Chapter One: When It All Happened

"Bel…" a voice called out somewhere over my head, which, by the way, was throbbing in pain. What had happened? I was laying in the grass, I could feel the grass tickling my legs and arms.

"Mirabel, please, open your eyes por favor," the voice continued. That sounded like Isabela, and she sounded worried. Whatever was going on, whatever had caused me to be laying on the grass, must have caused a crowd to gather. Why else would Senorita Perfecta be making a big deal of me laying on the ground? Isabela repeated herself again, this time with an almost shout, "Mira!"

The throbbing in my head increased by a good ten percent with her shout, forcing a pathetic sound to escape my mouth. Great, now she was going to call me a baby for crying out like that. Well, if there was a large enough crowd that Princesa Perfecta had to play the concerned hermana mayor, then there was a high chance that Abuela was going to show up, and right now I did not feel up to having to endure one of Abuela's lectures on how I am the embarrassment of the Madrigal Family.

I opened my eyes and everything was blurry, which meant that I was not wearing my glasses. Why wasn't I wearing my glasses? I was as blind as a bat without them and everyone knew it.

"Mira?" a dark blob of color appeared hovering over my head, "Please tell me you're okay."

I wanted to groan and say no, I wanted to just lay there and let her fuss over me, but there was that chance that Abuela would show up, would start reprimanding me for whatever it was that I did to end up on the ground without my glasses on.

So I simply nodded my head up at the blob, winching slightly as my head throbbed at the movement, yep I was in need of one of Mama's arepas, but could I sneak one without getting caught?

"I'm fine," I managed to croak out, "Where's my glasses?" If I had broken my glasses as well as made a scene in the middle of town, Abuela was going to ground me again, and I hated being locked up in the nursery.

"I have them right here, sis," a new voice said as a very pink blob appeared in my vision and my glasses were gently placed upon my face.

I blinked as my eyes adjusted, then blinked again in surprise. My sisters were standing over me, but they … looked different. Like really different, as in Isabela's hair was shorter than mine, by, like, a lot. It barely touched her ears, and the tips were dark green. She also had two sets of earrings in. The top earrings were some sort of flower, I think it might have been a sundew flower, but I could be wrong. The bottom set were hoops that almost looked like vines. They kind of look like the ones that I made for her when I learned how to make jewelry. The ones Abuela didn't like. The ones that Isabela had kind of gritted her teeth at as she accepted them. Even her clothes were all wrong, she was wearing a dark green bikini top, something that would no doubt give Abuela a heart attack, and a pair of black shorts that had green cacti on them.

Luisa was the opposite of Isabela, her hair was down, falling down in gentle curls to the middle of her back. She only had one pair of earrings in, unicorn ones, and she was wearing a pink tank top with a rainbow unicorn on it with matching shorts. Luisa had always loved unicorns and fairies and that kind of stuff, but I'm surprised that she would wear something like that out in public. It kind of messes with the image she has going of being the rough and tough Madrigal.

"What happened?" I asked, 'Why are you dressed like that?' on the tip of my tongue. But I didn't ask that, I didn't want to be accused of being rude.

"Lo siento, Mirabel," Isabela insisted, "It was my fault, I should have made sure that the vine wasn't going to break on us."

Vine? What vine? And why was Isabela apologizing for it?

The confusion must have shown on my face, as Luisa quickly added, "The vine you and Isabela were using to swing out into the lake broke and you hit your head."

I was about to ask what she was talking about when there was a shout and a flurry of blue as Mama appeared, kneeling down next to me.

"Dolores fetched me," she announced as I took a good look at her, except for a few more gray hairs, she looked like she always did, so why did Luisa and Isabela look so different?

"Where does it hurt?" Mama demanded grabbing me by the chin, forcing me to look her in the eyes. This was her lie detecting position. Which doesn't surprise me, Mama would probably forbid me to step outside of her line of sight if she knew how many times I've brushed off an injury. Never with her of course. Trying to brush off so much as a paper cut would end with being pinned down and force fed an arepa.

"My head hurts a little," I confessed, "and I'm a little confused."

"That happens sometimes with head injuries," Mama insisted, pulling out a napkin wrapped arepa, "Eat this, it should help."

Of course it would help, Mama could heal anything with her food. I took it from her and promptly ate it.

