Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Somewhere in the Boiling Isles a strange metallic creature was caught in the midst of a raging inferno that threatened to spread and consume everything in its path. The nearby lake's tranquil waters shimmered with an eerie bluish glow, which quickly dissipated in the face of the approaching flames. The fire spread relentlessly, charring the metal creature until it was reduced to a pile of ash. The creature appeared to groan in agony as it succumbed to the merciless flames.

As the fire grew stronger, the creature was completely consumed, leaving nothing but a trail of smoke and ash in its wake. Nearby, two bodies lay motionless by the water's edge, their blood staining the ground beneath them. Next to one of the bodies were a collection of destroyed baby toys and a slightly charred purple onesie embroidered with the name "Luz."


A lone figure made his way through the forest, some distance away from the burning creature. The person was Larry Hargreaves, known to his friends as a humble potion maker. At the moment, he was dressed in a black cape, baggy pants, a black bowler hat, pale boots, and a plague doctor's mask. Fortunately, his attire seemed to protect him from the ashes and soot that were floating in the air from the fire behind him. Larry carefully made his way through the forest, ensuring that he did not make too much noise.

Larry's mindful movement was due to the small bundle covered in a blanket that he carried in his arms. He was careful not to let it get hit by anything. Unlike him, the blankets were not covered by any soot or ashes and were rather clean, save for a few bits of dirt here and there.

Once he reached a clearing, Larry turned over the bundle to reveal a small baby girl with tan skin, round ears, dark brown hair, and brown eyes that were hidden by their closed eyelids because she was sleeping. The baby snored quietly as she slept, with a smile on her face, blissfully unaware of the disaster that had occurred.

Larry couldn't help but smile at the human baby girl, and his pointy ears twitched a little. "Don't worry, little human. My wife and I will take care of you. I promise," he said quietly as the baby snuggled closer to his chest.

With that, he quickly made his way home. Larry's cottage was situated on the outskirts of the forest, hidden away from prying eyes. When he entered the cottage, he was met with a stern look from his wife, Daphne.

“Where have you been?” The woman with long pink hair aggressively asked, her three eyes narrowing at the man. She stood in the cabin's small kitchen, cutting up vegetables before pointing the sharp knife in her hand at the arrival.

“Honey,” He attempted to say before she silenced him by slamming the blade into the cutting board in front of her.

“You know, when you said we were going to have a great life together, I didn't think I'd spend it on my own, by myself in this cabin.” She came around the counter, revealing her heavily pregnant belly and walked over to him. She stood near a head taller than the red haired man. “This baby will be here soon and you need to...”

She paused her anger as she looked down to his hands. "What in the world is that?" she demanded, pointing to the bundle in Larry's arms.

"It's a baby, Daphne," Larry said calmly. "I found her alone in the forest. I couldn't just leave her there."

Daphne's expression softened slightly, but she was still skeptical. "Larry, I'm pregnant," she said, placing a hand on her belly. "We can't take in a baby right now. We're not ready for that. We're barely ready for this one."

"I know, Daphne. But we can't just leave her out there to fend for herself," Larry replied. "We can take care of her until we figure out what to do next."

Daphne still seemed unsure, but as she looked at the sleeping baby girl in Larry's arms, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of compassion. "Okay," she said finally. "But we need to figure out what to do with her. We can't just keep her here."

As Daphne looked closer at the baby, she noticed that the baby had round ears. Taken aback, she asked, "Larry, is she a human? Where did she come from?"

Larry hesitated for a moment, not sure how to explain it. "I found her next to a burning creature. Her parents are dead and she was alone, and I couldn't just leave her there. And as for her ears, I'm not sure what they mean. But I promise you, Daphne, I will find out more about her and keep her safe."

Daphne still looked uncertain, but she trusted her husband. "Okay, but we need to be careful," she said, her voice filled with concern. “We need to keep her under wraps. I have no idea what will happen if people find out we have a human here.”

Larry nodded in agreement. "I know. But for now, let's just take care of her and make sure she's safe."

The woman's eyes shifted for a moment before looking down at the small bundle. She stretched a finger out and brushed the cheek of the infant who slowly opened her eyes and reaching up her tiny hand, grasping Daphne's finger. The triclops' heart almost skipped a beat from seeing the precious thing in front of her. She sighed. “We'll need funds if we are going to raise two at once. I'll hate it, but I'll give Odalia a call and let her know I'm interested in investing in her business plan. That should hopefully help out some.”

Her husband smiled as he cradled the girl in his arms and his wife came closer. “Thanks, honey.” He gave her a kiss as they both looked to the infant.

And with that, Larry and Daphne set to work, taking care of the baby girl and trying to figure out what to do next. Despite the initial hesitation and concern, they were both determined to do whatever it takes to keep her protected.

Chapter Text

“What is taking you all so long?” Daphne asked as she walked through the halls of her home, wearing a black formal gown. She bumped into her husband who wore a black suit and fumbled with his tie. The woman stopped and turned to him with a sigh as she held him still to fix the jumbled mess that Larry had made of it. “Come here. I swear sometimes it's like I'm raising three children.” She said jokingly as she had a small smile, fixing the tie.

“Thanks, honey.” Larry said as he fixed his glasses, looking in the hall mirror as his wife sighed at his still messy hair and scruffy goatee.

“Where are the girls?” She asked. “We should be on our way already.” The pink haired woman made her way up the stairs and to the two rooms of her daughters, one on each side of the hallway. “Are you girls ready yet? We're late as it is.” She promptly knocked on Boscha's door.

“I'm coming. I'm coming.” The girl said as she was seated in front of her mirror, combing her red shoulder length hair as she let it flow freely.

Across the hall behind a locked door with a “Do Not Disturb” sign on it, a pair of pale hands worked at a chemistry station, crafting the latest potions as a recording device sat in front of them. “Log #436. Have completed the latest potion and compressed it into my newest L-Pill. Will require further testing but if all proves successful, I should be able to start full production and distribution in three months time. Sadly, my secondary project to repair dermal damage has proven ineffective. My hypothesis that skin would gradually return to normal tone and texture was...incorrect and no current potion seems to have any positive effects. Research would go much better if I knew what concoction I was exposed to thanks to my grandmother's interference. Thanks for nothing, Nam Nam Belinda.” She spoke the last portion under her breath with a seething rage.

“Lusina? Are you getting ready? We need to get going!” Daphne shouted through the reinforced steel door only to kick it open seconds later. The other girl slowly spun around to face her. Her skin was a sickly gray color, though she had vibrant magenta hair like her sister though it was much longer, covering her ears and going down to her mid-back. Her eyes were a a dark red though her left eye was hidden by a fringe of hair that covered that side of her face.

The girl looked to her mother with a frown, her exposed eye looking at her with a tired, half-lidded stare. “Additional note: Reinforce my reinforced door.”

Daphne looked at the girl who was still in her potion making outfit. “Why are you not dressed yet?”

The girl groaned. “I don't want to go to this party. I'm tired, I don't like having to mingle with your 'friends' and if Skara is going to be there, I don't want to be.”

Daphne breathed in and then out. “Okay, first off, you're only tired because you've been up for the past three days straight, which is something we'll discuss later. Second, we are all investors in Blight Industries so while yes, I don't much care for them, this is an important event that we have all been invited to. And third, Skara is a nice girl, I know she can be a little much sometimes but she's your sister's friend. Besides, I'm sure she's gotten over her little...interest in you.”

Nine Years Ago

Daphne was in the kitchen of the family home, carrying a tray of snacks for her daughters and their new playmate, Skara. The young girl seemed very shy at first but once Boscha had gotten her to open up, the girl was the sweetest thing imaginable. She just hoped that Lusina would warm up to her as well. While Lusina and Boscha were thick as thieves and were open to each other, the former had a hard time really opening up to any other kids her age and often stayed close to her father most days he was home. Perhaps this new inviting girl could change that.

Daphne heard sounds from the backyard and hoped that the three were really hitting it off. She stepped outside and found an odd side. Lusina was up on a branch in the tree of the backyard, her concealment stone on the ground beneath her as she covered her ears in fear. On the ground, Skara was excitedly reaching out her arms to get to the girl, jumping up and down while Boscha held her back.

“Mommy, make her stop!!” Luz cried, holding onto the branch.

“Come down! Come down! I just want to touch them!” Skara shouted with a huge smile as her grabby fingers reached up.

Daphne sighed in frustration. This “keeping the human girl hidden” had hit a snag and now she had to perform damage control.

Lusina cringed just thinking about that and remembered all the effort it took to convince Skara she was indeed a witch and not a human. Just because her ears were different didn't mean she wasn't like everyone else. And how could she be a human if her twin sister and both of her parents were witches? It wasn't all that hard of a concept to grasp. Sure she couldn't do magic but her parents had long ago explained to her that she was a rare case of being born without a bile sac.

The girl gave a tired sigh as she looked to her mother. “I'm. Not. Going.” The girl said defiantly.

Daphne scowled at her before whirling her finger in the air as it shut and locked the door behind her as both Boscha and Larry were peering inside. All they could hear now was the sounds of struggling and banging against the walls.

“Mom, cut it out. Get that away from me! No! I'm not putting that on!... Ouch! That pinches...Hey, where do you think that's going?!...What are you going to do with that? No...Anything but that! NOOOOOOO!”

The father and daughter looked to each other as things got eerily quiet and the door opened with Luz wearing a beautiful black dress with golden trim, a pair of long sleeves covering her arms. “There now. Was that so bad?” Daphne said cheerfully as she stood behind her daughter. “Well let's get going you three.” She scooted the three down the stairs and out the front door to the winged carriage that waited by the front gate of the family mansion.

“You know, now that I think of it, I should probably stay here and catch that lab rat that escaped.” Luz said as she tried to dig her heels in.

“I'm with Luz, that thing is beginning to be a menace.” Larry said. “It's already gone through the pantry and eaten all the snack cakes.”

This did not deter the woman as she forced the three into the carriage where the driver sat on top. “We'll get an exterminator.”

“No!” Luz shouted. “It's...important for my experiments. I need it alive. I'll catch it.”

“Well you aren't doing it tonight.” Daphne said as she closed the door and once everyone was inside, the bat winged vehicle took to the skies towards their destination. She looked across the carriage at her two girls, who didn't look all that pleased to be going and then over to her husband who wore a similarly bland expression. “Okay, look. I know this isn't a preferred way for you to spend your evening. So I'll make you all a deal: We'll stay for an hour and if you still aren't having fun...” She immediately glared at the three, her center eye glowing yellow. “Consider it as punishment for something you did and thought you got away with!”

Her aggressive tone, made the three nervous as they all avoided making eye contact, each attempting to think which thing she meant for each of them. The rest of the ride was quiet as they neared Blight Manor, where the festivities were taking place.

Inside said manor, Odalia Blight was overseeing the final preparations. After making sure everything was going according to plan, she made her way upstairs and the room of her youngest child. “Amity!” She said aggressively as she burst in. The girl shrieked as she was getting dressed, pulling her black dress over to cover herself.

“Mom!? I'm not decent!” Amity said as she turned to the woman with a panicked look.

“Oh relax, Mittens. I've seen better.” Odalia brushed off the concern as she continued to speak. “More importantly, I've come to speak with you about an important matter. It seems the Hargreaves have RSVP'd. Amity, you know both daugthers, correct?”

“Um, yeah. Boscha is on my grudgby team and everyone in school knows Luz.” Amity admitted. The girl was well known as the lead student in the potions track. In her time at the school she had made many remarkable potions. These included a beast bonding potion able to grant the user the powers and attributes of a specific beast, an energizing beverage that many on the isles especially adults loved coined bitter bean blood. The ingredients for the latter were a tightly guarded secret.

“Well dear, I'd like you to get closer to Lusina. I think it would be a great opportunity for both of our families.” Odalia said as she had a finger to her chin.

Amity's eyebrow was raised in confusion as she looks to her mother. “But I'm already friends with her.”

Odalia groaned for a moment and massaged her head. “You aren't understanding me. I want you to get 'closer' to her. Understand?” Her mother's emphasis on that point caught Amity by surprise as her flustered face turned beet red. “Our family thrives on mingling with only the best and that's what I'd like you to do.”

Amity was listening instead of arguing this time. For once, she and her mother were on the same page. If there was one person she didn't mind getting more personal with it was Lusina Hargreaves. But this sudden suggestion from her mother of all people took her completely off guard. “M-Mom! I uh...I don't...”

Oh please, Mittens. You aren't fooling anyone.” A voice said as her sister Emira peered into the room with her twin brother, Edric not far behind. “Everyone in the family knows you've got it bad for Luz.”

Amity thought her face couldn't get any redder as she stammered incoherently. “N-no...I...you...I'd couldn't...me is...” She locked up for a brief moment as the twins stepped in and looked her over.

“I think we broke her. Time for a reboot.” Edric said as he walked around her before poking her on the temple. “Boop.”

“What...where...who?” Amity sprang back to life, looking in every direction before her she got back her senses. “I did it again, didn't I?” The twins merely nodded with sneaky smiles as Odalia rubbed her head.

“Amity, we all know you have feelings for this girl. All I ask is for you to try to make something work with her. It'll be beneficial to the family to have an alliance with the Hargreaves. Not to mention it what you would get out of it yourself. So, can you at least put in an effort to at least dance with her?”

“Yeah, and don't pull an Amity with this one.” Edric said as he and his twin laughed.

“You two, out!” Odalia said as they shrugged and began to leave.

Emira quickly raced back and gave her little sister a handkerchief. “Your nose is bleeding.” She then ran off after her brother, giggling all the way.

Odalia groaned. “Don't you two dare embarrass me tonight!” She shouted after them before turning her full attention back to her youngest. “Just remember what I said, Amity. It's what's best for everyone, right?” The girl gave a small nod of confirmation. Whatever her mother's motivations, Luz was still her personal target. “Excellent. Now I expect you to approach this with the utmost dignity and charm. Now...show a little more leg and bat those eyelashes, young lady!” She ordered.

Just then, Alador Blight entered the room, his hands bound behind his back tightly with a black piece of fabric. “Odalia, I need help with this tie.” He complained as his wife's face scrunched up in annoyance.

Later that evening the festivities were in full swing as many of Blight Industries' investors as well as other important individuals on the isles were mingling. Odalia stood high above them, watching from the grand staircase as Amity stood near her. Odalia looked to the girl and hummed for a moment, wondering where her old rival, Daphne and her family could be. Before she could comment out loud the doors were opened by two of the guard abominations as a servant walked in to introduce the late arrivals.

“Ladies and gentlemen.” The man announced as everyone's attention was to the doors. “Introducing the final arrivals of the evening: Daphne Europa Hargreaves, her daughters Lusina Ariana & Boscha Calida and her husband...Larry.” The group entered as the eyes of everyone were upon them, much to Luz and Larry's annoyance, neither ever being good in this types of events. Boscha meanwhile scanned the room in search of her target.

As the family fully entered the room a tray of horderves was brought over by one of the servers and Larry helped himself to a handful, beginning to scarf them down as his wife gave him a glare. “What?” He said with his mouth full.

Daphne fought hard not to say something to her husband that would cause a scene and merely groaned before turning her attention to her girls. “Why don't you two find you friends while your father and I meet with some of our associates?” The twins agreed and headed off.

“Mrs. Hargreaves, always a pleasure to see you and your family.” The parents turned to see none other than Hettie Cutburn, head of the Healing Coven approach them with a small smile.

“The pleasure is all ours, Head Witch Cutburn.” Daphne said as she curtsied. “And you remember my husband, Larry.” She nudged the man who was still busy eating.

“Oh, right.” He extended his hand to shake Hettie's, the woman looking down to find his hand was covered with food residue, her scowl telling the story. Larry realized his mistake and licked the remaining food from his hand before wiping it on his shirt and offering it once again. The head of the Healing Coven said nothing with a blank expression on her face for a moment.

“If you two will excuse me.” She bowed slightly before moving off.

The entire time, Daphne had her eyes closed as she massaged her forehead. “My Titan, you make loving you unconditionally so hard.” She directed to her husband who still had a confused look on his face as if not understanding he did something wrong.

Luz and Boscha walked across the hall as the latter locked eyes on the bar, fully stocked for the event. “Sorry sis, you'll be flying solo tonight. That apple blood is calling my name.”

“Boscha, they aren't going to let you get anywhere near that stuff. It's for adults for a reason.” Luz told her sister.

“Blah blah blah. You sound just like Weird Cousin Sidney. She never wanted to have any fun either. Now she spends her time collecting seashells at Shinbone Shoals. You can stay here and be boring if you want, but I'm getting me some of that sweet stuff if it kills me.” Boscha headed off as her twin shook her head.

“Luz!” A voice called to her as the Hargreaves girl turned to see a dark skinned girl with fluffy purple hair and large horns protruding from either side of her head. “Late as usual.”

“Hey Mary. Looking good.” Luz complimented the girl's dark blue evening dress. The girl attended Hexside with Luz and was one of her two oldest friends from the start. Mary Shepard's family was well known in the town of Bonesborough as well as the surrounding areas. It was one of the Shepard clan, a woman named Mare, that was one of the original nine coven heads to help Emperor Belos establish the coven system. She unfortunately met her end along with the other eight in helping to perfect the sigils that would characterize each unique coven. Through her and the other's sacrifice, the current order was able to be founded and it was something the family was quite proud of.

“You too, though I wasn't sure getting dolled up like that was your style.” Mary replied, causing Luz to roll her eyes.

“It's not but mom forced me to come. But now that I'm here I might as well try and enjoy myself.” She looked around for a moment. “So, where's Bonnie?”

Mary smiled and shook her head lightly. “It's a party full of people. Where do you think?” She gestured to the refreshment table as the two walked over and Luz took a deep breath, leaned down and pulled up a part of the tablecloth. Underneath she found a girl with curly orange hair and a powder blue suit with black shirt underneath sitting on the floor with a nervous expression. She slowly looked over to Luz.

“Hey, Bonnie.” Luz greeted. “How's it going?”

The carrot top's eyes shifted around before looking back to the pale skinned redhead. “Not great.” Luz offered the girl a hand to which she accepted and came from under the table and stood up. “This is not my kind of place but my mom said that if Head Witch Graye was coming, I had to be here too.” The girl looked over to the far side of the room where Adrian was chatting up several people.

“You can't tell me it's that bad being the apprentice to the head of the Illusionist Coven.” Luz replied.

“Easy for you to say. Head Witch Vitimir barely says a word and at least he teaches you something about the coven.” Bonnie complained. “I'm a glorified secretary for Graye! It's either fetching his bitter bean blood, which he says I somehow manage to get wrong every time, doing his laundry or giving him...foot rubs.” She cringed thinking about this. “And it's always wrong, every time! And I didn't even want this stupid apprenticeship!”

She flashed back to the day Adrian Graye Vernworth showed up at Hexiside to select his new apprentice from among the students present.

In the school's gymnasium, the school's students were all present as Principal Bump stood beside the head of the Illusionist Coven. The latter had an uninterested look about him. He really couldn't care less about getting an apprentice. It all just sounded like a headache to him, just one more untalented actor to labor training, but if this is what the majority of the coven heads had agreed to then he'd get it over with.

All of the Illusion Track students were gathered in the center. Graye looked the group over briefly before pulling out a piece of paper and slowly and casually folding it into a triangular form that made it flight worthy. He cast his gaze over the nervous group and hurled the paper into the air as it flew over the group. All of the illusion students began to panic as it soared over them. The group pushed and shoved to get out of the way of the object. It soon took a turn in the air and aimed directly for the young Gus Porter, making a beeline right for the young man. Luz and her friend Willow Park hastily jumped in behind him and blew with all their might, causing the paper to veer off.

“Ouch!” The paper crashed right into the left eye of Bonnie who stood next to the boy.

“And we have a winner. Hooray.” Graye said with zero enthusiasm as he looked to his scroll before slightly turning his gaze to see his new apprentice.

“Oh...right...Again, really sorry about that.” Luz said to the girl.

“No, it's about my luck.” Bonnie said with a stressed voice. “Now I have to deal with him from now until...whenever all of this ends horribly for all involved.” As the girl ranted on, Mary whirled her finger in the air and summoned an abomination that had a blue hue to it as it wrapped it's arms around Bonnie in a tight hug. The girl seemed to calm down as a blue glow emitted from the creature.

“Better?” Marry asked.

“Mm hmm.” The carrot top said as she closed her eyes in it's warm embrace. “Maybe a little kiss?” She requested as Mary rolled her eyes and gestured for the abomination to do so, planting a gooey kiss on the top of the girl's head. The horn headed girl smiled while shaking her head as Luz watched awkwardly. Illusions had not been Bonnie's first choice of track. No, the girl was originally in the oracle track...for about all of two weeks. The word was that she received a vision in one of the crystal balls that terrified her enough that she and her mother were able to convince Bump to allow her to switch tracks.

Luz knew better than to pry and never pushed the issue. The illusionist was always jumpy from that day on and lucky for her she had a friend like Mary who could help. The girl decided to take the school's multi track option and combined abomination and healing to utilize what she called “therapy abominations” to help sooth Bonnie's anxiety whenever it reared its ugly head. Mary hoped that with enough practice she could extend this to helping others to heal both physically and emotionally.

Across the hall, Boscha was attempting and so far failing to get anywhere near the apple blood bar. The bartender had already caught her once and this second time he summoned one of the abomatons acting as security and had it escort the girl back to her mother. The current portly looking combination of machine and abomination did not look all that threatening but they served their purpose: Introducing the investors and other guests just what Blight Industries was capable of and what the future of the company had in store.

“Boscha.” Daphne said as the girl in the red dress was set down in front of her mother. “Care to explain?”

“Well, you see...The thing was...I was kind of...” Boscha stumbled over her words as her mother stared her down, the girl feeling like she was shrinking with every ongoing second.

“Daphne Hargreaves.” Odalia called as she casually walked over to the woman. “I see you and your family are fashionably late. Seems somethings really hasn't changed since our days at Hexside.”

“Odalia Blight. Always a pleasure.” Daphne said, seeming to ignore Boscha's trouble making for the moment as she gestured to the girl. “Of course you remember my daughter, Boscha.”

“Of course.” Odalia said as she lightly nodded her head to the girl.

Before the conversation could continue, a waiter walked over with a tray of horderves to offer the guests. “Fairy pie for the ladies.”

Boscha's looked to the tray, her face scrunched up in disgust. “Gross! Get those things away from me!” She said angrily.

Odalia raised an eyebrow at this. “Is something...the matter?”

“I'm a strict vegetarian. I don't eat meat, especially fairy meat.” Boscha said in a huff.

“She has a whole thing about it.” Daphne told the other woman. “I should have told you before we got here.”

Odalia's face softened slightly. With so much at stake she really couldn't risk offending the Hargreaves family tonight of all nights. “It's not problem whatsoever. I apologize, Boscha and I'll fix this right away.” Her features hardened again as she turned to the waiter. “You're fired!” The man walked off dejectedly as she then turned back to her two guests.

Daphne looked unimpressed as she stared at Odalia. “Typical Odalia. Always solving a problem by giving someone the ax.”

Odalia rolled her eyes. “Well forgive me for being the best and that means I only keep the best in my employ. If they aren't up to snuff then yes, they get the ax, as you so bluntly put it. I've always done what was necessary, which is why I am always first and you come in a far second.”

“Oh please, you think that makes you better?” Daphne shot back. “I'll have you know that my Boscha here just won another grudgby trophy for our family cabinet.”

“Mm hmm.” Odalia said as she smiled. “And who was the team captain of that team? Oh right, Amity. Not to mention she is being eyed by the Emperor's Coven.”

“Very impressive. Well as you know, Lusina is already apprenticed under Head Witch Vitimir. He's very impressed with the new potions and elixir's she's been able to craft in just a short time under his tutelage.”

“Well that is fascinating. Though I've heard some rather unflattering rumors about her on the streets.” Odalia said.

Daphne couldn't help but remember said rumors and unfortunately, they were indeed true. Despite repeated talks and lessons on being an entrepreneur, Luz had a very...questionable business model.

Several Months Ago

The streets of Bonesborough were abuzz with the usual activities on the weekend as adults and kids alike walked about and shopped.

In a back alleyway Luz leaned against a wall, a long, dark trench coat and hat concealing most of her body as she waited for a potential target. Once a group of kids were spotted coming her way, the girl decided to make her move. She immediately jumped out, grabbing them and pulling the group into the alleyway and blocked their only escape route. She then opened the coat wide to reveal it's contents as the children looked shocked. “Hey kids,” She revealed several containers of colorful capsules. These were her patented L-Pills, every color offering a different magical transformation and effect. “Wanna buy some pills?”

“Yes...well...Lusina is at least proactive with her track interests. That is more than I can say for your oldest, wouldn't you agree?” The pink haired woman said as the green haired fraternal twins were spotted as Emira distracted one of the investors while Edric stuck black flame matches under their feet and prepared to light it.

The two continued arguing back and forth with no end in sight and Boscha knew if this kept up she'd never get away to try again for that apple blood. That was when she came up with an idea. “Well my husband is currently working on something that will change potion making as we know it and...”

“Are...” Boscha interjected as the women stared at her. “Are you two gonna kiss or something? I'm sensing some serious underlying tension here.”

Both women's faces turned red with embarrassment as they looked to one another and then quickly averted their gaze. They both babbled on in unintelligible nonsense before they both walked off in different directions. “Ha, nice.” Boscha said as she was now free to try a third time.

Meanwhile Luz and her friends were busy talking by the refreshment table. “I mean, it's not that I don't like the privileges being an apprentice is. It's just that if it was anyone but Head Witch Graye it might be slightly bearable.” Bonnie explained, having calmed down a bit. “I wish I could turn it down, but it's too good of an opportunity for me and my mom to have something for once.”

“You know we can always help you out.” Luz suggested as Mary agreed.

“For sure.”

Bonnie shook her head. “No no. I...need to do this on my own. I can't rely on everyone else to help me. I'll just have to hold out for a while. Maybe one day soon, Graye will have a horrible accident.” The girl's eyes glowed purple for a brief moment before she breathed out and she sucked down her punch. “I need to go sit down.” She left the other two as they looked worriedly at her.

“Luz. Glad you could make it.” The two remaining girls were approached by Amity Blight, daughter of their illustrious host. “Mary, good to see you too.”

“I'll just bet.” Mary said under her breath, though she put on a smile. If there was one person she didn't enjoy the company of, it was Amity Blight. The girl always downplayed her family's contribution to helping the current coven system, claiming the Shepard clan tried too hard to make it a bigger deal than it actually was. Despite the size of the clan, there were no real notable members among them. Mary was the only one of note recently and that was only due to her being the first to attempt multi track courses.

“Um, hey Amity. Good to see you too.” Luz said. She wasn't bothered as much by Amity as she and Boscha were good friends with her older siblings. Amity was introduced through them and they hit it off well enough. Though Luz was smart enough to realize that the youngest Blight was infatuated with her. She did her best to keep her distance from the girl as she came on strong, very goofy, but strong. “So...anything new going on? I heard you were studying under Lilith Clawthorne. How's that going?”

Amity smiled. “Pretty good actually. Ms. Clawthorne is a bit of a taskmaster but she means well. She wants me to be my best and she's showing me a lot of techniques.” Her eyes shifted for a moment. “Maybe...we could talk more about this...on the dance floor?”

Luz should have seen this coming. Before she could open her mouth she was caught off guard by a familiar voice. “Luz! You're here!” The redhead covered the hair where her ears were hidden beneath as Skara showed up in a black dress with red accents. “I'm so glad you made it. It's been too long.”

“No, it's been about the right amount of time.” Luz thought to herself as the gray haired girl wrapped her in a hug. Luz look panicked as she slowly pried herself out of the iron grip. “Nice to see you too, Skara.” She said hesitantly.

“Hi, Amity.” Skara said as the green haired girl waved to her. “So Luz, there was something super important I've been meaning to talk to you about for a long time and...”

Luz quickly took a step back as she could tell where this was going. “Oh...uh, would you look at that. Other people to talk to. Come on, Mary!” Luz said as she forcibly moved the purple haired girl away from the other two.

Skara looked confused for a moment before shrugging and walking off. “Huh, well I've got all night. She can't play hard to get forever.”

“Luz, what about the d...” Amity tried to call out, but the other girl was already out of earshot. The Blight narrowed her eyes as the watched her with determination. “I swear, before the night is done, I'll get that dance, Luz.”

Chapter Text

At the Hargreaves home, the lights were off with only the outside lanterns providing any type of illumination to the property. Just outside the front gates, sat a bush where two sets of blue eyes peered out and over to the home. Stepping out was a teen with green skin and four eyes, a hood over his horned head. He looked around and brought out a crystal ball no bigger than a baseball. “I have arrived at my destination and am preparing to breach the perimeter.” He spoke into the small device as an image came into it. On the other side appeared a very pale skinned young woman with curlers in her black hair. She yawned as she was in her pajamas and squinted her tired eyes.

“What are you talking about, Gene?” She asked in annoyance.

“Gah! I'm at the Hargreaves place and I'm about to break in to get my hands on that human's formula. I explained all of this like a week ago, Violet.” He told the young woman on the other end of the call.

She sat there for several seconds, a blank stare on her face as she blinked several times. “I'm gonna be honest, I tune you out when you rant. And besides, Lusina isn't a human, no matter what you think.” Violet told him.

“I know what I saw!” The green skinned teen shouted in frustration. Ever since Lusina Hargreaves had attended Hexside, she went from Boscha's sister with no magic to the top of the potions track and one of the best in the school. Gene himself was a fellow potions student and was once hoping to have all the fame and glory that came with being the best. That dream was ruined once Luz showed up in the same track and impressed most of the school with her ingenious level potion skills despite her lack of magic. Gene of course knew what the cause of the latter was as he'd spied her when they were both younger and spotted the tell tale round ears.

Getting anyone to believe him was a whole other matter. No one was willing to mess with the top potion track student. Add to that the fact that she was a daughter of an influential family and friends with apprentices of coven heads and an apprentice herself and no one would touch the wild accusations he presented. So the green skinned reptilian boy spent years trying to expose her in public before settling on ruining her life by stealing the formula for her most well known brew: Bitter bean blood.

“First off, do not yell at me.” Violet told him. “Second, you don't have any proof and third, are you seriously going to break into the home of one of the richest families on the isles to steal that formula?”

“It's a flawless plan. I break in, find the formula and get out. I spice up the recipe for myself and pass it off as my own version. She'll never be the wiser.” He told her with a sly smile.

“Do whatever but call me again at this hour and your little spat with Luz will be the least of your worries.” Violet said with a coldness that could freeze lava and shut off the connection.

Gene decided to press on as he tucked away the orb and pulled out a potion vial and threw it just in front of the gate as it formed a large yellow gelatinous cube. He promptly jumped on it as he bounced on the malleable surface like a trampoline until he got high enough to clear the metal gate that surrounded the perimeter. Once on the other side it was a simple task to pour a blue solution into the front door lock as it expanded and jostled the tumblers and opened the door.

“Nice.” He said quietly as he moved around the house and searched the first floor with no sign of what he was looking for. He soon made his way upstairs to the bedrooms and spotted Luz's iconic door with the “Do Not Disturb” sign. Realizing he'd never get into the room with that heavy metal door without blowing half the house up. The potion student took out a small purple vial and chugged it down, causing him to shrink down until he was about the size of a mouse. “Ha. If I can't get through the door, I'll just go under it. That formula is as good as mine.” As he prepared to go underneath the door and scour the room for his prize, Gene stopped as he hears heavy breathing.

“Okay, just relax. You've waited a long time for this but you have to stay calm.” He said to himself. “Wait a minute. I'm not breathing hard.” The teen felt the heavy breathing against his back as he slowly turned around. The boy's heart dropped into his stomach as he faced a pair of glowing yellow eyes peering at him in the darkness. This sight would have terrified him even if he'd been normal size. All he could do is release a panicked scream that was barely audible due to his size as the shadowy figuring opened it's maw and lunged towards him. “Ahhhh!”

Back at the Blight manor the festivities were in full swing. While Boscha was being sneaky, Luz and her friends were moving about the room and Daphne was doing her usual mingling, Larry found himself sat by the bar. After the little incident with Hettie, his wife had requested that he make himself scarce for the remainder of the party. He didn't blame her for feeling that way. He hated embarrassing Daphne and if staying out of the way would spare her that then he would gladly do so.

Larry looked over to his right and noticed Alador, the genius inventor of the Blight family with a drink in his hand. “Alador.” He said simply.

“Larry.” Alador said with an apathetic greeting. The two stood quietly after that, looking around with neither really doing much other than sipping their respective drinks.

“Sooo....” Larry said, pausing for a moment. “You like...Potion Panic?”

Alador looked over to the other man with a raised eyebrow.

Across the room Luz was still pushing Mary to a safe distance away from Skara. “Luz, you know she's not following us, right?” Mary asked as she dug her heels in and stopped.

“She's always following me.” Luz said in a manic tone. The girl had flashbacks of years past of Skara and her antics. Getting jumped by her outside the candy shop as kids, right outside of school, she couldn't even round a corner without little Skara getting uncomfortably close and grabbing a hold of her ears. The girl seemed to have a fetish with them and Luz guessed that trait hadn't faded all that much over the years and she was not going to wait around and test those waters. She got herself and the girl she was pushing out on a lonely balcony that overlooked the manor. Luz looked around and didn't see anyone. “Phew. I think we lost her.”

“Cool. It's just the two of us.” Luz's eyes opened wide with horror and found that she had her hands on the back of Skara who looked back and smiled at her. “Hi.”

“How did you...” Bonnie asked, still seated inside at one of the tables as Mary had suddenly appeared sitting next to her.

“I have...no idea.” Mary admitted with a blank stare.

“Wow, so forceful.” The gray haired girl joked out on the balcony, Luz quickly taking her hands off of the girl. Skara turned around and looked at her with a pleasant smile. “Well now that we're alone...”

Luz immediately began to back up with a panicked look. “Actually, I should really get back to my mom and...” Luz stopped as a sweet sound began to catch her attention. She looked over as Skara was casually playing her lyre, holding the instrument in her hands. Luz's eyes started to feel heavy as the music was soothing. She hadn't had a moment of sleep for three days, being busy trying to help Vitimir with his latest project, but this was helping to relax her after all of that. At the same time she knew what Skara was up to and attempted to fight. “Skara...you...you cut that out.” She protested with a yawn.

“Shh, just relax.” The gray haired girl used the music to levitate Luz into the air, her voice soothing and gentle. “You seem tired, Luz.”

Though it was Skara, the soothing music softened Luz up for conversation. “I am. I've been working hard for Head Witch Vitimir all week. Got to get our project completed.” Luz's voice was low and soft as she was feeling more and more comfortable on the bed of air.

“Oh, that's terrible. Why don't you just lay back and let me take care of you?” Skara heard a light moan hum escape from Luz. She wasn't sure why the girl was always so hesitant to talk to her but she had determined if the sister of her best friend was going to be at this party, she was going to get some one on one time with her. “So Luz, I was thinking...” She paused as Luz gave a acknowledging nod. “You know, we haven't really spent a lot of time together. I mean I know you but I don't really know you. And I was wondering...” Skara let her eyes drift off to the night sky for a moment, taking in the stars that dotted the celestial landscape. “If you wouldn't mind, maybe...” Her eyes came back and found Luz was gone. She scanned the area and soon spotted Amity dragging the have conscious girl across the hall. “Hey! I wasn't finished with that!”

“Come on, Luz. Let's get that dance in.” Amity said happily as she pulled a still dazed Luz by her arm.

“Dance?” The girl was clearly still half a sleep and couldn't yet comprehend what was happening.

“Yeah, remember?” The green haired girl drug her out to the dance floor and prepared to get Luz in place as she leaned against her. Amity smiled as she closed her eyes for a moment. Nothing was going to ruin this. Her eyes opened slowly before shooting wide in horror as she saw Bonnie in her arms. “What are you doing here?!”

The nervous illusionist looked around in hesitation. “I don't know. One second I'm sitting with Mary and the next I'm here.”

Amity glared at her. “Where. Is. Luz!”

A still sleepy Luz sat at a table with Mary who sipped her drink. “I can't believe this. Those two won't stop chasing me.”

“As your friend, I'm obligated to tell you you look terrible.” Mary told her. “You haven't been sleeping at all, have you?”

“I've got too much work to do.” Luz told her. “Vitimir expects a lot from me and I can't let him down. It doesn't help that mom cut me off from my bitter bean blood ingredients. I'm running on empty right...” She stopped as her head sagged forward and she began to snore.

Mary looked up, not happy with her friend running herself ragged. “Well, I'd better get you hidden.” She summoned a medium sized abomination that picked up Luz in its arms. “Come on you sleep deprived nuisance.”

While the most confusing game of keep away was being played, Boscha was again trying to sneak over to the bar and get a bottle of apple blood. She was far more cautious this time around and made it closer than before, being careful not to get caught by either the bartender or the abomaton guard posted nearby. She kept herself hidden behind a table and prepared to make her move, only to stop again as she saw a platter of fairy pies still sitting on the counter. She jeered at this as her mind took her back to the day she decided never to consume another living being.

“Daddy, look what I found!” Seven year old Luz said excitedly as she held a golden petaled plant in her hands.

“That's a good find, Little Light.” Larry used the girl's affectionate nickname as he patted her on the head. “This is golden gladiola. It's a great ingredient in potion making and it's also good flavoring for the fairy pies.”

Luz laughed and smiled happily while her twin sister watched from a distance. It always seemed like Luz got all the attention from their dad even when he was supposed to be spending time with both of them. It always turned into an ingredient gathering trip and Luz always excelled at it, just like she did with sword fighting with her mom. This was supposed to be a fairy hunting trip with both girls to make a pie and it was once again devolving into another Father & Luz day.

Boscha groaned and walked off by herself as she had a fairy swatter in her hand and a satchel on her side to put more of her catches in. This was her method while Luz had set up traps all around. As expected a fairy flew up and opened it's horrifying maw and rushed at the redhead. Boscha wasn't even fazed as she drew her tool up and promptly smacked the beast to the ground, rendering it unconscious. “Ha, no match for me, dumb fairy.” She reached down to grab it only for a vine to wrap around her arm.

“Don't hurt it!” A voice called out to her.

Back in the present, Boscha found a similar vine wrapped around her wrist and turned back to see the culprit. “Ugh, what are you doing here, Park?”

The girl with dark navy blue hair and glasses shot a dirty look back at the Hargreaves girl. “Duh, I'm Amity's best friend, so yeah she invited me. What do you think you're up to?”

Boscha glared at her. She did not need this right now. Willow Park was an insufferable nuisance in her life ever since they were kids. Daphne had introduced Amity to the twin girls but Luz had noticed Willow Park a few days later. When she found out the situation between Amity and Willow, Luz made sure to correct it. If Willow was her friend than she was Amity's friend again and Daphne made sure to reinforce that with Odalia Blight. Either Willow was included or Luz and Boscha could make other non-Blight friends. Unfortunately, all things were not great as Boscha and Willow's personalities clashed and more often than not it was Willow's side that was taken in most disputes between the two.

“What's it to you, Park?” Boscha aggressively burnt the vines off of her arm.

Willow reinforced her vine's grip on Boscha who was trying to pull away. One good yank forced the redhead to face her in close proximity. “Why Boscha, If I didn't know better I'd say you were trying to steal a bottle of apple blood.” Willow smiled as she said this and looked over to the bar.

Boscha looked flustered for a moment. “What?! Pfft. No! What?! As if!” She answered in a hesitant tone, laughing nervously the entire time. Despite all of Boscha's bragging and skill, she hated to admit that Willow was on another level, something she'd proved when the two had a fight years ago after an argument. The result was Boscha being humiliated in front of the team and Luz which put her in her place against the Park girl. Ever since then Boscha tried to put on her usual attitude but that would quickly fade whenever Willow showed up.

“Uh huh.” Willow said, not convinced in the slightest. “You do realize how much trouble you could get in, right? The hard stuff is off limits for a reason.”

“You know Park, if I wanted to be nagged all the time, I'd have bought a pet snorse.” Boscha fired back. “We aren't on the grudgby field, so you being Amity's co-captain doesn't mean squat here. So why don't you just mind your own business?”

Willow looked her over before sighing. “Have it your way Boscha.”

“I will.” The redhead interrupted.

“Just try not to do anything to embarrass Amity tonight.” The Park girl turned to see her best friend wandering aimlessly across the hall in search of someone. “She's got enough on her plate. And don't get too hammered. We've got practice in the morning.”

“Nah nah nah nah blah blah blah.” Boscha mocked in a high pitched tone, using her hand as a sort of pantomime puppet after Willow had left. Boscha didn't care for Willow all that much. She was really more Luz's friend than hers but she was higher up in the team's hierarchy and Amity's closest friend so she had to deal with her. Eventually she was going to show up Park but at the moment she focused on her goal. “Looks like you could use a little help.” She turned to see Edric and Emira, both with huge smiles on their faces.

Daphne was meanwhile talking with several other investors as they chatted about the weather, business opportunities and her daughters among other things. “Well well. If it isn't Daphne Hargreaves.” The pink haired woman turned to see the tall imposing figure of the Conformatorium's head, Warden Wrath. The party was a more formal affair, and he'd chosen to wear a more eye catching version of his uniform with a few more bells and whistles to it. Various medals for his service filled the left chest while gold inlay complimented the pure white. In addition, he kept his mask on to keep his true, arguably more terrifying features hidden.

“Warden Wrath. How...pleasant it is to see you again.” Daphne said with a bit of unpleasantness. “How is young Braxas doing?”

She heard the telltale signs of a growl under the mask as he stared at her. “He is doing well. Though I do have some grievances with the school he is attending teaching such...dangerous things.”

“And what 'danger' would that be?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I understand that the school is encouraging multi-track classes and that it was under your persuasion.” He told her as he got closer. “That is very concerning. Very 'wild' in my opinion.”

Daphne glared at him at first before relaxing. “Well, I personally feel that the children should be allowed to have a chance to try out different tracks to find out what they are good at. The school trusted a hat for years for crying out loud to decide for the children and it wasn't exactly accurate.”

“Well I suppose I can see where someone like you would feel that way considering your own...personal experiences.” Wrath said, with the woman looking a bit unnerved.

“I wouldn't go there if I were you. Besides, from what my daughter, Lusina has told me, even Braxas is fascinated at the prospect. If the son of Warden Wrath signs off on it, then how bad could it truly be?” She smirked as Wrath growled again before turning away. Daphne had to admit, she might have been playing a dangerous game with encouraging the multi-track at Hexside years ago. But she stood by her decision in letting the students decide for themselves in learning more than one track.

True they would have to make a decision on one after they graduated lest they be labeled wild witches, but after her own experiences of being forced into a track she didn't get a say in, she wanted to give the next generation a chance. After talking with Edalyn Clawthorne while paying her stand a visit for books on humans years ago, she got a better understanding of so called “wild magic” that the Emperor's Coven frowned upon from subsequent visits and found it more aligned with her own personal beliefs. It was with that in mind that she remembered something important and turned to head over to engage with Wrath for another conversation.

As the festivities were still going on and everyone was in the middle of their own things, Alador and Larry had retreated into the manor's game room. It was a room that the parents barely used but the children had a great time in. In front of a relaxing couch sat a very large crystal ball with a game system with two controllers hooked to it. This device served to entertain the two men as Larry introduced the abomination engineer to his favorite game, Potion Panic. To his surprise, Alador was getting good really fast for a beginner.

“Wow, you're getting really good at this.” Larry admitted as Alador was catching up to him in points.

“Well it's years of hand eye coordination.” Alador said as he worked the controls. At first he wasn't sure about vanishing from the party, something which his wife would certainly not be happy with. He had to admit that this was surprisingly enjoyable and relaxing. Enough to even delve into the taboo realm of small talk. “So, it seems your daughter, Lusina is quite skilled in potions.”

Larry fought to keep his lead in the game but acknowledged the compliment. “Thanks. She works hard with it all, but we're proud of both our girls for what they've achieved. Your kids seem to have a lot of talent as well.”

“Amity is being considered for the Emperor's Coven and she's shown a skill with abominations I haven't seen since Darius. The twins...well...” Alador was hesitant to make a comment on his two trouble making twins.

“Hey, they're just trying to find their place. Where they belong, you know?” Larry said. “Believe it or not, Boscha had the same issues once Luz started to excel, but she's doing her own thing now too. I guess when you have a family member who achieves so much, you kind of feel you aren't doing much by comparison. I mean think about it. With you and Odalia's successful business and Amity progressing like she is, they have to feel at least a bit self-conscious. They might just feel that they might as well not even try.”

The two were quiet for a bit before Larry continued. “Just make sure they know how much you appreciate them, no matter what. These kids...they change your world.” He got quiet again, a sour expression on his face. “When Daphne and I first got married, it was more of a what we could offer each other, business-wise. We were always at each other's throats about everything else. Eventually it got to the point that I was out all the time for my potions and she was just at home...alone.”

Alador looked over to him for a moment. “So your girls...”

“They changed everything.” Larry admitted as he paused the game. “The moment I held Luz in my arms, it changed everything. I realized as much as we argued, we both loved these girls. Eventually the two of us talked things out and we realized it wasn't about us, it was about making a better life for them.”

“Do you love her?” Alador asked before realizing his mistake. “Sorry, I didn't mean...”

Larry put up a hand to pause him. “No, it's alright. It took the two of us some time, but after we stopped seeing each other as business partners and more like a husband and wife and got to understanding each other, it all fell in place.” Larry was quiet for a long time before both of them began to reflect. He then smiled and decided to lighten the mood. “Don't tell anyone this, especially not Daphne but...I had the biggest crush on Lilith Clawthorne back in school.”

“No.” Alador said in humored disbelief.

“Full truth.” He told the Blight. “I did everything to impress her. Heck, I even stole the test answers for our potions class to prove how smart I was. That's actually how I met Daphne.” He chuckled. “She caught me sneaking out with those answers and threatened to kick my teeth in. To my surprise I was a pretty good smooth talker and that one instance got us dating. Despite all the pain we've been through over the years, I wouldn't trade that moment for anything in the world.”

Larry realized he was tearing up a bit and tried to distract himself. “Well uh...let's finish this game. I've got to defend my high score.” Alador obliged as the match continued.

Back outside Boscha had teamed up with the twins who used their techniques to cast an invisibility illusions to allow the triclops to just walk up and take a bottle that promptly vanished in the shroud as well. The twins, standing off in the side hallway, kept an eye out for the telltale distortion around Boscha that could be seen as she was making her way back to them. “We are such good role models.” Emira said.

“Luz, wait!” Skara and Amity both called out as they pursued the other girl.

“Leave her alone!” Mary said as she carried the sleeping Luz on her shoulders going full tilt across the hall before bumping into the invisible Boscha and both crashed to the floor, breaking the camouflage. The sleeping girl cracked her eyes open as she looked over to find her twin. “Boscha?”

“Luz?” Her sister said in confusion before looking down to her empty hands. “My bottle?” She looked over to the twins who pointed to the bottled that had flown through the air and landed unnoticed in the cake that rested on the refreshment table. Everyone was distracted by the teenagers antiques that they didn't see the bottle open, spilling all of its contents into the punch bowl as an unknowing Bonnie was pouring herself another glass.

“Lousy Graye. 'Oh Rachel, I wanted a bigger slice of cake. Don't you know me at all?' Can't even get my name right.” Bonnie continued to rant as she brought the drink up to her face.

“Bonnie, no!” Boscha shouted as the girl downed the drink in one go.

Everyone watched as she girl's body jolted up, stiff as a board, her face suddenly turning flush red. Her body slowly became slacked as she began to giggle and babble incoherently. The girl began to spin around before stopping, hopping up onto the refreshment table and chugged down the entire punch bowl. “Wooooooooooo-hoooooooooooo!” She howled into the air catching everyone's attention.

“Enough!” Bonnie heard as she stopped and looked down with a displeased scowl as Adrian Graye marched over, massaging his forehead. “You are making a bloody nuisance of yourself, Linda.”

The girl's eye began to twitch as a combination of stress and overindulgence of apple blood finally pushed her over the edge. “My name is Bonnie, you arrogant, pompous, overly hyped, sorry excuse for a coven head piece of garbage!” She shouted as her eyes glowed blue and the room began to become enveloped in a dark haze. Everyone began to back away as Mary quickly raced up to her.

“Bonnie? Bonnie. Calm down. Find your happy place.” The horn headed girl said in an attempt to keep her friend from doing something drastic.

The red head began to levitate, hovering higher and higher until she was halfway to the ceiling. “There is no happy place with him around!” Thunder clouds began to form over her as the have in the room dissipated and the walls, ceiling and tables were all on fire. Everyone began to panic as the flames seemed and felt all too real. “Do you have any idea what it's like to be your apprentice, Graye?! It's horrible! I press your clothes. I cook your food. I rub you're putrid feet and for what? Do you ever show any gratitude? Do you ever teach me new skills? Do you EVER say 'Good job Bonnie. Thanks for all the effort?' No! I can't take it anymore!”

The walls of flames climbed as the sudden burst of heat woke up Luz who found both Amity and Skara pulling a different arm to get her to go with one of them. “What is going on?” She asked as she noticed Boscha and the twins attempting to sneak out. “Boscha!”

The triclops stopped in her tracks with a guilty look. “Okay. I may have tried to steal some apple blood and I may have accidentally given it to the orange haired introvert.”

“You what?” She turned to see Daphne glaring at her as everyone was still panicking. “We will talk about this later. For now we need to stop her before she hurts someone.”

“No need.” They turned to Mary who was now standing a safe distance away. “She needs to get this out of her system. Doctor's orders.”

“You're not a doctor!” Boscha shouted in a rage before Luz placed a finger over her lips. She then turned back to the sight at hand as everyone watched.

Bonnie unloaded a tirade that had to be at least five minutes long. The longer she was able to vent, the less intense her illusions became until she eventually lost consciousness mid-sentence and fell out of the air, Mary using her abomination to catch her in its arms. Soon all of the illusions had disappeared, leaving the room in more or less its original state, baring a few overturned tables and spilled food from the panicking guests. Graye merely stood in stunned silence at the girl who was now out cold, her abomination track friend glaring back at him. “Rude.” Was all he had to say as he left in a huff.

Boscha and the Blight twins were slowly attempting to sneak out only to be wrapped in vines by Willow and brought back before their mothers. The two women looked furious as the three chuckled nervously.

Odalia decided to call the night early, seeing the guests off, despite the abomination band and the lead bard still playing. “Once again, sorry for the unfortunate mishap. Get home safely.”

“Mom, wait! Let me explain!” Boscha pleaded as her mother dragged the still vine bound girl to the family carriage.

Mary said her goodbyes to Luz as her abomination carried the still sleeping Bonnie alongside her. Luz turned to find Skara standing right behind her. She would have screamed but by this point of the night, that was small potatoes. “Okay. I give up. I literally don't have the energy to keep this up. I'm here. You're here. What is it Skara?”

Skara smiled as she now had the chance she was waiting for. “Well, the thing is...I was really hoping to talk to you about something super important.” The girl paused before clearing her throat. “What do you think about me...becoming an apprentice to Head Witch Crane?”

Luz's eyes shot open. “Wait. That's what you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Uh yeah. I mean you are Vitimir's apprentice so I thought why not get the low down on what it's like to work with one. Bonnie clearly isn't enjoying hers but I know you get to meet the coven heads all the time. So what is he like? Is he nice? Do you think he'd consider me for an apprentice?”

The potion track girl was surprised by the barrage of questions and didn't know what to say at first. “I...I mean, that's great that you want to try something so bold. Scooter Crane is the friendliest guy I've ever met. You'd have to impress him with your skills but I think you'd do great at the audition. I'd be willing to put in a good word for you.”

“Really?!” Skara's eyes lit up. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” She wrapped Luz in a surprise hug before realizing this and letting her go. It was not before Amity saw this a distance away. “Sorry. I know you don't like being touched.”

“It's...okay.” Luz said hesitantly.

Skara looked around awkwardly before turning her attention back to the pale girl. “Luz, can I ask another favor? Would you...be willing to come to the Human Appreciation Society meeting with me? I want to show them a real live human.”

“Skara, we've been over this. I'm not a human. I know my ears look different but I'm a witch just like you.” Luz explained. “Think about it. My parents and my twin sister are witches. How could I be a human?”

Skara sighed. “I guess it was worth a try. I just want to show up Gus for once with something special. Are you sure you couldn't at least pretend to be one? Just for a day?” Luz shook her head in refusal. “Rats.” Silence permeated the air for a good long while. “So can I....”

Luz groaned in frustration but decided to surrender. “Fine, but this is the last time. I mean it.” Skara smiled as she reached her hands up and stuck them into Luz's hair before finding her ears and feeling them with her fingers. Luz's face was turning as red as her hair with the sensation, a shiver going down her spine before it promptly stopped. The gray haired girl pulled her hands back and clasped them together.

“Okay, glad I got that out of my system. Well see you at school Luz.” She happily skipped off, leaving Luz both relieved and a bit disturbed.

The Hargreaves child noticed Amity Blight still standing by the doorway to the dining hall, a look of sadness on her face as she stared down to the ground even as the festive music still filled the air. True, Luz had had her fair share of others her age trying to vie for her attention to elevate their family status at the behest of their parents. Although she was sure it was no different with the Blights, she decided to at least, in the sight of Odalia, throw the girl a bone. She marched over to the green haired girl. “Amity!” The girl turned to her as Luz took her hands in her own, gave Amity several spins and then concluded with a dip as they stood face to face. Luz promptly lifted her back to her feet, dusted herself off and then headed to the carriage to join her mother and sister.

Amity was frozen in place for what seemed like an eternity before Edric and Emira approached and grabbed her. They walked off with their stiff as a board sister and headed for her room. They passed by their father, Alador who was saying goodbye to Larry, the two none the wiser of what had happened. “Hey, next match is at my place.” Larry said with a big smile.

“You just name the day and I'll be there.” Alador said in return as he waved to Larry who left to join his family. The Blight inventor turned back to see his wife overseeing the clean up by the hired crew and walked over to her.

“This was a disaster.” She whispered to herself, massaging her temples. Odalia looked up to notice Alador standing in front of her, his hand extended with a smile. “Alador, what are you doing?” She asked incredulously.

Alador looked a bit unsure of himself for a moment, before deciding to double down on the decision he had made earlier from his talk with Larry. “I know I flaked out on you earlier so I thought I'd ask you for a dance. That is, if you'd like.”

Odalia was completely thrown off by this behavior. This was not the usual Alador thing. In fact, she couldn't recall a time where they had danced period. She wasn't sure what to make of it but it wasn't all together unpleasant to see. “Well...we do have the band for another hour, so I suppose...” The woman accepted his hand as the two began to dance, Odalia surprised that her husband was so light on his feet.

As the Hargreaves family approached their home, the carriage ride was mostly quiet. Luz was again fast asleep from all of the excitement and Boscha's mouth was now covered with the vines to prevent anymore excuses from escaping her lips. Daphne looked at the two and then to her husband who was sitting quietly as well. She had a small smile on her face for the briefest of moments. As much grief as they all gave her from time to time, the kids and Larry made her life infinitely better than anything she could have dreamed of as a little girl growing up in her family's mansion. Was Boscha still grounded? Yes. Was Luz going to get a stern talking to for burning the candle at both ins? Definitely. Neither would be that bad though. Despite all the eccentricities of this family, that's what made them unique and made her happy to have each and every one.

It wasn't long before they were home, the carriage landing down as it glided across the ground and through the open gates. Daphne exited first, dragging Boscha along in her vine cocoon before Larry came out next, carrying a sleeping Luz on his back like she was still a young child. “Have a good night, Mrs. Hargreaves.” The carriage driver said, fixing his glasses.

“And you as well, Derwin.” Daphne responded with a smile as the family headed up the stairs and into the home. The evening's events had been so exciting that no one noticed the twitching body of the seemingly traumatized Gene lying in the bushes near the front steps as they closed the door.

Chapter Text

Ah Covention...

An annual event where aspiring young witches and demons are given the opportunity to learn more about the covens they wish to join.

This year though was a special occasion.

The head witches of the nine main coven were going to have a special demonstration of what their covens are capable of. And what better way to demonstrate than a good old witch duel between the coven head's proteges.

Inside the center, the various covens were setting up their booths. Among the many was the Potions Coven, where many of the junior members were busy helping to set up the larger stand and demonstrations. Various potions were set out to help to show prospective members while others set up banners to welcome all. Among them was Luz who was helping to fix up the place.

“Mmmm mmm mmm.” A girl with one giant eye for a head said to her as they set up the table display.

“Right, thanks for the reminder, Eileen.” Luz said as she grabbed a few vials that came with accompanying labels that she placed with them. “Don't want anyone to end up like me.” She said as she tugged at the gray skin on her face as she and Eileen giggled a bit. Even if the moment that changed Luz's appearance as a whole was still a sore subject most of the time, she tried her best to laugh through the pain on occasion.

“Luz!” The two turned to see Boscha racing towards her. “What are you doing here? You're supposed to be getting ready! Everybody else is already there.”

“But...” Luz tried to say something as Boscha grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her away. “I'll be back Eileen. Make sure the labels are correct!” She shouted as her voice faded into the distance. Luz trudged behind her sister as her shoulders slumped down. "Boschy, I don't get why I have to do this. Can't I forfeit? I still have to finish my newest concoction for the stall."

"You could do that. That is if you want to get disowned as Head Witch Vitimir's apprentice." Boscha, the girl's sister said with a smirk. "Then again you two both hate events like these so he probably wouldn't even disown you if you didn't show up unless..."

"Unless what?" the girl narrowed her eyes

"Unless you want Bria to think you're a coward." Boscha said with a smirk

The girl lets out a dramatic gasp. "I am no coward!" she then reached into her bag and pulled out a pen which, with a click suddenly turned into a medium length silver sword with a golden handle.

"Then get in there and show that dwarf what you're made of!" Boscha said raising her fist

"Maybe I will!" The girl then walked away to prepare for her fight.

Meanwhile Boscha had a mischievous smile as she watched her sister walk away "So easy..." Boscha put her hands behind her head and turned to walk off further into the Covention center. She knew Luz could handle this little event and her parent would be there to support her. The other twin had plans of her own and she didn't need anyone else bothering her about it.

"Children of the Isles, the moment you've all been waiting for. The first bout for the Covention exhibition matches today." Lilith, head witch of the Emperor's Coven called out from the stage above the arena. "Representing the Construction Coven, Bria, of Glandus High!"

Everyone in the crowd cheered for the purple haired Bria as she stepped forward, the short girl smiling confidently while waving at the crowd cheering for her. Her mentor Mason let out a grunt of approval.

"And, representing the Potions Coven, star student of Hexside's potion's track and apprentice to Head Witch Vitimir himself, Lusina Hargreaves!" Lilith said as she gestured to Bria's opponent.

A spotlight flashed over the girl in question as her mentor, Vitimir, stood next to her.

Luz got notably more cheers than Bria, on account of her being rather famous as the potential next coven head...that and most of the crowd were Hexside students.

In the stands, Daphne and Larry cheered their daughter on. “Come on Luz! You got this!” Her father shouted happily. He noticed a woman with red skin and four horns on her head seated next to them. He smiled and waggled his eyebrows at her. “Why hello there.” Before he could continue a sharp pain seized his body as Daphne slapped him in the back of the head before dragging him by his ear to a seat further down.

“Sit.” She said as she forced him down in his new seat. “Now watch the match. And if I see you making eyes at her again, you won't have any for a third attempt!” Larry promptly sunk down in his chair.

“Hurrah for Luz.” He said quietly.

On the arena floor, the girl was looking around at the large crowd come to see the event. "Do we really have to be here for this?" Luz asked her mentor in a lethargic manner.

"Unfortunately we do" Vitimir responded in a tired raspy voice "Just make it quick so we can this over with. I don't like this anymore than you do. Remember what I taught you."

"Something about potioneers not revealing all their cards immediately?" Luz said unsure

"Close enough." Vitimir gave a shrug.

Luz simply gave an amused smile at that before walking towards the center where she and her opponent Bria stood face to face.

"I heard about you. So you're the star student of Hexside, huh?" Bria asked

"Only for the potions track" Luz yawned "I heard about you too. So you're the one who found those galdorstones, huh?"

"Oh so you've heard about that?" Bria suddenly gave a smirk. "Is it true you're a powerless witch?"

Luz's eyes briefly twitch at that. While Bria's tone sounded friendly she was able to detect the mocking undertone in it.

"Perhaps. Why don't you come and find out?" Luz smirked as she readies her sword.

Just then the bell screamed as Lilith waved her hand down. "Let the match begin!" She shouted as Luz and Bria jumped back from each other.

Bria drew a pair of brown spell circles next to her and waved her hands.

She smirked as a golem made out of brown and orange rocks emerged from the ground in front of her. It had several dots on it's face resembling an "H".

"Show me what you got, Potion Star!" Bria said confidently as she prepared for Luz's move.

Luz lets out a whistle at the golem "Impressive! I think I got just the concoction for that!" she says confidently as she reached into her pouch and pulled out what looked like a vial filled with green pills "Bottoms up!" she announced as she suddenly drank the potion in one huge gulp.

Before anyone could question it the effects of the potion immediately took hold as Luz's skin and hair began to take on a pink color in addition to a pair of horns sprouting from her head.

"Pfft! That's it? Your potion made you pink? I would have expected more from Hexside's star student. This is gonna be easier than I thought." Bria laughed.

"Really now?" Luz smirked while cracking her knuckles before all of a sudden she shot out a torrent of acid at Bria's golem resulting in the construct to melt into a puddle of goo.

"W-What the?!" Bria took a step back not believing what just happened while the crowd cheered for Luz.

"Sweet! The acid pill works! Still can't figure out why it turns my skin pink though." Luz said to herself before looking Bria in the eyes with confidence "Now. Show me what you got!"

The construction track student grit her teeth and created two more circles in the air and brought up pillars beneath Luz. The girl managed to evade both as Bria began to create more and more in order to trip her up or trap her which proved futile as Luz's acid abilities and nimbleness allowed her to escape each time. “Stand still and fight me, you pink skinned coward!” She drew another circle and slammed her fist against the ground, forming a shell that trapped Luz inside. Bria smiled as she charged through the field of pillars and jumped up top of the stone dome that had encased the other girl. “Not so tough now...are...you?” Her face turned pale as she saw a gaping hole on the other side, acid still dripping down. “Oh no.”

A blade was placed against her throat as Luz stood behind her, the girl's skin having turned back to it's original tone and the horns vanishing. “Not so tough, are you? See what I did there?” The redhead whispered to her with a bit of wit.

“Th-This is supposed to be an exhibition. It's...supposed to be a draw, remember?” Bria said as sweat ran down her face.

“Yeah, it is. Imagine how bad you'll look in front of Mason and everyone else once I beat you down.” Luz said with a cold tone.

“You...wouldn't. I'd be a laughing stock. I-I could lose my apprenticeship.”

Luz smiled as she looked around, noticing that the pillars concealed them from the view of the audience. “Yeah, you would. And I probably should go through with it considering you used my friend Gus to get those galdorstones. Unless...” The potion track student paused as she thought. “You'd be willing to make a deal.”

In the stands, everyone was waiting to see what happened. Moments later, a crash was heard as Luz was sent flying through several pillars, her skin and hair now metallic and shiny as she crashed through several pillars only to right herself and land on top of one with her sword in hand. Bria leaped up and landed on one opposite of her, brandishing her own blade. The crowd cheered as the two traded glances, Luz with a small smile and Bria with an exasperated scowl. “And there you have it ladies and gentlemen. Exactly what the covens strive for.” Lilith said. “Another round of applause for these two spectacularly talented young ladies.”

The two girls disengaged as the construction coven members began to break down the many pillars in the arena and getting it set for the next match. Luz and Bria walked out of the arena through the tunnel that led out of the floor as the latter angrily handed Luz a sheet of paper. “There. You better hope we don't run into each other again.” Luz just looked at her with disinterest before the other girl sneered and ran off. The Hargreaves girl looked at the paper and confirmed the information, then folded it up and placed it in her pocket.

Luz looked up as Vitimir walked down the hall, Bria running passed him. “Well done, apprentice.” Behind his yellow bandanna, Luz could tell that there was the faintest of smiles.

“Thank you, Head Witch.” The girl bowed slightly. “I wasn't sure about competing but I think that match was just what I needed. I...” Luz stopped as she began to cough heavily, covering her mouth with her wrapped hands. The cough soon subsided as she looked to her palm to notice specks of red.

“You've been overdoing it with your pills again.” Vitimir said with a bit of concern in his voice.

Luz knew full well he was speaking the truth. Whenever she used her self produced L-Pills she had to take a rest between each use. The pills provided her with a variety of magic abilities she would otherwise have no access to given she didn't have a bile sac. Granted she had to craft them herself and gathering the specific ingredients for each wasn't always easy, nor was the yield always what she hoped for, only able to make around thirty every month. It worked for her and proved she didn't need to be like everyone else to be powerful.

The pills were a double edged sword of course when used too rapidly. The effects only lasted for about a minute and she needed to let the access magic in her burn out. The lack of a bile sac made that difficult as, according to the family healer, the magic would pool in her body and cause her physical harm. The bleeding was one such and the most prominent, though she was warned that more excessive use could cause greater damage. But Lusina Hargreaves was a notoriously bad patient when it came to following the healer's orders.

“You should check in with the healing coven while you're here.” The head witch suggested.

“I'm fine. I'm just...getting over a cold. That's all.” Luz lied to his face though he didn't seem to react.

“I see. Well, I'll be on my way and I'll see you bright and early tomorrow to finish up on our potion.” He gave a nod before turning and vanishing from her view with a smoke potion. It was pretty standard fair for the coven but perfect when you wanted to make a quick exit.

“Luz!” She turned as she came out of the tunnel and spotted Amity, who ran up to her excitedly. “That was incredible! You really put on a heck of an opener for the exhibitions!”

Still looking a bit tired, Luz put on a small smile. “Thanks. I guess you are up soon and against Willow of all people.”

“Yeah, she's really improved her skills since getting that apprenticeship under Head Witch Snapdragon. On or off the grudgby field I would not want to be on her bad side.” The green haired girl joked. “Well, better get in there.”

“Good luck.” Luz said as the other girl blushed slightly. “I'd stay and cheer you on but...” Before she could answer Daphne and Larry rushed over and wrapped her in a tight hug from either side.

“That's our girl!” Larry said as he pressed his cheek against Luz's.

“Way to take it to that Glandus trash! Woo!” Daphne cheered as she leaned down to her daughter. “I couldn't be more proud of you.” She turned and noticed Amity Blight. “Hello Amity. Ready to give them a good show of your own?”

The girl blushed slightly. “Well, Luz is a tough act to follow but I'll give it my best.”

“I'm sure you'll do the Blight family proud.” The pink haired woman said happily as Amity heard the announcements starting.

“I better get in there and get ready. It was good seeing you all. Great job out there, Luz.” Amtiy gave one last look before making her way back inside the arena.

The parents looked to each other then back to their eldest daughter. “Well, let's see what other attractions there are around here. The baking coven is calling my name.” Larry said as he rubbed his hands together.

“Dad, there is so much more to see.” Luz said.

“Yeah, but how much of that is doughy, edible and covered in sugar?” He smiled as his wife and daughter likewise smiled and rolled their eyes. Luz then spotted another familiar face.

“Mary!” She called as the horn headed girl was making her way to the arena but turned to talk.

“Hey Luz. Mr. and Mrs. Hargreaves. Coming in to see Bonnie's match?” She asked.

“Wait! Bonnie is fighting? I thought she'd have backed out or passed out or something!” Luz was bewildered with the revelation that her friend in the illusion coven was having a go in the exhibition matches.

“Well ever since the party at Blight Manor she's been attempting to be a bit more bold. Not much, but it's a healthy start. I'm just trying to support. At least more than Graye.”

Luz looked back to her parents. “We were going to find Boscha, but I guess we can stay a little bit longer to watch her match. Might as well stay and see Amity and Willow's too.”

“Boscha can keep herself busy in the meantime.” Larry said.

Daphne looked slightly annoyed at the prospect of letting her youngest have free reign of the covention center, unattended. “That's what I'm worried about. Let's just hope these matches are over quickly. Boscha and crowds don't always mix.”

Back inside, Bonnie stood on the sidelines, sweating heavily for her upcoming match. Next to her was her mentor, Adrian Graye Vernworth, who was on his scroll, not really caring or seeming to want to be there. After the events at Blight Manor a week ago, Adrian had been even more unconcerned with her training. If anything was damaged that night it was his pride. Having been chewed out by his ungrateful apprentice didn't sit well with the man and he showed it.

“Um, Head Witch Graye, do you...have any advice?” The carrot top asked, receiving no answer from him as he continued to scroll through some updates on his penstagram. “Are you...still mad about what I said?” Still she received no answer as Lilith once again took center stage.

“And now for our next match. Representing the Beast Keeping Coven, with his mentor Eberwolf, from Glandus High, Richie Canis.” She announced as she stepped back as a young male witch with tanned skin and a mane of white hair on his head. He smiled menacingly in Bonnie's direction. “And representing the Illusion Coven, with her mentor Adrian Graye-Vernworth, from Hexside, Bonnie Hempstead.” The girl shook as the lights shone on her and a still disinterested Adrian.

The illusion coven head looked to the girl in front of him who had her black hood pulled over her head. She looked absolutely pathetic standing there, weak in the knees like a newborn snorse. Despite the uncalled for outburst at the party, seeing the nervous wreck of a child in front of him did remind him of something from his past.

"Okay Adrian, are you ready?" A woman of average build with violet skin, dark purple hair and a lone horn growing from the left side of her head asked a young lanky teenage Adrian Graye, his tail swishing nervously from side to side.

"I...don't think so." He answered with hesitation. "I'm not ready for a real witches duel, Head Witch Weisz. This guy is gonna murder me."

She smiled reassuringly and patted him on the head, ruffling his hair. "Don't worry. you've got this and more importantly, you've got me in your corner. Let them underestimate you for using illusions. That's their weakness and your strength." She reached to her ear and removed her mirror shaped earring. "This will help you. Wear it and you'll have no trouble."

Adrian looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Jewelry? Really?"

Weisz chuckled as she handed it to him. "You'd be surprised just what this 'jewelry' can do."

"Head Witch Graye?" Adrian was snapped back to the present by Bonnie's calls as she shook at the prospect of going out to face Richie. "I'm really sorry for what I said that night but I could really use some help. I don't want to embarrass myself."

Adrian wanted to say something inspiring. Some words of wisdom imparted to him by his late mentor that would give his charge the courage to face this opponent. "Don't die?" Was what came out however. Words sounding so unsure, Adrian himself wasn't really sure he had actually said them. He did however notice that the girl looked even more shaky, as if her legs could give out at any moment. It was then that he decided to put a little more effort into it. He sighed heavily and addressed her again. “You've taken basic illusions, correct? Just use whatever it is you've learned from your classes. This is an exhibition for Titan's sake.” Adrian was not his former mentor and he was not good at the position himself.

Bonnie sighed in defeat. After what happened she figured that's about what she should have expected from him. She finally began to walk out to the center of the arena to meet her foe. In the audience she could see and hear Luz and Mary cheering her on. “You can do it, Bonnie!” Luz shouted.

“Just believe in yourself!” Mary said as one of her abominations held up a supportive banner to inspire the girl.

Bonnie smiled and felt a boost of confidence and decided to take the advice to heart. She was soon facing off against Richie as Lilith stood in the center. “Ready. Begin!” The raven haired woman shouted before teleporting out of the way. Bonnie quickly brought out her best illusion, turning the field into a copy of the forest surrounding Hexside. She dove into a bush and tried to sneak around the beast keeping student.

Richie simply smiled as he drew a circle in the air as his eyes glowed and he grew a pair of razor sharp claws. He got down to the ground and sniffed as he turned in the illusionist's direction and lunged with incredible speed at her position. The illusion did nothing to stop him as she panicked. To everyone's surprise the field changed to several locations on the island from Palm Stings to the Knee. The speed at which the changes occurred were disorientating to say the least as Richie's eyes struggled to keep up. He eventually got grunting orders from his mentor and closed his eyes and allowed his other senses to guide him. Despite the initial success of this spontaneous tactic, Bonnie found herself running for her life before the beast keeper finally caught up to her.

“Ahhhh!” She screamed loudly as some in the audience shielded their eyes. “Why did I believe in myself?!” The girl cried as the match went on.

“Ooh. Sorry, Bonnie.” Mary said apologetically as she and Luz watched shreds of blue fabric fly through the air.

It didn't take long for Lilith to intervene in this one-sided beat down. “And that will conclude this match.” She announced, rushing in immediately and separating the two. Lilith leaned over to two of the healing coven members present. “Get her out of here.” She whispered as she placed Bonnie on a stretcher and took her away. “A round of applause for our competitors.”

“Good job sweetie.” A thin sickly woman with short orange hair said happily, waving a flag with “Bonnie” written on it.

“Thanks mom.” Bonnie said, covering her face in humiliation. She passed by Adrian who only have looked interested. Next to him, Darius shook his head in disappointment.

“What?” Adrian asked in annoyance.

Darius rolled his eyes as he couldn't believe he had the audacity to ask that. “I know this was never your preferred way to spend the day but you could at least act like you care.” He walked off as he went to prepare one of his students for their match.

On the other side of the center, Boscha strolled around the many stands. With the exhibition currently going on most of the other areas were pretty dead outside the teams manning the stands and those who were uninterested with the more than likely scripted combat. The triclops found herself walking by the various stands before stopping in front of the sports coven. Her eyes glanced around the many pieces of gear for the various sports as well as the autographed memorabilia of past greats. She ran her hand along many of the posters lining the displays as other attendees looked and asked questions. Boscha took a look at one of the grudgby posters and saw some of her favorite players of all time.

The girl looked as she soon envisioned the players as the Banshees. Amity was in front of course, followed by Willow Park and then Boscha along with Cat and Amelia as their alternates. Boscha had always dreamed of being the star player on the team but that spot belonged to the Blight girl. She would have settled for the co-captain position but that spot was currently held by Amity's best friend. Despite her skill and love of the game, the redhead was forced to admit that she was no match for the two star players of the team and her dream seemed to be getting further and further from her reach. How could she compete with the girls who were apprenticed to coven heads?

She decided not to dwell on this for too long and instead headed off down one of the aisles and followed the printed guide to her next destination. It was sparsely manned with the walls lined with photos and terrariums set up with live insects inside. The entomology coven wasn't the most exciting but it was definitely an intriguing look into one of the often forgotten beast types for those with that interest. At the moment, Boscha's interests were mostly unrelated to the coven itself. Once she laid eyes on the object of her attention, her mind raced back to a moment in the past:

“Don't hurt it!” A voice called out to Boscha as she angrily burned the vine with a fireball. Thanks to her mother's lineage, she was built for fire techniques. It was in her blood and she was never hesitant to use it.

The girl turned to see a small chubby biped standing behind her. He wore a messy looking school uniform that denoted he was in the plant track but she didn't recognize the style. The kid had yellow fur, a thin similarly colored tail and one fang sticking out of his mouth. He slowly backed away nervously as she shot him a furious glare. “Sorry. I just don't want you to hurt her.” He said meekly.

“Back off, loser! This fairy is mine. You want a fairy pie you'll have to find your own!” Boscha said with hostility as she grabbed the fairy tightly in one hand.

The other kid gasped at her response. “I would never eat a fairy! They're beautiful parts of nature.”

Boscha rolled her eyes. “They're just dumb bug demons.”

“No they aren't. Watch.” He offered his hand to get the fairy from the girl. She drew it back to keep it from him but slowly, his soft eyes convinced her and she hesitantly handed it over. He held it for a moment and stroked it's head as it slowly regained consciousness. The biped released it as the fairy flew off and the kid followed and gestured for Boscha to come along. She frowned at him releasing a perfectly good ingredient for her pie but went with him.

Boscha watched as the fairy grabbed a single berry from a bush and carried it off to a bush a fair distance away and went inside. The other kid gestured for Boscha to keep her voice down as he slowly peeled open the bush as the two peered into it. The girl's eyes widened as she witnessed the fairy she had swatted bringing the berry to her nest where she fed a small clutch of about six babies that split the food to share.

“See, they aren't just beasts. They have families just like us.” The boy said as Boscha was silent for a long time as her eyes were wide as she watched the fairy tend to her babies. She had almost taken this one and would have been responsible for these little ones starving without their mother.

“I-I didn't know.” Boscha whispered as she backed away slowly.

It was that day that helped Boscha to see that despite the many uses for fairies, they like any other beast, bug or otherwise was more than they initially appeared. That also solidified her decision to become a vegetarian. And it was all thanks to the one seated at the booth of the entomology coven, still sporting the Glandus uniform. “Hey Angmar.” She said with a surprisingly tender tone, catching his attention from tending to a pair of butterflies with brilliantly colored blue and gold wings.

He jumped up as the two other members manning the stand gave him a quizzed looks. “Boscha?!” Angmar came around the counter and immediately hugged her. It took the girl completely off guard as he realized it and separated soon after.“It's uh... good to see you.” He said looking down as he rubbed the back of his head.

Boscha found herself blushing a bit, not rejecting the gesture. She quickly shook her head and got her senses back. “Yeah, you too. So...entomology coven, huh?”

Angmar turned back to look at the stand. “There is a lot of interesting bugs out there, like these.” He showed her two large insects with vibrant pink wings and markings that resembled cupid hearts. “They uh...call them love moths.” He said, clearing his throat

“Oh.” Boscha said with a bit of surprise, the red in her cheeks returning briefly as she cleared her throat as well. “They're pretty.”

Watching the awkward exchange, the two other members of the coven smirked at each other, wanting to laugh before turning and minding their own business once Boscha turned to them. The biped soon opened his mouth as he reached into his tunic. “I got you something.” He pulled out a golden necklace with a charm attached, shaped in the form and color of the butterfly she had seen him with earlier, a royal blue and gold. “I mean if you like it, that is. Not that you have to take it or anything! I mean...I made it myself. Not that I was trying to be cheap or anything or that you don't deserve something expensive!” He ranted on frantically before Boscha leaned down to the shorter boy and planted a kiss on his cheek, silencing him.

“I love it.” She said, gently taking the necklace and putting it on. “Thank you, Angmar.” The smiled before she sighed. “I'm really sorry I haven't let you meet my family. It's just that... my mom has this thing about Glandus and all.”

He took her hand in his. “It's okay. Take all the time you need.” He smiled at her as the two looked into each others eyes as they slowly drifted towards each other.

“Angmar!” He heard a familiar voice call.

The two immediately parted in a panic. “Oh Titan, it's Bria!” The yellow biped said.

“I gotta go!” The redhead looked around before turning back to Angmar. “Thanks. Meet me at our usual spot at our usual time?” He nodded in confirmation before the girl ran away just as Bria rounded the corner, angrily marching to the boy.

Angmar smiled nervously, waving to the approaching girl. “Hey Bria. So how did the...”

“Shut up!” She silenced him. “We're headed to the hideout right now. Hargreaves is trying to ruin everything. Don't ask questions. We just need to get there and meet up with Gavin. He's not answering his scroll.” He did as she said and ran after her as they exited the covention center.

Boscha had watched from the corner of one of the stands as the boy vanished from her sight. She looked sad for a moment before looking down to the necklace and lacing her fingers around the butterfly pendent on it. “Boscha?” She heard someone call as she immediately jolted in fear as Luz approached her.

“Don't do that, nerd! You almost gave me a heart attack!” The triclops twin said aggressively as Luz still had her relaxed expression.

“Sorry. Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you. Dad wants to get to the baking coven before all the free samples are gone.”

“I went to check out the sports coven.” Boscha told her sister, who noticed the necklace.

“Is that where you got that.” Luz pointed to it before Boscha tucked it into her tunic.

“If you have to know, I went over to the jewelers coven.” She told her sister who looked none too convinced.

“But you hate jewelry.”

Boscha's eyes opened wide as she had to come up with an answer. “Well...while I was there, some weird oracle told me I should take it because it would help me meet my destiny so...I bought it.” She stated and hoped her sister would buy the lie as they walked.

Luz blinked slowly before answering. “You do realize they were just trying to make a sale, right?”

“Well I know that now.” Boscha quickly decided to change the subject. “So, how'd the duel go? Did you get what you were after?”

A mischievous smirk appeared on Luz's lips as she pulled out a piece of paper. “Got it right here. I had to convince her and then give her a small dose of blabber serum to make sure she was telling the truth but she handed over the location of the galderstones she stole.”

“Nice, but what makes you think she won't just move them before we get there?” Boscha inquired.

“Oh don't worry. I got Mary to loan me her siblings for that. Gave them a call right after the fight.”

At Bria's hideout, which was really just a shack in the woods, the construction track student's third friend, Gavin was gagged and hogtied on the ground as over a dozen horn headed kids of the Shepard Clan ran around him, loading up the stones into a ratworm driven cart. All the while the teen's scroll sat on the ground as Bria shouted through it. One of the youngest boys hobbled over and picked it up listening to the tirade on the other end.

“Gavin!? Gavin, answer me! What is going on over there? I know you're there, I can hear you breathing! Listen, I need you to make yourself useful and get the stones out of...”

“Poopy head.” He said simply, frowning at the constant noise.

“What did you call me?!” The girl asked incredulously. She only received a raspberry blown through the scroll before the line cut out. “You are so dead when I get there! Gavin? Gavin!?” Bria shouted furiously.

“Once we get them back we can hide them someplace safe.” Luz explained before she turned to see a big smile on her sister's face. “What?”

“Rules and regulations Lusina Hargreaves hiding the stones instead of turning them over to the Emperor's Coven? What kind of crazy world are we in?” Boscha joked as she nudged the other girl.

Luz sighed and looked annoyed. “Don't make too much out of it. I'm still loyal to this first and foremost.” She pulled back her right sleeve to show her potion coven sigil. It also revealed a number of scars and burn marks up her arm before she rolled it back down. “But I made a promise to Gus that I would make sure no one used them, not even the EC. I don't break deals, especially not with my friends.”

“Yeah yeah, say that all you want. You have to admit, it's kind of thrilling to break the rules every once in a while, huh?” Boscha leaned on her sister's shoulder only for Luz to lightly push her off.

“Boscha, when are you gonna start taking things seriously?” Luz asked. “Covention is all about figuring out what you want to do with your life. I mean, I thought we were going to join the potion coven together.”

Her three-eyed sister frowned a bit. “I guess...I don't see the point.” Luz gasped I shock at hearing that. “What? I mean, I like grudgby I guess. I don't see why I need to join a coven for that.”

“That's not the point. Emperor Belos says we are the future of the Boiling Isles. Joining a coven is the best way for that. Do you want to end up like the Owl Lady, with your face on wanted posters?”

Boscha rolled her eyes. “Oh please, I've seen you sneak off to that house a bunch of times.”

“I needed to get a sample of the owl tube for my new L-Pill.” Luz stated causing her sister to cringe.

“Yeah,could you never use those again. You get even creepier and not in a fun way.” Boscha sighed a bit. “Look, I get what you're saying but the truth is...”

“There you two are.” Daphne interrupted as she and Larry walked up to them, the latter's hands filled with cupcakes. “I hope you don't mind but I invited Bonnie and Ms. Hempstead out to dinner. I figure the poor girl could use some cheering up after that...unfortunate incident.” The two girls looked to each other before giving confirming nods to their mother. “Did I hear you two talking about the Owl Lady? I've told you before, I don't want you going anywhere near that house. It's dangerous.”

