Chapter 4 – Your Worst Enemy
2021
"Don't come any closer." Willow commanded her with her hand still holding her gun.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help." The owl lady stopped moving and put her hands up.
"How? You came back right when Raventhorn came back. How can I know you're not working together?" The cop started to get her gun out slowly, taking a step back too.
"Because, if I were working for her, you wouldn't have found the drugs. Why would I go against her like that if we were partners?" She lowered her hands slowly, watching closely to every movement Willow made.
"That… makes some sense, but still. Twenty years ago you both disappeared together too. You can't tell me it's not a weird coincidence." The shorter girl relaxed a little, putting her hand away from her gun.
"It is. I am as surprised as everyone. Yet, I can assure you I just want to bring her down. Permanently, this time." Willow sighed, putting her hands on her hips.
"What do you need from the force? You almost brought her down on your own twenty years ago." Luz took a step forward, getting closer in order to be able to speak in a softer tone and avoid being heard by someone else.
"'Almost' being the key word. Also, I'm not as powerful as I used to be." She said in a whisper.
"If you need the department, then join us. Take off that mask and get a job in the force, like all of us trying to do the right thing." The shorter girl spoke normally, as if not caring about being heard.
"Not all of you." The cop furrowed her brow in confusion.
"Is that why you came to me? You think someone in there is working with Raventhorn?" Willow asked in a whisper now.
"I've been listening around for a while, trying to know what's going on with the men you captured. I heard that only two lawyers were sent to defend them. Both are partners to the same law firm…" The owl lady was interrupted.
"Don't tell me; Blight attorneys". She nodded slightly.
"And imagine my surprise when I heard that the ones handling the investigation were none others than the Blight twins. Now, that is a coincidence you should care about." The sound of a siren startled them both as a police car entered the parking lot. "Think about it. If you're willing to cooperate, let me know." She handed the cop a burner phone and then turned around to leave before anyone else could see her.
2015
"Here." Eda opened a door to a messy room filled with boxes. "This part of the warehouse is the storage room where we keep the materials to make the toys. This is your new work place."
"What!? You said I was going to train…" Before Luz could finish complaining, the old woman put a hand on her mouth and shushed her.
"Careful, dumbass. Someone might hear you." The former hero whispered and then giggled while looking around to see if there was someone else there. Once she saw they were alone, she pushed the Latina to go inside with her, closing the door after that. "This is training."
"How? What am I supposed to do here?" She looked around the room, not seeing anything that could help her train.
"You will put everything on its place." The white haired woman sat at a chair next to the door as she looked at her with confusion on her face.
"How is that training? You just want me to clean your storage room!" Luz almost yelled, getting angry at her mentor.
"Try to lift one of the boxes." Eda said calmly, signaling to the closest box she had on her feet.
After looking at the witch with a puzzled look, the teenager lowered her body to pick up the box, but she could only move it a little instead of lifting it fully.
"How much do these boxes weight!?" Luz said while she massaged her wrist.
"Maybe twenty kilos. Some of them, thirty." The former hero stood up and lifted the box without making a sound, moving it to a stand next to a wall. "They're not really that heavy. The problem is: you're really weak. I could feel it the other day when we were training some boxing. Your punches have no strength. How are you going to take someone out when they can barely feel your punches?" The Latina blushed in embarrassment and looked at the floor, a little angry at that comment.
"I mean, I'm also a teenager… and a girl…" She said with a pout, making her mentor chuckle.
"I'm also a girl. And I'm on my forties. If I can lift that much weight, it should be a piece of cake for you so, don't give me that crap. The problem is not the fact that you're a girl, but the fact that you lack training. Now, before we're done with today's training, I expect to see all this boxes on their right stands."
2021
"Hey, Mittens!" She heard her brother as he approached her desk, not lifting her gaze to meet him. "I'm about to leave. Do you need a ride?" She looked at him and then at her computer to see the hour, sighing once she saw that it was already late.
"No, I brought my car, like always." Resting her back on the chair, she stretched her arms a little.
"That's why I asked. That piece of junk is more dangerous than this job." The green haired man laughed at her annoyed growl and then kept going. "But seriously, though: I feel like you will stay here all night if I don't take you home."
"It's fine. I was just finishing filing the paperwork for today's interrogation. I'm gonna leave now too." She stood up and took her coat from the back of the chair, turning off her computer once she had the coat.
"It was tough, I know. Especially since those lawyers come from our mother's firm." Ed started to walk towards the exit once he saw her doing the same. "With a case this important, maybe some officers will think we're compromised."
"It has happened before. Everyone knows we do our jobs without caring about who comes to defend the low lives we bring in." They reached the exit and Ed opened the door, getting out with her behind.
"I just hope the captain thinks there's a conflict of interests and takes us out of this investigation. I can tell it's going to drain us for a long while." There was a brief silence while they kept walking towards their cars since she didn't know what to say to that. She knew the pressure this case had and she was aware that it could become the highlight of their career or the case that destroys it.
