Chapter Text
It took two months to rebuild the house, and so it was 2 blessed months that Bruno did not have any visions or any of the side effects of them. It had not been an easy transition, going from 10 years in the tiny, cramped, dark walls of a magic house to being thrown into the very large world, with all the bright colors and loud noises and people.
That first 48 hours after the house had fallen had been absolute chaos. From stealing the horse, searching for Mirabel and then riding hard after her, all while having not been on a horse since he was a teenager, the very stressful and anxiety-inducing reunion, to the beginnings of clearing the rubble, so much had happened that he had barely noticed the time pass. Until it was time for dinner, the townspeople going home after helping the Madrigals set up large tents by the ruins of their home. The townspeople had offered their homes, but no one had room for all the whole family and no one was willing to split up. Not now that they were finally completely back together. The one house that did have room didn’t want Bruno in there house, regardless on if the gifts were gone. So they had opted to sleep outside. The weather was still warm, and the tents would shield them from any stray showers.
The town brought food over for them before disappearing, and the Madrigals sat together in the light from the setting sun, eating their dinner tiredly. None quite as exhausted as Bruno, who had was sitting up and swaying, an arepa in his hand still even as he struggled to keep his eyes open. He had only taken a few bites of it, but hadn’t been too hungry. He should be hungry, and he knew he should’ve been, but the anxiety had kept his stomach in knots. Julieta had coaxed him into going bed early, after gently prying the food from his hand, and he had done so convinced that he would wake up and it would have all been a dream.
Except it wasn’t a dream. He woke up (nearly 24 hours later) and found everyone was still there. He was still welcomed in the family, his sisters still hugged him and his nieces and nephews acknowledged him and spoke to him, and his mother frequently put a hand on his arm or his shoulder as if she had to assure herself that he was really there.
The following two months were not easy. Bruno may have been active within the walls, but you can only be so active in the small confines of the walls. He was very underweight, but couldn’t eat much since he had gone so long on the bare minimum of food and because his anxiety. Even if people were being mostly friendly, if a bit weary of him, being around so many people in such a big area still caused anxiety attacks bad enough to make him sick. Julieta, ever the nurturer, made it her job to care for him. She made sure he rested regularly, that he drank enough water, stayed out of the direct sunlight as much as possible, ate small amounts throughout the day so he wouldn’t shock his system. She may have spent years healing people with her food, but that didn’t mean she had never done any research on the more traditional way of curing and healing people. She became a grounding source for him very quickly, like she had been when they were younger. Pepa had always been the more emotional of the 3. She and Bruno had argued often as children, always making up a few hours later, but Bruno and Julieta had rarely ever argued. Rather, the siblings had spent many hours just enjoying each other’s company in silence.
By the end of the two months, as the house was finally coming together and the final details being put together, Bruno had also made good progress. Still a bundle of nerves, still throwing salt and knocking on wood, but less jumpy, at least around family. When it came to the townspeople, he wasn’t comfortable at all. He was still under weight, still tired easily –but not as easily-, still found the idea of going into town completely nauseating. And he relished in not having to deal with the burden of his gift.
Until of course, Mirabel put the doorknob on the house and the magic came back. The rush of energy that followed, as the house pulled everyone in with excitement. The doors were back, though they didn’t have any images on them yet, and there was an extra one, obviously for Mirabel. It only took a few minutes after the magic returned before Bruno felt the headache begin. He tried to ignore it, to brush it off as just from the sun or something. He had been in the sun more today than usual, so maybe he just hadn’t drank enough water. Maybe he was just tired. Maybe it wasn’t because his magic was back, even though he could feel the heaviness returning.
