Chapter 6: Hexside Days
[After two weeks of hard training by Shatter Squad, Luz has improved a lot when it comes to everything, she managed to build up her strength with West's training, managed to keep up with A.X.E.L in combat, and managed to build a weapon that would aid her in battle with Coco's help, but the hard part was keeping her Spirit Power alive when going up against Arthur, no matter how many times she goes against him, the longest she can fight without losing Azura is about 5 minutes, and she battled him like a hundred times during the two weeks. But what also bothered her was school, counting the effort in training and learning to be a witch, Luz managed to balance everything and not tell her friends about it because according to Arthur. She flashes back to a conversation she had with him after their first training session.]
Arthur: Try not to tell anyone about all this. Because it would be nice if we had some extra help, but if word got out, who knows if word would get to our enemies. If you were to tell someone, make sure it's with someone you trust.
Luz: Got it.
[Luz thinks of those words, she thinks her friends would help, but Arthur was right, if word did get out, she knew that one of their enemies would know about them, and thinking about, these are probably her first human friends, and hell she didn't want to lose them like her friends on the Boiling Isles, she thinks deeper, and deeper until]
Willow: Luz? Luz?!
[Willow snaps her out of it, Luz looks up and sees her friend from the plant track looking at her with a look of concern, next to Luz is a confused Amity, and beside Willow is Gus. Who is reading a magazine from the human world. Why I don't know, this is the stuff he usually does. Don't look at me like that.]
Willow: Luz are you okay?
Luz: Yes?
Willow: you are sure, cause you were spacing out again, that and you haven't opened your lunch.
Luz: Oh right, yeah of course, I mean it is lunch time after all hehehe.
[Willow raises an eyebrow a wondering what is going on inside her head, until Gus points out Luz's lunchbox]
Gus: hey Luz, I've never seen a lunch packed that way before, where did you get it?
Luz: Oh this? Well?
[Luz then thinks back to earlier before she left the base, before she could leave A.X.E.L. stops her with a bento box wrapper in a napkin]
A.X.E.L.: Hey Luz, wait.
[Luz turns around and notices A.X.E.L. trying to stop her]
Luz: Oh A.X.E.L. is everything okay?
A.X.E.L.: No its just that you've been working extra hard these past few days, so I made you this. You always have to have a delicious, nutritious meal after a hard day's work. Just open it when it's lunch time.
Luz: Oh thanks.
[The flashback ends with everyone looking at the wrapped bento box, with a sticky note on the side, Amity picks it up and reads it, she reads aloud]
Amity: People like us need lots of energy when working, eat and love every bit of food packed into this meal, hope you like it, enjoy the meal. Love A.X.E.L.? Who is A.X.E.L.?
Luz: (oh shoot)
[Luz tries to come up with an excuse]
Luz: *nervous* He's a friend, from downtown.
[Luz smiles hoping they would buy it, to her eyes they seem to have bought it, but Amity and Willow know she is hiding something. As for Gus, he really bought it.]
Gus: Are you going to open it?
Luz: Oh yeah sure let's open this baby up.
[As Luz unwraps the bento she removes the lid and inside is a spot filled with curry and rice, in another spot it has a hamburger slider and two tuna sandwiches, another has two slices of beef, on the bottom is two fried mackerel, and on top is noodles]
Luz: Whoa! [Damn A.X.E.L. when they said chef, I didn't think you'd be this good]
[As Gus sees the meal in front of him, his mouth waters]
Gus: WOW that looks so good. It almost looks like it's not from around here.
Willow: Whoever this A.X.E.L. is, guy makes it look good.
[Amity jaw drops in shock and thinks whoever made this for her must be in love with her, it gets worse for her because what if this Luz was in love with this person, or worse what if they were dating. So many thoughts popped into Amity's head but shakes it and begins to point out]
Amity: *nervous* I mean it looks good, b-but everyone knows the taste is what matters, right?
