BREAKING THE FANTASY

Written by: Gwendolyn Frost. Special thanks to meowloudly15.

Disclaimer: This fic's narrative is meant to be read as a murder mystery. As such, it'll deal with themes such as death, murder, murderous intent. It is also meant to be read as an alternate universe where Luz and the gang did not find a way back to the Boiling Isles. When Season 3 is released, I'll come back to this story and edit the loopholes such as the absence of Luz's palisman egg (because I don't know what it'll turn to). With that out of that, please, enjoy!

CHAPTER 1: Absence of Light.

"Hey… mom… I'm back…"

Those words came out of Luz's mouth that day, four years ago when she turned up in front of her house with the Boiling Isles' refugees. The very same day when The Collector took over and King made the difficult decision of protecting Luz by letting go of her and sending her back to the human realm.

A day that haunts Luz to this very moment.

Camilla -her mother- took care of the Boiling Isles children ever since. With the promise to help them find the way back home and rescue their families from the Collector. But that promise hasn't been fulfilled, they've looked in Gravesfield and investigated online every lead they could follow. But there were no results.

Eventually… they had to move on. Or take a break, at least… live their lives the best they could before they find the strength to go back and resume their search for a way to return to the Boiling Isles.

That morning, the door to Luz's room opens up, an exhausted looking Amity walks out to greet Camilla and Vee at the kitchen while they make breakfast.

It has been four years since the day they left the Boiling Isles, so Amity has changed a little bit. She was taller. Her hair was mostly brown with some lavender left on the end of her locks, indicating it has been a while since she last dyed her hair. But… she had two small braids to the left and right side of her face resting on her shoulders… those were green, she promised herself never to dye her hair back to that color due to her mother's control over her. But it's been years since she has seen her siblings… seeing her brown hair and the green braids… gave her hope of seeing her family once more. The only other feature in her that drew attention to her, was the small tattoo of the moon on her left hand.

The sweet aroma of pancakes filled Amity's nostrils, bringing a smile to her face. Despite her nostalgia, she found comfort in the small things such as these. A nice sunny morning, a sweet breakfast and the company of the nicest people she knew in the whole world.

"Buenos dias, Mrs. Noceda." Amity said as she pulled out a chair from underneath the counter and took a seat. She has been learning spanish this whole time she's been living in Luz's home. She has been honing her pronunciation for a few years now. She yawned heavily and tried to keep her swollen eyes open.

"Oh, mornin' dear. Slept well?" Camilla asked while flipping a pancake onto a plate, her eyes fixed away from Amity, hence why she didn't notice the lack of sleep evidently on her face.

"Yeah, just y'know… still getting used to my new job's schedule." She said as she yawned and gave light slaps to her cheeks to wake herself up.

"Oh!" Camilla said as she left Vee in charge of making the next batch of pancakes while she went to pour some coffee into a mug and offered it to Amity. "Here. This will wake you up, I take it the little ones are getting the best of you?" Camilla chuckled softly as she leaned against the counter.

"Thanks… actually, I had a lot of experience handling kids back home." Amity laughed herself, brushing some of her brown hair back while looking down at her reflection on the black liquid. "I volunteered to read stories for kids back at the Boiling Isles. I told myself it was just for extra credit… but in reality, I really enjoyed it. I went the extra mile helping them do their homework, explaining stuff they didn't understand in class or just listening to them. This job at the Kinder Garden has given me the purpose I thought I lost. Excuse me, it's a Day Care now… we're on summer break." Amity laughed.

"Aww, I get it, hehe… I really hope you have a nice day at work. Try to take a nap while the kids do so, as well.~ Just sayin'." Camilla said with a soft laugh. "Excuse me, gotta help Vee."

Amity nodded at Camilla as she walked back to Vee who saved a pancake from getting burnt, making Camilla pat her on the back reassuringly as a proud foster parent would do.

One by one, the rest of the gang began to join them.

First, Willow who came back from a morning jog. She has a shorter haircut now but aside from being slightly taller, she hasn't changed that much. She wore her jogging outfit that was now slightly soaked in sweat, and headphones covering her ears. She greeted everybody in the room before going straight to the shower.

Next came Caleb, formerly known as Hunter. He cut ties with his past and was going now by the name that he chose for himself. While deep inside him, he was still traumatized by his past working for Philip Wittebane, he has been taking steps to move on and live the life that he deserves.

Then came Gus. While he was a year younger than the rest, he wasn't the shorter one anymore. Now leaving Willow and Amity behind in that field. Other than that, his appearance has not changed much, either.

And finally…

"I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!" Luz shouted as she ran down the hall trying to pull up her black pants at the same time, making her slip and fall flat on her back violently while letting out a painful sounding groan afterwards. "Oww…"

"Mija, ¡que te he dicho de no correr mientras te estás vistiendo!" Camilla said with a frustrated look on her face while Gus and Amity rushed to get Luz back up to her feet. The now young adult version of Luz was the second tallest of the bunch, only surpassed by Caleb. She wore glasses now. Her hair was short still, but slightly longer with longer bangs next to each of her ears. Her arms had a handful of tattoos, all of which were not approved by Camila. There was the one on her right hand that featured the sun, which was something she did with Amity. On that very same arm, she had the tree that they both created during Grom's fight. On her left arm, it was covered in very different tattoos, mostly owls, probably representing Eda. And finally, showing up slightly on the upper side of her chest and under her neck, was a tattoo of the Titan's corpse, probably representing King.

"You're not late, Luz. You didn't set your alarm to your new job's schedule." Amity blurted out, making Luz turn pale as she looked back at her mom when she heard what Amity just said.

"New job? What does she mean with new job?" Camilla asked with an upset tone in her voice.

"Eh…" Luz began to sweat and looked around nervously, trying to find the words as to how to respond to her mother's question. "I… got a new job at Robin Roast Café… I was meaning to tell you but…"

"What happened to your other job at Burger Queen?" Camilla asked, hoping that she had an acceptable answer for her.

"Well…" Luz began to explain…

FLASHBACK.

Luz worked at Burger Queen, a fast-food establishment. A place in which she did several tasks, and one of them involved handing out the iconic Burger Queen Crowns to their clients during events.

"Here you go -sob- with this crown, you are entitled to be our sovereign for a day…" Luz said as she placed a cheap paper crown over a kid's head who was visibly stressed and concerned about Luz's expression, tears running down her eyes against her will as she tried to stay in character.

"Miss… are you…?" The young girl tried to ask but was interrupted by Luz who tried to follow the protocols of her job.

"This is yours now… -sob- Please take care of it, it belongs to someone important, a small Titan with the biggest heart in the whole wide world! Ohhh King! KING!" By then, Luz wasn't able to hold the tears anymore and started to cry loudly while the kid just ran away from her crying as well.

The manager who had Luz on probation this whole time sighed behind her and said. "Luz… I'm sorry, but you're like, fired…"

END OF THE FLASHBACK.

"So… was this a thing you did once or…?" Caleb asked before Amity replied right away.

"She did pretty much every time."

