Julieta and Issa have a talk about the past. Mariano is still being pesky. Dolores (who is secretly running the Encanto) is ready to break some eggs. Antonio apparently remembers everything and Camilo is a weirdly nice guy.

Arrepentirse (regret)

Julieta was leaving the plaza, heading for the kitchen, when she noticed Bubo kneeling. What was he doing, she wondered. She then saw Tuli slowly walking toward Bubo and come to a stop in front of him. Julieta could not hear what they were saying, but Tuli was standing in front of Bubo with her hands balled up in front of her, staring at the floor. Her face appeared set in a deep frown while Bubo spoke to her. It got a lot quieter as, like Julieta, all the folks that had been at dinner stopped what they were doing to watch.

Tuli held out her arms and slowly spun, and Julieta hoped Bubo wasn't saying something unkind. She didn't really know much about this young man other than he had volunteered to keep watch over the river, he was potentially Tuli's primo, and her daughter appeared to have more than a passing interest in him.

Once Tuli came to a halt, she crossed her arms and tilted her head in defiance. Bubo adjusted his glasses and said something that made Tuli almost smile. Now her frown had been replaced by the look of worry and fear she usually had. Bubo now shifted his weight and said something while scratching his chin.

Tuli's anger seemed to just melt away, and she wrapped her arms around Bubo's neck. He stood up, still holding his cousin, when Mirabel and Isabela came up to him. Mira looked at Issa then started speaking to Tuli. Julieta walked into the kitchen and took a few empty baskets down. She paused when she glanced through the butterfly shaped holes in the wall and saw her youngest walk away with Tuli toward Bruno. Bruno was carrying Fura around and showing her off to various folks around him. Only a few shied away from the rat, but Bruno was so very pleased that he would just continue on to the next unsuspecting guest.

Bubo was not paying attention to Isabela, who was still standing near him. He was still watching his cousin. Julieta had never seen Isabela so genuinely confused over anyone, and she had to admit, it was good to see. Little by little, Isabela was chipping away at that pedestal her abuela had placed her on. Letting more and more of herself show. She just hoped Bubo Márquez would be able to accept Issa, just as she was, thorns and all.

Julieta smiled as she watched her daughter, she was just so bad at this. Before the breaking, Isabela Madrigal was the picture of perfection, and she seemed willing to forgo even her own happiness to keep it so. Not anymore, Julieta thought. When Bubo did notice her, Issa did all the talking, and Bubo just nodded or shook his head at what seemed the appropriate times during the nonstop flow of words. Bubo had gone from looking happy and confident to startled and mildly terrified, but not in a bad way.

Quite abruptly, Isabela turned and headed for the kitchen, and Julieta moved quickly away from the wall back over to the counter. Wouldn't do to be caught watching. From where she was, she could still see Bubo standing staring in the direction Isabela had gone.

Isabela came in and watched as Mariano came over to Bubo and nudged him. Bubo was shaking his head and appeared to ask Mariano something that made Mariano laugh uproariously. Bubo's look of fear as Mariano clapped him on the back made Isabela cringe, and Julieta clattered a pot to let her daughter know she was in the kitchen. Isabela turned away from the scene and came over and sat on one of the stools.

"Ready for our adventure, hija?" Julieta asked and handed her a cup of coffee with just a touch of cream. Isabela took it and nodded. Julieta set aside her work and sat down with her own cup; Isabela looked unusually thoughtful, so Julieta opened a small jar and pulled out a piece of chocolate and dropped it in her cup, then offered a piece to Isabela and her daughter smiled and did the same. They sat stirring the chocolate in silence until Isabela tapped the side of her cup and asked as she waved her spoon about, "Mamá, have you ever… ummm… asked a man out on a date?"

Oh, so that's what she was doing, Julieta thought and answered, "Actually, yes, just once."

Isabela tried to hide her surprise and asked, "Did they say yes?"

