What Else Can I Do?
"You should have told me the second you saw the vision!" Alma yelled at Agustín, still extremely worried about her precious Casita. "Think of the family!"
"I was thinking of my son!" he argued, Julieta next to him, frowning in agreement.
Wind suddenly blew over, Alma whipping around. "Pepa, calm down!"
Félix was trying to calm his wife down as snow fell on her, trying to shoo it with his hat, but the matriarch was doing nothing to help. Rather than calming, the redhead glared at her mother. "I'm doing my best!"
"Yes," Félix agreed, narrowing his eyes.
"You're lucky it's not a hurricane!"
Julieta turned Alma's attention back to her when she firmly said, "Mamá, you've always been too hard on Miguel."
More cracks showed themselves, upsetting Alma even more. "Look around! We must protect our family, our Encanto! We cannot lose our home!"
One of the men from the crowd had come inside, getting Alma's attention. "Señora, perdón. People are becoming anxious about the magic. They want to see you."
Before she could go out, she decided, "Miguel was in that vision. Find him."
-
"We might wanna hurry..." Miguel said as another tremor waved through the house and the animals scattered past him.
"Ya can't rush the future," Bruno told him, Y/n pouring out sand for a bucket so he could make a circle, until she reached a chiguiro in her path.
"Move."
"And what if I show you something worse?" he asked, more anxious than before. If I see something you don't like, you're gonna be all, 'Bruno makes bad things happen. Oh, he's creepy and his vision killed my goldfish,' " he pouted.
Y/n grabbed onto his hand. "We don't think you make bad things happen," she promised.
Miguel nodded, agreeing with her. "Sometimes, family weirdos just get a bad rap. You can do this."
Antonio handed him the stuffed jaguar that Miguel had made for him. "For the nerves," he explained with a nod before heading off.
He sighed and looked down at the circle.
Bruno:
"We don't talk about Bruno...
"We don't talk about Bruno..."
But I heard them everyday
Chasing my name away
A harbinger since I was young
To humble their minds with a prophetic guise
No child should envy or want
-
Alma and the townspeople had always asked Bruno for a vision since he was a little boy. Even when he cried when he saw it, they continued to push. As he predicted, they only got angry with him.
-
Bruno:
Eyes so deep, a sadness you could swim in
Another prophecy, god, let's see what it gets them
Y/n tried to reach out for his wrist, but he pulled away.
Bruno:
And I know they'll pin the blame on me, girl, Miguel
Oh, this future ain't meant to be seen, I can tell
Yet, I couldn't help but keep a piece of me at home
Fingers crossed mi familia still loves me so
-
On the same night he had left, Bruno had heard Pepa and Julieta talking, Pepa already certain the vision would be bad. Their sister tried to have her look on the brighter side, but he could see in her eyes that she believed it would be bad, too.
So when he went into the wall, maybe...it was a little bit for him.
-
Bruno:
When they just...don't talk about Bruno, no, no, no
Miguel rushed over and threw his arms around Bruno's neck. Y/n followed, wrapping them both in a hug from Bruno's backside.
Bruno:
Not a word about Bruno, oh...
Pulling away, Bruno reached into his ruana and threw a sprinkle of salt over his shoulder. "I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, I can do this..." With a match, he lit up a pile of wet leaves, then closed his eyes, ready to fall into a deep trance. Wind picked up and blew all around them. When Bruno opened his eyes, that had begun to glow a bright green. "You might wanna hang on."
They all held hands in a circle, squeezing onto each other for dear life as visions flashed by.
The family ran away as more cracks appeared with Miguel at the front of it all.
"It's just...it's just the same thing! I gotta stop!"
"No! I need to know which way it goes! There's gotta be an answer we're not seeing!" He looked everywhere desperately for an answer.
"You're looking at the same thing that I am!" Bruno yelled over the wind and noise of the vision. "If there was something else..."
Miguel looked behind him, his eyes sparkling when he saw a glimmer of hope. "There! Over there!"
The other two looked over at a butterfly, flying through the vision.
"Butterfly! Follow the butterfly!" Y/n yelled, pointing wildly at it, her legs kicking.
It landed on a reed by the river as something began to glow again.
"Where is that...?"
"It's all outta order!" Bruno cried as images rapidly flashed by. "It's...it's...it's the candle!" he declared at last when a new vision appeared. "And it's glowing brighter!" A silhouette of Miguel passed by it. "I think you're gonna help the candle!"
