"Abuela, what is going on? You said this was all going to be over today!" Mirabel waved her arms around, exasperated and freaked out. Except, it wasn't her arms, it was her Tía Pepa's arms. And every time she spoke, an annoying cloud rumbling over her head interrupted her.

"I did!" Abuela responded, equally freaked out. "That is what Casita told me. It has never lied to me before!" She shot a glare at the wall next to her, but the house made no move to respond (If Casita had been a person, Mirabel was sure it would be looking away and whistling an innocent tune).

They were standing in the hallway, just Mirabel and the adults of the family (minus Bruno for now), every single one of them ready to rip their hair out.

The noise was drawing attention from the other family members, who were opening their doors at the commotion.

Camilo stuck his head out of his room. "What's going on? Why's everybody yelling?"

Pepa (who had Mirabel's body) whirled to him. "It's horrible! Now Mirabel has switched bodies with me!" she whined.

"And…who is 'me?'"

"Me! Tía Pepa!" Mirabel shouted. "I've switched bodies with your mom! For no reason!"

Camilo nodded. "Got it…I'm going to go back to bed."

Pepa reached out and grabbed him by the back of his ruana. "Get back here and help us figure this out, you uncaring—!"

Everyone promptly ignored them and went back to the conversation. "Alright, I need to get a clear understanding of what is happening," Abuela said. "Mirabel and Pepa have switched now. And Julieta?"

"I'm back to normal," Julieta responded weakly. "It's just Mirabel and Pepa now."

"So is Mirabel just jumping from body to body?" Agustin asked. "Why?"

"I don't know!" Mirabel cried. She once again tried in vain to wave away the growing cloud above her.

"Well, if Casita won't tell me anything, I will have to talk to you instead," Abuela declared. "Mirabel, tell me every detail. What can you remember that may have caused this?"

"I don't know, Abuela," Mirabel whined. "I haven't done anything differently. Last night, I slept in Mamà and Papa's room, and I was switched with Mamà. Today, I woke up as Tía Pepa. We barely even talked to each other yesterday! I did everything I was supposed to do, and—why won't it stop snowing?!"

Tío Félix grinned kindly as if nothing was wrong. "Oh, that's because you're anxious."

"Thank you, but how do I make it stop?"

He put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You know, that's the beauty of it. You don't have to make it stop. Just let yourself feel however you need to feel."

"But I don't want to!"

"L-let's just focus on figuring this out," Julieta interjected, calmingly. "Mirabel, take a deep breath and try to remember. You're not in trouble, mija. We just want to help."

"I-I know, I just—" her voice cracked, and the snow above her started to become rain instead. She winced when the first drop hit her skin. "I'm just so confused and everything feels wrong…" she sniffed. Vaguely, she noticed the others shielding themselves from the rain. They were all looking to her for an answer. Everything felt so cold and hot, and no matter how much she tried, it just wouldn't go away!

Mirabel bristled…then sagged, giving up on everything. "I'm…I'm going outside."

She shook Tío Félix's hand off her shoulder and hurried away from the crowd. Perhaps it was the wetness of the rain and snow, but her head felt like it was swimming. She heard the others calling after her (by the wrong name once or twice) but didn't pay them any mind.

Pepa finally unhanded her poor son with a sigh. "I'll go with her. She might need help."

Mirabel found a nice spot at the edge of the river to sit and stew in her own misery. It was amazing how much bigger her sadness and confusion felt when it was accompanied by dramatic rain and thunder. She could barely think, her head felt so murky it was like it was submerged in one of the puddles next to her.

No one was around, thankfully, because this was too embarrassing to show to everyone else. However, this solitude didn't last long. The sound of the raindrops hitting the ground seemed to change, and Mirabel looked up to see herself—actually, her tía—approaching with an umbrella over her head.

Pepa shot her a good-natured grin. "Ha…I never realized just how intimidating my storms looked from the outside."

