Pepa was never the best at controlling her emotions, her gift was said to be that she controlled the weather but to Pepa, it seemed like it was the other way around, the weather controlled her.
Since she got her gift or rather curse she had been suppressing her true emotions and putting on a facade.
The town needed sun? She forced a smile on her face.
The town needed rain? She was forced to upset herself.
Her whole life was a constant sacrifice, to serve her community and bend to the will of her mother. Ever since she was five years old that was her life, the same with her siblings and the grandchildren of the family.
Well, all expect Mirabel.
Pepa missed the old days, back when Mirabel was still her dulce nube, back when she would take Mirabel and Camilo with her while she worked in the fields.
That night changed everything.
Mirabel wasn't one of them and perhaps she never truly was, why else would she be denied a gift?
Pepa was afraid of her, as much as it shamed her to admit considering the size of Mirabel but she was afraid of her or rather what she was going to do and what that vision really meant to the family.
Every night when Pepa closed her eyes she saw Mirabel's eyes and the hatred reflected in them and heard the venom in Mirabel's voice.
But what was worse to Pepa was the look in Dolores's eyes, her hurt broke when Dolores referred her to by name rather than Mami.
Pepa cursed Mirabel for putting those thoughts into her head.
Cursed Alma for making Dolores listen to that little demon.
Cursed herself for not checking on her that morning,
If she stayed to talk would she have prevented Dolores from going after the candle or was Dolores's mind made up anyway? That question would forever haunt Pepa.
She glanced sideways to Félix at her side, something had been off with him lately but when she tied asking he would just change the subject, she frowned as a cloud formed over her head,
"Pepa, the cloud," Alma said.
Pepa huffed and tried to shoo her cloud away
Alma turned her attention back to Isabela with a smile "Tonight is your night, Isabela, you and Mariano are perfect together."
Isabela smiled "It is a bit sooner than I wanted…but I guess there's no point holding off."
"Exactly, exactly of course once you have that engagement ring on your finger we can start the wedding planning."
Julieta paused mid-bite "So soon Mamá?"
"Why delay? I was married to your father at Isabela's age."
Julieta's eyes flicked to Isabela "Isabela, are you positive you are ready? It's a big commitment."
Isabela nodded "Yes, Mamá, I want to marry Mariano I love him."
"Well, okay then mi flor."
Alma looked at Isabela with pride "Mariano together with our perfect Isabela will bring a new generation of magical blessings to help our miracle grow stronger."
Camilo rolled his eyes at that statement.
Isabela noticed and huffed "Got a problem with that, Camilo?"
"Ah….no?" Camilo said quietly.
"That's what I thought."
Bruno chuckled quietly to himself "It has been so long since wedding bells have rung for a Madrigal."
"You could still settle down, Bruno," Alma said "These girls practically throw themselves at you surely at least one of them interests you."
"Hmm, they are pretty but none of them are what I'm looking for in a wife, I mean we can't just let anyone be a Madrigal, isn't that so Agustín?"
Agustín shot Bruno a look "What is that supposed to mean?"
Bruno just chuckled in response. He had slept with many women and would call himself a womanizer however only one girl held his interest, Dolores.
Dolores was the forbidden fruit, his greatest temptation. He wanted her all to himself, Dolores was already well-practised in housekeeping and childrearing, she was a ready-made housewife.
Despite those hideous scars Dolores was still quite beautiful, in Bruno's own opinion she was even more of a beauty than Isabela.
He could give Dolores everything, he could get her back in Casita, let her be a Madrigal again, give her children of her own.
Dolores was a fool for rejecting him, any woman would be thrilled to be with him.
Dolores was going to be his, whether she likes it or not. Eventually, Bruno got exactly what he wanted.
All he had to do was get Mirabel out of the way and then Dolores will have no one else to turn to. Killing Mirabel would be easy, he could just smash her head in, beat her, force poison down her throat, stab her, strangle her, hang her….the possibilities were endless.
And double bonus, he'll stop Mirabel from doing whatever the hell she's planning.
But that was not for today, Mirabel can live her miserable existence for a while longer.
