Well hello,

It's been a hot minute since I've updated this story. You'll discover the ending of the last chapter was slipped into this one as well with a little more depth. That can happen. Anyway, on with the stuff. Mirabel's curiosity may be the end of her. Isabela feels like she's getting the hang of imperfection. Bruno is discovering what it's like to be not exactly correct when his Gift clashes with another. As for the end - well it's bound to happen eventually.

Anselmo (God's Protection)

Félix sat with his cuñado as the pair commiserated on the state of their oldest daughter's current love lives. Gus was drinking a glass of wine as he told Félix about his conversation with Isabela that had ended in a staring contest until his wife intervened.

"Julieta says I'm being dramatic. I'm not overreacting, am I?"

Félix let out a chuckle, "Maybe just a little, hermano. Isabela does appear genuinely taken with Señor Márquez. You have to admit, he is nothing like those that have pursued her in the past, and at least he seems like a good person. I've never heard anything bad about him, and even Alma seems to like him. You have to admit he's been very polite and conscientious."

"True," Agustín said and laughed a little, "You would think I'd be less worried considering she was supposed to be married by now."

Félix smiled. Isabela's prior betrothal to Mariano Guzmán had come crashing down with Casita and now Isa's former intended was engaged to his baby girl. He had to admit Mariano had adjusted rather well to Dolores' needs. He was far quieter than he used to be and sincerely appeared to love his daughter. He glanced over at Agustín and noted his melancholy and said, "On the upside, Isabela is finally going back into town, so perhaps she'll spend a little less time focusing on her sister."

"There is that," Gus said and took a sip of his wine.

But more to the point, what do you think of him?"

Agustín pulled his wine glass a little closer and replied, "I haven't actually spoken to him yet. Seems like every time I think I'll have an opportunity, something will happen. "

"Ah, well, I understand he's living with the Aguilars. You could just pay him a visit."

"That's true," Gus agreed and fell silent for a time, then said, "There is something I could use your help with."

"Of course, what do you need?"

"Julieta asked me to see if the old shoe shop might be a viable solution for Bubo's housing problem."

"Jorge's shoe shop?" Félix asked, as he reflexively crossed himself.

"Yes," Gus said and took another drink, "I've been given the dubious task of seeing if Bubo will agree to that. I looked at it earlier and aside from being very dusty, it looks solid. I was hoping to get your opinion as to any needed repairs."

Félix nodded and said, "That might be a hard sell. Do you plan to tell him about Jorge?"

Agustín tapped his mostly empty wine glass, added a little more to it and said, "Probably should." Then asked, "Did you have a chance to look at that vision tablet Bruno created this afternoon?"

"Actually, no. Was there something concerning?"

Gus nodded and said, "Miguel Rodriguez appeared to be speaking angrily to Mirabel. But what worried me more was that Mira was in her bedclothes."

"Has Bruno said anything?"

"Not yet. I plan to ask him the next time I see him. Where is he anyway?"

Félix shrugged and replied, "Probably feeding his rats somewhere."

Agustín nodded as he took another drink and yawned as he changed the subject, "Dolores and Mariano picked a date yet?"

"Not that I am aware of, and Pepi would have made sure I knew that."

"Pepa still getting on with Señora Guzmán?"

"Mostly, though truthfully, I stay as far away as possible while those two sort that out. Did Juli tell you that we're probably related to Tuli through Rodrigo."

"How?"

"According to Pep, Rodrigo is the nieto of Alma's sister, Juliet, and he also is José's primo."

"No kidding. That's the woman Julieta was showing me a picture of just before Tuli fainted. You know, I never considered that Alma would have family outside the Encanto."

"I'm still a bit astounded there is a world outside the Encanto. Not gonna lie, I really am interested in visiting a few of the cities nearby. The new folks talk about electricity like it's everywhere now and there are these gadgets called telephones."

"Telephones?"

"Devices you can use to speak directly to someone far away."

"That does sound useful. You know, you should come with us to Bogotá. Get a look at some of the appliances that Bruno told us about."

