"Sometimes, the universe might not be kind to us, but never doubt it will always be fair."
Luz was running away, as always.
"Come back here, Noceda!"
She ducked under a board and passed next to another group of students before she jumped out of a window, and looked back.
Zoey was looking—glaring—at her from inside the school, Luz flinched and continued to run. The bell rang in the background, and she dashed to the entry grates of her school.
The city was buzzing with activity thanks to the summer about to start.
Luz wasn't running precisely because something had gone wrong in the first place, actually, she was fairly sure that the ice she had set on her desk shouldn't have fallen to the ground just when Zoey's friend was passing by, she had been careful with it, really careful!
But that didn't matter.
She looked back again, and there wasn't anyone following her.
"It's a good day…" She thought and sighed.
Luz took out her phone and checked the time, just past three, she was officially free from school.
That didn't excite her as before.
Luz closed her eyes and stuck her phone back in her shorts' pocket before running a hand through her chestnut hair. The heat was getting more and more annoying lately, and she had run quite a lot.
She needed to rest.
But she knew she couldn't do it there, so close to the school; where Zoey would come by with her friends at any second and just restart the 'catch Luz' game they were so used to play every day.
Luz needed to go back to her house.
So she began to walk, taking side streets to avoid the noise of the cars and the shouts from people who didn't care enough for privacy and just liked to share their mad thoughts with everybody.
Luz didn't like the noise, not that kind, at least.
She closed her distance with the border of the city and smiled, looking at the fence that separated the street from the forest; and after checking nobody was around, she ran, jumping it.
Her foot got stuck, though.
She fell face-first on a bush and hissed at the burning sensation on her forearm.
She wasn't bleeding, at least.
"So much to try a ninja move," she whispered and stood up.
Luz smiled at the sight of the woods and took a deep breath; the air was considerably cleaner there.
She walked into the forest, taking in the sounds of birds and the wind rushing through the leaves of the trees.
That was her kind of noise.
Luz hummed a little, spinning over herself while she walked the all-well-known path of dirt the forest had. She had been doing that for long enough to know the route by heart. She stopped next to a bush and saw a few Valerians, she stopped and smelled the flowers, the scent made her feel a bit better from before.
She bent and took a few, fixing them in her hands before continuing her walk.
She spent maybe ten, fifteen minutes before she saw the outline of her house in the distance.
Luz's house wasn't big, but it wasn't small either.
She got to the backyard and watched to the side, her neighbors weren't around, and she was thankful for that.
She opened the kitchen door and was received by a smell of carrots and meat.
"Mom?" Luz asked, "Mami, are you here?"
"In the kitchen, mija!" she heard and smiled, walking closer to the small place in the house.
Camila was there, moving as fast as she could from one place to the other, the meat on the pan was paired with a pot with a steaming something—Luz guessed stew—and at the end of the counter, she saw a small plate with two pieces of cake.
"What are we celebrating?" Luz asked, leaving her bag on the ground and walking closer to where her mother was, putting off the fire under the meat when she saw it was about to run out of juice.
Camila smiled at her, and Luz tried to do the same.
"Nothing special," Camila said and rubbed her eyes while trying to conceal a yawn, the bag under them stood out even more. "Cheer up! Summer just began, right?"
Luz tried to do as her mami said.
But she couldn't, her mother looked… tired.
"Hey, I- I picked this for you!" Luz said with a little smile, flashing the few Valerians.
Camila looked pleased for a second, but then she frowned.
That was all Luz needed to know she screwed up.
"Where?" Camila asked, crossing her arms.
Luz bit her lip and lowered her head.
"… You went back to the forest again," Camila said.
Luz didn't reply.
"You disobeyed me, again," she continued.
Luz flinched but didn't speak up.
"Luz," Camila called her, "look at me when I'm talking to you."
Those were the words that forced Luz to move.
She looked up, and her mother's eyes were stern, making her flinch and try to get smaller under her gaze.
"Mija, cuantas veces tengo que decírtelo?! Going into the forest alone is dangerous!" Camila said and Luz bit her lip.
"I know…"
"Then why?"
Luz looked away. "It's easier when I go that way..."
"Luz."
"I don't like the city," she said and looked at her mother's face, "I don't like it."
Camila looked at her and crossed her arms; none of them said anything for a while.
"… What happened this time?" her mother asked, closing her eyes.
"Nothing," Luz replied.
"Mija."
"I didn't do anything!" Luz snapped and placed the flowers on the counter. "I had an iced bottle of water on my desk and someone threw it, and Zoey's friend slip, I tried to tell them it wasn't me! But they wouldn't listen!"
They never did…
"Luz! You can't just go and run away without trying to fix things!"
"I tried to do it!"
"Even so, you can't just run into the woods!" Camila replied, louder that time. "You could get hurt!"
"If I didn't go into the woods I for sure would get hurt!"
Camila didn't reply, and Luz didn't stay for her to figure out what to say.
Luz took her bag and ran upstairs, leaving her bewildered mother behind as she made her way into her room, slamming the door behind her and biting her lower lip in hopes of not crying.
She reached for her neck, and tugged her hand inside her hoodie, taking out the necklace from inside of it.
The piece shone on her palm, the silver making a powerful contrast with her dark skin, and Luz closed her eyes, feeling a wave of comfort running through her body.
