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Esai snapped his head up from his pile of pillows, wincing as his neck cracked uncomfortably. He tried to ease the pain with his fingers, massaging deeply against the skin.
He hauled his form up from the bed, finally answering the continuous pounding at his door with a quick toss of a pillow. There was no sound as it smacked into the wood, his room devouring it whole, but it got the thing to shake with acknowledgment.
Outside of the room, a giggle could be heard, sounding off his suspicion it was his prima, Mirabel.
Esai scanned the void he lived in, outlining the shapes of his things. He knew where everything was, so even in the dark he could navigate freely. Still, he toes at the floor a few times before finally settling both feet on the wood paneling.
His room was a black abyss, and even when he begged with Castia to change it, nothing would be seen. He was just destined to live in a blackhole, basically. It came with one nice thing, though, Dolores could never hear him from inside.
Though, that was quickly outweighed by the fact that you couldn’t really hear anything in the room, either. Talking was fine, for some reason, your voice was a bit echoed but nothing too bad, but any other noises?
Complete, and utter, silence.
The young man dressed quickly, dawning his somewhat more city-esquire clothes. From his loafers, courtesy of Tío Augstín, bright purple wool socks, tighter fit pants that were cuffed at the bottom. To his large, but breathable, dark purple sweater that was stuffed into the top of those pants, overtop his button up, and the last accessory being his striped, lavender bandana tied loose around his neck.
He finished his look off by taking a somewhat long, awkward, chunk of hair that was out of place and tied it up into a braid that went along the side of his head to the back of his scalp.
Heading out of the door, Esai spared a look back into his empty room, before closing the door with a satisfying click. He glanced about the large house at first, catching another pair of eyes that locked onto him.
Camilo waved at his cousin who was still on the top floor, and soon Esai’s eyes stuttered in a bright, lilac hue. Then, he was teleported next to his primo, who was playing off a cool smirk.
“Any good sleep?” Camilo asked casually, producing two aperas from under his ruana and holding one to Esai.
Esai took it without much thought, biting into the soft bread and all his troubles seemed to melt away.
“No,” He mumbled between chews, “I didn’t get to bed till late, I was helping that one man..”
“Osvaldo?” Camilo questioned.
“Hmm.” Esai nodded, wiping at his mouth, “Lusia was fast asleep, so I herded the donkey’s in for him, and he gave me a few pieces of his candy.”
With that said, he produced the sweets and dropped them in the already outstretched hand from Camilo, who pocketed them without a word.
“I’m just surprised, you slept through both breakfast and lunch,” The younger boy suddenly spun and turned into Juletia, quickly taking Esai’s cheeks in her hands, “¡Nuestro pobre chico se va a marchitar!” Rang her caring, but overbearing and worried voice.
Esai slapped at Camilo’s hands, arching his head up and away from the prying grabs of their Tia’s form. He was much taller than nearly all of the family, but grew a habit to lean down and inch his way into their gazes more often than not.
Laughing, Camilo melted back into his own body once more, shaking his head to get his hair just right.
Esai, being the lovely cousin that he is, gently tucked a few free strands of curls back behind the boy’s ear.
“I’ll be here for dinner, at least. I should get out and tend to my chores now, before it gets darker.” He sighed, wiping down his hands on his pants.
Camilo shrugged nonchalantly, “I went as you, got it done.”
He blinked, eyebrows furrowing, “How did you..”
“I didn’t need to teleport, like you, they looked away long enough for me to do the task and be back.” His cousin boasted, fingers dancing in front of him.
Esai shook his head, hand quickly finding its way into the front of Camilo’s hair and dragging the locks back, to get a good look at the other’s face.
“Dios, you’re too young to be trying to do stuff for adults,” He muttered, using the thumb of his other hand to wipe at the dust collected on the boy’s cheeks, “Wake me up next time, primo, por favor.”
Camilo’s cheeks puffed in annoyance, “You aren’t that much older than me, you know.”
“3 years?” Esai asked, taking his hand back and rubbing his chin.
“That doesn’t sound right.” Camilo’s face fell, confusion clear on his gaze.
“Aye, who knows, I was never good at math.” He waved his hand lazily.
That got a bark of laughter out of the younger man, rolling his shoulders up to hide his snickering and Esai couldn’t contain his small smile.
He felt an arm worm it’s way in line with his, now at Camilo’s mercy as he was dragged from the entrance room towards the back yard. He almost hissed as the sun got in his eyes, quickly drawing a hand up to hide from the beams and peer around cautiously at their surroundings.
Camilo finally released him and made his way towards the football in the yard, kicking it up and catching it midair with a sort of pride. The kid must have been practicing his own skill to match Esai at the game.
Getting the hint, the two cousins began a one on one tournament, kicking the ball around for a good while before they were strewn out on the lawn.
Esai was using the ball as a footrest while Camilo sat beside him, picking the grass ever so carefully and letting the breeze take it away.
