Now that the truth was out and the initial shock was out of the way, it didn't take long for Mirabel's family to start hounding her with questions.

"I just realized something," Camilo said to her that evening, after many of them had already huddled around. "You didn't try to shapeshift while you were still holding my Gift. Can you not do it?"

"Ah, nope," Mirabel replied sheepishly. "I hold the Gifts, I can't use them."

Camilo frowned. "Well, that doesn't seem fair. You have the magic, you should have the power. Otherwise I'm just using you to put my Gift away for a bit. You're like a glorified shelf."

Mirabel grimaced. "I, uh—do not like that. I think I prefer 'sponge.' Oh, or 'conduit.' That's a better one."

Isabela spoke up next, all but pushing Camilo out of the way. "So here's my question, does it happen every time you touch somebody? Cause you were avoiding us like crazy that one time."

"But not anymore," Luisa added.

Mirabel shrugged. "Apparently, no. I think I need to have, like, the intent. Or, some kind of sentiment, like I showed you. Some reason for your Gift to be taken away, like it's giving you trouble, or it's annoying, or…"

"Oh, so you can control it?" asked Isabela.

"Yes—ah, I should. Still working on it."

Luisa's eyes widened. "Wait, so you might accidentally steal someone's Gift without realizing?"

Mirabel flinched. "No stealing! I'm not stealing anything! I can always give it back if I take it by mistake."

Pepa leaned forward next. "But how can you tell? What if you take one of the less obvious Gifts like, say, Antonio's, or Camilo's. Do you know if you've taken a Gift before they realize they can't use it?"

"Oh! Yes, I can." Mirabel grinned. "I can feel it, you know? It's like I'm holding something heavy."

"Like a shelf?" asked Camilo.

"Shut up, no, not like a shelf." She waved him off. "Point is, I can feel it. Ooh! And I can see it! When I stand in the dark while holding a Gift—" she backed into a shadowy part of the courtyard to demonstrate— "it glows in the dark! Ah, wait, I don't have one right now. Camilo, can I borrow yours again for a second?"

Camilo crossed his arms and turned away. "Nope."

"Y—okay, does anyone want to volunteer?"

Antonio raised his hand with a helpful little smile. "You can borrow mine, Mirabel."

"Aww!" Mirabel put a hand to her heart. "Thanks, Toñito. I promise I'll give it back right away." She took his hand, closed her eyes, and wished as hard as she could (a task that proved somewhat difficult—there was no real reason to take Antonio's Gift from him, except to demonstrate), and felt just the slightest wave of dizziness.

Then, she hurried back into the shadows and twirled around for her family to see. "Ta-da!" she cried. "Look at all the sparkles! Every Gift is a different color. See, Antonio's is a pretty orange." she held out her arm, while the others crowded around in awe. "And Tío Bruno's was green like his visions. Dolores' was red, Mamá's was a nice teal color…and I didn't get to see Camilo's."

Félix suddenly called from the back. "Wait, so, basically, we can see the color of the magic? Through your skin?"

"Uh, if I may," Bruno piped up with a raised finger. "I am a little concerned—I mean, I know I'm always concerned, but I'm actually concerned—do you think maybe the magic might be a little too much for you, Mirabel?"

Mirabel frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's all but seeping out through your skin, not the mention all your talk of feeling 'heavy'…"

"He has a point," Julieta said. "I have been worried that this might not be the healthiest thing for you. Anything that causes a sudden change to your body is, well…"

"Yes, thank you!" Bruno replied. "Finally, I've been waiting for the day that someone could agree with me."

Mirabel looked between the two of them, feeling a little betrayed.

And then, Isabela had to chime in as well. "Yeah, it might not be a great idea to hold onto a Gift for too long. And—oh gosh, what would happen if you tried to hold two at once? Would you, like, explode?"

"Isa!" Julieta shouted above the cries of anguish. "Don't say things like that!"

"I was just bringing up the possibility! What if the sparkles start oozing out of her pores or something—"

"Isa!"

"Everyone!" Alma suddenly called out. The room thankfully got quieter. Alma gave a sigh and leaned on the chair in front of her. "There's no point in panicking. Whatever Mirabel's new Gift will entail, we need to study it rationally and safely, without making up ridiculous scenarios."

There was some grumbling at this, particularly from Isabela and Bruno.

But Alma paid them no heed. She just looked at Mirabel instead. "I'm sure there's a lot of things even you don't know yet, isn't that right, mija?"

