Camilo burst out the door, flew down the stairs, and burst out the other door before Mirabel finally caught up to him. In the dead of night, this outburst felt way too loud, and Mirabel was terrified that everyone would wake up and blow her cover for good.

"Camilo!" She hissed. She managed to reach out and grab his arm, stopping him right in front of the doorway, out in Casita's halls. "Stop, please! It's okay!"

Camilo whirled around, the panic still in his eyes, trying instinctively to pull away from her. "What do you mean it's okay?!" He hissed back. "That thing—I almost died, Mirabel!"

Mirabel, for fear of making him fall again, gently let go and opted to calm him down with words instead. "N-no, you don't understand. I know he seemed scary, but…he was trying to help. You broke your leg and he gave you one of mom's arepas. Remember?"

Camilo grit his teeth. "Well, why did he have to turn into a giant terrifying monster to do that?" He shook his head furiously. "We have to tell the others."

"You can't!" Mirabel grabbed his arm again.

Camilo just looked angry now. "Mirabel, what is wrong with you? There is an eldritch horror in our house that could kill all of us! Why would we not tell the others?"

Mirabel winced. "Because they already know, Camilo. The adults do, anyway." She gestured toward the open door. "That monster you saw in there was our uncle. He's kept in there by a magic barrier. Didn't you see his magic Door when you followed me in there?"

Camilo slowly followed her gaze, staring wordlessly at the glowing carving they would just make out from there. "Y…yeah, but…"

He looked at the floor, eyes unfocused, as the truth seemed to sink in. Mirabel felt a pang of empathy, noting that this mirrored her exact reaction when she had found out, too.

Camilo turned away and plopped himself down on the floor, head in his hands. "I don't believe it. That's what was behind the door the whole time?"

Mirabel rubbed her arm. "Yep..."

"I would have preferred a portal to another dimension." He scrunched up his nose, looking angry again. "And what in the world were you doing in there at this time of night, huh?"

"Oh," Mirabel chuckled slightly. "I like to go visit him sometimes. He gets lonely, you know." She sat on the floor next to Camilo and put a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, he's actually very nice when you get to know him. He's a bit…quirky, yeah, but he cares. He cares about us a lot, he cares about you too, he doesn't want to hurt you. And guess what? Those mysterious birthday gifts we keep getting? He makes those!" She beamed. "Cause he just wants to make us happy even if he can't be with us."

Camilo wasn't responding. He was just staring into the middle distance, eyebrows furrowed together.

Mirabel sighed. "Look, I know this is a lot to take in. But, just promise me you won't tell anyone about this—."

"Why?" Camilo snapped. His eyes finally focused on her, furious. "Why don't you want anyone to know that you were in there with him?"

"Because, if they find out, he'll never be able to see us again, and that would kill him, Camilo." She pleaded. "You have no idea how much we mean to him."

Camilo looked shocked, horrified, disgusted…why couldn't Mirabel get through to him? His expression shifted again, but she couldn't quite read it. He almost looked…sad? But he covered it with his hand so quickly, she wasn't sure.

"I don't believe this. I can't believe this…"

"Camilo…please don't tell anyone."

Camilo pressed his lips together and didn't look her in the eye. "…fine. I won't."

Mirabel sagged with relief. "Oh, thank you so much!" Perhaps her cousin wasn't a complete jerk after all. "I'll let you have the rest of my breakfast portions for a week, okay?"

Camilo gave her a tired, pitying look, before turning away. "Whatever. I'm going back to bed," he mumbled. "Though I don't know how I'm going to get any sleep."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Mirabel asked. "I-I know we haven't shared a room since we were little, but—."

"No, I don't need you to come," Camilo snapped. "I'm not a baby, Mirabel. I'll…" he gulped. "I'll handle it."

"Oh…okay. Good night."

He didn't reply as he hobbled off.

Camilo didn't sleep. That much was obvious from how he looked the next morning. Mirabel kept trying to make eye contact with him over breakfast, but he was clearly avoiding her gaze on purpose. And he still looked angry…or, perhaps, simply troubled.

