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Thinking back on it, entering another magical portal wasn’t exactly the smartest decision Luz had made but she couldn’t have helped herself. Now, she had no way of going back to Earth or the Demon Realm and again, she was alone and stuck. Still, her young and ambitious teenage mind saw this as another quest that needs completing.
The new world she wounded up in wasn’t too bad, despite the apocalyptic mood that accompanied it. The dusty unkempt buildings and streets stretching out for miles gave off an urban vibe, but she sensed that it was abandoned for quite some time. It wasn’t a surprise that Luz found it eerie. She had to admit; the otherworldly atmosphere of this world gave off a creepier vibe than the Demon Realm. That feeling didn’t go away either when Luz started walking around. Other than the occasional small mutant creature she saw every few minutes, Luz was forced to wander alone the wasteland.
Fortunately, her state of loneliness didn’t last long and eventually, she crossed paths with a trio of preteens travelling alongside a small mutant pig and a talking mutant bug. They were friendly enough, so when the leader of the pack, Kipo, offered Luz to join their party, she accepted and the group were on their way.
Over the next few days, as the group journeyed to find a mysterious underground burrow, Luz slowly bonded and learned more about each of her companions. Right off the bat, Luz’s connection with Kipo was strong from the very beginning. Sure, they weren’t from the same world but they both shared the same feelings of uncertainty in a new environment. The only boy in the group, Benson, was just as friendly and easy-going as Kipo. He wasn’t half-bad looking as well. However, the same couldn’t be said about the youngest girl in the blue wolf pelt who wasn’t exactly receptive to her presence. Heck, everyone else didn’t know much about her and had chosen to name her Wolf as a placeholder.
It wasn’t long until dusk set in and were forced to set up camp again, this time in a small abandoned house, away from the main streets. It wasn’t much of a shelter, the roof mostly destroyed and the wooden walls and floors on the verge on breaking but it was enough for them to stay safe for a while. There, the group ate whatever rations they’d gathered, and briefly talked amongst themselves about who’s taking night shifts. Even though they were hidden from the night terrors of the surface, Luz was self-aware enough to know that they still had be a bit careful. Eventually, the night caught up to them and the group fell asleep while each person rotated to keep watch over the outside.
Well almost everyone. Luz tried to fall asleep but couldn’t. Her thoughts kept going back to her Eda and King. She still missed them. Luz sighed and opened her eyes, where the night sky greeted her. She stared blankly at the stars for a few seconds, before she heard a friendly voice quietly call out next to her.
“Can’t sleep, Luz?”
Luz rolled onto her side and looked at Kipo, awake and alert on her designated shift, “you could say that,” she sighed.
“You’ve been quiet lately. What’s on your mind?” Kipo asked softly.
“Nothing,” Luz lied, as she tried to brush off the topic, “It’s just… it’s been a long da-”
She was stopped mid-sentence when she felt Kipo’s hand on her shoulder, in a soft, reassuring manner, “Luz. You don’t have to lie to me. You know you can tell me anything, right?”
“Yeah,” she mumbled while nodding, “Sorry, I’m just not used to anyone actually wanting to talk to me.”
The brown-haired girl hesitated to continue for a moment. She contemplated on keeping her thoughts a secret but Luz knew that it was weighing her down. Luz looked at Kipo’s eyes and saw that there was no malice in them. Eventually, Luz leaned back on Kipo to let it all out.
“Truth is, I’ve never had any friends my own age before. I’ve always been called a weirdo by everybody and I always felt like such a loser! It’s just not fair how everyone back home can fit in so easily while I’m always the one who screws things up and makes everything worse! Sometimes, I wish I could just disappear from the face of the Earth!”
As she continued speaking, Luz’s eyes started to water and by the end of it, her face was visibly upset to Kipo. Luz wasn’t a crying type of person but when those emotions get bottled up, it was hard to control them once they were let out. So that was it. Luz has revealed one of her biggest insecurities and was expecting to be shunned and ridiculed because of it. She closed her eyes and braced for Kipo to distance herself away but it never happened. Instead, Luz felt Kipo’s arms wrap around her, tightly hugging her close. It was unexpected but Luz was comforted by her body warmth radiating around her, and returned the gesture, wrapping her own arms around Kipo as well.
“Don’t think anything less of yourself Luz,” Kipo said, tightening her grip, as Luz continued to cry on Kipo’s shoulder. For the next few minutes, the two girls hugged in silence together, Kipo gently brushing Luz’s hair with her fingers as her sniffles gradually decreased. T Once Luz calmed down, they slowly loosened their grip on each other.
Kipo broke the silence, with Luz’s head still resting on her body, “Look, there’s nothing wrong with you and I like you just the way you are. You’re pretty awesome so why wouldn’t I want to be your friend? Do you remember what you said to me a few days ago when we only just met?”
Luz wiped the remaining tears off her eyes and looked at Kipo, “Us weirdos have to stick together?”
“Yes!” Kipo cheered quietly, while she continued patting her short hair, “So don’t let anybody bring you down, okay?”
“Okay...” Luz managed to gulp through the lump in her throat and nodded, before her fingers fidgeted and looked down on the ground, “…can I have another hug, please?”
“Always!” Kipo replied, leaning over to wrap her arms around Luz.