(Author's Note: Hello there my readers, and welcome to the next installment of "Journeys into the Multiverse".
Hope you guys enjoy:)
Chapter Eight: Anger
Concept: After Casita's collapse and reconstruction, Isabela had become persistent in making her behavior up to Mirabel. Although the sisters had grown FAR closer than they had been in years, there is one Madrigal who isn't "happy" about these new circumstances: a little boy with a strong connection to the creatures of Earth.
It had been almost two months since Casita's collapse and about a month since the magic had returned, and life for the Madrigals have been improving ever since. It was finally being drilled into everyone's minds that the magical family was not these infallible gods who could do no wrong and had no troubles. They were human beings who had feelings and desires, and they were so much MORE than their magic. The family had not only begun taking more time off but were able to spend time on things that didn't involve their Gifts.
Alma had begun making more time with her old friends across the village, the two pairs of parents were spending as much time together as they could (enjoying the free time to do so), Dolores was thoroughly invested in her new relationship with Mariano, Camilo and Antonio enjoyed spending time with their Tio Bruno, Luisa was learning to relax, and Mirabel continued to be a bright and joyful presence to those around her.
Isabela's new free time was always filled with one of two activities: the first was? She had begun exploring every aspect of her Gift to its fullest, being happier than she had felt in years. After so long of having to be pushed into a box and only ever able to do EXACTLY what she was told, mere words couldn't describe her joy at finally being free to be herself.
The second? She had begun spending as much time as she could with Luisa and Mirabel as she possibly could. Ever since Abuela had begun putting pressure on Isabela to be "perfect", the little girl who would always make time for her hermanitas had slowly been warped and twisted into a young woman who stopped trying to be a good big sister at all. After everything that had happened, she was determined to be better for them…but ESPECIALLY Mirabel, who she had used as a punching bag for her issues for years.
Isabela had apologized profusely to Mirabel at least twice a day since Casita's collapse, wanting there to be NO doubt in her hermanita of her true feelings.
(Although she found it a bit…excessive, Mirabel couldn't help but be touched by Isabela's care and determination to show it)
The barrier between the two had been utterly destroyed, with them finally able to grow as sisters for the first time in nearly a decade. Finally, everything between the two was (despite Isabela's distaste for the word) perfect.
Well…ALMOST perfect.
"MIRABEL!" Both sisters turned at the sudden call, seeing Antonio come racing into the room on his jaguar (where he'd be nearly 70% of every single day), "Are you ready?!"
Despite maintaining her smile, Mirabel raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Ready…for?"
"Mirabel!" Antonio whined, neither girl being able to keep the amused smiles off of their faces, "You PROMISED! You promised that we would hang out in my room today!"
Oh.
Oh.
Oh…mierda.
Mirabel and Isabela had been having such a fun time these last few days that a few things have slipped her mind throughout the week (like leaving her glasses in the room two days ago, or accidentally burning the food when she helped her mama cook yesterday). It wasn't intentional, but she had just been having SO much fun in being able to spend time with her eldest hermana for the first time in ten years.
But she NEVER (in a MILLION years) would have thought that she'd forget a promise that she made to Antonio. As much as she HATED to upset her little primo…she had made a promise to Isabela first, and it wouldn't be fair to her hermana.
"Tonito," Mirabel moved to her primo, running a hand through his hair (as well as petting Parce's head), "Well…you see, it's like this…I know what I said earlier, but…I had forgotten that I had already promised Isa that I would hang out with her right now." Just as Mirabel had expected, Antonio's face went from excited (then confused) to downright heartbroken.
"What?! B-But…you said that we were gonna hang out today! You said so!" No matter how unintentional it may be, Antonio's words were like little daggers into Mirabel's heart.
Not helped by the tears beginning to form in his eyes.
