Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was the winter of 1955. Amongst the grassy hills of Shropshire, England, various houses occupied plots of land, neither near nor far from each other. One of these houses belonged to the Noceda family, Camilia Noceda and her daughter, Luz. Although, it would soon be home to only one of them for quite some time.

“Mija, hurry up! The train leaves in an hour!”

“Coming, Mom!”

As she ran around her room, Luz haphazardly rummaged through every bookshelf and drawer she could find, desperately searching for the one item she couldn't leave without. It wasn't a need, of course, but she'd rather take it with her than leave it behind due to how precious it was to her.

"Not in the closet," she said, pacing back and forth. "Not under my laundry, not… Oh!"

She lifted up her pillow and sure enough, she found what she was looking for. 

"The Good Witch Azura," Luz smiled. "How did I forget to check under the pillow? And to think I would have to go without it!"

Despite already reading it several times, Luz insisted on taking the 5th volume with her. The series in general had played a prominent part in her obsession with magic and witches, and in a place where she had no companions, Azura was her only guide to finding excitement in her plain life.

She checked herself in the mirror. Her new school's uniform consisted of a white button-up shirt, a black sweater vest, a tie (as she was allowed to wear any, she chose one half-green and half-pink), simple dress shoes and a dark gray flat cap. The dark gray trousers and blazer were mandatory during the winter and fall, whereas she'd be free to switch to wearing shorts during the spring and summer. The only part of her uniform that wasn't in accordance with the rules were her socks, which were mismatched. But it's not like they'd check if she wore trousers.

Luz took a shaky breath. This whole plan was outrageous, but the fact that it was working well so far made her even more nervous. 

She grabbed her satchel and headed downstairs, towards the front porch. Camilia was busy loading her suitcase into the sidecar of the motorbike.

“Mom?” she spoke timidly. Camilia turned to look at her.

“Yes?”

“I don’t know if this is such a good idea,” Luz muttered. “What if I get caught?”

Camilia sighed. “You won’t. You’re smart, mija, you’ll find a way.”

“But-”

“Didn’t you tell me you wouldn’t like going to the girls’ school?” Camilia reminded her. “Hexside is more focused on education. The only reason I did all this was so that you wouldn’t have to go learn about things you didn’t want to, like embroidery, and… whatever else they learn.”

“There has to be some other school I can go to,” Luz insisted. “Like a mixed one, or perhaps another girls’ school…”

Camilia shook her head. “None have the same environment or level of education.”

Luz looked down, dejected at her failed attempts to escape this. Her mother noticed this and held her close. “I chose the best for you, because I want to see you grow up doing something you enjoy, Luz.”

“I know,” Luz said, hugging her back. 

“Now, let's get going. We can't miss this train."

They reached the train station 15 minutes before it was scheduled to leave for London, the location of Luz's new school. Camilia had already made sure she had her suitcase before seeing her off.

"Do you remember how you'll introduce yourself?" she asked.

Luz cleared her throat. "My name is Lucio Noceda. I've been homeschooled for the majority of my life, so this is a new experience for me. I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can, and I hope to live up to the expectations placed upon me. Was that alright?"

"That was perfect," Camilia smiled, her lips trembling as she tried her best to hold back her tears. She hugged Luz once again as she gave her several affectionate pecks. "Oh, my baby… I'll miss you so much. Promise you'll write to me whenever you can, okay?"

"I promise," Luz smiled back, although her tone was a bit more solemn. "I should get going now…"

As she boarded the train and selected a compartment, she stuck her head out the window to see Camilia still waiting there. She probably wouldn't go until the train started moving. A sense of sadness arose in Luz when she realized this was probably the last time she'd be seeing her mother, at least until the summer. Unless Hexside allowed students to head home for Christmas.

Luz waved goodbye to Camilia as the train started to move. Once the station was out of sight, she slumped back into her seat and began to rummage through her satchel. She opened a pack of Jelly Babies and began to snack on them as she read about The Good Witch Azura's tales once again. 

Oh, if only magic was real. Perhaps then Luz would have no need for academics, or embroidery. She'd simply spend her days bringing things to life and flying around on a broom. Imagine, the first witch to ever exist in real life!

Unless there were real witches already. But that was impossible, of course.

Suddenly, the door to her compartment slid open, and two strange individuals walked in. The first was rather small, and wore a dark coat and hat. Not much could be discerned from that in regards to the type of person they were. The second was a woman, tall and pale, with unruly gray hair and red lipstick on only her lower lip. She had strikingly golden eyes and a sharp golden tooth to match, the former throwing Luz off. Did golden eyes exist outside of the world of fantasy?

"Ah, sorry, kid," she spoke, sounding somewhat tired. "Thought this compartment was empty, but I guess it doesn't matter. You don't mind us sitting here, do ya?"

Luz's mom had always told her to be wary of strangers, but she was much too entranced by the magical appearance of this woman to remember. "S-Sure, I'll just move my stuff."

She shifted her bags into the corner with her, watching intently as the odd pair sat in front of her, the woman adjusting her tweed jacket as she did.

"Are those Jelly Babies?" the small one inquired, his voice high-pitched and a bit whiny. Luz couldn't tell if he was a kid or not.

"Yeah, uh, have a bag!" she said, reaching into her satchel. "I brought a bunch with me, so I don't mind giving you one."

He quickly snatched it, letting out a happy hum after trying one. The three occupants of the compartment sat in silence for a bit, with Luz sneaking glances at the other two. After a couple minutes, the woman spoke.

"So what's a kid like you doing traveling alone?" she asked. "I haven't seen many little girls allowed to roam around the country alone…"

"I-I'm not a girl," Luz stammered. She reached out a hand towards the woman. "Lucio Noceda, soon-to-be Hexside student, ma'am."

With an eyebrow raised, the stranger proceeded to shake her hand. "Name's Eda. Although some call me the Owl Lady. This is King, my travel companion and source of entertainment."

"Hey!" he cried out indignantly. "You're lucky I agreed to come with you in the first place!"

"Hexside, huh?" Eda said. "That's one high-end academy. Your family must be loaded."

"Not really," Luz shrugged. "We're more part of the middle class. We just happened to get lucky."

Eda nodded. She looked at Luz's satchel and noticed something peculiar poking out of it. "...Are those cherry bombs?"

Luz jumped up a bit in surprise, inwardly cursing at how she failed to hide them properly. "Well, you never know when you need 'em. I might get kidnapped on my way to the school, or entangled in a fight! If that happens, all I have to do is a bit of wapoosh! And everything'll go flash! And my opponent won't stand a chance!"

Eda stared at her for a bit, then laughed heartily. It was very distinguishable, with the way she snorted as she cracked up. Luz never saw an adult as amused and as laid back as this woman before.

"Kid, you are something," she smirked. "You might even be as funny as King."

"I am not funny!" King screeched. "I am the King Of Demons, the Ruler of The Night, the-"

"Yeah, yeah, put a sock in it already," Eda said, pulling his hat over his eyes. It was then that Luz happened to catch a glimpse of him, and she was surprised to see two horns poking out, one broken and jagged. A costume, maybe?

"Um, so where are you two headed?" Luz asked. "I mean, obviously you're going to London like me, but-"

"That's classified," Eda winked, putting a finger to her lips. "King and I are on a top secret mission, absolutely out of your comprehension, no one can know."

"A-Are you working for the MI5?!" Luz gaped as she leaned forward in excitement.

"Those losers?" King scoffed. "No way! Puny mortals like them couldn't possibly do what Eda and I do."

Luz was about to speak, but her thoughts lingered on that one word. ' Mortals?'

"Anyways, what we're up to isn't important," Eda said. "What I wanna know is what your whole deal is with the disguise."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Luz mumbled, her cheeks turning red. She was never a good liar. 

"Eh, I guess I can't blame you for not trusting us," the older woman shrugged. "After all, we're just a couple of weirdos who happened to wander into your compartment."

"You're not weirdos!" Luz exclaimed. "Er, that's to say, I suppose to some you would be. But I'm considered a weirdo myself, so I don't have the right to judge. If you ask me, I think you're both really cool! And mysterious."

"You flatter me," Eda chuckled. "No no, go on. It's good for my ego."

"Eda's about as mysterious as a bag of bricks," King scoffed, earning him a sharp shove.

"Don't listen to him," Eda huffed. "I was gonna ask why you'd be considered a weirdo, but then I remembered the cherry bombs and thought against it."

"Here, have one!" Luz handed her a pack enthusiastically. "Like I said, you never know when you might need a cherry bomb. And from what I can tell, there's a high chance you're gonna need it."

"How generous of you," Eda smiled. "Thanks, kid. Have a cola as a token of my gratitude."

Luz was practically buzzing in her seat at the exchange. She loved cola, but her mother would never purchase it due to her already hyper nature. "Thank you, Miss Owl Lady!"

Eda watched her with great interest as she gulped it down. "Moderation, kiddo, or we're gonna have to add murder to my resumé and I gotta tell ya, employers aren't very keen on such an accomplishment."

"Sorry, this is just my favorite soda," Luz burped. "Since we're gonna be here for a while, d'you mind if I sketch you?"

"Ah, we have an artist on our hands, eh?" Eda smiled. "As long as you don't show it to anyone important afterwards. We can't have any authorities catch wind of me."

She reached into her satchel for her sketchbook and pencil, choosing to ignore Eda’s questionable statement. After settling back into her seat, she began to draw. 

The rest of the train ride was quiet, with only the sounds of Luz's scribbling filling the air or the occasional small talk. Before long, it had been 2 hours and 30 minutes, signaling the end of the journey. 

"Jeez, human transportation sure is slow," Eda groaned as she stretched out her arms. 

"Not like we had a choice," King huffed. "Maybe we could've gone by broom, but you just had to show off in Shropshire."

Broom? Human transportation?

"C'mon, kid," Eda said, reaching for Luz's suitcase and handing it to her. "Let's get outta here before we're stuck on this thing for another 2 hours."

The trio got off the train and headed into the station. Luz was supposed to find a man holding a sign saying her "name", but she couldn't shake off the feeling of loneliness as she glanced at her temporary travel companions. They'd only known each other for a short time, but she already felt a sense of attachment to them.

"Well, I guess this is it," Eda said. "We gotta get going before the coven gets wise and-"

"W-Wait!" Luz exclaimed, causing the two to turn around and face her, visible confusion on Eda's face. "Will we ever see each other again, Miss Owl Lady?"

The older woman's eyes widened in surprise for a moment. When it was clear Luz spoke genuinely, she grinned.

"Perhaps one day, perhaps. Until then, good day to you, Lucio Noceda."

They disappeared around the corner, leaving Luz with a pit in her stomach. She shook it off and headed towards the man with the sign.

"Why, hello there," he spoke, his voice soft and his expression kind. He wore glasses with circle frames over his green eyes and had dark, slicked back hair.

"Hello, sir," she nodded. "I'm the transfer student, Lucio Noceda. Are you to take me there?"

"Indeed," he smiled. "Winston Park, at your service. I teach literature at Hexside. Let's get a move on, the headmaster is quite busy today and wishes for you to arrive as soon as possible."

He ushered Luz into the car and drove off. She took a second to process that she was sitting in an actual car, for few could afford the contraption at the moment.

"Where are you from, son?" Winston asked.

"Shropshire, sir," Luz replied. "Near the River Severn."

"My husband lived there for a while," he hummed in acknowledgement. "Peaceful place, he said. That's probably why he left, honestly. He likes noisy areas like London."

She perked up at the mention of him having a husband. There weren't many people like that back home. It was comforting to meet someone she could relate to in that way.

"We've arrived," Winston said. "I've been instructed to give you this layout of the building, and a key to your dormitory. Would you like me to help you with your suitcase?"

"No, I've got it," Luz said. "Thank you for the ride, Mr. Park."

"I'll see you in class, Lucio," Winston said, sending her off with a smile and a wave. Her grip on her suitcase handle tightened along with the knot in her stomach as she stared at the massive building in front of her.

" 'Hexside Academy For Boys'... " she read the sign aloud, confirming to herself that her fate had been sealed. The building resembled a castle made of white brick, with winter's first snow covering the rooftops and front yard. She shivered a bit as a cold breeze blew past her, and hurried inside. 

The interior design of the building was as magnificent as the exterior. Expensive looking chandeliers hung from the roof, their light reflecting off the marble floor. Red lockers lined the walls, somehow managing to look enchanting as well. If Luz didn't know any better, she'd say it was almost… magical.

Upon reaching her dorm, she took out her key and unlocked the door. The room was way bigger than she expected. There were three beds, which did cause her to become even more nervous. It was very possible that she wouldn't be granted a moment of peace if she were to keep up with this ruse of hers.

As she set her suitcase onto the bed and unpacked her things, the door suddenly swung open again. Despite it being her dorm, she felt a strange urge to hide. And so she did, quickly sneaking under the bed.

"Sorry about Mattholomule, Willow. He can be such a rat sometimes."

Willow? That was a rather girlish name for a boy. Not that Luz thought it mattered.

"More like Rattholomule, if you ask me."

The high-pitched feminine voice shocked Luz to the point where she almost got up and hit her head.

"Did you hear that? Who's there?!"

She slowly got out from under the bed, coming face to face with the two other residents of the dorm. 

"W-Who are you?" The shorter boy demanded. "How much did you hear? Did Mattholomule send you here?"

"Please," the one called 'Willow' grabbed onto her arm, her face pale and frightened. "I'm begging you, don't tell the headmaster! If he finds out I'm a girl he'll-"

"You're like me," she gaped at her.

The other two paused in their frantic steps, curiously looking at her.

“Wait, wait,” the boy shook his head. “Are you saying that you’re also…”

“...a girl…?”

Luz grinned, barely able to contain her excitement. “My real name is Luz Noceda, but to Hexside, I’m Lucio Noceda. Pleased to make your acquaintance!”

Chapter Text

“So you’re also pretending to be a boy,” Willow said. “To attend the academy?”

“Yup!” Luz nodded her head. “I still can’t believe I’m not the only one doing that... “

The trio sat on their respective beds in their dormitory, still wrapping their heads around the fact that there were now two girls secretly attending Hexside. The boy reached his hand out to shake Luz’s as he introduced himself.

“Augustus Porter,” he grinned. “My pop’s a news anchor, he’s got his own show on the telly. Perhaps you’ve heard of him?”

“I don’t really watch the news,” Luz admitted. “We had an Augustus back home! Everyone calls him by his nickname, Gus.”

“Gus? Nickname?!” he repeated with sparkling eyes. “Gus! Call me it! Wow… Gus! This is the best day of my life…”

“I’m Willow Park,” Willow said, shaking Luz’s hand as well. “But everyone around here calls me William because… y’know.”

Luz put two and two together. “Your father is the literature teacher? Mr. Winston Park?”

“Oh, he must’ve brought you here,” Willow smiled weakly. “Yes, we’re related. Both him and Gus help me maintain my cover.”

“Why did you want to attend?” Luz asked.

“Same reason as you, probably,” Willow shrugged. “I want to learn about things that aren’t cooking and cleaning. Unfortunately, this was the best alternative… but my family is part of the upper class so it was easier to sneak me in. I can’t imagine what you went through.”

“Surprisingly not much,” Luz replied. “If you ask me, this academy would do well to increase their security.”

They giggled at how true that was. Gus leapt up from his bed with a wide grin on his face.

“You haven’t been ‘round the school, right?” he said. “Willow and I can show you around! That is, if you’re alright with heading out again, Willow.”

She nodded. “I wasn’t planning on staying cooped up in here, anyway.”

They headed out, taking their dorm keys with them. Luz kept her satchel with her. The contents inside, mainly the cherry bombs, were far too valuable for her to leave behind. Especially in a place she barely knew.

As they walked throughout the halls, Gus acted as a guide. “These are the lockers we use. You’ll most probably be receiving your locker number in the form of a letter from the headmaster, as he seems to be quite busy this week.”

“We have at least 50 different rooms in this section of the academy,” Willow continued. “Most are for regular classes. Some are used by adults for university-level lectures, and some are simply popular hang out spots. It’s encouraged that the boys go outside if they wish to play, though. Roughhousing within the building annoys the teachers, and brawls always end up happening when students hang around here.”

“Hard to imagine a bunch of prestigious little boys beating the crap out of each other in a place like this,” Luz mumbled, staring up at the chandeliers in awe once again. 

“Hey!”

The trio quickly turned around towards the sudden outburst. A short, scowling boy stood behind them.

“What do you want now, Mattholomule?” Gus groaned.

“What are you lot doing inside?” he demanded, crossing his arms. “Classes are over for the day. And who’s that?”

“This is the new student, Lucio,” Willow said, her voice a bit deeper. “We were showing him around. And you’re one to talk, you’re inside too.”

“For your information, William,” he snapped. “I’m looking for something important. It was in my room and now it’s gone.”

“You probably tossed it somewhere,” Gus rolled his eyes. “C’mon, you two, let’s-”

“Wait,” Luz said. She looked at Mattholomule. “What’s missing?”

“My crown, it was-”

“Crown?” Gus paused. “The one we won together at the fair last year?”

“Yes…?” the taller boy raised his brow. 

“Ugh, I told you it was my month to keep it!”

“Well, I’ve decided I want it back. As one of the winners, I have the right to-”

“Exactly, Matt! One of the winners! I get as much of a say in this as you and I’m saying it’s my turn to-”

“Oh, don’t get your knickers in a twist, Augustus! I need that crown for-”

“Do they do this often?” Luz asked.

“Unfortunately,” Willow sighed. “Matt’s annoying, but at the end of the day that’s all he is. The only person whose nerves he really gets on is Gus.”

“Fine!” Gus exclaimed, throwing his arms up in angry defeat. “I’ll bring it to your dorm in an hour. Right now I’m giving Lucio a tour.”

“We haven’t been properly introduced,” Mattholomule said, nodding at Luz. “Mattholomule Rochwerger’s the name. You’ve probably heard of my family, we’re at the forefront of England’s automobile industry.”

“Nope, never heard of ‘em,” Luz shook her head. “‘Fraid I don’t keep up with that sort of thing.”

“Hm, you should consider it,” he said. “Cars are going to be the next best thing around here. I’m particularly interested in-”

“You can talk about your weird machines later,” Gus cut him off, shoving him towards the other direction. “We’re busy.”

“Alright, alright!” Mattholomule said as he pushed him away. “You best not forget about the crown. I’d better see you soon, Augustus.”

He walked away, and Gus let out a sigh. “Honestly, what a prick.”

“He didn’t seem that bad,” Luz said. “Maybe a little snooty, but not evil.”

“Trust me,” Gus said. “You don’t know him. This was him at his tamest. He’s usually at our throats, trying to out Willow or pulling dumb pranks.”

Luz gasped. “He knows about Willow?!”

“No, but he does suspect something,” Willow replied. “Luckily, he’s not as smart as he claims to be, so it’s easy to make up excuses. Once he tried to tell Headmaster Bump, and he ended up in detention himself for other reasons.”

“I’ll be sure to keep a lookout for him, then,” Luz gulped.

“Don’t worry about Matt!” Gus said, patting her on the back. "I've got him covered. Let's just continue the tour."

They walked around the corner, the warm light from the sunset outside creeping in through the windows and illuminating the hallway. 

"This is the cafeteria," Gus said. "Word of advice, don't eat the coleslaw."

"And now we make our way to the courtyard," Willow thought aloud. 

She opened the door leading to the area in question, and the sight of it filled Luz with a strange feeling of serenity. The grass was covered in snow, but the cobblestone pathways were clear. Pink winter heaths and amaryllis grew on the snow-coated bushes surrounding the yard and lining certain paths, one of which lead to a beautiful white fountain adorned with a statue of what seemed to be some god.

"That's supposed to be Apollo," Willow said. "The Greek God of knowledge, education and the sun. They could've put Athena, but I guess even that is considered having a girl around here."

Speaking of which, Luz noticed somebody sitting on the rim of the fountain. A young girl, probably around her age. Her short hair had been dyed teal, and was half put up in a ponytail while the rest framed her pale face. Her eyes were a most peculiar shade of amber that pierced through the book she read, and as she turned the pages Luz could see her nails were painted black. She wore a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to just below her elbows tucked into a pleated dark purple skirt, a simple belt, white mid-calf socks, and black dress shoes.

"Who… who is she?" Luz whispered to Gus. "How on Earth did she get in here?! I thought-"

"That's just Amity Blight," Gus said. "Her father owns the school, so she often comes by here to read. The courtyard is a nice reading spot."

"I wouldn't talk to her, though," Willow sighed. "She's not very… fond of talking to any of the boys. Including us."

"I should still introduce myself," Luz said with a determined expression on her face. "After all, she must not like them because they're rough. If I'm polite, perhaps she'll consider talking to me!"

"Luz, wait-"

"Good evening, miss!" Luz said, already walking towards her. Willow and Gus watched solemnly, already predicting the outcome of her attempts to speak with the Blight. 

Amity ignored her and continued to read. Luz simply took this as a sign to go ahead.

"I'm Lucio Noceda," she said. "I see you're reading The Lord of The Rings. It's an amazing series, isn't it? I've read the entire-"

"Pardon me," Amity spoke, her voice sweet and sharp. "I don't recall replying to your greeting, so why do you proceed to speak?"

Luz blinked. "Well, I thought-"

"You thought?" Amity cut her off again. She looked up at her, clearly annoyed. "Funny, I didn't expect a boy to think."

Now that was uncalled for.

"You're being quite rude, Amity," Luz frowned.

"That's Miss Blight to you," Amity said, returning her gaze to the novel. "And I'm not rude, I'm busy. You are bothering me. Run along now, silly boy."

Luz stood there dumbfounded for a bit. She picked at the hem of her sleeves, unsure what to do in this situation. Luckily Willow and Gus were there to pull her away.

"That was…" she mumbled. "...pretty bad."

"Told you," Willow said. "Don't mind her. She's a strange one."

"Shall we head to town?" Gus suggested. "It's only half past 6. We have about 2 hours till curfew."

"Sure," Luz said. "How will we get there?"

"By bicycle, of course," Willow said. "You do have a bicycle, don't you?"

"I didn't pack it."

"I can give you a lift, then."

The trio biked along the dirt path leading into the town nearby. The sun was still setting, and the sky was a brilliant mix of pink and orange. It was out of the ordinary to see such a sight, especially in London during the winter. Luz appreciated the view nonetheless.

They reached the town of Richmond after 20 minutes. The streets were bustling with life at this time, and Luz had to hold Willow's hand lest she get dragged into one of the crowds. 

"This way," Gus said, leading the two. He stopped in front of a large shop named 'Thomas Bros. Cycle Factory and Repairs'.

"Oh, is your bicycle broken, Gus?" Luz inquired.

"No, no," he shook his head. "I'm buying you one."

She gasped. "Gus! I couldn't possibly accept-"

"It's no big deal," Gus smiled. "Like I said before, my pops is famous. I've got pounds to spare."

"I'll buy it with you," Willow said. "I have quite a bit of pocket money as well."

"Guys, please," Luz insisted. "We only met each other an hour ago… you shouldn't spend anything on me."

"Think of it as a celebration of our newfound friendship," Willow grinned. 

"Friends? Is that what we are?"

Willow nodded. "After all, birds of a feather flock together."

Luz smiled. This was… nice. She didn't have any close friends back at Shropshire, let alone friends at all. The other kids didn't like her much. Maybe Gus and Willow would finally make her feel like she didn't have to fit in.

"Here you are, Luz," Gus said, bringing a bicycle towards her. "A good old Hercules. They're comfortable and fast."

"Thank you, Gus!" Luz said happily, hugging him tight. "I'll make sure it's scratch-free for as long as I'm able to use it!"

"We should race!" Willow said, getting back on hers. "What should the winner get?"

"A slice of black forest cake!" Gus grinned. "And the loser has to get it from the kitchen."

"I'll have to warn you both," Luz smirked as she clenched the handlebars. "I'm pretty good at cycling."

"We'll see," Willow laughed. "Ready? 3… 2… 1… go!"

Luz pedaled as fast as she could on the slightly icy path. Gus almost lost his balance due to the ice, causing her to laugh heartily despite his startled yells. She passed by him and was slowly catching up to Willow, who was able to maneuver her own bicycle with ease. They were neck and neck in a matter of seconds, neither able to overtake the other. That is, until Luz hit a small stone on the path. She yelped as her bicycle stopped abruptly, and Willow cheered for herself after she was a fair distance ahead. 

"I got to the gates first," she said when Gus and Luz reached the academy. "So I win."

Gus sighed. "I hope the chef's are busy tonight…"

"It's alright, Gus," Willow giggled. "I'll cut you some slack this time."

Luz watched her friends chat as a gentle smile rested on her face. She could definitely get used to this.

Chapter Text

The morning light seeped through the windows and onto the bed where Luz was sleeping. As it touched upon her face, her face scrunched up from the sudden brightness. She slowly opened her eyes.

"About time you woke up," Willow chuckled, patting her on the head. "Honestly, you've been here for almost 4 weeks. You should be used to waking up on time by now."

"I usually do," Luz mumbled, wiping the drool off her chin as she sat up. "How peculiar… my alarm clock isn't on. Who turned it off?"

"I did!" Gus grinned, jumping onto her back playfully. "After all, we don't have any classes today."

"Why…?" Luz raised an eyebrow. She thought about it for a bit, eyes widening when it hit her. "Oh, how could I forget? Merry Christmas, you two!"

"Merry Christmas, Luz!" they both replied as they hugged her. 

"What shall we do today?" Luz asked. "There's too much snow to bike… would your father be willing to drive us to Richmond, Willow?"

"No need," Willow said. "We can take the bus. It stops just outside the gate at 3pm."

"Perfect!" Gus clapped his hands together. "Let's head to Ms. Beaufont's Café. She sells candy cane hot cocoa around this time, and I could sure use something warm during this freezing weather."

"It's settled then," Luz said. "We head to the town in around 2 hours."

"Attention, Year 10 and 11 Hexside students," Headmaster Bump spoke through the PA system, causing the three to jump slightly. "Please proceed to the auditorium in your proper uniform before you continue on with your Christmas plans. Mr. Blight wishes to speak to you all."

"Oh no," Gus paled. "Not a lecture on Christmas!"

"And I was looking forward to wearing less scratchy pants," Willow sighed. "C'mon, let's get this assembly over with."

They got dressed and headed towards the auditorium. Mattholomule greeted them with a smirk on his face. 

"Took you a little long to get here," he said. "Did you girls need to freshen up or something?"

"Shut it, Matt," Gus snapped. "We talked about this."

Mattholomule huffed in mild annoyance. "Fine, fine. I was just having a bit of fun."

"Gus, what are you talking about?" Luz whispered to him.

"I've got dirt on him," Gus whispered back. "And he recently came quite close to figuring out about Willow. Since he seems so sure, I told him I'd reveal his secret if he said a word."

"You sneaky little thing, you," Luz snickered, patting him on the back. "Remind me to never get on your bad side."

"Boys, in your seats."

