Outside the Encanto

Field of Singing

"It's time, Y/n. If we don't do something now, people will leave. They're already frustrated, and we've all improved so much." Luis says, as once again the leaders surround the wartime table. A map of the Encanto is spread upon the low wood. You feel a small twinge of resentment, as your house is circled in red.

"It's not time. We've improved, yes, but my family has been training their whole life. Not to mention they have gifts that can take ten lives a second." You argue, refusing to even consider the possibility.

"That's unfair, Y/n, the troops can do something. We could stage a riot, burn down one of your fathers bases, even take down your family!" Xavier grins, fantasizing over something that will never happen. Or at least, not for a long time.

"My family has nothing to do with this! Only my father, he's the one corrupting us. Leave everyone else out of it, okay?" You yell, standing up.

"Your family is the reason we're down in this hellhole living like rats! I will not leave guilty people out of it!" Xavier yells back, standing as well.

"Innocent until proven guilty!" You shout, a great gust of wind rushing onto your face, forcing your hair in all wild directions. A reddish haze clouds your vision.

"Guilty by association!" Xavier screeches, staring back at you, as if challenging you. As if he, could beat you.

"Enough!" J shouts, and suddenly everything seems to freeze. No, not freeze, just go in slow motion. Everyone in the room is knocked on their back, your head smacked against the cold tile. Papers and pencils fly everywhere, books are knocked off the shelves.

You lift your head gingerly off the floor, blood seeping out of your skull, staining the ground. You put your hand to your throbbing brain, but don't feel any wound. A ringing stings your ears, and you cover them, as if it could block the sound. When you draw your hand away, it's soaked in blood.

You realize your head isn't cracked open, but your eardrums are bleeding. You're both relieved and worried, but decide that you're going to be okay.

J looks horrified, as if he's revealed some awful secret. He quickly exits the room, and you follow him. The tunnel seems to bend and fold, but you never lose sight of J.

At last, you feel a gentle breeze, and eventually grass beneath your toes. Mud weighs down your sandals, but you don't care. You slow to a walk as J stops in his tracks, picking up a rock. He chucks it far away, and begins kicking the dirt. You feel bad for the kid, remembering your own outburst at the Madrigal home.

When J begins shouting again, you have to clutch a tree to avoid being thrust back by the wind recoil. Finally, he slumps down on the ground, clutching his skull.

Slowly, you begin to approach him. You sit beside him, just as you had Antonio so many nights ago.

"I'm sorry." He whispers, sending another harsh wind flowing onto you. It's light enough so that you don't fall over, but it knocks you off balance. J looks away.

"It's alright. I never knew you had a gift." You grin, poking him in the side. J let's out a small chuckle, which sends another breeze spiraling around.

J suddenly reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a small notepad and pen. He begins writing something down, and you wait patiently.

As you obviously know, I'm not from here. My Encanto was built over a thousand years ago, and destroyed a little over a year ago. We had the most beautiful home, up above the clouds. It was made entirely of a jungle, except for a couple hills. Waterfalls flew from out of the mountains which elevated us so high into the sky. Four different clans and clan leaders ruled over us. I was placed in the Pride clan. My sister, Liz, was placed in the Chivalry clan.

"That's beautiful! So you got your gift when you got into your clan?" You assume.

J shakes his head, and begins writing again.

I'm not finished yet, don't get ahead of yourself. Everyone in the Encanto has a deadly voice. So we learned sign, and learned to only hear nature. The squirrels in the trees, acorns dropping, the faint hoot of an owl. Even the rustling of the breeze. The only place we could speak was Field of Singing.

"The Field of Singing?" You picture a flat, earthy grassland.

The Field of Singing wasn't really a field, see those were the hills I mentioned earlier. Deep, green muddy hills, with bright red flowers speckled through the land. When we entered Field, it changed us. The voices carried everywhere, as our Melodie's became the breezes. We didn't have a candle,  we had a scale of four plates, each holding the clans spirit animal. The Pride clan was a Jaguar, the Chivalry clan was a Snake, the Integrity clan was a Peacock, and the Virtue clan was a Rabbit.

The scales began tipping in favor of one clan over another. It drove inequalities between us, murders began happening. The mountains started growing, but our platform never lifted. Only the walls. It began shielding the sun, our water ran dry. Quicksand meshes in the middle, and began pulling the plant life in. All the animals ran out. Even Field was silent.

A few of us made it out. My older brother and  Liz, a couple friends of mine. We'd used ropes to climb out, when we heard the screaming.

The scales tipped over entirely, and a sinkhole erupted inside. People were being sucked into the hole, believed to have been suffocated to death. I knew everyone in the that Encanto. The screams carried, I could distinguish each one. My mother, father, youngest sister. She was only 6 when she died.

Maria. An image of her smiling face, dimples on her right cheek floods your brain. Maria's flawless hair, the raggedy pink and purple halter top dress she would wear every Sunday. She faded away just as quickly as she'd appeared.

This was something you shared with J, both had dead younger sisters, broken Encantos, gifts that were really just curses in disguise.

"Why can Liz talk normally, but you can't?" You ask, since apparently everyone in that Encanto had the cursed voices.

Adopted.

"Oh. Makes sense." You say. Lots of kids are adopted in the Encanto, especially newcomers. Not to mention the poor children in the small orphanage. Children must have fathers in the Encanto. If a mother dies during childbirth, or ditches the kid, the father has the choice to get rid of the kid. If a father ditches the kid, the mother is shamed for not having a suitable husband, and her child is taken away. It happens too often.

An idea sparks in your head.

"I know how we can revolt. We're gonna return all children to their families." You explain, excitement bursting out of you.

"And then burn down the orphanage."