"Sort of…there was a lot of nodding involved, no actual speaking, and he seemed a bit terrified. So frustrating really. Apparently, this was something Julieta Madrigal was not supposed to do. And I don't recall if I framed it as a 'date'. More of a let's go to this place together because I didn't want to go by myself."

Isabela smiled and took a sip of her coffee, "Did he go?"

"Yes. It was good. We had a lot of fun. Went for a walk and had a nice picnic, and we got to talk about more than his latest injury."

Isabela set her cup down and said, "Wait, you asked Papá?"

"Yeah," Julieta said wistfully. "He had some odd notion that he was not good enough for 'someone like me'. I disabused him of that pretty quickly. You know I usually think things through before I do them, but that time, I followed my heart and I have been following it around ever since. Best nonthought out decision I ever made." More silence followed, but Julieta noticed a twin flower that had appeared in Isabela's hair, so Julieta asked, "Did you ask someone out, Issa?"

Isabela blushed and shrugged as she turned the cup in her hands, "I think I did."

"You're not sure?" Julieta asked, giving Isabela a small poke.

Isabela shrugged again and said, "I didn't actually give him a chance to talk. I just needed to get it all out, and I was worried that… if I thought about it, I would chicken out."

"So a lot of nodding, I'm guessing."

"Yeah… he did actually say yes, so I guess that went okay. Think I might have scared him a bit."

"I think it will be okay, Corazón, Bubo seems like a nice man."

Isabela closed her eyes and dropped her head down on her arms and moaned, she turned to her mother and asked, "Is it that obvious?"

"Oh yeah," Julieta said and nodded as she patted Issa's arm.

Isabela buried her face back in her arms and a tiny cactus sprouted on the table, and she said, "I feel so stupid."

"Don't, you did what your heart wanted you too, and that makes me happy for you, hija."

Isabela's head came up, and she picked up the cactus. Julieta pushed a small bowl to her daughter and Issa put the cactus inside. Issa stared at it as she drank the rest of her coffee. She set her cup in the sink, then turned and said, "Thanks, Mamá. Going to go change. I'll see you a little later."

Julieta nodded and watched her daughter as she left the kitchen for the back stairs. Julieta picked up the bowl and cactus and set it in the window and thought how Isabela was so like Pepa. Beautiful, intelligent, so headstrong, and that made Julieta wonder how Issa had managed to keep that iron grip on her emotions for as long as she did. Julieta returned to her work and finished up packing a basket with freshly prepared arepas and cookies. Pepa appeared next to her. She was giddy and said, "You are never going to believe who Isabela was just talking to…"

"Bubo Márquez?" Julieta asked as she tucked a towel around the food, and Pepa deflated, so Julieta asked, "Do I win a prize?"

"You are no fun at all," Pepa said as she walked to the other side of the worktable.

"You're late to the party, hermanita. Issa was actually talking to him at lunch. You probably missed that while you were forcing Bruno to have another sandwich. Isabela is quite taken with him, though."

"I didn't think it was possible, but he's even tinier than Bruno," Pepa said as she watched Bubo in the plaza through the butterfly shaped holes in the wall.

"Said the woman with a husband shorter than herself," Julieta said as she began to fill another empty basket.

"Félix is different," Pepa said, smiling.

"Of course," Julieta said as she put some cups in the basket along with a covered pitcher. Julieta leaned forward and waved at the plaza and asked, "So why is Bruno parading around with Fura?"

Pepa let out a small laugh and announced, "Fura is with children."

"Oh, well, that is exciting," Julieta said.

"Bruno asked Camilo to bake a cake, so he can have a proper celebration, since he is soon to be an abuelo."

Julieta snorted and said, "Oh my, you realize that means we're going to be tía abuelas."

"Dios Mio, that's right," Pepa said then added, "I wonder who the father is?" And both sisters started laughing.

