Chapter 4

"And that's pretty much everything." Luz said, looking over the group sitting around the living room. "Any questions?"

Skara slowly raised her hand. "Uh, yeah... how did you do that?"

"How'd I do what?" Luz asked, tilting her head.

"That thing where we suddenly started seeing little bits of everything you were explaining." Skara clarified. "Was that some kind of illusion magic?"

"Oh, you mean my montage." Luz said.

"It's a human thing." Gus told Skara. "Don't worry about it, I don't really get it either."

"I got a question." Boscha said. "Why are you telling us all about this kissmast thing?"

"Christmas." Luz corrected. "And I'm telling you because I want to share it with you! I was thinking we could have a party and do some of the traditions. Like crafting Charamicos to use as a decorations."

"I thought you said humans used actual trees for decorations for this holiday." Gus pointed out.

"We do. But that's just one of many kinds of decorations." Luz told them. "I just thought it would be fun to have everyone make their own if they wanted to. But what I really think would be a fun idea is the tradition of Angelitos."

"Sorry, but which one was that again?" Willow asked. "You covered so many things that I can't really remember."

"Angelitos is the tradition is about secretly giving someone gifts. We'd each pick a name randomly and then start do as many gift exchanges as we want. Normally it can go on for a couple weeks, maybe more, but I was thinking we'd each pick out just one gift to give and then exchange them all at the party."

"And the whole idea is you don't know who is acting as your Angelito." Amity added. "Part of the tradition is to see if you can guess who it is as you receive your gifts from them."

"What, were you taking notes?" Boscha asked jokingly.

Amity stuffed a little notepad into her pocket and gave Boscha a quick look before attempting to act nonchalant. Boscha snickered quietly and mouthed the work 'dork' at Amity, who ignored the attempt to get beneath her skin. Instead she simply focused her attention on Luz, who was busily planning out her idea in her head.

"So, with all of us here right now we have six people. I want to also include Emira and Edric." Luz informed the group. "And if they want to, Amelia and Cat can come too."

"I'm sure they'd be happy to come to your party." Willow told Luz. "I can't think of a reason they'd say no."

"We would have had them come along with us today, but they both needed to go and do some studying at the library." Skara said. "They have a couple more make-up exams to get through before they catch up with the other potion track students."

"They switched to the potions track?" Luz asked.

"No, they're part of the new dual-track option that Principal Bump started." Willow explained. "A few students approached him about it and ever since, more and more have been taking up a second track at school. You may have been the one to start the whole thing, Luz."

"That is so cool!" Luz said giddily. "What about you, Willow? Did you start up another track too?"

Willow shook her head. "Nope. I'm perfectly happy with just focusing on plant magic, thank you. Same with Boscha on the potions track."

"Yeah, I'm not interested in extra tests or homework." Boscha added. "Got too much with just one track already. Anyway… uh, since you're back hu... Luz, does that mean you'll be back in classes next semester?"

"I really hope so." Luz answered. "But it's up to my mom. Unless she gives me permission to come back, it's just human school for me."

"Well that kind of sucks. I guess." Boscha replied, not sounding entirely sincere. "But if you do get to come back to learn at Hexside, would you… want to try out for the Banshees?"

"Really?" Luz asked, surprised by the offer. "You'd want to play Grudgby with me?"

Boscha stuffed her hands into the pockets of her letterman jacket and averted her gaze over to the shelves with various objects on them. "Yeah, well you weren't terrible at the game and you'd probably work really well with Willow. Besides, Skara has been looking to quit the team since she started studying illusion magic now too."

"Ah, adding a little flair to your performances?" Luz inquired of Skara.

"You know it." Skara answered with a smile and a wink. "The Grudgby field isn't really a place for a bard anyway. I can always support you girls from the sidelines. Hey, what if Amity joined the team again? She's really good at Grudgby!"

"Oh, no… I couldn't." Amity replied timidly.

"Yeah, that's a hard pass." Boscha added. "Not while there's still all that drama between her and Cat. I don't need any of that during a game or even during training."

"Drama? What drama?" Luz asked. "What is she talking about, Amity?"

"Cat is the one who my sister likes. The one who I…"

"Who you asked out to spite your sister." Luz finished. "Who you also need to apologize to."

