"No," Luisa said. "I don't mean any harm! I was trying to help you."
"I would know sorcery anywhere," the woman growled. "Witches must be burned!"
Before a mob could descend upon Luisa, Isabela scooped up her sister and cousin. She swung from building to building with vines. She had done this for fun a few times in the Encanto. Usually, it was only with the extra weight of a small child. She had never done it with two full-grown women. It was a struggle, but adrenaline rushed through her veins. She only stopped once they were in the woods.
"We have to be more careful about using our gifts," Dolores explained. "People aren't as accepting as they are back home. They haven't grown up around people with gifts. We got lucky that time to get away."
"I just wanted to help," Luisa murmured sadly.
"We know," Isabela said. That's when they noticed they weren't alone. There was a man who looked the age of their parents.
"I think they went this way," the woman yelled. The man was silent for a few moments.
"Nothing here," he yelled back. "They must have gotten away."
"We'll find them and send them right back to where they belong," the woman bellowed.
"You're helping us?" Isabela asked.
"I've seen them kill too many innocent people," the man explained. "I betrayed my sister. I can't let them do anything again. They always destroy what they can never understand."
"Thank you," Isabela said.
"If I were you, I'd stay away from most towns in this area," the man stated. "A lot of them are like this."
"We're looking for my mama," Dolores said. She pulled out the photo again. She was glad the photo didn't fall from her pocket. They'd have to go back to the Encanto to get another if that was the case. "There was an accident, and she ran away. We come from over those mountains."
"Are you talking about the cracked mountains?" the man asked. The girls nodded. "So you must be the descendants of Pedro Madrigal."
"He was our Abuelo," Dolores answered.
"There was a tail about him," the man said. "It said he sacrificed himself to save his wife and babies. It caused the mountains to form. There was said to be a town beyond those mountains. I never believed it until the mountains cracked. Now, I see you three, and I know it's true."
"I never saw this woman," the man stated. "However, travel a few miles. There's a woman in a cabin who can help you."
"Thank you," Isabela said.
"Let her know you're related to Pedro Madrigal," he instructed. "She'll be more likely to help you then."
"Why is that?" Dolores asked.
"She's a very family-orientated person," he said. "Senor Pedro was her great uncle."
