A/N: Welcome one and all, to the single longest thing I have ever written. I don't have the full word count right now, since I'm still in the editing phase and that's liable to change, not to mention I keep the documents separate by chapter, but it's long. Like, Goblet of Fire, long. Hard to believe I've only been working on this idea since about a day after episode four dropped, even if that was just the planning and drafting phase. That's not exactly a long time for a fic this big.
And it's basically done. As I write this, I am only missing one scene towards chapter 20 that was giving me trouble, and a few other scenes need to be filled out. Another day or two, and I'll be completely finished with the first draft, then I'll just need to edit all of that. So yeah, this fic right now is 90% done, and will be updated every few days, so I hope you enjoy getting a lot of new content. I'll discuss stuff more down below.
Enjoy the story!
Lucia Noceda watched from her seat outside the principal's office with a smirk on her face as her little sister's classmates ran around like headless chickens over something as small as a loose pet garden snake. Luz's pets were utterly harmless, if a bit wriggly, but it served those kids right to be afraid after all they've done to Luz.
Her sister wasn't the only one called to the office today, but with the minor chaos going on, Luz and her mother had gone in first to take care of things. As much as she enjoyed all the discord among the student body today, she was worried about Luz. The last thing her sister needed was another trip to the office, just before the school year ended.
As if on cue, the office door opened and her sister stepped out, head hung, one of her reclaimed pet snakes in one hand and an Azura action figure in the other. "Did things go well, hermanita?" She asked against hope.
Luz shook her head. Making her older sister sigh, "Guess the principal didn't like your book report, huh?"
Lucia reached out and ruffled her little sister's hair, making the girl smile even if things seemed a little bleak for her school life, "Don't worry about that. You can read your report to me when we get home, I'm sure I'll be a better audience, even if I can't get you a better grade."
"Thanks, Lucia." Luz flashed her a grin, then gestured with her head, "They're waiting for you in there, they wanted me to tell you it's your turn."
Holding back a grimace, Lucia stood from her seat, letting her sister take it in her place. She brushed herself off, trying to straighten out any wrinkles she had on her clothes, made sure her beanie was on properly, was totally not making up little excuses to put this meeting off even just a few seconds longer, then took in a deep breath and twisted the door handle.
"Principal Hal!" She greeted with false cheer as she slid into the room, ignoring the glare her mother was sending her way as she took the empty seat beside her.
The Principal gave her an unimpressed look, "Miss Noceda, I'm glad you could join us. I'd ask if you knew what you were called in for, but I think you've been in and out of here enough that we both know you do."
Lucia scratched the back of her head, doing her best to appear innocent, "I can honestly say I have no idea what you're talking about, Teach." She replied, lying through her teeth.
Principal Hal looked very tired as he turned his attention to Lucia's mother, Camila, "She's been picking fights again."
Camila gave a long suffering sigh, "Who was it this time?"
"Cindy Crane," The Principal responded.
"Hey, and where exactly is the proof that I was fighting?" Lucia interrupted, slamming a hand down on the desk, "There isn't a bruise on me. And Cindy clearly tripped in the hallway. It's not my fault she landed on her face."
Hal pushed up his glasses, "And we have half a dozen witnesses who say she 'tripped' over your foot, that you stuck out as she was passing by."
Lucia huffed and crossed her arms, "I plead the fifth."
Camila, already frustrated from being called in from work to deal with yet another call to the school offices to pick up her children, turned to her eldest daughter, "Lucia, please. This behavior needs to stop. What could compel you to do something like this?"
Lucia shifted uncomfortably in her chair under her mother's gaze. What was it with mother's knowing exactly how to look at their daughters to make them feel guilty? "She was making fun of Luz with her dumb lackies again."
Hal pinched the bridge of his nose, "I know you're defensive of your sister, and I understand that, I've been there with my own siblings when I was your age, but I made it clear for you not to retaliate against them. Let the school handle things."
