Angel: Who would be Lucila's voice actress? I…have no clue XD To this day, I'm still searching for the right one. Hopefully I'll have an answer someday.
Also, I got a random message from someone a few days ago to write a chapter for a story for them, even though I don't know them at all? And it was for an Owl House story? Yeah, uhh, guys, if anyone's thinking the same idea in the future, maybe don't do that. Especially if I don't know you, otherwise it's gonna come off as creepy. Even if you're desperate, like this person was, clearly I have my own stuff going on with my own work. It was honestly a little unnerving, and just like with a certain Tangled story I put on hiatus for similar reasons, I don't want to have to put this story on hiatus for people who don't know boundaries.
Especially since I love writing the love triangle.
Oh yeah! Forgot to mention this, but ceallen956 from Deviantart made a ponysona of me, so if you're interested in knowing what I'd look like as a pony, go check it out!
The living room of the Owl House was filled with all sorts of plants. Luz inspected the middle of a flower with her magnifying glass. She was trying to learn the plant glyph while Lucila was looking at an ice cube to draw out the ice glyph.
"Come on, work this time!" She pleaded as she tapped the paper. She gasped as a small flower appeared. "Yes! Check it out, King. My glyph skills are blossoming."
"Ughh, that hurt a little," Lucila commented as she tapped her own paper, creating a small ice column. "Yay!" She pumped her fists.
"You think that's impressive? Check this out!" King was holding Luz's phone and the two girls joined his side. "Two warriors battling to the death." He was looking at a video of two kittens, one of them falling onto its back. Luz looked up at the open portal door. Because the Boiling Isles had no internet, they had to resort to a cord leading into the human world.
"Ah, I see we're getting enough Wi-Fi through the portal for cat videos."
"Yeah, I managed to locate a house that's mostly empty for the day to plug in the cord through their own server. Eda plugged it in," Lucila explained to her.
"Senseless violence," King cheered on. "Yes, attack! Death is your god!"
"I regret teaching you about the internet," Luz commented at him.
"Heh! What possible regrets could come from the internet? Oh, did you know the Earth is actually flat?"
"Yep, that's not right," Luz corrected King, snatching her phone back. It vibrated and she looked to see a text message from her mother. Her eyes widened at it.
It read How's camp today, carino? Followed by a heart emoji and Mama. Luz gulped and debated on a simple response before just giving a thumbs up emoji. "Good enough."
"Ah, a severed hand. Perfect response," King complimented her.
"That's not a good response," Lucila sighed, shaking her head, and then her phone beeped. She pulled it out of her pocket.
I don't want to bother you with your camp counselor duties, so good luck today! That message also had a heart emoji with Mama at the end. Lucila bit her fingernail nervously and then just texted a heart emoji back, sighing in frustration.
Luz laid down on the couch, also frustrated as she put a pillow over her face. "What am I supposed to say? 'Hey Mom, we're not at camp actually. We're in a demon realm learning to be witches. Also, did you know demons and magic are real?' She. Will. End us!"
"Even worse, she'd be pressuring us to be things that we're not," Lucila frowned a bit. "While also putting a bunch of responsibility on me again..."
It wasn't that she didn't want to be responsible, but she also wanted to just be a normal teenager instead of a second mom sometimes...
"Nah, she'd be freaked out by our world anyway. So actually, by keeping the truth from her, you're doing her a favor," King attempted to cheer them up.
"Hmm, the demon at my shoulder makes a good point," Luz agreed with him.
"We'll just have to see how long it holds up..." Lucila pinched her nose.
"Always trust a shoulder demon!" King then snatched back Luz's phone to continue watching cat videos.
The door opened to reveal Hooty. "Hoot hoot, Luz and Lucila! Time to fill up those darling little head of yours with..." He then coughed up some books. "Mm-hm, delicious knowledge."
Gus then peeked into the room. "Please hurry," He pleaded quietly.
Willow peeked in next, frowning. "The more I look at him, the more uncomfortable I get."
"Hoot, hoot!"
Luz chuckled while Lucila sat up. "Alright, we get it."
Luz kissed King on the head while her sister got their bags. "Don't spend all day watching Mew-Tube, okay?"
"Trust me, I would know," Lucila jerked a thumb to herself. "Luz sometimes gets weird when she watches too many cat videos..."
"I forge my own path!" King shouted at the top of his lungs, playing the current video. A black cat was chasing his tail on it, and the little demon snickered. "What a dum-dum." His tail wagged and he smacked it away. He then sighed in exasperation, falling onto the cushions to watch more. "Who has the energy?"
At Hexside, as they entered, décor was being planted. "Coming through! Watch your heads!" Balloons were being planted, streamers were being hanged, and a banner was being put up.
"Something's different today," Luz stated as they came to a stop. "Did everyone get a haircut?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot you guys have never been for the social event of the season," Willow replied in excitement.
"Welcome to your first-"
Suddenly two paramedics swooped in before Gus could finish, and they imitated ambulance sirens. "Out of the way!" They stopped in front of a Beast Keeping student near Skara. "Come with us immediately. Your disease, it's advancing!"
"Is there a cure, Doc?" The boy asked as he was placed on the gurney.
"Only one...finding the perfect date to Grom!"
He was then wheeled in front of Skara. "If that's the cure then, Skara, will you go to Grom with me?" He held up an actual beating heart with the word Grom on it.
She screamed in excitement, hugging him. "Of course I will or whatever!"
"The heart thing was kind of weird and gross, but still cute," Lucila smiled at the two.
The students around cheered for them and Luz gasped in realization, turning to her friends in excitement. "You have a weird version of prom in the Boiling Isles? I was kicked out of my last school dance for dressing like an otter, but maybe here, I could be your Grom Queen."
The other three winced a bit as they glanced at each other. Gus and Willow looked up at Lucila, who shook her head, meaning that she hadn't told Luz yet. "That's, uh, not something people usually sign up for."
Amity turned the corner, bumping into Luz from behind. She dropped all of her books and a pink paper as both of them fell to the ground. "Watch it, nitwit," She growled before changing her composure. "Oh! Hi, Luz, Lucila, and co," Willow and Gus smiled at her addressing them, especially in a nicer way. "Sorry about that."