“Ha!” Her husband said only to have his foot promptly stomped on by Daphne, causing him to drop his snacks. “Aw.” Larry looked down at his spilled treats sadly as they departed the center.

Outside, Bonnie stood with her mother as they waited for the rest of the group. Adrian Graye was preparing to disembark in his private carriage when he spotted the girl. For whatever reason, he had let what Darius said effect him and he didn't like it one bit. Perhaps talking to the girl would ease whatever it was he feeling inside, so he decided to head over to speak with her before leaving. “Apprentice.”

The girl turned to look at him, her left arm in a cast and a patch on her right cheek. She did not look happy in the slightest. “Head Witch Graye.” He mother bowed to him. “It's always a pleasure.”

Graye simply nodded with his signature smile. “Ma'am. I was wondering if I might have a word with her.”

“Of course. I'll go and see if I can find the Hargreaves. Take all the time you need, sweetie.” The woman excused herself, leaving the two alone.

“Listen, apprentice.” Adrian began.

“My name is Bonnie.” She said with a quiet hostility.

“Right. Bonnie. What I'm trying to say is...I'm not a mentor.”

“Surprise surprise.” She said with a surprising level of snark. “Look, I get it. You don't want to train me, you didn't even want me to begin with. This apprenticeship sucks, for you and for me.”

Adrian looked at her for a long time as she tried her best to read him. “You're right, I didn't want this. Like I said, I'm not a mentor. I'm a director. I can't teach you how everyone expects. What I can do is show you the finer points of putting on a performance. Illusions: The Vernworth experience.”

The girl looked up to him with a bit of confusion and interest. “Mind you, I don't run some street corner puppet show. We treat these sessions like real theatrical performances, live in front of a packed house. That's what I'm offering you. Take it or leave it.”

Bonnie looked to the ground before looking back to him, still unsure of it all. If he was willing to finally put in an effort in training, then she supposed she could put her best foot forward.

Chapter Text

Luz and Boscha hopped out of the family carriage as they were dropped off at the front entrance of Hexside. “Thanks for the ride, Derwin.” Luz said to the young man at the reins.

“Hey, it's what I do.” He said casually, waving to the girls.

Daphne stuck her head out of the carriage. “Have a good day at school.”

“Thanks mom.” The twins said in unison as they entered the school to start a fresh week. As they walked, many of the students congratulated Luz on her performance at the covention.

“Hey Luz, come on over here. We want to get a picture with you, Amity and Willow. You guys killed it at covention.” One of the students called to her where the other two girls were already waiting.

Luz sighed. She should have expected this. All the attention was one of the reasons she wished she had just forfeited the match. Though if she had she would never have gotten the galdorstones from Bria.“I'll be right back, Boscha. The curse that comes with the fame.” Luz made her way over and lined up with Amity and Willow, getting in between the two as they huddled together, with Amity squishing uncomfortably close to her, cheek to cheek.

“So...that was a heck of a fight you put on at covention, you two.” Luz said as she tried her best to ease away from Amity, the other girl only clinging closer as the other students snapped shots of them in various poses.

“Thanks.” Willow responded, putting her impressively built arms up and flexing. “Terra is a great teacher. Ever since I've worked with her, I've done things I never thought I could.”

“I'll say.” Amity said as she, Luz and Willow did a kawaii pose for the other students. “Keeping up with you has not been easy. Even my best abominations were no match for your plants.”

Willow smiled at the compliment. “Yeah well you may get me next time with Lilith training you for the Emperor's Coven. They get the best of everything. Hey, I've got an idea. What if the three of us meet up at Amity's place after school and get some real training in. It'll be great girlfriend bonding time.”

Amity's face began to turn a flustered red. “Girlfriend?! Who said anything about girlfriend? We aren't girlfriends. I mean we are girls and friends but me and Luz aren't...I mean none of us! Yeah, none of us are! Unless we wanted to be. Not that I'd hate that or anything.”

“Real smooth, Amity.” Willow said under her breath as she had to resist the urge to facepalm.

Luz seemed to pay no heed to any of it, writing it off as Amity being Amity. “Right, well it does sound like fun. I'll have to see if I can make it. Head Witch Vitimir is driving our team into overdrive with some special, super secret project. I don't even know what it really is. I only get to work on part of it. But I'll try to be there. Hey, could....Boscha maybe come?” She asked the last question after seeing her sister watching them.

Willow frowned slightly at this. She and Boscha didn't get along at the best of times, but she was a pretty good grudgby player despite that. She wanted to say no but looked over to Amity looking over to her, an arm still wrapped around Luz's as she wore a pleading expression. Not inviting Boscha ran the risk of Luz not coming, period. “Uh, sure. Yeah she can come.”

Boscha watched as they continued to take a bunch of pictures and sign autograph after autograph. The girl gritted her teeth a bit and clinched her fist at seeing this. No one was asking for her autograph, wanting a picture of her. Why? Was she not important enough? She breathed heavily before doing her best to calm down. When that failed she stormed off, which did not go unnoticed by her sister. “I should get going. Got to get to my classes early.” She said with a smile as she excused herself, having to pry Amity off of her. “Wait up, Boscha!”

Amity still looked flustered as Willow could only playfully roll her eyes at her best friend's attempts. “You know I can only set them up. You still have to knock them down.” The plant tracker told her friend as they headed off, Amity a bit crestfallen.

Luz caught up with her as the two walked down the hall passed the janitor who was busy mopping the floor. The diminutive red skinned woman grumbled as she struggled to lift the mop clearly meant for taller beings into the bucket of water and cleaner. “Hey little sis, you okay? I really wanted to talk to you about the other day.” Luz asked sincerely before Boscha took the opportunity to get her anger out by kicking over the bucket and spilling the contents all over the place. “Boscha!” Luz attempted to scold the other girl who stomped off in a rage.

“Just leave me alone, okay?” The triclops asked or more accurately, demanded. “I know you want to help but I just...need some time to myself right now.” She walked off, leaving her sister a bit unsure of what to do.

The janitor shook an angry fist at Boscha as the other students passed by, laughing at the gremlin in overalls. “You'll pay. You'll all pay! I was in the Emperor's Coven!”

“And now you're not.” One student said, the statement causing her to deflate as she started to try and clean up the new mess. As she continued to work, a hand reached down and picked up the mop for her.

“Sorry, Ms. Kikimora.” Luz said as she decided to help out. “Boscha is...well Boscha.” The small woman groaned as she lifted the bucket. “Here, let me help with that.” Luz pulled out a red pill and consumed it. Her skin tone soon became more tanned and a third eye appeared and opened on her forehead. Kikimora watched in curiosity as the girl generated a fireball in her left hand. Luz held out both hands and shot light flames over the wet floor, drying the water up completely. “There you go. All clean.”

Kikimora grumbles to herself and grabs the mop and bucket and drags them across the ground, leaving without so much as a thank you. “You're...welcome?” Luz said in confusion. The woman had always been grumpy since she worked there. She supposed being kicked out of the Emperor's Coven and reduced to a school custodian will do that to you. It may have also had something to do with the fact that Luz would often stay at school after hours to work and created large messes in the potion room. Messes that Kikimora had to stay late and clean. Luz decided to stay out of her way and walked down the hall.

“Hey human.” Luz groaned as she heard a voice call from behind her. Soon the green skinned, four-eyed potion student showed up over her right shoulder.

“What do you want, Gene?” She asked in an annoyed tone. This boy was constantly on her case, making wild accusations, mainly that she was a human. It was him who was responsible for many of the rumors that were spread about Luz at school. And there were already enough of those. Some thought she was born from Titan's blood, some thought she was cursed as an infant which was why she didn't have a bile sac and about a dozen other things in between.

With her recent achievements in and out of school, however, these rumors had begun to subside and many just saw her as one of Hexside's top students. She was at last, after all these years being accepted but this boy just would not let go of his conspiracy theories. “Like you have to ask.” He said as he shifted to her left side. “Today's the day I'm going to expose you for the horrible creature you are. You might have everyone else fooled but you can't fool me.” He again shifted to her other side as she continued to walk, with him right on her heels. “And once I do that I bet they'll run you off the isles.”

Luz turned around with a aggressive stare as she grabbed him by his collar. “I am not in the mood for your nonsense. If you don't leave me alone, I promise I'll rip out your forked tongue and shove it up your...”

“Okay okay. I got it.” He said as he raise his hands defensively. He gently dusts off her tunic as she releases him. “Sheesh. You're no fun when you get all violent.” He turned and started to walk off only stopping to turn back to her briefly. “Oh I stopped by your place the other night. You all should think about getting a new pet. That was the ugliest hell hound I've ever seen.” He continued on his way.

The girl had no clue what he was talking about. Daphne had forbid them from bringing another animal into the house after Boscha's pixie escaped and multiplied like wildfire. She was more concerned that this creep had started coming by her home. Luz pulled out a small recording orb. “Note to self: Set up potion mines around the perimeter of the house....and make sure to give the family maps for safe zones.” The girl went on her way not noticing the smirk the boy wore on his face as he vanished down a side hallway.

Gene looked around and made sure no one was looking before pulling out his scroll and whispering. “The seed has been planted. I repeat the seed has been planted.”

On the other end, Violet sat in a lonely room, her legs folded as she hovered inches above the ground, a strange glowing purple orb in front of her. This was one of the schools deprivation rooms to help certain students channel their skills through silent meditation. “I can see what is, what was and what will be.” She repeated the mantra as she opened her eyes as they glowed with a similar purple color. “Yes, I can see...”

“Violet!” She heard that horrific voice again as she lost her focus and fell to the ground, her eyes losing the glow as she looked to the orb, Gene's face on it. “There you are.”

“Do you mind?! I was just about to see something big.” The oracle complained as she stood up.

“I did it. I got Hargreaves good. She didn't even know I did it. Got her guard down and everything. I doubt she even realized it.” The four eyed boy said excitedly.

“What are you talking...” Violet tried to interject only to be cut off as he continued.

“It was so easy sprinkling the powder on her and she didn't even think twice. And all I had to do was get under her skin.”

“Not surprisingly hard for you.” She rolled her eyes. “But what are you on about?”

“Do you ever listen to my plans?” A long silence followed the question as Gene groaned and then proceeded to explain. “I got Luz with that powdered love potion I was working. It'll make her irresistible to every kid in school and it'll only get stronger as time goes on. Once she's distracted by all of that attention, I'll be free to break into her locker to get her bitter bean blood formula and any other projects she is working on. And when I have them, I'll be the top student in this school!” He laughed maniacally as Violet just looked at him with a half-lidded stare.

“Uh-huh. Wait, once it gets stronger, won't you be affected too?”

He scoffed at the notion and pulled out a black mask with four eye holes and a snout similar to an elephant. “Any good potioneer worth their salt carries a mask for just such an occasion.”

“You got one for me, right?” She asked only to be cut off as the call dropped. “I'd better just stay in here and let things work themselves out.” Violet sat back down and attempted to meditate again.

Luz was in class, seated at her desk as she took her notes. Her first class of the day was always her favorite as it helped to get her mind running early and always aided in giving her great ideas for her free time. While she wrote, a piece of paper floated into her view. It was folded and gingerly landed in front of her. Luz opened it seeing that it read: Will you go out with me?

The paper had a check mark for “yes” and “no”, the annoyed girl marking the later and blowing on the paper to send it on it's way. Not more than a second after it flew off another landed on the desk, then another and another. They just kept coming as she rapidly declined each only for more to come with various questions: Are you sure? Could you think about it? Just one date?

Normally she would attribute it to one desperate classmate who's parents were pushing them forward but not this time. Each note had different handwriting than the ones that came before. It was the entire class she noted as she looked around and saw winks and blown kisses. Her eye twitched as she just stared back down to her notes and tried to focus. It only got worse class after class with more notes and unwanted gifts of random items that students seemed to be carrying on them rather than anything meaningful. Not that Luz would have accepted them regardless. She walked with a tired pace down the hall her right hand limply hanging down.

“Hey Luz.” Willow called as she raced up to catch her.

“Oh thank goodness. I could use a friendly non-flirtatious face right about now.” The redhead said in an exhausted tone causing the other girl to give her a raised eyebrow.

“What do you mean? And what's wrong with your hand?”

“It's worn out from marking notes all morning!” She blurted out. “Every class it's been the same thing. Everybody slipping me notes to see if I'll go out with them.” She looked around as more students were giving her winks and smiles as she passed.

“That's terrible. You didn't say yes to any of them, did you?” Willow inquired.

“Of course not! You know me. But no one has ever been this aggressive before, let alone the whole class. I just need some time to myself.” Willow looked at the tired girl and thought as she had a small smile.

“I might have a place for you.” She said as she and Luz sneaked off together. In the distance a figure watched from the shadows. The two soon found themselves outside behind the school where thick foliage surrounded them, light beaming down from above through the trees. “This is my secret garden. I come out here when I want to get away from everything for a while.”

“Just take it all in. Let your mind wonder away from all the stress and care.” Willow said soothingly as Luz looked around in wonder at the various plants that dotted the area and the serene nature of the place. She listened to the ambiance that surrounded them; The birds chirping, the faint sound of the stream short distance away, even just the breeze blowing through the trees. Her mind finally began to relax as Willow conjured up an easy chair made of soft yet sturdy vines as Luz leaned back into it. She sighed in relief as she could relax from this admittedly strange day. She could be at peace.

This lasted all of five seconds before she realized something was horribly wrong. Luz's eyes opened wide to find Willow having crawled onto the makeshift chair and leaning uncomfortably close to her face. “Uh Willow, what are you doing?” Luz asked as she looked up to her friend who smiled and placed a finger to her lips.

“Shh. It's okay. Just relax and...” Willow removed her glasses and untied her hair as it fell freely, dangling over Luz's face. “let it happen.” She slowly leaned in for a kiss as Luz quickly panic and pushed the other girl off of her.

“Willow, what's gotten into you?” She asked as the other girl looked at her with a creepy smile.

“Come on, Luz. You and me, the two most powerful students at Hexside, becoming the greatest power couple in history.” Willow walked closer to her.

Luz slowly backed away. “Something isn't right here. You've never acted like this. I gotta go...” She turned only to be stopped by a wall of vines blocking her path.

“You're not going anywhere!” The plant track student said aggressively as her eyes glowed green. “Amity may not be bold enough but I'm not missing out on my chance!”

“What?” The Hargreaves girl said in confusion before she reached into her satchel and pulled out an glass orb with a dark green liquid inside. She hurled it at the vines and they promptly disintegrated, allowing Luz to run through to freedom as Willow gave chase. Large vines ruptured through the school grounds as the redhead found the plant tracker was gaining on her. Luz ate one of her fire pills as her features changed and she spun around, hurling a torrent of fire that destroyed most of Willow's plants.

Luz breathed a sigh of relief despite the fact that she had engulfed a portion of the school grounds in flames. Through the dying fires, she saw the glowing eyes of Willow as she walked closer, a cold expression on her face. “You hurt my plants. But don't worry Luz. I forgive you. Besides, I can play rough too.” The creepy smile that the Park girl put on caused the redhead to run into the school to find a safe spot to hide. Unfortunately it was out of the frying pan and into the fire as she was confronted by students left and right as they all vied for her attention and love.

“Hey Luz!” Emira jumped out excitedly in front of the girl, hearts in her eyes. “Oh no. You don't look well at all. I'd better take you to the healing homeroom for a 'private' healing session immediately.” Before she could speak further a potion hit her and encased her body in an amber like substance as Edric appeared out of an illusion.

The Hargreaves girl winced when she saw he had the same hearts in his eyes, looking around to notice all the students eyeing her up had the same heart shaped pupils. Edric got close to her and waggled his eyebrows. “So I was hoping you and me could be potion buddies in class for the next project or two, or three, or the rest of our lives if that's your fancy.”

“Hey, I saw her first.”

“No I did.”

“She's mine!” The student's arguments erupted into a massive fight as everyone used spells and potions to fight each other.

Around the corner, donning his mask to save himself from the effects of the potion, Gene chuckled before heading off to do what he had intended and get into Luz's potion locker.

In the midst of the giant melee, Luz found herself sandwiched in the middle of all the fighting, her potion bag lost amid the confusion and preventing her from freeing herself. The large vines she had been dreading soon appeared and parted the crowd as Willow appeared once again. “Stay back! She's MINE!” This little action didn't dissuade the army of love struck students as the massive horde dog piled the top plant tracker.

“Luz! Over here!” She turned her head to see Bonnie and Mary waving her over from around the corner. “Hurry. While they're distracted.” Luz immediately raced down the hall while all of the other students were in the midst of the melee. The three girls made a ton of distance between them and the large mob, finding a safe spot in one of the classrooms.

Luz plopped to the floor and breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks girls. Everyone out there has gone crazy. It's like...no it is that. Someone cast some kind of love spell on me and it's making everyone want me.”

“Really? Well that would explain a lot.” Mary said.

“Where are all the teachers?” Luz wondered.

“Um well, when they tried to stop the mob out there, they got overpowered and locked up in the locker rooms.” Bonnie explained as she looked around nervously.

“This isn't good. There are at least three types of love potion and it'll take a while to make a cure depending on which one it is.” Luz said. “With all of them out there we'll never make it to the potion room, let alone figure out which one and get the ingredients to make an antidote.”

Mary looked around and made sure the door was locked and the three were secured inside. “I think our best bet is just to stay hunkered down in here and stay safe until someone comes.” She walked over and sat down next to Luz. The horn headed girl's eyes slowly shifted over to her friend as she shook her head a bit, reaching her hands up to brush her hair from her horns. “You know...some people are really scared around me because of these.” Luz had a raised eyebrow and what the girl was saying. “But you never were. They're a status symbol in the family: The bigger they are, the better you are. You...can touch them if you want.”

Luz's face turned red before she shot up to her feet. “Not you too. Stay away from me!”

“It'll be okay, Luz. We can make this work. I don't care about you being a status symbol. So what's the problem?” She generated several abominations behind Luz.

“Mary, you aren't thinking straight. It's the love spell. It's messing with your mind.” Luz said as she had her hands up defensively. “I don't want to fight you.”

“Like you could.” Boscha jumped out of nowhere and attacked Mary's abominations with several fireballs that destroyed them. She then targeted the other girl and the two engaged in a fight.

As Luz was moving away, she backed into Bonnie who nervously shook and sweated as she held a bouquet of flowers. “Uh, so Luz...I was...I mean I was hoping if you'd like to...” She was stopped as Luz put her hands over the illusionist's and the illusion flowers vanished.

“No, Bonnie.” She said simply and calmly.

Bonnie looked to her simply before turning her gaze down and away. “I understand. I hope we can still be friends.” Luz patted her on the back as the girl left the room. She then turned to find that her sister had knocked Mary out as the latter was in a pile of goo.

“Now then...” Boscha dusted off her hands before turning to Luz. With lightning speed she pinned the girl to the wall. “We can have some alone time.”

Luz looked dumbfounded as she saw the hearts in Boscha's eyes. “Boscha, stop! We can't! You're my sister!”

The three-eyed girl smirked. “I know. Kind of naughty isn't it?”

The elder twin looked around in a panic as she failed to get away. Boscha was always the physically stronger of the two and she found it impossible to escape from her grasp when they fought as kids. This was far worse and with higher stakes. “Don't. What would mom and dad say if they knew?”

Boscha stopped with the realization. It didn't last long as the lust in her eyes intensified. “Well, they'll never have to know.” She leaned in closer for a kiss before the pressure of her grip was relieved. Luz opened her eyes to see the girl stuck to the wall by abomination goo, her mouth covered to prevent her from screaming as she squirmed to get free.

“Are you okay?” Amity Blight asked as she appeared in front of Luz, the latter shielding herself from what was to come. “Luz? What's going on?”

The elder Hargreaves girl opened her eyes to find the girl just waiting for a response. Luz quickly got up and scurried against the wall. “Just keep your distance. I know what you're after!” She freaked out, Amity watching with confusion as Luz raced out of the door.

“Luz, wait!” Amity called as the girl went out only to be met with a battered and bruised Willow, the ground behind her strewn with the defeated.

“Well, it looks like I won the fight and that means I've won your heart.” Willow's vines began to form around her again as Luz was frozen in terror.

“This is not the way I wanted my first time to go.” Luz said as she stopped to think. “Though I always kind of expected it.”

Before the vines could ensnare her, a massive abomination grabbed them and yanked them down. Amity leaped forward in front of Luz. “Luz, get out of here. I don't know what's going on but you need to leave, now!”

Luz complied and raced down the hall. After holding off the vines for a time, Amity found her abomination being ripped apart as they plant track student multiplied her vines and tore it to pieces. “Out of the way, Amity. I'll only tell you once as a friend.” Willow said coldly.

“Willow, what's gotten into you? Why are you and everyone else hounding Luz?” Amity asked with concern.

The other girl rolled her eyes at this. “Oh please. You had your chance to have her and you blew it.” Amity looked both confused and taken aback by this statement. “You wouldn't go after her so I will. Now stand aside. I already took out your abomination just like I did at covention.”

Amity smiled. “Yes, but the good thing about that is learning new techniques from Ms. Lilith. Like effective misdirection.” She looked to the abomination that had been ripped apart as orange insects had poured from it and climbed over Willow's plants, devouring the vines. “And a few beast keeping tricks, like devouring mites.”

Willow watched with horror as her prized plants were being defeated by their natural foe. She quickly summoned more plants of varying types and squared off against Amity as the two charged at each other.

Luz rushed down the halls only to spot several other students. She swiftly rushed around a corner and looked for a place to hide as she spotted one of the school's deprivation rooms. The girl breathed a sigh of relief for now before she opened her eyes and saw Violet looking over at her. “Um...hi?”

The oracle jumped back against the wall in a panic. “What...what are you doing in here? Get out of here before you infect me with that potion too!”

“Infect you too? How did you know about that?” Luz asked as she frowned. “What's going on?”

Violet began to panic. She could feel her eyes drawn to Luz as her body began to heat up by just being in her presence. The oracle placed both hands on her cheeks as they turned red and she turned away. “No. I-I can't...Just leave, please.”

Luz rolled her eyes as she needed answers. Taking a play out of her dad's book, she fixed her hair up and put on a confident, gentle look. “Hey, little lady. You know I really like that shade of eye shadow you've got on.” She nearly puked having to say that, but it always worked for her dad in disarming her mother every time he needed something. She gently turned the girl around to face her as she had a flustered smile on.

“You-You say that to all the oracle girls, I bet.” Violet said in a stutter.

The redhead dipped her, holding her around the waist and staring into her eyes. “Before we get to the down and dirty, how about you tell me what's going on. I promise you'll be my one and only after that.”

Violet's body tingled at the thought and being held in such a way as the hearts in her eyes grew and pounded heavily. “Okay. Gene infected you with some powdered form of a love potion so that you'd be distracted and he could steal your bitter bean blood recipe.” Luz growled as she got her answer, promptly dropping the girl to the ground before stealthily heading back out to the battlefield. “I'll wait for you.”

The girl knew she had to hurry but heard something coming down the hall and frantically jumped into the first room she found. Closing the door behind her, she turned around to find she was in the janitor's closest and saw Kikimora wearing a gas mask with a fumigation sprayer and tank on her back.

“What are you doing in here?” Kiki asked as she prepared to remove her mask only for Luz to hold it on her face.

“No! Don't take that off!” Luz shouted before putting a hand over her own mouth. “I'm in deep trouble and I need to...” She stopped as she noticed a cake with a lone lit candle on a crate in the middle of the dimly lit room.

The janitor slapped her hand away. “What is the meaning of this, child?”

“I've been infected with a love potion and the entire school is after me, I need to get to the potions room and brew an antidote and disperse it into the school's ventilation system to end this madness.”

Kiki blinked twice before sighing. “Okay, get in the cart.” She pointed to a large square canvas cart filled with dirty rags. Luz cringed a bit before hopping into the dirty laundry as Kiki pushed with all her might and wheeled her into the hallway. “Why are you so heavy?” The gremlin moved the cart with all her might as the students all raced down the halls in search of the girl. The two went unnoticed and finally arrived in the potions room. Kikimora stopped and cracked her back as Luz jumped out of the cart, with the janitor locking the door. “Alright, now get started so we can end this nonsense.”

“Right.” Luz looked around and grabbed the ingredients. “First things first I'll have to rinse my clothing. Then I can make my antidote for the powdered form of this potion.” Luz began to change out of her uniform only to stop and think, looking over at her locker and finding that the lock had been fiddled with but not broken. She walked around the back of one of the potion stations and found her target as she stared down.

“Luz?! Wait, wait!” Gene said from his hiding spot only to be knocked out by a single, stiff punch from the girl.

“Now we can get to work.” She finished changing into her lab gear and soon got to work. As she finished mixing the ingredients, the two waited for the brew to finish cooking.

Gene eventually woke up to find Luz, Amity and Willow staring down at him with angered glares. “Uh..hello.” He chuckled nervously.

“You know, part of me wants to tell the principal what you did and get you expelled. But the other part of me wants to do this.” Luz said before she blew a familiar powdery substance onto him.

“Huh? Ha! Jokes on you, human. I'll love being loved.” He said haughtily as he laughed.

“Loved? Who said anything about love?” Luz said as she and the other two girls were wearing masks.

“There he is!” A student said as she rounded a corner. “Let's get him!” She shouted as the ground began to shake and a torrent of students with torches and pitchforks charged down the hall at him. Gene looked at Luz in disbelief.

“A hate potion?!” The green skinned student ran down the hall as the mob gave chase. “I'll get you for this, human!”

“Well glad that's over.” Luz said as she breathed a sigh of relief. “If I never see another love potion it'll be too soon. Sorry for getting you both drawn into this and getting you infected.”

Amity rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah, I was... infected. Right. Well, I'd better get going.” She looked down as Willow walked with her, leaving only Luz and Kikimora.

A cold silence stood in the room before Luz made the uncomfortable small talk. “So...what was that cake all about?”

Kiki huffed. “If you must know, I was celebrating my birthday.”

“By yourself?” Luz questioned.

“Yes, by myself. If you hadn't noticed, I'm no ones favorite person around here.”

Luz looked puzzled. “What about your family?”

“What about them!” Kiki lashed out. “After I lost my position in the coven I was an embarrassment to them. I didn't receive a single call or letter from any of them. I don't know why I'm even telling you this. I've got work to do.” She began to storm off.

“Ms. Kikimora?” Luz called out as the woman turned to her. “Thank you for your help. And happy birthday.” The woman said nothing only giving a nod of acknowledgment before walking off.

Later that day, Luz was at the potion coven's main laboratory working at her usual station with Vitimir opposite her. “So that's what happened. Took care of it and managed to turn the tables on that green skinned annoyance, Gene.”

“You know, I could always make a few calls and have him...disappear, if that is to your liking? I do have my ways.” Vitimir said as he focused on the vials in front of him.

“No. I think I'll handle him myself if he ever does something like that again.” Luz stated.

Vitimir nodded in acceptance of this. The girl could take care of herself and he could respect that. “Despite his use of the potion, he must be much more skilled than you think.”

Luz looked up to him. “What do you mean?”

“You told me that the potion affected your sister. Traditionally, none of the potion forms work on blood relations.” He told her as Luz's eyes widened a bit.

“Huh? Well I guess he's just a genius screw-up because there's no way he did that on purpose.” She got back to work on the project at hand, only thinking about how far Gene has run since she saw him last. The formula she sprayed on him would ware off in a matter of hours but she figured he ran half-way across the island by now.

The next day, Kikimora found herself seated at a table, nervously fiddling with her claws and kicking her tiny legs as she sat across from one of the richest women on the Boiling Isles. “I take it you know why you are here, Ms. Kikimora.” Daphne asked as she organized her papers across from him on the long table.

The diminutive woman shuddered in fear for a second. “Given my past choices and activities in the Emperor's Coven, I'm certain that I've rubbed quite a few the wrong way.” She looked nervous as a blank faced Daphne placed the papers down, got up and walked around the table behind Kikimora.

“Uh, if you are thinking of taking revenge on me, just know that you aren't the only one on that list! Someone might get pretty upset if they didn't do it themselves!” The red skinned woman said in a panic. She felt the firm hands of the Hargreaves woman placed on her shoulders, not knowing what to expect next.

“I understand that you did my daughter, Lusina a great service yesterday. You went out of your way to aid her and saved both her dignity and chastity. You have no idea how much of a relief that was to me.” Daphne said with a polite yet firm tone. “Or how shocked I was to find that one of the Emperor's former assistance was reduced to such a position at a school.”

Kikimora twiddled her thumbs, mumbling something that did not go unnoticed by the pink haired woman. “I'll not ask why you were relieved of your position, though I am aware of your 'restrictions' after being let go.” She looked down to the black anklet on the palmling's right leg. The device was reserved for only those who were removed from the Emperor's Coven but would not be petrified. It restricted the use of all magical abilities and there was no known way to have it removed, barring slicing off the limb. “More importantly, I have decided, at my daughter's suggestion to buy out your contract with the school board and place you under my employ as my personal secretary.”

The seated woman looked up in shock at this. It wasn't the Emperor's Coven but it sure as heck beat mopping floors. “I-I don't know what to say, Mrs. Hargreaves.”

“You don't need to say anything.” She chuckled a bit. “I've already purchased your contract.” She walked back over to the papers and brought them over, laying them down I front of Kiki along with a quill. “Of course, I believe in giving others a bit more freedom. Sign this and you will have just that and it recognizes you as an official employee of Potions R' Us Industries.” The palmling looked down at the papers in front of her and lifted the quill before scrolling her signature on the dotted line.

Just outside the room, Luz peered in with a small smile as her mother picked up the papers. “Welcome to the family.”

Chapter Text

Kikimora had been waiting for this day and for once in a long time, she wasn't dreading it. It was her first payday as an employee of Potions R' Us Inc. She sported her new uniform which was much like the one she possessed in the emperor's service, albeit the black replacing white and a more vibrant yellow in place of the gold trim. The line for pay got shorter and shorter until she had reached the front and collected her check. It wasn't the sum she was used to in the emperor's service but it was a much more pleasant sight than the pittance she had collected working at the school.

The palmling delightedly thanked the clerk before heading down the steps of the factory and near the exit doors. As she took a carriage to her domicile, Kikimora noticed that she had forgotten the office key that Daphne had given her in the pocket of the uniform. It was meant to be returned at the end of the day. By the time she realized it, the factory would have already been closed up. While she could take it home, that would entail keeping it the entire weekend and given what resulted in her termination from the castle she opted to return the keys personally to Mrs. Haregreaves. She soon found herself requesting that the driver change course from the bank to the estate of the potion maker.

She soon walked up to the front of the manor and tapped a claw on the front door of the home. It wasn't long before she was greeted by the pink-haired woman. “Ms. Kikimora. I must say this is a surprise.”

“A good afternoon to you, Mrs. Hargreaves.” Kiki bowed slightly in respect.

“Please, won't you come in for a moment? I'm just in the middle of something.” Daphne gestured for her to come inside. The palmling didn't argue and followed closely behind.

“I apologize for the intrusion on your personal time.” Kikimora said humbly as the two went into the woman's office.

Daphne walked around and sat herself at the desk in the room. “It's no trouble at all. What can I do for you?”

Kikimora reached into her pocket and placed the key on the desk in front of her. “I forgot to return this to your office and thought it best to give it to you personally.”

The woman looked surprised. “Oh Kikimora, you didn't have to go through all of that trouble.”

“It was no trouble whatsoever.” The diminutive woman brushed it off.

Luz Hargreaved peered into the room as she noticed the guest. “Hey mom...Oh, hi Ms. Kikimora.”

“And a good day to you, young Ms. Hargreaves.” Kiki's tone was much more jovial than usual. It came from having a job she enjoyed again as well as not having to clean up after the ungrateful brats of the school.

“So how are you enjoying your first week here?” Luz questioned.

“It's certainly a step up from my previous career decline. I must say it is good to be back in the midst of the action, so to speak.” Kikimora responded before turning back to Daphne. “I believe I've taken enough of your valuable time. I need to be off to the bank to make my deposit.”

“Deposit? Of what?” Luz questioned.

“Snails, Luz.” Her mother answered. “That's what the bank is for, storing all of your valuables and funds for your use and personal protection. Don't they teach you about finance in school?”

Luz's eyelids lowered even more than usual. “Mom, it's a magic school that teaches us how to turn gold into lead. Why would they teach us about impractical things like that?”

Daphne shook her head in disbelief. “I thought I told your father to open a savings account for you years ago. What do you do with all the profit from selling your pills and your share of the bitter bean blood sales?”

The girl shrugged. “I've just been putting it in my mattress.”

This news alarmed her mother as she got up and walked over to the girl. “Luz I think it's high time you get a savings account and learned the most important lesson in a woman's life...finance." Daphne said putting a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"I thought the most important thing was family and the people we love." Luz questioned.

Daphne smiled lightly. "Well yes, that is important, but this allows us to provide for those people. Do you think we'd survive if I left that up to your father?" They both peered out of the window to see him halfway out of the window of the next room.

"Hey you kids get off my lawn!" He shouted at the children running around below as he threw bags of snails at them.

"I see your point." Luz admitted.

Daphne whirled her finger in the air as she conjured up a sack. “Why don't you go and collect your snails and you can accompany Kikimora to the bank and open an account.”

"But but but..." Kiki attempted to oppose the girl coming along. While she was on better terms, she was still not wholly a sociable creature, especially with children. Her protests were silenced by her employer's death glare. "Yes ma'am." She grumbled as she and Luz left.

Daphne smirked with mischief in her eyes. With no Luz here and Boscha out practicing with her teammates, the house was empty for a few hours. "Oh Larry, your kitten is on the prowl and she's hungry. Rawr." She said seductively, patting her hand in the air like a cats paw. She bumped into Luz who was standing in front of her. "Luz!? I um...what are you still doing here!?" She said in a flustered look with her face flush red.

"Ms. Kikimora gave me fifty snails to stay here."

"Oh she did, did she?"

Kikimora was meanwhile strolling down the street, check in hand without a care in the world. Before she got any further, she found Luz blocking her path with a second bag of money. "Mom gave me a thousand snails if I went with you." The girl said happily.

"AWWWWW! Fine." Kikimora said in frustration. She begrudgingly walked with the girl who had a small smile on her face.

The two eventually arrived at the large stone structure that was the bank. “Okay, we will go inside, wait in line, I will deposit my funds and then you will get yours deposited in your new account before we proceed to escort you back home. Simple five point plan.” The woman instructed to her taller ward.

Luz looked nervous once she heard the instructions. “Wait in line? Um, Ms. Kikimora, I have this thing about waiting. I tend to get a little...cagey when I have to stand around idly for too long.”

“Oh come now, it's just waiting in a short line for no longer than an hour or so.” Kiki said as she strolled inside.

“An....hour.” Luz's face turned pale. Well, paler than usual as she followed behind the woman into the building where several lines of people waited to be tended to by the tellers at the respective stations. The girl gave a heavy swallow as a lump formed in her throat at the large crowds of people that she'd have to wait for to get her turn and get out of there.

As the two joined a line, Luz fidgeted with her hands as sweat rolled down her face. Every line moved with the pace of a baby trash slug stuck in ice. Hours went by, then days, weeks, months. Time spanned on until Luz had missed out on all the important events of her life: Graduation, the Day of Unity, her apprenticeship, Boscha joining a professional grudgby team, her friends becoming coven heads, Boscha's wedding, her divorce and even Luz's own funeral. All missed because she had wasted her life in this line that stretched on for all eternity.

“Lusina?” The girl snapped out of her deep, agonizing thoughts as she looked down to Kikimora who had an annoyed look on her face. Luz found that in her delirium she had styled the woman's hand hair into a knotted mess. She then turned to the clock on the wall to find that only around fifteen minutes had passed since they had first arrived. So maybe she'd only missed her sister's wedding and divorce. “Why don't you go find something to do and I will hold our spot in line?” She tried to say it as calm as could be.

“Um, okay.” Luz left the line to find something to keep her mind preoccupied. Off in the corner she spotted several candy dispensing machines. They were, however already claimed by about a dozen or more kids who were busy emptying the machines with their parents coins if it kept them out of the way. In the midst of them she spotted Mary who was dog-piled by some of her younger siblings, their thick purple fleece like hair engulfing the teen and preventing her from moving. She spotted Luz and shook her head as if to say “Stay back”.

The vending machines not an option for Luz, she looked around to see anything else that might fill the time. That's when she noticed the person she was surprised to see. “Head Witch Deamonne?” She called to the dark skinned man, draped in purple, who was standing in another line, waiting for his turn.

He wore a small frown before speaking as the girl rushed to his side. “Well, if it isn't Vitimir's little beaker buddy.” He said sarcastically only for the girl to chuckle.

“That's funny. I like that.” She said with a smile. “So what brings you here, Head Witch?”

“Well if you must know, I am here to make a deposit of some funds into an account.”

“But you don't even live in Bonesborough or any of the nearby cities or townships therein.” Luz pointed out.

Darius groaned as he placed a hand to his head. “Questions from children are the bane of an adults existence. Don't you have somewhere else to be?”

Luz shook her head. “Not really. I'm here with Ms. Kikimora.” She gestured over to the palmling who waved nervously at the coven head before averting her gaze and shielding her face with a claw. “It's sooooo boring.” Luz leaned against the man before perking up. “I know, I could keep you company! That way I'm not bored and you're not bored. We'll be boredom battle buddies!” She clutched his arm tightly as he again groaned with annoyance. She proceeded to barrage him wit every question that popped into her head about the abomination coven, some he answered, and others he didn't, either from frustration or outright not knowing the answer. “So, how long did it take you to master your abomination form? Why do you have so many disciples instead of an apprentice like the rest of the coven heads? Why do you hate Alador Blight's abomination based technology so much when they seem like they are very useful? Who would win in a fight, you or Head Witch Cutburn? Why doesn't each coven have it's own security force instead of relying on the Emperor's Coven? Can you disprove the existence of....”

Kikimora just did her best to ignore it as some of the lines were moving along well, hers in particular. She looked over and saw that Luz was still pestering Darius with her questions. “You know what!?” Darius finally erupted as his eyes glowed purple. “Why don't you just...sit tight and stay quiet for a while, okay?”

“Um...sure.” Luz stood by him, staying quiet before walking off. Darius sighed in relief as he was now free from that little nuisance. The one good thing is that there was now only one other person in front of him in the cue, an elderly woman with a cane that hobbled up to the teller of similar age.

“Hello, good sir.” She said to the teller.

“Good day, ma'am. What can I do for you today?”

“I'd just like to make a deposit of five-hundred snails...” She said as she placed a hefty bag of loose snails on the counter top.

Darius looked incredulously at the woman. In his head he was shouting, “They make rolls for snails so they don't have to count them one at a time, you old crone!”.

“No problem at all ma'am.” The teller said as he opened the bag and began counting. “One, two, three, four...” Darius' eye twitched at the slow pace this was going as the elderly woman in front of him just smiled and waited patiently. “twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one.” As the count finally got into the three digits, the other lines were filing down. This couldn't get any worse.

Of course then it did. As the teller was counting, to Darius' horror befuddlement, the potion student had somehow appeared next to the man in the middle of tallying up the funds in front of him. “Thanks for letting me sit by and watch you work.” Luz said to the teller with a lidded grin.

“Well, anything for the Vitimir's apprentice. Three-ninety-nine, four hundred, four hundred one, four hundred two,”

“So, how does this loan thing work?” Luz asked.

“Well you borrow money from the bank and you pay it back with a little extra, or interest, over time. Four hundred-three, four hundred-four...” The teller explained as he continued counting.

“What kind of interest are we talking?” Luz asked.

“Oh I'd say four to six percent.” He says before he continued counting. “Seven, eight, nine...Oh darn it!” He said in frustration as he lost count.

“Oops, sorry.” Luz said apologetically.

Darius' eye twitched violently. “Will you get a hold of your ward?” He asked Kikimora who stood in the other line, innocently whistling and rocking back and forth. “Don't you dare ignore me!” The coven head held his temper in as he watched the teller go back to counting. It took what seemed like an eternity as the man got back to the triple digits once again in the late four hundreds. “Four forty-three, four forty-four...” Luz once again popped up next to the teller. “Don't. You. Dare.” Darius mouthed as Luz spoke.

“So my mom was telling me about credit scores. What's a good one supposed to be anyway?” She asked.

“Oh seven hundred or so.” Teller said as he counted again. “Seven hundred-one, seven hundred-two, seven hundred-three...Oh darn it!”

This was the straw that broke the camel spider's back for Darius as he let out a scream that took everyone by surprise. His body transformed into abomination goo as he towered over everyone and immediately turned to Kikimora. “You little gremlin. You thought this was funny? Well let's see how funny you think this is!” He morphed his right hand into a sickle blade as everyone scattered.

“I think you might be taking this a little too far.” Kiki said only for the blade to miss her as she ducked beneath the swing and ran. With no magic access, she was an easier target for Darius and her small legs were not aiding her in escaping him.

“Uh-oh.” Luz said as she slipped out of the booth. “Thanks for the talk, Mister. I have to go. Mary!”

The horn headed girl stuck her head out of the wool blanket that was her younger siblings as they still held onto her. “Yeah?”

“I need an abomination, 'Bonnie Special', and quick!” Luz shouted as she reached into her side satchel and pulled out a potion vial, hurling it at Darius. It exploded in a green mist that didn't seem to phase the man in the slightest as he turned to her for a moment.

“Why you little...” He stopped as he felt the goo making up his body harden before the exterior became like cement and prevented him from moving.

Luz quickly raced over to Kikimora. “Are you okay?”

The woman nodded. “Yes. I believe so. What was that?”

“A simple hardening potion. It won't keep him there for long so let's get that deposit done before....” The sound of chipping echoed in the bank as the statue that was Darius began to crack up, the eyes glowing green before he burst from his temporary prison.

“That...was a mistake. One which you will not have long to regret, little girl.” Darius said angrily as he morphed both hands into blades.

“Was he always like this?” Luz questioned as she held Kiki close to her.

“Worse before he went to therapy.” Kikimora answered.

“Before? Mary, I could use some help here.” Luz looked panicked before looking across the room.

“I'm working on it. Give me a second.” Mary was busy trying to get her siblings off her and giving them to her mother who took them out of the building.

Luz reached into her bag and handed Kikimora a silver pill. “Eat this, quick!” She didn't wait, forcing it into the woman's mouth so that she swallowed.

Kikimora gagged as it went down her throat. “What did you just...” Luz was already gone, running off and leaving her at the mercy of Darius. “Now, Head Witch Deamonne, you know how Emperor Belos feels about cold-blooded murder.”

Darius stopped to think. “I believe he'd forgive me for this particular instance.” He lunged at her with a vicious swipe, the gremlin throwing up her hands to shield herself as she felt the bladed arm make contact with her. She opened her eyes after hearing a scraping sound to find her skin had turned to a similar color as the pill and had taken on a hardened metal quality. Darius made several more swings only to find that they bounced harmlessly off of her with a clang.

“Hm. That's quite handy.” Kiki admitted. She could see why Lusina had become so famous as a powerless witch with these pills.

“That it is.” Luz announced as she reappeared across the room, her eyes solid green with blue skin with black hair, a long reptile like tail protruding from her lower back and her hands not forming three digit claws. “This one is even better. We'll be done in a flash.” Before anyone could even blink, the girl zipped around the room with lightning speed. “Mary, take cover and be ready.” She said quickly as her blurred form ran passed the other girl who took cover behind a counter.

Luz began to run circles around the still morphed Darius who looks confused as she moves faster and faster around him as a localized tornado forms around him. The strong winds begin to lift him off the ground before going high into the air. Kikimora looked on in amazement at what this girl was capable of. The gremlin herself was safe from the gale as her transformed state made her much heavier, too much to be moved by even these strong winds.

Darius' screams fill the air before being drowned out by the intense winds. Luz zooms off to the side and watches as the tornado dissipates, allowing the glob of goo to fall into a pile on the ground. It didn't take long for him to transform back into his witch form.

Luz breathed a sigh of relief that it was all over. “Ms. Hargreaves, that was amazing!” Kiki said as she jumped onto Luz's lap. “I have never seen potions of that nature before in my entire life!”

The girl blushed and rubbed the back of her head. “Aw, thanks. They are pretty impressive, huh? I've got more where those came from. Though I should probably see if Mary is okay. It looks like I didn't need the extra help after all.”

As she said this, neither of the two noticed an still furious Darius coming up behind them. Before he can act, a blue hued abomination with horns protruding from the head wraps it's arms around him. “What the..? Release me you...” He stops his shouts as a blue glow emits from the gooey creature that seems to calm him down before the coven head has a relaxed look.

Luz and Kikimora turn around to view the scene and find Mary hoping on top of the abomination. “You didn't need whose help now?” The horn headed girl asked as she looked at the two. “You guys had better get your banking done before this wears off.”

“You're really getting good at that.” Luz told her, Mary's sharp teeth bared in a smirk.

After making her deposit and ensuring Luz had done the same, Kikimora took the liberty to escort the girl home. “Well I should be getting on. It was an... interesting excursion, young Ms. Hargreaves.”

“Thanks...I think. Sorry again about the whole ordeal. Any chance you could not mention this to my parents, specifically my mom?” Luz requested.

“I think I can accommodate you.” Kikimora said as she turned to leave.

“Do you have dinner plans?” The redhead asked. “Mom is a really good cook and she is always making more food then we know what to do with.”

Kikimora smiled beneath her face covering. “I thank you for the warm invitation, but I'm afraid I must respectfully decline. Perhaps some other time.” She gave a final goodbye before going on her way as Luz turned back to the family mansion.

Luz walked through the front doors and removed her boots and walked into the main room where she spotted Boscha who looked to be putting something behind the couch. “Boscha?”

“AH! Luz!” Her sister spun around in a panic.

“Um, what are you doing?” The elder of the two asked.

Boscha's eyes darted around the room as she had her hands behind her back. “Nothing! What are you doing?!”

Luz looked her over and wanted to inquire further but she was too hungry to make more out of this at the moment. “I was going to clean up for dinner.”

Boscha relaxed a bit and frowned. “Well you better get your boots back on. Derwin is taking us out to eat. Mom and dad are doing another type of cooking, if you catch my drift.”

“Gross.” Luz shivered as she did as her sister said and the two headed over to the small home adjacent to the mansion where Derwin lived out of so he could be on call if anything ever came up and the family needed it's driver.

Back at the bank, Darius was just coming out of the comforting daze Mary's abomination had put him in. He woke up to find the lines now completely empty with the teller still at his station and quickly rushed over. “How may I help you, sonny?”

“Finally! I would like to transfer funds to...” Before Darius could speak further the clock on the bank wall screamed out.

“Sorry, sonny. Business hours are over. Please come back tomorrow and we'll be happy to help you.” The elderly teller said as sheets of metal covered over the teller stations and all of the lights went out.

Darius just stood there, his eye twitching and his teeth clinched tightly. He was seemingly about to explode before releasing a heavy sigh, regaining his composure and turning to leave the building. As angry as he was at being inconvenienced by the potion girl and the emperor's former assistant, he could let it go...for now. And he was in no hurry to let others know he was defeated by her and that little horned trouble maker from the Shepard clan. Tomorrow was another day to move things along after all.

Chapter Text

“Did you find it yet, Boscha?” Skara asked as she sat in the living room of the Hargreaves home waiting for her friend.

Boscha was busy rummaging through the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen. “Not yet. That key has to be around here somewhere. I remember I went in the kitchen to grab a snack and I had to have left it in here. You know, the searching would go a lot faster if you helped.”

“Great idea. I'll go search...” Skara thought for a moment.

“I didn't leave it in Luz's room. Besides, she's not even home.” Boscha told her friend who looked away.

“I wasn't even gonna ask about Luz. Well I could at least thank her for helping me with my apprenticeship application. All I have to do is impress at my audition and I could be the new apprentice of Scooter Crane.”

The redhead rolled her eyes and opened the garbage can to search there. “Will you just help me? Amity's mom rented that training facility just for us. That place is for professionals only. If I don't find that key, Willow will have my butt. Shut it!” The last sentence she shouted and pointed a finger at the other girl who snickered at her choice of words. “She beat me one time and she bonked me from behind to do it.” Boscha stopped as she realized what she said. “I mean she banged me in the back! I mean had me on my knees! I mean...Darn it!” The girl dunked her head in the garbage can to shut herself up. A second later her head popped up with a piece of paper in her mouth. She spit it out and found there was writing on it.

She picked it up and began reading. “Hey Daph, I'm back in town and I'd like to see you. Meet me at three o'clock at the Coffer Cafe and we can talk. I'll have your usual ready, just the way you like it.” Boscha's eyes narrowed as she looked at this not that was only signed with black lipstick. “What the...?”

“What is that?” Skara said having come over and seeing the paper in her friend's hand.

“Something we're going to get to the bottom of.” Boscha said.

“What about Willow?”

“She can kiss my butt.” This unfortunate choice of words again earned her a chuckle from Skara as Boscha blushed. “Will you just come on?!”

The two girls made their way to town as they were only a few minutes off of the time set on the paper. “Pick it up, Skara. We're going to be late.” Boscha chastised her friend's slow speed.

“Are you sure we should be doing this? That note wasn't meant for us.” She said as she rushed to catch up to Boscha who was setting a blistering pace.

“Something doesn't feel right and I need to make sure.” The two eventually found the cafe referred to on the note and stopped short as Boscha pushed Skara into an alleyway, the two peering around the corner as they saw Daphne sitting at one of the outdoor tables. Sitting across from her was a well endowed woman with scaley purple skin, similarly colored spikes protruding from her head and a long thin tail. She sported an olive green dress with black boots, her legs crossed as she sipped her drink with lips covered with black lipstick and occasionally laughed as she talked with the woman opposite her.

“Who is that?” Skara asked. “One of your mom's business partners?”

“No. Never seen her before and I know all of my mom's associates.” Boscha told her friend as they continued to watch. “I wish I could hear what they were saying.”

Skara smiled. “I can help with that.” She drew a red circle in the air as she placed a hand to her right which was closest to the women. “Get close to my other ear.” Boscha moved around to her left and touched her ear to Skara's. To her amazement she could hear the conversation as whatever technique the other girl used had amplified the sound.

“So, what do you say, Daphne?” The purple woman said, her tail whipping through the air behind her as she had a hopeful smile. Boscha looked closer trying to get a sense of what is going on. “We can pick up where we left off.”

Daphne stayed quiet for a time, contemplating something. She brought her hands up from her lap and placed them on the table, the edge of a smile visible to Boscha at the angle as she nodded. “Okay. Okay, Erina.”

This Erina screamed with glee as she reached her hands across the table and took Daphne's hands in her own. “Oh I'm so glad you've made the right choice! Believe me!” Boscha watched with horror as the woman leaned across the table and kissed Daphne on the cheek. “I'll see you for our date tomorrow at noon. Don't you dare be late.”

Boscha stepped back, a look of disbelief on her face as she clutched her tunic tightly over her heart. “Boscha? Boscha, listen. We don't know what that was all about.” Skara told her in an attempt to soften what they had just heard. Her friend wasn't hearing it as she ran off with Skara giving chase.

“That...that could mean anything.” Skara told Boscha as the latter sat on the couch in her living room. Her hands were covering her face only to look up, angry and with gritted teeth. “Skara, don't do me any favors and try to cushion what we saw.”

Skara got closer to her and placed a consoling hand on her friend's shoulder. “Boscha, I'm sorry. I can't imagine what you're going through right now. What are you going to do?”

The two heard a small explosion upstairs and looked up as Boscha knew the first thing she would do. “I need to tell Luz.”

The girls walked up the stairs and saw the locked reinforced steel door and Boscha knocked. The door glowed a dim green color as both girls were basked in it's glow. A second later the bell over the door screamed loudly. Small panels opened all over the face of the door opened up and dozens of glowing green kunai flew out and swirled in the air only to stop suddenly, all surrounding and pointing at a terrified Skara. The door swung open as Luz quickly ran out and quickly blew a green powder in the air and the blades dropped harmlessly to the floor.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry!” She said apologetically. “I installed that security feature during the 'ears' thing years ago and forgot to disable it after the gala.”

Skara looked sad, tears forming in her eyes. “You were going to skewer me...just for touching your ears?”

Luz shrugged with a minuscule amount of guilt. “I mean...only if you didn't stop.”

“Okay, enough you two!” Bosha got in between them. “Luz, we need to have a word.” She pulled her sister into their room and shut it, leaving Skara outside. “Listen. I was in the trash earlier and...”

“Why were you in the trash?” Luz inquired.

“Not important.” Boscha answered.

“Were you thinking about Willow?”

“NOT IMPORTANT!” Boscha shouted in frustration before calming down. “Will you just listen? I found this note in there for mom to meet someone. Me and Skara went out to the spot and she was with this woman at some cafe in town. I didn't recognize her but they...” She paused, hesitant to say further.

“What?” her sister asked.

“They said they were going on a date!” The triclops blurted out.

Luz looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Boscha, how could mom be going on a date with some woman? She's married to our dad.”

“I know what I saw and what I heard, Luz! She kissed mom. And she clearly said date. Skara will tell you the same.” Boscha told her. “They said they are meeting up tomorrow. Come with us and I'll prove it.”

The older sister looked to her experiments before turning back to Boscha. “Alright. But we need to ask mom first. When she gets home for dinner and we all sit down, I'll ask her and see what she says. If it's nothing, she'll admit openly to meeting with someone. If not then we have a real reason to be suspicious. Until then, don't say anything to anyone else and tell Skara to do the same, especially not to dad.”

That evening, the family were gathered around the dinner table. The meal was rather quiet as the girls attempted to get comfortable enough to ask. “So...mom, did you...do anything interesting today?” Boscha asked.

“Can't say that I did.” Daphne responded. “Pretty standard fair. Finished my paperwork before noon, left to the market place and then came back here.”

Boscha frowned a small bit in disappointment. “Nothing else? You didn't have anything weird happen?”

Her mother had a small smile as she looked to the girl with an eyebrow of suspicion. “Was it supposed to? Did you do something to make it weird, young lady?”

“No.” Boscha said bluntly. “Forget I mentioned it at all.” She went back to eating her meal.

Luz immediately leaned over to Daphne from her left side. “Sorry mom. She's having Willow troubles.” She whispered.

“I am not having Willow trouble! That's not even a thing! I don't even like that smug, know it all, spotlight stealing, buff, amazonian jerk! I hate her!” Boscha shouted.

“Me thinks the lady doth protest too much.” Larry joked. Boscha got angrier as her eyes turned a tint of red and fire surrounded her frame.

“No flaming at the dinner table, Boscha.” Daphne said as the girl got up, her teeth clenched tightly.

“May I be excused?” She asked, seconds from exploding. A nod from her mother allowed her to exit the room, leaving scorch marks around her chair.

“I'll talk to her.” Luz said as she raced after her sister. Luz reached her door but stopped before knocking as she could hear the girl tossing fireballs against the walls, floor and ceiling. Lucky for them, having fire elemental blood in the family meant that the rooms had all been made to withstand such torrents. It finally ceased as Luz went to knock on the door.

“Come in.” A weak voice came from inside as Luz swung it open and found the girl exhausted on her hands and knees, panting heavily, smoke coming off of her body. “She...lied.” Luz went over slowly and knelt down next to her sister and carefully placed a hand on her back.

The next morning the two cut school and decided to trail their mother for their definitive proof. They made sure not to tell Larry before the girls had one-hundred percent proof. Luz decided they would need help in spying out the area and might need help covering ground and staying out of sight. With that in mind, she had enlisted the help of not only Skara, but Mary and Bonnie as well.

“Alright girls, we'll split up and comb through the sections of town find out where my mom and this mystery woman are meeting.” Luz explained. “Remember, try not to be seen, got it?” The others nodded in acknowledgment.

“Illusion nerd,” Boscha pointed to Bonnie who looked shocked.

“B-Bonnie.” She corrected the triclops under her breath.

Boscha waved her hand dismissively at the carrot top.“Whatever, listen up. I need you to make yourself useful and cast some illusions over all of us so we won't get noticed. I know you kind of suck at it but...” This didn't go unanswered as Mary stepped up in front of her. “You got a problem?”

Mary glared at her before she spoke. “Don't talk to my friend like that. I don't care if you are Luz's sister. You mess with her and you get the horns.”

“Can we all just focus on the task at hand.” Luz got in between the two. “Boscha, apologize.” Before her sister could argue, Luz shot her a look that said all that needed saying.

The three-eyed girl sighed and turned her attention back to Bonnie. “I'm sorry, okay? This is really stressful for me, but I shouldn't take it out on you. Can you just...make an illusion for us?”

Bonnie nodded silently and created five circles in the air that cloaked the group in disguises. Not great ones but from a distance they would do. “It's the best I could manage.”

“They're fine, Bonnie. Good work.” Luz said as the group moved out. “Remember to keep your scrolls out. It'll make it easier to relay when we do find them.”

Everyone took a section of Bonesborough to search through to find out where Daphne was meeting for this alleged date. They had given themselves an hour ahead of the meeting time to stake out all of the dining establishments, taverns and any other spot for entertainment, ruling out some while prioritizing others.

The group swept through each area of town, narrowing down the locations as noon drew near. “I don't see anything yet.” Skara texted as she walked along.

“Me either.”

“Neither do we.”

“Okay. Well let's rendezvous back behind the market place.” Luz texted as they all made their way back.

On the way there, Skara was still looking down at her phone when she crashed into Mary and Bonnie and the three fell to the ground. Running into the two broke Bonnie's focus as her illusions over the group dropped, much to Boscha and Luz's surprise. The gray haired girl had fallen on top of the illusion student as she tried to get up. “Oops, sorry. I didn't watch where I was...” Skara said as her hands had accidentally slipped under the other girl's hood. Both girl's eyes shot open wide as Skara jumped up and backed away. “I...uh...”

Bonnie clasped her hands on the sides of her head, her hood still up and a nervous look on her face. Mary took the opportunity to run up and grab Skara by the arms, pinning her against the wall. “If you know what's good for you, you'll keep your mouth shut about that. Go it?” Skara gave a rapid nod in agreement. “Good, now let's go meet Luz and Boscha and hope we didn't blow their cover.” The three collected themselves and pressed on to meet the twins.

As they walked something caught Mary's attention and she immediately pulled Skara and Bonnie back. She pulled out her scroll and rapidly texted for Luz and Boscha to take the long way around. The girl's complied and a few minutes later met the other three. “What is it? Did you find them?” Boscha asked as Bonnie silently pointed across the road where Daphne was standing, nervously waiting for someone else to arrive. It wasn't long before Erina showed up and met with Mrs. Hargreaves as the girls watched. The women talked for a moment before the purple woman pulled out a necklace that Daphne let her place around her neck. The two proceeded to walk into the restaurant just behind them. “Bonnie, how you feeling? You got enough juice for two disguises?” Boscha asked the girl who gave a small nod.

A disguised Luz and Boscha went into the restaurant but without a reservation they were stopped at the front desk. It took dropping the Blight name to get them inside since using their own name would immediately bring up some red flags with their mother just coming through. They managed to get a table not super close to them but enough to where they had a clear line of sight. The girls ordered and did their best to listen in as the two women talked. “Can you hear anything?” Boscha asked.

“No. I think I need to get closer. I can't even use my bat pill.” Luz explained as the pill would give her heightened senses enough to ease drop but like all her other pills would initiate a physical transformation that would not go unnoticed.

“You and those stupid pills.” Boscha whispered. “Can't you do something about that dumb part?”

“I work all day and night to refine my potion making unlike you. If I haven't found out a way to fix it yet, I'd love to see you try, Miss D average.” Luz fired back as the two whispered so as to not draw attention to themselves.

“Look, this isn't why we're here, Little Miss High and Mighty. We're here to...” Boscha paused as her eyes shifted to the side with Luz's following soon after to find Erina kissing Daphne, though this time it was clearly something more intimate as the two leaned to the center of the table, their lips pressed tightly together.

To say the twins were shocked was an understatement as they both sat back against their chairs. After only a moment they couldn't watch whatever would come next and canceled their orders before leaving the restaurant and back out to their friends across the street. Bonnie saw that they were on the way back and cut the illusion, almost collapsing as Mary caught her, allowing the girl to lean on her for support. “What happened? Did you find out...” Mary asked only for Boscha to brush passed them. “Luz?”

Luz stopped in front of them, tears forming in the corners of her eyes, something that none of them had ever seen before from her. Usually Lusina Ariana Hargreaves was stoic, lethargic and with a dry sarcastic wit to her, rarely showing much emotion outside of those. To see her like this let the others know that something was clearly wrong. “Just...go home girls.” She joined her sister in walking by them after that, leaving the group confused and looking to each other.

Daphne arrived home late, passed midnight, all the lights in the home off. Larry was out on a trip to the Knee to gather some ingredients so he wouldn't be back until that evening or later. Her daughters looked to have been in bed by this hour. She quietly made her way to her room and walked inside. Taking in a deep breath, she made her way to the closet and levitated a large trunk that she began to fill with clothing and some personal items. Daphne took extra care to make as little noise as possible as she finished packing and began to make her way down stairs, the floating trunk accompanying her. As she crept closer to the door, she heard someone clear their throats and turned around in dread to see her daughters standing on the stairs above her.

“Girls? What-What are you doing up so late?” The mother asked.

The two girls traded brief glances before turning their attention back to her, Luz speaking first. “We waited for you for hours but you never came home.”

Daphne had a nervous smile on her face. “I didn't mean to worry you girls. I just had a lot to take care of at the factory with some potential buyers. You know you could have always called or messaged me.”

Boscha scoffed at hearing this. “And you would have told us where you were and what you were doing?”

“Of course I would. Why wouldn't I?” Daphne responded as she saw the frustrated look on Boscha's face. “What is this all about?”

“Really?” Boscha asked incredulously. “You're really going to ask that? You want to go and do...that and you have the nerve, the gall to ask what this is all about!” Small flames spark from the girl's fingertips as her voice grew in elevation and intensity.

Luz reached over and tried to calm her sister. “Boscha, just take it easy.”

The triclops pushed her sister away. “No! She's running around behind our backs, seeing some tramp and you want me to take it easy?!”

“What's going on?” Daphne's face turned pale as she turned to the front door to see Larry.

“Honey, I thought you were up at the Knee.” She told him as she backed away slightly.

“I was but I got a call from the girls that something was wrong.” He told her as she looked back up to the stairwell.

“Mom, we know what you...what you were doing. We saw you with...her.” Luz said quietly but still audible enough for Daphne to hear. Larry looked at his wife with a bit of confusion and shock. The room was silent for an eerily long period with the two staring down to the woman, one with a look of rage, the other just waiting for an explanation.

Daphne sighed before breaking the silence. “I suppose there's no denying it. Yes, I-I'm seeing someone else. She's an old friend from my school days that contacted me a few days ago.” Larry almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. Boscha wanted to jump off the railing and attack her at hearing the admission while Luz still looked utterly distraught, slowly making her way down to the woman. “It's-It's more than that. She...Erina has asked me to go away with her...and I said yes. So, I'm leaving.”

The two girls were stunned. Though they had expected it, hearing it didn't make it any easier. Luz stepped forward.

“Erina?!” Her husband asked in disbelief. “That spike headed girl who used to always follow you around?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact that is exactly who it is.” She told him with a bit of haughtiness in her voice. “We've reconnected and...we are starting a life together.”

“I..I can't believe this.” He staggered back. “I thought...”

“You thought what? That we really had something. Talking to her made me realize something. All that time we dated, getting married to you; I was settling for less and I should never settle for less. I never realized how unhappy I was with you until I saw her again. I'm not wasting anymore time settling for someone like you when she is still waiting.”

He tried to find the words to speak but couldn't. If there were words they didn't manage to come from his lips and he responded by running back out of he door. His daughters were likewise speechless at what had just transpired; For a moment at least before Luz spoke up.

“Mom, why? Why are you doing this? To us? To dad? You love us and you love him.” Tears were again forming in her eyes.

The woman rolled her eyes as she looked up before looking at Luz with a frown. “Don't, okay? Don't.” She turns to walk away.

“Just tell me the truth!” Luz shouted, causing the woman to stop and turn around walking back to her.

“You want the truth? Fine! I don't love your father!” She shouted angrily. “I never loved him. We were married because he had something I wanted, the only thing he is good for and that is his potion skills. He was never anything else to me. I planned on leaving years ago, then you two had to come along and ruin everything. And once that happened I was stuck with him.”

Luz was stunned from hearing this. She couldn't speak. She couldn't move. “But my luck has turned around. Now Erina is back in my life, she wants me back and nothing is going to stop us from being together this time, not him...and not you.” She told the girl coldly and turned to walk out the door.

The girl could say nothing as Daphne opened the door. Before she could proceed, a loud scream was heard as Boscha erupted in a ball of fire and propelled herself through the air, making a beeline toward her mother. Daphne spun around to see the furious look on the girl's face as she bridged the gap between them in the blink of an eye. The woman was prepared to fight but not for what came next as Boscha's fire dissipated and she had her arms wrapped around her mother's waist.

“Don't go! Please. I don't want you to leave us. I'll-I'll be a better daughter for you! I'll do whatever you want! Please...don't leave! We love you!” Boscha cried furiously, her head down and tears staining the woman's blouse.

Daphne found herself breathing heavily, her body shaking as she looked down to her youngest daughter. She couldn't find the words, only the action necessary as she forcefully pried the girl off and pushed her away. “You'll...This is all for the best. Believe me.” She raised the trunk once again and left the house, shutting the door behind her. Racing down the steps she went to the carriage as Derwin came out of his dwelling, in his burgundy pajama pants and shirt.

“Mrs. Hargreaves, is everything alright? I thought I heard screaming.” He questioned. As he watched her put her bag inside the carriage. “Where are you going, ma'am?”

“Everything is fine, Derwin. I'm just heading out for a bit.” She climbed up top as the black wings shot out of the sides. “You can have someone pick it up at the train station in the morning.”

“Mrs. Hargreaves, I could drive you there.” He suggested.

“No! This is something I need to do alone.” She stopped and breathed out before putting on a smile and turned to him. “You've been a good friend, Derwin. Please watch out for my girls.” Before he could question her on that, she took off and was soon out of sight as he ran inside the main house to find Luz comforting her sister.

“Are you girls alright?” The the man asks the two as Luz looks up with tears running down her face as she held Boscha.

“Mom...she left us.” Luz choked out as she continued to cry.

“I'm...sorry. I never thought Mrs. Hargreaves was that kind of woman.” Derwin said consolingly as he knelt down with the girls though he noticed something sticking out of Boscha's hair tie. “What's that?” He asked before pulling it out. It was a folded piece of paper and he unfurled to find a letter written on it. “His eyes opened wide. “Girls, take a look at this.”

Luz looked at the paper and began to read with Boscha who wiped the tears from her eyes. “We've got to get my dad.” She said urgently.

“Your mother took the carriage and I just saw your dad take off on his palisman.” Derwin said.

Luz pulled out her scroll and made a call. “Hey, it's me. Yes I know, but listen, it's an emergency and we need your family carriage. Can you make it over here and quickly? I'll explain everything once you're here. Please just hurry.”

Later

After what had happened, Larry hadn't known what to do. The only thing he knew was that he didn't want to think about it and decided to throw himself into his trip and block it all out of his mind. The man retreated to his cabin on the Knee that he had built for his trips. He didn't know how he would handle this situation or how the girls were doing. Maybe he just needed time, how much he didn't know but he needed it, even if it seemed completely selfish to just isolate himself. That morning he emerged from the cabin, clad in winter gear and prepared to set out before a large shadow passed over. The man initially thought it to be a griffon only to find it to be a dark red carriage pulled by two black bat-winged pegasi. It landed in front of him, Derwin at the reins and the door opening to reveal his daughters and Skara inside. “Would it kill you to answer your scroll?” Luz asked.

“Girls? What are you doing up here?” Larry responded. “Look, I know I should have stayed but...”

“Mom's in trouble. We'll explain on the way.” Boscha told him, gesturing for him to get in. That was all he needed to hear as he jumped in and they began to explain.

“I should have known it!” The father admitted. “Erina was always a pain. She never gave your mother room to breath. It's like she was convinced she and your mother were soulmates. Woman is a nut, I swear, but blackmailing her? That's a new low.”

“And whatever secret it is got mom to abandon us and go with her to protect us.” Boscha said as she banged on the roof. “Can't this thing go any faster?”

“Hey, careful! This is my dad's. I didn't even tell him I was borrowing it.” Skara said as Boscha shot her a dirty look. “We'll get there in time, don't worry.”

“We don't even know which train they are taking or where they are going! For all we know they could be leaving the Isles forever!” Boscha said nervously before Luz took her by the hands.

“We'll make it, Boscha.” She told the triclops as Larry joined in as well.

“We sure will.” It took longer than expected, but the group made it to the station. “Alright, there are at least three trains departing soon. We'll split up and whoever finds them, you stall that train and signal the rest of us.” Larry and Derwin raced off as Luz, Boscha and Skara ran in another direction to check one of the other trains on the list.

“Hey, human.” Luz heard and saw none other than Gene seated at a table. “I don't think trains run to the human realm.”

The girls tried to ignore him and kept walking. “Not now Gene.”

“What, nervous that someone else is on to you?” He asked.

Luz stopped and turned to him. “What did you say?” She asked coldly as she began to walk to him.

“Some lady came by and asked what I knew about your family. From the Emperor's Coven she said. Even gave me this badge and gave her all the evidence and photos I had.” He flashed them a triangular badge which, upon closer inspection Luz could see the truth. “Honestly, it's nice to have someone finally believe me.”

She aggressively grabbed him by his collar and pulled him out of his seat. “This is a fake, you idiot! She wasn't a with the coven. I would know.” She slammed him against the table. “That woman is some nut job trying to kidnap my mother and she is blackmailing her because she thinks I'm a human! And you told her that! If anything happens to her I'll....” Luz pulled out a vial and stuck it down his shirt before letting him go.

“What did you...” Before he could comment further, the vial exploded, sending him soaring through the sky and out of sight.

“Luz, I think you killed him.” Skara said as the other girl turned and began to walk away.

"There's no way Gene is dead. Otherwise we'd hear the sound of children singing in the streets. Now come on!" Luz said as the other two raced with her.

At the station, several of the trains were readying for departure for various parts of the Boiling Isles. Daphne sat in the dining car at one of the tables, a stoic look on her face as she stared out of the window. It wasn't long before Erina arrived, wearing a dark green blouse, formfitting black pants and matching black boots. “Well, here we are. The first leg of our journey. Aren't you excited?” She joyfully sat down across from Daphne who barely acknowledged her presence. “Come on, at least look a little enthusiastic. Once we get off I have a private airship that will take us anywhere we want. You would not believe the wonders that are out there.” She said excitedly, trying to sell the marvels of the world outside of the lone Titan corpse.

Daphne could only sigh as a tear left her eye. “But my home is here. My family is here.”

Erina frowned slightly before putting on a more compassionate look. “I know...but there is so much more than this. There are things I can't even describe. I-I can show it all to you. It'll just be the two of us.” She reached over and gently wiped the tear from her face. “I know you loved them, but you could be happy with me too. All I'm asking is for you to just give me a chance.” She gently caressed her face as the conductor made the final call. Daphne took a final look at her old life. At least once the girls found the note she slipped to Boscha, they would understand why she said what she said. She had to make the show of it, knowing that Erina had been listening through the necklace she'd given her with an oracle stone cleverly hidden in it.

The train began to move slowly as it began to leave the station. Just as it was picking up speed, it abruptly and violently stopped, causing many of the passengers to fall from their seats. “What in Titan's name?” Erina shouted as she and Dpahne poked their heads out of the window and spotted two large, horned abominations pushing against the engine to keep it in place. On the side Daphne spotted Mary holding out her hands as she controlled the two creatures, straining with all her might to keep the transport in place.

“Mary?” Daphne called out.

“Hey, Mrs. Hargreaves. Luz called us to... Actually, can't talk right now.” The girl told her. “Bonnie!”

The orange haired girl raced up and drew a circle, firing a flare into the sky, signaling to the others that they'd found the right train. It didn't take long before Luz and the others raced to the train. “Mom! Don't do this!” Luz shouted. “We found your note.”

“Whatever secret it is, we'll work through it.” Boscha called. “It doesn't matter, we just want you back. We love you.”

Erina glared at them. “They just couldn't let us be happy.” She turned to Daphne who attempted to get up only for Erina to poke the stone on the necklace as it glowed purple. The wearers eyes glowed the same purple color as she had a blank expression on her face and sat back down. “Sit tight, my sweet. I'll be right back.” She then hopped off of the train and faced the assembled group. “You just couldn't leave us alone. I let her handle things her way, now I'll tackle this problem myself.”

Larry stepped forward, a rather serious look on his face that told them he meant business. “Eri, I'm only going to tell you once. Let my wife go and leave.”

The woman held her hands out as large vines erupted from the ground around her. “You're not going to take her from me again!”

“Alright. We tried it the nice way.” Boscha said as she cracked her knuckles. Larry, Luz, Skara and Derwin joined her. Bonnie quickly grabbed Mary who had passed out from exhaustion as soon as the engine had shut down and carried her to safety.

“We'll take her together.” Larry recommended.

“I'm taking her now!” Boscha charged forward, summoning several grudgby balls as she leaped into the air and rained them down on Erina. The woman made swift movements, using the vines to parry the flaming orbs before swatting the girl out of the air and crashing into a nearby shop.

“Boscha!” Luz and Larry called out before the two turned back to find vines charging at them and the group took evasive actions.

Erina created two large plants with large mouths that extended themselves and attempted to devour anyone in their paths. Luz quickly reached into her bag and tried to grab her pills only to be tripped by one of the vines that then grabbed her bag and lifted it away from her. “I'll have to thank that little troll for the help. His files told me all about the little witch who can't do magic and needs her bag of tricks to make up for her deficiencies. I could have given her a child to be proud of instead of back to back disappointments.”

The carnivorous plant almost clamped down on Luz only to be hit by two potions thrown by Larry that exploded on it, and began to dissolve it's foliage. Skara began to play a fast tune on her lyre, hitting a sharp note that sliced several of the vines as Derwin joined in and used his bassoon to create a smokescreen to blind Erina. This didn't stop her as she placed a hand to the ground and could sense through the vines where they all were. She created plants that shot up under the two bards that threw them in the air and dissipated the smoke once the instrument stopped playing.

The two cam crashing down but the fall was cushioned by a abomination goo. They looked over to see Mary who had managed to conjure it up with her remaining strength before again passing out. “No more Mr. Nice Guy.” Derwin said as he pulled out a bronze arrow from his jacket. Skara watched as he tossed it in the air and started to whistle. The item stopped in midair and began to rotate in place and soon began to zip through the air, ripping through the plants with lethal accuracy and speed. The weapon seemed to respond to the whistles as with each change in pitch and tone, it changed direction and speed. It made a beeline toward Erina who saw it coming. The tip of the weapon stopped just inches from her face as she managed to summon a vine fast enough to catch the shaft.

“Oh so close. Here, you can have it back.” The vine hurled it back at him as he just managed to duck beneath it as the arrow cut through a wooden support behind him that gave way and hit him in the back, tacking Derwin out of the fight. Skara tried to help him up but was grabbed by a vine and restrained.

Larry continued to throw potions until he was all out and got grabbed up as well. Luz did her best as she stood alone slicing through vines with her sword only to be overwhelmed too. Erina brought the two close to her as she scowled. “Pathetic. You could have just been satisfied with letting her go. At least you'd have been alive.”

Luz struggled to get free as the woman moved closer and combed her hair back to see that she indeed had round ears. “Well I'll be. The little dolt wasn't lying. You are human.”

“I'm not a filthy human! If you believe that four-eyed twit than you're dumber than he is! You think the head of the Potion Coven would choose a human to be his apprentice?” Luz yelled as she fought to get free.

Erina shrugged. “Witch or no, doesn't matter to me. The boy's 'information' was useful in getting me interested in your mother again and I managed to find some real valuable dirt on her. Your mother is into some rather dark things, kid. Enough to make her leave you all. She really did love you.” She scowled as she turned to Larry. “But you had to ruin this. I didn't want it to be that way. I loved Daphne for who she was, but now I'll have to make her the way I want her to be. Now I'll have to wipe her mind of all of this, of you all.”

She looked down to Larry and glared at him, placing a boot on his head and pushing his face into the dirt. “Leaving witnesses isn't ideal but maybe I'll leave you alive, Larry. Not by much but alive, just enough for you to know you'll never see her again. I'll make her happier than you ever could, every night and in every way imaginable. Maybe I will send you pictures.” She formed a sword made of plants and prepared to finish the fight. At that moment a grudgby ball hit her square in the face as Boscha stood in the distance on shaky legs. The laps in concentration was enough for Luz and Larry to free themselves as another shot from Boscha freed Luz's bag.

Luz reached into the bag and quickly consumed her fire pill and immediately transformed, tossing one to Larry who quickly swallowed it and gained the same physical attributes that his daughter adopted as they both channeled their fire abilities. Erina summoned all of her strength and hurled all of her plants at them. The three Hargreaves opened up with a torrent of flames that consumed the mass of plants in a matter of seconds and overwhelmed her, the flames burning her face as she fell to the ground, screaming in pain as the three halted the attack.

Skara immediately went to help Derwin as the father and daughters raced to the train to check on Daphne. “Larry? Girls?” They looked to find the woman getting off the train with the help of Bonnie who held the necklace in her hands. The family rushed over and hugged her tightly as tears ran down Daphne's face. “Girls, what I said... all that I said...”

“We know mom. We know.” Boscha reassured her. “It wasn't you.”

“We're just happy to have you back.” Larry told her. The group turned to find Erina trying to get to her feet, the left side of her face and her left arm severely burned. Larry hurled a vial at her that encased her in a golden amber substance.

Luz walked over, reaching into her pocket and activating her sword. “Luz.” Larry's call was ignored as his daughter stood over the woman.

“Whatever you know, it's too much and you can't be allowed to leave here knowing what you know. So there's only one way to end this.” She lifted the blade up, resting it against Erina's neck.

“No. Don't.” She weakly said as she tried in vain to free herself as Luz looked at her with hatred.

“Luz, don't!” Boscha tried to go over to stop her. “She deserves this but I don't want to see you go down with her.” Her words fell on deaf ears as her twin shut her out and raised her sword high in the air.

“Don't!” Skara and Bonnie both cried out to get her to stop as she brought the blade down.

“Lusina!” That final shout from her mother was enough to make her change direction at the last second, missing Erina mostly, though two of her horns weren't so lucky. Daphne walked up to the girl and slowly, Luz breathing heavily as the woman slowly took the sword from her.

It took several minutes but coven scouts arrived from the town proper after securing the area. They apprehended Erina, getting testimonies from the family and witnesses and administered first aid as the construction coven was already repairing the damage. Daphne approached Luz who was busy talking to one of the scouts. “Make sure Head Witch Vitimir deals with her. Let him know Luz asked specifically.” She told the scout who nodded and left. The girl turned around and looked to her mother as they walked. “She said...she had dirt on you. What did she mean by that?” Luz inquired as her mother put an arm around her.

“Luz, there are things in this life we need to do and not all of those things are done cleanly. You know that, right?” Luz nodded lightly at her mothers statement. “I believe it's enough to say that I'll do what I have to to protect those closest to us. Right now, I want to put all of this behind us.”

Luz smiled lightly at her mother as they joined their family and friends who were waiting. “Let's go home.”

Two Days Later

Erina sat in her cell, bandages covering her burnt skin as she sat on the cold cell floor. She was motionless, staring forward as the sound of footsteps echoed through the conformotorium. They suddenly stopped in front of the cell as two coven scouts stood in front before one unlocked the door and both took positions on either side of the door outside. Erina looked intrigued as Head Witch Vitimir walked up and entered the cell. He loomed over her for a moment. “You must be the one that Lusina informed me about. Erina is it? I must say that someone like you....”

“Lusina? Lusina, that little monster.” She starts to chuckle. “That girl is not what you think she is. What any of you thinks she is. Lusina, the Hargreaves family, all of them are tricking you. Lusina is a human, a human hiding among witches.” Erina got no response from Vitimir who simply stood in silence. “What? You don't believe me? I have proof! Plenty of proof!”

She whirled her finger and summoned all the papers and photos she acquired from Gene. She excitedly pushed it forward to his feet. “It's here! All the evidence here in black and white. See?” Vitimir still remained quiet despite looking down at it. “I-I have more. A lot more. You let me go and I'll give it all to you. This evidence for my freedom! Sounds fair right?” She summoned the rest. I even have dirt here on Daphne Hargreaves as well. It's all yours!”

Vitimir took a step back and pulled down the wrappings covering his mouth before breathing out a green fog that enveloped all of the files, dissolving them into a puddle of liquid. Erina looked shocked by this and made a futile effort to save what she could. “What are you doing?! No no no no no!” As she scrounged through the disintegrating papers like a hog through it's slop, Vitimir began to read off her crimes. 

"You are charged with the following crimes: Assault, Blackmail, Bribery of an Official, Kidnapping, Use of Forbidden Items, Possession of Forbidden Items, Forgery, Imitation of a Coven Official and...Attempted Murder of an Apprentice to a Coven Head." The last portion he said with a coldness that could chill you to the bone, if Erina had been listening, the woman hysterically trying to save anything. "You are hereby sentenced to petrification to be carried out immediately." He turned and exited the cell, stopping only briefly to address the guards.

“Prepare the chamber.” He ordered as the guards saluted him and turned to the figure still clawing pointlessly at the ground.

Chapter Text

Luz opened her eyes as she heard a strange roaring sound. Her vision was blurry as she stared forward and found herself riding in the back of what looked like a carriage. The sight never really became clear in the dim light but she could make out two forms in the front seat as it went along the ground. Luz could hear the two talking but couldn't make out anything, the words garbled to her ears. She could hear elevated voices as lightning cracked through the skies, the sound of heavy rain beating against the glass of the carriage.

The girl could just make out a few words: Careful...Road...See. The voices got louder as the carriage seemed to careen left and right with little control. A bright light filled the carriage, blinding Luz before her eyes cracked open for a slit second before she was violently shook.

“No!” Luz shot up from her seat to find that she had fallen asleep at her workstation. She rubbed her head as she looked around her room, the bed neatly made from the morning before and a half drunk mug of bitter-bean blood sitting in front of her, now ice cold. Luz needed to get herself a fresh mug as she looked to her clock and saw she had two hours before school started. Enough time to get cleaned up and prepared for the big day. The girl looked across her work table and saw that it was done: her most recent invention. She must have completed it last night or early that morning before falling asleep. She smiled looking it over before hurrying to get herself ready, quickly packing the item up, arms and all into a large canvas bag.

At the same time across town, in a small rental property above a tavern a young woman emerged from her morning shower. A towel was wrapped around her pale skinned body and another on her head as she dried her short purple hair. She hummed to herself before she turned the corner, heading to her room and saw her roommate, Gene sitting at the small kitchen table. The young woman shrieked slightly as she saw him. “Gene! I told you to stay in your room while I'm showering!” She said angrily.

“Give me a break, Violet. I had to get breakfast since I'm headed to school early.” He shrugged as he had his head down and ate the fried eggs on his plate. “Besides, it's nothing I haven't seen before.”

