Okay, he had to be brave.
Camilo knew this when he woke up with a sore lower back the next morning. When he blinked his eyes and became fully conscious, he squinted in pain, feeling the sore muscles and bones come to life – if not agonizing life.
"Ow, chhhh!" He groaned, sitting up slowly and looking around, expecting to see some mirrors before him but all his eyes saw was the small window letting the warm light of the sun pierce through and awaken the dormant room.
He smiled uncomfortable to himself, and slowly began to sit up, his dark hands searching behind him for a place to sit, and he found the softness of a mattress was just behind him. He grinned to himself, plopping down on the bed but jumped frightened – shapeshifting between random people- till he dropped back to the mattress, panting.
"Woah!" A friendly kind voice said to him, hands holding down his trembling shoulders and he peeked behind him, quickly seeing Mirabel was sitting up in the bed now, very alert herself as well, "Calm down, Camilo... what's the panic?"
"YOU'RE the PANIC." He barked back and quickly stumbled to his feet, memory slowly coming back to him as to why he had awakened in his cousin's room, "Tell anyone this," He said to her pointing his shaking finger at her coldly now, compared to the warmth they had shared the other day, "And I'll make YOU into a bed."
Mirabel's eyebrows just dropped, her expression on her face blank.
"Really?" She said plainly, stretching her arms wide as she yawned, "That's your best threat?"
"Hey," Camilo said quickly, "I just woke up. Give me time to get my gears grinding."
"That sounded unnecessarily dirty."
Camilo only huffed a broken chuckle before running to the door and disappearing out to the hall.
He ran to his own room, nearly tripping over his frantic steps and he slammed his door closed, breathing in and out hastily. He looked before him, all-around at his reflection showing a scared panicked young man.
He closed his eyes, slipping down the door's magical wood, and slowly held his knees close to his chest in pain, helplessness.
His eyes remained shut as he tried to come to terms with this newfound fear he was exhibiting. When he began to hear the sound of his other family members awakening and coming out to the upper hallway, he nodded to himself a strong affirming nod and got up. As his hand reached out to clutch hold of his doorknob, he took one deep breath out and put on his normal goofy grin.
He pushed opened the door and saw his cousins all walking by, going downstairs for breakfast. He sighed out heavily and copied them.
When he was at the family table, he saw his loved ones talk and chatter over their coffees and breakfast meals.
Camilo smiled a little jerky, and grabbed his spoon, eating the food before him for energy and to relieve some of his stress.
When he glanced up, he stiffened, seeing Mirabel was on the other side of the table to him. She looked full of life and was eagerly munching down on a breakfast roll. He looked at her, horrified that it was her that had been the one whom he turned to last night for help.
But he knew, if he had stayed in any other room last night, the supernatural rooms might've put him in a worse condition than what the nursery had.
He didn't know he was staring blankly at Mirbel as he thought, and she smiled uncomfortable, waving her hand at him and he jumped back to the moment, blinking his eyes and trying to get away from all of his worrying thoughts.
"You okay, Camilo?" She asked.
"Of course I am!" He suddenly yelled louder than he expected. The whole Madrigal family looked over to the boy and he grinned strenuously, "Why wouldn't I be?!"
"Calm down, Camilo," Felix only said to his son and pushed a bowl of oatmeal to him, "And finish your porridge."
"Yes, okay," He said back quickly and picked up the bowel, the porridge pouring into his mouth and Pepa's cloud over her head grew dark and more stormy as she quipped at her son.
"Camilo, don't EAT like an animal."
That was the word that truly triggered him. He froze in himself, placing the bowel back to the table and getting up in one stiff jolt, headed for the door.
"Camilo?" Pepa squeaked, glancing up at her son baffled, and asked him quickly, "Honey, I didn't mean to call you an-"
"Animal...?" Camilo finished for her, and shut his eyes tight, taking a deep exhale out as he added, "Maybe I still am one..." He slowly walked out of the room, his eyes peering to the ground, too afraid to catch someone else's gaze.
Back at the table, everyone was looking at Camilo's empty spot before back to Pepa, and she nearly had tears come out of her eyes as she cried, "I didn't mean to upset him!"
"I'll go talk to him..." Mirabel said, beginning to get up but Antonio held up his dark hand to her and shook his head timidly.
"No, Mirabel. I will,"
"Antonio..." Pepa peeped upset still and didn't want her youngest child taking on such a heavy role.
"Mum... let me try," He told her and she slowly glanced down to the ground, before back up at him and sadly nodded her head.
Antonio left the table and pushed open the door that exited the house. He looked around silently till he saw some small birds flutter by and he called to them quickly.
"Have you seen my brother?"
"Yes!" They called back, almost in uni-some, "He headed for the stables."
"The stables...?" Antonio whispered back to himself confused. He waved a 'thank you' to the birds and continued down the road till he reached the town stables.
He saw him there. Camilo was leaning against a wooden horse door, his eyes closed as he buried his head into his legs and Antonio gently approached him.
"Camilo-?"
