Mirabel AU / Mirabel Angst / Mama Mirabel / Part Thirteen (The End)
The next day was one of the worst for Mirabel in a while. It was a break day, Abuela decided that since the rubble was cleared that everyone deserved a day to just do whatever they wanted. Mirabel was excited because she wanted to spend time with Antonio and the village children as she used to almost every day. That morning during breakfast Antonio practically jumped on her, telling her how excited he was to spend the day with his Mira like they used to. Antonio had scarfed down his breakfast, which his mami wasn’t too happy about, and then begged Mirabel to hurry so they could go play. She finished and Antonio dragged her to town. They had gone to the park, and she had let Antonio run off to play with his friends while Mirabel stood by a tree and watched him. She smiled as he and his friends played football(soccer) together. Her time had been interrupted, as a kid that looked about two years older than she had scoffed at her. He was slightly taller than Mirabel. His fluffy dark brown hair covered his face slightly. His two friends were behind him, smirking.
“I can’t believe you have the gall to just walk around town as if you did nothing.” He said with venom in his voice, he crossed his arms.
“We know that you're the reason Casita broke, everyone knows that you were the one who couldn’t get to the candle in time.” One of his friends commented. Mirabel sighed,
“Why does it matter to you?”
“Seriously?! The whole town has had to make accommodations for your entire family! Now that their gifts are gone, our parents have had to work tenfold just to keep food on the table. My dad has even been working on rebuilding the house instead of the farm. You’ve messed up everyone’s lives,” he spat. Mirabel felt guilt heavy in her chest, but she couldn’t change anything she had done either.
“I’m sorry. I never meant for this to happen.”
“Do you really think sorry does anything? NO!” He pushed her against the tree. “I don't know when and I don’t know where, but you’re going to pay for this,” he said as he walked off with his friends. She was relieved that they were gone, but her heart felt heavy in her chest. They were right. She hated that they were right. Her thoughts consumed her, as she stared at the ground. She kept her tears at bay, as she didn’t want to cry in front of Tonito. She was brought back to reality when Antonio tapped her.
“Mirabel? Is everything alright?”
“Sorry, Tonito. Everything is fine I promise.”
“Who were those kids? What were they doing?”
“They were just talking to me, that’s all. Why don’t I come play with you guys? I could be the referee.” She said changing the subject. Antonio didn’t entirely believe her, but he agreed and they played. After a couple of rounds, Mirabel and Antonio had to go back to have lunch with their familia, so they left.
Mirabel felt numb as she sat down at the table playing with her food. She didn’t feel like eating, and she was barely paying attention to the conversation her family was having. She was caught up in the negative thoughts swarming her head. They hadn’t been this bad since the day Casita fell after she had ruined her sister's proposal dinner. After she put together the pieces of Tio’s vision. Camilo happily talked as he ate when he looked at Mirabel. He hadn’t seen her look like that since Antonio’s party. She looked so.. sad. Something had happened, and he wanted to figure it out. It’d been pretty nice without his powers, he didn’t have chores anymore. He had dealt with enough crying babies for one lifetime. With the new schedule, he felt like he had more time to relax. His Mami was doing better without constantly having to regulate her emotions. Life was great. Yet, there Mirabel was. He couldn’t figure out what she was thinking about. Luckily, today was a break day. He had plenty of time to investigate.
As lunch came to an end, and Camilo shoved as many arepas as he could find into his mouth, Mirabel had disappeared into the crowd. He hadn’t worried too much about it, since he knew that Mirabel would probably be with his hermanito. After he ate, he scanned the area until he found Antonio, who was carrying his worn out zebra print backpack, heading towards the forest. Camilo quickly ran up to him and then creeped up behind him.
“BOO!” Camilo yelled as he jumped in front of Antonio. Antonio jumped and then whined.
“Camilooooo! Don’t do that!” Camilo chuckled,
“Sorry little bro, it’s my job to be the annoying hermano mayor.” Antonio crossed his arms and pouted.
“Ok ok, lo siento. Have you seen Mirabel?”
“Mira probably went to Senora Gabriella’s shop. Why? Is everything ok?”
“Si, of course. I just wanted to ask her something. Gracias Antonio.”
