All translations are at the end of the chapter (Apologies to those who speak Spanish, I do not so I used the handy dandy google translator)

"Mamá." Mirabel ran up to Julietta, who was standing in the kitchen. "Where is tío Bruno?" Her smile dropped when she saw her mother's face.

"I'm sure he is around here somewhere nena." Her mum smiled down at her. "We were just to ask Dolores if she had heard him."

"I can do it!" Mirabel stood up tall with a smile on her face. While this was typical Mirabel behaviour even before last night, it felt different.

Different to Mirabel.

Different to Julietta.

Before last night, she asked to help because she enjoyed it, because she had been told by her Abuela that she needed to earn her gift. But now? Now, she asked because she was so desperate to prove that she could help. She thought that if she worked even harder she would get a gift, even if it was a little late. She was trying so hard to prove that maybe it was a mistake.

That she was special enough for a gift.

"What are you wanting to do Mirabel?" Abuela's stern voice spoke from behind the small child. Mirabel's head whipped around so fast Julietta was worried she would have to make something to cure possible whiplash.

"I…" Mirabel started. Her posture straightened up and her vocal cords tightened. This was new. "I was going to get Dolores for mamá." She watched as Abuela thought about what was just said.

"Maybe you should leave Dolores alone, along with everyone else." Mirabel flinched at her words and blinked a few times. Abuela had never been this cruel to her.

"Mamá!" Julietta scolded her mother.

"The last thing we need is the possibility of Mirabel harming everyone else's gift." Abuela continued. Julietta pulled her mother to the other side of the room.

"¡Mamá! ¿Qué te pasa? No es culpa de Mirabel que no se le haya dado un regalo. ¡Estás siendo demasiado duro con ella!" Mirabel could hear her mamá's hushed words. Her face felt red and her eyes burned.

Don't cry Mirabel.

"No recibió un regalo, Julietta. Ella es la primera persona en esta familia en no recibir un regalo. Ahora Bruno está desaparecido. Ella fue la última en hablar con él además de mí. ¿Cómo sabes que la desaparición de tu hermano no se debe a ella?"

Don't cry.

Tío Bruno was gone? He was missing? Abuela thought it was her fault. Was it her fault? Was she hurting her family?

"Porque ama a Bruno. Ella ama a esta familia. Nunca lastimaría a nadie. ¡Solo tiene cinco años!"

Don't cry.

"¡Ella es un monstruo! ¡Una decepción!"

Don't cry.

"¡Ella es mi hija"

Don't cry.

It didn't work. Hot tears fell down her cheeks and onto casita's floors. Her vision blurred, her chest tightened so much that it hurt to breathe and her body urged her to run. To leave this situation. But she couldn't. All she could do was stand there frozen in place as her silent tears went unnoticed.

Her mamá hadn't noticed. Her Abuela hadn't noticed. Or did they notice and just didn't care?

Mirabel could hear casita's tiles moving and make out the changing colours of the floor tile. Casita noticed.

Casita cared.

That alone made Mirabel give a half-smile. But it didn't last long.

She watched through her tears as casita stopped messing with the floor tile's colour. She heard as casita's tiles continued to move then the hushed argument stopped.

"Oh, Mira…" She heard her mothers soft voice speak. That was all it took. She took off running. She couldn't take it.

Maybe Abuela was right. Maybe she was a disappointment. Maybe she was a monster.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Unbeknownst to anyone, behind the walls, Bruno was listening.

'Was this how Dolores felt?' He thought.

But mostly, his heart ached for his favourite niece. The way his mamá was treating her. It wasn't fair.

It wasn't her fault.

Maybe he should go back?

No.

He was Bruno.

If he went back he would only hurt her more. Because he was Bruno and he makes bad things happen.

"Casita." He whispered loud enough for the floor underneath him to shift. "Please take care of her for me." He pleaded. Another rumble. He could only hope that it meant casita would take care of her.

He sighed and turned around. But as he did he saw a crack form in the wall.

What?

Was his vision coming true already?

GLOSSARY (In order)

Nena = baby

¡Mamá! ¿Qué te pasa? No es culpa de Mirabel que no se le haya dado un regalo. ¡Estás siendo demasiado duro con ella! = Mum! What is wrong with you? It is not Mirabel's fault that she wasn't given a gift. You are being too hard on her!

No recibió un regalo, Julietta. Ella es la primera persona en esta familia en no recibir un regalo. Ahora Bruno está desaparecido. Ella fue la última en hablar con él además de mí. ¿Cómo sabes que la desaparición de tu hermano no se debe a ella? = She didn't get a gift, Julietta. She is the first person in this family not to get a gift. Now Bruno is missing. She was the last one to talk to him besides myself. How do you know that your brother going missing isn't because of her?

Porque ama a Bruno. Ella ama a esta familia. Nunca lastimaría a nadie. ¡Solo tiene cinco años! = Because she loves Bruno. She loves this family. She would never hurt anyone. She is only five!

¡Ella es un monstruo! ¡Una decepción! = She is a monster! A disappointment!

¡Ella es mi hija! = She is my daughter!