"Things that we keep to ourselves are meant only for two pairs of eyes and ears.
Our past selves and the people we became when we come back to them."
"'Azura', Hecate began. 'Our paths have crossed only in battle! But today I stand before you seeking, an ally'." Luz read and pointed down to King. "Ah…"
King groaned. "Luz, you are going all swoony again."
"I can't help it," Luz said. "Azura is able to befriend, everyone! Even her biggest rival… I wish I had that kind of power."
"Rivals are meant to be annihilated, not befriended. Now keep reading! I've been sucked into your awful fandom."
Luz smiled at the little demon before nodding. Having him as the only person, creature, or whatever, that she could share that kind of thing with made those little moments really important to her.
"I wish I could discuss it with someone else, though." Luz thought, opening the book again. "'Suddenly, the door swung open!'"
There were no better words to describe the next thing that happened as Hooty did just that.
"Ding-dong-ding, Hoot-Hoot!"
In a single motion, King stood up while pointing at her. "The book has come to life! Burn it!"
"I'm not burning my book! Are you crazy?" Luz snapped back. "I…I'll just go and see who's on the door."
Luz left the book on the coffee table and walked towards the open door, but when she looked out, she didn't find anyone.
"Weird…"
"Ah..."
Luz's ears perked up at the little voice, and she looked down, finding a small basket. "Uh? It's not heavy at al…" she whispered once she lifted it.
"What is it? Is it a trap?" King asked from the couch.
"Nah, is just a basket," she said once she closed the door. "Better get it to Eda…"
"If it's an offering it should be for me!" King shouted, going after her.
"What are y'all talking about? I'm trying to cook dinner here!" Eda said when they got inside the kitchen.
"You got a package!" Luz replied, leaving the 'present' on the counter. "It looks like a gift basket!"
"A package? Gifts?" Eda repeated. "Ja, what do ya know? Being the most powerful witch on the boiling isles has its perks."
King moved and uncovered the basket.
To be fair, Luz could've expected many things, it was the 'Boiling Isles' after all… but believe her when she said, she didn't expect a baby.
King was pretty fast to accept it, though. "Yes! Fresh meat."
Luz gaped at him before looking away. "No, not even that."
"Witches eating babies is so sixteen ninety-three," Eda commented nonchalantly. "What is this?"
"There is a note," King said, showing them the paper. "'Take care of my child 'til morning. Yi-Yi'."
"Nope, babies are awful, not happening."
"But I'm a baby!" Luz said, cupping her own cheeks with her hands. "Am I awful, mom? "
"Ugh, you'll never let live that down, will ya?" Eda sighed. "Well, since the family thing is something right now. I got news for you, Lucelyn."
"News?"
Eda nodded and made a spell circle. "I need you to take back the books I checked from the library."
"What?" Luz asked, and a tower of books fell in her arms. "What does this have to do with family?"
"The library opened the archives today, so now all birth certifications are accessible to everybody."
Luz stared at her. "Birth certification? Like, birth certifies, family records, and stuff?"
"Also contracted demons for the new-born baby and blood pacts with ancestors," King commented.
"Yeah, I need you to do two things," Eda said and gave her a sealed folder. "You are passing by my child only by name right now, so I need you to sneak this in, so people won't be suspicious about ya."
"You want me to forge my birth certificate?!"
"Kid, if we don't' do it, is just a matter of time for some stupid revenge seeker to look you up and discover you are not mine!" Eda pointed out. "And where do you think that would leave you?"
"In a lot of problems." Luz thought, grimacing. "I get it."
"'Sides, there is another thing," Eda commented, "you can take a look at the disappearance records."
"Disappearance records?"
"Is the information of every witch reported lost during the last fifty years," King—surprisingly—explained. "The emperor established the system to hunt wild witches."
"But it also works to find out if someone went on a little trip, for, let's say, three months?" Eda added.
Luz's eyes opened a bit more at that. "You think I could get a lead on my missing parent?!"
"Only one way to find out, kiddo," Eda said, shrugging. "Now, hush you, I need to figure out how to get rid of this baby thing."
"There is more to the note, you know?" King said.
Eda turned at him. "More?"
"Yeah, it says 'you'll be handsomely rewarded, XOXO The Bat Queen', uh, weird signature."
"Bat queen?" Eda asked while closing distance and looking at the gold coins King now had in his paw. "Reward?"
"Who is 'The Bat Queen'?" Luz asked, balancing the books.
"Just the wealthiest demon in the 'Boiling Isles'," Eda told her. "Get in with her and you're set for life! So, we keep this thing alive for a few hours and we get paid? Puff, easy."
"Oh, that's not true at all." Luz thought, walking to the door. "Well, I better get to the library, have luck, bye!"