"Not a bad idea," Félix said as he got up.

Agustín rose, then, finished his wine, and together the pair left the kitchen.

Bruno watched Mirabel leave and when he was sure she was all the way down the stairs, he let out a sigh of relief. "Tío?" came a muffled question behind him. Bruno hopped off the table and Antonio popped up, scattering some of the clothes he'd been hiding under. He jumped off the table as Parce came down from the upper tower, and he ran over to the jaguar. After giving the jaguar a good squeeze, he scrambled onto Parce's back and Antonio yawned as he asked, "So what's next, Tío?"

"For you?" Bruno replied. Antonio nodded and Bruno said, "Bed."

"Awww…but I'm not tired," he said, stifling another yawn.

"No?"

Antonio shook his head and another yawn escaped, causing him to blink his eyes.

"Either way, we'll just say it's because you're six."

"Six and a half," Antonio corrected, arms crossed.

"Fine, six and a half, but that changes nothing."

"But-" Antonio started to say until Fura popped out of Bruno's ruana and started squeaking furiously at his sobrino. Bruno wasn't sure what set the rat off, and he stroked her in an attempt to calm her. However, Fura did not relent, and Antonio's face was now set in a frown. Parce chuffed loudly, and the rat went silent. Bruno noted the big cat's hackles were up.

"Sorry, Toni. Don't know what's gotten into her today," Bruno said nervously as he continued to pet Fura, "Tomorrow is soon enough to do the other stuff."

Antonio sighed and did not hide his disappointment as he patted Parce's neck and said, "Okay, Tío." Parce let out a low growl, and Fura instantly returned to Bruno's ruana without another sound. Satisfied, the big cat chuffed again then turned and headed for the stairs.

"Buenas noches, Toni, and thank you for your help," Bruno said a little weakly. Fura was shivering against his neck, and Bruno wondered if Parce had said something threatening. Still, Parce never interfered unless he felt Antonio was in harms way. He was a good friend. Antonio only waved as he disappeared down the stairs. Bruno turned and looked at the mess of clothing he'd created and almost set about fixing that but just the thought made him tired so he too, headed down the stairs.

Fura poked her head out as Bruno looked both ways before heading to his room. He really did not want to explain what he was doing up in the tower. He heard Isa and Gus's voices, but couldn't really hear what they were saying. This was good as they were much less likely to notice him as he hurried to his room. Once inside, he set Fura on the pillow that was on the corner of his desk and pet her until she settled. As he did, he noticed the corner of a vision tablet peeking out from under some sketches. He didn't remember putting it there, but this afternoon was still pretty hazy. He sat and set aside the sketches and examined the three pieces the tablet had broken into when he'd stepped on it. As he picked up each, he tilted them until he found the one with Antonio. The image of his sobrino was dim and the animal he was speaking with was not in view.

Bruno tapped the cracked tablet. It chimed pleasantly, so he tapped each piece five times, and left his fingertips on the last. The reverberation made his hand tingle a bit; it was one of the things he'd found endlessly fascinating when he was still small. This vision had shown Bruno the same things, but during the making the order of it would get muddled, and it always came back to one person. Antonio. His sobrino would pop in and out of view. Always on the periphery, and like that butterfly of Mira's vision before the breaking, Antonio's coloring would waver from green to gold. Usually just before Antonio talked to one animal or another. It was clear he was watching, waiting for something to happen. Like his prima, Antonio would collect information. No one really paid attention to his sobrino's animal friends. They were everywhere and would tell Antonio things, then he would ask them to 'do stuff' for him. In his visions, the animals would vanish, but something small would change. Nothing obvious, but it would prompt Bruno to do the vision again. It had made him dizzy as his eyes struggled to keep up.

Antonio wanted to be a part of whatever their family was doing. Just because he was six and a half did not mean he wasn't able. Bruno wasn't sure if Antonio knew that Tuli was not physically a girl, and if he did know, he gave no sign. Every stitch of clothing he picked out would customarily not have been suitable for a boy. There was always a chance his friends had told him and he accepted it. But it was challenging to know just how much knowledge of Tuli's situation the youngest of the Madrigals had.

