Camilo's heart dropped into his stomach while simultaneously climbing up into his throat. The candle was gone.
Camilo's POV
Darkness crept over casita as the windows were held shut, the doors locking themselves with the little power there was left.
"What is going on?"
The murmurs weren't from anyone in specific. That was all that could be heard as the rest of the family began to join together, panic and confusion clouding the air.
Literally.
"Camilo, what is going on?" Pepa cried out as a flurry began to form above her head, Félix brushing off the cold snow that fell atop her shoulders.
"I don't know, mamá," Camilo desperately replied, as if he hoped he would suddenly understand as he spoke. He didn't.
"Má, please come down here," Julieta called to her mother, who was still standing with a petrified look on her face.
Alma hesitantly lowered her frail hands from her trembling lips and walked out of sight from the window that held- well, used to hold the candle.
There were a few moments of anxiety-ridden silence until Alma could be heard walking down the staircase, solemnly making her way down the hallway before going down the second set of stairs to the ground floor.
Camilo followed quickly behind her to the ground floor, where the whole family resided.
"Abuela, tell me it isn't true," Camilo urged hopelessly, holding onto a glint of optimism that it was not what he thought.
Alma looked at Camilo with despair twinkling in her eyes.
To his, and the rest of the family's dismay, it was exactly what it looked like.
"Family," abuela Alma began softly, holding back the fear-induced wobble in her voice.
"The candle is gone."
There were no gasps. There were no murmurs.
There was only shock. Only contemplation. Only silence.
It didn't take long until the family had processed what had been told to them, and more panic began to set in.
"Wait, what?" Isabela could be heard gritting through her teeth.
"What do we do, abuela?" Luisa asked second, attempting to keep her voice strong and steady.
"Ay Dios mío," Pepa said as she paced, Félix following her back and forth like a duckling.
"Does this mean we're losing our gifts?" Julieta asked, placing a hand on her heart.
Camilo attempted to shapeshift in response to his aunt. A wave of relief washed over him as it proved to be successful, taking the form of Y/N.
"It seems like it's okay for now," Alma replied, "I'm not sure how long that's going to last, though."
"It should still work if the candle continues to burn, right?" Camilo interjected hopefully.
"I don't know," Alma said, closing her eyes and lowering her head.
Camilo's brows furrowed as he changed back into his own form.
"How did this even happen?" Agustín jumped in, asking the question everyone was thinking.
"I don't know," Alma repeated.
"I bet it was that little girlfriend of yours," Isabela remarked, gesturing over to Camilo. "We never should have let her stay here!"

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Make You Smile (Camilo Madrigal x Reader)
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