Gus sat in front of his locker, head buried in his hands. "Hey, Gus. You okay?" Luz asked gently.
"I-I messed up bad, Luz. Willow just needed help with this pixie problem, right? So I thought, oh, that I'll lure them away with an illusion. But then..."
"You angered the pixies and made them attack Willow instead," finished Strix.
"I moved up two grades. What's the point of being good at this if I can't do anything good with it?"
"It was an honest mistake," reassured Luz. "Besides, Willow's tough as nails. I'm sure you'll both be feeling better tomorrow."
The next day, Gus didn't feel better. He groaned in disappointment as he lied down on the floor of his bedroom. His crystal ball buzzed and played a prerecorded message. King's voice rang out, "I'm not reading this."
He heard his own voice say, "Come on, King. Please?"
King groaned and said, "Ugh, fine. Is that a six-footed pig or a floating appendage? Why, no! It's Gus the Illusion Master. Please leave a message."
The crystal ball beeped and Willow's image appeared. She was lying in bed and wearing an arm cast. "Hey, Gus. Thanks for sending me all those "Get well soon" illusions but, uh..." Three little Gus' appeared and asked if she was feeling okay, one even sang her a song. "Can you please take them back?"
Gus groaned and shut off the crystal ball. He traced a spell circle and the little illusions appeared before him. They asked him if they did a good job, but he ignored them and cancelled the spell. He lied back down and closed his eyes only to hear a knock at the front door.
Gus opened the door to find Luz and Strix standing there. "Gustopher! Gusteban! Augustabeth! Any of those working for you?"
Gus frowned at her. "You need my library card to visit Amity, don't you?"
Luz's cheeks turned pink. "I haven't been doing a good job of hiding that, huh?"
Strix folded his arms and made a sassy, "Mmm-hmm." He turned to Gus. "But aside from that, we're doing some research and you're coming with us." He grabbed Gus by the arm and dragged him out of the house.
As they walked down the streets of Bonesborough, Luz explained, "So, Eda's mom told me I'm not the first human to have lived in Bonesborough. In fact, Walter is the second human to come here recently!" Gus gave her a look of surprise.
"That's the same look I made when I found out," said Strix.
"And since Strix and Eda won't agree with my first plan..." She recalled what happened when she laid out her plan A to Eda last night.
"YOU ARE NOT TALKING TO WALTER!" shrieked Eda.
"But Eda! If I'm going to find a way to get back home-"
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
Strix winced. "Yeesh. I never saw Mom this mad before. She does have a point though. Walter did try to kill you last time."
"That was just...uh...business!"
"Killing people IS his business. Besides, he's the Emperor's royal executioner. He almost never leaves the palace."
"Aww..."
"So since that lead led nowhere, there might be some info on how they got here in the library!"
"Yeah, okay. Looking through old newspapers is about all I'm good for anyway," Gus said sadly.
Strix raised an eyebrow. "Hey, what's eating you?"
"Nothing's eating me. Wait. Is that a human expression? Never mind." Gus sighed. "I-I've just been thinking. What if it's time for me to explore different kinds of magic?"
"Strix and I all for trying new things, but what's wrong with illusions?" Luz asked.
"Illusions are just so...you know-"
A loud roar interrupted their thoughts. They looked down the bridge to see a slitherbeast charging down the street, toward a small kid. Strix recognized him as that deep-voiced boy Amity read stories to, Braxas was it? Anyway, before the beast could eat the kid, a dark-skinned boy in a Glandus High uniform used an Abomination spell to make the beast slip, while another Glandis student (who looked like he was part lion) used plant magic to send it flying. Finally, a third Glandis kid, a caucasian girl with purple hair and a freckled face, used her construction spell to trap it in stone. She gave the other two a thumbs up. "Good work guys!"
Everyone cheered. Gus watched with awe. Braxas was picked up by his father who said, "Son, are you okay?"
"Yes, Daddy. Thank you, mysterious heroes!"
The Glandus girl waved them goodbye. "Stay safe out there!"
This was the moment Gus decided to greet them. "Wow! Just wow! Plants. Abomination. Construction. You guys took down that Slitherbeast like it was nothing."
"Nah, it wasn't that easy," said the girl.
"Yeah, looked like you had a real hard time out there," the boy said sarcastically.
