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Enjoy~

Isabela Madrigal groaned as she opened her eyes. There was a steady pounding in her head. The light filtering into her window only made the headache worse. Rolling onto her back, she pulled the pillow from under her head and placed it over her face. With the new welcomed darkness, Isa let her eyes drift closed again. Her breathing evened out as she felt herself drifting back to sleep.

And then Mirabel threw open her door.

"Isa, time to get up. You're going to miss breakfast!"

Resisting the urge to scream, she whipped the pillow at her sister. But seeing how far away the door was from her bed, the pillow didn't nearly come close to hitting its target. Sitting up, she fixed her sister with an angry glare.

"Let's g-ah!" Mirabel's eyes widened in surprise. Despite what most people might think, it wasn't from the glare. No, she'd received that expression far too many times over the years to care. Her surprise stemmed from the current disheveled state of her sister. She seemed paler than usual. Her normally perfect hair stuck out in every direction. Dark circles clung to the skin under her eyes. "Sorry. You look a little rough."

"Get out."

"You got it."

Isabela rolled her eyes as her youngest sister scurried out of her room. With a glance at the clock, she knew her sister was telling the truth. She needed to get up and get ready, or she would be late. Abuela wouldn't tolerate her missing the family meal. Groaning she lowered her bed to the ground. Slowly, she walked over to the mirror and stared at herself. As much as she hated to admit it, Mira was right.

Actually, if she were being honest, rough was an understatement.

Letting out a sigh, she picked up the pink brush off of her dresser. She needed to be at least semi presentable for breakfast. Normally, it would only take a couple quick swipes of the brush for her to hair fall into perfection. To her dismay her hair refused to cooperate with her, only getting frizzier with each stroke. Slamming the brush down, she stared at herself.

She was not in the mood for this.

With a flick of her wrist, a small circular vine appeared. Pulling the mess of dark locks up into a bun on the top of her head, she examined her work. It was messy, but it certainly looked better than it did when it was down. Now, she could finish getting ready.

Isabela walked into the kitchen. She wasn't mentally prepared to deal with the rest of her family, that sat in the dining room, quite yet. Her mother stood at the stove. Pepa stood by the healer, cup of coffee in hand. Dolores sat at the kitchen's island.

"How are you feeling, amor?" Julieta kept her attention focused on the last bit of cooking food in front of her. She didn't need to see her daughter to know the answer. She'd witnessed the large amount of alcohol Isabela had consumed at the fiesta the night before. In her younger days, mostly before her daughters came into the world, she had her fair share of hangovers.

"Like death warmed over." Her oldest child groaned as she ungracefully flopped down into the empty chair next to her cousin. A thump echoed as Isabela let her head hit the countertop. She heard the familiar squeak from Dolores before she felt her hand on her back, rubbing soothing circles. "I'm never drinking again."

"You said that last time."

"You get used to it eventually."

Isabela perked up as Pepa placed a steaming cup of tea, and an empanada, in front of her. Hazel eyes looked hopefully at the redhead. "Really?"

"No." The mothers said in unison before letting out a laugh. Isabela deflated. Taking a small sip of the tea she'd been given, she instantly started to feel better. By the time she'd eaten a small bite of her empanada, the hangover was completely gone.

"Thanks Tía."

"No problem, Mi Flor." Pepa said with a wink.

Removing the last three empanadas from the stove she wiped her hands on her apron, admiring her work. Seven plates sat on the counter, each piled high with different types of food. "Alright, that should be enough. Mind helping us carry this to the dining room?"

"Of course." The cousins said. Both women stood from their seats and helped their mothers carry the platters of food. Placing the food on the table, the four women took their seats.

"How are you feeling today, Isabela?" Abuela raised an eyebrow slightly as she brought her cup of tea to her lips.

"Better Abuela, thank you."

"I don't know Isa. That hangover looked pretty rough this morning." Mirabel chuckled as she piled some rice onto her plate.

The youngest of the Madrigal children leaned over to Luisa. "What's a hangover?"

Luisa mirrored Antonio, leaning closer to him as she whispered her explanation. "It's what happens when adults drink too much alcohol. They get sick."

Antonio's face scrunched up. "Then why do they drink it?"

The strongest Madrigal shrugged. Sure, she'd had a few glasses of wine since she'd turned of age. But nothing that would ever warrant a hangover the next day. "Beats me."

"You should have seen yourself last night!" Camilo laughed, ignoring the pointed glare from his oldest cousin. Shifting into a perfect copy of Isabela; Camilo put the back of his hand to his forehead, leaning back dramatically. "Oh Tía! Dance with me!"

"Shut up."

"Mirabel, I love you so much. You're the best sister in the world!"

"I'm going to skin you alive." Isabela hissed as her cheeks turned a slight shade of pink at her cousin's teasing. The last thing she wanted was to be reminded of the overly lovey persona her drunkenness brough forth.

Félix chuckled quietly as he gently elbowed his son. Clearing his throat, he gave his son a stern look. "Camilo, leave your cousin alone."