Luz smiled nervously at the now upset Camilla. "The good news… is that I didn't tamper with any animatronics this time! And I wore deodorant too!"

"Debatable." Amity said with a little bit of a glare, making Luz smell her own armpit.

"Mija! You should be more careful with the opportunities that are given to you! You have been through five different jobs in less than a year." Camilla's tone was clearly upset but there was also concern noticeable in her voice.

"I know, mom! But I got a new job now…" Luz tried to defend herself.

"That's not the point. When you find what you want to do with your life, you'll need to have the determination to stay focused. It's why it's important for you to gain experience and be able to maintain a stable job…" Camila sighed as she noticed the sad look on Luz's face. "Ok, I'm sorry… I didn't mean this to make you feel bad… I'm just worried for you. Ok, let's start over. After all, it's your very first day in your new job. I wish you all the success in the world Ok?" Camilla said as she smiled at the now less stressed Luz smiling back at her.

"Thanks, mom…" Luz said. "I'm going to go get changed." She told Amity before going back to her room while the rest helped Camilla and Vee to set the table.

The whole mood of the room changed drastically from tense to a calmer and more peaceful one when everyone was eating pancakes for breakfast.

Luz took a seat next to Amity, greeting her with a peck on the cheek as she was handed her plate by her girlfriend. Amity had Vee sitting on her left side, she was pouring some chocolate syrup on her pancakes. Which caught Amity's attention, she smiled at her and used her magic to turn the syrup into a small abomination made out of chocolate, making Vee to grin.

"Thanks, Amity!" Vee said as she happily ate her pancakes now. Ever since Luz and the rest came back, she has been treating Vee as her sister, which in turn has made Amity to turn over protective of her as well and as such, she has been feeding her abomination magic so she's able to transform more often and live among humans.

Luz in the meantime, was eating her pancakes while listening to Gus rambling about what he had been doing for the newspaper. The place he works at. He was showing Willow a picture of the so-called cryptid that he has been stalking for weeks now.

"What do you think sounds best? The Thin Man… or Paper Bag Man! Ten feet tall, thin humanoid creature, man or monster?" Gus said, trying to work out how his article about the cryptid will be. "It cannot be Slender Man, tho. That name is taken." Gus said, holding his fist in the air in dramatic fashion.

Willow took a good look at the picture he was holding; it was a rather obscure shot of a large man wearing a paper bag over his head. "Is it an alien?"

"What's that?" Luz asked as she looked at the picture that Gus was holding.

"Oh, you see, I've been working on this article for a while." Gus explained to her. "I was walking back home one day when I saw this large tall creature walking out of a building and quickly crawling into the woods… like a SPIDER! I know for a fact that humans do not crawl like spiders. Do they? You've never done so, so…"

"Wait… that's Faust." Luz asked as she pointed at the photograph.

Gus gasped in shock as he asked with wide eyes. "It has a name!?"

"Yeah, he is a doctor, he comes every now and opens a free clinic. He's not a cryptid, he is just absurdly tall." Luz said as she ate a piece of pancake and looked through her phone while chewing on it. "Look…"

She showed Gus and Willow a picture of her and a crowd of people around the enigmatic doctor towering over Luz and her co-workers wearing the paper bag over his head and blue scrubs, they appeared to be in a donut shop in the picture.

"Back when I worked at Black Hole Donuts last winter, me and some co-workers took this picture with Faust, he was a regular customer there. This picture was taken exactly after he conquered the Donuttello…" Luz said, taking a brief dramatic pause.

"Donu-" Gus was about to ask before he was interrupted by Luz who raised her voice for theatrical purposes.

"Ten pounds of dough, two fist-sized scoops of vanilla ice cream, Nutella fill, chocolate sprinkles and… one super-sized milkshake! The Donutello has sent countless people to the hospital, no one has been able to finish it… until then. He ate it in one swift gulp! He practically swallowed the whole thing before we even had the chance to take a video of it! Only us, four employees, the manager, two janitors and three other customers witnessed the death of the monstrous challenge known as the Donutello…" Luz said with a smug look on her face. "The conditions were that if Faust ate the thing, Black Hole Donuts would wipe it off the menu since it brought too many people into his clinic."

"Ok, ok… so he is a human… but why does he wear a paper bag over his head?"

Luz and Gus stared at each other for a full minute before Luz finally broke the awkward silence. "Huh… yeah, why does he wear a paper bag over his head? What does he have to hide?"

"Luz…" Willow interrupted Luz before she went to ponder too much into the question like she often does.

"Right, right! The point is that you're probably over thinking things, Gus. I know you're eager to find some exciting idea to publish, but you shouldn't jump to conclusions, the guy just probably has a good reason for it. Like maybe he is masking a painful memory or shameful mistake he made in the past that haunts him every day of his life, a promise to never take life for granted and make sure that it never happens again… or maybe he is just ugly…" Luz said but then patted Gus on the back. "You'll find something else to report, or you could just interview the guy… I'm pretty sure that he has some wicked E.R. tales to tell."

Gus sighed softly at this and smiled. "Thanks, maybe I might. But there's something else I've been working on."

"Oh?" Luz asked, intrigued.

"Involves the recent murder." Gus looked at the rest to make sure they were distracted as he leaned in to whisper at Willow and Luz. "I believe it's related to the Bleach Killings."

"What do you mean with Bleach Killings? What are those? Don't you think that's a little bit too unnerving to be writing for?" Willow asked.

"I have to agree, Gus. A co-worker of mine was watching the news at the Kinder Garden when the broadcaster started to talk about it. We had to shut down the tv immediately." Amity said with a concerned look on her face as she joined in the conversation, trying to be as quiet as possible.

"I know, right? This place is usually so peaceful. And then this happens." Willow added.

Gus chuckled nervously as he replied to them. "I know the details are gruesome. But… I was really curious about it. So, I searched on the internet using only the details shared by the news. Multiple stabbing, inkblot patterns on the crime scene, no blood, bleach residues on the victim… and then I found out that there have been multiple killings like this in three different places other than Gravesfield. It all started in Danville, they called the killer; The Ink Man. Four murders took place with the exact same pattern. Then murders moved to Norrisville, to which they labeled them as The Bleach Killer. Four new victims. And then the murders started to happen in Megaville. It was there that they were able to arrest him… Megaville called this killer Black White, but his real name was Red Schwarz. He ultimately committed suicide in jail… but… these recent murders here in Gravesfield. The pattern is uncanny… I think that…"

"Gus." Camila's voice made everyone jump on their seats as they saw her standing on the doorway to the dining room. She was hesitant to say something, but eventually, she walked up to them sitting at the table and smiled reassuringly. "I got to say something about this topic… and I want everyone here to listen to what I have to say."

