He stood there bravely.
Camilo was in the ring, the ground free of grass and in replacement was dirt. Damp dirt. Mud, actually. Where a person could get their foot stuck in if they weren't careful.
Camilo looked ahead of him, seeing the angry bull stamping its hooves and striding back and forth behind the hard wooden gate that kept it pinned in.
The dark teenage boy took a deep breath and waved for the man to open the gate and release the creature trapped.
The man was trembling as he slowly unlatched it at the side and the bull burst through, grunting and puffing out smoke from its nose.
"It's okay," Camilo said to him slowly, holding his hands up to show he was not hiding anything, "It's gonna be okay."
The bull's eyes only raged at him, red veins stinging his eyeballs, and he lowered its horns suddenly, ramming forward as he burst into a run at the boy.
Camilo's eyes widened, and he did a high jump, rolling over the bull's back till he landed on his feet again, and the bull froze, looking around for where he had gone.
Camilo knew he had to be quick.
He felt the bull, felt his anger and rage. Camilo's molecules started jiggling and he transformed into the very beast himself.
The bull's expression changed from pure fury to pure disbelief.
"WITCH!" He called at the boy that had taken on his form, "Why do you torment me?"
"Listen, listen-" Camilo whispered to him, walking closer to the bull but the animal winced back and pressed against the wall of the ring, "I understand how you feel... I feel you myself."
The bull began to calm down a bit. His chest wasn't beating as fast up and down as it had in the beginning, his eyes relaxing just the slightest.
"Let me help you..." Camilo said to him and the bull looked quickly off to the field away in the distance, "You want to be let free?" Camilo whispered.
The bull nodded his head weakly, almost in shame, "I don't want to fight you, humans, anymore."
Camilo knew, that if the bull could cry, he would be in tears right now. The boy understood him perfectly while he was in his form.
Camilo nodded gently to the beast and turned into his human self once more. The bull's eyes blinked open wide again, looking at Camilo, the bull himself full of fear.
"C'mon," Camilo said to the strong animal and put a rope in a loop around the bull's neck, "Let's take you home."
The crowd all watched this amazed, silent. Camilo opened the wooden gate and led the bull to the field, before releasing the rope and closing the field wooden fence behind him.
As Camilo came back towards the crowd, they all were quiet as they watched him in astonishment.
"Animals may not be the same as us," He said to them gently, standing in the middle of the now-empty muddy bull ring, "But they deserve just as much respect."
The bull sighed in relief in the distance, beginning to munch on some grass.
Camilo smiled to himself, and went on quietly, "That's something I had to learn myself... something we all need to know."
Pepa stood up, clapping her hands in teary pride. Felix swung his fist up in delight. The rest of the Madrigals stood up in applause and Camilo blushed the slightest in humility, bowing to the now cheering crowd and he climbed out of the pin.
People surrounded him in seconds, giving him supportive pats on the back and strong affirming handshakes.
When evening came that day he knew he still had a few things left he had to do.
He slowly tapped on his parent's room door, and peered in, seeing his mother and father talking as they looked through the large window to the forest in the distance.
"Mama, Papa..." He said slowly and they turned to look at him. Camilo gulped, nervous, and played with his fingers uncomfortable as he uttered the words, "I heard you two talking about me a few nights ago... and how I didn't really know myself."
Pepa's cloud thundered from the surprising revelation. The woman quickly stood up in shame and began to speak, so he'd understand.
"Honey, Camilo... we meant nothing bad,"
"I know, Mama." He replied with a small smile and approached the two carefully, "But I have to tell you, deep in my heart... what being a shapeshifter is to me."
Felix stood up then as well, standing beside his wife and the two looked on at their nervous son.
But when Camilo saw their warm loving faces, he breathed out relaxed a little, and said.
"When I am others... I feel them... I think like them,"
His parents nodded, listening closely. Camilo chuckled then, as he shapeshifted to his mother's form.
"I know how much you panic Mama, I know it when I am you. And Papa." He continued gently.
"When I'm you,"
He shapeshifted to his father then.
"I feel your giddy excitement and joy."
Camilo took back his own form again and looked at the two with a warm smile.
"I know who I am by being not me... I know myself when I know others..."
He closed his eyes softly and smirked before finally looking back up at them, "Does that sound weird?"
Pepa had joyous tears in her eyes again, Felix hugging his son tightly and Camilo only laughed at his legs dangled from the embrace. His father put him down and his mother ruffled his dark curly hair, her hand holding his cheek as she said.
"No... it doesn't sound weird... because it's you." He looked at her, his own eyes growing watery, "It is you."
Camilo embraced his mother then, hugging her tightly and when they released, he nodded his head, going to the door and waving a warm goodbye.
He walked across the upper hall, before seeing the light shimmer slightly around his younger brother's door.
He opened it up just a crack, peering in and seeing Antonio sitting down on the ground, animals around him and Mirabel lounging on the hammock.
Camilo grew a big smile as he pushed opened the door and approached them in a relaxed stroll.
"Hello, you two peas in a pod."
Antonio looked up when he heard his brother's words, and smiled quickly.
"Not a knocker?" Mirabel teased him and Camilo winked at her as he replied.
"I need no announcement,"
Antonio chuckled at his brother and Mirabel rolled her eyes playfully, sitting up on the hammock and looking at him.
