Runaway(an Encanto AU)

Chapter 10

Authors note: Sorry for the wait and sorry its so short, but here you go. Special thanks to VioletaBijagan. Your comment helped me figure out what to do (^v^)

     I checked a couple rooms, including the kitchen where I caught Camilo stuffing his face with arepas. The two of us silently stared at each other, Camilo reaching for another. I left Camilo alone, but I couldn't think of where else to search and went for the front door, "you wanted to talk?"

     I jumped, then saw Dolores a couple feet away, "where did you come from?"

     "Town, I heard you talking to abuela and," she paused, "yeah, Antonio."

     "Oh, well I need to ask you something. Can you tell me about the night Bruno took me? Isabella said you told her about it, and I'd like to hear more about it." Dolores shifted on her feet, not happy about the thought of revisiting that memory, "y- you don't have to! I don't want to make you uncomfortable, I was just wondering."

     Dolores perked up like she wanted to tell me, but sank back down again when she didn't have the strength to, "I will! Just. I can't yet. I'm sorry."

     I grasped her hands in mine, "don't worry about it. If you can, wonderful. If you can't, it's not a big deal." I looked her in the eyes meaningfully, and it took her a moment, but she met my gaze, "hey, why don't I join you today. We haven't gotten a chance to talk."

     She hesitated, but smiled and nodded, "sure."

     "So what do you usually do?"

     "Look for you," she paused, "so I'm not sure what abuela expects of me now."

     "That's great!"

     "Huh?" Dolores gave me a weird look.

     "That means we can just do what we want to right?" I beamed, eager to see what would become of the day.

     "I- I guess so," Dolores seemed nervous but willing.

     I grabbed her hand and dragged her out the door, "I can show you my favorite spots!" At first she was startled by it, but soon followed me so I wouldn't be pulling her. I looked around and spotted a weirdly shaped tree, then pointed to it, "This is one of the trees I used to pretend was a person whenever I felt lonely while Bruno was out getting things. Oh!" I spotted a bush with berries and brought Dolores over to it, "this is one of the things you can eat out here." I plucked one and popped it into my mouth, then grabbed another, "open wide." At first Dolores looked skeptical, but let me place the berry in her mouth.

     She chewed and tasted it for a moment, "I honestly thought it would be bitter and taste like dirt."

     "Oh come on, it may not be flavor town but there are little gems here and there," I protested, crossing my arms. The two of us couldn't help but giggle and chase each other through the forest, the both of us having spent enough time in it to know the layout well. Dolores told me stories from when she was out listening for us, and I shared stories of when she wasn't. Lunch came around and we visited my mom, who looked so happy that we were finally spending time together.

     "I insist."

     "But mom! You should be saving that for people that need healing," I argued, pushing away the food cupped by her hands.

     "I can always make more food mija. I can't always spoil my kidnapped daughter who decided not to visit yesterday."

     "Point taken," I took the food she offered, and Dolores followed suit, no more eager than I to hear whatever argument my mother could come up with for her.

     Mom squeezed us in an eager hug, "oh my baby is fitting in!"

     "Can't breathe!" I choked and she quickly let go.

     "Oh I'm sorry." She brushed the hair out of our faces and fixed the angle of my glasses. On instinct, she looked at the line of people patiently waiting for the once grieving mother to finish up her visit with her long lost child, "sorry sorry!" She turned back to me, "go have fun, I'll see you tonight. I love you."

     "Love you too mom," I couldn't help but give her another quick hug.

     Dolores managed to get us going again, biting into the food she was given, "tia Julieta really missed you."

     I thought for a moment, memories of sorrow coming forward, "actually, I did too. But I was so young that I almost, in a way, forgot about it." Dolores stared at me, waiting for me to go on. "I remember crying pretty often, and Bruno would comfort me the best he could," the memory almost felt bitter. He could have taken me back when he saw how much it had hurt to leave, "I remember that I thought about all of you a lot. I mean except Antonio, he wasn't even born. But sometimes when I was feeling really sad, he would bring me to see all of you. From a distance of course, but it was better than nothing, even if it did make me sadder.

     At first Dolores was quiet, but she spoke up when she found the words she wanted, "it must've been hard, but I'm glad we're back together again."

     "Me too," I murmured, taking a bite of the food my mom gave me.

     "So do you walk quietly on purpose?"

     "Huh?"

     "I can hardly hear your footsteps most days, I don't know how you do it."

     I looked down to my feet and realized that I had been unconsciously making miniature adjustments to my steps, "force of habit I guess."

     When we got tired of the town and the busy noises we laid in the grass among the bushes and stared up at the clouds overhead. "Hey Dolores, what is it like to hear everything?"

     "I wouldn't recommend it. Sure there are some perks like quiet communication, or secretly listening to someone playing an instrument, but I hear all the bad things too. All the lies, the detrimental secrets, the pain. I can't sing until my lungs give out because I'll deafen myself, I have a hard time at any loud celebration, I can't cheer, I can't scream, I can't yell. This gift is not worth it."

     "I never thought about it like that," I looked at the trees, whose leaves gently swayed in the breeze, mimicking the calm surrounding us, "that sounds rough." We sat in silence for several minutes.

     With all the calm soaking into me I felt like I could've fallen asleep before Dolores spoke up again, "the night Bruno took you, I was having trouble sleeping. It was only later that I realized that it was because I was hearing the sand in Bruno's vision cave. I got up to stretch my legs, hoping it would help me sleep. But when I passed by Bruno's door, I heard him say something about treating you worse. Of course you're my prima, so I had to know what was going on, so I waited, and when Bruno left his tower I went up and searched. It wasn't hard to find it. I was terrified by that pane of glass, and I thought that maybe my mama would know what to do. I didn't know she would be scared of it too. I wish I'd just gone back to bed Mirabel," I could hear her voice choking and sat up harshly, turning to see the tears coming from her eyes.

     "Hey hey hey," I gently grabbed her shoulder, looking into her eyes, "you were only eleven, you didn't know better."

     "No Mirabel! It's my fault that you were forced out!" Dolores rolled onto her side away from me, hiding her face which was soaked in tears now.

     "It's not your fault!"

     "Yes it is! If I had just gone back to bed you could have grown up in the casita with us-"

     "Dolores!" I shouted over her, holding both her shoulders to force her to look at me, "It's not!

     Dolore's brows lowered in annoyance, "who else could it possibly have been!"

     The both of us went silent, and I only had one word running through my mind, Bruno.