When Cal did not return, Agustín and Mrs. Engel went to look for him. They walked out of the Casita in the direction he had left, only to discover he was nowhere to be found. The rest of the group followed outside. Agustín then turned to Dolores.
"Can you hear him?" he asked. "Where is he?"
Dolores lifted an ear and said, "He's back inside their house. In his study room."
"Is...he alright?" Mrs. Engel asked her, hesitantly.
Dolores shook her head. "He doesn't sound so good," she said, sadly.
Mrs. Engel looked at Agustín. "Sorry to cut this so short. But we need to go," she said.
"I can come with you!" Agustín said, feeling guilty.
"No," said Mrs. Engel, holding up a hand. "That's okay."
Agustín looked concerningly at her.
"I'll handle this," Mrs. Engel assured him. "Thank you for tonight. It... was truly a lovely time. Girls, let's go."
Amalia and Hanna followed her with no hesitation. Hanna looked over her shoulder at Camilo who stood there, watching hopelessly from Mirabel's side. Hanna gave him a sorrowful look before turning around to catch up with her mother and sister.
The sky was already beginning to turn dark as Mrs. Engel strode down the trail with her daughters at her heels. They didn't speak a word to one another the whole way as they made it to the front steps of their house. Mrs. Engel opened the door and slowly walked inside with Amalia and Hanna still right behind her. She then turned around to look at them and said, "I'm gonna go check on your father. In the meantime, just...don't come near the study. You understand?"
"Mom?" Hanna asked.
"I mean it, Hanna," Mrs. Engel said in a serious tone. "Just let me handle it."
Amalia put a hand on Hanna's shoulder. Hanna looked up to see her give a look that told her to just do what their mother said.
"Okay," said Hanna, quietly.
Mrs. Engel turned to walk down the hall and into the study. Hanna heard a door closing.
When the two of them were left alone in the living room, Hanna looked at her sister again and asked, "Did you know?"
Amalia shook her head. "No," she said. "He didn't tell Mother. Why on earth would he tell me?"
"Because you're...," Hanna began to say. But she sighed and ended with, "Never mind."
"Let's not discuss it further," said Amalia.
"What should we talk about?" Hanna asked.
"Well,...there is that 'Gifted family!'" said Amalia, quietly. "You see? I was right! I knew there was something they were keeping secret!"
"Yeah! You were right!" said Hanna, hoping her surprised voice sounded convincing enough. "What did you think of their powers?" she asked. "Pretty amazing, huh?"
"It was...incredible," said Amalia in agreement. "I mean, I knew Luisa was strong, but I didn't know she was that strong! And...the uncle? He can see the future! And then there was weather control! Talking to animals! It was unbelievable!"
Hanna hesitated. "What did you think of Isabela's Gift?" she asked, curiously.
Amalia paused. "It suits her...I guess," she said, thoughtfully.
"Yeah," said Hanna. She then tried the question she had been itching to ask most. "And...what did you think of Camilo?" she asked.
Another pause.
"Who?" Amalia asked.
"You know...the boy who can shape-shift," Hanna answered.
Amalia grimaced. "Ugh! Oh, yeah...that was...that was way too weird!" she said.
Hanna frowned. "What?" she asked, quietly.
Amalia looked at her sister. "Well, the way that boy can just... morph his body to look exactly like other people is...kinda creepy!" she said while cringing.
Hanna stared at her. She felt like Amalia had just slapped her across the face.
"Don't you think?" Amalia asked, casually.
Now, Hanna felt immediate anger rising within her. Her shoulders stiffened up and, in the calmest way possible, she said, "No. No, I don't."
Amalia looked at her in surprise. "You don't?" she asked.
"No!" Hanna said, more aggressively. She could feel herself shaking a little with anger. "He is NOT creepy at all!"
"Hey! Why are you getting so mad?" Amalia asked, noticing Hanna's face as it slowly twisted into an expression of fury.
But Hanna didn't answer. She only continued to glare at her sister.
Then Amalia's eyes widened, and she gasped loudly. "No!" she said in a whisper. "It wasn't Mirabel that you've been getting close to!"
Hanna remained silent.
