I saw a lot of interesting theories as to how this arc will play out. I won't say anything, but I do find the interaction to be awesome. Seriously, it makes me smile when I see people make theories about how certain things will be going down, gives me more motivation to write this.

Anyway, with that out of the way, let us begin…!

[The "Not-So-Dull" Summer Camp – Pt 3]

There was nothing but suffocating silence, terror, and dread filling the air. For a solid minute and a half, no one answered the call to ask a question about this horrendous scenario. As far as Luz was concerned, she wanted nothing to do with this. But, with the threat of being most likely gunned down if an attempt was made to escape, Luz also knew that that option was thrown right out the window. There was no escaping this, which only made the dread in her heart feel even worse.

The Governor was waiting patiently, looking at his watch every now and again to check the time. It was almost as if he was wanting there to be questions, considering he made no moves to actually start the "game" as he was calling it. But Luz knew better. "This isn't a game…. This is murder with extra steps!" Luz thought, balling her right hand into a fist as she looked at the ground.

Luz felt powerless. Hell, she was pretty sure everyone felt that in some way. But for her, it was even more so than that. All she had were holes in her hands and invisible strings connected to those with superpowers. What was she going to be able to do in a situation like this against people without powers!? Hell, she didn't even know what the strings did. All she knew was that they made her fingers spark red!

Luz wanted to do something, anything! But there was really nothing that she could do. If she had to compare it to something she had read in The Good Witch Azura, it would be where Azura was stuck in a lose-lose situation, with no hope of getting out.

Except, unlike here, Azura did have a way to escape. Luz did not. And because of that, the feeling of being powerless increased tenfold

"Everyone else in this place has stronger, better powers than myself, even Julia does! If I'm caught off guard by someone who has murder on their mind…."

A wave of dread washed over her as a horrifying idea welled its way through her head. "Oh, Dios mío! I could die here!" The dread on her face was visible to anyone who looked at her. She felt a hand on her shoulder, startling her slightly. Luz looked over to where the hand came from, only to find Julia, a concerned look on her face.

"Are you alright?" Julia whispered as Luz sucked back a shaky breath, nodding. Julia looked unconvinced but didn't bother to say anything else, only nodding in reply.

The silence furthered for a little while longer, the Governor now seemingly becoming impatient. It was only when another minute passed that someone spoke up.

"What is the incentive to clearing this so-called "Civil war" outside of going home to our families?" A rough-sounding voice said as almost everyone turned to look at who it was who asked the question.

The person was tan in colour, and the top of a skull tattoo was exposed through his white undershirt's neck hole. He looked like one of those Olympic track runners in terms of his body build, height, and posture. His hands were behind his back, almost as if he had been lined up to join the army. His expression was calm, unwavering in whatever he was feeling at the moment. Those around him stepped away, looks of fear on their faces as The Governor smirked.

"Finally. About damn time someone spoke up," the man muttered under his breath as he looked at the teen in question. "Good question, Stanley Richardson. Outside of going home to their families, those who survive will get a cash prize of 1.1 Billion dollars split up between those that make it out of this alive. You'll also have access to training equipment to fully enhance your abilities, and…! You'll be given a free pass to use your power whenever you want in public, at least, in the State of Connecticut. This is not to mention any crimes you commit here will be swept under the rug. And I do mean any crime."

The part about the "use your power wherever you feel like within the borders of Connecticut" no one really seemed to care about. It was the first, second, and last thing that he mentioned that made everyone's eyes widen. 1.1 Billion Dollars split between those who lived, have access to proper training, and any crime that gets committed within this "game" getting swept under the rug?! It was almost like he was asking for atrocities to be committed! Luz just hoped that no one got the wrong idea to do anything, well… too heinous. You know, outside of murder, which was already bad.

"I see… thank you for answering, Governor," Stanley replied as he rolled his neck to the left. The Governor nodded, crossing his arms as he gave everyone else another once-over.