Pepa got out of her chair with a sigh, today she had to go water the fields. Usually, Felix would come with her but today he was going to chop wood with Agustin.
Neither of them liked to chop wood alone anymore but wouldn't explain why.
Pepa continued on her way until she saw something purple out of the corner of her eye, she paused and turned around to see Mirabel standing on the path behind her just staring at her.
Uneasiness began to fill Pepa as she stared back waiting for Mirabel to make a move but she continued to just stand there just staring.
Pepa tore her gaze away looking ahead for a moment before looking back to see Mirabel gone, Pepa blinked in surprise and walked back in the direction she just came from to see where Mirabel went, she rounded the corner to see the back of Mirabel's ruana slipping around another corner.
"What are you up to?" Pepa muttered.
With another sigh, Pepa headed towards the fields the sooner she got started the sooner she would be done with it.
From around an alley corner, Mirabel watched Pepa retreat face remaining expressionless. "Hmm, you're going to my whole day by making it rain, not very nice of you Pepa. But then again…you're going to be the key to my little plan tonight."
Dolores appeared at her side "Primita."
"You're late."
"Well, I decided to have a little…fun."
Mirabel rose an eyebrow.
"Observe," Dolores pointed to a donkey as it ambled past "Luisa was looking a little bored to me, hmm."
Mirabel chuckled "Well that will keep her busy for a bit I suppose."
The call rang out "LUISA THE DONKEYS GOT OUT AGAIN!"
"Never gets old," Mirabel laughed.
Dolores smirked "Pepa is nearly at the fields, are we ready?"
"We're ready, time for Project Proposal Sabotage."
"That's a stupid name."
"Got anything better?"
Dolores remained silent.
"Exactly, let's go."
Dolores rolled her eyes as she followed Mirabel with a chuckle, tonight was going to be fun.
-T⃫-
Luisa sighed as she lifted a donkey onto her shoulder, just an average day. She just finished moving the church when she was called to round up the donkeys.
At least the donkeys don't put up a fight, just watched her approach almost as if they were waiting for her, she really wished Mirabel would do something about this, she was in charge of the donkeys she had to know how they keep 'accidentally' getting out.
It had been happening even more frequently since Dolores joined Mirabel, multiple times a day. It had to be on purpose but she wasn't prepared to say anything to either of them, it was much easier to just keep rounding up the donkeys than confronting them.
"Donkey roundup again?"
Luisa sighed hearing Isabela's voice "Yeah, you know how it is."
"Honestly, Mirabel's only job is to keep track of all of these smelly creatures and she's so useless she can't even do that."
"It's no trouble…I can round them up."
"I wouldn't."
"It's…it's my duty…"
Isabela followed along behind Luisa as she gathered the donkeys "I have a favour to ask you."
"Oh?"
"Tonight, keep an eye out for Mirabel and Dolores, and if you see them pick them up and throw them as far as you can."
Luisa blanked "They wouldn't show their faces would they?"
"Mirabel came to Antonio's ceremony, I don't want that filth ruining my proposal."
"I'l…keep an eye out…"
"Good," Isabela huffed "Oh did Abuela already tell you how to arrange the tables?"
Luisa sighed "Yes, multiple times."
"And the vases?"
"Yes."
"The piano needs to be-"
"I know."
"Oh and make sure there is-"
Luisa spun around "I KNOW!"
Isabela stepped back in surprise when Luisa yelled at her.
"Sorry sorry, that just sorta slipped out but Abuela has been driving me crazy she wants tonight to be perfect and I have a lot of work to do," Luisa adjusted the donkeys on her shoulders "Everyone is depending on me."
"We all need to play our part, I had to be the face of this whole family and that's not as easy as it looks."
Luisa couldn't help but roll her eyes but didn't say anything.
"I mean I'm not trying to say you don't work hard or anything but being me isn't exactly easy either."
"I'm sure it isn't I'm sure you have a lot of-" Luisa paused to grab another donkey "Pressure but you're not the one who has the carry the weight of the whole town on your shoulders, quite literally."
"Well, you're the one with the super strength gift, my gift is beauty," Isabela flicked a hand growing some roses "I don't do all that..sweaty work."
