Shunned (Bruno's Kid)

Visions

        We get to Antonio's room and papi begins to set up. There is a tremor, this causes most of the animals to fly away.  "We might wanna hurry." Mirabel says, papi is preparing a sand circle for his vision. "Ya can't hurry the future, uh... " Papi is making his circle of sand and reaches a Chiguiro sitting in his path, he shrugs and pours the sand around it. "And what if I show you something worse? If I see something that you don't like, you're gonna be all, 'Bruno makes bad things happen, oh, he's creepy and his vision killed my goldfish.'" Papi says, mimicking Sra. Osma, a towns woman who is always ranting about papi's vision killing her fish. "I don't think you make bad things happen. Sometimes family weirdos just get a bad rap." Mirabel says looking a me, I give her a soft smile before turning to papi. "You can do this." I say giving him a reassuring smile. Antonio hands Papi a stuffed jaguar. "For the nerves." Antonio smiles at papi and nods, as if to say 'I believe in you', then heads off on the back of his jaguar. 

       Papi looks at the stuffed jaguar, then up to Mirabel, then me. Then, with a shaky exhale, papi reaches into his ruana and takes out a handful of salt, he throws it behind his back. "I can do this. I can do this. I can do this, I can do this." He says to himself, he lights a match, which he uses to ignite piles of wet leaves. As the smoke begins to spiral around us, papi closes his eyes. The magic fills the room. The entire room begins to glow, wind kicks up, blowing leaves and sand that begins to swirl around us, glowing brighter and brighter. I look at papi, he looks at me. His eyes glow a magnificant green, like mine when I use my gift. "You might wanna hang on." He offers each of us a hand, he squeezes our hands and energy surrounds us. The vision has begun. There is chaos in the house. The family is running. Mirabel is standing among the expanding cracks, papi starts to falter. "It's just- it's just the same thing, I gotta stop." Papi says, I wonder if he gets headaches when he goes to long too. "No, I need to know which way it goes, there's gotta be an answer, something we're not seeing." Mirabel says looking around, I begin to look for something new. "You're looking at the same thing that I am! If there was something else-" 

        Mirabel turns in the opposite direction. Mirabel looks and I follow her gaze. "Holy shit." I say seeing what she sees, papi shoots me a look. "There, over there!" Mirabel shouts over the noise, Confused, papi turns. He sees it too, flitting through the chaos. "Butterfly! Follow the butterfly!" As we stand, the butterfly lands on a reed in a river, which dissolves as something begins to glow behind it. "Where is that?" Mirabel asks, the images flutter, we struggle to see it. "It's all outta order." Papi says, he pauses, straining some more. "It's, it's- it's the candle! The candle's getting brighter!" I yell, I see Mirabel arms outstretched. "I think you're gonna help the candle!" Papi shouts, "How?!" Mirabel and I yell in unison, the vision moves. It shows Mirabel and a glowing figure. I make out a feminine shape. "There's someone with you! And you-you fight her!" Papi says, I look at Mirabel, we are both confused. "What?!" Mirabel asks, we squint trying to interpret what he's seeing. "Wait no, no, no, no. Is that a hug?!" He asks, leaving me more confused "Is she fighting or hugging?!" I ask, he squints harder, than a look of understanding adorns his facial fetures. "An embrace- AN EMBRACE!- to make the candle bright, you have to embrace her!!" Mirabel and I look at papi in anticipation. "Embrace who?!" Mirabel asks, the images grow more and more clear. "Almost there." Papi mutters, the suspense is killing me. "Who is it?!" I mutter to myself, concentrating on the figure.  "Almost there... I, I- I got it!" Papi exclaims, as we step forward we see Isabela. "ISABELA!" Mirabel exclaims as the vision ends, papi looks at the new emerald vision 'plate' and smiles. 

        "Oh, your sister, that's great!" He says looking up, I shake my head. "Not exactly." I say, Mirabel stares at it in disbelief. Papi realizes she hates his vision. He chucks it like it's garbage. "Every time." He says, I use my gift to catch the vision, if Pepa finds broken glass in Antonio's room, she will be pissed. We are right in front of Isabela's door, staring at it from behind a plant. "Why would 'embracing Isabela' do anything?" Mirabel asks annoyed, papi shrugs. "I dunno, our family got a miracle, how do you help a family miracle? You hug a sister." Mirabel looks at papi like he's stupid. A noise below draws our attention to Camilo, who walks across the courtyard. we duck our heads. "Alex?! Mirabel?!" Camilo calls, he sneezes and powers fritz, he gets a baby head. I looks from Camilo to the candle, which flickers. Mirabel is too busy worrying to notice. "Oh, I think we're running outta time here." Papi says, he must have noticed it too. 

         "It's not gonna work. She won't hug me, ever, okay? She hates me. Also, I don't know if you heard, I ruined her proposal. Plus, P.S...." Mirabel keeps ranting, "Mirabel?" 

"...it is just annoying- of course it's Isabela..." 

        "Mirabel." I say, she keeps going. "...and what's her problem with me anyway, she's the one with roses coming out her-" Before she can get any further, "Mirabel!" Papi says louder than intended, Mirabel flinches a little. "Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry, you see you're missing the point. The fate of the family is not up to her, it's up to you. You're exactly what this family needs. You just have to see it." He says, his speech is beautiful. "By yourself, after I leave." He adds, I giggle. "What? You're not coming?" Papi moves a tall potted plant, hiding him from view as he waddles toward his portrait leading to his secret passageway. "It was your vision, Mirabel, not mine." Mirabel and I share a knowing look. "You're afraid Abuela will see you." Mirabel says, busted. "Yep, I mean yes... that too." There is a pause, "Hey, after you save the miracle...come visit." 

        "After I save the miracle, I'm bringing you home." Papi gives Mirabel a smile, "I'm gonna go spend a little time with him. Goodluck." I say walking over to the painting, Papi then knocks on wood, crosses his fingers, holds his breath and tips backwards into the wall. I give a small wave before entering the portrait myself.