I hadn't even noticed that my shoulder was hurting until it stopped, along with the throbbing in my head. I could think clearer, but… I was still very confused as to why we were at the lake, or why Luisa and Isabela looked so different.

"How're you feeling, Mija? Better?"

I nod, "Still a little confused. What are we doing at the lake?"

"We were swimming," Isabela insisted, "You know a wholesome sister bonding activity that we can all enjoy?"

I glanced down, I was wearing a swimsuit, it was a one piece that had blue and green stripes. It wasn't my blue butterfly one, but it had been a while since I've gone swimming, maybe I finally outgrew it? It was kind of childish.

"That explains the outfits," I confessed, "But since when did we do 'sister bonding activities'? Last I checked, you couldn't stand being in the same room with me for five seconds, and Luisa," I jabbed my thumb over to Luisa, "Is always too busy, 'Strengthening the Encanto' by carrying donkeys and moving the church everywhere to hang out with her Pathetic, Giftless Hermana."

I watched as Isabela and Luisa both turned to Mama, confusion in their eyes, Mama glanced at them, before looking at me, concern pooling in her eyes.

"I'm fine Mama," I insisted, I didn't want her to worry about me, because then she'll hover, and if she hovers then she isn't helping the Encanto, and if she isn't helping the Encanto then Abuela would be upset, and if Abuela was upset…

Suddenly my chest was tight, I couldn't breathe, and Mama was kneeling in front of me, trying to talk me through a breathing exercise.

"Come on Mija, breathe with me," Mama insisted, taking in a deep breath. I tried to follow suit, but I couldn't, my chest just squeezed even tighter, "Isa!" Mama barked, holding out her hand toward Isabela, "Okay Mira, I need you to breathe in as deeply as you can." Isabela must have handed her something because she was shaking something in her hand as I drew a large, or as large of a breath as I could.

"Good," Mama insisted, tilting my head a little bit up, "Breathe out," I released the air. Mama placed something against my lips, "Okay when I tell you to, take a deep breath and hold it for ten seconds… Now."

I took another puff of air, only this time something sprayed out of the cylinder that Mama had placed in my mouth as I did, and held it like Mama told me.

"Okay Mira, deep breath out," Mama coaxed. I did as she told me as she handed the cylinder back to Isabela, who fiddled with it for a second before sticking it in my bag.

"What just happened?" I asked, "Why are you getting into my bag?"

Isabela didn't even freeze, "You were having an asthma attack, I grabbed your inhaler. You're welcome."

"But…" I stated… an asthma attack, was that what that was, it fit with what we learned about it in health, though I honestly thought I might have been having a panic attack or something, mainly because, "I don't have Asthma."

Isabela scoffed, that was the Isabela I remember, "The way you start wheezing and gasping for air after half a minute in my room suggests otherwise."

Okay so apparently I have asthma, what else was new. Well, besides Isabela and Luisa's new looks.

"I think it will be best if we take Mirabel back to Casita," Mama insisted as she glanced at where I was still seated in the grass on the side of the lake, "I'm sorry that you'll have to cut your outing short ninas."

"Mama, what's wrong?" Luisa asked.

"Yeah, Mama, what's wrong with Mirabel, why is she acting so weird?"

"I'm not the one acting weird, you are," I insisted, shooting my sister a look, "Did Abuela catch you and you have to be nice to me as a punishment again?"

Mama shot a glance at Isabela before glancing at me, "You have to understand, head injuries are tricky."

I really don't like the look Mama's giving me at the moment, like she wants to pull me into a hug and kiss me all over like she does when I walk past her in town. She was talking about head injuries, and didn't Luisa and Isabela just tell me that I hit my head. So what was so tricky about head injuries, "Can't you just heal it with an arepa?" I asked, glancing at her in confusion. I hit my head, and I felt better after eating her arepa. It's not my fault that everyone was acting weird.

"Do you need me to carry Mira?" Luisa asked Mama at the same time as she tucked a lawn chair under her arm, "I think I can carry her and the chair just fine."

"I'm perfectly fine, Luisa, I don't need you to carry me, I've obviously taken up more of your time then I should, you probably have a ton of chores you need to do."

Mama and Luisa gave each other a look before Mama said slowly, "Don't worry," she insisted, patting Luisa's arm, "She'll be okay."

What the heck are they talking about?