Summary:

Pepa and Bruno get into a heated argument. Gabriela goes off in search of her beloved after he rushes out of the house and finds herself in a situation that prompts her to reveal the truth.

-o-o-

Written in Gabriela's POV.

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

"And when do you suppose Bruno would propose?" Pepa interrogates me as I'm helping her and Julieta in the kitchen. "It's been three years since you've started dating. You're in your late thirties. Don't you think it's high time you both got married?"

I roll my eyes at Pepa as I wash my hands in the sink. "What's the rush? Are you really that excited to have me in the family?"

Julieta laughs. "I think I'm excited to have you in our family. Think about it, you're always here. You take care of the kids. Mamá adores you. All that's left is the surname."

"Do you want me to badger Bruno about it?" Pepa offers before we're interrupted by Dolores, who runs into the kitchen, crying. Pepa drops whatever she's doing and rushes to her daughter. "What's going on, mija? Are you alright? Why are you crying?"

Dolores hiccups. "Mamá…I'm sorry…please don't get mad. Prima Isabela and I…we were curious and…we asked Tío Bruno for our futures to be read."

Julieta and I exchange glances. This isn't good. None of the other Madrigals mind Bruno's visions, but Mamá Alma had one rule that she imposed fairly recently: that he never uses it on the family. At first, the rule didn't make sense, until Bruno explained to me that it was a way to protect everyone. He had been getting more and more upsetting visions lately.

Pepa doesn't look too happy. "Dolores, why did you and Isa do that? You know the rule! What did your Tío say to you?"

The room suddenly becomes very cold.

"We wanted…to know…and he agreed…" Dolores sniffles, trying to avoid her Mamá's furious expression. "He…he said Isabela would have the life of her dreams, but…but…" She wails. "But when it came to me, he said the person I like is out of my reach and would be with someone else!"

I've never seen Dolores cry this loud before, even as a toddler when I first met her. I stare at the cloud above Pepa's head. It's rumbling. I yelp when lightning strikes by my feet.

"Pepa!" Julieta cries out and rushes over to me. "Are you okay, Gabriela?"

"BRUNO!" Pepa screeches and stomps out of the room.

Oh no. "I'm okay, Julieta, but Bruno won't be. I've got to go calm Pepa down."

Julieta nods. "Okay. Be careful, Gabriela." I rush out of the kitchen but turn back to look at Dolores now slumping on the counter. Julieta shakes her head and urges me to hurry. "Don't worry, I'll take care of Dolores. Now go, quickly, before Pepa does something she'll regret."

I climb up the stairs, two at a time. "Casita, any chance you can get me to Bruno's tower quicker?" I ask. The tiles below me whoosh me to Bruno's door, but I'm a little too late. I hear Pepa yelling inside over Bruno's apologies…

Then there's a loud boom. I immediately open his door and find Bruno cowering, trying to avoid his sister's eyes.

"I swear I didn't do it on purpose, Pepita!" Bruno says, trying to block Pepa's thunderstorm by hiding behind a rock. The sand swirls around them, creating a dangerous sandstorm.

"You know that Mamá had one rule, and you broke it! Now my mija is crying her eyes out downstairs, and it's all because of your stupid vision!" Pepa screams.

"The girls wanted to know! What did you want me to do? Shoo them away?"

"Yes!"

"I tried! They wouldn't stop bothering me so I gave in!"

"You've always spoiled the girls, Bruno!"

"Pepa!" I call out. "Calm down! Bruno didn't mean to do it!" I try to walk over to them, but the wind keeps pushing me back.

"Stay out of this, Gabriela!" Pepa hisses. The wind is so strong that I fall backward. Bruno suddenly tackles Pepa, distracting her. It stops the gale and they start fighting on the floor.

"Hey! Stop it you two! Stop!" I quickly run over to pull them apart from one another. I frown when I see bruises on Bruno's face. Pepa scratched him up in defense when he tackled her, an attempt I knew he did to help me. "Pepa, it's all a misunderstanding. Bruno should've known better, but the girls were the ones who asked and he simply obliged."

"I said stay out of this, Gabriela."

"Don't you dare talk to her like that," Bruno says icily.

"Shut up, Bruno. Why do you care? This is a family matter, and she isn't part of this family."

Bruno grits his teeth. "She is my novia, so she is part of this family. You better watch your mouth."