The shapeshifter deflated as he shifted back to his normal self. Skillfully, he plucked an arepa off of one of the three towers of food on his plate. He waved it around a few times as he rolled his eyes before taking a bite. "Fine."

Isabela let out a sigh, relieved that at least one of her family members seemed to want to spare her some embarrassment. "Thank you, Tío."

A smug grin tugged at the corners of Félix's lips as he scooped some rice onto his fork. "Even if she did steal my wife."

The table burst into laughter again. Isabela's lip stuck out as she turned to the dark-skinned man, pout evident on her face. "Tío!"

The sun hung high in the sky as Mirabel made her way back into Casita. Tossing her mochila to the side the short haired girl turned left, walking down one of the corridors. As she rounded the corner, she stopped. She raised an eyebrow at the sight before her. Isabela and Luisa stood in one of Casita's archways. The pair whispered amongst themselves while they stared at something inside of the courtyard.

"How do they even do that?"

"Do what?" Mirabel asked as she got closer. Both of her sisters jumped at her voice, neither hearing her approach. The oldest gave her an annoyed look, while the middle sister offered her a friendly smile.

"That." Luisa said with a nod her of her head.

Three pairs of hazel eyes stared into the room. Mirabel's looked around, trying to figure out what her held her sisters' attention. A slight movement caught her eye.

Her tía and tío were laying in one of the small hammocks, together. Félix laid on his back, one arm wrapped around Pepa's back, his hand resting on the curve of her hip. In his other hand, he held a book. Pepa was curled up against her husband, sound asleep. Her head rested against his shoulder. Her left hand laid across his chest.

"Like, I can barely fit in that thing safely. They make it look so easy!" Luisa muttered, crossing her arms. Though she hated to admit it, there had been a few times that she'd misjudged her size and fell out of the hammock.

"To be fair, both of them combined are the size of you." Mirabel poked her sister's bicep, proving her point.

"Which makes me wonder how they can both fit and it not tip over!"

"Shh!" Her sisters hissed. Neither of the adults seemed to notice their eavesdropping, and they wanted to keep it that way. None of them wanted to explain why they were staring, after all.

"It's got to be a balance thing." The youngest reasoned. "Like a counterweight."

"That makes no sense." Isa rolled her eyes. "Tía is literally half the size of Tío Félix. If anything, his weight should flip them."

"Maybe because he's in the center?" Luisa offered.

Mirabel shook her head. It was an idea, but it couldn't possibly be right. "If that were the case, then her weight would through off the balance and they'd tip on her side."

Félix smiled to himself as he listened to the sisters debate amongst themselves. He'd never quite understand why his nieces seemed to be so interested in the small things he and his wife did. More often than not, all four of the female Madrigal children could be found gawking at the pair. Especially in the little moments like this.

Félix didn't mind though. If their spying led them to have good and healthy expectations when it came to finding love, then it would be more than enough for him to keep quiet.

"Mamí? I'm going into town." Camilo called out loudly as he walked downstairs. Instantly, the girls jumped back out of the archway, not wanting to be caught. Camilo resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he walked over to the hammock. "Ugh. You need to get a room."

"We are in a room." Félix said quietly, not wanting to disturb his sleeping wife. He didn't bother to take his eyes off the page in front of him.

"Go to your room." Camilo groaned.

"What are we doing exactly?"

"You're being gross!"

"We're just laying here."

"Then lay in separate hammocks!"

"That's no fun." Félix chuckled as his son threw his hands up in the air, walking out of the courtyard. Unsurprisingly, he felt Pepa shift slightly beneath him. She was a light sleeper and between her son, and their nieces, he was surprised she hadn't woken up sooner. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he spoke softly. "I think we embarrass him, Amor."

"A teenage boy embarrassed by his parent's affection?" Pepa mumbled, burying her head into his shoulder. "Never."

"What are you three doing?"

The cool colored sisters jumped, and spun around with wide eyes, coming face to face with their grandmother. "Nothing Abuela!"

Alma watched with an amused smile as the girls scattered. Shaking her head fondly, she walked into the courtyard. "Pepita, Toñito's on his way to find you."

"Gracias Mamá." Pepa said, not bothering to open her eyes or move from her spot. She didn't need to see him to know that his gaze had shifted down to her. She'd forgotten to tell him about the plans she'd made with their youngest. "Antonio wants to go into the forest later. Parce wants to show him around his old den."

Alma let her eyes flicker to the small fluffy cloud above the middle triplet's head. They say old habits die hard, but Alma kept the comment about the cloud to herself. Pepa had told finally told her about how the constant reprimanding of her clouds had truly affected her. After their talk she'd sworn to herself to never let her daughter feel like that again. "Very well. Be careful."

"Of course, Mamá."

Pepa walked through town, her youngest son balanced happily on her shoulders. Antonio let out a happy squeal as Pico suddenly landed on his mother's yellow headband. A cloud of annoyance formed as Pepa gave her head one shake, trying to detach the bird.

Pico ruffled his feathers as he fluttered up to Antonio's dark curly locks. I don't know why Mamí doesn't like me.

