31. A Change In Plans

Hola everyone! Today's chapter is a short one, but since I'm going in vacation tomorrow, I might post another one later tonight or early tomorrow morning while I wait for my flight to take off. I have to be up by 4am EST….and i LOVE sleep. RIP to me.

Anyways, enjoy!

~Star

"Mamá, I just don't understand." Julieta was starting to get upset at this point. "I see the way you treat Mirabel—I know she's one of your favorites, no lo niegues. So why are you doing this to her? Why can't she invite her amigos to her ceremony?" Her youngest hija had just turned five, her ceremony was soon. This was the last thing she expected from her mamá.

Alma stayed quiet, uncertain. They were currently in her room, as Julieta had stopped by to drop off some of her clothes when she brought up what had been on her mind for the past few weeks. Truth was, she didn't know how to convince her daughter that this was the best course because she didn't know what was going to happen. So far, the gifts had been the same as last time, but so much had changed as well. The magic had changed. It was stronger. Her connection with Pueblosito was proof of that.

There was a possibility that everything would be fine and she worried for nothing. That Mirabel would get a Gift this time.

But things could also be as they were before. The door could fade, her nieta devastated. She did not want her to be humiliated like that. Not again.

How to convey this to Julieta? Her fiercely protective eldest hija? Honestly, Isabela was just like her madre, just without a buffer. If Julieta was the silent and deadly type, Isabela was the danger you saw coming and could do nothing to avoid it. Just like her tía.

Alma took a breath. "Mija—"

"It might be best to keep it small." Bruno's voice cut in, and both women turned to see him peeking around the open doorway.

There was a pause, as both women had forgotten the door was open.

"Don't worry, the only one listening is Dolores." Bruno assured.

Julieta sighed, her frown deep as she turned her laser eyes onto her hermanito. "What do you mean by, 'it might be best', hm?"

Bruno felt himself begin to sweat, and swallowed nervously. He was thirty-six, dammit, but Julieta always made him feel like a child when she gave him that look she had perfected after she had Isabela. The ultra Ojos de Mamá that always, without fail, made him and Pepa spill the beans.

'Heavens help me.'

"W-well, things might go a bit…differently with her than it did with the other niños." He flashed his eyes for emphasis.

The tension in Julieta's shoulders increased, now with worry. "You saw something?"

Bruno held out his hand and tilted it back and forth. "Kinda? For some reason, the…," he trailed off as he searched on how to explain it. After Camilo's ceremony, the feeling of unease had not passed, so he'd taken a peak at the future to see how Mirabel's ceremony would go. "Well, the Miracle won't let me see it."

Silence.

"What—."

"—The Miracle?"

Alma and Julieta exclaimed at the same time, both staring at him in shock. Bruno just nodded.

"Yeah, it's weird. I've been trying on and off for two and a half months now. I can see her reaching for the door,but nothing after that." With his sobrinos, though he could never see what gifts they got, he had always seen their doors light up with the magic before the vision would cut off.

Julieta turned to her madre, confused and slightly alarmed. "Mamá?"

Alma decided that, if it meant her nieta would be spared the humiliation, a little lie was worth it. "It was a hunch. A feeling. It was difficult to explain. Lo siento, mi vida."

The healer slumped in defeat, her eyes worried. "I guess there's nothing I can do about it, then. I don't like this, at all, pero I don't want Mirabel to be embarrassed if it's something bad." She sighed. "She's going to be so upset."

"We'll make it extra special." Alma assured. "Her whole family will be there. To support or celebrate, whichever she needs."

Julieta nodded, then bit her lip. "The door hasn't appeared yet…I'm going to talk to Agustín about this before we tell her." With that, the eldest of the Madrigal Trillizos left the room. That left just madre y hijo.

The quiet that settled in was peaceful , yet somehow still tense. The tension Bruno felt before eased out of him, and he relaxed in his mamá's presence. He fiddled nervously with his ruana in thought.

"You had a feeling, too?"

Alma ignored the pans of guilt she felt when she nodded.

He nodded back. "Makes sense, since you're the Gift Giver. You'd be connected to the Miracle."

"It's not always as clear as your visions, though."

Bruno's expression twisted in dissatisfaction. "Except this time, of all times." He sighed before giving her a lazy smile. "I'm gonna check on the kids. See you at dinner."

"Hasta Luego."

Bruno murmured a similar sentiment before he left his madre's room, certain in the fact that she was lying. He could confront her, ask her what she knew about the other timeline—if she knew about it, but he was afraid to disturb the way things were now. Whatever his mamá was hiding, it wasn't hurting the family, and so he decided to let it be.

For now.

Soooo….I'll be exploring some of the things the creators of Encanto confirmed were canon, but weren't touched on in the movie. It's already written out, and I'm so excited but nervous to share it with you all.

There will also be new tags added soon, too! I'll give y'all a heads up when that happens.

….at least, i hope I'll remember to let you know ^^;

Until next time, ¡adiós!

~Star