Chapter 2: Haunted Past
The night was passing agonizingly slowly. The guests had long since gone home, and Mirabel was staring at the ceiling, her eyes burning. She longed to rest, but every time she began to drift off, the sound of the cracks erupting would echo through her mind, jolting her back awake. After what felt like an eternity, she got up.
"Perhaps if I just check on the candle, it would put my mind at ease." She muttered to herself, shuffling quietly out of the room and down the hall.
The soft glow of the candle eased her worries slightly as she entered the courtyard and gazed up at it. But it wasn't enough. Determined to get closer, she began to climb.
The cool shingles dug into her hands slightly as she used them to raise herself up onto the slanted roof. The slight breeze tousled her bed-matted hair, almost feeling friendly as she crossed carefully over to where the candle perched on the window sill. She had almost made it when she heard something stir inside.
Darting to the side, she barely hid herself when her Abuela came into view, gazing sadly at the candle and speaking quietly to herself.
"How much longer before others notice the cracks. What do they mean for the family? Our entire livelihood could be in danger, and still Bruno will not tell me. Oh Pedro, what am I going to do with her? I have already lost you once, I can't bear to lose you and everything you sacrificed yourself for again. I can't."
Abuela went on in prayer, but Mirabel was too stunned to listen. 'Tio Bruno? Abuela was still talking to Bruno? But he hadn't been seen since... Since the night she didn't get a Gift.' Mirabel had to force herself to finish the thought.
Frozen with excitement and fear, Mirabel waited until her Abuela left the window before she quickly stole back to her bedroom.
'If her Tio Bruno was still around, maybe he would talk to her. Maybe he would give her a vision. Maybe he knew what she had done wrong that night. And maybe, just maybe,' Mirabel tried to stifle the thought before it completed itself, 'he would know what she could do to prove herself to the candle and receive a Gift. Then she would be a Madrigal to the village in truth as much as name.'
She knew it was a long shot. That she was more than likely setting herself up for disappointment. But she needed to hope. She needed it to face the next day. To face her empty room. To acknowledge her cousin. To ... to be a Madrigal.
The new sense of direction and purpose assuaged her fears enough that at last, exhaustion overtook her and she fell into a deep sleep.
The next day came early, and Mirabel awoke feeling ready for the day. She turned over, excited to tell Antonio what she had discovered. Her smile faltered slightly when she was met with his empty bed.
Shrugging it off, she climbed out of bed to get ready. 'It would be a better surprise once she had talked to Tio Bruno anyways,' she told herself as she hurried down to join the rest of her family at the breakfast table.
Once everyone was seated, Mirabel ate quickly, trying to plan out how she was going to investigate after her missing uncle without arousing too much suspicion. Despite being largely preoccupied with her own thoughts, it was still hard to ignore the slight pause in conversation when Abuela brought up how excited she was to have a new Gift in the family. And to pretend it didn't cause her stomach to drop every time Antonio asked one of his many new animal friends to pass this dish or that to him, to the cheers of the family. She even managed to meet Antonio's smile with one of her own when he snuck a hesitant glance at her, as if asking permission to be excited for his new abilities, though her chest burned and her eyes watered the second he looked away again.
As soon as breakfast was finished, Mirabel sought out her Tia Pepa. She had initially thought about taking her questions to her mother. But, if her mother had known anything, wouldn't she have already told her? So she resolved to ask her aunt first. Perhaps she knew something but didn't think it was her place to share.
Resolved, she followed Pepa up to where she and her uncle Felix were going to finish grabbing Antonio's stuff from the nursery to bring to his new room. She paused at the door, taking a deep breath, and plunged into the room, cutting off her aunt mid-sentence.
"Ah Mirabel. We didn't mean to intrude, just wanted to help Antonio collect the last of his stuff." Pepa shifted slightly from foot to foot, and wouldn't look directly into Mirabel's eyes.
"You are alright, Tia, I came to help. And," she steeled herself, meeting Pepa's eyes suddenly, "I actually had a question for you, if that is alright."
Eyebrows raised, Pepa answered, "of course, dear, what is on your mind?"
"I wanted to ask about Tio Bruno's visions. Specifically if he had seen me in any of them."
Pepa went rigid, and Felix drew in a sharp breath.
"We do not talk about..."
Felix cut her off gently, "honey, she has a right to know."
"To know what? There is nothing to know. We don't even know anything. And even if we did, you know what his visions were like. What a burden they were."
"Si, Mi Amor. A curse even. But it is her story. We should tell her the little we know."
"Fine." Pepa responded, the terseness of her statement underlined by the growing, if weirdly opaque, clouds above her head. "But first, I will tell her our story, so that she understands just who she is asking about."
She began, her husband, with a penchant for the dramatic, interjecting intermittently, "it was the day of my wedding. I had spent the previous week doing everything imaginable to keep my emotions in check. The strain of preventing the stress and excitement for the celebration from bubbling over and causing some environmental catastrophe gives me a headache just thinking about it now. Do you understand, Mirabel? One of the most exciting days of my life, and I had to suppress every nerve for fear of how it could harm those around me. And what do you think my brother did? Hmmmm?" She didn't wait for an answer, barreling on as flickering lightning weakly zapped around her, "he smirks at me, and tells me how it looks like rain. It looks like rain! I spent days bending over backwards for the brilliant sunshine we were enjoying. We had set up such a beautiful gala outside, so that the whole town could be there. And it looks like rain!" She was practically snarling at Mirabel as she paced back and forth in the room.
"And guess what it did!" Again Pepa cut Mirabel off, "Felix you tell her."
Felix began, "it beg..."