"How?!"
"There's someone with you!"
A glowing figure, obviously a girl, approached Miguel as he did it same. "There's someone with you! And you - you fight her!"
"What?!"
Silently, Y/n prayed he was fighting Alma.
"Wait, no, no, no, no...is that a hug?"
"Am I hugging or fighting?!"
Silently, Y/n prayed he was hugging her.
"An embrace? An embrace! To make the candle brighter, you have to embrace her!"
"Embrace who?!"
The image showed itself a little more.
"Almost there..."
"Who is it?!"
"Almost there...I - I - I got it!" Bruno exclaimed triumphantly.
Miguel stepped forward excitedly to see...
The woman toss her hair as she pulled away from the hug, looking smug as ever.
"ISABELA?!"
A flash of light ended the vision and Bruno held up the image, relieved that it could have been much worse. "Oh, your sister, that's great!"
But Miguel growled at it, Y/n slowly backing away.
Monotonously, Bruno dropped the vision, shattering it. "Every time," he sighed.
-
The three watched Isabela's door from behind a plant, Miguel seeming to get more agitated by the minute. "Why would embracing Isabela do anything?"
"I don't know," Bruno shrugged. "Our family got a miracle. How do you help the miracle? You hug your sister."
"Miguel, she's not that bad," Y/n tried to argue. "I mean, sure, she's a little bossy...and stuck-up...and horrible...and didn't she almost break your leg last Christmas?"
They ducked when they heard a voice below. "Miguel?!" Camilo looked around for him, his head turning into a baby's. "Mi - i - gueeeeeeel?!"
"That's my man, apparently..." Y/n sighed, embarrassed, covering her face with her hands.
"Oh, I think we're running outta time here..." Bruno mumbled nervously, trying to look at Miguel in an urging way.
To Bruno, he argued back, "It's not gonna work. She won't hug me. Ever. Okay? She hates me. Also, I don't know if you heard, I ruined her proposal. Plus, p.s...."
"Miguel."
"...it is just annoying...of course it's Isabela..."
"Miguel."
"And what's her problem with me, anyway? She's the one with roses coming out her -"
"Miguel!"
He stopped, looking surprised that Bruno had raised his voice.
"...ass," Y/n finished his last sentence.
Realizing he had yelled, Bruno quickly apologized, "Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry. You see, you're missing the point. The fate of the family is not up to her, it's up to you. You're exactly what this family needs. You just need to see it."
Y/n shouldered him playfully. "Pretty sure that's what I've been telling you all this time, Migito."
He smiled at her, finding himself brushing her cheek with his thumb. "I know. And thank you."
Before he could work up the courage to kiss her, they were interrupted by, "By yourself. After I leave," and Bruno walking back over to the painting to hide himself back in the walls. [Bruno's giving me severe Brahms vibes.]
"What? You're not coming?" he asked.
In a deep, prophetic voice, he announced, "The vision was yours, Miguel. Not mine."
"You're afraid your mother will see you," Y/n translated.
"Yep - I mean, yes, that, too." He pulled himself up. "Hey, after you save the miracle...come visit? You, too?" He looked pleadingly at Y/n, her heart melting at the sight of his adorable eyes.
Miguel smiled back at him, deciding, "After we save the miracle, we're bringing you home."
Instead of bursting into tears like he wanted to, Bruno knocked on the walls - "Knock knock knock knock knock knock on wood." - crossed his fingers, held his breath, and tipped backwards back into the walls.
Once he was gone, Y/n shrugged and said, "Good luck, kid."
"Wait wait wait!" Miguel caught her arm before she could walk away. "You...you're not coming? Come on! Isa likes you a lot more than me!"
Y/n took her other hand to take his with. "Like Señor Bruno said. This was your vision. You can do it, cariño. I believe in you, kid." Letting go, she took off, calling over her shoulder, "Go get 'em, tiger!"
With a huff, he pushed his glasses up. "Ay, N/n..." To himself, he said as he walked over to his sister's door, "You got this. Just gonna save the miracle...with a hug," he groaned.
Opening up, he was met with a bunch of pink flowers and curtains. He looked around cautiously, hesitantly calling out her name. "Isa? Hey...I know we've had our...issues...but I'm...ready to be a better brother...to you...so we should just...hug. Let's hug it out." Looking up, he saw her on her bed, a lot more flowers around her bed than usual.
