Bruno's arm was slung around his middle, clutching his stomach as he reached with his free hand up towards the cupboard. His stomach panged with a mixture of hunger and growing queasiness, his tongue poking out of the side of his mouth as he blindly reached into the cabinet to look for food. He swore that the cabinets were normally shorter.
"Casita, " he whined, his voice laced with the pittifulness of a child's. "I just need a little push!" For a house that could accommodate almost every need, it sure was lacking at the moment. He would really appreciate it if the floor decided to lift itself up just a few inches or so, that way he could be eye level with the cabinet. Bruno wasn't about to put his feet on the tile-lined countertop so that he could get a better look at what Julieta might have stored in the cupboards. Not only was he starving after his lengthy isolation in his room, but he could really use her gift's medicinal powers. His stomach was painfully empty, his head throbbed with a migraine, and he was sure his eyes were bloodshot from overusing his gift.
You can't possibly be upset over my vision, right, casita? He thought to himself, his arm straining as his fingers tapped the inside of the cupboard, searching for any edible ingredient.
If his own house was somehow upset that he couldn't change the future like Abuela was certain to want, then he didn't know what he was going to do. It's not like I caused this… He better knock just on case. His knuckles faintly rapped the wooden part of the cupboard that he was able to reach three times as he softly chanted, "Knock, knock, knock."
There. Now that that was out of the way, Bruno went back to searching for food in the pitch black of night. If he knew where his rats were, he would have asked them to find him something to eat. Unfortunately for the seer, his pet rodents had scattered, presumably frightened by the display of his power in the evening. He hadn't seen them since the moment he got sick right after Abuela left his vision cave.
The unfortunate pairing of Bruno's shorter than average stature and his suspicion that casita increased the elevation of the cabinets was making his current attempt to eat quite stressful. He rolled down from the tips of his toes and back to a flat-footed stance.
"You are driving me up a wall," Bruno muttered, his head angled downward at the floor. The tiles rattled softly underfoot, as if they were giggling at the seer's struggle. With a deadpan scoff and downturned frown pointed at the floor, Bruno stomped his foot against the tiles, just to get a sliver of payback.
Casita, ever the comedic being, thought it a good idea to get payback for Bruno's payback. The floor suddenly burst up from under his feet, elevating him above his previous height, and lurched forward at the cupboard. Bruno yelped in surprise, his hands flashing out to grip the wooden edges of the cabinet. "Mph!" He dug his nails into the wood, wary of casita 's floors suddenly dropping back down to take away his newfound elevation. "I don't know if I should be thanking you for this or not."
Sticking his head into the open cupboard, Bruno squinted against the pale lighting as he scavenged for something Julieta might have stashed away. His tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth, his hand brushing aside jars of spices and other dry ingredients as he looked for something homemade. Apparently this was his punishment for missing dinner and getting a prophecy that would certainly start turmoil in the Madrigal family home.
Between his scrounging for food and making sure their casita didn't decide to drop the floor out from under him, Bruno didn't pick up on the soft shuffle of feet. His head stayed in the cupboard, squinting as he poked around the edges.
"Bruno? What are you looking for in there?"
"Gah!" Bruno jumped at the unexpected voice that pierced through the formerly silent atmosphere. The top of his head collided with the top shelf of the cupboard when he tried to pull back to see who was in the room, only adding to the pain his body was going through. His migraine would only get worse now. He groaned as he rubbed the back of his head, his eyes squeezed shut as casita lowered him back to ground level.
"You really should light a candle if you're going to be snooping around in the dark," Julieta scoffed playfully, her arms crossed over her chest as she looked her brother up and down. There was an undertone of concern in her voice.
"I guess I didn't expect anyone to be up this late at night." Bruno cracked his eyes open to see his sister in her dusty blue nightgown, looking fully awake despite it being the middle of the night.
Julieta shrugged, her head cocked to the side as she watched her brother carefully. "I couldn't sleep," she clarified, taking a few steps closer. Bruno shifted on his feet, feeling like he had grown another head with the way his sister watched him.
"O-oh, well, I can't blame you. It's rather stuffy out tonight. Gotta love that summer heat…." He trailed off when Julieta didn't say anything, only continuing to look at him with a furrowed brow.
"Are you having a vision or something right now?"
"Wha-" Bruno touched the bags under his eyes instinctually. "Huh? No? Why would you think that?"
"Your eyes are green," Julieta amended with a confused tone. "Glowing green."
Bruno's gaze shifted to the side, his expression one of brief bewilderment, before he quickly threw on a mask and gave an awkward chuckle. "Oh, that? Sometimes it doesn't go away after I have a vision." Bruno was a bad liar, but it seemed that Julieta didn't want to argue with him about his own gift. Rarely did anyone see Bruno's gift in action anymore. It was quite the hike to even get to his vision cave, and his sisters didn't possess the same youthful spirit to compel them to make the journey. He couldn't remember the last time Julieta or Pepa watched him perform his prophecy ritual.