[Luz picks up the slice of meat with her fork and takes a bite, she chews it for a bit and takes a gulp, the group looks at her, to Luz's surprise it was the most delicious thing she ever tasted, with a face of happiness she begins to make cute noises when someone eats something delicious]
Luz: This is amazing! You guys gotta try this!
[Willow is hesitant but Gus immediately grabs a sandwich and takes bite and like Luz, it was the best sandwich he ever had]
Gus: THIS IS SO GOOD!
[Gus takes more bites out of it and trying to savour it like there is not tomorrow, Willow grabs her fork and scoops up some noodles and takes a bite and she nods in agreement with the other]
Willow: Mmm tasty.
[Amity jaw drops again and begins to panic thinking this guy really likes Luz, but if she found out the truth, she would be far from the truth]
Luz: Amity, you have to try this, say ahh.
[Amity notices Luz offering to feed her with a spoon full of curry rice and begins to gay panic]
Amity: *panic* Wait, you are feeding me...from your spoon, sharing food!
Luz: I mean if you don't want it.
Amity: Oh no it's fine!
[Amity bites the food off the spoon, and like everyone else, they were right, it tasted like the best food in the world]
Amity: Oh damn...it's delicious!
Luz: You know I don't think I could finish this by myself, you guys want to share?
[Gus is excited by this]
Gus: YES! PLEASE!
[Both Amity and Willow agree with Gus and they all share the meal, savouring every bite, especially Gus, because he has never had human food before and he doesn't even know he is eating it, everything is going fine until Gus begins speaking]
Gus: Did you guys hear about the incident at the bonesborough market? [as he chews on the burger]
Willow: yeah I heard that whoever caused the incident did a lot of damage to the market. Even heard few were injured.
Amity: Not only that, but I overheard my parents that four guards from the emperor's coven were murdered brutally.
Gus: FOUR! What could do that to them? I mean I know they are bad, but to brutally murder them. Hey Luz you must have been there, did you see anything?
Willow: Gus you don't ask stuff like that?!
Gus: huh?
[Willow begins scolding Gus, but Luz remembers everything that went by during the incident, gaining her Spirit Power, watching multiple people get hurt, for making things worse, dying. Luz wonders if she should tell her friends everything that happened, but Amity hold her hand breaking her train of thought]
Amity: Hey, are you alright?
Luz: Oh uh yeah, just thinking.
Amity: Thinking about wha-
[Luz's phone begins to ring interrupting their conversation, Luz grabs the phone from her pocket and sees Raymond's name on it]
Luz: Sorry guys I gotta go. I'll see you later.
Amity: Oh uh okay?
Gus: Bye Luz!
[As they say goodbye to her Amity notices Willow has a serious look on her face]
Amity: You notice it too.
Willow: Yup. Luz is hiding something from us.
Gus: Huh, you sure.
Willow: Gus, have you ever noticed Luz has been leaving school early these past two weeks, and how she has been gone for 3 days, that so happen to be the days after the incident two weeks ago.
Gus: Hmm
Willow: And have you also noticed that she hasn't been at the Owl House or seen anywhere in the Boiling Isles after school. Or why does she look exhausted every time we see her in the morning? I mean Luz works harder than everyone in school, and all of a sudden she is having a hard time paying attention. And now this lunch from this A.X.E.L. guy.
[Gus begins to collect his thought and remembers every one of this incidents]
Gus: Now that you mention it yeah, it is weird.
Amity: Luz is hiding something from us, it's not like her to hide anything.
Gus: I mean she was there during the incident, maybe something connected to that.
Willow: Whatever it is we have to find out. Luz would do the same for us.
Gus: So what do we do?
[then we shift to the three of them on a stakeout outside the Owl House at 8pm]
Amity: You know when we said we would help Luz, I don't understand why we have to be outside the Owl House.
Gus: Well if we are going to find out what she has been up to, we should try this thing called a stakeout. Luz told me about it and thought we should try it for this very situation.
[Willow rolls her eyes]
Willow: Anyway Amity, how did you convince your parents to come here?
