Summary: Well, look at that, I managed to get everyone back to Casita. And they say miracles don't happen. Anyway, there will be some POV hopping in this chapter so heads up for that. You may or may not have noticed the end of the last chapter disappeared. It was unavoidable as it was an incomplete thought. A weirdly better question would be, what does Antonio actually know...he was talking to the forest rats - they tell the best stories.

Súper Casa Arcoíris

When Agustín first noticed all the butterflies flitting around the tree, he felt unusually worried about Mirabel. While he knew his youngest was safe in Casita, he kept thinking, was she? Mirabel had been very put out that she would not be joining her sisters when they went out to fetch the women and kids. He understood her frustration, she believed she'd been left out again because she didn't have a Gift. That may have been a part of it, but Santiago was the worst sort of human, and Mirabel was his baby girl. She was already being tasked with so many things that he did not want her exposed to this... Agustín marveled at how little pity he or any of them had for this wretched soul. He truly did not feel anything when Santiago screamed as Parce continued to lick his face.

He looked away and again noticed the butterflies, there were even more of them, and they were everywhere, settling on everyone and everything except Santiago. The smuggler, he noted, was no longer struggling or making any noise. Parce was still atop the man, with his head resting on his front paws and Camilo shifted back to himself and said, probably to Dolores, "Don't know. Heart attack, maybe?"

Dolores conveyed what she knew, saying she wasn't sure but thought Santiago might be dead since his light no longer appeared on the map. The man hadn't stirred at all as they all moved closer. Parce also had not moved from his chosen position until Félix asked the jaguar to move aside. Parce did, and several yellow butterflies took flight when the jaguar got up. Félix checked for either breathing or a heartbeat. Having found neither, he got up and said, "He's dead all right, too bad…"

"Too bad we didn't bring a shovel," Juan Pedro said with a grunt.

Camilo started when a butterfly landed gently on his nose, and he asked, "Where did all these butterflies come from?"

"That's what I was wondering," Agustín's father said as he knelt down and began checking Santiago's pockets. "Mira's still in Casita?"

"Yes, she was going to be helping Mamá and Esteffi with the children."

"Ooof, this one smells terrible," his father said. He came up with a knife, several coins, a rolled up wad of money and a notebook. He handed the items off to Agustín and searched the other side. He came up with a few more coins, various bits of mismatched jewelry and a thin gold chain.

Curious, Agustín flipped through the small book, and what he saw made him feel ill. The book was filled with names. Each had two dates attached and what appeared to be a city or village listed below it. Agustín was sure these were other children like Tuli because the last entry was her name. Almost ironic that the date was October seventeenth. He supposed it was good that the smuggler was dead, since the urge to throttle the man was almost overwhelming.

"So, do we bother burying him or just let the mountain have him?" Juan Pedro asked.

"My vote is, let the mountain have him," Camilo said and added, "I don't want to touch that."

"We could just pile rocks on top of him," Félix offered.

"Sounds like work," Joseph said, "But I suppose we should."

Parce chuffed and got up. The jaguar moved further away from the body, which weirdly still had not attracted a single butterfly. There was a rustle in the brush behind them, and everyone backed away from the dead man. A nine-meter butterfly covered anaconda moved into the clearing, and Camilo said, "Guess we don't need to worry about a shovel."

As the group headed back to the clearing, Agustín tried to count the butterflies that stayed with them as they moved through the forest. He eventually gave up as they passed through a thick fog, but he guessed at least a few hundred. Parce walked slowly in front of the group and would occasionally look back to make sure they were all still following him.

They reached the clearing where access to Casita was, and the butterflies that had remained with them flew onto the path and around the opening to the tower. Almost like they were holding the door open for them. Parce entered first and quickly disappeared. The men followed, and Agustín noticed that everyone had a number of butterflies still attached to them. Parce gave himself a shake, sending dozens of butterflies into the air, before heading down the stairs.

Children's screams and a dog barking made everyone hurry to the spiral staircase. Camilo got there first and all but flew down the steps. Probably making sure Parce had not stopped, but that he had left the tower. The children quieted, but the dog still barked until the woman he assumed was Doris made the dog stop. As the rest of them came into the room, Esteffi and Pepa greeted their husbands and introduced them to the women. Pepa asked that Camilo stay for a few moments while she talked to his father. It was clear he wanted to be elsewhere, but he nodded and introduced himself to the kids.