"Camilo," Antonio said softly, his voice barely a whisper but the excitement was still present in it, "How did you do it?"
Camilo blinked puzzled by what his younger sibling asked.
"How did you learn to turn from animal to human again?"
"Oh, I," Camilo said with a small nervous laugh. He rustled his brother's thick black curly hair and said with warm wisdom, "I finally understood that animals and people are different..."
Mirabel looked at him gently as he went on.
"People think, people analyze and try make sense of the word... but animals?" He smirked, "Animals ARE IN the world, they feel... and when I felt like them... I changed." He smiled warmly at Antonio, then Mirabel, with a soft nod, "I changed. And I knew then, how to change back."
Antonio stood up and hugged his brother proudly.
Mirabel swung to her own feet, stumbling there as she tried to regain her balance. She stood up straight and walked towards Camilo – but he had already left.
She arched her eyebrow up confused, before pushing open the door and spotting Camilo standing a bit down the hall, his hands gripped around a doorknob, but he was not opening it.
"Camilo," She called to him, and he tensed, looking her way, "What's wrong?"
He took a deep scared breath in, looking at her and uttering.
"I just can't make myself open it."
Mirabel blinked puzzled, before seeing the golden picture on the door and realizing it was him.
He didn't want to go into his room.
She smiled bravely to him and pushed his hand off as she grasped the knob herself and turned it for him. Camilo squinted at the sight of his room, the mirrors covering every inch, and Mirabel entered, pulling him along with her.
He stood there as if paralyzed as he saw his reflection hit his eyes at every corner. He knew who he was... he was a Madrigal. He wasn't afraid... he shouldn't be afraid at his reflection.
But he was... he sadly was.
Until at that second he saw Mirabel push the mirrors into the closet at the side of the room. He watched there silently and understood then what she was trying to do for him. He nodded his head in confirmation and followed her suit.
Once all the mirrors were cleared out the two stood in the enormous empty room.
"One day, I'll be brave enough to have them here again..."
Mirabel looked at him silently as he said these sad words.
"One day..."
He looked at her then, a small warm smile on his lips and he suddenly lunged forward, hugging her tight as he whispered.
"Thanks, Mirabel,"
She smiled, glad he was calling her by her name again, and squeezed him back.
"No problem, cous."
He broke into a giddy expression and the two let go, Mirabel walking to the door, before turning to look at Camilo once more before she left.
"You sure you'll be alright?" She asked, still worried for him and he nodded softly.
"I'll be okay."
She smiled back and opened the door, leaving his room and entering the upper hall.
She, however, froze when she saw some golden sparkling from down below near the main house's door.
She raised her eyebrows in astonishment, walking down the stairs slowly, and just as she did, she felt the world slow down.
She could see her family members as if frozen in their step... the birds above in the sky like hanging ornaments.
She gazed from side to side. It was at that moment she noticed the door was shining and sparkling on its own accord... and she took the doorknob gently in her grasp, turning it and seeing the door slowly begin to light up as gold lines painted a picture.
The picture of her.
She opened the door and saw it led out to the town, forest, the world itself.
A deep truth entered her then, something she would not forget.
"The world..." She whispered, her eyes glistening with warm tears, "My room... is the world."
She opened the door fully now and stepped out to the frozen world... all the people in it. All the people she could help.
And she said to herself then, loving her family... her friends... her self.
"I'll be okay... I'll be okay."
Camilo stood in his empty bedroom, standing there in bravery as he uttered to himself, trembling within.
"I'll be okay..."
Because what was he? A Madrigal.
What was she? A Madrigal.
The world broke back to normal time then and as Mirabel re-entered her home, her casita, she saw Camilo come out of his bedroom. He leant against the balcony wall, looking at her and her looking back at him.
"One day, Mirabel..." He uttered with a sad smile, "You'll get your gift..."
She smiled at him, knowingly and said with deep love, "One day, Camilo... someday..."
"And when you get it? Will it bring you joy?"
She smirked and shrugged her shoulders, "I already have the greatest gift of all."
He cocked an eyebrow up curious.
"My family,"
He beamed wider at that and came down the stairs, walking to before her before shapeshifting into her form.
"You have this family... but, you're hiding something...?"
He wasn't playing fair.
"And what am I hiding..?" She asked cheekily.
He remained her for a second longer, before looking her deep in the eye and uttering.
"Your own self-interests."
He shifted back to himself and she grinned coyly up one side of her mouth.
"If my family is happy... I'm happy."
"And are you... happy?"
She gulped, thinking about the door and she stepped aside from it, allowing Camilo to see.
It had a golden picture of her smiling in happiness... and it answered his question, answered it perfectly.
"You are..." Camilo said, warmth and joy coming from his words, "I'm glad you are,"
"But if you ever tell anyone this," Mirabel said jokingly, "I'll make you very unhappy, cous."
Camilo just broke into laughter, Mirabel copying and the two walked out of the house to the bright sunny day.
Maybe the two were more alike than what they had thought. Maturity and morality were now more the same between the two, them still sharing the same age.
But being someone else, an animal... many animals and people his whole life had shown Camilo one thing.
The world wasn't as scary... it was a place to know yourself. And just like his room reflected his gift, every ounce of his life... Mirabel's door reflected something else.
A world full of wonder.
For them all, for them both.
...For them both.
The End.