Chapter Text
Throughout his life, Camilo had been made to feel that he had nothing to complain about in this life.
He was born into the Madrigal family, the most famous and powerful matriarchy in town, the reason for the charm.
He knew that many would kill for - to put it mildly - just the chance to belong to it. To rejoice and boast in the privilege.
And yet he sometimes felt it like a curse. But he is not able to say that out loud.
It's not that he didn't like his family, he loves his family.
It's not that he didn't like his gift, that gift had become his life, a chance to make and unmake, to try out endless foreign characteristics and adapt them into himself.
A chance to find his true self.
But the charm was not friendly all the time. As he grew older he realized he was losing himself.
He got caught up in lonely nights where he would hug himself and give in to tears for a little self pity. Camilo didn't know who he was.
It didn't matter what the multiple mirrors scattered around his room showed him. They had even gone so far as to keep a photograph of him in his wallet, in case of an unforeseen attack of the anxiety the charm generated.
Personality disorder.
He was not the only one who suffered from anxious or even depressive symptoms in the family, he knew it perfectly well. He knew that there were members of the same family with stronger episodes than his.
But being aware of that didn't make his situation any less painful.
Some of that weight eased her shoulders when casita came crashing down, along with everything the family had done for decades.
The oceans rose and the empire fell.
And together they built stronger and safer foundations in more peaceful waters.
Everyone kept their gift, and yet: Isabela had learned to be perfect in her own way, Luisa no longer carried sentimental weight, her sister, Dolores, had found peace of mind, Antonio and Mirabel looked more radiant every day with their new position within the family. Even his mother seemed calmer, less anxious.
And he, he was struggling day by day to find himself, feeling that he was taking small, tiny steps day by day. And that was enough to make him feel happy. He was smiling genuinely, he was genuinely having fun, and for a while he believed that everything had fallen exactly where it should have been all along.
Even his grandmother seemed to walk lighter on Bruno's arm.
Bruno, that son she had ignored for an entire decade. The man who seemed to have adapted perfectly and quickly to the family. He was becoming less and less of an oddity.
A bit of a hypocrite on the part of his whole family. He had to tell the truth, someone had to come clean about the situation within the family and that was him.
"Don't you think the situation is awkward? "He had questioned his kin just at the time when they were enjoying their evening meals. No sooner had he let that question out than the atmosphere in the dining room had intensely reduced.
His mom laughed nervously and began to apologize to his uncle on his behalf, while the others spoke at the same time on the subject.
No, there was nothing awkward according to her family. Least of all did they think they had to offer Bruno an apology for everything they had said about him, for everything they had led him to believe about him.
Maybe that was the problem. Inside himself he felt ashamed for following that chain of hatred and injustice in which the Madrigal had involved themselves, and so he unconsciously asked for his uncle's forgiveness. But at the same time, he felt ashamed to ask for his uncle's forgiveness.
The contradiction in his thoughts was even laughable.
Because of feeling guilty enough as well as meddlesome enough he arrived at his present situation.
He began to get closer to the seer, began to get to know him and above all, began to love his uncle.
The Madrigal family seemed totally delighted with the idea of his recent approach. Even a small line of thought about the family seeing him as their unagreed redemption with Bruno crossed his mind at first.
However, that gradually left her mind to lead the way to a trusting relationship between the two.
Bruno would come to his room some afternoons and they would stay there until late, reading novels, stories or books that the elder had kept in his den. Those that had accompanied him in his ten years of solitude.
His uncle was an excellent storyteller, making those fanciful stories take on even more color than they already had since their creation. And a few months after that it was enough for them to migrate from Camilo's room to Bruno's room.
Camilo had never been in someone else's room, so he didn't know what the original room had been like. Now the one rebuilt by Casita -and from what Bruno had told him- did not have as many stairs as before. Also the flow of sand was more bearable.
It had a bed halfway across the sandy area, and at least a couple of score of stairs leading to an enclosed dome.
"My vision booth" his uncle had clarified without giving him any more information about it. Camilo didn't ask him either.
They held meetings in his uncle's room, they no longer took pleasure in just reading stories, they also wanted to be part of them. They began to act, they created improvised scenery and acted with enthusiasm.
Bruno had always said that his true gift was acting and Camilo could confirm that this was true. Bruno even told him that it had also been his nephew's second gift, as he gave him a look of affection and pride and ruffled the youngest's curls.