"Wait, you know about that?" Boscha asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Amity just told me about it not too long before we came over here." Luz replied.

"And you didn't dump her for it? What are you, braindead?"

Willow suddenly grabbed Boscha by the hand and pulled her up onto her feet. She began dragging Boscha to the far side of the room, the other witch seeming to struggle to try and keep up at first. Once they got far enough that they couldn't be overheard, Willow began whispering angrily to Boscha about her recent comment. Boscha was quick to quietly argue back, which only seemed to get Willow in a worse mood. She stepped closer to Boscha, speaking to her through clenched teeth. Boscha's stubbornness began to wither and she talked back less and less until she simply stood and listened to Willow while she continued speaking.

"Hello." Luz said, a knowing look coming into her eyes. "Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?"

"What? You mean Willow giving Boscha a piece of her mind?" Skara asked. "Yeah, she's been doing that a lot lately. Ever since she joined the team at least."

"Interesting." Luz commented, tenting her fingers and chuckling a little. "Very interesting."

A little under a minute later, Boscha and Willow rejoined the rest of the group. As they sat back down, Willow crossed her arms and stared sternly and expectantly at Boscha. With a moment of hesitation and a small groan, Boscha looked over to Luz with a surprisingly remorseful expression on her face.

"I take back what I said. Calling you braindead was going too far." She admitted. "But if it were me in your place, I'd have dumped Amity the second I found out."

"That's what you would have done. I'm trying to help her solve the problem she caused for herself." Luz replied. "But thanks for apologizing."

Boscha scoffed. "I didn't apologize." She said, catching the sight of Willow scowling at her in her peripheral vision. "I mean, not yet. So, yeah… sorry."

"Apology accepted!" Luz chirped. "Amity, do you think we could invite to your brother and sister too?" She asked. "I know you're probably not feeling too crazy about talking to Emira, but you have to do it sooner or later. Who knows? Maybe telling her about the party will put her in a good mood."

"I don't know…" Amity replied. "Maybe it would just be better for me to tell Edric and he can pass it along to her instead."

Luz sighed, but didn't argue the matter. She wanted to help Amity with her problem, but knew better than to try and force things. Not that she'd hold off on trying again when the opportunity came up. With enough encouragement, she was confident that her girlfriend would take the necessary step forward.

The group returned to talking about the party idea. Luz listed all the things they could do and then they voted on them, eliminating some in favor of others. There was a brief discussion about the biggest event, the Angelitos gift exchange, in which they decided on keeping things simple. They all agreed that each person would get only one gift for whomever they picked and that would be all. Skara suggested they meet up to draw names and start shopping on the same day, recommending the city of Skullbury since they could take advantage of its vast shopping district.

Eventually it got to the point where the morning was ending and soon Luz would need to return home. The others all needed to be going as well, Skara departing first and promising to tell Cat and Amelia about their plans. Boscha was ready to leave herself, but first needed to make a trip to the bathroom. Willow volunteered to show her where and led Boscha up the stairs.

Shortly after they ventured up to the second floor a cry of surprise was heard followed by some angry shouting from Boscha. A minute later Willow returned and came downstairs again. She found all of her friends turning to look at her, making her stop just as she stepped off of the staircase.

"What happened up there?" Luz asked.

"Hooty came in through the window when we got to the bathroom." Willow explained. "He was trying to offer Boscha some reading material."

"He's done that to me before." Gus noted. "And I can say that you do not want anything he will give you. Magazines covered in mucus don't make for good reading material."

Gus shuddered as he recalled the incident, a look of revulsion on his face. Luz nodded in agreement, having gone through a similar experience herself in her earliest days staying with Eda. It wasn't long before Boscha came down from the second floor, a very displeased look on her face.

"Okay, if I'm coming back here for that party, then that house demon needs to stay outside." She stated grouchily.

Luz let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, Hooty can have a little trouble with personal boundaries sometimes. Especially with someone he just met. I can have Eda talk to him, but I don't want to exclude him from the party since he's… you know, the house itself."

"She does have a point." Willow added.

"I don't care if he is the house, he can't just barge in on someone in the bathroom like that!" Boscha replied. "What if you had actually been going to the bathroom when he burst in?!"

"Weren't you the one who needed to go?" Luz asked.