The house was full of people. There was talking and music, and for the first time in a very long time, Bruno wanted to go up to his own room and be alone in the silence. Granted, he had no idea what his room looked like now. They had built it like a normal room, but since the magic returned, it stood to reason that the rooms had also reverted back to something similar to how they had once been. Thankfully, before his mother could try to get everyone together for all the door ceremonies, the doors changed themselves, revealing carvings a bit more updated to each person. Isabella’s was no longer just roses, but cacti and succulents, with a few roses thrown in. Louisa’s still had weights, but also calm and relaxing scenes. Camilo’s had many unidentified faces wearing various silly expressions, Pepa’s had a bunch of weather scenes, Julieta’s had her holding a tray of food, Abuela’s had the candle, Mirabel had the house in the background (very similar to the tile from Bruno’s vision, but happier), Antonio’s had him with the jaguar, and Bruno’s….Bruno’s door looked basically the same. Still a distant expression on his face, hair still flying in every direction, hour glass still in front of him while his hands were out to the side. But it was no longer hidden away in a dark corridor with steps leading to the door. It was on the same level as everyone else’s room.
Bruno meant to make his way up the stairs and to his room, but the stairway was crowded with people and he felt like his skin was burning and there was no air left to breathe. His headache was quickly growing into a migraine, and not a mild one. He felt dizzy and light headed, but also like his head weighed a hundred pounds and surely it had only been a few seconds since the magic came back? But no, it was full dark now. The moon was full and bright. Well damn. A part of his brain that was still thinking logically realized that he must be dissociating again. It used to happen in the beginning when he first got his gift, before he had gotten better at feeling the visions coming. Sometimes hours would go by before he would realize he had been staring at a wall or the floor, or wandering aimlessly around the village. It was where the rumors that he had been possessed first came from.
It also meant that he needed to get away, now. The stairs were too crowded, he’d never get through. The walls were no longer full of passages…but the kitchen! That was empty. Should be empty. He started to make his way towards the kitchen, stumbling a bit, trying to stay out of everyone’s way and avoid any extra attention. Or maybe he should try to find Julieta? No, it was just a migraine, he would be fine…
The rats hiding in his rauna disagreed. He could feel them moving anxiously around, but he didn’t acknowledge it at all. One of the rats dropped to the ground and scurried off into the crowd, unnoticed by Bruno. He made it to the kitchen, pushing open the swinging doors and probably would have fallen face first if Casita didn’t catch him with a chair first. Bruno felt really weird now. Everything was spinning, he was lightheaded but felt heavy, burning up but freezing, his stomach was churning and he couldn’t see straight. Well…he couldn’t really see anything that made any sense at all, really. It kept changing, from the kitchen to random visions, all blending into one mess so he couldn’t tell when he was.
~
The rat had sought out Antonio, drawn to him as all the animals were. It told him that his mom had to go to the kitchen, now. Antonio found Delores first, who told him that their mother was somewhere under the stairs with Felix and some of the townspeople and chased him off so she could spend time with Mariano.
Antonio found his mom.
“Mama?”
“Yes, dear?” Pepa glanced down at her youngest, brushing the unruly curls from his face instinctively. She was in a good mood, a nice breeze blowing through the house.
“The rats say you need to go to the kitchen.” He said, holding up his hands with the rats. The rat made a small squeak and Pepa had to try hard not to push it out of her sons hands. She was not a fan of rats but…that was one of Bruno’s rats. She glanced at Felix, who also noticed the rat.
“Ok, stay out here.” She told Antonio, and hurried to the kitchen, Felix following her after making sure their son wasn’t going to follow.
In the kitchen, she found Bruno in a chair, bent over with his head in his hands and his hands pulling at his hair, shaking hard.
“Bruno?” She rushed over to him, putting a hand to his shoulder only for him to flinch violently away.
“D-d-don’t touch.” He shook his head, groaning. He hadn’t stuttered like that in a while around his family, and he had been getting much better about physical contact.
“Go get Julieta.” Pepa told Felix, not taking her eyes off Bruno. She didn’t know what was wrong with him, but she knew this was more than just anxiety. Just after Felix left the room, Bruno looked up, eyes glowing and then fading back to their usual color before rolling back and he fell forward. Pepa caught him before he could hit the ground, but he starting shaking- seizing, full, uncontrollable trashing that she had never seen in person before.
