La Mariposa y La Vela

by GamerBearMira

Summary:

Alma sends Mirabel away, thinking it'll protect the miracle. 10 years later, and no one remembers the Madrigal family, and Mirabel is the only one who seems to think they're even alive.

So she decides to see what's behind the wall.

Notes:

HEYYYYY GUYSSSSSSSS

New Story <333 These won't gave any chapter summaries or notes, as I'm under. A but of a rush.

Going to Air Force BMT 😛😛😛 I'll see y'all in a few months LMAOOOOOOO

Chapter 1: Packed Up

Mirabel was startled awake when there was a sudden thud on the floor of the nursery. She yawned, reaching for her glasses on the bedside table. Squinting her eyes as they adjusted to the darkness, she could see her abuela throwing something into a bag. A small candle was lit, illuminating her face.

She was mad. Really mad.

Mirabel grimaced as she scooted back into the corner of her bed, opting not to say anything or ask any questions. She didn’t want to upset her abuela even more. Not after what happened that night, earlier. After her ceremony pretty much failed she was sent to the nursery, and no one had come to check on her. She had heard some try to approach the door, but they never entered. And she had a feeling her abuela had something to do with it.

She wished she had gotten a gift. Or at least a door. Her abuela wouldn't be so mad, at least not as mad as she is now. Sure, she seemed upset earlier, but now? She seemed straight-up angry. Like someone had done her wrong. But then again…Mirabel was the only Madrigal to not get a gift. As far as she knew she was an outcast. She wouldn’t be like her family. Maybe her abuela knew that too. She probably did.

Mirabel watched as her abuela packed things into the bag, mostly clothes and whatever other necessities Mirabel might need. She looked at the girl as she closed the bag, picking it up along with another, the one from earlier. The one meant to go to her supposed room. Alma threw a dress to the girl, along with one of her coats.

“Get dressed. You have 5 minutes,” Alma said sternly, leaving the room. Mirabel watched her leave before rushing to get dressed. Casita kept moving her shoes around, refusing to let her put them on. Mirabel kept running after them, scared of what would happen once the five minutes were up.

“Casita, stop!” Mirabel whispered, voice covered in fear. The house didn't stop and kept going. Eventually, the door swung open, and there stood Abuela.

“Why are you not ready?” the elder sneered. Mirbel struggled to form words, and Alma simply rolled her eyes. She stepped on the floorboard moving Mirabel’s shoes, kicking them towards the girl. Mirabel fumbled with them before putting them on. Alma grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the nursery.

“A-Abuela? Where are we going?” Mirabel asked hesitantly. Alma didn’t say anything as she led her down the stairs and towards the front door.

“You are going to live with your other grandparents,” Alma mumbled, and she scoffed at Casita’s attempts to stop her. “Stop it Casita!” she snapped, making Mirabel flinch.

“What? But I wanna live here!” Mirabel said and Alma whipped her head around, eyeing the girl angrily. Mirabel shrunk down, closing her mouth immediately. She didn’t like this abuela, not at all. Casita kept pushing against the matriarch before she finally managed to get the door open and pushed herself and her granddaughter out the door.

“Members with rooms live here,” Alma said, walking over to a cart where an elderly couple was waiting. Mirabel’s eyes widened, recognizing her father's parents. “And since you didn’t get a gift, I believe it’s best you go live with your other abuela and abuelo for a while.”

Mirabel was handed off to her abuelo, who put her on the back of the cart they had brung. Her bags were loaded on as well. Both her abuelas were talking, and her Abuela Alma walked over while her Abuela Hortencia climbed onto the cart with her husband. Mirabel looked at her abuela, scared.

“Your mama and papa think it’s best that you stay with them for a while. We’ll be…constructing you a room,” Alma said, and Mirabel blinked, eyes hopeful.

“Really?” Mirabel asked.

“Yes,” Alma lied. Straight through her teeth. But it was what was best for the family. "We'll send word for you once it's done."

Mirabel looked down, frowning. She knew her grandparents on her papa's side didn't like the gifts. In fact, they hated them. But…her Abuela Alma only meant well…and her mama and papa agreed. So it must be true. And it was only for a little while. Then she would come back, have a room and everything would be normal again!

Before Mirabel could properly react, the cart had pulled off and was headed down the hill. She looked around in surprise before turning back towards Casita to wave her grandmother goodbye. But she wasn't even facing Mirabel. She was walking back to Casita. Mirabel slowly let her hand fall, giving Casita a weak goodbye, not knowing that it would be the last time she would see her family for years. The house gave a very sad goodbye, and Mirabel could see the house sag slightly.

She didn't want to leave. But, her Abuela knew best, and if her parents were okay with it, so was she. She curled up on the cart, inwardly cursing herself for not wanting to go with her other grandparents. She felt guilty, but she did want to stay with her family.

It was gonna be okay, right?

Chapter 2: Well If It Isn't The Consequences of My Actions

It was late. She had overslept for almost a whole hour. Julieta hurried to get dressed, her husband close behind. The two left the room, Julieta immediately going to the kitchen and Agustín outside. Usually, they were woken up by Mirabel. But given the circumstances, they could understand why she hadn't actually woken them. She herself was probably tired and Casita probably let her sleep in.

Speaking of Casita, the house was acting weird. The tiles got flipped and the support beams shook at random times. The house wasn't doing what Julieta asked either, which was strange in and of itself. But then again. It might've been because of last night. She couldn't really focus on that though, she would check on Mirabel when she brought her down for breakfast later.

Thankfully, Julieta was able to get breakfast done on time. By the time everyone started to file in the dining room, everything had been set out. The only ones missing were her mamá and Mirabel. And Bruno…but he usually came down last, so it was fine. He was likely still in his room anyway..

The family had finally seated, with Bruno coming down from his room looking rather troubled. Now they were just waiting for Alma. It was quiet—no one talked, not even Camilo. He tried, but no one talked back, so he eventually just stopped. Last night made things…awkward. But, the family wouldn’t let that stop them from comforting Mirabel. As soon as she came down they would be sure to cheer her up. Just because she didn't have a gift didn’t mean they would love her any less.

Alma finally entered the dining room, not looking at anyone in the family. She had a grimace on her face as sat down. Julieta took this as a cue to go get Mirbel from the nursery—She was likely already awake by now, Casita had probably woken her up. Before she could leave the room, she was stopped by Alma.

“Where are you going Julieta?” Alma asked and the other turned to face her mother with a confused look.

“I’m going to get Mirabel. I don’t want her to miss breakfast,” Julieta explained, pointing towards the other side of the house. She noticed how her mothers expression changed, and she looked sort of guilty? Before she went back to her stern look.

“You don't have to worry about bringing her down anymore,” Alma said, letting her hands rest in her lap. Julieta gave her an even more confused look while the rest of the family looked at her with mixed reactions. Bruno looked more shocked and a bit scared.

“What…what do you mean?” Julieta chuckled nervously. Alma blinked, looking at the empty seat where Mirabel usually would’ve sat. Looking back at Julieta, she sighed.

“I took care of her,” Alma said simply and the room was silent and still. Everyone stared at Alma as if she was crazy. What did she mean by that? What does ‘take care of’ even mean in this context? Bruno stood up, looking at his mama from his spot at the table.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked, staring her down. Alma remained still. She didn’t say anything as she looked away, refusing to make eye contact. Pepa started from a cloud as her mind raced, Félix attempting to calm her down but he was just as confused. Agustín stood up, moving to leave the room, Julieta right behind him. They went up towards the main courtyard, rushing up the stairs and towards the nursery. Agustín threw the door open, the cool couple looking around the room.

The bed was empty. The sheets and blanket were no longer on it either, like they had been put away. Her pillows were stripped and were sitting on the end of the mattress. Many of Mirabel’s things seemed to be missing, with only her toys and drawings on the wall remaining.