Dolores was speaking to her Abuela Esteffi when she heard Mariano's laughter and sighed. She excused herself and went over to where Mariano was standing near Bubo. The poor guy looked like he'd just been run over by a donkey. She stepped in front of Mariano, who stopped laughing and cleared his throat. He had that sorry, not sorry look on his face, and Dolores smiled despite this as she took his arm.

Bubo had ceased staring at the kitchen and looked over to where Tuli was talking to Antonio. Her Tío Bruno was sitting in a chair with Fura in his lap and the kids were obviously discussing the celebration of Fura's soon to be babies. Bubo seemed anxious to be anywhere but where he was and said to Mariano, "Why do I have this feeling there is something you're not telling me?"

Mariano only shrugged, but Dolores noticed Mariano's nose twitch. Bubo adjusted his glasses and gave his friend a suspicious look. Mariano only smiled. Bubo looked back at the kids, saying he was curious about what rats and kittens had to do with each other, and excused himself to join Tuli near her Tío.

Dolores looked up at Mariano and said, "Why are you trying to make things difficult?"

"I'm sorry, mi vida," Mariano said, trying and failing to sound contrite.

"I don't believe that for a minute. What are you going to say to him when he finds out that Issa is the one that broke your nose, twice. Or were you planning to never mention that you two were betrothed."

"I'm gonna go with never planning to mention it," Mariano said, nodding. "Definitely the safer option."

Dolores let out a small laugh and said, "You're impossible. You know someone in this town is going to. It's been less than a day, and I've heard a few of the chattier folks talking about that already. Since that meeting, there are more than a few women who've decided Bubo might be worth their time, but only because Isabela showed an interest. What irritates me the most are the ones that say she 'fainted' on purpose."

"Who would say such a thing? That's ridiculous. It's nice to see your prima happy about something other than plants."

Dolores could see this was a matter of pride for him and said, "The usual suspects. Anyway, that lot of hens is starting to get on my last nerve, but I'll deal with them soon enough."

"Ooof, now I'm afraid," Mariano said, and he leaned down and whispered, "You are a dangerous woman, Dolores Madrigal, but in a good way. Please, tell me how I can help."

Dolores giggled and said, "First, stop letting Acacia López follow you about."

Mariano just smiled and said, "She will never compare to you, mi vida."

Camilo walked up then and said, "What's so funny, Mariano?"

Dolores pinned her fiancé with a look, and Mariano said, "Ah, your sister is quite the comedian, Camilo."

"Dolores?" Camilo asked and pointed at her, "this Dolores?" Mariano nodded and Camilo said, "Okay, sure."

Dolores asked, "What do you need, Milo?"

Camilo pointed at Mariano and said, "This one. He's needed so we can work out how best to approach the larger group."

"Oh," Dolores said and released Mariano's arm. Mariano looked disappointed at that, and Dolores watched the pair move to the larger group of men standing by the table nearest the door.

Dolores had been checking on and off for the women on the mountain and though they were still moving closer, they were still a ways off. She found a chair, sat down and focused on the women.

Inez (…Are we stopping soon? The kids are pretty tired…)

Doris (…Yes. We'll head over toward that gigantic oak tree up ahead. Fernando did say there would be a village near that. Let's hope he was right. How much food is left?…)

Inez (… Enough for at least two days, if we're careful. Poor little Fernando…do you think he's alright?...)

Doris (…If that smuggler found him again, let's hope the jaguar got him first…his trail just up and vanished…)

Inez (…Maybe he found that village he talked about…)

Doris (…Maybe…hopefully…)

Child (…Tía?...)

Dolores let out an involuntary squeak…Tía?…little Fernando? Dolores closed her eyes and shut out everything around her, and sharpened her focus on the small group.

Doris (…Yes, mi precioso…)

Child (…Are we lost?...)

Doris (…Of course not…we are precisely where we should be. And look, you can barely see it…but through the trees just there, that looks like chimney smoke…)

Inez (…You sure that's not just fog?...)