Isabela plucked another flower, speaking in a low voice. "Hug it...out?" she growled. "Luisa can't lift an empanada. Mariano's nose looks like a smashed papaya." She glared at her brother, yelling, "Have you lost your mind?!"
Awkwardly, Miguel tried again. "Isa, I feel like you're upset. And you know what cures being upset? A warm embrace!" He held his arms out, but Isabela used her vines to tie around him and drag him out.
"Get out."
He clawed helplessly at the flowers as his sister marched up to him, still going on. "Everything was perfect! Abuela was happy! The family was happy! I didn't except N/n to ruin this, too, but apparently, you've been such a bad influence on her, now she's refusing Abuela's wishes. You wanna be a better brother? Apologize for ruining my life!"
The vines stopped pulling him, Isabela, arms crossed, smirking down smuggly at Miguel. "Go on. Apologize."
He scoffed, twitching. "I...am...sorry..."
"Hm ~"
Breaking, he added, "That your life is so great!"
"Out."
The vines pulled him again, Miguel trying to grope his way back in, grabbing onto anything he could to prevent him from leaving. "Wait, fine! I apologize! I didn't mean to ruin your life! Some of us have bigger problems, you selfish -"
She gasped loudly turning back around.
"- entitled princess!"
"Selfish?!" She used her hand to gesture, jerking it everywhere. "I've been stuck. Being perfect. My whole entire life and literally the only thing you have ever done for me is mess things up!" she screamed at him, her voice cracking at the last few words.
"Nothing is messed up! You can still marry that big dumb hunk!" he shouted back, trying to eradicate the vines from his ankles. [Dolores: :o ]
"I never wanted to marry him! I was doing it FOR THE FAMILY!"
A cactus sprung up between them, Isabela looking at it with her mouth open.
Miguel, finally able to break free from the stilled vines, whispered, "Oh, my gosh...Isa...that is a very serious confession." Taking in a breath, he held out his arms again, thinking he was Mr. Slick. "Okay. Get over here. Bring it in."
But she was still looking down at the cactus, completely transfixed.
"Isa?"
Isabela:
I just made something unexpected
Something sharp
Something new
She bent down, and pricked her finger on it, more growths coming out of it.
Miguel still had his arms out, trying to motion for her to hug him. "Uh, Isa? This is the part where we..."
She stood up, still holding the potted plant.
Isabela:
It's not symmetrical or perfect, but it's beautiful
And it's mine
What else can I do?
She ran off, Miguel desperately running after her. "Wait!"
Miguel:
Bring it in, bring it in
Good talk!
Bring it in, bring it in!
Let's walk!
Isabela:
What else can I do?
Miguel:
Bring it in, bring it in
Free hugs!
Bring it in, bring it in
He tripped over trying to reach her, Isabela using a vine to move her across the room.
Isabela:
I grow rows and rows of roses
Flor de mayo
By the mile
She mimicked the poses from the shrubbery shaped as her.
Isabela:
I make perfect practiced poses
She burst one apart with a vine, grinning as she did.
Isabela:
So much hides behind my smile
She ran her hand along the flowered wall, the flowers turning from pink to red. Colorful plants bloomed around her.
Isabela:
What could I do it I just grew what I was feeling in the moment?
The walls turned blue, Miguel freaking out when he saw.
Miguel:
Do you know where you're going?
A gust of wind blew him back. "Whoa!"
Isabela:
What could I do if I just knew it didn't need to be perfect?
It just needed to be
And they'd let me be!
She jumped onto her bed, swinging up into the air.
Isabela:
A hurricane of jacarandás
Strangling figs
The plants threw Miguel up and he freaked out when another one burst in front of him. "Big!"
Isabela:
Hanging vines
"This is fine -"
Isabela:
Palma de cera fills the air as I climb and I push through
What else can I do?
The bed brought her up higher by the vines, Miguel trying to climb up.
Isabela:
Can I deliver us a river of sundew?
She reached down and pulled her brother up with her.
Isabela:
Careful, it's carnivorous; a little just won't do
She looked at her arm, feeling the goosebumps on it.
Isabela:
I wanna feel the shiver of something new
She looked at Miguel, exasperated, finally ready to let herself out to him.
Isabela:
I'm so sick of pretty, I want something true, don't you?
Miguel really looked at her for the first time, beginning to understand.
Miguel:
You just seem like your life's been a dream since the moment you opened your eyes
Isabela:
Whoa, oh, oh
How far do these roots go down?
