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“What now, hu- Luz?” Hunter whispers through the heavy silence between him and the younger teen. They were the only two that were awake. The rest of the crew (Vee included) were knocked out from the events that transpired only a couple of hours ago.
The Noceda’s tiny home kept them warm from the downpour of non-acid rain that continued outside. They all slumped together, side by side, their backs against the couch and legs spread out on the plush carpet in the living room, while faintly hearing Luz’s mother, Camila (Hunter recalls her introducing herself as), moving about in the kitchen. Scattered all over the ground were emptied packages of bandaids and antiseptic wipes.
The blonde boy’s stomach twists uncomfortably; his eyes sting as he tries to swallow a pit in his throat. He doesn’t want to cry, not with Gus leaning against him, snuffling in his sleep. His grip on Willow’s arm tightens as he feels the girl shifts closer to him and Gus in her fitful sleep. It was somewhat comforting to him to sense them moving and breathing.
He glances over to Luz on his other side, who hasn’t answered his question. He can see the deepening frown and downturned mouth etched, dark purple circles under her eyes that reflect Hunter’s own.
“I…” Luz’s voice cracks momentarily before trailing off. She briefly makes eye contact before she turns her head away from Hunter. Instead, turns her attention to the pale girl clutching her with her dear life. She presses her lips on top of the cotton candy hair, uncaring about the dirt and slight dampness. “I don’t know,” she finally answers back.
“Is B-Belos actually gone?” Hunter asks, though this time not waiting for an answer. The images of the monster, his uncle, flash into his mind. As well as when The Collector simply flicked his uncle into mush in front of their very eyes. “I know The Collector is powerful, b-but I just can’t imagine he’s gone.” His gut twists harshly again. It felt like every fibre in his body knew. Just knew–
“Everyone is,” Luz mumbles back, still not looking back at Hunter. “Everyone is gone, and it’s my fault. I should’ve stayed. I could’ve helped.”
“Mija.” A stern but warm voice comes from the entrance to the living room, startling both teens from the mini pity party. Luz lifts her head, cringing in guilt. Camila moves towards the duo, kneeling, so she’s within the same eye level. She stares intently at each of them so they would fully listen to her words.
“You’ve all done what you could. No one can predict what will happen or the outcome,” Luz’s mom says, gently brushing over her daughter’s bandaged eyebrow. She smiles (knowingly?) at the girl whose arms are around Luz. “I don’t know everything that happened to you kids, and I don’t think I will ever fully know. But listen to me now, both of you.” The sternness in her voice returns; it makes Hunter want to straighten up for her. “Playing all those what-if scenarios in your head won’t do you or your situation any good. It happened. So going forward, only you can control what your next step is.”
Camila lets the word float in the air while she cleans the ripped-up packages, carefully removing the first aid kit from Vee’s grip and placing it down on the coffee table nearby. She softly touches the sleeping purple-haired girl's hand, feeling how icy they felt. She makes a quick note to bring bedding for the teens.
“Thank you, mama.” Luz was the first to say something, the tears that she was holding back streaking down her face for the first time since she arrived back in her realm.
Camila looks back to the teens, seeing even Hunter’s shoulders slightly shaking as he too starts to cry. She remained calm though worryingly taken aback at her daughter and the young man’s reaction. Camila stifles her own concerns for now; she’ll wait till they’re ready. Until then, Camila stands from her kneeling position and leans over to her daughter, kissing her on the forehead and pouring as much love and support as she can as a mother.
Luz immediately leaned in her mother’s kiss, shutting her eye tightly as though she didn’t believe it was real. Camila pets her daughter’s hair. It felt like she must’ve known how Luz was feeling at the moment.
Hunter felt he intruding as the pair spoke in a strange language; he wiped his gross snotty nose on his sleeve before staring down at his lap. However, he suddenly feels pressure on his free shoulder. His gaze turns up to Camila, smiling so softly at him that the tips of his ear flush a bit. She then leans over to his forehead, too, pressing a kiss just like she had done to Luz. “Rest well, mijo.” For the first time in his life, he feels safe.
Camila straightens up again, telling them she’ll be back with blankets and pillows for them all before heading to the corridor to retrieve said items.
Silence envelopes the room, yet less tense than it was earlier. The two of them had Camila’s words playing on repeat. When Hunter looks over at Luz, he can see the human’s gears turning. “What now?” He asks once more.
“What now?” Luz mutters.