Mirabel didn't even have to check the next morning. When she woke up in a hammock, in a dark room, with a body that was definitely not hers, she knew. And she was really starting to lose her patience.

So, putting aside the weirdness of her current situation, Mirabel bounded down the stairs and hurried out to where she had been sitting the night before. Pepa was lying on the couch with her back turned, but was clearly awake, evidenced by the cloud above her head. She seemed completely unbothered by the fact that her brother, currently in her niece's body, was frantically pacing around behind her.

Mirabel skidded to a stop at the front of the room. "T-Tío Bruno?"

Not-Mirabel whirled around to face her. "Mirabel?"

"Pepa," Pepa groaned, pointing to herself.

"Son of a capybara, I knew it!" Mirabel stomped her (uncle's) foot on the ground in frustration. "I knew I'd be switching again! Why did I fall asleep?!"

Bruno was clearly not comfortable in his new skin, alternating between knocking on wood, standing stiff as a statue, and looking like he was going to cry.

Mirabel grabbed him by (her own) shoulders. "Tío! Did you feel anything strange last night? Before you became me?"

"N-no?" He gulped. "I did have a weird dream about being chased by a cat twice my size, but I don't think that's related—oh!" He perked up. "That's it! I actually slept! I usually have trouble sleeping, but yesterday it was like—" he mimed being knocked out. "Poof."

Mirabel frowned. "And I was trying to stay awake…" she gasped. "No way. Do you think the magic is putting us to sleep so it can switch us?"

"That—actually sounds plausible. And I don't like it."

At that moment, Pepa sighed and sat up, giving up on getting any more sleep.

Mirabel shot her an apologetic grin. "Oh, uh, sorry for being loud, Tía Pepa."

Pepa looked back and forth between her and Bruno. "No, it's alright. I'm just…going to get some coffee…" she glanced between them again. "…and the others."

She slunk out of the living room, and Mirabel turned back to Bruno. He seemed to be completely unaware of what had just happened and was lost in thought, biting at his nails. (Noooo, he was going to ruin her nails!)

"Putting us to sleep. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense." He huffed. "I mean, hey, on the plus side, I feel refreshed. Best sleep I've gotten in a long time. On the other hand—I'm a girl now. And I feel like that presents a whole other host of issues on its own!"

He gestured to the body he was currently occupying, wincing a little in the process.

Mirabel groaned and rubbed her temples. "Yeah, just—just don't think about it too hard. That's…what I'm doing."

"I can't just ignore it! What if—what if I need to go to the bathroom?"

"Wh—just go! Don't make this weird!"

"It's already weird!"

"You used to change my diapers when I was a baby, right? It's the same thing."

Bruno looked pitiful. "I guess, but…b-but how do I go with a skirt on?"

"Oh my God."

"I mean, do I push it up, or do I pull it down?"

Mirabel was tired. "Look. If you need help, we can call my mom. But right now we need to—ahhh!"

Bruno jumped at the unusually high-pitched squeal coming from his own mouth. "Wh-what? What happened?"

"Something's on me! It's crawling on my back!"

Mirabel writhed around for the longest few seconds of her life, trying to get rid of the feeling of tiny feet crawling up her clothes…and then a tiny rat stuck its head out of the ruana she was wearing, sniffing at her face curiously.

"Nope!" Mirabel forgoed the entire thing and started removing the whole dang ruana. "Nope, nope, nope, nope! I am not dealing with rats on my body, not today! I've already got enough going on!"

She shoved the ruana with its rats right into Bruno's arms and proceeded to try and shake out any stragglers.

Bruno looked a little hurt. "I thought you liked my rats."

"On you! Not on me!"

"But they think you are me!" He watched as Mirabel marched out of the room, grossed out and ticked off.

The rejected rat sat on the pile of clothes in Bruno's arms and squeaked sadly. Bruno scratched its head. "Sorry, little buddy. We're not quite…ourselves today."

Meanwhile, Mirabel stomped away from the living room and toward the courtyard, not really having a destination in mind. She was just upset and needed to take it out on something. She leaned against one of the walls and started rapidly pounding it with the sides of her fists. (Any other day, Casita would have protested, but it seemed to understand that it didn't have a leg to stand on.)

Then she just lightly smacked her head against the wall and sighed in defeat.

"Mm…Mira?"

She turned to see Bruno again, now wearing his own ruana. It seemed that wearing it gave him a sense of familiarity that was calming him down. He definitely looked more relaxed. And the way he now had a couple rats in his hands and on his head made him look strangely like himself, despite everything.