The other inhaled, catching his attention, before speaking, “You do remember how old you are, right?”
He paused, blinking, as things came crashing down around him. A soft black blur surfaced in his vision, making him need to sit up and look around anxiously as numbers kept popping into his mind. He trapped his lip between his teeth, chewing at the skin.
“Diecinueve.” Camilo quickly said, hands already grabbing at his cousin’s upper arm.
“You’re nineteen, your name is Esai Madrigal, and you’re the best primo I could ask for.” The boy continued, eyes scanning over him.
Esai shuddered out a breath, “I’m nineteen,” He started, “My name is.. Esai Madrigal, and creo que estás lleno de mierda.” He grinned at the other, biting back the shaking nervousness.
“What, why?!” Camilo all but shouted, his fingers digging into his sweater sleeve, a look of worry crossing his face.
“Because I’m your only primo, so of course I’m the best.” He pointed out.
Suddenly the air lightened around them, and said primo hit him harshly against his chest with a groan.
Camilo shook his head, “I thought you meant that you didn’t realize I was your cousin, gilipollas.”
“Hey, don’t use that language around me, young man.” Esai stuck his finger into Camilo’s face.
He earned a look of exasperation from the boy, and laughed before laying back down into the grass, letting the edges of his vision clear up while staring at the clouded sky.
They stayed that way for the rest of the day, the afternoon slowly drifting from their grasp and soon the family was starting to come home. The noises from the kitchen started up, and both boys dragged themselves up and went to help with whatever the others needed of them.
Dinner was set up, and after Abuela Alam’s speech, the familiar call of ‘The Madrigals!’ ran over the group, all began to eat.
Loud conversation was held over the family, jokes flying to and fro, making others spit or sputter over food, cackling alongside their coughs.
Esai watched quietly, head raised over the rest, besides Luisa, of course. Still, he found himself feeling slightly off, not wanting to join the banter as much, and continued just stuffing his mouth so that he didn’t have to talk.
The blur came back, and he closed his eyes, repeating the mantra of Camilo’s words. He huffed through his nose and slowly brought himself back into reality, letting his body slouch and indulge in the family around him.
By the end of supper, he was cleaning the dishes quietly, putting them on the counter and half absently listening to Castia putting the silverware away.
When he was done, the kitchen was empty, and the sounds of peoples nightly routines grinded on his ears. Esai would never understand how Dolores didn’t snap under the pressure of so much noise, but he didn’t have heightened hearing, nor did he have her patience.
With purple filling his vision, he stepped through the portal and was sent up to the door of his room. The glowing in his face didn’t help much with the growing headache pushing on his temples, but as he was about to depart for the night, a voice called up to him.
“Sobrino, wait!” Félix asked, standing at the bottom of the steps with a large grin.
Esai sucked in a breath harshly, straightening his back. He turned, a smile etched onto his cheeks while he leaned over the balcony to look down at the other man.
“Sí, Tio?” He asked softly, fingers gripping the wood under him.
“Come out with us, won’t you?” Félix pointed behind himself, back to Agustín.
He kept himself from twisting his face up at the idea of going out, and nodded his head instead to disguise the want of just to sleep.
Agustín was already at the door, opening it while Félix followed with Esai close behind, teleporting himself back down the steps.
They made their way into town, lights shining all around them from the stores that have yet to close, until finally meeting their destination. It was a popular bar, and the two men all but dragged their nephew into the brightly colored establishment with excitement.
Just a drink turned into more than a few, and suddenly Esai was tired all over again, alcohol heavy on his mind. He kept his head from hitting the table with his hand stuck firmly under his chin, watching the others laugh and prance around happily with the people of the village.
He couldn’t tell the time when all three left, the youngest quietly trailing behind the intoxicated men as they made the trek home. Félix stumbled into the door at first, before Castia opened it for them, and it was quickly leading his Tios back to their respective rooms.
Agustín whispered a slurred goodnight to Esai before dragging his feet up the wooden stairs.
Esai was caught at the bottom of the steps, staring up at them with sloshed swaying. No way was he going to risk falling, so even with the knowledge he might now end up way across the house, a portal opened before him and he stepped right through.
He stumbled a bit and glanced around without much thought. It was dark, very dark, and he almost sighed in relief when he thought this was his room.
Though, as he stared at the walls, his eyes became used to the dark and he could actually.. See the walls. Internally, he groaned, he missed his room entirely, if he was there, he wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the wall and a desk, all things only slightly lined out in the black.
But, his mind quickly realized, he had never been in this place before.
Esai started to worry, drunkenness thrown out the window as he cautiously swung his head side to side, seeing the long, underdeveloped pathways that surrounded him. It was all wood and plaster, the floor creaking as he stumbled towards the left, quickly darting deeper into the unknown.
He was running, clumsily making his way through the corridors, not caring as he was nicked from jutting wood and the back of nails. He needed to get out, and he couldn’t trust where his gift would take him next.