"Ah yeah, I have to go take these donkeys back to the barn now."
Isabela brushed invisible dirt off her dress and smiled "Well I'm not going anywhere near those two demons, I have to go meet with Abuela now, just while there remind them not to show their pathetic faces at Casita."
"Right…" Luisa watched Isabela walk back down the path with a sigh and began to walk towards the barn.
She loved her sister, she really did but she thought Isabela lived in a fantasy world, she hadn't had a day of hard work in her life.
All she had to do was prance around looking pretty and grow some flowers while Luisa regularly worked until she collapsed with exhaustion.
Dolores and Mirabel called her a working mule, a beast of burden tied to chains to do the bidding on her Abuela, to answer to the town's every demand.
And that's what Luisa felt like, ever since she got her gift fourteen years ago, work work work.
Luisa tried to take it all in stride, she knew she lived a fairly privileged life in Casita, a far cry from the life her estranged younger sister and now older cousin lived.
But what was the price of that luxury? It seemed like her life was the price, her life was not her own but the townspeople's she was to work for them until the day she dropped down dead.
The only day she wasn't working was Sundays, and that was only due to the fact Alma was a strong believer in the Catholic faith and insisted all take a day of rest, Luisa was glad for her Sundays she wouldn't be able to handle seven days a week, there was just no way.
Luisa reached the barn and pushed the door open with a creak, Mirabel and Dolores weren't there and she found herself sighing with relief, she really didn't want to have to face them right now. Just drop the donkeys off and leave.
She returned each donkey to their stall securing the rope that contained them before wiping the sweat off her forehead and sitting down on a haybale, she just wanted to catch her breath for a moment.
Luisa liked to take any chance she could to take these small breaks, even for just a few precious seconds especially when she knew she would be working tonight.
She sat there for a few minutes before standing back up, she really shouldn't linger around, Mirabel and Dolores could be back any minute now, she quickly left the barn and hurried back into town where her next task awaited her.
Luisa did sit up some nights wondering if she could talk Mirabel and Dolores into peacefully leaving, sneak them a few weeks worth of supplies and send them out.
They would be safer that way, the family and the duo both.
Luisa heard the things Pepa would mutter about Mirabel, and the things Bruno would mutter he wanted to do with Dolores. Such vile disgusting things.
They didn't know Luisa knew, and Luisa wasn't prepared to admit to them she knew, she couldn't let the fact she felt some pity towards Mirabel be known.
Luisa often about taking food to Mirabel after Julieta stopped but Luisa ever so obedient quickly pushed down thoughts of what Alma would consider rebellion.
She was growing tired, only nineteen but she was already tired. The pressure was growing and growing and Luisa wasn't sure how much longer until she just burst.
Often Luisa would walk to the exit out of the valley and stare longingly wondering what was outside the Encanto's sheltered walls, out in the world where she wouldn't be constantly on call to the town's whims.
But she could never leave her family, the Encanto was her home. She was born in the walls of Casita and she couldn't picture living anywhere else.
Luisa sighed heavily again, she knew once Isabela was married to Mariano, Alama would turn her eyes to arranging a marriage for Luisa so she could too bring another generation of 'magical blessings'.
Luisa wasn't interested in a relationship or starting a family right now, in the future maybe but not now. But she wouldn't get a choice, she would be expected to just smile and accept whatever Alma decides for her.
She was afraid of the future of the Madrigals, wondering if there would even be one or if the prophecy will come true, her once sweet baby sister coming after them and unleashing her vengeful wrath that would doom them all as they crumble after Mirabel's hate.
Luisa had to remain the strong one, she couldn't let her nerves show, she couldn't let her fear show.
Even if she was terrified.
-T⃫-
Pepa stood with her arms folded letting a small drizzle fall watering the crops in front of her, Alma had been reminding her to make sure the weather was perfect for tonight.
Like it was her fault her mood affected the weather.
A feeling came over her, like she was being watched. She looked around and swore she saw someone…no two someones walking amongst the trees.
Pepa frowned and started walking in that direction the two cloaked forms now clear, she instantly recognised the purple and gold ruana on the smallest of the two and scowled, Mirabel of course it had to be Mirabel, the one in red could only be Dolores.
