(Author's Note: Hello my readers, and welcome to a new installment of "Journeys into the Multiverse". School has been a pain (have to redo an assignment because my teacher didn't like my submission, even though she was not as "detailed" in her expectations as she would like to believe:/), but I'm trying to get more work done. And this is the start!
Fun fact: as I'm working on this, I have a test in less than three hours that I should be studying for. So...hope you guys appreciate my "work/life balance";)
Just joking. Anyway...hope you guys enjoy:)
Chapter Nine: The Dark One
Concept: Unlike the "prime timeline", THIS Mirabel did acquire magic when she turned five. People wouldn't call what she gained a "Gift", however…they would call it a "Curse".
"Good morning, familia," Alma greeted her family, receiving numerous greetings in response. Truth be told, this was Alma's favorite part of the day. She loved eating with her family throughout the day, but it was their morning meal that was the best (in Alma's humble opinion). While everyone may have still been a little tired from being woken up (primarily Pepa and Camilo), they didn't have the same levels of exhaustion as they did from a day of work.
As Alma took her seat at the head of the table, she took a moment to glance around at her family.
Julieta (always the last to sit before Alma herself) had sat the closest to Alma's left down next to Agustin, pressing a kiss against her husband's cheek. Alma couldn't help but fondly roll her eyes at how her son-in-law beamed like a teenager.
Isabela and Luisa sat across from their parents, the pinnacle of beauty and strength respectively (as always).
Pepa and Felix sat next to Julieta and Agustin, her middle child holding onto her coffee mug as if her very life depended on it (something, Alma thought in amusement, that's been going on since her teen years). Her husband sat next to her, a hand patting her arm as he ate.
Dolores was slowly and delicately nibbling at her breakfast, quiet and calm as always. Camilo had (like usual) piled a lot of food onto his plate, poking little Antonio in the stomach to make him laugh as they ate.
Bruno sat closer to the children than the adults, laughing quietly as he watched his hermana's sons playing around. Alma's eyes narrowed when she thought that she saw movement underneath her son's ruana. Even after all these years, she still doesn't understand Bruno's fascination with those…rats. She especially hates it when he brings them to the table, but…so long as he keeps them out of sight and away from the food, then Alma supposed that she could leave it alone.
Regardless, she always has and always will enjoy meals with her family. They always served as an excellent opportunity to rest from their work and speak to one another before getting back to helping the community. It was always so…
Wait a minute, Alma was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts, Something's…wrong. She took another glance around the table, mentally counting the Madrigals present. There were twelve of them, but, for some reason, Alma only counted eleven. I don't understand. Everything should be-, Alma's eyes suddenly widened…before they shut, an annoyed sigh slipping through her lips as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Mama?" Alma looked up to see her eldest looking at her in concern (an expression that the rest of the family shared), "What's wrong?"
"Querida, where's your youngest?" Julieta's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing in confusion, looking around to see that her mother was right: Mirabel wasn't at the table. How did she not realize that?
At this point, the rest of the family was now looking all around the table…and realized that they WERE missing someone.
"She's probably just sleeping in like she always does," Isabela replied with a roll of her eyes, "Can't we just keep eating? If she wants to stay in that dark, depressing room of hers, I say we just leave her there. Let her crawl around the shadows like the little demon she is," Isabela muttered that last part, but everyone still heard her.
"Isabela Madrigal!" Agustin raised his voice, his eyes narrowed at his eldest daughter, "You will NOT speak about your hermana that way!" Isabela, an embarrassed blush on her face at being yelled at, looked down at her hands (though, coincidently, she didn't take back what she said).
"I'll go wake her up, Abuela," Luisa stood up (wanting to prevent any more yelling) and, after a nod from the matriarch, quickly marched up the stairs to get her hermanita.
You see, Mirabel is a bit of a…"special case" when it comes to the Madrigals. Whereas the rest of her family can get up on their own in the mornings (of their own free will or otherwise), Mirabel was a TOTAL night owl. If left to her own devices, you wouldn't see her out of her room till noon. Sometimes, she'd stay up all night long and sleep right through the following day.
