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Chapter Text

The darkness of night had come quickly. Recent events were still deeply shaking the Madrigals. Casita had collapsed, just like that, the Madrigals had hit rock bottom and had no chance to understand this fact until it was too late. Still, some members of the dysfunctional family had seen this tragedy draw near. The first hidden between the walls, under a formidable silence about the things he had seen approaching, praying that his non-intervention would somehow prevent this fate from being sealed as inevitable. The other a young woman, a girl who knew more than she let on, who has learned to shut up her worries and the secrets spilled from the mouths of others, which she couldn't help but hear. Another, an older woman with a strong character and stubbornness, who only wanted to see what she wanted to see, believe what she wanted to believe, and refused to admit the truth in front of her nose, despite the great pain it caused her, wasn't surprised at the end by the way things turned out. In her effort not to lose her home, she ended up causing its downfall. And finally, one last young woman, the youngest of all, had received the signs, she had learned the truth and despite the fact that no one believed her, she decided to step forward and do something about it, refusing to let everything collapse in front of her. She heard her cue and saw it as an opportunity to prove herself worthy.

But things had fallen apart very quickly. It seemed that the moment one of the Madrigals became aware of their flaws, their cracks, everything went against the clock, and time was up. Yet still stunned by events they hadn't seen coming, the family quickly shook off their shock and focused on more pressing matters, in some ways far more distressing than the loss of their home.

Because Mirabel had left. Fled to who knows where and with who knows what intentions, but the Madrigals had three things very clear. One: that Mirabel blamed herself for everything, two: that this wasn’t the first time a member of the family has left them and Three: that none of them were willing to lose anyone else in their family. Therefore, the fear and anguish were palpable in each Madrigal. Night had come in the blink of an eye, the Madrigals had quickly spread out around the town, looking for their youngest female member. And in the middle of all the commotion, was the youngest of the Madrigal: Antonio. Sitting with his knees bent, his arms around them, on a piece of fallen cement, from what had once been part of the walls of Casita, he saw around him the townspeople milling around, completely shocked and unsettled, a small group of villagers, old men and women, talking to each other in whispers, Abuela was with them, although the woman had not said a word, in a trance. Antonio shifted uncomfortably in his place, feeling the heaviness in the air, so that every second became too much for him. He turned around, trying to find even the slightest bit of comfort. He immediately thought of Mirabel, but his cousin wasn't there, that's why everyone was so worried, and he was scared, and his cousin wasn't there to comfort him, so he called the other person who came to mind, and who he knew must be somewhere nearby.

"Mamá! Mamí!" Antonio cried out for his mom, who appeared from the rubble, the woman discreetly wiping a couple of tears from her own eyes, holding in her hands the frame of a freshly taken photo, which she quickly discarded in favor of rushing to her son. Antonio opened his arms and Pepa immediately hugged him against her chest. The boy immediately burst into tears.

"Antonio, what is it, papito? What’s wrong?" The boy cried for a while longer, before speaking between broken sobs.

“E-everything, everything is wrong, why…why did the Casita fall? W-Why was Abuela yelling at Mirabel? And w-where is Mira?!” the boy looked directly at his mom with big eyes shining with tears, clinging to Pepa's dress "I want Mira!" The five-year-old quickly burst into tears. Pepa rocked him, trying to calm her anguish, the woman had a big frown of apprehension at her son's questions. Worst of all is that she didn't have the answers to any of his questions.

“I know, I know, mi niño. Don't worry, we'll be fine. Mirabel…Mirabel is upset, hurt…she needed some time alone.” The woman bit her tongue as a sob threatened to escape her lips, swallowing the lump in her throat, feeling terribly worried about her niece's well-being, but she couldn't point out that concern that weighed on her chest to her youngest son. She knows very well how close they are. She couldn't cause Antonio more anguish.

“Is she hurt? Did she get hurt when Casita fell? Antonio's frightened tone startled her, so she hastily reformulates. 

"No! No, Toñito, she's fine, physically… I mean she’s hurt because… you know that harsh and mean words can hurt people too, right? Antonio nodded, sitting back down pouting as he wiped away his tears. Pepa knelt in front of him.

“Abuela said mean things to Mirabel…” he murmured very sadly. Pepa responded in the same way.

“Yes, she did…”

“She was very bad. Why was Abuela mean to Mirabel? She just wanted to help save the miracle! It's not fair." The woman's heart broke when she heard her minor so disconsolate, clearly confused and in conflicted, he couldn’t understand why Abuela was mean with Mirabel, why his family didn't back her up when it all blew up. But Pepa was also concerned when Antonio said something about her niece wanting to "save the miracle", 'Is that what she has been trying all this time? That’s why she had acted so strangely? why she was asking about Bruno?' Knowing that now certainly didn't make her feel any better.

“What if she doesn't want to come back? What if she leaves us like Tío Bruno did? What are we going to do?! I don't want her to go, I love her, I want her! Why would she leave me?" Antonio cried once more. But Pepa did not react immediately, having been frozen by Antonio's words, it is a very present and very real fear that all the older Madrigals felt. Apparently, it had also become clear to the smaller one, she wondered for a moment if Antonio was right. He, although very young, knows his cousin well, probably much more than many members of the family, much more than her.

‘What if Mirabel didn't come back?’ Pepa took a deep breath and frantically shook her head, refusing to believe that they had lost her, that it was too late to make things right. Then, Pepa once again hugged the youngest fiercely.

"Don't say that. Mirabel won't leave, she'll come back, we'll find her” exclaimed Pepa, repeating her words in her mind, wanting to convince herself “She would never leave you, Toñito, she loves you very much. She will soon be back, and then we can all shower her with lots and lots of love."

Pepa praying that her words are true, that Mirabel just needed to clear her mind, that she will eventually come back, that they will find her, that she won't leave like her dear brother did. The woman shook her head ever so slightly, pushing those thoughts away. After a few minutes, the five-year-old's sobs had stopped, and he just hiccupped as he leaned against Pepa's chest. The woman sighed in relief, before returning with a dismayed look towards the confines of the forest. For Antonio's sake, for the sake of this family, Mirabel had to come back.

Time passed, up to three weeks after the collapse of the Casita. That morning turned out to be calm and cool, the sky had turned cloudy and gray, it had rained the night before and the dew covered the green grass and every leaf of tree and bush of the tropical forest around the Encanto. In which forest the little Antonio was now, of course, he wasn’t too deep into it, but at the edge of the forest, he could see the crop field, some workers, and some houses, and even the Casita in the distance. But he was far enough away to be alone. He walked with practiced agility over the upraised roots of the trees, kicking up small stones with his feet and brushing his hand against the dew-covered bushes, getting his hands wet.

Despite the calm atmosphere, the youngest of the Madrigals was completely immersed in heavy conflicting thoughts. Downcast eyes, and without paying special attention to the surroundings, vaguely passing through his mind the voice of his mom warning him to be very careful when being near the forest, because of the wild animals that could be found there. But the boy had never been afraid of animals, neither domestic nor wild, nor insects or arachnids. On the other hand, children his age, unknown adults…maybe he does fear them a little, but never animals; animals can't say mean things to you and they are always there for you, at least that's what he thought. For a moment, he thought that he would never have reason to fear them at all, since he received his gift, because even the ferocious jaguar was his friend, the key word being "was". Because, a few weeks ago he lost his gift, like the rest of his family, and he had only been able to enjoy it for two days. Parce, Pico, and all his other animal friends had fled into the deep forest and he hadn't seen them since, he tried to talk to the birds, dogs, donkeys or cows, and none of them had anything to say or failing that, he could no longer understand them.

Then once again, somehow, he found himself alone. Since then, he often found himself here, on the edge of the forest, looking for a little comfort. Everything had changed so suddenly and he couldn't understand how or why, none of the adults wanted to tell him anything clear. Antonio walked a little further until he stopped dead, his gaze fixed on the floor, feeling the wet earth against his feet, his shoes dirty with mud.

He felt sad, of course, at the loss of his newfound friends, but, if he was alone here today it was because he couldn't even enjoy the company of his favorite person. Mirabel.

Mirabel had always been there for him, whenever he was sad, lonely or scared, was always there available for him, to give him a smile, to play with him, to tell him stories. But overnight other members of his family started wanting to spend time with her, and now she had no time for him. She was always in the day in her sewing projects, or helping in the construction of Casita or with Luisa or Isabela, Tío Bruno or Tía Julieta, even his mom had started talking to Mirabel, and he had never seen her have so lively talks with his older cousin, ever! Now whenever he asked her to hang out to play, she already had someone else to hang out with, she would always apologize with a sorry smile and tell him that they would hang out “another time” except that time had never came! and at the end she would ruffled his hair playfully just like she used to do when it was just the two of them, and which made him laugh and feel very happy, but now it was only beginning to make him sad because right after, she would just walk away and go after whoever decided to steal her away from him this time.

And this fact annoyed him, it made him mad, because now everyone got to hang out with Mirabel and he didn't, and since when did they started to get along with Mira? They had never paid attention to her before. It pissed him off so much that he couldn't help but explode about it the day before. Although now remembering the event embarrassed him a little, for drawing so much attention from his family in that way, but at the same time he is still angry, very angry. The little boy clenched his fists, frowning and slightly pouting as he recalled the events of the previous day, when he realized that if Mirabel had turned away from him, preferring to spend time with others, it was probably his fault, even though he once thought no one more than him deserved her. ‘And tía Julieta, she has always been nice’

THE DAY BEFORE

After a morning full of activities, the Madrigals quickly cleared out. It was mid-afternoon, shortly before dinner, when Pepa entered the modest Rodriguez house through the back door with a big box full of objects, followed by another man, Mr. López, with two other equally full boxes. The woman wore a wide smile as she placed the heavy box on the dining room table. The redhead let out a deep breath.

"Very well! You can place this box here as well. Thank you very much, Mr. López” Pepa said, before starting to investigate among the boxes. Her sister Julieta, who was cooking dinner in the kitchen, turned around to see all the commotion, dried her hands with a cloth and approached the table.

“It's no bother” Mr. López replied kindly. The man nodded towards Pepa and towards Julieta saying goodbye to them "See you then, and please let me know if you need anything else" With that said, the man crossed the back door and left the house.

