Chapter Text
The thin wooden door flung open, as Julieta pushed through the doorway, nearly breaking the weak door off its hinges. Only for her to be shoved back out the door, nearly falling in the process, and for the door to be slammed shut. She blinked, struggling to process being pushed back so suddenly.
“ Br- Bruno is no- isn’t here right now .”
The soft, muffled, whisper of a voice snapped her out of her shocked state and she whipped her head around so fast she could hear a quiet crack. She took a moment to just stare at the door, breathing quickening as she couldn’t decide between feelings. Relief? That he was okay and here? Or anger? Because she really doesn’t have the patience for his games and avoidance after 10 years and just chasing him through the grimiest part of the house. Her brows furrowed, and with a huff she stepped closer to the door. She could just quietly hear him knocking six times again and whispering.
Hands now on her hips, she leaned close to the door and spoke with a slight venom in her voice. “ Bruno . I did not just chase you through the walls and possibly pop a hip for you to slam the door in my face! I know you’re in there.”
There was a pause. Then light knocking. Julieta groaned, arms dropping in exasperation. “I’m coming in,” she grumbled. She couldn’t help but be frustrated. She loved her brother, but after ten years of not seeing him only for him to do this, it really irked her. She was already stressed enough, couldn’t one thing go right?
“ ¡No-! ”
“Too late.” Julieta pushed on the door. It didn’t budge.
He was sitting in front of it, wasn’t he?
Her hands moved from the door to her hair, squeezing it and she felt it tug at her scalp as she really resisted the urge to scream. He was acting like a child . She turned around and forced her hands out of her hair so she wouldn’t pull anything out (or kill her scalp), and opted to slide down the door with her back against it. It was a weak door, one that seemed makeshift and poorly made. Which meant that if he moved she probably would fall backwards into the room. Not ideal, but it was all she had.
…she could still hear him knocking. Something was obviously stressing him out, and his compulsions weren’t helping him. She sighed, face softening in an expression more akin to worry rather than the anger she wore just moments ago. She wished she knew what, because it could be a number of things. She could still hear the thunder and rain, and while there was no more shouting, the crying was still all too clear. It was all muffled, but it was still all too loud. She wanted to see her brother, more than anything. Because maybe, just maybe , if she could reconnect with him everything wouldn’t feel as crushing. It would be one great good thing in a sea of only chaos and stress.
She leaned her head against the back of the door. “Are we really doing this again?” She spoke, voice noticeably lacking the frustration and anger from before. She sounded tired, but also almost light hearted. She couldn’t help but find a slight amusement in this situation (even if she had to really dig for it). It brought her back to the times of when Bruno just couldn't calm down, where nothing seemed to be working for him, and for when someone had blamed him for a vision. He’d sit inside that vision chamber, not letting anyone in. Julieta and Pepa spent so much time sitting on the other side of the massive door, talking and waiting for him to open up or simply just talk back.
There was no response from Bruno, not muttering nor knocking, so she continued. “I missed you, Bruno. A lot- we all do. Why did you come back, and- and why did you go in the walls ?” Silence was Julieta’s answer, and she brought her knees close to her chest, resting her arms and head on them. If this was going to be anything like before, she would need to get comfortable. “Apparently Mirabel got a hold of one of your visions. The one with the house cracked with her in front. It got seen by everyone in dinner and- of course I know it means something else, but-“
She quickly got shut up by the sound of what could only be described as scrambling, knocking, and muttering on the other side of the door. She leaned forward slightly, turning her head to the door to look at it as if she could see through it, only for it to swing open.
Bruno stood in the doorway, half hiding behind the crappy door, and half leaning out, hand slightly outstretched and tilted as if he was waving. Julieta didn’t even get the chance to see his awkward greeting though, and completely cut off his start of an apology, because in the blink of an eye she was off the ground and tightly holding Bruno in her arms as a hug.
And even though Julieta couldn’t see it, her eyes shut from the tears that had started piling up, Bruno didn’t move. He went limp as if a ragdoll, eyes wide and in shock. His arms hung out, unknowing of what to do with them, before his brain finally seemed to catch up with the situation: his sister was hugging him. Wide, fearful eyes finally softened, and his arms almost robotically hugged back. He couldn’t help but lean into Julieta, resting his head against her shoulder. Bruno felt like he completely forgot what a hug felt like. Thankfully, Julieta didn’t notice her brother’s behavior, because if she did it would have torn her heart in two.
Bruno almost whined when he felt Julieta release him, and he quickly slammed his arms against his side when he realized they were both still hanging out ridiculously. Julieta chuckled at her brother’s behavior, strange, but all too familiar. She wiped a tear from her eye and sniffled, finally getting over the pure joy from seeing him again. Bruno however, had a face that could only be described as unsure and anxious.
“You smell awful ,” Julieta laughed, words slipping out without thinking. Bruno didn’t find the comment as funny though, because his face was the equivalent of the look a puppy gave you after you stepped on its paw. “Sorry for the sudden hug I just-“ Julieta moved her hands in circles as she struggled to get the words out. “ Really missed you,” she finished with a delighted laugh. She watched as Bruno awkwardly smiled, but was disappointed when it didn’t last long.
“Sorry, for uh- for…” Bruno mumbled, eyes drifting from his sister to anywhere but his sister. He wanted to apologize, but there was so much to apologize for he just didn’t know what to say. A frown found its way onto Julieta’s face. She deeply felt that Bruno didn’t need to apologize for anything (aside from leaving and running from her like that). “Doing that …” Bruno continued, now mimicking her circular gestures as he struggled with his words. Suddenly he clapped his hands together, seemingly giving up and startling Julieta.
