Chapter: An (un)ordinary day - part 2 of 3
As Jett brushed the last bits of bark of the sunflower from his hands and Luz added the crumbled remains of a dried dragon scales to bowl, the mixture in front of trio turned a pale, murky malachite, illuminating with odd flashes of silver as it caught the sun rays coming through the window. It was difficult to not be entirely entranced by the swirling, pulsing rhythm of the liquid in the cauldron in front of them, but after a few seconds Luz tore her eyes away, wiping away the pixe dust left clinging to her palms.
"We are ready for the next ingredient," the girl announced, turning her body towards Katrina. She nodded, a look of serious concentration on her face, and consulted the text in the grimoire.
"Mint extract. Troll's saliva. And..."
"And what?" Jett exclaimed, looking up from his hunched position at the table's lower shelf.
"The owl feather."
Jett's ears fell at the statement. Before he move to stood if front of his staff, "Don't bother asking 'cause the answer's no."
"We don't have time looking for the owl, Jett."
"But luckily, we have the owl." He said before turning to the door and shouted, "Hoooooty!"
The door swings open inside and Hooty came stretching into the room.
"How can I help?"
Instead of a verbal answer, Jett pulled a feather from the house demon's long neck. Hooty yelped very loud, but probably more out of shock than pain.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Hooty." Jett put the feather in the bowl.
"I'm feeling used and abused!"
The teen took trolli sour brite crawlers gummy worms bulk bag out of his pocket. "How about some of those little sour worm things you like?"
"I forgive you! Hoot! Hoot!"
Hooty ate the whole bag. Literally! While Luz added mint extract and troll's saliva to bowl.
"Three ingredients down." Katrina approached their makeshift cauldron. "It's time for the finale."
She drew a circle in the air. From the circle came a small vial. It glowed a bright and unearthly for something so small, shining like an holy beacon in the room.
"What is it?" Luz asked, eying the small vial with fascination.
"The sundrop." Katrina took the stop out of the bottle and held it over bowl.
"What will it do?" the Latina asked, watching as the drop slid forth from the mouth of the bottle.
"Adds shine." the older girl said as the drop fell.
The liquid splashed down into the bowl, turning the potion equally gold.
For a second, everything stopped.
And then the potion exploded.
There was a flash of light colorless and yet so full of color it was as if there was a prism at the center splitting the light into rainbows as it burned so bright, vision was lost for a moment. Three teenagers had look away and shield their eyes. When the light had faded, they looked back to where small cauldron stood. It was gone. They looked down into the bowl to find that all of the liquid had evaporated into the air.
And a six crystal that looks like a shurikens sparkled in the cauldron.
"Done. A first class Dawn Crystal." Katrina put the grimoire back out of order. "And all that remains is to find our shadow canine, which might be a bit of a challenge now that we left it back in Everdark Forest. Gytrash problably found someplace where it can absorb more darkness."
"I know how to find Gytrash." Jett stated.
Luz gasped in excitement before smiling brightly. "Some sort of ancient, mysterious ritual?"
"Nope," the boy said as he drew a spell circle and summoned a small scroll that looked unfurled. He held the scroll as he was contacting to someone else. He even smiled and said, "Hi Quitela. I need favor."
Jett rolled his eyes, "No, I don't need to clean up the scene. Just tell me where is the deepest darkest place to hidden in the Everdark Forest."
Cave of Spiral Uroboros, also known as the Endless Tunnel, is a series of caverns which pass underneath a section of the Hip Mountain Range and the Everdark Forest.
The entrance to it was five feet high. And it was wide enough for the three teenagers. It also appears as a monster's open mouth with its fangs being made out of the few large stalagmites. Inside was little or almost no light in it, but it still allowed them to see the existence of a tunnel in front of them.
Overcast skies and the trees grow tall, bringing shade for this place. So, the whole atmosphere was murky.
"All it needs is a sign that says: 'Abandon hope all ye who enter here'." Jett commented as he approached the opening. "Me first."
He ran forwards, only to be yanked back by Katrina's hand on his collar.
"Not so fast, Birdbrain."
"I am not afraid. I will go first, you follow."
"Im not questioning your bravery. I'm questionining your inteligence. We can't just went in. We still have to come up with a plan."
"Kat, why do I always complicate things with careful planning."
"Because unlike you, I plan to live to be 150."