"I know, I know Tonito," Mirabel placed her hands on Antonio's chubby cheeks, but her heart only broke further when Antonio pulled away, "It's just…it wouldn't be fair to Isa for me to just ditch her like that. We won't be gone all day, so you and I can still hang out later on!" Despite her best attempts, Mirabel's words did NOT help improve Antonio's mood at all.
If anything, it just made it worst. The five-year-old was now glaring at the ground, his tiny hands clenched into fists as he breathed heavily through his nose. By this point, Parce had noticed the decreasing mood of his "speaker" and was beginning to grow agitated (truth be told, the only reason that Parce didn't start growling outright is that he knew how much Antonio loved Mirabel as well as how much Mirabel loved Antonio).
"Tonito-," this time, Antonio outright slapped Mirabel's hand away.
"Forget it. Just go on with Isabela! I hope you both have SO MUCH FUN!" Sending his speaker's emotions reaching a breaking point, Parce stood up straight and raced back to the comfort (and safety) of Antonio's room. Mirabel was left there, the remains of her heart scattered across the floor. She didn't even turn when Isabela put a hand on her shoulder before pulling her into a hug…she simply clung to her hermana as she cried her eyes out.
Isabela was silent, running a hand through her hermanita's hair as she let her cry. She couldn't even be mad at Antonio's attitude, since she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was crying just as hard in his room.
Besides…she knew what the real problem was.
A few minutes later, after Mirabel had calmed down, Isabela pulled her hermana at arms-length, "I'll go talk to him."
Mirabel looked up at her sister, "Isa…I-I don't think that's a good idea. Besides, this is my fault. You shouldn't have to-," Isabela shut her sister up by placing both hands on her cheeks.
"Mirabel…do you trust me?"
"Of course," as much as Isabela wanted to smile and cry about how fully and immediately Mirabel trusted her, the young adult had a task to finish.
"Then trust me when I say that I can handle this. I can't say anything right now, but I am positive as to what's bothering Antonio. Just give me a few minutes, and I'm sure that I'll be able to handle this." Despite still feeling concerned and uncertain, Mirabel nodded her head and allowed herself to be sat down on the nearby couch.
With one last smile (trying to calm her hermanita), Isabela turned around and began marching towards Antonio's room…where her calming smile immediately fell, and gave way to a nervous frown.
Time to face the music.
Isabela and Antonio's relationship had always been...rather "barebones", to be honest. Much like with Dolores and Luisa, the two's lack of common communication was the biggest reason why there was no negativity in their relationship.
Bear in mind, that wasn't because Isabela WANTED to barely interact with her youngest primo. Unlike Mirabel or Camilo, she was just never any good at dealing with children.
That was a lie. There was once upon a time when Isabela Madrigal was just as nurturing as her mama or tia could be. Not just with her younger relatives, but with the kids in the village as well. She could never help but play with any baby that she came across, with her "melliza" never failing to joke that the babies would ALWAYS get sick of the games before Isabela did. And that doesn't even get into how doting she was on her younger relatives at the time.
But…that was just another aspect of her "character" that was pushed to the background when Mirabel didn't get her Gift.
Not that she's blaming her youngest sister for not being given magic, of course! Even back when she was being a brat and a horrible sister, she NEVER thought that it was Mirabel's fault that she didn't get a Gift. Besides, Isabela was old enough to understand what she was doing at the time. She made the conscious choice to be "perfect" in the hopes that no one (especially Abuela) would try to target her hermanita.
Just as she made the conscious choice to be a horrible sister.
Isabela stopped in front of the door and shook her head out, taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves. She was about to have a VERY important (and difficult) conversation with Antonio, and she needed to be "all there" to do so.
Isabela couldn't stop the smile that appeared on her face as she opened the door, unable to keep away the same wonder she felt when she saw the room materialize. She knew how impressive the magic rooms created for the family could be (obviously), but there was always something…special about Antonio's room. While some rooms felt grand (like Luisa's) or thought-provoking (like Camilo's), Antonio's felt…majestic. Awe-inspiring. Primal.
