Aletia was slow to wake up. While she wasn't in as much pain anymore, she had no strength. She realized over time that she wasn't on grass anymore. Her memory was foggy, with only bits and pieces available to her at the moment. But, she understood immediately that she was not in the forest, and thankfully remembered enough to know that a group of people had brought her here with her permission.

Around her were voices she didn't recognize. It was two women and a man. She was reasonably scared. Her eyes opened to a familiar world of darkness. When she began to use her power to 'see', she was met with a surprise.

"Ah!" She yelped in pain. The moment she tried to see anything she was overwhelmed with an enthusiastic, sparkling, golden light! Her sense of 'sight' was overloaded. It was much more intense and vibrant than the gentle soul she'd met briefly on the mountain, Mr. Pedro.

"Oh! Guys, she's awake!" One of them exclaimed. "Hi, honey!" If she could see normally, she'd notice that there were rainbows blooming behind this woman.

But Aletia didn't notice that. She was blind, she was scared, and her first instinct was to get away from the stranger's voice. She found herself on the floor in seconds, startled and scooting away until she was up against a wall.

She wanted to use her power to at least see their intentions, but whatever this house was... it was overwhelming her sight. Her eyes needed time to adjust to it.

Seeing her retreat like that put a big damper on the energetic lady's mood, "Oh, no, no, I didn't mean to scare you, sweetheart." The lady seemed to become depressed quickly, turning to another woman in the room for assistance, "Julieta, what do I do? She's terrified of me!"

"Calm down, Pepa," A gentle voice soothed, "It's natural, she just woke up after two whole days. She's disoriented and more than likely very weak right now."

"Or she's just a nervous wreck, like me..." She heard the male whisper to himself. "Come on, Bruno, you can do this. Just say "Hey, I'm Bruno". It's simple. Just be cool, be calm! If you do that, you won't scare her more."

She listened to him try to encourage himself to come forward. She heard him take a few steps, but he retreated just as quickly, "Nope. Not simple. Should I just introduce "Hernando"? He's afraid of nothing. I'm considering going "Hernando". Maybe "Jorge"? He's chill. Chill is good. "Bruno" clearly can not do this."

"Yes, you can, Bruno. I believe in you." The gentle lady encouraged.

"You've got this, we've got this." The energetic lady also encouraged him, including all of them in it. For some reason, she was also whispering "Clear skies, clear skies".

She noticed that there was a bit of a breeze in the room. It carried the scent of herbs and spices. It was a bit odd, but she didn't pay much heed to it due to her lack of sight.

She could not see that Pepa actually had clouds and rainbows over her head.

Hearing them encouraging each other to approach her to greet her, Aletia felt a lot less afraid. Having her curse since birth, her senses were in tune with the things that she 'sees'. She could also feel someone's intentions, especially if they were hostile. One could call it an added sense due to her normal sight being gone. Of course, because of this, her other, regular senses were stronger, too.

"Muñequita," The gentle voice said softly, "My name is Julieta Madrigal. My daughter, Luisa, carried you and your little brother here two days ago along with her sisters and cousins." She explained slowly, "Do you remember?"

Aletia felt a slight pang at her name; it was really close to her Abuela's name, 'Juliet'.

But recalling her question, she thought about it. Vaguely, she did remember.

She remembered feeling safe in someone's arms, that person holding her and Emil firmly and gently. There were a lot of people around her then, speaking to her. She didn't understand everything they said but knew that they were telling her it was going to be okay. They were warm, kind, and patient.

They promised to keep her and Emil safe. Mr. Pedro told her they were being truthful. He encouraged her to go with them, he promised that everything would be okay with them. And for some reason, he seemed inexplicably proud of them. His sparkling gold color flickered with vibrant pinks and reds; these colors together meant that he loved them fiercely and unconditionally.

It was the colors displayed by family.

She would know, her Papi, Mami, and Abuela had showered her in this color until the day they died. Emil may not remember, but Mami did the same for him too. Every moment of her pregnancy was filled with love, and the moment he was born, even though she was dying... it did not change.