Gus took note of their uniforms and said, "You're Glandus students, right? I go to Hexside. Name's Gus."
"Nice to meet ya," said the girl. "This is Angmar." She pointed to the lion boy. "Gavin." She gestured to the dark-skinned boy. "And I'm..."
"Bria!" A familiar voice finished her. A boy Gus knew too well came running up to her. "I would've helped, but like, there was this other baby in danger. You probably couldn't see."
"Mattholomule?" The last time Gus encountered this boy, he got himself, Luz and Strix in detention.
"Augustus? Back off, twerp! This operation is Glandus kids only." Why was he hanging out with kids from another school?
"Hey, Matty, it's all cool. Did you get the map?" Bria asked.
"Yes!" Mattholomule took out a piece of parchment and handed it to her. "And I only had to endue 35 noogies from my older brother."
"Nice work!"
Gus turned to leave. "Well, uh, I can see you guys are busy, so-"
"Wait." Bria called out, stopping him. "Have you ever heard of the Galdorstones?"
"They're powerful relics. Many witches and demons have sought them," said Gavin.
"But they've all returned empty-handed, haunted by its guardian," said Angmar. "Until us!"
"We heard some coven scouts talking about them, but it'll be rough going," said Bria. "You said you are a Hexside student, right? We could use the extra strength."
Gus scratched the back of his head. "That sounds awesome, but I can't. I promised a friend I'd help her with something today."
Suddenly, Luz appeared, gasping for breath. She held the invisibility glyph in her hand. Everyone let out a yelp. At that moment, Strix appeared next to Luz, also gasping for breath. He too held an invisibility glyph. "New...record...Luzer..." he panted. Then he collapsed as he tried to catch his breath.
Once Luz managed to catch her breath, she said, "Gus, you ran away so fast, but I didn't wanna interrupt so...I think you should go."
Mattholomule scoffed. "Well, he can't. Gus is just an illusionist. He'll only hold us back."
Strix frowned at him. "Wow. You REALLY haven't changed since we last saw you in detention." Mattholomule made an embarrassed look.
"Besides, shows what you know," Luz said. "Gus here is a regular super witch."
"Luz!" Gus dragged her to the side and whispered to her, "I see what you're doing and it's really sweet, but I don't actually know any spells besides illusions."
"No problem." She handed him some glyph cards. "Come on, man. You know I'm all about proving jerks wrong." She gave him a wink.
Putting on a brave face, Gus discreetly put the cards and told the Glandus kids, "Alright. I'm in. Where do we find these Galdorstones?"
"We're journeying to..."
"...the Looking Glass Ruins in the Forearm Forest!" said Bria. As the name suggested, it was a forest located on the right forearm of the Titan's skeleton.
Mattholomule mocked Gus, "What's wrong, Augustus? Scared?"
"We all are. Who knows what awaits us out there?" Bria asked. "But we all got each other's back, right?"
Gus blushed and stammered. "Yeah, um-Yeah. Yeah, alright, let's go!"
Everyone cheered, "Woo!" as they ran into the forest. Except for Mattholomule, who lagged behind and made a sarcastic, "Woo..."
At the library, Luz and Strix were checking anything they can find on human activity with the crystal balls. Strix found one article, "'Mystery vendor floods market with dangerous human goods.' Dang it, Mom. What have you found, Luz?"
"Well, so far, the only thing I could find is a poster for a film called 'Planet Of The Humans'. Wait. What's this? 'Human resident donates personal diary to library.' Yes! This must be it!"
The kids slowly sneaked their way to the children's corner to find Amity reading to a group of little witches. One of them snatched her headband. Strix had to admit it, she kind of looked better with her hair down. "Come on. Give it back," she said.
"No!" said the little witch as she hid it behind her back.
"If you give me back my hairband, I'll read you whatever book you want tomorrow."
"Finally! I can learn how to summon the dark lord!"
Amity laughed a little as she watched the kid go. She tied her hair back into her usual pony tail. Luz smiled at how...adorable this scene was. Strix said nothing but shed a little tear. "So cute."
"Hey, Luz and Strix."
"AAAHH!" Startled, Strix swung around and punched whoever was behind him in the face. And then he regretted it when he saw Edric on the ground, holding his nose. "Edric! Oh, Titan, I am so sorry!"
"No, no. I deserved it," Edric said as he got back up.
"Told you that would happen," Emira said without a hint of regret. "Hey, Strix."
