Angel: Apparently, It's Pony is airing on Nicktoons now instead of Nickelodeon… *sighs slowly, pinching nose* And this is why I don't do Nick cartoons that often…and I don't even watch the show, and yet I still heard about another Nick cartoon being mistreated. That's how bad they've gotten as a network. We are truly living in a dark time from Nick, you guys...
The Golden Guard took out a piece of paper, where he wrote down something previously. He sat down at his desk, rubbing his chin. He could see why this was a human thing and not a Boiling Isles thing...He wrote down a sentence, but then crossed it out. He had to get this finished...
He opened up a book and then read some paragraphs before writing something and being satisfied with it.
Luz performed a light spell in the dark. "I'm not ready for this, Eda," She confessed to the Owl Lady. "Maybe we should go back."
"Nah, kid. You got this. Just do what we practiced," Eda advised her, Lucila doing the plant spell, just to make sure she did it right.
"But what if I mess something up? Or what if I do something wrong? What if I die?"
"Hey, calm down, calm down," She eased the girl. "I had to do the same thing when I was a witchling. It's like a rite of passage. Granted, I was a little more skilled," She rubbed her chin with a small smirk.
"Is there a point to this pep talk?" Lucila raised a brow.
"Eda," Luz reminded her.
"Right, right. Sorry, sorry. Now, get pumped!"
"Pumped!" Luz stated in determination, feeling more encouraged than ever.
"Get ready."
"Ready!"
"Now, go!" She pushed Luz onto a stage, for her entrance exam.
"You got this, hermana!" Lucila grinned with two thumbs up.
"How come your teacher didn't show? Probably didn't wanna be seen in this place," Eda snorted a bit, jerking to the stage.
"He, ah, had an important thing," Lucila lied through her teeth. She wished the Golden Guard could be here for this, but it'd be suspicious if the Golden Guard came into Hexside just to see the girl do the exam. He wouldn't be able to explain it either to anyone...
But apparently, that didn't deter him, because he stepped into the room, but in disguise. His mask was off, but he was wearing a potions uniform he got through the Lost and Found. He was wearing a cloak over his head, his scars on his face and his forelock being seen, as well as his dark magenta eyes. His curiosity got the best of him as he wanted to see his student pass the exam. Plus he wanted to see how she was doing with her spells...as a teacher! Not as anything else...
He hid behind the last row of chairs, peeking behind one.
"From the humblest of beginnings, a hero will rise," Luz walked on stage, wearing a cloak and hood. Judging by the height and voice, the Golden Guard deduced that this was Lucila's sister. "I have traveled from another realm and trained with a powerful witch to master dark and forbidden magic. I am..." She removed the cloak dramatically. "Luz Noceda!" She chuckled nervously as Principal Bump was the only other person in the audience. "Confetti," She grinned as she threw some.
"Right. The human that wants to be a witch, along with your sister. Against my better judgement, I've allowed you to take this exam into Hexside. But can you even do magic with all your...human parts?"
"I sure can," Luz smiled at him. "It's said that humans can't do magic," She opened up her fanny pack, taking out the several papers she had in them. "But I and my sister discovered a lost technique that changes everything," She laid down both the spells she had learned. He gave a look of interest while Eda gave two thumbs up from backstage. Lucila gave a look of anticipation.
Luz tapped her light spell, the orb floating into the air. The Golden Guard gave a look of interest. She then tapped the ice glyph, waving her hands.
"Spells cast with paper? I've never heard of such a thing," Principal Bump stated in shock. "But is it enough to pass the exam?"
"Uh..."
Eda leaned in from the side. "Improvise!" She whispered, Lucila pulling her backwards.
"Uh, I can do other things," Luz got onto her feet. "What about...this?" She then put her eyelids over her eyes, like she would do in school. "Bleep, bloop, bleep."
The Golden Guard raised a brow at her, wondering how exactly she was allowed to partake in the exam. Needless to say, Bump wasn't impressed. "Ow! Ow! Eyelash, eyelash," Luz then slipped from the ice that melted, landing in her cloak. She ran around and slipped off the stage, landing right on Bump. "Sorry, sorry, sorry," She accidentally touched an ice glyph from the floor. "Oops!" It activated, bringing her right in front of the principal. "I failed, didn't I?"
Lucila sighed, facepalming herself from backstage. The Golden Guard himself snickered a little.
"Believe it or not, I've seen worse," Principal Bump told her and she fell on the floor. "Welcome, Luz, to Hexside School of Magic and Demonics," He dropped the brochure on her head.
"Hooray," She groaned, pumping up a weak fist.
After making sure Luz was okay, Lucila was called up next to the stage. She waved meekly to Principal Bump. "Hello. Uh, I'm Lucila Noceda, but you already know that," She laughed nervously as he just stared at her. She bit her lip, and the Golden Guard gestured for her to take a deep breath, even though she didn't see him. She inhaled and exhaled before taking out her light and plant glyph. She laid them down onto the floor.
"I see that both you and your sister utilize spells by drawing them," He raised a brow.
"Um, well, it's still the same spells, but they contain lost symbols that we see from the spell circles," She informed him and he rubbed his chin.
"Interesting."
She placed her hand on the light glyph, making the orb appear near her head. She then tapped the plant glyph ever so slightly. This was so that the plant right underneath the light orb could grow into a flower by sunlight. The Golden Guard blinked; he didn't think she could actually do it, but no, she did exactly as he taught her. Well, not the exact same thing, but she actually pulled it off.
She then took a bow, sweating a bit. "Hmm. A bit overdone, but good use of magic. Welcome, Lucila, to Hexside School of Magic and Demonics." He handed her a brochure as well and she smiled.
"Yeah! That's my hermana!" Luz cheered from backstage, and she gave Luz a tiny glare. The Golden Guard hummed a bit.
"Well done, Luci," He murmured to himself.