He did look a little worried about her though, so Mirabel sighed and pulled away from the wall.

"Sorry, I just…ah, you know."

"Yeah…"

"It's the third day in a row of this and I'm at a loss. I just want my body back." She rubbed at her temples again. "Ugh, and on top of all that, my head hurts."

"Probably because you hit it against the wall just now…"

"No, it's been hurting since I woke up. So annoying."

Bruno suddenly straightened, his eyes wide. "Wh—wait. H-How bad is it?"

"Um…" Mirabel shifted a little. "Not too bad? Just kind of a dull ache. Annoying but not excruciating."

Bruno relaxed. "Okay, good. That, uh…" he sighed. "That's just something I have to deal with. Vision headaches. Just a fun little constant reminder that I could use my Gift whenever I want to. As long as it's not too bad, you're fine."

Mirabel's eyebrows knitted together. "Oh…um, okay. Well, what about this?" She tapped the very front of her forehead. "I feel a little off-balance. Like there's a string going through my forehead and pulling me along."

Bruno nodded. "Yep, that would be the incessant pull of the future, constantly tugging you forward. That one's a little easier to get used to, I think."

Mirabel stared at him in pity. "You live like this?"

Bruno gave her a half-hearted grin but said nothing else.

Meanwhile, Pepa had grabbed her coffee and was making her way up the stairs when she ran into Félix, followed by Julieta and Agustín. All three of them looked appropriately anxious.

"First things first," Félix began. "Who are you?"

"I'm Pepa," she replied with a wry smile.

"Oh, thank goodness." He threw her arms around her, lifting her off her feet a little. Pepa giggled and almost forgot what she was here for until Julieta spoke up.

"What about Mirabel?" Her sister asked. "Where is she?"

Coming back to earth after her little moment, Pepa heaved a loud, long-suffering sigh. "She's switched with Bruno now."

The stairway erupted into the groans.

"Come on!"

"Are you kidding me?"

"This is ridiculous. We have to do something."

At that moment, Bruno—nope, Mirabel—hurried over to the bottom of the stairs and started climbing up to meet them. "Hello, hi, good morning, family! Yes, I'm Mirabel, and as you've heard, we're continuing the nonsense. But!" She stood up straight with a large grin on her face. "I have an idea! Since I now have Tío Bruno's Gift, I'm going to do a vi—"

"No!" Mirabel—Bruno skidded to the floor behind her and pointed accusingly. "Don't you dare finish that sentence!"

"…a vision."

"Noooo…"

Julieta wrung her hands together, worried. "Mira, are you sure about that? You know your tío's Gift can be, well…difficult."

"How long are we going to wait for answers?" Mirabel insisted. "If the magic won't give us any clues, and Casita is keeping quiet, we gotta look for them ourselves. Maybe looking into the future will tell us what we need to do."

Bruno scrambled up the stairs to join them and tugged on Mirabel's shirt gently. "Mira, no, you don't want to do this, trust me. This is a bad idea."

But Mirabel turned around and grabbed his shoulders, looking him dead in the eyes. "Tío, listen. I didn't want to ask this of you before, because I know how much you don't like doing visions. But now that the Gift is mine for the day, I'm going to use it. This could be our only chance to shed some light on what's going on."

Bruno looked conflicted, and rather distressed.

"I say let her try," Agustín spoke up. Everyone looked at him in surprise, but Agustín just shrugged. "As long as Bruno's there to help her, of course. I believe she can do it."

Mirabel smiled gratefully at her father before turning back to Bruno. "I've watched you do your visions a whole bunch of times," she told him. "And you'll be there to guide me..won't you?"

She gave him her most pleading face, knowing full well how weird it would look right now. But, luckily for her, it seemed that Bruno was always unable to resist her puppy eyes, no matter what form they came in.

He sighed in defeat. "…as if I'd ever let you do this on your own."

"Yes!" She hooked her arm around his and started pulling him up the stairs. Everyone else moved out of the way. "To the vision cave!"

Fèlix chuckled and took Pepa's hand. "I guess the two of us will find Abuela and catch her up."

They both headed off, leaving Mirabel's parents to follow her to the vision cave. Bruno managed to shoot Julieta a glance as he was being dragged along. "Tea and arepas, please…just in case."

Julieta nodded and turned to take a detour to the kitchen.

