"Well Alexandra, my name is Mirabel."
Once Mirabel is back, Casita welcomes her with the doors waving back and forth. Mirabel responds while she enters. "Hola, Casita." She notices the family gathered in the big are in the middle of the house, discussing back and forth.
"Strangers, here?"
"Not only strangers, foreigners."
"This has never happened before."
"How did they get here?"
"Can we trust them?"
"What if they are here to hurt us?"
Mirabel interrupts the meeting by pushing through the circle, just when Pepa and Julietta argues.
"Julietta, what did you think letting them stay just like that?" Pepa says as an angry cloud forms above her head.
"They were tired, and they needed a place to stay. We can't just throw them back in the jungle again, let them resupply at least." Julietta answers calmly.
"What if they are here for us?!" her sisters yells and a lightning strikes above her head.
"Tía Pepa, no one knows who we are or what we can do. This place has been sealed off since the miracle first appeared." Mirabel tabs in, and Pepa quickly turns to her.
"Exactly, but now there's a crack in that mountain and not once have we thought of the consequences that might follow."
"Like what? That we might meet new people?" Mirabel resists.
"Mirabel." Her aunt says firmly. "Abuela's entire village had to flee here because of 'new' people. I never got to meet my papa because of it."
"She does have a point, Mira." Isabela says. Out of nowhere Camilo, who has just been listening all this time, jumps down from the stairs he's been sitting on.
"I really don't want to be disrespectful but if all of that hadn't happened, you two would never have met, mom. Tía Julietta wouldn't have met Augustín, and none of us would ever existed." he says and points at all the children.
"Camilo…" his father says, almost like he wants to say something but doesn't know what. Camilo shrugs his shoulders and leans unenthusiastic at the stair railing.
"Just saying, it might be bad with new people, but it could also be something fun." he says with a smile. His mother sighs at his laid-back attitude but calms down a bit and takes in what he just said. She hugs his shoulders and looks at the family. "Well, I guess only time will tell."
After the family meeting, Camilo goes to the window and looks towards the edge of town. He was quite laxed when telling the family to give the strangers a chance, but he would be lying if he didn't admit his doubts. Strangers can be something really bad, he remembers his abuela mention it when he was a child.
"Camilo, what this family possesses is truly extraordinary. However, you must be careful."
"Why?"
"The world outside of our mountains is big and has a lot of people."
"Really? How big?!" he jumps up and down. Abuela laughs and picks him up in her lap.
"Huuuge!" she stretches her arm out to make a giant O in the air. Then, she turns serious again. "It sounds nice, but with that many people, there are equal amounts of opinions."
"What do you mean, abuela?" child Camilo asks and scooches even closer, not liking her sad face. She rocks back and forth in her rocking chair and looks out the window. "When I say you have gifts that are just as special as you, I truly mean it. Having gifts like you do is not normal for other people. People might get scared and then no one knows what might happen." Camilo straightens himself and smiles big at her.
"Don't worry, abuela. I will be ready for whatever might come!" he says and tries to sound as knightly as possible. Abuela smiles back and gives him a big hug.
"Of course you are, my little Camilo."