"No problem," Luz replied as Amity stood up, dusting herself off. "Let me help you," Luz picked up her books, and Lucila couldn't help but notice that Amity looked a little worried. "Here, your note." Amity quickly snatched it back. "Man, you got some quick grabbers."
"It's just..." She paused a little. "I-It's private."
"Well, if it's private, then we won't pry. Right, Luz?" Lucila gave her sister a warning look, and she held up her hands.
"I promised I'd mind my own business!"
The intercom activated right then and there, some students gasping and whispering among themselves. "I'm so nervous."
"This is it."
"Attention, Hexside students, this is your principal speaking."
"Oh, man, this is it," Gus clenched a nervous fist.
"He's announcing who will be this year's Grom royalty," Willow stated, though she didn't sound happy about it. Amity herself looked a bit nervous.
"This year, I have the privilege to bestow our highest Grom honor to...Amity Blight!" Everyone gasped and Luz turned to see Amity give a look of horror. "Our Grom queen!"
"It's Amity," People started whispering.
"Amity."
"Whoo!" Luz cheered for her, Lucila trying to gesture for her to stop doing that. "Amity! Get it, Queen!" She held up her hand for a high-five, and Amity ran off. "Don't leave me hanging!"
Willow placed a hand on her shoulder. "You might wanna give her some space. Being Grom Queen is a tough job, even for Amity."
Luz looked confused, but a bit sad for Amity. "Luz...there's a reason why they announced Amity without a vote," Lucila told her before she remembered that she probably wouldn't make it to her lesson with the Golden Guard tonight because of Grom. "I gotta make a phone call, I'll explain more later."
She stopped at an empty hallway, glancing around to make sure no one could hear her. She then took out her crow phone, the only contact method she had for the Golden Guard. She was instructed to use it only if something came up. She put in his number and then put the crow to her ear. It rang for at least three seconds before she heard his voice.
"Hello?"
"Hi! Um...Golden Guard! How's it...going?" She asked nervously, since this was the first time she was ever calling him. She usually saw him at night, so talking to him on phone during the day was a little weird-feeling to her.
"Fine, but I'm kind of busy, so make it quick." He was in his room, creating his lesson plan for Lucila.
"Oh! Uh, is it okay if we skip Friday's lesson? That's Grom night at Hexside," She explained and he paused, dropping his pencil. He slowly sat up, biting his lip behind his mask. That would mean that he wouldn't get to see her...not to mention that a certain someone would be there with her while he wouldn't be.
"...Grom? That's on Friday? Is that Blight boy gonna be there?"
"Edric? Well, I mean, maybe, but what's he got to do with anything?" She blinked, as she didn't think Edric would even come up.
"Nothing, uh...just have a good time!" He quickly hung up, gritting his teeth a little. He definitely had to do something about that.
She stared at the crow in confusion, wondering what that was all about.
He clenched the crow phone a bit as he was thinking about Edric dancing with her...possibly even spending MORE time with her. He couldn't prevent her from interacting with him, they both had school...
But he could...pop in for a visit. Just to make sure nothing suspicious went on between the two.
Principal Bump was in the gym, supervising the set-up and decorations for Grom night. "Very good. Lower the streamers, fill the punch bowl, and how's my disco ball?"
The Snaggleback was the disco ball, with his shell acting as the base for it. He was hanging onto a rope. "Nauseous..."
"Great! Just keep it up for 36 more hours," Bump smiled as he walked off, and then Luz entered, followed by her sister.
"Ah, our first school dance experience on the Boiling Isles. I can't wait to get overdressed, take awkward photos, push all the buttons. Wait, what?" She was confused to see a red button on a large black/red pedestal. "Well, hello. Don't mind if I do!"
"Luz, wait-"
She pushed it anyway, and it opened up to an arena down below. "Whoa!" Then an armory of weapons appeared around her, taking her by surprise. "Medieval torture seems like a strange theme for Grom. But hey," She shrugged and Lucila sighed.
"No, Luz..."
"They're not for decoration," Amity's voice explained and they turned around to see her at the top of the bleachers. "This arena's where I'll make my debut as Grom Queen," She descended down to join them.
"Right. So why don't you seem excited?"
"Because this isn't just some dance party," Amity took a sword in her hand. A roar was heard and they saw what looked to be moving black slime in the arena. "That's Grom. Short for Grometheus, the fear bringer. It's a monster that lives under the school," She cast a spell circle that showed off a tapestry. "Every year it tries to break out, and a student has to defeat it before it invades the town. Ever the optimist, Bump holds a party and calls it tradition. The worst thing is that Grom can read minds and shale-shift into your worst fear. And mine is very embarrassing."
"If it worries you so much, why don't you tell Principal Bump you want out of this death match biz?" Luz asked curiously.
"Sure, and then doom the entire school to have the Boiling Isles for their entire lives. That seems like a better alternative," Lucila said sarcastically, pointing to the side of her head to symbol 'duh.'
"Oh..." Luz rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly before gasping. "Unless talking to Bump is your greatest fear."
Amity just chuckled at her. "No, but that's a good idea. Thanks, Luz." The two watched her walk off.
"I'm sure you'll figure something out. You always do," Lucila patted her back.
"Like who your date's gonna be?" Luz grinned up at her and she blushed deeply, letting go of her sister.
"W-Whaaaat? No," She scoffed, waving it off. "I don't even need a date."
"I dunno, Edric seems like the most obvious," The girl stated knowingly and Lucila pinched her nose.
"I don't think it's a good idea, I've already left him hanging on something else..."
"Put down a tarp! I'm gonna puke!" The Snagglebeast called out to them and they ran off.
"We're home~!" Luz sang as they walked down the hall in the second floor of the Owl House.
"Ow!" They heard Eda cry out.
The two sisters peeked into her room. "Guys?" They saw Eda wearing a brown suit, with King wearing a tailor's uniform.
"Careful with those pins," Eda warned him with a small glare.
"Why am I doing this? I don't even wear clothes!" King argued back.
"Hey, sweet duds, Owl Lady," Luz commented as they both stepped inside. "What's the haps?"
"Yeah, why are you wearing that?" Lucila asked curiously as they both took a seat on top of the nest.
"I'm chaperoning Grom tonight, so I have to look sharp," Eda flipped her hair with a smile.
