Copycat [c.m]

eleven.

i pulled the painting open more and quickly climbed through the hole, camilo not far behind me. as i did, i almost stepped on a rat, making me yelp slightly as it squealed in fear before running away with the vision shard in its mouth.

camilo let out a quiet gasp as we watched the shard get brought up into the air, a crash of thunder and lightning showing a man in a green hooded rauna. "bruno!" camilo exclaimed, pushing himself by me and running after the man.

both camilo and bruno disappeared around the corner, shocking me at how fast they ran off. i quickly regained myself and began running. following the commotion.

i caught up to the two of them almost instantly, watching camilo follow bruno up to a set of stairs. i huffed, knowing i wouldn't be able to jump up that and started running under the stairs, kicking the last few as i slid. i got back up on my feet and continued after the two.

after a minute more of running, camilo followed bruno over a chasm in the floor. i yelped as i almost fell in. i looked up and saw the two guys turn a corner. i let out a huff as adrenaline coursed through me.

ice bridge didn't work last time.. i have to jump it..

i took a deep breath as i backed up, psyching myself up to jump across the way bruno and camilo did. once i decided i could do it, i starting running, jumping onto planks of broken wood, landing right on the edge of the other side.

i let out a breath and stood up straight, only for the wood under me to break. i let out a scream as i fell, managing to grab onto some bamboo.

"camilo-!" i cried, not wanting to fall. "help!" i looked around as the bamboo snapped slightly, making me whimper. "casita?" i asked, not getting a response. i looked back up, not hearing anyone coming to help me. "hey!" i yelled, the bamboo snapping once more. i reached my hand up, trying to grip the edge, "help me..!" i cried, tears forming in my eyes. one last snap, and i was falling. "no-!" i yelped as i closed my eyes tightly.

though i didn't fall. someone had caught me.

i looked up and saw camilo reaching over the edge, gripping my wrist as fear was evident in his eyes. "tío.. help," camilo grunted as he began pulling me up. another hand reached down as i reached my right and up. bruno and camilo dragged me up onto the ledge, me ending up in camilo's lap.

i let out a breath, feeling camilo clutching onto me. i looked up and saw an anxious looking man looking down at us, fiddling with his fingers.

"you okay, mi vida?" camilo asked breathlessly. i nodded, gulping to calm my breathing. camilo helped me up and brought me away from the chasm, looking at his uncle after.

the three of us stared at each other for a moment, nobody moving. "bye." bruno stated. turning around and walking away.

"wha- hey! come back!" i exclaimed, grabbing camilo's hand and dragging him along as we followed bruno through the walls.

we followed the man for a few minutes before coming into an opening, seeing clay on the walls where cracks had been.

"have you been patching the cracks?" camilo asked. bruno turned around and looked at us for half a second before looking at the wall. "oh, that? no, no, no. i'm too scared to go near those things," he dismissed, looking back at us. "all the patching's done by hernando." bruno told us. "who is hernando-? camilo asked as i looked over at him, bruno cutting in. "i'm hernando and i'm scared of nothing."

i looked back at bruno seeing he brought his hood up and now had a higher posture.

it was quiet for a moment before bruno took his hood down. "it's actually me," he chuckled. "i used to say my real gift was 'acting.'" he quoted. i slowly looked at camilo and raised an eyebrow. camilo just widened his eyes as he shook his head and shrugged.

"i'm jorge," bruno started, making his voice different. i looked over quickly and saw him with a bucket on his head. "i make the spackle." bruno held up a trowel.

"how long have you been back here." i deadpanned, too shocked to make my words nicer.

bruno led us to the room he stayed in and explained some things that didn't really matter. camilo had a small conversation with him, but i was too concerned and weirded out as i looked around the room.

"-and y'know, like i said, free food and everything.." bruno then turned to his rats and held an arepa out to them. i raised a brow and shuffled over to a small table near a wall with a crack in it.

i looked down at the table and saw a painted plate on the wood with bruno's name on the bottom. i looked back up through the crack and saw the dining room.

my heart ached slightly. i knew exactly what bruno must've be feeling the past 10 years.

in my old village, i was shunned away from participating in group activities because of my powers. even simple things like going out for groceries or sitting at the table with my mom and dad. i'd always end up on the stairs eating my food, listening to them talk about their day. sometimes they'd talk about me, disregarding how i'd probably hear them from my room anyway.

"my gifting wasn't helping my family," bruno started, making me look over at him. he held a timid posture as he fiddled with his fingers, camilo looking between us confused. "but uh," bruno looked to the ground.

"you love your family," i finished, walking towards the man. "yeah. uh- what're you-?" bruno cut himself off as i wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tight. camilo had his hand on my shoulder, moving it to the top part of my back as he rubbed it soothingly. bruno tensed up slightly from my hug, his hands held up near my waist. but after a few moments, bruno relaxed and gently wrapped his arms around me, hugging me back.

after about 2 minutes i pulled away from the hug and held bruno by the shoulders. "i know exactly what you mean. i know how you feel too. it'll be okay," i comforted the man.

a small, weak smile played on bruno's face before he realized something, awkwardly backing away from me as he spoke.

"i thing you should go because, um.. well i-i don't have a good reason.. but if i did, you'd be like, 'i should go because that's a good reason.'" bruno said as he sat back down in his chair.

"why were we in your vision?" camilo asked, crouching next to bruno's chair. "tío bruno..?" camilo trailed off as i crouched down next to him. "i just wanted the family to accept me. just for a moment.." i mumbled. "but if i'm hurting your family? if i'm hurting your magic? just tell me, and i'll stop. i won't ever dig deeper than i need to. please, bruno," i continued, my voice breaking near the end. camilo grabbed my hand and squeezed it reassuringly, making bruno glance down at our hands before looking in front of himself.

"i can't tell you," bruno stated. i let out a sigh and let my head drop. "because i don't know," bruno mumbled, taking the vision shards out from under his rauna.

he explained the night mirabel didn't get her gift, telling us able how abuela begged him to look into the future.

"-and when i saw you, y/n.. camilo crying in front of you as you looked... frozen.. i knew how i would look, i knew what everyone would think of me... so i left.." bruno sighed. my eyes had welled with tears as i looked up at the man.

i am frozen in the vision..

"you left... to protect.. me?" i asked. bruno glanced over at me and nodded.

"bruno! i'm back with-" i turned around and saw mirabel standing in the doorway.

camilo's eyes widened as he started at his cousin.

"this just got a whole lot more complicated.." i mumbled, staring at the girl i had seen so many times and also none at all.

1421 words!