"And be wrinkled like an old prune."
"But I'll be happy and alive wrinkled lady." Katrina replied. "Like I said, we need plan." Jett opens his mouth. "Come in and make this quick is not a plan." She added.
"Fine, tell us a boring details."
"Gytrash is stronger in it's new form but slower and less nimble. So, need to avoid staying in one place. Luz because of your smell you need to stay beetwen me and Jett. So-" Katrina then paused in her explanation once Luz lifted her pit, took a whiff, spent a few seconds judging the smell.
"Come on. It's not that bad."
"No, I didn't mean it like that at all." the red head said, clearly trying to hide her amusement, "You are human, you smell different than we do. Gytrash can smell you very easily. That's why you must be close to us. Our scent are more difficult to identify."
Luz's cheeks turned slightly red. "Oh... Okay."
"Now the first thing we must do when we found Gytrash is crack a three Dawn Crystal at the same time. It would cause a most effective light blast. We have only two trials, one of which is essential. So, we don't throw the crystal until I give the signal."
"Why do you look at me in a significantly way?" Jett asked, "I'm a bit impulsive, but I'm no dummy."
Katrina just went on talking, "After Gytrash will weaken, we have to move fast. Seal spell aren't complicated but requires focus, clarity of thought and a lot of magic. And if anything goes wrong..."
"We jump to the Act 3." Luz finished as she held a large firecracker with some smaller ones tied to it. Now it was also covered with the sundrop essence and the pixe dust.
"Yes. And one more thing." Katrina looked at her cousin, "Gytrash is a shadow demon, so sub spells types don't hurt it."
"And what's good to use?"
The red head did not immediately respond, making a periwinkle purple circle of light materialize with a motion of her finger. With this a dark pink sphere with a electric aura, white-violet-pink bolts crackle around it appear in her hand.
"Light and lightning." Katrina said, her lips turning up at the corners, then she turned to entrance "Ready guys?"
"To the Adventure!" Luz said cheerily.
Jett grinned, "I agree with the previous speaker."
One by one, everyone entered the cave.
~ 45 minutes later ~
Luz held the Dawn Crystal close to her chest. With her free hand, she gripped a phone lighted flashlight. Jett and Katrina had their magic so a small sphere of light flying beside them, but she wasn't so lucky – she shone the light in front of her as the three of them walked through the dark.
Jett was used to this kind of trek, it seemed.
Luz keep her eyes on the path forward. They walked together in silence, the sound of their feet pattering against the floor echoing off the stone walls. And the first unexpected sound they heard was a loud crunch as Luz stepped on what turned out to be a multieyes rat's skull. Jett lowered his glowing ball to look at the floor and saw that it was littered with small animal bones.
"I venture to guess that Gytrash isn't only tenant here.
"Well, that figures." Katrina said, using a light shone from his magic orb to illuminate the fork in the cave's tunnels. "Your turn to choose, Luz."
The human girl approached the fork in the cave's tunnels, and decisively chose to go to the left fork. "This is definitely the way to go."
"And why the sudden fit of absolute certainty?" Jett said, squinting around at the dark walls.
Luz turned around, continuing to walk backwards as she looked towards him, "I mean, logically, any one of these paths should lead to the Gytrash' hideout. So like back there, there were three paths, right? One of them must lead to the right place, so we had a 33% chance of picking the right path."
"True." Both teen witches agreed.
"And already we hit two fork, one of them will lead to target, so we have like a 66% chance of being on right way, which means we'll be on the 99% correct path after we this fork!"
"Frankly, I know nothing about a human mathematics." Katrina said as they walked cautiously forward, "But I'm sure that is not how probability works."
"Because this is enthusiability, probability with a little enthusiasm. "
"You're good at staying positive."
Luz smiled but then frowns, glancing behind her. "Did you see something?"
"No, it must have been a trick of the light."
Just as Jett finished his sentence the bat-like demon jumped down from cealing with teeth spitting saliva.
Its body is very similar to a lizard's body but it has bat-like features. It had a wide mouth with a few sharply fangs. It has six small, red eyes. It had four big, bat-like ears. Its neck and chest is covered by dark purple fur. Its body is grey and its legs and tail are light brown. It also had long claws on its wings and a spike on its tail.
It crawled on its wings and legs just like a spider.
