Chapter Text
Chirping birds, and the sound of people encompassed the morning, indicating a busy day was ahead. Mirabel woke up before her alarm, excited. She threw off her covers, practically jumping out of bed, before running over to her freestanding closet. She tossed some clothing behind her, landing in her hamper thanks to Casita moving its floorboards to catch the flying clothes. Finally, Mirabel decided on a white shirt with a scalloped, folded over collar. The collar was outlined in black and each scallop had a black butterfly sewn into it. Mirabel paired it with her favorite long, orange embroidered skirt. After brushing out her hair, she grabbed a pair of matching orange glasses as her accessory and some black shoes. She situated her satchel, looking forward. “Make your family proud.” She said, leaving the room.
Her room…there was a lot of emotion behind that. It was her room, but at the same time, it wasn’t HER room. It had originally been a storage room, which required them to take a set of hidden stairs to get to it. After her…ceremony… she had been sent back to the nursery. Her parents had not been pleased with that. All she recalled from that horrible night was the sound of her mama screaming at her abuela, her papa and tίa trying to calm her, all the while she sat, curled into her sister’s hold and cried her eyes out. Once things had calmed down a bit, her sister returned and snuck her out of the nursery to sleep with her in her room.
No one questioned it. Her papa had proceeded to personally empty out the storage room, moving everything into another empty room on the first floor. He hadn’t even allowed Casita or her cousin help. Mama cleaned and painted the room once it was empty, and soon enough Mirabel was moved out of the nursery and into her own room. It was twice as big as the nursery, which ended up being a good thing after she got into sewing and embroidery. She had a large, sturdy bed and the door had a lock on it! Which still didn’t help much. Mirabel would never understand why her family had a habit of just barging in without knocking. She couldn’t complain much though, as she did the same thing.
Mirabel hummed, hopping down the stairs, heading to the kitchen, only pausing a moment to greet the painting of her abuelo. Casita opened its shutters as she walked by, and practically threw the plates out of the cabinet. Mirabel managed to catch them all with some difficulty, and while she had panicked that she was going to drop one, she knew Casita was just excited. After all, she was too!
It was her baby brother’s fifth birthday today, and his Ceremony. Mirabel looked up from setting the table to the family mural on the kitchen wall that depicted their families. She looked to the left side and smiled at her side of the family. Truly, she didn’t deserve them.
Pepa was the world’s best mama, Felix was the world’s best papa, Dolores was the world’s best sister, and Antonio was the world’s best brother and the world’s most adorable kid ever! In her “non-biased” opinion, of course.
The right side of the mural showed her tίa Julieta and tίo Augustin, along with their three kids. Her cousins Isabela, Luisa, and Camilo.
Before Mirabel could contemplate the mural further, Casita bounced an alarm clock toward her to show her the time. Almost 6:00 AM, time to wake everyone up! She hurried up the stairs, knocking on each of her family’s doors in her own morning routine (she would never admit that it made her chest feel warm that they all had trusted her to be their alarm clocks, and she would never admit, at least out loud, that it felt nice to be needed).
Soon enough, it was time for everyone to head into town to help the villagers until the afternoon. After lunch, it would be all hands-on-deck to prepare for Antonio’s Ceremony. As soon as she stepped foot into town, Mirabel was surrounded by children, all around Antonio’s age, asking question after question about her familia. Mirabel laughed, “okay, okay, relax!”
“It is physically impossible to relax!” Alejandra said, overexaggerating as children do.
“Tell us everything! What are your powers?!” Cecilia asked, nearly vibrating off the ground in excitement.
“Just tell us what everyone can do!” Mirabel stared at Juancho for a moment, before gently taking the cup of coffee from his hands (and how did he get that cup of strong coffee? Did he take some from his papa again?)
“And that’s why coffee is for grown-ups.” She said, before directing their attention to the painting on the wall nearby. It had all of Mirabel’s family members on it, so it was the best place to start answering the kids’ questions without interfering with whatever her family was currently doing. She pointed to her mama first. “This is my mama, Pepa! Her mood affects the weather and when she’s unhappy, well…the temperature gets weird!” She then moved along, pointing to the next person in the painting. “This is my tίo Bruno and -”
“We don’t talk about Bruno!” There was a pause as Mirabel and the kids stared at the villagers that had so rudely interrupted. Mirabel brushed it off and continued where she left off.
“he could see the future!” she moved her hands as if to mystify the kids, who ooh’d and aah’d. “One day he disappeared.” Mirabel really didn’t remember her tίo that well, but she remembered her mama’s downpour once everyone realized he was missing. Pepa never liked talking about him, usually bringing up her wedding and sounding angry…but Mirabel knew that her mama was just very sad, and not talking about him meant not thinking about him, which meant no more sad thoughts and feelings. Mirabel also knew that her mama went to anger when tίo Bruno was mentioned as a way to mask her sorrow.
“This is my tίa, Julieta!” she said, moving right along. “She can heal you with a meal! Her recipes are remedies, for real!” she then turned away from the painting to gesture to two men just down the road. “That’s my papa, Felix! And over there is my tίo Augustin!” she then bent down so the kids could hear her whisper, “that’s how Abuela became and Abuela Madrigal!”
