Summary: This is what happens when you think you're done with change for the day... nope. Anyway... Tears of the Kingdom drops tonight... I need to finish this - gonna be a challenge that.

Tiempo Para Algo Diferente

(Time for Something Different)

The Empanadagist

Bubo watched Tuli and Antonio as they ran around with nets, trying to catch the fireflies that would blink in and out of sight. Neither was having much luck, so he waited for them to finish and sit down near a waterfall. He walked up to them and said, "Hi kids, how's the firefly catching going?"

"Not too good," Antonio said, "They're so fast."

"You want to know a trick, my abuelo taught me?" Bubo asked in his best conspiratorial tone.

Antonio nodded and came closer.

"First… shake out your hands." Bubo did this, then said as he held his hands together out in front of himself, "Next, you need to stand perfectly still, like a tree and…" after a few moments, a firefly landed on one hand, and he used the other to cover it. He sat down next to them, and both kids leaned in when he lifted his thumb a little, so they could look inside. The glow stood out, and the kids moved closer still. "This little lady is a Lampyridae and is a member of the family of elateroid beetles," Bubo said, then looked at the blank stares he was getting and added, "it's a forest firefly."

"She's so pretty. Can we keep her?" Tuli asked.

"No, it's better if we let her go. She probably only landed on me because she thought I was a branch. The girls will do that, so they can get a better look at the boys," Bubo said and slowly took his top hand away. "If she sees one she likes, she'll call to him." The firefly did not fly off. Instead, it walked around on his hand, lighting up a few more times before taking off.

"Wow," Antonio said, "you sure know a lot about bugs."

"Insects, Toni, that's what he goes to school for…to be a … uh… empanadagist." Tuli corrected, and Bubo smiled.

"Why would he study empanadas?"

"No, I said it wrong… what's it called Bubo?"

"Entomologist, it's a branch of zoology."

"Yeah that."

"Whatever, Tuli, I want to try the arm thing!" Antonio shouted and jumped to his feet.

"Don't be so loud!" Tuli shouted, then realized she was shouting and whispered, "You'll scare them."

"It'll be fine," Antonio said in a more normal tone, arms out in front of him.

Tuli glomped onto Bubo's arm as she watched. Bubo used his free hand to indicate she should try. Tuli pushed a smile onto her face as she let go of his arm and moved closer to Antonio. She very tentatively held her hands out, and Antonio giggled as fireflies landed on his hands and arms, flashing. Tuli was watching the fireflies land and was biting her lip, it seemed, in an effort to not laugh.

"It worked!" Antonio shouted, and he bounced, causing several of the fireflies to take off. He watched the bugs on his hands for a few minutes, he frowned then said, "They don't talk… Bubo, how come they don't talk?"

Bubo tilted his head. Why don't they talk? Then he remembered what Antonio's Gift was. Insects were technically animals and said, "They do, just not the way we do. Their bodies don't work like that. They breathe through their thorax and-"

"Their what?"

"Their tummies, the part on the ends that glow," Bubo said as he pointed.

"Oh, cool," Antonio said, and the firefly flashed. He focused his attention on that end and the firefly flashed again. "Still not hearing anything. Did you just make that up?"

"No," Bubo replied, and felt mildly offended. "Insects talk in their own way, Antonio." The beetle set off a series of flashes and Bubo said, "This firefly is talking right now, actually."

Antonio gave him a suspicious look but returned his attention to the beetle. He noticed the flashes then and said, "Oh wow, they talk so fast."

"Can you really tell what it's saying?" Tuli asked, coming closer. Her hands had a number of fireflies on them.

Antonio didn't answer, he was very focused on the firefly in front of him until he frowned. "Nope, I can't, it's too fast," Antonio concluded. "Why do they talk so fast, Bubo."

"Perhaps it's because, compared to people, they lead very short lives. Once they reach this stage, they only live for a few months."

"That's it?" Antonio asked.

Bubo nodded but added, "When they are a larva," Bubo paused then said, "When they are babies, they live on and underground for about a year, and they don't have wings like they do now."

"That makes sense. They need to get everything done in a hurry. Guess I'll have to practice."

"Hey, Toni," Antonio looked over to see his brother, and Camilo asked, "You got a minute hermano?"

"Sure," Antonio said and gave his arms a shake. Fireflies scattered in all directions, and Antonio waved for his brother to follow him. "Can go over to the other tree? It's really cool over there and there was something I wanted to show you." Camilo nodded, then waved to Bubo and Tuli as he followed Antonio to the bridge that was not too far off.

Orden del Caos (Order from Chaos)

Bruno growled as the sponty started. Isabela helped him sit before the full force of it hit him. He took an almost breath and felt Isa pull up his hood. She sat next to him and took his hand. She began to hum a song that wasn't a song and Bruno realized Isa was using her Gift, and it seemed to be affecting the flow of the vision. He could smell lavender and something else he couldn't quite identify, but was sure it was some kind of mint. This sponty had started as the glimpse variety that were always the most difficult to understand. As Isa sang it shifted, smoothed out and showed him those glimpses in a more coherent way. First was Isabela and Tuli looking up at the great oak in the plaza. This shifted to Mirabel walking with Camilo, Bubo and Luisa. That dissolved to show José Márquez speaking angrily to Bubo. That morphed into Mirabel reaching out, while Luisa had a hand on her shoulder. It dissolved again back to Bubo and José, but the anger was gone from their faces. Returning to Isabela and Tuli by the tree.

