Sorry, this is so short. I had a lot of real world problems this week.
The Collector was getting impatient. The sun had just risen and that meant their playdate had ended. It was nice having a big sister, even though she drew the line when it came to giving her injuries.
It wasn't their fault Phillip had shot her! They should be able to roughhouse without her getting upset about a few lacerations. What did she mean when pointed out her body was fragile?
Belos hadn't visited them in two days, claiming he had important matters to attend to with his "nephew". Honestly, why didn't Belos tell the grimwalkers what they were when they were born so they didn't have meltdowns? Their so-called betrayals always happened when they found out the truth.
"I'm so bored! There's no one to play with right now! Ugh, I hate living in this nightmare!" The Collector roared. Maybe they should try stretching their shadow again. There had to be something in the castle to entertain themselves.
If Belos wanted to play with his grimwalker, then The Collector would do the same. They knew where the brat's room was. There had to be something of the boy's that he could play with.
It was no challenge in stretching and hiding in between the shadows. To their delight, the grimwalker had left his door open by a crack. Slipping inside, the shadow searched for something to have fun with.
"Boring, not interesting, lame. Come on, there has to be something I can use. Ahah!" The Collector said in glee. Under the bed, a single strand of blond hair lay on top of a tiny red feather.
Excitedly, The Collector brought their prizes back to their mirror. They presumed the hair and feather would pass through easily as Luz's had. Instead, they got stuck halfway through.
"Come on, come on! I'm not missing an opportunity to have some fun with the grimwalker!" With a big tug, the feather and hair finally made it all the way through.
The Collector pulled the strand of Luz's hair out of their pocket. Using magic, they tied the strands of hair and the feather together. "This is going to be so much fun! Oh, where is the little grimwalker right now?"
Touching the blond strand, the view of the real world changed. Instead of Belos's room, The Collector was now seeing the boy walking away from Hexside to the edge of the forest.
The boy stiffened as Belos teleported in front of him. The Collector leaned in to get a better view. "Oh! Is he going to destroy the grimwalker now? Oh, I wish I had something to snack on right now."
In the real world, Hunter listened as his uncle gave him instructions for his mission. "I see you managed to steal a student uniform. I hope no one saw you."
"I was extremely careful, Uncle. I still don't understand. Couldn't I investigate the school as the Golden Guard?"
Belos tightened his grip on his staff. "With the Day of Unity so close, a show of force could have a negative impact on the student body. It is better if you remain undercover for the day."
Hunter nodded and asked what he should do once he infiltrated the students. His uncle told him that he was to get the other students to tell him more about Luz. He also instructed him to work on befriending Luz's friends.
When Hunter returned to the castle after Luz's portal had failed, he made up a story to explain why he left. He stated that it was because Bat Queen had discovered the tower and then chased him off.
His uncle had been furious when he returned without the human. His uncle's cursed form had attacked him for a few minutes before the man regained control. The teen had silently vowed not to fail the man again.
"If you can convince them that you're there to help Luz, they could show you a way to get to her and bring her back unseen. I'm counting on you, Hunter. Don't fail me again," Belos expressed to him in a callous voice.
His nephew bobbed his head quickly. "I won't fail you Uncle." Belos nodded and used his teleportation spell to return to the castle.
Once he was out of sight, Flapjack (he recently found out his palisman's real name), came out of hiding. He chirped a question at the boy.
"I know Flapjack. I don't want to lie to Luz's friends. However, if I fail him, then I won't be able to keep Luz away from Uncle. There has to be a way to make both goals happen."
Flapjack doubted it but urged his boy to mingle with the teenagers. Maybe even attempting to make a few new friends. Trying to hide his nervousness, Hunter infiltrated the club fair while attempting to avoid bringing attention to himself.
He approached the gaming club. The kids stared as he tried to speak. "Hi, I'm Caleb. I just transferred here. So, what games do you like to play?"
Barcus growled before snapping, "You have the smell of authority all over you. You're not wanted here."
