[Chapter 15]
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Camilo left the truck cab window open as he drove back home. The night breeze felt especially warm and comforting despite everything that had happened a few hours before.
After Victor's unpleasant visit. Julieta forced them to sit in the kitchen. Camilo felt his face burn and his head about to explode as a result of the pain. He blamed himself, after all, he could have used his powers to become stronger. However, his pride got the better of him, and he faced Victor as himself, even though he knew he had everything to lose.
Camilo looked across the kitchen table and found Mirabel sitting waiting for one of Aunt Julieta's concoctions. She looked a little better than him, but her eyes also seemed close to turning into a big black circle. He wanted to be surprised by the way his cousin had parried Victor's attack. However, he knew her well enough to know for a fact that this was the sort of thing Mirabel was capable of. She hadn't put up with his bullshit years before, much less now that she was an adult.
"Eat this, my love" Julieta said as she passed him a plate with almojábana, cheese and panela water. Camilo started with the drink. The molasses felt so warm and comforting that he seemed to heal all of his wounds, and it probably did, as the headache ultimately became a warm and comforting feeling. Mirabel also took a ration. However, despite his tiredness, Camilo offered to take Mirabel back home. She probably wanted to sleep a few hours in the comfort of her own bed.
"Okay," she said quietly, nodding. Camilo took the truck and drove to the other side of town while he enjoyed the night breeze.
"We're here" Mirabel said, snapping him out of his reverie. Camilo stopped the truck in a small vacant lot behind Mirabel's house, and the two of them walked to the driveway. The town was completely deserted, so he could not help but enjoy the feeling of loneliness, as if the two of them were the only people in the world.
Mirabel opened the door of the house and he prepared to leave. "Wait," Mirabel said as she took his hand. Camilo felt the pressure and the contact with her skin. Probably the best thing would have been to leave things like that, and not look for more problems than they already had, but the truth was that he didn't want to do that. The moments lived with Mirabel had always felt like a kind of robbery to destiny.
"I'm dead," Camilo said, hinting that any physical activity was prohibited, since he had been driving for more than eight hours straight. Mirabel smiled "I know, I just want to spend time with you" she said. Camilo got carried away. The two of them sat in silence under the shelter of a heavy ruana, drinking coffee and enjoying the morning chill, side by side, on the bench in the inner garden of Mirabel's house.
Camilo sighed as he took in everything around him. It was a small and classic interior garden, typical of rural houses, decorated with flowers and hanging plants, whose colors seemed clearer as the morning sun peeked very slowly over the snowy mountains. He had always loved mornings in the countryside, even when he was away studying his career. He only hoped that wherever the two of them had to go, there would be those quiet mornings like this one.
"Do you want breakfast?" Mirabel asked after the sun had already risen. "Yes, it sounds tempting, if you don't mind, I'll go to the corner shop to buy today's paper," he said. Camilo left the house, bought the two newspapers that he used to read every day, and returned to Mirabel's house. He sat at the small dining table next to the central garden, in the company of a delicious steaming coffee that she had put moments before.
Camilo opened the first one. It was the most famous newspaper. The news were not encouraging, they never were, much less since 1948, but it was not overly specific or graphic. Later, he opened the second one, it was a regional publication. Camilo used to buy it since those newspapers had less control of the national government, and although the news there were much more sensational, it really showed what was happening in the region. Camilo looked at the photos of the events from a couple of days before.
"You shouldn't look at that so early in the morning, it's really scary, some of those photos have no respect for the pain of those people," Mirabel commented as she placed a couple of plates in front of them. She stretched out her hand and looked for a few seconds at the page he was reading. "What a terrible thing" she commented "where did that happen?" Mirabel asked. "On the Circasia side, not far from here" Camilo replied as he closed the newspaper and put it aside. He didn't want to keep thinking about it.
"Breakfast is not as good as mom's, but I barely have any food in this house. I want to make everything completely clean so that my landlady doesn't have to clean rotten food in the fridge. She has been very good to me. I am planning to buy her a bouquet of flowers or a fruit basket to thank her for everything." Mirabel said. Camilo gave her a smile. Such gentle details were her own, and they were the kind of things that always made her stand out from everyone else.
Camilo went home shortly after, where he took a bath and got ready to go back to the farm. He returned shortly before sunset. However, he stopped by a fonda in the town's central square. Camilo leaned back comfortably against a wall as he had a few drinks with one of his friends. Unfortunately, just when he thought the evening was going smoothly. Victor passed in the company of his friends.
