AN: Part of this was inspired by the great TikTok/YouTube videos from Nicque Marina (check her out). I have no connection or communication with her but was inspired by her clips and wanted to credit that

Chapter Seven – Preservation of Energy

7.1

Mirabel looked to where Antonio was running off to and decided to approach Dolores herself and figure out what she was talking about. Mirabel had been introduced to the rat's telenovela in the past but Mirabel wanted to find out how Dolores knew about this.

"Look," Bruno said calmly as he faced his niece. "I don't know what's going to happen but I don't think that she'd continue with the love affair if she finds out the truth and recovers from her amnesia but I don't know what will happen next."

"But it's…it's so beautiful," Dolores said before looking away and folding her arms over her chest. "You say that you can see into the future and that your gift is all of these prophesies but you can't tell me about the rat romance. I can't believe this," she said and Bruno looked at her before shrugging.

"I don't know what to tell you, this story just flows through me. When I see visions and prophesies I can look through myself to them. I can see what is going to happen because it's real but these dramas, they just manifest themselves inside of my head. I don't know what's going to happen next and I can't' see it because it's not real."

"You should find some way of preserving them," Dolores said and Bruno sighed before gesturing away from them.

"Because of how tall the mountains are around the Encanto it makes it impossible for me to find the latest technology especially since the power means that on leaving the Encanto, you cannot come back to it."

Dolores sighed, "Fine. Then I am looking forward to the next episode of the rat telenovela and I hope that I'm not disappointed. I don't know what I'd do if I don't like the cliffhanger next time."

"Well I can't record it for you like a television show because you don't just wander in and out of the Encanto. Nobody goes out there and if there was someone who left the Encanto then they wouldn't be able to find their way back again, that is the power of the Encanto." Bruno said. Dolored opened her mouth to reply but they heard Isabella speak instead.

"I met someone who came from outside of the Encanto," she said and flipped her hair back. Dolores and Bruno stared at her slowly, neither of them really believing what she had said. In their world, the people who had initially come for their protection had married and had children and their children had married other children of the community, it was an extremely tight knit society, people coming as outsiders was far more than rare, it seemed almost impossible.

"Where did you meet him? Did he seek you out?" Dolores asked before blaming herself for being distracted. If she had been properly listening to each of her family members, she would have been able to hear all of this story but no, she had been too concerned with her favorite rat show.

"He said he was an explorer who likes adventure, his name's Carlos, and no he didn't see me out, I was putting cacti where he liked to find the clay for his pots and so he told me that I had to help him for changing the land," Isabella said and Bruno nodded slowly. "I am sure that Carlos is a good person despite his arrogant attitude."

"That still sounds extremely strange," Bruno stated as he thought about this. "I've lived here for over fifty years and I have never met someone from the outside, sure, growing up all of the adults could tell me about other parts of Colombia but for as long as this area has existed, no one has ever come from elsewhere."

Isabella paused as she looked at them before smiling weakly. "I don't know. I don't think he's here for anything bad though but I don't know what will happen if more people come or if we ever decide to leave."

"Are you deciding to leave?" Dolores asked her and Isabella shook her head.

Mirabel looked down knowing that their abuela didn't know this. If she did, she would panic about everything and especially about what this meant about the magic. Pedro had put the mountains and hills up years ago because of the conquistadors but what if the outside world was more pleasant and supportive these days, what if people really didn't need to worry like they once did.

She walked away and looked at the eaves of the house. Do you know anything about this, abeulito? She asked and listened to the wind passing through the trees.

I don't know however we should not believe that we have the right to state that all people outside of our world are evil and will harm us. New ideas, new literature, new adventures, that is what might be opened up by the Encanto opening but I believe my powers will only go so far as that territorial line and in a decade or so I will be even stronger so there's no need to worry.

A decade or so? Mirabel asked as she put a hand against the wall, What is supposed to happen in a week or so?

When your abuelita joins me, nieta. I would love to give her the power to live forever but spiritually I am an old man and she is, in life, an old woman. I feel that we will be in communication for the rest of your life, nieta. I apologize if that becomes a problem.

"Of course not," Mirabel said aloud, "I love my family."

7.2

As they sat around the table for dinner, there was an awkward silence between the family members that was centered around Isabela and Dolores. Alma turned to them waiting for one of them to say something but Isabella kept looking down at her plate whereas Dolo,res was struggling not to say anything.

"Abuela," Dolores said suddenly "Isabella's been talking with a new man."

Alma nodded and Mirabel looked between both of the older women before seeing Luisa gulp for some reason. Alma smiled to Isabella.

"That is very interesting. I am sure that Isabella is going to be wise in her decisions. We need some fine men in this family, not to say that Camillo and Antonio and of course my Brunito aren't fine Madrigal men," she said and Bruno took a deep breath before continuing to eat. Mirabel saw Julieta reach out and squeeze her brother's hand for support.

"I'm sure that you wouldn't mind introducing him to the family but you should make sure he is good enough first," Alma said but Dolores sat up straighter.

"The man that Isabela likes is an outsider, he comes from outside the Encanto." Dolores said and Isabella looked at her with a short glare but saw how pale their grandmother turned and she sat down before looking up at the ceiling and started rubbing the key.

"How can an outsider come here?" she asked, "the mountains are too high for them to climb. It's impossible. I think that you might be overlooking one of the people who already live here." Abuela put her hand on her heart. My love she thought in an attempt to reach out to Pedro, Do you feel hurt? Is this outsider a sign that you are losing energy? What can I do to help you?

It's okay, mi amore. Pedro answered her back and only Mirabel and Alma could hear this. I welcome non violent travelers into our home. I am sure we can protect ourselves this time but I doubt that they are here to cause harm. We need to trust in one another.

Abuela smiled and nodded. "Isabella, I will give you permission to see this man again but maybe you could find out some things such as exactly how he made it here, what his purpose is for coming here, whether he has any ties with our residents. Do you understand?"

Isabella nodded quickly. Yes, there were some things that she already had learned but she wanted more time to learn, to understand, and to figure out for herself what type of person Carlos was. She shot Dolores another quick glare as this was being said.

"I want us also to think on something important," Alma continued as she looked at the whole table this time. "Until recently we all took the magic that comes from our beloved casita for granted. We believed we deserved it and that by being a part of this family, we had earned this right. I want us all to be more considerate when using our magic."

"Are you talking about not using it? I don't think we can do that, I mean, I would prefer not to create storms when I'm upset but -" Pepa said and Alma turned to her.

"I understand that it's a part of all of us but we need to learn from experience that sometimes we need to save a little bit of magic because we don't know who we are sharing this magic with or who might need our help," she said as she looked back at the house.

Mirabel smiled sadly, knowing that she, her mother, and her grandmother were the only ones knowing what was going on and why she was saying these things. "I am sure that everyone is safe and that our casita is safe and that we all love our casita as a member of the family. No one would want to hurt another member of this family and nobody would want to hurt our casita."

"It's just a house," Camilla said with a shrug.

"I think we all can help protect our casita!" Antonio said with a wide grin and Alma beamed as he said that.

"Yes, tonito, yes," she said as Pepa looked at Julieta asking her silently if she knew what all of this was referring to and why their mother was getting so upset and serious about everything. Julieta managed to turn her attention towards the food again although she did look up at the sky.

"Thank you, papa," she whispered and then looked down at the plate. Dolores tilted her head to the side as she listened to her aunt.

"Papa?" she asked as she turned to the stars. It was most likely some piece of family history which she didn't know but why was she so upset at not knowing it this time. It had happened before that she didn't know something about the family but this…felt a lot different.

End of Chapter Seven

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