Luz was extremely happy to have gotten a few meters away from the house when the screaming and crying started.
"Good luck guys," Luz whispered, walking towards town.
….
Bonesborough was relatively quiet that day when Luz got into town.
She walked past Aaron's store, and smiled at the sight of Willow helping him out. The plant witch seemed busy with all the work that before had been hers. Luz wouldn't lie, the work she made for the Park's had been fun, also, it helped her to feel useful, and sure, she missed it a bit.
But Willow looked happy, and that was enough compensation for her.
"There are things that have to be done by family," Luz whispered when Willow helped the plants in the front to bloom.
She couldn't spend much time looking, sadly.
Luz strolled while looking around until she reached the main plaza, there she caught sight of a small demon charging with a book three times their size. With a bit of pity, Luz took the street the demon had come from and followed until she saw a huge building with people getting in and out while charging books.
"I'll be surprised if this is not the place…" She said, walking in.
The tower of books in her hands started to move before she gave five steps inside; she walked to the reception while tailing the books. There, she saw a man with glasses and grey hair; checking the books with magic.
"Late, late," he said and took a book from the floating line; he frowned after passing a finger over it. "Coffee grease and bloodstains? These are Eda's aren't they?"
Luz let out a shaky laugh. "That was a crazy night…"
"Ah… I'll put them on her tab."
Luz then saw him make a scroll appear, the thing was long .
"By the way." He talked again while writing on the scroll, pointing at the wall behind him. "We are closing early by the wailing star meteor shower."
Luz turned to look at the poster and grinned. "Oh, what's that?"
The man stared at her after finishing with his notes and sighed, making the scroll disappear.
"You are in a library," he pointed out. "Read a book."
"...I am in the library. I will read a book!" Luz said, moving aside.
Although she was forgetting something; Luz stopped and turned back, the librarian was already reading a book when she did.
"Excuse me," Luz called him, playing with her fingers. "Can you tell me where the birth registers are?"
The librarian closed his book to look at her. "And why would you want to know that?"
"Am…School project?"
"…Pretty well," he said while shrugging. "Those are passing the 'Kids' Corner' at the back, you can't miss it. And you better do your project fast."
"Why so?"
"The Emperor's coven has asked for the registers. Those shall be sent tomorrow morning before we open."
Luz's eyes winded, Eda couldn't be righter about people digging around. She needed to move, fast .
Turning and dashing to the first bookshelf, Luz looked over her shoulder. "Thanks!"
With a pretty mean 'shush' as a reply, she was in her way. Her mission could be ruined if she didn't get to the archives soon; she knew that it was something incredibly important, too.
But who could blame her for getting distracted? She was in an actual magical library!
Luz wandered for a while, looking at the research areas, the fiction section, that crazy flying line of books, and even the reference area. Everything in there was tedious; yet, so magical in its tediousness!
"This place is amazing!" Luz practically sang. "OK, OK. You have work to do, Luz. Not more distractions." She told herself while looking around. "Now, where did the librarian say those archives were?"
"Just what do you think you are doing?!" A voice asked.
"Oh no! I've been caught! Pretend to be a book." Luz said and smashed herself against a bookshelf. "…Wait a minute…"
Luz moved towards the voice, looking over the corner of a hallway she saw the 'children area' of the library.
And Amity there, reading.
Luz stared "Wow…"
She got closer, the smile on her face growing with every step.
Amity was smiling in a way Luz had never seen her before; like, well… like she was enjoying what she was doing. The kids moved closer to the edge of their seats with every word she said and Luz found the little book in the other teen's hands pretty cute, even if she didn't have a clue about what 'Odabin'' was.
"She looks adorable." Luz thought, hugging herself.
"'So bookmaker Odabin, surrounded by friends, bound the book of friendship, and that's the end'," Amity said, closing the book.
All the kids stood up and started to laugh, giggle, and hug her.
Luz did almost pass out? Yes, yes she did…didn't? Who cared? That scene was just too cute!
"Amity seems so nice, and smiley. Maybe I can befriend her, for real this time! Just like Azura and her rival!" Luz whispered.
She hid when the kids ran in her direction, though. Luz watched Amity wave them goodbye and walked out of her little hiding spot. She didn't need to hide, to begin with, right?
Unless Amity was mad at her for, well, almost killing her!
Maybe she could still hide?
"Goodbye Miss. Amity, thank you!" said one of the kids hugging the witch.
Amity smiled at him. "Thank you, Braxus, see you next time."
Amity turned and saw Luz at that moment.
"Amity…" Luz said with a shaky smile, hiding no longer an option. "Reading to kids, huh? Looks like this sour lemon drop has a sweet center!"
Ugh, really? She sounded like some dumb baby's show!
