Julieta sighed as she placed the last of the food on the table for cena, today she had been so busy she had hardly had any time just to think, or to spend with Mirabel. The poor little girl probably thought she was mad at her for not getting a gift. After cena she would have to spend time with her.
"Mama," a shout came from the doorway leading out to the courtyard as a blur of blue tackle hugged her. Julieta smiled, hugging her back, grateful to know that at least Mirabel hadn't been all alone that day while she was busy. She needed to make sure to thank Pepa and Felix profusely for their help with Mirabel that day.
"Mirabel, how was your day with Milo and Tia Pepa?"
"Good," The little girl said, "A farmer said some bad things about me, but Tia yelled at him for it and threatened to flood his crops. He was really embarrassed, or maybe he was scared of Tia, but he gave us all limonada de coco that his wife made."
Julieta smiled at her youngest, before shooting a look at her sister over the little girl's head.
Pepa shrugged, "I wasn't going to let some farmer tell Mirabel that she was defective and going to affect Camilo's magic. That's not how it works, at least, I don't think that that's how it works. Is that how it works?"
"I have no idea," Julieta insisted, "Has Dolores heard anything about Bruno?"
Pepa gave Julieta a warm smile, "Dolores knows where he is, however, Bruno has asked Dolores to keep his location a secret, so that is what we are going to do."
"Mama isn't going to like that Pepa," Julieta insisted.
"That's why we aren't telling Mama."
"We can't do that!"
"Are we Fourteen or Forty?" Pepa asked, "I'm a full-grown adult, and Mama can't boss me around like she used to."
"She's still in charge, we live in her house," Julieta pointed out.
Pepa shrugged, "There are other houses here in Encanto, and if that isn't good enough, there's a whole world beyond the mountains."
"What's going on here?" a new voice asked sharply.
"Dolores knows where Bruno is but she won't tell anybody," Julieta insisted, turning to face their mother as quickly as possible.
"Pepa!" Alma's voice was strong and authoritative as she turned to her youngest daughter.
Pepa shrugged, shooting her sister an evil eye as a cloud formed over her head.
"I can't believe you, keeping the location of your brother from us, why would you do something like that?"
"Because Bruno asked Dolores to keep it a secret and I'm going to respect his wishes and do just that. I'm sure that when he is good and ready he'll come home."
"Well, if you won't tell me where he is, then I will just have to interrogate Dolores about his whereabouts myself."
There was a soft squeak as Dolores appeared the eleven-year-old, eyes wide as she said, "He left," she confessed, "He's not in Encanto anymore. I can't hear him now."
I'm lying, I know where he is and he says that it's okay if you know where he is as long as you don't tell Abuela or Tia. He doesn't trust her to keep it a secret from Abuela.
I understand, Pepa signed back, at this moment grateful that her mother and sister had shown no interest in learning sign language. At least they had a way to talk about things that her mother wouldn't approve of.
"He's not in Encanto?" Abuela repeated, "He abandoned the family. He obviously doesn't care about any of us."
"I'm sure that isn't true, Mama, he loves this family," Pepa insisted, "I'm sure that he'll return when he's ready too."
"Why did Tio Bruno leave," Mirabel asked, peering up at her Abuela with large eyes.
"Because he doesn't love the family, he doesn't care about you or anyone else," Alma insisted.
"Mama," Pepa insisted, a cloud popping up over her head, "That isn't true, and you know it, Bruno…"
"I will have no more talk about this Josefina, now take care of that cloud."
Pepa glared at her mother as she waved her hand over her head to disperse the cloud.
…
After dinner, Julieta scooped up Mirabel, "Let's get you in the tub why don't we?" she asked, as her fingers skittered across her side.
Mirabel squealed with laughter as she nodded her head.
"I need to have a word with you Julieta, I'm sure that Mirabel can handle bathing herself, she's a big girl now," Alma insisted.
Julieta sighed, "Why don't you go get your stuff gathered up, I'll be there in a minute to help you wash your hair."
"Okay," Mirabel said as she let out a sigh, hanging her head and arms in a posture that told Pepa loud and clear that she was not okay with this, the poor girl hadn't had any comfort once so ever from her parents yet and it had been Twenty-four hours now.
"I'll bathe Mirabel," Pepa offered, "I have to bathe Camilo anyways, might as well bathe them together."
"She's old enough…" Alma started.
"She five Mama, she still needs help to get her hair clean," Pepa insisted, "If Julieta is too busy to do it, then I will!"