The boy almost screamed as, suddenly, a large hole that seemed endless sprouted in front of him. He couldn’t stop, so quickly, he flung himself over the trench and flipped his way over to the other side. For once, was he glad that he was agile and athletic, landing sloppily on his feet.
His balance wasn’t the best, so he let himself trip a few times, crashing forward into a solid object. He finally yelped as whatever had caught him sprung open from its hinges, and he realized it was a door, probably.
Esai was thankful for a moment, but it stopped as his face met the ground unceramsonsaly.
He skidded his way across the dirt floor and rolled uselessly until his shoulder knocked into another force. It was a piece of furniture, slightly moving against his weight before he was at a standstill.
Panting heavily, he shook as he forced himself to sit up in the unfamiliar area, it looked like half of a room, but he could hardly make out what he was looking at, the heaviness of the night catching up to him.
His breathing didn’t slow, instead it fell into fast paced, panic filled heaves of air. He tried to inhale as much as he could, but all that did was send him into a coughing fit. All that and more let the dams break, and he was sobbing into the cold night air.
“Esai!” Another person called from across the room.
It sounded almost recognizable, but he couldn’t tell who it was from. Truthfully, he didn’t even know who the person was calling out for, and so he didn’t answer, not like he could if he tried.
Hands were suddenly grabbing his shoulders, rubbing them just as anxiously as he felt. He swiveled his head around, eyes wide as he locked onto the culprit.
Tio Bruno.
Bruno looked at him with such fear, teeth worrying at his lip. He was trying to read Esai’s expression.
How did he know Bruno? Why was he here? Hadn’t he been gone? Was he on vacation? Where was he?
“No, no, no–” Esai started to ramble, hands scrambling to move, then clutching at the man next to him, “I’m, I’m– Who, where– I’m–!”
“You’re Esai Madrigal,” Bruno’s voice was hushed, far too quiet in the boy’s opinion, but it cut through all the cloudiness in his mind, “You are Esai Madrigal, you’re nineteen, you’re taller than most of your cousins. You don’t know how to cut your hair right, so you braid a piece behind your head and call it a style– You, uhm, you have five cousins, and three Tios! T– Two Tias, and one Abuela.”
Esai slowly started to calm his breathing, gaze never once leaving the other’s stare.
Bruno's smile found its way to his lips, guiding his hands from Esai’s shoulders to hold the younger man’s face, “You’re great at football, you can do a backflip without a second thought, you love to tease your favorite primo, Camilo,” He continued, stroking his thumb over wet cheeks, “You’re caring, and sweet. You can read a multi chapter book in under two days, dos días.” He emphasized.
Longingly, the younger boy curled into the ruana of his long lost uncle. His face met against his clothed chest, and he exhaled harshly. His sobs were dying down, leaving only distant sniffles in its wake. Long fingers dragged through his hair, scratching at his scalp in soft strokes.
“You have the gift of teleportation, and you use it to– To help Encanto.” The man’s voice was remansient, loving, “You fit in perfectly with the family, everyone loves that you do party tricks. Mirabel adores that you’ll try on any piece of clothing she makes. You hate wearing ruana’s as they’re too heavy for you, but.. But you always loved to borrow mine when Pepa’s storms thundered. Your favorite color is purple, no– Liliac. You insist that it’s liliac.”
Esai was starting to drift to sleep, all but held in Bruno’s lap, being rocked back and forth just like he had been as a kid.
“You’re allergic to pollen, but you love to watch Isabel sprout flowers. Mainly hydrangeas. You’re curious as high heavens, always wanting to insert yourself…”
He didn’t hear the rest of the monolog that the other was spouting out, silently falling into a restful sleep.
Esai’s head jerked up from his pillows, shakes from his wooden door waking him up.
His neck complained as it popped obnoxiously, quickly pressing his fingers into the aching area. He soothed the pain with aggressive rubbing at his skin, before snatching a pillow and tossing it at the door.
The door trembled soundlessly, and Mirabel called from the other side, only faintly being able to hear it, “Breakfast!”
He toed at the floor before setting his feet down on the cold wood, and quickly went to change from yesterday's clothes.
The same as always, but just fresh.
Leaving his room, he slowly pulled the door shut until he heard the familiar click and teleported his way down to the bottom floor.
Sitting at the breakfast table, he quickly grabbed a piece of food and gulped it down in a few bites, the hangover that he was forcibly ignoring calming to a simple hum at the back of his head.
Camilo sat beside him, already stacking his plate with breakfast, “Any good sleep?” He asked.
Esai opened his mouth, then closed it, opening it again a few seconds later, “Yeah, actually, but had the weirdest dream.”
“Tell me about it. I dreamt I was chased by a monstrous rat that wanted to eat me, thinking I was cheese.” His cousin sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes.
“You do look like cheese.” He smiled, looking over at the younger boy.
Camilo sputtered, grinning back at Esai, “Ouch, rude, purple grape.”
“It’s lilac, actually.” Esai corrected.