Chapter 7
1 month after Bruno left
5 years before Encanto
"Do you want the yellow one or the blue one, mi cielo?" Pepa asked Camilo, leaning down to kiss her son's head. They were walking through the marketplace together, their arms linked as they picked out new clothes for Camilo. He had expressed to his mamá that he wasn't sure what he wanted to look like anymore, so Pepa wanted to help him explore and find out.
Pepa hadn't gone into town in a very long time, but today was her son's birthday, and she wanted to make sure he felt extra special. After all, her Camilo was extra special. Pepa adored him so much.
He had always been so good to her, but even more so recently... Ever since he had disappeared, Camilo had been Pepa's little guardian angel. On cloudy days, Camilo would always know how to make his mamá laugh. And when the rain poured down he would make his mamá tea and they would cuddle up together in the pillow fort he'd built under the shelter of a table and bookcase. Casita had helped him to make it waterproof, and Camilo had filled the bookcase with all mamá's favourite stories, so when it rained she would always have a safe place to go. When the storms were so bad that Pepa was afraid to see little Antonio, Camilo would turn into his mamá instead, feeding the baby his bottle and singing him to sleep in her voice.
"Ay, look at this one, you look so beautiful!" Pepa exclaimed, taking a flowery ruana from the stall and holding it up against Camilo. "What do you think, mm?"
"You choose, Mamí." Camilo smiled back, just wanting to see her happy.
The days had been unpredictable since his Tío had suddenly disappeared, and Camilo was doing his best to lift the family's spirits and keep them smiling and laughing. Camilo didn't fully understand the situation, but he did overhear what people said about Bruno - That he had lost his way. That he would make bad things happen. That he didn't care about his family. Camilo heard exaggerated stories around town too, and every time Camilo heard someone gossiping, his Tío sounded bigger and scarier.
But the worst thing about Bruno was that he made his mamá cry. Every time someone would so much as mention her brother's name, Pepa would immediately burst into tears and it would start to storm. It would take a long time to calm her down again. It had come to the point where the family had begun to just avoid bringing him up at all if Pepa was in the room.
"Happy birthday, Camilito!" Señora Díaz smiled as they approached her stall. "Look how big and strong you are getting!"
Camilo immediately turned into his older cousin Luisa, who although was only 15 years old, still towered high up above Señora Díaz. Luisa flexed her impressive biceps.
"Stop, you're making me blush!" Luisa winked, before shrinking back down into Camilo, who was still flexing his little arms, one eyebrow raised. Señora Díaz laughed, looking at Pepa who smiled proudly at her son.
"What brings you to the markets today?" Señora asked, going through her goods to see if she had anything nice for him. "Want to buy a new toy? Some sweets?"
"Just trying out some new looks." Camilo grinned, switching between a variety of different shapes, ages and genders, before returning back to himself.
Señora Díaz laughed again, smiling in adoration.
"Let me get you something special." She said, reaching down under her table and pulling out a green ruana. "This colour will really bring out your handsome features - give it a try." She held it out for Camilo and he grinned, pulling it over his head without thinking twice.
"It's made with the softest sheep wool, in fact..."
Señora stopped talking as she felt the wind pick up around them. A couple raindrops started to fall.
Camilo immediately turned to his mamá in concern.
Pepa was staring at Camilo with pained eyes, her chest heaving as she breathed quickly, her hands running anxiously through her braid. Camilo rushed to her side.
"What is it, Mamí?" Camilo asked in concern, reaching his hands up to her cheeks and looking her over. "Are you hurt?"
Pepa stared down at the green ruana Camilo was wearing, her breathing fast. A bead of sweat dripped down her face. She could feel panic rising in her chest.
Some of the items at Señora Díaz's stall blew over from the wind. Díaz quickly held her hands over them, looking up at the darkening sky.
"Are you worried?" Camilo asked Pepa in a kind, comforting tone. "It's ok if you are, Mamí... You can talk to me about it."