"Hey, Em. So...did you like the present I sent you?" Strix asked.
"Sure! That sweater made of feathers was beautiful. Though itchy," she added.
"Hey, Ed. Hey, Em. Picking up Amity?" Luz asked.
"Nah, looks like you got that covered," Emira said. Strix made a hidden giggle when she said that. She and Edric knew.
"I'm looking for skincare tips," said Edric. "I have a date tonight."
"Really? That's great!" said Strix.
"Yeah, he needs all the help he can get, after he accidentally texted a poem to their mom."
Edric glared at his sister. "Please don't tell people that."
At that moment, Amity approached. "Are they bothering you again?" she asked Luz.
"Oh! No, I just came here to see you, and, uh, here you are." Luz chuckled nervously as her cheeks turned pink. Amity turned away, her cheeks turning pink as well.
Strix looked between the two of them and said, "Well this is awkward."
Emira and Edric gasped and nodded. "Edric, your face, it's exploding with horrific pustules!
"Oh, no," he said, playing along. Then he asked, "Wait. Is it really?"
"We have to fix it before your date or you'll get dumped!"
"What? I will?"
"Come on, Ed. You too, Strix. This has become a double date," she said, dragging the two boys away.
"Wait! I wanna see how this turns out! Em!" Quickly, he reached into his pocket and took out the Mask. "Take it, Luzer! You may need it!"
Luz caught the Mask and looked at it for a moment before returning her gaze to Amity. "I was actually wondering if you could help me find this book?" She showed Amity her journal. "Hundreds of years ago, there was a human named Philip Wittebane living in Bonesborough. And he donated his diary to this library."
Amity quickly caught on. "And this might tell you how to travel between realms, right?"
"And Walter, too!" Amity stared at her in shock. "Yep! Turns out, Walter is human too! So, if this lead leads nowhere, he could tell how. Stupid, I know, but consider it Plan B!"
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Amity said to herself before she said out loud, "So, you really think this will work?"
"Yes! My mom probably thinks I'm missing right now. I have to get back to her as soon as possible."
"Well, something this old would be kept in... the Forbidden Stacks."
The door to the Forbidden Stacks was massive and framed with creepy gargoyles. A mouse with a skull for a head popped out from under it and ran past Luz's foot, making her gasp. Amity explained, "Only Malphas, the master librarian, is allowed in here."
"No te preocupes. Todo va a salir bien. Like my mom always said," Luz said. "I'm sure I can find another way."
"Hey, wait. I never said I wasn't gonna help. My staff card should be able to open those doors. But once we're inside, you have to listen to everything I say. If we're caught, I could lose my job."
"You won't lose your job. I promise." It was at that moment Luz realized she and Amity were holding hands. They immediately let go and looked away.
"Well, let's not waste any time," Amity said. She used her card to open the door and sharing looks of determination, they headed in as the door closed behind them.
Meanwhile, back in the forest, Bria cut some branches blocking her and her group's way with a machete as she said, "This will be a breeze once we get the Galdorstones."
"What can the Galdorstones actually do?" asked Gus.
"If you're holding one, every spell you cast gets a big power boost!" explained Mattholomule.
"I can grow an entire forest, and make my own butterfly sanctuary!" Angmar said with glee.
"I can create the biggest Abomination ever!" Gavin said before adding bitterly, "I bet Dad will pay attention to that."
"Whoa," said Gus.
Mattholomule gave him a playful slap on the back, "Sorry. Doesn't do squat for illusions. Can't enhance what's not actually there."
"Pfft. I know that," Gus responded, slapping him back. And then a slap broke out before Bria said, "Hold up, guys. We've come to our first challenge." She pointed to a giant patch of thorny brambles.
Mattholomule shoved Gus forward. "Show us what you got, Augustus. What did the human call you? 'A super witch'?"
Bria seemed to like that idea. "That's a great idea! Go on, Gus. I know you can do it."
Gus gulped and stepped forward. He took out the glyph cards and muttered to himself, "Which one is this? Fireball!" He pulled out a glyph card and, luckily for him, it was indeed the fire spell. It cleared the path, much to the Glandus kids' amazement and Mattholomule's suspicion.
"I knew it was a good idea to bring you," Bria said as she and the Glandus kids cheered him on.