Everything seemed to be so perfect that it made Camilo happier than he had been so far. Maybe he should have noticed that first symptom among all the ones he was beginning to experience.
Maybe he should have known that the desperate cries of his heart every time he was in the company of his uncle or the growing desire that flooded his being every time there was even the slightest touch was not normal.
He knew it was all wrong even before it started.
He knew it perfectly well and yet he ignored every other action of his own that his conscious was asking him to stop.
"...And maybe after that action he could tone the scene down further " He heard his uncle's voice, pulling him out of the sea of self-imposed thoughts.
- I beg your pardon? - he asked in a low tone, looking at his uncle who was looking at him with a bit of concern in his eyes.
Bruno smiled and walked over to the younger boy so he could sit on the bed next to him. Camilo could feel how his uncle put one of his hands on his shoulder and squeezed gently, as if he was afraid of breaking it at some point.
"Something wrong, mijo? You've been distracted today" he said with visible concern.
He instead smiled broadly and shook his head several times "It's nothing, Tío Bruno, I think Grandma left me a lot of work today, I feel a little tired."
He lied, but come on, he was a great actor! He had learned from the older one, he had learned from Bruno and he only hoped that this small detail would not give him away.
So it was, the older one let out a small laugh and got up from the bed to go to the table a couple of meters away from it, where the small stage full of scenery used by the rats lay.
From there Bruno took a blue rose¹ and carried it back to his nephew. He stretched out his arm and tucked the flower between his youngest's beautiful chocolate curls.
"Everything will be fine, Cami," he said in a confident, harmonious and peaceful voice, "When you're ready to talk about what's going on with you, you can tell me."
The next smile the man gave him seemed even brighter than the previous ones. Camilo felt his heart beating so loudly and nonchalantly inside his chest.
"I... I know Tío" he answered nervously, while he moved his hands back and forth and made strange faces trying not to let the older man notice the crimson tinge that had spread across his face.
Bruno laughed again "That's my Cami" he stirred the other's hair, careful not to throw away the rose he had placed before "Let's leave the rehearsal here today, you need to rest."
Camilo was about to complain, but the movement of his uncle putting on the hood of his roan stopped him "Tomorrow Hernando will not forgive any mistake, young man."
He let a couple of seconds of silence pass before letting out a set of guffaws. As his uncle took off his hood again and watched him adoringly, he brought his hands to his stomach trying to still the laughter that came out.
"It's okay, I understand. We don't want to make Hernando angry" he played along with the man who was also laughing at that point " Good night, uncle Bruno."
He said goodbye in a calmer tone and went to the door of the other's room.
"Good night, mijo."
He heard the major's voice a little before he closed the door behind him.
Being in his room he stood for a moment looking at the floor, without saying anything. Little by little she approached the small table next to her bed and carefully removed the small blue rose from her hair.
He admired it with affection and a small but sincere smile on her lips. Slowly bringing the flower to the corners of her mouth, she kissed its petals letting out a heavy sigh as the feeling in her chest.
He left the rose on the table and lazily changed his clothes for the pijama, getting into bed and letting herself be invaded by a quick sleep.
The first root grew that night.
The discomfort in his chest kept growing in his chest, he had noticed it ever since his uncle had given him that rose. He thought with obviousness that the feeling was nothing more than a thing of the moment.
But the night went by and in that conscious sleep the small pain was growing until he could no longer bear it.
He woke up in the middle of a thunderous coughing fit, he sat up again as fast as he could while his hand squeezed his pajama shirt trying to stop that burning inside him that seemed to go crazy.
"He...help," he asked in a breathless cough that he couldn't stop, giving way to desperation.
Each effort in his throat was more painful than the previous one, the small crystalline tears began to appear in his eyes, clouding his sight.
He heard the door to his room open loudly and the voice of his mother and sister sounded almost as desperate as his own.
"My child, try to calm down," his mother asked in an anxious voice. He could feel small raindrops falling on him from a cloud caused by Pepa's concern.
His sister's crying and the sharp pain made the seconds seem eternal, the coughing wouldn't stop.
It was a few seconds later when a couple of pink rose petals² stained with blood fell on the bed. It was then that the coughing stopped, just like everything else in the room.
The three people present looked at those petals, not giving any kind of credence to what they saw.
Finally with some trepidation Pepa took the petals between her fingers and laid them on the table, next to the rose her uncle had given her.