“Mirabel? Mirabel?!” Julieta called frantically, looking in the places Mirabel might’ve hidden in, such as under the bed or behind the door. Nothing.

“Mirabel?” Agustín called, swinging the closet door open. He froze. It was empty. None of Mirabel’s clothes were there, and her shoes were gone as well. None of her things were there. And neither was she. Both left the room in a hurry, seeing the other family coming out of different rooms in the house. Alma was standing by the dining room threshold, unmoving. Julieta stormed up to her, on the verge of tears.

"Where is she?! Where is my baby girl?!" She demanded, and Alma looked at her again.

"I told you I took care of her," Alma said, remaining vague.

"What does that even mean?!" Pepa yelled, still confused. Where was she at? She was just there the night before, she saw her go to bed!

"I sent her to live with her other grandparents," Alma finally said, crossing her arms.

"What?!" Agustín said, knowing that she was referring to his own parents. "Why would you do that?! They'll never give her up!" He said. His parents hated the gifts, he knew that. He knew that they had a grudge against Alma as well. He never really talked to them much anymore, but he knew that they weren't going to be easy to get through to.

Casita's tiles started to rattle as Julieta, Agustín and Alma continued to argue about the situation. The miracle flame began to flicker, glowing brighter with every crack. The kids backed away, hiding behind their parents and tio.

"She's a disgrace! The miracle flickered, what if it went out?!" Alma yelled to Julieta who stomped her foot.

"So?! I care more about my daughter than some stupid miracle! I want her back!" Julieta screamed, tears streaming down her face. She never expected her mother to take it this far. To go as far as to kick her own granddaughter out all because she didn't have some stupid gift. Casita shook, and the cracks spread all throughout the house.

“Wha–?” Alma’s eyes widened as she looked down, seeing the cracks within the tiles. Looking up, there were more cracks, and Casita was going wild. There was a rumbling, and something burst from the ground outside. The family turned to look out the window nearby. There were vines. Great big vines that had thorns on them. They were growing out of the ground and they were surrounding the house. Some of them were even attached themselves to Casita and creeping through the threshold of the outside doors and windows.

Everyone looked at Isabela, but the twelve year old looked just as scared and confused. “T-that’s not me, those aren’t mine!” She exclaimed, rushing to hide behind her father along with her younger sister, the other two kids doing the same. Alma’s eyes widened—if those weren’t Isabela’s, then…was the magic causing this to happen? Because Mirabel had tainted the magic somehow before she left?

The vines grew tall, well above Casita, and the family could no longer see above it, they were taller than even Bruno’s tower. The sky got dark, though Pepa shook her head when everyone looked at her. Her clouds didn’t look like that, they weren’t that powerful. The only cloud she had was sitting above her head, and it was thundering and raining—meanwhile outside they were just dark clouds that blocked the sun.

“What is happening? What did she do?!” Alma yelled, though she got no answer. Casita’s tiles were now rattling, and started to move the family out of the dining room. All of them were thrown unceremoniously into the courtyard, where Alma finally got a chance to look at the candle. It was glowing brightly, angrily. She could hear the children crying behind her, then it started to die down.

Turning around, she saw the parents and Bruno freaking out over the kids, who were dropping down, seeming to go to sleep. She looked back at the candle, which was rattling on the window sill as Casita continued to crack and the vines climbed onto the roof. She looked back and saw Bruno’s eyes roll back as he dropped down as well, going unconscious, Agustín barely managing to catch him.

“Bruno? Bruno!” Julieta said, moving to grab food from her pocket, but she was stopped short when Bruno slid out of his arms, Agustín’s knees buckling as he fell asleep and well. Alma looked at the warm family, and saw Pepa had passed out, covering her children. Fèlix was shaking her, trying to wake her up, but he soon blacked out too. Julieta frantically looked around, looking at her mama with a scared and hurt look, then she fell as well.

Alma looked at her now passed out family, then turned back to the candle. If she could get to it, maybe she could figure this out and wake them up. She moved as quickly as she could. But the more moved, the slower she got. Her eyes felt heavy as she moved forward. Her body stopped moving, and she stopped before she even got to the stairs. She dropped to the floor, not being able to stand up again. The last thing she saw was a bright golden light, and wax starting to form on her fingertips.

Chapter 3: New Life, Old Family

Mirabel didn’t really like her new grandparents. They made her dress different and told her to not talk about her family. She knew they didn’t like the gifts of magic. She also knew that they didn’t like how their son, her papá, went to Casita. They were weird too. They hid pictures from her, and didn’t let her do certain things. She could only play with certain kids, and they kept trying to get her to do things she didn't want to. And it had only been one day!

The only good thing that came from any of this so far was that she had her own room. But it was boring. She wasn’t allowed to hang up her drawings unless her paternal grandparents approved of them. One thing she liked was that her Abuela Hortencia said she’d teach her how to sew. That way she could make her own pretty clothes and not have to wear the plain ones. She missed her butterfly dress.

She missed her family. She tried to go visit them, but they wouldn’t let her. And she didn’t think it was very nice, in her opinion. She missed her mama and papa and sisters. Her tia and tios, her primo and prima. Even her abuela. She missed them all. But she couldn’t even go see them. She just wanted to see them for a while, and maybe see about her room.

It was her room after all. How would they know how to decorate it without her there? She had to go. She would sneak out if she had to.

And so she did. When she was supposed to be asleep for her nap (something she was too old for, she was five years old already!), she snuck out the window and ran out the back. She struggled, because she was used to Casita helping her. She missed Casita. But she was going there now, so it would be ok! She ran behind the house, avoiding as many villagers as she could. The last thing she needed was anyone tattling on her.

“Dolores, tell everyone I’m on my way,” Mirabel said out loud, hoping that her prima heard her. She got closer to the hill, and smiled brightly as she did. But once she got really close, she saw that….Casita wasn’t there. Or rather, it was covered up by something.

There were vines covering Casita, to the point where she couldn’t even see the house, not even her tio Bruno’s tower. The sky seemed dark, and there were clouds that darkened the sky around the house and hill as a whole. Even the forest seemed dark. But they didn’t look like her tia Pepa’s clouds, no they were different. Something was wrong, very wrong. She walked around the entire thing, looking for a way in, but it was tight.

“What—is someone there?” She called, and got no answer. “Hello?!” She called again, trying to climb the vines. Her small hands slipped, and she fell down back to the ground. She kicked the vines angrily. “Let me in—I’m here! Can someone let me in?!” She called, getting more distressed.

Still no answer. She kept trying, kept going at it. She kept kicking and punching and hitting. She tried climbing, but she was too small. She tried calling for them, calling their names over and over. She started to cry, and she was told that she couldn’t get in. Into her home, the only home she’s ever known.

She was thrown for a loop when she was suddenly picked up. Turning and looking she saw her Abuelo Cisco looking rather upset.

“Mirabel Valentina Rojas,” he said angrily, placing her on the horse he came up on, hoping for himself. “Why are you here? You’re not supposed to be here and you know that.”

“But Abuelo—“ Cisco cut the girl off.

“No! You aren’t supposed to come up this hill, it’s cursed and I won’t have you getting hurt,” he said, “No one lives there anyway,” he said and Mirabel looked up at him like he was crazy.

Cursed? Casita wasn’t cursed! And why didn’t he say Madrigal? Why did he only call her Rojas, she was a Madrigal!

“No it’s not! And my name is Mirabel Valentina MADRIGAL-Rojas!” Mirabel argued, and Cisco looked down at her angrily, causing her to shrink.

“Mirabel! This is not up for debate! You will not argue with me! You are a Rojas, there is no such thing as Madrigals, your imaginary friends will not help you in life. Stop it!” He said. Mirabel pouted, looking down at the horses back as she cried.

That was the second time that day since that morning that they called her family “imaginary”. And when she mentioned her mama and papa, they said they only had 2 kids, instead of 3. That “Agustín” was just a figment of her imagination.