While the others waited outside, Mirabel and Bruno headed into the vision cave and let the big door shut behind them. Somewhat impatient, Mirabel waited for Bruno to smooth out the sand in his little pit, and do whatever else he needed to make him feel better.

The pressure on her head wasn't so bad now. Less of a headache and more of a gentle squeeze. It was almost pleasant, if she was honest. And now that she wasn't so focused on that, she finally noticed the sensation within the rest of her body.

There was a soft pulsing feeling, a movement that flowed from the top of her head all the way out to the tips of her fingers and toes. It was a constant flow, not as volatile as Pepa's magic but still more active than Julieta's. And instead of being hot or cold, it was more like…well, like soft sand in her veins. Grainy and a bit rough, but not enough to be irritating.

Mirabel eased out of these thoughts with a sigh. "Almost done there, Tío?"

"Ah—y-yeah." Bruno pinched some salt from a bowl and tossed it over his left shoulder. Then he started walking toward Mirabel, wringing his hands. "Are you absolutely certain you don't want to reconsider?" He asked. "There's a reason I don't like doing these, you know."

Mirabel sat down in the sand pit, suppressing a scoff. "You mean your belief in bad luck?"

Bruno sat in front of her. "Yes, but also, if you don't know what you're doing, it can be very dangerous, Mirabel. You have no idea how easy it is to get lost in the future."

He leaned toward her, his face grave. "Listen to me, this is important. Do not get distracted. Focus on just one question, one thread. Get what you came for, and then get out. Got it?"

Mirabel gulped a little, but nodded. "Okay."

"Alright." Bruno took her hands in his, and took a deep breath. "Here we go. First, think about what you want to see. Then…remember that pull you described earlier?"

"Uh-huh."

"Lean into it. Mentally, I mean. It might take some effort. But stay focused."

"Right." Mirabel room a deep breath of her own and gripped Bruno's hands tighter. Closing her eyes, she focused on the tug she felt in her forehead. It was stronger now, beckoning.

When will the body-switching end? What do we have to do?

And just like that, a switch was flipped, a door was opened. Mirabel felt that the curtain obscuring the future was pulled back, and she could see.

Everything.

In the void of sand, infinity sprawled out before her. Pathways lit up before her to show her the fate of everyone she knew, everyone she didn't know, everyone who hadn't been born yet. They all flowed out before, rivers of half-formed images that begged her to look closer.

The pulse she'd felt earlier grew stronger. Faster. Dragging her through the rapids. Time was flowing, above her, and around her, through her.

Why was she here again?

Mirabel kept turning in the void, looking for her path, but it seemed she'd forgotten it. She was in complete awe. The fate of the whole world, completely at her fingertips? All of it buzzing through her body like it was begging her to know. No more mysteries, no more wondering what tomorrow would hold, no—

—no way out.

Wait. Where was everything? Where was her way out, where had it gone? She was surrounded by half-formed images flying by, unable to grab onto a single one.

Mirabel could feel her heartbeat quickening, almost as fast as the pulsing in her veins. The future swept her along, countless images passing in front of her to the point where she couldn't figure out what she was looking at. But she couldn't do anything about it. She couldn't scream, or stop, or even close her eyes.

She couldn't feel the ground below her or Bruno's hands in her own anymore. Where was here? When was now? How was she supposed to get out of here?!

But, just as she was beginning to despair, she finally felt something else. A physical sensation other than the overwhelming rush inside her.

A pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her away from the rush. Something pressed against her ear. A voice.

"Come ba—kid. it's al—kay, I've got y—"

She couldn't hear it all, but she clung to the noise for all it was worth. Flashes of images threw themselves at her, but somehow…she finally managed to tear herself away, grounding herself with the voice and the embrace.

With a final lurch, she was back. The connection was cut and the sand fell in a curtain all around her. She fell forward, almost going face-first into the sand if it wasn't for the person holding her back.

"Breathe. Breathe, kid, breathe."

Mirabel noticed for the first time that she was hyperventilating. At Bruno's gentle prompting, she began to steady out her breaths, and trying to ignore the pounding in her head. The room finally stopped spinning, and she became aware of herself again, of the here and now. What a relief.

That was…a lot.

Bruno was holding her now, mumbling reassurances in her ear as he rubbed her back. Mirabel leaned against him.

"Thank goodness," Bruno said, relieved. "What happened, Mirabel? I told you not to get distracted."

"I'm sorry, Tío," Mirabel mumbled. "There was just…so much. I lost track of what I was looking for…"

"H-hey, it's okay. Don't feel bad. I told you, my Gift is easy to get lost in. Just…relax and take it easy for a moment."