Bruno blinked as the sponty ended, and he reached to pull the bottle from his pocket. He paused. His hands weren't shaking. He slowly returned his hand to his lap and looked over at Isabela. This was new.

"You okay, Tío?" Isabela asked.

Bruno took off his hood and said, "Yes, I'm doing pretty good, actually. Isa what was that song?"

"Well, it wasn't an actual song," Isabela blushed and looked at the floor. Several dandelions popped out of the grass and aged.

"Really?" Bruno asked.

"Yeah, kinda more of a feeling I sent to the nearby plants. Just something I was trying… you know to help strengthen them and I, ummm, asked the plants to help you… wow, that sounds really dumb now that I'm saying it out loud."

Bruno lifted an eyebrow. Even when she was small, he'd rarely seen Isabela struggle with anything. The fact that she saw this new thing she was trying as 'dumb' was not like her and explained some of her behavior of late. Since the magic came back, Isabela seemed to question more if what she was doing was what she should actually be doing. That, in and of itself, was not a bad thing, and under normal circumstances he wouldn't worry, but the vine sleeves now creeping slowly down her arms gave him pause.

Bruno reached out and gently touched his sobrina's knee and said, "You know, I've noticed that you've been having a little trouble finding your place in our family. Believe me, I know how that feels. You've lost confidence in yourself; think you haven't grown with your Gift. That you're somehow failing at all this." Isabela frowned and gave him a small nod. Bruno noted the vine sleeves, that had made it to her elbows, were now sporting tiny thorns. Isabela didn't even seem to notice it happening. Bruno took her hand and gave it a squeeze and said, "I think maybe you're focusing on the wrong thing, Isa."

"What do you mean?" Isa asked.

"Whatever you just did, it was remarkable. You say you asked the plants to help me, and I felt your song... and damned if it didn't push some direction into that sponty I just had. For the type of sponty it was, that has literally never happened before. Look at these hands… not even a twitch." The thorns retracted as she focused back on him. "Grant yourself a little bit of Grace to learn, time to try and most important, permission to fail. I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told your mother when it was clear she wanted something other than what had been laid before her." Bruno made sure she was looking at him and said, "Your whole life has been dedicated to doing for others. Let me remind you… It is not selfish for you to want something for yourself. Follow your heart, Isabee. Let it be your guide. Do what feels right for you because in the end, it's your happiness that matters." The vine sleeves dissolved, and Bruno patted her arm.

"Thanks, Tío."

"Anytime, Isa."

Isabela's attention went back to the path Bubo had taken, and she said, "You think they're alright? It's been a while. How long can it take to tell someone that someone they hate is dead?"

"Well, maybe it's not the hate that's the problem, but more the fear Santiago inspires in Tuli. Fear will trump hate every time and is harder to counteract. Whether it's a reasonable fear or not. You should probably go check on them soon, and for the record, I like that boy, so unusual. Not at all what I was expecting."

Bruno felt the beginning of his agitation as his neck muscles tightened slightly. He sighed; he really didn't want to deal with this right now. Something in that sponty had triggered this. He just wasn't sure what. "I need to talk to your mother. Not about any of this, mind you. If I leave you here, are you gonna behave yourself?" he asked and waved toward where Bubo had gone.

Isabela returned her attention to him. She shrugged but at least was no longer frowning as she answered with a small smile, "Maybe, Tío. Maybe."

"Good answer," Bruno said and smiled as he got up.

Camilo and Antonio rounded the corner, and Antonio was carrying Little Parce on his shoulder. One of the stuffed jaguar's eyes was missing, so they were probably headed for Mira's room. Antonio stopped only long enough to give the actual Parce a hug. The jaguar didn't move more than to twitch his ears, and Bruno joined them and said, "See you in a bit, Isabee." She nodded and sat back on the swing.

Once in the hall, he watched his sobrinos head toward Mirabel's room. Once they entered, he asked, "Casita, can you let Julieta know I need her… and to bring Pepa as well?" There was an affirmative clatter and Bruno headed toward his room. Bruno went in as he closed the door he said, "Doli, please make my room off limits for the time being, my thanks in advance, Corazón."

Tristeza (sadness)

With Antonio gone, Bubo noticed that Tuli once again became nervous as she smoothed her skirt and took a deep breath. She was trying so hard to show she was happy around him that it worried him. She was locking away her fear and sadness, just like she did when her mother was killed. When her hand went to the locket, Bubo asked, "So other than riding jaguars, what have you been up to today?"

"I got to meet some of Antonio's friends," Tuli said, and let go of the locket as she sat down on the grass. "Alejandra and Cecilia are really nice. Alejandra is really loud; she yells a lot when she talks, and she introduced me to a bunch of other girls. Cecilia is super pretty. She has a straw hat with flowers on it."

"Do you know what kind of flowers?"

"Forget me nots," Tuli replied then added, "blue ones. She said they have bunches in her backyard. You would never know she and Alejandra almost got killed the day before when they were playing."