Violet rolled her eyes as she went to her room. “And that's the kind of attitude that insures you'll never see it ever again.” She slammed the door, leaving him to eat. “So what's on the menu today? Another failed plan to prove Luz is a human, steal one of her formulas or just do something to tick her off? Let me know early and I'll check out this evening so you can have your little pity party later.”

Gene finished up and put his dishes in the sink. “Ha! The jokes on you. I've got better things to worry about than Luz.”

“Pfft. Since when?” She asked through the wooden door.

“Since today.” He looked into his room across the hall where a calendar on the wall had today marked off with a crudely drawn picture of a cake with a single candle in it.

Later that morning, Luz walked through the halls of Hexside towards the cafeteria. She'd arrived early to stow her invention safely in her locker before first semester. Along the way to lunch a voice called her name as Mary raced after her. “Hey, so I heard you finally finished that crazy gadget you've been working on the last few weeks.”

“You know it.” Luz said in a rather unusual upbeat tone. “I've had a lot of extra time to work on it and a lot of special parts went into finishing it up. I can't wait to show everyone with my presentation in the gym later.”

“You are never this excited.” Mary noted as they entered the cafeteria proper and got in line for their food.

“I've been working on this for a while and thanks to Gus giving me permission to use the 'you know what', I finally got a power source to make it work safely.” Truth be told the power source was a galdorstone. With the promise that she wouldn't reveal it to anyone and that it would only be for her personal use and nothing more, the illusionist agreed with her using one of the relics they had wrestled away from Bria.

“Well, it's good that you're in better spirits after what happened.” Mary told her as she looked over her shoulder and noticed Gene seated at a table with Violet. “I thought you would have let Gene over there have it by now.”

Luz sneered when she looked back at him before smiling. “Don't worry, I have something in store for that little troll.” The two grabbed their trays and began to walk to their seats. As they went over, a large raven like creature with a serrated beak flew into the cafeteria, a large white box tied with a string. It hovered over Gene's table as he looked with curiosity before it dropped the box gently on the table in front of him. The bird squawked before speaking. “Happy birthday! Happy birthday!”

“Aw sweet! I was worried my parents forgot!” Gene said excitedly before turning to Violet. “Well, pay the bird.” The oracle rolled her eyes as she pulled out a worm that the bird snapped up before flying off. Gene began to untie the string keeping the package closed as he couldn't wait to see what was inside, a huge grin on his face. Even Violet had a small smile as she watched him opening the gift from his parents. The mood soon changed as he opened the box to find a cake...in the shape of a baby. The texture and colors of the frosting made it look all too realistic as Gene frowned.

Luz casually approached him, a smug grin on her face. “Like it? I tried to get you one freshly popped out but surprise surprise, I couldn't find anyone that heartless...unlike you! Looks pretty real, huh?Anyways, enjoy, baby eater.” She walked off, with a disturbing grin on her face as some of the other students laughed at the sight of a baby shaped cake in front of the boy.

Gene just stared down at the cake in disbelief as Violet put an uncharacteristically gentle hand on his shoulder. He breathed heavily, his chest expanding and contracting as he seethed with anger. The green skinned boy smashed the cake with both hands in a rage, pushing Violet's hand away before storming out.

After lunch, Luz had made her way to the photo class where the students were learning to extract memories from the mind that manifested in 4x6 photos that were hung up on strings around the class. Luz sat as Bonnie was in the midst of removing images that Luz was thinking of. Some were of her childhood while others showed her achievements in the potion track. Bonnie kept pulling images as she spoke. “So...I heard you got Gene a cake?”

Luz snickered a bit. “Yeah, I hope it came as a shock to him.” Bonnie looked a bit disturbed by her friend's attitude.

“Okay, but why a baby?” She inquired.

“If he can do research then so can I. Turns out his family are some form of troll, infamous for centuries for their lust for eating babies. So, knowing that I had that cake made up and showed him that you don't mess with the Hargreaves.” Luz smiled confidently as Bonnie nervously took out more images as they changed to ones of the girl being laughed at by Gene and even one of her making her first batch of bitter bean blood. “That'll teach that chump for trying to steal from me.”

Bonnie promptly slammed the tweezers down that she was using to extract the memories. “How could you do something so horrible?”

Luz was taken aback by this sudden outburst. “What? Oh come on, Gene has it coming. You're not gonna tell me that looking up history is bad now are you?”

Bonnie looked at her angrily. “I don't care about that! Baking is meant to bring people joy and happiness and you used it for evil and revenge. You disgust me.” She marched out of the classroom, Luz a bit unnerved by the cold chill in her voice with those final words.

Luz rolled her eyes. “Bonnie! What the heck? Don't be all sensitive about this. Come back!” Luz shouted as everyone else in class' eyes were on her. “I'm not the bad guy here, Bonnie! And what are you all looking at?!” She screamed as the other students and even the teacher turned back to mind their own business. The girl got through the rest of the day with Bonnie refusing to talk to her and what made it worse was that Mary was taking her side on it.

The carrot top walked together with Mary as Luz trailed behind them. “Come on, Bonnie. You can't give me the silent treatment forever.” Bonnie merely kept walking with Mary, who had an arm around her shoulder.

“She doesn't want to talk to you right now.” Mary told her as they pressed on.

Luz sighed before running ahead of them and walking backwards to face the two. “Bonnie I'm sorry, okay? You know what he put me through and I just...I just wanted to teach him a lesson. I'm sorry if I did something wrong with that cake. You're one of my best friends and I'm sorry for doing that and even more sorry for yelling at you.”

Bonnie stopped abruptly, surprising Mary and Luz as she looked to her with a blank face. “Okay. I can forgive you.” She said simply and giving a slight smile. Mary likewise smiled as the two made up.

“You'll still come to my demonstration? It'll feel really empty without you girls there.” Luz asked them, the two girls nodding. “Thanks.”

“Hey, I'm just glad you two made up. Shearing Day is a lot harder with just two people.” Mary said as the three laughed, walking down the hall.

“Well, your baby siblings are a handful, but so cute.” Bonnie admitted as the three headed out.

“Just a heads up. Fleecy is getting her horns in so you might not want to play fight her right now.” Mary warned.

“Luz.” The trio turned to see Violet, a look of concern on her face. “Could...I talk to you for a minute?”

The Hargreaves girl looked at her watch to see the time. “I've got somewhere to be soon, so make it quick.” She told the girl in front of her.

“Look, I know that Gene can be a pain at the best of times. Believe me no one knows that better than me; I have to live with him. He's not my favorite person in the world, but I'm just asking you to ease off him a bit. That 'baby' thing really hurt his feelings.” The oracle said this with genuine concern and emotion in her voice in contrast to her usual deadpan delivery.

“Pfft. His kind don't have feelings.” Luz scoffed at the very notion. “If they did he wouldn't have almost ruined my family.”

“Wait, he what?!” Violet asked in utter shock.

“That disgusting baby eater deserves worse than what I gave him and the next time he pulls something like that, he'll get it.” She told Violet coldly before turning and walking away as her worried friends followed her.

Around the corner Gene had listened to the conversation and watched as a defeated Violet walked off before he headed down one of the side halls. As he walked, his hands in his pockets, he passed by the photo class and stopped as he peered in through the crack in the door. He was surprised to find pictures of Luz hanging up at one of the stations and looked around before heading inside. The green skinned boy made his way over to the station and looked angrily at the photos of the girl having fun with her friends and family, meeting coven heads and even...working on a potion recipe? Gene's eyes widened as he took a closer look at the photo and realized this was Luz's bitter-bean blood recipe. She for whatever reason was recalling that memory and left it in the open.

He quickly pulled it down and clutched it. “I can't believe it! I finally got it!” He quieted down and looked at the photo, squinting to try and read the ingredient sheet. “This is hard to read.” He summoned a fireball in his hand and brought it closer to get a better look.

“What are you doing?!” A voice called from behind him, startling the teen as he hurled the fireball into the air. He turned around to see an angry Boscha staring at him. Gene looked at her awkwardly for a moment, but before he could answer the flame came back down and hit the entire string of Luz's memory photos, the ingredient photo he had on the table as well. Boscha's eyes shot open in horror when she saw whose memories they were and ran over, pushing the boy out of the way. “No no no!” She tried to put the flames out but failed to as they only got bigger and soon engulfed all of Luz's pictures.

Boscha immediately turns around and grabs Gene by his collar, lifting him off of his feet. “What did you do?!”

Meanwhile on the other side of the school, Luz was behind the stage curtains in the auditorium as Principal Bump, several staff members and students, as well as Mary, Bonnie, Willow and Amity watched from the seats as she came on stage, wearing a black cloak that covered her body. She turned to the audience as she stepped up to the microphone “Evening ladies and gentlemen.” Luz announced as she gripped the clasp of the cloak. “I'd like to thank you all for coming to my little demonstration.”

“This little item is only a personal project but it is but a stepping stone of future inventions. Introducing, the potion productivity enhancer!” She removes the cloak to reveal a makeshift backpack with four yellow translucent tentacle arms growing out of it. The audience gasped in amazement as the arms began to move around.

“Oh my Titan!” One of the teachers yelled.

“That's amazing!” The potion track teacher said, impressed with what Luz was able to accomplish as always.

“The arms are made of a concoction of potions I brewed up myself for maximum flexibility and durability supported by a wire frame at the center connected to the pack. The power source constantly feeds the arms to prevent degradation of the potion mixture and keeping the fluids in a solidified form. This baby allows me to increase potion activity, handle homework, burn my secret admirer's notes and as a bonus... strangle someone if they cross me!” She had someone in mind when she declared that last line, rubbing her hands together in a sinister manner as the tentacles imitated a strangling gesture.

Many of the faculty and students were impressed. Bump though had a look that was a mixture of fascinated and unnerved. Fascinated because Lusina Hargreaves has once again stumped expectations with this new creation. Unnerved due to worrying about all the people that have gotten on Lusina's revenge list and might end up permanently paralyzed. The School Nurse could only let out a tired sigh. Seems she would be having a very busy time for the foreseeable future. She just hoped Lusina doesn't end up ripping someone's head off or worse remove an exoskeleton. While those types of injury were good practice for the students, the parents of those students were never happy with such things. She might have to expand on her list of compensations for Daphne.

Luz demonstrated the tentacles capabilities by grabbing individual items from a nearby table with one while mixing potions with two of the others, the final one combing her hair. She stood proudly as the students whispered in amazement.

“Luz is really incredible.” Bonnie admitted as she watched in awe.

“Yeah she is.” Amity said as she watched the girl on stage.

Willow nodded. “Just when I think she has made her greatest creation, she makes something like this and proves me wrong.”

The crowd gave Luz a round of applause as she bowed. “As you can see these...” Luz twitched for a second. “Sorry. These um...sorry it's getting a little warm in here.” She wiped her brow, everyone looking at her in confusion as steam seemed to be coming off of her head. “Anyway I was...um...”

“Luz, are you okay?” Amity asked as she approached the stage with a glass of water. “Here, drink this.”

The girl took the glass and splashed the contents on her face as the liquid almost immediately turned to steam. “Thanks Armin.” Luz said.

“It's...Amity.” The girl corrected as the rest of Luz's friends looked even more worried.

As the steam began to dissipate, Luz slumped forward a bit and had a goofy smile on her face. She thrust out a hand to her. “Nice to meet you, Amity. I'm...Luz.” Amity shook her hand hesitantly.

“Luz are you feeling okay?”

“Right as boiling rain, Arnold.” Luz said with a drunken smile.

“Amity.”

Mary, Willow and Bonnie joined her on the stage. “Let's get you down from here.” Mary attempted to take Luz by the hand only for the girl to jerk away and look at the group suspiciously before glaring at them.

“Wait a minute. I recognize you now. You're those stupid kids who are always after my lucky charms!” Luz pointed accusingly at them as the group looked at each other in confusion. “Well you can't have them! I stole them from that leprechaun fair and square and you aren't getting your filthy mitts on them!” She activates the pack arms and sweeps the girls legs out from under them as she lifts herself off of the ground and charges out of the room, smashing through the doors and sending many of the students running for cover.

“What was that all about?” Mary said in confusion.

“This.” Boscha said as she appeared on the stage and hurled Gene to the ground in front of them. “Sgt. Stupid over here burned all of Luz's memories in the photo class.”

“You what?!” Amity grabbed him and pulled him to his feet, attempting to shake the life out of him. “Do you have any idea what you've done?”

“What, indeed.” Principal Bump walked up looking none too happy. “You are in deep trouble, young man. Right now we need to keep Lusina contained before she hurts someone.”

Amity looked at Gene who smiled nervously before she handed him back to Boscha. “Is there a way to fix this?”

The group thought, coming up with nothing before someone behind them cleared their throat. They all turned to Bump. “There is one person. Edalyn Clawthorne.”

“The wacky Owl Lady?” Boscha asked.

“Edalyn may be … unusual, but she is a skilled witch despite it all. She may be the only one that can help.” Bump explained. “And we are running out of time. Your sister could seriously hurt herself or someone else.”

Boscha sighed, knowing that she'd have to do it.“Fine. The rest of you try to keep my sister contained. I'll need someone to come with me to that creepy house.” Boscha said before turning back to Gene. “You're coming with me.”

“I'll come too.” Amity stepped up. “I don't want you to rough him up too much. I still want my shot.” Boscha nodded.

“The rest of you find Luz and bring her to the Owl House in the woods.” Boscha said as Willow, Bonnie and Mary nodded and went after Luz while the other two dragged Gene along. Boscha raced off with Gene and Amity behind them, leaving the others to get Luz.

Willow led the remainder of the team as they raced through the school, following the screams of students and staff. “Well, it won't be hard finding her.” They rounded a corner and saw Luz towering over a group of students.

“Hahaha! Soon I shall rule over the Big Blood Apple, just as soon as I rid it of that accursed spider!” She yelled into the sky. A teacher with a spider appearance looked around nervously and quickly shut herself up inside of a classroom.

“Luz!” Willow called as the girl turned to her. “We don't want to hurt you. Just come with us.”

“You leprechauns aren't getting those charms back!” Luz shouted as Willow fired vines to entrap her only for the girl to launch herself upwards with her tentacles. The vines managed to grab hold of the arms. Mary summoned an abomination from the ground that wrapped up the girl as well.

“Now we're taking you to get fixed, Luz.” Mary told her. “Just relax and...” Luz began to shake violently before the arms ripped through the vines and splattered the abomination.

“You only fix what's broken.” Luz said as she loomed over the two. “But don't worry. I'll fix you both after I'm done. Then break you and fix you again.” Willow's eyes glowed green as she prepared to get serious.

“Hey Luz!” A voice called as She spun and saw a leprechaun standing behind her. “I want my charms back! Hand 'em over before I whack you with me shillelagh!” He told her as he put up his fists.

The girl's red eyes widened as she stared at him with pure rage. “I'll smash you into paste, you glorified brownie!”

“Oh sweet mother of Titan, I hope this works.” The leprechaun said as behind the illusion, Bonnie hoped this plan would work as she raced out of the school with Luz hot on her heels.

Out in the woods, the three students walked as Boscha and Amity kept Gene in front of them, a pair of abomination goo cuffs keeping him secured. Boscha kicked him from behind to move him ahead. “Watch it!” He shouted.

“Don't 'watch it' me.” You're lucky I haven't turned you into a fine paste. “Now shut up!”

“Boscha's right.” Amity added. “After what you did to Luz, you should be ashamed of yourself. What is your problem with her, anyway? She is the sweetest thing in the world. So kind, so understanding, so easy on the eyes...”Amity trailed off as Boscha looked at her in confusion.

“Are we...talking about the same girl?” She asked.

“Ooh, girl talk!” The three jumped in fear at the shrill, high-pitched voice that came from beneath them. Boscha's eyes opened wide with horror as the form of the familiar elastic bird tube shot up and towered over them. “I love girl talk. Then again I love any kind of talk with friends.”

“No. Not Hooty.” Boscha whispered as the creature wrapped all three in it's body. “Let's go talk at my house!” He ducked back into the ground and dragged all three with him.

It wasn't long before the three were brought back to the Owl House and now stood before the infamous Owl Lady, Edalyn Clawthorne. The pale, gray haired woman stood over the three and glared at them. “So let me get this straight, after you two broke in here before, tried to capture me for my bounty and took 'samples' from Hooty...”

“It tingled!” He called from outside.

“...you expect me to help your sister's fried brain?” She glared at Boscha who glared right back. The woman burst into snorting laughter before calming down. “Well, you've got stones, I'll give you that. Alright. Just so happens I do have something that will work. But I'll need them to bring your sister here.”

“Our friends are on their way with her right now.” Amity said.

Eda nodded. “Good. Now before that happens I need to know exactly who is going into her head. There's only room for two so better choose wisely.”

“Well I'm going, for sure.” Boscha said confidently before grabbing Gene by his collar. “And this slug is coming with me.”

“What? Him?” Amity said in disbelief. “I should be going, not him. He's the one that caused this!”

“That's exactly why he's going in. He is going to help me fix it. Plus if Luz gets here and they can't control her, I need someone useful to help stop her.” Boscha told the other girl. “Also, I don't want you fumbling through my sister's head.” The latter half she thought to herself. Amity accepted this before they heard a thundering sound coming their way. “That would be Luz.”

“Okay, here goes.” Eda drew a circle in the air and began preparing the two for the trip. “Now once you get into the mindscape, you'll have to find the damaged memories and fix them. If you run into trouble, look for Inner Lusina, a copy of your sister's personality in there that will guide you to the broken parts.”

As Eda continued to explain, Amity raced outside and was greeted by a fleeing leprechaun who changed back into a screaming Bonnie. “She's after me!” She cried as she leaped into Amity's arms, who immediately dropped her on the ground as Luz came charging forward, her mechanical arms ripping through the trees as Mary and Willow used every trick in the book to halt her progress with little success. Mary came flying out of the woods as Luz swung the arm holding her and she crashed at the Blight girl's feet.

“Well, you've done a bang up job, haven't you, little lamb?” Amity taunted. Mary snorted angrily as she looked up. Before she could respond, Willow was thrown through the air as well, but cushioned her fall with plants beneath her.

“Leprechaun, where are you?!” Luz called out before spotting a shaking Bonnie. “Hmm, you look taller...and female. A clever disguise.” Two of the potion arms shot out at the carrot top before Amity summoned two abominations to grab them.

“Luz, stop! You aren't yourself!” Amity called just before her abominations were annihilated as the arms pulled them into the air and smashed them.

“Nice try, you green goddess, but you won't stop me!”

This unintentional compliment caught Amity completely off guard as she put her hands to her face and blushed. “Goddess? Oh my. Why I didn't...” She never finished her sentence as Luz knocked her away. Luz then targeted Bonnie who could only shield herself for the inevitable. The attack didn't come as Hooty had wrapped himself around Luz, locking her tentacles down.

“Hey, Luz! Hope you want another sample because I got so much to give!” Hooty said cheerfully as Eda ran outside with Gene and Boscha.

“Okay, ready you two?” Eda asked as she drew the circle.

Gene began to back away nervously. “Do...do I really have to...” Before he could finish, Boscha grabbed him again.

“If you don't come with me right now, I swear to Titan I will skin you alive, make a pair of boots from your scaly hide to wear, then kick your teeth so far down your throat, you'll be sitting on your meals to eat them from now on.” Boscha's threat silenced him as she turned back to Eda. “Do it.” The woman aimed the spell directly at Luz's head as the two teens in front of her were transmogrified into light and shot directly into her skull in a blinding flash.

Boscha opened her eyes and felt dizzy as she looked around to find a large laboratory. She found Gene, likewise getting up to his feet, holding his head. “Are we...Is this...?” He wondered as Boscha dusted herself off.

“Yep, we're inside Luz's head. Now let's find those memories.” She looked and saw a lone door appear in the room and common sense told her where to go. “Now stay ahead of me. I'll tell you where to go.”

“Me? But what if it's dangerous?” Gene wondered.

“Well then Luz will get the satisfaction of getting ride of you one way or the other.” The girl pushed him forward as he hesitantly opened the door, revealing a bright light as Boscha pushed him through and proceeded behind. Emerging from the other side, the two found themselves in a long corridor dotted with archways on both sides and a sign over each to designate what they were. Boscha looked down the hall and noted some of the signs had purple flames burning on them signifying damaged memories. “Okay, let's get started. Get walking.” She kicked Gene forward as they went into the first damaged one.

They entered another long hall lined with images and began to walk, Gene looking around at the images on the walls. As they passed each one, the images came to life playing out different moments in Luz's life. Gene noticed how much different she looked in the images: Dark skinned, brown eyes, and long dark hair, the latter covering her ears in all the pictures he passed.

Though one of the images showed an infant Luz with pointed ears. He watched the memory as baby Luz and Boscha sat on the carpeted living room floor. Luz lifted her hand and reached over to Boscha. The two teens watched as baby Luz slapped her twin sister, but rather than crying baby Boscha slapped her back and the two began throwing hands at each other. A younger Larry rushed in and picked both up and separated them. When they were unable to get to each other, they began slapping their father in the face with their tiny hands.

Boscha smiled as she reached up to enter the memory but found her hand blocked on the surface and unable to pass through. “What the...? Must not be the right memory.” She said as they pressed on to find a memory that was covered with ash. The girl wiped away the ash as she got a better look at the image and saw a photo of Luz and her in their fathers lab. “Here's one.” The image glowed and the two teens entered it to find the memory grayed out and seemingly frozen in time.

“I remember this. This was the first time we crafted potions.” The duo looked around and Boscha noticed things were in a rather disorganized way as beakers were strewn about and books were turned to the wrong pages. “It's not right.”

“What?” Gene asked.

“These beakers are in the wrong spots.” Boscha said as she walked over to the potion books on the desk. “The books are on the wrong pages too. This must be what the damages are. The memories are all scrambled. The fire damaged and jumbled them up. We need to put it all right again. Help me.” She said as she began to organize things back to the way they were supposed to be. Gene joined her as she guided him to how things were meant to be. Once she turned a page of the book in front of Luz to the beginners potion chapter, the colors in the area began to return and it began to play as the others had done.

Larry walked passed both of his daughters as they worked. “Remember girls, always recheck your work and ingredient list and order before you proceed with mixing anything.”

Luz and Boscha sat at the station working on the potions their father had assigned to each. While Boscha was struggling with her batch, her twin sister was having a seemingly easy time as she skimmed through the book and added the proper amount of each ingredient. Boscha grimaced at how fast her sister was working as she struggled to get hers done. “Got it. My first potion completed.” Luz said as she held up the vial of golden liquid.

“No fair!” Boscha said angrily. “You must have cheated or something. I didn't even get to mix mine up yet.”

“Now Boscha, let's just calm down. It's not about how fast you can mix it. It's about how it turns out. Okay, let me see.” Larry said as he walked over and picked up the vial, examining the contents. “Looks about right. Consistency is good. The only way to make sure this is a great adhesive potion is to test it.”

“Larry did you get those tax forms filed like I told you?” Daphne entered the room as the man was not paying attention, still looking over the mixture. She called him several more times with increasing annoyance before shouting. “Larry!” The caused him to jolt in shock as the potion flew through the air and exploded on the woman's head, leaving a thick green goo covering her hair. The two girls seated were at first shocked before laughing at the sight.

Boscha smirked at seeing this. “Oh yeah, they had to cut off all of mom's hair and dad slept on the couch for a month.” With that memory fixed Boscha and Gene pressed on to the next grayed memory they were guided to: A memory of Boscha and Luz in their early teens walking through the woods with fishing nets in their arms. “This is that time we tried to capture the Owl Lady.”

Gene's eyes opened wide as he turned to her. “So that was true? Why the heck would you try that? She's the second most powerful witch on the isles.”

“For snails, you dingus.” Boscha told him. “Have you seen the numbers on that wanted poster? Luz knew capturing her and turning her over to the Emperor's Coven would set our family up for life. But something's definitely off here.” She moved around and noticed the two girls wearing backpacks. “My pack is never that organized.” The teen noted as she removed the organized pack from her younger self. It contained maps, tracking tools and even a few capture devices. She moved the large pack Luz had on, which was filled to the brim with weapons protruding out of it and switched it with younger Boscha's. The triclops saw her younger self smiling and immediately took her fingers and turned the girl's smile into a frown. “There we go. Hey, there should be a tripwire up ahead. Make sure it's in place.”

Gen complied and headed over to make certain. He found it snapped but picking up the two frayed ends and placing them together seemed to mend it like brand new. The colors of the memory began to restore and it soon began to replay.

“Pick up the pace, sis. We've got a lot of ground to cover before we find the Owl Lady.” Luz told her as she walked ahead. “The map that Tibbles gave us says that she's not far from here. We need to scope out the terrain to determine how to beat her, so pick up the pace. I feel like I'm doing all the work here.”

Luz's scolding got on her sister's nerves as Boscha hauled all of the weapons she had purchased or made for the job. “Yeah, you must be really tired flapping your gums all the time.”

The other girl shrugged as she took a sip of bitter-bean blood from her thermos. “We use what we're gifted with. There's no way I'd be able to carry all of that stuff, so I defer to your superior strength. Besides once we get there I'll make up a plan and we'll take her together. Side by side, tactics and tenacity, there's no one the Hargreaves sisters can't take. Twin power?” Luz turned to her sister and held out her fist.

Boscha rolled her eyes but smiled as she lifted her one free hand and fist bumped her sister. “Twin power.” The two kept walking before Luz hit a wire between two trees, opening a large net beneath them that had been hidden by leaves and brush. The two were taken up and confined in the net as several armor clad individuals hopped out. “Twin power, huh?” An annoyed Boscha asked.

“Well … at least we're still side by side.” Luz stated as they were surrounded.

“The hunters mistook Luz for a rare species and we got sold to some crazy hunter for game on his private island.” Boscha said as she walked on.

Gene ran after her. “But how did you...?”

“Two words: My mom. When she found out about that she tracked us down and tore through that place to get us back. In retrospect we were probably safer on that game reserve than when she got her hands on us for trying something so stupid.” The two headed on out of the memory to several others that they began to fix: A young Luz trying in vain to hide from Skara who tackled her from behind, Daphne training Luz in the art of sword fighting and a rather eventful trip she took gathering ingredients with her father.

They saw another memory with a much younger Luz in it. The memory wasn't damaged but the journey through the mindscape had intrigued the boy and Gene carefully touched it as it opened and allowed the two teens to enter. Despite not wanting him to mess with things he had no business, Boscha allowed this one since so far he had helped without much complaint. “Wonder what this one is.” He said as they appeared in the Hargreaves' house

A five year old Luz walked down the halls of the house, her long hair covering her ears. Gene and Boscha followed behind the child who clutched her blanket tightly to her. The triclops wondered what the significance of this memory actually was as Luz walked to her parents door and pushed it open. The teens peered in behind her as both their eyes opened wide in horror, seeing Boscha's parents in a rather compromising position. Boscha immediately shielded her eyes as Gene likewise joined her, his face beet red.

“Mommy, are you and daddy playing bog frog jump?” Luz asked in curiosity catching her parents attention.

“Luz?” Daphne turned her head back to see the girl in the doorway. “G-Go back to bed, sweetie! Daddy is … fixing mommy's back!”

“Okay.” The girl turned around and headed out.

Boscha kept her eyes shielded as she backed away. “Let's get out of here!”

“Hot.” Gene said in a stunned voice as his eyes were no longer covered.

“Stop staring at my parents!” Boscha ordered before grabbing him and exiting the memory.

The duo moved on and saw another picture that began to animate showing infant Luz and Boscha again, pushing against each other as they sat on the floor. What appeared to be another fight between them soon shaped into something else as the two seemed to use each other for support until they were both standing, still wobbly legged, but standing as Daphne watched in stunned amazement.

Boscha watched with a warm smile while Gene stood by in confusion at what he was seeing.

“Wait. She doesn't have round ears there.” He said softly.

“No duh, moron.” Boscha told him aggressively. “Not anymore. Not since then.” She walked passed him to another image that showed an infant Luz sitting on the floor as Larry worked and talked on his scroll. The words were not audible and the images weren't always clear but the notice the man get distracted and place a blue mixture onto a low table as he continued his chat and turned his back as Luz's eyes were fixed on the concoction. Boscha looked away for a moment as the child hobbled over, grabbed the mixture and drank it seconds before Larry saw what was happening and raced over. “It wasn't ready and it caused some kind of change in her biology. That's why she has the round ears. Not because she's human.” The girl turned and kept walking as Gene stood and looked for a few moments, feeling something in his chest before running after her.

The girl sighed as she looked at another image that began to play. “I just wish...that had been the worst of it for her.” Boscha said under her breath as the memory played an image of an elderly woman cleaning a lab station as a younger Luz, about ten and still with the dark skin and curly hair, came up behind the woman.

“Nam Nam Belinda? What are you doing in my room?!” She demanded to know.

“Just cleaning up for you, sweetie. Everything was so messy in here.” The woman told her as Luz's eye twitched as her organized chaos was just simply … organized.

“I have a system. Everything was exactly where it needed to be.” She sighed before looking things over. “Well as long as you didn't mix up anything important it should be fine.” She said as she pushed the woman out of the room and slammed the door behind her. Behind the door an explosion was heard,nearly drowning out Luz's screams.

Boscha had a pained look on her face and turned to Gene before more of the memory played. “Come on. We're wasting time here.” The two pressed on as Gene trailed behind a bit, head down and both hands in his pockets.

As the two walked on to the next damaged memory they could see in the distance, a roar echoed through the halls. “What was that?!” Gene asked in a panic.

“How the heck should I know?” Boscha fired back a question of her own. “This is literally my first mind tour. Whatever it is, let's just keep going so we can fix this and get out.” They reached the next photo as Boscha dusted it off and the two were again, sent into the damaged memory. Once inside, a smile seemed to form back on Boscha's face. The duo set about fixing things, with Boscha guiding Gene on what to fix as they found themselves on Hexsides grudgby field where teenage Luz was walking by the bleachers. After everything was fixed, the color was restored like the ones before it.

A worried Luz walked around, seemingly looking for someone as the field was covered in trash and flags with various messages on them. She went along and eventually came to the end of the bleachers as she heard a sound come from behind them. Luz came around and saw Boscha curled up against a post underneath. “Boscha? You okay?”

The other girl looked up at her, quickly wiping away tears as she frowned. “For someone so smart, you ask the dumbest questions.” She said smiling a bit as she said it, showing she meant no offense. Luz came over and sat down beside her. Just sitting quietly for a while, the two just looked up at the seats above them. Boscha sighed and decided to speak. “I blew it. I thought … I thought I could make the final goal on my own and everyone would start to finally see how great I am. Not Amity. Not Park. Me. I'm just sick of putting in my best every time and getting ignored.”

Luz just sat and listened. “Don't know why I even try anymore. I might as well let Cat take my spot on the roster and be done with it.”

“Boscha, no! You love playing grudgby.” Luz stopped her sister. “Maybe Amity and Willow are great players but so are you. You help balance out the team. They need you out there. What you do out there, there's no way Amelia or Cat could do the same. Just … give it time. You play a part on the team and they don't want you to go.”

The triclops was quiet for a while before looking over to her sister. “Maybe you're right.” She gets to her feet and gives her sister a hand up. “I'll just put my best foot forward and see what happens.” Luz smiled, hearing her sister's response.

“That's the spirit. Besides, I know you'd hate to be separated from Willow.” Luz said happily as she walked with her sister, who looked bewildered.

“Willow is not my...” She began to yell.

The memory ended as Boscha couldn't help but chuckle as she and Gene exited and went back to the main mindscape. As the duo began to walk again, the four-eyed teen opened his mouth. “So … your sister really … cares about you, huh?”

The girl was silent for a time as they walked on.“Yeah, we've always had each other's backs. Well … maybe not always, but I know I can depend on her and she can always depend on me.” Boscha said calmly before peering over her shoulder to look back at him. “That's why I wanted to know right now. Why all this? Why did we even have to be here? What did Luz do to you?”

Gene looked up to her with wide eyes. “Are you serious? Did you not see that cake? That was an insult to me and my family! She knew what she was doing. I wasn't even trying to burn those stupid memories of hers. I would have been just find getting that recipe from them until you ruined it!”

The Hargreaves girl shook her head. “No. Not the cake, not the punch, not the potion stuffed down your pants that blew you half a mile away. What was it that made you hound my sister every time she achieved something, every day she came to school, every moment she just existed?”

The four-eyed boy looked to her with a scowl. “You remember your entrance test to Hexside?” She nodded with a cocked head. “That day? I was there for my exam too. Practiced day in and out for months, and then when it was my time to show what I had, she had to come in and ruin everything. Made me look like a fool in front of everyone. I was lucky to even be considered after that. So yeah, that's what she did to me.”

Boscha gritted her teeth as she stepped up to him. “Let's get one thing straight; Luz would never purposely do that to anyone who didn't have it coming first. For all the crazy stuff she may do, she is just as sweet as can be. She makes people's lives better by being a part of it.” She paused for a moment. “I don't know what my life would be like without her, but I can guarantee nothing good. So I suggest for the rest of this trip you keep your mouth shut unless you have something useful to say.”

Gene frowned but did as she said and kept quiet as they proceeded. “No damaged memories I see here. Let's keep moving.” Boscha said before another door appeared in front of them and they passed through it and appeared over a narrow bridge that led to a lone door ahead of them. Cautiously, the two walked across the bridge that spanned a foggy drop on either side with no sign of the bottom from where they stood. As they walked the duo paused as they heard what sounded like a roar in the distance. They looked to each other in worry before pressing onto the door that awaited them on the opposite side of the chasm. Reaching the archway another sign hung over the door: Hall of Roasts.

Boscha cocked her head as she noticed a station placed in front of it with plaque that she read. “Dedicated to all the hated people in Lusina Ariana Hargreaves' life that causes her stress and anger.” She had to chuckle after reading it. “Of course. Luz always was the organized one out of us.”

“We...we aren't going in there, are we.” Gene asked with hesitation, causing Boscha to look at him in anger.

“Afraid there's a wing dedicated to you?” She asked before they heard the roar again. This time it was closer and they felt the ground shake. The two turned around to see a large figure charging at them from across the bridge.

They got a better look as it barreled towards them. The creature looked like it was an amalgamation of so many different creatures having seemingly been forced together in some nightmarish way. They could barely make out its demonic face which lets out a snarl as it closed the gap between them. It tried to tear them apart with its razor sharp claws as Bosha pushed Gene out of the way and attempted to attack it only to be swatted like a fly and tossed over the edge. “Not again!” Boscha shouted as she disappeared in the fog.

This left Gene up top and now that he was closer to it, the beast was even more grotesque. Several creatures heads sprouted over the body as well as various other body parts as it towered over the boy. It brandished both a clawed and tentacled arm and charged at Gene who evaded, causing it to run into a wall as he sprinted inside the hall ahead of him as it soon gave chase.

As Boscha fell a door appeared beneath her and opened, taking her away to another part of the mind. The triclops slammed into a bush and found herself wedged into it, tangled in the branches. “Ugh, I hate mindscapes. After this I swear, never again.” She struggled to get out of the bush she was trapped in only to feel someone tug on her sleeve and help her out and to her feet. “What happened? You managed to outrun that thing?” Boscha asked, thinking she was talking to Gene only to get eerily quiet, her face sickly pale once she saw who stood in front of her.

“L-Luz?” She stuttered as the younger version of her twin sister stood across from her. She still had her dark skin and brown hair but the round ears Boscha had gotten used to over the years. The girl was awash in a blue glow, standing emotionless in front of her. The triclops was in disbelief as something welled up in her chest at see her sister like this. Boscha reached out and placed her hands on the girls face. “You're … Inner Luz?”

The girl nodded as she reached up and took her sister's hands away from her face. She took her by one hand and led her through the forested area they found themselves in. Boscha was taken along as the glowing girl walked ahead, seemingly leading her to something. “Where are we going?” Boscha asked yet received no answer. “You're taking me to the broken memory?” The girl still gave no response as the fog ahead of them cleared and a massive door with chains covering it's face stood in front of them. The door soon began to drift back into the fog at out of sight.

Inner Luz pulled her arm and motioned Boscha forward. “What?” The redhead asked. “What is this supposed to be?” The girl still gestured her forward. Boscha looked at her before she pointed to the direction the door had vanished into and the three-eyed girl got the message. She hesitantly rushed into the fog and took a look back as Inner Luz waved at her before being obscured from her sight. The girl managed to navigate the fog before running face first into the large door that appeared out of nowhere. Looking up, she saw the massive size up close and yanked on the chains as they seemed just as sturdy as real ones.

“Hey! Inner Luz! I can't get it open!” She shouted, hoping for some direction from the alleged guide. “Come on! Open up! I don't have time for this!” The teen tried again and again to pull the chains off, but they refused to budge. It didn't take long before her frustrations ultimately got the better of her and she unleashed a torrent of flames on them. Eventually, the flames melted the chains away from the door and it was now clear. The intense effort caused the girl to fall to her knees in exhaustion before she looked up at the door which was now unlocked.

Boscha took a moment to catch her breath as she entered the doors and they shut behind her and she found herself in a circular room with memories on the walls. There weren't many but she stepped up to one and touched it as she was allowed to enter and found herself in the back of a carriage in the midst of a heavy rain storm. It wasn't like any carriage she'd ever seen and looked around as she was looking from the point of view from the passengers seats in the back as two figures, a man and a woman sat up front.

“Manny, I think we should pull over.” A woman's voice came from the front seat on the right side. Boscha could tell she had dark skin and messy dark hair that seemed hastily put into a ponytail. She sounded concerned as the carriage was shaky on the wet road. “The storm is only getting worse.”

Crying erupted from the back seat as Boscha looked to her left and saw some sort of cupped seat and harness secured in place. The seat had a blanket covering it where Boscha assumed the baby was under. The woman in the front seat turned around and reached beneath the blanket to calm the child, Boscha being able to see that the woman was a human by her ears. She began to wonder why this was one of Luz's memories. What did a group of humans have to do with her sister? “It's okay, mija. Mama is here. We're going to be alright. Manny, we need to pull over, this storm is getting worse!”

“I know.” The dark skinned man steering the vehicle told the woman as he looked to be struggling to control the reins. “If I can find a good spot off the road I can...” He didn't finish his words as the carriage careened out of control. “Hang on!” The driver yelled as he fought and the carriage seemed to lose all steering as a black starry void appeared ahead of them and screams were heard as everything went black.

Boscha had shielded herself but found that she was not hurt in the slightest, though she was disoriented by the experience. She found herself in what looked like a forest, a small lake nearby. The girl sat on the ground and found herself amid a raging inferno as the carriage had crashed into a tree, it's metal body twisted and shattered as flames consumed it and the surrounding area. The cries of the child could still be heard over the roaring fires as she looked over and found the infant, bundled up still in the seat as it was on it's side. Boscha looked around and saw a figure walking among the flames, cloaked in black and yellow garb. What stuck out to her was that they wore the badge of the potions coven.

The figure walked to inspect the wreckage and the girl now saw the bodies of the two humans, together but motionless. She watched as the supposed potion member, mask over their face, approached the crying child and knelt down. “Shh, shh. It's okay. It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you little one.” They said as they removed the mask to show the child that was not their real face. Boscha was shocked to see that it was her own father, many years younger, who picked up the baby who continued to cry. “You're … all alone now aren't you, little human?” Larry looked over at a piece of slightly burnt baby clothing that had lettering on it. “L-U-Z? Is that your name? Luz? Odd.” He took her and kept her bundled up in her blankets as he looked around and heard the howl of dire wolves in the distance. “Let's get you out of here, little one.” He pulled the mask down and carried the child off with him.

Boscha's eyes were wide as she felt a mix of horror and denial at seeing this memory. She backed away as the door appeared behind her and took her back outside. She didn't even realize it before it was too late as the door faded back into the mist. “Wait!” She rushed to catch it, but lost sight of it all together. The girl raced through the fog only to find herself outside of it again where Inner Luz was waiting for her. Grabbing the girl by the shoulders, Boscha shook her in a panic. “What-what was that?!”

The glowing girl only shrugged. This was not a satisfactory answer as Boscha shook her. “No! Tell me! That isn't true, is it? Tell me it isn't true! I ...You … aren't my …” She stopped as she heard the roars again in the distance. “That little idiot. Listen, I'll deal with … whatever that all was later. I need to get back up there. Can you help me?” Inner Luz nodded and waved her hand in the air that made a door appear in front of them that opened. Luz gestured to the doorway as Boscha nodded and went to go through. She stopped and immediately ran back to the younger version of her sister and hugged her tightly, surprised when the girl returned the gesture.

“Go.” Boscha heard whispered in her ear as she looked to the girl who now had a smile on her face. The triclops then turned and raced through the doorway that vanished after she left.

Meanwhile, Gene was racing through the halls of the mindscape as he tried to outrun the monstrous being pursuing him. He raced around a corner and sped forward as the beast, running on multiple sets of legs, awkwardly crashed into the wall but rebounded and continued it's chase. The boy panicked as he found himself in a hall with several archways with directions to the various sectors with names over them: Erina, Belinda and many others until he saw one with his own name over it and booked it that way.

Gene found himself in the wing that bore his name, the walls lined with memories of all his actions against Luz. He turned, every angle playing a different memory before he spotted one damaged memory and quickly leaped into it. Entering the memory showed Gene a moment he was all too familiar with; The day of his Hexside entry test. “This is...”

“My memories.” Gene jolted as a voice said and he turned to find the horrifying beast behind him. He stumbled back and fell on his butt as the creature growled. The multiple beasts' heads started to swirl around each other before morphing into a face, Luz's face, her long hair draping down and her pointed ears sticking out. “You remember this day, don't you. I sure do. It was the start of all of this, wasn't it?”

Gene began to crawl backwards as the beast approached. “Luz? You're Inner Luz.”

“Bravo genius.” She said as the mass of beast limbs and bulk began to contort and compact into the regular Luz everyone was used to. It was no less intimidating as she advanced on him. “This is where it all started. I certainly didn't know you before today so this must have been it. Fix it.”

“What?” The boy asked nervously.

“Fix it.” She said coldly. “I remember this day to a tee. It was one of the most important in my life. It was to you as well. You did say it was the day I ruined your life, isn't it? It's what you told Boscha.” Gene got to his feet, his back against the back wall of Hexside's auditorium as he began to repair the memories under Inner Luz's guidance.

Soon the memory became repaired as Gene attempted to run only to be restrained by Inner Luz who transformed her right arm into a tentacle and wrapped around him. He was forced to watch.

A younger version of Gene nervously took the stage with a young Boscha walking off after acing her test. In the audience, Luz cheered her on and sat back down after she finally left the stage. Principal Bump took out his clipboard and noted the next applicant. “Good afternoon, Mr. … Skull Breaker.”

“It's um... Skulbrecher but it's an honest mistake.” The boy corrected, his legs shaking as he cleared his throat and brought up a cage with a furry pink creature inside. “For my test I will morph this puff ball into a giant using this potion.” He pulled out a vial of green liquid and poured it on the creature before releasing it from the cage. At first, things seemed to go well as the puff ball began to grow, but soon it started to sprout sharp fangs, it's eyes glowing red and it sprouted arms and legs that sported sharp claws.

Bump was horrified while Luz was somehow fascinated by the creature. It roared and proceeded to grab a terrified Gene by the leg and prepared to it him before Bump summoned several abominations and hurled goo at the creatures mouth as it dropped the boy. The large beast made short work of the muck golems before turning it's attention to Bump, swatting him, leaving the man stunned before grabbing both him and Gene and ripping the goo from it's jaws. Before it could do anything else, a potion flew into it's mouth and choked it out as it dropped both of it's captives and coughed heavily before slowly shrinking back to it's original state and hopping off the stage.

Luz stood there, her arm still in the throwing motion before dropping her arms to the sides and sighing in relief before racing over to Bump as Gene ran off the stage and hid behind the curtains in embarrassment.

“Mr. Principal Bump, are you okay?” The girl asked as she helped the dazed man to his feet.

“Young lady, that was incredible!” He said in an excited tone. “How did you manage to whip up a potion that quickly?”

The girl pointed to the satchel bag on her side. “My dad said I should be ready for any types of situation so I have a lot brewed and organized in here.”

“Well young lady, I think you've passed your applicant test with flying colors.” Bump said as he handed her the curriculum. “Welcome to Hexside.” Gene saw this nearby and ran off in anger.

Luz looked confused by it all. “But I wasn't even trying to apply. I was just here to cheer on my sister, Boscha.”

“You're a Hargreaves?” He asked looking the girl over. “Must take after a distant relative.” He said under his breath. “In any case, I don't see why you wouldn't want to attend Hexside. We have every type of course to make sure a budding talent like yours won't go to waste.”

Luz looked down to the pamphlet in her hands and then up to the principal. “Would I still be able to be in class with Boscha?”

“I don't see why not.” The answer pleased the girl who excitedly accepted the offer and shook the man's hand.

The memory paused as Gene looked in shock. “Wait, I thought you were … trying to make me look bad.” He admitted hesitantly.

“Make you look bad? Make you look bad?!” Inner Luz shouted before throwing him across the room. “I didn't even know who you were. I didn't even come to apply! All I wanted to do was support my sister!” As she began to walk towards him, her body began to expand and morph into the massive amorphous creature that had pursued him before. “Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe it was no ones fault but your own? You messed up and instead of owning up to it you decided to blame Luz and take out your frustrations on her everyday and in every way you could. You almost destroyed her family and you still don't think you're to blame!”

One of the clawed arms reached out and grabbed him as another raised high to slice him apart. “It's clear we can't coexist, so I'm going to remedy that problem. But look on the bright side. At least the babies of Bonesborough will sleep safe at night without you around.”

“Stop!” Both turned as Boscha appeared, breathing heavily but still rushing over in front of the creature that was Inner Luz.

“The memories are fixed. Leave, Boscha!” The multiple heads roared as the girl stood defiant.

“No. Not like this Luz. This is not you.” Boscha stated.

“And how do you know?!” The beast roared.

Boscha dug her heals in and looked up to the center mass of the beast's heads. “Because you're my sister, your my … twin. No one knows you better than I do. I know you don't want to do this. You get angry, sure. You get revenge, sure. But not like this. You're better than this. It's what I love about you. Despite everything bad that's happened: The bullying, the heartbreak, … even your accident you always rebound and you make everyone around you better for it. Like me.”

The faces morphed back into the witch as she looked down to Boscha. “I was just like him, remember? I always played tricks on you, called you names and left you out when me and my friends went off to play. Even after all that, you still cared about me. You didn't try to hurt me or anything. Maybe Gene isn't family and maybe he won't change, but that doesn't mean you should do this.”

Inner Luz looked away for a moment before dropping the boy to the ground and slowly morphing back to her witch form. “Leave.” She said as she turned her back to the two. Boscha went to approach her. “Now!” The shout stopped her in her tracks as she pulled out the bell given to her by the Owl Lady and promptly rang it leading to the two foreigners being spirited out of the mindscape.

As they left, Inner Luz had to smile, only to promptly frown as the memory continued.

Luz shook the hand of Bump and smiled widely. “Luz?” Her body froze up as she turned her head slowly to see a familiar gray haired girl in a bard outfit. “You got into Hexside too? Hurray!”

“Skara? No!” Luz screamed as the other girl jumped on her and wrapped her in an unwelcome hug.

Inner Luz shivered at seeing this moment again.

Hexside

“So let me get this straight. My daughter had her mind flayed and her memories put in danger. So instead of calling me, her mother, you let the girls, my girls go to a wanted criminal for help?!” Fire erupted around Daphne as she grabbed Bump by his collar.

Bump nervously smiled. “Well, when you put it that way.”

The Owl House

The two teens stumbled and crashed to the ground as they entered the real world again. “Well you two sure took your sweet time in there.” Eda scolded with her hands on her hips. Boscha looked around and saw the damage in the surrounding area that must have happened while they were inside. All of the other kids were strewn about and even the horrible monster that was Hooty looked wounded with Bonnie clutching onto him. Luz was on the ground, just getting up as she held her head, her potion arms damaged but seemingly still functional.

“Luz, are you okay?” Boscha asked as she ran over and hugged the girl tightly.

“Yeah, I'm fine. I think.” Luz assured her. “Thanks.”

“Hey, that's what...” Boscha paused for a moment. “It's what sisters are for.”

Off to the side Amity was dusting herself off as Mary came over. “So that's what you've learned from Lilith? Not impressed.” Mary told her.

“Says the abomination nanny goat.” Amity fired back.

“At least I was useful in this fight. It's more than I can say for you, simp.” Mary smiled wickedly. “That's it! That's what I'll call you from now on. Simpity. Simpity Blight.” She laughed hysterically, which did not please the Blight girl, who was led away by Willow as they went to check on Luz. Mary cleared her throat and regained her composure. “Okay Bonnie, let's go. Bonnie?”

Across the way, Bonnie was hugging Hooty with a smile. “You saved my life, you beautiful bird … tube … thing. You're a hero and so fluffy too.”

“That I am. Hoot hoot. I'm the fluffy hooty hero.” He said happily.

“Bonnie, come on. I want to go home. Leave that thing where you found it.” Mary called.

The carrot top jumped back to the ground. “See you around, Hooty. I'll come visit.” She ran off to join her horn headed friend. The smile on her face soon faded as she looked over to Luz.

“You okay?” Mary asked.

“Yeah,” Bonnie said though sounded a bit unsure. “It's just...thinking about memories again..”

The horned girl looked worried and put a hand on Bonnie's shoulder. “Don't do that to yourself. Not again, okay. Whatever happened back then, it's over.”

The illusionist looked down before looking back to her friend with a reassured smile. “You're right. I'll be alright.” Afterwards though, her smile faded and the girl looked out to the cliffs that overlooked the sea.

As Luz got to her feet, with the others making sure she was alright, Gene sheepishly walked up to her. “Luz, look I'm really really sorry about all this. I just...” Before he could finish his words, Luz shot one of the potion arms up and gripped his throat, lifting him in the air.

“You disgusting little troll!” Luz said in a fury as she looked at him.

“Luz don't!” Boscha tried to stop her only to be shoved away with another arm.

“Stay out of this!” Luz shouted before turning back to the boy, looking up to him coldly as he struggled to breath. “You just had to push things, didn't you? With my work, my family and now with my head! If you ever and I mean EVER try something like like this again I'll …” The girl paused as she turned and saw the reactions from her friends and sister. Her fists clutched tightly and her teeth gritted, Luz turned her attention back to Gene. “Just get out of here!” She threw him to the ground as the green skinned teen gasped for breath before he ran off in fear.

Amity approached. “Luz...”

“I'm fine.” She brushed the others off.

“Luz!” Daphned raced up and wrapped her daughter in a hug. “Are you okay? Do you know who I am? How many fingers am I holding up?!” She asked frantically as her daughter looked annoyed.

“I'm fine, mom. Everything is okay now.” Luz told her to alleviate her worry. Her mother looked her over, tears partially forming in her eyes as she hugged her tighter.

The woman finally realized that they were in the company of others and quickly recomposed herself. She turned to notice a familiar face. “Edalyn.”

“Daphne.” The Owl Lady said simply.

“I suppose I should thank. Bare in mind I never asked them to come here and I'd appreciate it if we all agreed this didn't happen.” The pink haired woman told her.

The two glared at each other for a bit before Eda smiled and shrugged. “Have it your way. Just trying to be helpful.”

“I think we can do without your 'help', Edalyn. I haven't forgotten that little abomination incident all those years ago.” The woman pulled out a small booklet and began to write something on it. She then ripped it out and handed the paper to Eda. “Never let it be said that I don't repay my debts. This should cover it, I believe.” The gray haired woman's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw the numbers on the check. “Now let's go, all of you.” She told the kids. “I'm sure your parents wouldn't wish to find out where you've spent your day.”

The group departed as Boscha looked back to Eda before then looking over to Luz and her mother, who held her close. She had a look of uncertainty as they headed home.

Later that day, Gene drags himself home to the apartment, his head drooped down as he enters and closes the door. Inside he finds Violet sitting in the living room and she promptly gets up and heads over to him. “Okay, we need to talk. What is going on with Luz?” She asked angrily. “What's this about you trying to ruin her parents marriage? And I don't even want to know what the heck happened at the school earlier.”

The boy simply looked at her before turning and heading to his room. “Don't worry about it. It's over. Bump is suspending me for three weeks and on top of that I have to fix all the damage to the school. Right now, I just want to be alone.”

His roommate couldn't help but feel a little off put by seeing him this way. Usually he was full of energy even if it was just manic ramblings. “Do you... want to talk about it?”

Gene sat on his bed and looked over to her. “I was wrong about Luz this whole time. Well, at least I'll have plenty of time to think about it.” He closed the door and locked it before crashing back on his bed.

Late that night at the Hargreaves' home, Boscha was pacing the floors of her room. Ever since getting home, she had wrestled with the issue of what she had seen inside Luz's mind and whether or not it was what she thought. After contemplating this for a long time she decided she had to find out for certain. With that in mind, she marched down the hall and to her parents room. She knocked and announced herself. “Mom, Dad? I need to talk to you.” Rustling was heard inside as she waited impatiently and heard the door unlock from the other side.

“Come...come in.” Boscha heard as she opened the door to find only her mother in the bed, her blankets pulled over her chest and her well kept hair a mess. “Boscha, what are you doing up so late?”

The girl hesitated to answer for a moment. “I needed to talk to you guys about something important. Where's dad?”

Daphne looked a bit nervous but cleared her throat. “He's... around... somewhere. But what's going on, sweetie?”

“It's about Luz.”

“Are you still worried about her? The healer said she was perfectly fine even after all of that. If you're still worried we could get an oracle and...”

“No, it's not that.” Boscha interrupted. “It's... What is Luz?”

Her mother had to reposition herself on the bed as she looked to the girl. “What do you mean?”

“What is she, mom?” Boscha seemed to get a little more emotional asking the second time.

“Boscha, she's your sister.”

“But what more than that? I saw... something in her mind. It was a memory... of dad... and he found a baby, a human baby in some forest. Was-Was that Luz?” Her mother tensed up a bit at hearing this. “Please, just tell me. Is she a human?”

Daphne seemed to be sweating rather profusely as she looked away for a moment and muttered something before addressing the girl. “Yes. Yes, it's true, Luz is a human. It's a long story, but it shouldn't change the fact that she's still your sister.”

Boscha shook her head. “Of course not. I love that big nerd, but I want to know more. How did she get here? If she's human, why did she have pointy ears like a witch in her memories?”

Daphne stopped her, looking a bit nervous. “Boscha, I promise, we'll talk about this soon. For now, let's just keep it between us. The fewer people that know, the better. For now, just get some sleep. You've had a long day.”

“Okay. Goodnight, mom.” Boscha said before closing the door back and exiting the room.

The mother breathed out a sigh of relief as the door closed. This was short lived as her body jolted straight up, a tingle traveling up her spine and her face turning flush red. “You did not just do that.” She said angrily, looking down.

“Sorry, honey. I couldn't hold it any longer.” Larry's voice came from beneath the sheets.

Daphne groaned before getting back on track. “Never mind about that. Will you get up? What are we going to do about this? Boscha knows now.”

After some positioning, the man emerged from under the blankets and appeared next to Daphne. “She was bound to find out sooner or later. Maybe sooner is better.” The husband responded.

“Perhaps. But what do we do now?” Daphne asked. “It's only a matter of time until Luz figures it out as well and you know how she feels about humans. We've managed to evade it and convince her otherwise so far but Luz is too smart to not find out eventually.”

“Then... we ease her into it.” Larry said. “Meanwhile we prepare ourselves for the right time and tell her everything. What's important is that we let her know it doesn't change anything.”

Daphne seemed uncertain with being forced down this path now. “It won't change how we feel about her, but... what if it changes how she feels about us?” Larry had no answer to that and placed an arm around her as the two were silent for a long time.

Chapter Text

Eda couldn't help but grin to herself as she once again counted the number of zeroes on the check that Daphne gave her. Who knew helping out a bunch of brats that tried to capture her once would land her set for at least two years! Daphne, despite being so stuck up was a good customer once, buying all of the books Eda acquired about humans as well as a mess of human toys. That purchase was years ago and Eda couldn't care less what she wanted them for but one bump up of her prices later and she was swimming in snails for months. Now she had a small fortune for a quarter day's hassle and she was loving it.

"Premium Deluxe Apple Blood here I come!" Eda said with a wide grin. "Hooty watch the house. Mama's gonna be drinking like an empress tonight"

"Have a nice trip!"

Unfortunately before Eda could even take a step towards town a familiar voice called out

"We're back!"

"Oh for titan's sake" Eda groaned. She looked to see none other than her recent roommate slash student.

The human was currently riding Owlbert towards her with a wide grin while King sat on their shoulder.

“Well that was some kind of adventure with those crazy Wood Elves.” The furry being with a horned skull like head said excitedly perched on a taller being's shoulder.

“Welcome back, hoot hoot. You guys missed the party!” Hooty said as he popped out excitedly at the new arrivals.

The human chuckled as the two walked toward the house. “Party?”

“Oh yeah, a whole bunch of new friends showed up and we had the best time.” Hooty said. “One of them even called me her hero. Yep, Hooty the Hero.”

“Well you are always this one's hero, Hooty.” The human told him, patting the owl tube on the head.

“And what the heck kept you two? I send you out to go practice riding Owlbert and you've been gone a week.” Eda said angrily.

“Well...the thing is...” The human didn't get to finish as King immediately jumped up.

“We kicked the Golden Guard's butt, again!” He blurted out, the human blushing with a nervous grin.

“What?!” Eda looked absolutely furious as King kept talking.

“Oh yeah! We were all like, boom! Fire glyph and boom, wind combo! He better be glad you got to him before I did. The next time I see him, he'll receive no mercy from me!”

Eda loomed over the two as King realized he said too much. “I have told you two we need to keep a low profile and fighting the Golden Guard eight times...”

“Nine, but who's counting?” The human muttered only to be silenced by a glare from the woman's golden eyes. “This one is sorry Ms. Eda.” The Owl Lady was presented with a small burlap sack that she looks down at. “King and this one got your ingredients.”

Eda looked down at the offering and, with her eyes still locked with the human's, took the bag and shoved it into her hair. “You're lucky I'm in a good mood, kid. And do you have to keep talking like that? Never should have let you spend that weekend with those jelly people and their annoying way of talking.”

“This one thinks that's a little racist, Eda.” The answer did the human no favors as Eda levitated the kid and King.

“I don't have time for this. I've got a date with the biggest bottle of apple blood the tavern has. You two are grounded. Hooty, make yourself useful and guard these two while I'm gone.”

“Hurray, I'm useful!” Hooty sang as Eda tossed them into the house and up to the empty storage area that acted as a makeshift room. The door slammed behind the two now grounded kids with King running to the door and kicking it.

“You can't do this to me! I'm your king!” He angrily fell on his back and let out a screech, kicking his legs and waving his arms.

The human couldn't help but laugh at his antics. Yes, the two were grounded and unable to leave the room. Worse still, Hooty was on guard. But that didn't mean the time had to be wasted sulking and cursing their luck. A pen and paper sat on the desk with a bit of writing on it. “Well, this one should finish the letter to mom and dad and let them know how things are going. Owlbert can deliver it the next time he goes to pick up stuff from earth.”

King rushed with the human as the two passed the walls lined with various items from their adventures: An enchanted war hammer, a magical conch shell capable of allowing the wielder to breath under water and swim unharmed in the boiling sea or rain and even the mask of the Golden Guard taken during one of the many duels the two had engaged in. Not like he'd miss it. Guy always showed up with a new one. The diminutive skull headed creature hopped up on the desk as he watched his partner in crime write. “I still can't believe your parents just let you go to another world for months, Masha.”

“Yeah, they are the best.” Masha said, the human thinking back to the day Owlbert showed up. Missing the bus to Reality Check camp to pursue the bird had led to this world and adventures beyond comprehension and the privilege of witch training. Masha had returned home after only a week and the parents were... surprisingly accepting given the explanation. In fact they didn't even react once their daughter was headed out the door for the summer.

“Bye guys. I'm off to another world to become a witch under the tutelage of a wanted criminal. I'll be gone for the summer.” Masha sat, a pack full of supplies. “I'll write you soon.”

“Okay, honey. Have fun!” The mother said as she sat at in the kitchen, sipping a cup of tea.

Masha's dad was in the living room watching television and waved goodbye. “Stay safe. Make sure to send pictures and don't do drugs.”

“Okay. I love you guys. Bye.”

King nodded his head. “I was expecting a lot more drama. Like extremely strict parents, or you all have some kind of complicated relationship, heck even one of your parents being dead leading to deep emotional trauma between you or something. But no, they just kind of...let it happen.”

Masha had to chuckle. “Yeah, they're pretty great. Pfft, and this one's therapist said they were too permissive.” Finishing the letter, Masha folded it and placed it into an envelop. “Oh, almost forgot. Got to write this down.” The human pulled out a book from under the desk and began flipping through the pages, dozens of them filled with a lone strange symbol, each unique it it's design. A small sheet of paper was pulled from the apprentice's pocket with another symbol on it and put on the desk as the owner scribbled the design onto a fresh page. “Another new glyph for the collection. This one can't wait to see what new combinations are possible, King.”

Chapter Text

Larry Sigurdsson was many things. Lazy, witless, coasting through life by doing the bare minimum and a number of other things. A competent thief was not one of those used to describe him. He probably should have factored that in when Edalyn Clawthorne convinced him to get the test answers for the potion class. In his defense, she did promise him all the snack cakes she liberated from the cafeteria months ago.

Of course it did him little good as he was now wedged into a locker, at the mercy of the pink haired triclops who loomed over him. “Anything to say for yourself?” She asked as she glared down at him.

“I'm beginning to think the snack cakes were a lie.” Larry admitted.

The tall pink haired girl lifted the shorter boy off the ground as she stared angrily at him. Larry sweated as he looked down to the test answers in his hand. He was doomed, unless... "Wow, and here I thought it was the guys job to pick up the girl."

A blank expression ran across Daphne's face as she blinked twice. "Are you trying to hit on me? You're trying to hit on me! Do you think I'd ever go out with a stumpy little nerd like you?"

"I may be short, but you know what they say about short guys and tall girls." He smiled as the silence grew between them afterwards.

"No. What?" She asked, expecting an answer.

Larry shrugged. "I don't know. I was just making conversation." He noticed her smile slightly before returning to a stern scowl. "Well I guess it's good we're both in the potion track, because I can feel some real chemistry between us."

“Stop that!” She said, shaking him like a ragdoll. “I should turn you in right now for this.”

The boy shivered. If Principal Faust found out about this, or worse, his mother... “You wouldn't, would you?”

“Give me one good reason I shouldn't.” She demanded.

“Because I'm cute?” He said the first thing that came out of his mouth.

“Okay, you've had your laugh. Now come on.” She put the boy under her arm and started walking to the principal's office.

“Wow you're strong. But you can't turn me in.” He pleaded. “School is all I have. If I get kicked out I'll never be a potioneer.” The girl didn't seem to listen to him. “I knew I shouldn't have listened to Edalyn.”

The girl stopped abruptly. “Edalyn? Edalyn Clawthorne?” She looked down to him as he nodded. “Why am I not surprised? Let me guess, she promised you something that sounded too good to be true?” He nodded again.

The pink haired teen sighed. “Well, on one hand I can take you to Faust but you aren't the mastermind and with all the demerits she's accrued after all this time I doubt anything will be done about her. Then again I do owe her for that abomination stunt. So she offered you snack cakes?”

He nodded swiftly. “All I could eat.”

“Well,” She put him down. “since that's more than likely a lie or just plan silly, how about we go about getting you a better deal. I think these answers are far more valuable to her than that.” The two walked together as Larry looked nervous, keeping step with her. “I'm Daphne, by the way. Daphne Hargreaves.”

“Everyone at Hexside knows you. I'm Larry Sigurdsson.” He told her.

“Larry? That is the weirdest name I have ever heard, but it suits you I suppose.” She told him as she stared down to the short boy with a light smile. “So, you want to be a potioneer? No offense but I get the sense you are going to need a partner if you're letting Edalyn Clawthorne give you the runaround.”

Present Day

"Honey, open up. I'm sorry for whatever it is I did." Larry pleaded as he stood outside of his bedroom door that was locked with his wife inside.

Across the hall, Luz sat in her room working at her small lab table as she looked up, hearing all the commotion as she picked up her scroll and messaged Boscha in the adjacent room. "Should we tell him?" Luz texted.

Boscha rolled her eyes as she texted back. "No, if we're real quiet, he'll figure it out on his own."

"Just tell me what I did wrong and..." Their dad stopped and then turned to see a banner down the hall, over the kitchen. It simply read, 'Happy Anniversary.' His brain finally put two and two together. "Oh. I forgot." He said simply as the door to the bedroom swung open and Daphne stood there, enraged.

"I know you forgot!" She screamed. "You travel day in and out and when you don't you are tucked up in that lab. All I ask is one day a year. ONE!"

"But," Larry tried to intercede before she pointed a finger into his chest.

"But you love your precious lab more than me!" The pink haired woman exclaimed.

"That's not true. I love you both." The redhead with glasses said honestly. This caused a groan from both Luz and Boscha as they continued to listen, knowing full well their father was blowing it.

“Clearly not if you couldn't even be bothered to remember the...You know what? I'm not doing this. If you love that lab so much, why don't you marry it?!" She slammed the door in his face again.

Boscha put down her phone and walked out of her room to her father. “You blew it dad.”

“I know.” He said as his shoulders slumped down.

Boscha patted him on the back before walking off. “I'll get the blanket and your pillows from the closet.”

The rest of the day went by pretty quickly with Daphne giving her husband the silent treatment though still serving dinner for them all. Larry spent the night on the couch like he expected. What he didn't expect was for it to go on for almost a week. He just went to work, came home, worked in his lab, tried to talk to Daphne and then go to sleep on the couch and it was quickly becoming the worst time of his life, reminding him all too much of the first year and a half of their marriage with bumps every inch of the way.

“Dad?” Luz's voice stirred him from his moping as he sat on the couch with his girls as they watched a movie on the crystal ball. “Are you and mom... gonna be okay?”

He looked over to her and had a sad look. “I don't think so. Can't believe I forgot that of all things... but I know what I have to do to fix this.” He pops up from the seat. “I'll be back by tomorrow.” As he got up, Daphne came into the room from the kitchen.

“Girls, lunch is ready.” She said before glaring at Larry for a moment who looked away.

Luz and Boscha sat on the couch as they watched as their father dejectedly walked out of the house and Daphne headed back into the kitchen. "What do we do?" Luz inquired.

Boscha barely looked up from her scroll to address her sister's concerns. "Nothing, Luz. They are adults and they'll figure things out for themselves. It's best we just stay out of it."

"Boscha, we can't just stand around while this happens." Luz protested. "What if they get divorced? Remember what happened with Weird Cousin Sidney? She shaved her head, grew a beard and then started dating that guy who studies beast husbandry." Luz cringed at the thought as she hid her eyes behind her long hair.

Her sister looked at her with an apathetic stare. "Weird Cousin Sidney has a lot of issues."

"And it all started when her parents got divorced!" Luz reinforced. "I don't want that to happen to us. I don't want to end up growing a beard." Boscha opened her mouth to speak before Luz pointed accusingly at her. "If you bring up that thing with Skara again, I swear to Titan..." Her twin sister closed up again and sat back.

"Luz, trust me. Just leave things where they are. Dad needs to learn his lesson and mom will forgive him when the time is right."

"You're right." Luz admitted before smiling mischievously. "Or..."

Boscha immediately jumped up and grabbed Luz by the shoulders. "Luz, no. I know what you have going on in that head of yours and I'm telling you right now, don't. Okay? Just stop it!"

"But..."

"No!" Boscha said sternly shaking her sister vigorously. "No ifs, and, buts, maybes or vision into some alternate reality where we are all at various stages of physical, mental and emotional progression or stagnation! Just. Stop." She said, looking deeply into her sister's eyes, hoping she got the message.

Luz stared right back at her and understood what her 'twin' was trying to tell her. Maybe her parents did just need time to work things out in their muddled relationship. "Perhaps..." She said before her sister dropped her to the floor.

"Okay, I'm in." The triclops said in defeat. "Man, you are convincing. Let's go.”

The twins headed out a bit later and had Derwin give them a ride to a location halfway across the island: Terra Snapdragon's personal garden. It was a vast piece of land that the woman had constructed decades ago to house her most prized plants. The place was also where Terra trained her apprentice Willow Park. The two girls sneaked up to the greenhouse on the property that housed Terra's most valuable and some would say deadliest plants and flowers. Inside they spotted the elderly woman training Willow.

“Perfect. They're both there. Okay sis, you know what to do, right?” Luz asked as they got down.

“No, I don't. You never told me what we're even doing here.” Boscha complained as she looked over to her sister as they sat down.

Luz snapped her finger in realization. “Oh right. Basically we need only the best flowers for dad to give to mom and Terra just happens to grow and nurture some of the best.”

“And you need me here why?”

“I need you to use your charms on your secret girlfriend to get us that plant.” Luz's explanation left Boscha flabbergasted.

“For the last time she's not my girlfriend!” She tried her best not to shout but covered her mouth at the last second.

“Sure she isn't.” Luz waggled her eyebrows.

This only served to frustrate Boscha further. “Luz for titan sake. Why can't you just ask Willow? You're her best friend.”

Luz sweated and scratched the side of her head. “She's... kinda mad at me at the moment.”

“What? What did you even do?”

“I may or may not have accidentally burned down her garden the other day.” The elder of the two answered sheepishly.

Boscha pinched the bridge of her nose. “You make being your sister so hard. Sometimes I wonder how we're even rel...” She stopped for a moment when she realized what she was about to say.

A moment later the two heard the door open and pressed themselves against the side as they saw Terra walking away. “Okay. Now's your chance.” Luz said. “You go in and distract Willow with your tomboyish charm and I'll get the flowers.” Luz raced off leaving her sister who tried to whisper for her to come back.

“Dang it!” Boscha said under her breath before looking inside and finding Willow still inside training. She took in a deep breath and said a prayer to the Titan to hope that this would be over soon.

Inside, Willow was busy building up her plants with waves of her hands, her eyes glowing that eerie green. The carnivorous plants that she summoned opened their maws wide as she intertwined them. In the blink of an eye, she spun and launched them in the direction only to stop them mere inches from a stunned Boscha's body, frozen in place. “Boscha?!” She said puzzled as the caused the plants to retreat back to their starting points and her eyes returned to their normal color.

“Hi.” The triclops waved innocently. “Fancy meeting you here... of all places.”

Willow had a look of suspicion on her face. “I train her. This is Terra's private sanctuary. There are signs all over the place. How did you even get passed the man-eating pitcher plants?”

Boscha could tell Willow was sizing her up. It's what she always did whenever the girl questioned her on the team when making decisions. The Hargreaves girl resisted the urge to break eye contact as once that happened, the co-captain of the grudgby team would know something was up. “I was...” She was nervous and about to give herself away. Boscha needed to get into the zone and only one thing recently helped her do that, or rather one person. Her eyes shut for a moment and she let out a breath only to open them and imagine she was talking to someone else. “Truth be told, I came here to talk to you.”

“Me? Why?” Willow asked as Boscha now looked at her with honest eyes. She was all the more surprised as she got closer to her; uncomfortably so. “Um, what... what are you doing?”

Boscha found herself uncomfortably blushing as she tried to get through this. “I know we've been on the team together for a while and well... I guess despite all of the things I say, it was all just a lot of hot air. You know that right?”

Willow shook uncomfortably as she tried taking a few steps back. “Sure? I mean, I knew you were... Do you mind not getting so close?”

“Sorry it's just that I've come to realize how stupid I was with all my big talk.” Boscha said as the words seemed to be coming from somewhere and straight to her tongue. “The truth is I have always appreciated your strength, your skill with plants, your... optimism that cheers me up every time I see you. It was my pride that always made me say what I did and I didn't mean any of it.”

“Boscha, what are you saying?” Willow continued to back up only to trip on one of her own vines and fell backwards. She was surprised as she found Boscha had dipped forward and wrapped an arm around her back to catch her as they stood face to face.

“I... love you Ang...Willow.” Boscha corrected herself.

Willow's eyes opened in surprise. “Oh my. Why Boscha, this is so sudden and... unwanted.”

Boscha looked up slightly and saw Luz outside waving for her to come on before running off. “Well... I mean I just wanted you to know how I felt. So I guess... I'll see you at practice?”

“Maybe it's best you take a few days off or a week or two.” Willow said as she stood herself back up. Boscha then left out of the greenhouse, leaving both girls flustered and uncomfortable.

The redhead went to look for Luz by the front gates of the garden. “Well I'm never doing that again. I feel like I need to take a shower. Luz better have gotten those flowers.” The girl was shocked as she saw Luz talking to Terra Snapdragon and handed the woman a bag of snails.

Luz noticed her sister approaching. “Oh hey Boscha you're back.”

“What's going on here?” Boscha asked, looking between the two.

“Oh I just finished getting the flowers we need from Ms. Snapdragon.”

Terra patted the girl on the head. “Always a pleasure talking to you little sprouts.”

Boscha looked completely dumbstruck. “W-what? If you got the flowers from her then what was the point of me distracting Willow!?” She shouted at her sister.

“Oh that. That was me just wanting to see you flirt with your girlfriend. So how did it go?” Luz asked as she leaned on her sister's shoulder.

Boscha's right eye twitched before proceeding to strangle her sister. All the while Terra watched with a smile on her face. “Oh this reminds me so much of my own childhood.”

The two girls departed and headed back to their hometown as Boscha led the way through the streets as Luz clutched the flowers. “So what are we looking for now? We already got the flowers.”

“I wanted to get something special to go with these for dad to present them. So I called up a bard band to see if they would add a little ambiance and we're going to meet them to set everything up.” Boscha explained as they turned into an alleyway.

Luz looked around and recognized the area as a spot where she would often sell her potions. "I know this place. I used to service people here. It's a popular spot"

Boscha smirked. "You serviced people huh? How many people did you do here?" She chuckled.

Luz not realizing what her sister was implying shrugged. "Well like I said it's a popular spot. Around 20 to 30 people. I usually had to stay longer than usual."

"Your customers must have really enjoyed you servicing them, huh?" Boscha asked, snickering the whole time.

"Well probably but," Luz began to say before she finally realized what she was saying which made her face go red before she shoved her sister. "Pervert!"

Boscha burst out laughing as Luz turned away, pouting in anger. “Oh man, you are so easy! Okay I've had my laugh. Let's get to business. You here?” Boscha called as a figure in a crimson hooded cloak appeared from the shadows.

The figure walked forward slowly, seeming to glide over the ground before stopping in front of the two. “Okay, you can knock off the dramatics.” Boscha said as the figure removed the hood to reveal a bushy head of gray hair tied back in a ponytail.

“Ah! Skara!” Luz said in shock.

Boscha looked to her sister, puzzled. “That's what scares you? Not the creepy crimson robes? And how did you know?”

Luz's eyes opened wide. “Trust me, when you've had someone crawling all over you, you never forget their presence.”

The triclops smirked seductively. “Oh yeah. Skara has been all over you huh? Did you two...”

“Finish that sentence and I'll put a special surprise in your bitter bean blood tomorrow morning.” Luz said threateningly.

“So you guys like the new robes for my band?” Skara asked. “We're calling ourselves 'The Blood Moons'. Catchy, huh? I thought I'd do something special for the event. So what is the job anyway?”

Boscha turned her attention back to her friend as Luz stepped back. “We need you and your band to play for our parents belated anniversary. Our dad kind of...”

“Shot himself in the foot?” Skara guessed. “We do that kind of thing all the time.”

“Great. So what are your usual rates?” Boscha asked.

The band charges about one hundred snails an hour currently. But you know what I want.” The gray haired girl peered over Boscha's shoulder to Luz, whose eyes opened wide in realization.

“No! Nu-uh! No way! Not gonna happen!” Luz stated flat out.

Boscha put an arm on her sister's shoulder. “Come on Luz. What happened to true love and romance and avoiding a repeat of the beard incident?”

Luz glared at her angrily. “I will get you for this. Fine. We have a deal.” Skara smiled and approached her only for Luz to hold out a pausing hand. “But only if and after my parents make up.”

“Deal.” Skara shrugged.

“Good. Now I'll be right back.” Boscha stated. “I've got to go see a lady about some books at the market.” She walked off and left the two other girls in the alley.

Skara looked around, whistling to herself as both girls avoided eye contact. The bard decided to speak. “So...is your service still available?”

“Will you get the f*** out of here!”

Later that evening, Luz and Boscha exited the backyard where they had made preparations. It was then they noticed Larry dragging himself into the house with a pack full of supplies and looking rather worse for ware. “Hey dad, you going somewhere?” Luz asked before speaking excitedly. “Doesn't matter. We've solve everything! Here, take these and come to the back yard!” She put the bouquet of flowers in his hands and pulled him by the arm.

“But...” He didn't bet to finish before seeing the yard done up with decorations and a new banner. Skara's band was on a makeshift stage as well prepared to play. “Uh girls, what is all of this?”

“Isn't it great?” Boscha asked. “It was my big idea to get the best flowers money could buy and a band to show mom just how much you care.”

Luz was taken aback at the claim that Boscha was the mastermind behind it all. “You...”

“... are a total genius? Yeah, I know.” The triclops said picking her nails casually. Luz was about to slap her upside the head before they heard Daphne coming and everyone quickly turned as she arrived outside.

“What is going on out here?” The woman asked as Luz signaled for the band to begin playing as Daphne sees it all. Luz pushes her father forward who is still awkwardly holding the flowers in his hands.

“Happy...anniversary?” He said nervously as his wife looked down to the flowers, a smile seeming to form slightly. That didn't last long as she seemed to scan the bouquet and had a look of disappointment and anger as she thought back to her early teen years.

Daphne walked through the halls of Hexside, looking rather exhausted and annoyed as she did so. Behind her was a large amount of items, each with a bow on it and some still in their gift wrapping. All day, all week it had been the same. Students coming up and offering her trinkets and asking her out. Her only words were that she'd think about it, which she had no intention.

She knew these people. They only wanted to things: The money that would come from being a part of the Hargreaves clan should they wed her and the second... She definitely wasn't giving them that by any chance. They were all just fakers who thought fancy, half-heartedly given gifts would win her over.

Daphne blinked back to reality and snatched the flowers from his hands. “You are unbelievable!” Larry looked bewildered as the twins did likewise. “You think you can win me over with the "Dead Man Special"?” Skara in the background was sweating nervously as she heard that her secret code had gotten around. “I always thought this day meant something special. Not just some copied song and dance like everyone else! It's like you don't know me at all anymore!” She slams the flowers down and burns them with a fireball before storming back into the house, leaving the girls confused.

“Oh what! I sweet talked and confessed to Willow for nothing?”

“Ah, how sweet.” Skara said in the background as the band continued to play.

Boscha and Luz both turned to her in a rage. “Get the f*** out of here!” The band gathered their things and quickly shuffled out.

“Girls, language.” Larry scolded as he whirled his finger in the air and a jar labeled “swear jar” appeared, half filled with snails as each girl took a snail out of their pocket and deposited it. “But disregarding that, I think this just got worse. I should have told you this before but your mother hates this whole showy display thing. It's why we always have a quiet evening alone. There's only one thing she ever wants. An echo flower.”

The two girls looked at each other in awkward realization. “Did I mention this was all Luz's idea?” Boscha said in an attempt to throw her sister under the bus.

She was rewarded with a punch to the arm by Luz. “But those flowers are super rare and there's only one spot on the whole of the isles where it grows: All the way at the tip top of the Knee and surrounded by the most dangerous creatures alive.”

“I was on my way there...” He began to explain.

“Before we made things worse.” Luz realized. “Let us come with you. We messed up too and three heads are better than one, right Boscha?”

“Right.” Her sister agreed. “We'll get geared up and get that flower.”

After a short while the three had set out for the Knee. Dressed in their winter garb, the group made their way up the snowy area as Larry led the way. “Alright, now you two stay close. This area is as dangerous as it gets. There used to be a slitherbeast up here but I ran it off a while back. Doesn't mean it hasn't come back since, though.”

“I'd be more concerned about them.” Luz said as she pointed behind them to see a pack of fifteen dire wolves charging towards them as the pack leader let out a howl. The hounds charge up the incline after them and cut off their escape routes down the mountain. Luz and Larry pulled out potion bottles, the former activating her four potion arms in her pack as they were ready for combat. Boscha meanwhile summoned a grudgby ball and set it ablaze as the beasts snarled. Luz and Larry hurled potion bottles that exploded in flashes of fire around and at the wolves who were blown back but rebounded and charged. Boscha jumped up and kicked the ball as it soared through the air as it spun and hit three of the wolves who soon turned tail and retreated from the fight temporarily, distancing themselves.

Three charged forward quickly on Luz who used the potion arms to grab them and hurl them away, only for two to run passed her and directly at her father. “Dad!” Luz made the mistake of turning as a dire wolf took advantage and jumped onto her back, ripping at the pack with it's powerful jaws.

“Luz!” Boscha saw her sister in peril and quickly pulled out a hilt and hit a trigger that opened the retractable blade into a full length curved sword. “I'm coming!” She curled a fireball, knocking the wolf off her sister and leaped in front on her, fending off the other wolves with vicious swings. Meanwhile the two wolves that had charged toward Larry found themselves stuck together by an adhesive potion thrown by the man as they fought each other to get free. He rushed to help his daughters only for a monstrous roar to fill the mountain air. This caused the pack to look up in alert and one howl from the leader dispersed them as they all bolted away into the woods, the two stuck together stumbling to keep up.

Larry breathed a sigh of relief for a moment before rushing to check on the girls. “Are you girls all right?”

Luz looked back as her eyes widened with horror. “No, my pack! It's ruined!” She quickly pulled it off and saw all the damage the dire wolf had done, ripping the metal back off the thing and damaging some of the internals.

Boscha rolled her eyes at these dramatics. “Yeah, she's fine.”

“Come on! We need to get moving. Those dire wolves didn't run for no reason.” Larry said as he helped Luz to her feet. “That was a slitherbeast call. We need to get to the top and get that flower before it gets...” He was cut short as the trees in the distance began to shake and the birds in the area flew away. He put both girls behind him and pushed them towards the summit. “Go. Go! Both of you!”

“We're not leaving you.” Boscha said with determination. Moments later, the white beast came through the treeline, it's wide maw opened as it roared. Boscha looked down at her hands and then to the beast itself as it charged and she charged forward herself.

“Boscha!” Larry shouted trying to stop her as she formed a circle in the air with both hands before the slitherbeast paused in front of her as she held out her hands as they glowed with a reddish brown hue.

The triclops girl focused on the creature as it seemed to be in a daze and uncertain on what to do as both held their ground with one another. Larry and Luz seemed shocked that the beast had stopped in its tracks but the latter quickly pulled a capsule from her pocket and ate it. Boscha seemed to strain a bit as she kept her hands out. “It's okay. You're okay.” She said calmly as the beast tilted it's head a bit. The girl seemed to smile before she noticed the slitherbeast beginning to snarl. “Uh oh.”

Roaring, the beast stood on it's hind legs and prepared to swipe the girl with it's sharp claws. A purple aura surrounded Boscha as she was swiftly pulled backwards and to her sister who now had green hair with ends curling upwards. “What is wrong with you?!” Luz yelled at her sister.

“I knew what I was doing!” Boscha fired back as Larry tried to keep the beast at bay with hurled potions.