“No problem.” Antonio said with a bright smile before heading towards the forest. Camilo headed straight into town, the streets were full of children playing around, and townspeople shopping or socializing. He never realized just how bustling the Encanto was. He weaved his way through carts and children, until he made his way to Senora Gabriella’s shop. He walked through the door and was met with a smiling Gabriella, she waved at him.
“Hola Camilo, what brings you here?”
“Hola Senora, I’m just looking for Mirabel, is she here?”
“She came here earlier, but I haven’t seen her since this morning unfortunately. Why is everything ok?”
“Si! Of course! I just wanted to check up on my primita is all..”
“Ah, of course. Well, do you want some pastries before you go?”
“Si, muy gracias.”
“De nada.” They sat down for a little bit before Gabriella had to get back to work. After Camilo had finished his pastries and left the store, the sun was beginning to set. The day was almost over and he still hadn’t found her. With determination he walked around town, looking for his younger cousin.
During lunch Mirabel’s anxiety spiked. She wasn’t sure why, though she guessed it was because of the older boy’s from earlier. She didn’t want to be a bother, so she decided that the rest of the day she could crochet by a tree near the outskirts of town. After lunch, she grabbed her supplies and headed there quickly. She felt bad not going to Senora Gabriela’s, but she normally visited her on break times throughout the day, so it would probably be fine. The day went by faster than she expected, before she knew it the sun was setting. As she put her supplies in her bag, her thoughts betrayed her, as they usually did. Spewing all the nasty things it could come up with, using the boy’s words as fuel to her self-hate. As she got up, she took a deep breath, trying to shake away any thoughts that flooded her mind. As she walked they were still in the back of her head, and unfortunately it wouldn’t get much better. Mirabel roamed the mostly empty street of town, most families were home by now, probably preparing dinner. It was quiet, yet it was nice. She headed towards the construction site since dinner was approaching. While she was walking though, she saw a familiar face. The older boy from earlier, was leaning against a tree chatting with his friends. As soon as she spotted them she attempted to quietly squeeze by, but no avail.
“Hey! It’s you again!” One of his friends said while pointing obnoxiously. A panic coursed through Mirabel, but she wasn’t sure whether it would be wise to run. As she debated the boy walked up to her while looking at her menacingly. He cracked his knuckles and his other friend laughed.
“Oh you’re going to get it this time kid, no grown-ups around to save you. Right Marco?” He rolled his eyes.
“You know a young girl like yourself shouldn’t be roaming the streets alone this time of night.” Marco said with a glare.
“I was just leaving-” Mirabel said as she tried to walk away, but one of his friends stepped in front of her. She turned to her back to see that the other one was behind her. A wall blocked her side, as she faced Marco who smirked. He leaned his arm against the wall, getting into Mirabel’s face.
“Admit it. Admit that you’re the reason the Encanto is suffering. Admit that you’re the reason my Papi barely sleeps, why my Mami is stressed trying to take care of my home without my dad.” Marco spat coldly. Tears welled in Mirabel’s eyes as she looked down.
“I’m sorry.” she said as her voice broke.
“You’re pathetic. I can’t believe you think you're good enough to be a Madrigal.” He said. Tears had begun to stream down Mirabel’s face, she choked out a sob before yelling was heard. She leaned against the wall as she slid down. She held her knees as she continued to cry. Everything was blurry, and she felt like she could barely breathe. A gentle shake brought her back to reality, her primo wiping her face with his ruana.
“Camilo?”
The sun had almost set, and Camilo was about to give up. He assumed that Mirabel was already with the rest of the family. As he defeatedly walked back towards the construction site, he heard crying and talking. He walked towards the noise, and when he saw his heart fell into his stomach. His fists clenched, as he stormed over. Mirabel was crying being surrounded by older boys. They were smiling. What the hell did they think they were doing?! Camilo’s vision had turned red as he stormed over, pushing one of Marco’s friends onto the ground. Marco had turned around to see Camilo, his heart dropped.
“What the hell are you doing?!” Camilo practically screamed.
“Mind your business will ya?!” Marco yelled back. Camilo hadn’t realized what he was doing until his fist had collided with Marco’s jaw. The impact from the punch had Marco falling down, scrambling on the floor. That’s all it took for them to run away. He turned to Mirabel, she had fallen on the ground and pulled her knees to her chest. Tears were streaming down her face, her eyes squeezed shut as she struggled to breathe. Guilt swelled in his chest as he called for her, but she didn’t answer. He crouched down in front of her and gently shook her. As she revealed her face he grabbed a part of his ruana and began wiping tears off her face.