Why had they been doing that? Everytime she mentioned her family, they said they weren’t real. That ‘Casita’ wasn't real and that house on the hill behind all those vines was cursed. She hated it, she hated this! And she would keep fighting for her family. If her abuela and Abuelo didn’t believe her, surely the other villagers would, they had to! There was a whole mural dedicated to her family in the main part of town. Her Abuelo Pedro’s sacrifice wasn’t for nothing, they had to know. And there were plenty of old people in the village who were here when the encanto was first created.

She wouldn’t forget about her family. She would get to them one day. Even if it took her years, she would get there, get inside and see them. Surely they missed her, they had to. She had a feeling that the vines and the dark sky were keeping them there, trapping them. And no one hurt her family and got away with it. She would get to the bottom of this and she would help them. She would prove her grandparents wrong. They needed her help, she would save her family!

Chapter 4: Cursed

Julieta groaned as she opened her eyes, looking around. She sat up, looking down. Her hand had…stitches? Looking at her body, she was covered in stitches. They were all over her body. She reached up, touched one and—

Her arm fell off.

It didn't hurt but Mary and Joseph, it scared the life out of her, so much that she didn't even process that it didn't hurt. She immediately started screaming, which seemed to startle (most) all of the family members awake. Agustín shot up, but yelled as he slipped on water, landing on his face. Julieta looked at him and he wasn't human?! He looked like some kind of sea monster, from the old books she read as a child, just more human like. She pointed her dismembered arm at him, screaming. Agustín looked up and his hair was soaking wet, he could barely see through it along with his watery glasses and foggy glasses. He realized he was covered in water, and…seaweed? He screamed when he saw Julieta, and his two other daughters.

Isabela looked…well she was covered in vines. Her hair was vines, decorated with flowers and thorns and leaves, though they didn't do much justice. Her skin had a green hue to it, and no one could really see her eyes. She looked like…a smaller, younger La Madremonte? And Luisa, she was freaking out and screaming too, though mostly out of reaction from everyone else. She had small horns coming out of the side of her head and floppy ears that dropped while she screamed, her tail pin straight as she freaked.

There was a giant light, and everyone was blinded for a moment. It died down slightly and they all looked towards it—it was Felíx. He was made of light. Literally, his face was almost not visible with how bright he was glowing. He shouted in surprise upon seeing his wife and children, along with his brother and sister in law and nieces. Pepa was made of clouds, literal CLOUDS and his son was on the floor crying out of fear; he had fox ears and a tail. Dolores was just covering her---bat ears? What?!

Pepa was thundering, but she didn't have a cloud, it was coming from her body. Literally, her clothes, hair and skin were made of clouds, and there was thunder and lighting shooting everywhere as she freaked out. She finally seemed to notice Bruno who was dead silent, staring at his hands.

He was way bigger than anyone in the room, probably well over 7 or 8 feet. He was covered in light color, almost white fur and his ears resembled that of an animal, or at least it almost did. His agape mouth revealed large teeth and Pepa swore she had a heart attack, a giant crack of thunder sounded out and there was lightning flashing around different parts of her body, and she accidentally shocked a view member.

They all freaked out for a bit more, then Julieta seemed to gain her bearings and she waved her hands, or rather hand, around.

"W-Wait, wait! Calm down, we aren't gonna figure this out if everyone is screaming!" She yelled and everyone stopped, though they were still freaked. The kids, specifically Camilo and Luisa, were still sniffling and crying.

"Wh-What is this?! What happened to us?!" Pepa asked frankly, jumping at the thunder that sounded.

Julieta opened her mouth but nothing came out. She looked down, realizing her arm was still gone. "Wait where's my arm?"

"What?" Bruno finally asked, the first thing he's said or done since this whole thing started.

"My arm!" Julieta said, waving her stump of an arm around, and she finally realized…she wasn’t in any kind of pain. It didn't hurt. There was just this phantom feeling, like her arm was supposed to be there, but it just wasn't. Which was literally in this sense.

The family shuddered at the sight but quickly began searching around for the limb.

"Here it is! Next to this candle that looks like Abuela!" Camilo said, pointing to the wax figure, wiping his watery eyes. All eyes fell on the figure. It was the only thing standing, positioned similarly to her door, just without the candle. He was right, it…was a figure of the matriarch.

"Wait…if mamá isn't here, then…" Pepa looked around, not spotting her human mother. That meant that—

"That is mama," Julieta said quietly. She walked up to the figure, picking up her arm. She tried to reattach it, and it worked, but it was weird; she would fix that later, she would have to. She waved her free hand in front of her mother. "Is she asleep?"

Casita suddenly rumbled for a moment, which surprised the family. The house had been quiet the entire time. Usually it was so expressive, reacting with the family, especially with Mirabel. The candle flickered for a moment, and then the wick, which was on Alma's head, moved. There was a spark, and then it lit. The family started, waiting for some kind of reaction.

The wax covering her (was it covering her? They really couldn't tell, because considering the circumstances, she could actually be made of wax) softened. Previously it had been solid, but now with the flame on her head going, it had softened, and gained a more golden color. Certain parts, like her black shawl, were still black. Engravings lined her face and hands, and she moved slightly.

Her eyes finally opened, though she didn't seem to register anything around her. She blinked, then moved her hands lifting them up. Blinking again her vision seemed to adjust and she jumped at least a foot in the air.

"¡Dios mio!" She said, and while her voice held shock and maybe even slight fear, her face was still rather neutral. It had almost no emotion. "What happened to you?!" She shrieked and some of the family looked slightly offended.

"Well you can't exactly talk, look at you!" Agustín quipped back, looking angry, not that anyone could tell with his hair, water and the seaweed in his face.

Alma was about to see something but upon looking down at herself, she realized he was right. Something was wrong, very wrong. Why was she made of wax? She felt so cold, the only warmth coming from the top of her head, and upon lifting her head, she felt the wick and then the flame. She pulled her hand down and her eyes widened at the sight of her slightly melted fingertip.

"What in the world…" She said and she whispered a quiet Hail Mary. "Something…the magic, the candle!" Alma looked up at her window. The candle wax was melting…very slowly though. One drop of wax dropped to the wood, and there was a pulse of magic through the house.

"Mamí, why did this happen?" Camilo asked, and he attempted to tug her dress but his hand went right through it. It dispersed but quickly reformed and Camilo stared at it, then his hand, then his mama.

"I…I don't know," Pepa said under her breath, unsure of what to do. She couldn't even be comforted with her esposo because every time she looked at him she was blinded, literally. His body being in a constant glowing state made it hard to look at him for more than 10 seconds.

Casita's tiles ripped and a picture thumped down the stairs, skidding to a stop in front of Julieta. "Casita?" She asked and the house flipped the photo once more. The woman carefully picked it up, looking at her. It was a picture of her youngest, Mirabel. Mirabel who was now gone, no longer in the house. It made her heart hurt. "Mira…bel?" She asked and Casita gave a 'yes'.

"Mirabel did something to the magic! I knew I was right to put her out," Alma accused, though she was silenced when the family eyed her down. Casita freaked out and gave an immediate 'no' at the accusation.

"This happened because…because Mirabel left?" Julieta asked. Another 'yes'. "So if she comes back, we'll go back to normal?" Another 'yes'.

"Well then let's go! We can go get her now! We can get our baby ba—!" Agustín was cut off when he tried to go to the door, but slipped on water again and landed on his back, wincing. Casita's roof tiles rolled and the family noticed the giant wall of thorns. It covered the outside of the house and towered over them. There was no way they could climb it. The sky was covered in dark clouds, and the sun was barely visible, though it was already on the horizon, setting.

"We can't leave? We can't leave the house?" Isabela asked in what could only be described as total sadness and Casita hesitated.

'No.'

