Chapter Text
Luz swallowed the lump in her throat. She had told this story once already, yet the second telling had been much harder to get through. The pain she remembered still felt as raw as ever and that’s not to mention the nightmares that had plagued her sleep.
Amity still tightly clung to her hand. The soft, warm grip was like an anchor helping Luz from drifting too far into her memories. It pulled her back into the present where she was safe. Yet all she could bear to look at was the pancakes growing cold on the plate in front of her. The sickly-sweet smell of Vee’s cooking still hung heavily in the air. The scent stung at Luz’s nostrils and made her unsettled stomach churn.
“And that’s it.” Her voice croaked yet she let a trembling smile spread on her lips. “That’s how we saved the Boiling Isles.”
She glanced up at her mother who had spent the whole story sitting silently on the far side of the Kitchen table. Her cup of tea had gone cold in her clenched hands. Vee had forgotten her cooking as the story had gone on and now sat tight next to Camila, gently resting a claw on her mother’s arm. A long silence filled the room and Luz desperately wished for any sound to push away that anxiety inducing stillness.
Slowly her mother stood and then in one sudden movement she rounded the table and pulled Luz into a warm and tender hug. Luz thought she had run out of tears already, but being swallowed up by her mother’s warm embrace was all it took to find more tears.
“Mija...” Her mother shook as she spoke. Her hand brushing Luz’s hair like she used to when she was young. Her voice was for Luz’s ears alone. “I am so very proud of you. I… I knew that you’d find your way back to us. My brave, sweet little girl.”
Luz clung to her mother, a smile exploding on her lips. Her cheeks burned from the tears that streamed from her eyes.
“Yeah!” King said from the highchair where he had already demolished two plates of Vee’s pancakes. “You’re a hero Luz! A real hero! No one else could have done what you did!”
“He’s really gone,” Vee gasped. The spell of silence finally broke. Her eyes blinked sideways in disbelief. “You beat him. He’s gone.” Vee clasped her clawed hands over her mouth as joyful tears streamed down her face. She laughed madly and her chair clattered to the floor as she launched out of it and slithered around to join the Noceda family hug. She couldn’t stop whispering “Thank you” into Luz’s ear over and over again.
Luz sniffed into her mother’s neck as her heart swelled. “Thank you,” she choked out.
They ate the rest of breakfast in a much better mood. Luz sighed, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Vee gave Luz extra pancakes, and a third plate to King who was in the process of discovering Maple Syrup and had already decreed that they had to take jugs of it back to the Boiling Isles.
“You did great,” Amity whispered. She placed her hand on Luz’s back and massaged her gently with small circular rubs. Luz sighed contently and eased herself to rest into the crook of Amity’s neck.
“Yeah, I did,” Luz said with a chuckle. “I don’t know if I could have without you.”
A stern look crossed Amity's face. “You don’t need to tell that story again today. If anyone asks, just say no.”
Luz tried to laugh but it sounded more like a content hum. She felt as if she could just drift back to sleep with Amity’s shoulder as a pillow. She hoped for sure it would keep the nightmares away. “I don’t plan on it. Although I’m sure everyone would love to know.”
“They don’t have to. It can be our little secret.” Amity’s golden eyes met Luz’s brown. Her lips curled up and she gently brushed a strand of hair from Luz’s face.
Luz’s heart fluttered. “I think I would like that.” She sighed and melted into Amity’s hold. The sound of her girlfriend’s heartbeat drowning out the scraping of forks and idle chatter.
She reached for Amity’s hand and took it in hers. She brushed her thumb over her scuffed knuckles and traced the small cuts along the insides of the witch’s delicate fingers. It was her chipped nails that stood out most. The bright pink nail polish she wore as part of her Hecate costume had been scratched up like gashes in a suit of armour.
“I never asked. What happened to you after we got to the Titan’s Skull?”
Amity tensed. Luz instantly felt guilty for asking the question, but Amity sighed softly and looked down at Luz with a small smile. She opened her mouth to answer.
A sharp electronic ring filled the air. Luz bolted upright. Her heart pounded. Her hand still clenched around her girlfriend’s. Amity herself looked on edge like a startled cat. Her eyes scanned the room for the source of the sound.
Camila chuckled as she stood and went to the ringing house phone that sat on the nearby wall.
Luz and Amity both met each other’s wide eyes. Their lips quivered as the shock turned into embarrassment and they both fell against each other in a fit of giggles.
“I swear I’ll never get used to those things,” Amity said.
Luz wiped a tear from her eye. “Your alarms scream like they’re being murdered.”
