It all started with a Mariposa

Kindness and Preparation

Mirabel POV

I'll be honest. That 'special delivery' was heavier than I thought, I made it to the kitchen where I was supposed to meet my mom. She was cleaning up. You know, putting away the pots and pans. 

I steadied myself and placed the objects on the counter. Thankfully, Casita was there to help me out. But through the corner of my eye, I saw my mom looking at me with a slightly worried expression. 

"Mi vida... You okay?" She asked. "You don't have to over-do it."  

"I know, Mama." I assured her, lifting the objects in the box. "I just want to do my part like the rest of the family."

Then my dad came out of nowhere, with his nose and hands swollen. Big and red. It took me off guard for a moment. "She's right, Amor." He said. 

I winced at the sight. "First Gift Ceremony since yours. A lot of emotions." He said, patting my hand. 

"Bee stings." I said to mom, slowly retracting my hand from my dad's grip. "Ay Agustín." I heard her mumble under her breath. But my dad continued. "When me and your Tio Félix were married into the family, outsiders who had no gift... never ever would." He said scratching. "Mhm." I uttered.

"Surrounded by the exceptional. It was easy to feel... un-ceptional." 

I smiled. "Okay, Papi." I shrugged, putting a stack of party hats on the counter. 

"I'm just saying I get it." He replied quickly. That's when Camilo confidently walked in, setting down some more party hats on the counter in the other side of the kitchen.  I caught sight of (Y/n) outside the door and I gestured for her to come in.

"Eat." My mom said, giving my dad some food that magically healed his allergic reaction to the bee stings. Then she faced me, placing her hands on my shoulder as I picked up the now empty box of decorations. "Mi amor, if you ever want to talk..."  

"Thanks, but I've gotta put out the stuff. The house isn't gonna decorate itself." I joked. 

Just then, Casita made a small sad squeaking sound. 

(Y/n) looked up at Casita and lightly placed her hand on its wall. "Sorry. You could. You look great." She said, in which Casita happily returned to its normal posture. 

My eyebrows furrowed, confused, but I shook it off. Even though it was hard considering the fact that Camilo saw it too and was looking at me with an expression that said, 'Well? How would you respond to that?'. But it was no biggie. That's probably just him acting weird.

I started to walk out of the kitchen.
"Remember!" My mom called out.
"Yes. Remember." My dad pitched in.
"You having nothing to prove."
"-Nothing to prove!"

I gave them a thumbs up as I exited the room, with (Y/n) and Camilo not far behind. "Seriously? Nothing? No reaction whatsoever?" Camilo asked, surprised. 

"What are you talking about, primo?" I asked. 

He sighed. "Whatever." He slightly complained. 

"Camilo! We need another José!" And just like that, he was gone. 

(Y/n) and I worked on the craft for the rest of the hour in my room. "This was such a great idea, Mirabel!" (Y/n) gushed. "I'm sure they'll love it." 

I smiled. "Thanks. You're really good at this kind of stuff. And we're faster together!" 

(Y/n) nodded in agreement. "Where'd you learn how to do this?" She asked out of curiosity. 

I sat up properly on my knees. "Oh. My dad taught Luisa and I when we were younger. He'd teach us using the little flower pinned to his shirt as an example."