“What?! Getting killed?! Was that your big plan? Let it eat you as a distraction?” The two argued for a moment before they noticed their father had run out of potions to halt the beast.

“You want to argue or do you want to stop this thing?”

Luz glared at her for a moment. “I'd rather do both but there's no such thing as multi-tasking.” The two turned back as Luz used her telekinetic power up and lifted the beast into the air and threw it away. The slitherbeast rebounded, digging it's claws into the ground beneath the snow and charged again, evading a series of fireballs hurled by Boscha as Larry reached into his pack. He removed a palisman, a small brown turkey that morphed into it's staff form as he whirled it in the air and created a small tornado that combined with Luz's telekinesis and lifted the beast up high, allowing the girl to get a bit more torque as she hurled it into a rock.

The creature rose again and charged as the three braced themselves. It immediately stopped in it's tracks and turned tail. “Yeah, that's right! Run you coward.” Boscha shouted after it. She turned back to her father and sister and cheered. “That's what I'm talkin' about! No one messes with the Hargreaves!” Before she could continue cheering, the ground beneath them began to shake. “What is that?”

A fissure began to open up further on the snow capped peak as a large set of green clawed paws emerged and pulled up a large similarly colored reptilian body. The trio soon found themselves facing a large terrestrial dragon that flicked out it's tongue and looked at them angrily. “Right, I forgot to mention the floral dragon that guards the echo flowers that I have to battle every year.” Larry said apologetically.

“You forgot?” Luz asked before the creature roared at them and charged down from it's position. Behind it, the three could see the small grove where the flowers spawned from. The beast roared again as Boscha tossed a grudgby ball at it, the projectile bouncing off it's snout. Luz felt her body tingle as her hair returned to it's normal color and condition as her pill wore off. She quickly popped another one.

“Luz, you can't take them that fast after the last one.” Boscha warned her as the other girl began to change again, her mouth widening as a row of long sharp teeth protruded from her mouth and her skin turning gray.

“We don't have much choice. And no fire attacks. We can't risk burning the flowers. I'll distract this thing while you get them and then I'll make my getaway.” Luz explained as her arms morphed into a mass of tentacles that she shot out and slapped the beast in the face as it chased her. Larry wanted to protest his daughter using herself as bait but decided against it and raced off as quickly as possible to take advantage of the diversion.

The dragon attacked Luz who flipped over it's back and used her tendril arms to wrap around it's leg and tripped it up. Sampling Warden Wrath's DNA was always out of the question, but his son Braxas was easy enough given they went to the same school and Mary babysat him every once in a while. So far Luz would say this was paying off as the beast was immobilized. That didn't last long before the creature rebounded and shook off the appendages before stomping on the ground with it's front legs causing a series of vines to emerge from the ground and grab Luz's arms as she tried to contain the growth only to have them swing her around like a rag doll.

The girl found herself tossed off and slamming into a mound of snow, shaking off the damage. Realizing she was now far enough away to not damage the flowers, she opened her maw and roared before a torrent of flames shot out at the advancing beast which was now warded off by the fire. It shot up a wall of plants that blocked the flames from coming into direct contact with it. Luz's attack was suddenly halted as she began to cough violently and fell to her knees as her transformation began to revert. “No. Not...now.” She uttered as she held her right hand over her mouth and saw the blood she was coughing up. The dragon fanned the burning vines away and targeted the girl who was still debilitated.

A large blast of fire hit the beast from behind as Larry used ice magic to bring up a pillar beneath the beast, tossing it into the air and crashing a distance away into the snow. Boscha panted heavily as she had just given her all with that fire blast. “Luz, are you okay?” The redhead asked as her sister tried to get up. “Just stay down. You'll be okay.” Boscha reached into her satchel and pulled out a small vile and opened it as she poured it into Luz's mouth. “Just relax.”

Larry stood ready, being the only one able to stay in the fight as the dragon got back up and charged again. “Girls, stay behind me.” The two looked up to him. Luz knew she couldn't muster up enough strength to help with the magic build up in her body preventing her from helping further. Not having a bile sac, her body couldn't process the serums she ingested properly and it took longer each time she used them to go through her system. Boscha had just burned out the rest of her magic with that fire blast and it didn't seem to halt the beast in the slightest and her own energy was out.

Both girls knew that while Larry was a master potion user and that he had done this before, he had to worry about the beast turning it's attention to them and thus distracting their father. Even if he did have some powerful magic that they hadn't seen, he'd have to worry about hurting them in the mix. Boscha made sure Luz had the medicine that Emira had given to her and she slowly began to pull the girl close to her.

As the beast charged and the three braced for what was to come, they heard the screeching call of a griffon as the shadow of the large aerial predator covered the ground. They looked up and saw a witch leap from it's back and touch down between them. They wore a burgundy tunic, orange pants and black boots. The family watched as they pulled a whip from their back with a monkey palisman connected to it and faced the dragon. “Back! Back I said!” A woman's voice shouted as the whip glowed orange and cracked in front of the dragon. A final crack connected to it's skin and the beast was shocked by the hit, forcing it backwards before retreating into the nearby forest.

It didn't take long before the figure turned to the three as a woman who looked to be a bit older than their father and wearing a pair of pink tinted glasses turned to them with a smile. “Fancy meeting you here, Larry.” She said with a smile.

The man froze and sweated nervously. “Flora?”

“Flora?” Boscha asked. “As in Flora D'splora? The famous explorer and archaeologist in the Emperor's Coven? That Flora D'splora?!”

“The one and only.” Flora smirked as she walked towards them. “Glad I could help. Seems you're still getting into trouble after all these years.”

“Wait, you know her?” Luz asked, utterly confused.

Larry attempted to open his mouth to say something before Flora walked forward. “Oh, little Larry and I used to be partners in the field when he was coming up. We had quite a few adventures, didn't we?” She playfully patted his cheek as he sweated. “Haven't seen you in since that job back in Palm Stings. That got heated, didn't it? So what have you been doing all these years.”

The man inched back a bit. “Oh you know. Around, doing... stuff.”

Boscha glared at Flora for a moment, seeing this woman clearly attempting to flirt with her dad. It was nauseating and highly inappropriate. After making sure Luz was comfortable she walked over to her dad and wrapped her arm around his. “Dad, we should hurry and get going.”

Flora raised an eyebrow in fascination. “Dad? Oh my Titan! Are these your girls? I never thought you and Daphne would settle in and be parents. They look just like you. Honestly, I didn't think you two would still be together after...” She looked over to Boscha before clearing her throat and straightening up. “Well, what brings you up to the Knee at this time of season?”

“We were here to get an echo flower for Daphne.” He told her. “We just ran into a few hiccups.”

“Yeah, full of fangs and thirsty for blood.” Luz said as she rested against a rock.

“Echo flowers. How romantic. Put a message into one of them and it's a daily reminder of the effort.” Flora explained. “You really went all out this year, huh?”

“Every year, actually.” Larry pointed out.

“Well don't ever let it be said you don't put the work in. Allow me to do the honors.” Flora said as she cracked her whip and shot it into the air as it snagged the foot of the griffon overhead as it pulled her into the air and carried her off to the patch of echo flowers. She promptly swung down close enough and snagged a pair of them before swinging back around and touching down in front of the three Hargreaves. Boscha and Luz both looked amazed while Larry stared at her and swallowed nervously. “Here we are.” The woman said handing him the single flower, the plant having blue petals around it with a mirror like surface in the center.

“One for you, and...” She pulled him close to his surprise and pulled the lone leaf off the petal of the flower as it faced them. A light clicking sound was heard as Flora smiled into it, her face pressed against the man's. She pulled the flower closer to her and saw the recorded images inside. “That's a keeper. Reminds me of old times.” She tucked the freshly picked flower into her satchel and began to walk away. “Well it was nice seeing you again and meeting your girls. Give Daphne my best.” She cracked her whip, summoning the slitherbeast that had been hiding from the dragon and leaped on top of it, putting her whip in it's mouth to act as makeshift reins. She yanked on it as the beast reared back and raced off with her on top of it.

“Dad?” Boscha asked.

“Yes?”

“Was that woman going to be our mom at one point?”

He looked around nervously and then over to Luz as he walked to pick the girl up, having stowed the flower in his satchel. “She and I have a... history. Don't tell your mother about seeing her. I'm in enough trouble as is. Now let's get down the mountain and make sure Luz is okay. We've got one thing to do before we get home.”

Back at the Hargreaves manor, Daphne went through her day, waking up in the morning to find that Larry had left early which didn't surprise her after the other day. She was curious to see that both of her girls were gone as well. Spending most of the day at work and then coming home to unwind, she had time to think about things. True, Larry had forgotten the anniversary and even her favorite flower, but it was only one time. One time in near twenty years was nothing to be angry about and he did attempt to make things right and he'd always extended himself every other year. She could never forget the very first time and they weren't even dating then.

Teen Daphne walked through the halls of Hexside, having jammed all the pointless gifts from her various suitors into her locker. This day would have been made a bit better if Larry was here. He always seemed to be willing to listen to her, even when she was just ranting on about nothing in particular. She hadn't seen him all day. In fact, no one had seen him in the last three days and he didn't respond to her on penstagram. She was honestly getting worried about her friend and wondered if she should stop by his house and check on him.

She worried about the pipsqueak. At first she found him annoying, like a lost puppy that wouldn't leave you alone. At the same time, he had something about him that just made it fun to be around him. Much more enjoyable than the horde of guys that had been hemming her in the last few days. Having him by her side just felt so natural that she wished he'd make a move on her. The pink haired girl furiously shook her head. “No. Bad Daphne. Larry has a crush on Lilith Clawthorne.” She thought to herself as she sighed aloud. “Of course the one guy I could be interested in is interested in someone else. Typical.”

As she rounded the corner to her next class, Daphne's eyes opened in surprise as the aforementioned redhead was walking down the hall. His clothing was torn and dirty, with his glasses having cracks in the lenses as he dragged himself down the hall in clear exhaustion. “Larry? Where have you been?” He opened his mouth to speak only for the girl to put a finger over his lips. “Nope, don't want to hear it. While you've been gone, I've had the worst time of my life. My parents have been sending suitors, one after the other to court me and after the tenth one I was over it. They are all the same, one after the other with their pointless gifts, like that would win me over. It's like I'm some cheap cut of meat at the market they can barter for and...”

She stopped as Larry had pulled out a single flower. He opened his mouth as he shyly spoke. “I got this for you.”

Daphne looked at the plant in disbelief, the reflective surface in the center catching her eye as she accepted it. “This is... an echo flower. Where did you get this? These are incredibly rare.”

“The Knee. It took me a couple of days to hike there by myself. Not easy with all the stuff I had to carry.” Larry explained.

“The Knee? By yourself?” She asked as she noticed him about to teeter over and caught him as he collapsed, sitting him against some lockers. “Why would you do all of this for a flower?”

He smiled weakly. “I did it for you, because I kind of... like you.” This surprised the girl as she looked down to the nervous boy who was pressing the points of his pointer fingers together as she saw the flower had recorded it's message already and she played it. An image of the boy was on it as it played.

“Hey Daphne, it's Larry. Duh, of course it's me. I gave you this and you can see me on screen. Stupid. Let me start over. I got you this because I was wonder if...you'd go out with me. I know this is kind of sudden and I didn't expect it either. It just... kind of happened. I couldn't afford anything fancy like the rich kids but I wanted something special, so I got you the echo flower. Don't know if you'll like it but I hope you do. I like you a lot. Like 'like' like you. I know I'm not the richest or most handsome kid at school. Far from it, but I promise you I'll always love you and I'd never leave you no matter what if you give me a chance.”

The entire time the message played, Larry held his head down and waited for the laughter to come once it stopped. Of course this girl wouldn't like his meager offering. Even if she did, why would she want to be with him? Yes, he was fun to hang out with but he didn't come from a prominent family or have any great prospects at the moment. Heck, she tutored him for Titan's sake. If she laughed in his face right now, he couldn't say he expected any less.

His thoughts were cut short as he felt her hands lift him up. Being held in the air only helped to remind him how much taller she was than him as his legs dangled in the air. To his surprise, she had a tearful smile on her face. “Yes! Yes, absolutely yes, you adorable munchkin!” She said excitedly as she brought him close and smothered him with kisses.

This wasn't the response Larry expected a few seconds ago but it wasn't anything he hated. The happiness ended as he looked behind her and saw Principal Faust scowling even more than he thought possible. “Um, Daphne, Principal Faust is right behind us.” He said nervously.

“Just let him watch then.” She told him in a happily soft voice as she continued, the two being dragged off by the school's trouble sniffers. The new couple paid no heed as their arms were wrapped around each other as they were taken to the detention pit. Neither separated or were even aware as they fell down into the pit, caught midair and encased in a single bubble together.

Daphne descended down the stairs to the main floor to go out and have Derwin drive her around town to find her family and apologize for overreacting. She was shocked to find said family, clothing torn and looking roughed up as they entered the home at the same moment. “What happened to you three?! Luz, are you alright?”

“I'm fine, mom.” Luz said covering up a cough. “More importantly.” She and Boscha stepped aside as Larry stood center stage and presented the flower to her.

“Happy anniversary.” He said presenting the echo flower to her.

Daphne took it slowly and viewed the recording which showed a message from not just Larry but the girls as well. With lightning speed, Daphne raced to him, wrapping the man in a tight hug.

“I am so sorry for making such a big deal out of this.”

“No, I'm sorry for forgetting. This meant a lot to you and I should have remembered.”

Daphne took a step back, her hands on his shoulders as she looked him over. “It will never mean as much to me as you do. You said you'd never leave me all those years ago and I don't need a flower to remember that promise. I'm the one who should never forget that.” She lifted him up and kissed him like she did the very first time, the two girls amazed. They always knew their mom was strong but never saw her do this before. Larry wrapped his legs around her waist as she began heading for the stairs to the second floor.

“Treasure shack?” Luz asked.

“Treasure shack.” Boscha replied as the two grabbed sleeping bags in the hall closet and made for the door.

"All's well that ends well" Luz said as she sat down on her bean bag chair.

"Except for the part where we can't even sleep in our rooms because of you." Boscha said frowning in her beanbag chair. The two of them were currently holed in her secret shack which thankfully had plenty of room when the noises at home prevented them from sleeping.

"Well we did a good thing, Boscha. Now mom and dad made up." Luz said

"Fair enough.” Boscha said as she was reading a book.

Luz noticed her sister reading. “What's that?”

Boscha looked up from her current page. “It's a book on humans I got at the market. You should give it a read. There's some fascinating stuff about them in here.”

The older twin waved a hand in dismissal. “Hard pass. Nothing I need to know about humans that's any use. Why are you so interested in humans all of a sudden, let alone reading?”

Boscha's attempted to get her sister interested in this without telling her what she really was. This first try was not going well, so she decided just to drop it. Luz never liked humans. Boscha figured it was because they were without magic, like she was, which wasn't surprising given she was one of them. Her sister of course had no right to tell her that at the moment so she'd drop it for now. “Suit yourself. Though aren't you forgetting something?" Boscha asked though for some reason she had a smirk on her face.

"No I don't think so why?" Luz asked puzzled

"You were right Boscha. She did forget." Came a voice behind Luz causing the girl to immediately get up and to her horror she saw that it was none other than Skara.

"Skara?! What are you doing here?" Luz took a step back.

"I'm here to collect my payment." Skara said with a wide grin as she took a step forward.

"Oh f***. I forgot about that. Look can't we schedule this some other time?" Luz said nervously.

"Oh no. A deal is a deal. You said I get hours for my help and I'm collecting here and now." Skara was getting dangerously close.

Seeing this, Luz bolts out the door or at least that was the plan as she found herself locked in and her sister nowhere to be found. "Boscha! This isn't funny! Let me out!"

"No way Luz. You made a deal. And besides this is pay back for that flirting earlier. And don't think about using your potions they're right her with me." She slumped the back over the shoulder.

With that Boscha walked away with a triumphant smirk as Luz frantically banged on the door.

"No! Get away from me! Noooo!!!"

"Now you two don't have too much fun." Boscha said as she tucked the key away in her blouse pocket and walked off.

Inside the shack the sounds of a panicked Luz as well as shuffling items could be heard. "Skara, stay back. I mean it!"

"You promised two good hours."

"I was joking! Skara! Get away! This has to be illegal. Help!"

"Gotcha! Now hold still."

The sounds of Luz's struggles inside rang out as she found herself pinned down. "No! I'll get you for this, Boscha! You hear me!? I'll...I'll..."

"Found your weak spot." Skara said, her cheer filling the night air as Boscha heard.

“And this officially got weird.” The triclops strolled down the road leading to town as she pulled out her crow. “Hey Angmar, you busy?...No no, nothing's wrong, I just wanted to talk for a bit. Yeah, it went better than expected. How was your day?”

Later that night at the Hargreaves manor grounds in the secondary housing that acted as Derwin's residence, the young man laid in his bed. He was wide awake, having heard the passionate time that his employers had earlier celebrating their belated anniversary. Ever since his employment, Luz had joked about this being the reason her room was sound proofed, but he'd assumed it was just that, a joke.

"Wow." He said quietly as he stared at the ceiling.

Next to him, a young woman laid. Her skin was a mauve color with white hair, large bat like ears and small black wings on her back. She scowled at the dark skinned man next to her in disappointment. "Why can't you do that?" She said dissatisfied as she grabbed a robe off the bed post, wrapping it around herself and left the room.

In the main house, Daphne laid in bed, satisfied as she looked over to a sleeping Larry. She ran a hand through his hair before planting a kiss on his forehead as he smiled in his sleep. “I love you.” She whispered before laying back on her pillow for a moment. Turning to her nightstand, she rolled over to it and opened the drawer, revealing a slightly worn red covered photo album. The woman quietly flipped through the pages of family memories, with photos of the family on trips to their cabin, watching Luz win her first potion award and Boscha her first grudgby championship, and Larry and herself during their first year together in their cabin. She began to reminisce about those first days when she and Larry first decided to take things to the next level.

“Young lady, get back in here right now!” Daphne's mother shouted at her as the teen walked out the door, a stuffed backpack in one hand as she marched down the steps. The pink haired girl kept walking as her mother stood in the doorway, her father standing along side her. “Daphne, we only did what was best for you. I know you can't see that right now but...”

“Best for me? Best for me?!” The girl turned back to face her parents. “No! This was only good for you! You couldn't even let me be happy. I'm done with this!”

“Where will you go?” Her father asked.

“I don't know, but it's away from here. I don't ever want to see you again!” Daphne ran off and vanished into the night as the two adults waited for her to return, though she never did.

The girl made her way far across town where the “common folk” as her parents put it, lived. She was quiet as she sneaked around back of a small home and gently tapped on a window. Daphne looked around nervously as the window slowly opened and Larry looked out and down to her. He smiled lightly and pulled her up into his room. “Daphne? What are you doing out there?”

“I...I need a place to stay. I left my parents. I can't stay there anymore.” She said as she looked to the ground.

Larry looked back into the house. “Daph look, if my mom catches you here...”

“Please. I... don't want to be alone, not tonight.... Not after what happened.” Larry wanted to ask what she meant but seeing her distressed, he didn't press further. He slowly reached a hand down under her chin and lifted her face to his. The teen saw tears had filled Daphne's eyes before she threw herself into him as she sobbed silently. The two still held each other long into the night as they shared the Sigurdsson boy's bed. Larry didn't know what to say at the time, he only knew that he was going to be there for her, for everything. For Daphne's part, she knew that all too well.

The woman closed the book and gently put it back in its place. She then turned back to her still slumbering husband and let out a small chuckle as she remembered the aftermath of that night. Larry's mother, Belinda was furious after finding her there and more so the two in bed together. It was definitely a morning none of them would forget. Daphne simply laid back once more and just stared up at the ceiling, reminiscing about the past and looking forward to the future as she slowly drifted off.

Chapter Text

“Okay. You are a winner. You are confident. You...you um...What's it say again?” Bonnie said as she looked down to a piece of paper. She'd been given this mantra to read by Adrian Graye to help her better handle her stage fright. The Illusion head told her that while being able to hide was a decent move, putting on a spectacle for the crowd or using it to distract your enemies was a key to success. That was at least the Adrian Graye school of thinking. “You are a star. You are... a complete loser.” She said in defeat as she laid her head down on her desk. “Who am I kidding? This isn't me.”

Despite her best efforts, Bonnie had to admit to herself that she was no showman. Sometimes she regretted ever joining the illusionist track. The only reason taking it up was because... well she couldn't remember what that was, but she didn't have to think about her mom worrying for her safety. Nothing in the illusion track was very dangerous at all. The entire premise was being able to conjure up said illusions, mirages, holograms. In other words fakes that couldn't hurt you. But with that came a need for something she didn't have; Stage presence. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't get herself in the right mindset to get in front of a crowd and make her techniques work for her.

“Bonnie, are you awake? You don't want to be late for school.” Mrs. Hempstead called from downstairs as the girl lifted her head.

“Coming, mother.” Bonnie responded as she got up and turned to her outfit laid out on her bed. She went to the bathroom and got herself in order before getting her uniform on and pulling her hood over her hair. Her mother would often question why she spent so much time on her beautiful hair only to cover it up, but it made the girl feel comfortable.

After getting her backpack and headed out the door she remembered that Luz had left early to get to school to finish a project and Mary told her not to wait up for her today. That left her going solo this morning and there was just enough time for her to stop in town and grab her favorite breakfast to go. She went to the market and got her favorite breakfast gorrito. This always made her feel better when she was having a terrible morning and helped even out her mood a bit. As she ate and walked she continued to stare down at the sheet of paper that was supposed to help her on her performances. This only caused her to groan as she knew she was never going to get this down.

“Hewwo, wittle girl. You wook sad. What's the matter?” Bonnie jumped back as she saw a black haired doll in front of her. It had a similarly colored black dress with white highlights and was being held by a small white creature with orange hair and a rather large nose.

“Please don't do that. You almost gave me a heart attack.” Bonnie said almost dropping her gorrito as she looked up to see the stand in front of her. It was filled with rows of ceramic and wooden dolls and had a banner that aptly read “The Dollhouse”.

“Sowwy about that. My name's Tinewwa Nosa and I'm the owner of this humble estabwishment.” She presented the myriad of dolls behind her including what looked like a huge one sitting inside the stand that seemed more like a novelty than an expected purchase. “Can I interest you in a compwetewy not cursed doll?”

Bonnie looked over the selection for a moment before shaking her head. “No. Thank you.” She turned and began to head on to school.

“Wait!” Tinella said as she jumped down. “Are you sure I can't intewest you in one?” She held up the doll she had previously as it moved it's mouth like a ventriloquist dummy. “I am of the highest quawity.”

A sigh escaped Bonnie as she looked back to the stand owner. “Unless one of those dolls can help boost my confidence, I don't think so.”

“Why of course they do. Isn't that wight, dolly?” Tinella asked the doll in her hand.

“That's wight. Just put me in your hand and wet me do all the talking. I can help to make you more confident and self assured. It's a guawantee.” She said through the doll. “And I'm definitwy not cursed.”

Bonnie thought about it as she looked at the dolls around the stand and spotted one with fair skin, curly blond hair and a red dress. “That one. I'll take that one!”

“Excewwent choice. That will be two-hundred snails pwease.” Tinella said as Bonnie quickly paid for the doll, took it and excitedly raced off. “One down, forty to go.” She said as she turned back to the dolls as they seemed to shake. “Maybe I'll go on an early wunch.”

Earlier that morning, Mary was at her family home getting ready for school as usual but she was told to wait for her father's return with the rest of her younger siblings as he had a surprise. The group waited in the living room as Mary continually looked at her watch, knowing that she needed to head for school soon. On her lap, her little sister, Fleecy sat, kicking her legs patiently.

Out of all her siblings under her, Mary had a special spot in her heart for Fleecy. She was one of only two of her younger siblings that wasn't a twin or triplet. Despite being seven years old, she didn't speak, only gesturing and making bleating sounds to communicate what she wanted. While some of the other siblings had a hard time with her, Mary was good with Fleecy. She didn't like leaving her alone but she had to go to school. Most of the other kids didn't understand her little sister and a certain someone she didn't like to think about was especially cruel, referring to Fleecy as “defective”. The last time she saw that person, they were face down in the dirt for that remark and weren't welcome in this house.

“Kids!” The front door swung open as a rather large man with a purple beard with gray streaks in it came in with a sack over his shoulder.

“Daddy!” Most of the kids shouted in joy as they saw their father enter and rushed around him. Fleecy stayed close to her older sister, who got up and held the little girl's hand as they joined the others.

“Hey, dad. What you got?” Mary inquired as the man enthusiastically reached into the sack and pulled out a large glass jug filled with some sort of green liquid.

“You kids are gonna love this. It's a potion I bought at the market in Latissa. It's guaranteed to help improve memory and mental cognition.” He pulled the cork off the bottle and offered it to the kids. All of them covered their mouths at the sight of the bubbling brew inside. “Who wants to try it first?”

Mary smiled nervously. She wanted to be a good example for the kids so she decided to step up. “I'll try it, dad.” She took the jug and poured a bit into her mouth. She immediately regretted this as she had to force herself not to spit out the disgusting tasting liquid out. Mary forced herself to swallow with one heavy gulp as her face turned seven shades of green and she cringed as the liquid traveled down her throat. The girl felt a shiver travel from her toes up to her horns and gasped heavily as she did her best to compose herself and give off a confident smile to her siblings. “De-delicious.” She lied. “So, who's next?”

The kids all backed away, not being fooled by her lackluster performance. The girl then offered the jug to Fleecy. “Come on. Just a sip for your big sister?” The white haired child inched forward and sniffed the open top, retching back in disgust before headbutting the container out of Mary's hands and sending it shattering against the wall. “Fleecy! Bad girl! That's no way to behave.”

“Baa!” She shouted with a frown before she and the rest of the kids ran off, happy that they didn't have to drink it.

“Sorry dad. I'll clean this up.” Mary said as she went to get a mop.

“No, I got it. Should have tried a different approach. You go on so you aren't late for school.” Her father said as Mary nodded before grabbing her bag and heading out.

“Love you, dad.” She told him before rushing out the door. Mary knew she had to push herself to make it to school before the bell, but if there was one thing she was good at it was beating the odds. The run was not as long as she expected as the girl arrived at school in record time and with five minutes left to spare. Arriving through the front doors she was shocked to find a large crowd of students gathered in the hall. Mary figure it was just everyone falling over themselves to get autographs from the grudgby team.

Getting closer she could hear a voice at the center of the crowd as she wedged her way in. “Really, you're all too kind. I'm just a humble second. My partner here deserves most of the credit, right Bonnie?” Mary looked with shock as she saw Bonnie of all people the center of attention, an odd doll in her hands that she seemed to be using as a sort of dummy.

“Thanks, Belle. Every illusionist needs her faithful assistant, however.” Bonnie said confidently as she formed a circle and hurled a ball of colorful light in the air. All the students applauded the performance as Bonnie and Belle gave a bow.

“Bonnie? What was that all about?” Mary said as she walked up as the others dispersed. “What's with all the showmanship?”

The carrot top smiled at her friend. “I am an illusionist.”

“Yeah, but when have you ever done something like that and it front of so many people?” Mary asked her friend. “I've never seen you do that when someone was watching.”

“I know! Isn't it great?! And it's all thanks to this!” Bonnie proudly showed her the doll she was holding. “I got her at the market to help boost my confidence and look at what I can do. Say 'hi' to Mary, Belle.”

“Hello there. Pleasure to meet you.” The doll said as it extended it's arm to shake Mary's. The girl gave an unnerved smile and shook hands with the doll, with those creepy porcelain eyes staring back at her.

The horn headed girl chuckled nervously as the bell rang for class. The two went on to their respective classes. Mary ended up in the potion class next to Luz later that morning as they were taking the big test for the semester. “I'm telling you, something is off. I've never seen Bonnie like that before.” She whispered to Luz as she filled out her test.

“What? Confident? Isn't that what you've been trying to help her with?” Luz whispered back. “What's the problem?”

“This just doesn't feel right. That... thing gives me the creeps, like it's not her speaking or something.”

“Eyes forward, Ms. Shepard.” The teacher scolded as the two ended their conversation.

Soon after the test was over and the girls waited to get their grades back. Luz waited patiently as the teacher set the test results down in front of her. “Ninety-four percent. Not bad.” she said as her efforts were rewarded. The elder Hargreaves looked over to Boscha who had a look of disinterest. She figured the younger didn't do so well with zero studying. All the girl had done during their study session was flip through the pages of the potion book in rapid succession then tossed it away to scroll through penstagram. Luz had to shake her head, knowing her sister's grades were going to tank from this.

“Excellent work, Ms. Hargreaves.” The teacher said as Boscha looked down with apathy at the sheet before staring back outside.

Luz reached over and patted her sister on the shoulder. “I don't want to say I told you so but... you got a one-hundred percent?! How?!”

Boscha shrugged. “I dunno. I just read the book.”

“You skimmed through it!” Luz said angrily.

“I got all the information in, I passed the test and I can stay on the grudgby team. I don't know what the big deal is.” The bell rang for the end of class. “That means I'm free and clear for the rest of the season. I'll be back in a few weeks.” She said, getting up to leave.

“A few weeks? Where are you going?” Luz inquired.

“Places. I already told dad.” Boscha grabbed her pack and headed out.

As Luz wondered where her sister was going, Mary came up to her. “Look, I really need to talk to you about Bonnie.”

“What's to talk about?” Luz asked as they walked out into the hall and saw Bonnie again with so many of the students around her, making them laugh with jokes and amazing them with displays of her illusion skills.

“This, doesn't seem like Bonnie. It's like she's a different person all of a sudden.” Mary noted. She decided to go over and talk to the girl herself. “Hey Bonnie, got a minute to talk?”

“Of course.” Belle said before shifting to address the students. “If you'll excuse us everyone, I have to leave you, but fear not. I shall return.” Bonnie walked with Mary as the two turned a corner where they could be alone. “So, what do you want to talk about?”

Mary gently moved the doll that Bonnie was speaking through to the side as she looked directly to her friend. “Bonnie, are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, I'm feeling great. Better than great actually, thanks to Belle here. Right, little friend?” Bonnie asked the doll.

“Sure thing partner.”

“Bonnie, will you stop fooling around and listen?” Mary pushed the doll aside once again. “What's going on with you? I've never seen you like this.”

“Like what? Confident? A true showman and illusionist?” Belle said as the doll got in Mary's face. “Bonnie's getting it all with my help.”

“Stop that!” Mary pushed it away again in anger, knocking the doll out of Bonnie's hands and to the ground. “Look, just talk to me, seriously! What is going on with you?”

Bonnie looked down at the fallen doll and then back to Mary. “No, you stop it! I'll tell you what's going on. I'm finally feeling comfortable in my own skin.” She said aggressively as she stepped up to the multi track student, picking up the doll. “I can finally look people in the eyes without feeling like I've done something wrong. I'm doing it and it's all thanks to her!” She put Belle up to her eye level as the illusionist scowled.

“I-I just don't think this is healthy to use that thing.” Mary tried to reason.

The carrot top scoffed at this. “Oh and your way was so great? How long did I take your advice to help me with coming out of my shell?” She waited for an answer but Mary had none. “Yeah, that's what I thought. Is that what this was all about; Me not doing things your way? Maybe, just maybe your way isn't always the right one. Now I've found something that works for me and if you can't handle that, then maybe...”

Mary hesitated to press. “Maybe what?”

“Maybe I don't need someone like you in my life!” Mary's heart seemed to break when she heard this. “You can't even be happy for me. I am trying to make myself better than I was. All you ever do is talk about your ancestor who was so great. Guess what, she died a long time ago and nobody cares! So stop making it seem so important that you are related!”

Mary gritted her teeth in anger. “Well...well...at least I can be proud of who I am related to, unlike you.”

“Don't...” Bonnie warned her.

“I don't have to worry about someone recognizing my dad from a wanted poster!” Everyone around them gasped at that as The girl realized all too late what she had said. “Bonnie, I didn't mean...” She was rewarded with a punch to her face by the carrot top.

Bonnie glared at the other girl with a look of pure disgust. “I told you never to mention that! Just stay away from me from now on. We're done!”

The Shepard girl's eyes began to tear up as she wiped them away with her blue sleeves and gritted her teeth. “You know what? Forget this. If that thing is going to come between us after all this time...” She pointed to Belle. “after everything we've been through, then maybe she can be your new best friend, because if that's all it takes, clearly we never were.” She turned and stomped off.

“Mary, wait...” Bonnie said under her breath only to stop in her tracks, her legs seeming to be glued in place. The eyes of Belle glowed in an eerie red as it vibrated, whispers seemingly coming from her wooden lips. “What? No. No I didn't mean that. I don't know what I was....” Belle's eyes glowed again as Bonnie's seemed to dull a bit. “N-No. No, you're right. I don't need her. We have so many other real friends who'll love us.”

Days went by after the fight between the two. Days soon turned into almost two weeks. In that time, Bonnie's popularity grew even more, while her friendship with Mary seemed to be a thing of the past as the two actively avoided each other. All of this was a bit too much for Luz to take as she didn't want to take sides and at first tried to talk to both to work things out. When that failed she decided to stay out of things for the time being and just let them work their way back together.

That didn't look like it was going to become a reality as neither girl gave any ground. Bonnie simply became more and more of a celebrity in school and around town. She did seem to be looking more and more tired to Luz but she attributed that to all of the parties the girl was being invited to and shows she was putting on in the town square. In any case, Bonnie felt great. Being the center of attention felt good for a change and she loved this boost in her skills and confidence.

“Great day partner in crime.” She said as she entered her room and sat down on her bed. “They loved us.”

“Credit has to go to you. After all you're the star.” Belle said as Bonnie moved her lips.

“I am, aren't I?” Bonnie scrolled through penstagram to see what everyone was saying about her latest performance. As expected it was all great across the board. She smiled before she stopped upon seeing a post from Mary. It was a short video of the girl chasing her siblings around the house. The caption read, “Sheering Day once again. My chore, their nightmare.”

Bonnie found herself sighing as she looked at the image and sat the doll down on her bed as she walked over to her mirror and took a good long look at herself. She was still the same person that had befriended Mary all those years ago, albeit a bit more tired looking and honestly drained from all the attention, but still the same.

A six year old Bonnie walked alongside her mother, Marcella in the marketplace. The two were there to get some supplies for the week... and to get away from Vinny Valtameri, Bonnie's dad. He wasn't pleasant at the best of times and he rarely if ever left the house outside of “work” so the man let the woman take their daughter out every so often to get food and the other essentials. Marcella knew it had everything to do with the fact that he was wanted by the Emperor's Coven. Bonnie didn't need to know that though and she was kept in the dark about what exactly her dad did for a living.

Marcella looked down to the girl who held her hand tightly. The woman knew the child was always nervous thanks to her father's angry outbursts and shouting. She had all the supplies on the list that her husband had ordered her to get. A few of the remaining coins jingled in her pocket as the woman pulled them out and counted them. She figured telling Vinny that the price of certain things had gone up while she spent the money on the one good thing in her life.

“Sweetie?” Marcella caught Bonnie's attention as she smiled down to her. “Would you like to get a toy?” The carrot topped girl nodded happily as they made their way to a stand filled with toys. “Pick out something.”

Bonnie's eyes looked around excitedly at all the toys as her mother giggled at the sight. The girl's eyes fell upon what looked like a doll covered in fluffy purple wool. “That one! I want that one!”

“Okay, sweetie.” Marcella reached down to pick it up to show the merchant. No sooner had she picked it up then it released a high pitched scream and cries. The woman was startled only to see a woman a strongly built woman with pale freckled skin and long brown hair come up in a panic.

“Oh, I am so sorry.” The woman said as Marcella saw that she had several other children of various ages connected to her via a rope fastened around each of their waists. She picked up the fluff ball from the other woman and pulled it close to her. “Hey, it's okay Mary. Mommy is here.” She pulled back the wool like hair to reveal a dark skinned child who had tears in her eyes.

“Ma'am, I am so sorry. I had no idea.” Marcella apologized profusely to the other woman.

“It's Uda. And no worries, this kind of thing happens all the time. You see Mary, this is what happens when you don't let mama sheer you.” She set the girl back down as Bonnie got a good look at her.

“Sorry I scared you.” Bonnie said to the other girl. “You have fluffy hair.”

“Thank you.” Mary said quietly as she offered the other girl the chance to touch it.

“What am I doing? Mary has been my best friend for years. Maybe... this was all just blown out of proportion.” She used her scroll and began typing a text to Mary. “Sorry about what I said to you. Can we talk?” She sent the message and just waited, hoping for a response.

“I'd like that.” Bonnie smiled at Mary's reply.

“Thank you. We'll meet at my locker.” The illusionist texted back as she sat on her bed. She smiled as she got a thumbs up back. Bonnie looked down at Belle and picked her up. To think that this one thing almost ended the longest friendship she had. The girl was shocked as the doll's eyes glowed and it's head turned to her. Bonnie felt a jolt of pain coarse through her arm as she dropped Belle on the bed and to her shock, the doll stood up on the bed. Bonnie looked down to her right hand in horror as it was stiff and lost all feeling. She couldn't move it at all as it protruded outward.

“What's...what's happening to...” She began to cry out only for her voice to fade as she lost the strength in her legs and fell to the ground as the last thing she saw was Belle standing over her.

The next day, Mary walked through the front doors of Hexside. She was happy that Bonnie wanted to talk and the two could work things out. The horn headed girl walked down the halls and spotted the illusionist busy putting things in her locker. “Hey.” She said simply. The other girl turned to her, pulling back her hood to reveal curly blond hair of the fair skinned girl with brown eyes and a small beauty mark on her left cheek. “Who are you?”

“Silly Mary, it's me, Belle, remember?” The girl said with a huge smile.

“I don't know who the heck you are!” Mary said in anger and confusion. “And why are you in Bonnie's locker?”

The girl looked a bit sad and worried. As she closed her locker, Mary could see a strange doll with orange hair and a powder blue dress sitting on the shelf. “Mary, are you feeling okay? Maybe you should sit down.” She reached over to help Mary who only swatted her hands away.

“Don't touch me!” Mary backed away from her and raced to Principal Bumps office to figure out just what was going on. She was horrified to find that he had no records of any Bonnie Hempstead at the school and everywhere she turned to ask; Teachers and student alike didn't know the name. They, for whatever reason remembered this Belle girl very well, many mentioning funny moments with her. It's like her friend had vanished from the face of the planet.

Mary raced through the school in a panic. She texted Luz several times but got no replies from her, finding out she had hold up in her lab at school. Once she was in the middle of something, there was no talking to her. Before she knew it, she ran headfirst into someone. “Watch where you're going!” She looked up to see Amity Blight who was getting up and dusting herself off.

“Not now, Simpity. This is an emergency.” Mary said, rubbing her forehead. “Wait. You handle all new student tours, right?”

“Um, yeah. I am top student after all.” Amity responded.

“What do you know about Belle?”

“Who?” Amity responded.

Mary's eyes widened. “Listen to me. Something weird is going on. This new girl just showed up and she's using Bonnie's locker and wearing her uniform. Everyone is acting really weird like they've known her for years or something and even Bump doesn't know anything about her. She just showed up out of nowhere. I think she did something to Bonnie but I can't prove anything.”

Amity looked to her and thought for a moment. “Let me see what I can do. I'll get back to you with what I find.” The girl nodded as Amity left down the hall and saw the girl in question. She definitely had never seen her in her life.

“Yeah, I'm definitely seeing what Luz is doing this weekend. I'm thinking of taking her to the big event at the Calf. She'll love it.”

“Hey!” Amity shouted, catching Belle's attention. "Who are you? I know everyone in this school and you are not a student here." Amity Blight pointed an accusatory finger at the blonde.

Belle put a hand to her chest as she gasped. "Amity, how could you say such a thing? After all we've been through together."

The Blight raised an eyebrow in confusion. She'd never seen this girl in her life. "What are you talking about? I don't...don't..." Amity began to trail off as Belle's eyes glowed and several swirling colors filled them. The girl found her thoughts jumbled.

"Don't you remember that dinner party a few months back when I helped you get that dance with Luz? That was the first time I ever saw you really happy." Belle said with a smile.

Amity began to recall the moment vividly. Belle with her and Willow, encouraging her to take the step to ask Luz. Even if things didn't turn out the way she planned, Belle was one of the best friends she could have asked for. How could sge have almost forgotten that. "You're right. Can't believe I forgot about that. It was a great time." Amity smiled as Belle's eyes returned to normal.

"You must be burning that midnight oil again. Remember that all night we pulled to pass Professor Homunculus' test?" Belle asked.

"For sure. We only got halfway through the test before we were face down in it." Amity said as the two shared a laugh.

Later, Mary spotted Amity and ran up to her. “Amity, did you find out anything?”

“Huh, oh right....About what?” Amity asked.

Mary twitched a bit. “Belle! The new girl? The one I told you about earlier?”

“New girl. I think you've been headbutting a few too many boulders. Belle has been going to this school for years. Heck, she is the most popular girl in school.” Amity explained.

“What is going on here. What is wrong with everybody? Have you all lost it?” Mary said as she held her head.

“We should get you to the healing coven. You clearly aren't feeling well.” Amity said as she reached out to her as several other students came to check on the girl.

“I agree with Amity.” Belle said as she placed a hand on Mary's shoulder. “Here, I'll walk you to...”

“Get away from me! All of you!” The Shepard girl panicked and pushed through the students, racing out of the building. Something was very wrong and she wasn't going to wait around for whatever was spreading to get to her. This Belle had to be some kind of monster or basilisk or...something that got replaced Bonnie. She was sure that was the name of the girl's puppet and she even had the same hair and looks as the creepy doll. For now she just had to get home and formulate a plan with Luz once she got out of her “close out the world until my research is done” moment.

“Think Mary. Think. I have to figure out what to do. I'll get home and figure things out.” She thought as she raced through the streets and eventually took a carriage to get her back to her home. “Mom, dad, I need to talk to you.”

“Sweetie, I'm in the kitchen?” Her mother called. “You're home early.”

Mary set her bag down on the couch as her siblings greeted her. “Yeah, something was really crazy at school.” She rounded the corner into the kitchen as her eyes opened wide in horror as Belle was sitting at the kitchen table with her mother.

“Belle came over to check and see if you were alright.” Her mother said as the girl smiled at her. “I've got to get back out and help your brothers and sisters. I'll let you two talk.”

The two girls looked to each other, Mary with and angered suspicion and Belle with a concerned look. “What do you want? Who are you and what did you do with Bonnie?”

“Mary, what's going on with you? I know we had that little spat a few weeks ago but I really wanted to work all of this out.” Belle said as she got to her feet and Mary moved away defensively.

“No. Where is Bonnie?!” Mary shouted as she launched a stream of abomination slime from a container on her side that wrapped up the blonde's right hand. “I'm only going to ask you once more before I start by breaking your hand and working down to the rest of you. Where is Bonnie?”

Belle slowly showed her left hand before motioning it to the satchel on her side. She reached in and slowly pulled out an orange haired doll in a blue dress. “My doll, Bonnie? The one you gave me all those years ago on my birthday?”

Mary looked in disbelief. “What? No. I... That can't be right.”

“Remember, Mary. We've been friends for years. I met you at the market as kids when I and my mom mistook you for a toy. We met Luz when you two got into that fight and we've been best friends since then. I am an apprentice to Head Witch Graye.”

“You can't...I don't...But Bonnie...” Mary staggered back as the abomination rope fell into a puddle on the floor. Was this all the truth? Was Bonnie really just some friend she had made up in her mind? Why? Was she having some kind of nervous breakdown?

“Mary, I think... I think you've been pushing yourself too hard. You're trying to do so much for your family and in school that I think you are reaching your breaking point.” For the first time, Mary allowed the other girl to place a hand on her shoulder. “You need to get some rest. We can talk tomorrow.”

Mary was a bit shaky but let the other girl help her up the stairs to her room. “Sure. You're right. I just need... some rest.” Belle left her soon after and Mary spent most of the night trying to piece together all of this.

In the meantime, Belle headed home and opened her bag to pull out the doll. “Your friend is defiant. I don't know why she can't just fall in line like all the others.” She held Bonnie in her hands and rolled her around. “Once everyone else believes it's true, she'll either fold or make everyone think she's gone mad. I haven't heard any fuss out of you in days. I take it you're having a good time in there.” She placed the doll down on the nightstand by her bed. “Just stay nice and quiet and we'll get along just fine, Bonnie.”

The blonde walked over to the nightstand and took a look at a picture of Bonnie with Head Witch Graye. “In any case, I'll have to take care of that once he returns. A coven head against me would be very bad, but I can make him forget like the others and secure myself a nice cushy position. I'll need to check in on sweet Mary and hopefully put on the finishing touches.”

Days Later

"I don't get it, Fleecy. It's like no one remembers her." Mary said to her little sister who was seated on her knee, chewing on a tin can. "I thought I remembered her. No one else does. I even went to her house but her mom says Belle is her daughter and we are friends. Am...Am I losing my mind? Was Bonnie ever real?"

"Baa baa." The child said as she continued to gnaw on the item with her sharp teeth.

"Maybe...no no. Why would I make up something like that? I'm not crazy. Am I?"

"Baa baa?"

"You really aren't going to be any help, huh?"

Fleecy jumped down and patted the wall. "What? What is it?" Mary asked as the girl made a headbutting motion. "You want to ... wait. The memory elixir? That's right. I drank it and no one else did. That's why I remember and no one else does. Whatever Belle is doing affects the mind but the elixir must cancel out whatever it does. I'm not crazy!"

She picked up Fleecy and smothered her with kisses. “You beautiful little fluff ball!” Her little sister giggled with glee as the kisses kept on coming.

"Bravo." She froze as she heard the voice accompanied by a slow clapping and turned to see Belle standing in the doorway. "I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this but as long as you remember, I'll never have my new life."

Mary slowly set down her sister and scooted her off. “Where. Is. Bonnie?”

Belle smiled at her. “She's safe. Living a better life than the one she had. Only question is: What to do with you?” She slowly circled around Mary who kept her eyes on the doll turned witch.

“You aren't going to get away with this.” Mary promised.

“Please, I already have. No one believes you. They've already forgotten about Bonnie and soon they'll forget about you too.” Belle formed a spell circle and launched a blast of green magic at the girl.

Mary barely dodges Belle's spell as she made a beeline for Bonnie who was hanging out of the girl's satchel bag. Fortunately she was faster than the weirdo.

"Come on now little lamb. Don't make this too difficult. Why do you even want Bonnie back? Hm?" Belle said with a creepy smile

"Wha- She's my friend! Of course I want her back and not replaced by a fake like you!" Mary snapped while holding Bonnie close to her out of fear that Belle might snatch her away.

"Such a shame. I did like you. But it seems I still have work to do once I'm done with your friend. Then again my comrades need another person to hijack" Just when Belle pulls out a freaking knife

"Hey stay back! What do you think you're doing with that?" Mary took a step back as Belle held the knife in her direction.

"Wouldn't you like to know" Belle grinned sadistically

Mary muttered as she found herself cornered before an idea came to her. She brought her hand to her mouth and let out a whistle "Kids! It's playtime!”

Belle looked confused for a moment before the house suddenly started to shake "What the?"

Just then a horde of children of the Shepard clan stampeded towards Belle before proceeding to dogpile her. “Dog pile on Auntie Belle!” They barraged her with questions and requests to play games while Mary used the opportunity to get away with the Bonnie doll. Holding her close, she raced out the front door and hopped her family's ratworm carriage and raced to the one place she knew she could hide. Meanwhile, Belle finally got all the kids off of her only to find Mary and the doll gone.

Mary had scrambled to get to the school. There were plenty of places to hide for the time being and she could get into contact with the one person she could think of to help with this situation.

Luz was in the potions room working on one of her projects. She'd gotten special permission from Bump to continue that evening and simply lock up when she was done. The redhead was in the middle of mixing ingredients when Mary barged in. “Mary?! Cant you see the sign? I'm a little busy at the moment. What are you even doing here?”

“I know but this is important.” Mary said as she showed off the Bonnie doll in hopes of jogging her memory. “Look!”

Luz blinked twice and tilted her head slightly. “What exactly am I looking at here?”

“Damn it! Not you too. It's Bonnie! Don't you remember? She's our best friend!” The Shepard good pleaded for her friend to recall.

“Mary. I know I have very poor communication skills and memory sometimes but I would definitely remember if I had a doll for a friend. Where did you even get that?”

The horn headed girl sighed. “I managed to steal her from that weirdo Belle and-”

Luz looked shocked. “Wait a minute. You stole that from Belle!? What were you thinking?! She's gonna be so mad that you took it.”

Mary groaned. “That's not important. Just please listen to me.”

“No. You listen.” Luz interrupted. “Belle is our best friend and this is a huge breach of her trust.” She sighed in frustration as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Look...just give me the doll and I won't tell her about this.” She activated her tentacle arm pack to grab the doll but Mary stepped back out of her reach, clutching Bonnie close.

“Luz, please.”

Luz looked to her friend with annoyance. “Don't make this any harder than it has to be Mary. It's clear you're not well. Just stand down and let me take a look at you.”

Mary stepped back and summoned an abomination that attacked and held Luz down before she ran off. “Sorry, Luz.” On her way out Mary managed to snag a crow phone and dialed a number. “Hello? Yes, I need to speak with Head Witch Graye. What? No I need to speak with him now. Well how do I get in touch with him?”

Stuck to the ground, Luz managed to get a hand free and pierced one of her vials on her wrist mounted holders as the potion dissolved the abomination on top of her.

Mary ran for the doors of the school only to see them opening and quickly ducked around a corner. She carefully peered around a corner and saw that it was Belle who glared around before Luz appeared, partially covered in abomination goo. “Belle? Are you looking for Mary?”

“Yeah, I'm really worried about her. I went to her house to talk and she attacked me and took my doll.”

“I know. She's acting like the thing is alive or something.” Luz told her. “We need to find her. She could hurt herself or somebody else. What if she got out of the school?”

“Doubt it.” Belle stopped and placed her hands on the temples of her head. “I can detect where Bonnie is. The doll is enchanted and there is a link between us. I can sense she's still in the school but I don't know....where!” She shouted as she fired a beam of purple telekinetic energy around the corner only to pull back a garbage can. She growled at this. “She's still here. We'll split up. You take the north end of the school and I'll take the south.”

“Right.” Luz said as she raced off.

Belle rolled her eyes and headed on. “Time to end this little game.”

Mary had managed to make it into the school library and ducked into a corner as she held Bonnie close. “Don't worry. I'll get you out of this. Just need to make a call.”

At one of the most exclusive clubs in Palm Stings, a rather intense game of Hexes Hold'em was taking place as a young witch woman with jet black hair and spider like eyes sat at the table and held her cards in confidence as she looked at her opponent as he went all in. "Rather overconfident aren't you Mr..."

"Graye. Adrian Graye." The illusionist said as he smiled with that usually toothy smirk. He set out his cards and secured the victory as he pulled in all the chips in front of him.

The woman smiled seductively. "Well, it seems you're a rather excellent Hexes Hold'em player. I wonder if you've got any other talents."

"You'll find I'm full of..." He began to say before a waiter arrived near him.

"Sir. You have a call."

"To be continued." Adrian said as he got up and went to the crow phone. "Hello."

"Head Witch Graye. Do you know Bonnie Hempstead." A girls voice came over the phone.

"Of course I do. She's my apprentice." He said casually as he picked his nails.

"Oh thank Titan! Listen, I don't have a lot of time to explain but you need to get to Hexside as fast as possible. Bonnie is in danger! Listen, I can't stay on any longer or they'll find me."

"Hello? Hello?" Adrian called as he heard the line cut. He immediately cashed out and got the fastest thing to Bonesborough.

Mary hung up the crow phone as she heard footsteps approaching. She quickly pulled out some abomination goo from her bag and began rubbing it over her skin. This would ensure Luz couldn't detect her with one of her potions to track her scent. The girl spent the next few hours playing the most intense game of hide-and-seek she had ever been involved in. Every which way, she did her best to avoid the two as she ducked and dodged every attempt to find her, hoping that Graye would believe her and get there as soon as possible.

“Mary. Com on out. Let's just talk about this.” Belle called as the girl braced herself against a desk in one of the classrooms. She heard the door open and feet walk across the floor. “I know you're in here. Just give me Bonnie back. She's important to me and I'm not going to hurt her. Why would I do that? She's happy where she is. Trust me. If you'll just let go and accept that, you'll be happy too. You could get to like me if you give me a chance.”

The Shepard girl started to crawl around the room to avoid Belle searching. She skirted the room and made her way to the open door and outside. “Mary, I promise I won't hurt you. I'll even show you that Bonnie is perfectly fine.”

Mary wasn't listening and booked it down the hall only to run headfirst into Luz who now had her fully repaired potion arm pack. “That's enough. Just give up the doll and come with me. I'll help you.” Luz said sternly yet sincerely.

“Luz, don't. I know you don't understand but you have to trust me. Things are not what you think.” Mary implored as the arms of Luz's pack came closer. Suddenly an orb of light floated down between them.

“Shield your eyes!” Mary heard a voice call as she did so and Luz did the same. The orb exploded into a blinding flash as Mary felt someone seize her by the hand and pull her away at a fast pace. Her vision began to clear as she saw the lanky man in front of her leading the way.

“Head Witch Graye?” She said as he turned to look to her before he put up an illusion through the hallway. Rounding a corner and dipping into a classroom he quickly got the girl down and looked to the doll in her hands. “I'm so glad you're here.”

“I left as quickly as I could. Now tell me what's going on.” He requested as the girl proceeded to explain things to the coven head. The illusion bought them time as Luz and Belle fumbled through the light traps that Graye had set up in the hall underneath. Each explosion set off a blinding light that stalled them. After getting all the information Mary could off, Graye looked to her and then out to the hall before taking off the mirror shaped earring he wore and handing it to Mary. “You take this. Tap it to activate and it should give you a way into Bonnie's mind palace. If she is still in there, you'll have to pull her out. That should bring her back to her physical form and return the doll to its own.”

“Should?” Mary asked.

“Cursed dolls aren't exactly my forte. That's Osran's domain. But if I'm right, Bonnie may not want to come back. You take that, go in there and do what you have to. Whatever is necessary to bring her back. I'll try and buy you some time.” He made sure she had the item before stepping out into the hall and dissipating the illusion so the two pursuers could see him clearly. “Well, I suppose that's enough running. Not really a good look for a coven head, now is it?”

“Head Witch Graye?” Luz was shocked to see the head of the illusion coven standing in front of them. “What are you doing here?”

“Ms. Hargreaves, I need you to stand down and away from that thing.” Graye said to the girl, pointing to Belle.

“Not you too. Head Witch Graye, Mary isn't well and she needs help.” Luz told him as he reaffirmed his stance. “I'm asking you to stand aside. Please. I don't want to fight you.”

Belle stepped towards him. “Luz, whatever is affecting Mary must be affecting on Graye as well. Master..”

Adrian formed two spell circles in the air. “I don't know who you are but your manipulations end here.” He charged at the two girls, leaping over them before vanishing as the area began to change into an open field. The two girls looked around as Belle held her arms up and dissipated a portion of the illusion.

“I never noticed but he's not very good at this.” Belle noted. “I mean I just broke this down. How are you coven head?”

Graye sweated a bit as that was his go-to trick and it just failed and to a novice no less. At least he thought she was a novice. Clearly this Belle was more than she appeared. It was moments like these he wished he didn't rely on that power amplifier and trained like Weisz had told him. Thinking about it a bit too late, he probably should have held onto the tool until he'd defeated the two.

While Graye regretted his current choices, Mary had activated the amplifier and soon found herself outside of Bonnie's home for some reason. “What the...” She looked around as everything seemed real enough. The smells, the sounds, it was all the same and yet, something was clearly off. This was certainly the location of her best friend's house but it looked nothing like what she remembered. It was larger, had a fresh coat of paint on it and overall had a more welcoming look. She cautiously reached up and knocked on the door.

The door opened as the horned girl opened her eyes wide as she saw who stood in front of her. “Mary? I wasn't expecting you. What are you doing here?” The person saying this was Bonnie... but it was a Bonnie that Mary had seen before but wasn't one that she saw too often. The girl had scaly bluish-green skin, a set of fin like ears and webbed hands and feet with fins on her forearms and the backs of her calves. She wore a pair of black shorts and a purple shirt.

Mary immediately leaped forward and wrapped her arms around the girl with a hug. “I'm so glad you're safe! I thought I lost you!”

Bonnie chuckled. “Why wouldn't I be safe?”

“Because of...” Mary began to say before noting her friend's look. “Why are you in your nymph form? You're never in your nymph form.” This nymph form was one that Bonnie never showed to anyone. She was too ashamed by it. With the exception of her own mother, only Mary had ever seen it and on very rare occasions. With this form she was able to breath underwater and even swim in the boiling sea

“Silly. When am I not?” Bonnie said with a smile as she placed a hand to her friend's head. “Are you feeling okay? Why don't you come inside?” She guided the other girl into the home as she was stunned by the clean interior and décor she had never seen whenever she came over. This must have been what Graye was talking about. This was an illusion and Bonnie was being fooled by it, she was certain as she was dragged along by her friend.

“Who is it, honey?” Mary heard Mrs. Hempstead call from the kitchen.

“It's Mary.” Her daughter responded.

“Well, invite her in. Dinner is ready.”

Bonnie dragged her friend into the kitchen as Mary attempted to refuse. “Bonnie listen, something is seriously wrong.”

“I'll say.” She heard a man's voice say. “You've never turned down a good meal before.” The girl turned to see a man in the room. He had the same fish-like features as Bonnie and she quickly realized who this was: Vincent Valtemeri, Bonnie's father. This sent up every red flag there was. Vincent was a known criminal: A thief, a conman and if rumors were true, much worse. Of course, Bonnie's mother didn't know any of that when they met and he moved into her home. From what her friend told Mary, things got worse and worse as he had taken over the home, barely leaving and being a tyrant that did terrible things in that place.

But now, here he was. In the home and yet he was not the person Bonnie described. There was a warm smile on his face and Mary watched with confusion as he joked happily with his wife and daughter during the meal. If she needed any more evidence that this was an illusion, that was it. This was clearly a world made up of Bonnie's greatest desires; her perfect world where her mother was still healthy, her father was a far better man than he was in the real world, wherever he might be in present day and where the girl had confidence and didn't feel the need to hide her true form that linked her visually to Vincent.

Mary knew things weren't right and she needed to do something, but seeing Bonnie so happy and content was making it harder to say anything. She hated to think how this would break her heart. That being said, she also knew none of this was real and as joyful as her friend looked, it was all a lie. Closing her eyes for a moment, Mary looked to her friend. “Bonnie, can I talk to you in private?”

The girl had a puzzled look at first but smiled. “Sure.” The two got up and excused themselves as they entered the kitchen. “What did you want to talk about?”

Mary took in a deep breath as she hated what needed to be said. “Bonnie, I know this sounds crazy but...none of this is real. It's all an....” A ringing bell cut her off as the carrot top turned to the oven.

“Oh, my cake is ready.” Bonnie said excitedly as she grabbed a pair of mitts and went to open the oven. Grabbing the hot pan and laying it on the counter top. “Let that cool down and we'll have dessert ready in no time.”

“Bonnie, listen to me all of this is was made by Belle.” Mary told her as the other girl didn't seem to be listening as she went over to the other side of the counter to fetch a tin.

“You are going to love this new frosting. My mom and I made it ourselves.” The girl continued to talk about the baked good, not seeming to be paying the slightest of attention. “I know I say this all the time but this will be the best cake you've ever had.”

In her frustration, Mary rushed over and grabbed the girl by her shoulders, forcing her to look her way. “Bonnie, stop this! This isn't real, none of this is real. It's an illusion, it's fake, it's...it's all lies! You don't have this big house, your mom is sick, your dad is... he's not that person in there!”

The other girl had a worried look on her face for a moment. “Mary, I think maybe you need to rest. You don't seem well.”

“Is everything alright in here?” Vincent said as both parents came in, looking very much concerned.

Mary looked over to them before looking back at her friend, releasing her and stepping back. “Forgive me, Bonnie.” She summoned abomination slime around her and formed a whip that slashed the still cooling cake in half.

“Mary, what are you doing?!” Bonnie shouted as the girl whipped around and began to destroy the kitchen. “Stop! Stop it!” The girl continued to wreck the home as she demolished the dining room table full of food. She then turned to the parents and with a bit of hesitation wrapped them up Vincent with the abomination whip. “Please stop this!” Bonnie screamed before Mary made one swift motion and destroyed the illusion of the man that in reality was responsible for most of her friend's issues. “No!”

Bonnie fell to her knees as the world around her seemed to shudder and things began to vanish, her mother included. The girl shed heavy tears as she cried. Mary looked sadly at her friend as she slowly approached her. “It's...it's going to be okay. You're free.”

“No.” Bonnie said. “I knew this was all fake. I knew Belle had put me here so she could live my life... and I didn't care. She gave me a perfect life; everything I wanted my life to be. Why couldn't I just have this? Why couldn't you just let me pretend?” She broke down in tears as Mary knelt down and hugged her tightly.

“Bonnie...I know the real world can be scary and it's not always the way we want it, but it's not all bad is it? You have your mom and she loves you no matter what. You've got Luz and me and we aren't going anywhere. Heck, you've got a coven head watching your back. He may be pompous, but Graye traveled halfway across the isles to save you from being a doll.”

The carrot top sat quietly as she thought for a moment, tears still drenching her face as the caught her breath. Bonnie thought for a long time. Was her life really that bad? Yes, her father was scum, but her mother loved her with all her heart. Yes she wasn't all that popular in school but she had two best friends and that was enough for her. She wasn't all that great with illusions but Graye had recently been helping her to learn and grow with her abilities, taking her step by step, little by little to prepare her for bigger things. In some ways, recently he was what she expected a father to be like, stern yet willing to teach through her mistakes and with a hint of kindness behind it all.

“Let's go home.” Bonnie said as Mary slowly raised the amplifier and the two vanished from the makeshift realm.

Outside, Graye was not having a great time as Luz now had him in her potion arms and Belle was preparing a purple orb to hit him with. “Don't struggle Graye. This will be over soon.” Suddenly, a blinding light surrounded them and, in a flash, Mary and a now flesh and bone Bonnie appeared in front of the group. “Bonnie? What-What are you doing here? You can't be...”

“Wait...” Luz said as she clutched her head in pain as something seemed to be sparking inside. “Bonnie. I-I remember now.” She then released Adrian as he landed on his feet as the four turned to the frightened Belle who backed away.

“Now just... relax. We can...” She looked at her left arm as it began to grow stiff and looked more wooden. Soon it wasn't just her arm but her legs as she felt the knee joints lock up and she knew what was happening. “We can work this out. I wasn't hurting you. I-I gave you the perfect world to live in.” The girl simply had a look of apathy on as she watched Belle begin to shrink to her original doll size. “Don't do this. I-I was wrong for doing that to the others but they'd never have accepted me for replacing you.” She fell on her back as her legs were now stiff and useless. “Bonnie, please, if you do this you'll go back to being a sad girl with nothing.”

“That's where you're wrong.” Bonnie said with confidence. “My life may not be perfect, but it's still my life and I've got people I care about and who care about me.” After saying this, Belle gave no response as she fully transformed back into the inanimate object she started out as.

Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief as Mary and Luz ran up and hugged her. “Bonnie, I am so sorry I almost got you trapped by an evil doll.” Luz apologized.

“It's okay, Luz. We're all okay now.” Bonnie reassured. True, things in her life could be better but her friends kept her from going to dark places and in time she knew that she wouldn't just be treading to keep her head above the depression that flooded her mind now and again. It was thanks to them that was possible. She looked over to Head Witch Graye who stood back from the group, making her way over.

“Apprentice, it looks like you're no worse for...” Graye was cut off as the girl dove into him, wrapping him in a tight hug. He was a bit shocked by this but slowly reciprocated the gesture.

The next day, the market was it's usually bustling self as the merchants sold their wares. The norm was interrupted as a group of a dozen or so scouts, wearing blue cloaks of the illusion coven and led by Adrian Graye stormed the market. Some shop owners were shocked to see the force march down the streets and even one gray haired woman with a gold tooth quickly made herself scarce. The troop made it's way to one particular stand littered with creepy dolls and stopped in front of it. Graye towered over Tinella who looked nervous, worried she'd be dragged back to the conformatorium after escaping thanks to the Owl Lady's human apprentice. “By order of the Emperor's Coven, these dolls are to be confiscated and destroyed. You will be compensated a fraction of their cost, minus the fine of selling cursed items.” He snapped his fingers and the group began throwing the dolls into sacks, minus the big one, which they pushed into a wagon.

Tinella looked up to him in disbelief. “You-You're taking all of my dolls?” Graye gave a confirming nod before being shaken as the tiny woman jumped onto his face. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Now I can west easy at night.”

One Week Later

Belle's eyes darted around as she laid on her back, or rather they would have if she could have moved them to stare at any direction but up. Currently she'd been looking up at the ceiling of some lab by what she could tell when Luz first brought her in. If she could frown externally, she very much would. Her plans had been ruined by that brat, Bonnie. She gave the girl everything she could have wanted and she turned on her still. It was that Mary's fault. If she could somehow manage to get out of this, that girl was her first target. “Well, everything is set and waiting.” She heard Luz's voice as the girl appeared over her. Waiting for what she wondered. Was Luz going to find a way to free her without having to sacrifice anyone to take her place? “I've prepared the tools as you requested and we can begin whenever you're ready.”

“Wait. Who is that little freak talking to?” Belle wondered in her mind as she understood Luz was not speaking to her.

“Excellent.” A low raspy voice was heard as Luz, in her black potioner outfit on, soon placed her red-eyed filter mask on and stepped back. “This procedure could give us some clues to how this works.” The voice came again as a gray skinned man appeared over Belle. He had a rather long nose with a yellow scarf covering his mouth. He wore an outfit very similar to Luz's with the addition of a tall black hat. Soon she saw him raise an arm and, to her horror, Belle watched as he had a handheld device with a circular saw blade in it, seemingly made with abomination goo.

The table she was fastened too began to elevated and shift her forward as she was now upright. Her eyes, still glued forward would have shot out of their sockets if she was still flesh and blood at what they saw. In front of her was a pile of dolls, cut apart, gutted and left in a pile. Even Beatrice, the biggest doll in the collection at fifteen feet tall, lay broken and ripped apart. It was this sight that made Belle realize what was awaiting her.

Luz reappeared over her, looking down. “Also an excellent operational test of Blight Industries new abomination blade. I'll be keeping notes on it's performance, Head Witch Vitimir. Luckily, even if this one bears no results, we still have more where she came from.” Luz noted as the blade began to spin, letting out a loud whirring sound as Vitimir lowered it to Belle, who, if she still had vocal cords, would be screaming for mercy at the moment.

Chapter Text

Morning was always busy at the Shepard household as everyone was sat down for breakfast. Mary's elder siblings sat at one end of the long table while she and Bonnie, who was invited over, were wedged between them and the younger siblings under Mary. "Thanks for inviting me for breakfast." Bonnie said as she looked down at the hearty meal in front of her.

"Oh we love having you over, dear. It's always so good to have you over." Mary's mother, Uda said, the hefty light skinned woman bringing out plates to set out in front of each of the younger siblings. All of the kids had their long shaggy wool hair tied back, in shoddy braids or straight up covering their eyes. "Especially on sheering day, no less."

Their mother's words caught all the kids by surprise as they looked in shock. "Sheering?!" They all shouted and ran in various directions in and outside of the house.

"Mom, you did that on purpose!" Mary said angrily as her elder siblings chuckled and headed out for work.

"It wasn't an accident." Uda said as she sat down to enjoy her meal. "Now eat up. You'll need all your strength. You've got your work cut out for you today."

Mary groaned as she and Bonnie finished their meals. A short time later the two were looking around the house for the younger siblings. "I can't believe I have to spend all this time searching for them." Mary told Bonnie, who was looking under the couch. “Navajo and Churro can't even walk yet."

"Don't worry. We'll find them. How far could they have gone?" Bonnie asked as she looked over at a table lamp... with arms and legs that turned out to be one of the kids that she grabbed.

"You have no idea." Mary stopped and pulled up the table cloth of the dining room table and found her little sister, Fleecy, curled up with her eyes closed. Mary always knew where to find her favorite little sister as she was a creature of habit. "Gotcha', you little sneak." She said with a laugh, lifting up her sister from under the table as the little girl happily bleated.

Sometime later the two sat down in the living room as Mary was sheering Fleecy, who sat happily on her lap, letting her shave off her woolly hair. "So you want to have the moonlight conjuring?" Mary asked in confusion and uncertainty as she finished sheering Fleecy, placing the now trimmed girl on the ground as she went to the next.

"Yes. I think it could be fun. We've never done something like that before. Plus it will help take my mind off..." Bonnie froze for a moment as she recalled the horrible Belle incident and just how close she came to giving in and allowing the doll to claim her life.

Mary was concerned with her friends seeming trauma as she stopped what she was doing. Now free, her little brother raced off, half his head left unfinished. "Bon, you sure you're okay?"

Bonnie's eyes were still wide open and staring off into the distance as Mary's sister, Shetland walked passed with a doll in hand. Without warning, Bonnie snatched the doll away, bit its head off and threw the body away. "Yes. Why?"

“Well, if you think this will be something fun, I'll call up Luz and see if she wants to come too. I know we need at least three people to make this work.” Mary told her as she held one of her brothers still. “Stop squirming, runt.”

“I actually invited someone else as well. She's an old friend that I think you guys will love.”

Mary looked surprised. “Old friend? I've known you for years and you've never mentioned this girl.”

“Well... it was back when I was on the oracle track. We've been keeping in touch every so often. I know you'll love her. She's super cool.” Mary looked uncertain of her friend's claims but she refocused on the task at hand. Still she couldn't help but think as to why Bonnie would keep in touch with anyone in that track. She did everything in her power to get out of it after barely being there for a week or so after her traumatic experience. Despite all of that, Mary knew her friend needed this little break and anyone that Bonnie considered a friend couldn't be all bad, even if they were in the oracle track.

At the Blight manor far from the Shepard home, Luz Hargreaves found herself seated on a chair in the room of Emira, the eldest Blight child. The green haired girl found herself tending to Luz's newly acquired wounds at her request. It had been something Emira had been doing for the last couple of months here and there. She had Luz remove her tunic to get a better look at the fresh wounds on her back as the girl sat faced away from her. “Titan, Luz. What have you been doing?”

“I got on the bad side of a lava bear. No big deal. It was standing between me and some ingredients I needed.” Luz said calmly as she felt the healing force of Emira run along her back.

The older girl rolled her eyes and kept going, pausing every so often to see the old scars that ran up and down Luz's arms. She'd known the girl for years and always remembered that she'd thrown caution to the wind in recent times, but after the accident, Emira and Edric both thought that she would slow down and take things easier. She hadn't and even being a fair student in the healing track, Emira knew that there was far more damage than just what was on the surface. “So have you been to the healers since the last time?”

Luz almost groaned. It was just like every other time before. “I was going to but I got busy.”

Emira knew this was just another excuse. “Luz, you can't keep treating your body like this. You need to see a real healer. All your potion usage and the exposure could negatively effect you in the long run.”

“I'm fine.” Luz said. She'd heard all of these concerns before from Bo, Cat and just about any other healer in the track at her school who she'd asked to help her in the past. The only problem was that every student in the track was required to log their healing interactions outside of class for credits and everyone she had asked before eventually wanted to add her to their log list. Luz had zero interest in a teacher seeing her ailments and alert her parents. With that she decided to ask her BTF, Best Twin Friend, Emira on the side. Unfortunately, now it was round about as the Blight wanted to dig deeper.

“No, you're not. Listen to me. If you keep pushing your body with all this dangerous work, don't get proper rest and just fuel yourself with that bitter bean blood, you're going to cause more damage to your body then it can repair. Look, I won't tell your parents, but you need to get looked at.”

“And then what? Let them poke and prod at me and then call my parents so they can make me stop all my work? No thanks. I don't...” Luz began to cough furiously as she covered her mouth and soon saw the telltale red droplets on her hand. “I came here for healing, not advice. If you can't give me that I'll look somewhere else. Good day.”

“Luz, wait.” Emira's words were ignored as the girl hopped up, walked to the door and exited the room. “Luz, you're not wearing any...” The Blight girl called again as Luz had left her tunic on the ground which left her bare skin exposed.

Emira got up to catch her and immediately heard a voice from the hall, that of Amity. “Oh, hi Luz. What brings you...Ahh! Luz, you don't have any....”

“Oh, sorry. I completely blanked on...Um, Amity, your nose is bleeding. I mean like really bad and...” Emira heard Luz say before there was the sound of a loud thud in the hall. “Amity?!” The girl immediately grabbed Luz's belongings and rushed out to them.

A distance south of the town of Bonesborough a young teen raced excitedly to a large rectangular building surrounded by a metal fence. The girl, her head a crescent shape with a single eye on the right side and a yellow bow on her left horn, happily race from the town here as she had taken a carriage that took her as close as they could, though they were not allowed passed the perimeter that had been set up around the facility that overlooked a cliff, coven guards patrolling the area. The girl, however, was given permission to pass and went full speed to reach the front doors passed the gate.

Entering passed the front doors of the building, she was met with a front desk of the sanitized white halls of the building. A woman with violet skin and curled horns on the sides of her head looked up from reading a magazine and smiled at the new arrival. “Hey Celine. Here to see Head Witch Cutburn?” The woman asked as she fixed her white hat with a red cross on it.

“Yeah.” The girl answered.

“Well, I think she's wrapping up an operation but go on ahead back to waiting room six and I'll let her know you're here once she's out." Celine nodded and went to the room, waiting patiently for the head witch.

It took the better part of an hour but eventually Hettie Cutburn, head of the Healing Coven appeared out of surgery, a fresh pair of white gloves over her hands. Celine knew that was one thing the woman couldn't stand and that was filth. Odd given the nature of her work. Celine got up excitedly and raced to her. "Aunt Hettie!"

The witch looked up from the paper work one of her assistance was showing her. "Celine? What are you doing here? I'm very busy today." The woman said with a tiredness in her voice.

Celine deflated a slight bit. “Oh, well I just wanted to see you today.” She held her breath for a moment before speaking again. “And...I wanted to ask if....A friend of mine is having a moonlight conjuring tonight and I was wondering if....”

“No.” Hettie answered dismissively.

“But Aunt Hettie, she invited me to come.”

“I said no, Celine.” Hettie said with a bit more force in her voice. “You are not going.”

Celine looked up at the woman as she was still looking over her papers. “That's...that's not fair! All I want to do is spend some time with my friend. You never let me do anything with anyone! You scare away anyone that wants to get close to me! You just want me to be alone forever!”

Hettie looks up from the paperwork and hands it back to her assistant. “Leave us.” She ordered as the healers with her exited the room. The woman looked over to the girl with a disapproving frown. “I will let you get away with speaking to me like that once. Never forget that I am your guardian. If I tell you what to do, it's because I know what is best for you and you will listen.”

The girl's resolve was weakened as she was stared down by her aunt. “Y-Yes, Aunt Hettie. I'm...sorry.”

The woman's frown softened a bit. “It's alright. Just go home. Althea will see you there and take care of dinner. I have some business to take care of and I'll be out of town until tomorrow.”

“Yes, Aunt Hettie.” Celine said in defeat. A moment later, Hettie has the nearest nurse call up the aforementioned Althea, a young cyclops woman with tanned skin and light brown hair.

“Head Witch.” Althea saluted her superior before smiling at Celine.

“Escort my niece home and prepare her meal for the evening.” Hettie instructed her.

“Yes, ma'am. Come along Celine.” Althea guided her ward out of the room and down the hall.

Elsewhere

Luz walked to meet Mary and Bonnie as the two were outside of a snack shop.“Hey, I got your message. So you want to have the conjuring at my place?” Luz asked.

“Really?” Bonnie said in befuddlement. “I wouldn't think your parents would let us after the last...incident.”

“Well they said we can have it in the stables outside since we haven't had any beasts in a while. Plus, they'll be gone all weekend. Mom may have had a bit too much appleblood and made some off color comments on Penstagram about Dwarves, Brownies and the Menehune. So she and dad are out of town to do damage control with the investors.” Luz explained. “And they want me to be occupied as I may have made the situation...worse.”

Yesterday

Luz walked through town as she passed by the stands. “Hey Luz!” One of her classmates, Amelia, called to her. “What's your mom got against Brownies? They clean our houses and keep our possessions safe!” She said angrily.

“No, you don't understand. It was all just....”

“Ah Lusina Hargreaves, so good to see you.” One of the shop owners called to her. “I heard about your mother's post last night. Glad someone finally had the guts to call them out. Coming here taking our jobs and our women and acting like they own the isles. Lousy Elves.” The man said.

“It's not Elves. It's the Dwarves they hate.” Someone else corrected.

“My mom does not hate Dwarves!” Luz shouted, only drawing a crowd. “She doesn't hate anyone. Except maybe my grandparents.”

“Are they elves?” A random citizen asked.

“I don't know! I never met them.”

“So she's a self hating Elf?”

“No! My mom is not an Elf! My grandparents are probably not Elves either.” Luz was getting frustrated.

“What's wrong with being an Elf?” Bo, her classmate from the healing track demanded to know, her hands on her hips and tapping her foot.

“Nothing. Some of my best friends are Elves.” Luz said, warranting a scowl and raised eyebrow from Bo. “Why do you care?”

“I'm half Elf!” Bo stated, pointing to herself. “Though I guess I shouldn't be surprised how you feel about them after you used me and then ghosted me.” This warranted a collective “Ooh” from the surrounding citizens.

“Oh grow up!” Luz finally had enough and shouted. “We do not hate Elves! We hate Dwarves! I mean Brownies.... I mean nobody! Gah!”

Present

“So I'm not allowed anywhere near Penstagram until this whole thing is sorted out.” Luz said, pulling her hood over her head. “Mom said we can have it there but Ms. Kikimora has to be present as well.”

“Fine with me. Makes my life less stressful with an actual adult there.” Mary said casually. “Oh and Bonnie invited a friend.”

“Well duh.” Luz said. “I already know you'll be there.”

“No, like another friend that's not me.” Mary clarified.

Luz's eyes widened in befuddlement. “Another friend? Well that's surprising. Do we know her?”

Bonnie nodded excitedly. “Yeah, it's Celine.” She got no real response. “You know, Celine? One eye, crescent shaped head? She's in the Oracle track.”

Luz snapped her fingers once she got it. “Oh, Moon Girl.”

“Could you not call her that? It's not polite in the slightest. Besides, you really want to get on another persons bad side and give your family even worse publicity?” Bonnie pointed out.

“That's fair.”

Later

Celine sat on her bed, tears forming in her eye as Althea walked by and saw the girl's depressed state. "Hey, I brought some cookies. Is everything alright?"

"Aunt Hettie won't let me go to the moonlight conjuring at my friend's house. She says it's too dangerous." Celine said sadly. "I hate it when she treats me like a baby."

Althea walked in as she placed the tray of cookies down on the nightstand. She sat beside the girl and placed an arm around her. "Hey, Hettie worries about you. That's all. You're all she's got in this world."

"I know but I don't have many friends and she always scares the others away. I just... I just want to get to know new people and see new things, not be cooped up in here. No offense."

"None taken." Althea said with a smile. "You're young and you need to experience the world for yourself." She thought for a moment and summoned her snake palisman. "If you keep off Penstagram about this and we keep it hush hush, I'll let you go. Your aunt won't be back until tomorrow morning and by then you'll be back. Agreed?"

Celine squealed with delight and wrapped her arms around the woman. "Thank you! You're the best babysitter ever!"

The girl hopped on the palisman and flew at full speed towards the Hargreaves estate, landing near the front gates where Bonnie was already waiting for her. “You made it!” The carrot top excitedly said as she hugged the new arrival. “I was worried you'd miss out.”

“Sorry, I just had a hard time convincing my babysitter to let me come.” Celine told her friend. “She loaned me her palisman to get here. So when does this conjuring start?”

“Not yet, I'm afraid. We've still got a ton of cloud cover so we may not be able to see the moon for an hour, maybe more.”Bonnie explained. “But that's okay, we've still got a bunch of games and activities planned before that. Come on, I'll introduce you to the others.” She led the back to the stables where the others were waiting inside, the front doors opened to get the full view of the moon once it became visible. “Our last guest has arrived.”

The others turned to see the final guest as she waved sheepishly to them. “Pleasure to meet you all.” Celine greeted.

“This is Mary.” Bonnie introduced.

“S'up?

“Of course you know Luz.”

“Hey.”

“And this is....”

“Ms. Kikimora?” Celine was stunned as she saw the diminutive woman sitting on a crate nearby. “What are you doing here?”

“Kikimora works for Luz's family now.” Bonnie said. “She'll be overseeing the night's events.”

Celine looks over to the woman again, who gives her a feint nod. “Well it's good to see you found a place outside of the school and the...well it's good to see you here. Thanks for inviting me.”

“Bonnie invited you.” Mary said rather tersely as she rested a hand under her chin. Celine had a look of uncertainty on her face before going to sit down on a pile of hay.

Luz's eyes darted between the two girls and noticed the similarities between them. The horned heads, the purple clothing and they were two of the only friends the quietest girl in school had. Clearly Bonnie had a type. But it's clear the two were not going to hit it off easily. Mary did not like oracles for her own personal reasons that had to do very much with Bonnie, but Luz hoped she could keep it cool for tonight. She couldn't help but wonder what Boscha was up to since she said she'd be out of town for a while.

Latissa

Boscha arrived at the location and tapped on the door three times. A scarf was wrapped around her head and mouth to conceal her identity as she walked in once the door opened. She descended down a walk way to a large area where a crowd was waiting around a large dug out that looked like a track. She headed to a food stand that was serving sandwiches. She hadn't eaten all day and she was starving. “One ice tomato sandwich.” She said as she handed the owner the money. It wasn't long before the chef put the sandwich up on a plate.

“There you are.” The stand owner, a blue skinned woman, said. “And here is a free fairy muffin to go along with that.”

Boscha saw the fairy product and her eye twitched. “No. Thank you.”

“But it's free.” The woman told her.

“If that muffin touches my food, I will murder you!” Boscha exclaimed as she took the sandwich and left the stunned woman to man her stand.

"Where have you been?" Tibbles shouted, running up to her as the girl munched on her food. "The race is about to start and you are just arriving?"

"Relax Tibs. You know the betting odds get closer the longer I'm absent." She reassured him.

"Point taken. Still we have important business to discuss." The two walked along. "I need you to throw the race tonight."

Boscha stopped in her tracks. "What?"

"The odds on you have never been higher so... I need you to throw it and let the long shot, Nya Talbot win. I've already informed her brother of the arrangement."

“No! No way am I losing to that little mutt or her flea bitten brother.” The girl vehemently refused.

“Listen, I don't like it either. You're my best racer but my hands are tied. Our benefactor contacted me personally. You either throw the race or at best you find another circuit to race on.” Tibbles explained.

“But all the circuits on the isles are run under this guy!” Boscha said in frustration. “This is so unfair!”

“It's how the game is played, kid.” Tibbles pulled out his watch and looked at the time. I've got a Hexes Hold'em match to play. I'll trust you can handle this professionally?” Boscha sighed but nodded as the conman took his leave.