This was in extreme contrast to Dolores, whose gaze seemed to be penetrating Mirabel's skull and whose eyes she had to avoid…and to Isabela, who was currently involved in an intense staring contest with the new engagement ring on her finger.

(Isabela was still irritable today. Earlier, she'd snapped at Mirabel merely for standing in front of her. She was always annoying, but she now was being extra annoying for some reason. But Mirabel had bigger things to worry about.)

As was becoming the norm lately, Mirabel didn't listen to the morning announcements or the breakfast chatter. They were always the same anyway. After breakfast, however, while Mirabel was gathering the dishes, she spotted Tía Pepa pulling Camilo aside.

"Camilo, honey, is something wrong?" Tía Pepa asked, cupping her son's face worriedly. "You've been so quiet all morning, that's not like you. And you look so upset."

Camilo hesitated, staring back at his mom. His frown deepened, and he looked like he had a lot to say, making Mirabel pause in worry. But Camilo just looked away from her and shrugged. "I'm fine. Just tired."

"Are you sure? If something is bothering you, you can tell me. You can always be honest with me—."

Camilo pushed her hands away and turned to the floor. "No, I'm fine." he paused, noticing the shocked look on Pepa's face (and the cloud, of course), and he clenched his fists. "It's just, uh…"

Mirabel winced.

"…a girl," Camilo finally said. "A girl broke my heart."

Mirabel breathed a sigh of relief.

Pepa, apparently buying the lie, looked scandalized. "What? Who would do that to my baby? What's her name? I'll—."

"Mà, please," Camilo sighed. He waved her off and started to head back inside the house. "It doesn't matter, okay? Please just let it go." With that, he trudged back into the house, no doubt heading toward a day of work despite being in a bad mood. Pepa pouted as she watched him leave.

Mirabel finished gathering the dishes and putting them away, feeling guilty. The incident last night had obviously affected Camilo more than she'd realized. But she supposed that made sense, it had basically been a nightmare scenario for him. Being in a strange place, a terrifying creature towering over him while he was physically unable to run away. If Bruno hadn't been able to get a handle on his transformation…both Mirabel and Camilo would probably be dead. She didn't want to imagine that scenario.

"Casita, why did you even let him in?" Mirabel asked the house, once she was in her room. "What happened to keeping the door locked?"

Casita raised a floorboard, then slowly lowered it. A shudder ran through the floor. Mirabel frowned, kneeling down and touching the floor.

"What's going on with you?" she asked worriedly. "You've been acting strange lately. I mean, everyone has, but…" she paused, patting the floor gently. "Casita, are you…sick or something?" She bit her lip. "How does a house even get sick? Is there—should I do something?"

Casita quickly tapped its floorboard twice. Before Mirabel could ask, the boards at her feet started nudging her to stand up. Mirabel sighed. Casita was trying to get her moving so she would forget about its troubles and move on. Typical behavior. Casita was a Madrigal through and through, it seemed.

Mirabel decided to just comply for now and figure this out later, when there was less stuff on her plate. She would have to slog through her day as usual until she was able to address everything properly. Luckily, she wasn't completely tired out today and would be able to perform all her duties. Although she hadn't slept much, she at least got a little more time to rest in bed than her usual Bruno Visiting Nights. Since she'd left early, and all.

…oh, shoot! She left early! She had just left Bruno there! After everything that happened! Mirabel slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle a gasp. How could she have been so stupid? There was no way he was doing okay right now. Not only had that probably been his second transformation in the same night, but he was probably devastated after what happened with Camilo. She could clearly remember how Bruno had reacted after scaring her. This was likely much worse.

Mirabel grit her teeth and squeezed the handle of her bag. Great. It would be a lot harder to get through her day now, but she would have to be patient until night time. Bruno needed her, but she couldn't risk being caught by the adults in the middle of the day. So, she'd just have to suck it up. She was pretty good at doing that.