(Mirabel thought she saw his glasses fogging up, but it was hard to tell in the dark.)

She nodded and tried to relax. Then she noticed the small glowing pieces of emerald glass lying in the pit before her. "Wait, what are those? Why did the tablet break?"

"Hm? No, that's not broken," Bruno replied. "Those are all separate visions. You must have been seeing a lot of little flashes, and some of them materialized with the sand. Small visions, small tablets. Heh."

"Huh." Mirabel picked a couple of slabs up to look at them. They were blurry and vague, just like she remembered seeing them, but they still showed a small snapshot of things that were going to happen. Someone in town reading something shocking in the newspaper. An unfamiliar child in strange clothing cutting their hand on a sharp edge. Some sort of fight taking place. None of it made any sense to her, and she didn't bother trying to figure it out.

"Man," Mirabel mumbled, tossing the slabs back on the floor. "I thought I knew what to expect, but that was…intense. That was nothing at all like Mamà and Tía Pepa's magic. Tío Bruno, you're…powerful. Like, ridiculously powerful. It's amazing."

Bruno looked a little surprised, but he laughed, wiping at his eyes. "Ah…really? That's…I mean. I don't really want power."

Mirabel chuckled. "That's probably why you're allowed to have it."

Bruno shook his head. "Alright, well…let's just get you something to eat." He helped her stand, and lead her toward the wall, where she sat down and leaned against it. Finally, he let go of her and started backing toward the entrance. "Just rest there. I'll be right back."

Mirabel nodded and leaned her head against the wall. Bruno opened the door, and she could hear Bruno talking softly with her parents.

"Is she okay?" Julieta's voice floated in. "How did it go?"

"Uh…" Bruno replied. "Sh-she got a little overwhelmed—but she's okay! Just needs a little TLC."

Mirabel sighed and closed her eyes. The adrenaline was finally wearing off, and now the thrum and pull of the Gift had gone back to its soft pulsing. Inviting, but not demanding. Maybe there was still hope after all, once she got her energy back. Speaking of which, her mother was coming in with plenty of food and tea to fuss over her with.

This, actually, was nothing new. Her mother fussed over both her and Bruno all the time.

After a bit of rest, Mirabel decided she wanted some fresh air. She and Bruno headed out to the streets once she was ready, wandering around and talking about what had happened.

"…and at first I was like 'oh my gosh, the whole universe is in my hands,' but then I realized…wow. I'm helpless here."

Bruno laughed at her description of her experience. "Yeah, that sounds about right. You did the speedy version of it, though."

"Lucky me."

They were heading closer to the town buildings and Bruno started to fidget. "So, uh…if we're heading into town, maybe you should take this back." He gestured to his ruana. "You know, so people don't start asking."

Mirabel looked him up and down. "Are you sure? You seem to be a lot more at ease with that thing on."

"Well, yeah, but people are gonna be wondering why you're wearing your tío's ratty old ruana, and…"

"Just tell them you got cold and I loaned it to you." Mirabel nudged him with a wink. "I'm not going to make you take it off."

Bruno frowned. "But…it's not cold tod—"

"Mirabel!"

"Aah!" Bruno jumped as three small children appeared out of nowhere and started grabbing at him from below. Mirabel recognized them as the three kids that liked to follow her around in town all the time.

"Mira, Mira, where have you been?" Alejandra shouted. "You said you were going to read us a book at the library three days ago, but you never came!"

"Did you get sick?" Cecelia asked worriedly. "We haven't seen you in a long time."

Mirabel, the real one, couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "Aww. Aren't you guys just the sweetest."

The kids turned to look at her. Apprehensive frowns crossed their faces. They inched away from her, clinging to Bruno and almost hiding behind him.

Oh. Ouch.

Mirabel winced, though not so much from the rejection itself. Bruno usually liked kids, but it seemed they were still afraid of him. She exchanged a glance with Bruno, who gave her an apologetic smile.

Then he turned to the kids. "Ah, you know what, guys, I don't really have time to read today. I have to—"

"You know, it's okay," Mirabel interrupted. "You go ahead and hang out with the kids. Take them to the library. They'll show you the books they want."

The kids were already tugging at Bruno's hand to move along.

"Ah," Bruno said. "But—what are you going to do?"

Mirabel shrugged. "I think I'll go grab us some drinks. I'll meet up with you later."