Each of her family had this color... even as their lights faded and they passed away.

Now she was here, witnessing that color again. She nodded to Julieta's question, much to the older woman's delight. Slowly, she opened her eyes again. She didn't use her curse this time, fearing the pain would return. So, she used her other senses to tell where the three people in the room were.

Their heartbeats and breathing, their footsteps and the swaying of their clothes, and... Were the walls drumming? Music? Why was there music in the walls? It was also in the floors and the shutters. Did it have something to do with that blinding golden color from before?

Before she could try to discern it, the other lady began speaking. She was a lot less, um, energized than she'd been before.

"I'm Pepa." She introduced, a softer tone in her voice, "You had a lot of injuries on you and a really high fever. I and Julieta were the ones taking care of you."

With her mind more awake, the first thought that brought itself forth was where her brother was. She realized that her brother wasn't anywhere in the room with her the more she searched around. "E-Emil?" She asked, her voice hoarse and dry. She could barely get the name out and it was barely a whisper.

Patting around in search of her light, she steadily began to panic, "Emil?" She heard gasps as she began to use her curse unconsciously, searching. Pain once again overwhelmed her but she did not stop, becoming more desperate as she couldn't 'see' him, "Emil?!"

The last time she couldn't find Emil, tragedy struck them.

The only time she could not 'see' them was when they died. She saw when her Abuela was killed and when Mami died. She could see the moment her Papi died even when she was running away with her brother.

She remembered the heat on her skin and the suffocating smell of the smoke. She remembered their horrid laughter as everything burned away.

She saw the kind village neighbors die as they helped her escape... either they were killed by the demons who always followed her, or they died in the fire that spread everywhere because of them.

She could hear their screaming, begging them to run, praying for their safety.

One by one, they kept dying, over and over again until there was nothing but darkness.

Her only remaining light is Emil.

But she couldn't see Emil anymore.

Where was Emil?

No matter where she looked that dazzling golden glow washed over her eyes. Overwhelming light was the same as overwhelming darkness, she was blind.

She didn't notice her tears falling as the triplets had. She didn't notice her irregular breathing or the fact she pressed herself even further into the corner. She didn't notice anything at all.

To her, she was surrounded by screams and fire. She was seeing her Abuela's light go out, her Mami's light, her Papi's light... until all around her was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

She was all alone in a world of nothing.

Aletia was afraid of the dark, too.

That was when she felt someone gently and firmly place their hands on her shoulders, slowly bringing her back into reality.

Madrigal Point of View

"Whoa whoa whoa, Chiquita," Bruno whispered. Unlike before, he sounded sure of himself, "Listen to my voice, alright? Follow that sound. Deep breathes. In, and out. Can you do that for me, sweetheart?"

Her eyes, which they were surprised had started to glow at some point, found him after a moment. While they were shocked, their family was known for having gifts, and she was family whether she knew it or not. So, maybe some of the miracles stayed with their Tía Juliet and were passed down? They weren't sure, but now wasn't the time to think about it.

The little girl before them was panicking the moment she noticed her brother wasn't in the room. They had heard from their kids how adamant she had been about him being with her. They told them how even while delirious, she whispered soothing words to him and kept him calm. Now, she needed someone to do that for her, too.

Pepa had been about to do it, being used to having to calm down. But before she could take a step, it was Bruno who strode forward.

An instinct he didn't know he had stirred, and he found himself here, calming her down.

They could tell that she tried doing as he said, but she couldn't. Repeatedly, she kept asking where he was.

"Shh, shh, it's okay," He soothed, gently wiping away her tears, "You're worried about your brother, right? He's upstairs sleeping in the nursery. His injuries had all healed up. He's okay. Everything is okay." He said, placing gentle hands on her shoulders to steady her. She flinched at the touch, but steadily relaxed as he continued talking, "Just breathe. That's it. You're doing great, kid."