Camilla looked at each and every single face in the room looking at her. "I know what you all have been through, and from what you've told me… I felt terrified listening to your experiences back at the Boiling Isles. But… just because the human world has no magic, it doesn't mean this place isn't dangerous. I'm honestly scared of what's been happening in our small community. So, I ask of you, all of you. Please, be careful. Please come back home safely. I know you're passionate about what you do at your job in the News Outlet, but hearing you pursue such a dangerous topic, it worries me, and I wish for you to let it go. Not for me, for your father who's waiting for you back at the Boiling Isles…"

Gus looked down and nervously smiled while rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah… I know. It's just… I'm sorry if I'm making everyone uncomfortable. I just feel a little bit closer to dad when I'm working on a news article… y'know?

"That's perfectly valid." Luz said. "I think you should do what makes you happy, but I think mom has a point here… there are just things about the human realm that can be really scary… humans and what they're capable of is scary… after all… the most vile witch in the Boiling Isles turned to be out a human."

"Yeah, I understand." Gus chuckled softly in defeat.

The conversation about journalism came to an end after that. They moved from topic to topic, making the morning a much more pleasant experience. Until the time to leave the house came to be.

Camilla sorted the routine for the following weeks. Giving one key to Luz's used car since she has earned her driver's permit the previous winter season. Camilla assigned herself to the main car. Driving Vee to her art class, Caleb to his job at Gravesfield High Library and Gus at the news outlet since those places coincide with her route leading to her job at the Animal Hospital aka the Vet.

Which led to her to assign Luz to drive Willow to her job at the Greene House and Amity at the Kinder Garden/Day Care Center where she works at that coincide with her own job's route at Robin Roast's Café.

They all got dressed, with them being sure to cover their ears. Like Amity with her long hair, Gus with his magic, Willow wore headphones and Caleb wore a brown beret on his head.

Luz, Willow and Amity went their separate ways, wishing Gus, Caleb, Camilla and Vee a good day. Jumping into Luz's car, a cheap car that she was able to afford through several savings of past jobs and some contributions from her mom. It was big enough for them, some bumps here and there but otherwise was in good condition.

"Ok, first of all, we're getting rid of this…" Luz said as she took a small little flat rectangle out of the music compartment on the front of the car, tossing it aside. The block had a tape with the words; Gus' 90s mix.

Amity grabbed the music block and examined it from both sides. "So, is this what humans call an Eye-Pod…?"

"Actually, it is called a cassette." Willow corrected her from the backseat.

"More like dinosaur junk…" Luz jokes, making the girls laugh. "I love Gus and I love his enthusiasm for human culture… but I'd really like to listen to some modern-day music, thank you very much!" She said as she put on some music of her own, making her passengers agree with her choice of music.

The journey to the Greene House didn't last long, the place where Willow has been working part time for nearly a year now. The place wasn't really a Greenhouse. But she did work as a gardener there. The reason the building was called that way was because it was owned by one of the wealthiest companies in Gravesfield; the Greene Foundation.

The building, given her association with the Greene Foundation, had a small open park around it, which required a lot of work. While Willow had a few other co-workers, she secretly did a lot of the job due to her incredible plant magic talent.

She hopped off the car and waved her friends goodbye. "Thanks Luz! See ya both back at home!" Willow said as she pulled her bag up and went off to work.

Next, was The Orb. The place where Amity works. The building had a very unique circular shape which brought people to rebrand this Kinder Garden from Gravesfield South Division Preschool, to the friendlier sounding name it has today. The building was small, which probably had about four classrooms in total.

Luz parked nearby and looked at Amity with a bit of hesitance… perhaps shame lingering in her as she tried to come up with something to say. "Here we are, I… wanted to say… about last night. I didn't mean to…"

"It's ok." Amity smiled, leaning in to get a hold of Luz's hand. "You don't have to say anything. Y'know I'll always be there for you. Right?"

Luz was nibbling on her own lips, clearly Amity could tell that Luz was feeling awful for whatever they both experienced the night before. "Yeah. Thank you. I just… I'm stupid. I really shouldn't put you in this position…" Luz began to ramble but was soon interrupted by a kiss on the cheek, making her look back at Amity.

"Luz… I'm running late… this isn't the time to discuss, but I want you to know that neither of us resent you for what happened. Promise me, you'll be ok when I step out of this car. Cause I sure cannot focus knowing you're going to be miserable while I'm gone." Amity said as she stared into Luz's eyes, trying to keep a wide smile on her face.

"I'll try…" Luz said, smiling back.

"You text me, at any time of the day and I'll be there for you. Ok? Just have a good day at work. Try to relax and we'll figure out what to do today so you don't feel… y'know…" Amity leaned in to place a small kiss on Luz's lips which she replied with a smooch of her own.

"Ok. Thanks. I'm just…" Luz laughed as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry, I'm stupid. Don't listen to me. I'll be ok. I promise… have a good day at work, sweet potato. ~ "

Amity giggled softly and leaned in to give Luz a few more kisses. "Grass-cias, tú también que tengas un buen día en el trabajo… cariño. ~ " Amity said with a wink, making Luz to giggle back at her.

"Wow, your Spanish lessons are paying off. ~ Have a good day as well, linda.~ " Luz blew a kiss at her which Amity pretended to catch with her hand and laughed softly with her cheeks slightly red.

"Hasta luego, love ya!"

"Tambien te amo, sweet potato!" Luz said as she drove away from there and moved all the way to her job; Robin's Roast Café. The very same place that Eda was banned from years before.

She walked in, her eyes looking up at the banned picture of Eda holding a raccoon, making her smile and tear up a bit. "No no no…" Luz rubbed her face and tried to calm down. "You need this job, Luz… power through it…"

She gave Eda one more look and whispered to herself. "I'll find a way back to you, Eda… I promise." She said as she wiped her tears and went to the backroom of the building where she changed up to her uniform.

Luz's day went smoothly, she met with her manager, got a brief explanation of how to serve coffee and the other treats that the establishment sells, then moved on to her shift. The routine kept her focused and the fact that Eda's picture was just above her head, made her feel… back at the Owl House… strangely.

Later that day, Luz parked back at the Kinder Garden for the second time in the day, after her day of work just ended. She thought of grabbing a snack down the street while she waited for Amity to come out, but instead, she walked into the place, curious to see where Amity worked.

She walked into the lobby, where there seemed to be nobody in sight, the desk was empty.

The place was colorful. The walls are covered in drawings that would make any toddler feel comfortable.

She walked down the hall, her eyes fixing upon every glass door, seeing-through what was going on inside of them.

Fortunately, she soon spotted the one classroom that had Amity in sight. She was sitting in front of a small crowd of kids, reading a book to them, the very same way she did back at kids in the Boiling Isles' library.

Luz stood in front of the door, as Amity continued to read from the book and the kids listened intently, some sitting in front of her, others laying back in different spots in the classroom.

'I saw that! Mint exclaimed, extending her arms into the cauldron and pulling the Golem out from it, shaking it and demanding an answer… little did Mint know that this was no Golem…'

Luz smiled, sighing softly. Her joyful smile, turning into a sad face. Her memories go back to when they were younger, when Amity used to do this back at Hexside's library. The guilt she felt of being unable to bring Amity and her friends to return to their families… to their lives…

'The whole room now filled with plants, flowers, vines, nature… the Principal was very amused by the power of the young witch…'

Luz stared into the room, until she heard a voice behind her, making her let out a soft scream as she turned around in one swift movement. "Can I help you?"