She needed that.
Luz opened her eyes and looked at her room, before she sighed and walked up to her bed, taking her Azura's book out from her bag, she smiled at the cover before opening it and looking at the pages.
The story of a powerful, yet, inexperienced witch that traveled through a world of magic and wonder, making friends, rivals and finding who she truly was…
She loved it.
"You got it all, didn't you?" She whispered deafeningly before letting out a soft giggle, "Where did I stop before?"
...
"Luz, we need to talk."
She stopped at those words and looked back at her mom, Camila was still sitting at the table.
"We… do?" Luz asked, turning to face her.
She had taken up the chore of washing the dishes, after their little exchange, neither of them and talked to the other until the food was served, and even then, Luz and her mami hadn't talked at all.
"Sit down, please."
There are alarm signs when Camila Noceda wants to talk, and Luz was watching them all.
She did as her mother asked, and Luz swallowed hard, looking at her. Camila's eyes were on the table, and she didn't say anything for a while, but after a few minutes of silence and Luz wondering what all that could be about.
Camila slid a pamphlet on the table.
Luz looked at the thing, the picture of a kid inside a box greeted her, and the name on top of it sent a shiver down her spine.
"What is this?" Luz asked, the cold feeling creeping its way to her mind.
She knew what it was.
"I talked to your principal," Camila said, "and he proposed this."
Luz flinched and looked down at the pamphlet again. "And you accepted?"
'Reality check camp!'
'To think inside the box'
"You've been getting into so much trouble lately, mija," Camila began, "and I'm not talking about not adapting to your new school."
"But mom-!"
"Luz," Camila interrupted her, "you traumatized small kids in the theater club, you scared the cheerleaders so much one of them sprang her ankle and you gave the principal a snake bite!"
"I never wanted to do any of those things!"
"But you did them!"
Luz backed down at that scream, and she stared at her mother, something inside of her was shivering.
"You just can't go around life acting like that, mija! You need to restrain yourself!" Camila said.
"I don't try to be like this, and you know it!"
"You don't try to be normal, either!"
Luz gaped and felt like crying. "I.. I don't try?"
She wouldn't take that..
"You talked to grandma, right?" She asked, and Camila didn't reply, "So you did."
"That doesn't have anything to with this."
"It has everything to do with this!" Luz shook her head, "You know she hates me!"
"She doesn't-!"
"She tried to make you put me in adoption!"
"Luz-!"
"Why do you listen to her?!"
"Bceacuse you need to be normal and not a 'weirdo'!"
It took a few seconds for Luz to register what happened next.
She was standing, and she was mad.
"Well, lo siento, por no ser normal! It's always my fault, right?!" Luz shouted.
It was Camila's turn to back off. She opened her mouth and apparently tried to say something, but Luz wasn't going to listen to it.
"Don't! I get it," Luz said and turned around, "I know I'm just a weirdo, everyone says it."
She rushed upstairs and slammed her door, leaning on it and sliding until she was sitting on the ground, and there, alone, she allowed a little sob to leave her lips.
But she didn't cry, no, she wasn't giving Camila that.
She looked at the wall, and then at the window, the sun was still in the sky.
The forest was quiet, Luz couldn't hear anything coming from it. She looked at the ground, then at her bed.
The Azura book rested there.
Luz closed her eyes and got her hand to her necklace, embracing it with all her strength.
"… I'm not going…" she whispered after a few moments, "no way in hell I'm doing something like that."
She stood up and looked at the closed door, and then again, to the window and the forest outside.
Luz wasn't going to go to that stupid camp.
...
Heart pounding in her chest, sweat going down her forehead, and the horrible stinging sensation…
Luz couldn't handle it.
She forced her eyes to open and glared at her surroundings, the forest was dark, her flashlight almost out of batteries, and the cold wind making her shiver.
Running away just when it was about to get dark might have not been her best idea.
"Not like I could've stayed…" she thought, looking around and squinting her eyes, her flashlight flickered, "no, no… come on, just until I find a place to sleep at least!" she begged.
The light didn't go off.
She relaxed.
Luz bit her lip and looked around; her house was a few meters away, or she thought it was. She had never taken that route before, it was messy, full of trees that covered any kind of view, and squirrels ran over the path every day, making any path impossible to recognize.
She had lived avoiding it her whole life… which made it a perfect escape route.
But it was dark, and she shivered at the thought.
Luz's grip on the flashlight became tighter and she took a deep breath before she continued her walk. The night creatures were making their voices known with a soft tune that any other day Luz would've tried to imitate until she got the hang of all animals involved.
But the forest at night had a different air to it, and she couldn't find the beauty in the melodies of the wild as she usually did.
Her hands moved to her bag, and she took out her phone, it was charged, at least, and she was glad she still had another source of light with her in case the main one decided to fail her. Luz looked the hour, and she took a sharp breath when the notification icon appeared on the screen.
She had a message.
Camila had sent a message.
Mija, where are you?!
Luz flinched at the words and closed her eyes, ignoring the message and going deeper into the woods.
She didn't move much before her phone buzzed again, a new notification.
She ignored it.
She advanced, there was a buzz, and she ignored it; it was a routine until the eighth time, she was reaching a small space between the whole totality of trees when her phone buzzed but didn't stop.
It was a call.
She didn't want to answer.