So, it stands to reason that someone needed to get her if you wanted her up in the morning. But, you couldn't just send someone to wake her up. No, no, no, things were never that simple in this house. You see, nearly everyone who went into Mirabel's room to wake her up had some kind of chance of getting either thrown into a wall or tossed clean out of the room itself. It all depended on how you woke her up, what her emotional state was when she went to bed, and, most importantly, who you were. There's a certain…system when it comes to waking up Mirabel Madrigal. A "list", if you will.
Alma and Isabela were off the list and absolutely FORBIDDEN from waking Mirabel up in the morning. Considering that Alma and Mirabel could only say about two to three (four, if they were BOTH in a good mood) sentences to one another before devolving into a screaming match, the family was pretty quick to decide that sending the matriarch in was too much of a risk. And as for Isabela? Well…let's just say that when nature and darkness clashed, no one in that house walked away a winner.
At the bottom of the list were Pepa and Camilo. In the case of Pepa, her Gift just didn't "mesh well" with that of her sobrina. If Mirabel lashed out with her aunt present, Pepa's powers would go out of control while in the room…which would cause Mirabel to react in an "unstable" manner, which would cause the same for Pepa, and it would just continue in a vicious cycle. In the case of Camilo, the two cousins were quite close as children. But after Mirabel's ceremony, the two's personalities splintered off in such far directions that they were like night and day. Nowadays, Mirabel was constantly irritated by her primo's pranks and mischievous nature. What doesn't help matters is the fact that Camilo (somehow) thinks that it'd be a good idea to wake Mirabel up with a bit of a prank.
The last time he was sent up, he walked out with a broken arm (thank God for Julieta's Gift).
Next up were Bruno, Dolores, and Felix. The former two understood the…"complications" that could come with one's magic, whereas Felix was a joyful presence that made it difficult for anyone to stay upset when he was around. However, Mirabel's room still presented an issue for the three of them. Bruno's past experiences meant that he wasn't good with dark places, the near-complete silence of Mirabel's room meant that Dolores would begin to panic if she stayed there too long (the quiet of her prima's room being more "unnerving" than that of her own), and even Felix's attitude could only stand up so long against his sobrina's room.
Up next came Agustin and Julieta. Despite Mirabel's negative attitude and dark room, her parents were NEVER deterred. They had always felt more protective of their youngest due to her Gift, and they ALWAYS made sure she understood that she was loved.
And finally, Luisa and Antonio were at the top of the list as the best (and most frequent) members to wake up Mirabel in the morning. In Luisa's case, the near-invulnerability granted by her Gift meant that she could easily stand back up from anything Mirabel may or may not throw her way. And as for Antonio? Well, he was Mirabel's favorite relative hands down. Even her attitude couldn't stand up to her little primo's sunny disposition, and that's not even mentioning the fact that she would NEVER use her Gift on Antonio in that manner (and, in fact, even SUGGESTING such is one of the quickest ways to anger her).
After walking up to the second floor, Luisa quickly moved to her hermanita's door. Mirabel's door was a sight to see, so to speak. Whereas the others' doors could give feelings of calm (like Julieta or Antonio) or demonstrate amusement (like Camilo's "detailed" door or Bruno's wise prophet look that didn't look like him at ALL), Mirabel's was…different, to say the least.
Mirabel's form took up a majority of the door, her eyes closed with a frown on her face and her arms spread out (palms to the sky). There was a sort of…aura that surrounded her sister's image, one that looked like a raging fire (although the family had long ago learned that fire wasn't the "element" that the image displayed). Four black cracks extended from each corner of the door, stopping at the "aura" (making it look like her hermanita was surrounded by a bubble). There were multiple columns behind Mirabel's image, columns that would almost seem to…move if you stared too long.
Placing a hand on the handle, Luisa opened the door…and couldn't help but stop. As strong as Luisa's bravery and love for her hermanita were, she'd be lying if she said that she feel a little "uneasy" about Mirabel's room.
Truth be told, Antonio was probably the only one in the house that didn't feel ANY sense of unease about Mirabel's room (and that was no doubt because Antonio had all but "imprinted" on her at a young age, and spent more time there than anyone besides Mirabel herself).
Luisa felt Casita's tiles lift slightly underneath her feet, nudging her forward, "I know, I know Casita. I'm going." Taking a breath to calm her nerves, Luisa walked into the room.