Luz fixed her eyes upon a woman with long red hair and pale skin standing in front of her holding a young girl on her arms that had a visible band-aid on her knee which suggested that they just came out from the medical area in the building. "Eh… I'm sorry. I was just… I'm here to pick Amity up… but I got bored from waiting outside and was curious to see what this place was like..." Luz panicked a little bit.

"Oh, you know Amity?" The red haired woman asked, the young brown haired girl she was holding in her arms smiled widely at the mention of Amity.

"Yeah… she is my girlfriend." Luz blurted out, her cheeks slightly red when she realized what she just said in public. Not that she was worried about being judged, but because she worried it might get Amity in trouble.

"Oh… wait…" The woman then grinned. "So, are you the famous Luz?"

Luz gave a soft nervous laugh, about to reply but she heard two more voices join in the conversation.

"Luz?! Luz Noceda?" A worker with long curly brown hair asked as she walked from behind the red haired one to stand in front of Luz with a blonde third worker next to her. "I can't believe it! I should have known it had to be the same Luz! I don't know if you remember me, we studied together in middle school, I think we spoke a couple times… It's Aisha?"

"Oh yeah… Aisha… it's been a while… so… Amity talks about me, huh?" Luz asked, sweating a little bit, slightly uncomfortable because back in middle school… she thought that everyone disliked her, but Aisha seemed to be nice in person.

Aisha laughed softly and grinned. "She talks about you all the time!"

The blonde one next to her opened the book she was holding and handed Luz a piece of paper folded in it. "She leaves her doodles of you all over the place."

Luz looked at the paper and saw a drawing of them dancing in their Grom outfits with the tree they created in the background. Luz almost teared up and exclaimed. "Aww… cosita… she's turning our Grom story into a fairy tale!"

The girls stared at her with a rather confused look on their faces, with the blonde worker breaking the silence and asking. "You mean… prom?"

"Eh…" Luz smiled nervously and before she's even able to even try and reply to the question, she got startled once more, but this time by Amity's voice next to her.

"So, I see you met my co-workers Leni and Aisha…" Amity was blushing slightly when she saw her holding a drawing that she made for a little story she was working on.

"Leni, Aisha, why don't you take young Miranda back to her classroom so she can join her friend who's probably worried about her?" The red-haired worker asked the two other ones, making them smile nervously at her before nodding.

"Of course, Miss Craig!" Aisha said, taking the girl that the red-haired woman was holding with her own arms and waved back at Luz and Amity. "We'll leave you two alone, it was nice to see you again, Luz!" She said as she and her friend walked into one of the classrooms. Putting the girl down so she could reunite with a friend of hers, the girls were no older than five, probably.

"Welp, they seem nice." Luz chuckled softly, watching the endearing reunion of the young friends, sort of… reminding her of certain two she knows.

Amity then realized that the red-haired gal was still standing in front of them. "Oh… sorry, Miss Craig, we didn't mean to make a scene… we just…"

"It's ok, Amity. I just saw Luz here looking into the room and I had to ask if I could help her. You're not in trouble and I don't mean this to sound hostile, but I do recommend you to wait in the lobby next time? For the safety of the kids here, we cannot allow strangers in." The pale woman had a friendly smile on her face the whole time, despite the serious warning.

"Oh! Yes, of course! I'm so sorry… I saw nobody in the lobby… So yeah, it's my fault…" Luz said, this revelation made Miss Craig nod a little bit concerned.

"Ok, my bad. I forgot, we're understaffed right now…" The tall woman said. "But it's ok, we should have someone starting tomorrow, she will be at the front desk. You tell her you're related to the staff, she'll give you a guest tag and you can wait for Amity in the building. How does that sound?"

"Ok. Thanks… wow. I don't mean to be a burden…uh… Miss?" Luz said before Amity then introduced them.

"Oh, Luz. This is my boss, she's… the principal and general manager of this place during summer. Miss Craig." Amity said, making Luz smile nervously at her. By this time, parents began to fill the halls, picking up their kids while they continued their conversation.

"Nice to meet you. Miss Craig… I wouldn't have guessed you're the principal." Luz said as her eyes roamed over the woman's attire, wearing a psychedelic-like t-shirt with a variety of bright colors such as yellow, orange, blue, purple and green. The t-shirt was long, perhaps a size bigger, as it hung down, exposing her left shoulder. She wore green shorts and flip flops, with her nails and toe nails painted in a golden yellow color.

"Call me Barbara, I get that a lot! People would usually think of a principal as an uptight corporate suit. But… I prefer to dress in a more colorful look in order to get the kids and parents to feel safe and comfortable around me. No uniforms here… let the kids have a little bit of fantasy while they still can." Barbara said with a smile.

"Oh, I see." Luz said, smiling back.

"Ok, going to pick some books I borrowed from the library before we go…" Amity commented at Luz, before she turned to face her boss when she asked something to them.

"Oh, you're going to the library? Can I ask a favor of you?" The red-haired woman smiled at Amity once she replied with a nod.

"Sure… you want to pick a book or…?"

"Nope, I actually got a book to bring back due to today, but I'm going to be busy doing some paperwork… budget cuts and such. No worries! Don't get any ideas, I'm not firing anyone… but yeah, I won't have time to arrive in time and turn the book in today… so, mind giving this one more book a ride home?"

"Of course! No problem." Luz was the one who answered for Amity, trying to get on her boss' good side.

"Thanks! You're a lifesaver! Lemme go get the book." Said the red-haired teacher as she walked back to her office.

Luz watched as both Miss Craig and Amity walked their respective ways to get the books they got to return. She stayed put, watching as kids and their parents walked past her in the hallway. She occasionally gave the occasional nod and wave until a particular face… caught her by surprise. Her skin went a little bit pale in shock. A woman in her late forties, who reminded her of someone she knew from the Boiling Isles.

The woman; a parallel human version of Odalia Blight, her uncanny resemblance to her made Luz feel some sort of PTSD that she has not felt in a long time. It wasn't her… of course. There were clear differences.

Her hair was brown with gray lines distributed all over and tied up in a bun just like the Blight, her attire looked similar with the same intense purple color in her clothing but there were no oracle patterns, her eyes blue, her ears round and the jewel around her neck was a bright ruby.

Luz and the woman crossed eyes for a brief moment, which made Luz instantly look away the moment those blue eyes fixed upon her. She didn't see where she went. She just pretended that didn't happen, did Amity know? That was something she was pondering about while she waited for her.

"Hey, I'm back." Amity's voice made Luz jump in place. "Whoa… you ok? You look as if you just saw my mom or something…" Amity jokes.

"Eh…" Luz turned even more pale than before.

