It has been a year since Book 2 was started. Happy one year anniversary for Book 2. Which is impressive.
All characters from Disney and other properties are owned by their respectful owners. The OCs made here are written entirely for the story. Enjoy this fic.
Chapter 72: Escape from Gatesfield.
It was a sunny summer day in the small town of Gatesfield, Connecticut, where everyone watched out for their community.
A young girl named Clara, who had blonde hair with a single pink streak in the middle, woke up to the sound of her alarm clock going off. She slammed her hand on it, shutting the clock off while giving a yawn.
After a morning shower and getting dressed, she went to the kitchen. She was dressed in an orange shirt and a blue jean skirt with flannel socks and mary-janes. Reading the paper was her father, a glasses wearing man in a suit. "Morning, Dad," Clara said to him.
"Good morning, Clara!" her dad replied. "It looks like it is going to be another beautiful summer day."
"Yeah," Clara replied while grabbing some pop-tarts and putting them in the toaster. "I'm, uh, gonna meet up with some friends. How's mom?"
"Oh she's doing fine," he reassured her. "You know she needs her sleep, but then she'll be a-okay!"
"Yeah, we'll see," Clara muttered as she waited for her pop-tarts to be ready.
After breakfast, Clara went outside. "Good morning!" a jogger waved at her as he ran past. Clara waved back before getting her bike and riding it through her perfect little neighborhood.
Once she made it to the town square, she brought herself to a stop and gazed upon the statue of the man who the man was named after… G.B. Gates. She scoffed at the statue before continuing on her way, riding her bike past by a sign that read: Have a very perfect Gatesfield Day!
Willow groaned as she started to wake up.
"Oh man, what happened?" she asked herself while looking around and realizing that she was in a dark cell. "Where am I? Is this the Conformatorium, or did Faust imprison me and Gus?" She gasped. "Gus!" She stood up and reached for the bars. "Hey! Let me out-AAH!" The second she touched the bars, she was shocked and launched back into a wall. She winced in pain. "Ow… what in the Titan's…?"
"The bars are electrified," said a male voice as someone came over to her cell. "So I would suggest that you avoid touching them."
"Who are you?" she asked, getting a look at her jailer. It was a human man with brushed back brown hair, square glasses, and short facial hair. He wore a brown coat under his dark brown vest, teal collar shirt, jeans, and sneakers.
"The name's Jacob Hopkins, professional witch hunter!" he declared. "And we are going to put a stop to your Martian plans!"
Willow gasped, but then gave a confused look at the last part. "I'm sorry, what?"
Things were not looking good in the Demon Realm.
At the Brooke household, Slasher was knocking on her daughter's door. "Honey, are you still in there?"
"Go away," Skara said from inside her room. "I don't want to talk right now."
Slasher sighed. "Well, I'll be home all day in case you need me, okay sweetie?"
Inside her room, Skara was laying on her bed whole in tears. "Y-Yes, daddy," she replied while holding onto one of her stuffed animals. She was in a fetal position as she silently cried, Jimmy trying to comfort her. She had been like his ever since learned the news of Willow, Amity and Gus's disappearances…
In Bonesborough, Larry was placing a missing person poster on a wall. This one had a picture of Gus and it was next to ones with pictures of Amity, Willow, Eve and Bria. He sighed sadly.
"More and more kids keep going missing," he said while shaking his head. "When's this going to stop?"
At the Porta-Geist, things haven't been going well for the Blights.
Edric was putting up the closed sign while looking down sadly. Batric was on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. Edric turned to his uncle, who had been sitting on a table looking depressed, a bottle of apple blood in his hand.
"Are you alright, Uncle?" Edric asked as he saw Geist tearing up.
"What do you think?" Geist asked, wiping his face. "I'm just… so worried for this family right now. And my niece… please Titan let her be safe."
"Where's Emira?" Edric asked, remembering how Emira broke down crying when they first got the news.
"She's outside right now," Geist responded. "I think it is best not to bother her…"
Outside, Emira was in tears, feeling overwhelmed about all of this.
"Why… why take Amity away!?" Emira cried out as she kicked a trash can. "Dammit!" she shouted in anger. She frantically dug into her pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes, lighting one and starting to smoke in.
In the Abominations Coven, Alador was upgrading an Abomaton when Arthur and Destiny walked up to their son.
"Alador, sweetheart?" Destiny called for him, Alador stopping his work.
"Yes, Mom? Dad?" Alador asked his parents.
"We came to bear some… bad news," Arthur said with a faux-sympathetic look. "It's about… Amity. While Odalia may have made her disown the family name, we know that you still care about her."
"What… what happened to Amity?" Alador asked in concern as Arthur patted his son's shoulders.
"She disappeared," Arthur answered, causing Alador to gasp in shock. "We heard that she disappeared and that nobody knows where she is…"
"No…" Alador shivered, almost falling over as he got the news.
Destiny went to comfort her son. "There, there, son, it will be alright," she said, hugging him while patting his back. "And don't worry, this isn't your fault… it is Odalia's."
"What?" Alador asked, wiping away a few tears. "What do you mean?"
"Think about it," Arthur told her. "If that woman hadn't made the poor girl disown her family, she would have come home and you would have been able to protect her. But because Odalia made Amity ashamed of her family, she's now gone."
"It also wouldn't surprise me if Odalia had anything to do with her disappearance," Destiny added, making Alador look confused and conflicted.
At an old cafe, Lilith had met up with Odalia.
"It's… nice to see you again, Lilith," Odalia told the Clawthorne woman.
Lilith was surprised to notice that Odalia's hair was down rather than tied to a bun, leaving it shoulder length. Rather than wearing her oracle vest, she appeared to be wearing a light blue long-sleeve shirt and dark blue bell-bottom pants.
"You've changed your look," Lilith told her.
"I… decided that it was time to make a few changes," Odalia admitted. "To be a better witch… and a better mother. That is why I agreed to meet with you.
"Odalia…" Lilith told her.
"First of all, I owe you an apology," Odalia said sincerely. "I never said that I was sorry for suggesting that you curse your sister. I know neither of us intended for it to be permanent, but it was still wrong of me to plant the idea in your head and I should have apologized for it a long time ago."
"You don't need to apologize, Odalia," Lilith told her. "I never blamed you for what happened, it was still my choice and there is nothing we can do to change our past." She looked down, saddened. "But… I'm not here to talk about us. This is about Amity. You were going to hear about this eventually and I thought I should be the one to tell you."
"What… what do you mean?" Odalia asked in concern.
As Lilith explained what happened to Amity, she didn't know how Odalia would react. Odalia stayed silent during the explanation, her face unreadable. Once she was finished, Lilith shut her eyes as she waited for either a slap or scolding. But instead… she heard a sob. Lilith opened her eyes and was shocked to see Odalia with tears streaming down her face.
"No… no, not Amity…" Odalia said as she got up and fell on her knees, breaking down in front of Lilith.
"Odalia!" Lilith knelt over to Odalia, who hugged Lilith as she continued to break down. Lilith hugged her back. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" she said while Odalia cried. "I'm her godmother, I should have-"
"No… I'm the one who's sorry…" Odalia interrupted between sobs. Her worst nightmare has become a reality.
In the Park household, Gilbert was in tears while his husband, Sully, comforted him.
"Where… where could they be?" Gilbert asked as Clover handed him a tissue box. "They could be anywhere… our sweet Willow, and poor Gus! Poor Amity!" He sobbed while Sully hugged him.