"O-okay," Bruno replied. The kids were already pulling him further away. "I'll see you soon, I guess—ay, kids, take it easy, you're going to pull my fingers off—!"

Mirabel giggled as she watched them all disappear around a corner.

Looked like she was alone now. The kids weren't the only ones giving her a wide berth at the moment. Yeesh. Bruno had said that people were still apprehensive around him, but she never realized how much it stung until now.

Well, Mirabel was going to give some people a long talking-to when she got her body back. But for now, she resisted the urge to get upset and instead headed to the nearest cafe.

By the time she got there, she'd nearly forgotten the issue was was humming a little tune to herself. People glanced at her when she walked in, but she thought nothing of it and gave them some quick greetings as she walked by. She made it to the front counter and grinned and the young woman behind it.

"Afternoon, Eva," she said. "How's it going today?"

The woman blinked. "Uh, pretty good. You're in an awfully good mood today, aren't you, Señor Madrigal?"

Oh, right. She was supposed to be acting like Bruno. She gave the woman the most awkward smile she could. "Er, yeah! Pretty good day. Hanging out with my niece. Heh. Speaking of, what's on the menu today—ooh, mango juice! I'll take two of those, please."

The woman still looked a little confused, but quietly took her order and left to get the juice.

Mirabel propped herself up on a stool and tapped her fingers on the counter. As she waited, she glanced at the other people sitting about the cafe. They were talking to each other about who knows what, but nothing caught her eye until she spotted someone nearby, a man who was watching her with an annoyed look on his face.

Just as she was wondering what was up with him, she felt it. The sudden woosh, the thrum of time in her veins, the squeeze in her head. The world started to spin and look a little green, and Mirabel froze like ice.

An involuntary vision? Here? Now? But Bruno wasn't here to help her! What if she wasn't able to break out of it?!

Mirabel turned her head to stare right at the countertop. She clenched her fists, closed her eyes tightly and tried to breathe through it as she'd seen Bruno do hundreds of times. The world around her was fading in and out, and she felt like she was going to slip into the sand, like before…

Ground yourself, ground yourself, she thought desperately. Against her instincts, she relaxed her muscles enough to start tapping her fingers on the counter again. The feeling and the sound were distinct enough to pull her ever so slightly out of the wave, and she latched onto this as much as she could.

A bright flash of green overtook her vision and she panicked for a moment. But, instead of being swept away, the vision was more like watching something play out on a screen. The man from earlier, the annoyed one, stood staring at her with a stunned and angry look on his face.

And just like that, it was over. Mirabel was back in the cafe, though the world was still spinning a little. She gripped at the counter, trying to piece together what had just happened.

She…did it? She'd made it through a vision on her own! Granted, it was one of the smaller, weaker visions, but maybe this was a sign that she wasn't completely hopeless at this after all.

Two cups of mango juice were place gently on the counter in front of her. Mirabel looked up to see Eva, the server, giving her a soft smile.

"You alright?"

Mirabel smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Uh…yeah. You know. It happens."

"Well, hopefully this will make you feel better," she slid the cups toward her. "Freshly squeezed, you know."

"Thank you." She quickly paid for the juice and let the woman disappear into the back room to continue with her work. Then she decided to stay and rest for a while, taking a few sips of juice to restore her energy (luckily, she and Bruno both loved this stuff, though it still tasted different on Bruno's tongue).

The squeeze and the thrum were once again gentle on her, almost like they were congratulating her for making it through. But still, yeesh. She was beginning to understand why her poor tío was so exhausted all the time.

"Couldn't you at least keep that nonsense at home?"

Mirabel looked up at the gruff voice next to her. It belonged to that man from before. The same one who was in her vision just now. "I'm…sorry?"

The man scowled at her. "Those visions or whatever. They're making everyone uncomfortable. Nobody wants to deal with your bad luck here. If you have to do it, go somewhere else where we don't have to watch you."

Mirabel blinked, bewildered. "I—I literally can't help it? Sometimes they just happen on their own."

"Then maybe you should just stay at home."

Was this guy serious? Was he telling her to stay at home all the time because he didn't like it when she had visions she couldn't control? Where was the logic?

pMirabel looked around to see if anyone would support her. Some of the patrons were looking at her with pity, others were averting their eyes on purpose. A few of them looked to be siding with the man.

She shrunk in on herself. The place was suddenly very quiet and the attention was on her. Shame crept up her face, as people started whispering again. Whispering about her.

…except, wait. They weren't whispering about her. They were whispering about Bruno.