"But then, that means...you already knew about their powers! Didn't you?" Amalia asked in a shocked voice.
Hanna straightened up. With her head held high, she said, "Yes. I knew."
"Since when?" Amalia asked through her teeth.
"Since the Welcome party," Hanna answered.
"And you didn't tell me?" Amalia asked, incredulously.
"No! Because I promised Camilo not to!" said Hanna.
Amalia gaped at her. "So, it was him the whole time!" she exclaimed. "It was him that you went with to the church! Wasn't it? He was only pretending to be Mirabel! And that day you said you weren't feeling good. The day you...got mad at Father; it was him I saw on the bridge! He was...Was he coming from our house?"
"Yes," Hanna said, still glaring at Amalia. "He came to see me."
Amalia continued to look back at Hanna in shock. "He was in our house!? And...and the party!" she said. "I thought he was giving you a funny look when we came over! When I couldn't find you...where were you?"
Hanna folded her arms. "In his room," she said, bluntly.
Amalia's jaw dropped even further. "You were in his room!?" she asked, loudly.
"It was a magical room! You should've seen it! All of their rooms are magical!" Hanna said, throwing her hands up in the air once and letting them fall to her sides. "Oh, and it was him who invited me to go star gazing two nights ago! Only we weren't star gazing, it was a date! And I did go! I snuck out!"
"Oh my...GOD!" Amalia exclaimed. She looked away from her sister for a moment, but Hanna continued to watch her, angrily.
When Amalia looked at her sister again, she quietly asked, "And you're...in love with him, aren't you?"
Hanna paused before she answered, "Yes."
"Oh no," Amalia said while shaking her head. "This isn't happening. This is...not happening! Hanna, this isn't right!"
"What isn't right?" Hanna asked, irritably. "Me being happy, for once? Or is it suddenly wrong for me to have something that you don't?"
"No!" Amalia replied. "I didn't say any of that! But...he's a shapeshifter!"
"So?" Hanna asked. Her irritation grew.
"So, shapeshifters love to cause mischief!" said Amalia, throwing her own hands up into the air. "They're troublemakers! It's what they have been known for in legends for hundreds of years! They...they can't be trusted!"
Hanna bared her teeth at her sister and clenched both hands into tight fists. "Just because he can shape-shift does NOT make him a monster! You don't know him!" she said, furiously.
"I know that he likes playing practical jokes on people! Isabela told me at the party that her cousin was always up for a laugh!" said Amalia, putting a hand on her hip. "Hanna...I'm sorry to tell you this...but he's just playing with you!"
"No! You're wrong!" Hanna shouted, shaking her head. "And you would see how wrong you are if you would just get to know him! But NO! You just keep everyone at a distance! Why!?"
Hanna mimicked her sister and put a hand on her own hip. She then added spitefully, "You have nothing to hide! Right? You're the PERFECT one!"
"We are NOT talking about that!" Amalia said, angrily pointing at Hanna.
"Why not!? It's obvious that Father loves you and not me!" Hanna exclaimed. "And you just LOVE the attention! Don't you? And now you can't stand the fact that someone likes ME more than YOU!"
"THAT'S NOT IT AT ALL!" Amalia yelled. "YOU KNOW NOTHING!"
"WELL, NOW I KNOW HOW STUPID I WAS TO WASTE MY ENTIRE LIFE LOOKING UP TO YOU!" Hanna shouted back. "CAMILO WAS RIGHT! YOU AREN'T SO PERFECT AFTER ALL!"
The two sisters glared furiously at each other from across the room. At that moment, Mrs. Engel came back from the study, looking frantic.
"Girls! Keep your voices down! Both of you!" she said, warningly.
But it was too late. Cal came thundering in from the hallway. Mrs. Engel immediately moved out of the way to see her husband enter the living room, also looking furious. The strong smell of alcohol reached Hanna's nose.
"WHAT'S WITH ALL THE YELLING!?" Cal bellowed. "STOP ALL THE YELLING!"
Everything became completely quiet. Hanna and Amalia looked up at their father in complete horror. Mrs. Engel braced herself for whatever would come next.
