Dinner with the Guzmáns

Everyone, including you, joined Abuela and the Guzmáns at the table. Your seat was between Mirabel's and Tío Agustín's, and so, pulling out your chair, you sat down.

Eyeing Dolores as you sat down, you stared nervously at her. Mirabel also stared intensely at her, not breaking eye contact.

"The Guzmáns and the Madrigals together will be so good for the encanto." Abuela said.

"Yes." Mariano's mother agreed. "Then let's hope tonight is not a horrible disaster."

They laughed, and Abuela made a toast. "To a perfect night! Salud!"

"Salud!" Everyone said, raising their drinks in the air.

With her every move, Mirabel stared down Dolores from across the table. She had to make sure she didn't spill the information to anyone.

You chuckled nervously and took a sip of your drink, still watching Mirabel and Dolores. Mariano then held a bowl in front of Mirabel's face, preventing her from seeing Dolores.

"Avocado?" He asked.

Mirabel grunted, grabbing the bowl and moving it to the side. But she was just a little too late, for she saw Dolores whispering to Camilo.

Camilo stared at you and Mirabel before choking. He hit his chest, shape-shifting multiple times until he was googly eyed.

Abuela and Mariano's mother whipped their heads towards Camilo. But Abuela laughed it off and poured herself some more wine.

"Camilo. Fix your face." His father told him.

The teen, having heard this phrase a handful of times, shook his head. His face returned to normal, and it left him completely unfazed. You chuckled softly as he looked at the both of you.

"Water?" Isabela asked, holding the pitcher of water in front of Mirabel.

Shoving the pitcher of water to the side, she found Camilo whispering over to his father.

Tío Félix, who was drinking water, widened his eyes and spat out the water everywhere. The water had sprayed the table, covering everything that was on it.

You stared at him and the table, cringing in disgust. Mariano also shared the same facial expression as you.

Tío Félix cleared his throat and Mirabel's head shot towards Abuela, who was asking for the cream.

"Pá, the cream?" She asked, eyeing the bowl. He chuckled nervously, grabbing it and handing it to Mirabel with a shaky hand.

She took notice of this and quickly grabbed it, passing it over to Isabela. And when she did, she spotted Tío Félix whispering to Tía Pepa, who had a cloud forming above her head.

She stared widely at you and Mirabel, her jaw dropping. Mirabel tensed up with worry written all over her face.

Gasping, you both turned toward Abuela, who reminded Tía Pepa about the cloud.

Repeatedly, she whispered, "Clear skies" while touching her hair.

You buried your face in your hands when you saw Tía Pepa leaning over to tell Tía Julieta. This was it. This could not possibly get any worse. You and Mirabel were doomed.

Mirabel quickly sipped her drink while looking down. And as she did so, she noticed the ground tiles cracking, spreading below her chair.

Her gasp caught your attention, and you peeked out from between your fingers. You watched as she ducked under the table.

"Mirabel?" Mariano called out.

She shot up, grunting as she hit her head under the table.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

Tío Agustín chuckled nervously besides you. "Everything is great. She's just excited. For you to propose. Which, uh, you should do!"

You nodded, grinning anxiously. Abuela eyed you three suspiciously.

"Yes!" Mirabel agreed.

"As fast as you can." Tío Agustín finished.

"Uh, I was actually gonna..." Mariano started, but Mirabel cut him off.

"You were actually gonna. Great!" She repositioned Isabela's chair so that it was facing Mariano and dusted off her sister's shoulders.

Mariano's mother spoke hesitantly. "Well, since everyone here has a talent, my Mariano wanted to begin with a song! Luisa, could you bring over the piano?" She requested.

Luisa, who had a dejected look on her face, broke down into tears as her lip quivered. "Okay."

Mirabel chuckled nervously. "Uh, it's actually family tradition to sing after." She lied, running over to Mariano's chair and tipping it forward.

He fell out of his chair, thanks to Mirabel, and landed on his knee in a kneeling position in front of Isabela.

Clearing his throat, he went along with it and began his speech. "Isabela, most graceful of all the Madrigals."

