Luna's Past

21 Years Ago

A 2yo Luna fell down the stairs of Casita, her chubby left cheek bruised. She's not alone playing, it's Felix's turn to keep an eye on her but he just grabbed her some snacks, and as soon as he left the kid slipped down the stairs. Felix is greeted by a screeching 2yo at the base of the stairs, her cheeks bruised and blood spurting out her forehead.

"Luna!" Felix shouted, running down the flight of stairs she fell down.

Bruno heard the commotion, just popping out his head from the second floor. He watched his brother-in-law call for Julieta as the child kept on wailing while Felix cradled her. Pepa and Julieta came out running from the kitchen alongside Luna's grandmother Corazon who are all busy cooking for a party to happen that night. The 3 women rushed to her, Julieta holding a piece of Bunuelo to heal the kid's wounds.

"What happened?!" Pepa frantically said as she pulled the kid away from Felix's arms to make the kid stop crying herself.

"I was about to grab her some snacks and a towel to avoid her sweat drying up, then all I see is her at the end of steps and already bleeding." Felix explains as a thunder cloud formed on top of Pepa's head.

Julieta gently pushed a small piece of the Bunuelo into the kid's mouth. The bruises healed fast and Luna slowly stopped crying. Cooing at Pepa as she wiped the child's tears. Corazon breathed a sigh of relief as Pepa handed the child to her. Alejandro, Luna's grandfather just stood a few feet away his cold blue eyes looking at Luna. He shook his head and turned to his wife.

"Crying is only for the weak." He muttered as he walk away, leaving everyone with their jaws open.

As soon as Alma and Alejandro are out to do their jobs for the town, Pepa unleashed torrential rain. Corazon let the toddler sleep on a couch near the kitchen as she and Felix try to calm down Pepa.

"That's a toddler! A literal child! His own grandchild! Why is  he being such a---- an inconsiderate piece--- of shit!" She screeched as she got all 3 of them wet, thunder and lighting surrounding them.

"I'm really sorry... I'm doing my best to help him understand that it is not Luna's fault Marisol died." Corazon said, trying to comfort Pepa as she cried, remembering her now-dead best friend.

It's been 2 years and they still felt the pain and loneliness after the young woman just died. The once gentle, jolly, and jovial man is distraught. His only daughter, his princess, died after giving birth to a child while she was unmarried. Alejandro raised the Madrigal triplets like his own, like how he promised it to his Compadre, Pedro. A warm man contrasting the cold distant attitude of Alma, especially at Bruno. Alma's cold treatment of Bruno was contrasted by the loving attitude of Alejandro, even teaching the young child back then how to fish, hunt, and accept his flaws of being a mellow child rather than a brute young boy.

"I just... I just want to bring everything back." Pepa helplessly said as her husband hugged her tight.

Bruno just watched on the second floor as the whole thing unfold. He's been terrified to talk to Pepa for the past 2 years. Marisol begged him a few months before she give birth to tell her what is her future, and all he saw is her dying from childbirth. Marisol asked him to never tell anyone. He complied, but Pepa saw that vision glass under Marisol's bed after they cleaned her room a week after her death. Pepa held a grudge ever since that happened, after all, maybe they could've saved her if they had just known this vision.

"Hey, Bro." Agustin greeted Bruno as he hold a few stuffed toys from the nursery.

"O-oh, h-hi." Bruno awkwardly said as he slowly scooted away.

"Y-you know you can go down there, interact with us, and with Luna, right?" Agustin said as he slowly reached out for Bruno's shoulder.

Bruno immediately moved away, avoiding his touch as he nervously giggled.

"Uhm, Oh... uh... yes, I know. I just, I'm scared of kids." Bruno nervously laughed. "Bye." He said as he scurried off towards his room.

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A three-year-old Luna sat on Julieta's bed as her tiny hand caressed her 7-month pregnant belly. The small child humming Guten Abend, Gute Nacht a lullaby she always hears from her Abuela Corazon.

"Tia Julieta, Isabewa is here?" Luna cutely asked as she ever so gently rested her head to listen to Isabela.

Julieta laughed at her innocence, she caressed her long strawberry blond hair. The more she looked at the child, the more she is reminded of her friend.

"Well, yes. Isabela is still in my Tummy. After 2 months, she will finally arrive. You will finally have a playmate!" She said, feeling really happy as she imagined the 2 girls playing.

"Tia, I thought babies are given by storks?" Luna said as she stood up and sat down on a couch nearby. 

Julieta nervously laughs, she never really expected that the child will ask this early.

