I'm so, so sorry about the late update. I really didn't intend to take such a long hiatus. Between work, moving, and some other personal things I haven't been able to sit down and work on this as much as I've wanted or needed to. Moving and readjusting my pets to a new place is taking a lot longer than I'd anticipated. So, I don't know for sure when I'll be able to get on a stable updating schedule again. But I do want to let everyone know that I haven't given up on this story.

Reaching into the small basket beside her Julieta handed off the last roll of bread she'd prepared that morning. Pablo, one of the local miners, offered her a wide thankful smile as he stuffed the roll into his mouth. The healer watched as the long jagged cut along his arm stitched itself back together. Satisfied with her work she gave a small nod to Pablo who tipped his hat in gratitude before heading back down the road he'd come.

A tired sigh escaped her lips as she let her mind wander back to the conversation the family had that morning. Brown eyes gazed around the town square. From her stand she held the perfect vantage point to see all of the villagers that ventured past. All throughout the morning the villagers greeted her kindly, just as they had every day. Julieta wanted to believe that none of them would want to bring harm her family.

She truly did.

But she couldn't totally dismiss her eldest daughter's worry. There was no way to be completely certain that someone in their village wasn't behind her sister's disappearance. It was true that the Madrigals were revered as the saving graces of the Encanto. That they were the sole reason the prosperity lasted as long as it had.

But it hadn't always been that way.

In the beginning, most of the villagers feared the Madrigal Triplets. It took nearly two decades of hard work and dedication to prove to the villagers that their abilities were truly gifts. That the Madrigals were worthy of their powers. That keeping them around would benefit not only them, but the Encanto as a whole.

Even then, there were still certain villagers who refused to believe that their abilities were blessings and not curses. The number was small. But it wasn't zero. The small handful of people that still held distain for the Madrigals kept their distance. Most of them even lived outside of the town, opting for a small house in the fields or in the forest.

Julieta wanted to scream. If she were being honest, it took all her self control to not rip the town apart with her brother-in-law. The rational side of her reminded her that acting out right now wouldn't solve anything. Right now, she couldn't risk confronting anyone. If she did, they ran the risk of tipping off whoever had taken Pepa. If kidnappers found out the family was onto them there was no telling what they'd do.

No, as much as she hated to admit it, her mother was right. The best thing they could do for now was wait. At least until they could figure out more information.

So, for now, the healer needed to play her part. She would wait and watch everyone. Hopefully their suspect would slip up. Once Pepa was safe, she'd make them regret ever laying a hand on her sister.

"Hola Julieta!" The familiar voice pulled her from the darkening thoughts. Mustering up a fake smile, she turned towards the voice.

"Hola Adam." The healer said politely, watching as the dark-skinned man came to a stop at her stand. Adam Ortiz was one of Agustín's good friends. "How are you doing today?

Adam lifted his tan hat from his head as he returned her smile with an even brighter one. "I'm alright. How about you? How's the husband doing? Staying out of trouble I hope."

"He..." Julieta began. A memory flashed in her mind. One from the previous night, when her husband finally returned home after looking for Pepa. He gave an awkward smile as sported not only numerous insect bites, but also a rather nasty looking rash. "tries."

"I swear that man is a magnet for trouble."

"You're telling me." Julieta chuckled. "How's the work on Martín and Alexa's barn coming along?"

"Good! We're actually almost done. Everything should be ready well before the donkeys come. That reminds me. You wouldn't happen to have a couple spare arepas laying around, would you? Martín was trying to show off for Alexa and one thing led to another and he ended up dropping a brick on his foot. I think he might have broken a toe."

"You need a couple? Is someone else hurt?"

"Well no. Nothing like that. One is for Martín. The other is for Hernesto."

"Hernesto?"

"Yeah... He was right behind me. You see, I was on my way to see you when I bumped into Carlos and his cousin. Carlos has something else to attend to and asked that I show Hernesto to you. Hopefully to fix his poor nose. Apparently, there was an accident and he's broken it." Adam explained with a chuckle.

"Ah! There you are." The new voice pulled the pair's attention. The oldest triplet leaned to the side, just far enough that she could see past Adam's arm. She could see an unfamiliar face sauntering up behind her friend. From just one look, she could tell that this man was one of the newcomers. One member of Santos' group.

