Mirabel glanced around the town square, staring at the hustle and bustle around her, she could imagine that it was rather noisy. She shrugged as she dodged around a group of people gossiping, and nearly ran straight into Isabela.

Isabela opened her mouth, it moved, sound probably came out of it, but Mirabel still couldn't hear her, couldn't understand what she was saying, but she could guess. There was only one thing she could rely on Isabela doing, and that was yelling at her for being in the way.

Mirabel should apologize for running into her, yet, her tongue seemed tied to the roof of her mouth. No matter how hard she tried, her mouth wouldn't open.

Isabela glare soften slightly, as her mouth moved once more.

Mirabel shook her head, she really didn't want to get into a screaming match with Isabela anyway, and fled as fast as she could further from Casita. She didn't dare stay around town, not with Isabela and Abuela there, and the fields were out of the question, she needed to avoid Pepa as much as possible. So there was only one option left.

She turned towards the jungle and hurried through the trees.

…

Isabela had been shocked to say the lease when she had been knocked into by Mirabel. She was honestly surprised that she had gotten up, after not even being able to stand up straight earlier.

"You really need to watch where you're going," she had snapped sharply, glaring at her younger sister, who… stood frozen, her eyes round as she trembled before her, like a horse that's about to balk. "You okay, Mira?" she asked, she hadn't meant to scare her really.

Mirabel didn't respond, spinning on her heels and rushing off toward the jungle.

Isabela frowned, "That was odd," she admitted.

…

Mirabel quickly made her way to her old tree house that her father and Tio had helped her build when she was seven. She hadn't been there in years, yet now it's the perfect place for her to spend the day. Away from Tia and her clouds and thunder, and away from everyone else as well.

…

"Where's Mirabel?" Mariano asked as the family and the Guzmans gathered around the dining room table.

"Oh, she's not feeling well today," Alma insisted, "Too much to drink last night, you know?"

"Mama," Julieta began only to shrink back into her seat like a little kid when her mother sent her a deadly glare.

"I was hoping that the whole family would be here," Mariano insisted, "For the proposal."

"Well dear, if Mirabel isn't feeling good, then she isn't feeling good," Senora Guzman informed her son, "Luisa, would you be a dear and fetch the piano, my Mariano wants to sing a song, in honor of the night."

"Umm, sure, Yyyyeah, I can do that," Luisa said nervously, as she stood up, she hadn't told anybody yet, but since last nights whole 'the house is in danger' incident she had been feeling weird, almost weak even. She wasn't sure if she could carry the piano.

Dolores froze as she heard Luisa struggling to drag the piano at the same time that there was that same rumbling sound that she heard last night. She glanced up and stared at the family tree behind Alma as a crack appeared, carefully curling around Mirabel's picture. With another crack the chunk of plaster hit the floor, taking Mirabel's picture with it.

Dolores frowned as she saw what had happened, if that wasn't some sort of sign, she wasn't sure what was. The only question was, what did it mean?

Mariano stared at the damaged family tree as well, "I thought you said that Mirabel was lying about the cracks," he said slowly, "Those are cracks."

"How were we supposed to know that she was telling the truth, she's a lying attention seeker," Isabela insisted.

"Isabela Maria Rojas Madrigal, do not talk about your hermanita like that," Julieta snapped.

"You know, the only one in this family that I've ever seen go out of their way to get attention is you," Mariano announced, standing from his seat as he glared at Isabela, "You know, Mirabel told me once that you were a Prima Dona, but I didn't want to believe it. I figured it was just sibling rivalry. Now I wonder what Mirabel would have said if I had asked her what she meant. Where exactly is she?" Although it was a question, there was a sharp edge to his voice, a reminder that he was a member of the guard there in Encanto.

All eyes turned to Dolores, who shook her head, "She's not in Casita," she confessed, "I heard her go into the woods earlier, but I haven't heard her since,"

"What do you mean you haven't heard her since?" Julieta exclaimed.

"I don't know, everything is quieter today, I can't hear as much as I usually can," Dolores explained, "I mean, I can here you guys, and the rats talking in the wall, but that's about it, I don't have near the range that I usually have."

"And let's not forget that Luisa dragged the piano into the room instead of carrying," Camilo pointed out, "There's something going on with our gifts."

"And," Luisa confessed, "It started last night when Mirabel saw the cracks, I nearly dropped the piano when I picked it up."

