Hi everyone I have another fic to publish since I already finished another. This is the second Mirabel/Camilo I write.
Here is the thing, I am obsessed with Encanto, and I have a hyperfixation with Mirabel. But I am more like a romantic ficker, I was dying to write something like this, more juicer, something corny. Sadly Encanto is not the ideal material for that, and I don't see myself writing a super long fic about an OC. So the only alternative is Camilo and Mirabel, is the only thing I can stomach to be honest.
So, if I see comments like "Ewww, they are cousins", yeah I know, and?. Anyway, I am going to moderate them. And congratulations for the three seconds you have been in the world of fandoms, pairings like this are old as hell, every single fandom has them, so welcome to the world of fandoms where everything is shippable.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the fic, it was super fun to write.
[The way of love]
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Mirabel Madrigal would never have imagined that behind her cousin's prankster façade, something else could be found. The first time she had the feeling that something strange had happened to him was during the reconstruction of the house. She had spent hours working with the others on the stairway to the second floor, while she learned from the builders on the job. Afterwards, she walked to the pond under the acacia trees a few meters from the house with the intention of resting there for a while.
She breathed out pure air as she regained her strength. It was a real luck that this corner had not been destroyed during the tragedy. Possibly because it was one of the few places on the property that didn't have any kind of human or magical intervention. Mirabel observed the green mantle of the trees, and the mirror of water surrounded by stones in front of her, while the fish came to the surface from time to time.
"Mirabel" Camilo said, as he approached her. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "Resting," Mirabel replied. "And you?" she asked. "I didn't see you at the house. No one knew what had become of you," said Camilo, "it's not the first time it has happened this month."
Mirabel fell silent and turned her gaze back to the pond. She had been missing for almost a week in the woods near Encanto. Her family probably thought she would do it again.
"You can tell our grandmother that I'm not going to run away, if that gives you peace of mind" Mirabel said feeling annoyed, since she felt a slight tone of reproach in Camilo. "It wasn't Grandma who sent me to find you. I decided to look for you" he replied. It was clear then, that he was angry ."Perfect, you know where I am, then, we can go home now" said Mirabel, who wanted to end the discussion quickly.
"Which home?" Camilo asked as he let out a cruel laugh. Mirabel pursed her lips, turned around, and headed back toward town. She wasn't in the mood for this. Mirabel knew that after the loss of magic things would take a long time to return to normal, but she never imagined that it was Camilo who would have the most trouble accepting it.
"No answer?" he asked as he followed her "you just run and you don't even dare to answer me" he said annoyed. "I don't know what you want from me," said Mirabel who would only move forward. She wanted to go faster and faster so he wouldn't have time to reach her. Unfortunately, He was quicker and grabbed her forearm.
"I don't know what I want from you either," Camilo answered as he firmly took her by the forearm. "I only know that I am here, broken, without magic and without a home. The only face that keeps appearing in the midst of that disaster is yours" he said furiously. Mirabel started to get scared, because he never behaved that way. Camilo was the joker of the family, that confident and secure person to whom life seemed to go by easily.
"Do you want me to go away?" she asked, as she felt her voice crack at such a question. Camilo was surprised, as he opened his eyes wide and released her very slowly. "Of course not, none of us want you to do it" replied Camilo who avoided his gaze and rubbed the back of his neck "the family would kill me if they knew I am telling you all this".
Of course, with Bruno's return, his reconciliation with Grandma, and the house being rebuilt, no one had dared blame Mirabel for the house's downfall. She knew that the loss of magic was not her fault. If anything, it was the fault of everyone in the Madrigal family who had remained silent in the face of the possible tragedy of the impending cracks in her home.
However, Mirabel decided that if this belief gave Camilo peace of mind, she would do whatever it took to make him feel better, even if it meant carrying guilt that didn't belong to her.