They both turned around when they heard some screaming going at the end of the hallway. That very same woman that Luz had identified as Odahlia Blight's human doppelganger was making a scene, shouting at Leni and Aisha as she held onto the young girl from beforehand (Miranda). The discussion seemed to be about Miranda's band-aid, indicating she got hurt and she was clearly upset at young Miranda's friend who was tearing up while hiding behind Aisha.

"Why did you even allow this to happen! I clearly asked you to keep this problematic child away from my Miranda! Look at what she did…!"

"Mrs. Greene… please calm down…" Leni tried to defend the young girl hiding behind Aisha.

"Mom…! It wasn't her fault! Please…" Miranda tried to tug on Mrs. Greene's hand so she would stop screaming at the workers and her friend.

"Oh, so you did see her… it's what I feared you would find out about…" Amity said, being aware how frightening the resemblance between this woman and her own mother was. "Excuse me…" Amity said as she handed Luz the books she brought back from the classroom and walked into the drama.

"Wait…!" Luz panicked a little bit as she watched Amity joining the discussion to help her co-workers to handle this problematic parent.

"Mrs. Greene!" Amity raised her voice a little bit to catch the woman's attention. The way she was talking to her indicated that this wasn't the first time they crossed swords before. "Please, calm down. The kids were just playing, it was an accident, you don't have to…"

"YOU! It was you who allowed this, wasn't it?!" Mrs. Greene said, crossing a line and invading Amity's space by poking her with her index finger on her chest. "I should have guessed… you always seem to be the one that goes against my wishes! I specifically said that you should keep my daughter from associating with this…"

Amity backlashes immediately. "Do NOT lay a finger on me! I'm trying my best to stay respectful, but you're making it real difficult for me to…"

"HA! You, respectful?!" They began to argue with one another, the workers and Luz even tried to step in to prevent things from escalating any further. "…you're nothing but a worker here! I will make sure to go after your head when I get elected Mayor of this place!"

"Care to repeat that…?" Amity said as she pulled out her phone to start recording.

"Huh… why am I even surprised you came up with such a thing." Mrs. Greene said as she laughed sarcastically. "You think you can just intimidate me with your little phone… you're recording?! GREAT!"

"What is going on here?!" The voice of Miss Craig joined in the discussion. She was holding onto a book that she went to pick up in her office.

"I… I…" Amity began to lose her edge once her boss was witnessing her having a pointless argument with one of the parents of the kids they take care of.

"Amity… don't say another word." The red-haired woman warned her, making the brown-haired Amity to nod with a flush on her cheeks, a little bit ashamed that she was caught screaming back at Miss Greene. "Miss Greene… I ask you to please not scream at my employees."

"Excuse ME?! She started it! I clearly asked her to…" Miss Greene was at it again before she was cut off by the principal, who was able to exert her authority when she wanted to.

"If you're going to scream at someone, that better be me. Miss Greene. Not the kids, not the workers. ME. If you have a problem with the way we work here, aim all your anger at me, as I'm responsible for everyone in this building. Please, keep it down and step into my office…"

"HA! I will do no such thing… I'm running late as it is… I got a campaign to run. You…" Mrs. Greene eyed every single one in the room, even Luz who seemed to glare back at her, quite upset because of what she was doing to Amity earlier. "You… you've gained a very dangerous enemy. The moment I get elected…"

"Elections can go one way or another… think of what you're doing in public, cause this certainly does not reflect the conduct of an elected official that this town deserves." Miss Craig replied, shutting the woman up, making her try and speak back at her but failing to.

"My Miranda is not coming back to this place… thank you for your services, they will no longer be necessary." She said, holding onto her ruby around her neck tightly, as if she treated it like some sort of stress reliever, with Miranda looking back at her friend as long streams of tears began to flow down her cheeks.

The hallway was now completely silent, with Amity feeling terrible for the young girl that began to cry harder than before.

"Leni, go get Zoey here some ice cream while we wait for her parents to pick her up." Miss Craig said, making the blonde worker nod while Aisha brought the kid onto her arms and tried to calm her down as she walked up to one of the empty classrooms.

"I'm sorry… Miss Craig…" Amity said, voice cracking a little bit out of fear of losing her job.

"Count to five, Amity…" The tall woman said as she looked down at her.

Amity began to count in her head, ready for whatever decision her boss made while she did so. "I'm sorry… I know you warned me… I take full responsibility for my actions."

"It's not her fault, Miss Craig… that woman…" Luz tried to defend Amity.

"I know." Miss Craig interrupted them. "She's a difficult person, Mrs. Greene. And I understand your frustration. There are always parents like those. I feel really bad for Miranda and Zoey. They're the ones who lost everything today…"

"Yeah… I'll understand if you…" Amity said as she was implying she should quit.

"Amity… I'm not firing you. The kids LOVE you! Losing you will heavily impact our daily life. But I do have to ask of you to not let this happen again. I'm still your boss, and while your peers and I wish for you to continue working with us. I do expect you to not pick up fights with the parents… no matter how vile they are. Do it for the kids…" Miss Craig said, which made Amity nod, looking back at her with a smile.

"Thank you, Miss Craig, it won't happen again…"

The red-haired woman smiled back and handed Luz the book she was holding. "I believe the two of you have places to go."

Luz chuckled nervously at her. "Yeah… thanks for what you did for Amity… I was this close to saying something!" Luz said as she faked some bravery.

"Don't… Mrs. Greene is not worth any of your time." Miss Craig said with a soft laugh.

Luz laughed a little bit, looking down at the book entitled; The Valley of the Lilies, written by Stephanie King. "This sounds familiar… is it a fairy tale of sorts?"

"It's actually about the Boogeyman…" Amity said as she looked at the cover.

"Huh?"

"Yeah… I read that one to the kids once… it's a very endearing tale, a little bit on the mature side of things. But it has a beautiful theme about conquering your fears." Amity added.

"I have to agree, I had to read it for myself as hearing you reading it for the kids did catch my interest. So… would you drop this for me?" Miss Craig asked the both of them.

"Of course… the least I can do." Amity said with a hard blush on her face, still quite upset that she let her boss witness her fighting Mrs. Greene.

"Thanks. Don't worry about Zoey. I'm going to call her parents, settle things up and then go back to the paperwork that I got to do. it's going to be a long night." Miss Craig said as she began to walk up to her office. "See ya tomorrow!"

"Byeee!" Luz said as she and Amity began to leave the building.

"Wow, Miss Craig is a really cool boss. That other lady tho; she's so lucky I decided not to intervene, cause I sure had a lot to say to her face…" Luz said, half joking, half serious, making Amity to roll her eyes and laugh softly.

"I bet you did." Amity said, shifting her eyes down to the floor.

"You're ok?" Luz asked as she reached for her girlfriend's hand.

"I should have stayed out of it… I didn't mean for this to happen… she's… she reminds me a lot of my mom… and dealing with her has been an ordeal for the past weeks… I think if it was my mom it would have been easier… but I just… I feel so angry and powerless to do something about the way she treats her kid. Y'know?" Amity sighed. "I'm glad Barbara defended me… but I wish that I was able to do… more."

