Mirabel's Best Friend

7 Years Old

Mirabel was 7 when she learned her friendship with Cas was deeper than she knew.

It was another birthday and she was crying again and again it was Abuela's fault. Everyone was enjoying her party and when she blew out the candles, her Papi had asked her what she wished for and she answered honestly, 'For Tio Bruno to come home soon.'

You can imagine how it went from them. Abuela yelling at her that Bruno doesn't care about this family, Pepa thundering, and crying kids. And of course eventually Mirabel in the nursery crying.

She can still hear her parents arguing with Abuela through the walls. Something about how it was natural for a kid to want to see their uncle.

Mirabel looked at Casita, "It's not wrong for me to miss Tio Bruno right?"

Casita moved its shutters that Mirabel understood to mean, 'No you can miss your uncle.'

The girl was grateful for Casita's comfort. She had hoped one of her sisters or cousins would come comfort her or check on her but as the years had passed she was giving up hope.

The hope sparked a little as there was a knock and then a tall girl came into the room. It was wasn't one of her sisters or Dolores. The girl looked familiar though, she had her straight hair pulled into a low ponytail, wore dark blue pants, and a green ruana that looked a lot like her Tio Bruno's.

"Mira, you okay?" The girl asked as she kneeled down beside her bed to look at her.

As she did, Mirabel finally noticed the very familiar blue square glasses.

"Cas?"

The girl nodded, "Yes of course."

"But....But....your so big!" Mirabel started to argue, "You're bigger than Isa, Lu, and Lola!"

A surprised look came over Big Cas' face, "Oh, is this the first time I've come out of order? Huh."

Before she could ask more a loud crash was heard as was more yelling about how Bruno probably left in the first place because of Mirabel.

Tears sprang in Mirabel's eyes again as Cas picked her up and held her close as she started crying into Cas.

"I didn't want people to fight."

"I know."

"I didn't mean to make her mad. I just miss Tio."

"It's okay."

"...Your ruana is like Tio Bruno's."

"It's meant to."

....

It was later when Mirabel had calmed down and was looking at the gold hourglasses and butterflies on her ruana that she asked again, "How come you're so big now?"

Cas looked like she was thinking hard, "How to explain to a 7 year old. Well, right now I'm 14 not 8. It has to do with how my gift works..."

A very sad looked appeared on Mirabel's face, "Gift....You have a gift?"

"Wow, I'm way earlier in the timeline I guess," Cas muttered as she decided to pick Mirabel and stand up, "Shhh. Time for a field trip."

Cas and Mirabel snuck out of the room walking quietly as it appeared everyone was in the rooms.

Mirabel was confused where they were going till she came to a door she'd never seen before. A glowing door that had a girl with an hourglass on it that read Casandra.

"Casandra? You?" Mirabel asked confused looking at Cas.

"Casandra Madrigal," Cas nodded as she opened the door to reveal a big room made of stone with a starfield ceiling, hundreds of clocks on one wall, a waterfall and pond, old looking furniture on one wall, and across the room an identical door to the one they just opened.

"Wow," Mirabel muttered surprised.

"So, little Mira," Cas explained as they walked over to where her bed was, "You know how Tio Bruno could see the future?"

Mirabel nodded, she had heard the story enough times,

"Well, my gift, cause I am a Madrigal, is I can actually come back in time," Cas explained, "I can do other stuff too but mainly I use my gift to go back in time to see you."

"You're from the future?!" Mirabel asked excitedly, "Are you like my little sister?! Or did Tia Pepa have another baby?!"

Cas laughed and actually motioned to a family tree she had hung up, "I'm from a little farther than that."

"Okay, can you follow the line?" Cas asked as she pointed to the tree.

"Yep, that's Abuela and Abuelo," Mira nodded as she followed Cas' finger along the way, "and that's Mami and Papi" She followed Cas' finger to an older women and man and was surprised to read, "Mirabel....Me?"

"Yep, and you marry a man called Alonso Vega and you have..." Cas trailed off as pointed to the lone child between the two of them.

"Pedro? After Abuelo?" Mirabel asked as she looked at Cas.

"Yep, and he married Hannah Jameson," Cas supplied as she pointed to one of the two kids they had, "And they had..."

"Casandra," Mirabel read as she looked at Cas, surprised, "You? You're my granddaughter?"

"Yep, weird right?" Cas joked as little Mirabel continued to look at the tree.

"I'm the Abuela?" Mirabel asked in shock.

"At least to me and my little brother Jaime," Cas explained as she looked at the much bigger part of the tree on Pepa's side, "To most your Tia Mirabel. But...."

Cas set Mirabel down and kneeled down to look at her, "Listen. I'm telling you so you understand were more than just best friends. I'm family. More importantly, I'm family that will always be here....even if I'm not here right now."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

.....

The next day, tiny Cas was back.

Tiny Cas and Mirabel were outside climbing a tree when Mirabel asked, "If I'm your Abuela does that make me the boss of you?"

Cas slipped a little and looked at Mirabel, "Huh?"

"Doesn't it?" Mirabel asked confidently.

"No, cause I'm older than you right now!" Cas argued.

"No fair!" Mirabel shot back.

They argued about this for the rest of the day and this argument would continue till Casandra was actually born 53 years later.

Future Madrigal Family Tree- https://www.familyecho.com/?p=START&c=gyrraxhf2o&f=699499777643524871