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Camila Noceda sat at the kitchen table, hands clasped before her, trying for at least the sixth time to calm her nerves and work up her courage. She looked down at the floor next to her chair, where a plain brown paper bag sat. A small shiver ran down her spine as the enormity of what she had planned hit her once more. It was a big, big step she was about to take...but it was something she knew she had to do. It was for the greater good, after all. With one final deep breath, she pushed herself away from the table, stood, and walked into the living room.
She stopped just inside the doorway, staying silent and just out of sight. What greeted her was all too common in the Noceda household now, though she could still hardly believe that this was her life right now, even months after Luz returned without warning. Her daughter, Luz, sat in the middle of the family couch, flanked on either side by her strange friends. Friends from another world. Camila remembered how lost, alone, and afraid the four newcomers looked. Luz had been apologetic in asking her to give them a place to stay, but she really hadn’t needed to bother; there was no way she would have turned them away.
And now the five of them and Vee were all gathered on and around the couch, watching the television, though none of them seemed to be paying much attention to what was on the screen. While each of them seemed to be focused on their own little thing, Camila noticed how close Luz and Amity, in particular, sat next to each other. It was one of many other little things she’d noticed with them. A look that lingered for an extra fraction of a second, a smile that seemed just a bit larger than normal. Her eyes glanced down and yes, sure enough, the two girls' pinky fingers were linked together.
She knew exactly what was going on and it had gone on for long enough. This had to stop.
Camila cleared her throat and instantly, Luz scooted a few inches away from the purple-haired girl and their hands separated. “Luz?” she asked.
Luz turned to look at her, clearly trying not to sound nervous, but not quite succeeding. “Yes, mami ?”
“Could I…” Camila paused as she realized that everyone’s eyes were on her now. “...Speak with you in the kitchen for a minute?”
For a moment, Luz’s had a questioning look on her face, as if she felt she was in trouble but didn’t know why. “Um...sure,” she replied. Camila watched as she exchanged a look with all the others, then began to walk towards the kitchen. She moved aside to let her daughter pass and gave Amity and the others a reassuring smile before following.
Luz had stopped next to the kitchen table, looking at the bag on the floor. “What’s in the bag?” she asked.
“In a minute,” Camila replied, perhaps a bit too hastily. “I want to have a word with you first.”
“Oooooookay?” Luz said as she pulled a chair out and sat down. “What’s up?”
Camila sat down and was dismayed to find that her courage had fled her once more. Come on, Camila , she told herself, you can do this. Do it for Luz! She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to muster up her nerve once again before she spoke. “Luz... mija ...There is...so much I’m still trying to wrap my head around about this last summer. I mean…first, I find out that you’d been in another world for the summer and a...a basilisk had been posing as you the whole time.”
“I hadn’t planned it to happen that way!” Luz quickly interjected.
“ ¿Que te dije acerca de interrumpirme, Luz? ” Camila replied.
Even though Camila kept her voice calm, Luz looked even more like she was in trouble. Camila sighed and put a hand on hers. “Just...please let me finish. I’m not mad about Vee and I promise you’re not in trouble.” She waited for Luz to nod before she continued. “After I learn the truth about you and Vee, I learn you’re trapped in that other world full of strange people and even stranger creatures with no way home. You tell me about this Belos person and how you’re fighting in these magic battles. And then, out of nowhere, you’re back home. And you brought friends with you.”
“If this is about that,” Luz said timidly, “I know it wasn’t fair to ask you to give them all a place to stay. The house isn’t that big, and you’d already let Vee stay.”
Camila smiled warmly. “Luz, I don’t mind them staying,” she said. “Besides, where else can they go?” Luz, of course, didn’t have an answer to that. She had explained how Amity and the others were completely cut off from their home, seemingly trapped here for good. “Luz, I may not understand much about the Boiling Isles and everything you and they have all been through...and I’m positive I would have a heart attack if I saw even half of what you’ve told me about for myself...but I do understand what I can see with my own eyes.”
Luz looked at her with a blank expression and Camila sighed. As she thought, Luz thought she and Amity were being sufficiently sneaky. She couldn’t blame her. After all, she and Luz’s father had thought they had been sneaky, too. She guessed it was time to burst her little bubble.
“ Mija ,” she began, “I’ve seen the way you and Amity look at each other.”
Luz’s eyes widened. It hurt a little to do this to her, but Camila reminded herself once more that this was for the greater good.
“I’ve seen the little smiles you share,” she continued, “and how close you sit together on the couch.”
Luz began to blush. “Uhhhhhh…” she said, averting her eyes. “I don’t know what--”
“And I’ve seen how you two lace your pinky fingers together.”