As the strict voice echoed throughout the room, the students scrambled to their seats. Luz sat in between Gus and Willow while the former was forced to take the seat beside Matholomule. Neither of them were pleased as evident from the way they smacked each other.

"You're all probably wondering," Alador spoke, his voice clear and authoritative much like his daughter's, Luz thought. "Why I've asked for you to gather here on Christmas Day. I'm sure most of you were looking forward to celebrating with your peers, yes?"

Boys in the front row nodded slightly. 

"Well, I'm here to tell you that you can forget it," he scoffed, tapping his cane against the stage. "When you all become men, you will have no time for ridiculous things like Christmas. You will be busy establishing good social connections, providing for your family, and serving your country. Adults do not partake in childish holidays."

He noticed Bump shaking his head from the front row, and he sighed.

"However… I suppose it's still a bit too early for you to develop that mindset," he continued slowly, a visible frown on his face. "But for the sake of my monthly check-up on the state of the academy's students, I will be choosing one of you to come up here right now and answer my questions."

The quiet auditorium suddenly filled with sounds of confused murmuring. Alador scanned the seats, and his eyes landed on Luz, much to her chagrin.

"You," he said, pointing at her. "Come up, lad."

She got up, her legs shaky and her palms sweaty. Willow squeezed her hand for good luck as she passed by her, while the rest of the boys stared at her in pity.

"Your name?" Alador asked when she stood in front of him.

"Lucio, Lucio Noceda, sir," she stuttered. 

"How have your studies been progressing?" he questioned her. 

"I've got A's in most subjects, sir," she said, looking down. His brows furrowed at this. "Except-"

"Stand up tall like a man," he demanded. She immediately fixed her posture. "Now, speak."

"I've got A's in most subjects, sir," she repeated. "Except for maths."

"What is your grade for mathematics, Mr. Noceda?"

"C, almost B."

"That's not good," he clicked his tongue. "C, almost B. But not A. That's not good at all."

Luz felt her face heating up in shame. Here she was, on stage in a huge auditorium in front of hundreds of students as she was being berated on account of her grades by a man she just met. The fact that he thought he had the right to shame her and her intellect like this was infuriating.

"My daughter, Amity," he spoke arrogantly. "I taught her everything she knows. She is skilled in every subject, from the sciences to mathematics. And she's never been to school in her life. Tell me, Mr. Noceda, does someone like you have an excuse for such a grade when this is her situation?"

"No, sir," she mumbled.

"Speak up."

"No, sir."

"I trust that the next time we meet," Alador said. "You'll have improved significantly. Back to your seat, Mr. Noceda."

She walked past multiple rows, her head hung low and her legs numb. Willow and Gus held her hands gently after she settled down.

"Don't listen to him," Willow whispered. "Your grades don't determine how successful you are."

"Or how smart you are," Gus said. "I personally think you're a genius. You just happen to have trouble with mathematics.  We all have our weak points."

"My old man was and still is rubbish at maths," Mattholomule added. "And now look at him, he runs a huge car company."

Gus blinked. "Matt?"

"What?" he crossed his arms. "That was ruthless, and I feel bad, alright? I'm not completely heartless, y'know."

"I'm fine," Luz smiled weakly. "I'll… I'll think of something. For now, I just want to enjoy the day with you two."

Mattholohule scoffed. Luz caught that and leaned forward so she could see him properly.

"You can come with us if you want, Matt," she said. "Unless you have other plans."

His eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

"I suppose Christmas wouldn't be ruined if you came," Gus teased him. "We're going to Richmond at 3 for some candy cane hot cocoa, and then we'll roam around for a while."

"I could go for a cup," Mattholomule nodded. "Alright, then. I'll meet you lot at the bus stop then."

They returned their attention to the rude Blight on the stage, Willow and Gus still holding Luz's hands.

As soon as the boring lecture was over, the trio headed to their room to change. Luz wore her purple and white Christmas sweater handmade by Camilia, a brown coat, navy blue trousers and a fluffy brown cap. Willow had opted for a longer green winter coat and light brown trousers, while Gus wore a light blue jacket and black pleated pants. Both of them opted to keep wearing their school caps rather than switch to winter hats.

"Aren't you feeling hot, Luz?" Willow asked.

"Nope," Luz replied. "Besides, I have to wear the sweater. My mama made it just for me after all."

"That is so cute," Gus put his hands to his cheeks. "My pops tried making one for me once. It ended up looking more like a dishrag than a sweater."

"I'll send a letter to my mom," Luz said. "I'm sure she'd be more than happy to make an extra one for you!"

Gus teared up. "God bless you."

They walked to the gates, Mattholomule already waiting there in his puffy back jacket.

"You look like a smoked marshmallow," Gus laughed.

Matt scowled. "And you look like… like… Oh, piss off before I change my mind about coming." 

The bus arrived soon after. After paying the fare, the kids decided to settle down near the middle of the aisle.

"Hey," Willow whispered to Luz. "Get a load of that fellow sitting at the front."

The man in question was dressed in a white cloak, and had a mask similar to what plague doctors wore.

"What an odd bloke," Matt said. "Someone ought to tell him the bubonic plague is over."

The man suddenly turned around, and all 4 of them shrunk back into their seats.

"Scary…" Gus shuddered. "Can't this bus go any faster?"

"Relax, we're already here," Luz said, peering out the window. The bus came to a full stop and the group hurried off, although as Luz passed by the scary stranger, she could've sworn he was looking directly at her. 

Deciding not to think about it, she followed her friends into town.

"Look, look!" Gus jumped up and down excitedly. "It's Santa Claus! He's here!"

Luz stared at her shorter friend in confusion. "Gus, what are you-"

"Don't," Willow hissed. "He still thinks you-know-who is real."

"You've gotta be joking!" Matt cackled. "Shall we take your picture with him? It isn't very often that you get to see the real Santa."

Gus clinged onto his arm, practically buzzing. "Can we really?!"

"Er, If you want," Mattholomule coughed in embarrassment. "I brought my camera, so-"

"You brought a camera?" Luz gasped. "Aw, Matt, you want to take pictures with us?"

"I-I was just being prepared!" he exclaimed as his cheeks reddened. "In case one of you, I don't know, fell into the snow or something."

After asking "Santa" to stand with Gus for pictures, they headed to the café.

The interior was decorated with floral wallpaper and many different plants. A warm gust gently blew, and the scent of freshly baked pastries filled the air. 

"Cozy," Luz gaped in awe. 

"Merry Christmas, Ms. Beaufort!" Gus said, already at the counter.

"Merry Christmas, young Porter," she smiled at him. 

Eleanor Beaufort was a short and stout woman, with kind brown eyes that crinkled whenever she laughed and curly black hair tied neatly into a bun. She wore a flowing dress matching the floral decor, and pink oval-shaped glasses.

"What can I get for you boys today?"

"4 cups of candy cane hot cocoa, please," Gus said. He paid for the drinks and went to go sit with the rest of the group.

"Ugh," Mattholomule grimaced. "This place is so… ladylike."

"The wallpaper won't kill you," Willow rolled her eyes. "Luz, aren't you going to take your coat off?"

"Yes, yes," Luz shook it off and hung it on the chair. "Sorry, I was thinking about earlier."

"You shouldn't, you'll only feel worse," Gus comfortingly put a hand on her arm. "We could study together? Math isn't exactly my strong suite…"

"I think you should learn from somebody who's already done maths," Willow said. "I'm alright at it, but I'm not very good at explaining the concepts…"

The trio collectively turned to face Matt. "What? Didn't I say my old man was rubbish at it? What makes you think I'm any better?"

Luz laughed. "Alright, I think I might have someone in mind. It'll take some effort to ask them, though… in any case, it's a problem for later."

Ms. Beaufort came by 5 minutes later. "Here are your drinks, boys. Enjoy!"

Luz took a sip, immediately elated by the taste of warm rich chocolate and peppermint. It was almost as good Camilia's.

"Tasty," Matt said, pulling away from his cup to reveal his newly formed hot cocoa 'mustache'

"Looks like you have a Mattstache!" Gus joked. Matt's face scrunched up in disgust.

After they finished up, they walked around the town for a bit buying presents for each other. As they passed by a bookshop, Luz noticed the first volume of Azura had been put on display. The gears in her head started turning as she began to formulate a plan.

Finding Amity was a bit hard. Since it was snowing so heavily, she wouldn't be sitting in the courtyard. However, Luz knew she had to be in the building. Mr. Park said so himself.

"I believe she's gone to read in the library," he told her. "Although I must warn you, she doesn't take kindly to boys. Especially ones who interrupt her reading time."

"Don't worry, Mr. Park," Luz gave him a thumbs-up. "I have the perfect idea, one that hopefully won't end with me dead!"

She ran to the library, ignoring the teachers telling her to slow down. The huge doors were already open, so she entered the equally large room.

The library in Shropshire served Luz well, but it was nowhere near Hexside's library. Tall  mahogany shelves filled to the brim with novels practically touched the ceiling from which simple chandeliers hung. There were several tables placed throughout the library, and it only took Luz a couple minutes to find the one where Amity sat.

The teal-haired girl was deeply engrossed in the book she was reading. Today she had worn a pink wooly jumper, a long maroon skirt and simple boots. Perfectly dressed for the holidays.

"Good afternoon, Amity," Luz said as she sat on the chair beside her, startling her a bit. 

"Ms. Blight," Amity corrected her, gritting her teeth. "What do you want, boy? I'm trying to read."

"That's the thing," Luz said. "I noticed that you enjoy reading. And, well, I was in town and I spotted this workshop, so…"

She brought out a bag and handed it to her. "...Merry Christmas, Amity Blight."

Amity blinked in surprise. "You got me a Christmas present? You barely know me."

"I'd like to know you," Luz smiled. "Go ahead and see what's inside!"

She reached into the bag and pulled out a brand new novel. "'The Good Witch Azura'?"

Luz nodded. "It's my favourite series! Full of magic and action and all kinds of wonderful things."

"You read?" Amity raised a brow. "Funny, I didn't think boys read."

"You'll find that there's a lot of things I do that most boys here don't," Luz chuckled. "Do you like the present?"

"I suppose it's alright," Amity huffed. "Is that all? Can I get back to my novel now?"

"Actually," Luz spoke quietly as she fiddled with her thumbs. "I'd like to ask you for a favour. If you don't want to, it's quite alright."

"A favour?"

"I don't know if you were there at the auditorium earlier…"

"Oh, that," Amity said. "I was."

"Then you saw what happened," Luz sighed. "Your father said that you were smart, and I really want to raise my grade. So if it's not too much trouble… would you be willing to tutor me?"

Amity closed her book and stared at her incredulously. "Wait, you're asking me to help you? "

"I'm not sure what part of that wasn't clear," Luz giggled. "But yes."

"... How peculiar," Amity frowned. "Well, I do owe you for the book. But I'm not going to let you take up all my time here."

"Are Tuesdays and Sundays alright?" Luz asked. "After school is over, I can come by wherever you are and we can study."

"Fine," Amity said. "If it's bad weather, I'll be sitting here. If not, I'm usually sitting at the fountain in the courtyard. It's your job to come on time, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Luz grinned. "Thank you so much! I promise, you won't regret helping."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Amity mumbled. "Silly boy."

Chapter Text

January 25, 1956

Camilia Noceda

2710 Peterson Avenue

Shropshire, England

Dear Mama,

I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since I've arrived here at Hexside. I was so nervous before coming here… but I think now that I've settled down, I'll be fine. 

Gus says thank you for the sweater! He was very elated to receive the gift, and he'll be sure to wear it for Christmas next year.

I was afraid I'd be alone here, but I've been lucky enough to meet people like Willow and Gus. They still won't accept the money you sent in return for the bicycle. Hope you understand if I use it for myself. 

I've also acquainted myself with more… puzzling individuals. Mattholomule Rochwerger, he's in the same year as us despite being a year younger. He's similar to Gus in that sense, but they argue quite a lot. If you ask me, I think they could get along if they tried! Perhaps I should cook up another scheme…

Oh, apologies, I'm getting off track. The second person I've met who confuses me is named Amity Blight. She's the only girl our age that hangs around here. Aside from Willow and I, of course. I didn't make a very good first impression, but I made up for it by purchasing an Azura book for her on Christmas in exchange for math lessons. She's gotten obsessed with it now! It's fun to have someone to talk to about such things, even if she's still a bit rude.

As always, te quiero, Mamá. I miss you a lot, and I can't wait for the summer holidays when I can introduce you to my friends! In the meantime, I'll write to you as much as I can.

Your little light,

Luz.

Something about Mattholomule felt off this morning. Luz didn't want to pry, but the more curious side of her couldn't help it.

"You alright?" she asked. He jumped up in his seat a bit.

"M'fine," he grumbled. Luz wasn't convinced.

"Lucio," Mr. Park called out. "Could you please read paragraph 3 on page 45?"

Luz rose up from her seat, quickly glancing at the disgruntled boy one more time. He might not feel the same, but at this point, she considered him a friend. And if her friends weren't happy, neither was she.

Matt had managed to disappear quickly after class ended. Luz sighed and headed to the cafeteria to eat with Willow and Gus.

"What's the special today?" she asked Willow as she approached them.

"Beef stew," Willow replied. "Not as bad as the coleslaw, but Gus was hoping for tuna casserole."

"Another reason this day is awful," Gus hung his head in sorrow.

"Another?" Luz repeated, tilting her head a bit in confusion. "What's wrong?"

" Matt's what's wrong," Gus scowled. "He wouldn't give me the crown this month, and we were tugging at it and he broke it!"

"It's just a crown," Willow said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm sure you can find another!" Luz said cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood.

"I can't," Gus whined. "That one was special. Ugh, why does Matt have to be so… so… argh!"

"Calm down," Luz said. "We'll find a solution. You should eat for now, and I'll try to think of something."

After they finished their meal, they had Geography class together. Unfortunately, Mattholomule had it with them. The tension between Gus and him was uncomfortable for Luz, as she sat right between them.

"Hey," Gus elbowed her. "Tell Mattholomule that he's using my pencil."

"Matt, you're using Gus's pencil."

"Well, you tell Augustus I found it on the ground, so it's mine."

"He said he found it on the floor, so it's his."

"Tell him that I dropped it, and I meant to pick it up before he did so he has to give it back."

"Matt-"

"What is your problem?!" Matt yelled, startling the class. "Why do you care so much about everything I do? It's a pencil, Porter!"

Gus rose from his seat. "Oh, you know this isn't just about the pencil."

"I said I was sorry!" Matt groaned. "What more do you want?!"

"I want to know why you couldn't just give me the crown instead of making me break it!"

"That's none of your business!"

"It absolutely-"

"Boys!" the teacher snapped, making them sit down quickly. "I don't know what this is all about, but I'm sure you can settle your little feud after classes. Unless you wish to discuss it as you clean up the class."

They both huffed. "Sorry, sir."

Willow turned around to whisper to Luz. "I was half-expecting them to brawl."

This wouldn't do.

As part of Luz's regular Thursday routine, when classes had ended, she headed off to study with Amity. Since the weather was considerably milder, the taller girl would probably be reading in the courtyard. And her prediction was correct. There the teal-haired girl sat, wearing a pink polka-dotted dress and a thin coat over it.

"Hullo, Amity Blight," Luz smiled as she approached her. 

"Noceda," Amity nodded. She'd given up on correcting her when she didn't address her properly.

"Have you finished the 2nd volume, yet?" Luz asked.

"Oh, I'm already halfway through the 3rd," Amity replied. "I must say, the 2nd one seemed a bit more focused on Azura's relationship with Hecate than the actual plot. But since I liked Hecate, it was enjoyable."

"Right?" Luz grinned. "They have such an interesting dynamic… cold cut enemies to rivals to- Oops! I'll stop talking about them, I'd hate to spoil before you catch up."

"I can think of something else that's interesting…" Amity muttered. Luz didn't hear her clearly. "Did you finish the questions I gave you?"

"Ah, yes," Luz said, handing her a notebook. "You were right about using the other method. Once I completed about 3 questions, I was able to do the rest!"

Amity hummed. "Not bad, for a boy."

"You should be a teacher," Luz said. "You're quite good at getting your point across. Have you ever considered that career?"

"My p-" Amity spoke, but quickly cut herself off. "... I have other plans."

"I see," Luz said, wondering what she was going to say initially. "Well, um, I was hoping we could review-"

"Wait just a minute," Amity said, eyes widening at her novel. "Hecate and Azura are having a huge fight over the stupidest thing here…"

"Oh, I remember-"

Wait.

"Amity," Luz spoke slowly. "Could you tell me about that part?"

"Did you not read it?" Amity raised a brow. "Hecate and Azura share the Sapphire Staff, and Hecate breaks it by accident because she doesn't want to give it to Azura. The only reason Azura is mad is because they obtained the staff together, and it was a symbol of their growing friendship. Hecate doesn't seem to understand that."

Luz listened to every word carefully. Once Amity was done speaking, she sprung up from her seat. "That's it! Amity Blight, you're a genius!"

"I don't need you to tell me that," Amity looked away, a small smile on her face. "But I must say I'm more than a bit confused."

"Ah, I just thought their feud was similar to something," Luz chuckled. "And I think I know how to fix it!"

"One problem at a time, Noceda," Amity rolled her eyes. "Now, enough of that. What do you want to focus on today?"

"Hm, I'm having trouble with word problems," Luz said. "I can't understand how to format them…"

"It's easy," Amity said, leaning over. As she put her finger on the paper, Luz followed suit. Their fingers brushed against each other for a moment, causing Amity to flinch slightly.

"...You smell like flowers."

Amity paused, her cheeks turning pink. "Why are you sniffing me? Don't be weird."

Luz shifted to look her in the eye. "Can I ask you something?"

"You're already doing so."

"Why do you dislike the boys here so much?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Amity scoffed. "They're all loud, and dirty, and annoying ."

"Not all," Luz shook her head. 

"Hmph," Amity let out a huff, looking at Luz. "I suppose… you're alright. You're not very loud when we're doing maths, and you're more clean than most of the rats here, but you can still be annoying at times."

"In a good way?" Luz smiled, leaning forward a bit more.

"Silly boy," Amity leaned back, the pink in her cheeks darkening. "There's no good way to be annoying. Can you move away? I don't like you being in my personal space."

"Sorry," Luz did as she was asked. They sat in silence until, surprisingly, Amity initiated the conversation again.

"You're also respectful. Boys don't usually listen when you tell them to move away."

"That's not good," Luz frowned. "I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable. Their folks must not have raised them right."

"Maybe," Amity let out a chuckle. "You… You're very strange. I've never met anyone quite like you, Lucio Noceda."

This was the first time she addressed her by her 'real' name. Luz grinned widely.

"Are you glad to have met me?"

"We shall see."

"Why did you ask to meet me here, Lucio?" 

Luz and Matt stood on a deserted patch of land, 10 minutes away from the school. She thought that, if he opened up, he probably wouldn't want anyone else to hear.

"I understand," Luz said. "Why that crown was so important to you."

Matt shuffled in place hesitantly."It's really not-"

"You like Gus."

He was clearly taken aback by this. "W...What?"

"That crown," Luz continued. "It was something you won with his help. That's why it was so special to you, because even if you felt he wasn't your friend, the crown was a reminder that you worked together to win something. And that memory comforted you. Whenever you were feeling down, you'd ask for it back. But this didn't follow Gus's plan to exchange it every month. So you started to fight with him more. Now that it's broken…"

Luz looked him in the eye. "...your connection to him is broken, too."

Matt opened and closed his mouth, as if he was hoping to come up with a good rebuttal. All that came were tears rolling down his cheeks.

"That's… No…" he hiccuped, dropping to his knees. "I didn't…"

She sat down beside him, hugging him as he let it all out. They sat there for a while, until he was finally able to speak without bursting into tears.

"I didn't want to tell him how I felt," he spoke, his voice raspy. "I thought it'd be fine if I kept acting the same. But he's just so amazing, and he's the first person who's ever talked to me like… like I'm a friend."

"Why are you afraid of telling him?" Luz questioned.

"It's complicated," Matt muttered. "I've heard my parents talking with their friends, sometimes. They say things like… real men wouldn't have such feelings. And I don't want to let them down."

"That's bull," Luz crossed her arms. "If you ask me, they've no idea what a real man is."

"What do you mean?"

"I think," she smiled at him. "A real man can make these decisions himself. And not base them on what others think. Don't you agree?"

"...Yes," Matt sniffed. "Oh… it was hypocritical of me to think that, huh?"

She nodded. "So what's your next move?"

"I'm going to apologize," he said. "And tell him the truth. If he doesn't like me in the same way… I'll have to move on."

"Atta boy," she patted him on the back. "You can do this! I'm confident he likes you, if not in that way then as a friend!"

"Thank you, Luz."

She froze. How did he-

"Ah, didn't mean to scare you," he smiled at her. "I found out a while ago. Heard Gus calling you that. You're like William, aren't you?"

She stayed silent, unsure what to do. She could deny it, but he'd already told her the truth. It wouldn't be fair.

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" 

"My lips are sealed," he promised. "It's the least I could do for a… a friend."

Luz hugged him again. "Come, we should head back. You can explain yourself to Gus after we do.

Their conversation had gone well, from what Luz could see as Gus returned to the dorm with a fixed crown and a wide smile on his face.

"Where did you go?" Willow asked. "Hung out with your new boyfriend, did you?"

"He's not!" Gus sputtered, his cheeks darkening. "We're just friends for n- Friends! Great pals!"

  "Sure, Gus," Willow smirked.

Luz laughed in her bed. She was happy that they had made up, and now she could relax knowing that her friend's problems were solved.

Little did she know, the real problems had barely begun.

"Eda, how much longer do we have to run for?" 

"Till we shake 'em off."

"We should've used Owlbert!"

"He's tired."

"I'm tired!"

"Look, King, all we need to do is get back to London as soon as possible. Once we do, and Owlbert rests up I promise, no more traveling on foot."

"If you say so. But- Uh oh! They're gaining on us! Run!"

Chapter Text

Today was February 15, which for most people was a regular Wednesday at Hexside. But for Luz, it was much more important.

"Happy birthday, Luz!" Gus hugged her as soon as she woke up. "You're now old enough to, uh, do whatever 15 year olds are allowed to do."

"Not much, I'd think," Luz thought aloud. "But thank you, Gus! I'm glad I have friends to celebrate it with."

"I'm only sorry you still have to attend classes," Willow said after changing into her uniform. "There should be some kind of rule that grants birthday kids some mercy."

"It's alright," Luz shrugged. "As long as I can spend the day with you two, I don't mind if we're doing maths as well."

"Aw!" Gus squealed. "How did I ever get this lucky? I could've been sharing a room with Matt!"

"Leave him alone," Willow laughed. The trio were now walking towards the cafeteria for some breakfast. "That's no way to talk about someone you're going steady with."

Gus laughed as well "You would think I'd have even more of a right to say so, then."

After getting their breakfast, they sat down to eat and chat before school started.

"They had sausage today!" Luz said happily. "Someone must've told them it's my birthday, huh?"

"Morning, everyone," Matt said, sitting down beside Gus and putting an arm around him. "Happy Fantastic 15th, Lucio."

"What a creative term," Willow smirked. "Are you head of the Literature Club, Matt?"

He rolled his eyes. "You nitpick at everything, good God. I was trying to be original."

Luz chuckled. "I appreciate it, thank you."

Classes went by as usual. During lunch, the group had played a couple rounds of Monopoly while eating. Luz had even gotten a slice of cake from one of the cafeteria ladies, as they took a liking to her.

"Bankrupt again!" Matt yelled, tossing his money. "How does this keep happening?"

"You did say you were rubbish at maths," Gus joked.

"Another property for me!" Luz grinned. "I must be the Monopoly master!"

Matt scoffed. "Willow could absolutely obliterate you if she wanted to."

"You're not wrong," she smiled sheepishly. "But Luz's the birthday girl, so I won't."

"You can't hold back," Luz frowned. "I want to prove I'm good either way!"

Willow won that round.

Once the school day was over, Luz decided to meet up with her friends. She walked to her dorm, and found a note stuck on the door.

Lucio,

We've headed out for an errand. It shouldn't take too long! In the meantime, we've heard Amity Blight's been looking for you. Go on and find her while you wait.

-Gus And William

Strange, today wasn't a study day. Why would Amity be searching for Luz?

She went to the courtyard right away, confused thoughts clouding her mind. The snow was finally melting, giving way to the yellowish grass. Daffodils and magnolia emerged from the bushes, signaling the upcoming Spring. 

Amity was reading a book by the fountain, as per usual. The Invisible Man, from what Luz could tell as she glanced at the cover. Today, Amity had worn a white peter pan collar shirt, a yellow long-sleeved sweater vest, a light blue skirt and a yellow ribbon in her hair.

"Amity!" Luz called out, startling the girl. "Hello!"

"H...Hello," Amity spoke quietly. She had become even more tolerant of Luz this time around. She could even make her laugh, if she tried hard enough. 

"I heard you were looking for me," Luz said, sitting beside her. 

"What nosy creatures," Amity scowled at a group of boys running around in the courtyard.

"What do you need?" Luz asked. "I haven't finished the practice sheet yet."

Amity picked up a bag, her ears tinged pink. "Happy birthday, silly boy."

"For me?" Luz gasped. "Oh, Amity, you shouldn't have!"

"Consider it a reward," Amity said. "For getting better in mathematics."

Luz took the bag from her, and pulled out the present. As expected, it was a book. This situation felt almost reminiscent of Christmas Day, but in a good way, she thought. It was starting to feel like the world of reading had become a world populated by only them, and Luz liked it that way. 

"You said you wanted to read Narnia," Amity mumbled, the pink now seeping into her cheeks. "So I thought to give it to you."

"Thank you, Amity!" Luz beamed. "What made you want to?"

"It's… embarrassing," Amity replied, looking down at her nails.

"I won't make fun of you," Luz promised, scooching closer. "You can tell me."

"Well," the teal-haired girl nervously bunched up her skirt as she spoke. "I've never really had anyone to talk to about the books I read, unless it's my parents asking me about knowledge I've learned from textbooks. You're the first person curious enough to ask. And I… I wasn't very nice when we first met. Yet, you still continued to talk to me."

She turned to Luz, her amber eyes burning with emotion. "You're the only true friend I've ever had. You're… special to me, Lucio."

Luz smiled and gently took hold of her hands. "Thank you for telling me, Amity. You're special to me too! I really love the talks we have, and how you let me go on about the books I read. You never fail to make every hour we spend together fun!"

"You really think that?" Amity blinked in surprise. "Funny, people usually say I'm the opposite."

"Then they don't know you well enough," Luz huffed. "Not to say I know you well, I just think from what I know, you're pretty great."

Amity smiled, causing Luz to become elated with her. "In that case, perhaps we should get to know each other better."

Luz smiled back. "Perhaps we should."

By the time Luz had gotten back to her dorm, the sun had started to set. She was greeted by Willow and Gus, who were sitting on their respective beds.