“Camilo?” she whimpered. He gave her a gentle smile.
“Si, are you ok? Well I mean obviously you’re not ok- sorry dumb question.” Camilo said awkwardly. He felt better when she saw her smile at his dorkiness, chuckling through tears.
“Did you get hurt anywhere?” Camilo asked.
“No, I’m ok.” Mirabel said quietly.
“Good. If they had laid a finger on you I don’t think they would be able to walk tomorrow. Definitely not because of me though, you have no proof.” he joked, she chuckled at his antics. He held out his hand and helped his primita up.
“Gracias, Camilo.”
“Anytime, as the favorite cousin, it's my job to take care of you.” He said cockily.
“Who said you were the favorite cousin?” Mirabel said jokingly. Camilo gasped dramatically and held on to his chest.
“You wound me!” He said. It made Camilo feel better to see Mirabel joking around. Thinking about the look he saw on her face when those boys were messing around made his fists clench in anger. They walked back to the construction site, with a worried Pepa and Julietta panicking that Camilo and Mirabel still weren’t back yet, dinner had already finished. They were cleaning up the table next to the church. The town let the Madrigal family use the community kitchen and eat outside at the patio table. After the table had finished being cleaned, Abuela was the first one to see both Camilo and Mirabel walking towards them.
“I found them!” Abuela yelled as she motioned everyone to come over. La familia met the pair in the middle.
“Thank goodness you two are alright.” Julietta says as she runs over to her hija and sobrino, pulling them into a hug. As she released them Pepa's eyes shot daggers at them.
“Where have you two been?” Pepa asked expectantly while crossing her arms.
“You both missed dinner, and it’s way past curfew.” Abuela added. Mirabel looked down in shame, Camilo smiled sheepishly.
“Lo siento, it’s not Camilo’s fault, he was just trying to help me.” Mirabel said quietly.
“Help you?” Isabella questioned.
“I would do it again too! That boy was asking to get punched in the face.” Camilo said. Dolores snickered at her hermano’s shenanigans. Abuela’s mouth practically gaped, and Pepa looked confused and angry.
“Hijo, I’m going to try to say this nicely.” Pepa said calmly as she took a deep breath. “WHY in your right mind would you punch anyone in the face?!” She yelled.
“Because they were messing with Mirabel.” Camilo responded, acting proud of what he’d done.
“I’m not upset about that.” Isabella said with a surprised grin while crossing her arms. Dolores smiled as well, glad that her hermano was a good primo.
“Camilo, I understand why you would want to defend your prima, but you should’ve come to an adult first. It’s not ok to punch anyone in the face.” Abuela said.
“Wait-” Mirabel tried to say.
“Maybe he has a point. He’s like his mama after all, back when I was his age I would’ve given a good left hook to anyone that messed with Brunito.” Pepa argued.
“The townspeople are putting in a lot of work to help us rebuild our home. How do you think it’ll look when it gets out that someone in our familia punched one of their children in the face?!”
“Our reputation doesn’t matter more than our family's well-being Mami! I’m sure that Camilo did what he thought was best in the moment,” Julietta added.
“Actua-” Mirabel tried to add.
“NO. We shouldn’t condone violence, that’s not how we solve our problems. Camilo should know better.” Abuela says sternly.
“They were practically surrounding her! She was so upset- what was I meant to do?! Run to the church to get an adult and then come back? By then the boys would’ve run away!” Camilo argued.
“That’s not-” Mirabel tries to say before being interrupted again.
“Pepa, handle your son! I don’t care how upset you are, it’s no excuse to be disrespectful, especially to an adult.”
“Mami!-” Pepa said. Mirabel had had enough at that point, panic and guilt had set in. It wasn’t Camilo’s fault, it was her’s. If she would’ve just left the miracle alone none of this would’ve ever had to happen. The boys were just upset because it was Mirabel’s fault their parents were stressed.
“STOP!” Mirabel shouted. Everyone went silent, Mira took a deep breath before continuing.
“It’s not Camilo’s fault.”
“See!” Camilo said.
“It’s not those boys’ fault either.”
“HUh?” Camilo muttered.
