Chapter 2

A week later, it was a rainy day in Encanto.

Isabela wondered if her tía Pepa was in an unrivalled bad mood, as the rain kept pouring ruthlessly from the dark, glowering clouds.

The Madrigals were still out and about with their chores when the first thunder had shaken the sky, making the smaller kids of the town hurry to their homes in fear. It wasn't long until the people who remained outside were mostly soaking wet, including the gifted ones, each of whom made their way towards Casita.

Except for Isabela, who had only managed to get under the roof of a house, which was wide enough to offer shelter. The storm was already too strong for her to go home without getting her dress wetter than it already was or coming down with an unwanted cold.

She had been waiting for the rain to get less aggressive for what seemed like an eternity, contemplating whatever came to her mind, when she suddenly heard rushing footsteps, in spite of the infernal noise that the rain smashing against the cobblestone was making.

"Mirabel! What on earth!?" she yelled when the teenager came into her line of vision. She thrusted a vine in her direction, which caught her forearm a bit too roughly before she was yanked under the roof, stumbling to her knees.

"Gracias, Isa!"

Mirabel was panting heavily, a hand on her chest. Damp, now less curly strands of hair were sticking to her cheeks and forehead, while her short-sleeved shirt and skirt seemed to be molded on her body shape. Isabela briefly pondered how her sister was still able to see through her full-of-droplets glasses.

She wanted to push her away, but something inside her just didn't let her do it. Mirabel appeared so tiny out of the blue and her heart clenched at the sight of her little sister being on the verge of getting ill from the bad weather.

Acting on the older and protective sister instinct, she quickly took out her handkerchief and knelt down beside Mirabel, who had started sneezing and shivering, making a futile attempt at warming herself up by rubbing her bare arms.

Mirabel's eyes grew wide when Isabela took off her spectacles and gently began dabbing her face with the flower-smelling handkerchief. Despite not being able to see her clearly, she was still able to make out the soft look and fond smile on her sister's face. Oh, how she had been missing Isabela's affection!

She allowed herself to relish in the care she was wordlessly offered, closing her eyes with a content smile. The best part of it all was that nothing was a dream. Even if it lasted for only a couple of minutes, she was going to treasure these precious moments in her heart forever, for who knew if she was ever going to be given other ones?

She opened her eyes only when she felt the hands had stopped moving across her face and through her wet hair. Isabela was staring at her, seemingly lost in thought, the lime green glasses still in her left hand.

"Isa? Did I do something wrong?" she questioned, hesitant.

The young woman snapped out of her daze, handing her the glasses. "No, Mira, no. I'm sorry." she responded, too kindly compared to what Mirabel was used to.

"Sorry!? What are you sorry for, Hermana? You did nothing wrong. I'm the one who has drenched your handkerchief, who shouldn't have been wandering the streets, who-"

"Shhh, Mirabel. It's okay, it's alright. Por favor, get in here, you're going to catch a cold and I don't want that." Isabela said, opening her arms broadly.

Mirabel was utterly shocked. Why was Señorita Perfecta suddenly so nice to her? Was it a prank? Was she really a laughing stock now? Yet Isabela's tenderness seemed genuine. Her eyes held no sign of lie or mockery, more like pure apprehension as she gestured to her to come closer. Which the fifteen-year-old Madrigal eventually did.

The embrace was not an awkward one. It did feel a little odd after so many years in which they had been drifting apart, but it had not lost its familial warmth. Mirabel had to squeeze her eyes shut in order not to let tears form, but they did anyway before rolling down the sides of her face. If Isabela noticed, she kept quiet nonetheless; Mirabel had a feeling she was crying too.

Isabela glanced in the distance, where lightning was repeatedly flashing like claws reaching out for whatever was beneath, followed by furious thunderclaps. She automatically wrapped her arms tighter around the one she was in charge of. A distant memory flickered to life in her mind.

Flashback

Twelve years ago, Mirabel, Isabela and Luisa were playing in the latter's room when the older sisters were called downstairs to help out for a short while, leaving the youngest girl alone.

