Gío took you from the forest-which he said was part of the city of Pecus, home to those with animal-related powers like Antonio-and straight into the city of Cambio de Forma, one of De la Garcia's largest cities, and the capital city of the island. Camilo in particular had been eager to find out you were taking a shortcut through Cambio de Forma; according to Gío, this city was home to those who could transform, like Camilo.
To nobody's surprise, Camilo enthusiastically shape-shifted into the first person he saw, excitedly calling out to them. "Ayy, epa!" he yelled, waving vigorously at the man, who shouted back happily.
"Epa, another transformer!" he called, quickly gaining the attention of the rest of the people, who peeked out their front doors or fled the stores or turned to look as Camilo shape-shifted into anybody who came close enough and back into his original form.
You smiled and delicately picked your way through the crowd so you could reach his side without having to push anyone. Once you were next to him, you leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I'll be waiting for you by the river up ahead," and slipped away before he could reply.
When you were out of the crowd, Gío gave you an interested look. "Why'd you want him to stay?" he inquired. "We could've waited on him."
"We will," you reassured. "By the river right there."
You pointed at the rushing water that was a few feet in front of you.
"We'll stay right here until he comes over. I know how much he loves attention; I could tell from the moment we met when he turned up the charm seemingly to win my favor. He can be sweet at times; let him have some sweetness of his own."
Gío then turned his head away, though-if it's even possible-his beak almost looked like it bared a knowing grin.
A moment later, you perked your head up. "Hey, why don't you stay with him?" you suggested. "You never know what might happen, plus, he might get lost."
Gío gave you a look. "But isn't it also possible that you'll get lost?"
"Not if I stay right here," you answered almost smugly.
With that, Gío hesitated for only a moment longer, then nodded and was off.
Only a few heartbeats passed before you heard someone speak from the other side of the river.
"Hi there," a woman called.
You twisted around to look at her. Instantly, her short curly brown hair and brown eyes looked familiar to you. But why? you wondered to yourself.
"Are you new here?" she asked, stepping into the water towards you. While the river was certainly wide, it apparently wasn't deep.
"Er-yes," you cautioned. "I'm just visiting."
You refrained from mentioning Paloma and the boys, unsure of whether you could trust this lady.
"Ah, well, that makes sense." She nodded her head, glancing around nonchalantly. "Where are you headed to next?"
You slid your hands into you pockets in one swift movement as you rose to her feet and tensed yourself. Your fingers locked around the handle of the knife in your right pocket. "Manawa," you told her.
"Oh, I live there." She smiled. "Would you like to come with?"
". . .Sure."
All instincts told you that you shouldn't be doing this. After all, you didn't even know her name. But at the same time, those gentle brown eyes. . .You knew you'd seen them somewhere before. Something else in you just said Go. Follow her. You'll be safe.
And so, you did.
The woman led you across the river the way she came and thus began a very long walk. Silence stretched on rather awkwardly. She didn't look back at you once, as if not caring whether you followed along. Or as if knowing I was following along without having to look. The thought made you shiver.
You then decided to break the silence with a bit of small talk. "So. . .What's your name?"
"I'm Melanie," she answered. "Melanie Garcia."
You paused, then quickly followed her again. "Garcia?" you echoed.
She "Mhm"ed in response.
You hesitated, then mumbled tentatively, "You wouldn't happen to know a Paloma Garcia, would you?"
"Oh, yes," Melanie replied. "She's my niece. My brother Eríc's daughter."
You nearly froze once again, completely shocked, then sped up so that you and Melanie walked side by side. "Do you have any powers like her?" you asked eagerly.
"The most I can do is manipulate time," she answered.
"Right-since you live in Manawa and all. . ."
. . .You still couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't trustworthy.
Just to make sure she wasn't a liar, you mumbled, "Would you mind showing me your power?"
She stopped and turned with a smile. "Of course."
She then took one of your hands and used her free hand to flick her wrist in direction of the trail before you. Everything stopped instantly. A bird flying nearby went perfectly still. The plants and trees, which were slanted thanks to the breeze, stopped swaying and stayed in their sloped positions.
Everything stopped moving altogether.
Melanie turned and gave you a smile. "When I stop time," she began, "everything freezes but me. Anything I make contact with will still be able to move, which is why I'd have to hold your hand-or something like that-to keep you from freezing as well."
". . .Huh. Well, that makes sense. . ."
"Now, come on; we still have a long ways to go before we reach Manawa."
Meanwhile, Gío was returning to the river with Camilo, and when they realized you weren't there, they began to panic.
"Where's Peni?" Camilo breathed, running a hand through his hair as he gazed around with wide eyes. Cold sweat was beginning to form on his temple as his anxious stare glanced over the area in search of you.
Gío merely continued looking on without replying, though he almost looked as worried as Camilo.
As Melanie led you on, the world around you seemed like it was changing. The ground, which had been gray and brown back in Cambio de Forma, seemed to turn crimson, and the red shade darkened the deeper in you went.
Everywhere you looked, there were plants and herbs and greenery you couldn't even begin to describe. The colors were vibrant, shades of red, blue, and green all around, with gold and yellow flowers growing close to the ground between rocks all different shades of gray and shapes and sizes.
You'd be lying if you said you weren't put at ease by the flowers because they reminded you of Camilo's room.