"Whatever happens, happens." It was all she could answer, making her brother let out a tired sigh.
"You should stop worrying about her so much. I made sure to train her to kick ass, no to get hers kicked." Eda was on the phone while sitting on the couch petting a sleeping King. "Yes, I made her swear she would call you if she got seriously injured, just like I told you last time you called." She smiled widely as the conversation reminded her of a similar one they had had two decades ago. "Well, if she hasn't called you back, it might be because she doesn't want to be on the phone for half an hour getting scolded like a kid." There was a loud gasp coming from the Latina and she couldn't help but laugh, imagining her face. "I mean, no offense, but I know that's what you would do." After that, there was a silence followed by a loud thud. "Cami, are you okay?" There was no answer. Instead, the call was ended, making her think that she might have messed up with that last comment. "Smooth, Eda." She sighed, letting her phone on the couch beside her.
From the corner of her eye, she saw something moving beside her, but payed it no mind, thinking that it might have been Owlbert going to the kitchen to grab a snack. Instead, she was just thinking about the best way to apologize to Camilia. The Latina had never been one to like jokes, but she had never really gotten mad at her for them before; she even laughed at them some times.
"Edalyn Clawthorne." A distorted voice took her out of her thoughts, standing up as if someone had pinched her ass, throwing King to the floor.
"You!" In front of her, there was a figure she knew well. A woman dressed in a costume similar to the one she wore back when she was a hero, but hers resembled a raven instead of an owl and the color of hers was white with blue stripes and a cape the same shade of blue.
"I heard you are back on the game." The white haired woman stood ready to fight, but didn't move, waiting for Raventhorn to throw the first punch.
"Yeah. Did losing a ton of drugs hurt as much as I wanted?" She said teasingly, even though she hadn't done it.
"Like a mosquito bite." A sarcastic chuckle came out of her mouth.
"Those don't hurt, but you can feel the itch they cause for a long while." Before she could see anything, the other woman was standing just a step away from her.
"The reason why I'm here." In the blink of an eye, Raventhorne was gone, making her turn around to look for her. "I don't want to play this game again so, I'll end it right now." Knowing what the woman meant by that, Eda threw a punch towards her, but before it could connect, the villain disappeared.
As she was turning around to find her again, a glowing rope trapped her in place, making her loose her balance and fall to the floor.
"King…" She said after growling in pain, feeling the rope getting tighter every time she moved. "You know what to do." At her whisper, the little demon nodded, shocked and worried.
"This is not personal, Owl Lady, but I will have to make you understand the reason why you should stay away from my business." And before she could say anything, Raventhorn kicked her in the head, making her lose consciousness.
Amity got out of her car as soon as she parked, wanting to get home quickly and go to sleep, knowing she would have to wake up early the next morning.
As she walked towards the entrance of the building, she saw her neighbor going inside too, all sweaty and in sports clothes, something she thought was weird given the hour.
"Hey, Amity!" The Latina greeted her with a smile and a wave of her hand.
"Hello, Miss Noceda." She responded with a faint smile too, making the other girl giggle.
"Come on, just call me Luz. 'Miss Noceda' makes me feel like I'm being interrogated." The taller girl said in an overly dramatic tone, making her chuckle.
"Sorry, Luz." They both stopped at the elevator, waiting for it.
"It's okay. I should be the one apologizing. You're about to get inside an elevator with a very sweaty girl so, sorry about that, but I like to keep in shape." She couldn't help but look at Luz's body. The girl wasn't ripped, but she had a really nice fit figure.
"Don't worry, I don't mind." She said after the ding of the elevator took her out of her thoughts.
"Great." They both went inside. "So… you're getting home pretty late. Are you working on a big case?" The Latina asked enthusiastically.
"Well, I can't really talk about it, but yeah, kind of…" She was feeling nervous standing next to her now, as if something inside her had awaken when she had checked her out.
"Oh, that sounds exciting! I hope you solve it easily." A smile appeared on her face and she turned to look at the floor, seeing from the corner of her eye a wound on Luz's leg right where her shorts ended.
"Thank you. Are you okay?" At her question, the other girl giggled nervously.
"Yeah, I mean... you probably saw it the other day when I hit my pinky on the couch but, I'm kind of clumsy and I get hurt a lot. But it's fine." She furrowed her brow at the explanation, not believing that such a big wound would be caused by a fall. Even if she couldn't see the wound because of the gauze covering it, it looked really big.
"Are you sure? It seems like it was a big deal." She asked, now curious.
"It's fine, really. It's just that, my mom is a nurse and she's just overprotective. You know how moms are." A nostalgic smile appeared on her face. She could empathize with her neighbor, but she didn't really know what an overprotective mother was like. Yet, it wasn't a subject she was willing to touch with her neighbor.
"Yeah… I understand…" She lowered her gaze again, seeing a bracelet on Luz's right wrist. "Is that an Azura bracelet?" At her question, the girl suddenly covered her wrist with her left hand, as if she was embarrassed.
