Here's yet another idea that has popped into my head since the break between new episodes began. I'm pretty excited for this one and have quite a bit planned out. As always, honest reviews and constructive criticisms are welcome.
A Human Mom at Hexside
Disclaimer: I do not own the Owl House and make no profit from this story.
Prologue: Arrival and Departure
The morning was always a busy time for Camila Noceda. Every day she would get up bright and early to get a little jogging in and then shower before getting dressed for the day. Next she would either enjoy a bit of reading or listen to some music depending on her work schedule. If she had the day off, she'd get a few chapters further into her current book. But if she was working, it was time to enjoy a playlist on her phone.
At the moment Camila was busying herself in the kitchen, cooking breakfast for herself and Vee. She was preparing mangú, a traditional Dominican breakfast consisting of mashed plantains, along with eggs and fried Dominican salami. The dish was also supposed to include fried cheese, but as Luz could not eat that, Camila always omitted preparing any. Which was fine as she didn't really care for fried cheese herself.
After a few minutes, the meal was ready and Camila divided the food equally out onto two plates. She set them onto the kitchen table and stepped out of the room to approach the staircase. Raising her hand to the side of her mouth, she called up to Vee and informed her that breakfast was ready before stepping back into the kitchen again.
Vee entered and took a seat at the table just as Camila poured them each a glass of orange juice, the pulp free kind. She sat across from Vee and started on her meal, cutting into the fried eggs on her plate. Meanwhile, Vee was scooping up some of the mashed plantains which she clearly favored as much as Luz did. Although there was a major difference in their approach. Luz would always shovel it down whereas Vee was more well-mannered while she ate.
The thought of her absent daughter saddened Camila. She began wondering if her baby was eating alright over in the demon realm. There was so much she still didn't know about Luz's situation and each question only added to her fears. Her appetite disappeared as she stared down at her plate, idly prodding her food with her fork. Vee couldn't help but notice Camila's change in mood and started to lose interest in her own food out of concern for the woman.
"So, um… I'll be starting school soon." Vee said, breaking the silence. "Is there anything I should know? I've never been to one before."
"Hmm? Oh, well you'll be starting a new year, meaning you'd be getting different classes than Luz had the year before." Camila replied, still poking at her breakfast. "So you'll need to learn where the classrooms are, but some of the other students can help you since they'll be going to new rooms too. And you'll have to let your teacher know that you forgot the combination to your locker since only Luz would know it."
"What about Luz's friends at school? I'd need to know about them too, right?"
"She… she never really had any friends at school." Camila answered sadly. "Or outside of school. Not since she was little. So you don't really need to worry about that. Although Luz made a bit of a reputation for herself with all the trouble she caused." She said, the sorrow on her face deepening. "You know, the whole reason she had to go to that camp was because of one of her incidents. It upset me every time I had to go speak with the principal when Luz did something. But now that I don't know if I'll ever see her again, I'd give anything to have to sit in the office and talk with the Principal to her!"
Tears began to fall down from Camila's eyes, landing on her food. As she began to sniffle and softly sob, Vee shrank back in her seat. She was struggling to think of something to say to Camila, wanting only to comfort her. Unfortunately all that came to her mind was…
"Should I cause an incident when I go to school?"
Camila began to cry harder, making Vee feel more uncomfortable. The young demon in disguise winced and shrank down even more in her chair. This time she was completely at a loss for what to say, kicking herself for further upsetting the woman who had taken such good care of her, albeit unintentionally.
A knock sounded at the front door and Vee took the opportunity to let Camila have some space. She excused herself and went to go answer it, still silently scolding herself for her mistake. When she got to the door, she paused a moment, looking back in the direction of the kitchen briefly before reaching for the handle.
Vee opened the door and went to greet whomever was outside. But her words got caught in her throat when she saw that their guest was of the very unexpected variety. It was an older woman with angular facial features and a mass of wild, gray hair. Her eyes were different colors, one gold and the other gray. A single, golden fang protruded out from under her upper lip, glinting in the light. Overall the woman had a very bold presence and Vee was frozen under her gaze which was just as surprised as Vee's.
"Well dang… " The woman began. "Luz told me she had a doppelgänger, but I wasn't expecting this. Usually the copy is an evil version of the original. But you look like more of a goody-Luz shoes than the actual Luz!"