Bubo noticed that the fact that people were being killed or almost killed was becoming a reoccurring thing in Tuli's world view. It made him sad that she didn't even seem phased by it, just another day. This was the incident that caused the meeting to be delayed the day before. The fact that they thought the weakening of the roof was intentional had shaken him some. But people were people, and there would always be some that were not great at being human. He hadn't been able to find out more than the fact that the Madrigals were responsible for the rescue ending well. "Yes, I heard about that. I understand they were playing in a house that wasn't finished being built."

"Yeah, and the roof broke," Tuli continued. "Juancho said it was lucky they found them, cause he said it was getting hard to breathe, and he only sort of remembered when Camilo helped get them out."

"Who is Juancho?"

"He's another one of Antonio's friends. He was with Alejandra and Cecelia when it happened. He said it wasn't their fault. He said they got invited, and he drinks a lot of coffee," Tuli said this then added, "I miss coffee. Do girls drink coffee here?" She didn't wait for an answer as she asked, "You know what the best part was?"

"No, what?" Bubo replied.

"Alejandra said I wasn't a boy," Tuli said and smiled a genuine smile.

Bubo grinned and said, "She sounds like she's a smart girl."

"I don't know, Bubo, they were talking about wearing pants like girls should be doing that."

"Oh no, I smell controversy," Bubo said, waving his hands under his nose.

"Do you think girls should wear pants, Bubo?"

"Tuli, girls wear pants all the time at home."

"This is my home now."

"Fair enough," Bubo said and nodded, "However, is that something you should be deciding for someone else?"

Tuli looked down at her skirt, smoothing it. "I guess not," Tuli said and shook her arms, so the remaining fireflies would take off. She sat next to him and said, "Do you really think it's going to be okay, Bubo. What if Tío says I have to go back to Bogotá?"

"I don't know, Tuli. He can be pretty stubborn. But I'm sure he cares about us. Tío wouldn't have come this far if he didn't. He also doesn't know you are safe with me."

"I hope he never runs into Santiago," Tuli said and had her skirt bunched up in her fists, "If he tells him what… that I…" Tuli stopped and closed her eyes and tried to force that smile back on her face. She was not very convincing as she had her hand on that locket again, now staring at something he couldn't see.

"Tuli, do you remember the promise game Abuela taught us?" Bubo asked and held out his hands. Tuli blinked and again tried to put that fake smile back into place. She nodded and came a little closer. She let go of the locket and sat in front of him and took his hands.

Once Tuli looked to be comfortable, Bubo said, "I'll go first. I know you've been deeply hurt, and I want you to know that if you want to talk about it, I promise to listen. No judgement. And if you do not, that's okay too."

Tuli's grip on his hands got a little tighter, and she said, "I promise not to run away anymore."

"I promise," Bubo said, "regardless of what our Tío says, I'll stay with you." Tuli almost smiled and though he really didn't want to spoil her day… "There is one other thing I needed to tell you," Bubo said, "Everyone's come back safe from the mountain and Santiago is-"

"Santiago is here?" Tuli asked in a low hiss, and she immediately pulled away as she got up and backed away.

Bubo was not surprised by her reaction, but her assumption that the smuggler was here was telling, and he said, "No no no, Tuli, he's not here."

Tuli knotted her hands up in front of her, "You're sure? He's really sneaky…" she said in a whisper, looking around.

Bubo went closer to her and as he knelt down, he turned her to face him and said, "He's dead, Tuli. He died on the mountain."

Tuli blinked, she was still breathing heavily and asked in the same fearful tone, "He still died?" Her whispered voice was full of pain as she grabbed hold of his vest and added, "I saw... but you didn't… you're really sure? He told me he couldn't die…"

Tuli was not making a whole lot of sense, but it was her tears that broke Bubo's heart as his guilt reared its head again, and he said, "I'm really sure, Tuli. He can never hurt you again. Do you understand?" he asked. This surely wouldn't have happened if he'd gone to see Tuli in Bogotá. At the same time, he realized it was his Tío's insistence that she be sent to the Jesuits that had sparked Tuli's flight. With no one to talk to or see things from her perspective, Tuli's isolation must have been profound. She'd acted out of fear and Bubo had to face the fact that nothing would have changed; she would still have left with Santiago and Bubo wouldn't have even known about that if not for, as Mirabel said, the fact that she landed here, where he was. Chance? Mariano did not seem to think so, and Bubo wondered at the circumstances that had brought him to the Encanto and what had kept him here.

Was he even doing the right thing? Eventually, Tuli would become an adult, what then? He did not have answers to that… People were people… and not everyone in the Encanto was as understanding as the Madrigals. As he thought on it, it was unlikely that his Tío would have sent Tuli anywhere near the Jesuits. He loved the Church, but was not particularly fond of that brand of Catholicism. Perhaps that is why he was in the mountains now.

Tuli released his vest and plopped down in his lap. She had hold of her locket as she curled up. He put his arms around her and Tuli whispered, "He was a bad man."

"Yes, as awful as they come," Bubo agreed and kissed the top of her head. "You're safe now, Tuli. It's going to be okay." Tuli was crying softly, and Bubo was not sure how long they remained there, but eventually, he looked around to see Isabela standing nearby. He looked down and noticed Tuli had cried herself out and was now asleep, still clutching the locket.