"Hot dang! You actually do know magic, Luci," Eda stated as they walked down the aisle to leave. "Nice work, you two."
"I'm gonna go to magic school!" Luz gushed as they left the auditorium, with Lucila trailing behind them. The door closed as the Golden Guard stood up, bumping right into the girl as he thought that she had left already. Her glasses fell right off her face and onto the floor, making her completely blind.
"Aw, no!" She groaned at this and he picked up her glasses.
"Sorry about that," He said in a deep voice, because she'd recognize it otherwise. She squinted a little, but only could make out blonde hair with a forelock. He put the glasses in her right hand and she leaned her head down to put them on.
"Oh, no, it's oka-" When she looked up, glasses on, there was no one in front of her. "Hm?" She glanced around in confusion before shrugging it off. She walked out of the auditorium, right past the Golden Guard. Once she was far away enough, he sighed in relief.
"That was too close..." He murmured; thankfully her glasses fell off and that he was in disguise. Not that he would've wanted to do that, but it was kind of a miracle.
Eda flew Lucila and Luz to school, both of them wearing blank white uniforms. This was because they hadn't picked out a track yet to join.
"We gotta go back," Luz whimpered a bit, unsure. "This was a mistake. I'm gonna mess things up again and everyone will see, and..."
"All right. You gotta calm down," Eda told her. "What are you nervous about? You've been to school before."
"That's why I'm nervous," Luz pointed out. "At my human school, I didn't make a good first impression."
"She literally dressed as Azura, and I got pulled in that day because she had snuck it in, and I had to miss class to bring it home," Lucila remarked with an unamused look, Luz smiling sheepishly.
"Mama was so mad...this is a chance to be seen as something other than a screwup."
"Hey, don't worry about what those dorks think," Eda looked over her shoulder. "If you want my advice, walk into class and punch the first kid you see. To establish dominance."
"Aw. I won't be doing that, but thanks."
"At least for once, I don't have to tell you not to do it," Lucila shrugged a bit.
"But I bet Luci here is happy to see her boyfriend, that Blight boy," Eda teased and the girl blushed.
"He's not my boyfriend! He's my friend, just a friend."
"That will turn into something more with time?" Luz smiled up at her. "Because you have so much chemistry?"
"No!" Lucila protested again, wanting to be off the staff now. Thankfully for her, she was saved when they arrived at the school. Eda landed and they jumped off the staff.
"Last chance to back out and earn a new Bad Girl Coven patch," Eda held up a Quitter Badge as they put on their backpacks. "Quitting. Easier than trying. But easier."
"Nah, I'll just earn it when I quit showering," Lucila flinched at her sister's statement. "Bye!"
"Hold on, can we go back to the showering thing?!" Her older sister called out.
She ran off and Eda took off her hand. "Hold up!" She threw the hand at the back of Luz's head, turning her around to face Eda. Lucila stared at her. "Just try not to be too much of a goody Luz shoes," Eda caught her hand back. And Luci, I know you two are in different classes, but you gotta loosen up and have fun, you know? You can't spend your whole time here worrying about Luz. You've both got this."
She rolled her eyes to herself, since she ironically didn't do that, after all she snuck out of the house every night for her magic lessons.
"Thanks, Eda. In fact, I have written a heartfelt sonnet to commemorate this occasion," She held up sock puppets of herself and Eda from her pockets.
"Oops! A gust of wind just got me," Eda called out as she flew away. "See you girls after school! Byeeee!"
"You're gonna do great, kid," Luz acted out Eda, smiling. "Thanks, puppet Eda."
"Come on, we're gonna be late if you keep this up," Lucila shook her head, taking the lead.
"Hey, so what else do you do for fun here? You don't hang out with anyone else besides us," Luz pointed out.
She turned to Luz, clearing her throat. "Oh, you know...stuff. My lessons."
"But you don't ever leave to go learn spells," The younger Noceda raised a brow in confusion.
"T-That's because...he's teaching them in my head! Okay, we really gotta go now," She stood behind her sister, pushing her towards the school. "We're at a new semester now, remember?"
Luz's eyes shined happily, squealing.
They arrived at the school, where there was a big banner to welcome the students, as well as the 9 banners for the Covens. Students were talking to each other while also parading around school supplies. The two met up with Amity and her abomination.
"Hey, Luz, Lucila," She greeted them with a smile. "Congrats on getting in. And not being in the baby class."
"Thanks, Amity. Up top," Luz held out her hand for a high five. Amity slapped her hand while the abomination hit her face, putting gunk on it. Lucila snickered at her sister as the two left, and Luz wiped it off. "Wow! Our first days at Hexside. A chance to discover our true magical potential, and maybe meet a hot yet vulnerable upperclassman."
"What are you going on about?" Lucila smirked in amusement. "We both know you really wanna learn magic instead. And if you bring up Edric, I'll never let you dress me up as Azura again."
"Darn," Luz pouted a bit.
"Dream on, Luz," King came out of Luz's backpack, to their surprise.
"King?"
"Boop!" He booped Luz's nose.
"Why are you in my bag?" She asked skeptically as he jumped to the ground.
"And how exactly did you get in there? We saw you before we left."
"You're a free ride to the best buffet in town," King explained, ignoring Lucila. He hopped into a trash can nearby, looking for food. "The trash cans here are filled with half-eaten gold," He held up half of a donut.
"Ew," Lucila stuck out her tongue in disgust.
"Okay. But if anyone asks, you don't know us," Luz stated as they walked off.
"Have a wonderful school day, person-I-don't-know!" King called out to them. He then looked up to see an Abominations student next to him.
"I really needed to hear that."
They met up with Willow and Gus waiting for them at the staircase. "Luz! Lucila!" The duo greeted happily.
"Hello, fellow Hexoleos!"
"That's the one you went with? I mean, I wouldn't even know the term myself," Lucila rubbed her chin.
"Hello, classmates," Willow winked at them.