Midnight seemed to come slower that day, and it felt like Julieta spent an eternity behind the door. As soon as Mirabel was able, she hurried back into Bruno's room, her stomach twisting with worry from holding this in all day.

She expected to find Bruno up in his cave as usual, but with a nudge from Casita, she found that he was actually sitting at the bottom of the stairs…right where they'd left him the night before.

Mirabel hurried to him. "Tío Bruno?"

He looked up. "Ah—Mirabel—." He quickly pulled his hood over his head and avoided her eyes. He looked awful. "You're back—I-I—."

Mirabel knelt down in front of him. "How long have you been sitting here?"

"Uh—I don't know. What time is it? I think you left a while ago."

"I—I left yesterday!" Mirabel replied, a little choked. "Have you—have you seriously been sitting here for the whole day?"

Bruno winced and sunk inward at her tone. "I…I suppose I have. It's really easy to lose track of time in here…"

Mirabel pushed back tears and instead settled for a sigh. He was a mess, she knew he would be. "Oh, Tío."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" he pulled his knees up to his face and sighed. "I keep ruining everything. I scared him away, I—I hurt him—."

"No, no, Tío, you didn't hurt him, he fell—."

"I made him cry, Mirabel." Bruno whimpered. "Didn't you see the look on his face? He thought I was going to kill him. I—I—" Bruno buried his face in his knees, trembling, pulling at his hair. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

"Tío, no, no, it's okay." Mirabel gently put her hand on his shoulder, a tried and true method of stilling his mind and preventing panic. Sure enough, it worked this time, too. "It's going to be fine."

Bruno gulped, still not looking up. "Is—is he still hurt? Is he still afraid? Is he okay?"

"Camilo…will be alright," Mirabel assured him. "He's…a little shaken right now, still, but with time, I know he'll understand." She grinned. "It's just like what happened with me, remember? I was scared at first too, but I came back, didn't I?"

Bruno said nothing. Mirabel started to nudge his arm.

"Come on, let's get you back upstairs. You need to rest." She finally managed to catch his eye. "Please?"

Bruno looked at her for just a moment before relenting. He stood, tiredly, and she helped him up. He kept mumbling under his breath as they climbed the stairs, but Mirabel wasn't as worried about that as she was about his apparent lack of balance. Once they made it back, she let him plop down in a chair, before pulling up one of her own to sit next to him.

"Listen, Tío, I'll take care of everything," she assured him. "I'll get Camilo to come back, and then you can talk everything out with him and it will be okay." She gave him another gentle smile. "You trust me, right?"

Bruno finally looked up at her. "Of course," he replied quickly. "I trust you with all my heart, Mirabel. It's just…"

"Tío, if you trust me, then don't worry," she crossed her hands on her lap and sat up confidently. "Mirabel will fix everything."

At last, Bruno cracked a small smile. "…alright. If you say so, dulce, I believe it."

Mirabel swelled with pride. It was always nice to see how Bruno reacted to her. Like she actually made a difference.

(If she hadn't been here, Bruno would have sat at the bottom of those steps until…until Casita forced him to eat and sleep, most likely. Is that what had happened when she had first run away? Was Bruno really in that state for the three months he'd waited for her to come back…?)

"Great," she told him. She pushed the bad thoughts away from her head. Now that she was here, she would make sure that would never happen to Bruno again.

Before she could say more, something bumped against her leg. Mirabel looked down, to see that Casita was pushing a plate piled high with food and nudging her with it. Of course. Bruno's meal for the night. She knelt down to pick it up. "Thanks, Casita. See? Casita was worried about you too."

She handed the plate to Bruno with an earnest smile, and he chuckled lightly before taking it. "S-sorry." He said. As Mirabel watched, he hesitantly took a bite, and that satisfied her for now.

"Now, let's stop moping about Camilo and think about something else," Mirabel began with a clap of her hands. "Yesterday you were saying that you wanted to make an engagement present for Isabela. Have you decided on what it should be?"