"Do we have any other questions that need to be asked?"

"How will we obtain food and water, sir?" shockingly enough, it was Julia who asked that question. The Governor nodded, clearing his throat.

"There will be care packages that drop every weekend. It'll be a free-for-all as to who gets the food. However, every base has enough rations to last until the first care package. Or longer, though that depends on your food management," The Governor stated, earning a nod from Julia. "Is there anything else?"

The silence was all he was met with, which allowed him to conclude that the questioning period was over. "Alright then. If there are no more questions, let's get to forming the factions, shall we? First, let's start with the leaders of the groups. For The Heaven's Devils, Kennedy Jennkins will be put in charge!" The Governor announced, pointing in the direction of the previously unseen flag banisters for each faction.

The one for The Heavens Devils was a black flag with a yellow halo and devil horns sticking out from beside said halo. Kennedy didn't seem to be too stressed out with the idea of leading a group, and had no hesitation in walking over to the flag and standing next to it.

"Next one up is Emilia Worstoch, who will lead Foxtrot!"

An orange-haired pale skinned teen, probably no older than 14, wearing a thick black jacket covering most of her body, minus her legs which had long knee-length red stalkings, walked up to a red flag with a fox logo smack dab in the center of said flag. She looked just as scared as everyone else did, which was pretty much a given.

"And finally, for The Alpha Squadron, their leader will be…. Luz Noceda!"

Luz's heart dropped. "Me? A leader?! W-what the hell?! Why!" "Huh?! Why me?!" Luz said as the Governor shrugged, a nondescript expression on his face.

"I'm just picking from random. Now go stand by your flag, Ms. Noceda," The Governor said as Luz bit back whatever snarky remark she was going to make, and did as she was told. When she got to the flag, she glanced at it and shivered. It was a pair of knives aligned in the form of the United States Flag. The Governor looked over the leaders, then nodded to himself.

"Alright. Now that that's done, everyone, go where you see fit. Remember, there must be 10 other people per team, totalling 11 members on each faction. After which you will be led by one of these fine gentlemen," The Governor paused to gesture to the soldiers, who nodded; "to your camps! Is everyone clear on that?"

A series of partial to full agreements were what The Governor was given in the response, to which he huffed."Before we start, I must state this now. For the first 24 hours, there will be a grace period. This means that until 9:00 AM tomorrow, no attacking, violence, or whatever may occur to the other factions. After that? Prison Rules, which means no rules. You're free to do whatever you want, with the obvious no attempting to escape." After the Governor said his piece, he gave everyone one last glance, before smirking. "Alright. Go!"

Almost immediately, Julia walked toward Luz, followed by Carla. The rest of the people that followed Julia were people that Luz didn't know the name of. Once everyone had been equally divided, The Governor had signalled the soldiers to take them to their camps. There were no words exchanged between anyone after that point.

All Luz could do was walk in silence, occasionally looking next to her to see what Julia was doing. She had let no indication show that she was either scared or fearful for what was to come. She was stone cold, only blinking and checking her surroundings every so often.

Her thoughts were filled with dread. All she could think about was the situation she was in, and… her mother. "Mamá… this… no, I can't blame her, she knew nothing…." Luz thought, biting the inside of her lip.

It took another hour before they were brought to their base, which was surrounded by massive wooden walls and blocked off by a drawstring gate. The soldiers let them in, then closed the gate on them afterwards, the big wooden wall slamming shut with a thud. The flags of their Faction flew high into the air, the walls towering over them, reaching almost up to the trees in height.

The inside of the base was huge. There was a massive camping station with log seats and a pile of firewood off to the immediate right of the entrance. There were three log cabins with log roofs, all of which were positioned in the back, with gravel paths leading to them. There was another house split up with two entrances with male and female signs—in other words, the bathrooms.

There was what appeared to be a small farm, though Luz doubted they'd need it. It being there in the first place however made an awful feeling well up in her chest. What if they were going to be kept there for longer than the summer? What other things were the Governor and his soldiers going to do to them if given the chance?

