Chapter Text
It had been just a few hours after Mirabel’s ceremony. He remembers how happy and excited she and the rest of their family was. Someone always throwing a guess as to what Mirabel’s might future gift be. But Bruno kept to himself. Kept his distance from his family, which was already fairly easy. His sister, Pepa, practically hated his guts. Not only did he ruin her wedding years before, but just a while ago, he gave his niece, her daughter Dolores, a vision. A vision she asked for. When he told her what he saw, he could see her little heart break right before his very eyes. He tried running after her when she tried to find her mamá but he felt like he only made their situation worse.
‘How could you, Bruno?! She’s only eleven, she doesn’t need to hear that her future love is gonna be with someone else!’
Pepa’s shouting was still fresh in Bruno’s mind, despite their argument being weeks ago.
The Prophet sighed as he sulked around the upper level of their home. Everyone was already asleep, probably hoping and wishing that when they all wake up the next morning, everything will go back to normal. That hopefully this was all a bad dream.
Because their youngest grandchild wasn’t given a gift.
Bruno flinches at the simple memory and thought about how the villagers were quick to point fingers at Bruno, for not seeing Mirabel’s future. How that if he truly cared for his family, he would’ve been able to see her future, if she was able to receive her gift.
“Ah..” Bruno was brought back to reality when he felt something brush against his bare ankle. A rat. He watched it scurry up a wall, pushing past a painting. It hung like a usual painting, a nail keeping it up at the very top. The swung a bit awkwardly before it slowed itself down.
‘I thought tell someone.’ Bruno thinks to himself. Rats bring infestation, or so says his mother and sister.. ‘but how would they eat?’ Bruno always felt akin with rats, or maybe just most vermin in general. Because he too knew what it felt like, being judged or hated on by something you could never control.
“Bruno.”
The prophet gasped, whipping his head around as he faced his mother. He chuckled awkwardly. “Mamá, I didn’t-“
“Mi hijo, I need you to come with me. Please, it’s urgent.”
The way that Alma spoke got Bruno nervous. She tried to appear serious, attempting to speak in a monotone. But her voice was shaky. She was scared.
He flexed his fingers, swallowing down whatever salvia in his mouth, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“Sí mamá..”
•••
Bruno quietly closed the door to his room, his heart pounding away in his chest, quickly flinging his hand around to shake off any sweat.
He needed to leave. He needed to go, be anywhere but here. In Casita, in the Encanto.
He pulled on his hood, letting out a shaky breath. He turned to the staircase closest to his hellscape of a room, right next to Luisa’s room but before he could walk down, his thoughts got the better of him once again.
Where exactly was he supposed to go? The mountains were too damn tall to climb, he doesn’t even think he would be able to climb them.
Would his family even blame him for the vision? Oh, who is he kidding, they’d absolutely despise him. They’d blame him for not seeing something positive, but he claims to seeing nothing, he would get blamed for not trying hard enough.
Then he looks towards the nursery with sad eyes. Then he thinks about how they would treat her.
How the gift, the Encanto, all relies on Mirabel. Still so small to understand it all. And they’re all too small minded to understand it as well.
A small creaking sound got his attention.
On the right side of the nursery, right beside Dolores’ door, a door creaked down. But it wasn’t a door..
Bruno shook his head. He crept his way towards the painting, face scrunched up in disbelief. No, it couldn’t..
He now stood in front of the painting. He examined it some more.
There were hinges on it now, so now it swung open and closed like a door. The real kicker was the gigantic hole in the middle of the wall. It looked man made almost, and it did look like a person could fit though..
“Did you..” he looks up at Casita. Not a word. Not a single creak.
He took a deep breath in as he slowly put a leg inside.
Here goes everything.