"I am very sorry about what happened, if there was a way to repair…"
"It is not possible to do it, everything good in Camilo Madrigal is lost", Camilo answered with a broken voice and tight lips, in such a way that she could barely maintain the intensity of his gaze. "Don't say that" Mirabel said, lowering her tone of voice, and preparing to gently encourage him "surely you have something special beyond your gifts. Camilo you just have to…"
"Easy for you to say, you've been completely ordinary all your life. A person like you has nothing to offer the world, but I had something, something important" said Camilo pointing his index finger towards his chest. Mirabel was petrified.
Their relationship never recovered since she was five years old. However, Camilo never spoke to her like that. Mirabel took a deep breath. She had had to deal with multiple bullies in her life. She had learned that the worst thing to do in these cases is to give in to provocations, since it was a path of no return. Mirabel turned and left.
"Mirabel!" Camilo yelled. She walked for hours, to the point that she had already walked every corner of the town several times.
Mirabel knew that her family was trying. After all, by now almost everyone had understood that the cracks in the house were an entirely different matter. She felt like a freak as she crossed the town's main square. She had never been as aware of the looks of others as she was at that moment.
She walked down the street to the San Andrés park at one end of town. Mirabel sat there. She looked up at the sky and bit her lip holding back the urge to cry. It didn't matter what Mirabel did. It wasn't enough, it would never be enough. She was considered by many a failure. A phenomenon in the midst of an exemplary family. Mirabel swung her legs back and forth as she looked at her shoes. As if she were the same girl who was waiting for her mother at the gate of the municipal school after a particularly difficult day.
She should have left, despite her grandmother's words, she should have continued walking until she reached the neighboring village. There was no place in Encanto for someone like Mirabel. Camilo was one of the people who never felt any particularly strong emotion for her and now he seemed to hate her. Maribel couldn't blame him. He did not do anything different to comply with each of his grandmother's wishes and expectations, but he lost his powers due to a disaster that Mirabel precipitated. In this difficult situation, it was easy to blame her.
Suddenly, Mirabel heard a group of male voices. She knew who it was. Victor Valenzuela's group always chose that park to spend their time. There were very few people that Mirabel despised. One of them was Victor himself. She never understood what his problem was. Many of his friends no longer found it fun to torment Mirabel. Since she had served them countless times in her mother's kitchen, or she gave embroidery classes at the church community center to their younger siblings. However, Victor always had a cruel word for her.
Mirabel remembered those days. Luisa and Isabela took turns accompanying her. Luisa was always good to her. She protected her from bullies and bought her cheap melcochas at the candy stand in the main square. Mirabel remembered herself walking hand in hand with her older sister. Looking at her with pride and love. The days when it was up to Isabela to take care of her, she never came. She still remembered how furious her mother had been after she had come home with her glasses broken and her face covered in blood because of one of the children at school.
Things began to change when she turned thirteen. Some of those kids just grew up and some became juvenile delinquents, too busy to spend time with her and the others just grew up, all but Victor Valenzuela. Mirabel heard the voices getting closer. Her first impulse was to get out of there. However, she did not wish to do so. Mirabel was not the same girl with dirty shoes who had to be protected by her older sister. She wouldn't move from there.
"But it is nothing more and nothing less than Mirabel Madrigal", Victor said as he approached her. Mirabel couldn't help but notice that the others would fall behind as he advanced. He had hardly changed over the years. He was a boy of medium build with pale complexion and short curly black hair.
"Hello Mirabel" said Javier, the son of a builder with whom she had spent most of the day working. Mirabel couldn't help but notice that he almost seemed embarrassed by Victor's behavior, just like everyone else. "Hello Mirabel" greeted the shoemaker's son. Mirabel had taught his younger sister to embroider.
"My favorite victim," Victor said as he sat down next to her on that park bench. "Leave her alone, she's had a rough day, Victor. She worked with me and dad throughout the day," Javier said. "You're right" supported Victor while shamelessly putting his arm over her shoulder. Mirabel felt petrified. She didn't even dare to move. Her most basic instinct told her that she must prevent him from hurting her at all costs. "Mirabel" said Victor "there is a party at my house. It is the birthday of one of my sisters. you should go with us."
