Epilogue

10:45pm

A knock came at Mirabel's door, and she instantly knew it was Isabela. Her connection to Casita had gotten stronger. As she and Antonio had rested on her bed, talking about what a wild day they'd had, Mirabel had absentmindedly practiced expanding her senses to take in what was happening in the whole house. "Come in," Mirabel called.

Isabela opened the door and poked her head in. "Can we still talk?"

"Sure," Mirabel said, sitting up. She smiled at Antonio. "I bet your má wants you to get ready for bed anyway."

Antonio made a face, but he got the hint. He used the connecting door between their two rooms to leave.

Isabela stared. "Why is he going into the closet?"

Mirabel got out of bed. "Oh, that's not a closet, that's a door connecting our rooms. I made it this evening."

"You…made it?" Isabela's face went slack.

Mirabel shrugged. "Turns out, I can ask Casita to make adjustments to anything in the house. Why?"

Isabela ran to her and hugged her. "That's amazing! You're amazing." She smiled. "But you always were. I just didn't see it because I was too self-absorbed in my own problems."

"Let's not talk about that," Mirabel said wryly. "I think we've already talked about it enough. You said you wanted to talk to me about the whole, 'Abuela's new heir' thing?"

Isabela sat down on Mirabel's bed with her and kept an arm around Mirabel. "Yeah. I'm worried that this is going to turn into something seriously bad. She crushed me, Mirabel. She made me some kind of flower-spewing beauty contest freak. And now she wants to do the same thing to you. Minus the flowers. I just know it. She's going to try to turn you inside out and make you like her vision of what you should be like. I don't want that. I just got to know you, and…" Tears welled up in her eyes. "I feel like I'm losing you already."

"You're not losing me," Mirabel said, alarmed. "I'm still me. I'm just…a more powerful version of me." She gestured with one hand. "I can do things now. This is what I've always wanted." She took a deep breath. "Yeah, this is a big adjustment. But I wouldn't want things to go back to the way they were before."

"Of course not, that's not what I mean," Isabela said quickly. "Things were bad before. I don't want to go back, either. It's just…is you being Abuela's heir really the way forward?"

Mirabel shrugged. "I'll just have to try it and see what I feel. It's too early to tell whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. But I know I care about the Encanto and everyone in it. We're not perfect. But we're a family. We all are. Everyone in the Encanto is one big family. We united over what happened 50 years ago, and now we're apart from everyone else in the world. That makes strong bonds. Or it should. We should be close to each other, we should all help each other, we should all care. It's not just one family's responsibility to care, no matter how 'amazing' we are."

Isabela hugged her. "You sound like a real leader right now. More than I ever did. Maybe this will work out after all."

"Are you willing to make that vote of confidence a public speech?" Mirabel asked. "Because it might come to that."

"Absolutely," Isabela said, her brow furrowed with determination.

Mirabel smiled. "I know I'll be okay with such a great older sister standing by my side."

Isabela hugged her again tightly. "I know the Encanto will be okay with such a generous little sister in charge. You see the best in us. You genuinely want the best for us. And that's going to make you a great leader. Better than Abuela ever was."

Another knock came at the door, and this time it was Mamá. "Come in," Mirabel called, a little amused. I should have known Má would want to check on me.

Má slipped inside Mirabel's room and shut the door behind her, looking briefly surprised that Isabela sat on the bed next to Mirabel. "May I join you?"

"The more the merrier," Mirabel said, smiling.

Má sat between Isabela and Mirabel on the bed and wrapped her arms around both of them. "This has been a difficult day for everyone, and I am so proud of both of you for how well you have held up." She kissed each of them on the head. I've just come from Luisa's room, and I'm going to tell you what I told her: I am very, very proud of you. You stood up for yourselves when it was difficult, and you did an excellent job. I know I don't have to be afraid of the future now. I have three very capable daughters."

"Má," Mirabel complained half-heartedly.

Isabela hugged Má tightly. "Thank you. I wasn't sure if you were angry, and just putting on a show earlier…"

"I think your new hair, and your new style, is very striking," Má said. "I don't know how anyone else is going to feel about your decision to wear men's clothes, and I've never seen a woman do so before, but what I want most in the world is for you to be happy."

Pá opened the door and called, "Is this a ladies' event only?"

Mirabel rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "No, you're allowed. Come on in and shut the door."

But before he could, Luisa was there too.

Snorting softly, Mirabel stood up and gathered her family around her that way. Even with magic, she didn't want to risk breaking her bed frame. They all hugged her, and she did her best to hug them in return.

"I can barely take it all in," Pá confessed. "My little Miraboo, future leader of the Encanto."

"If I had that much responsibility, I'd be a nervous wreck," Luisa said. "I had to check on you."

"I won't let Abuela crush you into paste," Isabela said. "I promise."

"I love how brave you are, but is this really okay?" Má asked.

The warmth of the Miracle kicked in Mirabel's chest, letting her know she was genuinely loved and cherished. "I'm fine. And this time, I really mean it."