Chapter: Luz's first and last 5 minutes on the camp

Luz sighed as she made sure that she had her stuff in her bag ready for when her bus arrived. She was more sad that she is being sent to summer camp.

"Mija, don't look like that. I'm sure time will go by so fast, you won't even notice." Her mother, Camilia, said as she tried to cheer Luz up from this situation.

"How?" Luz sighed, looking down at the friendship bracelet on her wrist. She get to spend the whole summer at Camp Reality Check, learning that reality is boring and very serious.

And just yesterday, she've had the experience of a lifetime and found out that magic and the fantastical world of witches and demons are real.

"All they'll have us do all day is balance check books and listen to talk radio."

"This could be interesting."

"But, I like editing anime clips to music and reading fantasy books with convoluted back stories." the teen said looking at one of her said books. "There's nothing wrong with believe in things that are magical."

"Luz, I love you and your creativity, but your fantasy world is holding you back."

"And now I understand that I must slow down on those things. Do l really need a reform camp?"

"Okay, Luz, listen to me, it's not just about you having trouble at school. Do you have any friends?" Camila questioned, "Not imagine, not drawn or reptilian?"

"Yes,"

"Mija, you met Jett and Katrina only yesterday. They were kind enough to thank you for your help, and you have a nice day together. But it's not the same. They doesn't even live in our city."

"They promised we'd see each other soon." Luz replied.

"It's easy to promise. But people never usually keep that kind of promise." Camila stated, "Summer Camp is a chance to make some friends."

There was silence for a moment... before Luz has spoken.

"Mami?"

"Yes, mija?"

"What if there were a place like in my books?" Luz asked as she starts twisting the friendship bracelet that is on her left wrist, "Where I could be... a witch. A place where magic is real, and what I'm like doing wouldn't be so weird. Where I could have friends who are weirdos like me."

"I wish there was place like this, but life is not so simple." Camila goes up to her depressed daughter and gives her a hug. "This is difficult for me, because you are my daughter and I don't want to make you sad."

Luz returned her mother's hug. But this place truly exists, mami. She thought. Witches, magic, mythical creatures. I saw them. I was in the Magic Realm. And I did magic at there. That's what Luz wanted to tell her mom. At first the girl was tempted, but in the end it felt wrong to betray Jett and Katrina's trust that way. So, hasn't said a word

"But I'm your parent, and I am responsible for you. So I have to do what's best for you and your future." Camila continued, as she and her daughter separated. Then she gently took the Good Witch Azura book from Luz and put it in the trash next to her.

"I understand, mom." Luz said with a sigh.

Camilia then got an alert on her phone for work and quickly left, giving Luz a few kisses on the forehead before she walked away. Luz waited a few moments for her to be a good distance away before reaching back into the trash for her book.

"I got you, Azura. The only way I lost you is if somone pry my book out of my cold, dead, Dominican hands," Luz whispered as she kept the book closely to her chest before her bus arrived and took her to Reality Check Camp.


The big group of teenagers stand next to the entrance to camp. That's the first thing Luz noticed. The second one was a few people seem interesting.

A blonde girl with pink heart stickers on her cheeks, wearing a magenta hairband with devil horns. In her right hand she held a sparkling pen with star on top. She didn't pay attention to anything. She was absorbed in reading "Unicorn Universty" book.

A pre-teen asian-american girl, with long black straight hair which almost reaches her waist, complimented by a pink wisp running down the rest of her hair from the left side of where her hairline starts. She's talking to one of boys. A tall, African and muscular teen, who had cool looking prosthetic arm instead of right arm, and wore T-shirt that says, "Booyah!".

Just next to them there stood the skinny boy with white hair, striking blue eyes, and pale skin. He trying to make a small snowflake out of the piece of wood, and humming "The castle on the hill" song.

Yet Luz didn't have time to say hello to any of them.

A green eyes woman with grayish skinn appeared out of nowhere, almost gave few teens a heart attack.

"Hello, everyone, I'm Rocky. And I'll be giving you your camp rule talk and orientation tour on this perfect day." She said in her most wooden voice as she took a card from her bag and began reading what was written on it.

"Welcome to Reality Check Summer Camp, where you'll learn how to be perfect normal person that a society needs. We'll show you all the miracles of life without dangerous imagination. All aboard the reality train." She imitates pulling a chain. "Toot-toot. Whee!"

Everyone was just staring at her, Rocky don't care as she looked at the clipboard.

"If your last name starts with a through A-I, you should come with me to the west cabins. The rest, please, wait patiently. The other CIT will be here soon."

Rocky said to other half of group, before walking down the path. The part of teenagers began to follow her. And they're gone around the corner of forest.

For two minutes, there was an awkward silence.

"Is this our CIT?" asked a boy with a dark moderate blue and white hat with a moderate blue pine tree on the front, pointing to the person walking towards the group.