Camilo stroked his mamá's hands. "Do you want to go home?" He asked gently.
Pepa nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek as she continued to stare at his ruana. Pepa closed her eyes and swallowed, struggling to hold in her emotions. They were in the middle of town, she could not let it rain here.
"Clear skies, clear skies." Pepa muttered to herself breathlessly.
"Its ok, Mamí." Camilo smiled, gently wiping mamá's face and handing a couple of gold coins over to the shopkeeper. "We're going home now."
Camilo's little hands held onto mamá's as he led her through the crowd. More raindrops started to fall around them as they walked, a cloud following over Pepa's head.
The townsfolk, including Señora Díaz, gestured to the cloud and called out to eachother in warning, hurrying to help pack up their market stalls and move their goods and produce back into their homes. They knew better than to hang around and risk it. They'd experienced many times how fast the weather could turn in the Encanto.
Pepa glanced at the people rushing around her and she felt overwhelmed. Clear skies. She let go of one of Camilo's hands to hold onto her braid, twisting it nervously in her hand as they walked. People bumped into them as they hurried past. She took a deep, shaky breath. Clear skies, Pepa. Clear skies.
"It's ok, Mamí." Camilo smiled encouragingly. He wrapped his arm around her waist and felt that his mamá was shaking. Camilo rubbed her back and then continued to lead her through the crowd, a little quicker now. "Almost there... Deep breaths in, deep breaths out... We'll be home soon."
The rain was getting heavier, so Camilo pulled the hood of his green ruana up over his head. Pepa gasped, tripping and falling to the ground at the sight of it. Thunder crashed as Camilo turned back to his mama in concern, lightning flashing and illuminating up his hooded face. Pepa froze, tears running down her face as she stared up at him. Camilo looked back in confusion.
The wind picked up began to blow in fierce gusts around them. Somebody's stall blew over and they shouted. Camilo crouched down in front of his mama and she turned away, sobbing. The wind howled as memories started to take over her mind.
"Are you ok?"
Camilo looked down at the green ruana he was wearing, realising that's what mamá had been looking at. He clutched it in his hands and glanced back at mamá.
"This?" Camilo asked, quickly pulling the ruana off and tossing it aside. "Was that it? I'm sorry, Mamí."
Pepa's eyes closed and she gasped for breath. Memories of Antonio's birth replayed over in her head. It all felt so real, as if she was there again. Thunder crashed around them and it was like Pepa could smell her blood again, spilling to the floor, the red mixing with the rainwater.
The same memories played over and over in her head - of Bruno's vision stopping her from healing, of the pain taking her breath away. Bruno hiding in the corner, muttering to himself and not helping. Pepa remembered crying and wishing her brother would come to her. Pepa remembered Bruno avoiding her afterwards too, and then disappearing out of her life entirely. Bruno left her, abandoned her, right when she needed him most.
Thunder crashed again, the sky rumbling. Of course he left. Why wouldn't he leave? Pepa was a walking disaster. Hard work. A liability. Nobody wanted Pepa, not really. They put up with her because they had to. One day they all would leave her.
As Pepa's thoughts spiralled, the wind around them howled fiercely, and more stalls fell down and blew away, one of them knocking over some of the townsfolk as they tried to run to safety.
Rain pelted down and the dark sky thundered.
"Leave the stuff!" Somebody called out, grabbing a child into their arms and running. "Just run!"
Another person ran behind them, but was knocked to the ground by flying debris.
"Mamí!" Camilo shouted over the storm, his arms hugging onto Pepa as he looked up at the clouds swirling around them. "Mamí, please - I'm scared!"
The sound of her son calling out for help brought Pepa back. She opened her eyes to see the chaos unfolding around them. She looked over at her little boy with panicked eyes. What had she done? Stupid, stupid Pepa. No wonder Bruno left her. Her chest heaved in panic as the wind howled around them.
Pepa quickly hugged her son against her chest and bent down over him so that her body was over the top of his, shielding Camilo from the weather around them.
