Hanna stood leaning on the balcony, outside of her bedroom with her arms on the railing. She was gazing up towards the sky as it was turning a dark shade of purple. The tranquil sounds of the river, the gentle wind, and the wildlife were all very soothing to Hanna's ears. She could also faintly hear Amalia practicing on the grand piano in one of the many rooms of their house. No doubt that their father was with her, listening, critiquing, and showering her with praise. Hanna had to hear a very long discussion during dinner about what instrument her sister was going to perform with at the festival and what pieces of music she should play. Of course, Hanna didn't expect her father to talk to her. She was left to figure things out all on her own.
'I suppose I should be used to it by now,' she thought. 'This really is a surprising turn of events though. Looks like we'll be here a little longer after all! And it's all thanks to Camilo's grandmother.'
Hanna never expected that her father would allow Amalia to be involved in something as 'unsophisticated' such as a local festival, let alone have her perform as well. And yet, here they were. It had all been completely arranged. 'I kinda wish I could've been there to hear that conversation,' she thought to herself. But then again, if she had been there, she wouldn't have had that time alone with Camilo by the barn.
Hanna sighed. If she ever came across Abuela Alma, she would make sure to thank her personally. Her stay with Camilo has been extended. Not that it would matter in the end anyway. She was still convincing herself that she would be staying here in the Encanto for more than a few weeks, or months. She was hoping for years. A lifetime.
'Why would anyone ever want to leave this place?' Hanna wondered to herself.
At that moment, the piano music stopped. Hanna could hear her father's muffled voice for a few minutes before Amalia began to play a new piece. Hanna sighed again and looked up at the tree. For once, the anole wasn't there, and it made her feel a bit lonely. 'I'm truly on my own,' she thought. But then, her eyes widened and she half-smiled at this realization. 'I'm... on my own,' she thought again. She went back inside and crossed her bedroom to her door. After closing the door behind her, she descended the stairs. The piano music was getting louder with each step she took. When she got to the bottom, she looked around and saw no one watching her. She then turned to stare at the front door. Very slowly, she walked up to it and turned the doorknob to open it slightly. She then looked behind her once before opening it wider and stepping outside. She closed the door quietly; Amalia's immaculate music was muffled once more. Then, Hanna took a deep breath and started moving her feet forward. She was free.
Hanna crossed the stone bridge and walked along the riverside until she could see the soft, orange glow that was emanating from the town. People's voices were echoing in the distance. She made her way into the village until she was surrounded by all the houses. The people who were still out on the streets turned to smile and wave hello at her. Hanna shyly waved back at them. She wandered around with no destination in mind, still being greeted by the people passing by.
Then, something interesting caught her attention. She noticed a number of people walking in the same direction and each of them carried a single candle. Curiously, Hanna followed them without saying a word. When the line of people stopped, Hanna came to a halt as well and turned to look in front of her. They had come to a wall of a single building. Hanna could see in the candlelight a colorful mural of the Madrigal family, painted into the shape of a pyramid. At the very top were the letters that spelled 'Los Madrigal,' with Alma right below them. Below Alma were Pepa, Bruno, and Julieta and all the grandchildren below them. Camilo was the second to the far left. Hanna smiled at his painting. But then she saw the people that she had followed were going off to the left side of this mural and placing their candles down on the ground. In fact, Hanna saw many candles had been placed there. She moved a little closer to look up at the wall next to the Madrigal painting and saw yet another mural. It was a painting of a handsome, young man with gentle eyes and soft-looking hair. Beneath him was what looked like the same man standing in the middle of a wide river with his hands held up high as if he was trying to fend off something. There were butterflies painted all around these two images and on the right side of them was a message in large, elegant letters that read, 'To Love at all is to Love Entirely.' Hanna stared up at the man's face. He looked like he could be the kindest man she would ever meet, apart from Camilo of course. The rest of the group had already moved on to someplace else, leaving Hanna by herself again. As she continued to stare up at the man's eyes, she heard the footsteps of a single person behind her.
"That's Abuelo Pedro," said Camilo's voice.
Hanna turned around and saw him standing there, smiling softly at her.
"The one who...," Hanna began to say.
Camilo walked up to stand right next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "The whole Encanto would not even exist if it wasn't for him," he said, simply. "This mural was made shortly after our Casita was rebuilt. It's an important reminder of why all of us are here today."