"And Gus asked me to co-emcee the fight," King revealed a poster that had him and Gus on it wearing sunglasses. "We're gonna turn this bloodbath into a fun bath."
"Ooh, have they announced the victim yet?" Eda questioned with interest.
"Yeah, it's Amity. She's kinda freaking out though. I wish I could, like, take her place or something."
King and Eda started laughing, Lucila staring at them as she was a little baffled by that reaction. Luz just wanted to step in for Amity, who was clearly uncomfortable facing Grom. She didn't see what was so funny...
"A great joke, Luz!" King pointed at her, and they both soon stopped.
"Oh, listen, kid," Eda wiped a tear away from her eye. "That's a noble sentiment, but Grom is a little above your pay grade," Luz blushed in embarrassment, a little peeved. "You're a human. You're...fragile."
"Say what?!" Lucila stood up immediately.
"Hey!" Luz protested, getting onto her feet as well. "I've been learning lots of new spells. I could totally handle it."
"There's a horrifying spider in your hair," Eda said simply.
"Nope. I'm not as fragile as you think, Eda," Luz denied to her. "And I can't be so easily fooled either," Hmph," She huffed, but it wasn't actually a lie as there was a spider on her hair. Lucila was about to speak up when Eda covered her mouth. The door was slammed shut.
"Um, maybe you were too hard on her," King acknowledged, getting Eda's attention. "She's saved you from multiple monsters, remember?"
Lucila slapped the woman's hand away. "Yeah! And don't forget, she helped you when we found out about your curse."
"Facing Grom means facing your worst fear, guys," Eda turned around to the mirror. "And I don't think Luz knows what that means yet...do you think I can pull off red eyeshadow?"
"Girl, you can pull off anything," King told her. "Up top!" The two high-fived each other. "We're style geniuses."
Lucila sighed at this, deciding to drop it for now. Although yes, her sister definitely didn't know what she'd be in for, she had seen Luz come out fine on other things...
"Fragile," Luz grumbled as she stomped into the forest. "Eda doesn't know me. I'm brave! I'm a bad boy!" She shrieked as she heard a noise, grasping a stick tightly. "Ominous footsteps, creepy woods. This is no problem." Her hands were shaking, however, as the footsteps got closer. "Luz chop!" She screamed as she lunged forward, only to bump into Amity.
"Ow!"
Luz created a light spell and saw her friend in the mud. "Oh, my gosh! Amity, I'm so sorry," She helped the green-haired girl up.
"And here I thought this day..." Luz pulled her tightly and their faces were very close. Amity let go and she sat on a stump. "Couldn't get any worse."
Luz sat down next to her in anticipation. "Did you talk to Bump? Was it as terrifying as you imagined?"
Amity sighed at the reminder. "He said no. I'm Grom Queen, unless I can find a replacement. And who'd wanna switch with me?" She looked away, hugging herself. She really didn't want anyone finding out her fear...
It was then that Luz remembered what she said to Eda and King. "I would."
"...What?" Amity asked in confusion.
"Amity Blight, I'll do it!" Luz declared as she got onto her feet. "I'll take your place and face Grom in the arena! I'll be your fearless champion."
Then the spider from her hair crawled onto her face and she let out a scream, placing her face in the mud. She then rolled away, crashing into something. "Fearless champion."
The next morning, Luz looked through her chest, pulling out a black dress with a yellow moon on the chest area. "Hmm..." She placed it down and then took out the otter costume she wore on her last dance. "Hmm!" Her cell phone vibrated and she pulled it out to see that it was from her mother again.
Mira! Visiting our fav after school snack spot! Luz scrolled up and saw a picture of her mother standing in front of a chimichurri place. Miss you BEBE! XO – Mama
Luz gave a saddened look before she replied back with a simple smile emoji. Now she knew how Lucila felt when her sister stated that she didn't like lying to their mother...
Speaking of, Lucila was trying to figure out what dress she was going to wear. She looked through her closet, glancing at all the clothes and groaning. She did have a dress, but it was just a plain out-dated dress, she couldn't wear that...what would Edric even say to it...
Or the Golden Guard for that matter.
"Mm?!" She blushed deeply, wondering how he even came to mind since he definitely wasn't going to be there...but part of her wished that he would go. Then again, she couldn't bring him with her, that would raise a lot of questions, and a lot of people would just be whispering about them, it'd be awkward.
"Hey, Luz! Lucila!" Hooty called out from outside. "You have a guest~!"
"Hooty, stop lurking outside our windows!" Luz warned him and her door opened. "Amity!" She stated in surprise as the girl came in covered in feathers. Lucila walked in after her.
"If that bird tube ever talks to me again, I'm going to destroy it," She deadpanned, pointing at the girl. "You ready to train?"
"Which should I wear to Grom?" Luz held up the two outfits. "This one says Witch with a dark side. But this one says I'm an otter...with a dark side."
"We're on a dark theme here," Lucila commented with a small smirk.
"Luz, you need to take this seriously," Amity warned her. "If you can't defeat Grom, everyone on the island will have to live out their worst nightmare." The older girl's eyes widened in realization that...if that did happen, her sister would see her worst nightmare, and she did not want that.
"You wanna hear my worst nightmare?" Hooty asked as he touched Amity's cheek against his, and her eyes twitched. Then she started beating him up. "Hooty-hoot! Hoot hoot!"
"Stop, stop! Amity, stop!"
After they managed to pull Amity away from him, they stepped outside, and Lucila looked up, flinching as she saw the Blight twins. "Edric!"
"Luci!" He smiled at her, hands behind his back. Then there was an awkward pause between them.
"I'm here too," Emira waved a hand.
"Oh, sorry," Lucila smiled nervously at her. "Hi Em. What are you guys doing here?"
"Uhh, not here to see you, that's for sure," Edric stated while blushing, Emira elbowing him. "I-I mean, not that I don't want to see you."
She blushed, hiding a bang behind her ear with a smile. "It's nice to see you too."
"Soo...about Grom, you know Grom, right? I was wondering-"
"Not the time, we have training to do!" Amity interrupted and Lucila sighed a bit in relief. Not because she didn't want him to ask, but because she wouldn't know how to answer. She paced in front of the four. "Grom will transform into your darkest fears. What are you afraid of, Luz?"