"But it's still clearly happening!" Lucia snapped back, shooting out of her seat. "Maybe if the school could actually stop bullies, I wouldn't have to keep doing this!"
The Principal rose to meet her, but stopped himself before he could raise his voice. Instead, he took a deep breath, and responded like the responsible adult he was supposed to be, "And yet, despite your own best efforts, these things are still clearly happening. I'm doing my best, but when you resort to violence, against kids three years your juniors, that makes you the bully, Miss Noceda."
He gestured to her chair, "Now, please, return to your seat."
Lucia did as she was told, not one bit happy to be compared to her sister's tormentors, while the Principal opened one of his desk drawers and pulled out a pamphlet. "There will be, of course, punishments for your actions today. You'll be facing a two week suspension from school-"
Lucia's eyes widened, the same time as her mothers, who spoke up, "But then she'll miss her exams!"
Lucia couldn't believe what she was hearing, "You're going to make me repeat another year, then? I can't pass my classes if I miss this stuff!"
Hal held up a hand, "I'm getting to that. I'm not so cruel as to make you fail. While you will be facing suspension through the exam season, I do have an alternative."
He held out the pamphlet, which Lucia was quick to take. On it was a picture of a bright, cheerful cartoon sun, overlooking a meadow, with text that said "Summer Enrichment Program" on the front.
"This is for a summer school program here at the school. If you go, you should be perfectly fine to start your final year of High school next semester. If you don't, well, you'll have to repeat a year."
Lucia felt her mother's hand on her shoulder, "I know you'll have to sacrifice some of your Summer vacation, mija, but you should do this. For your future."
Lucia nodded slowly, stuffing the pamphlet into her bag, "Yeah, yeah. I know."
The Noceda family rode back home in their tiny, beat up Sedan of a family car. The usual animated chatter from the youngest of the family was missing, which was beginning to unnerve Lucia. Luz usually couldn't sit still or not talk about every little detail of her school day the entire ride home.
Instead Luz seemed to be sulking in the backseat, looking through her own pamphlet, sitting beside a glass tank that housed her rounded up pet snakes she had taken to school. Lucia didn't know what exactly it was for, but it didn't look like her own Summer school program, so it was safe to say Luz hadn't been suspended as well. Shifting in her seat, Lucia turned her body to look back at her sister, "So, what do you have there?"
She gestured to the pamphlet, which Luz silently held out for her to take. Lucia tried not to make a face at her sister's dejected attitude, and reseated herself properly before taking a look at the cover. She read aloud the title, "Reality Check?"
"It's a summer camp," Camila explained to her eldest, "After talking with the Principal, we decided this would be the best course of action to help Luz focus more in her classes."
Lucia flipped through the pages, grimacing more and more as it talked about things like filing taxes and various forms with a lifelessness that didn't bother to disguise how much of a killjoy this camp was meant to be for it's attendants. She shot a few worried glances at her still silent sister, getting why Luz would be so upset over this. It was cruel and unusual torture for creatives and anyone with an imagination. "Are you sure this is the right call?" She asked her mother dubiously.
Camila nodded shortly, not taking her eyes off the road, "She brought snakes and fireworks to school for a book report. She could be facing a lot worse than a summer camp. She could have been suspended, like you."
Camila shot her daughter a look for a second, before looking ahead, and gripping the steering wheel tight. "I know you're trying to protect your sister, and I appreciate that so much. My own sisters were constantly picking fights with me, not for me, growing up, but this is going much too far. You could have really hurt that girl when you tripped her, and as someone who heals the wounded, animals though they may be, I thought I taught you better than that."
Now it was Lucia's turn to go quiet, shrinking away from her Mother's disapproval. She knew it was pointless to try and defend what she'd done. This hadn't been the first time she'd been in the Principal's office for hurting another kid. And this hadn't been her first suspension. Wouldn't be her last if the kids picked on Luz as much as they did this year at the start of the next, either. Lucia was more than used to these talks from her mother from experience.