Mirabel sniffed and looked away. "I'm sorry, Tía Pepa…"

"You don't need to apologize." Pepa knelt down next to her, sharing the umbrella. "Félix was right, you know. It's okay to just be upset."

"I guess, I just…" Mirabel wiped at her eyes. "I just wish I knew what was going on. Is this something bad? Did we mess something up, or is this supposed to happen?"

Pepa frowned. "Si…Mamà was questioning the house again when I left, but Casita is just clamming up like I've never seen it before." She pouted and turned to Mirabel again, mischievous. "Do you think we can bully it into telling us? Can you shout a house into submission?"

She probably meant to cheer her up, but the reminder of their lack of answers just made Mirabel more anxious. She curled in on herself, and the rain continued.

Pepa abandoned the question and instead looked up at the rain thoughtfully. Suddenly, she smiled and gently smacked Mirabel's shoulder. "Tell you what. Come with me."

Without waiting for an answer, she took Mirabel's hand and pulled her up to her feet. Mirabel yelped a little, causing a brief sharp wind. "Tía Pepa—where are we going?"

Pepa, unfazed, tugged Mirabel along. "Well, as long as we have rain, we might as well take it to the fields, no?"

Mirabel's eyebrows shot upward. "O-oh…I didn't even think of that. Do you do this every day?"

"Well, it's not on a schedule. Not anymore. The farmers aren't just trying to make me feel sad when they need rain. Instead, they ask that I drop by whenever I happen to be feeling this way." She laughed. "And you know your tía gets upset at the drop of a hat, so shortage of rain around here!"

Mirabel managed a small smile.

They ended up at the edge of town where farmers were growing everything from corn to plantains. Mirabel had seen these fields before, but hadn't bothered to observe them too closely.

They were nice for a walk, she realized. And it was also nice to stare into the sky, letting the overwhelming sensation wash over her without trying to stop it. The storm in her stomach churned, cold winds and hot tears mixing and rising to create the tempest above.

As they walked through one of the fields, Tía Pepa was chattering away the whole time, allowing Mirabel's nods and one-words answers to suffice for conversation. Mirabel felt a little sad about ignoring her, but she didn't feel like doing otherwise. That being said, there was something…freeing about just letting the whole episode play out, without trying to control or stop it. She couldn't imagine being in her tía's shoes before.

Eventually, Mirabel's raging feelings started to die down. And with them, the storm went. Clouds began to fizzle as if they were never there, and the rain let up but by bit until its only remainder was the puddles. Mirabel sighed deeply, relieved. Her stomach continued to ebb with hot and cold, waves on a beach. But now, it was more manageable, like the storm had gone to sleep for now.

Pepa closed her umbrella and grinned at her. "How do you feel?"

"Mm. Better. Thanks."

"Of course, pequeña. Now, what do you say we head back and try to figure this out more slowly? I, for one, am ready for a huge breakfast. Aren't you?"

Mirabel sniffed and laughed. "Yeah. Okay." She took a moment to try and wring out her hair and dress, but decided it was better to be done at home. She took her tía's hand to walk back home, when a voice suddenly called out and stopped them.

"Hola Pepa! Buenos Dias!"

The women turned around, and Mirabel recognized the farmer who owned this field, along with his wife. The woman was holding a plate covered in tin foil as they both headed over with smiles on their faces.

It took Mirabel a moment to remember that he was talking to her.

"O-oh, uh, hola Señor Mendez. Señora." She put on her best Pepa smile, though it was a half-hearted.

To her surprise, they both wrinkled their noses.

"Señora?" The woman answered back. "Ay, Pepa, way to make us feel old. I expected you niece there to call me Señora, but you're barely younger than us!"

The woman was laughing, but Mirabel exchanged a worried glance with Pepa and immediately amended her statement.

"Er, of course, sorry! It's the kids, you know, I spend so much time around them and they influence me." She laughed awkwardly, nervousness washing over and another tiny cloud appearing above her.