It was a thin woman with pale skin dressed in... Luz suppose it would best be described as the fashion apocalypse. A Russian red star hat, heart shaped sunglasses a brown leather jacket over a black "100 % Dad" shirt, blue fish oven mitts while holding a golf club, a pink shirt, and zigzag stockings.

"Now, listen carefully, all of you." she said, once within speaking distance. "Anyone who isn't Luz Noceda get one step backward."

Each teen did as they were told and stepped back, some even take a few steps more - looking at weird woman.

"So, you are Luz." That was more of an observation than a question.

"Yes?" Luz just can't believe this woman is a CIT on the camp.

"You will come with me." she grabs Luz by the waist and hoists the girl over her shoulder, "The rest of you can stay here and continue waiting or you can get out of here before this place'll turn you all into little zombie with no personality. Your choice. I don't care."

"Where are we going?" Luz asked in curiosity and confusion.

"Questions later." the woman answered.

"That was disturbing. Should we call the police?" the boy in hat asked when Luz and the woman disappeared from sight.

"Well, this pale lady didn't look like a serial killer or cannibal." replied a boy who had purple hair.

"That doesn't answer my question."


"I can go by myself."

"I know."

"Can you put me down then?" Luz asked as they passed the cabins. "People stare."

Luz's not counting on a great friends here. Yet, she didn't want make the bad first impression. And this situation was not very promising.

"And we're there." the woman declared with a smirk as she put the teen down on the porch of small cabin, just on the very edge of the camp.

The cabin looks ordinary enough, only door didn't fit the cabin. It was older, dark wooden door with a huge yellow eye.

The woman reached into her hair and pulled out a key with eye on the handle to open door, and strolled into cabin. Luz followed the woman, mostly because she were still too stunned to do otherwise, and she not even had time to consider the consequences.

The interior of the cabin was intriguing.

Getting a proper look at the room, it wasn't typical summer cabin. It had the shape of a complete octagon. Luz saw masterfully crafted purple runes on the walls that worked perfectly in tandem with the few painting and dark emerald-blue wall color.

In the main part of the room was antique but well kept furniture. The dark wood coupled with the soft carpet made the place appear cozy, prestigious even, in the soft light of the fireplace.

And outside of the window... creature with the head and body of a deer and the wings of an eagle, eating grass. They had the hind legs and tail of a bird as well.

Katrina told Luz about them yesterday. Perytons. Extremely popular mythical creature bred by few witches in the north of the Boiling Isles

Luz felt her own mouth move involuntarily and couldn't stop it before she spoke. "We're on the Boiling Isles."

"Indeed, you are perceptive." the woman snapped her fingers. A gold ring appeared around her. The ring separated into two rings, one going up the other down, and as they traveled up and down her body, her clothes turned from this chaotic style, to red dress and red boots.

The teen could now see that the woman had a wild hair with two tones of gray, gold eyes, a golden fang sticking out from her mouth, and orange claw-like nails.

"You are a witch!" Luz exclaimed, pointing at an amber oval-shaped jewel that's embedded into her chest, matching a wedding ring that had a similar stone.

"Not some random witch. I'm Eda the Owl Lady!The most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles! "

"Really?" Luz couldn't believe what her ears heard.

"I am respected, feared- "

"Late," Another voice came in followed by a sound of the steps making Luz turning her head.

"You should have been here at least an hour ago." Said the slender, human-like man with a shark gray skin tone and purple-black tattooed markings on his cheeks and neck. His eyes were black with red pupils, and he had a defect in his both iris in the shape of a star. He wore a black, overall-like outfit with gold trim. This clothing was accompanied by cloak and hood, and a happuri with a mark on it. The mark was seemingly a celtic balance symbol, chaostar and starburst all together. He also had a black and brown tambourine with bear-like motifs attached to his belt.

"Yes, but take it easy, Whiskers." Eda waved a dismissive hand. "There was something I had to do, but I'm back now. And the girl is with me."

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" His voice was clipped.

"I lost track after triple digits, Whiskers." the witch answered, sending him a teasing glance.

"Called me 'Whiskers' is highly inappropriate, I'm a leader of the-"

"Oh calm down. You know that leader crap doesn't work on me." Eda said as she leaned against the wall.

"Just stop calling me that, please." A man's tone was calm. The only outward sign of emotion was the constant twitching of his left ear.

"I'd think about it." Eda said to him pulling out the same key from before pressing it's eye making the door that brought her and Luz there, now a suitcase that flew into a witch's hair.

"Nope!"

And with that, she exited the room, cheeky grin branded in man's mind.

"I still can't believe that the Seraphicaelum Warrior married that woman." His brief comment was directed to himself, lost in his own world as he shut the door after Eda.

Then he turned to Luz, who was standing in the back and hadn't said a word this whole time. The girl went stiff as he stared at her.

"Ummmmm...Hi... I'm Luz."


Notes:

Hope you're enjoying! Thank you for all your continued love and support! Next chapter might take me a little while, because I have a lot of work... so probably I updated sometime Thursday afternoon. See ya!