Luz was an interesting girl. Of course, if you asked near anybody how they would describe her, you would get vastly different answers as to what they thought of her. Free Spirited, a neighbor who interacted with her only occasionally might say. A troublemaker who needed to invest as much time as she did into her schoolwork as she did into her fantasies, most of her teachers would say. A freak, a nerd, a luzer, all terms frequented by Luz's classmates. So when It was determined she would be sent to reality check summer camp, no one was really surprised.

And Luz, just like everyone else, saw this coming from a mile away. She saw it coming, sure, but that didn't make it any less confusing for her to wrap her head around. Because as far as she was concerned, all she ever did was express herself. It seemed that everywhere you looked people were always saying to "be yourself" and to "express yourself however you like." But for whatever reason, she was the exception, picked on and shunned for being "too weird." She didn't even want to fit in that badly, she was just tired of the target that seemed to be on her for being the way she was. And to top it all off, the one person she was seeking any real sense of validation from was shipping her off to summer camp.

"Mija, I know that this isn't what you would have wanted, I certainly hoped that it wouldn't come to this, but you need to get your head out of the clouds. I want what's best for you, you know that, right?"

Luz did know that, and that fact alone made it sting all the more. She knew her mami wanted to help her, but that didn't make any of this any less painful to her, knowing full well that her mother looked at her the same way everyone else did: a kid who needed to get her act straight so she would fit in with what everyone else deemed to be normal.

And so here she was, getting ready to get on a bus so she could spend the next three months having the personality squeezed out of her, her mother giving some final goodbye's. "Now, don't worry. Summer camp is only going to be for three months. You'll be so busy balancing checkbooks, and learning to... appreciate public radio that the time will fly by!"

Luz looked at her mami dejectedly as she made her last bid to change her mind. "But I don't like any of that stuff. I like editing anime clips to music and- and reading fantasy books with convoluted backstories."

"Mija, your fantasy world is holding you back. Do you have any friends? Real ones, not imagined or drawn or reptilian?"

The silence that followed was all the answer she needed. "Summer camp is a chance to make some friends, but you have to try. Can you do that?"

Luz sighed, before looking to the ground and walking over to the trash, her copy of The Good Witch Azura in hand. She looked at it like it was her oldest friend and she had to part ways with them forever, before dropping it into the garbage and turning back to her mother. "Yes Mami."

Camila walked up to her daughter and hugged her one last time. "I've gotta go to work. Your bus is coming soon. Text me when you get there. Cuídate mucho, mija. ¡Qué te vaya bien!"

"Bye, Mom." Luz watched her mother walk away, and once she was certain she was out of sight, bolted back towards the garbage can to dig her precious Azura novel out before she had to leave. Except it wasn't there. "Where is it? Where is it?"

"Hoot hoot."

She jerked her head over to see what had made the noise and lo and behold, a small owl no larger than her hand was pulling a sack with it, and poking just out of the top was none other than her Azura book.

"*Gasp!* Tiny trash thief!" Luz shouted as she chased down the bird into a derelict looking shack out in the woods. What would an owl even want with my Azura book? Luz thought to herself, before barreling through the door.

And what awaited her on the other side was rather jarring. She was in the back of some stall that was being run by a middle aged woman who had a veritable nest of white hair. The owl Luz had been chasing hopped up to the woman with its sack of loot, and after a few head pats he happily allowed her to screw him onto a staff. Where am I? How did I…

Her thoughts were cut off at the sight of the woman from before moving to burn the Azura book over a candle. She jumped forward and nabbed it from her, before making a hasty retreat back to the door she came through.

"Excusemesorrythisisminethankyoubye!" She was just about to cross back through before the door folded up like a pamphlet before her eyes. Luz gulped before turning back to the woman and quivered at what she saw. A glare was leveled at her and she was at least 99 percent sure she was going to die here. She sprinted out past the woman into the street, and stopped only after noticing the horrible monstrosities roaming the streets with her. "Oh my god, what's going on! Did I die, did I…" Her ramblings were stopped when a man in a white cloak approached her from somewhere she must have missed while running for her life.