As much as Lucia loved her mother, it could be frustrating being her daughter when she never took your side. She always took the school's side, because it made the least amount of waves. It's not like Cindy had been that hurt. Hadn't even needed a trip to the nurses office. Had she tripped over her own shoes no one would even be making this much of a fuss, and this way Lucia could be damn sure Cindy wouldn't say anything behind her sister's back, or worse, to her face, again for at least the last two weeks left in the school year.
Side eyeing her daughter after her lack of response, Camila spoke again. "Don't get that look on your face, you know what you did was wrong. You've jeopardized your graduation next year, and are at risk of having to repeat a grade. And what do you plan on doing when you graduate? You can't be there to pick fights on Luz's behalf."
Luz shifted uncomfortably in the back seat. She never liked it when Lucia and their mom would fight. "Guys-"
"Well, at least now you're acknowledging that I'm doing this for Luz. Someone has to do something about it," Lucia shot back, the implications practically dripping from her tone.
"Guys-"
"I am doing something!" Camila snapped, "I came down to the office to help sign her up for that camp-"
"Yeah, because handing her off to a bunch of strangers for a few weeks to try and 'fix' her is what she nee-"
"GUYS!" Luz shouted, silencing the building feud between mother and eldest daughter. "Can we not do this in the car, please?"
Lucia glanced back, to see Luz had taken her tank of pet snakes from the seat beside her, and now had it in her lap, hugging it tightly to her body. It was a miracle the glass wasn't cracking from the pressure her little nerd arms were putting on it. With a sigh, Lucia uttered an apology, less towards her mother and more towards Luz herself, who didn't deserve to have to put up with these arguments after today.
They drove the rest of the way back home in tense silence.
Upon arrival at their house, Lucia raced inside ahead of her mother, not wanting to continue their little spat, and headed for her room. She passed by a wide variety of family pictures that hung haphazardly on the hallways walls, many empty of all three of them, mostly just consisting of selfies of her and Luz.
She didn't slam the door behind her, she wasn't that petulant, but she did throw herself onto her bed and scream into her pillow. Her mother could be so hair pullingly frustrating.
It wasn't that Camila was a bad mother. She was just utterly clueless and overworked. Gravesfield wasn't a large town, and her mother worked at the only veterinarian office around, which was constantly understaffed. She barely knew her own kids, she never had the time, doubling the irritation Lucia felt when she insisted on doing things for their own good.
Lucia would be the first to admit she didn't really love fantasy as a genre. She made the occasional exception for science fiction, because who didn't love buff cyborg aliens with laser guns for arms? Even then, she'd gone through all of Luz's dorky Azura books so that Luz would have someone to talk to about them. She knew all the spells, the ridiculous and complex lore, the dumb love triangles and the fact that Luz shipped Azura and Hecate more than any other ship in the world.
She sat and read with her sister, in their dumb little "Azura book club," re-reading the same five volumes over and over, just so her sister could gush about all her favorite moments. Lucia had seen all of the movies, even the nauseatingly bad sports spinoffs.
Her mother, on the other hand, didn't have time to read any of these stories. Camila couldn't even tell you who Hecate was, or the importance of the blood moon, or that Azura was so important to Luz because she was a bisexual icon who inspired Luz to embrace who she was.
Her mother was too busy with work to walk Luz to school everyday, or to make her lunch, or even dinner most days of the week. Meanwhile, Lucia was pulling double duty as big sister and being half a parent to Luz.
Her mother couldn't even invest any time in her sister's interests, never had time to even try to get into or understand them, and now wanted to send her to a camp that was going to try and squash that out of her, and insisted that was going to help? Luz's fantasies were what kept the girl going, this was going to crush her, not help her.
Between her stewing in her angry thoughts, Lucia could hear the muffled sound of her mother announcing that she was going to get started on dinner, followed by a small knock on the door. Knowing her mother would likely just have barged in, Lucia knew that only left her sister as the culprit.