There was a long tunnel that connected the door to the room (similar to the one in Tio Bruno's room, only longer), and a black carpet on the floor. The room itself sat at the end of the tunnel and was illuminated by over a dozen candles spread throughout the area (with flames that, for some reason, were purple).
There was a railing that extended in a circle around the middle of the room, forming a small track (Luisa had one in her room, only MUCH bigger). There were two large bookcases on the sides of the room with a large mirror that took up the entire back wall (that Luisa…preferred to avoid, based on past experiences). There was a large space in the middle of the room, a white circle placed there (a spot where Luisa has seen her hermana practicing her Gift and even meditating on more than one occasion).
In-Between the white circle and the large mirror was a pitch-black staircase (no railing) that twisted up to Mirabel's bed. At the very top of the room, connected to the black ceiling concealed by shadow, was a large purple crystal that served as a "chandelier" for the room.
After walking up the stairs (having to balance herself as always), Luisa moved to the large "lump" that rested underneath the dark blue comforter. "Mirabel," she shook her sister's form, but got nothing in response, "Hey, sis…come on, it's time to get up."
A groan. "Go away, Luisa."
"Hermana, it's time for breakfast."
"Just tell everyone to eat without me. I'll pick up something from the kitchen later."
"Mirabel, you know Abuela sent me up here," Luisa rubbed her arm nervously. As much as she didn't like being a bother to her hermanita, she didn't want any more "conflicts" between her younger sister and their grandmother.
After a few moments of silence (with Luisa debating about how she could simply carry Mirabel out with limited conflict), the younger girl let out an annoyed groan as she threw the comforter off of her body. "Fiiiiiiiiiiine! Just…wait outside. I'll be out in a minute."
"No offense, sis…but, the last time you said that you ended up going right back to sleep," Luisa replied with a raised eyebrow.
Mirabel rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Alright, fine. Then just…wait at the bottom of the stairs then!" Comfortable with her sister's answer (and not wanting to be flung off this platform…again), Luisa nodded and walked down the stairs to give her hermanita the privacy to change.
When she heard a noise above her, she looked up to see multiple "shadows" extending from the platform into Mirabel's closet, pulling out numerous clothes for the day.
In under a minute, Mirabel was dressed and leaped down to the floor (using her Gift to "cushion" her fall). Mirabel's entire body was covered by her dark blue poncho (hood up) that had crack-like black lines running along its form. The only parts of her "outfit" that remained visible were her purple-framed glasses, black gloves (which she did NOT like to remove), and brown boots.
"Let's go then," Mirabel muttered before she walked to the exit, with Luisa quickly following her.
"Thank you, Luisa…for gathering your sister so that she may join us," Alma gave her youngest granddaughter a disappointed look. Unlike everyone else, Mirabel all but threw out her chair and "flopped" down.
"Well…as I've said literally HUNDREDS of times before, I have NO problem with you all eating breakfast without me," Mirabel snarked back, not even looking at her grandmother as she took a bite from the arepa on her plate (set by her mother, no matter how many times Mirabel tried to tell her it was unnecessary).
"This family always eats meals together. I would have EXPECTED you to understand after all this time, Mirabel." Alma's firm frown and narrowed eyes frustrated Mirabel to no end, and she was ABOUT to reply (likely in a "smart-ass" kind of fashion)…until she caught sight of her mother out of the corner of her eye, who was practically begging for her youngest daughter to stop.
So, Mirabel sighed and took another bite of food to keep herself quiet (rolling her eyes).
"Now then," Alma turned back to the entire family, "There's much to do for Antonio's ceremony tonight and we cannot-." Mirabel tuned out almost immediately. She'd grant her mother's request to not start a fight with Abuela, but that didn't mean that she had to listen to her. Besides, it's not like Abuela is saying anything that she hasn't already heard ten times over anyway.
Serve the community…successful ceremony…don't get in the way, blah blah blah.
As Abuela spoke, Mirabel's gaze went across the rest of the family. All of them were paying attention to the old woman, to…varying degrees of success (from Isabela's tall and firm posture, all the way down to Camilo's bored expression as he ate).
Just then, she met Antonio's eyes across the table (looking nervous when the conversations shifted to his ceremony). The little boy's smile was almost blinding and the way that he waved at her was enough to get Mirabel to smile. No matter her day or how she felt, Antonio was ALWAYS able to brighten Mirabel's day.