"Need a hand?" Isabela asked as she came closer.

"No… I'm," Bubo went to stand and then immediately decided against it as he replied, "Yes, actually." He shifted Tuli, realizing one of his feet was almost asleep.

Isabela bent down and easily lifted Tuli, then carefully deposited the sleeping child in the hammock that Casita provided. She took off her shoes and tucked the blanket around her. Isabela removed the daisy crown off Tuli's head was thoughtful as she examined the flowers that still had a sparkle to them, and Bubo wondered what had brought on her melancholy smile.

"I take it your sister is well?" Bubo asked, and stood up and shook his leg to wake up his foot. His knees also hurt from being in that kneeling position for too long.

"Yeah, like you said, she is a very resilient person. Are you okay? I can get Mamá."

"Oh no, no need, just too long in a bad position," he said, "foot fell asleep. It's fine."

She nodded and said when she noticed he was looking around, "Toni went to Mira's room a little while ago with Camilo. Little Parce needs eye surgery and since you've been gone for a while, Tío Bruno suggested I come check on you two." Isabela looked at Tuli, "How's this one, is she doing alright? Take the news okay?" Isabela asked as she gently pushed the hammock.

"She's still pretty scared," Bubo said, coming up next to her.

"Even with Santiago being dead?"

"Yes. I am not sure if she actually believes it, and I think the real problem is that he's alive in her head." Bubo's previous anger returned, and he almost regretted not going to find the smuggler. "It's just gonna take time. I'm actually a little afraid to leave her here by herself," Bubo said, "Since her mother was killed, she's been prone to nightmares."

"Well, why not just stay here with her. I'm sure Abuela won't mind if you stay tonight, given the circumstances. There's a guest room downstairs. I doubt she'd want you to have her stay in Señor Aguilar's storeroom. Oh wait, Doris and those other kids are here now as well," Isabela paused, and she tapped her chin, "Toni's probably still in Mirabel's room." Isa looked at Tuli and said, "Doli, if your Mamí or Papí are nearby, can you send one of them to Antonio's room?"

Bubo wondered what on earth she was doing and then remembered what Dolores's Gift was and thought, well, that was easy. Bubo sat back on the grass to wait for whatever to happen, and he went very still when Isabela sat right next to him. She was close enough that he could smell her, and he thought, get a grip, Bubo. She pulled her knees up under her chin and she had a slight smile that was making him almost anxious and needing to distract himself, he said, "I meant to show this to you earlier. You did say if I ever found another…" and he realized his hands were shaking slightly as he reached into his vest pocket. He pulled out a small box and slowly slid it open.

"Oh, is that the wood beetle you showed to Mira?" Isabela asked as she leaned in.

Bubo swallowed but managed, "Ummm, yes. This is an Euchroma gigantea…" he stopped and realized he was over explaining again, and added, "it's a metallic wood beetle."

Isa's smile grew as she held out her hand, so the beetle could climb from the box to her fingers. She wasn't the least bit put off by its size, and she said as she moved it closer to her face, "Mira wasn't kidding, it's adorable."

Isabela's look of fascination seemed so incongruent. He'd been so sure she would never have been willing to sit and just talk to him, let alone talk to him about insects. Mirabel had been right when she said he had grossly underestimated her. Bubo again reminded himself that Isabela Madrigal was clearly so much more than he let himself believe. He also decided he would need to be cautious of what he said about Isabela or any of the Madrigals to others. He knew they'd be listening, waiting for some random bit of information to try and use against them.

It was a wonder to him, but it did not appear that Isabela had many close friends outside of her family. None of them did, except Mirabel. She knew most people and was not shy about finding out who people were. A very insular group for sure. He'd generally only seen Isabela in town with her sisters or her prima Dolores. When she wasn't with them, he'd heard she was working in the fields and talking to some of the farmer's wives. Some viewed this as a fall from grace. Señorita Perfecta was the name the townsfolk used when he'd asked about her. Some in a kind way, others less so. But all agreed she had been the Madrigal Golden Child, at least before the breaking. Jealousy was an ugly part of human nature that Bubo disliked more than most things.

A few in town had claimed the status of 'good friend' and those tended to openly mock his lack of height just because he'd asked about her. Mariano had never done that; he would only smile and say she was her own woman and not to pay attention to the rumors. One of the reasons he volunteered to watch over the river was because Mariano started dating Dolores and was no longer around very much. With more time on his hands and his worry for Tuli prodding him to return to Bogotá, Bubo decided it would be better to be somewhere else.

He returned his attention to her when she asked, "What sort of wood does it eat?"

"Well, pretty much anything plant related, mostly softwoods, leaves, and they do love pollen."

"It's funny when I think of how many flowers I've made over the years, would have been a regular fiesta for these little guys." She tilted the beetle and a small fuchsia colored flower appeared between her fingers in front of it. The beetle immediately made for it and began munching. She smiled as she watched it for a bit, then asked, "Why does it look so dull? Mira said it was shiny."

Bubo adjusted his glasses and leaned in for a better look at the beetle, "It's because it's a newer adult, kind of like it's a teenager in the insect world. It will lose that waxy look as it gets older."