“Yeah, but at least that’s a natural sound!”
“Luz?” Camila said, snatching her daughter's attention. Camila stood with the phone to her ear looking wide-eyed at Luz. “Oh, uh, yes! Yes, she is still sick.” Camila glanced at Vee who just nodded silently back at her. “Yes, I don’t know when she’ll be better. Yes, I understand. Okay, thank you.” She hung up and leaned back against the wall with a sigh.
“Who was that?” Luz asked.
“School. They wanted to know why you were not in today.” Camila glanced up at the clock that hung by the kitchen door. “It's gone ten already? I didn’t realise it was already so late.”
Luz had forgotten all about school. Monday had only been three days ago, but it had felt like weeks had passed since then. And as she thought on it another memory came to her.
That day she had been dreading the final bell. While all the other kids ran off excited for Halloween that night, Luz had trundled out of school as if she was on her way to a funeral. It might as well have been.
That was the night she was going to tell Amity she was going to stay in the Human Realm forever.
It was the night she had convinced herself to break up with Amity for Amity’s own good.
Luz shuddered at the thought and held onto Amity’s hand tighter. She was so thankful that after everything she never went through with it. And now the thought of doing so seemed impossible.
“I don’t have to go back today, do I?”
Camila gave Luz a soft smile and shook her head as she sat down. “Of course not. They think you’re sick. You just rest and enjoy yourself today. You’ve deserved it.”
A wave of relief washed over Luz. “But what about tomorrow?”
Camila raised an eyebrow. “Well, you will have to go back to school soon. They told me any longer and you’ll need a doctor's note and it could affect your permanent record.”
Luz shook her head. “But why should I go back there? We have the portal now! I can go back to Hexside!”
Camila frowned. “Mija… I understand. But we can’t just pull you out of Gravesfield High. Not tomorrow.”
“Why not? I don’t care.” Luz sat up, reluctantly letting go of Amity’s hand as she leaned out of the chair towards Camila. She gestured to herself as she spoke. “I’ll still be in school learning things.”
Her mother seemed surprised by Luz’s sudden outburst. “But what about your future? You need a diploma.”
Luz groaned. “Come on, Mamá. That wouldn’t matter on the Boiling Isles.”
Camila leaned forward, her hands clasped on the table. “Luz, mija, please. It would be good if you kept your options open. A diploma does that.”
Luz sighed as she suddenly felt disappointed. She thought her mother had finally understood everything and that she supported Luz being on the Boiling Isles. She looked up and met Calila’s eyes and saw only warmth and concern looking back at her. “I know you don’t like it there but I do. It's like a second home to me.”
“And this is your home,” Camila said softly. “You know I’ll support you with anything. I want you to be happy. But you can’t just run away from everything here.”
“I’m not—“ The words choked in her mouth. She clenched her fists on the table as she winced and fell back into her seat. Shamefully remembering how she had in fact ran off to the Boiling Isles in the first place. “I just want to be at a place that understands me. Hexside is that. I want to be with my friends. I want to learn magic—“
Her eyes widened as a cold realisation came back to her. Magic! The glyphs! How could she learn magic if she could no longer speak to the Titan?
Amity gently placed her hand on Luz’s arm. Luz jumped at the touch but the anxiety that had been swelling within her suddenly died.
“I’d like to go to school with you,” Vee said. She was looking down at her claws that tapped nervously against the table. “I was hoping you’d be there to show me around.”
Luz’s eyes widened. They had often talked over the last few months of Vee trying to get into School when the next trimester started. It was one of few things Luz had been looking forward to, although Vee was much more enthusiastic about it then her. It would have been nice to go to school together.
But Hexside.
She couldn't escape her thoughts drawing herself back there. She hadn’t been there for long. She hadn’t even been to many classes thanks to all that had been going on.
But she missed that school. She missed the Boiling Isles.
“Maybe we can work something out,” she said desperately. “Maybe I can go to both schools? Or maybe you could go as me.”
“No!” Vee said. Her voice cracked.
Luz’s eyes widened and she slapped her hands to her mouth. Why did I say that? Why did I think that?!
Vee’s moment of anger gave way to sadness. “I want to go as myself. I want to be myself. I want to have a normal life. A human life. With you there as my sister.”
“I’m sorry, Vee.” Luz ran her trembling hands through her hair. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
Vee sighed and rubbed her arm. “It’s fine, please. It just would have been nice.”