Doris (…You're not helping, mi vida…)

Dolores squeaked again and opened her eyes. Dios Mio, she thought, and started toward the stairs after tugging on Mirabel's arm. Mirabel was startled but followed as Dolores hurried up to Mirabel's room. They went inside and Dolores immediately focused on the women with the children. They were probably still not close enough to see the Encanto, so what were they seeing? Dolores felt a moment of panic, the one she thought was Fernando was just far enough away that if he had lit a fire it would be visible from where the women were. That one was also not moving. "Mira, can you ask Tuli to come up here?"

"On it," Isabela said from the door and turned and disappeared.

Mirabel's expression showed her concern as she watched her sister go and turned to Dolores, "What's happening, Dolores?"

"Can you ask Tuli if she told Doris and Inez that her name was Fernando?" Dolores asked.

"Okay, but why?"

Dolores looked up at Mirabel, "I have a feeling I mistook this one's name," she said, pointing at the face of the old man.

Isabela reappeared and encouraged Bubo, who was holding Tuli, to move past the doorway. Tuli was curled up in his arms, and Bubo stopped and asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," Mirabel said and went over to the door.

Tuli whispered to her, "Did I do something wrong, Mirabel?" Tuli was looking fearful and on the verge of tears.

"No, of course not," Mirabel said and coaxed a hesitant Bubo into her room. "I do need to ask you a question, though, Tuli."

Tuli nodded and Bubo set Tuli down. Mirabel asked what Dolores requested and Tuli looked up at Bubo then said after a moment of silence, "Yes."

Mirabel looked back to Dolores and asked, "Any more questions?"

Dolores looked again at the map and nodded to Mirabel and Dolores asked Tuli, "There's a man following Doris and Inez, and I'm not talking about your Tío or the people with him. Did they happen to mention them or a name?"

"They talked about him, but didn't use a name. They called him…" and Tuli lowered her voice to a whisper and said, "Bastardo de rata."

"Oh, my goodness," Mirabel said. Dolores squeaked, and Isabela covered her mouth as she let out a snicker. Bubo looked mortified and at the same time was doing his best not to laugh. He looked over at Issa, and she just smiled, but her heart sped up for just a moment.

Dolores sighed; she was most definitely going to crush some eggs tomorrow. She looked back at Tuli, and Tuli was watching her carefully. Dolores couldn't decide if Tuli's heart was racing because she was scared, or if she was hiding something. She was not sure if Tuli remembered what her Gift was, most did not realize she was able to hear a heart beating. It could tell you a lot about a person and whether they were being truthful or not. She did not want to frighten Tuli, but it was clear there were more questions they needed to ask.

She scanned the picture of Casita and noted everyone she needed to call were together in the tower, so she touched the faces of Luisa, her Abuela, Tía and Mama and said very quietly, "If you have a moment, can you come to Mira's room?" Nothing to do now but wait. Dolores glanced over and noted her Abuela's door was gone, so she looked away and said, "Hey everyone," this pulled their attention away from that wall, and she waved and said, "I've called a few other people in." When all heads turned to her, Dolores heard Abuela's door open, and she patted the floor and said, "Thank you, Casita."

A floorboard shifted slightly. This made Bubo's face appear on his light, and not Fernando now had the appearance of a rat. Dolores smiled, though Tío Bruno would probably take offense to that. This house was so full of itself sometimes.

As the women filed in, Bubo started to look more and more nervous and asked Isabela, "Should I go?" Tuli immediately wrapped her arms around Bubo's legs and hid her face.

Isabela shook her head and patted Bubo's arm as she said, "It would probably be better if you stayed."

Bubo nodded, and picked up his cousin, but his look of unease did not change as he shifted his cousin to one arm. Dolores was impressed, Tuli was smaller than average but had to weigh at least 20 kg and Bubo only shifted her to straighten his glasses.

