A/N: Hey guys! Before you start reading, I just want to say a big thank you for all your support and reviews; I do read them, and I'm so glad you like my fic! I hope I won't disappoint.
That being said, enjoy!
Chapter 6
Bruno had spent a decade checking on his cherished familia through openings between wooden planks and listening through the walls of Casita. But after he'd attentively heard the conversation between his oldest and youngest sobrinas and the foreign young man with whom apparently Mirabel was in a relationship with, he wasn't sure what to think anymore.
There were a ton of questions that he would gladly go straight to the nursery just to obtain answers to; it didn't matter at all that he'd reveal himself. He was overwhelmed by the mixture of parental concern, anxiety and doubt which kept rooting deeper inside his chest.
Who was that guy? The fact that he was part of the Guzmán family did little to alleviate his worries, even if he'd been assured of their kindness since childhood.
He also knew Mirabel felt lonely, but to reach out to a stranger for help… Was she feeling that bad? Or worse… Unwanted? Unloved? She'd admitted it to Isabela. Bruno's soul ached immensely at the pain and desperation the teenager must have been feeling.
And Isabela… She didn't have any sentiments for Mariano. He didn't even wish to consider how much his niece was willing to sacrifice and what she was going to have to do out of incredible selflessness, all starting with her betrothal. He put two and two together, gathering everything he'd made out his mother say about Mariano. Without a doubt, Isabela's unhappiness was her doing. And Isabela was so sweet and caring she didn't even lift a finger to complain.
His comfort somewhat relied on the rather unsteady fact that Carlos Serrano seemed to be a good guy, both from Mirabel's words and from what he'd noticed with his own eyes. He reminded Bruno a tad of his sobrino Camilo.
The realization that both Mirabel (and probably Isabela as well) had been sneaking out of the house for months made his stomach twist with fright, more concern flowing in. They were heart-broken and dejected, and nobody had been there for them. They had each other now, though, which did wonders in mending some of the cracks expanding on Casita's walls that Bruno had fearfully noticed and had had Hernando attempt his best to patch them.
His sobrinas were going to sneak out again shortly. In about three hours, if his ears hadn't deceived him. He wasn't about to let them go to that dance contest on their own. There were so many things that could've injured them. Or worse. He didn't trust Carlos one bit, and while Isabela had a powerful gift, he didn't want to rely on it to shield them from harm's way. Isabela shouldn't have to do that.
A rat squeaked on his shoulder, its muzzle twitching towards him.
"I know, it's not going to be easy." Bruno straightened his back before knocking on a wooden plank five times. "First Mirabel's boyfriend, then Isabela's planned marriage, and now they're gonna go out."
He sighed. "I don't care what my mother and my sisters and the Encanto think about me, I'll find a way to help Isabela out of the proposal and Mirabel feel better about herself, because this family has to learn that it's not our gifts that are important. And I'll follow them tonight."
He didn't plan to disrupt the three as long as they'd have a wonderful time, he'd only keep as close to their small group as possible in order to see what they were planning to do near the mountains.
"Well, I'll have to eat if I don't want to faint on the road. I hope I still have some of Juli's arepas. And you're hungry too, aren't you? You guys are always hungry."
The rat squeaked once more before treading in the comfort of his shabby hood. Bruno pivoted on his heels and headed to his hideout.
10.36 p.m.
Dolores was pacing in front of her window.
She knew Mirabel had been seeing Mariano's distant cousin, and although she'd wished to talk to her prima about that topic for months on behalf of advising her, she'd realized the last thing Mirabel wanted was exactly that, so Dolores had decided to stay silent.
Because of being overstimulated every day, she hadn't kept track of how many times Carlos and her younger cousin had met, but the conversation she'd unintentionally heard had offered her all the answers.
If Dolores were frank, their plan had actually excited her more than it had concerned her. At first.
Her worry was growing with each passing hour. There were so many things which could have gone awry in such a short time.
She'd also heard Tío Bruno have the same intentions as she now did. He'd spied through the walls again, but with good intentions.