"Hey there little girl, what's got you all worked up? Is there something wrong?"

Luz, frantic as she was, spit out all the questions on her mind. "Where am I? Why are there dragons and fairies and demons everywhere? who is the crazy lady who probably wanted to eat me!?"

"Crazy lady? Listen kid, you'll have to slow down, as a coven guard I can help, but just… Is that The Owl Lady?" The man stared over at the direction Luz had come from and saw what was apparently The Owl Lady approaching them. She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Luz with the man who from what Luz had gathered was some sort of law enforcement. She turned back to get her staff only to see another, larger man. He was wearing similar clothing to the person standing next to her, and was walking towards her stall. "Eda The Owl Lady, you are under arrest for misuse of magic and demonic misdemeanor. You are hereby ordered to come with me to the conformatorium."

Luz saw The Owl Lady mutter something under her breath, turn to the guards, and shouted "you know, your lucky I'm not in the mood to get into a brawl with a whole band of you emperors stooges today, otherwise you'd all be in for the biggest ass-kicking since earlier this week. Peace out ya nerds."

And with that, The Owl Lady levitated all of her things into the air with her staff, hopped onto it, and flew off before the larger guard could even reach her. "Well then, that could have gone better." the guard next to her said before turning to face Luz. "So that answers one of your questions. Sorry I couldn't act on it sooner. Now about everything else… You're in the Bonesborough Market. As for everything else, why wouldn't it be here?" Luz, who had been stunned into near silence from everything that had just happened and snapped out of her daze. "What are you talking about! As much as I'd love for magic and monsters to be real I am pretty sure none of that actually exists on Earth!"

"Earth?" The guard asked confusedly before noticing something about the girl that he had missed on first inspection. "Your human…" Which frankly did nothing to clear things up for Luz, just before the man drew a circle of light in the air before talking into it. "Steve reporting in. Owl Lady was spotted, managed to get away before she could be apprehended. And… A human was found on site. What should we do with her?" A moment of silence dragged on, and Luz was about to go into another tirade of questions before a feminine voice came through the other side. "Bring her to the Local headquarters Steve. I will be ready to receive her and we will decide what to do from there."

Luz looked at the man before her bewildered. "So you're gonna take me somewhere? You aren't gonna hurt me, are you?"

Steve pulled out his staff before looking back at the girl. An internal battle was happening beyond her eyes, and it was beyond him what that battle might be. "Look kid, I don't think anybody's gonna want to hurt you. I'm gonna take you to a coven headquarters and Lilith is gonna square things away. Now hop on the staff and hold on tight."

Luz did as she was told, and not a second after she was properly seated the staff bolted upwards into the air. "So your name is Steve? That's what the lady called you, right?" The man in front of her nodded as he directed his staff through the air. "Alright Steve, can you tell me what this place is?"

Steve gave the girl a bit more of his attention before explaining. "You, human, are in the demon realm, more specifically the boiling isles. It is a realm independent from your human one, and is ruled over by our mighty emperor. He carries out the titans' will, the very being who provides us with magic, and keeps the peace for the good of all witches and demons." He took a second to look back at the human behind him, and couldn't help the smile that grew across his face at the stars in her eyes. "So magic is real! Dios mío this is a dream come true!" She said animatedly, before her eyes dropped as another thought struck her. "This is exciting and all, but… is there a way for me to go home?"

Steve looked forward again before answering carefully. "I don't know, but I'm sure that if the titan wills it, we can get you home soon."

The rest of the ride was silent, and shortly thereafter they landed in front of a large building on the outskirts of the city. "Alright kid, I want you to listen to me. I'm taking you to my boss right now, and while she is pretty awesome, she can be a touch… particular about things. All I'm saying is, don't take too much offense from anything she says." Luz wasn't too sure what to make of that, but she had dealt with her fair share of prickly authority figures, so this couldn't be too bad. Besides, Steve seemed cool, so how bad could everyone else be?

