𝒮𝑒𝑒 𝐹𝑜𝓇 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻 <<Bruno Madrigal>>>

Chapter 27

That morning, everyone wakes up to the rumbling of the ground. They thought something must've happened to Pepa, but that doesn't seem to be the case as the usual cheery household of the Madrigals hadn't started in their early routine around town.

Carina comes out of the house to see a looming darkness surrounding Encanto, this brought uneasiness among the people and the children who are now standing idly looking towards the Madrigal house above the hill.

"Carina, look at this thing," Julio had an amazed expression while carrying a plant he had just placed in a pot. It's a sundew. "It's sticky."

"Where did that come from?"

"Seems like Julieta's eldest daughter is mad, she started creating unusual plants."

"Mad?" Just as she was about to ask about it, the ground shakes again, this time, with an upcoming danger. "Earthquake..." It was quiet for three whole seconds before it starts rumbling again at a much more violent phase. Carina would've gotten herself to a more safer place, but something caught her eye on the middle of the street. 

"No... My angel. Don't go," it was Haidi. It looks like she's in some sort of trance, reaching out to somewhere Carina doesn't have the time to look at.

Cracks slowly ran down starting from the house above the hill, it' coming towards them. The woman had no time to think. Everyone has already ran to safety, Julio grabbed Melisa and Marina away, the others immediately went to their own families, it was up to her now. No time to waste, she ran towards her mother just as the ground separated beneath her. "Mamá!" she goes to grab her hand, just in time before the ground fully swallowed her down into a pit. "Hold on. I got you, Mamá, I got--" it was a little too soon t claim that. The ground caves in and almost brought her to their death. Lucky enough, Carina was able to find the stable side of the remaining edge, latching her hand on it for dear life. She was sweating, tears threatening to fall from fright. 'I don't wanna die. I don't wanna die. I can't,' her words hang on a thread in her throat as her hand felt like it'll slip in a few seconds. "Help! Somebody!? Julio!  Help!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. 

Looking down, it seemed as if her mother had already given up, mumbling to herself some inaudible sentences. Carina tried calling out again, but to no avail. Her hand trembled as some debris rolled down her feet. They're about to fall, for just a few seconds more. "Is how I die?" a few more seconds and she would've accepted that fate. Just a bit more. She finally closes her eyes as the last of her fingers couldn't hold on anymore.

"Carina!" a hand touches hers. The woman opens her eyes and sees Angelo. His grip was firm in contrast to his tear stained cheeks. "Don't let go!"

"Angelo..." his strength wasn't enough to bring two people up. He needed help. But then someone from town could see him--

"Someone help us!" he shouted. This surprised Carina more than having this unexpected rescuer, but truly, what's there to be surprised about? How many times had he already sneaked in Encanto? Too many times for her to count.

"Help them out!" someone says from the surface. Soon, she hears many more people come to his aid. The quake had already subsided by now. As soon as Carina came out, she notices the mountain separated in half, the mountain that she used to climb up to. 

"What... What happened.." 

Despite the murmurs of everyone from town, Angelo stayed and checked on her mother. Haidi on the other hand, had her hand around his neck, surprisingly much more sane than she was earlier, and shockingly affectionate to the outsider she haven't met before. His face suddenly twists from relief into worry as his eyes glanced at her. He swiftly crawled to her side and hugged her tight. "Thank goodness."

She chuckes, hugging him back, "Why is it that you're always in the right place at the right time?"

"I try," he chuckles back. "I'm just glad I made it on time. Were you hurt?"

"Not much. Just some scratches, no big deal."

He nods, almost getting tearful again. Angelo wipes it away and apologizes, "Damn dust particles went into my eyes."

She awkwardly laughs at his poor excuse. Everyone else had been on stand by, staring at the Madrigal's house that had crumbled to pieces. "Carina, Mama, there you are!" Julio rushed over along with Melisa, hugging both her and the older woman. "We were worried sick, I thought you followed me!"

"Apparently I didn't," she rolls her eyes, "And I can't just let Mama walked straight to the hole. Good thing Angelo showed up."

"Angelo?"

Carina looks to the side to point at the man in subject, seeing no figure of him anywhere near. "Where did he run off to now?"

Walking down the forest was Bruno, a pail under his left arm and a bunch of rats on his back and the other arm. It was truly a disaster, and it was all because of his vision. He's wallowing in loneliness and regret that he didn't get to see the upright root of a fig, tripping his ankles. The rats ran as soon as he collided on the ground. "I'm so pathetic. Why am I even born with this?" 

Sitting there and doing absolutely nothing might've brought him a second piece of his mind. Bruno contemplated on his next steps, he's especially wary of the fact that his gift would only bring harm to everyone around him. Even his niece had been affected by it, just because he left that vision about her in his room. He hits himself once, twice, even as many times as he wanted, but that will never change anything.

"I know what you're thinking, and no, that's not the way to move forward."

Bruno doesn't have enough energy to even look at him in the face, "I see you've infiltrated Encanto again."

"Since when have I heard you dissatisfied of my presence?" Angelo chuckles, sitting behind him so they'd be back-to-back, "At least the walls can't talk about their disappointment."

"You knew, didn't you?"

"Of what?"

"Stop playing dumb. You called me out beside the house, where someone could've seen you. How did you find out but not... anyone else?"

He shrugs after a few seconds of silence on his side, "Rough guess. You were never the type to want going out of Encanto anyway. Besides, as soon as you've stepped out of here, I would've known about it immediately and dragged you back here." There was nothing more to talk about, not that Bruno wants to talk about anything with him anyway. "That curly haired girl, MIrabel, was it?" This grabs the man's attention as he felt him shift his weight to glance back at him, "I saw her head out towards the mountain. Think she'd try to disappear like you did?"

"Mirabel is--? Oh this is bad. W-We gotta get to her now! What w--Why would she leave? It's not like she did anything bad, she's only saving the mirace. Well obviously my vision had something to do with it. I'm pretty sure this was my fault anyway, so I should bring her back, right? But then everyone might see me, I don't know any good hiding place anymore. The house is destroyed and--"

"Bruno!" Angelo shook his shoulders with both arms, "Get a grip, will you?"

"Sorry."

"I thought only Carina had rambling issues," he sighs.