Summary:

Bruno and Gabriela meet for the first time.

-o-o-

Written in Bruno's POV

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

I cross my fingers as I trek my way through the forest. It's nice to be outside my tower sometimes, though I rarely go very far. I don't particularly enjoy being seen in public, especially with the negative press I've been getting. I know that despite their distaste, people still respect me. I think it's only because I'm a Madrigal. If I were any other than my name, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be welcome anywhere at all.

The forest feels alive in all its colors: the marmalade bushes, Flor de Mayo, and Jacarandas are in bloom, painting the scene in bright oranges, violets, and blues. The tall Encenillo and Tabebuia trees sway in the wind, with a few Palma de Cera trees providing shade from the harsh afternoon sun. I sigh, thinking about the vision that's weighing heavily in my pocket. I knock on the tree trunks as I pass by. That vision was happy. Almost too happy.

I wonder if I deserve that kind of happiness?

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

I know I'm close to the river when I hear the trickle of running water.

When we were a whole lot younger, Julieta, Pepa, and I would sneak out to play in the forest. We stumbled upon the river by chance one day, back when we were ten, and called it our secret hideaway. I snort. I doubt they would remember this as it's been years since they've last been here. We had to do so much more for the community as we got older, my sisters more so than I. I don't feel too bad about it, given their gifts are a whole lot more useful than mine.

I make my way towards the bank. I still visit from time to time, especially on days when I need a breather. I spend my whole afternoons watching the water, letting my mind wander. In this secluded part of the mountains, I'm just myself, not Bruno Madrigal, the cursed seer.

I'm almost at the water's edge when I notice a figure out of the corner of my eye. I quickly hide behind a boulder, holding my breath, anxiety kicking in. The place is so secluded that I doubt any townsfolk would wander here. I take another peek to see who the intruder is when they glance in my direction. My jaw drops.

I only catch a glimpse of her face before she turns her back to me. I know it looks so wrong, staring at a stranger, but curiosity itches at me to try to get a better look. I sneak in a little closer, hiding this time behind a tree. She doesn't see me. I've never seen her around town before. Is she maybe an outsider? I can't imagine having someone new to Encanto, though. It's almost close to impossible to get here as the surrounding mountains are very tall and not for the faint-hearted. There are a few travelers here and there, but they don't stay very long. The only person I know that managed to get past that and decided to live here forever was Julieta's husband, Agustín.

I watch her, my heart pounding. Her dark curls bounce around her shoulders, barely touching the water's surface. The sunlight filtering through the canopy of leaves makes her look like she's glowing. Un ángel. She looks like an angel.

I really shouldn't be here. I decide to go back and leave her be when I accidentally step on a twig. The snap echoes and I turn around, hoping she didn't hear it. Our eyes meet. We stare at each other for a fraction of a second before it registers on her that I'm there, and she screams. I jump in surprise, almost getting myself tangled in something…soft? I remove it from my face. It's a dress that's been hanging on a vine.

Hijo de puta. I'm done for. I quickly swipe the dress away from me. She goes a little lower into the water in an attempt to cover herself. My face burns red from embarrassment. I didn't realize she was in her…underwear. I feel like I committed something heinous. I begin apologizing.

"¡Lo siento mucho, señorita! I didn't mean to…I swear I didn't…" Something hits me square on the forehead. I look at her, surprised. Her eyes are wide and she has something in her hand. I register a sharp sting, and something warm trickles down over my eye. I spot the small, jagged rock she's thrown at me on the ground.

Ay eso duele, she's drawn blood. I immediately turn on my heels, pulling the hood of my ruana over my head to protect myself from the barrage of pebbles and small rocks she's starting to throw at me. "¡Señorita! I'm so sorry I've intruded on you! I'm not that kind of man!" I try to apologize, backing myself out there and putting distance between us both.

She cusses. "¡Puta madre!" For such a pretty lady, she sure curses like a sailor. "¡Alejarse de mí, tu demonio!"

I can't blame her. I would probably yell at myself too if I were her.