"Come in," She called, lifting herself off her bed and sitting on the end of it, and putting a smile on, or at least getting rid of her frown. Luz didn't need to deal with her mood while having to deal with her own issues.
Luz poked her head inside the room, blinking owlishly before letting herself inside. She wrung her hands, bouncing on her heels, attempting to find the words she wanted to say while Lucia patiently waited. Finally, Luz frowned, and bowed her head, "I'm sorry about today. It's because of me you got suspended, and stuff."
Lucia swiftly smacked the top of Luz's head, her lips upturned into a snarl, "None of that. You didn't get me suspended, I got me suspended. I gave that brat what she had coming to her, and you aren't responsible for my actions."
Luz rubbed the spot where her sister had hit her, "Still-"
"Nope, not gonna hear a word about it." Lucia put her foot down, then patted the spot beside her, motioning for Luz to take a seat. Luz did so, still looking as put off as she had in the car during the fight between Lucia and their mother. Lucia wasn't going to stand for a mopey sister, but the reminder about what they had talked about in the car did give her some ideas.
"Look, Luz, it's unfair that you're being sent to that stupid camp. So if you want, we could brainstorm some ideas to let you stay home?" Lucia playfully nudged Luz, who smiled softly and bumped her back.
"Like, you could help me make a human sized doll of myself that goes in my place?" Luz suggested brightly, her wild imagination already at work.
Lucia pretended to ponder the suggestion seriously, "hmm, that might be a little too hard to pass off as you. You certainly don't sit still long enough to be mistaken as inanimate."
That made Luz giggle, which meant Lucia was doing her job right, so she continued, "It's too bad Mom's a vet. Any other person's parent would probably believe them if we both said you were sick, so couldn't possibly go to a boring old summer camp. But Mom would know better."
Luz nodded, "Yeah, now way to pull a Ferris Bueller's Day Off on Mom. Anything she could fall for would just get us taken to the hospital to get a checkup."
Kicking her long, lanky legs, Lucia made another suggestion, "Well, I could throw a bunch of nails in front of the bus stop, and give your ride a flat tire. I'd probably be the hero to all the poor kids who'll suffer at the camp otherwise."
Luz laughed, and Lucia knew her job was done. Her sister was properly cheered up, despite her tough day and the dread of summer camp encroaching on her summer vacation. "We can't do that, Lucia! You'd get in so much trouble if you got caught!"
Lucia smiled knowingly and winked, "exactly, IF I got caught."
She ruffled her little sister's hair, making Luz groan and try to fight her off, "alright, you little squirt, you said you'd read your book report to me, so go grab that and we'll do that until dinner, okay? Ve, sé rápido."
Luz didn't bother to respond, instead bolting out her sister's door and racing down the hall to her room. Lucia flinched at what sounded like her sister smacking into something, but Luz returned shortly after with her papers in her hand and not a bruise on her.
"Alright!" Luz stood at the center of the room, "This is my book report for Azura the Good Witch, volume two: The Field of Deadly Fates!"
Luz inhaled a deep breath, ready to get entirely into character and reenact all her favorite scenes, just like she had done in class, but froze before she could begin, wincing. Instead, she straightened up, shuffled her papers, and began to calmly read what she had written down, reciting it back to Lucia in monotone, as if reading off a grocery list.
Lucia rolled her eyes, and decided to cut Luz off, "Okay, stop right there."
Luz stopped in her verbal tracks, looking like a wounded animal and wondering what she did wrong. God, Lucia hated the public school system, "What's this? This is supposed to be an Azura the Good Witch book report, right? So, we need some pizazz! I want you to read that report to me like it was intended to be read, Snakes and all."
Luz smiled appreciatively, and went to leave to go get her snakes and props when Lucia added, "well, maybe leave the firework? I'll take you down to the park to set that baby off properly, but Mom would kill us if you used it inside the house."
