The next day, I awaken to a rat sitting on my chest, his little whiskered face twitching down at me. I let out a screech before jumping off the bed and letting the rat fall beneath the sheets. Backing toward the wall, I watch as the little rat sniffles its way out from under the blankets and sits up to stare at me, his head cocked to the side.
"Ah, I see. You're one of Bruno's rats."
He sniffles.
"Well, I guess I can learn to deal with you. For Bruno." I reach out a hesitant hand as a peace offering, which he sniffs before rubbing his head against it. I'm shocked by how soft the fur is, which I expected to be covered in grime from being under dusty sinks and old cupboards. Rubbing his head and scratching his back, the little guy practically snuggles into hand. If he were a cat, he'd certainly be purring. I resist the urge to let out an 'aw'.
"Well, I suppose you are a little cute. What's your name?" The rat only stares, turning his head as if I said something incredibly stupid. "Right, right. Well, how about Miguel? Are you a boy?" The rat scoffs at me, turning her head away. Girl then. "Maybe Sofia? Maria? Lucia. Rosa!" The little rat twitches her nose, unimpressed by my list. I think for a moment. Common names are clearly not the way to go.
"What about Chiquita?" She runs around in one spot before standing to her feet again. "Great. Nice to meet you, Chiquita. I'm Estrella." Chiquita nods.
"Well, hop on," I say, reaching out my hand, "let's bring you back to Bruno."
Walking down the stairs to leave the room is not as tiring with someone to talk to, I notice. Though Chiquita cannot speak, she is quite the listener and a great companion. I start to think that maybe it wouldn't be so bad keeping her around.
Stepping out the door and into the hall, I check for any early risers before heading toward the painting. It is still dark out so no one else should be wandering about quite yet.
Walking through the passageway is always much easier when you're not plowing through it, chasing down a runaway ghost. When I step into Bruno's make-shift room, I notice him asleep on his little red chair. I tip-toe over to the other rats, some sleeping in a pile in the corner, others scavenging in the food storage. I place Chiquita on a table, making sure she is safe and comfortable before turning around to leave, but I stop. Bruno is still sitting in his seat, but his eyes are wide-open, openly staring at me and Chiquita.
"Sorry," I say, "Just bringing one of your rats back that decided to pay me a visit this morning. Not sure if you already named her, but it's Chiquita now. Got her approval and everything." Looking back at Chiquita, she gives a little nod.
Bruno's face lights up. "Well, I won't fight over a name. I thought you were scared of rats?"
"I am…but she's not so bad. And I can…tolerate…the rest...for you." Bruno grins and it sends my heart into a fit.
Later that morning, I sneak into the nursery to wake up the children. Mirabel is still asleep, which is usually not the case as she tends to be an early riser as well. Singing the three children awake, as per our morning ritual, they let out their sleepy yawns and rub tired eyes. Mirabel is the first to pop up, excited and ready to take on the day.
"It's your first day of school!" she cries. I laugh and nod, waiting for my two grump-a-lumps to ease out of their morning fog.
"I'm so excited to meet everyone. Are there any kids I should know about? Any ruffians?"
Mirabel giggles, "No, no. Everyone is great!"
"Don't listen to her," Ale states, his eyes filled with morning crud, "Everyone our age is scared of Luisa so they'd never bully Mirabel. Watch Mateo. Him and his group are mean but they don't get caught much."
"Mateo's not nice," Mila whines.
"Alright, I'll definitely keep an eye out. Thank you for letting me know."
The school day was a little different than I was expecting. Señora Francisca knows exactly how to take care of the children in a fair but stern manner. She has it down so perfect that she can smile and converse with you and then suddenly shift into teacher mode to deal with a child, quickly reverting back to the conversation when the issue is dealt with. It is interesting to watch. The children are a very exciting bunch. All school-ages are meshed together into one large class. Somehow Señora Francisca is able to wrangle together all the different assignments and schooling levels, each having their own personalized education. The group is larger than I expected, with around 20 children. At the beginning of the class, I was introduced to the class and seemed to be welcomed fairly well. As the students stood up and introduced themselves, with jokes being made when it was Ale, Mila, or the Madrigals turns, one little boy stood out from the bunch: none other than Mateo Perez. When it was his turn to stand up, he stammered and blushed, barely able to say his name properly. The students around him looked up at him with confusion, showing that this shy disposition was not common for him. For the rest of the class, he was completely silent and the perfect student. He didn't act up in class, even when those around him were. He stayed focused at the front of the class, listening intently to his lesson. He finished his assignment with relative ease. Though, when I went up to him, as I did other students, to check if he needed help, he only stared up at me with wide eyes, giving me a quick shake of the head in dismissal. I was shocked that this was the boy that supposedly "bullied" the students around him.
After dinner with the Madrigals, where I answered many questions about my first day of class, I brought my two children up to bed, Mirabel following close behind with her Mamá.
"So, Mateo didn't seem so bad, amorcitos. Maybe he was just having a bad week last week?"
"No, Mamá, I swear he's never like that! I even asked Camilo! Something weird was going on today."
"I think Mateo has a crush on Estrella!"
"Mirabel!" her mother cries.
"What? He does! He was all goo-goo eyes and blushing when she looked at him. It was so cute!" Mirabel claps her hands together while sitting on her bed. Julietta gives her a gentle push to lay her down on the bed, pulling the blankets over her and giving her a kiss on her head.
"Well, that would be very sweet of him. Are you ready for the goodnight song?" They all nod and I begin to sing. It's not long before they all drift off to sleep. Julietta and I quietly walk out of the door, creaking it shut behind us.
"Thank you for being so kind to my girls. They really love you. It's like you're becoming part of the family."
"Thank you so much," I say, shocked by her words, "That's so sweet of you to say. Your girls are so sweet, anyone couldn't help but to love them."
"We just need my brother to get back here and maybe we can make you a real tía," Julietta says with a smirk and a soft bump at my shoulder. "Julietta!" I cry, laughing and blushing before a strong sense of guilt hits me. She has no idea that the hermano she misses so dearly is right under her nose. I know this fact and am keeping it from her. Though a part of me wishes to tell her, I know it needs to be Bruno to choose to reveal himself.
A frustratingly familiar sound distracts me from my thoughts. Beautiful singing emanates from above our heads. I look up to see the candle sitting in the window, glowing in the night.
"Do you hear that?" I ask. Julietta looks at me in confusion. "What?" she asks.
"That singing, do you hear it?"
"No, I don't hear anything."
"Oh, okay," I say, slightly disappointed, "well, don't worry about it. Probably just my imagination. I'm going to head off to bed now."
"Goodnight, Estrella."
"Sweet dreams."
After Julietta walks into her room, I look around the hall, checking for any prying eyes, before hopping in through the hole behind the painting and making my way toward Bruno.