"It's for extra credit, Luz," Amity said while hugging the book in her hands and looking away.
Luz saw something changing in Amity's eyes a second later.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing!" Amity moved away, still not looking at her. "What are you doing here?"
"I was-"
"Look, you know what? Don't care. Could you just leave me alone?"
Luz stared at her. "Why?"
"No offense… well, maybe a bit 'offense', but, any time you come near me, I get in trouble," Amity said, turning to face her. "So please, could you leave me alone?"
"I…I see," Luz said, looking down. "I'm sorry…"
Luz turned away and groaned to herself. She had to read things wrong with people at some point, right? The fact that Gus and Willow were her friends was enough, she didn't need more friends… She couldn't make more friends.
"So much for befriending rivals…" Luz whispered, placing her fist on her forehead. "I should just look for the birth certificates…"
"Are you gonna let her get you like that?"
Luz stopped and looked around, she found two almost identical teens wearing Hexside's uniform, both of them were grinning at her.
Luz hugged herself. "Who are you?"
Both of them closed the distance, never once they stopped smiling.
"We are witches on a mission," the boy said.
The girl got too close to her face. "A noble quest!"
"Watch this," he finished their little monologue; he raised a hand with one of the cutest bags Luz had ever seen. "Hey, Mittens! Mom says stop forgetting your lunch!"
Luz saw how Amity tensed and turned, and, wow, could her face really go that red?
"And stop being a jerk to your friend," he added when Amity took the bag from his hands.
"She is not my friend," Amity said, then she looked at her. "Isn't that right, Lucelyn?"
Luz's eyes went wide at the remark.
She had forgotten that Amity wasn't aware of who she was, not even who she was pretending to be!
Luz felt the guilt downing through her throat like a brick. "Amity, wait…"
"Yeah, makes sense," the twin girl said, placing her hands on Luz's shoulders. "She seems too cool for you."
Luz was snapped out of her thoughts by that. "I am?"
"You can leave now!" Amity told them and then glared at Luz. "All of you!"
Both twins laughed it off while pulling her along while Luz looked back at Amity. The twin girl tapped on her shoulder and smiled while the boy made Luz's awkwardness rise by winking at her.
Luz did blush, no point in hiding that.
"We better move, before she comes back to lecture us," the boy said, and both twins were walking away with Luz behind them. "So, you are the girl we had heard so much about."
"You heard about me?"
"Yeah, hardly someone hasn't." The girl stepped in. "I'm Emira, and this is Edric. We are Amity's older siblings."
"That does explain some things." Luz thought, smiling at them. "I'm Lu-." She stopped, Amity had already pointed out her problem with names.
Better not make it worse.
"I'm Lucelyn Clawthorne," she finally said.
"We know," Emira replied. "We also heard about how you embarrassed her in that witch's event a few weeks ago. No wonder she hates you."
And guilt was back.
"I know, but I didn't mean any of it!" Luz rushed to say. "I thought we were as cool as cucumbers! But we are as sour as pickles…" she sighed. "And I didn't embarrass her! She fought an incredible fight!"
"With help of a power glyph," Edric replied, making Luz flinch.
"Anyway," Emira cut in. "Don't waste your time with Mittens, me and Ed. We are way more fun! Follow us."
Luz looked at the twins for a second before Emira took her wrist and pulled her along. She looked back in the direction of the 'kids' corner', but that time Amity wasn't there.
…...
"You just had to do it, right?" Amity groaned and sat on the small table outside the library.
She just had to go and attack Luz-Lucelyn... whatever!
Amity sighed and started to eat, trying to concentrate on her food; however, her mind kept going back to the conversation—even when it wasn't much of one—she just had with Luz and the incredibly opportune entrance of her siblings.
Edric and Emira always made things worse.
Amity closed her eyes and repressed a scream. She looked down and conjured her scroll, her finger running over the paper and stopping at the 'Penstagram' app.
Amity had stayed in all day after the failure of conjuring, just staring at her ceiling while trying to think how she could deal with Boscha and her group after her little outbreak; her mind also took her through her mother's possible reaction, and while all those things had kept her pacing...
The deal with Luz… Lucelyn had been the most nerve-wracking of all her problems.
It did make sense, sadly enough. Eda The 'Owl Lady' was a wanted criminal, a witch that rejected the coven system, so why would she want her daughter in Hexside? Lucelyn could go by with learning wild magic.
And yet… and yet she looked too happy to be inside the walls of the school.
Amity bit back a groan and pushed her food away. "Why is it all so complicated?"
She should just get over it. Lucelyn was fraternizing with a criminal…! But she couldn't choose who her mother was…
It was all so messed up.