"Yeah, but Willow was the one that creepy house-demon scared when she just shoved his face through the window!" Boscha answered.

"You got a bit spooked yourself." Willow said, holding back a giggle.

"Whatever. Anyway, I need to get going. My mom is gonna be sending a crow out for me unless I get home soon." Boscha said, turning to face Willow. "Are we still on for our morning jog tomorrow?"

"Uh-huh." Willow replied. "Meet up at the same time as usual?"

Boscha nodded. "Yeah, same time. And afterwards, wanna go and get some moth-scale smoothies?"

"Your treat." Willow told her, smiling wryly. "Like always."

Willow got the door for Boscha to see her off. As she stepped outside, Boscha cast a glare at Hooty who seemed to be trying to shrink back further into the door. He let out a sigh of relief as she got further away, bringing out her staff and getting ready to take off. She glanced back at Willow and waved before she rose into the air, Willow waving to her as well just before closing the door and going back to sit on the couch.

"So, Willow… you and Boscha…" Luz said, giving her friend a sly look.

"What about me and Boscha?" Willow asked.

"You two seemed pretty close just now, when you were talking." Luz continued. "Is there something going on between the two of you?"

"I honestly have no idea where you'd get an idea like that." Willow began. "Boscha is rude, selfish, childish, insensitive…"

"And she's not bad looking either, right?" Luz interrupted, a kittenish smirk on her face.

"Well no." Willow acknowledged. "She is also strong, determined, dedicated…." She continued before trailing off, a light blush on her face. "Um, where was I going with this?"

"Not sure, but I think that you were about to prove me right." Luz told her. "Because it sounds to me like you…"

"Do not like Boscha that way." Willow cut in. "Just because she doesn't pick on me anymore doesn't mean that I'm suddenly interested in her. We play Grudgby and exercise together, that's all."

"I think it's kinda funny how Luz is so convinced about it." Gus commented. "I mean, how can you believe Boscha and Willow like each other when you couldn't even pick up on how Amity felt for you at first? In a way it's kinda ironic, don't you think?"

Luz narrowed her eyes at the boy, reaching for her bag. She brought out the box of fairy cookies and opened it up. Then she grabbed a cookie from within and shoved it into Gus's mouth, catching him off guard with the sudden action.

"You be quiet." She told him.

"I'd have to agree with him, Luz." Amity said. "Willow has had too many bad experiences because of Boscha for her to like Boscha in even the slightest. I'm sorry, but you are definitely mistaken about them. There is no way that either of them is the other's type."

Grabbing another cookie out of the box, Luz slowly lifted it up to her girlfriend's face. She pressed it against Amity's lips until Amity opened her mouth and took the treat between her teeth. Luz then booped her girlfriend on the nose, smirking at her playfully. She held the box out to Willow, who politely declined the offer.

Both Gus and Willow gathered their things and gave Luz a hug farewell. They brought out their own staffs and stepped outside, waving to Amity and Luz before taking flight. Luz saw them off with a smile, waving her arm back and forth as they gradually got further and further away.

Luz's smile faded as her friends finally left her line of sight. Having to see them go after finally reuniting with them was more difficult than she would have expected. It took a moment for her to bring herself to step back inside, letting out a sad sigh. But just as the feeling of sorrow started to try and overtake her, Luz shook her head to snap out of it and she made her way to the kitchen, Amity following close behind her.

"Eda!" Luz called. "Eda!"

In the kitchen, both Eda and Lilith were enjoying some spiced apple blood and candied eyeballs while Luz had been with her friends. They had been watching a news report on the Crystal Ball, Luz catching an image of the Golden Guard on the orb as she stepped into the room. He was talking about something regarding the Emperor. Luz thought she caught something about Belos's lack of public appearances before Eda turned the ball off.

"Hey, kiddo. Your friends finally all gone?" Eda asked.

Luz nodded. "Uh-huh. And I wanted to ask you something."

"I know. I caught pieces of your little conversation." Eda replied. "If you want to have that party here, that's fine with me. But you're the one doing all the work to get it ready and clean it up afterwards. Got it?"

"Come now, Edalyn." Lilith said, giving her sister a patronizing look. "As the hostess I can understand it would be her responsibility, but it is your house. You can prepare the party for her. Think of it as a way to make up for making Luz leave that day when we had to destroy the old portal. You do still feel awful about that, after all."