Luz thought about it, rubbing her chin. "Wanna say our greatest fears?" Edric asked his sister. "One three. One, two...being alone forever."
"Being stuck with you forever," Emira stated and he sighed in disappointment. Lucila gave him an encouraging smile.
"It's okay, Ed. I'm sure anyone else wouldn't mind being stuck with you forever."
He smiled back at her in relief. "In preparation, I've made a list," Luz held up a paper, Amity snatching it. The twins joined her side as she read from it. The duo chuckled as they cast spell circles, making a huge phone appear with a man on it. "Jerks online who wanna debate!" Lucila looked at her sister wide-eyed before a cat with a human face appeared.
"Luz, help me. Help!"
"Human souls trapped in cat bodies," She tried looking away before a large carton of milk appeared along with a cup.
"NO! I'm lactose intolerant!" Luz cried out and Lucila crossed her arms at the twins, giving them a slightly annoyed look.
"Not enough," Amity stormed up to Luz, getting rid of the illusions. "The reason I can't face Grom, it goes deeper than things that just gross me out. What's your real fear, Luz?" She pointed at the girl's chest, and she looked up at the glass-stained window, where Eda's room was.
"My real fear is that Eda thinks I'm too fragile to do this," Luz confessed to her. "And if she's right, I'll never be a real witch!"
The twins smirked at each other, creating a giant illusion of Eda. She looked down at Luz with a smug smile. "You're inadequate," She spun a spell finger, and it created a baby high chair, along with a bib for Luz.
The real Eda checked herself out in a mirror. "Meow. Still got it."
"No!" Luz shouted, and it was loud enough for Eda to hear. She opened the door as the twins felt a bit proud while Lucila and Amity looked a bit worried.
"I get it. Ditch the yellow," She then looked up and gasped at the giant her. "Is that supposed to be me? Dang, I look great...wait a sec! You're training to be Grom Queen."
"So what if I am?" Luz argued back, falling onto the ground. The high chair then disappeared as Eda stood in front of her.
'You think training will help against Grom? Luz, you always go overboard, and I end up bailing you out. Now, what's the fun in watching a kid get eaten by a monster if it's my kid?"
"Eda!" Lucila protested at this, walking over to them. "Whether or not you always bail her out, it's not like you've been giving her the proper training to have more strength," She gestured to Luz.
"What? I resent that," Eda pointed at her in slight anger. "I'm the strongest witch in the Boiling Isles!"
"Well, maybe you'll have fun watching me defeat Grom!" Luz added in, karate chopping at the man cat to make it disappear. Amity walked up to her, a hand on her shoulder.
"Luz, I don't think you're ready but we're literally out of time."
"I'll take it!" Luz smiled at the girl.
It was now Grom night, that poor Snaggleback still stuck from the ceiling. "Arms so tired..." The dance had a band, where all the instruments were alive to play themselves. The guitar did a riff as people were dancing, though a bit stiff. Willow spun spell fingers to give people corsages, and they clapped. Edric noticed this and ran up to the girl.
"Hey, Willow, right? I need a favor."
Eda was at the arch of flowers, looking down at her King watch. "Why so twitchy, witchy?" He asked as he approached. "Trying to remember if I've ever seen you this worried before," He rubbed his chin.
"Well, of course I'm worried! I'm gonna have to save Luz from a nightmare monster," She groaned, leaning against the arch. "So much for mama's fun night out. The lights suddenly dimmed.
"Ladies, gentlemen, and assorted demons," Gus' voice bellowed out. "It's almost time for our main Grom event! Please, please, take a seat. And beware that the first three rows are designated splash zones." He gestured to the one person who was eagerly sitting there currently, wearing a raincoat and having an umbrella.
"Wow, Gus is really good at this," King stated as people started taking seats, including himself and Eda. "They've hanging on his every word!"
"I see we've got Principal Bump in the house!" Gus gestured to the man. "Now, sir, I hope you won't throw us in detention because, uh, we're gonna raise the roof!"
A spotlight fell on him and he waved nervously before raising his hands with an awkward smile.
"I, uh, hope my material's up to snuff," King stated nervously, dropping his cards. He then fell back and hit something, which was revealed to be a whoopee cushion. "What do you think will go better with the youth? Close-up magic or impressions?"
"Oh, King..." Eda held him up by his collar. "Teenagers are brutal. They'll boo anyone, and that kind of public humiliation can stick with you for life."
He yelped in fear at the possibility.
Outside the gym, Amity was by the door. She looked down at the note she dropped earlier, rubbing her thumb against it.
"I'm not sure if it's nerves or if I accidentally drank some milk," Luz suddenly appeared with her sister. "But...something's making my stomach squirm."
"Might be the nerves, but if you did drink milk, you better be ready to deal with it," Her sister remarked. Lucila was wearing a sweetheart neckline dress with no sleeves, the top of her dress dark purple with sparkles. She had a blue bow wrapped around her waist. Her skirt was a light blue fading into a black trim at the bottom, with white splashes on the skirt that looked like little dots on it, but they looked like they were glowing. The skirt went all the way down to her knees. Her shoes were wrapped around her feet, while being high heels and in a silver color. Her hair was in a high bun that was shaped like a begonia flower, tied around with a scrunchie made out of fake white flowers, but there were two big curly strands of hair hanging from the bun in the back. And she had no glasses on.
Just then, the Golden Guard arrived around the corner. He grasped his staff tightly, prepared if he saw Lucila around. If anyone asked, he'd just say that the principal asked for someone to come to the school should they have another imposter incident. He glanced around the corner and saw the girl, recoiling back in surprise. She...actually looked beautiful...
"Whoa." He murmured quietly upon seeing her, pressing his back against the lockers. He touched his chest as he felt like his heart was about to...burst out of it!
"You look...nice," Amity inspected Luz. "Strange but nice. And thank you, Luz," She gratefully put her hands on Luz's shoulders. "Honestly, I'm kind of amazed with how fearless you are. You've done things I could never do."
Luz just chuckled in response. "Yeah, right. You're going soft on me, Blight?"
Amity laughed at that. "In your dreams."
Lucila glanced between them, smiling a bit as she got the hint that there was something more there. She cleared her throat. "Well, I'm gonna go get some punch. Good luck, hermana," Lucila hugged her sister, who returned it with a smile. "And whatever you do, don't die! Or else I'll die if I come home without you!"
