"Well…things are obviously going really well."

Mirabel was sitting in the courtyard now, because going to her room just felt like it would be suffocating. She was curled up on a seat by one of the walls, hugging her knees and staring at nothing in particular. At least Casita was still here to talk to.

"I didn't mean to yell at him like that," Mirabel continued complaining. "He was just being so pushy." She looked down at the floor. "Be honest, am I starting to make more cracks appear?"

Clickety-clack-clack.

"What do you mean 'not yet'? I don't need your attitude right now." Mirabel groaned and unfurled herself, tossing her head back dramatically. "Fine, I'll apologize to him. But what am I supposed to do about—this?" she gestured toward herself. "Even if I do tell the family, that doesn't solve anything. Am I supposed to just…stay away from my family? For how long?"

She began to sink into herself once more. "I-I don't want to do that," she murmured. "I don't…I don't want any of this."

Casita clattered sadly.

Just then, Mirabel heard her mother's voice echoing from around the corner. "Mirabel?" Julieta called out. "Mirabel, where are you?"

Mirabel scrambled to her feet, just as her mother rounded the corner and spotted her.

"Oh! There you are, mija," said Julieta. She crossed the courtyard and made her way over to where Mirabel was standing. "What are you doing down here? Are you not still sick…?"

Julieta was reaching out to feel Mirabel's forehead. Mirabel hurried away to avoid her. Don't touch me.

"Ah—actually, I feel a lot better now!" She crossed her arms and forced a smile. "Thank you for checking, though!"

Julieta frowned. "Are you sure? You've been acting strange all morning."

"S-strange? Haha…strange how?"

"Well, I noticed that you were sitting a little far away from everyone at breakfast," Julieta replied. "I figured it was because you still felt sick. What else would it be for?"

"Uh—you know what? You're partially right, haha," Mirabel chuckled and puffed up her chest to appear confident. "I thought that I might still be sick, so I kept away just in case. But after walking around in the fresh air, I realize I'm actually not sick anymore, so we're good! No need to worry!"

Julieta was clearly not convinced. Mirabel just wanted to get out of here.

"And on that note, I also don't want to be cooped up at home anymore," Mirabel said hurriedly. She started to inch away. "So, I'm gonna go outside and hang out in town for a little while. Bye, Mamá!"

"Wh—wait, mija, are you sure?"

"Yep! See you in a while, don't worry about me! Byeee!"

Julieta kept calling after her, but Mirabel was already out the door. The sun felt blinding right about now. But she kept going as fast as she could.


Julieta stayed rooted in place as she watched Mirabel bolt out the front door. If nothing else, this proved that her daughter had her energy back, but this didn't stop Julieta from being worried. But she couldn't very well chase after her now.

She sighed to herself, turning around and heading back down the hall to the kitchen. Just as she entered, lost in thought, she spotted her mother there packing away her stack of arepas in a basket.

"Oh—thank you, Mamá, I could have packed them myself."

Alma smiled. "I figured I could give you a little support." She paused, noticing her daughter's frown. "You seem upset. Are you alright?"

"I'm okay, it's just…" she moved to the stove and slowly continued packing her food supply. "Have you noticed Mirabel acting strange? I'm a little worried about her."

Alma raised an eyebrow. "I'm…not sure I've noticed anything. She was sick a couple days ago, perhaps she's still feeling ill?"

"She says she isn't," Julieta replied. "But she's still avoiding people, and I think there's something else going on."

"Hmm. Well, I wouldn't know about it, Juli. I'm afraid I've been too preoccupied by the disappearing Gifts."

"Yes…" Julieta paused, thoughtful. "You don't think that's…somehow related, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…Mirabel brought the miracle back," Julieta gestured to the house around them. "It came from her. That means she has a connection with it, no? Perhaps her sudden illnesses are related to whatever is happening with the magic now." She wrung her hands together. "Or…maybe not. It's just an idea."

Alma frowned at nothing in particular, stroking her chin. "I…suppose it could be a possibility."

Before they could continue their discussion, a third person walked into the kitchen. It was Dolores, quiet as ever, and she looked over the other two women with wide eyes.

"Hola," she whispered.

Alma smiled. "Hola, Dolorita. Have you managed to find any answers about your missing Gift?"

"Actually, yes," Dolores replied. "It came back. Just a little while ago."

"Oh!" Julieta piped up. "That was quick. Thank goodness."

"Yes, I'm glad," Alma agreed. "So all it took was smoothing things over with your Tío Bruno, then?"