"Ohh, are all these things recovered from Casita?" questioned the brunette, taking one of her kitchen aprons out of one of the boxes, it was one that Mirabel had made and given her when she was ten years old, back then the girl still needed to sharpen her skills, but the woman always appreciated every gift given by her daughters with all her heart, so she was glad she could still keep some of it.

"Yes, it is! Finally, we have been able to collect all the things, the broken ones have been thrown away or repaired, and the fabrics and clothes have been washed. In fact, we already had them collected a week ago, but with all the work of building the Casita, I only had time to go for this today. And look!" the woman leaned over to her sister, and she whispered covering her mouth out of sight with one hand, as if she were confessing some spicy gossip "Here are some good relics" 

Julieta smiled at her sister's good humor. She had never seen her sister as relaxed as she was when she lost her gift, and honestly, seeing her like this made her happy. The sisters spent the next half hour digging up the recovered items, mainly kitchen items, books, some framed photos, tablecloths, trinkets, and even some photo albums. The progress had been little since both women paused their investigation for each object that came out that brought them melancholy memories. And inevitably, they also came across many peculiar objects that belonged to Bruno, in his time living within the walls. This particular discovery weighed heavily on the sisters, who did not mention it to each other as they went on. A while later, Alma had arrived, who covered Julieta's place helping Pepa, and so the woman returned to the kitchen to finish dinner. Shortly after, Isabela had arrived too, after a long day of gardening.

“Is that my old doll from when I was a child? I loved that thing!” she said, before joining them.

Before long, the rest of the Madrigal family had been reunited, except for three of the grandchildren. Camilo was outside, probably having fun with some friends, he had told his mom earlier not to expect him for dinner. Pepa wasn't very happy, but she let it go. Two others who were not found were Mirabel and Luisa, who were having another one of their "sister union" days. Thus, all the others were gathered around the table reviewing the recovered objects while they talked and recalled all the memories that It brought back. Julieta had served some drinks and appetizers to make this little impromptu family gathering more enjoyable. She wished that her other two daughters and her nephew were here. Antonio sat at the table next to his older sister. He quickly leaned over to her and asked in a low, slightly shy voice.

"Where is Mirabel?" Dolores smiled slightly at him, knowing he was probably asking her out of habit. Since with her gift, she usually knew where everyone was and what they were doing. Although she no longer has her gift, she still likes to find out where her relatives are and what their daily activities are. It brings her comfort.

"I think she's with Luisa somewhere in town, bonding as 'sisters,'" she replied quietly. Antonio looked at her for a few seconds with his eyes wide open and frowning. 

"Again? But it's the second time this week. And It's only Wednesday!" He complains "Is she coming for dinner?"

“Not sure. She and Luisa might be a little late”

“Why?”

“When you have fun, you don't realize how much time passes." She shrugged.

“Ah…okay” Antonio lowered his gaze discouraged. Dolores briefly stroked his cheek in comfort. 

‘Mirabel is not here again… why does she have to go out so much? Is Luisa funnier than me? That's not fair…'

Dolores was about to ask what’s wrong until her Tío Bruno’s voice distracted her

"Ohh! Check it out, It's my theater stage! It is not assembled but I am surprised that the parts aren't broken” Bruno said, presenting said pieces to his nieces, Isabela and Dolores, who were sitting together. Isabela frowned in confusion for the “theater stage” size.

“So…you used to make puppets and performed plays to pass the time?” the young woman questioned, closely inspecting the small stage in her hands.

“Uh…well, no. A-Actually, I had the help of my best actors, the rats!” The man exclaimed, pulling a rat out of his ruana like a magic trick. Isabela leaned back in her seat, startled.

"Rats?!"

“They are very good actors” defended Bruno, with his arms crossed. As if that was Isabela's concern. Dolores next to her smiled knowingly, and she pressed a hand on her cousin's shoulder.

“Tío Bruno writes some of the most interesting novels I ever heard. I think you would like it" Isabela looked at her as if she had grown a second head

"Yeah…sure"

On the other side of the table, the older sisters were glued to each other, inmerse into a photo album. Felix was standing behind Pepa, leaning over to see the photos and Abuela Alma, at the head of the table, also leaned towards them interested

"Oh look, mom!" Pepa exclaimed, bringing the book closer to the woman “It's us as children! weren't we cute?" The woman shows her a photo of the three of them when they were around eight or ten. Pepa was in the middle hugging her siblings by the shoulders, squeezing them with her arms towards her with a huge toothless smile, Julieta on her left wore an amused smile while she saw Bruno on Pepa's right side, wearing an uncomfortable smile trying to escape from Pepa's iron grip. 

"You certainly were, mija." the woman smiled. 

"There are many photos that were recovered, it's a relief" Agustín commented, on the other side of Julieta, clearly less excited than his wife and sister-in-law for the pictures. The man reached for a framed photo from the bottom of the box, and turned it over to see the picture on it. His face visibly lit up.

“Hey, look! This photo is recent; It is the photo of Antonio's ceremony "

The boy immediately perked up upon hearing his name mentioned. Antonio knelt on the chair and leaned across the table, trying to get to the other side of the table to see the picture. This comment ended up drawing the attention of all the Madrigals, they all came closer and leaned over to see the photo, and comment on the party, once again ignoring the elephant in the room, on the fact that Antonio no longer had his gift as well as everyone else. But, unnoticed by the others, the one most excited of the people present to see their childhood photos, Pepa, had suddenly tensed at the mention of that particular picture. She now remembers, that while they were collecting and putting the items in the boxes, she had put this particular image all the way to the bottom. She wondered how long it would take for the rest of the family to find out what she did when she first saw this picture some weeks ago. She wasn't sure she would like the answer. She felt Felix's hand on her shoulder since the man had also seen the photo before, this time it didn't do much to calm her nerves.

The photo passed through the hands of all the Madrigals, apparently without noticing anything out of the ordinary, which broke Pepa's heart, until it ended up in the hands of her youngest son, who looked at the image for much longer as he remembered—According to him— the best day of his short life. (Of which the worst would then probably follow).

That her youngest son turned out to be the one to notice the problem in this photo was somehow even more heartbreaking for Pepa than if no one had seen anything.

Antonio kept looking at the image carefully, wanting to record in his mind every inch of the image and along with it every second of the memory of his birthday party. He remembers being ecstatic after receiving his gift, and to have all of his animal friends, and he was even happier to be able to share that moment with his loved ones, now that he was just like them. The rest of the Madrigals left the boy with the photo and continued their conversations. All except Pepa and Felix who were looking at their son carefully, wondering. It was only a few seconds after that it happened. Antonio frowned, noticing something strange in the image, before opening his eyes and turning to see his mother.

"Mamá! Mamá!" he exclaimed in a panic, as if he was scared. This caught the attention of the Madrigals, who immediately became worried. Pepa felt her heart stop, knowing what was coming.

"What? What's wrong Toñito, are you okay? Abuela questioned. Julieta inspected him from top to bottom trying to catch any wounds on him, although she couldn't heal it instantly, it was a habit for her to do so anyway. Beside him, Dolores leaned toward him, trying to snap him out of his trance.

"Antonio? hermanito, what is it?" She shook his shoulder trying to get his attention, but he kept looking at his mom confused.

“Mom, something is wrong with the photo. Mirabel is not here!”

"What?!" was the joint cry of Bruno, Isabela and Abuela.

"I don't understand, this is the family photo, she should be here!" he continues exclaiming, tears beginning to gather at the corners of his eyes. Pepa looked at him biting her lip and feeling terrible helpless with herself while her youngest son turned to all the adults, looking for answers. Then the photo was torn from his hands by Isabela, who inspected it closely.

“He's right, she's not here” she stated. And that's when the Madrigals really sunk in on this revelation.

"Oh, my baby" Julieta lamented, bringing her hands to her mouth, stifling a gasp.

"She obviously didn't approach for the photo" defended Isabela. She passing the photo to her parents. Who regretted even more to see it.

“But nobody insisted to her to join to the photo. We didn't even realize she wasn't there on the first place…” Dolores replied, staring into space with a heavy heart. She should have noticed the absence of her cousin, right? So, why she didn't? Bruno scoffed, crossing his arms, suddenly very serious, annoyed. Alma looked around with eyes like a deer in headlights.

"But why? Why didn't Mirabel approach to the photo? She didn't want to be in it?" Questioned the youngest of the Madrigals, still completely confused and feeling very bad for not noticing earlier that she wasn't there, and now that he thinks about it, he doesn't even remember seeing her at any time during the party.

“I don't think that was it, Toñito…” Dolores replied carefully. Not sure that she should tell Antonio about Mirabel's complicated feelings about… her place in her family. Of course, for Dolores, Mirabel is her dear cousin, undoubtedly part of the Madrigal Family, but what she thinks didn't matter if Mirabel felt left out anyway, and honestly, that was no one's fault but theirs. She understood her, she did it, but too late. And it broke her heart to do so, for having failed her. But Antonio, he is only five years old. How much does he know about this whole mess? How much should be told to him?

“All these years I left so that Mirabel would not be an outcast in this family. But it seems like It was useless huh?” Bruno said sarcastically, which only added insult to injury. It was a low blow, but deserved.

“We have to make it up to her. It can't stay like this” Isabela declared. Her parents nodded in agreement, they started making plans between them, like having a talk, outings and activities to make Mirabel see that they were sorry, that she was seen.

Antonio watched as they perked up, planning a thousand more activities with Mirabel. Unlike the others around him, this did not excite or bring him relief. He ignored his own feelings of guilt as he was filled with a feeling of rage completely contrary to his calmer nature. 'No no, this wasn't right, now they have another excuse to spend more time with her, but then when will she spend time with me? That's not fair. Mirabel shouldn't want to spend time with them after how they ignored her, they used to be always so busy. Why is it different now? Why do they care now?'

Then Antonio interrupted.

"What do you care?" Antonio spat, incredibly sharp and serious, frowning at Isabela, his voice however had been so low that she might not have heard him. But she had, they all had. The young woman blinked in shock. Silence suddenly filled the dining room, everyone so surprised by the tone of the youngest, who had always been the sweetest and shyest of children.

"Excuse me?" she replied, between offended and completely confused, completely expecting that she had misheard. Antonio clenched his fists and stood on the chair, trying to stand as tall as Isabela.