Mirabel pressed her lips together and nodded slowly. "Well…yeah. But I'm sure I can handle it. The miracle wouldn't have given it to me if I couldn't."

Alma thought this over, as did the others. She didn't seem convinced, but still nevertheless smiled. "Yes, of course. You and I can investigate this more slowly. Go ahead and put Antonio's Gift back now. And the rest of you, please stop hounding the poor girl."

Mirabel let out a breath, and squeezed through her crowded relatives. As she made her way up the stairs, she noticed that Antonio was still clinging to her.

The little boy looked up at her with scared eyes. "Mirabel, are you going to explode?"

Mirabel grinned at him. "No, silly, don't worry. Remember what I told you before?"

At this, Antonio beamed. "Never listen to Isabela or Camilo."

"That's my boy!" She ruffled his hair, relieved. Then, without further ado, she went ahead and put his Gift back through his doorknob. All was well again. Mirabel breathed a sigh of relief.

Antonio observed it for a moment in awe. "Could you also do it the other way? You know, take a Gift through the door and then put it back through the person?"

Mirabel tilted her head. "Good question. I'll have to try that some time." Just as she finished speaking, she yawned. "But not right now. I'm tired. Let's get you to bed?"

Antonio pouted. "Fine."

By this point, Mirabel had forgotten why she was ever nervous about this. Perhaps she had needed some time to get a better handle on her power, but everyone was taking it well, not holding it against her like she'd thought they would. Why had she thought that, anyway? Well, in any case, it made her happy to know how far her family had come. No more finger pointing, only kindness and acceptance.

And now that she was no longer hiding it, she was once again feeling the urge to use it. But Abuela had told her to keep it in check and not make any hasty decisions, so—so Mirabel would just have to work with it for now. They wouldn't get anywhere if she just went off doing things on her own…

She did begin to notice, however, that the news was apparently making its way to the townspeople. Mirabel supposed she couldn't be mad at that, since she hadn't told anyone to keep it a secret. Still, though, she wondered how people around here just knew stuff sometimes.

"Mirabel!" cried little Alejandra that morning when Mirabel was out and about. She and the other two kids had hurried up to her as they often did, wide-eyed and curious. "Mirabel, is it true you have a Gift now?"

Mirabel smiled sheepishly as she walked. "Well…yes, sort of. It's a little different, though."

"Different how?"

Mirabel rolled her eyes. Kids and their questions. "Well, it's less of a Gift of my own, and more like helping my family with their Gifts. Sometimes it's a lot for them, so now I can hold onto their magic for a while so they can take it easy. Does that make sense?"

Alejandra cocked her head in confusion. "Um…I guess…"

Juancho, the little coffee-addicted boy, raised his hand like he was in school. "So does that mean the miracle finally gave you something? That took forever!"

Mirabel frowned. She put her hands on her hips and assumed Mature Babysitter mode. "Come on, Juanchito, what did I tell you all before? It's not the magic that makes anyone in my family special. It's our hearts!" She patted her chest to make a point. "I've always wanted to help my family, with or without magic. And remember, you can do that too."

Juancho seemed to miss the life lesson and instead kept pondering Mirabel's situation. "But if you don't need magic, then why are you getting it now?"

"Yeah, where did it come from?" asked Alejandra. The other two chimed in with their agreement.

This gave Mirabel some pause. Truthfully, she didn't know the answer to those questions. Where had this come from? She didn't get it from the Candle. She didn't get a special room. She wasn't even sure when she'd received this "Gift." Or…why.

"Um—" she stammered. "I, uh, I'm actually not sure about that, guys." She tried once again to look confident. "Truth is, this is a bit of a mystery to me, too! But I'm sure we'll figure everything out eventually."

The kids didn't seem satisfied with this. But Mirabel was about done with this conversation now. She didn't know why, but that urge she'd felt earlier was stronger now. She felt…unsettled. Or perhaps restless. Was something going on?

As the kids shouted more questions, Mirabel began to shoo them off. "Alright, kiddos, that's enough. I have things to do, so you just run along now."

The kids continued to protest, but at that moment, another sound caught her attention. She looked up at the misplaced sound of thunder, and quickly spotted the rumbling clouds spreading over the sky from blocks away. And just like that, something in her clicked into place.

Despite everything, Mirabel smiled to herself. Looks like her little appointment with Pepa would be happening after all…with Abuela's approval, of course.