Curious and having an inclination to discover the world like any small child, she climbed onto the sill of the opened window which overlooked the town and stared outside in wonder. In spite of Casita's efforts to protect her, she still witnessed the rage of nature.

It was Mirabel's very first unlucky day. The sky exploded in flashes of lightning and the deafening thunderbolts caused the child to topple over in surprise and horror.

Not long after, Julieta, along with her husband and daughters, found little Mirabel crying on the floor, covering her ears and trembling as the sky lights illuminated her tiny frame. Her right elbow was bruised and one of the hinges of her glasses had been broken off.

It took the parents about a dozen minutes to calm their daughter down, but the damage had been done. Isabela and Luisa received a stern lecture from Alma on how to be more responsible and vigilant.

End of flashback

That had been the starting point of Mirabel's fear of thunderstorms. Afterwards, whenever there was a cloudburst outside, even a tempest, no matter if it belonged to Pepa or Mother Nature, she would instinctively seek solace from her family, mainly from her parents, sisters and grandmother.

Isabela believed that her fear had gradually come to an end over the years, as Mirabel did not pay much attention to thunderstorms anymore, proof being the fact that she was staying still in her arms right now.

I must get her somewhere warm. She thought, but realized it was too late.

"Isabela! Mirabel! Come inside!"

Señora Guzmán's head had popped from a nearby open window.

Isabela cursed under her breath. Had it not been for her sister, she would have forced herself to walk away.


As soon as they entered the house, they were struck by the fragrant smell of jacarandas and freshly baked cake. The living-room was spacious, the floor was partly covered with a puffy carpet. There was a big leather couch filled with soft cushions, two armchairs of the same color - deep green - in front of it. A glass table with curved, polished legs stood in between.

The strong wind bursting through the casement windows was making the thin hangings fly wildly.

Some of the walls were adorned with paintings of mesmerizing landscapes and Guzmán family members, while a huge bookcase covered the entirety of one wall, and a chest of drawers with a shiny vase full of flowers and a wooden table were on the opposite wall.

Even though Isabela didn't want to be there, the room strangely had something comforting to itself.

"The storm is pretty strong, isn't it?" Señora Guzmán noted as she shut the windows, after the girls had made themselves comfortable on the sofa. "Please, make yourselves at home. Mariano, mi querido hijo, we have guests! Oh, Mirabel, you must be freezing, chiquita. Here, put these on while I bring some coffee to warm you two up."

The woman handed her a huge white towel, which Mirabel gratefully wrapped around herself, still quivering from the difference of temperature as Isabela put her own towel over her lap and legs.

Mariano came out of a room nearby with a bouquet of lilies and a box of chocolates in his hands.

¡Ay! Not again!

"Para ti, Isabela, la flor más hermosa."

"Oh, Mariano, you didn't have to. They smell so sweet, gracias!"

She took the flowers and bonbons; it seemed to her that Mariano was in expectancy, but she ignored him, quickly directing her attention towards her sister. She scooted closer to her and rubbed her back.

A light green and yellow parakeet appeared out of the blue and sat on Mirabel's shoulder, chirping and curiously looking at her. It elicited an "awww" from her when it snuggled its small head close to her cheek. She had always loved animals, just like Antonio.

Meanwhile, Señora Guzmán came back with a tray of cups, a fuming kettle and plates with Tres Leches cake. (Mirabel offered crumbs to her new friend.)

"You didn't have time to return home before the storm broke, did you? There's no problem, you can stay with us until it stops." she kindly offered.

Hopefully that won't take too long. Isabela thought.

One thing that she simply could not stand was small talk; a waste of time and energy given to completely insignificant topics. But when one was the most beloved of a magical family and had to deal with that every single day, it could be stated that it had become rooted in their character to just smile and nod and appear interested in whatever people spoke about.


To say Mirabel was bemused would have been an understatement. Better said, baffled.