"It's ok. I understand." Luz said as she kissed her cheek and rubbed her shoulder as she wrapped her arm around her, making Amity to lean towards her.

"Really doubt that my mom and I would ever patch things up… but she's still my mom… I'm so upset at her, for what she did. Like… she was willing to let everybody die just because she thought that she was getting on Bellos' good side. As if he was going to allow her to live. That man was a witch hunter!" Amity was venting up to Luz, something that she had been holding up for weeks.

"It's ok… you will have the chance to mend that wound someday. I promise you." Luz said, faking a smile but feeling terrible due to her inability to find help for her friends to get back home.

Shortly after, Luz and Amity left the Kinder Garden and drove the way back to the Greene House to pick up Willow. It was then that Luz realized that the Greene House… is called that way for a reason.

"SHE IS YOUR BOSS?!" Luz exclaimed as she drove, making both Amity and Willow sweat as they felt her speeding up a little bit.

"I told you several times that the lady from the elections is my boss! If you already hate her from one interaction you got with her, imagine what it's like to work FOR HER!" Willow said. "Also, for the love of Titan… can you slow down?"

Luz sighed and did just that, slowing down until they reached a red light and continued with their conversation. "Sorry… I'm just… ugh! So pissed at the scene she made at Amity's workplace. I can't believe that she can potentially be our new Mayor!"

"I know, right?" Amity said.

"So… you two are not a little bit… frightened by this doppelganger walking around in town? I never saw a Luz look alike in the Boiling Isles! I nearly had a heart attack when I saw this Greene lady!" Luz exclaimed, speeding up a little bit once she saw the green light.

"LUZ!" Amity screamed holding onto her seatbelt.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Luz panicked and began to drive responsibly now.

"Eh, it's not a big deal…" Willow said, making Luz ask with a rather confused look on her face.

"Not a big deal? I mean… sure Vee could count as my doppelganger, but she can literally transform into anyone she desires. If I ever meet my real doppelganger, I think…" Luz then said in an ominous tone. "I'll DIE…"

"I think I speak for everybody when I say you're kinda morbid, Luz." Willow teased, causing Amity to burst into laughter.

"Do not!" Luz exclaimed. "How would you react if you ever saw someone looking like you on the street…?"

"I have…" Willow said.

"That's what… wait what?!" Luz exclaimed once more.

"Yeah, there's some human looking like me out there, we interacted once…" Willow began to tell her story in a flashback.

-FLASHBACK-

Willow was doing some shopping when she saw the last box of Pop Tarts on a shelf and when she reached for it, her hand met with a stranger's. They both stared into each other realizing… how alike they were to each other.

They both stared for a brief moment, circling around each other and stopped before staring back their eyes.

Then… Willow pulled out a coin from her pocket and asked her doppelganger; "Heads or tails…?"

-END OF THE FLASHBACK-

"Heads or tails? That's what you say to your cosmic double…?" Luz said with a rather ecceptic look on her face.

"Hey, when you're against your mirror match, the match up will always be fifty-fifty. Two Willows is a recipe for a disaster. We might as well just flip a coin…" Willow said, making Luz glare.

"Video game metaphors… really?"

"Don't blame the player, blame the game.~ " Willow said, making Amity laugh once more.

"Ok, ok. How about we change the topic here… I'm tired of talking about Mrs. Greene." Said Amity with a smile.

"Yeah… I think it's best we drop the topic right now…" Luz said in agreement.

"Oh. Did you tell her that her full name is Dahlia Greene?" Willow said, grinning as she saw Luz reaction to the fun fact.

"Oh, c'mon! Now you're just making up stuff!"

"Willow, stop teasing Luz! She's going to crash at any point if you don't drop the subject!" Amity said as they sped up once more without warning.

They did drop the subject, shortly after. Which led to a swift trip. Soon enough they arrived safely at their next destination; Gravesfield's Library. A place connected to the high school they have been attending. With Caleb working for a history teacher of his after graduation.

The crew walked in and met up with Vee who was waiting for them in the Library after her art class came to an end. She was waiting for them while reading a book on a lone table. She saw them on her peripheral view and smiled widely, waving at them.

"Hey…!" Luz raised her voice and got shushed rather immediately. "Sorry…" She whispered after and walked up to her little sister. "Hey. How was your class?" She asked in a whispering tone.

"Great. Caleb is still busy. Professor HP is giving a little talk about poetry right now. So, we'll have to wait…" Vee said as Willow took a seat next to her.

"Ok, that gives me sometime to grab some new material for my job. I'll be right back. Oh! Luz, would you drop the book from Miss Craig for me?" Amity said as Luz gave a nod and leaned in to peck Amity's lips.

"Sure. Sweet Potato." Luz replied and grabbed the book as it was handed to her, walking up to the librarian's desk before her eyes fixed upon a new doppelganger… or at least someone who vaguely reminded her of Lilith…

The woman didn't seem to notice Luz staring at her at first. She was busy working on her woman wasn't an exact copy of Lilith… in fact, there were way more differences between them the more she looked at her.

She was shorter, shorter than Luz even. Her hair was darker. But she wore glasses like Lilith did by the end of her journey in the Boiling Isles. Her eyes were… oddly always closed, even as she typed on her laptop. She wore headphones on her head covering her ears, with a faint sound of music that emanated from them. It was then, after Luz's eyes continued to stare at the librarian's features that she finally realized that there was someone watching her.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked, shutting the music on her headphones but never taking them off, her voice not at all sounding like Lilith. Or maybe Luz has forgotten what she sounds like.

Luz snapped out of it and smiled nervously at her, placing the book on her desk before replying at her. "I've come to bring a book on behalf of Craig… Barbara, I think."

"Oh, thank you, just in time, if she had waited til' tomorrow she would have been charged a fee." The librarian said as she grabbed the book, checked it in, dropping it on the pile.

"That's a relief. Thank you…" Luz said, while looking at the raven-haired woman… her eyes rolling down to notice one more thing on her. The library tag had her name on it; Lily Grim. "Wow… now the universe is messing with me."

The librarian faced her when she heard what Luz blurted out in surprise, while her eyes were closed, she could feel her stare. "Excuse me?"

"No-no! I just…" Luz began to panic. "I was just… thinking of maybe taking the book back with me. The book cover… really caught my interest! YES!"

"Oh." The woman smiled. "Well, if you can hand me your library card, then you can take the book with you."

Luz gave a soft nervous laugh and nodded. "Yes, please… I don't have one… unfortunately… I think I'll ask my girlfriend to take it out for me."

"Ok, I'll hold up to the book in the meantime." Lily said as Luz nodded afterwards.

"Thanks, I'll go get her…" Luz began to walk away until she reached Willow and Vee sitting at the table. "Guys!" She was caught raising her voice once more, being shushed immediately which made her lower her voice. "Guys… I saw another doppelganger."

"Not this again…" Willow said with an uninterested look on her face.

"The librarian looks like Lilith! Her name is Lily…!" Luz was screaming very-very silently, making Willow and Vee almost burst into laughter.

"You look very distressed, sis…" Vee said.

