Bruno and Mirabel when Abuela instead took a deep breath and calmly asked, "Why didn't you ever tell anyone?"

"Tio Bruno asked me to keep it a secret," Dolores replied, simply. "And since you didn't want anyone to talk about him... Or Mirabel for that matter..."

Like the cracks in La Casa Madrigal, Alma began to understand how actions she'd taken over the years had slowly broken up her family and caused their home to fall apart. But more than that, she was starting to finally see that she hadn't been the only one contending with undisclosed emotional pain. Was there anyone in the family who hadn't been hurting in one way or another, she wondered? "Bruno," Alma said at last, looking at her son with remorse. Gesturing that he should join her as she looked towards the front door. "Would you walk with me for a while? I want to hear about everything since the night you left."

Bruno hesitated at first, not wanting to leave Mirabel. But when his sobrina gave him a 'go on' smile, he accompanied his mother outside, closing the door behind them.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you," Luisa bemoaned, looking at her sister's broken leg. "I should have stopped you before you went for the candle." After a while, a glimmer of astonishment crossed her face as she asked, "How did you learn to move like that? I don't think I've even seen Isabela be that swift and graceful."

Mirabel blushed at the compliment, part of her feeling rather tickled that she was better at something than Isabela. "Tio Bruno taught me quite a few of the moves. There wasn't much to do behind the walls other than spackling the cracks, read whatever books we could get our hands on, or collaborate on telenovela storylines. And Tio Bruno may look small and scrawny, but he's very physically strong."

Luisa looked impressed as she sat down, talking with Mirabel about the physicality training and learning to navigate the wall spaces like an obstacle course.

Dolores, however, frowned slightly as she watched Mirabel, listening to her younger prima's voice and hearing her try to cover how much pain she was in. Going to find Mariano, she found him and his mother in the kitchen, discussing what had happened to the magic.

"I'm so relieved that you and your family are safe," Victoria Guzman assured Dolores, giving the young woman a smile. "How is Mirabel?"

"She's hurting, but I don't think she wants anyone to know," Dolores replied, sitting at the kitchen table.

"Mirabel isn't the only one, is she?" Victoria mused, giving her future daughter-in-law a pointed look. "Did you want to talk about it?"

x

When Agustin sat down with Mirabel that afternoon while Luisa went to help clear the rubble from La Casa Madrigal and start on the plans for repairs, he said, "I know you tried to be secretive while you were with Bruno in the walls, but I always had a sneaking suspicion you were somewhere in the house."

Mirabel just nodded, a wry smile on her face as she guessed, "Dolores dropping hints?"

But Agustin shook his head, giving his daughter a knowing smile. "Because I'm your father and I recognized your handwriting on those little notes you'd slip under your mother's door on her birthday." After a moment, he frowned slightly as she wanted to know, "Miraboo, why didn't you ever talk to me about not having a Gift? I don't have one either, so I understand-"

"But you don't understand," Mirabel corrected. "I was supposed to have a Gift." Seeing that she'd inadvertently hurt her father's feelings, she let out a long sigh. "Lo siento, Papi. I know what you're trying to say-I do-but it's just not the same. No one can really understand how I feel about not getting my own magic. Even if we rebuild the house and everything comes back, I'll still be normal."

"You say 'normal' like it's a bad thing," Agustin noted, looking curiously at his daughter instead of appearing offended.

"Isn't it?" Mirabel pointed out.

"Oh, I don't know..." Agustin mused, leaning forward in his chair. "You saw things that the rest of the family didn't because they were blinded by their Gifts. Not having magic allowed you to have an objectivity that everyone else didn't. You saw what everyone needed that they couldn't admit to needing. Being normal gave you clarity."

"I guess I never thought of it like that," Mirabel realized, thoughtfully.

Thinking about the discussions during dinner regarding the repairs on the house and the plans for rebuilding, Agustin continued on. "Foundations aren't just for houses," he said. "-they're for families, too. And I want ours to be more solid in the future."

Mirabel sat up as much as she could while Agustin moved closer and even though the movement made her leg hurt even more, the tears falling down her cheeks as she hugged her father were tears of joy.