"Don't worry, they'll be found eventually, Gilly," Sully assured him.
"But how?" Gilbert asked him. "If I'm going to be honest with you, Sully… I don't think the Emperor's Coven would help us."
Sully patted his hand. "What do you mean, Gilly?"
"The Emperor's Coven is far too busy hunting down those who won't join covens to spend time looking for missing children or any other missing people!" he declared. "I think what we need now is to find our daughter, Gus, and Amity ourselves, even if it means snapping a few necks…"
"But what can we do, Gill? We're just ordinary witches with jobs. We're just simple, white-robe workers."
"Yeah, and so are these guys," Gilbert said as he picked up a comic book, showing it to his husband. "See these three uniformed, superguys? They go around busting bad guys with their own unique magic, and they're just made up of a bunch of average Joes. If they can do a job like that, then maybe we can too."
"Hmm, maybe you're on to something, Gill," Sully considered.
"Yeah, with our Flyer Derby skills and our Plant and Construction magic, instead of feeling helpless and relying on the Emperor's Coven we could look not just for Willow, Gus and Amity, but every missing person in the Isles!" Gilbert declared. "I mean, it wasn't the Emperor's Coven who saved Willow and those other kids from the Coachman. And it wasn't the Emperor's Coven who brought Skara home. I think they've shown that they can't be trusted to protect our kids, that it's up to us instead."
Sully nodded in agreement. "Yeah, right now, I think we need to set a new example."
"Yeah, no more sitting on the sidelines," Gilbert declared. "As parents, it's our job to do something when our kids are in trouble, even if it means breaking a few laws… and kneecaps."
In the Bonesborough Library, Malphas looked at a missing poster of Amity. He sighed and looked down sadly.
"Malphas," spoke Gary, who walked up with a tray of books. "How are you… feeling?"
Malphas shook his head. "Not good, Gary. Not good at all…"
In Hexside, everyone was dealing with the news in their own ways.
In the Abomination Track, Snope sighed as he looked at Amity's empty seat, noticing the saddened looks from Jerbo, Mary and Puffer.
"I think… it's for the best if class is canceled for the day," Snope told them. "Ms. Traveler's office is always available if you wish to talk to her."
Jerbo could only look at Amity's empty seat before turning to his horned dog Palisman who was able to sense his witch's sadness.
"The disappearances of your classmates will not be tolerated as an excuse for your own poor performance if your grades should slip!" Faust said over the intercom, pissing off Viney as she along with Amelia, Matt, Simon, Bo and Cat were hanging posters in the hallway. Each of them looked incredibly sad.
Nina, meanwhile, was heading to her class without Skara, since she was familiar enough with the layout to navigate by herself. She saw and felt how depressing school was now. 'This place is more depressing than Glandus was,' she thought while noticing a sign on a classroom door. "'All H.A.S. meetings canceled until further notice'… The hell's the H.A.S.?"
Barcus laid on his table while looking depressed. His fellow Oracle Trackers were already missing Eve, but now there was the disappearance of Amity, along with Willow and Gus. If only he had been able to predict this beforehand so he could have done something.
Near the back of the classroom, sitting next to Tyler, Felicia was looking down at her own scroll. She was checking certain Penstragram accounts to see if something was up. So far, no updates.
Outside the Owl House, Luz was setting up the portal door. With her were the Smith siblings.
"Thanks for coming here on short notice, guys," Luz told Witch Morty and Summer, who were both wearing safety goggles.
"Hey, it-it's no problem, Luz," Morty replied. "I don't mind taking some time off from school. I'm pretty much used to it thanks to Grandpa Rick."
"Yeah, and we knew you would be interested when we found some old Titan's Blood in Grandpa's garage," Summer responded while holding up a wooden board with some Titan's Blood on it.
"We're still not so sure how good it is though, since it looks pretty dry," Morty admitted..
Luz just sighed. "It's worth a shot," Luz said as she looked at the Titan's Blood stain. "After everything that has happened, I'm desperate enough to try anything to beat Belos to the Human Realm."
"Got the stuff you need, Luz!" King declared as he came over with some rope while Eda flew down on an exercise bike.
Camila, meanwhile, was watching from inside the house as Luz, Eda, King and the Smith siblings worked on the portal door. She wished she could help but what could she do? She didn't know anything about Demon Realm stuff, witchcraft, demonics, or making a portal door. The only thing she could do was hope for her daughter's safety and that the disappearances of her girlfriend and best friends wasn't making her dangerously reckless.
"So are you sure that this won't explode or anything?" Eda asked while setting up her exercise bike in a motor tub.
"Nope!" Luz replied, once she stuck the wooden board to the portal door.
"Well here goes nothing," Eda replied while peddling the exercise bike.
"If we die, I'm so gonna haunt these woods," Summer said while she and Morty backed away.
Once Eda started pedaling, it created a kinetic energy that transferred to the portal door through its various components. The door then flashed brightly as the Titan's Blood activated it, though it did bend the door so that it became crooked. Once it opened, it didn't reveal the Human Realm, but rather, a separate and surreal dimension.
"It worked!" Luz declared.
"Did it? Cause it looks real different from the old door!" King questioned.
Luz tied the rope around her while handing the other end to Morty and Summer. "Once I give a signal, or in case it looks like it's closing, pull."
"You got it/Ay-ay, captain," Morty and Summer responded as they held the rope and tied it around Eda's staff.
"Luz, as impressive as this is, be careful," Eda told her daughter. "We don't know what's in there."
Luz nodded at her mother. "I know, I just… need to see the Pines family right now, which means I have to try this. Wish me luck." She turned to look at the door while taking a deep breath. "Alright… you got this," she said as she took a step through the door…
Back in Gatesfield, a teenage girl in her dark bedroom, with short black bobcut hair, a medium-tan complexion, dark brown eyes, and a tooth gap was in her bedroom. She was wearing a noodle-strap black dress with a small white bow, a dusty-mauve sweater with a turtleneck underneath, and bell sleeves. She also wore pastel mauve stocks with black ankle boots.
This girl didn't have a happy look on her face as she was overhearing her parent's conversation.
"You think that Marsha's a little different since coming home from camp?"
"Who knows, she's still dressed as if she's going to the Moulin Rouge!"
"Well, she's been quiet since coming back at least and, well, she hasn't been misbehaving as much…"
"And we haven't seen her with something like those red candles or other macabre items."
Masha frowned, thinking that her macabre items were not hurting anyone. But it was because of this whole town having this 'perfect' image that her interests were frowned down upon. She also hated it when they called her that name now. She was not Marsha Moore anymore. At least, she didn't want to be identified as Marsha anymore. She sighed while exiting her bedroom.
"I'm heading out!" Masha announced as she walked to the door.
"And where are you going, young lady?" her mom asked, making Masha sigh.
"I'm just meeting Dana and Rudo." she replied. "Don't worry about me, you should worry about taxes or other grown up stuff. See you at dinner."
"Well, at least she didn't raise her voice this time," Masha's mom said after her daughter was gone.
"Yeah, maybe camp did help," her husband responded before turning to his wife. "So you want to-"
"Not today," she said as she walked to another room.
Outside, Masha checked the tarot cards she had hidden in her sleeves. She smirked, having had to sneak them out. "Check and mate."