"She has just discovered that there's human-like people of the Boiling Isles in Gravesfield." Willow whispered back at Vee.

"Oh, like the Amity look alike…?" Vee asked, making Luz to turn pale.

"There's an Amity too?!"

"Would you just relax… it's not like these people are going to eat you in your sleep. It's a thing. Besides the only way I can ever agree that the Librarian looks like Lilith is if you squint your eyes really-really hard. Otherwise… she's not an exact copy of her, in my opinion." Willow said, a little bit frustrated.

Luz sighed while looking down at the wooden table. "Guess I'm looking too deep into this, huh?"

"Maybe a little, but instead of overreacting maybe you should just start seeing this through another perspective. Our worlds are somewhat connected… and coincidences happen. The world is one massive coincidence from what your scholar's have gathered. Y'know… the big bang and such, the human realm has interesting theories of how your world came to be… something I really like." Willow said.

"I guess…" Luz said with a light smile on her face. "I just…"

"Are you ok?" Vee asked when Luz had not finished her sentence in nearly half a minute.

"Hehe… I'm just kinda wishing there was a little bit of magic in this place. Y'know…" Luz said as she looked at both of them, making them smile back at her.

"I get it." Willow said. "I miss the Boiling Isles too…"

Vee just stared down, a visible hint of stress in her eyes when hearing the mention of the Boiling Isles. "I would rather stay here… this place is nice." She said, shaking by the idea of finding herself back there.

This made Luz walk around and take a seat next to Vee, her hand rubbing down on her back to comfort her. "He is gone, Vee… I promise you."

"He got squashed like a bug." Willow said with a soft chuckle when she thought of the moment Emperor Belos aka Philip Whittebane was killed by the Collector.

Vee just leaned on Luz, with Willow joining in to calm her down.

In the very same building, Caleb, who was known as Hunter in the Boiling Isles, was sitting next to the man he worked for as his assistant. The man, tall and slim with short brown hair, was reciting a poem to a group of people in a small Oratory Room within the Library.

Two brothers, two sisters.

A betrayal of blood.

A curse of feathers and mud.

One to blame; One Caster.

Jealousy, hatred and weakness.

A curse binding us together.

An eternal darkness.

There's not much left for us… but forever.

"That's the poem I want to call; Agony of a Witch…" The man closed the book he was reading from, making the group of listeners clap while keeping it low so the noise won't be too loud for anyone outside.

Caleb clapped as well, he was still wearing his brown beret in-doors to hide his ears from the crowd.

"That'll conclude our meeting for today. Thank you all for attending, I will see you next week, at the same time, in this very same place." The man said as he placed the book back down on the small desk in the room as people gathered around him, while most of them began to walk out and leave.

The man replied to their questions, many of which had nothing to do with poetry. But mainly about the past history of Gravesfield with Witchcraft. A topic he was erudite for. He was a History Teacher, so he is knowledgeable of that specific part of Gravesfield history.

"Thank you once again, Professor Phillips. I'll see you next week!" The last female student said as she began to walk out the door.

Caleb was finishing up cleaning up the room and placing the chairs back in place once the whole crowd was gone. "Hm, Professor…" Caleb said as he walked up to him.

"Yes, Caleb? Something on your mind?" Professor Phillips asked as he gathered the books left on the desk.

"You don't… really believe in Witchcraft, right?" Caleb asked a question that was a little bit of a test. The way this man would speak about Witches in his class, made him feel as if… the idea of witches for him was sort of an obsession.

The man cracked a soft laugh. "Well, you see, that's a complicated question to answer." Professor Phillips took a seat on the desk as he spoke to Caleb. "Do I believe in magic? I believe… that the world is stranger than we think. What once people deemed as magic, is probably some sort of technology that we did not understand back then. There was a man; a scientist. Who spoke of magic and technology being one and the same. Maybe, someday… we'll be able to co-exist with someone who might expand our understanding of our cosmos, whether they're witches, aliens… or ourselves. I think you should keep an open mind, Caleb." The man said with a smile.

Caleb gave a soft chuckle and nodded. "Thanks, Professor Ph-Howard…" Caleb knew the Professor's full name, and he was aware that it sounded like his former mentor; Philip Wittebane. But these two men were not related. He checked. He double-checked. Probably triple-checked. Just to be sure. The Parallels were uncanny, but Professor Phillips seemed more fascinated by witches, almost as if he idolized them. That was something that he and Philip Wittebane did not share.

"Your poem. Sounds kinda familiar. I don't know why but I feel like…" Caleb continued before being interrupted by the man sitting on his desk.

"Ah, of course. Words are a powerful tool, Caleb. The poem speaks to you. Maybe you witnessed it. You know the characters, perhaps. A sort of connection to it. Isn't it?" The man chuckled softly. "I'm sure that your muse would someday speak to you the way it was spoken to me. I believe you and I have lived different lives. Who knows how many our paths have intertwined."

"Hehe, I guess so. You think… I can find my own muse, sir?" Caleb asked, intrigued.

"Of course. You just have to look deep in your heart, Caleb. Let her speak to you." The man winked.

"Thanks, Professor Howard." Caleb said with a soft laugh as he began to walk out of the room.

"No, thank you, Caleb. Take care. Tomorrow is our seminar, can I count on you?" The man said as he opened the door for the both of them before walking out.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it! See you tomorrow." Caleb said as he began to walk towards Luz and the rest who were waiting for him at one of the tables. "Hey."

"How was your day?" Luz asked.

"Great. Where's Gus?" Caleb asked as he did a head count.

"Oh, we're picking him up in a moment." Luz said as she heard Amity's voice addressing her.

"Luz, this is yours… I suppose?" Amity said as she handed her back the book that Miss Craig had asked them to bring back.

"Oh… yeah, I kinda…" Luz took a quick look at the librarian who was talking to other people checking out some books. "Wait… how did she figure it out you're my girlfriend…?"

"Luz…" Willow said. "What did we talk about?" She said as Luz sighed.

"To relax and stop harassing the doppelgangers…"

"Doppelgangers?" Caleb asked.

"Long story, we'll tell you on the way to the Newscast Center." Willow said as everyone began to move towards the door, with Luz going on a conspiracy theorist rant for the last time.

They were heading towards their last stop, the Newscast Center, where Gus has been working as a writer and part time reporter for a News Podcast.

Gus was standing outside of the Podcast Room, where his boss and star of the show was interviewing the Police Deputy about the recent murder that took place in Gravesfield.

"So, in your words… this case has absolutely nothing to do with Megaville's Ink Man Murders?" The Host asked the Police Deputy as he nodded.

"Absolutely not. I believe that this recent tragedy has taken our once quiet town by surprise. The online theorists are jumping to conclusions, we got several suspects in custody and we assure you, we're doing the best we can to put this event in the past… listeners, viewers, please do not succumb to your fear. Stay safe, stay rational. And if you have information that could help us close this case down, contact your local authorities. Do NOT try to be a hero…"

Gus was a little bit skeptical, but he remembered he promised not to look into this specific case. He had to admit that it was unnerving to say the least. And he didn't want to put him and any of his loved ones in any danger.