"Bubo, why don't you sit down," Tía Julieta said and indicated a chair that was near the sofa. Bubo nodded and sat in the overstuffed chair, and Tuli reluctantly turned to face everyone. Abuela came and sat on the sofa with her Mamí and Tía. Mirabel quickly made up her bed and sat there with Isabela and Luisa. Dolores remained where she was but spoke to her Papí and Tío Gus. She had a feeling finding the old man might be more dangerous than they'd previously thought. She made a quick scan of the map to be sure the smaller group were in the same place. It was getting dark now, so hopefully they would stay put. The old man who was not Fernando had also remained in place, so Dolores checked the last group. They were still near the river and were moving pretty slow. Probably looking for a good campsite. From the direction they were headed, they would most definitely be able to see the outlying farms by tomorrow afternoon.

Dolores relaxed a little and decided she'd better save her strength for when the mission actually started. She'd never been fatigued by using her Gift before discovering this new ability, but she was learning she needed to pace herself if she was going to use it continuously.

Mirabel explained there were major changes to some of the information they'd been working with. Tuli, it seemed, held the answers to some of those questions that now popped up, and it seemed more efficient for everyone to be here and asked Dolores to tell everyone what she'd heard.

Dolores nodded and started by telling them that she had never actually heard one of the children before now, and it appeared at least some of the smaller group were related to one another. It also appeared that they knew of the Encanto's existence, but were not completely convinced it was real. Another change was that their voices no longer sounded stressed or fearful and Dolores also clarified that Fernando was not Fernando, but rather that was the name Tuli had given to Doris and Inez. Dolores went on to say that when she was listening a short while ago, the women named that old man a smuggler. There was a murmur from the group, and Dolores added she had also informed her Papí and Tío Gus of that information.

Tuli had her eyes tightly closed, she was breathing quickly and almost seemed locked in a memory, the way she was clutching her locket. Dolores heard Bubo whisper to her, "I know this will be hard, but I'm here with you, no matter what. You can do this, Tuli, you are stronger than you know."

Tuli's breathing evened out, and she let go of the locket and opened her eyes. She looked around at all the assembled faces and then looked at the floor. She noticed Fura was there. Fura squeaked and ran up Bubo's leg into Tuli's lap. Dolores looked over at the door to see her Tío Bruno was there with Tino on his shoulder. He gave Bubo a sympathetic smile, then turned and walked away.

"Okay, Tuli," Abuela said, "I think it's time we know what happened to you from the beginning."

Tuli nodded and gently pet Fura, who was apparently already asleep after her exciting day. The silence stretched, and Mirabel suggested, "Maybe start with when you left your Tío."

"Ummm, yeah, about that," Tuli started and frowned.

Félix was in the kitchen when the disembodied voice of his daughter filled his ears. (…sorry Papí, Tío, it's me, Dolores. We just found out something about the smaller group. It appears the old man is actually a smuggler, don't know what he smuggles, but I get the feeling it may be the thing we were worried about. I'll give you more details once we have them…)

Félix was nodding then realized Dolores couldn't hear a nod and said, "Okay, mi vida."

Agustín appeared in the kitchen a few minutes later with his father, as well as Félix's. They sat around the dining room table and Felix pulled out the half-filled wine bottle from dinner. He passed glasses all around and said, "I take it Gus told you what Dolores said?"

The fathers nodded as Félix filled the glasses. "It's probably good there are four of us, but what strategy do you think we should use."

"We could set a person sized snare for them," Joseph said, "Likely the less mobile that one is the better."

"I like that idea. I have plenty of rope," Juan Pedro said.

"What if he has a knife?" Félix asked.

"Then we'll have to set more than one," Joseph said, "something that will catch his feet for sure and his body."

"You think that's even possible?" Juan Pedro asked?

"Maybe," Joseph said

"What about a net?" Agustin suggested.

"Oh, I like that idea. But where would we find one big enough?" Juan Pedro asked.

"Señor Aguilar might know," Félix said.

"But he doesn't fish," Joseph said.

"He sells them, so he must have an idea of who does," Félix replied.