He'd asked Dolores to keep an ear on him, and the things she heard were puzzling to her to say the least. Most of it was apparently reports of what Mirabel was up to. Mira hadn't been able to spend much time with Antonio lately, so that did make sense. He was also getting reports about his friends. She also mentioned that her little brother's afternoon naps were getting longer, making her think he was on the edge of overusing his Gift. With the school being closed. Antonio had been able to do pretty much what he wanted, but that would change tomorrow. There was an unwritten rule that all the Madrigals followed to not use their Gifts during school hours. Too much of a distraction.

He didn't really have the energy to redo that vision he'd forced earlier. Truthfully, there was no reason for him to ask Antonio to stop what he was doing either. Nothing had happened that was actually bad, just unexpected. Bruno tapped the vision tablet to start it ringing again. It calmed him enough that he decided, not much would likely change between now and breakfast. Still, Bruno found it was intriguing. He was used to his Gift being immutable. The things he saw, unchangeable. He liked that now it was actually a definite, maybe. It was nice to know that he could, in fact, be wrong. He did not, however, want to burden Antonio with too much. He would need to talk to Félix and Pepa about how best to include their youngest child.

Bruno looked down at the center of the image. The cracks weirdly separated the three main parts of the vision. One part held what he decided was the tree Isabela had grown earlier. The name Anselmo stuck in his head for some reason, though he couldn't really say why. One section was devoted to Casita shut up tight, not a shutter ajar. The last was of Mirabel speaking with Miguel Rodriguez. Initially, he had been far more concerned because Mira was in her bedclothes, but his sponty before supper showed him Isa's part in that. Bruno knew there was no way Isabela would allow any harm to come to her hermanita.

Bruno opened his sketchbook and looked at the image of the laughing child. There was no question that was Tuli. Perhaps Tuli would, in fact, get to stay in the Encanto. This last sponty had also shown him Tuli when she returned to Casita with her Tío. She did not look at all unhappy and Bruno, at first, mistook the stuffed rat on Tuli's shoulder to be Fura. The toy look remarkably similar to her. He glanced over at the rat still asleep on the pillow. She'd disappeared for a time after dinner until Antonio brought her to him.

He was pretty sure Rodrigo was also able to understand the rats. It made him wonder if only closely related members of that family could understand them, or if any relation could learn. Bruno was also curious to know if he could learn, it would certainly make his rat novellas easier to direct. He'd asked Antonio about it while his sobrino was picking out clothes and Antonio said Tuli had told him that their family's magic was weak, so Bruno might be able to. Bruno had no idea what to make of that statement.

He turned his attention on the section with Mira. Chances were that this would be happening very soon, since his sponty showed Isa was wearing the same clothes she had on for her date with Bubo. Looking at it made him a bit nervous, but Mirabel did not have an expression of fear or concern. If anything, her stance reminded him of her mother. Julieta was very used to telling people things they did not want to hear. But she did it in a way that was gentle, and you knew she was listening. Not like the look Mirabel gave him as he handed her the bundle, this told Bruno he'd said way more than he intended when he let slip that Antonio picked out the clothes. That girl held on to information like a sponge, and would sort it as new information came in. Eventually, he knew that Mirabel's curiosity would get the better of her, and then she would ask him some random question. Bruno would probably tell her something unrelated, and she would still figure it out.

He looked over at Fura, she was still asleep, so he turned to the other rats nearby and held out a hand. He hadn't fed this group yet and motioned to them. They scampered up his sleeve and settled in his various pockets, with Tino sitting on his shoulder. There was a knock and Bruno saw it was Gus when Casita opened the door for him. He set the sketches back on the vision as Gus came in and sat on the nearby sofa.

