Chapter 10: Pindrop

                                    

                                          
Luisa locked up the old barn and walked up to Mirabel. "Okay, now, if we're gonna get our family, we should start with Dolores. She and Mariano live in the center of the town," Luisa said, standing in front of Mirabel. "Okay, so I'll get Dolores and you get tía Pepa and tío Félix?" Mirabel asked as she starts walking towards the center of town. Before Mirabel could even turn around, Luisa came up behind her and wrapped her arm around her arm. "I'm sorry, but can I stay with you? It's been so long and I don't want to lose you again," Luisa asked. Mirabel looked up at her sister and said, "Of course. Now, let's go grab our cousin."
                          
Mirabel and Luisa walked into the center of town to see a small little home decorated with grey shingles on the roof, with brown bricks holding up the structure. Luisa knocked on the door, with the sheer force echoing the door. "I forgot how weak this door is. We had to remake my house twice to make everything sturdy enough I won't accidentally break," Luisa chuckled a bit. Mirabel hasn't seen her cousin since the family dinner where Abuela found out about the vision and all the magic went haywire. She hoped Dolores didn't have any hard feelings. 
                          
The door opened wide to a man with a chiseled and builder face. "Hey Mariano, is Dolores here?" Luisa asked him. "Yeah, she's in the back at the moment. Come in, you're friend can come in to. I don't think we've met before. I'm Mariano Madrigal, and you are?" Mariano asked and extended his hand to Mirabel. He didn't realize she was the long lost member of the Madrigals. She shook his hand and said, "Actually, we've met when I was younger. I'm Mirabel, Luisa's sister." From the back of the house, there was a quick gasp as Dolores stood in the hallway, looking at her long lost cousin. Dolores kept her hair up in a bun, with a yellow ribbon in her hair. She wore a white and yellow dress, with red streaks. In her ears, there are her old head earrings and she is barefoot. Under her dress, there is a baby bump showing from her stomach. Dolores walked up slowly to Mirabel, slowly caressing her face. "Say something, please," she begged her sister. "Hi prima," Mirabel said, placing her hand where Dolores rested hers. 
                          
Dolores and Mirabel enter a big embrace as Luisa and Mariano just stand there. After a minute, they release each other. "I heard you every night until you got back. I knew you were still alive," Dolores said. Before Mirabel could say anything, a little girl came running from the back of the house. She had curly black hair, golden bronze skin and brown eyes. She was wearing a tiny white dress, covered in dirt and mud. "Ah Mira, did you get your dress dirty again?" Dolores asked the little girl. The little girl looked up at her and said, "But I like playing in the mud!" "I know you do my little nota. Mariano, be a dear and go give our daughter another bath, and afterwards, no more mud." Dolores said to her daughter. "Yes mi melodía. Come on Mira, let's go have bath time." Mariano and the kid walked to the back as Mirabel is tearing up. "Did you name-" she starts off and gets cut off by Dolores. "Named after you. She's the light of my life, and this little one will be too," she gestured to her stomach.
                          
After a long conversation and catch up, Luisa looked over at Dolores. "Now, we know you are bad at keeping secrets, but can you keep this on the down low, just for tonight? We're gonna have dinner at my parent's house, so just keep it until then," Luisa asked. Dolores nodded and said, "alright, I can convince my mom and dad to have dinner at Julieta's tonight, but you still would have to talk to Camilo and Antonio, since Antonio is sleeping at Camilo's tonight." Mirabel nodded and stood up and hugged Dolores again. "We will see you at dinner. Tell Mariano and little Mira about our plan." Dolores let go and nodded. Luisa and Mirabel exited the house. "Now, let's go visit our favorite shapeshifter."