Mirabel stared at the fence for a long while, then began her daily walk around Casita. It was always calming, compared to the constant chaos she endured with her family. She weaved through the tombstones, each one having the names of past ancestors. She soon came upon Abuelo Pedro's memorial, standing tall and proud. From Abuela's stories, the statue rose up from the ground the day she and the triplets found their new home.
The stories of their late-grandfather were about what he was like. They were about how he was able to make a bomb from everyday materials. There were many tales of him defending himself and his family from the people who saw them as abnormal. He would use non-lethal explosives to scare off would-be threats, even using smoke bombs to play tricks on the locals.
Mirabel soon found her way to where Arfi was, and the tombstones where the previous intruders were tied to. The vines were all shivered up, a few tears of clothing laid scattered about. She picked them, putting them in her bag. With limited craft supplies available in their home, Mirabel would use the fabric scraps to make new pieces of art. Perks of having the townspeople come in.
Doing a quick investigation of the area, she noticed on the ground shoe prints in the dry mud. She also saw a few torn pieces of pencil drawings, most showing only half of the sketches. Most were buildings and scenery of presumably the town. Mirabel grabbed them and stuffed them in her bag.
Arfi sprouted up from its bud, and nearly snapped at Mirabel's bag. She instinctively pulled the bag towards her, just out of reach from him. After spending years avoiding all incoming attacks, dodging became second nature. She's been able to escape nearly all attacks towards her, mainly by Isabela and Camilo.
She quickly wrote her journal and collected the loose materials before returning to Casita. The door creaked open as she entered and walked through the courtyard, the upper railing draping the vines that touched the tile floor. The candles flickered throughout the halls, the dreary atmosphere filled the home. Mirabel didn't mind the dark aura of their home, but she wondered what Casita would look like with vibrant colors.
The girl made her way up the stairs, passing by the many photos of the family. There was a grand display of family portraits, organized by generation and family. There were few of Pedro and his childhood. One showed him showing off his first homemade explosive, and the damaged aftermath with his face smeared in dirt and ash.
The tales of their late-grandfather were always shared. Abuela would tell the family how he saved her and the triplets from the people who deemed them freaks, and many tales of their unbreakable love. That kind of love moved onto Julieta and Pepa with their husbands.
Now 33 years after Augustin and Felix first came in, there doesn't seem to be any sign that someone would choose to come back. Choose to come back, without any fear or attempt of attack. If anything, the outside world is growing more fearful of them than curious and daring.
A closing door made Mirabel return from her thoughts, finding herself staring out the window without even realizing it. Suddenly someone bumped into her. Mirabel caught herself onto the railing, seeing Bruno barely being able to hold onto his emerald slab.
"Need help?" Mirabel asked. Bruno looked up at her, attempting to hide the vision slab under his oversized coat.
"N-no, I'm fine." He stammered. Mirabel looked at him questioningly.
"What did you see?" Mirabel asked, trying to peek at the image in the emerald. "Is it about the town?" He usually would share his visions with her, being the first one to hear the upcoming tales to occur in the household and in the town. The town visions have always interested her.
"It's nothing!" He blurted out, yanking the slabs closer to him. He seemed more skittish, trying to back away from Mirabel. Mirabel stood there, slightly baffled. Her tio was never so anxious around her. He was always calm and supportive of her and thoughts of the outside world. Bruno noticed her confusion and worry, then chuckled. "It's just Antonio clawing at Camilo.
Before Mirabel could ask more questions, Bruno turned away down the hall and turned around the corner with a few rats scurrying behind him. Mirabel stood there for a moment before stating, "That was weird." The tile moved about, making Mirabel smile. "Weirder than normal,"
Mirabel went to her door, seeing the unfinished crafts left on her desk. She sat in the chair by the desk, but didn't go back to her work. She instead took out the scraps of clothing, inspecting for any clues about the town. Mirabel found an embroidered patch that was torn at the seams. It appeared to the head of a lion, the outline was red with black details. She remembers Tio Felix and her papa occasionally talking about their time at school, the mascot being a lion.
She opened her journal to write down what she found, soon feeling a presence coming up from behind. A large shadow loomed above her. She could feel its claws graze her shoulder, its drool nearly dripping on her journal. She didn't panic, or even shudder, knowing full well it was nothing to be scared of.
"Hey, Camilo" The shadow shanked and lost its dark form. Her cousin stood beside her, clearly disappointed that his latest scare was a bust.
"How did you know it was me?"
"We're practically twins, we grew up together," Mirabel stated as she glared at him, annoyed. "Next time, keep the slobber to a minimal,"
Camilo smugly chuckled. The girl finished her last note before placing her findings back in her bag. "I thought you were with Antonio,"
"We're playing Hunt and Sneak," Camilo smiled. Growing up with the same routine every day, the children of the household always made up games to fill their boredom. They'd find new ways to almost kill each other, or compete for brief glory. "I'm being hunted by Antonio and Parce,"
He sat on a bench by the window, eating an arepa he swiped from the kitchen. Mirabel went back to her writing, her cousin keeping quiet as she worked. The boy didn't fully understand her, but Mirabel felt like she could be herself around him.
