I was starting to get worried. Mamá and Luisa were never late to dinner and by now, half the food had already been eaten. Even though the pressures we've lived under were gone, it was still expected that we all ate together as familia. Mirabel had also noticed our mamá and hermana's disappearance and gave me a look of confusion. Before we could excuse ourselves from the table, Luisa appeared in the archway with a small smile. Although both of us could tell she was hiding something.

"Luisa where have you been? The food's almost cold." Mirabel said with concern. Luisa quickly took her seat between Mirabel and me.

"Lo siento. I was just talking with mamá, she'll be down soon though."

The rest of the family took her words in and continued to eat while I couldn't help but bat an eye at Mirabel once again, to see if she bought her story. Her look hadn't changed and was still worried and suspicious of our sister. After our family promised to look out for one another, mamá's burden of cooking for the whole family was lifted but it didn't mean that she wasn't there to oversee the process. She had to because my Tía and Tío weren't exactly keeping the kitchen clean. Their attempts at cooking were quickly stopped after they almost set the kitchen on fire trying to fry the eggs. Ever since I could remember, she had never missed family dinner. Quickly finishing my food, I excused myself from the table and made my way to mamá's room. My way to her room felt off for some reason. It never felt like this in Casita. It was usually warm and lively but now it was anything but. The feeling of death painted itself across the walls between our doors and it got colder with each step towards my destination. The vibrant colors that I'm used to seeing were no longer present as the pale moonlight washed them away. Before I could open the door, a hand touched my shoulder.

"Ahh!" I quickly turned around and was face to face with Dolores. She had her finger against her lips and I dropped my voice to a hushed whisper. She led me to the nearest staircase next to mamá's room. When we were out of view from the door, Dolores finally spoke up.

"Don't go in there, prima. Not yet at least."

"You heard something, didn't you?"

"Sí I did. Whatever Tía Julieta is doing in her room, she'll tell you soon." I kept my stern gaze on her as she peeked around the corner. As I was about to make my way downstairs I heard a door open. I poked my head out underneath my prima and saw in horror as mamá exited her room with a hooded man. I couldn't quite see his face but from his general height and the sound of his voice, he was around my age. His clothes were full of holes and scratches. They were as dark as the night and not at all colorful like the rest of us or the townspeople. What scared me the most about the sight was that mamá looked worried at the man. She had never been sad or looked down in recent weeks so this got my immediate attention. Dolores and I leaned back against the wall, my breathing got heavier by the second while she was listening in on their conversation. After a few seconds of nerve-racking silence, Dolores spoke up.

"We should probably head back downstairs."

"Why? What did you hear?"

"Just move your detrás and you'll get your answers."

We hurried down the stairs as fast as our feet could carry us. Entering the dining room once again, we were met with confused stares from everyone. Dolores and I discarded ourselves back to our seats and disregarded our family's looks. Footsteps behind us came to our attention as mamá came into view for everyone. Abuela was the first to leave the table, and hug her daughter with a tight grip.

"Oh mi bebe, are you feeling ok? You missed most of dinner."

"I'm ok. I just wanted to make an announcement. Everyone, please welcome our new arrival to the Encanto." The man from earlier slipped out of the corner and beside my mother. He had his hood off so I could get a good look at his face. My guess from earlier was right, he was around 23 years old. His eyes were empty and hollow, devoid of life and energy. He was about as tall as papa and his clothes looked out of place next to mama. His hand clutched tightly around his necklace for dear life like it was the only thing keeping him together. Head hung low, his voice was quiet like Tío Bruno's.

"Hi, everyone. I'm sorry for interrupting your dinner."

"There's no need for you to apologize, dear. If you found your way here, you must be very tired and hungry."

Surprisingly, Abuela was very warm and welcoming to the stranger. In the past when outsiders were close to entering the Encanto, she had me or Luisa scare them off. I would grow vines and giant fly traps and Luisa would throw boulders down the mountain. It hurt to see the strangers run in fear of us, even if they didn't know it was me and my hermanita scaring them off. It was odd, to say the least. Luisa caught my drift as well and eyed Abuela with suspicion. Abuela was the first person to approach the man with open arms and entrapped him in a hug.