Alma turned to look at the family tree, at the missing chunk that had been Mirabel, "Well it is obvious that Mirabel has something to do with this. I think it will be best for everyone involved if you send her to live with your parents for a time, Agustin."

"Mama, she doesn't..." Julieta began.

"I don't care that she doesn't want to leave," Alma interrupted, "She's involved with this, somehow, and I must protect the Miracle. She'll get over it, besides, we'll be needing the nursery soon enough for Isabela's five children."

"You honestly expect me to continue my proposal after Dolores confessed that Mirabel, a fifteen year old girl, isn't at home like you all thought? That you had no idea of where she is, and you want me to propose? No, I'm going to go into town and organize a search party. Everyone always goes on and on about how generous your family is, but I guess that only works for strangers, not family members," Mariano announced, as he turned on his heels and left the room, his mother following close behind him with a shake of her head.

"Wait, Senora, por favor, of course we will send out a search party," Alma cried out, chasing after them, "We really do care about Mirabel."

Antonio stuck out his lips in a pout, "I want Mirabel," he announced, grumpily.

Parce nudged his head against Antonio, obviously saying something that only Antonio could hear and understand, "Really? You think you can find her?"

Parce nodded as he said something more. Antonio nodded, "Would her bed work? It's this way," Antonio jumped down, running out of the room and upstairs, leading the way into the nursery, and pointing to Mirabel's bed, "Can you get a scent from here?" He asked.

Parce nodded, sniffing loudly before telling Antonio to get on his back, and started heading out to the jungle.

…

Mirabel stuffed her sewing into her bag as it got dark enough that she couldn't see what she was doing. It was probably past dinner time. She better head home before her family wasted time with a search party.

She carefully weaved her way through the trees, only to stop short as Antonio appeared on the back of a jaguar.

His mouth moved as he gestured at the way he had come, saying something that Mirabel simply couldn't hear.

She nodded softly before she made her way around the jaguar following the path back to Casita.

…

Antonio smiled as Parce raced down the path towards Mirabel, his nose down to the ground, this was great he was helping his family, and helping Mirabel.

Parce turned a corner, and there in front of them was Mirabel.

"Mira," Antonio cried out eagerly, waving a hand happily, "I've been looking for you! Guess what? At dinner tonight, the dining room started cracking and everyone believes you now. You need to come home now, everybody is worried about you, and Mami is sorry that she yelled at you last night."

Mirabel nodded, although her face looked blank and kind of confused, but Antonio ignored that when she continued on the way back to Casita.

…

Pepa was waiting outside Casita when she saw Mirabel walking up to it with Antonio following behind. She let out a sigh of relief, shooed her cloud away from over her head, and race up to her.

"Mirabel, I am so, so, sorry for yelling at you last night," she exclaimed, placing a hand on Mirabel's shoulder, "I know that you would..." Mirabel jerked violently away, a look of pure terror on her face as she quickly dodged around her and headed upstairs.

Pepa followed her movement with a frown, was it just her or was Mirabel scared of her.

She glanced over at Alma and Julieta, the cloud she had shooed away earlier popping up again as she asked nervously, "Did she seem scared to you?"

Julieta nodded her head, "Yes, which means that coughing fit she had this morning wasn't pneumonia, it was a panic attack, because of you."

"But why? So I yelled at her last night, and I might have been thundering a little while I did so, but..." Pepa trailed off, "I've never hurt her, so why is she scared of me."

"Your thunder can be scary," Julieta insisted, "I better go check on Mirabel, and get her something to eat seeing as she was gone all day."

"We still need to decide what to do about the cracking," Alma insisted, "Casita removed Mirabel from the family tree, that has to mean something."

"Or it could mean absolutely nothing," Julieta insisted, "Honestly Mama, if it had been Isabela's picture that had fallen off the tree would you be accusing her of causing the cracks? I am sick and tired of this blatant show of favoritism. You act as if the world revolves around Isabela, yet you treat Mirabel like she's some sort of disease or something."

"I do not!" Alma exclaimed sharply.

"Then why are you always trying to get Agustin and I to send her away."

"I just… I just think… that it would be… easier for her… if she wasn't… you know… surrounded by the miracle all the time."

"So you want me to give my child away?" Julieta snapped, before turning on her heels and storming into the house.