Madrigal Mayhem

Prologue

Knock knock knock knock knock. I woke up to the sound of swift knocking on my bedroom door. My mother was calling me from the other side. "Aliana?"

"Mmmh," I moaned softly, my mind not yet processing the correct response. I opened my eyes and stretched as I heard the door creak open. 

"Aliana," said Mamá, approaching my bed, "¿estás lista? It's almost time!"

I rolled over on my bed and cried out as something poked me in my side. Mamá reached down and pulled a book out from underneath me. "You fell asleep reading again," she chuckled softly, tossing the book aside. "You are always reading, mi chiquita!"

"I know, mamá." I propped myself up on my elbows, sheepishly avoiding eye contact. 

"Come on, love." She reached over and helped me sit up. "Let's get up. We leave for la casa Madrigal soon."

"Oh, yeah!" My face brightened as I remembered what tonight was. I looked up to see sunlight still coming through my window high on the wall. "It's almost sundown?"

"Yes, it is almost sundown!" said Mamá, smiling at me. I was learning to tell time. "Very good!" I beamed back at her.

I stood up on the bed and craned my neck in an attempt to see out the window. "Can I see?"

Mamá hoisted me onto her hip and carried me over to the window so I could look with her. I pointed into the distance. "Look, there's the house!" 

As if alluding to the Madrigals being the center of our Encanto, the sun rose and set behind la casa Madrigal, the Madrigal house. When each Madrigal child turned five, the house bestowed a magical gift upon them. Tonight my best friend, Mirabel Madrigal, would receive her gift from the house.

Mirabel and I had basically been friends since birth. Born in the same year three months apart, we were destined to be friends for life. We were the same age, our parents were around the same age, we both came from big families, and even our names were similar. We both had double initials—Aliana Álvarez and Mirabel Madrigal. I was the only other child in the village who was the same age as Mirabel—apart from her cousin Camilo. His gifting ceremony had taken place three months earlier, and he had received the gift of shape-shifting. The whole town was excited and anxious to see what Mirabel's gift would be.

"I think I can see Mirabel's room from here," I noted. 

"Oh, really?" Mamá asked. She turned her head to see where I was looking. "Which one is it?"

I pointed again. "The one where the door's not lit up."

Mamá chuckled. "Yes, I see it." She kissed my cheek before setting me back down on my own feet. "Alright, señorita," she said, palming my head. "Go on and get dressed. Then we can brush your hair." 

She left my room to give me some privacy. I went over to my closet and pulled my new purple button-down dress off its hanger in the corner. Mamá had bought it for me a month ago, and I'd saved it just for the special occasion. I carefully put the dress on, then collected my purse. I picked up the book I'd been reading and started to put it in the purse. Then I stopped and decided against it. This was my mejor amiga, my best friend, and she deserved my undivided attention. I could finish my book another time. 

I left the book on my bed and met Mamá out in the hallway. She took me into the washroom to stand in front of the mirror. She picked up the cepillo and started to brush my hair. "Are you excited to see Mirabel get her gift?" she asked.

"Yeah!" I cheered, and Mamá chuckled. "Me too," she said. "I've always wondered what her gift would be."

"Maybe her glasses will make it so she can see everything," I suggested. It was obvious I had put some thought into it. "Like how her cousin Dolores can hear everything? Maybe she'll be able to see everything."

"Huh," said Mamá. "You know, I never thought of that." She smiled down at me. "Muy interesante." She tickled my neck, making me giggle. 

After Mamá had finished styling my hair, I looked in the mirror at it. She had made one long thick braid running past my left ear and down the side of my face. Then she'd combed out the rest of my hair and let it shade the other side of my face. It was the first time she had ever tried that style on me. That hairstyle, combined with my fancy new dress, made me feel like a princess. I remember running my fingers through my hair and feeling so sophisticated. I twirled in the mirror. I'm a princess tonight, I was thinking. And so is Mirabel. We're both gonna be princesses tonight. 

Mamá and I walked down the stairs to our comedor, our dining room, where my two-year-old brother Jordán was having supper with Papá. Jordán smiled at us as we came into the room. "Hi!" he said, waving enthusiastically. He had mashed papas dulces all over his face and hands. I giggled at him and waved back.

Papá looked over his shoulder and noticed us. "Well, well, well," he said, a smile growing across his face. "Look at my beautiful ladies!" I curtsied in my new dress, giggling even more. 

Mamá chuckled as well. "We're leaving for the Madrigals' now," she informed my dad.

"Okay, then," my Papá said, standing up to see us off. He was only an inch or so taller than Mamá, as she was quite tall herself. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then bent down to kiss my forehead. "Say hello to Mirabel for me," he whispered.

"I will," I whispered back, hugging him. I blew a kiss at my little brother. "Buenas noches, hermanito," I said. 

Jordán blew kisses back at me, flinging food on the table as he did so. Papá chuckled as he lifted Jordán out of his highchair and set him on his hip. "Come here, you." Papá picked up his napkin and wiped Jordán's hands. "Let's get you cleaned up."

Mamá took my hand and squeezed it. "We should get going," she announced. She started walking towards the door with me in tow. "We'll see you tomorrow!" she chuckled.

"Night, Pá," I called over my shoulder.

"Have a good time!" Papá called back. "¡Hasta luego!"

"Bye!!" yelled Jordán.

* * *

Encanto was very crowded that night. Everyone was getting ready for, or on their way to, the gifting ceremony. The whole town had been invited. Mamá held my hand so I wouldn't get lost in the crowd.

"So Aliana," my mother asked me. "If you had a gift, what do you think it would be?"

"Ummm. . ." I thought about it a while. "Dancing!"

"But you're already a dancer," she said. "That's already your gift."

"Oh yeah." I giggled, and she smiled down at me. "Ummm. . ." I tilted my head in thought. "How about. . . singing?"

She smiled. "Like your Tía Ana?"

"Yeah!" I said, hopping up and down in my excitement.

Ana Álvarez, my father's sister, was a popular singer in her hometown. She would sometimes stay with us in Encanto, and she loved teaching me her favorite songs. Every time she came to visit, I would learn a new song from her. She sat at the piano and played while she sang, and I'd do an interpretive dance as I sang along. 

As I got older, I'd realized Tía Ana had always been coming to visit me and Jordán and Mamá and Papá. But we had never gone to visit her. We had never once left Encanto. But I'd never questioned it. At least, not when I'd first noticed.