2. Mirabel's Morning

Today was going to be a great day.

That’s what Mirabel told herself every morning.  Even when things wouldn’t go quite right, even when she was insulted or ignored, even when she went to bed and struggled to hide her tears so her cousin wouldn’t hear her. She would always get up and tell herself that today was going to be a great day. A day where she’d make her family proud.

Though recently it’s been getting harder to believe.

Young Antonio’s birthday was less than a week away. Meaning he’d be turning five, and more importantly, he’d be getting a gift. Or would he? The question was a hot topic throughout the town. It had been ten years since Mirabel’s disastrous ceremony, and everyone was about as anxious as they were excited about the upcoming occasion. None more so than the Madrigals themselves.

She didn’t let it show, wanting to be strong for her family by not letting her problems inconvenience them. But as the big day got closer and closer, Mirabel found herself increasingly uneasy. Decade old traumatic memories bubbling to the surface of her mind more frequently. Despite this, she kept a smile on her face and tried not to bother anybody.

Once she had woken everyone up and set the table, they had breakfast together as always. Her Abuela seemed to have something to say to everyone at the table but her, but that wasn’t anything new. Once the meal had concluded, every Madrigal had left to do their daily chores. Sans one, who went to catch frogs. Mirabel wasn’t given anything to do (as usual) so she decided to clean up the table before setting out and seeing where she was needed. Just as she had finished bringing the plates to the sink, she paused as she heard the strangest sound. A high-pitched shriek, coming from far away.

Setting the plates down, she headed outside and searched for the source of the noise. It seemed to be coming from near the more distant mountains. She squinted her eyes, stood on her tip-toes, and held her palm above eyebrows. But as hard as she looked, she couldn’t see anything. Well, for a split second she swore she saw a big…something moving across the sky. But she dismissed it as a particularly large Toucan, and kept looking.

Alma was on her way out the front door when she caught her youngest granddaughter staring out into the distance. A slight grimace graced her features. “Mirabel, what exactly are you doing?” The girl jumped at the sound of her name, not even realizing anyone was behind her. “Abuela! I-There was” Alma held up a hand to silence her before her rambling could go on any further. “You know what? I don’t want to hear it, just stop standing around staring at nothing.” As she turned to leave, disgruntled at having wasted a moment of her incredibly busy day, she looked back at the girl one more time. “And please, these next few days will be very stressful for the family. Everything must go perfectly. Try to control yourself.” Mirabel, lips tightly shut, simply nodded. She delivered one last pointed look to her granddaughter, to hammer in the point. And then she was on her way.

Mirabel kept a straight face until she was positive her Abuela was gone. She then slumped over, sullen. She always seemed to be in poorer spirits after talking to her grandmother. She couldn’t remember the last time they had a positive interaction. Nothing she ever did was good enough for her, no matter how hard she tried…

Mirabel quickly brushed away the negativity with a shake of her head. No time for such thoughts, she had work to do!

Task #1: Figure out what exactly said work would be.

She turned and waved goodbye to her beloved Casita, who waved back with the swing of a window, and she made her way into town. As determined as ever.

And maybe she’d run into Dolores, and ask about that strange sound.

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Turns out she really wasn’t needed anywhere.

She had wandered the town, checking everything and asking everyone if they needed a hand. With decorating for the ceremony, or making deliveries, or anything. Anything is fine. They would always try and be polite, an awkward smile on their faces as they’d gently turn her down. But their attempts to soften the blow didn’t do much to improve Mirabel’s mood.

She had noticed a few villagers whispering about something. She couldn’t quite pick it up, but she definitely heard the word “Outsider”. But now’s not the time to focus on gossip.

Fine then. If no villagers needed help, she’d see what her family was up to.

Luisa was perfectly fine by herself, lifting entire buildings like they were pebbles. Mirabel definitely couldn’t help her do that. She had tried once, it really didn’t work out.

She wouldn’t dare go to Isabela; the very thought made her eyes twitch. She was sure Senorita Perfecta would appreciate being spared from having to interact with her, anyway. So she didn’t even bother.

She approached Dolores, about to offer some assistance, but figured now was the time to ask about the noise she had heard earlier. She greeted her quietly, as she knew she didn’t like people talking too loudly, and asked if she had heard anything weird today. Her cousin responded with a bemused expression. “I hear everything, Mirabel. You’re gonna have to be more specific.” Under her cousin’s gaze she wilted a little. “Something like, I dunno, a scream?” Dolores’ eyes tilted up in thought.

“Miguel was screaming during his 10th birthday party, he got a puppy.” That wasn’t it. “Carmen’s new baby has been crying all morning, and he’s a screecher.” That couldn’t have been it either. “Well, there was also- “Dolores’ face lit up in shock, and her cheeks turned red. “Actually, never mind.” Mirabel was intrigued, but she let it drop.

