Why is Bruno looking for me? Did I do something wrong? The doubts and thoughts swirled in my mind as we entered Encanto. Already I could see the townsfolk giving me strange looks and worried glances. Their whispers circle us like sharks toying with their prey. The worst part was that I couldn't understand what they were saying, it was all incoherent nonsense to me. Dolores, on the other hand, looked content and calm as we walked up the hill. I occasionally glanced at the woman next to me from time to time, absolutely perplexed as to how she was able to be so calm while everyone gossiped behind our backs.
"Just focus on the house," Dolores said quietly. I look at her again and met her eyes. She had her head gently nudged at an angle.
"What?"
"You hear their whispers, right? Just look at Casita and they'll eventually go away. It's what I do when I get a hearing overload."
"R-right."
Walking on the long stretch to the front door, I notice an ominous cluster of clouds dangling over the house. There was no rain but it looked like a dam ready to burst. Dolores' pace quickened as when entered the house but not before greeting the house and it responding with the light clinking of tiles. The main cloud hovered over the open foyer, with Señorita Pepa at the center of it. Her husband was at her side who was gently rubbing her arms in a tight hug, and Antonio was on her other side asking why she was sad. Dolores left my side to attend to her mother. This left me in a very awkward position of just hanging by the archway in front of the main door. With the scene unfolding in front of me, I uncomfortably shifted on my heels with my hands tucked deep into my pockets.
'Sh-should I go? Or…'
But before I could make a decision, Bruno rounded the corner from the kitchen and spotted me. He hastily pulled me up the stairs to the corner tower of the house. We walked up the stairs in silence until we reached Bruno's door. Like the rest of the family, his door shined a warm golden glow. It depicted him with an hourglass floating between his hands and like Dolores, didn't look too happy with his powers.
"You mind telling me what this is about?"
"I'll tell you everything once we're in my vision cave."
Stepping into his room, a curtain of sand parted ways for us which revealed a very tall cliff with a lot of sets of stairs. Reluctantly, I began the treacherous journey to the top. It may have been the worst experience of my life with no plants or small bugs to sustain my endurance and stamina. My feet gradually became heavier to lift around the second last flight of stairs. The pain of each step shot through my legs that made them ache and burn but, I pushed through to the top. As we reached the top platform, a golden circular door faced us. A light bristle of wind nudged the door slightly open which didn't at all deter any of my fears. Bruno, on the other hand, casually pulled the door the rest of the way until the inside was fully exposed and revealed Señora Alma kneeling on the ground reading the bible.
"Oh, mamá. You're already here."
"Of course, Brunito. Dolores told me after breakfast that you needed to see me. She said that it was very urgent." She stated.
"That's right, I have a vision to show both of you."
He pulled a green transparent tablet from under his forest green ruana. Placing it on the ground, all three of us gaze at the image embedded in the green slab. It was me standing in front of the house with a line splitting me in half. The right side was glowing a bright yellow while my left side was pitch black. The Madrigal family stood behind me, helplessly watching as they watch me crumble to my knees and scream in agony. Everything was devoid of life as the world around us turned black.
I stumble back from both of them, my head getting lighter and fuzzier. Each dry breath I took got faster. The lack of sustenance must have finally caught up with my body and now I'm probably going to faint. My vision quickly became blurry which made me fall onto my back, the back of my head buried in the sand. The rough and grainy sand shifted between my fingers. It was almost impossible for me to breathe.
"Dios mío. ¿Estás bien?"
"Get Julieta! Tell her to bring some cold water and food. I'll move him to my bed."
"Sí, sì. Brunito, we'll discuss that vision as a family later."
My head was throbbing in pain like my skull was being hit by a hammer nonstop. I groaned in agony before lifting my head. The first thing I noticed, I wasn't in the guest bedroom. This room was bigger, well-lit, and had an unusual amount of sand everywhere. The yellow grains cascaded along the floor like an ocean that went on for eternity. Suddenly, a faint noise got my attention. It was a small squeak but it was loud enough to echo throughout the large room. The soft sheets of the bed molded to my form as I sat up, my eyes still adjusting to the light. A duo of rats scurried across the room as my feet dug into the sand-ridden floor. The air was unnaturally still, not too hot but not too cold. It was unnerving.
I wandered around the room, my eyes scanning the various pictures hanging on the wall. One was the Madrigal triplets as children with Senora Madrigal hugging all three. They seemed happy. Senor Bruno's hair hasn't changed at all, still a mess of wiry hair. His sisters were full of energy and were planted on both sides of him, squishing the poor boy. I pulled my eyes from the frame, the pain of the past invaded my heart yet again. My feet felt heavy as they dragged across the sand with each step I took.
Moving across the room, the family photos had begun to grow bigger including more children and members of the family but one photo stood out to me. It looked fairly recent, with the whole family in the photo. Antonio was the center of attention, surrounded by a pack of animals, and the rest of the family looking at him with love and joy. What caught my eye were two things, Bruno and Mirabel were missing. Granted the very next photo had them in it but up until the last one, Mirabel and her Tío seemed to be missing in every photo. Even more interesting was that they weren't in any photo after Mirabel's 5th birthday photo. Why was that?
However, right now none of that was my concern. My main focus was getting out of here. This is a good family that doesn't deserve to be burdened with my powers. Their gifts were meant for service and bringing themselves and the community together, I was meant for destruction and death. Not a great combination. I still had enough essence to last me a couple of days, that night in the jungle made sure of it. All I needed to do was find my way back out.
'Where would I go once I got out?' Again, the questions and doubts flooded my brain in a wave of anxiety. 'At least here you have food and water.' The voice made a good point, but Bruno's prophecy. If I stay here, that'll mean the end of the Madrigals and their home, I can't allow that. Pushing the fear away, I make my way to the door only to hear footsteps on the other side. Quickly, I dive back onto the bed and patiently wait for the door to open.
