"It happened again, Mamá!"

Alma found Pepa and Félix in front of Dolores' room the next day, once again looking harried with a rumbling cloud over their heads. The door to Dolores' room was wide open, and the girl herself was standing next to her parents, rubbing at her ears.

Alma approached. "What happened again?" she asked. Though, she had a feeling she already knew.

"The door thing!" Pepa confirmed. "But this time, with Dolores! Félix, show her the door!"

Félix pulled the door closed so that Alma could see. Sure enough, Dolores' door had gone dark, just like Bruno's had done two days ago.

"We were just passing by and saw it," Félix commented. "So we ran right inside to check on Dolores, and she was fast asleep. Didn't even realize what was going on until we told her."

Alma turned to her granddaughter. "Is this true, Lola? Do you not remember anything that might have caused it?"

Dolores stopped rubbing at her ears for a second. She hesitated. "Well…no, it was still glowing when I went to bed…um, but…" She stopped, looking away.

"But what, my dear?" Alma prompted gently. "It's alright, you can tell us."

"It's just—yesterday, I thought I felt my hearing fluctuating a little." Dolores wrung her hands together nervously. "I was talking with Isabela, Lulu, and Mirabel in the living room, when I suddenly felt like someone had stuffed cotton balls in my ears. But then it cleared up for a moment…and then came back just a little while later. I didn't know what to make of it."

"Hmm…"

"What were you and the girls talking about?" Félix asked.

"This exact situation, actually," Dolores replied. "I mentioned that I was worried about Tío Bruno and thought he needed some help and—oh. Maybe that's it." Dolores stood up straighter, but still looked concerned. "I said I was going to keep an eye out for him because I suspected something was going on with him."

"What do you mean?" asked Pepa, her cloud growing slightly. "Is something wrong with him?"

"No, no, I just—I suspected he knew something about the disappearing magic that he wasn't telling us." Dolores looked down at the ground. "I-is that why my Gift went away? Because I suspected him unfairly? Maybe I should go apologize…"

Alma tilted her head. "If you think that would help, then by all means."

"Okay…I'm sorry, Abuela…"

Alma chuckled. "No, no, cariña, it's not your fault. Go find your tío, and then the two of you can come to breakfast. We will figure it out."

Dolores nodded and quietly headed off.

Alma watched her go. Then at the sound of rumbling thunder, she turned back around to Pepa, who was getting her shoulders rubbed by Félix.

"S-sorry, Mamá," Pepa said to her. "I'll get it cleared up…"

Alma watched her, noticed how she was forcing her shoulders down as Félix rubbed them. She smiled, took a step toward the couple, and smiled at Pepa kindly. "It's natural to worry about your daughter, you know."

Pepa blinked, but she returned her smile and relaxed, for real this time.

"She's right, mi amor," Félix said. "Come on, let's go for a walk."

Fèlix led Pepa away, but Alma lingered behind. She looked at Dolores' door once again, then in the direction that her granddaughter had gone.

It was strange, but…Alma found that she wasn't anxious at all. Perhaps it was because she had changed her outlook, and her main concern now was to make sure everyone got out safely if something were to happen…but somehow, she had the feeling that nothing would. That all of this was nothing to worry about at all. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something just felt…different this time.

She was sick again. Or, perhaps that wasn't the right word, but she couldn't think of another one.

Mirabel dragged herself out of bed and made her way over to her wardrobe. It wasn't as bad as last time, she could at least move without getting dizzy, but that certainly didn't stop the sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Casita…can you please make it darker in here?"

In response, her window closed. The room became darker, but with the morning light still peaking through, it wasn't enough. Mirabel huffed. After glancing around her room, she finally looked at the wardrobe in front of her once again. It was a bit of a long shot, but if she could squeeze herself in there and close the door, it might create the sort of darker environment she needed.

Mirabel climbed up the shelf and tried to shimmy into the wardrobe. While she wasn't able to close it all the way, the clothing inside managed to block enough light in the back for her to see what she needed: Speckles. Again.

They were different from last time, though. When it had been Bruno's Gift, the speckles on her skin had glowed a bright green like his visions. Now, the speckles were a deep, rich scarlet. Why was it different?

More importantly, why did it happen again? Mirabel thought she'd figured it out. She hadn't even made a single "wish"!

Quickly, Mirabel backed out of her wardrobe and landed on her feet, stumbling slightly over her step. "Whoa…"

Casita clattered a worried message at her.

"What? No!" Mirabel managed to stabilize herself, then straightened. She began to get dressed. "I can't stay here and rest, I have to investigate! And besides, if the family notices that I keep getting sick every time a Gift disappears, they're going to make the connection."

As soon as she was finished dressing herself, Mirabel opened the door and checked the hallway. Normally, they would still be setting up for breakfast this early, but things had been unpredictable lately. She could see Pepa's cloud swirling from somewhere outside, and there was noise coming from downstairs. Mirabel blew out a breath and stepped outside with feigned indifference. Time to see the damage she'd caused.