She managed to break the tree lines and the cold wind slapped her face mercilessly, moonlight bathed the place at the same time her flashlight died.
Luz gaped at the thing and groaned while she put it away.
"I need batteries…" she whispered and hugged herself, "dark nights are the worst…" she whispered.
Her phone was still ringing, she looked at her bag.
"It should have stopped already…" she said and took the phone out.
There were four missed calls and a new one coming in.
"Uh… that explains it…" she whispered and looked away.
She saw a cabin.
"What…?"
Luz lowered the hand where her phone was in and looked at the rundown building in the middle of the clearing; it was small, the ceiling had holes in it, and she could swear there was a nest of rats or seagulls or eagles somewhere in there.
And yet, it felt… weird.
Not a bad weird, just… weird.
Luz took slow and shivering steps towards the cabin, and she blinked a few times, her eyes getting more used to the low light. She noticed the few loose steps in the porch and the lack of crystals in the windows.
The place could fall down any minute, and yet, it didn't move a bit.
"What is this place…?" Luz thought, looking around.
There were only trees around her, and she felt so utterly alone that it sent a chill down her spine. She couldn't stay out there, she didn't pack so many things, her sleeping bag wouldn't keep her warm enough!
Her eyes went to the cabin and she sighed.
"Time to be that dumb person in a horror movie…" she said and took a step towards it.
Her phone started ringing again.
She picked up.
"Qué quieres?" She asked closing her eyes.
"Mija, donde estás?!"
"Out."
"Luz-!"
"Why do you care?" Luz cut her, "you didn't care about sending me away."
"What?! Luz, Tesoro I care about where you are!"
"And that why you are sending me to camp?"
"Luz, that's something different!"
"How is it different?!" She shouted, "You are pushing me away, after all these years, you are finally pushing me away!"
"Luz, please, listen to me, we can talk about this just come back home!"
She couldn't do that.
"There's nothing to talk about…" Luz whispered and closed her eyes, "you are sending me away… I might as well go in my own terms."
"Luz, please, it's dark outside!"
"And why does it matter?"
"You hate the dark!" Camila shouted.
Luz cursed that she was right.
"Please, mija, vuelve… come back home."
Luz bit her lip. "… That house is not my home."
"Luz!"
"I don't know where my home is, but I know it's not there," Luz opened her eyes and looked at the sky.
There were dark clouds about to cover the moon… it was going to rain.
"And I'm not going to stop until I find it," Luz said, "goodbye, Camila."
"Luz-!"
She cut the call and turned around, she took her necklace out and looked at it, she smiled and drew a circle on te meta with finger.
She caught a orange flash of light before the sun completely dissapeared from the sky, and sighed, looking ahead to the cabin.
Luz needed sleep.
...
Waking up in the morning, eating canned food, and walking out of the cabin…
Yeah, that was a normal morning alright.
Luz might have found it strange that waking up inside a forest cabin about to fall down was the reassuring part of her day after she recalled all that had happened the day before.
She had closed her eyes, took deep breaths, and decided that she just needed to go to the next city, find a bus station and she'd figure it out from there, maybe visit a few museums before she could find a place to stay.
It was a messy plan; she didn't have almost any money on her, and being honest? She was doubting running away from home with just supplies to camp was a good idea at all.
But she had done it, and she wasn't going to go back now.
So she steeled herself, gathered her things, checked on her 'funds', and walked out the cabin.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
… So why was she on an island?!
"Just… qué demonios?" she said, looking at the purple sea.
Luz turned back to the door she just walked through. Where the interior of the cabin she slept in should've been.
But it wasn't, instead, there was a single, pure, white light.
Se blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes, looking around.
The door was attached to nothing at all, behind it, a tent, next to the tent?
A market, a crazy-ass market.
Luz sighed and looked at the door itself, and she was sure that those markings weren't there the night before.
"A- a dream? Has to be… right?"
"Come, come, come!" She heard a shout.
Luz looked around and moved slowly towards the sound.
She walked around the tent, her hand going to her bag as her heart pounded wildly in her chest.
And she walked into what she thought was a street.
There, she faced three impossible things.
For one, Luz stared in disbelief at the vast collection of mystical artifacts being dropped aside like they were meaningless. For two; a woman selling toys and trash merchandise from years ago while almost dancing on heels.
Luz hated those things, but that was beside the point.
Because of course, there was the great and hard to miss; third thing.
A freaking demon world!
"If I'm dreaming, I have a pretty nasty sense of humor…" Luz groaned, covering her eyes.
Just her mind could make her dream about different creatures after being called a freak all of the prior day.
She walked up to what seemed to be a copy of the 'holy grail'.
The thing surely couldn't do what the real one could, but she guessed it could fetch some money back home, and she did need it…
But stealing was wrong, and she doubted she could sell something like that anyway.
Her eyes hovered around the things—swords, books, signed pictures of famous people, it was funny how such valuable things were trash—and then they landed on the woman from before.
She was… curious.
Her red-wine-colored dress and heels along with her inhumanly white skin, and that mismatching green and white spotted rag—it was a rag, nobody could change her mind—on her head.
She was trying to attract—and failing at it—the attention of the little people that passed in front of her stand, showing them an old portable TV.
"Come on, why wouldn't you want a human shadowy box that reflects sadness?!" the woman screamed, "I'll give it to you in a special deal!"