Boscha left the main hall and headed back to the stables where the racing mounts were located. The ratworms weren't the most pleasant creature to look at, but Boscha had a soft spot for the creatures. She didn't know why but caring for these creatures just made her feel so serene. The races may have been illegal but they were a place where Boscha could just stand out on her own. No Amity or Willow. Just her. “Hey boy.” She said as she walked up to her ratworm mount. The beast was decorated with scars over his face and upper body, but he was a big softy at heart, similar to a certain someone. “Oi, what's happening, triclops?” Boscha's mood immediately changed as her hand came back from the ratworm and she turned to see a girl in a Glandus uniform.

She sported the red of the bard track as well as the signature cap that covered most of her dark hair, although two pigtails escaped from the sides. The witch had a tanned complexion as well as a bandage on her left cheek. With her was a boy in a bard Glandus uniform as well, his hood up and his bushy dark blue hair covering his eyes and leaving only the dark skin of his lower face exposed. These were the Talbot siblings, Nya and Lupa. “What do you want, fleabags?”

“Harsh.” Nya put her hands up defensively. “Just wanted to say, give them a good race out there.”

Boscha grunted before looking back to her ratworm, sensing the sarcasm in Nya's voice. “Just get out of here.”

“Grumpy. Can't even be happy to share the spotlight for a change. Lupa.” Her brother merely grunted before punching a wall next to him. This immediately got Boscha's attention as she stared in his direction before turning back to find his sister gone.

The triclops immediately shivered when she felt someone resting on her back. “Mmm, your hair smells so good, baby girl.” Nya said as she sniffed Boscha, rubbing up against her neck. The redhead spun around and tried to hit the girl only for Nya to jump back and then over to her brother. “Always love getting a rise out of you. No offense meant. You just bring out the beast in me. Come on Lupa. We got to get set up. Hope you enjoy my backside, sweetie.” She turned to Boscha, her eyes now a bright yellow as she smiled, baring her fangs. “Cause you'll be looking at it all night.”

The two siblings departed, leaving Boscha to continue to pet the beast in front of her. “Come on AJ. We've got a race to prepare for, even if I got to go out a loser. Not that it's any different any other time.” Boscha sighed as she prepared herself. Coming in second was nothing new to her and she figured she should just bear it and take the loss. “Don't give me that look.” She told the creature. “I gotta lose, just this once. Even if I hate it, it's gotta be done.”

The two slowly made their way down to the underground track as the spectators filled the arena above. Boscha made sure to keep her head wrap on to conceal her identity. The last thing she wanted was for word to get out that Boscha Hargreaves was taking part in underground matches. She reached the track where four other racers were waiting on their ratworm mounts. Nya and Lupa obviously, race regular cat-like biped Severine and a new racer. This person was clearly a witch who wore a short black dress with translucent sleeves and wore a black face mask with a white “M” on it. The mystery racer lined up with the others as Boscha tried to focus on being good but not good enough to win.

It still didn't sit well with the triclops but she still didn't have much of a choice. The announcer presented each of the racers, Nya and her mount You Dirty Rat, Lupa and Fly by Night, Severine and Not a Spy, Boscha and Angmar Jr. and the so called Mystery Racer M and their mount Can't Think of a Name.

The racers got to the starting line as Boscha rode up and looked over to Nya who gave her a knowing wink. She then looked up to the tinted glass of the private boxes above at the higher tiers of the stands. It kept the identities of the upper echelon patrons concealed, including the head honcho who she knew was watching the race and expecting her to take a dive. Boscha refocused as the race was about to get underway, a launched fireball signaling the start as Boscha and Angmar Jr. barreled out the gate passed the competition. It didn't take long for her to remember that she was supposed to lose and immediately began to slow her pace and let Nya overtake her in the 4^th lap. The night was still young and they still had twenty-six more to go before the race was over.

Back at the Hargreaves Manor, Luz and the other girls were in the middle of some fun activities, still waiting for the cloud cover to disperse. “Are you sure about this?” Luz said hesitantly as she sat on the ground, Mary behind her with a pair of scissors.

“Relax. I do this for my siblings all the time and you are way pass due for a trim. Trust me. You're gonna love the way you look.” Mary assured her as she went about clipping Luz's hair in the front. As she did she found herself being distracted as she watched Bonnie sitting and laughing with Celine who had a basket with freshly made brownies she had made the day before in preparation for the nights events. Mary grunted a bit looking at that as Luz watched as well.

“They seem to be getting along pretty well. I wasn't aware Bonnie had any other friends outside of us. Good for her.”

“I don't trust her.” Mary said plainly. “You can't trust oracles. They're always working with some hidden agendas. Being able to see into the future or whatever. Only helping themselves.”

“That's a bit judgmental, isn't it? I mean, Bonnie was in the oracle track, too.” Luz asked.

Mary held her friend's head in place. “I've got a pair of scissors in my hands. Might not be the best idea for you to make me upset.” Luz stiffened up as the girl continued to cut and soon braided the hair on Luz's right side. “There you go.” Mary pulled out a mirror and showed Luz her work. She had clipped the hair short in front of Luz's left side so that both her eyes could be seen and the right side was braided over her shoulder.

“I'm not hating this.” Luz admitted as she pulled her hood back up to properly keep her ears covered just the way she liked it even without her hair long. “Thanks.” The girl looked back to see Mary glaring over at the pair of Celine and Bonnie.

“Here, try one.” Celine offered a brownie, feeding it to Bonnie, the latter at first refusing before giving in and taking a bite.

“What the heck?!” Mary said as she walked over and pulled the carrot top back. “Bonnie can feed herself, weirdo!”

“Mary?!” Her friend protested.

Celine recoiled a bit. “I was just being friendly.”

“I don't know what kind of friendly you oracles like to practice but keep it away from my friend.” Mary pulled Bonnie close to her.

The moon headed girl frowned upon hearing this and grabbed Bonnie's arms and pulled her back over. “Bonnie is my friend as well. And what is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I don't trust your kind.” Mary pulled back as the two were going back and forth.

“My kind?!”

“Oracles. You all give me the creeps with your 'fortune' telling and looking into the future at stuff you don't have any business.” The two fought a tug of war for Bonnie who was trying to calm the situation down.

Off to the side, Kikimora and Luz both stared at the scene. “Do you want to get in there?” The diminutive woman asked.

“You're the adult.” Luz pointed out.

Kikimora scoffed at the notion. “I'm not getting in the middle of that mess.” This left Luz to sigh as she got up and walked over to try and lower the tension as things looked like the two might come to blows.

Back in the underground arena, the ratworm race was in it's last five laps. The story had stayed mostly the same with Nya taking the lead, Boscha making sure to stay behind her the entire time and the others jockeying for third place. Racer M managed to beat out both Severine and Lupa as they was vying to pass the second place holder. The racer turned to look over at Boscha. “This one heard you were the best. Maybe this one was ill informed.”

Boscha growled at the competitor. “What did you say?”

“This one heard what Tibbles said. Even if it's for a bet, you shouldn't sell yourself short. Just saying.” Mystery Racer M refocused on the race and attempted to push her beast on ahead, only three laps remaining. Those few words made Boscha think as the group continued around the track.

In the stands, Violet sat with a small bucket of snacks, watching closely as a grumpy looking Gene sat with her. “Why did we have to come here?” He asked.

“One, I needed to get you out of the house and two, I wanted to get here to see how this all ends.” Violet explained, never taking her eyes off of the track. “This is crucial.”

Gene looked over to her in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing.” She jammed a piece of meat into his mouth. “Now shut up and eat your mutton.” The girl kept her wide eyes trained on the track as the race was winding down.

Boscha was now in third place and the final lap was coming up. She continued on at that pace, though the other racer's words kept hammering in her head. Boscha didn't want the trouble that comes with ticking off the boss man, whoever he was. At the same time, she didn't want to just be some tool and certainly didn't want to give Nya the satisfaction of getting the best of her. “This is gonna end my racing career, AJ, but I'm not going out a loser. Let's go, baby boy.” She formed an orange circle in the air as a glow formed around her ratworm that seemed to energize him as he rocketed across the ground at increased speed that began to help them gain on Nya and Mystery Racer M.

Nya looked relaxed as she was coming upon the finish line only to be utterly shocked when an orange blur whizzed past her and Boscha kept out in front of the pack. Unable to make up the gap, Nya could only watch as her foe crossed the finish line first. “Winner!” The announcer called as Boscha stopped and turned back as the crowd roared with cheers. She knew she was in big trouble, but she just couldn't care any less right now as she looked to Mystery Racer and gave a nod, the racer returning the gesture.

“No!” Boscha's attention was grabbed by Nya as both got off their mounts and the latter marched over to her. “You weren't supposed to win. I was! You were supposed to lose to me!”

“Sis, calm down.” Lupa said in a low even voice before his sister slapped away his hand.

“No! She cheated!” Nya fell back on the ground and began kicking her arms and legs like a child throwing a tantrum. “You cheated! Cheated! Cheated! Cheated!” She continued before her body seized up and she groaned in pain. Fur slowly began to form on her hands and face as her fingernails grew into claws and a wolf like tail sprouted from her tailbone. Boscha was shocked as the girl leaped to her feet as she bared her longer fangs “I'll tear you limb from limb!”

Boscha was in complete shock as the girl jumped on top of her, trying her best to hold Nya back as the lycan tried to bite her. The redhead couldn't get her hands free long enough to use her magic as her efforts were focused on not getting her face eaten off. A moment later a set of vines wrapped around Nya's waist and threw her across the room as she landed on all fours like a feral beast. The two turned as Mystery Racer M stood with her the vines extending out of a sheet of paper in her hand that dissipated along with the vines soon after. “Are you alright?” M asked as Boscha nodded.

“I'll rip you both apart!” Nya said as she charged towards them. Now freed up, Boscha summoned a flaming grudgby ball and hurled it at the lycan girl who leaped over it. She was stunned as a M used another sheet of paper with strange symbols on it by what Boscha could see, the paper crumpling to produce a massive gust of wind that knocked Nya back. Lupa immediately jumped in and caught his sister, the boy transformed into his lycan form as well.

The sudden fight caused some of the spectators to exit while guards were on their way down to stop the scuffle. The Talbot siblings stood side by side, ready to fight, their claws and fangs bared for combat. Boscha and Mystery Racer stood opposite them, ready for a fight. Unfortunately, the fight would never be determined as the door on the south side was blasted open and Eda with King on her shoulder raced in. “Ms. Eda?” Mystery Racer said as the gray haired woman raced up to and passed her.

“Time to go, kiddo!” She said in a hurry as she summoned Owlbert. Not a second later, the other doors of the track were breached by dozens of coven scouts.

“Everyone down!” A figure in a golden mask and armor with a white cape came in. Whispers of the “Golden Guard” sounded through the crowd. “By order of the Emperor...”

Nya cut him off as she lunged at him. The girl prepared to slash him in half before he raised a staff with a red orb on top that held her in place and flashed a bright red light on her. In that moment, her animal features reverted and she crashed to the ground. The girl looked absolutely shaken. “What...did you...do to me?” She asked.

“Let's just say your bark is now much worse than you bite.” He said as he pointed the staff at her brother who willingly surrendered. “Now, as I was saying. By order of the Emperor, you are all under arrest.”

“Fat chance, Goldie!” Mystery Racer said as she grabbed Boscha and threw her on top of AJ before jumping up as well. “Ride!”

“Don't have to tell me twice.” Boscha said as she drew a circle in the air and spurred on the ratworm to blitz for the nearest exit.

“I'll see you at home, Ms. Eda.” M said as the older woman fought with the coven scouts before she and King made a quick escape on Owlbert. Boscha maneuvered and blasted passed several scouts herself before riding out of the arena and into the streets of Latissa. “That was some crazy racing.” The mystery racer said, removing the mask to reveal something Boscha did not expect as she looked back.

“You're... a human?”

The girl smiled, a large gap in-between the front teeth in her mouth. “Pleasure to meet you. This one is named Masha.” The human offered a hand and shook with the stunned girl in front. Boscha quickly got her senses about her as she regained control of AJ and got them out of immediate danger.

“Boscha, by the way.” The introductions were barely over when a yellow flashed of light appeared on the roof top ahead of them and the Golden Guard appeared. “Ah nuts!” Boscha said as he aimed his staff and fired a blast of red energy. Shot after shot came at them as the Hargreaves girl raced through the streets, the Golden Guard, seemingly darting from roof to roof ahead of them in a flash of golden light. “Not to complain, but you think you can do something about him?”

“On it.” Masha said, pulling out a slip of paper and launching a fireball just as the Guard was moving to his new position. The shot hit dead on, knocking him out of sight. The two breathed a sigh of relief only for the masked guard to land on the tail of the ratworm. Boscha fought to regain control of the alarmed beast as the new passenger stared down the human behind her. “Goldie! So glad you could drop in, but we don't do carpools.”

“I have no idea what that is.” The Golden Guard said as he brandished his staff. The ratworm winded through the streets while the two occupants on his tail, fought in close quarters, Masha using glyphs to form a rapier made of ice as the two dueled. “You aren't getting away this time, human.”

The Golden Guard gained the advantage as he smashed the ice blade and knocked Masha back and against Boscha. “I've got you now.” Masha looked around and spotted a walking bridge ahead and over them. Thinking quickly, the human pulled out a glyph and tapped it briefly before tossing it aside. Within the blink of an eye, a stone pillar shot out of the ground at a forty-five degree angle. The stone construct hit the guard in the chest and sent him flying backwards and into a cart filled with dried straw.

Boscha looked back to see he was gone. “Where's the Golden Guard?”

“Oh he had to hit the hay.” Masha said with a smile before sitting back down behind Boscha. “Drop this one off right here.” Boscha stopped as Masha hopped off the ratworm.

“You sure? This is a pretty far walk if you're headed to the Owl Lady's place.” Boscha voiced her concern.

“It's not too far. This one came prepared.” Masha held up her hands as she pressed a sheet of paper in her hand and clapped it. Like the ones before, it crumpled and before Bosha's eyes, the girl sprouted a pair of bat wings.

“Wait!” The triclops called just as the girl was about to take off. “You're from the human realm. How did you do that? That was transformation. Only beast keepers can do that and you are a human.”

Before the human could give an answer they heard the coven scouts, finally organized and giving chase. “Another time. If you want answers, stop by the Owl House sometime.” Masha said before spreading the wings and flying into the night.

Boscha didn't have much time to think on this and had to race off to keep ahead of the scouts. She knew exactly where she needed to go and it wasn't far.

Meanwhile, a short distance away, a carriage carrying Daphne and Larry was on it's way out of town as well. Inside with them was a young, dark skinned woman, her long hair in a ponytail and a pair of short, sharp fangs sticking out of her mouth. She looked at the two still uncertain of why she was there with them. “I appreciate you getting me out of the conformatorium, but why, if you don't mind me asking.”

“Well, Ms. Katya...” Daphne started. “It seems we have a few mutual acquaintances. Derwin up there for one. He told us all about who you work for and what you are planning. With that in mind, we'd like to offer our services as well. That wagon of supplies behind us is yours to take back to your...friends and I hope that this can be the start of a mutually beneficial partnership.”

Katya wanted to say something further but only responded with a nod as the carriage stopped. “Now I trust you can keep yourself out of trouble and get that wagon to where it needs to be. After that, I would very much be interested in hearing what your friend has to say about my proposition.” The younger woman nodded and departed the carriage, waving goodbye to Derwin who was steering before she took the wagon and headed off.

“Alright, Derwin. Let's go home.” She said as he started to drive them off. “I think that went well.”

“Yep, I mean outside of your little tirade on penstagram.” Larry noted.

“A necessary step so we could travel with no suspicion. One small apology speech and we were golden. Not to mention no one expected that wagon was anything more than the gifts over top with the real supplies stuffed in the compartments.” Daphne said as she relaxed. “Now to get some rest after an exhausting trip and hope Luz hasn't burned the barn down.”

“I'm sure she's fine.” Larry noted before looking out the window and seeing a ratworm and it's rider being pursued through the streets of the nearby Latissa. “Not like them.” He pulled out a telescope that he kept on him usually for scouting supplies and peered in that direction. “I feel sorry for that poor...Boscha?”

Daphne gave him a strange look. “Poor Boscha? Is that some new lingo the kids are using today that I will never understand?”

“No I mean it's literally Boscha, our daughter. Look.” He gave her the telescope and she looked through to confirm.

“Oh. My. Titan. What is she doing out here?” Larry kept quiet as he knew she was going to be out of Bonesborough but had no idea it involved anything like this. “Derwin! Turn the carriage around!” She screamed as the driver did as instructed.

It took Larry only a few moments to realize what was in the direction that Boscha was headed. About a half-an-hour later, Larry and Daphne walked up to a quaint little home just outside of the main streets of Latisa. The two looked to one another before Larry took in a deep breath and knocked on the door. It didn't take long for an older woman, a bit shorter than him and with gray hair to arrive and look up to them. “Larry? Daphne?” She said a bit nervously.

Larry sighed as he looked to his mother, not having seen her in several years. “Belinda, is my daughter in there?” Boscha passed by in the background with a plate of cookies, one shoved in her mouth before she stopped, seeing the disapproving glare of her parents.

It wasn't long before she was being dragged by the ear out to the carriage. “Ow, mom! Stop it! That hurts.”

“Good. Now get in there and I don't want to hear a word out of you until we get home.” Daphne ordered as they rode back through town.

Outside, the coven scouts were loading everyone they had captured from the races into wagons. Boscha noticed that Tibbles didn't seem to be among them. That didn't mean he wasn't caught, but he may have scurried away after all of the commotion. Two people she did spot were Nya and Lupa who were being taken on a cart by an older man that she presumed was their father. “Somehow you two always manage to one-up yourselves when it comes to embarrassing me. Get on the wagon.” He ordered as they attempted to ride up front. “What do you think you're doing? Get in the back. I swear, I'm glad your mother isn't alive to see you two. Titan rest her soul. She'd have died of shame.”

The carriage passed the collection of scouts and prisoners as Boscha looked up to both her parents, neither of them looking at all pleased. Daphne had a look of pure anger and disappointment while Larry had one of uncertainty and unease. This was going to be a long ride home.

Back at the Hargreaves home, the fight was well over as Mary sat next to a rather unhappy Bonnie who was wrapping up her friend's left horn with a bandage wrap. “I can't believe you did that.” The carrot top said in anger.

“She started it.” Mary said as she healed her own hand. “What is she made of anyway? It's like she's made of stone.”

“You know, Mary. I am very disappointed in you. This is not how I expected my best friend to treat my other friend.” Bonnie sighed as she looked down. “Look, I get why you don't like oracles. You're looking out for me, but Celine is a great friend of mine. She isn't trying to hurt me. Can you just...give her a chance?”

Mary looked over to the other girl who was aiding Luz, who got a black eye from trying to break up the fight. The girl didn't answer and only huffed as Bonnie knew what she meant, even if she didn't say it. “Come here.” Bonnie said with a bit of joy in her voice as she held the other girl still and finished bandaging her cracked horn.

On the other side of the room, Celine was looking over Luz. “Sorry about punching you.”

“That's okay.” Luz said as she held her eye. Celine raised her hand and created a circle in the air as Luz's swollen eye began to go back to normal. “You know healing magic?”

Celine blushed a bit. “It's just something my aunt taught me years ago just in case I was ever hurt badly. But she told me to focus on my oracle classes even if I really want to work alongside her.”

Luz thought to herself for a moment after hearing this. “Hey, I've got a proposition for you. If you are good at this, how would you like to be my personal healer? I get into my fair share of 'little accidents' from time to time and having someone to help with my injuries could come in handy. I'd play you and you'd be able to keep your healing skills from getting rusty.”

The moon headed girl smiled. “I'd like that.” Just then she saw Mary walking over, her eyes trained to the ground as she shyly looked to Celine as she got close. “Yes?”

“Look. I'm really sorry for all that.” Mary said. “Bonnie likes you so I should give you a chance myself. So can we...start over?”

“Sure.” Celine said simply, bringing a big smile to Bonnie's face. The group then spent the time before the moon made itself present laughing and joking. They eventually got around to doing some fun activities like truth or scare. “Okay Mary, truth or scare?”

“Truth.” Mary said confidently.

“Alright. Do you have a crush on anyone?” Mary's eyes immediately shot open and she looked around hesitantly. “Well?”

The horned girl swallowed. “Okay, but you guys cannot tell another soul. I...have a crush...on Edric Blight.” She said the last bit quickly with a heavy blush on her face. The other girls were shocked at first before letting out a collective, “Aw”. “But don't tell anyone!”

“Don't worry, your secret is safe with us.” Bonnie said.

“But, you know I could always put in a good word with...” Luz began to say before realizing she was on the outs with the boy's sister. “On second thought, lips are sealed.”

“What is the point of this activity?” Kikimore asked, bored out of her mind as she laid on her back, keeping an eye on the clouds overhead through a skylight to see when the clouds would break up to make the moon visible.

“It's fun. We just ask each other personal questions or have to come up with an amazing scare that gets general fear out of the others or tell a scary story to do the same.” Bonnie explained.

“No offense, but you might be too old to get it.” Luz said.

Kiki immediately shot up as she scoffed. “Exactly how old do you think I am, child?”

“I don't know. Forty?”

“Thirty-Five?” Bonnie said.

“Sixty-one.”

“Four-Hundred.” Celine said causing everyone to look at her. “What? I thought it was one of those 'older than they appear' deals.”

“I'm twenty-one!” Kikimora said in frustration. Before she could say anything further she noticed that the clouds were finally beginning to disperse. The girls saw it and immediately rushed outside to their spot. You weren't required to bask in the moons glow but Bonnie thought it would make things so much more special. Kiki decided to stay inside but, much to her annoyance, Bonnie picked her up and put her on her shoulders like a small child.

“Wow. I have never seen the moon before.” Celine stated. The others again looked to her in shock.

“You're kidding, right?” Mary asked.

“No. My aunt always told me that I should never be out at night or look outside. My room doesn't even have a window.” Celine confessed as she found herself fixated on the bright orb in the sky. It was like she was entranced by it's glow. Her heart raced as she kept on staring directly at it. “Now that I'm seeing it for the first time, it's....It's breathtaking.”

The others soon began to look at her with concern, then looking to each other as if something was happening. Alarmed, Bonnie decided to speak. “Celine? Your eye....”

The crescent headed girl immediately put her hand to her face. “What about it?” Her hand covered it but she soon realized she could still see the moon clearly despite the obstruction of her view.

“You've got two of them now.” Luz stated and to Celine's shock, she very much did.

Celine jumped up as the others tried to calm her down. “What-What's happening to me?!” She looked down to her hands as her clawed fingers began to extend and spines started to protrude from her arms and legs, ripping through her sleeves and leggings. “Make it stop!”

“Celine, don't panic. We'll figure something out.” Bonnie tried to reach out to her before the other girl swiped at her with her claws.

“Get away from me!” Celine shouted as her eyes turned a glowing yellow color and a reptile-like tail grew out from behind her.

“Stay back! All of you!” Kikimora ordered as the girl fell to her knees as the transformation seemed to halt. The small woman cautiously approached the girl. “Child? Are you alright?”

Kikimora was alarmed as Celine looked up to her, snarling and baring several rows of sharp teeth. She lunged at the woman as Mary jumped in and brought up a healer shield and used it to push Celine back. “We've got to contain her!” Luz shouted as she realized she had none of her potions or equipment on her.

“Don't hurt her!” Bonnie begged as Celine rebounded and charged the group. They prepared before she leaped over them and into the woods. Luz raced towards the main house to retrieve her potions, L-Pills or anything that she could get to help. She never got the chance as Celine darted back out of the hiding spot and jumped on Luz's back and knocking her to the ground. The moon girl proceeded to bite on the back of Luz's clothing, shaking her around violently. “Celine, stop!” The feral girl paused as she turned back to see Bonnie, her hands up defensively as the former dropped Luz from her mouth and slowly began to approach Bonnie on all fours. “It's gonna be okay. We don't want to hurt you. Just stay calm and let us help you.”

Bonnie seemed to be getting through to her friend as the girl tilted her head. The carrot top relaxed for a moment before Celine's eyes widened and she growled before jumping at a defenseless Bonnie. Mary brings up another shield as she blocked the attack and again tried to throw the feral assault away only for Celine to climb over it and attack Mary. The two wrestled on the ground, with Mary trying her best to hold the beast off. Luz was unconscious and Kikimora could do nothing without her magic but still tried as she grabbed a stick and tried pathetically to hit Celine only for the girl to swat her away with her tail.

Seeing her two friends fighting, albeit one of them not in control of herself, Bonnie panicked. She wanted to keep Mary from getting mauled and at the same time didn't want to hurt Celine. Her eyes darted back and forth, knowing she was the deciding factor. Closing her eyes and forming a circle, a mirror like surface appeared in front of her and it channeled the moons light as it glowed before firing a blast that hit Celine and slammed her against the wall of the home. Bonnie slowly dissipated it, silently apologizing to the crescent girl before checking on Mary. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Is she?” Mary asked as she shook her head. The two saw Luz getting back up.

“Look out!” Luz shouted as they saw Celine in midair about to slam down on them. Before she could, a large gloved hand grabbed her mid flight before hurling her away. The girls and Kikimora all looked shocked as Head Witch Cutburn stood in front of them.

“Celine!” She shouted to the girl who was still snarling, digging her claws in the ground to prepare to charge again. “No.” Hettie put a hand out for the child to pause. Celine, in her current state does not heed the warning and charged full tilt. The healer takes a step forward and with blinding speed, hits Celine with five quick finger jabs on the girl's pressure points in the arms, legs and one just beneath her heart and catches her in her arms as she has passed out from the blows. In a few moments, Celine morphs back in her arms. Hettie looked down on her with her tattered clothing. She looks back briefly at Luz and the others, frowning. “Stay away from my niece.” She said before looking back to the girl and vanishing with her in the blink of an eye.

“Hettie? Hettie Cutburn is her frickin' aunt?!” Mary screamed.

“Duh.” Kikimora said politely. “In any case, let's get this place cleaned up before your parents return.” The group agreed and got cleaned up and would keep this event a secret and hope Cutburn did not come back to finish them off. Once they were done, the girls got their sleeping bags and stayed out in the barn, closing the doors. Even Kikimora decided to just relax with them, tucking herself in a pile of hay.

Luz meanwhile went back into the main house to retrieve her potion bag just to be safe. As she was upstairs getting her things, she heard the front door open and immediate noise. “Go to your room!” She heard her mother say. Boscha must be home.

“That's not fair. I didn't do anything wrong! Okay I did something wrong but grandma Belinda said I could stay with her.” She heard Boscha say. And she heard her use that name, a name she absolutely hated.

“Boscha, we told you...”Larry tried to say only to be cut off by his wife.

“I told you she is never welcome in this home and to never associate with her!” Her mother said aggressively.

“You said we can choose what we want to do with our lives.” Boscha argued.

“I know what I said!” Her mother yelled. “But not her.”

“She said she was sorry. It was an accident.”

“She put your sister in the hospital!” Daphne stopped as she began to tear up. “She could have...She could have died. Until you can grasp that, you are grounded. To your room.” Boscha scowled at her. “Don't give me that look. To. Your. Room!”

Boscha said nothing and Luz heard her stomping up the stairs. The triclops girl walked to her room, slamming the door behind her. She slumped down on the floor next to her bed. Anything she wanted to tell Luz, she no longer felt like. All she wanted was to just be alone for a while which apparently she'd have plenty of time to do. As she brought her knees up to her chest to cry in silence, she noticed a grayish green clawed hand reach from under the bed and hold her hand gently. Boscha smiled a small bit at this comfort. “Thanks, little rat.”

As Daphne and Larry argued between themselves, they noticed Luz on the second floor coming down the stares. “Sweetie, I hope we didn't wake you.” Daphne said.

“No, I was just grabbing some things from my room. I'm spending the night in the barn with my friends.” Luz said plainly.

“I hope you all had a good time.” Larry said.

“It was...eventful.” Luz headed for the door.

“Luz, I know you heard us and...” Daphne paused. “Boscha means well but she can be stubborn. We all know what Belinda did to you was...”

“I don't care. I can't change this...”Luz gestured to her skin. “No matter how hard I try. If Boscha wants to waste her time with that old bat, I say let her. As long as she stays far away form me.” She exited the home and made her way back to the barn. Her former grandmother's bumbling attempt to help organize her potions almost resulted in her death. Technically it did since, according to the doctor, she was clinically dead five times on the operating table. Even after months of healing and therapy, her skin never returned to its original state, not even after all these years.

To make it worse, everyday was a pain, literally. The accident not only altered her skin pigment. It left her in a state of constant pain. The best she could describe it was someone pushing needles into you skin anytime she made contact with a surface or grabbed something. Even sitting down was excruciating. It's the reason she always wore baggy clothing: To better cover the soft extra padding that lined the fabric to alleviate some of that pain. Having to live with that day to day, Belinda was well and truly dead to her. But she didn't want to think of that right now. All she wanted was to sleep and perhaps rethink the whole Celine situation, one way or the other.

Meanwhile

"Aunt Hettie, please." Celine pleaded as she was dragged along by her aunt through the front door. The woman remained silent, her strength preventing her young charge from escaping. "I'm sorry."

The woman silently sent up the stairs with her and opened the door to the girl's bedroom. "You are grounded. You will stay in here until I say you can come out and you will not be seeing those girls ever again." she pushed the girl inside and slammed the door, locking it behind her. Celine dejectedly headed toward her bed and fell face first on top of it.

Hettie made her way to her own small room. It was sparsely decorated; a bed, small dresser drawer and desk. She was rarely ever here so it wasn't much use other than to confirm the place as her home. She was not happy to say the least. Celine had always followed her orders and for her to slip out and go somewhere without her knowledge was... concerning. Those girls she found her with were an obvious bad influence. If not for one of them being Vitimir's apprentice, she may have dealt with them a bit differently.

As she stewed on this, she stopped at her desk and saw a framed photo, the only one there. Picking it up she saw the photo of a man and woman holding Celine as an infant. The edges of the picture in the frame were singed as if pulled from a fire. Hettie closed her eyes for a moment. That day played in her mind from time to time: The fire, the screams, the infant she put in her arms and carried home. It reminded her just how much this girl meant to her and left the room as she went to talk to her niece. She prepared to knock only realizing the futility as she had been the one to lock it. Listening, she could hear the pained sobs of the girl. Slowly opening the door, she found Celine huddled over her bed as she cried into her sheets.

"Celine?" She said in an uncharacteristically tender voice. The girl looked to her, the lone eye pouring salty tears. Hettie for her part walked over and slowly removed her headgear and eye shield and gently sat on the bed next to her. "I'm sorry... for yelling at you. I just... Celine, you know I worry about you. I just... I know I don't communicate things like I should but I don't tell you these things to hurt you or ruin you having a good time. They're to keep you safe so I don't lose you like I lost your parents. Their death... was my fault and I can't make those mistakes ever again, not with you."

Celine looked shocked at hearing this as she sat up on the bed too and silently nuzzled up next to the tall woman. "I'm sorry too for not listening. But I want to have fun sometimes with my friends. I don't have a whole lot of them and..."

"I know Moon Drop, I know." Hettie said with a small smile at the use of her little nickname. "These friends of yours mean a lot if you were willing to sneak behind my back. Maybe... I can give you a little more freedom, if you will promise to be mindful of my warnings. If you don't... I might just grab you up!" The last portion she said with a mischievous playful tone as she scooped up her niece in a playful hug.

"Aunt Hettie, stop that tickles." She laughed as the two sat on the bed for a good long while, enjoying this rare moment together.

The next morning, Althea entered the Healing clinic dressed in her nurses uniform. She hadn't heard back from Celine but assumed the night went well. She went to her locker and placed her personal affects inside before grabbing her badge. "Althy?" she turned and saw her coworker and friend, Nene rushing towards her, the heavyset dark skinned woman looking a bit worried.

"Hey, Nene. What's up?" She asked as her friend explained that the Head Witch wanted to see her. Immediately she headed up to the fourth floor and entered the main office of Hettie Cutburn.

Before she knocked on the door, a conversation was going on on the other side. “I don't know who blew the whistle on the races but I will find out. There is little we can do now. The Guard spearheaded it. Yes, I know it will cost you in the long run but right now I have a personal matter to attend to Vitimir. Yes, goodbye.” The knock came as Hettie knew immediately who it was. “Enter.”

Althea walked in and greeted her employer. "You wanted to see me ma'am?"

Hettie stood, looking out the window to the streets below. "Have a seat." The nurse did just that and sat a bit nervously, not knowing what was going on. "Althea, how long have you worked under me?" She asked, her back still to the woman.

"Um, eight years, I believe."

"Mm hmm. And during all that time, you've been a great asset to the team. Through all of that, have I ever done anything that made you feel... uncomfortable, unwelcome or unappreciated in any way?"

Althea raised her single eyebrow in curiosity. "No ma'am. You've always treated me with respect."

"I see. So after treating you with that level of respect, helping you when you needed it, even gifting you my palisman, why did you decide to disrespect me?" Hettie's tone took a sudden drop in pleasantness.

"Ma'am?"

Hettie turned to her and slowly walked over until she towered over the young nurse. "Celine left the house last night, under your watch. Did you know that?"

"Head Witch Cutburn, Celine just wanted to go out with her friends. I didn't see any harm in that."

Hettie found herself chuckling. "Didn't see any harm in that. How about..." In the blink of an eye a blue beam of energy raced from her finger tip as a scalpel was brought mere centimeters from Althea's eye. The cyclops was in shock at the speed in which it flew and the dangerous proximity to her lone sight organ. "I take away that pesky seeing problem you seem to have. I don't ask you to see. You listen when I tell you to do something. I am head witch and you follow my orders to the letter. When you don't... people can get hurt very easily." Hettie brought her right fist down near the nurse's left side that shattered the arm rest beneath into splinters. If the woman's hand had been there, it would no doubt be broken right now. Althea breathed heavily as her body shook, eye wide as she could only sweat. "Do we have an understanding?”

Althea had a lump in her throat but knew better than to delay her answer. “Of course, Head Witch. It won't happen again.” She is gestured to to leave the room and makes a quick exit as Hettie returns to her work.

Chapter Text

Boscha entered the school restrooms as she splashed cold water on her face. As much as she loved practicing for her big race, ratworm slime did not come off easy. "Come on." She heard someone in the stalls say before deciding to mind her own business.

"I'm trying, it's not that easy." She heard another voice come from the same stall and REALLY decided to mind her own business.

"Try harder. It won't go down."

"I'm doing the best I can but it keeps standing up."

"Will you just push?"

Boscha stopped as she realized she recognized both voices. The latter of which she detested for her own reasons."Skara? Viney?"

"Who's there?! Get out of here!" Skara shouted.

"What is going on in there?" Boscha turned as she reached for the door handle.

"Nothing! GO AWAY!" Skara protested before Boscha kicked the door in. Behind the door she saw Viney looking awkwardly.

Boscha's eyes shot open wide. “Oh. My. Titan.”

“If you tell anyone...I'll never speak to you again!” Skara shouted.


Two Weeks Later

Boscha woke up as she started yet another day under house arrest, or grounding as her parents preferred to call it. Did she compete in an illegal race, lie to her parents, run from the law and go against Daphne's wishes to see her grandmother? Yes, but was any of that so wrong? Maybe.

It didn't matter to her now as she laid on the bed in her pajamas, on her back as she stared at the ceiling. “I mean, I just wanted to have fun with what I was good at. They just don't get it.”

“Boscha?” Her head shifted as she looked to the door and saw Luz standing there. “Who are you talking to?”

The triclops looked down before turning back to Luz. “No one. Just driving myself crazy being stuck in here.”

Luz wanted to tell her this was her own fault and that spending time with her grandmother, who was barred from their lives was the problem. But that would be rude. “You know this is your own fault, right. Getting into those ratworm races is one thing but seeing Belinda is a whole other story.”

“Don't.” Boscha said. “I don't need a lecture from my 'big sister', okay?”

“Why did you say 'big sister' in quotations?” Luz asked.

Boscha's eyes widened. “Nothing. Never mind. Look since I'm stuck in prison, I need a favor. Can you drop this present off at Skara's birthday party?”

Luz jumped back in realization. “No uh uh. No way. You remember what happened the last time I went to one of her parties. Against my will I might add thanks to you.”

Seven years ago

“Luz, are you sure you don't want to go to Skara's birthday?” Boscha asked.

“One-hundred percent. I'm not going anywhere near that house or her.” Lus said, her nose in the air.

Boscha sighed. “Well...if you aren't going, then neither am I. I won't let you be here alone.”

“Wow that is surprisingly....nice of you. What's the catch?” Luz glared at her.

“It's not a catch. I just...look I know I haven't been the best sister but I think maybe I should start now. That is if you'll let me.” Boscha said sincerely as Luz eventually nodded. “Thanks. Now let's play hide and seek. You hide and I'll seek.”

Luz raced off happily and found what looked like a brilliant hiding spot under Boscha's bed. She figured it would be the one place she would never look. Diving underneath, she curled up and waited, and waited, and waited. Boscha seemed to be stumped on the hiding spot as Luz waited what had to be the better part of an hour. Soon Luz found herself drifting off to sleep as her hiding spot seemed too good.

The girl was shaken awake by a noise outside. The area around her was completely black. She must have been asleep all day if it was night already. She got up to find her sister but found there were walls on all sides of her for some reason. “What the....”

A few moments later, the ceiling above her was removed and she was blinded by the light from above, finding herself in a backyard in the middle of the day with kids surrounding her. One in particular stood out with her silver hair, dark skin and bright smile. “Skara?”

“Yeah, Luz came to my birthday!” The girl cheered. “Thank you Boscha.”

“Hey, it was on your wish list so here you go.” Boscha said nonchalantly as she waved to Luz.

Before Luz could respond, Skara jumped on her, shedding tears of joy as she hugged her tightly.

Present

“So no. I'm not going.” Luz said defiantly.

“Please, big sis.” Boscha said with puppy dog eyes. “All you have to do is just drop it off. If I could I would but mom thinks if she lets me out, I'll never come back and honestly, she isn't wrong. I'd have asked Derwin but it's his day off. Just do me a solid. I promise this is not a trap.”

Luz glared at her. “It better not be.” Luz turned and saw the present on the desk and picked it up hesitantly with her tendril pack before departing with it. She took her time getting to the Booker family home. As she arrived, she found Bonnie outside, a present in hand as she waves to the girl. “Bonnie, you got invited too?”

“Skara invited me so I thought I should get her something really nice. Head Witch Graye helped me pick something out.” Bonnie informed her.

Luz had to admit that was surprising to hear that Adrian Graye Vernworth was helping anyone. But she decided to brush that aside. “Well let's go in.” The duo went inside as they both placed their gifts on the table littered with them as many of their classmates and some of Skara's cousins were all there as they talked among themselves.

As the two girls stood and got a drink, Luz and Bonnie heard some whispers from some of the kids. “Can you believe that?”

“I had not idea she had one of those.”

“Never knew that about Skara at all.”

Luz had no idea what they were talking about and she wasn't sure she cared to know. After finishing her drink, Luz sighed before looking over to the illusionist girl. “Well I'm gonna head out. I was just here to drop off the gift for Boscha.”

Before Bonnie could respond, the two heard voices inside. “Sir, young Ms. Skara still refuses to come out of her room. She seems quite distressed.” The two heard what was presumably one of the servants as they then heard Skara's father.

“I see.” He sighed. “I'll send everyone home. Give everyone their gift bags and we'll begin cleaning up.”

Listening to this, Bonnie and Luz looked to each other. “What do you think that was all about?” Bonnie asked as she got no answer immediately from Luz.

“I don't know. Not my problem” Luz thought about just legging it after the announcement was made and getting her gift bag. Somewhere deep down, something told her to check on Skara.

“Come on Luz. You know you should see how she is doing.” The girl looked over to see a pixie like creature with a white robe on and powder white wings.

“Don't. Skara has never done anything for you outside of borderline sexual harassment.” Another pixie like being appeared on her other shoulder. She sported red bat-like wings and red horns on her head.

Luz looked at both in confusion. “Um. Who are you guys?”

“Your conscience.” The white one said. “We know we haven't talked for a while.”

“We're easily distracted by shiny thi...what is that?” The red one ceased as she pointed to a dropped snail before her counterpart slapped her in the back of the head and continued herself.

“Back to the point. You should talk to Skara. Yes she has been a bit hands on in the past, but she is still your friend. I know deep down you don't want her to be sad. I'm your good parts after all.”

The horned one blew a raspberry. “Please. The only feeling Skara has is on your ears and she never leaves you alone. Why do you think you set up all of those traps or avoided her for all those years?”

“Skara doesn't mean any harm. Yes, she has odd interests, but remember the party? She toned things down and she even helped you stop your mom from being kidnapped. This is a chance for you to grow.”

Luz looked between the two and sighed. “I wouldn't call Skara a close friend. I barely want to call her a friend sometimes.” Despite her little proclivities around Luz and the last birthday she was present at, maybe, just maybe there was something she could do to help the girl. “But let's see if we can help.” Bonnie smiled as the two creatures vanished from Luz's shoulders. Behind her back, Bonnie dispelled the spell circle she had conjured the two with. She knew Luz had a good heart, she just needed help showing it sometimes. The girls made their way to the door just as it opened and met Mr. Booker.

“Luz? I'm surprised to see you here.” The man told her.

The girl rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah, I am too. I didn't mean to ease drop, but could we talk to Skara? Maybe we can help.”

He looked uncertain before smiling. “Sure. I think she'd be happy to know you're here.”

“Then I guess she'd be triply happy.” Luz turned around and saw Viney Maki walking up behind them. The redhead looked nervously at the girl who had chosen to mix healing and beast-keeping at school. She had a feud with Boscha for a certain incident that happened years ago. Her relationship with Luz wasn't much better as she was yet another healer Luz had conned into helping her. “Bonnie. Luz.” She said the latter's name with a bit of spite as she glared at the Hargreaves girl.

“Viney.” Luz said back in a nervous tone.

“Let's go see Skara.” Viney stated. “We'll work out our business later.” She added, sending a slight shiver down Luz's spine. The three were allowed to head up the stairs Skara's room, the shut and presumably locked. Luz took the opportunity to knock.

“Go away.” They heard Skara say in a low, sobbing voice.

“Skara, it's Luz. Bonnie and Viney are here too.” They received no response from inside the room. It took several moments before Luz pulled out a skeleton key, an item she procured from...well better not to know. In any case, she put it into the lock and with a gentle turn opened the door. The trio peered in to find Skara sitting on her bed, a blue blanket wrapped around her with only her face visible and stained with tears. Luz wasn't all too sure what to say at the moment, seeing the girl like this. In a moment of uncertainty she grabbed a bow from one of the presents and placed it on top of her head. “Ta-da! Gift delivery!”

This warranted a surprising jeer from the gray haired girl whose eyes told Luz she had just screwed up the first attempt. Bonnie patted her friend on the shoulder and moved her aside to address the birthday girl. “We heard you were feeling down and we wanted to check on you.”

Viney stepped up with an apologetic look as she clasped her hands together. “Skara, I am...so so sorry about what happened with Puddles. The last thing I wanted to do was to embarrass you like that.”

“Wait. What happened?” Bonnie inquired.

Skara glared at Viney for unintentionally revealing her secret. “Well I guess you might as well tell everyone at this point.” She said with a bit of snark in her voice. “My mom was a special type of biped that all grow tails when they reach adolescents. She had the most beautiful fox tail and I was so excited to get one of my own.” She started to frown. “And then I got this!” Her tail stuck out of the back of the blankets, but not a furry orange tail, but a pink, stringy rat-like one.

“Oh my gosh!” Luz shouted in shock. This was clearly not the correct response as Skara's face was red with humiliation and both Bonnie and Viney punched Luz from either side. “Ow! I mean...Wow that's pretty.”

“No, it's not! It looks like a stupid worm. That's why Puddles pulled on it and showed everyone in class. That dumb concealment stone didn't help at all.”

“It's not that bad.” Bonnie said.

“Not that bad? I was humiliated!” Skara shouted. “I'll be a laughing stock once everyone finds out, and it's all because of this STUPID TAIL!” She grabbed it as if she was attempting to strangle the life out of it. She began to tear up again and sobbed.

Bonnie turned to Luz. She saw that she seemed to be thinking of something and even seemed like she was going to pull down her hood but stopped at the last moment.

She couldn't help but let out a sigh. Oh well. She has been meaning to tell Luz about this...part of her, eventually. Bonnie walked up to the still crying Skara and leaned down to her. “I know how it can feel to be...'different' with a feature you try to avoid people seeing.” The carrot top pulls down her hood and brushes back her hair to reveal a pair of fins where her ears would normally be. The other girls, Luz included looked shocked.

“What the heck?” Luz questioned.

“Are those...”Skara began to ask. “Are those what I felt under your hood last time?”

Bonnie responded with a simple nod. “A little trait I got from my dad. He's... a sensitive topic and I don't like being reminded of him with these. You, though? I know you loved your mom from the stories you told me. That?” She pointed to the tail. “That is nothing to be ashamed of. Maybe it's not what you expected, but it still connects you to her, and all the good memories you had with her. I wish I could say these gave me even a fraction of that.”

Skara began to lighten up a bit as Viney stepped up. “That shouldn't make you afraid of how others will see you. Heck look at ghost face over here.” She pointed to Luz.

“Hey!”

Viney rolled her eyes at Luz's protest. “My point is, there are a lot of people with interesting features and in my opinion it makes you even cooler than you were before. Besides if anyone makes fun of you out there.” She cracks her knuckles. “They'll be dealing with me, too.” This little display caused Skara to chuckle.

Luz cleared her throat. “Well I can't top those two and you already know most of my secrets. I can't do magic, my skin isn't it's natural color anymore and to top it all off I have a ton of quirks that range from annoying to making someone want to strangle me. Despite all of that, you've been a really good friend. A bit too hands on for my liking at times, but still good. Even when I was at my worst, you helped me out and despite everything else, I shouldn't do any less. Come on. Everybody is waiting for the birthday girl.”

Skara smiled and extended a hand that Luz took and helped her up. “Let's get you fixed up for this party.” Viney said. Skara nodded as the girls helped fix her hair, makeup and nails with an impressive speed. In addition, they got out a freshly made dress for the party that hadn't even been opened. Taking it out of the packaging, Skara smiled as she saw a note from her father attached and noticing that the dress had a few special alterations done just for her.

A short time later after Mr. Booker had the guests entertained with the band playing a medley of their favorite songs, the girl of the hour arrived on the steps in a stunning knee length red dress. Everyone took notice as she stood atop the steps, the trio of Bonnie, Luz and Viney giving her encouragement from the sidelines. She took a deep breath as she was announced and calmly walked down to the waiting guests, her tail now proudly present for all to see as it extended from a special slot built into the rear of the dress.

“Thank you all for coming and my apologies for the lateness.” She said politely with a small curtsy. “Now then. Let's get this party started, proper!” She put on a large small as everyone cheered. The festivities got into full swing with party games and a play list of Skara's favorite dances. She seemed to be very much enjoying herself as she got around to opening her presents from everyone.

Luz presented the gift she'd brought over to the birthday girl. “This one is from Boscha actually. I...well my gift....” She was stopped as she felt a small tingle on her hand as Skara gently put hers over it.

“You don't have to, Luz. You girls gave me a great gift already.” Skara said with a smile.

“I beg your pardon.” Everyone turned to see a coven scout at the gate. “Announcing the arrival of Head Witch of the Bard Coven, Scooter Crane.” They stepped aside as an elderly biped with tan skin, short graying hair with a similarly colored mustache, horns atop his head and a tail appeared dressed in a buttoned up dark blue shirt with red highlights and red pants.

“Greetings young witches.” He said in a deep yet gentle voice.

Skara immediately looked back to Luz. “No. No you didn't.”

“I did.” Luz nodded before Skara raced over to meet Crane, bowing to him in respect.

“Head Witch Crane, I am so excited to finally make your acquaintance. My name is Skara Booker.”

“Yes, Ms. Booker. Luz Hargreaves has told me all about you. I think that you will make a wonderful apprentice.”

This caught the girl off guard as she looked up to him. “Really?!”

“Provided you pass my test.” He whirled his finger as a piano, his instrument of choice appeared and gently sat on the pavement. Crane promptly sat on the chair in front of it and gestured for Skara to join him. She excitedly sat down as Crane began to play the keys with the girl adding accompaniment. The melody began slow, picking up the pace at certain points and keeping everyone entertained and enthralled by the sound. The song came to a close as Skara opened her eyes, breathing out as she looked over to Crane who gave a smile to her, showing that she had passed the test.

Skara jumped up excitedly as everyone clapped. Crane bid her a happy birthday before departing and telling the girl he would see her soon. Skara soon joined everyone else by the snack table. “I wanted to thank you again for everything you said.”

“It was nothing really.” Viney said. “We've been friends for...” She stopped as Skara gave Luz a kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you, Luz.”

Luz for her part wiped off the spot where the kiss had landed. “Don't do that.” She said with a tiny bit of dismissal. “Still, you're welcome. I should get going anyway. Happy birthday Skara.” Skara gave a nod and a smile before rejoining some of the other party goers to get some more pictures.

“Hey, Luz.” Viney called as she walked up to her. “I think we need to talk about certain things, don't you?”

Luz sweated nervously. “I couldn't agree more. First things first. Bonnie, maneuver #12!” Luz threw a piece of cake at Viney's face before throwing down a smoke bomb potion. Bonnie then summoned an illusion labyrinth that covered the backyard as both girls vanished inside.

Viney wiped away the frosted desert from her face and squinted angrily. “Luz!” Her howling voice carrying for miles around.

“Well that was close.” Luz said as she and Bonnie raced down the road. “Still mission accomplished. I just hope Boscha is grateful for this.”

Outside of town, the aforementioned triclops was walking down a path through the woods before coming upon a familiar home. With Luz gone and a special talisman equipped that allowed her to escape her grounding, she decided to make some good use of her time. She was startled as the bird creature known as Hooty sprung from the building to greet her. He was shooed away by the girl as the front door opened and Eda the Owl Lady appeared. “Hey, it's my new best customer. What can I do for ya?”

“I'm here to see your human.” Boscha stated as Masha appeared from around the corner. A smile flashed across the human's face, the gap in the teeth always being a noticeable feature when that occurred.

“Boscha, you made it. Come on in.” Masha greeted as Boscha nodded with a small smile before entering the home for a second time.

Chapter Text

Nine Years Ago

Boscha came through the front door of the Hargreaves home with a bag full of items that she had gotten with her new friends in town. She turned to wave to the girls who sat in the carriage as it drove off. The girl was going to her room when she heard a call. "Boscha, can you come here for a moment?" Daphne called as the girl went into the kitchen where her mother sat on the stools by the counter with Luz. "We need to talk. Did you bully your sister today in town?"

The triclops child looked to her elder sister and scowled. "I was hanging out with my new friends."

"That's not what I asked you. Did you bully your sister?" Daphne asked again.

"It's her fault anyway. I told her not to follow us."

"Boscha!"

"It's not my fault! No one wants to play with a powerless witch and they wouldn't be my friends if I had to bring her."

"That's enough, young lady. Now you are going to apologize to your sister or you're grounded."

"What?!" Boscha said in disbelief. "That's not fair!" Her mother folded her arms and looked sternly at her. Boscha balled her fists and gritted her teeth. "I'm sorry you're such an embarrassment, Lusina!" The girl shouted before running to the stairs and up to her room.

"Boscha! Boscha, come back here right now!" Her mother's words were ignored. The woman turned back to her other daughter who was crying on the stool and gave her a hug. "She doesn't mean that, baby. She's just... trying to impress those girls. She doesn't mean it."

Present

A lazy Friday afternoon and Daphne sat reading a good book in her living room. Business was done for the week. No calls, no meetings, no worries for her today. Boscha had been grounded for two weeks so far with additional time added when it was found she had sneaked out earlier that week and refused to explain where she had been. Both parents suspected she was out racing again but couldn't prove it. In any case, she was confined to her room and despite the illegality or safety issues it brought, her windows had been boarded from the outside and wouldn't be causing trouble for a while.

Of course things don't go as planned every time. This day in particular as an explosion tore through the second floor of the home as Boscha raced out and leaped down from the second floor and touched down near her mother.

"Boscha what are you..." The mother was cut off as a potion crashed against the floor near Boscha that created a pillar of ice. Luz stood over the stairwell, her wrist mounted crossbow loaded with a vial of green liquid. "Lusina Ariana Hargreaves, what is the meaning of this?"

"Take back what you said!" Luz shouted as she aimed another bottle directly at Boscha.

"I didn't do anything wrong. All I said was..." Boscha tried to explain to her twin.

"She called me a human!" Luz yelled.

Daphne immediately turned to her youngest daughter with anger. “Boscha.”

Luz narrowed her eyes and took aim again. "I'm giving you three seconds to take back what you said before I encase you in a slime cocoon for a month. And I haven't even tested it yet so it'll be really fun to see what you come out as." She said coldly as she aimed her shot.

"Maybe I'll turn into a big baby who overreacts like you." Boscha fired back as Luz fired and missed as her sister dodged the attack.

"Stop this!" Daphne's cries fell on deaf ears as Luz fired shot after shot of her potion store. Boscha of course used her grudgby skills to evade each shot coming her way. Each potion that missed it's target manifested a different affect from electricity and fire to a potion that made things malleable and rubbery. The entire time their mother screamed for the girls to stop as they bounced around the room. "That's it! You two stop this instant or so help me Titan, I will..." Boscha dodged as one of the potions hit the pink haired woman, encasing her in a cloud of purple smoke.

The girls stopped immediately and rushed over as the cloud dissipated and the woman's clothes were in a pile on the floor. The two stared nervously as a pink weasel emerged from the clothing and looked up to them. "Um, sorry mom." Luz said nervously as the weasel hissed angrily at her, baring her fangs. "I know, but Boscha..." She hissed again, shutting the girls mouth.

Boscha was silent as Daphne turned her attention to the other girl and gave her the same treatment. "But she..." Another angered growl quieted the younger of the two girls as Daphne used her tell to draw a circle in the air that put a yellow aura around the two as she chirped.

"A hex grounding?!" The twins said in shocked unison. "For how long?" The two were separated from there possessions and hurled up stairs and into their respective rooms where they were thrown on their beds. A barrier was then generated around them, confining them to the bed and keeping them from touching anything else in the respective rooms.

"Thanks a lot, Luz!" Boscha said from across the hall.

"I don't want to hear it from you! If you'd just shut up..." Luz began before a zipper appeared over her mouth and swung across, clamping it shut as the same happened to Boscha.

Down stairs, a still weasel Daphne jumped onto the kitchen counter to try and find the ingredients necessary to change herself back. She spent the better part of an hour scurrying around the room, grabbing the necessary items and throwing them into a large cauldron. Eventually, the front door opened and Larry came in, hanging up his cloak and field bag. "Honey, kids, I'm home." He called as he walked into the kitchen. "What's cooking? Smells delicious."

He sat his newly gathered supplies on the counter and turned to an annoyed Daphne, the tiny mammalian beast clearly upset her husband had not noticed her current predicament. A hiss from her finally got him to at least notice her next to him. "Hey honey. How was your day?" He planted a kiss on the top of her head.

Her brow finally furrowed and she let out a series of hisses and snarls. "Huh? Oh, right. I like your new hairdo." Daphne chirped several times, hopping around. "Grounded? Why would you...." He seemed to snap out of his absentmindedness and looked around the living room, seeing all the damage the potion fight had caused before finally realizing his wife was a small furry creature. "Oh. Right. Still you do look adorable." He began to scratch her behind the ear. At first she tried to snap at him before she was quickly subdued by the act, rolling on her back and kicking her leg happily. "I'll talk to the girls."

After going up and being barraged from both sides by the two trying to explain themselves after having the binding over their mouths removed. Larry decided that the two needed to sort out their problems in one way or the other. And so....


“I can't believe I have to do this. This is so unfair. Boscha was the one who started it!” Luz complained as she packed her backpack with clothing and supplies.

“And who decided to throw explosive potions at her in the house?” Larry asked in a serious tone as he leaned in the doorway.

“Fair point. Still, she called me...that.” Luz said.

Larry was silent for a bit in seeming thought. “I know and I know how you feel about that. I'll talk to her about it once we head out. Plus this will be fun. It'll be just like when you were little girls and we went on those ingredient gathering trips.”

Luz smiled lightly as she remembered those trips they took as kids with her father. “I guess. I'll finish packing and get our supplies loaded on the wagon.”

Satisfied for now, the girl's father headed down the stairs to the kitchen to grab a snack before getting his own things in order. He was greeted by Daphne who had successfully been changed back. “So you'll get this sorted out?”

“I can't promise it but I'll do my best.” He reassured as the two stood in silence for a bit. “We can't keep doing this. Eventually we're going to have to tell her.”

Daphne frowned. “I know that, but...Maybe I'm just being selfish. And you're right, we can't keep putting it off. Soon.” She said as she sighed and looked down to her cup of bitter bean blood. “Meanwhile, what am I suppose to do while you three are off frolicking through the woods?”

“You could come with us.”

“Thanks but no thanks. The forest and I do not mix.” Daphne refused.

“Well, you could always have a girls night here. Call up Uda and Marcela and anyone else you can think of and play some card, gossip or whatever it is women do.” Larry's suggestion seemed to fall on deaf ears for a moment before Daphne thought about it.

“Couldn't hurt to give it a shot I suppose.” She said as she grabbed her crow phone and began making calls.

Meanwhile, Boscha had been released for a time to go to town and get a few items Larry had ordered for their trip. She was not excited about this trip by any means but she understood why her father was taking them. The look she got from both parents told her she had pressed her luck again. Her thoughts were interrupted as she arrived at her destination. Boscha walked into the blacksmith where the heat from the forge hit her face and the clanging of hammers rang in the air. The girl walked up and sounded the bell.

A stout teen with brown hair tied in a bun and a fringe of hair covering her eye turned to her, putting her tool down and removing her hard hat and goggles. "Boscha! Heck, it's been a while." She said excitedly as she came around the counter to hug her.

Boscha was a bit put off by this sudden contact and the strength of the hug. "Hey Brandy." She caught her breath. "Just came to pick up my dad's order. I've been meaning to bring my sword in but I got grounded."

"Your parents finally found that box I gave you?"

The triclops' eyes shifted. " No! I got caught racing and some other stuff. Anyway, Luz is mad at me something I may or may not have said. So my dad is taking me and Luz out for the weekend for us to bond or whatever."

"Neat." Brandy went around and began to search for the order. She began to dig through the boxes of finished work as she looked for the label marking the Hargreaves order. “So how did your parents take you dating a Glandus student?” Boscha was quiet. “That bad, huh?”

The redhead rubbed her arm ashamedly. “I...haven't gotten around to telling them yet.”

Brandy stopped and looked to her with surprise. “What? You have been dating for like three months and you still haven't told them? When are you planning on it, the day after the wedding?”

“No. Okay, maybe.” Boscha said, looking away.

“Girl, you're making this harder than it has to be.”

“What if they don't like him? My mom hates Glandus. If she finds out I'm dating someone who goes there, that could be the end of it.”

Brandy found the items and brought them out, then set them down. She then placed a hand on Boscha's shoulder. “Listen, your mom is supposed to be all about choosing your own path. Why would she be mad?”

Boscha looked away for a moment. “She always says that...but it really depends on what and who. Listen, I gotta take off and get this stuff back to my dad for our trip.”

"Well I I hope you have fun. If you get the chance, drop by and I'll get that sword fixed up for you. I miss our chat sessions. My dad's good company but having another girl around to talk with is fun." Brandy patted Boscha on the back as the latter levitated the items she was sent for and waved goodbye to the other girl.

A while later and Boscha had headed out with the items in her possession being put into a cart that she pulled behind her. “Ms. Hargreaves, so good to see you today.” The girl turned to see her mother's latest secretary by one of the stands.

“Oh, hi Ms. Kikimora. Just getting some things for my dad.” Boscha said as she waved to the gremlin.

“Yes, this little trip your mother mentioned for you and your sister. I understand that you were caught rat worm racing. I must say that is a very difficult skill to master. The beasts are belligerent at their best. You must have much talent in beast keeping.”

Boscha was silent for a while. “It was a one off thing. I was just lucky to find a docile one anyway.” She said dismissively as she continued walking with Kikimora deciding to walk with her.

“Of course. Still, should you ever gain an interest in such a thing, I could very well teach you. I once owned a hand dragon myself.” Kikmora said in a very point of fact manner. This actually made Boscha stop in her tracks.

“Really?” She asked, seemingly wanting to know more.

Even under her face covering anyone could tell that the gremlin had a smile on her face. “Yes, years ago. It took months of tracking and just as long to devise a strategy in order to capture and finally tame her. Princess I called her.”

“Why do you even walk around everywhere? If I had a hand dragon, I'd be flying everywhere.”

Kikimora looked to the ground for a moment. “We were...separated. After I lost my position in the Emperor's Coven, she was removed from my company. I thought I had kept her a secret but it turns out they knew about her and then they took her. But, I count myself fortunate to have the favor of your family. The association is...refreshing.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have been estranged from my own family for some time. Seeing how you all interact has reminded me just how important those connections are. Well I didn't mean to take up your valuable time. I'll be on my way.” She turned and began to walk off.

“Ms. Kikimora?” Boscha called out as the woman turned back. “Thank you for sharing that.” Kikimora gave a simple nod before heading off to her destination and Boscha proceeded onward.

It wasn't long before the Hargreaves girl had returned home to meet her father as he double checked the list of items they would need for their trip. The girls and their father hopped into a wagon, neither girl saying anything to each other and sitting on either side of their father. Daphne waved to the three as they left. She was now the sole resident of the home for a few days and with Derwin away himself for the next week, it left her the only person on the property. That evening, a wagon of rather plan look rode up to the house and dropped off two passengers that walked up to the home and knocked.

“Uda. Marcella. So glad you could make it.” Daphne greeted the mothers of Mary and Bonnie, respectively, the latter woman having a nervous look about her.

“I have to say, I'm surprised.” Uda said, the strongly built woman walking in as Marcella followed. “Still, thanks for inviting us.”

“Well with Larry out with the girls, I thought it could be a good time to enjoy ourselves. We've got refreshments on the table and the cards set up for a round of Hexes Hold'em.” The three sat down at the table and the women helped themselves to the snacks set out. “We can get started after our fourth arrives.” As if on cue, the doorbell rang and Daphne excused herself to go and answer it. She opened the door and greeted the final guest. “Odalia. So glad you could make it.” She tried to sound as cheery as she could, a smile on her face. Daphne didn't want to invite Odalia but truth be told, she didn't have many girlfriends to speak of.

Odalia did not look all that amuse but decided to accept the invite to a social gathering. She was less than pleased when she viewed the small and rather plan company that was present. “Charming. So I take it you have more guests arriving? Guests who aren't so...plan.”

Daphne wanted to hurl this woman through a window already, but for the sake of a good evening, she could abide for now. “Why don't you have a seat at the table, help yourself to some refreshments and I'll introduce you to the others? Ladies, I'm sure you both know Odalia Blight.” Daphne introduced the woman who gave a small nod of acknowledgment as they all sat at the table. “Odalia, this is Uda Shepard.”

“Nice to meet you properly.” Uda extended a hand, Odalia giving a look that said, “Does she really expect me to touch that.” The green haired woman managed to reach her hand out and lightly return the gesture before quickly reeling it back.

“And this is...” Daphne began to introduce the thin, rather mousy orange haired woman next to Uda.

“Marcella Hempstead.” Odalia stated as she swirled her drink in front of her. “Or rather Marcella Valtameri. Mother of one Bonnie Valtameri Hempstead and wife of one Vincent “Vin” Valtameri, known criminal sentenced to....” A large hand slammed on the table as Odalia turned to see a furious looking Uda.

“You want to shut your mouth about things that are none of your business?” The Shepard woman asked in a angered tone.

“Uda, it's alright. Really.” Marcella said quietly in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

“No it ain't. She's got no right to talk to you like that. You want to apologize to her, Odalia?” Uda asked again.

“You want to go off and chew some cud, bumpkin?” Odalia fired back, a bored look on her face.

Uda was seconds away from jumping across the table when Daphne stood up.

“Odalia.” Daphne interrupted, seeing that Marcella was quite uncomfortable and Uda did not look pleased. “We are all impressed with your wealth of knowledge, but we're all here to unwind and just enjoy some good company.”

The green haired woman rolled her eyes for a moment before nodding as the group pulled up their chairs and Daphne began to deal out cards from a strange looking deck. Marcella noted the strange symbols on them: A diamond, an odd three leafed object, an unusual looking black object with a wide base that narrowed to a point and a …. red butt? “What kinds of cards are these?”

“Oh I acquired them from an old acquaintance. They are from the human realm and I thought they were absolutely charming.” Daphne said. “I even learned several games. They are rather complex but heavily play the odds. They some really to your liking Odalia.” This peaked the Blight woman's interest and the group began to play as Daphne explained the rules of a game called poker.

The group got a hang of the game surprisingly quickly, especially Odalia, who racked up quite the number of wins. If not for the game being for fun, she would have likely owned near everything the other women possessed given the number of chips in her possession.

“Well it looks like I'm about to take you ladies for all you've got.” Odalia said confidently.

Daphne sat off to her right as the pink haired woman smirked. “We'll see, Odalia. You know I taught Luz how to play this and, despite her contempt for human items, she is very good at this. How are your children doing by the way, Uda?” Daphne asked offhandedly to her guest, seeming to not paying attention to the game.

“All of 'em are doing great. Little Fleecy just got her horns starting to grow in and the twins are taking their first steps.” She said proudly.

Daphne smirked. “Speaking of twins, how are Edric and Emira doing, Odalia?” Daphne pushed some chips forward on the table.

Odalia looked up from her hand, a blank expression. “Fine.”

“Really? What have they been up to recently? Anything interesting?” Daphne prodded further.

“No.” Odalia put a stack of chips forward.

“You have to have something to say about them. You always have something interesting to say about Amity. Why is it never about your elder children?”

Odalia seemed to grow frustrated with the questioning. “Is there a point to this?”

“Just asking some friendly family inquiries. Luz has told me a lot about the two and....”

“And you think she knows them better than their own mother?” Odalia glared at her as the other two women present looked back and forth between the two.

Daphne put her small remainder of chips forward. “All in. I'm not saying that. All I'm saying is that maybe you could get more invested in what your other children are interested in.”

“All in.” Odalia pushed her mountain of chips forward in one grand display. “My family matters are none of your concern. You and your little multi track pet project are quickly growing tiresome. It does nothing to prepare the children for the real world. It just gets their hopes up only to be dashed when they need to choose a coven.” She shows her hand.

“You know my history, so I won't bother to mask that. From my personal experience, I believe that the children should have an opportunity to decide their own fates and not what we try to mold them into. You become complacent, rigid, unable to … change. But now, they can flourish and have the chance to be better than some of us.” She exposes her hand. “Full House. I win.” She pulled the chips over to her side as Odalia frowned in defeat and took a huge swig of her appleblood.

Uda and Marcella both clapped, the former loudly and the latter very gingerly. “Well played.” Marcella congratulated.

The Shepard woman meanwhile put a heavy arm around Daphne and laughed. “That's showing her.”

Daphne had to smile. If there was one thing she was good at it was ticking off Odalia and making her lose focus. Just like when they were girls. It was never not satisfying. “Well, I suggest we move on to another activity or we could take a nice little refreshment break.”

Odalia growled as she glared at her opponent. “No breaks! I will best you and this time we are playing for real. Real stakes.”

The pink haired woman groaned. Once Odalia was like this there was no stopping her. Daphne and the other ladies gathered around the table for another game, the woman dealing cards as everyone waited patiently. "Heyyyyyy, Mrs. Hargreaves!" Daphne fumbled the deck and the cards spilled everywhere as Amber showed up in the doorway. "What are you all doing?"

"We were about to enjoy a pleasant evening, dear." Daphne said calmly.

"Cool." Amber responded and stood their as the silence between them was deafening. Daphne liked the girl but she was a bit much at times.

"Amber, shouldn't you be spending time with Derwin or out with your other friends?"

"Derwin? No way, I dumped him. He was wayyyyy to disappointing in the sheets department, if you know what I mean. Right? You know what I mean?" She nudged Marcela who was nervously quiet. "She knows what I'm talking about. And Katya says I'm best in small doses. She gives me compliments like that all the time. So I thought I'd keep you company."

“That's nice dear, but...” Before Daphne could object again, Amber sat herself down.

“Hey, Mrs. Shepard. Hey, Mrs. Hempstead. You two are looking smokin' as usual. You too, Mrs. Blight. You get wider every time I see you.” The others chuckled as Odalia looked absolutely outraged. Amber looked around excitedly. “So what are you all playing?”

Daphne was collecting the cards to shuffle them again. “A human card game.”

“Sounds boring.” Amber said bluntly. “Ooh I know. We can play Truth or Scare: The late night version.”

“The what now?” Daphne asked, perplexed.

“We do like the original Truth or Scare only this time we make the scares a little bit more daring and the truths a bit more spicy and private.” Amber answered in a mischievous tone.

Uda smirked, looking over to Odalia. “Follow my lead.” She whispered to Marcella.

“But I don't want to play. I like my secrets where they are: Deeply buried and dead. And scares scare me.” Marcella mildly protested.

“It'll be okay. Trust me.” Uda winked. “That sounds like a fabulous idea, Amber! I say we play. How about you, Marcy?” She patted the ginger haired woman on the back.

“Yes....let's play. I so love revealing dark secrets and putting my life on the line for no reason.” Marcella shivered.

“Well I suppose it's three to two, Odalia. So what do you say?” Daphne asked.

The other woman sighed. “Fine, we will play your childish game but after that I want a chance to beat you.”

“Woo hoo! I'll get us some fresh drinks!” Amber cheered and rushed to the kitchen.

It didn't take long for the women to sit in the living room on the comfy furniture, drinks set on the table with Amber having made a fine concoction. “This is actually good. I'm surprised you could craft something like this.” Daphne admitted.

“It is surprisingly passable.” Odalia said in an odd compliment as she sipped her drink as well.

“Thanks. I picked it up a few months back with my friends. Well let's not waste any time. Let's get this game started right.” Amber declared as she took an empty appleblood bottle and placed it on it's side on the table in the middle of the group. “Alright, I'll spin first. Remember, you have to either tell the truth no matter how embarrassing or a scare.” She spun the bottle as the women watched it spin and spin. It finally stopped and settled on Daphne. “Ha. Okay, Mrs. Hargreaves, truth or scare?”

“Truth.” Daphne said confidently.

Amber smiled. “Okay. When did you and the boss man first, you know, do it?” The other women looked incredulously at the question.

Daphne scoffed at this question. “On our wedding night, like a proper couple....It was the weekend Larry and I went camping in high school during senior year.” Her eyes opened wide when she realized what she had just revealed. “What the heck?”

“Ha!” Amber said as she pointed at the group. “I slipped blabber serum into all of your drinks.”

“You what?!” Daphne demanded as she grabbed Amber by her tunic. “I'm going to....”

“Hold it right there!” Odalia told her. “You told me nothing happened that weekend and he just spent the time collecting ingredients.”

“Of course I told everyone that. My parents would have freaked if they found out. You know how they were.” Daphne defended. “In any case, you are in serious trouble, Amber.”

“For spicing up the game a bit?”

“I think it's a good call.” Uda interrupted. “Now we are all answering honestly. I say we keep going. As long as no one asks a truth from Marcella. Got it?”

“Agreed.” Amber and a reluctant Daphne said as the latter released the bat winged young woman.

“Odalia?” Uda turned her question to the green haired woman.

The other woman frowned at the question. “I already have dirt on you all so the truths would mostly be a waste of my turn anyway.”

Taking this as an acceptable answer prompted the group to continue with Daphne deciding to subside her rage for the moment and spun the bottle. It ended up on Marcella who looked a bit hesitant. Daphne decided to go easy on her as agreed. “Okay Marcella, since you are taking scares. The scare is … to perform a fun stunt.”

This was satisfactory to Marcella as she stood up and performed a back flip with seemingly little effort. The thin redhead looked at the others who all stood in shock. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Marcella, that was incredible!” Daphne spoke up.

Uda nodded in approval.

“That was awesome!” Amber shouted. “How did you do that?”

“I used to be a dancer..” Marcella covered her mouth, her face turning flush red.

“Right, blabber serum.” Amber reminded herself. “Sorry. Can't ask questions.”

“It's alright. A simple mistake.” The woman said as she sat back down calmly.

Her little act did impress one other person in the room as Odalia smirked. “Oh yes, your little dancer phase.” Odalia said as Marcella's face quickly turned pale. “You used to put on quite the performance indeed, if my contacts are anything to be believed.”

“I-I...” The Hempstead woman tucked her face down in humiliation. This little act by Odalia earned her a scowl from the others around the room.

Amber's eyes opened wide in realization. “You were an...oooh. Juicy.” She quickly snapped out of it and shot a glare at Odalia. “Not cool.”

“That's it!” Uda was about to jump over the table at the Blight for exposing one of her friend's secrets. Daphne immediately intervened.

“Everyone, let's just calm down. Now I think you owe Marcella an apology.” She told the green haired woman who scoffed at the notion.

“For what? Telling the truth? I could apologize but I guarantee you I wouldn't mean it.” The Blight's smug look and the fact that she had consumed the blabber serum told them she was not going to relent.

Daphne guided the other woman to have a seat, though she was still not happy but let the game continue. The bottle spun and soon landed on Odalia, much to her delight. “Alright Odalia, truth or scare?”

“Scare, obviously.” The woman said in the most disinterested of voices. She had no intention of picking truth and giving up any personal information. This caused Daphne to smile confidently. She decided to pick a basic scare but a classic: For the woman to perform a handstand, she reasoned if Marcella could do it, so could she. It proved not to be too easy as Amber noted that Odalia's “center of gravity” was a bit off, with the woman crashing to the floor.

The night went on with Odalia spinning and doing her best to land on Daphne. She hoped that with the blabber serum engaged, she might get her to divulge some of her company secrets, playing this supposed innocent game into corporate espionage thanks to Amber. But no matter what she did, time and again, it always landed on someone else. Each and every time. She was then subjected to elevating levels of dares that demeaned her; Acting like a chicken, acting out various embarrassing scenes from dramas on the daytime crystal ball shows, sticking her head in the family Pyrahna bowl and having her hair gnawed on by the creatures. Nothing was off limits for the other women.

Meanwhile, Odalia tried to get them back with tricks of her own or by forcing them to reveal secrets about themselves, though the others supported each one another when the Blight tried to humiliate one of them. Odalia however, had to take the brunt of the punishment on her own. What no one told her or even knew themselves was that Marcella was subtly manipulating the bottle on everyone's turns to get Odalia and for her to never get Daphne.

“Well it looks like we've got time for one more challenge. It is getting very late.” Daphne noted as she spun. One more good trick and it soon landed on Odalia yet again. “Oh joy.” The woman said as her frazzled hair and ruffled, stand clothing told the tale of the night.

The pink haired woman looked her opponent over. This had to be a good one to round out the night and teach the other woman a little humility. “Alright, I dare you … to tell the truth.” The home owner said with a smirk.

“What? You can't do that!” The green haired woman said in utter shock.

Amber decided to chime in. “Sorry, no rule against that.”

“There you have it.” Daphne said in a very matter of fact manner. “Now then. Do you really think you are a good mother to your children?”

Odalia's eyes opened wide with rage. How dare she ask that question. But she was compelled to answer. “Well of course I do. What kind of question is that?”

“An honest one. Since you don't exactly fit the definition.” Daphne shot back.

“Oh so now there is some standard of parenting that you set that everyone else just has to fit perfectly?” Odalia asked.

“No but there is the bare minimum effort that should be put in.” Uda chimed in. “I mean regulating their lives and never giving your daughter any time for herself? The poor girl is working for the Emperor's Coven and reading to the kids at the library and you still ask more of her. And don't get me started on the twins.”

“Okay heifer, you don't get to judge me! I do what is best for my children. If it means giving them the structure they need then so be it. I wouldn't expect you to understand. Your bumpkin children run around with no education on that dirt plot of yours.”

“Watch your mouth.” Uda ordered. “No one talks about my babies.”

“It's sad really. Every other woman here can at least say they have a child apprenticed to a coven head. Except for you and your daughter is one of those 'multi-trackers'.” Odalia said with feigned sympathy. This was the final straw as Uda got up from her seat and was now ready for a full on fight with this pretentious woman.

“That is it!” Odalia's eyes widened as the angered woman across from her lifted the coffee table in between them over her head. No magic, just pure rage driven strength.

“Hold on! Hold on! Take it easy!” Daphne tried to intervene again only to be swatted away by Odalia who began to channel her oracle magic through her amulet. The Hargreaves home was about to be super broken. She jumped to her feet and summoned two fireballs. If the house was going down, she'd at least go down protecting it.

“Drinks!” Amber announced as she jumped in between all three of them with Marcella hiding behind the couch. “A little liquid patience will make this all better. Come on.” She had a joyous smile but she was still sweating bullets.

The three women looked to one another as Marcella soon stood with Amber. This caused Uda to relent and slowly lower the table. “How about we make it a game? That way Daphne's lovely home isn't turned into a battlefield.” The redhead suggested.

Uda looked over at Odalia. “I'm game.”

“Me too.” Odalia responded as they glared at each other before sitting back down.

Daphne sighed with relief as the group sat back down with Amber filling about two dozen shot glasses she got from the kitchen as well as regular glasses for the other three non-participants. Uda and Odalia meanwhile glared at each other from their respective positions as Amber came between them and gave the instructions. “Alright, if you puke, you lose. And begin!” Each of the women took the first shot and shivered as if something was wrong but continued.

Meanwhile, watching the game start, Daphne downed her tall glass in one go. She didn't drink much but she had no problem handling the soft stuff. This she came to find out, was not what she thought it was after bottoming up the glass. “Wait a minute. Amber, where did you get this drink?”

“Oh I found it in your cabinet with all the chains on it. You know you make it really hard to get to this stuff.” Amber admitted before Daphne grabbed her by her color in anger.

“That was the point! This is the most expensive and powerful stuff there is! It's meant for small single shots, not a chugging contest, you....” The pink haired woman stopped and hiccuped as her face turned flush red and a drunken smile appeared. “You are...so cute.” She said as she pinched Amber's cheek.

“Glad you finally noticed.” The bat-winged girl said with a smile as the contest continued and the two participants seemed evenly matched as Odalia and Uda down shot after shot to beat the other. Neither was giving ground though the strength of the drinks seemed to be wearing them down as they went along. As much as Amber was enjoying it with Marcella sitting next to her, nervously holding her drink, the bard took one shot and passed out. Daphne did not exaggerate the power of these drinks. Marcella hesitantly took a small sip before smiling and liking her lips at the taste and continued to drink.

“Getting … sick I see.” Uda commented as Odalia had a sickening green tint to her skin. The Shepard woman herself not feeling too well as despite sitting down she was feeling dizzy as she was getting nearer to halfway through the shots.

“Please. I drink this stuff … for breakfast.” Odalia retaliated. “You worry about … yourself. A Blight never...” Odalia stopped, almost feeling as if she might vomit before recomposing herself as best she could. “...never loses. Not to the likes of … you.”

“Go Uda.” Marcella cheered politely as a dazed Daphne sat next to her in confusion watching her down another glass.

“How do you do that?” Marcella took note of the question and shrugged.

“I don't know. I just don't really feel it, if I'm being honest.” Daphne looked incredulous after hearing this. Through her muddled thoughts it did explain somethings. Inviting Bonnie over had revealed that the child had a ravenous appetite.

Six Years Ago

Daphne sat in her office as she worked on getting some order sheets filled out. She hated working on the weekend but duty called and she needed this paperwork finished. Luz had friends over and the woman meant to meet them but things were just so busy at the moment. It was in the middle of these thoughts that one of her servants arrived.

“Um, ma'am. You asked me to bring out some refreshments for your daughter and her friends?” The blue skinned young woman with black hair asked in her maid uniform.

“Yes.” Daphne answered in an annoyed tone. She did not like this unnecessary interruptions. “Just make sure they have enough.”

The maid nervously rubbed her hands together. “Well that's the thing. We are out.”

“Out of what?”

“Refreshments, ma'am. The girls, well one of them have finished it all.”

Daphne stopped and pinched the bridge of her nose. “What do you mean, 'finished it all'? You have an entire store room of things I supplied for this get together.” She got up and followed the other woman down stairs and to the main room. The triclops' eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw the pile of dishes on the table completely cleaned of food with the little carrot top girl sitting on the couch near them with Luz and another purple haired girl with horns right by her.

“Excuse me, Mrs. Luz's mom. Can I have some more?” The girl let out a small burp and excused herself.

Present

It didn't take long before both Odalia and Uda, despite the determination had succumb to the overpowering drinks. Both women crashed face first into the table and were out like a light. “Hurray?” Marcella called out as she decided to make the call as both Daphne and Amber were out as well. “I think this is a draw.”

Several hours later and it was clear a lot had gone on as the front doors of the mansion had been ripped off the hinges, the front gate crashed through, and the family carriage rammed through the wall of the living room. All the damage told of a wild night that wouldn't soon be forgotten, or rather it wouldn't if anyone was able to recall any of what had transpired. The woman were all strewn around the floor of the home with Marcella covering them all with blankets as she slept on the couch. “That was certainly an … interesting night, girls. I'll definitely never forget it. Well, sleep tight.” She rolled over and was soon fast asleep.

On the opposite side of the room, Odalia and Daphne laid side by side. Both were barely awake from their escapades but still awake. “Daphne?” The green haired woman said in a low, tired voice.

“Hmm? What?” Daphne moaned, wanting to sleep.

“I guess … I owe you … some sort of …” Odalia began to trail off.

“No you don't.” Daphne said. “You're a pain in the butt, sure. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to invite you but I knew it would just be you being you. I make bad calls, I'll admit that.”

Odalia chuckled. “I can call that … a win. Daph, do you … think I'm a bad mother?”

Daphne was quiet for a bit. She did make a comment earlier and she didn't know if she should have said that. It was a heat of the moment type of deal and perhaps she was the one who needed to apologize. “Odalia, I …” She stopped as she heard loud snoring coming from the other woman. Perhaps another time, if either of them remembered.

As everyone else rested, Amber sprung up. She looked around to see that everyone else had fallen asleep long ago and that there had been a catastrophic even that had gone down. “Oh man, I missed every... Ow ow ow! Headache!” She held her head and fell back over, using a couch cushion to muffle the outside world.

Earlier That Day

Amelia Birch was never one to mess around; her upbringing with a single mother meant she often craved attention that she didn't receive at home. Seeking adventure, she would roam the streets with her gang of troublemakers, even including her nerdy neighbor, Cat Griffin. It was during these escapades that she crossed paths with Boscha Hargreaves, a girl from a well-off family in town. Together, they reveled in the thrill of causing mischief and mocking others, particularly Cat and her speech impediment.

However, their dynamic took a sour turn when Boscha's powerless sister, Luz, started to criticize their actions and defend Cat.

Amelia, had told Boscha to ditch Luz as she wanted nothing to do with a powerless witch. Boscha agreed with it for a time and they still had their fun, until one day much to her surprise, Boscha unexpectedly turned against Amelia, delivering a punch and a warning to stay away from her sister. Confused by Boscha's sudden change, Amelia stubbornly persisted in tormenting Luz, unaware of the powerful allies she had gained in Amity Blight and her newfound plant track addition. Eventually, most of Amelia's gang moved on, but Cat remained by Amelia's side after the promise of no more ridicule, and they developed a close friendship.

