Nora woke up very early despite the few hours of sleep. She opened one eye to check the kitchen clock hanging above the door. A groan escaped her as she realized it was barely past seven. That was way too early for her liking yet the smell of freshly baked arepas was too alluring.
Wait a second.
Freshly. Baked. Arepas?
She sat up and found herself in the presence of Julieta working on more dough. She looked over her shoulder.
"I wondered how long it would take for you to wake up. Good morning."
"Morning." Nora replied. "Sorry for crashing in the kitchen. I had no other place to go and I thought it's not appropriate for me to share a room with your teenage daughter. Given the fact that I am still a stranger to you all."
Julieta smiled lightly and set a cup of steaming coffee in front of Nora.
"You shouldn't worry so much."
Nora thanked her for the coffee and took a sip. She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the warmth spreading through her stomach.
"To be honest, I feared I had overstepped some boundaries last night. I had no right to criticize you. I never doubted that you love Mirabel. Some things just…hit home a bit too close."
Julieta handed her an arepa.
"Maybe your critique is exactly what I needed to hear. This family is far from perfect, I know that. My mother won't admit it though. Especially to the outside. If you decide to stay in Encanto for longer you will surely find out more about my family. Anyway, this is your second day. You should make the most of it and explore the valley, the town. Meet new people."
Nora took a bite of the arepa and washed it down with more coffee. Her fingers stayed wrapped around the warm mug. Julieta cast a glance at her, but remained silent.
"You're right." Nora said. "I really do want to stay here. A place hardly anyone knows about is exactly what I need."
"May I ask how you ended up in the river?" Julieta asked, leaning against the tiled kitchen counter.
"I–I was actually heading north towards the coast. I found a spot on a cargo ship that was bound for the ocean and the lands across." She emptied her mug. "We got hit by a storm and I got knocked over by a fruit crate. From then on it was just a blurry memory before I fell unconscious. And you know the rest."
"I see. It seems like you were lucky either way. No matter if you'd have made it across the ocean or ended up here. Where do you actually come from?"
"Bogotá. I grew up in the city and lived on the outskirts of it for the last six years. I left a week ago though."
"And your family? Are they–"
"Not around anymore. My parents died in a factory fire ten years ago shortly after my twenty-third birthday. I have no siblings and my grandparents all died when I was still a young child. You could say I am the last of my bloodline."
"And was there ever a man–"
"Let's just leave it at that for now, please." Nora got up and put the coffee mug into the sink. "Thank you, for not being mad and for…well, for everything really. Who knows how long I'd still be bedridden if not for your tasty arepas."
"Anytime. And you can always come talk to me. No matter what, no matter when. I'll talk to my mother about a room for you. We do have a spare guest room. I'm sure she won't mind you staying."
Nora nodded, a grateful smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
"Even if I can't stay in the Casita, I already met someone last night who offered to help in case I need a house."
"Oh really? Who was it?" She asked curiously.
"Arturo Rivera."
"Ah, Arturito. Yes, you can bet if you take him up on his offer he will help you. Then again, that counts for everyone in Encanto."
"Just one more question," Nora said as she hesitated by the kitchen door. "This place…can it be found on a map?"
"I don't think so. I cannot guarantee it though. I haven't seen a map of the region in many, many years. You should ask my mother about that. She might know."
"Oh, I see. Well, thanks anyway. I will go take a morning walk for now."
She waved goodbye and headed outside, taking in the morning beauty of the valley. The sun had made its way along the mountains, sending its light into the valley.
Yes, Nora could really see herself settling down in this town.
"I don't care how you do it, I want her back, is that clear?" Hector smashed his hand down on the mahogany desk in his study. The private investigator flinched.
"I understand you're upset, Señor, but it's not easy tracking someone down. By now she could be anywhere. She might not be in the country anymore."
"She's not smart enough to think that far ahead." Hector huffed and took a puff from his cigar. "I want you to hire as many men as you can. I don't care about their reputation. Send them in all directions. Money isn't an issue. Oh," He handed the man a picture that showed himself alongside Nora and a horse. "Start with that horse. She took it. It's a unique breed, very rare to come by in Colombia. Someone surely saw her on it in the past week. Check every town, every stable."