"True."

"If we set a trap, then we'll need bait."

"What sort?"

Silence reigned over the table. No one wanted to suggest the obvious.

"How about we bring Camilo along," Agustín said, "he can shift into someone smaller."

"Good thought," Félix said, "I'll go get him."

He was about to get up when his son appeared in the doorway and asked, "You need me for something, Papí?"

Bruno was sitting with Antonio in a corner of the plaza when it came. Tino, who was on his shoulder, squeaked and Antonio looked up. Bruno knew his eyes were glowing, but this sponty was hitting harder than most he'd experience up until now.

"I gotcha Tío," Antonio said as he reached up and pulled Bruno's hood up. Antonio remained next to him, holding his twitchy hand. It was comforting enough that Bruno was able to relax, just a little and though Bruno could not close his eyes at the moment or even move, he was able to get his heart to slow down. The plaza melted away as he was forced to watch the scene roll past him. Once it was over, he used his free hand to pull a bottle from his pocket, flipped the stopper and took a long drink, emptying it.

Fura was in his lap now and Antonio asked, "You okay Tío Bruno?"

Bruno twisted his neck as he removed his hood and said, "I'm okay, Toni. Thanks for helping me out. You did just what was needed. Your Mamí used to help me like that when we were kids."

Antonio smiled and said. "I know, my Mamí told me a long time ago that was the best way she found to help."

Bruno quirked a half smile and said, "Did she."

"Yeah, Mamí used to say we shouldn't talk about you; but she would tell me stories when I was littler. Probably because she missed you and I don't think she thought I would remember them, But I did." Antonio said and shrugged.

Bruno smiled at his sobrino and said, "I wish I hadn't I missed your littler days."

"Me too, I asked Mirabel about you. She told me she didn't remember much 'cept that you were really gentle and kind," Antonio then added, "and that you were scruffy and smelled like the trees."

"While I'm uncertain if that's a compliment, what do you think?"

"I think you're kind, too."

"Right. Thanks, Toni," Bruno said and looked up at Mirabel's open door, "I need to head upstairs and drop off Fura. After that, how about I meet you in your room, haven't had a chance to take it all in yet."

"That would be great!"

"Okay, hombrecito, I'll see you in a few," Bruno said and watched as Antonio headed for the stairs. He was met on the landing by Parce, who chuffed at Bruno as he followed.

Bruno walked around to Mirabel's room, but did not go in. Instead, he set Fura on the floor. She squeaked at him, and he smiled and shood her off. Dolores was the only one to notice he was there. Fura ran over to where Tuli was sitting with Bubo. She squeaked and Tuli looked relieved to see her, and Fura quickly ran up Bubo's leg and onto Tuli's lap. He smiled sympathetically to Bubo, who was quite literally caught in a room full of women. Bruno then turned and headed toward Antonio's room.

Tuli continued to gently pet Fura, who was apparently already asleep. She frowned, there was no way she could dance around the truth this time. She would have to tell them everything. She didn't want to; they were sure to hate her. But unexpected, good things kept happening, so maybe it would be alright. She'd never been to a place that felt from the beginning like it could be home. Things kept happening that made her want to be a part of this town. It had surprised her when she saw Bubo with Mirabel's sister. It surprised her more when Mirabel told her that Bubo had recognized their Tío and her in Bruno Madrigal's sketches. Running away had seemed like the right thing to do when she did it, but now…

The silence stretched, and Mirabel suggested, "Maybe start with when you left your Tío."

Tuli looked at the faces of the women all around her. Not once did any of the Madrigals tell her that she was wrong for believing that she was… as she was and even Bubo seemed to accept that, and no one chastised her for speaking to the rats like they did back in Bogotá.