As Félix gave them an extremely shortened and edited version of what had happened, several butterflies took flight and vanished. Agustín was now very sure that Mirabel was somehow responsible for them. His father waved him off, and Agustín slipped out of the tower and headed to Mirabel's room. The door was open, and he saw that Julieta, Luisa, Bruno, Alma and his mother, sitting in front of and next to an unmoving Mirabel.

Bruno noticed him and met him at the door. He indicated they should step just outside, and Agustín did.

"Please tell me you know what's happening Bruno."

"I don't, but…" Bruno added when Agustín growled, "I don't think she's in danger of staying that way. Remember when you told me Mira was dealing with something new, but you weren't sure what that something was. I'll be honest, with everything that's been going on, I think we were asking the wrong question."

"What do you mean?"

"This isn't new. She's been dealing with this since the breaking."

"Do you mean Casita?" Agustín asked.

Bruno nodded.

"Ay, I see it now. Juli said Mirabel seemed unnaturally happy while we were rebuilding. For the first few months, after we moved in with my parents, Mira would sleepwalk and turn up in my mother's room very late at night. I don't know how we're going to get her to talk about it though. She avoids that topic in the same way she used to pretend not having a Gift didn't bother her."

"Madrigal stubbornness is legendary, but I think it's Luisa you need to talk to. Dolores and I both tried to talk to her, but she's still in there thinking that she's been a horrible older sister."

Agustín sighed and nodded. "Alright, I'll let Julieta handle Mirabel, and I'll talk to Luisa," Agustín turned to go, but then asked, "Do you know if Isa is in her room."

"She's in Antonio's room with Bubo. Dolores asked her to keep Toni there until Mirabel wakes up."

"Wait, isn't that the man she was talking to earlier?"

"Yes," Bruno said.

Agustín looked toward Antonio's door and reminded himself that Isabela was an adult, and though she'd never given him a reason to be concerned. She'd also never shown any actual interest in any particular person. Nope, he thought, not gonna do this to myself right now and to Bruno he said, "Why do you always have to tell me things like this and wander off?"

"Relax, Tuli and Antonio are there to chaperone," Bruno said with a chuckle, "Anyway, I'm headed back over there now. They do make an interesting pair if nothing else. I wonder what their kids would look like."

"Just stop talking, Bruno."

"It's your own fault, you married my sister. See you later, hermano." Bruno said and headed off to Antonio's room.

Agustín took a few deep breaths. Once he was sure he was calm, he walked into Mira's room and smiled as reassuringly as he could to his wife.

Valentina Rojas and Esteffi Martínez were sorting through several sets of children's clothing, chatting about their respective grandchildren. Esteffi was brimming with excitement, as her oldest daughter's daughter was going to make her a bisabuela in less than a month. Dolores was getting married, Camilo was training to be a teacher, so much was happening. Previously there had never been a time that they were embraced so completely, and it was a welcome change. Neither had liked the limitations Alma had imposed previously. To have them living with them in their own houses as Casita was being rebuilt was something both sets of Abuelos appreciated. It gave them something they'd always wanted. A chance for their nietos to get to know them.

Valentina was a bit sad that Luisa would be going off to school, but she appreciated that Julieta was very determined that her daughters be given the chance to do what she never could. Alma had mentioned that she had asked Isabela to go with Luisa to Bogotá when they figured out how to get them there and how to pay for it. There was never a lot of money in the Encanto, since they had all fled their homes, so bringing what money they had was not the priority. An odd mixture of barter and money had been worked out so long ago that it had come as a bit of a shock to those who arrived after the breaking. The children who had grown up here were not as interested in the coins and would often times not accept 'just money' for goods or services.

Out of curiosity, earlier, when everyone was heading out, Valentina and Esteffi went up to the 2nd floor of the tower. Most of the doors up there were unfamiliar to them, but there was one that stood out for Valentina. The door that caught her attention was bright yellow with a small hinged and grated window cut into it with a moderately ornate latched handle.

"Esteffi?" Valentina called.

"Yes, Val," she answered.

"Look at this door," Valentina said, pointing at it. Esteffi had been wandering toward the darkness at the end of the dirt path. She came back, and both women looked carefully at the door. "Does this remind you of anything?" Valentina asked.

