Her hand was beginning to grow cold, but she could not loosen her grip on her little brother. The only thing standing in between The Collector and her little brother was her grip. If she let go, King would be taken. And, after not knowing of Eda's, Auntie's, and everyone's conditions, it was too much.
Her little brother stared down at her, his pink eyes wide and wet. His finger clawed fingers dug into her frigid digits, nearly piercing the skin. Soft whines of distress rose from his throat, rumbling through the air before reaching Luz's ringing ears. The baby demon knew they could not hold for much longer. His grip was shaking, and Luz's hand was drawing cold. The Collector had unlimited power while they could only fight as long as their strength held out.
From behind his sister, her girlfriend, Amity, broke away from the portal, golden eyes dark and one eye swollen. She stumbled forward, voice broken. "Luz," she sobbed. "Luz!"
"King look at me." Luz's voice was barely a whisper, used up in earlier events of the day. She sniffles, tears leaking down her face. "King," she rasped, free hand pressing the butt of Eda's staff into the rolling granite. "King, keep your eyes on me."
The young Titan tried to reassure her but found no words of comfort. There was nothing to reassure his older sister of them getting out of this. The Collector wouldn't let him leave.
"We gotta stick together." Luz held tighter, feet beginning to slide forward. She couldn't keep a good grip on the ground, knees weakened from her fight with Ph-Belos moments before. "Like E-Eda said, us weridos have to stick together, King."
"I'm sorry..." King could see the hurt coming across his older sister's face. He knew it broke everything inside him to do this, but it wasn't safe for her to remain. Luz, despite thriving on the Isles, was human. And humans were squishy and malleable, too soft to survive what was about to happen. If Luz remained, she would not survive The Collect. "I'm sorry, Luz. But we can't stay together this time."
"No!" A loud sob ripped from the teen's throat, raw and burning. Her gold-brown gaze was blinded by the blood red tears dripping down her face. "No, King. You can't."
"I have to," he avoided her gaze, not willing to see the hurt come across her features. "B-but I can keep you safe, Soror."
"No!" A raw scream of pure emotion ripped from the teen's throat as her girlfriend reached and latched onto her maternal figure's old grudby jacket, fingers digging in to stable herself. "Don't say that Frater! Don't say that."
"Luz, I'm so happy that I had you as a Maior Soror." King blinked the tears out of his eyes. "I love, you big sister."
"Ki-" Luz felt her grip loosening. Her tingling hand could hold on much longer. "King, plea-"
The small Titan drew in a deep breath. "Goodbye," he whispered before releasing a loud yell of, "Wew!"
With a bright flash and a rumbling shake, Luz found her thrown out on the cold dirt in front of the ancient cabin. Quickly, before her rattled senses could catch up, she scrambled up onto the decaying porch, knuckles white from clutch onto the witch's staff. Around her, in the cold air, the branches groaned, and swayed overhead. Rain dancing in the wind, the human's body trembled, too shocked and hurt to process of what had happened. All she could think of was the empty promises of Ed-of her Mie, and the low whimper of King as he went all five of them flying. Her little Frater, her little brother, sacrificed his own safety so that she, her girlfriend, and friends could be safe.
"We'll see each other after the Day of Unity..." Eda gently cradled her cheek and gazed at them, eyes soft and glowing. "So, you two protect each other, and we'll be back together before you know it."
Flinching, she bit her lips. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Eda, King, and her were supposed to be celebrating the rebellion winning and crawling late at night into the Owl Lady's makeshift nest back at the base. Instead, the teen found herself attempting to call out for her magical family and having only the ability to muster low whimpers, tears beginning to blur her vision once more. This was now how she imagined returning to her native realm. It had been decided that Eda, Lilith, and King would accompany her.
They would be introduced to Mami and explain the life she had forged in the Demon realm. And from overheard late talks, once King and her were away, make it clear that Luz would continue living on the isles and attending Hexside. Auntie and Eda would give shared custody and visitations on Isles standardized weekends and holidays. Instead, she was trapped with Hunter, Gus, Willow, and Amity with her. A time to be introducing her found family to Mami and her two worlds becoming one had morphed into a time of despair and heartbreak.
With no active portal, there was no way back to the Isles and their home. Trapped in a realm where nobody would want them or her. It was disastrous and deathly frightening.