Mattholomule said, "I don't know what's going on, but I've got my eyes on you."
The Forbidden Stacks section of the library was dimly lit by torches that glowed with an eerie light and creepy-looking statues of cloaked figures stared down at the girls from their podiums. "How much further do we have to go?" asked Luz.
"Actually, we're here," said Amity.
"Whoa." Luz was awed at what she saw: a hall of books that seemed to fly off the shelves while arms made of magic light grabbed them and put them back in place. "Let's get lookin'."
"Wait!" Amity grabbed her and pulled her behind a corner as a large cloaked figured entered the room. It didn't take a genius to figure out this was Malphas. He went back through the doorway he came in, much to the girls' relief. And that was when they realized how close they were and backed off. "So, we'll be super sneaky and quiet. Got it," said Luz, praying Amity didn't see her blush.
"Malphas is actually the one who gave me my job and my own study room," said Amity. "He's usually nice, but if we're caught, he'd feed us to the book worms."
"I know here that probably means unholy, blood-sucking snake monster, but in the Human Realm, that's just a cute name for nerds."
Amity smiled. "Huh. The human world sounds odd."
"Maybe it would be less odd if I showed you around someday. But, uh, let's turn back. I don't wanna push you."
"We're getting that diary!" Amity declared as she grabbed her by the hand.
"According to the map, we should be getting close," Mattholomule said as he led the group down the trail. He suddenly let out a scream as a snake grabbed him by the ankle and lifted him up.
"Don't worry, Matty. I got ya," Gus said as he activated a plant glyph, summoning a vine.
"Hey! Only Bria can call me-" He didn't get to finish as he screamed when the plant poked the snake, making it let him go.
Gavin and Angmar picked him up by the arms and dragged him off.
"Come on, dude."
"I'm not surprised he couldn't handle Glandus."
Gus' eyes widened when he heard that. "What did they mean by 'couldn't handle Glandus'?" he asked Bria.
"Things work differently at Glandus. Weak students are pushed around by the strong. But if I had a Galdorstone, I might be able to change things for the better."
Gus brow furrowed. Was that the reason Mattholomule was transferred into Hexside in the first place?
"Hey! Over here!"
The group stopped at the remains of a stone gate with comedy and tragedy masks carved into its doors. Above the gate was an archway with scratched out words that read, "Looking Glass".
"Okay, Angmar, you're on lookout duty." Bria didn't get a response. She turned to see the lion boy chasing after a butterfly. "Angmar!"
"Hmm?"
"I said you're on lookout duty. And if I catch you playing with anymore bugs, I'll make you eat them! Okay?" Her voice was cheery, but Angmar could hear the dangerous tone in her threat. "I believe in you!"
The group walked past the gate and found a circle of ancient-looking statues of hooded figures. "I can't believe we found it," Mattholomule said with awe.
Bria noticed that the statues were holding blue stones in their hands. She climbed up one and grabbed a stone, cracking the statue's hands in the process. "Oh. Whoops." She jumped back down. "Well, we did it everyone. The power of the Galdorstones is ours!" Her powers glowed as she activated the stone and made a huge pillar of rock pop out of the ground. "I can't believe it. The legends were true! Woo-hoo!"
The Glandus kids started taking the stones, like kids in a candy store. Gus noticed words carved in the statues' bases and read them out loud. "'Mari the Phantom Bringer.' 'Aleth the Vision Creator'? 'Khari the Mirage Maker.' But these titles are for-" He suddenly realized what they were doing. "Oh no. Stop! These aren't ruins. This is an illusionist graveyard!"
Hearing this, Mattholomule dropped the Galdorstone he was carrying like he was holding something gross. But Bria giggled. "Aw, Gus, you're saying that as if it's a bad thing."
"WHAT?!" How is committing the crime of grave robbery in an illusionist graveyard not a bad thing?! "Of course it is! These stones were theirs. We shouldn't take them."
She made a dismissive noise as she said, "Even if these witches were alive, what would illusionists use Galdorstones for? High-def party tricks? Come on, Gus. Don't you wanna power up those cool spells of yours?"
"No. This isn't right. I won't let you steal these."
Bria's eyes narrowed at him. "I don't think you know what you're saying, Gus."
Suddenly, Angmar came running up to them, looking terrified. "It's real! The guardian is real! And it's coming this way!"