The others at the booth understood Barcus well enough to know the kid was bad news. They also told him to get lost. Not wanting to cause trouble, Hunter backed away.
He then tried other club booths. There was the casket weaving club, the screech and debate club, and there was even one for arts and witchcraft. Hunter tried to be as friendly as possible to gather information.
The problem was he didn't know how to act with anyone his age. The only friend he had was Luz. It turned out that regular witches were a little different than humans.
He tried using human slang when he went up to the beast-watching club. "So, dudes, what do like to spy on with your own little eyes?"
He was chased away by some club members who thought he was trash-talking them. He narrowly escaped by ducking behind the trashcans.
He went up to the art club booth and was given a chance to paint something. He painted a picture of the "monster" trucks Luz had told him about. What he painted scared some of the younger members.
He left before they could throw paint on him. He went over to the culinary club. He asked them if they had any human food to try knowing Luz had attempted to make a few human dishes for her friends.
"Why would we have human food?" the club president asked warily. "Everyone knows that human food is nearly impossible to find in the Boiling Isles."
The other members were checking him out. "Why are you so interested in human food? Thinking about looking for the human the emperor wants back?"
Hunter held up his hands and started backing up. "No, I was just curious. I'll go now." He made a hasty retreat, his heart pounding. How could he accomplish his mission if he couldn't connect with kids his age?
"Come join Hexside's first flyer derby team! Enjoy high-speed action while trying to capture a flag! We need the best and the brightest!" a girl with dark hair called out.
Hunter looked closer and realized it was Luz's best friend Willow. He'd observed her a few times at the Owl House. If he befriended her then he would have succeeded in one area of his uncle's mission.
He took a deep breath and then walked over to the booth. Gus and Willow eyed him warily. Something about the new kid was unsettling them.
Smiling timidly, he said "Hi, my name's Caleb. I just transferred here from the Toes. Could you tell me more about flyer derby?"
Willow had a big grin on her face. She shoved something close to his face. "Here! This pamphlet explains everything about the sport. I hope it convinces you to join the team today!"
Hunter looked over the pamphlet and became interested instantly. It was a chance to make friends. Not to mention, if he helped Willow win then he would be able to have a backup group for keeping Luz safe.
"I'd love to join. When's our first match?" he asked eagerly.
"Right after school! We have to win if I want my club to be approved. Now we just need two more members and I know who to ask."
A short time later, he joined Willow and Gus, along with Viney and Skara for their match against the Abomination teacher. Mr. Homunculus and his team looked fierce. Hunter had no idea that Mr. Homunculus had promised his team to bump their grades up on their next test if they won.
"Ms. Park, I do hope you won't cry when I nix your little club. Especially since you dragged a wannabe student into your little endeavor."
Hunter instantly flushed. He should have known that a teacher could tell he wasn't a real student. Why hadn't his uncle just told the teachers to begin with the reason he was here?
Luckily, his teammates thought the professor was trash-talking the new student. Everyone gripped their magic staffs tightly. The professor's personal abomination blew the whistle and the game began.
It felt amazing to be flying so fast. He targeted one of the other players, Mary. She had ram horns on her head and was starting to make a spell circle. Hunter dove under her snagged her flag and placed it on their flag stand.
The others were impressed at his speed, especially Willow. The game continued getting fiercer as the flyers battled for each other's flags. In the end, Hunter scored the winning point.
As he and the others were celebrating, Mr. Homunculus was hollering at his teammates. He told them since they hadn't won, he was going to be lowering their grades.
He then snapped his fingers and his abomination carried him over to Willow's team. She was smiling as she gazed into the teacher's eyes. "I believe we had a deal. We won so my club is approved. My friends and I have already picked a team name."
The man laughed at Willow. "It doesn't matter because your club approval is being denied." The man was laughing again at the shocked expressions on their faces.