Her pequeño sol.
Mirabel stuck her tongue out at the little boy, who had to clasp both hands over his mouth to keep from laughing. She then placed two fingers on her eyes and pulled them down, subtly using her Gift to make the shadows around her eyes more pronounced. Some people found it creepy, but Antonio found it hilarious (especially when she stuck out her tongue).
"Mirabel!" While Antonio flinched at Abuela's sudden yell, Mirabel simply turned to the old woman with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes?"
"You are mature enough to understand not to interrupt someone when they're speaking. Even if you somehow don't, I'd expect you to not drag Antonio into your misbehavior," Mirabel could see Pepa and Camilo glaring at her out of the corner of her eye, but she just ignored them (only having the patience and energy to deal with one headache at a time).
"You are talking about Antonio's ceremony tonight, and everything that will go into the event. Antonio isn't going to actually DO anything until tonight besides getting dressed up in his formal clothes. As for me?" Mirabel laughed a cold laugh, "We ALL know that you don't want me anywhere near the preparations. So…from a logical standpoint, the two of us don't NEED to listen anyway. If I said anything false-," Mirabel spread her arms out wide, now speaking to the entire family, "-then, by all means, correct me." She held her hands to her ears, clearly mocking the fact that she knew that THEY knew that nothing she said was false. Abuela in particular looked like she was struggling not to grind her teeth together at her nieta's words.
"I…expect you to show respect to those around you, ESPECIALLY regarding something so important to this family." Mirabel couldn't help but snort, primarily at the fact that her grandmother didn't say anything that disagreed with what she herself had said.
This time, it was Antonio whom Mirabel spotted out of the corner of her eye and her stomach dropped. If her heart broke when her parents were disappointed in her, it outright shattered when Antonio felt any sense of sadness that could be traced to her.
Fine. She'll stop…for now. To, at least, give her youngest primo his day.
When Abuela had seemed satisfied by Mirabel's lack of fight and brought everyone else's attention back to her planning, Mirabel locked eyes with Antonio again (who already looked sad by his family's fighting). She gave him another smile as she subtly used her Gift to manipulate the shadows near Antonio, giving him a "hug" from across the table.
No one else lets Mirabel do this. Whenever she tried, the person would (whether subtly or bluntly) state how cold her shadows felt and the feelings of unease that soon followed. But Antonio had been held and cared for by Mirabel since he was an infant. There were days when she would hold him and her emotions would get the better of her, causing her shadows to wrap themselves around her body. And Antonio…was never really bothered by it. These "instances" during his infancy made Antonio the only Madrigal who truly felt no fear whatsoever from Mirabel's Gift (being a big reason why he was her favorite).
When Antonio felt one of his prima's "Shadow Hugs" (they came up with the name together), he gave a smile so bright that it was nearly blinding. Many questioned how someone as kind and bright as Antonio could enjoy being around someone as dark and cynical as Mirabel…but those were only the people who didn't truly understand either Madrigal.
I suppose that "adaption" would be the easiest way to describe it. A source of light and dark that were exposed to one another in their youth, before their "true selves" grew into what they were today. This was best represented by the bracelets that they each wore on their wrists: a black one for Antonio and a white one for Mirabel. A sign that they each had a "piece" of the other with them at all times, showing their connection that could NEVER be broken.
No matter what.
Mirabel couldn't help but roll her eyes as she walked through town, seeing a fair amount of people actually running away when they saw her. "Ridiculous" and "Asinine" were the words that came to mind. As long as no one messed with or disrespected her, they would have absolutely NOTHING to be concerned about her.
She really didn't understand what was so difficult to understand about that.
"MIRABEL!" Said girl's eyes widened a bit before she let a small smile grace her face. She slowly turned around, only to feel three pairs of little hands pulling at her poncho.
"Hola mis pequeñas sombras," with her Gift, she made the shadows in-between swirl around the three kids (making them all laugh), "What exactly are you all doing here? Hanging out with the terrifying "La Sombra"? She said her last sentence dramatically, wiggling her fingers in a way that was meant to be scary (but was actually hilarious).
