"With me?"
Camilo's heart made a run for it. He couldn't calm his heart for the mere fact you are happy with him, not someone else, not anyone else, but him. He was staring at you and you noticed that shimering glints in his half lidded eyes. His eyes were filled with astonishment, and a bit of longing.
"You really mean that, hermosa..?" He was baffled, scratching his nape and making that goofy smile. You rolled your eyes and nudged him, "Yes, Carlos, I meant it."
Taking a quick return to his senses, he saw your dress and he was blushing and smiling like a dumb puppy, "You look wonderful, no, its an understatement," he cleared his voice before dramatically offered his hand.
"You're breathtaking, mi hermosa." You fought the swoon you held in as you reached for his hand and flicked his forehead instead. You rolled your eyes as he let out a groan, holding his forehead, "What? What I said is true, though!" He looked at you, playfully offended before pinching your cheek, "Come on, now, Mama told me to get you since we are going to uh-"
He held his chin and thought for a moment, trying to remember something as he clicked his fingers to make a snap, "Ah, we're going to Tia Constanza's kindergarten, since Mama wanted to check on her."
•°•°•°•°•
Arriving on the place your mami have been loving ever since you knew how to think, it was just a colorful and comfortable place to express yourself in the way other places could. A place for learning and having fun.
Upon seeing it, a swarm of children dashed to your waist, tackling you with Constanza showing up behind the door, "Oh, everyone seemed to come visit. I just arrived and was about to start the class."
Pepa pouted and crossed her arms, leaning towards Constanza with a little storm cloud above her, "You weren't with us earlier so I missed a lot of our bonding time, Connie." Your mami laughed and sighed with a smile, "Fine fine, Peppi, since my sweetest is here, dear, can you be today's teacher instead for the children?"
You gave her a thumbs up as you grinned, nodding, "Go on, Mami!" Pepa grinned a little mischievious and held her lips, "Camilo, hijo, why don't you stay here and help Omi handle the kids?" His son blushed a bit at his mother's attempt of making them closer as he nodded, smiling lovingly at his mama, hugging her waist.
"To avoid Abuela's chores for me? Why yes, mama, I will!" Camilo barely remembered he had his chores waiting for him, but for the sheer moment of freedom with the one he felt the most comfortable with, how could he pass such a moment as he pulled you in with the children cheering with the shapeshifting boy.
"Camilo, Camilo, shapeshift!" There is one thing Camilo loved the most whenever he uses his gift, to bring smiles to everyone he met.
And some attention, of course. He started to play around with the children, shifting to one kid to another as you laughed at this, clapping your hand before waving goodbye to your mami. She waved back before nudging the staring Bruno.
She raised her brow and laughed, "You know you are also welcomed in my school," Constanza whispered to him as he fidgetted his fingers, "They might get scared of me, Consta..."
She rolled her eyes and pinched his arm, "You won't know unless you tried. I know you get fidgety if you come along with us in the boutique alone when Camilo is here, so why-" She pointed at the door, "-don't you stay with them as well?"
Bruno glanced at the door and they saw the children peeking their heads at the door frame, with you and Camilo at each side of the door, grinned, "U-uh-" The children squealed and dashed to pull Bruno inside the dome of children, alongside you, who was also pulling him but gently rather than the hyper approach of the kids.
He looked at Constanza for help and Constanza just shooed him with a playful smile, "You know Frieda would throw you in there if she's here, Burito, like a burito. Have fun with my students, and kids, be gentle!"
"Yes, Professora!" The children chimed as they laughed and pulled on Bruno to tell them their future or what he thinks would be their vision.
In the room filled of colorful experiences and splashes of innocence, Bruno was seen standing in the middle with you and Camilo beside him. You clapped your hands and grinned, "Now that I'm here instead of Mami, with our guests, you know what it is~"
"Storytelling time!!" The children cheered, running in circles as they always loved your storytelling sessions. You lift one finger and made a circling gesture and they paid attention, smiling at this, "Go get your seats and I shall start."
Excited, the children dashed everywhere, helping each other get their seats and they all seated with big smiles. You nodded in acknowledgment before you turned to face the Madrigals, grinning in hidden mischief that Camilo noticed when you glanced at Bruno.
"Senor Bruno," you clapped your hands and tilted your body and head, grinning with stars in your eyes, "I heard you have amazing stories to tell, can you tell us?" You couldn't control the inner child excitement in you, mirroring the children's anticipation.