Amity looked again to her phone and sighed, finally opening the app. The first image was Boscha and the rest of her little gang smiling. She didn't bother to read the message at the photo's foot and went to her followers. Since that night, the name she was looking for was on top of the list.
Lucelyn Clawthorne.
Amity entered the profile, finding photos of a small demon cuddle on himself—King if she remembered correctly—and Lucelyn herself doing some stupid things like throwing rocks at the sea; she even saw some photos with Willow and that kid, Augustus, all of them smiling to the camera.
But it was different.
Different from Boscha's gang perfect shoots. They smiled in goofy ways, doing stupid things in stupid places. Who needed to take a photo of her friend stuck on a window? And how come that Augustus account had liked the photo being him the one who got stuck?
They didn't make any sense!
Amity scoffed while making the scroll disappear and looking back down to her food. After looking at the ridiculous chaos of Luz photos, even her little lunch seemed... too perfect.
Just as she needed to be, there was no place for liars in her life.
No place for someone like Lucelyn.
….
Luz screwed up, and big time!
She hadn't placed the forged birth certificate on the archives, she didn't even try! And she didn't look up the disappearing reports either!
She just played around!
"Eda is never going to let me live this down…" She thought and covered her face with her hand.
Edric and Emira were still laughing and Luz couldn't believe herself. Sure, those two had been incredibly fun to hang out with. But she had a job! Scratch that, she had two jobs!
Also…
"Amity is even madder at me now!" she whined, "I didn't think that was possible."
Edric stopped laughing and looked at her. "No, when Mittens gets mad, it looks like this." He started to hold his breath and his face got red after a minute. "Wow, I almost passed out," he said after taking a deep breath.
"You are pretty fun, Lucelyn," Emira said.
She looked at her twin and both of them nodded, smiling.
"Hey, we're coming back tonight. There is a book we forgot to… check out."
Edric followed up his sister's words. "And, bonus! Rumor has it the 'Wailing Star' is supposed to unlock some kinda rare magical event. You in? Friend."
Luz stared at them and pinched herself. Her luck couldn't be that good, right? Of course, trespassing was bad, and hell she didn't want more things in her conscience when she just managed the nightmares… somewhat.
But she didn't have many choices god damn it!
Luz nodded. Smiling as natural—still awkward—as she could at the twins, begging they couldn't read her mind.
Edric's smile turned into a goofy grin. "Great, meet back here at midnight! See you, Lucelyn!"
Luz watched them go and sighed when they were out of sight. Luz left a long groan out while leaning against one of the entrance pillars, she slid until she was sitting on the ground and then got the bent folder out from her pocket and stared at it.
"Making friends on committing crimes… never thought my life would be written by a manga artist."
How could she do that? Forgery, trespassing, even… stealing? No, the twins were borrowing the book, they would return it! Yeah! She didn't need to worry about them!
But she was going to forge the community registers.
"My moral values are going to kill me. Or get me killed," Luz muttered and stood up. "Anyway, better to get my bag from home if I'm going to be doing something like this… am I really doing this?"
She would have a mental breakdown before nightfall, by the look of it.
"…At least I'll see some really good magic," She whispered, looking back at the library and walking away.
She nodded to herself and started her way back to the 'Owl House'. If Eda was still dealing with the baby, they wouldn't be cooking lunch together that day.
Luz had found cooking with Eda relaxing at first, but when their opinions on what was 'good' differed, the same relaxing work became a battlefield. She still remembered the time she tried to make meatballs and Eda turned the dish into something Luz will for the rest of her life think as fish.
"Better hurry…" She said, starting to run.
….
Amity was pretty sure her life was about to get problematic when she heard the noise from the main area of the library, even if it was already past the closing hours.
She had stayed behind to clean after the harsh mission that was having Edric and Emira with a plus one in the library, they'd messed up so many things that her work got delayed and the main area needed a deep cleaning process. In the end, it didn't matter how much she loved the library and how relaxing it was, she just wanted to get everything done and fixed before the place opened up.
"Edric, stop playing with that duck!"
"He is my best friend now, sister!"
"They really came." Amity mentally groaned, she hadn't expected them to actually show up after all the little numbers they put up that afternoon.
Sure, she had somewhat heard them talking about coming back when they were kicked out, but she hadn't expected them to go and pull it off. Edric and Emira had a pretty short attention span with their pranks, always jumping to the next one before most of them actually affected the target.
Usually her.
"Let's just get this over with…" She sighed while turning a corner to the main area of the library.
She did not expect the group of birds that flew directly to her face.
Amity's nightmare just got worse by the minute since with each step she gave, a new stupid impossible thing happened. An inexplicable rain indoors in the fantasy area, to a little fairy princess burning a small witch on a stake in the middle of the reference section, to the most annoying bard Amity had ever been forced to hear.
