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School. A word that sparked fear in the minds of many adolescents, and Luz Noceda was no exception.
Human school was terrifying enough, so entering a school filled to the brim with witches and magic felt like a death trap. In all fairness, her entire journey through this mysterious place hadn’t exactly been the easiest of trips.
She had just spent the better half of the hour desperately trying to track down the silver haired woman who had stolen her Good Witch Azura book (first edition copy... she wouldn’t rest until she got it back) and rushed off on an Owl Staff. Even describing that was bizarre, she was still awe-struck by her encounter.
“I’m Eda, the Owl Lady,” She had spoken in a sly tone, holding Luz’s novel above her head in a taunting manner, “I’m the most powerful witch in the Boiling Isles. And you… just got scammed,” With that, she had clicked her heels and flown into the air (literally, flown away).
Luz had done everything in her power to catch up to her but running blindly could only get her so far. Instead, it had led her to the entrance of a mysterious building, panting and very, very lost. She had decided to enter said peculiar building, what led her to her current position.
Inside the hallways of a school that she did not attend.
She stuck out like a sore thumb in her mundane clothing. The fact that she had instinctively pulled up her cat-eared hoodie wasn’t exactly doing her any favours.
As she stood in the middle of the crowded hallway, she couldn’t help but feel awestruck at how unfamiliar everything was. Students walked by, each with a different coloured uniform and some with features that were so unlike any human’s she had ever seen. A sour looking girl had just strutted by, Luz had barely held herself back from gasping at her pink skin and hair.
She recalled the older witch mentioning the words “Boiling Isles” before she had disappeared (with a very smug expression, she should add). Wherever the Boiling Isles was, it was truly magical.
“Student. Why are you not in class?” A commanding voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Luz, feeling incredibly startled, jumped a few steps backwards, holding her hands in front of her in a defensive position.
She quickly took in the appearance of the man in front of her, tall and draped in a large cloak. He practically oozed intimidation; it was honestly pretty impressive.
The human girl was too scared to speak. Thankfully, the man took her silence as an answer, “Tardy. Despicable behaviour. I expect better from my students.” That was enough to know that he was a teacher here, no wonder he exuded so much authority. “Run along now, or it’ll be detention for you.”
Before Luz could protest in any manner, the man began to usher her to the nearest classroom and pushed her inside. The door slammed behind her, cutting off her only escape route, and she was left in a classroom with several eyes on her.
She stood in front of the door, knees bent and eyes wide with fear. This was not how her day was supposed to go. She was supposed to be at Summer Camp learning how to be normal, instead she was in a magical witch realm and being stared at like she had chicken legs for a head.
After a few moments of unbearable silence, the teacher finally showed Luz mercy, “You must be a transfer student. There’s an empty seat over there. Take it and sit down before you interrupt my lesson any further.”
The teacher gestured towards an empty seat near the back of the class. Next to the empty seat was a sweet looking girl with short, fluffy hair. Luz happily took a seat next to her, smiling softly at the girl. As soon as the teacher looked away, she leaned forward and whispered an introduction, “I’m Luz.”
That earned her a timid smile in response, “I’m Willow.” She lifted a pale hand and tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ears, revealing a pointed ear. Luz remembered the silver haired woman having similar ears and how she had called herself as a ‘witch’. She tried to hide her shock, but her eyes widened nonetheless. In that moment, she was very relieved that she hadn’t pulled down her hood from over her head. Thankfully, the witchling didn’t comment on it, instead turning and looking at her work with an exasperated sigh.
Luz wondered what was troubling her. Before she could find the words to ask, a dry voice interrupted her thoughts.
“You. New transfer student.” Luz jumped in her seat, “Not paying attention? Is my lesson not interesting enough for you?”
Luz was quick to shake her head, then nod, then shake her head again, “No, I mean yes, I mean… I’m paying attention ma’am!” Way to go Luz, amazing response. Five stars.
The teacher frowned, “If you were paying attention then you’ll be able to answer the question on page 42.” Luz looked down, before realising she didn’t have a textbook. Willow picked up on this and slid her an open textbook. She quickly skimmed the page, desperately trying to find the right answer. In such a short amount of time, she found herself becoming incredibly overwhelmed. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find the right answer.
She was about to give up hope when a refined voice spoke up, “Miss, you’ve picked the wrong page.”
Luz snapped her head upwards to find the owner of the voice. She discovered that it belonged to a girl sat in front of her. She couldn’t quite see her face, as she was facing the front of the classroom, but she was awestruck by the brightness of her hair.
Green hair. She’d never seen anyone with green hair before. It was pretty.
An eyebrow was raised at the student, “Is that so? And what page should we be on, Miss Blight?”
Blight. That wasn’t a surname she’d heard of before in her realm. It sounded so other-worldly and incredibly beautiful.
“Page 36,” The Blight girl answered, her voice assured and unwavering, “You skipped ahead to next week’s lesson.”