"You did it, girls!" Gus spun a spell circle, showing off a glittering sign that said 'Better Luck Next Time!' Willow glanced at him, unamused. "Sorry. I was covering all my bases."
"So, do you know who those witches are?" Willow gestured to the banners, where there was a witch representing each coven. "Those are the head of the main 9 covens. Each one excelled at a magic school like Glandus, St. Epiderm, and, of course, Hexside. Are you prepared to enter these hallowed halls?"
"Hmm," Luz rubbed her chin. "That's what I'm gonna figure out right now. See you on the other side, friends!"
"Bye guys!" Lucila waved as they ran up the staircase.
"See you later, guys!" Gus gave off a 'Goodbye Forever!' message, Willow frowning at him. "You know what? I-I'ma just get rid of these," He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Luci!"
She skidded to a stop, looking over her shoulder to see Edric and Emira. "Oh, guys, hey!" She waved briefly as they walked up the steps. "Luz and I are just about to meet with the principal, so can this be quick?"
"Oh, um, of course!" The boy stammered awkwardly as he was hiding something behind his back. He scratched his cheek as Emira smiled, gesturing to him.
"Before you go, Ed's got something for you."
"Mm?" She blinked in surprise as she turned around fully.
"It's just that, uh...w-well, I wanted to give you these?" Edric held out a bouquet of flowers and she gasped, taking them in her hands.
"Oh...thank you," She smiled at him before giving a small frown. "Uh, you guys didn't do anything to these, did you?"
"No! No, we asked the Owl Lady to get them when she went to the human world next time, I just...wanted to congratulate you on getting into Hexside, you know?" He rubbed the back of his neck, blushing a little. Luz smirked at the two of them.
"Well, this is really sweet, but...they've got thorns in 'em, and they're starting to hurt," She wiggled her hand a bit in pain and Edric started to panic.
"Oh, wow, I didn't know," He snatched them back from her. "I'll just take them off-"
"It's fine, but I really do have to go," Lucila jerked a thumb behind her, waving. "I'll see you later?" She ran down the hall with her sister, Edric hanging his head in dismay.
"Hey, at least you didn't embarrass yourself to her," Emira patted his back.
"He took the time to give you flowers! That's so romantic," Luz clasped her hands together, Lucila looking at her scraped hands.
"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure he didn't realize that thorns hurt..."
Principal Bump was listening to the news from a crystal ball. "A terrible development at Glandus High School. Students and teachers were found unconscious and without magic. The cause remains unknown."
"Ha! Take that, Glandus," Bump bragged, looking out the window. "Looks like this year's Grudgby match is going to be a forfeit."
The door closed as Luz and Lucila entered. "Hiya, Princy-B. Can I call you that?" Luz greeted him.
"Absolutely not. Now, today we'll be visited by the Emperor's Coven for a routine inspection," Lucila bit her lip as she heard that since...there was a chance that the Golden Guard might be there...and if he was, then that would be really awkward. "If we want to impress them, you'll both need to join a coven track before they arrive."
"Actually, Principal Bump," Luz held up a finger with a smile. "I've made our own schedules."
"You did?" Lucila asked in confusion as she watched her sister held out scrolls.
"First, vet care for mythical beasts, then healing and dealing, and then after lunch-"
Principal Bump took one look at them and laughed. "Studying multiple tracks at once? No one does that."
"Then we'll be the first," Luz gestured to her and her sister.
"Ah, Luz..."
"No, you won't," The principal closed the book, holding it up and revealing that it was the rule book. "According to the rules, a good witch needs to hocus-focus. You can only pick one of the 9 tracks," He pointed up to the banners above his head. "And you do not want to embarrass me in front of the inspector."
"But all the tracks are so cool," Luz looked away in dismay. "Is there some sort of enchanted article of clothing that could sort this out for me?"
"Well, there used to be, but..." Bump frowned a little at the memory.
Bump held out a hat to a young boy, who hadn't picked out his track yet. "Oh, I'm so excited!" The hat was placed on him.
"And now...I feed!" The hat came to life and used the flap to swallow the kid's head, causing him to scream.
He shuddered at remembering it...that kid was never the same after that. "I don't know if I can choose just one," Luz confessed to him.
"Yeah, I'm kinda conflicted between at least three," Lucila rubbed her chin.
"Then I'll choose one for you both. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe," His finger landed on the yellow one for Luz. "Oh, yes. The Potions track. You humans are filled with liquids, right?" He cast a spell to change Luz's uniform from white to yellow.
"Oh, I guess I have always like pouring things into other things," She admired herself.
"And for Lucila...eeny, meeny, miny, moe," His finger landed on Beast Keeping. "The Beast Keeping track. Should be fun."
"What?" Lucila asked, baffled and he cast a spell to change her clothes, and they went from white to orange. "Beast Keeping? I mean...if you consider what I went through while helping raise Luz, maybe?" At the back of her head, though, she wasn't sure if that was the right path—especially since she knew she wasn't striving for that particular track.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Luz grinned at her sister.
"I expect you to be on your best behavior," Bump warned them both, turning to the bulletin board nearby. He looked at pictures of both incidents that the girls were involved in before they were enrolled. "Based on the costly repairs from recent incidents, we could really use a donation from the Emperor's Coven."
"You got it, sir. We'll stay out of trouble," Lucila glanced at her sister, who smiled sheepishly.
"Good. Now, off to class," He waved a finger, moving them to the door. Then a scream was heard from the hall. "The Choosy Hat. It broke free!" He looked out the window in a panic.
Luz stepped into Potions 101 class, taking her seat with a smile. "Welcome to a new semester," The teacher greeted them. "Let's get stirring. Today we'll make fog brews," She held up a potion and threw it down disappearing in smoke. She then reappeared in front of her desk. "Begin!"
"See? Potions are fun," Luz hesitantly poured in a drop of the vial. "You can spend the rest of your life studying this, right?"