One of the prime suspects.

"I'm sorry, amigo. I didn't realize you weren't behind me until I was already here." Adam gave the man's shoulder a friendly slap. "How rude of me. Hernesto, let me introduce you to the greatest gift our village has to offer."

It took a lot of effort, but healer managed to bring forth a wide smile. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Julieta Madrigal."

"Ah so this is the wondrous healer of the Encanto that I keep hearing about." Hernesto said. Reaching out he took ahold of her hand. Slowly he brought the back of her hand to his lips. "The stories of your beauty don't do you justice."

Julieta managed to keep her fake smile from turning into disgust from the man's overly friendly gesture. Taking advantage of their unwanted closeness, the healer glanced at the hands that held her own. From what she could see, neither of them showed any signs of being bitten. Which only meant that this wasn't the man that Pico had escaped from. However, that didn't mean he still wasn't involved somehow. Pulling her hand back, she tucked them into her apron pockets. "Yes, I'm sure my husband likes to exaggerate those stories. What can I do for you today?"

"I was told that your food is a healing miracle. Unfortunately, there was a little accident. As you can see."

"Accident?"

"Ah, yes. I seem to have broken my nose."

"May I?"

"It would be an honor."

Leaning down towards her, Julieta let her eyes travel over the wound. Dark purple bruises covered both sides of his cheeks. The bridge of his nose was slightly out of place. From what she could see, it was certainly broken.

"Hopefully there wasn't any trouble? I know some of the villagers can be a little, rough when they've had a few drinks."

"No, not at all. It's kind of embarrassing actually. You see; my uncle, nephew, niece, and I went out fishing this morning. Lorenzo, my nephew, was holding back a rather large branch for us to walk past. He thought I was a safe distance away. However, I wasn't. Before I knew what happened I was on the ground. And well, you see the aftermath."

Something about the man's story didn't sit well with the eldest triplet. While she may not have studied to be a doctor, Julieta learned a fair share of information in her decades of healing wounds. She'd witnessed almost everything one could possibly think of. Cuts, rashes, broken bones, even the flu. Every time she was presented with an injury, she would inspect it as quickly as she could before healing the person.

And then there was Agustín.

The was no disputing that the man was a magnet for trouble. It was because of him that she'd witnessed, on more than one occasion, the aftermath of a branch smacking human skin. Each time it'd happened, her beloved would come home, griping the area that had been hit. There would always be a cut, or gash, from where the branch had come into contact with skin. Surely, the area around it would turn various shades of black and blue, but it wouldn't spread far past the affected area.

Examining the area, Julieta was certain the man was lying.

The bruising that littered Hernesto's nose and cheeks was different. She couldn't deny that something had, in fact, collided with his face. But had it been a branch like he said, the force needed to break his nose would have also left behind a nasty gash. However, there was no sign of such branch. The only mark on his face was the bruising.

Brusing that looked oddly like the aftermath of one of Pepa's infamous headbutts.

Pepa was quick to anger and even quicker to react. Especially in their younger days. She'd fought nearly half of the men in the Encanto. She'd won each fight by a landslide, without even using her powers. And each man had sported a broken nose.

Just like Hernesto's.

Brown eyes narrowed, but she kept the forced smile in place. She couldn't risk tipping them off that she was suspicious of them. Not yet at least. "I'm sorry to hear that. I've actually just run out of food. So, I'm terribly sorry but I won't be able to heal you today."

"Alas. That's life, I guess. Maybe it's just karma."

"I wouldn't doubt it." Her face was friendly, but her tone was deadly. "Karma has a way of coming around. Especially to those who deserve its punishments."

Hernesto cleared his throat as he shrugged off Adam's arm. Taking a step back, he turned to face the man to his right. "Thank you for showing me around the town, Adam. But I should be getting back. Carlos and I have some chores to do."

"Do you need any help? I'm pretty decent with a hammer."

"Thank you. I'm sure we'll be fine, though." Hernesto assured. Glancing back at Julieta, he flashed her a smile. This one nowhere near as confident as his last. "I wish you and your family a nice day, Señora Madrigal."

Julieta's smile only widened. "You as well."