The Forgotten...? ••• 𝐂.𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐥

(25) 𝐀larming arsonist's

Mirabel's POV:

"The candle... The candle!" Abuela yelped, her hand rushing to point towards it under the now sprinkling, windy sky. A few shushed gasps were heard before Abuela yelled at us, ordering us to protect the candle. The Encanto.
"Get the candle, now!" I didn't stop to think, I just ran—the most speedy and rigid run I have ever before— to get to that candle. I went running up the stairs before I was pulled back, I turned back and saw má, she shook her head and gestured to our huddled family. Abuela had the candle secured in her grip whilst Isabella's vines were retreating off of air, walking back to Abuela with mamá beside me. Perfect Isabella did it again...

"What's happening? Abuela, who are they?" Camilo asked, but it was just heard over the noise from outside. The banging didn't stop, the longer we waited the more erratic and louder it got. Along with the multiple pieces of furniture and scattered objects across the lower floor that were collected and added to barricade the door, the majority of the windows were blocked off with harsh, thorny vines and harmful plants. If anyone tried to even poke a finger through they'd rather be yelling in pain or leaving with an, almost, skinned finger.

"They are people we should not be near. Criminals that should not have disrupted our lives or into our Encanto." Abuela said, her answer only proposing more questions than answered. None of it made sense to me and by taking in the expression on the few faces I did look at, neither did they. They just looked scared and anxious. That whoever was outside would get in and take whatever they want, do whatever they want and I know that we'd not like what they would have planned.

"We need to leave, if they brake down the door or windows—which they are trying—we won't have hardly any chance of escaping." She rushed, pushing the dier facts across. The facts that we needed to know, to get out. She made sure everyone was listening and paying close attention to her words, she looked me in the eyes for a second longer than I saw her do to everyone else. As if she was saying all of this to me.
"Not all of us," Abuela added, now looking away. And I didn't like it. What did she mean by "not all of us". Why did I think that the message, the warning almost, was directed at me...? What sort of people is outside our Casita? How does she know them, why avoid every one of our questions and keep us in the dark...?!

"What do you mean "not all of us"? Why do we have to run—escape? How can we? We'll be leaving our town behind, our people who depend on us." Isabella rushed, I heard the frantic edge to her voice and when I looked at her I saw the occasional glances she managed to sneak at me. She must have noticed the implied message that Abuela was pushing across to me, me.
"We can't do that. It's not right." She stated, her floral, colour dusted dress stuck to her legs as she moved forward and made a strange and cringe-worthy squelching sound followed as she did so.
"Isabella, we do not have a choice. This is for the safety of our family. The townspeople will be alr-" Abuela began, everyone could see the creases forming above her eyebrows a telltale indication that she was frustrated, she was stressed and that this was serious. That all of us needed to be focused on getting out, no matter how many of us disagreed, we had to.

"But if we just leave we'll be leaving the town in danger. What will those people—those thugs—do if we leave? The town is defenceless without us, they are dependent on all of us." Isabella pushed, she knew it was a risk but she was speaking what was on all of our minds. Doing what no one else dared to do...
Besides Camilo, I believe he would have done that if he caught onto what Abuela was saying and not checked on the door every second like half the family.

Then I realised. I turned to Abuela I could feel my mouth agape and eyes gawking, I couldn't seem to hide my shock. My fear. Anger.
"They're here for the candle." There was no need for the question, I knew it had to be for the Encanto. Otherwise, why would random hooligans, robbers, and arsonists, want to pillage our town. One barricaded by mile-high mountains that would surely have been a difficult and tedious job to climb with so little amount of men and seemingly no equipment.