The Forgotten...? ••• 𝐂.𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐥

(5) 𝐀 theory of Lucia's departure

Narrator's POV:

"CAMILO!? DELORES?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Tia Pepa screeched, her heavy yet speedy footsteps hit against the stairs and grew closer and closer to the level the group was on. (She's on the second level they are on the third, technically speaking)

The trio stilled before the door shut causing the enhanced hearer to shriek and let out a grimace. Camilo only blinked his wide eyes as he followed his cousin's rapid figure rushing away from the, now closed, door and further into the hallway.
"Mirabel? Mirabel!" Camilo whisper shouted, trying to avoid making loud noises as not to draw his mother's attention to this room. He doesn't want to deal with the consequences if they are caught in this room, in her room.

"Mirabel?" He sighed, rushing to follow her as she carried on down the hallway leaving the other two near the entrance. Catching up to the girl, he glanced to her and then the door to the end of the hallway, but his gaze was soon redirected to the walls as golden frames caught his attention. Camilo's pace slowed and seeing this Mirabel looked to him and saw him peering over at a painting? Or a photo perhaps. It seemed off, it seemed realistic, a bit too realistic.

"Wow." The two heard a quiet voice squeak. They both turned to Dolores to see her not far behind, staring at a photo of... Abuela and a little girl. The little girl that was chiselled onto the door. Abuela was wearing her usual dark pink and black clothes, as she wrapped her arms around the small child, beside her. Abuela was seated on a wooden chair and the girl, Lucia, was standing to her full height which at the age of 7 wasn't that high, was just a little shorter than Abuela's seated one. They were looking at one another, the kid was grinning from ear to ear and Abuela had on a warm smile, their eyes glazed over with gold and blue lights. The image almost seemed to move as the small cluster of family members got closer to it as they analysed it.

"No...way..." Camilo chuckled humorously, folding his arms over one another nearing the large framed photograph, with suspicion.
"That's... I don't understand?" He mumbled to himself, shock evident on his features as he shook his head, returning to his full posture.
"Dolores, you said that mamá described her as secluded, she was a 'danger' and 'explosive'. She would make people cry and leave the house, so most of our family left her alone."

"No, Camilo, Mamá said that Abuela was was talking to her about Lucia and that's how Abuela described her." Dolores clarified, crossing her arms and scowling at her brother, her pout prominent. Her brother just changed himself into his sister's form and stuck his tongue out, boldly grinning afterwards. The two siblings failed to notice the third party scrunching her face up in concentration and bringing her hand to her chin, lightly grazing it in thought.
"Abuela must have done that to shake off some of the guilt and avoid taking the blame for a family member being unhappy without her knowledge," Mirabel whispered in thought, looking over Abuela and Lucia, squinting in thought and somewhat disbelief.

"...To... To hide the fact that she cared for Lucia, a lot, until she decided to run away, leaving the Madrigal family behind. That she... Lucia, that Lucia had embarrassed the entire family by disappearing- by leaving?" Mirabel rushed, taking in all of the emotions and atmosphere that the image projected. The others just stared at Mirabel in shock, they didn't even think half of that until now. Dolores and Camilo were bewildered as it clicked in their heads as well, Dolores just shook her head and looked to the little girl with sympathy... Whilst the mischievous Madrigal sighed, mirroring his sister's emotions as he shook his head, believing that his Abuela was, yet again, dismissive of her grandchildren's needs and limits, to the extent she had to escape.

"Why didn't she tell anyone? Like Mamá or Tia Julieta? They could've helped her, right?" Dolores pointed out, making the others glance at her coming out of their dedicated daze.

"I-uh. I don't know. She was just a child, she probably... felt alone..." The young 17 year old women said in a hushed and quiet tone.
"Really?" Camilo asked, waiting for his cousin to turn to him but he only received a curt nod, not taking her eyes off of the photo.

"I-it doesn't matter... right now. We have to find out something about her and maybe we can stop everything, the attacks and whatever else is going on between the family." Mirabel firmly stated, her face becoming serious as she turned to look over at the door little ways down the hallway. The others followed her gaze, Camilo grinning in excitement and Dolores with her usual attitude stared at the door.
"Come on." She continued, beginning the short-ish trek there, the siblings pursuing.

The silent walk was short-lived as they finally got a few steps away and couldn't help the flood of emotions they felt as they neared.

They stood before the oak door, all three of them giddy and curious about the contents that reside behind the piece of wood. Mirabel noticed the engravings in the wood, handwritten and messy. Not professionally done. She grazed the markings with her fingertips, peering over her shoulder the try and gain the others attention towards them.
"They're pretty cool, now. Weird. But cool, for a 7-year-olds room." Camilo whispered, trying to hide his amazement and continued admiring the engravings that spelt out various things, such as animals some plants and clocks, hourglasses. Things range from cute and innocent to confusing and intriguing.

"That one pretty." Dolores smiled to herself, pointing at a specific flower carving, before looking at the doorknob, her hand twitching to open the door as the anticipation drive her wild. On the inside, obviously.

"Alright. Let's get this door opened, I don't wanna waste any time, I'm seeing what's behind it." The boy eagerly stated, inching to the wooden barrier. Dolores agreed with a short nod and Mirabel hummed in acknowledgement. Mirabel hesitantly pushes it open, standing still in her place alongside her cousins, seeing if there was anything dangerous or surprising, like the sudden lights, in the room.

The trio gasped in disbelief, the view was astonishing. They were greeted with bright and colourful surroundings, it was a little dull in some areas as they scanned the place in well-respected shock. Vines hung from trees and lavish flowers grew widely around the place, adding spurts of different colours. But the thing that caught their attention, almost instantaneously, was the small waterfall to the left of the room. The others quite literally dismissed everything else in the room once they noticed the waterfall and river, with the occasional wild stream here and there.
Mirabel couldn't keep her mouth shut as she stalked into the room, hurriedly walking over to the waterfall in a daydream state.

"No way... I-i, I mean... No way!" She heard Camilo yell, she looked at him and saw his eyes bulging and arms in the air, spinning in a circle as he took in the large and gorgeous room.

"My room ain't nothing like this..." She heard her cousin sigh, she couldn't help but giggle as she spun around the room herself to get a better look.
"Your not wrong though, Camilo. It's gorgeous..."

--------------------------------------
Word count: 1267