Life went on in the Madrigal house and in the Encanto.
The gifts of the Madrigal triplets that at first had been deemed beyond incredible eventually were considered outright normal and people casually visited the Madrigal residence when they needed something.
If someone had gotten hurt there was always a freshly made arepa or pandebono available.
No one ever had to suffer drought or flood. The weather would be what they needed it to be.
And for some, it became an outright habit to have their futures read weekly.
The same old man would always come without fail. Every single Wednesday. And ask if there was something he needed to look out for in the week.
Usually, there was nothing special that was going to happen in the week at all. Though when Bruno had to inform him that his wife was going to make the hated tuna casserole next Saturday the man grimaced. But thanked Bruno for knowing he just needed to avoid that.
Before each reading now Bruno would very quietly knock on the floor while thinking to himself. 'knock on wood'
He made sure to be subtle about it. No one noticed and no one would have to know. Bruno didn't want them to think he was weird.
But aside from those things… time just moved on.
The family still ate dinners together. Julieta was quickly becoming better and better at her cooking and deeply enjoyed it.
Pepa would still spend most of her time outside when allowed.
Maybe Bruno was spending a little more time on telenovelas than he used to. But it was nice. He didn't have to think about gifts or visions or anything, and he could just forget about all the whispers in town while watching the drama. That's what he enjoyed the most.
Well... aside from playing with his two sisters like he always would.
Now they were all ten years old and were happily running through town just as they heard a piano playing. Bruno grabbed Julieta's hand and twirled her around and she giggled.
"Me too! Dance with me too Bruno!" Pepa laughed as the sun shone brightly above them.
"I am not Bruno!" Bruno proclaimed. "I am the great Esteban! The greatest dancer in Columbia!"
And Pepa giggled into her hands as Bruno grabbed her too and they laughed as they swung around.
Bruno liked these games a lot. He liked pretending he was the people from the television. Then he was allowed to be someone else! He could be loud and assertive. Unlike Bruno who had to be very careful about what he said because people often ended up taking it literally.
But when he announced he was a character everyone knew not to take it seriously. And people clearly thought it was fun.
Pepa laughed and giggled as Bruno let go of her hand and jumped up onto the edge of the fountain instead, doing a dramatic swirl.
Then suddenly Bruno's eyes flashed green and he lost his footing with a yelp.
"BRUNO BE CAREFUL!" Julieta shouted.
Too late… Bruno fell backward and straight into the water where he landed with a splash.
"BRUNO!" Both sisters shouted only for Bruno to sit up. Completely drenched. His long curls plastered to his face and over his eyes. And then he spat out a spout of water.
For a little while, there was silence and then Bruno pulled away a wet curl from his face so they could see his eyes again as he smiled at them. "I'm alright," he informed them.
The girls were stunned, and then Pepa started to giggle. And then Julieta did and then they all started to laugh.
Only for Bruno to splash water at Pepa. "HEY!" the girl screamed.
"It's only fair! You get me wet a lot!" Bruno pointed out.
"Not on purpose!" Pepa shouted, only to have another splash of water sent at her.
"OH THAT'S IT!" Pepa shouted and she jumped into the water too, attacking Bruno.
Julieta looked at them, defeated. "Mama is going to be mad, you know."
That made the two stop their little fight. They just laid there in the water tangled up as they looked up at Julieta.
Then… a mischievous grin appeared on both their faces.
Julieta's eyes widened. "No… Don't you dare." she gasped.
Too late! Now both siblings were shouting as they sprayed water at Julieta and she screamed. "You… You… YOU CARACULO!"
And then she attacked. And her siblings screamed and cheered, happy to have successfully pulled their well behaved sister into a fight.
And finally… Finally, after all that was over the three siblings dragged themselves out of the fountain and found a grassy spot where they could pull off their clothes to hang them to dry in Pepa's sunlight. They laid on their backs in their underwear enjoying the warmth. And hoping they could dry up enough so Alma wouldn't notice they had even gotten wet in the first place.
"So what did you see?" Pepa suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Bruno asked.
"When you danced on the fountain. You had one of those small visions right?" Pepa asked. "What did you see?"
Bruno was silent for a while then finally sighed. "Myself falling into the fountain," he admitted and Pepa snorted.
"Well, I'm glad you're not hurt," Julieta said.
And Bruno quietly knocked on the ground three times with his fist. No one even noticed.
"Can you imagine?" Pepa commented. "How awful it has to be for people who don't have siblings?" she asked. "I honestly can't imagine!"
"Well, things would be a lot quieter and less messy," Bruno commented.
"Bruno!" Pepa exclaimed.
Bruno flashed her a grin. "I'm joking Pepa," he said then looked up into the sky again.
Julieta blinked. "Rosita says she hates her sister… I can't even imagine." she said.
"Well. As it happens. You are lucky enough to have amazing siblings." Bruno told them. "The best siblings! And the best brother of course!"
"A little full of yourself aren't you Bruno?" Pepa asked and Bruno chuckled.
"Well… I got the best sisters. So." Bruno shrugged then fell silent. "I hope I am a good brother..."
Julieta smiled fondly at him.
"Of course you are," Julieta assured him and Bruno smiled back at her, relieved.
"Oh come here!" Pepa attacked Bruno again and hugged him as she laughed. "Are you are good brother? You're the best!" she beamed. "If you weren't here. Who else would dance with me in the hurricanes?" she asked.
Bruno smiled. "I'm sure you'll find someone someday," he said.
"I doubt it," Pepa said as she fell down on her back again. "Doesn't matter though! I got you Hermano!"
And Bruno chuckled. "Yeah… yeah." he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply and so did the other two.
For a little while they enjoyed the moment and each other's company. Bruno loved this. When it was only him and his sisters and no one would look at him with a weird look in their eyes. With his sisters he could relax and just... be Bruno. These moments were always just… perfect.