"Yes, it does… can't think of what though," Esteffi said as she turned back toward the pathway and asked, "How do you think it's going out there?"

"I am trying not to think about that, Esteffi," Valentina replied.

"Oh, come on now, Agustín hasn't had anything major happen since the breaking."

"True enough, but he was ever a worrisome child."

"Valentina, he hasn't been a child since 1921."

"I know that, but they are on the mountain, chasing after someone terrible."

"I'm sure it will all work out, Valentina, let's get back downstairs. The more we think about that, the more we'll worry, and we have work to do. We need to have the clothes ready." Valentina nodded and they went back down the stairs. They folded and stacked, continuing their discourse about the kids until Esteffi cried, "I remember now!"

"What?" Valentina asked.

"That door you asked me about," Esteffi said, coming around the table to her.

"Oh, so what do you remember?"

"It is just like the door to the Café Candelária in La Macarena."

Valentina paused in her work and asked, "Dios Mio, I think you're right. They always had the best buñuelos. But I wonder why that would be there?"

Esteffi shrugged and said, "Nothing about this house surprises me anymore."

A commotion on the floor above them made both turn to look at the stairs. The first to come down was Luisa. She had three or four butterflies resting in her hair. She was looking for someone and asked, "Abuela, where's Mira? I thought she would be with you. But she's not here and Mamá asked Casita, but Casita's not answering and Abuela's door wasn't opening. All those butterflies…"

Valentina left her pile of clothing and stood in front of Luisa and took her hands and said, "Luisa, mi vida, look at me." Luisa did, and Valentina said, "Tell me again what happened."

Luisa did and as she finished Valentina looked again at the butterflies still on her. While she was talking, one by one, they took off and dissolved into nothing but colorful light.

"Luisa, go to your sister's room and check on her. I'm sure she's fine."

Luisa nodded and left the tower as more people started coming down the stairs.

First was Pepa, who had a bit of her fog still clinging to her. She was greeted by Esteffi in her usual way, and the fog dissipated. She was followed by a taller woman Valentina assumed was Doris. Children's giggles could be heard as butterflies flew off them and dissolved into colorful nothingness. After the children was another woman, probably Inez, she was holding the lead of a medium-sized dog. They did not appear frightened, but butterflies were drifting off them and the children jumped at them as they tried to catch them. They did remain together and as a group went closer to the table with the clothes. Then came Alma, Julieta and Isabela. Pepa was directing Doris and Inez to have the children sit and have something to eat from the basket Doris was still holding.

The butterflies continued to take flight and dissolve as they did. Alma and Julieta were watching this with concern when they came over to where she was and Julieta asked, "Where's Mira? I thought she was going to be here with you."

Isabela did not stop, but left the tower without a word to anyone.

"She remained with Tuli and Dolores in her room," Valentina said, "Is something wrong? Luisa mentioned that Casita is not responding to you?"

Julieta and Alma exchanged worried looks as Esteffi came over then and said, "Go, me and Pepi can handle this." Pepa nodded from near where the children were sitting. Her cloud was now somewhat dark, reflecting her worry, but there was no rain. "We'll let the men know what's happening when they get back."

Isabela jumped the last four stairs and came around the corner and skidded to a stop in front of Bubo, Tuli and Antonio. They just stared as several butterflies were dislodged from her hair and dissolved into colorful light.

Bubo was watching the butterflies with great interest and Antonio asked, "Isabela, Tío's rats said we should go to Mirabel's room. Is she okay?"

(… Isa, can you keep Antonio out of Mira's room for a little bit? I'll explain what's happening shortly …)

Isabela did not want to scare her primo and said using all the voice control she'd taught herself while playing Señorita Perfecta, "Actually, Toni, Abuela wanted me to come and wait with you in your room. There are a lot of people in Mirabel's room right now, and you know how dramatic Tío's rats can be. Your sister will let us know if we should come sooner."

Antonio frowned then said, "We should go check." Fura, who was sitting on Tuli's shoulder, squeaked very loudly and Antonio turned his frown at her.

"See, I told you," Tuli said. "You worry too much."

Antonio sighed, "Fine, I guess she's okay if you're coming with us."

The kids turned around and had their heads together as they discussed what they would do when Parce came back. Isabela moved closer to Bubo, and he looked from the kids back to her as if to say, did she really say that?