Maybe she was just a LITTLE bit biased (being a plant-lover in a jungle, after all), but her point still stands.
Thankfully, Isabela didn't have to go searching for Antonio. He was lying on his hammock in the middle of the tree, directly visible as soon as you entered. Her relief/thankfulness was soon extinguished when she saw the frown on his little face, his eyes simply…staring at the ground. He was lying on the side of Parce, with numerous of his other friends scattered around him (including his toucan on his shoulder, a snake wrapped around his torso, and a capybara lying next to him).
Isabela took in another DEEP breath, trying (to limited success) to calm her nerves. "Hola primo," she waved with a shaky smile…which quickly fell when Antonio took one glance at her, glared, and promptly turned over. The eldest Madrigal grandchild let out a sigh as she took a step forward, "Tonito-," before she could say anything, Parce suddenly stood protectively in front of Antonio.
As brave (and "wild") as Isabela could be, even she wasn't in any rush to challenge a snarling jaguar.
"Leave me alone," Antonio muttered (still loud enough to be heard, though), petting the snake wrapped around him.
"Antonio," Isabela continued speaking, even though she stayed put, "Come on…we're family, and we live in the same house. You can't avoid me forever."
"You don't know that," Antonio muttered after a few moments of silence (Isabela being unable to keep herself from smiling at both Antonio's tone and the pout that she just KNEW was on his face). After another moment or two, Isabela got an idea. Antonio might not listen to her (at least, initially), but he will listen to his favorite prima.
Or…her words, at least.
"Antonio…did Mirabel ever talk to you about the problems our family had that caused Casita to collapse in the first place?"
After a few moments of silence (which made Isabela uncertain if even this was going to work), the young woman heard Antonio speak up, "She said it was because no one talks about what's bothering them and that they don't ask for help when they need it."
Isabela nodded, "Exactly. That's what we've been trying to work on these last two months. And, while we're certainly not perfect at it, we are getting better. No one's just saying what they think people WANT to hear anymore, and our familia is better because of that. And the problems that are bothering us can't be fixed…unless we talk about them." Thankfully, she noticed Antonio's frustration began to fade away and be replaced by…uncertainty. "I know that what's been bothering you didn't start today, Tonito. I've been paying attention and I know that it has lasted for a few weeks now. And I know that it's not Mirabel you're upset with…but me." Now, Antonio buried his face into his knees. "Can you at least tell me what I did to make you so upset?"
Isabela already had her suspicions, but she had to know for sure.
"You're taking Mirabel from me, and that's not fair!" Antonio (after a few more moments of silence) yelled out, his anger bubbling to the surface, "You've always been mean to Mira, saying nasty things to her and laughing at her. Then everything happened, and now you're taking up all of Mirabel's time. She's MY Mira! I've been nice to her while you've just been mean to her the whole time! Why does she want to spend all her time with YOU?!" Antonio pushed his face into his knees, and Isabela's heart broke even further when she heard a cry slip from his lips, "It's not fair." All of Antonio's animals looked at him in concern, with Parce moving from in front of Isabela to gently nudge the little one.
The entire room was left in near complete silence, the only sound capable of being heard was Antonio's crying. Isabela swallowed, clutching onto her dress barely able to keep herself from crying as well. Isabela then took a seat right where she was, crossing her legs and placing her hands on her knees.
"You…are right, Antonio." That got the attention of everyone else in the room, with even the animals looking confused.
"I…am?" His small and quiet voice hurt Isabela, but she kept her face calm.
"Yes…you are. I was a HORRIBLE sister to Mirabel. There's no other way to put it. I've been a horrible sister to her for a long time, since before you were even born. And you've been better to Mirabel than pretty much anyone else." Isabela leaned closer, holding her hand beside her mouth, "Don't say this out loud to anyone, but you're DEFINITELY Mirabel's favorite relative." Antonio giggled a little, which caused Isabela to smile.