Hanna looked up into Pedro's eyes once more before focusing her attention on the message. 'To love at all is to love entirely,' she thought. As she continued to read, her expression turned sad. Camilo noticed this and he tightened his hold on her shoulders. Hanna looked over at him and gave a sad smile.
Camilo smiled back at her. "Come on," he said.
Hanna looked at him, inquiringly before she allowed him to take her by the hand and guide her along the streets. When they arrived at the town square, Hanna could hear what sounded like dance music. A small crowd of people had gathered around, dancing to the beat of the Tambora, the soothing sound of the accordion, and the lovely guitar which were all being played by a small group of people nearby. Hanna looked over at Camilo and he gestured towards them with his head. Hanna grinned and walked with him towards the crowd of dancers. She and Camilo stopped to face each other, and Camilo bowed politely at her. Hanna giggled, walked up closer to him and they began to move to the music.
As they were dancing, Camilo said, "Dolores told me where to find you, by the way."
"Not surprising," Hanna said.
"I was surprised to know that you were out here," said Camilo. "What made you decide to...just come out on your own like this?"
"I don't know," said Hanna. "I was just...not doing anything. And Lia was practicing for the festival."
"Dolores said that too," said Camilo. He was just about to tell Hanna that Dolores also mentioned what her father had been saying about his daughter. He was furious at the time and just thinking about it made him livid which was not what he needed right now. Instead, he said, "It's still a long way off."
"Yeah," Hanna said as Camilo took her hand and twirled her around. "But she's already focusing hard. And...we do have a family reputation to uphold."
"Not here, you don't," Camilo said. "I hardly think anybody cares about that around here."
"Don't tell my father. I'm sure he would be devastated," Hanna said with a slight grin.
"Wouldn't that be a shame?" Camilo asked, sarcastically.
Hanna suppressed a laugh. As she spun into Camilo's arms, she put her arms around his neck while his hands went down to her waist.
"But what about you?" Camilo asked as he looked into her eyes. "You're not scared, are you?"
Hanna thought for a moment before she answered. "Maybe... a little," she said, quietly.
Camilo looked at her, longingly. "I only wish I could..." he said.
But Hanna shook her head. "I know," she assured him. "But...when you think about it, he gave me an opportunity to show others that I'm...just as capable."
"Others already know that you are more than capable," said Camilo, softly, putting a hand to her cheek. "But I also know this means a lot to you. And I promise that no matter what, you're gonna be fine. But enough of that. Let's just dance, okay?"
Hanna smiled at him and nodded in agreement. As the music changed the rhythm, they began to dance the Cumbia. Hanna twirled around with her arms open, and she swayed her hips from side to side, stepping one foot in front of the other. Camilo mirrored Hanna's movements and danced in circles around her. He then moved to her side, and they began to dance in tandem.
"Where did you learn to dance?" Camilo asked as they continued to match each other's steps.
"This is Colombia after all," Hanna said as she twirled back into Camilo's arms. "But truthfully? It started when I made the choice to give up on trying to...imitate my sister in everything. I would just be observing the dancers in the street when my family and I were out and about. I sometimes got berated for it because I looked like I had my head in the clouds, staring at nothing. But dancing looked so much fun that...anytime I was on my own...I would just start moving around."
"Were you...on your own a lot?" Camilo asked, cautiously.
"Kind of. Frequently enough, I guess," said Hanna.
When they looked into each other's eyes, Camilo said, "You don't have to worry about that anymore. I would dance with you, anytime. Anywhere."
Hanna smiled at him, elated. "Me too," she said quietly. And they kept on dancing without saying another word.
Camilo twirled Hanna around again until they were standing at arm's length. She spun back to him until she had her back right up against his chest, allowing no space between them, and they laced their hands together. Camilo sighed, letting the euphoric sensation overtake him. He wrapped his arms around Hanna's waist as they continued to sway to the music. She turned her head towards him and closed her eyes as their foreheads touched together.
"Hanna," Camilo whispered, and he kissed her on the cheek. Hanna opened her eyes so that they were staring at each other.
"Vamo," said Camilo and they started walking away from the crowd.
Eventually, they stopped at the back corner of a huge house to be completely alone. Hanna's breathing had become unsteady with excitement. As soon as the two of them became locked in each other's embrace, Camilo closed his eyes and slowly leaned in to kiss her. Hanna closed her eyes and placed her hands on his shoulders as she kissed him back. Camilo kept one hand on her waist and the other in her hair. Their bodies were pressed so close together that their hearts were beating against each other. When Camilo tore his lips away from Hanna's for a moment, both of them gasped for air. His lips then traveled to her cheek, all the way down to her neck. Hanna gasped, causing Camilo to loosen his hold on her, but he kept her in his arms all the same. He looked at her, apologetically.
