Chapter Text
Rinse with water. Scrub with soap. Rinse with water a second time. Hand over plate to the outsider next to her for drying.
Besides the final part, it was the normal, tiring routine Mirabel Madrigal was used to when she was on dishwashing duty after family dinner. She of course loved helping around the house, but if asked she’d probably say that cleaning the dishes were her least favorite chore in a heartbeat (maybe two if Abuela was around). The chore’s saving grace was that time flew when accompanied by a stack of dirty dishes, the trance-inducing act of watering plates with soap normally hypnotizing enough that she’d be done before she even realized. Normally .
However, her dishwashing partner wasn’t Luisa, Isabela, Camilo or Dolores. It was an outsider , and though Mirabel only vaguely recalled a few of the outsiders she had met growing up, as Encanto the furthest thing from being a tourist attraction, she was certain he was unlike any she’d seen before.
Having finished one rinse-scrub cycle, Mirabel handed the wet dish over to her partner without glancing over towards him. She rolled her eyes when the dish never left her hands. “Sora?” she said, voice slightly dipped in annoyance.
Sora started, breaking from the point in space he’d affixed his sight to for the millionth time in the past ten minutes. He flashed a sheepish smile before apologizing and grabbing the dish from Mirabel’s hand. Mirabel watched as the boy, certainly somewhere around her age, dried the dish with a rag before stowing it away, almost daring him to lose focus again. It gave her the chance to look him over again.
She had to admit, he was cute, but he couldn’t have been lying when he said that he wasn’t from Encanto nor Colombia. His hair was spiky unlike the curly, kinky, or straight hair most people in Encanto had. His eyes were an azure blue that reminded her of the river the Madrigals had found him nearly drowning in. And what stood out the most were his clothes, they were unlike any she had seen before, certainly not Columbian in make. A black hoodie and black shorts topped in a strange mix of yellow belts and yellow, gray and white colors. Not to mention his shoes. They were so big! What was he, a payaso?
Sora had offered to help her wash the dishes, so Mirabel bit back her giggles knowing it’d be rude. Actually, Sora had been insistent on helping Mirabel wash the dishes in exchange for all the help the Madrigals had offered him.
It’d been one of the villagers who’d spotted him, half-submerged under a river crossing through the village, and when he’d awoken, he’d told them he wasn’t from there and that he was lost. He recalled a story about sailing around with his friends before falling off a boat which’d explain why he had suddenly washed ashore. Abuela hadn’t believed the story though.
Mirabel shrugged at the tale however. The boy couldn’t have been any older than her! How much did a 15-year old boy have to hide?
Regardless of anyone's thoughts on his tale, on Mami’s suggestion — and adamance when Abuela seemed wary of the idea — they invited Sora to eat dinner in Casita, promising him food and shelter until his friends arrived.
Mirabel coughed as Sora paused the dishwashing again, but the boy was far too lost in a deep trance as he stared around the house in awe that he hadn’t heard her. The shining wonder in his eyes made Mirabel’s heart leap for a second, and she had to stop herself from staring lest no work be completed tonight by either of them.
“Casita,” she said, her own eyes shimmering with mirth. “Can you get his attention for me?”
Tiles flipped in response (Casita’s way of nodding), and the ground beneath Sora lurched. The flooring grew, resembling a mountaintop moments away from eruption and Sora gasped until the tiling fell back to normal and calmed. It looked like any normal floor would again and Sora scanned it with bridling excitement. That grin of his spread from his lips to his eyes.
“This house really is alive isn’t it!?” Sora shouted, talking to Mirabel directly for the first time since he had gotten here. “I thought my mind was just playing tricks during dinner.”
“It is alive, and this house has a name. It’s Casita .” Mirabel smirked. She always loved people’s reactions to Casita’s sentience.
“It’s nice to meet you Casita, I’m Sora!” Sora waved awkwardly. First he directed the wave at the door, then glanced around and began waving at the doors, sink, floors, and ceiling. “Donald and Goofy are never gonna believe this.”
“Donald and Goofy?”
“My friends!” Sora blurted. “Anyway, that food was amazing, I’ll have to thank the cook!”
The way he hastily changed the subject wasn’t lost on Mirabel, but she shrugged and replied, “That was my Mami’s cooking, I can take you to her so you can thank her later. She loves when people compliment her cooking.”
Sora’s stomach roared and he laughed with a scratch on his cheek. “Think she’ll let me have another one of those… agrape uhs?”
“Arepa . It’s called an arepa con queso ” Mirabel corrected. She giggled, almost shocked that someone didn’t know what that heavenly delicacy was. “You really aren’t from around here aren’t you?”
