The Forgotten...? ••• 𝐂.𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐥

(22) 𝐄erie morning

Narrator's POV:

"Eeek! What time is it! What's going on?" Mirabel screeched, dashing out of bed and eyes darting around the room, trying to find the evil so-n'-so who was messing with her short nap.
"Mirabel wake up, we have to go eat breakfast. Come on." The voice urged her, and a light tapping made evident on the young girl's shoulder. But before Mirabel could swat away or mumble incoherent insults at it, a squeak followed by a loud thud, interrupted her.

"Gah— Camilo! What do you think you're doing?" Mirabel quickly rubbed her eyes, looking at the voices when she could see —relatively. She had to stifle a laugh when she saw Dolores' body leaning against the window, she stood their body stilled as she looked back to Mirabel, staring at one another. Dolores stood firm, trying to appear relaxed in one of the most uncomfortable and compact positions she's seen she saw Camilo fit into one of the special gift baskets she usually gets for her birthday from some townsfolk. Without shifting, when she confronted him he argued it was so she could see his spectacular face and that his smile would brighten up her day.

Shaking her head, ridding the tired sting in her eyes she forged the ability to make casual conversation in hopes they wouldn't drag her downstairs, in front do the family, so soon. She wasn't exactly ready to wake up from her "nap" which took more than a couple of hours.
"What is it anyway?" Mirabel asked, changing the subject to avoid another sibling rivalry like yesterday. Being around them so often recently, she's realized that it happens a lot when they are around one another and is disregarded as if it never had any meaning, to begin with, once someone or something caught their attention.

"Breakfast. Downstairs." Dolores pushed, once again falling back on topic. Pouncing up off of the windowsill and rushing words resembling orders or Mayen something closer resembling threats to Camilo about getting Mirabel out of bed and that it was Dolores' time to help set up. Nodding to the two, she made haste as she exited and speed-walked down the stairs. Camilo and Mirabel stood stunned for a few, minor seconds before snapping back. Camilo chuckled, before hooking his arm with hers, dragging her up and pulling her to the door no matter how much she protested with minimal excuses.
"Camilo! Stop! I really, need to get changed I've been in these same clothes for far too long." The girl whined as she trotted, unwillingly, down the stairs and outside, joining everyone else as they sat down for breakfast. In case Pepa's mood spontaneously dampens the skies and the day loses its sunny and warm atmosphere.

Now that she sat seated, the conversations around her being tuned out, nothing but white noise to her as she continues to munch on food, she had the chance to notice some of her family members... odd appearances. She had the habit of often scanning over her family members to see if they were all alright. For example, Luisa, her eyes weren't twitching but she looked stressed, anxious in Mirabel's opinion. Mirabel always had the thought in the back of her mind that her older sister bad somehow managed to suppress her stress tell of eye twitching but substituted it for something else. Aggressive eating and over-talking are what Mirabel concluded and that's exactly what they have woken were doing now. Sharing too much of her opinion in a conversation strictly about the tenderness and care that some of the baby animals need that has come to Antonio over the past few days.

She brushed it aside for now. She's caught up to Luisa after breakfast and talked to her. When she scanned over the table again, ignoring Camilo's rowdiness and Dolores' chilled manner she saw Isabella. Her thoughts couldn't stop before she let out a short muffled gasp. The food she had been chewing for the past 2 minutes turned to mush and almost went down the wrong pipe as she let out hurried coughs. Mirabel gaped, not giving any mind that it was rude to stare or she might be criticised for doing it. Dark, heavy bags hung underneath her sister's eyes, weighing down the rest of her face and showing the slightly off, discolouration of her skin. Cheeks rosy, eyes puffed, posture slacking and hair...

a mess...

Seeing her sister so, imperfect scared her. Even after the whole being perfect ordeal years back was resolved, Isabella was still one to have neat, gorgeous hair that never matted or looked unseat ever. She almost prided from. Mirabel could only come up with one or two reasonable reasons: that wasn't her sister. That was Camilo playing a prank and somehow she was tired enough to dream up Camilo being in two places at once in front of her. Or...

...she was mauled by tiny animals in the middle of the night.

Only a plausible explanation came to mind as Mirabel searched her brain for more theories. But before she could latch onto a decent idea, less far fetched and weird, Mirabel sat startled in her chair when she heard her mother's voice.
"Mirabel? You want any more food?" Mirabel's mother hummed, on her way past her before slowing down her strides only to receive a curt shake of the head and a sight of Mirabel shoving more food in her mouth. She was going to attempt to politely decline but Julieta was a few steps ahead and rapidly shook her head, grinning as she made her way to get herself or another family seconds.

Looking back Isabella was put on hold when a faint distant yell was heard directed to the head of the Madrigals.
"Señora Alma! Señora!?" The yell came more of a scream, a very girly scream at that so when Mirabel turned—expecting to see one of the town's children or young ladies running to them— she was mildly shocked and amused to see Mariano sprinting towards the family.

"Señora! P—please, Señora Al-" He began when he was close enough, Abuela made her way over to him waiting for him to come to a stop and then bombarded him with questions as he paused to slow down his erratic heart rate.
"What is it, Mariano? What's wrong?" Alma rushed, already out of her seat and before him, placing a hands on his shoulder as he bent over to catch his breath.
"It's—gah! It's the town, w-were-" he rushed, breathing in quickly so he could get his message across before it was too late. But before any of them could hear the rest of his explanation they heard... they saw the damage before it even got to them. The temperature of the sunny day changed, it dropped drastically and the sky grew dark with black clouds of thick, ashy offspring.

"A-ah! What's happening? What's that?" Mirabel's questions were almost drowned out with the other multiple voices of her family merging to form one anxious huddle of worries and fright.
"... I-i, I don't know—"

"AHH!!"

--------------------------------------
Word count: 1256
Hey guys sorry, this is such a slow build-up. Like the OC hasn't even been introduced yet, but don't worry soon guys. It should defo be in the next 10 chapters.
Rushed sorry.
Starting from the 1st may I should be able to regulate updates to certain days, I'll let you know in the future what and when.