Miguel:
All I know are the blossoms you grow,
But it's awesome to see how you rise
Isabela:
Whoa, oh, oh
He put his hand on her shoulder, then held out both hands, Isabela grinning as she took them.
Both:
How far can I/you rise?
Through the roof, to the skies, let's go!
They burst through the roof, Isabela singing into a flower and swinging on vines, bursting plants from the ground.
Isabela:
A hurricane of jacarandás
Miguel:
Whoo!
Isabela:
Strangling figs
Miguel:
Go!
Isabela:
Hanging vines
Miguel:
Grow!
Isabela did a cartwheel on the roof, not caring if her dress flipped up and exposed her panties to the world.
Isabela:
Palma de cera fills the air as I climb and I push through
Miguel:
What else? What else?
Some of the blue coloring came onto Isabela's dress. She looked down at it for a moment before splashing more greens, oranges, reds, and yellows on it, some of it getting in Miguel's hair.
Isabela:
What can you do when you are deeply, madly, truly in the moment?
Miguel:
Seize the moment, keep goin'!
Flowers he all around the town, inconveniencing the townspeople.
Alma was trying to talk to Señora Guzman with Mariano and was about to get her to change her mind about calling off the proposal, too, until another flower came and punched Mariano in the nose, rebreaking it. He grabbed onto it in obvious pain while Alma looked at the house, seeing clouds of color.
Isabela:
What can you do when you know who you wanna be isn't perfect?
But I'll still be okay
Miguel:
Hey, everybody, clear the way!
Whoo!
Isabela:
I'm coming through with a tabebuia!
Miguel:
She's coming through with a booyah!
They both hopped on vines on the opposite side of the other.
Isabela:
Making waves
Miguel:
Making waves
Isabela:
Changing minds
Miguel:
You've changed mine
They flipped onto the roof by the candle.
Isabela:
The way is clearer, 'cause you're here and, well,
I owe this all to you
She pulled him into a hug. Forgetting about the candle and just happy to be hugging the sister he had been estranged from for so long, he wrapped his arms around her waist and closed his eyes.
Isabela:
What else can I do?
But when they pulled away, he noticed the candle burning brighter and the cracks disappearing.
Miguel:
Show 'em what you can do
She whisked him away on her vine, still swinging around.
Isabela:
What else can I do?
Miguel:
There's nothing you can't do!
Isabela:
What else can I do?!
They fell through the top of the roof and onto a bed of flowers, giggling. Isabela flicked one at him, claiming, "You're a bad influence."
But their joy was short-lived when Alma burst in, demanding, "What is going on?!"
They both sat up, Isabela looking like she just got busted, as the room looked kind of dangerous with all of her weird, crazy flowers and plants.
"Abuela!" Miguel gasped as his grandmother looked around at the flowers, disapproval on her face. "It's okay, everything's...we're saving the miracle, the magic's -"
"What are you talking about?! Look at our home! Look at your sister!"
Isabela's head dropped as she remained silent, trying to wipe the dye off her dress.
"Please, just..." he stuttered, trying to regain his thoughts. "Isabela want happy and -"
"Of course she isn't happy! You ruined her proposal!"
"No - no, she needed me to ruin her proposal and then we did all of this and the candle burned brighter -"
"Miguel."
"Miguel." Y/n grabbed his arm and tried to pull him back, but he pulled away from her, grinning in relief at his grandmother.
"That's why I'm in the vision! I'm saving the miracle!"
"You have to stop, Miguel!"
He did, taken aback by her tone. But before he could defend himself, Alma continued. Y/n had run in, hearing her yell at him.
"The cracks started with you. Bruno left because of you. Luisa's losing her powers, Isabela's out of control because of you!"
The sisters looked down, too ashamed to meet their grandmothers eyes.
"I don't know why you weren't given a gift. But it is not an excuse for you to hurt this family!"
He gasped lightly, the house shaking around them. Julieta and Agustín, having heard the argument, joined them.
"I will never be good enough for you...will I?" he asked finally as cracks emerged near him. "No matter how hard I try..." He looked at the rest of his family, realizing. "No matter how hard...any of us try..."
By this point, the whole family and M/n had joined.
"Luisa will never be strong enough...Isabela won't be perfect enough..."
They looked away again, knowing that he was right.
"It won't matter if Camilo marries someone he doesn't love because it won't be good enough for you..."