He shook his head. “That arepa was great! I was feeling a bit woozy after waking up, but I feel completely better now!”
“That’s thanks to my Mami’s Gift!” Mirabel’s voice teemed with pride. “Her cooking can heal you of any injuries you have.”
Sora’s mouth hung agape. “Your mom can do magic?”
“Magic is one way to describe it, but my family calls it a Gift, and every member in my family has a different one.” Sora’s eyes flashed in awe, and Mirabel couldn’t help but explain. She did love explaining her family’s Gifts anyway, though she’d spare him of the song for now.
Each description of a family member’s Gift elicited an ‘aww’ or ‘ooo’ from Sora, and Mirabel found herself pausing just so she could allow each one to finish uninterrupted. If there was anything she loved more when explaining her family’s abilities, it was when she did so in front of a good crowd.
“And what’s your Gift?” Sora bounced on the balls of his feet in anticipation.
“I… um,” Mirabel stammered. She curled a strand of her hair, her cheeks dusting over a faint crimson. “I didn’t get a Gift.”
“Oh…” Sora slowly said, and for some reason Mirabel’s heart sank as that enthusiasm drained from his body as though it’d been sucked out. Just an awkward glance at her was left. She tried to ignore it. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to- I mean I shouldn’t have.” He began running through half sentences so fast that she could hardly track of what he was apologizing for.
“No, it’s fine, honestly!” Maybe a month ago, before Casita had crumbled to ruin around her, she would’ve quickly changed the conversation and avoided admitting that truth, but she was growing — or at least trying to grow from that experience. There was nothing to be ashamed of, though it still did feel weird to admit, especially when she’d describe each of her relatives’ powers with such enthusiasm and depth.
The crunches and creaks of tio Bruno’s rats crawling within the walls of Casita were the only thing breaking the awkward silence that’d fallen over the kitchen. She glanced at the floors and back to Sora, observing that guilty look of his. It didn’t suit him. Mirabel had only known him for a few hours, but that felt like a truth to her.
“Wanna see something cool?” She smirked as Sora nodded with growing excitement. “Casita, dance for us!”
The floor rumbled, rising and roiling like a rolling wave that swept Sora and Mirabel off their feet, forcing them to follow the current they’d been entrapped by. It began slow, circling the kitchen as a gentle bobbing current, before roaring to life. A gentle stream of floor tiling became a roaring rapid and then a torrential tsunami that shook the entire kitchen.
Mirabel watched Sora all the while, taking in how the sudden gusts tossed his spikes askews and made his lips spread into an infectious, toothy grin that she matched wholeheartedly. Was it the sudden surge of adrenaline rushing through her blood or the visitor in her midst that made her pose like a surf boarder riding a wave? She wasn’t sure but it elicited a laugh out of them both.
When the tsunami petered to a stop, dropping the two back to their original position next to the sink, Mirabel nearly toppled over. There must’ve been stars circling her from how fast the room spun around her. She fell into Sora’s arms, his firm grip keeping her still. Her brown eyes met his blue for a few seconds before they both erupted into a bellowing laughter that threatened to send them both crashing into the ground.
Mirabel wasn’t sure how long he held her in place. Thirty seconds? A minute? Ten? She’d reflect on it in the morning, cheeks flushed a violent pink at being held so tightly by a boy her age, but the overwhelming fun is what delayed that flustering. Finally, Sora helped her onto her feet and she raised a brow to him expectantly. Her lips tugged to a smirk.
“That was amazing!” he shouted. “Let’s do it again!”
The tiles rose again, but fell back to Earth when Mirabel raised a hasty hand. “After we finish washing the dishes. Abuela will kill me if we don’t finish by the time she gets back.” Mirabel adjusted her glasses that’d fallen askew from the joyride and grimaced as the pile of dishes still left came into crispy clear view. “And you better not zone out again or I’ll tell Casita not to.” It was a joke, at least half a joke, but Sora stood like a soldier hailing his commanding officer.
“Yes ma’am!”
Mirabel would’ve giggled, but something else caught her attention and made her shriek.
There was a creature of obsidian crawling and curling behind Sora. It was small and humanoid, but almost seemed to be coated — no — made of dark shadow. The robotic tilting of it’s head, spastically glancing from one place to another with it’s beady yellow eyes, made Mirabel’s skin crawl. She nearly let out another shriek when she looked at it’s claws.
Sora had whipped around so fast Mirabel was certain he’d get whiplash. Back to her, he took a protective stance in front of her, and she felt her heart leap as a flash of light from his hands nearly blinded her, filling the room with a radiant, comforting ray of white.
