Chapter 5
The sound of a car pulling up could be heard, followed by the door opening and closing outside. Then the front door opened a minute later and Camila Noceda stepped into her home, still in her scrubs. Since she had gone in on what was originally a day off, she had been allowed to wrap up her shift early as a courtesy by her co-workers at the clinic. Camila immediately noticed the guests in her living room, focusing on the older of the three. Eda got up from her seat and stepped over to greet Camila, extending a hand as she did so.
"Hey, I'm Edalyn Clawthorne. But you can just call me Eda. I was the witch who took care of…"
"You're the one who took my baby from me!" Camila cut in, a scornful tone in her voice. "How dare you lure my Luz away with promises of teaching her magic!"
Eda frowned. "Okay, first of all, your daughter is the one who made the deal with me. I just accepted it because I didn't see why not. And secondly, I have come to really care about your kid. So don't think I'd keep her against her will. When she destroyed the portal the first time, I made sure to whatever I could to look after her as if she were my own daughter."
"Luz is my daughter!" Camila retorted. "And you just took her in with no concern for how it would affect her family! You should be ashamed of yourself, you bruja!"
"Mamá, please don't use that as an insult!" Luz requested, sounding a bit upset.
"That's fine." Camila said calmly. "I'm sure I can find plenty of other ways to insult this woman."
"Well that's a little better than what I was expecting." Eda noted. "I thought if nothing else, you'd slap me across the face."
"Oh, that can be arranged." Camila replied, reaching into her purse.
"Mamá, no!" Luz exclaimed, stepping in and grabbing her mother's arm. "She took good care of me while I was there! Please don't chancla her!"
"Don't what-la me?" Eda asked, looking very confused. "What is that, some sort of weapon?"
"In her hands it is." Luz said, sounding a little afraid. "So maybe you two could just sit down and talk things out instead?"
Camila sighed and looked at her child. "I can try. But she needs to understand that I'm upset with her for good reason. It was so hard for me when I finally found out that you had been gone the entire time I thought you were at camp. Not knowing if I'd ever see you again, it broke my heart, Mija."
"Believe me, I do understand…" Eda said softly. "Maybe not entirely but I definitely can relate. I may not have made her stay, but I did make her leave when we got the chance. In the moment, I wasn't thinking too much about how I felt about the whole thing. But after it was over… after I realized she was gone and I might not get to see her again… it tore me up inside."
"Eda…" Luz whispered, smiling a little at her mentor.
"I am a proud, powerful and independent witch." Eda continued. "So this isn't something I'd just say for the sake of it. This the honest to Titan truth. After I sent Luz through the portal back here, I had to go to my own mother and cry. And I… I can get pretty difficult to deal with when I get emotional."
"Ugly crying doesn't begin to cover it." King stated.
Luz hushed the little demon and scooped him up. "Let's leave these two to talk. In the meantime, how about you come with me into the kitchen and help me with lunch? I could use someone to do the taste testing." She said, smiling at the eager look in King's eyes. Luz extended her hand to Amity. "I'll also need an assistant chef. Would my awesome girlfriend like to fill that role?"
Amity nodded and took Luz's hand. The two teens and demon stepped out of the room, leaving Camila and Eda to work out their differences. As they reached the kitchen, Luz could hear them already resuming their argument. She let out a sigh and set King down on the counter before starting to look into the cupboards for an idea on what to cook for the everyone. King intruded on her search, curious as to what sort of snacks were available. Luz grabbed a bag of barbecue flavored potato chips for him to indulge in and then went back to work.
King sat on the edge of the counter while he snacked on the chips. Luz meanwhile had found a box of penne and took a moment to ponder the possibilities. She went over to the refrigerator and took a peek inside, then doing the same with the freezer. A wide grin came to her face as she found a bag of frozen chicken patties, grabbing it and then going back into the fridge.
"I have an idea for a yummy lunch!" She declared, grabbing a bag of dairy-free, shredded mozzarella. "Am-Am, could you go into that cupboard I was just looking through and get a jar of sauce? There should be one in there somewhere."
While Amity did as requested of her, Luz started to look for a pot and a casserole dish in the cabinets below the counter. She filled the pot with water and added a little vegetable oil as well. Then she set it onto the stove and turned on the burner to bring it to a boil.