"What's up?" Bruno asked. Gus must have been the one to put the vision tablet on his desk. Of all the ones he'd made earlier, this was the only one he hadn't destroyed outright.

Agustín was rubbing his knees, then patted them then pointed to the desk and asked, "I'm hoping you can shed a little light on... that. That Señor Rodriguez… he's just a little too over the top, if you know what I mean. And you made so many… is there something I need to know?"

Bruno looked back over to the desk and replied, "I had a sponty earlier that showed Isabela was with Mira. Honestly, I don't think Mirabel is in any kind of danger."

Agustín relaxed a little, then took a deep breath and said, "Speaking of my oldest, there's one other thing," he paused until Bruno nodded, so he continued, "Julieta has tasked me with helping Bubo find a suitable place for him and Tuli to live. She said your Mamá brought up the shoe shop as a possibility. What do you think?"

Bruno sat back in his chair as he thought of his friend's home. It was a small house with an even smaller yard. Thankfully, there was also no longer a shed in the back. That had been torn down over ten years ago. The house itself was in pretty good shape and was actually in a good location, having been swallowed up by the town, so it was no longer on the outskirts. It was also nearby the new school, and Pepa had even kept up the yard after he took to the walls. He really should thank her for that, Jorge had been a good friend to all the Madrigal triplets. Bruno smiled to himself and thought, it would be nice if there were people living there again and said, "It has been empty for a long time."

"I know, then there's the other..."

"Yeah, we'll have to tell him about that." Gus nodded and Bruno said, "I can do that if you'd like."

"No, I was planning to speak with him anyway, given my daughter's interest. Might as well see what his reaction will be."

Bruno nodded and stood up. Tino and the other rats squeaked a little and Bruno said, "Well, I need to get these guys fed, so I'll see you tomorrow."

Agustín got up and they left Bruno's room. Gus headed for his own, and Bruno headed down to the kitchen to wait for his sobrinas to return.

Isabela sat on her bed as she undid the intricate braid her mother had plaited earlier. She was feeling foolish after her conversation with her father. The standoff was only broken when her mother appeared and hustled her off to her room. Seriously, what did he think she was going to do? Isa paused when a random thought answered that question, and she blushed. She almost laughed at the irony, since conversations like that one hadn't been needed when she was dating Mariano. She was never actually alone with him, and went out of her way to not be. That, and Señorita Perfecta would never have even dared to do such things. Obviously, it was her level of interest in Bubo that had prompted her Papá to well… be her Papá. This thought made her smile because it was proof to herself that she really was just like anyone else. She could make mistakes and still be alright. It could have been worse, but at least her father waited until Bubo had left with his Tío.

Her thoughts drifted, and she picked up the potted plumeria rubra she planted, and was very pleased to see three small leaves had unfurled from the cutting. She knew what its flowers looked like and resisted the urge to make the cutting bloom. She took it to the balcony and opened the doors to set it outside. The morning sun would definitely help green it up. She was adjusting it when something moving across the lawn caught her eye. Was that Mirabel? Was she sleepwalking? Normally, Isa would ignore this, but she thought she saw the shadow of someone else as she leaned over the rail. Maybe it was her imagination, but then again, Mirabel was now the focus of the magic of the Encanto. She sighed and asked, "Casita, did Mira ask you not to tell anyone she was sneaking out?"

The house clattered yes… then quickly clattered no.

Honestly, Isa thought. She looked at her shoes near the door and decided she didn't have time for that. She poked her head out, the house was quiet, so she slipped out of her room. She went down the stairs and to the back door. She could hear her father and Tío Félix in the dining room talking, and growled when she found the door wasn't budging. Casita clattered a tile or two and Isa whispered fiercely, "And you shouldn't have let her wander off by herself, Casita. Now open the door."