…
Just over half an hour later, Pepa pulled the plug of the tub, and pulled first Camilo and then Mirabel out, wrapping them up in their towels and beeping them on their noses, "So," she asked conspiring, "who do you think can get their pajamas on faster?"
"Me! Me!" Camilo and Mirabel both said eagerly, jumping up and down.
"Well, whoever gets their pajamas on and comes to my room gets to pick out the bedtime story we'll read first."
"Yeah," the two five-year-olds said eagerly, racing up the stairs. Pepa watched them as Camilo darted into his bedroom and closed the door behind him. Mirabel, however, stood, wrapped in a teal towel, in front of the nursery door. Even from here, she could tell that Mirabel was trembling, her hand would reach out to touch the door, before suddenly jerking back again, as if the doorknob burned her.
Pepa frowned, that was odd, what was that all about? Suddenly memories of the day, odd instances that she didn't think much of. That morning Mirabel had followed her out of the nursery and had left the bathroom door open when she had gone to the bathroom, much to the annoyance of Isabela who had walked in on her. Casita had opened her front door for them every single time they walked up to it, and come to think about it, she had been with Mirabel all day and hadn't once seen her open, or close a door the entire time.
"Mirabel is something wrong?" she asked, making her way up the stairs.
Mirabel shook her head, her eyes glued to the nursery door.
"If there is something wrong you can tell me, right?" Pepa offered, nudging her playfully, "I mean I'm your Tia Pepa right?"
"But what if… what if the nursery door disappears too?" Mirabel asked, "Where will I sleep then?"
"Ay, Nina, it won't disappear mi nube," Pepa reassured her, reaching over her head and opening the nursery herself, "See, it's still here," she insisted as she peered inside, it was still there alright, just like it had been that morning. Had they not done anything about Mirabel's sleeping arrangements today? Did they not know that at the moment Mirabel had nowhere to sleep?
"Where am I going to sleep, Tia?" Mirabel asked, tears forming in her eyes, "Will I have to sleep on the floor forever now?"
"No, of course not," Pepa insisted, "Why don't we get you into your nightgown, and then you can have a sleepover in Camilo's room, si."
"Si!" Mirabel said with a giggle.
…
Julieta sighed as she started to climb the stairs, planning on at least being able to kiss Mirabel goodnight before turning in.
"Mama?" a soft voice called out from the other side of the balcony.
"Luisa," she said, looking up at her nine-year-old daughter, "Is something wrong?"
"Not really, no, I just… someone in town said that we should get rid of Mirabel and that she was bad luck!"
Julieta abandoned the door to the nursery and headed over to her middle daughter, "No, we aren't going to get rid of your hermanita, I promise, they don't know what they were talking about."
"But they were talking to Abuela and she agreed with them," Luisa wailed, "She said that she was planning on sending her away."
"Don't worry, I won't let that happen," Julieta insisted, pulling her middle child into a quick hug, "I need to check on Mirabel, and then why don't I come into your room and we can read a chapter from your book together before bedtime."
Luisa smiled, "That'll be great Mama," she confessed.
"Can I join?" another voice asked as Isabela appeared from behind a large potted plant.
"Si, why don't the two of you pick out a book together while I…"
"Juli?" Julieta groaned, she had been busy all day, and all she wanted was to have some downtime with her kids before they went to bed. What did Pepa want?
"Si Pepa," she asked, trying hard, and failing to keep the annoyance out of her voice.
"I just wanted you to know that I put Mirabel down with Camilo in his room," Pepa said, "I hope that's alright, I didn't really know where to put her. We need to figure out her sleeping arrangements."
Julieta frowned, what was Pepa talking about, "I assumed that Mirabel was going to stay in the nursery until we can figure something else out. Why is she in with Camilo?"
Pepa rolled her eyes at her, "Go take a look at the nursery and you tell me," she instructed.
Julieta shot her sister a strange look before following her instructions, she opened the nursery door and peered in. Her heart sank, the only thing in the nursery was the boxes containing Mirabel's personal belongings, and nothing else.
"She ended up sleeping on the floor last night, without even a pillow or blanket," Pepa whispered into her ear, "She was near tears when we came in here after the bath. She was worried that she would be forced to sleep on the floor again, so I tucked her in with Camilo. They had such a busy day they both fell asleep almost as soon as their heads touched the pillows."
"Gracias, Pepa," Julieta said, I'll get Agustin and we'll get her bed set back up for her.
"Mama?" Isabela called out, "Are you still going to read with us?"
Julieta grimaced, glancing at Pepa, "Of course I am," she insisted with a forced smile, "I'll get Agustin and we'll have the nursery set back up before we go to bed," she promised.