My Mirabel~ Papa Bruno Au

Part one

Bruno's POV

Throwing the salt over my shoulder, I got to work. I lit the match, spread the fire to the individual pits, placed my hands in position on both of my knees, and closed my eyes. Once they opened again, I was surrounded by the swirling sand that allowed me to see.

I watched as the, now glowing, dancing sand showed me the future.

Then, I saw the house and Mirabel. Mom asked me to look into her future, to make sure we wern't in danger; that the miracle wasn't in danger. After what happened at Mirabels ceremony that day, I didn't blame her for asking me.

Giant cracks appeared on the house behind her. But... they disappeared just as fast. As if the future was unsure; undecided. What was going on?

Things were going haywire. Nothing like this had ever happened before. I kept watching, confused and concerned. There wasn't any signs of anything good. Normally any gold glowing sand was a sign that something good was going to happen, but there was none.

Suddenly, everything dropped and my eyes stopped glowing. I was panting like crazy, and scared. What was going to happen? What was wrong with my daughter?

I couldn't tell her. Mother would blame me, blame Mirabel. This couldn't happen. She couldn't be excised like I was, I wouldn't let her. I wouldn't let my mother do this.

Everything has to be perfect for her, always. 'To honor the miracle'. If she knew something bad was going to happen, and that it was Mirabels fault, she'd be hated, maybe even feared, just like I was.

So I ran.

I hid in the walls of the casita.

To protect her; to protect My Mirabel.

Two years later~ Mirabel is 7
Mirabel's POV

I ran into the nursery crying, they were making fun of me; again.

I always got made fun of by my cousins for not having a gift. They say I'm a weirdo, that I ruin everything. The town kids say I don't deserve to be in the Madrigal Family, and that I don't even deserve to be in the house. And I agree.

Plus, Abuela doesn't like me. She doesn't say it, but I can tell she doesn't. Tia Julieta and Tio Augustine always talk to her and tell her to be less hard on me when they thinks I'm not listening.

I feel alone, all the time. The only time I'm not is when the rats visit me.

I'm not sure why, but the rats that live in the walls have been friendly to me ever since I didn't get a gift. They may not talk, but they're great listeners. The rats are the only ones who don't judge me, and aren't mean.

I talk to them about everything. My cousins, my tio's and tia's, my abuela, and... my dad, Bruno.

He left when I was little... supposedly after my failed ceromony. I don't remember much about him. Just that he used to sing to me when I couldn't sleep. I don't remember my Mama at all.

I curled up on my bed, tears streaming down my face. That's when I heard his voice.

"Whats wrong?" The voice said. It sounded slightly familiar, but I couldn't place where I had heard it before.

"Wh-who said that?!" I called out, looking around for the person. No one else was in my room with me, so where did it come from.

"Uh- I'm your imaginary friend!" He answered. That... made sense?... Kinda. I mean, what other explanation was there?

"Oh," I started again. "Well my cousins were making fun of me..." I explained. I figured; if he was imaginary, why couldn't I tell him? Who was he gonna tell?

"Why would they do that?"

"Because I don't have a gift. They think I ruin everything."

"Well, they're wrong."

"No! I do ruin everything... I'm not special like them... I can't help the village or honor the miracle. I can't do anything. I'm not strong or perfect. I can't make people smile and laugh, or hear things from really far away... I don't deserve to be in the family."

"Of course you deserve to be here!! You are just as special as the rest of the family. It's is not your fault. No one deserves to be made fun of for something they can't control. You belong here just as much as they do."

"Thanks... but Abuela will never believe that. She thinks I'm a burden. I ruined my ceremony. She thinks I'm hurting the magic. She doesn't say it, but I know she thinks that."

"Don't listen to her. She thinks if you aren't perfect, you're nothing. All you need to do is be yourself, that's what makes you perfect, Mirabel."

From that day on, I had a friend. He may be imaginary, but he was there for me. He could talk back, make me feel better. I wondered what he looked like, why he was so nice. Did the house give him to me?

Was he real?