"The deal was you would assemble a team of students to play against my team. That boy is not a student here," Mr. Homunculus stated as pointed to Hunter. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice you brought in a ringer?"
"What are you talking about? Caleb is a new transfer student," Willow said flustered. Skara, Viney, and Gus backed her up while Hunter moved backward a few steps.
The teacher laughed again. "If there was a new student, the staff would know about it. Now, tell me who you really are, boy!" A solid wave of abomination goo was sent Hunter's way.
The sudden attack caught Hunter off guard and he froze. He covered his face to avoid swallowing any of the goo. Only for the wave to halt just in front of him.
The wave retreated and then splashed all over the teacher. Mr. Homunculus sputtered as he tried to get up. That's when the remaining goo rose into the air and twisted into a human shape. Then it retreated revealing the head of the Abomination Coven, Darius Deamonne.
The Coven Leader shook his head in disappointment. "After all this time, you're still a sore loser, Homunculus. Ugh, it might be time to pick a different coven member for your job."
Mr. Homunculus begged the man to let him keep his job. "I was just trying to ascertain who this boy was." The small figure pointed at Hunter.
The teenager froze as Darius glanced at him. His Uncle was going to kill him for getting a Coven Head involved with an undercover assignment.
The man looked unimpressed. "So, this is where you scurried off too, little prince." Hunter cringed waiting for Darius to completely expose him.
"Next time you depart the house write a note, please. I hope your little adventure has shown you why homeschooling is better than attending Hexside, my boy."
Now everyone's eyes were darting back and forth from Hunter to Darius. There was no resemblance between the two at all. How were they related?
Mr. Homunculus's eyes widen and he blurted out, "There's no record of you having a child, sir!" He started quivering when he recognized he just screamed at the leader of his coven.
Darius rolled his eyes. "He's my ward, not my son. As for why you've never heard of him, I like to keep my private life private."
The smirk on Darius's face was evidence that he was enjoying putting the little guy in his place. "I thought my little prince was the same as me. Because he usually stays at home. After all, he's good at doing what he's told."
Hunter scowled upon hearing that. He just did his job to the best of his abilities. It was expected of him.
Darius continued speaking as the students enjoyed the show he was providing. "If I didn't follow every member of my coven's Penstagram account, I never would have realized he wasn't home."
Hunter grabbed onto the lifeline Darius was throwing him. "I've never hung out with people my own age. I just wanted to know what it was like to be a student and have friends."
He didn't even have to pretend he was embarrassed. Darius was someone he admired and being scolded by him was a nightmare. Still, why was Darius helping him?
The man was always brisk with him. The Abomination Coven leader had been mentored by the last Golden Guard and made it clear he didn't respect his young replacement. That didn't stop Hunter from wanting his approval.
"I understand and I'm not angry. Now, say goodbye to your friends, for now, little prince. I'm sure you'll be seeing them again soon, once practices are scheduled for the flyer derby team," Darius stated as he leveled a countenance at the teacher.
The small teacher nodded his head rapidly and quickly handed Willow the approval slip. Hunter waved goodbye to them and followed Darius to a nearby blimp. As the blimp rose, he could see his new friends jumping for joy.
Once in the air, Hunter took a deep breath. "Thank you for helping me back there, Darius. I'm not sure why you helped me, but I'm still glad that you did."
The coven leader patted the boy's shoulders. "It has taken you sixteen years to start making friends. I wasn't going to ruin that for you, even if you were only there for an undercover mission."
Darius gave the teenager a scroll. "You can use that to keep in touch with your teammates. If your uncle has a problem with how I dealt with this, he can take it up with me."
"Thank you," Hunter replied. "Darius, I know you don't respect me much, but I hope to earn yours one day."
The Abomination leader replied that Hunter already had. Hunter headed to the back to start setting up his Pentagram account. Darius hid a smile, pleased that Belos's nephew was starting to stand up for himself.
That night, Luz was preparing for her secret rendezvous with Amity. Her cotton candy hair goddess was eager to tell her about everything that had happened at school today.
