Perfection.
Perfection was expected of her.
Perfection was demanded of her.
She was the firstborn Madrigal of her generation, after all.
Straight back.
Shoulders back.
Head held high.
Hands by your side.
Smile on your face.
Not a single hair out of place.
Isabela stared in the mirror, gazing at her features. Her cheeks strained as she forced another smile on her face.
'Isabela, smile. Your smile is so pretty, you should show it off the best you can.' Abuela's voice rang in her head.
She strained her cheek muscles even further, before finding what was the perfect smile. She dropped it moments later, gently rubbing the aches that had begun to form.
She hated this.
She hated having to plaster on a fake smile.
She hated having to wear these uncomfortable, itchy, scratchy dresses.
She hated having to style her hair a certain way.
Isabela envied her younger sisters
Luisa and Mirabel.
She wished she could have a gift like Luisa. The girl had only just received her gift.
Super strength.
Everyone relied on her, sure. But at least she was wanted for more than her looks.
At least she was able to wear comfortable clothes.
She wished she could be like Mirabel.
She had no expectations of her, she had no gift that she had to constantly flaunt.
She wished she could just go back to before she got her gift and play with Dolores again. No horrible dresses, no horrible fake smiles, no horrible expectations.
Would this be the rest of her life?
Would she feel this miserable until she died?
She wasn't sure.
She wished she could see the future. At least then she would know what would happen.
…
Tío Bruno!
oOoOoOoOoOoO
Isabela rushed out of her room searching for her uncle.
'He would know. He has to know.' She thought to herself.
"Casita?" She asked. "Do you know where Tío Bruno is?"
The tiles in front of her shook and bounced, trying to tell her that they hadn't seen him.
She sighed as she continued her search, it wasn't long until she stumbled upon Dolores.
"Dolores, hey!" Isabela said as she rushed to her Prima's side. "You know out of you and Camilo you are my favourite cousin. Did I mention you looked really nice today?" The words rushed out of her mouth.
"Tío Bruno is in his room." Dolores all but whispered to the slightly older girl.
Before she could rush off to wherever he needed to be Isabela caught her arm.
"You okay?" She questioned her Prima.
Dolores gave a quick nod before rushing off.
Isabela made a face as she watched her disappear down the stairs. She missed the time the two of them used to do nothing but talk.
She sighed as she thought about how their relationship had changed.
"Oof!" Isabela called out as she felt herself being knocked backwards, a spew of magenta petals flew out from around her.
"Sorry… sorry." Bruno's voice spoke quickly. "Lo siento, lo siento mucho." He continued to apologise.
"Tío Bruno?" Isabela questioned as she focused on the figure that had knocked into her.
"Lo siento, me saldré de tu camino…" He muttered as she went to leave.
"Hey, wait!" She called out to him, causing him to stop in his tracks.
"Lo siento mucho." He whispered, his head not leaving the floor.
"It's fine Tío." She smiled, brushing off the petals that remained on her dress. "I was looking for you anyway."
"You… were?" He sounded sceptical.
"Could you…" She started. "Could you give me a vision?"
"You? You want a vision? No. No. Absolutely not." He spat out. "No. I won't do a vision. My visions are nothing but trouble."
"Please?" She asked. "Maybe mine will be different." She stated.
"Have you not heard what everyone in town says about my visions? They are bad luck. I'm bad luck." He continued to refuse.
"You're not bad luck Tío." She deadpanned before continuing. "Please? I need to know my future." She pouted.
"No. I'm putting my foot down."
oOoOoOoOoOoO
"Remind me never to put my foot down again."
Bruno muttered as he reached the large round door to his vision cave.
"Why couldn't we have used my vines to get up here?" She whined.
"Maybe then you won't ask for another." He smirked at his oldest Sobrina.
"If I have to walk back up those stairs in these shoes ever again I most likely won't." She took a deep breath.
Bruno pushed the big door open, gesturing for her to enter. He followed behind her, waiting for her reaction. The man began to set up carefully.
"What are you doing?" Isabela asked.
"I, uh… I do a few things before I do a vision."
