Tio bruno picked up a book called 'the things you dont know' which showed the madrigals watching the tv.
"The newly rebuilt Casita had several different rooms compared to the last one but none of the Madrigal's recognized the one they were currently stuck in. It was set up like a home theatre with a couple couches and chairs positioned in front of a large projection screen. There was a pile of cushions and pillows on the floor clearly meant for those that didn't wish to sit properly. (Camilo and Isabela.) A table was set up with every easily made food and candy that they could imagine a little off to the side of everything else.
It was never a room ever built into Casita, either by their hands or the magic. Which left everyone confused as to why they were stuck in there. There were no doors in which they could leave; the only one leading to Casita's only bathroom. They had all woken up within the confines of the room a few minutes before.
"Casita, come on, let us out of here," Mirabel said.
"We've all tried already, give it a rest," Isabela said. She sat in the middle of the cushion pile with her head propped up on her hand.
"Could something be wrong with the magic again?" Bruno asked Abuela. All of the adults stood a ways away from where the children and young adults were clearly sniping at each other. "I...I didn't have a vision about this. Sorry I can't..."
"It's fine. You don't need to know everything all the time," Julieta said.
"I know, it's just-"
"Hey look!" Camilo's shout had everyone turning towards him. He was sitting next to Isabela with a plate of food in his lap. "The screen lit up."
Everyone looked to where the screen was indeed lit up. An uneasy look was shared between the adults. Antonio flopped down on his stomach next to Camilo with his stuffed leopard in his hands. Slowly everyone else moved to take their places around the room. Julieta and Agustin shared a couch with Luisa while Felix and Pepa took over a different one. As Bruno moved to take a chair a vine shot out to pull him down into the pile of cushions with Isabela, Camilo, and Antonio. Mirabel took the chair closest to the cushion pile while Dolores took the one on the other side. Which left Abuela to sit in the chair between both couches.
"Welcome Madrigal family to a place outside of time." A series of words spread across the screen. "Don't worry, no danger will come to you here."
"That's reassuring," Camilo said. The sarcasm was heavy in his voice and earned him more than one look from his parents and Abuela.
"This is merely a chance to witness something that no other family has ever, and possibly will never have, gotten to before." Bruno resisted the urge to knock on wood and only lightly tapped the side of his own head. "A glimpse into what your lives could have been. In a different timeline, reality, or dimension."
'well that's familiar' camilo said(that's the only thing they say) rhis is the book reading madrigals.
"That's unsettling," Bruno mumbled.
"It's okay tio Bruno, I'll protect you." Antonio said with a bright grin.
"'Course you will, kid." Bruno reached out to tap on Antonio's nose and caused the boy to fall into a fit of giggles. It had become increasingly clear to everyone that all of Bruno's nieces and nephews adored him; just like they had before he left.
"If you wish to say something, whatever is playing will pause for you."
The screen went dark and for a moment everyone thought it had broken. Camilo opened his mouth to comment on it when words started to appear again.
"Number One: The Miracle Stays Gone"
A spark of fear spread through the family. Mirabel had done everything to save the Miracle, they didn't want to see what would have happened if it had never come back to them.
On the screen Mirabel appeared to be setting the table. All of the family's plates were scattered across the wood and it was clear to see a few of them were just regular plates. Only about eight of the plates still had their own designs and names.
A cat jumped up on the open windowsill.
"Hello, Cassy." Mirabel waved to the tabby cat.
"So, we gained a cat?" The screen paused as Camilo spoke up.
"We just started, Camilo," Pepa said. There was a slight exasperated tone in her voice but no one really expected much different from the young adult.
"What? I can't ask questions?"
"Just watch the screen."
Off the side of the screen someone came sliding into the dining room. A flurry of arms and long hair.
"Casita!" Isabela slammed into the table and sent a plate sliding over the edge. It smashed on the tile. "Not another one."
"Always thought I took after Papa." Mirabel laughed and moved around the table.
"You do, mi vida," Julieta said. She smiled at her daughter, who made a face. "And that's not a bad thing."
"I've been perfect for sixteen years of my life, you try losing that," Isabela huffed.
"Wait," Camilo said, "so if Isabela didn't have that gift she'd be just like tio Agustin?" He laughed even as flowers hit him in the face.
"I'm rather glad none of my girls took too much after me," Agustin said.
"You cause enough accidents for all of us, mi amor." Julieta leaned over to kiss her husband with a smile to let him know she was joking.
Isabela moved away from the table to grab the broom resting against the open window. She stopped to run a hand down the cat's back.
"Aw, it was tio Felix's plate this time." Mirabel stared down at the shards of plate. "You got Bruno's last time."
"Yeah, and Luisa's the time before that, I know," Isabela said.
"Maybe we should only use those plates for special occasions," Abuela said. The plates had been made special for each member of the family, biological or married in, and just seeing one of them broken upset her. They could always be remade, of course, but there was something special about keeping the same plate for so long.
"I'm teasing, Isa." Mirabel picked up the biggest pieces and set them in the trashcan while Isabel swept up the smaller shards.
"We'll have to remind Camilo to put on shoes."
"Hey, I wear shoes!"
"Only sometimes," Felix said.
"And Bruno."
Bruno looked down at his bare feet stretched out in front of him. He wore shoes most of the time.
"You break another plate?" Julieta appeared from the side of the screen.
"Sorry, Mama," Isabela said.
"It's alright, just make sure all the pieces are cleaned up."
The screen went dark. Whispers started up about what they had seen and what they hadn't. Some of them wanted to see what they would be like without their Gifts for an extended period of time. Casita had been rebuilt in a couple months with all the help of the townspeople so they didn't have a good baseline for what life would have been like without them.