“Well! Moving on: Mirabel wasn’t supposed to see that vision. Nobody was,” Bruno explained, backing up further into the room and gesturing to said visions, lying on the table all put together. Julieta cringed as she saw the rats sitting on and around it. She heard Bruno “close” the door behind her (mostly just position it to where it looked closed. It wouldn’t fully close).
She could hear him muttering things to himself, as he walked around the rather cramped room, but her mind wasn’t on that. Her mind was on everything else in the room: a dusty armchair that was thrown out by Mamá, shelves filled with old books that looked worn down from being reread many times, a hairbrush despite the big clumps of hair around and on it, looked like it had been untouched for quite a while, piled up bowls of salt, sand, and sugar, and just about every living necessity. Julieta felt her heart plummet to her stomach as the realization dawned on her. Soft relaxed eyes grew wide and filled with nothing but worry and sorrow as her hands were brought over her mouth. She didn’t even focus on the surplex of rats littering every spot and skittering around. She couldn’t, as Julieta could only turn and look at Bruno.
“How long have you been here?” She still clung to a distant hope, that maybe, just maybe he left somewhere. That for some reason, he had decided to come back but couldn’t face the family and fled to the walls, but she wasn’t stupid. This was just Julieta desperately hoping that Bruno would say a few days at most, when she knew that wouldn’t be true.
Bruno’s eyes widened, and he laughed. It was a forced, awful laugh, one that came from a forced, awful smile. No. “Well- I- uh. I… er- It hasn’t- it wasnt-“ he struggled for an answer. One to make it not seem as bad. Julieta took a step forward and looked at him, really looked at him.
His hair was graying, which wasn’t surprising as so was her own and Pepa’s, but it was a reminder to how long he spent away, no- isolated in these walls. Black, curly hair and littered with mats and tangles, to the point Julieta would not be surprised if even the rats avoided it due how their paws would most likely get stuck and caught in the hairs. His eyes that once held so much glow and life now looked foggy and exhausted, with bags so dark under them they resembled a raccoon’s pattern. It was hard to tell the state of his body, but his clothing? Absolutely filthy, she wouldn’t be surprised if he hadn’t washed any of it those entire ten years. Due to the ruana he seemed to wear very often, it was difficult to tell, but… her eyes fell to his hands that were fiddling and gesturing. They looked boney, much more than they have ever been. He wasn’t eating enough.
He wasn’t taking care of himself.
He couldn’t take care of himself.
And he hasn’t for ten years.
“You never left.”
It slipped from Julieta’s mouth. She watched as Bruno opened his mouth, closed it, raised his finger and opened his mouth, before looking and letting his hand lower. He shrugged after a moment, raising his head with a very forced smile and running a hand through his hair while the other gestured randomly as he spoke.
“It’s fine! It’s fine. It’s- it's really not so bad here,” Bruno said, waving his hand like mad. “It’s- its, it’s…” his words fell off and he began to snap his finger, waving his arm up and down as he tried to remember what he was going to say. Before Julieta could even interrupt him, he shouted out. “It’s kitchen-adjacent!” He said, giggles sounding more desperate than cheerful. As if on cue, Julieta watched a rat skitter by her (and she may have yelped and jumped back), dragging an arepa on the floor as it ran to Bruno. The man looked delighted to see this, squatting down and letting the rat run up his hand so he could take the arepa. And eat it.
She wanted to vomit.
She couldn’t suppress the full-body shiver she got from watching Bruno eat an arepa that was dragged by a rat, across wooden boards filled with dust, dirt, and probably cobwebs.
“Okay- stop. Stop, stop ,” Julieta said, stepping closer to Bruno who only took a few steps back. He hadn't finished the food, but he continued.
“The little guys love the food,” he mumbled, now looking a little hurt. He gave the half eaten arepa to the rat that dragged it in, who started to gnaw on what was left of the food from his shoulder. “It’s fine , Julieta, it’s fine. The rats keep me company, I have telenovelas, but enough of that-“ Bruno began fanning his hands, as if physically dismissing the conversation.
Julieta looked at her brother with concern, but of course he wasn’t paying attention. Instead, he began rambling, picking up rats and picking pieces of the arepa that the rat on his shoulder was still eating and giving it to them. It would be an endearing sight honestly, if Julieta wasn’t so concerned . How often did he even get food, and how much did he save for himself because it clearly wasn’t enough!
And that wasn’t even counting everything else here… he didn’t have a bed, she was already getting chilly due to the breeze, and what about mold? Mold, and dust, and so many horrible things in here could affect his health and he’s been dealing with it for so long.
She felt sick.
Sick with worry, frustration, so many things .
And here Bruno was, just talking and playing with his rats like she wasn’t even there. Like this wasn’t cruel. Like how he had to listen to his family ignore him, and get angry whenever someone mentioned his name like it was an omen. Like putting himself through isolation wasn’t that bad, like it wasn’t damaging, but it was.
And it broke her heart, because how badly did they- did she mess up to make him believe that this was okay?
She had to tear her eyes away from her brother, too disappointed in herself and ashamed to even look at him. Her eyes instead went to a boarded up hole within the wall, with a slight sliver of light peeking through boards. She leaned closer to it, not noticing how Bruno’s rambling grew quiet. She could only focus on the view of the kitchen table, now soaked in rainwater and messy from the disaster of a dinner. She pulled back, only for her hand to brush against wood. It was a table, and looking down showed a crudely drawn plate.
It was one that matched the family plates, though some details were off, as if drawn from memory, and on the rim was written “Bruno.”