Monday left me broken
Hunter would never be sure when he realized that normal kids did not just have uncles.
He supposed he must have heard some other Coven Scout mention a mother. A father. Siblings. Aunts. Grandparents even. Some Coven Scouts had absolutely huge families.
And Hunter had just one uncle.
He didn't remember when he started thinking that might be weird, but he did remember the day he finally asked about it.
"Wild magic took them away," his uncle said (lied). "You had a mother once. And a father. We had a whole family. But they were killed."
"Oh."
Somehow he didn't feel as sad as he expected. Never knowing something made it hard to miss.
"A family once," Belos mused, almost as if he had forgotten Hunter was in the room too. "Brothers... parents. Now I'm alone."
"You have me," Hunter offered helpfully. "And- and I have you."
His uncle did not respond to that.
Tuesday I was through with hoping
When had he started actively working for his uncle's love? Actively hoping, striving with everything in him to earn it.
Too long, something told him, something he tried to shush.
Too long.
His first mission as the Golden Guard. And the results had been mediocre. His wrists ached. He would never be good enough to fill the position. As Darius oh so helpfully pointed out, the uniform didn't even fit. The cape dragged along the floor. The mask was too big.
He could never be a great Golden Guard. Not like his predecessor.
Maybe if he worked, he could avoid being an awful one, and further disappointing Uncle.
Wednesday my empty arms were open
It was selfish of him to want acknowledgment or thanks.
Taking care of his uncle was his job. Both as the Golden Guard and as family. He did it without complaint, to the best of his abilities.
When Belos brushed him off after an episode that Hunter helped him out of, it wasn't personal, right? It was just- the curse. That was it. Deep down, he appreciated Hunter.
A person could love you and not show it.
(Right?)
Thursday waiting for love
A cold draft came into the auditorium from a loose panel of glass in one of the windows. Hunter shivered and drew his cloak more tightly around himself. Flapjack chirped, nudging a bag of Hexmix closer to him.
Time to eat. He settled on Hunter's shoulder and tugged at the strand of hair that would never stay put.
"No, I'm not hungry."
The bird stamped one little foot in protest. Need to eat! Stay healthy.
"I haven't done anything today. I don't need food." He didn't feel hungry. Or thirsty. Just numb, maybe a little tired. Did he even need food like normal witches? "I'll be okay, Flap. I just need to go to sleep."
And not open those books back up. It was a nightmare trying to sift through what could be mostly misinformation for all he knew, in search of something... that might help him? Help him with what?
What was he supposed to do now? He had no one, he was afraid to even go outside, there was no end in sight to any of this except for the Day of Unity, and even then-
Breathe! Breathe, okay, Flapjack hopped into his lap, pecking at his shirt. Hunter hadn't even realized he was having trouble with that.
He hated when this happened. He couldn't stop his lungs from moving in and out too fast, and he got dizzy, his heart started pounding and he felt like he was going to die.
Maybe he was. This didn't feel normal. Maybe this meant he was dying.
He didn't really want to die. He wanted to live, he wanted to go outside and play Flyer Derby with his friends and read books but he couldn't do any of that anyway so what was even the point of wishing if he was just going to die either by his uncle's- emperor's hand or from this stupid coven sigil.
There was no way out.
Hunter curled in on himself, unable to curb the all-encompassing feelings that settled over him like layers of dirt.
Thank the stars it's Friday
He was still very much learning the rules of the house and the human realm, but there didn't seem to be a punishment of any kind if he messed up. He didn't even have to grovel. That was new. When his friends told him "thank you", he wasn't sure what to even do. He bowed to Willow once, and she looked unsettled. He didn't do it again.
He kept waiting for the catch. The price. Luz's mother couldn't possibly be watching over all six of them- four of whom weren't even her own kids- for nothing. Hunter had decided the second he stepped through the door that he would pay the price himself. Whatever it was. He was the oldest, it was his job to keep his friends safe.
Days passed. Weeks. Hunter made sure to keep up with the dishes. Seven people made for a sink that filled quickly. The leaves began to fall, and Hunter didn't let them stay on the lawn for long. He raked them into a big pile. He swept off the porch every couple of days. He couldn't sleep one night and cleaned the gutters. He folded baskets of towels and shirts and jeans. Gus helped him get over his fear of the clothes dryer. (What? It looked like it might eat him!)
It was working. Camila hadn't brought up when they needed to leave yet.
She seemed even happier when they started learning Spanish. So Hunter threw himself wholeheartedly into learning the language. (When they weren't busy with portal attempts, of course.) She asked him questions- pop quizzes- that kept him on his toes, and the place started to feel a little more like home.
Then one day he found himself waking up a lot later than usual. He sat up and felt awful.
