Camilo x Reader -Broken Reflection

Chapter 19 (Another door)

Y/N's POV

His arms were warm around me. They felt like home. He felt like home.

+++

I hated crying in front of people but Camilo never judged me. He just held me close and rested his chin on the top of my head while I tried to scrub away my tears and dry my eyes.

"C'mon, you can't be crying on your birthday," He told me. I let out a little chuckle.

"You cried on yours."

"We don't talk about that."

The teenage boy pulled away and gently ran the pad of his thumbs under my eyes.

"You've got a little booger," He said and gestured to his nose. I felt my face flush deep red in embarrassment and I turned away to try and banish it from my face.

"Don't look- why are you looking?" I huffed, feeling my ears and neck heat as well. Camilo chuckled from behind me.

"It's fine, who cares?" He asked. He had a good point, but I cared. I ran my arm under my nose, breathing out a little relieved sigh when my friend handed me his handkerchief.

"What do you say we head back to your party?" He asked me. I let out a little laugh when he stuck out his arm and stiffened his body like a soldier on duty.

"I'd love that," I replied and gave him a little curtsey. I slid my hand around his arm and together we walked back into the Casita. It welcomed us with an open door, and we stepped out of the abandoned room that led to one of the many hallways in the house.

To my surprise, however, people stood directly in front of the door.

"Ah," I gasped as I took in each face. All of the Madrigals stood in front of us, but the other townspeople were gone. Camilo pulled away from me as soon as he saw his family but I was too busy doing the same to be offended.

"Where have you been?" Dolores asked, but we all knew she knew exactly where we were. She probably heard our entire conversation and I could tell by the way she briefly glanced at my ring. No one else noticed it.

"We- we were out at the balcony," I told the family. "Camilo was gone and I wanted to see if he was okay."

The entire family shifted to look at Abuela who stood in the center of them. Chispi sat at Antonio's feet with his blank and unconcerned stare.

"We were worried was all," Abuela told us. "Very well, let's not keep our guests waiting," She said. Both Camilo and I breathed a sigh of relief but I didn't know why.

I started to follow the crowd to the foyer but felt a small chill on my spine. I turned, remembering that we'd forgotten to close the door to the forgotten room.

"Hold on, guys, I-" I began as I reached for the handle.

As soon as my fingertips brushed the brass knob, I felt it. 

+++

Light shot out from the doorknob under my fingers and I felt a shock of energy surge through my body. I let out a cry in surprise as the door in front of me erupted with bright yellow light. The entire house glowed brighter than I could imagine.
"Saints," I heard Abuela gasp from behind me. I turned to see the Madrigals staring. Each of them looked with open mouths, but I knew they weren't looking at me. They were looking at the door.

I heard Antonio call my name as my head began to swim. I fought to keep my eyes open but the Madrigals began to fade from my vision.

"Camilo?" I croaked. My voice was barely a whisper as my knees gave out and I collapsed onto the ground.

+++

"What's happening?" I heard a voice above me whisper.
"Hush, Antonio, she's sleeping," another voice replied.
"Mom, she's burning," said someone else. As I slowly woke, I could tell that it was the soft voice of Dolores. My eyes slowly eased open and I could barely make out the silhouettes of three people hunched above me.

Pepa Madrigal squeezed my hand. Her bright orange curls tickled my cheek. She called my name and when I stirred again, she breathed out a small sigh of relief.

"Pepa?" I asked. My voice came out raspy and I wondered how long I was asleep. "What-what happened?"
"You passed out after touching a door... hm," Dolores told me. She brushed a few strands of my hair off of my forehead. "For how long?"

"Only a few minutes," her mother replied. "But I think you should see this..."

I sat up quickly and ignored the way my head swam, turning to look behind me. I let out a gasp and grabbed the nearest hand, glancing to see that it was Antonio.

"Who's door is that?" I demanded. The door in front of me was light brown just as everyone else's bedroom door was. It glowed bright orangish-yellow with a beautiful pattern, petals, and orchids carved into the thick wood. "I think it's yours," Antonio told me, and I watched him shift into Camilo's form. With furrowed brows, I glanced around to see the little five-year-old sitting behind me and clutching Dolores's hand.

"Camilo?" I asked. I followed his line of vision to see the door pulse along with my beating heart. That's when I realized that he was right. But it didn't make any sense. I wasn't a Madrigal. My parents had no way of being part of the family's bloodline. How was it possible that I got a door? I wasn't even turning five years old!

Slowly I stood, my eyes never leaving the door. In the center was the shape of a girl being carved into the wood. The girl wore the same dress that I had made for my birthday. She wore flowers in her hair and large round glasses. Her hands clutched her chest where the carving of a heart was caged by her fingers. It was me.

I let my fingers brush against the wood- timidly. Softly. My breath hitched when I felt another small surge of electricity. It stirred the hair on my head. I turned around to see the family behind me.

They crowded together and held onto each other as they watched me with confused wonder. "Abuela...?" I asked. She shifted her gaze from the door to me. "Impossible," she breathed. I swallowed.

But then Bruno pushed through the crowd. He took in the sight of the door and me standing next to it. His eyes glowed bright green for a split second, and I was sure that I was the only one that saw it.

"Saints," he mumbled. "It really happened."