A frightening disaster that made Luz wish it wasn't night or raining. If it was during the day, it would be easier. There would be no fearful thoughts of what magical creature could have blasted through with them or the split second possibility of Belos somehow following into her-their-realm. Even the possibilities that came from the unknown and their inexperienced of the situation, the thought of Belos revealing of her home and the magical folk was the most frightening. Humanity showed never too accepting of anything different or weird. Her own experiences, stemming from her awkwardness, was evidence of enough.
"Mie! Mie!" Breaking down and hands balling up into fists, she threw herself at the open door, landing on her hands and knees inside. Pain scraped through her knees and laced around her injured wrist. "Mie! Mie, come back. Please don't leave me."
Amity, pulling herself free from the tight grasp of Willow, stumbled forward until she crouched beside her girlfriend, throwing her arms around her neck. Pulling her close, she felt Hunter, Willow, and Gus join her, clinging to their sobbing human. Gus's sobs grew louder and Hunter's hug tighter, each one trying to handle their own states of grief and despair.
The lavender haired witch blinked her tears out of her gaze. Missed her siblings and father like crazy and fearful of what was yet to come, Amity knew right now that Luz needed her. Many times, Luz had been there for her, and now it was the witch's turn to be there for her. Grasp tightening, Amity forced out a mutated purr, trying to sooth her girlfriend. Purring had helped her clam down from a frenzied panic attack once, hopefully it would work now.
Luz cried until she was coughing and gagging, lips tinted blue. When she found her lungs burning and head spinning, the teen tried to mimic the breathing patterns of Willow, eyes glassy. "W-we're trapped," she sniffled, voice coming out in a croak. "I-I don't know what to do."
"W-we're figure it out." Hunter spoke in a gravelly tone, hoarse from his hours of screaming in agony His arms still burned and throbbed from his signal to the redden and swollen scarred vines snaking along his veins. "I-it'll be okay Luz."
"We have each other," offered Willow in a muted voice, squeezing her eyes shut to hide her welling tears. "R-remember, us weridos stick together."
The human teen flinched and gave a loud sob, her arms drawing into her and pressing against her frame. She trembled, as if the weight of the Isles rested solely on her shoulders.
"Hey! Hey!" The lavender haired witching recognized what Luz was doing. From the very start of knowing her, the human was known to withdraw into herself and disappear into her mind when too overstimulated or overwhelmed. "Look at me Luz!" Amity gently guided her chin up. "W-we may not know what is going to happen but we're together. Working together, we'll be fine."
"B-but, there is no way to get back to the Isles," whispered the fourteen-year-old, voice cracking. "H-how can we go home without a portal? W-we're stuck here, and it's all my fault!"
"It's not your fault," Gus piped in, voice raw from crying. "If anyone is to blame, its Belos. He was the one who caused the Day of Unity and made the entire coven system. It's his fault, none of ours."
Luz flinched, whimpering.
"It's not your fault," Hunter reassured, guilt flashing over his features. It had barely been a few hours when he had threatened to tell of the supposed help that Belos received from the human. But now, looking back and seeing what had just happened, he knew there was more to it. Luz would never willingly help a person like his…like him. "It's the crazy's fault."
"W-what do we do how?" Luz blinked her gaze, glancing between the others. "I-I don't know if I can face my Mami after what happened?"
Tucked between Willow and Hunter, Gus shivered. "W-we need to get out of the cold."
Amity glanced unsurely at the cabin. It was the closest place of shelter.
The other four of the group grimaced. After everything they faced, there was doubt of staying in the same building they were forced out of. There was no telling of what could lay within.
Amity frowned. "Guys.."
"I-I can start a fire." Luz rose shakily to her feet, pulling away from her friends. Stumbling inside, nearly tripping over her own feet, she crouched in front of the crumbling fireplace. Remembering of how Mie had tucked an emergency lighter in her pocket, reached in, fingers wrapping around its elongated body. "E-Eda gave me her firestarter."
"It's too cold to stay here." Willow could see Luz shivering beneath her thin jacket, and feel Gus pressing closer to her, leaching what little warmth she could offer. Their thin Boiling Isles clothes were not made for the cold and damp air of the Human realm. Their witchy bodies were made for the high heats of the Isles, and the dangers that came with it. Even Luz, despite being born here, had grown and changed to be more aligned to the isles weather. This was walking through the Knee with no protective garments. "We need to find somewhere that has heat and bedding."