"…oh, right. Um." He started bouncing his leg, a sign that he was at least getting some energy back, as he chewed on his food. "I-I'm not so sure anymore. I don't want to make it like the typical birthday gifts because…this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, you know?"

Mirabel leaned on her hand. "Hmm, that's a good point. Also, I just remembered that Abuela is holding a celebration for their engagement in about two days. That sounds like the perfect time to give her the present, right?"

Bruno's eyes widened. "Two days? Oh, no, no, I couldn't possibly finish something in two days…"

"You can if I help." Mirabel stood up and moved to the little crafting table in the corner. She grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil. "First, we brainstorm. Are we thinking something she can wear, or something she can use?"

"Well, uh…something she could wear, I suppose. Maybe to the party. Like how you wore your headband at your quinceañera…"

Mirabel smiled at the memory, only a few months old but already precious. "That's a good idea. Okay, next step. A list of possible but still cute accessories we can make…"

The next day Mirabel watched Camilo like a hawk and looked for the best opportunity to…well, corner him, to put it bluntly. He was always good at avoiding her like the slimy little lizard that he was, and if she was going to fix this issue, she'd have to pin him down the second he was alone.

The opportunity came when Camilo was milling about in the kitchen a few hours after breakfast. He was getting a snack, as usual, but today he seemed to be fidgeting with his food more than he was eating it.

Mirabel slammed her hands down on the table. He jumped.

"I gave you your space," Mirabel said, getting right into the topic. "But we need to talk."

Camilo glared at her. "Gave me my space? You left me alone for a day."

"Yeah, well…it was a very torturous day for both of us, I presume!"

Camilo sighed and leaned his head back on his chair. Mirabel sat down in front of him.

"What do you want from me?" Camilo groaned. "Isn't it bad enough that you're making me keep my mouth shut? What else do you want?"

"You need to go back."

Camilo sat right back up, shocked. "I'm sorry, what? Go back?! Are you crazy?"

Mirabel shushed him.

"Why would I ever go back in there?"

"Because, he wants to apologize," Mirabel pleaded. "You didn't see what he was like after it happened. He's heartbroken. Camilo, he never wanted to hurt you. Please just go hear him out."

"No," Camilo replied stubbornly. He picked up the plate of food in front of him and stood up to leave. "I'm not interested in anything he has to say. Goodbye."

"Wh—!" Mirabel hurriedly stood up. "But you have to! If you don't let him apologize he'll beat himself up over it forever!"

Camilo whirled around. "Is that all you care about? His feelings?"

"Well—it'll help you too! I want to reassure you. I want you to see that he's a family member and not just some…some…"

"Some creep?" Camilo finished for her. "Yeah, I think I'm good. See you later, Mirabel."

Mirabel's heart sank as Camilo whirled around to leave…and it sunk even further when Dolores appeared, stopped him, and forced him back to his chair.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"Sit," Dolores hissed. She frowned at her cousin. "You too, Mirabel. I have things to say."

Mirabel felt mildly dizzy and easily complied.

Dolores sat down between the two of them. Camilo looked back and forth between her and Mirabel.

"Oh, of course, Dolores knows about this too," Camilo griped. "Am I the only one who didn't know about the monster living in our house?"

"Shh," Dolores snapped. "Keep your voice down. And no, you're not." She nodded at him gently, and he finally sat back down with a huff.

Dolores, looking very much like Abuela at that moment, folded her hands on the table and took a deep breath. "Now, first of all…Mirabel."

Mirabel flinched. "Y-yes?"

"Why are you so stubborn and so negligent of your own safety?" Dolores snapped. "I told you not to go back there, I told you it was dangerous, and it sounds like you didn't even listen to me for one second. Not only did you put yourself at risk, but you put my brother in danger too!"

"Yes!" Camilo exclaimed. "Tell her! I could have died! When you find a monster in your house, you stay away from it! I didn't think I would need to say that, but here we are!"

Mirabel didn't have the heart to snap at him, not with the cold sweat she was currently in. "Are…are you going to tell Abuela?"