"If you say so," came Julieta's hesitant reply. Through the dark, it wasn't easy to pick up on the more rugged aspects of Bruno's appearance. Even if she did notice, he could easily amount his scraggly look to being sleep deprived or stressed over the news of their casita cracking.
"Y-yeah…" Bruno trailed off awkwardly, his hands fidgeting together. No wonder he had a headache. His eyes continuing to glow like they apparently were couldn't be a good sign. "You wouldn't happen to have anything stored away from dinner, would you? I wasn't feeling very hungry earlier." He didn't need to burden his sister with why he actually missed out on their evening meal as a family. He was sure their mamá wouldn't want him to go around freaking his siblings out over his not-so-pleasant vision.
"Not really, sorry," Julieta replied apologetically. "I can make you something though, if you're that hungry."
"Oh, no, I wouldn't want to impose or anything! I'm sure you didn't want to be up for this long." Bruno put his hands up and shook his head. The last thing he wanted to do was be a burden to his sister. Just because he was hungry (and secretly feeling quite ill) didn't mean she had to sacrifice her sleep for his sake.
Julieta waved a hand dismissively, walking into the kitchen and opening a drawer to fish out a match. She lit a nearby candle, the room springing to life with the warm, flickering light. "Oh, hush! It's really not a big deal. Can't have you waking up with a knot on the back of your head. Besides, I need some healing myself. This summer heat is getting to me."
Bruno's hands slowly lowered back to his side, breathing a soft exhale of relief. "Thanks, Julieta," he murmured gratefully, stepping out of her way to lean against the countertop. He rubbed at his temples with a deep sigh, closing his eyes to try and have momentary relief from his splitting headache. His sister said no more as she got to work, fluidly moving about the kitchen to fish different ingredients out to create a small meal for him.
It was apparent that casita had been messing with him, because when Julieta reached up towards the same cupboard he smacked his head on, the cupboards lowered so she could easily grab a jar of salt and masarepa. Bruno scuffed his feet against the floor with a silent scoff. Their home had either tried to punish him, or it had purposefully stalled him so that Julieta could catch him in the act of snooping.
It was Julieta who broke the silence between them as she dumped the dry ingredients she gathered into a bowl. "I'm guessing mamá had you look into our future." She brought up the subject so casually that it almost made Bruno laugh nervously in shock.
"W-what makes you think that?" Bruno inquired, watching her sidestep over to the stove top to light a small fire underneath an iron pan.
"Because your eyes are glowing," Julieta answered matter-of-factly, going back to kneading the dough in the bowl. "And because you're stuttering."
Bruno chewed the inside of his cheek as he tried to find any sort of excuse. He didn't want to entangle his sister in this whole mess. He had redone visions before and saw that the future changed. Why couldn't the same happen this time? He just needed to keep trying and look for any subtle change that might offer a solution. Their future couldn't just end so abruptly, especially not after the miraculous gifts and refuge they were given all those years ago.
Apparently his silence lasted too long. "Quit trying to think of an excuse," Julieta chuckled. Her words didn't hold any ill-will. "It's not like you can change what you saw. We all know the story. If there's really cracks forming, then the rumors are true."
"What did mamá tell you all at dinner?" Bruno asked, changing the subject slightly. Their dinner time as a family often served as the final rundown of events that occurred during the day. The rumor of some of the townsfolk seeing cracks was bound to be discussed.
Julieta was molding the dough she made into uniform balls, pressing them onto the heated pan. The sound of the dough sizzling against melted butter filled the short silence between the two siblings. "That we shouldn't worry. That our magic and gifts are strong. I mean, it's hard for any of us to disagree. Pepa had a small storm cloud over her head all night, and I got rid of mamá's headache after dinner." She paused, using a spatula to flip the golden-brown arepas on the pan. Everyone's gifts were functioning as usual. "But, then I noticed how you didn't come down from your room all night, so I figured something was up."
You're a little too observant. Bruno thought to himself, twiddling his thumbs as his sister recounted her brief story of the evening. With Bruno's gift, it was easy to assume that Albuela would use it to get to the bottom of what was happening to their magic. Julieta was right to conclude that her brother would be the only sibling charged with discovering what was happening to their miracle.
"Don't worry about me." Bruno flashed a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll get it all under control, just like mamá wants." He discreetly stretched an arm up to thrice knock his hand against the bottom of the wooden cupboard.
The look on Julieta's face conveyed doubt, but she didn't say anything to confirm or deny that internal suspicion. Despite the two of them being triplets (Pepa included, of course), they never seemed to reach the level of connection that was usually expected in siblings who had been born together. Bruno always thought that the pressure Abuela placed on them as children didn't allow them to bond as they should. It was hard to remember life before they got their gifts. All Bruno remembered was Pepa being chastised to watch her storm clouds, or Julieta practicing her cooking skills restlessly to help those who were hurt in town. Bruno, likewise, had been running back and forth between town and his vision cave to tell people about their futures. Their childhood had been marked with the expectation that they take care of the town. They had to grow up faster than most.