The two didn't seem bothered and shrugged. "I know what you mean," said Señor M—er, Ricardo. "Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for the rain. A little early today though, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, fine. Just, you know, gotta let it all out sometimes."

"I hear ya."

"These are for you," said Señora Mendez, aka Ana. She held out the plate in her hands. "As a token of appreciation."

Mirabel took the plate with a nod, and uncovered it to find…

"Oh. Fried plantains." She tried not to sound disappointed. Plantains were never her favorite. "Th-thank you."

"You like these, don't you?" Ana asked. "I gave you some a while ago and you couldn't get enough of them. Remember?"

"Uh, y-yeah, yeah! I remember! Plátanos! Love them!" To demonstrate, she took one of the plantains, took a huge bite, and—oh. Oh! They were delicious!

"Oh, wow!" Mirabel exclaimed without thinking. "These are the best plantains I've ever had! You're an amazing cook!"

Ana laughed again. "Glad to have a second glowing review from you. But, anyway, we have to get going now. Lots of chores to do around here."

"Of course. Goodbye, you two."

They all waved goodbye. Mirabel and Pepa finally headed home. Any clouds that had been forming above Mirabel's head were long gone, and the sun shined brighter with every bite she took.

Pepa was staring at the plate, her mouth almost watering. "Ah, Mira…would it be okay if I borrow one of those from you?"

"Oh, sure. Take as many as you want. They're sooo good."

Pepa happily bit into a fried plantain…and then frowned. She chewed thoughtfully, a disappointed look crossing her face. "They're…not as good as the last time she made them. I wonder why."

"Really? I think they taste great. And I usually don't like plátanos." She bit into another one, and her eyes lit up. "Do…do you think it's because we're switched?"

"Huh?" Pepa looked confused. "No way. Would switching bodies affect our tastes, too?"

"It's a possibility…oh man, this just keeps getting weirder and weirder." She took another bite. "So…do you not want any more of these, then?"

Pepa sighed sadly. "No, you can finish them. I'll enjoy plátanos all I want when I get my body back."

When they returned to Casita, it looked like everyone else was in the middle of getting breakfast. Pepa immediately took offense to this.

"Oyé? Did you just start breakfast without us?"

Julieta handed her a plate apologetically. "Sorry. I made sure I saved enough for both of you. But I couldn't wait anymore. I had to feed the beast."

("The beast" was Camilo.)

Pepa sighed dramatically. "Alright, fine. But don't do it again." She went to the buffet to get her food. Mirabel took a plate and followed. She had already eaten the plantains, but she may as well take more food, since Mamà was nice enough to save it.

"So, uh, you and Tía Pepa are switched now, huh?" Luisa asked as they all sat down. "That's, uh…okay. Is this going to keep happening?"

Mirabel shrugged tiredly.

"Mirabel, I'm sorry we were so overwhelming earlier," Abuela said apologetically. "I assure you, we didn't mean anything by it."

"I know, it's okay," Mirabel replied. "I guess I was just kinda scared, but…I feel better now."

"Good. Whenever you're ready, you can tell us what you remember."

She picked at her food and frowned. "I wish I could, Abuela, but…I really don't remember anything. I fell asleep as Mamà and woke up as Tía Pepa. That's it."

Abuela frowned in thought. "I see…"

"Well, how do you feel right now?" Isabela piped up. "Any weird sensations? Maybe that can tell us something."

"Hmm. I don't know. Just having magic in me is such a new sensation that I can't feel anything else." She paused, thinking for a moment. "You know…Tía Pepa's magic feels way different from Mama's magic."

Abuela looked up at her again. "Oh? Different how?"

"You know, like…" Mirabel gestured vaguely with her (aunt's) hands. "The Gifts are different, obviously, but the magic is the same, so I thought it would still feel the same inside. Like, all warm in my chest. But it's not. This one feels more like…like, warm and cold. But it comes in waves."