The shame was immediately replaced with anger. Bruno hadn't mentioned this to any of them. She knew people could still be wary, but not that they would openly harass him and disrespect him this way. Why hadn't he said anything? More importantly, how could any of these people think this was okay?

With a strange calmness, Mirabel pushed herself away from the counter. She stood up and walked over to the man, looking down at him. "Excuse me," she began, barely restrained. "I don't appreciate you talking to me that way. Apologize."

Silence throughout the cafe again. The man looked stunned for just a moment before he sneered. "I don't have to apologize to you."

"I think you do," Mirabel snapped. "I won't tolerate you talking to my—me with that kind of attitude. I don't control my visions, and they don't hurt anyone—and you know that, so quit pretending there's any justification for your behavior. You're nothing but a bully. My visions exist, and there's nothing any of us can do about it. If you can't handle that, then maybe you should be the one to stay home."

The man put down his drink and stood up to face her. He was bigger, taller, stronger, but Mirabel didn't let that faze her. She wasn't going to let people treat her tío badly if she could help it.

The burly man crossed his arms and looked her up and down. "You wanna run that by me again?"

"You're a bully," Mirabel repeated without hesitation. "And there's no room for bullies in this town. I'm not going to sit here and let you walk all over me anymore. I am a Madrigal. I am a person, and you will treat me with respect."

The man leaned over and spoke right into her face. "Or what?"

"Or…" Mirabel smirked. "You can say goodbye to my family helping you out every again."

That got him. The man leaned back, eyes wide, enraged. "What? You can't—!"

"My family's help is a privilege, Señor, one that you should consider yourself lucky that they give out freely. But you're not entitled to it, and if you don't give us all the proper respect, you're simply going to lose it. Julieta's healing, Luisa's strength; all of it. Because what do they owe somebody who treats one of their own like garbage? What, so you can push the Madrigals around all you want, but you still expect the Madrigals to help you? Wake up, buddy. That's not how it works now, so you'd better rein it in."

The man was sputtering now, turning red in the face. "Now—just a—you can't force your family to blacklist me!"

"I don't have to," Mirabel chuckled. "Once they hear about this, they'll shun you all on their own. Oh, and I'm still not hearing an apology." She put a hand to her ear like Dolores, just to rub it in more.

"You little…"

"Check that temper, pal," Mirabel interrupted again, noticing his fists starting to clench. Where this burst of confidence was coming from was beyond her, but she wasn't questioning it now. "Won't be much better for you if I come home bruised."

He was cornered and he knew it. And despite all the witnesses, no one was coming to help him. He looked horrified, stunned, angry…just like in her vision.

"…I apologize," he finally mumbled. Mirabel was tempted to ask him to repeat, but she figured that was enough pushing. The look on his face was satisfying enough for her.

"Thank you very much, sir," she replied. Though, he barely heard her given that he stomped out of the cafe minutes after speaking, grumbling under his breath.

Mirabel just shrugged and let him go. She then noticed the people staring at her again, in complete and utter shock. Apparently, no one was used to seeing Bruno actually stand up for himself. Some of them even looked awed.

"That goes for everyone, by the way," she told the crowd. Then Mirabel turned around to see that poor Eva had come out from the back room, and was also watching in horror.

Mirabel smiled apologetically, and slapped an extra bill on the table, as a tip. "Sorry about making a scene," she said softly. Then she picked up the two juices and raised one of them up to the girl. "Good day to you, señorita."

With that, she turned on her heel, took another sip of her own drink, and left everyone open-mouthed behind her.

Man, that felt good. And she had a feeling this news would spread to the rest of the town very, very, soon. So everyone would know what happened if they messed with her family.

She headed straight for the library, a slight spring in her step. To her surprise, she spotted Bruno and the kids sitting in front, underneath a tree. (She noted, with delight, that there were more kids than when they started.)

Bruno appeared to be acting out what he was reading in the book he held. Over-the-top and elaborate, as always. And the kids were loving it. Mirabel smiled and walked over. It was good to see that he'd gotten more comfortable with them.

"…and so the Mouse Prince was swept away by the river!" Bruno narrated as Mirabel got closer, gesturing wildly with his hands as the children gasped. "Too stunned to react, too horrified by his friend's awful betrayal, too—oh, uh. Hey there." He noticed Mirabel approaching. Abruptly, the dramatics stopped and he waved awkwardly.

Mirabel grinned. "Oh no, don't mind me. Keep going."