"Sorry. I...didn't mean to...lose control like that," he said.
But Hanna shook her head. "No, it's okay. You just surprised me is all," she said, quietly.
"Do you want me to stop?" Camilo asked, in his deep, gentle voice.
"No," whispered Hanna.
She gathered her hair in one hand and pulled it back to expose the side of her neck and shoulder. Camilo hesitated at first, but Hanna nodded her head once, giving him permission. Very slowly, he leaned in and gently planted his lips on the side of her throat. Hanna closed her eyes, and leaned her head back, enjoying the sensation of his soft lips on her skin. Her hands were gripping the back of his ruana. Every now and then she would let out a little gasp of pleasure.
Finally, Camilo stopped and lifted his head up from Hanna's neck. He then brushed her hair back and got a look at the tiny, red patch of skin that was beginning to form where his lips had been. "Uh-oh," he said, worriedly. He gently touched it with two of his fingers.
Though Hanna couldn't see it, she said, "Don't worry about it." She then put her long hair over her shoulder to cover up the side of her neck. "There," she said. "No one has to know."
"I'm sorry. I don't have one of Tía's arepas on me," said Camilo.
"It's fine. I can hide it until it goes away," Hanna assured him. She then sighed and added, "But I think I should go back now. I don't want Lia to come looking for me."
"I understand. I'll walk you back," Camilo said softly. And they walked arm in arm to the summer home.
When they arrived at the stone bridge, Hanna turned to face him and said, "Goodnight, Camilo. And thank you."
"Goodnight," said Camilo, sweetly. "Tomorrow's a big day."
"Oh, yeah!" said Hanna, recalling their dinner plans. "My family is finally gonna see your Gifts!"
"Let's pray that we can put on a good show. Am I right?" said Camilo with a grin.
"I'm sure it'll be just magical," said Hanna, grinning back.
Camilo nodded. "Buenos noches, mariposa," he said. And he leaned in to give Hanna a tender kiss before heading back along the trail toward Casita.
Hanna sighed deeply and turned around to cross the bridge. As soon as she got to the middle, she saw Mrs. Engel walking toward it while bundling herself up in her shawl.
"Mother?" Hanna asked. She ran her fingers through the bundle of hair that she kept on the left side of her neck.
Mrs. Engel looked up. "Oh! There you are!" she said. "I couldn't find you anywhere in the house so I..."
Hanna looked at her in surprise. "I'm sorry, Mother," she said. "I just...wanted to go for a walk."
"Were you with Mirabel again?" Mrs. Engel asked, curiously.
Hanna paused. "No," she said. "I went out on my own."
Mrs. Engel looked at her daughter, confused, and asked, "Why? Are you... nervous about performing?"
"A little," Hanna said truthfully. "But it's okay. I won't back down! I'm gonna see this through to the end!"
Mrs. Engel didn't respond at first, but then she asked, "Well...do you have a place to practice?"
Hanna thought for a moment. "Actually, I do," she said.
"I suppose that's good..." said Mrs. Engel, hesitantly.
As they walked up to the house together, Mrs. Engel looked at Hanna, worriedly and said, "Hanna, listen. You don't have to do this. You...have nothing to prove."
Hanna didn't look at her and only repeated, "Actually, I do."
Mrs. Engel paused to see the same determined look in her daughter's eyes. "Amalia was right," she said. "You're changing. This place...must be affecting you somehow."
"It's affecting all of us," said Hanna. "There is magic here after all."
"Yes," said Mrs. Engel, thoughtfully.
Hanna looked up to see her mother's expression. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
Mrs. Engel snapped out of it and said, "Oh, no! It's nothing."
But Hanna continued to stare at her. "It's okay, Mom," she said, softly. "You can tell me. I'll listen."
Mrs. Engel turned to look at her in surprise. How long has it been since Hanna had called her 'Mom'? And she actually wanted her to say something? Everything was almost completely silent except for the sound of Amalia's piano coming from inside the house. After they gazed at one another Mrs. Engel finally spoke.
"I...don't know," she said. "This might sound crazy, but...I can't shake this feeling that...something is going to happen. Something so big...that it leaves me speechless."