It turned out, pretty bad. Steve walked her to an office inside the building, and while she couldn't see any of the other guards' faces, she could tell when people were avoiding her. And when she was brought into the office proper, she was met with a sneer. "Lilith ma'am, Steve reporting in. I brought the human as requested." The woman looked up at the guard behind Luz and her look softened. At least a little bit, anyway. "Thank you Steve. You may wait outside the door of my office, I will call you in when I have further orders for you." And with the sound of the door clicking shut behind her, the room became tense as Liliths gaze returned to Luz.

"So, human, what brings you to the boiling isles?" her voice was icy, and Luz instinctively recoiled away. "Um, well… I don't really know how I got here, other than the fact that I came through a crazy ladies door." Lilith mumbled some sort of curse under her breath before speaking to Luz again. "Of course Edalyn would drag a human here of all things." Luz couldn't help but get a little agitated by this woman's attitude. After all, what was she upset about, the fact she was human of all things? "Miss Lilith, I hope it isn't much of a bother, but do you have a way for me to get back home from here?"

Lilith sighed in a way Luz thought was a bit dramatic before giving her an answer. "I wish there was a way I could simply send you back to the human realm, but that power is beyond me. For the time being, you are going to be stuck in the boiling isles."

Luz, in all honesty, didn't know what to make of that information. On one hand, she was stuck in a horrifying fantasy world that definitely didn't match her expectations for what a magic world full of witches would be like. On the other hand, she wouldn't be going to summer camp, there was a way home somewhere, so there was hope of returning in the near future, and she could even learn magic! Probably. Maybe…

"If you can't send me home, what are you gonna do with me then? Are you gonna take me in as your witch apprentice and teach me fantastical spells to prepare me for my destiny as the hero of your world!" Luz looked to Lilith hopefully, before that hope was stolen by Lilith and squashed by the sound of her harsh laughter directed towards her. "You? A human? Learning magic? As my apprentice of all things? Don't be ridiculous child. It would take the will of the emperor himself to make me take one such as yourself under my wing. And even then, humans can't learn magic, and certainly can't be witches."

Luz looked defiant. "Well has one ever even tried?" Lilith moved to answer before stopping herself. "Well, I suppose not… But that's besides the point! Only the best are taken in by the emperors coven as pupils, and only the best of those by me."

Luz looked down dejectedly. For what had to have been the thousandth time in her life, she was being told she wasn't even worth her weight in salt. Another authority, discarding Luz at first glance, seeing her as a waste of time. She was tired. Tired of the way people treated her. And in a place she thought she should have fit in better than anywhere else before. It lit a fire in Luz that wasn't there before, a spark that drove her forward despite the rejection.

"You said before that you wouldn't take me in as your apprentice unless the emperor himself directed you to do so. Well then, I want you to ask him." Lilith looked at the human before her, baffled that she would suggest such a thing. "As if I would bother the emperor with the request of a mere human! I would never. I am going to report this to him, and that is the most he will hear of this incident. You are going to be kept in this building until we have a plan for what to do with you." Lilith let out one last huff at that and turned to the door behind Luz. "Steve, you may come in now."

The door opened and in walked Steve, standing at attention before Lilith once more. "Steve, you are to take this human to your quarters and guard her until further notice, do you understand?" Steve tilted his head in confusion at that. "You want me to… babysit a teenage girl?" Lilith shook her head in exacerbation. "No, I want you to guard this interdimensional refugee. Very different."

"Alright Lilith, if you say so. Follow me, human." Luz did as told, tailing behind Steve as he led them out of the office and towards his quarters. Luz spoke after a moment, "You weren't kidding about that whole 'icy' thing, were ya?" Steve didn't say anything to her for a moment before he sighed. "Yeah kid, I'm sorry about that. I heard parts of your conversation, and even for Lilith, that was brutal. Of course, you were out of turn yourself. Don't do that again, just so you know." Luz had the self awareness to look sheepish at that. "Yeah, I know. I just get frustrated, I'm tired of people writing me off so quickly."

They arrived at Steve's room and went in. There was a simple twin bed in one corner, a chest, and a desk. The room was sparse beyond that. "Kid…" "Luz. My name is Luz." She said before he continued. "Alright then. Luz, you seem like a nice kid, and it sounds like you've got some spunk to ya. If you want, I can talk to Lilith about reconsidering. At the very least allowing you a permanent place to stay here at HQ while we work on getting you home. I wouldn't want to leave you on the streets."