Issa shook her head and looked over at Mirabel's door. She wanted to go there, and her irritation at not being able to was now at war with her Gift. A vine sleeve grew and rapidly covered her left arm, and almost immediately sprouted thorns. Bubo was thankfully on the wrong side of her to see that. Isa put her sleeved arm behind her as Bubo lightly touched her other arm, drawing her attention to him.

There was genuine concern in his voice as he said, "Mirabel's going to be all right, Isabela. I'm sure of it. She's a remarkably resilient person."

Isabela was startled when the thorns pulled back and the vine sleeve dissolved. She looked at Bubo and nodded as Señorita Perfecta fled her mind. She really did like his accent and something in his voice calmed her fear, just enough, that Isabela did not, as she would have in the past, even try to hide her worry as they headed for Antonio's room.

Julieta had her hands over her mouth to not just cover her frown, but also to keep herself from swearing in front of this many kids. Once again, the Encanto and Casita were overtaking her children's lives. She needed to go and see Mira. Needed to find out what price the magic was extracting from her daughter, and her mother, seeing her distress, seemed to understand. She touched Julieta's arm and said, "Valentina and I will catch up."

Julieta dropped her hands and managed a grateful smile as she nodded and hurried down the stairs. Butterflies continued to fly off and dissolve as she ran to Mirabel's room. She opened the door to find Dolores quietly speaking to Luisa, who was crying. They were sitting on Mira's bed and Bruno was sitting on the floor in front of Mirabel with a look of concern that frightened her. He looked over to her when the door opened and Julieta asked, "Do you know what's happening, Bruno?"

Bruno tilted his head, "Not for sure," he said as he watched as the last of the butterflies let go of Julieta, fly up to the ceiling and vanish. "Look at the door, Juli."

Julieta closed it and her eyes went wide as she took a step back. The smaller butterfly was now resting atop that smaller tree, wings outstretched, resting in place. The butterfly changed colors with each blink, and Bruno waved her over to him. She knelt next to him, and Bruno took her hand and rested it on Mirabel's. Julieta was expecting her daughter to be cold, but Mirabel was anything but that. She felt the warm tingle she knew was magic, and her fear was replaced by anger, and she wanted nothing more than to shake her daughter and wake her up.

Bruno noticed her turn and said, "I don't think what's happening is doing her any physical harm," Bruno waved back at the door and added, "It's more like, she's somehow become a part of Casita and Casita a part of her."

The original Casita had been a physical manifestation of the miracle that La Candela had embodied. Julieta felt a tear slip down her face, this had been her greatest fear in all of this, was her baby being taken from her? "If she doesn't wake, I couldn't take it Bruno. It would be too much."

Bruno put an arm around Julieta and said, "I'm pretty sure this is gonna end."

"Pretty sure?" Julieta knew that her brother never said things like that unless he'd seen something, and she looked at Bruno and asked, "Did you have a sponty about this?"

"Not about this, but other things, so I am at least fairly certain this is not permanent. Believe me, I thought the same thing when I first came in here. Had a horrible thought that she was being codified into this place," Bruno said, then took a deep breath and continued, "But then I had another thought. Before this, I believed this Casita was Mamá's Casita, just reborn. But then I remembered that first night. I noticed when I opened that door, the way the magic took my measure. It had to do that because the builder did not know much about me. I am very sure this Casita was born of the old, but this house really is something completely of Mirabel's construction. That's the real reason the front door looks the way it does. Mirabel's Gift has always been the love she has for us."

Julieta nodded, and though she felt calmer, she knew she would not be at ease until Mirabel woke up from whatever this was. Julieta saw the rosary in Mirabel's hand, and she reached up and pushed Mirabel's hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek. Mirabel quirked a half smile but did not wake up or otherwise move. Dolores was back at the map speaking quietly to someone, and Julieta turned her attention to Luisa. She held out her hand and Luisa came and sat beside her. "What do you think, mija?"

"I think Mira was trying to help us with those butterflies, but maybe she doesn't know she's helping."

"Did everyone have butterflies on them?" Bruno asked.

Luisa nodded and said, "It made me wonder if Papá and the others have them as well."

The door opened again, and her mother and Valentina came and stood behind her and Bruno, as they looked at Mirabel. Her mother's face was particularly reminiscent of a time when she'd been struggling with how much she was requiring of them. Something between resignation and fear.