"I won't!" Luz winked at her as she watched her sister leave.
The Golden Guard flinched upon hearing that and he watched the girl go inside. He was really tempting to move in closer, but he couldn't with Luz and Amity there.
Lucila got to the punch bowl, pouring herself a cup. Edric noticed the girl from behind and approached her.
"Luci, hey!" He took her hand and she glanced back at him in surprise. She blushed a bit.
"Edric! Hi, you look really nice," She told him, turning around to face the boy. He was hiding something behind his back. He blinked in shock as he got a good look at the girl, especially her face. Her eyes looked really pretty without her glasses...
"Y-Your glasses, they're..."
"Yeah, I know. I feel so naked without them," Lucila frowned a bit. "Eda put a vision spell on me so I'll see better just for the night. She thinks that it helps sell the outfit, but I don't think I look that amazing without them," She rubbed her neck awkwardly. She felt like a different person without her glasses, which was why she never took them off...
"Oh, no, Luci. I think you look…that is…I find you…"
"Luci!" Emira interrupted with a smile, nudging her brother with a wink. "Ed, wasn't there something you wanted to give her?"
"Huh? Oh, right. Um..." He moved away his hand behind his back, revealing the corsage he asked Willow to make for him. "Here. If, um, you'll accept it, that is as my date?"
She gasped at this, clamping her mouth shut nervously. She still didn't know what to do about the whole 'asking her out' thing, and he wasn't asking for an answer on that, so could she really accept it? And...she felt like there was a familiar presence watching over her, if that made sense. But then again, there was no harm being his date for just the night...
She slowly reached out to it, when Gus' voice suddenly interrupted. "Now introducing our Grom Queen. You know her, you love her. You've at least heard of her...Luz, the human!"
A spotlight fell on her as the crowd cheered and Lucila whipped around to see her sister.
"Wish me luck!" Luz called out to Amity, walking off.
"Luck," Amity murmured to herself, a little worried herself.
"Oh, I've gotta see how my sister does, but I'll save you a dance?" She smiled at Edric, and he returned the favor, giving her the corsage.
"You don't have to wear it if you're not comfortable, that...might've been a dumb move to ask you right at Grom," He rubbed the back of his neck.
"No, no, it was sweet," She assured him with a smile. She then put on the corsage. "So I guess my answer is yes."
Edric perked up at this, lunging forward and hugging the girl. She flinched in surprise before hugging him back with a smile. She let go of him to go take her seat next to Eda. The red button appeared next to him and he pushed it. Everyone gasped as the floor split apart. Skara and her date were about to kiss when they ripped off their clothing to reveal Grom sweaters.
"Grom!"
"Yes, Grom!"
Luz approached the arena's entrance, being surrounded by the armory. She glanced around and took a flail, putting an ice glyph on it. She smiled confidently as she stepped forward, descending down into the pit. Grometheus appeared in black sludge behind her, getting her attention.
"There you are, Gromarama. Not too scary."
Grom turned into three cats with human faces, asking her for help. She cringed at this. "Ugh. So weird." She spun her flail, throwing it onto the ground. The ice glyph created an ice pillar that shot the three man-cats into the air. The crowd cheered, Lucila clapping with a proud smile.
"And there she goes, folks, using that characteristic human magic to keep Grom at bay!" Gus smiled at her. "And now to hand things over to my co-emcee...King!" As King climbed up onto the stage, Gus handed him the microphone.
"Hello, Hexside! So, uh..." He pulled out some cards, and once again dropped them. "Oh, oh, gosh..." He started babbling as he looked up at the crowd. "Ha ha! Whoo! Wow, these lights are warm," He tugged at his bow tie, finding this a bit unnerving to him. "Observe! Luz is, um...S-She's down right there all right. And, y-yes, she is. There she goes. Folks, she's, um, she's battling the thing. And, uh..." He glanced around at all the lights on him, and he sweated a little. The crowd started boing at him.
"Boo! Bring back the funny kid!"
"You will clap for me!" He shouted up at them. "Please?" He then ran off crying, dropping the microphone on stage.
"King!" Gus chased after him, Lucila wincing a little.
"You're not coming from a place of intellectual honesty, so debating you would be pointless!" Luz declared at the man with the fedora illusion. She pressed down an ice glyph, piercing through the illusion. Eda simply smirked a bit, Lucila cheering a little.
"Luz has lasted surprisingly long," Principal Bump had overtaken the stage for Gus and King. "But what form will Grom take next?"
"Let's finish this human style!" Luz pumped her fists as Grom changed into a larger form...Eda's Owl Beast form. Lucila bit her lip, Eda looking a bit nervous herself. The woman groaned, hiding her eyes with her bangs.
Grom touched Luz's forehead and her eyes glowed blue. Then Grom turned into Eda's portal door, and she looked confused at it. "Huh?" The door opened...and her mother stepped in.
"Mija?"
"Oh no," Lucila murmured in realization, gripping her seat underneath her. She was tempted to go down there, but she couldn't.
"Ma, what are you doing here?"
"Luz, what is this terrible place?" The woman looked around in confusion. Eda removed her bangs, leaning in towards Lucila.
"That would be Mom, right?"
"Yep..." Lucila gulped in response. Amity had already sat down at this point, so the Golden Guard was free to peek in, and he saw the 16-year-old human looking a bit scared, which was unlike her. She kept her gaze down on Luz and that human woman, and he could tell by the similar looks that the woman was indeed her mother.
"Esperate un momento, this isn't camp," She narrowed her eyes. "Have you and your sister been here all these weeks?" She gasped at the flail in Luz's hands. "And is that a weapon?"
Luz yelped and dropped it. "I can explain!"
Suddenly she took on a more monstrous form. "Mija, have you been lying to me?!" She growled down at the girl, who looked terrified.
The Golden Guard hid behind a door as he saw Gus approaching, and the boy thankfully didn't see him. He looked down the hall, finding King sitting down in front of a locker. He approached the little demon and sat next to him.
"What's going on, little dude?"
"Nothing! Leave me be!" King laid down on the floor, hugging his knees.
"Thing is, you're sitting my personal chitchat zone, which means...you gotta talk," Gus smiled a bit.