Just then, Cecilia (light-skinned with her blonde hair in pigtails) giggled, "Don't be silly, Mirabel. You're not scary…you're GREAT!"
"Yeah!" Alejandra (dark-skinned, black-haired) agreed, jumping and wrapping her limbs around Mirabel's leg, "You always play with us and tell us stories!"
"You also spend time with us when even the adults don't want to!" Juancho grabbed onto Mirabel's hand, before taking a huge gulp of the coffee in his white cup.
This? Right here? This was why Mirabel loved children. For the last ten years of her life, Mirabel had to deal with either hatred or fear (though, the two were usually not mutually exclusive) from the majority of the Encanto with only a handful of exceptions. And she's gotten used to it, putting a wall around her heart to keep herself safe.
But kids? Kids don't really care anymore.
It started with these three in front of her, Antonio's only friends (humans that he wasn't related to, of course). After all of the "horror stories" they'd heard, they had spent a good portion of their lives scared of Mirabel. Toddlers being told exaggeratedly scary stories about someone who could literally control darkness itself? It isn't all that surprising that they would be afraid of her.
But then they saw Antonio, their new friend who was perhaps the kindest person that they'd ever met, hanging out and playing with Mirabel with no issue whatsoever. They were confused…and curious. If someone like Antonio could enjoy Mirabel's company and be so "unafraid" of "La Sombra" of the Encanto…could she REALLY be as bad and scary as people make her out to be?
After those three befriended Mirabel (to the confusion of a LOT), other children shared the same thought process as time went on…and it was only a matter of time before every child in the Encanto not only enjoyed Mirabel's company but loved her like a big sister.
Mirabel chuckled, running her free hand through Juancho's hair before she pulled them all into a big hug, "Gracias, little ones. I appreciate that. So…excited for Tonito's ceremony tonight?"
"YES!" They all cheered in response.
Alejandra placed her hands on Mirabel's cheeks, "What's his Gift going to be?!"
Mirabel chuckled, playfully knocking her head against Alejandra's, "Don't know. We'll just have to wait and see tonight."
"Your Tio Bruno sees the future," Juancho spoke up, the coffee cup shaking in his hands, "Can't he just look and see?!"
"NOPE! Tio Bruno has rules for his Gift. One of which is that he doesn't look into the future of his family unless ABSOLUTELY necessary." Mirabel didn't share with them that Bruno chose to limit his visions for his family because he was afraid of seeing something awful. Even though Bruno knew that his power was only SEEING the future (not controlling or creating it), being a pariah for decades leaves its mark on someone's mind. "Besides…his birthday is coming up soon, so there's no need to look anyway."
"It would still be fun to look," Cecila muttered with a pout.
"No can do. Besides, why spoil the surprise?" Mirabel chuckled at the slow nods of the three but she suddenly twitched. Her eyes narrowed for the briefest of seconds before she looked back at the little ones will a warm smile, "Alright guys…I've got some chores for the ceremony to do and YOU guys-," she poked them all in their stomachs, making them giggle, "-should go off and have fun as kids do. Now run along, ya little scamps." The three gave Mirabel a tight hug and said bye as they raced off (likely to play one of their games or to find Antonio…or both). Just then, Mirabel's kind smile dropped into an annoyed frown, "You may as well come on out. I know you're there."
"Well…aren't we "observant"?" Mirabel rolled her eyes as she watched him step out of the nearby alleyway.
"Did you actually think that you could hide in MY element without me knowing, Manuel? I would have thought that even you were smarter than that." She didn't even try to keep the smirk off of her face when she saw the glare on his.
"Watch it, you little freak." Mirabel rolled her eyes at Manuel's "insult" (he REALLY needed new material).
"And what, pray tell, will YOU do if I don't "watch it"? Huh? Isn't that why you're so far away because you're afraid of "La Sombra"? News flash: I can still reach youuuuuu~." Mirabel subtly manipulated the shadows underneath Manuel's feet, lifting him a few inches off of the ground.
Mirabel didn't even TRY to keep herself from laughing at the way that Manuel shrieked at her action and leaped back.
"You better watch yourself!" Manuel pointed with a glare, "Try that again, and I'll…I'll tell Señora Madrigal!" Mirabel rolled her eyes so much that she was probably lucky that they didn't fall right out of her head.