Julieta was relaxing alone with a cup of tea when Alma appeared to join her. Her mother sat down at the chair next to her, sighing in what sounded like defeat.

"Your daughter is very excited about her new Gift," Alma said.

Julieta scoffed into her cup. "Of course. Why wouldn't she be? I suppose she's been deprived of it for this long."

Alma hummed. "Yes. She and Pepa came running to me earlier to ask for permission for another Gift exchange. Then they ran away holding hands, and Pepa didn't even make a rainbow."

Julieta took a sip of her tea and they both fell into silence. There was something on both their minds, and they knew it, but it was a matter of who would say it first. So Julieta decided to take the leap.

"It's different."

Alma already knew what she meant. "Yes."

"She had no ceremony. No door. It came out of nowhere. It's not even really a Gift, it's more like—like—"

"A conduit, as she said."

"Yes." She paused. "Why?"

Bruno spoke. "Mirabel is—"

"Aah!" Alma and Julieta jumped.

"Gah!" Bruno also jumped. "Sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on you. I-I just have light footsteps, you know?"

Alma sighed. "Have a seat, Bruno." She waited until her son sat down, twiddling his fingers. "What were you trying to say?"

Bruno didn't meet either of their eyes. "Um, I was just—I was just thinking. You guys remember when Mirabel brought the magic back?"

"When she put in the front doorknob, yes," said Julieta.

"Uh-huh. Yeah, ever since this whole Gift-sponge thing began, I've just been thinking about that." He gripped his hands together tightly. "Like, where did the new magic come from, exactly? Was it from her? Was it from the vague concept of familial love and acceptance?"

"…where are you going with this, Bruno?"

"Sorry, sorry. What I'm trying to say is—before all that, the Candle was the embodiment of the miracle. It powered the Encanto, and the house, and it gave the family our Gifts. But now, the Candle is gone…so what's doing that job instead?"

Julieta gripped her teacup handle tightly. "Wait. A-are you suggesting that Mirabel—?"

"I don't know, I don't know!" Bruno raised his hands above his head. "It's just a theory. I just can't help but notice some obvious similarities. The Candle gave the Gifts, it went out and took the Gifts—"

"Bruno—"

"Mirabel's giving and taking Gifts left and right—the Candle giveth, the Candle taketh away, you know?"

Julieta set her cup down and whirled toward him. "Bruno!" she snapped. "My daughter is not a candle!"

Bruno winced, and decided to clam up.

"Juli, Juli," Alma finally butt in. "Both of you. Take a breath. Let's discuss this calmly."

Julieta took a labored inhale through her nose. She gulped, turning away from her brother and took a few moments to calm down. Once her muscles had relaxed a decent amount, she turned back to him sheepishly.

"S-sorry, Bruno," she said. "I didn't mean to yell. Please forgive me."

"Oh, no, no, it's fine," Bruno chuckled. "I-I can't blame you for freaking out. For the record, I'm worried about her too."

"Mm." Julieta took a shaky breath. "Mamá, what do you think of all this?"

Alma stared at the tabletop, thoughtful. "I…suppose it would explain a few things. I have noticed that Mirabel has this…connection with the magic, ever since it returned. After all, she is the one who brought it back. It would make sense if she was connected to it on a deeper level than the rest of us."

"Yes, I've noticed that too," replied Julieta. "That is, she always had a stronger connection with Casita that we did, but now, it's strange. She's always able to sense when the magic is fluctuating and she brings it up. And whenever one of us needs help, she's just…there."

"So…what does this all mean?"

No one said anything. The women turned to look at Bruno, and he shrunk under the attention.

"H-hey, why are you looking at me?"

"You're the one who brought up this theory," Alma replied. "I thought maybe you could help us figure out what it could mean for Mirabel."

Bruno shrugged. "I—I don't know. I'm too scared to think that far into the implications."

Julieta frowned. "Ah. And I'm assuming you likely haven't tried to…take a look and see."

"I've thought about it, but, um—no." He started sadly tracing patterns on the tabletop. "I've just had a bad feeling. But I'm too much of a coward to actually look. I'm sorry."

Alma sighed quietly. "You do whatever you feel is best, Brunito."

Bruno just nodded. They fell into silence once again, each one of them lost in thought.