But then, Antonio's frown returned, "Why were you so mean to Mira?" Isabela couldn't help but flinch when her little primo's gaze locked onto her own, "Mama always says that if you know the way you act is wrong, then you have no excuse to keep behaving like that. You said you know that you were bad to Mira…but why did you act like that anyway?" Isabela let out a deep sigh. She knew this was coming.
"When…when Mirabel didn't get her Gift, Tonito-," Isabela began, "-it was the biggest thing that had happened in the village since our mamas and tio first got their Gifts. No one understood what was happening, so everyone was in a panic. Abuela began pushing us to help even more in the community to try and get the villagers to forget about what had happened, and get everyone's attention off of Mirabel. That went on for a few weeks, and then…that's where I came in."
"What do you mean?" Antonio asked, now completely facing Isabela.
"As the eldest grandchild, there had always been more…focus on me. That's just the way it was, and that only went more in that direction when I got my Gift. When I saw how so many people were judging mi hermanita for not getting a Gift and were even saying horrible things…I thought that I could fix it. I thought that if I was the "perfect flower" that everyone wanted me to be, it would take the focus off of Mirabel."
"But…why were-," Isabela pressed a finger to Antonio's lips (causing his animals to narrow their eyes at the young woman).
"I'm getting there. You see…when you become the village's "Perfect Angel", they expect certain things from you. You have to look, act, and even talk a certain way. And when Abuela got more into it, I became more certain because I didn't want to disappoint her. Every day, I walked out into the world wearing a mask. I was too afraid to be who I was. So then when I saw Mirabel, with no responsibilities and free to act exactly who she was, it was…easy to be upset. I thought that she was just an ungrateful brat, who didn't appreciate how easy she had it. I never stopped to consider that Mirabel had her problems in life, even if they weren't the same as mine. Do you know why I've been spending so much time with Mirabel these last few weeks?"
"Why?" The young boy asked.
"Because I want to make up for my behavior. For half of my life and most of Mirabel's, I've been such a horrible hermana. Most of our memories with one another are purely negative, and I don't want that. I've been trying to be better for both of my sisters, but Mirabel is the one who suffered the most because of me. I know that I can't erase the pain that I caused her in the past, but…I'm trying to spend as much time as I can with her because I, at least, want us to have a good relationship now." Sighing a bit, Isabela looked Antonio in the eyes, "Do you understand, Tonito?"
Antonio absentmindedly scratched the top of his hand, "I guess, yeah."
"But, let me tell you this: if you have any fears about me somehow "taking your place" by spending a lot of time with Mirabel? You're wrong. Because you, my little friend, have a special place in Mirabel's heart that can't be taken by ANYONE. And that isn't going to change, no matter how much time Mirabel spends with me or anyone else. But, for what it's worth, I AM sorry that my actions made you feel this way. That was never my intention." Antonio looked up to meet her eyes, reminding her that (despite his Gift and how smart he could be) her youngest primo was still VERY young.
Then, to her surprise, Antonio stood up and quickly made his way over to her before climbing into her lap and wrapping his little arms as far around her as he could get them. Although she was stunned for a moment, Isabela didn't waste much time wrapping her arms around her primo.
"I'm sorry too," Antonio spoke against Isabela's dress (his prima still able to hear him, however), "I said that I didn't like how you were mean to Mira, but I was mean too."
Isabela tightened her grip around Antonio, running a hand through his hair, "No, you weren't mean. You just didn't understand what was happening. You may have even been unsure if I was being genuine recently. You were just being protective of Mirabel. You should be proud of that fact."
"It's just…I was sad when Mira wouldn't hang out with me as often. And I didn't understand why she kept choosing to be with you over me." Antonio looked up at her, now looking embarrassed, "No offense."