“Come on, Dolores. I heard a crazy sound this morning, near the mountains! I know you heard it too!” The older girl furrowed her brow upon hearing this. “Oh, that? That was just some animal.” Mirabel knew what she heard, and she doubted this conclusion. Dolores turned to leave, but was stopped by her younger cousin. “Wait! Listen I don’t know what it was but- ““Cut it out, Mirabel!” She sidestepped her cousin. “Quit distracting me. It was just a loud monkey or something, now let it go!” She shouted at her cousin as she left. A Dolores shout is much more akin to a harsh whisper, but the intent is still there.

Mirabel watched her go, with the sound still on her mind. But she supposed Dolores had a point, there was still much to do…if she could find something to do. She would work on this sound thing later, right now it was time to help her community.

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Tia Pepa was focusing extremely hard, her scrunched face proof of her effort, so her raincloud could water the crops properly. When Mirabel broke her concentration by surprising her with a loud “Hola Tia!”, that raincloud turned into a small hurricane. Whipping crops, tools, and a very bemused Donkey all around. Mirabel looked at the mess she’d caused, her Tia’s frantic expression, and the thunderstorm brewing over her head…and ran. Yelling “SORRY!” all the way back into town.

She couldn’t find Camilo, which was odd as he was usually wandering the village and entertaining the townsfolk with his unique ability. But with him out, there was only one option left.

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She knew she had a permanent position at her mama’s food stand. She appreciated it, truly. And she was proud to help her mama. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was only here out of pity, that her mother simply didn’t have the heart to turn her away that everyone else seemed to. Either way, here she was again. Heading to the stand. As usual.

She put on a smile as she approached the stand, both to hide her true feelings but also because she genuinely was happy to see her mother.

“Hola mama!”

Julieta, who seemed lost in thought beforehand, shifted her attention to her approaching daughter. “Hola, Mirabel!” A smile already on her face as she spoke. “I haven’t seen you since breakfast. What have you been up to?” Mirabel suppressed the urge to sigh, and tried to hide it with a chuckle. “Oh, you know.” The chuckle came out more awkward than intended. “Just going around, seeing where I can help! If anyone would let me help…” That last part was mumbled under her breath, but she could tell her mother picked up on it.

Woops.

Before her mother could give another speech about how special she was, Mirabel saw her face grow concerned. Turning around, she noticed her Tia in quite a frazzled state. Had her little mishap earlier really have bothered her that much?  As she soon came to learn, the problem was Antonio. Pepa couldn’t find him anywhere in town. Mirabel recalled the boy this morning, excitingly telling her about all the frogs he was going to catch at the river today, and immediately knew where he must be.

As she watched her Tia leave, she almost missed the “Thank you, Mirabel.” That she received for her advice. As her mother rubbed her back, Mirabel felt a genuine smile touch her face. And a teeny tiny little bubble of pride welled up from within her. She did it, she had actually helped with something!

The moment was short lived, as the local blacksmith came barreling through while holding some floppy green thing.

She appreciated Senor Ignacio’s enthusiasm, really. But he was just so loud sometimes. She recalled multiple times where Dolores was nearly driven to madness simply by being with ten feet of him. Nonetheless, he was one of the few people in town who didn’t seem to judge her (intentionally or otherwise) for her lack of a gift. She really was grateful for that.

Also, his nicknames were dumb. Cooking Mama? Really?

As her mother sighed, most likely preparing for another story where he burns himself by forgetting his gloves while smelting or something, he finishes his rapid approach. And only then does she get a good look at the floppy green thing.

He was a boy, no older than she was. But he looked very different. His clothes were strange and foreign, his body was thin as a fishbone with a mop of brown hair glued to it. He was shockingly pale, and his skin was all bruised and cut. Clearly why he was at the stand. But what she noticed most were his eyes.

Despite being so young, they already held the crushing despair of rejection. A fierce inner turmoil resting just behind those eyes. But they also spoke of kindness, and ingenuity, and unwavering determination.

There was something familiar about them. It was a while before she figured out what it was.

When she noticed his uncomfortable expression, she realized she was staring. “Can I…help you?” he tentatively asked. Mirabel scrambled to find her words. “Oh! I’m sorry I just-I don’t recognize you.” It wasn’t every day there was a new face in the Encanto. He seemed amused at that. “Yeah, well. I’m not from around here.” Mirabel’s curiosity was peaked. “Then…you’re from outside the Encanto?” While she loved her home with all her heart, she had always been fascinated by the whole rest of the world. And if this boy was truly from somewhere far beyond, imagine what he knew? What stories he could share? The very thought was incredibly intriguing.

The boy looked very confused, scrunching his nose in a funny little manner. Mirabel had to fight to keep from giggling. “The En-What-O?” Oh yeah, this guy was totally lost.