I try to calm Bruno down, ignoring the sting of Pepa's offhand comment. "No, amor, it's okay. She has a point…"

"No, she doesn't," He growls. "She doesn't know anything. She does nothing but destroy things with her mood swings."

Pepa's eyes turn into dangerous slits. "Me? You're the one who destroys the peace with your ugly visions. You're such a nuisance in this family. You've contributed to nothing, and you're a big..."

I gasp. I try to stop Pepa from saying her next thoughts, but she ignores me. "Pepa! Don't do it!"

"...disappointment. A curse! And if you disappeared, NO ONE WILL CARE!"

My jaw drops. "Pepa!" I yell at her. She comes to her senses and covers her mouth, but it's too late. The damage has been done.

"So that's what you think of me, huh?" Bruno says quietly.

"...I…I…I didn't…" Pepa begins, but he starts laughing like a madman. It terrifies me. "You know, Pepa…I should thank you for making me stop hoping I'd amount to anything." Bruno picks himself up and pulls up the hood of his ruana on his head. "...I've always thought that maybe, just maybe, my family cared enough about me. I guess I was wrong. You're just the same as everyone else."

He runs out before I could even stop him. "Bruno, wait–"

"I…I didn't…"

I turn to Pepa. She's wringing her hands and it starts to snow.

"I know you didn't, but you went too far." I help her up and lead her out of the room.

"What's going on?" Félix quickly runs over to me when I bring Pepa downstairs. "Pepi, amor, why are you all covered in snow?"

Pepa starts to cry, changing the snow into a hurricane. Félix starts rubbing his wife's back in an attempt to soothe her, not minding if he gets wet. "Gabriela, did something happen?" He asks, urgency ringing in his tone.

I clench my jaw. "She and Bruno got into an argument, and…Pepa had said some things that she shouldn't have."

"I didn't mean to!" She wails. The weather outside turns. "I swear I don't think of Bruno that way…the anger got the best of me and…"

"Félix," I call Félix's attention. He turns to look at me with a frown on his face. "Have you seen Bruno run out of the house?"

I worry about Bruno. Everything went from good to bad to worse. I'm furious at Pepa's tactlessness, but it won't change the past. I push my anger down and steel myself. I need to find him before something else happens.

Félix nods. "He went towards the direction of the forest in a hurry. Bumped into Agustín."

"I'm going to go get him."

"What? No, Gabriela. It's dangerous to go out there in this weather." He turns to Pepa who is inconsolable. "Agustín and I can go look for him…"

I refuse. "No. You and Agustín stay here with the rest of the family. Pepa needs you right now. And Bruno is not going to come with you even if you find him. He would listen to me."

Félix sighs, defeated. He knows I'm right. "I'm not very happy with this. Alright. Be careful, hermana."

I squeeze his arm in thanks. "I'll go get some food from Julieta. Hopefully, we can make it back before dinner, but just in case, can you cover for us both?"

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

"BRUNO!" I call out as I squint in the darkness, guided only by the lamp I'm carrying. The rain is making it difficult to see anything. I feel foolish for refusing Félix's help, but it's true. The last person Bruno would want to see is anyone from his family, especially Pepa's husband. I sigh. The forest is dense and I'm just one person. He could be anywhere.

Where are you?

I don't know how long I've been walking, but I end up by the river. Relief washes over me when I see him. His back is turned and he's skipping rocks. "Bruno! Cariño, I've been looking everywhere for you."

He turns around and blinks when he sees me. "What are you doing here?" I stop in my tracks. Bruno's voice is cold. "You should leave. Now."

"What? Bruno, I'm not leaving without you."

Thunder. I jump at the sound.

"I'm not going back to that house. They don't want me, well then, I don't need them either."

"Bruno…"

"Just go, Gabriela."

I huff and march over to him. "You're coming along with me whether you like it or not."

He observes me coolly, and I'm a little unnerved. I've never seen him like this before. I've seen him get angry, sure, but never this. It's almost as if he became a different person.

"Did they send you?"

"What? No one sent me. I came here alone to get you. Why?"

I didn't expect the next set of events to happen. One moment we were standing a few feet apart, the next thing I know he's pinned me to a tree. I gulp.

"You can still leave, you know," Bruno whispers, his hair clinging to his forehead from the rain. "While you still can."

