Your wish is my command, @sophiasi1172 !!!
Sequel to this.
Word Count: Around 1700.
*****
A full week had passed since Mirabel's disastrous Gift ceremony, and the energy in Casita was still… unusual.
A dark cloud hung heavy over the entire town, but no one was sure whether it was Pepa's worry for the Miracle or Bruno's disappearance that conjured it.
Perhaps both. All anyone knew was she and Julieta spent much of their days hunting high and low for their missing brother, hopes growing dimmer with each passing day.
Alma spent her time hiding in her room, clutching the candle for dear life, and on the rare occasion she ventured out, barking orders at anyone who was around.
The kids all felt terrible, no one knowing what to say when all the adults in their lives were in such distress.
But no one felt worse than poor Mirabel, who was seldom seen these days. She'd been refusing to sleep in her own bed all week, spending both her days and nights holed away in the safety of her parents' bedroom.
But life did eventually have to move on, and Agustín was willing to put on a brave face if it meant getting his daughters to smile again.
He had just checked on Luisa in bed, watching for a moment as her chest rose and fell in gentle breaths. With a kiss to her forehead, he pulled the blankets higher under her chin, taking extra care to make sure her large collection of stuffed animals were all tucked in comfortably beside her.
Mirabel, he knew, would be in bed beside Julieta when he eventually retired for the night… whether or not she slept would be another story.
That left Isabela, who wasn't in her room when Agustín passed by, despite the late hour. He hummed under his breath. The entire house was quiet, everyone else safely nestled into their beds, so he wasn't sure where his eldest had ended up.
He wandered throughout the house, making sure all the candles were blown out, and nothing was amiss before he prepared himself for bed. Just as he walked into the kitchen, he saw her.
Isabela was seated at the table, her long hair falling down in a curtain in front of her face. She looked like she may have been crying at one point, although her face was now dry.
"Isa?"
Isabela looked up at him as he stood in the doorway.
"Oh. Hi, Papi," She said. "I'm okay!"
Agustín tutted. "Are you?" He walked over to her and laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Perfect."
Agustín hated that word. Everyone had used that word to describe his daughter since the moment she was born. Sure, she was perfect in his eyes, but it wasn't the same coming from someone else. Not when it came riddled with expectations.
"You don't have to be okay," Agustín said with a squeeze to her shoulder. "But I know what'll make you feel better."
"Your famous hot chocolate?"
"Precisely," Agustín may not have been a gourmet in the kitchen, but he made a damn good hot chocolate, if he did say so himself.
(Possibly even better than Julieta's, although he'd never tell her so.)
He made his way over to the stove and prepared the treat, while Isabela sat quietly at the table, tracing shapes on the wooden surface with her finger.
For a time, the only noises that were heard were the sounds of Agustín moving throughout the kitchen. The stirring of a pot, opening of the ice box, a curse or two when he burned his hand. ("Don't repeat that.")
"Papi?" Isabela's soft voice cut through the quiet of the room.
"Hmm?"
"Is Mirabel… gonna be alright?"
Agustín sighed. He knew the stress was hard on everyone these days, but he hated that it was affecting the kids. Poor Dolores had barely spoken a word in days, Mirabel was rarely seen without tear stains, and even Camilo's smile didn't quite reach his eyes as it usually did.
"She will, Amor," Agustín assured his daughter, ladling out two mugs of the sweet drink. "It might take time, but she will."
He brought the cups over to the table and set them down. Isabela immediately pulled one toward herself, wrapping her small hands around it.
"Hang on," Agustín said. "You forgot the best part." He rooted through the cabinet for a moment, until he found what he was looking for.
"Marshmallows," Isabela said, a small smile on her lips.
It may have been a small smile, but Agustín was glad to see it nonetheless.
"I know they're your favorite," Agustín said, scooping a handful into her mug, before plopping a few into his own. "Salut."
They clinked their mugs together, and sat in silence for awhile.
"It's okay to be upset, Isa," Agustín said, blowing on his drink before taking a tentative sip.
"I'm not upset," She insisted, picking a marshmallow out and eating it.
"Okay," Agustín said, not believing her for a second. "But it's okay if you are. There have been a lot of changes around here lately."
"Papi, if you don't mind, I don't really wanna talk about this right now."
Agustín nodded, respecting her wishes.
Isabela took a few sips of her drink, and Agustín smiled when she put her cup down, a hot chocolate mustache on her lip. Despite the front she put on, she was still a silly kid deep down.
"Ay, your mustache rivals mine!" Agustín said, running a finger across his lip with a smirk.
Isabela touched her lip, her cheeks burning a soft pink. "Papi, please."
Agustín smiled, handing her a napkin.
"So, I overheard you girls the other night," He said, dropping a few extra marshmallows into each of their cups. "When you had that sleepover."
"You were snooping."
"I would never," Agustín threw a hand over his heart, an offended look on his face. "I simply had to use the facilities, and happened to pass your room on the way."
"Mhm," Isabela didn't look convinced. "What did you hear, exactly?"
"Oh… nothing much," Agustín peered at her over the rim of his mug. "Just something about you kissing boys."
Isabela spat a mouthful of hot chocolate out, coughing for a moment before composing herself.
Agustín chuckled, handing her another napkin. "So, the rumors are true."
"Papiiii," She whined. "That's so embarrassing!"
"I know, my little girl? Kissing already?" Agustín shuddered. "That means I'm getting old."
"You are old," Isabela said with a smirk.
"Got me there."
A beat.
"So who was it?"
"Papi, I'm not going to tell you that!"