"I… yeah… my mom gave it to me a few years ago and… well I… I kind of like the books… like… I love them…" Surprise appeared on Amity's face and then she giggled at the Latina's embarrassed face.
"You know, I like them too." There was a ding again, announcing them that the elevator had reached its destination.
"Really!? That's awesome! I can't wait for the movie to come out!" The short haired girl said enthusiastically, making her giggle again.
"I know, I want to watch it too. It comes out next week, right?" She asked as they both walked to get to their apartments.
"Yes! I saw the trailer and it looks amazing! Maybe we can go together!" A slight blush appeared on her face and she looked at the floor again, embarrassed.
"Well… that would be nice…" Luz squealed in happiness, making her giggle again.
"Great! It's a date then! Let's talk about the details later; I really need a shower. Oh my god! I would totally hug you right now if I wasn't so sweaty!" And so, the Latina went inside her apartment as she stood in front of her door, frozen and blushing, thinking about how she now had a date with a beautiful girl out of nowhere. "What the hell just happened?" She kept thinking as she regained movement and entered her apartment.
2015
"For the last time: you're not ready to go out yet. Your reflexes are awful, your punches are weak, and your technique is nowhere to be found. You got lucky when you took down those dudes a month ago, they were probably drunk. Otherwise, you would have woken up in a hospital." Eda said in a calm tone, taking a spoonful of her food in front of her on the table.
"I need experience too! Just theory is not going to cut it." Luz said with a pout, sitting in front of her in the small, round table.
"When we're sparring, you're also getting experience. Me too actually. And from my experience, I can tell you're nowhere near ready. Especially if someone takes out a gun." The teenager sighed in defeat and furrowed her brow angrily, making her growl in annoyance. "Ok, let's make a deal." At her words, the short haired girl's face changed to one of excitement. "You will go out after I perform a ritual on you and you will only go out with me as backup to ensure you're not killed. Once you realize how much you're lacking, I don't want to hear you asking for this again, okay?"
"Yes! That's great! But what's that ritual thing you said?" The older woman took another spoonful of her soup before answering.
"It's a ritual of magic. It's done amongst witches to grant magic to those who deserve it. I don't think anyone has tried it on a human, but I will. Maybe you will get lucky." Luz's eyes shone with excitement at her words, making her smile. She was growing fond of the girl.
"What are the odds? I mean, could it actually really work?" The human asked enthusiastically.
"Well, only one out of ten witches get magic today so, I don't really think it could work, but it wouldn't hurt to try. Who knows? You might be the first human with magic." The teenager let out a happy squeal as she jumped out of her chair.
"Hey! What's up with all this noise? How dare you disrupt the king of demons' nap?" Eda rolled her eyes as she took another spoonful of soup.
"I might become a witch, King! Isn't that awesome!?" Luz lifted the little demon up, making him jerk around trying to get back to the floor.
"It would be if you let me sleep!" The Latina hugged him tightly before letting him back on the floor, his arms crossed and his eyes closed with a furrowed brow.
"Sorry, I'm just really excited. I will apologize with cuddles, if you want." He opened one eye to see the girl.
"I don't need them, but I know you do and, since you're my subject, I will have to accept it." The short haired girl took him in her arms as if she was carrying a baby while she scratched his belly.
"Thank you, my king. I'll give you cuddles until you fall asleep again." Luz spoke as if she was talking to a baby and she couldn't help but smile fondly at the scene.
In the short time the teenager had been her pupil, she had really grown fond of her. That little girl reminded her too much of Camilia, especially when she got angry. Yet, Luz had a silly and wild side too, just like her. The pain in the ass she felt every time the girl got to her house to train had disappeared; she actually felt happy to see her now. That was why she was really worried to see that reckless side of the girl lately. She didn't want to see her getting hurt, not only because of how mad Cami would be, but because it would hurt her too.
Hey! So, I'm back and on time this week.
A few notes for this chapter:
1) Yes, in this story, Luz is taller than Amity. It serves no real purpose other than to make me happy because I like that idea.
2) Raventhorn finally appears to kick off the plot. It took me longer than I expected to reach this point but, we are finally starting the story (before, as you read, I mostly introduced you to the world and how the characters interact with it). Now that everything is in motion, some sick sh*t is about to happen. I can't tell you whom but, someone is going to die in this first little arch that just begun so, be prepared.
And 3) I'm still drawing a cover for each chapter and posting it on my twitter: at gloomy_autumn in case you want to see them. For this chapter I actually drew 2 covers because I was having a lot of fun. I also made a soundtrack for Raventhorn's first scene here so, if you wanna listen to it and read the scene again to get completely immersed in the story, you can go to my twitter and find the link to my soundcloud (it's kind of awful that I can't post it here, but it's no biggie). In said soundcloud account, you can find the intro I made too.
And well, that's it for this chapter. See you next week!