In the Gatesfield Library, a teenage boy was reading some books that didn't have anything to do with the town or the Gates family history. He wanted to read more books that they haven't banned… yet. The Caucasian fourteen years old boy had green eyes and shaggy blond hair. He was wearing a black shirt with silver-gray sleeves bearing the Iron Weasel logo, baggy blue jeans, and aqua blue converse sneakers. He was listening to his MP3 player with headphones.
"There you are, Augustus," said a woman as she moved the headphones off his ears.
Augustus looked up to see a woman with mid-length blonde hair tied in a ponytail and blue eyes. She was wearing a navy-blue pantsuit with black heels. "I knew you'd be here," she told him, seeing the books he was reading. "And what's with these books? 'New York City' guidebook? Trips to LA? You're thinking of going out of Gatesfield again, are you?"
"Well yeah, I don't want to feel like I'm trapped in one place, mom," he said. "And I prefer to be called Gus."
His mother sighed. "Look, I know you have a dream of being a musician, but in the meantime I want you to consider something more practical."
"Does it involve a job outside of Gatesfield?" Gus asked her.
"Well… Mr. Arbor has been looking for grocers at the supermarket," she suggested as her son as he got up.
"Yeah, this is what I'm talking about," he told her. "I'd rather go out and do my music. I think I could make it big if you allow me to have a MewTube account, I could go indie with my music. Do more than just choir practices."
"I appreciate that you have a passion for music, Gus," Nora told him. "I'm just saying that… it may not work out. Sometimes you just have to go with the more lucrative opportunity."
"Lucrative? Mom, how am I supposed to get my name out there if I'm stuck in this 'perfect' little town? I just… I just don't want to spend the rest of my life here."
Nora sighed. "Look, I'm just trying to help you. We used to talk about things together."
"Yeah, but now you spend more time with your job than me," Gus told her as he grabbed his headphones and walked past his mother. "See you later."
"Wait! Augustus Gordon, come back here now!" Nora shouted but Gus had already left.
"Trouble with kids, Leonora?" the librarian asked her, making Nora sigh.
"It's nothing I can't handle," Nora replied as she shook her head.
Masha made it to the town square, passing by the coffee shop. She saw her two friends waiting for her by the tree and she walked over to them.
"Yo Dana, Rudo!" Masha waved at them.
"Mash!" spoke a pink-skinned girl with short spiky hair, blue eyes, and glasses. She was wearing a blue and white striped shirt, black ripped jean shorts, and red sneakers. Her name was Dana.
"What's up, Sha?" asked a purple shirted, brown skinned boy with bushy dark hair that covered his eyes and a stubble on his chin. He was wearing an orange bead wristband, black pants, and sandals. His name was Rudo. "Glad to see you out of prison."
"Eh, you guys know it wasn't that bad. We had the best cabin," Masha said while a camera on a light post observed the three of them.
"Yeah!" Dana replied as the trio saluted. "Cabin 7, Ho-ha-ha!"
Masha sat by the tree with her friends. "So I've managed to sneak in some stuff I got from a guy I know," she whispered as she pulled out the tarot cards along with a bag of runes and a shrunken head.
"Whoa… is that a real shrunken head?" Rudo asked as he tried to touch it, but Masha swatted his hand away.
"Hey, no touching," Masha whispered before drawing his attention to the tarot cards. "These are what I really wanted to show you. With them, I can predict your future."
"Really?" Dana asked her.
"Eh, worth a shot. Let's start with you, Rudy," Masha said while covering her cards with the backside of her hand. She looked around, checking that there was nobody else around. "Alright, coast is clear." She shuffled the cards, picking out three and placing them down. "A past connection that left its mark on your soul will show up again," she read the cards. "And it will ask you to shed your old ways and enter a metamorphosis! Becoming the spiritual leader that you were meant to be."
"Yeah, that sounds about right," Rudo said as he scratched himself.
"Ooh! Do me, next!" Dana raised her hand.
"Got it," Masha replied as she shuffled the cards again, picking out three different ones. "It says here that you'll aspire to do something that will change your life forever, with a significant other that would help you both to move on from your old life, and live the rest of your days anew."
"Sounds a bit ominous. I like ominous," Dana states.
"Now, it's your turn," Rudo pointed out. "What's your future like?"
Masha smiled as she shuffled her own cards. She picked out three and read them. "Well… it says here that in my future, I end up meeting someone I… didn't think I had a lot in common with," she said before reading the second card. "Then I'll end up discovering a dark secret that will unmask what has been kept from us, and then…" She placed down the third card. "Freedom."
"Whoa, wonder what that means?" Rudo asked.
"I think it means…" Masha looked closely at the cards before scoffing. "Probably a secret admirer or something. But eh, who knows?"
They then heard the sound of a siren.
"Aw, dang it, the coppers," Masha said as she quickly gathered her items into her sleeves.
"Alright, Ms. Moore," spoke a lanky county officer with a Southern, Don Knotts-sounding accent as he along with his partner marched up to the trio. "We got a report that you kids were hiding something suspicious…"
Masha just rolled her eyes. "Alright, you caught us. We were doing drugs. The crack kind."
"We're crack-babies, officer!" Dana declared.
"Uh yeah, smoke weed and stuff," Rudo replied.
"Please, we know you kids don't do crack," spoke the other officer. "Ms. Moore, may we see what you have under your sleeve?" He extended his hand to her, but she turned away bitterly. "Come on, Marsha, hand it over." She flinched at the name he called her before reluctantly pulling out her tarot cards and placing them in the officer's hand.
"We know you have more than those cards, young lady!" the county officer stated.
"Enough, Barns," his partner, Andrews, responded. "Now come on, Marsha, hand the rest over."
Masha looked down bitterly as she was forced to hand the officer the rest of the occult stuff. When they looked at them, Barns was alarmed.
"Is that a shrunken head!?" Barns shrieked in panic, creeped out at the items.
"I think we may have to take you to the station and call your parents, Marsha," Andrews said in a serious tone.
Masha scoffed. "Really? I didn't do anything wrong! This is just a hobby! I'm not hurting anyone!" she said while Barns grabbed her and pulled her over to the police car.
"Come on, young lady, let's go!" Barns said while cuffing her.
"Don't worry, Masha, we'll make sure you'll get justice!" Rudo told her.
"Don't worry about me, guys. This is not my first time," Masha said as Barns shut the door and the two officers got back into their car before driving to the station.
Clara was outside of a shop, hanging out with her so-called friends.
"Can you believe, like, what Chelsea, like, did yesterday?" one blonde girl chatted. "She wore the same dress that I was going to wear to the party!"
"Uh, so Chelsea," another friend, a dark-skinned girl with twin braids, replied.
"Yeah, what do you think, Clara?" asked the girl with pigtails, while Clara just looked at her phone. "Clara? Hello? Clara!"
"Huh, yeah?" Clara looked up to her group.
"God, Clara, were you even listening?" the blonde girl asked, placing her hands on her hips.
"Sorry, Jordan, I was um, watching cat videos or something," Clara said with a shrug.
"Must've been an interesting cat vid," Braid commented.
"Don't bother with her, Cree," Jordan told her while turning to Clara. "You know, you really should try harder, Claire. We are your friends after all."
"Yeah, friends through our parents," Clara muttered.
"Oooh," Pigtails gasped.
"Are… are you talking back to me?" Jordan scoffed while Clara just ignored her. "It looks like just because your family owns this little town you think you're so much higher and mightier than us, Claire. Right girls?"
"Yeah, Jordan's right!" Cree said.