Luz stared and sighed, walking up to the woman.
If it was a dream, she might as well roll with it, if not…
"I don't have anything else, so I guess it's OK," she thought, reaching the woman who was sulking after failing the sale. "You know? That is not the only thing that box does."
The woman jumped away from her and Luz laughed at her.
The old lady stared at her for a few seconds, Luz looked down, her violet and white hoodie and waist-high jean shorts seemed all in order, maybe the leggings threw her off?
"Who are you?" The woman finally asked, moving closer to her, "Human?"
"Nice to meet you, too," Luz said smiling, "it's rude to not say your name before asking others theirs."
"It's also rude to walk up to people from behind."
"I was at your side," she replied, "do you want to know what this 'box of sadness' can really do or not?"
The woman held her gaze for a few seconds before shrugging and gesturing for her to go on. Luz smiled and looked around the stand, taking a pair of batteries from a bowl with the sign 'human candy'—that didn't have any real candy—and placing them in the device.
Then, all she had to do was press the 'ON' bottom.
An old seventies video started playing and with that, the magic was done. The people from all the other stands started to give their money to the old lady while Luz moved to the side, smiling at the view for some reason.
"That was pretty clever," the woman said, "for a human. What was your name again?"
"Still rude," Luz sang the words, "is Luz, Luz No-... just Luz." She sighed, turning her head away, before looking at the woman from the rear of her eye, "and that is a weird thing for a human to say."
The woman smirked at her. "Oh, I'm nothing like you, kiddo." She took away the band of green fabric with white dots in her head, revealing a pair of pointy ears.
Luz gaped, getting her hand to her necklace, holding it like a lifeline. Her dream was getting meaner and meaner each second she looked at those.
"What…?" she whispered.
And her heartbeat became faster.
Then Eda smirked at her.
It couldn't be possible that she was in-?
"You… you- you are..." Luz tried to say.
"Much more surprised than I thought," Eda said, "humans are always easy to impress, after all."
Luz swallowed and forced the words out of her mouth. ou are…?"
"I'm Eda, the Owl Lady!" the woman said, jumping on top of the table of the stand. "The most powerful witch on the boiling isles!"
Luz took a sharp breath. "A witch?" she said, breathlessly.
Eda smiled. "I am respected, feared-!"
"Busted!" another voice said.
A hand came down on the T.V, smashing it to bits in a second; Luz moved back by instinct and got her hand to her bag, glaring at the newcomer.
The man—she assumed it was a man by the voice—standing in front of Eda was wearing a whole grey suit that had a black cloak with a white part of parchment; the piece of cloth that was too small for him. His hand and feet were covered in black leather gloves and boots.
And was that a sword on his belt? Yeah, bad news, a good time to wake up!
"Eda, the 'Owl Lady'; you are under arrest for misuse of magic, and demonic misdemeanors!" the guard said, showing a poster.
Those were a lot of zeros in Luz's opinion.
"You are hereby ordered to come with me to the 'Conformatorium'!"
The guard took Eda by the arm, but she freed herself with a slap to his hand.
"Let go of me, I haven't done shump."
The guard then turned to Luz, and moved to grab her; Luz moved and sided with Eda.
"You're coming, too." The guard said, pointing at her.
Luz gaped. "What? Why?"
"Fraternizing with a criminal."
"What?! That's not cool!"
He moved to pull his sword out, and Luz took that opportunity to pinch herself really hard on the side.
It hurt her, but she didn't wake up.
"Not... not a dream?" She thought, paralyzed.
That had to be a f-
"OK, OK, I'll go, just let me get my staff," Eda said, and Luz panicked even more.
Even then, Luz had to ask. "Don't you mean 'stuff'?"
Eda smirked at her and got a wooden staff from below the table, and hit the guard in the face.
"Wha-?! Are you crazy?!" Luz screamed and started to look in her bag. "Where is it?!" she hissed, moving the stuff inside her bag.
She couldn't have left it behind!
She heard another hit, and looked up, she almost missed the view because of how Eda hit the table with the base of her staff, and all the trash around floated in the air.
"Oh, right. Can't forget 'bout this?" Eda said, getting a key out of her hair, and pressing it like a button.
Luz heard a clock sound and watched a suitcase, with the same marking as the door she just came through, floating with the rest of the things and got wrapped up in the sheet Eda used as a mantle for the table.
"Come with me, human!" Eda said, taking her by the wrist and pulling her along.
"Definitely not a dream!" Luz shouted looked around, the weirdness was everywhere. "I can't die here! I'm too young and in the middle of a self-discovery journey!"
"Weird expression, but don't you worry," Eda said, smiling. "I won't let you die. A human-like you is worth more to me alive!"
"What?!"
Eda then jumped, and her staff grew wings. "Yahoo!"
Luz gaped, feeling the air hitting her in the face she hugged the staff and looked down, the ground getting farther and farther away by the second. She closed her eyes, feeling the tears burning her eyes as they formed.
She wasn't going to cry over flying!
There was turbulence.
… She wasn't going to cry much over flying!
Eda's voice came over the wind with ease. "You can open your eyes now, human."
Luz did as she was told, just to face a forest; miles under her feet and the imposing sight of what she was pretty sure were giant, massive, ribs standing tall at her left.