"Well, you see, when a mommy and daddy love each other. Their love creates a baby!" She explained in the simplest terms. Her heart sank as Luna's eyes shine brightly.

"Do-does that mean my mommy and daddy loved each other? Then... they created me?" She asked with pure innocence and excitement.

Julieta felt a pain in her chest as she looked at Luna who was already tilting her head, waiting for her to respond. Julieta is there, as Marisol begged Gabriel to just acknowledged the child as his own. But all he does is look at her in the eyes, his Hazel eyes full of coldness and annoyance, and say "I don't know what you're talking about." Before he walked away, a woman then clinging to him.

Julieta bit her lip, for now, she will lie. Someday, Luna will understand her. Someday, the child will discover the truth. But for now, she will treat her like the child that she is.

"Of course! All babies are made because of love." She said with a bright smile.

Luna giggled before running around Julieta's room. "Mommy and daddy love me!" 

Pepa watched at the doorway as the child happily dance around, not knowing how her father completely abandoned her. The sisters looked at each other before sighing, at least, they are doing a very great job filling the role of parental figures for the child.

"Luna! Time for your violin lessons!" Agustin called out in the courtyard.

Luna gasped before running towards Julieta. "Bye Isabewa!" She then ran towards Pepa. "Bye Dolowes! Keep growing! I'm waiting for you two!" She said before running down the stairs.

"Mija! Don't run!" Pepa said as her motherly instincts turns on.

"I don't have the heart to tell her the truth." Julieta said.

"You did the right thing. She doesn't need to know the truth yet. Her grandfather is making her suffer enough." Pepa said as she caressed her own tummy.

Luna smiled so brightly as she watched Agustin tune the violin that Agustin's father, a Luthier, made for her specifically. Her name was engraved on the violin's sides. It's a perfect size for her at this age. She has been practicing it for 4 months now.

"What song am I practicing? I want to impress grandpa!" Luna smiled. Agustin just feigned a smile at her.

"But, what do you want?" Agustin asked as he crouched to be on her level.

The kid tilted her head, looking confused. "What... does Abuelo want me to play?" 

"How about we stick to Twinkle Twinkle little star?" Agustin smiled as he pats the child's head. Luna just smiled at him sweetly. 

Luna's small hands rested the violin on her shoulder as they started their lesson. The two women overlook Agustin while he carefully teaches Luna how to move around her fingers.

"Hmm. Seems like you don't have to worry about Agustin being very clumsy around your kids." Pepa said as they watched Agustin and Luna.

"Well, he did drop Luna yesterday." Julieta hesitantly said.

"What?!" Pepa screeched.

"He suddenly dropped her in the bed, she's not hurt... except for a slight bump." Julieta nervously laughed.

"Dios Mio," Pepa whispered.

The sisters are about to go downstairs when they saw that Alma, Alejandro, and other elders of the community went inside Casita. They'll be having a meeting again. Luna brightly smiled at them, the Elders and Alma smiling back at her and waving as they cooed how cute she is while she plays the violin. Alejandro, her grandfather on the other hand just looked at her with cold eyes and continued walking.

"A-Abuelo! I'm playing twinkle twinkle little star." Luna proudly said.

"Talk to me once you can play Paganini." He replied in a cold stern voice that immediately broke Luna's spirit.

Corazon immediately went and pat her grandaughter's head.

"Mija, you're doing great! I'm so proud of you." Corazon said as she hugged Luna. 

"Danke Schon, Oma." Luna said in a sad tone before running back to Agustin.

"Asshole." Pepa muttered under her breath.

Luna, even at her young age is pressured to be perfect and hold her last name to a high standard after her mother ruined it. Her goal is to be accepted by her grandfather. To just have him look in her way.

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"Lunaaaaa!" The 2yo Camilo shouted as he chased the 11yo Luna around Casita.

"Camilo please slow down, you'll trip." Bruno warned the kids as he held a plate of food while he walked up the stairs to eat alone in his room.

He turned his back to go upstairs when he heard a loud thud a what seems a bone getting broken. He turned his head, Camilo is laying on the ground on his stomach while holding Luna's ankle. Luna just laying on the ground motionless.

"Lu...na?" Camilo muttered before screeching.

Bruno run immediately, carefully turning over Luna who broke her nose and bleeds on her forehead after falling face-first on the hard concrete. Bruno panicked on top of Camilo screeching and crying while he carries the lucid girl.

"Don't cry, you won't be able to breathe. Milo, please stop crying Luna is fine. She's alive." Bruno said as he carried Luna towards the kitchen where Julieta looked at him confusedly and the screeching 2yo.