"Yes, Mirabel" he replied to the shoemaker's son, smiling at her "I assure you that we don't do it with bad intentions". "Yes, let's go Mirabel," Víctor insisted, who took her shoulder forcefully. She knew the other boys very well. Gone were their days of teasing and cruelty, but Victor was very different. He was still as mean as he was when he was seven years old. "I don't think it's a good idea, my family doesn't know I'm with you," Mirabel said as she left Victor's side and stood up.
The other boys insisted until they convinced her. After all, a few minutes ago she had complained about how lonely and isolated she felt. Now she had the opportunity to attend a party where she could meet many of her acquaintances. Victor lived in a nice big house a few blocks away, with an internal patio and a fountain in the center. She sat on the edge of the fountain while one of the boy's sisters offered her a drink.
"Mirabel, come dance with me" he said as he led her into the living room that had been transformed into a dance floor. The two of them moved around the room as the town band performed a couple of popular songs. Mirabel felt very uncomfortable dancing with that person. He had made her life hell, and she wasn't sure she wanted to forgive him just yet. But this was his house, he had invited her, and she couldn't turn him down.
"What's going on?" he asked "Am I making you uncomfortable?". "I don't like you," Mirabel answered, immediately regretting being too honest. "Mirabel" he began almost asking, " why are you here then?" she asked. "I don't know, maybe because I had no place to go," Mirabel replied.
That was an excellent question. She never really wanted to go to that party. The only reason to accept his invitation was to stay out of the temporary house where they were living, since she did not want to face Camilo and his reproaches. Mirabel got a glass of wine. She never drank, that was one of Agustín's strictest rules, since she was underage.
"Why do you like to hurt me?" she asked Mirabel to Victor who was sitting next to her, while she slurred her words thanks to the alcohol. I don't know, "I just thought it was funny" Victor replied as he shrugged. "I have never understood that," Mirabel said.
"what?"
"To people like you, who hurt others just for the fun of it. I guess I always want to understand the reasons, even though sometimes there aren't," Mirabel said as she rested her jaw on her fist. "Have you ever felt more powerful than someone else?" Victor asked. "No," Mirabel replied. "There you have your answer, that's why you don't understand me" said Victor "Do you want to dance again?" he said as he took her hand and guided her to the dance floor.
Mirabel already felt the effects of alcohol. She was underage, she should never have drunk like she did. "I don't know, maybe I should go, my family doesn't know I'm here," Mirabel said. "Come on, let's dance one more song, this town is very small, very soon everyone will know that you are here, with me," Víctor insisted. Mirabel could not refuse, after all, no one had asked for her company in that way.
"Okay" Mirabel replied, who felt flattered by the attention. Mirabel and Victor danced a couple of songs, until she decided it was time to go home. "I'll go with you," Victor said. "It's too late now, I'll get in trouble with my parents if I don't." Mirabel rolled her eyes, "In this town nothing ever happens, there will be no difference" she answered. "But, I want to do it, I want to go with you" he replied. Mirabel silently nodded.
They walked in silence to the other end of town where the temporary house where the Madrigal family lived was located. Mirabel and Victor barely exchanged a couple of cordial words all the way. She was beginning to realize that beyond the jerk she always thought she knew there was a young and somewhat silly boy, who didn't know how to treat women, who cared a lot about his sisters and had dreams and plans for the future.
"I would like to study in the capital," Victor said. "I wish you luck, since that sounds like a great plan," Mirabel replied. He looked at her in surprise. "I gave you the perfect opportunity to get back at me and laugh at my plans, it's amazing you didn't take it." She smiled "I'm not like you" she said. "That's lucky, I'm really no good, and there shouldn't be two like me," Victor replied with a smile. "May I give you a kiss?" Victor asked. Mirabel felt herself blush, no one had asked her for a kiss, and she never imagined that he would do it precisely among all people. "Y-yes," Mirabel stammered. She narrowed her eyes slowly as she felt him getting closer very slowly, to the point that she could almost feel his breath on her lips.