Amelia's disdain for Luz remained steadfast until a fateful incident during a field trip to the Potion Coven's main lab. Nearly falling into a vat of potions, Amelia found herself on the brink of danger. It was Luz, without any magical abilities, who went out of her way to save her. In that moment, Amelia couldn't help but gain a newfound respect for Luz, though true friendship remained elusive. However, this respect was tainted when Cat revealed that Luz had abruptly stopped talking to her after a seemingly friendly visit, refusing to offer an explanation.

Honestly Amelia did regret her past actions and the consequences they had on the relationships she valued. If she were faced with her past self she would probably punch them for messing with a cool kid like Luz, even if the girl had hurt her friend's feelings.

Currently, Luz's ghosting of Cat was the least of her worries as she and her gang ran into an annoying dwarf girl who was asking about Luz. Seeing as she was wearing a Glandus uniform, Amelia didn't see fit to answer her questions. The purple haired girl though had seen fit to use her hammer to wipe the floor with Amelia, Cat and the rest of her gang in a back alley by herself, despite having two accomplices with her.

Amelia was on the ground battered and bruised trying to reach her scroll with the emergency button to call the local coven scouts. She had her hand stepped on and let out a scream as the Glandus girl dug her heel into it. “Last chance. Where is Luz Hargreaves?”

“Get bent, short stack.” Amelia said in defiance only to get kicked in the face for it.

“I'm done playing. Tell me or I turn your hand into a pancake!” The girl said, raising her hammer.

Amelia looked at her and spit out some blood that stained the other girl's boots. The Glandus girl looked angrily at her before stopping and noticing Amelia's gaze was on another downed girl with dark skin, dark brown hair and newly broken glasses. “You two, roll her over.”

The dwarf ordered as the two boys, a witch and a yellow biped looked to each other. “Hey, maybe we shouldn't do this.” The witch boy said as he looked rather disturbed by this. “This is going too far.”

“Did I ask you to talk? Do it!” The girl yelled as she threatened them with the massive war hammer in her arms. The two reluctantly complied and rolled the unconscious girl on her stomach. The leader of the trio raised the hammer over her head and aimed for the arm. “You aren't afraid of me. Let's see if you're afraid for your friend. I'll break a limb each time you don't answer me.”

The yellow furred kid attempted to intervene. “Come on, Bria. This is...”

“Shut it!” She shouted. “Going once. Going twice.”

“Okay! Okay! I'll tell you. Just don't hurt her.” Amelia shouted in desperation. “She isn't in town. She left with her dad and sister. To the forearm forest I think.”

Bria dropped the hammer as it cracked the ground beneath it. “Of course. She is doubling back. Rookie move hiding them near the same spot. Looks like I can mark off two birds with one stone. Alright you two let's move out.” She grabbed her hammer and began to walk before turning back to Amelia. “You tell anyone about this or if you are lying, I'll be back.” As she left, Amelia struggled to get to her feet and check on her friends.

As the trio walked down the street, Angmar rushed up next to a still angry Bria. “Hey um Bria, you weren't actually going to break every bone in that Girl's body...right?”

“What do you want to hear?” She asked coldly.

“The truth.” Gavin chimed in.

“No. you don't.”

“Bria!” Angmar made the mistake of jumping in front of her and blocking her path, realizing this as she stared him down. Yet, he still wouldn't budge.

The girl rolled her eyes and groaned. “Look, I wasn't really going to do it. I needed to know where Luz was and I knew she'd give it up if I threatened her friend and look, it worked. You happy? Now get out of my way!” She shoved Angmar to the side and pressed on, her two classmates trading concerned glances as they hesitantly followed behind her.

Chapter Text

Boscha's eyes creaked open as she looked around to find herself back in her room. She looked confused as she walked around. Her sister and she were supposed to be out on a trip with their father. Did she hit her head or something? The teen made her way down the steps of her home, calling out to her sister and parents, none of them in their rooms as she looked through every room before she heard the sound of crying coming from downstairs.

“Hello.” She called as she walked down the stairs and noticed a small girl curled up on the floor in the living room. “Who are you?” Boscha asked as she got a closer look and saw it was Luz, but Luz as a little girl. Her before the accident as she had her dark skin and hazel eyes. The child looked up to the triclops and began to scream, her eyes filled with horror. “It's okay. It's okay, Luz.”

“No! Don't hurt me!” The child pleaded as her eyes shifted and Boscha turned and saw the child version of herself, Amelia and their oracle friend, Marvin.

“Hey Luz-er.” Amelia said as she and the other two stood over child Luz. “Why is your sister so lame, Boscha?”

Young Boscha looked down at her sister in disdain. “She can't do magic. Watch.” She grabs Luz by her pigtails and yanks on them.

“Boscha, stop!” The girl cried in pain. “It hurts!”

“Do something about it. Come on, show us that you can do something. Honestly, daddy is wasting his time trying to teach you anything. You're just a mistake from the Titan.” The group gathered around Luz and laughed, pushing and shoving her around as she cried.

Teen Boscha looked on in horror. She remembered those days, even if she wanted to forget. She reached out her arm to swat away the kids only for her hands to pass through them all. “You can't stop what's already happened.” The younger Boscha said as she stared at her future self. “Look at you. Trying to help that little freak. Letting half-a-witch Willow beat you in a fight, letting her take your best friend and your position on the grudgby team and worst of all, getting close to this human. Why do you even care? She's not even our real sister. Just some stray.”

“Shut up.” Boscha whispered.

“Why? You know I'm right. She made you weak, soft, pathetic. No one even cares about you. When's the last time mom and dad ever came to your grudgby matches? When have you ever been invited out with friends? Ha. What friends do you even have? The human has taken everything that should be yours. And now there is another one. But she is with the Owl Lady and you know she has a portal door back to the human world.”

Boscha's eyes widened. She had been to the human, Masha at the Owl Lady's home and found out she had a portal to the human world. The teen didn't mention the other human or the door to her parents or Luz for her own reasons. That visit alone had already caused a whole lot of trouble that led to the fight with Luz.

Young Boscha glared up at her. “Tell her about the door. Get rid of her now and send her back to where she belongs.” The younger waited for a response that never came. “I should have known. You make me sick. You'll never be anything more than a speed bump in everyone else' lives. With those pills, Luz won't be around much longer anyway and even then, her death will mean more than your life ever will.”

Boscha responded by lunging at the younger her, crashing to the ground as she passed through the form that vanished with the others. She looked up and saw that the world had shifted and the redhead found herself in the healing coven where her parents stood, holding each other and crying as they stood over a table with a sheet draped over something small and witch shaped. “Mom, dad?” She called to them in confusion. The two paid no attention to her as they slowly left the room, Larry comforting his wife as they exited. “What happened?!” Her please were ignored as if she wasn't even there before she turned to the blanketed body and slowly approached.

“Luz?” She whispered as she ran a hand over the form of her sister. Boscha would never call herself emotional but she felt tears beginning to run down her face.

Before she had time to think, the body jolted to life, the gangrenous hand of younger Luz, wrapping around her throat as Boscha could not breath. “Why the tears? After all, Belinda, who you love so much did this to me!”

“Luz...I...” Boscha strained out.

“You cared more about her than you did your own sister. Then again, why would you worry? We aren't really family anyway, so of course you'd side with your grandmother even after all the pain you put me through, Boscha. Boscha. Boscha.”

Her name repeated over and over as the redhead found herself being shaken awake by Larry as she was riding alongside him in their wagon. “You dozed off for a bit, kiddo. We're almost at the campsite.”

Boscha looked around and found herself in the forest on the road as she rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the nightmares she had just suffered. She turned back to find Luz in the wagon's bed. Her elder sibling was on her scroll and only looked up briefly to share a glance, roll her eyes and then went back to her device. The triclops sighed before looking forward again. It was clear that Luz didn't want to be bothered with her at the moment, possibly for a long time. With that Boscha pulled out a small book that Larry couldn't help but notice. The “Beginners guide to Beasts” was not usual reading for the girl. He wasn't even sure she liked reading anything that didn't involve grudgby or penstagram.

As they rode along, Larry's scroll beeped and he pulled it out to find a message from his wife and placed the item to his ear to listen. “Baby, I-I know you are doing the whole...dad thing. I just-Just want you to know you are so cute when you are being a daddy.” He heard her giggle with a few other voices in the background only for her to shush them. “I miss you soooooo much right now. Come home soon. Bye bye.” She laughed and hung up as Larry found himself chuckling in knowing she was enjoying herself.

The father looked to Boscha and then over his shoulder to Luz. His smile turned to a bit of a frown at the two not talking. He remembered a time when Boscha couldn't stand to even look at Luz. Then, one day, things seemed to change rather abruptly. The two became thick as thieves form then on. Even after the incident with his mother, Larry was happy to see the two staying close. He still wasn't one-hundred percent sure what caused the fight fully but part of it had something to do with his mother, Belinda. Larry didn't like thinking about that particular day at all but he hoped the two could patch this up. That's where his big plan came into play.

The three had always gone on foraging trips to gather for potions. It was always a fun time as well as getting valuable resources for the lab, even if most of what they got for the factory was shipped in. Still, this trip could help the two work out any issues and get them talking again.

It wasn't long after that the group finally arrived at a clearing deep in the woods. It really wasn't much more than a circular area surrounded by trees on all but one side. It didn't take long for the three to disembark and begin setting up camp, though Luz and Boscha did their tasks separately instead of together as usual, which didn't surprise their dad, but still left him concerned. Even while Luz was struggling with her tent, she rebuffed Boscha's offers of assistance.

“Let me help you with that. You'll be all day struggling with...” Boscha said as she came over.

“I got it.” Luz said coldly as she wrestled with one of the bars to pitch the tent.

Boscha recoiled as she decided to not press things. Larry noticed this and decided to walk over and break the ice. “Well the campsite is looking great. You know, this is my favorite spot. Nice and quiet, so far away from civilization that no one could ever hear you scream if your life depended on it.”

“Isn't this the same spot where that squad of coven scouts disappeared years ago as well as the group of sexy teens from St. Epiderm?” Boscha questioned.

“The very same.” Larry said. “So you know why I brought you both out here?”

“I'd rather not think about it.” The triclops admitted a bit unnerved out the area now.

“Is it so we can finally drop off Boscha with a family of dire wolves so she can howl at someone else for once?” Luz said with an uninterested look.

This was the last straw for Boscha today. She tried to be nice and make amends, but Luz kept firing back, refusing her aid or apologies. Now she was at the end of her patience. “Okay, that's it! What's your problem?”

“You are!” Luz shouted back. “You know what you did and what you said! This is just like when we were kids.”

“It's nothing like that!” Boscha defended.

“Its exactly like that! You can never just shut your mouth. You were always an insensitive jerk!”

“And you've always been an overly emotional baby! I shouldn't expect more from a hu...” She halted herself from using that word.

“Okay, okay. That's enough, you two. I didn't bring you out here to fight.” Larry jumped in. “Just relax. Now, I brought you both out here so that we could do a little ingredient gathering, like the old days: A father/daughters field trip.”

Boscha scoffed at this. “More like a father/Luz trip.”

Luz's scowl softened a bit. Once she thought about it, the girl was reminded of all the fun trips she had with her father. It took a bit more thinking to realize that Boscha was on those trips with them, though she seemed to only recall the moments shared by herself and her father. Was Boscha really always left out? She brushed off those thoughts as her face returned to it's hardened frown.

“Now, it's not going to be like that at all, Boscha. It's going to be all three of us working together. I promise.” The father told the two, crossing his heart. Boscha glared at this, not at all convinced by his claims. This was clearly some scheme of his to get them to work together and talk. She seemed to silently confirm that it wasn't going to work. If Luz wanted to be stuck up and refusing to accept Boscha's apology attempts and claiming she did something to her, that was fine with the triclops. She had always been second place to Luz in everything, even in fights. Her parents always took Luz's side in things. It wasn't until recently that she understood why. “And working together, we'll work out all these issues between you two.”

“I doubt that.” Boscha asked.

“I hate to disagree with you and seriously hate agreeing with her, but this is not going to work.” Luz added. “Besides, Boscha can't find ingredients to save her life.”

“That's it. I'm out of here!” Boscha said as she threw her hands up. “I'd rather be rattled by the creepy things in the woods than be here with her right now.” Luz gave a nonchalant wave goodbye to her as Larry got up and chased after his second daughter.

“Come on, Boscha. We need to get rid of this bad blood between you to. She's your sister after all, no matter what.” He said quietly to her, before giving her a sad, tearful look.

“Don't. Don't.” She did her best to avert her gaze from him. It wasn't working. A certain someone would do the same to her on occasion when she was mad and it unfortunately wore her down. “That may work on mom, but it...it won't...wont' work on....Grrr...Fine! Fine, I'll do it! But I won't like it.”

“Thanks, sweetie.” He said kissing her over her third eye, something she absolutely hated, brushing off the spot. “We are all going to have so much fun. I even brought your potion uniforms. Your mother even made you a little surprise.” He pulled out the charcoal gray and yellow uniforms, each with a little patch on them that was a chibi version of Daphne with a cheerleader uniform on.

He tapped on it as it sparkled and danced around. “Go go, Hargreaves!” It cheered in a high pitched voice. For not agreeing on most things at the moment, both girls were embarrassed by this and cringed in unison.

The three set out for their foraging trip. During the time Luz read the maps to find the best spots while Boscha followed and Larry kept his eyes out for anything interesting. During the time the three had quite the eventful journey. During the first steep climb up a hill, Boscha offered a hand to a struggling Luz who only looked at her and forced herself up the incline. Later, Luz found herself harassed by a large bird as she accidentally approached it's nest. Boscha threw her hands up and jumped in front of her sister. An orange glow came from Boscha's hands that calmed the creature and caused it to return to it's nest. Luz surprised her sister by thanking her.

The group stumbled on a tree that possessed some rare nuts that Boscha attempted to grab only for Luz to stop her and pointed out the thorns on the tree's branches. She utilized her potion pack and it's arms to pluck the ingredients from the tree as Boscha held open the bag. Boscha led the way at one point and was saved from a quicksand pit but Luz grabbing the girl who hadn't noticed. The triclops girl then managed to help Luz by distracting a pack of dire wolves guarding a large plant they had eyed. The beasts raced off after Boscha and were trapped down a hill as she threw a potion that formed a sticky wall of slime that warded the wolves off. The two found themselves celebrating with Luz hugging her sister without realizing it. She didn't break away, though and kept on. Larry noted each of these actions between the various messages he got from his wife. They were all random pictures or humorous messages.

The family made it back to camp later that day as they sat around a fire. Now, Luz and Boscha were talking again, seemingly forgetting the big fight they had. Their dad smiled at them as he got a notice on his phone and took a look. His face turned beet red as his eyes nearly popped through his glasses' lenses at what he was seeing. Quickly he tucked the phone away and went back to addressing his daughters, pulling a picnic basket out in front of him. He opened it up and brought out a metal tin with a golden, flaky crust over top of it.

The two girls looked at it in disbelief. “Is that what I think it is?” Boscha asked as her sister's eyes lit up.

“Yep, my famous apple pie.” Larry said confidently. It was only on rare occasions that he made this treat. The most delicious baked good any of them had ever had. “It's been in our family ever since... Well it was ripped from your great-grandmother's hands on her deathbed.”

“Nice.” Boscha said with a smile. “Does mom know you made this?”

The man's face went pale. If there was anything Daphne loved almost as much as her family, it was this pie. If she found out he made it and didn't share with her? Oh boy. “Let's not tell her, okay?”

The two teens agreed before cutting themselves slices and digging in. Larry was enjoying a mug of freshly made bitter bean blood as he got yet another message from Daphne. Hesitantly, he opened the scroll and immediately spit out his drink at what he was seeing, gagging and coughing from some of the drink going down the wrong tube in his initial shock.

“Mom sent him a spicy one.” Luz stated under her breath as Boscha nodded in agreement and continued to eat her slice.

The two girls and their father ate up until the pies was almost finished, leaving a thin slice in the pan. Both girls found each other reaching for the piece as they gently tugged at the pan to pull it to their respective side. “I wanted the last piece.” Luz said mildly as she pulled it towards her.

“No I want it. You already had four pieces.” Boscha said as she resisted.

“You had five.”

“No, I only had three.”

“Three huge pieces. That's more than half.” The two pulled the pan back and forth as Larry looked a bit nervously. Why did he make these pies so good.

“Girls, it's just pie.” He said.

“Yeah, Luz. Just go have a piece of fairy pie when we get home.” Boscha said, glaring at her sister. “That's right. I know you've been snacking on them.”

Luz looked incredulous but her face soon turned into one of sternness. “Fine! Yeah, I had fairy pie. Big deal. I'm supposed to just give up what I love just because you off all people wanted to be friends with those buzzing skin eaters?”

“Don't call them that!”

“Oh, I didn't mean to hurt the little pests feelings, if they had any. Might explain why you like them so much. You have a lot in common.”

“Luz. That's enough.” Larry said to end the argument.

“Oh don't talk about not having feelings.” Boscha said angrily. “You're the cold one.”

Luz jumped up angrily. “You think I'm cold?! No! Your stupid grandmother did this to me and you keep seeing her after she almost killed me! I hurt every day because of that old bat!”

“Don't call her that!” Boscha warned as she got to her feet and into her sister's face.

“I'll call that wrinkled trash whatever I...” Luz didn't even get to finish before Boscha gave her a right cross to the jaw knocking her down. Before Larry could intervene, Luz got to her knees and tackled her twin to the ground as the two fought, wrestling on the ground.

“Take it back!” Boscha demanded as her sister refused and punched her in the face, suffering through the pain that resulted.

The two's father raced over and tried to pry the pair apart with little success. The fight stopped when a whistling sound filled the air and an object fell from the sky, crashing into their campfire, spreading cinders and burning logs everywhere. The three looked over as it was a large, long handled hammer wedged into the ground, handle up. Sparks of electricity flowed through it's form. “Well it took long enough to find you, Hargreaves, but here we are at last.” The three turned to see the short purple haired girl and her two lackeys, all three wearing Glandus uniforms.

“Bria?” Luz said as she saw pure hatred in the girl's eyes. The Glandus girl had a pair of gloves on with glowing rune like symbols as well as a brown leather belt around her waist with the same glow to it. She held out her hand as the hammed flew back to her and she draped it over her shoulder.

Off to the side, Boscha tensed up as she saw Angmar standing on Bria's right, his expression the same as hers and looking as if he didn't want to be there. “Now I'm here for two reasons. The only one I care about right now is her.” Bria pointed the head of the hammer at Luz who had gotten to her feet. “Now then....” The dwarf girl slammed the hammer into the ground as a rock pillar shot out and hit Luz knocking her backwards.

Larry created a circle in the air that levitated her and kept her from slamming into the ground. Luz quickly raced to her tent to grab her gear as Boscha, meanwhile hurled a fireball at Bria who swatted it away with her hammer as her friend Gavin created an abomination. Angmar panicked, knowing Bria was watching and summoned some defensive vines around him. “Angmar, take the triclops. Gavin take the other. Luz is mine.”

Gavin looked at her in surprise. “Dude! I can't fight their mom.” The comment made everyone halt where they were besides Luz, who was getting her gear on.

Bria looked at her teammate in utter disbelief. “That's their dad.”

Gavin's eyebrow raised. “No way. It's got to be a lady. Just look at her boobies.” He whispered, though most, Larry included, still heard him.

“I gotta start exercising again.” The man admitted as Luz charged out with her potion pack on and rushed at Bria as the two reignited the fight with Gavin targeting Larry and Angmar and Boscha squared off.

The two teens circled each other with neither engaging the other. “Boscha, we have to fight. Otherwise Bria will suspect something.” The yellow biped said to her in close proximity.

“I don't want to hurt you.” She said back.

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.” This refusal from Boscha was met with a punch to the face from Angmar who, although hesitant, didn't hold back. The triclops looked down to and put a hand to her face to see that her nose was now bleeding.

Angmar looked a bit apologetic for what he did. “Boscha, I'm really...”

He was cut off as her eyes glowed red and flames emanated around her. “I'LL MURDER YOU UNTIL YOU DIE FROM IT!” She howled as she tackled him and the two vanished into the bush.

Luz was in close range with Bria as two of the potion arms from her pack grabbed hold of the hammer as she tried to wrestle it from the other girl. The dwarf smirked as she spun with Luz being lifted off the ground and hurled through the air, flying hundreds of yards away. “Fun.” Bria smirked as she hurled the hammer in the same direction as she held on to the handle and flew off after Luz.

The Hargreaves girl crashed through the trees, hitting branches until she fell into the woods below. Luz groaned in pain as the pack helped to cushion her fall. She got to her feet, but under shaky legs as a screaming blur appeared above and crashed into the ground as Bria landed with the hammer projecting a field around her. The barrier dissipated as the purple haired girl lifted the hammer in her arms. “Just the two of us now.” She said coldly. “Took me a while to track you down. I had to go through a bunch of people to find you, including your scaly boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend?” Luz questioned.

“Yeah, green, four eyes, annoyingly arrogant.”

“Gene is not my boyfriend!”

“Really? Could have fooled me. He was really uncooperative with giving up that information, but he was 'persuaded' eventually. But enough talk. Down to business.” She rushed forward and swung the hammer at Luz who used her potion arms to leap away as Bria cut through a tree behind her with ease as the pine toppled. “You stole my galderstones!” She slammed that hammer on the ground several times as pillars emerged over the field as Bria tried to catch her with one of them.

“I won them, you moron.” Luz exclaimed as she continued to evade and threw potions at the other girl.

Bria brought up a wall of rock that shielded her, though the potions burned through it as Bria used the weapon to cause ripples in the ground with waves that unbalanced Luz as she slammed against a tree. “The coven found out I had the stones. And when I couldn't deliver, they took it out on me!” She dug the hammer into the ground and raked it across the ground, causing dirt particles to spray through the air, making it hard for Luz to see.

Luz put on her potioner goggles to protect her vision as she waited and watched, still not being able to see through the cloud. “When Head Witch Mason found out, I lost my apprenticeship. He said he couldn't afford to be associated with me! Everyone art school mocks me to my face! You ruined my life!” She barreled through the cloud, leaping into the air and bringing the heavy weapon down onto Luz.

Thinking fast, the Hargreaves girl saved herself by using all two arms to block Bria's attack and the other two to transfer the force into the ground. She looked at the enraged girl above her. This all started from her just wanting to get revenge for Bria using Gus, and it ended up snowballing into the girl losing so much in such a short time. Luz could only say one thing in this moment. “I don't care.” Her dead eyes and blank expression only added to fueling Bria's rage as she released a primordial scream as the vents on the hammer glowed along with the gloves and belt. Luz took notice of this as the power and force of the weapon seemed to increase at an alarming rate as a crater began to form beneath them, the ground cracking.

Luz risked it and used one of the two grounded arms to fly up and hit Bria in the face as she dove away to make some distance. It did little good as Bria charged back with ferocity as she swung the hammer over her head and rocks flew out of the ground and surrounded her body, granting her stone armor. Luz chucked a potion as Bria slid across the ground at breakneck speed and swatted it away. The redhead moved to spin away just as the Glandus girl swung, catching and destroying the pack and sending Luz spiraling to the side. The purple haired girl looked at the damaged parts and among them saw the shattered remains of the power source as she picked up the fragments.

“A galdorstone? You powered it with a galdorstone?!” She saw that the pieces were lifeless and devoid of power after the attack and cast them down as she approached Luz.

Elsewhere in the field, Angmar and Boscha's fight had ceased as Boscha had calmed down and was now treating the boy's wounds she had caused. “Sorry for freaking out like that, but you've got a pretty mean punch for a little guy.” She apologized as she poured water from the nearby stream on his wounds.

“No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have done that. I just don't want anyone to get suspicious of us.” The boy explained. “That last thing I want is to get you in trouble. Besides, your parents would probably think you could do better than me.” He said with a lack of confidence in his voice.

“Don't say that.” Boscha objected. “It doesn't matter what they think. What we have is special and I need to get the courage to tell them sooner rather than later. I really like you.”

Angmar smiled. “Like 'like' like?”

“Shut up you.” Boscha said playfully as she fell on top of him.

“Um...shouldn't we go find Bria and Luz?” Angmar asked nervously as his face turned red.

“Luz can handle herself. We've got five minutes.” Boscha chuckled.

A short while later, back at the campsite, Larry looked around after his scuffle with Gavin and looked around to find that his girls were nowhere in sight. The fight was not a challenge whatsoever. The boy had grossly overestimated his chances and his abominations were no match for the experienced potion user. "Luz! Boscha!" He called out as Gavin looked up at him from his downed position. The fat stout man had his back to him and the boy gripped abomination goo in his hands and formed a mallet. He got up to one knee and shot himself into the air.

"Surprise attack!" He screamed, only for Larry to spin around and hurl a potion bottle at him that exploded into a cocoon of yellow goo that encased Gavin up to his neck as he fell back to earth. "Oh. Why do I yell things?"

“Dad?” Larry heard Boscha's voice as she came over a hill. “Dad, are you okay?” She raced up and wrapped her arms around him.

“Yeah, I'm fine, sweetie. Where is your sister?”

“I don't know. I was in a fight and I didn't see.” Boscha admitted before her dad noticed a mark on her neck.

“Are you okay?” He asked as he pulled her collar down and saw the purple mark on her skin. “Did that kid bite you?”

Boscha quickly backed up. “No! I uh...I mean yeah, he did bite me, but I took care of him. I gave him a good kissing... I mean smooching...pounding...spanking...beating! Beating! That's what I meant! Beating!”

Larry looked at her with a peculiar stare. “Well good. I'm glad that defense training your mother gave you paid off.” Her dad was clearly non the wiser and Boscha breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe in time the triclops would have a better chance talking to her dad about Angmar than Daphne.

“Hey, kid. Why don't you stick around? We'll be back.” Larry said to Gavin, who rolled his eyes at the terrible one-liner. As Larry and Boscha raced off, a vine grabbed a still confined Gavin and pulling him away in the bushes.

It wasn't long before a newly freed Gavin was racing alongside Angmar. “What are we doing?” Gavin asked.

“We've got to find Bria before she kills Luz. She is gonna get in serious trouble if she does. And worse, we'll go down with her.” The shorter boy explained.

Gavin acknowledged this before he noticed something. “Dude, why is your shirt on backwards?”

Angmar frowned realizing what Gavin said was true. “Uh, that triclops girl got in a cheap shot and pulled it over my....”

“You've got a girlfriend, don't you?” Gavin asked with a smirk as Angmar began to sweat even more than what the physical exertion from running was causing. “Nice.”

“You aren't mad at me?”

“She's way better than your last girlfriend. If she makes you happy, then that's all that matters.”

“Didn't expect that. But don't tell Bria. She'd kill me!”

“Well we'd better catch her first.” They booked it into the direction they assumed she went.

Back in the fight, Luz struggled to survive as Bria swung her hammer furiously, forcing Luz to utilize her sword to survive. “You think you're better than me?! You only wanted the stones for your own purpose, same as me!” The hammer connected with the blade as Luz was knocked off her feet and the construction track student leaped forward and slammed the weapon down as Luz rolled away.

“No. I'm better than you.” Luz said, getting back to her feet. “I used the stone with permission and swore I would never misuse it. I do to make advancements to benefit others. You are a greedy hammer smasher with a height complex.”

Bria grit her teeth in a rage and slammed the hammer down on the ground with rapid succession, the gloves and belt glowing even brighter and the violent shaking unbalancing Luz again. She then hurled the weapon at Luz who put up her sword to block it. That was a mistake as the flying weight smashed through the blade's meager defenses. The Hargreaves girl crashed to the ground, feeling the pain of her poor choice to try and defend the attack. She shook her head and looked over to see the shattered remains of her sword. Her teeth gritted as she breathing got heavy. “My mother made that for me.”

“Oh boo frickin' hoo.” Bria said as she walked over slowly. “I'd be more worried about your sister. You see, she crossed my employer. Enough apparently that old Tibbles wants her dead. You're the only reason I took this job. Your sister? She's just the cherry on top.”

“You are stupid if you think you can kill an apprentice of a coven head and get away with it.” Luz said as pain traveled through her body as her body still shook from the impact. She reached into her pocket and felt her L-pill pack, though Bria didn't notice.

Luz looks to the sparks flying from the hammer as the gloves seemed to absorb the electricity. “Trust me, there won't be any witnesses out here. If those dummies haven't taken care of her yet, I will. That is after I've had my fun here.” Bria heaved the hammer over her shoulder as Luz again noticed the belt glowed brighter as her mind started to race. “I shouldn't take long. But just know before you go, I'll take my time with her and your pops.”

The downed girl ached, but she had a plan now as Bria continued to bluster. Luz rolled on her stomach and made a vain attempt to try and pull herself away. “And you know, I won't finish her with the first hit, not the second, not even the third. Not until she crawls through the dirt, kisses my foot and begs me to stop. Then I'll grant her wish. Just thought you'd like to know before...this.” She brought down the weapon that slammed into Luz's spin. Bria was shocked as a metal clang rung out. Luz rolled over as her skin was now metallic, an angered scowl on her face as the dwarf raised her hammer again to try and crack that shell. This was thwarted as Luz grabbed the head with her hands, the pill granting her the enhanced strength she needed as she swung it around with Bria still clutching the other end of it and lost her grip and was hurled against a tree. Luz was immediately shocked as, despite her enhanced strength, the hammer was massively heavy as it sunk into the ground, barely missing her foot. She fought with it to try and pry it up but couldn't manage with all her power.

Bria shook her head and saw the sight, holding up her hand as the hammer knocked Luz over as it flew back to its wielder. The Glandus girl quickly scrambled to her feet as she saw Luz advance with her heavy steps. Thinking quickly Bria brought the weapon down again, causing an eruption of energy to travel through the ground and under the metal girl as a blast of energy shot up and threw her into the air before slamming into the ground and creating a miniature crater. “That stupid pill can't protect you from this. Your lame one power for one minute shtick isn't gonna cut it.”

She brought the hammer down again for a consecutive eruption only for Luz to vanish before it hit. Bria looked around in surprise to see a figure standing by. Her body was still metallic but it now had a long reptilian tail and her face was now nothing but massive jaws full of teeth. Luz had combined the metal, speed and maw pills into something far more dangerous than any one of them could be alone.

“You think turning into even more of a freak will scare me? Die!” She tried again and again to smash Luz, who darted around Bria as every attack missed. The purple haired girl channeled all of her rage into her strike and jolted the entire area as Luz couldn't escape and was thrown into the air.

Thinking fast, she used the maw powers to turn her arms into tentacles and began swinging through the trees as Bria angrily gave chase in her armor. “You think you can hide from me in here? I'll level this entire forest!”

“Peek-a-boo!” Luz said as she appeared from above and struck Bria, breaking off a piece of her armor. Around and around, she continued to hit and break off bit by bit as the steel in her body proved more than the stone armor could take. Luz knew she needed to finish this as her steel form faded, and she had two still left. With Bria's armor gone, she had a chance now. She swung around and evaded another hammer swing and landed to the left side of Bria and shot out her tentacle arms around the other girl's gloved hands.

“I figured it out. The gloves and belt aid you with the hammer. No gloves and you can't wield it safely.” She kicked Bria back and out of the gloves and she fell on her butt. Luz the ripped the gloves up to prevent her opponent from getting them. “Even with the belt, you can't lift it without hurting yourself.”

Bria looked absolutely mortified. This was her chance. She let out a savage scream and used a quick circle to slam the ground as Luz raced out of range. Bria immediately grabbed the hammer. She still had the belt and she wasn't going to let Luz beat her. The energy shot out of the weapon from every angle as she strained to fight through the pain to get it up. “I'll kill you!” She shouted as the energy from the weapon lit up the sky. Bria wasn't going to lose this fight. She'd crush Luz with all of her...

“Nope.” Luz said simply as she yanked off the belt in the blink of an eye and then slapped the other girl two dozen yards away. She then raced over before Bria would get up and wrapped her tentacled arms around her would be assassin's neck. The other girl kicked and struggled in an attempt to get Luz off of her as she felt her oxygen flow being quickly cut off. “It's...over! You threatened me! My family! Now you die and no one is going to miss you.”

Luz never stopped as Bria's efforts to free herself were swiftly waning. Not even the thoughts of her family in the back of her mind, imploring her to stop were enough. Then it came: A crash of thunder and lightning that shook the girl out of her rage as it seemed to spark something inside her. Her body began to morph back into its normal form as she rolled off of a now unconscious Bria and held her head. She hated storms on the isles. The noise always made her feel weird, like it was reminding her of some event in the past. She didn't have time to think about it much as, a moment later, Luz began to cough again and knew she'd pressed her luck with multiple pills again. Her head spun and she soon collapsed onto Bria as the telltale sounds of boiling rain could be heard.

Luz's eyes creaked open as she stared up to a dimly lit ceiling. Her head was ringing still but she could hear the rain falling and tilted her head right and saw it sizzling against the ground outside. She figured with the opening and the warmth on her other side of her, the girl was in a cave with a lit fire. “You're awake. Good. This one was worried you wouldn't come around.” Luz turned sharply to see a figure sitting on a stone by the fire, a hood over their head. “Easy friend. You were in rough shape when this one found you.”

“My name is Luz and I'm not your friend.” She said plainly as she felt her head and found her hood was down before quickly pulling it back over her head.

“This one hopes you don't mind. Treated your wounds and your friend's.” The figure said as Luz looked over to see a still out of it Bria.

“She isn't my friend. She tried to kill me out there. You'd be better served to get her tied up.” Luz said as she looked at the figure, who noted her suggestion.

“King?” They called as something seemed to stir in the back of the cave, footsteps echoing to their location as a small, furry creature with a skull-like head appeared. It ran on all fours before reaching the two and standing on two legs.

“What happened? Oh, she's awake.” It said in a rather high pitched voice.

“King, she says that the other is dangerous. Could you take the rope and tie her up, please?”

The creature saluted and went about securing Bria.

Luz watched in amazement. She'd never seen a creature like that and, out of curiosity, decided to ask. “What kind of beast is he? Never seen one like that?”

“I'm no beast!” Diminutive creature said angrily. “I am the King of...”

“It's okay, King. She didn't mean anything by it.” The other said as they gestured for King to keep on. “Please.”

As Luz watched him get back to business, she spoke again. “You speak like a Jellisen.”

“This one...” The figure stopped and cleared their throat. “My name is Masha. I spent some time with them. I enjoyed their manner of speech and it just stuck. I'm surprised you knew that. There aren't many on the isles knows about them.”

“My father did some business with them for ingredients.” Luz realized what she'd just said. “My dad! Boscha! I got to...” She jumped up and immediately regretted it as her legs fell out from under her as Masha raced over and caught her.

“Easy, easy. You still aren't all there. You were coated with blood when I found you, from your mouth.”

“Yeah, I have...a condition. A side effect of one of my potions.” Luz admitted.

Masha nodded. “Still, I saw that light show from a ways off. That you?” She was surprised when Luz gestured to Bria. “Wow. I'm impressed. A human against that is really...”

“I am not a human!” Luz said forcefully as Masha took a cautious step back but helped Luz to sit on a rock near the fire. “Just because my ears look like that and I can't use magic, doesn't make me a human.”

“Sorry. I just assumed. I suppose that was wrong too.” Masha said as she sat back on a rock and was cooking up some food. “I guess what I got here wouldn't interest you much.” Luz looked over the food she had present and it was

“Actually...” Luz responded. “That's pretty much my whole diet. I have a really sensitive stomach so I have to have special meals for myself.” Masha tossed her some of the food she had and began to eat a bit herself.

“Interesting.” Masha said under her breath. “I guess we have the same allergies then. This is all I can stomach.” Luz gave a small grunt of acknowledgment as her mouth was currently full. She also wasn't one for small talk from this mysterious stranger, even if introductions had been made. “Most food turns my stomach inside out and it's not as funny as it sounds.”

Masha waited for her to finish and offered more food, but Luz declined. “So what were you doing out here?”

Luz looked up to her, still a bit weary of this girl and her pet dog monkey thing. “I was out here with my dad and sister when that one over there attacked us, tried to kill my sister and me.”

“I was out here with King looking for treasures. It's a remote spot. What were you all doing?”

The other girl groaned a bit. Luz was grateful to be rescued but not to be given a questioning. Still if she answered, it would make things less awkward. “My dad brought my sister and me out here to work out some...issues. She called me...a name that I didn't appreciate and we've been fighting for the last few days.”

Masha whistled in astonishment. “It must have been some insult.”

“Yeah, she called me...human.” Luz said as silence filled the air again.

“That's it?” Masha asked.

Luz looked angrily. “What do you mean, 'that's it'? That's the worst thing you can call a witch! I have been called that by every bully who thought they were clever, everyone who thought they would look down on me! And for my own sister to call me that, my own twin! It's a badge of shame to be called that! Maybe I don't have magic like everyone else and I can't eat all the food but that doesn't make me any less of a witch.”

King jumped up on a rock next to Masha. “Hey, watch what you're saying! Nobody talks about...”

He was halted from his incoming tirade as Masha placed a gentle hand on his head. She was quiet for a while as the two saw the rain begin to lift. “What's wrong with humans? I've known some before and they aren't all bad.”

Luz looked at her. “Then you know how weak and defenseless they are. How useless and limited they can be. That's what everyone thought about me. It's what some still think about me despite everything I've accomplished.”

“Maybe, you should wear it as a badge of courage.” Masha's statement was met with a raised eyebrow fro Luz. “Humans may not be perfect, they may not have powers or cool extra functioning limbs, but they can surprise you.”

The other girl scoffed at her. “What can humans even do?”

Masha smirked. “Like I said...” She pulled out a piece of paper with some kind of symbol on it and pressed on it before aiming it at the dying fire. Soon a flame shot out of the paper as it crumpled and stoked the fire to life. Luz looked in amazement as Masha removed her hood and saw her raven black hair and the round ears. “We might surprise you.”

Luz squinted at her only to finally recognize the face. “You! You're the henchman of the Owl Lady!” She pointed an accusatory finger.

“I prefer 'apprentice'. You are one too.”

Luz glared at her now. “Five million snail bounty on your head. I imagine I should try and arrest you as my duty to the coven.”

King jumped in front of Masha defensively but the girl rose and smiled, holding her hands out. “Well, slap the cuffs on me and I'll come quietly. I don't want to take advantage of a weakened witch.”

The other girl rose herself, still shaky but able to stand on her own power. “Maybe next time. When we are both at our best. I don't want your surrender out of pity. I will take my 'friend' over there, though. She needs to answer for her crimes immediately.”

Masha put her arms down and smirked as the rain had finally stopped. By this point, Bria had come to, but found herself bound, hands tied securely behind her back and a gag over her mouth. “Let's go, little friend. We've got a lot to talk about.” Luz shoved her in front and motioned her out of the cave. “Thank you, for the save and hospitality.”

The human girl nodded with a smile, a gap in her front teeth apparent. “Don't mention it. And Luz? Take it easy on your sister. Sometimes family...we say things we don't mean. The last thing you want to do is destroy bonds. Life is too short to have those kinds of regrets.” Luz nodded and waved goodbye as Luz led Bria away. Masha walked out to the mouth of the cave and waved back as King jumped onto her shoulder and waved as well.

Despite being on shaky legs, Luz still forced Bria back towards her family's campsite. They walked for a good fifteen minutes at least before something appeared in the distance: The white cloaks of coven scouts that raced towards them. “We found her.” One of the three scouts said and before Luz knew it, she was being escorted back to the clearing where she and Bria had the climax of their battle. There the hammer still lay as five scouts tried everything from vines and abominations to dislodge it with no success.

“Luz!” The wary girl turned to see Amity Blight rush to her and wrap the girl in a tight hug. “Are you okay?”

“Amity? What are you doing out here?” Luz asked.

“I was out training with Ms. Lilith when we saw the light show. Then some scouts contacted us, saying someone had tipped them off about an ambush. We didn't even know what was going on until we ran into your dad and Boscha...”

Luz looked over and saw her father and sister, none the worse from the events. She walked passed the others silently making her way to her family. Meanwhile Bria was dragged along to Lilith by the scouts, the woman not looking to pleased at the bruised and battered girl in front of her. “Certainly a shame to see such a fall from grace, Bria. Your sister will not be pleased.” The girl, unable to speak with the gag still covering her mouth, merely cast her gave to the ground.

Across the way, Luz had reached her family as Larry saw the condition she was in. Luz let him talk on but she was primarily focused on Boscha. The other girl walked up to her as well and said nothing, the two standing for a few moments before just embracing one another. Their father could only smile at this as Lilith and her apprentice approached.

“Luz. Vitimir will certainly be glad you are all right. You handled yourself very well given the power of that item. I have no clue about it and my team can't seem to move it. More importantly, what was this all about?”

“Tibbles. He owns a shop in our hometown. Bria said he hired her and her gang to go after Boscha for something she did.”

Boscha nervously interceded. “I...was supposed to throw a game for him but I didn't. Those other two were forced to help her. That's what one of them told me after I beat him.” In the bush nearby, Gavin and Angmar dipped down and vanished.

Lilith, stone-faced as always, nodded. “I see. Well we should get you to the healers, you look like you could use it.”

“No. Really, I'm fine.” Luz tried to protest weakly only to look over to Boscha who had a look of concern. “Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to get looked at.”

“Come along then.” Lilith said as the group headed out.

“Thank you, Lilith. You were a lifesaver.” Larry thanked her.

“You're quite welcome Mr...Forgive me, I can't seem to recall. Have we met?”

The man deflated a bit. “It's me. Larry. Larry Siggurdson.” Lilith looked away, her usual stoic demeanor broken into an uncomfortable one. “I sat behind you in potions class. I dated Daphne Malachor?”

“Oh yes, how is Daphne?”

“You don't have a clue who I am, do you?”

“Regrettably, not a one.” She said before hastily excusing herself.

Back in town, the group were in the healing coven as Kikimora walked down the hall with a bouquet of flowers in her hands. She walked passed a room, shared by Cat and Amelia whose respective mothers were checking in on them. Cat smiled while Amelia was annoyed by her mother smothering her with affection. She walked by another room where Gene recovered from his own encounter with Bria, while Violet argued with the doctor.

“What do you mean you won't take my insurance?!” The young woman yelled. “I pay the Emperor's taxes and those taxes paid for this facility. By the transitive properties of that logic, I own this building!”

The diminutive woman finally reached her destination as she saw Luz in her bed as Boscha sat next to her in a chair. “Lusina, I am pleased to see you fared well from your trip.”

“Ms. Kikimora! It's good to see you. Those flowers for me?” Luz said with an excited yet soft voice as she was still a bit weak.

“They certainly are. I just wanted to drop these off and check on you. After I overheard that child was looking for you, I decided to alert the authorities. For some reason I couldn't reach you all.” She mentioned.

“Yeah, dad took us out to an isolated spot with no service and where no one could hear us scream bloody murder.” Boscha mentioned.

“Wait, you were the one who told them?” Luz said in surprise.

“Why would I not? You needed my assistance and I am under your mother's employ. It was only logical.” Kiki informed her.

“And you care.” Boscha said as she sat back.

Kikimora rolled her eyes at this. “Yes. I suppose that was a minor contributing factor. In any case, I'll leave you to recuperate.”

“Thank you.” Luz said as the woman stopped for a moment before pressing on. After she left, Luz was just relaxing in the bed. She had already finished the entire book of crosswords they left her and she was very much bored. The girl began to think about meeting the human, Masha. She had to admit it was certainly an interesting encounter. The human was nothing like the book she had found about the species at the market. How they burned witches like her at the stake and used items of unknowable power against them and cast them into a lake of fire to burn for all eternity.

It was then she noticed Boscha reading something. “What are you reading?” She asked, much to Boscha's shock as she seemed to try to hide the book.

“It's-it's nothing. Just a book about...humans. I should probably just...” She motioned to put it back into her bag.

“Say, when you're done do you think....I could give it a read?” Luz was curious now after the day before and whenever her curiosity was peaked, she had to get all the information she could. Besides, she reasoned it might help her pursue this Masha human in the future. Know your enemy and all.

Boscha was surprised and then pleased to hear her sister ask. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, absolutely!” The two shared a genuine smile as their father watched from outside.

“Larry!” He turned to see Daphne, stumbling down the hall as several of the staff tried to help her, only for her to force them away. Her face was red and her movements sloppy, clearly a result of too much apple blood the night before, her hair a tangled mess. Now Larry was certain what those texts were caused by as she grabbed hold of him. “My babies. Where are my babies?!” She asked in the most slurred speech.

“They're fine. See?” He pointed into the room and showed her the two getting on well once again.

She smiled warmly as she looked to them and then to her husband. “You are a magic man. I mean it. The girls are happy and that makes their mommy....and she makes daddy happy.” She placed her hands on the sides of his face as Larry was a bit nervous.

“Honey, not in the hospi....” Before he could finish, the woman had pressed her lips to his in a passionate kiss. Her eyes opened wide before she pulled back, allowing Larry to get a bit of air.

She sniffed his breath and then stuck out her thin, forked tongue and brushed against Larry's lips and cheeks. “What a minute. I taste...apple? You made apple pie and didn't share with your Daphne-waphney? I guess I'll just take the scraps.” She said as she grabbed him again and kissed him intensely, the force enough to knock both to the ground.

Elsewhere, things did not go so well for one particular Glandus student as Bria was being walked home by a lone coven scout. The figure was draped in a green cloak and stood barely a head taller than the girl. Despite no longer being restrained, Bria made no attempt to run for it. She was merely silent, a mix of rage and depression on her face as they reached the front door of her home. The scout walked passed her and unlocked the door gesturing for Bria to go inside and promptly going in and closing it once she did. “You are unbelievable, you know that?” The scout said as they removed their mask to reveal a woman in her mid twenties with a mix of dark brown and purple hair and a butterfly clip on the left side. “You know it's bad enough you got involved in some galdorstone scam. That I could live with, but trying to kill Vitimir's apprentice? What in the name of the realms were you thinking?!” She berated Bria as the girl scowled at her.

“She's the reason I don't have the stones in the first place! It's her fault!” Bria argued.

“Oh and I suppose you weren't going to sell the stones in some back alley deal?” The woman received no immediate answer from the girl who only rolled her eyes. “Don't roll your eyes at me, brat. I'm the adult here and more importantly, I'm a scout. You think this is easy, having to deal with your nonsense. You have any idea what I have to sacrifice for you?”

“Well I didn't ask you to do that, Kusulda!” Bria fired back.

“Oh? And who would take care of you?”

“I can take care of myself.”

“Yes, because you've been doing a bang up job with that, haven't you? Let's see, no apprenticeship, no friends, you got kicked out of school and on top of that, you lost the war hammer, something that didn't belong to you in the first place! Speaking of, what did you do with the gloves and the belt?”

“Hargreaves destroyed them!”

Kusulda began to message her head. Without those tools, the Dwarven weapon was virtually unmovable and would probably sit in that spot for years, the dense material proving the hardest factor to overcome. Even if they do remove it, it's unlikely she'd ever have the chance to reclaim the item. “I swear if I hadn't promised mother and father I'd look after you...”

“Well guess what? They're dead! So don't think you're doing them or me any favors by keeping that promise.” The two glared at each other before the elder sibling finally snapped.

“You know what? I'm not doing this right now. Go to your room, stay there until I get back from patrols and when I do, you and I are going to have words.” She pointed down the hall to Bria's room and the girl held her ground for a moment before marching down the hall and slamming her door shut. Kusulda put her helmet back on and headed back out. If reports were true, the Owl Lady was in town and she needed to be on guard. The promotions she would receive from that capture might just make up for all the favors she had to call in that day alone just to keep Bria from becoming a permanent resident of the Conformatorium.

A few days later at the Owl House, Boscha sat on the roof of the home with Masha who was showing her the powers of the glyphs she discovered. “So, how are things with Luz?” The human inquired.

“Good. Better than they were. Thanks in no small part to whatever you said to her in that cave.” Boscha informed her as Masha brushed it off with a modest hand wave. “Then again, you were the one that started this whole thing in the first place, so I'm not sure I should be thanking you at all.”

“I said I was sorry. Jeez! All I wanted was to switch bodies for a day just to see what it was like to have magic. You could have warned me your sister was sensitive about that. She looks just like a human, minus the pasty skin of course.” Masha started to scroll through pages of her book containing the various combinations and she fired off a water glyph that sent a jet off water shooting off the roof.

“Ow! Hey, it's not bath day! Hoot!”

“Sorry, Hooty.” She apologized before looking back to Boscha who seemed to be in deep thought. “Snail for your thoughts.”

“First off, I'm financially well off. Second, I was just thinking about what you said. About Luz and the human thing. I think...I think I need to talk to her about that.”

“What do you mean?”

Boscha's face seemed full of uncertainty. “I...don't know.” She then noticed the human's face scrunch up as if she was holding back a laugh, snorting a bit. “What?”

“I just thought of something. With us switching bodies, does that make me the first girl who's ever been inside of you?” She busted out laughing as Boscha blushed heavily and her uncertain look became a heavy scowl.

“Will you shut up?!” She shouted angrily and smacked the girl on the back, accidentally causing her lose her balance and fall off the roof. “Masha!”

Chapter Text

Amity sat by the freshly lit fire as she cooked her food over it, with Lilith supervising. It was a new experience for the girl as she was used to having her meals prepped in a fancy kitchen. This was an interesting change of pace and the first time that she had been out in the wilderness like this. Technically, she had been out with her family but those had been way back when she was a kid, when things were a bit better in her opinion. But she didn't like to dwell on those memories of her family life. She snapped back to reality as she looked over the meat.

After having found Luz, Boscha and their father, Lilith had asked her if she wanted to go home. To her surprise, Amity suggested heading back to the forest as she wanted to do more training still. In truth, she wanted to really see what her limits were so she convinced her mentor to spend the rest of that night out. Add to that if she came home early, she'd never hear the end of it from her mother. Odalia was a taskmaster of the highest caliber and she wouldn't like it if she thought Amity came home early from her time with a busy coven head. It would be considered a waste of her time and Lilith's.

“Thanks for agreeing to come back out Ms. Lilith.” Amity said politely.

Lilith checked her skewered food and made certain it had cooked evenly. Her demeanor was as stoic as ever; Something that Amity had always noticed about her when they were together. “It's no trouble at all, Amity. I did think that with all the events earlier, you'd have had your fill of the outdoors for one night.”

Amity nodded once. “Well considering we helped Luz and her family and we stopped Bria from using that hammer, I thought we might as well finish out the night. Nothing worse than that can happen, right?”

“Indeed.”

The green haired girl couldn't help but wonder something. “So what will happen to that hammer?”

“At the moment, we will have it kept under guard until we can ascertain it's properties and how to properly move it.” The woman stated. After that a long silence fell between the two as they ate. It was usually like this. Business and not much else.

After taking a few bites, Amity decided to open up some small talk. She didn't know why but it just felt like something she should do. She knew nothing much of Lilith Clawthorne outside of her infamous sister. “Ms. Lilith?”

“Yes.”

“What-What made you want to join the Emperor's Coven?”

Lilith looked to the girl with surprise. “Well, like any young witch, I wanted to be among the best. I wanted to show how great I could be despite my humble beginnings and look where I am now.”

Amity looked down before her eyes went back to the older woman. “Was it worth it? The sacrifices? Being away from your family?”

The raven haired woman was silent for a moment. “My family and I weren't exactly...close after a time. You know of my sister Edalyn, and my parents were...not as supportive when I joined the coven. They weren't opposed, but they didn't show up at my ceremony either. Afterwards, I was basically on my own. Perhaps that was my fault.”

“What do you mean?” Amity inquired.

“Nothing.” The woman dismissed whatever was on her mind as she stared into the fire.

Amity looked at her for a moment before clearing her throat. “You know, sometimes I really feel distant from my family too. I mean I see them everyday but we don't really see eye to eye that often. Honestly, it's more like we live in the same house but we don't feel like a family. My dad works non-stop, the twins are annoying most days and my mom...she just wants this future for me.”

Lilith noted that and gave a small nod. “It would seem we share some similarities after all in regards to siblings. I've see your brother and sister in action. They remind me of Edalyn. She was always the troublemaker while I was...what did she call it? Walking with a broom up my rear? Odd metaphor.” This got a small chuckle out of Amity. “That's the first time I've heard you laugh.”

“It's the first time I've heard you talk about your past.” Amity stated.

“I think about those days often. What about you? You said this was something Odalia wanted for you. Is this something you really want? It's not a commitment to be taken lightly.”

“Honestly, I did it for my mom, but after thinking about it, I realize this is something I want for myself. I want to prove that I'm capable and I can accomplish this on my own merits. Lu...A friend taught me that.” Amity corrected herself at the last second.

Lilith only smiled. “Ms. Hargreaves' opinion means a lot to you. You must care for her very much.”

Amity's face turned red. “What?! No! I mean, yes I care but it's not like I care more than friends. I mean, I wouldn't be opposed to...” Amity stopped and let out a flustered sigh as her face turned back to it's normal shade. “Could we change the subject?”

“Certainly.” Lilith said with a growing smile. The two began to talk on a number of topics, from books to favorite foods and Lilith even confessed, even if accidentally that black was not her natural hair color. It was one of many things she and Amity came to find they shared common ground.

Back in Bonesborough, Lusina Ariana Hargreaves was not happy. The healers had mended her wounds from the fight, but now they wanted to keep her for observation. Turns out her body was a mess. She already knew that but it was her mess and she didn't want anyone cleaning it up if it meant having to stay in bed for the better part of two weeks. Luckily, the Healing Coven was the work place of her family physician, Fo Shou. The diminutive pig biped had known the family for years, having attended Hexside with Daphne and Larry. When Luz was found, the parents had confided in him to deliver Boscha and pass the two infants off as twins, signing the official documentation and acting as Luz's primary physician so as to not let on that she was indeed a human.

That was of course, when Luz would decide to give in and come see him. “Well, Luz, I can't say I'm surprised. You only come to me having to be dragged in to tend to extreme wounds.” He said in a nasally voice as he checked her charts.

“I was not dragged here. I was shamed into coming.” The latter half she said under her breath. She shrieked suddenly as Fo Shou surprised her by injecting something into her.

“That should help flush your system. Might want to keep yourself relaxed. In a few hours you'll feel that once that magic works it's way out of your system.” He noted. “Oh and I posted a guard at every exit, so don't even think about trying to leave. The windows are also locked and a guard posted below them as well.” He walked out of the room, leaving the girl to fold her arms and pout.

Her mood was lifted a bit when she saw Willow Park and Gus Porter enter the room with looks of worry. “Luz, we came as soon as we heard!” Gus said. “I am so sorry. This was all my fault. If I hadn't... you know, got you involved, this never would have...”

“Ah Gus, shut up.” Luz said casually. “I got to kick Bria's butt again so it's all good. Besides, I'm not that beat up.”

“Still, we got you these.” Willow said with a bouquet of flowers. “I grew them myself.” She set them down on a stand with other flowers that had been brought alongside cards.

“So how are you feeling?” Gus inquired.

“The healers said I have to stay for two weeks. I'm gonna miss out on so much work. Well, not all of it. Bonnie and Mary already said they sneak some of my notes in so I can at least plan out some ideas I have.”

Willow frowned a bit. “Shouldn't you be resting?” She knew that Luz had a habit of burning the candle at both ends and somehow down the middle. “You just came back from a near death experience.”

“I've been dead like five times already. Nothing is taking me before my time permanently. Trust me.” Luz said with a cocky smile but Willow and Gus were not convinced. “Fine. I promise I won't overdo it here. I'll rest up and get better.”

Willow walked over and held out her hand. “Come on, Willow. Not the everlasting oath.” Luz whined only for the other girl to hold her hand closer which Luz now had no choice but to take it. “Happy now?”

“Certainly.”

“You know, my dad and Boscha should be back soon. You know, if you wanted to say hello.” Luz said with a coy smile.

Willow's eyes darted around a bit. After Boscha's little confession at Terra's greenhouse, she had not felt comfortable around the triclops, knowing she felt that way about her. This led to her temporarily letting Boscha take time off of the team and avoiding her wherever possible. “No! I uh... I have to go. I've got some plants to tend to for class. Rest up, Luz!” Willow waved and quickly vanished, leaving Luz and Gus.

Luz looked to the illusionist. “So, I haven't seen you around for a while. You still going... you know where?” Luz whispered.

“Sometimes. Recently? Well, me and the other Human Appreciation Society camping out near the Owl Lady's place. I've bought things from her at the market but most have never seen her human apprentice.” Luz frowned a bit at hearing that as Gus began to show her pictures of the human that the group had taken. The redhead looked the images over on Gus' scroll as they were taken from a bush outside. The images showed Masha as Luz knew her, posing in the window. She knew they were watching and she loved it in each photo. Such arrogance. “Now if I could just get her for an interview.”

“I wouldn't get my hopes up, Gus. There's a reason her bounty is so high. She may seem nice, but be careful. If you got hurt, I'd have to wheel this bed out of the hospital and hunt her down.” Luz half joked. “Just.. don't do anything too risky. I worry about you.”

“Come on, Luz. You know me. I'm always looking at every angle.” Luz glared at him before swiping the scroll to an image of Hooty barreling towards the group. “Well... almost every angle.”

“Speaking of the H.A.S., I'm surprised that Skara wasn't with you.”

“Well, she's been busy with her new apprenticeship so not as much time with the team as she'd like.” Gus admitted. It was true, Scooter Crane was a nice man, but being an apprentice ate up a lot of your time.

“Well at least it kept her busy. I can definitely use the breather.”

“Luz!” Skara appeared in the doorway, looking frantic as she seemed to fly across the room and hug her friend tightly. “I was so worried about you.” She cried as the grip tightened around Luz.

“Oh no, I jinxed it!” Luz said as Boscha and Larry soon entered as well.

“Well, I couldn't leave you here and not have her visit you.” Boscha said as she chuckled.

Luz tried to pry the girl off. “How did you even get up here? I said only my closest family and friends.”

Skara immediately let go and stepped back with a sad face as tears appeared in her eyes. “Oh. I guess...we aren't friends after all. I just thought after my birthday party that...I guess I was wrong.”

The bedridden girl moaned under her breath. “I didn't mean that, Skara. You are my...friend of course.” This immediately caused the girl to latch onto her again. “Ugh!” Skara began to chatter on about her work as an apprentice as well as the gift she had received from Derwin that she had been trying to master. Gus also talked about more of the human items he'd acquired and what he'd learned about humans: That they could spit poison and wore barbed wire on their teeth to chomp through anything. To Luz, they sounded even more savage than she thought.

After much of the conversation had died down, Larry returned to the room with some food for Luz and set it down on the table. “The healers said you need to get your strength up. Also they gave me this ointment to rub on you.”

Luz rolled her eyes. “Where?”

Larry looked at the bottle. “Um, everywhere.” Luz eyes shot open wide with that realization.

“Oh look at the time. I should be going. See ya later, Luz.” Gus said as he exited.

“And I don't want to rub you down, so I'm out.” Boscha exited herself and vanished down the hall.

Luz looked awkward as her father turned to her. “Alright, let's get you coated.” Before he could proceed he got a call as a crow flew to him. “Hello. She's what!? Okay, I'll be right there. Oh jeez! Gotta go. Your mom is in a situation!” He ran down the hall to the stairs, tossing the topical medicine back as Skara caught it in her hands. “Take care of that for me, will you?”

“Dad! Dad, wait! You can't give her...” Luz called before stopping as her gaze shifted to her side.

The gray haired girl looked over to Luz who looked back nervously to her with a bead of sweat running down her face. “So are we doing this the easy way or the hard way, Luz?” She asked as she slowly approached the bedridden girl.

Outside the room Boscha was walking down the hall, munching on a candy bar. “Oh hey, Luz. Funny seeing you here. Well I mean, not funny, you got hurt, but so did I....Oh!” Boscha heard as she peeked around the corner ever so subtly as she spotted Gene, holding himself up on crutches while Violet sat by on a bench in the hall. “What should I say to her?”

“Just be honest with her.” Violet said patiently and consolingly as she seemed to be meditating. “Just take your time and say what you need to.”

Gene looked conflicted as he looked towards the path to Luz's room before biting his lip. “I can't do this. She hates me.” He said in defeat as he hobbled back to his room.

“Gene! Don't run from this.” Violet tried to say as she got up but decided to just let it go for now. Her friend still felt guilty about what he had done to Luz's mind in trying to get her recipes. Violet thought that it would be a temporary thing, that he would feel bad for a bit before going right back to doing everything in his power to get Luz's formulas. But that hadn't happened. He seemed to genuinely feel bad about what he'd done and for her part, Violet decided to help him do that. She was honestly impressed with his honest desire to repent.

The fact that he had been put through the ringer by Bria while Violet was out spoke to that real desire. That led them to this point but her friend just couldn't seem to talk to Luz at all or even face her. Violet just had to let things play out on their own. “I know you're there, red.” She said as Boscha's eyes widened before coming around the corner.

“How the heck did you know I was there?” Boscha asked.

“Your aura gives you away. It's very...unique.” Violet told her as she got up and approached Boscha, hovering her hands over her. “Interesting.”

Feeling uneasy, Boscha swatted her hands away. “Don't do that! What was that all about anyway? Gene planning on stealing from my sis with some kind of crazy plan?”

“No. He was trying to apologize for everything that happened between them.” She saw Boscha raise an eyebrow. “I didn't believe it either but it's the truth. I can feel it. Gene is...He's changed and that's a good thing.”

“Yeah right.” Boscha said dismissively. “I remember all those times he tried to steal from her, shame her and call her a human. You expect me to believe he's trying to do good now?”

“How do you think he ended up on those crutches? He got hurt because of that Bria girl, because he wouldn't tell her anything about Luz.” Boscha was shocked at hearing this. “I know he hurt your family, but he is trying.”

Boscha looked down before looking back to the oracle. “Even if I believe you, I'm not Luz. She does not take being messed with lightly and he knew that when he tried to steal from her, when he gave up info that hurt my mom, when he burned her memories and every time in between. He wants to make things right with her, believe me that it's going to take more than just a few words. Your friend is going to have to earn it from her...like I did.” Boscha turned and walked off, leaving Violet to head back to Gene's room.

Meanwhile, Larry had rushed to the entry area of the Healing Center to find Daphne facing off with a familiar face from the past. “What are you even doing here!?” His wife yelled at the man in front of her. The man was of similar height to Daphne with a reddish hue to his skin, his hair gray and tide up in a topknot with a similarly colored short beard. He wore rather expensive looking, albeit a bit worn black clothing. The most noticeable feature was the small blue flame that hovered over his head.

“I-I heard about Luz on the news and I thought...” He began to say in a low voice.

“You thought it meant you were welcome here, around my family?” Daphne said to him in an aggressive tone as she stepped forward.

“She's my granddaughter.” He said but with little to no authority in his voice.

“You don't get to call her that! You don't have any place in my life or my children's lives.” Daphne reinforced. "I left home, I moved halfway across the isles....for the love of Titan! I changed my last name just to get away from you! Can't you take a hint? I don't want anything to do with you, old man. Get out of HERE!"

Larry approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Daphne, just calm down.”

“No, I... should go.” The older man said, the flame on his head seemed to diminish a bit as his gaze dropped to the ground as he turned away to leave the building.

“Yes, you should.” Daphne snapped at him, though he didn't respond as he walked off. She kept staring at him as she breathed heavily. She then noticed that Larry was reaffirming his grip on her. “I'll be fine, honey. I just...need some time.”

Her husband hesitated for a moment before speaking. “I know you and your dad have problems, but he came all the way here to check on Luz. Maybe...”

“He can't change, Larry. He didn't all those years ago when it could have made a difference and it's too late for him to start trying to care now.” She gently removed his hand from her shoulder. “I'm headed home. I need to unwind. Make sure Boscha comes home soon. Tomorrow is a school day.” Larry frowned a bit as he watched her leave before he headed back to check on Luz.

On the way back up the stair, Larry distracted himself thinking about the situation that had just transpired. He completely understood Daphne's reaction to seeing her father after all these years. He remembered all of the things that had happened between her and her parents and what she had suffered. At the same time, the man recalled Surtis Malachor as being a rather reasonable man when his wife was not around. The woman seemed to always have him on a rather short leash even when he was trying to be polite to Larry when the latter was a teenager.

His thoughts were cut short as he ran into someone. “Oh sorry, I was...” He stopped as he recognized the face of the woman in front of him. She had dark skin, dark blue hair and red framed glasses. The stout woman looked to him in shock. “Sofia?”

“Larry?” The woman said as she put on a smile, exposing her fangs as she hugged him. “It has been too long.”

The man returned the gesture. “It has. What are you doing here?” He asked as he took a step back.

“My daughter, Cat. She and Amelia got attacked the other day by some Glandus hooligans.”

Larry nodded. “I figure it was that same bunch that attacked Luz and Boscha. Luz is here for a good two weeks at least.”

“Oh, that poor dear. I hope she's feeling better. I know she and Cat had a bit of a falling out but I know Cat will be happy that she's going to be okay. You know Teresa is here with Amelia as well. The girl got the worst of it.”

“Sorry to hear that. Seems trouble comes in threes, huh?” Larry said. “Well, tell them all I send my regards.” He turned to leave before she halted him.

“Hold on. I know we haven't talked at length since that night in... Well, anyway, I was hoping we could get reacquainted. See how you and your family are doing.” Sofia said with a bit of awkwardness.

Larry figured this would be all right. She just wanted to talk. “Sure. Well, you know how well the potion business is doing. Luz is doing great with the potion coven. Everything is going good I guess. Can't complain. What about you?”

The woman waved her hand. “Oh, you know. This and that. Teresa and I used the money from the loan we got from Daphne to start up a little cleaning business. Nothing fancy, but it pays the bills and keeps the girls fed.”

“Did you ever find that guy?” Larry inquired.

Sofia merely shook her head. “I'm not too worried about that deadbeat. He left me and Teresa with kids to take care of. Luckily, we had each other to lean on for support. Honestly, I didn't even know his name. Makes me more the fool, huh? Doesn't really matter, though. Two unwed mothers with no parental experience is a hard thing in this world, but we manage. I love Cat no matter what and Teresa feels the same about Amelia. Those girls are as close as two sisters can get, well besides your girls of course. You know she is right down the hall, I'm sure she'd love to see you.”

Larry thought for a moment. “Well I suppose it wouldn't hurt.” He joined her in taking a short trip down the hall.

Sofia led the way and walked into a room, dipping her head in first. “Terri, you will not believe who just showed up.” She came in as Larry walked in behind her.

“Well, as I live and breath. Larry. Blessings be to you, my old friend.” A woman arose, her long light green hair flowing down to the back of her knees wearing a short cut white top and dark green skirt covering her wide hips and went down just above her bare feet. “So good to see you again. It's been too long. The last time I saw you was at that party when you and So...” She looked over to see Sofia, off outside of Larry's view, giving her the kill signal. “So...what brings you here?”

“Luz got attacked by those Glandus kids when we went camping. She came off pretty bad but the healers say she'll be alright in a few weeks.” Larry told Teresa.

“Such a pity. All these children on such a dark path.” Teresa stated. She was always the laid back, feel the earth beneath her feet type when Larry and Daphne knew her. She always seemed to have some strange but helpful advice to go along with her weird mannerisms. Larry always thought she was pretty fun to be around.

“So, how are they doing?” Larry asked as he looked over to Cat and Amelia in the beds, asleep at the moment.

“They are a little shaken up, but the healer said they'll fully recover in a day or two. No broken bones or anything.” Sofia said as she walked over to her daughter and brushed her cheek gently. “These kids can give you a heart attack sometimes, love them though I do.”

Teresa nodded in acknowledgment. “Amelia is the light of my life. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for her. I hope Lusina will be alright. She is such a sweet child.”

Larry looked at her with an odd look. “Have-Have you met her recently?” He asked before he looked at his watch. “Oh crud! I need to get going and find Boscha. We should definitely catch up later. Bye.” He said as he hurried out.

Sofia sighed as she looked annoyed with Teresa. “Did you have to mention that party? You really need to zip the lip better.”

The green haired woman shrugged. “I will not filter the truth. Even if he doesn't recall. What's the worst that could happen from honesty?”

“Everything if Daphne finds out.” Sofia's eyes widened with horror as she thought about the scourge that would occur.

Across town, Odalia Blight had been fighting a hideously brutal hangover that lasted the last day and a half. She cursed herself and Uda Shepard for getting into that contest in the first place. Odalia had been in bed the entire time with a silencing enchantment around her room and unfortunately banishing Alador to the guest room as every small creak caused her immense pain. While she was alone, she was left with nothing but her own thoughts. They kept going back to what Uda said about her being a poor parent and the audacity of Daphne to even ask her such a question.

This time alone gave her time to think of all the close moments that she and her kids spent together and she recalled about three, around the time the twins were five. That's about as far as it went. She hated introspection. It made her look back and admit that she might possibly in some small way be wrong.

She even found herself thinking what Edalyn Clawthorne would think of her now. When they were kids, she was surprisingly close to the Clawthorne siblings. She would brag about how she would have children and that they would be the talk of the entire isles. Edric and Emira were that, though not in the way she really wished. As for Amity, she was making strides to achieve that goal set by her mother, Odalia pushing her forward to ensure she would succeed. But with what Daphne and Uda claimed, she was not being a very good parent. Eda might well agree. But what did she care what that woman would think. She was a criminal after all. As for Lilith? Outside of getting Amity the spot as her apprentice, they had had zero interactions in the years since she had left for the Emperor's Coven.

Odalia hated thinking about this kind of thing and pushed it out of her mind. As she opened her eyes, she found that the pain had at last subsided as she got up, not feeling sick or dizzy anymore. Getting out of bed, she headed to her personal bathroom to get cleaned up and see what was going on outside. All the while, her mind was still going back to the girls night. How dare they say that, she was a great parent and her children appreciated her and everything she did for them. Even if she was a little stern at times, it was for their benefit and they knew it. Right?

She soon emerged with, fully dressed and walked out into the hall. She'd prove them wrong right here and now and brag about it later. Odalia walked down the stairs to the main floor and noticed her daughter, Emira sitting on the couch and reading some article on her scroll. The woman decided this was time to disprove those “bad mother” claims. “Emira.” Was all she could find to say as her daughter whirled around, a bit nervously.

“Mom? You're feeling better?” The daughter answered in surprise. She'd been enjoying the peace and quiet with Odalia temporarily disposed. Fun was over she guessed. “Can-Can I have the servants make you something to eat?”

“No.” Her mother said rather bluntly as she walked around to the front of the couch, making her daughter very nervous as she had that intimidating manor to her. Odalia sat down by Emira, the latter looking extremely nervous as to what was to come. “I was hoping we could have a conversation.”

This was creeping Emira out as her mother smiled. Not a warm smile most kids would associate with care, but that eerie smile that she had when she was plotting something. The girl decided she was not in for whatever was going down. “Um, actually, I just remembered I've got to go meet some friends for an illusionist display for the school play.” She jumped up and quickly exited the home. “I'll be back later!”

Odalia was uncertain what that was all about. She didn't have much time to think about that as Amity came in with her camping bag over her shoulder, seemingly in higher spirits as she had waved to her sister who was headed out already. “Amity, how was your training?” Odalia asked trying to sound as sincere as possible and making sure to smile. “I have been meaning to talk to you.”

Amity's smile faded quickly as she looked to her mother. “Of-Of course, mom. What do you need?”

The green haired woman decided to come out and ask the question. “Amity, I'm sure I already know the answer to this but, you think I'm a good mother, right?” Again the woman made sure to mold her face to smile to appear disarming.

Amity looked around a bit nervously as before focusing and putting on a smile. “Of course you are. You...give us everything we could need. I um...should get my clothing into the wash, I've got to rest before meeting the Banshees or practice. If you'll excuse me.” She gave a small bow of her head.

“Oh. Of course. You take care of that.” Odalia said as the girl rushed off in a similar manor to her elder sister. The woman didn't get it. She put all the proper gestures together: Had a soothing, relatable tone, didn't yell and even put on a smile. She proved the final one by looking in the mirror on the wall and...Oh Titan! Is that what her “sincere” smile looked like!? This may be harder than she initially expected. As she thought on it, the woman found herself nearly knocked over as she was hit in the head by something. More accurately, Edric's pet bat, Batric had landed in her hair and was digging his claws in. She panicked and tried in vain to shake him loose before her son arrived to calm the beast down.

Easy, there buddy. Easy.” He said as he drew a circle in the air to relax the animal as he finally released the woman's hair and landed on Edric's shoulder. “Um...sorry mom.” He said as she looked at him with intensity. She had let him keep the little beast in the expectation that he would get it under control. A few months of that had proven rather fruitless, to say the least.

For her part, Odalia's first instinct would be to have the beast for dinner and let that be the end of it. She wasn't wholly sure that was what good parenting was like, at least by certain people's standards. Instead of immediately shouting, she took a deep breath, fixed her hair as best she could and straightened out her jacket. “It's quite alright, Edric. Mistakes happen. I'm sure he had a reason. Might have been my fruit scented shampoo.”

“Right. Well sorry, again. I was working with him on some maneuvers. I should probably take it outside.” Edric explained.

“Edric..." Odalia addressed him as he took notice. This time, instead of putting “that smile” on her face, she kept her more neutral expression. “I'd like to hear more about these maneuvers. Perhaps a demonstration?”

The boy looked shocked at hearing this. “Really? Are you...feeling okay, mom? Maybe you should lay back down until you...”

“I assure you I am fully recovered.” She asserted. “I would just like to hear more about what you are working on, if that's alright. It seems we rarely spend much time together anymore and I am ashamed to admit it, but I don't know much about your interests.”

Edric was baffled. This was new, unexplored territory he had just found himself in. All the same, he found himself intrigued by it. His mother had never expressed any interest in spending time with him or even caring what he did most times. Maybe she was still intoxicated, maybe she hit her head getting out of bed, maybe she'd had a soul fragment ripped out of her, removing her meanness. Whatever the case, he'd take it. “Yeah, sure. Absolutely! Come on. I'll show you what I've got so far.” He told her about a lot of what he'd been working on with Batric as they made it outside and even sharing a few things he'd learned from his potion classes as well as they stepped out into the large yard and he got started.

Chapter Text

Mary had a little lamb named Fleecy, hair white as snow.

Everywhere her sister went, Fleecy was sure to go.

She stowed away in Mary's pack so she could go to school,

Mary got in very big trouble, non-students were against the rules.

"Detention? But I didn't tell her to come. She stowed away." Mary pleaded with Bump as Fleecy sat with her. “Principal Bump, please.”

The principal of the school sat sternly across from the two, his face like a stone statue before he spoke. “Well, given the circumstances, I suppose I can let you off with a warning this time. I'll call your parents and have them pick her up.”

“If it's alright, sir, I would like to take her home myself. My family are usually out in the fields and it could take them a few hours before they can get her. I can take her home and be right back.” Mary requested.

“Very well, but be back post haste.” He told her. “You know, you could have your parents enroll her in classes if she wants to be around you more.” Bump suggested.

Mary stopped, her arm around Fleecy. “I don't think that would be a good idea.” She told him as Fleecy looked up to her with a little frown. After, the two were allowed to exit the school, Fleecy holding onto her sister's hand.

Mary was silent for a while as her younger sister looked up to her occasionally, a small look of uncertainty on her face. “Fleecy, I know you like spending time with me, but you can't follow me to school. I have important stuff to do.”

“Bah bah bah.” Her sister responded.

“No, you can't go to school.”

“Bah.”

“Because, it's not a place for you. We wouldn't be together and people...they don't understand you like I do. You need to be at home with the family.” Mary explained. The teen spoke from personal experiences. Fleecy only ever really did well with her, even more so than with her parents or older siblings. The girl just had a different way of thinking and expressing her feelings and Mary got the cues the child gave off, almost a type of code that only she could successfully decipher. It's why she always let Fleecy stay with her while she was at home. The rest of the family were good with her at least until Mary returned. Well, most of them anyway.

As she was pondering, Mary saw someone racing down the road and soon made out the form as Luz's sister, Boscha. Trailing behind her was Bonnie, gasping for breath. Boscha stopped in front of Mary. “Horn head, I'm glad I caught you. Do you even believe in answering your messages?” The redhead complained.

Mary frowned at hearing this. “I had some business to take care of.” She said before pulling out her scroll and finding that she had missed a couple of messages from Luz.

Boscha glanced down at the child holding her hand. “You running a daycare or something?” Fleecy immediately retreated behind her sister's leg. Mary instinctively put a comforting hand on her head as Boscha turned her attention back to the older.

“She's my sister.”

“Anyway, I need your help. I am headed to Glandus and I need backup.” Boscha explained. “I got the walking poster child for the importance of mental and physical health.” She looked over to Bonnie who was doubled over, leaning on a tree for support as she caught her breath. “Luz said she'd be helpful but she said I should ask you since you have family in Glandus.”

Mary's eyes narrowed. “No, I don't.”

Boscha raised her eyebrow. “Luz said you had a brother that went there. It's the whole reason I came this way.” She paused for a moment.

“Sure she does.” Bonnie commented.

“Bonnie, shut up.” Mary said through gritted teeth.

“Remember? He's your twin brother who you don't talk to for some reason that you won't tell anyone about and he decided to go to Glandus for other reasons. You always get mad when anyone brings...him...up.” Bonnie swore she saw steam coming from the tops of her friend's horns. “I'll...shut up now.”

“Look, I need your help.” Boscha admitted. “Something is going on at Glandus. A...friend of mine sent me a video saying that a beast was attacking the school. I want to get there and make sure they're alright. Luz said you could help and maybe get in contact with your brother so we don't walk into this thing blind.”

Mary looked at her, a scowl never vanishing from her face. “I haven't talked to my brother in years and I don't know what's going on there.” She looked back to her sister before letting out a sigh and returning her gaze to Boscha. “But my parents would never forgive me if they found out something was wrong and I knew and didn't at least check. Let me just take my sister home and we can head there.”

Boscha groaned at this. “Fine. We'll drop her off but we are not stopping for anything after that.” She ordered. “My ride should be on its way.” The group looked up and spotted the flying carriage of the Hargreaves as it touched down with Derwin at the reins.

“Okay, I'm here. Where to?” He asked as the group piled in.

“Glandus.” Boscha stated before correcting herself. “But first, we are dropping off Mary's sister at their farm.”

“Not a problem.” Derwin said as the carriage lifted off.

Boscha leaned her head out of the window. “You sure you're up for this after the whole Amber thing?”

“Yeah. Of course. Absolutely.” Derwin said to her confidently. She had her doubts as she heard him mumble to himself as he started to sniffle. The girl rolled her eyes as she sat back down and the group waited to arrive at the Shepard family farm. The carriage landed down just outside of the fence of the large home.

Mary opened the carriage door before turning to Fleecy and lifting her up and down to the ground. “Okay, now go inside and go find mom or dad. They are probably worried about you.” She instructed her sister.

“Bah bah?” The white haired child responded.

“No. This isn't playtime. I'll be back soon. Now go on. I'll be back later.” Mary said with a bit of force in her voice as she closed the door and gestured for them to press on. The wagon took off not long after as the ram girl turned her attention back to Boscha. “Okay, so what are we dealing with and why couldn't Luz come herself?”

“Well for starters, I haven't a clue. I got this message and a grainy pic of something but they said something was attacking the school so it has to be big.” Boscha explained.

“Wait, if it was really dangerous, why didn't they just call the Emperor's Coven? This is their job.” Mary asked.

“I don't know. If they are there, I haven't heard about it and I haven't gotten a call back since. I just...want to make sure everything is okay myself.” Boscha admitted. “Plus I don't want to call them if it really is nothing. I'm already risking it by cutting school for this. As for Luz, she's under some dumb oath by Park and even if she wasn't, the hospital has guards watching her every move. Plus...”

Back at the Healing Coven building, Luz was still confined to her bed. The inactivity was maddening. It was made only worse by the fact that she had a constant guest with her. “Open up, Luz. Here comes the train to the tunnel.” Skara said as she guided a spoonful of hot cereal to Luz's mouth.

Luz had her lips clamped shut and turned away. “Come on, Luz. You gotta eat something to keep your strength up.”

“I am quite capable of feeding myself, thank you very much. Besides, I don't want that slop. Give me some dragon steaks.” Luz protested.

Skara shook her head. “Boscha said not to give you any meat whatsoever.”

“What?! She's the vegetarian, not me! Trying to force us to eat like her. This is unfair! This stinks! This is total bull...” Luz was cut off as Skara used the moment to shove a spoonful of the cereal into her ranting mouth. The redhead stopped and swallowed. “Mmm, is there hybeena honey in that?” Skara nodded. “Well...I guess it could be worse. But no more spoon feeding...” She was cut off again as the gray haired girl forced more into her mouth.

“So she won't be joining us.” Boscha said as she sat back.

Mary looked at her in a very peculiar fashion. “So you need my help to find my brother because you think you'll need a guide?”

“If my 'friend' is...if something happened to them, I need someone who can vouch for me that I'm not involved in whatever is happening and you have a relative there.”

“Wait, Bonnie has a cousin there, so why do you need me?” Mary stated.

The orange haired girl folded her arms. “I'm not speaking to him right now.” Mary groaned before they soon spotted Glandus High in the distance. The school was a circular area with a number of large longhouses that acted as each of the classrooms, each was separated by some distance and arranged in a large circle with the main administration building designed like a large tower-like yurt in the center of the grounds. No activity could be seen as the carriage landed down just outside the gates which were mysteriously open.

“Well this isn't eerie at all.” Boscha said as she got out. “Derwin, stay with the carriage. We'll go and take a look.”

“Not gonna happen.” He said as he hopped down. “Your mom would have my head if anything happened to you.”

“Good point. You can't drive us around if you're dead.” Boscha admitted as she scanned the area. “Now all we need to do is find out where everyone … What the …?” She gasped as she turned around and the others did as well to see the white haired child jump down from the back.

Mary was absolutely livid seeing her younger sister there. “Fleecy, what the heck are you doing here? I told you to stay home!” The child looked at her with concern that she had done something wrong as the elder sighed. “Don't get angry. Don't get angry. She doesn't know any better.”

Derwin decided to speak up. “Look. I can keep an eye on her while you all look around, but stay together and call me if you see anything. Meanwhile I'll try to …” He stopped as he looked at his scroll. “I don't have a signal out here.”

“That might explain it.” Bonnie pointed up to show the com tower on the school was down.

“Great, so we're going in blind.” Boscha complained.

“Hello?” They heard as everyone turned and saw a dark skinned young man that Boscha recognized as one of Angmar's friends. He was followed by a person that Mary recognized and scowled at seeing. “Hey, you're Luz's sister.” He started as the two reached the others and extended his hand. “Sorry about the incident. I'm Gavin.”

Boscha hesitated for a moment before shaking his hand. She needed answers and it wouldn't hurt to be polite for a change. “Boscha. I got a message from Angmar that something was going on. He didn't say what. Is he okay?” Boscha inquired as the boy looked worried.

“I'm not sure. Something attacked the school and we got separated in the history lodge. We tried to call for help but whatever hit the place knocked down the communications and activated the barrier around the school.” He explained more as Boscha listened to how the beast seemed to keep them trapped and corralled the students and staff into the various buildings and left them empty husks.