"HEH!?" He yelped, frightened by the small voice, and looked desperately around till he landed his gaze on his little brother. It took him a moment to calm down before he looked Antonio in the eye and asked warily, "What are you doing here...?"
"Me?" Antonio replied, confused, and repeated back at him "What are YOU doing here?"
"I, um..." Camilo answered, not knowing really how to place his words, "I came to say sorry..."
Antonio blinked surprised and stood there, waiting to hear the rest.
"To the mule I took for a joyride a few days ago."
"Oh," Antonio uttered and looked around the stables at the horses. He then flat out asked them, "Do you know where the mule is?"
The horses neighed back at him and he listened closely to their words.
"They say she's in the field out back."
"Oh..." Camilo said slowly and got back on his feet with some unease. His muscles were still hurting from sleeping on the floor last night.
The two began to head out back to the lush green field that hid there. Camilo peered around carefully, but Antonio tried to comfort him by suggesting, "Maybe she forgot?"
"You think?" Camilo asked before his eyes laid themselves on the mule that was glaring at him in the distance.
"Or maybe not..." Antonio whispered afraid. Camilo slowly but bravely climbed over the wooden fence and the mule huffed thick air through her nostrils, glaring at him harder as she slammed her front right hoof to the ground in warning at his approach.
"Camilo-"
"Tell her I'm sorry!" He yelled back to his brother and Antonio quickly relayed the message to the mule.
She neighed and growled back and Antonio translated as fast as lightning.
"She said your apology isn't good enough! You don't know how it feels!"
Camilo froze in his steps when he heard that reply and only shut his eyes... thinking of her and the pain he must've caused her... feeling her -
Before he could stop he felt his muscles twitch and he shifted before both his brother and the mule's eyes.
He stood there on all fours, a mule himself, and her eyes broke wide open, as she stumbled back in terror and shrieked.
"A demon! A DEMON!"
"No..." Camilo said back to her, stepping closer and looking at her with sad yet warm eyes, "It's me, Camilo..."
"What do you want from me?!" She yelped and he came a bit closer, uttering the words.
"Forgiveness... I should've never treated you, or any animal... the way I did."
She stared at him, frozen nearly herself, as she registered his words and took a heavy swallow.
"I know now... how it feels... wait-"
A realization dawned on him that second. He now finally understood the power inside him and he shifted back to his human form effortlessly. He turned his head to the side, seeing Antonio had witnessed all of this and he smiled a wide joyous smile at his brother.
Camilo nearly skipped over towards the fence again and could hear the mule grunt his way.
"She wants to know what you're doing?" Antonio asked Camilo, and his brother only laughed, lifting his little brother up and swinging him around. He placed him back gently on his feet and said to him.
"Ask her if I'm forgiven?"
"Neigh..!"
"Yes, unless you try some stunt like that again!" Antonio told his brother, giggling to himself at the mule's response, "But Camilo-?" He went on, just as confused as the mule, "Why are you so happy now?"
"Because I finally realized it!" Camilo cheered, running back towards their casita and Antonio hurried behind him quickly, "I finally know now how I shifted to animals, and how I shift to people."
"How-?!" Antonio pleaded to know. Camilo reached their front door and pulled it open with ease. He ran to the dining room, seeing his family members going about their early morning activities.
"Family Madrigal!" Camilo cooed to them, and they all glanced his way, to see what he wanted to announce, "Come!" He continued, grinning goofily as he said, "Come watch me at the bull riding show today! I have to TELL you guys! SHOW you guys!"
"Woah, woah, woah!" Mirabel said to him quickly, as Camilo's chest was beating heavily up and down in sheer excitement, "Show us what?"
"How I do it!" He replied, taking her surprised hand and spinning her around in glee, "Become an animal!"
"No, no, no!" Pepa screeched fearfully. She approached her ecstatic son and tried to calm him down, "There will be no more shifting into animals!"
"But Mama!" Camilo begged just then, getting down on his knees and holding her pale hand in a plead, "I now know HOW I did it! Please!" He begged, "Have confidence in me..."
Pepa glanced between her son's two eyes, biting her lip and just looking up, trying to hold back her tears.
"Please..."
"Pepa," Felix said to his wife then, gently squeezing her shoulder to give support, "Trust him... let him try."
She closed her eyes silently, a loose tear slipping down her cheek and she sadly nodded her head, "Alright, Camilo... alright..."
Camilo's mouth broke into such a huge gleam as he jumped back on his feet and hugged his parents tightly.
"So, when are you going to show us?" Pepa asked, her words strained, weary.
"The bull riding ring today at two-thirty..."
"And you're sure you'll be okay?"
"Papa?!" Camilo said to his dark father, "I'm a Madrigal! I'll be perfect."
Pepa smiled weakly, her hand holding Felix's now that had been placed on her shoulder. Antonio finally arrived then, huffing a little as he wasn't as fast as his brother.
"I'm here, I'm here!" He called up to the towering family members that were taller than him, "What's your plan, Camilo?"
Camilo only rolled his eyes and looked at his little brother with a wink. He knelt down to his height and uttered grinning, "WATCH and you'll see."