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Luz always hated crying in front of other people, especially ones that she barely knew. The only times she’s allowed herself to cry in front of someone else was with her mom, but now she wasn’t even here. Her mom was back home, worrying sick about her missing child with her new basilisk roommate. The only other person Luz could think of was…
Eda.
Of course. Eda is a good person to talk to. She would probably know the right things to say. As Luz slowly got up from her sleeping bag, she recalled a moment between her and Eda. The thought of that soothing, motherly voice alone filled Luz’s throat with a warm taste of sweet cinnamon honey.
“Just know that whatever you need from us, we gotcha…”
It was a fond memory, which encouraged Luz to move one foot in front of the other until she reached the door. The memory replayed over and over again, restarting with each step getting closer to Eda’s room. The fact that Eda went out of her way to steal a super rare piece of wood just so Luz could have her own palisman made her chest fill up with a warm sensation that she couldn’t describe. It wasn’t joy, but it wasn’t sadness either. It was more of a strong craving for that motherly touch once more.
It burned.
Before she knew it, Luz was standing directly in front of the door to Eda’s room. The moonlight seemed to conveniently shine directly on the doorknob, encouraging her to open it, but Luz just stared at it. The memory played again once more, but this time, it was much louder. It was almost as if she was right there in that moment again. Luz felt her stomach burn with fear, slowly raising a hand and knocking on the door.
“It’s open.”
Luz held her breath as she slowly opened the door, finding Eda sitting upright in her nest reading a book. The owl lady looked over and seemed almost surprised to see Luz standing there.
“Hey kiddo, did you need something?” Eda asked. Luz didn’t say anything, knowing that the dam would break if she uttered even a sound. Maybe this was a bad idea.
“Luz, what’s going on?…” Eda sounded more serious now. Luz just wanted to shout. ‘ Everything. Everything is going on. I’m so far away from my mom, and I can’t even communicate with her without having to make a whole other portal. I can’t even hug my own mom, Eda. I promised her I would stay in the human realm when I came back, but I’m honestly not even sure if I want to leave. I love it here, but I want to see my mom. I’m tired, Eda. I’m so tired.
But instead of all that, Luz just let the tears leak. She started to quietly sob as Eda tossed her book to the side, not even caring once about losing her page.
“Hey, hey, kid, it’s okay. Shhh, hey, come here. Let’s sit you down...” Eda led Luz over to her nest, sitting the crying girl down and holding her in her arms like a child. The motherly gesture made Luz sob even harder as she gripped onto Eda’s shirt like her life depended on it. Her breathing quickened as Eda gently shushed her and rubbed small circles in her back.
“Hey, breathe for me, hon. Breathe… ”
Luz took in every word, every shush, every inch of physical contact, and drank it all in. She listened to Eda’s slow, deep breaths, attempting to mimic the same.
“There you go, baby, you’re doing great. Just keep breathing, okay?” Eda praised as Luz nodded with a small whimper. She tried to explain herself through the tears. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t keep it all in forever.
“I miss my mom… I just wanna see her again…” Luz muttered as she attempted to wipe her tears away. Eda wasn’t sure what to say that would make the girl feel better. She just wanted to wrap this sweet child in a big blanket and protect her from anything and everything for the rest of her life, but Eda knew that even with magic, she couldn’t do that. Instead, she did what she always did best, and that was being there for Luz when she needed it.
Eda held Luz closer and kissed the top of her head.
“Hey, I know it’s hard, hon. But I’m sure your mom knows you’re a smart kid… I know it doesn’t feel like you’ll ever get home at the moment, but with your determination, and your bravery, you’ll be home faster than you think, okay?...” Eda cupped Luz’s cheek, wiping the girl’s falling tears with her thumb. Luz felt more and more guilty the more she thought about going home. Yes, she did want to see her mom again, but she was more happy here in the Boiling Isles. She actually had friends, she had a family, and the best part was that she felt like she belonged here. That was something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
Luz took a deep breath.
“I… I’m not sure if I… wanna go home…”
Eda blinked, furrowing her brows in curiosity.
“Really?” Eda asked, almost shocked that Luz would say that. She may not have had much to go back to, but there was still her mom, who was fully aware that she was indeed missing, and had been for the last few months. That must have been the most terrifying thing for her mom to hear, especially so suddenly.
“I… promised my mom I would stay in the human realm with her… once I got back, I mean…”
Eda nodded.
“... but I don’t wanna leave all of this behind. I don’t wanna leave you behind, Eda. I just… I wish there was a way that I could stay here, but still have my mom with me, y’know?”
Eda couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of Luz’s mom living in a horrid place like the Boiling Isles. The things that were just normal everyday things for a witch like Eda would be absolutely terrifying for a human like Camila. It would certainly be interesting to see.
“You think she’d like it here?” Eda asked. Luz giggled just thinking about it.
“Oh, she would hate it here.”
Luz and Eda shared a laugh before the older witch looked down to see the girl give a wide yawn. She smiled and tousled with Luz’s hair.
“You feel a bit better now?” Eda asked as Luz nodded, barely able to keep her eyes open.
“Can I… sleep here tonight?…”
Eda smiled and nodded, letting Luz lay on her chest as she began to rub circles in her back and stroke her hair.
“I love you, Eda…” Luz muttered.
“I love you too, Luz.”
And the taste of sweet cinnamon honey filled Luz’s throat once again.