Her remark was met with silence. Vee was still struggling to find her voice while also dealing with her fear of the woman in front of her. She had heard a lot of things about Edalyn Clawthorne from the Emperor's guards while she had been imprisoned. This was the only time Vee had seen her, excluding the wanted posters as well as the one time she caught a glimpse of her in the market with…
Suddenly Vee's fear vanished as realization dawned on her. She abruptly turn and ran back into the kitchen, leaving a confused Owl Lady standing by the still open front door. Vee rushed to the kitchen table, her hurried return making Camila look up at her with worry.
"Vee, what's wrong?"
"It's the Owl Lady!" Vee answered, sounding almost as if she still didn't believe it herself. "The Owl Lady is here!"
"The who?" Camila asked, raising one eyebrow.
"Very funny." Eda said, strolling into the kitchen with an unamused look on her face. "If I had a snail for every time I heard that one."
Camila stood, planting her hands flat against the surface of the table. "Excuse me, but you can't just barge into someone's house!" She said, giving the uninvited guest a hard glare.
"You left the door wide open. If that's not an invitation for total strangers then I don't know what is." Eda countered.
"She's the one I saw Luz with the day I came here!" Vee said, cautiously moving over to her adopted mother's side.
The expression on Camila's face slowly softened. She stared in silence for a few seconds at Eda before quickly moving. Her chair scraped harshly across the kitchen floor and then toppled over, startling Vee. Camila paid it no mind however, she was far too focused on the uninvited guest to be concerned with anything else at the time.
"Where is she? Where is my daughter?" She asked, now right in front of the witch. "Is she alright? Has she been eating well? What…"
Eda held up her hand, making Camila stop mid-query. "Luz is fine. I just saw her off a short while ago. She's on her way to school right now."
"She's been going to school there?" Camila asked.
"Unfortunately, yes." Eda replied with a smirk. "She was dead-set on it the moment she learned about the place, despite how much I didn't like the idea. But she loves it there and it's one of the few things that keeps her from moping around my house all day." She continued, her expression saddening a little. "Poor kid has been beside herself ever since the first failed portal attempt we made where she got to talk to you."
Camila stepped closer to Eda. "Take me to her." She pleaded. "Take me to see her right now!"
"That's the idea. It'll be faster that way." Eda said, turning to head back the way she came. "Now come on, if we leave right away we should catch up to her before her classes start. If you need to bring anything with you, be quick about grabbing it."
Without so much as a moment's hesitation, Camila retrieved her handbag, her coat and her keys. She had Vee get a coat as well and then went to rush to the front door. But something crossed her mind at the last moment and Camila made a very quick run into the kitchen again to grab a Tupperware container from the refrigerator. She then got an insulated lunch bag, the one Luz would often use when she brought lunches to school, and placed the container inside.
"Okay, I'm ready." Camila said, rejoining Vee and Eda at the front door. "Oh, I can't wait to see my baby again!"
"I can't wait to see the look on her face when you show up!" Eda said, letting out a quick laugh. "Ten snails say that she's going to ugly cry when she sees you."
"I'm sorry…. Snails?" Camila questioned, raising an eyebrow again.
"It's Boiling Isles money… I think." Vee said, scratching her head. "I never really used money when I was there so I'm not sure."
"Don't worry, you two." Eda told the human and basilisk. "I'll fill you in on the way over so there's less of a chance you'll embarrass yourselves."
Eda began walking around the house, Camila and Vee following close behind. It wasn't long until an old abandoned house came into view. Vee clung to Camila's coat sleeve, whimpering softly at the bad memory of the last time she had visited the condemned building. Camila gave her adopted daughter a reassuring smile and took her hand as they continued walking.
"Alright ladies." Eda said, pulling out a scrap metal key with jagged cuts and a gilded bow. "Time to cross realms."
She held the key out at arm's length and began drawing a rectangle in the air. As the tip of the key moved, it left behind a trail of thin, golden light. When Eda finished drawing the shape she stuck the key into the center and turned it one quarter turn clockwise. The sound of tumblers shifting echoed throughout the old house, almost in a ghostly manner. Then from the rectangle of light an object appeared, almost like a suitcase in appearance. It seemed to be made of wood and had ornate borders that looked like vines with gilded owls decorating the corners.
The case opened, unfolding three times and becoming the size of a standard door with frame. A likeness of Eda was on the door, very much like the one on her wanted posters. The door creaked open, the dim room filling with natural light. Camila's jaw dropped slightly when she saw that on the other side of the doorway there were trees, red ones. Eda stepped through and gestured for the other two to follow her. Camila nervously walked to the other side of the door, becoming mildly overwhelmed by the new surroundings. Eda allowed her a moment to take it all in, placing one hand onto her shoulder.
"Welcome to the Boiling Isles, Cammy."
To be continued.