A crash was heard from the field and she looked outside to see Willow facing an Oracle student. The Oracle student held up a crystal ball with a smirk. A spectral being of sorts appeared right behind her. "The Oracle track." Willow spun a finger, slamming down her hand onto the ground. A large Venus flytrap appeared a few feet away from her. "The Plant track!" The two entities then battled it out, aweing Luz. "Wow..."
Because her back was turned, her potion emitted a lot of smoke. The teacher cleared her throat and she whipped around in embarrassment. "Sorry. Sorry," She continued sitting, sighing a bit.
The bell inhaled and then rung a tinier bell. Considering how he was bandaged, he probably wanted a safer way to signal the beginning and end of class. Luz held her arm as she left class. "Oh, boy. Stirring is the pits. What else is on the schedule for today?" She saw her schedule and all of it was potions...and this was how it would be for the rest of the semester... "Oh, man. I'm sorry, elbow."
"Ugh..."
She looked to her right, her eyes widened to see Lucila walking over to her, shoulders slumped. Her hair was full of twigs and leaves, some dirt on her face. "Whoa! Are you okay, Luci? What happened in Beast Keeping?"
"We learned how to hatch eggs...and let's just say that mine was not a happy camper," She shook off the branches from her head.
"Oof. Hope I wasn't that bad when you were babysitting me," Luz winced a bit.
"Nah, you weren't nearly as bad as that griffin egg I got during class," She jerked a thumb behind her as she dusted off some dirt from her uniform.
"No fair!" Luz whined at this before seeing the Oracle student Willow was dueling against put away a crystal ball into the storage. She looked up ahead and Lucila followed her gaze. "A crystal ball. Maybe it can show us if we're on the right tracks. No, don't be tempted. It's your first day. Make a good impression."
"And besides, we're not supposed to be caught doing multiple tracks," Her older sister stated as she scratched the back of her head, walking off. For some reason, it felt like something was itching her in her head. Luz calmly walked away, following after Lucila...until she reappeared in front of the shelf, taking it with a big grin. Lucila flinched and gave a deadpanned look. "You're not standing behind me anymore, are you?"
She turned around to see Luz holding the crystal ball, the image appearing. "You will be in trouble very soon..."
"Wow!" Lucila walked over to her and then Luz recalled the premonition. "Wait, what'd you say?"
Principal Bump cleared his throat as he had come across them, and he didn't look happy.
"But we weren't studying other subjects," Luz defended as he dragged them down the hall. "We, uh...fog brew!" She threw the potion onto the ground, but it wasn't very effective. "Yeah, I figured that wouldn't work."
"Luz was curious about it just like other kids are, that hardly counts for anything," Lucila agreed with her. "And why am I getting detention, I didn't touch the crystal ball!"
"No, but you still allowed her to break the rules."
The trash can rustled until King popped out of it. "King, vouch for our characters."
"Uhh, right. I don't know you," He winked at them, to their dismay. Principal Bump opened a door, pushing them inside. The entire room was kind of like the other classrooms, except it lacked any sort of color or any style to it. Three students were sitting up front with black uniforms on.
"What is this place?" Luz questioned in fear.
"This is a place where all troublemakers go," Bump waved a finger, turning both the girls' uniforms black. "The detention track."
The two gasped sharply. "NOOOOOOO!" Luz shouted so loud it could be heard from outside the school. "Detention track? But this can't be possible. I thought we-"
"Yes. Actual detention still needs...repairs. In the meantime, I am keeping all troublemakers far away from the eyes of the inspector," He started to leave. "You may try for a new track next year."
"Next year?!" Lucila exclaimed in disbelief.
"But we'll be back in the human world by then."
"Maybe you'll do better in a human school," Bump disregarded, the door closing behind him.
"Great..." Lucila held her head. When she finally wanted to learn magic, she got to school only to be put on the detention track for the rest of the semester...Luz turned around, smiling sheepishly as everyone was staring at them.
"Hello, fellow detentioners," Luz sat next to the girl, followed by her sister. "Room for two more?" She got no response, twiddling her thumbs together. "I like the little spikeys in your hair."
"Hey!" The teacher yelled from up front and they flinched. "You all better be quiet unless you want to scrub the classroom again."
"Mm," Lucila glared at him.
"Hey, don't blame any of them," Luz defended as she stood up. "I'm the one that started talking."
"Yeah, why are you punishing them for one person?" Lucila argued back.
"Oh, hooray! Some heroes," He waved a finger to make a mop, broom, and bucket appear.
"Ah, farts," Luz walked off, Lucila pulling her aside.
"Luz, you wanna maybe stop getting us in trouble today and just listen to people?"
"I know, I know..." The younger girl frowned, feeling bad for her sister. She shouldn't even be here, but she was anyway. Her teacher would probably be furious if he found out that Lucila got on the detention track...
The two didn't notice the girl glancing at them and smiling for their actions.
"Time to scrounge through the trash," King announced as he jumped into a trash can happily. He started licking frosting from a donut box.
"That's it!" He heard a voice and looked up. "I'm sick of someone eating all the donuts in the teacher's longue. I quit!" He threw his tie into the trash can where King was, and it landed on him. He stood up, struggling to get it unstuck. The trash can landed in a classroom and he rolled out of it, wearing the bow tie. He looked up at the chalkboard and then at the students staring at him.
"Are you our substitute?" A student asked from up front.
"Substitute? I ain't no desk jockey!" King argued back.
"Look at his professional-looking tie," Another one pointed at the tie King was wearing. "He must be."
He jumped onto the desk, pointing at the Potions student. "Can it, fangs! You don't know diddly dang about squiddly squat!"
"Y-Yes, sir," He held up his hands in protest. "Sorry, sir."
"Obedience?" King gave a look of interest at the student obeying him. "Well, what is a teacher if not an authority figure?" He rubbed his chin. "A kind of children, if you will." He then ran up to the front, hands on his hips. "Yes, I am your teacher! You may call me Mr. King!" There was silence and then he clapped, with the students following suit.