"Are you feeling better, honey?" she asked sitting on the bed and stroking her son's hair, who only nodded.
"What was that? " questioned his sister "I heard you coughing so desperately... And then asking for help" he could notice how Dolores' voice became sharper with each word she said" I was afraid, I woke up mom, but you seemed to be drowning..."
Camilo looked at the two women beside his bed without knowing exactly what to say to them. At the end of it all he decided to smile " I'm fine, thank you for coming to see me."
They let a few seconds of silence fill the room "Let's go to sleep, you need to rest."
Pepa stretched her arm towards her daughter who understood the invitation and went around the bed until she reached the other side, they lay down on both sides of Camilo. Dolores hugging him and her mother stroking his hair.
He still felt the burning in his throat and the small stabbing pain in his chest, but the attentions of his family were enough to put him back to sleep.
The second set of petals came the next day.
Waking up early his sister and mom had made sure he felt well enough to give him the space he needed to go take a shower.
He dressed up and went down to breakfast as normal, getting caught up in the daily morning family chatter, this time both his mom and sister gave him some of his food ration, and he guessed, Pepa had talked about what happened with his father, because even he left a small arepa on his plate.
He felt the stares on him, but no one mentioned anything about it. However, one of those looks was more intense than the others, Camilo looked up and saw Bruno looking at him.
The older man looked serious and worried "Are you okay?" he said with his lips, in response he nodded happily.
His uncle cared for him, the warm feeling flooded him so much that it seemed to want to make him cry with joy. Bruno, he saw for his welfare and that was enough for him.
They left for town, ready to do their chores, to help the town, a part of the family that had not faded despite what had happened.
Camilo helped take care of the little baby of one of his neighbors. He became the woman and took the baby in his arms, rocking him while humming in his mother's voice.
It was at the time of his rest when, having handed the baby back to his original mother, he walked away in search of a quieter place.
He felt the same pain in her chest, stronger than the one he had had last night he had to stop as the coughing returned with such force that this time he did feel a couple of tears roll down his cheeks.
Petals of Gerbera³ colored white came out from between his lips.
He coughed a total of ten times and in each of those efforts he felt the pain burn as the petals made their way down his throat.
When he stopped and began to become conscious of himself, he lay on the grass, one hand on the ground and the other clutching his clothes tightly.
He inhaled and exhaled repeatedly until he managed to calm down, not realizing that the rest of the afternoon would be spent staring at the white Gerbera splattered with his own blood.
The Raigambre⁴ to be that same night.
When he arrived home everyone was helping to set the table for dinner. He greeted energetically and took position with his sister, helping her set the glasses.
"I could hear you again this afternoon," Dolores spoke in a whisper, looking at him out of the corner of her eye with concern.
"It was nothing," he dismissed her with immediacy, "Dolores, don't tell anyone."
"To the table!" called the grandmother and her sister, who had opened her lips ready to complain, was interrupted.
They all took their respective seats and began to eat, sharing their stories about what they had done during the day.
He lost herself longingly in Bruno's lips, in the features he was making as he told everyone how the children of the village seemed to be less afraid of him, when he let out a small cry of pain just before he started coughing again.
Everyone looked at him frozen, not knowing how to react, with an expression of terror in each of their family members' gazes.
It hurt, it burned so hard that he had started to cry, he wanted to talk, to ask for help, but from his lips only came an endless cough that he could not stop.
" Cami, mijo, calm down, try to calm down, I'm here," he heard in front of him.
He didn't notice when Casita had moved the table away from his chair, nor when everyone had gotten up and was lying behind Uncle Bruno, who was holding his hands in his and had spoken to him in that so soothing voice.
Bruno, whom he looked at with her eyes full of the tears that were streaming down his cheeks. Who whispered words of affection and encouragement. The first one who had reached out to him and supported him.
His own expression of love combined with despair was replaced by one of absolute terror as he felt something rise in his throat.
Out of his mouth came a full red⁵ carnation, flecks of a deeper crimson stained its leaves.
Everyone in the room fell silent watching the bloody flower. Bruno took it in his hands and pushed it away from everyone's sight, carried the child in his arms in a bridal style and made his way through everyone towards the exit.
He carried him to his room, where he laid him gently on the bed, kissed the child's forehead and smiled at him.