Camilo stood by the wall, not saying anything in argument, his hair falling over his eyes as he looked down, feeling Pepa and Félix glancing back at him.
"Bruno left our family because you only saw the worst in him!"
"Bruno didn't care about this family!" she yelled.
"He loves this family! I love this family! We all love this family! You're the one that doesn't care! You're the one breaking our home!"
The house shook again, cracks running through it and the town.
"Don't you ever -"
"The miracle is dying because of you!"
Too shocked, Alma startled back as Miguel realized what he said, a crack splitting the floor between them.
Another huge crack nearly ripped the house apart, snaking its way to the candle. It shook along with the house, flickering.
"No, no, no!" Pepa cried, reaching out for it.
"The candle!" Félix exclaimed.
Y/n grabbed onto Miguel's shoulder, but he pulled away, calling, "Casita, get me up there!"
It pulled out the railing, Miguel climbing up it, getting to the candle as quickly as he could.
Isabela shot her vines to climb and help her brother, but as her door faded, so did her powers. The vines vanished and Isabela fell from the air until Casita caught her.
Camilo tried next, but the same thing happened to him in mid-shift. The house placed him back down to safety. "No..." he whispered.
As Miguel neared the top, he saw the mountains of the Encanto split open.
On the ground, Antonio watched his animals run out of the room as his door went out, not noticing the house about to break and fall on him.
Félix ran by and scooped him up before he could be crushed. "Careful, Antonio!" Clutching him to his chest, he looked around for an exit. "We gotta get out of here!"
Y/n looked around as the house fell, calling out, "Miguel?! Miguel! Miguel, please!" She looked over in time to see him climbing to the candle. "Miguel!"
She ran for him as the debris fell around her. Casita pushed her out with the rest of the family.
-
On top of the house, Miguel looked back at her sliding out, reaching out. "Get her out of here, Casita! Make sure she's safe..."
-
"Miguel!" Agustín yelled out for him.
"Miguel!" Julieta cried.
-
Saving his rats, Bruno ran throughout the hallways. Grabbing a bucket, he slammed it on top of his head and smashed through the wall.
-
Getting to the candle, Miguel reached for it, his fingertips brushing the melting wax.
"Miguel! Miguel, leave it!" Julieta ordered.
Félix and Pepa noticed what he was trying to do, calling out for him.
"Miguel, the house is going to fall!"
"Miguel, get out of there!"
"Miguel, please!" Y/n screamed, tears in her eyes.
"Miguel!"
As he grabbed the candle, Bruno's Tower collapsed, taking the rest of the house down with it. He fell, still gripping the candle. When he looked up, he noticed the house about to fall on him and braced himself, hands over the candle.
"MIGUEL, NO!"
M/n grabbed Y/n's arm, pulling her away from running for him.
But with its last bit of energy, Casita moved him out of the way and used its rubble to shield him.
Opening his eyes as the smoke began to clear, Miguel watched as the candle flickered.
"No..."
Casita, no longer standing, used its damaged shutter to wave goodbye.
"Miguel...!" someone called through the fog. A pair of hands grabbed onto him, Julieta making him look at her. "Miguel! Are you hurt? Miguel?"
Numb shock still paralyzing him, he shook his head no.
"Julieta! Julieta, come quick!"
She looked behind her, then back at Miguel. "Don't move. I'll be right back," she said, then got up to check on the rest of her family, leaving Miguel to listen to his family.
"How could this happen?"
"Everyone okay? Is everyone okay?"
Dolores gently led Alma to sit on a piece of rubble. "Here, let me help you. Let me help you."
As she sat, she looked around at their broken home, lost and broken.
Seeing her, Miguel realized what he had done and felt his chin tremble, knowing it really was all his fault. His heart broke when he saw Y/n crying in Isabela's arms, knowing that was his fault, too.
"Antonio, don't cry, papito, don't cry."
"I couldn't hold it up..."
"The Encanto is broken."
"What do we do now?"
"My powers...they're gone! What about Antonio? What's he gonna do?"
Julieta walked back to Miguel with a medicine bottle, her son nowhere to be seen. "Miguel? Miguel?!" She turned to her sister. "Where's Miguel? Where is he? Miguel?!"
"Miguel?! MIGUEL?!" Agustín called, his voice ringing out.
-
Tears in his eyes, Miguel glanced back before walking away, sniffling, from his family, his home, and the girl he loved.
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top