“Since when do you care? You hated her!” Several surprised gasps were heard around the table, including Isabela's own.

“Antonio Madrigal-” Felix scolded across the table, interrupted by his niece's furious response.

"What?! what do you know? I never hated my sister!”

"It's not what she used to tell me" he replied, undaunted by the attention she received. His words silenced the young woman, who winced, “None of you noticed that she wasn't in the photo. You had never wanted to spend time with Mira before, I was the only one who wanted her! And now that you suddenly take an interest in her, you took her away from me and she doesn't want to spend time with me anymore, it's not fair!" He slammed his foot against the seat of the chair he was standing on.

"Antonio, please calm down" demanded Pepa firmly.

"No! It's…it's not fair!” the boy began to hyperventilate, tears fell from her eyes “I used to saw her trying to get your attention, but you would always dismiss her saying that you were too busy, that you didn't have time to spend with her. I would hear her constantly sighing in the kindergarten, bored because she had no one to talk to or play with. I used to hear her cry…at night, she would think I was asleep, but I always knew that you ex-ecs-cluded her. Because none of you cared! But I was always there, and she was there for me too. And… and I don't understand why… why no one ever notice her… why she wasn't in the picture. Why-why didn't I notice her absence…” The boy then burst into sobs, collapsing in the chair. The Madrigals went from being confused, dumbfounded, and a little outraged to completely worried. Hearing Antonio's confession of having heard Mirabel cry at night broke their hearts, they wondered how much Antonio really knew about Mirabel's feelings, those that she has been sharing little by little but still does not fully admit. He and Mirabel were close, right? Even if he was just a child, it seems that he was not to be underestimated. Pepa immediately got up and ran to her youngest son, picking him up in her arms. The boy, however, did something she never imagined, he resisted. Still feeling incredibly angry with everyone in the room (and maybe even with himself too) he squirmed in Pepa's arms, trying to get her to release him.

"No! Let me go, you are all bad! You were mean at Mira and now you're stealing her away from me! And none of you deserve her!" Another low blow for all the Madrigals, who shuddered. Pepa's eyes had begun to water too.

"Toñito, please. Mirabel already knows about the photo. And I talked to her about it. She forgives us. It’s fine. Breathe”

“Wait, did you already know about this? And did you talk about it with Mira without telling me first?” her sister Julieta questioned her. Pepa made an apologetic face for not having told her about it.

"What?... Does Mirabel know that she was not included in the photo?" Antonio questioned surprised, but no more relieved, but on the contrary. He believes without a doubt that it must have hurt Mirabel a lot, he would have felt very sad.

“It wasn’t your fault at all, Toñito-” Pepa interrupted herself, overwhelmed

 Tears fell in a hot torrent from his eyes. Under the watchful eyes and frowns of his family 'Are they mad at me for yelling at them? Just as Mirabel is probably mad at me, and that's why she prefers to play with Luisa', because I forgot her, now she is forgetting me'. His little heart broke at this realization, feeling the weight of guilt. With a strong shudder he finally gets out of Pepa's iron grip and falls without much care to the ground, the adults around him scream in fear but he falls and immediately runs away, because he didn't have his own room or much privacy in this small house, he ends up locking himself in the bathroom. The minor Madrigal huddled in a corner and wept uncontrollably.

 “I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Mira. Please forgive me, please don't hate me. I need you…I need you, please” he pleaded as he cried, muttering “sorry” over and over again

Antonio would not leave there until after dinner, despite the pleas of his parents.

Chapter Text

After Antonio ran to the bathroom, Pepa was about to go after him, but then she felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned to see Felix who had a worried look but shook his head, indicating to leave Antonio alone. The rest of the Madrigals remained in a sepulchral and uncomfortable silence; their cheerful mood completely gone. They looked into each other's eyes without saying a word, they knew they had screwed up, that they could have been better. And that the shy and sweet youngest of the family, only five years old, pointed out their faults to them, didn’t do much to appease the guilt, much less when only a couple of days ago they found out that Mirabel was being harassed and they had been unaware of it. Slowly and uncomfortably the family put the things back, Agustín and Félix carried the boxes and put them aside, Isabela, Dolores and Abuela set the table, Julieta with the help of her two siblings finished making dinner, and then everyone sat down to dinner.

And then things got even more awkward when Luisa and Mirabel arrived from a day together. It was jarring to see the lively attitude between the two sisters as they sat at the table completely unaware of what had happened in contrast to the tension that fell on everyone upon seeing the fifteen-year-old. With a few words from Abuela and a blessing over the meal, the family settled down to eat. The family kept glancing at each other before landing on Mirabel.

If the brunette noticed the recurring looks or the forced-joyfull interactions her family gave her, she didn't say a thing. For her part, Pepa continued to take long looks beyond the table and the living room, to the door that led to the bathroom. An hour had passed and Antonio had not come out. She imagined that he would be hungry.

"Hey, where's Antonio?" Mirabel asked the table in general. For a second everyone interrupted their conversation, turning to look at Mirabel, the tension back on the table. Some quickly covered up by averting their eyes and awkwardly continuing their talk. Mirabel ended up looking directly at her mother for answers. Who frantically looked with wide open eyes at her sister for help. Both sisters seemed to have a conversation of pure looks and indecipherable gestures. Mirabel frowned. Her Tía then cleared her throat.

“Well, Antonio isn't feeling…very well today. He won't be joining us for dinner.” Mirabel's countenance immediately turned to concern.

“Is he feeling bad? I can go keep him company then. I'm sure he can eat something light. I'll get him something.” The fifteen-year-old made to get up, before everyone simultaneously yelled.

"No!" Mirabel froze in the middle of getting up from her seat, she turned to see Luisa next to her, who was just as confused as she was. Then she sat down again very slowly. Completely suspicious, all she did was cross her arms and raise an inquisitive eyebrow that looked like an exact copy of Julieta when she waited for an explanation after any of the children had done some mischief. Pepa sighed deeply, defeated.

“Mirabel. The truth is that something happened earlier today that upset Antonio a lot. He is actually locked in the bathroom right now. And I think it would be better to leave him alone right now” Pepa admitted, preferring to be direct but without revealing anything exact yet, whatever Antonio's feelings were, it was something that Mirabel had to discuss directly with him.

"Upset? Is he sad? Is it because he lost his gift?” Mirabel's voice was full of concern. Her hands pressed against her skirt in anticipation. The family listened covertly but attentively to the conversation, from what they understood from the words expressed by Antonio, the boy felt abandoned by Mirabel, which seemed absurd to them, they only had to look at Mirabel's palpable concern for Antonio’s physical and emotional health to find out how much she loved him.

“No, it's not because of that, and I don't know if he's sad. Rather angry… at everyone.” Her words were said with caution and perhaps a bit of embarrassment, which intrigued the teen.

"What happened?"

“Mmhh, I'd better tell you later, okay? Now we should eat” her aunt smiled sweetly at her. Mirabel glanced behind her, toward the bathroom door, wondering what could be bothering her cousin so much. She turned back to her aunt, it didn't have to do with him losing his gift? After all, Toñito had been very down about it lately. Her Tía said that he got "angry" at everyone, but doesn't want to tell her why, so, what if he’s angry at her for having vanished the miracle and taken away his gift indirectly?

Mirabel knows that she is probably getting ahead of herself. And she has been repeatedly assured that she isn’t to blame for what happened, but did Antonio think the same? Will he walk away from her like everyone else once did? She shifted uncomfortably in her place, and wrung her hands.

“Does it have something to do with me?” she asked unsure. She could now feel multiple eyes on her simultaneously, she thinks she even heard Tío Bruno choke on with a piece of food. ‘So…it does have something to do with me’

"I'll tell you later, okay? I promise. But I assure you that you have done nothing but love and care for Antonio, cariño.” Mirabel frowned even more, having no idea how to interpret what her aunt had said. Isabela couldn't help but laugh at her face despite the situation.

Really, her aunt's words did nothing to appease her concerns. And she never considered herself a patient person, unless it came to her sewing projects. But a couple of minutes later sulking at having to wait, she finally sighed and went back to eating. In the end, the carefree talk of her sister Luisa next to her distracted her.

After dinner, Mirabel had hurried up to go to the bathroom, where her cousin was still doing who knows what, probably asleep, given the late hour. However, as soon as she got her butt off the seat of the chair, her mom pulled her by the arm towards the kitchen.

"Mom what-"

“Could you help me wash the dishes, mi vida?” she asked sweetly. Mirabel frowned, being obvious that the older woman just wanted to distract her and further postpone the conversation about Antonio. She glanced over her shoulder at her aunt, who deliberately avoided her gaze as she hurried to the bathroom, instead of her. Mirabel snorted in defeat as she turned to see her mom, but when the woman looked at her in such a sweet, loving and almost pleading way, the teen couldn't help but smile back and finally willingly help her mom with the dishes.

When Pepa entered the bathroom, she was not surprised to find Antonio asleep. She quickly picked him up to accommodate him on her bed. Now Antonio was sleeping in his parents' bed, in one of the two beds in the room where they stayed in the Rodriguez house. He would normally sleep next to Camilo on the sofa, but the little boy was very tired and he would need to replenish his energy with a good night's sleep in a proper bed, at least in Pepa's words. Who at that moment was sitting on the bed next to her son, affectionately stroking Antonio's dark curls, after having tucked him in bed. 

Antonio's words still echoed in the woman's head, worried and even embarrassed that her five-year-old boy knew more about her niece's feelings than she did herself. She believed that she had already gotten over those feelings of guilt, but moving on didn't seem to be that easy. Of course, she has done everything to be better and every day she feels more capable of forgiving herself, she cannot be discouraged every time she is reminded of her faults, which will probably happen many more times. The important thing is not to give up and try to be better. And she can say with certainty that she isn't the only one with this conviction, Isabela also gives all of herself, as well as Luisa and Julieta, and little by little everyone in the family is redeeming themselves.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a couple of knocks on the door behind her.

"Knock, knock" Pepa turned to see her little brother, her dear Bruno who had knocked on the doorway making his presence known, Pepa couldn't help but smile and imagines a rainbow appearing over her head when she saw him.

"Bruno..."

