Author's Note:
So this chapter is going to be a bit different. We are finally going to learn more about Caleb and his life before everything happened. This is going to involve a series of flashbacks along with the notes that Caleb has been writing throughout his time in Encanto. I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 21:
(Caleb POV)
"What is going on?" Isabella smiled at me. "Well you told me the ball was in my court about a second date, right?" She nodded her head, "It is." "Then how about tomorrow, meet me after work," she smiled and nodded her head, "Sounds good." I am a terrible person I thought as she walked away. I had to figure out exactly what I was going to do. Everything I knew or thought I knew was getting muddled together and I had to figure out what the truth was. I took out my notebook and began reading everything over. Everything I found since I arrived at Encanto and all the notes from the briefing for my mission. I read them over and over again trying to figure out what the truth was.
(Caleb POV)
- 25 years ago -
"MAMA! PAPA!" I called out as I watched the remains of my home as the last of the smoke cleared away. Everything was destroyed. I felt a firm hand on my shoulder, "I'm sorry for your loss." I looked up at the man and knew him as the one who had pulled me out of the building. "It is time to go," he said. "NOOOOOOO," I screamed as he tried to bring me away. He put me down in a cart as I continued to cry, "It is alright, you are going to make them proud. I will help you make them proud." I sniffled as I kept looking back at my home. It was never going to be the same again.
- one week later -
I hated it here. I was so dark and damp and miserable and so far away from the coastal town that I grew up surrounded by. I heard footsteps coming closer to me and pretended that I was asleep. I felt a firm hand rip me from the bed, "Get up Private." I looked up at the man who had saved me from the fire, "Yes General."
(Caleb POV)
I read over my notes from the objective meeting I had when I was first told about the mission and what was expected of me. The words in my notebook were all faded and the pages were warped slightly underneath my finger tips but the wording was so clear. The General was telling me everything he remembered about them before they disappeared years ago and trying to help me figure out the best way to approach the situation. I read over my notes
- Mysterious mountain range appeared the moment they fled
- Series of crime activity suddenly stopped the moment seclusion began
- Earthquake a few years ago that caused an opening somewhere in mountain
- Re-introduction can lead to danger to everyone around us
- Infiltrate the community
- Gain their trust
- Determine point of weakness
I closed the book and let out a breath. I had started writing things down after the fire because I was having trouble remembering things after that night, especially about my family and life beforehand.
(Caleb POV)
- 26 years ago -
Mama lifted me up on the counter as she was working on dinner. "You really are Mama's little helper aren't you mi corazón?" She said with a smile as she began to wash off the vegetables. There was a loud knock on the door and Papa walked down and saw us in the kitchen. He nodded his head to Mama and she picked me up, "We are going to wait upstairs while Papa talks to the men outside ok?" "OK, Mama" I said and she took me up to her loom. "Why don't we work together on this while we wait for Papa?" She pointed to it and I nodded my head as I put my hands on top of hers and she worked through the threads of the machines. "Mama, why do I have to hide whenever the men come by?" She looked down at me and kissed the top of my head, "It is complicated, but don't worry your Papa and I will always keep you safe."
Suddenly the door opened and Mama held onto me tightly but softened her grip as she looked at Papa. I smiled at him, "Hi Papa." He smiled and lifted me up, "Hi Caleb, have you been helping your Mama?" I nodded my head, "Look what we were making." I pointed to the cloth and he smiled, "Wow that looks great." He set me down on the ground and Mama hugged him too. He then looked at both of us, "Hey how would you guys like to visit my parents?" I looked up at him, "But, I thought we couldn't see them because they are so far away." Mama looked up at Papa but, he smiled down at me, "They do live pretty far but, I think that they would love to meet you." He looked over at Mama, "Both of you."