He finished his arepa, and cleared his throat, "I think about it too sometimes,"
Mirabel stopped and quickly looked at him, taken aback. He didn't need to say what he was referring to for her to understand. The girl never hid much of her curiosity from her cousin. Mostly because he was never quick to say the awful gossip they grew up hearing of the world.
She wasn't sure how to respond. She got up and sat on her bed and hesitantly muttered, "I thought I was the only one,"
"I think everyone's thought about it." Mirabel stiffened, and Camilo took notice. She turned her head to the window, once again staring beyond the fence and through the forest. The family would have a different response if she was caught.
Her parents would try to distract her with a new conversation. Luisa would assume that Mirabel was worried about their safety, and promise her little sister to keep the family safe. Isabela would make a snarky comment on how terrible the town is.
Abuela, however, would scold Mirabel if she caught even a glimpse of her granddaughter daydreaming. Alma would pull her away from wherever she was and sit her down in the living room. She would recount the events of Abuelo Pedro's death and how their old home was burned to the ground.
"All they think about is how awful the town is." Mirabel felt her anger grow. "Everyone will rather hide here and do nothing for the rest of their lives."
"Why would we need to go out there? We have food, our family, and protection. We have everything we need right here."
"All except for one thing,"
"And what would that be?"
"Freedom." Mirabel looked at her cousin with pure determination. Camilo could see in Mirabel's eyes how badly she wants to know more about the and beyond the fence. He may not fully understand her reasons, but he was the only one she could talk to like this.
He didn't say anything. Sometimes he'll think about leaving, but then Abuela's stories would ring through his mind. When he turned 13, he was chosen to defend their home from trespassers. When they would come in, his monstrous forms scared the life of them. Yesterday, however, was different. When he saw the machete, he felt scared. For the first time in his life, he felt a twinge of fear. He didn't want to admit it to Luisa and Isabela, so he played it off as smoothly as he could.
Mirabel got up from bed, motioning Camilo to move away from the window. He noticed her deep in thought. She grabbed her journal, flipping through the pages until she found the drawing she was looking for. It showed a layout drawing of Casita and the yard. It was a detailed map, showing the nearly precise location of each tree, tombstone, and fenced area. She flipped to the next few pages that showed a list of the family members and their daily activities and chores done for the day,
"What are you -?" Mirabel quickly covered his mouth with her hand, then placed a finger to her lips. He understood, Dolores can't know this. Whatever his cousin was planning.
Mirabel grabbed a piece of paper, and wrote down her answer. She handed the slip to her cousin. He read it quietly, his eyes widened in shock and worry.
If I don't get out of here, I'll lose my mind!
I need to go to the town. And I'll need your help.
Bruno walked through the narrow hallway that made it easy for him to sneak around the house without being noticed. He first found them when he was escaping from his sister's torment. Various noises could be heard in the wall of the home. Antonio unleashes his fierceness with his jaguar and snake. Luisa broke another clock after getting up from her nap. He carried a few of his latest slab creations, feeling very anxious about one in particular. Mirabel nearly caught his latest future-sight, and that would lead to a spark of questions and sense of worry in the family.
The male triplet finally made it to the secret room that was just behind the wall in the kitchen. It was small, but it was a safe space for him to keep his secrets. He would often spend hours here, mostly working on his book binding writing drafts for The Chronicles of the Falsetto Family novels he wrote under the pen name Lucas Zinga. The books may or may not be loosely based on the future visions of his family, but the books are Pepa's favorite.
But he wasn't here for writing or book binding. He was here for his youngest niece and what the future holds for her. A future that will determine the fate for her and the whole family. He looked over the two crates of the glowing slabs, each showing the near-coming events that will change Mirabel's life. His morning vision slab was slightly different.
When his vision sand-dome formed, he saw Mirabel. Mirabel walking away from Casita. Then she bumped into a boy, a boy that Bruno has never seen before. The boy was around Mirabel's age, having curly hair and rectangular glasses. The sand formed Mirabel dancing with a boy, dancing the Dance Macabre with the entire family watching them. The Dance Macabre their annual dance in the graveyard to celebrate the cycle of life and death. It's the one of the few times of year where the spirits are able to crossover. Mirabel and the boy were dressed in their finest clothing, leaning in close and nearly sharing a kiss.
Bruno slightly tilted the tablet, which now showed a more depressing image. Mirabel sat in the graveyard, alone. No boy or any family were with her. She was kneeling in the ground, her expression showing nothing but defeat and sadness.
"Hopefully this plays out well," He sighed aloud. He placed the tablet in the back of the crate, but his mind was still contemplating on the 2 fates engraved in it. "We'll have to wait and see, won't we?"
Author's Note
Sorry it's been forever! I been figuring out where to take this story, leading to writer's block. I deleted parts of this chapter, but will most likely add to later chapters. I didn't think it would take this long to update this. Will post as soon as I can!