The teenager paused in packing her bag to listen. When she had revealed what had happened during her trip to the past, Eda vowed to ensure Luz's safety while she was awake and asleep.
Eda had been brewing several potions for the last few nights for Luz. They were designed to strengthen her mental barriers when she slept or give her a dreamless sleep. Nothing had worked as Luz still encountered the dream creature every night.
Lilith had agreed to stay until the problem was fixed. The scholarly sister had been pouring over all her books trying to find any information on the dream being or The Collector.
When she wasn't doing that, Lilith was questioning the Bat Queen to see if she recalled anything in her past that might explain this.
King and Hooty had teamed up to explore the oldest forest parts. Bat Queen recalled that there were several hidden temples and ruins by ancient witches scattered in the forest.
Luz appreciated everything that everyone was doing. Yet, what she needed right now was a stress-free date night. A chance to relax and enjoy Amity's company while having fun. Securing her backpack, Luz opened her window.
Tiptoeing across the roof, Luz used her construction magic to create a durable beam that she carefully situated between the roof and the tree. "Alright, time to see if all those gymnastic classes at Hexside paid off."
Holding out her arms, she slowly walked across the beam. Luz took it one step at a time, making sure she planted her foot before taking another step. A few minutes later, she was in the tree.
She quickly climbed down the old tree and rushed out of the cave. Listening out for the sound of anyone pursuing her, she was pleased to hear nothing. She carefully made her way to the secret entrance by the border.
Amity was pacing just outside the border. She was wearing a nice lavender knee-length dress paired with black boots. She checked her watch and then looked at the border.
Ghost pawed at her witch. Amity started scratching her palisman behind her ears. "Sorry, Ghost. I'm trying to figure out what I should do next. Luz is already ten minutes late. Should I wait a little longer or go home?"
Ghost purred in response, and Amity smiled. "You're right Ghost. I can wait another five minutes for her. I doubt getting through the forest safely at night is easy for her."
There was some rustling in the nearby bushes. Amity prepared to use her Abomination talents when Luz stepped out of the bush. She brushed off some of the leaves and sticks from her new outfit.
"Sorry, I'm a little late. It's hard to change into evening wear in the middle of the forest." Luz would be the first to admit she wasn't a girly girl. When she found the hot pink rocker dress, she couldn't pass it up.
"You look fabulous," Amity assured her. Taking Luz's hand, she led her back towards Bonesborough. "We don't want to miss this saturnalia."
It was a thrill to be ducking behind garbage cans and using abominations to distract Coven Guards. They made their way to the beach without being seen. The girls laughed as they headed to a cave.
Upon arriving, the cave appeared to be empty. "Close your eyes and walk inside," Amity explained to Luz.
Luz did as she was told while still holding tightly to Amity's hand. A strange tingle went over her body as they passed through the illusion. Opening her eyes, Luz gasped in amazement at what was truly inside the cave.
It was like a human rave on steroids. The bard students were playing rock songs while jamming in the air. Oracle students use their magic to bring forth their spirits to get the partiers riled up.
Students from both the plant and construction had made a cool dance floor. The beast-keeping students were using tamed light fairies to illuminate the cave. The abomination students let their creations serve the food that the potion students cooked up.
Healing students were making sure no one overdid it with the food and drink. The illusion students were taking turns keeping the party hidden while also having fun.
"I've never been to a party like this before!" Luz shouted over the music. Amity shouted neither, had she. The girlfriends headed to the dance floor.
A lot of older students were here. Edric and Emira used their illusions to pull pranks on the younger students. That didn't go over so well with some of them as the twins were running for their lives a second later when a potion student started throwing slime balls at them.
The band started playing a new tune and their girls started swaying to the music. Luz did the robot causing Amity to laugh so hard, she slipped on abomination goo that had been leaking out of her bag.