Isabela chuckled, "None taken, hombrecito. As I said, I understand why you felt the way you did. And, honestly, you were right to feel that way. But, do YOU understand everything now?" At Antonio's nod, Isabela smiled and pitched his cheek (chuckling at how his face scrunched up in an ADORABLE manner). "So," she stood up, carrying Antonio in her arms, "Think we should go down and talk to Mirabel?" Although he looked uncertain (and even a little scared) for a moment, Antonio eventually nodded his head. "Yeah…me too."
Isabela couldn't help but smirk teasingly as she watched Mirabel and Antonio hug each other with all of their might. Their hug was adorable and their talk was heartwarming, but even Isabela had to admit that the way that they were clinging so hard to each other (with Mirabel swinging him around in her arms) was…pretty funny.
"I'm really sorry, Mira!" Antonio cried out into Mirabel's neck.
"No, I'm sorry Tonito. I SHOULD have realized that you were feeling this way, and I'm SO sorry that I didn't!" By this point, Isabela had to bite down on her bottom lip to keep herself from bursting out in laughter. The two youngest Madrigals were very sweet but VERY dramatic (especially since Tio Bruno came back).
"Alright niños," Isabela spoke up, getting them both to look at her, "As much as seeing you guys hug warms my frozen heart, I feel like you both would stay there all day if I don't do something." Mirabel stuck her tongue out at her hermana, who promptly responded by doing the same thing. "Alright now…both of you off! I believe I heard talks of you both going into Antonio's room. Go on now!"
Mirabel's mood dropped a bit, "Isa-."
"NOPE! You two just had a big emotional moment, and hanging out afterward is part of the experience!" When Mirabel's frown remained, Isabela flicked her on the nose (smirking at how her hermanita flinched and covered said nose), "I recognize that look on your face, but you don't have to worry about me. There are some little experiments I wanted to run in my room today, and you know how long that could take." That wasn't even really a lie. Mirabel had shown her that she had only scratched the surface of her Gift's full potential, and, when the magic returned, Isabela had been all but obsessed with exploring the full nature (pun not intended) of her powers.
Just then, however, Isabela felt her hand being grabbed. Looking down, she saw Antonio looking up at her (grabbing onto her wrist with his other hand), "I want you to come with me and Mira!"
Isabela's eyes widened before they narrowed in confusion, "But.. didn't you want to hang out with Mirabel in your room?"
"Yeah, but I'm not mad at you anymore. And," Antonio looked down for a moment, before looking back up (his eyes now filled with confidence and determination), "And I need to make up for being mean before! So, you're going to come with me and Mira to play in my room." Just then, he lowered his gaze and pouted with his bottom lip sticking out, "At least, you would if you were REALLY sorry for before." Although Isabela was positive that Antonio was just messing around, those words still clenched around her heart.
Isabela sighed, running a hand through her hair, "You're just a little manipulator, aren't you?"
Antonio suddenly beamed a bright smile, "I learned from Cami."
"Of course you did," both Isabela and Mirabel muttered at the same time. Both sisters let out laughs as Antonio (grabbing Mirabel's hand as well) pulled them both up to his room to play.
(Author's Note: Annnnnnnnd scene!
Hope this one turned out well. This chapter was partially inspired by a story on Archive Of Our Own titled "With you by my side" by "Elena0409". I only skimmed the story long ago, but (as I recall) it had Antonio being mad at nearly his ENTIRE family (who had ignored Mirabel up until then). After reading numerous stories about the interactions between Isabela and Antonio, I began thinking about how the latter might deal with the former's "change". He would have gone his entire life seeing his eldest prima being mean to his favorite relative (you will NOT convince me that Mirabel isn't his favorite in canon, you just won't), and now he's seeing her suddenly being nice to her? Combined with the fact that she would now be occupying a LOT of Mirabel's time, I think we'd be left with one unhappy little animal lover.
But, it's nothing that some good ole fashioned communication can't fix.
Constructive criticism ONLY…no flames, please.
Review, Favorite, Follow, and I'll see you guys next time:)
