pre-chapter note: hey everyone! I was meant to post on Saturday but when I logged in, half of my chapter had been deleted (maybe I forgot to save?)
also my eye is twitching for no reason, I think I'm having my Luisa moment 💅
anyway, this chapter will contain (Y/n)'s song, hence the note before the chapter itself.
I've used Aquilo's song Silent Movies for it, and I'll put the link to it below so you can check it out! But if you don't like it, you can always use some other song that you prefer :)
I hope you enjoy reading!
Silent Movies - Aquilo:
https://youtu.be/3eaKSRJfTT8
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"So your gift has been taking over without you even realizing?"
"That's pretty much it, yeah." You breathe out at Leta's question. It had taken you a few minutes to calm down and explain everything, from the episodes you had a few years ago to today's. "And I could have imagined so many things without even noticing it wasn't true-"
"Well, let me tell you something." Luca squeezes your shoulder reassuringly. "You smacking Angela with that tray wasn't an illusion."
You snort bitterly, placing a hand over his to show appreciation. "That's comforting."
"Now come one, now." Leta shakes her head and stands up, opening her arms. "That wasn't even close to comforting. You need a hug!"
"I-" You start to protest, but Luca grabs both your shoulders and pulls you up.
"She does need a hug. Do your thing, Leta."
"Tu-tu! You get to help too." Leta pulls both of you towards her, and soon you find yourself wrapped in a warm embrace, gently squeezed in between your two friends, and you can't imagine you had been about to refuse this. Your tense body relaxes with the touch of Leta's arms around your shoulders and the feeling of Luca's chest against your back.
You felt sheltered, safe. It was a place you could let go of everything, without any fear of judgemental glances being thrown your way. Without hearing any murmured rumors following your every step. You smile, and you taste the tears that keep rolling down your cheeks. It's salty and refreshing.
"Man, what a day. After climbing all those stairs in Bruno's tower and this rollercoaster of emotions, I'm completely exhausted."
You pull away from Leta, raising a curious brow.
"You didn't take the lift?"
Before she could even answer your question, you see Dolores quickly walk towards the dining room, where almost all the family was welcoming Mariano and his grandmother. You could hear them chit-chatting and, sometimes, a polite laugh.
You finally part from the hug, only to be bumped into by Agustin, who barely even looks at you when he apologizes, and runs after Dolores. He would probably find himself in a room full of people, embarrassed by his odd and precipitated entrance and unable to talk to Dolores.
"What was that?" Luca asks, intrigued by the scene.
"Oh, Dolores probably heard something she shouldn't have, and now Dad's tryna stop her before she spills it out in front of everyone." You explain, sniffing to try and stop the tears. You had to go into the dining room too, and act like everything was fine, at least for tonight. You couldn't ruin Isabela's perfect proposal.
"Oh, hey, guys, you still here?" Mirabel's pressed voice sounds behind you, and you stay still as your friends turn around. You didn't want her to see you cry.
"Yeaaaah, we should probably go, right?" Leta laughs nervously. She had caught up and was thinking of a way to get you out of here.
"And leave (Y/n) like this? No way!" Luca exclaims, revolted. He had not caught up and was not thinking at all.
"What?" Mirabel frowns, and soon two hands grab your shoulder and spin you around. You shamefully look down as your sister gasps and cups your face, forcing you to look at her in the eyes. "(Y/n)!"
"Yeaaaaah..." You drag your words, trying to put on a smile. "I'm not in the best of the best mood, but it'll be okay."
Mirabel glances at your two friends, both standing there awkwardly and not knowing what to do.
"Can I talk with my sister?" She asks as nicely as possible. "Alone?"
"Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. We should go." Leta nudges Luca, who was looking absolutely crushed by the idea of leaving you alone like that.
"We'll talk about it tomorrow, okay?" He reaches for you, but Leta drags him backward as Mirabel seems to grow impatient. She did not have much time before dinner started either.
"Of course we'll do. We love you, (Y/n)!" She gives you a kind, still worried smile, and gives Mirabel a small nod, before her and Luca are chased outside by Casita.
You turn back to Mirabel, who was already watching you anxiously.