"Are you better?" he asked in a low voice, he nodded, "Are you hungry? You didn't eat much, I can bring you something here."
Bruno began to get impatient not knowing what to do, the doubt and the hunger to know what was happening with his nephew was eating him up so much that it showed on his face.
Camilo opened his lips to speak, but his door opening rudely made him stop his action.
"Isabela, you must help him," his mother demanded, soaking wet and trembling, as she pushed her cousin into the room. Camilo could even notice how the others stayed at the door.
"Aunt... "he whispered as he looked at his mother with an expression he had not seen on his cousin's face until that moment. As if apologizing to her, possibly because she didn't know what was happening to her.
"They are flowers, Isabela. Since last night petals are coming out of it " his mother informed " Maybe your gift can help us "Pepa looked at the girl with hope.
Maybe that's why his cousin sighed and approached him. She placed one of her hands delicately on his chest without knowing exactly what to do. But that feeling vanished from his face when he fearfully pulled his hand away. She looked at Camilo and her voice stuttered.
"Impossible..." she spoke without stopping staring at him. He felt Bruno's hand take his and squeeze it impatiently.
"What's going on?" questioned the younger triplets at the same time.
"There are roots inside you," spoke their cousin. "I don't know how, but I can feel them in your chest expanding down your throat."
His mother let out a little squeak of surprise and heard his family speak at the same time. He stood there not quite knowing how to react, what to say or do was beyond him when he was totally petrified.
"Tomorrow the Madrigal family will not go out to town, unless it is to look for an answer to this," ordered the grandmother, "Everyone will search, read or do whatever it takes to find out what is going on."
Everyone nodded at once.
"Bruno " Alma called him. Camilo could feel his uncle tense up just by hearing his name " Come with me."
Bruno gave him a tighter squeeze and a smile before leaving the room.
"You must see his future" Alma asked once at her youngest son's door, Bruno shook his head.
"Mom, you know how it all ended the last time I saw someone's future" he remembered in a tired voice everything that had happened before with Mirabel.
"And we face it together, Brunito," the old woman stretched out her arm and caressed her son's face, "If there is something bad there, let's face it all together, as a family. If something bad awaits Camilo, at least we can prepare ourselves and try to avoid it."
Bruno looked down at his hands, which at that point were already playing nervously with each other.
"I'll try " it was a whisper, but loud enough for his mother to hear him.
"Thank you, Bruno," Alma gave him a little kiss on the cheeks and went back to her grandson's room.
There everything was in chaos, Alma had to sigh, take a breath in her lungs and make herself noticed in that room " Let's all go to sleep."
Pepa looked at her mother "What if it happens to him while he is sleeping, it already happened to him once" she hysterically reminded her.
"We'll take turns taking care of Camilo while he sleeps," she clarified, looking at everyone in the room, "At least while we figure out what to do, two people will take care of him each night. Decide who stays today."
Felix looked anxious "How will we know what's going on? I've never seen anything like this before! Even Isabela doesn't know."
"I asked Bruno to look into Camilo's future," she interrupted him, leaving the room in a heavy, cold silence.
"What?" asked Camilo himself, breaking the ice.
"It is better to know and to prevent to start with nothing" answered his grandmother "Do you already know who will stay?"
The Madrigal looked at each other waiting for someone to say something " I will stay here " said Pepa in a tone of obviousness.
"I'll stay with her," said Felix, putting his arm around his wife's waist.
Alma nodded, "The rest of you go to sleep, tomorrow we have a tiring day ahead of us."
With those words he left the room, everyone except his parents gave him a last look and started to leave, leaving the three of them alone.
"Mommy, I can sleep well, you don't have to worry so much about that," Camilo began to speak, feeling a little annoyance and guilt as the whole family worried.
"Not at all" Pepa walked over with the intention of sitting on the bed, remembering halfway through that she was soaking wet "I'll go change, honey. And then we can rest."
His mother gave his a reassuring smile and a loving look before leaving the room.
Sleeping in the middle of his parents as if he were a child was more comforting than he expected, he fell asleep when they went to bed without waking up until a few hours before dawn.
He felt the pain, felt something growing inside him. "There are roots inside you" he remembered the words Isabela had said to him.
Roots, he could sense them growing exactly.
The uncontrollable seizure began, he coughed with increasing force. His parents instantly rejoined him. He could hear them talking to him and stroking his back trying futilely to make his pain more transient.
