Where I Belong

Dos Oruguitas

"You never left." Mirabel said as we looked around the space in the walls. Bruno never left the Encanto in the first place. He left his tower, but not Casita. He was just living in the walls with rats. A lot of rats. Bruno tried to make it sound better than it actually was, but none of us were convinced.

"You're fine with living with all these rats?" Paimon asked, not hiding her disgust. Maria nudged her.

"I don't understand." Mirabel said. Bruno tried to explain the plot of his made up telenovela, but she clarified what she meant, "I don't understand why you left but didn't leave."

Bruno got nervous, "Oh, well... because you know the mountains around the Encanto are pretty tall... and uh - you know like I said, free food... and everything..." Bruno started talking to the rats, "Yeah, you guys, you guys love the free food, don't ya? Always hungry, never satisfied..."

Mirabel and I looked through a crack in the wall. On the other side was the family dining room. Right next to the wall was a small table with Bruno's own plate set painted onto the wood.

"Bruno..." Maria said with sadness and sympathy.

"My gift wasn't helping the family... but uh... but I love my family, you know." Bruno explained, sitting in his chair, "I just don't know how to... I just don't know how to... Well anyway, I think you should go, because um – well, I don't really have a good reason, but if I did, you'd be like, I should go 'cause that's a good reason."

We didn't argue with Bruno, but Mirabel stood her ground, "Why was I in your vision? Tio Bruno...? I just... wanted to make the family proud of me... just once. But if I should stop... if I'm hurting my family... just tell me."

I looked at Bruno, "Please, Bruno. We need to know."

Bruno sighed, and finally said, "I can't tell you... Because I don't know." He assembled the vision shards as he explained, "I had this vision the night that you didn't get your gift. Abuela worried about the magic, so she begged me to look into the future, see what it meant. And I saw the magic in danger... our house... breaking... and then... and then, and then... I saw you. But the vision was different. It... it would change... and there was no one answer... no clear fate. Like your future was undecided. But I knew how it was gonna look, I knew what everyone would think because I'm Bruno and everyone always assumes the worst... so... so..."

Mirabel realized what he was saying, "You left... to protect me...?"

"I don't know which way it'll go... but my guess... the family, the Encanto, the fate of the miracle itself - it's all gonna come down to you."

We all stood there, taking in the information. We sorta knew this was all going to come down to us, but it was a whole different thing hearing it.

"Or maybe I'm wrong." Bruno said, making me jump a little as he dropped the vision, "You know, it's a mystery, it's a mystery that's why this vision is," He blew a raspberry. "He led us all to the door, "Look, if I could help anymore I would but, that's all I know. Good luck. I wish I could've seen more." He closed the door behind us.

"So, what do we do now?" Manolo asked.

"Yeah." Paimon said, "How are we supposed to save the miracle if we don't know what's going on? Bruno explained almost nothing."

Mirabel thought for a second, her eyes lighting up with excitement. She turned back and kicked the door down, scaring Bruno.

"Whoa! Mirabel!" I said.

"You 'wish you could've seen more.' So see more." Mirabel shook Bruno, "Have another vision!"

Bruno tried to back away from his estranged niece, "Oh, uh, no, no, see, I don't, I don't do visions anymore."