Manuel Rodriguez was the perfect definition of a bully. That being a coward. He loved to pick on those who were weaker than him and either couldn't or wouldn't fight back, but would always back down when someone stronger would push back. Hell, he had even started bullying her not long after her Gift Ceremony. He would shove and hit her plenty of times…until the day that she (in her anger) lost control of her magic and lashed out.
Truth be told, despite the lecture and grounding she got from Abuela, she thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of putting that jerk in his place.
Manuel never tried to put his hands on her again since that day, but (unfortunately) he never fully left her alone since then. Probably due to something about "wounded pride" or some other nonsense like that.
"I'm a little hurt, Manuel," Mirabel replied (in a tone that couldn't be more clearly sarcastic), pouting as she put a hand on her chest, "After all this time, do you REALLY know me so little that you ACTUALLY think that the threat of telling on me to my abuela would discourage or scare me? I'm SO disappointed in you. Well…MORE disappointed than I already am."
Manuel's glare darkened further…before he began laughing, "It should. After all, what use do YOU have to the people? Or even your own family? You don't do anything with your CURSE. If Señora Madrigal decided it, she could just kick you out of the Encanto." Manuel then rolled his eyes, running a hand through his brown hair, "Why she hasn't already done so is beyond me!"
"Because she understands the truth that's known by EVERYONE…whether they admit it or not." Manuel looked at Mirabel and was confused by the smirk on her face.
"What the hell are you talking about?" At that moment, Manuel felt cold. Unnerving. Even…scared. He knew that Mirabel was using her magic to manipulate the shadows around him, and stood completely still as he did so.
As arrogant (and stupid) as the Rodriguez boy was, even he knew better than to say or do anything to anger Mirabel when she was actively using her Gift around him.
"As sure as I am that you and others would LOVE for me to be "banished"…it's never going to happen. As I said, Abuela understands the truth that EVERYONE knows deep down: if I can be "scary" and "threatening" now, what could I do if truly pushed beyond the limit?" The shadows around the two of them now grew and thickened, nearly sealing off the outside world completely, "That's why Abuela won't do anything too drastic. Because she's TERRIFIED of what will be unleashed if she makes an enemy out of me." Mirabel's eyes began to glow purple, black smoke coming from them, "Don't you agree, Manuel? All the times that I've fought and hurt anyone this last decade, I've never been TRULY trying to hurt them. I always know exactly how much force to use to make my point, yet demonstrate self-control." Mirabel then stood on her tip-toes (being a full head shorter than Manuel), moving her mouth to the boy's ear, "Would you like to see what I could do if I REALLY let loose?" Manuel, demonstrating a level of intelligence that Mirabel didn't know him capable of, stayed silent, "No? Then why don't you run along, like a good little boy?" The shadows around them dropped, the "effects" on Mirabel's face vanished, and the girl herself took a step back.
Manuel gulped a bit before he scoffed and looked away. "W-Whatever," he muttered before turning and walking away. He suddenly stopped and turned his head back slightly, "Freak." The poor boy likely thought that he was "proving something" by getting the last word in, but it was obvious that he was just covering for the fact that he was running with his tail between his legs.
Once she was alone, Mirabel frowned to herself. Although it was a thought she had pretty constantly, Mirabel didn't like thinking that her abuela only "tolerated" her because she was afraid of her magic.
Once upon a time, Mirabel was the apple of Alma's eye. According to stories that her mama would tell her, Mirabel and Alma seemed closer to each other than anyone else in the house. Mirabel would want to always be held by her abuela, be read stories at bedtime, and would even cry if someone tried to pull her away from her abuela. On the other side, Alma would smile warmly as she scooped her little mariposa into her arms and pepper her face with kisses. She would tell Mirabel stories about her life with her abuelo and about her old life before the Encanto.
The two were so close that when Mirabel said that Abuela was her "favoritest person in the whole wide world", it brought genuine tears of joy from the old woman's eyes.
But everything changed the night that Mirabel got her "Gift". She remembered the confusion that ran through her when the shadows had begun to swirl around her like a whirlwind. She remembered the unease she felt when she was gripped by a sudden chill (that never really went away, no matter how hot it was). And, more importantly, she remembered the fear on Abuela's face when she saw all of this.