She was about to lose her mind when she heard them .
Amity walked in the direction of the romance section; and there, she found the door to her hideaway open; she moved, impulsed by the panic, however, before she could even phantom going inside, there was something, a sound, like a crash.
"Why would you start to drop things?!" Amity heard a shout. "Isn't this your hideaway?"
"We don't hang out in the library," Edric replied, and then he mocked her. "Uh. Teacher, I'm in love with a dictionary!"
Emira was not far behind. "I'm studying the 'Dork arts'! No, this is Amity's secret hideaway."
Amity closed her fists and repressed a scream.
How could they?!
She could take them entering her room, messing with her during her extra credits work, even their stupid pranks at school, she could take that, but getting into the only place that she could consider private?!
They were the worst.
"Mittens has gotten too... full of herself. She keeps tattling us when we skip class." Edric said.
"She needs to learn not to mess with people like that," Emira added next. "so we are going to find her diary."
"And then paste the pages around school for everyone to see."
They were going to what?!
"Wait, isn't that taking it a bit too far?" the third person finally dared to speak up.
"Lucelyn… How could I be so stupid…?" Amity cursed under her breath at that thought.
Of course, she was with Edric and Emira after how she treated her, Amity was too naïve to think the girl had a little any kind of respect for her; but then again, why would she? Amity hasn't been nice with her, not even a little.
They did share a moment, but a moment against her attitude the rest of their interactions wouldn't hold a candle… it didn't do it, period.
"Well, I don't see a diary in here, nope, nothing. Guys, let's leave…" that was Lucelyn trying to… help? Why? "Wait, are those? Yes, they are! Azura books one to four!"
Amity felt her cheeks heating up. Why did she know the books? And why did Amity have to have them on display?! Edric and Emira would never let her live it down, they just knew she liked them and already made hell out of it!
"I didn't know you could get this on the Boiling Isles'!"
Amity tensed when the place went silent, a few seconds later, she heard a… fight? And then, she heard her own voice, her secrets!
They opened her diary.
"This is it!" Both twins said, making her flinch.
"Lucelyn, were you hiding this from us?" Emira asked.
Edric talked next. "You've seen how she treats people, how she treats you."
"I know, I know!" Lucelyn shouted. "Believe me, I know Amity can be kinda cold. But nobody deserves this, these are her private thoughts, things she trusts nobody would ever read. We can't do something as heartless as this! Let's… Let's put it back and leave."
Amity peeked inside the room. She saw Lucelyn struggling against her siblings for her dairy.
"She needs this!" Edric said.
"No, she doesn't! You are just trying to hurt her!" Lucelyn responded.
Emira pulled harder, making Lucelyn stumble. "Is for her own good!"
"Nobody that ever said that phrase did things for the person, they just say it as an excuse!"
Amity's eyes went wide at that moment for two reasons. The conviction and… hurt, in Lucelyn words, and also the fact that her dairy's pages started to fall from it. Her thoughts once again spilled themselves, just, this time it was around the floor and in an even messier way.
"Oh no!" Lucelyn said and got to her knees trying to recover all the pages.
Amity stepped in at that moment. In front of her, a desperate Lucelyn still tried to gather all the pages, and farther inside the room, Edric and Emira… laughing at her, or Lucelyn, or both.
Who cared anymore?
"Really?!"
Lucelyn managed to get all the pages before looking up at her. "Is not what it looks like!"
Amity saw her stand up and glared at her siblings who couldn't—or didn't want to—stop giggling.
"You two, are the worst!" She said to them and then she turned to Lucelyn. "But you…"
"Amity."
"Thank you."
That got all of them silent.
"I…I heard you talking to them. How you tried to stop them, even when I haven't been the most cooperative or just friendlier witch… you tried to protect me," she explained and extended her hands to Lucelyn, the girl gave her her diary and its pages after a moment of hesitation. "So… thanks."
"N-No… No problem…" Lucelyn said, looking away. "I don't mind it, you being like you are, I guess you have your reasons. But nobody should have to face something like that."
Amity smiled a little before she turned towards her siblings; both of them were still gaping at her.
"Get lost, would you?" She said, getting the dairy and its lost pages closer to her.
Emira was the first to snap. "Well, that was boring. Mittens, you killed the fun."
"Again," Edric finally said, shaking his head. "Oh well, we are gonna go do some Goblin zipping, wanna come?"
Amity turned to Lucelyn, who was glaring at her siblings. "You're just gonna leave?"
"Yeah, with you," Emira replied, taking her by the arm.
"No!" Lucelyn said, stepping away from her sister and closer to Amity. "Look, you guys are cool. But I can't just leave the mess we did behind."
