CW: some depiction of self-harm
"Mirabel, are you sure there's no other way to do this?" Dolores asked worriedly. "There's got to be some way to reach out to him without going into his room…"
It was night time. A midnight visit, again. But this time, much more urgent.
"How?" Mirabel replied impatiently. "He hasn't been going into the walls, so we can't send a note. We can't even slip it through the door because there's two of them. This is the only way." She shook her shoulders out. "Do you…think it's safe to visit right now?"
Dolores put a hand to her ear. "He's not in a triggered state right now. I think he's lying on his bed. Not sleeping, but not completely alert, either."
"Right. I'll be gentle."
Checking if the coast was clear, Mirabel tiptoed over to the Door for the first time in weeks. Taking a breath, she turned the knob, only to realize that it was locked.
She gulped. "Casita, I…I really need to get inside. Could you…?"
No response.
Dolores frowned. "I don't think Casita is able to do much of anything right now."
"Miercoles." Mirabel tapped her chin. She absolutely needed to get in there, but how were they supposed to unlock the door? Pick it? Steal a key?
…wait. Of course!
"Hang on, I know another way in!" Mirabel whispered excitedly. She hurried away from the door, toward the painting of flowers hanging on the wall. The one she had used when she truly met Bruno for the first time, all those months ago.
On the way, she came across the area that had been damaged earlier. For a moment, she hesitated, glancing at the crack. It was patched up now, but it still looked like it would pick back up at any moment. Taking a deep breath, Mirabel jumped past the crack like there was a gap in the floor.
The house shuddered slightly. Mirabel instinctively pressed herself against the wall for safety. Once the tremor was over, she gave the wall a little pat.
"Hang in there, Casita," she murmured. She glanced up at the Candle, which was flickering a little. "We're so close. You can do it."
Dolores, lighter on her feet, managed to make it across the problem zone without trouble. But even still, the look in her eyes was even more fearful than before.
Mirabel tiptoed over to the painting and gently pulled it away from the wall. To her relief, it still worked. She climbed inside, carefully. The inside of the walls was dark, but she knew she just had to follow the path.
Dolores peeked in from the other side, still worried. "Are you sure I shouldn't come with you?"
"I think too many people would just stress him out. That's what happened before—too much conflict. And I think—I think I have the best chance of convincing him if I'm alone. He listens to me." With that, she turned to Dolores. "Keep an ear out for me?"
Dolores nodded. "Of course. I'll wake up the others and grab some of Tía's food if anything happens." She paused. "…please be careful."
Mirabel squeezed her hand and gave her the most confident nod she could. Then, she let Dolores put the painting back, leaving her in the darkness. Mirabel took another deep breath and started forward.
It seemed more ominous than last time. More dark and disorienting, and she couldn't see any friendly rats to help lead the way. Still, she didn't let that deter her, and continued forward.
Then, inexplicably, Mirabel found herself at a wall. But as her eyes adjusted, she realized it wasn't a wall at all, but just a pile of rocks blocking the end of the tunnel. She could just see little beams of light poking through. Mirabel recalled what Dolores had said a long time ago about Bruno blocking all his entrances and exits. How in the world was he getting any food? What state was Mirabel about to find him in…?
Steeling herself, she started pushing against the rocks, making sure not to cut herself. When that didn't work, she set her eyes on the top of the pile and decided to start from there. She started to climb, the rocks slightly unstable underneath her. When she reached the top, she once again pushed outward, until the first rock tumbled off the pile, with a thud on the other side of the barrier.
Okay, that was good. Mirabel continued downward, shoving rocks out of the way until she made an opening just big enough to squeeze through. She shimmied into the hole, got a little stuck around her hips, but eventually more of it gave way and she tumbled onto the floor.
Mirabel stood up and coughed a few times. She checked herself over. Just a few scratches, nothing too bad. Mirabel glanced at the opening, now wide open, and then turned her attention back to Bruno's room.
It was a lot less lively than it seemed before, but she couldn't put her finger on why. Maybe the magic dying had to do with it.