No. No no no, he couldn't be sick!
He'd been tired that evening and fell asleep before he did the dishes. The kitchen floor still needed to be mopped. There was so much to do. He was going to reorganize some bookshelves. He forced himself to stand on wobbly legs, clutching the blanket more tightly around himself. He had to do this. He couldn't let the house fall into disrepair while Camila was at work.
He glanced at the clock. Two?! It was two o'clock?! Shit, he had to move!
Camila came home that evening to find Hunter curled up in the middle of the stairs, where he'd planned on taking a short break from carrying a basket of folded laundry up. He looked paler than usual.
"Hunter, baby?" She reached out and gently shook his shoulder. He grumbled, forcing his eyes open. "That doesn't look very comfortable. Come on, let's get you to bed."
The teen stared up at her with bleary eyes. "You're home? I'm not finished yet."
"Finished with what?"
"There's so much to do," he mumbled.
"It can wait. It can all wait, and I'm sure your friends will help you out. Luz?"
"Yeah?" Luz kicked off her other shoe and found where Camila stood at the bottom of the stairs. "Woah, Hunter, you look like a wreck. Everything okay?"
"Yeah, 'm fine."
"He's a little under the weather," Camila corrected him. She laid a cool hand on Hunter's forehead. He shut his eyes and leaned into it. "Will you take the basket the rest of the way upstairs, mija? I'm going to get him to bed."
"Of course. Get some rest, Hunter. For once in your life."
"But I'm not done, I have to-"
"Shh, no, baby. You don't have to do anything. It's okay." Camila helped him to his feet, and pulled him into one of those things Luz did sometimes... a hug? "You do so much around here, but it's okay to relax sometimes. You probably overworked yourself."
"No such thing, I've done worse."
"I don't think that's as comforting as you think it is, mijo. Come on." She moved him to the couch in the living room that night instead of the basement. He swallowed a small cup of a sticky, very sweet substance. Human medicine tasted so weird.
Burning like a fire gone wild on Saturday
He had never felt anger like this before. He marched straight to the clubhouse, out back where they had piled up the rotting, unsalvagable furniture. Rain and time had rendered them useless.
He started smashing things. He started with a baseball bat, and at some point, it slipped out of his hands and he was grabbing a chair leg, snapping it off of the bottom of the chair, and throwing it as hard as he could into a tree.
At another point, he started screaming.
When the whole pile was finally demolished and his throat felt torn up, he stood in the clearing, hands still shaking, and looked at what he'd done.
It hadn't made the feelings any better.
That's where Vee found him.
"Hey. That's... a lot of damage. Are you okay?"
He didn't respond, but he did lift a shaking hand. Vee spotted the splinters now embedded in his palms and fingers and winced.
"Come home, Mom can fix it." She laid a soft hand on his shoulder.
Hunter shook his head. "No. She can't."
"I mean the splinters. I know she can't fix the other stuff. That takes time."
"He ruined me. He made me, and then he ruined me. There was never any point to it."
"Hunter- I get it. I do. You're... sort of like me. I'm not really supposed to exist, I do because someone wanted to use me. Belos wanted to use both of us. But it can get better."
Hunter hesitantly looked up and met Vee's gaze.
"Camila doesn't expect anything of us except to be kids, and to be ourselves. I know that's hard to believe right now, but it's true. Trust me, even if you can't trust her quite yet."
Hunter felt himself start to slowly nod.
"Come on. She can fix your hands."
Guess I won't be going to church on Sunday
At the end of it all, a huge pile of rubble stood where one half of the castle had collapsed in on itself. Hunter's room, all his notes, everything of his old life was gone.
So was the throne room.
The cold tile was ground into dust. The torches that had lined the walls were probably dented and smashed beyond recognition. Hunter stood atop a large chunk of marble. He couldn't even tell where it had come from.
He felt a spark of something- relief. He really would never step foot into that throne room again.
"Hunter!" he turned to find Luz and her mom waiting for him.
"Are you coming, mijo?"
"Where?"
"Home," Luz said. She didn't elaborate.
Did she mean the Owl House? With Hooty back in his rightful place, the house was alive again, the same quirky, hazardous, welcoming junk heap it had always been. Did she mean Hexside? The school where they had both learned what it felt like to fit in, that covens and human realm schools couldn't hold a candle to. Did she mean her house in Connecticut, where Hunter had finally felt safe, where all of her childhood memories were stored?
He found that it didn't actually matter. Wherever they were going, he would follow.
He slid off the chunk of marble, stumbling slightly when he landed. Luz held out a hand. Hunter took it, hanging on tight, and walked away from the ruins, sandwiched between his mother and sister.