"What took you so long?" Gus asked. "We were only gone for 30 minutes."

"I hung out with Amity longer than I expected," Luz said. "Did you know that if you tease her enough, her face turns completely red like a tomato? It's so cute!"

"Um, good to know?" Willow raised a brow. "Anyways, about that errand…"

She handed Luz a gift wrapped box. "Open it up!"

"You too?!" Luz asked incredulously. "I don't know if I can handle anymore presents!"

She ripped open the wrapping, hands trembling at the sight of what laid before her.

"..."

"Well?"

"...You got me a radio?!" she shrieked in joy, making them wince.

"Silvertone, to be precise," Gus said. 

Luz began tearing up. "You don't understand how thankful I am! Back at my home, I… I don't have anyone who'd give me things like this besides my mom… I'm just so lucky to have met both of you!"

The three hugged each other tightly, giggling as they began to lose balance.

"Let's see what's playing, shall we?" Gus suggested. After setting up the radio, he switched through the stations for some music. Eventually he settled on one, which at the moment was playing Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets.

"One, two, three o'clock, four o'clock, rock

Five, six, seven o'clock, eight o'clock, rock

Nine, ten, eleven o'clock, twelve o'clock, rock

We're gonna rock around the clock tonight!"

Running high on the thrill of getting such a present, Luz danced with her best friends till the sun had set and she was much too tired to move her legs anymore.

"Luz?"

"Luz, wake up!"

The wide-eyed teen grunted as she swatted the hands on her shoulders away. She slowly opened her eyes and met the mischievous expressions of Willow and Gus, both changed into their outdoor attire. She checked the clock.

"It's 11pm," she mumbled. "Why are you both dressed?"

"They're having fireworks near Richmond at 12," Gus said. "We wanted to take you, as a final present."

"That's very kind of you," she smiled, still sleepy. "But don't we have a curfew?"

"Don't worry about that," Willow said as she tossed Luz's clothes to her. "We'll only get in trouble if we get caught. Which we won't."

No one seemed to be on patrol near the gate as the trio sneaked towards it. Willow was smart enough to bring their bikes outside the gate earlier, so they could get through without making much noise. Gus was the first to climb over the gate, and the other two followed suit.

"Gus and I will go ahead," Willow said. "You stay behind a bit, so you don't go the wrong way. The fireworks are happening somewhere you've never been, so you won't know the path to take."

Luz nodded. She mounted her bike and pedaled behind them as instructed.

The air was abnormally cold for a February night. Something felt terribly off, but she couldn't explain what. It was as if she could feel that this night was going to end up taking a turn… but for better or worse?

Suddenly, she felt her balance waver as she hit a stone on the road while engrossed in her thoughts. The path they were biking on had grass aligning it on one side, and a downward slope leading to a forest on the other. Luz fell in the direction of the latter.

"Luz!"

As she tumbled down the slope, she heard her friends shout her name. The bike landed a couple inches away from her, thankfully still intact. She got up slowly, groaning in pain as she held her side. Her head was throbbing from the fall, her knees scratched up and slightly bloody. 

"I'm fine," she croaked out. "There was a dumb rock and I didn't see it."

"Hold on!" Gus yelled. "We're coming down!"

"Okay!" Luz yelled back. 

"Eda!"

Huh?

Willow and Gus quickly but carefully slid down the slope, immediately running to Luz's side.

"I'm so sorry, Luz!" Willow said, her voice full of worry. "Oh, geez, look at all these cuts! We shouldn't have taken you out here…"

"King!"

Gus turned his head so fast it nearly snapped. "Who was that?"

They stayed quiet and directed their flashlights towards the sound. After waiting for a bit, Willow sighed.

"Look, it's dark out, and we're here in the forest. Of course we'd think there's some-"

"Eda the Owl Lady, show yourself!"

Willow froze, while Luz quickly got up from where she sat injured.

"Eda the Owl Lady!" she repeated, astonished that the name of the woman she spent time with in the train had been brought up again by some stranger in the middle of the woods.

Before Gus could ask her if she knew who that was, the bushes to their left started rustling. Willow pointed the light towards it, standing a bit behind Luz with Gus. It continued to move for about ten seconds, then stopped. Two figures emerged from the bushes, and before the kids could even scream in horror…

"Kid?"

Luz looked at the taller figure. This was absurd… Out of all the places she could've reunited with this interesting character, it was a frightening forest in London.

"Miss Owl Lady," she gaped in awe. "What in the world are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," she retorted, seemingly out of breath. "But unfortunately, I'm in a bit of a predicament at the moment."

"Lucio!" King said. Luz looked down at him and gasped in shock. 

Now that he wasn't wearing anything, she would see exactly what he looked like. His dark fur glistened with sweat, as did the horned skull on his head. His eyes, yellow and purple and appearing sunken due to the skull, were staring back at her.

"Qué lindo…" she whispered. This had confirmed her suspicion that the two were indeed not human. 

"Hey, what's going on?" Gus asked. "Who are you? Why do you know each other? Why were you yelling? How-"

"Whoa, kid," Eda cut him off. "One thing at a time, I'm not a machine."

"Are you sure about that?" Willow squinted suspiciously. "My dads told me they were taking over anyway…"

"I'm a witch," Eda rolled her eyes. "The greatest witch in this realm and the other!"

Luz's eyes shone with excitement. "Witches?! Realms?! Other?!"

"Could you quit shouting?" King hissed. "We're trying to lay low here!"

Eda gave the kids a once over, focusing on Luz in particular. "You don't look too hot."

"I fell down the slope by accident," Luz explained. "What about y-"

"Get out here, god dammit!"

The rough voice boomed throughout the woods, causing the birds to fly off. Gus and Willow held on to Luz tighter, while King was ready to take off.

"Eda, we have to go!" he hissed. 

"Y'know what?" she said, looking back at the frightened teens. "Maybe we shouldn't be running away. After all, getting to our next destination is gonna take a while, and we can't shake this bastard off… I think it's time we give him the boot."

"But you said you were gonna conserve your magic for now!" King whined. Before he could protest further, a third shadowy figure emerged from the darkness. Luz recognized the plague doctor mask, but this individual was much bigger than the person on the bus. His arms were the size of her entire body, and his skin was a dull shade of purple. Honestly, the scariest thing about him was how he towered over everyone.

"Finally," he said. "Have you accepted your fate, Owl Lady? Belos grows tired of your games."

"Oh, c'mon!" Eda groaned. "Aren't you tired of chasing after us? And who even is this Belos guy? I've never heard that name in my life!"

"You will know all if you give in," he walked over to her, only sparing the trio a glance. "So what do you say? Are you ready to end this farce?"

"Wait," Eda sighed. "I have something I have to say first. Come closer."

"...Like this?"

"A bit closer."

"This?"

"Just a bit more."

They were at eye level with each other now. Luz looked on, curious to what Eda was doing and scared that she was giving up. 

Eda closed her eyes for a second. "... Now!"

King tossed a lit cherry bomb at him and quickly scurried away with the rest of the group as it exploded in his face, causing him to cry out in pain. 

"Was that my cherry bomb?" Luz yelled as they ran.

"Yeah!" Eda replied. "Been saving it for when we needed it and, well, we sure needed it now!"

"Luz, you gave her a cherry bomb?!" Willow shouted in astonishment. 

"I have more if you want!"

"What? No!"

They climbed back up the slope, dragging Luz's bike with them. Once they finally reached the path, everyone collapsed. 

"That…" Gus panted. "That was unbelievable…"

"Believe it, kiddo," Eda said. "At least the Warden is finally off our back."

"For now," King added. 

"Warden?" Luz asked. "Okay, you have to explain what's going on here. You keep talking about all this random stuff and I've no idea what you mean!"

"Hm," Eda thought about it for a bit. "Tell you what, you find King and I a good resting place, and we'll tell you all about it."

"There's a shed near school," Willow said. "We could sneak you in there?"

"Perfect!" King cheered. "Finally, a place of shelter worthy of our presence!"

"Um," Gus stared at him with a deadpan expression. "It's a shed."

"Like I said! Worthy of our presence!"

They led the two strange individuals to the school. Eda looked up at the building and let out a whistle.

"What a place. I still remember when it was only one story tall. Remember that, King?"

"I wasn't there, so no."

"There's the shed," Willow whispered. "We can talk more inside."

Gus ushered them in, while Luz and Willow slowly closed the doors so that they would make little to no noise. Once inside, they turned on their flashlights and sat around Eda, who had already made herself comfy on a spare mattress lying on the ground.

"Can you explain now?" Luz asked.

"No," Eda said with a straight face. Upon seeing Luz's dumbstruck expression, she laughed. "Ah, just messin' with ya. Sure, I'll tell you."

"Ooh!" King hurried to sit on Luz's lap. "Storytime!"

"Y'see, King and I aren't from this world," she began. "There's two realms, the human one and ours. We come from a place populated by witches, magical creatures, all that jazz."

"Do you have griffins?" Luz gasped. "And do they have spider-breath?"

"And what about giraffes?" Gus asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

Willow sighed. "Gus, we have giraffes."

"Don't all griffins have spider-breath?" Eda blinked in confusion. Luz cheered at the confirmation. "And no, we don't have giraffes. Banished those freaks a long time ago… Anyway, I used to have this key that would let me go to whichever world I wanted, wherever I wanted. But a couple days ago, while we were sightseeing in Cambridge, these cloaked bastards came along and stole it! Now I have to get it back so we can go home and I don't have to recharge anymore."

"Recharge?" Willow repeated.

"Magic in the Boiling Isles, our home, is abundant and can be used whenever we need it. But here, it's limited and I need time to recharge before I'm battle ready."

"And that's why I'm obviously the more powerful one here," King said. "I'm always battle ready! Hyah!"

He picked up a stick and began hitting a sack of flour, prompting a laugh out of the others.

"So, why don't you ask anyone else for help?" Luz asked.

"There's no one who would," Eda shrugged. "We're stuck in a world full of selfish, awful people who'll rat us out if it means making a single pound. No, King and I only have each other in this place. Us weirdos have to stick together."

Luz's mind lingered on that last sentence. She looked out the window in the shed, towards the main school building, and thought about her future here. Did she really wanna stay here, pretending to be someone she wasn't just because she wanted the basic right to learn? Or was she better off aiming for greater achievements? 

"Welp, time to hit the hay," Eda stretched. "Have to leave for Oxford first thing tomorrow, or we'll miss the train."

"I want to come!"

Everyone stared at Luz, her two friends shocked at her outburst. 

"All my life, I've been dreaming of something like this," she went on. "Being a witch is something I never thought I could do, so I settled for studying new subjects. But I don't want to pretend to be normal anymore. I want to be me! A weirdo, like you guys. I… I want to become a witch!"

"Whoa whoa, slow down!" Eda said. "Humans can't be witches, it's not possible."

"Maybe because they haven't tried," Luz pointed out. "I swear, if you teach me, I'll do whatever you want!"

Gus and Willow watched with bated breath as their friend stood her ground.

"Aw, what the heck," King said. "Let her come! She can make us snacks! And give me more Jelly Babies!"

"I guess we could use extra help," Eda sighed. "Alright, fine. But we do this on my terms."

"Yes, ma'am!" Luz grinned widely. "I won't let you down."

"Be back here tomorrow night," Eda said. "We'll catch the train at 11pm. Now scram, mama needs her beauty sleep."

The walk back to the dorm was silent. Luz was buzzing with anticipation, while her friends were unsure what to feel.

"Isn't this amazing?" Luz twirled. "I'm finally going to learn magic! Real magic!"

"That's great, Luz," Gus gave her a quick smile. "But are you sure you want to go?"

"I've never been more sure about anything in my entire life," Luz replied. "And I wish you both would come with me, but I didn't want to assume you'd be as interested…"

"Why would you think that?" Willow frowned. "Luz, you're our best friend. I'd walk on hot coals if you asked me to."

"Maybe not hot coals," Gus grimaced. "But Willow's right! I'm just as excited as you are to see this 'magic', and I'm considering coming with you."

"I'm absolutely coming," Willow grinned. "Someone has to stop the both of you from doing anything foolish. And that Owl Lady doesn't seem like she'd be much good at that."

"Honestly, I've hit the best friend jackpot," Luz grinned back. "Alright, we'll have to start packing now. Tomorrow, finish up with whatever unfinished business you have. In Oxford, we start anew."

Chapter Text

Luz could barely sleep that night. She was too busy fantasizing about the adventures that lay ahead. Willow and Gus on the other hand were well-rested, and began planning for their trip right away. 

"How long are we going to be gone?" Willow asked. "I mean, leaving without telling our parents is kind of unavoidable, but do we have a date in mind?"

"Maybe in a month," Gus said. "Or two. What do you think, Luz?"

"We come back when we finish learning magic," she shrugged. 

Willow frowned. "That's not a proper answer."

"Well, I'm sure we won't be gone long," Luz waved her off. "How hard can becoming a witch be?"

"Okay, well, what about our budget?" Willow asked. "I've got three-quarters of my allowance left. What about you two?"

"Half," they both said. 

"Alright," Willow nodded. "We have to bring as many pounds as we can, just in case. Other than that, our clothes are packed, and so are our important belongings… so all that's left is to attend our classes and say goodbye…"

The room fell silent. Willow thought about her parents, and how much of a panic they'd be in after she was gone. Gus's thoughts went back to his father, and Matt. Luz suddenly felt grim as she realized how worried her own mom would be. And Amity…

"C'mon," Gus sighed. "Rather than sulk, we might as well get this over with."

After Literature was over, Willow decided to stay behind. Luz gave her a sympathetic glance as she left the classroom.

"Willow?" Winston called out to her. "Are you alright, dear? You're going to be late for your next class."

"Appa," she said, causing him to freeze. She hadn't called him that in a long time. 

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I love you a lot," Willow said, her bottom lip trembling and her eyes growing teary. He immediately noticed and dropped his chalk, rushing to hold her tight.

"Oh, Willow, what's wrong?" he asked. "You're not getting bullied again, are you?"

"No, not at all," she replied shakily. "I just felt like we don't spend a lot of time together anymore, and I feel like it's my fault and I don't want you to hate me for putting you through-"

"Enough of that nonsense," he said, continuing to hug her. "It's my duty as your Appa to make sacrifices for you, I could never hate you. If I can see you grow up to become someone who's happy with who they are, everything will have been worth it. Do you understand? I don't want to hear you berate yourself again."

"Okay," Willow smiled weakly. "Sorry about that."

"I should be sorry," Winston sighed. "I didn't realize how much pressure you were under. Tell you what, as soon as I'm done with work this week, your Papa and I will take you wherever you want, alright? As soon as I'm done, I promise. Now wipe your tears, little one, and head to class. I'll let your teacher know I held you back."

Willow did as she was told. She tried her best not to think about his promise, and how he wouldn't be able to follow through.

"What do you mean, you have to go?"

Gus sat with Matt in the auditorium, his head hung low with regret. "I have to. Willow and I can't leave Luz alone. And this means so much to her."

"But," Matt looked at him, his expression desperate. "You mean so much to me."

Gus smiled. He held Matt's hand and traced over his knuckles with his thumb.

"I'll be back," Gus said. "I don't know when, but I won't abandon you forever. Just… tell me you'll cover for us. And that you'll wait for me."

"...You're so unfair, Augustus," Matt gritted his teeth as he tried to hold back his tears. "Of course I'll cover for you. And I'll wait for you, for however long it takes. God, I hate how you know I will."

Gus leaned to rest his head on his shoulder affectionately, causing him to lean into him too. Tears rolled down his cheeks as Gus whispered to him.

"Thank you."

February 16, 1956

Camilia Noceda

2710 Peterson Avenue

Shropshire, England

Dear Mama,

I want to start this letter off by apologizing, for I will be unable to send anymore after, at least for a while. As for why, that's top secret information. I know, strange that I wouldn't tell my own Mama. But trust me, it's for the best.

I know you did your best to find a place for me to learn. I wish I could repay your wasted efforts somehow. You see, I've finally found my true calling in the most peculiar of ways. You always told me my uniqueness was my strength, and now I'm going to prove that to the rest of the world.

By the time you receive this, you might already have heard the news. However, I ask you not to worry. I'm safe, and so are my friends. We don't know when we'll be back, but have no fear. We will return safe as well. 

Te quiero mucho, Mamí. I'll see you soon, and I hope you'll be proud of who I've become by the end of my journey.

Your little light,

Luz

"Lucio, you aren't concentrating."

It was hard to do so. Despite it being Thursday and therefore a study day, Luz couldn't focus on her textbook at all. She could only stare at the girl beside her for as long as she was here in the courtyard with her.

"It's rude to stare," Amity stated, cheeks pink as usual.

"Sorry," Luz chuckled dryly.

"What's wrong?" Amity asked. "Are you feeling ill?"

Luz shook her head. "There's… something I need to give you."

She handed her the 5th volume of Azura. Her precious copy. Amity's eyes widened.

"This… This is yours," she stammered. "And you're giving it to me?"

Amity was about to turn the pages, but was stopped by Luz.

"You can't," she said. "Not yet. Please… open it tomorrow, alright?"

"An odd request," Amity said. "But fine. Now what's bothering you? We can't continue the lesson if you're under the weather."

"Then let's not," Luz got up from her seat. "Shall we take a walk instead?" 

She reached out her hand to the taller girl, who hesitantly accepted. They walked along the cobblestone path, Luz refusing to let go of her hand. Not that she was fighting back.

"Look," Luz said. "Aren't the hydrangeas pretty?"

"You know what type of flowers they are?" Amity asked. 

"I studied it," Luz explained. "Flower language is actually quite interesting."

"A boy who likes flowers," Amity thought aloud. "You continue to surprise me."

"I can tell you more about them," Luz said. She reached over to one of the bushes. "For example, the hydrangeas. They carry all sorts of meaning. Lets start with the white ones…"

She plucked a single white hydrangea. "It's meant to symbolize arrogance. As in my arrogance towards how some of my closest friends feel sometimes. Or it can mean purity, like the purity of my love for my friends." 

Amity watched as she plucked another, this one blue. "In Japanese tradition, this symbolizes gratitude, understanding and an apology. I am grateful to have met someone like you, to have understood you as you understood me. And I… I'm sorry, Amity Blight."

She placed the flowers in Amity's hair, near her ear. "Sorry for what?"

"You'll know," Luz said, the pit in her stomach growing larger. "Just know that… that I'm so happy I got to meet you."

"Why are you talking like that?" Amity spoke softly, suddenly hit by a strong feeling of dread. "Lucio, what aren't you telling me?"

"Like I said," Luz smiled sadly. "You'll know."

A gust of wind blew past them. Luz let go of Amity's hand and turned to face her.

"May I…" Luz's eyesight was getting blurry. "May I hug you, Amity? I know you don't like boys getting in your personal space, but-"

She was cut off by the feeling of Amity abruptly hugging her. Both of them were trembling know, though Amity was only teary-eyed because Luz was.

"Now look what you've done, silly boy… You've made me cry."

Luz grinned, her eyes now red and puffy. "That makes two of us."

"Please," Amity said, her voice wavering. "Promise me, whatever it is you're up to, you'll keep yourself safe."

"I promise," Luz said. "Thank you… for trusting in me. Once this is over, I'll be asking you about the book, so you better have read it."

"And you'd better be done with the one I gave you," Amity laughed wetly. 

They stayed like that for a while, holding each other on the middle of the courtyard's cobblestone path. Luz didn't quite understand why she was so reluctant to let go.

Dear Amity,

If you're not reading this when I told you to, close the book right now, you cheater! 

If you are, then hello there! I wish I could've said everything I wanted to you in person, but I didn't know how. We've known each other for only 2 and a half months, but it feels like it's been a lifetime, hasn't it? In such a short amount of time, you've become very precious to me, and it hurts me that I have to do this. 

Unfortunately, our study sessions will have to come to a halt. I am unsure for how long, as this journey of mine and the future is uncertain. What I can tell you is that I valued every second I spent getting to know you. You're so much more than what your father (and your mother?) think you are. You're smart, kind, considerate, and creative! I still think you'd be a great teacher, but I suppose that's not my call to make.

In any case, this farewell still feels so incomplete. You see, there is something I've been hiding from you. It's a very serious matter that I can only tell you in person, which is why you must promise to wait for me. When I'm back I shall tell you. I hope you will still want to be friends with me after.

I honestly don't know what else to say other than I will miss you dearly. I will be reading your book during my travels, so that we can discuss when I get back. Until then, Narnia awaits me!

Your silly boy,

Lucio

As soon as it was 10pm, Luz, Gus and Willow rushed to the shed. Eda was lounging on the mattress, reading a newspaper. King had stolen food from the trash.

"Oh, you're back," Eda said. "I gotta say, I didn't expect- now, hold on…"

She glanced at Luz's friends. "You didn't tell me they were coming, too."

Willow crossed her arms. "If Luz goes, we go."

"Hurray!" King jumped onto Luz's back. "More minions for my demon army?"

"Demon army?" Gus gulped.

"Relax, it's just a thing he does," Eda rolled her eyes. "Anyways, let's head towards the bus stop. It'll take us to the train station in no time."

They left the shed as quietly as they entered. Matt was waiting for them at the gate.

"Matt!" Gus hissed. "You can't be here right now!"

"I forgot to give you something," he said, handing him a scrap of paper. "If you ever need my help, you can call this number. I snuck a telephone into my room just for this."

Gus hugged him. "Thank you. Don't fail math while we're gone."

Matt pecked his cheek. "No promises."

After walking along the path, the group reached the bus station. It took 10 minutes for the bus to arrive. Once they were dropped off at the train station, Eda ushered everyone towards the one they would be taking. They gave their tickets and hurried to claim a compartment.

"We're 10 minutes early," Willow breathed out. "Oh, thank goodness."

"I'm going to take a nap," Gus yawned. "Wake me up when we're in Oxford."

"A nap sounds really nice right now," King agreed as he rested on Gus's lap. Willow closed her eyes as well and leaned against the two.

Luz didn't want to fall asleep yet. She opened her satchel and took out Narnia, attracting Eda's attention.

"You should get some rest, too, Lucio," Eda said. "It's gonna take a while for us to get there."

"It's Luz, actually," she replied. "You were right, back when we first met."

"Yeah, I know," Eda smirked. "I didn't wanna be rude so I didn't bother asking again. I thought maybe you'd prefer that."

Luz smiled weakly. "Thank you for taking that into consideration. Also, I think I'll get some shut-eye after I read a chapter of this. I feel too antsy to sleep right now."

Eda shrugged and went back to reading her newspaper as Luz did to her book. She traced her finger along the message written on the first page.

Happy Birthday, Lucio.

Leaning her head against the window, she began reading.

Chapter Text

They had arrived in Oxford about 50 minutes later, out of which Luz only slept for 20. As it was dark and she'd never been here before, she stuck close to her friends and The Owl Lady. 

"This way, kids," she pushed them away from the station. "The house is just around the corner."

"House?" Willow repeated.

"You didn't think we lived in the forest, did you?" King said. "We were just throwing the Warden off our trail."

"Why was he after you again?" Gus asked. "You're not wanted by the authorities, are you?"

"I'm wanted by many people," Eda smirked. "But I'm pretty sure the Warden wasn't sent by cops. Unless someone on the force is named 'Belos'."

The group stopped in front of a broken-down house. The windows were boarded, and pieces of the roof had fallen off. The teens looked at Eda hesitantly.

"I-Is that your place?" Luz blinked. "Funny, I thought it'd be a bit more… magical."

"It is," Eda replied. "What you're seeing right now? An illusion to protect the house. Everyone else sees it as run-down, possibly haunted. But the moment I do this…"

As she walked closer, a barrier became visible. She seemed to hold it open, and ushered the kids inside. Once they stood on the front lawn and looked at it, their jaws dropped.

The house was almost as amazing as Eda. Constructed out of cream-coloured bricks, mosaic windows reminding Luz of autumn, and a navy blue rooftop, it was much more beautiful than what was seen by any outsider passing by. The front door had an owl symbol on it as well, or at least, what they thought was a symbol. Till it began to speak.

"You're finally back!" it said with a high-pitched, somewhat shrill voice. "I was beginning to think you got sacked by that guy, hoot hoot!"

"Oh, please," Eda scoffed. "That loser picked the wrong lady to mess with."

"Who are these guys?" it asked, extending out of the door. What on earth was this creature? An owl tube? 

"These are my minions!" King proudly announced. "Minion 1, First Minion and Minion A. I didn't wanna make anyone feel like they were a second choice."

Eda rolled her eyes and pointed to each teen as she said their names. "Luz, Willow, Gus. They'll be staying with us from now on, so if you see them heading towards the house, open the protection barrier."

"Oh boy!" it said joyfully. "Three new friends! I'm Hooty, and I control the Owl House. I can tell we're going to be great friends! We can tell each other stories, and our deepest, darkest secrets, and-"

As Hooty spoke, everyone had already gone inside.

Gus coughed. "How dusty… when's the last time you swept the floor?"

"Like a while before we left," King said. "Sooo… 2 months!"

"This place is amazing…" Luz stared at the scene in front of her in awe. Candles and lanterns were evenly distributed throughout the house, lighting up every hall and room. Eda snapped her fingers, causing the fireplace to start up and a broom to begin sweeping. The books on the ground were neatly arranged into the shelf, and tilted portraits straightened themselves.

"Oh my god, oh my god!" she squealed as she shook Willow back and forth. "Did you see that?! Magic!"

"Yes, I can see, Luz," Willow managed to say. "And it's super cool and I'll probably be more enthusiastic about it in the morning, but right now, I need to sleep."

"Here's your rooms," Eda said, leading them down the hall. "You're lucky we had a couple spares. Unfortunately, I didn't know we'd be having… visitors, so we only have sleeping bags, if that's alright for now."

"I wouldn't care if I had to sleep on the floor," Gus yawned. "See you tomorrow, everyone."

He went into his new room, Willow following his example and heading to hers. Only Luz stayed standing in the living room, prompting Eda to raise a brow.

"Kid, it's midnight," she said. "The house isn't going anywhere, okay? Go to bed."

"I know," Luz mumbled. "It's just… this feels so surreal. I never really stopped believing that magic is real, and now that it's in front of me, I don't know whether I feel excited or scared or both."

Eda sighed. "Yeah, I get the feeling. Trust me, a couple hours of rest will clear your head. I promise, you'll wake up and this won't be some kind of dream. You're here to stay."

Luz smiled. "Thank you, Eda. I guess I will go to bed. Goodnight."

She headed to her room. It was a bit cramped, and there were odd little trinkets scattered across the place and it was perfect for her. She changed into her pajamas and laid out her sleeping bag, proceeding to lie down and close her eyes. 

"Luz?"

She peeked at the doorway. King stood there, a bit shy. "Your sleep cocoon looks fluffy."

Luz giggled. She patted the mat, allowing him to curl up in a ball at her feet. With her jumbled thoughts finally ceasing to gnaw at her mind, she found herself drifting to sleep in no time.