"Welcome to Encanto. I'm Alma Madrigal and I assume you've already met my hija, Julieta."

Abuela took the stranger and introduced everyone. It seemed he and Luisa were already familiar with each other as they were more than comfortable when they had small talk. Tía Pepa was the one person to understandably distrust our guest, as the docile cloud above her head indicated. When she was introduced to him, she sized the poor boy up and made him even more nervous than Tío Bruno which I didn't think was possible. Speaking of Tío Bruno, it was looking at a younger version of him, without the messy string-like hair. When Antonio introduced himself, that's when his expression changed. Antonio informed him of his gift, and his face dropped. All we could hear from under his breath was him spewing out apologies to the youngest Madrigal. Antonio also noticed this as well and became nervous.

"Why are you saying sorry, señor? You didn't do anything wrong."

Abuela frantically moved next to him.

"Are you all right?"

He leaned into Abuela's ear, whispering his response so none of us could hear. Abuela's face went from shocked to understanding as he stood back from her. Antonio, not reading the room, threw himself at the boy's legs and hugged them tightly.

"I'm sorry you're sad, señor. Tomorrow, I'll get one of my friends to make you happy again."

He gave Antonio a small nod and a light pat on the head before Tío Félix picked him up and placed him back on his seat. Papá, although wary of the stranger, shook his hand. Even though he's a clumsy man, Papá is always formal with people outside of the familia. Camilo, however, was the exact opposite. I imagined he saw this man like how he saw Tío Bruno before he left.

'How would he describe him? Seven-foot frame? Rats along his back? Something like that.'

All the grandchildren could see how nervous the shapeshifter was as he introduced himself. His hands would occasionally transform from a man's hands to a child's hands. He noticed this and apologized profusely for making my primo uncomfortable. Camilo quickly retreated to his seat, avoiding our watchful stares. Dolores and I were the last ones to be introduced and my prima was more than happy to meet him. As he spoke to her in whispers, I could see her smile at his consideration of her gift. In their conversation, although short, we could see that they enjoyed each other's company. I swear I heard him laugh for the first time while they talked which caught Dolores off guard.

Mirabel caught us all off guard by being the most untrustworthy toward him. She wasn't necessarily harsh towards him but not exactly warm to him either. We all understood though. Mirabel loves this family and the Encanto, and anyone that isn't a part of that could potentially be a threat to both. Like Antonio, he apologized for intruding on her family and for any trouble he may have unknowingly caused. Mirabel took the apology to heart and hugged him. It was funny though, watching him freeze up at her touch.

"And this is our oldest nieta, Isabella."

I don't remember how but I was suddenly face-to-face with him. His eyes were still glued to the ground but at the mention of my name, he slowly lifted his eyes to meet mine. They were hazelnut brown, darker compared to mine but still oddly mesmerizing. Eagerly, I open my palm for a handshake which he took anxiously. As his palm grazed mine, I was shocked to find out it was soft, delicate, and warm. It was like they were filled with life and energy that only our magic could provide.

'It was probably mamá's cooking. It would be a shame for his skin to be roughed up.'

"I'm sorry if I scared you earlier."

"What do you mean?"

Our conversation wasn't louder than a whisper but it felt like the whole world was listening in on us.

"I saw you on the stairs when your mother and I came out of her room. I'm sorry if I made you think I was going to do something bad to her."

"What? No, no, no. I was just curious why my mamá was late for dinner."

As we released each other's hands, I instantly missed the warmth of the contact. His eyes returned to that empty stare as he turned to face Abuela. Mamá rushed to their side and joined their hushed conversation. There were a lot of no's and bickering but they were between mama and Abuela. None of us could hear what it was about but we could all see that he was uncomfortable and looked like he was about to drop dead. Out of nowhere, he came between the two arguing Madrigals and told them both to stop.

"I would like to tell you all something…"

His hand slipped from his neck, previously covering his necklace to reveal that it was glowing a bright yellow. Flickers of golden sparks flew from the necklace and landed on the table. Antonio was the least concerned as he stared in awe at the necklace. His necklace looked just like our….

"I was blessed with a miracle, like all of you."