Where there’d not been before, now stood something foreign to Mirabel’s eyes in Sora’s grasp. He tightly gripped the hilt of a gray steel rod more than half her height which ended in what looked like a crown-shaped key. The chain ending in some strange three-circled emblem connected to the end of the hilt jingled as he held the sword towards the monster.
He moved fast, Mirabel’s hair blowing from the gust of wind picked up by his speed, and he lashed out with that blade — it looked like one and he held it as though it were, so Mirabel found her calling it one. The creature of shadow narrowly avoided the swipe of steel as it jumped and weaved through the air like a kite before landing between the two. Mirabel felt her stomach lurch as it’s beady eyes landed on her.
It crawled her way, and in panic, Mirabel grabbed the nearest thing next to her, a plate she rinsed earlier. She chucked it at the creature of shadow and it shattered upon impact, seemingly effective as the creature paused it’s hunt and staggered in confusion.
There was another lunge from Sora and his blade, this time the blow making its mark, and the creature stumbled into the kitchen wall. Sora dashed forward, but the creature of shadow began to melt into a pool of obsidian. It’s amorphous body swam away, finding retreat within the cracks lining Casita’s walls. Cracks she had not seen until this moment.
Heart pounding in her chest and the danger seemingly gone, Mirabel darted to where it vanished and she slid her finger over the crack. ¡ Dios mio! I thought we fixed the issue with the cracks?!
“Gaway from there, the Heartless might —“ Sora’s words were cut off from a cry that rang from outside the doorway.
“Mirabel, is everything okay?!” came Mami’s shout as she rushed into the kitchen. Her face was wrought with worry nearing dread and her face a ghostly white. Mirabel recognized the two other figures that flanked the doorway from behind her. Abuela and Dolores. All shared the same concern across their visages.
Mirabel glanced at the outsider. That steel key blade was gone, as though it never existed. Why he was slightly shaking his head with almost a beggar’s pursing of his lips and wide eyes was something she couldn’t tell. “I um… I uh…” Mirabel stammered over words. She’d trust her gut instinct to remain silent on what just happened. He had protected her, or at least tried to, so she’d follow her gut for now , but that cute look of his could only help him so much, and that didn’t mean she could muster a good lie.
“Sorry! I accidently dropped one of the plates!” Sora blurted. His hands scrambled in the air foolishly as he neared the shattered pieces of china on the floor.
“No, don't touch that with your bare hands! You’ll end up cutting your hands without gloves.” Mami rushed over and gently barred Sora’s hands from the plate shards.
“Mirabel,” Abuela’s stern voice made Mirabel want to fade into the shadows like that monster had just done so. “Is everything okay?” Abuela wouldn’t trust a word Sora said, but Mirabel wasn’t sure if the outsider had even picked up on that.
Mirabel dared a sidelong glance at the crack in the wall she’d coincidentally stood in front of when her family members had joined them and she blinked. It’s gone?!
She turned back to Abuela, mouth dry and face coated in sweat, whether it was from her fear of that creature or Abuela’s stern gaze she didn’t know. “Sora accidently dropped the plate. I was so focused on washing dishes that the sudden sound of it hitting the ground and cracking made me scream, sorry.” She cast a look at Sora, and he flashed a look of gratitude, before she turned back to Abuela, her Mami, and Dolores.
Dolores met her gaze knowingly, and Mirabel felt like life had been drained from her body. She knew!
Abuela waited a moment before her frown straightened and she turned her glare onto Sora again. “Muchacho , you’re a guest in this house, it’s a poor show of manners to be breaking the dishes of the hosts who fed you. Make sure it doesn’t happen again!”
“Mama, it was just a mistake, I know he didn’t mean it.” Mami said, her voice on edge but a gentler tone compared to Abuela’s. “I’m just glad that nothing happened. I’ll help you clean up this mess.”
“No, it’s my mess, I'll clean it up Mrs. Madrigal.”
“That’s Senora Madrigal to you,” Mami corrected, though a smile graced her lips. “ Gracias . Casita can you give him some gloves?”
A pair of gloves shot out of the cabinet underneath the sink and landed in Sora’s hand. Mirabel was sure his face would’ve brightened at that had they not been in such a tense situation.
“¿Pilas?” Mami begged concerned. That was the warning she’d give Mirabel’s father before he’d get stung by bees. She pointed a narrowed look at Mirabel with a sidelong glance at Sora that told her to watch him. Mirabel nodded. Mami walked out of the doorway, having to stubbornly nod to Abuela to get her to leave as well.