The family all physically looked saddened, a cloud finally appearing above Pepa. Rain poured over her–Felíx's light seemed to die down with the sadness as well.

"This is all her fault! She messed up the magic, it was strong before, this isn't right!" Alma shouted and Julieta looked at her with anger.

"No she didn't! You did this! You kicked her out and did this!" Julieta said, gesturing to the family. "You could only think of the magic—well look what your precious miracle did!"

"Don't turn this on me!" Alma shouted, and the flame on her head flared up, and she straightened her back, shuddering. The miracle flame seemed to flare up at the same time, strangely. The flame died down, and Alma froze. Her eyes fluttered for a moment, then they shut. Her face was still neutral, and her wax hardened once again.

The family looked on. The sky was darker now, it was probably night by now. Had…Alma gone to sleep? Or maybe the cold night air caused her to freeze? Or maybe the candle was shutting her up? Whatever it was, they couldn't really react since Alma's door opened, and she was moved up the stairs in the room, the door slamming shut. That was the end of that argument.

Camilo yawned, rubbing his eyes. His ears folded backwards as he leaned on his sister's shoulder. It would've been cute if the current situation wasn't so urgent.

"I…I think we should deal with this in the morning," Félix sighed, picking up his son. He would let him sleep with him and his wife, along with their daughter. Right now they probably didn't want to sleep alone. Julieta absently nodded, and the family made their way up the stairs and to their respective rooms, the children following their parents. Bruno had to duck, and awkwardly fit through his door threshold, falling into the sand pit below. Luckily he was OK.

Isabela, moving her now vine-hair out of her face, pulled on her mother's dress. The woman looked down at her eldest, and while she tried to not look worried, it didn't really work.

"Mamá, how long are we gonna be like this?" She asked, and Juliet a sighed, bending down, cupping her daughter's cheeks. They were fuzzy, like peach fuzz almost. Her skin felt like velvet in fact.

"I don't know mija but, we're going to figure this out," Julieta said, ushering her daughter into her room where her husband and other daughter were waiting.

"I miss Mirabel," Luisa said, and her new ears fell in sadness.

"Hopefully Mirabel is able to find us and save us," Julieta said, brushing her hair back.

"She's a smart girl, and she loves her family. I know she'll come back for us," Agustín said, attempting to reassure his family, specifically his wife.

"Yeah, she'll come through," Julieta sighed. "I'm praying that she will."

Chapter 5: Playdates and Imaginary Families

Mirabel crossed her arms as she waited for the guest to get to her grandparents' house. The 7 year old was forced to wear a stupid white dress for stupid guests who were stupid.

She didn't want to meet them.

She wanted to go back to Casita! To the town! Anywhere but here. She was still trying to find a way back into her home, but she had yet to be successful. Every attempt, she was either caught or she just couldn't get in. The vines were too thick. And she hated it. She hated how she couldn't get to her family, to save them. She hated how no one talked about them. It was like they just…never existed. Every time she mentioned 'The Madrigals' no one ever believed her. They were just figments of her imagination because she was 'Poor Orphan Mirabel'.

The girl scoffed at the name. She wasn't an orphan. Her mother was Julieta, and her papa was Agustín. She had two older sisters, Isabela and Luisa. She had a Tia, Tia Pepa, and, who was married to her Tio Felíx, and she had a prima, Dolores, and a primo her age, Camilo. She had another Tío, Bruno, and then there was Abuela Alma. They used to have a mural of her and her family but, well, it disappeared. No one seemed to remember it despite it being in the middle of town where everyone could see it. It just vanished. But her family did exist, she knew it! But no, they didn't exist. They were 'silly imaginary friends"! And she needs to 'grow up'. And it was even worse with Casita.

Every time she tried to mention the house, she was shushed. Everyone said the house on the hill and the forest around it was cursed. That's why it was surrounded by vines and why no one could get in or out. That was also why there were constantly dark clouds hovering over the place. Mirabel said it was because of her Tia Pepa's gift, and she was upset that her favorite sobrina was gone but, once again, she was refuted.

It was dumb. Everything was dumb.

"Mirabel!" Mirabel looked up, and her Abuela Hortencia was looking at her, her Abuela Cisco behind her. "Did you hear anything I just said?" She asked impatiently.

"Yes?" Mirabel said and Hortencia rolled her eyes.

"The Malvado's are coming over," she said, straightening Mirabel's bow. Mirabel grumbled, and when her grandparents were two, she pulled it lopsided again. "You will be meeting their grandson, Luciano. I think he'll be a good influence on you.'

Mirabel rolled her eyes. Luciano. He was popular among the kids her age, and while she had only seen him in passing, she already knew she didn't like him. He was mean to kids he didn't deem 'good enough'. He was a big bully, that's what he was. And yet her grandparents kept talking about her basically going on a playdate with him.

"I don't wanna play with him," Mirabel said. "I wanna play with mí hermanas," she said under her breath.

"There will be none of this imaginary friend stuff. We told you about that," Cisco said, pointing at her and Mirabel looked away from him. "These are good people and he's a good boy," he said.

"He's a big bully!" Mirabel argued and Cisco stared her down, causing her to shrink down again. "Whatever…"

—
Luciano talked a lot about himself. For someone who was 8 (almost 9), he talked a lot about himself. He was kind of dumb too, it was like talking to a brick wall. But Mirabel was stuck here, with him. Ugh.

"And so I got rid of that sucker!" Luciano finally finished his dumb story. Something about a kid playing and him bullying the poor kid, but making himself out to be a hero. Mirabel hummed, continuing to draw her picture. "Oi, Rojas! You should be listening to me!"

Mirabel gripped her pencil, gritting her teeth. "It's MADRIGAL-Rojas," She said through her teeth and Luciano scoffed.

"Says the orphan. Your dumb imaginary family doesn't exist. Just like how no one lives in that haunted house," Luciano scoffed and Mirabel looked at him with distaste. See? A bully.

"¡Cállate!" Mirabel shouted, slamming her pencils and charcoal down. Of course the other grandparents had to walk into the room. Luciano looked up at them innocently.

"¡Hola!" He beamed, and they cooed at him, while Hortencia and Cisco looked at Mirabel, upset. Great, now she was going to get in trouble.

"It's time to go," Señora Malvado said, grabbing her grandson's hand. Mirabel's grandparents escorted them out, bidding them goodbye (and apologizing for Mirabel's 'outburst').

Once they were gone, Hortencia pushed Mirabel to her room. "You are to stay in here. You embarrassed us in front of the Malvado's," she said, and Mirabel stomped her foot.

"Luciano was being a bully, he was being mean to me for no reason! I don't wanna play with him, he's dumb!" Mirabel said, stomping her foot.

"Well you better get used to it," Cisco said. "Because he's going to be coming over more often." Mirabel looked at them shocked, then went to the corner of her room, plopping down on the bed facing away from them..she wasn't going to talk to them. Maybe if she didn't, she wouldn't have to talk to Luciano. Her grandparents shook their heads, closing the door.

She spent the rest of the day like that, in her room. She refused to come out, and refused to talk to her grandparents. She wouldn't go out for dinner, so she ate in her room. They were so strict, and for what? She was old enough to stuff by herself, and she wasn't stupid—she knew her family wasn't imaginary. Something…something happened to the town and they all forgot. How, she didn't know. They all used to know all about the Madrigals, for their hard work in the community. And now it's all gone, like they never existed. And no one believes she's a Madrigal either. To everyone else, she was Mirabel Rojas. The adopted orphan with no previous family.

She'd prove them wrong. But right now, she would send a letter to her family, to let them know that she didn't forget about them. That she was going to come help them get out of the vine wall and they'd be able to be together again.

She wrote the letter, and drew a drawing of her whole family and herself on another piece. Folding them into paper flyers, she carefully snuck out of her room. It was a little late, so her grandparents were probably asleep (they always went to sleep an hour after she was supposed to be in bed). Once she knew they were asleep, she slipped out the house, running down the path and towards the hill. The 'Cursed Hill'.