"It was the biggest hurricane that we had seen in years!" Pepa yelled. "Decorations, ruined. Flowers, ruined. Houses completely destroyed."
"We had each other. And Julieta made a magnificent soup. Everyone's beautifully colored umbrellas were a garden unto themselves. It was a wonderful day." Felix said gently, putting his hand on Pepa's shoulder.
"I understand that Felix. But why did he have to say anything?"
Felix nodded his head thoughtfully, "your brother is an enigma. We may never know. Perhaps he was hoping to give us time to prepare, perhaps..." He shrugged.
"We aren't the only ones, you know." Pepa said, turning to Mirabel once more. "Bruno's prophecies brought doom and misery to everyone who saw their future. People's worst fears, from deaths of pets to loss of self worth were brought to pass by his word. So are you absolutely sure you want to know?"
It was too late to turn back now. She had to know, no matter the cost. "Please, Tia, tell me."
Pepa searched Mirabel's eyes for a long moment before beginning, "it was the night that you didn't get your gift. Alma was worried about what it meant for the family. What it meant about you. She pleaded with Bruno to look into the future. Nobody knows what he saw. When he came back out of his room, he was white as a sheet and refused to reveal anything. He and Alma got in a huge argument. Their shouting seemed to shake the house. Poor Delores wouldn't uncover her ears for weeks. And Luisa. She stood in the middle of it. Apparently the fight got physical, and Luisa tried to protect Alma."
"Oh my god. Tio Bruno?"
Pepa sat down heavily, "he had gone by morning. Luisa felt awful. Your mother was run ragged between consoling her and you. And Alma was so angry."
Pepa paused, looking at something only she could see, "I think she resents you for that night. The night she lost her son and her faith in the magic. Revealing to her just how fragile everything still is. Showing her the cracks..." she trailed off. "That wasn't my place to say."
It felt like the wind had been knocked out of her, but Mirabel couldn't allow herself to be bogged down in the waves of emotion that were surging up within her. She had to be focused, she couldn't lose this moment, "so Bruno hasn't come back ever? Nobody has seen him at all?"
Pepa focused on her again, "no. Why? Why all the sudden interest? Have you heard something?"
Mirabel shook her head quickly, "oh no. I just. I don't know. He left when I was so little, and I couldn't bring myself to ask my mother or Abuela."
"No!" The forcefulness seemed to catch Pepa off guard, and the clouds that had dispersed swiftly reemerged, "definitely do not ask Abuela."
Pepa rose suddenly, "if that is everything, Mirabel. Felix and I must bring these things to Antonio and help him settle in. I hope that answers all of your questions."
Acknowledging the dismissal, Mirabel thanked her aunt and uncle and left. Raw emotions still clawed at the base of her throat, but she couldn't afford to be distracted just yet. Luisa might know something. And if Mirabel hurried, she would be able to catch her when she was alone out gathering up some of the stray donkeys at the edge of town. So, using her emotions as an aching fuel, she took off running toward the rolling green hills where her sister should be.
It didn't take long to find Luisa. She was surrounded by her usual entourage of various neighbors asking for her help on various projects they were seeking to do while she was carrying the donkeys toward their pen. It took a bit, but eventually the crowd had dispersed, leaving Mirabela a chance to talk to her sister alone.
"Luisa, could I ask you a sensitive question?" Mirabel hedged a bit, coming up to walk next to her sister.
"Of course, Mirabel, that is what older sisters are for afterall." Luisa's voice sounded slightly labored and her breath was coming a bit heavy.
"Are," Mirabel paused, "are you ok?"
Luisa laughed, "of course I am fi.." she caught Mirabel's earnest stare and her shoulders almost immediately dropped, allowing the donkeys to fall, "no. I guess I'm not."
Mirabel had embraced her before she finished her sentence. And for a long moment they sat there in silence, holding each other. Luisa's breathing slowed and eventually she pulled back slightly.
"Thank you, Mirabel, I needed a second to set everything down. I don't know what it is, but I have felt weaker lately. Everything seems to be bearing down on me, and I can barely keep it all aloft. But I am sure that isn't what you were here to talk about?"
"Ummm," Mirabel shifted uncomfortably in her sister's arms, "I don't want to bring up bad memories. I just really need to know. And Tia Pepa said you were there. So I figured I would ask you, ya know?" She began rambling uncontrollably.
"Woah, slow down. I am sure it will be fine," Luisa met Mirabel's eyes and nodded encouragingly.
"What did Tio Bruno say of me the night I didn't get a gift? Did he reveal his vision at all?"
Luisa went pale and froze.
"Luisa?"
Her whole body shook as she drew a forceful breath, "I don't want to talk about that night, Mirabel."
"Pepa told me a bit of what happened. I don't want to cause you pain. I promise I wouldn't bring it up if it wasn't important." Mirabel gushed.
"I promised I wouldn't talk about it. I am sorry. It was just... I can't."
Mirabel felt her heart fall in her chest. Her face must've shown it as Luisa flinched and sighed, "we didn't clean out Bruno's room after he left though. It is possible you would find something there that might help?"
Mirabel nodded, and stepped back, trying to reel in her disappointment, "alright, I will check. Thank you Luisa. And again, I am sorry."
Luisa stopped her with a touch as she turned to go, "Mirabel. Will you swear to me that you won't think worse of me regardless of what you find? I... I just wanted to keep the family safe and uphold Abuela. I didn't mean for things to go the way they did."
"Luisa, I love you. It was a hard night for the both of us," Mirabel whispered as she hugged Luisa again before setting off back toward the house with the small feeling of hope that she might find an answer in Bruno's room growing within her.