The bed wasn't that bad, honestly. Sure, Luz woke up with an aching back, but she also woke up with a burning spirit to learn!

"Jeez," Eda grumbled. "We barely have anything to eat-"

"Good morning, everyone!" Luz yelled at the top of her lungs, startling everyone in the kitchen. 

"Morning, Luz," Willow smiled. "You seem excited."

"I really am!" Luz grinned. "Today is the day I learn my first spell! How could I not be?!"

"Uh, about that," Eda coughed. "I'm gonna need you to run a couple errands before we do anything. First things first, someone get me my staff. It should be in my suitcase."

Luz opened it and pulled the aforementioned object out. "Whoa… A witches staff…!"

"Careful with that," Eda took it from her. "Good morning, Owlbert. I hope you're back to full power now, I don't think I can go another day without ya."

The owl palisman on top of the staff began to blink, causing the teens to lean closer in amazement. It stretched its wings and adjusted itself.

"What is that?" Gus asked.

"Owlbert? He's part of my staff," Eda replied. "All official witches have a palisman. He helps me control and amplify my magical abilities-"

"Can he fly?!" Luz interrupted, practically touching noses with Eda. 

The older woman lightly shoved her away. "Yes, yes, he can fly. Although I don't think you kids are ready to learn that yet."

"So what are we starting off with? Luz asked. "Fighting a demogorgon? Finding a magical sword? Traveling to the Earth’s core?!”

“What? No!” Eda exclaimed. “Your first task is getting everything on this list.”

She handed Luz a sheet of paper. Willow peered over her shoulder and read the contents out loud. 

“Teabags, milk, eggs… isn’t this just a regular shopping list?”

“Nothing gets past ya,” Eda winked. “Get the stuff I need, and we’ll see about that first lesson in witchcraft.”

“You got it!” Luz pumped her fist in determination. Gus and Willow looked at each other, exasperated but too worried about Luz’s feelings to speak their mind. 

The trio headed out, onto the busy streets of Oxford. No one seemed to notice they had come out of the house. Another effect of the barrier, maybe?

Once near the supermarket, Luz pulled her friends along. It wasn't until Gus yanked her back that she was snapped out of her eagerness to complete the task for Eda.

"Look over there," he said, motioning to one of the buses. "That person getting on… they've got that same plague doctor mask."

Luz looked at the windows of the bus and, sure enough, pinpointed the alarming individual.

"If they're here," Willow gulped. "Then what about the Warden?"

"...We'll have to keep an eye out," Luz frowned. "Nonetheless, we still have to get all these groceries. If we encounter another one of those creeps in the store, we run."

All three nodded in agreement. They walked into the supermarket and split up, each with their own section of goods to look for.

Luz headed straight for the candy section, as she'd promised King before coming. "Jelly babies, where art thou?"

"Luz!" 

Upon hearing Willow hiss her name, she turned to see her speaking to her from the other aisle, through the shelf. "What's wrong, Willow?"

"I just saw one of 'em in the produce section," Willow whispered. "The masked people. I guess there's more than one here."

"Bloody hell," Luz gritted her teeth. "Well, where's gus?!"

"He's- oh, fudge." 

Luz and Willow watched in horror as their mentioned friend bumped right into the "plague doctor". He visibly paled.

"S-Sorry," Gus stammered, clearly terrified. The stranger leaned down to face him.

"You best watch yourself, little friend," they growled. "Imagine if you bumped into someone less… merciful. That wouldn't go very well, would it?"

Gus vigorously shook his head. "I swear on my gran's grave, I won't do it again!"

"Good," they chuckled darkly, leaving the store. Luz and Willow immediately ran over.

"Are you alright?!" Luz asked. "They didn't do anything to you? Are all your limbs intact?"

"Yes, but," Gus shuddered. "That was awful! When they came close to me, it got so cold… I thought I was done for…!"

Willow took a shaky breath. "Let's grab what we need and get the hell out of here."

Eda rushed out of the kitchen when she heard the front door open and the sounds of objects crashing. The kids had collapsed in a sweaty heap after booking it, dropping the groceries onto the floor.

"What happened to you?" Eda asked.

"You guys stink, hoot hoot!"

"Thanks, Hooty," Gus grumbled with a deadpan expression. "We just saw two more of those blokes with the same masks as the Warden, and I bumped into one! They're not gonna track my scent, are they?!"

"A bulldog with a cold could track your scent," King said, bringing a paw to his nose in disgust. "Go take a shower before this whole place starts smelling like sweaty teenagers!"

They took turns cleaning up and eventually returned to the kitchen, where Eda had cooked up tomato soup. She served each of them and began to discuss what they saw.

"White cloaks, outdated masks," Eda muttered to herself. "Threatening attitudes towards kids… and they seem to be multiplying. There has to be some way I can find out who they work for…"

Luz cleared her throat. "I don't know if it might work, but I read this novel where the main character took one of the villain's henchmen and forced them to give up information. You could try that!"

"Real life isn't a novel," Willow sighed. "If Eda were to do that, they'd send more after her. It won't be long till they find us, too, and I'd rather be found by my own parents first. Alive, to be precise."

"You don't worry your tiny little heads about it," Eda said. "Y'see, I know a guy. I helped him out a while back, so now he owes me. All I have to do is work my magic and BOOM! He'll tell me everything I need to know."

"You have connections in the police force or something?" Luz asked.

"Oh, god, no," Eda replied. "I stay away from those losers. Nothing but trouble when you hang around 'em, especially in my case."

Gus took another spoonful of soup. "So are you headed out, then? To meet your info wizard?"

"Not wizard," Eda shook her head. "Although, he's not really any better."

Luz shoved her bowl aside. "Can I come?!"

"I dunno," Eda hummed. "Will you cause trouble?"

"Not at all!" Luz insisted. "I just want to see."

"I guess there's no harm in takin' ya," Eda shrugged. "The rest of you, stay here. We'll be back by 5."

Luz rushed to put on a new set of clothes. Since her uniform needed washing, she opted for the dark green button up and white shorts she had packed. Since there was no need to disguise herself anymore, she felt a bit more relaxed with her clothing style.

Eda led her down the street, towards a huge building named 'Tibbles' Casino'. Luz giggled at the name.

They walked in and were, thankfully, not flooded by heaps of adults. Nobody really came at this time. Fridays were usually busy at night.

The concierge halted them. "My apologies, but children cannot enter the casino."

"Ah, we're not here to gamble," Eda said. "I need Tibbles. It's super urgent."

"You will have to make an appointment-"

"Chuck!" a voice called out. "What's going on over there?"

Luz watched as a short, chubby man walked towards the desk. He wore round glasses and a purple, expensive-looking suit. If Luz didn't have any self-restraint, she would've said he resembled a pig.

"Sir, this woman is asking to speak to you."

"Eda!" the short man opened his arms and grinned. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Tibbles," she nodded. "I need info. Could you tell Chuck to lay off?"

"You heard the woman. Let them in."

The concierge frowned uneasily and allowed them to enter. Luz felt a bit bad for him. He was only doing his job.

Tibbles settled behind the casino's bar, while Eda and Luz each took a seat on the stools.

"Before we start," he said. "Would you like a drink?"

Eda sighed. "As much I want to, I've gotta hold back for now. I've got a kid here, y'know."

"What about you, dear?" Tibbles asked, a friendly smile on his face. "Anything you want? Not the alcoholic beverages, of course."

"Coke!" Luz grinned. Eda remembered the last time she offered her the pop and started to get a bit worried.

After Tibbles handed the teen her drink, he focused on Eda again. "What is it you need? Is it about that case of fraud that happened recently? Cuz I've got a whole-"

"Belos."

He froze. "W...What did you say?"

"Who is he?" Eda asked. "Recently there's been these creeps with plague doctor masks popping up all over England, it seems. And I happened to get chased by a particularly tough one. I need to know who Belos is and why his goons are after me."

"After you, you say…" Tibbles gulped. "Belos is… an odd one. He's one of the wealthiest people in England, yet he's not associated with any type of government or the police force, as far as I'm concerned. His power is frightening, and so are his connections. If he's out to get you… I honestly think you'd be better fleeing the country."

Eda snorted. "He sounds like a coward who doesn't like getting his hands dirty. I bet I could snap him in half."

As they were having this conversation, Luz was getting even more hyper with every sip of Coke she took. She couldn't sit still, and ended up walking around the casino a bit. The smell of cinnamon lingered in the air as soft jazz played. She started to dance in place a bit, imagining herself in a grand ballroom. There would be a cute person her age, inviting her to dance with them. For some reason, her mind wandered to Amity. She wondered how it would feel to waltz with the taller girl.

"Mr. Blight, wait a moment!"

Now this was an entirely unexpected coincidence. Luz quickly scurried under one of the tables, and watched as the squeaky clean dress shoes of the older, ruder Blight walked towards a machine. He set his wallet down near his foot, causing her to hold her breath in fear. The universe seemed to be lenient today, and so he didn't look in her direction.

"I don't have time for this," he growled. "The preparations must go on, regardless of whether someone may be scheming against us."

"Sir, this is for you and your family's own safety. If we continue on with this, who knows what could happen!"

"Are you saying you are unable to protect us in the event that it's true?" Mr. Blight demanded. "What are you even paid for?"

"I simply-"

"Enough. We are not cancelling the event over your silly whims."

Silly… the Blights sure liked using that word a lot.

"Kid!" 

Eda was calling out for her. If she scurried over now, Mr. Blight would see her and recognize her face. She had to create a distraction first.

Grabbing his wallet, she tossed it in the other direction. Eda noticed and immediately caught on.

"Hey, is that your wallet over there?" she asked, pointing to it.

Mr. Blight frowned. "I could've sworn I set it on the ground… Strange. Thank you, miss."

As soon as he and his bodyguard left to retrieve it, Luz quickly crawled out and hid behind Eda right before they came back. 

"Shy one you've got there," Mr. Blight said, tilting his head. "My daughter used to be the same."

"Yeah, well, you know kids," Eda chuckled nervously. "Er, I gotta skedaddle. Nice bumpin' into ya, mister."

She awkwardly shuffled towards the door, making sure Luz was properly hidden. Once they were out, she turned to the young girl.

"What was that all about?"

Luz took a deep breath. "He comes to inspect Hexside once every month. While I was there I may have… left a bad impression. And it'd be trouble anyway if he recognized me here."

Eda nodded. "Good thing you moved quickly, then. I already have one goddamn aristocrat up my ass apparently."

"What did Tibbles say?"

"He knows Belos is after something big," Eda replied. "Told me a bit about the bastard. If I want more info, I'll have to return to the casino on Wednesday..."

While listening to her explanation, Luz thought back to the alarming conversation Mr. Blight was happening. What event was he planning? And what kind of danger were they in? Was it really smart of him to ignore something like that? So many questions, yet the biggest concern was if Amity was in danger, as Luz had the strongest connection to her. Since she didn't exactly have any solid evidence that the claims were true, she decided to save it for later.

"Could I come again with you?" Luz asked. Eda patted her on the head.

"Sure thing, kiddo."

Chapter Text

It rained heavily on Sunday, so much so that the kids had opted to stay at the house, rather than heading out with Eda. After a lengthy spoken autobiography by Hooty, they changed into their pajamas and played whatever board games they could find.

"What do you mean, gutfly isn't a word?!" King complained. "We have plenty of those back at home! They travel up your nose, then down to-"

"Stop," Willow groaned in disgust. "They aren't in the human world. So they aren't a word."

"This game sucks," he grumbled. "Wouldn't you rather learn about demons and beasts?"

"Hooty kind of shut me down mentally," Gus said. "I can't think without hearing him in my head…"

"I wanna wait for Miss Eda to get back," Luz said. "I know it might be a bit soon, but I really want to learn a spell."

King sighed. "What's the point of learning a spell if you don't know about any creatures you could use them on? Trust me, I know everything about demons, and it will come in handy!"

"I suppose we could listen," Luz shrugged.

"Could you bring your radio here, Luz?" Gus asked. "I'd like to listen to some tunes."

She did as he requested, plugging it in and switching in between stations.

"The 1st English football match is to take place in-"

"Finland's new president-"

"Hexside Academy-"

Everyone in the room froze. Luz slowly switched back to that station, dreading what she was about to hear. Rightfully so.

"-three young boys are nowhere to be found. Headmaster Hieronymus Bump claims that they've been missing for at least 3 days. At the moment, there is no evidence to suggest foul play. However, the possibility of a kidnapping is there. Please keep a look out for three young Hexside students that fit these descriptions: Lucio Noceda-"

Luz shut it off. Gus's head hung low in defeat.

"That's it. The jig is up. We're done for!"

Willow bit her nails. "My dads are going to lose their minds."

"Pops is never gonna let me leave the house ever again," Gus whined. "Even worse, he'll make the nanny follow me everywhere I go! Do you know how awful that is?! She'll stand outside my door when I sleep, when I'm in the loo, when I'm doing my homework-"

"Gus!" Luz shook him, snapping him out of his rant. "You need to stay calm, or you'll drive yourself mad!"

"Well, aren't you worried, Luz?" Willow asked. "From what you've told us, your mum must love you a ton. She must be devastated…"

Luz crossed her arms and frowned. "...I'd rather not think about that. Right now, we need to relax ourselves. If our heads aren't clear, we'll worry ourselves to death. We're fine, and there's nothing our parents need to fear. As long as we have the Owl Lady on our side…"

As if on queue, Eda walked into the house. "Congrats, kiddos. You made the front page."

She tossed a newspaper onto the ground. Luz picked it up, her friends peering at the contents as well. They all grimaced as their pictures looked back at them.

"It's not all bad," Eda shrugged. "Now you get to tell your kids you were famous at some point."

"Wait," Luz gulped. "What if Tibbles-"

"Don't worry about Piglet," Eda waved her off. "Even with his glasses, he can't see what's right in front of him. Besides, the newspapers clearly state that they're looking for a boy. Which means Tibbles is looking for a boy, therefore you are out of the picture."

Willow mumbled. "Surely he can't be that daft, can he?"

"I'm going to bed," Gus declared with an exhausted expression. "The rain coupled with this whole situation is sucking the life out of me."

They wished him goodnight, and continued to linger in the living room. Luz leaned over Eda, who was trying to take a nap on the couch.

"Miss Eda," she grinned. "Have I ever told you how wonderfully pointy your golden tooth is?"

"Kid, I'm tired," Eda replied."Whatever you're trying to do, it won't work."

"Oh, c'mon!" Luz exclaimed. "You promised you'd teach us magic, and I'm ready to be taught!"

King tugged at her pants. "We should review some beasts if Eda's out for the count! Like the Snaggleback. It only comes out during the boiling rains in our realm and eats poor sods who didn't make it."

"Boiling rains?" Willow repeated. "That sounds awful. How would you go out and stomp in the puddles?"

"There aren't any puddles! The water's so hot that the ground gets hot too, so when the droplets hit the ground-"

"Can we learn this later?" Luz cut him off. "Eda! One spell, and I'll get off your back!"

Eda groaned as she got up. "Fine. But only one. Pay attention so you can teach Gus, later."

She stood in front of the fireplace. "Now first, where do you kids think magic comes from?"

"Magical specks in the air that activate when you do that circle thing?" Willow suggested.

"From the heart," Luz said dreamily.

"Actually, you're right," Eda said to Luz. "Witches have a bile sac attached to the heart that allows them to do spells. But you humans don't have it, so that's the first minor issue."

Willow looked at the diagram disgusted while Luz was even more intrigued than before.

"We should take pictures of the spell!" Luz said. "Willow, do you have your camera on you?"

Willow brought it out, snapping away as Eda began to draw the spell circle. Luz's eyes widened with anticipation and wonder.

"It's actually pretty simple," Eda yawned. "When you… when you make the circle… the key is to…"

Everyone looked on in shock as the older woman collapsed on the spot.

"Well," King said. "Looks like one more spell killed Eda."

Luz scrambled to her side. "Oh god, I didn't mean to! Willow, what are we going to do?! Now we're stuck without an adult to watch over us! We'll have to learn to survive, fight for scraps, hold our own! It's everyone for themselves-"

"Luz!" Willow called out. "She still has a pulse. We only exhausted her."

"Oh, okay," Luz sighed. "Well, now instead of feeling guilty for murder, I feel bad for pushing her. Which is a little better, but not really."

After they finished dragging Eda to her nest-like bed, and after King managed to smack her in the face a couple of times, they went back downstairs. Luz slumped onto the couch, looking at the photographs Willow took.

"All she did was make a circle," Luz groaned in frustration. "I just don't get it!"

Willow frowned. "The camera's jammed… maybe this final picture will have some clues."

"Why do you wanna learn about magic so badly?" King asked.

Luz brought her knees to her chest. "I was a nobody back home. The only shot I had at succeeding in life was going to Hexside. Becoming a witch is my chance to finally be someone. Do you know what it's like to never be taken seriously?"

King sighed, and brought his book to her. "Okay, look, you really wanna learn a spell?"

"More than anything!"

"If I help you, will you finally listen to me?"

Luz nodded. 

"Alright," King said. "Witches didn't always do magic with their own hands, y'know. And I have a theory! There's this bottle of a special elixir Eda takes all the time, and I'm willing to bet that's part of what makes her so powerful!"

"I dunno," Willow said. "Perhaps we shouldn't take it then? If you're only basing your assumption on-"

"I'll try it!" Luz grinned, causing Willow to sigh.

The little demon scurried off and came back 10 minutes later with the bottle in question, handing it to Luz right away.

"Are you absolutely sure about this?" Willow asked. "Usually my dads tell me not to drink weird unidentifiable substances, especially magic elixirs."

"Wow, your dads told you the second part?" Luz said, completely missing the point. "That's a weird coincidence. Anyways, I'll be taking a sip now-"

At that moment, a flash of lightning pierced the sky. The thunderous sound that followed startled them, and Luz ended up grabbing for the bottle frantically only to have it end up broken on the ground.

"Bloody hell!" she cursed. "How am I to cast the spell now?!"

"At least the lights are still working," King shrugged. The irony of that statement became apparent when the lights had, in fact, ceased to work. "Oops."

Willow pressed a finger to her temples, feeling a migraine coming on. "It's alright. We technically don't need the lights at this time. Might as well hit the hay and try again tomorrow-"

Crash! 

Luz blinked. "What… what was that?"

"Maybe the lightning broke a window?" King suggested.

"That wouldn't happen," Willow shook her head. "The house has a magical barrier, doesn't it? So whatever that was…"

"...it came from inside," Luz finished. Sweat began to form on the back of her neck.

Another banging sound came from the front door. "Hoot hoot!"

They turned towards it. There stood an enormous creature, hovering over the broken down door. The darkness concealed all except for its size and glowing golden eyes. It left a final claw mark in the door and ran off.

"What the devil was that?!" Willow hissed.

"A demon?!" King screeched. "In the human world! Hurry, after it!"

They ran outside. The beast had made its way up to Eda's window, crashing through it right after they noticed it.

"It went upstairs?!" Luz yelled. "Gus and Eda are sleeping up there! They could get hurt… so why are you happy, King?!"

"This is your chance to learn about my kind!" he declared cheerfully. "We can get up close and personal with whatever that was! I'm willing to bet it was a Snaggleback. They feed during the rains!"

"The lesson can wait," Willow said, running back inside. "We have to make sure Gus and Eda are alright!"

Heading upstairs, they first checked Eda's room. She was nowhere to be found.

"It ate Miss Eda!" Luz shrieked. Willow quickly put a hand over her mouth.

"We can't let it know we're here yet!" Willow whispered. "Let's go downstairs and grab whatever weapons we can find."

They searched the kitchen. Luz pulled on a pair of rubber gloves, grabbed two bandaids and put them on her cheeks, and tied a pillow to her stomach and back as her friends did. She took the hockey stick sitting next to Eda's umbrella, while Willow opted for the fireplace poker. King led them upstairs, flashlight in hand.

Luz peered at her surroundings. The shelves had already been messed up, and some of the books were slashed. She hoped she wouldn't end up like that.

"Son of a-"

Gus's screams caused them to rush over to his room. He was sprawled on the floor in a sweaty heap, clearly startled awake by something.

"I was," he huffed and puffed. "I was jus' takin' a nap, and then that thing came in here and I thought it mighta' been the Lord himself sent to save me from my Pops' wrath but then it clawed at me! I barely got away with my shirt intact!"

"Speaking of which," Luz said. "Are those… rubber ducky shorts?"

He blushed. "They're comfortable! Can't a man wear rubber ducky shorts in peace?!"

"Oh, I'm not making fun of you, I just wanted to ask where you got them from 'cuz I've been looking-"

"ROAR!"

Luz looked outside the room. "It's down the hall! Quick, follow me!"

They sprinted down the hallway, took a sharp turn and ran into the closet, locking the door shut. One of Luz's shoes had fallen off along the way, but she didn't stop to pick it up.

"I think I soiled myself," Gus whimpered.

"Gross!" Willow grimaced. "...Wait, where's King?"

"Oh no!" Luz exclaimed. "We must've left him behind!"

Tiny footsteps and high-pitched shouts could be heard from outside. Luz opened the door and yanked their furry little friend inside.

"You're safe!" King cried out, hugging them. "Where did you go?!"

"We thought you were with us," Willow said. "Where did you go?"

"To grab my demon books," he replied. "Oh, here's your shoe, Luz."

As she put it on, his eyes widened. He reached for the sole of her shoe and took a scrap of paper off.

"'Keeps the curse at bay'..." he squinted while reading. "... 'An elixir a day keeps the curse at bay'!"

"Curse?" Luz blinked. As the realization dawned on her, she gasped in horror. "But that means…!"

"The beast that's been chasing us," Willow paled. "It isn't a Snaggleback, it's-"

A large talon broke through the door, making way for the creature. It was now in full view, and their worst suspicions had been confirmed. 

"Eda?"

She smiled wickedly, her teeth sharp and her eyes completely black. They were backed into a corner now, and as the Owl Lady raised her talon, they let out a scream. Willow's camera, which had been in her pocket the entire time, fell out and flashed at Eda. She flinched, and for a split second Luz could see that her eyes had returned to their golden state. While she was busy rubbing her eyes, the group ran away before she could recover.

"Quick!" Gus said. "Hide behind the pots!"

They did as he said. Eda was already hot on their trail. In order to distract her, Luz threw a can in the other direction. Thankfully, it worked.

"Did you see her eyes?" she whispered. "What was that?" 

"Who knows?" Willow breathed out. "But look! The last picture came out. At the expense of the lense breaking…"

As Willow started pulling it out, King apologized. "I didn't mean for this to happen. And now that Eda doesn't have the elixir, she's turned into a nightmare and it's all my fault! All I wanted was… for you all to be as interested in demons as you were in magic. Sure, I have Eda…but other than that, I don't have many friends, and no one really pays attention to me. I thought if I taught you, you'd be as interested in creatures as me."

The teens looked at each other and smiled softly. Luz shuffled closer to him. "Then let's finish the lesson."

"Huh?"

"We need to save Eda," Gus said. "And you are the demon expert. We can't do this without you, King."

The furry demon's eyes crinkled in joy as he hugged them again. 

"So what do we know about her so far?" Luz asked.

"She's huge," King thought aloud. "Feathery, has big black eyes. Demons with black eyes are sensitive to light. We left the flashlight behind, though, and the rest of the lights are out."

"Willow, can you use the flash on the camera?" Luz asked.

She shook her head. "It won't work… but I think I found something that will. Look at this picture!"

Luz gasped. "There's a pattern in Eda's light circle! Quick, someone hand me a pen!"

Gus grabbed one from the ledge and gave it to her. She traced the pattern onto a leaf, and tapped it, causing it to glow. They looked on in awe as a ball of light was produced 

"Luz…" Gus gaped.

"You just did magic…!" Willow laughed out of astonishment. Luz suddenly felt giddier than she'd ever felt before.

"I just did magic! I just did magic!"

They yanked her back down as Eda's shrieks could be heard from the hall. 

"We have light," King said. "Now, what's next?"

Luz grinned. "I think I have a plan."

"Hey! Owl Lady!" 

Eda snarled as she turned around. Gus, Willow and King stood behind her.

"Look at this!" Willow said, holding a firecracker. "Isn't it pretty?"

"I sure wish I had my own firecracker!" Gus added. "But technically, in the position I'm in, a firecracker would just attract people towards me! And I don't know if you've heard the news but that's not what I-"

"Firecracker shiny!" King hollered, cutting him off. "Oh my! Oh dear!"

Eda, seemingly entranced, attempted to pounce onto them. They dodged and prompted her to chase them down the hall.

"'Well, since my baby left me! Well, I found a new place to dwell!! Well, it's down at the end of Lonely Street! At'-"

"Gus! Stop chanting Heartbreak Hotel!"

"Well, excuse me, but if I'm to die tonight, I can rest in peace knowing that I've memorized the lyrics!"

"We aren't going to die, for Pete's sake!"

"Gus, Willow!" King yelled. "We're here! Get the blanket!"

They stopped their bickering and followed his instructions, grabbing the blanket that was put on the side. Working quickly, they ran towards Eda at top speed, trapping her with it. 

"Sorry about this, Miss Eda!" Luz exclaimed, finishing up the glyph she had drawn on the wall. "But it's for your own good!"

Once Eda's face was uncovered, Luz hit the glyph. A brilliant light filled the area, along with the screeches of the Owl Beast. The battle between the children and the creature was finally over.

"...Ugh…"

As the morning light bled through the window and onto Eda's face, she groaned in pain from the various aches in her body. A straw leading from the bottle of elixir to her mouth was put in place.

"You're finally awake," King said. "The kids are already up and at 'em."

"...King," Eda growled. "Did you steal my elixir? I oughta break every bone in your-"

"Follow me!" King said, already headed out the door. She sighed as she got up from her nest and headed down the stairs.

"What's the deal? You really pissed me off, and now you think you can just… run…"

Eda's words faltered at the sight of the kids dancing around in the living room, orbs of lights reaching the ceiling while Flip, Flop and Fly by the Downchild Blues Band played on the radio. She watched as Luz drew a glyph and tapped it, turning it into yet another glowing adornment.

"How did she do that?" Eda gaped.

"No idea," King shrugged. "Pretty amazing, isn't it?"

She crossed her arms. "You still owe me an explanation."

"I'm sorry, Eda," he looked down in shame. "I seriously didn't know that's what the elixir was for. I just wanted to help Luz… but I guess she figured it out on her own."

"Eda!" Luz grinned. The trio ran over to her. "Are you… okay now?"

"As okay as I can be," Eda said. "But hey, look at this. A human doing magic! Good on you, kid."

"What's up with the whole curse thing?" Gus asked.

Eda sighed. "When I was younger, I was cursed in my sleep. I don't know why or how. But as long as I take my elixir, I'm fine. Well, now you know why they call me the Owl Lady. Sorry if I hurt any of you."

"The only one hurt was Hooty," Willow said. "We patched him up after!"

"Are you sure you're alright?" Luz asked, eyes full of concern.

