When a Butterfly Flaps its Wings | Encanto Fanfic

Dolores

Dolores could hear everything in the Encanto. From the quietest drop of a pin to the boom of a building collapsing. It was overwhelming. Too much information at all moments of the day. It was increasingly difficult to focus on specific sounds when the world was just too loud.

She tried listening for the tell-tale sounds of Mirabel and Bruno. She had heard them screaming earlier and zoned in on them fearfully, worried that she was about to hear them fall to their deaths. She had lost track of them after the danger passed, overcome by the rush of other noises.

There! Over the sound of sand, she could hear Mirabel crying and the shattering of glass.

But then, someone tapped her shoulder and her focus shifted. Mirabel and Bruno were lost to the cacophony of sounds that made up the Encanto.

“Dolores! There you are, I was looking for you.” It was Señora Osma. Dolores gave the townswoman a strained smile. This was the worst possible time for someone to ask for her help.

“Hola, Señora Osma, what can I do for you?” Helping the community was her duty. It took precedence over everything else.

“I just heard some chisme, you know how it is,” Osma said, fidgeting with her dress. “And you know everything, so I was wondering if you can let me know if it's true.”

“Sure,” Dolores said. She just had to do her job and then she could go make sure her family was okay. “What do you want to know?”

Señora Osma leaned in closer to whisper, “Is it true? Did Bruno really return?”

Dolores blinked. Now that she thought about it, she had been hearing rumours of Bruno’s return spread around the village all afternoon. She’s sure it started with Señora Guzmán after Abuela talked to her about delaying the proposal.

“Yes, it's true.” Dolores said, somewhat impatiently, “He appeared last night after Antonio’s ceremony.”

Osma’s face soured. “I see…”

Dolores watched in confusion as Osma ran off, and started whispering to her friends about the news. That was weird. Shaking away the suspicion, Dolores started running to the house.

She shifted through the noise.

The bustling sounds of town. People breathing, heartbeats, hundreds of conversations happening at the same time. Whispering.

Mariano. His sweet, kind voice as he practiced his engagement speech for Isabella. Which was fine. Totally fine.

Her mother storming. Dolores could hear every individual raindrop as they whistled through the air and smacked into the ground.

Her Papá and Antonio, walking around town trying to figure out how to use Antonio’s new gift.

Gossip. Laughter. Sobbing. Eating. Talking. Breathing.

Dolores covered her ears, trying to block out all the meaningless noise. Focus.

She heard Bruno breathing heavily as he stumbled down his stairs. He was muttering under his breath, practicing an apology to Mirabel. He was trying to figure out a way to explain the vision he gave her.