"You are going to clean?" Edric asked.
"Yeah, because is the right thing to do," Lucelyn responded, turning around. "And besides, I don't think I'll be pretty fun to be around right now."
"Why not?"
"Because I want to hit both of you in the face with a brick."
Amity choked at that and moved to let Lucelyn walk away, leaving behind a pair of stunned twins.
"Wow, didn't see that coming," Amity said, looking at her siblings.
"She is definitely too cool for Mittens." Emira sighed and started to move. "Let's go Edric."
"Why would she want to hit us?" Edric asked while walking behind Emira.
Amity watched them walk away, and she then turned to where Lucelyn went. She went inside her hideout and after leaving her diary inside her desk, which she closed with a spell before also closing the door to her hideaway, she followed the other's girl path.
She moved to the damaged sections, finding some books still open and making its components come to life, breaking important parts of the place. She also found Lucelyn closing four history books with a kick, stopping the ancient monster from the past from annihilating her.
She smiled and walked closer to her.
"I won't be able to give it back at this peace…"
Amity's ears perked up at that. "Give what back?"
"Ah?!" Lucelyn jumped and tripped with a pile of books, falling back to the floor.
It was hard not to laugh.
"Amity?" she asked. "I thought you left."
"I'm part of the staff here, I can't leave without cleaning," Amity replied while Lucelyn stood up. "What do you need to give back?"
She saw how the struggle came and left from the other girl's face in a minute of silence between them. Then Lucelyn sighed and got her hand inside the messenger bag she had with her, passing Amity a folder.
"I took this today, and forgot to return it when the twins came by," she said.
Amity opened the folder, finding a piece of good parchment, and thankfully, the magic of the star just worked on books, apparently. The parchment, anyway, was old, not ancient but… old.
It was a birth certificate.
"This is… yours?" Amity asked, reading it. "Why did you take it?"
"I was discussing it with Eda. She… She wouldn't tell me if my other parent's name was on the document, so I came to check."
Amity stared and nodded slowly, within a deep—really deep, to be honest—part of herself, she could understand her motives.
Not that it excused her actions.
"Lucelyn…"
"Luz."
Amity blinked a few times at that. "Excuse me?"
"Call me Luz, please," she said, "back where I was before coming here, nobody ever called me by my name… I was Luz, and, and I like it!"
"I-I see…" Amity replied, looking back down to the certificate. "Anyway, Luz. Here says that Eda is a single mother."
"I know…" Luce-Luz sighed, looking away. "I noticed it after I was kicked out, I planned to look into the other person's name direction, but there wasn't another name, anyway, I was going to give the certificate back later on, but…"
"They are meant to be sent to the emperor's coven at first hour in the morning," Amity finished.
"Yeah, I don't want to think about what they could think when not finding me in there."
It… made sense. Amity had to give her that.
"Then, let's do this, I'll help you clean up, including this little mess," Amity said and returned the certificate. "And you pretend this night never happened, OK?"
"Hey, If I get out here with one crime out of my record, I'll do anything, Ames."
Did she…?
"Ames?" Amity asked, crossing her arms.
"Not fond of nicknames?"
"I like my name, thank you."
Luz smiled and moved closer to her. "Yeah, I do too, Amity ."
Amity felt the heat getting to her cheeks, that witch had almost purred her name!
"Stop it."
"Stop what, Amity?"
"That, in this instant!"
"But what are you talking about, Amity? This night never happened, right?"
She was about to scream at her, maybe hit her.
And a huge claw got around her middle.
"What?!"
She saw a monster. She saw Odabin's Book.
"Amity!"
She turned at Luz and reached out for her. "Luz!"
But the monster was faster, and Luz disappeared between bookshelves while she was carried away.
Titan… really?!
….
Odabin had been a problem bigger than expected.
Amity had been caught after freeing Luz. Luz had tried to use her magic, and of course, things didn't work out like some movie from the eighties; all because Luz had forgotten that being able to go smaller didn't mean going small enough. Nope, so the library will have a new tree on the 'Kid's Corner' to give mysticism to the environment.
Luz had been placing books back on their shelves for about an hour and the task was already leaving its mark on her, she stopped for a second to catch herself from falling and looked back at Amity; the girl seemed better off than her, maybe because her abomination was doing the hard lifting while Amity just concentrated on placing the books on their place.
With four hands and a helper who wouldn't get tired? Luz wouldn't be tired at all.
"You're slacking," Amity commented.
"Sorry, it's been a crazy night," she replied, leaving an insanely big encyclopedia. "And not all of us have abominations to help out with the chores."
"Maintaining it working also tires me out. Don't try to push this as I'm not working as hard as you."
"Never crossed my mind to do that."
"That's a lie."