She didn't care if it was cursed, she just knew her familia was in there, and it worried her. Once she got to the vine wall, she walked around it, finding the shortest point, which was near the backyard, just over the kitchen. Stepping back a bit, she threw the two pieces of paper one at a time. It took a couple tries, but she got both over the wall. From where she was standing, if she was correct, it should've landed near the kitchen. She hoped her mamá would see it and tell the other family.

She rushed back to her paternal grandparents' house. She luckily hadn't been caught, and was able to get back in the house. The two were still asleep, and she went back to her room, laying down in her bed. She looked out the open window, sighing.

"I'll save mí familia," she whispered, saying a silent prayer before closing her eyes. She didn't know how she'd save them, but she would.

Chapter 6: Jaguarcito

A new Madrigal had been born. Antonio, the youngest of Félix and Pepa. They thought he'd be human but…they were wrong. He was born cursed, just like the rest of them. He had wings on his back and a monkey tail, along with what looked like jaguar ears. It was a bittersweet event.

Don't get them wrong, they love him! He's the sweetest baby, and he was so cute. But him being born cursed really dampened the mood. They were really hoping he would be born human, because maybe he'd be able to go out and find Mirabel. He might be able to get out of here. But that wasn't the case.

They told him stories about Mirabel and the family. Though he was only a baby, his eyes always seemed to light up whenever they did. He would point her out in pictures, and laugh, clapping whenever he saw her.

"I wish you could meet Mirabel," Pepa sighed, holding Antonio. "She was such a sweet girl. But I'm not sure you ever will," She continued, lightning sparking from her hair.

Pepa held the small baby, bouncing him up and down. He was already 9 months old, and was learning to walk now that he had mastered crawling. His little wings would flutter whenever he laughed, it melted her heart. She looked up to her mother's room and by the candle, she could see her standing a little ways away. That same neutral look on her face.

That was one thing about Alma that was unchanging. She never expressed any form of emotion. If she did, it was brief, and almost no one saw it. It was unsettling at times. She stayed in the candle room, and rarely came down. The last time she left was to see Antonio after he had been born, and then again when he learned to crawl, and then it was back to her room. She spent her days brooding in there, not that anyone could tell.

She didn't talk to the family very much. Anytime she did, it usually ended in an argument, especially with the triplets. And…she had banned them from talking about Mirabel. They couldn't talk about her, at least not when Alma was nearby or awake. Often Pepa and Bruno would be comforting their oldest sister as she cried. She stayed up at night, crying about her baby. How she was gone and she'd never see her again.

“I just want Mirabel back,” Julieta sobbed, crying into her free hand, trying her best not to undo any stitches and accidentally dismember a limb again. “I want my baby back.”

Pepa rubbed her sisters back and Bruno held her other hand in his own large one. “I know Juli,” Pepa said, trying to comfort her sister while also not shocking her accidentally. “We all do.” Neither opsibling could even assure her that Mirabel was ok, that she was alive. They hadn't heard from the girl for over 3 years. And they hadn’t seen her in 5. All they could do was hold their crying sister.

Bruno couldn’t even have a vision of the girl. He couldn't see if she was alive, what she was doing, was going to do. Everytime he tried to have a vision of the girl, he got the same thing. A slightly older Mirabel, looking sad and upset on one side of the thorn wall, and then her being cheery on the other. Bruno couldn’t decipher it and neither could anyone else. No one could, and they didn’t dare show Alma. Lord knows how she’d react, they didn’t want to deal with that. Especially not with Antonio around.

And the other kids. They were devastated. As the years went by, they became more and more sad. Mirabel was basically the one who brought the most joy, and she always was ready to spend time. They spent time together, sure, but it wasn’t the same without Mirabel. Everything seemed so dull. Camilo no longer has his twin, and Dolores couldn’t dress anyone up. Isabela had lost her baby sister, the one who followed her around and looked up to her. Luisa couldn’t sit and talk with her littlest sister anymore.

She held the family together. She was the glue, and without her, they fell apart. Or rather Alma fell apart from them. The woman refused to speak about the girl, and she never seemed worried. She got rid of a lot of things that reminded anyone of the girl, such as pictures and her plate was out away. Julieta and Agustín refused to let her touch the nursery, as did Casita. It was the only thing they had left. The only remnants of Mirabel. Her side of the room was exactly the same, not a single thing was taken out of the room, nor had much been moved. Antonio would be moved there when he was older, but even then, Mirabel’s stuff would stay. Antonio would just occupy the other side of the room.

Everything would stay. That way when Mirabel came back, she would have her own room. They had yet to figure out how to make a door for her. The magic was odd, and they didn’t want to drain it anymore and cause it to go out. If that happened they might never see Mirabel again.

The only memory they had of her was a letter and picture. It was found in the trash, thrown away. Their mama had likely thrown it away upon seeing it, but Julieta dug it out of the trash and kept them. The family was relieved to know she was okay, and that she still remembered them. That she still cared. But that was 3 years ago…they weren't even sure if she was still there. They hadn't gotten anything else. Did she forget? Did she stop caring? Or worse…did she…No. That wouldn't happen, not Mirabel. This dumb curse would stop her, and neither would a wall of vines.

They had tried to leave. But they couldn't, the vines just wouldn't budge. And no one could get over them, they couldn't even climb. Bruno even tried to toss Camilo over in one instance, but that resulted in bruises. The vines grew more and more over time. Isabela tried to get rid of them, but it just wouldn't work.

And another thing. They had realized the candle was indeed connected. It was melting. Before the curse, in the 40 years it had existed, it didn't melt, ever. But after? It started to melt, little by little. And the family, especially Alma, feared that if it went out…they would be like this forever. Which is why they needed Mirabel. Not only because they missed her dearly, but because she was the only one who could break the curse. She was the only one who was able to free them. But they didn't know if she'd ever come, if she was even alive.

All they could do was hope.

Chapter 7: Infiltrating Casita

Almost 10 years. It had been 9, almost 10, long, agonizing years. She had been doing this over and over. And she wasn't going to keep doing it anymore. She had kept her grandparents happy, finally being the perfect grandchild they wanted. But she never meant the things she said or did, not really. She only did it because her parents wanted her too.

Like Luciano. She hated him, but she still was forced to meet with him and talk. And to make matters worse? Abuela Hortencia and Abuelo Cisco wanted her to marry him. Her? Mirabel Madrigal, marry Luciano Malvado? As. If.

She would often only pretend to meet up with him and then go run off to hide, to sew in peace. Something she had picked up, a hobby of sorts. She had gotten really good now, and at only 14, she was one of the best in the whole village. Only a few could top her work, and those were seamstresses who had been running businesses since before the encanto was a thing.

But back to her sneaking off to do other things. Since her grandparents had been getting older, they hadn't really been able to actually oppose her doing these things. Sure, they would scold her, but she would simply tune them out; it simply didn't bother her anymore. Getting yelled at and getting snarky comments was something she was unfortunately used to.

For the past 10 years, she's been made fun of for believing in her 'imaginary family'. And for a while? She believed it. For a brief period of time in her life, she believed that it was all in her head. But after her 14th birthday, something was telling her that she needed to get back to her childhood home, and she needed to find her family. Her mind was telling her that they were real and that they needed her. They were in trouble. And she intended to find them and help them.

She had a whole plan. And today was the day she would put it in motion. First, she would tell her paternal grandparents that she was going out with Luciano. Easy enough, they didn't go out to check on her, not only because they couldn't move like they used to but also because she was 14 now, and they pretty much trusted her and didn't question the things she said or did. She cared not about the consequences.