More tiles clattered angrily, but the back door popped open, and Isabela looked toward the voices, no one came out of the dining room, so she slipped outside and headed in the direction she'd seen her little sister take. Isa came around the corner of the house and stopped in time to see Miguel Rodriguez talking to her sister. Isabela had to admit her sister really had come a long way. Mira didn't look afraid, or uncomfortable speaking with him. Luisa was a little too right when she said Isa was jealous of Mira and since yesterday's debacle, Isa determined the best way for her to help Mirabel was to give her some tips for dealing with irritating folks. Teach her some of the ways of Señorita Perfecta.

Isabela noted that Miguel was swaying slightly and almost wanted to run over there. She moved a little closer, if it came down to it, she could wrap that pest up in vines so thick he'd be lucky to be able to breathe. Her fingers actually twitched slightly at the thought, so Isabela waited and watched.

When Mirabel reached the oak tree, she looked up in its branches. It was still glowing, or at least to her it was. Slowly, she reached toward it and gently touched the bark. Her fingers tingled and she smiled. The tree glittered a little more, and Mira felt the peace of the tree. She pondered why that was happening. Was it representative of how much of Isabela's energy had gone into its making? Was she adding to that somehow? And why so big?

Isa said she thought the tree had told her its name was Anselmo. Tuli had said it was surely a guardian tree. Mira didn't know enough about that tradition to make any sense of that statement. She decided she would ask Tuli what she meant by that, or maybe her Abuela. The glow briefly intensified and this reminded Mira of what some of the kids in town had told her about how the main road, and even the cracks in the houses, repaired themselves in a flash of colorful light when the Encanto's miracle was revived. Was this tree a part of that?

Mira smiled as she remembered the joyous quiver she'd felt when the doorknob clicked into place, bringing her Casita to life. She was curious if her Abuela had had similar experiences. Could she still feel when the magic was active? So many questions raced through her head. When she took her hand off the tree, the leaves above her rustled slightly, and that made her giggle. This tree was actually so much larger than the one she remembered, and she wondered if she'd be able to climb it.

"Beautiful evening, yes?"

Mirabel turned, then froze as the speaker came into view. Miguel Rodriguez had appeared harmless enough during dinner... but you never know, she thought as she pulled her robe a little tighter around herself. Showing someone you were afraid gave them power. A lesson she'd learned when dealing with her Abuela through the years, and Mirabel had grown to be an expert at hiding those feelings. Still, she really wasn't expecting anyone to be out and this close to Casita at this time of night when she considered the direction he'd come from; had he been trying to get inside? Mirabel felt a moment of real anger that churned in the pit of her stomach. She'd never felt unsafe in the Encanto, but now… Mirabel almost sighed as she remembered she'd told Casita not to tell anyone what she was doing. Probably not the best idea, and now this one was between her and her home. A light breeze brought the smell of alcohol to her, and Mirabel was a little more concerned for her safety. Her Mamá always said; drunk people did stupid things. Keep your wits about you, Mirabel. She forced herself to relax. She was smart enough to deal with this situation, but had to work to keep the smile on her face. Feeling a little more confident, she nodded in response and said, "Buenas noches, Señor Rodriguez, out for some air?" She was amazed that that had come out so smoothly. More determined to remain calm, she thought of a saying her Abuela would use whenever Isa was nervous before some outing. 'Que no te vean sufrir' Never let them see you sweat. Definitely useful advice.

Miguel nodded and said, "Couldn't sleep. Had a bit of indigestion."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Señor," Mirabel said as she watched him fidget with something in his pocket. He tilted his head as he swayed a little. His expression appeared surprised that she was being conversational, as if he were expecting an entirely different reaction to his slight regarding the quality of the food at supper. Her nerves were building, and though she was now more wary, she still felt calm. He'd not actually done anything alarming, yet, as she added, "Well, I'm going to head back in. Getting late and I have a busy day tomorrow. Perhaps we'll run into each other in town?"

He nodded again, so Mirabel started toward Casita at as normal a pace as she could manage.

As she passed him, he cried, "Wait!" and reached out for her arm. Mirabel side stepped and Miguel went down, flat on his face. Was he that drunk? Mirabel thought as she backed several steps away.