Luz was wringing a towel while the teacher was asleep. Lucila was scrubbing the floor to her dismay. Luz was cleaning a window.
"All right, kids," A kindergarten teacher passed by. "Who wants to go on a field trip to the astral planes?"
"I do!" The students cheered as they walked after her.
"I do," Luz murmured, gripping the bars.
"Luz!" She looked up to see Willow and Gus running over to her.
"Oh, my gosh. I missed you so much. Let me squeeze your faces," Luz started touching Willow's face. "Lucila! Come here."
She walked up to the window and saw the two. "Oh, thank goodness," She murmured in relief.
"What's going on? We didn't see you in any classes, and Edric's been asking about you, Lucila," Gus spoke up.
"He has?" The girl blushed a bit, flattered, and then she snapped out of it.
"Principal Bump put us in the detention track for mixing magic," Luz let go of Willow.
"Well, it was more so her than me," Lucila rubbed a temple.
"The detention track? You can't do anything in there!" Willow frowned, clenching her fists.
"You'll learn less than you did before."
"No, we're better than this!" Luz whined at this realization. "Please, you gotta help us break out."
"Don't worry. We'll get you out, dead or alive," Gus narrowed his eyes. Lucila and Willow both gave him looks, and they shook their heads no. "Okay. Alive."
"Aw, you guys," Luz stated fondly.
"I need to teach you that phrase once I get out," Lucila put a hand on her cheek. "But Luz, you wanna break out of detention? Do I have to remind you what happened last time?"
"I know, but you don't deserve this, you're in here because of me!" She argued tearfully, the older girl blinking in surprise. Before she could say anything, the chair scrapped from the teacher. "...it's the teacher. Gotta go."
They turned around, immediately being faced with the girl with the spiked scrunchie standing right behind them. The two gasped upon seeing her. "It's you!"
"Shh," She held up a finger, glancing back at the still-sleeping teacher. She waved them forward and they followed her to the chalkboard. She grabbed a piece of chalk and then drew a door, along with a keyhole. She tapped it, and the chalk acted as a key, opening up a secret passageway. The lights turned on inside, revealing a hallway.
"Whoa!" They both murmured, the brown-haired detention student crawling inside. She held out her hands to them, and she pulled the two inside. The teacher continued snoring, not aware of what just happened.
"What is this place?" Luz wondered as they took a look around.
"This is the last room you'll ever see alive," The girl pointed at them ominously. But then she smiled, waving it off. "Ah, just messing with ya. I'm Viney."
"I'm terrified. Um, I mean, I'm Luz. And this is my older sister Lucila."
"Not that I'm skeptical of why we're here, but...why are we here?" She asked curiously.
"Thanks for standing up for us back there," Viney smiled at the two. "Not many people would do that. Follow me. I wanna show you guys something," She walked over to a door that had a keep out sign. "You're one of us troublemakers now, so you get special access to..." She opened up the door to reveal a room full of doors. "The secret room of shortcuts!"
"Whoa!"
"Holy moly," Lucila blinked in shock, adjusting her glasses to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
"Hey Jerbo! Barcus!" Viney called out. "You can stop hiding now!"
The two other detention students peeked out from a doorway. "How do we know they're cool, man? How do we know they won't turn us in?"
"We literally have nothing to gain from that, dude!" Lucila called back.
"What do you think?" He glanced down at the dog-like student, who barked. "Barcus says that the younger one's aura is strong and silly, like a baby's laughter." Barcus then barked again. "And he says that the older one's aura is strong and full of morality. Welcome!"
Luz squealed happily, Lucila smiling a bit. "I love secret rooms! Where do the doors go?"
"Yeah, why so many?" The older Noceda walked around, looking at the ones above her head. Luz opened one...and was surprised to see herself in a school hallway. Amity and Edric were there, pacing around alone.
"So, you and Luz go to the same school now. That doesn't change anything," She then sighed.
"And Luci being here isn't gonna bother me...right?" Edric chuckled nervously as Luz disappeared.
"Huh?" The two whipped around, seeing nothing.
"This place connects to different parts of the school," Viney explained to them. "We found it after being thrown in the detention track. The witch who made it is known as..." She gestured to the wall that was covered in paint so that no one could make out any features that would give away the student's identity. There were also some names around it of students who had been on the track previously. "Lord Calamity."
"They started this troublemaker wall and we added our names in their honor," Jerbo stated proudly.
"This place is amazing," Luz stated in wonder. "I bet you guys can get into so much trouble in here."
"Luz!" Lucila rolled her eyes at this, sighing.
"Sure, we can, but we can also do so much more," Viney pointed upwards and Luz ran up the staircase, followed by Lucila. Barcus was looking into a door that looked into the Oracle classroom.
"Remember, seeing the end of a life is the beginning of reading a fortune," She sat down and began folding something. "We have to work backwards from it to see the teeth," She held up a cootie catcher, playing around with it. Barcus held up his own cootie catcher.
"We're not allowed to study any kind of magic," Viney told the girls from down below. "So we study every kind of magic, in secret."
The two jumped, landing on the ground. "You actually like school?" Luz asked in surprise, since usually troublemakers didn't like school, hence...why they were called troublemakers.
"Yeah. We might have liked it too much," Viney confessed to them as Lucila raised a brow.
"I tried mixing plant magic with abominations," Jerbo told them as one time in Plant Class, he made an abomination out of soil, and it walked off, starting to destroy stuff. "Bump was not thrilled. Barcus mixed potions with oracle magic."
He had thrown in a crystal ball into his brew, and when the teacher looked into it, she saw herself aging rapidly. She screamed and flew backwards, tipping over a large cauldron right next to Bump. The principal shook his head in disapproval."