The kids ran and hid behind the statues as a dragon with a whale-like body appeared with a clap of thunder and a violent gust of wind. They shuddered when it let out a roar. "I heard it has the power to control weather," Angmar whispered.
"And summon ghosts," said a terrified Gavin.
"Well, I wonder if it can handle a little fire," Bria asked as she shoved Gus into the open. The guardian spotted him and let out a roar. He reached into his pockets for more glyphs...only to feel nothing. "I'm all out of glyphs!"
Back at the library, Amity and Luz found a section that read, "Donations: Deadwardian Era, 1600s". They looked around, and found more of those skull-headed mice sitting on the aged books that lined the dusty shelves. Luz was a little creeped out when a spectral hand placed a book on a shelf while Amity was surprised when she touched one book and it disintegrated.
Luz pulled a book off a shelf and her eyes widened when she saw the name "Philip Wittebane" on the cover. She found it! Both girls squealed with excitement, then shushed each other. Luz opened the book...and found one of those skull-headed mice had eaten almost all the book's contents. "YOU LITTLE RAT!" She immediately covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh, no!"
Just then, a deep, growling voice came from behind them. "Amity?"
Well, it turns out without that scary cloak hiding his birdlike face and that voice deepening spell, Malphas was not really that intimidating. Although, he gave Amity a very stern talking when he escorted her and Luz out of the library. "I'm just like super disappointed in you. Like, I can't even process these feelings right now. Gosh, it's so hard for me to say this, but like, you're fired." Malphas took the employee card from her, reentered the library and closed the door behind him.
Luz and Amity stared at the doors for what felt like hours though it was only a full minute before Luz said softly, "Amity, I am so-"
"Not right now, Luz," Amity said, her voice shaking. Luz noticed tears running down her face. "Everything's changed since you came here. Being around you, it makes me do stupid things and I wish it didn't." Amity gasped when she realized what she just said. She turned to see Luz crying as well.
"It's okay. I, uh- I do stupid things around you too, Amity."
"I... think I need to go home," Amity said as she left.
Luz cried a little before taking a deep breath and slicking her hair back. "Nada funcionará a menos que lo haga funcionar," she said as she put on the Mask and entered the library.
Back at the graveyard, Gus was trying to avoid getting attacked by the creature. With no glyph cards, he had to do one trick: what he was best at. "Uh, It'll just be an illusion, but maybe I can scare him away."
He cast an illusion of a copy of the creature and to his amazement, both disappeared. And where the first creature stood was a strange old man wearing a white cloak and brown boots, both of which looked worn and a sigil of a broken mirror on the front of his tunic. "Oh-ho! I am the keeper of the Looking Glass Graveyard, and it has been a very long time since I've had a visitor! And to think it'd be another illusionist! Hehehehehe, though I don't remember them being so small." Gus gave the old man an indignant look. "Don't give me that face, an illusionist has always kept watch over the Galdorstones, We gain no powers from them, so we're the least likely to use them for evil. Probably."
"Well, we gotta get out of here. Now."
At that moment, the Glandus kids came out of hiding as Bria said sinisterly, "So, the big bag guardian is just another useless illusionist. Hehehe, today just keeps getting better." Gavin and Angmar used their abomination and plant magic respectively to trap Gus and the keeper, leaving no one to stop them stealing the rest of the Galdorstones.
Mattholomule tried to take one but Angmar swiped it from him. "Hey!"
"You're playing by Glandus rules, Matty. You can have anything you want if you're strong enough to take it," Bria said as she and the others laughed.
Saddened, Mattholomule approached the bound Gus. "Hey. I-I didn't know she was gonna do this."
"Matty, we need you to hold our stuff!"
He ignored Bria's call as he continued, "This is exactly how it was at Glandus. Always Bria's stooge."
"Better a stooge than a clown." Gus said glumly. "Bria was right, illusions are nothing but high-def party tricks."
Yeah, I used to think that too," Agustus said as he used construction magic to create a saw made from stone to free Gus and the keeper. "But then I met some dork who used his powers to save me from a man-eating detention pit. All I'm saying is, if a dumb illusion can save a jerk like me, maybe it's not as useless as you think."
"Thanks, Mattholomule. It's time to teach those jerks a lesson!"
"I agree," said the keeper. "I'll call the hounds."
Mattholomule made a disturbed look. "Whoa," he said.