Dolores studied her for a moment. "…I was going to. But the other night, I—I heard something interesting." She sighed and rested her cheek on her hand. "See, I'm used to hearing Bruno being completely out of control. One moment he's human, mumbling and laughing like a crazy person, or crying about something else. The next moment he's a monster destroying everything in his wake. I honestly believed that his monster form was completely far gone, but when he attacked Camilo—or rather, when he didn't attack Camilo—I realized…maybe he's not beyond hope after all."

Mirabel and Camilo stared at her, both with their jaws dropped, but clearly having very different thoughts.

"Are you joking?" asked Camilo.

"Are you serious?" Mirabel asked. "You mean…"

"Look, I—I—," Dolores wrung her hands, her composure fading away. "I don't know what to think. I've spent my whole life afraid of him. I thought that he was beyond saving, no matter how much we want to. Was I wrong? Or was it just a fluke?"

Mirabel shook her head and leaned forward eagerly. "No, Dolores, it's true! You may have heard him, but I've seen him, I've gotten to know him. I looked into his eyes when he was changed, he recognized us." She turned back to Camilo, hopeful. "Camilo, I wasn't lying when I told you he cares about us. He told me himself. His nephews and nieces are his whole world. He couldn't bring himself to hurt any of us, even when he's changed."

Camilo shifted in his seat, arms crossed, looking worried. "And what if you're wrong, Mirabel? What if this all comes back to bite us?"

They were quiet. Mirabel wanted to say more, but they were both distracted by Dolores leaning forward on her hands.

"You know, he…he always sounds so sad," Dolores murmured. "When he's human, I mean. Always sad…except when he's making the birthday gifts for us. And more recently, whenever he's with Mirabel."

Mirabel perked up.

"I remember I used to want to help him, but I was too scared of the monster. If what Mirabel is saying is true…" she paused, as they eagerly leaned forward. "Then, I think I want to meet him."

Mirabel beamed. "Oh, Dolores, that would make him so happy!"

Dolores smiled, nervous but also excited. "Yes, well, I hope I'm making the right decision." She turned to Camilo and pointed a finger at him. "And you really should go see him too."

"Oh, come on, why?"

"Because he's going to keep being sad until you let him apologize."

"Uuuuugh," Camilo threw his head back dramatically. "Seriously? That's all it takes to convince you? Some sad old man is making you feel bad?"

Mirabel pouted. "Camilo, he's family."

Camilo finally threw his hands into the air. "If I go, will it get you off my case?"

"Yes," Mirabel smiled at him innocently. "I'll never, ever bother you about this again. I promise."

"Fine," he finally sighed. "I'll go see him once. And if we die, I will never, ever, let you live it down!"

Mirabel beamed. "Deal."

Hooray for Dolores! Mirabel thanked the Lord as she tried to keep down her excitement. Not only would she keep her promise to Bruno, but she'd be bringing another one of her cousins along to meet him. He would be ecstatic. Mirabel grinned at Dolores gratefully, a tiny squeal escaping her lips. Dolores merely giggled, the tension in her shoulders still there, but hopefully that would be fixed soon.

Camilo, disgruntled, looked back and forth between them. He bit off a piece of the arepa in front of him and sighed. "I sure hope I don't regret this."

Bringing Camilo AND Dolores tonight! Get some extra chairs ready :D

She'd sent the note hours earlier, after their conversation, and now it was time to go. Mirabel waited for her mother to go back to her room, as usual, then slipped out of the nursery. Quietly, she knocked on both Dolores and Camilo's doors, and soon the three of them were standing in front of the locked door.

Mirabel turned the knob, frowning when it refused to open. "Casita?" She whispered. "Unlock the door please?"

Casita shuddered a little, but did as she said. Mirabel frowned a little as she opened the door. She, Dolores, and Camilo slipped inside, and she closed the door behind her, just in case.

"Ooh," Dolores whispered, eyes widening at Bruno's door. "I've—never actually seen the carving for myself. It's…well…"

Camilo crossed his arms and shuddered.