"I'm sure," Eda replied, patting her head. "You go and show me how you did that spell again, why don'tcha." 

Luz cheerfully did so, simply glad that everything was back to normal. Or at least as normal as it could be in the Owl House.

Chapter Text

By the time it was Wednesday, the kids had only gone out to play in the park once. The rest of the past two days had been spent indoors in order to avoid getting caught. It wasn't all bad. They had plenty of time to learn new spells. While King dozed off on the couch and Eda was reading the news, the kids sat around the table.

"Gus, try the illusion spell again!" Luz said.

"I think I've got it this time," he declared, drawing the glyph. Upon tapping it, a second Gus sat beside him. "It worked! He's not as wobbly as the last!"

"And all it took was 8 tries till you got it right," Eda grinned. "Attaboy! What about you, Willow?"

Willow frowned. "Miss Eda, I don't think I'm very good at Abomination spells. Look at this one."

She pointed to a clump of barely moving mud on the ground. "Perhaps I'm not cut out for magic…"

"Don't beat yourself up over it!" Eda said. "Just like how every human has a subject they're good at, every witch has a particular magical area they excel at. Of course, as the Most Powerful Witch of The Boiling Isles, I excel at them all. But that's just me. If you're not good at Abomination magic, try something new."

"Willow, here!" Luz said, handing her a piece of paper. "It's a plant glyph. Maybe you can try this one instead!"

She took the paper, hesitantly activating the spell. Large vines shot from the paper, nearly breaking through the roof.

"Blimey!" Luz exclaimed. "Willow, you're amazing!"

The bespectacled girl blushed. "I guess I could work with this. I've always liked gardening."

Gus turned on the radio, wishing to listen to the news as he practiced.

"The Blight Family continues to prepare for their annual Masquerade Ball on the 10th of March, despite rising reports of security threats-"

As soon as the name 'Blight' was said, all of Luz's attention was now on the radio. "Masquerade Ball? Seems like something out of a fairy tale."

"I've been to one before," Willow said. "I didn't dance, so it was a bit boring. The masks were pretty, though."

"That Alador Blight's an arrogant one," Eda scoffed. "They're one of the most powerful families in England, of course someone's after his head."

"His head?" Luz repeated. "So like… assassins?"

Eda shrugged. "Could be. Whatever the threat is, he ought to be careful. If not for his sake, then for his family."

Luz thought about Amity, and how fragile she appeared at times. How easy it would be for enemies to snatch her up, never to be seen again. The fact that the head of the Blight family could act so careless made her feel a bit angered.

"Oh, shoot," Eda said, looking at the clock. "It's almost time to head to the casino. Still wanna come, Luz?"

"Can we come, too?" Gus asked.

"As long as you disguise yourselves," Eda nodded. "I don't mind you tagging along, but I'd prefer not to get arrested on this fine Wednesday evening."

They wore simple coats over their clothes, hats, and scarves to cover part of their face. Once they were ready, the group made their way to Tibbles' establishment. It was bustling with activity, much more so than on Saturday.

Eda sighed. "The drunkards are already hanging around? It's not even 8pm yet, good god."

The kids stayed close together, fearful of the stumbling, loud adults around them. Luz's mom always told her to be wary of such adults, as they were often out-of-touch with reality in this state. 

Eda walked up to Chuck. "Where's Tibbles?"

"...More children?" he raised a brow, watching as they hid behind the Owl Lady. 

"They didn't wanna stay home," Eda shrugged. "Now, answer the question."

"He's serving customers at the bar," Chuck sighed. "Just… keep them away from the drinks? We're not looking to deal with the authorities tonight."

"As if my kids would touch a drink," Eda huffed. "Come along, kiddos. And Gus, your hat is tilted."

They sat at a table in front of the bar. Tibbles took note of them and smiled, making his way to them.

"Right on time!" he said. "Ah, I didn't know you had so many children. Didn't take you for the motherly type."

"Mind your business," Eda frowned. "We aren't here to fraternize. Give up the info."

"Yes, yes," he waved her off. "Before we begin, would you kids like any drinks? On the house, of course."

"Coke!" Luz grinned. 

"Water is fine," Willow said. Gus asked for water as well. 

"I'll be back in a bit," Tibbles winked. "Make yourselves comfy."

Luz got up from her seat. "Actually, I need to use the loo. I'll be right back!"

"Don't get lost, kid!"

She walked into the restroom, entering a stall. Moments later, the door opened again, the sound of two pairs of boots against the tiled floor filling the room. 

"When do we start shootin'?"

She froze. Slowly lifting up her feet in case they decided to check, she held her breath as she listened.

"When that pig gives us the signal. We can't afford to make mistakes. As soon as he does, we start. These damned drunks won't leave otherwise."

"And what if we shoot the Owl Lady for real?"

"Then we'll have to deal with Belos."

Oh god, Luz thought, putting a hand to her mouth in shock. This whole meeting Tibbles had set up… It was…

"Speaking of Belos, is he still going through with the Blight killings?"

"Of course he is. With them out of the picture, he'll take their position on that council."

"But does he have to kill all of 'em? Seems a bit too much."

"Where's your head, man? We don't ask why he does what he does. Alador, Odalia, the children, none of 'em are surviving past the 10th. The preparations have already begun. Their fate is sealed."

Luz felt like throwing up. She felt like crying out of sorrow for her dear friend, who probably had no idea this was happening. But most of all, she felt like it was her duty to protect her now. What kind of friend would hear such a thing and allow it to happen? Besides, Luz had magic on her side now. Maybe, no, certainly, she could stop this madness. And… she'd see Amity again.

For now, there were more important matters to attend to. As soon as the goons exited, she rushed out of the stall and burst through the door, running at top speed towards Eda.

"You were gone long," Eda's smile quickly turned to a frown when she saw the terrified expression on Luz's face. "Hey, are you feeling alright?"

"We have to go," Luz said quickly. "This whole thing is a trap. Tibbles set us up."

"What do you mean?" Willow blinked. "Did you hear something in the loo?"

"Get up, all of you!" Luz demanded. "If we don't leave now, they'll-"

"What's wrong, m'dear?" Tibbles said with a sickening smile, walking up to them again. "Sit! I've brought your cola, extra ice-"

Luz snatched the glass and threw it at him, urging her friends to rise from their seats. 

"Book it!"

And then the shooting began.

They didn't make it to the exit in time. It was already blocked by the coven members. Eda kicked the table sideways and used it at a shield, keeping the kids close as everyone else in the casino panicked and ran away.

"Tibbles, you bastard!" Eda yelled out.

"No hard feelings, Owl Lady!" Tibbles yelled back. "I'm not looking to be associated with one of Belos's targets. Hope you understand!"

"Bloody hell!" Gus exclaimed. "What… What do we do?!"

Eda took a deep breath. "Time to put your spells to use, kids!"

She leapt over the table, blasting the minions with a powerful beam. Willow activated a plant glyph right after. The vines pulled their already battered opponents back into the casino.

"Why are you bringing them back?!" Gus screamed. "We're trying to keep them away!"

"No, she's onto something!" Luz said. "Hurry, after me!" 

They rushed out of the building. Luz turned to Eda. "Break the roof so that it falls and blocks the way! We need to throw them off our trail long enough to get home!"

Eda smirked as she did just that using another spell. "Smart thinking, kid! Let's get out of this hellhole!"

Just before they started thinking they were in the clear, more gunshots sounded behind them. 

"They have reinforcements!" Luz groaned. "Gus, you're up! We need an illusion to confuse them!"

"I'll do it 'round the corner!" he nodded. "In 3… 2… 1!"

As soon as they made a sharp turn, he casted an illusion spell. Duplicates of the group started heading towards the other direction. Luz looked back to see the fools chasing after them.

"We did it!" Luz grinned. "Miss Eda, we… Miss Eda?"

Her smile faltered once she noticed how Eda was staggering a bit. Willow looked at the older woman, her eyes trailing down to where she was clenching her side. 

"Oh no!" she gasped. "Miss Eda's been shot!"

They were 5 minutes away from the house, now. Hooty immediately noticed something was wrong as the kids supported Eda.

"What-"

"Not now, Hooty!" Luz yelled. "Open the damned door!"

He swung open, allowing them to drag Eda inside. King saw the blood dripping onto the ground and ran to the kitchen, returning with a first aid kit.

"It's okay, don't worry!" he said. "She's been shot before, it's no big-"

He paused, seeing the kids collapsed on the ground. Luz had blood on her hands and coat from attempting to apply pressure to the wound. All three of them were visibly shaking.

"Hey," he spoke softly after dressing the wound. "Hey, guys. Go clean yourselves up, okay? Eda's alright, she just needs to rest. I'll take care of her now. You go wash up and change."

The trio walked upstairs slowly, sticking close to each other. The tension from before hadn't quite left yet. They headed to their rooms to grab their pajamas, Willow getting Luz's for her.

"Luz, you can shower first," Willow said. "You need it more than us."

Luz nodded. After Gus opened and closed the door for her, she stared at her bloody palms. If she didn't overhear that conversation, it probably wouldn't have only been her hands that were in this state. Just the thought of it made her queasy, and she leaned over the toilet to hurl.

"Luz?" Willow called out. "Is everything alright? Do you need me to come in?"

"I-I touched the toilet seat by accident, and now the… the blood…"

"I'll clean it up," Willow reassured her. "You do what you need to do. I'll be right out here if you need me."

Luz took a shower quickly, simply wishing for the red to wash away from her hands. She dried herself off, put on her pajamas and came out. Willow reached for the tear forming in the corner of her eye and wiped it away.

"I'm sorry about the blood," she mumbled. "I'd clean it myself, but right now…"

"No need to apologize," Willow spoke gently. "I'm used to tending to messes like that. I used to have a friend who got hurt all the time."

After all three of them had finished up, they came back downstairs. Eda sat on the couch, her side bandaged and her brow furrowed in thought. Luz walked up to her, wishing to hug her but not wanting to accidentally touch her injury.

Eda noticed them and smiled. "Hey, everyone. Doing alright?"

"Not really," Luz admitted. Eda's eyes shone with sympathy.

"What about you?" Gus asked. "You were bleeding quite a bit."

"I'm fine," Eda said. "Takes a lot more than that to knock me down. Come here, sit with me."

They gathered close to her, like baby ducklings surrounding their mother.

"Today was rough," she began. "No doubt about that. But what you kids did today? Now that was something. You've only been here for a couple days, and you're already as strong as genuine witches. I'm proud of you. All of you."

Luz sniffled. "I'm just glad I heard what they said on time."

"You're a pretty brave one, Luz," Eda grinned, patting her head. "It couldn't have been easy to listen to whatever the hell they said."

Suddenly, Luz jumped out of her seat. "There's something else they said! About the Blight family!"

Eda leaned back. "...Go on."

"The assassination plot," Luz explained. "They're going to go through with it during the ball. Belos's orders."

The older witch gripped the armrest at the mention of that foul man's name. "His orders, huh…"

Luz started to breathe erratically.  "They'll kill them all! Mr. Blight, his wife, the Blight children… they'll kill Amity! I can't- I can't let them! We can't let them! Please, there must be something we can do!"

Eda got up, still unsteady. She put her hands on Luz's shoulders, attempting to calm her down.

"Deep breathes, kid," she instructed. "Where is the ball taking place? Do you know where the Blight's live?"

"Everything's taking place in Cambridge," Gus said. "According to the news. Should be safe to assume that's where they live, too."

"Wait," Willow said. "You're hurt. Shouldn't you be thinking about resting, not traveling?"

"I heal quick," Eda shrugged. "Besides, I'm not traveling right away. You three are."

They looked at her, eyes wide in confusion. 

"Oh, and King will take you," Eda added.

"But!" Luz sputtered. "There's people on the lookout for us! And Belos's henchmen!"

"Now, now," Eda motioned for her to relax. "Listen to the plan. You'll take the train to Cambridge with King. I will take Owlbert and fly. If we encounter any more of those bastards, I can lead them away from you and throw them off. That way, we can make it to Cambridge together, safely. You kids are under my care, so your protection is my number one priority at the moment."

"It just might work," Gus hummed. "I'll get the maps and plan out the route, then."

"And I'll make sure we have what we need," Willow nodded. "Supplies and whatnot."

"I'll prepare," Luz said. "In case we get ambushed. I don't want to have to act at the last minute again."

"It's settled, then," Eda said. "Operation: Save The Blights From Impending Doom starts now!"

Luz sat alone in her room, reading Narnia again. Amity was right: the tale and its concept fascinated her. Walking into a wardrobe and ending up in another world… if only it was that easy. She'd take Amity with her if she could. They'd be in their own little world, safe from murderers and vile, power hungry adults. 

She thought about her decision to hide her true self from the taller girl. Was it really the right thing to do? And what was she to do if they met again? Would Amity be angry that she left, or happy to see her? 

For some reason, the thought of telling Amity the truth scared Luz. Perhaps it was some kind of emotional attachment she had to her, after connecting with her so well. She didn't want the truth to change how Amity felt about her. About them.

'This is foolish,' Luz thought. ' I shouldn't be this scared. What does it matter, if I'm a girl or a boy? If she truly enjoyed being my friend, she'll accept me regardless. If not, I mustn't dawdle on it.'

These thoughts did nothing to ease the knot in her stomach. She fell asleep 30 minutes after tossing and turning anxiously, somewhat dreading the events that were to come.

Chapter Text

After exactly four days, the children were ready to go. Eda made sure they had everything they needed, and sent them on their way with King. She had stayed behind, to prepare for her end of the journey.

"Once you get there," she told them. "You're free to go seek out Willow's friend. But you must meet me at the Mathematical Bridge. I should arrive an hour and a half after you, so we'll regroup right after."

"That long?" Willow asked. "Weren't you to fly with us?"

"Something came up," Eda replied. "I must attend to it. I promise, I'll come as soon as I can."

"Sounds good!" King nodded, his hat falling down a bit. "And don't worry, I'll take good care of them!"

All three of them had dressed up in freshly washed clothes for the occasion. Luz wore high-waisted khaki trousers and a tucked-in dress shirt coloured navy blue. Willow went for a green plaid dress, while Gus had worn a regular yellow dress shirt and black trousers. They wore matching sweaters, prepared for the slightly chilly winds of February.

"See you soon, Hooty," Luz waved.

"Oh gosh, I'm gonna be alone again!" Hooty whined. "I guess I'll just have to talk to Eda for as long as she's here, hoot! So much has happened since this morning, like how I ate a raisin I found on the ground. Turns out it was actually-"

The group had walked off, leaving poor Eda to deal with Hooty's oversharing of information. 

On their way to the train, they chatted about little things. Like the weather, or how crowded the streets were on this fine Monday morning. Perhaps a sense of normality was a way of coping with what they were planning to do when they reached Cambridge.

"We're here," King said. "Stay close, we still don't know if Belos's minions are watching…"

"It'll be fine," Luz gripped her satchel strap tighter. "We distracted them before. We can do it again."

"But Eda-"

"That was a one-time occurrence," Luz said to Gus. "I'm not letting anyone else get hurt."

"We'll protect each other," Willow said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You're not the only one practicing magic."

"Right," Luz smiled as she agreed. The trio held hands as they went inside one of the passenger trains with King leading them. They chose a compartment to settle down in.

"How many stops will we be making?" Willow asked.

Gus checked his notebook. "One at Paddington and one at King's Cross. The trip in total is going to be at least 2 hours and 30 minutes long. I've separated our time into three segments: Oxford to Paddington will take about an hour, Paddington to King's Cross is 15 minutes long, and the last third of the trip will take another hour. We may have to wait to get on the last train for longer, though. It's quite busy today."

"No kidding," Luz said, peering out the compartment. "There's all kinds of adults in here! Wonder if any of them are on a top secret mission like us."

"Top secret mission?" Gus repeated. "Inspiring! I feel like James Bond!"

"Who's James Bond?" King asked. "Sounds like another regular human. Hey, Luz, did you pack any-"

"Jelly babies?" Luz grinned, handing the pack to him. "I knew you'd want some. I've packed enough for this trip."

King cackled happily, tearing into the pack. He was no longer paying attention to their conversation.

"I wonder how Amity will feel when she sees us," Gus thought allowed. "Speaking of which, did you tell her we were leaving? And about your secret?"

"Yes to the first thing," Luz said, looking to side nervously.

Willow raised a brow. "Why not the second? I'd think you two were close enough to reveal it."

"I…" Luz faltered. "The truth is… I don't know why. I guess… I didn't want her to think of me any differently."

"I hardly think your gender is going to change her opinion of you," Willow said. "If she liked you as a boy, I'd be surprised if she hated you otherwise. What strange reasoning, Luz."

"In any case," Luz sighed. "I'm looking forward to seeing her… but I don't know how she will react to me."

"Wait," Gus said. "Are we to greet her before the ball?"

"That wouldn't be very smart of us," Willow said. "Especially in our situation… I say we watch her for a bit. Then we can properly show ourselves when it's time."

"How on Earth will we even get in?" Luz asked. "We can't exactly walk in without a reason. Well, in normal circumstances, you two probably could… but right now, we have no opportunity to infiltrate the ball."

"I have a plan for that," Willow replied. "As I've said, a good friend of mine lives in Cambridge."

"Are we sure she won't rat us out?" Gus gulped.

Willow shook her head. "She would if it was anyone else. Since it's me, she'll probably let it slide."

Luz cleared her throat. "Probably?"

"Certainly," Willow corrected herself. "Anyways, her family is close to the Blights. I've no doubt she will be attending. We can work something out."

The teens spent the first hour discussing their plans. Once they reached Paddington, they got off and waited for the next train. They repeated this process till they were waiting at King's Cross for the last train.

"Geez," King stretched out. "This body wasn't made for traveling."

"Only one more hour," Gus patted him on the head. "In fact, it seems a bit less busy right now. Maybe it'll take less-"

Luz gathered everyone, suddenly pushing them to hide behind a group of people.

"I saw one of them," Luz hissed. "The masked henchmen!"

"Crap!" King whispered to himself. "Okay, the train is here… let's try to sneak on."

They blended into the crowd as they got on, praying they hadn't already been spotted. Once they found a free compartment, they slumped onto the seats, collectively sighing.

"We could've taken them," King chuckled nervously. 

"Well," Willow said, peeking out into the aisle. "Time to test your confidence, because they seem to be opening every single compartment."

"What?!" Gus shrieked. "What do we do?! The heroes aren't supposed to die before the adventure starts!"

Luz groaned. "We are not going to die! We have magic!"

"And how's that supposed to help?!" Willow asked, exasperated. "I can't exactly use plant magic on a moving train!"

"Not plants," Luz shook her head. "Illusion! Gus, you've been practicing for at least a week. All you need to do is create a person to sit here. King can hide in the bag up there, and we can hide under the seats."

"What a mad plan!" Gus exclaimed. "D'you really think an illusion will fool these people? And I'm not even that good yet! My gran could make an illusion with her pinkie toe better than me!"

"We don't need your doubt right now!" Willow snapped. "You need to put that aside, because if you don't, we can kiss Cambridge and this world goodbye."

"Alright, fine!" Gus threw his arms up in defeat. He took out a piece of paper from his bag. "But if this doesn't work, I'm sticking with you lot in the afterlife. You'll wish it was Hooty instead of me."

Meanwhile, the unwanted passenger was slowly making their way towards the group's section. They reached for the sliding door's handle, and yanked it open.

A man sat there, his luggage guarding the space under the seat. He seemed a bit off, but they couldn't tell why.

"What's this, then?" the man spoke, his voice warbled. "Barging into my private area? Away with you, before I report you to the conductor!"

They growled slightly. "Apologies, sir."

10 minutes after they had closed the door, the man dissipated into thin air. The teens crawled out from under the seat, pushing the luggage out of the way.

"Good god," Willow huffed and puffed. "I can't believe that worked!"

"Of course it did!" Luz grinned widely. "We're witches and strategic masterminds!"

Gus shuddered after he got up. "That was bloody gross! Ugh, I hate spaces like that! So cramped… and dirty."

"Oh, nevermind that!" Willow laughed. "You're amazing , Gus!"

He blushed happily. "Why, thank you!"

"Hey! Mind getting me out of here?!"

Their attention was brought to the bag in which King was currently stuck. They had a good laugh before helping him out.

"Finally!" King cried out. "Land! Sweet, unmoving land!"

As soon as they reached their final destination, King had rushed out to feel the afternoon sun on his face. The kids didn't see the dangerous stranger anywhere.

"I hate to break it to you," Willow said. "But we'll have to take the bus again."

King groaned. "When will I be free?!"

Luz giggled. "It'll only take 10 minutes, you silly goober." 

"C'mon," Willow said. "We don't want to miss it." 

They got onto the bus, Luz taking a window seat to stare at the scenery. Willow giggled at how she pressed her face against it, completely enthralled by the wonders of Cambridge.

"The buildings are magnificent!" she exclaimed. "Willow, is it true that there's a river as well?"

"The River Cam," Willow replied. "Would you like to go punting, if we have the time?"

"Absolutely!" Luz grinned, buzzing with excitement. 

"Let's visit Great St. Mary's Church," Gus spoke from the seat behind theirs. "I want to be there when the bell rings. My cousin's told me that you can feel it throughout the entire building!"

"I just want food," King said. "I could care less about the sightseeing. Even if it is kinda pretty."

"Learn to appreciate the architecture," Luz jokingly scolded him. "I've always wanted to come here with my mom…"

Willow smiled at her sympathetically. "Once this is all over, and we aren't hopelessly grounded, we should come back here again with our parents."

"I'd like that," Luz smiled back. 

They got off at their stop, Willow leading them deep within the town. There stood a diner, a bit larger than the one in London. 

" 'Briggs's Diner' ," Gus read out the bright sign. "As in the Briggs family?"

King shrugged. "Who cares? Let's grab something to eat!"

He pushed open the door and went inside. The kids followed him, the scent of baked goods immediately hitting them in the face. The jukebox in the corner was playing Tutti Frutti by Little Richard, and the lights were dimmed down in favour of the natural sunlight seeping through the large windows. 

"Hello," the girl at the cashier said when Willow walked over to her. "We actually take your order at-"

She looked up, her icy blue eyes widening in shock. "W-"

"Can we talk?" Willow said, a serious expression on her face. "It's important."

"No kidding," the girl mumbled. She turned to the back and yelled. "Mum! I'm taking a break for today!"

"Alright, love!"

"Follow me," she said, untying her vivid pink hair from its bun and tying it into a ponytail instead. They were led into the back room, full of supplies and the like. She turned to Willow.

"...Well?" she crossed her arms. "What do you have to say?"

Willow sighed. "It's hard to explain-"

"Willie," she said firmly. "You really think you could just reappear in Cambridge of all places and pretend everything's normal? Where the devil have you been?"

"I'm sorry…" Willow coughed in embarrassment. "...Boscha."

The girl, Boscha, bit her nail nervously. "You're not being chased by someone, are you? Is that why you left London without telling anyone?"

"We are being chased," Luz said. "But that was only after we left."

"These are my friends, Luz Noceda and, well, you've met Gus before. Luz, Boscha is the friend I've been talking about."

Luz shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."

Boscha raised a brow. "You're a girl? I would've thought Willie was the only one daring enough to pretend otherwise."

"Oy!" King squeaked out. "Are we gonna get a meal or what?" 

She looked down at him. "Is this your little brother? He's quite brash."

"Is there somewhere else we could discuss this?" Gus asked. "I don't think it's safe here."

"Safe?" Boscha repeated. "What have you gotten yourselves into?"

"Gus is right," Luz said. "Do you know a place where not a lot of people go?"

"...Come along," Boscha sighed. "I don't usually allow random strangers there, but I suppose I must."

They left the diner after packing some food for King. Boscha signaled for a taxicab to stop in front, and she motioned for them to go inside.

"Where to?"

"608 Wrightworth Court. And make it quick."

"Holy heck," Luz breathed out, gaping at the enormous mansion outside the window. "That's your place?!"

"My family is mostly known for fashion design," Boscha said smugly. "The diner is just my mum's passion project."

The taxi dropped them off in front of the gates. Boscha unlocked them, and led the group towards the mansion's grounds.

"We won't be going inside, obviously," Boscha said. "You don't want to get caught. Which is why you'll be staying up there."

She pointed towards a well-constructed treehouse perched atop the branches of a tall oak tree.

"We're staying there?" Gus asked.

King shrugged. "Ask Eda."

"Hurry up," Boscha said, climbing up the ladder. The others followed suit, with Luz going first. She gasped upon reaching the top. There were shut-off Christmas lights hanging across the ceiling, magazines and soda cans scattered across the floor, and a tape recorder in the corner. Boscha sat down on the soft carpet covering the hard wooden floor. They sat with her.

"So?" Boscha said. "What's this all about?"

"We were out in the forest one day," Luz began to explain. "It was my birthday, and we snuck out after curfew to go see the fireworks. I… fell down the slope leading deep into the woods, and that's where we saw what made us leave."

"What did you see?"

"Gus," Luz said. "Could you give me my notebook and pencil?"

He nodded, reaching into her discarded satchel and taking them out. She took the supplies from him, drawing a light flyph and tapping on it. As usual, the paper shrivelled up, turning into a ball of light. Boscha stared at it in awe.

"Magic exists in this world," Willow said. "We left the academy to learn more about it… and we've discovered many things along the way, one of which led us here."

Boscha touched the ball, causing it to burst into sparks. "Wicked… Er, I mean, go on."

"How close are you to the Blights?" Luz asked.

She paused. "Quite. I grew up with them. My mum and Mrs. Blight have tea together every Tuesday."

"We heard something in Oxford," Willow said. "Related to the masquerade ball. There's these masked people that have been following us all the way from London, and it seems they have more than one target."

"On March 10th," Gus gulped. "They're going to come to the ball… and they're going to kill the Blights. "

The pink-haired girl paled. "What?"

"We need to stop it from happening," King declared. "It's why we're here."

"But…" Boscha stammered. "You're just a bunch of… We're just a bunch of teenagers. How are we supposed to stop an assassination?!"

"Well, we haven't really come up with a solid plan yet," Luz admitted. "Still, we have to try! For Amity…"

"...And how do you want me to help?"

"Would you be willing to get us in?" Willow asked. "Although there's still the option of simply sneaking in and crashing the party, I feel that the element of surprise would increase our chances."

"I could…" Boscha nodded slowly. "...What's in it for me-"

"Boscha!" Willow gasped, lightly punching her in the arm. "This is serious!"

"Nothing wrong with asking for a reward," King said.

"Alright, alright!" Boscha laughed a bit. "Sorry it's just… this is so much… I'll find a way to help, I just need time to think."

"Thank you," Luz said, getting up. "And take your time. We have to go now, anyway."

"Oh, is it time to meet Eda already?" Gus checked his watch. "Hope she hasn't been waiting long."

Eda stood on the bridge as she said she would. The children and King greeted her.

"What were you doing, anyway?" King asked. "Secret spy stuff? Running from the authorities again?"