“We don’t have to decide anything now,” Camila said in a stern but warm tone. She wrapped an arm around Vee and pulled her close. She looked over the table and there was no anger or hurt in her eyes. Only love and concern. “Luz, Amity, how about you two go and get ready for the day. We can talk about this later. In the meantime, you have a whole day free to enjoy yourselves.”
“Yeah, that sounds nice,” Amity said. She cradled Luz around her shoulders and gently coaxed her to her feet.
Luz let herself be guided out of the kitchen by Amity. Her head held low. She glanced back at the threshold and saw Vee and Camila give her soft smiles.
She smiled back but turned away again. Still feeling guilty about what she just said.
Luz never realised quite how good a shower was until she felt the warm water flow over her aching body that morning. She stood there, head down, feeling the water wash away the last of the dirt and grime from her body. Steam coiled around her, smelling faintly of soap and shampoo. The hum of the water as it fell around and pitter-pattered off the bathtub was almost hypnotic.
When she first got in she had scrubbed hard at her skin with soap. Trying to rid herself of the feeling of rot and decay that still clung to her. She knew it was all in her head, but she could still feel it just as real as it was when Belos—
She forced the thought away. Trying to convince herself that the warm water didn’t remind her of the waters of the world-in-between.
Yet eventually the water washed the feelings away. She didn’t know how long she stood there. Every minute felt like an hour, yet they passed by at a welcoming pace. In here she was lost to the world, and left only with her thoughts.
When she realised she could no longer use the glyphs she was heartbroken but accepted it. They would always be a part of her life even if she couldn’t use them. She was just so happy that she was able to experience their full power even if it was just for a fleeting moment. She had saved everyone. Eda, King, her friends and their families, they were all safe and free.
She smiled at the thought. The smile only grew as she remembered what it felt like to wield the Titan’s full power.
She closed her eyes and let herself get lost once again in the water. She would have to apologise properly to Vee. She could tell her words hurt her sister, and that thought still stung. She spoke without thinking in that desperate panic to not have to go back to school.
She had no idea what came over her. Her mom was right. They’ll be able to figure something out.
She’ll be able to go to Hexside and while it’s not what Vee wanted, she was strong and smart. She would understand and she would do well at school. Just as Luz would do well at Hexside. She was sure of it. Even if she no longer had magic now that King’s Dad had finally passed on…
Luz hugged her arms tight against her body.
Who was she kidding? She had no magic. How could she study it if she didn’t have it? It was already hard enough trying to follow the other students when all she had was the glyphs. The best she could hope for was to stay in the potions track.
There was a knock at the door, knocking her from her thoughts.
“Luz?” It was Amity’s voice that softly called over the pitter-patter of the water raining down on her. “Are you okay?”
“Y-Yeah. I’ll be out in a moment.”
There was a moment of silence and Luz could only imagine Amity standing there feeling as if she had to say something. In truth she could talk about anything and Luz would love it. Her voice alone was a welcome relief from the thoughts that stormed in her mind.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll be in our room.”
Luz listened to the sound of her footsteps creaking away down the hall.
*Our room. She said our room.*
Those two little words just thrilled her so much. She leapt out of the bath, dried herself off, and pulled on her clothes. Comfortable green sweatpants, a plain t-shirt, and Eda’s grudgby jacket. She had been wearing that jacket for months and its soft warmth around her arms had long been a comforting reminder of Eda.
She brushed her teeth before stepping out into the hallway. Stringbean looked up from the side table where she had been resting. Luz greeted her with a hush as she flew over and nuzzled against Luz’s cheek. Together they crept to Luz’s bedroom. The door was slightly ajar and a thin ray of midday light crept through the gap. Luz paused outside and quietly poked her head around the corner.
Amity kneeled in the middle of the room delicately holding a black dress in her hand. It took a moment for Luz to realise what it was. It was the dress she wore on the Day of Unity. It looked smaller than Luz remembered. Amity gently traced one of the patched up gashes in the fabric before carefully folding it up and placing it into a large suitcase next to her side.
Luz’s eyes widened. She recognised the suitcase as one that had been in her mother’s closet ever since they first moved in. It was currently full of clothes, Amity’s clothes, and more lay scattered on the floor around her. Next to her was a small pile of books, toys, and other nicknacks Luz had bought for her over the last few months.
Luz’s heart sank as she realised what she was looking at.
Amity was packing her bags.
She was leaving.
She wouldn’t be there to whisper goodnight to before bed.
She wouldn’t be there to wake up to with soft words and tickles.
Luz gulped and entered the room. “Hey.”
Amity looked up and flashed Luz a sad smile. “Hey.”