Bruno held his arm and rubbed it, looking around before seeing you all were smiling with hands clasping. He could even sweat at how he could see sparkles around the children, and your wonder filled eyes was the last straw as he lifted his sleeve and showed a rat.
Slouching in nervousness he could receive negative comments, Bruno raised his shoulders and cowered lower, showing off the rat before another crawled by his back after another. Camilo shrieked a bit, moving away because indeed rats crawled along his back.
"I-..I'm good in m..making novela," Bruno shyly and nervously smiled. You nodded, allowing him to continue on in his pace. Bruno appreciated the gesture as you kept the interest of the children going while he collected himself.
With the children gushing and waiting for Bruno to begin, he briefly started to do the storytelling of a damsel stuck in a never ending loop and the children had to help her up. You did enjoy the interactive play as Bruno was genuinely having fun for once.
You did notice a jealous look from Camilo as you smiled to yourself before pulling him in, joining Bruno, "As damsel as I could be," you dramatically held your forehead, leaning towards Camilo, "No one could ever save me, not even the hero!" Collective gasps came from the children before Camilo laughed, swirling you around.
He grinned before bowing down to you with eyes closed, "How much I'll be saved from the hero's grasps when I stole the castle's princess?" he opened one eye, in a half lidded way as he looked up to you with that smirk.
"A villain!! Senor Bruno, Senoooor, let's attack him!" One child took charge and tackled Camilo who laughed and twirled around with the children adding up to his shoulders to the point he shifted to Luisa.
Bruno was sweating and smiling sheepishly before a little girl tugged his rauna, smiling. He smiled back sweetly before carrying the girl and awkwardly pointed to Camilo, "Attack!" Camilo, who was Luisa at the moment, gasped and made a roar, gently taking the children off his shoulders before shifting into himself.
You laughed at how chaotic it turned out to be. Children were rushing to attack Camilo, being surrounded with hugs as for once Bruno wasn't portrayed as someone negative. One child hugged your leg and you tilted your head in wonder.
"I have the princess! Senor, Senor, we can save her!" You didn't mind the wrong pronoun as you laughed when the children prevented Camilo to run towards you as Bruno swept you off your feet because the children pushed him to save the damsel.
"We had saved the princess!" Bruno looked proud of himself as the children cheered for him. You laughed before gasping, holding your chest, "I have forgotten something valuable."
You reached out your hand dramatically in a woe like state, "The villain you thought, is a mere lost soul, trapped in a void of eternal loop," the children gaped as they looked at Camilo, who matched your energy as he reached out to you as well, "Alone, he had reached out. Only then, the hero realized..."
Bruno smiled and let you down, the children following you around, "The villain needed a hero too."
Collective childish gasps filled with giggles as they knew what to do, "Camilo needs a hug!!!" As they tackled Camilo with squeezed tight hugs, his dramatic reach of his hand turned into a desperate one.
"H-hermoooosaa!! Help me!" He called to you before you blepped your tongue to him. A wave of betrayal flashed through his face as he dramatically fell to his demise with the children's pestering of their triumph.
You laughed at this, clapping your hand as a gentle hand held your shoulder, "Thank you, Omilietta..." You tilted your head before shaking it, "You didn't have to thank me, Senor...You deserved a break from the chains that let you down."
You glanced and saw the smiles of the children with Camilo being the goofball he is, playing around with them. You couldn't help but to smile as you gazed so fondly, "This place...is the safest haven I stepped into, other than my home. And I hope its the same..." as you glanced up to Bruno, "As for everyone else."
He widened his eyes and slouched a bit to the side, tilting his head and fiddling his fingers, "Thank you...Your mothers raised you well...I'm glad," he reached out to gently pat your head.
You froze for a bit, feeling the warmth on your head as you blinked. You closed your eyes as he kept on patting it before removing it away. You held your head before grinning, "I'm glad too."
•°•°•°•°•
Alma held on her chest as she stared in bewilderment at the sight she witnessed when she walked passed the preschool. She wanted to visit Constanza and check on the preschool she never felt she could face, especially when Constanza distanced herself away.
The matriarch of the Madrigals really loved Constanza like she was of their own, as much as she wanted her to be a part of it, so it was a heartbreak for her when she didn't appear to her presence.
And to think she left because of you, Alma had her suspicions.
She had her eyes on you when you showed up to her Casita with Camilo, you radiated so much charisma and it made her question why she couldn't nor detect your presence. It was then she knew when your mami introduced you to her, that you might be the secret Constanza hid so well from her.