"What are you doing to Mirabel, asshole?" Camilo asked who also arrived at the house and pushed Victor away from her. Mirabel was startled, but she was not surprised. Camilo knew very well that she was one of the favorite victims of his gang, and he had defended her on many occasions. He probably believed that he was going to hurt her.
"Nothing she hasn't allowed me to do" said Victor who raised his hands in peace. "It must be a joke. Mirabel would never accept you after everything you've put her through" answered Camilo who looked really upset. "No, Camilo, stop," said Mirabel who tried to hold her cousin by his shoulders. "He offered to walk me home. I was at his sister's birthday party and I…"
"Did you go to his house? After everything he has done to you?" Camilo asked furiously, "I spent the whole afternoon looking for you, I never would have imagined that you were in this jerk's house." Victor seemed offended, "hey, I know better than anyone that I'm not perfect, but you have no right to treat me like that" Victor defended himself. "Camilo, leave him alone, he hasn't been rude today" said Mirabel. Camilo took her hand, gave Victor one last resentful look, and they went into the house.
"Have you gone crazy?" Camilo asked as he closed the door, and headed towards her. "That guy has been very rude to you, he loves to humiliate you", Camilo said. "Wouldn't be the first one," Mirabel replied as she crossed her arms. "No, no, no" Camilo started "you're not going to turn this around. I might have been the bad guy of the day, but he's been so mean to you for years, you can't be thinking of accepting him as a potential boyfriend," he said.
"It was just a kiss," Mirabel said. "Nobody had shown interest in me." Camilo rolled his eyes, "Of course not, because this is a town in the middle of nowhere where there are hardly any people our age, but that's no excuse to jump on the first idiot who shows interest in you, just because. you can't help but please everyone don't you?. Don't you have self love?" Camilo said. Mirabel felt herself flush with anger. Isabela had told her something similar, but this was too much.
"How dare you?" asked Mirabel, who had never been this angry with Camilo. Especially, since she had to admit that he had a point, and this was killing her. "What is happening?" Julieta asked, as she approached the door. "Mirabel was about to kiss Victor Valenzuela" Camilo replied. Mirabel bit her lip. She had complained over and over about how cruel Victor had been, so her mom must have thought she had lost her mind.
"I thought you didn't like him," Julieta said. "Today he was very kind to me and people can change," Mirabel defended herself. "He invited me to a party, and I accepted because I was very sad because…" Mirabel said. However, she decided not to continue as Camilo's panicked face made her understand that he would get into serious trouble with her aunt if she told her about their fight. "I was sad because there's a long way to finish the reconstruction of the house" Mirabel lied.
"Mi amor, Camilo is right. Victor Valenzuela has been very mean to you. Do you remember that time he broke your glasses? He made you hit your face and you arrived covered in blood, it was truly terrifying," Julieta asked. "I know it can be flattering sometimes when a boy pays attention to you, but he doesn't seem like a nice person." Mirabel bit her lip. She was annoyed because everyone in that house seemed to think that she was a pathetic craving for attention. "I don't plan on marrying him after a date," Mirabel replied as she stormed down the hall, across the internal patio of that house to her bedroom on the second floor.
Mirabel felt humiliated by the reaction of Camilo and her mother. It was clear that everyone in that house thought she was a poor, pathetic, stupid girl. However, this time, Mirabel was not interested in proving them otherwise. She could only think of the hours she had spent dancing with Victor, in his nice house, in his nice family. Perhaps one day she would find a way to get out of there, and find someone who would allow her to have her own home away from the Madrigals.
The next day, Mirabel left the house in the company of Isabela. They had to go to the market for some groceries. However, just as they crossed the main square, Mirabel ran into Víctor who was looking at her from one of the corners in the company of his friends.