(Caleb POV)
I looked at my notes from the first time I found this place. There were multiple different caverns and caves that I had been searching through and I had numbered all the different entrances but this one was smudged and I was never able to read it again. It was part of the reason why I had such a hard time finding this place again after this first visit. Another reason was that some of the other pages had fallen out
Cavern #-
The cavern was a lot longer than any of the other ones I have seen before. As I reached the end I was confronted by overgrown vines completely blocking the path. Odds were this was blocking a dead-end but I cut through anyway and began walking through to a jungle. I was alert and looking around and don't know how I missed the trap under my feet. I was supposed to stay concealed but my mask and knife fell to the ground as I was hanging from a tree when this woman came out into view. She was asking me what I was doing there and what I wanted while I just kept demanding that she cut me down from this trap. I looked at the rope and it was a vine? That didn't make any sense. She asked for my name and I said Caleb, but I hadn't been called Caleb in years. She asked what I was doing in Encanto. I had never heard of Encanto before, was this the place I was looking for. It had to be. She made me promise to leave if she cut me down and I agreed. Besides I was only scouting today I need to actually talk to the General before I make any other plans. But as soon as I was cut down and I took her in I wanted to know more. I asked more questions than I probably should have but she kept insisting that I go. I had to go back anyway.
(Caleb POV)
- 10 years ago -
I walked into the General's office. He nodded his head, "Lieutenant, you have been called forward for a mission." "What do you need, sir?" I asked. He stood up and walked over to me, "There has been recent activity in the mountain range. Problem is up until 50 years ago that mountain didn't exist. This wouldn't be an issue except a group of criminals disappeared the day that, that mountain range went up."
He sat down in on top of his desk facing me, "Lieutenant, this one is personal." "What do you mean sir?" I asked and he let out a breath, "They are the ones who killed my wife and son." He let out a breath, "Look Lieutenant, there are a lot of people that I could send out instead of you, many people who I probably should but I know that you are the man who can handle this. After what happened to your family I know that you will do what needs to be done." I nodded my head, "Yes sir, what do I need to do?"
(Caleb POV)
I looked over the notes. I don't know why I didn't write more about Isabella back then. I mean she looked completely wild. She was walking around the forest barefoot in this brightly colored stained dress and flowers all over her dress and hair. She seemed to be more like a figment of my imagination than an actual person. I flipped threw my notebook some more when I thought about the General all those years ago.
(Caleb POV)
- 24 years 6 months ago -
"PRIVATE GET YOUR HEAD IN THIS!" The General screamed at me. I shook my head as I stood up looking at him, "My name is Caleb and I never wanted any of this." He pushed me back to the ground, "You think that anyone here wanted this. You think I wanted my wife and newborn son to be stolen and killed. No. We are here because we owe it to the people we have lost to make sure it doesn't happen to another family. Do you want to make your parents proud Private? Or do you want them to be disgraced by your behavior?" He picked me up and forced me onto my feet and put the gun in my hand, "Now practice Private." I looked at the target and began to shot at it until I emptied the clip. I looked at the target and I had hit the spots that I was supposed to. He put his hand on my shoulder, "Well done Private." He hung up a new target and handed me a new clip, "Again."
(Caleb POV)
I looked over my notes and found the running lists I was making of all the guys in town that had pulled Isabella aside. So pretty much every single, single man in Encanto. But overall, my notes from my time here were telling me the same thing. That these people cared about their community before anything else and all they wanted was to keep each other safe. That is why every one kept me at a distance because they were worried that it would affect their community. They even accepted me now for the most part, besides when I was dancing with Isabella.
(Caleb POV)
- 10 years ago -
"Lieutenant it is time for you to learn more about the people from this town. Now it has been 50 years but, here is all the information that we have," he took out a file and began to read it, "They were all wanted for a vast array of crimes. There was a lot of theft, assault and..." His voice teetered off as he looked at me, "arson." I let out a breath, "Sir I have a request to make." "Yes Lieutenant," he said. I let out a breath, "After this mission, I would like your permission to investigate what happened to my parents." He let out a breath, "Lieutenant we have talked about this before..." "I know sir, but I want to investigate this. I have for years. It is personal."