"We're your only friends!" Pigtails agreed.
"Ugh, give it a rest, alright. Sorry that I've upset you, Jordan, sheesh," Clara told her. "And it's Clara, not Claire."
Jordan did not like Clara's tone, so she gave a smirk. "Sorry, guess I forgot my place. And that someone's gotta pity you after your mom's suicide attempt."
Clara stopped looking at her phone, her expression souring.
"Oh, did I stiff you off?" Jordan mocked. "I feel sorry for you, you know? Having to deal with a crazy mom like that. But hey, you know, you should be glad that she didn't kill herself… or else she'd definitely be damned to-"
PUNCH!
Jordan was punched to the floor as Clara screamed at her. "SHUT UP!" She jumped onto Jordan, punching her repeatedly. This scared the other two girls as they backed away in fear.
"Oh my God, there's blood!" Cree said as she covered her eyes while Pigtails was in tears and pulling out her phone.
"H-Hello, 9-1-1? M-My friend, Clara, is beating up my other friend, J-Jordan!" Pigtails sobbed as the fight started drawing more attention.
At the Gatesfield Police Station, Clara ended up in the same cell as Masha.
"Now you two girls sit here while we wait for your parents!" Barns declared before he walked away.
The two girls sat on opposite ends of a shared bench. Clara looked over at Masha, who was staring at the wall with her arms crossed. Clara had seen Masha around before in town, church and even school, but she didn't even know her name. So in order to pass time, she decided to make small talk, but Masha beat her to the punch.
"So what are you in for?" Masha asked her.
"Oh, um," Clara said as she looked down. "I got into a fight… actually, I beat up another girl."
This surprised Masha, making her turn to Clara. "You don't say? Didn't know a girl like you would have some Sarah Conners in her," she commented.
"Uh, okay," Clara replied, not knowing who Sarah Conners was.
"So why did you do it?" Masha asked, causing Clara to sigh.
"I'm just… tired," she admitted. "I'm tired of how fake everything in my life is. How my friendships are fake, and how everyone acts fake around each other; hiding their secrets and true feelings behind an insincere smile. There's just something incredibly phony about this town and I'm sick of having to play my part. I'm sick of having to be the 'perfect daughter' that my family expects me to be."
Masha looked understanding. "I can relate to that," she admitted. "I've also had this feeling that something is being hidden from up. Like, something's messed up about this town, but everybody pretends otherwise."
"So… what are you in for?" Clara asked out of curiosity.
"I wish it was for either egging on a house or drug smuggling," Masha said morbidly, which caused Clara to look at her weirdly. "Don't worry, I know not to mess around with drugs. But I did get busted for possession of occult items." Clara looked slightly uncomfortable by this, which Masha noticed. "Does that bother you?"
"N-No! I-It's just… nothing," Clara replied while turning away. The occult stuff was a hard topic for her to discuss, especially because of her mom.
Gus Gordon was walking through town while wearing his headphones until he spotted Dana and Rudo hiding near the police station. "What in the…?" Curious, he walked over to them to see what was up.
"Okay, we could go in disguised as Masha's parents to pick her up," Dana planned. "We can get my disguise kit and get in quickly. I'll be the dad, you'll be the mom."
"Why do I have to be the mom?" he asked her.
"Because you have the hair for it," Dana pointed out.
"Oh, yeah, that makes sense," Rudo replied with a nod.
"What are you two doing?" asked Gus, which startled the two as they turned to him.
"Uh… nothing," Dana responded, trying to not look suspicious.
"Yeah, not doing a jailbreak or any-ow!" Rudo felt Dana hitting his arm, making him rub it.
"Okay… well, good luck with whatever you're doing," Gus replied as he put his headphones back on and continued his walk.
"I think he suspects nothing," Rudo whispered to Dana, who shushed him.
Back in their cell Clara and Masha were continuing their talk.
"I know what everyone says about my mom," Clara mentioned. "They say how much they care about her well-being and how she'll be forgiven and stuff. But then they talk about her behind her back and look down on her in private, judging her for what she could have done to herself. They're all just so… hypocritical and fake." She looked down awkwardly, while Masha looked at her in concern. "I pretended that it didn't bother me… but it does. And I wish I knew what had driven my mom to that point. I wish that I could know what she is going through so I could help her, but she just… doesn't talk to me. It is almost like she has been this completely different person the whole time and I never really knew her at all and I just don't know how to handle that."
Masha sighed. "I am sorry about your mom. I mean it, too. And I know it is not my place to judge her. I just… hope that she gets better."
Clara nodded. "Me too. Um, what's your name?"
"Masha. Masha Moore," Masha responded. "Technically it is Marsha, but don't call me that."
"And you already know who I am," Clara told her. "Everybody does…"
Masha was about to respond, but then she heard a nearby conversation between the two cops.
"So you hear what's going on at the Historical Society?" Andrews asked Barns.
"Yeah, I heard they're holding her there until a transport arrives to transfer her," he replied while eating a doughnut.
"'Her?'" Masha noted, curious.
Barns went to the front desk, where he was met with a disguised Dana and Rudo, dressed as Masha's 'parents'.
"Um, excuse me, but we're here to pick up our little Masha!" Dana said in a deep voice while disguised with a mustache and fake pipe.
"Uh yeah," Rudo agreed while wearing a sunflower hat and church dress with gloves.
"Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Moore, glad to see you two here," Barns replied, actually falling for the disguise. "Though you two look different…"
"That's because they are different, Barns," Andrews aid as he pulled them out their disguises while the real Mr. and Mrs. Moore showed up at the police station. "Hello, Moores, your daughter's waiting for you. Just need you to sign something."
"Thank you, Andrews," Mrs. Moore said just as Clara's father showed up.
"Clara, is she here?" he asked for his daughter.
"Don't worry, Mr. Gates," Barns responded while escorting the parents to see their daughters, while Andrews took Dana and Rudo to a cell.
Masha and Clara's cell door was opened, the two girls realizing that their parents and Masha's friends were there. The Moores don't look pleased, while Clara's father looked at her with a sad expression.
"Welp, it was nice chatting with ya, Stripe," Masha replied, giving her a nickname as she looked at her friends. "Dana, Rudo, what's with the getup?"
"Trying to save you from prison food," Rudo answered while Andrews gave a deadpan look.
"They don't pay me enough for this," Andrews responded with a sigh.
As Gus continued with his walk, he noticed the GHS building which was closed for the time being.
"Aw man," he said to himself while noticing a heavily armored guard in front of the door. Curious, he walked up to the guard. "Hey, uh, what's going on? Why is the Historical Society closed today?"
"Move along, kid," he responded, while Gus noticed a symbol on his armor. The A symbol with a halo and wings.
"Huh, are you like, what? CIA? Secret service?" he asked him. "Oh, maybe like, Checkmate or something-"
"Look kid, I'm not telling you this again," the guard said as he lowered himself to Gus's level. "Leave."
Gus sighed. "Alright, you're the boss," he replied as he turned around and walked around. Though his curiosity had been piqued…
At the Moore residence, an argument had sparked between Masha and her parents.
"I thought that camp was supposed to make you behave but now we look in your room and find out that you have been hiding… Satanic artifacts!?" her mom exclaimed.
"You went into my room?!" Masha shouted at her. "And they're not Satanic! I'm not sacrificing lambs or some shit!"
"Watch your language, young lady," her father scolded her.
"Marsha, we have had enough of this occult stuff you keep bringing in-"
"It's Masha."