"Okay, now we need to add some sauce into this dish." She instructed her girlfriend as she started to preheat the oven. "Just enough to fill the bottom."
"And after that?" Amity asked.
"We put in eight of those chicken patties and sprinkle some of this on top of them."
Luz tossed the bag of dairy-free cheese, Amity fumbling it when she tried to catch it but not letting it fall. She followed the steps given to her and then Luz had her do another layer each of sauce and cheese. With the contents of the casserole dish set to go, it was just a matter of time until the oven reached the desired temperature. Meanwhile Luz and Amity kept an eye on the pot of water, waiting for the time to come to start cooking the penne.
The pair soon learned that the timing was off as the water came to a boil before the oven had preheated. By the time the penne was fully cooked, the chicken still needed another fifteen minutes. They passed the time chatting, Luz bringing up various things they could do for the party. Amity mostly listened and commented on Luz's ideas, not really sure of anything she could add to the planning session.
The timer on the oven went off at last and Luz put on a pair of oven mitts to take out the casserole dish. As she brought the food out and set it onto the counter, she lifted the lid and they all caught the enticing aroma as it rose up. Luz began setting down plates, having Amity dish the penne out onto them. Next she took a single chicken patty out for each plate, placing it on top of the pasta. She finished the preparation off with blowing a kiss towards the plates one at a time and then she cut up the chicken on one of them before passing it to King.
"Careful, it's really hot." Luz warned, handing him a fork.
King stabbed some of the chicken and penne with his utensil. As he lifted it up, he let out a gleeful giggle at the sight of the melted mozzarella stretching between it and the rest of the plate. He blew on the piping hot food a couple of times and then stuffed it into his mouth, smacking his mouth noisily as he ate.
"So? Pretty tasty, right?" Luz asked.
"Mmm-hmm! Really tasty!" He answered before looking towards Amity. "You're so lucky."
"I am?" Amity asked, slightly confused. "Why is that?"
"Because when you become Luz's wife, you'll get to eat stuff like this all the time." King told her, making her blush.
"Don't worry, buddy. You won't be left out." Luz said. "I'll always be happy to cook for you!"
She gave King a kiss on top of his skull and then brought two of the plates over to the dining room table, setting them down across from each other. From there she cautiously peeked into the living room where she found her mother and Eda still going back and forth. Eda caught sight of Luz and got up from the couch, heading over to her.
"Is everything going okay in here?" Luz asked, although part of her feared she already knew the answer.
"Not really. We aren't exactly seeing eye to eye." Eda replied. "It's probably a good idea for me to go for now. Your mom doesn't seem like she wants to give me much of a chance yet."
Luz frowned. "But what about lunch?"
"I'll have to take it to go. Something tells me that the longer I stick around, the less likely it'll be that your mom will ever warm up to me." Eda remarked. "But before I get kicked out, why don't you ask her about that party you want to have?"
"A party?" Camila asked, looking at her daughter. "What is she talking about?"
"Well… I was hoping I could have a party with all my friends from Bonesborough on Christmas Eve." Luz answered, stepping forward. "And I want to have it over Eda's house. Can I, Mamá? Please?"
"I don't know, Mija…"
"Mamá I won't ask you for anything else this year, I promise!" Luz implored. "And if you bought me any gifts yet, you can return them! I just want to share a part of the holidays with my friends. That's all I want."
Camila sighed. "I'm not against the idea of you having a party with your friends, Cariño." She said before giving a quick glare to Eda. "But does it need to be at her house?"
"Hey, if it will make you feel better about it, you can come by and check my house for yourself to make sure it's safe." Eda told her. "You can even supervise the party if you want."
"No, thank you." Camila replied. "I… I don't think I'm ready to see this Demon Realm yet. But what I'd like to know is why you can't just have your party here, Luz."
"If you want nearly a dozen rowdy teenagers who can all use magic crowding your house, then you can take them." Eda said. "I can have a nice, quiet evening at home instead of you."
"You say that as though it would help me change my mind." Camila dryly commented.
"Please, Mamá? I really want to spend some of the holiday with Eda too! I've missed her so much and… and being apart from her was almost as bad as when I was apart from you… ¿Bastante por favor, Mamá?"