"Mixing healing and beast keeping was slightly unconventional," Viney told her story as when Principal Bump peeked in once, she summoned a griffin, which was not highly received. "But Puddles was a great assistant, dang it! We all wanna be in more than one coven track, but Bump just says we need to focus."
"Sounds like Bump's priorities are out of whack," Luz commented at this.
"Well, that's just how things work around here, Luz," Lucila shrugged since she didn't believe they could change Bump's mind.
Viney chuckled, placing her hands on their shoulders happily. "I'm glad you guys are one of us. You've made great first impressions. Would you like to add your names to the troublemaker wall?" She held up a marker, Luz gasping.
She was about to take it when a voice called out. "Luz! Lucila! We're here to get you out of that horrible class."
Everyone flinched, and they turned to the sisters. Luz chuckled nervously, waving it off. "They're probably looking for some other Luz and Lucila."
Viney, however, didn't buy it, and she walked over, peeking through the secret passage. "Maybe she already booked it," Gus suggested as Willow whistled for them like dogs. "Luz did say they were better than this place."
Viney slowly closed the door. "Oh, you think you're better than us?" She glared at the girls.
"I never said that! I would never say that," Lucila emphasized to her.
"No, no. It's not like that," Luz protested to her. "I just didn't think I deserved—I mean, none of us deserve."
"J'excuse!" Jerbo pointed at them. "I should've known you'd look down on us. Everyone else does."
Barcus just hissed at them, but he meant to convey 'You have auras of lies.'
"It's fine," Viney looked disappointed and betrayed as she walked up to them. "I just...I thought someone finally understood us, but..." She closed her eyes, pointing to the hall. "Maybe you two should just leave."
Jerbo and Barcus gasped, Luz looking surprised herself. Lucila frowned, placing a hand on Luz's shoulder. "...I understand."
Gus lifted up the teacher's mustache, and he didn't react at all. "Man, this guy can sleep through anything," He commented to Willow, pulling out a mop with a mischievous look. "I'm gonna test that theory."
"No," Willow warned him. "We have to find Lucila and Luz. If only these walls could talk," She pressed the chalkboard, and the door opened to reveal the sisters. Both of them looked terrible about what just happened.
"Hey, guys," Luz slid down onto the ground, Lucila jumping out with a small sigh.
"Thank you, walls," Willow helped up the younger Noceda, not noticing her face. "We found a way to get you guys out to talk to Principal Bump!"
"We have an expert disguise," Gus ran into the hall, dragging out two trash cans. "It's got holes for your gangly teenaged legs."
"Gus...no..." Lucila pinched her nose at those last three words.
Luz glanced at the secret door, which closed with a slam. "Yeah. That's right where we belong," She stated sadly as she walked forward.
"And this way the inspector won't see you either," He lifted up the lids and they stepped inside their disguises. They then stood up and sulked out the door. Gus slapped the mop onto the teacher's face, and he still didn't wake up. "Incredible..."
Outside, a woman in uniform materialized out of nowhere, frightening some students. She walked up the stairs, where she was greeted by Principal Bump.
"Welcome to Hexside, Inspector.
"Greetings, Principal Bump," She bowed her head. "If everything's in order, the Emperor's Coven will be happy to cover your repairs."
"Excellent. Please come this way," He gestured to inside the school. "We've prepared a show with some of our finest students."
She was led to the auditorium, where an abomination stood on stage. He held up Amity, who struck a pose with a smile. "And that concludes the presentation from the abomination track," She stated as she was put back on her feet, the two bowing. Principal Bump applauded, turning to the inspector.
"That was some real Hexside magic, huh?" He nudged her and she rubbed her chin.
"Yes...this is good. But let's see if your student can put up more of a fight," She stood up, tossing away the clipboard.
"Yes, yes. Wait, what?" He realized what she said, baffled. She slammed her hands on the wood, grinning evilly. Her face then shifted to be like a snake, further confusing the principal. "Is, uh, this part of the inspection?"
"Abomination, fight!" Amity ordered and the abomination grabbed the inspector, but then she turned into a giant snake creature. She then ATE the abomination whole, facing Amity.
"The magic at Glandus High was tasty. But I hope yours will be more filling."
"Amity, stay back!" Principal Bump ran over, standing in front of her protectively. "She's an imposter!" He waved a finger to attempt to stop her, but she inhaled the spell circle and ate it, depriving the man of his magic. He groaned as he grew weaker, falling to the ground. Amity looked up in horror and tried to use her own magic, only for the same thing to occur. She landed next to the principal.
"Assume a coefficient of 10, carry the two, solve for Y," King instructed his students. "And that is the way to steal a pie from a windowsill." He had drawn a dozen formulas on the chalkboard, along with a picture of him attempting to steal a pie. He had been standing on a student to help him write on the board. "Also, you can eat trash."
"Finally, some skills we can really use," One student stated, another nodding in agreement.
"And now for my next lesson," A growl was heard and he gave an annoyed look. "Seriously? It's not even fifth period yet." He stormed into the auditorium. "Excuse me. Could you keep it down? Mr. King's trying to mold young minds here."
He saw Principal Bump's magic being entirely drained. "Oh, only 300 years until retirement," He lamented at this. She then turned to King, who looked on with wide eyes.
"I can see that I'm interrupting, so I'm just gonna..." He backed away into the hall, screaming.
The four were walking down the hall, Luz and Lucila still upset with themselves. "Don't worry, girls. Once we talk to Bump, we'll get everything sorted out," Willow attempted to cheer them up.
"I know, but what's the point if people get hurt on the way?" Luz asked, hugging herself.
"Or if you disappoint those who accept you?" Lucila murmured in disappointment.
"That is a fair question. Here's another question. What the heck is that?!" Gus pointed up ahead, where they saw the snake creature terrorizing the Oracle teacher. She fired some magic, and it got swallowed up. The teacher fell in front of them, looking terrified. The four screamed in horror, Luz hugging Willow.
"A Basilisk," Lucila paled as she stared at the creature.