"Hello, Mirabel" he said as he came running towards her. Mirabel felt Isabela's gaze fixed on her. Her sister seemed to want to run away. Probably, her mom and Camilo had already warned her, because she looked at Victor as if he were nothing more than an annoying insect. "I remember you" Isabela said to Victor. "You are the idiot who broke Mirabel's glasses when they were children, you are always humiliating her in public" she said. Victor blushed "Well, Miss Isabela, we all deserve a second chance, if it wasn't like that, you wouldn't come out so well either" he replied.
Now it was Isabella's turn to blush, because he was right. People in Encanto had rarely seen the difficult side of Isabela, who seemed to have nothing but cheerful smiles for everyone. However, she gave him one of the worst looks in her arsenal. "We have things to do, the best thing is for you to stop bothering us, brat" Isabela said. Mirabel blushed, took her sister's arm and started to pull her away. "I'm sorry Victor, we'll talk later, '' Mirabel yelled as they left.
"You are very rude, Isabela" Mirabel said to her while they did the shopping. "I can't believe you're even contemplating going out with him, after everything he's done to you," Isabela said. "He's right, people deserve a second chance," Mirabel replied. Isabela shook her head, but she didn't continue the conversation. It was evident that she thought the same as her mother and Camilo: for her Mirabel was nothing more than a little girl hungry for some affection and attention.
Isabela remained silent as both walked through the market square looking for fruits and vegetables. However, her sister gave her a concerned look from time to time.
"This is our fault," Isabela murmured suddenly. Mirabel was very upset. She knew that her sister was still thinking about Victor, so she decided that she would not back down.
That afternoon, Mirabel was working with her family and other members of the town on the reconstruction of the Casita. She looked out from one of the windows under construction on the second floor, and there she saw Camilo talking to Victor. "Mirabel isn't here, she's busy, don't look for her anymore" her cousin said. "Come on, everyone knows that she is working in this house, if she wants to give me a chance, I don't understand why all of you don't want to do it" she replied.
"Get out of here," Camilo said. Mirabel had already realized that her cousin had no intention of letting him in, so she opened and looked out the window. "Hello Victor, wait a minute" Mirabel said while Camilo gave her a grimace full of annoyance.
Mirabel let Victor in, and he offered to help her put up the ornaments in the bathroom on the second floor, and when she arrived in the afternoon, he invited her to walk with him by the acacia pond. Mirabel would not say that she was getting in love with him. To tell the truth, she still felt too resentful, but if she had to choose one feeling, she would say that she felt flattered. She returned home when it was already dark and her family was eating in the dining room.
"Grandma, you have to tell her something, it is completely incomprehensible that she goes out with him. She must have gone crazy, probably one of Casita's tiles hit her on the head when it fell" Camilo opined. "I don't understand why there's so much fuss" Bruno said "as far as I remember, the Valenzuelas were a good family, they're good people" his uncle said. "The problem is not the Valenzuelas, the problem is Victor. He has always been mean to Mirabel. I have a feeling that this must be a cruel joke or something like that," Luisa opined.
"He has never been nice to Mirabel, I don't understand the sudden change either" said her grandmother. " Luckily for him, Mirabel is not a spiteful person, otherwise she would not even speak to him." her grandma concluded. Isabela sighed, "I think she's just flattered by all that attention. Mirabel is not used to that, but I wouldn't want to see her hurt" her sister said. "I think we shouldn't interfere, if we pressure her we will only make her want to go out with him even more" Bruno opined.
"We can't let her go out with him. You don't know that boy like we do. I've talked to her mom over and over, he leaves her alone for a while, and then he's back at her again." Julieta said, annoyed. "I'll take care of going to talk to his father, but I've already done it countless times, and nothing has changed," Agustín said.
Mirabel entered her room, feeling no desire to eat anything that night. Everyone saw her as the laughing stock of her family and it was killing her. Mirabel went out with Victor again the next day after she finished working on rebuilding the Casita. He invited her to go to the river in the company of all his friends and some of their girlfriends. It was the first time he had gone out with her in front of everyone.