"With all due respect, sir," said Gus. "I'd like to try something a little more... creative."
Meanwhile, the Glandus kids were busy playing football with the stones, destroying some of the statues in the process. "Maybe we can sell the small ones to the Emperor's Coven, and keep the rest for ourselves!" said Bria. "Angmar, start collecting! ...Angmar?" Angmar ignored her and chased after a large pink butterfly. "Hey! Get back here!"
But Angmar ignored her and continued to chase the butterfly into the forest. "Wait- come back! What species are you?"
Bria scoffed. "Ugh, whatever. I never really liked him anyway. Looks like you're my second in command, Gav-"
"Dad?" Gavin stared with surprise when his father appeared out of nowhere.
"Gavin, I just want you to know that I'm proud of you. Now, how about we go get some ice cream, son?"
"Huh! That sounds great, Pops! Wait, when did you grow a mustache?"
"Hey! Don't blow this chance."
Now all alone, Bria knew what was going on. "Come out, illusionist! I'm not dumb enough to fall for these tricks." Suddenly, her vision turned black. All she could see was darkness. Suddenly, footsteps behind her made her cast a construction spell that summoned a small pillar of stone, breaking the darkness. "That's right. Who's strong now!? I never needed those losers anyway." She grabbed all the stones and put them in her bag. "More for me."
Suddenly, all the statues' heads turned to face her and their eyes and mouths began bleeding. Bria wasn't scared. "Haha, cute." She tried to cast a spell, but nothing happened. "Huh?" She tried again, but nothing happened again. "Why isn't my magic working?!" Her hands suddenly turned to stone and fragmented. She began to become scared, but she tried to put on a brave face. "What's going on? No, no. This is all just an illusion. Hahah, it can't actually hurt me. It can't even touch me!"
One of the statues grabbed her leg and she let out a scream. She screamed even louder when its face turned into hers and began bleeding. Screaming, she ran out of the graveyard, ignoring how her hands were back on her wrists. "AAH! Cursed! This place is cursed!"
At that moment, all the statues returned to normal and Gus, Mattholomule and the keeper came out of hiding. Gus collapsed to his knees, panting. "Man, that took a lot of concentration."
The keeper helped him up and made a proud smile. "Laying an illusion over the whole graveyard to make it seem like the stones weren't working, very clever. Keep honing your powers of observation, child, and there's no limit to what you'll be able to do."
Gus looked around at the broken statues and said, "There are some limits. I wish I could repair all the damage they did."
Mattholomule raised his hand. "Um... maybe I can help?"
True to his word, Mattholomule repaired the statues, although rather shoddily. The keeper didn't really care. "Thank you for defending the Looking Glass Graveyard, witchlings. Perhaps it's time I hid this place for good."
"But- there's so much history here!" Gus exclaimed.
"What if we came over on the weekend to help build your defenses?" suggested Mattholomule.
The keeper nodded. "I would like that very much. You're both welcome to come whenever you please." He gave the boys finger guns and left.
"He is definitely a ghost," said Mattholomule.
"So, does that mean we're like... friends now?" Gus asked unsure.
"I... don't know."
The two boys left the graveyard. Mattholomule gave Gus a playful push. "Squirt."
Gus chuckled and pushed him back. "Jerk."
"I think that date went really well," Strix said to Emira as they walked back to Blight Manor.
"Yeah," she said. "It would have been better if only Edric paid more attention to his date than his face."
"I couldn't help it! I was sure I was going to break out in some sort of horrid skin disease!"
"Idiot," Strix muttered. They reached the front door only to stop when they saw Amity sitting on the front stoop, crying. "Amity? What's wrong? Wait. What happened to Luzer?"
"DON'T CALL HER THAT!" Amity screamed, making him jump back.
Emira and Edric stepped in. "Okay, this is where we come in," said Emira. "Mittens? What happened?" Amity said nothing. Emira sighed. "Come on, let's go inside. Strix, thanks for the date."
Strix said as he watched them go inside, "You're...welcome..." The door closed and he sighed. "What did you do this time, Luzer," he asked himself.
He jumped when he heard a familiar voice. "A lot," Luz said as she approached. "And don't call me Luzer."
Strix was surprised to see her wearing the Mask. "You're actually wearing it? What did you do that required you to wear it?"
"A lot."
Strix scratched the back of his head. "So...what happened?"