After a few minutes, she finally managed to calm down. Her eyes were still lit with that glow, and it seemed whatever pain it caused her before had eased. As she looked around, she calmed down even more, her eyes fixated on the corner for a moment before that glow subsided.

They could have sworn that she was looking in the direction of the nursery through the wall.

"Thank you." She whispered, and Bruno smiled, "I'm sorry."

"No, no. no. No sorry. You did nothing wrong." He said firmly. After a moment, he spoke again, "You're eyes are very pretty."

She backtracked a bit, covering her eyes with her hair. Seeing this, he frowned, "What's wrong? Was it something I said?"

She was silent for a long while before she spoke again, "My eyes," Her hands went up to hide them as if her thick and curly hair wasn't enough, and she continued, "they don't scare you? You don't find them creepy?"

Everyone's eyes widened at that question. Why would something so pretty scare them? Slowly, the reason dawned on them, and it left an uncomfortable pit in their stomachs.

Her gift hadn't been received as a blessing, and she lived outside of Encanto. Even if her family loved her to bits, there were bound to be people who didn't. It seemed that the bad outweighed the good. When they thought about her wounds, that pit sunk further.

How hard had their life been before they made it here?

"No," Bruno said, gently removing her hands from her face. "Whoever made you feel like you should hide them was wrong and stupid." He brushed her hair out of her face, watching as her eyes lit up like candlelight to watch him, "Your eyes are a gift and nothing less. You are a gift."

Her eyes widened, she'd heard those words before. Her Abuela said them, her Mami said them, her Papi said them. Every day when she felt like hiding away, they reminded her that her eyes weren't some curse.

To them, her eyes had been a wonder.

To them, she had been a gift.

And this person, he meant every single word he was saying. Every one of them was laced with careful care. How long had it been since she felt this safe? How long had it been since she was this relieved?

Fresh tears made themselves known as he gave her a hug, patting her back as she silently cried. He continued to say soothing words, not noticing his sisters silently watching the scene unfold with warm smiles and tears of their own.

Julieta and Pepa stood there in amazement. Knowing him, he probably didn't even realize what he was doing so naturally. But they did, and they could not be prouder of him. There was a silent conversation going on between them.

'Papa Bruno?'

'Definitely Papa Bruno.'

He helped her to get back on the bed, completely oblivious to his sisters' observations. He may have been the shortest triplet, but Aletia was even smaller. And she was light, much too light. He could carry her easily.

"Thank you," she said, a small hiccup in her voice from crying. She could feel that his ruana was wet with her tears, "I'm sorry..."

"It's okay. Just rest up." He said, making sure her pillow was situated correctly before getting up again.

It was at that moment the door opened, revealing our tall and muscular Luisa bringing in the small and cute Emil. He couldn't hold more than two of her fingers because his hands were so small. The moment he spotted Aletia, his entire world lit up.

"Leti!" He quickly let go of Luisa's hand and rushed to his sister. The girl say herself up, letting Emil jump into her waiting arms. The moment he hugged her he began to cry again, telling her everything that happened.

"You weren't with me! I thought I was in that scawry house again! The one that smelled like coins!" He cried, letting out all of his fears as he held on to her tightly.

"I'm sorry, mi luz. No one will take you again. You're safe now, we're safe now." She soothed. She didn't notice the alarmed gazes of the adults and other teens in the room listening to her. All she cared about at that moment was calming Emil.

"Then the walls and floors moved! I thought you got eaten! But the house is nice! Her name is Casita! She plays music like Papi did when he was happy!" That second, he seemed to remember something, "I forgot! Casita, casita, this is my hermana, Leti! She's the best sister ever and I love her."

"Dios Mio, he's adorable." The Madrigals struggled to contain the rush of coos ready to spill from their mouths.

"Te quiero más." She said with smile, getting Emil more comfortable on the bed with her. "Hola, Casita." She greeted. On cue, she heard the music again. It was an upbeat and joyful sound. She smiled as Emil continued to tell her everything that happened.

She sat him in front of her, wrapping her arms around him as she did. It was the same position they had sat in within the forest before they were found.