The two people turned their heads towards her, their hoods concealing their faces from this distance, and without a word, they began walking towards her.
Pepa folded her arms as they stopped in front of her "Mirabel. Dolores."
"Weather witch," Mirabel chuckled.
"What do you want?"
"Aww, you don't seem to be happy to see me," Dolores clicked her tongue "Pity."
"Why are you both hiding your faces? It's not doing anything for you."
"Who said we're doing it to hide our faces?" Mirabel asked "In case you haven't noticed it's raining, we don't want our heads wet."
"Go away, I'm trying to water the fields."
"Ah, do you see this prima? The great Pepa Madrigal, wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt…watering can.."
Dolores laughed "Hmm, I'm doubting that mother part."
Pepa took a deep breath and turned away "I'm busy, you will not ruin this day for the family."
"Ooh, that's right tonight is Isabela's big proposal isn't it?" Dolores smirked "I bet Alma wants the weather to be perfect, doesn't she?"
Pepa stopped and turned around "Don't even come to Casita tonight either, Mamá will flip."
Mirabel sighed "Wow, I'm not even invited to the proposal of my dearest oldest sister…life really is not fair is it?"
Pepa's cloud grew "Just stay away."
"But we came all this way to talk," Dolores said "Isn't that right primita?"
Mirabel gave a mischievous grin "That's right."
"I don't want to talk with you two," Pepa snapped, in reality, she wanted to talk with Dolores even though her former daughter was glaring at her with hatred, she wanted that closure.
But Mirabel? She wanted nothing to do with the girl she once called her sobrina, she was evil just plain evil. She had to be, why else would she be in that vision?
Mirabel cackled "On, this chat isn't optional Pepa."
Dolores circled around Pepa "I have some things I would like to get off of my chest, and you're going to listen. I'm going to be heard now."
"Dolores-"
"Why Pepa? Why didn't you love me?"
"I did….I loved you so much-"
"Then why didn't you show it? Why did you leave me to raise Antonio when I was only sixteen?"
"I didn't mean to! I just got so busy-"
"You pop the kid out, it's your responsibility, isn't it? I love Antonio with every fibre of my being but raising him was not my responsibility."
"You do not understand how hard I must work every day! Your gift is-"
"Useless? Do you think maintaining Casita by myself wasn't hard work? Doing the dishes? The laundry? Raising YOUR baby?"
Mirabel leaned in "You pretend to be all high and mighty when in reality you're no better than me, but at least I'm honest about what I am, however, you live in a fantasy where your life fits together like a perfect little storybook and I'm just the big bad villain who wants to ruin everything, am I right?"
"You have no idea what my life is like!" Pepa growled, "You don't know anything about what it means to be a family!"
Mirabel smacked her lips together "How am I supposed to know? You all selfishly took that from me, do tell me Pepa, what is being a family like? Because if you Madrigals are any example, I don't think I want a family after all."
Pepa remained silent, the only sound was the rumbling of thunder.
"Nothing to say? You Madrigals think you're the perfect family but please it's all a facade, inside Casita's pretty magical walls is where you all drop your little acts and show your true colours. Bruno shows what a pervert he really is."
"What?!"
Mirabel mock gasped "My my, so Félix hasn't told you. Oh my, looks like your dearest husband is keeping secrets from you Pepi."
"Don't call me that!"
"Oh pardon me, weather witch."
Lightning flashed around Pepa "You…you…"
Dolores leaned in so Pepa could feel her breath "I just love how you're more concerned about a name than the fact Bruno is a pervert, really says a lot."
"What are you talking about?"
Dolores smirked "Did you know there is a woman that Bruno is interested in? One he wants to marry and carry his babies?"
"Who is it?"
"Me."
Pepa's eyes rose as the words registered, thunder boomed over her as she realised what this meant. Bruno wanted to be with Dolores, her own brother wanted a sexual relationship with her only daughter, his niece. It was incest, it was taboo.
"And before you ask, no I didn't make any advances, he came onto me. No matter how uncomfortable it made me. He would touch my breasts and squeeze my butt whispering such…erotic things into my ear."