Cal then turned to glare at Hanna. "You..." he said in a low voice. "Why must you...always...torment me...?"
"Father," Hanna whispered, shaking her head in horrified bewilderment. "No...I don't...I don't know what..."
But then suddenly, Cal put a hand to his temple and groaned. "DAMN IT!" he shouted. "MY HEAD!"
"Cal!" Mrs. Engel exclaimed, rushing over to her husband. "You need to lie down. Now."
She ushered Cal from the living room and back into the hallway, away from the girls.
Hanna stood frozen for a few seconds before turning around to run out the front door. But before she could reach it, Amalia caught up to her and grabbed her hand.
"Hanna! Wait!" Amalia exclaimed.
Hanna tried tugging her hand away. "Let go of me!" she shouted.
"Where are you going?" Amalia demanded.
"Away from here!" Hanna answered.
"Hanna! Don't do this!" Amalia said in a desperate voice. "And please, keep your voice down!"
"AARGH!" Hanna interjected as she thrashed her arm around, trying to break free from Amalia's grip. "Just STOP! Stop being so controlling!"
"I wouldn't have to be if you weren't being so difficult lately!" Amalia said.
Hanna stopped thrashing to look furiously at her sister. "What? You're saying...that it's my fault? You're blaming me... when I did nothing?" she asked.
Amalia didn't answer.
"You're...just like him," Hanna said, slowly. "You're becoming just like Father!"
"What?" Amalia asked, looking shocked. "No! No, I'm not!"
"Yes, you are!" Hanna said, angrily.
"No!" Amalia said, shaking her head slowly. "I...didn't...I didn't mean..."
"How could you?" Hanna whispered.
Amalia stammered. "It's...this...this is all his fault!" she said.
"Whose?" Hanna asked.
"The shapeshifter!" Amalia answered. "This is all his fault! Don't you see? He's been slowly driving a wedge between us! We can't let him get away with it!"
"Camilo," whispered Hanna. Her shoulders trembled in anger.
"What?" Amalia asked.
"His name is Camilo!" Hanna said, furiously. "And don't you dare make this his fault either! He would never do anything to hurt me! Or YOU for that matter!"
She violently yanked her hand away from her sister and said, "Just go away. I don't need you."
She turned around and walked out the door, slamming it shut. As soon as she was outside, she began to run. She didn't care to see which direction she was going. She just needed to get out. She ran and ran until she was all out of breath and finally stopped. When Hanna looked around, she found herself in the middle of the grassy field with the stone fire pits. Tonight, it was completely deserted. After a moment, Hanna found her voice and spoke softly.
"Dolores," she said, sadly. "Dolores, I know you can hear me. Please...tell Camilo where I am. Tell him where to find me. I...I need him. I need Camilo... Please."
She waited, trembling all over from shock. The silence seemed to ring in her ears. She stared up at the moon, shivering slightly as the wind blew through her hair. Every passing second felt much slower than the last. All the while, the previous shouting echoed within Hanna's mind. She knew that her father didn't like her. But this was something she had never expected. He said she tormented him somehow. But what could she have done? Under normal circumstances, he would barely look at her. But tonight, he was looking her right in the eye, and it frightened her. He looked mad. And yet...she could swear there was also a hint of anguish in his eyes. Why? And now, Hanna felt betrayed by the one person she was attached to all her life. She felt so alone in this moment. What were the chances that her plea had become lost? Drowned out by all the other voices Dolores could hear. Still, Hanna kept on waiting. And then, she heard running footsteps coming closer from behind her. The footfalls stopped, only to be replaced by the sound of heavy panting. Hanna turned around to see Camilo standing there, completely out of breath and looking very troubled. All the shock Hanna felt inside slowly turned into relief. Now, a flood of strong emotion was coursing through her. This time, she didn't hold back or suppress them, and her vision became blurry from her tears.
Camilo straightened up after catching his breath. When he got a good look at Hanna, he felt his heart shatter into a thousand pieces. "Hanna," he whispered, sadly. He stepped closer to her with his arms wide open. Hanna didn't waste another second. She ran up to throw her arms around him, buried her face in his chest, and began to cry.