"She does?" Luz queried.

Lilith nodded. "She does. In fact she was so distraught that she had to go and see our mother about it. She was crying like…"

Eda grabbed an eyeball out of the bowl on the counter and flicked it at her sister. Her timing was just right to get the eye to fly into Lilith's mouth while she was still speaking. Lilith felt the snack pelt her in the back of the throat, making her gag and nearly choke. She coughed up the offending object, it landing in her mug with a plop. After taking in a breath of air, Lilith cast an angry glare in Eda's direction and Eda smirked at her in return.

"That's what you get for letting your guard down, Lily." Eda replied, chuckling as she sipped from her mug. "Okay, Luz, we'll talk about it more later on. I want to make the most out of your visit now that the brat pack is gone. How about we make one of your favorites for lunch?"

Luz winced. "Sorry. I can't stay that long. I promised my mom that I'd be home by noon."

"Well ask her to let you stay longer!" Eda told her. "Or better yet, don't. Being a little late won't kill you, right?"

"No, but it might get me in huge trouble!" Luz countered. "My mom is worried enough about me coming back here as it is! She might even say I can't come back here again!"

Eda scoffed, wrinkling her nose a bit at the thought. "Like she has the right. I know she just wants to protect you, but she can't control everything you do." She remarked, taking a long swig from her mug and emptying it entirely. "I think that we should have a chat about the whole letting you travel between realms thing with your mom."

"That's it!" Luz exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as she got an idea. "She said she wants to meet you anyways, so why don't you come back to my house? We can spend a lot more time together that way!"

"What do you think, Lily?" Eda asked, turning to face her sister. "You be alright with me taking a trip to the Human Realm for a spell?"

"Of course. I'll stay here with Hootcifer and keep an eye on things." Lilith said. "Take as much time as you like."

"I want to go along too!" King piped up, poking his head out of Eda's hair. "I'm not gonna let Luz run off again without me! What if something happens to the new portal and then she can't ever come back to us again?"

"Don't you worry, King. I'm not gonna let that happen." Eda said with confidence. "I know a way to make sure that Belos and his coven of cronies never gets our new portal. No one is gonna get to it unless we give them permission. And by that I mean your permission, Luz."

Eda nodded to Amity who took out the key to the new portal from her vial of goo again. She held it out for Luz, who stared at it for a moment before she took it in hand. Luz stared at the key briefly before looking up at Eda in a state of astonishment.

"You… you're giving me the portal?" She asked.

"It's a lot safer with you than it is here with any of us." Eda replied. "Belos can't get it if you keep it in your realm. And you already know you have plenty of people here who can help hide it away whenever you come over to see us."

Luz closed her fingers around the key, feeling the corners of her eyes moisten. She held her arms close to her chest and stepped up to Eda, who was ready to give her an embrace. As she felt her mentor gently wrap her arms around her, Luz sniffled and let herself be held for the duration of the hug. When she let go, Eda ruffled Luz's hair and went up to her bedroom to get ready to head out right away.

Eda returned a few minutes later with her staff and a few elixirs tucked away into her hair. King stuck with Luz while she hopped onto Eda's staff. The Owl Lady wouldn't admit it aloud, but she had missed the feel of flying with Luz on her staff with her. As they lifted off, Eda couldn't keep herself from smiling serenely. She was tempted to take a more scenic route, perhaps even ascend up to a height where Luz could get a nice view of the island again after she had been gone for so long.

Unable to resist, Eda caved into her desire and rose up above the trees. Amity frowned and followed along, finding that Eda had also accelerated and began doing a few stunts with her staff. A jealous look came to Amity's face as she heard the gleeful giggles of her girlfriend, silently wishing she had been the one to share such a fun moment with Luz instead. After a couple minutes filled with ups, downs, twists, turns, loop-de-loops and barrel rolls, Eda brought her daring maneuvers to a stop.

Amity went to catch up with them, noticing Luz comforting a very dizzy looking King. Apparently he had not taken as well to the erratic flying as Luz had and seemed to be a bit green around the gills. Eda kept her flying low and slow from that point onward, fortunately not needing to deal with King getting sick on them.