Nothing was the same since that day. Abuela stopped caring for her, Isabela started hating her, Tia Pepa would never want her around, Camilo abandoned her, and just about everyone else was afraid of her (despite how badly some tried to hide it).
Despite the wall that she put up around her heart, it hurt to realize that the person she had admired the most no longer cared for her. It hurt to imagine that she was only kept around because Abuela was afraid of what her Gift could really do if let off its chain.
But Mirabel learned LONG ago that you had to play with the cards Life deals you (no matter how shitty they may be). If love won't stop Abuela from tossing her away…then fear will keep her in check.
"AH!" Mirabel felt a sudden sharp pain in her hands. "Damn it," the teen muttered as she took a quick look around. Upon seeing that she was completely alone, Mirabel quickly took off her gloves and began scratching at the irritated skin.
The skin that had pitch-black cracked lines running along the top of her hands down to her wrists.
(Author's Note: Annnnnnnnd scene! I like this idea a great deal, so I REALLY hoped the chapter turned out to be good.
I think this would be an interesting idea to explore: Bruno was "vilified" for his magic, even though Precognition is a relatively "neutral" type of power. So…what would people think if a Madrigal acquired a Gift that could be far easier to perceive as "evil"? Like commanding darkness itself, for example?
As I'm sure you've pieced together, this has led to quite the relationship with the rest of the Madrigals. Alma and Isabela remained relatively unchanged from canon, the former acting from a place of fear (although, she and Mirabel's relationship here is more…intense since the Mirabel of this timeline isn't passive enough to take her grandmother's mistreatment without a fight) while the latter mainly turned on her youngest sister due to her life of "perfection" (although the two are a little more intense since they both have Gifts and aren't afraid to turn them on each other). You probably noticed some…tension between Mirabel and Pepa and Camilo. There are reasons for that…which will be revealed in future chapters. Just about the entire family (excluding Agustin, Julieta, and Antonio) feel varying levels of fear of Mirabel's power, which she can tell despite their efforts to conceal it. Along with the classical lack of communication, fear is the main driving force behind the Madrigals of this timeline.
It was a little tricky figuring out Alma's precise reaction to a situation like this. I don't believe that Alma would do anything DRASTIC, like kicking her out of Casita or trying to (intentionally) harm her as some people would think. While Alma is definitely a bitch in canon, she's not a villain. She is a well-intentioned, traumatized woman whose actions are motivated by a deep fear of losing everything all over again if her family doesn't prove "worthy" of their Miracle. She DOES love her family (yes, including Mirabel), she's just stubborn and doesn't think as much as she should. It can be difficult finding a balance between the antagonist she behaves as and the broken old woman she is inside.
I also wanted to have Mirabel's parents be UNDOUBTEDLY on her side, as I wholeheartedly believe they would be. I don't really understand why, but so many people in this fandom are under the impression that Agustin and Julieta are the "weaker/more timid couple" in comparison to Felix and Pepa. Which is actually kind of ironic, because the "cool couple" actually showed more of a willingness to stand against Alma during the movie than their "warm counterparts".
When Alma was yelling at Agustin after the (failed) proposal dinner, did he cower at all? Stutter, or even hesitate? No. He stood up straight, looked his mother-in-law dead in the eyes (glaring mind you), and yelled back at her "I was thinking of my daughter!". And Julieta straight-up told her mother that she's always been too hard on Mirabel, which I've always thought could be taken one of two ways.
1. Alma has always been hard on Mirabel, but now she's REALLY going too far
Or
2. Alma has always been hard on Mirabel, and she (Alma) is responsible for the recent "problems"
Felix and Pepa didn't show any fear of Alma either, but the latter is limited to yelling about her cloud (seeming more annoyed, seeing as how Pepa herself knows about her cloud) while the former is simply standing by his wife. Truth be told…I feel like IF Alma were to physically hurt or try to send away ANY of her grandchildren, that child's parents would IMMEDIATELY gather all of their kids and leave Casita outright (with the other couple considering the option, if not doing so as well). I can't see ANY of the adults (including Bruno) staying silent/complacent and allowing any of the children to be either hurt or thrown out.
Constructive criticism ONLY…no flames, please.
Review, Favorite, Follow, and I'll see you guys next time:)
