Figured I'd double-update due to this one's length. I'm not happy with how short this ended up being, but trying to extend it wrecked the flow. Meh.

The Owl Coven

Chapter 2

Mother Owl and Owlet

Luz Noceda wouldn't describe herself as a nervous individual. Sure, she had moments of worry or embarrassment, but that wasn't her default state and it was rarely intense.

Luz Noceda did not get anxious.

Right now, however, was sorely testing that theory.

She sat in the living room of the Owl House, nose buried in one of her textbooks. When she realized that she'd read the same paragraph five times in row she sighed and closed it.

"That's not working," she muttered.

She'd wanted to help with the heist, but both Eda and Lilith had put their combined foot down.

"You are not getting within a hundred yards of that creep!" Eda had said, and that was that.

Which left Luz behind at the Owl House.

Worrying.

She took out her phone, but frowned at the battery indicator. Fifty percent wasn't good, and she didn't know when she'd be able to recharge it. There might be some kind of spell that would help, she'd have to ask Eda, but for now, it was better to conserve her battery life. So, no videos, no saved fanfics, no going through her photo album, not even a game of solitaire.

She reluctantly put her phone away and decided to try writing something. Anything, really. She dragged the odd typewriter from the closet, loaded up some paper, and put her fingers to the keys.

And she sat there, unmoving.

After a few minutes of nothing, she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Do I dare look at the clock?"

She did anyway. The old cuckoo clock showed that only about ten minutes had passed since she'd looked at her phone.

She let out a strangled cry of disdain and got up to pace.

And she paced. And she worried. And worried and worried and worried away.

She realized, with a bitter laugh, that this must be how her mother felt sometimes.

It had always been the two of them. All they had was each other. Camila Noceda had been estranged from most of her family for having a child out of wedlock, something Luz thought was unfair and cruel and probably would have felt the same even if the child wasn't her. As for the man of the house, he'd skipped out on them when Luz was four. She had only a handful of memories of her father, but she didn't cling too tightly to them. Time and observation of other families had taught her that fathers care for their daughters no matter what. If he didn't have the guts to stick around long-term, screw him.

So it had been Luz and her mom against the world. As Luz grew, her imagination grew with her. Unfortunately, it left her ostracized from her peers. She tried, she really did, but even when she tried to do otherwise normal things like sports or theater, it had never fit right. Luz Noceda, always the outsider.

She knew that this weighed heavily on her mother. All parents worry about how their children are getting along with others. That Luz didn't have any real friends was worrying. She tried to be there for her daughter, but between her stressful job and her own more grounded nature, it was hard to keep up with her spirited daughter.

The Reality Check Camp had been a nuclear option. Luz knew that her mother didn't want to send her off, but was at her wits-end over everything. It seemed like the lesser of several evils. She couldn't begrudge her mother for having to make that decision.

But the universe had a different plan for Luz. And she found the Boiling Isles. She found the Owl House. She found Eda and King and Willow and Gus and Amity. She found a world of magic. She was still an outsider, a human in a world of witches, but she had a new chance to be someone, a new place to try. Her weirdness didn't stick out as much, that she'd been able to make and keep a few friends proved it.

She hoped her mother would be proud. Proud that her daughter found a place to belong, even if it was beyond anything she could have imagined.

She hoped she'd be forgiven for lying about being at the camp. She hoped she'd be forgiven for disappearing.

Luz reached up and fingered at her chest, or more specifically the necklace beneath her shirt. She'd kept the key to the portal, although it was useless now beyond a keepsake.

She remembered that day, she likely would until the day she died. The desperate flight, the struggle against a man who was clearly toying with her like a cat with a captured mouse. The cold, emotionless gaze. The slimy feel of the tendrils and arms he'd summoned. The wicked rush of adrenaline, the crushing feeling of helplessness.

The sound of an owl's screech mixed with a woman's scream.

Desperately hugging the fluffy form of her transformed mentor, begging her not to leave.

Luz's family had never been big. But Eda was hers, she couldn't imagine a future without the wild witch in it. The strength of the bond that had only existed for so short a time was mind-boggling, but there it was.

And then the moment, where she traded one world for another, to save a life.

"I may have lost, but so have you."

And then there was fire. And through the smoke, she could make out a glowing-blue gaze filled with anger.

No way back to the human world. No way back to her mother. But Luz had made her bed.

Now if only she could sleep in it without the nightmares.

Whether it was the desperate fight with Emperor Belos or the sight of Eda half-encased in stone, she relived the events every night. Sometimes it was played straight. Sometimes Belos would be more monstrous, more brutal. And sometimes, Luz was too late…

No one knew, at least she didn't think. If anyone asked why she looked so tired in the morning, she waved it off as insomnia and changed the subject. But every time the brutal terror ripped her from the world of sleep and back to wakefulness, she'd sneak into Eda's room. She didn't try to crawl into bed with her like a younger child after a nightmare, although she was tempted. She'd just watch her mentor sleep for a few minutes, just to convince herself that it all didn't end in tragedy.

And despite Eda telling her otherwise, she still partly blamed herself for what happened. In hindsight, the idea of three children attempting a heist on the home of a powerful sorcerer was a really stupid idea. And Eda used up the last of her active magic trying to save Luz, let herself fall to her curse to rescue her foolish student. Luz noticed the growing pains Eda was going through in a life without magic, it was hard not to. Every time Eda instinctively reached for one of her usual spells, only for nothing to happen, Luz felt the guilt flare in her heart.

And now, Eda was off with the woman who had once betrayed her, chasing a hope that Luz had put in her head.

What if it failed? What if Belos caught them? What if they were in some dark dungeon right now? What if Lilith had been playing the long game, and this was just a chance to betray them again?