"I swear I didn't see anything significant!" I yell out. Poor choice of words. She gasps loudly. She's already out of the water, her hair and clothes sticking to…wait, is she holding a larger rock? I'm dead. I scramble to run away, not daring to take another look at her.

"¡Que te folle un pez, hijo de puta!" She practically screeches at me.

"I didn't mean it that way, ¡Señorita! What I meant was…I didn't see your dress hanging over there…" Silencio, Bruno! You're making it worse. "I'm so sorry!" I trip over my feet, faceplanting first into the ground. I'm so embarrassed at this point I wish the earth would just swallow me whole.

She doesn't stop her attack. "I don't care! ¡Que de ten! Leave me alone, you…you…creep!"

I pick myself up and run as fast as my legs can carry me out of there, yelling my apologies until I'm sure she no longer hears me.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Bruno, ¿Qué diablos te pasó?" Julieta rushes over to me as I enter the door of the casita, looking all kinds of messed up. Ay, what have I gotten myself into?

"I'm fine, it's just a little scratch." I wince as she inspects my wounds. Julieta frowns at me.

"I have no idea what's going on, but it's more than a scratch. Let's get you inside."

She escorts me into the dining room, where Pepa and Félix are talking about something. I turn to escape, but Julieta's hand is quick and she grabs me by my ruana, forcing me to sit down. My sudden presence surprises Pepa and lightning strikes by my feet. I yelp.

"Brunito! What happened to you?" Pepa's earlier annoyance dissipates when she notices I look like shit. I eye the cloud above her head.

"I asked him the same thing," Julieta says as she hands me a carimañola. "Eat this."

"Ay, Bruno. You look terriblé." Félix eyes the cut on my forehead. I shrug. I didn't expect that señorita by the lake to throw something with such impressive accuracy to cause damage. "Did you get into a fight?"

"Where have you been all afternoon?" Pepa's voice goes up an octave. The cloud looks a whole lot bigger.

"Eh…I was just…standing outside?" I don't want them to know about how I might've committed a shameful crime, or embarrassed myself, so much so that I think it'll keep me up at night till the end of time.

"You were just standing outside…and somehow got bruises, a cut on your forehead, and a black eye?" Julieta raises an eyebrow. "Right…"

"Was it the vecino that threatened to harm you for that vision you gave last week?" The cloud above Pepa's head starts to rumble. "Oh, when I get my hands on whoever's done this to you, Brunito…"

"Mi vida, you're thundering…!" Félix tries to calm his wife down. It doesn't work. "I'm sure Bruno here has a perfectly good explanation why he looks like that, right?" He turns to look at me, practically begging. "Right?!"

I gulp. I don't. "It's quite hard to explain…"

I never got to finish my sentence.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Glossary of terms (in order of appearance in-text):

Flor de Mayo - an epiphytic orchid endemic to Colombia. Flor de Mayo translates to "May flower".
Jacaranda - a flowering plant native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, including Colombia.
Encenillo - a tree native of the highlands of the Andean region of Colombia.
Tabebuia - a flowering plant that is mostly identified as trees, but can a large shrub as well.
Palma de Cera - a palm native to the humid montane forests of the Andes in Colombia and northern Peru.
Un ángel - an angel
Hijo de puta - Son of a b*tch
Mucho - very
Señorita - Miss (unmarried)
Ay eso duele - Oh, that hurts
Puta madre - Motherf*cker
Alejarse de mí, tu demonio - Get away from me, you demon
Que te folle un pez - I hope you get f*cked by a fish. A very unique and colorful swear word that's the equivalent of "screw you".
Silencio - Be quiet
Que de ten - Up yours. Could also mean "f*ck you" or "f*ck off".
Qué diablos te pasó - What the hell happened to you
Carimañola - a South American meat pie in a torpedo-shaped yuca fritter, stuffed with cheese, seasoned ground meat or shredded chicken and fried. Commonly found in Colombia and Panama.
Terriblé - terrible
Vecino - neighbor