“Bruno!” She lowered him the rest of the way to the floor, trying to hold his head still so it wouldn’t hit the ground, but with no idea of what to do.
Julieta came in only seconds after it started, and instantly ran over. “Turn him on his side, he’ll choke!” She said, pulling his shoulder so he was on his side. “I need something soft to go under his head.”
Felix grabbed the pile of dish towels on the counter and brought them over, Julieta placing them under Bruno’s head so that Pepa could move her hand. The knuckles were bleeding from being hit against the floor.
“What do we do?” Pepa asked. A storm cloud was forming over her, but it hadn’t started to rain yet.
“It just has to pass on it’s own.” Julieta said, though she was just as scared as her sister. “What was he doing before it started?”
“He was just sitting there, hunched over and pulling at his hair, and then he looked up and his eyes did the vision thing and then he passed out!”
“Ok, then it’s probably just because the magic is back. That’s all.”
The shaking began to slow down and finally stop, though he didn’t wake up right away.
“Bruno?” Julieta called gently. “Can you hear me?”
There was a groan in response, and his eye twitched, but he didn’t open them.
“Hey. Open your eyes for me. Do you know where you are?” She asked him.
He took a few seconds before finally opening his eyes halfway. “Kitchen.” He mumbled. “Don’t feel good.”
“Yeah. Do you remember what happened?”
“No.”
“That’s okay. You had a seizure. When you’re ready, you can sit up, and we’ll help you to your room so you can rest. Okay?” She brushed the hair off his forehead, and in the process felt the heat of fever. Bruno’s eyes flashed again, the glow lasting only a few seconds, but he groaned and shut his eyes again.
“It’s happening again.” He croaked out, before the shaking began again. It was more violent this time, and Julieta wasn’t too surprised when he began to vomit too.
“What do you need me to do?” Felix asked.
“Go find Mama and tell her we need the guests to leave. Bruno is sick.” Pepa said.
“And see if you can find any clean clothes that will fit him.” Julieta said, noticing the wet stain spreading on her brother’s pants.
Felix nodded and rushed off to do as he was told.
“Abuela!” He called when he found her, pulling her carefully to the side. “Bruno is sick in the kitchen, and Pepa says it would probably be best if everyone goes home. And we need clean clothes.”
She nodded, all business, and started working on clearing out the house. Delores had heard everything and had managed to find some of Bruno’s clothes in the laundry basket. Clean, just not folded or hung up yet. She met her father on the stairs.
“Clothes?”
“Thank you. Keep the children out of the kitchen?”
“Yes, Papi.” She turned to begin rallying the cousins and her siblings.
The house was empty of everyone but family within minutes. Delores and Isabella were putting Antonio to bed, as the child couldn’t stop yawning anyway. Camilo, Mirabel, and Louisa were sitting on the couch in the living room, where Abuela had told them to stay put and do not move. Abuela herself had gone into the kitchen with Felix and Augustin, where Julieta and Pepa were still sitting on the floor with Bruno. He was just coming out of the 3rd seizure. It had started barely 30 seconds after the 2nd one, and Julieta was concerned, but was trying to remember what the books had said about seizures. She knew they didn’t always require emergency medical attention, and that incontinence was common during them, and so was vomiting. Bruno didn’t exactly have the strongest stomach either way.
Her brother groaned as the shaking stopped and gagged hard but nothing came up.
“Easy, hermano, easy…” she said in as soothing a voice as she could muster, using one of the towels Pepa handed to her to wipe the vomit from his face. She gently pulled the soiled towels from under his head, being sure to leave a few there in case he started seizing again. “Bruno, tell me where you are.”
“Castia…..kitchen…” His words were slightly slurred, and he spoke very quietly. She was sure he was exhausted at this point. It had been a long day, and apparently the magic was taking a huge toll on his body how that it was back.
“Do you remember what happened?” She asked. So long as he could answer the questions, he should be okay. That’s what the books had said.
