"Tell me, how did it all begin?"

"Oh, well. Mirabel chased me."

"Wh…? Excuse me?"

"She got into my hiding place, chased me, and then… she followed me again, but more calmly this time, hehehe."

"Why are you laughing? Doesn't sound like much fun, actually."

"Oh, no, it wasn't. It was scary. She is scary."

"And, even so, you do want to…?"

"She's scary in a good way, you know?"

"Is there a good way for scary?"

"There is for me. Her energy was overwhelming and invasive; it still is, in fact. But she was full of light. It was as if she didn't ask permission to bring spring into your long and tedious winter."

"Very poetic."

"I had plenty of time to read."

"I can imagine. Bruno, to tell the truth, I owe you an apology, I… I was unfair to you; you didn't deserve the…"

"Oh, no, no, no, please. No need to apologize. Anyone would have done the same. They did, in fact… No, what I mean is… please don't go any further, or it will make me even more uncomfortable, and we both probably want to keep this as easy as possible."

"Fine, we'll do it as you wish, but now, at least you know how I feel."

"Uh… Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

"… "

"…"

"…"

"So tell me, did you really save Mirabel's life in that mysterious void in the house?"

"Oh, that? Nah, it wasn't that high."

"But you didn't know that, did you?"

"Well, no, but it has no merit; I just couldn't let her fall."

"She did that to you."

"Oh, yeah… but… she didn't mean to. It's just that people aren't very used to rats. Poor misunderstood beings…"

"Yeah… sure. And, what happened after that?"

"After? Well… she invaded my physical and emotional intimacy, broke all my shields, extracted information from me by making that pouty face that broke my soul, and forced me to use my powers. She is a woman with a strong will, you know?"

"A woman…"

"She is a woman."

"So, you know how to get serious, huh?"

"If I weren't being serious, I wouldn't be here."

"Okay, so she chased you, interrogated you, and imposed her ways on you. What was so good about her?"

"She was fighting. Mirabel always fights and tries her best to help others. She was giving it her all, swimming upstream to help her family and to prove to herself that she also had a place in it."

"It must have been hard for her to always feel different."

"She felt rejected. Time after time."

"Poor girl. Do you see yourself reflected in her?"

"No way. She faces life. I hid in a hole."

"I understand that you admired her, but tell me, what else attracted you to her?"

"She wasn't afraid of me. I know it's ridiculous, but for the first time since I received my gift, someone looked me in the eye without judging or fearing me. It was as if she could see right through me. But, not only that, but she was also sweet, dedicated, understanding… And yet, she was unable to see herself. She didn't realize how much her family needed her."

"Did you really leave the family for her?"

"It wasn't her fault: she was just a victim."

"Have you told that to her?"

"She knows that it was the systematic prejudice of others that made me leave; I couldn't see any other way to keep it from falling on her as well. But I think she still feels guilty…"

"C'mon, Bruno, don't worry. She's fine."

"She is suffering, do I have to remind you why I am here?"

"Fine, go on then. What was it like leaving the family?"

"Well… I don't know if we can say I left it."

"It's been ten years without seeing or hearing from you, Bruno."

"True, but… I did saw and hear them."

"Yes, but you missed ten years of hugs, games with your sister's children, balanced meals, talks and jokes…"

"Yeah…"

"I… Oye, I don't mean to sink you. What I want is for you to ask yourself if what you felt wasn't the impression of having real contact with someone more than real love."

"I've seen her grow up, ¿sabe? Always trying to impress Abuela, always putting herself down but striving to find her place, always believing that she didn't deserve to be part of the family, but being a pillar for everyone without them noticing her. But I could see it; I didn't understand why she hadn't obtained a gift like the others, but it was clear that if that girl was special, it was for the better, never for the worse."

"You… I can't believe I'm about to ask you this. Were you attracted to her?"

"Well, I'm not going to deny that, without walls in between, her beauty was much more dazzling, but, at the time, I was worried enough not to…"

"No, before that."

"When?"