"What…? First, a purple sea, then weird creatures, weird guards, flying staffs, you are a witch… " Luz listed, getting a hand to her face, "just what is this place?!"
"You speak like this is not new to you," Eda commented.
"It's not, it feels like New Orleans all over again…" she thought, rolling her eyes and with her hand going to her left arm and squeezing it.
"Anyway, welcome to the 'Boiling Isles'," Eda said, "every myth you humans have is caused by a little of our world leaking into yours."
"Not so sure about that…" Luz thought before a great winged lion-like dove monster flew beside them. "A griffin?!"
The beast then screamed, roared, letting spiders out its peak.
"I knew it, I knew they had that stupid breath!" she screams.
Eda laughs behind her. "Yep, griffins, vampires, giraffes…"
"Wait, also giraffes?"
"Yeah, we banished those guys," Eda said, landing and getting off the staff, "a bunch of freaks."
Luz got off the staff and looked back at it when a cracking sound startled her. She found Eda's hand still holding the staff.
"I… I think you're forgetting something," she said pointing to the missing limb.
"Oh, sorry, that happens sometimes," Eda said, getting her hand back and re-attaching it to her arm.
"Look… Miss. Eda? This is... not what I was looking for, for goddess sake, it's not something I could've imagined, and clearly, I'm kinda out of place here so… could you help me get back ho-?"
She stopped, Camila's face flashed in her mind.
"… Can you help me go back to where I was?" she asked.
"Oh, I'll help you, human, only if you help me first!" Eda then let out a laugh before moving past her, "now come along."
Luz gaped and repressed a groan before turning after Eda, her rage subsiding at the sight that received her.
"Wow…"
There, standing on the ridge awaited a house, the construction was… eccentric, to say the least, with the front being like a common shack while at the back Luz saw a tower coming out of the ceiling and that weird eye-like window on the top almost looking at her from the second floor.
"Aren't you worried about the guards coming here?" Luz asked when reaching Eda.
She just smiled and shrugged. "My house has one of the most efficient security systems that you can find."
Luz hummed in response before looking at the door.
The thing winked at her.
"Password please!" it screeched and Eda hit it in the eyes, "Ouch!"
"We got no time for this Hooty, let us in," Eda said.
"Alright, alright! Jeez! You never want to have any fun," the door complained, "Ouch, Hoot…"
Luz saw—a bit grossed out, to be honest—the owl-face thing open its mouth until the entire door disappeared showing her the insides of the house. Eda walked in right away and Luz sighed, trailing after her.
Not like she had many options.
Once the door was… closed, Eda turned around and smiled. "Human, welcome to, the 'Owl House'," she said, snapping her fingers.
The entire place was given life with that act. Luz saw in amazement how some things started to move on their own; and how the candles burst to life without any help.
"Wow…"
Eda continued with her monologue. "… Where I hide away from the pressures of modern life… also the cops, hump, and also ex-boyfriends, ja!"
"This place is beautiful." Luz spun around and faced Eda. "Do you live here all alone?"
Eda smiled and Luz felt a bit tiny bit of envy at that.
This woman did everything she wanted, no restrain, and she wasn't being told by anyone to change.
Well… maybe the guard had tried.
But she didn't, she was so- so…
Free.
Luz saw Eda open her mouth to say something, but at that moment, as if it was to answer her question, Luz felt the ground shaking and looked around.
"Actually, I have a roommate," Eda commented.
Luz moved her hand back to her bag and readied herself, looking at the door that seemed connected to the rest of the house.
"Who dares to intrude upon I?" came a powerful voice that made Luz shiver.
Just so she could see a little fur-ball with a skull-like head wrapped in towels and holding a rubber duck.
A rubber duck!
"The King of demons!" the little creature shouted, before squeezing the little rubber duck in his hand.
"Oh, por dios que lindo!" Luz screamed and rushed to get him—it was a 'he' apparently—in her arms, squeezing him. "Who is a wiggle guy? Is it you, is it you?"
"Ah, no, I don't know who your wiggle guy is!" the little cute fur-ball shouted, "Eda, who is this monster?!"
"OK kid, that enough," Eda said, separating Luz from the overly perfect mass of fur. "King, this is Luz the human, she is here to help us with our little… situation."
…Wait, what?
"Oh; hooray!" King said and Luz almost lost it again.
But there were priorities, thankfully.
"Am I what now?" Luz asked, "I don't like the sound of this 'situation' you are talking about."
"Well, just let me explain, OK?" Eda asked.
She then proceeded to talk about how King was a mighty demon before and the betrayal that trapped him in his actual—mass of beauty and dreams—body. Luz was more interested in the spell she used for the storytelling though. The images floating inside the circle were… amazing, even if not actual motions, Luz took in the entire story.
"So… what do you need me for?" She asked once Eda had finished her little exposure.
"Weren't you paying attention?" Eda asked, "I need a human to get King's crown back from the safe!"
Oh, right.
"Listen, Miss. Eda I don't think that that is a good-"
"Hey, sorry but you kinda don't have any choice here," the woman interrupted her, before taking King by the cheeks. "Besides, who wouldn't want to help this cute face? How could you say no to him?"
"No, don't encourage her!" King begged.
Eda dropped him before sighing. "And… I'm your only chance of going home, so yeah, there's that."