Eda sighed. "I'm looking for someone. You kids were right about coming here… it turns out she's in Cambridge as well."

"Ooh, mysterious!" Luz grinned. "Who is it? A friend? A rival?!"

"I guess a bit of both," Eda chuckled. "God, I hope she hasn't done anything…"

"What do you mean?" Willow asked.

"She doesn't exactly know where I am right now," Eda replied. "With how protective of me she is… well, I wouldn't be surprised if she blew up half of England searching for me."

"Perhaps we'll find her here then," Gus nodded. "We'll keep our eyes peeled!"

"Let's go find a hotel to stay in," Eda started, and was stopped by Willow.

"Actually," she spoke timidly. "That friend of mine offered a place for us to stay, if you don't mind."

Eda raised a brow. "Is it safe?"

"Absolutely!" Luz said. "It's a treehouse, too! I've always wanted one of those…"

The Owl Lady hummed. "Well, as long as you keep a low profile, that's fine. King and I will find a place nearby, and you kids can come seek us out when you need us. In the meantime, I trust you'll be preparing for the ball."

"I'm a master at preparing," Luz boasted. "In fact, they call me… uh… The Prep Master!"

Gus giggled. "No one calls you that, you dork."

They parted ways once again, promising to keep in touch. Boscha was still in the treehouse by the time they arrived, playing Sh-Boom by The Crew Cuts on her tape recorder.

"I think I've a rough idea of what to do next," she said. "Remember Skara and Chaudhry? They could take you two as plus ones, and I could take Willie as mine."

"Why Willow?" Luz asked. She giggled as Boscha turned red.

"No reason!" she insisted. "I just think she'd be more comfortable with me than the others."

Willow smirked. "I'm comfortable going with anyone, Boscha. You're still terrible at making excuses."

"Ugh, whatever!" Boscha huffed. "It's a damn good plan, if you ask me. And I'm your only chance of getting in safely, so think twice before-"

"Boscha!"

Everyone froze, especially Luz. She could recognize that soft, musical voice from a mile away.

"Give me a sec, Amity!"

Luz grabbed her arm, a terrified look on her face. "Why the bloody hell is she here?!"

"Did I forget to tell you?" Boscha chuckled nervously. "The Blights live next door."

Chapter Text

Luz could feel her heartbeat hammering throughout her skull. She wasn't prepared for this at all, and her mind raced to come up with a solution. In her panicked state, she was unaware that Boscha was already coming up with a cover-up.

"Stay here," the pink-haired girl said to them. "I'll go see what she needs."

Boscha climbed down the ladder, making her way towards the teal-haired girl. Luz decided to inch towards the window-like opening of the treehouse. She peered out at the two, doing her best to listen to the conversation. Willow and Gus did the same.

"What's going on?" Boscha asked. 

"This isn't funny," Amity growled. Luz's eyes widened, she'd only ever seen Amity get annoyed. Right now, the girl was fuming, her face red with anger. "Give it back, now!"

"Give what back?" Boscha blinked. "That ugly straw hat? You said Skara could have it."

"...You don't have my book?" Amity bit her nail tentatively. 

"A book? " Boscha scrunched her nose in disgust. "Of course not. Why the devil would I choose to read in my spare time?"

"Oh," Amity looked down at the grass dejectedly. Luz felt a pang of sadness in her chest. "Alright, then. If you see a copy of the fifth volume of Azura lying around, let me know."

"Azura?" Boscha repeated. "Didn't take you for someone who reads fairy tales, Blight."

Amity scoffed. "Just keep your eyes open. It's… important."

She walked away, allowing Boscha to return to the trio. Her face morphed into a deadpan expression when she saw all three of them eavesdropping.

"The fun is over," Boscha rolled her eyes. "Let's start planning-"

"Wait!" Luz exclaimed. She looked at her, curious about the outburst. "The Azura book… it's mine. I gave it to Amity before I left. And she's clearly upset about it going missing…"

"Oh no," Gus groaned. "We are not sneaking around the Blights' property! Not before the ball!"

"But I've already cooked up the perfect scheme!" Luz insisted. "C'mon, Willow, back me up!"

"Gus is right," Willow said. "Luz, I get that this book means a lot to you and Amity, but this whole operation of ours depends on our ability to stay behind the scenes. But before March 10th, you must understand this: no schemes, no plots, no ruses. None."

Luz paused for a bit, then sighed. "Fine. I won't do anything, I guess."

"That'd be wise," Boscha nodded "Now that we've gotten whatever that was out of the way, it's time to prepare."

She took out an invitation. "This has all the details. You might want to take a gander at it."

Gus read it aloud, skimming over the unimportant parts. "Formal wear… Masks… plus ones optional… yup, it's everything we expected."

"What shall we get started with?" Boscha asked. "Fitting outfits?"

"We should start," Willow emphasized. "Learning the layout of the building chosen for the event. Any possible exits, where Belos might choose to position his hitmen."

Luz agreed. "And afterwards, we can focus on strengthening our magic. Speaking of which, I wonder what Eda's up to…"

The Owl Lady strolled along the River Cam, delighting in the cool breeze tickling her face. King walked close behind, watching to make sure she didn't fall in.

"So are we just taking a walk?" he asked. "Or do you actually have something you need to do?"

"Can't a girl enjoy herself?" Eda retorted. "I am doing something. It's called walking to the pub."

She made her way to the aforementioned location. Its entrance was decorated with flowers, and the upbeat aura from the many customers inside could be felt even before opening the door. Eda and King took a seat a seat at the counter, prompting a young man to walk up to them with a soft smile. He was pale, had a lanky physique and wide brown eyes. His brown hair reached till his shoulders, and was tucked behind one ear.

"How do you do, Miss Eda?" he asked.

"Just fine, Morton," Eda flashed him a grin. "King and I will have the usual."

He poured them both drinks. "It's been a while since I've seen you two here. What made you come back?"

"We're actually looking for someone," Eda replied. "You hear a lot of stuff in here, right? And you get all kinds of folks coming 'round for a drink. I wanted to check if you had any leads."

King added on. "Also, you're probably not going to unleash a handful of armed goons on us!" 

"I barely have enough people working at the Elixir for that!" Morton stammered. "Anyways, I can try my best. Do you have a description of the person?"

"Indeed I do," Eda nodded. "Pale woman, light green eyes, long navy blue hair… has a very recognizable scowl."

"Oh!" Morton gasped. "As a matter of fact, I know exactly who that is! She comes here often, either with or without her employers."

"Employers?" Eda repeated. "Peculiar… er, go on. Do you know where she came from?"

"I usually see her with the Blights," Morton said. "She must work with 'em, then. I can write down the address if you need it."

"The Blights!" King exclaimed. "Eda, can you believe this?"

"It's certainly strange," Eda stroked her chin thoughtfully. "And convenient. God bless ya, Morton. We'll be heading out now."

"Feel free to come back whenever," he said as they left.

King struggled to keep up with Eda as she ran back to the hotel. "Why are we going there? Shouldn't we go track her down?"

"To go over what we know so far," Eda replied. "And to decide when we'll go. I doubt the Blights will just let a couple of strangers walk through their gates…"

By the time the moon had fully risen, the kids had finished up memorizing the layout of the event's building. Boscha gave them sleeping bags and headed into the house, wishing them a good night. Willow and Gus had quickly fallen asleep, tired from the day's earlier incident. Luz, on the other hand, was wide awake. She looked at them to make sure they were properly asleep, then got up from her resting spot. 

"Sorry, Willow," she whispered as she climbed down the ladder. "But you never did say anything about shenanigans."

Luz ran to the fence separating the Briggs and Blight properties. She didn't seem to notice that there was a small gate she could've opened and walked through, so she climbed over it instead. She then proceeded to run towards the mansion.

"Front door entry…?" she thought aloud. "Perhaps that'd be too obvious… Oh, I don't even have the key, for crying out loud!"

She circled the building, which proved to be a bit of a challenge owing to the size. After turning round the front, she noticed a small door on the side. It opened with a small nudge.

The room inside was warm and cozy, with star and moon decorations hanging from the ceiling. A single unlit candle sat on the wooden desk in the corner, and bookshelves filled to the brim aligned the walls. This must've been some kind of study room for Amity. Or maybe a secret hideout?

Luz walked to the desk. She opened the first drawer, took out a match and lit the candle. The book on the table was open. She knew better than to snoop, but she couldn't ignore the possibility that a clue may lie there. 

Boscha didn't have the Azura book. I've a sneaking suspicion that Ed and Em took it, but I have no evidence. If this is their idea of retribution for last week when I told Father about their stupid prank, it's not funny at all. I've looked everywhere else, and I can't find it. But I can't just give up. Lucio trusted me with that book. I don't know where that stupid, silly boy is, but I owe it to him. 

Just the thought of him angers me, but I admit to feeling lonely as well. He understood me, whether I wanted him to or not. That's why I must find the book. It's all I have left of him. 

My insufferable siblings must be hiding it somewhere… I'll search for it in the morning.

Luz smiled as she was reminded of the taller girl's nickname for her. It was comforting to know she was trying to hold on to the memory of her, yet guilt-inducing that she couldn't let go.

Soon enough, they'd meet again. And depending on the outcome, hopefully they'd stay together.

Luz closed the book. So far, her only clue was an "Ed and Em", Amity's siblings. The mansion was as huge inside as it was outside, therefore she expected to have some trouble finding them. However, when she opened the door leading to the hall, she heard footsteps. She quickly hid behind a suit of armour.

"Not gonna lie, I kinda feel bad for Mittens."

"Eh, she deserves it. We need to teach her to mind her own business."

Two voices, Luz was looking for two people… perhaps it was them. She looked over and saw their faces. They seemed to be fraternal twins, a boy and a girl. Both had dark green hair and amber eyes a bit darker than Amity's. These two must've been Ed and Em. There were too many coincidences.

"Jeez," Edric opened the book. "Have you read this letter? It's so… pure hearted. Makes me cringe, if I'm being honest."

Luz huffed. That was meant for Amity only. He had no business reading it. But at least her suspicions were confirmed, Ed and Em did have it. Now, how was she to get it back?

"Oh, Edric," Emira rolled her eyes. "You know so little about romance. This is obviously a lovestruck little boy pouring his feelings into a letter. It's quite touching, if you asked me."

The hidden subject of the matter blushed in surprise. It wasn't meant to be interpreted that way. She only hoped her message came across in the way that she intended to Amity.

"Ugh, I've made up my mind," Emira sighed. "Just put it in front of the door to her little nerd room."

Edric blinked. "Why? Weren't we gonna toss it in a river?"

"That letter's from one of the students who disappeared," Emira replied. "I don't imagine Mittens has any other ways of communicating with him. We're not that heartless."

"I guess," Edric shrugged. "Fine. But we're still putting chili peppers in her breakfast tomorrow, right?"

"Absolutely."

Once he had done as Emira told him, they both left the hall. Luz waited for a bit, then hurried to pick it up. She traced the cover, feeling the nostalgia kick in from when she first bought the book with her mom. After seeing how distraught Amity was over it, she knew she made the right choice in trusting her with it. She moved to re-enter the room.

"And who are you?"

Luz's blood ran cold. She slowly turned around and looked straight at the woman standing there. Her venomous glare shot through the girl like an arrow flying at the speed of sound. She wore a black dress, blending into the shadows. Her black lipstick stood out against her pale, vampire-like skin, and her green eyes seemed to glow in the dark. Her dark blue hair flowed behind her as she approached the frightened teen.

Luz gulped. "Um, I'm just cleaning up, y'know, as a part of staff-"

"You're not part of the staff," the woman crossed her arms. "I would know, child. I'm in charge of the staff. Now, I will repeat this only once. Who are you?" 

There were two options: Reveal her intentions and screw over the entire plan, or run and hope to escape without revealing anything.

She chose the latter.

"Sorry, excuse me!" Luz exclaimed as she suddenly ran past the woman who's scowl deepened. 

"You're going to regret that."

Despite her long dress, she was fast. Too fast. Luz felt her lungs burning as she ran down the hall as quickly as she could, the book still in her hands. In retrospect, she could've run into Amity's study room and headed out the backdoor. Her mind was simply too scattered to form a logical escape plan at the moment.

"Whoa! Watch it-!"

The moment she turned her head back to see if the woman was still on her trail, she crashed into yet another person. But this presence felt familiar. They smelled of pine trees, and sandlewood.

"Luz?"

She looked up to find golden eyes staring down at her in surprise.

"Eda!"

They hugged. Well, it was more Luz. Eda didn't really know what hugging was.

"What on Earth are you doing here, kid?"

"I was trying to give-"

A single beam lit up the hall, hitting the potted plant nearby which shattered into a million pieces. Luz paled and grabbed Eda's arm.

"She can use magic!" Luz shouted. "We're toast!"

"Who's she?" Eda yelled back as they ran. "Listen, I need you to stop for just a sec!"

Luz went up the stairs. "Stop?! That woman's trying to blast me into bits! There's no way in hell I'm stopping!"

Eda let go of her arm and ran towards the source of spells being thrown at them. 

"What are you doing?!" Luz shrieked. 

"Hey!" Eda said, dodging a beam of magic. "Hey, hey, hey! Knock it off!"

"Two intruders?" the woman snarled. As she walked towards Eda, her eyes suddenly widened in astonishment. Luz watched as the two circled around each other, like boxers in the ring, but more careful. Timid. Then they stopped right in front of each other.

"Edalyn?" She breathed out. "Is that really… you? Or are you another one of Belos's twisted little games?"

"Of course it's me, Lily," Eda laughed softly. "Look at me! Have you seen anyone else with this golden tooth? I don't think-" 

The woman cut her off with a tight hug. Once again, she didn't reciprocate. Luz stood in the hallway, her jaw touching the floor in shock.

"Can someone please explain what's going on?" she demanded. "Are you going to kill me, or not? And how do you know her, Eda?"

Eda put an arm around the woman's shoulder. "Luz Noceda, this here is my sister, Lilith Clawthorne. We came to your world together, but ended up separated along the way. Now, what did you say about Belos, huh?"

Lilith bit her lip. "He… He said that he had you. That he could heal you."

"And you just believed him?" Eda said, pointing out the ridiculousness of the decision. "Why would a creepy human have the cure to a curse I've had for years?"

"He's different," Lilith replied. "A being of this world, yet originating from somewhere else. Whether it's ours or another, I have no idea. But when he said he could help you, I… I had to join him. It was foolish of me, but I just wanted to end your curse, sister."

"Don't sweat it," Eda patted her on the back. "Now that you know, we can get going and find the key."

Lilith shrugged her off. "You lost the key?! Edalyn, that was our only way home!"

"I know, I know!" Eda groaned. "It was stolen by your new boss's lackeys. He must have it somewhere. And now we can find it together!"

Luz cleared her throat, bringing their attention to them. "I'm still not entirely sure what's happening, but if you work for Belos, why are you here?"

"That part's a bit embarrassing to explain now," Lilith sighed. "We made a deal: if I could get rid of the Blight family for him, he'd set my sister free."

Suddenly, Luz was no longer confused. No, she was angry. Furious.

"Let me get this straight," she gritted her teeth. "You were going to kill one of my best friends just because of some weirdo who lied to you about holding your sister, and you didn't stop to think about whether or not he was duping you? You were just going to murder Amity?!"

"This is why I never liked children," Lilith rolled her eyes. "If you had to choose between saving your family and your friends, who would you choose?"

"Both!" Luz responded angrily. "I'd find a way to save everyone. I will never let anyone die, not if I can stop it from happening. Never!"

"Alright, you two," Eda said. "Settle down. I'm surprised the Blights are even asleep with all the ruckus we're making. Let's hurry up and get out of here."

"Wait," Lilith said. "If Belos has the key, I shouldn't leave yet. I can pretend I'm still following his little plan."

"You can help the kid, then," Eda said. "She came up with a whole plan to save the Blights. Since you're not going through with the assassination, we don't have much to worry about. Right?"

"Wrong," Lilith shook her head. "There's going to others. If I fail, they'll make sure to finish the job."

"Crap," Luz clenched her firsts. "We'll have to go on with it, then. I'm not giving up on Amity."

Eda sighed. "Can we at least leave before Mr. Blight comes round and sees us?"

"You can go," Luz said. "I want to leave this book with Amity. Where's her room?"

"I'll leave it for you," Lilith offered, reaching out her hand. "You must be exhausted from all that running."

Luz huffed. "No thanks. Just lead me to her room. I'll put it there myself."

Lilith turned to Eda. "Who is this child, your protégé? She certainly acts as stubborn as you."

"You're one to talk," Eda scoffed. "I'm headed back to the hotel. Here's my room number if you ever need to talk. I'll see you around, sis."

Once Eda had left, Lilith showed Luz where the youngest Blight's room was. She slowly creaked the door open and snuck in. It was a very cute room, she thought, with pink walls, a huge window through which the moonlight illuminated the floorboards, and even a stuffed animal sitting on the floor. Amity was curled up into a tiny ball, fast asleep under her fluffy covers. Luz thought she looked quite nice with her hair down.

"Here's your book," she whispered, setting it on the table beside her. She knelt down to look at the sleeping beauty in front of her.

"Soon, we will meet again," Luz promised. "And your eyes will be open when we do. Until then, I have to go again. Sleep tight, princess."

She tucked a stray hair behind the sleeping girl's ear, then got up to leave. Lilith led her down the stairs, towards the main entrance and onto the grass. She raised a brow as she watched Luz climb over the fence.

"You do realize there's a small gate right there, don't you?"

"You're telling me that after I've gone over?"

"You're an amusing little creature, Luz Noceda."

"And you're an annoying little witch!"

Lilith snickered as she headed back inside. "You better be prepared for the ball, little one! Something tells me it's going to be a night you won't forget."

"Oh, piss off! I don't need you to tell me that!"

Luz climbed back up the ladder of the treehouse. She was immediately met with someone tackling her.

"Luz!" Willow exclaimed, getting off. "I thought you were an intruder. Where the devil did you go? I told you to stay put!"

"I'm sorry," Luz sighed. "As for where I went… boy, do I have a story for you."

Chapter Text

The next 4 weeks were spent preparing for the ball. Luz had never been this focused on anything, not even Azura. It was thrilling, trying to stop an assassination plot in style. She wished she could hold on to that feeling, rather the despair seeping into her heart when reminded that Amity was one of the prime targets.

The first and second week were spent practicing magic with Eda in a secluded area near the River Cam. Gus was now able to create at least 5 illusions, 2 of which were usually able to physically interact with objects. Willow could extend her vines even farther, and had focused on increasing their grip strength. Luz, on the other hand, had only been focused on her light spell due to how beautiful she found it to be. She needed to learn an offensive spell.

"I'd like to test the ice glyph," Luz said, looking through a tattered book detailing types of spells. "Creating abominations is cool, but it's not my greatest strength… I ought to try another out."

She ripped a paper out her notepad and copied the glyph in front of her.

"If that's what you want, kid," Eda shrugged. "Alright, hit me with your best shot!"

The older woman needed extra ice for the black eye afterward. But at least Luz had found another spell she could use.

Sometime during the third week, Skara and Chaudhry had finally arrived to help. They took the others to town in order to look for outfits. The group was split in two, and Luz was left searching with Skara and Boscha.

"What would you like to wear?" Skara asked. 

Luz thought aloud. "A black dress perhaps… or, even better, an otter costume!"

Boscha rolled her eyes. "Noceda, this is serious business."

"Otters are serious!"

"Seriously ugly."

"First of all, you must've only seen a giant river otter. Secondly, they're still cute!"

Skara coughed. "Have you considered a tuxedo? That's what I'll be wearing."

"Ooh!" Luz exclaimed. "I'm having a sudden burst of inspiration! Picture this: the top half is a tux, but the bottom half is a tutu that can burst into flames!"

"I don't know about that last part," Skara laughed. "But we can definitely get a tutu. Your taste in fashion certainly is…"

"Weird?"

"I was going to say unique, Boscha."

"Thank you!" Luz grinned. "...I think. Also, for my mask, is there any specific criteria? Or can I choose any type of design?"

"To my knowledge, yes," Skara replied. "As long as it's appropriate, of course. If you want one custom made, Chaudhry will be in charge of creating them, as he always does for us. You can request for him to make you something."

"I hope he likes otters!" Luz chuckled.

"Have fun looking like a dork," Boscha scoffed. "Your entire outfit is dork-worthy."

"I can accept that," Luz shrugged. "I'm still cooler than you, anyway."

Boscha shoved her lightly, making her burst into a fit of giggles along with Skara. 

They headed into a tailor shop, confusing the person at the counter with their order. She sorted through the various suits till Luz settled on one, and she hesitantly reached for a pink tutu. Luz headed to the changing room to try it on, complete with brown boots and leggings. The bowtie was confusing, so she left it.

Once Luz had finished, she looked at her reflection in the mirror facing her. The sleeves were a bit long, but that could probably be fixed. She began to fantasize, the changing room slowly morphing into a ballroom. Standing in front of her was Amity, reaching a hand out to the brunette with a smile. Luz tried to take it, but her hand passed through, effectively ending the daydream. She sighed and left to show Skara and Boscha.

"Aside from the longer sleeves," Skara mumbled to herself. "It actually looks… quite good. I should try this style next time."

"All that's left is the hair," Boscha said, pointing at Luz. "Slicked back would be acceptable, right, Skara?"

"Absolutely. Which reminds me, you should think about dying your hair."

"What's wrong with my hair?"

"Nothing! It's a very nice shade of pickl- pink! A nice shade of pink!"

"...You were going to say pickled turnips, weren't you? No no, go ahead. Say it to my face."

Luz watched the interaction as the tailor fixed her suit, laughing heartily at the two. She thought back to when she was in Shropshire, with little to no friends. If Camila could see her now, she'd be very proud. Without the context of her running away, that is.

Eventually, the last week had arrived. A couple days before the ball, Lilith had approached Luz with a plan.

"What do you want?" Luz frowned.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, child," Lilith rolled her eyes. "If we are to be working on the same side, don't you think it would be best to cooperate?"

"I don't trust you," Luz growled. "You were going to kill Amity if we hadn't met that night. You're a cold-blooded murderer!"

"Potential murderer ."

Luz pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Just… what do you want from me?"

"Well," Lilith said. "I wouldn't have taken up Belos's offer if I didn't have the skills to back me up."

"And?" 

"You cannot succeed in your little scheme using only magic."

"...No!" Luz exclaimed, a terrified expression on her face as she stumbled back. "No, no, no! I'm not stooping to your level!"

Lilith sighed, stepping closer to her. "Human, I wouldn't be offering to teach you if I didn't feel it to be necessary. These people… Belos… they are all ruthless and conniving and cruel.  They will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. It does not matter that you are a child, I guarantee they can and will kill you either way. What will happen if you lose your little pieces of paper? How will you defend yourself? Unless you want to waltz into that ballroom with a slim chance of walking out, you should heed my instructions."

The brunette stared into her piercing eyes, distress evident on her face. She took a shaky breath.

"Fine," Luz said. "But don't you dare teach me anything that could be fatal. I will not be taking any lives, not if I can help it."

Finally, March 10th had arrived. 

The kids were up in the treehouse, getting ready for the big event. Eda and King had come by too. They were planning to sneak in as part of the kitchen staff with Lilith's help.

"C'mon, Luz," Chaudhry sighed. "I can't gel your hair back if you don't stay still."

"Can you at least be a little more gentle?" Luz winced. "You're pulling my hair out of my bloody skull."

"King," Willow said while Skara applied a bit of mascara on her lashes. "Are you alright? You seem a bit ill."

"His stomach's been hurting for about a week now," Eda said. "I've already tried giving him Tylenol, using healing magic on him, and Lily even made him a special cup of tea. Nothing's working."

"I'll be fine," King sighed, clutching his stomach. "It's just a little tummy ache, no big deal."

Gus adjusted his bow. "I mean, if you've had it for that long, I'd say you should be concerned by now. Although I don't know how demons' bodies work."

"Seriously, don't worry about it," King said. "I can take care of myself! Besides, tonight is important, we should be focused on the ball."

"Stupid heels," Boscha grunted. "I knew I should've a bigger size."

No, I told you," Skara said. "You aren't Cinderella."

"Stop bickering," Chaudhry said. "Here's our masks. We should put them on now, especially since you three need to stay hidden."

Luz had gotten the lavender otter mask as requested. Willow had a bit of a hard time choosing, but eventually settled on the pink deer. Gus asked Chaudhry to make anything for him, and so he was given a baby blue walrus mask. The trio laughed as they looked at each other.

"Tell me," Luz lowered her voice, a wide smirk on her face. "Do I look… mysterious?"

"You look ridiculous," Boscha said, wearing her own wolf mask. "Have fun trying to dance with Amity while wearing that."

The kids had already talked about how the night should go. Luz would dance with Skara a bit, then wait to get to Amity. Once they were together, she would reveal what Belos's plan was as well as her own identity. When the lights would be shut by the assassins, they'd make a run for it. Such a simple plan couldn't possibly fail.

"Our driver is waiting," Skara said. "Miss, er, Owl Lady, do you need a ride?"

"Nah, I've got Owlbert," Eda said, spinning her staff. "You kids go on ahead."

Luz was the last to leave the treehouse. Before she did, Eda called out to her.

"Be careful, kid," Eda said with a serious frown. It quickly morphed into something softer, an expression Luz had only seen after she had been shot. "And have fun."

The aspiring witch grinned back. "Thanks, Eda."

The chauffeur stopped the car in front of the premise. Luz pressed her face against the window and stared in awe at the magnificent structure in front of her. Compared to the other buildings in Cambridge, this was huge. It lit up brilliantly against the darkness of this slightly chilly night. The rainfall that had occurred a while ago seemed to provide an extra sheen on the white marble establishment embellished with gold. 

"Luz, let's go," Willow said, tapping on her shoulder. "You're not scared, right? I know it looks overwhelming-"

"It looks amazing!" Luz exclaimed cheerfully. "Like something I'd only see in a dream, except this isn't a dream, unless it is in which case it's very vivid and realistic-"

Boscha pinched her, causing her to yelp. "Enough chatter, Otterbrain. We're going to be late because of you."

The car door was opened, and the group walked out one by one. They paired up quickly, Skara and Luz linking arms.

"Oh, what a shame," Skara sighed dramatically. "That my otter prince's heart belongs to another tonight, and that I am simply the bridge!"

Luz snickered at her antics as they walked to the main entrance. The man at the front held a clipboard, looking at them expectantly.

"Name?"

"Skara Bard," she said. "And my plus one, Luziana Nogueira."

He flipped through the list. After checking off her name, he let them in. By God, if Luz hadn't already been floored by the exterior of this place, she was now. It seemed even bigger on the inside, making the people walking around seem like specks. Skara led her up the perfectly crafted staircase, and they stood right behind their friends.

"That smell," Gus winced. "Someone needs to lay off the cologne."

"Men," Boscha rolled her eyes. "Just take a shower, jeez."

Chaudhry turned to her "Couldn't you say the same for women who use too much perfume?" 

