Chapter Text
Mirabel Madrigal had not always felt like a burden to her family.
When she was younger before the incident, she was the apple of all her family member’s eyes.
Isabela would make her flower crowns all the time just to see her smile. Luisa would throw her up in the air as she giggled and asked to be thrown higher.
All of her family members would each make her happy and play with her using their gifts.
On the day of the incident, that wretched gift ceremony, when her door didn’t appear she was disappointed but she didn’t think anything would change.
She was still optimistic that nothing would change and everything would still be how it used to be.
How wrong she was.
She doesn’t think her family realizes how they changed after.
It wasn’t a drastic change either.
People started snapping at her more often and getting annoyed when she asked to play with them.
Isabela no longer wanted to grow flowers for her and instead told her that she wasting her time. Luisa still played with her when she asked but she could tell that she was doing it to humor her and no longer wanted to anymore.
But the most heartbreaking change of all was Abuela.
She loved her Abuela when she was younger. She would always gather Mirabel and Camilo at night in the nursery and tell them the history of their family and how special they were.
When she failed to get a gift, Abuela became cold. She no longer talked to Mirabel except to scold her when she was “getting in the way”.
Mirabel frequently got in the way of her family since she failed to get a gift.
However, after being treated like this for ten years she was now accustomed to it.
So when Isabela told her she was getting in the way and Abuela scolded her and told her to stop trying to help, she was unperturbed.
It was now her younger primo Antonio’s gift ceremony and the event was evoking twin flames of happiness and resentment in her. She was conflicted.
Of course, she wanted Antonio to get a gift. She adored him and she would never want him to face the treatment she was facing.
Alternatively, if Antonio did get his gift there was an ugly voice in her asking what was wrong with her? Was she not worthy of a gift as well?
She pushed those thoughts aside and coaxed Antonio from under the bed with a toy she made for him.
She would miss Antonio when he moved into his new room. She hoped that he wouldn’t change his attitude to her when he became accustomed to his gift like Camilo had done.
As she headed down for the celebrations, she took a deep breath.
No matter what, I’m still a part of the Madrigals.
She looked around the party feeling more of an outsider than she has ever felt. Even the townspeople looked down on her for not having a gift.
It was a bit ironic.
She walked over to where the crowd was gathered as Abuela began speaking.
She was so lost in thought that she was surprised when she saw Antonio reaching out his hand for her.
Her heart thudded in her chest as she shook her head.
I need you Antonio mouthed.
That broke her resolve. Someone needed her. To everyone, she was a burden, the hanger-on, the giftless Madrigal. Even her mother who loved her dearly, most likely wished that she had a daughter who could contribute to the family.
Even if he would never again, at this moment he needed her. Her primo needed her.
With that thought, she held his hand and began her ascent.
The walk felt like it took forever and no time at all simultaneously. The deja vu was washing over her.
She felt nauseous.
What if she was the bad luck? What if Antonio didn’t get a gift because she was accompanying him.
She felt the eyes of everyone on her.
Antonio grasped the doorknob, time stopped, and then.
And then a toucan landed on his arm.
He seemed to converse with it before a flood of toucans came to surround him.
His door solidified.
He had gotten his gift.
Mirabel’s heart soared. At that moment, all she felt was happiness for her primo.
Felicidades she whispered in her head.
The party began anew as everyone celebrated Antonio for his gift. As Antonio explored his room, the family gathered for a picture.
No one remembered Mirabel.
La Familia Madrigal.
‘Don’t be upset or mad at all,’ she told herself, ‘don’t feel regret or mad at all. Hey, I’m still a part of la familia .’
Who was she kidding?
She was the freak. She was the error. She wasn’t a part of the family. Everyone would be better off without her.
Once the idea took root in her mind, she couldn’t let it go.
Her eyes widened and she dashed out of the party and headed to her room.
She grabbed her bag and started packing everything she could find into it.
Casita tried to hinder her by tripping her with the floorboards and keeping the closet door locked.