"Why not? Is he your boyfriend?" Agustín wiggled his eyebrows at her, delighting in the embarrassed look on her face.
"N… no," Isabela said. "He's not my boyfriend."
"Why not?"
"He's gross."
"Then why did you kiss him?"
"I didn't know he was gross until I kissed him," She said. "But he is."
"How so?" Agustín furrowed his brow. "Did he try something?"
He felt a paternal sense of anger swell in his chest. She was only eleven, he'd hoped to put off this conversation for a few years, but he was well aware how people already looked at her… even those who definitely shouldn't. If he had done anything to hurt or make her uncomfortable he wou-
"Papi."
"He's a dead man," Agustín said, lowering his mug, the ceramic clinking against the table. "Tell me his name."
"Papi, no," Isabela insisted. "He just smells bad. It's okay!"
"Hmm," Agustín wasn't swayed. "Well, who does he think he is, kissing my baby without a proper bath?"
He was teasing, but he also couldn't rid himself of the feeling of dread. His girls were growing up right in front of him, and all he wanted was to shield them from the world.
"Well, if he tries any funny business, let me know." Agustín said, draining his cup. "Your papa will not stand for any funny business." He jabbed a finger into the air to prove his point.
"You've got it," Isabela said, draining her own. "But also, I'm not going to do that."
"It won't be needed anyway," Agustín said. "Since you won't be kissing anyone else until you're thirty."
"Papi!"
"I'm serious!" He said, standing to move their cups into the sink. "The only boy who is allowed to kiss you is me."
To accentuate his point, he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Got that?"
"Got it." Isabela giggled, before letting out a yawn.
"It's well past your bedtime," Agustín said, reaching out a hand. "Why don't we get you upstairs?"
"I can't believe I still have a bedtime," Isabela pouted, but took his hand. "Dolores doesn't."
"Dolores has never stayed up past nine o'clock in her life," Agustín reminded her. "You, little lady, would stay awake until dawn if we let you."
Isabela huffed, but allowed her father to lead her to her room.
Agustín sneezed upon entering, the flowers aggravating his never-ending list of allergies, but ignored it as he helped Isabela into bed.
"Goodnight, you," Agustín pulled the covers up over her shoulders, planting another kiss on her head. "Stop growing up so fast."
"Papi, I can't…" Isabela yawned again. "Can't help it."
Agustín sighed. "I know, Amor. I know."
"G'night," Isabela muttered, before rolling onto her side and quickly falling asleep.
Agustín patted her shoulder, before quietly edging out of the room, impressing himself by only tripping over one flower pot in the process.
He stretched and let out a yawn of his own as he made his way to his bedroom. He pushed the door open to find Mirabel snuggled comfortably in Julieta's arms, sound asleep.
"I was wondering when you might join us," Julieta said, scooching over on the bed to make room for him to sit.
"Isabela needed me," Agustín said, toeing off his shoes, and laying beside her.
"Is she alright?" Julieta's eyebrows knitted together in concern.
"She's fine," Agustín assured her. "I made her some hot chocolate."
"With marshmallows?"
"As if there's any other way to drink hot chocolate," He scoffed. He gently took Mirabel from her. "They're getting so old, you know."
"I know," Julieta turned to her side to play with Mirabel's curls. "Our big girls."
"Can't they still be babies, for a little while?"
Mirabel sighed in her sleep, nestling deeper into her father's embrace.
"Yeah," Julieta said, nuzzling into her pillow, her eyes falling shut. "Maybe for a little while."
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You know what would be interesting. If Mirabel had gotten a gift. To turn invisible and things invisible. I can see Alma still being distant since it’s not something that can really help the community but it’d give her a good reason to want to stand out more
@valencethefriendlychangeling, thank you so much for giving me this idea for this AU. Since it’ll be slightly similar to my Half Dead Mirabel AU, I'll call this AU Invisible Gift AU.
• The beginning of this journey started just like her siblings/cousin.
• Every five-year-old Madrigal would receive a gift and a blessing from the Miracle.
• On her birthday, five-year-old Mirabel would receive a gift.
• A gift rather unique, but still a gift nevertheless.
• After touching the candle, Mirabel touches her door with delight.
• The candle glowed brighter than usual, but Mirabel had received her gift.
• At first glance, no one could see the door, not even Alma, who was near it. But Mirabel can see it.
• Once she touches the doorknob again, the door appears with a much older version of her.
• “We have a new gift!” Alma exclaims, even though she hasn’t fully understood what it means.
• To Mirabel, though, it was something that she’ll know she needed in the future.
~~~~~~
• A whole year since her ceremony, Mirabel Madrigal’s gift was both a blessing and a curse.
• Some might call it a blessing because it can entertain children whenever Mirabel can make objects disappear.
• A curse to most because it would annoy the adults and not get the help they actually need.
• Although it was troublesome to mostly everyone, Mirabel never lost sight of her gift.
• Upon discovering her newfound gift, she can turn herself to disappear. (For good and bad occasions.)
• For example, her Abuela was scolding her for something she didn’t do; in reality, it was Camilo, and she disappeared.
• It took the family nearly four hours before Dolores could hear her crying by the river.
• Since then, whenever Mirabel gets upset or annoyed, she would purposely make herself invisible.
• No matter how many times her parents or Abuela told her to stop, she just wants to be alone.
• In the end, it gains a benefit from having her gift, but even so, all Mirabel wants to do is rest.
• Nothing more, nothing less, right?
And that’s it for part 1 of this AU. I can’t wait to write more ideas on it. And thank you @valencethefriendlychangeling for suggesting this.
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