Chapter Text
Dolores Madrigal was not the best at keeping secrets.
It’s especially hard when you can hear literally everything that goes on with everyone.
When she had gotten her gift, it was very overwhelming when everyone erupted into cheers. It was like a tsunami of sound waves hit her all at once, filling her ears with endless noise. Not to mention the fireworks. Oh, how Dolores loathed fireworks. They were pretty, but they were too loud. Everything was too loud now, whispers could be heard from a different room., and she barely spoke above a whisper herself.
Not only that, but now she could hear some awful things that were never meant to be heard. Plans of murders, robberies. The malicious whispers of the people in town who hated her Tío Bruno’s gift, who hated her gift because they knew she was always listening, who didn’t like her Mama’s gift because the weather went wonky the second she got sad or upset. Those ones were the worst, because no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t block them out. She had to listen to how people hated her family just because of their miracle.
But it wasn’t all bad. She was better able to hear those in need of help. Like if they were too hurt to travel the distance to her Tía Julieta’s stall, she could hear them yelling for help.
Or if you had an uncle that was hiding in the walls.
Dolores had first heard him late one night, she had come out of her room for some water, unable to sleep after Mirabel’s ceremony earlier and the desperate search for her Tío Bruno that followed.
It was nice to be up in the late hours of the night because the whole village was asleep. No loud children to strain her ears, just the buzzing sounds of the wildlife in the surrounding mountains.
Until tonight, that is.
It wasn’t all that startling when she ran into a family member in the kitchen. Sure it didn’t happen often, but it wasn’t exactly unusual. Sometimes, people just couldn’t sleep. But, Dolores almost thought she was imagining things when she heard the soft mutterings of her uncle’s voice. No one had found him so he couldn’t have been in his room, and she was certain she hadn’t heard him reenter the house, let alone come into the kitchen, so…
Then she heard it again, a bit louder this time, and she could now tell his voice was coming from behind the family tree mural on the wall.
“A bit of a tight squeeze, but I’ll have to make do..” She heard his soft whispers. Dolores moved over to the wall, almost like it held her in a trance. Slowly, she reached out and knocked on it once, twice. She could hear him startle, hitting his head on something. “Mierda-!” He swore, before peeking through the crack in the wall. “What the- Dolores?”
“Tío Bruno?! What are you doing behind the wall?! Everyone’s looking for you!” She whispered, standing on her tiptoes to attempt to see through the crack.
“Shh, I, uh. I need to go away for a bit. I just- I can’t stay, okay? Not right now.”
“Why? Does it have to do with the vision you had? I know Abuela asked you for one, but I never heard you say anything about it—” She was interrupted by Bruno shushing her again.
“I can’t tell you what I saw, I can’t tell anyone. Just, please, Dol, go back to bed and try to forget you ever heard me.”
“But-”
“Please.” Dolores wasn’t usually this stubborn, but she seemed oddly determined to get him to come out. However, despite this, she nodded and retreated back to her room. He’d come out if she just told the rest of the family, he’d have no choice. It was then that the eleven year old resolved to tell everyone else at breakfast the next morning.
Things didn’t go according to plan.
When the family had sat down for breakfast, they immediately broke into a few quiet conversations between different people. Dolores didn’t really mind, it was fine. All she had to do was speak a bit louder than normal.
That was easier said than done, the first time she tried no sound had come out at all. She was quick to shove a bite of food in her mouth so it didn’t look like she opened her mouth for nothing.
The second time she managed a small whisper, barely audible if you weren’t listening.
“Tío Bruno’s hiding in the walls…” She shut her mouth again. Why was it so difficult to just speak loudly? She sat there the rest of breakfast, absentmindedly eating her food as she tried to will herself to speak up. By the time she was going to say something, breakfast was over and it was time to do their chores.
Dolores was very scatterbrained. She could hear people calling for her, but it was like her brain wouldn’t register what they were saying. She was so focused on Bruno’s hiding place that she nearly tripped over little Luisa.
“Oh-! Lo siento, Luisa, I wasn’t paying attention.” She helped the nine year old up off the ground. “Just have a lot on my mind.”
“Like what?” Luisa asked with an innocence only a child could have.
“Well, it’s about Tí—” Dolores got cut off by one of the villagers.
“Luisa, could you come help me move this piano?”
“On it!” Luisa called, before turning back to Dolores “Sorry, cuz. Gotta go help, you can tell me later!” Dolores just nodded. The rest of the day went by fairly slowly, and by the time dinner had started she could barely hold it in anymore.
“Tío Bruno’s hiding in the walls!” She managed, though what she said was lost in the drabble of conversation.
“Lo siento, Dolly, but I didn’t catch that.” Pepa turned to her daughter “What did you want to say?” All eyes were on her now, the table had fallen unusually quiet. Dolores took a breath. Here it is, the moment Tío Bruno’s hiding spot would be revealed, but then she heard it.
“Please, Dolores, don’t. I can’t- I can’t let them know I’m here. Just please don’t tell them.” He whispered, his forehead pressed against the wall. “Please…” He sounded so… scared. So utterly terrified at the thought of being discovered. And Dolores? Dolores wouldn’t dare do that to her Tío.
It took a moment for her to register her Mama’s hand waving in front of her face.
“Mija, are you alright?”
“Huh? O-oh! Yeah, just… uh, listening. That’s all.”
“What did you hear that made you zone out like that?” Camilo piped up from his spot on the other side of Pepa. Dolores didn’t have to wait long for an excuse.
“Oh, Mariano Guzmán from the village was just playing his guitar. It’s really nice to listen to.” That wasn’t a lie, he really was playing his guitar, and it was really nice to listen to.
“He is a very nice boy. Now, what were you saying before, mija?” Dolores shrugged.
“I forgot. It probably wasn’t important, anyway.” That seemed to be a good enough answer for the family, as they quickly returned to their previous conversations. Dolores didn’t miss Bruno’s whispered gracias when she covered for him.
No, Dolores Madrigal was not the best at keeping secrets, but she would keep this one.