Luz stared and sighed, considering, all in all, she was trapped in a different world, with a wanted criminal and the cutest fur creature she had ever seen—out of the point Luz—without any way to go back, except making that badly planned heist.
"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Luz said.
"Nope." Eda then proceeded to take her by the waist and charged her out like a sack of potatoes. "Now let's go human we don't have time to lose!"
Luz fought the grip, and looked at King, prepared to shout for help…
King took the rubber duck from the ground. "Soon Mr. Ducky, we'll drink the fear of those who mocked us!"
… OK, no asking for help there.
"Wait, where are we even going?!" Luz asked, giving up her resistance.
"To a super fun place!" Eda answered her.
"Why do I feel like that's not the case?" Luz thought, slapping her forehead.
…
"I should've known better…" Luz whispered, holding herself to the window frame. "This is not 'a super fun place' you lying witch!"
King hit her on the head. "Less complaining, more trespassing."
Luz groaned and pushed up, finally entering the tower, her hood up and senses sharp—as any terrified person would—she took the first steps inside the prison.
"Ja, cats don't do that!" King said.
Luz blew a nonexistent lock of hair out of her face before looking at the rest of the place. "Wow…"
The prison was worthy of a fantasy novel.
The cells were constructed in an ascending spiral with a huge, and Luz meant a huge hole that went all the way back down to the floor. She took a sharp breath before turning. She just had to get out there after getting the crown, and it would all be over in a second.
Just that…
"Hey, cat-lady!"
Luz jumped and looked around, finding a… was she a vampire? With darker skin tone than death pale white?
"History books really were exclusive." Luz thought.
"How did you get out of your cell?" the vampire-lady asked.
Luz let out a soft laugh. "Oh, no, I'm not a cat, see?" she removed her hood, showing her ears. "Also, I'm not a criminal."
"Not yet, you aren't," King commented.
She wouldn't thank him for that reminder.
"Yeah, well, neither are we," the lady said.
Luz blinked and got closer. "What do you mean?"
The lady looked at her, Luz smiled and that managed to turn the scold in the other's face into a doubtful look.
"Hey, you are already in prison," Luz said, "what bad could I do to you?"
That got a smile out of the lady, but it didn't last, it turned into a frown real fast.
"It's the stupid warden!" She began, "He just likes to lock people up because they don't fit in. Like, I write fanfic of food falling in love!" She showed Luz a decent-sized book with a long story and even drawing. "I like food, I like love… just let me write about it!"
Luz stared and felt a bit of a connection with this lady. She had also gotten into problems by writing fanfiction… of course; she did during class… and about her teacher.
Not the point right then and there though.
"I'm here because I like to eat my own eyes." The demon from the next cell told her and then proceeded to make a demonstration.
The fact that it came back to its place was a bit disturbing, but Luz didn't really mind.
"Yeah, we are representatives of free expression!" A third voice said, "they'll never silence us!"
Luz followed the noise and found a pretty small white… person? Demon?—she'll just roll with 'person'—with a huge nose.
The fanfiction prisoner—a lot less mean than, vampire lady in Luz's opinion—sighed and Luz returned her eyes to her. "Yeah, she's really enthusiastic about conspiracy theories."
Luz heard them complain for a while, every time feeling more and more like them. Misunderstood, abandoned by the rest… alone.
Her hand went for her necklace and the cold metal touch returned her to reality.
The sad, depressing one.
That was that no matter where she went, people would always be separated from all the rest if they didn't fall in line.
"Maybe I also deserve a cell…" Luz thought, and the image of the stupid camp pamphlet flashed in her mind.
That was just what they tried.
"Wait a moment…" Luz groaned, letting go of the jewelry and pacing. "These aren't crimes. None of you… none of you actually did anything wrong … you… you are just a bunch of weirdos…" Luz whispered, taking out the poster she got from before.
The 'Owl Lady', Edalyn Clawthorne.
"Like me… and like her…" Luz thought.
There was a movement, and the ground shook.
"Warden Wrath!" the fanfiction lady said, "Hide!"
Luz looked around and entered a cell, lowering the bar so it would appear to be closed. She then took King and hid in the shadows.
"I can… hear you…" came the voice, raspy, low, and powerful. "Just what are you fools whispering about?"
Luz saw the same boots from before, with the guard, but this man-monster?—Yeah, monster was more accurate—wore a full white vest with black pants under it. His arms were exposed and the dark-grey skin color just confirmed what Luz thought.
This guy was a monster, in more ways than one.
"Ah… the 'Owl Lady'…" He said, taking the poster Luz just dropped.
His hand closed around the paper, ruining it. But it didn't end there, with a movement his finger and his whole hand along with his wrist transformed into a mace, which he used to smash the bars in the cell Luz hid.
"This was a bad idea, a horrible idea!" Luz panicked, looking around for an escape route.
The warden then looked at Luz and King. "I'll get my hands on her soon enough."
"Fight against the oppressors!" the tiny nose person said, "we will resist, we will conquer!"
Luz moved to the front against her better judgment. The little person then turned to face the warden and Luz stared at her.
"We will never be afraid of you, creepy old man!"
The warden then opened the cell and Luz shivered, scooting to the back. She didn't want to see what was to come.
"Hooray! I'm free!"
"No, you are not, Tiny friend." Luz thought and the muted scream was just barely high enough for her to hear it.