"It's okay, you guys," Mirabel said gently. "I always check to make sure he's doing alright before I go in. And I'm sure he's too excited to see you to change right now."

Dolores stuck her ear out. "You're right. I hear him talking about it to his rats right now. He seems…pretty happy."

"He…talks to rats?" Camilo looked around in confusion. "What, like—like Antonio's Gift?"

"Uh, no," Mirabel chuckled awkwardly. "No, he just, um…hears his rats talking. You know."

"…ah. So he's crazy. Got it. This just keeps getting better and better."

Dolores nudged him. They headed into the room proper, Mirabel leading her nervous cousins through the stone arena.

Camilo kept complaining. "Why do we have to go all the way over there? Why can't he come here?"

"Because that's where all his tables and chairs are," Mirabel replied. "Unless you want to sit on the floor."

At the bottom of the stairs, Mirabel cupped her mouth and called out. "Tío Bruno! We're on our way up!"

She didn't hear any response, but Dolores giggled at something, so that seemed like a good sign. They climbed the stairs, and finally made it back to Bruno's cave.

"Hola, Tío," Mirabel greeted first.

In the dark, Bruno looked up, and immediately started fidgeting nervously. "Hola, Mirabel…" his gaze drifted over to the other two and he made that excited-slash-nervous squeak that Mirabel had gotten used to. "Oh man," he mumbled. "Dolores, Camilo, I—um, welcome…"

"Hi, Tío Bruno," Dolores said gently, breaking the tension a little. "I'm…happy to finally meet you in person."

Bruno smiled at her. "Ah, not as happy as I am, hehe. I'm so glad you're here. And…" he looked at Camilo, who was still standing with his arms crossed. "Camilo, I—I'm so sorry, I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am—."

Bruno took a step forward, leaning against the table in front of him and making Camilo shift uncomfortably.

"I never meant to scare you, I was just trying to help, and things just happened, and I—I'm so, so sorry! I don't want you to be mad at me, I'll do anything to make it up to you, I'll—."

Mirabel swooped in to stop his rambling. She gently placed a hand on Bruno's shoulder, and he stopped talking, but kept staring down at the table in front of him.

"…geez, dude," Camilo mumbled, once he came out of his shock. "Take it easy, will you? I came back, didn't I?"

At these words, Bruno stood up straighter, then smiled. "Ah…yes, you did. Thank you, Camilo, it means more than you know." He cleared his throat and gestured toward the set of three chairs in the corner. "Uh—have a seat, please. I'll, um, go get something for you."

Camilo muttered something that made Dolores smack his arm, and the three kids all sat. Mirabel leaned on the arm of her chair and smiled at Bruno.

"Hey Tío, why don't you show them what you're working on?"

"Oh! Ah, of course, let me just…find it, really quick…"

Mirabel turned to her cousins with a smile. "He's making an engagement gift for Isa."

Dolores tensed for a moment, but then she gasped. "Oh! Of course…you're the gift-maker. Um, I did want to thank you for those."

"No thanks necessary, princesa. You deserve much more."

"Well, I—thank you anyway. I really like those earmuffs you made me when I was nine. I still wear them, they help me sleep."

"Really?" Bruno giggled. "I'm so happy to hear that. Um—if you ever want to slip me a note through the walls and tell me what you want this year, that would be great. It's better than having to guess every time."

"But you're so good at guessing."

"Ah, but I'd rather not risk it."

"What about you, Milo?" Mirabel nudged him. "Do you have a favorite present from Tío Bruno?"

Camilo had a thousand-yard stare. "They're all good, I guess."

Bruno came back to them with the beginnings of a silken shawl that Mirabel had been helping him with. "So, anyway, this is for Isabela…I'm not as good at sewing as Mirabel is, though she has been helping me…"

"I-it looks nice," Dolores replied.

"Thanks," Bruno replied. "I—um, I want to add more details to it, but there's only so much I can do before the actual celebration. I don't want it to be underwhelming for her, this is such a special occasion. You only get married once…"

Dolores started coughing. "I-I'm sure she'll love it, T-Tío. But, um, can we please talk about something else?"