It was a hurricane, Pepa recognised, feeling overwhelmed. Just like her wedding day. She didn't know how to stop it.
"Clear skies, clear skies-" Pepa whispered frantically, holding her son tightly against her chest and stroking his hair the same way she usually did her own. She tried to calm herself down, but debris was hitting her back and her head, hurting her and making the wind blow harder. Pepa tried her best to shield Camilo from it.
"I need you to turn small, mijo! So I can hide you better." Pepa pleaded to Camilo, looking frantically up at the storm growing around them. Camilo panicked, his head turning into a little baby's head, but his body staying the same.
Nearby, townsfolk were calling out their windows for help as the rooves of the houses started to lift. People screamed as one roof started to blow off completely.
But just in time, the roof was quickly pulled back down onto the house again. Pepa saw vines wrapped over the top of the roof, Isabela pulling one side of the vines down with her powers and Luisa grunting as she pulled the other side of the vines down with her hands, tying them off and securing the roof in place.
The two of them hurried off together to the next house, Isabela sprouting palm trees to block debris that flew at them, while Luisa gathered people and donkeys up into her arms and moved them to safety. Julieta was there too, healing people and helping them to get inside of their houses.
The people cheered and clapped as the hero Madrigals arrived, smiling in relief and knowing that everything would be ok soon, now that they were here. They were always able to save the day.
A hand planted firmly on Pepa's shoulder from behind her. She turned to see Félix, smiling as he squinted at her through the wind.
"Amor! You're supposed to let Camilo blow his candles out today!" Félix shouted over the wind with a playful grin. "Not you! Now you've gone and blown the whole cake away too!"
Pepa's expression softened in relief at the sight of Félix, and the wind slowed down just a little.
"That's it!" He smiled encouragingly. "You're doing great!" Félix placed a hand to the back of Pepa's head and pulled her closer so that their foreheads touched. "Breathe with me, Pepi. You ready?"
Pepa nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks as she followed Félix's breathing with her own. She stared into his dark eyes, copying the slow rhythm of his deep, grounded breaths.
Pepa kept her focus on Félix, on his beautiful round face and his warm, sparkling eyes. She remembered dancing with Félix, his hands around her waist and in her hair. She remembered Félix picking Pepa up and swinging her around as she laughed, falling down onto the grass together and kissing in the summer sun.
Pepa remembered when they were younger. Félix, climbing up the walls of the casita late at night to tap on Pepa's window, and sneaking her away to the mountains, too far from town or casita for the rainbows and humidity to give away what they got up to. Pepa would lay with Félix afterwards and rest her head on his chest, staring up at the starry sky together and feeling a rare sense of harmony with her gift. Pepa remembered feeling calm, knowing that for once it didn't matter what she did, because in that moment it was just the two of them hidden away, and Félix would always love her no matter the weather.
Félix held tightly to Pepa and Camilo, stroking his son's soft hair as he watched the sky. The wind had become slow and the clouds light. The hurricane was gone, and all that was left behind was a light sprinkle. Pepa had collapsed against Félix, her body shaking in exhaustion. Félix proudly rubbed his wife's back, thinking back to their wedding day with a smile.
Slowly, the townsfolk came out of their houses. Some of the people cheered, celebrating the end of the storm, but a lot of them just glared at Pepa, shaking their heads as they nursed their wounds or tended to broken stalls and ruined stock. Julieta and her daughters made their way around town, healing people and helping them to clear up the mess.
Félix helped Pepa and Camilo back up to their feet. Pepa checked Camilo over anxiously as rain sprinkled over their heads. She saw a small cut on her son's forehead and gasped, moving his hair back to look. As she saw blood, rain started to pour again. Some of the townsfolk made sounds of distain and disbelief.
"It's ok, Mamí." Camilo spoke breathlessly, his body shaking a little. He put on a brave smile. "I'm ok, really."
"Señora." A tired voice called out. Pepa turned to see a group of upset townsfolk standing together in the rain. "With all due respect. Please... Please go home."