10.41 p.m.
Not having changed her clothes for nighttime, Dolores draped a dark red mantle over her shoulders before soundlessly sneaking out into the hallway. The twenty-one-year-old woman was aware that although she'd know if something harmful was to occur, she wouldn't be of much avail. Luisa would definitely want to be there to protect her sisters and uncle, as did Dolores.
The house was unusually quiet, free of the bustle of all sorts of preparations and use of varied gifts. Before she reached the glowing door though, a familiar tug pulled her hood off.
"Camilo?! ¿Qué estás haciendo, hermanito?"
Just like her, he'd kept his normal attire on.
"I should be the one to ask you that, Lola. What's up?"
Dolores revealed everything to him. By the time she finalized, he was staring at her as if she had two heads.
"Mirabel has a boyfriend?!" he burst, but she shushed him quickly. He proceeded in a hushed tone: "Sorry. I wanna meet this guy. Pull some pranks on him. See if he's got the resilience to be a Madrigal."
"Camilo!" She slapped his shoulder, exasperated. "This is serious!"
He tittered, raising his hands. "Alright, alright! Don't beat me! I know it's serious, and I really wanna get to know him to make sure he's worthy of our Mira. I'm coming with you."
"Fine. But be quiet, okay? We don't want to wake the grown-up ones."
"I'll be as quiet as the breeze."
Dolores rolled her eyes, amusedly huffing.
…
"They're gonna do what?!" Luisa literally shouted, her deep voice reverberating on the tall walls of her room, making Camilo grimace and Dolores cover her ears.
Dolores hadn't enjoyed waking her up. Poor Luisa worked the most amongst the Madrigals, too many times to the point of exhausting herself.
"I'm sorry, Lola."
"It's okay, it happens all the time."
"When are they leaving?"
"From what I heard the other day, the competition starts at twelve o'clock sharp. The participants are due to arrive at least half an hour earlier, so taking into account that getting there on foot takes about thirty minutes, they're gonna leave in… let's say, fifteen minutes."
"Fifteen minutes?! Ay, I need to get ready." Luisa jolted from the bed, already wrapping her usual bun.
"We'll wait for you in the hall." Camilo announced over his shoulder, heading for the door.
"Sí, and take a shawl or something to cover yourself too! We might need to do that. Two Madrigals will already be seen outside partying at night, another three to be noticed just won't do."
Dolores wasn't exactly sure why she wanted their group to keep hidden, but she guessed that it had to do with Abuela's rule to not exit Casita at night. If rumors would spread about their escapade, it wouldn't look good on the family, and their grandmother wouldn't be particularly proud.
"Oh, and Tío Bruno will be following them too."
"WHAT?!" Both Camilo and Luisa turned to her, the former's jaw dropping while the latter released a sonorous gasp.
Her cousin was the first to compose herself. "Lola, where is he?"
Dolores nervously gulped. She'd never thought she'd ever reveal this to anyone, especially to her own family.
"Be mad at me if you want, but he's been in this house since he "left"." She used her fingers to make the quotation marks for that specific word which ruptured his mother and his sister's hearts the most, beside the rest of the familia's, whenever it was associated with him. "I'm telling you this because I want to bring him back. Our family misses him so much, including me!"
Camilo escaped his stupefaction. "Of course, you've known all this time! Of course, you did!"
He sounded somewhat furious yet relieved. Meanwhile, Luisa had tears in her eyes.
"Why didn't you tell anyone, Dolly? I understand why you didn't tell your mamá, for instance, but why didn't you tell us? My sisters and I, and your brothers? I'm sure even Antonio would've loved to hear something about Tío Bruno, especially because he's never seen him in person, only in pictures."
"I…" Dolores stumbled, "Although I didn't understand his decision then, I thought it was the right one because he said so to me. I begged for answers or explanations, but I never got them. He made me promise not to tell anyone where he was actually going to live."
Camilo stooped forwards, his hands on his knees, trying to contain his sobs.