"Victor" Camilo shouted as he left his drink on the table and ran after him. Camilo didn't understand why he was doing that, maybe it was a last desperate attempt to make peace with Victor and avoid leaving town. "Wait, I want to talk to you," he said. Victor stopped, and turned to him. Camilo had never seen him so serious.
"What do you want, Madrigal?" he asked. Camilo felt his hands begin to sweat. "I just want to talk," Camilo replied. "What happened last night was really serious, it should never have happened," he said. Victor shrugged.
"It's not very different from what happened while Mirabel was sick, I still remember how you came to my house and hit me," Victor answered. "Yes it is, back then we were just teenagers, now we are adults" Camilo said. "I'll tell you what the real difference is, Madrigal" Victor said as he pointed his index finger at his chest, "This time I'm the one in control, and you and Mirabel know that, I'm not alone, and there are many things going on, and you don't want something bad to happen to you," Victor said.
"I know what kind of a man you are, Victor, and I know you have the cold blood to take this town to hell with you, but that's not why I'm here. Mirabel can't bear to think that everything between the three of us is so bad, and I want you to leave her out of this mess" Camilo requested. "I will do no such thing. My sister was out of this mess, but you decided to involve her. You decided the rules of the game, now you have to continue it," he said. Camilo did not understand what he was referring to, but he decided not to insist, since it was clear that Victor did not want peace.
"Whatever you say, Victor. I hope that wherever Daniela is, she is happy, because you have no right to ruin her life," Camilo said. Victor snorted, turned around and left. After that useless encounter, Camilo returned home and began to pack. That conversation made it clear to him that he and Mirabel had no choice but to leave. While he was fixing his shirts when the newspaper from that morning fell to the floor, and all the pages were exposed. Camilo felt chills when he saw the scenes in the photographs. Ultimately, the two of them needed to get out of there quickly.
Camilo went down to dinner. However he was surprised to see that Mirabel did not have dinner with them that night. After all, she wanted to spend as much time as possible with her family before she left. Suddenly, a heavy rain began to fall in the middle of the darkness of the night. Camilo went to his room completely exhausted. After all, it was cold and he hadn't slept the night before.
He was calmly walking up the steps when he saw one of Villa Helena's flower pots shatter, almost as if it had imploded. "What's going on Casita? Do you want to tell me something?" he asked quietly. Suddenly, the flagstones in center square began to tremble. Something was going on. Camilo went down the stairs to the main entrance of the house and opened the door. He found a letter on the floor.
"Dear family" Camilo read. He recognized Mirabel's handwriting. Casita must have gotten excited when it saw her approach, but she just left that paper and left. Camilo entered the house slowly while he opened the envelope and read the contents. He felt his blood turn cold when he saw the word 'sorry'. Camilo knew immediately that she had left him again.
"I'm sorry, Camilo, but I can't condemn you to a life of a fugitive, this is a burden that I will have to carry," he read. Camilo ran to the kitchen where the rest of the family shared dessert after dinner.
That news did not sit well, especially with Julieta's family. Her aunt didn't say anything, she just quietly got up and went to her room. Just when Mirabel finally seemed a little happier, she would disappear like that. Camilo tried to remember the past. Mirabel's childhood was never easy. He knew that if it was for many of the members in the family, she would have just stayed locked away, out of the way. He also remembered his own words and his own actions. He humiliated her and did nothing more than contribute to that pain that she had always kept inside.
Probably not even the love she claimed to feel for him was enough to erase the traces of the past. Maybe she just wanted to start over somewhere where she wouldn't be considered an intruder. Camilo sat in the kitchen while the family guessed where Mirabel was or what they could do to bring her back. However, none of their words stayed long enough in his memory. He couldn't stop thinking about those brief, happy hours the two of them shared, before she decided to leave without him.
Camilo could hardly sleep that night, even though he hadn't done it for hours. Despite the above, he got up very early on Sunday morning with the intention of going to Mirabel's house and checking with his own eyes if what she wrote was true. However, he was not the only one with that idea in mind, since when he went downstairs he found Luisa and Isabela dressed and ready to go out, while sharing a cup of coffee in the kitchen.
"I don't know what we want to find, but we want to see it for ourselves," Isabela said. Camilo put on his hat and the three of them crossed the town to Mirabel's house. The sky was an ugly shade of gray, which was strange in December, but completely understandable, since it rained all night. Camilo remembered the spare key that Mirabel used to keep in the pot by the entrance, so he opened the door easily.