Because you annoy her. Parce said as he pressed his head against Pepa's thigh. The cloud above them disappeared as Pepa reached out, scratching the top of the jaguar's head.

"Mamí likes you." Antonio assured as he reached up to pat the bird's small head.

She likes Parce more.

Because, unlike you, I don't annoy Mamí.

Though he'd never admit it, Antonio knew his jaguar was right. Pico meant well, but he didn't understand that his mother wasn't an animal person. The only reason she was fond of Parce, was that they spent quite a bit of time together.

There were certain things one should know about Parce. First and foremost; he was a jaguar. And jaguars loved water. Parce would come running any time his mother would rain. He'd even gone as far as accompanying her to the fields whenever he got the chance. The cool feeling of the rain pelting his fur was one of the best feelings in the world.

"Just keep out of my hair." Pepa looked up. Pico hopped to the edge of Antonio's head, tilting his head to the side, he looked back. The two stared at each other for a minute.

The sound of children shouting returned everyone's attention back to the streets. A flash of yellow caught Antonio's attention as a familiar yellow ruana appeared from between two houses. Waving excitedly, he shouted to his brother. "Cami!"

Camilo, and three other boys, waved as they approached the pair. As they got closer, Antonio recognized the boys. Julio, Brutus, and Adam were three of his brother's best friends. "Hola Mamí, Toñito."

"Hola Camilito." Pepa smiled down at her oldest son. "What are you doing?"

Just as he did with their mother, Parce pressed himself up against the shapeshifter. Camilo didn't miss a beat, reaching out to run his hand down the jaguar's back. Parce let out a content mew. After all, Camilo was his fifth favorite Madrigal. "Julio and the guys asked me to go play baseball, so I'm going to head over and play a few rounds with them. Where are you going?"

Antonio wiggled on his mother's shoulders. Pepa reached up, lifting him up before placing him onto the ground. Antonio moved closer to his brother, brown eye shining with excitement. "Parce wants to show us his cave!"

Camilo's hazel-green eyes drifted from his brother up to his mother. "Do you want me to come along?"

"No mijo. Go play with your friends."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. We'll be fine." Quicker than he thought she could be, his mother reached out, trapping his face in her hands. Pulling him closer to her, she pressed a kiss against the top of his head. "Te amo."

If they were at home, he wouldn't mind. Truthfully, he was still very much his Mamí's boy. He loved the attention she showed him.

But they weren't at home. His friends were watching. Camilo stepped back, waving his mother away. Once he was free from her grasp, he straightened his ruana and smoothed out his hair. "Ay, Mamí. You're embarrassing me."

"Okay okay. I'll stop. Come on, Papito." Pepa chuckled as she held out her hand, her youngest instantly taking it. The two waved goodbye to Camilo and his friends as they walked away.

Shifting his gaze, something strange caught his attention. A girl, who he'd never seen before, stared at mother as they walked down the road. Camilo didn't take his eyes off the girl, who kept her gaze glued to the redhead.

"Yo! Camilo, you ready?" Julio clapped his hand against Camilo's shoulder. "What are you staring at?"

"Who's that?" The shapeshifter asked as he pointed to the unfamiliar brown-haired girl. "The girl?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, that's Carlos' cousin. I think her name's Zerif or something."

"Zara." Their friend, Brutus, corrected. He'd introduced himself to the girl at the fiesta. The moment he'd seen her he was astounded by her beauty. He wanted to get to know her. But the girl shrugged him off and ignoring his advances.

Julio waved his hand. "Yeah, that."

Brutus stepped tossed the baseball in the air before catching it. "Did she do something?"

"She's staring at Mamí."

Camilo was used to people staring at him and his family. Being gifted with magical powers attracted a lot of attention. So, it wasn't an uncommon occurrence for someone to be staring at him and his family.

In his sixteen years, he'd seen many different expressions from the villagers. Love, hate, envy, adoration. He'd seen it all. But the look in the girl's eyes were different. It wasn't something he'd never witnessed on any of the faces of the villagers of the Encanto. No, it was far too similar to the gleam he'd seen in Parce's eyes when he was hunting.

Exactly like when the jaguar was stalking his prey.

"Dude, a lot of people stare at her. She's hot." Julio wiggled his eyebrows at Camilo. Camilo ignored him knowing full well that his friend had a, not so subtle, crush on his mother. Brutus, on the other hand, slugged his friend in the arm. "Ouch!" The other boys laughed as Julio rubbed the sore spot on his arm. "What?! I'm not wrong! I'm telling you; she could step on me any day."

"You need professional help." Brutus laughed as he reached out, patting Camilo's shoulder. "Come on, Milo. Let's go."

"Yeah, okay." Tearing his gaze away from the girl, he smiled at his friends. The three took off towards the baseball field. Camilo followed a few steps behind them, trying to settle his nerves.

His friends were right. There was nothing to worry about. The girl was a visitor. She must just be admiring his mother like many of the others had done before.

He was just overreacting.

Right?