"Okay, he had you promise something! Fine! But who said you needed to keep that promise?! You could've just told us, the younger ones, and we would've kept it together. Lola, you have no idea how much we - how much I - have been missing him! He was the only one who truly got how tiring my gift is. He is the only one who truly understands and listens to people."
He sniffled. "All this time… I thought I could hear something moving around in the walls, but I was so stupid not to check somehow. Not once!"
The fifteen-year-old boy didn't care that he was crying in front of his older sister and cousin, as he normally did. They were his family, after all.
Dolores's eyes were stinging. It hurt so much to see her little brother like this. The cheerful, spirited, mischievous Camilo who made everyone laugh, hunched by the longing for his uncle. A big chunk of his pain was her fault… She wasn't about to worsen it by telling them she'd also been visiting Bruno in his hideout for a decade. They'd possibly figured it out, anyway…
"Lo siento, Cami, lo siento mucho." She murmured as she kneeled down and cupped his face in her palms to wipe his tears, forcing him to meet her gaze. "If you want, we'll go and talk to him, okay? I've told you this because I realized how wrong I was, and I want to bring him back, but I can't do it on my own. We'll do it together, alright? We'll talk to Mira and Isa and Toñito. We'll find a way to make him be accepted again, just like we'll also do with Mirabel, sí?"
He nodded before collapsing into her arms. Luisa, who'd been speechless and had allowed them to have their moment, joined their embrace for emotional support. They held each other as tight as they'd done on the picnic day.
Her cousins were already crying; a few more tears could go unnoticed.
Mirabel turned away from the mirror in Isabela's room.
"How do I look, Isa?"
The dress seemed to have been molded on Mirabel's body shape, and blue really fit her. She'd changed her earrings with shiny ones to match her elegant appearance, and had put on a headband with a purple butterfly on the left side of her head.
Isabela smiled. "You look stunning."
"Do you think Carlos will like me?"
"Carlos already seems to like you." The older Madrigal smirked, even though she still felt apprehensive at the thought of her little sister dating an older guy. Especially a former outsider, whom she hadn't had the chance to know for years like she did with everyone else from Encanto.
"I better choose a dress for myself, then."
"No!" Mirabel stopped her, causing Isabela's eyes to widen. "I mean… I have something for you."
She held out the ribbon-wrapped gift she'd brought along; Isabela froze.
"I made this for you, sis. Not for this occasion specifically, but I think it might actually fit for tonight. Will you try it?"
Isabela opened the rectangular box, taking out the shin-length garment with short butterfly sleeves. A beautiful shade of dark purple shone in the moonlight beneath her fingertips. Mirabel hadn't forgotten to add some embroidered flowers from the left shoulder down to the right hip, and the skirt had a couple of yellow frills.
"Of course, I'll try it! What kind of question is that?"
She hurried to shed her simple dress and slither into the other one as Mirabel donned her shoes.
"I didn't know you could walk in heels."
"I didn't either, but I had to learn. Hurts at first, but you get used to it."
Mirabel put her embroidered bag on her shoulder, and glanced at her sister.
"You really do look awesome in everything, don't you, Isa?" She grinned, but this time without envy, as opposed to how she would've said it almost two weeks ago.
Isabela flushed. "You don't need to say that. I've heard it so many times that it's become weird. But it feels incredible to wear something that I like, which was not chosen by Abuela."
At last, they were ready to go, after disguising themselves with hooded cloaks, for getting spotted before reaching the competition wouldn't do.
"Are you nervous about tonight?" Isabela questioned, attentively surveying her hermanita after she felt her clammy palm.
Mirabel wiped her hands on her skirt. "Yeah, it's been a while since I performed."
Isabela squeezed her shoulders. "Hey, mírame, conejita! I haven't seen you, but I'm sure you've worked hard for this. All that matters now is that you give your best and enjoy it. What do you have to lose anyway? It's just a contest, there will be tens of others."
"You really think I'll do well?" Mirabel perked up with hopeful eyes.
"I know."
Isabela was nearly overwhelmed by her hug, a hug which reminded her of Luisa's strength. She had yet to get used to so much affection from her sister.