Her mother looked at her. "What?"
"I've told you before that my name is Masha now, I've dropped the 'r' from my name," Masha said while crossing her arms.
"Well, Masha or whatever nickname you've decided to call yourself," her mother said dismissively. "We took that stuff from your room and we've thrown it away!"
Masha's eyes widened as she looked at them in anger. "You did what!? You can't throw away my stuff!"
"We live in a Christian home, Marsha," her father responded. "Stuff like this doesn't belong-" But Masha rushes out of the living room. "Hey, we're not finished talking!"
"Fuck you!" Masha flipped them off as she shut the door.
Masha looked around her room. All of her posters, occult items, and even her games were gone. She was furious. This was the last straw.
"Screw it," Masha said as she marched to her closet to grab her black jacket before she locked the door and started to climb out of the window.
As she did so, she heard her parents knocking on the door along with her mother's voice. "Marsha? Marsha come out so we can talk!" Masha rolled her eyes and continued to quietly climb out of her window.
At Clara's home, she was having an argument with her father.
"Getting arrested for assault?!" he yelled while marching back and forth, while Clara just sat on the couch with a bitter look as he ranted. "Dear God, that poor girl…. how could you do something like that? What in the world were you thinking by attacking that girl?"
Clara's eyes narrowed. "I did it because Jordan was making fun of my mom's suicide attempt!"
Her father crossed his arms. "Well what you did was still unacceptable, young lady," he told her. "And you are grounded, so go to your room!"
Clara didn't argue back, instead she just stood up and walked away while not even looking at her dad. She knew there was no point in arguing, so she just silently walked to her room while her father watched in disappointment.
As she walked down the hall, Clara stopped to look at a photo that was framed on the wall. The photo showed her parents having a barbecue with an Afro-Dominican couple. Next to the photo was a framed newspaper article that showed a picture of the Dominican woman, Camila, and announced her death in a car crash, along with her baby daughter's disappearance. Clara had seen this article many times and sometimes she wondered what happened to that woman's daughter. If she was still alive, she would be around her age by now. Would they have been friends?
Clara then made it to her room, where she laid on her bed face down. She was tired, tired of how fake this town was, tired of the fake friends, tired of all of it. She wondered if this was why her mother seemed so tired a lot of the time as well. But before she would dwell on that thought for too long, a tap on the window was heard. The tapping was heard again, prompting her to get up and walk over to her window to see a pebble hitting against it.
She opened the window and looked down. She was surprised to see who was standing there. "Masha?! What are you doing here?"
"You know what you said about how everything's fake?" Masha asked and Clara nodded. "Well, would you like to help me expose what the 'real' Gatesfield is like? I heard from those two cops that they're keeping someone in the GHS building."
"What? Who are they keeping in there?" Clara asked.
"The big question is why? Why not put her in a jail cell? Why at the GHS building? Is it because they want to keep this secret? Is it because they're doing something that isn't legal?" Masha questioned while Clara looked hesitant.
"I… I don't know," Clara said. "It could be dangerous."
"Hey, if you're sick of the fakeness that's been going on in this town, this could be our chance to see what the adults are trying to hide from us. Thought you'd be as curious as I am, cause you know, if you're able to beat a bitch, surely you would be willing to snoop around for a bit," Masha pointed out.
Clara gave it some thought, while thinking about her mother. "Hang on," she said as she left to grab something. As Masha waited while looking around, Clara popped back up and climbed out of her window. "Sorry, just gotta get this," she said as she held up a keycard. "It's my mother's and I'm pretty sure it can work on the electronic locks in this town."
"Sweet!" Masha said as she grabbed Clara's hand and led her away. "Now come on, let's go!"
At the Gordon home, Gus found his mom in order to ask her something. "Hey mom, what's the deal with the GHS building? When I checked it out, it was closed and the front entrance was being guarded by some stormtrooper."
"Oh, I'm sure there is nothing to worry about," Nora assured him. "I think I know what you're talking about. There are these people who occasionally come into or pass through town. They work for the Gates family and they sometimes use the GHS building for their purposes. This is nothing new and it's best to not ask questions."
"Isn't it kind of suspicious, though?" Gus questioned while Nora looked at her son. "Like, what sort of work do they do for the Gates family?"
"I don't know, but I know better than to ask," Nora told her son. "It'll bring nothing but trouble."
Augustus looked down, thinking about something "Didn't Dad used to work for the Gates family?"
Nora gave a surprised look. It had been a while since the topic of his father was mentioned. She sighed. "Yeah, he did. Do you… want to talk about him?"
"No, not right now," Gus said while shaking his head. He started going up to his room. "Maybe later though."
As he walked down the hall, he stopped at a framed picture of his dad. He had the same eyes as his son's, along with brown hair and a mustache, and he wore a black suit. But then Gus took notice of the symbol on his suit.
"Wait a sec…" Gus looked closely, seeing the 'A' symbol on the suit. The same A symbol that the guard at the GHS had. This got him curious.
He rushed back to his room and dug something from his drawer. It was a framed newspaper article-
Fire at Department A!
'Casualties include: Joseph Gates, Mark Rhyston, Luke Gordon, Darla Sitwell-'
Gus gave the article a suspicious look. His mom said that asking about the Gates family and their business would bring nothing but trouble. Why? What was the Gates family hiding? What was this town hiding?
Perhaps it was time to find out.
"How do we get past the cameras?" Clara asked Masha as they hid in an alleyway.
"I know some blind spots where they won't be able to see us," Masha responded as they snuck behind a fence to avoid a camera. Masha and Clara hid by the church next, seeing Rudo's hair sticking out from the bushes. Rudo and Dana popped up to greet the two. "Glad you guys got out of prison too."
"Yeah, Andrews decided to let us go with a warning," Dana replied.
"Yeah, so we got off lucky," Rudo added.
"The GHS building is close, come on," Masha said as she led the group across a street while the nearest camera was turned away. They then hid behind a bush while watching the guard still standing at the door.
"We should head to the back," Clara suggested. "I can get us access there."
"Hope there's no guard," Masha said as they started to sneak around to the back.
The guard was yawning, briefly shutting his eyes. After he yawned, he thought he heard a noise and looked around, but saw nothing. He shrugged, thinking it was a cat.
"Okay, the back entrance should be there-" Clara said but then they saw someone else already there. They stopped, thinking it could be the guard's friend or something. But then they realized it was Gus, who was trying to open the door.
"Come on, come on!" Gus grunted as he tried to break into the door.
"Gus?" Masha asked.
He heard his name and he turned in a panic, seeing Masha, Sam, Rudo and Clara. "What the… what are you guys doing here?!"
"Keep it down," Masha told him. "Question is, what are you doing here?"
Gus turned to Clara, giving her a glare. "I'm not saying anything in front of the Gates kid. She'll probably snitch or something."
"What does that supposed to mean?" Clara asked, narrowing her eyes.
"It means that I don't trust you," Gus told her.
"What's your problem? Wait." Clara got a good look at Gus. "You're the school's superintendent's kid, aren't you?"
"Oh yeah, Gus Gordon, you were always in the music room," Rudo pointed out, recognizing Gus.
"Guys, calm down," Masha shushed them. "Clara, you still have the key card?"
"Yeah, I still got it," Clara said, holding it up.
"From what I'm gathering, you're probably looking for something in the building that holds the town's dark secrets, right?" Masha asked Gus, who looked down awkwardly.