Dolores nodded, slowly.

"Wait, what?" asked Julieta. "What happened with Bruno?"

Alma waved a hand. "Just a small misunderstanding. If they've cleared it up, there's no need to worry."

"Ok…" Julieta turned back to her basket and finished packing. "Hm. I suppose if nothing else, it's nice to have this little 'alarm system' to let us know when we have an issue to work on."

Alma laughed at this. "An alarm system? I suppose that's one way to think of it. Thank you for the dash of optimism, Julieta."

Julieta scoffed slightly. She closed up her basket, but not before packing a couple of arepas on their own. She turned back to Dolores.

"Lola, if you see Mirabel today, could you give her this? Just to chase any remnants of her illness away."

Dolores took the arepas and hesitated. She looked up at Julieta and opened her mouth, as if about to speak. But then she just closed it again.

"Did you have something else to say, Lola?" Alma asked her.

Dolores lowered her head, then shook it. "No. Sorry. I'll see you soon."

With that, Dolores turned and left. Julieta tried to exchange another glance with her mother, but Alma was already staring into the distance, lost in thought once more.


It was extremely easy to notice how Mirabel was acting. She'd told herself a million times to be discreet, but when push came to shove, apparently her brain loved to short-circuit and make her look as awkward and suspicious as humanly possible.

First, Luisa tried to give her a friendly pat on the head.

"Oops, sorry, I can't!" Mirabel blurted, ducking out of the way. "I, uh—have been told to avoid patronizing head pats for my health!"

Luisa blinked. "Wait, what? Patronizing?"

"Yep, sorry! I'll just watch you work from the sidelines, okay? If you need anything, just holler!" She turned and hurried to a spot several feet away. She heard Luisa turn to a villager standing next to her and ask if she'd really been acting patronizing. Mirabel pretended not to notice. "You're doing great!" She called to her sister. "Go, Luisa!"

Next, Pepa tried to herd her somewhere with an arm around the shoulder.

"Mira, someone was looking for you earlier," Pepa said. "They said they wanted to show you a new set of fabrics that just got delivered, and—."

Pepa tried to put her arm around Mirabel to lead the way, but Mirabel scurried away from the danger zone.

"Ah, yes, yes! That must be Señora Rodriguez," she said loudly. "Thanks for letting me know, Tía!"

"Oh, of course, she was by her store." Pepa grinned and reached for her again. "Let me walk you over there, I'm also interested in seeing what she—"

Mirabel backed away quickly. At this point, Pepa started to look confused.

"Ah—you know what would be fun?" Mirabel said loudly. "Let's race over to the fabrics shop!"

Pepa frowned. "What? Why would we do that?"

"I dunno, it's okay if you don't want to, but I'm racing! Ready set go!"

She could hear the rumbling thunder as she hurried away.

Then, Camilo tried to give her a high-five.

"Hey, Mirabel! Guess who just got rewarded a week's worth of chocolates for helping an old lady with her groceries? This guy!" Camilo approached her rapidly and wound up for a high five. "Up top!"

Mirabel ducked backwards and fell to the ground. But she still smiled like nothing had happened. "Oh, really? That's awesome, Camilo!"

Camilo blinked down at her like she was stupid. "Uh…why did you fall over from my high-five?" He paused. "I promise there's nothing sticky on my hand."

"Heh…heheh. Yeah, I definitely trust you. Anyway, congrats on the candy. Are you going to share any with me?"

"Not if you keep acting weird."

Mirabel started to slink away. "Fair enough."

Next, it was her mom being fussy again.

"Mirabel, I just want to take your temperature to be sure," Julieta told her, reaching out insistently. "Please just hold still for a moment."

Mirabel hurried to the other side of the table to get away from her. "Aw, but you can't, Mamá! I—might still be contagious!"

Julieta actually looked annoyed. "Mirabel, you said earlier that you felt better. And I'm a doctor, I know what I'm doing. Please just hold still!"

Mirabel once again backed away from her mother…only to bump into someone else. For a moment, she tensed. She'd been keeping up this act all day, and merely bumping into someone made her pulse spike in a panic. The person gently grabbed her arms from behind, and Mirabel looked up to see…her dad.

Oh, thank goodness.

"Hey, Miraboo," Agustín said with a smile. "What's got you so nervous today, hm? Something bothering you? You can tell us."

Mirabel relaxed and smiled sadly at him. "It's…nothing, Papá." She pulled away from his grip and gave him a pat on the hand. "I just…need some time."