When his head came up, his expression was all anger, disgust, and fear as Miguel said angrily, "You little witch! You did that on purpose!"

Mirabel was glad she was well out of arm's reach but noticed then that Miguel's foot was caught on a root that was sticking out of the ground and said, "I didn't do anything, Señor. You tripped on a root."

"You're lying! You used your devil magic..!" he stopped mid-sentence as Mirabel took another longer step back and almost jumped out of her skin as she bumped into someone behind her. A hand was on her shoulder and Mirabel looked over. To her great relief, she found Isabela standing there looking down at Miguel in full Señorita Perfecta mode. Mirabel's anxiety evaporated seeing her sister there; beautiful and furious. She stepped in front of Mira as Miguel freed himself from the root and said sternly, "It's time for you to go, Señor."

Miguel scrambled to his feet and wavered again. He almost looked as if he was going to rush at them, but Isa fixed him with a look so dangerous that even Mirabel was worried. Miguel's fear won out and his mouth clapped shut. He cleared his throat as if to say something, but nothing came out. He then made a brief show of straightening his clothes before turning then silently stalking away, and at the edge of town, started to run.

Isabela's frown increased as she watched Miguel until he was out of sight and muttered, "Jackass." She then rounded on Mirabel, and Mira took an involuntary step back. She shrunk in on herself, hands balled up in front of her as she waited for her well-deserved scolding from her older sister. To her great surprise, Isa no longer appeared angry as she gave her an actual hug and asked, "You okay hermanita?"

Mirabel blinked and nodded, saying, "Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry…"

Isa undid her hands, took one of them, and moved closer to the tree. "Don't be. You didn't do anything wrong beyond sneaking out of the house." Isa said as she inspected the ground at the base and asked, "Did I hear correctly? Did that drunk idiot trip over this root and blame you for it?" Mirabel shrugged and watched her sister poke at it with her bare foot. The root slipped back under the grass as Isa continued, "Can't believe he accused you of using magic."

"I know, right?" Mirabel said with a bit of forced laughter. She squeezed Isa's hand as she felt that odd twinge of remembered anger and jealousy. She pushed that aside then realized what Isa just said, "Wait, you mean you didn't..."

"Oh no no no, I mean, I could have. I was actually thinking I should strangle him with some vines and feed bits of him to a sundew," Isabela paused at Mirabel's look of horror and continued, "Well, maybe not strangled, but the sundew part... Anyway, you seemed like you had it handled, except for at the end. But thankfully it worked out and by the way," Isa said as they started toward Casita, "Don't do this again."

Mirabel frowned and nodded then she asked, "You're not gonna tell Mamá or Pá about this?" she trailed off as Isa raised an eyebrow, Mirabel was astounded that her sister was still not at all angry.

Isa looked back in the direction they'd come and gave Mirabel's arm a squeeze as she said, "I have to."

Mirabel sighed as she felt her panic rising. She adjusted her glasses and asked, "Please, can't you just this once… not?"

"That man is not right, Mira, he's dangerous," Isa said, and Mirabel knew she was talking about Miguel. "Our parents need to know…everyone needs to. Who knows what that one would have tried to do if I wasn't here? He hasn't even been here an entire day, and he's already trying to stir up trouble."

"Yeah, you're right," Mirabel said and sighed again. Resigned to her fate, she decided to think about anything else, and her thoughts wandered back to the tree. She didn't recall seeing any roots poking out of the ground when she'd arrived. Had the tree helped her? And why Anselmo? "I wonder why it would use a Portuguese name?"

"Anselmo is Portuguese?" Isabela asked.

Mirabel didn't realize she'd said that out loud but replied, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it means God's protection."