His mouth threw petals of several different flowers, roses, carnations even also the recent Gerbera. The impulse brought with it not only petals but also the whole flowers.
He could not sleep much after that, as he would be attacked by the floral vomit several times during the dawn.
He opened his eyes wearily, thankful that he had at least been able to sleep for a couple of hours. He looked around for his parents, but found no sign of either of them.
Instead he almost jumped out of bed when he saw Bruno lying next to him.
"Did I scare you? " he asked fearfully " I didn't mean to scare you, I was just looking after you " he excused himself quickly, getting back in bed at the same speed.
Camilo denied " It's ok, Tío Bruno, it was nicer than seeing my dad's face " he said sincerely, getting tense seconds later realizing what he had said.
However Bruno seemed to take it with amusement " If Felix hears that he will be very sad, Cami."
"What time is it?" he asked lazily.
"We all agreed to let you sleep now that you had made it " his uncle stretched out his hand and gently stroked his curls " My boy, I can see the tiredness in your eyes."
Hearing that and without warning he had a bow which welcomed new petals and flowers.
Bruno who acted accordingly put his own roan in front of him, in a kind of container for the bloody vomit that came out of him.
"Milo... " He heard him call out to him " I'm here " but every word of encouragement from his uncle seemed to aggravate the situation.
He was able to stop minutes later and looked guiltily as the older Madrigal took off his roan "I'm sorry, Tío Bruno.
"It's okay, the important thing is that it stopped " with the tip of the garment he wiped his nephew's lips before throwing it to the ground.
The two remained silent for a few seconds, which was interrupted when his parents entered the room, followed by his grandmother and his cousin Isabela.
"Mijo, how are you feeling? " asked his mother stretching her arms out to him and wrapping him in a hug.
"He just threw up again," Bruno answered for him as he pointed to the green roan on the floor.
He could feel the tears crystallizing in his mother's eyes who did nothing but tighten her grip.
"Isabela found something that could give us some answers," said his grandmother, all eyes turned to her cousin.
"In fact, it was Antonio who helped me to complement " she corrected, discovering the boy who was hiding with the help of the frills of her dress and who came out of sight when he heard his name.
"The animals told me " admitted the boy who took the silence of those present as a sign to continue " They said that very few humans have suffered from it, that it is a story that has been passed down through their ancestors."
"If so, how did we not know about it," asked Mirabel who stood in the doorway.
"Humans don't like to talk about what they don't know, it's in their nature. It makes them feel less wise, so they choose to ignore it or take it as Taboo."
Isabela answered and Camilo could almost swear they all looked at Bruno quickly.
" So I talked to Antonio " She continued " We found all the similarities between this event that the animals told you about and a disease that I found in this book " Isabela offered him an open book on a page that showed a drawing of lungs full of roots and flowers. " Roots in the lungs, which go up through your throat and make you vomit flowers. We didn't know the reason for the disease, the book didn't say, but...."
His older cousin looked towards his brother and he finished the sentence for her "They told me it was because of love" he spoke innocently.
The room fell silent and Camilo looked down, pulling the blankets tightly around him.
"Bruno" Grandma called "Did you see Camilo's future?"
His uncle didn't answer in words, but nodded with his eyes lowered.
"What did you see?" asked his sister, who was peeking through the door next to Mirabel. Bruno shrugged his shoulders.
"Something similar to yours..." Bruno muttered, "An impossible love...".
"Unrequited love" spoke Antonio "That's what the rats said, they told me that their ancestors had seen a girl recovering because the boy she loved had returned her love."
"Did you see her love, Bruno?" asked Pepa in a hopeful tone. Bruno nodded again, Camilo tensed, making the trembling of his body more and more visible.
"Don't say it..." asked the shape-shifter in a pleading tone without daring to look at him "I beg you, don't tell them."
Bruno kept silent, also with his eyes lowered "What happens if his love is not reciprocated?" asked Mirabel to Antonio, the latter's look declined and tears flooded his pupils.
The boy's reaction was enough to warn the family: Death.
"I'm going to say it" spoke Bruno, getting up from the bed.
"Don't do it" shouted Camilo in desperation, daring to look at his uncle again.
"I have to do it, Camilo" he shouted back.
"It's my problem, I'm going to fix it, you don't have to get involved in this!"
"We're worried about you!" shouted Dolores.
"I don't need it!"