"Oh, that's fascinating," Isabela said and smiled at him.

Bubo smiled back and thought, yup... I'm doomed alright.

Brujas

Julieta came into the guest room, where Pepa and Esteffi were helping Doris and the kids settle in. Inez was in the bathroom with the three youngest, giving them a bath and getting them ready for bed. The two older children, both girls, were already cleaned up and changed into nightgowns. The dog was on a folded blanket and had gone to sleep in the corner after a meal and good brushing. The girls had their heads together and were whispering furiously. Julieta smiled and thought back to when she and Pepa would do that, dragging Bruno into their gossiping because they could. Julieta set the tray she was carrying on the only table in the room. It had small cups of warm soup with chicken tamales, and she brought a cup of broth to Doris.

"Oh no, please feed the children first."

"There's plenty for everyone, Doris, and I insist you get something into yourself."

Doris opened her mouth to say something and noticed she was being watched intently by the children on the bed. She rolled her eyes as she took the cup and thanked her. Julieta, however, waited until Doris took a sip and was satisfied when the bruises that Doris had gained when she ran into Isa's vine earlier faded to nothing.

Inez returned with the three small boys, and they joined the girls on the bed. Julieta gave each a cup, and the boys drank the broth quickly. She handed a cup to Inez, who hesitated until Doris nodded. She, too, thanked her and took some small sips of broth. Doris noticed the cuts on Inez's arms heal, and she pointed at Inez as she looked accusingly at Julieta and said angrily, "¿Es eso algún tipo de brujería?"

Everyone stopped moving. Pepa's cloud was back and there was a peal of thunder, but it was Esteffi that spoke next. "Of course not, child," Esteffi said as she stood straight. Doris was tall, but Esteffi was actually taller, and much broader. She put her hands on her hips and said in an exasperated tone, "Los disparates, show some gratitude. That's just Julieta's Gift. She can heal people with food. Brujería? Honestly, we already explained to you about Pepi's Gift," she said and added, "Don't act so surprised that her sister would have one as well."

Doris gave the older woman a sour look but nodded and said to Julieta, "I apologize, Señora Madrigal. We've run into several less than generous people of late. Thank you for helping our little ones."

"You're most welcome, and no offense taken. This is a lot to take in," Julieta said.

Doris turned and smiled at the kids. All had been healed of their physical hurts, and were now eating small chicken tamales. Inez was busy wiping their hands, so they wouldn't get any food on the sheets.

"These are really good, Tía," one of the girls on the bed said, "You should have some." And she offered up her half-eaten tamale.

"No, Lucia, you finish that, but thank you mi vida."

Julieta set about collecting the cups and plates and said, "We'll let you all get some rest." Esteffi and Pepa finished setting out the clean clothes and proceeded Julieta into the courtyard, and Julieta said as she closed the door. "Good night."

As they reached the center of the courtyard, Esteffi turned and said as she hugged them in turn, "Good night, mis queridas. Such an eventful day we've had. Juan Pedro!" she said just short of shouting, and her husband appeared from the kitchen, "Let's go home, mi amor."

Juan Pedro smiled, and Casita opened the door for them. Esteffi was laughing as she told him about Doris calling Julieta a witch. The door closed, cutting off the rest of the conversation. The sisters walked into the kitchen, and both started laughing. Their husbands, who were on the patio, heard the commotion and came inside, asking what was so funny. Casita clattered a few tiles near the window, interrupting their conversation, and Julieta said, "I'm sorry Casita, what was that?"

The tiles shifted again. Julieta sighed and said, "Okay, we'll head there now."

"What's happening, Juli?" Agustín asked.

"Bruno wants me and Pepi to come to his room."

Agustín sighed and said to Félix, "Looks like we'll have time to finish our chess game. Hope Pá didn't clear the board yet."

Félix snorted and said, "You only say that because you were winning." And together they left the kitchen.

Pepa's cloud let loose a rumble of thunder as she tugged on Julieta's arm and said, "No explanation, just 'come to my room'?"

Julieta turned her sister around and said, "The longer we stand here, the longer this will take." And gave her a gentle push toward the stairs. They reached his door and knocked once before they went inside. They found their brother alternately sketching and twisting his shoulders. The sisters paused. When they were young, Bruno would do this when he'd seen something in one of his spontys that terrified him. Not the sketching, that was new, but what could it possibly be if the smuggler was already dead? A full on vision was pulling at him, and he always pushed those down with his whole self because he believed if he gave in to that urge there was no way to get back from it. It did not appear that he'd heard them come in, so Pepa asked as she touched his arm, "Bruno? What's going on?"

Bruno turned and looked surprised they were there, then gave himself a shake and got up from the desk. Julieta could see his hands were trembling a bit as he sat on the chair and waved for them to come sit on the sofa. They did, and Bruno hastily opened the sketchbook to his most recent effort as he said, "It's essential that Mirabel and Luisa go with Bubo tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, what?" Julieta took the sketchbook from Bruno, and she and Pepa flipped through the pages. Pepa's cloud was back, and it was drizzling. Julieta closed the book and noticed Bruno's twitches were getting worse, she was clearly a part of whatever was happening and said, "Okay, that should be fine, I'll talk to Gus."