"Pepa, hey, how is Antonio?" he asked quietly, walking over to sit next to his sister. Peppa sighed.

“He is fine, tired. He fell asleep in the bathroom”

“Are you still thinking about it? About what happened before dinner?”

“Yeah…I didn't expect that from him. He is usually very sweet and shy you know?" Having said this, Pepa remembered that her brother, in fact, did not know his youngest nephew at all, Antonio had been born when he had already isolated himself in the walls, Bruno had not been able to meet his nephew first-hand when he was born, nor the years after, and there is much that one can learn living behind a wall, which separated him from his family. Her heart ached, as it would probably continue to ache for a long time. Bruno seemed to notice her anguish, because he took her hand and squeezed it. The expression on the man's face gave nothing away at this action, but she knew he was doing it to comfort her, so she smiled despite herself. And then she realizes that Bruno hadn't even mentioned anything about the family photo, without claiming her for it, he just wanted to comfort her.

“I don't know Antonio very well. Haven't had many interactions with him, you know?" Bruno's eyes were kind, and his words wary “But Mirabel, with whom I talk a lot more, tells me a lot about him. I can say without a doubt how much she loves him. And it is also evident how protective Antonio is of Mirabel. Somehow, it doesn't surprise me to much that Antonio broke out earlier” Pepa smiled tenderly. 

It had always seemed so sweet to her that her niece and son supported each other and how close they were, even when Mirabel was a teenager, she had found such a close relationship with Antonio. Made her wondered for a moment, if their closeness was due in part to that the teenager had no one else to turn to. Pepa shook her head, dispelling her guilty thoughts and focused again on Bruno. Who looked at her patiently, knowing that sometimes the woman would immerse on her own thoughts. Bruno never pressured her to refocus on the conversation. Just after Bruno noticed that his sister was paying attention to him again, he spoke slowly.

“What surprised me was that Antonio ever thought that Mirabel would forget him or put him off for someone else of the family”

"Antonio is very sensitive...it was probably too much for him to realize that he had 'forgotten' about Mirabel during the party, especially considering how aware he is of how we used to ignore her ourselves" she admitted, looking down at her lap in embarrassment. He felt her brother move closer to her, and a long, bony arm came around her back. Bruno pulled her close and hugged her from the side. Pepa leaned on his shoulder and continue.

“I always knew he and Mirabel were close, but I honestly didn't realize how close until today. How he knew all these things about Mirabel, about how she felt about… our neglect. Now I understand that Mirabel wasn’t the only one who had to forgive us for it, but that Antonio, being so protective of his older cousin, had also felt hurt on her behalf”

"He's a good kid" The siblings stayed like that, embracing each other for a few moments in silence. When they were younger, although very close, they had never taken the time to simply enjoy each other's company, always running around, joking around and on the go. But now as older adults and after all these years of separation. Pepa certainly enjoys these moments. 

“Hey, Mirabel is probably about to finish washing the dishes with Julieta, and when she does, she without a doubt will rush here. And I think I have something that could help with all of this.” Bruno got up from the bed and briefly left the room. Shortly after, he came back with something in his hands.

“Is that Antonio's stuffed animal? The one that Mirabel made for him on his birthday?”

“The one and only, yes”

“I thought it was lost when the Casita fell. Along with all of our belongings that were inside the magical rooms when they vanished” Honestly, to this day she has no idea how this whole miracle and magic thing works, but that none of their belongings were preserved was an unpleasant disgrace. Now she understands her mother a little more when she had to leave everything behind. ‘Except no one was lost this time, but found and reunited.’ 

“Actually, before Casita fell, Antonio had given it to me for the 'nerves' when I was about to made a vision in his room to help Mirabel save the miracle. I had taken it with me to my...’hidden living place’, so it didn't disappear. I was able to recover it after the Casita fell” Pepa nodded slowly, taking the stuffed animal in her hands, it was dirty, and mistreated, and teared in some places.

Outside the room, the two adults stopped listening to the clanking of the dishes and assumed that Julieta and Mirabel had already finished washing the dishes, no doubt it wouldn't be long until Mirabel arrived in the room. Bruno approached and very lightly stroked the sleeping Antonio's hair, before pressing his hand on Pepa's shoulder and leaving the room. A minute later, Mirabel came running into the room, so fast that she actually almost tripped over her own feet. Pepa couldn't help but smile. The woman placed the stuffed animal behind her.

"Tía, I'm already here!"

“Mirabel. Please, come and sit"

"Oh, Antonio is already asleep" the brunette mentioned, as she sat down "but he didn't eat anything…" Pepa didn't respond to her concerned comments, instead she took a deep breath, going straight to the point.

"Mirabel, earlier today the others found out about the photo at Antonio's ceremony" Mirabel frowned.

"The photo…? What pho- Oh…y-you mean that photo?” 

"Yes, that photo. Antonio didn’t react very well. He feels guilty.” The girl worried to heard that.

"Oh...he shouldn't, I don't blame him at all!"

"I know, but- well, honestly he wasn't the only one who felt guilty..." 

"We talked about that before, Tia, it's okay" Mirabel placed a hand on her arm, Pepa grabs it. Feeling a sudden burst of love for the girl in front of her. But she quickly focused on the matter at hand

"I know. But…let's say we're still processing it. Especially Antonio. He got very angry with us and told us…many things. And also, he misses you ” Pepa admits, without giving many details about it, knowing that Antonio had to open himself up to Mirabel.

"Oh. Is…is there anything I can do?" Pepa came closer to her, putting her arm around her niece. The woman voice sweet and gentle. 

“Spend some time with him. Let him know that it's not his fault. Besides, let's just say that he has a lot to say to you” Mirabel she frowned, feeling frustrated with herself for not realizing Antonio's feelings. The teenager watches Antonio sleeping in bed. His eyes were visibly puffy for tears previously shed, but his face looked peaceful.

“Here, this might help you” Pepa handed her the stuffed animal that she had kept hidden behind her. 

"That…how did you get it? I thought it was lost!"

“Me too. Bruno gave it to me. As you can see it got a bit of a tear here and there, nothing you can't fix, of course.” Mirabel nodded, already planning in her head what she would do to mend the stuffed jaguar, her eyes carefully scanning every damage and tear in it. Pepa placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder, and leaned down to meet her gaze. The woman smiled at her with amusement.

"Hey, I know that look" Pepa pressed a finger against her nose, snapping the girl out of her daydream "it's too late and you shouldn't be thinking about mending stuffed animals, or worrying more about Antonio tonight. I'll take care of that, okay? For now, you should go to sleep."

"Are you sure?" Pepa nodded with a reassuring smile. Mirabel looked down at her lap, squeezing the stuffed animal in her hands. Then she felt her aunt's hand caressing her face and a kiss on her forehead. Mirabel looked Pepa. And although the woman smiled slightly, her eyes seemed apprehensive.

“Mirabel, I love you very much, did you know that?” The teenager smiled tenderly.

“Of course I do, Tía. And I love you too"

Antonio was still walking through the forest, after remembering the previous night. Earlier today he had eaten breakfast in silence, no one had mentioned anything about his outburst the day before, it was really awkward. And it didn't help his mood when he overheard Mirabel that morning telling Tía Julieta that she would be spending the morning on another of her sewing projects. He had pretended that he hadn't heard and that he didn't care, but the truth was that it hurt him. Then Mirabel had said goodbye and left the house, probably gone to the sewing studio in town, so she wouldn't be interrupted. Without Mirabel around and without wanting to be close to the rest of the family, he had asked permission (or begged) to his mom to let him out, thinking she would reject him, punish him and make him stay with her, but after a hesitant look, she agreed. Which surprised him but he didn't question it as he ran off. And now he was here, alone and discouraged in the forest. His gaze remained glued to the floor when in that, his sight was met with a quick yellow flutter. Antonio’s attention quickly focused on it, and his gaze followed what was a big yellow butterfly, which after fluttering a few more meters in front of him, landed on a flower. Antonio smiled very slightly, approaching slowly, crouched down in front of the butterfly.

"You are very pretty. What are you doing here alone?” For a second he waited for the butterfly to reply, but it didn't. Instead, it took off from the flower and started to fly away. Antonio followed it at a distance, the butterfly would stop and perch on a flower here and then. For a moment he thought about memorizing the characteristics of the flower to later ask his cousin Isabela what kind of unknown flower that was, but then he remembered how angry he was with her the previous night. The boy felt his heart heavy as the bad feelings returned. 

A melody began to invade his ears, surprised, he concentrated on his surroundings, realizing that it was someone who was humming. The boy looked around. Behind him, and a few meters further on through the trees, there was a woman in her early thirties, with light skin, brown hair and fine features, who was sitting on the ground while picking flowers. Several bees were swarming around the flowers, and the woman was clearly trying to avoid them very cautiously. He looked at her for a few moments, the women clearly hadn't noticed his presence yet, but he quickly identified her as the Town's seamstress, Miss María Torres. For a moment the boy debated whether he should make himself known or he should take silent steps back and walk away. But he couldn't decide before the woman in question saw him

“Oh, Antonio? I didn't see you there! What are you doing here alone? Come, come quickly!” The boy hesitated a few seconds before approaching and kneeling next to Miss Torres.

"What are you doing, Miss Torres?" he asked politely

“I am picking these flowers. I like to put them in my garden, and they are a good reference when I want to embroider flowers. Normally I would ask Isabela to make some, but…” Her voice trailed off at the end. The woman bit her lip in concentration as she very carefully tried to shoo a bee away from a flower using a twig “Argh! That's why I like Isabela’s flowers, they don't usually attract so many bees!” she grumbled under her breath.

"You don't like bees?" Antony asked. The woman made a face.

“They scare me a bit. I'm allergic” she answered, choosing to take a different flower, since the stubborn bee refused to move away from the other one. Antonio slowly and fearlessly approached the bee with his hand, pushing it very slightly. He then plucked the flower and gave it to the woman, who smiled and thanked him.

“My Tío Agustín is also allergic, and his body always swells up sooo much when a bee stings him. So I understand” Antonio began to help the woman pick flowers.

"Ha! I've seen Agustín get stung a lot, hopefully my allergic reaction isn't that terrible. It's kind of funny to see him like that though, don't you think?" María laughed.