"Huh, that is interesting, so when did you learn Portuguese?" Isa asked as she tapped her chin, "You're going to have to teach me." When Mira didn't respond, Isa poked her arm to pull her attention away from the oak and said, "I know you're curious about that tree; I am too. But you have to remember that things aren't the way they used to be. We don't know everyone in town anymore, and these new ones, some of them... "

"That was pretty dumb, huh." Mirabel said and felt the heat rise in her face as Isa only nodded. Miguel clearly had made up his mind that the Madrigal Gifts were the devil's doing. He did not know the family's history and probably wouldn't believe it if he'd been there to witness it. Chances were very good there would be rumors flying around tomorrow of how she'd hexed him or some other nonsense. She also remembered he seemed to have come from the direction of Casita. Isa was right, she was just going to have to face the consequences for sneaking out alone after dark. Her mother was going to kill her. Mirabel's anger rekindled, knowing she was going to be lectured by every adult in the house once they learned of it. "Guess it's time to stop hiding behind being Giftless."

"Don't be ridiculous, you've never been Giftless. Annoying, stubborn, foolish, definitely. But not Giftless."

"Thanks?" Mirabel replied and gave her sister a gentle push as she almost smiled.

"You're welcome, hermanita, now let's go," Isa said and chuckled as she turned Mirabel toward the house, "But seriously, Mira, you need to think things through before you go climbing out any more windows in the dead of night to look at a tree."

"How did you know I climbed out a window?"

"Because that's how you always used to go out after dark."

"You knew about that?"

Isa only smiled and said, "Come on, let's get inside."

Mirabel nodded, and she realized her anxiety was building the longer they stood out there. So after a deep breath, together they slipped quietly into Casita. As they headed for the back stairs, a voice from the kitchen halted them, "Sobrinas, un momento."

Mirabel froze, but Isabela rolled her eyes as she looped an arm in her sister's and guided her into the kitchen. Tío Bruno was sitting at the worktable feeding leftover bread and cheese to his rats. Isa noticed he had darker circles under his eyes as he motioned for them to take a seat. He took out his sketchbook and flipped it to a page showing an angry Miguel, directing his ire at Mirabel. Her Tío frowned as he tapped it, saying, "First off, Mira, please don't do that again, and please do not leave Casita by yourself until these new ones are better acclimated."

Mirabel nodded as she sank a little lower in her seat. Isa poked her lower back, forcing her sister to sit up. Mira shuffled a little in her seat, but straightened and gave her an irritated glance. Her little sister needed to learn how not to be meek in the face of scrutiny from her elders.

"Now tell me why you were out there," Bruno asked.

Mirabel shifted again but did not slouch this time as she replied. "Well, I just wondered if it was the same tree Abuela had Luisa pull down. You know, when I was seven... so I wouldn't hide in it anymore,"

Bruno nodded and accepted that answer, he then turned to Isa and asked, "Can you tell if the tree was already there, or did you create it with your Gift?"

Isabela shrugged as she thought about what she was feeling when the tree began to grow. "When I 'make' something I can usually feel a beginning and an ending... like tying off a string, so I think the tree was already there, but it was much smaller, maybe just a sapling. When I use my Gift on already living plants, I feel a sort of fullness, and it's not as draining. I didn't feel at all tired afterward, if that makes any sense."

Again, Bruno nodded and said, "You know, your Tía says that hers is much the same."

Isa had never really thought about how her Tía's Gift actually affected the weather but did remember her Tía Pepa would offer advice when she was having a tough time creating one flower or another. Creating weather from nothing had to be even more draining than making giant marigolds.

Bruno flipped a few pages and stopped on one that made both her and her sister lean in. It was a sketch of Señora Vargas, Tuli and Antonio. Isabela immediately wanted to wrap the woman in vines and squeeze the life out of her. The Señora was leaning over Tuli pointing at Antonio with an expression that made her think she was not saying kind things.

Bruno noted her frown and said, "I am not completely sure what's happening, but it's already been made clear that she has no love for those of us with darker skin. I don't believe Tuli would be swayed by her nonsense, but she's been through enough. She doesn't need this one causing her grief."