Almost immediately, his hands settled, and Bruno relaxed a little, took a calming breath and said, "Bubo has to be the one to ask for that too. At breakfast maybe?"

"Surely, he's gone home by now," Julieta said.

"Oh, he's still here. He's sitting with Tuli, Isa was going to go check on them," Bruno said, and as he did, his voice evened out and Julieta could tell his panic level was dropping quickly. "She said she would behave herself."

Julieta rubbed her temples and Pepa just snorted then she let out a squeak, and said to no one, "Okay mi vida."

She looked back at her siblings and said, "Isa just asked for me to come to Antonio's room."

"Perfect! Then we can ask him tonight… but we can't tell him why… only that it has to be him and maybe ask him to come with us to Bogotá," Bruno was rambling now, so Pepa got up.

"Nice, okay, hermanito. Meet me outside Antonio's room," she chuckled and said as she went to the door, "We'll shanghai him there."

Julieta wanted to shake her brother but instead, picked up the nearest pillow and tossed it at Bruno's head.

"Hello, Isa, Bubo. Dolores said you needed to see me?"

Bubo pulled back, realizing just how close he was to Isabela, and both got up, leaving an arm's length space between them. Isabela still had the beetle on the back of her hand and held it up for her Tía. Her Tía backed away and said as a dark cloud appeared with her hands up, "Isa, mi amor, you know I don't do bugs." She was smiling, but there was an accompanying low peal of thunder.

"Oh right, sorry Tía," she said and turned back to him. Bubo knew he was getting flustered as he took the beetle from her and put it back in its box with the flower. Isabela turned back to her Tía and said, "I just… ummm, never mind, that is not important. Anyway, I wanted to ask if you thought it would be okay for Bubo to stay here tonight with Tuli." Her hands were waving about some as she continued, "He's worried Tuli will end up having nightmares because of… well, you know… the smuggler. And I mean with Doris and Inez and the new kids in the guest room... and since he's going up to meet his Tío tomorrow… and …" she trailed off seeing her Tía's smile, and she put her hands behind her and finished by asking, "So, what do you think?"

Her Tía's cloud had winked out, as she listened to her sobrina with that smile that told Bubo, this was not how Isabela 'normally' did things. Her Tía looked from Isa to him, then back to Isabela. That knowing smile never leaving her face as she said, "I'm sure that will be fine. Isa, mi vida, just in case Tuli wakes, can you stay with her for a bit?" she didn't wait for an answer before she said to him, "Bubo, can I talk to you privately?"

Bubo blinked and nodded. Isabela gave him a nervous smile, and he wondered if he'd done something wrong but said, "Of course." He followed Tía Pepa out into the hall and was very surprised to see Isabela's mother and Tío Bruno there. Julieta Madrigal was giving him an appraising look, but did not look angry, and Bubo felt a little relieved. He followed as they walked in silence over to a series of doors that had pictures of the triplets, and they stopped in front of the one that had Bruno's name and likeness on it. Pepa was now whispering something to her sister, and Julieta almost laughed as she covered her mouth, so he wouldn't see her smile.

"We're going to let Mamá know what's happening, and I need to make sure Antonio has gone to bed. That boy's been up since dawn. We'll come by after that, Bruno," Pepa said as she took her sister's arm and walked off. Heads together, clearly in full gossip mode.

Bubo and Bruno went inside, and Bruno indicated he should have a seat and Bubo sat on the sofa, hands on his knees, fingers rhythmically tapping. Bruno then went to the large desk and began removing various items and the bag that Bubo remembered held the sketches from the meeting. Bubo was feeling very nervous and wondered if there was something that wasn't covered.

Bruno set the stack on the ottoman and sat in the high backed red velvet chair across from him. Several rats scurried to him, and he smiled as they arranged themselves in his lap. Fura, Bubo had noticed, was asleep on a pillow nearby with a tiny blanket tucked around her.

"Relax, Bubo, you're not in any kind of trouble," Bruno said as he pulled out a small sketchbook. "I need to ask a favor, but before that, I want you to look at this sketch," he said as he rifled through the stack of larger sketches and handed one to Bubo and tapped the sketch. "Dolores heard a conversation between these two. She thought she heard someone hit this other man hard enough to knock him out. That group then left him out there."

Bubo looked at the pair. The taller was definitely his Tío and Bubo stared at the other. He did not like the look of that one at all. "Do you know who the other man is?"

"That, is Santiago."

"Santiago? He is dead, yes?" Bubo asked as he stared at the sketch. His anger welled up all over again.

"Oh yes, there's no doubt about that. Agustín says he's being slowly digested by an unusually large anaconda. Probably gonna give the poor snake indigestion. I have a feeling Antonio had more to do with that than anything else. Just not going to find snakes that large in the mountains."

Bubo looked at the sketch again and though he could see the anger on his Tío's face, he knew he wasn't the one doing the hitting. His Tío abhorred violence and when things started going wrong in Bogotá he came to see Bubo in his dorm. He gave him not only money, but a pack stuffed with various other items. Telling him that if it did come down to it, he should leave the city for a while. He was aware of Bubo's political leanings and said it was better to be late graduating than dead. He'd often said that Bubo could never imagine how much a dead man weighs, reminding him there was no greater burden a soul could carry than to have killed a man.