They were interrupted again, this time from Abuela Alma herself, addressing the town about how the family uses their Gifts for the town to keep the miracle burning. The kids had more questions, seemingly not caring at all about what Alma had said. “Wait, so who’s the sister and who’s the cousin?” Cecilia asked, looking very confused.
“How do you keep them all straight?” Alejandra asked, as another of the village children decided to join their little group.
“I guess it’s time for….a grandkid round-up!” Mirabel cheered, the nearby band joining in. “My older sister, Dolores, can hear a pin drop! Antonio gets his gift today. Cousin Camilo can shapeshift and my older cousins are Isabela and Luisa. One is strong and other is graceful, perfect in every way. Isabela grows a flower, and the town grows wild, she’s the Golden Child. Luisa is super strong! Beauty and brawn can do no wrong!” She and the kids waved to Luisa as she moved the bridge they were on. “And…that’s it!” Mirabel finished.
“But…what’s your Gift?” One of the kids that had joined in during the round-up asked.
In one life, Mirabel was so insecure about her lack of a Gift that she made a fool of herself trying to evade the question. In this life, however, thanks to the continuous support of her parents and her older sister, she felt better about her…situation. She smiled, bending down so she could whisper.
“Truthfully? I don’t have one.”
“You don’t have one?” they asked, sadly.
“No. I don’t. But! I’m fine with not having one. Want to know why?”
“Why?!” the gaggle of kids asked, in sync.
“Because despite not having a Gift, there are things I can do that no one else in my family can do. They can hear anything and everything, control the rain or even a hurricane, heal what’s broken, move mountains, make new trees and flowers grow, become anyone and everyone… but, none of them can sew.” They tilted their heads, confused. “You know the pretty dresses, skirts, and ruanas my family wears? With the designs?” They nodded enthusiastically. “Well, who do you think made them?” a moment of silence before they collectively gasped.
“YOU made their outfits?!” Mirabel laughed.
“I sure did! Took a while to find the perfect fabric for them too!” The kids seemed hyped up again, asking if she could make them something too. She promised that she would, but it would have to be after her little brother’s Ceremony, and they would all have to be patient, as making the perfect outfit takes time. They each promised to be patient, and hurried back to their homes after requesting Mirabel to dance (and play) with them at the Ceremony.
Mirabel returned home just in time for Señor Osvaldo to approach her with a goodie basket. The “not special” special…because she was the only one with no Gift. She thanked him with a forced, awkward smile. How she hated being reminded constantly… did that man have no tact? No. No he did not. She sighed, carrying the basket in.
“You okay…?” Mirabel turned to the sound of her sister’s soft voice. Dolores looked at her, concerned. Ah. She heard Osvaldo.
“Honestly? I don’t know. I’m anxious, I’m a little upset…being reminded despite being fine without a Gift is not fun. Seeing Abuela making such a fuss on how this Ceremony has to be perfect is not only stressful, but upsetting, since she doesn’t want me helping. She told me yesterday to “stand aside” and let everyone else do everything! But you already know that…but this is Antonio’s Ceremony! I want our hermanito’s party to go well, and I want him to have a door. He deserves it!” before Mirabel could continue rambling, Dolores put down what she was carrying on a side table and pulled her into a hug.
“Why don’t you go put that basket in the kitchen? Tίo Augustin can empty it out. I think Antonio needs some company right now, anyways.” Dolores said, in that soft, calm tone. Mirabel couldn’t help but smile.
“Thanks, Lori…you’re the best.” It was her sister’s turn to smile.
“And don’t you forget it!” Mirabel laughed as she took the basket into the kitchen, greeting her tίa as she fiddled with the stove. Soon enough, her tίo Agustin arrived, hand, nose and ear swollen. Mirabel winced.
“Bee Stings!” she said as she squatted down. Julieta turned, took one look at her husband and sighed, exasperated.
“Aye, Agustin!” she walked away to grab something for him to eat. Meanwhile, he was helping Mirabel empty out the basket, trying to cheer her up.
“…it’s easy to feel…UNceptional.”
“Okay, tίo.”
“I’m just saying that I get it.”
“Eat.” Julieta interrupted, shoving some pre-made food into her husband’s mouth. She then turned to Mirabel. “Just remember, sobrina, we are hear if you need to talk.”
“Thanks, tίa, but I have to finish emptying this basket. The house isn’t going to decorate itself!” the flags hanging up drooped, and the top of the doorframes dropped too. “Sorry, you could. You look great.” Mirabel apologized to Casita. The flags and doorframes immediately perked back up.
After escaping the kitchen, Mirabel quickly hurried to her room. First, to avoid her Abuela who she saw heading towards the stairs. Second, because there was something for Antonio that she needed to get. She grabbed the colorful package and left, feeling wind. Ah. Mama was worried.
“I can’t find Antonio!” she heard her mama tell Abuela. Mirabel looked over at the nursery door and smiled, knowing exactly where her little brother was. She entered the room, and sat on the second bed that was hidden by an old, but sturdy standing closet. It was a “guest” bed of sorts. When Antonio was born, Mirabel and Dolores would take turns spending the night in the nursery to help take care of Antonio when he woke up. The sisters had insisted on this and refused to back down, saying that this was their Mama could rest and sleep through the night without worrying.