”Casita!” she said sternly, “if you keep trying to stop me I will still leave. I’ll just leave without any of my things.”
Casita seemed to droop before giving up and letting her get on with it.
”Thanks Casita,” she murmured finishing her packing and heading downstairs.
She went into the kitchen packing as much money and food as she could in her bag before running outside and checking to see if anyone noticed that she was gone.
When no one seemed to notice, she wasn’t sure whether to be happy about that or bitter. She settled for an amalgamation of the two.
With one final glance at the celebration and a pat on Casita, she scurried off into the forest.
She had just reached the middle of the forest when someone thudded into her side.
She screamed and began praying.
Oh, Dios Mío, she hadn’t lived yet and she was going to die.
She began thrashing in the stranger's grip and swinging her arms, hoping to knock the stranger out with any stray hits.
”Mira, Mira calm down,” the stranger said trying to block her wild swinging.
”You’re not going to get the chance to kidnap me, stranger,” she shouted looking to see who her would-be attacker was.
Immediately she stopped all movement.
The stranger looked familiar.
”Who- who are you? Do I know you?” she questioned.
The stranger sent her a self-deprecating smile.
”Of course, you wouldn’t know about me. My name is practically forbidden in our household.”
Our household.
His name is forbidden-
“Tio Bruno?” she asked, too shocked to do anything other than gape like a fish.
”Yes, mi sobrina.” he smiled.
”Wh-What are you doing here? Why are trying to kidnap me? Didn’t you run away?” she babbled thoughts darting around her head as tried to reassert her worldview.
”I’ll answer all your questions but we need to get going. It’s late and we’ll have to find somewhere to stay for the night.”
With that, he grabbed her hand and dragged her away to get out of the forest.
They exited the forest that separated Encanto from the rest of the town with a sigh of relief.
As they walked around, they attracted a few looks from the people around them.
They were approached by a woman and her husband.
“Are you lost?” the woman asked with a furrow on her brow.
She looked over at her Tio just to see him seem to wilt and hide behind her.
She rolled her eyes.
”Yes, I was just wondering if there was an inn we could stay at for the night.”
The woman looked at her husband consideringly before nodding and gesturing further down the road.
“Go to the end of the square, and take a left turn. You should see a sign saying ‘Juana’s Rest Stop’. You can go there.”
”Gracias señora,” Mirabel breathed before following the woman’s directions.
As she walked down the road she looked around and noted that the surroundings were not much from that of Encanto.
She turned the corner that the woman pointed out and there was the big sign in bright colours depicting Juana’s Rest Stop.
She pushed open the door to see a homely building. The walls were pink and purple and there was a table at the entrance with a little bell.
She rang the bell and middle aged woman walked out. She had dark skin and straight black hair that was spotted with greys. She had faint wrinkles around her eyebrows and laugh lines around her mouth.
She cleared her throat and looked at them in askance.
“Hola. We were looking for a place to stay the night and we were told to come here.” Mirabel answered.
The woman simply nodded.
”My name is Juana and I own this rest stop. You are lucky because we are almost at full capacity. One night is thirty thousand pesos for one room. You can check out,” she checked the clock before continuing,” at 9 am por la manaña. Breakfast is free. Any questions?”
Mirabel shook her head and reached into her bag for the money she had.
“Wait,” Juana exclaimed, “you’ve one paid me for one room.”
Mirabel blushed. She didn’t have much more money to spare for a second room.
”Yes, I’ll be sharing with my Tio.”
Bruno looked like a deer in headlights behind her.
”Ah.”
She paid Juana then followed the woman as she showed her to the room.
”Buenas noches,” Juana said with a smile and walked away.
Mirabel and Bruno walked into the room.
It was spacious with a bed, a dresser, a closet, and an en suite bathroom.
“Well,” Mirabel sighed plopping onto the bed before looking pointedly at her uncle, “I think you have some explaining to do.”