Or maybe she felt that way because it was her first time back since the accident.
Mirabel stood up straight and looked around. "Tío Bruno?" she called hesitantly. "Tío Bruno! It's Mirabel! Where are you?"
She got no response, and she knew perfectly well what that meant. Straightening up once again, Mirabel turned and marched toward Bruno's cave.
She wasn't sure what she was expecting to find, but the ominous feeling hanging above her was enough to keep her hesitant (or maybe it was fear because of before. Or maybe both). When she reached the mouth of the cave, Mirabel peeked inside.
It was darker than she remembered it, but she could still make out the silhouettes in the room. In the back was the unmistakable shape of someone laying curled up on the bed. Mirabel gulped. Cautiously, she stepped further into the cave, just within earshot.
"Tío Bruno?"
He flinched and Mirabel almost regretted speaking. "T-Tío, it's me. I…are you okay?"
No answer came for a while. Bruno seemed to curl up even more, but after a while he rolled over to get a better look at her. She still couldn't see his eyes.
"…are you a ghost?" He finally whispered.
Mirabel blinked in disbelief. "Wh-what?"
"Go away," Bruno groaned, sounding pained. He rolled back over to his side and put his hands over his ears. "Stop tormenting me. Please, I—I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Mirabel! I didn't…I didn't…I'm so sorry…"
He was audibly crying now. Mirabel was wildly confused for just a moment, but then it clicked.
"Tío," she gasped. "No, no, Tío Bruno, it's okay! I'm not dead!"
"I killed you."
"You didn't!" Mirabel was seconds away from crying herself. "Mamà healed me! I'm alive! L-look, I'll prove it!"
She barrelled into the room without a second thought, but only made it a few steps in before she was stopped.
"No!"
Mirabel froze. Bruno had never shouted at her like that before.
"Stay back! Stay away!" He yelled. He sat up, hunched in on himself, curled up once again as if he was trying to get even further from her than he already was.
Mirabel gulped, allowing a few stray tears to slide down her face. It had been weeks since the incident. Is this how he had been faring ever since? All alone?
"Tío Bruno, I promise, I'm okay," she whispered. Cautiously, she took a few more steps forward and reached out. "Please, just…just take my hand and see for yourself…"
Bruno bristled for just a moment before jumping out of bed and scrambling to a different wall. He was once again opposite her, but now the light seemed to hit his face.
Half-shrouded in shadow, his features were easier to make out, and Mirabel saw just how terrible he looked. His unkempt hair and beard, even more so than before. His hands, which were all bandaged up (from the biting, she realized painfully), and tucked under his arms, as if he was afraid he'd claw her again any second. His thin stature…and the wild, haunted look in his eyes as they barely managed to fixate on her.
"I said stay back!" He said again. "I don't know if you're a ghost or a hallucination or whatever, but you're not getting close to me! Never again!"
With that, he turned and bolted out of the cave. Mirabel panicked only for a moment before following. But by the time she made it out, he seemed to have disappeared.
Hearing a noise to her right, she realized with horror that Bruno had forgone the stairs and was climbing down the cliff that lead to his monster corner. She looked over the edge and watched as he made it to the bottom, stumbling a little and allowing himself to fall into a heap against the wall.
Mirabel quickly hurried down the stairs to reach him. She wiped her tears along the way. She'd have to be stronger than she realized, if she was going to reach him.
She made it the long way around to where he was sitting. Bruno was rocking back and forth on his behind, mumbling things she couldn't make out. His hands were still tucked under his arms, he still looked completely terrified.
Mirabel took a deep breath and approached again. "Tío…"
Bruno hit his head against the wall to block out the noise. "Go away, go away…"
"Please don't do that," Mirabel begged. "You're not a killer, Tío. I promise I'm alive." She had to pause and re-orient herself. At least Bruno had stopped hitting his head on the wall.