"I got curious, so… I'm wondering about… something," Gus responded.
"Then join us, man," Masha offered. "We all want the same thing, and right now we're gonna take a look at who they're keeping inside a museum."
Gus thought about it, turning to Clara who held up the key card, using it to open the door successfully. He sighed. "Fine, I'll join you. Even if it's with her." He then paused. "Wait, they're keeping someone in there?"
Luz was floating in a pool of water. She gasped as she woke up, expelling water from her lungs. "W-What?" she coughed while she looked around at her surroundings. She appeared to be in some kind of distorted, warped world as she saw a cube emerging from the pool and floating into the air near her. "Whoa… what is this place?" she asked, seeing a lot of the levitating cubes around her.
She then started shouting. "Mom! King! Morty! Summer!" A cube floated in front of her. "Can anyone hear me?" The cube in front of her flashed brightly, which got Luz's attention. She went towards it and grabbed it in her hand.
"So yeah, I'm helping out with this little project," Summer talked to a friend with her orb until she saw Luz's reflection in it. "What the- Luz!?"
"Summer!?" Luz exclaimed.
"What's going on-" Eda walked over with King, Morty, and Camila. They saw Luz in Summer's crystal orb. "Luz? What are you doing in a crystal ball?"
"I… I don't know. I said your names and it brought me to Summer's crystal ball," she explained.
"Are you in the Human Realm?" Morty asked her.
"Not exactly," Luz responded from the other side. "I think I'm in some kind of in-between realm. There are a lot of floating cubes around."
"How did you get into my crystal ball?" Summer asked.
"I… I don't know," Luz said while turning over the cube, seeing them from another perspective. "Hey, over here!"
They turned to see Luz in the Owl House's window. "Well, wherever you are, it seems that you can pop up and communicate with others through reflective surfaces," Eda indicated.
"This kinda reminds me of Mirror Master," Camila mentioned.
"Yeah, mami, like Mi-" Luz paused. "Wait, how do you know the name of one of the Flash's Rogues?"
All turned to Camila, whose eyes widened at the realization. "Uh… from Luz's comic books! Yeah, when I was cleaning your room one time and I took a peek at them. Very nice, I remember when Batman was a thing. Everyone knows Batman."
"Okay… but it seems that if I was able to see you because I called out your names…"
"Well, try calling for the Pines family," Eda advised.
"Alright… Pines family," Luz declared. "More specifically, show me Dipper Pines!"
One cube above her glowed, causing Luz to spread her wings in order to fly up and grab it. Once she grabbed it, she looked in...
"Disco girl! I'm coming through… oh-ooh, oh-oooh!" Dipper sang while he was in the bathroom, drying himself off with a towel after having taken a shower. It was then Luz popped up in his mirror.
"Dipper-AH!" Luz covered her eyes as Dipper turned to see Luz in the mirror.
"HAAAH!" Dipper screamed as well as he tripped and fell. He looked at the mirror in shock, rubbing his eyes since he couldn't believe it.
"Titan-dammit, Dipper! Put some clothes on!" Luz shouted at him while covering her eyes.
"Luz!?" Dipper exclaimed while grabbing his clothes. "Holy crap… it's you!"
"Yes, yes it's me, Disco Boy, now put on some damn pants already!" Luz told him as an embarrassed Dipper quickly put on his clothes.
"Alright, I'm decent," a fully clothed Dipper said as Luz uncovered her eyes to see him.
"Well other than seeing that, and thank Titan it's not Stan, but it's so good to finally see you again!" Luz declared happily.
"Luz, I… how is this possible? How are you talking to me now?" Dipper asked.
"Long story," Luz told him. "Right now I am in some sort of in-between realm and this is about as close I can get right now to making a portal back to the Human Realm. How is everything going on your end?"
"Well, you missed Soo's birthday, which actually went a lot better than it usually does, future gladiatorial games aside," Dipper answered. "But oh my gosh, there is something you need to know! Bill is not what he seems! He tricked me, hurt Mabel, and I have to warn you about him. He is not benevolent!"
"W-What?" Luz asked in shock. "That triangle bastard… is Mabel alright?"
"She's… a little shaken up, but is recovering," Dipper told her. "Whatever you do, don't make a deal with him!"
Luz looked down awkwardly. "Well… okay, here's the thing. Amity disappeared last night and Bill came into my dream. I wasn't thinking clearly and I think he may have taken advantage of that, so we sort of made a deal where he would help me by going into my head… and that sounds really bad now. But I have no idea what happened to him after that. He just kinda… vanished."
"This is not good," Dipper said before realizing something. "Wait, Amity disappeared? How?"
"She disappeared while trying to find Titan's Blood. I don't know what happened to her, and then Gus and Willow disappeared as well," Luz answered, but then she realized something. "Wait a second! I was able to find you in the in-between by saying your name. I can do the same thing to find the others!"
"It's worth a shot," Dipper agreed.
Luz nodded. "I'll try to call you back if I have time, but I have no idea how long I will be able to stay here," she told him. "Even if you don't hear from me again today, I promise that I won't stop trying to find a way to the Human Realm. It was good to hear your voice again though."
"And I'll tell the others you said hello," Dipper promised Luz. "Now go find your friends!"
Luz nodded and let go of the cube. "Amity Goodfellow!"
One cube floated towards Luz and she instantly grabbed it. "Amity? Amity!"
Somewhere in the Human Realm, Amity and Ghost were by a river as Amity drank from it. It was then she heard Luz's voice. "Amity!"
Spitting out of the water, Amity's eyes widened when she saw Luz in the river. "Luz!?"
"Thank Titan you're alright!" Luz said, a look of relief flooding her face. "Where… where are you? Mom said that you've disappeared and-"
"I'm in the Human Realm!" Amity told her immediately. "I was sent here by some old witch who has the portal key."
"Old witch?" Luz replied, remembering that Hunter mentioned an old witch. "So Hunter didn't make you disappear… crap…"
"What… what happened to Hunter?" Amity asked her.
"Don't worry, he's alive," Luz told him. "And so are you, thankfully. Willow and Gus, they disappeared too that night. If by chance they're in the Human Realm as well, then I need you guys to head out to Gravity Falls, Oregon to find the Pines family at the Mystery Shack!"
Amity nodded. "Got it, I will head there once I reach civilization."
Luz then saw the white cat. "Wait, who's the cat… is that one of the Bat Queen's Palismen?!"
"Yeah, her name is Ghost," Amity confirmed. "It's a long story, but she's my staff now."
"Oh congrats, both of you," Luz told her. "I wish we had more time, but I have to find Gus and Willow. I promise to find a way to reach you!"
"And I promise to be waiting for you at Gravity Falls!" Amity replied to the river before Luz disappeared.
"Gus Porter!" Luz called out. Another cube glowed and Luz went to grab it. "Gus? Gus!"
"Luz?!" Gus's image appeared in the cube's reflection. A lot of shouting could be heard in the background. "Luz!"
"Where's Willow and… what's with the shouting?" Luz asked him.
"I don't know where Willow is, I was alone when I woke up," Gus replied. "As for the shouting..."
Gus was inside a party bus, filled with college students that had picked him up. They were all singing and dancing to the music.
"Apparently, I'm in some kind of party worm," Gus responded, his ears covered by his shirt which he had wrapped around his head due to the heat. "They say they're from an Arizona State coven, and we're heading to a place called… Last Vegans?"
