The Last Candle

You Owe Me A Dance

The sun had crawled away to sleep for a while before people started trickling towards la Casa Madrigal. Lanterns were lit, fine clothes were donned, foods were gathered and people started to get loud. 

Valeria wrinkled her nose at her brothers, who were all walking ahead of them, bellowing loud songs at the sky. Their words were so garbled that Valeria wondered if they had been drinking her tío's wine. It was too late now... she just hoped they wouldn't do anything stupid in front of the entire town. Not that they weren't stupid when they were somber, but it was worse when they weren't. 

Luckily it didn't happen that often. 

"Valeria!" A voice shrieked, and Valeria turned to see a dark-haired woman weaving through the crowd of people steadily moving up the streets. She was tall- much taller than most everyone on the street, with a giant grin on her round face. 

"Gemma!" Valeria embraced the girl, a smile taking over her face. "Where is Elonzo?" 

"With my parents, of course." Gemma paused for a moment, the lanternlight glinting on her hair before she broke, squealing as she hopped up and down. Her skirt wooshed around their legs, and Gemma twirled excitedly. "He proposed!" 

"No- really?" 

Their laughter carried on all the way up the hill to the Madrigal's home, Valeria making sure to squeeze every detail out of her best friend. She hadn't expected the man and his family to make the offer so soon- but it was perfect for Gemma. Elonzo was a nice man, quiet, a woodworker that could provide. And though his attempts at poetry were... odd, it was the thought that counted. 

Valeria sucked in a breath as they neared Casita. Light shone through the windows, and there was a comfortable hum emitting from it. People. Lots of people. It was ok. She could do this. No backing out. That would be cowardly. 

As they waited in line, Valeria realised that there was a Madrigal standing before the door, greeting the guests as they walked up. One minute there was an elderly woman, the next a tiny, giggling child. 

Camilo. 

His eyes seemed to dart right towards her, no matter how fast she tried to duck behind Gemma. The hint of a smile had just started to cross his face. His stupid, stomach-fluttering grin that she wanted to punch. 

She struggled to get her breathing under control. Valeria frowned down at her chest. Maybe she should see a doctor- chest pain didn't sound normal. 

"Mi amor, are you hiding from me?" A deep voice whispered in her ear, fanning the side of her cheek as Valeria shrieked, jumping away. Camilo's laugh burst out, and he had to lean over and gasp for breath as Valeria glared at him. 

"It's not funny."

"It is." He pretended to wipe tears from his eyes. "You actually thought you could hide from me, hermosa. I am the king of hide and seek." He puffed out his chest. 

Valeria grumped. "Only because you cheat. Aren't you supposed to be greeting people or something?" She looked at the people steadily moving towards them, and her family, which had already disappeared inside of the magical house. Camilo opened his mouth to say something as she darted for the door, trying to hide her burning face before she reached the temporary safe house. 

Casita waved a shutter at her happily, and Valeria waved back. The house had always seemed to like her, even more than all the other kids that had been there. 

She hadn't seen it in so long. 

"Valeria!" A new hand grabbed hers, and more faces appeared in her vision. People that she had not seen for years, all expecting her to remember them and their favourite colours and that secret that had been shared during a sleepover, the one she wasn't supposed to share. The one she had forgotten a long time ago.