"Let this be a lesson to all of you," the Warden said, waking away, "there is no place in society for you if you can't fit in!"
Luz stayed put after those words. The sound, the tone, the meaning…
"There won't be a place for you if you don't fit in Mija!"
"Don't joke with me…" Luz muttered under her breath.
She got out the cell—thanking any goddess or god that may be there for it not jamming after that punch from the warden—and walked to the lever next to the fanfiction prisoner cell.
"Don't worry. I can get you out!" Luz said, holding the lever and pushing it up.
The stupid thing was heavy!
"My weak nerd arms…" she sighed.
Maybe if she used…
"Just… just get out of here while you still can kid," the lady said, "enjoy freedom for us."
Luz stared at her, then at the demons of the multiple eyes. Both of them smiled, but she knew that smile far too well. It was the hopeless one, the kind of broken one you used only for one thing.
To lie, lie to yourself.
She backed off. Looking away and closing her fist so tight that she might dig her nails on her palms and bleed.
"Come on human…" King said from her shoulder, and Luz could swear he sounded as devastated as she felt, "let's move."
Luz didn't want to, she just needed to-!
"Go!" The lady said, and Luz backed off, "Please… just go…"
Luz shivered, and closed her eyes, turning around.
She ran.
The cells were far behind them and Luz now faced the top floor of the tower called 'Conformatorium'.
"This is horrible…" she whispered and looked around.
Eda dropped next to her and started to talk about something, but Luz didn't listen to any of it.
Her mind went back to the people in cages, in how doing what they loved made them all get trapped.
Would she have the same expression if she had stayed behind… if she had gone to the camp? Being alone in a dark place, no hope of escaping, and being forced to abandon what she loved just so she could fit in?
The idea terrified her.
"The warden won't come in a while anyway," Eda said and Luz looked at her, "he's busy torturing some small creature.
"Poor Tiny…" Luz thought.
"What's wrong with you?" Eda asked.
"Is not fair," Luz said, immediately, "just… why do people think being weird is so bad?"
Eda looked at her with a stern expression. "What?"
"Is not fair for any of them to be here," Luz clarified, "they just want to be themselves, this is a demonic world where all magic comes from, isn't it?" she asked, "then… then why can't they just be themselves?"
Luz looked down; the necklace chain got her attention.
"Why can't I be myself?" She thought.
There was a metallic sound and King cackled excitedly, opening the door. Luz shook her head. As if she would get the answer so easily.
"Let's go, before he hurts himself," Eda said, pushing her along.
"It… may be a bit too late," Luz said after hearing King's little scream.
…
How could everything go so wrong in thirty seconds?
She was just having a heart-to-heart chat with Eda and then, 'swing'. The woman is without her head. King is hurt and she is flying through the cells, taking her chance to free the prisoners.
Stupidly cute King for saying she wasn't a criminal yet. Well, now she was one.
Luz hit the ground of the exterior yard when a blast of rocks passed too close, really too close!
"What is his problem?!" Luz shouted, "I've met trolls that handle rejection better!"
Eda laughed at her before standing, her head finally reattached to her neck. "That's a good joke kid."
"It wasn't a joke," Luz muttered, standing.
The warden rushed to them, Eda took the lead and intercepted him. Drawing light circles in the air, she deviated from his attacks; dodging the ones she wasn't fast enough to cast a defense for. Luz glared at the monster of the warden and got her hand inside her bag.
If she could just get her-!
"Luz!" Eda said, getting next to her. She thrust her hand inside her hair and placed a key in Luz's hands. "go back to the human world."
"What?!" Luz shouted, "But… but what about you guys?!"
King laughed next to her. "If you think this guy is bad, you should've seen her last ex-boyfriend!"
"Not my boyfriend!"
Luz looked at the key in her hand and then to Eda, who just had to make a full roll to avoid King being sliced. She couldn't leave like that, she wouldn't…
"Go, go!" Eda said, moving her to sit on the staff.
"No! Eda, wait. I-!"
"Luz, you gotta go!" Eda said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "This isn't your fight…" Eda said, "And Luz, thank you."
"What, why?"
Eda chuckled. "For being you, kiddo. Nobody would've taken their chances, and they would've run away already."
Eda squeezed her shoulder and looked at Warth.
"People tend to run when things get tough, it's natural… but you aren't running now, are you?" Eda said, "you are braver than anyone I've seen in a long time… hell, you are almost stupid!"
"Hey!"
"It's a compliment," Eda said, "you remind me of myself, kiddo… so don't change, and be brave some other day, will ya?"
Eda didn't give her the time to complain or respond, sending her off with Owlbert.
Luz glanced back down, and she faced the scene of Eda barely holding her ground to the warden. She also caught the sight of the other prisoners. All of them stayed within the wall's limits.
She then contemplated the key in her hand.
She could go home already; none of this was her problem as Eda had said. Nothing that concerned her; she just needed to fly away and it all will be forgotten…
And for what?
What good will doing that do to me? Luz asked herself, looking back down.
It was suicidal, it was stupid and reckless, and she could pretty much regret it for the rest of her days.
And who was she kidding?
It was just the kind of thing she had always dreamed to do!