The house was deserted, and the furniture covered with white sheets. None of her personal belongings were in her place. Her clothes, cosmetics, and even her cooking tools were gone. Suddenly, Camilo heard a meow in the inner courtyard of the house. He watched Pepito and Bonita standing over their empty food plates. The cats looked puzzled at the abrupt change in routine.
"Something very strange is happening" Luisa murmured as she looked at the cats next to him. "Such irresponsibility, at least she should have told us that she would leave the cats. Poor things, they must be hungry" Isabela replied before leaving for the kitchen. "Do you really think Mirabel would be able to abandon her cats?" Luisa asked "she loves those animals" she continued. Camilo stared at her while he remembered all those photographs he saw in the newspaper the day before. For a moment, he felt nauseated.
"Mirabel would never abandon them like that, first she would have made sure that someone would feed them" Camilo answered while he felt himself turn pale.
Isabela returned from the kitchen with what appeared to be a plate of boiled chicken. "Where did you get that?" Camilo asked. "From the fridge, Mirabel left all that food there, a pity, for sure it will be ruined" Isabela replied. Camilo couldn't believe it, so he ran to the kitchen and opened the fridge without a second thought. Isabela was correct, all the food was there.
"Something is happening here," Camilo said. "Mirabel would never abandon those cats, and yesterday she told me that she would not leave food in the refrigerator, since she wanted to return the house to her landlady in perfect condition," he explained. "Maybe..." Isabela began. She didn't seem ready to accept the possibility that something might have happened to Mirabel. However, Camilo didn't think twice. He decided to leave the house and look for the culprit of all that mess.
"Camilo!" Luisa yelled as he left the house toward the vicinity of the main square, where Victor lived. He knocked on the door again and again, until the housekeeper opened. The poor woman seemed scared to see Camilo furious, and she couldn't help but stammer that Victor hadn't come home yet. That confirmed Camilo's suspicions: Victor must have done something to Mirabel. It was then that he decided that he would not leave until he returned.
It wasn't more than a quarter of an hour before Victor's car was parked in the middle of the block. Camilo looked at him with the desire to kill him while he, another couple of companions, and a girl got out of the car. They all seemed happy and dressed in evening gowns, surely they had spent the night partying. "Oh, Madrigal, what are you doing here? I'm in a great mood today, and I don't want any more trouble" he said as he raised his hands to the sides of his head in peace.
"Where is Mirabel?" he asked without even stopping to make conversation. "Why should I know? She made things clear between the two of us. Mirabel doesn't want to see me again" Victor replied in a bad mood. "We received a letter from Mirabel in the middle of the night, in which she told us that she was leaving town. I don't think so, something must have happened to her, and I bet everything that you are the one to blame" Camilo accused him.
"How paranoid. I spent the whole night at a party in Santa Rita. Everyone here can confirm it, he said as he pointed to his two friends and the girl. If you don't believe us, you can talk to Santa Rita's mayor, or Encanto's mayor, they were at that party, if that makes you feel better," Victor said. Camilo found no words to answer him. He looked from him to the others who silently looked at him as if he had lost his mind. At that moment, Camilo felt Victor's hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry friend, I know it's hard to accept a rejection, but it wouldn't be the first time that Mirabel leaves you kissing the ground, I would have gotten used to that if I were you" he said, Camilo felt the irrational desire to hit him, and he would have done it if it weren't for Isabela and Luisa who were turning around the corner.
"Camilo" Isabela called him. Camilo walked away from Victor and joined Isabela. However, before he left, he saw the transporters that Luisa was carrying. He looked over her shoulder once more, "Hey" Camilo called, to which Victor gave him a look, "I was about to believe what the letter said, if it hadn't been for you leaving the cats. She would never have abandoned them to their fate. Tell her they're safe and sound as soon as you see her" Camilo said almost cheekily. "Asshole," Victor muttered under his breath before he and his friends entered the house.
Camilo, Isabela and Luisa went to Casita. "He's lying to us, I know he is," Camilo grumbled as the three of them walked through town. "Okay, calm down, let's have breakfast, my treat" Luisa said while she tried to make him feel better. Camilo accepted, since he didn't want to go home. He felt like a caged animal, circling and trying to escape.
The three of them decided to go to the restaurant in the plaza, since no other was open. They arrived just in time to see Mirabel's neighbor ride his bike with an order. "Alberto," a woman yelled from the kitchen. "Who is that order for?" she asked her. "For Don Bruno Madrigal" replied the boy. "I don't remember him placing an order with us," the woman said. "Don't worry, I know him well enough and I know he'll love this one" he said before riding off on the bike.