"Don't hurt him! He's defending territory!" Katrina screamed to Jett as he ran forward.
"Don't worry, I'll deal with that in a humane manner."
His arms with crossed and his fingers glowed with magic energy before he spun both arms in a circle, connecting them together and forming a large dark orange spell circle.
"Sweet dreams Batsy!" Jett proclaimed as he blasted the circle at the bat, washing spell over the demonic creature as it was about to attack and making it fall to the ground in slumber.
"He is wounded." Luz kneeled down next to snored creature.
"It's impossible." He kneeled down too, "Sleep spell used to knock people out."
Despite that he was right, the view in front of them denied that. The bat snored in peace but had a three very deep wounds in his side and stomach, the streaks of blood create a crimson puddle on the ground.
"The bat was hurt during the fight." Katrina said as join to them on the ground, putting her hand on wounds and her palms glowing, "Gytrash attacked him."
"So, we're close to finding Gytrash." Luz said.
While Katrina were still healing demonic bat, others stopped at once upon hearing a loud thunderous roar sounds. They turned to the tunnel, where the creature is charging at them.
Gytrash looked really angry, and the bat's blood on its fur gave it a more murderous look.
"Too close!"
Jett quickly grabbed and held Luz as he rolled to his left while Katrina moved to her right. They got up and glared at the creature, which roared wildly at them.
The area of the cave was very large and open and so it gave the three teenagers a lot more room to avoid the attacks. They used magic to raising the gathering of stalagmites or stone pillars to block the Gytrash's path.
Gytrash ran as fast as it could to chase and hunt down the trio. At first it looked a lot like a cat chasing the red dot.
It lasted a few seconds or minutes. In a situation like this, epinephrine makes it impossible to measure the passing of time properly.
And then the game of cat and mouse ended somewhat abruptly.
"Now!" Katrina summoned the dark crystallized walls to cover and protect hee friends from what's coming next.
The Dawn Crystals shattered on impact with a ground, the pieces scattering everywhere.
Blinding flash of light filled the place about half a second after Gytrash literally become shadow and dissipated into the dark.
"What the hex!?" Jett yelled as light faded away, "Where is Gytrash?"
"I don't really know, but it's not good." Luz spoke slowly and quietly, "I can feel it looking at us."
Jett looked into the darkness and then, in the blink of an eye, he flung out his right arm and shot a sphere of lightning out to random direction. He hasn't hit anything.
"Any idea?" He asked in concern.
Katrina draw spell circle but nothing happened. "Luz."
"Plan B?" The Latina asked, holding the fireworks.
"Plan B."
The red closed her blue eyes as she began looking around at the cave.
Jett and Luz stood back to back, and scanned the place very slowly.
Right, and then Katrina opened her eyes , when her ears suddenly flop.
"Here!"
The firework mixed with the sundrop esence exploded with the force of a small bomb. Three teenagers flung their arms over their heads and ran, out of the way of great chunks of tunnel ceiling that were thundering to the floor.
Next moment, Luz was standing alone, gazing at a solid wall of broken rock. Darkness and dust made it impossible to see something other than indistinct outline.
'Huh? I'm okay!' She though, clearly surprised about this outcome. Then
something touched her arm.
"It's me." Jett's voise told her after she yelped "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." She looked at him, "Where is Katrina?"
It seemed that he could see in the dark, "On the other side of rockfall."
*Rumble... Rumble*
They turned to the rubble, where Gytrash emerged from the ground.
"Oh, come on!"
It turned and glared at them. This shocked and scared them. It then charged right at them.
Jett draw spell. The bolt of lightning that seemed to generate from his spell circle looked like a tiny spark which caused no pain to the beast, and this only heightened its anger when they both saw the monster dog's hideous face for themselves.
"Blimey!" said Jett as pusehed Luz behind himself, drawing a big dark orange circle in the air. The shield he conjured appeared just in time to save them from Gytrash's large body.
Upon impact Jett dug his feet into the ground and grabbed onto the staff, after sliding backwards for a while they came to a halt. Luz tried to help the boy keep the standing position.
Gytrash growling at 'em, and trying to bite them. His clawed paws hit shield with big strong, non-stop hitting...
Jett suddenly felt a burning sensation in his chest. Exactly where his gem was. He toss a few curse words in his mind. Because he know what happens next. Of all places and times he had to be experiencing a bad moment, it had to be now.