"¿Conejita? Really, Isa? I know you know I like bunnies, but still…"
"What are you talking about? ¡Es perfecto para ti! Especially with that little round face of yours and big eyes!" She cupped her face and shook her head with a smug grin.
"Then I'll have to find one for you." The teenager pinched her cheek, making her giggle.
Casita stopped them before climbing out the window.
"We'll be careful, Casita." Mirabel assured before taking Isabela's hand.
Isabela draped an arm around her shoulders. "We'll be back before you know it. Now hang on tight to me, hermanita."
Hopefully Antonio won't wake up, the fifteen-year-old girl thought with concern. She wrapped her arms around her sister's waist as Isabela lowered them to the ground with the help of her sturdy vines, and descended from the mound Casa Madrigal was on.
Carlos was waiting for them to arrive in the shadow of a tree at the bottom of the hill. Isabela choked back the urge to shove her sister out of his line of vision when his eyes quickly travelled over her body, from head to toe. He smiled.
"You look wonderful, Mirabel. You too, Isabela."
Mirabel blushed in the dim light. He extended his arm, and she took his hand.
"You don't look bad yourself." she responded, quickly scanning him.
His shirt was dark blue, matching her dress, and his black pants, although a bit large for his lean frame, fit with the shiny dancing shoes of the same non-colour. A mantle shielded his back and head.
"Shall we?"
Mirabel nodded and the three of them marched on in the starry, peaceful night.
Isabela's awkwardness was washed away when her little sister locked her other hand with hers. The gesture was small and simple, but it was comforting. I'm here, I won't leave you. You're my sister, you're not a third wheel. We're in this together. I love you.
And that was all it took for her to beam radiantly.
"They're out!"
Dolores, Camilo and Luisa quietly descended Casita's stairs in their own disguises.
"Where's Tío Bruno gonna be?" Her brother asked as Luisa shut the gates behind them.
"I can hear he's already trailing after Mira and Isa. We'll catch up to him, or we'll wait until we reach the destination."
"Where is this destination, more exactly?" Luisa inquired.
"In the southern part of Encanto, which is less inhabited. They chose that place for a reason."
"And who organises this contest?"
Dolores opened her mouth, but needed a few seconds to find the information.
"Señora Ramírez. You know, the ex-dancer and instructor from our school."
The other two nodded in understanding as they were striding through the quieter, less circulated streets of town in order not to get spotted.
Luisa's tone became more solemn. "And Mira… why didn't she say anything about Carlos?"
Dolores could tell she was concerned, just as she'd heard Isabela be. Regarding herself as the protector of the family, her cousin was as fierce as the grown-ups when it came to looking out for her relatives, especially her sisters.
"Because Carlos is Mariano's distant cousin, Mira has been afraid that their relationship would stir up agitation in both families, as Isabela will soon be engaged to Mariano."
She ignored the sting in her heart at that particular thought.
"I don't blame her, she's somehow right." Luisa stated, thoughtful. "But she could've told us. Do you think she doesn't trust us anymore?"
The possibility chilled them all.
Camilo cleared his throat. "Don't say that. Mirabel wants things private for now, I don't think there's something wrong with that, to be honest. But Isa already knows…"
"And we do too," Dolores completed, "Yet maybe it would be better if she had no idea that we know."
"Why? We can keep the secret. Plus, we could help her navigate the relationship."
"Cami, she's been perfectly fine since she met Carlos."
"But what if something goes wrong?" Luisa worried, "What if he hurts her? I want to talk to him, warn him not to dare to hurt my little sister." She frowned, her strong fists balling up.
Camilo triumphantly glanced at his sister. Dolores rolled her eyes, sighing.
"We'll see what we'll do once we get there."
A/N:
I initially had Bruno come up later, but I saw this opportunity and couldn't resist.
Anyways, I decided to include more family members in this story, not only Isa and Mira, because I find that more compelling. I hope you'll like that as well! The fic is still about these two sisters mainly, but it's so enjoyable to write other Madrigals too!
Thank you for reading!