Then she would take the back way to the house on the hill. She had been able to swipe a machete from her grandfather's toolbox, and she had hidden it in her room, until now, where she was careful to hide it just outside her window. Once she left the house she would go around, grab the weapon, and move towards the house. It wouldn't take her long to get there. Then, she'd cut the vines with the machete. She had learned earlier on that she could cut the vines, to an extent. But she had to be quick, because they would grow back in just a couple hours.

And finally, she would be inside. She would see Casita again, and her family. She would do whatever it was she needed to do, and she would get rid of the wall. Then she would move back, and the town would know that they're real (and she could rub it in all their faces, specifically the ones who doubted her).

—
Mirabel pushed the machete out of her bedroom window, making sure she was as quiet as possible. Once she knew it outside, she grabbed her bag, moving out to the front door, where her grandparents were sitting in the living room.

"Where are you going?" Hortencia asked and Mirabel turned, already having an excuse.

"I'm going…out with Luciano," Mirabel smiled, though internally she was dying at the thought of going on a date with Luciano. Yeah right.

"Oh, be safe!" Her grandmother said, and both her and her Abuela Cisco waved her off. Once outside, she ran around the house, picking up the large blade from where she dropped it. Looking around, she made sure no one saw her as she sprinted off towards the back road where only carts and horses went through. It was a long way to Casita, but it was the only way she could avoid going through the town and being stopped.

She was excited, but nervous. She had been planning this for weeks, months even. And now she was finally doing it. Before, she would just go up to the vine wall, but never be able to go over it. But she was going to be successful this time. She was older, taller. She even had a back up plan, where if she could cut down the vines, then she would climb the wall. The thorns were like rocks, and she had done her share of climbing on top of things and hiding in trees whenever she wanted to get away from Luciano.

She thought about the boy. He was 16, just a little over a year older than her. They met when she was younger, and her grandparents forced them to go on playdates. Then later on, once she was 13, they told her that they had set up an actual date with him. And they knew Mirabel hated him, she expressed it many times! It didn't make sense, they had nothing in common. He was just a stupid, dumb bully who only thought of himself. He tried to kiss up to her by giving her things and calling her beautiful, but it never worked. Mirabel just couldn't understand why he didn't go after the dozens of other girls who actually wanted him. Why her?

“He’s such a bonehead,” Mirabel said to herself out loud, scoffing. “What do those girls even see in him? He’s so self-centered!” She seethed, before shaking her thoughts of him away. No way she was going to get upset over him. Not when she was so close to being with her family (which DID exist). She had so much to be happy for. With a new pep in her step, she began to jog up the hill where the house, her home, Casita was.

It was still covered in vines. But this time she was prepared. She lifted the machete, and took a deep breath. With a determined look on her face, she began to swing. She hit the vine, and she beamed when the vines broke through, being no match for the serrated long knife. Now much more confident, she began to swing and swing with all her strength. She had gotten through part of the thick wall. She was huffing and sweating when she stopped to take a break. She looked behind her, and saw that some of the vines had grown back, locking her in.

Now she had to get to the other side. There was no way she was going back, and the only way she could go was forward.

She continued to swing and chop the vines, her arms burning and her chest heaving as she cut through vine after vine. She could hear the vines behind her growing, faster it seemed. It began to shroud her in darkness. But that didn’t stop her. She only moved faster, only stopping to adjust her glasses. Just as the darkness had almost taken her vision, one final swing revealed light from the other side. Her eyes widened as she burst through the other side. She immediately fell forward, the machete flying out of her hands as she landed on her face.

Sitting up, she wiped the dirt off her face, scanning her surroundings. She was here. She was really here, at Casita. Granted, it looked different. A little run down, and there were vines covering the house, but the girl couldn’t care less. She was here. She was actually here.

Now she just had to go inside and see her family.

Easy right?

Chapter 8: Hide N' Seek

Mirabel looked around. Casita looked…different. Significantly gloomier, and it was dark–though that was likely due to the clouds looming overhead. She carefully walked forward, the dry, dead grass crunching under her feet as she walked. She looked at Casita, getting closer.

“Casita?” Mirabel asked softly. There was a long pause, and for a moment, Mirabel was worried Casita was no more. But then the house came to life, Mirabel’s feet being pulled as she was spun around on the tiles. Casita seemed ecstatic that she was back, the house showing obvious joy at her sudden reappearance. “I missed you too Casita!”

Mirabel was finally set back to balance, and he adjusted her bag, clutching it as she got closer to the door. Casita opened it, very quietly, and she stepped in. She looked around. Everything looked…the same. It was just a little older, but not by much. Everything was still in its place, there were still pictures on the wall. Just like she remembered. But it was quiet. Way quieter than she expected.

“Casita, are they…here?” Mirabel asked softly, and the house responded positively. So, her family was here, but where? She walked around, looking at the walls. The pictures…they were the same ones from when she was little. And only those. In fact, there were no new photos, from what she could see. They were all the same. She couldn’t quite fathom why. Before Mirabel could really look further into it and truly think about it, she heard the sound of running behind her.

She whipped around, her eyes scanning the courtyard. “Hello?” she called out. She heard the running again, followed by giggling. She turned, not finding anything. She was a little scared, but mostly frustrated. She kept looking around, even looking upstairs for a moment. She looked towards the stairs, and underneath them she could see a small figure, crouched down. That was also where the giggling was coming from. She moved slowly, rounding the stairs. “Hello? I can see you!”

The figure seemed to turn, still giggling before they finally jumped out. “Boo!”

Mirbel initially wouldn’t be scared, because duh, she saw the little boy. But his strange appearance genuinely had her a little spooked. He was a boy, a small boy, who really wasn’t that scary. He looked…a lot like her tio Felix. The same skin tone, the same coily black hair and jovial brown eyes. But what set him apart was that he had ears, jaguar ears, and small wings, colorful ones that resembled a parrot maybe? He had a brown tail that swayed in his excitement. That was only the most visual of his appearance; she could see small fangs peeking from his smile.

“Uh…I…Who…?” Mirabel stammered, unable to articulate the proper words for the situation. The boy looked at her strangely, then giggled again.

“You’re weird,” he laughed, and Mirabel seemed to perk up at that, raising an eyebrow. She was the weird one? She shook her head, focusing on the situation at hand. Ignoring his animal features, she looked at him seriously.

“Who are you?” she asked and the boy walked closer, circling her and looking at her dress, seemingly mesmerized by the patterns she had embroidered. “Hello…?”

The boy stood, hopping in front of her. “My name’s Antonio Madrigal! Who are you?” Mirabel blinked.

Madrigal? But…that was her last name.

“My name is…Mirabel. Mirabel Madrigal,” she said hesitantly and Antonio beamed at her grabbing her hand.

“Hey, that’s my name too! We should play together!” Antonio said and Mirabel was bewildered as he dragged her upstairs. She had so many questions, but little Antonio had moved on quickly, simply wanting to play a game. She kept trying to get him to answer the questions she had, but he simply ignored her, rambling on about the games they would play. She assumed it wasn't out of spite, he couldn’t have been any older than 4, and she was pretty similar at that age, always wanting to play games. Well, until she moved in with her father’s parents, her grandparents.

“W-Wait!” Mirabel ran after Antonio, who had gone back upstairs. He was headed towards the nursery. The nursery…has a lot of bad memories in there. She didn't like it. She didn't like to remember it. She stopped short, not going any further. She glanced to the side. Her family members' doors were still there. Lit up, glowing softly. But something was different about them. A few of them look strange in a way, a way she had never seen. But before she could really get a good look at any of them. She heard Antonio's voice again.

“Hey! How come you're not coming in?” He said, his tail flicking as he peeked around from the nursery door. Mirabel blinked, but made no effort to move towards it.

“I just…I don't want to play in there,” she muttered, but Antonio heard her loud and clear. He carefully shut the door before skipping over with a smile on his face.

“That's ok! We can play out here!” Antonio said, grabbing her hand.”

“Wait! I have questions!” Mirabel exclaimed and Antonio slowed down and glanced at her.