“I didn’t know the other two’s names, but the big one is named Carlos. He was just upset because well.. me. The rebuilding of Casita has put a lot of stress on the townspeople. Suddenly they had less help and then they had added work on top of that. Carlos was another victim, being stuck taking care of his familia. They were right, it’s… well it’s kind of my fault we’re here in the first place.” Mirabel said timidly.
“Hija, what happened to Casita was not your fault, I don’t know what those boys told you, but they were wrong.” Julietta said gently as she gave her daughter a sympathetic look. Mirabel just darted her eyes, avoiding her mother’s gaze. Mirabel had already made up her mind, she felt terrible that everyone had to suffer because of her.
“We should stop arguing, it’s getting us nowhere. Lo siento Camilo, I should’ve waited for you to explain in detail your side of the story.” Abuela apologized.
“I’m sorry too, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that.” Camilo said.
“We should go sit down, then you can explain what happened hijo,” Pepa said.
Everyone sat down on the grass, it was dark out, the sun had already set. Camilo stood up and started to explain his side of the story.
“Well, I was looking for Mirabel earlier because she looked upset, so I asked Antonio where she was. He said she might be with Senora Gabriela, so I went to her shop, she gave me a pastry. She’s really good at baking pastries.”
“Focus Camilo.” His Papi said. Mirabel chuckled, she knows from experience just how fantastic Senora Gabriela’s pastries were.
“Lo siento, anyway so I was looking around town for her, and it got late so I went to head back and then I saw three boys surrounding Mirabel, and she was crying. So I ran up to them and yelled at the tallest one. If I had to guess, that was Carlos. He yelled back, I punched him in the face and then all of them ran off.” He finished with a proud look on his face. He obviously had no regrets.
“That makes more sense, Camilo you did the right thing.” Abuela said.
“Really?” Both Camilo and Pepa said in unison. Like mother, like son. Abuela chuckled,
“Yes, I can’t expect you to know exactly how to handle a situation like that, you’re just a child. You protected your prima, so that’s what matters most. I’ll figure out who this Carlos boy is, and get everything sorted out. Otherwise, it’s getting late, so I think it’s about time we all headed to bed, si?” Everyone agreed and went off to their separate “rooms.” Mirabel wasn’t completely convinced of what her Mami said. She was stubborn in that way, regardless of what anyone says. If she had just listened to her Abuela and stayed out of the way then the Casita wouldn’t haven’t collapsed.
The construction had been going well, the foundation of Casita was being built. There was a good amount of progress. More than a month without their home or their gifts was difficult, but they were managing ok. Dolores and Pepa were thriving without their gifts. Dolores was finally becoming used to not hearing everything all the time. Pepa felt like she could finally feel emotions without constantly having to regulate them. Antonio was disappointed at the loss of his gift, but his love for animals never faded. Even if he couldn’t understand them anymore, didn’t mean that his bond with them had faded. Camilo felt like he could finally be ok in his own skin. Bruno was relieved that he could be back with his familia without having to worry about people expecting him to take visions, and then take it out on him if they went wrong. Julietta and Luisa finally had some time to just relax, Luisa decided to take up reading while her mami decided to spend more time with her hijas. Isabella was learning how to garden from local townspeople she had helped in the past. She learned about new and interesting plants, and also realized that she could’ve grown vegetables, or something even bigger. Abuela had changed the most, she felt closer to her family than she had felt in a long time. She didn’t know of her children and grandchildren, she truly knew them for who they were. Mirabel, out of everyone, hadn’t been doing as well as she led on. She was always very helpful, even during her breaks she would go around the village to see if anyone needed help. Carlos had actually gone and apologized to her, though at first he didn’t do it willingly. After she had offered to help him and his family, he had a change of heart. Everything was going great for her, yet the smile she plastered on her face faltered. She couldn’t help but feel terrible. Her bad thoughts were becoming more out of control as time went on.
‘You don’t deserve to be happy.’
‘How dare you act like all of this isn’t your fault?’
‘The town would be better off without you.’
‘You don’t deserve your familia.’
‘You don’t deserve to be loved.’
‘You don’t deserve to live.’
It didn’t make any sense to Mirabel, life was better than it had ever been before. Her family was acting like they cared about her, and she was contributing to the family. She was finally, truly, a Madrigal. So why wasn’t she ok? Why couldn’t she just be happy?
Isabella runs up to her sister and practically jumps on her, making Mirabel stumble a bit.