"Don't think about that. That's not what's happening. Everything will be alright… for the most part…." Luz thought as she turned to face everyone else, keeping herself calm and composed. "Alright, everyone! If we're going to work together, I need names. Does anyone have a piece of paper? Or maybe something to write on?"

Silence, for all of a few seconds, as someone stepped up, holding a small notepad with a pen. "I got a notebook and a pen!"

The person in question was pretty short, maybe 4 foot 1, at best, and 3 foot 11 at worst. She had shoulder-length black hair, and tan skin, and was wearing a plain white t-shirt, a pair of dark blue shorts with black ankle socks, and a pair of Nike runners. Luz took the notebook and pen, a strained smile on her face. Clicking the back of the pen, she wrote down her name and Julia's, before looking at the girl who gave her the notepad. "What's your name?"

The smaller teen smiled, putting her arms behind her back. "Arla Thatcher! I would say it's nice to meet you, but… due to the circumstances, I wouldn't call it, well, nice…."

"I feel the same way, so no hard feelings," Luz replied as she wrote down the name. "Alright. All say your names… uh… ten seconds after the other, that way I can write them down. Okay?" Luz said, her tone awkward as everyone mumbled in the group of 8, outside of Arla and Julia, looked at one another. After a few seconds, someone spoke up.

"Judy Valentina," A pale-skinned girl with dyed half-pink and half-brown hair said. She was wearing a black leather jacket with spikes on the shoulders, a white ripped shirt underneath, and a pair of ripped jeans with black leather boots for footwear. "A pleasure to meet you, captain."

Luz nodded, the same strained smile on her face as she wrote down Judy's name.

"Ronny Armstrong!" A tan-skinned boy shouted. He was wearing a black muscle shirt and green shorts and white runners. Luz nodded, before also writing down his name.

"Jean Pierre," A white-skinned boy with a french accent said. He was wearing a blue and white striped shirt, with a pair of long black yoga pants and green trainers on. His hair was silver and had been flat-topped, almost like a hat.

"Stanley Richardson." Luz already knew who that was. She was a bit shocked that he had joined her faction, but at least she knew that someone… bold had joined them. "If he was bold enough to ask the question he did to the Governor, maybe he would be a good ally?"

"Theodore Jackson," A dark-skinned boy said, crossing his arms over his black and yellow shirt. He was wearing a pair of zebra-coloured pants, and black high-tops. He also had a golden loop earring hanging from his right ear.

"Carla Tsunata." Once again, Luz knew who that was. She seemed nice enough from her introduction back at the tent, so she was glad to have both Julia and Carla on her team.

"Johnny Marshal!" When she looked up at who said the name, Luz recognized the boy. He was the one with the dyed orange hair from the tent. Another familiar face.

"Call me Marcone. Marcone Giovanni. Yes, I am aware it is a sterotypical Italian name. I blame my parents." A tall boy with black and yellow striped hair said, his tone bored sounding. He wore a grey sweater shirt, a pair of black jeans, and black hiking boots. When Luz finished writing down the last name, she smiled.

"Alright! That's everyone! Obviously, my name is Luz Noceda, and… as much as I am super nervous to actually be leading a team of people… I will try my best to be the best leader I can be!" As Luz said that, she was met with silence. A wave of embarrassment washed over her as she cringed into herself. A scoff came from the crowd, as Stanley rose from where he was leaning against the wall.

"You got spunk. I like that. I was kinda worried you'd be a bit of a loser. Glad I made the right call," when Stanley said that, Luz smiled, putting more confidence in her posture as she stood, a small gleam in her eyes. "So, Commander, what's the first line of duty?" Stanley asked as Luz cleared her throat.

"Well, first things first, we need to get settled. Once we get comfortable, I'd say in an hour or two, we'll all meet at the campfire. We'll go from there afterward. Sound good?" As Luz finished her "command" everyone all nodded, and split apart into various small groups, then jutted off to places around the base. Luz felt a weight lift off her shoulders as she breathed a sigh of relief.