"How is she?" her mother asked, and Julieta replied, "Physically, she's perfect. Bruno doesn't think this will last much longer." Julieta did not include their speculations on Mirabel's door or the fact that this was not the same Casita. But perhaps she already knew that, since her mother only nodded.

"Bruno?"

Julieta noticed Bruno had replaced his concerned expression for a hopeful one as he said, "I was more worried earlier, but I get the feeling she's in there trying to work something out."

Her mother nodded again and asked, "May we sit with her, Julieta?"

Julieta was again astounded that her mother even asked that and that she'd included Valentina… and really, it couldn't hurt, so Julieta just nodded. A short time later, Bruno noticed her husband at the door, and he did not look overly pleased at what was happening. Though he was a bit disheveled, he did not appear to be injured. Bruno went over to speak to him in the hallway, and she returned her attention to Mirabel.

Agustín was there again. He smiled reassuringly and moved with Luisa back over to the bed. Luisa was whispering what she thought was happening and Agustín listened as she included why she thought Mirabel was so stressed out. Camilo turned up next, he was leaning against the door frame with a frown on his face. Next minute he was gone, and she made a mental note to talk to Pepa and Félix.

Julieta was worried now that this was just taking too long.

Isabela was standing on one of the swings in Antonio's room while Bubo was off inspecting something Tuli said was very important. It had been a long time since she'd let herself really enjoy a good swing. After setting the swing in motion, she decided now was a good time to bug Dolores.

"Hey Doli, you promised to tell me what the hell is going on."

There was a short delay, and then Dolores began to give her the details of what Tío Bruno said about Casita being wholly of Mira's construction. That she agreed with that, and how Mira was somehow a part of the house and vice versa. She went quiet for a time, and then told her that Luisa was blaming herself for some reason. That her abuelas were there now and that she would tell her when Mirabel 'woke up', so Antonio could come.

Isabela had stopped the swing and was sitting down on it. She sighed, she wished she could leave and go to her sister's room. Since she couldn't do that, she decided she would listen to the sounds some of the plants were making. When she was younger, she would hum to the flowers she grew. Abuela didn't appreciate the songs because they were not perfect sounding, so she only did it in her head when in town. It was easier to make the flowers, and they always looked prettier, she thought.

Antonio's room was a wonder to her. It had so many plants she barely knew anything about, so even though this was something she usually only did in her room, she closed her eyes and hummed along with them. She could almost feel the leaves of the nearest plants getting just a little greener and the fruits, just a little plumper. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Bubo ask, "Are you doing that, Isabela?"

"Gah!" Isa shouted as she opened her eyes, only to realized she'd wrapped Bubo up in several layers of vines, and he was hanging upside down in front of her. While she was mortified by what she'd done, she was trying and somewhat failing to hide her smile.

Bubo, who was gently swaying, said, "So, that's a yes?"

Isabela let out a nervous laugh and said quickly, "I'm so sorry, Bubo… wasn't expecting…" she knew she was blushing as she righted him and made the vines disappear, "You startled me," she continued and bent down to pick up his glasses that had fallen off when she flipped him upside down. "Sorry," she said again as she tentatively handed them to him.

He took his glasses and Bubo blinked as he put them back on, then said, "Oh no, my fault, I should have made sure you knew I was here before speaking. I'm new to the magic thing and should have realized you were very focused on what you were doing." He walked over then and sat on the swing. "Now, I am wondering, can you do that with any plant?"

Isabela was taken aback since she was expecting a more fearful reaction. Bubo just seemed curious. Isa smiled. No one except Mirabel had ever expressed an interest or any curiosity about how she made use of her Gift. As long as the flowers were perfect, no one cared.

"I think? I mean, I know it works with flowers really well," Isa said as she sat next to him on the other swing, letting it glide. "Still working out how I can use it for other things."

He nodded and said, "Fascinating effect, and it doesn't seem to wear off once you stop humming."

Isabela looked at the nearest plants and realized he was right and asked, "So, what did Tuli want you to see?"

"Oh, there's a colony of bombus pauloensis up there. Probably bombus atratus. I didn't really get a good look at them."

It was like he was speaking another language and Isabela had to ask, "A bombus what?"

"Sorry, a neotropical bumblebee," Bubo said.

"Oh, I thought bumblebees only nested underground."

