* Author's Note *

Bet you thought I was dead! But I'm not!

But Mirabel still is. (Sorry. Horrible joke.)

I wanted to apologize about how long it's been since I last posted. This chapter was REALLY hard to write and I got stuck on it for a couple of weeks. Work and emotions also got in the way too. However, I will be trying to upload at least every two weeks. Hopefully I find a better rhythm to upload more consistently than that.

Anyways, enjoy the chapter! Your support and comments fuel my strength to write this.

Chapter 3 - Old Familia

Mirabel quickly discovered that being a spirit meant having no stamina limits.

She had been running from Casita for 30 minutes and had made extraordinary ground. She was deep into the jungle surrounding the Encanto, making her way towards the mountains. Mirabel decided that she would figure out what to do after she had left.

Her path through the jungle would have taken her hours in her body, but her ethereal form made it effortless. Her spirit passed through small plants and vegetation, making the run easier. She had accidentally run through a tree at one point, which left a large tingling sensation throughout her spirit. Mirabel had to stop for a few seconds to recover from the experience, as the overwhelming sensation left her startled.

Under different circumstances, Mirabel would have found this exciting. She would have stopped on multiple occasions to see what her spirit could pass through and see what else it could do.

Instead, all Mirabel felt was sadness.

As each step drove her farther away from home, a bit more pain accumulated inside of her. She wanted to go back to see her family. She yearned for someone to comfort her, to tell her it would all be ok and that was just a bad dream.

But the guilt held her back.

Mirabel couldn't imagine how her family felt about her. How could she go back to them when she had killed the Miracle? What would they say? Would they continue to ignore her like after her gift ceremony? Or would they be hateful and vengeful towards her because of what she did? Not like they could do much to her now anyways.

As she continued forward, the thoughts in her mind turned darker, coming out as mocking whispers.

Weak.

Pathetic.

Can't do anything right.

"Stop it," Mirabel whispered to herself. Unconsciously, she started to run faster. But the voices seemed to grow in number. The jungle around her seemed to grow darker, closing in around her.

Never perfect.

Failure.

Giftless.

Worthless.

"Stop," Mirabel growled.

The useless Madrigal.

"Shut up!" Mirabel screamed. As she spoke, she ran out of the jungle and into a small clearing. Catching her off guard, she barely stopped in the middle of it.

Looking up, Mirabel realized that she was standing in front of a mountain that had cracked in half. The edges were jagged and rough, giving off a frightful appearance. It was clear that no force of nature could have done this.

Stepping closer, Mirabel realized that she had inadvertently found her way out of the Encanto. She wondered what could have done this before remembering Tio Bruno's vision she witnessed inside Antonio's room. It had shown the mountain cracking in half when the Miracle died.

Bruno's vision had come true. The Encanto was no longer protected, but exposed to the outside world. And it was her fault.

She fell to her knees, no longer being able to hold in the pain. She started to sob, to try to get rid of these awful feelings. But tears were impossible to produce without her body. Only her anguished voice rang out across the clearing.

It wasn't fair! All she wanted was to save the Miracle. All she wanted was to help her familia. To prove she wasn't worthless!

But she messed up like she always did. She should have listened to Abuela when she told her to stay out of the way. She knew Isabela was right when she said Mirabel was pathetically trying too hard. She should have taken her mother's advice to not overdo herself.

As she knelt there in the forest trying to cry, Mirabel wished it had happened differently. She wanted another chance to make things right. Another chance to save the Miracle.

If she had that chance, maybe she would have the courage to go back. To face her family and give them back what she had taken from them. But what could she do? She was dead! What use could she be to them now?

Mirabel was so consumed in her sorrow that she was oblivious to the world around her. After what seemed like hours, a soft voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hola señorita. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Mirabel jumped at the sound of the voice and got back onto her feet quickly. How had they snuck up on her? She tried to recall if she had heard footsteps, but realized she had not heard their approach.

Looking up, Mirabel saw who the voice belonged to. A man in his mid-twenties stood before her, clothed in a black ruana. His brown hair swept down the sides of his head and his facial hair was short and tidy. He had a look of fatherly concern on his face.