"Yes, you’re right! He always sounds so funny when he talks with a swollen nose!” the boy laughed, infected by her laughter. They kept picking flowers. Antonio noticed how the woman flinched slightly every time she got too close to a bee by surprise. "If you're afraid of being stung by bees, then why would you risk taking these flowers?"

“Because…sometimes some things are worth the risk” María said cryptically, before laughing at Antonio's intrigued face.

"But the bees aren’t bad, they only defend themselves when you bother them, you just have to be kind and leave them alone" Antonio was collecting the flowers and leaving them in a basket that the seamstress brought with her.

“I know they're not, but I'm a little afraid of them anyway. A bit silly right? An adult woman who is terribly afraid of bees” she said, observing how the child had at least four bees perched on him and he did not react in any way. Until he turned a little too quickly towards her, causing bees to flutter off his body. The brunette suppressed a frightened grimace that the bees have been provoked and sting the kid. But they just disperse.

“There is nothing wrong with being afraid! Even when you're an adult,” objected the minor.

 “Everyone is afraid of something. It is normal. I am not afraid of bees or animals, but I am afraid of the dark. And look, even though you are afraid of bees here you are picking flowers surrounded by bees and even though I am afraid of the dark, I only sleep with a small night light!” the woman snorted amused by the kid's enthusiasm "'It's okay to be afraid, as long as you don't let it control you'"

"Oh well! Those are very wise words. Where did you hear that?” Antonio froze, feeling his calm mood sink into discouragement.

"M-Mirabel told me" he murmured. The woman saw him out of the corner of her eye, noticing the change in his mood. Something had happened with him and Mirabel. ‘Had they had a fight or was Antonio just bummed out about something?’ Unfortunately, she doesn't know the little boy as much as she knows Mirabel. She remembers that the teenager had asked her the favor earlier that morning of staying in her workshop to mend a stuffed animal that she was crushing in her hands, which now that she thinks about it, must have belonged to Antonio, and Mirabel had also explicitly told her not to let Antonio find out of it. It's not like the boy was going to ask her anything anyways, she had thought at the time.

So she just assumed it would be a surprise gift, but maybe it's more of a consolation gift? If she didn't know Mirabel as well as she does (given how often she goes to her shop to buy sewing things apart from their shared hobby) she wouldn't have realized how uneasy she really looked, the girl was very good hiding her feelings behind a smile, but María wasn't fooled, she didn't say anything to her however, it seemed that whatever was bothering Mirabel, she already had it more or less resolved. She then remembers that she had found Antonio wandering in the woods alone in the first place. And she was just now wondering why. She's not usually a nosy woman, but the boy clearly needed comforting and she knows how much Mirabel loves the little one. With her mind resolved, María cleared her throat, turning to Antonio carefully.

"Everything is alright? I see you upset. You also looked upset earlier when I saw you walking around. Do you want to talk about it?” Antonio looked at her for a long time, debating in his head whether he should open up to the woman, that while she has been nothing but polite in her interactions, she was essentially a stranger. But she did know Mirabel. So maybe she can help him with these confusing feelings that he has? Maybe she can tell him how Mirabel feels, tell him if she's mad at him.

"Miss Torres, Mirabel is in your studio right now, right?" 

"Yes, she is. She is very busy sewing”

“Mm, yeah. She's been very busy lately” María noticed as the youngest of the Madrigal was about to add something else, but he held back. 

"Certainly, Mirabel is a girl who is always looking for something to do to entertain herself" 'And to be of help in something' she thought to herself.

“But lately she doesn't have time for me anymore. She always spends the whole day with one of her sisters or sewing or helping Tía Julieta cooking.” Maria stopped picking flowers and turned her full attention to Antonio, now that she is beginning to get an idea of what the problem was.

"And how does that make you feel?" 

"It makes me feel...angry, sad" he murmured looking down, pulling up the grass from the ground "It's as if Mirabel doesn't want to spend time with me anymore and that she is moving away from me because now she prefers to spend time with others"

“So…you're jealous,” Maria said, more like a statement. Antonio shrugged and fell silent. They stayed in long silence for a good few minutes, the woman racking her brain trying to find something else to say, but she decided to wait for Antonio to speak first. At first, she didn't understand why Mirabel spending time with her family would upset Antonio, but perhaps there was more to this matter that she didn’t know. She finally thought that Antonio would say no more, but then she heard a murmur. The woman subtly leaned closer to listen.

“Last night I was very upset with my family. I yelled at them. I yelled at Isabela” confessed the boy in a low voice, shyly. His eyes hidden from the woman's sight stung and he felt his face burning with embarrassment.

"Did you yell at Isabela?" she questioned, a little more surprised than she wanted to sound, and Antonio shrank even more at her tone.

"Yes. And I was very angry so I said very mean things to her, but now I feel bad that I did it, because I remember the hurt face she made when I did it.” The woman looked at the boy who was shedding tears, frowning in great concern. She clearly didn't have the whole story of what exactly had happened and she fear she would be too intrusive if she asked. Still, she felt that she should satisfy her doubts.

“Antonio…why does it bother you so much that others in your family spend time with Mirabel? They are also her family”

“But they always ignored her! They always put her aside and I saw how much it hurt her, even though she tried to hide it!” he exclaimed angrily, clenching his fists, clearly frustrated. The woman's eyes widened, sensing that she meddled much more in the Madrigal family affairs than she should. She ignored everything Antonio told her and it made her think of Mirabel. Although she likes to think that she and Mirabel are friends, the fifteen-year-old almost never talked about her feelings or her family, much less anything that included both her feelings and her family. 'Did her family used to ignore her? The Madrigals are very busy people, but they must have had time to spend with Mirabel, right?' Although the fact that the Madrigals pushed Mirabel away surprised her, unfortunately, a reason why they would do so immediately came to mind. 'Was it because she didn't have a gift?' She felt a pinch of anger at that possibility. Mirabel never needed a gift to be a wonderful young girl.

“I was the only one who did want her by my side. And when she tried to help, they told her not to get in the way. Especially Isabela She hated her…or at least, she supposed to hated her” he finished lamely, wiping away the tears that escaped his eyes. Maria reflected on what Antonio said. ‘mmh, I do remember many times that Mirabel would come to my store and rant about how much Isabela annoyed her. But Isabela doesn't hate her sister' She doesn't have very substantial evidence of that fact but she still firmly believes it. As she will always remember an occasion, a couple of years ago when she had gone with Isabela to asked her for some flowers as usual, when Isabela saw in the background to Mirabel playing with some children in the street, the girl was running so carelessly that she almost tripped twice in a row when stepping on her dress. Isabela had rolled her eyes and sighed, but in the end the seamstress noticed the smallest of the smiles. And the eyes with which Isabela looked at Mirabel seemed particularly tender. That brief moment, which could not have lasted more than two seconds, lasted in the seamstress's mind, especially since it was completely contrary to the "mocking and contemptuous looks" that Mirabel said her older sister gave her.

 María sighed and approached Antonio, placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do you really think that Isabela hates Mirabel?" she asked him slowly.

“Yes, no… I don't know. It doesn't seem like it anymore…” admitted the boy, remembering how every morning Isabela greeted Mirabel with a hug, and the times at dinner they talked so much that Tia had to constantly remind them to eat before the food got cold. ‘Mirabel always looked so happy in those moments…’ he thought contemplative.

"And do you think your family doesn't love Mirabel?" Antony shook his head adamantly.

"No. Of course they love her” he replied, more confident. María nodded.

“I'm sure they love Mirabel as much as you do. So, it's normal that they want to spend time with her, don't you think?”

“But if so, why until now? Why couldn't they spend time with Mirabel before?" he asked with resigned sadness. The seamstress thought for a long time. Clearly the Madrigals had changed a lot after the collapse of their home, in addition to the fact that they no longer had gifts, they now seemed more relaxed, happier. Especially Mirabel. Who once told her her theory of why the Casita ended up collapsing. About a separated family, but now looking to be better. María took a deep breath as she absently ran her fingers through Antonio's curls.

“I think they have only now realized how much they love Mirabel. And how wrong they were to have ignored her. That's why they want to spend more time with her, they seek to redeem themselves” she answered carefully.

“What is redeem?” Antonio asked, wide eyes looking at her curiously. María bit her lip trying to find a way to explain herself.

“Redeeming yourself is…doing something so that the other person forgives you for hurting them so that both of you can get rid of the pain and sorrow”

“Oh…and… do-do you think I can redeem myself with Mirabel?” he muttered pitifully. The woman frowned confuse.

“Why would you have to redeem yourself?”

“Because I forgot her. I didn't realize she wasn't in the family photo, at my birthday ceremony.” The woman blinked, taken by surprise at the new information, she thought about it for a few moments before what Antonio was telling her really settled in her mind. She frowned pityingly. She felt terrible for Mirabel and even more angry with the Madrigals, but there is no way that the girl could have resented Antonio. María finally got up from the ground taking the basket full of flowers with her and urging Antonio to get up as well. She brushed the dirt off her skirt.

“Well, I'm not sure how Mirabel felt about it, but I seriously doubt she'd hold it against you, Toñito. I think this is something you need to talk to Mira about directly.” The boy looked at her with unsure eyes and spoke quietly.

"But how? I can’t do it"

“Well, I think you just have to try, even if it's scary, some things are worth the risk. So, tell me, what are you afraid of, Antonio?”

“...I'm afraid that she's mad at me, that she won't forgive me.” María snorted and ruffled Antonio's curly hair.

“That could never happen. Besides, someone very wise once told me that you can't let fear control you.” Maria smiled encouragingly. Antonio kept his head down and silent for a few moments, thinking, before looking back at the woman, although his gaze was still slightly unsure, he finally said:

"Alright. I’ll do it"

Chapter Text

Mirabel walked quickly through the streets of the town on her way to the Rodriguez house after a whole day busy sewing in Miss Maria's study. The sun was already setting and the lanterns along the streets had already been lit, in addition to the few rays of the sun that still rose on the horizon, illuminating the town in a faint orange color, the cool wind whipped strongly, but the young girl paid no attention to the weather or her surroundings. Instead, she looked carefully for the umpteenth time at Antonio's stuffed animal in her hands, which she had mended with special care and dedication, seeking to make sure that she had done a good job. She had been distracted and incredibly worried about Antonio, so she made a couple of mistakes while she patched it up and pricked her fingers hundreds of times. The brunette sighed and regretted that her mom couldn't heal her abused fingers and wouldn't avoid her mother's concerned look and her kind warning to be more careful as soon as she sees the girl’s hands. She never liked to worry her mom. She put the stuffed animal away in the large bag she was carrying while being distracted by the plans she had to hang out with Antonio the next day.