Luz, numb, nodded as she stashed the lighter back in her pocket. Fingers interlocking, the human approached her bag when the muffled sound of The Good Witch Azura Theme Song jingled from deep inside. Freezing, eyes widening, the teen paused, stunned.
"Human.." Hunter's voice lacked his normal teasing, too worn down and bewildered. "Your bag is saying some kind of incantation."
Now, on either side of him, Gus and Willow blinked as Luz broke free from Amity and dove for her bag. Watching in silence, the ombre haired teen pulled out her hoodie, now too small, and the large tome, one shoved on her by Katya just be her departure to rescue Amity.
Pulling the back practically onto her lap, she felt around, hissing as the bristles of her spare brush scraped against her skin. Soon, her fingers felt the familiar ridge of her phone case. Pulling it out, she started at her cracked screen. She had kept it charged out of habit and thought it would never work again. But now, in her realm, it was working again.
Months and months worth of notifications spilled across the screen, causing her to drop it and flinch at the high pitched musical notes. It was louder and higher pitched than any noise on the isles, even the Screaming Bell renamed lower decibels. Behind her, the others winced and pressed back. They too weren't expecting it to be so loud.
Covering her ears and inching closer, she saw many of the notifications were texts and emails. Many from her Mami, and others old readers, now online friends, reaching out to her. They were all filled with worry and reaching out for her to talk if something was wrong. Reading the recent ones, from a old Beta Reader-Discord1872-of hoping she was safe and they were there for whenever she felt ready made her stomach drop. She had always found it hard to connect even with her online friends, and many times felt isolated even when talking to them.
Finally, falling still, her phone rested on the ground, the only light in the darkness and rain. Slowly reaching out, Luz blinked her teary gaze and rubbed her sleeve against her face, clearing her vision.
Finally, moving her gaze down, she was met with several messages that were beginning to ping in, softer and muffled, the notification for her Mami.
Mija, I know this won't reach you, but I saw your videos. And I now realize that I made a mistake.
Ping!
Whenever you come home, Luz. We will talk. I'm not going to withhold the Boiling Isles from you.
Ping!
Please stay safe, Mija. Come home when you can.
"Oh, Mama." Luz gripped onto her phone case as she glanced up, biting her bottom lip. "I know where we can go. It's safe and warm. W-we can go to my Mami's house."
Camila hummed as she stood in front of the stove, carefully stirring the bubbling soup. It was the first rainy day of the season, and Vee wasn't handling the encroaching cold that well. She had reversed back to her basilisk form and had trouble holding her altered appearance of a human. The single mother thought having a warm stew would help. It always seemed to make her Mija feel better when she was sick in the past.
"Vee.." The mother turned around and glanced at her adoptive daughter, pushing her glasses back up her nose. "Can you set the table for me? The soup is almost done."
"Of course, Mom." Vee slithered over to the lower cabinet that they stored their evening dishes in. Opening it, she carried two plates and glasses over to the dining table, pausing when there was a loud knock at the front door. Glancing over at Camila, the Basilisk blinked. "Where you expecting anyone?"
"Not at this late of an hour," replied the creature's mother, dark brown gaze hovering over the time. It was almost nine at night, much too late for anyone to be coming over. "Did one of your friends or Clara mention of stopping by tonight?"
Vee shook her head. "No. They would text me first."
"Vee, go and hide in the pantry." Camila hated shoving her daughter away but that was the safest place in such short notice. If it was a family member, they would grow worried by her extended period between the knock and her answering. "I'll let you know when it's safe to come out."
Once Vee was secured in the pantry and the door locked, Camila turned around and begun to approach the front door, silently praying it wasn't Jacob Hopkins. He had come several times to her house, demanding that she hand over her daughter for the greater good. The cops had been called a few times, but their hands were tired. Until he did any physical harm, there was no drive to arrest him.
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Camila frowned as the knocks pounded harder and harsher after one another. In the few moments it took her to walk across the kitchen from the pantry, the door begun to shake in its frame. "I said that I am co-" The mother froze as she yanked the door open, mouth falling with a gasp.
Her daughter, her Mija, stood on the front stoop, body marred and covered in a thick lawyer of blood. Clothes soaked with rain and eyes dark with eternal exhaustion, Luz moved her gaze up to her.
"Hey, Mi…Mom," she croaked, tears beginning to fill her eyes. "I'm back."