"Damn, you caught me!" Luz then made an overdramatic bow. "Now my plan to mess with you is ruined, curse you, curse your good thinking!"
Luz would have it pretty hard to forget Amity's laugh after that.
Amity laughed with all her face, and while it might sound strange, it wasn't. The mask of 'perfection' was gone, the mean air too, not even the nice lady that read to kids was there. Just like when they were almost sewed together to that giant book. Luz saw Amity laughing and she saw just a girl, a teen like her, completely free from prying eyes and laughing at nonsense as any other teen should.
…OK, she might sound like an old woman, but that wasn't the point!
"You are incredible!" Amity said, fixing herself. "I can't believe you said something that awful."
Luz smirked and walked up to her. "Oh, is that a challenge?"
"No, I don't want to see if you can get worse than that."
"Oh, come on! It wasn't that bad!"
"It was terrible."
"Could be worse."
"You're kidding!"
"Want me to go full force in an extremely 'drama' way? 'Cause I will!"
"Don't!"
Luz laughed and Amity broke into a fit of laughs herself; both of them made the mistake of letting a book fall. The dust floated and just like when Edric blew it on the demon decimal system, it caused a blast of cards in their direction, making both witches fall to the ground.
And yet, the laughs didn't stop with that.
Between all the papers, notes, laughter and really bothering dust, Luz sat and looked at Amity. The witch didn't seem to notice and Luz was grateful for that, her eyes caught sight of a piece of paper sticking out the other's hair, her hand moving instinctively towards it. Amity stopped her laughs, looking at her.
"You… em, y-you have something… in, in your… hair," she managed to let out, "do you… want me to take it out?"
Instead of voicing a response, Amity nodded, never moving her gaze from her.
Luz got her hand in the slick hair and took just a second more than necessary in taking the paper out of it. She looked at the card once it was free.
It was a reference for a book, a parenthood book.
"How to cope with an empty nest'? Maybe I should get Eda this book," Luz said while smiling.
And her mind went back to Camila, making her cringe.
"Why would you? I don't think you are in age to live your mom behind," Amity commented, and Luz flinched. "Lucelyn?"
"I did leave her behind. Age doesn't matter on that."
"Huh? I know that the week you spent with Willow could look like you left her, but I'm sure Eda doesn't mind! If she does, she will either forgive you or forget 'bout it."
"I'm not talking about Eda."
Luz realized too late—it was kinda her thing around Amity, wasn't it?—what she had said. The silence was suddenly too heavy for her, Luz wanted to say something, anything to get over that awful comment she just dropped, but she couldn't find the words; and instead, she fixated her eyes on the floor.
"Then… about whom?" Amity finally asked.
Luz didn't look at her. Her mind considering all possible responses, she could lie, she had to lie!
But she felt the knot in her throat, the truth, and just… blurted it out.
"Eda is not my mom," Luz said, "not the only one, at least."
"What…What do you mean by that?"
Luz bit her lip, looking at Amity through her bangs. She could brush it off. She could lie as she had been doing, as easy as agreeing with her and act dumb.
But she didn't want to, not there, not then.
"Eda is family, and I like her a lot… but I have two moms, the whole deal with the certificated was just... I wanted a little reassurance, I guess... Eda doesn't talk about her, I don't talk about her... but somewhat... it still hurts, I wanted something to link us, since we never saw eye to eye when it mattered," Luz said. "They, Eda and her, didn't seem to look eye to eye either… I can't be with both and while I love being here, while I love the 'Boiling Isles' and I love the people I met here… I can't stop missing her."
"Luz…"
"And it's all so messed up! I mean, my mom tried to change me, to make me something I was not, the whole reason I came with Eda was because I didn't want that, I couldn't stand that! She was trying to turn me into something I didn't want, I didn't look like she wanted, and she always acted like it was my fault to be different…! And yet… and yet…"
Luz lowered her head, the wet sensation in her face made pretty obvious the tears rolled down her cheeks. She shivered, hugging herself and looking for something that could ground her, that would keep the memories at bay… but she couldn't.
"I keep remembering her… remembering those times she would cook with me, or those when she would sing to me when I was scared, how she played stupid games with me or just read to me on nights when I couldn't sleep." Luz held back a sob. "I keep this many memories and I... I-I can't stop… I can't stop thinking of her laughter, of her frown, or her voice, or how her hand held mine when I was hurt… the kindness in her touch, the love she showed me… and… and… it hurts…"
Luz raised her head and looked into Amity's eyes.
"I don't want to feel like this, Amity. I want to hate her, but I can't."
Amity's arms were around her in a second; and Luz melted into the hug right away, clinging to the witch like she was the only thing keeping her whole.
Maybe she was.