"You have to do a whole ritual?"
"I mean, I don't have to… I just kinda do."
"Oh."
He kneeled down in the centre of the sand, his hands reaching for Isabela's.
"You sure you want to do this?" He waited for an answer. "I could show you something bad." He added.
"I'm sure."
She joined Bruno on her knees as he breathed out quickly, not expecting her answer.
"Okay then… Hold on."
oOoOoOoOoOoO
Isabela stared at the vision plate her Tío had passed to her.
"From… uh, from what I could make out, it, uh, it seems like one day you will receive the life of your dreams. That, you'll be the one in control, not anyone else."
Neither missed the not so subtle hint that he gave.
She wasn't in control now.
She stared at the image, stuck in the glass.
There she stood, a vibrant grin plastered onto her face, both of her sisters on either side. Her dress seemed darker in the image and her hair had some form of colouring in it.
She looked like a mess.
What would Abuela say if she ever saw this?
"You, uh… you look happy." He smiled at her awkwardly, waiting for her reaction.
Isa looked at the emerald plate again. She stared at herself, actually looking for a moment. Her Tío was right. She looked really happy. She looked happier than she had felt in a long time.
The longer she stared at the image the warmer she felt on the inside. The girl in that picture was someone she wanted to be.
How long had it been since she had smiled like that and genuinely meant it?
How long had it been since she was genuinely happy?
Her eyes flickered between her hermanitas. They both seemed happy too.
How long had it been since the three had just… hung out?
She couldn't remember.
She missed her sisters.
"Yeah…" Isa trailed off. "Thanks, Tío." She flashed her best smile before handing back the plate.
Bruno gently took his vision back.
"You don't want to keep it?" He asked.
"It'll look prettier in your room." She said. "Besides, you like to show the happy ones. Everyone else normally takes the happy ones. So you can have mine."
Isabela could tell that her Tío was touched by her words.
"Thanks." The two stood there, watching the other, waiting for someone to say the next thing. Neither said anything. "Bye." Bruno turned quickly and walked away to his room.
Isabela grinned as she watched her Tío disappear. She couldn't help but let out a small, quiet laugh at his actions.
oOoOoOoOoOoO
As the day went on. Isabela found her mind slowly drifting back to the prophecy that her Tío had given her.
"One day you will receive the life of your dreams. That, you'll be the one in control, not anyone else."
She found herself picturing that smile that was filling her face.
She pondered the question that entered her mind earlier.
How long had it been since she was genuinely happy?
She couldn't remember.
But it would happen.
One day.
Her Tío had envisioned it. And his visions never lie.
oOoOoOoOoOoO
How long was it going to take?
Isabela thought back to the words she had said to her sister earlier that day.
"He told me that the life of my dreams would be promised and someday be mine."
It was the words that twenty-one year old Isabela held onto as though it were the only thing keeping her afloat.
And in some ways… It was.
She didn't like Mariano, not like that.
And yet, here she was…
In a mere hour, she was to be engaged.
Engaged to a man she did not love.
Engaged to the man her beloved Prima loved.
As Isabela ran her brush through her hair she found herself once again thinking back to the vision her Tío had seen so long ago.
She looked so happy.
How she wished that she had selfishly kept that vision. At least then she would entirely remember what he had seen.
Instead, she remembered small fragments.
Her own smile. A real smile.
She remembered how it both warmed and hurt her heart to see it.
Her hermanas. Both of her little sisters, by her side, their glee just as bright.
She gently placed down the brush on her vanity, taking a look at herself.
That vision… was all that was keeping her going.
Knowing that one day… one day she would feel happy again.
Isabela took a deep breath, as she ensured everything was just where it should be.
"Isabela, your boyfriend's here!" Camilo's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
Isabela took a look in the mirror, she forced that God awful fake smile on her face before taking a deep breath.
"One day…" She whispered to herself and she straightened out her dress and blinked back the tears. "It will come."
Isabela walked to her door, exiting her room, bracing herself for what was to come. She could feel her body tense as she saw Mariano enter the room.
"It has to." She thought to herself as she descended the stairs.