"Luz, I'm sorry." He said as put his spare Dawn Crystals in her hand .
"For what?"
"This."
A magical aura wrapped around the girl and lifted her up. The moment of bewilderment made Luz's limbs go slack and straighten, before Jett threw her far awey. At the exact moment the shield completely vanished.
The male teen didn't have time to react before the large paw slammed into him, sending him flying back and crashing into the wall.
After that monster dog turned it's about to ram at the human girl now...
Luz doesn't know what to do. So, she slammed final two Dawn Crystals to each other, gushing out a brilliant yellow and white light. Gytrash barely had time to dodge to the side, the one side of its muzzle being signed slightly by a stream of burning heat energy that splashing against the cave wall, leaving an impressive scorch mark.
Black and purple eyes briefly glared through the darkness back at her before Gytrash turned and ran towards the one of tunels. It entered and disappeared in darkness, surprising and confusing the girl.
Then Luz crouched down in front of Jett.
"Jett?" She asked, getting him to look at her, "Are you alright?"
"I've had worse," he grunted in pain, "But it still feels like I was punched a few times in the chest by a Erumpent. That was a incredible action, by the way.
The girl smiled weakly, "I improvised. I didn't even know if it was a going work."
"I've grown fond of you."
"Thanks. What happened earlier?" Luz asked in concern. "Your..."
"My magic glitchy from time to time." He repiled, drawing a small spell circle. It didn't have the desired effect as it split in half and vanished into thin air. "That inherited weakness."
Suddenly they heard sound from outside the Antechamber cave that sounded like a combination of howl and growl.
"Gytrash's waiting for our rematch."
"What we do now?" Luz shone her flashlight on Jett, who was still a bit dizzy.
Jett looked at her with an expression Luz couldn't read and then gave her a smile that she could only describe as uncomfortable.
He proceeded to make another spell circle but this was a bit sloppy and wavy as he drew it. Then the circle glitched and weird symbol appeared inside the circle a split second before it vanished. Luz was only one who caused something in the spell circle.
"Dang it." He grunted in pain, "In the best case I will make a small flame."
"What does that symbol mean?" Luz asked.
"Symbol?" He looked confused.
"It was in your spell circle."
Jett looked supremely unconvinced in only that way little children could. "Spell cicles don't have any symbols. It's literaly circle."
"I saw it." Thinking fast, Luz quickly took a pen and receipt from coffeehouse out of the messenger bag, "It look like this."
She said, drawing a full circle with a cone and smaller circle near the top, a line down the middle from the smaller circle, and a isosceles triangle touching the sides of the circle with two slashes in the middle.
"There."
With a hesitant tap, the small piece of paper was absorbed forming a bright, glowing ball of light that lifted up. Luz was staring at it with this really enchanted look on her face.
The ball twinkled a bit when she touched it. 'Such a gentle warmth...like a tiny little sun.' The girl though.
"Maybe it's because I hit my head hard enough to start seeing things... But did you just do magic?" Jett says breaking Luz out of her thoughts.
Cupping it in her hands, Luz lifted it up to gaze closer. "I do magic?" She whispered with what sounded like awe.
"I REALLY DO MAGIC!" She exclaimed.
Jett massaged his ears, glaring at happy human girl. "Sheesh. That was loud."
"It was."
Jett's ears perked up like that of a cat before he and Luz turning around.
"Katrina? How did you get here?
"I teleported through rocks." She said deadpanned.
Luz's eyes widened and she stared at Katrina."You can do that?!"
"I know the basics of this spell, but it was my first time doing this."
"And you said I'm reckless person." Her cousin remarked flippantly.
"I didn't said it. I'm just agreeing with everyone who knows you, Birdbrain." The tone is half teasing from her, "And returning to this." Katrina's eyes flick over to small orb of light.
"How you did it, Luz?"
"I-" Luz breaks off. "I don't know. I saw symbol in Jett's glitch spell circle. And when I've draw it...magic happened."
"I heard humans could use the magic once but I never thought someone still can do that." Katrina replied with a calm and knowing manner. "I don't know how you do it, but you're incredible."
"So, we all are awesome. Great news." Jett said, glancing back at the other two. "Now let's get out there."
"We can't leave." Katrina argued, "We have to finish this."