Staring at him, Mirabel realized the man looked familiar. She knew she had seen him before. Was he from the village? Afraid, she started to back away, not wanting to frighten another person.

"Please forgive me señorita," the man said. He held up his hands in a peace gesture. "I did not mean to startle you. I came to check on the crack in the mountain and…"

The man stopped talking as he looked directly at Mirabel's face. He stared at her for a moment before his concerned expression suddenly changed into one of shock.

"Mirabel?" he asked. "Is that…really you?"

Mirabel stopped in her tracks. How did this man know her?

Then it hit her. She had seen him everyday. But not in the village or on the outskirts of it. She had seen him inside Casita. Every morning she would say good morning to his portrait near the stairs.

"Abuelo?" Mirabel asked.

# - - - - # - - - - #

Today had been one of the most confusing days of Mirabel's life.

Well, could it be part of her life if she was dead? Would it be the strangest day of her un-life? Spirit journey? Beyond the veil?

Mirabel shook her head in confusion, trying to figure out what it was. She settled with the fact that it was the most confusing day of her existence.

She hadn't expected to die as she tried to save the Miracle. Being a spirit was hard to wrap her head around. And all the negative feelings of doubt, guilt, and pain were also being piled on her.

Oh and she could see and talk with her long lost Abuelo too. Why not?

After they reunited, Abuelo Pedro had decided that they needed to talk somewhere else. He was going to walk through the town, but after Mirabel told him about her incident with Isabela seeing her, he decided to take the long way.

They had been walking for about ten minutes, making their way through the jungle on a small game trail. Pedro seemed to be in deep thought on their journey. Mirabel hadn't talked to him a lot while walking because she didn't want to interrupt his thinking.

Also because she had no clue what to say to him.

Mirabel was still trying to process the fact that she was able to speak with her Abuelo. After hearing about him for years, being mythologized by Abuela, she was suddenly nervous to speak to him.

She tried to reason with herself that there was no need to be nervous. He was just her Abuelo. A part of her family.

But he had been amazing! Abuela constantly talked about how talented he was with his poetry, how vividly he could capture a moment with words. He was kind, loyal, and willing to serve those around him. And he had stood in the way of the raiders to save Abuela and their children!

So maybe she was a little nervous about talking to him.

As they walked, Mirabel kept staring at his face to soak up all the details. A painting could only convey so much about a person. And after looking at a picture for years, Mirabel wanted to know more about him.

Abuelo Pedro had caught her staring at him a couple of times, to which Mirabel promptly found her feet to be very interesting. One time she saw him smile briefly before slipping back into his thoughts.

Before long, the game trail became wider. It seemed to be more maintained than the rest of it. Mirabel noticed Pedro was looking at her. When she met his gaze, he gave her an awkward smile, which surprised her.

"We're almost there," he said. "Are you doing ok?"

Mirabel let out a nervous chuckle. "Well, I'm still trying to come to terms with…all of it."

Abuelo Pedro held his smile, but Mirabel noticed it had become sad. "The experience of death and becoming a spirit is hard for anyone to come to terms with."

"Was it hard for you?"

"Extremely, But I'd rather not get into it."

Mirabel was about to ask why when Pedro motioned for her to keep going. Following him, they soon emerged into a large glade, which stopped Mirabel in her tracks.

A small river flowed through the glade, stopping in a small pool surrounded by stones. A multitude of crystals were in the water and in the surrounding area. Various colors seemed to dance through the clearing. A multitude of baskets hung from weathered statues and graves. They seemed to hold a variety of common objects. A pathway made of cobblestone led away from the glade to the village.

Mirabel recognized the place as Encanto's graveyard. She remembered that there weren't a lot of people buried here, as the Encanto wasn't very old. There were less than 30 graves here.

"What are we doing here Abuelo?" Mirabel asked.

"I figured we need a nice place to talk," Abuelo Pedro said. "Normally, graveyards aren't the best place for a…nice talk. However, I've always found this place quite beautiful."