Abuela leaned forward, curious. "Really? How interesting. Could you tell me more, please?"

"Well…" Mirabel put down her food and tapped her fingers on the table. She closed her eyes, trying to remember and compare how they both felt. Yesterday, and this morning.

"With Mamà, it was like a ball of warmth in my chest," she said, thinking out loud. "And whenever I used her Gift, it spread to my arms. But today, it feels like it's always…moving,through my whole body. It starts in my stomach, maybe as low as my feet if it's strong enough. And it alternates between warm and cold."

She looked to the sky for a moment, feeling the sensation wash over her again. "And it goes…upward, in these different waves. Whoosh, a cold one from the bottom left. Whoosh, a hot one from the bottom right." She made motions with her hands as she spoke. "And they get stronger depending on how I feel. Like, when I got upset before, the cold waves were stronger and kept flying up toward my head. Kind of overwhelming, actually. I felt like my head was getting flooded and drowning. But now, they feel calm and the waves feel equal."

She finished, looking around for a reaction.

"How curious," Abuela replied. There was a grin on her face, a sort of childlike excitement that Mirabel hadn't seen on her before. "Warm and cold fronts, like weather patterns. I suppose that makes sense, but I've never thought of it that way before…Pepa, is this what you usually feel with your Gift?"

Pepa looked a little surprised. "I suppose so, now that I hear it spoken out loud…I never really thought to put words to it. It was just a part of me."

"I always assumed that everyone's magic just felt like mine," Julieta added. "Like Mirabel said, the Gifts are different, but the magic is the same."

"What about everyone else?" Agustín asked.

The others thought about this for a moment.

"Uh…I don't really fit either of those descriptions," Luisa piped up. "But I'm not sure how to describe the feeling of it, it's just…I feel—strong, I guess."

"When I grow things, I feel a little tingly," Isabela giggled.

"I feel…flexible?" Camilo shrugged. "I dunno. I just think about shapeshifting and it happens."

"I can understand animals' languages," Antonio supplied, helpfully. "But when I first got my Gift, it felt like fireworks inside me."

They all nodded and murmured in agreement at that part.

"Yes, getting your Gift feels like fireworks," Bruno agreed. "Having your Gift feels like every grain of energy is slowly being seeped out of you at every waking moment."

Everyone stared at him.

"…oh, just me? Okay."

"I just feel muted without my Gift," Pepa sighed. "I'm used to feeling things much more strongly."

Abuela shifted in her seat giddily. "This is all very very interesting. I think I would like to write all this down."

Mirabel raised an eyebrow. "Is it really that important, Abuela?"

"Our magic is rather mysterious, Pep—er, Mirabel," Abuela chuckled. "Truly, there's not much I know about it—so I try to write down any new observations we make."

"Huh. I guess that makes sense."

Abuela stood up, gesturing for everyone else to stay seated. "Alright, I will be right back with a writing pad. Excuse me."

"Abuela, will this help us put everyone back in their own body?" Antonio asked.

"Perhaps," Abuela replied. She patted him on the head as she passed. "You never know."

Once she was out of earshot, Félix let out a laugh. "I've never seen Abuela so excited about something before."

Pepa giggled. "It's kind of cute." She continued eating her breakfast, and absentmindedly grabbed the salt shaker, only to realize that it was empty.

Pepa frowned. "Juli. We're out of salt in the shaker. Do we have more?"

"I have a container in the kitchen," Julieta pointed to the house. "In the left-hand cabinet above the stove."

Pepa got up and went inside, and in the meantime, breakfast continued as if all was normal. Mirabel chewed her food quietly and thoughtfully. Her family was shooting her glances every now and then, but otherwise, they didn't press any more.

Minutes later, Pepa came out of the house again. Her lips were pressed together, and she looked somewhat embarrassed.

"…everything okay, Pepa?" Julieta asked.