"Well, if that's the rule," King sat up, shrugging a bit. "Oh, how can this be? I get stage fright. Me! The King of Demons!"
"Well, sometimes you just have to-"
"I know, I know. Imagine everyone in their underwear," King waved it off.
Gus' eyes widened and he recoiled back a bit as he blushed. Even the Golden Guard looked a bit disgusted as he stuck out his tongue. "GROSS! Why would you do that?"
"I don't know," King shrugged it off. "I always do that," He then chuckled. "I am a little weirdo."
"No, King, sometimes you just have to face your fear, like Luz is doing right now." A squeak was heard and they turned to see Luz sliding into the hallway.
"I can't do it! I can't face my fear!" She shouted as she ran past them, with Grometheus chasing her.
"Why are you running, Luz?"
Lucila and Edric ran up to the doorway, the girl staring down the hallway in fear. "Oh no...Ed, I'm sorry, but I've gotta go after her."
"It's okay," He held both of her hands. "Your caring side is one of the things I like about you."
The Golden Guard flinched behind the door as she blushed, letting go of him. "Right...um, see ya," She waved and ran after Luz.
"Grom has escaped," Bump stated, the other students looking concerned.
"He escaped."
"Oh, no. Grom escaped."
"King, now's your chance," Gus pointed at the microphone. He ran over to Bump while the Golden Guard disappearing using his staff.
"Gimme!" He then braced himself. "King of Demons, you got this!" He took a deep breath. "Well, folks, looks like our show literally just took off!" They stared at him and he looked confused.
"You gotta pander," Gus advised him.
"Uh, took off just like your local sports team would take off when they're about to make, uh, make a goal?"
The crowd then cheered upon hearing this. "Yeah, sports team!"
"Sports team! I love our team!"
"That's right! So, uh, so let's follow them and see what happens next!" He announced, Gus picking him up and running off. The crowd followed after them, Eda and Amity at the rear end. They glanced to each other, agreeing that they should go after Luz, so they took off.
"I don't wanna be Grom Queen anymore!" Luz ran into the forest. "I give up the throne!" Grometheus was still going after her, Lucila panting as she tried to keep up in heels. Luz eventually reached the cliff, sliding to a stop.
"Why can't you face me, Luz? Why can't you face your own mother?" Grometheus spoke up.
"You're not really my mom!" Luz shouted, covering her ears so she wouldn't have to listen. Right now, mentally, it was kind of torture. No wonder why no one wanted to be Grom royalty...
"How could you say that, carino? You're breaking my heart!"
Suddenly a vine grabbed the creature from behind while Eda flew over it with a staff. "Spicy toss!" She hit it with a fire spell, landing on the grass right next to Lucila, who had used a plant spell to restrain it. "Hands off my human, you misshapen excuse for a monster!"
"Not sure how much longer I can hold it!" Lucila called out as Grometheus growled at her, reaching out with a tentacle. It touched her forehead and she gasped as her eyes glowed blue, Grom doing the same thing. And then it turned into Luz instead of Camilla, who looked down at her with a glare.
"Huh?" The real Luz murmured in confusion, wondering why it took on her own form.
"How come you're always holding me back?!"
Lucila's eyes widened as she let go of the vines, stepping away a bit. "I…I…" She felt lost for words.
"You're a terrible sister," The girl paled as Luz gasped a bit, realizing that this was Lucila's fear: that she felt like she was always preventing Luz from living her life because she was her guardian. "You put me in danger because you wanted to be a normal teenager. And now look at me! I could've taken care of myself. I don't need you to protect me!" Lucila stepped back in horror, falling onto the ground. "You should've just gone home instead of choosing to stay for me!"
"Dang..." Eda murmured; that couldn't be easy to hear...
"Eda, you were right! I'm not ready! No one is for this," Luz gestured to Grom.
"That's okay, I got this one," Eda was about to do a spell when she heard a yell. "Huh?"
Amity jumped and landed in front of her. She ran over and stood in front of Luz bravely. "Stay away from her!"
Eda turned around and helped Lucila up as Grometheus had turned his attention back on the girls. The creature threw a tentacle to capture Amity in its grasp. She then glanced down at her friend. "I'm sorry, Luz. I should've fought my own battle."
Grom's eyes glowed blue. "I-" Grom read her mind, growing in size.
"Amity, no! Your fear!" Luz called out as she stood up. Eda's mouth opened and then Grom shrunk down to size., but it didn't take on any visual features. "Who is that?" Amity's eyes turned back to normal as Grom took her note from her pocket. It then ripped the paper, throwing it onto the ground. Amity closed her eyes in shame as she gripped her skirt. Grom slid away from her.
Luz ran over and picked up one half. She opened it up. It read 'Will you go to Grom with me? Amity'. Luz gasped in realization, looking up at Amity. "You were afraid of getting rejected. Amity, it's okay. What if I went to Grom with you instead?" She offered her hand.
"Really?" Amity asked, holding out her own hand.
"That's what friends do!" Luz replied with a happy smile. Amity's expression then changed into a brave face as Grom growled in front of them.
"Well then, if that's settled, may I have this dance?" Amity held out her hand again. Luz smiled and took it. They pulled each other closer, the moon shining down on them. Lucila simply watched as they started dancing. Luz picked up Amity by the waist and spun her around. The green-haired girl did a split so she could create a spell circle with her feet, spinning around. They pulled each other close again so that a giant abomination could form underneath them, rising. The two spun around again, Luz taking out her plant glyphs. Amity dipped her so she could plant it on the abomination's head, and then they leaped off, allowing the abomination to lunge forward. The abomination slid into Grom's mouth, and it started to glow. Plant and flowers grew from it. Luz landed on the ground, catching Amity bridal style and they spun around to finish the dance. A giant tree exploded from Grom behind them, flower petals falling down from it. They stared up at the tree as pieces of Grom slithered away in defeat. Two flower petals touched the girls' heads, and they formed into golden tiaras with jeweled flowers in the center.
The two smiled at each other and Amity blushed as Luz leaned in a bit. "Soooo, who did you wanna ask out?"
"Oh, it-it's not important," She tossed away the other half of the note, where it rolled out the name of who was supposed to receive the note.
Lucila squealed as she ran over, spinning the two into a hug. "You guys did it! You defeated Grom, and that dance was amazing too!"