"I can tell when people aren't feeling themselves," Julieta mused abruptly without any prompting from her brother. "Giftly instinct, I suppose."
Bruno bit his lip but didn't reply, his gaze shifting downward to the floor. Julieta knew something was wrong, but didn't pry. In a way, the best thing for her to do was silently reassure her brother that she could sense his stress, and that she felt for his struggle to please Abuela in this situation.
"Thanks, Julieta," Bruno murmured, rubbing solemnly at his eyes, as if it would wipe away his exhaustion, wooziness, and the green glow that his sister had pointed out earlier. He heard her give a hum of acknowledgement as she worked on getting a plate of arepas ready, fresh off the pan. He appreciated his sister's soft spoken, mindful nature.
A white plate with a few arepas stacked on top was thrust into Bruno's hands. "Here, eat up," Julieta ordered her brother with a smile. "I wish I could heal whatever stress you've got going on in your head, but this'll have to do."
Bruno's fingers curled against the plate, his stomach growling at the soft aroma of arepas wafting up from his hands. "Thanks again," he said, taking an arepa in hand. He could finally get rid of all the exhaustion and discomforting sensations in his body from overusing his gift. He lifted the food to his mouth, the warmth of the bread inviting and the taste incredible, as per usual with his sister.
He chewed and swallowed. He had experienced the effects of his sister's gift countless times. Kids were bound to get scratched up, even when placed under high expectations like the Madrigal children. Scraped knees, bloody noses, headaches, and bee stings were all done away with. There was no reason why Bruno's body shouldn't experience the same effects again.
Bruno's headache continued to throb. His eyes continued to burn with feverish exhaustion. His stomach still ached like it had up in his vision cave.
Julieta's gift. It…. it didn't work. The half-eaten arepa stayed in Bruno's hand, lifting his gaze just enough so he could see his sister eat hers. As soon as she swallowed a bite, he saw her body relax, tenseness and discomfort leaving her. But not him. He quickly stuffed the rest of the bread into his mouth, not wanting to make it known that something wasn't right. That his sister's gift wasn't bringing him any relief.
"T-that was good, Julieta. I feel a lot better now," Bruno piped up, doing his best to keep his voice neutral. His jaw tensed as his head pounded monotonously. "I'll… just take this plate up to my room."
Julieta yawned, seemingly a lot more tired now that her body had something to cleanse it. "Alright! I should be going to bed now anyway. Godonight, Bruno."
"G'night," Bruno murmured in reply, turning his back and leaving the kitchen as fast as his body would let him. His legs wanted to go limp. His heart was racing in his chest. Her gift didn't work. Everything still hurts. Why? Why, why, why?
Bruno staggered to the closest mirror he could think of in the east wing of their house. It was perched on top of a small dresser that held various knick knacks that had gotten misplaced throughout the years. He dropped the plate on the wooden surface, a sharp clash briefly piercing through the dark hallway. The speed at which he grabbed the edge of the dresser caused it to shake, the wooden legs creaking in the night. Bruno could hear the frantic scurrying of mice at the end of the hall.
He placed both hands against the dresser, his breathing rough with anxiety. His chin was resting against his chest as he tried to catch his breath, his curly hair falling into his face. He couldn't bring himself to look at his own reflection, staring down at his trembling hands uneasily.
When he straightened his posture, he looked into the mirror with wide-shot eyes, clenching his teeth. His eyes were glowing brightly, as if he was in the middle of a vision. Their color flickered periodically. Their normal olive green color returned every few seconds, before the brightness of his irises intensified into an emerald glow.
The ache in Bruno's head only worsened the longer he stared into the mirror, stiff with shock. Flicker. Flicker. He watched as the glow in his eyes spluttered out. Going, going… gone. He was left staring at bloodshot, teary, dull eyes, a tangled mess of brown hair, a worn and ghostly face. Him. This was Bruno Madrigal, Alma Madrigal's only son with a gift that far surpassed that of his sisters'. The boy who had so much placed on his shoulders when it came to seeing into the future of his community. The man who found himself more and more ostracized when his gift never brought good to his family. Bruno, who was now convinced that their miracle, their encanto, was turning on him.
Bruno clenched the edge of the dresser, unable to take his eyes off of his reflection. He felt helpless, so helpless. He couldn't do anything to fix this. He was powerless to help the future of their casita, and he was powerless to keep his own gift, the power he had been blessed with years ago, from turning on him. Fresh tears rolled down his cheeks and on to his hands. You can't do anything to fix this. Nothing. Bruno's legs slowly sunk out from underneath of him, until he was kneeling on the floor. Bruno stared ahead, his expression scarily blank. Tears streaked down his face, creating small lines that shone in the pale moonlight that filtered from casita's open roof. He slowly unfurled his hands from the fists they were clenched in, bringing them up to hide his face. Silent sobs shook his shoulders, but he made no sound. He could only think. Useless. Useless, useless.