Camila looked to Eda briefly before turning her attention back to Luz. Her daughter was giving her puppy eyes and pouting with her hands clasped together in a pleading gesture. The display was making it difficult for her to stay firm on her decision, her resolve waning away until she just gave up.
"I suppose she did look after you well enough." Camila admitted, albeit with some reluctance. "So if it really means so much to you, then I'll allow you to have your party at her house. But we are having a long discussion about all of this later."
Luz embraced her mother, thanking her multiple times in a row. Camila gave her child a pat on the head and Luz then hurried off to cover Eda's plate with some plastic wrap. She returned to the kitchen where she found King had cleaned off his plate, resulting in a mess on his face. Amity had finished hers as well, a tiny bit of sauce on the corner of her mouth.
Grabbing a paper towel, Luz stepped up to King and cleaned his face, giggling as he squirmed. Then she turned to Amity, who turned her face to allow Luz to clean her cheek as well. Luz however simply used her finger to wipe off the dab of sauce from her girlfriend's face. Then she went to eat the sauce from her finger, but Amity grabbed her by the wrist first.
"Uh-uh, that's mine." Amity said, using the index finger of her other hand to steal back the bit of sauce and lick it up herself. "Eat the food on your plate before you try to take someone else's, you silly human." She added with a giggle. "So anyways, how are things going between your mom and Eda?"
"It… could be worse." Luz replied. "My mom definitely isn't crazy about Eda, but she's not being unfair. She is okay with me getting to host the party at the Owl House."
"That's good."
"You know what else would be good?" King asked, waving his empty plate back and forth. "Seconds!"
"Okay, but unfortunately you'll need it take it with you." Luz said, taking his plate and setting it into the sink. "Pretty sure you and Eda will be leaving soon."
She got a clean plate and put another, more generous helping of penne onto it, along with another chicken patty. After wrapping it up in plastic, she set it down onto the counter and went to set her own plate so she could eat while the food was still hot. Then she prepared a plate for Vee and another with the last of the food for Amity to take home. Amity shrank and bubbled the plate, tucking it away in her bag just as Eda entered the kitchen.
"Alright, let's get going King. We don't want to overstay our welcome." Eda said, picking up the plates while King climbed into her hair. "Thanks for the food, Luz. Sorry we couldn't stay and eat with you. I'll be sure to cook up a nice meal for us all on Saturday when we get to see you again."
"Why on Saturday?" Luz queried.
"Your mom and I talked a little more and she agreed you can visit me on the weekends. If we play our cards right, maybe you can stop by when you finish human school for the day sometimes too."
"What about Luz coming back to Hexside?" Amity asked. "Did that come up at all?"
"That's gonna need to wait." Eda replied. "We can try talking about it with Luz's mother after she warms up to me a bit more. If she warms up to me, that is."
"I'm sure she will. We just need to let her get to know you a bit more first." Luz said, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself than anyone else.
"When we manage to get her to cross into the Demon Realm, I'll treat her to some of the best apple blood I can get my hands on." Eda stated with a cocky grin. "We'll see how hard it is for her to get along with me after she's gotten a little tipsy."
The sound of someone clearing their throat gained their attention and they looked to find Camila standing at the kitchen door. She had a very displeased expression on her face, having overheard Eda's last comment. Without saying a word she walked over to the refrigerator and got out a bottle of water before heading back out to the dining room, casting a brief yet disdainful glance towards Eda as she went.
Sensing it was best to not delay the matter any further, Luz fished the portal key out of her pocket and got her coat again. Then she grabbed the portal case from where she had left it by the couch in the living room. But as she started for the front door, she slowed to a stop as something occurred to her.
"Hey, Eda? I never thought about this before, but how exactly does the portal work? I mean, if I use it here, will it take us back to the same place we were in the Demon Realm earlier or somewhere else?"
"As far as I can tell, it opens up to wherever it was used last in the Demon Realm. I never really tried using it from anyplace other than that old house, but it should still bring us back to where we were before no matter where you open it in this realm."
Luz gazed at the case for a moment before excusing herself and stepping over to the dining room, leaning through the door. Inside her mother was quietly eating her meal, seated alone at the table. After a moment, Luz approached her mother, clutching the case close to her body with both arms.