She had never witnessed her perfect sisterlook so stiff and… uncomfortable. As she was discussing with the Guzmáns, Isabela's smile didn't reach her eyes, as her movements were strained.

When Mirabel inspected her close enough, she managed to glimpse the exhaustion in her eyes. The way she so respectfully displayed impeccable manners as she was having a decent conversation with their hosts seemed oddly out of place all of a sudden, as if it weren't her who was discussing in what appeared to be her usual manner of chatting, but someone else.

What was happening?

Several minutes passed, and the thunder seemed to start getting farther from them, yet the rain was still banging in the windows as if it were threatening to breach them at any second.

"You know what?" Mirabel announced in a cheery voice after the storm had calmed down a bit more, causing all eyes to turn to her. "My sister is tired and she needs to rest. I think we'll go now."

All three regarded her in stunned shock. Isabela giggled in embarrassment.

"What are you saying? It's still raining." she whispered, angling her head towards her, but Mirabel turned a blind eye to her.

"Your time and service are greatly appreciated and the cake was amazing." - She blew a chef's kiss for dramatic effect - "Thank you so much for taking care of us, Señora, Mariano, but we must go now."

Mirabel stroked the head of the parakeet with her finger before it flew onto Mariano's shoulder. She lightheartedly stood up, swiftly putting both their towels aside. She literally trailed her big sister to the wooden door.

"It was the least we could do in return for all your help." Señora Guzmán thanked them. "But the weather is still-"

"The weather is not a problem, gracias! Isa and I used to dance in it when we were little, right, Hermana? Okay, bye now!" she finished with a louder bang of the door than she had wanted.

With that, the two were out in the storm. Isabela quickly made both of them some large-brimmed hats from a variety of flowers. They clung to each other for warmth and further protection.

"Well, that was blunt." Isabela affirmed her awe, causing her sister to titter. That kind of super-fast swing was not unlike Mirabel Madrigal though. The girl was full of surprises sometimes, something she had long ago gotten used to. "But your decision-making skills really suck, Hermanita."

"Yet you're not directly complaining about it, are you, Isa?" Mirabel smirked upon noticing her relieved, radiant face, a response which made Isabela's grin enlarge considerably.

Raindrops were drizzling from the brims of their improvised hats as they reached a big puddle. But before Isabela could side-step it, she was unexpectedly splashed with icy water as happy-go-lucky Mirabel bounced joyfully in front of her, her flower hat disintegrating.

"Argh, Mirabel, you're ruining my dress!" she scolded, holding either side of her skirt for inspection.

"It was already ruined, Isa. Come on, when was the last time you had some fun? Like real fun?"

Isabela faltered, frowning. That was a good question; she found she couldn't exactly recall when that had been. Too busy vainly doing her very best to assuage Abuela and getting courted by a man she would never love.

Instead, the sight evoked what Mirabel had said minutes ago. Long gone times when she had used to caper in deep puddles alongside her sisters and cousins every time there had been a rainstorm in Encanto. They had been chastised for endangering their health plenty of times, but none of them had really cared about it as long as fun had been by their side.

The corners of her eyes pricked with tears hard to hold back. When did it all come to a close?

Her sister's lively voice awoke her from her trance. "¡Venga, Isa! The rain's not gonna last forever."

Shaking away the nostalgia, Isabela skittered ahead, a smug smile on her face. When she was sure Mirabel didn't pay attention, she playfully spluttered water on her with a few kicks.

"How dare you!" the younger Madrigal exclaimed in mock irritation before retaliating.

Isabela hastily made herself an umbrella from a plethora of huge leaves and vines, which she used to shield herself with every time water was splashed in her direction.

"Hey! Not fair, you cheater!" Mirabel chased her down the slippery street full of driblets.

They laughed and enjoyed the childish game all the way to Casa Madrigal, wholly ignoring the raw weather and their freezing skin.

Once they reached the safety of the inside of Casita, they were soaked, yet more vibrant and elated than either of them had been in a long time. Isabela was incapable of ceasing to chortle.

"Where have you been?"

