Encanto AU (Abandoned and Forgotten)

Chapter 5: Moving On

Months have passed in Encanto with no such luck of finding Mirabel. Julieta was forced to stop by her daughters, with her barely sleeping and bathing herself. Luisa and Isabela still kept looking for their sister, but after months and months of looking, they eventually gave up. Though Julieta and Pepa still talk, they now live separately in different houses in Encanto. Abuela, now only called by her real name, Alma, lives on her own in the outskirts of town, with her family no longer having contact with her. The townsfolk loved Mirabel and blamed the family for letting her go to easily, causing the town's people to hate the Madrigal family. The town destroyed the old Madrigal mural, making the family realize Mirabel was only in one family photo which was destroyed when the house fell.

Everyone had problems moving on and trying to live without Mirabel. Julieta, who was known as the kind and caring person she was, became solemn and stricken with grief over her missing daughter. She barely goes into town anymore and stays in her house, just hoping one day her youngest daughter would pop through the door, with nothing like that ever happening. Agustín has started taking care of his wife, making sure she was eating and showering. Luisa blames herself for not running in and grabbing Mirabel when Casita fell, for not being strong enough to protect her little sister after years of trying to protect her. Luisa became obsessed with getting stronger, working out to get strong enough to make sure no one else gets hurt in the family. Isabela felt the most guilty, with her being the reason Alma and Mirabel fought, destroying their home and magic. She realized that she didn't need her magic to help the town, just like Mirabel. She started helping the town by growing gardens by hand and helping people day by day.

Pepa and Félix always felt bad for Julieta and Agustín, with a parent never wanting to lose their child. They both visit them on ocassion, but Julieta would barely speak, as if waiting for Mirabel to come back. Though still missing her cousin, Dolores got married to Mariano, with Mariano talking her families last name, even after the slander. They both in the center of Encanto, with the town still happy for their marriage. Camilo loved his cousin with all his heart. He remembered how they used to play together when the were younger and how he comforted her after not getting a gift. The problem was is that he couldn't remember what she looked like. What was her eye color? What was that design on her dress? Wait, what color were her glasses? Camilo started drawing his cousin, trying to remember every detail, with something always missing. He tries to remember her, with his memory slowly fading. Antonio was hurt, but in a different way. He saw Mirabel run away when Casita fell down, but instead of saying anything, he stayed quiet. He couldn't blame her for wanting to run away, after how her family treated her and how she would've felt guilty if she stayed. Every night, he sleeps beside his leopard plushy, given to him by the cousin he lived in the same room basically for his whole life. He still missed his cousin, but hoped she was living a better life, even if that meant it was without him.