Nora had decided to stay in her room while the preparations were still in full swing. She didn't want to be in anyone's way on this important day. Yet, as she opened her eyes again after her nap she saw that the sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in beautiful shades of blue, pink and red.

Much more prominent than the voices downstairs were the incredible smells. The cheesy richness of fresh buñuelos, the savory scent of empanadas and if she wasn't completely mistaken she even smelled ajiaco - her favourite chicken and potato soup. She felt a rumble in her stomach.

She carefully peaked out of her room and spotted lots and lots of people - big and small, young and old - waiting in the hall. A staircase led up to the next floor where a door was visible. She noticed a lot more of these types of doors along the floor and wondered if each of the Madrigals had a specific door according to their gifts. Maybe even rooms befitting to whatever magical power they possessed. All this sounded so fantastical still, she couldn't believe it until she'd see it with her own eyes.

She walked downstairs and mingled with the crowd. She saw a beautiful girl in her 20s throwing flowers which appeared like out of thin air. This must be Isabela, she remembered that Antonio had told her about his cousin who could make flowers. Her feet then automatically brought her to the long table ladden with food and drinks. She cast a look around and saw that others were eating and drinking already too, so she took a plate and put some of the delicious delicacies on it. She then moved to a quiet corner - as quiet as a room full of people could be - and began eating. A smile curled her lips as she felt the warmth spreading through her body. This was exactly what she had needed.

She looked over as Alma Madrigal stepped up onto the staircase, holding a candle in her hands. The room immediately fell silent, all eyes on the old lady.

"Fifty years ago, in our darkest moment, this candle blessed us with a miracle. And the greatest honor of our family has been to use our blessings to serve this beloved community. Tonight, we come together once more as another steps into the light to make us proud."

The crowd parted and Antonio stood like frozen, staring ahead.

Oh no, Nora thought, he looks so small and vulnerable.

Just then, Mirabel stepped forward too, taking his hand. Nora saw how the boy relaxed a little. Together the two of them made their way past all those people, then slowly up the stairs. Nora shifted to catch a better look. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw movement upstairs, quite a bit apart from the family, behind a few potted plants and a glimpse of green fabric. She shook it off, it was probably one of the town children trying to sneak a closer look so she focused on the family and Antonio again who had just touched the candle and reached out for the door knob.

Even with everything she had heard and seen in the past hours she was not ready for what just unfolded before her. The door began shining brightly, Antonio's name appeared on it along with a carving of his face and lot of animal carvings too. Soon enough it turned out that his gift was that he could actually understand the animal language, no matter the species. She cheered for him too along with the rest of the crowd as everyone made their way upstairs to enter his room. Which was incredibly big and looked like they had just stepped into the jungle. For a moment Nora thought all this was just one strange fever dream as she saw Antonio riding an actual jaguar while birds and coatis and capybaras hopped around. Everyone was dancing, everyone so happy and carefree.

Nora took a step back, feeling quite overwhelmed all of a sudden. She bumped against Mirabel who she just now noticed stood apart from the rest of the family.

"Are you alright?" Nora asked, trying to ignore her anxiety attack. "You should be with your family."

"It's their moment. I don't have a gift. It's fine."

"But…gift or no gift, you're part of the family. Everyone is special. Don't tell me they don't want you in the picture." She said as she saw the family together posing for a photo.

She shrugged. "Look at them, they don't even notice I'm not in it. That says it all." Mirabel sighed and turned away, leaving the room. Nora stared after her for a moment, then back at the family. Julieta waved her over. Reluctantly, Nora walked over.

"Pepa, this is the woman I told you about. Nora, meet my twin sister, Pepa. Antonio's mother."

Nora nodded at the other woman. "You're the one who controls the weather?"

"Yes, yes, but look at my little Antonio speaking to the animals. Isn't he just the sweetest?"

"He really is and I am glad his wish came true. He told me he loves animals. Say, have you seen Mirabel?" She asked innocently.

"Not after we all went in here, no." Pepa said and got swept away by her husband - as Julieta explained to her.

"Julieta, your daughter was in here. She saw you all take a picture together as a family. How come she is not in it? How come no one seemed to notice?"

She sighed. "I did notice. I know how it must look to you but I love my children. I love them all the same. Gift or no gift. It's my mother…she's often too harsh to her."

"And you let her?"

"It's…not easy. Please, let us not ruin this night for Antonio. I will make sure Mirabel is fine."

Nora nodded silently, then turned and left the room. As she closed the door behind her she leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths. Something about this family didn't make sense to her at all. They all seemed to pretend to be something they were not. They seemed to pretend to be a perfect family until you took a closer look and you saw cracks everywhere.