Bruno stopped. "Oh…sure. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Dolores snipped. "I just don't want to talk about the engagement. Are you working on anything else?"

Mirabel and Camilo exchanged a confused glance. Then Camilo just scoffed and flopped back in his chair.

Bruno looked concerned and confused, but he didn't push. "Uh…w-well, yeah! Actually, yeah. I've got something cool to show you." He hurried off, putting the shawl away and…whistled for his rats. Oh, no.

His two star rats (what were their names again? Alejandro and Bernardo? Whatever) scurried their way onto the stage. Dolores and Camilo looked confused, Mirabel just felt her heart sinking.

"We've been working on a new show all day," Bruno began excitedly. "Ever since we heard you were coming. We wanted to make it special."

"A…rat show?" Camilo asked, bewildered.

"Uh, Tío!" Mirabel piped up. "Um—maybe we should save the rat show for…for another visit, maybe?"

Bruno's smile waned. "Why?"

"Well, it's just—the rat shows tend to run a little long, so…"

"Oh, I see…" he perked up again. "Ah! We also came up with a series of short sketches too. We could do one of those, yeah?"

Mirabel blew some air from her mouth. There went her excuse. "Hah…I guess….we could…lemme just catch them up on the show real fast."

Mirabel turned her chair around to face her cousins, lowering her voice so Bruno couldn't hear. "Alright, listen. He thinks the rats can perform, but they don't actually do anything. I don't know what exactly is going on in his head, but just…play along, okay? Laugh when he laughs, pretend there's something going on."

Camilo stared at her blankly. "Why do you encourage his delusions?"

"He's been alone for thirty years, let him have this!" Mirabel snapped. "It's just a few minutes. Be nice. Play along." She then turned around and smiled widely at her uncle. "Ok, we're ready, Tío Bruno!"

"Ok, ok," Bruno excitedly took a seat on the floor next to Mirabel, laughing a bit. "Here we go. And…action!"

As usual (though Camilo wouldn't know that), there was silence, save for Bruno's weird mumbling. Then he laughed. Mirabel laughed. Dolores laughed. Camilo looked like he wanted to cry.

This repeated for several minutes. Mumble, mumble, laugh.

"Am I having a stroke?" Camilo muttered.

Mumble, mumble, laugh. Mumble, mumble, laugh. Mumble, mumble—

"Ok, that's it," Camilo stood up, hands in the air, stopping the show in its tracks. "I can't do this. This is like some weird fever dream, I can't handle it anymore."

"H-huh?" Bruno asked.

"Camilo," Mirabel and Dolores both hissed.

"No, no, I'm done," Camilo snapped. "I'm done with this. Listen, here…Tío," he finally looked Bruno in the eye, hands on his hips. "I don't know if you have an ability like Antonio's, or if you're just hallucinating—but you understand that we can't actually hear the rats, right?"

Bruno blinked his owlish eyes.

Mirabel put her head in her hands. This was a mistake. She should have just asked Bruno to do something else. Now he'd be devastated again for sure…

"…ah! Of course! Duh!" Bruno laughed. He stood up and dusted himself off, "Thank you for telling me, Camilo. Haha, crazy old Bruno, right?" He lightly smacked himself on the head. "I've been in here so long I forgot that other people can't hear what I'm thinking."

Mirabel blinked. "Wait…thinking? Just thinking? Not…uh, hearing things?"

"No, no, no. Hehe. I know I'm…kind of crazy, but I'm not that far gone. Not yet, anyway."

He laughed at his own bad joke, before going to feed the rats. "I mean—I have kind of learned to understand the rats, just, by the way that they behave. But everything else, I just kinda…imagine what they'd say, you know?" He turned to her. "Mirabel, why didn't you say anything before?"

Mirabel sunk into her seat, the embarrassment threatening to make her implode, as Camilo shot her a smug look. Seriously? This whole time? "I…didn't want to hurt your feelings."