"Camilo!" shouted his mother angrily.
"I'm going to tell them" repeated Bruno in a calmer tone. But with a serious look on his face.
"No!"
"I won't let you die, Camilo" shouted his uncle again.
"Then will you reciprocate my feelings?!" he cried, bursting into tears.
An exclamation of surprise from the whole family and a thunderous roar filled the room.
"Son... What are you saying," Pepa looked bewildered, "It can't be like that... that's wrong, Camilo," his mother's voice rose in pitch with every word she said, "How could you even think of that!"
Camilo's crying increased, he cowered trying to hide even though he felt he couldn't move at all.
"Tío Bruno" sobbed the older boy's name, ignoring his mother and the storm his father was trying to calm, "Do you feel anything at least?"
All heads turned towards the adult who, without answering, only looked away from Camilo.
Before that action, the whimpering on the part of the curly-haired boy was no longer restrained, he wailed in the eyes of the whole family who did not know how to react.
The sobs were soon accompanied by retching, more petals coming out of his mouth, blood further soiling the sheets of his bed and finally striated carnations⁶ came out altogether, one after the other for several minutes. He felt his vision dim, the only thing that managed to stop the flowers was the arrival of unconsciousness that dragged him into a deep sleep.
Everything in the room fell silent, they looked exhausted, tearful, fearful, totally petrified by what had happened.
"I'm sure no one here knows" muttered Isabela, bringing everyone out of their inner thoughts.
"What?" Pepa asked with her eyes red with tears and her clothes soaked by the rain she had created.
"The language of flowers," she answered giving a sad smile to her family members, focusing specifically on Bruno, "This should make it clear to us that Camilo's feelings are real," Isabela took one of the Carnations in her hands and looked at it with sorrow. She walked until she reached her uncle and put the flower between his hands "A striated carnation " she informed looking him straight in the eyes " it means rejection."
The days after that were no better, reaching the point where the attacks happened more regularly, they were more aggressive, it hurt Camilo even to speak and at times he felt like it was difficult to breathe.
Bruno's tower was closed again just as it was before his return, except that this time he was locked inside, without the slightest interaction with his family.
Mirabel, who had been the only one able to enter the enclosure, had spoken to him. She felt guilty, responsible for everything that was happening to her nephew. The girl said he was lying in bed with the carnation striated on the side of the pillow.
The climax came a couple of days after that.
The Madrigal house looked sad, wrapped in a cloud of drizzle and a cold caused by the storm, there were no flowers decorating the house, Pepa had asked Isabela not to decorate it, Isabela understood. They had enough of Camilo's flora.
The Madrigals seemed tense, depressed. None of them had left their home, they had "taken turns" taking care of Camilo. Although it was true to say that while someone stayed in the room with him, the others waited at the door.
Mirabel was the only one who had also started to take care of her Uncle, leaving food at the door of the room and talking to him on the other side of the door. She never got an answer from Bruno.
Sometimes someone else would even offer to accompany her. Such was the example of Luisa, who was sitting next to him on the stairs leading to her uncle's tower.
"I don't think I can take it anymore " her sister spoke, she stared at her, trying to decipher what she was trying to tell her " Camilo."
She felt that the air stopped in her lungs " Why do you say that" she stuttered.
Luisa lowered her gaze "Sometimes there is a weight that one carries and others don't notice it, that weight can become suffocating" she kept quiet for a few moments before finally continuing "That weight is crushing Camilo."
Mirabel said nothing, but looked at her sister fondly. A few seconds later Bruno's door opened.
The girls stood up looking at their uncle with surprise, who began to walk without saying a word.
"Tío Bruno" Maribel spoke to him, walking behind him as did Luisa "Where are you going?"
The seer did not answer. However, he did not need an answer once they arrived at Camilo's door. The family that was there stood up instantly, just as surprised, making way for him to enter.
"Bruno? " Julieta, who was on duty, stood up from the bed. She had a half-finished arepa in her hand.
"Is he healing him?" he asked, his voice hoarse. Julieta shook her head.
"It doesn't work, my gift doesn't work on him," Bruno could tell that his sister was holding back from crying.
"Neither does mine " Isabela spoke this time "I tried to remove the root, but he doesn't respond to me, he even seems to get worse if I try to help him."
Bruno nodded and looked at the boy on the bed, who looked back at him silently.