She pushed away from the wall and decided to check out the other doors. The design was really beautiful for each one of them. She stopped by another flight of stairs which probably led to the tower of the house. She spotted another door at the top of the staircase yet this one didn't have the magical glow the other doors on the floor had. Curiously she walked upstairs to see what exactly was on the door.

"Bruno…" She whispered. She wondered who this Bruno was. That's when she remembered something Antonio had said earlier. About an uncle no one talked about. Was this said uncle? She reached out, her fingertips touching the wooden door. She felt a soft prickling upon touching the door, but before she could put any more thought into this she heard a commotion coming from Antonio's room and soon enough Alma and Mirabel hurried out of the room and downstairs into courtyard. Nora retreated from Bruno's door and hurried downstairs to see what was going on.

"Abuela, I promise–"

"That's enough!" Alma cut Mirabel off and turned towards the nervously whispering crowd. "There is nothing wrong with La Casa Madrigal. The magic is strong! And so are the drinks. Please, music!" She clapped. "A bailar!"

As Mirabel's father began playing the piano again Nora noticed Julieta leading Mirabel away. She followed at a distance and stopped in front of the kitchen, listening.

"If it was all in my head, how did I cut my hand?" Mirabel said. "I would never ruin Antonio's night. Is that really what you think?"

"What I think is that today was very hard for you. And I know we…I…did not make this any easier for you. I am so sorry, my love."

"That's not…I was looking out for the family. And I might not be super-strong like Luisa, or effortlessly perfect like Isabela, who's never even had a bad hair day. But…whatever."

Nora thought about stepping in, but decided this was not a moment for her to intervene. After all, she was still a complete stranger to this family. She had no right to meddle more than she already did this day.

"I wish you could see yourself the way I do." She heard Julieta. "You are perfect, just like this. You're just as special as anyone else in this family."

"Mhmh. You just healed my hand with an arepa con queso." Mirabel replied dryly.

"I healed your hand…with my love for my daughter, with her wonderful brain, big heart. Cool glasses."

"Mamá, stop." Mirabel said. "I know what I saw."

Nora pushed away from the door but stopped in her tracks as Julieta said, "Mira, my brother Bruno lost his way in this family. I don't want the same for you. Get some sleep. You'll feel better tomorrow."

Before she would be caught she quickly moved back upstairs to the nursery. She wasn't even sure she could stay in this room since it was also Mirabel's room but she had no idea where she should go. After a couple minutes the door opened and a more than frustrated Mirabel stepped inside. She cast a glance at Nora and it was evident she was on the brink of crying.

"I heard what you said." Nora said after a moment of silence. "And I believe you."

"You do?" Mirabel said, sitting down on the bed. "How come a stranger believes me more than my own family?"

"It's not unusual that a family doesn't see its own flaws. It almost always takes a look from outside to see all things wrong within such a tight knit group of people. I might only know you for half a day and I already learned so many things about you and some of your family. Not all, of course."

"I guess you're right. You see…my uncle had visions."

"Bruno?"

She nodded. "So you know about him even though we aren't allowed to speak of him."

"I saw his door. The only door that wasn't glowing. What happened to him?"

"The night when I didn't receive my gift, abuela asked him to create a vision, to find answers about my place in this family. None of us ever saw the vision because that night…he left. No one has seen him again for ten years and I doubt he will ever return."

"That's incredibly sad. But it's not your fault he left. Nor is it your fault that you didn't get a gift."

"But he surely saw something bad about me. Why would he leave?"

"I don't know. Is there any way to figure out what his vision was? Are you sure he didn't tell anyone?"

"Not that I know of at least. Maybe Abuela knows. Maybe that's why she's so cold to me sometimes. But she never told me what he saw. If anything, it might still be somewhere up in his room. In the tower."

Nora looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Mirabel smiled lightly, then got up determined. "I should break into his room and look for it."

"No. What you should do now is get some sleep and think this through."

"Where will you stay then?"

"Don't worry about me, I don't think I will get much sleep anyway. I'd rather take a walk through the village."

"But it's the middle of the night."

Nora got up and smiled at her. "My favourite time of the day. Get some rest. I can't stay here forever anyway so I should figure out where else I could go."

Mirabel looked at her as Nora went for the door. "Don't you have a home? Somewhere?"

Nora slowly shook her head, pushing away the awful images trying to invade her mind. "No. Not anymore. Good night."


Yet another chapter done and I hope you enjoyed it. I've recently seen a clip on Tiktok that pointed out that during Antonio's ceremony there was Bruno hiding behind the potted plants. Not sure how legit it is (guess I have to watch the movie an 8th time to confirm) but I liked the idea so I kinda mentioned it in here.