You Are My Encanto

Chapter Fourteen

As the family wandered about the broken rubble of Casita, and the cold echo of the Encanto without its magic, they called out for Mirabel with lost hope and despair in their voices. It was last night she had disappeared, and as the sun climbed over the open circle of mountains around them, they fearfully wondered if she would ever come back.

Not only had Mirabel disappeared after Casita crumbled, but Y/n had yet to wake up. Julieta had barely managed to get a few drops of the tonic into her mouth before she collapsed, falling back limply in Camilo's arms. Blood from the back of her head soaked into Camilo's ruana, but he didn't care. He held her tightly for hours, rocking her, and begging her to be okay. Antonio glued himself to Camilo's side, watching as his brother fought to keep his tears from landing on her face.

Morning came before any of the Madrigals could come to realize, as they were all still in desperate search of the missing Madrigal.

Some of the villagers had taken part in the search, trekking across the village, and up the mountains. Not one of them dared to leave the Encanto, but hope was running thin.

"What can we do?" Señor Arturo had asked Julieta, at least a dozen times. Each time, they were met with the same response. 'Please help find her.'

"Where did she go...?" Agustín's hollow voice occasionally danced through the dusty air, sorrowly floating into the family's ears.

"Mirabel?" Distant calls from Félix and Luisa echoed through the Encanto, but no one ever heard Dolores' voice amongst them. Some wondered if she was desperately trying to listen for her lost cousin, longing for a gift that had been taken from her.

Pepa was one of the most distraught family members, her arms aching for her niece, and tears pouring down her quivering chin for the girl she'd watched after for eleven years.

"What about Y/n?" she would ask Félix, when he returned from the mountain. "What will become of her?" She held onto her youngest son on her lap, rubbing soft circles on his back to try and get him to rest.

"Camilo's still with her," Félix observed, watching his son cradle the girl in his arms, his face bent down to hers. Félix couldn't actually see his son's face past the hair, but every so often he would hear him choke out a bitter sob.

Fèlix had had his suspicions about the relationship between Camilo and Y/n for years, but hadn't known there'd been a real development until his wife told him just a few hours ago. They loved each other deeply, and Félix easily believed it to be true. He couldn't imagine what it would have been like if Pepa had gotten hurt last night as Y/n had, but as he watched his son and the unconscious girl he rocked in his arms, he felt he could easily understand the pain.

"What if she doesn't wake up?"

Antonio's voice, small in the crook of his mother's neck, was quivering. He hadn't wanted to leave Y/n's side, but Félix pried him away so the boy could sleep sometime around four that morning. He was worried about Y/n to the point he'd had nightmares, waking up thrashing and calling for her.

"We can't say things like that, Toñito," Pepa whispered to her son. "She'll wake up—prometo."

Several hours passed by, and Julieta's cries became strangled, and miserable. She'd travelled further in the search for Mirabel, with Y/n still on her mind. She blamed herself for this, but the thought never vocalized itself. She kept it to herself, allowing it to eat through her stomach in sorrow, and guilt.

She'd made it back to Casita'a ruins just as the rest of the family did, and she collapsed heavily onto the spot she'd last seen Mirabel, with Y/n and Camilo not too far off.

"Julieta!"

Agustín's worried voice reached out to his wife when he saw her lean heavily to one side, nearly falling over. He rushed to her side, taking the spot next to her.