Luz couldn’t help but admire this girl’s bravery. She had spoken up and been entirely confident about it. She hadn’t even seen this girl’s face, yet she was entranced by her demeanour.
After flicking through a textbook, the professor gulped and faced the green haired student, “It would seem that you are correct, Amity. Thank you for pointing that out.”
Amity. So that was her name. She had a feeling she wouldn’t be forgetting it any time soon.
Clearly humbled by the criticism, the teacher moved her attention towards another student (victim) and asked for them to explain a very cool and very technical sounding witch-y concept. Luz would have been fascinated; had she not been currently occupied with a new plan forming in her mind.
She needed to thank Amity.
She’d stood up for her, it was the least she could do! Who knows, she’d already made an ally in the sweet girl beside her, maybe this was her chance to make another one… Maybe even a friend.
Her mind having been made up, she edged forwards in her seat and began to hiss at the green haired witch in front of her, “Psssssssst. You. Witch girl. Amity Blight.” Willow began to giggle beside her, it was a very adorable sound. She decided she absolutely had to befriend her too.
No dice, sadly. Amity didn’t seem to hear her. That didn’t discourage her, however.
“Pssst, Amity,” She leaned in a little closer, willing her words to reach the girl, “I think your hair is pretty.”
That seemed to do a trick, within seconds brown eyes met copper ones and Luz finally got to meet the face of her defender.
She was pretty, was Luz’s first thought.
A furious blush had overtaken her pale skin. Her lips were edged into a scowl and her eyebrows furrowed as she glared at the human girl. Luz noticed a glimpse of caramel seeping into green and realised the witch girl had dyed her hair at some point. She decided that she liked that, for whatever reason.
“What do you want?” Amity glared at her, her voice coming out as a strained whisper.
Luz grinned, her eyes crinkling in excitement, “Thanks for saving my skin there, Amity.”
She was sure the girl’s expression softened for a moment, before she turned back around, muttering “Whatever.”
Not the most encouraging of responses but not all hope was lost. She had an idea.
She turned to the witch beside her, poking her shoulder gently to get her attention. Once that attention was earned, she asked in a hushed voice, “Can I borrow a pen and some paper?”
After receiving a questionable look, Luz received the supplies she needed and quickly got to work on her masterpiece. It took her the rest of the lesson, but she hoped her efforts wouldn’t be in vain.
As the lecture came to an end, signalled by an incredibly loud and terrifying bell (she would be lying if she said she hadn’t nearly jumped out of her skin), she bounced out of her seat and made quick work tracking down the capricious witch, clutching her creation in her hands.
Her target was found by her locker, rubbing her fingers against it, a motion that caused teeth to emerge from it. Luz was quick to realise that the lockers in this school were alive and monstrous and barely held herself back from screeching in excitement.
She dashed towards the unsuspecting girl, quick to call to her, “Hi Amity!”
The girl in question jumped, nearly dropping the books she was clutching to her chest. She turned and faced Luz, her face glowering, “What do you want … uh … Whatever your name is.”
Oh, that’s right, she hadn’t introduced herself yet, “I’m Luz,” she outstretched a hand, grinning from ear to ear, “Luz Noceda.” After a few moments, she realised Amity wasn’t going to take her hand, so she lowered it glumly.
Amity pulled her textbooks closer to her chest, “So, like I already asked, what do you want?”
Bouncing on her heels in excitement, the human girl twirled before lifting up the piece of paper in her hands to show off her creation, “It’s my thanks to you! I drew us together,” She then paused, angling the artwork towards her, “I got a paper cut whilst drawing, so I just worked it into the picture.”
She was referring to the blush on Amity’s cheeks, painted with a … loving touch, one would say.
Amity seemed to be looking anywhere but the drawing, “Oh, wow. Thanks. It’s … really … something.” Strangely, despite her conflicted tone, Luz could have sworn she saw a budding redness overtake porcelain skin.
Her gaze then drifted somewhere else, not quite on Luz but not quite looking away from her. As her eyes widened, the human girl stared at her in confusion, lowering the drawing. She was about to question the young witch, until a soft breeze against her ears and realisation hit her like the final blow of a boxing match.
At some point, in between rushing off to find Amity and talking to the girl, her hood had fallen, revealing her human features.
Struck by panic, she shoved the drawing into her new acquaintance’s arms and yelling, “See ya around,” before darting off, her hood now pulled firmly over her head and disguising her rounded ears.
Dramatic exit of the school aside, Luz returned back to her original goal of locating her Azura copy and the mysterious elder witch who had purloined it.
That night, she spent her first night in the walls of the Owl House, trapped in a magical realm with no immediate escape. With a demon at her feet and a powerful witch on the other side of the walls, Luz reflected on her journey and thought about the magical events soon to come.
Unbeknownst to her, on the other side of the Boiling Isles, Amity Blight hugged a crumped piece of paper to her chest, unsettled by the warmth in her heart and the image of the girl with round ears that she couldn’t seem to shake off.
For both, a new adventure was just beginning.