Mirabel nodded and asked for the sketchbook to take a closer look. Bruno hesitated before he pushed it to her. Mirabel adjusted her glasses as she sat staring at it. Her Tío looked nervous, and Isa wondered why. She glanced over at her sister and could tell Mira was concentrating very hard on the details as she ran a finger over the figures there. After a few moments, she asked, "Tío? Is this why Antonio picked out Tuli's clothes for tomorrow? And is that Camilo?" she asked as she pointed to the child in the background. Isa leaned over and had a look, but the child she was pointing to was not very detailed at all. Isa looked back at their Tío. He had that knowing smile on his face, and Isa was surprised when he nodded.

Isa asked to see, and Mira pushed the sketchbook to her and set to tapping the table. Bruno was watching her with interest and asked, "Mira, have you talked to Antonio lately?"

"A little. Tía asked me to tell him about the 'no Gift rule'."

"She asked you to do that?" Isa asked.

"It just came up. We were talking about Doris's kids starting school and I asked her about it when we were making dinner. She said she talked to him about it, but was worried because Toni's been so used to talking to his friends. Since he gained and lost his Gift so quickly last year, she's afraid he'll get lonely."

"That's a valid point. What did you tell him?"

"I was actually just repeated what Tía had already said. That his friends would be there when he got out of school, so it was something he could look forward to."

Isa was only half paying attention as she looked at a different sketch. This one showed Tuli with a floppy looking Fura on her shoulder. Tío Bruno tapped the table, and she shut the sketchbook and pushed it back to him. He took it and went back to feeding his friends. Isa and Mira exchanged glances and started to get up when he said, "Isa, there's one other thing." They both sat back down, and he continued, "Your father is going to visit Bubo tomorrow to help with finding him a place to live with Tuli if she stays."

"Oh, she's staying," Mirabel said. Their Tío tilted his head as she continued, "The Doctor said she's not well enough to travel yet, so Mamá suggested she stay with us."

"Her Tío really agreed to that?" Isa asked.

"He probably only did because Bubo is here as well, since he plans to stay." she noticed Isabela's scrutiny then and added, "I guess?"

"So she'll be staying... " Tío Bruno said this to no one as he began flipping through his sketches.

"Yes, but she'll be living in Casita," Mirabel said.

Isa wondered how Mirabel knew all that, since she was in her room with everyone else. She decided their Mamá probably told her when she was being talked to by their father. Again, Isa smiled at the thought of that happening. Bruno again went silent. Isa and Mira waited, but he was now very focused on feeding the rats. Isa tapped Mira's shoulder. They both got up and Isa pulled Mira into the hallway.

To her credit, Mirabel resisted a little as she did this and when they got to the top of the stairs, Isa said as they walked to Mirabel's room, "Remember, no more wandering out after dark by yourself."

Mirabel smiled then hugged her saying, "Thanks for looking out me."

"You're welcome, Humm," she said and hugged her little sister back. "I'm glad I was there to help. Now go to bed... for real this time."

Mirabel nodded, and Isa waited until her sister's door was closed before continuing to her own room. She opened her door and was greeted by the buzz and clicks of the nighttime insects and quickly got ready for bed.

Her bed no longer had those flowing curtains of flowers around it. And she smiled as the vines came down and attached themselves to the four corners of her bed. It lifted a few meters off the floor and Isabela set the bed to gently swinging as she pushed her head into her pillows. It had been a good day, she thought. Very good.

With her daughters gone, Julieta came into the kitchen and sat next to her little brother as Bruno gave Maria an extra bit of cheese. They sat in silence for a while until Bruno flipped open his sketch book to the very last page and pushed it to his sister. Julieta stared at it for a time then brushed the face there. As she did, Pepa came in and sat down on the opposite side of Bruno. Julieta pushed the sketchbook to her, and a dark cloud formed as she looked at it. Pepa closed the book and returned it to her brother. Bruno tapped the cover five times then stowed the book. The rats being sufficiently fed disappeared into his ruana and Bruno said, "Siempre estaremos juntos, hermanas."

"Siempre estaremos juntos, hermano," the sisters intoned as Julieta and Pepa slipped an arm around Bruno.