Suddenly, he got a message on his phone, her friends were already parked outside of the building. He texted them back before he walked up to the coffee room where he had left his bag. He stood one more time in front of the large glass walls so his boss could see him and just waved him goodbye as he nodded with a smile, continuing with his show shortly after.

Once outside, Gus jumped into the car, realizing that her friends were listening to the podcast on the radio.

"So…" Luz said as she started the car.

"Well, you heard the man, guess we shouldn't worry about it… hehe." Gus said, while Luz began to drive away, heading towards their home.

"You don't sound too sure." Caleb said.

"It's just like what Mrs. Noceda said, it is a very delicate topic. I sure hope that nothing more sinister is going on." Gus said.

"Tell you what I think we should do to cheer you up?" Willow said as she wrapped her arm around Gus. "Go get us some BLOODBERRY shake from Burger Queen!"

"Oh man, if only I was still working there, we would have gotten some for free." Luz laughed softly.

"I demand BLOOD!" Willow exclaimed, repeating what the morbid Bloodberry Shake publicity campaign said on TV, which made Gus and Caleb laugh out loud.

"Tell you what, let's get some burgers. My treat." Amity said, laughing after she heard everyone on the backseat repeat the cringe-worthy slogan from Burger Queen.

"To Burger Queen!" Luz exclaimed, making a quick stop towards the fast-food restaurant.

For the rest of the day, things were back to normal. They arrived at home, ate their burgers, drank their Bloodberry Shakes, binged some series online and greeted Camilla once she arrived back home.

Everything was perfect… so perfect. It's the only thought in Luz's head as she tried to sleep that night. Ever since they arrived at the Human Realm, she has been sharing her room with Willow, Vee and Amity. In separate beds, of course. It became a little bit crowded, but then again, there was still enough space for them. Willow and Amity shared a bed, while Vee and her shared the other one.

She was staring up at the ceiling, before her eyes looked to her side, watching Amity sleep on her bed next to Willow.

Her thoughts going back to that night… where The Collector took over the Boiling Isles. When King used the sound of his voice to send her back to the Human Realm. Her eyes began to water once more, just like the night before…

She slipped off bed and began to walk out her door. Unaware that Amity had opened her eyes, she did not sleep at all. She was waiting for this moment… wishing that this night Luz wouldn't go to that place…

Luz walked out of home, her eyes fixed upon the woods, her feet taking her to that place. The Cabin. There was no door anymore, the whole place has seen better days. It was dusty, abandoned.

She stood in the middle of the main entrance and collapsed on the floor. The place was so far away from society, that her cries were muffled by the loud sounds of nature. But someone heard, someone was standing where the door used to be. "Please… give me back the door. Please give me back Eda… please give me back my family…" Luz cried out as she banged on the floor.

Amity walked up to her and kneeled down, resting her hand against her back.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Luz whimpered, crying her heart out, unable to stop, making Amity wrap her arms around her tightly.

"Don't be… let it out… let it all out." Amity whispered into her ear, tightening her hug as tightly as Luz was doing so.

"I want to go back… I want to bring you guys back…" Luz said with her face buried on Amity's shoulder while Amity herself was rubbing on her back reassuringly.

"I know… we'll get there, someday…" Amity said, her eyes saddened and exhausted, while she tried her best to cheer Luz up about the subject… she and the others had… moved on. They haven't lost their hopes up… yet. But they didn't know for sure if they would be able to return home.

While Luz was being comforted by her girlfriend, something else was going on somewhere in town.

Back at the Greene House, where the soon to be elected Mayor of Gravesfield, Mrs. Dahlia Greene was shattering papers with just one other subordinate of hers. "Be quick about it, I want all of this to be gone by the end of tonight."

"Yes, ma'am… I'll bring the last box." The man said as she was left alone in her office wiping out an entire hard drive on her computer. The sound of a box being dropped filled her ears as she looked over her desk to face her employee.

"Be sure to leave none of it…" Dahlia wasn't able to finish her sentence, when her eyes were set upon the box dropping on the entrance and the papers scattering on the doorway; the screeching of her door giving an unnerving feeling in her spine as she stared at the dark hallway.

She froze for a moment, holding onto the ruby on her necklace tightly before moving fast.

Quickly, she reached for the drawer on her desk and pulled out a gun, the look on her eyes gave it away that she was determined to use it if she needed it.

"Who goes there?" She called out as she loaded the gun and stood up from her desk, aiming the gun in the direction of the dark corridor. The lights flicked, startling her and making her shoot at a figure that emerged from the pitch-black hall.

A black blob that she shot a few times but didn't seem to stop coming at her, she screamed in pain as a large red blade pierced through the arm holding her gun, firing one last time and breaking the light bulb in the room, leaving them in a pitch-black stage.

She stared into that pale porcelain face looking back at her, where there should be eyes, were hollow black sockets, oozing ink just like the large smile under them. "Stop! Who are you?! Why are you doing this?! You want money…?! I can give you money! Please, you're hurting me!" She tried to plead for her life, she struggled until that voice… that unsettling voice began to speak at her.

"Green; the color of nature. Represents peace, health and harmony. Yet, you… represent none of those qualities. You're a bad weed that needs to be cut from the grass… you prevent growth. Gravesfield will not prosper with your existence… especially if you're in a leading position." The figure said, their voice distorted, the eyes, the large smile, they were motionless, so it was probably a mask they wore to hide their identity.

"No, wait! Don't do this…! If I become elected… I can literally give you anything! Anything you desire…!" Mrs. Greene tried to bargain with the dark figure.

"Purple; the color of Royalty. Represents wisdom, creativity and spirituality. Yet, you feed on the weak. The people that had put their lives in your trust, you're nothing but a false monarch… your colors are an illusion, absence of light, just like the gray stone you carry around your neck!" The stranger pierced Mrs. Greene through the chest, making her scream.

"You're killing me! STOP!" Dahlia Greene fell onto the floor, she watched as the figure left the room, she tried to reach for the phone on her desk, it landed on the floor next to her, she dialed 911 before the boot of the killer stepped on her hand and made her scream harder than before as she felt Bleach being poured on her wounds.

"911, what's your emergency? Hello? Hello?!"

It took a full minute… but soon Mrs. Greene's screams faded away. Replaced with an unnerving silence. She was no longer alive. The figure ran their hand over their chest, they were bleeding. Mrs. Greene managed to wound them after all. They picked up the phone and said in their distorted voice the following message.

"Dahlia Greene… you'll find the terrible secrets she tried to erase if you hurry up… for those who try to cover it up… you'll meet with the same fate. There is nothing to gain but death." The distorted voice said as the crimson pool under Mrs. Greene began to move as if the killer was bending the vital liquid and began to crawl up their black mass of ink.

"The candidate? Who is this…?"

The killer left the phone hanging, disappearing into the dark corridor from which it came. Never to be seen that night again…

End of Chapter 1.