After walking a little more, she finally reached the front door and upon entering she was greeted with the smell of the dinner that her mother had prepared for the family.

 Mirabel took a moment to sigh and smile. She had arrived just in time. She quickly went to her (temporary) room and left her bag. She felt her stomach growl at the smell of her mom's Sancocho. 

Mirabel quickly greeted the family as she took a seat in her usual spot, between her sisters. Honestly, she would have preferred Antonio's side, given recent events, but when she arrived, Antonio was already sitting between Pepa and Dolores. In front of her was Camilo, who, looking at him, seemed distant, she frowned for a moment for this, but her concern was quickly dismiss when she turned to see Antonio, once again she scolded herself for not noticing her cousin's discouragement, now that she sees him, it was absolutely obvious. Beside her she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Luisa, who was looking at her worriedly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes…Yes. I'm fine” she answered hastily. Luisa looked at her a few moments longer before nodding. Shortly after Julieta placed a plate of Sancocho in its place, the older woman smiled sweetly at Mirabel, then, as if she had a sixth sense, her gaze automatically fell to the brunette’s hands, and so the woman immediately saw her pricked hands, with a bandage hastily put on them. Julieta looked at her reproachfully, while the teen widened her eyes hiding her hands under the table. Julieta sent her a look that said "we'll talk later" and Mirabel swallowed, while she smiled sheepishly. Soon after, they were all eating and having conversations about their day with each other. Isabela immediately caught her attention, talking about the different plants she had planted in who knows where that day. Being completely honest, Mirabel couldn't care less about the plants, but she wasn't going to discourage her sister's talk, she didn't want to be on her bad side again, and besides, she was always fascinated by the emotion with which Isabela spoke to her. So she was content to listen (and is a great listener, if she can say so herself) and add what she could to the conversation. For a few moments the girl forgot her worries. At least until Luisa caught her eye next to her.

“Mirabel, do you have some time tomorrow to accompany me to the market? I would like to buy a couple of things”

“Oh, actually, I was hoping to have other plans tomorrow. I wanted to spend the day with Antonio, I already talked to the other children in town and we could all play together tomorrow” she said, turning to see Antonio, who looked at her hopefully when he heard his name mentioned “That of course, if it sounds good to you, Toñito, what do you say?” The teenager noticed how her aunt's attention was focused on the conversation. Without having seen it, Bruno had also been interested.

"Do you want to spend time with me tomorrow?" he asked, slowly, his emotion terribly hidden. Mirabel's heart sank to see him so anxious and insecure that she wanted to spend time with him, she had really put him aside, hadn´t she? which was ironic since she had thought that he would be the one who would forget her after obtaining his gift. The teenager smiled.

“Of course I do, we haven't done anything together for a while. It'll be fun.” Slowly Antonio's expression changed from disbelief to hope and then excitement. He sat up and knelt on his seat bouncing on his knees with a big smile on his face.

"Yes of course! tomorrow we must play together! Promise me!” Mirabel laughed at the smaller boy's excitement.

"I promise, hombrecito"

 After her words, Pepa sighed in relief and shared a smile with her brother Bruno on the other side of the table.

Antonio woke up the next day earlier than usual, which, in fact, was not really that early, although he first gets frightened when he woke up as he not sees his older brother Camilo asleep next to him in the couch, since he used to wake up very late, the little boy thought that he had fallen asleep very late if even Camilo was up already, but when he jumped up and ran to the kitchen, he was surprised to see his Tía Julieta just starting to cook breakfast. His Tía, however, still hadn't seen him, so he backed away and hid behind the counter, remembering how rude he had been to the family a couple of nights ago. 

He felt his face grow hot with embarrassment at his actions that day. although a part of him still didn't know if he regretted having reproached them. The woman hummed absently as she cooked, and Antonio, not wanting to face her, peeked ever so slightly at the clock on the wall, trying to remember how the time was read, frowning in concentration for a few moments, finally deciding that even though he didn't know the exact time, he was sure the position of the hands of the clock told him that it was indeed quite early. Satisfied, Antonio nodded to himself and slunk away from the kitchen to the bathroom, where he had put his clothes before going to sleep, so he changed, refreshed himself and got ready, and by the time he came out of the bathroom, there was already a lot of activity around the house, with the adults awake and ready for the day. His Tío Bruno passed by his side in the direction of his parents' and grandmother's room, and as he passed Bruno ruffled Antonio’s hair and smiled affectionately at him, Antonio smiled back, Bruno was a nice man, he was shy like him and besides he got along very well with Mirabel, he had never been bad with her or with him.

“Where are you going, Tío? Aren't you going to have breakfast?" asked the curious boy.

"I'm going to sleep in Pepa's bed" he replied, stifling a yawn. Antonio nodded his head slowly, confused since he supposedly just wake up, but the kid didn't question it when the older just continue his way, thinking that his Tío must have been terribly tired. When Bruno entered the room of his parents and grandmother, Pepa came out of there and smiled enormously as soon as she saw him.

"Good morning, my beautiful boy!" she exclaimed bending down and taking his face by surprise and started cover it with kisses, Antonio laughed at the tickling, delighting in her affection. Once he separated, the woman observed him more carefully "I see that you are all arranged, and you dressed yourself, are you excited for today that you will be able to spend time with Mira?"

"Yes! We are going to have a lot of fun!” he jumped excitedly, causing a delighted laugh from his mom.

"I'm so glad, come on, let's have breakfast, okay?" Antonio nodded before pulling his mom by the hand hastily towards the dining room, where the rest of the family were already sitting down in their respective places. Pepa immediately went to the kitchen counter, where a steaming cup of coffee was waiting for her, and she also grabbed a piece of bread, Antonio looked around but didn't see Mirabel. His mom looked at him for a few moments before intervening.

"It seems that Mirabel is sleeping late, but it shouldn't take long, meanwhile go to the bathroom to wash your hands" The boy was visibly discouraged, but he nodded and went to the bathroom, Pepa took a sip of coffee, trying to dissipate her worried thoughts, for once she was glad she didn't have a gray cloud on her head that could give away her mood.

Shortly after, Pepa noticed Mirabel coming into the kitchen, although the teenage face and her walk seemed happy and lively, she could see the tiredness in her eyes and shoulders, surely, she was very exhausted the day before mending Antonio's stuffed animal, so after greeting her, Pepa immediately handed over a cup of coffee.

Just then Antonio returned from the bathroom and saw Mirabel already up in the kitchen talking to his mom. He immediately perked up and ran crashing directly into the brunette.

"Good morning, Mira!" The boy exclaimed, hugging her legs. Mirabel laughed stroking his curls.

"Good morning to you too, Toñito" The boy began to pull her by the hand to the table. Dolores and Isabela were sitting together, so Mirabel sat next to Luisa, and she made sure that Antonio sat on by her other side. Julieta quickly gave them a plate of food.

 "Eat quickly! you promised that we would go out to play with Alejandra, Cecilia and Juancho!" Antonio exclaimed next to her with a few pouts, making everyone at the table laugh. Mirabel poked one of his cheeks.

“Of course, hombrecito. Let’s eat."

Almost half hour later, Pepa said goodbye to Mirabel and Antonio at the entrance of the house, but not before making sure that both children were well dressed, since the day was cool and cloudy. She gave both a big hug, and when she was embracing Mirabel, the woman whispered in her ear.

“Thanks for everything, mi niña” Pepa moved away from the hug and smiled at her. Mirabel barely stopped her urge to shrug at her aunt's words and just nodded smiling in response.

Antonio held Mirabel's hand as he hurried happily down the street. Mirabel greeted the people who were hanging around the street and those who attended the stalls that saluted her and began a brief courtesy talk, only to end up being rushed each time by Antonio, on the way to the meeting point with the rest of village children. 

It was only with one block to go, that Antonio slowed down, watching insecure the children playing soccer together up ahead, Antonio squeezed Mirabel's hand tighter, and stood slightly back, his feet practically dragging. This didn’t go unnoticed by Mirabel, who looked at him worried, but understanding Antonio's shyness. She stops her walk, and leads them to the side of the road. Antonio looks at her with transparent eyes, which openly conveyed all his fear and insecurity. The teenager herself remembered seeing that same innocent and openly frightened look during her birthday ceremony. Her heart ached for him.

"Is everything okay, Antonio?" she asked softly and patiently. The kid paused for a couple of seconds, before sighing and slightly turning his head in the direction of the children playing further away. Mirabel crouched in front of him, and placed a hand on Antonio’s cheek, turning his gaze to her. She gave him a small comprehensive smile.

“Hey, it's fine. I know it can be scary. But I assure you that Juancho, Cecilia and Alejandra are good children, as well as the others. You've played with them before, haven't you?" Antonio nodded slowly, grudgingly acknowledging this fact, but something clearly still bothered him. Mirabel leaned closer to him. Antonio wrung his hands.

"But...what if they don't think it's fun to play with me anymore?" 

"What makes you think that?"

"Last time, everyone was excited for my animal friends, but now they- the animals, left because I don't have anything that makes me special anymore, so... what if the kids leave me because of that too?" Antonio's broken words hit Mirabel like a bucket of cold water, eyes widened open in surprise as she physically fought to keep from flinching and backing away. For a moment, she was transported back in time, and she saw herself reflected in Antonio. She slowly stood up.

Not being special. Being left behind. 

The world wasn't very kind to her and to some extent this was what happened after not receiving a gift, but the change was slow and she wouldn't see the extend of the consequences until much, much later, when she was older. Antonio however, is much more aware, even at his young age, having seen firsthand the marginalization Mirabel suffered even when Mirabel herself could not or would not see it. 