Dolores lingered behind, and Mirabel met her gaze nervously. A staring contest ensued. Both wide-eyed, and Sora looked back and forth between the two, clueless to Mirabel’s anxiety. She stood on her toes and raised herself higher as her eyes only opened wider like a cat trying to scare off an enemy. She silently pleaded as her cousin stared back, unblinking.
After what felt like ages, her older cousin blinked and left. No sounds made. No squeak. Mirabel’s shoulders dropped as though a weight had been lifted from them. She nearly collapsed had she not heard Sora speak.
“So there’s Heartless in this World too, huh?” he questioned idly, brows shoved towards each other furtively.
“Heartless? You said that earlier.” Mirabel rounded on him, brandishing a finger at him and then the wall where that “Heartless” had retreated into. “What was that thing?”
Sora stammered. “I don’t know!” A lie. Mirabel could tell an obvious one when she saw it. At least Luisa’s eye twitch could remain unseen to some, Sora’s face contorted into an awfully awkward mush of a face. She would’ve laughed, but she didn’t find anything funny about a monster lurking in her house.
“Tell me or I’ll tell Abuela about what happened,” Mirabel said. Not a promise, but a threat. She felt bad, but she wouldn’t have him lying about something that could hurt her family.
“Okay, okay! But you have to promise not to tell anyone else!”
She placed a sassy hand on her hip. “Explain first. Promises later.”
Sora’s body dropped with a heavy sigh, but he began. A tale. A tale of Worlds and adventure. A tale of Hearts and Heartless. A tale of the struggle between Light and Darkness. A tale of guardians of Light wielding Keyblades and magic against that Darkness. A tale of saving the World — or Worlds— and preserving world order. It sounded cheesy, like something out of an old fabula she’d tell Antonio before bedtime. Mirabel found the story insane, or she would’ve had she not witnessed one of the creatures Sora had mentioned just minutes beforehand.
As for the actual story of how he’d ended up in Encanto. Sora had said that he and his friends Donald and Goofy had been traveling in their spaceship — Mirabel’s head spun at that — from world to world investigating Heartless when Sora had accidently pushed an ejection button and been sucked into space. The boy assumed he had crash landed on another world, something which he casually told Mirabel had happened to him before, and the next thing he knew, he was found half-drowned in the village stream.
“So you’re telling me you’re an alien?” she let out a chuckle of disbelief. “I told Isabela that aliens were real… I didn’t expect to meet one.”
“Well I’m a human, just like you, and Donald told me something about all the Worlds being connected together before, but…” Sora began before he jolted. “Wait, you believe me!?”
“Do I have a choice?! You summoned a… Keyblade out of nowhere, and I saw that crazy monster thing.” She almost chuckled at the craziness of the past twenty minutes.
“Do you promise not to tell anyone about what you saw?”
Mirabel paused, biting her lips as she debated her options. Tell Abuela that the boy was an alien — or alien-adjacent — and get him kicked out of Encanto and force him to fend for himself or keep the secret. She didn’t have any other option, besides he did attempt to keep her safe, and she was grateful. She side-eyed where the cracks had been. Did she really want to send the household into panic at the mere notion that Casita was in danger again?
“Promise.”
“Thank you so-“
“But!” Mirabel sharply added. “I’m going to help you find that Heartless thing. I don’t think I’ll be able to get a good night’s rest until I know for a fact it’s gone.”
Sora’s mouth hung agape and he protested the idea. “No way, it’s too dangerous.”
“Please, I can handle myself.” Mirabel placed a hand on her hip as though to prove her confidence, and suddenly, her glasses slipped from the bridge of her nose due to the sweat that built up. She cursed her luck.
She reached for her glasses, but grazed Sora's knuckles as he beat her to the punch. He handed them back to her and she thanked him.
“Alright, fine , you can help, but stay behind me.” The Keyblade flashed into his hand again, bathing them in a warm radiant glow again. “Let’s go find that Heartless.”
“We can find that Heartless as soon as we finish washing the dishes,” Mirabel replied pointedly, gesturing towards the dishes. Was the Heartless scarier than an angry Abuela? She took the gloves from Sora’s hands, thanking him for taking the blame and began picking up the fragments on the floor below. Sora’s shoulders slumped as he lazily made his weapon dissipate and walked to the pile of dishes awaiting to be cleaned.
Mirabel’s thoughts swam in a muddled pool of confusion as she gently placed plate fragments into a pile to be tossed away. Worlds? Heartless? Darkness? What on Encanto had this boy just dragged her in? She sighed. She was glad he was cute. That was at least something to be grateful about.