Pepa sucked in a breath "Bruno….he wouldn't."
"Oh, but he did, he tried to get me in bed with him.'
"What? No.."
"Yes," Dolores grinned with a chuckle "Imagine if the town knew of this, the great Bruno Madrigal sexually assaulting his own niece."
"I…I never knew…"
"Of course, you didn't, you never paid attention to me. You would have known if you actually took the damn time! Didn't you ever see the looks he would give me? The way he would run his hands over me? Did you not see any of that?"
"I…no…."
Dolores hissed "Do tell me, did Bruno come home the other week with a bloody nose?"
"Yes….he said you attacked him."
Mirabel rolled her eyes "Of course he did."
"Oh yes, I punched him," Dolores sneered "And do you want to know why Pepa? Do you?"
Pepa could only stare straight ahead as Dolores took a grip on her the rain now pouring down as lightning flashed around the three.
"Bruno tried to rape me Pepa, had I not defended myself he was going to have his way with me, take something that is reserved for someone I love to take on my wedding night. He wanted me to be his toy, use me for his own pleasure, to fulfil his sick fantasies."
"Dolores…I…had no idea…I…." tears were streaming down Pepa's cheeks as the growing storm increased in intensity.
"And what if he had his way? What if he knocked me up? What if I fell pregnant with his bastard child? Would I be forced to carry the pregnancy to term and give birth to the baby of not only my rapist but my damn relative? Will I be forced to marry Bruno just so the child wouldn't be born out of wedlock and ruin Alma's image?"
"I….wouldn't make you marry-"
"Oh please you would do whatever Alma told you to do, just like you always do, You would have let me be turned into a walking incubator just to keep Alma happy and fulfil her needs for more gifts."
"Not true!"
"It's true, you know it's true. You and Julieta are the same, you'd sacrifice your own children for that old hag of a mother of yours," Mirabel slightly tilted her head "After all, that's what happened to me. The candle was born from a sacrifice and requires more to keep burning, how many will it take? Will the cycle just continue until the end times? And for what? So the magical Madrigals can be exploited? No matter how much pain and suffering it causes? Just sacrifice the useless ones?"
"My father died to give us our miracle!"
"Your father, may I remind you is my Abuelo, as much I hate being related to you Madrigals but blood can not be changed. Pedro's blood flows through my veins too, I am a descendant of Pedro Madrigal just like you, it's my miracle just as much as yours."
Pepa gave a short laugh "You have no right to say my father's name! Your miracle? Oh please, my father gave us all gifts… except for you. He must have known something was wrong with you from the start, he saw your true nature."
"Ah of course, that is how it works. Having you heard of a thing called nature vs nurture? I wasn't born this way, I was just an innocent little child, but when I was left alone there was no one to help push back the hate that festered inside. I'm not really sure what you were expecting, you're all so stupid.'
"Excuse me?!"
Mirabel chuckled "Tell me, what was your answer to finding out about the vision where I would grow to destroy your precious miracle? Did you love me and try and steer me away from that path? No you dumasses decided the best course of action was to ensure that I would grow to hate you all and the miracle, did none of you pause and go 'wait a minute, this idea is going to backfire on us horribly'? No you didn't you are all so smug thinking you saved yourselves when all you have done is seal your own fates."
"She's right you know," Dolorres whispered into Pepa's ear "You fools all brought this onto yourselves, your fall is going to be deserved. It's going to happen, your fate is sealed when your prophecy is read after all."
"Mirabel was going to grow up demonic no matter what we did!" Pepa protested.
"Was I?" Mirabel asked "Or am I just the victim of the cruel twisted hands of fate? Dammed to a cruel destiny? Was my life decided for me the moment I came into this world?"
"You ruined Dolores!"
"Your neglection pushed her over, letting me pull her closer."
Dolores shook her head dramatiacally "Heaven pity the cousins who were hated and were shunned."
Pepa's knees shook as the wind blowing fiercely around her.
Dolores chuckled "Oh look what you're doing Pepa, Alma isn't going to be very pleased with this weather. Can't you learn to control yourself? Honestly, having to hear your thunder all the time really hurts my ears."