Abuelo Pedro sat down on a smooth stone and beckoned Mirabel to sit next to him. Nervously, Mirabel slowly made her way towards him and sat down.

"This is one of my favorite places to sit actually," he said. "The people of Encanto made this place very beautiful. They've taken quite a responsibility to respect the dead."

"It's nice," Mirabel said. "I remember coming here to see your grave with the familia on the Day of the Dead."

Abuelo Pedro put one of his hands on his face in embarrassment. "Don't…don't get me started on my grave. I think Alma commissioned it to be too fancy. And the poem line I wrote that they put on there was a bit too cheesy. Honestly, I would have preferred something simpler, but I'm grateful Alma wanted to give me something nice."

He took his hand off of his face and brushed off his ruana, even though there was no dirt on it. "Forgive me, I'm rambling. I'm just a bit nervous to be talking to my nieta after all these years."

Mirabel looked at him in surprise. She didn't realize that Pedro had a shy side to him. Abuela had always talked about how he had been outgoing. While looking at him, she realized that his nervousness reminded her of Bruno's quietness. She smiled at the thought, realizing where Bruno got his quiet and meek side from.

"Anyways, let's get back to the topic at hand," Abuelo Pedro began. "I am curious to know why Isabella saw you as a spirit. I've heard of only a few circumstances where that's happened."

"Yeah, it doesn't really make sense to me either. I mean…" Mirabel suddenly stopped when she registered what Pedro had said. "Wait. You said 'a few circumstances'. Has this happened before?"

"I believe so. Well, I mean I've heard stories. Once I died and found out about the magic our familia inherited, I traveled the spirit world to find information about magic to see if I could help any of you. I looked for years to see if I could appear to Alma."

He shook his head abruptly. "Getting off topic. While on my journeys, I heard stories of individuals being able to be visible to mortal eyes after they died through some kind of magic. The spirits I talked to called them Bright Souls. And I think you fit that description. The clothes under your ruana are the brightest shade of white I've ever seen. Also, you seem to carry a glow within you. It makes your spirit look solid, and not see through."

"So you're saying I came back through some kind of magic?" Mirabel asked.

"Not just saying it, but I am convinced you did. Though I'm not sure what kind of magic."

"The Miracle."

Pedro's head snapped upwards towards her. "You think the Miracle gave you this?"

"I think so. I mean, I died trying to save it. It would make sense, right?"

"Yes, that is a definite possibility. Right now, I could take that as a good explanation. I think I might look into more and maybe contact some spirits I know to find out. But first, I want to try something." He reached down for the hem of her ruana. "May I?"

Confused, Mirabel nodded. Pedro grabbed it and closed his eyes. He sat there for a few moments, seemingly in concentration. They sat there in silence for a few minutes, the sounds of the jungle echoing around them. Mirabel wondered if she should say something before Abuelo Pedro gasped quietly.

"What is it?" Mirabel asked.

"In my years being dead, I've been able to pick up a few tricks," he said. "One of those tricks is being able to sense magical energy. This ruana seems to not be a typical spirit shroud, but has magical properties in it. I believe it would allow you to somehow mask your glow."

Pedro ran his thumbs on the fabric, as if trying to gauge something. "I believe if you put on your hood, you will be able to become invisible to any person. Having this power is quite the opportunity. Imagine what you could do with this!"

Mirabel looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Abuelo Pedro let go of her ruana and laid one of his hands on top of Mirabel's, which felt odd to her because she couldn't feel it. "Mirabel, you have a wonderful opportunity, a gift even." She slightly flinched when he said gift. "You have the chance to visit your family again. To help them move on from your passing."

"But I can't go back to my family!" Mirabel said as she jumped up from the rock. Panicking, she started to back away from Abuelo Pedro. "I took everything from them. The magic is dead because of me."

"That's not entirely true," he said. "Magic cannot not die. It is still here."

She stopped moving backwards. "That's impossible. The mountain cracked. Our familia lost their gifts. How can the magic still be here?"

"Look around you Mirabel," Abuelo Pedro said as he stood up, sweeping his arm across the jungle. "The mountains the magic created still stand. The prosperity of the crops will be weaker, but will still grow faster than any other crop outside this valley. The magic isn't dead. It's just spread thin to hold everything together. And it's dormant also, inside of our familia."