"Mamá, I'd like to ask you something." She said, holding the case out. "This is the portal that can take me to the Demon Realm and back. Eda is letting me hold onto it for safe keeping. Is it… is it alright for me to use the portal in the house?"
Camila set down her fork and turned to face her daughter. She eyed the strange object in Luz's hands, staring at it with what almost looked like contempt. Her eyes shifted up to Luz and then she turned her attention back to her meal, drinking from her bottle of water.
"Not without my permission. And you are to always tell me how long you'll be gone whenever you use that to go to the Demon Realm." She instructed, taking a moment to rub one of her temples. "Querido Dios. ¿Qué estoy diciendo?"
"It's alright, Mamá." Luz said softly. "You don't need to worry."
"Yes I do, Mija! That thing…" Camila said, her voice cracking as she pointed at the portal in Luz's arms. "That is part of the reason that I lost you! I never want to go through that kind of heartbreak again, Luz. That frightens me so much that it makes me want to take that thing away from you and lock it away forever. But I can't… I can't keep you from that place, no matter how much I hate the idea of you going back there. It would mean keeping you from your novia, and from the friends you made… and I can't do that to you…"
"Mamá… please don't cry…"
Camila wiped her face, finding tears she hadn't realized were falling from her eyes. She cleared away the rest and then held out her hands. Luz didn't quite understand what she wanted at first, but then she handed over the portal case to her mother without even a second of hesitation. Camila stared at the demonic object again, uncertainty in her eyes. She managed to get past the worries it gave her, prioritizing her daughter's happiness. Her gaze shifted upwards again, locking with that of her child.
"I am putting a lot of trust in you with this, Mija. If you ever break my rules, then I'm keeping it from that moment on and that will be final. ¿Lo entiendes?"
Luz nodded, a strong resolve in her eyes. "Sí, Mamá, lo entiendo."
Camila smiled and held out the case for Luz to take again. "Okay, then this is your responsibility. But there's one more condition I'd like to ask of you."
"What's that?" Luz asked as she accepted the portal case back.
"You need to start bringing your friends over." Camila told her. "I can hardly wait to meet them. Maybe they can stop by and help decorate our tree when we get it next weekend?"
"I can ask them when I see them next." Luz replied, hugging the case to her body again. "Thank you so much, Mamá! I won't let you down! I promise!"
Luz kissed her mother on the cheek and hurried back to the kitchen where Eda, Luz and King were waiting. She opened up the portal leading back to the forest just outside of Blight Manor and stepped partway through. Then she bowed with a little flourish to her guests.
"Ladies and King, after you."
Eda and Amity crossed the interdimensional threshold, Luz following after them. With a big hug to both Eda and then King, Luz bid a fond farewell before the Owl Lady took off on her staff, bound for home. Once her mentor was out of sight, Luz turned to look at Amity, a bittersweet feeling starting to fill her chest.
"So, I looks like it'll be a little while until we see each other again." She said a little sadly. "My mom is still really nervous about me going back and forth between this realm and our own."
"That's okay." Amity replied. "We have that dance coming up at your school this Friday. It will be worth the wait."
"Yeah. I guess…"
"Is everything okay?" Amity asked with concern.
"Kinda… it just bugs me a little that I get to keep the portal and I'm not allowed to use it as often as I'd like. But if that helps my mom feel better about it all, then that's what I have to do." Luz said, taking a step back towards the still open portal. "Anyway, I'll see you later this week. Bye, Am-Am."
Amity stepped forward and grabbed Luz by the hand. "Hold on just one second. You aren't walking away just yet. You've been holding something for me that I'd like to get before you leave."
"I am?" Luz replied, tilting her head a little. It quickly clicked in her mind as to what Amity was referring and she gave her girlfriend a sly look. "Oh, I see. You want that smooch I was going to give you this morning, right?"
"May I?" Amity requested, gently cupping Luz's cheek with her hand.
"You better believe you may!" Luz replied with a cheeky grin.
The two closed their eyes and leaned towards each other. Their lips made contact for only an instant, but they felt the warmth linger for far longer. Slowly, reluctantly, the two separated and turned to head back their respective homes. Sparing one last glance at each other, they left. Amity went to enter the front gates of the manor and Luz stepped back through the portal, both already counting down the seconds until they could see each other again.
To be continued.