She noticed the closeness between you and Bruno, and for dear in her eyes, she even thought you look similar to her daughters. Alma took a deep breath before piercing her lips together. Just seeing you with her son, just filled her heart of what it lacked and her mind was filled with thoughts.
Thoughts of you, possibly being Bruno and Constanza's child.
She snapped back to her senses when she saw you walked out to the door, skipping and managing to slip once in a while.
You noticed of course, that someone was watching you so you turned your head around to catch Abuela Alma smiling at you. You smiled back out of respect and bowed, "Abuela Alma! If you're here looking for mami, she's with Senora Pepa and the others."
She shook her head and gently held your cheek with the back of her hand, "Oh dear, I'm actually looking for you." She laughed before looking at you. You noticed her smile and her gaze on you. You started to feel confused and a little uncomfortable as she pat your head.
"You look so much like your mother..." she started, before looking at Bruno by the window. She saw him smiling and lifting children and telling stories through his rats while Camilo was backing up to him.
"And you seem like my son, what a pair," she ended. You stared to her as you let the words sink in a bit. You were confused as her touch felt like a violating slither of massive dissociation, making it hard for you to talk back.
You tried to laugh it off, "Really..? People have been...saying I look similar to how Senora Julieta and... Senora Pepa look like when they're young." You shook your hands, "N-not that I think it's bad, but I don't really find myself similar to them..! My looks differ from them, so I'm quite confuse over it..."
Abuela Alma squinted her eyes with a smile as she held your hands together with hers, "I would love you to be a part of our family, Omilietta..." You shivered at the name.
You fought the urge to bite your lip, as you tensed up, "A..Are you saying..." As you followed her eyes, landing on Bruno. You widened your eyes as you quickly looked at her in confusion and disbelief, "N-no...That couldn't be, he's my godfather, that's all of it.."
Abuela Alma narrowed her brows and smiled sorrowfully, "It might be more than we know," she insisted, you shook your head before slowly backing away. It felt like your world was about to feel like a blazing chaos about to burst out of your heart.
You shook your head slowly before panting unevenly as you stared at her, "That can't be...mama- mami... they- she wouldn't lie to me. I..I don't trust you," you held your ground, but there was something in Abuela Alma that's for sure.
An authority you can't distinguish.
You admired and respected the capability she held as a person. It might seem their problem has been settled, but you knew it was merely the beginning so you figured Abuela Alma was still healing, but unchanged.
But still there was something so strong in her words that leads you to a helpless hope.
You knew better than trusting an assumption, as much as the power she holds, she couldn't take your thoughts purely wrapped in her idea. You almost lost your breath until the voice that always managed to bring you back was heard.
"Hey," Camilo calles out, "There you are, princesa, the children are lo- Abuela?" He raised his brow before going out of the door, a little alert, "I'll be doing my chores in a bit, what brings you here, Abuela?"
You stared at his eyes, full of concern as they looked at you with so much worry. He must've noticed the tense stance you stood and the uneven breaths you made.
But there was one thing that made your heart finally couldn't take the flame it caged.
From your heart beating slow to force the nonstop uneven race to halt, you gritted your teeth as you couldn't face Camilo longer.
"Omilietta?"
There was something inside your heart, your soul perhaps, that begged you to run, to refuse. It was burning too much it felt heavier. It weighed so much harder as you gripped on your hands.
Everything seemed to slow down, your mind was screaming for you to speak, to do something, to feel something, to be alive.
You don't know.
You don't know what is happening. You don't know why. You don't know.
But something was crying for a name you couldn't remember. It pained your mind as you couldn't bear the thought.
The thought of...of...being...Camilo's...
A drop of red splashed on your white dress as you felt a burn dripping on your nose. Your heart had its last straw of the panic for today, from the mirror to this very moment.
You stared at shocked as you held your nose and widened your eyes. You heard a gasp from Abuela Alma and a rather scared one from Camilo. You looked at it before locking eyes with him.
"Omilietta!" He screamed out of concern, trying to approach you when you flinched and backed away. You shook your head, "N..No don't..." You glanced at Abuela Alma before gritting your teeth.
Camilo was confused to why you looked scared as before he could grasp you, you slipped away from his arms, running away. He stood there before looking at his grandmother.
"What did you do?! What did you say, Abuela!" Camilo panicked, wanting to catch up to you but Abuela Alma held him back, "That she might be your Tio Bruno's daughter!"
Camilo went silent, staring at her with bewildered and disbelief eyes, "What...?" He trailed off, as Abuela Alma pierced her lips together, sighing when Bruno peaked out form the door, narrowing his brows together.
"Whose...daughter?"
°