Antonio saw the stigma behind Mirabel's lack of gift, not only because of their closeness, but because he would be the next. Who could say if little Antonio would receive a gift or not? Certainly not Bruno, who had abandoned the family before he was even born. So everyone had their hopes in Antonio, and he always felt the pressure and the fear of being marginalized, of disappointing.

How different did Antonio end up being from herself? She didn’t receive a gift on the day of her ceremony, she never had the opportunity to be special, to really feel part of her family, of the magical Madrigals, and she had to live with it. But Antonio received a gift, felt the emotion and belonging, felt special, at least for one day. Then his gift was taken from him, because of her.

'Oh Antonio…'

In the end, will Antonio not suffer more than her? She never even knew her potential, but Antonio did, and that all his possibilities were then taken from him, doesn't that make it more traumatic? The others were older, adults, they will know how to get ahead, they understood it was inevitable. But Antonio with only five years…. She can't help but to remember what it was like for her.

So when Mirabel saw Antonio in front of her, with those big, lost eyes, she saw herself. But unlike her, he didn't have to go through this alone, he won't be. The girl clenched her fists and sighed deeply.

“That won't happen to you. I won't let it happen. I'm sorry your animal friends have abandoned you, I'm sorry your gift is gone. I wish I could do something to give it back to you. But I assure you, you are more special than the magical gift you were given. And I know that the children of the town know that. No one will reject you or make you less because of it."

“But… isn't that what they did to you?”

The brunette suppressed a grimace, taking the cheap shot of Antonio's innocent question.

“Antonio…let me tell you something that I have thought about a lot since the miracle vanished. I… Ever since I didn’t receive a gift, I felt that the only way to be recognized, to feel special, would be to obtain a gift, and everyone around me made me believe that, intentionally or not. I felt that I could not be anyone without a gift. Then, I was waiting for a miracle that at times I thought would never come. And it took me a long time to realize that that wasn't what I needed and- if I'm honest…I think deep down it wasn't even a gift what I really wanted” 'But that they accepted me as I am, Abuela's recognition, not because I have a gift, but despite not having it…I guess I get what I wanted'  

‘But at what cost?’

Mirabel averted her eyes from Antonio's attentive gaze and lost herself in thought for a couple of seconds before shaking her head. 

“What I'm trying to say is, I finally understand: One doesn't need some crazy magical power to be special, one can be special by oneself. So now the family, all of us, we are learning that we are more than any gift they can give us” she said firmly believing her words.

“But if I don't have that, then what do I have left? what's so special about me?"

'What is it to be special anyway?' She thought slyly.

“Many things make you a very special kid, Toñito!” she began to enumerate with her fingers “You are a very kind and attentive child. You care about all the animals and even many insects that I would never touch even with a pole of one foot! You are very empathetic and always wear your heart on your sleeve”

"What does that mean?"

“That you don’t hide your feelings, that you are always sincere, and that, despite being shy, you are always willing to overcome your fear and talk to other people”

“But…what's so special about all that? Anyone can be kind….”

“Being special doesn't always mean being extraordinary, Toñito. Sometimes being special is just about having a tiny little good thing that people appreciate and recognize of you "

"You think so?" the girl nodded 

“And I'm sure the other kids think so too. They already cared for you before you had a gift, and now it won’t be different, I assure you.  So, are you okay with us meeting them now?” Mirabel asked softly, looking sympathetically at the boy when he hesitated silently for a few moments, the brunette could see the smaller bewilderment, and although the teenage waited, she didn't want to push him, so she added "We don't really have to go if you don't want-" Antonio suddenly came out of his reverie and strongly shook his head

"No, no. I want to go. I can't let fear stop me" the minor nodded decidedly to himself, he looked ahead, at the children still playing at the end of the street, then he turned Mirabel and raised his hand "Let's go" Mirabel smiled pleased as she got up and took Antonio's offered hand.

"I knew you could do it. Lead the way!”

Both Madrigals walked the rest of the street, one of the children playing ball, Juancho, was about to kick the ball when he spotted them approaching

"It's them, they're here!" He exclaimed deviating his foot from hitting the ball and almost slipped but incorporate at the last moment and started running towards the Madrigals followed by the other children, in total there were at least ten children between 6 and 8 years old. Mirabel laughed at the great enthusiasm of the children as they surrounded them. Everyone greeting her and Antonio. Although the younger Madrigal had squeezed his older cousin's hand as the children approached, he quickly seemed to relax as he was greeted by warm smiles. His shoulders relaxed; Antonio smiled slightly greeting his friends. Mirabel smiled pleased, before clapping her hands loudly, drawing the attention of the children around her.

"Very well! Tell me guys, what were you playing before we got here?” she asked, receiving a cacophony of responses and excited shouts. Adults walking down the street turned to see the ruckus and smiled when they saw the teenager interacting with the little ones. Mirabel has always been a natural with children, sometimes being better company than many kids her age, so taking care of them and playing with them was a chore she would do often to help the community and to keep herself entertained. Some of her teachers had even suggested she consider becoming a preschool teacher when she grew up, to which Mirabel laughed in awe at her attention before shrugging it off.

However, the adults walking by weren't the only ones who admired Mirabel at the time. Antonio also took a few moments to watch his older cousin interact so easily with the other children, always with a smile and so friendly. He saw her strength and her confidence, and he couldn't understand how anyone could ever make her less than she is, because for him, she was without a doubt his role model, that's what made Mirabel special, isn't it? Somehow, she always made others follow her. Suddenly, he felt all his fears and insecurities melt away, leaving him with a feeling of tranquility and ecstasy, realizing that with Mirabel by his side, he had nothing to fear.

"Antonio!" The boy snapped out of his thoughts when Mirabel called out to him. Noticing how the others had already run out and retreated to the wide green field next to the street. Mirabel was holding a ball in her hands and motioned with her arm for him to join in. "Come on, let's play soccer!"

The boy blinked, still a little disoriented, before smiling, with renewed confidence.

"Yeah!"

When you're having fun, time seems to fly by. And kids, in such a small community, tended to find lots of ways to entertain themselves So for the rest of the day, Mirabel has been running from here to there, playing soccer, dodgeball, hide-and-seek, and other games that occurred to the children, they also ran through the streets, buying candy at various stalls and fleeing from mothers who scolded their children when they saw their clothes covered in dirt and wrinkled. 

They played races and arm-wrestling betting the candy they had bought. At one point a couple of 12-year-olds boy had come over to tease the younger ones, only for Mirabel to challenge them to the arm wrestling, ending in a landslide victory for the older girl, who showed off by flexing the little muscle of her arms that earned her victory. She even ran into her dad and her sister Luisa. His dad warning her not to let her mother or Abuela see her so sweaty and with her dress blatantly pulled up -so that her skirt wouldn't get dirty- leaving her with her underwear on view, Luisa, on the other hand, advised her to wear pants like men do when she did this type of physical activity, which ended up giving her an idea for a sewing project. Isabela who casually passed by, had laughed at her appearance, a rather amused laugh, lacking the teasing and cruelty it used to have, but that made the brunette frown and cross her arms, while her sister teased her, but she couldn't help but smile amused when she noticed how her teasing remained rather fraternal and she never attacked her personally, she even responds to it and laugh along, the brunette just put a stop to it when the older one licked her finger to rub it against a "dirt stain" that she supposedly had on her face. In the end her sister even flattered her for her "wild spirit" as she called it.

 During all the activities and the hours of play, however, Mirabel didn’t stop watching Antonio, who looked much more animated than the last few days, which relieved the brunette tremendously. But she suspected there was even more the little boy wanted to tell her, considering the concerns her Tía had expressed her about Antonio's reaction to the “ceremony photo” and about him missing her. Although she was glad that Antonio was able to leave his bad feelings behind to have fun instead that day, she knew firsthand that it was never good to leave those feelings unattended for too long. But all day she just couldn't think of any way to approach the boy, and didn't want to spoil the happy mood by bringing it up. 

Sometime later, well into the afternoon and while they were playing one more round of soccer, it began to rain heavily, forcing them to take shelter in Mrs. Peréz's bakery. It was then that the opportunity appeared, but it would not be Mirabel who would end up giving the first step.

Antonio had made himself comfortable in the small living room of Mrs. Peréz's home, located in the back of the bakery, surrounded by the other children, who chatted as they snuggled up with their respective bread and aguapanela, fatigue, along with the lullaby of the strong rain falling against the roof made the children sleepier and sleepier. Antonio ate more of his bread and take a sip of his aguapanela, feeling tired but at the same time the most relaxed he had been in days, when he had felt uncomfortable in his own skin. The constant company of Mirabel and the other children had allayed his negative feelings and left him more than relieved and rather entertained in playing for the day. That is, of course, until that moment when quiet finally set in. Sitting on the sofa in the small living room, he leaned out the door to the front, where Mirabel had sat alone in the doorway facing the street. Antonio watched her back for a few minutes, feeling a pang of anxiety, knowing that he must speak to her. 

Mirabel wasn’t surprised to feel a small presence sitting next to her, she saw Antonio holding his cup of aguapanela, looking ahead with a conflicted frown. 

"Is everything okay, hombrecito?" The youngest of the Madrigals didn't respond, but instead tightened his grip on the cup, and moved to snuggle up against Mirabel, who smiled.

"Yes. It's just…I have something to tell you” Admitted the boy in a low, shy voice. Mirabel noted that it was something serious. Pushing her concern to the back of her mind, she smiled in a way that she hoped was encouraging.

"Is that so?" She moves away slightly to face her body directly to Antonio "Tell me then, I'm all ears"

“Mmh… well, the truth is that- the truth is that- I miss you” he confess, feeling a great relief in his chest when he finally said it, only to feel nervous from Mirabel's worried look “Lately we haven't interacted much, we hardly spend time together anymore, since casita fell” he paused, taking a shaky breath, clenched his fists before continuing hastily and vehemently “And I got upset, because you started spending time with the others, and it wasn't fair! Because they had never wanted to spend time with you and now you were giving them your full attention. I know I shouldn't feel this way, but-” Antonio’s voice finally trailed off, his gaze glued to the floor. Feeling hot tears pooling in his eyes, he tried not to cry, but suddenly all the feelings of displacement, jealousy, shame and guilt assailed him, now that he was confessing everything out loud to Mirabel herself, he suddenly felt as if he lived all the bad time that happened once again.