Victor and Mirabel were not as well received as she had thought. Even Victor's friends seemed annoyed with him. They also thought that this was just another one of his pranks. They were chatting on the river bank when Mirabel was met by a familiar voice.
"Mirabel" said Camilo. "We have to go home. Grandma has been asking me about you all afternoon, we have to go." Mirabel was annoyed when she saw him. Her family denied Victor entry to the house, and had often gone so far as to deny that she was there, but it was Camilo who seemed more aggressive. Probably because he had always witnessed firsthand everything Victor did to her. "Don't be like that, you should stay with us and keep us company instead of ruining the night" Victor said. "Let's go, Mirabel," Camilo said without giving Victor a second glance.
"I'm so sorry" Mirabel told Victor before leaving with Camilo. "I don't understand you," Mirabel muttered as they walked toward the house, "you never pay attention to me, but when something good finally happens to me, then you want to ruin it," she said. Camilo turned in her direction, and looked at her full of anger. "Do you think that's good?" Camilo asked. "You can't expect everyone to be happy for you. That guy has done nothing but make you suffer for years. I don't know what happens to you, first, you go to the mountain for days, you could have died, you could have lost yourself. And now, you insist on going out with that jerk, I bet you don't even like him that much."
Mirabel didn't want to answer, so she turned around and went home. Things didn't change for another couple of weeks. The only difference was that Victor seemed kinder to her every day. Often Mirabel sensed certain gentle glances, or that he watched her a little more than necessary. This made her feel really nervous, since she couldn't feel anything really strong for him.
"Are you going to the patron saint festivities?" Victor asked one day as the two of them walked along the river. "I never go, I feel a bit uncomfortable there" Mirabel replied. "Well, there is always a first time for everything, there will be a party the first night, we could go together" Victor replied. Mirabel accepted. She had an unfinished dress that she had worked on for a long time, so she decided to grab her sewing machine and finish it. Mirabel rarely prepared herself for parties, but this was different, this time the stakes were high, and she wanted to look beautiful.
As the days passed, Mirabel was filled with hope to attend that party. However, she was careful, no one could find out about this, as her family still did not approve of Victor whom they considered to be a jerk. Mirabel had gone to work rebuilding the Casita just a couple of times. She didn't want to admit it, but she was somewhat upset with her family.
Mirabel looked at herself one last time in the mirror. The two were supposed to meet a few blocks from Mirabel's house, since neither of them wanted her family to see them. The streets of Encanto always looked even more beautiful during party nights, with the lanterns lit, the fireflies hovering, and the colonial-looking houses adorned with veraneras and begonias of all colors. Mirabel stopped in front of a small bridge in one of the most deserted corners of the town. It was one of her favorite places, since the water stream that ran below was beautiful. However, today all that landscape had an even greater meaning.
"Mirabel" Victor said as he ran towards her. "Are you ready?" he asked as he approached. "Yes," agreed Mirabel who was still looking at the river under the bridge. "Maybe we should just spend a moment here just the two of us," Victor said. He was silent for a few moments while they listened to the sounds of the cicadas and the water. "This is my favorite place in the whole town," Mirabel commented. "I think from now on it will be mine too," he answered. Mirabel looked at him smiling. It made her uncomfortable to admit it, but the truth is that despite all the time they had spent in the last few weeks, she still didn't have such strong feelings for him. Mirabel felt very guilty, as he seemed to love her and he had even endured the disdain of the Madrigals just for spending time with her, while Mirabel still didn't know what to think or feel.
Mirabel felt his hand on the small of her back as he leaned down to kiss her. She would have wanted to say that it was a special moment, but the truth is that it did not meet her expectations. She had probably spent so much time reading romance novels and listening to radio novelas and nothing satisfied her. Still, she reciprocated that kiss with enthusiasm.