"Oh, put a sock in it," Boscha snapped. 

The ballroom seemed to be the busiest area that night. Huge, intricate chandeliers hung from the ceiling, embracing the room in a warm light. Tables were occupied with all kinds of appetizers, and the sound of violins playing could be heard as soon as they walked in.

"What now?" Gus asked.

Luz watched as people danced leisurely, waiting for the main waltz. "We blend in, of course. Lilith said they will only attack once the waltz is over."

"Which means we can rest easy for now," Willow exhaled. "Come along, Boscha. I think that person's juggling forks!"

"Why would I want to watch- Whoa, okay, don't pull my arm, Willie!"

Skara and Luz laughed as they headed to the middle of the room for a casual dance.

"You know," Luz said. "You could dance with Chaudhry instead, if you wanted. Not that I mind being here with you."

"I'm sure he can wait," Skara smiled. She touched the front pocket on Luz's tuxedo. "What are these flowers for? They look very nice."

Luz's cheeks darkened, prompting Skara's smile to turn into an impish grin. "Nothing, um, just decoration."

"Well," she chuckled. "I hope Amity likes them."

The brunette sputtered while her shorter friend laughed. 

"I-It's not-"

"Attention, esteemed guests."

They paused, turning towards the stage. Luz gulped when she saw Mr. Blight at the podium, looking sharp as ever. One on side his wife stood, her expression somewhat arrogant and proud. On the other stood the Blight children, all three standing tall. Luz gasped at the sight of Amity, so close yet so far. She had worn a dress with short puffy sleeves, a pink flowing skirt, and a pink jewel hanging from her neck. Her makeup accentuated her eyes, and her hair was perfectly done as usual. One thing Luz noticed was that no one in the family had worn a mask. It would've been pointless, she supposed, seeing as they were hosting the event.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming," Mr. Blight smiled dryly. "We Blights have upheld our proud tradition of holding a ball every March 10th for around 100 years. To be honest, we almost had to postpone the event this year due to… concerns. But fear not! We have taken every precaution. And now, we may enjoy this evening peacefully."

The adults applauded him. Luz glared at him while Skara, who had noticed her agitation, held her hand in support.

"Now that the formalities are out of the way," he said. "We can now begin the waltz."

"Seems a bit earlier than usual," Skara said as the music resumed. She continued to hold Luz's hand as they moved in time with the rest of the guests. "So how will you get to Amity?"

"She got off the stage but I've no idea where she went," Luz sighed.

"Luz!" Gus called out as he danced with Chaudhry. "Where's Willow? And Boscha?"

"Right here," Willow said, dancing closer to them. "Luz, I saw Amity in the very middle of the room. It's crowded, but we can try getting you there."

"Alright," Luz took a deep breath. She let go of Skara and switched positions with Gus. Chaudhry smiled at her.

"There's more adults here than there are teenagers..." he thought aloud. "I can get you to the halfway point, but you'll have to find a new partner after that. I don't think I'll be able to squeeze through the crowd."

"That's alright," Luz patted his shoulder. "Let me go, I'll manage." 

He did so, leaving her to face the various guests in her way. She did her best to squirm through the openings she found, occasionally bumping into others who reacted with a scoff. She finally made it to the middle, and saw Amity dancing with some boy. Her expression was dull and her eyes looked at everything but him. Maybe after a bit, Luz could steal her away-

"Hey there."

She found herself pulled into the arms of someone. The voice was familiar, and when she looked up, she met the eyes of Amity's sister. 

"Aw, what a cutie!" she cooed, causing Luz's ears to grow warm with embarrassment. "I love your little tutu. And your cat mask."

"It's an otter, actually," Luz chuckled nervously as she began to waltz with her. 

Em smiled. "Cute either way. What's your name?"

"Luz..iana. And you?"

She let out a laugh. "You don't know my name? Really?"

Luz shook her head, feeling even more timid.

"It's Emira," she said, winking. "But you can call me Em. Where's your plus one?"

"I already danced a bit with her," Luz said. "Actually, I wanted to meet your-"

"Brother?" Another voice cut her off. Emira rolled her eyes, spinning the poor girl into that person who managed to catch her before they collided. It was the other twin, grinning down at her. 

"You go to balls often?" he asked while the danced. "You're good at this."

"My mom taught me," she replied. 

"Makes sense," he said. "I'm Edric, the better twin."

"So not true! You fart in your sleep!"

"And you snort!" Edric yelled back at Emira. Luz grew amused at the pair while Edric twirled her around. It was hard to believe they were related to Amity. She caught sight of the aforementioned girl saying farewell to her dance partner, and knew she had to take this opportunity right away.

"I really must be going," she said, letting go of Edric's hand. "Thank you for the dance."

"See you around, cutie!" Emira called out.

With every step Luz took towards the teal-haired girl, her heartbeat increased and her hands became shakier. She had to steel herself. There was no time to hesitate.

"Pardon me," Luz said as she approached her. "May I have this dance?"

Amity looked right into her eyes, faltering a bit. "...Yes."

Luz put one hand on the girl's hip and held the other, while Amity rested her hand on her shoulder. They swayed to the music, and Luz had almost forgotten that she was supposed to be talking to her because she was too busy staring into those amber eyes.

"Your mask," Amity started. "It's very… unique. I don't think I've seen anyone go for an otter before."

Luz giggled. "I love otters! Don't you think they're the cutest?"

"I suppose."

"How's your night been, Ms. Blight?" she asked.

Amity sighed. "A bit drab. The boys come to dance with me, as usual. I hate that I can't refuse."

"Why's that?"

"My parents might find out. They get upset when I refuse."

Luz smiled gently. "Well, now you don't have to worry about that. I won't let anyone snatch you away from me tonight."

Amity's cheeks turned red. She bit her lip and didn't speak till she noticed the flowers.

"Pretty," she said. Luz looked down at them and gasped.

"Damn me, it almost slipped my mind!" she said, taking them out of her pocket. "These are for you."

"Oh!" Amity blinked. She reached out for them. "Um, thank you-"

"Not yet," Luz said. "Allow me to explain what they mean. This pink carnation means that I have and will never forget you, Ms. Blight. Even if you may have forgotten me."

As they danced, she put the flower in Amity's hair. "Forgotten? We've met before?"

"Snapdragon," she continued, pulling out another flower. "It means that I have deceived you. For longer than you realize."

"How?" Amity asked as the second flower was given to her. "I don't understand, I… I feel like I know who you are. But it's impossible. Just because he…"

"Finally," Luz said, the last flower in her hand. "A daffodil. Would you like to take a guess at what it means?"

"Respect?"

"Nope. New beginnings. Rebirth. What I'm saying, Amity Blight, is that I wish for a new beginning with you. If you'll allow it."

"...You know flower language as well as a friend of mine," Amity spoke cautiously. "He… he went missing a while ago. Who… are you?"

"Take off my mask," Luz said, deciding that this was it. Amity reached for the string tying the mask on with her small, delicate fingers. She loosened it, and held her breath as she removed the final barrier between them. Once they met each other's eyes again, she froze.

"No…" Amity said, the blood draining out of her face. "But you're… How did you… You're a girl?"

Luz dipped Amity. "I'm whatever you want me to be."

"...Lucio?"

"It's Luz," the brunette smiled kindly. "Luz Noceda. I've come to rescue you."

"From what?" Amity asked, desperately for answers. "Luc- er, Luz, whoever you are! Why did you run away? Why didn't you tell me anything?! I-"

Suddenly, the lights had been shut. Luz cursed inwardly, holding Amity close.

"Stay with me," Luz demanded. "If you want to stay alive."

This was more than a bit alarming. Everything was moving along faster than they had planned for. Amity felt the tension in air, and didn't question Luz. 

"Luz!" Gus cried out. Luz continued to keep Amity close as she walked towards the sound. Her friend stood behind a pillar, eyeing the entrance. Three burly guards with guns stood there.

"Son of a bitch!" Boscha spat. She stood with Gus, holding Willow's hand. "I thought there would only be two of em!"

"Look," Willow pointed out. "They're not shooting. This doesn't make sense, Mr. Blight is right there onstage."

"What if…" Luz said. "They're only after Amity?"

"Why?" Amity pleaded for an answer. "I'm so confused. Who are you, really? And… is that Porter and… by God, Park is a girl, too?! How many people at Hexside were in on this? "

Willow shrugged. "Only us, as far as we know."

"What's the plan, Noceda?" Boscha asked. "Are you aiming to take them out? You'll have a clear getaway."

"Actually," Luz said. "We came for Amity, and we have her. Now we just need to make sure we get out safely. There's no need to fight."

"But there's no other way out!" Gus said. 

"About that… I may have a solution. First we must find Eda."

They slowly made their way to where she was last seen, narrowly avoiding the guards who were sweeping through the cluster of frantic guests. Amity held onto Luz a little tighter, prompting a smile out of her despite the situation.

"Hey, kids!" Eda hissed. "What the hell are ya doing? Trying to get shot? Get over here!" 

They scrambled towards her, hiding behind one of the tables.

"Change of plans, Eda," Luz said. "Do you still have Owlbert on you?"

"I'd be a bloody fool if I didn't," Eda said, summoning him. Amity yelped in surprise, causing Luz to put a hand over her mouth in an effort to silence her.

"Great, here's what I'm thinking," Luz said. "We break the window and escape on Owlbert. They aren't guarding that area."

"You do realize he can only take about 2 people at a time?" Willow pointed out. "And King, but he's not exactly the heaviest."

"We can switch," Luz said. "You and Gus will go first, and then Amity and I-"

"Kid, ain't you forgetting someone here?"

"Oh, gosh!" Luz blinked. "I'm so sorry, Eda!"

"Just teasing ya," Eda winked. "Don't worry, from what I can tell, they aren't after me. You kids go ahead, King and I will meet up with you downstairs."

Luz and the others headed towards the window. She took out a piece of paper and scribbled while Amity stared at her.

"Is this really the right time to doodle?" Amity whispered angrily. "You still owe me an explanation, Noceda."

"And I will explain," Luz whispered back. "Once we're somewhere safer."

Amity huffed, crossing her arms as she watched Luz's actions. Once the glyph had been drawn, the latter urged her to step back.

"Ready?" Luz said. "This is going to make a lot of noise once I do it, so we have to act quick."

"Willie," Boscha said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "...Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I always do," Willow laughed a little. "In fact, I should be saying that to you. I wouldn't want to come back to see that you've broken your arm again."

Boscha rolled her eyes as she bit back a smile. She let go of Willow and headed into the crowd, most probably to look for Skara and Chaudhry.

"Here we go," Luz said. She hit the glyph with all her might. The room began to shake, and Amity held onto her arm out of alarm. Suddenly, a huge chunk of ice pierced through the huge window, shattering it to pieces.

"Willow, Gus!" Luz yelled. They nodded, immediately getting onto Owlbert and jumping out. Luz sighed in relief when she saw them flying. Now she just needed to-

BANG!

Shots began firing. The moonlight gave away their position, and so the guards aimed at them. Amity clutched onto Luz, frozen in terror, while the brunettes mind was running a mile a minute.

Owlbert won't leave them on the ground in time, Luz thought. Every second we spend here, the more likely we are to get hit. There's only one option…

"Amity!" Luz yelled. "We have to jump!"

Amity gaped at her incredulously. "Are you mad?! You're going to get us killed!"

"You have to trust me!"

"I did trust you, Noceda! And look how that turned out! You left-"

A bullet barely grazed Luz. She gritted her teeth as the wound burned with pain.

"We don't have time for this!" Luz declared. "Either we jump, or we die! Ready?"

Luz swooped Amity up, carrying her bridal-style. The taller girl quickly shrunk into her, fearing for her life.

"Now!"

And so they jumped.

The girls both screamed as they plummeted toward the ground, tears forming in Luz's eyes. Maybe if she cast a plant spell at the right moment, it'd cushion their fall. But she wasn't as good as Willow, and could only make a small tree at the most. 

I'm sorry, Amity. I should've done better.

As she braced herself for impact, a resounding roar made its way to her field of hearing. She felt herself hit the ground, only it was furry and warm, and it came much too early. She slowly opened her eyes…

Lo and behold, Amity and her were being carried into the night sky by a dragon.

"What the bloody hell?!" Luz yelled. Amity was holding onto her for dear life, burying her face into the crook of her neck and shaking. Luz took off her coat and covered the poor girl with it.

"Luz, it's me," the dragon growled out. She paused to examine him further. The horns, the skull on his face... there was no doubt.

"King?! How-"

"I don't know," he said. "I saw you both falling, and the next thing I knew, I was like this!"

Luz laughed out of astonishment. "You truly are the King of Demons!"

"Alright, King, step on it!" Eda said. She had apparently been leaning on one of his horns the entire time. "Before they shoot us to death!"

"Sure thing!"

And off they flew, their mission accomplished.

Chapter Text

King came to a stop in the middle of an open field, located little more 30 minutes away from Oxford. Willow and Gus directed Owlbert to the field, landing on the soft grass reaching below their knees. King stumbled a bit, prompting his 'passengers' to get off quickly. 

"Sorry," he growled. "I haven't done this before… and now my head aches."

Eda hummed, reaching into her pocket and taking his collar out. "That's alright, we'll figure something out."

She reached around his neck, fastening the collar. He began to glow and shrink in size along with the accessory.

"Fascinating," Luz breathed out incredulously. "It's like… a magical seal or something! Wait, if I tried it on, would I become a dragon?"

Gus sighed, holding his mask. "I don't think that's how it works, Luz."

"I can't believe you."

An angry voice spoke from beside Luz. She turned and was greeted by the fuming expression of Amity Blight.

"Amity, I can explain-"

"Explain?" Amity repeated, her face turning red. "Oh, by God, I should hope you can explain whatever this is! You've got a lot of nerve, showing up after a month and thinking you can take me wherever you please!"

"Wait," Willow said. "You're… not gonna ask about how we did all this? Nothing about the dragon you just flew on, or the magic Luz used to break the window?"

"I don't know what to ask!" Amity put her hands on her ears in frustration. "You lied to me! You lied about everything!"

"I didn't want to lose you," Luz stared at the ground dejectedly. "I thought that if I told you the truth about me, you wouldn't want to talk to me anymore…"

Amity scoffed. "Is that how much faith you have in me? You expected me to just ignore you after?"

"I-"

"Y'know," Amity cut her off quickly. "I really thought I could trust you, Luc- whatever your name is. But it's obvious that I don't know anything about you."

"Amity, please…"

"Is it ridiculous that I really believed you were my friend? Are you happy, now that you've made me look like a bumbling fool?"

"Of course not! I-"

"Forget it. I don't want to hear your excuses. I want to go home."

"Well," Eda cleared her throat. "Unfortunately, we can't do that. The kid went out of her way to save you, and even if you did go home, you're still in danger. You'll have to stick with us for now."

Amity stomped over to a spot where the grass was shorter, kicked a stray pebble and sat down. She sat with her head between her knees, refusing to look up at anyone. Luz played with her sleeves, her breathing frantic as she tried coming to terms with the fact that Amity was angry with her and would probably never want to talk to her again and that their entire friendship was-

"Luz."

She turned shakily to look at Gus. "What is it?"

He put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. Friends fight sometimes. What's important is that you work to fix your mistake."

"Amity's feelings make sense," Willow added. "She's probably really scared and confused. As her friend, it's up to you to make her feel better."

Luz wiped away a stray tear, taking a deep breath. "You're right. I can't be feeling sorry for myself right now. Amity needs me."

"Hm, what to do now…" Eda thought aloud. "We could hitch a ride on the train, but it won't be passing by for at least 2 hours. King is too exhausted to transform back, so that leaves Owlbert. But he can only carry three of us at most… What to do, what to do…?"

"Eda," Luz said. "We can make 2 trips, can't we? I can stay behind. Amity and another person should go on ahead."

Willow shook her head. "Luz, you need to stay with Amity. You're the closest to her, and we need to make her trust us first. What if she tries to run away to the authorities once we arrive?"

"Then I'll go first with her."

"I think you both should stay here," Gus said. "You'll have time to win her over before we bring her with us."

"Hurry up, kids," Eda said. "If we're going to do this, we need to do it as soon as possible. Owlbert needs his rest too."

Luz sighed. "Fine. Willow, Gus, you go first. I can keep King as well."

"Don't worry about this little scamp," Eda snorted as he climbed up to her hair, disappearing into it. "He doesn't weigh much. I'll take him with us."

"Oh," Luz gulped. "So it's just… her and I, then. For an hour. In an empty field. With nothing to do."

Willow hugged her before getting on the broom. "You've got this. If anyone can make her trust us, it's you."

Luz watched them fly off, half wishing that she had taken off with them. She walked to where Amity was and sat five feet away from her, staring intently at the pale girl.

"I finished your book."

Amity slowly raised her head, eyes red and puffy. She did not speak, but the mention of the birthday present got her attention.

"I read it whenever I felt sad," Luz said. "It reminded me of you."

Silence.

Luz continued. "I must admit, I heavily disliked Edmund."

"Everyone does," Amity mumbled, prompting Luz to smile. 

"Speaking of which," Luz said, scooting a little closer. "What do you think a Turkish delight would taste like? Every time I read about him eating some, I start wishing for some myself."

"Depends," Amity shrugged. "They're sweet, but some taste like how perfume smells. I like them."

"I see," Luz nodded along with her words, making sure Amity knew she was listening. "I think my favorite character overall was Aslan."

"Really?" Amity raised an eyebrow. She hesitantly changed her seating position, no longer closed off. "I'd think you like Peter the most. You expressed your fondness for swords many times."

"That's true," Luz grinned at how she remembered that. "But c'mon, Aslan is a lion! A talking lion!"

Amity bit back a smile. "What did you like the most about the book?"

"The wardrobe," Luz replied enthusiastically. "I think the concept was very unique. Imagine: all it takes is venturing too deep in a seemingly ordinary piece of furniture to end up in a winter wonderland, a glorious world full of magic and excitement!"

Luz realized she was butting into Amity's personal space and backed off. "You see… like the valiant Kings and Queens of Narnia, I found the opportunity to be something greater. And… I took it. I couldn't let this slide. This was my chance to prove that I'm not just some weird kid. I'm King Luz, the magical master!"

"Kings should always travel with their queens," Amity sighed, finally sitting beside the brunette. "So… why did you leave me?"

Luz blushed at the comparison, causing Amity to turn red as well. "I-I'm sorry. I promise, from now on, we travel together."

"I don't know if I can believe you," Amity admitted. "You've broken your promise before."

"That's true…" Luz said. "Although, it was only because I was unsure about you coming along."

"Why?"

"I didn't know if you liked me."

Amity let out a laugh, startling her. "Gee, I dunno. Do I like you?"

Luz scrunched up her nose in confusion. "Do you?"

"Oh, forget it," Amity said. She lied down on the ground, patting the space beside her. "Come here before I change my mind."

Luz happily obliged. They were now side by side, gazing up at the starry sky.

"You hurt me."

"I'm sorry."

"It's going to take a lot more than that to make me forgive you."

"I know."

"But I suppose," Amity said. "I can trust you. For now."

"Thank you, Amity," Luz smiled. 

"Now, um," the teal-haired girl rubbed her arms awkwardly. "Your name is Luz? What does it mean?"

"Light," Luz replied. "And yours?"

"You'll laugh."

"I won't! Scouts honor."

Amity sighed. "It means 'friendship'. Ironic, isn't it? I can't seem to keep one for the life of me."

"What about Boscha?" Luz asked. "And Skara. Are they not your friends?"

"Simply acquaintances," Amity said. "Due to our parents. I've been forced to get along with them since I was a child."

"They don't seem that bad," Luz shrugged. "Boscha can be rude, but she let us stay in her treehouse for weeks."

"Weeks?" Amity blinked. "You mean, the entire time, I could've gone up there and met you?!"

"If you got past Boscha," Luz nodded. "I… I saw you sometimes. When I peaked out the window. You sure do read a lot."

"If you don't already know," Amity rolled her eyes. "I love to read. You should see my hideout, I've got shelves-"

"I have."

"Pardon?"

"Oh!" Luz clapped her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, Amity! I, um, kind of snuck into your house. It was only to find the Azura book and give it back to you, but your siblings ended up discarding it anyway."

Amity stared at her with a dull expression. "Unbelievable. How did I miss you so many times? Sneaky boy… oh, but you're not a boy..."

"I don't mind," Luz smiled at her. "If I'm being honest… and you're the first person I'm telling this to… I don't feel like anything. Like, I'm not quite a girl, and not quite a boy. I'm just… me. But I don't mind being called a 'she'. If that makes sense."

"I think it does," Amity smiled a bit, shifting her weight to look at Luz directly. "You're 'whatever you want to be'. Even if I don't fully understand who you are anymore."

Luz copied her movements, staring into her amber eyes. "Amity, Lucio is still me. I didn't lie to you about being special to me. You're very special, and a true friend. All those times we spent reading together, talking about theories and rambling about stories… those were some of the best moments of my time at Hexside. And you're at the center of all of them. I think of you as a true friend of mine, even if you don't think the same."

Amity blinked back tears. "Oh, you silly boy. Of course I think the same. You made my time there a little more fun, and you helped me get my mind off of other pressing matters in my life. How could I not consider you my friend? I may not know much about what friends do, or how it's supposed to make me feel, but I know that you make me feel happy. I like it."

"I missed you calling me that," Luz admitted. "Willow and Gus reprimand me sometimes, but alas- it doesn't feel the same."

Amity playfully shoved her. "You'll be hearing it a lot more now, silly boy."

They watched as the sky glittered above them with stars. Time seemed to come to a halt when they were with each other. Luz almost hoped Eda wouldn't come for a while longer.

"So, about the magic stuff. And that weird lady. What's up with all that?"

Luz giggled. "You don't seem as panicked as I thought you'd be."

"I don't think it's hit me yet," Amity said. "This whole night feels like one of my books came to life. A stranger who turns out to be a long lost friend and forces me to jump out a window with them, only to land on a dragon … yeah, I still don't believe it."

"We met The Owl Lady on my birthday," Luz explained. "In the forest. I lost balance while biking, and ended up there. When we first met her, she was fighting off this super tough bloke. We helped her out and she told us stuff about her. Like how she's from a whole other dimension filled with witches and magic and griffins with spider-breath which I knew I was right about-"

"Ahem."

"Sorry, I'm just happy I was right. But anyway, she offered to help teach us, so… I decided to take her up on that offer."

"That's why you were being so mushy the day after," Amity sighed. "You really didn't have to hide-"

Footsteps could be heard from the north, causing them to freeze. Luz quickly got in front of Amity, placing an arm in front of her protectively. 

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," the stranger teased. "If you are there. Dunno what the others were sayin', why would those snot-nosed infants be here?"

"What do we do?!" Amity whispered frantically. Luz felt awful for how badly she was shaking. Unfortunately, Gus had taken the bag with all the materials for a spell. She wasn't mad at him, it wasn't like they expected to be caught in the middle of nowhere. However, this showed her that she had to be prepared from now on, and she would make sure of that. If they managed to get out of this situation first.

"Don't move," Luz whispered back. "They've probably got a gun with them. We need to take them by surprise."

"Jesus," the stranger growled. "This damn mask is suffocating. No one here to tell me I can't take it off, so…"

The unbuckling of straps could be heard as the mask clattered to the ground. It was then that Luz had a plan.

"Stay put," she said to Amity. "I need to get closer."

Amity grabbed their hand. "Are you mad? They'll kill you!"

"No, they won't," Luz reassured her. "I'm going to take care of this, and then Eda will come. Everything is going to be okay. Trust me."

Amity reluctantly let go. "If you die, I'll never forgive you."

Luz chuckled quietly in an attempt to ease her nerves. She stalked through the long grass, eventually seeing the grotesquely huge form of the intruder. All she needed was for them to turn around and show their face.

"These are some of the most dangerous pressure points to hit," Lilith said, tapping on the diagram she had drawn on a board. "You should only attack those if you're in serious danger."

Luz examined the knife in her hand. "And you want me to practice hitting them?"

"If you value your life," Lilith nodded. "Of course, I don't expect you to hit every point perfectly. Nonetheless, having good aim will help you in any life-threatening situation."

She led Luz to another room. This one had targets taped to the wall, with the vitals marked.

"You will be training here," Lilith said. "Everyday, for at least 2 hours. And if you can't handle that, you can say goodbye to your friend. She needs you to be stronger than what you are, little one."

"I know that," Luz frowned. "And I'll practice. But I'm telling you, I won't kill anyone."

Lilith sighed. "You remind me of my sister. She was like you too, at one point. But she learned that the world is a cruel, cruel place. Survival of the fittest, after all."

"Eda killed someone?!" Luz exclaimed, her eyes widening. "You're joking."

"I don't make jokes," Lilith raised a brow. "You'll understand soon enough, child. For now, begin your studies."

Luz closed an eye, pointed at where she wanted the knife to hit, and threw. 

A direct impact to the brain.

Things were different, now. 

Luz didn't want to scare Amity. She didn't want her to think she was some kind of bloodthirsty barbarian. Which was why she was aiming for a less fatal, but still extremely painful point.

"One more search," the stranger growled. "Then I'm headed home…"

As soon as they turned in Luz's direction, she jumped out of the grass. Before they could react, she flung her blade, hitting them right in the eye. They screamed in agony before crumbling to the ground.

Amity rushed over to the source of the sound to see Luz standing over their pursuer, her eyes dim and her fists clenched.

The teal-haired girl slowly walked over. "Are they… dead?"

Luz reached down, touching their neck. "No. I didn't hit them hard enough. There's… there's still a pulse."

They were breathing heavily, the smell of blood filling the air. 

"What… What now?"

"I need to take the knife back," Luz shakily said. "We can't leave evidence."

Amity put her hand on Luz's arm. "You don't have to do this, Luz. You'll mess up your clothes."

Luz laughed dryly. "That's the least of my concerns."

She reached down, wrapped her hands around the handle, and yanked it out. Both of them looked away, not wishing to see the state of the stranger. Blood had gotten onto Luz's shirt a bit, and she decided to use her sleeve to wipe her knife clean.

"Will you be alright?"

"It's nothing I can't handle."

Eda came 10 minutes later, immediately tending to the children once she saw the body.

"Son of a bitch," she cursed angrily. "Shoulda known the rats would come by. I'm sorry, kiddo, I shouldn't have left you two alone."

"We're okay," Luz smiled, holding Amity's hand. "Right, Amity?"

The taller girl smiled back uneasily. "Right."

They got onto Owlbert and headed back to The Owl House where everyone was waiting for them. Amity found the house fascinating, from the barrier to the magical creature guarding it. That is, she would've found the latter interesting if it hadn't opened its mouth.

"Golly!" Hooty exclaimed. "Another new friend! Oh, this is great! Another person to talk to about my day. So today I ended up eating a bug, and it was okay but-"

"Hooty," Luz warned. "You're in her personal space."

He backed off, letting them enter the house. Willow and Gus gasped at the state of their friend, while King scurried over to hug Luz.

