Poison Arepa || My First Encanto Fanfic

I. The Arepa Incident

Julieta's Eyes

I still can't figure out how it happened. One moment I was happily giving the townsfolk my arepas and healing their wounds, the next moment Carmelita Díaz is clenching her foot in pain. What happened to my gift? How come it did harm instead?

It started of course when I was out in the village, doing my job. It always put a smile on my face, seeing those people get healed after just one taste of my arepas. Unfortunately, I could not keep the smile on my face. For once I was done treating one of the villagers, Carmelita Díaz stepped up to go next.

Carmelita: *Hauntingly* Hello, Julieta!

Me: (Nervous) Uh, hello, Carmelita.

Carmelita: *Plays with the strands in my hair* Still with the freakish powers, I see.

Me: *Sighs* Carmelita, there's nothing freakish about a gift.

Carmelita: Sure, sure. Whatever you say, *under her breath* freak.

Ever since my siblings and I got our gifts, Carmelita had been associating us as freaks or monsters. And as our family grew, so did her insults and cruelty. Even my youngest daughter Mirabel, who didn't even have a gift wasn't safe from Carmelita's targeting. But even though she was a thorn in the family's side, it was still our duty to help those around us including her.

Me: Alright, Carmelita, what's ailing you?

Carmelita: Alas, I've sprained my ankle.

Me: (Surprised) Is that all?

Carmelita: Fortunately, yes.

Me: *Smiles* I can fix it in no time. *Gives Carmelita an arepa* Just eat this and you'll ankle will be just fine.

Carmelita looked at my arepa and gave it a try. However, something went horribly wrong? She suddenly started crying out in pain and falling to the ground. I was confused and startled. What could've happened?

Carmelita: My foot! My foot is broken.

Me: (Concerned) Oh no, how did that happen?

Carmelita: (Harshly) What are you talking about? *Manages to get* Your arepa did this to me!

Me: But that's not right. My arepas are suppose to help you. Not harm you!

Carmelita: *Looks me in the eyes* Liar! You did this to me, Julieta! You're more than just a freak. You're a witch!

That last word was enough to set everyone in line on a course of worry and concern. I could hear them chatting among each other mentioning stuff like "I can't believe Carmelita's foot is broken" and "Julieta must really be a witch". I was sure I could calm everyone down before things could get out of hand.

Me: No, I'm not a witch. I'm sure what happened to Carmelita was an accident. My food would never hurt anyone.

Carmelita: No, but you would, Julieta! You're the one who cursed the arepa so that I could break my foot. In fact, *announcing to everyone else* she probably cursed the villagers before me. I'm probably not her last victim. She'll probably come after you all next. Our close friends, our family members, even our children.

All I could do was watch was Carmelita set ablaze the fire of rumors and fear among the townsfolk not only in line, but around the scene. I was terrified. Then I gave a look at one of my arepas. Did one really hurt Carmelita?

Pepa's Eyes

Dolores told me that she could hear a lot of commotion from the village once she left her room. People were in panic and fear, but she couldn't figure out why. She said that she could also hear someone crying in the kitchen.

Worried, I decided to head there myself to check on that crying person. Turns out, it was my own sister Julieta who was crying. She was sitting on her knees and she had her head down on one of the counters. Concerned, I decided to check on her.

Me: Hermana, what's wrong?

She didn't answer. She must've not heard me. Then, I saw her right arm. It was covered in bandages. Was that why she was crying? No, it couldn't be. She could easily heal it with one of her arepas.

Me: Julieta, you're hurt. Please tell me what's wrong.

I then noticed a cloud hovering above my head, so I tried shooing it away. Finally, Julieta lifted her head and looked at me with her tear-ridden eyes. She started drying her eyes and calming herself down so that she could talk to me properly.

Me: What happened, sis?

Julieta: *Sighs* There's something wrong with my gift. I was in the village giving out arepas to the ailing villagers like normal when Carmelita showed up. I gave her an arepa to heal her sprained ankle, but instead of healing it, it only did worse by breaking her foot. But the real reason I was crying was because she was calling me a witch and getting everyone nervous about it. I tried to tell them that I wasn't a witch, but they wouldn't listen to me. I totally freaked out and ran off while I still could. The reason my arm is broken is because I tried one of my arepas to see if it was true.

That jerk Carmelita. She was always shaming the three of us when we were young, but Bruno and I weren't as nearly shamed as Julieta. What if that was the commotion Dolores had heard from the village? What if Carmelita had made the village afraid of Julieta? I then heard sniffing sounds from my sister.

Me: Hey, everything's going to be okay! We'll tell Mamá at dinner and she'll think of something.

Julieta: But what are we going to do for dinner? I can't cook for anyone otherwise I'll hurt them.

Me: Hmm, you know what, I'll cook. You need to rest your arm anyway. Now dry your tears. We're going to get this situation under control.

Julieta: *Smiles* Thank you, sis! *Sighs and frowns again* Sorry for crying so much.

Me: Hey, don't worry about it. I understand. You were overwhelmed and your had no idea what to do. But don't worry, Carmelita won't be able to get the best of you as long as Bruno and I have something to say about it.

Another smile found its place on Julieta's face, making me smile. Julieta may have been older than me by a few seconds, but that doesn't mean I didn't have a role to look after her as well. We're triplets, so we have to look out for each other no matter who's older. To be honest, I was a little worried about the situation myself. I knew Carmelita always had a thing against Julieta, but I never would've imagined she take it this far. Hopefully, Mamá would know wha to do.