guess who? (camilo - encanto)

- five -

“i wasn’t making it up, i would never ruin antonio’s night! is that really what you think?” i heaved myself up onto the kitchen counter, swinging my legs as i accompanied mirabel and julieta. 

“what i think, is that tonight was very hard for you,” cooed julieta as she healed mirabel’s hand. the cut that had been there a minute ago dissolved as if retreating back into her flesh. 

“so, like, every member of your family has a special power except you?” i whistled as i snuck a bite of julieta’s bewitched empanadas. “the madrigals could form their own team of avengers.”

“what’s an avenger?” at the duo’s confused expressions, i bit my lip. yikes.

“another magic family!” i expertly lied through my teeth. mirabel blinked slowly. “there’s another-” 

“wow, look at the time! you should sleep, get some rest and stuff,” i insisted. “that reminds me, you have nowhere to stay,” julieta noted with a crease of her eyebrows. 

“you could stay with me in the nursery,” offered mirabel with a shrug of her shoulders. “with antonio moving into his new room, there’ll be plenty of space for you,” the curly-haired female’s voice broke slightly, so scarcely that it felt like a figment of my imagination. 

“alright then, if you’ll have me,” i grinned as we walked down the hall and into the nursery, which seemed cramped and circumscribed after experiencing the tropical range that was antonio’s new living space. 

upon entering the desolate room, i set the few things i had brought with me on the surface of the spare bedframe that had been left over from antonio's short stay, such as a compass and a few life necessities, such as emergency sustenance and beverages. the walls seemed to buzz with excitement as the celebration was still happening, and faint music could be heard traversing through the walls. 

mirabel collapsed face down into the pillow and groaned, her vocal chords muffled by the fabric pressed against her face. 

i immediately folded under the weight of my travels, along with the excitement of that breathless night. the moon smiled down at us, gracing us with it's alluring presence, while my eyelids eventually drew shut, and i was tossed into a deep slumber. 

[ mirabel sneaks out of the room to check on the candle, encounters abuela, finds her way back, whilst you are in too deep of a sleep to be stirred awake ] 

the god of the sun bid us a good morning as he drove his chariot of light into the blue sky. the nursery filled with fractures of light, which caused my eyes to flutter open against my will. through my tired pupils i stared at the ceiling an extra few minutes for good measure before sliding out of bed. the cold wooden floor felt alien to my feet, who had been warm under the covers for the remainder of the night. 

soon after, i realized my roommate had gone missing. her bedsheets lay in a cluttered heap, the covers disheveled and sloppy. 

"mirabel?" 

after receiving no answer, i decided to look for her myself, since she was the only person i really had in this town, although the citizens had been nothing aside from caring ever since i step foot in their fairytale-like lifestyle. 

it's like they're living a dream, i speculated as i went from room to room looking for my companion. i found the whole of the madrigals in the courtyard, attending to their breakfast meal. mirabel was spotted next to dolores in a heated discussion, while the tall female listened as she piled up a variety of foods on her plate. 

"mirabel, hey," i put my hand on her shoulder, inciting a shock in her body that caused her to flinch. "ah, hey," mirabel said, the brown eyes in those green frames bouncing between me and dolores as if they were tennis balls.