"Um…" Pepa avoided eye contact with her and crossed her arms. "I…I can't reach the top cabinet."

Julieta looked at her only a moment, exchanged a glance with her brother, before they both burst into barely-stifled giggles. The rest of the family tried to stay out of it, but Mirabel could see several of them hiding grins of their own. More giggles eventually slipped out. Pepa had always liked to brag about being taller than most of them. Looks like the tables had turned for her.

Meanwhile, Pepa's face was turning red. "It's not funny, I need help!" She pouted when they didn't stop laughing. "Hey—! Ok, you know you're all just making fun of Mirabel's height, right?"

"I'll allow it," Mirabel piped up. "Now you get to experience what it's like to be one of the short people."

Pepa turned to her husband helplessly. "Félix, say something!"

"Ah, sorry, Pepi," Félix shrugged and took a sip of mango juice. "I have to side with the short people. Which does include you right now, so I guess we can all laugh, eh?"

"To a good laugh." Mirabel raised her glass to him.

"Is someone going to help me get the salt or not?!"

After breakfast, Mirabel told Abuela everything she felt and remembered, even down to the strange swapped tastes in food. Abuela was eager to get it all written down, and after that Mirabel barely saw her all day. Apparently, according to what she heard from the others later, she was going around grilling the whole family about the "feelings" of each of their Gifts.

Plus, it was obvious that Casita wasn't going to say anything at all about their predicament. So after a long and fruitless search for answers, Mirabel just gave up for now and focused on making sure she didn't cause another downpour for the rest of the day.

Tough, considering that even the slightest inconvenience caused a cloud to appear. She was never going to make fun of her tía ever again.

Not to mention, her hair was a mess. With the constant changes in humidity and her aunt's hair being naturally curly, it wasn't a surprise. But it still looked ridiculous, and Pepa noticed.

"Come here, Mira." Pepa suddenly grabbed her arm out of nowhere and pulled her into the sitting area. It was evening now, and all the adults were gathered there, doing their little post-dinner gathering that they often did while the younger generation messed around somewhere else. Mirabel didn't typically join, but today they were under some special circumstances.

Pepa sat Mirabel down on the floor, took her place on the seat behind her, and grabbed a brush that she must have gotten from her room. "Can't let you go around letting my hair look like that," she mumbled.

"We're literally about to go to sleep, but okay."

"Hush." Pepa started brushing and Mirabel winced a bit.

"This scene looks a little backwards," Agustín piped up, pointing at them.

"Everything's a little backwards, in case you didn't notice," Pepa replied. "But no matter whose body I'm in, I'll always be the one doing my girls' hair. No questions."

Fèlix chuckled. "I remember when all four of the girls used to form a line at your feet for you to get them ready to go somewhere. You were the ultimate hairdresser."

"Aww, I remember that!" Julieta added.

"I miss it!" Pepa whined. "You were all so cute. Still are." She paused the hair brushing and poked at her own (aka Mirabel's) cheeks. "At least that's one good thing about being switched with you today! I may be small, but it's a good small. Look at me, now I'm pudgy and cute little Mira."

Mirabel pouted. "Stop it, Tía. I'm not a baby."

"But you're still adorable. Look at me! Ooh, I could just pinch my own cheeks!"

She did just that, while the other adults all chuckled and cooed at Mirabel's expense.

"Whatever," Mirabel huffed.

"You're cute, Mirabel. Deal with it."

"I'm dealing, I'm dealing!" Mirabel leaned on her knees and let Pepa continue to brush her hair. "But anyway, I was wondering…what are we going to do tonight? Where will we sleep?"

The change in subject had all of them exchanging glances.

"To be honest, it's entirely up to the two of you," Abuela sighed. "We're still completely in the dark. What do you think will help the most?"

"I don't know," Mirabel replied, shrugging. "I don't think where we sleep will make a difference. I mean—is this just going to keep going? Am I going to keep waking up as someone new every day?"