With that cryptic note, Mirabel turned to leave, just narrowly avoiding Isabela on her way.

The last, and probably the worst, incident of that day was when she saw Antonio approaching her again. Mirabel could see the big smile on his face and his arm open wide for a hug as he ran her way.

She could feel her heart breaking before it even happened. As Antonio got closer, calling her name, Mirabel backed away from him and held up her hands. "H-hold on there, Toñito," she said gently. "You shouldn't…hug me. Not right now."

Antonip's face fell. "Why not?"

"Because…um, Mamá thinks I might still be a little sick."

"That's okay." Antonio replied. He went in for another hug and Mirabel barely managed to get away.

"No, Antonio, please don't touch me, okay? I don't want—!"

She cut herself off before she could reveal anything, and the look in Antonio's eyes made her feel like she deserved death. But still, she folded up her arms and tried to let him down as gently as possible.

"Look…I'm really sorry, Toño, but…there's some grown up stuff I'm dealing with, and that means I need you to stay away, alright? I promise I'll explain everything to you soon."

Antonio didn't seem comforted by this at all. Mirabel wanted to grovel at his feet and beg for forgiveness, or maybe give him a big tight hug. But of course, she could not, so she ended up just leaving the place, wanting to cry as much as he did.


Julieta was stirring a pot of broth later that afternoon, contemplative, when Pepa suddenly appeared next to her and leaned on the counter.

"Hey," Pepa began. "What's going on with Mirabel? She's acting all kinds of weird."

Julieta sighed. "I wish I knew, Pepa," she replied. "Agustín and I were trying to get answers out of her today, but she just kept avoiding us. She's saying she might still be contagious—but is also saying she's not sick anymore."

"So she's contradicting herself too?" Pepa turned around, back to the counter, and crossed her arms. An annoyed rumble sounded above her head. "She's definitely hiding something. I thought we agreed there would be no more secrets in this family. Especially now that the magic is acting strange again."

"Calmaté, Pepa." Julieta started putting ingredients into her pot. "We can't force someone to share a secret." But just then, she hesitated. "I mean…I feel like I have some idea of what's going on, but…I don't think I should share it."

"Why not?"

"Well, mostly because it's conjecture," Julieta said. Still, after a moment's hesitation, she pressed on. "But I was discussing it this morning with Mamá, and I was wondering if…maybe Mirabel is…actually…"

She was interrupted by a sniffle and a sob from the far end of the kitchen. The women quickly turned around to see Antonio, face streaked with tears and eyes puffy and red.

Pepa immediately hurried over to her son. "Antonio? What's the matter, baby? Did you get hurt?"

"M…" Antonio had to sniff loudly before continuing. "Mirabel doesn't love me anymore."

"What?" Julieta asked, making her way over. "Of course she does, sweetheart. Why do you think she doesn't?"

"Cause she doesn't want to hug me or play with me," Antonio replied. His lip kept quivering and he looked down. "And—and she kept telling me to stay away…"

"Oh, no, no, no, pobrecito." Pepa picked up Antonio and carried him over to a chair to sit down. "Mirabel didn't mean anything by it, okay? She just…" Pepa exchanged a look with her sister. "...didn't want to get you sick. That's why she had to stay away."

"But I don't care about that." Antonio sniffled. "I just wanted to play with her."

"I know, sweetheart," Pepa cooed. "She will play with you again soon, I promise." She took Antonio's hand and started to lead him away with a smile. "How about we go get some ice cream for now, sí? And then we can talk to Mirabel again later."

Antonio nodded, still looking a little glum. As Pepa led him out of the kitchen, she turned around and gave Julieta an intense look. Fix this.

Julieta sighed and tossed the towel in her hand onto the counter. What exactly did Pepa expect her to do? If her daughter didn't want to talk to them, it wasn't like she could demand it.

She tried to just get back to cooking, but her family apparently wasn't done with her yet. Alma came into the kitchen shortly after Pepa and Antonio had left. She had a frown on her face, as if she was thinking deeply about something only she would know.

"Julieta, is everything alright?"

Julieta sighed. "I-I don't know, Mamá."

Alma stood there for a moment, not saying anything. Then, without a word, she turned around and left in the direction she'd come.


Mirabel had decided to just go home and hide in her room for the rest of the day, after that encounter with Antonio. Normally, she didn't like being stifled in this way, but at this point she figured it was worth it. Maybe now she could convince her family that she was still sick and they would leave her alone. Probably should have done that from the start.

