Vee had fallen asleep on the couch and after today's events Camila couldn't blame her. Camila walked up the stairs to her room after placing a blanket over the sleeping girl. "Good night, mija," she whispered, kissing the girl on the forehead.

She just flopped on her bed and was sorely tempted to just let sleep take her but her glasses digging into nose forced her back into her routine. After getting ready for bed the mother pulled out her phone to set her alarm. As she stared at the screen her mind wandered to her daughter and she pulled up the old texts. A few moments into it she realized the texts were from Vee not Luz. A look of concentration marred her face as she tried to figure out when this happened. She sat bolt upright, "soy un idiota!"

About halfway through summer camp one of the counselors called to tell her how one of Luz's cabin mates had accidentally lost Luz's phone. She had thought it was so enduring that one of her new friends had covered for her that she wasn't even upset that she had to replace the phone. And of course, she had discontinued the service of the old phone, effectively cutting contact with her daughter off. Vee probably didn't even know what a phone was until the replacement arrived a few days later.

As she stared at her phone, contemplating what she would even say to her daughter. How does one even begin to ask what they've done that their child would choose a realm of demons over them? A creak of floor boards drew her attention to the door as she sat up and an eep told who was beyond the crack in the door. "Mija," she said and Vee entered the room. Her ear tufts drooped as she clung to the blanket like a lifeline. She looked up with a mixture of concern, worry, and fear in wide eyes as hope slowly seeped into them. "Vee?"

And like that the hope dimmed as she averted her eyes downward, "I-I… I should go," she said as she turned.

Panic seized Camila's heart. "I'm losing my daughter," her thoughts screamed at her. Before she knew what she was doing she was up and pulling Vee into a hug.

"Bu-but I'm, I'm not, I'm not Luz," Vee wailed as she clung to Camila.

Holding Vee, she rubbed comforting circles into her back. "No you aren't Luz," Camila stated simply. "But you are my daughter, mija," she said fondly.

"Ca-cam… mami," Vee said as she wept. A short time later Camila held her daughter as she slept, keeping the nightmares and doubts at bay.

...she calls tech support.

Next part is first contact