“Mira! I have SO much to talk to you about!” She said as she squeezed her hermanita. Mirabel hugged back, though she struggled to breathe under Isabella’s grip.
“I-Isa, I need to breathe-” She mumbled as Isabella immediately let go.
“Ah! Sorry Mira-”
“It’s fine, what were you going to tell me?”
“Oh yeah! I was working with one of the farmers, Senor Hernando, and you won’t believe what happened! Well you will because I’m telling you but Mira I grew a cactus! From scratch! It started as a little seed and then I took care of it and now it’s getting bigger- it’s so cute Mira! You need to come see it like RIGHT NOW!” She exclaimed enthusiastically as she gently tugged her sister towards Senor Hernando’s farm. Mirabel chuckled at her sisters antics, shaking her head as she followed her. Isabella led her to a greenhouse that Senor Hernando owns. There were plants in practically every corner, vegetables and spices. Anything you could think of. Over in the corner, in a small ceramic pot, is a small little cactus. Isabella showed it off to her sister, she was smiling so hard it looked like her mouth might fall off. Mirabel smiled at her hermana mayor,
“It’s beautiful Isabella, this explains why I keep having to mend the bottom your dress.” She joked.
“Si.. I was actually thinking about that.” Isabella said nervously.
“What is it?”
“Well… do you think you could maybe help me make a new dress? This one is just so long- so the bottom of it get’s all dirty- and since I’m working with plants it already stains easily on it’s own and-”
“Of course Isa, I would love to help you create a new dress.”
“Really! Muy Gracias!” She said happily as she jumped onto her sister, pulling her into a huge hug. Mirabel hugged her back as well of course. She smiled, the hug was warm. It reminded her of when she was just a kid, before she found out she didn’t have a gift. Before her familia gave up on her, back when her sister made her flower crowns and told her about all the plants she grew.
After a couple of days of discussing, designing, and sketching it Mirabel finally decided it was worth showing Senora Gabriella, to which she excitedly agreed for Mirabel to make it. Mirabel was very thankful that Senora Gabriella provided all the materials she needed, and finally she was able to work on it. Isabella at first asked for a slightly shorter and darker dress, because it would stain less and it’s less likely to rip. After some more discussion Isabella decided she wanted it to be a short dress, about knee’s length. She decided to get rid of all the extra flowers, because those flower designs were added by her gift. Mirabel decided to use thin but durable fabric. It was stretchy though, so that way it would be comfortable. Isabella went back and forth on what colors she wanted. First she wanted it to be green like cacti, then she wanted a rainbow so she could represent all plants, then she decided that was too much. Mirabel and Isabella still hadn’t decided on a color went they went to Senora Gabriella, so then they looked through all the different colored fabric to see which looked best on her. They eventually found a forest green fabric and a royal blue fabric that Isabella liked. Isabella said she wanted most of the dress to be royal blue, and only a little green. Mirabel colored her sketch, having the entirety of the dress be blue except for the hem of the dress, that had green lacing on it. It was a short sleeve dress that was mostly plain except for the lacing on the hem. Mirabel finally finished the design and began measuring and making the dress. It took about a week for her to measure all the fabric and then sew everything together. She used the sewing machine for most of it, but there were a couple of parts that she had to hand sew. Mirabel finished the dress and put it in a small white box, similar to the one she got for her birthday. Isabella was so excited for the dress, she could barely take the anticipation, constantly trying to peek in on Mirabel when she was working on the dress. When Mirabel finally finished though, Isabella wanted to open it in front of the family. Isabella had announced that she needed to show the family something and gathered everyone to the church near the patio table. Abuela had arranged for everyone to take a break before lunch for Isabella’s surprise. Everyone sat down at the patio table, and Isabella motioned for Mirabel to come sit next to her. Isabella took a deep breathe.
“I brought the familia together today because I asked Mirabel to make me something, and I wanted you all to see when I opened it. She wouldn’t let me see it until after she finished, and now it’s done!” Isabella said excitedly as she pulled out the delicate white box.
“So you brought us all here so we could see you open a present?” Camilo asked, to which his Papi elbowed him in the side.
“OW-! Sorry! Jeez..” He grumbled.
“Why don’t you go ahead and open it, hija?” Julietta said.