"That's true, but this type will live above ground in trees, though that is rare. Apparently, Antonio wanted to know if he spoke to the queen, if they would leave… your father is Tío Agustín?" Isa nodded, "Right, anyway, he wanted to ask them to leave your father alone. I had to tell him it probably wouldn't work out the way he thought. Only the queens can live more than a year, and that most workers will only live about a month in this climate."

Isabela heard the leaves above them rustle unnaturally and said, "Hold on, Bubo." She sighed and waved a hand toward the door. Voices cried out and shortly thereafter, Antonio and Tuli were in front of her looking none too happy.

"Really, Toni?"

Antonio looked at his prima and said, "You need to let me go see Mirabel."

"As soon as Dolores says we can come, we'll go."

Everyone looked up when Tío Bruno said, "Wow, wish I had had this option when you were little, Isa."

Isa shrugged and the vines disappeared.

"Tío, will you take us?" Antonio asked hopefully.

"No, and for the same reasons your prima already told you."

Parce arrived then and laid down. Antonio ran over to him, but Parce did not get up. The big cat already appeared to be asleep. "That's not fair," Antonio said as he sat next to Parce. He nudged the jaguar, but Parce only opened one eye, chuffed, then closed it again. Tuli joined him with Fura, who also appeared to be sleeping.

"Life isn't always fair, Toni. If it were, you probably wouldn't have your Gift," Tío Bruno said as he sat on the floor. "One other thing, Toni, Parce will likely do whatever you ask, but you need to consider if you should be asking. He was asleep by the door when I came in."

"Guess running up the mountain was a lot," Antonio said as he gently patted the jaguar's head, "I'm sorry Parce, I didn't think that through. I'll do better next time." Parce did not do more than swish his tail and Antonio hugged the jaguar and said to Tuli, "Guess we're staying here till Isa says we can go. Come on Tuli, let's go see if we can catch any more fireflies."

"Okay, Toni," Tuli said as she too hugged the jaguar and whispered, "I'm sorry too, Parce, and thank you for helping me." She then brought Fura over and gave her to Tío Bruno. He accepted the rat and put her in his shirt pocket.

The kids ran off and Isa said, "Thanks, Tío."

"Not a problem," her Tío said.

"Did Luisa tell you…" Isabela wasn't sure how to ask this.

"That Santiago was dead?" Tío Bruno asked and nodded.

"He's dead? How?" Bubo asked.

"Yeah, seems he had a heart attack or something. Definitely dead though," her Tío said.

Bubo had a sudden look of concern that made Isa ask, "What's wrong?"

"I'm going to have to tell Tuli," Bubo said and took off his glasses. He massaged his temples for a moment then put them back on and sighed.

"Why? I mean, does she really need to know that?"

"Yes, if only so that she understands that that part of her life is over, and she can move on. I can see she's trying very hard to put on a brave face for all of us. Your sister was right to remind me that Tuli is terrified. You would never know it though; she's always been a master at masking her emotions. She's been doing it her whole life and I can't imagine what's going through her head right now." Bubo got off the swing, sighed again.

"You're going to do that now?" Isa asked.

Bubo nodded and replied, "I'm learning it's best not to put off such things, since the most I can do for her right now, is to help her feel safe again, at least I hope I can. Especially with our Tío's expected arrival tomorrow. I am not looking forward to that at all." He left then and headed up the path to where the kids were, and Isabela saw that she and Tuli had a lot more in common than she thought.

Isabela remembered that that was a part of what Casita was trying to tell her this morning. Mirabel's anxiety never went away, she'd just gotten really good at hiding it. Now with the magic coming back and all sorts of things being thrown in her direction, Mirabel just wasn't sure she was good enough. All of her nervous quirks were being amplified because now everyone was watching. Isabela knew what that was like. You end up being afraid to do anything. And for Mirabel, you could add in that she was afraid that if she did the wrong thing, Casita falling would happen all over again.

"Tío?" Isa said.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Is Mira really going to be okay?"

"Are you asking me to look into the future?"

"No, I just… I just want to know what I can do to help her. Clearly I've been looking at this all wrong."

Tío Bruno tilted his head and said, "You just need to remember one thing, Isa."

"What's that."

"Isabee loves Humm."

