This was it. Day one of living in Bonesboro. To say that Luz's anxiety was high would be an understatement. So much so that she could barely sleep last night. Not that she wasn't expecting not to sleep well, considering she had to calm herself down from her near panic attack. Despite that, Luz knew she would have to get out of bed and greet the day as best she could. Rubbing her eyes in a veined attempt to wake herself up, Luz lifted herself up out of bed and yawned. Even before moving to Bonesboro, she was never a morning person. After stretching her arms out and throwing her blanket off of her body, Luz managed to lift her legs up and bring them over to the side of her bed. She brought her wheelchair over to the side of her bed and gently transferred herself into it. Once she was sitting comfortably in the wheelchair, Luz proceeded to head out of her room and hope that her mom was awake to help her downstairs.
The moment she made it into the hallway, the smell of breakfast being cooked hit her nose immediately. An obvious sign that her mom was awake. As Luz made it to the stairs, she called down to Camilla.
"Mami?" she called.
"sólo un segundo, cariño." Called Camilla.
Luz didn't have to wait long as she saw Camilla appear at the bottom of the stairs and made her way up towards her. Camilla smiled warmly at Luz and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"Buenos dias, Luz. Are you ready for breakfast?" asked Camilla.
"Yes, please." Said Luz.
"Alright. Let's get you downstairs." Said Camilla, as she gently picked up Luz in her arms. The two of them proceeded downstairs and after Camilla had carried Luz into the kitchen and placed her in a chair. In front of Luz was a fresh plate of scrambled eggs and bacon.
"You go ahead and eat your breakfast while I get your chair." Said Camilla.
"Ok. Thanks, Mami." Said Luz.
As Luz began to eat her breakfast, her mother left the kitchen and returned shortly after with Luz's wheelchair. As Camilla sat down and began to drink her coffee, she looked to Luz.
"So, Luz. How are you gonna spend your first day in Bonesboro?" asked Camilla.
Luz had finished swallowing her strips of bacon and gave her mother a shrug. She hadn't really thought about what she would do on her first day in her new town. In all honesty, she'd rather just end the day in the house and lot leave for the rest of the summer.
"Well, how about you go explore the town? It'll give you a chance to get acquainted with our new home." Said Camilla.
Luz took a moment to weigh her options. On the one hand, she could just stay home and make an excuse that she wanted to finish unpacking her belongings. But then again, how long would that actually take? An hour? Two tops? And it wasn't like she knew what she was going to do afterwards. On the other hand, exploring Bonesboro did seem slightly tempting to Luz. But that was only in the sense that she needed to know the lay of the land so she wouldn't get lost if she had to go somewhere on her own, which would be a high probability since her mom would be working. But the thought of meeting a soon-to-be classmate from her new school brought on a wave of anxiety. So many questions flooded her mind. Would her classmates be nice to her? Will she get bullied even before the school year starts? Will she even make a single friend?
Luz was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize that Camilla had moved from her seat and was startled when she felt her mother's hand touch her shoulder. Luz looked up at her mother and could see the concerned look on her face. It was a look Luz knew all too well.
"Are you still worried about meeting your classmates?" asked Camilla.
Luz's silence was enough of an answer for Camilla, but her daughter still nodded as she looked down towards her breakfast. Camilla sighed sadly. She wished she could quell her daughter's worries and doubts. Even more so, she wished Luz would revert back to the optimistic, carefree, and overall happy girl she used to be. All Camilla could think to do at that moment was to give Luz a small yet comforting hug.
"Oh, Luz. I know you're scared of meeting new people, but you have to remember. Not every kid in Bonesboro is like the ones from your old school. You have to give them a chance. Who knows, maybe you'll make a friend or two." Said Camilla.
Luz wanted to believe her mother, but her apprehension and fear made her feel like the possibility of having friends seemed impossible. Deep down, however, the small optimistic side of her did hold out some hope. If by some miracle she did make a friend in Bonesboro, it would make Luz's day.
Luz sighed and looked up to Camilla.
"Ok Mami. I'll go explore the town." said Luz.
Camilla smiled at Luz, but she could still hear the apprehension in her voice. Nonetheless, she was glad that Luz was taking the chance to explore their new home.
"Great. How about I drop you off in town on my way in to work? You can check everything out while I go get acquainted with my new job." Said Camilla, as she walked back to her seat.
"You're not coming with me?" asked Luz.
"Unfortunately, no mija. I have to go to the hospital and sign some paperwork and transfer our medical records. After that, I have a contractor coming here to price out having a ramp install out front and a stair chair inside for you. It a pretty busy day for me. Sorry I won't be around much today." Said Camilla.
"Oh." Said Luz, sadly.
"I'm really am sorry cariño. Maybe this weekend we can do something fun together. You can show me everything in town. Make a mother-daughter day on Saturday. How's that sound.
Luz did like the idea very much, and she smiled at her mother.
"Sounds like a good day to me." Said Luz.
