Book 1- The Outsider to Encanto

Chapter Five: Try to be Normal

Catherine's body was burning with exhaustion as she walked into the city. She stopped to have the last of the arepa's realising that she never really found out which of the woman Bruno had been sandwiched between was Julieta, who made it.

"Thank you," she whispered before the arepa gave her the strength she needed to get to Mr Ralph's estate.

"Miss Brown!" John Ralph yelled when she walked into the grounds. "Where have you been? Alma said you had gone for a walk and when you didn't return that evening I was terrified I'd have to contact the estate in London and let them know you'd died!"

"Jump to conclusions?" Catherine said and laughed. "I got tired of waiting for you so I went on my own. Saw some amazing things, ran out of food so came back. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to wash up."

After washing up, Catherine retreated to the balcony of her room and got back to her picture of Casita. She wanted to make sure she got it before the memory was gone from her mind forever.

She found herself adding more green to the painting of Casita than she remembered there being. Then she realised that the green she had used wasn't the vibrant green of the jungles. It was the dirty, moss green of Bruno's ruana. When she realised this, she immediately pushed the painting aside and her eyes drifted to the crack in the mountain.

Why had that strange, adorable man with the too-big nose stick to her mind? They had hardly spoken and when they had, he had been a blubbering, shy mess, if she was looking at him.

"Miss Brown?"

Catherine turned to face Alma as she entered.

Alma... I found the town your father's family may be a part of... but Catherine couldn't find the words. She wasn't sure if she could trust Alma with the secret of the encanto.

"Mr Ralph wonders if you'll be dining with him this evening?"

"I'm exhausted, it's been a long few days," Catherine said. "I'm just going to have an early night."

"I'll let him know."

"Alma?"

Alma stopped in leaving and looked at Catherine.

"Do you believe in miracles?" Catherine asked.

"Not anymore, ma'am. I'll prepare some water for you for bed."

"Alma?"

With a sigh, Alma turned back to Catherine.

"I know you've said against it before, but if you found evidence that your father's family may still be alive. Would you find them?"

Alma seemed to think about it for a moment.

"Of course," she finally answered. "If I found evidence that they were real and still alive."

Alma left and Catherine readied for bed. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to close the blinds that would block her only view of the encanto. She was afraid that if she could no longer see it, if it wasn't there, the memory would fade. The memory of the sweet, friendly Camilo, the adorable Antonio. Dolores' kindness. Luisa's terrifying frame...

Bruno who was still so prominent in her mind.

She didn't want to forget the town, even if they hadn't been the most friendly. But most importantly, she didn't want to forget the Madrigals.

The moment she let her head rest on the pillow, exhaustion took over. The last thing Catherine saw as she drifted into slumber, and she was pretty sure she saw it, was a flash of lightning from behind the mountain.