"Hah…actually, I think that was the end of this part anyway. We'll finish it next time, right kids?"

"Awww!" The children whined. Little Juancho edged forward and tugged on Bruno's ruana. "But I gotta know what happens next! How does the Mouse Prince escape?"

"That, kids, is what we call a cliffhanger," Bruno replied with a wink. "It keeps you coming back for more." He shut the book and stood up. "Alright, run along. I know your parents are looking for you. Go. Shoo."

The kids kept moaning and groaning, but they did as they were told. Bruno joyfully waved at them and headed over to Mirabel. She was a little upset that he'd stopped on her account, but decided not to press.

"You look happy," Bruno said.

Mirabel grinned and nodded. "Yeah…hey, just asking. Are you normally bothered by a burly man with a black mustache and a red hat?"

Bruno's smile fell. "Wh-what? What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she shrugged nonchalantly. "And let's just say that whoever he is, I have a feeling he won't be bothering you again anytime soon."

"What? Mirabel, what did you do?!"

"Mango juice?"

Now that enough time had passed since their vision attempt, Mirabel felt comfortable relaying her experiences to Abuela (who of course wrote everything down with eagerness). After that, the rest of the day passed by with relative ease.

That night, Mirabel and Bruno were getting ready to go to sleep, this time setting up in Bruno's room. It was mostly for his sake, though she wouldn't tell him that. Just so he'd have a familiar setting to fall asleep in, and wake up in the right place tomorrow.

"So, did you enjoy being me today?" Mirabel asked cheerfully, as she spread out her blankets.

"Well, actually, aside from the obvious issue, I didn't really mind it," Bruno replied.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's nice to have a body that, you know…functions properly. You know, which has enough rest and energy, a good appetite, bones that don't randomly ache, smooth skin that doesn't crack…" he rubbed his (well, Mirabel's) hand as he said that. "Just—healthy. You're in good health. That's what I'm trying to say."

Mirabel felt a twinge of pity and gave him a small grin. "Yeah, you know, we're still working on getting your body that way too, if you'll cooperate."

"Yeah, yeah." Bruno finished setting up his blankets and stood back for a moment. After thinking, he removed his ruana with all its rats (Mirabel shuddered) and hung it up on a rack for the morning.

Then he clapped his hands in finality. "Well, good night then, Mirabel. See you in the morning, although you…might have to point out who you are…hehe…" Letting his joke fall flat, he finally knelt then lay down over his blankets.

Mirabel remained standing for a moment, biting her lip as she deliberated. "Uh…Tío? Before we go to sleep, I wanted to try doing a vision again."

Bruno rolled over to look at her. "What? No, no way. We can't risk doing that again. You already scared me half to death the first time."

Mirabel shrugged sheepishly. "Ah, you know, we shouldn't give up. I know what to expect now, so I'll do it before the day ends…"

"Mira, look, I can do it, okay?" Bruno sat up. "We'll wait until tomorrow, and I'll do the vision for you. I don't mind."

"Well—we don't know who I'll be tomorrow. Might as well take a look so I can get ready."

Bruno looked agitated and started to fidget. "Well, I mean—we could probably make an educated guess. Actually, I've noticed a pattern. You started with Julieta, then Pepa, then me—oldest to youngest, and only people with Gifts. So, by that logic, the next one on the list would be…Isabela! There. Problem solved."

Mirabel bit her lip. "I'd still like to be sure."

Bruno was not convinced.

"Look," she continued with a sigh. "I didn't tell you this, but when I was by myself earlier, I had another vision. An involuntary one."

"What?!"

"And I was able to come out of it all on my own! I can do it, Tío."

"No, no, no, that—that's still different, those are—I mean, they're a little smaller, and, and…"

He started biting at his nails. Despite how panicked he looked, Mirabel stood her ground and gave him another pleading look.

"If it doesn't work, you can tell at me and scold me all you want," she told him. "But I just want to try one more time. I know I can do it now."

Bruno grumbled in frustration. "Why are you so stubborn?"

Mirabel smirked. "I get it from my abuela."

"Ay, you can say that again." He heaved a long sigh and stood up. "Fine. One more time. But this time, try to remember what I told you."

"Pick a thread and don't get distracted. Stay grounded. Got it."

They headed to the vision cave. Mirabel let Bruno take some extra time to get all his anxieties out of the way and get everything ready. When she sat down in the sand pit, Bruno didn't just sit in front of her like before. Instead, he clung to her arm from the side, leaning against her. Extra physical contact to keep her grounded. She appreciated it.