"Gytrash is a powerful like a topnotch demon in this darkness. We lost the Dawn Crystal and I'm out of the game for a while." Jett pointed out. "You are a great witch, Red. But, you know, you cannot do this alone."
"If Gytrash was weaker, I'd be able to seal it." Katrina said almost to herself, but then she surprises him by asking, "Do you have any can of spray with you?"
"For the past 4 years, I've never left home without it."
"Luz, can you do it again?" She pointed at the glowing orb.
Luz hummed thoughtfully, "I believe I can."
"And are you two ready to do something crazy?"
Giving a nod, they leaned in toward her to hear plan.
Gytrash wandered the shadowed mock-tunnels of the cave. The demonic dog growled and walked about the tunnel, and each sound echoed off the rock, making the place seem very, very loud, and yet it gave a feeling of isolation.
Finaly Gytrash lay down on the cold floor of tunnel. It first instinct was to will devote all energies to taking their revenge upon the female sack of meat.
Yet.
Triage first. Open wounds but not actively bleeding. Pain, of course. The sacks of meat were stronger than they look.
But soon they will suffer.
The demonic dog grunts in anger and licks the top of the wounds.
*WHISTLED!*
The whistle caused the demonic shadow dog to stop, and looked up. Gytrash saw the sacks of meat. The one that smell like a owl.
"Hello mutt! Wanna play fetch?" He threw the rock at the demonic canine. It hit his head and slid to the ground.
Gytrash then lunged forward and the sacks of meat began to run.
As Gytrash was closing in on him, the wooden stick that have almost all witches flew to his hand and the sacks of meat sat astride it, floating up above their head. Out of reach.
Then Gytrash notice other person only a two feet from place it stood.
"Lights on!"
The other sack of meat, from the other land, she slammed her hand on the big symbol on the wall and everything was brightly lit, a drastic contrast to the darkness the place had been in before.
Gytrash gritted all teeth with pain. The lights have been burning... and worse, the female sack of meat slamming the others symbols making more light.
Gytrash want to run away but all the exits were covered with the vines with large spikes. And then the last sack of meat get in the way. The canine lunged at her with a fangs.
All the sudden dozens of glowing tentacles emerged from large circles on the ground, coming from all angles trapping Gytrash in place.
The sack of meat with red head slammed a wooden stick on floor as the more light coming from symbols on the walls.
And then Gytrash feel immeasurable pain, the same kind of pain when its old master trapped canine after Gytrash killed his son.
A sound like none other heard upon the world echoed in the cave. A demonic, screaming roar filled the place. But as soon as the noise came, it was gone, leaving only shattered echoes behind.
The only thing in the cave besides a three teenagers, and few small glowing orbs, was something Luz had never seen before.
It was big, easily as big as her head, maybe biger. It looked like a geode rectangular in shape with rounded points. It's exact color was hard to match, given the way it glimmered with an iridescent vibrancy in the magic orb's light, though it most often bore a amethyst hue.
The unspoken 'WE DID IT!' hanging in the air as Jett Katrina and Luz were staring at it.
"Look like we lighting up Gytrash." Luz said with smile.
Luz gazed solemnly out across Bones Burrow from her perch up on the Owl House's stone balcony.
After they find our way out the cave, the trio went to the city to makes sure a Gytrash's geode gets into the right hands. Then Jett talked them into buying something tasty to celebrate the victory.
So, after a short visit to the really intriguing patisserie the trio back to the Owl House.
They spent the last three hours talking and eating sweets.
"... and that's why we banish giraffes."
Jett finished before snatched another cookie off the bag and munched it noisily. His twenty-seventh cookies of the hour.
"I never would have guessed giraffes would do such a thing." Luz said, still processing this information.
"I know." Katrina nodded, "The spots made them look really innocent."
Luz takes her last sip of drink before said, "I have to pee. Four cups of Rainbow Juice are finally caught up."
"Bathroom's down the hall to the left." Jett said.
Luz quickly walk in the indicated direction.
A sudden, shrill sound blared around the corridor. It took Luz a few moments to realise that the sound was SMS ringtones coming from her phone.
She got a text from her mom.
-Mijya , where are you? You were supposed to go home a hour ago.-
Luz wanted to tell the truth. But how can she explain everything that's happened without sounding like a lunatic? So, she decided to tell the half-truth.