“Si mami,” Isabella said as she gently opened the white box and pulled out her dress. The royal blue and the green complimented each other nicely, it was soft and breathable. It was perfect, Isabella nearly teared up as she smiled. She put the dress back in the box to tackle her hermanita with a hug, which caused the entire table to laugh.
From then on Isabella wore the dress Mirabel made her instead of her old one. It was a lot easier to maneveur around in, and was less likely to get stained. Day by day Isabella looked happier, she wasn’t perfect anymore, she was crazy, almost manic sometimes, but she was happy. Mirabel was happy for her sister, but at the same time, she felt jealous. Jealous that Isabella was able to heal and be happy. Jealous that she’s able to finally discover and express her true self. Jealous that Isabella deserved to be happy, and she did not.
Bruno had always been quiet, ever since he was a child. Julietta was always the calm rational triplet. She was level headed and kind. Pepa was a hyper and reactive child. She was bold and stubborn. Bruno was the quiet one, the one that blended into the background. He was shy and reserved. When he got his gift, he was suddenly forced to interact with a lot of people who practically begged him to take a vision for them. It was overwhelming, and he struggled to communicate properly. This led to many misunderstandings, especially as he got older. His gift felt more like a chore than anything else. His mama would always tell him that his gift helps the community, that he should always be generous and kind. He was constantly giving to others without consideration for himself, it was taxing on him. It was even worse when people would react negatively to his visions as if he could control them. When Bruno left, he hated leaving his familia, but he secretly enjoyed not having to take visions anymore. He enjoyed the solitude from the townspeople who would blame him for things out of his control. When he came back, after Casita fell apart, he sort of faded into the background. He did spend time with his familia, but in general a lot of the townspeople would forget that he came back. He didn’t mind it though, in fact he was happy. Without his gift, he was free of his curse, free of the pressure and negativity. His thinking shifted when he noticed a change in his sobrina, Mirabel. He believed that Mirabel was a miracle, that she saved him and the familia from falling apart. So when he noticed the emptiness in her eyes, and the forced smile on her face, his stomach twisted into knots. At least when he had his gift he had the option to see what would(or could) happen. He could take a vision and he would either be panicked or relieved, but he would know. He didn’t have his gift anymore, so he couldn’t check. His worries gnawed at him, he could tell something was wrong but he wasn’t sure how he would help Mirabel. Could he help Mirabel? What if his interference somehow made things worse? He couldn’t risk it, yet it bothered him. As time went by, most of Casita had been rebuilt. The roof was being tiled and the floors were being installed. The walls were almost completely painted. Soon Casita would be finished, which was great! Yet, the more progress they made, the more he saw his sobrina faltering. He couldn’t just ignore it anymore, it was becoming too concerning. It was worth the risk, because he couldn’t just sit there and watch his sobrina suffer any longer. On a long work day after dinner, Bruno asked Mirabel if he could talk to her for a little while. Of course Mirabel said yes, she was always willing to listen to her familia. They met at a tree near the house they were staying at. Bruno was nervous, fidgeting with his sleeve. Mirabel smiled warmly at him, which made his chest tighten up. His sobrina didn’t need a gift, she was already one.
“Hola Mirabel,” Bruno mumbled.
“Hola Tio, what did you want to talk about?” Mirabel asked.
“... I wanted to check on you.”
“.. me? I- There’s nothing to check. I’m fine.”
“Mirabel, be honest. It’s me, I won’t judge you. You know how much I struggled with coming back to the familia. So please, I can tell that something is bothering you.” Bruno said sincerely. Mirabel's smile faltered, and formed into a frown as her eyes became glossy.
“How- how could you tell..?” Mirabel asked quietly as she stared at her feet.
“I- W-well..” he thought for a moment, “I guess I could just feel it? You just, you looked so sad. That smile, it wasn’t like the smile you have when you watch Antonio play with his friends, or when you see Luisa taking care of herself.”
“Oh.. I’m sorry to worry you.” Mirabel said disappointedly.
“Don’t be sorry- I just- I don’t want you to feel sad. You- you helped me feel like I belong in this family. I want to repay you if I can.”
“You don’t ever have to repay me for that Tio.” She said, a weak smile present on her face. Bruno saw right through her, the bags under her eyes becoming more obvious to him. Even before Bruno left he had a special connection with Mira compared to his other sobrinos. When she was younger she was never scared of him, for a young child she was quite intelligent, at least emotionally intelligent. Bruno debated on trying to give her a hug, or pat her on the shoulder. He was awkward with any form of comfort, in addition he didn’t want to pester her, but he didn’t want to just sit there and watch his sobrina wither away.