Bruno then opened the sketchbook and showed him the sketches of the visions he'd had while at the church. The first two were of things that happened earlier. The first was him seeing Tuli across the plaza, and the other was of Tuli standing in front of him in Casita. Bruno indicated he should move on to the next one when the door opened, and his sisters came in and quietly sat in chairs near their brother. Bubo flipped the page, and stared at it. The sketch showed him standing over a very dead looking Santiago. Bubo paled as he looked over at Bruno and said, "But this never happened. I never left Casita."

"No, no you did not, and I know that since you were with me," Bruno said, "No one was more surprised than me when you turned up in Antonio's room."

"Pardon my saying so," Bubo said, "but more than a few people in town have said that if you've seen it, it's going to happen."

"There's the rub, Bubo. In the past, that was unfortunately very true. My Gift was incredibly reliable. Almost to the point of being unbearable. But the circumstances then were different than they are now. Look at the next page. I had this particular sponty just before I brought Fura up to Tuli." The sketch showed Fura sitting in someone other than Tuli's lap. Bubo looked over at the sleeping rat and almost smiled. He needed to thank Mirabel for stopping him earlier, and Bruno indicated he should look at the next page. Bubo did, and it showed a smiling Isabela standing in front of him as he dangled, wrapped up in vines. Well, that's embarrassing, he thought.

"So, what is it you need from me?" Bubo asked as he handed the sketchbook back to Bruno.

This elicited a smile from Bruno, and he set the sketchbook aside, but it was Julieta who spoke next, "We want you to take Mirabel with you tomorrow. She's been itching to help out, so I thought this would be a good experience for her."

"That's it?" Bubo asked, trying not to sound skeptical.

"Yes," she answered and added, "Luisa as well. Isabela will look after Tuli."

"Don't forget to ask about going to Bogotá," Pepa said, nudging her sister.

"Oh right, Pepi," Julieta nodded and said, "We understand you were a student at the college and that there are dorms for the men, but we need to find out what sort of accommodations are available for young women attending school there. How much things cost and the like."

"But going to Bogotá will take weeks," Bubo said, feeling more nervous and confused by the minute, as all three smiled at him in just the same way.

Pepa said, "Don't worry about that part of it, Bubo. We have a solution for that."

Bubo recalled then that Bruno had said it had something to do with magic and that Mirabel had said that her sisters were thinking of going to school there, and he said, "I feel I'm under qualified for this. Señor Aguilar, for example…"

"Nope, it has to be you, Bubo," Bruno said.

"Okay? I guess. Can I at least ask why?"

"No." All three said at once.

Una Necesidad de Saber (A Need to Know)

Dolores was sitting by the window in Mirabel's room, admiring the stars after watching Mariano and his mother head home, when she heard her Tío Bruno say (Doli, please make my room off limits for the time being, my thanks in advance, Corazón.) Dolores squeaked. Thankfully, no one was paying attention to her. This, of course, only served to make Dolores ten times more curious. She went to Mira's door and poked her head out. When she saw her Mamí and Tía coming off the stairs, she backed up and waited. It was almost killing her to not listen to what was going on in her Tío's room.

Isabela (Doli, if your Mamí or Papí are nearby, can you send one of them to Antonio's room?) Odd request since Antonio was here jumping on Mirabel's bed while she rummaged through a small tin of stray buttons. She shifted her focus to Antonio's room and listened briefly, realizing Isa was talking to Bubo. He was still here? Then sat lightly on the floor and relayed Isa's request to her mother.

A short while later, she heard her Tío's door open again, and she wanted to look but could tell from the footfalls it was her mother and she was headed toward Antonio's room. She heard her brother's door open, then close. No one said anything about not listening to her brother's room.

Mamí (Hello, Isa, Bubo. Dolores said you needed to see me?) pause (Isa, mi amor, you know I don't do bugs) Dolores smiled at the accompanying low peal of thunder.

Isabela (Oh right, sorry Tía, I just… ummm, never mind, that's not important. Anyway, I wanted to ask if you thought it would be okay for Bubo to stay here tonight with Tuli. He's worried Tuli will end up having nightmares because of… well, you know… the smuggler. And I mean with Doris and Inez and the new kids in the guest room... and since he's going up to meet his Tío tomorrow… and) there was another pause and Isa asked (So, what do you think?)

Mamí (I'm sure that will be fine. Isa, mi vida, just in case Tuli wakes, can you stay with her for a bit?) then (Bubo, can I talk to you privately?)

Bubo (Of course.)

Her mother then left her brother's room, and Dolores realized there were additional people waiting there for her mother. She wasn't paying attention, so she wasn't completely sure who they were, since no one spoke. Dolores said goodnight to everyone in Mirabel's room and moved to the door, but only in time to see her Mamí and Tía walking toward Mira's room. They had their heads together and both were laughing about something. Bubo was gone, so she assumed he'd gone into her Tío's room. She grunted, realizing she could not listen in. She slipped out and went toward her room, but didn't enter. She watched until her Mamí and Tía went into Mira's room, then Dolores ran back to Antonio's and slipped inside.