And then, like the sound of her name had summoned her, Mirabel appeared. She came skipping up the hill with a smile on her face, and not a single ounce of effort despite the extra weight she was carrying. "Hey guys!" She greeted, then paused when she noticed their expressions. Mirabel stopped in front of their table, just in the shade of the trees, and frowned. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you guys okay?"

Alma, Julieta and Bruno shared a glance, a silent conversation passing between them. Then Julieta turned back to her daughter and managed a smile. "No, nothing, dear. Look at you, though. You're glowing."

Mirabel looked down at herself and laughed. Here, in the shade, they could just barely make out the spiraling speckles of golden yellow sprawling over her bare skin. Bruno had a point, it did strike a certain familiarity. It was strange and otherworldly…and inexplicably beautiful.

"Yeah," Mirabel replied. "Tía Pepa's just taking an easy day today. I'm just going to go work on some projects while I wait for her to take her Gift back." She looked over the group one more time. "Are you sure everything's okay here? I'm—willing to talk if anyone needs it."

Alma shook her head. "Mira, we're the adults here. We can handle our own feelings just fine. Go have fun with your projects, okay?"

"Okaaaaaay," Mirabel said. She hesitantly stepped away, turning her head back multiple times before she finally disappeared inside.

Now alone, Julieta shared yet another glance with her mother and brother. They didn't know exactly what was coming next, but Julieta had the feeling they should be prepared for anything.

Mirabel was starting to notice something about her new power. The more she used it, the easier and faster it started to become. Aside from the waning effect of the "weight," the Gift transfer was almost instantaneous now. Before, it had taken hours or even a whole day after the wish-touch for a Gift to actually disappear. But now, it happened immediately. Was it just because of practice? Who knew, and who knew what effects she'd see once she kept on using it? She was excited to find out.

Today, the person who had her attention was Isabela. Much to her older sister's chagrin.

"Since when do you like hanging around me this much?" Isabela scoffed. She pointedly avoided meeting her sister's eyes and instead focused on the bouquet she was crafting.

Mirabel, gripping a stray vine in her sister's room, danced around it with an innocent grin. "Oh, you know," she giggled. "Just doing my familial duty and checking in on everyone. Besides, you were the one hanging around me the other day. Weren't you the most curious about my power?"

Isabela rolled her eyes and finally turned to Mirabel. She squeezed her little sisters cheeks somewhat mockingly. "Yes, Mirabel, I am. And trust me, your new Gift is really really really cool." She patted her head like she was a dog. "But I'm busy right now. These bouquets need to be done by tomorrow."

Mirabel pouted, but remained put. "Okay, I understand." She leaned forward, letting the vine support her. "But you're not being rushed or anything, are you?"

"Mirabel…"

"Just checking—ack!" The vine snapped, and Mirabel fell face-forward into the flower-floor below.

Isabela looked down at her, making no attempt to help her up. "Mirabel. Not every instance of using my Gift for others means I'm being taken advantage of."

Mirabel just continued laying on the floor. "Oh, I know. I know. But I'm just saying, we're all open doors with each other, right?"

"Yes, Mirabel. And my door is open right now, for you to leave. Shoo out of here and stop bugging me."

Mirabel sighed and finally stood up. "Fine. I'm leaving."

"Bye."

"Walking away now. See you later."

Isabela's door closed behind her, and Mirabel was left staring out in the courtyard. For several seconds, she stared at nothing, and didn't move.

She had that…that urge again. Just like she had felt before she saw Pepa's clouds yesterday. (Heck, she'd barely given Pepa's Gift back at the end of yesterday, when she started feeling it again). Mirabel had thought this feeling was just excitement, but maybe this was something more to it after all. Right now, it seemed to be drawing her toward Isabela. Was this another evolution of her power?

Mirabel adjusted the strap of her bag and stood up straighter. She had a bad idea, and she knew she shouldn't. But the curiosity was killing her right now.

"Alright, Casita. Looks like we have more experiments to do."

The bouquets had been for a birthday party. Someone had asked her to get them done within a fairly short window of time and had apologized profusely for the short notice. Isabela hadn't minded. She enjoyed the challenge, the creative problem to pick at. Was the deadline a little stressful? Sure, but it wasn't anything overwhelming. Isabela was happy with her work.

So, to say that she was a little annoyed when she woke up Giftless the next day would be the understatement of the century.

Isabela stormed out her darkened door and, instead of pounding on Mirabel's door, she whirled around and instead woke up her parents.

"Mamá, Papá," she began, barely restraining her voice. "Mirabel stole my Gift."