However, unfortunately for her…nature calls. And she wasn't privileged enough to have a personal bathroom in her room just yet. So, that meant leaving the safety of her room in for just a few minutes. A few minutes of pain and agony.

Thankfully, the trip to the bathroom wasn't a problem. It was on her way back that she ran into trouble—that being her Abuela, who still knew how to strike fear in the hearts of those around her, even now.

"Mirabel," Alma began when she saw her, quiet but firm. "Do you have a minute to talk?"

Mirabel, noting that Abuela was standing in her path back to her room, had no choice but to reply. "Uh…talk?" She smiled awkwardly and repeatedly tapped her fist against her side. "What's there to talk about?"

Alma raised an eyebrow and looked her over. "The whole family has noticed that you are acting strange." Her face softened up a little. "Is there something bothering you, mija? Something you're having trouble with?"

"Ummm, no!" Mirabel laughed. She tucked her hands under her armpits. "Just—lingering illness. I don't want to infect anyone. That's all it is."

Alma leaned forward, unconvinced. "Mirabel, we've all seen you sick before," she replied. "It has never caused you to behave this way. In fact, I cannot think of anything that would cause you to…avoid your own family like this. That is completely unlike you."

Mirabel felt herself backing away. But Alma followed.

"Mirabel, if there is something bothering you—"

"It's not—." She started to assess her escape routes. "It's nothing, you—you wouldn't get it, Abuela."

"Wouldn't get what?" Alma pressed, a pleading edge to her voice. "I just want to help you, Mirabel."

"I-I know, but…but…" Her heart was pounding. Briefly, she remembered what Bruno had told her. But she couldn't tell Abuela the truth, not now. Even if she wanted to, she just—couldn't.

"Are you hurt in any way?"

"No…" She was getting closer to backing into a wall, she could feel it.

"Then, please, you can tell me what is going on. I promise I won't be angry…"

Alma was getting closer and reached out to take her hand. Mirabel's mind blanked.

"No! No, don't touch me!"

They both froze. Silence rang in the courtyard around them. Alma stopped advancing, a bewildered look on her face. As for Mirabel, she abandoned all sense of caution at this point. She ran, past her Abuela and straight toward her room, barely even managing to recall that her grandmother didn't even have a Gift in the first place.


Alma remained staring at the wall after Mirabel ran past her. It wasn't until after the girl was gone that she finally moved, straightening up with a deep sigh.

She heard quiet footsteps to the side, and barely had to look up to find her son watching from the shadows. Alma just gave a quiet scoff.

"I pushed too hard again, didn't I?" she asked.

Bruno just shrugged. "I mean…a little?"

Alma gave a sigh of frustration. "I just wish I knew how to get into her head," she lamented. "I know there's some connection here, but I want her to tell me. I don't want to be—the accuser, not again."

She paused, apparently having said too much. She turned to Bruno again, with a smile. "I guess I'm just not used to not having all the control."

Bruno returned her smile, albeit half-hearted, but didn't comment.

There wasn't really much else to say, so after a quick apology for her outburst, Alma excused herself and left the room.

As for Bruno, he immediately turned on his heel and went to see his niece.


When Bruno entered Mirabel's room, she was already on the floor, slumped against the wall, knees up, face buried in her arms. She was in tears.

With a gulp, Bruno shut the door behind him, trying to think of something to say. "Hey, uh…" he paused. "That…that was definitely something out there, huh?"

Mirabel didn't look up, just letting out a loud sob. "I'm sorry, Tío, I'm sorry," she blubbered. "I know I should have just told her…but I couldn't. I just couldn't tell her—the words wouldn't come out. And—" she stopped to catch her breath again, finally raising her head a little. "And I'm sorry about what I said to you before. I shouldn't have said it, I didn't mean it. Nothing is coming out right for me today, I'm sorry…"

It hurt to watch her like this. But what was he to do? She wouldn't let him come close, and so he had to rely on words…which he was never good with.

Still, he took a seat of his own on the floor in front of her, smiling gently. "Hey, it's okay, Mirabel," he said. "I know you didn't mean it, I'm not mad. And I'm sure your abuela isn't mad either."

Mirabel hiccuped. "Yeah. I just…" she sniffled. "I just—keep panicking and saying the wrong thing. I don't know why I'm so afraid…"

Bruno was about to say more, when another soft knock on the door interrupted them. He exchanged a quick glance with Mirabel, then got up to open the door.