Luz giggled and helped Amity up. The lilac-haired girl slapped a small amount on her girlfriend's face, giving her a temporary crescent moon tattoo. "You like your new tattoo?"
"It's better than my old one! Hey, there's Gus and Willow! Let's say hi!" Luz didn't wait for Amity as she squeezed between the dancers. A cyclops nearly hit the teenager, who used the electric slide to get out of the way.
Man, I never knew that dance unit we had back in junior high would come in handy, Luz thought to herself. A quartet of students blocked her way so she used the box step to get around them. Lastly, she used the limbo to slide under someone to get off the floor.
Brushing her dress off, she hurried over to the food area. "Hey, Willow! Hi Gus! How are you guys?" Luz questioned in between breaths. Willow pulled a chair out for her and the teen collapsed into it.
"Before I answer that question, where's Amity?" Willow asked.
An abomination slide suddenly appeared. Amity skied down it and stopped in front of her girlfriend. With a quick wave of her hand and the goo went back into the bag.
"Don't do that again Luz. It's not polite to leave your dance partner alone."
"I know, I know. I thought you would be able to keep up with me. The dance moves I used weren't that hard to copy."
Gus pointed out that the number of kids dancing made it hard to see everyone's feet. Luz started waving her hands letting them know she got the message.
After getting some fizzy drinks and fire bee honey buns, the others were ready to talk to Luz about Club Fair day.
Amity spoke first, "I knew that it would be hard to recruit members for a book club, so I changed tactics. Remember how crazy everyone was during that writing contest?"
Luz groaned and buried her face in her hands. She nearly ended up in a cube for life because of King. At least he had apologized for the incident.
Gus patted Luz on the back while Amity explained she had gotten several members to join her creative writing club. "We've already agreed on a genre and where we're going to meet to share our stories."
"That's a perfect story, Amity. But I bet Willow and mine's will top it."
Luz leaned in as Willow began to explain her's and Gus's strange encounter today. When Willow described the mysterious boy who joined her team, Luz paled slightly. Why had Hunter been at Hexside?
Amity noticed Luz was becoming unsettled. "Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?"
"Nothing! I'm just surprised that a kid would run away to go to school is all." Amity could tell something was up with Luz. What was she hiding from them?
Before her friends could ask what was wrong, Luz quickly replied she had her own story to share. "You're not going to believe what I'm saying is true. Trust me though. It did happen."
Luz was very animated as she described how she ended up in the past. Her vivid recollections of what Phillip had done to her sent shivers down her friends' spines. When she finished, her friends had all gone pale.
Willow's arm was shaking badly so Luz placed her hand on it. "Calm down, Willow. I'm okay now. Well, not really but I'm not stuck in the past at least."
Willow pulled Luz into a tight hug. "I'm sorry that happened to you. I wish bad things would stop happening to you. You shouldn't have to deal with all this."
Luz just stroked Willow's hair. Soon Gus and Amity were hugging their friend tightly. Luz cried a few tears happy that she had such good friends.
"Thanks, guys. Whatever happens, I know we can get through it together." There was a soft buzzing coming from Luz's dress pocket. She pulled out her phone and her eyes widened.
"I can't believe it! It's already been two hours! I guess time really does fly when you are having fun. I need to get back to the Owl House, now!"
"Are you sure you can't stay a little longer? The party games are about to start.," Willow begged her best friend.
Luz shook her head. She had already risked enough to come to the party. If she didn't get back to the forest before the patrol swept the borderline, she would have to hide until morning.
Reluctantly, Amity and Luz left the saturnalia. They briskly walked the shoreline. "I'm sorry we couldn't stay longer," Luz told her girlfriend.
"It's fine, I'm just glad you're smiling again. I missed seeing that."
"I missed seeing you. I'm glad that you took me to the saturnalia for our date. I never would have suspected you to be a wild party girl."
Luz tried to tickle her girlfriend only for Amity to dart away. The two chased each other from the beach into town. Once they were on the main street, they both became serious.