"Aww, thanks, big sis," Luz smiled as they hugged her back, though she couldn't help but feel worried for Lucila.
"And thanks for saving my sister, Amity," She smiled gratefully at the girl. "You've really come a long way, you know?"
"I...guess I have," Amity rubbed the back of her neck, blushing a bit.
"And there you have it, folks," King announced and they realized he was standing there. "A happy ending for this year's Grom. Let's give a big hand to our Grom Queens Luz and Amity!" All the students came out of hiding from behind the trees and they cheered, running over to the duo.
"You did it! You're amazing!" They held up the girls over their heads, Eda clapping.
"You did it, buddy," Gus gave King two thumbs up.
"Of course I did it!" He shouted into the microphone, the boy covering his ears. "I'm the King of Demons, and I've never had stage fright in my life!" Suddenly he was lifted up by the crowd, in between the girls. "They love me!"
The two girls just chuckled, smiling at each other. Lucila shook her head with an amused smile. She stepped forward and then heard a crunch underneath her foot. She looked down to see that she was standing on the top half of Amity's note. "Hm?" She picked it up and then gasped, smiling knowingly.
"Hey, guys!" She ran over to the crowd. "Gonna borrow one of your queens for a minute," She took Amity's hand, pulling the girl down safely.
"What's up?"
"Soo..." Lucila tapped her cheek with a small smile. "About who you were going to ask out to Grom-"
"Oh, that? No one!" Amity laughed nervously. "They don't need to know."
"Yeah...especially since I know that my sister wouldn't reject you."
Amity's eyes widened at that, and Lucila held up both halves of the note. "Oh no..." She murmured, but then to her surprise, Lucila simply ripped the note to pieces, and they fell onto the ground between them.
"Don't worry. I won't tell Luz. Everything's gotta happen within its own time."
"...But will you tell her your fear?" Amity asked and the girl sighed slowly.
"Oh...so you saw..."
"Luz would've never said anything like that to you," The young girl tried to assure her. "We both know her, right?"
"Well...yeah, but-"
"Luci!" Edric interrupted as he ran over from the crowd, smiling. "How about that dance? ...You okay?" He examined her face and she snapped out of it.
"Oh, yeah! A dance actually sounds pretty great right about now," She confessed with a small smile. She glanced down at Amity knowingly, who nodded and ran off. Edric took her hand, kissing it gently. She blushed as he put his hand on her waist. She placed her other hand on his shoulder and they started doing a waltz.
Both of their feet started glowing, with Edric's aura being white and hers a light blue. She looked down at their shoes briefly, laughing a bit as she noticed that it was Edric's doing. "What are you doing?"
"We're gonna have fun, that's what," He told her and they levitated into the air. She hugged him tightly as she felt a little scared and he blushed as she was really close. He almost fainted on the spot even and she looked up, giggling at him. He snapped out of it, little fairy lights surrounding them and holding the two up above the grass. The little fairy lights followed their movements as Lucila stepped back and he stepped forward. He twirled her around near a patch of grass, a flower growing from it. Her skirt spun around as they jumped and he twirled her. Edric dipped the girl swiftly and she smiled. Once he brought her back up, their feet were very close, the little fairy lights joined together underneath their feet. Lucila drew a circle with her feet, and music played from it. Edric grinned and they spun around together, the notes following their feet. They continued spinning until they landed on the ground, Edric letting go of her.
"Thanks for the dance, mi'lady," He bowed with a wink. She giggled and curtsied to him.
"You're welcome, good sir."
Meanwhile, the Golden Guard was watching them, seething a bit behind his mask. He gripped his staff as he watched how close they were...he didn't even know what they were doing, but...a part of him wished that was him with her...
Lucila was wearing Edric's jacket as he was walking her back to the school. "So...your fear...I heard what Grom said," Edric started off and she sighed slowly. She had been keeping that a secret for months, and now her sister knew about it... "You could just talk to Luz-"
"Ed, I appreciate it, but...you know, I'm okay," She smiled weakly, and that didn't help ease his worries. But he could tell that she didn't want to talk about it, so he wouldn't drill her over it. "I could've sworn you had a date tonight, though. Why me?"
"Um...w-well, I was nervous that you'd say no, and I didn't wanna put pressure on you if I did a Grom-posal. But why not you? Any guy would be lucky to have you as their date."
She blushed, smiling as she let out a small giggle. "Thank you, Ed. That's really sweet of you to say." He slowly took a hold of her hand and she squeezed it.
Though she couldn't help but sense that someone was watching, but maybe she was just imagining it.
Back at the Owl House, the four arrived back. "Whoo! Watch out for this human!" Eda cheered, but Luz didn't look so enthusiastic. "Oh, you did good, kid."
"Thanks, but I'm gonna go to bed," She tossed her tiara onto the ground. King took it and put it on as Lucila left the kitchen as well.
"Now I am king and queen! Best of both things!"
Luz reached her room, closing the door behind her. She sighed as she opened the window, leaning against it. "In the end, I couldn't face my mom. Maybe I am fragile." Her cell phone vibrated and she saw that she had a new message from her mother.
How was your day? 3 Mama! Miss you Mija
"Hmm," She debated on what to say. It was about to be a duck emoji, but then...she decided to be upfront—not entirely, though.
Miss you too, Mami
She smiled and then started texting more. I won't lie. Today was kinda hard. Gus and Willow were looking at Grom remains, and when she poked one, it turned into a giant ladybug. Gus then poked it and a clown appeared, making him run off in fear. And I don't always feel like I'm supposed to be here. Amity opened a box in her room, putting away her own crown. But when things got tough, my friends helped me out. King crawled onto a sleeping Eda's body. I think you'd like them. Lucila looked out the window sadly, looking at her phone as her mom texted her as well. And she responded with a kiss-face emoji instead of words because...her fear was still on her mind...
Eda smiled at King and then went back to sleep, patting him on the head. Te extrano tambien, Mami. One day, Luci and I will tell you all about this. She smiled as she looked out again, seeing the moon. Her phone buzzed again and she saw another text.
Can't wait! P.S. love receiving your letters!
"Aww, that's a cute way of saying text."
