It surprised you how far the house felt to be. Ah, it's not called house, you corrected yourself, the villagers call it Casita. It's a pretty name to say the least.
"we're here Chiquita! Don't forget your manners!" He's still beaming at you while your mother joins it. Sometimes it feels like you're with two suns rather than your parents.
"can you say your name Tesoro?"
"Y/n"
"good job! Now keep your head up high, Tesoro," your mother smiled and you could see the years in her wrinkles. She gently ushered you to go first, which made you panic.
"mama! No!" you shook your head while your dad nodded.
"lay off her for now MI Vida, I'll knock,"
And he did, the doors opening magically to show bustling people, who you guessed to be the madrigals. A tall, muscular girl was in front of the door. She looked surprised, which you guess was at your early arrival.
"ay, hello-?"
"Ana, Amado, and this is Santiago," your dad waves as the girl nodded.
"you must be our guests! The Santos right? Welcome! I'm Luisa, and the rest of the family will be down soon." 'Louisa' smiled, and so did your parents. You really just hid behind your dad. It was a good thing he was tall.
When you peeked from behind him, everyone seemed to clamor from behind an old lady, while the the parents tried to give some sort of order.
"Ma, Camilos doing it again!"
"Am not!"
That voice is familiar.. You thought. They squabbled a little more before the old lady turned and they immediately quieted down. Her authority is scary.
Once they've all reached you, your parents introduced themselves before your dad bumped you.
"Chiquita, introduce yourself too."
That made you tense up before he grabbed you and gentle moved until you were seen.
"HERMOSA??" The shock is evident in his voice as you looked up to see.. The boy from earlier? Everyone's eyes dart to him, the grandmother seeming to stare him down more than most.
Oh I am not ready to face him, you worried backing into your father. He raised his eyebrows at you.
"I, I am y/n" you say quickly before retreating into your hiding spot. The people state their name one by one, and you focus on that rather than the searing embarrassment you felt. 'Louisa', 'isabella', 'mirabel', and so on.
It wasn't long before you all were ushered into the dinning room, it felt like a fever dream. All of it. The words seemed to spin. The events muddled in your head. It felt as if you had been here for more than a year. Which left a strange feeling in your stomach.
The chatter was controlled and quiet, your father patting your shoulder to try and get you out of your trance. It helped. You looked up only to see the same boy watching you closely. He chewed slowly as he stared at you. Does he want you to do something?
"Camilo!" the lady who you remember to be 'pepa' called him, startling the poor boy. In his slight surprise he shifted into.. You? Before back to himself and yet again back to you, before he coughed and turned back into himself. Woah. Amazement seeped into your face as you realized, thats who your father was talking about earlier!
"Pass me the arepas please, and stop staring at our guest, you are scaring her." Camilo nodded and handed the a plate with a a stack of arepas, glancing at you every now and then.
"I hear your family comes from afar Ana?" Your mother nods telling her the city you lived in. The teens seemed interested as they listened intently to your mother describing life in a big community.
You yourself hung on to her words. you weren't quite sure why, but your mother always kept you in the house. except for school, which embarrassingly enough she'd host in your house. can you imagine? And the friends you made were usually with approval from your parents. you didn't mind though, it was alright hanging out with your mother instead.
"I presume there is a reason you came here? Whatever it is, we are here to offer our aid." The older woman, who introduced herself as Alma, smiled while your dad started.
"it's my daughter, y/n." the eyes shift to you as you sink into your seat. Camilo all this time had kept his eyes to you, and instead asked you a silent question with a small smile . You look away instead. Hes charming.
"She has difficulty talking, and we were wondering if any of your family gifts could.. Help?" your father explained while the adults nod to themselves. A woman called 'Julieta' proposed it be better if the kids got time to socialize among themselves. 'Alma' or Abuela agreed with this, and that how you ended in a flowery room with six other kids.