He wasn't completely surprised to see Dolores there, eyes wide and brows creased. But, at the same time, her presence wasn't entirely comforting.

"Uh…hey, Lola."

"Hi. Could…could I talk to Mirabel?"

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, she's…kind of upset right now."

Dolores huffed quietly. "I know. I heard everything, Tío. I just…wanted to check on her."

Bruno was unsure. He turned back to Mirabel, who was already wiping away more tears. She noticed Dolores over Bruno's shoulder and looked away.

"...you already know everything, don't you, Dolores?"

Well, no point in keeping her outside now. Bruno let Dolores into the room and shut the door again. Dolores stood there for a moment, looking at Mirabel with an unreadable expression.

"So…it's true?" she asked. "Are you the one making the Gifts disappear?"

Bruno jumped in. "Ah, she's not doing it on purpose!" he said quickly. "It's not like she did anything wrong. It's just…it's like a Gift." He gestured, like a grand dramatic reveal, toward Mirabel, proudly. "Mirabel has a Gift!"

"It's not a Gift!" Mirabel snapped, making them both jump. Then she curled up on herself again and kept rambling. "This is no Gift, it's—I don't know what it is, okay? I don't know what's wrong. I don't always have all the answers, alright?"

Bruno and Dolores winced, and exchanged a sympathetic glance.

Then Dolores stepped forward. "Okay, well—Mirabel, if you're adamant about keeping this a secret, I'll keep it. But…I just want to know why—"

"I don't know why!" Mirabel wailed, not bothering to hear the rest. Another sob escaped her. "I don't—I don't know why this is happening, or why I'm so scared to speak, I just…I hate this." She slumped, once again, despairing. "I hate this so much. I don't want to be a…a magic-stealer. I never asked for this. If the other's found out—I know they wouldn't reject me, but I just feel so…so gross, and—and embarrassed…and ashamed…"

Her rambling finally dissolved away as the emotion caught up to her and she broke down into sobs once more.

"I don't…" she managed. "I don't want this…I was better off Giftless…"

Bruno remained there a moment longer, watching her and feeling an ache in his heart. Abruptly, he sighed. "Ah, forget this." He couldn't take it anymore. Without giving anyone a chance to stop him, he slid down onto the floor next to Mirabel and pulled her tightly into his arms.

Immediately, she began to struggle and panic. "No—Tío Bruno you can't—"

"Mirabel, please just stop," he insisted, not letting go of her. He looked her square in the eye, with a resolve that surprised even himself. "I don't care if you take my Gift again," he said. "You can just put it back, can't you? But I can't just stand there and watch you keep doing this to yourself, I can't let you keep pulling away from us like this. I'm not letting go of you, alright?"

Mirabel stared at him, stupefied. For a second he was worried she would start struggling again. But apparently even just one day of touch-starvation had been too much for this poor girl, because next thing he knew she was hugging him back just as tight and sobbing right into his shirt.

He didn't mind, though. All he needed to do right now was to hold her steady and reassure her. "Yeah, I know, kid, it's okay," he mumbled. "Having a Gift that feels more like a curse—" he glanced at Dolores. "—we know all about that."

Dolores smiled at the display, and then seemingly decided to join in. She sat down on Mirabel's other side and leaned against her, completing the snuggle sandwich. After a few seconds, a smile crossed her face and she held a hand up to her ear. "Huh, would you look at that," she said. "My hearing isn't going away. I guess your magic-sapping doesn't quite work the way you thought it did, hmm?"

Mirabel seemed surprised. "A…are you sure?"

"Yeah. I can still hear your Mamá in the kitchen right now as we speak. It must be something else that's causing it."

Bruno thought about this for a moment. "Didn't you say it was that 'wish' you made which caused it?" he asked. "What changed?"

Mirabel shrugged weakly. "I mean—it's not the first time since the magic came back that I've wished you all could have a break from your Gifts. So I figured it must have something to do with being near you when I do so, or…" she sighed in defeat. "I don't know. I don't know anything about it."

"That's okay," Bruno told her, patting her back. "We can figure it out later. Right now all I care about is making sure you're okay."

"Hmm." She seemed too tired to smile or fully respond as of now. But she relaxed into the embrace, finally. "Thanks, guys," she mumbled. "I needed this."

They remained the way they were for a moment, just letting themselves breathe.

Then Dolores spoke up again. "So…what are you planning to do now?"

Mirabel shrugged. "I don't know." she bit her lip. "I guess I should start by apologizing to Abuela. And then…I'll figure it out from there."

