Chapter 8
Over the course of the next week, the Madrigals were busy with preparations for their youngest member's Gift Ceremony.
Even though Isabela was out and about with her usual chores, she didn't feel as much pressure as she had before, despite the fact that Alma still demanded everything to be perfectly in order and beautiful for the night ahead. She always had a few colored strands of hair now, which she'd refused to clean at Abuela's request with the pretext that it was only harmless flower dust. It magically worked.
Isabela suspected that her tía and abuela weren't on the best of terms, as Pepa thundered more often around her mother, while Alma appeared subtly distant from her second daughter. It didn't take them very long to reconcile, thankfully.
Dolores was more cheerful than usual since the beginning of her secret relationship with Mariano, and Félix kept suspecting why his daughter was humming so often. The Madrigal granddaughters had made a plan to break the news to their families when Mariano's supposed proposal to Isabela would arrive, at the matriarchs' will, right after Antonio's celebration.
The grandkids had attempted to get Bruno out of the walls, but they'd eventually decided to leave that for after the gift event would have finished, because Abuela was somewhat jittery those days. And knowing what she thought about her son, revealing him during such a stressful week could have resulted in an unwanted reaction.
The five grandchildren did spend as much time with their uncle as their busy schedule allowed them to, however; they visited him every single evening before or after dinner. Although it had dispirited them an awful lot, they'd agreed not to let Antonio know about Bruno's presence, for a five-year-old child couldn't keep a secret. But hopefully, that secret would soon be revealed.
Agustín and Julieta were grateful to see their eldest and youngest daughters get along extremely well after being apart and at each other's throats for years. Both Isabela and Mirabel had reestablished their bond, which grew stronger with each passing day, to their relief and exhilaration.
The same could be said about Luisa, who noticed the change in her sisters' relationship the most.
As for Mirabel, she was still trying her very best to be useful, but didn't feel left out anymore. Abuela might still resent her to some extent, but the teenager was offered genuine smiles and warm hugs from her loved ones every single day, especially from her parents, siblings and cousins.
Long story short, she felt her eyes sting every time that happened.
"You ready, Toñito?" Mirabel beamed at the five-year-old boy, adjusting his white cotton shirt and vest.
He shook his head with a desolate bite of his lip, and Mirabel crouched down in front of him, the folds of her skirt covering his tiny feet as she cupped his face.
"Hey! Don't worry about the gift, okay? What truly matters is in here."
She tapped his chest with her finger.
"Remember, Toñito. Gift or no gift, you are just as special as anyone else in this family." Mirabel repeated the words her mother had been trying desperately to ingrain in her head for years; she still had insecurities, but she was coping with them. The true miracle was that her family was supporting her again.
Antonio grinned, somewhat relieved, hugging her tightly.
Just then, Dolores peeked through the ajar door, fireworks exploding behind her in the navy blue sky.
"It's time."
Mirabel intertwined her fingers with Isabela and Luisa's as Abuela held her speech, the crowd of villagers inside Casita maintaining admirable silence. Casita then dragged the curtains behind which was a shy Antonio, the spotlights focusing on him.
The little boy oscillated, even after a tile encouraged him to go the distance to his future room. He glanced at his youngest prima with pleading puppy eyes, extending a hand towards her.
Mirabel shook her head. "I can't," she mouthed.
"I need you," Antonio mouthed back.
Reluctantly but bravely, Mirabel did as she'd been begged.
Some people gasped while others started whispering. Isabela nodded at her, and the girl tugged her timorous cousin to the set of stairs as she was hit by flashbacks of her own ceremony a decade ago. She met Alma's disappointed look, but she didn't heed it much, instead focused on the glowing, waiting door and Pepa and Félix's proud smiles.
Upon reaching Abuela and touching the candle, silently swearing in to his responsibilities, Antonio fearfully approached his door.
Everyone held their breath as he touched the knob. Relief, along with surprise were roused inside everyone's hearts as the door brightened. A toucan then landed on the boy's arm. Antonio's eyes widened when the bird crowed.
"Aha, aha! I understand you."
His words alleviated the last drop of uncertainty that Alma had.
"Open the door, mijo."
Antonio's room was by far amongst the most beautiful in Casa Madrigal, Mirabel thought as she stepped inside behind her cheering family.
After the birthday boy was kissed and hugged and congratulated by his parents and grandmother, Alma suggested they take a picture to keep the memory of such a wonderful event alive.
While the cameraman was positioning his set-up, Mirabel felt self-conscious and shrank past people towards the exit, only for a gentle hand to encircle her wrist.
