Summary: Angst...so much angst...try not to get too mad at Alma. Tragedy
Mirabel sat looking out the window of her room at the village. Her baby cousin would be moving into the nursery tomorrow. But why a party for that? Mirabel knew why and turned from the window as she wondered then as she had a thousand times before why she was so different. Why was she the only one that didn't get a Gift. Why couldn't she be…special. The answer echoed at her even as she thought it, because you're not. You're just Mirabel, the most useless of the Madrigals. Lone actor in a life who is destined to die alone after being followed by nothing but tragedy. She flopped back on the bed as tears filled her eyes but she refused to let them leave, she'd cried enough about it to fill two rivers. Nope, there has to be something she could do. Something she hadn't tried. Something to make her Abuela remember her…
A gentle knock on the door made her sigh and she sat up on the bed, accidentally letting the pooled tears drip. She wiped them away as her Tía Pepa came in. Her Tía stopped and set down the blankets and clothing she was carrying. "So, tomorrow is the big day, huh?" she said, taking a small package from her pocket.
"Yeah, can't wait," Mirabel said looking out the window again. She knew she sound like a baby but at the moment she didn't actually care.
Her Tía sat next to her on the bed and put her arm around her, putting the small wrapped item in her lap. Mirabel looked at it, wrapped in brown paper and covered with little hand drawn butterflies, she smiled in spite of her gloom. She lifted it and she wondered what it could be. It had some heft to it and her Tía Pepa smiled and said, "I know Abuela wants to have a celebration for Antonio moving here tomorrow. But since tomorrow is your birthday, I wanted to give you this now. Just to help you remember how much your Tío and I love you, Mirabel."
"Thank you, Tía," Mirabel said holding tightly to package. "Is it okay if I open it in the morning? You know, on my birthday?" Mirabel asked this with a trembling voice.
"Yes, that would be just fine, mi vida," her Tía said as she hugged her and stood. She leaned down and kissed the top of Mirabel's head, letting her hand linger on her cheek.
After Tía Pepa left Mirabel stared at it and traced each of the butterflies with her finger before she set the present down and got ready for bed feeling just a little better. She climbed under her blankets and Casita turned down the lights. Her Gift was now under her pillow and Mirabel drifted off into pleasant dreams of being just as special as anyone in her family.