"change" - [c.madrigal]

three

I was skipping my steps as Leo, my mother and I headed towards the Madrigal home.

Everywhere around us, kids ran around, shaking sparklers in the air, giggling and shrieking and having a great time.

The whole town seemed to be heading towards the Madrigals. And I mean, why wouldn't they?

As we got closer, I noticed Camilo at the front door, welcoming everybody. He teased kids by changing to look like them, laughing and jumping around.

How did he have that much energy? I wondered.

When he saw me, his grin grew wider, so I wasn't sure he was actually looking at me or not. Why on earth would he smile at the sight of me?

As we approached the Madrigal teen, he grinned and said, "Welcome!" He shook my mother's hand politely, showing her inside. Leo followed her.

Camilo flashed me a sneaky grin, and whispered to me as I walked past.

"See you inside, princesa."

My face burned at his comment, and I sent him a glare, which he only laughed at.

I rolled my eyes and headed inside after my family, deciding to ignore the silly boy and focus on having a good time tonight.

After we'd filed inside, I spotted Mirabel, who was wandering around, looking for someone. That someone was evidently me, because her smile grew when she saw me.

"Y/N!" she called, hurrying over.

"You made it," she said excitedly. "Hi!"

I smiled, giving my new friend a hug. "Yeah," I laughed, "we did." 

I turned to my family. "Mamá, this is Mirabel, my new friend. And this is my brother Leo, Mirabel."

Mirabel waved and grinned. "Nice to meet you," she told my mother politely. "And you, too, Leo."

Both of them smiled and shook Mirabel's hand. I noticed Leo going slightly red when Mirabel touched his hand. I smirked to myself, glad to have something I could tease him with later.

"C'mon," Mirabel told me. "Let's go, I wanna show you around."

I readily agreed, and Mirabel grabbed my hand, dragging me along. She gave me the tour, as promised, showing me everyone's magical doors.

"And this is going to be Antonio's," she finished, pointing at the last door, which wasn't really a door yet. It was simply a simmering gold rectangle. It sent excited shivers down my spine.

"Wait," I said, suddenly realising something. "Where's your door?"

Mirabel dropped her gaze. "Um... I don't have one," she said, trying not to sound emotional. "It's fine, really. It just didn't work for me. I sleep in the nursery, with Antonio. Well, not anymore, but he did share with me."

She forced a smile. "That doesn't matter anyway. It's a weird thing that happened to me, sure, but I'm fine. Everything is just fine."

I was certain Mirabel was lying, but I didn't want to push her. I felt extremely sorry for her. It must suck being the only Madrigal without a gift, but I doubted Mirabel would appreciate my sympathy.

There was nothing wrong with Mirabel, simply because she was ordinary. In fact, she was a whole lot nicer than the other Madrigal I'd met so far — her annoying cousin, Camilo.

"So," I said, smiling and changing the subject. "Do you like embroidery?"

Mirabel's face lit up. "I love it! I do it all the time, as you can probably tell by my clothes." She gestured at her top and skirt, the same ones I'd seen her in this morning.

"It's so relaxing," she continued, "and entertaining. And I'm making something beautiful at the same time."

I nodded. "Exactly," I agreed. "My mother doesn't love embroidery, but I adore it. I do it when I can, although I'm not as good as you. Maybe we could meet up sometime and practise together. You could teach me some of your awesome skills."

Mirabel laughed. "They aren't really that good, but sure, that sounds like a great idea."

"Awesome," I smiled.

Mirabel cocked her head slightly. "I can hear Abuela calling everyone so she can start the ceremony. We'd better get downstairs."

I nodded, and followed the girl down the stairs, and into the back room, where Antonio was waiting with his family. His parents, and ... his older brother. I bit back an annoyed groan. Not Camilo again.

When the teen boy saw me, he smirked and flashed me a grin. "Hola," he said.

I ignored him, which was probably mean, but he was annoying, and stupidly cute, which just made me more annoyed at him.

Antonio's parents were wishing him luck and giving him last hugs, then they disappeared behind the curtain. Camilo winked at me again before he followed them, leaving me all red and flustered.

Mirabel shot me a confused look, and I gave her one back that said, Tell you later. She nodded and knelt in front of Antonio.

"Hey," she said. "It's okay. Go out there and show everyone how special you are." She smiled, and gave the little boy a tight squeeze.

He looked terrified, but he turned and took his place, just behind the curtain. Mirabel and I stepped back into the shadows, hiding behind a pillar so no one would see us.

Just then, the curtain opened, and a light shone of the small five year old. He didn't move, even though I assumed he was supposed to be walking towards the stairs. He wouldn't. He looked so scared, I felt sorry for him. I'd be nervous too, if I had to walk in front of that many people.

Antonio turned and held out his hand to Mirabel. She shook her head at him urgently.

"I need you," he whispered desperately. His soft, scared little voice definitely did the trick, as Mirabel stepped out into the light and took his hand. Together, they started walking down the aisle together.

I was watching them from behind the pillar when a familiar, yet annoying voice behind me said: "Hey there, you."

<3