Pepa felt Mirabel grab a hold of her.
"Poor poor Pepa, your gift doesn't seem like much of a blessing to me, more like a curse. Having to walk around with a raincloud over my head sounds really inconvenient," Mirabel chuckled.
"Clear skies…clear skies…clear skies…" Pepa chanted.
"Clear skies, clear skies, clear skies," Dolores mocked.
Mirabel looked up "Doesn't look like clear skies to me, in fact it looks like rain."
That brought Pepa back to her wedding day, and the hurricane that resulted after Bruno made the same 'looks like rain comment'.
"Ooh, did I hit a memory? What a pity for you, hmm?"
Pepa began stroking her braid trying to soothe herself as the storm grew.
Dolores smirked, she could hear everyone in town wondering what was going on. She could hear Alma's frustration as she muttered about Pepa under her breath.
Mirabel snickered, Dolores had told the story about her parents wedding as it was told to her. The whole thing ending in a hurricane, "Married in a hurricane!" Mirabel said in a sing-song voice.
A white flash filled the air followed by what sounded like an explosion.
Dolores found herself on the ground her ears ringing, she lifted her head up and saw Mirabel laying on the ground a few feet away from her original position as Pepa backed away in horror, it was then she realised they had been hit by her lightning…or at least nearly hit.
She sat up feeling pain rush through her, but wherever that was from hitting the ground at force or if the lightning actually struck them she didn't know.
Dolores placed a hand to her ears and pulled back seeing blood, everything was ringing she couldn't hear what Pepa was saying even though her mouth was opening and closing rapidly.
Dolores groaned as she dragged herself over to Mirabel finding her primita alive but stunned, her glasses knocked off but intact. Dolores let out a sigh of relief as Mirabel blinked unseeing up at her in surprise, Dolores still wasn't sure if they were hit or not so she moved to Mirabel's other side and lifted her ruana and shirt to reveal the red mark shaped like lightning on her back. They were hit, at least Mirabel was.
Pepa backed up further, she had hit them, she had seen their bodies hit the ground with a thud and she thought for a moment that she had killed them, with Mirabel being closest to her she checked her first to find her still breathing she wasn't sure if she should be relieved Mirabel survived or not.
Dolores shot her the dirtiest glare she could muster as she helped Mirabel sit up and gave her the glasses back, she knew Julieta's food couldn't help them with any injuries caused by Pepa's lightning. They would have been caused by magic and therefore can not be cured with magic.
A regular natural bolt of lightning? One arepa would heal that right up, but Pepa's magically produced lightning? They were shit out of luck.
Mirabel rubbed her head, she was not planning that. She saw Dolores's ears bleeding and grew even angrier as she turned to Pepa "Weather witch! You could have killed us! You're dangerous!"
Pepa trembled, she could have killed them easily. When she was younger people would call her dangerous when hormones had caused her to go through wild and rapid mood changes, one minute it could be sunny then the next the town would be scurrying to find cover from the storm.
Pepa studied her shaking hand. Dangerous. She knew her gift could kill, so far she had been lucky and there had been no fatalities because of her. But she could have today, she could have been standing here with two dead bodies next to her.
Dolores studied Pepa as the rigging faded and she could hear the sounds of the storm around her, well at least Pepa hadn't sent her deaf as she was fearing, Mirabel sat next to her still stunned. She could see Pepa crumbing, seemingly afraid of herself as she began to pull at her hair muttering under her breath.
She stood up pulling Mirabel with her, they were both soaking wet but they were alive and that was the main thing.
Mirabel shook her head, so that was what it was like to be struck by lightning. "Oh Pepa, you could have killed us with your silly gift, you're out of control you should be locked up for the safety of the community. Poor Dolores first her Tío wants to fuck her, then her mother tries to kill her with lightning."
"I…didn't…I didn't mean to…." Pepa was almost whimpering.
"They call me a monster, but you're the one who creates physical hazards, you're a monster Pepa. One day you're going to kill somebody and then you're going to have to live with that, if you can't control your gift should you really have it?"