"I'm here to help you," she continued steadily. "You shouldn't be alone. I'm so sorry we left you alone…" Gulping, she opened up her sack and pulled out the arepa she'd snuck from the kitchen. Slowly so as not to startle him, she approached again, and placed the arepa at a point between them.
Then Mirabel backed away and sat down on the ground. "You need to eat," she said gently. "Please."
Bruno flinched as soon as he saw the food and inched away from it. "N-no, take that away…" he was staring at some random point in front of him now, shivering. "You're going to bring out the monster," he hissed. "The monster gets hungry, it makes me eat…"
"I'm not afraid."
"Why not?!"
"Because the monster is taking care of you, Tío Bruno," Mirabel tried not to snap. "It's not your enemy."
"Shut up!"
"He's just trying to protect you and the people you care about!" Mirabel prattled on. "That's why I know you wouldn't hurt anyone on purpose—"
"I attacked my own mother!" Bruno spat. "Explain that!"
Mirabel stopped. "What are you…?"
"You didn't notice, did you?" Bruno laughed bitterly. "Of course not. You only notice good things." He took a deep, shuddering breath. "I don't—I wish it didn't happen. She—she said she wasn't going to let me see you anymore. She was right. She was right. You shouldn't see me, ever. But I was selfish. I got angry. I wanted to keep you all to myself. I…I…"
He lowered his head, resigning himself. A sorrowful wail escaped him. "I lost control. Again. I tried to attack my own mother. And I paid the price—no. You paid the price for it."
Mirabel didn't know how to respond. If she opened her mouth, she was sure she would start bawling, and that's not what they needed right now. But she certainly wasn't going to leave, either.
So they remained silent a moment longer. As Mirabel searched her brain for something that could alleviate the situation, she heard Casita moaning and groaning around her. Her heart rate quickened. They were really running out of time…
Surprisingly, though, Bruno spoke up again. It was so quiet she almost missed it.
"There was a recurring nightmare I used to have," he said. "Before you started coming to visit. It would start off nice…" he gazed into the middle distance again, almost in a trance. "I'd be sitting in a bright, happy place with you. The others would be there too…Antonio, Luisa, Dolores, Isabela, and Camilo. We'd all be happy. You were talking to me, you could see me, and then—." Bruno gulped. "Then I would blink. And suddenly, you'd all be lying down bleeding. Dead."
He started to laugh as Mirabel started to cry.
"I'm so stupid," Bruno said. "I'm such an idiot. I'm a selfish and ignorant creature. I was so happy, so caught up in the joy of being around you all for real, that I forgot how it ended. I should have known…"
Mirabel desperately tried to hold back her sobs to no avail. Bruno looked up at the sound.
"And now I'm making you cry. I really am irredeemable, aren't I?"
"N-no," Mirabel choked. "You're not…I…" she tried to wipe the tears again, but it was too late.
"I'm a monster," Bruno continued. "There's no use trying to deny it anymore. There's no excuse for what I did, what I tried to do. I'm a monster, a monster…"
He abruptly stood. Mirabel looked up in surprise. Bruno began to back away from her, that scared look in his eyes again.
"So if you're really alive," he said, continuing from his last thought. "You should be smart and get away from here. Just forget about me, and—and go! Go away, get out! No more!" He reached the back wall, back pressed against the stone, with nowhere left to go.
The house started to rumble again. Mirabel kept her eyes on Bruno. There was absolutely no way she could leave now. Not only was she desperate to save the house, but if she left Bruno now, she just knew she'd never be able to bring him back from this.
She knew he wasn't everything that he said he was—heck, despite all this emotional distress, he hadn't shown any signs of actually transforming—but he couldn't see that. All he saw was his mistake. If she left now, she would just be confirming his thoughts. She couldn't let him go. She wouldn't let him go.
Mirabel stood up, determined, and walked forward.
"What are you doing?" Bruno shouted again. "Stop it!"
"I can't," Mirabel replied gently. "I won't leave you like this. I'm going to prove to you that you're not a monster."