Mirabel opened her eyes and looked around at all the trees. Even with the fog, she recognized this place. She used to come here when she'd had a particularly rough day with her Abuela. It was always so peaceful here. There was a small someone lying in the grass near the large oak. This was also something Mirabel remembered doing. It was a nice place to watch the clouds and forget about her lack of a Gift. Still, someone this small shouldn't be out here alone, especially with Santiago prowling about, so Mirabel moved closer to them and asked, "Are you okay?"

The little one sat up and looked at her. Their features were somewhat indistinct and a bit translucent, and they said, "Yes, I've been waiting for you, Elegida."

"Have you?" Mirabel asked and realized this was the voice she'd heard when she freaked out in her room a few days ago. She had been curious since then as to who that was. The little one's voice was calm and soft, but pleasant to listen to. There was also a familiarity to them that was odd to her, and Mirabel said, "You called me Elegida, but my name is Mirabel."

"Yes." The little one nodded then laid back in the grass. That was not actually an answer, so Mirabel sat down beside them, and she looked up at the giant oak tree that was always a comfort to her. She laid back and stared up at the tree, tracing with her eyes the blackened scars of many a lightning strike. This tree, like her, had survived so much. It made her wonder if Isabela could heal some of that. She was glad her Abuela had never found out about this place when she was small. It would have been too horrible if her Abuela had made Luisa pull it down because of her.

"You are worried about this tree?" the little one asked.

Mirabel knew she had not spoken her thoughts but said, "Not so much worried about it, more I was wondering if my sister could use her Gift to strengthen those parts of it that were weakened by the damage it suffered."

"The scars are quite old, and it appears the tree has healed itself and is doing well," the little one said and sat up, "That seems an odd thing to worry about."

"Does it?" Mirabel asked, "I don't know, sometimes scars just hide the pain that's underneath." The little one looked up at it and then back at Mirabel, her expression was thoughtful and feeling a bit nervous, Mirabel said, "For me, it's always been more than just a tree… It's a wonderful friend. I really love all the things this tree has given me, and I've never given it anything in return."

A breeze came down off the mountain, pushing away most of the fog. The oak tree's leaves rustled above them, and Mirabel closed her eyes, remembering how that sound had always brought her relief. Casita had said the leaves were taking the sometimes hurtful words of others from her, scattering them into the forest, where they could do her no harm. As she got older, it didn't completely make the pain go away, but it helped. Mirabel felt that familiar stab of guilt at not having been able to save her friend, and she frowned. When the wind ceased, Mirabel could smell dust and fought the urge to cough. She sighed at the ensuing silence, it was too much like when... Gotta stop thinking about that, she told herself for the millionth time. She sat up and looked at the little one and decided she needed a change of topic and asked, "So, what's your name? I feel like I should know it…"

The little one reached out and Mirabel instinctively pulled them closer as she would any child. The smells of home filled her nostrils, replacing that painful dusty smell, and Mirabel hugged them tightly. A calming feeling of completeness settled over her, and Mirabel felt like she wanted to cry, but didn't know why. She released the hug and noticed the little one's appearance had changed to match her own when she was small, glasses and all. Mirabel stared at this little representation of herself and remembered then that she'd renamed Casita on her sixth birthday. A bold thing to do, but Casita had been very determined that she would not hate her own birthday. When she woke that day, Casita had made the walls of her room rainbow-colored for that day and for every birthday after that until Antonio moved in with her.

"You know it," the little Mirabel said, "You gave it to my mother before I was created. She told me all about you while you built me. I am-"

"Súper Casa Arcoíris," Mirabel finished for them.

Little Mirabel stood then, hands on her hips as she smiled and said, "Yes, my mother loved that name and said I should carry it proudly."

Mirabel was very confused and asked, "Wait, then that means your mother was Casita? But I thought… and that means…" Her nervousness returned, and Mirabel closed her eyes in an attempt to clear her head. It didn't work. Instead, she felt her hands clench as she pulled them into her chest. The sights and sounds of Casita dying filled her senses and she felt herself hunch inward as she whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sor-"

"Elegida," Little Mirabel said, interrupting her.