"So this was the reason why you stood me up" said a girl who was at the end of the bridge with her arms crossed and giving them a look full of annoyance. Mirabel looked at her carefully. It was Marlene Rivera, with whom she had barely exchanged a couple of words in her life. She also saw Camilo who was looking at them as if he had been hit by a train. They both looked well dressed, so Mirabel guessed they were heading to the party as well. "Marlene, I'm so sorry, I…"
"Don't you think this 'joke' has gone too far, Victor?" Marlene asked. "I imagined everything, except that you would leave me for Mirabel Madrigal, precisely her, she is not happy with destroying her family, she also had to destroy our relationship," she said. Mirabel wanted to think of a quick, witty response, but she couldn't. She stood there, silently feeling humiliated, but that was nothing for what was about to come.
"What relationship? Marlene, we only went out a few times," Victor said. "Oh, that wasn't what you said the night of your sister's birthday party. You told us that you bet that in a couple of weeks you could make Mirabel Madrigal accept you as her boyfriend, so you can dump her the night of the patron saint's party, but, in the end, it turns out that you stood me up. instead of this simpleton," Marlene said. Mirabel still couldn't answer.
"What?" Camilo asked, annoyed. "You did what? repeated his cousin who looked close to killing someone. Mirabel crossed her arms and prepared to go back to the house, or perhaps hide in the last corner of the town to cry, stay there and never come out again. She was a fool, everyone had seen it except Mirabel.
"Mirabel, let's go home" Camilo said as he took her by the forearm. "Don't go, Mirabel. She's right, this started out as a joke, but it's been so much fun spending time with you, what we both have is special…" Victor asked. Mirabel looked up and pressed her lips into a thin line. "Both of us have nothing. You have been nothing but cruel all your life, and I don't want to talk to you again. My family was right, you are bad, and I am an idiot" replied Mirabel. "Don't say that, Mirabel, let's go home" Camilo said gently, as he tried to get her away from there.
"Wait a minute, Camilo Madrigal" said Marlene. "Are you going to stand me up too? she asked her. "You promised me that you would go with me to the party."Camilo rolled his eyes, "I'm not going anywhere with you. We're going home, Mirabel," he said. "I don't understand you two, seriously, I don't understand either of you. You, Victor, you did not stop talking about how pathetic Mirabel Madrigal is. And you, Camilo, you spent hours telling me that she was to blame for everything that was happening, that you didn't understand why your family acted as if they owed her something, that you understood why she hadn't received a gift, because everything she touches ruins it." Marlene yelled. Mirabel got rid of Camilo's hold and prepared to turn around.
"I know I said it, but it wasn't true, Marlene" Camilo replied. Mirabel stopped, she wanted to listen to him, even if he didn't say more than simple excuses, anything was better than keeping Marlene's speech in her ears. "All of us knew that the magic of the house was failing, that our powers were failing, I myself felt my powers becoming more and more chaotic and unpredictable. Luisa felt weak, mom could barely control her cloud, and the others had problems too. The difference is that Mirabel was the only one of us who had the courage to face the problem, to talk about it. Unfortunately, by the time she tried to fix it, it was already too late. All of us prefer to ignore it, and we pay for it with our powers, but it's easier to blame Mirabel, as it takes the burden off us to accept that we should have spoken earlier." Camilo confessed while he avoided everyone's gaze.
Mirabel turned around and walked back towards the house, without waiting for Camilo, or even seeing how all that drama had ended. "Mirabel, please wait, it's the last time I'll do something like that to you, I swear it's the last time I..." said Victor who followed her and took her by the shoulders. "Go away from me. You're right, it's the last time I allow you to even speak to me" Mirabel replied.
She walked up to the house, but she had no desire to go in there, so she ran up the hill where the half-built Casita stood. Mirabel walked to the pond surrounded by acacia trees and sat there. It was already too late to walk to the river where she reconciled with her grandmother, so she preferred to stay in that place.
Mirabel looked at the forest around her. She should have stayed there and never come back to Encanto, for there was nothing there for someone like her.