-Clear Skies-

Rainbow In The Night

"Ju-Juliette?" I croaked. Juliette blinked open an eye. She looked weak. Alma had a terrified look on her face. Her head turned towards me. "How does it feel? Knowing you hurt your own sister!"
Tears welled up in my eyes. Cracks in the Casita grew closer. "I-.." I looked back at Juliette, who was rubbing her head, dazed. "GET OUT!" Alma screamed pointing at the front door.
I fought back tears. Then looked up at Alma stubbornly.
"Why should I?"
Alma looked at me bitterly and said, "Because I'm your mother. And you do as I tell you to!"
"Well you don't act like my mother!"
Alma froze. She looked lost in thought.
"I made this decision, not because you told me to but, I'm leaving!"
Alma seemed unaffected by what I said. I hated that stupid confused look she had on her face. She knew what she was doing!
I stormed off with a thundering cloud trailing close behind me.

I ran far way from Casita into an open-forest area in the Encanto that Me,Juliette,and Bruno, when we were younger, used as a place to hide from our mother when she was mad.
I sat there, on a log, letting tears stream down my face and, along with the rain, soak into my dress.
I rubbed away the tears from my eyes with my fist.

A few hours passed. I got really hungry and I began hearing voices... Bruno and Juliette's!  I perked up and turned my attention towards their voices.
"Pepa!.." Juliette screamed breathlessly. Bruno staggered along.
"Pepa!" Juliette squeezed me in a tight embrace.
"Your not mad I almost hit you with lightning?"
I questioned her.     "Of course I'm not! It was
an accident."   "Not even a little? I would be."
"No hermana, I know you didn't mean it. You would never hurt someone on purpose."
Bruno quickly added, "Unless that someone hurt your family like what you did to Alejandro the day he punched me." I laughed at that comment. "True."
"Are you hungry? I mean, you missed dinner."
"A little-ok,yeah I'm starving." I admitted.
"Bruno, go back to Casita and get some leftovers for Pepa." Juliette ordered. Bruno let out a quiet sigh and nodded. "Don't blame me if I get lost on my way back." He said.

"You think he's actually going to get lost?" I asked Juliette. "Possibly." She answered without hesitation.
"But he used this place as a crying space for all his childhood. Surely he would remember the way here and back. He cried a lot as a child." Juliette added.

I laughed. "I think we all cried here when we were younger, especially me- I tore down a couple trees with my wind, on accident, now it's a clearing."
Juliette's eyes grew wide while looking at the night sky. "Yeah, we had a lot of memories in this place...
It actually still looks the same. And, remember that time when you made a rainbow in the night sky?" Juliette asked. I nodded In confusion. "Look up."
I lifted my attention to the night sky, the stars twinkled. I loved stargazing with Juliette and Bruno.
A rainbow was also there slightly faded, but it was still quite a sight. I once made a rainbow in the night in this exact place while Juliette and Bruno were comforting me...

"Pepa? Are you okay? I'm sure mother didn't actually mean what she said." Juliette assured her. "Yeah, the girl asked for her to keep you from ruining the wed-"
Juliette quickly nudged Bruno's shoulder. "Owie!"
Bruno cried in pain. Juliette rolled her eyes and sat down beside Pepa, who was looking up into the night sky watching the stars shine while she never did, even with her gift. She sniffed wiping a tear from her face. "It's okay Pepa... she'll soon realize the pain she's put her children through. And she will stop, everything will be better, I promise." Juliette said, feeling unsure of her own words, but put on an encouraging face to make Pepa feel better. Although Pepa could still see how she actually felt deep within, she was the emotional mess of the family after all. The one who could 'control' the weather. She couldn't actually control the weather, how was she supposed to when she couldn't even control her own emotions? Her gift was useless. All it caused was trouble, it was...a curse. Juliette put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down as she saw more tears running down her face. "Pepa, I want you to know that your gift is just as special as me and Bruno's." Juliette whispered softly. "You wouldn't be saying that if you were me." Pepa sniffed. Bruno sat with his sister's on the log. "Oh trust me, I'm not sure if 'just as special as Bruno's gift' is at all encouraging. Try, Hermana, you are just as special as our miracle itself." Bruno said. Causing Pepa to laugh slightly. "Surprisingly, your good at it as well!" She exclaimed. "I am? Really? I thought you would say something like, 'Bruno that's so stupid and not at all encouraging, just cheesy." Bruno mimicked her voice, making Pepa laugh harder. She would usually never laugh when someone mimicked her. More unlikely, when her little brother did it. But there was no way she could be mad. "Whoa...look!" Juliette said in awe pointing up to the night sky.
"Wha-COOL!" Bruno exclaimed pointing up as well.
Pepa did the same as her siblings. A beautiful rainbow in the night? Pepa smiled overjoyed as the rainbows bright colors lit up the night. "I-made that?" Pepa asked the sky in wonder.

Bruno's POV:

I was walking back to Casita. I stopped instantly when I saw more than one path I could take. I guess I forgot the way back... but I've remembered the path my entire childhood? Other than that one time Pepa and Juliette had to go out and look for me my first time running away, which failed, and that was when I found a spot with a log where I sat down waiting for Juliette and Pepa to find out we're I've gone. There were still trees until Pepa came running towards me screaming "I found him!" Bringing a hurricane to the area and knocking down a few trees.

I looked at the two paths I could take. Straight is always the way, right? I thought.