Julieta sighed sadly. "Oh, Mira…"

Mirabel groaned and buried her face in her knees. Vaguely, she was aware of Pepa calmly waving a cloud away from above her, and a bunch of indecipherable looks being thrown around. Adults had a weird look-language that she couldn't understand for the life of her, but hoped she would when she grew up. Meanwhile, Pepa moved on to braiding.

After thinking for a moment, Mirabel's head suddenly shot up again. "Wait. I have an idea," she said. "What if Tía Pepa and I stay up tonight to see what happens?"

Abuela looked surprised but nodded. "That might give us some clues. Do you want me to stay up with you?"

"No, don't worry about us, Mamà," Pepa replied. "You get your rest. Mirabel and I can handle whatever we find together."

"That's right." Mirabel grinned and looked up at her aunt. "Sleepover in the living room, Tía?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay." Mirabel plopped herself down on the comfy chair where her aunt usually sat (perhaps this would help with switching back—she didn't know). Everyone else in the house had already gone to bed, so she made sure to remain quiet. "We have to make sure we stay up all night. No falling asleep, okay?"

Pepa yawned.

"Hey, what did I just say?"

"Right, sorry, sorry!" Pepa slapped herself lightly on the face. "I usually don't get sleepy this early—but I guess your body is used to a healthier sleeping schedule than mine."

Mirabel grinned wryly. "Not for long, it seems. But anyway, to help us stay awake, I thought we could play some games and entertain each other."

"Good idea." Pepa clapped her hands giddily. "What about that one you always play with the other kids? The snakes and ladders one?"

"Sounds good. I'll go get it from my room."

Mirabel hurried and did just that, and when she returned…Pepa was fast asleep in her spot.

"Seriously?" She sighed, setting the board game aside. "You fell asleep awfully fast." Shaking her head, Mirabel gently picked Pepa up off the chair (was she always this heavy of a sleeper? Was this a Pepa thing or a Mirabel thing?) and set her lying down on the couch instead. Making sure she was comfortable, she removed the glasses from Pepa's face, before grabbing a throw blanket and covering her up.

When that was done, Mirabel plopped herself back into Pepa's chair. Well. At least she could still stay up on her own. How could she keep herself awake? Maybe a cup of coffee? That sounded like a good—

Before she could even finish the thought, Mirabel fell asleep.

Through various clinks and clanks and maneuvers, Casita adjusted her into a comfortable sleeping position.

The next morning, Pepa woke up feeling refreshed. She opened her eyes and stretched, feeling the relaxing morning sunlight on her skin. Sleepily, she looked around and found herself in the living room. Huh. Why was she here again…?

…oh shoot! She was supposed to stay awake last night!

Pepa quickly sat up in her seat, checking her hands, her hair, and the rest of herself, and only then did she become aware of the swirling mist in her belly, and the rumbling cloud above her head.

She looked at it just once before breaking out into a relieved smile. The cloud disappeared and was replaced by a rainbow. Sighing happily, Pepa stroked her red curly locks. Finally, she was back in her own skin! Being Mirabel had been fun, but she would much rather be herself.

Speaking of Mirabel, where was she? Pepa turned to the chair where she had fallen asleep, but her niece didn't seem to be there.

Actually, Pepa now saw, Mirabel was on the other side of the room. She was mumbling quietly to herself, and didn't seem to notice that Pepa had woken up. In fact, she seemed to currently be far too focused on…

…knocking. Frantically. On every wooden surface she could find.

Pepa's cloud started growing again.

The person before her finally seemed to notice they were being watched, and turned around to meet her eyes. The spooked expression, followed by that awkward smile, made Pepa realize just how much Mirabel resembled her tío. It was almost uncanny.

"Heh…morning, Pepa," Not-Mirabel greeted nervously. "You're not gonna believe what happened."

Pepa took a long, deep breath through her nose. Then, calmly, she turned away, picked up a pillow, pressed it up to her face, and screamed.