"Then I thought we were being chased again! But these people aren't those meanies who hurt you." He paused, beginning to check all over her while frantically asking, "They didn't, right? Are all of your ouchies gone, too? Mine were all gone when I woke up!"

"Yes, amorcito, they're all gone." While she was still extremely tired, she was no longer in any pain. Her skin felt softer than it'd ever been before, she couldn't feel any of her old scars. "No more ouchies."

"Yay! No ouchies!" His fear was slowly washing away. And with it, so was his adrenaline. A yawn escaped him, and she began to look at him with her power again. Seeing that, another thought he'd forgotten returned.

"Leti, Leti! These people are just like you! They can do cool stuff!" He said. "Um, Miss Luisa is really big! And stwong! I thought she was scawry, but I was wrong! She's super nice! And, um, Miss Dolowes? Yeah, Miss Dolowes! She can hear evewything! Miss Isa can make flowers! I love flowers! Pretty like Leti."

The Madrigals were struggling. Let them have their moment, don't interrupt it by gushing about how cute it is. Endure, La Familial Madrigal!

"And, um, Cami? Yeah, Cami. Cami turned into me! It was crazy! And awesome! They have a hermano named, um, An... um..."

"Antonio, dear."

"Antonio! Yeah! They said he could speak to animals! He's still sleeping wight now, but they pwomised to let me meet him later! We can be fwiends! I'll have a fwiend, Leti!"

"Yes, yes. I'm happy for you." She said. He giggled and continued on.

"Oh, I forgot Miss Miwabel! She's funny! She doesn't have a cool power, though. She's like me!"

She chuckled at her brother before turning to the direction the group had entered from. She turned on her power again, and this time wasn't overwhelmed. There were soft gasps of surprise.

"See! My hermana has a cool power, too! She's the best!" Emil seemed to beam with pride, yet another yawn escaping him.

The Madrigals watched her in wonder. Her eyes, which had been a dull honey-brown a moment ago, began to glow like candlelight.

Aletia's Point Of View

Each of these people had touches of gold on them, different from any other I'd met except for Abuela. It took me a moment, but I guessed that this must have been magic. All of them were touched by magic, and so was this house.

These were the people who saved us. There was compassion and adoration in their hearts, pure intentions, love, and security. I could feel warm, golden rays wrap around me in an embrace. Casita, that was her name.

For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was home.

I didn't notice I was crying again until Emil panicked, "Leti! Did you get an ouchie?! What's wrong?! Don't cry!" He said, turning around in my arms to wipe my tears.

"N-nothing's wrong, sweetie," I said, "Nothing's wrong."

"B-but you're crying! Crying means you are sad! I don't want you to be sad!" He said. Then, he went silent, eyes widening as an idea hit him. He gave me a hug, closed his eyes, and began to sing our song.

His voice was small and sweet, I couldn't help but smile. Soon enough, I joined him in song, softly singing the lyrics as I held him tightly. His little plan worked, and I felt so much better.

It was then that another voice joined in our performance, finishing our song, "Hay que volar, hay que encontrar su propio futuro..."

My head shot up, and so did Emil's. My eyes were aglow and I watched this new person come into the room. It was an older woman who was awash with a sense of longing, hope, and love in her soul.

"Juliet and Enrique sang that song so much that it would be impossible for me not to know it." She said. I could 'see' the many emotions swirling within her as she stepped closer. But it was the names she said that surprised me more.

"You... knew my Abuela? My Papi?" I asked, and it seemed true since her emotions grew even more. Love, longing, sadness, hope, gratefulness, and so many more.

"Yes, querida. My name is Alma Madrigal. You're Abuela was my Hermana. We... are family." She said, taking my hand and Emil's hands into her own. Something dripped on them, warm with a salty scent; tears. She was crying. Or was it me? or Emil? At that point, I could hardly tell, but it wasn't sadness that caused these tears.

Slowly, she brought both of us into a hug. It was warm and gentle, as if she was scared it was all a dream. With a trembling voice, she spoke again, "Welcome home."