Camilo x Reader -Broken Reflection

Chapter 26 (Shattered to a Million Pieces )

Y/N's POV

I hadn't seen Mirabel all day, and by dinnertime, I was starting to worry.

I'd taken a quick walk around the village alone to see if I could find her, but she was nowhere in sight. I'd asked Dolores if she could hear her, and Antonio if his birds had seen her, but they both shook their heads in response.

Camilo had told me not to worry, that she was probably just exploring on the horses or following Luisa around town, but I knew that something was wrong. Mirabel wasn't the type of person to just disappear.

When evening fell and I was ready to sit down at the dinner table at my usual spot next to Mirabel, I saw that my chair was taken up by Isabela. The chair next to hers- Mirabel's chair, was full too.

"Where were you all day?" I asked my friend as the rest of the Madrigals found their way to their seats. My voice wasn't accusing, I was simply concerned for my friend. "I've been looking for you for ages."

Mirabel looked up from her empty plate slowly. "Oh... I was out," she told me. I looked towards Isabela who was fluffing her hair and gazing into a small compact mirror. "Is something wrong?" I asked her. She gave a little shrug and reached across the table to lift a pitcher of water. "Everything's fine," she replied in a monotone voice. I swallowed and peeled my eyes away from the eldest of Mirabel's sisters.

From across the table, I saw that the chair where Isabela sat was empty. I gave a little sigh and stepped towards it. The wooden chair's legs scraped against the Casita's tiles as it pulled itself out from under the table. I thanked it quietly and sat down on the seat, letting it pull me closer to the table as Camilo sat down in his usual spot which happened to be next to me.

He stood and reached across the table for the pitcher of water that Isabela had just used. "Water?" He asked with his mouth full of corn. He had the cob wedged between his teeth. I couldn't help but giggle at his muffled speech and he nodded with a shallow bow at the waist. He poured the clear liquid into my cup while saying, "at your service, Señorita." I laughed again.

"Why thank you," I replied, and I almost forgot about my weird encounter with Mirabel and her sister.

While the rest of the Madrigals sat down at the table, I heard Pepa make note about how Bruno had just gotten back from his outing. I felt my lips stretch into a small smile. At least he had a good day with Mr. Muñoz.

I looked across the dinner table to see Bruno sitting next to Agustín. He sipped on his glass of water, stifling a smile. I wondered what Mr. Muñoz thought about their day together. Was he as happy as Bruno appeared to be? And what about Anita? What would become of Bruno's relationship with her?

+++

After we finished eating the dinner that Julieta had made us, I stood up and began clearing the table. It helped me by nudging the cutlery forward as I started to lift the used plates from the table and stack them over each other.

"Here, let me help," Camilo said to me. I thanked him and let him take the stack from my hands while I reached for the glasses. The Madrigals and I had managed to eat all of the food which meant that we didn't have to worry about storing any leftovers.

"She doesn't need your help," I heard Mirabel say. We both looked up at her with puzzled expressions.

"What do you mean-?" Camilo began, but she stepped closer with her arms crossed over her chest.

"As a matter of fact, you may as well stop cleaning too," she looked directly at me as she said so.

"What? Why, what happened?" I started to ask.

"Don't you see?" Mirabel asked me. "You have a gift. You're special now and you don't need to clean anymore."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," I replied with a scoff. "I'm not going to make you clean up all on your own just because I have a gift now. How is that any fair?"

"Those are the rules," she told me. She stepped forward and snatched one of the glasses in my hands. "It's not fair that you have a gift, but here we are."

"Mirabel!" Camilo snapped with a gasp.

It was clear that I was not the only one surprised by her coldness.

"What?" She asked her cousin with a glare. "I'm just saying it as it is." She made a move to yank the other glass out of my hand, but I pulled my arm back.

"What did I do?" I asked her. "I don't get why you're mad, Mira, we're friends and we should help each other out."

Mirabel's fingers managed to latch onto the rim. She gave it a hard pull as she hissed, "Give me the glass!"

"Not until you tell me what's going on!" I retorted and pulled the cup.

She pulled it back and for a few moments, we played tug-of-war with the glass as we argued. I couldn't figure out what had changed that day. On my birthday, she seemed happy that I got a gift- happier than I was. During the entire week, she treated me the same as she always did. I'd spend time in her room and we'd talk while we completed small tasks. It didn't make any sense.

I thought back to how Isabela sat next to her in my seat. It was strikingly unusual because they didn't get along all that well despite them being siblings. Had Isabela said something to her about me? Something significant enough for her to completely change her attitude towards me?

"Let me help!" I yelled at Mirabel.

"You've done enough!"

With one final tug, the glass slipped out from my fingertips. Mirabel fell back and the glass flew in the air. I let out a little yelp as my back hit the wall behind me and Camilo jumped in the air, shifting into his Mother to try and catch the cup. I could see his reflection flash over the cup's soft glass surface for a split second. The clear glass grazed his fingertips before it went crashing to the floor. I panted as I watched the glass shatter into millions of pieces with a high-pitched crash.

"Saints!" Camilo cursed and stepped away from the glass before it would have a chance to cut him. Mirabel sat on the floor next to the table with a defeated posture. She'd bumped her head on the wood and was rubbing her scalp in pain.

"Damn it, guys, look what happened," he told us with pursed lips. Mirabel rose to her feet.

"Whose side are you on, Camilo?" She shouted at him. When he didn't reply, she turned on her heels and stormed out of the kitchen.

I was already kneeled in front of the majority of the glass. When it fell, shards scattered on the floor. It would be impossible to lift all of the pieces with only my hands. Still, I used my dress to sweep the glass into a small pile.

I could tell that Camilo was standing and watching me while I fumbled around with the glass.

"Sorry," I said. My voice shook and I could feel my stupid eyes beginning to water. "I-I didn't mean to break it."

I heard Camilo's sandals crunch on the glass as he stepped forward and kneeled down in front of me. He gently took my wrists and lifted them.

"Stop," he whispered to me. He had to repeat himself with a little more force before I actually complied and dropped the glass.

"I didn't mean it," I said again. My eyes were glued to the Casita's stone floors.

"It's just a glass," Camilo told me. "Don't worry about it."

"You're mad," I replied. I could feel the calmness in his head. It covered his other emotions- the frustration and confusion- like a thick blanket. I could see his brown curls bounce as he shook his head.

"No," he said quietly. "C'mon, let's get a dustpan before you hurt yourself."

I nodded slowly and he brushed his thumbs under my eyes before the tears could fall.