Mirabel took a deep breath, and hesitantly leaned once more into the inviting pull, felt the strong thrumming through her veins. Who will I become tomorrow?

Like before, the curtain was pulled back, though gentler, and time swirled infinitely before her. Her heart skipped a beat and she pulled back ever so slightly, keeping her thoughts on Bruno's tight grip on her arm. Body swap. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow…

One swirl of sand seemed to glow brighter than the others. Mirabel paused for a moment before leaning toward it.

And suddenly, all the other threads seemed to gradually fade into the background. It took some effort, but Mirabel kept her focus on the one thread, and was extra careful not to get swept away. Bruno's grip on her seemed to help. And…there! Images were finally starting to form in the sand, clear as day.

"Th-there you are!" Bruno cried out. Thank God she could still hear him.

"Yes! Oh gosh, okay, uh…" she squinted her eyes as Vision-Mirabel smiled widely, held up her hand and…grew a flower!

"Wait, what?" Mirabel asked. She took a second to re-stabilize herself in the vision. "Why do I have Isabela's Gift but not her body?"

"Er, my visions aren't always completely literal," Bruno explained. "I think you will have her body, but this means it's still you, on the inside."

"Oh…" Mirabel watched as her vision self moved again, this time putting a hand to her ear, like Dolores. After that, future-Mirabel picked up a huge rock and lifted it high above her head, like Luisa.

"You were right, Tío! It's going down based on our ages!"

"O-okay, great! We've got it now. Are we done?"

"Hold on…" she pressed on a little bit further. The vision continued to showing her as Camilo, then Antonio, and then…well, then vision-Mirabel held up a little bit of cloth and a sewing needle, smiling widely. The rest of her family members surrounded her, each one having their own respective Gift.

Mirabel pressed forward, but the vision remained static. It seemed…that this was the end of the thread.

The rest of the future continued to call, ready to pull her away. Mirabel jumped and hastily stepped back. Grabbing onto Bruno's hand, Mirabel pulled away…and the connection was severed. The sand fell, and a single green slab of emerald lay before them. It depicted Mirabel herself standing at the top, with her sisters and cousins lined up in front of her, in the correct order.

"I…I did it." Mirabel sighed. She felt completely tuckered out, but somehow excited all the same. She turned to Bruno with a face-splitting grin. "I did it, Tío Bruno!"

"That's great, kid," Bruno replied. He, too, seemed tired but relieved. "That's awesome. I'm…I'm glad." He let out a deep breath and finally relaxed his death grip on her arm. Then he looked down at the tablet. "You're…going to go back to yourself and stay that way, it looks like. That's some good news, at least."

"But…we still don't know why it's happening."

Casita clacked a rock, the first it had spoken in days. Mirabel interpreted it to be some kind of reassurance. Bruno chuckled.

"I don't think the future will have anymore answers," he said. "I can only see what will happen, not why. I guess that's something we'll have to figure out on our own." He patted her shoulder. "But come on, it's time for bed. You've done enough, mija. I'm ready to take my Gift back now.

He helped her stand up, as Mirabel held the tablet in her hands to study it. The feeling of giddiness still remained. "Do you…think we should go tell Isa about this?"

Bruno thought for a moment, looking at their sleeping setup. "We could take our little slumber party to her room," he suggested. "Easier for everyone, sleep in the same room, wake up in the same room."

"I agree."

So they hastily grabbed their stuff and walked over to Isabela's bedroom. Everyone else had gone to bed, so they remained quiet as they knocked on her door. Hopefully she wouldn't already be asleep.

To their relief, the door opened, and Isabela poked her head out. Her hair was tied up, and she looked very annoyed at having been pulled out of bed. But Mirabel said nothing about any of that. Instead, she just grinned at her sister widely.

"Good evening! You're next."

Isabela squinted sleepily at her, then her gaze drifted to the vision tablet in Mirabel's hand.

"…in any other context, that would sound terrifying," she said. Then she simply turned and ushered them both into her room with a nod.

Isabela just collapsed on her bed and let Mirabel and Bruno redo their setup on their own. Mirabel was already starting to feel loopy. Whether that was from the vision or some magic-induced slumber was up for debate. Regardless, the two of them finally lay down and bid each other goodnight for a second time.

Today had absolutely been the craziest one by far. But, at least now she had a clearer picture of what was going to happen.

Oh, and she was totally going to keep that vision tablet, by the way. That was way too cool not to hold onto.