Tears came streaming down Hanna's face, staining Camilo's ruana. But he didn't question her. It wasn't important to him now. He had one hand on her back, and the other gently stroking her head. "I'm here. I'm here. I've got you," he said in a soothing voice. Hanna's whole body racked with sobs and Camilo tightened his hold on her, trying to keep her steady. His eyes clenched shut as he shielded her with his arms. The lump that was rising in his throat became painful and he could feel a burn in his eyes. He stood there, holding Hanna for a while until he could feel the flow of her tears finally stopping.
Hanna lifted her head and wiped her swollen eyes with the back of her hand, sniffling. "Look at me," she said, sadly. "I'm a mess."
"It's okay," Camilo whispered. "You're still very beautiful." He smiled as he looked into her eyes which were now sparkling from her tears. He very gently stroked her face with the back of his hand.
Hanna smiled at him. "I love you, Camilo," she whispered.
Camilo's eyes widened and he hugged her tightly. "I love you too, Hanna," he said, softly. "Te amo. I love you."
They held each other for a moment before Camilo pulled back a little to look at Hanna's face. She then leaned in to kiss him. Camilo was surprised at first. But then he closed his eyes and kissed her back. Hanna placed her hands on the back of Camilo's neck, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. There was a feeling of urgency stirring within him as his lips moved against hers. Something that was craving for more. He licked Hanna's top lip with just the tip of his tongue and Hanna opened her mouth in response, allowing him to deepen the kiss. Camilo's hands traveled up and down her back. He tore his lips away from Hanna's to gasp for air, only to kiss her deeply once more.
Meanwhile, Amalia had gone out into the night to search for Hanna, determined to bring her back to the house and straighten things out with her once and for all. She walked as quickly as she could while holding a small candle. She came to the bridge, crossed over it, and walked alongside the river. When she entered the village, she began asking a few people if they had seen her sister, but none of them had. Until she asked Cecelia who told her that even though she didn't see Hanna, she did see Camilo running toward one of the open fields. Amalia looked in the direction the little girl had pointed in and headed that way immediately. She was certain that if there was any reason that boy had to be out here, it was to be wherever Hanna was. While carefully shielding the flame of her candle, Amalia finally made it to her destination. But what she found there made her stop dead in her tracks. She stood frozen with a hand over her mouth in shock at the sight of Hanna from a distance.
There she was, locked in the boy's arms, kissing him. And he was kissing her. Before that, Amalia had also heard their whispers of love to each other.
Amalia's face drained of color. She slowly took a few steps backward from the scene and turned around to walk away. She stared at the ground, still in shock, trying to process what she had seen. As she came to a halt, the tiny flame of her candle had gone out completely. She sank to the ground, onto her knees with her head bowed low.
"No...Don't leave me...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...," she whispered.
Amalia remained on the ground, all alone in the dark. She had dropped her candle and had her face in her hands. Her shoulders were trembling. Eventually, she lifted her head up for a fraction to see a group of tiny flowers blooming in front of her, despite that it was nighttime. She watched as the flowers multiplied into a trail, leading away from her to someone with long hair. Amalia lifted her head higher to see Isabela approaching her. She was carrying a glowing candle of her own. Luisa was not far behind her. Isabela stopped right in front of Amalia, smiled at her, and held out a hand.
"Come talk to us," she said, softly.
Amalia gazed upward at Isabela. Very slowly, she reached out and took her hand. When she stood up, she looked over at Luisa and then back to Isabela, nodding wordlessly. Tears were clinging to her eyes.
Back at Casita, a dark cloud was beginning to grow over the rooftop, creating thunder and lightning. Julieta and Agustín looked up towards the loud crashing sounds. Mirabel and Antonio could hear it all from within his jungle room. The animals were scattered in fear. Dolores was covering her ears from all the noise. But even through all the thunder, she could hear Pepa and Bruno's bickering voices from the other side of Bruno's door. Félix was also there, inside the tower and Dolores could hear him trying to calm Pepa down. Alma looked up at the storm cloud from her bedroom window.
"Ay, Pedro! What is going on?" she asked while looking up into the night sky.