"I think you should check in with your mom as well," Dolores added. "She's been pretty worried about you all day."

"Right," Mirabel replied. She took a shaky breath, not moving to get up. "But…can I do it later? I kinda just want to stay here for a while."

At this, the other two laughed sympathetically.

"Sounds good," said Dolores.

Then, after a pause, she punched Mirabel lightly on the shoulder. "I can't believe you thought you could avoid all of us, what, forever? Did you really think you could do that in a family as clingy as ours?"

Mirabel scoffed.

Bruno laughed. "Yeah—especially since you're the clingiest out of all of us, right, Mira?"

"Guuuuys," Mirabel whined. She hid her face and Bruno felt her pouting, which he took a signal that she was feeling better now. He and Dolores just kept laughing with her. So maybe Bruno wasn't the best with words, but hey. At least he'd managed to help where it counted.


Mirabel found her mom later, haphazardly trying to finish up several things in the kitchen. She paused at the edge of the kitchen before Julieta could see her, taking note of everything going on. Casita was doing its best to keep up with putting all the clutter away, but that this point the dishes were piling up in the sink and there wasn't much the house could do. Meanwhile, Julieta was still busy cooking.

So, Mirabel steeled herself and quietly cleared her throat. "Hi, Mom…do you need some help with the cleanup?"

Julieta whirled around. She seemed almost shocked to see Mirabel there, but quickly recovered. She tossed her current task onto the counter and wiped her hands, before hurrying over to give Mirabel a hug. Mirabel tensed a little at the contact, but gave in and hugged back, with a sigh.

Julieta pulled away and smiled at her. "There you are, mijita. I've been trying to catch you all day." She put her hand to Mirabel's forehead, and Mirabel let her. "Are you feeling better now?"

Mirabel nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I am. Thank you." She hesitated. "I, uh, I'm sorry I've been acting so weird all day…"

Julieta chuckled. She kissed Mirabel's cheek and playfully tapped her nose. "It's alright, Mirabel. I understand that things can be…a bit much, sometimes." She paused, as if there was more to say, but shook her head and instead smiled, taking Mirabel's hands. "I just want you to know that…if there's ever anything you need to talk about, I will always be here for you. Okay?"

Mirabel bit her lip. She wondered if her mother already knew something. Looking away from her eyes bashfully, Mirabel just nodded. "Yeah. I know. Thanks, Mamá."

Julieta patted her hand. "Of course…now, I believe you were offering to help me? Those dishes over there could use some washing, por favor."

"Sure, no problem."

Mirabel was finally let go. She went to the sink and started scrubbing the dishes, while her mom went back to her work. Mirabel mused about this for a couple of minutes before speaking again. "You seem a little busier than usual today."

"Oh. Yes. I forgot to mention it in all the commotion, but the Anzaldos' stove is broken, so I offered to help with the cooking."

Mirabel put down her current dish. "Wait, really? I mean—that's nice of you, but you're not planning to cook dinner for two families by yourself, are you?"

"Oh no, there are other people helping too. And besides," Julieta laughed sheepishly. "I hardly even paused to think about it. I just heard poor Juanita complaining about it with some others, and I just offered to cook a dish." She shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal, what's one more dish? Plus, her son has got a bit of a cold, so I'm hoping it will help him too."

"I see," Mirabel replied. "Well, if you say so, Mama. We just don't want you to spread yourself too thin again."

"I understand, Mira," Julieta giggled. "But I can handle it. Remember that I'm supposed to be worrying about you, not the other way around."

Mirabel cracked a grin. "Right, of course." She paused, going back to doing the dishes. She moved slowly, spoke slowly, hesitating through each word. "I'm just saying, you know…if you ever need a…a break…from doing all the cooking and healing stuff, you can just...say so." She breathed out. "To the family, I mean."

Julieta was quiet, as if she, too, was hesitating. Once again, Mirabel wondered if her mother had truly suspected anything. If she did, then, maybe she could…

But Julieta said nothing about it. Instead, she just looked up and met Mirabel's eyes with a kind smile. "I know, darling," she said softly. "I appreciate the concern. Thank you for always looking out for us."

Mirabel returned her smile, then silently went back to the dishes.

She wasn't sure what had just happened. After everything she had gone through, all the shame she'd felt because of her new power…why had she just said that to Julieta?

As Mirabel got lost in thought, her mom's words kept repeating in her head. Such an interesting way to phrase it. Looking out for us.

…hmm.