Isabela was smiling at her. "You're not going anywhere. You're staying with us until this party's over."
That was all it took for her sister to grin gladly.
"Why don't you want our family to know about you, Tío?" Luisa asked the next day after they'd all finished their chores.
The five grandchildren were in their uncle's hideout, sitting around his frayed armchair. The man simply rubbed his forehead pensively, unwilling to sadden them with such a subject.
"What was in your vision that night?" Dolores questioned.
Bruno sighed, but didn't respond right away.
"Was it about me? Casita cracking behind me?" Mirabel meekly assumed.
Everyone gaped at her. Her uncle opened his mouth, but had no idea if he ought to conceal the truth or bestow it. On one hand, his niece would get hurt; on the other hand, he could tell them he'd already figured out how to fix the cracks.
"Tell me!" his sobrina demanded, her eyes watering.
Before he could respond, she said, her eyes big: "So, it's true… I… I can see it on your face. I knew it! I knew that dream I had was real!"
She got up, refusing to allow them to witness her tears, and supported herself on the ledge of the table.
"Lo sabía…" she wept, her deepest fears finally having been confirmed.
Her sisters and cousins came to comfort her with a plethora of hugs and kisses. Despite the unnerving situation, Bruno couldn't help smiling to himself when he noticed their heart-warming unity. It did his heart good to know they had finally learnt how to be there for each other.
"I had that vision the night that you didn't get your gift, because your Abuela was worried about the magic and asked me to have one. But the vision was different than the ones I had had before. It would… change, like your future was undecided. Casita might have only cracked in your dream, but besides that, it also appeared completely normal in my vision."
His words diminished their concern.
"And you wanna know what I believe? I believe that our family learning to bond will restore the magic."
Seeing their astonished expressions, he proceeded: "It all started when I noticed Isabela and Mirabel slowly getting closer together. That's when the cracks began to mend and disappear. Pepa had seen them too, but she'd thought it had only been her imagination. I'm not exactly sure what's hurting the magic, but if there's one way to fix it, it's by learning to be a family again and remembering why our gifts were given to us. Mirabel…"
He stood up and took her hands in his. "The miracle may not have given you anything out of the ordinary, but I believe, I honestly believe, that it did so to remind us that we're special without our powers."
The teenagers were shocked for a couple of minutes.
"But our gifts make us who we are." Luisa whispered, the others agreeing.
"Not your gifts, sobrina. Your hearts. They are what truly guide you. You tell me, if you didn't want to use your gifts anymore, would it make a difference that you had them?"
They all shook their heads. Before Bruno could add something else, Casita brought a clock that dinged once next to them.
"Oh, shoot! Dinner's starting soon!" Isabela realized.
"Tonight, we're telling our family about Mariano and Carlos." Mirabel completed, to which Dolores nodded solemnly.
"Good luck, mijos. That's the right thing to do. I'll be here if you need me."
"Then we'll get you out of here, Tío." Camilo promised.
"Don't be so sure, sobrino."
They said goodbye and rushed to the dining room, fully aware that they were going to be watched from the openings between the wooden planks in the walls.
There was a strange atmosphere around the dinner table. As Señora Guzmán discussed with Alma, Dolores was stealing knowing glances at Mariano, while Mirabel was nervously fidgeting with the folds of her dress. Isabela found it hard to eat, and she had to force the food down her throat. Meanwhile, Mariano's fingers were clutching his fork a bit too roughly.
The three nodded in consent with each other, with Isabela being the one to interrupt the conversation.
"Um… Abuela?"
"¿Sí, mija?" Alma benevolently smiled, all heads now turned to the eldest granddaughter.
Isabela let out a deep breath to calm her nerves.
We got this.
She prayed everybody would understand. They had to.
"Mariano, Dolores, Mirabel and I have something to tell you."
"Please do, mariposa."
Maybe it would have been better if Alma had already been upset. That way, Isabela wouldn't have blamed herself for ruining her exceptional disposition.
But there was no other way to do this, so she steeled herself for the inevitable.
"I don't love Mariano."
The Madrigals - except for the youngest generation, including Antonio, who didn't understand this sort of stuff yet - and Señora Guzmán gasped, either in horror or amazement.
Isabela looked at Dolores, who nodded at her imperceptibly before getting up from her seat.
"Everyone, Mariano and I have been in love for a week."
"And I have been seeing Mariano's cousin Carlos Serrano for months. I didn't know how to tell you." Mirabel got up as well.
"This is outrageous!" Alma was the first to compose herself, her frown dispiriting her three granddaughters. "Dolores! How dare you steal Mariano from your cousin?"