Soon enough the trees began to thin out and Blight Manor came into view. The group slowed to a stop, Eda and King finding a spot to lay low while Amity and Luz went up to retrieve the portal. After waiting until the two were out of sight, Amity flew up to her bedroom window with Luz.

Once they were back inside of Amity's room, Amity went to summon her abomination again from under the floorboards. Just as she opened the secret passageway and sent her abomination off to retrieve the portal case, her bedroom door opened. Odalia and Alador stepped into the room, both Luz and Amity freezing in place when they saw them. The two adults glanced at the scene, neither seeming too happy with what they had walked in on. Odalia took a step closer to Amity, staring down at her.

"Well, well…" Odalia began. "What do we have here?"

"It would seem that our daughter has brought over a friend." Alador stated, stepping over towards Luz. "And without our permission I might add."

"I can explain!" Amity told them, barely maintaining her composure.

"There's no need, Mittens." Odalia replied. "It's very clear to us what you're up to. You are at that age after all."

"Yes, it's only natural." Alador agreed, leaning over to better look Luz in the eyes. "But I do need to ask if the human here even knows where little witchlings come from. Can I trust that she would take responsibility should an unexpected surprise come along?"

Both Luz and Amity were left speechless by the question that Alador had thrown out so bluntly. Their faces heated up with heavy blushes as they started struggling to give a response, stammering out just a word at a time if even that much. Alador and Odalia stared at the flustered couple for a few moments before they began cracking up. The way they started laughing began to leave Luz terribly confused. Amity on the other hand started to figure out that something was up and scowled as she pieced together what was actually happening.

"It really shouldn't surprise me." She said, narrowing her eyes. "Of course you'd pull this kind of immature stunt!"

"Oh come on Mittens, have a sense of humor." Odalia said, her form suddenly dissipating and being replaced with that of Amity's brother. "You have to admit that we got you good."

"No. I do not." Amity replied a touch icily.

"Ooh, what a shock." Alador said before his form shifted into Emira's. "Amity doesn't like it when people mess with her. Even when she goes off to cross the line when she decides to do it to someone else."

Amity's attitude vanished instantly at that remark. She averted her gaze, rubbing her arm sheepishly. Luz stood beside her and gently placed her hand onto Amity's shoulder to get her attention. She gestured towards Emira, raising both eyebrows for emphasis. There was no question as to what she was attempting to encourage Amity to do, but she didn't feel ready and shook her head. Luz nodded in response, a very serious look in her eyes as she again gestured towards Emira.

For a moment Amity hesitated, biting down on her lip as she debated what to do. Her sister was staring at her, one eyebrow quirked questioningly as she watched the interaction between Amity and Luz. Seeing that Amity was still not making a move, Luz gave her a gentle push towards Emira. Amity resisted, but found her efforts lacking as her girlfriend proved to be deceptively strong.

Now finding herself uncomfortably close to her sister, Amity grew anxious. A part of her was tempted to back away, but she managed to resist. She knew that Luz was right behind her, in a literal sense, her hands resting on Amity's shoulders. It was reassuring and Amity was able to look her older sister in the eyes a little more easily, despite still being very apprehensive about the matter.

"Emira, I'm sorry for what I did." She stated sincerely.

"Wow, really? Took you long enough. It's been weeks." Emira replied.

"I know and I will say it as many times as you need me to." Amity continued. "I know you were only trying to help me back then. But I was being stupid and selfish and I…"

Emira's finger twirled in the air and an illusionary hand appeared, covering Amity's mouth. "Mittens. Shut up already. I'll forgive you." Emira told her before cracking a smirk. "I've been ready to accept your apology for a while now. I stopped being mad a while ago."

Amity grabbed at the illusion covering her mouth and pulled it away, making it vanish. "What?! Then why didn't you say anything?!" She asked, her brow furrowing slightly.

"I wanted to see how long it took you to say something first." Emira answered. "And to get as much fun out of guilt tripping you as possible."

A vein started to bulge on Amity's forehead as she clenched her teeth. Her anger only seemed to amuse Emira further, the teen starting to snicker. Luz closer to Amity and whispered into her ear, sharing an idea that she had just gotten. Amity seemed a little unsure at first, but didn't really oppose her girlfriend's idea and decided to do as Luz had suggested.

