𝒮𝑒𝑒 𝐹𝑜𝓇 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻 <<Bruno Madrigal>>>

Chapter 28

An hour after the big calamity, people had realized that the magic no longer lingered in Encanto. It was such a shock and everyone was in a state of panic and hopelessness, especially the elderly who had witnessed life outside the magical fortress and had feared of another attack coming towards them now that a way opens up to town.

"What's gonna happen now, Papa?" Melisa asks her father. Julio was unsure as he too had been pondering of their town leader's next move. They might move out, find a new safe place to go to, it all depends whether or not everyone would still follow the powerless family whom had protected and provided for them for nearly half a century.

"Did you see that boy earlier?"

"Do you know him?"

"No, I've never seen him before."

"They're already in on us. They've found out where we are."

"Are we gonna get raided again?"

"In this time and age?"

"It could be possible."

"He could be one of them."

"We're doomed!"

Was only the few she've heard from the folks around them. Carina sauntered over to her mother who's again, in a daze about something. The old woman frowned as she gazed at the blurry images of town's people who are in a frantic over the young lad she met earlier. She suddenly stands up and started walking towards them. "Mamá, where are you going?"

The people stopped their whispers as soon as Haidi gets to them, making way for her in a dispersed circle. "It's been 50 years. Should we really be afraid of anything at all?"

"Señora, you should rest more. You and Carina almost fell off into a cliff."

Her squinted eyes looked to that person's direction, "And that lad you're so suspicious off had come to our rescue, did he not?" He was about to say something more, yet it wasn't really their nature to become acquainted with doubts over anyone around them. That was how peaceful they all were, until now. "I've known him. I can stand my ground to convey that he means no harm. Instead of blabbering nonsense, we've got better things to do."

A woman speaks up afterwards, "And that would be? Señora?"

Haidi turns to look up where the Madrigal house once stood proud on the higher ground, "What we should be doing in return."

Her mother certainly is the other face of the coin along with Alma Madrigal, in no less than a minute, she paved a path for everyone and even cleared up the gossiping for Angelo. How and when he even got to her good side, Carina might have a chance to know about later.

Well, sooner than later.

"All's well that ends well, huh?" he suddenly pops up behind her.

Carina squints her eyes at him in a calm glance, "If I had the energy, I would've hit you for sneaking up behind me."

Angelo chuckles, "Well I can't say surprise if I announced my arrival from far away so.... Surprise!" he shows her a bunch of flowers he picked along the way. These are the common plants that grew in Encanto, also a few new plants that grew out of Isabela Madrigal's power. Nonetheless, they are all lovely.

"Why thank you," Carina took it from him, and strangely enough, this might be the only time she was given a bouquet of flowers without the intention of courting her. Unless of course....

Her suspicious look made him quickly act to defend himself, he raises his hands and shakes it, "Nope, it's not what you're thinking" His next words were a bit slow and slurry, "I'm simply conveying that.... that I'll probably won't be back in a while. Or probably forever. I think. So yeah, flowers of goodbye! For.... the most beautiful woman in the whole wide world."

"Thank you.... again?" this fleeting awkwardness was also making her uncomfortable. He did just said it's a farewell gift, but his words made her even more confused, and rather sad in a whole mixed up emotion.

Angelo sees this and plucks one flower to put it on her hair, "Stop that. You're making more wrinkles appear on your face. Cheer up now. We still got work to do," he nods towards the others who had gone back in their homes to gather resources.

They too were about to do the same, until the galloping of the horse stops them in their tracks. In that milliseconds that passed by, Carina and Bruno's eyes locked. A slow and awfully short seconds that meant the whole world to the both of them, breaking away once Mirabel, Alma, and him had to cross iver the bridge towards their broken home.

"It's Bruno."

Angelo nodded, "It's him."

And so the renovations began. Haidi and Alma seemed to have gotten along pretty well despite their long nonverbal quarrels, like nothing had ever happened. Julieta's children was rarely seen together in the same room, now look at them having fun on their own game. Camillo's mostly in charge of the children along with his little brother Antonio, making goofy faces in his habit of imitating everyone, honestly it's much more funnier to look at than what he does normally. Then there's the all-knowing Dolores with the guy who's supposedly Isabela's suitor. Carina would definitely give him a ten out of ten on his looks, but that's just about it in her opinion. Who knows why Dolores chose him at this point, but then again, she may have heard some redeeming qualities about him.

"Carina," Julieta sighs as she lifts the sack back up the dusty counter, "Could you switch with me for the outlining at the back? I have to start cooking for everyone before lunch."

"Oh. No problem." The sack wasn't that heavy, maybe for Carina as she's too used to holding toddlers on two arms almost every babysitting time.

"Maybe we should make it a little bigger, no?"

"A pool sounds nice."

Carina's instincts kicked in as she immediately turns around and steps to the side to hide. Others may have already seen her, but Bruno's back was turned. 'I tried so hard to ignore him, to pretend this isn't happening, that he's not here. I got so many things to say to him, and ask him about. But why am I still trembling...' she tightens her hold on the sack of sand in her arms. Her heart is beating erratically, Carina was already thinking of backing away, but—

"Knock knock," Angelo peeks in from the doorway, startling her into almost letting go of the of the sack.

"Damn it, Angelo. I might as well punch you on the face."

"Sorry sorry," he shrugs with a teasing grin, "I just can't stand idly by knowing you're having a hard time carrying that thing. In fact, why do you even have that? You're gonna help us, aren't you? You are, right? Come on then," he immediately grabs her arm without consent and drags her out to the back. "We got extra pair of hands now, everyone!"

'This man—' she glared daggers behind him, up until he let go of her as he passes by Bruno, and accidentally pulls her with enough force to collide to his back. Bruno drops his own sack of sand upon impact and looks behind only to find her eyes on his again.

"Carina..."

"Hi?" her eyes wandered to the retreating Angelo whom gave her a smirk before taking a turn to the corner.

Angelo proudly marched to the side, but was stopped by the Madrigal children who had their arms crossed suspiciously at him.

"We got a lot to talk about, outsider," says Isabela, backed by Mirabel, Luisa, Dolores, Camillo, and Antonio.