He remembered feeling upset every time Mirabel rejected him in favor of going with someone else, he remembered the internal conflict because he didn't like feeling upset with Mirabel but he couldn't help it, but he felt more upset with his family when they took Mirabel away from him , as if they had never underestimated her before, and mainly, the shame with himself when he realized that he had forgotten about Mirabel and when he lashed out at his family. What would Mirabel think if she knew how he behaved?

“I didn't understand why you would want to spend time with them, but most of all I didn't understand w-why you would want to spend time with them over me. Then a couple of days before…I saw the family pi-picture they took on my b-birthday” emotions finally reached their highest peak, overwhelming him and making him burst into full-blown sobs, feeling guilt and fear that Mirabel was angry with him. Mirabel's heart broke seeing her little one so depressed and crying, didn't doubt when she took Antonio in her arms and cradled him on her lap, her own eyes stung with tears of sadness. Antonio's confession shed more and more light on the reason for his discomfort, and Mirabel felt like the worst cousin, no, the worst person in the world. How could she allow Antonio to go through such deep sorrow for her?

“Then I thought…that maybe t-that's why you didn't want to spend time with me anymore, because…I fo-forgot about you? I didn't k-know you weren't in the p-photo, I didn't mean to, believe me. I’m so sorry!" The boy clung to Mirabel's shirt, his sobs barely muffled by the fabric and the sound of falling rain. Mirabel dropped a couple of tears, as she vehemently shook her head in disagreement, but unable to say a word "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to forget you, I would never forget you, I don't care about a stupid magical gift, I just want you to be with me, so please don’t leave me!" she sobbed

"I could never leave you, my sweet boy…" she answered, her voice small, as she pressed him against herself, clinging to each other.

"Please forgive me…" he begged

“I forgive you, Antonio, always! It hurts me to see you cry, please tell me what I can do so you don't cry anymore. Tell me what you need” The boy continued to cry for a while longer, hiccupping violently, Mirabel worried that he wouldn't breathe, she quickly wiped away her own tears and cooed to calm him down.

“I…I miss casita…” he murmured sadly. Breaking Mirabel’s heart one more time, she didn't hate the fading of the miracle any more than she did at that moment. The rain was beginning to die down, leaving a quiet silence around them “I miss being back in our room, I don't want my gift back! I don't miss talking to animals or having a big room, I just miss sleeping with you close by, I miss when you told me bedtime stories, and I miss to spend the day together and when you helped me with my homework while you sewed” Mirabel gave up keeping her composure at Antonio's words, feeling incredibly moved. It had only been a few weeks, but they had been filled with so many changes, she could say they were good changes, for the most part, and she had been ecstatic to be able to connect with her family and she had been so busy helping to rebuild casita, that it wasn't until that moment that she finally felt the weight of the changes, in the end, she too missed all those things, nostalgia hit her as she thought of how things were before , which while not ideal, in regards to Antonio, were all she could ask for.

"I miss it too. I miss our special little place, with just the two of us."

"You do?" Mirabel responded by placing a kiss on the top of her head. She got a thought; that even when she got closer to her family, she would never have with them, nor with Isabela, nor Pepa, nor Camilo or Luisa what she had with Antonio. 

"Listen to me, Antonio," she demanded softly, stroking his curls. “It's true that, things have changed a lot lately, and I haven't been paying attention to you as much as I should, and for that I'm very sorry. I promise to do better. But Antonio” The girl moved the child in her arms so that he could see her eyes Antonio's eyes were red and slightly swollen. The brunette took his hand and bring it right to her heart. "Change is something natural in life, and there will be many more changes from now on, but I assure you that what will never change is this bond that you and I have, I could never take you away of me, if someone else comes into my heart it will not be for pushing you away. Even when I'm not with you, even if I seem to pay more attention to someone else, even when silly me forgets to listen to you or if I forget to include you in a family photo, you're always in my heart, alright?"

"Okay…" he replied quietly, though the brunette couldn't detect any hesitation in his voice. Antonio moved to sit next to Mirabel again, before lying down with his head resting on her lap. The younger Madrigal wiped away the last tears that fell from his weary eyes. Mirabel leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"Please don't cry anymore, I love you so much" she whispered. Antonio smiled slightly feeling sleepy

"I love you too…"

An hour later, late at night, and after a disheveled-looking and beaten-up Camilo came for them, the younger Madrigals set out to go to the house for dinner. Not before Julieta and Pepa scolded the three of them for getting soaked and sent them to put on dry and clean clothes. Mirabel ended up sitting between her two male cousins, Antonio and Camilo. To enjoy a delicious dinner after a day full of activities and raw emotions. Shortly before the family finished dinner, Mirabel remembered that she still had to give Antonio his stuffed jaguar. Her thoughts were interrupted when Antonio stepped into his chair next to her. Pepa, Mirabel and Julieta were about to scold him and tell him to sit down again when the boy spoke.

“Um…excuse me” He raised his voice over the light chatter at the table, which caught the attention of the family “I…I wanted to apologize, for…for yelling at you the other day, I shouldn't have done it, I was angry and I said things very bad.” he apologized, feeling embarrassed, avoiding looking directly at any of the family. The adults around the table listened intently to his words. His parents and Mirabel in particular felt great pride for him.

"And I'm sorry, Isa" he addressed his older cousin, who tensed slightly for being mentioned and have all eyes turned to her "I shouldn't have accused you that you hated Mirabel, I know it's not true and that you care for her very much, even though before it didn't seem like it” Camilo and Mirabel simultaneously let out a stifled laugh at the boy's frankness. Which earned them a glare from Isabela and her face turning red with embarrassment.

"It's okay, I forgive you, Antonio” Isabela replied gracefully, averting her disinterested gaze, trying to maintain her dignity. At this the two fifteen-year-olds burst out laughing. And much to the dismay of the eldest grandchild, she noticed several adults trying to hide her own smile.

"Mom, not you too!" Isabela exclaimed, indignant at seeing her mother smiling. The accused tried with all her might not to laugh, but the look on Isabela's face weakened her and she joined her daughter and nephew. Antonio looked at the scene confused, not knowing what was so funny. Finally, the adults turned their attention to Antonio.

"Very well, Antonio. I'm glad you've reflected on your actions and apologized. We forgive you” Abuela spoke up. “We understand why you felt that way. And I think we owe you an apology as well, and especially you Mirabel.” The girl's playful mood ceased as soon as she was mentioned by her Abuela. She sat up in her seat, trying very hard not to blush herself at the attention she received, having made fun of Isabela for it. She couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.

"We are very sorry not to have included you in that photo, we should have noticed your absence, and... I will not pretend to have no idea why we forgot you" she said sadly, her face under the permanent look of guilt that the older woman has every time she talks to her. Mirabel shifted a little uncomfortably in her seat, it still seemed surreal to her, like an unattainable dream, that her family admitted out loud the wrongs she had suffered because of them. But looking around the table, the friendly atmosphere suddenly turned solemn, the same Abuela's face imprinted on the faces of the rest of her family, the guilt at its best. She felt bad in some way, that they felt bad for her like that, but at the same time it pleased her, it made her see that they did care.

"It’s fine... well, it's not fine, but I get it, we were wrong before, and we gave value to the wrong things, I know you regret it and that's enough for me, so I forgive you." The tension that seemed to have built up in the room suddenly loosened up, along with several relieved sighs. The family was also not lost as Mirabel said “we” instead of “you”. Antonio felt great admiration for Mirabel, who didn’t hesitate to forgive them.

"I want you to know that it doesn't mean anything, whether you are in that photo or not, you are part of this family and always will be" Abuela declared vehemently. Mirabel took a deep breath, feeling moved. Camilo next to her spoke.

"That's right! Hey, I say that when we finish rebuilding the house, we take a new picture, all together. This time with you and Tío Bruno!” Immediately the table erupted with exclamations of agreement and enthusiastic smiles. Mirabel smiled, happy to be a part of this family.

After the Madrigals had finished dinner and Julieta had finished washing the dishes, they had all changed into their night clothes and were getting ready for bed. While Pepa and Félix got ready in the bathroom, Mirabel tucked Antonio in his parents' bed. She was sitting in a chair next to the bed, reading him a bedtime story, just like she used to do. The boy looked much smaller in the big bed. Antonio let out a yawn.

"Tired?" she asked putting away the book, and touch to see his little eyes blink before closing tiredly

"Yeah…"

"You had fun today?"

"Much"

“I'm glad” Mirabel watched him for a few moments, before she remembered something “Ah. Before you go to sleep, there's something I wanted to give you.” She leaned down from her chair and held the stuffed animal behind her back. Antonio opened his eyes and frowned, intrigued.

"What? What is?" The teenager showed him the stuffed animal in her hands. To which the boy immediately widened his eyes and sat up again, a huge smile on his face.

“It's Parce, it's Parce! My jaguar!" He exclaimed excitedly, taking the stuffed animal from Mirabel's hands, who laughed at her excitement “But how did you get it? I thought I had lost it forever….”

"Your mom gave it to me, who recovered it from Tío Bruno, it was a bit damaged and needed some repairs, that's why I was in Maria's studio all day yesterday" she explained, seeing how Antonio tightly hugged the stuffed animal to his chest, before launching himself at Mirabel to hug her.

"Wow, thank you very much! I promise I'll take good care of it, I won't lose it again!" the girl could barely return the hug before the boy pulls away from her, taking in every new detail of the patched-up stuffed animal.

"I know you won't. Well, come on, go back to bed! it's time to sleep, your parents will be here soon” Mirabel put Antonio back in bed, this time cuddling with the stuffed animal. Mirabel smiled and pressed a kiss to his head "Good night, primito"

"Good night, Mira" he yawned, settling down to sleep. Finally, Mirabel retired to sleep as well.

Just an hour later, when everyone was already asleep, Mirabel was lying in her bed on the verge of sleeping when she feels a pressure on her mattress, still half asleep, Mirabel smiles, having predicted that Antonio would slip away to sleep with her. Without saying a word, the brunette allowed Antonio to curl up in her arms, with the stuffed animal between them. Thus, feeling each other’s warmth, wrapped in the silent night, Antonio peacefully fell asleep knowing that no matter what changes they face, everything would be fine if Mirabel stayed by his side.