"What do you mean it's dormant?"

"The Miracle has always been tied to our familia. When we were happy, the Miracle was strong. But when we were over burdened, stressed, and hiding our emotions from one another, the Miracle's strength started to fade. The hidden turmoil inside our familia is what killed the magic, not you Mirabel. But the magic now lays dormant inside them, waiting for the cracks inside to be fixed."

Mirabel's mind stopped all together for a moment to process what she was hearing. "Wait. You're saying the Miracle can be saved if the family's problems are fixed?"

"Well it's not that simple," he said. "Our family's scars are not something that can be healed quickly. They have to work through them with time and love. It's not something that can be fixed in a week. And besides, they have to move on from your death first. That's why I think you need to say goodbye to them, to help them heal."

But Mirabel wasn't listening anymore. A plan started to form in her head. If the magic was still inside them…

"I could still save the Miracle," Mirabel whispered.

Abuelo Pedro suddenly stopped talking. Mirabel looked at him to find him staring right at her. His eyes seemed to be full of worry.

"I don't think that's a good idea Mirabel," he said. She was surprised to hear his voice had changed from love and care to cold and warning. "Our familia needs to move on from the past, not be stuck in it."

"But I can help them do that if I fix their relationships!" Mirabel excitedly said. "If I fix the cracks in our familia, then the magic could come back right?"

"I never said you could accomplish that Mirabel. It's a possibility that the Miracle could come back. But you can't fix that in a short amount of time."

"Who said it had to be a short amount of time? I could stick around with them for months! I can figure out what to do."

"But you can't Mirabel! You can't stay with them."

"Well why not?"

"Because you're running out of time!"

The graveyard suddenly became silent. Mirabel's mind halted at what Abuelo Pedro said to her. She stared at him, not being able to comprehend what he had said. He stared back at her, the grandfatherly figure that stood before her was now replaced with a stern figure who she didn't recognize.

"What…what do you mean that I'm running out of time?" Mirabel asked. "I'm already dead."

Pedro's dementor shifted to one of concern. "Bright Souls cannot appear to the living forever. There's always a time limit for them before they fade away into the Spirit World. They only last a couple of days, maybe weeks if they're lucky. You can't fix our familia in that time limit."

"But…how am I supposed to know how much time I have left?"

"The sands of time run out as we speak, displayed right there on your ruana," Pedro said as he pointed at her.

Mirabel looked at where he was pointing to see a golden stitched hourglass. What she thought was a symbol of her Tio Bruno she could now see was a clock. A thin strand of fabric flowed down from top of the hour glass to the bottom. A small bit of fabric collected at the bottom of the glass, while the top half was nearly full.

"I'm sorry Mirabel," Abuelo Pedro said. "I know that you want to stay with our familia. But the dead must leave the living. There is no going back. That is why I suggest you use your time wisely, and help them move on from you."

Move on? Mirabel thought. The thought pounded in her head like a hammer. She didn't want her familia to move on from her. She didn't want their last memory of her breaking their Miracle.

No, she wouldn't let them remember her like that. She wouldn't be remembered as the useless Madrigal, the girl who broke the magic. She had the chance to do something about it, and she wasn't going to let go of that.

She wasn't going to wait on a miracle again.

Mirabel looked up at Pedro. "No Abuelo. I have a chance to fix what I did. I am going to find a way to help my family heal. I am going to find a way to stay with them. And I am going to bring back the Miracle."

Pedro stepped back as if he had been slapped. His eyes were full of worry. "Mirabel…please. Let them move on."

Mirabel turned around, her back towards her Abuelo. If she still had her body, it would have been trembling by now. From guilt or excitement, she couldn't tell. The raw feelings inside her almost seemed too much to bear. But her determination overshadowed the chaos inside her.

"I'm sorry Abuelo. But I'm not going to be remembered as the Madrigal who accomplished nothing in her family."

And then Mirabel walked away from the graveyard, her mind racing about how she could save the Miracle.