"When you left, while you watched her grow up…"

"What?! No! For goodness sake! She was a child! What the heck are you thinking of?!"

"She was also a child after your reencounter!"

"Is not the same! By then, legally or not, she was no longer a child."

"Nor an adult."

"Listen, really, until that day, I loved her, but as my niece that she was."

"She is still your niece."

"She is so much more than that now."

"Bruno, seriously, what does Mirabel mean to you?"

"Mirabel… Mirabel is one surprise after another. She's been changing my life from end to end since she appeared in it. Her answers are always something completely unexpected that fills me with warmth and dread at the same time; her actions and her words go from rude to tender in a fraction of a second; her hands are soft and always warm, and they give you all the security in this world… It's hard to explain, do you understand? When she confronted Abuela and everything fell apart… she fiercely defended me; as if Abuela had really touched something very important to her. She was very brave."

"I didn't know you were there."

"Of course not: no one did."

"How did you manage not to be found for ten years without leaving the house?"

"Mehh… I'm good at hiding…"

"You don't want to tell me?"

"Mirabel and Antonio are the only ones who know the exact place where I spent those ten years, and honestly, I like it that way. It's like a silly secret between us."

"Okay, you don't have to tell me."

"Thank you, again."

"How did you feel when she stood up for you?"

"I felt… appreciated. I wasn't used to seeing someone take a risk for me."

"And, then?"

"Then? Then…"

"Then you defended her. You faced your mother and tried to charge with all the blame making it clear that you were not going to allow her to hurt Mirabel."

"Oh well, that was ridiculous and totally unnecessary."

"But, again, you didn't know that."

"I knew it had been ridiculous; I even fell to the ground…"

"And, what happened next?"

"Next? Mirabel raised our spirits to all, the reconstruction of the house began, and…"

"And?"

"And… During those months, I had more fun than I had ever had in my life. My sisters, my brothers-in-law, my nephews and nieces, Abuela… they all welcomed me with open arms. There were no reproaches but love, tons of love. And it was wonderful; terribly uncomfortable, but still cozy. However, with her, the feeling was different."

"What do you mean?"

"I felt… too good with her."

"It is possible to feel too good?"

"Yes if the person that makes you feel that way is your niece, a minor, and thirty-five years, four months, and twenty days younger than you."

"Wow… you keep a very accurate account."

"It was an important aspect to consider."

"And, how was that 'too good'?"

"I have four nieces and two nephews, but only one of them invades my thoughts day and night; I only follow with interest the gaze of one of them; it's only Mirabel that makes me laugh like a fool, and makes me shiver with every touch. I… I can more or less communicate with all of them, but with none of them do I feel the ease and freedom that I feel with her."

"So, she made you feel free?"

"And repressed all at once."

"I don't know if I want to know."

"Don't ask if you don't want to know."

"Tell me, we'll see if I sleep a wink tonight."

"Nothing that terrible, but probably something you shouldn't feel with your sister's daughter."

"Did you want her?"

"Maybe in an unconscious way. I got all nervous next to her and tripped over my tongue again and again."

"Aren't you always like that?"

"Yeah… thanks for the note… But… the nerves she caused me weren't social, you know? There was no fear, it was like… like a natural reaction to her closeness. I could hug the rest of the family, but, with her… I always ended up clumsily patting her head like a puppy's or softly hitting with my fist on her shoulder because I didn't dare get any closer. And yet, in those moments, I felt like an electric current between us. Of course, I thought I was the only one who felt it, so I felt ridiculous and in the wrong place, but… when our eyes met, for that short seconds... it just seemed like the right thing to feel. And, finally, as the days went by… the desire became more and more conscious."

"Could you give me an example?"

"Is it really necessary to give so many details?"

"You do want my answer, don't you?"

"Okay… It's okay, Bruno: deep breath. You are not doing anything wrong. … … It was already the beginning of June and the rainy season continued to hit hard. Casita was still little more than a project, and with the water, progress was slow and lumbering. Well, there was that night…"