She wanted more than anything to be able to stay here and with that fragile tendril of hope Tuli said, "Ummm, yeah, about that. You see, I didn't know my Tío had followed me all the way out here, I only just found out about that. Didn't really think he cared, and I never thought he'd keep trying. When I found Bubo here, I just wanted…" Tuli shut down that line of thinking and felt her hand go back to her locket. She rubbed it for a few moments, then she said, "The last time I saw Tío we had a fight because he told me he was going to send me to the Jesuits, so they could… fix me. That made me really angry and afraid to stay because I'm not broken. So, the next day when I left for school, I didn't go to school. I ran away from home... that was about a month ago."

"So, were you on the mountain by yourself for a month?" Isabela asked.

"No," Tuli said, "for the first week I was hiding in the city and after that," she said and pointed at the floor, "I was with the old man."

"Wait, the smuggler?" Dolores asked.

Tuli nodded. "He calls himself Santiago. I don't know more than that. He said he would take me to Mexico. But once we were away from the city he… he didn't take me to Mexico…" Tuli stopped then as a stab of fear ran through her. She wanted to say more, but just couldn't get the words to come out as she clutched her locket and said in a whisper, "I don't want to talk about that."

"You don't have to, Tuli," Bubo said.

Tuli nodded and Dolores asked, "Tuli, why didn't you say you knew his name before?"

"That wasn't the question you asked me, and I've learned not to offer more than what's requested."

"Then how did you get away from him?" Isabela asked,

Tuli looked down in her lap and said, "Rats. They're everywhere, you know? Forest rats are jumpy though, not like the city rats, or like your Tío Bruno's. It took a while, but a few finally stayed and once and in a while, they would tell me stories. Stories about this place where I should go, so I wouldn't be sad anymore. One night, they chewed through the ropes Santiago used to tie me up, so I couldn't get away while he slept, and I ran away again. This time I didn't care where I ended up as long as it was far away from him."

"Now, I'm confused, how did you find Doris and Inez?" Luisa asked.

"I didn't, they found me, or rather the dog found me. Doris got me to tell her about why I was by myself on the mountain. They fed me and took care of me. They were nice, and I was going to stay with them. That's when I told them what the rats had told me about a village that was supposed to be out here by a giant oak tree. That is until…"

"Until?" Mirabel coaxed.

"One of the rats that helped me get away from Santiago came to me last night and told me that he was coming and I… I didn't want Santiago to find the kids with the ladies, since he was probably only looking for me. So, I ran away again, only I made sure to mess up any tracks they ladies and the kids made the day before. I thought maybe I could find my way to my Abuelos in Aracataca but ended up running into Camilo… you know the rest."

The room remained silent until Abuela Madrigal said, "Tuli, you have been so brave. I think perhaps it would be best if Bubo spoke to your Tío about you remaining in the Encanto, that is, if he chooses to remain here himself."

Tuli hadn't considered that Bubo might want to leave this place and felt a moment of fear as all eyes shifted to her primo. Bubo looked around and was absently patting Tuli's back and said, "Well, I didn't have any other plans at the moment. So, I guess I'll need to find a more permanent housing situation than the back storeroom of Señor Aguilar's shop if we're going to be living together, Tuli. One question… can you cook? Otherwise, we are likely to starve."

Several people laughed, and Tuli closed her eyes as she tried her hardest to let go of her fear and see a future that was as happy as she felt.

Camilo sat at the table eating a somewhat stale buñuelo, listening to his sister as she described Tuli's journey here. As his father explained what they thought they would need. Camilo got up and thought about what Tuli had looked like when he'd first found them and shifted. He knew he had it, right down to her bruised wrists and ankles as well as the cuts on her hands and face because the abuelos gasped and Tío Gus's father said, "Is this how Tuli looked when you found her, Camilo?"

"Yes."

"I think we can leave any sort of gentleness out of our plans," Joseph said.

"I agree," his abuelo Juan Pedro said.

Everyone stopped when Dolores said to all of them, "Abuela and the others are getting ready to go. The smuggler is moving toward the women and kids, but it will be at least an hour before he reaches them."