Pepa's doubts about herself were growing more and more as she looked down at the ground "I…."
"You know what you should do? Lock yourself away, for the safety of everyone in the Encanto."
"My room…it doesn't stop my weather from affecting the Encanto…"
Mirabel smirked 'Then run away Pepa, run far away and never return."
Dolores grinned "You love your precious family, don't you? Then run away, you're a danger to them, what if your precious husband? Or sons?"
Pepa's eyes rose even further, what if she did strike one of her sons? No…no…
"Pepa! PEPA!" Félix's voice called out.
Dolores growled in annoyance.
Mirabel began to turn away "Come along prima, let us leave weather witch here to her thoughts," she took a step forward "Oh, and Pepa? We're coming to that party tonight, and you're just going to look the other way, do we have an understanding?"
Pepa nodded numbly not quite hearing what Mirabel was saying.
"Good….good…"
Pepa watched as Mirabel and Dolores disappeared into the treeline, both with a noticeable limp to their gait.
"Pepa!" Félix reached "Pepa what is going on? Alma is freaking out about the weather-"
Pepa dropped to her knees sobbing as she clutched her hands together.
"Pepa?" Félix walked towards her hand outstretched.
"Stay away…" Pepa said.
"Amor?"
"Stay…away….dangerous….stay away….you'll be safer…"
Félix frowned in concern at his wife's mental breakdown, he studied the muddy ground two sets of footsteps went into the tree line, it looked like Mirabel has kept her promise. Turning back to Pepa "Mi vida….it's okay."
"No….I'm dangerous…"
"No, you're not."
"I hit them…I could have killed them…"
"Hit who?"
"Them…"
"Mirabel and Dolores? You hit them? With lightning?"
Pepa nodded "I didn't mean…"
"It's okay, they got up and walked away."
Pepa continued trembling "I'm dangerous…"
Félix tried reaching for Pepa again but she stood up and turned away from him "Pepi…"
"Leave me…please…I need to…fix the weather….before tonight…"
Félix sighed "I'm not leaving you mi vida, I know you won't hurt me."
Whatever wall Pepa had built around her mind had been knocked down, what was the point of a gift that can cause so much pain and destruction? Was she really cursed?
Félix knelt next to her in the mud rubbing her back and whispering sweet nothings to her.
He would never forgive Mirabel for this.
-T⃫-
Dolores was studying Mirabel's back tracing the lightning mark with a finger "Not going to lie, it looks cool."
"I could have died!"
"Well, that's your whole life story summed up in four words."
Mirabel groaned "I thought lightning was supposed to kill you."
"Actually, you're more likely to survive a lightning strike than be killed by one."
"How very reassuring."
"You okay?"
Mirabel nodded "What we stole from Julieta healed the injures from getting thrown back, but I'm stuck with the mark of Pepa."
"Hmm, maybe we should take it easy for a few days, being hit by lightning is kinda a big deal."
"We have to go to that party tonight, and stop touching my back."
Dolores sighed as she pulled Mirabel's shirt back down "I can hear, Pepa is a mess and Alma is on the warpath because of it, she refuses to postpone the party as that will just say something is wrong in La Familia Madrigal."
"Prideful bitch," Mirabel sat down "Struck by lightning, that would happen to me."
"Mhmm, we're lucky it mostly just gave us a shock."
"Anyway, we got what we wanted, Pepa is a total mental wreck right now…I mean just look at the weather."
Dolores chuckled "I think I'm going to have another chat with my darling parents tonight."
"Oh, that sounds fun, just don't get thrown out."
"Oh, I won't don't worry, why don't you go speak with Julieta? You said you wanted to mess with her some more."
"Hmm….I could do that…I could…I have a plan.."
"Oh no."
"I'm going to see to it that Julieta and Agustín divorce, use them against each other."
Dolores turned to Mirabel as a sly smile spread across her primita's face "That's so mean yet hilarious, do it."
Mirabel grinned "They're going to end up divorced anyway, I'm simply giving them a little nudge to hurry to process along."
Dolores chuckled "You're so heartless,"
"I know, I'm glad I'm not my own enemy."