The three of them ate breakfast in silence, not knowing what to do or how to proceed. "Maybe we should go to the police, the police from Manizales are with the reds, they will surely help us," Isabela said. Camilo sighed, "We could do it, but it will be days before they give Mirabel up for lost, I think our powers will give better results" Camilo answered. Luisa paid the bill as she promised, and the three of them returned home.
Camilo quietly entered the kitchen with the aim of telling Aunt Julieta not to worry about them, but he didn't find her there. Instead, he found his grandmother and Bruno talking seriously over a steaming cup of coffee. They looked at him and he knew immediately that something was up, so he decided not to soften the blow.
"We went to Mirabel's house, we didn't find her, but her cats were there, abandoned. I know something bad must have happened to her," he said. Bruno frowned even more, "Dolores, come here" Bruno murmured, "bring Antonio and the cats" his uncle said. His brothers did not take long to appear, while his uncle assumed complete control of the situation. Camilo held his breath as Bruno stood up and addressed all the Madrigal cousins.
"I have a couple of people in town who tell me what's going on. Mirabel knows of the existence of one of them. Apparently, she visited him yesterday, before she went to a party, she told him that she didn't want to go, but that she felt obligated, and she needed him to tell me, sound familiar?" he asked. Camilo felt pale "Victor was coming from a party, but he says that everyone saw him alone, even the Encanto's mayor, something must have happened to Mirabel."
Bruno, who was crossing his arms, waved his hand to Antonio to come closer. "Ask the cats what they have seen," his uncle said. The boy did as Bruno asked, while Camilo could only admire the control his uncle had over the situation, while his grandmother watched in silence.
"They didn't see anything. Mirabel received a visit, she did not seem happy, but after a few moments she began to change her clothes and go outside. Then some men appeared. They didn't recognize their scent, and one of them kicked Bonita, so they decided to hide until Camilo arrived" Antonio said.
"Fine," Bruno agreed. "We already know that our suspicions are true, something happened to Mirabel and Victor is our main and most important suspect" Bruno said. "Dolores" Bruno called her. "Yes?" she asked. "I guess you know Mom's fishmonger friend. You will tell her what we know, and you will tell her that we need her to spread the news, if she has any doubts, give her this "said Bruno while pointing to a couple of bills that his grandmother put on the table.
"That would be spreading baseless rumours. We can't do that…" Dolores started, but Bruno didn't let her continue. "Yes, we can do it. People will soon start talking about it and Victor will feel pressured, as his family too, and that is precisely what we need, we need they feel pressured and guilty, especially Miguel Valenzuela, I have known him since we were children, he is a good man, and I know he will not tolerate a situation as undignified and dirty as this," Bruno said. Dolores nodded before taking the money and disappearing out the door.
"Mom," Bruno said. "Tell Agustín to travel with Julieta to Manizales, we need to notify the police there, but not to mention the name of the person who gave me the information about Mirabel, it's not safe," he said.
"What do we do?" Isabela asked. "You will come with me, there is work to do," Bruno replied. Camilo silently followed his uncle, while he silently prayed that Mirabel was safe and sound.
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Mirabel kept her eyes closed for a few more minutes as she felt a throbbing pain in her head and a strange metallic taste in her mouth. She opened her eyes very slowly and realized that she was in an old country house, very similar to her own, with its thick cobblestone walls painted white and ceilings supported with wood painted in green.
She was lying on the bed so she stayed there while she remembered what had happened the night before:
Mirabel remembered how she had seen Camilo leave the previous morning after breakfast, she had spent the day lazing around and enjoying the Christmas party music programs on the radio. The doorbell rang shortly after lunch while she was washing the dishes. Mirabel ran to open it and got an ugly surprise.
"What are you doing here, Victor?" Mirabel asked as she crossed her arms. "Hello Mirabel, I know that things ended badly yesterday, but I wanted to talk to you, I'm really sorry" he said. Mirabel bit her lip. She felt a very small glimpse of hope. After all, if she came to terms with Victor and they ended things in a civil way, Camilo and her wouldn't have to leave Encanto.
"Okay, come on in, we'll talk," Mirabel said reluctantly as she ushered him into the living room. "I am very sorry about what happened last night. I really felt that Camilo was drowning me, it's the whole investigation thing and stuff at work isn't going the way I'd like. The whole department is on fire, and my party expects things from us, things that I don't think I can deliver," Victor said. That last thing caught Mirabel's attention.