"It won't be easy to find enough–"
"I don't care." He glared at him. "Hire whoever you find. Hunt her down and drag her back here."
"Of course, I'll see what I can do."
"You do your job." He shooed him out with a wave of his hand.
Hector turned towards the window, looking out across the fields and the mountains at the horizon.
'Oh, I'll have you back soon enough. No one else will ever have you but me.'
"What do you mean, the magic is fading?" Nora asked as she and Mirabel walked to the town square. She had realized that all of her personal possessions were lost to the river, including her bag of clothes. Mirabel had offered to show her to the small boutique of the town's seamstress.
"I don't know, but last night I saw the cracks, right?" Mirabel said. "And I saw the light of the candle flicker. Almost like it's dying."
"I suppose you had some sort of vision then? I mean, I wasn't in Antonio's room at the time and I didn't see cracks. Which doesn't mean I don't believe you. I do believe you saw something. I just don't understand why. Or what it means."
"The thing is, I spoke to my sister after breakfast this morning. It took quite some convincing but she admitted that at the time I saw these things she felt…weak. She's the strongest person, she can lift actual houses, Nora. If she says she felt something I know what I saw was real. In some way at least."
They reached the town's main square with the church in its centre. There was a small tavern, a bakery shop, a butcher and the seamstress which sold dresses among other clothes. It was early noon as they arrived.
"And did Luisa say anything about why that might happen?"
"No, but she said that before he left, my uncle Bruno had a vision about me. Whatever it was must have been so terrible that he decided to leave. What could be so terrible about me that he'd abandon the family?"
They entered the shop. They were immediately greeted by a young woman working on a dress.
"Good morning, Mirabel. And hello, you must be Nora. My husband told me about you. I'm Maria Rivera."
"Oh, it's nice to meet you, Maria. Yes, I spoke to your husband last night. You're very lucky to have such a thoughtful man by your side."
"He is, isn't he?" She said with a blush. "If you're looking for new dresses I've finished new ones yesterday. They're on the racks over there. If you need anything, let me know."
"I should probably mention that I don't have any money on me."
"It's fine, my mother gave me some to get you new clothes." Mirabel said, patting her bag.
Nora wasn't sure how to respond. She wasn't used to have someone care for her as much as these people did. Her parents were always working hard to provide a good life for her. She was able to visit the university even. Yes, she got the best education she could've hoped for. But then she met Hector. Who didn't want her to go to university anymore. He wanted her as the silent arm candy he could show around like a showdog to his business partners. She never finished her studies. Some days she hated herself that she had been so naive and unable to break out of this hellhole of a marriage sooner.
"Nora?"
She snapped back to reality and saw Mirabel holding a dress in front of her. "This surely looks good on you."
She took it from her and went to the back to try it on. She emerged from the changing room in her new dress. It was white with colourful applications.
"You look gorgeous." Maria said and Mirabel smiled brightly at her.
"Thanks, I like it too. Yes, I will take this one."
After a while Mirabel and Nora left the shop with three new dresses and a pair of shoes.
"So…about your uncle." Nora said as they strolled on along the square. "Is there no way to figure out what exactly his vision was about?"
"Luisa said if there's one place there might be some answers it's in the tower. Bruno's room."
"Has anyone been in there since he left?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess they did check it when they realised he wasn't around anymore. But after that…I doubt they did. Why would they."
They stopped by the bakery and bought two pieces of tres leches cake, then sitting down on one of the benches near the church.
"So you plan to break into his room to find whatever he might have seen?"
"You won't tell anyone, right?" Mirabel said, looking at her almost pleadingly.
Nora gently nudged her. "You got me so hooked on this I wouldn't dream of telling anyone about your plan. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Actually, you can. Tonight, Mariano will propose to my sister Isabella. The entire family gets together then for dinner. I need to find answers before that happens. Could you distract them? Only until I'm back?"
Nora nodded with a mischievous grin.
"Operation Bruno has officially started now."