They stared at each other for a moment. Luz rubbed her arm nervously as Amity tugged at the hem of her dungaree skirt. Stringbean made the first move. She flew off Luz’s shoulder to take a place curled up next to Ghost on Amity’s cot.
Luz would have found the sight adorable if it wasn’t for the look of sadness in Amity’s eyes. She crossed the room and sat on the floor next to Amity. Unsure of what to do with herself, she picked up one of Amity’s shirts and started to fold it. “So… packing, am I right?”
A chuckle escaped Amity’s lips and she gave a sad nod. “Just thought I’d get a head start on it.” She picked up her pink summer shorts and absentmindedly tugged at them as she stared at her suitcase.
Luz placed the shirt in the suitcase. It was only then she noticed that Amity had folded up her Hecate costume and already placed it in. It was still torn and dirty from the previous days. Luz gently reached over and placed her hand on Amity’s. Amity turned, golden eyes locking with brown. “Are you okay?”
“You weren't the only one to have nightmares last night,” Amity said softly. She bit her lip, staring at the floor for a moment before sighing. “I asked Miss Lilith on the way back to the Owl House if she could see and feel everything around her when she was collected. And she said it was like sleeping for everyone. Just with a few moments of awareness like a dream.” She met Luz’s eyes again. Her lips quivered. “But it wasn’t like that for me.”
Luz pulled Amity into a hug that was gratefully accepted.
“Why didn’t you mention it earlier?” Luz asked softly.
“You had so much going on. I didn’t want to worry you.”
Luz kissed Amity on the cheek and ran her hand through her hair. “Thank you. But next time, please just say so. Okay?”
Amity nodded into Luz’s neck. She pulled herself back, faint tear marks on her cheeks, and took Luz’s hands into her own. “But what about you? I can tell something is still bothering you.”
Luz kept her eyes focused on their intertwined hands. She gently brushed the back of Amity’s knuckles with her thumb. “You don’t need to change the subject. I’m all ears for your problem.”
“I know, but I'll be fine. I don’t want to focus on it now,” Amity said softly. “Just knowing you’re safe helped out more than you could ever know.”
Luz nodded and smiled. “I just don’t know what came over me earlier. First Mom wanted me to not go back to the Boiling Isles, then she did, and now she wants me to stay here? I just don’t get it.” Luz sighed. “But I shouldn’t have said that to Vee.”
“I think she was just looking out for you,” Amity said softly. “She’s worried about your future. And while I don’t understand the Human Realm yet, I do know you have so many rules around who you are and what documents you have.”
Luz met her eyes again and wanted to tell her everything that had been on her mind over the last few days. Everything about how she feared what she had done to the Boiling Isles. How she was going to stay away.
But she couldn’t. Not now. Not with Amity on the verge of leaving her. If anything she wanted to run off to the Boiling Isles with her. But she couldn’t leave her mother or Vee behind either.
“Do you think they’ll put me in the baby class?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I don't have magic anymore. I had to know two spells to get into Hexside. Now I know none.”
“Bump wouldn’t do that. Not after everything.”
Luz sighed again and held her head low. “I’ve been wanting to go back to Hexside more than anything, but I’m not sure I’d fit in now. I could do potions I guess, but it's not the same you know. Besides, Vee is right. We were looking forward to going to school together.”
Amity leaned over to wrap an arm around Luz, pulling her into a soft hug. “Your Mom is right. We don’t need to think about this now. We have the whole day to figure it out.”
“I wish it was an easy choice.”
“I wish I could stay,” Amity said softly. Luz looked up at her and met her downcast eyes. “I mean, I know I could, but I wouldn’t want to intrude anymore. Besides, I miss my brother and sister. I miss Dad. I miss my own bed.”
“I’ll come with you. Maybe we could have sleepovers at your place.”
Amity chuckled. “I’d like that. But that doesn’t help you.”
“Yeah, I know.” Luz chewed on her lip for a moment. She wished someone could just give her an answer. Someone old, and wise, who knows everything. Someone like… “Eda! Eda will know.” She looked up as a spark of determination shot through her. “Yeah. I can go to Eda. She’ll know what to do.”
Amity smiled. “Yeah, if anyone can help it's that old witch.”
“Yeah, let’s go and see her.” Luz picked up another shirt and started folding it. “And, let’s get you home, my lady.”
Amity giggled. “Why thank you, Luz.”
Luz smiled as they quickly finished packing the bags. Eda knew the answers to everything.
She was sure to know all the answers to Luz’s problems.