“Don’t feel good.”
“I know. Do you remember what happened?”
It took him a few seconds before he nodded. He had yet to open his eyes though.
“Can you open your eyes and look at me? Tell me what happened?” She asked. Abuela had kneeled on the ground beside her, rubbing his arm.
There were several seconds of silence before his eyes twitched open again, and he squinted up at her. They were almost glowing again, as if stuck somewhere between the future and now. “Seizures…?”
“Yes, you’ve had three. Do you feel like you might have another one?” Everyone held their breath waiting for the answer, and after a few more seconds of silence, he shook his head.
“Not now. Later.” He mumbled, closing his eyes. Julieta tried not to make her breath of relief too obvious.
“Okay. Do you think you can sit up? We need to get you cleaned up before we bring you to your bed.” She asked.
He mumbled something she couldn’t understand but made no move to get up. “We’ll probably have to help him.” She said, looking at her family. It was obvious that Bruno was out of it and would not be moving much on his own. Pepa and Juliet carefully removed the rest of the towels from under his head to clean the rest of the mess, while Abuela went to get some damp napkins. They knew that this would likely be something that no one would ever want to speak of again, and it was a silent agreement that unless Bruno brought it up, no one would tell the man that had wet himself and had to be cleaned up by his brothers-in-law and mother. Even if he had no control over it.
Once he was dried and wearing clothes not covered in vomit or urine, the again tried to see if he would be awake enough to stand up.
“Bruno…do you think you can make it to your room? We’re going to help you. Let’s see if you can stand.” Julieta very carefully began to lift his front end. While he hadn’t given a verbal respond, she could feel him trying to get up himself, even if he kept his eyes closed. He was shivering, goosebumps running up both arms. Pepa got on his other side, and the girls put his arms over their shoulders so they could support him. The 3 on the couch turned at the sound of the doors opening, and Camilo was about to ask a question but was quickly shushed by Felix.
“Later.” Felix mouthed to them, and followed the girls up to the room. He went ahead to open the door, and couldn’t help but be a little curious. He hadn’t been in Bruno’s tower in years, and he knew that Pepa’s had changed several times since he met her.
Inside the tower, they could see that the giant curtain of sand was still falling, and the walls were still stone. But they couldn’t see anything past that, and didn’t see anything else in the room…
“To the left. Between the rocks.” Bruno mumbled, and Augustin walked to the left, looking between two large rocks.
“There’s a little hallway!” He exclaimed, and lead the way through. It was a very short hall, that lead to a room that was much more cozy than the cave part had been. The walls were still stone, but the held a comforting warmth to them. A bed was against one wall, a wardrobe on the other. A big fluffy green rug was in the center, and there was no sand in here. Another two rocks framed the opening to another short pathway that turned at a sharp angle and ended up a large bathroom.
The girls helped him over to the bed, Abuela pulling back the blankets so they could lay him down and she could cover him. He groaned at the movement, grinding his teeth.
“I’ll stay with him tonight.” Abuela said, sitting on the edge of the bed after tucking the blankets tightly around him. He was snoring within a few seconds.
“I don’t know if he’s going to have another seizure tonight, so I’ll probably stay too.” Julieta said. Either way, it was going to be a long night. No one would sleep well after the events of the past hour.
“I’ll go make some tea.” Pepa said, figuring even if Bruno didn’t wake up to drink it while it was hot, they could easily reheat it later and it just might sooth his stomach. Julieta may be the healer, but her food could only heal, not cure. Peppermint or ginger tea would at least offer a little relief, hopefully. And you didn’t have to be a good cook to make tea!
“We’ll go take care of the kids and check back in soon.” Augustin said, kissing his wife on the forehead briefly. He wished he could do more to help her in this type of situation, but he knew at the moment the most he could do was make sure the kids wouldn’t come poking around. Especially if his brother-in-law had another seizure, the last thing they needed was for one of the kids to see it and not know what was happening.
~~