Luz cried for hours—or that was how it felt—in Amity's arms. The teal-hair witch stayed still, silent, too awkward apparently to do more than just surround her with her arms and wait.
But it was enough for Luz.
"You know? I do hate my mother," Amity said when Luz had calmed down. "She had done so many horrible things to me… so many, I can't even begin to think about them, but I don't like hating her. Because… Because I know that in some weird part of her head, she is doing it to help me… because in her twisted way… she loves me."
Amity pulled away, looking at Luz in the eyes, her hand going to her cheek, brushing away a tear.
"That's why… I don't think you should stop, feeling like that, or remembering those things." Amity smiled at her. "It just means that you love her, and even if you haven't forgiven her, she is still your mom… and you know she loves you, deeply."
Luz stared at her and giggled after a few seconds. "Sorry, for… eh, dumping this on you, even though you don't like me."
"Is not that I don't like you, but you do get in a mess wherever you go."
"So... you like me? Wow, could I ask for a date?"
"Don't push your luck."
They both laughed at that, and Luz leaned in, her forehead resting on Amity's shoulder.
"Can we stay like this a few more minutes then?" She whispered.
Amity's hand got to her hair and Luz sighed in relaxation. "You are unbelievable."
They finished their work after that. Amity got the forged certificate in the register herself and Luz almost felt bad about it; she had done it because she thought Luz had taken it out , not in .
But it was too late for that.
She didn't have a look at the disappearance reports that night either. But her mind was at ease, the Emperor's coven had asked for birth certifications, not reports, she could go back another time for those.
Besides…
Looking at Amity moving around, this time with a little smile on her face, made Luz think that maybe… just maybe there wouldn't be a problem with staying as she was a little bit longer.
Just a little more.
…...
She had parted ways with Amity before the sun rose at dawn, and she had also given her the book five of the 'Good Witch Azura' as an act of goodwill.
"I hope she likes it…" Luz sighed, looking at her scroll, Amity's number already registered and a photo of the girl in the middle of placing a book on its shelf took the place of the contact information.
Amity didn't need to know about that photo.
Luz put the scroll back in her bag and walked through the main street. Bonesborough was really quiet when people were sleeping, almost creepy quiet.
"Relax Luz, is not like some old monster or psychopath will attack you." She thought, shaking her head. "A monster or a dude might appear, but I'm sure they'll be nice. And they are not coming out an alley when I'm passing by, that would be-"
"Nice to meet you, Lucelyn."
What would she know? Really?
Luz tensed immediately and jumped away from the alley; a figure came out the shadows, it seemed like an adult, its mask perfectly even, and a pair of blue eyes shined through the darkness of the night.
"Who are you?" Luz asked while raising her right hand, her bracelet lit up the second later.
"I'm the one who knows all around this Island," he responded, advancing in her direction. "I'm also the one who is more interested in you, little girl."
OK, alarms up.
"Why would you be interested in me?"
"Oh, you are fascinating, I thought you knew it." He banished and Luz spun around, pointing a fireball, the man appeared in front of her. "See? Good intuition, and a quick spell creation."
"I have a good teacher."
"Yes, the 'Owl Lady', right? She is indeed powerful… for a wild witch, of course."
"What would you know about her, or wild magic?"
She realized too late that she made a mistake.
The man had gone from far away to awfully close in less than two seconds. His hand had closed over her arm and it seemed he was attempting to crush it! Luz fought against his grip, but every movement made it hurt more!
"You shall know, little child." He said, and his voice was even creepier than before. "I know all of wild magic and its repercussions. I've saved the isles from it, and all I ask in retribution is a little-"
"Total and complete control over the people?" Luz cut in.
Bad choice, her arm burned . Blood splattered on the ground.
She tried to scream, but her voice was gone. She looked at the man, tears getting in her vision; she saw a red light coming out of the eyes of his mask.
"Silence," he ordered. "I shall not take this kind of insult. Yes, I control the isles, but it's not my pleasure. Is a duty I was given by the Titan! You better remember it."
He let go of her arm and his eyes changed. The red light became blue and Luz felt her arm moving, the pain got worse… and then it was gone. Her hand worked normally and her flesh and skin, muscles… all of it. Like...Like nothing ever happened.
"It'll go for tonight, but be aware, little witchling," he said, getting closer again. "The Emperor Belos does not accept bad responses, and your question is coming soon… and it would be a shame to take away those nostalgic colors you have on you…"
Luz stayed there, sitting on the ground with all body shaking for minutes, maybe even an hour before her limbs obeyed her again. Once she could stand, she did the only thing she could think of.
She ran, faster than ever, letting the tears roll down her cheeks and disappear in the shadows of the allies.
She needed to go back to the 'Owl House'. She needed to get back to Eda.