"Then it's settled. This Saturday, the Noceda's hit the town." said Camilla.
Luz laughed at her mother's words and it warmed Camilla's heart hearing her daughter laugh. It had been such a long time since she heard Luz laugh. It almost brought a tear to her eye. Camilla took it as a good sign that Luz was slowly getting better. She hoped this would continue even longer as they settled in to living in Bonesboro.
An hour later, Luz and Camilla had gotten into the car and began to drive to the center of town. By the time they arrived, the town was starting to liven up a little, as people started to appear and fill the sidewalks. Camilla had pulled the car into a parking space and proceeded to help Luz out of the car. After about a minute, Luz was sitting nicely in her wheelchair and Camilla had closed the car doors. Camilla gave Luz a small kiss on the forehead.
"Alright. You have fun exploring, cariño. Text me when you're ready to get picked up." Said Camilla.
"Ok Mami. Tienes un buen día." Said Luz.
"Tú también. I'll see you later." Said Camilla.
With that, Camilla had climbed back into her car and proceeded to drive away to the hospital. Luz watched as her mother's car had driven off, leaving her alone wondering what her next move should be. She looked around the town, trying to pick a direction to go. A wave of anxiety hit Luz as she knew she was going to get lost. But then she saw the fountain from yesterday, knowing that was about the center of where the town was. Using that as a landmark, Luz proceeded to roll herself down the sidewalk, and just took the time to take in Bonesboro.
To Luz, Bonesboro itself almost looked like something she read in her Good Witch Azura books. Most of the buildings themselves had stone or brick walls, while others had wooden paneling or cabin-like structures. It was almost like Bonesboro was like an old fantasy kingdom town of sorts. The shops themselves had the same sort of feel to Luz. Each having their own style of signs hanging off of wall mounts and the open windows allowed you to see the owners at work. One shop in particular caught Luz's attention. A bakery. Luz could see the baker inside kneading some sort of dough on the table, while another baker next to him was putting icing on a cake. It was something to marvel at, seeing the careful detail put onto the cake. Luz continued onward and soon found herself passing the same diner she noticed yesterday. She could smell the food from the outside, and it was starting to make her mouth water. Maybe she and her mom could come here one night and try the food.
As Luz passed the diner, she soon came upon the same building with the owl sign she noticed yesterday. The sign itself read 'Owl House Café' with a picture of a smiling owl on it. The building itself looked like a two-story apartment building, but the lower level was obviously a store front. Luz peered inside but couldn't really see much except for a few tables and a counter. She couldn't see anyone inside, but it was then Luz noticed the closed sign on the front door. Next to the sign was a help wanted sign as well. Luz kept this thought in mind as she moved past the café and continued. A short time later, Luz came upon a massive structure at the end of the road. The large building itself looked castle-like and had an intimidating sort of gate. Above the gate, in large iron letters read 'Hexside Academy'. Luz figured this was her new school and was surprised as to how massive it was. Sure enough, another wave of anxiety hit Luz as she began to think of the upcoming school year.
Pushing the thoughts aside, Luz pressed on and was soon passing a nursery. Luz marveled at the plants and took in the different smells and scents. It was sort of soothing her thoughts and lowering her anxity. However, it also distracted Luz and she wasn't paying much attention to where she was going. Sure enough, Luz felt a sudden bump and before she knew it, a voice cried out.
"Woah!" cried the voice.
Luz came to a sudden stop but was soon met with the sound of something breaking on the ground. Luz looked down and saw broken flowerpots all around her wheelchair. Luz then looked ahead and saw a girl roughly her age sitting on the ground in front of her. The girl herself had black wavy hair, round glasses and was wearing a yellowish-tan dress over grey leggings and boots. The girl looked at the flowerpots and saw them all in pieces on the ground, and she then looked at Luz. At that moment, Luz's anxiety went into overdrive and she began to panic.
"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you! Oh man! Look at this mess! Oh, I'm such an idiot! I should've…" Luz began to ramble, fearing what the girl was going to say. She was so afraid of what would happen next that tears started to form in Luz's eyes.
"Oh, no, no, it's ok. This happens more often than you think. And I'm the one who should apologize. I couldn't see past the pots." Said the girl.
She looked up at Luz and saw that she was on the verge of crying. Seeing this brought concern to her.
"Hey, are you ok?" she asked.
Luz wasn't sure how to answer that. Her thoughts kept racing at a million miles an hour and she couldn't find the words to even form a coherent answer.
"I-I-I… I-I just.. I wasn't…" Luz tried to say, but she couldn't find the words.
It was then she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up to see the girl kneeling next to her.
"Hey. It's alright. It was just an accident." She said.
Luz wasn't sure what to say next. This was new territory for her in more ways than one. To start, this girl was a complete stranger to her, and two, she was being nice to her. Luz wasn't used to someone her own age being nice to her.
"I'm really sorry." Said Luz.