"Looks like we need to speed up our plans," Félix said as they all got up from the table. "Say we meet back here in fifteen minutes?" There were nods all around, then everyone moved off to collect the items they would need.

Camilo chose to stay in Tuli's form, only because it was easier. The longer he remained in one shape, the less likely he would be startled out of it. Besides, the people assembled might as well know what they're dealing with. And if you hadn't been told, there was no way you would have mistaken his current form for the little girl upstairs.

The Abuelos moved through the plaza only long enough to speak with their wives. The women then moved off in different directions and started gathering items. As he headed up the stairs, Camilo realized he was a girl at the moment and considered how that happened since he knew in his head that Tuli was not a girl. But changing that, he decided that would just be pesky. They reached the second floor and stopped in Mirabel's room to get an idea of where everyone was on the map. Mira was sitting with Fura in her lap with Tuli on the bed, Bubo was sitting on the edge of the overstuffed chair near the sofa. He was showing Tuli something he had in a small box in his hand. Dolores was standing and stretching.

Bubo, Camilo knew, had not seen Tuli when she was first found, only after his Tía had healed her, and she'd had a chance to clean up. He looked at his cousin, then at Camilo/Paola, then back at Tuli. His expression turned dark and angry as he looked back at Camilo/Paola. Mirabel noticed his change of expression and put a hand on Bubo's shoulder. He looked over at her, and Mirabel smiled the way she did when she wanted you to do something you didn't really want to do. She handed Fura over to him. Bubo accepted the rat and realized Mirabel was asking him to stay where he was. Bubo still had an angry expression but sat back with Fura and Camilo watched as his fingers twitched.

Mirabel returned her attention to him because she knew what he was about. Tuli, was now sitting frozen in place, staring at him. Most people from outside the Encanto had this reaction to seeing themselves so perfectly represented for the first time, especially children. But Tuli's face was a mask of fear and pain that took him back to that day he'd shape changed into his Abuelo Pedro. He was seven, so he didn't take his Abuela's feelings into consideration when he came up with that idea. Mirabel, of course, had helped him get it right by helping him pilfer as many photos of their Abuelo as they could get their hands on. He practiced for months and when he had it down… It did not go at all as he was hoping, and later when Dolores came into his room she sat with him as he cried. She knew what had happened because she heard it all. From that day forward, he did not go out of his way to spend time with his Abuela. The truth was, he avoided her whenever he could. Still did to a certain extent.

He looked again at Tuli. She was still staring, but now her expression seemed supremely sad. Children often forgot when faced with themselves that they were just looking at a copy. For his idea to work, though, he needed to hear her voice. Mimicking voices was something he'd mastered by the time he was ten. Babies and small children tended to listen to their Mamí and Papí's voices as opposed to the random ten-year-old watching them. He really only needed to hear a little more from her. He'd heard Tuli speak, but never a full sentence and almost always in a whisper.

Tuli slid off the bed and stood in front of Camilo/Paola and said to no one, "This was me..." She smoothed her skirt and touched the ends of her pigtails as if to reassure herself, they were still there. Tuli then reached out and gently touched the bruises, scrapes and scratches and said, "I'm sorry Paola, I should have never trusted Santiago. I didn't mean to get us in trouble. Maybe we can stop running now. Will you forgive me?" she asked and folded her hands up under her chin.

Camilo/Paola nodded since he did not want to imagine what sort of trouble she was referring to, and then Camilo/Paola tilted his head and smiled. Camilo reached up and likewise touched the pigtails and said in Tuli's voice, "It's going to be alright, Tuli. You saved us."

Camilo/Paola turned and reached out to Mirabel, and she came and sat on the floor near them. He pulled the out the makeshift rosary that Mirabel had given him the night before and handed it to Tuli and asked, "Pray for me?"

Tuli nodded and said, "I will, Paola, I will."

Camilo/Paola nodded and went to his abuela's open door, gave a small wave as his father slowly closed it.