The giant snake chuckled upon seeing them. "More cute morsels."
"We may be cute, but we're nobody's morsels," Willow defended furiously, slamming down her hand to activate her plant magic. The Venus Flytrap from earlier appeared as Gus ran over.
"Time for a power-up!" Gus leaped in front of the plant, giving it some muscled arms. It flew forward, ready to fight, but the Basilisk grabbed the plant and ate it whole. This weakened both Willow and Gus.
"I feel...so weak," Willow attempted to draw a spell circle, but it disappeared.
"Oh no!" Lucila bent down to them. Luz stood in front of them.
"Eat this!" Luz prepared a light glyph, and threw it. Lucila held up a light glyph, throwing it at the creature. Her notebook landed in the Basilisk's mouth while Lucila's light glyph blinded it. She screeched in pain from the attacks. Lucila carried Gus while Luz grabbed Willow's hand and they ran off.
"It burns! It burns!"
Luz kicked open the door to the Room of Shortcuts. "Guys! We need your help!"
"Oh. You two are back," Viney said in disdain.
"I'm sorry for hurting your feelings, but please listen!" Luz struggled to hold Willow as her whole body felt limp. "Ahh! Willow!"
Gus fell from Lucila's shoulders and she bent down to him in a panic. "Gus!"
The three gasped in alarm. "What happened to them?" Viney demanded the sisters.
"Something horrible is loose in the school," Luz opened a doorway to reveal the Basilisk taking more magic.
"Don't let it see us!" Viney quickly closed the door. "I think that's a Greater Basilisk. I heard about them in a class," She explained to Luz, who glanced at her sister for more information.
"Basilisks are snake-like demons, most likened to serpents, and these things can shape-shift, sniff out magic, and...well, suck the magic right out of you," She gestured to the closed door.
"My cousin at St. Epiderm said she saw one, but those things should be extinct," Viney added in.
"Wait, you said they drain magic?" Luz looked up at Lucila, realizing something. "It must've attacked the other schools, and now it's come for us. We have to do something!"
"But if Bump catches us mixing magic again..." Jerbo started off.
"He'd kick us out of school," Viney finished for him.
"I don't know about you, but I don't think you guys want to see this happen to fellow students," Lucila pointed to the door. "Since when did rules mean you can't help out?"
"Yeah!" Luz agreed with her, jumping onto the ground. "Hexoleos are out there getting hurt and we're the only ones who can save them! We're troublemakers, right? So let's get out there and make some trouble."
Lucila smiled, jumping off safely and landing next to her sister. "I'm right there with you, hermana," She winked at the girl.
The three glanced at each other.
Another student fell to the floor after being drained. "Hungry. Still hungry," She slithered down the hall. An ice glyph landed in front of her, knocking her onto the ground. She hissed as a spotlight appeared.
"From the humblest of beginnings, a hero will rise," Luz appeared in front of the ice pillar, wearing her cloak. "I've trained with a secret society to discover the power of mixing magic. I am-" She reached towards her cloak.
"DINNER!" The Basilisk lunged forward, Lucila leaping forward and pushing her sister out of the way. The two landed in the hall while the Basilisk crashed into the pillar. Luz looked up at her sister.
"Should've cut the monologue, huh?"
"Yup," She stated before they ran off. They glanced over their shoulders as the Basilisk was chasing after them.
"Viney! Do the thing! Do the thing!" Luz cried out before Puddles the griffin appeared. It knocked the Basilisk onto the floor.
"Attagirl, Puddles!" She spun a spell finger. "Jerbo, now!"
"On it!" He had his abomination open a door and he used plant magic to pull the Basilisk through a secret entrance. Viney looked down the doorway before Lucila and Luz jumped through it. They kicked her through another door.
"Must find help," Principal Bump looked up weakly from the auditorium. He saw the Basilisk crash through, with the two Nocedas landing safely.
"It's all you, Barcus!"
He barked, holding the creature's hand. He then poured a potion on her hand as the Basilisk came to. "Where am I?" His eyes glowed purple as he barked. "What's he doing? What'd he say?"
"He's reading your palm, and your future looks bleak," Luz explained as the abomination pulled down a rope. Puddles cut it and sand bags landed on her, releasing all the magic she swallowed up and restoring strength into everyone. The other portions of magic flew away to restore the other schools. Viney healed Puddles, who nuzzled her cheek and then flew off.
Luz lunged forward and hugged Viney. "You did it! You were amazing. You guys-"
"Are in so much trouble," Principal Bump interrupted angrily, Lucila glaring at him. "Leaving your homeroom, mixing magic and is that a secret hideout?" He pointed up to the ceiling, Willow and Gus rolling away from it.
"Yeah, it is," Luz defended, arms crossed. "But let's think about this, Principal Bump. Why would kids in the detention track need a secret hideout?"
"I don't care to know the ins and outs of rascality," He took out the rule book and Lucila fumed a little, wondering what it would take for him to change his mind. "But if the Emperor's Coven can send an actual inspector this time-"
"Okay. You need coven money," Luz gestured to the three. "But if you have to hurt your students to get it, what's the point? They saved Hexside. They should be allowed to study what they wish."
"They saved not only your lives, but also the other schools too! That Basilisk is what drained their power," Lucila argued, gesturing to the trio. "And if it wasn't for them, you wouldn't even be standing right now. At the very least, they don't deserve to be in the detention track anymore. Don't you think we're well due for a change, Principal Bump?"
"B-But," He hugged the book tightly.
"Do the right thing, ya dingus!" Gus called out from the trapdoor.
"All right," He relented with a small smile. "I'm smart enough to know when I've made a mistake. Which tracks would you like to be in?"
Viney and Jerbo gasped happily. "Healing and Beast Keeping."
"Plants and Abomination."
Barcus just...well, barked.