"I'm sorry!" Gus said, tearing up. "I-I should've let you keep the bag!"

"It's alright, Gus!" Luz patted him on the back. "We're here now, and that's what matters."

Willow took Luz's suit jacket off of Amity and hung it on the coat rack. "Come, you must be tired. You can rest in my room while we clear out another for you to stay in. I also found some spare clothes for you to wear!"

"We got a couple of your outfits from your quaint little mansion," Eda said. "With the help of Lilith, that is. And some books. She chose your favorite ones."

"My nanny?" Amity blinked. "She was in on this as well?"

"Oh," Eda smirked as she reached into the bag Lilith packed for Amity. "Who's this little fella?"

She pulled out a worn-out stuffed bunny. Amity blushed and snatched it away. 

"Whoa, relax," Eda scoffed. "I'm not gonna rip your little toy."

"Sorry," Amity mumbled. "He's… important.,"

She left with Willow to settle in the shorter girl's room. Luz flopped onto the couch, thoroughly exhausted.

"I gotta admit, kiddo," Eda sighed as she sat beside her. "I didn't expect to see you like that."

"I didn't have a choice," Luz said, petting King as he napped on her. "If I didn't stall them, we would've been toast."

Eda looked at her with a soft expression. "I just hope you aren't taking Lily's teachings too seriously. She can be… pretty extreme."

Luz tried to change the subject. "Is it true that you've killed before?"

"...Get some rest, kid," Eda closed her eyes. "You're in charge of showing the new girl around in the morning."

Luz put King down and headed to take a shower. Once she had changed, she peeked into Willow's room.

"Are you sure you'll be fine on the floor?" Amity frowned.

"My sleeping bag is comfy enough," Willow smiled. "You don't need to fuss."

"Um, I have a question, if you're alright with answering."

"Sure. What is it?"

"Did Luz ever… mention me when she was here?"

The aforementioned individual's ears perked up at her name. 

"Sometimes," Willow replied. "She was the one who decided to come save you in the first place, actually. You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her."

"I see," Amity said curtly, an elated smile on her face. "That was all I needed to know."

Luz tiptoed back to her room, unable to wipe the grin off her face. Despite all that had happened, maybe there were good things to come.

Chapter Text

As morning approached, Luz slowly opened her eyes. She checked the clock to see that it was only 7am. Despite her best efforts to fall back asleep, she felt restless to the point where she couldn't stay still. 

Getting out of bed, she made her way to the bathroom to wash up. Before she reached for the handle, she heard a faint cluttering coming from the kitchen. Deciding to investigate, she slowly tiptoed towards the source of the sound. 

Peering from the corner of the door frame, she saw Amity standing in front of the sink. The girl seemed unsure and disoriented. Luz cleared her throat.

"Amity?"

The teal-haired girl quickly spun around, looking like a child who had been caught stealing from the cookie jar. She was still wearing the pajamas Willow gave her.

"I can't find the cups," Amity admitted, cheeks dusted with pink. "Um, I got thirsty, so..."

Luz smiled softly. "Let me help you."

She opened a cabinet and grabbed a cup, then poured water from the sink. She then handed the cup to Amity.

"Why are you up so early?" Luz asked, rubbing her eyes. "Did Willow's snoring keep you up?"

Amity shook her head. "I… couldn't really sleep all that well."

Luz frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Just," Amity sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Too many things are on my mind after what happened last night."

"Oh," Luz said, perching herself on the edge of the counter. "Perhaps we can go through your thoughts. To ease your worries."

Amity took a sip, then sat beside her. "...Are you alright?"

"Pardon?" 

"Well, yesterday, when you fought the stranger off… I must admit, it was frightening to see. I didn't think you were capable of such a thing."

Luz sighed. "If I'm being honest, I didn't think so either. Remembering what happened… it makes me feel sick to my stomach. I hated every second of it. But it had to be done."

"I guess," Amity shrugged, her gaze downcast. "I've never seen you look that way before. I hope you'll be alright."

"I will be," Luz smiled. "Thank you for being so concerned, Amity. It's very sweet of you."

Amity's cheeks darkened as she took another sip. "There's something else. Why was I the only one being targeted? It doesn't make sense to me…"

"Perhaps we just didn't see them aiming for the rest of your family?" Luz suggested. " Or you were the first within shooting range."

"Now that's nonsense," Amity huffed. "My father was right there in the open. Not that I wish ill upon him. It simply doesn't add up."

"What are you trying to say?"

"What if they were only trying to… to off me?"

"Rubbish," Luz shook her head. Although she was dead set on convincing Amity otherwise, she thought back to when she had overheard Alador Blight's conversation in the casino. She suddenly came up with a sickeningly sad theory, one which, if used to answer Amity's question, would tear her apart. "We mustn't believe in the worst scenarios. There won't be any space for the good ones if we do."

"You're quite optimistic," Amity let out a hollow laugh. "God, I feel so helpless ."

"I understand," Luz nodded. "I miss my mom, too. Not a day goes by when-"

"You clearly don't understand," Amity sighed. "I don't miss them. I'm… I'm afraid of what they'll do if they find me. What they'll do to all of you."

Luz felt fear whenever her mother used to discover the antics she had been pulling off around town. But to feel so frightened that you wish to never be found… that was something she couldn't wrap her head around.

She gingerly took the girl's hand. "Nothing bad is going to happen, I promise. I- We will keep you safe. And we can protect ourselves."

Amity bit her lip timidly. "I hope so."

"Anyways," Luz hopped off the counter. "We should plan the rest of our day. Have you been here in Oxford before?"

"A couple times with my father. All he does is attend to business."

"Then the others and I will show you around."

They spent an hour discussing all the things Amity could do now, all the fun activities she missed out on. Luz was starting to realize how secluded and left out the girl had been. Before she could ask about it, Eda walked in.

"You kids sure like making a ruckus," the older woman yawned. "I was expecting you to be sound asleep, after last night."

"I was excited to show Amity around," Luz replied. "In fact, I was just about to give her a house tour. Follow me, milady!"

Amity giggled, trailing behind her bubbly friend. Eda shrugged as she began preparing breakfast for everyone.

"This is the living room," Luz said. "Eda usually sleeps on the couch, but we also sit together and drink tea while we listen to the radio."

"I don't like tea," Amity scrunched her nose and shook her head. "Or coffee."

"We can always drink hot cocoa," Luz smiled warmly. "Funny, I thought you'd like tea. You seem the type of person to drink while reading."

"Only old people drink it," she smirked. "Or silly little boys who wish to look mature."

Luz laughed. "We also practice magic here. There's different types you can try out, you'll eventually find one you're good at."

Amity's eyes sparkled with interest. " Anyone can use magic, then?"

"Technically, we need paper and a pen," Luz said. "But yes. I can help you learn, if you want."

"That'd be nice," Amity said. She followed Luz down the hall. 

"This is Gus's room," Luz said. "He's probably still asleep. Very nice lad, you'd get along well with him. He's a good listener."

"Porter?" Amity said. "I wonder how his father is holding up. Willow's, as well."

"Best not to think about it," Luz sighed. "We've got enough problems on our plate as it is."

She opened the door to her room, beckoning her friend inside. "Welcome, Princess Amity Blight, to my humble abode! Where I plan my legendary conquests! Formulate complex but intelligent plans! From where I send my troops to the farthest corners of the land, and they return to me with riches untold!"

"So you're a knight now, hm?" Amity spoke, clearly amused at the show Luz was putting on. 

" Always was, and will be forevermore!"

Amity sat on the bed. "And what are these riches your troops have found, Sir Luz?"

Luz grabbed a chair, using it to reach the top of her closet. She brought down a dusty old box, the marks on it showing it had been opened a while ago. 

"Voila!" she exclaimed. Inside the box was a plastic tiara. "Er, I actually don't know why this was here. I found it awhile ago… anyways, this is the fruition of my journey!"

"Just this?" Amity hummed. "And what purpose would this serve, if you don't mind me asking?"

Luz picked up the pink tiara, slowly placing it upon Amity's head. "Well, your highness, a princess needs her crown."

They stared into each other's eyes, albeit for just a moment. But it was long enough for Luz to feel something she'd never felt before. 

Perhaps she was just hungry.

Amity cleared her throat and tried covering her reddening ears. "Um, so what else is there to see?"

Luz snapped out of her stupor and helped Amity stand. "I would've shown you Hooty but you've already met him."

"I don't like that thing," Amity shuddered. "It creeps me out, has no sense of personal space, and it was chanting weird things early in the morning."

"I'll tell him to stop doing that," Luz cringed. "At the heart of it all, Hooty is quite nice. Even if he doesn't understand how pushy he can be. Or how concerning."

They left Luz's room. Gus and Willow were just heading out of theirs, and so they all met in the middle of the hallway.

"You two seem to be..." Willow started, noticing the pair were holding hands. "...Getting along."

Amity quickly pulled away. Luz stared down at her hand, confused.

"Blimey, I'm starving ," Gus said as he stretched out a bit. The group entered the kitchen, where Eda and King had already begun to eat.

"Hey!" Gus exclaimed. "King, you drank all the orange juice!"

"Finders keepers!" King retorted. "You should've gotten up earlier."

"Sorry, we don't have a lot of breakfast options," Willow said to Amity. "Someone didn't stock up before we left."

Luz noticed she was glaring at her, and threw her hands up in defense. "I was busy getting ready to rescue my friend! Give me a break! Besides, we're heading out later-"

"What was that?" Eda raised a brow. "What makes you think you're going anywhere , kiddo?"

"Huh?" Luz paused, looking at Eda inquisitively. "Why can't we?"

Eda sighed. "Willow, the radio, please."

The bespectacled girl switched it on. They listened attentively.

"Many police officers are confused as reports come swarming in about a hard-to-believe tragedy occurring last night, as a large winged creature seemingly snatched the youngest daughter of Alador Blight. Now, many are skeptical about these reports, and claim that it is simply a publicity stunt organized by the Blight family and guests who attended the event. However, the fact remains that Amity Blight is nowhere to be found. We are counting to investigators to track her down, and are wondering whether there is a connection between this disappearance and the one taking place at Hexside's-"

"Jeez," Gus mumbled, shutting it off. "Someone tell them to stop wondering before they figure it out."

"You all need to stay inside till it's safe," Eda explained. "Thanks to our little stunt, all of England is searching for you. We can't risk anything."

"But Eda-"

"Luz," Eda said sternly. "You said you want me to teach you, right? Well, I can't do that if they find you. So stay here."

Eda put on her coat and hat. She walked towards the front door.

"Where are you going, then?" Luz frowned, crossing her arms. "Aren't we to stay low?"

"I'm headed out for my usual business," Eda replied coolly. "Stay put. Stay safe. Hooty will make sure you aren't up to anything."

She walked out, leaving the kids in a solemn state. 

"It's not like we have nothing to do," Willow shrugged. "We can always practice our magic."

"How am I going to conquer the world in this dumb house?" King demanded, putting his hands on his hips. "That's it. Porter! You are now my snack deliverer. Fetch me my 'enemen's'!"

"They're called 'M&M's', King."

"Don't repeat me!"

"This is awful!" Luz groaned. "We can't stay cooped up in here! I promised I'd show Amity around!"

"Think about it, Luz," Willow said. "Eda has a very solid point. If we're caught, you can kiss Amity and the Owl House goodbye."

"Kiss?!" Amity yelped. Hooty appeared beside her.

"Ooh, I love kisses!" Hooty said.

Gus squinted at him. "How...How would you-"

"King, help me demonstrate!"

"Never! Away from me, you filthy furry tube!"

Hooty ignored him, and resumed talking to the kids, particularly Amity. She inched away from him.

"Your hair is such a weird colour!" He squawked. "I wonder what I would look like if I dyed my fur. I'd be teal! A tube that's teal! A teal tube! Teal tube, teal tube, teal t-"

"That's it!" Amity yelled angrily, grabbing him. The kids immediately tried holding her back, but to no avail.

King jumped up and down on the sofa, egging her on and cackling.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Luz paced back and forth across her room while her friends sat on the bed, watching her.

"What are you thinking?" Willow asked.

"How to get out of here," Luz replied.

"Um, hello?" Gus raised a brow. "Were you asleep when Miss Eda was talking? We aren't allowed to leave."

Luz scoffed. "The Owl Lady doesn't follow anyone's rules. Why should we follow hers?"

"How would we get past Hooty?" Willow continued. "I've seen him crush metal with his beak alone. It was very frightening to watch, if I'm being honest."

"...Watch!" Luz exclaimed. "That's it!"

"We, uh, time it right?" Amity blinked.

"No, no," Luz shook her head. "You gave him a black eye, impairing his vision for a bit! We can use that to our advantage, and sneak out."

"Hooty is a god-less creature, you need a better plan."

They all jumped at the sound of King, who had already made himself comfortable on the bed. 

"If you really wanna get out of here," King said. "Your best bet is to distract him. It's pretty easy, you just ask him a question, or offer him a button to eat."

"Luz," Willow said. "I think… only you and Amity should go."

"Why?" Luz asked. "Don't you two want to come along?"

Gus waved his hand dismissively. "I have things to do here, anyway. I was planning to bake with King."

"And I want to test my new spell," Willow said. "I'm going to grow a Venus flytrap named George!"

"But why only us?" Amity stammered. Willow smirked at her.

"Smaller group, smaller chance you'll get caught," Willow said. "Don't look so wary. It'll be like a little date."

Amity's face flushed. Luz noted it had been doing that a lot today.

"That sounds nice, actually," Luz agreed. "What say you, Amity?"

"I don't mind…" Amity mumbled. "When do we leave?"

"Right after I change," Luz said. "Willow, Gus, take her to one of your rooms. I'll come to get her once I'm done, you two will do your best with Hooty."

"Got it," Gus grinned, giving her a thumbs up. After they left, Luz scrambled to find something decent to wear. This was her first time hanging out with Amity outside of school, and she wanted to make a good impression. 

She finally settled on a purple and white striped button down with short sleeves, tucked into a pair of navy blue shorts. She completed the look with a purple flat cap, and walked into the living room to wait for Amity. 

Willow came out with the girl moments later. Amity had chosen to wear a black collared dress that reached just above her knees, pink stockings and black heels. 

"Um, Hooty!" Gus called out from the kitchen. "Can you come in here? I need your opinion on, er, what flavor is better!"

"Oh, golly!" Hooty screamed joyfully. "You want my opinion on something instead of me butting in and giving it to you anyway? My dreams are finally coming true!"

As he stretched into the kitchen, Luz opened the window, motioning for Amity to follow. Willow gave them both a thumbs up before disappearing into the kitchen, probably to assist Gus in his distraction. Once Luz was outside, she reached to help Amity climb over the windowsill without tearing anything. They successfully made it out, and ran before Hooty could notice.

Once they had gotten far enough, the pair stopped to catch their breath. Luz let out a breathy laugh, and Amity started to giggle with her. Soon they were both sitting on the sidewalk, trying their best to compose themselves.

"Oh, goodness," Amity said.

"What's wrong?"

"Whatever happened to that place?"

Luz looked in the direction Amity pointed to. She was referring to Tibbles' casino, which had been wrecked to the point where it had to be closed for a while.

"Well," Luz coughed. "Things… went a little sour the last time we visited."

Amity raised an eyebrow, smirk forming on her face. "I see. It seems that you're quite dangerous to be around, Noceda."

"So did you figure that out before or after the dragon?"

She put her hand to her mouth and stifled a laugh, causing Luz to tilt her head curiously.

"Why are you trying to keep quiet?" Luz asked. 

"It's not ladylike to laugh."

"You're not a lady, you're Amity."

The teal-haired girl rolled her eyes playfully. "Silly boy. Where are we headed now?"

"We could simply take a walk," Luz replied. "Or we could go watch a movie. The theater is just up ahead, I'm sure sneaking in will be easy."

"I've never gone to a theater before," Amity admitted.

"No way!" Luz exclaimed. "Now we have to go! Come along, then!"

Luz half-dragged, half-led her to their destination. It didn't seem very busy at this time.

"How will we get in?" Amity asked.

"With magic," Luz grinned, wiggling her eyebrows as she took a paper and pen out of her pocket. She placed it on the ground and hit it, causing a glacier to form right in front of the theater. The ticket seller ran out of their booth to take a look, allowing Luz and Amity to quickly enter the theater. They gazed at the concession stand.

"Peanuts, candy, or popcorn?" Luz asked.

"I don't really mind," Amity shrugged. 

Luz sighed. "Look, I know you're used to listening to your parents. But they're not here to tell you what to do anymore. What do you want, Amity?"

Amity gazed at her with a soft, endearing look. "Popcorn is fine."

The brunette playfully left her cap on Amity's head, leaving to purchase the snacks. While waiting, a bunch of kids ran past her, one accidentally tripping. She immediately ran to their side.

"Are you alright?" she asked gently. The child nodded, rubbing their nose. "Please be careful next time, this is no place to run."

They hurried to rejoin their group of friends. Luz watched from afar, a fond smile on her face. Amity noticed as soon as she reapproached her

"What?" Amity huffed.

"Kind to kids, eh?" Luz chuckled. "Well, well... Looks like this sour lemon drop has a hidden, sweet center."

"Lemon drop?" Amity's eyes widened as she blushed. " Don't call me that."

Luz frowned. "Sorry, I didn't know you disliked nicknames. Especially with how much you use them for me."

"No, I… I don't dislike it."

"Then what's wrong?"

Amity wrapped her arms around herself. "It makes me feel… oddly happy? Yet I can't tell whether I like it or not. I… I guess you can use it, if you want. I just need to get used to such casual behavior from someone in my life other than the twins."

"Got it, Lemon Drop," Luz winked. "Allow me to direct you to your seat."

She offered to link arms with Amity, who accepted gladly. They took a gander at what was playing right now. 

"Cinderella!" Luz exclaimed. "Let's watch that one! I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

They secured two seats in the top row. It was noticeably empty, with only 1 other person and a family of 3 seated below. 

Luz was half-focused on the movie, half-checking on Amity. She felt nervous all of a sudden, with questions such as "Does she like the movie?" and "Is she having fun with me?" running through her mind. Was it supposed to be this taxing, hanging out with a friend? She didn't remember being so anxious during her outings with Willow and Gus, nor anyone else. Amity was different. Confusing.

"Luz," Amity whispered an hour later. "I really enjoyed that... My only problem with it is that she needed a man to help her get away from all that. Surely she could've wished for the godmother to place her in a better situation?"

Luz stared at her, then laughed heartily.

"What's so funny?" 

"You giving me a review of the movie. Are you going to quiz me next?"

Amity scoffed in embarrassment. "I'm not wrong."

"You aren't," Luz agreed, getting up from her seat and putting her cap back on. "Honestly, I think they're cute together. Wouldn't you want to spend the rest of your life with someone who was willing to go to such lengths to find you?"

Amity thought about it, then locked eyes with Luz. "I would."

Just as they were leaving, Luz felt a hand on her shoulder. It couldn't be Amity, because she was right beside her. It was someone with a strong, threatening grip. She slowly reached for her pocket, and gripped Amity's hand tighter, as if to tell her not to turn around.

"Your friend there," he said. "She seems awfully familiar. Her hair reminds me of someone."

"Remove your hand from her shoulder at once," Amity demanded. 

"And that tone," he continued. "From any other child, it would seem out of place… you must be the young Bl-"

Before he could continue, Luz quickly spun around and kicked him in the soft spot. He crumpled to the floor in pain.

"Hurry!" Amity hissed, pulling Luz along. Upon running out of the theater, they accidentally bumped into a strange figure. Luz became pale once she saw the mask. The pair bolted in the other direction.

"Hey!" The figure yelled. "Stop right there, you blasted children! You ain't getting away this time!" 

He ran after them, gun in hand. Amity held onto her hat, not keen on the idea of anyone else becoming suspicious. 

"Shit!" Luz hissed as she tripped, the coven member quickly gaining on them.

"Luz, run!"

She didn't want to. They weren't going to get lucky enough to lose one of these creeps again by running. She had to stop this one from pursuing them.

"What are you doing?" Amity shouted. 

"Putting my training to the test!" Luz shouted back. She took out the knife she used last night from her pocket and ran straight at the goon. He fired a shot at one of her feet, only missing by a centimeter. She then threw the knife at his leg, successfully hitting him. He howled in pain, nearly collapsing to the ground. She pulled out a light glyph and activated it, blinding him as well. Just like before, Luz pulled out the knife and slid it back into her pocket.

It was only after she ran to Amity that she noticed all the people around them, gawking in terror and astonishment. Well, almost all the people. One in particular approached them, an angered glare directed towards Luz. 

"What the hell ," she said. "Are you kids doing outside? I told you to stay. Put."

For better or worse, they had now crossed paths with Eda.

"I can explain-"

"Not now," Eda groaned. "I have to erase the memory of everyone here. Do you know how much work that's gonna be?"

She drew a circle with her staff, and raised her hand to the sky. A bunch of bubbles fell from the sky, falling back down upon the bystanders. Once it hit them, their eyes glazed over a bit. They shook their heads and continued on with their lives.

"That was so cool!" Luz gushed, turning to ask how Eda did that. She was quickly reminded of her current position when the owl Lady ushered Amity and her home. 

Once they arrived, Eda first confronted Hooty.

"I gave you one job," she pointed her finger at him accusingly.

"And Gus gave me two slices of cake," Hooty countered. "Obviously, I chose cake."

Eda scowed at the other three co-conspirators, waiting for their excuses.

"I was making the cake," Gus shrugged. 

"And I helped," King said. "Besides, I'm not some boring old hag! Let the kids commit arson, if that's what they want. What is this tyranny called living under the owl lady's roof?! Give us our-"

Willow cleared her throat. "I made a new plant. We all had things to do today… and we felt bad about Luz and Amity not being able to do what they wanted."

She groaned. "Luz, Luz's friend, go clean up."

Luz headed to take a shower while Amity went to change her clothes. Once Luz was done and changed, she walked to the kitchen for some cake. 

"Luz! Come sit with me."

Inches away from the cake, but beckoned by Eda. Luz sighed, and went to the living room. As she sat on the couch, she braced herself for a lecture.

"Why?"

Luz stared at her. "Huh?"

"Why didn't you listen to me, kid?" Eda asked, her voice soft. "I told you to stay for your own good. You could've gotten killed! How would you become a witch then, huh?"

"I'm sorry," Luz mumbled with shame. "I just wanted to be like you. You never listen to anyone and you do what you want, and you're the coolest person I know."

Eda sighed. "Luz, I don't want you to be like me. I want you to be better. I know it sounds like a shitty thing for me to expect from you, but you aren't me, kid. You have the potential to be so much more than anything I could ever be. And I don't go around boosting egos just for anyone. I mean it when I say you're gonna do some great things. But you can't look up to me for everything. Sometimes, you need to understand when it is time to listen, and when it is time to make your own decisions. You get me?"

Luz nodded. "I do. I… You really think I can be someone like that?"

"I know," Eda smiled. "There's this spark in you, Luz. And whatever you choose to do with it, you'll be great."

"Thanks, Eda," Luz beamed. "I'll do better."

"That's my girl," Eda ruffled her hair.

"Ah, about that."

The older woman hummed inquisitively.

"I'm not a girl."

She paused. "You're a boy, then?"

"No," Luz said, twiddling her thumbs. "I don't feel like anything…"

"Oh!" Eda exclaimed. "You don't need to worry, kid. We have plenty of people like you back where I'm from, and there's tons more over here."

"I just thought you should know," Luz said. "I haven't told Gus and Willow-"

"You must've not heard us come into the kitchen," Willow said, a plate with cake in hand. Gus appeared beside her, and offered one to Luz.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Gus asked. 

"That's rude, Gus," Willow interjected. "She- They aren't obligated to tell us if they don't want to."

"No, no, it's alright!" Luz said. "I'm not mad at him for asking. It's just… weird. I knew you two would be alright with it. I simply needed a bit of time. Also, I don't mind being referred to as 'she' or 'they' or 'he'. I'm fine with anything."

"Noted!" Willow smiled, giving her a hug. "We love you no matter what you identify as."

Gus joined in. "You're still our Luz, and that's all we could ever ask for."

"Ooh!" King squealed as he leaped on Luz's head. "I demand affection, too!"

They all laughed at his antics. Standing in the hallway, Amity decided against joining in. She was still too awkward around the others. Besides, she was currently trying to come up with a solution to prevent her from being recognized so easily. But there was only one thing she could think of.

"Luz?"

It was 10pm. The brunette was lying down in bed, listening to her radio and reading. As soon as she heard Amity's voice, she sprung up attentively.

"Hullo, hullo!" Luz happily greeted her. "You may enter!"

Amity walked in, closing the door behind her. 

"What's up?" Luz said. "Would you like to sit and listen to some tunes with me? It's Frankie Lymon-"

"I'm not here for that," Amity said. "I mean, I'd love- I'd like to, but I need a favour, first."

Luz set aside her book. "Of course. What do you need."

Slowly, Amity brought her arms in front of her. In one hand she held a bunch of newspapers. And in the other…

"I want you to shave my head."

Luz's jaw dropped as Amity handed her the electric razor. "You… but… why?"

"We were caught because of Mother's stupid hairdye," Amity growled. "Everyone can tell it's me. I don't want to risk you getting in trouble again. This… this is the only logical solution. And…"

Amity gazed at the ground sheepishly. "I want to be my own person, now. Not who my parents want me to be. This is a good start, I think."

"I get it," Luz smiled reassuringly. "But… I've never cut or shaved someone else's hair. I don't want to mess it up."

Amity put a hand on her shoulder. "You won't. You're the only one here that I trust, and that's why I'm asking you to help."

"Okay," Luz said. "You're right. It's just hair. Well, I suppose I can turn my headquarters into a barbershop."

Amity giggled as she put the newspapers on the ground. She was wearing a plain white t-shirt, probably so that none of her good clothes would get hair on them. Luz turned up the volume on her radio a bit and sat down behind Amity, getting the razor ready. She ran her hands through a lock of hair, marveling at how soft it was. The familiar flowery scent filled her lungs as she drew closer.

"Ready whenever you are."

"Go on."

Bit by bit, teal hair gently fell to the ground. Once they were done, Luz brushed off the excess hair from Amity's neck and rushed to grab a mirror.

"I did my best," Luz said, handing it to her. She slowly felt her now shaven head, tears beginning to form. Luz looked at her in alarm.

"Amity? What's wrong?"

"It feels so much lighter," Amity said quietly. "Like I'm… free. I don't look strange, do I?"

Luz shook her head vigorously. "No, not at all! You're as pretty as always. This suits you."

"Thank you," Amity smiled at the compliments. She got up and carefully collected the newspapers. "I think I might rest early for tonight. Don't stay up too late, Prince Charming."

Luz beamed at the new nickname. "Sweet dreams, Princess."

She flopped back onto the bed after Amity left, feeling tired herself. Sleep gradually overtook her, the radio still playing and her book put aside. For once, Luz was able to get a good night's rest.