Amity summoned her abomination goo and covered her girlfriend in it. She then masterfully shaped the goo so it looked like a regular Abomination. The teenager sniggered for a second as she recalled how she and Luz met.
"Abomination, please escort me home." The fake creature held out its hand for Amity to clasp. Swinging their arms back and forth, the couple made their way to the edge of town without drawing any attention.
Eventually, they managed to walk out of town and up the hill where the Owl House once stood. Once they were sure no one was observing them, the girls dashed into the woods. They reached the border within minutes.
Amity recalled the goo revealing a very clean Luz. "Thanks for the date night, Amity. Good luck with school tomorrow."
Before Luz vanished, Amity pulled her into a tight hug. The two embraced each other for a long time. With a final goodbye wave, the girls went their separate ways.
When Luz got back home, Eda was waiting for her by the door. The teenager hung her head as she shamefully walked to her mentor. "I guess you're going to lecture me about sneaking out."
"Nah, that's not my style kid. I used to go to wild saturnalia parties often when I was your age. It would be hypocritical to call you out on that."
Luz knew there was a but coming and prepared herself for being yelled at.
Eda knelt until she was looking right into Luz's eyes. "But sneaking off into the night without telling me is wrong. I wouldn't have prevented you from going on your date. Heck, I probably would have joined you."
That brought a smile to Luz's face. She could see Eda having fun at the party even without magic. "I'm sorry, Eda. I have a lot on my plate right now and I just needed a break for a little bit."
Eda ruffled her hair as she replied they all needed a break. "Well, we have a busy day planned for tomorrow. So, get your keister up to bed right now. I'll be upstairs with a new dream-blocking potion in a few minutes"
Nodding, the teenager ran inside the house. Luz turned and looked at Eda with affection. She was glad to have a foster mother who loved her so much.
At the castle, Belos was having problems with The Collector. They had been uppity lately as they demanded more playtime. Belos kept insisting they would play once the Day of Unity happened.
That answer was not satisfactory anymore. The Collector had been doing their finest to aggravate Belos since he returned. The man was about to lose his patience with the being.
"You're not busy anymore, so we can play a card game! You love those, and what was the other one? Oh, slide groat! All we need is a bag of snail coins!"
"Enough! Now is not the time to play!" Belos snapped at The Collector. Realizing what he had said, the man schooled his face before apologizing.
"I apologize, Collector. I know how much you love games. Right now, I'm rather busy. As you know, I'm on a treasure hunt."
The Collector responded by making chatting motions with their hands. In a mocking voice, they said, "I located you because I was treasure hunting. Oh, let's hunt for parts to make a grimwalker. Oh, a little girl is now a treasure."
The shadow changed shape until it mimicked Belos's own. "What is it with you and treasure hunts? Haven't you played that game enough?"
"I can't give up when I'm so close. Besides, this treasure hunt is different. Once you are free, you'll need more than me to play games with."
The shadow started jumping for joy. "I can't wait to play a four-player game. I bet your little grimwalker will be tons of fun to play with!"
Belos seriously doubted that. "Hunter doesn't know how to play games. I raised him to be a soldier. He has no time for games."
The Collector replied, "Well you sent him to the school to make friends. Friends play games with each other. He'll know how to play by the time I'm out of here."
"Perhaps he will," Belos conceded. Though he'll be dead once the draining spell is complete. Can't have a grimwalker deceiving, innocent souls.
Belos made his way in the direction of the door. "I need to make a raven call to Coven Head Vitimir, privately. Please, don't try to listen in, Collector."
Putting his hand on the doorknob, Belos looked back at the shadow being. "Why don't you come up with games to play with grimwalker while I'm gone?"
The Collector rubbed his hands together informing Belos that's what he would do. Once the Emperor left, The Collector retreated into the mirror.
"I have ambles of game ideas for having fun with the grimwalker. Right now, it's time to play with big sister. I hope whatever she has planned tonight is lots of fun!"