"Tío Bruno," gasped Camilo with difficulty, stumbling over the words with the blood in his mouth.
The older man sat on the bed and stroked that hair he had messed up so many times in the past.
"Cami, look at your beautiful eyes, they are dark, mijo," called the adult, listening to the footsteps of the people who watched the scene curiously, "You must get up, Milo".
The lament settled in the expression of the minor, welcoming the small salty drops that came out of his eyes, he coughed again.
"Shh, Shh" his uncle hushed, giving him a kiss on the forehead and lying down next to him, cooing the child in his arms, "I love you, Cami, you must be strong, for you..." He stopped his words for a moment, let out a sigh and corrected "For us" one of the seer's hands went to his nephew's chin, leaving a slow and delicate kiss on the corners of the other's lips.
Nobody commented anything, which Camilo was internally grateful for, for the first time in so long he could sleep a little without the fear of drowning.
When he opened his eyes again, he found the image of his uncle sleeping next to him. His heart seemed to leap with happiness, he felt it beating so fast and uncontrollably. He had been able to sleep, Bruno had kissed him, he was now in his arms.
He wanted to cry, wrapped in euphoria. He stretched out his hand and caressed the other's face, memorizing each of the other's features and at the same time making him wake up by the movement.
They looked at each other for a few seconds before Camilo moved even closer and kissed his lips. Bruno reciprocated each of the younger man's kisses. He felt so good, cared for... he felt loved.
"How..." he asked inches away from the other's lips "Mom... she...". How did they accept it?"
"We all want you alive, Cami," he answered lovingly, pulling him into a tight embrace.
They stayed like that, together, hugging and in silence.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," Isabela lay standing in the doorway, "I have something to tell you," she said as she stepped aside, letting his parents and grandmother in, closing the door.
He could see the discomfort in her parents' eyes, even in his grandmother's expression. The only one who seemed at peace with the relationship was Isabela.
"We have found a way" informed his cousin "The roots... can be removed with surgery, you wouldn't have them anymore."
Camilo opened his mouth to protest, but his grandmother beat him to the punch "You would lose all feeling, you wouldn't feel anymore, you wouldn't love anymore.... But you'd be safe, your parents think it's a fair payment for...."
"It's not necessary " he spoke, interrupting his grandmother "My love is reciprocated, I'm no longer in danger as long as I have Bruno with me."
He decided to ignore his uncle's tension and the pitiful eyes of his family.
"Camilo... your uncle Bruno" his mother spoke on the verge of tears.
"He's right, he'll be fine," Bruno said, "we all will.
The cloud above his mother began to rain, mixing the drops with the woman's tears, nodding with a trembling body. Felix hugged her, murmuring words of comfort in her ear. The grandmother looked at her son and left the room followed by Isabela, his parents were the last to leave.
Camilo sighed heavily and looked at his partner who smiled and hugged him "Sleep, I'll be here when you wake up. You need to rest, Milo, those dark circles must disappear from your beautiful eyes."
The youngest smiled and nodded with a crimson tinge on his cheeks, settling on his uncle's chest ready to sleep.
Bruno didn't lie, when he woke up the next day he was still hugging him.
"Good morning," he greeted the older boy with a kiss on the lips, which he reciprocated instantly.
"Ready to get up?" asked his uncle looking at him with a smile, Camilo nodded, the look of happiness in Bruno was worth getting up, that look of happiness was worth every price he had to pay.
That feeling was as fleeting as a shooting star on the brightest night.
As quickly as he set foot on the wood of his room the cough came again. Bruno ran to him, trying to grab him in his arms before he fell to the floor, but he wasn't fast enough.
His body thrashed and vomit, blood and flora poured from his mouth. Bruno was screaming for help, everyone was there in a flash. He could feel Luisa lifting him off the floor to put him back on the bed, not caring if her beautiful wardrobe was soiled by him.
The attack and the pain did not have enough compassion for him to drag him into unconsciousness. Rather, they kept him more conscious than ever.
Violet dahlias⁷ began to roll on the blankets, the red color of blood splattered around him and his eyes, his eyes never left Bruno's who knelt beside him holding his hand tightly.
It stopped many minutes later. And in the recent calm of the room Bruno took one of the Dahlias between his fingers, looking at Isabela " Violet Dahlias" She informed biting her lower lip before continuing "My love for you is strong and grows day by day".
