I saw this fan art online and immediately thought of Carmen. It's not exactly what I pictured her as, but if your having trouble imagining her, this is a good idea!
Carmen's pov:
Today was the day.
I was going back to school... with a gift.
I prepared myself for some floating today, because I refused to be helped by that darn Madrigal boy in front of more people.
I walked out of my room, ready to face today. I walked with determination, but- of course- that was interrupted.
I ran straight into Mirabel.
We both stumbled backwards, holding our forehead gingerly.
"Well, at least we'll have matching bruises." She snorted.
"Good morning to you too," I laughed with her.
Together we swept into the kitchen, and grabbed a rushed breakfast.
We were both a little late, but I managed to stick an arepa in my mouth before leaving, making Tia Julieta laugh.
Diana and Antonio had run off ages ago, and Camilo joined us at the door, looking like he had just rolled out of bed.
"Good morning sleeping beauty!" I greeted, purposely upbeat for the sake of making him annoyed.
"Morning bonita." He replied, wiping his eyes and yawning. "Let's vamos."
The walk there was quiet, but when Camilo split away from us, Mirabel immediately started talking.
"What happened with you and Camilo last night?" She asked. "I saw the cookies in the kitchen."
"I was stress baking, and Camilo joined me, but that's about it. Wait- and I started floating. He helped me back down yet again."
"Are you getting better at grounding yourself?"
"Eh, kinda, but Camilo is like the training wheels. I'll take them off when I'm ready, but for now, I'm grateful for them."
"...So, that means you're grateful for Camilo?" She translated.
"Yeah, I mean, I'm grateful for all of you of course, but him and you are the closest to me." I reasoned, and a weird look crossed her face. "What is it?" I asked her.
She quickly wiped the expression off, replacing it with a cheery smile, making me question if I actually saw her frown slightly. "What face?"
"Um, never mind."
Mirabel's pov:
She almost caught on.
Almost.
I had a sour expression because I wanted a straight answer, like 'oh yes, I'm so very grateful for Camilo! He's so smart, and funny!' but that just wasn't who Carmen was.
She was reserved, and neutral.
If there wasn't a reason to share it, she just simply didn't.
I both admired and hated that trait.
Because that also meant that she had learned that what she had to say was almost never important enough to share.
Camilo's pov:
When I found the twins, I noticed Mateo looking around me for any girls.
Oddly enough, Pedro was too.
Who is he looking for? I asked myself privately, but decided to sit back and watch what he did.
Both the twins slumped a bit in disappointment, but walked with me anyways.
"Do you guys only hang around me because of the girls I live with?"
The brothers learned about Carmen's situation yesterday in town.
"Of course not, amigo!" Mateo assured me.
"Although, they are a bonus..." Pedro added, just loud enough for us to hear.
His brother and I stopped in our tracks.
"Woah, woah, woah. Which one are you looking at?" The introverted brother crossed his arms, actually looking mad. "You know I like Mirabel."
"Yeah, well, no one's into Carmen." Pedro shrugged, watching me carefully, as if he knew he just started the timer for a bomb.
I clenched my jaw, refusing to make a sound.
Most of the tension dropped, and we kept walking, but I still had one thing on my mind: What made me so angry?
***
When we got to the bus stop, unsurprisingly Pedro approached the girls straight up and started making conversation.
He was like me in that way; very outgoing, except he made moves as soon as he caught feelings. No thought was put into it.
I was about to join him, but Mateo pulled me a few yards away.
"What-"
"Pedro likes Carmen, and it's bad." He said quickly. "He wouldn't shut up last night, and he barely knows her. He just said she's pretty and kind. Those are the most basic ways to describe a person."
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.
He looked me in the eyes with as much intensity he could offer. "Because I see the way you looked when he said he liked Carmen. There's only one emotion that can get that reaction out of someone."
I gulped. "And that emotion is..."
"Jealousy."
YOU ARE READING
The Chameleon's Grin ll Camilo Madrigal
FanfictionCarmen has always been independent- after all, that was what was expected of her. She worked her teenage days away, taking care of her younger sister and selling baked goods. Living on the outskirts of Encanto had made her sour towards the Madrigals...