"I'm not leaving." My heart is pounding and I shiver from the cold. "Not without you."

"Are you sure?" His eyes are dark. I feel like I've been in this situation before, but it's different, somehow. "Because if you don't, I won't let you leave."

"I'll say it again. I'm. Not. Leaving. Without you."

"Querida, you don't know what's good for you, do you?"

Bruno leans in and kisses me, forcing my mouth open. He's being rough and every single nerve in my body burns. He pulls away to nuzzle his face into my neck and my pulse quickens when I feel his breath by my ear. "If you stay here with me, you'd be condemned. You're dancing with the devil."

"I…don't think…you're the devil. Quite the opposite…actually…" I pant. Bruno chuckles, low and deep. I feel something flutter in the pit of my stomach.

"Let me show you what the devil can do."

I moan when he bites my earlobe. I feel him laying kisses down my neck, unto my collarbone. "Mi amor, querida, I like how you make such beautiful noises." He presses his body unto me as his lips find mine again. I'm drunk, so drunk in him that I can't even think straight. Part of me wants to pull away, but also pull him closer? I want to feel his skin on mine, but also want to keep him at length? I'm so confused.

Tears start streaming down my face, mixing with the rain. Bruno stops when he hears me crying, coming to his senses. "Gabriela. Oh…no. No. No. No. What have I done? I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, querida." He begins pacing back and forth. "I didn't mean to...hurt you…this isn't me. I'm not…I'm not…"

"Bruno?" He turns to look at me. I wrap my arms around myself, trying hard to keep myself together. "I know you don't want to go back home, but…do you want to spend the night with me instead?"

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

I check to make sure everyone in the house is asleep before I let Bruno in. "Sorry I kept you waiting outside for a while. I had to make sure no one would be awake to ask us any questions."

Bruno nods in understanding as he follows me upstairs.

"Do you want to eat something?" I offer as I look for a towel. He's dripping water onto the floor as he stands in the hallway outside the bathroom.

Bruno shakes his head. "It's okay. I'm not that hungry." I frown and he sighs. "Okay. Maybe I can eat."

I finally find a fresh towel and hand it to him to dry himself off. I grab my towel as well before I freeze myself to death. "Good. Let's eat in my room. That way we can have some privacy."

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

"Are you okay?" I ask Bruno as we have a late dinner of the arepas that I took from Julieta's kitchen earlier. I'm glad the mochila where I was keeping the food didn't get wet from the rain. We're sitting on the floor of my room, finally dry, though my clothes feel a little damp. I made sure my bedroom door is locked so no one would suddenly walk in on us.

"A little bit, yeah, but it still stings," Bruno sighs. "...my own family, thinking like that about me, you know?"

I frown. "I don't think they think of you like that, cariño."

"Pepa wouldn't say that if she wasn't thinking about it."

"Pepa was angry, Bruno. She said it in the heat of the moment," I choose my words carefully, making sure I don't sound like I'm picking sides. "I've been around everyone long enough to know that it's not true."

Bruno looks at me with tired eyes. "...I believe you, mi amor, but it still doesn't change the fact that she said those things to me. I can't…" He sighs, pressing his palms into his eyes. "...I can't shake the feeling off. All I want is to make my family proud…but I keep failing them. Why can't I have something good to say whenever I get visions? Why am I always to blame?"

"Bruno, no. No. No. Mi corazón, look at me," I cup his face in my hands. "You're not a failure. People just don't understand. They don't see that the gift you hold is a double-edged sword. They could only see one side of it, the ugly side, the destruction left in its wake, but never the fact that you use it to protect everyone, especially the people you love."

Bruno closes his eyes. "You seem to have thought about this long and hard enough to know what to say."

"No, it's more like something I wished I understood long ago."

"What do you mean?"

I lean against Bruno's shoulder and look up at him. "I can't see the future like you, but my gift's like a double-edged sword, too." Bruno takes my hand and begins to rub circles on my palm. "It should've helped me avoid the tragedy of that one night, fueled by poor decisions and wishful thinking. Maybe… just maybe, my family wouldn't be in this mess."

"...how so?" Bruno whispers.

I shut my eyes and steady my breathing as I tell Bruno the story of my past life.

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

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

Mochila -a popular Colombian artisan bag. Historically it is only found and made by the Arhuaco people of the Sierra Nevada.