Mirabel was just about to explain the history of their miracle and her amazing family to him, one of her favorite things to do, when it was interrupted by a scream.

“TONITO!!!”

That was Pepa, and it sounds like something’s happening with Antonio. Her mother rushed off to the source, and Mirabel followed. A pit in her stomach at the thought of harm coming to any of her family, but especially her darling little primo.

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That was perhaps the most surreal experience of Mirabel’s life. And she lived in a magic town with a magic family in a magic house.

Her cousin, caught by some horrifying monster. Her sister, desperately trying to save him. The creature, a truly intimidating beast with a piercing cry. A cry that was eerily similar to that strange noise she had heard earlier this morning. And that boy, protecting the creature like it was just a lost puppy.

He swore it meant no harm, that it wasn’t a monster. Just a playful animal. He begged them to hear him out, and she almost did.

But before she could do anything, her Abuela marched in and did what she did best. Take charge.

“Isabela, the creature!”

Her sister, who had sauntered in after Alma looking absolutely unbothered and perfect as always, flicked her hand. As she did a small flower appeared in front of the monster, who sniffed at it warily. The flower then released a spray of pollen directly into its face. The creature stumbled around a bit, looking disoriented. The boy seemed distressed, and called the creature something strange (Toothless? It clearly had teeth!) and before long the beast had dropped to the ground. Completely knocked out.

Alma spoke once more. “Luisa!”

Without being told what to do, the gargantuan girl hefted the creature over her shoulder without so much as a grunt of exertion. Though she did have to repeatedly move it’s large wing out of her face.

The boy was even more distressed, and tried to chase after them.

Alma raised her voice a third time. “Isabela, vine!”

With another flick, a long vine shot out of the ground and coiled itself around the boy. Completing tying him up. The fear in his eyes transformed into pure shock and terror as he struggled within his bindings, looking at Isabela like she was the most frightening thing he’d ever seen.  The vine was covered in flowers, of course.

With the threats apprehended, Alma calmed down a little. Though not by much. She turned to her granddaughters.

“Luisa, take that thing to the donkey stable. Remove the donkeys, lock it in inside. And you had better pray the lock doesn’t fail this time.”

With a slight gulp, Luisa nodded and headed towards the stable.

Watching the creature be carried away, the boy’s panic intensified. “Wait, wait! PLEASE! I swear he-he would never hurt anyone! Just please don’t MMPHH MPPPHH…” His pleas were cut off by another vine moving to stuff his mouth with a particularly plump flower. “Thank you, Isabela.” Sighed Alma. “But we need to know how he managed to break into our Encanto, and ensure something like this doesn’t happen again.”

She grew a stern look.  “We must question him.”

Isabela nodded gracefully, and sashayed her way back to Casita. Her prisoner being carried by a conveyor belt of flowers. Normally bringing a suspect into your home is a terrible idea, but when your house is alive, your family has magic powers, and your prisoner was just so scrawny, there wasn’t much he could do.

As Alma was busy reassuring the crowd, telling them everything was fine and to go about their days, Mirabel couldn’t get those two out of her head.

A fearsome creature, who despite looking ghastly never actually moved to harm Antonio. Or anyone for that matter. And the boy who seemed to care deeply for the beast. It was just so strange, and she wanted to know more. She needed to know more. She had to-

“-abel! Mirabel!”

She snapped back to reality, somehow missing her Abuela standing right in front of her.

“Mirabel! Are you listening to me?” Alma demanded, and it took all of Mirabel’s willpower not to look down. To look into her eyes, and nod. “What were you thinking?! Getting so close to that…scoundrel and that demon! You could have been killed! What is the matter with you?”

Mirabel truly didn’t know how to answer, so after a bit of fumbling with her words all she could do was shrug. That’s the best she’s got right now.

Alma looked very mad. Very, very mad. But instead of blowing up, she just gave a deeply disappointed sigh. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you, Mirabel…” She left her with those words, and headed back towards Casita.

For once though, a scolding from Abuela didn’t upset Mirabel. She was simply too busy thinking about the outsider and his beast.

The crowd was dispersing, mumbling about what they had just witnessed. Her mother had gone back to the stand after giving her daughter one last reassuring shoulder pat.  Pepa, along with Felix who had ran as fast as he could once he noticed the commotion but was just too late, were all over Antonio. Peppering him with kisses and hugs and reassurances that it would all be okay as they walked off. Even though he looked completely fine. This left Mirabel alone with her thoughts.

And her cousin.

Camilo stepped forward and spoke.

“They’re gonna interrogate that guy, right? He’ll probably say some really crazy stuff...”

 “Yup.” Mirabel agreed.

Camilo grew another smirk. “We’re totally eavesdropping, right?”

 “Yup.” Mirabel agreed. A spark of mischief glinting in both pairs of eyes.

The duo headed for the Casita, to get some answers.

Or more accurately, listen in on some answers.