"What are you talking about?" Mirabel asked. "Don't pretend. We both know exactly what I'm talking about," he said. Mirabel felt surprised. Victor never stopped being in her mind that silly school bully, and it never crossed her mind that he was at a crossroads, trapped by people more manipulative or hungry for power than him. She felt her defenses soften.
"Maybe you should quit your job," she suggested. Mirabel immediately regretted those words, since it was an almost naive alternative. "I can't do it, I like what I do, besides, I have debts. I really counted on Daniela, but now she is gone, and I feel trapped" he said. Mirabel felt even more sorry for him, so she offered him a coffee and the two of them chatted for a while longer.
"Today there will be a party at Santa Rita, I was wondering if you wanted to go" Victor offered. Mirabel bit her lip. "I don't think that's a good idea," she replied. "Please Mirabel, I'm sick of all the rumors and comments. Everyone expects me to get married soon, but in this town there are hardly any women. I'm not asking you to marry me, I'm just begging you to come to that Christmas party with me, just for once, so that no one makes nasty comments to me," he said. Mirabel smiled at him.
She understood what it meant to work in an office like Victor's. There always was some noisy person to be found, saying something like: Why don't you have a boyfriend? When do you plan to have children? She smiled at him. "I'm very sorry Victor, my words from yesterday still stand, I can't have any relationship with you right now, you scare me sometimes. However, if you really want it, we could go to that party as friends." Mirabel replied, giving him a smile. Victor responded to her gesture, making her wonder why she hadn't tried that before. After all, she could reason with most people, why would it be any different with him?
Mirabel felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe things weren't supposed to end the way she feared. Perhaps both, Mirabel and her grandmother, had jumped into conclusions. Daniela was surely exaggerating, because Victor seemed rational.
"That sounds good" Victor nodded, "To be honest, I have known you and Camilo for many years. Deep down, I always knew that it was almost going against fate when I tried to be with you. I would never have forgiven myself as easily as you have. Being friends is something I would love," he said. Mirabel smiled.
"Can I come by at five?" he asked. "Yeah, that sounds good," Mirabel answered. Mirabel dressed herself. She took a gorgeous aquamarine strapless dress from her closet. Mirabel bought that dress for a colleague's wedding in the capital, and it cost her a small fortune, and since then she barely had any chances to wear it, it seemed like the perfect garment for that night.
Mirabel looked at her wristwatch and realized that Victor was running late, since it was a quarter past five and he still hadn't shown up. At that moment, Mirabel went out into the street and realized that her block was deserted. Something in the silence of this remote part of town disturbed her, and for the first time since Victor's visit she wondered if this was a good idea.
Mirabel knew it was too late to back down, but perhaps it was time to talk to her family. She went back into the house and picked up the phone. Mirabel pressed the tone again and again, but it was dead. She made a mental reminder to call the phone company to file a complaint. Suddenly, she remembered her neighbor, if anyone could sound the alarm to her uncle, it was him. She crossed the street and rang the doorbell at the neighboring house. Luckily, the boy was not working.
"Miss Mirabel?" he asked after sharing a brief greeting. "Hello, Alberto, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I'm going out to a party. I don't really want to go, but it's a commitment. I tried to let my family know, you know, it's always good to let someone know where you are, but my phone doesn't work, so I thought…" she began "Don't worry, Miss Mirabel, I'll let them know"Alberto said giving her a smile. Suddenly, a car's horn caught her attention. "I'm sorry, Alberto, I think they've already come for me, I have to go" She said before giving him one last smile.
Mirabel returned to the door of her house and noticed a large blue car parked in front of the main entrance. Mirabel recognized the driver, but not the car. "Is that a new car?" Mirabel asked.
Victor shrugged. "It's from a friend, he let me try it," he commented as Mirabel entered. He started the engine and drove down the difficult road that separated Encanto from Santa Rita. Mirabel looked at the sky and saw the rain getting closer, so surely the road would become even more difficult.
"I'm glad things could end well," Mirabel said. "I really thought you would be furious with Camilo and me," she said. Victor looked at her through the rearview mirror. "I'm not" he answered without giving his answer much depth. Mirabel continued. "That relieves me, since I have to be honest, your plans worried me quite a bit. Especially because I don't know what you want to get of all of this," she said.
