Shunned (Bruno's Kid)

Dinner Disaster

        "Miraboo. Got your party pants on, 'cause I do-" Agustin stops as he pokes his head in and sees the visions. He looks to Mirabel and then me, concerned. Casita, Mirabel and I quickly and ungracefully try to cover it up. "Tio Agustin I-" Mirabel cuts me off, "We... broke into Bruno's tower,  found his last vision, the family's in trouble, the magic is dying, the house is breaking, Alex could get hurt, Luisa's gift is fading and I think it's all because of... me?" Agustin stares at Mirabel, stunned. "Pa?" Agustin eyes go wider I think he is trying to form a plan. Agustin then shoves the vision into his pockets."We say nothing, Abuela wants tonight to be perfect, 'til the Guzmans leave, you did not break into Bruno's tower, the magic is not dying, the house is not breaking, Alex will not get hurt, Luisa's gift is not fading, no one will know, just act normal, no one has to know."

        Suddenly there's a squeak, and we turn to see Dolores staring at us from across the courtyard, she has clearly heard everything that we just said. "I know." She squeaks and runs off, we share a look. "She's gonna tell everyone." I nod, "Definitely." I agree, suddenly Abuela's voice rings through the house. "Time to eat!" We are so busted "Miercoles." Tio Agustin says, in any other situation I would have laughed.

       Everyone is sitting at the dining table. "The Guzmans and the Madrigals together will be so good for the Encanto." Abuela says, I take a deep breath. "Yes, then let's hope tonight is not a horrible disaster." Sra. Guzman says 'she just had to throw that out there.' "To a perfect night. Salud!" "Salud!" We all echo, Mirabel does her best to act normal as she maintains eye contact with Dolores, who looks like she's gonna pop any minute, Agustin and I are across from each other, we exchange looks. Abuela and Sra. Guzman lightly chuckle, there seems to bet tension between them. Mirabel keeps staring at Dolores, hoping she won't expose the secret. Someone passes avocado in front of Mirabel, blocking her view of Dolores. "Avocado?" Mariano asks, as the avocados pass, Mirabel now sees that Dolores is telling Camilo about the visions. He chokes on his food, he changes into Mirabel, then me, then Bruno. Everyone looks at him, Abuela is clearly upset and pours more wine for Abuela Guzman to distract her. "Camilo, fix your face." Felix whispers Camilo does as he's told, Camilo looks to Mirabel, who is starting to panic that Camilo now knows her secret too. 

        Mirabel now begins a staring contest with Camilo, I keep an eye on Dolores. A pitcher of water passes in front of Mirabel. "Water?" As the water jug passes, I see Camilo is whispering to tio Felix. Felix's eyes go wide and he chokes on some water, which flies onto Sra. Guzman's plate. Abuela watches this, I am quietly panicking, trying to seem calm. "Mirabel, the cream, please." Abuela says, irritation lacing her voice. Mirabel smiles at Abuela and turns to tio Agustin for the cream. "Pa, the cream." He tries to hand her the cream, but his hand is shaking like crazy. Mirabel takes the cream and passes it to Abuela. A sudden clash of thunder draws my attention to Pepa. Felix is whispering in her ear, a small swirling hurricane forms over the dining room table. "Pepa? The cloud." Abuela says, she is clearly quite embarrassed, Pepa tries her best to calm herself down. "Clear skies, clear skies, clear skies..." She mutters, Julieta leans over to Pepa, concerned. Pepa whispers in Julieta's ear. Julieta flushes, then looks to Mirabel, worried. Mirabel tries to avoid her mother's gaze, looking at the floor to avoid eye-contact. But as Mirabel looks down, she seems to notice something and looks under the table.

         "Mirabel...?" Mariano asks, Mirabel sits up fast, bumping her head on the table, "Everything okay?" Mariano asks, Mirabel stares at Mariano, I feel the need to say something. Luckily tio Agustin speaks first, "Everything's great, she's just...excited! For you to propose, which you should do as fast as you can." I sigh relieved, "Uh, I was actually gonna-" Mariano goes to say something, but Mirabel cuts him off. "You were actually gonna! Great!" Mirabel turns Isabela's chair toward Mariano. Sra. Guzman looks a little weirded out, I rub the bridge of my nose. "Well, since everyone here has a talent, my Mariano wanted to begin with a song. Luisa, could you bring over the piano?" Sra. Guzman asks, Luisa, who is beside me, is fighting tears. "Okay." She sadly marches to get the piano, I want to go to her. "Uh, it's actually family tradition to sing after." Mirabel shoves Mariano down on one knee and motions for him to begin. Mariano takes a breath.

        "Isabela, most graceful of all the Madrigals..." Mirabel abruptly jumps onto the floor. "You're doing great." She says awkwardly laying on the floor. "The most perfect flower in this entire Encanto." Luisa enters trying to shove a piano that is making horrible scraping noises. "...in this entire Encanto, will you marry me?" Mirabel lunges at under the table "Nooo!" She yells, Luisa falls to the ground, crying in defeat. Antonio's toucan is scared by Pepa's storm cloud and goes flying over Sra. Guzman's head, who ducks just in time. "What is happening?!" Sra. Guzman asks frantically. "Mirabel and Alex found Bruno's vision, they're in it, they're gonna destroy the magic and now we're all doomed!" Dolores yells covering her ears, I haven't heard her yell in five years. As if on cue, some coatis pull the visions from below the table. 

        Mirabel and I both dive for them at the same time, we accidentally send it sliding down the table, stopping right in front of Abuela. Everyone looks at the visions, then at us. Cracks ripple around the whole room and everyone's powers fritz and spasm. Isabela accidentally shoots a bunch of vines directly into Mariano's face. Pepa's storm cloud opens up, unleashing a torrent of water onto the whole table. As animals race out, they blow open the windows, the whole town is out front, ready to celebrate. "FELICIDADES" They shout before seeing the disaster inside. The Guzmans leave, Abuela not far behind, Mirabel follows her into the courtyard as well. 

         "Senora, por favor!" Abuela shouts after the Guzmans. "Abuela, please, there's gotta be an explanation!" Mirabel says, I got to her. Isabela stomps past me. "I hate you!" She says dramatically to Mirabel. Luisa races past us, sobbing. "Ahh, I'm a loser!" I almost go after her, but Agustin beats me to it. "Luisa!" He says chasing her outside, Pepa runs out, her weather going crazy. "What did you do?!" She asks Mirabel, "I'm not doing anything! It's Bruno's vision! It's..." As Mirabel says that she notices something, then I see it too, a green light moving on the ground. It's a shard of the visions being carried by a rat. 

        There are dozens of rats, all of them are taking the shards from the dining room and racing up to the balcony. Mirabel grabs my wrist and pulls me in pursuit of the wet rats along the upper walkway. But as we turn the corner they're gone, I sigh. Then a noise, we both spot a single rat tail disappear through an opening under a large painting. Mirabel approaches the painting and studies it, she then slowly pulls it open, revealing a secret passage within the walls. Mirabel climbs into the secret passageway and I follow, the inside covered in cracks. "What is this place?" I whisper to no one in particular, a rat squeaks as it scurries past our feet and away into the darkness, but as it retreats I see the glow move into the air. I squint, hoping to get a better look. A bolt of lightning illuminates the spot, illuminates my papi.