Mirabel looked up but couldn't focus on the little person in front of her as she said, "I couldn't save her. I tried so hard, but I couldn't do it. I failed her. I keep thinking maybe there was something I didn't do. Something I should have said," Mirabel grabbed little Mirabel's arms and said, "How are you not mad? Even now, I'm terrified that… I'm going to kill you too if I can't do-"

"Mirabel," Little Mirabel said a little louder, interrupting her a second time. Mirabel lowered her hands as the little one gently touched her face. She looked Mirabel in the eyes and said with a small frown, "You believe you are responsible for my mother's passing, and are carrying a great weight because of it. Do you not feel the shadow it has cast upon your heart?" Little Mirabel stood and put small hands on Mirabel's face and said, "You cannot heal if you will not let yourself see that you did not cause the death of my mother. I know that you loved her as well as any human member of our family because I could not be here otherwise. I am my mother's Gift to you, Elegida."

Little Mirabel took her hand and Mirabel got up as little Mirabel guided her to the center of the clearing. With each step she aged, from little Mirabel to herself as she was now. It was weird seeing herself outside of herself. She never liked it when Camilo did that. Casita/Mirabel took her hands and asked, "You have forgiven many that have wronged you, Elegida. Cannot you allow yourself some of that Grace?"

Mirabel thought back to what her Abuela Valentina had said about her not allowing herself to grieve for Casita's passing. Mirabel felt the tears she never let herself shed for her friend well up in her eyes. She thought at the time she needed to be strong and show how happy she was, so she could help her family pull itself back together. Always thinking she'd get to that painful part later. Always finding a reason to push it off. "I want to believe that I can," Mirabel said, then added when the other tilted their head, "I do, but it's so hard."

Casita/Mirabel looked back at the tree and said, "Only you can free yourself from this burden, Elegida. You called me here for a reason. Perhaps I was wrong about the tree. It looks to be strong enough to help you release this guilt you carry in your heart. You just have to see it."

Mirabel nodded and said as she too looked at the tree. She was going to need to come up here later and have a good look around. She also knew she was going to need to bring someone with her. She never shared this place with anyone beyond Casita the reasons she came here. "I think you're right, Casita. I'm gonna work on that once we get this other stuff out of the way. I'll be honest, I don't know how this is happening, but I feel like you're here to help our family, right?"

"Together, we will help our family," Casita/Mirabel corrected and nodded.

"Definitely together," Mirabel replied.

Casita/Mirabel smiled and hugged Mirabel fiercely as they whispered, "Thank you, Elegida, for making me possible. I will always cherish this moment." Then Casita dissolved into a thousand colorful butterflies that immediately flew off. Mirabel watched, and the butterflies disappeared as a new fog sprung up. She wondered if that was her Tía's doing.

Mirabel remembered then the oak tree that sheltered the smaller tree on her bedroom door. She wondered then as she looked at all the damage on the tree's surface if her Abuela did know about this place. Otherwise, why would it have been represented on that door? Mirabel looked around, being alone like this was again making her feel that nervousness that always led to those flashbacks and needing to hug something, hugged the tree.

Mirabel started when she felt arms wrap around her, and heard her Abuela Valentina say in one ear, "Open your eyes, Mirabel," and her Abuela Alma say, "You've done enough, mi vida, come back to us."

Mirabel blinked but felt infinitely calmer than she had just a short while ago. She took a deep breath and realized she must have nodded off. Everything was fuzzy, and she noticed her glasses were in her hand. She didn't remember feeling tired. A sharp pain in her other hand made her release the Rosary she was holding as she flexed her fingers and her palm hurt. Mirabel let the Rosary fall into her lap as she put on her glasses, and she struggled for a moment to remember the dream that still lingered in her head. Was that a dream, she wondered.

Mirabel smiled as her mother came into focus. She was kneeling in front of her and asked, "Are you feeling all right Mirabel?" Mirabel nodded, but was now rubbing her palm where the Rosary had been pushed into it. Her mother took her hand and turned it over. The impression of the butterfly medallion was still there, and Mirabel stared at it. Bits of that dream that maybe wasn't a dream flitted through her mind as her mother said, "You were quite deeply asleep, Corazón. Even worried your Tío Bruno, and that is not an easy thing to do."

Mirabel looked around but did not see her Tío, but she did notice all the people standing in her room. "What happened?"

"Everything and nothing." Abuela Alma said, "But mi vida, I think after tonight, we are going to take the day off and do something fun."

There was a gentle shuffle of the tiles near the window and Mirabel smiled and thought, thank you, Súper Casa Arcoíris.