Meanwhile, Mary glared at the other student with Gavin who looked nearly identical to her only male with horns that curved down and a more masculine build. He sported the Glandus uniform with red sleeves and leggings. “Mary.” He stated simply.

“Asaph.” She said plainly as she held Fleecy close to her in a defensive posture.

“I see you brought 'that' with you.” He said looking at his white haired sister as Mary moved the girl behind her. She glared at her brother with hate.

“Don't start. My friend asked me to come and help. I couldn't care less what happened to you. Once we do what we're here for, we're gone.”

He frowned at her. “Fine.” He turned back to Gavin and Boscha after the latter was done explaining.

“Okay everyone, let's get searching and find who we can save and get out of here.” Boscha explained. “Derwin, I know my mom will be mad but fly and find out where you can get a signal and call the Emperor's coven. They can send someone who can do something.”

Mary motioned Fleecy towards him. “Take my sister and make sure she stays safe.”

“Yeah, the last thing we need is another distraction.” Asaph said as Mary looked back at him for a moment.

She nudged Fleecy towards Derwin. “Go on now.” The little girl looked sadly at Mary. “No. You need to go. It's not safe here.”

“Bah, bah.” She bleated in protest.

Mary firmly shook her head. “No! Go with Derwin, listen to him and go home. I'll be back soon.” She got up and nodded at Derwin as the group departed, Gavin and Asaph leading the way.

Fleecy reached out to her big sister, calling out to her in her dialect that only Mary could understand as Derwin held her hand. The older sister kept walking but turned back to wave at Fleecy as a way to reassure her. Asaph meanwhile rolled his eyes hearing the bleats from the child. The group set out into the furthest hut and vanished from view as Derwin guided Fleecy into the wagon. “Bah, bah bah!” She sounded off as the young man looked confused.

“Um...yes?” Derwin said as he had no clue what she was saying at all.

“Wait!” He looked over his shoulder and saw Bonnie jogging back. “Wait for me!” She reached the carriage and breathed heavily as she stopped.

“What's wrong? Did something happen?” He asked as he looked at the girl who was catching her breath.

“No. I was told to go back with you and take her home and make sure she stays there.” Bonnie explained as Derwin nodded in acknowledgment and turned back to fasten in Fleecy. The orange haired girl smirked as her eyes seemed to change to a sickening green color.

Meanwhile, the others, led by Gavin, reached the history lodge. “This way.” He whispered. He guided them around back.

“Why don't we just go through the front doors that are literally wide open?” Mary questioned. Indeed, the front doors were open and nothing prevented them from just strolling inside.

“Brilliant idea. And while we're at it, we can just sing campfire songs at the tops of our lungs until that thing finds us.” Asaph said sarcastically. His sister shot a hateful look at him before they heard running and turned to see Fleecy running towards them frantically, crying at the top of her lungs. “Great, she's back.”

Asaph's sarcasm was starting to wear on Mary's nerves as she rushed over to check on Fleecy, running to meet her and getting down on one knee. “What are you doing here? I told you to go with Derwin.”

“Bah! Bah bah!” She let out as the child had a frightened look, pointing back to where the carriage was.

“Calm down.” Mary said as she knelt down. “Slowly.” Fleecy began to explain, pointing back occasionally and looking as if something was chasing her.

“Wait, what attacked Derwin?” Boscha asked as Mary turned back to her in shock.

“You can understand her?”

“Yeah, why? Can no one else?” Boscha inquired as everyone else either shrugged or shook their heads. “Seriously? Back to the point. What happened?”

Fleecy kept talking as the others waited for a translation. The little girl looked over to the orange haired illusionist, holding her sister tightly. “She said that Bonnie turned into a monster and attacked Derwin. It smashed the carriage and did...something to him.”

Boscha looked to where they had left him and then back to the lodge as she noticed a large griffon flying over. She started to draw a circle in the air and waited but nothing happened as the creature flew off to the far side of the school, perching on top of one of the lodges. The girl thought it strange but kept focused. “Gavin, can you still lead the way?” He nodded in confirmation. “Bonnie, Mary and Asaph can go back to check on Derwin.”

Mary held Fleecy's hand. “I'm staying with my sister.”

The triclops groaned. “Fine. Bonnie stays with Asaph and checks on Derwin. You've got illusions so if anything gets hectic, pull a vanishing act.” Bonnie hesitantly nodded. “The rest of us will press on into the lodge and find Angmar and anyone else.” They agreed. “Mary, are you staying out here or coming in?”

“Well if whatever it is is outside, better to be in.” Mary said as she held Fleecy's hand. Asaph seemed to want to say something, but a glance from her shut him up. The groups then separated as Gavin led the larger of the two inside the lodge through the maintenance hatch. This left Asaph and Bonnie to head back to the carriage.

“So …” Bonnie started. “It's...been a while.” She muttered in an attempt to relieve the tension in the air for her own sake.

“Yeah. I guess.” Asaph said simply. “Is Mary still being overprotective?”

Bonnie looked at him with a bit of annoyance. “No … Yes. She worries about me.”

“But not her own brother.” He added. “Whatever. Come on.” He led the way as they cut around one of the other lodges to reach the carriage and found Derwin, his body sprawled out by the overturned vehicle. Bonnie raced over as Asaph watched the surrounding area.

“He's... so pale.” Bonnie noted as she checked on the driver. His colors were indeed rather dull as if some of his life had been drained from him. “Derwin? Derwin, wake up. It's Bonnie.”

“He's just like all the others. Drained of his magic.” Asaph noted as he looked around.

Derwin managed to open his eyes and looked at Bonnie. He opened his mouth to speak but seemed too weak to even utter a word as he slowly closed them again, falling unconscious. The orange haired girl gently rubbed his head and rested him against the carriage. “What did this?”

“We should head to the bard lodge. Gavin didn't want to try but we have broadcast equipment there.” Asaph stated. “I might be able to jury-rig up something to get a signal out with what's there. Not powerful but it might reach someone outside.”

“And you think that's better than just leaving now that the field is down?” Bonnie questioned.

“I'm Glandus. We don't run from a fight.” Asaph noted. “The grudgby team managed to disable the protective field around the place which means we can get out but if we flee, and we don't have a carriage or any palisman to get far, that thing will catch us, then leave as well and who knows where it will strike next.”

“So you think we should walk around while a monster stalks the school grounds in hopes we can get out a signal?” Bonnie looked up to him and awaited an answer.

Asaph pointed at her as he began to walk. “You know, your cynical attitude has never made you popular.” He turned and headed towards the intended lodge. Bonnie looked back to Derwin and moved to help him up. “What are you doing?”

“I'm not leaving him. Help me.” Bonnie told Asaph as she tried to lift the young man.

“Why.” The boy asked.

Bonnie groaned in frustration. “Because, in spite of everything you say and do and what you did to Mary, you are not one-hundred percent a jerk.”

Asaph huffed before bending down and helping her with Derwin as they made their way to the bard lodge. “If we get caught, I am blaming you. And for your information, Mary was the one who punched me in the eye.”

“I can't imagine why she'd have done that.” Bonnie said sarcastically as they watched their surroundings.

As the two were outside, the others had entered the history lodge and slowly crept through, with Gavin leading the way and Mary cautiously bringing up the rear.

Gavin made sure to keep quiet and gestured for the others to follow behind him and not make any noise. Mary quickly turned to her little sister and made a gesture across her lips for silence. They made their way through the lodge and saw nothing but a few students strewn here and there, Gavin gesturing the others to move on as there was nothing they could do for them at the moment. This didn't stop Mary from scanning one of them with her healing skills. It didn't do any good, though she was able to discern that they were completely drained of their magic. Getting them up on their feet wouldn't do any good as she'd only be able to get one of them up while draining herself in half.

“Hey.” She looked up as Boscha stood over her. “Keep up, will you?”

“Sorry.” Mary said quietly as she got up and took Fleecy with her as they and Boscha rejoined Gavin.

“So, what's up with you and your brother?” Mary gave her an odd look for this question. “Look, me and Luz butt heads all the time. No offense. Siblings tend to notice these things.”

Mary sighed as she kept walking. “Asaph and I have a pretty straightforward relationship. I hate him and he hates me.”

“Yeah, sure, but why?”

The horned girl again sighed as she gripped her little sister's hand tightly. “Asaph and I were close when we were younger. Standard twin stuff. Then, Fleecy came around. Things were fine until she started to develop her little …. quirks. She's not like other kids. She thinks differently, communicates in ways … most don't and likes to do things in ways most don't get.”

Checking down the intersection in the hall to make sure the coast was clear, Gavin signaled for everyone to follow him. “Things were always hectic between the two of them. Asaph never tried with her. Never any patience with her at all. Then one day, I found him taunting her, calling her names and so … I let him have it right between the eyes.”

Boscha's eyes opened wide. “Dang. Wait, don't you guys have like a rock solid skull?”

Mary nodded. “I didn't say it didn't hurt. Broke my hand but I got my point across. I suppose I should thank him for that at least since it partly encouraged me to try out healing. In any case, my parents broke it up and talked to us both. I told them that if he didn't apologize that he didn't have any place there with us. I got grounded of course, but he didn't apologize either. A few months later he decides he's going to 'follow his dreams' and become a bard, then leaves for Glandus. Good riddance to him.”

“So you just never talked to him again?”

“Nope. Not until today at least.” Mary admitted. “And after today, it'll stay that way until he can apologize to Fleecy for what he said.”

“I guess I can respect that. If anyone talked to Luz like that now, I'd have done the same thing. Still, do you really want to alienate your brother like that? Maybe … he can change.”

Mary shook her head in denial. “No, he won't and we don't need him.”

Fleecy spoke up.

“No, Fleecy. We don't.” Mary said forcibly as they moved ahead. “People like him won't change.”

“You-You do know who you are talking to, right?” Boscha said. “I was no picnic either, but I changed. Maybe you just need to give him the chance.”

“He's had years to use that chance but he hasn't. I'm only worried about taking care of my siblings and Fleecy is first and foremost right now.” The three stopped as Gavin put up his hand. He looked around and created a small orb of abomination goo and rolled it across the hall and into the shadows. The boy waited for a moment and soon it rolled back across, a small vine wrapped around it. The return caused him to smile as he got up and walked confidently out into the center.

“You okay?” He asked as the familiar form of Angmar appeared.

“For now. What took you so long?” Angmar asked before he spotted the triclops with his friend. “Boscha!”

“Angmar!” The two ran towards each other, but before they could hug, the two realized that they weren't alone and stopped about a foot from each other. “Um...glad you're alright.”

“Yeah, we've had it rough, but I survived.” He said, rubbing the back of his head with a light blush. He then snapped out of it. “Wait. What are you doing here?”

“I got your call. You told me to come.” Boscha answered.

“What? No, I told you not to come!” Angmar responded with frantic hand motions.

“You said, 'Boscha, come quick.' when you called.”

“No, I said 'Boscha, don't come quick.'”

“Who structures a sentence like that?!” She yelled at him.

“Who can't piece together an obviously garbled call?!” The two went back and forth as Gavin tried to make them keep it down so as not to draw unwanted attention.

“So I was just supposed to ignore your call? You might as well have not called at all then.” Boscha said as Angmar had no response. The two stood quietly for a moment before the girl relented and wrapped her arms around him much to Mary's surprise. “I'm just glad you're okay.” The boy returned the gesture as they both stepped back. “Now, what exactly is happening?”

Angmar looked up to her worriedly. “You aren't going to believe this, but it's a basilisk.”

Mary scoffed at this. “Really? Basilisks have been extinct for centuries. Where did it come from?”

“I don't know, but I'm telling you it's a basilisk. It sucked all the magic out of everyone and I saw it transform. One second, this inspector shows up and the next, that thing appears and starts attacking.” Angmar explained. “I don't even know how many of us are left. So when is the Emperor's Coven coming?” He waited for an answer when none came from the group. “You guys didn't contact the Emperor's Coven?!”

Boscha nervously rubbed the back of her head. “Sorry.”

As they talked, Fleecy began to back away, pulling on her sister's arm. “What is it?” Mary asked as they watched as a large serpentine body appeared from the shadows behind the group. The towering form sported pale yellow skin with two long clawed arms with a long body ending with a fin-like tail. On the other end were two large green eyes, a head of black hair seemingly tied in a bun and wide, opening mouth full of sharp teeth.

The group stood in shock at what they were seeing. It was really a basilisk and, judging by the size, it was what was categorized as a “Greater Basilisk.” The creature looked over the group as it liked its lips. “More magic to feast on.” It said in a gravely, yet feminine voice.

“Aw nuts.” Was all Angmar could say as he turned back to it in terror as the creature's open maw began to suck in air and a green aura seemed to drain from the boy who then promptly collapsed on the ground.

“Angmar!” Boscha screamed as Mary attempted to summon an abomination. “Don't! That thing eats magic!” She warned.

“That's right.” It hissed. “And you all have so much to take.”

Boscha reached into her shoulder bag and threw a potion. It might be made with magical ingredients, but it wasn't in the air long enough for the greater basilisk to do much before it exploded against its face. It bought Boscha enough time to grab Angmar and throw him on her back as the group ran in an attempt to get back to the exit. Gavin kept up the rear this time to make sure the others could reach the door. It was all for nothing as the serpent slithered with blinding speed across the ceiling and landed down in front of them.

“Going somewhere, my little snakes?” The basilisk opened its horrifying maw once again to siphon off every ounce of magic from the group. Suddenly she was gagged by an abomination that launched itself into her mouth. Mary had launched the creature with all the agility of a quick-draw artist, causing the beast to choke and throw itself around in a fit as the purple gunk was forced out as the basilisk hacked it back up.

“Go!” Mary shouted as the basilisk got back up, coughing out the last of the goo before refocusing back on the group. Seeing the smallest of the group, Fleecy, she immediately opened her mouth again and began to suck up the child's energy. “No!” Mary jumped in the way as she blocked her sister and her magic was taken instead. The others for a moment before Boscha tossed Gavin her potions and he chucked one at the basilisk as it exploded. The save came too late as Mary's pale body collapsed to the floor with her little sister trying to nudge her awake.

“Grab her!” Boscha shouted as Gavin used his abomination magic to craft a pair of wheels beneath his boots that allowed him to glide over the ground and grab the child. He then created a pair of wheels under Boscha's feet as well as he gave her a gentle shove from behind as she tightened her leg muscles to keep her stable as the group rode quickly out of the building. “This is new.” Boscha said as she tried to reaffirm her balance.

“I got the idea. Couldn't afford wing boots so I had to get creative.” Gavin stated as they rode clear across the school grounds. “We can head to the potions lodge. It'll give us some time to craft some firepower.” He looked back as the basilisk charged out and looked around in anger, targeting them from a good distance away. “First, we're gonna have to lose that thing.”

The two dashed around the many lodges as the creature slithered furiously after them. “Hang on tight, kid!” Gavin told the child on his back as he crafted a ramp out of abomination goo in front of the group as he hit it perfectly and flew into the air.

“This is insane!” Boscha cried as she hit the ramp as well and screamed all through the air. Gavin quickly crafted a trampoline out of another abomination as the group landed and bounced. The act put some distance between them and the basilisk as they got to their feet and raced again. Boscha was still unsure on her feet as Gavin lassoed her with his abominations and pulled her and Angmar along. The group quickly ducked into the potion lodge and quickly barricaded the door. With Boscha levitating furniture and Gavin reinforcing it with his abominations helping to stack heavier items and then morphing themselves into a solid wall.

“That should hold her for a while if she manages to follow us.” Gavin said as he turned back to Boscha who was tending to Angmar with Fleecy close by her. “You okay?”

The triclops looked up to him as she placed a hand on the biped's cheek before standing up. “I'll be fine, but we have to figure out a way to restore everyone's magic. With enough time, it'll restore itself but that thing isn't giving anyone that time.”

“Well, those potions you brewed up gave it a run for its money, so that's a guaranteed plan.” Gavin said as he looked over to a concerned Fleecy. The child reached over to Boscha and let out a a number of distressed bleats. “So you can understand her? Because I'm drawing a blank.”

“Yeah, I don't get it either but I do.” She told him as she gently brushed Fleecy's hair. “It'll be okay, kid. We're going to save your sister and everyone else.”

“Bah bah bah.” Fleecy sounded out.

“Really? That complicates things.” Boscha said before she noticed Gavin looking confused. “Oh right. She said the basilisk disguised itself like Bonnie and attacked the carriage. We go out looking for her and that thing might well come at us as anyone.”

“Bah?”

“True, we'll need a plan.”

Gavin thought for a bit. “Well, we'll have to lure the basilisk here, won't we? No point in running around out in the open. Now how do we go about doing that?”

Boscha thought for a moment as they heard the intercom kick on. The sounds of lips smacking and things being knocked over came over the system as well as gasps of breath. “What the heck?” She said as she covered Fleecy's ears.

Ten Minutes Earlier

Asaph and Bonnie had ducked and dodged their way to the bard lodge which housed many instruments and objects that would be crucial for the former's plan to work out. The two sorted through items that Asaph requested in the instrument room and began to take it to the rehearsal hall, a series of sound proof rooms where students would practice. The boy began to organize the instruments, tools, and wires and rigged them up in the necessary way as Bonnie sat back and watched him work.

“So...” Asaph began as he worked on the device. “How have you been?”

“Fine.” Bonnie said plainly as she folded her arms.

“It's been a while since I saw you. You never wrote me back or called.” He said as he put things together.

“I wonder why?” The girl rolled her eyes. “It certainly couldn't have been because of what you said about Fleecy.” She said sarcastically.

Asaph groaned at hearing that. “So my sister got to you too, huh?” He put the finishing touches on the device and connected the wires to where he assumed it was a test run.

“Don't you dare take that tone! You know what you did. Calling your poor baby sister a defect!” She said as he got up and faced her. “You think Mary hurt you, but you hurt her first.”

“She was my sister first. Not yours and not that little weirdo’s!” He got a punch to the face that knocked him back on his butt for all of his troubles. He looked up to her in disbelief. “You...punched me.”

“And I'll give you worse if you open your mouth again with an insult to Mary or Fleecy.” She glared down at him with an intensity that told Asaph she meant it.

Asaph wiped away a bit of blood off of his lip as he got up. “You've certainly become a lot more hostile since the last time I saw you. Mary's doing as well, I suppose.”

Bonnie walked up close to him. “She had nothing to do with it. That's on you for being a pompous punk with dreams of being a music star.”

“And all you are is Mary's little mouthpiece.”

“You want to talk about mouths. How about you shut your big one?”

“And who's gonna make me?”

“I did it once. I'll do it again!” She shouted as the two looked at each other intensely, head to head. It took all of three seconds before their lips connected and they held each other's faces.

Asaph parted for a second, breathing heavily as he looked at her. “Wow. I like the spine on you now.”

“Why don't you give it a feel?” She asked as they kissed again and lost their balance, falling back onto the device and switching it on by mistake. “You may be a jerk, but you definitely still got it.” The two rolled around, caressing each other, unaware that they were not only broadcasting, but broadcasting on the wrong frequency, inside of the school's intercom system.

Present

In the potion lodge, Boscha was still covering Fleecy's ears as the lewd sounds of a make-out session sounded through the intercoms. The sound of lips smacking together, heavy breathing and the occasional sweet nothing came across. Then a loud bang and roar came across the system as two screams followed soon after.

Gavin decided that it was time to end it and covered the speakers in the hall with goo. “What was that?”

“I don't know.” Boscha said. “Any clues? It's your school.”

The boy thought as he snapped his fingers. “I think it's in the bard lodge. There is a separate sound system in that lodge outside of the administration center. If someone was trying to get a signal out, that's where they'd go.”

“That means it's still there. We need time to make something up to stop it. But how? It'll be looking for us.” Boscha stopped to think as she felt something tugging on her leg and looked down to see Fleecy.

“Bah bah!”

“You're sure. It's really dangerous. Gavin should...” Boscha attempted to argue.

“Bah!”

Fleecy's words caught Boscha off guard. “You're right. I know you aren't helpless, but this is a magic sucking beast.” Fleecy glared up at her with a determination in her eyes. “Okay, but you need to be careful. Take these.” She handed her bag of potions over. “You need to lure it back here. Lead it around the school grounds for as long as you can and bring it back to the main doors. Gavin and I will do the rest.”

Fleecy nodded as Gavin came over and gave her his contribution.

Inside of the bard lodge, the greater basilisk slithered out of the practice hall, leaving Asaph and Bonnie drained and the device they were setting up smashed. She licked her lips as she did another search of the entire lodge to see if she'd missed anyone. The creature sniffed the air and scanned the area as her long body moved across the ground. This entire school of witches had barely put up a fight with her. They were tasty and this was only her first stop to get her revenge on the entire population for the wrongs committed against her and her kind. Maybe the next stop will be Hexside to the west.

Before she could think further, a potion bottle exploded against her skin, a freeze potion contained within it and pinning her midsection to the ground. She looked angrily to her right and spotted the little horned girl in the dress by the entrance. The basilisk roared in anger as she wriggled to get free and the girl raced out of the hall. Breaking the ice, she gave chase, knowing the child was likely headed towards the exit. Racing after the tasty snack, the basilisk crashed through the halls as she saw the front doors of the lodge wide open. She made it outside, only to hear the doors shut behind her. Whirling around, she began to slam her body against the door to regain entrance. Again and again, the beast threw her body against the doors. Was this small treat really worth all this energy? She thought so.

The beast spent the better part of five minutes, hitting the door. She hadn't had any trouble with this before. All she had to do on her initial invasion was to morph into a student she'd already drained and beat on the door, begging to be let in. Her pleas were always answered and the students, for their compassion, were always punished for it. This tactic was preferred as the doors were heavily reinforced and this current attempt was proving just that.

Finally, she threw her body against the door one last time and smashed through it and crashed into the lodge. Her body ached, but she was inside. “Bah bah.” She heard as she spun around to find the child sitting outside, whirling her finger through the air, swinging the partially broken door back and forth.

“Why you little...” She snarled as she charged back outside. The child leaped down and sped off as she seemed to have more of that abomination goo on her boots that let her glide over the ground. The two raced around the school grounds, with the greater basilisk continually missing her again and again as the child used her limited magic to throw items in the way of the predator.

Eventually, the greater basilisk had enough, stopped and ripped out a nearby statue from its mount, lifted it over her head and hurled it at the child. The stone structure struck the ground behind her as she continued to race forward only to tumble and roll just outside the doors of the potion lodge as the statue slid towards her. Fleecy shielded her face only for the statue to stop just in front of her. She breathed a sigh of relief only to see the basilisk racing to her location. Jumping to her feet, Fleecy ran inside, the doors no longer barricaded and shut the doors hastily behind her. It did little good as the massive beast smashed through, done with this chase.

“Enough games!” She roared as a frightened Fleecy backed away. “Now, I feed.” She lunged at the child, her maw wide open as Fleecy ran down the hall. The basilisk easily gained on her, a mere second from sapping her magic, only to plummet downward as explosions happened around her and falling into a pit. Her vision cleared as she found herself on her back in the large hole in the floor. The basilisk regretted her sight returning as she looked up and saw the potions fastened to the ceiling as they exploded and dropped a large chunk of ceiling on her. The force of the heavy material slammed against her, pressing on her body as she was forced to expel all of the magic she had absorbed as it flew through the air, bits returning back to the people she had stolen them from.

She gasped in an attempt to get air into her compressed lungs. “Good job, you two.” Boscha said as she stood on top of the pile of rubble. “Especially you, Fleecy. Mary would be proud of you.”

“Boscha!” She turned to see Angmar coming out of one of the classes. He ran to her and gave her a hug as the girl smiled and held him close. “You did it!”

“We did it.” She said as she gestured to Gavin and Fleecy, the latter sounding off. “Yeah, we should go check on them. You guys go ahead while I keep an eye on this thing.” Angmar was hesitant to but with a little persuasion was convinced to join Gavin and Fleecy.

This left Boscha alone with the still trapped basilisk as she hopped down into the pit and got close to the beast's face. She pulled out her collapsible sword and pressed it against the creature's neck. “Go on, witchling.” The trapped beast said. “Finish me, like your ancestors did.”

Boscha stared down with an intense look in her eyes. “I could. I probably should, but I'm not.” This surprised the basilisk as Boscha stepped back and began to lift the rubble off of her with her magic. “I'm probably a fool for this, but I don't kill. You speak. I suppose you can be reasoned with. What are you doing here? Where did you come from?”

Testing and finding that there was still enough weight to keep her pinned down, she continued to converse with Boscha. “Your kind killed us and then brought us back to torture us!”

“What do you mean?”

She snarled at the girl. “None of your concern, witchling.”

“You attacked the school, the students, my friend. You made it my concern. I just spared your life so I think you owe me that much. And I have a name. Boscha.”

“Ai Ai.” She stared at Boscha in a methodical nature. “This Emperor's Coven is responsible. You don't believe me? Why would you? They left no traces of their crimes.”

Boscha looked at her, puzzled. Why would they bring back a greater basilisk? It made no sense to her. “And I should believe that?”

“You should trust your instincts. So Boscha, what do your instincts tell you?”

The girl glared down at the beast as she still held her sword to it's throat. If Ai Ai made the mistake of siphoning her magic, Boscha would still fall forward and make it the last thing she ever did. “If I let you go, would you attack other schools? Towns?” The silence between them was an answer. “Come on. Give me a reason to let you live. Otherwise we can stand here, facing off until the Emperor's Coven does arrive and if what you're saying is true, it's not going to be a good time.”

Ai Ai thought about this. “I can let you go. You can keep a low profile and maybe I can help you.” She put her sword away and lifted a key boulder that now allowed the greater basilisk free movement as she quickly coiled around Boscha. The girl tried to stay composed but was still very much afraid as the beast glared at her.

“I...don't need your help.” She dropped Boscha to the ground, not before siphoning off a tiny bit of magic that she used to shape-shift into a Glandus student before walking off and out of the building. “The Emperor's Coven will pay for what they've done, but I will keep them as my focus.” Boscha simply lay there, breathing a sigh of relief that things didn't turn out any worse. She just hoped she hadn't just doomed the isles to be preyed upon by a giant shape-shifting serpent.

The school celebrated its “victory” over the intruder, with Gavin receiving the praise for it all. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them and Boscha had zero intention of winding up on the front page and letting her parents know she had cut school and put herself in danger. More importantly, Daphne would never know she was dating a Glandus student. With Derwin back up, the group got the carriage up and ready. As they were all getting back inside, Bonnie was getting herself back in order as Asaph pulled her aside behind one of the lodges. “So...when can I see you again?”

Bonnie closed her eyes and removed his hands from her. “Silly. I couldn't date you. We shared a moment of ….something, but you're still a horrible, child insulting monster. Mary hates you, with good reason, so I do too. And if you ever tell anyone what happened between us, Head Witch Graye will make you disappear permanently.” She said all this with a smile on her face but the boy had no reason to believe she was joking as she rounded the corner and rejoined the departing carriage. Her confidence soon faded as Boscha stared at her, already having given her a brow beating for her actions but promising not to tell Mary. Not that Boscha cared anyway. She just preferred that her team not tongue wrestle in the midst of an emergency.

Inside the carriage, Mary looked out at Asaph in the distance, her twin brother staring back at her. Both of them looked angrily at one another as Derwin got the vehicle off the ground and began to take off. Mary quickly turned her attention away from her brother in the distance and refocused on Fleecy next to her. Fleecy muzzled up to her as her older sister wrapped her up in a hug. After what Boscha told her, she couldn't be more proud of the child. It got her thinking. Maybe a change was in order.

As they flew off, Boscha looked out the window and saw Angmar standing and waving to her. He surprised her as he blew a kiss. The girl blushed seeing that and quickly did one back as she saw him “catch” it in his claws that caused her turn even more red. Turning, she noticed the other girls looking at her with humored faces. “What are you all looking at!?” She roared as they all turned their heads away.

Back at the Healing Coven, Vitimir was heading through the front doors and headed towards the elevator to take it up. He carried a small box with him as he entered the elevator and hit the button. “Wait! Hold the door, please!” He heard a voice call as he held the door open. A moment later, in ran Amity Blight who had a large bouquet of flowers in her arms. “Thank you. Head Witch Vitimir?” She said in surprise.

“Young Ms. Blight.” He spoke plainly.

“I take it you are here to see Luz.”

“Quite. I hoped to find her in better condition and to give her a customary 'get well soon' offering.” He held the box in his hands up a bit as if to show the girl. “I am aware Lusina can become quite bored when confined.”

Amity nodded. “Yeah. I'm just glad she is forced to take it easy for a bit. She tends to burn herself out.”

“Of that, we can both agree. Still, she is a capable young lady and she will go far.” Vitimir admitted. He was never one for taking all that much better care of himself, but that was from years and years of trying to claw his way to the top. Luz was still young and already in the upper echelons of the coven system. The head of the Potion Coven was sure she'd have a long and successful career if she put her health first more often. With her pale skin and red eyes, both resulting from different accidents, the girl looked more like a phantom than an aspiring apprentice. There was no need to make that look complete by killing herself with work.

The two soon exited on the selected floor and walked together to Luz's room, where the door was closed. Amity went to knock only to stop as a commotion seemed to be going on inside. “Ahh! Careful with that, will you?” They heard Luz's voice as she seemed to be complaining and in pain.

“Well maybe I could if you'd hold on tighter. Let me stretch you out and... Right there.” Another voice sounded.

“Stop pulling so hard. What are you trying to do, break me in half? This is my first time doing this.”

“Look, I'm a pro. Just hold on to the bedpost and I'll do the rest.”

“Skara, cut it out! That's too hard. You're gonna...ooooooh...” The commotion stopped as Luz let out a long moan of pleasure.

Outside the door, Amity's face was redder than a jug of apple blood as a trickle of blood seeped from her nose and she passed out. Vitimir gave her a small glance before entering the room. When he did, he saw Luz was indeed holding onto the bed post, her body partly elevated over the mattress as Skara was on the other end, her tail wrapped around the girl's legs and pulling. The two took notice of the new arrival.

“Head Witch Vitimir, you came.” Luz said happily as if the scene was not strange in the slightest. “The doctor said I need to keep my joints loose and Skara was helping to stretch my leg and back muscles.” The girl's tail slowly released its grip as Luz was placed gently down on the bed and laid her arms back down.

“Obviously.” Vitimir said. “I am no stranger to having to be bed bound for several days. The circulation is of utmost importance. Speaking of, I thought we might have some words.”

“Right, I'll make myself scarce.” Skara said as she bowed to the older man before exiting and closing the door behind her. “Amity!?”

“Firstly, I hope you are recovering well. I brought you this to help pass the time.” Vitimir handed the Hargreaves girl the box. She opened it and found a puzzle inside.

“Cool, a puzzle dodecahedron! This should keep my mind running for a while. Thank you.”

“It was no trouble. I should hope you take the time to recover and rest, but also keep your mind sharp. We have a new assignment that calls for your talents.”

The girl took notice as she looked up from the item in her hands with a newfound interest. “What can you tell me?”

Later that day, Boscha arrived home, no worse for ware and her parents completely oblivious to where she had been. “Boscha, hey.” Larry said as he peaked out of the kitchen. “Come on in and taste test this for me.” The girl happily went along and entered the kitchen where she found her father cooking some food in a skillet. He held up a spoonful of the cooked vegetables as Boscha bit into them.

“Mmm, delicious. But why are you cooking tonight? Not that I'm complaining.” She said, both her parents had a knack for cooking and baking, something she attributed to all the work they did in the Potions Coven where everything required accurate amounts of ingredients as well as a steady cooking flame and patience to achieve great results.

“Your mother is in her prayer room and she might be in there for a while. So I decided to get the meal started so it's ready for her when she joins us.” Her father explained.

“That makes sense. She was there the better part of an hour last week.” Boscha noted. Her mother was a devout worshiper of the Titan. Daphne had a shrine constructed in the home to pay tribute to the being that gave life to the isles and spent time there at least once a week. True, there were shrines across the isles that had been approved by the emperor but she chose to, in secret, have her own put inside the home. While it wasn't necessarily illegal, it was frowned upon. The woman had enough confidence in herself that she wasn't worried all that much about what others might think. Just don't defame the Titan in her presence. Boscha recalls Luz doing that once. Once.

“Yeah, and it gives us some time to talk.” Larry said as he let the fire die down a bit. He turned and sat at the table and stared over at Boscha, the girl leaning against the opposite counter.

“Sure, pops. What did you want to talk about?” She asked casually. She really never got to talk with her dad all that much recently. It was usually he and Luz that did things together, so this solo time with him while Luz was at the Healing Coven could be short lived.

“Well, how was school today? I know I don't ask enough about what you're up to and how things are going.”

The girl shrugged but put on a small smile. “Not much, just had practice with the team, made some potions and we did get to kick the construction class' butts in a battle of ramparts.”

Larry sat back in the chair and, to Boscha's confusion, the smile faded from his face and adopted more of a serious expression. He looked up to her and sighed. “Boscha, sit down.” He gestured to the chair across from him. The girl didn't know what was going on but decided to follow her father's order.

“Uh sure.” She sat and looked a little concerned. “Is everything okay?”

“You tell me, because I went to the school earlier to drop off your lunch and found out you never showed up to any of your classes.” He saw the nervousness in his daughter's face. “So, I'm going to give you three options. The first: "You take this.” He put a vial of blabber serum on the table. “Two: You can wait until your mother comes in and you can deal with her. Or three: I'll give you a chance to tell me the truth of your own volition.”

Boscha was nervous but made sure to try and sound calm and convincing when she gave her answer. “I went to spend the day with Luz.”

“Strike one. Skara has been with Luz all day.” Larry told her.

The girl wanted to curse but this was not the best time for that. She needed to come up with a new excuse. “I uh...Okay. I went to see grandma. I'm sorry, I know I wasn't supposed to...”

“Eh! Wrong.” Larry said, making a buzzer sound. “She was the first person I called. That's two strikes. Care to try for three? One more and you can try your mother and I don't think she'll be as nice about it.”

Boscha was shocked. Did her father actually investigate to tear apart her stories? She was doomed. Then again, this was her father. Maybe, just maybe, he'd be more understanding of the truth. The girl clenched her fists and took in a deep breath. “I was at Glandus. I was...I was seeing a boy.” Though she regretted saying it, it had to be done. She only hoped that Larry wouldn't....

Her thoughts were broken as Larry was up and wrapped his arms around her. “You...have a boyfriend? Wow, I never thought this day would come. Like, never. I honestly thought you'd go to your grave without dating anyone. Your mom will be so happy, she may get those grandchildren after...” He stopped as his sudden joy turned into dread. “Please tell me you did not just say Glandus.” Boscha shook her head in denial and Larry soon realized why she'd been sneaking around. “Your mother can never know.”

A week or so later, Luz was welcomed back to school by many of the other students as she and Boscha entered. The triclops twin gave her sister her time in the sun as she walked off when she spotted Mary. The ram girl was kneeling down in front of a new student, the child's uniform not having any track color yet. “Okay Fleecy, remember to be good for the teachers and play nice with the other kids. Understand?”

The child nodded her head in confirmation with a bright smile. “Just remember...” Mary was getting choked up as she fought back tears. “I'll be here, but I know you can take care of yourself.” Fleecy gave her a kiss on the forehead, something that her older sister had done to her very often. “Okay, now go on. You don't want to be late for class on your first day.” She scoots the girl off as the child gives one look back before going on her way. “And don't run. The trouble sniffers will get you.”

Mary sighed sadly as she watched the little girl she had essentially raised go off on her own. Boscha walked up beside her and hesitantly put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You did the right thing. She's going to be just fine.”

The ram girl was quiet for a bit before speaking. “I know. They're taking it slow and Bump even got a specialist that will help with her in class. I just...never thought the day would come when she wouldn't need me anymore.”

“Don't start that. She's your sister. You're always gonna have a special place in her heart. And more importantly, you'll be there if she ever does need you.” Boscha said as she saw Luz signaling her. “That's my cue. Just take it easy, okay?”

Mary gave a confirming nod as she stared down the hall where Fleecy had gone. “I need a hug.” She summoned one of her bluish-purple abominations and ordered it to wrap her tightly in an embrace. “Bonnie was right. You are soothing.”

Class started not all the much later as Boscha and Luz sat in on the first period history. The teacher set her books down and addressed the class. “Alright class, before we get started today, I'd like you all to welcome our new student. She's come a long way so I hope you'll all make her feel welcome. Come on in and introduce yourself.” The teacher gestured as the new student walked in.

“A new student?” I didn't hear about a new student today.” Luz said to Boscha who looked just as puzzled with the rest of the class at the announcement. “Did you hear anything about this? Enrollment was months ago.”

“Beats me,” Boscha shrugged.

Just then this new student walked into the room with a confident air about them and a strange book in hand, wearing the school uniform that sported the colors of the bard, oracle, illusions and construction tracks.

Luz and Boscha though immediately recognized who they were.

“You!” Luz exclaimed at the newcomer while Boscha had a look of shock.

In front of the class stood none other than the Owl Lady's human apprentice who smiled at the class.

“Hey everyone. I'm Masha. Nice to meet you all.”

Chapter Text

If there was one place Larry Hargreaves hated more than anywhere else, it was the healers for his annual check-up. Not the stuffy parties, not the company business meetings, not even his dead mother-in-law's grave, where he could swear up and down that she once reached out of the ground to pull him in. Those places didn't hold a candle to the yearly exam by the healer. Well he said yearly in his head, but both he and Daphne knew he hadn't been here in almost a decade. He'd always say he went but she'd find out later he had dipped and gone to the all you can eat buffet for an hour and a half and then show up at home with a “clean bill of health.”

This time, however, Daphne was not letting him off and was right there by his side. As the exam ended, Healer Fo Shou looked through the test results. “Well let's see.” He flipped through the pages. “This is terrible!” He exclaimed.

“What?!” Daphne asked with concern, clutching Larry's hand as the two looked worried.

“My assistant. Her handwriting is terrible.” The small pig biped said. “I'll manage. Now then. You're going to die...”

Larry nearly fainted as Daphne looked horrified.

“when you see the bill. Your insurance plan is no longer carried by our healing center.” He noted. “But maybe we can set up a payment plan. Anyway, that heart is going to have to be cut open.”

Larry clenched his chest as his face grew pale.

Fo grabbed a knife from his drawer before going to a table and cutting open a leafy vegetable. “Got to cut the hearts out of these and preserve them. Most nutrition you can get.”

At this point, Daphne Hargreaves had enough of this fooling around. “We have been friends since Hexside, but I will strangle you if you don't tell me if my husband is healthy or not!”

The pig man looked up at her with concern. “Maybe I should check your blood pressure. Anyway, let's see. Larry's fine, he's just fat. Overweight even. You should definitely think about cutting back and dieting a bit or you are looking at trouble down the line.”

Larry scoffed at hearing that. “A diet? Ha, fat chance.”

“With that attitude, I'd wager there is a good chance that you will definitely get fatter, yes.” Fo Shou said as he put the paperwork on his desk. He handed Daphne some pamphlets about helping to manage obesity which Larry again scoffed at before returning out to the front and back to the carriage where Derwin was waiting. All the while Daphne looked concerned as she looked to the papers in her hands and then back to her husband.

“Ha, me? Take a diet? I'm fine just the way I am. Right, Daphne?” Larry exclaimed happily only to notice his wife looking down at the pamphlets. “Sweetie?”

She looked up to him with a bit of concern on her face. “Maybe...he has a point.” Larry looked shocked by her response.

Later that day....

“And there is the music room for the bard trackers, out across the field there are the pens where we keep the beasts for the beast keeping trackers,” Amity explained as she gave the tour to new student, Masha, who was taking it all in. “And there is...Skara, being creepy.” She said as she stopped and saw the other girl standing in front of them, her hands clasped together with a smile on her face. “Can I help you, Skara?”

“I just wanted to meet the new arrival.” She said as the gray haired girl walked over and shook her hand. “Pleasure to meet you. I'm Skara Booker, member of the Human Appreciation Society and apprentice to Head Bard, Scooter Crane.”

Masha smiled as she returned the gesture. “Masha Dimopoulos, human realm student. Human Appreciation Society? Wow, nice to meet someone who didn't want to kill me the first chance they got once they found that out. Well the first one wasn't that bad either.” Masha thought back to her first moments on the isles.

“Hey, get back here with that pen!” She shouted as she chased the owl that had swiped the pen given to her by her grandfather. She ran through the doorway of the dilapidated house and stumbled as she ran through and a blinding light caused her to fall flat on her face. When she got up, the world around was completely different. There was no city street in front of the house, only deep woods. Not only that but there was no house anymore.

“Hey.” The human turned to see a woman in dark purple garb, a hood pulled of her head, seated on the ground. “A human. Interesting. Not the one I was expecting but still.”

“Um, hi.” Masha said as the human looked around. “So, did I hit my head harder than I though or...”

“Nope, you're awake. If you are looking for that owl, he went in that direction. You'll find what you need to find there.” The woman said as she pointed down a path in the woods surrounding them.

“Thanks, I'm Masha by the way.”

“Might want to hurry.” The woman said again before Masha decided to race off. A journey down the path led to a large house perched next to a cliff side. After getting a near heart attack from the weird doorbell bird thing, the door was opened to the goth teen.

Masha walked into the doorway as the creepy owl thing closed it behind her. "Um, hello? Is anyone here? The tube thing let me in." She slowly walked into the living room and spotted a blanket covered form on a couch. "Hello?" Masha poked the form and found several empty jugs around the couch.

The form rolled over as a mass of gray hair revealed a pale face as the golden eyes opened slowly. "What...Ahh! Who are you?!" A tall woman jumped up. "Are you a cop?!" She reached into her hair and pulled out a bat. "I'm not going back to witch prison!"

“Aaaahhh!” Masha shielded her face.

In the present a smile ran across the human's face. “Good times.”

Skara's eyes shifted a bit as she fiddled with her fingers. "Um, I was wondering. This is completely out of the blue, but could I ...touch your ears?"

Masha stood in silence as Amity facepalmed. The human opened her mouth. "I'd be insulted if you didn't. Come on. I'm all ears." She joked with a little snort as she combed her hair back from her ears.

Skara's hands reached up immediately and her fingers felt all over the human's audio receptors. Skara stopped abruptly and realized something was off. "Huh? It's not really doing it for me."

"What?!" Amity interrupted. "You jump on Luz non-stop. Creepy by the way. It's all you ever try and it's like a turn on or something."

"First off, it's a fascination." Skara corrected. "And...I don't know. I guess I just like the challenge. Plus I've known Luz a long time, and we don't have that connection. No offense, Masha."

The human shrugged. "None taken." Just then Luz walked by.

"Hi, Luz!" Skara shouted as she waved to her, Luz screaming as she threw her books down and ran. “I love it when she pretends we aren't friends. With this new tail, I can run her down easy.” She crouched down, her tail wagging side to side before darting after Luz.

"Skara, get away from me! Don't touch me! Get off!"

Amity looked nervously at the human student with her. “Sorry, they have an...unusual relationship to say the least.”

“And yet. I've seen worse.” Masha admitted as the two continued on.

Unbeknownst to either of them, or Skara even, the Lusina currently being pursued was an illusion created by Bonnie. The girl stood there watching, alongside the real Luz who glared at the new arrival. “Look at that. It's disgusting. How could Bump let that human into our school, and she is a criminal on top of it all. And where is Gene? The one time that scaly moron would be helpful, he is nowhere to be seen.”

“I heard he was taking some personal time.” Bonnie explained.

“Personal time?! Personal time from school?! You can do that?!” Luz said in disbelief.

“Apparently, mental health is important.”

“Psst, Lusina...” The two girls turned and looked into a garbage can to see Luz's dad sticking his head out slightly.

“Dad? What are you doing?” Luz looked puzzled and half embarrassed to see her father in this position.

“I came to get lunch from the cafeteria. I need a good meal.” He explained, causing both girls to give a raised eyebrow in response.

“A good meal at our school?” Bonnie said with a chuckle.

Larry ignored this and focused on his daughter. “Listen, your mom is trying to make me go on a diet. She's purging the house of all 'unhealthy' food and snacks. You got to help me sneak some food without her knowing.”

Luz looked a bit unsure. “I don't know. If mom finds out I was helping you...”

“How would she know? Just buy some food for me: A couple of aurochs burgers, some pizza, anything you can get your hands on. I'll make it worth your while.” He pulls out a bag of snails to offer Luz. It is immediately snatched from his hands by an unseen force only for the three to turn to see that Boscha had levitated the bag to her.

“Mom figured you'd try something and told me to keep a watch out for you. So no unhealthy food for you dad.” The triclops told him to which he responded by hopping over to her in the can.

He pulled the girl close so as to whisper in her ear. “Listen, sweetie. We can both get what we want out of this. You get me some good food and I'll keep your little secret.”

“Or...” Boscha said. “I will stop you like mom wants and if you try to pull that again, I can tell her about that time we met Flora on the mountain. I don't know what that was all about but she might be interested to know, based on your reaction. So what do you want: The diet or the Daphne?” She smirked.

Larry glared at her and pulled out a vegetable stock and chewed on it as he hopped away in the can. “This is gonna be fun.” Boscha said as she pulled out a snack cake and gobbled it down while her dad watched.

“Boscha!” The girl almost choked when she heard Willow call her name and turned to see the plant track girl, who didn't look happy at all. “Where were you yesterday? You missed practice.”

“I was...” Boscha attempted to interject.

“Grudgby season starts in a month and we need everyone to be at their best. How are we supposed to do that when our third player isn't there?”

“Look, I...”

Willow stopped her. “I don't want to hear excuses. We both know you can do better, so let's just put it behind us and move forward. Okay?”

“Yes, co-captain.” Boscha said through gritted teeth as she watched Willow walk away before angrily eating another cake, then another and another. “Shut it, Luz!” She said to her sister.

“I didn't even say anything!” She argued as Boscha walked off. Luz sighed and figured she should talk to her sister, but she couldn't let that human roam around unchecked. Plus, if Boscha was checking their dad, she had other business to attend to.

Over the course of the days and weeks that followed, Larry was forced to go along with the diet that his wife had set out for him. Healthy vegetables and low-fat meals were the order of the day. Larry languished with not being able to have his usual snacks filled to the brim with sugar or greasy, delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner. Throughout it all he had to suffer not being able to sneak even one of them.

On one occasion, Larry had made sure to leave stealthily from the manor and sneak into town to go to his favorite ice cream shop. He had an ice cream cone stacked up with seven scoops. Just as he was about to take the first lick of it, it was taken from him as each of the scoops levitated in the air, individually. They floated away and over to a waiting Boscha. “Go home, dad.” She said as she rotated them around her, gleefully devouring each as they came her way. Boscha seized up and held her head as she groaned.

“Ow ow ow! Brain freeze!” She stopped, placing her hands on her temples as they heated up, using a small fire spell to warm her up and she soon breathed a sigh of relief. “Much better. And no cones either!” She pulled the now empty cone out of the air as well and chewed it up. Larry grumbled and walked off.

Another time, he decided to pretend to take a jog around the town only to quickly dip into the bakery of Marcela Hempstead. “Marci! How's about giving me a dozen...”

The woman quickly stopped him as she stood behind the counter. “Does Daphne know you're here?”

“No. Why?” He asked.

“She told me I'm not supposed to serve you. Anything at all.”

“Come on, Marci. You know I'm good for it. Double good for it.” He pulled out a huge sack of snails from his bag. “Come on. Just a few pastries.”

She looked at him nervously before peering out the window and seeing Boscha standing across the street, the girl shaking her head in denial. Marcela panicked, coming from around the counter as Bonnie manned the register and aggressively pushing Larry out of the door. “Oh look at the time. Sorry you have to go so soon. I'd love to have you back. Don't know when, but have a nice day!”

As he got closer to the door, Larry fought the woman to stay inside. “Wait! I'll give you triple, no quadruple for a baker's dozen. A regular dozen! A half dozen! Heck, just give me the leftovers! You'll only waste them on orphans anyway! Pleeeeeease!” He begged before she lifted him up, with great difficulty with a levitation circle and hoisted him across the street.

“Two dozen of your finest doughnuts, please.” He turned and saw Boscha at the front counter of the bakery.

“Um, Boscha, your mom said we aren't allowed...” Bonnie began to say.

“Oh it's no problem. I'll be eating them here.” Boscha said as she smirked and turned outside as she looked to her father outside. She proceeded to pay for them, sat at a table and began enjoying each bite of every pastry in the box, making sure that her father was witness to every single bite. Larry stood outside watching the entire thing. He could taste the sweet delicacies just outside of his grasp. They were calling to him. “Eat us.” They whispered to him. “Eat us, Larry. You know you want to.”

He stood on the street, people walking around him as his mouth salivated at the food inside. Day after day he would make attempts to get his desired food: Meals, snacks and everything in-between and every time Boscha was there to prevent him from doing that. To make it worse, each time she'd order something, provided there was a meatless option and gorge herself in view of Larry.

Back in the present, Larry was struggling to handle this diet. A month in and his face was noticeably thinner and he was noticeably more miserable as well. He hated this all. If it wasn't Daphne's gross health dinners, it was Boscha continually blocking his attempts to sneak his own food and then taunting him with consuming things in full view.

Before dinner one day, Larry decided to walk around town. He wasn't sure if Boscha was around a corner, waiting to strike. More than likely she wasn't, but the thought of her just behind a building or stall kept him honest. The fear had broken him as he passed every shop, his face sunken and sad from the lack of sugary, fatty, or straight up greasy foods.

“Hello there, good sir.” He stopped walking and turned to his right to see a caravan sitting in a familiar spot in the market. The side doors were slid opened as a sorting of window for ordering while all the items were set up in a display along the back wall. “I have the solution to all of your problems.” The voice said as a woman appeared in all purple garb, a hood over her head and a mask covering the lower part of her face, the mouth and the nose predominantly.

“Hey, this is Tibbles usual spot.” Larry noted.

“Yeah, well no one has seen him for almost a month.” The vendor explained. “Some scouts showed up, bopped him on the noggin, put him in the back of a carriage and no one has seen him since. So his spot is up for grabs.”

Larry groaned. “Well, unless you can help me sneak food so my wife doesn't see, I doubt you can help me.”

“Oh but I can, with this.” She puts a shoulder bag on the counter in front of her. It seemed to be made of a blue animal skin. “This bag will allow you to store as much food as you wish and keep it hidden from anyone else. Made from tatzelwurm stomach, this item will give you exactly what you need. All for the low price of a mere one-thousand snails. I'll even fill it with all manner of unhealthy eatables.”

Larry looked around to ensure Boscha was nowhere around and gladly gave up the payment before he snatched the bag and ran off with glee. “Wait, don't put any carbonated items in the...” He was already out of range by that point. “Eh, I'm sure it'll be fine.”

“Can you keep it down?” A voice came from inside the vehicle as Gene popped his head up. “Can't you see I'm busy self-loathing?”

The merchant removed her mask to reveal Violet underneath as she looked annoyed at him. “Can you stop that now? Your whole 'woe is me' bit is wearing thin. Luz doesn't even care about what you did anymore. I am trying to feel sorry for you, really I am, but it's getting old at this point. If you want to make it up to her you need to be proactive. Stop crying and do something about it.”

Before she could scold him further a pair of coven scouts appeared. “Hey, do you have a permit for that caravan?” One of the four said as they approached.

“Nuts! Gene, stop sobbing and get us out of here. I do not want to go to the conformatorium!” Violet shouted as the green skinned boy decided to act and grabbed a series of levers inside the caravan as the doors closed up and the vehicle sped off down the road, the scouts giving a brief chase before they were out of sight.

A week later and Larry was with his new bag loaded up with a six month supply of snacks, He was ready to take on this diet in earnest as he sat in his bedroom. Hearing someone coming up the steps he quickly scrambled to put the bag under the bed as Daphne soon arrived inside. “Larry, dinner is almost ready. What are you doing?” She asked as her husband had a worn black belt in his hands.

“Just...putting a few extra notches to tighten the old belt. This diet has taken it's toll on me in the last month. Don't want my pants dropping at dinner. I'm enough of a clown as it is.” He joked nervously as he soon relaxed when Daphne chuckled.

“Well I for one am so proud of you for taking this seriously. Now don't take too long. Boscha invited a guest and she wants us to meet them.”

He gave a confirming nod and smile. “Will do, sweetie.” He said as he waited for her to leave and, once he confirmed she was down the stairs, pulled out the back and began stuffing his face and even pulled out a large bottle of fizzy drink he had managed to sneak in while Boscha was distracted for the day.

Downstairs, Boscha was helping to set the table with the meal as Luz was in her room, working on a last minute project. As Daphne was putting the finishing touches on the table, a knock came at the door. “She's here!” Boscha raced excitedly to answer it. Her mother had never seen her so excited. Whoever this guest was, they must have been very special. “Come on in. You can meet my mom.” She heard her daughter say as the footsteps came closer as Boscha stood in the doorway of the kitchen with her guest.

Daphne looked up to see her daughter and her guest. Her eyes opened wide as she saw the other person: The human on all of the wanted posters, her black hair different than the pictures, now trimmed and combed back exposing her ears with various piercings in them. The human looked to her as Daphne slowly approached. “Mom, this is Masha. The guest I told you about.” Boscha said with a bit of nervousness in her voice. Mentioning her guest was the person the Emperor's coven were actively pursuing would have been good to mention beforehand.

Masha, meanwhile, was taking in the view as the statuesque figure of Daphne approached her, the human's face flush red with wide eyes. Boscha figured she must have been hot or something. The house was unusually warm today. “Tall mommy.” Masha said under her breath before shaking herself out of that trance and bringing up a bag. “I brought you all a little something. Just my way of saying...thank...you?” She quieted down as Daphne stood directly in front of her, staring down at the human teen.

The pink haired woman reached out her hands and gently put them to Masha's ears, caressing them as she confirmed it. “Oh my. She is really one of them.”

Masha's face again turned red as she had a flustered look about her. “Why does this keep happening?”

“Mind you, sometimes we get weird around here. More so than usual.” Boscha said with a smile.

The Hargreaves matriarch released the girl from her grip before coming to a realization. “This is what you've been hiding from us? All this time, where you've been running off to?” She asked as Boscha nervously gave a confirming nod. “So she is your girlfriend.”

“What?!” Boscha shouted.

Daphne looked to her daughter with a small smile. “It all makes so much sense now. But what will Willow think?”

It was Boscha's turn for her face to turn red. “I am not....”

“You're dating that plant girl with the glasses?” Masha asked. “Two-timer.” She joked as she played along with the gag.

“You and I...she and I are not...” Boscha fumbled as her mother shook her head.

“I raised you better than that. We don't practice polygamy in this family....anymore.” She said the last bit under her breath.

“Mom, we are not a couple and for the last time, I am not dating Willow!” Boscha fumed as Daphne seemed to realize something.

“Wait. If you are a human, I have so many questions for...” She paused as Luz walked down the stairs.

“Aww, is baby sis having Willow...” Luz stopped as she saw Masha standing and smiling with that gap in her teeth on full display. “You! What is that doing in our home?”

“Boscha invited me.” The human girl informed Luz, who turned to her sister and pointed a finger of accusation before Daphne forced it down.

“Now Luz, Miss....”Daphne started as she turned to the black haired human.

“Dimopoulos. Masha Dimopoulos.” The human said.

“Ms. Dimopoulos is our guest tonight, and the Hargreaves family always treats a peaceful guest with peace. So I expect all of us will be on their best behavior. Correct?” Daphne said as Luz begrudgingly nodded. There was a known criminal in their home and her mother was treating it like the most casual thing in the world. She'd already been over this with Principal Bump who for whatever reason didn't do a thing about it, like calling the Emperor's Coven. Luz would have done so herself and brought the hammer down on the school to capture this human, but she had been talked down for the moment by Bonnie of all people. She supposed this was fine as she wanted a second chance to capture this Masha on her own terms.

Daphne seated everyone at the table. Before they ate, she pulled out her scroll to inform Larry dinner was ready. He assured her he was on his way down, but needed to finish a small project and to start without him. While she would have preferred to wait, they had a guest and it would be rude to keep her waiting. “Well it seems Mr. Hargreaves won't be joining us for a bit so we'll start without him.” Daphne said before bowing her head. Luz and Boscha both did the same and it only took Masha a second or two to realize what was going on before doing the same. Daphne gave a prayer to the Titan for their food and the blessings it gave them before concluding. “Sic erit.” The girls likewise did so as Masha picked up the rear. “Now, let's dig in.”

Masha watched as everyone got their food, with Daphne encouraging the human to help herself. The girl waited as she copied Luz's choices. It their diets were similar, then what she was picking was safe. Though she did notice other things the redhead didn't pick that she recognized as safe and got bits of those too. “Wow, I never knew families did that around here too.”

This small comment got Daphne's attention. “Certainly. We owe the Titan for our lives. It's our progenitor, the source of all living things on the isles. Without it, what would exist? The least we can do is give thanks.”

The raven haired teen found herself nodding. “I can understand that. Humans do something similar, though we have different traditions depending. Though, I can't say I am a fan of the whole wild witch hunt thing going on.”

“I thought humans loved hunting witches.” Luz said under her breath only to be nudged by Boscha.

“That...” Daphne paused. She seemed to contemplate something for a moment before speaking up. “Well, despite how popular Lord Belos and the covens are, he doesn't speak for everyone. I would say some people even doubts he could speak to the Titan."

Luz scoffed "Those people who don't believe him are fools and probably just wild witches and their supporters. They're ignorant about the corrupting effects and dangers of wild magic."

“What dangers?” The human interrupted. “I've never seen anything dangerous. Everything I have seen with what they call wild magic seems really useful.”

Luz scoffed at this. “Of course you'd think that. You can't do magic so any of that looks good to you.”

“Says the girl who can't do magic.” Boscha noted only to receive a snarl from her sister. “Withdrawn.”

“I actually can do magic. Not like you but, I can do magic. With this book here.” Masha said as she reached down into her bag by her side and pulls out a book with a black cover. She opens it up and shows the pages with a rather unique symbol on each page. “These are my glyphs. I can do all sorts of things with them and I have even found combinations.” She selected a certain page and tapped on the symbol as it glowed before generating a tiny rain cloud that floated over the table. It reached an empty glass and filled it with seemingly boiling rain as Daphne watched in amazement.

“Oh my. I have never seen anything like that. It's incredible!” Daphne said in wonder. Boscha had seen them before and heard how she managed it while Luz had her arms folded, watching this 'wild magic' operate.

“When I worked for Eda for a couple of days, I started finding these. One night I lit a fire using one of her potions and in the flames I saw a symbol. I wrote it down and then I found that it could light on fire. They weren't easy, but it's like I was meant to find them. One after another. Before, I drew them on something and the item was destroyed. Then I got this book that saves them all and I can use them over and over without losing them.”

“Fascinating.” Daphne said as she inquired further about the book and the glyphs. All the while Luz just glared at the human girl, talking and laughing with her mother.

Luz glanced at the book's open page and saw the glyph that Masha had used to keep the fire alive in the cave. Something about it seemed so familiar.

Seven year old Luz sat by a campfire as her father and sister were preparing the meal for the night, the day having been spent searching the surrounding forest for valuable potion ingredients. The girl got closer to the fire to keep warm, something her father had warned her about doing to avoid her getting burned. It was cold so she put her hands close to warm them. As she did, the child noticed something strange. There was something in the fire on the wood. It looked like a circle with an odd symbol in the center of it, stretching from top to bottom.

The girl looked closer and closer at the curious design in it. What was this? She didn't have much time to think about it before an uncomfortable sensation hit her in the air. “Moist Molly!” Luz seized up as Boscha had stuck her spit covered finger in her ear and caused her to fall on her back.

“Eww! Boscha. Gross!”

“Too slow, Luzer. Haha! I don't know why you even bother coming out here with us. You can't even do magic. You are gonna suck at potions.” Boscha said.

“Daddy said I don't need magic to make potions and one day I'll be head witch and...and I'll help Emperor Belos make the Boiling Isles so much greater.” Luz declared, albeit timidly.

“Yeah, right. And maybe ratworms will fly.” Boscha laughed as she ran off to rejoin her father.

Luz got back up, pulling out a cloth to wipe her ear. “You'll see, Boscha. I'll be the greatest thing the covens has ever seen.” The girl said angrily before looking back to the fire but finding the symbol gone.

“Aww.”

Back in the present, Daphne inquired about Masha's history. “So, how did you get here? No one has seen a human in hundreds of years.”

“Well, I was on my way to a camp for the summer when I saw this bird fly by and stole a pen from me, so I chased after him. Turns out, he was a palisman and belonged to the Owl Lady. I ran right through a door that turned out to be a portal that Eda had.” Masha explained.

“Edalyn has a portal to the human world?” Daphne seemed intrigued.

“Wait, you really chased a bird into another dimension for a pen?” Luz asked in disbelief.

“It was...special to me.” Masha admitted. “It was given to me by someone really close to me and I could never part with it.”

“That's sweet.” Daphne said. “So how are you enjoying your time on the isles?”

“It's a great place. I never thought I'd enjoy spending my summer almost getting eaten on a number of occasions, getting chased and going to school. It's surprising. And Boscha tells me the school owes you for the multi-tracking options.”

“Yes. I always wanted my girls to be more exposed to all aspects of magic. Without that, the only students that could learn more are those selected for the Emperor's Coven. This way everyone can get a feel for what they are really talented at or are most interested in.”

“So why aren't you in any other tracks, Boscha? Or your sister?” Masha inquired.

Boscha looked a bit embarrassed. “Well, I mean....”

“We don't have to waste our time trying to test out other skills. We are both great potion students.” Luz interrupted. She decided to show off her coven sigil. “This means I know where my place in this world is and so does Boscha.”

Daphne looked a bit disappointed in her daughter. “Lusina...”

“Wait, Boscha doesn't have a sigil.” Masha responded.

“Not yet, but she will. We are a noble family. That means we all play our part in the coven system.” Luz said proudly.

Masha seemed to ignore the statement and looked around the home at the décor. “Well, that would explain the fancy surroundings. Boscha never told me you all had it like this.”

“Well, I don't mean to brag, but we are a member family of the Brethren Court.” Luz stated.

Seeing the human's confusion, Daphne decided to explain further to Masha. “It is a collection of the aristocratic families and clans on the isles. Before Emperor Belos arrived, the court was made up to govern over the isles when needed. Nowadays, it's just the richest and most influential families who come together on occasion to show off. It's still an exclusive group as it takes contributions to the coven system or the emperor to become a newer member such as ourselves.”

“So the rich run everything? Not much different than home.” Masha shrugged. “But you all seem really nice compared to the others I rob....met.”

“Many family heads of this era inherited what they have. I had no such privilege. I was forced to work my way up, getting my company started thanks to some investments and hard work.”

Masha smirked. “Self-made woman, huh? Nice. Coming up from nothing to living in these ritzy surroundings.”

Daphne frowned a small bit. “Actually, I came from a rich background. I left home with nothing and was determined to make my own way.”

“Really?” Masha found herself halting her meal as she looked up with interest. “Your parents didn't leave you anything?”

“My 'parents' are a sensitive subject.” The pink haired woman paused before putting on a warm smile. “I'd love to know more about you, Masha.”

The teen cleared her throat as Luz merely rolled her eyes at this. She couldn't care any less about this human criminal in her home if it didn't mean arresting her here and now. But as long as her mother was entertained by the guest, there was little she could do.

“There's not much to say, I guess. I come from a town called Gravesfield. Small place. I live there with my parents.”

“And they are fine with you staying in another world, I take it.” Daphne asked. She couldn't imagine letting either of her girls leave the isles. Forget about them going to another world.

Masha chuckled a bit. “They weren't at first. Honestly, when I told them about all of this, they thought I was backsliding.”

The woman looked at her curiously. “I'm afraid I don't follow.”

Despite a small bit of hesitation at first, Masha continued. “Well, I was a bit...much to put it lightly. Most times I wasn't the best behaved kid and my interests kind of concerned them. We...got into our fair share of arguments. At one point we were just living in the same house and barely interacting unless we were shouting at each other. One day, they sent me to meet someone that changed a lot for me and them. It was a bumpy road but eventually, we came to understand each other better. Then, I found this place and...Well, explaining it wasn't easy but once I had solid proof that I hadn't gone off the deep-end, they were surprisingly okay with it. More than okay, actually. They are covering for me at home and we are talking through letters regularly thanks to Eda.”

“I must say, that is a sweet story. We are big on family here as well. Nothing matters more to me than that.” Daphne said only to look over to her youngest as Boscha let out a light scoff at her comment. She was well aware of what that was for. “In any case, if you are here for a while, we'd love to have you for a tour of our factory. We are the leading potion company this side of the isles, thanks to Lusina here and her genius.”

“Mom, don't give away all our secrets to this human!” Luz protested.

“Hush now! Masha is our guest and she's given us no reason to distrust her.” Daphne said.

Luz folded her arms and sat back in her chair. “Dad would be on my side.” She huffed as Daphne realized that her husband hadn't yet arrived for dinner.

“Speaking of...What is keeping your father? He'll miss his surprise cake.” The woman created a circle in the air that brought out a chocolate cake on a platter.

“Whoa. Mom, you actually got dad a cake? Why was I stopping him from cheating and eating all those snacks in front of him, then?” Boscha asked.

“First, I never told you to mock him. Secondly, I wanted to do something nice for your father. He's done so well on his diet, he deserves a reward. Consider it a cheat day. If you'll excuse me.” She rose from the table, wiping her mouth with a napkin as she excused herself. “I trust you'll be on your best behavior while I am gone.” Boscha smiled.

“Of course.” The three-eyed girl said.

Luz huffed but one stern look from her mother convinced her to change her tone. “Yes, mother.” The woman left, the three girls now the only occupants at the dining table. Boscha decided to help things along by nudging Luz.

“Can you at least try to be nice?”

“No.”

“Pretend?”

“Ugh. Fine.” Luz whispered as she put on a fake smile and addressed Masha. “Your hair seems much more...tolerable than last time.”

Masha decided to take that as a complement. “Thanks. That goat girl at school offered to give me a stylish new cut and I couldn't refuse. I think it fits the new me.”

“Mary?” Luz said, puzzled. “Curved horns, fluffy purple hair you could fall asleep in, sharp teeth?”

“Yeah, that's her. Really nice girl.”

Luz smiled widely, but it was only skin deep. “Oh, Mary just decided to help you. Mary. My friend, helped out a human. Excuse me for one moment.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a notebook and pen and, on a page listed “Dead to Me” she scribbled Mary's full name, right between “Belinda” and ''That Creepy Mime from Femur's Fall''.

Meanwhile, Larry was still stuffing his face with snacks and chugging down his favorite soda. That was until he heard the handle of the door begin to turn and quickly stuffed the food back into the bag, alongside the carbonated soda. He moved the satchel behind his back and looked up innocently as Daphne entered the room. “Larry?”

“Hey, sweetie.” His smile betrayed his nervous nature as he sat on the bed.

“Honey, we have a guest downstairs. What is taking you so long?”

Behind his back the bag began to rumble lightly, causing him to hold it down. “I was just...preparing myself for dinner.” He thought quickly. “I guess I'm just getting used to this new diet.” He jokingly patted his stomach, keeping one hand on the bag, the rumbling picking up as it...gurgled?

Daphne found herself chuckling, mistaking the sound for Larry's stomach growling. She approached him as he moved slightly to hide the bag. “I know this hasn't been easy for you, but I am so proud of you for sticking with this diet.” She sat down on his right side as he motioned the back off to his left. “This is going to be for the best, you'll see.” She gently placed her left hand on his free hand and caressed it gently. “I have a few surprises for you: One after dinner and one after the girls go to bed.”

“I like the sound of that.” He said with a smile. Unfortunately, the bag was rumbling even more, reverberating through the bed, rocking the whole thing.

“Well someone is excited.” His wife noted before her face grew serious. “But before we get to that, there is something you should know. Boscha's guest...she's...” The conversation was cut short, rather abruptly so, as the bag went off.

Downstairs, the thread of civility had snapped as Boscha had to intercede between Luz and Masha's argument. Well, more like Luz making accusations while the human across from her gave sound explanations and the former wasn't having any of it. “Luz, calm down!” Boscha said, holding her back as Luz hurled a plate at Masha who blocked it with one of her glyphs that brought up a shield.

“Don't you see, Boscha?” Luz shouted. “She is trying to subvert our government and overthrow the empire for some soft, ineffective, electoral system where everyone has a say in what happens regardless if they have a high standing in society or not. If you're on board with that, then Titan kill me, because I don't want to live in a world like that!” Suddenly an explosion shakes the house as Larry's snacks flood the home, burying the three in them. “Ahh! I take it back! I'm sorry I use your name in vain, Titan. I swear I'll believe! I don't wanna die yet!”

The screaming stopped as she realized that it was all junk food as Larry surfaced from the food along with the others, Daphne included, who simply wore a blank expression. “Masha, I think you should leave.” She said calmly. The girl read the room and swam her way to the front door, opening it as a flood of wrapped cakes and candies fell out with her that she happily scooped up in her arms and bag before departing.

Inside, a storm was brewing as Daphne, her face still devoid of emotion, turned to face her husband. “Do you want to tell me exactly what this is?”

Larry sweated and avoided eye contact. “Um, a natural disaster?” This answer did not go over well with his wife, her face turning into a frown.

“Girls, go to your rooms. Your father and I need to have a long and violent discussion.” The woman spoke through gritted teeth as Boscha gestured to the stairs and both hurriedly climbed them. This left the parents to deal with the issue at hand. “So, you want to explain this?”

The man sighed and then opened his mouth. “Fine. Fine! I got sick of this diet, okay?”

“Larry...” She said in frustration before being cut off.

“And I didn't want to do this dumb thing in the first place! It shouldn't even matter what I eat! I'm a grown man!”

“And I'm your wife!” Daphne stopped. “I'm...I'm just trying to look out for you.”

“No, you're trying to tell me what to do. My Titan, you're just like my mother!” This comment caused Daphne to gasp in horror as if someone had told her that one of her daughters had helped commit a genocide. Despite the look of shock on her face, tears forming in her eyes, Larry's face did not flinch from his choice of words.

Daphne could not begin to comprehend how he could say that. Belinda, even before Luz's accident, was not Daphne's favorite person. The woman was always a controlling person, never letting her son do much of anything which resulted in him being rather socially inept and foolish. Add to that what she had done to Luz and it was the biggest insult that he could have said to his wife.

“You know what? Have your stupid snacks!” She yelled, picking up several packages and throwing them at him in rage. “Take it! Take it! Take it all, you big stupid jerk! And your desert!” She managed to find the cake she had made for him and hurled it at his face, that splattered on him. “I was just trying to keep you from dying, but go ahead and enjoy it! Just don't ask me to watch!” Daphne used her magic to part all of the junk food and made her way to the bedroom and Larry heard the door slam. He looked down at the snacks for a moment and picked up a wrapped cake, opened it and prepared to enjoy himself. The redhead stopped, not being able to enjoy it after that argument.

Larry decided to head upstairs and tested the door, finding it unlocked. He slowly opened it and found Daphne lying under the bed sheets, selfishly curled into a ball on her side of the bed. He wanted to say something, anything to make what he said better, but he drew a blank. “Daphne? Look, what I said...”

“No, you were right. I know I can be controlling sometimes, but this...You remember my uncle, Sanguin?” She said, still not turning back to him.

"Yeah, I mean he was one of the only ones in your family who was actually nice to me." Larry acknowledged. The majority of Daphne's family that he had the displeasure of meeting absolutely hated him. But her uncle, Sanguin, was alright in his book. He didn't even have to worry about being the punching bag for fat jokes since the man was quite rotund himself and knew Larry was sensitive about such things. Sometimes he did wonder if Sanguin was Daphne's actual father due to how much they had in common. "You know whatever happened to uncle Sanguine? Last I saw him was at our wedding? I know you don't interact with your side of the family anymore but-"

"He died!" She blurted out as she suddenly sat up in bed, finally facing him. Her eyes were red showing that she had been crying

"W-What?" Larry was taken aback by this reveal. Sanquin was the closest thing to a father figure he had in his life. The witch even taught him some very useful potion techniques that he still employed to this day. "He's dead? When? How?! Why did I never hear about it?!"

"My family kept it to themselves. I only found out because my father told me the last time I saw him. I was just too angry at the moment to tell you and just pushed it to the back of my mind. He said it was from a bile stroke. Too much pressure exerted on his body..."

"Because of his weight." Larry finished. "I knew he was never a small guy, but he always seemed to be so healthy and even in good spirits."

"He was, but things like that can be deceiving. I asked around and it was like I thought. One day he was doing just fine and another...not so much."

"So the whole time you were..." Larry realized at that moment just how selfish he was being.

"Yeah...I just don't want to lose you. Even back then when we were having our problems I was always worried whenever you were out on your trips. I can't help but think what if you get hurt? Or stranded somewhere where no one can help you...What if you got killed? I just didn't want to risk losing you if I could help it" As Daphne explained she began to tear up again. She couldn't help but imagine the worst case scenario.

Meanwhile Larry couldn't help but mull it over.

She was being honest when she said she was looking out for him. Sanguin was a good man, one of the best. Still, none of that mattered since he wasn't taking care of himself.

Larry didn't want to do that to Daphne or the girls; Leave them with no husband or father, respectively. He wanted to be around for a long time to see what the future held for him and Daphne. He wanted to see Luz and Boscha grow into successful witches in their own right and maybe if he's lucky even become a grandfather himself especially now that Boscha was dating(albeit someone his wife didn't approve of)

Larry promptly walked over to the side of the bed and sat next to his wife, holding her hand gently. Neither said a word, but both of them knew what the other was thinking as they slightly smiled.

Two Weeks Later

"Larry? Dinner time!" Daphne called as Larry was busy outside doing a few laps around the house with Derwin running alongside him.

Putting in the extra workouts alongside the diet had helped out a great deal. He felt better, had more energy, and this was just the start. If a month and a half of dieting and exercise did this, he imagined what he could do with more time and dedication. And Larry definitely wanted to commit to this for his family. To top it all off, he had lost the extra weight in a healthy way, even needing his clothes tailored to better fit him. The man made his way inside and greeted Daphne with a kiss from behind. “Well don't you look good.” She said to him as she chuckled.

He kissed her on the neck and sniffed. “Smells delicious. And the food doesn't seem to bad either.”

Daphne found herself letting a squeal escape her lips as Larry wrapped his arms around her waist. “Oh you. Cut that out. Not in front Derwin”

“I'll leave you two alone. Go to get cleaned up myself.” Derwin said as he excused himself.

“He's a good kid. I'll have to do something for him. Maybe take him out for a night on the town to thank him for all the help.”

“I think he'd like that.” Daphne admitted. “Now go on and get yourself cleaned up. And tell the girls to be down soon.” He gave her one more show of affection, then headed upstairs to get a shower before the meal.

At the same time, Luz was sitting on Boscha's bed, texting Bonnie, who was on a trip with her mentor at the moment. Inside Boscha's walk in closet, the owner of said room fought with an outfit she was planning on wearing tomorrow. It seemed hard to zip up her skirt and get her blouse pulled down all the way. "This outfit isn't fitting. It must have shrunk." She said as she fought with it as the seams were being stretched to their limits.

"I think the outfit is the same size, sis." Luz said nonchalantly.

"But why won't it fit, then?" Boscha asked as she struggled to fasten her skirt with no success.

"Three words: Dad. Snacks. Mockery."

With those few words, Boscha realized exactly what was going on. The entirety of the last month she had spent following her dad around to keep him from eating anything he shouldn't. All that time she made sure to eat loads of snacks in front of him as her form of mockery to him in her twisted way to motivate him. Now she was paying the price as she had neglected working out all that time as she shadowed her father most of it and, to her shame, stress eating from having to deal with all of Willow's texts reminding her constantly of grudgby practice.

"No. No, no, no, no!" Boscha fell on the floor as she wrestled with her designer skirt only for it to rip. "I can't believe this! Grom is only a few weeks away. What am I gonna do?"

Luz looked up and smiled at Boscha. "I have an idea."

The next day, Boscha found herself cursing her sister's name as she ran laps around the school in her baggy workout clothing. She sweated profusely, her hair a mess as she struggled to keep going, her stamina having taken a hit from her lack of exercising for an extended period. "Come on, Boscha. Get a move on." Willow shouted as she passed Boscha for what had to be the seventh time by her count. "I need a little more hustle from you."

"Shut up." Boscha huffed out as she was lagging even further behind.

"Less back talk and more burning the fat off that backside." Willow fired back. "I need you to get serious. We've got ten days to Grom, Boscha. Ten days!"

Boscha grumbled as she staggered on. "One of these days, Park. One of these days."

Chapter Text

Once a year in the hallowed halls of Hexside, a sinister anticipation hung heavy in the air, signaling the arrival of Grom. From the shadows will emerge a being called Grometheus.

No one knew where it came from, only that it is the embodiment of terror itself, a demon of pure darkness with a hunger for souls.

Whispers would echo through the corridors as among Hexside's most talented and gifted students a champion is chosen to face this malevolent force. Grometheus possessed a malevolent power – the ability to unearth the deepest, darkest fears of those who dared to challenge it.

To conquer Grometheus meant to confront one's own inner demons, to navigate through a labyrinth of nightmares woven from the fabric of their deepest terrors. The stakes were high; victory meant ascension to the throne as Grom king or queen, hailed as a hero among their peers. But failure... failure meant doom unimaginable.

They say as the chosen champion braced themselves for the impending battle, a chill would sweep through the school, seemingly a foreboding reminder of the consequences of defeat. For if Grometheus emerged victorious, not just the school but the entirety of the boiling isles would be plunged into an eternity of unrelenting terror.

So no pressure for the very lucky soul chosen to undergo this challenge.

"Wow, Boscha, thanks for the backstory. Didn't peg you as the storytelling type," Masha remarked, perched alongside her on Eda's roof.

"I know, right? Guess it's one of my hidden talents," Boscha replied, a hint of pride in her voice.

"Grom sounds like it's going to be wild," Masha commented.

"Definitely. Last year was insane. I swear, I didn't think anyone could scream that loud," Boscha reminisced, reclining on the rooftop before snapping her fingers. "Hooty, fetch me a cold one, pronto!"

“Yes, Boscha, ma'am!” The owl tube said as he dipped into the house to fetch her drink.

“Hey kid,” Eda stuck her head out the window to address the two. “Do you mind not ordering Hooty around like you own the place?”

“Sorry weird Owl Lady my mom said I'm not supposed to spend time around.” Boscha said sarcastically. Eda just glared at her before ducking back inside. She then looked down to her scroll and saw the time. “Hey, you wanna go check out the school? They should be setting things up by now.”

“Sure.” Masha hopped up as she used her glyph book to generate vines that the two used to slide down to the ground.

The two walked down the path as Boscha noticed what looked like the edge of some sort of mark that appeared near the edge of Masha's shirt collar. “Hey, what's that on your back?” She inquired.

Masha quickly moved a hand to cover it. “Don't worry about it. It's nothing, really. Come on, let's pick up the pace. I want to check things out. Maybe lend a hand.”

Boscha let it go and hurried to keep up. “With any luck, Luz will be there by the time we get to the school. She uses Grom as an excuse to sleep in.”

Back at the Hargreaves manor, Luz's eyes creaked open as she rolled out of bed. She looked at the time and saw it was near midday, which was fine with her. She loved these lazy Grom days. “I sure will miss these after graduation.” She said to herself as she stretched before spinning quickly and launching a knife that hit a target on the wall: A picture of Gene, square in the forehead. “If only that were the real thing. Maybe someday.” She smirked as she did her morning light workout. It helped to keep her fit despite the pains she went through. They were always numbed a bit when she woke up but always got progressively worse as the day went on. Eventually she walked and made her way to the bathroom. The girl washed the visible dirt from her face as she showered and washed her hair.

Emerging from the shower, she grabbed a towel and dried off before putting on her robe and walking to a desk with several bottles filled with nutrient pills. They helped to get her going for the day without the need for a heavy breakfast and gave her all the essential vitamins a growing witch needed. Of course, they were broken up between almost a dozen bottles to provide her with the necessary amount needed from each. The multi-vitamins on the market were a scam to buy an “all-in-one” that barely gave you enough so she made them herself. If she could make a pill that allowed you to breathe and swim safely in the boiling sea, a pill to boost your energy levels was a piece of cake.

Luz walked over and pulled out the knife from the wall. She was getting better with it after purchasing it from the market. After her sword was destroyed by Bria, she needed a stand in until she could get another, better personal defense tool that no potion user should be without. Part of her was worried Daphne might be upset that the sword was broken, but her mother was just happy she was okay after that incident. Still, she kept the parts in a box and maybe someday could get them reforged or at least incorporated into something else.

She soon got dressed in her uniform, throwing on the padded version made especially to alleviate her skin condition and walked to the mirror to make a last minute check before heading down to the first floor. “Mom, dad, I'm going to school.”

Luz stopped in place though, when she saw that Daphne only had her third eye open which was glowing as she went through the countless stacks of papers quickly and effortlessly. Despite having seen this before, Luz still couldn't help but be in awe at this. She had read about how this was an ability natural for triclops which allowed them to pretty much speed read an entire book or in her mother's case, go through paperwork that would normally take someone a day to finish, but instead only takes an hour or two for her with it.

‘Too bad I don't have the third eye for it. This would have been so helpful to have’ Luz thought as her mother finished her papers and opened the rest of her eyes and turned off speed reading mode.

“Late start as usual, I see?” Daphne said as she put away the paper she was holding into a drawer on her desk.

“Well there really aren't any classes today so I thought I'd get a little rest before Grom tonight. I figure I'll get there in time to see who is going to battle Grometheus and be back to get dressed.”

“Well, I'll have you and your sister's dresses ready when you both get back. Be safe.”

“Bye mom.” Luz was just about to head out before bumping into her dad.

“Woah, Luz waking up late? What's the occasion?” He inquired.

“It's Grom night, honey. Did you forget?” Daphne reminded him.

“Oh wow. That's today? Man, I still remember our first Grom Together.” he reminisced.

Luz sighed as she knew an anecdote was coming. “Let me guess. It was awkward?”

Larry looked a bit nervous. “Well, it was the night I realized your mom thought I was a girl the entire time we'd known each other. And we learned that the hard way.”

“Emphasis on the 'hard' part.” Daphne joked as she put an arm around him. Their daughter stopped to think about what that meant.

“Wait. You mean you two...? Gross!!!”

“In my defense, your father wasn't exactly what you would call...manly.”

“Hey!” Larry shouted in his defense.

“You did wear a dress to Grom. Can you blame me?” Daphne countered as her husband's face turned red.

“My mom couldn't afford to get me a suit!”

“And the bow in your hair?”

“It tied the outfit together!”

Daphne laughed as she gave him a kiss on the head. “Well, no matter. You are still man enough for me, even at your most girly.”

“And yet you still didn't want to date me after.”

“Well I was thrown off a bit, but I came around.”

Luz looked even more uncomfortable. “I'm gonna go before this gets dirty.”

“Yeah, yeah you should.” Her dad said as the parents stared into each other's eyes.

It wasn't long before Luz arrived at the school and entered to see everyone setting up decorations for Grom in the gymnasium.

“Luz, over here!” The girl turned to find Mary with Fleecy as the two were busy painting a banner. “Hope you got some good sleep. We've got a lot of work to do. How's this look?”

