The Chameleon (Camilo x YN)

Part nine

    The room was silent at the revelation of more people blessed with miracles. Grandma Alma moves to door and calls for a town meeting while the rest of the family remains stunned. In a tragic way this reaction made sense, she had experienced highly stressful and traumatic events before. You could see her slipping back into a state of survival with the lines on her face seeming to deepen, accumulating to a rather skull like appearance.
You stood next to Camilo who kept glancing at you. You raised an eye brow as the community gathered together just under the hill.  Something similar to suspicion fluted for a moment over his face, but was quickly hidden in a smile. You turned your attention to Mirabel who was twisting her hair into knots in an attempt to hide panic.
"So.... Have you been many places out of the village?" You ask and wince as Mirabel jumps at your touch.
"erm, no not really. We usually get a couple people wandering through the forest, but we don't really need to leave. Have...have you been many places before?"
You nod, "only a few, there was the small village I grew up in and we had close ties to another across and down stream from us, but not much else beyond that. Sometimes I think these forests and mountains are all that exists." Mirabel didn't say anything but took your hand for comfort.
"Attention!" Alma's voice rang coldly over the gathered crowd, "We have been notified of a danger to our communities, to our paradise! They seek to destroy our miracle, but we of house Madrigal swear to protect you all."
"And we will support you!" Voices from the community chimed in.
"Don't think that helping rebuild your house was the end of repaying your kindness!"
"Yeah!" "Let's do what we can!"
The atmosphere grew slightly lighter (or maybe it was just Pepa feeling more hopeful) but an undercurrent of determination ran underfoot around the town. First Luisa stepped forward and began mounting giant boulders on her shoulders and began building barricades of earth and stone. Then Isabela stepped forward. She knelt, placed her hands on the ground, scrunched her face up, the earth trembled, and large thickets of vegetation grew up from the boulders. Roots, vines, thorns, sticky sacks of sap and spiny plants created a natural barrier around the community. You stared in wonder at the sight, wishing you could do something like that to protect these people. For now, the heads of the community began planing with Alma and Bruno retreated to his room, no doubt, about to conduct a vision. Julieta returned to the kitchen and with a determination you'd never seen in her before, began crafting new recipes and stock piling provisions.
The house, had taken some matters into its own hands, growing extra thick walls and strengthening the resources in the surrounding areas. As you were assisting Julieta, you saw Camilo surrounded by kids. He was trying to keep them entertained, easing their fears and turning into them for fun. You passed by, but a kid stoped you. As you were distracted, Camilo snuck a piece of food off the plate you were carrying. You rolled your eyes as you pretended not to see the kids copy this action.
"Oh, what a shame," you strike a dramatic pose, bursting with sarcasm, "It appears all the food has been eaten, what ever shall I do?" You crack an eye open, expecting to be met by grins but the kids just look at you with blank faces.
"Eh, I guess it's a local thing," you mutter trying to comfort you lack of "kid skills" and leave as Camilo strikes up the excitement again.

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