"Last Vegans? Oh, Las Vegas! Listen Gus, get yourself to Gravity Falls, Oregon, and meet up with the Pines!" Luz replied from the bus window's reflection. "Amity's in the human world as well, and if you're here too then Willow must be in the same realm! Hopefully I'll see you soon!" She then disappeared
"Gravity Falls, Oregon," Gus repeated before turning to a girl. "Say, do you know if Gravity Falls, Oregon is nearby?"
"Um… I think it is a few states up in the midwest," the tipsy college girl answered as music played. "Hey, it's my song! Let's dance to it!" She grabbed Gus's hand.
"Wait, hold up! I don't know this song!" Gus shouted as he was pulled away to dance with the other college students.
Luz called for Willow next. "Willow Park!" A cube came to her and she grabbed it. "Willow!"
The cube showed an image of Willow, she appeared to be knocked out in a cell. Seeing her without her glasses, Luz concluded she was seeing her from her glasses on the floor.
"Willow!" she cried out, but Willow didn't respond. "Willow, who did this to you? Are they hurting you? Motherfucker!" As she ranted, a glowing cube hit her on the head. "Ow! What the-"
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
Luz's eyes widened as she heard a male voice coming from the new cube…
In the GHS building, the Gatesfield teens were looking around.
"See anything?" Masha asked them.
"Just the usual museum displays," Dana said while Rudo was taking pictures with his phone.
"This is the public area, we need to look in the areas where visitors are not allowed," Clara said while Gus looked into a broom closet.
Rudo spotted a door that read 'Employees only'. "Does this count?" he asked, pointing at the door.
"Good eye, Rudy," Masha said as Clara used the keycard to open the door.
"This leads to the basement of the GHS," Clara noted.
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go check out the creepy basement," Gus said as he walked in first.
The others followed him and went down a hallway to a black door with the same A symbol that the guard was wearing. Gus looked at it suspiciously. "Have you seen this symbol before?" Gus asked Clara.
"Why are you asking me?" Clara asked him.
"Well, your family runs this town, and apparently people who work for the Gates wear this symbol," Gus pointed out.
"Well… I have seen it before," Clara said while Rudo snapped a pic of the door. "It is on a few things that my late uncle and grandfather had. My mom keeps them in the house and I sometimes see her with them. Especially her brother's stuff. He… died in a fire fourteen years ago.."
"Oh… I'm sorry," Gus told her.
"It's fine, he died before I was born so I have no memories of him," Clara said. Her mother and aunt also didn't talk about him much and she never asked, so it was hard for her to miss somebody that she never knew. He used the card to open the door. Once they opened it, they entered inside and looked around. "What the…?"
It was a room filled with empty cells. But only one was active. They went over to check the glowing cell and saw a drugged up Willow.
"Oh my… it's just a girl!" Masha exclaimed, Dana and Rudo looking equally as shocked.
"She's no older than us…" Clara gasped, covering her mouth in horror.
"Why are they keeping her here?" Gus questioned, before deciding that it didn't matter. "We have to get her out." He reached for the bars.
"Don't touch those bars!"
Gus stopped as he and the other teens turned to see someone in the shadows. He stepped out, revealing himself as Jacob Hopkins "Those bars are electrified."
"Hopkins?" Masha questioned, recognizing the curator of the GHS building. "What are you doing and why is this girl locked up?!"
Jacob adjusted his glasses. "Well if you must know," he said coolly. "That girl in that cell is an actual witch! I was instructed by Department A to keep an eye on this creature until they could pick her up."
"Department A?" Clara questioned him, which Gus took note of as well.
"Okay, this is so wrong! First of all, she is not a creature! She is a person! And this has to be child abuse! What did she do to deserve this?" Masha questioned.
"Don't know, they just found her knocked out in the woods," Jacob said with a shrug. "But she is dangerous and Department A will take care of her before she could hurt someone. I know this must be confusing, but trust me when I say that this will all make sense later."
"No!" Clara said, holding up her keycard. "We are letting her out now!"
Jacob narrowed his eyes. "Oh, I can't let you do that."
"What you're doing is wrong! God, she doesn't look like she'll hurt anyone!" Masha states.
"But she can't hurt anyone with her witchcraft, and you can't free her with me around!" He pulled out a broomstick, which he swung around, doing Jedi-like moves while making his own sound effects before doing a pose.
The teens didn't look impressed by this. "Let's just kick his ass," Masha suggested.
"Yeah, I think we can take him," Gus replied while cracking his knuckles.
"As if you kids can take on me-" Masha walked up to Jacob and kicked him between the legs. "WAAAH!" he cried as he fell to his knees and dropped his broomstick, Gus coming in and punching him in the face.
What followed was him getting quickly beaten by the teens. Dana punched him in the gut, while Clara kicked him across the face, and Rudo just pushed him onto Willow's cell, shocking him against the bars and knocking him out.
"Alright, we just beat up an adult!" Dana cheered.
Clara went to Willow's cell, using the key card to open it. Once the electrified bars were turned off, they opened the cell and went to check up on her.
"How is she?" Clara asked while Masha checked on her.
"She's breathing, but she needs water," Masha said as she and Clara helped Willow up. "Come on, let's get her out of here."
They helped the drugged Willow out of her cell while Dana spotted her glasses and grabbed them for safe keeping. They spotted a water cooler in the hall, which Gus Gordon went to get a cup and pour some water in it, which he handed to them for Willow. "Here."
Masha grabbed the cup and helped Willow, who was still under the influence of the drugs she had been given, manage to drink it. She coughed a bit and her eyes opened slightly. "Hey, are you okay?" Masha asked her.
"Oh… my head," Willow responded. "Where… where am I?"
"Don't worry, you're safe," Clara assured her.
"How is she feeling?" Gus asked them.
"She's still a little dazed, but she'll wake up," Masha said while Dana handed Willow back her glasses. "I wonder what they gave her…"
"So what now?" Clara asked them.
"I've taken a lot of pictures about what's going on down here," Rudo said while showing the pictures he took on the phone, including of the cells, Willow in the cell, and a knocked out Jacob.
"So apparently Gatesfield has a creepy secret prison," Dana said before pointing to Willow. "But what about her? Jacob said she was a witch. Do you think he was right?"
There was a pause as Masha, Gus and Clara looked at each other unsurely. "I… I don't know, we could ask her. The ears don't really prove anything, I've seen other people with pointy ears," Masha pointed out. "It could be a genetic thing."
"GHS, this is Department A, over!"
The teens heard something from Jacob's cell and Gus went up to grab a walkie-talkie hidden in Jacob's coat. "This is Department A to GHS, do you read me? The transports are pulling in!"
"They're here…" Rudo said ominously as the teens now looked worried.
Outside of the GHS building, several vans and trucks drove down the street, all marked with 'Department A' or the 'A' symbol on them. The vehicles were pulling up in front of the GHS building.
Masha was helping Willow wake up. "Hey, are you alright? Can you stand?"
"Y-Yeah," Willow replied as Masha helped her up with Clara's assistance.
"Do you have a name, kid?" Masha asked her.
"W-Willow," Willow responded as she got a better look at the teens around her. "Who are you guys?"
"Don't worry, we're the good guys," Rudo told her.
"Come on, let's get out of here!" Dana said as the teens escorted Willow out of the basement.
Once they were up the stairs, they continued asking questions to Willow. "Do you know where you're at right now?"
"Um… from your ears, the Human Realm?" Willow asked as she was helped by Clara and Dana.