"Hey, staff?" Luz talked, looking at the owl figure on top of it. "I know you are pretty much bonded to Eda, but… but if you could listen to my selfish request…" Luz took a deep breath, looking down. "I want to go back down… and save them all."
There was no response whatsoever.
She considered all the possible causes and let out a small smile. "Please?"
That did the trick.
Something shifted in her, in the air, and she shivered at it.
"What?" she whispered, and then?
She fell.
Luz was in free fall, she didn't panic, though. Her eyes looked at the ground getting closer and before she could get smashed against it, the staff just… stopped, when it was about to hit the ground.
Luz took a shivering breath, the adrenaline was pumping inside her veins like crazy.
She was-?
"Human?"
She was facing the other prisoners.
"Why are you just standing there?" She asked, "This is your chance to escape!"
"What for?" The multiple eyes demon said, "the warden will catch us again… he always does."
The fanfiction writer talked next. "We belong here."
"Insecurity is a prison you can't escape from," the tiny-body big-nose demon said.
"What? Don't you see it?" Luz asked, getting down the staff, "you have a different way of doing things, a different way of seeing things, and yeah, that may make you weirdos, but it also makes you awesome!"
She stopped at that, her eyes going wide in realization, before she looked at Eda, her fight with the warden was starting to settle, her loss nearing.
And now Luz could see what she needed to do.
"Why are you helping us?" The fanfiction girl asked.
"Because…" Luz snickered and looked at her, getting her hood on. "Us weirdos have to stick together! And nobody should be punished for who they are!"
Luz shook her head.
"We should be able to be ourselves, we shouldn't be scared of showing the world how amazing we can be!" She said and walked up to the lady prisoner, "we shouldn't be scared of showing what we love…" she turned to the multiple eyes demon, "of what we enjoy," she turned to the tiny one, "or what we believe."
"… What if we aren't brave enough?" the eyes demon said.
Luz bit her lip and closed her eyes. "… I know we are, I'm terrified of so many things… but someone just told me I'm brave! I don't know if I am, hell, I don't think I am… but sometimes… sometimes…"
Luz looked at the three of them and chuckled, smiling.
"Sometimes we just need to take a leap of faith," she said, "to show the world who we really are."
The three of them stared at her, and Luz feared for a second that she had gone overboard, that she had read the situation wrong.
And she heard a giggle; and a pair of lips on her cheek.
"And who are you, human?" the lady asked, pulling away from her.
Luz felt her cheeks heat up but smiled. "I'm Luz, you?"
"Vanessa," she replied, "nice to meet you, Luz."
"I'm Eyeb," the multiple eyes demon said.
Luz smiled at him. "A pleasure to meet you."
"You already must know, but I'm tiny," the smaller demon said.
"I figured as much," Luz said and looked at the three of them, "so? Are we taking that leap of faith?"
The three of them exchanged a look and then they stared at her.
"As long as you are taking one step, we will," Vanessa said, "so don't disappoint, you hear me?"
"Wouldn't dream of it," Luz replied and got on the staff. "Now, let's go get them!"
All of them cheered and Luz charged against the warden, holding her necklace pendant with her free hand and smiling.
"I'm so stupid, really!" She thought, screaming and passing by the side of the warden, letting the other prisoners fight him while she gained momentum. "How come I didn't see it before?" Her mind was rushing with the same thought while she ripped the necklace from its place.
She felt the burning sensation and got her hand inside her bag. Getting out a long metallic bracelet; she smiled, placing it in her left forearm.
"I just have to be me!" She said and leaped.
The warden was restrained on the ground and Luz landed between him and Eda. "Who do you think you are?!"
Luz smiled, remembering the words of her favorite book.
They fit quite well.
"Beware, warden Wrath! For, I am Luz…!"
She then took her hoodie off, and the gasps came as if it was a setup.
"…The witch! And I am a warrior of peace!" Luz finished, spinning Eda's staff. "Now, eat this sucker!"
She moved her left arm, the bracelet lighted up, showing different kinds of glyphs and colors: She went and direct her attention to an orange-red one, the form of a circle inside another with two lines that met on the edge of the biggest one making the limit of the circle shined harder than the rest.
Luz raised her hand and a circle of light appeared in front of it. She then used Eda's staff and swung it like a baseball bat, hitting the circle.
And a giant fireball flew in the direction of the warden.
The impact, followed closely by an explosion shook the whole place and Luz smiled while passing a hand through her hair. Luz turned and saw Eda charging King and gaping at her.
She couldn't help it, and pushed, crashing the woman and demon in a hug.
"You…you- you…" she heard and separated from the hug a little to face a pretty astonished Eda.
"I?" Luz asked, smirking.
"You are a witch? Why is your hair now... red-ish...? Also your ears…!" Eda stopped and moved to hold her by the shoulders, dropping King in the process, "wait…"
Eda moved her hand to Luz's ears and touched them, Luz shifted under the touch but let her be.
Eda's surprised face became serious. "These aren't as pointy as they should…" she said.
"Yeah, about that thing of being human or a witch…" Luz said, taking a step back, "I guess I'm… neither? And both at the same time?"
Eda stared and her mouth fell.
"Are you…?"
Luz smiled. "Nice to meet you, Eda the 'Owl Lady'… I'm Luz, a half-human witch. And I'm currently looking for my mother!" She then held Eda's hands. "Hey, would you make me your apprentice?!"