First, she checked Bruno's door, but it was glowing as bright as ever. So she went around to check on all the others until she got to…

"Dolores?"

Mirabel paused in front of her cousin's dead door. Now she was confused. Was this because she'd hoped Dolores wouldn't listen in on them yesterday? Or was there something else she wasn't noticing? It was hardly the first time she wished her family wouldn't shoulder so much responsibility, but it had never been something to worry her before this. It's not like she'd wished for Dolores' Gift to completely go away.

Well. She'd have to figure it out later. For now, she just had to put the Gift back while she was still alone here.

Mirabel reached out, her heart heavier than anything else. Despite it being light out, she could still make out the speckles as they began to cluster together near her fingertips. She held her breath and reached closer to the doorknob…

"Yo, Mirabel."

"Aah!" Mirabel jumped. She quickly pulled away from the door, fighting off a wave of dizziness, and put a hand over her heart. When she looked up, Camilo and Antonio were both standing there, somewhat spooked by her outburst.

"Hey, take it easy," Camilo said. "I just said hi."

"Buenos días, Mirabel," Antonio added.

Mirabel couldn't help but smile at him. "Good morning, Toño. Uh, and Camilo." She rubbed her forehead. "Gosh, I feel like I'm getting snuck up on a lot lately…a-anyway, what are you two doing up here?"

"I was just waking up Antonio for breakfast," Camilo replied. He looked between Mirabel and the door, frowning. "So you found Dolores' door, huh?"

Mirabel tensed again. She folded her hands under her armpits and tried to smile. "Oh, yeah, yeah! Weird. Gosh, the Gifts sure are acting up lately."

Camilo tilted his head. "Do you know what's going on with them?"

"M-me? Hah, no, of course not, why would I know?"

Camilo looked suspicious for a minute but shrugged it off. "Okay. If you say so. Come on, we need to get downstairs, I'm starving."

Mirabel waited for Camilo to walk by. She exchanged a genuine smile with Antonio, before following. Sadly, she couldn't do anything while her family was wandering around the house like this, so she had no choice but to follow them for now. Doing anything that looked suspicious had to be avoided, until she had an opportunity to go back and grab that doorknob by herself.

As the three of them walked along, Mirabel rubbed at her palm. There didn't appear to be anything strange about her now, but she should still feel the weight inside her. She had no doubt that if it was darker, she'd see those red specks all over her body. Ugh. She'd have to hold it together for a while longer. But it would be worth it, because she didn't know what she would do if anyone else saw her touch that doorknob.

"…Touch."

"What?" Camilo asked.

"Er—nothing." Mirabel shook her head. "Just talking to myself."

Camilo smirked. "Okay."

Mirabel looked down at her hands again. It…did make sense. She had to touch the doorknob to put the Gift back, so perhaps the initial transfer also happened through touch. Perhaps it was with the person themselves, and that was how the magic got into her body. And, come to think of it…both Bruno and Dolores' situation had involved touch—a tight hug, a squeeze of the hand, leaning against them…

That had to be it, or at least part of it. She was like some kind of magical sponge. And the worst part was, she didn't even know how to control it.

Mirabel felt a tug on her skirt and looked down to see Antonio, he was smiling happily, a small bird on his shoulder. Camilo had apparently raced on ahead while she'd been distracted.

"Mirabel, you're moving so slowly," he said. "Camilo's going to take all our food. Come on, I'll help you go faster."

Antonio reached for her hand. Before Mirabel could stop herself, she recoiled, and stumbled several feet back. No, should couldn't let him! Not Antonio. Not until she figured this out.

But now Antonio looked hurt. "What's wrong?"

"Uh—s-sorry, Toñito, it's not you," Mirabel stammered. "I just, I can walk by myself. Thank you though!"

She hurried forward, letting Antonio catch up on his own. It was a little difficult to move this quickly without getting dizzy, but she would endure. If her theory was true, she had to stay away from her family for now. It was the only way to keep them all safe from this strange power of hers. She just needed to make sure she had some excuses ready in case they ask.

…and until then, she'd have to hope they wouldn't notice anything.

"So, again, I'm really sorry about all that."

Bruno, never one to hold a grudge, just laughed and waved his hand cheerfully. "Aw, Dolores, you don't need to apologize for that. It's okay, I totally get where you were coming from."

Dolores smiled with relief. "Oh, thank you, Tío."

She paused for a moment, as if expecting more. Bruno just stood there. Just as he was about to ask what else she needed, Dolores frowned and started rubbing at her ears.

"Um, it's just…I thought you might have done something because your Gift was bothering you," Dolores continued. "But now I—I guess now that I've lost mine, I realize that was an incorrect assumption. Because I didn't do anything."