"Hello." You whisper, afraid your voice would break if you spoke any louder.
"Hi." She answers softly, taking both your hands and squeezing them. You stand silently for a few seconds. You knew what you needed to do, yet it was still so hard for you to rely on her. She was your little sister, you were meant to protect her, not the other way around.
Then, she pronounces the good words.
"Come on, (Y/n). You can tell me everything."
You breathe out, relaxing your body so that your words come out easier. "I don't know what's real anymore, Mirabel. My gift's acting up and making me see things that aren't there. I spent the afternoon talking to an illusion. Geez, how do I know you're really here?"
Your sister blinks, thinking for a second, then tightens her grip on your hand, crushing your fingers. You let out a yelp in pain.
"Is this enough proof?"
If you had touched the fake Luca a few times this afternoon, it was always light. This pain wasn't an illusion, you could be sure of it.
"Yeah."
"Good." Mirabel smiles slightly. "Next time you find something weird, you can come to me, (Y/n). I'll help you figure out what's true or not. And, actually, your gift may be acting up because of the cracks! Luisa's getting weaker as well. So don't worry. I'll save our miracle and everything will be fine again."
"Thank you, Mirabel." You return her smile, but it's a painful one. "But my gift has been acting up like that even before the cracks. I-"
"Oh, you mean when you just got your gifts and that you kept making things appear? That's why Bruno helped you control your gift, right?"
"Well, yes, there was this time, but- Wait, you remember that?"
She shrugs. "Vaguely. I remember you made Abuela angry by creating some weird creatures, and then you were less... present. A bit like Bruno, and I would always see you two together. I didn't think he would be that bad, to be honest!"
You snort. "Because he isn't. Tio was one of the nicest men I know."
"You don't know a lot of men though."
"Not the point."
Mirabel sighs and tilts her head to the side, deep in thoughts. "But if he wasn't that bad, then why did he leave like that? He didn't even say goodbye..."
You gulp down your saliva as you remember the last time you saw Bruno. Abuela had made you promise not to tell anyone, but...
"He had a fight with Abuela. She knew he was leaving. B-but, what you need to know, Mirabel, is that Bruno wasn't bad. Not at all."
"That doesn't explain why he left."
"I don't know. Maybe it was that fight. Or maybe he had enough of people badmouthing him. It's not easy, you know."
You flinch as you feel the now familiar sensation of tickling at your fingertips. Looking around, you search for anything unusual, but instead, you hear it.
"What if I'm as bad as they say?"
Mirabel and you both exchange intrigued glances and run to the living room, where the voice was coming from. On the sofa, three translucent figures were sitting, one of them immediately catching your eyes.
"I think I really do bring bad luck. I mean-"
"Shut up, Brunito." Julieta wraps an arm around Bruno's shoulder reassuringly. On the other side from him, Pepa takes his hand.
You had buried this memory deep in your mind, but you remembered now. You had eavesdropped on this conversation years ago, in your invisible state. Why was your gift recreating it?
"It's not your fault, hermanito." Pepa peeps up. "We love you still."
"Of course we do." Julieta giggles and leans her head over Bruno's shoulder, and the triplets smile, appreciating the calming atmosphere. Then, a distant voice calls them, and Pepa and Julieta exit the room while Bruno stays behind, telling them he'll be there soon.
You and Mirabel watch as the translucent Bruno sighs ans leans back into the sofa.
"I am no good to this family." He murmurs after a little while, eyes staring into the void thoughtfully.
Mirabel takes your hand to both get and give comfort, but you barely feel it. Back then, you had just stayed still, afraid to get caught listening to a conversation you had accidentally stumbled upon. You should have said something, but what? You were seven, and had no idea what it was having people think you were what you weren't. You had never felt alone in this family yet either.
But now you had experienced all of that, and you knew what you would have said.
And the guitar chords that just started playing were a good encouragement.
You sit next to Bruno, letting go of Mirabel's hand, and start singing.
"You decide you're evil, you test it on the skies..."
You reach out for him, but this time, you were more than aware it was an illusion and your fingers go through his shoulder.