“Mira, if you need me I’m here, yeah? I- you don’t have to worry about bothering me, just- if you need me I’ll be here.” Bruno said sincerely, making Mirabel genuinely smile.
“Si Tio, Gracias.”
Finally, after all that hard work. Casita was finished! The familia felt so accomplished, and they did it together. Abuela even managed to work it out so Mirabel got her own room. There was just one thing missing.. Mirabel smiled contently as she leaned against her Papa, seeing at what her familia accomplished. Her face scrunched up when she realized that something was missing.She turned to her Pa to ask where the door knob was, but he was with the rest of the family, everyone stared at her smiling. Her heart began to race as her Tonito came up to her, handing her the door knob. Mirabel felt her eyes become watery and her breath quicken, but she wouldn’t dare cry. Antonio grabbed her arm gently as he led her to the front door of their rebuilt Casita. Her familias eyes felt like lasers burning into her skin, she held onto her primito for support, completely silent. As she made it to the door, her hands became shaky, but her sweet Antonio gave her a toothy grin and she couldn’t help but smile back at him. She slowly put the door knob into its place, locking it in. She slightly jumped back as magic flowed through the house. The familia and townspeople looked in awe as the house came to life. The entire familias portrait was on that door, including Mirabel. Mirabel smiled,
“Hola, Casita.” Mirabel said with a slight wave
The familia piled into the house, Camilo began to shapeshift into a cluster of different people. Isabella danced as she grew different plants, not just flowers but Cacti and Honeydew, covering the new Casita in beautiful vines. Dolores smiled as she listened to everyone around her. Luisa picked up the couch, just to put it down and lay on top of it and relax. Antonio’s animal friends gathered around him as he jumped on to Parce. Rain and the Sun appeared causing a rainbow to form over the Encanto. The townspeople were bustling in delight around the Casita, and everyone lined up together and took a family picture, with everybody. It was perfect, life was perfect. It was a happy ending to a happy story.. That’s how it was supposed to be.
Mirabel’s heart raced as she stared at the door of her room. It wasn’t a nursery, it was hers. Nobody could tell her what to do with it because it was hers. She should be happy, no she should be ecstatic. A room of her very own just like she had dreamed about when she was a child. Yet she felt numb, and her heart was heavy. Why did she want to roll up into a ball and cry? It was bustling, everybody was getting used to having their gifts back, everyone was excited for the future of the Encanto. Yet here she was standing in front of a door utterly petrified and yet unbearably numb.
“Mirabel,” He said as he put a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes landed on him, a look of understanding on his face. She knew instantly that he was aware of what she was feeling. Yet that only made it worse as emotion bubbled up in her throat as her eyes darted back at that damn door.
“I.. I don’t understand..” She choked out, tears welling in her eyes.
“It’s.. ok- ok not to understand why.” He says quietly. “This is new, scary even.”
“I- I should be happy right?”
“Nobody expects you to feel anything, just feel.”
Tears streamed down her face as she practically fell onto the floor as her legs buckled under her own weight. Her Uncle Bruno right beside her, catching her as she fell. Holding her as she cried- wailed into his ruana. Rubbing her back soothingly as he told her she was ok. What she was feeling was ok.
Bruno knew what it was like to feel alone. He had been alone for ten years, but he had also been alone most of his life. Lonely while being surrounded by others. That kind of loneliness is different. It’s heavy weight to carry on your own, he wouldn’t wish it upon anyone. He wouldn’t allow his niece to carry this weight alone as he once did. The cycle is ending.
The End.
AN: I couldn’t figure out a way to end this story properly. I have rewritten this too many times to count. I think however, this is the closest I can get. Mirabel will always have the damage from her childhood, she will always feel the weight from her self-doubt. But she’s no longer alone, she has someone to help carry the weight and together they will have their happy ending. The rest is just up to interpretation I suppose.
I hope you know I read all the comments and I appreciate all the support, this was something I wanted to write for a while and honestly I’m so happy with how it turned out. You can tell just how much I’ve improved from beginning to end. So from one random stranger on the internet to another, thank you so much, and I genuinely wish the best for you.