With a swift motion that caught Emira completely off guard, Amity grabbed her and embraced her. She hugged her older sister tightly, so much so that Emira thought she felt some of her ribs straining from the pressure. As the hug went on, Emira wriggled a bit to try and hint to Amity that she should let go, but Amity only squeezed tighter still.

"Hey, Mittens? It's getting a little hard to breathe." Emira told her. "What's with the death grip?"

"I told you, I'm sorry." Amity replied. "But I'm also really upset with you for messing with me like that. But I guess maybe I deserved it for taking so long to apologize to you. So I'm sorry for that too."

"Okay, I forgive you already. Now how about letting go? You're going to make your girlfriend jealous."

Luz giggled. "No she isn't. I think this is sweet. You don't need to stop on my account. Take as much time as you like, Am-Am."

"I don't need much longer. Only long enough for Emira to hear me out." Amity said. "I want to make things right with you. An apology isn't enough after what I did. I am going to make amends with Cat and then put in a good word for you so you can have your chance. That should make things even between us."

Amity let go of her sister and stepped back. Emira stared at her for a moment and then smiled. She grabbed Amity and put her into a headlock, delivering a noogie which made Luz wince as she witnessed it happen. Amity cried out and squirmed in her sister's grasp, but like with the hug she had given so recently, Emira was proving unwilling to loosen her grip until she had gotten her point across.

"There, now we can says things are even between us." Emira said as she let go of Amity. "Don't worry about setting me up with Cat. I can handle it on my own."

"No, I said I'd help and I will." Amity insisted, smoothing out her hair. "Also, Luz is planning a party in celebration of a holiday that's happening back in her realm. Both you and Edric are invited to come if you like."

Edric's lit up at the mention of that, his face breaking into a toothy grin. "Party in the Human Realm? Count us in!"

"Actually it will be at the Owl Lady's house." Amity corrected. "We need to go and speak with Luz's mother to get her permission for her to host it first though."

"So, I'm guessing you'll need us to cover for you again while you escort your cutie back home?" Emira asked.

Amity nodded. "Yes please. I might be out for a little while though."

"Don't worry. We got you." Emira told her with a wink. "Just don't take too long. Okay?"

Amity nodded and had her abomination bring her the portal case. With the twins keeping watch, she and Luz hopped back onto her staff and flew down to where Eda and King were waiting. Once they were together again, Emira and Edric cast a combined illusion to conceal them from view so they could use the portal discretely.

Luz opened the portal, the decrepit living room of the abandoned house coming into view on the other side. She led Eda, King and Amity through and closed the portal up again, tucking the key into her pocket. They all stepped out of the old building, Luz leading them to her front door and then inviting them inside.

As Luz helped her guests get situated, Vee came out from the kitchen, a plate with a sizable piece of cake in her hands. She noticed all of the people who Luz had brought into the house and nearly dropped her food in surprise. After getting over the little start, Vee turned to her adoptive sister with a trace of worry in her eyes.

"Luz! Mom didn't give you permission to have guests over!" She said. "If she finds out…"

"When she finds out." Luz corrected, pulling out her phone. "I'm gonna call her right now and let her know. And don't worry." She added with a wink. "I won't tell her you're sneaking a snack before lunch."

Vee looked down at her plate and smiled a little sheepishly. She snuck back into the kitchen to eat, having noticed she had gained the attention of one of Luz's friends who was staring at her food almost expectantly. As she retreated, King kept his eyes on her and more specifically the deliciousness she had in her hands.

"Hey Luz. What's a King gotta do to get some of that?" He inquired, pointing in the direction Vee had gone. "I've haven't had a lot of human food before."

"Don't worry buddy." Luz replied. "I'll see to it you all have a nice lunch just as soon as my mom gets back. I'm gonna call her right now and let her know that I'm home."

Luz took out her phone and opened up the contacts list, selecting her mom under 'favorites'. She started for the kitchen, waiting for her mother to pick up. After a couple of rings, Camila answered the call.

"Hola Mamá." She greeted. "I'm home now, just like I promised. I hope you don't mind, but I brought Amity over. And someone else I know you'll want to meet." She said, glancing back at her guests. "How long is it until you get out of work?"

To Be Continued.