Luz looked at the masked man in front of her and couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. She rushed over to hug him with all her might. "Thanks Steve. I'm glad that at least someone here is on my side." Steve didn't know what to make of the hug, but let it happen anyway. After Luz pulled away from the hug, she looked at the guard again. "I mean it. Today has been Terrifying as much as it's been dream fulfilling. Without at least someone nice here, it would have been way worse."

Steve looked at the girl standing in front of him, and couldn't help but be reminded of his half-brother. Hell, she was probably around the same age, give or take a couple years. She was excited and happy to be here, and held a youthful innocence that he tried to hold onto himself but knew he had to discard it while on duty. And Steve decided right there that he would keep this girl safe. He didn't know what form that would take, but he would. And the first step to that was convincing Lilith to keep her. But even before that Lilith needed to finish with her business, and the huma… er, Luz could probably use some rest after the rollercoaster that had been today.

Steve sighed, knowing that he would more likely than not have his work cut out for him. Damn his immense amount of charisma.

"Alright Luz, why don't we settle in for the evening…

Later that evening, after she had gotten sorted in a corner of Steve's room, Luz lay in her sleeping bag on the floor. The events of the day played back in her head, and she was trying to come to a conclusion on what she made of it all. By all means, this should be a horrifying experience. She was stranded with no foreseeable way home, and the people were hit or miss on how they felt about her.

But that last part wasn't all that different from home, now was it?

This world, despite all its differences, had a lot in common with her own. Expectations, rules, judgment. All things she dealt with on a daily basis. But here, she had a clean slate, and here, she could pursue magic, a mere pipedream back home. And with that, she knew she could make something of herself here, and would prove to everyone that she could be a powerful witch just like everyone else.

Just then Steve entered the room after readying himself for sleep. "You comfortable over there Luz? I know it's not the best sleeping arrangement, but…"

"It's fine Steve. Really." After a moment she spoke to him again as he sat on his bed. "Do you think I can really become a witch? Like, with magic and spells and all that?" Steve, now with his mask off for the night, looked apprehensive for a second before answering. "Honestly kid, I haven't a clue. As far as anyone knows, it can't be done. But crazier things have happened, and something tells me the titan smiles at you from above. So Luz, keep your spirits up. Anything is possible."

Luz looked at him in awe. "Thank you Steve. Goodnight." He nodded in response before laying down and rolling to face the wall. The lights went out and Luz was left to herself once more. Her phone went off just as she was getting settled, and she looked to see a text from her mother. She read over it, and typed out a simple response. 'I think I'm gonna like it here.'

Lilith was awake late into the night, as she usually found she was, filing paperwork and keeping tabs on the coven guards running around Bonesborough like cockatrice's with their heads cut off. She was about ready to call it in for the night and head to her personal abode further into Bonesborough. That is until she receives a call over her mirror. She glances over, expecting to maybe see a guards ID listed, but instead saw it was Kikimora. Knowing she wouldn't call over nothing this late in the evening, she answered and looked at the tiny demoness as she appeared in the mirror.

"Hello Kiki, I assume you have something important to pass on from the emperor?" The demon nods before speaking herself. "Yes, the emperor has said that it is of utmost importance. It is about the human you informed him of earlier today." That is decidedly not what Lilith had anticipated, and could only imagine what it could be about. "What is it? Is she dangerous and I simply do not know? I must admit I am a bit rusty on my human anatomy…"

Kikimora cut her off before she could continue. "No nothing of the sort. The emperor demands that you bring her to the castle personally first thing tomorrow. I have been told to inform you that this is your number one priority for the time being. Do not disappoint." And with that, the mirror went blank. Lilith was left speechless at what she had just been told. What could possibly be so important about this… human as to prompt the emperor to make her drop everything like this?

Lilith didn't know, but she knew that while the emperor may be more fascinated with the human, Lilith was decidedly more focused on the person who brought her here. "Sister, what have you dragged me into this time?"