Bruno tried desperately to back away even more, to find any sort of exit, but he'd run himself into a corner. "Wh-what's the matter with you?! Why are you coming closer? Don't you get it?! I hurt you! You're supposed to stay away! Everyone else gets it! Why don't you get it?!"
"I do understand," Mirabel said gently, getting ever closer. "I'm trying to show you a different perspective. You are more than this. You aren't evil, and you don't deserve to be alone. You deserve to be with your family, among them, just like before."
"No, I don't! I can't!" He shut his eyes and hunched forward, still trying to get away. "I'm not going to make that mistake again…I know how this nightmare ends."
"The nightmare is over, Tío Bruno. The whole family has agreed to let you out. You don't have to fight this alone anymore."
"They would never do that."
"They did," Mirabel insisted. "Because leaving you here was wrong. We want you back, but all we need now is for you to agree."
She was still approaching slowly, and Bruno was getting desperate. "S-stop, Mirabel, please—! If I hurt you again, I…I won't…"
"We can help you," she continued softly. She stepped closer. "We want you back."
"No, no, stay away!"
Closer.
"We miss you."
"Mirabel, please, I'm begging you. Leave!"
Closer.
"We love you."
Closer.
"And I'm not going to leave you to suffer anymore!"
"No—!"
She threw her arms around him. Bruno swiftly pressed his hands behind his back, determined to keep them away.
He was breathing heavily, shaking, but Mirabel just held on tight. As if he would slip away if she let go.
Mirabel pressed her cheek to his chest and closed her eyes, hoping her warmth could flow to him, calm him down, reassure him of how much she trusted him.
"Mira…" he whispered. "Please, please, leave, I can't do this, I don't want to hurt you." A sob escaped him. "You have to go…"
"Come home, Tío Bruno," Mirabel replied. "I love you. I want you to come home."
He said nothing. He was completely helpless, whispering and begging and trembling and crying. It broke her heart, but for his sake Mirabel didn't listen to him. She remained where she was and held him as firmly as possible.
It was a tense stalemate. Bruno was unable to push her away, refusing to even move. But Mirabel felt it. She felt how he was slowly crumbling under her willpower, her kindness. Hug me back, she desperately thought, trying to will him into listening. If he just hugged her back, she would know she'd succeeded.
He would give. She knew it. He wanted to return more than he could admit. She'd break through his walls. He couldn't say no to her. He'd said so himself.
And, at last, Bruno melted. While his hands were still behind his back, he leaned his head forward and rested it on her shoulder. With a deep, shuddering breath, he spoke again.
"It's not fair," he whispered. "Why are you doing this? Why would you put me in such an impossible place?"
Mirabel remained quiet and let him gather his thoughts.
"I love you too, mi sol. More than you could imagine. You're the only light I have in my awful life. Whenever you tell me I can be saved, I almost start to believe it. But…I can't." He gulped. "I can't risk anything happening to you. If I hurt you again, at all, I don't think I can survive."
Mirabel squeezed him tighter. "I know. But we'll make sure it won't happen again. The family's going to support you now. You've already improved so much. Dolores has been keeping track of your changes, and she's noticed a huge difference. A-and starting tomorrow the adults agreed to start working on a plan to help you."
"It's not going to work."
"It will! I believe in you, Tío Bruno. You just need to believe in yourself."
Bruno took a deep breath and sighed heavily against Mirabel's shoulder. "…I don't." He replied. He sounded more firm than Mirabel had ever heard.
Desperate, she pulled away and looked him in the eye, pleading. "Please try, Tío. For me."
"No." He broke eye contact and stared at the floor. His hands were still behind his back. He was completely defeated. "For you, my dear, I have to say no."
Mirabel's heart sank. It didn't work. How did it not work?
She didn't know what else she could say. She'd said everything, done everything in her power to bring him back, but he seemed determined to stay out of her reach. He was lost and he wanted to stay that way, out of some misguided sense of self-punishment. After all those years of hanging on by a string, that string had finally snapped.
She couldn't reach him anymore.