The new arrival looked it over. “Not bad. Not bad at all.” Luz paused as she spotted Boscha and Masha across the room, helping to set some streamers up with a few other students. “So, I hear you were helping the human out.”

“Masha? Yeah, I could tell she needed a new hairdo so I decided to give her my patented touch.” Mary said proudly as she waited for the banner to dry.

“Am I the only one who hasn't lost it?” Luz asked. “She is a human. You know, the powerless beings that hunted witches and burned them at the stake?”

“I have literally never heard of any witch that went over to the human realm. How would they even get there?” Mary asked.

Luz began to remember Masha mentioning at dinner that the Owl Lady had some form of portal to the human world. Maybe that was how. Maybe not. She wasn't certain. Either way, she breathed in and out. “It's bad enough she is on the isles. Now she's infiltrated our school system and my home. Whatever. Where's Bonnie?”

“She's … not coming. I tried to convince her but...”

“Come on, Bonnie. Grom could be fun.” Mary held her friend's hand as Bonnie used the other to hold onto the door frame of her home.

“No. I don't want to! Let me go!” The carrot top fought hard to pull herself in the house. “I'll look like a total loser who has to wear her dad's suit to Grom.”

Mary tried to get her off the door as Marcela could only watch, but tried to intervene. “Sweetie, it could be a fun time to just try something new.”

“I. Said. No!” She spun around, bit Mary's hand and ran up the stairs to her room.

“Ow! She bit me!” Mary screamed, nursing her hand.

“Yeah, so she won't be joining us tonight.” The horn headed girl finished.

“Baba. Ba ba.” Fleecy noted.

Mary glared at her little sister. “I like that you are more outspoken and yet, I don't appreciate your tone.”

“Students? Students, your attention, please.” Everyone turned as Bump was on stage. “I'd like to thank you all for arriving early to prepare for tonight's event. But I'm sure you are all anxious to know who will be facing Grometheus this evening. Well, without further ado, I give you our Grom King/Queen.” He pulled out a raffle cylinder. “Inside are the names of all the highest ranked students in the school written on individual orbs. Now then.” He spun the wheel as everyone waited with bated breath as it soon came to a stop and one ball fell out with a name on it. “And this year's Grom … Queen is...Lusina Hargreaves!”

Luz looked a bit surprised as everyone around cheered and some patted her on the back which she hated. Nearby, Boscha looked on as did Amity who was a short ways away, looking a bit anxious. “Huzzah.” Luz said sarcastically. As the Blight girl approached her.

“Congratulations. I know you'll do great.” Amity told her friend.

“Thanks, Amity. I am going to show Grometheus who's boss if I have to face it.”

“Speaking of Grom, I was wondering. I mean, Willow is going to come with me, but um....” Amity held a small folded piece of paper in her hand, behind her back. “If you want, we could...”

“Just a second.” Luz said. “Since I thought this might happen, I made a plan. Eileen!”

Just then, the girl with an eye for a head approached and let out a muffled, “Yes, ma'am.”

“You heard. Call the others and have them initiate contingency #48.” Luz requested as Eileen saluted and ran off. Before Luz could turn back to Amity, a commotion came from the hall and the students raced out to see a blonde haired, dark skinned student with large bat-like ears on a gurney with two of the school's medical staff tending to him. Luz was only able to catch the tail end of the conversation as the boy she knew as Chadley held up a beating heart.

“Skara, would you go to Grom with me?” He asked before Luz realized it was a cheesy date proposal. She turned her attention to Skara herself, who squealed with joy, jumping on the boy.

“Of course I will, or whatever!” She said joyously as everyone around cheered, sans Luz. After the spectacle was over, Skara saw Luz and made her way over to her. “Luz, Chadley just asked me to Grom. I-I hope you aren't upset.”

“Why would I be upset?” Luz asked, her confusion apparent.

“I mean, I know you've had a huge crush on me for years, so...”

Luz's eyes grew even wider. “You thought I …” Her face flushed red.

“You were always playing hard to get, but I need someone who can take things seriously and Chadley, he keeps it real. I think we can go a long way.” Luz couldn't believe what she was hearing. Skara thought she wanted her after all the things that had transpired? The girl gave Luz a pat on the shoulder. “But don't worry. I'm sure one day you'll find someone who's almost as good as me.”

Part of Luz wanted to reach out and put her hands around Skara's little neck and squeeze until everything above it popped off. Her hands did reach out, but they landed on Skara's shoulders as Luz had an earnest smile on her face. “Well it's my loss. Congratulations Skara. Chadley is a great guy. I've worked with him before and I hope he makes you happy. I'll see you at Grom tonight. You won't want to miss what I have in store.”

Luz waved goodbye to Skara as she walked off herself, forgetting about Amity who still looked flustered. She sighed in defeat and walked off, keeping the note in her hands and tucking it in her pocket. Emira noticed this and went to approach her before getting a call on her scroll. “Hello. Yeah, I just saw her. Really? Right now? I kind of have to... No, you're right. It's time.”

And so Lusina Ariana Hargreaves was chosen out of all the students to combat the entity known as Grometheus. At stake was the entirety of the school and possibly the isles if she should fail. Not that she seemed all that worried about the inevitable battle. Neither did any of the other students. Everyone went about their day as they prepared to go home that afternoon to prepare for the event that evening. All of them knew that Luz could handle this challenge. Despite having no magic, she was a beast of a combatant and many of the students that had at one point picked on her could attest to that.

Boscha on the other hand was not taking it as easy as everyone else. The triclops frowned as she spotted Luz, who rather than training like she expected was instead just sitting under a tree and reading a book.

“Luz, I've been looking all over for you. Aren't you supposed to be preparing to fight Grometheus?” Boscha said.

“Not really, no.” Luz said offhandedly

“What are you talking about? You know what will happen if you don't fight?” she crossed her arms.

“I don't need to fight because I have a plan to nail that monster before it can do anything.” Luz said with a glint in her eye “You see, I remember the last battles against Grometheus and you know one thing I noticed? They always come back in the same spot so I plan to just fill the crater with a bunch of embertoxin bombs. Enough to damage it before it can do anything.”

“You plan...to blow up the arena?”

“Yep. You know what they say. Work smarter not harder. Honestly I don't know why no one thought of it before.”

“Where's the skill in that? It's not even a fight anymore. It's just dirty.” Boscha argued.

Luz rolled her eyes at this claim. “What you call dirty fighting, I call practical. Why would I risk the entirety of the isles just to show off? Why fight a battle when you can skirt around it? This will be sweet, short and to the point, just like mom always says.”

Boscha, of course, didn't seem all too happy with the idea and looked in complete shock. Luz looked up again from her book. “Something else you needed?”

“I just thought...What if you didn't fight Grom?” Boscha hesitated to say.

“Yes, exactly. I'm not fighting it. I am going to blow it to kingdom come. We went over this already.” Luz stated, slightly annoyed.

Boscha breathed deep. “No, I mean: What if I fought Grometheus instead?”

Luz put her book down and looked directly at her sister. “Okay, I'll bite. Where is this coming from all of a sudden?”

“It's just... I've always wanted to fight Grometheus. If I could beat it, I could show everyone what I am capable of. Just let me take your place and I could give everyone a show. Plus, you could relax and just enjoy the night.” Boscha looked hopeful.

“Ugh.” Luz groaned. “Fine. I'll call Principal Bump and let him know about the switch, but you better know what you're doing, Boscha. There is a lot of work to do and I don't want to waste my time battling my fears, few as they are, because you got scared.”

“I'm not going to get scared! Grometheus is going to be the one scared after tonight. I bet it never shows its hideous face again!” Boscha walked off to get herself ready. Luz meanwhile relaxed as she got back to reading.

Boscha found herself heading into town, wasting no time as she went to the blacksmith shop. “Hey, Boscha.” Brandy greeted as she saw the Hargreaves girl enter the business. “What can I do for you today?”

“Hey Brandy. Look I need to make some modifications to this.” She reached to her side and unsheathed her sword. “I'm facing Grometheus and I need it at the best you can make it.”

The construction track student/apprentice blacksmith was shocked. “Grometheus? Grometheus the Fear Bringer?” Boscha nodded at the question. “You are bold. I thought Luz was fighting it.”

“She was, but I am taking over.” Boscha stated confidently.

Brandy took the sword and brought it to the forge. “Well, I'd better get her ready for you then.” She dipped the sword into the fire to get it heated before grabbing her hammer. “I'll have to do something special for this.” She began hammering. “You know, I wasn't planning on going to Grom, but I might just make an appearance now.”

“Really?” Boscha asked.

“Yeah, I mean if you're going to be fighting, it'll be a show not to forget and to top it off, you'll be using our family brand to do it. But more importantly, I want to support you.” Brandy said as she brought the hammer down on the sword repeatedly. Meanwhile Boscha looked into the forge as her skin tingled. The flames seemed to call to her as she watched Brandy stoke it every so often to keep it lit.

“Wow, um … thanks Brandy.”

“No worries. But, how are you planning on fighting Grometheus?”

Boscha continued looking into the bright flames. “I'm going to just fight through any fears that it shows me. Just have to remind myself that it's not real.”

“Okay, but what if that doesn't work? What if you have to overcome your fears?” Brandy asked with concern.

“Then I'll face them. I don't get scared, I get angry.” Boscha said as she formed fireballs in her hands.

“Sure.” Brandy kept on working on the sword as the two chatted. It took a while, but eventually, Brandy let the weapon cool and presented it to Boscha. “There, she's all ready for you. Try her out.”

Boscha walked over and picked up the sword, taking it outside with Brandy to the small courtyard in the middle of the shop. The construction student let several wooden targets go on rails as Boscha spun to meet them, each approaching at different angles. She elegantly cut each one down with her blade as they came her way. The teen leapt towards the final one, cutting it down the middle, letting out a battle cry. “Great work. This will do very nicely.”

“What can I say, I take pride in my work.” Brandy smiled as she saw the blade do its job. Boscha handled the blade and saw the engraved runes running up and down it. She sheathed it before turning back to the blacksmith.

“Thanks for doing this.”

“Not a problem. You better go get ready for tonight. Speaking of, I should find something to wear myself. Maybe I could hitch a ride with you and your date.”

Boscha chuckled a bit. “That is … well let's just say there's no date tonight.”

“Well, then let me be your wing witch for the evening.”

The teen thought about it for a second. “Sure. Why not? I'll pick you up about an hour before things start.”

That evening, the students had all returned home to prepare the the big event, each getting ready in their own way.

In town, Gene was getting dressed up by Violet as she made sure his suit was just right. “Come on, Vi. I can do this myself.”

“No, you can't. You are not going to Grom looking like trash.” She told him, fixing the black bow tie on his matching black suit with blue dress shirt underneath.

“Thanks mom.” He said sarcastically as he let her continue.

Violet put the finishing touches on the suit. “So you're sure you want to do this?”

“If not now, there will never be a better time to apologize.” He admitted.

“Okay, but if you are going to take her to Grom, remember: Let her talk to her friends, get her refreshments, and don't do that thing you always do when you get nervous.”

“What thing?!”

“You know the one. Now off with you.” Violet shooed him out the door. “I'm going to actually enjoy my night. Don't blow it.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Gene said as he headed out the door with some flowers.

Amelia looked herself over in the mirror as her powder blue suit was a good fit. She was ready to go once Marvin arrived. The plant tracker found herself admitting that she wasn't too keen on going with him at first but the boy won her over by his goofball nature. Marvin wasn't what you'd call smart or crafty or anything really positive outside of fun to be around. That last one was what got him this date.

She'd called Cat and asked if she wanted to go together with her date, but apparently her half-sister had something more important to do before arriving. She didn't ask questions. The two had come up together, their shared father abandoning both of the women that were their respective mothers. One thing Amelia had learned in that time is that if Cat wasn't telling her something, she had her reasons. She owed the girl that much after how she treated her in the past.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a knock on the front door and figured it must be Marvin. The green haired girl made her way down the stairs before hearing a thud. She rushed down to see Marvin, passed out in the doorway and her mother, wearing a skintight workout suit on. “Mom!”

Teresa turned to her with a concerned expression as she lifted the boy up. “Your little friend here seems to have had a mishap. Fell right down.”

Amelia looked at her mother, her cheeks red. “I told you to stop wearing that at the door!”

“I was doing my workouts. You can't blame a woman for trying to stay fit.” She lifted up Marvin, holding the boy close to her chest as his face was almost glowing red. “Besides, he looks like he's perking up already.”

Amelia looked enraged. “Mother!”

Mary was not having a great start as her older sisters had opted to help her prepare. They cleaned and pressed her dark blue dress and were helping now to press her hair and shine her horns up. She absolutely hated it. This was never her thing but she did want to look good for Grom, even if her sisters were taking things a bit too far for her taste. “I really don't need all of this.” She said as her voice was silenced.

“Don't move sis. I need to put this blush on those cheeks.” Her eldest sister and sibling, Dorpy told her as the woman took a make-up brush and added light powder on her face. “You are going to be a knockout.”

“Seriously, this isn't necessary.”

“Hey. Who knows more about getting a date: The woman with a baby, or Single McSingleton? Hmm?” Dorpy said as her infant son was in a harness on her chest.

Her second eldest sister, Suffy came from the right of the girl, doing her nails. “So, are you taking Bonnie to Grom?”

Mary looked at her as if she were insane. “What!? No! Why on the isles would you think that?”

“You have been friends for years, she lived with us for months, you help heal her both physically and emotionally...” Suffy listed off. “You saved her from puppet life. This story writes itself.”

“Yeah, it's just like mom and dad.” One of the younger sisters swooned. “You should do labors for her as well and win her heart.”

“It's not like that!” Mary shouted before recomposing herself. “And besides, I'm going to ask Edric Blight to dance with me.” Her siblings all released a unified groan. “What?”

“Really, Mary? You can do better than him.” Another sibling called. “We like Bonnie better.”

“Yeah, go with Bonnie.” Another said as the siblings began to chant.

“Bonnie! Bonnie! Bonnie! Bonnie!”

Mary gritted her fangs in frustration. She loved her family and yet she begrudgingly settled with the fact that she was stuck with them.

Celine laid on her bed, staring up at her scroll as she went through the various pages of her classmates' penstagrams. Many were posting pictures of their Grom outfits and dates either at home, on the way to the school or already there. Unfortunately for her, the girl couldn't go. The moon would be out and she couldn't risk what happened at the Hargreaves manor happening again. Hettie gave her warnings and she chose not to heed them and Celine had almost hurt her friends. With that in mind, she opted to not even mention Grom and stay put.

As she was going through more images and wishing that everyone had a great night, a knock came on her door. “Come in.” Hettie Cutburn entered the room and noticed the girl lying down. “Hey, Aunt Hettie.”

“Why aren't you getting ready?” The Healing Coven Headwitch asked the girl who looked confused.

“Ready for what? Did I forget something?” She sat up, putting down her scroll.

Hettie looked at the girl with her usual neutral face. “Apparently so. You are aware that tonight is Grom, correct?”

“Yes, but...” Celine was stopped as her aunt put up a hand to pause her. The woman pulled out a circular bronze band.

“Here. Take this.” She gave it to the teen who looked it over and saw ruins engraved in its surface. “Althea managed to 'procure' this from a friend. It's very rare but it can hold back certain … conditions such as yours. Mind you, it's very delicate, so I want you to be careful when you go out.”

Celine was silent for a while as she held the object in her hands and flipped it around. “Thanks, but I don't have anything to wear to Grom.”

Her aunt gave a small smile. “That leads me to the next item at hand. Althea?” She called as the cyclops woman walked in with a red dress on a hanger as well as a pair of matching shoes.

“There you go. Now you've got everything you need to...” Althea began to say before she and Hettie found themselves wrapped in a tight hug by the girl.

“Thank you both. Thank you so much!” Celine said excitedly before the two helped her prepare. After getting dressed, Althea put the band onto Celine's left horn before tying a red bow over it to keep it concealed and held in place. “I'm so excited! I can't wait. Thank you so much.”

“Don't thank me too much.” Althea told her. Your aunt was the one that had me scouring the isles for that band. “I know she can be as firm as a mountain sometimes, but she cares about you more than you can imagine.” She put the finishing touches on her and straightened out her dress. “And remember, if anyone tries to get fresh, you know what moves Headwitch Cutburn taught you.”

Celine smirked as the two left the room and the nurse escorted her out to the waiting carriage. “Now you enjoy yourself, and be safe. Your aunt and I have important business to attend to but if you need anything, you just call me. Okay?” Celine nodded as she got in and waved to the two as it traveled down the road. The two went back inside the manor and headed to the basement as Althea helped set up some recording equipment: Lights, cameras and some baffles on the walls. In front of the cameras was a table with several bladed weapons arrayed in a rows. Two other members of the healing coven were helping with the lighting and angles as one brought over a glass of apple blood to Hettie. She unfortunately stumbled and dropped the glass, spilling it on the woman and splashing over her uniform, mostly on her gloved hands that had been resting on the table.

“Head Witch Cutburn, forgive me I...” The woman attempted to apologize as Hettie's hands shook and she held them in front of her. Seeing this, Althea shooed the other two out of the room and quickly locked the door before rushing back to the woman.

Hettie looked at her hands as they shook even worse and she began to mutter to herself. “The Blood....it won't come off! Get it off me! Get it off me!” She grips the armrest of her chair with one hand so tensely that it splinters the wood frame.

Althea gently put her hands over hers and held them still as best she could. “Head Witch. Ms. Cutburn? Hettie...” The last one seemed to get her attention. “It's okay.”

“The blood...” She stuttered out. “It's on me. It's on me.” Her lip seemed to quiver as Althea slowly raised a hand and levitated a clean replacement pair of gloves over to her.

“It's okay. It's just a drink. Just a drink, okay? I've got you.” She swiftly pulled off the old ones and levitated the new ones on as the shaking soon subsided. “There. You're okay.”

The head of the Healing Coven looked down at the unstained gloves and breathed, recomposing herself. She looked down at the fractured arm of the chair she sat in. “Thank you. Let's get this cleaned up before we continue, shall we?” She asked as Althea smiled and went to fetch the other assistants.

At the Hargreaves' manor, Gene stood on the front steps, a bouquet of flowers in hand as he stood nervously for several minutes to hype himself up. He then knocked once, hoping the family didn't send that monster of theirs after him. The door soon opened as Larry looked to the sweaty boy with curiosity. “May I help you?”

“Okay Gene, you got this. Just be cool and polite and don't make things awkward.” He thought to himself. “I've come for your daughter!” He blurted out in the most creepy sounding way possible.

Larry stood in silence for a moment. “Oh I see. Honey, we have a Troll kidnapper!” He shouted back into the house.

“Well deal with it. I am drying my nails.” Daphne responded as Larry turned back to him and pulled out a flail, making Gene shield himself.

“Ah! No, I mean I am here to take your daughter to Grom!”

Larry paused and looked a bit confused. “Boscha?” The girl peered her head around the corner only for Gene to blow a raspberry at her.

“Ew! No. Your pretty daughter.”

Boscha glared at him before pointing a finger in his direction. “I will remember that.” She then vanished as Luz, wearing a black and gold blouse and skirt combo with leggings underneath and her hair done up in an intricate fashion by her mother appeared.

“Gene? What do you want? I don't have time to kick your butt tonight. It's Grom.” She told him.

“I know. And … I was hoping that maybe I could … take you.” He held up the flowers. Just then, a swift gust of wind blew through the house as Daphne appeared.

“Did I hear correctly? Someone wants to take Luz to Grom?” She looked at the boy in front of her. “Daphne Hargreaves. You must be that horrible, putrid little Gene Luz always talks about maiming.”

“Yes?” He said nervously. “I know that I hurt your daughter in the past, but I want to make things up to her and I thought that maybe I could start with doing this. It's not much I know but...”

“Welcome to our home.” The woman was being surprisingly pleasant. “I think I speak for everyone when I say Lusina is honored.”

“No you don't!” Luz protested but was ignored.

“You know, she hasn't been on a date since...”

“Mom!” Luz cried. “That is a need to know thing and he doesn't need to know. Besides, I am not going with him.”

“Well of course you are. He went through all the trouble of coming here.” She immediately shooed her daughter over to him. Luz merely growled at him as he chuckled nervously. “See. You two look great.” She swiftly snapped a picture. “Now if your sister would hurry. Boscha, come on. You don't want to be late for your big night.”

“Okay. I'm coming down.” Boscha walked down the stairs, wearing a dark mauve kimono styled outfit. It wrapped slightly loose from her body as she had sash of a darker shade of the same color wrapped around her waist. She wore a pair of sandals with short white socks from the exposed part of her legs that could be seen as well as yellow bow tied in her hair.

“There she is. My little Grom Queen. Now don't you look amazing?” Daphne said as she looked in wonder at her second child.

“Especially considering she's still two dress sizes too big for any of her own outfits.” Luz whispered to Gene causing Boscha to glare at her. This was interrupted by their mother coming over to snap a photo of her daughter.

“That bow really ties the outfit together. Where did you get it?” Daphne inquired.

Boscha sweated a small bit. She could tell her mother the truth: That it was a gift from Angmar, her boyfriend, from Glandus High. “It was just something I had lying around.” She told her mother with a smile. After snapping a few shots for the night, Daphne sent the kids off with Derwin giving them a ride. While in the carriage, Luz decided to lay down the rules with Gene. “Okay, first things first. We are setting some ground rules if we are doing this.” Luz told him as the boy, expecting what was coming, teleported a notepad and pen to himself. “First off, don't touch me. Second, you may stand at least but no closer than two feet away from me, giving the illusion of us being together. Third, You will get me whatever refreshments I want. Fourth,” It went on like that for the better part of the ride to Hexside as Gene took notes on everything she said.

Elsewhere, at the Hempstead household, Bonnie was currently sitting on the couch eating snacks with her mother while they watched the crystal ball. The girl had decided against going to Grom with her friends and opted to stay home with her mother. For her part Marcela knew Bonnie wanted to attend deep down, but she just refused to go with the sole outfit she owned. The mother had wanted to buy her a dress for the occasion, but it just wasn't in the finances. Despite owning a shop in town, much of the money went to the home and taxes that she was just keeping herself above and she hated asking her friends for handouts, not wanting to be that one friend that was always begging off favors just because the others were better off financially.

“Bonnie? You know it's not too late for me to take you to Grom. I can still drop you off.” The woman offered.

“No mom. I'm fine. Besides, I don't even have anything nice to wear anyway. It probably won't even be that good.” Bonnie countered, silencing her mother's concerns before tightening the hood on her head as the two turned back to their program. A while later a carriage was heard riding down the road which wasn't unusual, though the sound of it passing by ceased as the vehicle seemed to stop in front of the home by the sound of the door opening. A knock came at the front door of the modest residence as Bonnie got up to answer.

“Hello...” She stopped as she opened the door to see Adrian Graye standing before her. “Head Witch Graye? What are you doing here?”

The man had his usual apathetic stare that was added to by a raised eyebrow of slight surprise. “I came to escort you to Grom, though I assume you'd be ready by this point.” He looked over her lounge clothing, noting the holes in the shirt and pants, clearly and correctly assuming this was something she'd had for a while.

Bonnie looked a bit embarrassed as her mother took note of the guest and came over to greet him. “Head Witch Graye. To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“I had come to deliver your daughter to the festivities in style and it looks like I arrived just in the nick of time. You cannot seriously think of going in that?”

The girl avoided his gaze, forgetting the important lesson of always making eye contact. “It's just... I don't own anything fancy enough to go to Grom. I'd just make a fool of myself.”

The man rolled his eyes at hearing this. He snapped his fingers to get the girl to look at him. “So you're telling me if you had something proper to wear, you would go?” He received a confirmation nod before turning to the carriage, or rather, carriages outside as a second, just as ornate as the blue with gold trim one that was his personal transport. He gave a whistle as several people raced out of the second with fabric, beauty supplies and various materials raced out. “Luckily for you, I never travel without my personal tailor, cosmetologist and assorted others. Ladies and gentlemen, get this child ready for Grom.”

His orders were heeded as they stormed in like a well oiled machine and got to work “beautifying” his young ward. Graye for his part sat back as Marcela and he watched the professionals work their magic, though they put up a screen between them and the two onlookers. Bonnie wasn't completely comfortable with all this attention, but she just let it happen as her nails were trimmed before having a nice shade of black polish put on them. Her face and hair were both given a good washing before the latter was styled in a very fancy way with curls put in; after seeing herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but love. A touch of light make-up was put on her cheeks as well as some eyeliner to, as the tailor with a swift bit of magic, got her exact measurements and began scribbling a design on a piece of paper, presenting it to the assistance, who quickly got to work cutting fabric and putting the design together.

It wasn't long before the design was completed and slipped onto the girl who was surprised by the swiftness of it all. Not long after the crew stepped back to admire their work and presented a full length mirror for the girl to admire herself in it. The powder blue dress with slightly lighter accents and trim was breathtaking, it wasn't full length ball gown style as this offered better range of motion for the event, but it was just right in her opinion as they had slipped on a pair of white, elbow length gloves on as well. The finishing touch had been a pair of blue muffs with ornate gold designs over their surface placed to cover her fin-type ears that granted her peace of mind but also allowed her to present her fabulous hairstyle.

“I'm … pretty.” Was all the girl could manage to muster up as she looked herself over.

“You are much more than that. You are stunning.” Adrian commented before thanking the team for the miracle they had just worked. Marcela herself was stunned at seeing the beauty of her child finally allowed to shine. She had no words and had to hold back the tears of joy.

“Mom, don't cry, please.” Bonnie, who was herself getting emotional, said.

“It's just … you look so beautiful. Go on and enjoy your night, sweetie.” The two shared a hug before Bonnie turned to Adrian and surprised him with an embrace as well, something he was still awkward about.

The man gave her a light pat on the head. “Right. Well, you had best be off while the night is still young.” He told her as he escorted her outside to the carriage as she got in. “There you are. Enjoy the night.”

“Thank you, Head Witch Graye.” The girl said as he gently closed the door. He prepared to depart before noticing Marcela, who was waving goodbye to her daughter. The woman then walked over to him.

“Head Witch, I want to thank you for helping Bonnie like this. I've never seen her so excited since … Well it's been a long time.” Marcela said.

“It's no trouble at all. Really. I'm sure you have some plans of your own.”

This caused her to chuckle lightly. “Oh no. It's just a quiet evening for me. Would … would you like to come in for a cup of tea? After all this, it's the least I can do.”

In all honesty, Adrian had planned to drop off Bonnie and return to the castle for his own night of relaxation, but it wouldn't hurt to accept this small gesture. He could always call for the carriage to return. “Sounds like a splendid idea.” He said, putting on the usual charm. He told the carriage driver that he would call if he needed a ride back to the castle, which was acknowledged before both vehicles drove on and Graye accompanied Marcela into the home.

On arrival to Hexside, Derwin opened the door for the Hargreaves girls and Gene as they got out. “Enjoy Grom.” He said pleasantly.

“We will.” The two girls said.

“As for you, good luck. You're gonna need it.” Derwin told Gene, who saw that he wasn't joking.

“Boscha!” Brandy called. The girl was wearing a dark green dress with black flats as she ran over to Boscha. “My Queen, allow me to escort you inside.” Brandy joked as she held out her arm and Boscha laughed and took it as they walked inside. “Girl, I am loving that bow. It really compliments the outfit.”

“Thanks. It was given to me by … someone special.” Boscha said as she thought back about a week ago.

Boscha stood outside the treasure shack as she had several dummies set up. She hurled fireballs one after the other at them, taking off the heads as each shot hit it's mark. Just imagining they were Willow really helped her aim and the intensity of the attacks

“One little, two little, three headless Willows now.” Boscha sang as she blasted them in sequence. “Four little, five little, six headless Willows now. Seven little, eight little … Angmar!?” She screamed as she was in the middle of hurling a fireball and twisted her wrist enough to change it's angle slightly and glide over the top of the boy's head as he stood there in shock, the top of his hat on fire. Boscha immediately stopped and ran over to him as she patted the fire down.

“I definitely shouldn't sneak up on you.” He said, his eyes wide open as she helped him.

“What are you doing here? If anyone sees you up here...” Boscha began.

“I know, but,” Angmar reached into his satchel and pulled out a small white box. “I wanted to give you this.” Boscha took the small package and opened it to find a bright yellow untied bow inside. She looked over the cloth and felt it between her fingers before looking to her boyfriend.

She smiled at him before licking her finger and putting out the little flame still burning on his hat. “I love it.”

“I know you have Grom coming up and I wanted to get you something. Especially since I can't be there.” His tone changed to one of sadness mid-sentence as Boscha felt bad herself.

“Angmar. I wish I wasn't such a big chicken and just tell mom about … us.”

The boy smiled and reached up an arm and placed it on her shoulder. “It's okay. I don't want to end up stuffed and decorating your living room.” The two shared a laugh before Boscha stopped and looked down at the gift and then back to Angmar.

“Listen, I know you won't be there, but … I have an idea. A crazy one, but if it works, people are going to see me a lot differently from now on.” She spoke with newfound determination. “And after that, I know I'll have the courage to speak up and we won't have to walk on eggshells about our relationship anymore.”

Angmar smiled again and hugged her. “Well, whatever you have planned, just know I'm rooting for you no matter where I am. Good luck.”

Boscha snapped back to reality as she and the others made it to the front door. Inside the festivities had already kicked off. The band of enchanted instruments opened for dancing with a special band closing the night out. Meanwhile many had already arrived as Skara and Chadley had met up outside and excused themselves from the main room to a more private area. Amelia and Marvin talked as the two sat on the bleachers, Amelia apologizing for the awkward moment at her house.

The Blight siblings had arrived with the grandeur that their station in life demanded, with all the bells and whistles on the carriage. Emira and Amity noted that it did not seem like Odalia to shell out on something so frivolous, but they also recognized that it was mostly due to the woman wanting Edric to have a great time. With how well the two had been getting along lately it wasn't surprising that he got special attention. What was surprising was that Odalia Blight, of all people, would be willing to spend money on something she would not get a return on.

Emira didn't give much time to discuss this as she spotted some friends from her healing classes and hastily excused herself. It left Amity and Edric to make small talk, though there wasn't much to be had. Edric had already told both his sisters that he didn't want to talk about Odalia as both girls tried to dissuade him from spending too much time with the woman. Fortunately, Willow had arrived to keep the Blight girl company in the meantime. All the while, the eyes of Mary Shepard watched Edric from across the room, looking for her chance to ask him.

It wasn't long before Luz and Boscha arrived inside, the latter accompanied by Brandy and the former with …

“Gene Skullbrecher?” Amity's eyes widened in disbelief at the unexpected sight before her, standing alongside her brother and best friend. "Wait, Luz with Gene? But Luz told me she wasn't looking to be anyone's partner right now."

Willow chimed in, "But weren't you planning to make a move on her tonight?"

Amity huffed, "That's entirely different! And Gene? Seriously? He's like a one-man Luz-targeting squad."

Edric couldn't resist adding, "Maybe if you started off as a menacing monster to Luz, you'd have a shot." His joke was quickly silenced by the withering glare from his sister, a look he thought only his mother was capable of. "Retreat, retreat."

In need of a breather, Amity made her way to the refreshment table where Eileen, suspiciously hunched over the punch bowl, spun around with a guilty look. "Is this stuff spiked?" Amity inquired, to which Eileen sheepishly nodded, bracing for the consequences. "Perfect. Pour me a glass and keep 'em coming," Amity declared with a miserable frown.

“Luz.” Mary called as she ran over to meet the girl and the others. “Fashionably late I see. And you brought Gene? That's a surprise.” She looked at the boy a few times. “This isn't one of his schemes is it? Because I will gladly headbutt him into next year.”

“No, he says he is trying to apologize and now I'm stuck with him.” Luz told her friend. “Hey, I said two feet.” She ordered him before Gene took a step away to maintain the distance. “So I see Bonnie isn't here. Too bad.”

“Yeah, but on the plus side, your arrival must have been super effective. Now Edric is all by his lonesome and I might just give him some company.” Mary said with a smirk making sure her hair and horns were perfect.

“Edric Blight? Really?” Boscha chimed in.

“Don't you need to get ready?” Mary asked in annoyance. “You aren't exactly the betting favorite tonight. I've got ten-to-one odds that you end up on your knees crying like a baby.”

“You put a betting pool up?!” Boscha asked, absolutely enraged.

“Not me. Matt.”

The triclops girl excused herself as Brandy followed. This left the others in a rather awkward spot as Mary broke the ice. “So Gene, how's it been?”

“Not great. Had a bunch of depressing moments, reassessed my life and the way I acted and now I'm trying to turn things around.” He told the horn headed girl.

Surprisingly, she smiled at him. “Good to hear. If I'm being honest, I was worried you might press your luck one too many times. I didn't want to see you get crossed off Luz's revenge list that way.” She and Luz laughed as he looked even more pale than before.

The joking was cut short as they heard trumpets play as two coven scouts stood in the door, playing trumpets as two more threw flower petals down ahead of a girl with curly orange hair and a breathtaking blue dress. She walked in quietly and looked around as everyone's eyes were on her. Mary's eyes were wide with amazement. “Get a look at the talent! I'm going in.” She exclaimed as she watched the scouts bid the girl farewell.

“What about Edric?” Luz asked.

“Who?” Mary quickly made her way over, knocking aside anyone in her way before reaching the new arrival. She swooped in right next to the girl. “Hey there, cutie.”

The girl was surprised by this. “Oh, hey Mary. Love your dress.”

Mary was a bit surprised. “You know my name? Well, of course you do. My family is pretty famous in these parts. So, what's your name.” She moved in closer and wrapped an arm around the girl.

“Oh Mary, you're so funny.” The girl giggled before pulling up her earmuffs to reveal her unique ears.

“Bonnie?!” Mary said in shock as she jumped back and away. “Eww! I was hitting on … I thought you were … Gross! Unclean! Unclean!” Mary ran off as Bonnie looked confused by that.

“Okay, see you later.” Bonnie waved, none the wiser as she went about walking around, greeting and being greeted by everyone she passed.

Nearby, at the refreshment table, Masha stood, eating a piece of cake, of course checking to confirm it was edible for humans. She sported a black blouse with translucent sleeves and a black skirt with a pair of knee high boots. Casually greeting Boscha and wishing her good luck, the human just sat back to relax and take in the event. Near here, a nervous Gus stood, looking around before clearing his throat. “So … How do you like Grom?”

Masha looked over to him with a none too impressed look. “Really? You've been standing there, ogling me for twenty minutes and that's the best you could come up with?” Gus sighed before turning to walk off, only for Masha wrapped an arm around him, laughing. “I'm just joking, little dude. Relax. You're Gus, right? Head of the Human Appreciation Society?”

“Uh, yeah. That's me.” He confirmed.

“You must have a million questions for a genuine human. King, you cool on your own for a bit?” She called as the small furry creature was struggling against several girls who were all cuddling him. “Yeah, he's good. Now then Gus, walk with me, talk with me.” The two made their way around the auditorium, with Gus asking every question he'd ever thought of.

As Mary excused herself out of embarrassment, Bonnie eventually managed to make her way over to Luz and Gene. “Hi Luz. Hi Gene.”

“Bonnie?” Luz was equally shocked as she looked over the girl who looked almost nothing like her regular self. “You look …” Luz couldn't seem to find the words.

“I know. I've been getting that reaction a lot. And look at you. Who would have thought that you and Gene would be a thing.” Both Luz and Gene turn a bit red. Well Luz turned red while Gene's face turned a shade of blue.

“We are not together!” Luz said in a flustered kind of way. “I mean we came here together, but he …”

“I was just being nice. Trying to make things square.” Gene told Bonnie.

“Oh, you are so sweet.” Bonnie said as Luz almost gagged.

“Anyway, how did you get so well put together?” Luz inquired of her friend.

“It was all Head Witch Graye. He came over and had some professionals help me out. It was really kind of him to do so. I owe him for this.” She told her friend before excusing herself, waving to Celine across the room and once again leaving Gene and Luz alone.

“So why do you care about taking me to Grom?” Luz asked him, not being able to think of anything else.

Gene sighed as he looked out to everyone else having a good time. “Look, I realize now that I was wrong about you. After Boscha and I went in to fix your memories and I saw that you … weren't a human, everything was clear to me. I messed up.”

Luz was quiet for a bit as she processed this. “Well, at least you got that cleared up.”

“Yeah, I get it now. Just not being able to use magic and those ears don't make you a human. They aren't the only ones that can't do magic. I mean … no one expected me to.”

“I had wondered that. Trolls don't actually have magic.” She pointed out. The species was known for its savage combat nature, but lacked any magical ability. From what Luz remembers in her studies, they are some of the physically strongest beings on the isles and were highly sought after in the now banned slave trades for their usefulness in heavy lifting and mining operations in the distant past.

“Well my dad was a witch from what my mom always said about him. Of course, I took after her in the looks department. From him I got my magic. I guess that's why I put so much stock in trying to be the best. I had a lot to prove.”

Luz was again silent before answering. “I can relate, but I guess you know that much. Why haven't I seen your parents around anyway? With as much as I pounded on you, I would have thought they would have shown up at least once.”

“Mom … doesn't actually live in Bonesborough or anywhere on this side of the isles. She and the rest of my family live far south. I got separated from them when I was about four or so. They weren't exactly welcome around these parts and took off when the coven found out they were near. I ended up wandering into town by myself. Don't remember much, but I was in an orphanage for a small time before Violet and her mom took me in and I have been staying with her in that apartment for a while.”

“That must be rough, not being with your family all that often.” Luz said with a small bit of sympathy. Even when she was feeling down and kids made fun of her, she had her family. She couldn't imagine not being with them for years. She found herself patting him on the back reassuringly, surprising him.

“I know my mom would come here if she could, but honestly, I don't know much about that life outside of what you hear most witches say. She and I still talk every so often and she wants me to come live with her. Me personally, I want to at least finish up my classes and make it big before I even think about that.”

“Well, I think you'll get there, but you'll still never beat me.” Luz jokes.

“We'll see, Hargreaves. We will see.”

As the two joked, they soon found their laughter interrupted by a newcomer as Emira stood in front of them with a look that was a mixture of anger and determination. “Luz. Other potion kid.” She addressed Gene as he gestured to her nervously before the girl looked to Luz and extended her hand. “Care to dance?” Luz wanted to say no, but that look in Emira's eyes told her that was not an option. The redhead took her hand as she was soon whisked out to the dance floor, leaving Gene to his own devices at the moment.

“Now my sister too?” Amity said as she chugged another punch. “They're all against me. Every last one of them. More punch, Eileen.”

“Mmm mmm mm?” Eileen protested.

“More!” Amity's rage was sated as she got another cup of punch. As the youngest Blight child chugged more drinks, Luz found herself in the soft, yet firm hands of Emira.

“So Luz, how are things?” Emira asked as they danced, holding Luz tight and close to her as they moved across the floor.

“Great. You know, just working on my projects, trying to be a supportive sister and all.” Luz said as she unsuccessfully tried to pry herself free.

“So no more episodes since your last time? I suppose I wouldn't know since you blocked me from coming to visit you in the hospital.” Emira said the last portion with a bit of aggression as she reaffirmed her hold on Luz, even as she twirled her to the music. “Care to explain?”

Luz glared at her as she stopped dancing. “I told you to leave it. I don't need your advice and I no longer require your healing services. So just drop it.” The younger teen said in anger as Emira sighed.

“I'm sorry you feel that way, Luz. I hoped that we could have done this the easy way, but...” She surprised the redhead by spinning her as the girl twirled away into a waiting sack as two masked figures picked her up and ran off.

“Gene! Gene! Emergency! Do something! You agree to the terms!” Her cries went unanswered as her “not date” had other matters to attend to at the moment.

That matter? Amity Blight, who had accosted him in her angered haze. “How dare you try to take what doesn't belong to you!” She said angrily, gripping his suit jacket.

“Calm down, Blight. I'm not even after her bitter bean blood recipe.” He defended. This only caused Amity to stop and look up at him as her eyes narrowed.

“Bitter....bean...blood? You think this is about that stupid recipe!” She shook him furiously as spines began to form on her skin from the spiked punch, a sign of it's late effects, that began piercing through her dress. “I'm talkin' about what's really important here!”

Gene looked confused and looked around for a moment. “Potions?” This only got him shaken even more by her.

“Potions?! I'll show you potions, you little...” She kept strangling him as everyone around decided to mind their own business.

While that all transpired, Boscha was busy walking the halls with Brandy following behind as she tried to hype herself up. “I've got this. I've got this. Just keep myself in control and my mind clear.”

“That's my girl.” Brandy encouraged. “Just remember to breath, keep calm, don't let anything distract you from what's...”

“Boscha.” And with that all of the triclops' calm vanished as Willow Park, in a dark green dress approached.

The Hargreaves girl's three eyes narrowed as she approached. “What do you want, Park? I'll be at practice.”

Willow sighed. “I'm not here for that. Just here to wish you luck.”

Was she serious? She couldn't be serious. “Not now, Park. I am about to fight Grometheus and I don't need you messing with my head.”

“I just came by to tell you that there's no shame in asking for help. If it gets to be too much...” Willow attempted to place a hand on her teammates shoulder only to have it swatted away.

“Don't patronize me. I'm going to show you and everyone that I can do this and that I am no ones third tier!”

Willow found herself losing her cool. “Is that what this is about? Boscha, this isn't a game! If you lose...”

“Get out of here! I can do this on my own and I don't need you or anyone else distracting me! Now leave me alone!” Boscha told her as Willow decided to just do as she wanted and left back to the gym. From what she heard, a certain best friend of hers was making a scene. Boscha grumbled as Brandy placed a reassuring hand on her back, one of which the redhead almost brushed off in the same way as Willow before but she soon calmed down and smiled. “Thanks, Brandy. Let's go. I need to keep myself focused.” They started walking down the hall and both stopped as they heard sounds coming from the janitor's closet. Boscha turned the knob slightly and opened the door as a familiar pink tail fell out and her and Brandy's eyes were wide with surprise.

“Oh Chadley!” Skara called out as her tail curled up.

“And....that's not helping.” Boscha said as she slowly closed the door and walked off.

Luz had the bag pulled from over her but instantly felt her arms get tied behind her back as she was sat down in a chair. “What's going on? Who are you? If you are thinking of ransoming me...that's actually a brilliant idea. My family is loaded.” In front of her stood four masked figures in blue cloaks. Each began to remove them as she soon recognized them all. “Bo, Cat, Vinny, Emira? What the heck is going on?! Untie me right now!”

“Nice to see you two, Luz.” Cat said with a disapproving scowl. “Sorry about the abrupt transport.”

“But it was the only way to get you to sit still long enough to hear us out.” Emira finished.

“Is-Is this about me posting that blog about elves being bad kissers?" Luz asked as the others in the group turned to Bo who had a flustered look as her face was red.

"It was for an experiment!"

"A failed one, I might add." Luz's comment almost got her attacked but Viney and Cat held Bo back as she kicked and swore at the girl who was bound in the chair.

“I'll show you 'dry and tasteless' you little...” Bo swung and missed as Emira had enough.

“Everyone stop!” She shouted as the group turned their attention to her. There was silence for a moment before the flush of a toilet was heard and Luz realized they were in the girls bathroom. Suddenly a stall opened and Mary stepped out and went to wash her hands, seemingly paying no attention to the group.

“What happens at Grom, stays at Grom.” She said as she dried her hands and headed for the door.

“Mary, do something!” Luz pleaded.

“Sorry, I'm dead to you. Remember?” The horned girl said before walking out of the room and leaving Luz with the healer crew.

“Now then.” Viney said as she released a calmed Bo and looked back to Luz. “We all need to talk about you.”

Luz kept trying to get herself out of the chair and loosen the ropes around her hands as she found it harder than she thought and decided to play along. “Why? I'm fine.”

“You aren't, Luz.” Cat spoke up. “We all know it. We've all been your personal healer, we've come to find out and we all know what kind of condition you are in and we're worried about you.”

“And since you decided to just drop each of us like a bad habit the second we mentioned getting real help, you gave us no choice.” Viney spoke up.

“I said I'm fine. Let me go!”

Bo, who had calmed herself down decided to step up. “We're just worried about you, Luz.”

“This is serious. You are tearing your body up. With the late nights, your bitter bean blood frequency and your L-Pills especially.” Emira noted. Luz only grunted as she glared at the group before Cat, seeing that they weren't getting through to her, stepped up.

She knelt down to the still struggling Luz. “Listen, I know you think we're hounding you and none of this is any of our business, but we care about you. Do you understand that?” The bound girl could tell Cat was being genuine. “You are my first friend. You stood up for me when no one else did. All I'm asking is for you to let us help you. You can ignore us, try to cut us … me out of your life, but we're here for you. We just want you to take better care of yourself and let the professionals help you as well.”

Luz looked to them all and saw the genuine concern in their eyes. How much they really cared and wanted to help her get better. Despite her pushing each and everyone of them away, used them and then forced them out of her life when they inconvenienced her, they were all still here and, despite her attitude, wanted to help.

All that said, if she could just get to the small blade in her bracelet, she could cut the ropes off and use a distraction to get herself out of this situation. Just keep them talking, make them think she was being one over. Convincing, but not selling it too hard, just enough to lower their guards. Then, using the hidden smoke bomb potion capsule in her tooth and spitting it onto the floor, it would provide the shroud for her to bolt to the door and out of this situation. Naturally, Viney would rush in so she'd have to evade her blind tackle. Bo was skilled in hand to hand combat via her father so if she bumped into her, she would pose just as much of a threat. Perhaps she'd bolt for the only practical escape route as well. The window would make the most sense as none of them would expect it as her first choice. Only question is: Who would stop them afterwards? Gene? He'd be swarmed, though he is resilient. Mary already didn't help. Just run to Principal Bump and demand he stop them.

As she was planning her escape, the other girls stood in front of her as she had a blank expression for a good two minutes as the healers looked to her. “She's planning out some elaborate escape plan in her head, isn't she?” Viney asked as the other girl's nodded. She groaned and placed a hand under Luz's chin in squeezed her cheeks before reaching in and popping out the capsule, the connected tooth as well and held it in her hand. “Should have figured you still had that in there after I helped the dentist put it in.”

“Hey, give me my tooth!” Luz shouted as the others looked at her in disappointment. She only hoped that Boscha or someone would notice that she was missing soon or even that Mary would tell someone, anyone.

But Mary opted not to say anything and stood with Bonnie and Celine as the three chatted on the bleachers as the main event was about to begin. Gus Porter took the stage, acting as the night's Master of Ceremony, much to Masha's amusement as King opted to join him. She wished Eda was here. She'd have had a good laugh, but of course, she knew that was impossible after … Masha slowly moved a hand to her shoulder before shaking her head and getting back to the event.

“Ladies and Gentle creatures, it's the moment you've all been waiting for. I am your announcer for the evening, Gus Porter. And with me is my color commentator, King.”

King excitedly jumped onto his shoulder. “That's right. Bow before us peons. We are about to announce the heck out of this fight. So let's get it on.” Masha playfully shook her head as Gus began the introductions for the lucky girl.

“In this corner, weighing one-hundred and twenty pounds, member of the Banshees,” Boscha heard. She hated that she had to list her current weight. No way could she lie and claim she was still one-hundred and five at the moment. Too much heft around the midsection to get away with that. She'd be back to her slimmed down weight eventually. But now wasn't the time to think about that. Now was her time to shine.

Brandy helped her with the kimono she wore as the center unfastened on the front and back and refastened separately to form a pair of pants that made the fighting much easier. “You got this, Boscha. You can handle this blob chump. This is just another nights work. You faced down a dragon, a mad woman and even a basilisk. Tonight is nothing, right? No fear.” The construction girl told her as they stood face to face.

“No fear.” Boscha repeated.

“No fear!”

“No fear!” Boscha said one last time with conviction as her name was announced and she ran out to some cheers. Not as many as she had hoped. Screw them then. She was doing this for her and no one else.

Willow watched from the stands, alongside Amity who was still out of it from the punch. She came back and had to pull the girl off of Gene not long before as he sat far off from them. The Park girl kept Amity close as she sighed. This situation with her was getting very much out of hand. The two would definitely need to have a long talk after tonight. She just wished Edric and Emira would help, but the former was currently on his scroll talking to someone as he seemed to have been stood up and the latter was nowhere in sight.

“And now, the reason you've all come here for....” Boscha groaned at hearing the Porter kid. Did he have to say that after she came out? Suddenly, the floor began to open into a large pit and Boscha leaped down inside and pulled her sword from its scabbard. “Grometheus!” Gus and King announced together as the mass of black seem to seep up from the ground through a grate. The mass soon formed into a creature that stood before Boscha.

“Bring it!” Boscha declared as the creature took on the first form: As Daphne appeared in front of her. Boscha was confused. Why would this show up. She hadn't prepared for anything involving her mother.

“Boscha, I am so disappointed in you. How could you date that boy?” A lump forms in Boscha's throat. Oh right. That fear.

“Boscha's dating someone?” One of the students questioned.

“Didn't see that coming.”

“Must have the patients of a druid.”

These comments were not helping in the slightest. “Go girlfriend!” Masha shouted in support. “Down those fears!”

Boscha regained her composure and charged forward, steeling her nerves as she evaded and blocked the attacks coming from the being that had the form of her mother. “You said we could choose for ourselves. If he's not good enough for you, that's your problem! I. Don't. Care!” She brought the blade down on Daphne and sliced it in half as the goo dissipated, leaving everyone stunned.

“She iced her own fear of her mom. No hesitation.” Mary said. “Remind me to stay off her bad side.” Bonnie and Celine nodded in agreement as Grometheus launched its next assault. It reformed again, this time into Boscha herself.

“Hey me.” The clone said to her. To Boscha's displeasure, this version of her was not ideal. She was pudgy, borderline overweight, wore sweat =pants and a tacky novelty shirt that read “Super Chick” with flip flops on her feet and thick, heavy framed tri-lens glasses on her face. “Come on, give up this dumb grudgby junk, trying new things and dating especially. It's all so much work.” She charged forward as the real Boscha leaped back before charging herself as nerd Boscha evaded. The fake bumped Boscha with her belly that knocked the other back. “Let's just kick back, put our feet up and just stay at home with mom and dad forever. They don't judge.”

“I am not some loser! I'm not gonna end up like you!” She charged and attacked the fake again, who casually dodged the attacks.

“You're not? But I'm your fear. It's in the back of your mind. And come on, it's not that bad. We can stream games that no one will ever play, review movies and criticize all the mainstream ones and how stupid and poorly written they are, and even write fan-fiction about those spicy books that Brandy gave us.” The last comment caused Brandy to look away and whistle innocently.

The triclops swung her sword from a distance as the runes on the blade glowed orange as streams of fire launched from it. “Like that will happen, you fake!” The Grometheus created one evaded the initial strikes but the others began to come faster and faster before she was hit and knocked back before Boscha leaped through the air. She brought down the blade and sliced it right down the middle. “No way am I ever going to end up some lifeless loser like you.”

The students above began to cheer for Boscha. For once they were cheering for her and her alone. She had to admit, this felt good. Really good. Whoever bet against her was about to lose their money. Their loss. If only Angmar could see this. She really should have had someone record it for her to show him later.

“Is that all you got blobby?” Boscha said as the being began to take on another form: Willow Park.

“Really?” She heard Willow shout from above as the shapeshifting being looked to her. Boscha charged forward. The two before were unexpected but whatever this one was should be no challenge either.

To her surprise the fake Willow smiled. “Well, isn't this a surprise? Me versus you again. Well let's go. I've got better things to do than watch you fail as usual.” Boscha grit her teeth and launched fire balls from her blade that the other Willow evaded and even summoned fake vines that shot forward to block them and try to grab a hold of the triclops. Boscha used her blade to slice them up and away before running along the last one, setting it ablaze as she did and jumping off and slicing at this Willow before she launched another vine, standing in defiance.

“Why do you even bother, Boscha? You keep trying to be better than me and every time you fail.” Boscha rushed forward with her sword and swung several times as the Willow clone dodged them. “Slow, sloppy, amateurish! Weak. This is why you suck so bad at Grudgby. It's why you're scared of me, because you know I've beat you before, over and over …”

“Shut up! You aren't gonna beat me this time!” Boscha shouted as she slashed at the fake that blocked the attack with its hands. The form morphed in front of Boscha as she was shocked to see Luz. Not the current Luz but the one from years ago, before the accident. Her skin was a light chocolate color, her hair, it's natural brunette, her eyes were their original hazel shade as she looked at her twin. This is what Boscha envisioned Luz would be if she hadn't been in that accident. This caused Boscha to hesitate, dropping her blade to everyone's shock and backing away.

“What's wrong, Boscha? Aren't you gonna fight me?” Luz said as she walked towards her retreating sister. “You used to do it so much when we were kids. Though that was more of a massacre by you.” The fear created clone got no response and shook her head in disappointment. “Pathetic. No wonder you couldn't beat Willow. You act so tough, but deep down you're just a wimp, a loser with no friends. And remember this is your fear so you know it's true.”

“Stop it.” Boscha said as she covered her ears. “Stop it.”

“Little baby Boscha. Always trying to prove yourself. To stand out, but you know you never will.” It morphed to Willow. “ Amity and I don't even need you on the team. Heck, you scored for the other team once!” It morphs into Daphne. “You don't have the courage to even look me in the eye and tell me the truth.” Grometheus grew bigger by the second as Boscha was allowing her fears to dominate her, despite Masha and Brandy calling to her, their voices being muted out by her loss of control. It finally morphed back into a monstrous version of Luz, her torso atop the black mass that was Grometheus. The skin faded to a pale shade as her eyes sunk into the sockets, leaving black holes as the skin began to degrade, looking grotesquely burnt and blistered all over. “And you can't even be good in school like me. I'm a thousand times better than you in the potions coven and we both know why that's sad. You'll be forgotten by everyone, barely a footnote in our lives. You should just give up now.”

This finally broke Boscha, who panicked and ran from the creature as it chased her around the arena. “Boscha!” Brandy shouted to the girl, getting no response and summoning her hammer. “Nuts to this. She needs me. I'm coming, bestie!” She jumped down to try and stop the creature only to be swatted away by a stray tendril and sent flying out of the gymnasium and through a wall that just happened to be where Luz was held.

Luz for her part had been ignoring the earful she had been getting from the healers. The crashing construction tracker took out Bo and Viney and this distraction gave her the opportunity to cut her binds and escape out of the fresh hole. “Did someone get the number of that carriage?” Viney asked in a daze as Luz leaped outside only to find the horrifying sight of Boscha scrambling out of the pit and away from the creature.

“Sorry sis. I tried to let you do this on your own.” Luz pulled out her remote. Luckily she had made sure the explosives were still set. She could still obliterate Grometheus before this got any more out of hand. “Kiss your blob butt goodbye.” Luz hit the switch and …. nothing. She hit it again. Still nothing. The girl was helpless as she watched the beast escaping the pit. She opened the detonator and found the power cell missing with a note inside. “'Sorry, Luz. I knew you'd try to do this, but I need to do this for myself. Love Boscha.' Dang it, sis!”

The students began to panic as the creature escaped and Boscha ran and hid. Willow stood up as she kept Amity seated. “Stay here.”

“But … I can help.” Amity trailed off, still in a haze from the drinks.

Willow wasn't having it and handed her off to Eileen.

“We'll talk about your punch prank later.” She told the nervous cyclops and ran off to defeat the monster. Willow summoned a series of vines and shot them out, entrapping Grometheus as it was in the process of chasing the students. It broke apart as a mass of serpent-like strands rushed her. It wasn't long before they got a hold of her. She summoned a plant based armor around herself and broke free as the creature began to reform and shift, becoming a large red and black mass of some eldritch horror covered in a thick shell. The girl stopped in her tracks as she looked horrified. “No. No! Ladybug!” she screamed as she ran off, to many student's shock. “Keep those evil eyes away from me!”

“Willow's scared of ladybugs ever since they swarmed her as a kid.” Amity explained, before dozing off again as Eileen dragged her away. Grometheus then smashed through the wall of the school, escaping outside as everyone present was stunned.

Masha saw this as she helped usher the other students to safety. She reached down into her pocket and confirmed her stack of glyph papers. They were always practical when she couldn't carry her book despite their single use. “I'm going after it. King, stay with Gus.” She said quickly as she rushed off.

“I want to come too.” King cried out as he chased after her with Gus in hot pursuit. Luz saw this and glared.

“Eileen, I need a power cell from the lab for the detonator. There should be one in my lab. Make sure the wiring for the trap isn't damaged.” Eileen mumbled something to her as she placed Amity in a chair. She was quickly joined by several other potion track students, Edric included. “I'm going to lure it back here.” Before she ran off she spotted Boscha hiding under a table and went over to her trembling sister. “Boscha? Boscha, talk to me. Sis, it's gonna be okay.”

Her twin shook even worse as she just stared blankly forward. “I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it. Even when I try my hardest, someone else will always beat me.” Luz wanted to stay and comfort her but she had to try and stop the rampage happening before it got out of control. Brandy, having gotten back up, ran over to them with the healer girls.

“I'll stay with her.” She told Luz, who nodded and raced off.

“Luz, wait!” Emira shouted as the healers all looked at each other and followed along with Mary, Bonnie and just about every other student and present faculty.

Outside, the black mass of the Fear Bringer shifted in every direction, as if uncertain where to start on the isles first. Before a decision could be made, a blast of fire struck its back as Masha landed down on her temporary bat-like wings. “Hey, tall, dark and ugly, a new challenger has arrived.” She announced, being careful as she evaded his strikes. The human used a water glyph in her hand to spray the surrounding area, then used an ice glyph proper that quickly froze the water. It created an ice rink of sorts and had trapped Grometheus temporarily as she skated casually across the ice, dodging any attack that came her way and showed off some masterful ice dancing skills.

“Huh, maybe I should have tried out for the national team.” Masha mused before using another paper, which launched out a series of vines that entangled the monster, further locking it in place before taking flight and getting high above it. “Here comes the finale. Cherry Bomb Blast!” She shouted pressing a fire glyph and an abomination glyph together as a series of abomination spheres the size of cannonballs with lit fuses on them rained down on the Fear Bringer, erupting in a massive explosion that shattered the ice and left a heavy cloud of smoke as the other students looked on in amazement. All except for Luz.

“Hey, you stole my plan!” Luz shouted angrily as she ran up to Masha, who touched down as her wings vanished. The human only shrugged.

“The early bird catches the worm.”

“But I planted those explosives yesterday.” Before Luz could berate her further both turned as they heard a gurgling sound and a tendril appeared from the smoke, smacking away Luz and grabbing Masha in its clutches, dropping most of her glyphs as it lifted her high in the air.

The human scoffed as the tendrils touched her head. “Ha! Do your worst. There's nothing you can do to scare me.” She declared boldly before finding herself dropped suddenly.

“Nothing?” She heard a familiar voice ask as she turned to see a stone-faced Eda standing where Grometheus once was. “Not even me? Not even after what I did to you?” Masha's eyes widened as she saw her mentor standing there.

“You didn't-You didn't mean to.” She stuttered out as she slowly gripped her right shoulder.

“But you're still afraid of me. Of what I did. Of what I can do in the future and what I'll become.” Feathers began to sprout on her body as her eyes turned black, large fangs began to grow in her mouth as she grew in size to monstrous proportions as a quadrupedal beast stood before her. Masha sweated as she saw the owl beast form that Eda took on when her curse flared up. The teen remembered the first night she had seen Eda like this and the scar on her back began to pulse as she gripped it tighter and fell to her knees, the beast looming over her. “And you thought you could save me, but you know you'll fail!”

“Just like you failed me.” Masha froze as she heard his voice. She looked up to see the face of an elderly man, a man of medium build, the hair of his head and beard white as snow. He wore a look of disapproval that seeped into her soul.

“Gramps? No, no please. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry.” Masha she pleaded, tears streaming from her eyes.

“A bit late for sorry, isn't it? What's done is done and you can't change it. And you can't help Eda anymore than you could me.” Masha broke down, crying uncontrollably.

“Masha!” King shouted as he hurled rocks at the fear come to life. “If you think I'm above throwing rocks at old people, you've got another thing coming.”

Grometheus turned to him, transforming the elderly man into a nightmarish creature that lunged at King only for it to be hit with purple goo. It growled and turned to Mary who was prepared for another round, drawing it off as Luz raced over to Masha. “Human! Human, get up. Get up and fight!” She shook the girl and got no response. “She fainted? Why am I not surprised?” Luz saw the beast as she left Masha and King raced over to check on his companion.

Meanwhile Mary had realized how much of a mistake she made as she was now face to face with her worst fear: Vending machines. A horde of the insidious devices chased her around. “Come on, Mary. The candy is right inside. We're sure your horns won't get stuck this time.” They called out as she ran for her life.

“Mary, I'll save you!” Celine declared, having grabbed a crystal ball and summoning an entity to battle the Fear Bringer. The attack didn't stop it for long before it destroyed the purple summon and slapped Celine away, knocking her against a tree, pain running from her head to her toes. This thing was too powerful for her to fight at her present level. She thought about what the others had told her about the conjuring night and how she had rampaged at the Hargreaves manor. If the bow on her head was all that was holding it back... She stopped this thought as she knew she had no control over it just before she passed out.

Luz saw this and lifted her dress as she had four small potion bottles on belts wrapped around her legs and took them off, hurling one at Grometheus as it turned angrily to her. “Well I got its attention.” She began to run as it gained on her before she tripped and fell. “Ah, my ankle! How ironic.”

The fear inducing creature towered over and lunged for her. “Luz, look out!” Gene tackled her out of the way as Grometheus swooped by with blinding speed. Luz was surprised that Gene of all people had knocked her out of the danger zone. She was even more shocked when she saw that the walking nightmare factory had taken his right arm off near the shoulder. He looked down and then back to her. “Come on. You've...ah...done worse to me.”

They both looked up as Grometheus was contained in a barrier by healing magic as Emira, Bo, Viney and Cat held their positions on four sides. “What?” Luz was puzzled by this.

“Keep it locked down, team.” Viney said as the others held up their portion of the barrier. “Looking a little weak over there, Em.”

“I got it.” Emira said as she reaffirmed her hold. “Increasing zone strength. Luz, get your boyfriend and get out of there.”

“Not my boyfriend!” She affirmed before picking up Gene and trying to get him to safety, handing him off to another student before racing towards the school. “I've got a plan but you need to get it back to Hexside.

“Sure wish she'd told us that before we set down the immovable barrier.” Bo chastised before Grometheus seemed to shrink in size to a stand witch before rapidly expanding in the blind of an eye with such speed and force that it shattered the barrier, knocking them all away and out of the fight. It made a beeline for Luz again gripping her in its grasp as one of her fears generated before her. Suddenly a series of ribbons of varying shapes and colors appeared before her.

“No. No! Not participation ribbons! Those aren't awards! They are just given out to losers to remind them of how much they suck!” Luz said in a panic as a still conscious Viney rolled her eyes.

“Get your hands off her!” A large abomination fist hit Grometheus as Amity, a look of rage on her face if the red coloring was anything to go by.

“Amity? Thanks for the save.” Luz quickly regretted that as Amity turned to her, the anger still prevalent in her expression. “Um...”

Amity slammed her fist on the ground in front of Luz. “How dare you?! After all I did, you decide to do that to me?! With him?!” She snarled as her eyes glowed purple.

“What?! What are you talking about? Who?” Luz asked, completely confused as to what Amity was on about. “Amity look out!” She shouted as Grometheus slapped the green haired girl away. She rebounded as her eyes glowed brighter as she whirled two circles in the air. One generated pillars of stone that hit the being from below, knocking it into the air before she summoned several abominations that shot their elastic arms that wrapped around its dark body. The gave one good heave at her command that brought it down, the force shaking the area as a cloud of dust covered the area as Luz looked on in shock.

An amalgam form of the previous fears erupted from the cloud as the being again hit Amity, this time hurling her through the air as a series of soft budding plants cushioned her crash landing, Amelia and Willow making sure she had something to land on.

Luz got up and started to run again before a beam of light cut through Grometheus and it turned to see Bonnie, who had summoned up a reflective liquid that formed a circle, using the light of the moon to focus it's rays to a laser. The Fear Bringer didn't take that well and charged her as it evaded the shots coming at it. “Why did I think this was a good idea?”

Mary was still being chased by her fear but saw Bonnie being targeted by the main mass. She stopped in her tracks and spun around, punching a hole in the vending machine with her abomination goo. The girl promptly turned only to see Bonnie in the clutches of the beast. “Oh no. Everyone run!” She saw the being forming the fears of Bonnie as the other students made a run for the treeline. Mary looked back and saw where they were hiding. “No, keep going! This is gonna be big!”

Bonnie looked up in horror as several dolls dropped down in front of her. “No...”

The first floated in front of her with her appearance. “Look at you. What a chicken. No I take it back, at least they are tasty. What are you good for? You're a burden to everyone around you. So weak and feeble. You always need someone to rescue you.”

“She's right.” A doll looking like Mary showed itself. “She's right. I have to keep helping you again and again and you never learn. How am I supposed to have a life if all I do is worried about you? You call yourself my friend?”

Bonnie shook her head. “No. You-Mary wouldn't say that!” She tried to tune it out, but she couldn't as they kept on coming, the next with her mother's form.

“I can't believe I ever had a daughter like you.” Bonnie's eyes shut tight as tears streamed out. “I had to sacrifice everything for you. My life, my career, my happiness. All for you and you can't even try to pay me back by making yourself useful as an illusionist. And worst of all, you have that form. You're just like him.”

“Stop. Stop. Please stop. You don't mean that!” Bonnie cried as she held her head down.

“She's right, you know.” Her eyes opened as she hesitated to look up and saw a puppet, one of a person she hadn't seen in years. It had red skin, with yellow fin-like ears and additional, similarly colored fins on the forearms and a pair of short yellow horns on the head. He floated around her as she tried to shut him out.

“No, no, no... Don't listen. It's not real. It's not real.”

“You're every bit your father's daughter. My daughter.” The puppet said as it moved around the girl. “And what's so bad about that? Oh right, she hates you for it and you know it and I know it. Because she hated me and you remind her of that every single day. It's why you hide it. And try all you want, but you'll always be mine and you'll turn out just like me no matter what you do or say.”

“Stop it....stop it...” Bonnie cried as her skin began to change in reality, blue scales appearing all over until they had covered the surface, her yellow, fin ears revealing from beneath her orange hair, her webbed hands and fins on her forearms ripping through her gloves as she fell to the ground, her head in the dirt.

“You can't fight what you are. That anger is just below the surface. We both know it. You've hurt her once before and you'll do it again. Like father, like daughter.”

The girl gripped the dirt beneath her tightly in her hands before the pained expression on her face turned to one of rage as if something inside her had awoken. Her gray eyes shifted to a glowing purple as she drew a spell circle and threw it towards the puppet master, firing a concentrated beam of light through the summoned mirror and piercing the best. “Shut up!” She fired another and another in continuous blasts before she spotted something on the ground: The oracle orb that Celine had dropped earlier and levitated it into her hands. This caused another effect as her eyes turned completely to a solid purple and she looked again to Grometheus and the many representations of fear it had conjured.

“You want to see fear? I'll give you something to be afraid of!” Her voice echoed, almost as if it wasn't Bonnie at all as she used the orb to summon several entities that hit Grometheus from all sides.

Mary looked amazed and terrified at the same time. “How is she doing that?”

“I have no idea but I think it will work for us.” Luz said as she looked back in the school's direction. “Bonnie, force it back to the school. I have a plan.” She called, unsure if she was heard but Bonnie seemed to comply as the creature was indeed being pushed back through the forest as it shifted trough different forms. The other students began to follow at a distance before the Fear Bringer, weakened, was forced back into the gymnasium. Blow after blow came from the illusionist nymph child as she blasted the beast with attacks that no one, not even Mary knew she could muster. One finale blow from a summoned fist from the orb sent the withering Grometheus into the pit.

It looked up and roared one final time before it heard a beeping sound all around it. “Bye bye.” Luz said as Eileen activated the detonator and the explosives blasted the Fear Bringer from all sides, obliterating it to nothing before the walls of the pit collapsed down. Everyone stood in stunned silence for a moment before erupting in cheers. As they did, Bonnie's eyes returned to normal as she dropped the orb and collapsed only for Mary to catch her.

“Mary?” She looked up to her friend as her eyes were refocusing. “What happened? Why am I...?” She looked down and noticed that her nymph form was exposed and tried to transform back to normal only to find she was drained of magic.

“Here.” Mary reached a hand over her and donated some of her own supply to her friend. “You just beat Grometheus. I'm so proud of you.”

“I did?” Bonnie looked over to the collapsed pit. “Wow.”

Before she could get an answer a chorus of students began chanting her name, lifting her up to celebrate and marching her around the room. Mary watched with a smile that soon faded to a look of concern.

Across the room, Boscha was still being tended to by Brandy as they watched the festivities begin as the dance floor was cleaned up by the other construction students. Boscha watched as everyone cheered for the little Illusionist that could. “Of course, because why not?” She said as she strapped her sword to her side and quietly exited the room, Brandy attempting to follow. “I just...wanna be alone for a while.” The girl was concerned but respected the others request as the live band took to the stage: The Blood Moons, with Skara and a few of the other Bard students performing. Skara noticeably had her suit jacket on backwards. “That's weird.” Viney noted before Chadley walked up, pants on his head and his legs sticking through the sleeves of his jacket around his waist.

“What is?” He asked.

Viney cringed at the thought. “Nothing, never mind. Getting some punch.” The bowl, she found, was very dry as Amity had drowned her sorrows long before. The girl was with Willow as they sat on the bleachers, the plant tracker doing her best to talk to her friend who was still in a bad mood as she glared at Luz and Gene across the room.

“Hold still.” Bo said forcefully as she used her healing skills on Gene's arm with Cat's help. The boy was making no small amount of fuss.

“Seriously, I'm fine. This happens more than you think.”

Luz nodded. “It's true, it'll grow back in a few weeks. I've done it enough to help the healing process along healthily.” She found herself bragging only to get a look of rage from the two healers. “Sheesh. Tough crowd. Anyway, thanks for saving me, I guess you guys. You too, Gene.”

He shrugged at her thanks. “Eh, you'd have done the same.”

“Well we both know that's a lie, but for tonight, let's just say it's true and...” She shrugged with a small smile. “What the heck.” She planted a small kiss on his cheek before grabbing his collar. “If any of you three tell anyone about that...” She ran her finger across her throat as the three got the message. The last part went completely unnoticed by Amity, whose face turned furiously red just before she passed out.

On the other side of the room, Luz tried to find Boscha, but found her gone from the room. She couldn't imagine Boscha felt very good, but things just didn't work out. Luz could tell her that things just didn't turn out the way she had planned, but maybe that was for a later date. “Luz?” She heard as Emira was approaching. Luz decided to brush her off, however, not willing to talk to her or the other healers any longer and walked off.

Emira sighed in frustration. As she turned, she noticed Gus Porter and the small furry horned creature that had been with him earlier trying to aid the human, Masha. The teen had fainted earlier and had seemingly not fully recovered from the Grometheus attack. The eldest Blight decided to see if she could help. Luz didn't want any assistance, Amity was going through issues in relation to that and had Willow for support, but Emira could make herself useful to someone. She then went over and offered her healing skills.

Things picked up as many students got to the dance floor. Amelia and Marvin, Cat and a male student from the abomination track and even Edric and Viney of all people were together. The latter did not go unnoticed by Bonnie who rested on the sidelines with Mary who was tending to her. “You sure you are alright? Something had to happen if you don't remember fighting against a fear creature.”

“Honestly, Mary, I'm good.” The carrot top said as she was just grateful to have her witch form back. “Are you okay? I know you wanted to dance with Edric Blight.” Mary merely shrugged at this.

“Don't worry about it. You being safe is what matters most to me. You being Grom Queen. Just wait until your mom hears about this. She won't believe it.”

“I'm wearing the crown right now and I don't even believe it.” Bonnie was soon whisked away as many students wanted to snap pictures with the newly crowned queen. Mary couldn't help but feel pride with her friend and what she achieved that night. She was still worried for Bonnie, but she could let her have her time in the sun.

It wasn't long before Grom hit its conclusion and everyone was on their way home, saying their goodbyes for the night.

Amity, with Willow's help had just arrived back to Blight Manor, the first of the three siblings as the door opened. The trip had been spent with Amity going on about how the night did not turn out the way she had wanted and worse that Luz was seemingly with Gene of all people. Willow did her best to calm her down before they arrived. Amity went in alone as one of the abominations welcomed her home. Nearing the stairs, she heard the voice of Odalia talking to someone. “Well I'm glad you had a good night, honey.” She heard. It had to be Edric she spoke to. Seemingly her new side project as the two had been spending more time together. “Well as long as my son had a good time, no harm in staying out a bit later. Just remember that we have work tomorrow. I'll see you soon.” She ended her call as she entered the main room and saw her youngest standing in front of her with a scowl.

“Glad Edric had fun. That's who you were talking to, right?” Odalia had a slightly raised eyebrow, but otherwise her expression was one of neutrality.

“Well yes. Edric informed me that he'd been stood up, but that he'd found a nice girl at the dance.”

“And what about me?” Amity asked. “You didn't want to ask about how my night went? Not interested in my life now that you have a new favorite?” Her mother didn't respond at first, only looking at the telltale signs of the receding spikes on Amity's skin. That kind of thing tended to happen at these events but she thought her daughter had more sense in that regard. She attempted to voice her concern.

“Amity...”

“No! No, I don't want to hear it! I have done everything that you asked me to do. I took every taste, every extra curricular, I am working with the head of the Emperor's Coven all because you asked. Everything you wanted I did. But that wasn't enough, was it? If not for Luz, you'd have made me give up my best friend. That's how much you wanted me to be what you wanted. And now after all of that, you just replace me with Edric? What, you want to ruin his life too?”

Odalia had tried to be calm about this, but the accusation pushed her over the edge. “That is quite enough young lady! I don't know what happened tonight but...”

“That's right! You don't! All you ever care about is yourself and what we can do for you and I'm sick of it! You can't even bother being there for me after I have had the worst night of my life. For anything else about Luz, at least she has a mother who cares about her.” She turned and headed for the stairs. “I'll be in my room since you're going to ground me anyway!” She marched to her room and slammed the door behind her before falling face first into her bed, crying into her sheets.

The girl's mother groaned as she knew she'd messed up. This “being a better parent” thing was going to be harder than she thought.

Gene made his way home, having the stump where his arm was bandaged up despite telling the healers it would be fine on it's own. Getting a limb ripped off was not his idea of a great night, but he did enjoy himself and he had gotten to know Luz a bit better and vice versa. He walked into the apartment where the crystal ball was on as Violet's resting body was on the couch. “Hey, Vi. Vi? Vi?” He shook her several times, but she didn't seem to stir. It was a few seconds after that her body jolted awake.

“What?! Who?!” She turned and looked at the green skinned boy, looking him over. “You lost your arm.”

“Yeah.” He acknowledged.

“So, things went well, considering you're still breathing. So did you and Luz make nice?”

“I'd say so. I think... I think we're at least less likely to kill each other now. And now I've come to the realization that I don't have to try and defame Luz. I just need to steal her recipes without all the malice.”

“I don't think that's what you were supposed to get out of all....”

“Well, good night.” He quickly left and went to his room, leaving Violet sighing in frustration. At least it was some progress.

Luz herself arrived home, getting a ride with Eileen. She didn't know if Boscha had returned home, but one look into her room gave her the answer she needed. Even if Grometheus had gotten too out of control for Boscha to stop on her own, it couldn't have been easy knowing everyone watched her fail when it really counted. The girl figured her twin was likely at the treasure shack and she'd check on her in the morning.

“Larry? Is that you?” She heard her mother call from across the hall behind her locked door.

“No, mom. It's Luz. I just got back.”

“How was your night?”

“Um, good. Boscha is staying with a friend tonight, so you don't need to worry.”

“Okay. Thanks, sweetie. How was your date?”

“A bit...disarming. But we had a good time. I'll tell you about it all in the morning. Good night.” Her mother wished her the same as Luz went to rest. Not long after, Larry arrived home, laughing as he and Derwin had come home late, the former having taken the latter out for a night on the town alongside Alador Blight. Larry wished his young friend a goodnight before heading upstairs and to his room.

He couldn't remember the last time he had that much fun. He unlocked the door and quietly walked in only to find Daphne, waiting impatiently on the bed. Candles long since burned out were sat around the area, fancy sheets adorned the bed with red petals all over and the woman herself in skimpy lingerie. She did not look happy. “Larry looked at her for a moment piecing things together. “I knew I forgot something...... I didn't get the milk, right?” He was promptly ejected from the room and locked out without his keys this time.

Across the hall, Luz saw the scene before closing her door and walking over to her desk. The night had been chaotic but not a total loss, this had been her first up close and personal meeting with the fabled Fear Bringer and she was intrigued. She reached into her miniature fridge that she kept by her bed and pulled out a glass bottle of iced bitter bean blood. The hot stuff sold and for some reason, it tasted just as good if not better to some when it was chilled. This would keep her up for hours to work on her latest idea.

Just as she was bringing the bottle to her lips, she remembered the healing students, her friends. She couldn't stop thinking about what they said about taking care of herself. As much as she focused on trying to escape their clutches, what they said in the background still rang in her mind. A moment later, she sighed, closed the bottle and placed it back into the fridge before putting on her pajamas and deciding, for a change, to get a long night's sleep. “Dumb healers.” She said as she rested her head on the pillow and closed her eyes.

In the woods leading to the Owl House, Emira carried the sleeping human, Masha, on her back. No one was there to claim her and she had no way to contact the Owl Lady, so she decided to take the teen home herself. On top of the girls head was the sleeping King, all partied out from the event. Emira was worried that Masha wouldn't regain consciousness, but after checking on her, she determined the girl had simply fainted and exhausted herself. Not surprising given it was Grometheus she had faced.

“Well , this has been a fine night.” She said out loud. “With my brother and mother growing uncomfortably close, my sister who weighs her value by the affection of my best friend, who is clueless by the way and not to mention doesn't care almost at all for her own health and now I'm lunging a human on my back to a known criminal's home. And now here I am, talking to no one.”

“You can talk to me.” Emira shrieked as she saw a strange tube with an owl's face on it. “Any friend of Masha is a friend of ol' Hooty.” He wrapped her up and took the three to the house and gently placed them into the living room. “Guess who's back.”

“About time you got back, kid. I was starting to...” Eda said, coming around the corner only to find a motionless Masha lying on the ground where Emira had accidentally dropped her, the human's clothes dirty and tattered. It was Grom, a night Eda remembered making a lot of bad choices as a kid. The woman pulled out her staff and pointed it at the green haired girl. “What the heck did you do to her?”

Emira panicked and threw her hands up. “It's not what it looks like! Let me explain!” It took a longer time than expected and some carefully chosen words, but Emira was able to defuse the situation and get everything squared. Fortunately, Eda understood and allowed the Blight girl to stay the night rather than trekking back home in the darkness.

“When did my place become a halfway home for displaced teens?” Eda wondered as she carried Masha up to her room and placed her on the skin and bone bed she'd ordered and built from a Die-kea catalog. The famed Owl Lady had to admit this kid was trouble, but she was glad she hadn't beat her brains in the first time they met. It would have spoiled a fun thing. Plus Masha always brought interesting things to sell from her adventures. Even when Eda was at her worst, the human had her back, even then... She pulled the covers over the teen, stopping as she saw the scars left over from the claw marks on her shoulder. Wincing for a moment, she completed her task and, looking around to ensure no one was watching, planted a kiss on the teen before she went down the hall, staying up just in case.

Emira meanwhile was trying to get comfortable on the couch, a blanket covering her. This was not how she pictured this day ending when she got up this morning: With her sleeping on the couch of the most infamous criminal on the isles. That being said, she didn't seem so bad. Kind of like a mother slitherbeast watching out for its cub. A bit endearing with how she cared about a kid that wasn't her own. Or at least Emira assumed Masha wasn't hers. Made her wonder why Odalia never did that for them growing up. Eh, she'd just get some sleep and worry about everything in the morning.

After having the greatest night she could mostly remember, Bonnie had decided to accompany Mary home and have a bit of a sleepover. Mary's siblings were insufferable to the horned girl who couldn't stand the ribbing she got for bringing Bonnie home with her after Grom. Honestly, Mary soon let it go, being more concerned about her friend's well being than anything else. Bonnie for her part, seemed to be in high spirits as she set out her sleeping bag next to Mary's bed in the cramped room. “Mom, you are never going to believe what happened to me tonight. I don't remember all of it, but everyone said I was amazing! I signed autographs and... well I'll tell you everything tomorrow.”

“I'm so happy for you. I can't wait to hear all about it.” Marcela said over the communication crow.

“I owe Head With Graye so much for all he did.”

Marcela giggled. “He is a remarkable man. You know, after you left, he spent the entire evening with me so that I wouldn't be alone.”

“Really? Wow.” Bonnie was surprised that Adrian Graye of all people would have been nice enough to do that. He had been there for her when she needed it, but he was nice enough to spend time with her mom as well? “Mr. Graye is a great man.”

“Well, have a good night, sweetie. I'll see you in the morning.”

“Love you, mom.”

“Love you too, baby.” Marcela hung up and laid back in her bed, her sheets covering her form as she looked over to Adrian Graye Vernworth, unclothed and resting alongside her. “Adrian Graye is definitely great. Very great indeed.” She leaned over and kissed him as his eyes opened slightly. “Ready for another private lesson, Mr. Graye?” Graye didn't know how he found himself in this situation, but what his apprentice didn't know, wouldn't hurt.

“You are incorrigible, my dear.”

Chapter Text

Daphne Europa Hargreaves was not happy. Not happy in the slightest, especially not after receiving the call she had an hour earlier. Not after having to leave the middle of a business call and leaving her husband to handle the deal she had set up and now bordering furious when the owl tube creature embedded in the door frame of the old house in the middle of the woods tried to greet her in its annoying way. A prompt savage, but not lethal strangling did the job as she kicked the door in where a none too pleased Edalyn Clawthorne peered her head out of the kitchen.

“You know, you could have knocked, gumdrop.” Eda said as she walked in(slightly irked by the old nickname from Eda) and carelessly dropped the unconscious Hooty to the ground.

“I did. Where is she?” She asked Eda coldly, who didn't say anything further and simply gestured up the stairs, leading the way. Daphne followed and eventually reached an open door, finding her daughter laying over the edge of the lone bed in the room alongside Masha, an empty bottle of apple blood on the floor. The last sight did not make the woman happy at all as Boscha's eyes creaked open. 

“Mom? What are you doing here?” The girl slurred out as she smiled. “You gotta try some of that...that...apple stuff. It's so good.” She suddenly sprung up. “Mom! Mom! You gotta let me bring Masha home. We could use another human there and she is so much fun.”

Daphne was stone faced as her gaze shifted from the girl to the bottle and then back to her daughter again. “Get your shoes. We are going home.” This cold delivery seemed to partly snap Boscha out of her drunken state as she stumbled to her feet and fell into her mother. Daphne held onto her as the woman turned to Eda.

“How could you let this happen?”

Eda puts on a mix of offense and shock. “Me? Look, I may be a hot criminal, but I didn't tell these kids to go wild. Besides, she invited herself over while I was away.”

“Ms. Eda, do you have any...” Emira walked into the room in nothing but a long t-shirt going just above her knees and wearing a pair of blue slippers. She stopped abruptly as she saw the intense stare of Daphne on her. “Um...I can...”