The Chameleon's Grin ll Camilo Madrigal

Chapter 20 : You Seem Like A Virgo

Carmen's pov:

Mirabel had closed herself in her room, but I stood at the door patiently, knocking softly.

"Mirabel?" I asked her.

There was no answer.

"I know you're in there," I said, seeing her shadow from under the door. "If you want some time alone, just tell me and maybe we can talk tomorrow."

She didn't answer for a while, and just as I was about to walk away when she cracked the door open.

Through the girl's green-rimmed glasses, I could see that her eyes were puffy.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to ruin your moment, so I left. You should've stayed."

"No, no I think we should talk." I told her, analyzing her obviously saddened face.

Slowly, she opened the door wide enough for me to slip through, and then closed it after me.

"Alright," I said, sitting on the ground and making myself comfortable. I refused to leave until we both understood what was up. "What's wrong?"

Mirabel sat on her bed, looking ashamed of herself. "I'm not sure, Carmen. I didn't get choked up during Antonio's ceremony, so I'm not sure what it is with tonight."

I looked at her knowingly. "I think I might."

She looked up at me, interested to hear what I thought. "Hm?"

"I think it's unfair to you that people who were taken in an hour ago already have gifts, even though we're not related. Especially because you, who is obviously blood related... didn't."

Mirabel nodded. "That sounds like what I feel, but when you say it out loud it just comes out as selfish. I mean, you and Diana are going through the roughest day of your lives, and right now you're the one consoling me when it should be the other way around. And even Camilo, whom you don't know all that well has tried to make your day better, or at least make you smile."

"That's just what Camilo does," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but he never tries this hard." She shot back.

I didn't have anything to say to that, not even a sarcastic remark.

She shrugged. "I'm just saying."

I shook my head. "Anyways, I think the reason you're feeling like this is just because you feel left out."

"Eh," She said. "It's more so the fact that I found a good solid friend, and then she gets a gift. How do you think me and Camilo broke apart? We live together but at school it's like he doesn't even know me. When I started to notice that his power changed him, I wanted one so badly, just to fit in, and be liked."

As if to prove her point, she got up and slid her dresser, casita helping her move it completely. On the wall in yellow paint was a figure in a door, with the name 'Mirabel' at the top. It looked like a little kid had made it, since the pretend door was only three feet high.

Mirabel looked at it sadly, like reliving old memories. She stroked her hand along the cracking paint like a brush had so long ago.

"Oh." Was all I could say. I couldn't take my eyes off of the thing, and I felt numb, wondering what it would be like to be in her shoes.

The dresser began to drift right over the wood, but I pinched myself to make whatever I was feeling go away, and hopefully the magic with it.

"You know, I don't want to tell anyone." I said ignoring whatever just happened. "Well, at least not yet."