-I'm sorry, Mami. I ran into somebody who lose his dog. I was helping them found Gytrash-
-This is dog name.-
-Them?-
-Jett, the dog owner, and Katrina his cousin.-
-That's nice of you to help.-
-It's been a real adventure.-
-?-
-Gytrash escaped to the forest. We needed make a some special dog treats to lure him into home. But when we finaly have the dog treats, it turned out Gytrash found the cave hidden right there.-
-Luz. Please tell me you doesn't go into that cave-
-We have flashlights and all the necessary equipment.-
-It could have been bear or wolf cave!-
-Well, I've only met one bat.-
-I'm so glad that the worst didn't happen to you. So, did you found Gytrash?-
-Yes, but it wasn't easy. After Gytrash back to home, we go out to celebrate. And I lose track of time. Sorry.-
-It's fine, mijya. Just come home soon.-
-Okay mami. Love ya.-
-Love you too.-
"Why the long face?" Jett asked when Luz back to the balcony.
"Um, guys... I have a problem."
"The toilet wouldn't flush?"
"No." Luz more muttered than said, "I have to go home. When we will be have the portal?"
They looks taken back by the question.
"My mom could send you to your world, but she'll be back in a couple of hours." Jett replied.
"I can't wait that long."
The boy drummed his fingers on the balcony. "I have an idea. I'll be back in a jiffy."
Katrina looked unconvinced and opened her mouth to protest but Jett grabbed his staff and flew off before she had the chance.
"So what you do want to do while we're waiting?" Luz asked, "Play some checkers?"
The red head looked to her with confusion, "I'm sorry, what's checkers?"
"It's a game, very popular thanks to Kansas."
"...What's Kansas?"
25 minutes had passed by. Luz and Katrina were sitting in the living room, playing Willdstones.
A game similar to the game of marbles. The only difference between the two games was that Willdstones was played using special magic glass balls that yelled at the player when they lost a point. Or tried bittes players' fingers.
The atmosphere was calm. Then, Jett burst through the door.
After today crazy adventure Luz didn't even jumped in her place and they looked over at the newcomer.
"I did it." He cheered.
"You get portal?" Luz asked.
"Even better. The nowhere key."
Jett said, holding a weird key in his left hand. The bow of key shows a compass with a celtic cross in the center instead of a "G", surrounded by a laurel wreath made of miniature doors.
"How?" Katrina asked, looking at key.
"I found this."
A knowing glint enters her eyes. "Where exactly?"
"Oh, what, you want know all the places where I walk on? That's a little prying, don't you think?"
"Jett Kemen Clawthorne where you got it from?"
He hold his hands up in mock surrender, "Master Avalon's office."
Katrina looked to him, aghast and looking more than a little indignant.
"Come on, Red, don't give me that look. I'm my mom's son."
"You-"
"I'll put it back when we're done." He declared with a wave, "Nobody noticed. Besides it isn't first time a was in his office."
His cousin sighed, resting her head on her hand, "I'm going to be bailing you out of jail one day, aren't I?
"None will ever catch me. You know that."
"But how this key could help me get back to home?" Luz asked, sounding suspiciously intrigued, and Katrina started explaining.
"When this key is inserted into any door with a keyhole, the door becomes a portal to any other door. Regardless of the shape of the lock, the key will magically fit in it."
"Wow."
"The only downside is, the magic of the key applies to just a building door and the user does use that's door at least once in life." Jett added.
"A bigger reduction of choices. But still very usefull." Luz said, "How it works?"
"Put the key in the lock and imagine the door you want to opened. Then turn it very fast." the orange hair teen threw her a key, "Go ahead, try it."
Luz came up to locker. The keyhole waiting. She stuck the key in and twisted it. The door suddenly began to revolve rapidly, the opened to a scene that Luz recognized. It was street on which she lived on.
Luz stuck her hand out over the edge of the door frame, and her fingers collided with a stretchy field, much like the cling film wrapped over the door. She only need a push a bit more, and it will surely crack.
However she did not do this.
"It's totally safe, trust me."
Jett walked through that door as proof of his words. He pick a gnome from the neighbor's yard, and came back to the Owl House.
"See. Safer than crossing the street."
"Luz, is there something wrong?" Katrina asked, when the younger girl still stood like a statue.
"I doesn't exactly want to go back." Luz confessed.