Luz watched as Julia approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder as she smiled. "You look tired. Is everything alright?" Julia asked as Luz sighed.

"Well… I mean, the day hasn't even begun, and I'm already drained of energy," Luz replied as the pale blonde smiled.

"It's at least midday, Luz. Look, If you're tired, got lay down in one of the cabins. I'm sure one of them has a bed you can sleep in, right? Don't overwork yourself because you feel like you need to. It's bad for your health," Julia suggested as Luz frowned.

"But… that'll set a bad first impression. Julie, I'm their leader, right? I'm also yours, so what kind of leader would that make me if napped while everyone else did some kind of work?" The half-Dominican, half-American teen asked as Julia took her hand off of Luz's shoulder, and made a reassuring gesture by placing her over her heart.

"Then I can be the second-in-command, right? That way you won't have to worry about leading everyone. Every good leader has someone to fall back on if they're heavily wounded or tired, right? King Arthur had Sir Geraint. So you can have me? Why not? Besides, I don't mind. It's not like you're forcing me to take up this role, in the first place," Julia explained as Luz bit the inside of her lip before clicking her tongue against her teeth.

Julia was right in that regard. And besides, so far she seemed like a good person. So… why not? "Thank you, Julie, you're a lifesaver," Luz said, not realizing she had embraced the pale blonde in a hug, which the girl didn't seem to mind, even hugging her back. It was only when Luz realized that she had hugged her that she stumbled back, an embarrassed blush on her face as Julia giggled.

"A-Ah, my bad! I'm sorry if I offended you, I—"

"It's alright, Luz. Seriously, calm down. Go rest. Once the hour or two is up, I'll wake you up so that you can do your job," Julia assured the embarrassed Luz, who nodded, before striding over to the first cabin in front of her. When she opened the door, she was greeted with two bunk beds and two single beds. In the center of the room was a lightbulb attached to a string. The interior had no decorations. It was just a simple wooden cabin with a log roof.

And seeing as she wanted nothing more than to sleep, she didn't even bother turning on the light. Closing the door behind her, she walked over to the single bed, took her shoes and socks off, then laid down on the pillow. The moment she did that, she fell asleep and began to dream.

In the dream, she was in a dark void. She was wearing the same clothing she had been in the real world, which for her dreams that normally consisted of her fighting epic battles against her favourite villains dressed as the main character was not normal. Then again, so was the black void.

In front of her was a fireplace, two red leather chairs with golden dots lining the fabric of said chairs, and… someone she didn't recognize.

The man in question had short starch-white hair, pale skin, and red eyes. He was wearing a black two-piece business suit, not too dissimilar to what The Governor had worn. His arms were crossed, and he had a smirk on his face.

"So…. We finally meet, Luz Noceda. I wanted to meet you sooner, i.e. last night, but I didn't have enough strength to build that connection. But now… now I have." As the man said that, Luz recoiled, partly because he knew her name, and partly because the tone of which he was using was way, way too familiarizing to be described as normal.

"Uh… who are you?" Luz asked as the man's smile never wavered.

"Ah, you'll learn that in due time, my dear Luz. For now, take a seat. We have much to discuss and so little time in which to do so."

-To Be Continued in – The First-

Yeah, who woulda saw that coming? Did you really think I'd not have him show up? Granted, I know that this might seem rushed, but I really want to cut to the chase with this arc. I don't want this to drag out any more than it has to so that we can get to the Boiling Isles, because I know that's what you all want to see.

That being said, this chapter is shorter than the last three for a few reasons. 1: I didn't want to continue it past him showing up, and 2: because the focus of the chapter was over. Not every chapter is going to be some ridiculously long epic unless it's plot-heavy (like the next one will be, spoilers) or is setting up something important. I hope you all understand.

Until next time, peace!