"It's ok. It was my fault. I stacked the pots too high, and I couldn't see past them. You be surprised how often these things break." Said the girl.
"Still, I feel like I should've been paying more attention. I could've gone around you." Said Luz.
"Well, it's too late to worry about that now. I'll get this cleaned up." Said the girl.
She started to pick up the broken pieces of the flowerpots around Luz's wheelchair. At that moment, Luz had started to reach down to help.
"I'll give you a hand." She said.
"Oh, no. you don't need to do that. Besides, these pieces are kind of…"
The girl started to say, but the moment Luz tried picking up the broken pieces, she had accidently cut her finger causing her to flinch and yell slightly in pain.
"sharp." Said the girl.
Luz looked down at her finger and saw that she had gave herself a good cut. She wasn't expecting this day to turn south so quickly. She hadn't realized that the other girl had walked beside her and looked at her finger.
"ooohh, that cut looks bad. Come on, let's go get that bandaged up." Said the girl.
Luz looked at the girl and she wasn't sure what to do. She wasn't used to someone helping her other than her mother. When she saw the girl looking at her, waiting for her to move, Luz felt apprehensive. Sensing this, the girl walked back over to Luz and gave her a reassuring smile. As scared as Luz was, something deep down was telling her she could trust this girl. Taking the chance, Luz began to follow the girl, taking care not to put her cut finger on the wheel of her chair. As the two went further into the nursery towards the counter, the girl took the time to talk to Luz.
"I'm Willow, by the way." she said.
"I-I'm Luz. Luz Noceda." Said Luz, nervously.
"Nice to meet you, Luz. Are you new to Bonesboro?" asked Willow.
"Um… yeah. I just moved here yesterday with my mom. How did you know?" said Luz.
"I saw the moving truck yesterday and I haven't really seen you in school before now. Where did you move from?" said Willow.
"Seattle." Said Luz.
"Wow, all the way from there? What made you come from a big city like that to all the way down to our little town?" asked Willow.
"Oh, m-my mom wanted a change of pace." Said Luz.
Luz knew it was a lie. She didn't want to reveal the real reason why they had to move. The fear of Willow, or anyone from school, finding out why Camilla and she moved to Bonesboro weighed heavy Luz.
"I can understand that. One of my dads used to live in Philadelphia before coming out here. He found it refreshing moving here and he even met my other dad and got married." Said Willow.
"Guess he fell in love with Bonesboro." Said Luz.
"He did. I bet you'll feel the same way after living here for a while." Said Willow.
"That's what my mom said. Guess I'll find out soon enough." Said Luz.
Luz followed Willow into the back office of the nursery and Willow started to look for the first aid kit. Once she found it, Willow took out a band-aid and had wrapped it around Luz's finger.
"There we go. One bandaged finger." Said Willow.
"Thank you. And again, I'm sorry for earlier." Said Luz.
"It's alright Luz. No harm done." Said Willow.
"Still, I feel bad about making you break those pots." Said Luz.
"Don't be. Like I said earlier, it wasn't your fault. It wouldn't be a typical day here if someone didn't break a pot or spill some soil." Said Willow.
Willow's words brought some comfort to Luz, but she still felt bad about the whole situation. The thought that maybe Willow was annoyed with her or just putting on an act crept into Luz's mind. But then, Willow caught Luz's attention with a surprising question.
"Say Luz, since you're new to Bonesboro, you want me to show you around?" said Willow.
Luz looked to Willow in surprise. She's never had anyone offer her anything before. And the fact that Willow was being so nice to her was so foreign to Luz. She wasn't sure how to feel.
"Y-You'd do that for me?" asked Luz.
"Of course. I'm happy to show a new friend around. Let me just go tell my dad that I'm leaving, and we'll get going." Said Willow.
With that, Willow left the office to go find her dad, leaving Luz alone to contemplate what she had just said. Luz felt a whole mix of emotions after hearing Willow call her friend. She couldn't even begin to process how she was feeling. She was feeling shocked that someone would call her a friend, as well as extremely excited. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. So much so, she hadn't realized that she was starting to cry.
When Willow returned, she immediately took notice to Luz's tears. Concern rose from Willow as she knelt down to Luz.
"Hey, you ok? Why are you crying?" asked Willow.
Luz snapped out of her daze and she wiped her tears.
"Y-yeah, sorry. I-I tend to get a little… overwhelmed." Said Luz.
Willow smiled warmly and placed her hand on Luz's shoulder.
"Well, if you ever need anything you can always come to me. Ok?" said Willow.
Luz could only smile in return and she nodded.
"Great. Now, let's go explore Bonesboro, shall we?" said Willow.
"Yeah. Let's go." Said Luz.
As the two of them left the nursery, Luz began to contemplate everything that transpired. She just couldn't believe that on her first full day of living in Bonesboro, she had made her first friend. It was starting to make her think that maybe her mother was right. Maybe she will love living in Bonesboro. It was making her wonder what else this town would bring.