"Then stay. You have proven yourself tough enough to survive here much longer. We'll find you some nice place." Jett enthused, "Then we'll go on few good adventure, get wild and make some bad choices!"
That was a very tempting offer.
The Boiling Isles are an extraordinary place, if you are looking for magic and dangerous. This world clearly not the PG fantasy world Luz always dreamed about. Yet, today she have the adventure of a lifetime. She meet two great people who liked her for what she is. And she discovered that she can use magic!
"I would love to do that, but I can't." Luz said, looking at her phone.
"The adventure part is just a suggestion." Katrina said soft, "But you really can stay here a bit longer."
"I really wish I would." Luz stared at the door for a moment and turned back to her newest fellows. "But my mom'd have thought that I ran away from home."
"And sometimes, kids ran away from home to back after few days." Jett just said, "Half the people I know have do it. Even Katrina tried running away from home once when she was six, but ended up back home because of her awful sense of direction. So, I'm guessing that doesn't really count."
Luz giggled softly before turned serious and said, "I can't do this to my mami."
Jett opened his mouth slightly and then closed it again. Then he and Katrina looked at each other with mute talk and nodded in agreement.
Two spell circle were drawn in air. Creating a dozen colorful strings, dancing and interweaving in the air. Until finally they ended up as a row of neat, perfect regularly sized, knots forming alternating colors. Jett tie it off, to form a bracelet that levitates to slip around Luz's right wrist.
The human girl looked at the zig-zagging striping pattern friendship bracelet. It was beautiful, emanated a soft warm magic energy and a heavenly fragrant scent of flowers.
"We don't know how human called it, but we call this friendship bracelets." Katrina said. "You need to leave, you must have something to remember the adventure by."
"Are we friends now? Luz asked, almost unable to look awey from the colorful strings.
"After that day? We are friends and team!" Jett said, gesturing aimlessly as he talked, a big smile glued to his face. Katrina just smiled and nodded.
Luz give them a big smile, and declared she would wear bracelet for the rest of the life, a sentiment two witchlings found cheesy but strangely satisfying.
"So, does this means you'll come visit me in my world?" She asked with a small hopeful smile.
"Does a griffin have a breathes spiders?" Jett held up a fist before her.
Hearing this, Luz was happy and her face lit up. "I knew it!"
"You would fit right in." He replied as, lightly smile, they tapped their fists together. "A pity you back to your realm."
"But we understand your decision." added Katrina, giving the younger girl a hug.
"See you later, guys! And don't you worry the Magic Realm secret's safe with me."
And then Luz was back in the human world, and the portal leading to the other door disappeared as it always did when its job was done. Leaving normal closet door.
"What?" Katrina asked as closed the door.
Jett smirked. "You broke the rules."
Katrina seemed sincerely stung at the words, which Jett found odd, considering they were true. "I don't know what you're talking about."
His smirk deepened. "You knew I didn't do it. I don't like this rule. Kraken Ink is your job."
Katrina had the poker face, pulling the key out the lock.
In history of Boiling Isles was many disasters witches had to deal with in regards to their world being uncovered by some humans and then the distribution of Kraken ink, something that made them forget any encounter of the magical sort.
It's a well-known rule: You have to slip human a dose of Kraken Ink, if they discover magic.
But she just can't do this to Luz. This girl deserved to know.
"Luz used magic to weaken Gytrash. So theoretically she is not normal human... technically she is a witch." she answered defensively ,then added as an afterthought, "And all kind of witches has the right to know about this realm."
"Hooray for Loopholes." the boy said, grinning.
Neither said much for a while until Jett's voice broke their silence;
"You know...This summer camp thing is basically like school and home rolled into one for three months." The boy glanced at the pamphlet Luz lost before she back to the Human Realm. "How parent can sent their kid to a camp that's showing off red flags with a slogan like 'Think Inside The Box'?"
"And the humans there would make her be like everyone else?" Katrina frowned, "This place just kill their individuality."
"Are you also thinking the same, what I am thinking?" Jett asked, seeing the look on his cousin's face.
"Yes." Katrina crossed her arms, her staff floating next to her. "But you know they probably won't agree to this."
Jett smirked and threw an arm over Katrina's shoulder. "Luckily, we have my great puppy dog face and your powers of persuasion."
His cousin pondered the proposal, before finally looking to him with a slight smirk of her own.
To be continued
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