"What happened?" Julieta asked, she looked at Luna who was biting her lip. Her nose was crooked and her forehead bleeding. "Oh no..." Julieta said as she grabbed an arepa and handed it to Luna.

The 2yo Camilo continues babbling about how he killed Luna and he's sorry.

"Milo, I'm fine don't worry." Luna said in a faint voice as she chewed on the food, slowly healing her. She made eye contact with Bruno who was still carrying her. Her hazel brown eyes stared back at his green eyes. "Thank you!" She said before jumping off his arms to comfort Camilo. "Thank you Tia Julieta!"

"You two should stop playing so roughly, next time I won't give you any food." Julieta seriously said, before turning back to cook their lunch.

Luna carried Camilo on her back talking about how they should just play with her stuffed animals.

"Knowing you, you'll still feed them." Bruno said with a shrug as he turned his back to pick up the plate he left on the stairs.

"It's your only interaction with Luna." Julieta said in a somber tone.

"She makes me feel grief whenever I lay my eyes on her." Bruno said before walking away.

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Senora Corazon stood in front of Bruno. Luna just turned 13, and for some reason, her grandmother is panicking about what will happen to her. What is her future? Will she also suffer the same fate as her mother?

"Bruno. I trust your gift. I'm begging you, I don't want her to suffer the same fate as Marisol. Please, read her future." Corazon said as she cupped her hand.

"But Senora, I don't take responsibility whatever my vision is. I don't have power over the future." Bruno seriously said as he went inside his room.

He walked the long flight of stairs, his heart pounding as he have flashbacks of watching his friend cry over the fact that she have 3 months left to live and she won't be able to watch her daughter grow up. Bruno paused walking, clutching his chest as he got nervous. He entered his vision cave, doing all his ritual steps before throwing salt over his shoulder and stretching his arms a bit. He lit all the leaves. He concentrated, his eyes turning jade green.

The sand engulfed him, he watches as a grown-up Luna walked down the aisle. He smiled, Luna will have a great life just like her mother wished. Luna is walking down the Aisle with Agustin and Felix in her right and left arms. It suddenly pans to the man standing down the aisle, beside the man is the tall, looming figure of Alejandro. Bruno almost had a heart attack as he saw who is the man waiting for Luna. It's him. An older version of him. It cuts to them saying their vows, he ended the vision as they put their rings on each other's fingers. Bruno's heartbeat is going haywire. No. No. This young woman doesn't deserve a decrepit, sad, broken man that the whole town hates.

The vision glass formed. He held it and stared at how happy he is in there. He hasn't smiled like that ever since he was abused by the townspeople and how the only woman he genuinely liked, Veronika Carvalho, declined his marriage proposal and immediately married Gabriel Sanchez, Luna's biological father. It's a mess. The more he looked at the vision the more he ingrained in his mind that he never deserve such happiness. 

"I don't deserve this." He muttered before letting out a painful scream. He shattered the glass, gathering it and hiding it in a vase which he then covered with sand. "I'll do my best to avoid this. She will never end up with me." He whispered as he wiped off his tears.

He got out of his room, the old woman stood patiently waiting for him. Bruno faked a smile just to hide the stress he was going through.

"Don't worry Senora. She'll marry a very handsome and successful man. They'll have kids and will live peacefully." He said his heartache as the old woman smiled and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you so much Mijo. She will not end up like our Marisol" Corazon said. 

Bruno bit his lip, he lied again.

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"Se-Senor Bruno?" a 13yo Luna said to Bruno as she approached him to hand him a few clothes that Corazon made for him. "Abuela told me to give this to you. She said Thanks for the vision." She awkwardly said.

Bruno awkwardly smiled as he took the clothes from her and backed up a few steps. "Thanks." He said before running back to his room.

This is the second time he interacted with Luna. The first was when she fell down face first on the hard concrete of Casita when Camilo was chasing her, and this is the second. Bruno doesn't know if fate is playing with him, out of all the time that she will talk to him it is right after he saw her future. He can't even look at Luna's eyes anymore.

"Se-Senor! Is it true that I will marry a really great man?" Luna asked, right before he entered his room.

Bruno hesitated. "Ye-yes." He said. He heard Luna giggle.

"Senor, You are invited to my wedding!" She gleefully said before running away.

Bruno got inside his room, he leans on his door as he slowly slid down before slumping. "Help me, Marisol. Help me run away from my fate."

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Index:

Luna is 50% Spanish-Colombian, 25% German, 12.5% French and 12.5% Russian. This already counts her Father's ethnicity which is mostly Spanish or Colombian. Being the only remaining German, French and Russian descent in Encanto, she is tasked to teach the next generations their languages, history, and culture.