And that momentary dimming of her faith was all it took.
CRACK.
Mirabel whirled around.
crack crack crACK CRACK CRACK CRACK—
They were spreading like wildfire. Weblike fractures began just behind Bruno and grew around them at a rapid pace, into the walls, the ceiling, the floors…
"No!" Mirabel shouted. She let go of Bruno and ran to one of the breaking walls, helplessly watching the cracks travel through. "No, please! Casita! Aah!"
The floor suddenly bounced under her, throwing her off her feet. Was Casita trying to usher her outside? But Bruno was still here!
"I can't leave without him! Casita, please, hold on!"
Casita kept trying to push her, but in this state, with the magic quickly fading out, the house seemed barely in control of its movements. Mirabel kept falling and rolling, barely making progress one way or the other.
Meanwhile, things started to fall. The rocks and debris that made up Bruno's room were crumbling down, making the situation even more deadly than it already was.
Somewhere in the distance, Bruno roared. Bruno changed.
But Mirabel, in her desperation to stay alive, didn't notice. She was too focused on staying on her feet and avoiding the danger.
The wall crumbled and a slab of it fell forward. Mirabel didn't see it falling. She didn't notice it until it was already too late to run.
She screamed in horror and ducked. She braced herself for the impact.
And suddenly, she was swept off her feet. She was pulled away from the danger and pressed into an embrace both terrifying and so, so comforting. She couldn't see, and it smelled strange, but it didn't hurt. It couldn't hurt.
Mirabel closed her eyes as everything fell down around her, clinging to the comfort as her world was swallowed up by claws and fur.
"What's happening?!"
Dolores had already started waking the family when she heard Bruno shouting at Mirabel to leave. By the time she actually managed to get them all out of bed, things had already gone all the way south.
"The house is falling!" Dolores shouted. It hurt her ears like crazy, but she didn't care. "We have to get out!"
"Everyone, let's go!" Félix shouted. He picked up Antonio, pulling him away from the crowd of animals that were all booking it. He grabbed Pepa's hand as well and started running toward the door. "Grab everyone and get out!"
"I've got you, Abuela!" Luisa shouted. She picked up her grandmother, helping her get out the door faster. Casita was trying to help by pushing them toward the door, but it was weak. It barely had enough strength to keep itself from crushing them all.
"Wait!" Isabela shouted. "The candle!" Quickly, she summoned a vine and tried to swing up and save it.
"Isa, no!" Agustin shouted.
"Leave it!" yelled Julieta. "We have to leave!"
As if on cue, Isabela's vine disappeared, vanishing into thin air. She fell to the ground with a yelp, and Casita just pushed her back toward her parents.
Isabela looked at both of them in horror. "My…my Gift…"
"I know, sweetheart. I'm sorry," said Agustin. He tugged her hand. "Come on."
"W-wait!" Julieta piped up next. "Where's Mirabel?!"
Dolores' heart skipped a beat. Mirabel hadn't come out of Bruno's room.
"She might already be outside," Agustin said. "Come on, we can't do anything more. Let's go."
With that, the family finally—whether willingly or by force—existed the house. Dolores covered her ears, only the sound of her pounding heart trying to drown out the destruction around them.
…And then, it was over.
In a matter of minutes, their once-proud home was nothing more than rubble.
The family shakily stood up, unable to do much more than look over the damage. Luisa placed Abuela on a nearby rock to sit. For the first time ever, their grandmother didn't look as tall or strong as she always had. She was just speechless. Devastated. Reduced to nothing, like their home.
Everything was so quiet.
Camilo was the first one that Dolores heard speak. "Mà, my—my powers are gone. We're all—what are we going to do?"
"I-I—." Pepa stammered. The absence of a cloud above her was unnerving. "I don't know. What do we do? What happened?"
Panic started to break out among them all. But it was all so quiet.
"Mirabel!" Julieta shouted. "Where is she?! Mirabel!"