"What are you talking about?" Victor said. "Aren't you worried that you're being used?" she asked. "After all, none of us gain anything if misfortune comes to Encanto, all of our families will be affected, no one will be the winner, other than those who are behind this whole mess. At the end of the day, they see us as a bunch of insignificant people. They will use you and then discard you," Mirabel said. Victor sighed deeply. "You sound like my dad," he replied. "He always says the exact same thing," Victor said.
"That's the truth. We would give them everything, in exchange for nothing" Mirabel said. "It's not worth talking about anymore, Mirabel, we'll have fun tonight, and then... Well, time will tell" he replied. They entered Santa Rita. Mirabel assumed that the party would take place in that inn where Mirabel fell ill years ago, since it was the largest event venue in that town, but she felt surprised to see that the car went by. "The party will be at the mayor of Santa Rita's country house, it's on the road to the moors" he explained "oh" she murmured, as she really didn't want to go so far from home.
The sky was already dark when they arrived at the country house, and the first drops of rain began to fall. Mirabel saw a pretty country house lit up and with music playing at full volume. She was thrilled, as this was her only chance to reconcile with Victor and force him to give up his stupid ideas.
"Come, Mirabel, they are waiting for us at the house," he said. Country houses in that area used to have an external corridor, accompanied by an elaborate wooden handrail, and be decorated with hanging plants, so one could cross the house without having to enter any of the rooms. Mirabel thought that they would go into the living room right away, where a great celebration was being held. Instead, they continued down the wooden hallway to the back room. Mirabel guessed it was the place to leave her coat. However, she was startled when she saw that it was dark.
"What's going on here?" she asked. However, her question went unanswered. She felt Victor grab her without any delicacy and put a handkerchief over her mouth and nose. Mirabel didn't know what happened from there, until she found herself on the floor of a room lit by a kerosene lamp. Mirabel could barely squint a few times and see the shadows move around her, but she couldn't wake up.
"What am I supposed to do with her?" Victor asked as he picked her up and carried her outside. "Keep her at your parents' house on the moors," someone else replied. Mirabel guessed that it could be Santa Rita' mayor, but she wasn't sure. "At my place?" Victor asked, alarmed as they left her in the back seat of the car. "This is your mission, you said you could take care of it, now do it" replied the other guy.
At that moment a third person joined them. Mirabel saw him take out an object. "I'll put something stronger on her, she's losing the effect and she'll wake up on the way" the third person warned. Mirabel felt pain in her arm and assumed she had been injected with something.
"I still have no idea what to do with her," Victor said. "I can't retain her forever," he concluded. At that moment she heard a snort of exasperation, "but what a lack of inventiveness" complained the one who seemed to be the mayor of Santa Rita. "The old woman will be frightened when she cannot find her granddaughter, and if you know how to ask for it, she will transfer the land of the river to your name, or hers. You could even marry her formally for a couple of hours, and then you will decide what to do with her, throw her into the river if that is what you want" he replied. Victor groaned.
"She is not just any person. This is not simply about stealing the land from that family as you are used to. I have known these people my whole life. Mirabel is special. She is the one who has control over that river. I don't know how she did it, but she was the one who took the powers from the Madrigals so many years ago. If something happens to her, the Madrigals will not leave a single stone in its place. They will take revenge, and they have the power to do so," Victor said. "That's your responsibility, boy, you got us into it, think for yourself" replied the guy.
Mirabel could almost sense Victor's desperation before she lost her consciousness. Mirabel felt nothing until she woke up in that room. She rose gently to find herself in last night's dress, her heavy crinoline made it difficult for her to move easily. Mirabel looked around the room and realized that this scene was not a product of her imagination.
That place looked like a typical family country house, with the heavy brown cedar furniture that would last until the end of time, the blankets woven by some housewife, and the portrait of the sacred heart that was omnipresent in all the houses of that kind. Mirabel tried to turn the knob, and she was surprised to find that the door was open. Mirabel took a few steps through the outer corridor of the house. Poor Mrs. Esperanza Valenzuela, she had probably spent hours decorating her country house in the moors with all her love to make it look pretty with flower plants of all colors and nice pots, just to be used by her disgraceful son in that way.
Mirabel reached the end of the corridor, and looked at the landscape. The house was located in the middle of nowhere, in the moors, surrounded by the fog that came from the snowy mountain. It was a beautiful landscape, but desolate.
"Mirabel" Victor called her from the house. She turned very slowly and faced him, his expression impossible to read. Mirabel felt that she had just realized how serious this situation was.