"This complicated evil, it does you no justice here." Bruno suddenly fades away, and you stand up to find yourself in a dark place, surrounded by your family members, their backs facing you. The different colors of their clothes reflect on the black floor as if they were shining, creating a rainbow. Only Mirabel is facing you, the real Mirabel.
"Yeah, I'm supposed to shine, dear..." You extend a hand towards her, but you can't seem to reach her, and neither can she. "But I can't see my hands..."
"We drift apart like colors..." Your family starts walking away and gradually fades into the darkness. The rainbow on the ground disappears, leaving you and your sister in the shadows. "And try to fill the void that you've left behind when you walked, walked away..."
A flash of green catches your eye, and you see Bruno's ruana fade away as well. You unknowingly begin to walk towards him, Mirabel following behind. "I'm hanging on words that you said..."
Bruno's figure turns black and white while you continue trying to reach for him, and you almost trip on your own foot and decide to stop walking, giving up.
"And I don't know why, but silent movies always make me cry." Around you, multiple movie screens sprout from the ground, lighting up the darkness. You knew them all by heart; it was the silent movies you and Bruno used to watch. You reach out for them, but once again, your fingers go past through it. "It's the black and white. Everybody's tryna make it through the night..."
The movie screens turn black, and you look around in some kind of panic. You couldn't see anything anymore, even Mirabel.
"Well, I don't know anyone else and I'm always all by myself, someone please, tell me why..." You spin around, desperately searching for something to see again. "Silent movies make me cry..."
You run through the darkness, not noticing the several small lights that followed you, strangely similar to the glitters you used to create for Mirabel when she wanted to pretend she had a gift.
A few times, you see some things, like a family member or a faint memory, but they always disappear before you can reach them. You end up giving up once again, sighing in defeat.
"Are we cornered into my mind? Cause I don't know where to go... Such a complicated evil..." A figure that looked oddly like Angela towers from behind you, grabbing your wrist and pulling you forward despite your resistance. "That's pulling on strings that you've put into place when you walked..."
Angela's figure holds you back as Bruno appears again, walking away, and keeps you from following him. "When you walked away!" You remember it's just an illusion and easily break free by shaking Angela away angrily, and you're able to grab Bruno's hand, making him stop.
He turns around, but his hood is over his head and you can't even see his eyes.
"A subtle change but I can't seem to fake... And it feels so strange!" You turn back to see the rest of your family members, and you smile at them, brandishing your hand holding Bruno's, but they just look away and you drop your shoulders in disappointment.
"And I don't know why... The silent movies always make me cry..." You turn back to Bruno and hold both his hands as you try to find his eyes under the shadow of his hood. "It's the black and white... Everybody's tryna make it through the night!"
A hand suddenly pulls you backwards, and Bruno disappears from your sight as dark figures circle you, only their eyes visible. You hear faint whispers, the ones you had learnt to dread, and you helplessly look around for an opening between those figures.
"Well I don't know anyone else, and I'm always all by myself!" Above the figures appear multiple creatures that could only be part of your imagination. They weren't especially scary, but they got closer and closer, invading your personal space and making it impossible for you to think clearly.
"Someone please, tell me why..." You plead, beg for help as the figures also walk closer, their eyes haunting you. "The silent movies make me cry."
You kneel down and cover your face to hide the figures and the creatures you had created yourself, almost feeling them grab at you and tear you apart in every direction.
You don't see the small lights that had been following you push the figures back and lunge at the creatures, making them go away. You don't see the lights slowly come together and form into a panting Mirabel.
But you do feel the arms wrapping around you protectively, pulling you close in a warm embrace.
The darkness fades away, and you gasp softly as you finally open your eyes to see Mirabel. You hug back tightly as she rocks you back and forth, stroking your hair.
"I'm here for you, (Y/n). I'll protect you, and together we'll make everything okay."
You nod, a tired smile growing on your lips. "Thank you. But, you know what- let's focus on saving the magic first."
At the same time, Julieta's voice sounded from the courtyard.
"Mirabel, (Y/n)! Where are you, girls? We're waiting for you!"
You let go of Mirabel, but she keeps holding you, as if scared to let go. You giggle and ruffle her hair.
"Come on." You whisper. "It's time for dinner."
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