That clear, authoritative voice made them stop dead.

"I've been so worried, I thought you would get sick." Alma said before carefully kissing her oldest granddaughter's damp yet reddened cheeks. She then turned to her giftless granddaughter, her tone cold and sharp as a blade. "Mirabel! What have you done to your sister?! What stupidities did you get inside her head?!"

"I… Nothing, Abuela. Isabela has actually been very happy." She couldn't understand her relative's anger.

"How could she be happy?!" Alma persisted, her voice raising with each word that got out of her sour mouth, coupled with a piercing glare. "You almost got her ill, look at her soaked dress and hair!"

"Isa… tell her!" Mirabel implored. Her big, hopeful eyes made Isabela feel remorseful when she took Abuela's hand. She wanted to speak on her own behalf, she truly did, but the words refused to come out whenever Alma was involved in a head-on clash, regardless of how badly she wanted to assert her thoughts and true desires.

Why was she so pathetically submissive and impotent when it came to standing up for herself?

She let her head fall, her eyes going downcast in shame of her little sister. She had never been embarrassed of her. She felt Mirabel's despondency as the latter let out a defeated sigh.

She was thoroughly aware that she should have been a fearless big sister and protected her in the face of Alma's wrath; Mirabel had endured enough of it in the past decade.

The voice inside her head reprimanded her as she walked away with Abuela.

You should have been loyal to Mirabel.


"That girl, she only brings trouble." Alma derided. Isabela's heart ached at her sharp, wrong words. "What really happened out there, mija?"

The young woman eyed her grandmother with all her might. "Abuela, please don't talk about my sister that way. She only wanted to help me. That's what she's been doing all this time."

"What do you mean? She does nothing useful for the community."

Isabela opened her mouth, but closed it immediately upon feeling anger bubble up inside her, afraid she would say something she'd later regret.

"I will change now, if you don't mind, Abuela." She tried not to stomp too hard before shutting the door of her enormous room and locking it.

Had she been too direct? Too grim? She didn't want to think about those aspects right now, she had far more important things to do.

Hurriedly, she dried herself off and put on another dress, less princess-like and easier to move in. She opened the door slightly to peek outside. No one was around to intercept her, mainly Alma, so she got out quietly and headed to the nursery. She was about to knock, but…

Something stopped her. She suddenly didn't feel ready.

What? You don't feel ready to talk to your own sister now, don't you? The voice inside her mind spoke sarcastically. After how nice you've been to her in these last years, I can't blame you.

Another voice rose. Gentler, calmer. Don't listen to that, Isabela! You've changed and that's what matters. Now go there and speak from your heart, okay? Mirabel will understand, don't suspect her goodwill!

Oh, be serious! Mirabel despises her! And even if she does apologize, that won't make a difference. Their relationship has unhealable wounds…

"Isa? Isa!"

Strong hands were shaking her. When had she started crying?

"Are you alright, sis?" Luisa was searching her eyes, searching for any sign that Isabela might be feeling unwell.

"I'm fine, Lu. You don't have to worry. I'm just… I'm just a bit tired." She wiped her cheeks in a rush.

Luisa didn't look convinced, but as she opened her mouth, Isabela added: "Can we go to your room? I need to talk to you about something."

It was obvious her younger sister had felt something was up because she nodded vehemently.


"So, what is it, Isa? I can't remember the last time I saw you this worried." Luisa gave Isabela her undivided attention. The latter shifted, uneasy, but carefully so as not to crease her dress.

"It's about Mirabel." - Luisa's eyes grew big, her heart already pounding. - "Lulu, I need you to be honest with me, no matter how ugly the truth might be, okay?"

Luisa's heart broke to see her glistening eyes. She agreed.

"Have I… have I been too harsh on our little sister?" Isabela's voice was barely above a whisper.

It was Luisa's turn to adjust her position. She contemplated her possible answers, feeling Isabela's gaze linger on her in anticipation.