From your seat, you saw a crack appearing in the floor, growing just a few feet away from where Mariano was.

Mirabel also spotted where the floor was cracking and dove over to it, landing on the area with a painful thud.

"Um..." Mariano paused, all eyes on Mirabel.

Mirabel quickly turned over onto her side. "You're doing great." Her voice strained as she held a thumbs up.

Mariano continued, looking back to Isabela. "The most perfect flower in this entire encanto..."

Mirabel gasped as she saw a coati taking the shards from her father's pockets.

"No!" She muttered, reaching out with her arm.

It ran away as Luisa came over, grunting as she struggled to pull the piano. She rested her head on top of the piano and sobbed, everyone's attention being drawn to her.

Mirabel turned her head from Luisa, but then noticed the coatis underneath the table. They appeared to be placing together the shards on a tray. You bent over, also seeing the coatis.

That's when your head throbbed for the millionth time today. You didn't know why, but there wasn't really anything you could do about it. You didn't want to interrupt the proposal. But then again, there was no point since that's already happened.

Too many things were happening at this moment. Luisa's sobs grew as she cried into the piano. The coatis were almost finished putting together the vision, and your headache was killing you...

The vision. It was the vision. That's what was causing your headache.

Resting your head on your hand, your eyes widened when you noticed a black mark on the backside of your hand. You stared at it curiously before pulling back your sleeve.

Gasping lightly, you watched as the black mark grew. It continued to spread up your arm and to your fingers, sickening you to your very core.

You took your attention off of your hand and directed it to Isabela and Mariano.

Isabela forced a grin as she stared at the opening ring box. "Will you marry-"

"No!" Mirabel yelled, failing to tackle the coatis or grab the tray under the table.

Luisa continued to cry, her sobs growing as she fell to the floor and onto her back. A rumble of thunder shook the entire place, frightening a toucan. It shrieked and flew off, scaring Abuela and Mariano's mother.

"What is happening?" Mariano's mother asked.

Luisa was crying. Tía Pepa's cloud was growing. Your splitting headache was killing you. And everybody else at the table was frantic, shielding their heads with their hands.

"Mirabel and (Y/N) found Bruno's vision. (Y/N)'s in it. She's gonna destroy the magic and now we're all doomed!" Dolores yelled.

The coatis carried the tray onto the table, and Mirabel, who was chasing them, tried to grab it. But she ended up accidentally pushing it towards Abuela.

Abuela looked down at the glowing vision, and the eyes of the others locked onto you and Mirabel.

You didn't know how to react to everything. You didn't know how to react to the unknown bottled up emotions deep down inside. The unknown bottled up emotions that were finally making an appearance... after all these years.

The house and walls around cracked and split open, bringing back memories from long ago. Horrible memories you wished you've never experienced.

A flower vine that appeared from a crack in the ground socked poor Mariano in the face. And Tía Pepa's cloud grew more ferociously and furiously.

Just then, the wind blew the doors behind Dolores and Camilo open.

Outside stood a crowd who congratulated Isabela and Mariano. They held up a banner that read "¡Felicidades!" but then saw the events that were happening within the house.

The rain then poured, soaking everyone in the house and everyone who was outside.

~~~

"Señora, por favor!" Abuela begged, chasing after Mariano and his mother.

"Abuela, please! There's gotta be an explanation." Mirabel pleaded.

"Like this?" You deadpanned, holding up your arm that was completely covered in the black mark.

"I hate you!" Isabela yelled, glaring directly at Mirabel as she passed you and her.

Luisa came running out, sobbing as she called herself a loser.

"Luisa!" Tío Agustín shouted, running after her.

"What did you do?" Tía Pepa asked, completely soaked thanks to the rain cloud above her.

"I'm not doing anything! It's Bruno's vision! It's..." She stopped to look down at a trail of scurrying rats carrying the shards up the stairs.

"It's me, isn't it?..." You mumbled. "I'm the one who's hurting the magic, aren't I?..."

"(Y/N), come with me." Mirabel said, grabbing your wrist and following the rats.

There was then a loud, furious yell from Abuela, followed by a rumble of thunder.