She paused and heard Isa humming a tune, problem was, Antonio's room was very echoey. Isa must be using her Gift somehow as her voice seemed to resonate within the surrounding plants and Dolores decided to just walk up. She couldn't be too far ahead. Fireflies flitted in front of her, and Dolores felt compelled to follow them.

She found her prima sitting in the grass, softly humming and gently pushing the hammock Tuli was sleeping in. Dolores was a little surprised that the air smelled of lavender and vanilla. It took her back to the days before their Gift ceremonies, when Isa's mom would tie lavender bunches she'd soaked in vanilla water in the nursery to help them sleep. Isa looked up at her and smiled, then stopped humming. She yawned mightily as she continued to push the hammock gently. The smells tapered off, but did not disperse, and Dolores realized that it was Isa who was making the scents that filled this little forest area of Antonio's room.

Dolores came and sat next to her and put an arm around her and said, "Isa, you've learned something new, and it's such a wonderful new thing."

Isabela nodded as she leaned on her and mumbled, "Thanks Doli… do you think," she started, then closed her eyes for a moment.

Dolores could tell Isabela was not okay, she'd clearly overdone it today. She needed her bed. She heard the door open and shortly after that Camilo appeared with Antonio asleep in his arms.

"Hey Sis, wanna pull off his shoes for me?" Camilo asked, and Dolores leaned her prima against a nearby tree and took off Antonio's shoes. Camilo placed their brother in one of the empty hammocks, covered him with a blanket and settled Little Parce under one of his arms, then said as he turned to Isabela, "She's not looking like she'll make it to her room."

"That's what I was thinking, but Luisa's already gone to bed."

"Mira too. You know I can probably get her there, it's not like she's heavy," Camilo said and made himself a little bigger. He lifted Isabela and turned to go and stopped when his mother appeared.

Since Antonio was in his hammock, she looked at the now sleeping Isabela and said, "Ay, no. She's overdone it, for sure. Come on, mi vida, let's get her to her room. Dolores, can you stay here until your Tía comes?"

"Yes, Mamí," Dolores replied and watched them go. Once they were gone, Tuli began to whimper in her sleep. Dolores went over and rocked the hammock. Tuli settled back into her restless slumber, and Dolores understood now why Isa had been using her gift. The door opened a few minutes later, and she heard her Tía and Tío come in. There was a third set of footsteps she was not familiar with and was a bit surprised to see Bubo following along behind them.

He was carrying several items, but Dolores could tell what they were. Her Tía said, "Isa's gone to bed?"

"Yes, she was all but asleep when I came in," Dolores replied.

Her Tía nodded as she turned to Bubo and said, "I'll help you put up the lavender. It'll help her stay asleep."

Dolores wondered why her Tío Bruno was there and realized he was indicating that she should follow him. Her Tía only looked over and nodded, so Dolores followed her Tío into the hallway. They went to her room, and he opened her door and indicated she should go inside.

"Doli, I need you to keep an ear on Antonio," he said.

"What do you mean? Why?" Dolores asked.

"Camilo mentioned that Antonio has been… what's a good way of putting this… making things happen."

"Like what?"

"He showed Tuli my sketchbook, that he conveniently borrowed from me." Bruno opened it to the page showing Bubo standing over a not so alive Santiago. "This didn't happen, do you know what that means?"

Dolores shook her head.

"Look at the next page. They're in the order I had them, and this was after Antonio borrowed the sketchbook too."

She flipped the page and realized that it was Bubo with Fura sitting in his lap. Her Tío indicated she should continue, so Dolores did, and she smiled at the picture of Bubo hanging in Isa's vines. She flipped back to the sketch of the dead smuggler and said, "So has your gift changed?"

"I think in a lot of ways, my Gift is the same as it's always been, however, when I had the sponty on the next page, Antonio was holding my hand. He was already planning something. Camilo told me that his little brother had given him a that whistle that led Parce to him on the mountain. I'm assuming you knew about that as well?" Dolores nodded and her Tío continued, "Camilo told me he thought it was for Doris's dog. He didn't realize he was guiding Parce until he saw the jaguar with him in the tree."

"So, Antonio sent Parce to… "

Bruno shrugged. "Probably not that, since all Parce did was hold the man down and lick his face. The fact that he had a heart attack or whatever made the other sponty moot. Santiago was going to die one way," he said as he tapped the sketchbook, "or the way he did."

"But why?"

"I have two new rats that have joined my little group, but only since Tuli arrived. Camilo told me, Antonio's been talking to the forest rats because they tell the best stories, almost since he got his Gift back."

"Are you saying he's been," Bruno nodded, "that little shit," Dolores said, "Does Mamí know?"

"Your father does. He figured it out when the anaconda showed up on the mountain. He asked me if I'd had any spontys with regard to any of that. Something your father has never done before."

"So what am I listening for?"

"Not sure. I've been having a lot of conflicting spontys the past few hours, so he's likely up to something. Guess we'll find out at breakfast tomorrow."

"Okay Tío."

Her Tío left then, and Dolores got ready for bed. She hadn't been actively listening to Antonio because most of what he said to the animals in his room was nonsense kid stuff. She got into bed and Casita blocked most of the external noise and the cricket sounds increased. She really loved crickets.

Notes: No one pays enough attention to what the youngest of the Madrigals is up to...but they're starting to.