Luz returned a few moments later, her tank of snakes and her Azura action figure in hand, as she gave a dramatic retelling of the events that happened in her favorite novel. Lucia made sure to ooh and aah at all the right times, even when she knew what was going to happen, and it ended with Luz improvising with explosion sounds coming out of her mouth, rather than an admittedly dangerous looking firework.
The book report ended with a big hug from her little sister, "Thanks, Lucia. I'm glad you appreciated all the effort I put into this."
"No problem, hermanita. It was my pleasure."
If Luz got a little tears eyed, Lucia didn't bring it up.
Before either of them knew it, two weeks had passed. Summer vacation had just begun, at least for all the normal people in the world.
Instead, Lucia found herself woken up at the usual school semester hour of morning, instead of being able to sleep in until noon. Her backpack was ready to go, packed the previous night and filled with all the supplies she'd need for her days of summer school.
Luz greeted her at the kitchen table, already halfway done with her bowl of sugary cereal. Lucia shook the carton of oat milk that was out, only to find that it was empty, and got an apologetic look from her sister. Lucia shrugged it off and poured a bowl out to eat dry anyway. She could start her day with a scrapped up mouth, it helped build character and would wake her up better than the coffee her mother didn't allow her to drink, or the energy drinks she would sneak home and hide under her bed to avoid lectures about how terrible they were for her health.
After their breakfast of champions, the two groggily made their way outside to greet the early morning. Together they walked to the end of the driveway, where Luz's bus would arrive at any minute. Not that Lucia had the time to wait, she had to walk to their usual school for her own lessons before it would even get here.
Luz bounced on her heels, looking apprehensive, "So, I guess this is goodbye, huh? Three whole months apart."
Lucia nodded, "Yup. You'll still have your phone, right? Make sure you text me while you're gone, okay? Or call if you get lonely. Or need a distraction so you can make your escape from that prison, I'm sure I can bike that far if I have to to help with that. Maybe hotwire a car if I have too"
That got a small laugh from Luz, who opened her arms for a parting hug, which Lucia was quick to take. "You still sure you don't want me to spread some nails around on the road?" She whispered into Luz's ear.
"I'm sure. I'll be fine, sis. But thanks for looking out for me."
Lucia patted her shoulder, "Alright. We'll have our Azure book club the second you get back, alright? We're almost to book four, and I know how much you love that one!"
Luz did her best to smile, "Yeah, sure!" She said in a tone that didn't make her sound sure, but Lucia didn't have the time to stick around, and turned to leave.
With her back turned, Lucia never saw her mother come out, and have her own talk with Luz. She was far out of earshot by the time Luz sullenly put her favorite book in the trash at her mother's behest. Lucia had already turned the corner by the time Luz would give a shout of "Come back here, you tiny trash thief!" And run off into the woods after a tiny wooden owl, never to be picked up by her bus.
She wouldn't see her sister again for a very long time.
A/N: Hello again! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter.
Like I mentioned above, I started this idea up around episode 4. But I cut it off after episode 8, which was when I was deep into the writing phase already. I did that because I couldn't keep up with canon, having to change things as the new episodes came out, especially since there is a minor plot point later down the line that episode nine kind of ruins for this fic.
Don't you worry too much, though. I loved episode 9 and 10, and put as much of them as I could into this fic, cherry picking it so the events didn't happen, but the information they revealed sorta did. They aren't canon to this series, but you'll still see Ghost running around as Amity's Palisman, and other such nonsense. You'll see and it'll make sense when I get to that point.
From here on out, the next few chapters will be solely focused on Lucia, since season one will be happening off screen for Luz. I hope you like my interpretation of Beta Luz, who just wants to keep her sister safe and happy, while being a bit tough and rough around the edges herself.
Next chapter should be up in about a day or two. Please, send me feedback and comments, they make me very happy to read, and for the love of God, if you know spanish and can provide better translation jobs than friggin Google Translate, let me know how I can improve. The Owl House actually inspired me to take up Spanish on Duolingo. I'm about two weeks into my lessons, but clearly not fluent in the slightest.