Bruno looked surprised, but then he chuckled warmly. "Ah, that's okay, princesa. You're very sweet."

He paused, mumbling, apparently deliberating what to do. Then, finally, he shooed the rats away and took his seat once more. "In that case, I suppose I could just tell you what the show's about."

Mirabel chuckled sheepishly, but admittedly was relieved. "Sure, I guess."

"Okay," he leaned forward eagerly, spreading his hands like a grand storyteller. "So, it starts with our main character, Miguel, and his wife Rita. They've been happily married for many years. But then, one day, Miguel discovers that the person he's with isn't his wife at all…but her identical twin sister! And his poor wife Rita was actually murdered over ten years ago!"

Dolores gasped.

Camilo frowned. "Oh, it's one of those stories?"

"What happens next?" Dolores asked, apparently already invested. To Bruno's delight, of course.

"Well," he continues. "Miguel starts to investigate his wife's death, all while her twin, Rosa, is none the wiser. He discovers ties to Rosa's old boyfriend, Angelo, and his mysterious ward Salvador. Eventually he discovers that Angelo used to be Rita's boyfriend before she met him and Salvador is their son! Except, he's not really, because he's actually a product of a secret experiment that Rita was involved in, and apparently, she found out something she wasn't supposed to…"

"Finally," Camilo groaned, as the three of them finally ended up back in Casita's proper hallways. "That was the longest hour of my life."

"He is so creative!" Dolores whispered excitedly. "I mean, I knew he was making the gifts, but I didn't know he also made clothes, and I didn't know he could tell such good stories!"

"I guess no one ever asked him to tell them," Mirabel giggled. "I bet if you send him a note, he might even continue telling them during the day just for you to hear."

Dolores squeaked. "And then I can finally find out what happened to Salvador's aunt's old flame's brother!"

Mirabel rolled her eyes and turned to her other, grumpier cousin. "And what about you, Camilo? He wasn't so bad, right?"

Camilo rolled his eyes and turned to face her again. "Well, as…enlightening at that visit was, I…would rather not go back. Ever."

Mirabel's face fell. "Why not?"

"Because, in case you've forgotten, he can still turn into a dangerous monster at any second."

Mirabel pressed her lips together.

"And, even when he is human, he's crazy, he's creepy, and I'm really sorry Mirabel, but I just don't feel comfortable around him." Camilo crossed his arms. "If you want my opinion, I don't think any of us should be going back. But if you're not going to listen to me, I can't force you to."

Before the girls could say anything, Camilo whirled around and walked away. "Anyway, I kept my end of the deal, now you keep yours and never talk to me about this again. Good night."

Mirabel watched him go with a sigh. And she'd thought it had gone so well, too. Bruno had looked happy. He'd be so upset if he found out that Camilo still didn't like him.

Dolores, next to her, started wringing her hands. "Yes, I suppose there is still that…issue."

Mirabel looked downward. "Dolores, do you think it'll ever be possible, one day…that he'll be able to leave his room?"

Dolores frowned sadly. "I don't know." She went quiet, thinking. But then, she gave Mirabel another smile. "But, for now, anyway, thank you for taking me to see him." She turned to face her. "After passively listening to him for years, it's good to know for sure that he's so…nice."

Mirabel smiled back. "Yeah, he is. He loves you so much, you know."

Dolores' eyes crinkled with her smile.

The girls bid each other good night, and Mirabel went to bed thoughtful.

Bruno…hardly felt like a secret anymore. Part of her felt sad that she no longer had him to herself, but seeing how happy he was to meet his other nieces and nephews, she also couldn't regret introducing them to him. And at this point, the only ones who were still left out of the loop were Isabela and Luisa.

Was it…really right to introduce them, though? She had promised to keep this secret. A promise that she had already broken multiple times over. Half of her felt guilty, the other half felt justified. Bruno deserved to be able to see his family that he held so dear. And the kids all deserved to know that he existed and that he loved them.

Maybe, Mirabel thought as she fell asleep, maybe it was finally time to bring this family secret to light for good.