“Like what?” He asked innocently, smiling at her again.

“Like…like who are you? Who are your parents? How did you get in here?” Mirabel asked with furrowed eyebrows.

Antonio's smile didn't falter as he bounced over to her Tía Pepa’s door. “That's easy! I was born here, and this is my Mamí,” he said, pointing to the door.

“Tía Pepa is your mamá?” Mirabel asked softly, her hands running over the wood. It was surprisingly warm.

“Yup! But if my mama is your tia then…” Antonio seemed to pause for a minute, the gears in his mind working through the situation. “Hey! That means you're my prima!”

Mirabel laughed softly, mostly in disbelief before nodding. “Yeah. M-My uh…my mamá is Julieta.”

“Tía Juli? Does that mean your sisters are Isa and Lulu?” Antonio tilted his head

Mirabel almost broke down at the nicknames. She hadn't heard those in years. “Sí,” she smiled. “Those are my older sisters. Do you know where they are? Can you take me to them?” Mirabel asked, looking almost desperate. But she was. She was desperate. Desperate to see her family, the family everyone but her seemed to forget existed.

“Maybe,” Antonio said with a drawl. “If you play hide and seek tag with me” Antonio smirked.

Mirabel nodded. “Yes! Of course! But only if you promise to take me to them after we're done.”

“Deal!” Antonio jumped in excitement. “Ok. You go here,” he guided her to a short hall, one she recognized where they kept the spare blankets and towels and other storage. “And I'll hide! Then you come find me, and tag me! If you catch me, I'll take you to see the whole familia!” Antonio said, spreading his arms wide.

Mirabel began counting. She was on auto pilot though. All she could think about was seeing her family again. For 10 years, she had been isolated from them, stuck in a home she hated and never allowed to even speak of them. Her family name as a whole became taboo. And no matter how much she hated it, she could only ever be referred to as a ‘Rojas’. Not that she had any problems with her fathers last name, but it was heartbreaking to have to hide and argue about being a Madrigal.

So when she got through those walls, she knew this might be her only chance to see them again. Even if it was only one more time. She wasn't about to let it go. Not when all she had to do was play a little game. A game she had played, with Camilo of all people, and won several times.

She had this in the bag.

—

Mirabel was panting, watched as Antonio flapped his small wings, barely managing to scramble over the railing, his giggles filling Casita. “You…that's cheating,” she huffed, though not with any malice. “No wings!”

Antonio simply stuck his tongue out, squealing when Casita helped Mirabel up the stairs faster. She chased after him, catching a second wind as she passed by the many family photos. The thought of seeing them again gave her the motivation she needed.

She chased after him, and her fingers barely grazed his scarf before he ducked down. Mirabel stumbled, tripping over her own feet as she narrowly avoided tripping over Antonio. She hit the ground with a thud. Her glasses went flying, but before she could feel around for them, she heard Antonio giggling.

“I have your glasses!” He teased, before running off.

“H-Hey! Wait, I can't see!” Mirabel called, standing up. Casita helped her, using the railings to guide her. While she wasn't blind, her vision certainly wasn't the best, something she inherited from her father.

Antonio giggled more as he ran down the stairs and into the dining room. Mirabel rolled her eyes but laughed as she walked after him, hands out. She felt against the walls, barely managing to get down the stairs. It was a miracle she hadn't completely tripped and fell down, but that was mostly thanks to Casita.

This game had been going on for a while though.

She had been there for a couple hours by this point, and had been playing with Antonio the whole time, trying to meet her family. And sure, he had jaguar ears, a monkey tail and wings. But after Mirabel talked to him, she realized that he was like any other 4 year old. She was scared of him at first, but quickly got used to him, seeing that he wasn't a threat and really just wanted to play.

"Antonio! I can't see!" Mirabel said half playfully and half seriously. She really couldn't see, and she had hit two pillars trying to follow Antonio's voice.

"Welllll if you want your glasses and dinner you have to find me!" Antonio said from the next room.

Mirabel chuckled as she continued to head towards the room where she heard talking. Clearly the others lived here, though she didn't know who was in the room with her. Well, she assumed that anyway, after all, there's no way it was just little Antonio and Casita. He had told her the family was here after all.

"Antonio...where...did you get those glasses?" A shaky voice asked, and Mirabel rammed into another wall with a thud.

"Oh, they belong to Mirabel!" Mirabel heard Antonio say happily, and she could hear him running around.

"What?" A different voice said and there was a clash of lightning.

Was there a storm? Mirabel shook her head. It was sunny, she must be hearing things. But…then again, her tía Pepa…well, she wasn’t sure if the gifts were even still there. She didn’t see the candle in the window after all.

She finally seemed to make it into the dining room, not before slamming into yet another wall. She rubbed her head, already knowing that there would be a bruise on her forehead where she kept hitting the wall.

"Antonio? Where are you?" Mirabel squinted, arms still waving around. She entered the room and her eyes fell on the table that was full of people. She really could only see figures sitting at the table. Nothing distinct. Was it her family? All of them were looking at her. Her eyes were unfocused, cause she couldn't make out any of them. Only one she could remotely see was just a giant light, though it seemed to flicker in and out.

"Mirabel!" Antonio latched onto her leg and she petted his head.

"There you are jaguarcito," Mirabel said, still squinting, to which he smiled. "W-Where'd you put my glasses? I can't see," she looked around again, still squinting at the blobs of color.

"Tio Agustin has them," Antonio said and Mirabel paused. Agustin? Wait…her father? Was he in the room? Were these blobs her family? She still couldn't really tell…

Mirabel looked up again and saw two figures slowly round the table and walk infront of her. One of them put the glasses on her face, and she blinked. Her eyes came back into focus, and she finally got a good view of the two figures and jumped a foot in the air. They flinched, and so did she, but...but then she paused.

They looked solemn. But as soon as they laid eyes on Mirabel, their eyes lit up, and watered. Mirabel stared for a moment more. And then she finally processed it, her brain catching up. She didn't know why she didn't recognize them before, but from the countless photos her grandparents tried to hide from her, she finally recognized them. From the vague, foggy memories, she recognized them. 10 years of trying so hard to remember what they looked like.

These were her parents. Meaning the rest of them had to be her family. They just...looked different. But based on Antonio, they didn't seem to act any different. Mirabel was very small when she left, leaving the only place she knew as her home. The place her grandparents would never mention. And from a young age she had been told by her grandparents that her family died. That she'd never get to meet them.

She never believed that. Not really.

And now that she had gotten over that wall and into Casita...

She looked at her mother. She looked virtually the same, just older, but Mirabel expected that, it had been almost a decade. The only difference was that she had stitches covering her body. Different threads decorating her limbs and face. To be honest, Mirabel thought it was beautiful, she liked the vibrant colors.

She looked at her father and at first just thought he was a little damp. Upon examining him more, she realized that he was quite literally soaking wet. He was covered in sea grass. His hair covered most of his face, seeing that it was wet and it clung to him. He had aquatic features; it didn't really bother Mirabel, honestly. Not after seeing Antonio, not that the physical appearance of her parents was her first priority. His glasses were the same round shape as hers and she smiled at that, wider than before.

Mirabel said nothing as she moved her hand up towards her father and he flinched, other family members gasping. Mirabel paused, but ultimately moved to finally brush the wet hair out of his face. And upon seeing his full face, he looked just like the pictures.

"Pa...pa?" She said slowly. And suddenly his eyes lit up even more than they already did, and he picked her up, hugging her tightly. She was getting absolutely soaked, but that was the least of her concerns, considering she literally just found out her family was still alive. Not that she ever doubted it of course.

"You're here! You're alive!" Her father shouted gleefully spinning her around.

"Agustin calm down, you're getting her wet, and you're gonna make her dizzy!" She heard her mother say, in the same fretting voice she always did when she was young. A voice she hadn't heard in years...