"Here we are," Melanie announced, stopping in front of a brown and green cottage. To the right of the cottage was a wooden stand (which was essentially just a back of tall, thick branches tied up and woven together into an almost garage-like structure) with green curtains made of hanging moss and lichen.
Melanie pulled back the moss to reveal clutter and rather random objects scattered around the edges of the small room.
"Sorry about the mess," Melanie mumbled, using her foot to move some more random objects to the side, some of which being a broken clock, a single wooden shelf painted black, and a number of other things she didn't allow you to see for more than a few seconds. "I wasn't expecting visitors. But either way, there's something in here I want you to see, so come. Sit."
She walked a around a table towards the back and sat in a wooden chair behind it, then gestured for you to do the same.
Uncertain of yourself again, you sat in a wooden chair opposite of her.
"Now," Melanie began quietly, "as you know, I can manipulate time, much like most of those who live in Manawa." Her expression suddenly hardened. "Penita Sanchez, I know you. I know something about your past, and now that you're nearly fifteen, it's time you see it for yourself."
Warily, you leaned towards her. "What do you mean? How do you know me? What are you showing me?"
Melanie closed her eyes and raised a hand for silence, then a few heartbeats passed before a small tear seemed to form in front of you, as if the air were paper and that paper was ripping open before your eyes. Inside, wisps of purple, indigo, and blue could be seen, and there were little flecks of white. It was like staring at the night sky through a tattered hole.
"Go inside," Melanie instructed softly. "I'll be right behind you."
With that, you carefully lifted your leg and stepped into the tear, then climbed in and found yourself standing in the middle of. . .Encanto?
Melanie climbed out and stood next to you, then the tear seemed to close, sealing itself up like a zipper.
"Encanto?" you murmured, half to yourself. "Why did you take me here?"
"You'll see."
You fell silent, following Melanie's gaze, which was fixated on an alleyway between two buildings. You then realized that everything was frozen. There were people coming into their homes or walking along the road, but all their expressions didn't change in any way, while their bodies were perfectly still.
They'd been stopped in time.
You watched as a woman came rushing out of the alley. She had the same dark brown hair and brown eyes as Melanie, and she was holding a bundle of blankets close to her chest and had a strip of paper with her. The paper fell out of her pocket almost as soon as she placed it there, and you grabbed it before it hit the ground.
You were about to read it when Melanie tapped your shoulder. "Look."
The brunette girl had stopped in front of what looked like your house. She placed the bundle on the doorstep, stared down at it for a moment, then fled for the alleyway again, and a moment later, time resumed, and everyone went back to moving around.
The moment they went back to moving, Melanie pulled you into the bushes. You opened your mouth to question her, but she cut you off before you even got a word out.
"This is the past," she explained in an urgent tone. "If we're seen, we could risk changing it. We have to stay hidden; we can't interfere with this. Only watch."
Understanding, you nodded, then turned back to the seen before you. A younger-looking Anthony opened the door, then his eyes widened. He looked around, then crouched down and picked up the bundle, unraveling it to reveal a baby's face.
With a jolt, you realized who the baby was.
"Wait a minute," you mumbled. "That's. . .me." You turned to Melanie. "So. . .Anthony and Emma aren't my real parents?"
Melanie shook her head. "They just found you on their doorstep one day without a name or any other indication of where you came from or who you were." She spread out her fingers on one hand and rolled her wrist, as if turning a doorknob. Instantly, an oval-shaped glowing image appeared, and it was you, unbelievably pale-skinned and almost bald, with small gray eyes and a wiry frame.
"When Emma and Anthony found you," Melanie continued, "they'd just lost a child of their own, whom they'd named Popita. So, when they got you, you were almost like a replacement for them. Not knowing your name or where you came from, they did everything they could to make it feel like you were Popita. They found a way to change your entire appearance to look exactly like her while you were too young to develop any physical appearances of your own. Then they raised you to behave the same exact way Popita had been before death. They brought you up to fill the hole in their hearts that formed the day Popita died. You are essentially a copy of her."
You stared, eyes wide. So much to process. So many lies and secrets.
After a moment, Melanie gently grasped your hand that had the paper in it. "Read it," she instructed, so, with shaky hands, you opened the paper.
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1M8seg6G8
Dear whoever finds this note,
My daughter is one week old. I just lost her twin brother and her father is unable to help me care for her. Please, take her in. Her name is (Y/n) Garcia. Take care of her. Raise her into the kind, strong person I'm not ready to help her become.
If you don't want her, I'll understand. Return her to me in Manawa. It's a city on the island of De la Garcia. You can find me in a cottage near the border between Manawa and Cambio de Forma.
Thank you, for whatever you do to help my child.
-Melanie
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI01jzMq6yl
Your wide, teary eyes continued to stare, even after you'd finished reading. Slowly, your hands lowered to your sides and you looked up at Melanie.
"You're. . ."
Melanie blinked, then nodded. "I'm your mother."
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVzrzak26n
A/N: Ok, so I looked up the meaning of Penita just for fun, and broooo the results made me laugh, but at the same time, I was so sadddd-
https://tureng.com/en/spanish-english/penita
Anywho, fun fact, the Portulaca flower is very common to see in Manawa:
And, another fun fact: Manawa was based off of Motunui (Moana) and San Andrés (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Andr%C3%A9s_(island)).
ns 15.158.61.5da2
