The Heart of Camilo (A Camilo Madrigal x Reader Fem Y/N Story)

The River

*Camilo*

"Abuela, I'm sorry!" I cried as Abuela pulled me into our empty house. Where was everyone? "Dolores?" I called, knowing she could hear no matter where she was. "Dolores!"

"Leave your sister out of this. Your terrible behaviour only involves you and me," Abuela said, pulling me up the large staircase that was in the center of our house, pulling me up towards my room.

I began to struggle and pull, something I didn't dare do outside when people could see me. Everyone respected Abuela. She was the matriarch, the one who gave up so much for us, who raised my mom, my aunt and my uncle even when so much was taken from her. My grandfather... thinking about what happened made me pause and stop pulling away so hard. Abuela looked at me with tears in her eyes.

"Do you understand the importance of our gifts, Camilo? Do you understand the town relies on us? Without them and the magic, we won't be protected! You do not know what is out there, what evil can come upon our house if we are not vigilant." She gestured around, as if the evil was there hanging in the air to be discovered.

I was silent. I knew. I knew and yet I hated it. But I could never say that out loud. I didn't want to be the one cousin who didn't accept their fate, who didn't do their part. Was it as hard for everyone else as it was for me? In a panic, I felt tears welling up. I quickly turned away so that Abeula couldn't see me.

"Camilo, this behaviour will not be tolerated. Antonio should be receiving his gift next week when he turns 5. You MUST be a good role model for him - or else we will have a problem. There are other people who could not find their place within this family."

The threat hung in the air. She was talking about my uncle, Bruno, who I had only heard stories of since he left when I was very young. He saw prophecies and people didn't like what he saw. His gift didn't help the family, and now he was gone. I was never told the specifics, but it hung in the air so heavily what Abuela meant - get in line and use your gifts as she tells me to, or get out.

"Abuela, I didn't mean to be disrespectful, it's just ..."

The slap came so quickly and so out of nowhere that I reeled to the side, shocked, holding my cheek in my hand. She had never hit me before. Before I knew what was happening, I started shape-shifting frantically, through all the people I knew, uncontrollably. 

"Camilo, enough. Now, I only want to hear an apology from you and no excuses. I want to know that you understand me", Abuela almost whispers. She almost looked shocked at what she had done herself, but I could see that she was pulling herself up and steeling herself that there would be no apologies from her. She looked at me expectantly. "Well?"

I stared at the ground, still shifting through different people. It made my brain feel fuzzy and confused and the differing heights of the people I was shifting into made me go up and down and feel sick, like I might throw up.

"Camilo, enough, stop shifting!" She grabbed my arm, and I stopped on the shift of Luisa, and then shifted into being myself again. I looked at the floor.

"I'm sorry, Abuela, it won't happen again," I eventually muttered. Then, I shifted into Y/N and stayed. Seeing her familiar hands helped keep the tears from coming out.

"Pull yourself together, and get your homework done. Think of the family, your little brother. I will see you at the party tonight - you will be expected to help."

Of course I would be. I shifted back to myself. "I understand," I said.

Abuela turned and left the house again. I turned and faced the staircase that we had only made  halfway up before the hit me. I continued the walk up to my room. I opened the door and made my way into my familiar space. Like my body, I could change my room to be like anything I wanted. However, I always kept it the same, have since I was 10. Y/N had come over and we had been having fun changing the room to many different configurations - a room full of cotton candy, a room made entirely of pillows, a room with a huge rainforest and a waterfall to explore. Y/N loves the water.

I smiled at the memory, and then remember why we settled on its current state - the river. The place we first met after the time we first met - when I was actually myself this time. The door opened into a regular-looking corridor where I kept my clothes and shoes, and then as you continue down the hall, it opens up into the forest and the river. My bed is a hammock that hangs off of one of the largest trees. I control the weather, and it never rains and is always warm. And no bugs, duh. I like it just being one thing - and I haven't changed it since. Something about me staying the same always, in this place Y/N and I have so many happy memories - means something to me, when I'm always having to be someone else when I leave. I hang up my poncho and go to my hammock. I know I should start my homework but I just... can't. My face still hurts. I don't know whether I should tell anyone. Have the older cousins been hit, too, when they were stepping out of line? Then again, no one really messed around like I did... Dorlores would have heard everything. And yet she wasn't here. I have always felt close to my sister, but right now I felt like she was over there with the rest of the well-behaved family, and I was here alone.

I lay back and put my hands over my eyes. I can't remember ever feeling so exhausted. I think about Y/N and how she wanted me to meet her at the real river. I sit up. At least one good thing can happen today. I pull myself out of bed and go downstairs to start my homework.

Dolores is downstairs. I stop at the top of the stairs and just stare at her. Her big eyes take me in and she looks so sad it makes me want to cry. She starts up the stairs towards me, and I go to hug her, but then stop myself at the last minute. 

"What are you playing at? You told Abuela that I fell asleep this morning? And where were you when ... what just happened, happened?" I yelled, stepping backwards up the stairs away from her.

Dolores looked like she was about to burst into tears. "Milo, I'm so sorry, I just ..." she whispered, eyes darting around... 'I can't lie when she asks me where you are. I am the oldest, she expects a lot from me." She wrings her hands with guilt, looks away from me.

"Sis, I don't really want to hear it. But thanks, I'm sure you heard that I got what I deserved", I said dully, starting down the stairs and passing her as I went.

"Cami, no, you didn't deserve that... but could you just listen? Just do as you're told? Nothing will happen if you just listen!" Dolores whispered frantically, eyes wide. "With Antonio getting his gift soon .. hopefully, anyway ... we don't want what happened with Mirabel ..."

"Yes, I know, god forbid Antonio doesn't get a gift and be useless like Mirabel," I replied sarcastically. "I can't believe you, you sound just like Abuela and this insanity."

"It's not insanity. You know what she has been through ..." Dolores couldn't even say it out loud.

I reached the bottom of the steps and looked back up at her. "Yeah, I know. I guess we'll just be working hard to make up for her hard life for OUR whole lives."

Dolores' eyes went wide with shock that I dared say such a thing. "Camilo!"

But I had run through the front door, shape-shifted into the fastest kid in town, and was gone.