"A lot."
"Ever since Luz came here, things have just gotten confusing. I'm thinking things I've never thought before. I'm feeling things I never used to feel!" Amity explained as Emira did her hair.
"Is that so bad? You weren't happy before- Ed, don't pick, You'll make it worse."
"Too late!"
Emira smiled at her sister. "Hey, your roots are growing out. Do you wanna dye your hair again?" she asked as she reached for a green bottle. Amity had another idea...
"So, how's it look?" Amity asked.
"Looks like you're about to get in big trouble with mom," Edric said, earning a punch to the arm by Emira. "Ow."
"I think it looks great," said Emira as she hid a pair of scissors. "But, yeah, maybe don't tell her I helped."
Amity opened the front door to find Luz and Strix, the former looking quite disheveled and bruised despite wearing the Mask. In her hand was Amity's employee card. "I'm sorry about everything! I understand if you never wanna see me again."
"Uh, Luz?"
"What, Strix?" She realized he was looking at Amity with awe and she saw why. Amity's hair had turned from green to lilac, with brown hair visible at her temples and it was down instead of tied in a pony tail. "It's different."
"Oh yeah. Mom always liked it green. I thought I could use a change..." Amity started blushing. She took the card from Luz and asked, "U-u-uh, how'd you get this back? And, what happened?"
"A lot," said Strix. Then he sighed and said, "She told me a lot." Amity's face turned red. "And, I get why you would think that. I mean, when Luz came, I also began to do things I normally wouldn't do, and there are times where I think that maybe she'd be better off in that camp."
Luz made a hurt face. "You really...?"
"But, I also remind myself why I'm happy and it's because of Luz. I mean, aren't you happy, Amity?"
"I... yeah. Still didn't answer my question though, Luz."
"Well, to convince Malphas to hire you again, I had to go through some trials. And categorize some man-eating books- and, tame something called a paper dragon? That guy was not fun. Oh, hey, guys." The twins ducked behind a corner.
Sighing, Amity closed the door behind her. Private moment. "Oh- looks like you made a new friend."
Luz looked down to see a mouse clinging to her leg. "Agh-!" She shook her leg, making the mouse jump off and run away. "You're the one who ate the diary! Uaagh!" She jumped after it only to land on her face and the mouse climbed on her head. "I hate you."
Suddenly overcome by his owl-like instincts, Strix grabbed the mouse with his bare hands and was about to eat it when Amity snatched it out of his grasp. "Wait! This is an echo mouse. It consumes knowledge through writing and can play back anything it eats. We dealt with them a lot at work. Watch."
She rubbed the mouse's head and its eyes glowed as it projected illustrations onto the door and a voice of a man began to play.
"My journey through the Demon Realm is far from over. But today I humbly donate my journal to the ages. Entry one: May 21st... I think. My name is Philip Wittebane, and I found myself in a world so horrid, yet so fantastic, few minds could have dreamt it. If only those at home could see what I have, and perhaps they shall. For the more I learn about this realm, the more I am certain I can harness its strange powers to return home. Today I begin recording my journey to create a portal back to the Human Realm."
The mouse's eyes stopped glowing and the projection ended. Luz held the mouse in her hands. "Thank you, little mouse. I hope you and I can become good friends." She nuzzled it with her nose.
Strix scratched the back of his head. "Eh, sorry about that. I... hope we can be friends too. I promise I won't eat you if I can help it." The mouse hid itself in Luz's shirt. "Fair enough."
Amity smiled as she held the ID card close. "Don't worry, you always have a way of sneaking into people's hearts."
And she kissed Luz on the cheek. Luz's shocked, Masked face turned from green to red and steam blew out her ears, whistling like a tea kettle.
"Bold move, sister," whispered Emira as she and Edric watched from the window.
Strix said nothing but watched with surprise.
Amity and Luz were both frozen, too shocked to say anything. Finally, Amity broke contact and said rapidly, "Uh- okay- good to see you! Farewell forever." She muttered to herself as she ran back inside, "Why did I do that? Why'd I do that? Why did I do that?"
Strix suddenly realized, "Dang. I owe Emira fifty snails." Silence. "Luz?" Luz melted into a puddle. "Oh boy." He took the Mask off, reverting her to normal but her face remained frozen in surprise. "Let's go, home, Luz," he muttered as he dragged off by her feet.