The rest of the family noticed that Mirabel was missing. Their previous concerns forgotten, they all stood up and started shouting Mirabel's name. Agustin cursed under his breath and started running back toward the rubble. Luisa followed him.
Dolores shook herself out of her funk and ran as fast as she could toward her aunt. "Tía Julieta! Mirabel, she—she was in Tío Bruno's room!"
"What?!"
"Why would you let her go in there?!" Pepa yelled.
"She was trying to convince him of his own freedom so she could save the magic!" Dolores cried. "But it didn't work, and—" She desperately rubbed at her ears. "I can't hear her anymore. I can't hear anything! I've lost my Gift, I—I'm sorry!"
But Julieta was already gone.
When Mirabel finally opened her eyes, she didn't recognize where she was. There was grass under her knees, dust floating all around her. For a moment, her ears were ringing and she couldn't move. But then she realized why.
Bruno was holding her. Her arms were pinned to her sides due to his embrace, and he was leaning over her, like a human shield. Had…had he protected her from the house falling?
Yes, she remembered now. When everything was coming down, Bruno had changed. The monster had appeared, and pulled Mirabel close to himself, away from the danger. He'd continued to shield her with his body, even as his Gift diffused and went away.
He'd saved her.
Mirabel flinched suddenly, realizing what that could mean. "Tío Bruno!" She wiggled out of his grip and pushed him away so she could look at him. "Tío, are—are you hurt?!"
To her relief and surprise, Bruno looked her in the eye, proving that he was at least still alive. But he didn't answer. He seemed completely out of it.
Mirabel hurriedly checked him over for injuries, but she found that he seemed miraculously unharmed. But he could still have some internal problems. She should still probably find her mother…even without the Gift of healing, she'd know how to take care of Bruno, right? Right?
Nothing made sense right now. Nothing was okay right now.
Mirabel heard shouting and turned, to where the rest of the house lay in ruins. The sight made her choke on her tears. She'd failed.
She'd failed.
Julieta's voice seemed to climb above the rest. And it was headed in her direction. Despite everything, Mirabel had the strength to stand up and face the sound.
She turned to Bruno, who was still completely disoriented. "S-stay here, okay?" She said shakily. "I'll get my mom. She'll help you."
With that, Mirabel hurried off and stumbled toward the sound of her mother's voice. She saw Julieta just as she climbed one of the former walls, and her mother's eyes lit up as soon as they met hers.
"Mirabel! My baby!" Julieta ran surprising fast, jumped over the debris and nearly almost tackled Mirabel with her embrace. "Oh, gracias à Dios. I couldn't find you, I was so worried!"
"Mirabel!" That was her dad's voice. He joined the hug next, and Mirabel was surrounded by her other family members before she knew it.
Julieta broke contact first, kissing Mirabel's cheek before holding her face to look at her. "Are you hurt, mija? Are you alright? Why on earth were you in Bruno's room at this time of night? Again?"
Mirabel's eyes locked with Dolores. Her cousin's cheeks were stained with tears, and an unspoken sentiment passed between them.
"I-I just…" Mirabel choked. "I was just trying to…I'm sorry." She turned back to her mother and grabbed her arm. "Mà, he—he needs help. He protected me from the fall, and—he might be hurt, I don't know!"
Julieta looked confused and worried, but she let Mirabel pull her away, back to where she'd left Bruno. The rest of the family followed.
But Bruno was gone.
Mirabel stopped in horror, looking at the empty circle of rubble where Bruno had sat. She looked around desperately for any sign of him, but found none.
"Tío Bruno!" Mirabel shouted. "Where did you go?! Tío Bruno, come back! You need help! You need—!"
Her knees gave out, finally unable to take the stress. Julieta hurried over and knelt down with an arepa. She should know that wouldn't work.
Mirabel cried. She hunched over on her knees and bawled, the sound echoing, bouncing off the rubble and into the night. There was no consoling her now. Every ounce of pain in her broke forth through her eyes and her voice, defeat finally crushing her like the house had almost done.
She'd failed everyone.