Bruno blinked. "Uh—beg your pardon? You lost your Gift today?"

"Yeah. I can't tell if I like how it feels or not…"

"Did you talk to—uh." He stopped himself before he could finish.

Dolores looked up at him. "Talk to who?" she asked. "Abuela? I talked to her this morning. I thought that apologizing to you would fix the problem. But I guess not…"

Bruno forced a smile. "Oh, well—maybe it just takes some time to work, haha. Uh, if you'll excuse me, I need to check on something real quick—."

Before he could finish, Mirabel herself exited the house, followed by Camilo and Antonio. Bruno was surprised to see her. She was fully dressed and pretending to be okay, but he could see how pale she was. Mirabel locked eyes with him, pressed her lips together, and hurried to breakfast.

Dolores flinched a little. "Oh gosh, where did those three come from? I hate it when I can't hear people coming…" She walked past Bruno, huffing, to start getting food for herself.

But Bruno remained still and kept his eyes on Mirabel. Her movements were stiff, and he didn't miss how she kept shrinking away from everyone who got close to her.

He didn't know how long he'd be able to stand by watching this. Now that Dolores couldn't hear them anymore, this was his chance to really talk to her.

Mirabel broke away from her family as soon as she felt like she could. They were all off to start their work for the day, so it was the perfect opportunity for her. She'd hurry back upstairs, put Dolores' Gift back, and then…then, make sure no one else got too close to her, she supposed. She felt her chest tighten at the thought, but shook it off and continued forward.

On her way to Dolores' room, Mirabel passed under a shadow. She stopped, noticing the shimmer that suddenly appeared on her skin. Remaining in the shadow, she held up her arm. It wasn't as bright now, but she could still see the red sparkles going up, down, all around. The sight was both fascinating and disgusting.

"Hey."

Bruno's voice brought her out of her thoughts. Mirabel looked up at him as he approached. She supposed she looked rather pathetic, especially with the pitiful smile her uncle was giving her now.

Bruno gestured to her glimmering self. "The, uh…it's a different color this time."

"Yeah." Mirabel adjusted the strap of her bag. "I'm going to go put it back now, before anyone sees."

She continued forward, out of the shadow. Bruno followed close behind.

"Mira, listen," Bruno began. "I want to talk to you. I'm getting—really worried about you, kid. You're not acting like yourself, and this whole—Gift-sapping thing is clearly affecting you, physically and mentally, but you're refusing to let anyone help you."

He reached out to touch her shoulder as they walked. Mirabel forgot everything he was saying as she panicked and jumped out of the way.

"No, no, tío! Don't touch me!"

Bruno stopped. "What?"

Mirabel gulped. "S-sorry, it's just…I have a theory. I think it might be happening through touch, so until I know for sure, you should just—" she took a step back, holding up her hands. "—just, keep a safe distance away."

Bruno looked stricken.

Mirabel turned around and took the few steps left to get to Dolores' door. Hesitating momentarily, Mirabel touched the doorknob. As if she was locked in place, she watched as the red speckles traveled through her hand once again and into the door, illuminating it brightly. Her body immediately felt lighter.

Bruno was at her side, talking once again. "Mirabel, you can't keep going like this. If you don't tell them the truth, then—then I will."

Mirabel whirled around, eyes wide. "What? No! You promised!"

"I can't keep a promise if it's going to hurt you!" Bruno insisted. "Look, I know you're worried, but even if you just tell your mom, or somebody, I know they're not going to shut you out—"

"How could you possibly know that?" Mirabel snapped. "Are these not the same people you hid from for ten years because you couldn't even tell them what you saw?"

She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. Bruno straightened up, his eyes big, his posture tight.

"I—I'm sorry," Mirabel stammered hurriedly. "I shouldn't have said that. I don't—I didn't mean it, Tío Bruno."

Bruno looked downward, rubbing his arms. After a moment, he scoffed lightly but didn't meet her eyes. "Nah, it's okay," he replied, quiet. "I guess I—I guess I do sound like a bit of a hypocrite right now, don't I?"

He gulped, then finally looked back up at her with a shrug. "Okay," he said simply. "I see your point. I'll back off. You're mature enough to make your own decisions."

Sluggishly, Bruno turned around and left, eyes still downcast. Mirabel just watched, not sure if she should follow.

Still though, he looked back once and offered her a kind smile. "But you know, like I said before, I'm always here no matter what."

Mirabel swallowed, unable to reply. Bruno soon was gone, down the stairs to who knows where, but she was still here all alone. Mirabel slowly turned around and leaned against the wall by Dolores' door. She buried her hands in her face and groaned.

What was the right decision to make here? Did Bruno have a point? The thought of telling her family that she was a magic-stealer sounded like the worst idea in the world. But if she didn't…who knew what would happen.

For the first time in a while, Mirabel had no idea what to do.