“Everyone is looking for you…” Mirabel said in a sing-song tone. When she got no response, she dangled the package over the bed, close to the floor. “This present will self-destruct if you don’t take it in three….two….oooneee…oh!” the package was swiped under the bed. Mirabel chuckled, getting down and crawling under the bed, next to her brother.
He was dressed in his white outfit, fiddling with the strings on the present, looking a mix of worried, sad, and a little bit of fear. “Nervous?” she asked. “You have nothing to worry about, you’re going to get your Gift and open that door, and it’s going to be the coolest ever. I know it.” She said, trying to soothe her baby brother’s fears.
“What if it doesn’t work?” he whispered.
“Well, in that IMPOSSIBLE scenario, we will find you a new room, like mine! And we’d still get to keep you, forever!” she replied, knowing their mama and papa would sooner build a new addition to Casita than let him stay in the nursery. She and Dolores would help too. Antonio giggled a bit, but frowned again, looking sad, guilty even.
“…I wish you had a door…”
“You know what? You don’t have to worry about me. ‘Cause I have an amazing family, and amazing house, and an amazing YOU. And seeing you get your special Gift and your door? That’s going to make me way more happy than anything.” Finally, Antonio smiled. She gestured to the present. He opened it excitedly, quietly squealing in delight as he pulled out the hand-made plush jaguar. “I know you’re an animal guy, so I made this! So that when you move into your cool, new room, you will always have something to snuggle with!”
Antonio scooted closer to her, hugging the plush. A silent thank you. Casita interrupted the moment to bounce the alarm clock over, showing that it was time for the Ceremony. Just as they were about to crawl out, Mirabel suddenly grabbed Antonio is a bear hug. “Sorry, got to get one more squeeze!” Casita bounced the floorboards, earning giggles from the two. “Alright, alright! We’re coming!”
The two walked down the stairs where their parents and sister were waiting. “Ah haha, there you are!” their papa said, with flourish. Mama hurried over, brushing Antonio’s shirt.
“Look at you! All grown up!” she said, raincloud forming and drizzling on them from Pepa’s mood. Happy, but sad that her baby was getting older. She’d done the same at Mirabel’s Ceremony, and probably at Dolores’s too.
“Pepi, amor, you’re going to get him all wet!” Felix said, with a laugh, shooing away the cloud. “Thanks for finding him, Mira!” he said as Mirabel came closer. She looked down at Antonio, seeing that he was still nervous.
“Nervous?” she asked again, this time getting the others’ attention. Antonio shifted, shoulders hunched, and nodded.
“There’s so many people! I don’t like them staring at me…” Another cloud started forming, but Dolores shooed it away.
“…Would you like one of us to walk with you to your door?” Mirabel asked. Antonio looked up at her with a hopeful expression and nodded his head vigorously.
“How about Mira and I walk with you?” Dolores said, standing at Antonio’s right side. He nodded, smiling, shoulders relaxing. Pepa sighed, relieved. Their parents left, promising to see Antonio up at his door. Dolores moved off to the right, to be unseen by the people. Mirabel and Antonio understood immediately what she was doing. Mirabel also moved out of sight, to the left. The curtains opened, Casita flipping the tiles leading from Antonio to the stairs, turning them red.
Her poor brother was frozen like a deer in the lights. Looking up, Mirabel got a nod from Dolores, and the two walked out together, ignoring the gasps from the people and the LOOK their Abuela was giving them. They each took one of Antonio’s hands.
“Let’s get you to your door.” The three walked down, Antonio still looking up nervously at the stairs, but grateful to have his sisters by his sides. Dolores quietly, so quietly that only Antonio and Mirabel could hear, sang happy birthday. Antonio finally smiled. They made it up the stairs, and while Antonio looked over to their Abuela, Dolores and Mirabel swept over to the side, standing by their parents. Dolores kept a comforting hold of Mirabel’s arm, keeping her grounded and away from the intrusive flashbacks from her failed Ceremony.
Mirabel didn’t really pay much attention, until Antonio lifted his hand and touched the doorknob. She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until she let it out in relief at seeing the doorknob glow golden at his touch. She did flinch back in surprise, just like her mama did when a toucan flew in out of nowhere and landed on Antonio’s outstretched arm.
Antonio looked over at the bird, in awe. It chirped at him, and he gasped, before a smile nearly split his face in two. “uh huh, uh huh! I understand you!” the bird chirped more. “Of course they can come!” he said, happily. The bird took that as a cue to screech. Soon enough, more birds and other animals rushed in, crowding the stairs and trying to get as close to Antonio as possible. The door behind him glowed brightly, before finally, finally, the image of Antonio with the toucan and other animals around him appeared. His name gleamed proudly at the top.
Relief. He had a Gift. Her sweet, adorable baby brother had a Gift!
“I know you’re an animal guy, so I made this!”
Huh. What a coincidence.
“We have a new Gift!” Abuela announced, and the crowd cheered.