She knew her sisters' relationship had been crumpling the past years. She didn't quite understand where all the bickering and the hostile glances between the two stemmed from, given how close she recalled they had once been, but she suspected it had to do with Mirabel not having a gift. She sighed.

"Isabela, I realized that Mirabel's kind of been, you know, pushed aside lately. It hurts me to see that. She works just as hard as we do. And just because she is different doesn't mean she is unworthy of our respect.

I think the only one who can answer your question is you, sis. Try to see things from her point of view. I've noticed she wants to talk to you. She seems very sad to me, so give her a chance. If not for her sake, then for mine, por favor! It hurts me to see you at each other's throats all the time and I really miss when you two started flower wars."

They giggled at the memory of the three of them covered in flower dust from head to toe.

Isabela became serious again. "One more thing, Luisa. I overheard Mirabel and Mamá talking a week ago. Um… Mirabel asked Mamá if… if I hate her." she had to fight the hardness in her throat to say that. "I mean, Mamá assured her that I do, but I'm not so sure she believed it." she immediately added after seeing the taller woman's expression.

The words were uncharacteristically quiet for Isabela, but to Luisa, they were one of the loudest and most alarming things she had ever heard. She discovered that her sister was equally horrified, her face giving away her extremely rare vulnerability as she was biting her lower lip. Luisa tried to speak, but she only looked like a fish out of water.

"Isa, where… where is all of this coming from?" She managed to get out at last, although with difficulty. "Mirabel… there is no way she can't know how much we love her. How much you love her."

"I believe she knows that in the bottom of her heart, but I'm afraid I've hurt her so much that she's forgotten it." Isabela trembled as she finally said what her conscience had reproached her so many times for that it had almost become ingrained in her brain.

The events of that night in the woods returned to her mind, additionally making her feel worse, if that was even possible, given her hitherto broken emotional state.

She began crying again, and Luisa instantly pulled her close, doing her best to be strong for her sister, whilst striving to keep her own tears in.

"Isa, I think Mirabel knows that we love her, like you said", she allayed, "but she just doesn't think much of it anymore, with how busy we constantly are and because our family spend less time together than we used to."

Isabela was slowly calming down in her embrace.

"Go talk to her, Hermana, she's been waiting for you and I'm sure she will listen without judgement to everything you have to say if you are truly honest with her."

See? I told you so!

The older Madrigal sniffled, getting up. "Gracias, Luisa."

"I'm always here if you need a hand, never forget that, okay?" Luisa gave her a warm smile. Isabela remembered Mirabel saying the same words; her heart ached a bit.

She turned to leave, but abruptly stopped when her sister sat on the floor. "Stretching, Hermanita? This late?" she worriedly asked.

"Yeah, well, I need to relax my muscles after carrying things around for hours. Abuela says I must keep myself in perfect shape in order to help out as much as possible." Luisa replied.

When she looked back at Isabela, her face was puckered in a deep frown and her eyes were so large they made her uncomfortable.

"What?"

"You literally have super strength!" She threw her arms in the air.

"That's true, but it's just that I don't want to disappoint anyone, especially Abuela, you know?"

Isabela sighed. She was way too experienced in having that same fear. Feeling it seized her happiness away, robbing her of the courage to speak up for herself. Luisa was no different than her.

"Just… don't overdo it, alright? You need to rest too."

"I won't, I promise."

"I'll come back in five minutes to check if you are in bed." Isabela pointed with her finger the way she had seen others do so many times, but she couldn't help her perky smile.

Luisa rolled her eyes, feigning an over-dramatic manner. "I swear to do just that, Your Royal Highness." She added a half-bow from her spot on the floor.

Satisfied, Isabela left and made her way to the nursery. She observed Mirabel (who didn't notice her) sprinting with a tray in her hands to Pepa's room. She decided not to follow her, but to wait until she got out in order to approach her. She needed to be alone with Mirabel to have a heart-to-heart.

She had a foreboding a few minutes after, so she chose to head to her aunt's room.

She encountered a scared Félix on the way.


A/N: Thanks for reading!