"Then so be it," He waved a finger, changing their uniforms. "But if any of you cause more property damage, I'm feeding you to the Choosy Hat." They looked at their new uniforms in awe. He then turned to the two Nocedas. "And you two?"
"Oh, I still can't choose."
"Bard and Healing, please," Lucila revealed with a smile. Bard was an easy choice because of her love of music, and Healing...well, it was to remind her of her mother, who was in the medical field back home. Bump waved his finger and her uniform changed to red and blue, those being top and bottom for her clothes respectively.
"Maybe it's crazy, but...I wish I could study a little bit of everything," Luz confessed and her uniform started glowing. "Whoa! What's going on? What is this? Ho-ho! This is so cool!" She looked herself in awe as her uniform had all the colors of the covens on them. "Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna study everything."
"Eda's definitely gonna be proud," Lucila smiled, patting the top of her head.
"You know, only one other student wanted to study every track," Principal Bump summoned the Lord Calamity painting. "Unfortunately, she was never given the opportunity."
"She?" Lucila asked in confusion as underneath all of the graffiti...was a wild red-haired potions student. The two gasped and then chuckled.
"I should've guessed."
"Like mentor, like student," The older girl commented just as Edric slammed the door open.
"Luci!"
"Edric," She blinked in surprise as he ran up to her. "You're okay," She said in relief; she honestly forgot to talk to him again after seeing him earlier because of detention... "But wait, what are you doing here?"
"You forgot these," He held up the bouquet, which had the thorns picked out. "Not as easy as it looked to get the thorns out," He held up two bandaged fingers and she smiled.
"Well, thank you, I really appreciate it," She took them bashfully, blushing a bit.
"Ooh," Luz nudged her and she grunted.
"And YOU, little miss, are gonna get it for getting me detention today and for not listening," She gripped Luz's ear, dragging her away. She glanced back at Edric with a soft smile and he flushed. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Yeah..." He waved to her with a smile as she left with a whining Luz.
"Oh, come on! I didn't mean to give you detention! I'm sorry!"
Principal Bump walked down a hallway. "The Coven denies knowing about the Basilisk, but that won't stop me from writing a very stern letter."
"All right," King spoke up from a classroom, getting his attention. "Read chapters three to five on the right way to scratch yourself in public. Spoiler alert, there's no wrong way," He sighed fondly, holding a mug that said 'World's Best Me.' "Days like these make being a teacher all worth it."
"You're not a teacher," Principal Bump spoke up, looking up at the man.
"Huh? Maybe not, but I care about these kids, and nothing can change that!" He splashed his drink all over the principal, resulting in him getting kicked out.
The Golden Guard couldn't help but notice that Lucila was more tired than usual, and he could only assume it was because today was the start of the new semester. And yet he thought that she'd be...at least a little more cheerful about it. After all, she got in through hard work.
"So how was your first day?" He asked, hands behind his head as he leaned against a tree.
"Um…well, school was going through an inspection and then things…got crazy," She rubbed her neck sheepishly, deciding to save the story for another day. "Enough to tire me out a little."
"Ah, the Basilisk incident," He wasn't honestly surprised to hear what happened at Hexside, in that they were now allowing students to multi-track...and he also heard about the letter from the principal, which did mention both her and Luz saving the school. "Should I expect anything else from you?" He snorted a bit and she snorted back.
"Uh, this time it wasn't actually my doing, so I just only helped stopped it. But I did make history with my sister for allowing people to multi-track at Hexside," She smiled proudly, hands on her hips. "I joined the Bard and Healing tracks!"
He should've guessed that she'd pick Bard, since she was a music person, but Healing was a bit of an interesting choice. "Healing, huh?"
"My mom's always working at the hospital, and she wants me to be a doctor so..." She held her arm, grinning. "I just...wanted to remember her through Healing, even though I'm not gonna be a doctor." She reached into her bag and took out the bouquet Edric gave her earlier. The Golden Guard immediately sat up upon seeing them, glaring at the flowers. Whoever gave that to her clearly knew what they were doing...and he didn't like it.
"Where'd you get the flowers from?" He asked with an edge to his voice, which she didn't seem to notice.
"Hmm? Oh, they're from a friend at school. He went out of his way to get them from the Human Realm. I brought them here in case Hooty got to them."
She turned away to get her journal and when she did, he took the flowers and tossed them into the lake nearby in a casual manner. He glanced at the bouquet as it sunk into the water…and then eaten up by a lake creature. Thankfully it swam away as she turned back.
"Alright, so I was hoping we'd—" She blinked in confusion to see her flowers gone. "Huh? Where's the bouquet?"
"Oh, uh…you didn't know? Flowers burn up after a while here," He lied through his teeth and she raised a brow. She would've liked to believe that she would've known that fact a lot sooner…especially since there were no scorch marks left behind. "Anyway, never mind about those. I brought you something."
He handed her a paper from his cloak and she opened it. She looked a bit floored.
You know what the truth is
It's the beat of your heart
You know you can listen to it
Next to mine
"This is…lyrics to my song. You finished it?" She looked up in surprise.
"You said you were struggling with it, right? I memorized what you had and did some research on song writing. And then I just wrote what came to mind."
"Wow…no one's ever done anything like that for me," She hugged the paper, touched. She didn't think that he'd do something like that, just like with Edric giving her the flowers.
"W-Well, don't read much into it. You got into Hexside, so you deserve a break from stress."
She smiled softly and reached forward, hugging him. He stiffened at the contact. He glanced at the back of her head, and...he actually didn't mind this...he slowly wrapped his arms around her, closing his eyes behind the mask. It was the first time he had been hugged before...
Her eyes widened as she realized what she did. "Oh, um, sorry," She recoiled back, chuckling awkwardly. She just felt so grateful that she had to hug him, but she didn't even know if that was okay with him.
"...It's okay," He cleared his throat and she smiled at hearing that, brushing a bang behind her ear. "L-Let's get started, shall we?"
He opened a book and she took out a pen, listening to him attentively.