"She didn't do anything wrong, Abuela!" Isabela slammed her hands down on the table, now being at the same eye level with her undisputed, fierce grandmother.
Thorns sprouted from the roses she's grown in a vase nearby, dark purple flowers drowning her hair.
"I was never able to love Mariano. I tried, I truly did, because I wanted to make you all happy and proud and bring our families' future forward."
Isabela caught sight of her parents' faces for a split second. They looked heartbroken, but not enraged. The fact that she couldn't make out if they were disappointed or not made Isabela squeeze her eyes shut for a moment.
At the same time, Pepa and Félix were looking at her as if she had two heads instead of one, especially the former.
"Mija…" Julieta breathed out, her voice nearly cracking with emotion.
Isabela gulped. "But I realised that it wasn't worth it. I risked losing my loving cousin and I made her unhappy for years. Dolores, I'm really sorry."
"It's okay, Isa. It's all in the past." Dolores smiled reassuringly.
"Mijo," Señora Guzmán snapped out of stupefaction, "why didn't you say anything sooner?"
"Little Antonio's ceremony was coming up." Mariano responded calmly, "We knew our secrets would make the balance falter, and we didn't wish to destroy Antonio's joyful night, so we chose tonight to reveal everything to you."
Alma's wrath increased, targeting her youngest granddaughter. "Mirabel! What have you done to your sister and cousin?!"
"Nothing, Abuela." Mirabel jumped at the sudden accusation. "Neither of them was happy, but now they can be. I was in Bruno's vision that night! I am saving the miracle!"
"Saving the miracle? From what?" Pepa spoke for everyone, a thundering cloud expanding over the entire room.
"Bruno left because of you, Mirabel!" Alma proceeded to release her rage, too overwhelmed by grief at the thought of her ungrateful runaway son to entirely register the questions. "You don't have any excuses to hurt this family!"
The ground shook slightly.
Mirabel was rendered speechless, tears glistening in her eyes.
"She has never, ever hurt anybody, Abuela!" Isabela exploded, finally having had enough. "All she's ever done was try her best to help us. And she has! If only you could see that!"
"Stay out of this, Isabela." Alma warned.
Mirabel wiped her cheeks. "I… will never be good enough for you... will I? No matter how hard I try, no matter how hard any of us tries. Luisa will never be strong enough, Isabela won't be good enough. Bruno left because you only saw the worst in him."
"Bruno didn't care about this family!" Abuela roared.
"He loves this family. I love this family. We all love this family. You're the one that doesn't care. You're the one breaking our home." Mirabel articulated sharply, more tears trailing down her face.
"DON'T YOU EVER…"
"The miracle is dying because of you…"
Tense silence followed.
Out of nowhere, cracks emerged, splitting the floor in half and engulfing the walls and ceiling, breaking the light bulbs.
"Out!" Mariano yelled as he shielded his mother.
Everyone complied without a word, doing their best to protect each other. Once in the hacienda, they noticed that the cracks had spread throughout Casita, slashing now fading doors, breaking windows and tearing plants apart.
Félix seized Antonio in his arms; the poor boy was already crying. Luisa kept close to Abuela to protect her from any dropping objects.
Everybody's heart stopped when the candle slipped between the broken frames of Alma's window.
"Mirabel! Get back!" Julieta screamed after her daughter, who had started climbing up a ladder to reach the dying candle.
Camilo dashed to the first floor, using his shapeshifting one last time to make himself taller in order to spring towards the window, but his gift went out at the same time as Isabela's, whose vines broke when she attempted swinging to the rooftop to save her sister. They both met the floor painfully without reaching their aim, despite Casita's help to ease their falls.
The ground trembled again, multiple pieces of the house collapsing in irreparable pieces. A shard of glass cut Isabela's ankle, but adrenaline made her not feel the sting. She helplessly watched her hermanita in despair, unable to speak from shock. Mirabel kept climbing up the roof in utter chaos, her parents yelling her name frantically.
Casita's last bits of power forced everybody out. Julieta bellowed her daughter's name one final time just when Mirabel managed to get a hold of the candle.
Isabela nearly fainted when the house thoroughly collapsed.
She had to get there.
Her sister was in danger.
She tried slipping past her family members, but her papá prevented her from advancing with a firm grip around her waist. She didn't want to imagine what her parents must have been feeling in those moments, as their daughter was in death's clutches.
The Madrigals and the Guzmáns formed a tight circle, shielding each other as best as they could when dust and pieces of rubble tumbled over them like rain.