"Okay, that last one's kind of dumb, she's been here for two weeks, could have called the cops at any time…but what if Belos has them? What if he decided to screw the pageantry this time? What if he's preparing the petrification machine? What if he's doing it now? What if they're already statues? What if I'm alone again? Oh God, that's it, isn't it? That's why they're late. Belos has them and they're statues already! They're dead and I pushed them into this plan. Eda's gone, and I'll never see her again. I'll never see her or my mom again. The portal's gone, I destroyed it, I can never go home. Is this my home now? Did I actually want this? Maybe deep down, but not like this. I just wanted to belong somewhere, and Mom tried so hard to help me but I never got it, and now I'm effectively a runaway, Dios mío, soy una hija horrible, todo esto es culpa mía, no puedo hacer nada, voy a estar solo porque hice que mataran a Eda y mi mamá nunca sabrá lo que me pasó y yo nunca puedo arreglar cualquier cosa y alguien por favor ayúdame, no puedo manejar esto, no puedo manejar esto, no puedo manejar esto…"

Luz fell to her knees and curled up into a ball. Her eyes were pinpricks, staring at nothing. Her head was full of a spiral of fear and doubt. Tears dripped down her face as she quietly sobbed.

She didn't hear the padding of clawed feet, didn't hear King trying to coax her back to reality. She didn't feel his prodding paws, or the blanket he threw over her after a few minutes of failure. She didn't see him take up position on the chest by the window, alternating between looking at Luz in worry and watching out for Eda.

There was nothing he could do, not now. All he could do was hope that someone else could. As he stared at his friend, wrapped in her fears and dead to the world, he let out a shuddering breath.

"Eda will know what to do," he muttered, "She has to."

oOo

The Healing Hat wasn't an instant cure. But just wearing it felt energizing. The old aches that she'd grown so used to that she barely felt them anymore were gone. She hadn't even realized how much constant pain she was in until it was gone.

It was liberating, in a way.

She held the hat to her head as she dove toward the ground and started weaving through the trees.

She and Lilith had gotten into the castle easily enough, then stole a pair of spare guard uniforms to easily wander through the halls. They'd managed to reach the secure vault and get inside, thanks to Lilith's knowledge. It was amazing what having an inside man could do, the heist was almost too easy. Eda had honestly expected something to go wrong, but Lilith had assured her that this was the time of the month when portions of the security system went down for maintenance.

And after a few minutes each under the Healing Hat, the two had parted carrying renewed strength. Eda had literally felt some of her power come back to her as she wore the hat. It was exhilarating.

Now here she was, making away with their prize while her sister covered their tracks. When Lilith had broached the idea of the leverage, Eda was honestly torn between shock at the extent, fear that it wouldn't work, and confidence that it would.

Spotting the Owl House in the distance, she banished the thoughts and slowed down, landing lightly not far from the door.

"Mission success, hoot-hoot?" Hooty asked.

"In spades," Eda said, flicking the brim of the hat.

Before Hooty could reply, the door slammed open, making Eda jump. King came racing out, talking a mile a minute.

Eda heard 'Luz' and 'trouble' and immediately ran inside. The hat flew off her head, but she didn't care.

All she cared about was the miserable little ball on the floor.

Without a second thought, she dropped her staff and knelt next to Luz, touching her carefully.

"Luz, what's wrong? Talk to me, kid."

Luz sucked in a breath.

"Eda?" she croaked.

"I'm here, kid."

Luz burst into a fresh round of tears and flung her arms around Eda. She cried into Eda's shoulder, words pouring out between gasps for breath.

"You were…I thought he got you…I did this, I gave you the idea…your magic is gone because of me…I almost got you killed…please don't leave me, Eda…"

Eda scooped Luz up and brought them over to the couch, sitting down and holding Luz close. On instinct, she rubbed the weeping girl's back, making shushing noises.

"It's okay, Luz. I'm here. You're fine, you're okay. I've got you. I'm not going anywhere."

She held Luz tight and continued to whisper words of comfort in her ear. Luz began to slowly relax, but continued to cling to Eda. But the storm of self-deprecation and worry had stopped, and Eda considered that a victory.

That's how Lilith found them when she finally returned. Luz clinging to Eda like she was afraid the older witch would disappear if she let go and Eda comforting the shattered teen as best she could.

"You know, I think we can wait until morning for any wrap-up talks," Lilith said after a moment of staring.

"Please and thank you," Eda said, "Okay, kid, let's get up."

Eda shifted to pull away, but Luz tightened her grip with a pathetic whine of "No!"

Eda sighed, but said nothing more. She simply carried Luz up to her room. She kicked off her shoes with some difficulty, removed Luz's sneakers, then settled them down in the nest and pulled a blanket over them.

Luz eventually fell asleep, exhausted by her anxiety and feeling safe in Eda's presence. Eda studied the sleeping girl, noting how relaxed she was.

She settled down, a warm feeling in her heart from Luz's closeness.

Eda wasn't sure what prompted she said in that moment. But saying it felt right.

"Good night, owlet."

There seems to be a fandom consensus about certain things. Amity is a gay disaster, Gus and King are adorably awkward, and Eda Clawthorne, for all her rough edges, is a Good Mom.

Spanish translation: My God, I'm a horrible daughter, this is all my fault, I can't do anything, I'm going to be alone because I got Eda killed and my mom will never know what happened to me and I can never fix anything and someone please help me, I can't handle this, I can't handle this, I can't handle this

If any of that seemed off, let me know. I used Google Translate because I wanted to keep with the show's bit of Luz being from a bilingual household. I'm trying my best here, but if I get some grammar or slang wrong...well, there it is.