Agustin placed her down and she tried to keep her balance, eyes moving back and forth for a moment. "A little late for that mamá," Mirabel said, and Julieta choked back a sob for a moment. Mirabel had just called her mamá. And so casually too. She really hadn't forgotten. Not like the townsfolk.

"It really is you," Julieta whispered, and her moved to touch Mirabel's cheek, to which the girl leaned into slightly. Julieta smiled as her eyes teared up more and she heard other family members standing up from their chairs.

She had missed her youngest so much.

Julieta finally let go, though still held Mirabel's hands in her own. She turned to look at the family who were just…staring at her. Their mouths agape.

Before she could even get a hello out, her whole family was on her.

Notes:

See you guys after BMT 🦅🦅🦅🦅

Chapter 9: You’re Home! You’re Alive!

Summary:

Mirabel is back! And…alive?

Notes:

Hey…hey…how y’all doin 😞

NO BUT I AM. SO SORRY. I’ve literally been so busy with work, and I’m starting to post everywhere else again. I was gonna do Mama Isa, but I’m a little stuck, so I decided to come back to this good old story <333 definitely going under a bit of redevelopment, but nothing currently written will change, so worry not!!!

Also I would’ve posted sooner but uh. I had a bone eating cyst in my upper jaw and had to get it removed and get a bone graft <33

ANYWAY ENJOY!!!! Angst upcoming…

Mirabel could barely breathe as she was smothered by her family. Of course, she couldn't care less.

After all, years of not seeing them, years of being told that they were dead, or worse, didn't exist…she didn’t even want to think about how much she had heard that over the years.

“You're back! You're back!” Isabela squealed, her vines wrapping around Mirabel's legs. She could feel flowers bursting in her curls, next to countless kisses she was receiving. “And you're alive!”

“Of course I'm alive!” Mirabel said. “I-I sent letters, remember?” She exclaimed.

Suddenly the smothering paused. Mirabel was pushed back slightly. Her eyes scanned their faces, completely ignoring their inhumane appearances.

“What?” Julieta asked quietly, laughing in disbelief. “What letters?”

“You sent letters?” Camilo asked, his tails flicking.

Mirabel glanced between them. “Yeah. Remember, all those years ago! I would fold them into airplanes and throw them over the wall. But then…then you guys stopped replying. But I kept sending them.”

Julieta suddenly blinked, tears forming in her eyes. Almost like she was remembering something. She shook her head, backing away. Agustín followed after her, helping her sit down. Tears flowed from her eyes, streaming down her patchwork cheeks. “You…You sent…”

Mirabel looked confused. Her eyebrows furrowed. “What happened? What's wrong?” Mirabel asked, wanting to go to her mother but now knowing what to say.

“Mirabel,” Pepa said gently. The girl turned to look at her aunt. Her form was strange, not stable. Made of soft clouds, of all kinds. Lightning flashed beneath her skin. “The letters stopped coming only a few months after you left. We thought…well…we…”

Pepa couldn't finish her sentence. Camilo could though. “We thought you were dead.”

“...Dead?”

—

Mirabel’s head was in her hands as she sat at the table. She looked up, the family surrounding her. She opened her mouth, stumbling on words she didn't even know.

“S-So…let me get this straight. You thought I was dead…because I stopped sending letters? A-And you think the candle cursed me?” Mirabel asked, looking between her family members in disbelief.

“Well we thought that since the candle did…this, to us,” Agustín said, gesturing to the others. “That it must've…killed you. Because you were the only one not in the house when it happened.”

“We thought that maybe the candle was punishing us, by punishing you,” Julieta whispered. “We thought we had done something wrong.”

“We mourned for months. Years even,” Felíx shrugged, his light dimming slightly. “Even after Antonio was born, we kept your side of the nursery the same. I tried for months to try and escape.”

“So the vines, the wall, the constant storm of clouds above Casita?” Mirabel asked. “That wasn't any of you? It was the candle?”

The family seemed unsure even with that explanation.

“We don't actually know,” Luisa muttered. “We never really figured it out. Just that we were cursed.”

Mirabel's mind raced. She felt dizzy. “But then…why wasn't I cursed? Even when I was outside of Casita, the magic…” Mirabel stammered. “Is it because I didn't get a gift? Am I not…Am I…”

“No! No, no, never that mija. A gift doesn't define you. It never will, it's not because of that,” Julieta said, quickly moving to wrap her daughter in a hug.

“Y-Yeah! Besides, Tío Agustín and Papá are still cursed,” Camilo tried to say cheerfully. Though the context didn't really help…”I mean, Antonio was born like that. So that means that it's not you!”

Mirabel stared at the table. “Where's the candle now?” She asked, finally. The question she had mostly been avoiding. “Where's Abuela?”

The sharp crack of thunder sounded, and a flash of lightning beamed as Pepa's whole form visibly darkened. The usually white clouds darkened to a deep gray, and she turned her face away from Mirabel. But the girl could already see the dark look in her eyes, in all of their eyes; except for Camilo and Antonio. Maybe Luisa.

“Abuela's in her room right now,” Bruno rumbled.

Mirabel seemed to perk up. Not really reading the room, for once. She was just excited to hear about her Abuela. After all, surely she missed her. Surely she could explain all of this. How to fix it.

“R-Really? Where, I wanna see her! Oh, I haven’t seen her in so long–” Mirabel had moved to stand, but Julieta grabbed her, pulling her back down into the chair. Her grip was unusually firm.

“She's not…feeling well. Not now. She won't talk to anyone right now,” Julieta muttered, her eyes flickering with barely contained rage. Though it was obviously not pointed at Mirabel; it was towards Alma.

Mirabel thought about protesting but something in her told her to just stop. Not to push it. And Mirabel was never one to back down, but now? This was the time to just…move on.

Antonio, sensing the tense atmosphere, slipped out of Pepa's lap and scrambled under the table. There was a thump as his wings hit the bottom of the furniture and helped climb up to Mirabel's lap.

“Can we show her my room?” Antonio asked; or rather, told. It wasn't much of a question as he was already pulling Mirabel along to the other part of the house.

Camilo quickly followed after, and so did Luisa, both arguing about who would get to show off their room to Mirabel next and who she was going to spend the night with. Mirabel didn't protest the sleepover. She didn't really find herself wanting to leave.

Isabela barely cast a glance before she rushed off after them. Dolores lingered in the dining room, glancing at her parents and extended family.

“Go on mija. Go spend time with your prima” Felíx said, shooing her off. The girl's ears perked as she rushed off to join the rest of the kids.

Julieta visibly deflated. Her stitches began to loosen; evidence of her growing distress. Agustín quickly moved to pull the ones he could tighter. “Mi amor, please, I know you're worried, but…she's back!”

Julieta was crying now. Pepa had drifted to her side, her hand resting on her back. She barely felt it. “I know…I know, but what if…what if it takes her too? What if she's stuck in this–this nightmare like we are?”

Bruno had walked over now, her towering form dropping down onto the floor next to his sister. “Come on, you don't know that,” he said, his voice soft and comforting despite the growl that perpetually covered it.

“But I do! Look at Antonio! He was born like that, he didn't even—,” she stopped herself, not wanting to hurt Pepa. She remembered the day the boy had been born, seeing the love and heartbreak in her sister and brother-in-law's eyes. They still adored the youngest, of course but it didn't change how they realized they really were stuck like this. “I just don't want her to end up like us.”

Agustín squeezed Julieta's hand. “It won't be like that, I promise. We'll find a way. For all of us,” he pulled her into a hug, kissing her forehead.

“I hope so. God, I hope so,” she sobbed.

Notes:

YIPPIE BUT ALSO NOOOOOOO poor Julieta <333 which the context is worse consider how I’m currently thinking of writing it <33

HOPE YOU ENJOYEDDDD!! MORE LATER!!!

Notes:

HOPE YOU ENJOYEDDD RAHGGGG