Everything is quiet.
Everyone is still.
Someone is missing.
Someone is lost.
And everything is so, so still.
The world tilts slowly into focus, dank and dusty in the falling darkness. She finds her feet, her legs, her back and stands to face what's left.
The lush land now barren and rocky.
The high walls brought low.
All color drained.
All music silenced.
All Magic extinguished.
And everything is so, so still.
She doesn't know where her feet are taking her when they start moving. She can only focus on each next step because there's nothing left to break. Going any father forward or back would scatter the pieces.
Someone screams.
Someone prays.
Someone weeps.
Everyone is lost.
Everyone is broken.
Everything is gone.
"Dolores." She jumps when she realizes Papí is in front of her, looking so unlike himself with narrowed, pinched eyes searching hers. "¿Estás bien?"
She looks just beyond him, to see her mother trying to juggle comforting Antonio and Camilo and Tía. Luisa and Isabela and Tío Agustín confer, leaning on each other. Abuela sits alone in what had once been the doorway.
Someone is missing.
"Where's Mirabel?"
"We...don't know."
Someone is lost.
"P-papí... where is B-Br – Mirabel?"
"We can't find her, chiquita."
The quiet is undone by the scrabbling of nails on debris, the crunching of brush underfoot, the unorganized shouts.
"Mirabel!"
"Mira! Where are you!?"
"¡Corazón!"
Everything is broken.
Everyone is gone.
Her father calls her again, her name coming to her from the end of a distant tunnel. The weight of his hands on her shoulders steadies her, and he pulls her close for a hug. The strong, rhythmic bumping of his heart in her ears breaks her.
She's not okay. She's never been less okay, and she doesn't have the strength to put on her brave face, to pretend bad things never happen, to hide a decade of secrets.
Everything is broken.
Everyone is broken.
She...is broken.
It's all my fault. It was me. It was all for nothing. It's all my fault. It was all for nothing. It was me.
She's old enough to know the difference between dreams and reality, but right now, she wishes that this was a nightmare. She wishes she could be tossed and turned by all the horrors in her mind because then she could wake up. She could tiptoe into the dining room and kiss the faded portrait. She could keep her silence. She could keep his secret.
And he...would watch. And wait. And be safe.
Everything is lost.
Everyone is lost.
He...is lost.
I didn't even get to say goodbye.
The family splits up to search the hills, the town, and everywhere in between. She follows her father around like a ghost, mute and haunted. He calls, there's no answer. He calls again, there's only an echo. He calls again and again, and the mountains just swallow his words.
She struggles to align herself with the quiet. Everything is so, so still.
The birds don't sing like they used to, and the leaves don't whisper their secrets to her, and the wind merely ruffles her hair without its laughter.
Her family feels so far away. She doesn't carry their voices or the soft patting of their feet with her any longer, just the impenetrable silence. Papí doesn't disturb it. He comes close a few times, judging by the looks he gives her when he thinks she isn't looking.
Midnight has come and gone by the time the family regroups. Tía makes a pillow out of her apron and urges Tío Agustín to lay his head. Isabela and Luisa huddle together under the tree nearest them, and the four of them stare up at the sky, willing the stars to guide Mirabel home. Mamí and Papí sandwich all three of their children in between them. Antonio snuffles weakly into Mamí's dress, and Camilo keeps moving his arms around her and their brother to reach his own face. Dolores lays her head once more on Papí's chest, counting his heartbeats. He sighs more than usual, like his head keeps filling up with so many thoughts that he has to release the pressure of them.
She closes her eyes and listens to the night.
Everything is quiet.
Everyone is still.
Someone is missing.
Someone is lost.
All of them are broken.
And everything is so, so still.
A/N: Final chapter count - 20. Y'all, I don't want this to end. This has been such an amazing journey. I realize this will free me up to work more on other projects, but I will truly be sad to close this one. It's been an incredible seven months. I never thought this 1,000-word one-shot would evolve into a 20,000+ word chapter story.
I have to give a major thanks to tigerlily124. They were originally the one who asked for my take on scenes around the movie. At the time, I had already written what is now Chapter 1 - Midnight, which I did set in the early morning of Antonio's fifth birthday. Shortly after this suggestion came, I had a longtime friend/mentor move away, and I wrote Chapter 2 - Dawn with my heart in my pen. From there, it spiraled quickly.
I must also give my thanks and love to everyone here and on AO3 who has read/reviewed/followed/favorited this work! Your support really kept this going!
As ever, I would love to hear your thoughts! They mean the world to me! -WW