Luz winced and buried her face in her arms, groaning.
“Luz...this has to stop.”
She watched as Luz seemed to deflate on the tabletop. “I just...didn’t want to worry you anymore,” she said. “You’ve already had to deal with so much.”
Camila placed a hand on Luz’s back. “Luz, I’m a mother. Worrying is what we do.” Luz remained silent, but seemed to take her words to heart. “When you came out to me a few months ago, nothing changed,” she went on. “You are still my daughter.” She patted Luz’s back. “And you have a wonderful girlfriend. It’s just that your girlfriend happens to be a witch from another realm.” Luz tilted her head up and peeked over her arms. “You want to know something else? The way you and Amity look and act around each other? It reminds me of how your father and I acted.”
Camila saw tears well up in Luz’s eyes, then began to feel them sting her eyes as well. “I am so...SO happy for you, mija. So be yourself. Be out. Be as proud of yourself as I am of you. Show the whole world how much you and Amity love each other. And don’t be shy on my account. I can handle it.” She laughed. “Besides, you’ve been pretty bad at hiding it anyway.”
Luz was up on her feet in an instant and hugging her. She hugged her back, gently kissing her on the forehead.
“I love you, mami ,” Luz said, her voice muffled through Camila’s shirt.
“And I love you, too, mija ,” she replied. They stayed that way for a moment before Luz finally broke away. “Please sit back down. There’s just a little more.”
She waited until Luz was sitting again, taking the chance to steady her nerves again before she continued. That was the easy bit. What was about to come was the really hard part. “Now Luz...you finding a girlfriend means a great deal. It means you’ve found someone you care about and someone who cares about you. And it means that you’re growing up. And with that comes a lot of responsibilities.”
Luz nodded, though she didn’t seem to know where her mother was going with this.
“Luz, you’ve changed so much since you left. You still have an incredibly active imagination...but you really have matured in the last few months. You made some amazing friends, and you have a girlfriend who loves you.” She began to feel a fresh round of tears coming on, so she reached down and brought the paper bag up, placing it in front of Luz. “My little girl is growing up. You’re smart, and I trust you to be able to make good decisions...so this is for you.”
Luz raised an eyebrow as she reached for the bag and peered inside. Camila watched as the look on her face went from curiosity to recognition to complete and utter embarrassment in the space of about five seconds. Luz quickly crumpled the bag shut again and stared at her, her face burning red. “MOM?!”
Camila gave her an apologetic smile, though she would be lying if she said she hadn’t giggled inwardly as she watched Luz’s reaction. She gently took the bag from her and opened it, pulling out a leather strap on harness and a purple dildo. She quickly checked the doorway, but everyone was still out in the living room. “I know how embarrassing this is,” she said.
Luz laughed nervously, very much mortified at having to look at her own mother holding a dildo in her hands. “Yeah...yeah, you can say that again,” she said. “You, uh...you even matched Amity’s hair.”
Camila blinked, not understanding what she was talking about until she took another look at the silicone penis. Realization hit her like a ton of bricks and she gasped. “ Ay, Dios mio ,” she softly cursed. “I swear I wasn’t even thinking about that when I bought it for you. It was the only color they had.”
Luz slowly reached a hand out, almost touching it, but pulled back at the last second. “Yes, but...why?”
“Because I was young once, too,” Camila answered. “And...well, just between us girls...I have a couple of these myself.”
Luz made a face that made it pretty clear to her that she did not want or need to hear that bit of information.
“I’m not attracted to girls,” Camila went on, “but I’m sure I’ve had some pretty similar urges as you. Your grandmother didn’t like talking about this sort of stuff, and so I had to kind of stumble my way through some of it. And I made a few mistakes along the way. I don’t want you to have to go through any of that.” She held the dildo out towards Luz who finally, gingerly, took it and held it. “I know you’ll be careful and be smart, but if you or Amity have any questions, or worries, or anything at all, you can come to me. Okay?”
Luz still looked embarrassed to be holding an honest to goodness sex toy in her hands in front of her mother, but she finally managed a genuine smile.
Then Camila tensed up just a bit as the mental image of her daughter and Amity actually using it in bed came to her. “Just…” she began, “please try not to be too loud.” Luz’s eyes went wide again and she blushed a little once more. “You don’t have to hide your love around me, but there are some things even your mother can’t handle hearing.”
Luz laughed and nodded. The two of them both stood and Luz embraced her. “Thank you, Mom,” she said. “I promise we’ll be careful.”
“I know you will,” Camila said. “I know. And please...don’t tell Amity you got that from me.”
Luz snorted. “Oh, don’t worry. I would never in a million years tell her that.”