Amity: They are away on business so it's just Edric and Emira. Anyway, we should get some sleep, who's taking the first watch?
Gus: I'll do it.
Willow: you sure Gus?
Gus: How hard can it be?
[6am in the morning everyone is asleep until they are woken up by the military horn]
Amity, Gus, Willow: AGH!
Gus: Ugh what is that?
Willow: Wait, were you asleep?!
Gus: Maybe.
[the alarm keeps blaring and they hear a voice that was unfamiliar]
Arthur: Hey Luz get ready!
[The trio look over the bush and see a man in armour]
Amity: Who's this guy?!
[The residents of the Owl house begin to come out with tired looks on their faces, then Luz comes out with a backpack and training clothes which cause Amity to blush]
Amity: *nervous* And uh what is she wearing?
[Amity's nose begins to bleed]
Gus: uh Amity your nose is bleeding.
[Amity notices the blood and wipes it off in panic]
Amity: It's nothing.
[going to Luz and Arthur they are also conversing]
Arthur: Are you ready for today's training? It's going to be a special one?
Luz: I'm ready and I'm pumped. Let's do this!
Eda: Kid please don't yell, I'm still tired from yesterday!
Luz: What were you doing yesterday?
Eda: Watching you.
Lilith: Can we please get a move on? We don't want people seeing us.
King: Yeah, the King of Demons agrees with her for once.
[Arthur chuckles and grabs his sword]
Arthur: Alright we just need to wait for everyone else and we can get going.
Luz: But we're all here.
[Amity, Willow and Gus keep watching them]
Willow: Who else are they waiting for?
Arthur: Crimson Dragon!
[Arthur's Red Aura bursts as a Red Dragon appears]
Gus: Whoa!
Amity: How did he?
Arthur: Go grab our spies. [he points in the direction of Willow, Gus and Amity are hiding]
Willow: Uh oh!
[moments later the trio are dropped in front of the Owl house Residents and Arthur]
Gus: Ow.
Luz: *shocked* Willow, Gus, Amity, what are you doing here?!
Gus: What are you doing here?! And who's this guy?!
Luz: Arthur what's going on?
Arthur: I figured they would be here.
Luz: How?
Arthur: Logic.
[Amity interrupts the conversation and pulls Luz away from Arthur]
Amity: Sorry to interrupt but Luz, who is this guy?!
Arthur: *chuckles* Man I figured your witch friends would be feisty, but not this feisty.
[Arthur walks up to Amity and rubs her head messing up her hair]
Amity: Hey, don't touch me!
[Amity slaps his hand off]
Arthur: Hahahaha! You must be Amity.
[Arthur turns to Gus and Willow]
Arthur: I'm assuming the Girl is Willow, and this guy...
[Points to Gus]
Arthur: ...is Gus
Gus: Whoa! How do you know that?!
Arthur: Well you can say when it comes to our kind, stories go by fast.
Willow: Our kind? Wait are you?
[Arthur moves his hair from the side of his head]
Gus: ANOTHER HUMAN! WILLOW THERE IS ANOTHER HUMAN! WHO ARE YOU, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, HOW DID YOU GET HERE, WHAT IS IT LIKE IN THE HUMAN WORLD!
[Gus constantly asks so many question and runs around looking at every inch of his body]
Arthur: *chuckles* well aren't you energetic.
[Arthur grabs Gus and picks him up]
Arthur: I'd be happy to answer all your questions, but right now we gotta go. The others are waiting for us.
Amity: There are others here?
Arthur: Yup, more humans.
Amity: Wait, wait, wait, what is going on? Luz, how do you know this guy?
Luz: It's a long story.
Arthur: And I would be happy to explain it to you. But right now we gotta get a move on.
[Arthur puts Gus on his shoulder]
Arthur: *excited* Let's go!
Willow: Go where?
Arthur: You'll see if you follow me.
[Willow shrugs her shoulders and follows the group, Amity however is hesitant, but if Luz is going she will go too and so the group proceeds to go to the base.]