He sighed, "Lieutenant we investigated this when you were a kid and the people who did it, might be a part of the group that has been hidden for years in that mountain." "What?" I asked and he nodded his head, "From what you have told us about and from what we saw it fits the M.O. and although crime significantly decreased when they went away it didn't stop." I let out a breath, "So if I find these people that might be in the mountain," I started and he nodded his head, "They could potentially lead you to the people who killed your family." I could hear the sound of my heartbeat ringing in my ears. "When do I go?" He patted his hand on my shoulder, "Soon enough. First it is time for you to have civilian training if you are going to do this mission we need you to be able to not only find this place but become a part of their community." "A community of criminals?" I asked and he nodded his head, "Just long enough to tell us all their strengths and weaknesses so that our attack will be tailor-made to destroy them and bring them to justice. No one escapes us, ever. We always get what's owed to us."
(Caleb POV)
I threw the notebook down on the ground as tears started to roll. I know that these people wouldn't have done any of this. Maybe their ancestors did, that is something that I can never be sure about but I know that these people wouldn't do anything like that. I am so screwed. I looked at my notebook on the floor and saw papers coming out. I looked through them and found the picture. It was the only surviving picture from the fire. I unfolded it and looked at my Mama, Papa and I. Mama had light brown hair and big natural curls, whereas Papa had the same blonde hair as me. I took after him in most regards but I had Mama's eyes and Papa said that I had her smile.
(Caleb POV)
- 29 years ago -
I stood in front of the mirror as Papa tied my tie, "Well I think that the Ramones-Williams clean up nice." I gave him a toothless smile and Mama walked in the room, "Well I agree." "Mama," I said as I ran over and hugged her legs. She hugged me as well before picking me up and we looked over at Papa. "I've said it before and i"ll say it again, he has your smile." She laughed, "Probably the only feature of mine he got besides my eyes." Papa came over and kissed her on top of the head, "Come on. Let's go to church." She nodded her head and we walked through town as a family.
- after church -
I came into the house as Mama brought me into the kitchen, "Come on help me with breakfast." I nodded my head when there was a loud knock on the door. Mama looked back at Papa, "Are we expecting anyone?" He shook his head, "No, not today. I'll take care of it." She nodded her head and refocused her attention on me, "What do you think we should make for breakfast?" "Mariana can you come here," Papa called out. She looked at me, "I'll be right back mi corazón."
I snuck by the doorway but made sure that my parents couldn't see me as I listened in, "They have already gone for the Garcia's and the Hernandez's sons." "But, they can't want him he is 6," Mama said. The man sighed, "Look I'm only warning you. The Garcia's son was only 10 and the Hernandez's sons were 11 and 13. From what I heard they have been looking around the Moreano's house recently, their son is 9." "John, you don't think they will take Caleb," I heard Mama ask. "We will figure this out Mariana. Thank you for telling us about this Jorge." "Of course. I'll see you on the shipyard," he said walking door closed and I could hear Mama talking to Papa, "They can't take Caleb, John. They can't." I came around the corner, "Who wants to take me?" Papa looked at Mama, "No one Caleb. It is just adult talk, why don't you help your Mama make breakfast." Mama looked at Papa before nodding her head, "Yeah let's go mi corazón."
(Caleb POV)
I let out a long shaky breath as I saw my cloak that was also stashed under my bed. I had been given this when I became a Lieutenant. I know that Isabella had seen it before, but I had a feeling that if I showed it to other people in town they would recognize it and all the trust and goodwill I had spent the last few months building would be destroyed. I heard a knock on my door and I quickly stashed everything under my bed. I still needed to figure some things out and I wanted whatever I did to be on my terms.
I opened the door and saw Felix Madrigal standing there, "Enrique told me you didn't show up today." "You know Enrique?" I asked and he nodded his head, "Yeah I used to work for him." "You worked for Enrique?" I asked again. He nodded his head, "Yeah back when I lived here in the shack. Can I sit down, I want to talk to you about something."