Lucila sighed slowly as she looked away, wondering what she was gonna do now that Luz knew her fear...granted, she didn't say anything, but she had a feeling that Luz wouldn't ignore it either...Her phone buzzed and she looked at it as she got two new texts.
P.S. love receiving your packages!
"Packages?" Lucila murmured at her mother's text, shrugging it off as she thought maybe it meant texts, just in a weird way.
But the second one confused her even more.
I really can't wait to see you after camp. We've got lots to talk about!
It was from Will of all people, who she hadn't texted much since she thought he would wait for her to explain things, which she hadn't. Thankfully, Cori was on a cruise, and hadn't texted much during the whole time she had been gone. She didn't even know what he wanted to say, since it was clear that they were just staying friends...
Camila put down her phone, going to sleep...with letters from Luz, but with the names misspelled. She also had letters from Lucila, her name also misspelled from it. However, Camila also had letters from Will to send to Lucila, name also misspelled as well, who had been writing to him...
Luz heard a noise, looking down to see Lucila step out onto the porch. She had a jacket around her since it was a bit cold. She sat down, giving a sad look. Luz then suddenly remembered what her sister went through tonight...
The older Noceda pinched her nose tiredly. She just wanted to sit out here for a few minutes and think...today was a challenge, that was for sure. Probably the hardest thing she had to experience ever while being in the Boiling Isles. But thinking about it just made it worse because...she was bitter. She was bitter that she didn't get to be a normal teenager for most of her life. If it wasn't for Will and Cori, she'd feel even lower than she did now. She wished that she had more freedom back home, but no...
The door opened and she glanced over her shoulder to see Luz standing there. "Hey," She greeted Lucila.
"Hi..." She murmured quietly and Luz joined her side. The two sat there in silence for a few minutes before Luz finally broke it.
"How come you didn't tell me your fear had to do with me?"
"I didn't want you to worry," Lucila answered plain and simple, hugging herself.
"I'm your hermana! It's okay for me to worry," Luz gestured to herself. "What Grom said...I would never say those things to you. Luci, this isn't something you should be scared of."
"How do you know?" Lucila suddenly turned to her, trying not to cry. "I look at you and sometimes I get anxiety thinking about what will happen next," She sniffled, looking back up ahead. "I wake up every day terrified that I might lose you."
"I never knew that…" Luz looked away, feeling awful. She got so caught up with her desire to be a witch that she didn't check on her sister enough. And she should've, Lucila was the more skeptical about staying…and yet she still agreed for Luz's sake. She should've never been so selfish… "Luci…I'm so sorry. But you could've just told me." She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, and Lucila wiped at her eyes.
"Luz, the truth is…I didn't want you to know because…I always looked after you," She looked at her hands. "And sometimes…I felt like I grew up too fast," She made them into fists. "You got to have fun back home while I always had to be the responsible one, making sure that you were always okay. And…and that was a lot of pressure that I'm still not over."
Luz's eyes saddened at her sister. She had never seen Lucila like this before...back at home, Lucila was always encouraging Luz, always making dinner, and making sure the young girl never had a dull moment. But...she never considered how her sister felt about all those sudden responsibilities.
"Hermana…you know what that shows people? That you're the best big sister that anyone could have. And I'm lucky that you're mine."
"...Really?" Lucila glanced at her, earning a smile.
"Really. I promise, I won't burden you anymore. And I won't make you have to choose between me and something else again."
"Luz, you're not a burden. I chose to stay with you because I love you…" Lucila then smirked at her. "And because I didn't wanna deal with your whining had we gone home."
"Hey! I resent that," Luz protested, pushing the girl slightly, and they both laughed, Lucila feeling much better.
Grom photos included Cat and another student posing, with Skara and her date pushing them out of the way. She pointed up at her date's jersey, as they were still pumped up for Grom at that point. Boscha posed with Bo and another girl...until Mattholomule photobombed it, earning annoyed looks from them. Luz winked at the camera before she looked over, running out of frame. She came back with a blushing Amity, Gus on microphone, and a posing Willow and Lucila.
Then the yearbook was closed as the Snaggleback was still in the ceiling. "Wow! What a night...now, can someone let me down?" The lights turned off, however. "Anyone...?"
After finally falling asleep, Lucila's chest rose up and down, the moonlight shining down on her a bit from the window. She lightly snored as she could sleep better knowing that her fear was out in the open with Luz.
But then suddenly her crow went off and she blinked awake, stretching her arms. She slowly sat up, her hair out of its ponytail as it was a mess. She picked up her crow phone, putting it to her ear.
"Hm?" She answered her crow, yawning tiredly. "Hello?"
"Hey...Lucila," The Golden Guard started off and she sat up in surprise.
"Hi..." She murmured, a little surprised that he reached out to her. She didn't even mind for the most part that it was very late.
"So...you managed to survive Grom," He mused, but that was just to hide the fact that he saw her after Grom was defeated.
"I did," She smiled a bit. "But you didn't need to call me just to ask me that. I'm having my lesson with you later, you could've asked me then."
"I...wanted to see how you were doing. Sometimes your greatest fear is always the thing that holds you back, you know?"
She smiled at his concern. "I'm okay...especially since I've talked...stuff out with my sister. But if I'm gonna go to our lesson, I need to be awake for it. So if you don't mind-"
"Uhh, w-wait," He stammered and she rubbed an eye, humming in acknowledgement that she was still listening. "Who was the poor sap that had to face that thing?"
"Well, Amity, a friend from school, was chosen, but Luz stepped in for her unsurprisingly. So she faced it instead. She saw Mom…and I knew it wasn't her, but she felt so real, you know? But...while I was trying to help her, Grom managed to read my own mind, and...Luz saw my fear. And...well...it was the fact that I'm scared that I'm not a good caretaker for my sister. And that I'm just holding her back...but I talked it out with her, so it's all good now," She yawned a bit.
"While I've got you on the phone, I found a new subject that might get your attention," He spoke up with a small smile. "It's about Bard magic, and the different types of instruments you can play, like-"
He suddenly heard snoring and he smiled knowingly, looking down at the crow phone. Lucila was dead asleep, and it sounded...peaceful. Which was vastly different to how it felt every single day with him...but he liked it. "Good night, Lucila. Sweet dreams," He murmured before hanging up, a smile forming on Lucila's face.