The youngest of the triplets cried as he repeatedly told him "I'm sorry."
"It was what you saw" admitted Camilo in a tone of resignation and hoarse from the effort " An impossible love, that's what it is" tears rolled down his cheeks "That's what it has always been."
"Camilo, the surgery.... " Bruno spoke, and he denied with immediacy.
"I don't want it."
"Camilo! " shouted his mother " You need it, or else you.... you... " a wail came from her, unable to complete that sentence.
"Will I die? I'd rather die with my love than live without it."
"Milo... please" Bruno asked "I beg you, mijo."
Camilo denied and raised his trembling hand to his uncle's head, caressing him awkwardly " Uncle Bruno, you mustn't feel guilty about this " he murmured " It's so beautiful, this love is beautiful " gathering all the strength he had at that moment he smiled "You made flowers grow in my chest and that's beautiful."
His uncle's tears seemed to increase as did those of everyone in the room, he let them cry, even if it all made it seem like a goodbye.
"I can't breathe," he managed to say before the next attack, his back arched multiple times and his mouth opened, letting out a new flower, a new species. Blue with a yellow center, the color representative of the child.
"Surgery!" He heard the grandmother scream, the inside of his conscience denied.
"He doesn't want it, he's 15 years old⁸ " Bruno spoke in fright.
"It doesn't work if he's unconscious!" shouted his mother.
He wanted to deny, he wanted to shout that he was aware of what they were talking about, that he didn't want the surgery, however his body didn't respond. His vision was flooded with darkness.
Camilo woke up, in a normal day like any other, he got out of bed, took a bath, went down to breakfast, his family laughed, talked, enjoyed being with each other. He could not do that, he could not feel happiness to be there with them, to be alive. In fact, he couldn't feel any emotion at all.
No one had told him why he was like that, and he continually stopped asking after the year. He guessed he was born that way. "At least I had a Gift" he consoled himself even though he had no sadness or remorse about it.
He did chores with such a coordinated daily routine that the kids said he was a robot, he didn't understand it so he let them say what they wanted.
That afternoon he got home before the others, went to the backyard, trying to find someone.
His uncle Bruno was standing there, watering the small garden of blue flowers with yellow centers.
"Camilo" approached him out of respect for his uncle.
"I arrived," he spoke without any emotion in his voice.
"How did it go?" asked his uncle. He only shrugged his shoulders, Bruno nodded.
"Do you know the name of this flower," he asked, looking longingly at his orchard. Camilo shook his head.
"Nomeolvides⁹" answered Bruno then letting out a forced laugh.
"Are you trying not to forget someone? " he asked without really being interested.
Bruno smiled and looked at him silently for a few seconds "That's right" he answered.
"Camilo, Tio Bruno, to the table," spoke Mirabel, Camilo turned around and started walking.
Bruno watched his back move farther and farther away from him, A small white Cyclamen¹⁰ petal flew towards him and settled at his feet. He smiled and headed for the kitchen, where the Maldigals were already waiting for him.
---xxxx
Annotations:
¹ Blue rose: harmony, trust, affection. Blue roses symbolize the color of the sky, they transmit feelings of relaxation, calming, liberating.... If you put blue roses in your home or offer them to someone nervous or anxious, you will reduce tension and create an atmosphere of peace and harmony.
²Pink rose:The pink rose is the one that expresses the most feelings: if someone offers you pink roses, it praises your sympathy and openness. Roses of this color symbolize the absence of evil, of ulterior motives. They show esteem, cordiality, positive attitude and beauty. The intensity of these feelings varies depending on the intensity of the pink color. The more intense the color, the more intense the feelings expressed.
³White Gerberas: They are a good choice when you want to say 'sorry'.
⁴Raigambre: Set of intertwined roots of plants and other vegetables.
⁵Red carnation: It is a sighing heart.
⁶Striated carnation: It means rejection.
⁷Purple dahlias: My love for you is strong and growing every day.
⁸15 years old: 14 years old is the legal age in Colombia, and the minor could get to have agreements with hospitals to refuse to have surgeries or other interventions (As explained to me) hahahaha.
⁹Nomeolvides: "Don't forget me". In the language of flowers, forget-me-nots mean sincere love, but also the uneasiness of not being reciprocated. The blue ones are like a reminder of fidelity, of the promise not to forget the loved one.
¹⁰White cyclamen: A request for forgiveness.