"Wait, are you really a witch?" Clara asked her.
"Yeah." Willow confirmed. "My home is the Demon Realm, where things that humans consider myth are real. Dragons, griffins, giraffes…"
"Wait, giraffes?" Dana asked in confusion as they made it out of the back of the building.
"How did you get here then?" Gus asked her skeptically.
"Honestly, I don't know!" Willow responded as they headed into the woods. "One moment I was with my friend, Gus, then there was a bright flash and the next thing I remember I was in a cell." She then realized something. "Wait, Gus? Did you see him?"
"We didn't see anyone else in a cell, just you," Masha told her.
"You have a friend named Gus?" Gordon asked her. "That's funny, because I'm a Gus too!"
Willow chuckled weakly. "That is funny. I can't wait to tell him about this, if I get the chance…"
"FREEZE!"
The teens and their witch friend stopped when they heard the sound of guns being cocked. They turned around to see that armored men holding shields (which had the 'A' symbol on them).and futuristic looking guns had followed them into the woods.
"Step away from the witch!" one of them declared.
"Aw shit," Masha said as they all backed away, while Willow looked at the armored men.
"Well, it was nice knowing you guys," Rudo said as he raised his hand up in surrender, Dana following his example.
While the Gatesfield teens held their hands up, Willow didn't. Her eyes started to glow brightly as she knelt down and placed her hands to the ground. Clara noticed this. "Willow?"
It was at that moment… Willow went alpha witch mode.
"What the-!?" one of the men said as he got his gun knocked out of his hand by a large root sprouting out of the ground. Many of the other men also had their guns taken away from them as the trees around them were suddenly brought to life.
"What the hell's going on!?" one of the men asked as he was suddenly grabbed by a tree and thrown aside. "AAAHH!"
Several of the men had their feet snagged by vines, which pulled them into the ground up to their necks.
"Holy shit, she really is a witch!" Gus shouted while looking around the chaos.
"Not just a witch, she's Poison Ivy!" Masha said in awe while Clara's mouth hung open in shocked silence.
"Kick their asses!" Dana cheered along with Rudo.
"Yeah! Stick it to the man!" Rudo declared.
Meanwhile, in front of the GHS building, one of the armored men who was watching the vehicles heard their radio turn on. "Mayday! Mayday! At the back of the building in the woods-AAH!"
"What was that?!" one armed man questioned.
"I don't know, but we should-" Suddenly a large vine pops up through the trucks and vans, the tires popping one by one as carnivorous plants sprout from the street. The remaining men were getting out of their vehicles to try to fight back, but got tangled up by the vines as the carnivorous plants ate up the trucks and vans.
"Screw this, I did not sign up for this shit!" one man said as he dropped his gun and tried to run, only to be snatched away by the vines. "AAAHH!"
Willow's eyes continued to glow until Clara started shaking her. "Hey, hey, wake up! Willow!" she shouted as Willow shut her eyes and took a deep breath. Her eyes were normal when she opened them.
"Ooh, man, what happened?" Willow asked as she looked around at everything she had done.
The trees stopped moving and the carnivorous plants and vines fell down, cracking the street. The citizens of Gatesfield started to come over to see what had happened.
"Whoa, did I do that?" Willow asked, looking at her hands.
"Yeah, you went beast mode on these chumps!" Gus told her.
"No time to admire Green Thumb's handiwork, let's get out of here!" Masha said as she led the group through the woods.
Soon they made it out of the woods and onto the road. "Where would we go now?" Clara asked. "I don't think we can go back, not after that! Whoever those men were, I doubt they are going to stop coming after us!"
"We gotta get out of Gatesfield," Masha decided. "Then maybe we can hitchhike to the next town!"
Beep-Beep!
"Oh great, now what!?" Masha asked as the teens turned around to see a red Prius 2011 coming toward them.
"Oh no," Gus grimaced as he saw someone step out of the Prius.
"Augustus Gordon, there you are!" Nora said as she saw her son and other teens. "I've been looking everywhere for you! You weren't answering my calls and you made me worried sick, especially since there was some kind of accident in front of the GHS building! I was afraid that you were there and that you had gotten hurt!"
"Sorry, Mom…" Gus said, looking down.
Masha stepped toward the woman. "Look, Superintendent Gordon, please listen to us. You see that girl over there?" She pointed to Willow. "We found her being held captive in the Historical Society building against her will!"
"What?" Nora asked, looking at Willow in confusion.
"It's true, ma'am," Willow said, walking up to her. "This is hard to explain, but I'm a witch from the Demon Realm. I don't know how I got here, but I was being drugged by that Hopkins guy until these teens saved me and now we are being chased by these men in armor."
"She's in trouble if she stays here, Mom," Gus explained. "We can't let Department A get her."
"This… this has to be a prank, right?" Nora asked her. "I mean, witches? Demon Realm? I know this town can be a little too religious, but this stuff isn't real…"
"Actually, ma'am," Willow said as she summoned a chrysanthemum flower from her hand. Nora was shocked to see her perform magic. "It is very real."
"You… you are a witch…" Nora said in shock while Clara stood by Willow's side.
"She is," Clara confirmed. "But she's also just a kid like us, Ms. Gordon, and she needs help. Gatesfield is unsafe for her."
"Please, Mom," Gus begged. "Don't let them take her away."
Nora looked at Willow. She didn't see a creature from another realm. Instead, she just saw… a kid. She sighed. "Alright, get her to my Prius. We're getting her out of here."
Gus went up to hug his mother. "Thanks, Mom," he said to her, which surprised Nora as she hugged him back.
Clara felt Masha patting her shoulder and she turned to her.
"Thanks for helping us, Sarah Conners," she nicknamed her. "You're alright for a cheerleader."
"Uh, thanks," Clara said. "Though are you really okay with just… leaving Gatesfield? What about your parents?"
Masha, Dana, and Rudo shared looks. "What about them?" Masha asked with a shrug.
"Oh," Clara realized. She looked down, wondering if she was really about to do this. Run away from home with a bunch of other teens and a witch she had just met. What would her parents think? It seemed crazy, but… it also seemed like the right thing to do.
"What about you?" Masha asked.
"I… I intend to see this though," Clara said, looking up. This may have been more than she bargained for, but she had come too far to back out now.
Masha nodded with a smile. "Come on, let's get out of here."
And so Nora got the six teens into her Prius. It was fitted with three rows of seats, good for carpooling. Gus sat up front while Masha, Willow and Clara sat in the middle, Dana and Rudo at the back.
"Once I use the access gate key, we're out of here," Nora said. "Though where do we go from here?"
"Well there's one place we could go to," Gus said as he pulled out a flier from his pocket and unfolded it. "New York City! There's the lights, the scenery, the music…"
"You do kinda remind me of the Gus back home," Willow commented with a chuckle.
"You know, New York City wouldn't be too bad," Masha added. "I've heard that it is a hotspot for the supernatural." She turned to Willow. "Maybe we can find someone there who can help you get home."
"Well, I guess that's where we're going," Nora said. "Besides, it is better than going to Jersey… or Hoboken." She drove to one of the gates out of Gatesfield, which she used her access key to open.
And as they escaped from Gatesfield, Willow felt her eyes shutting once again while surrounded by teens who had helped a stranger like her without a second thought. That made her feel like she was safe, despite being in a strange world that was alien to her.
"Thank you…" she managed to whisper before falling asleep in the car.
Luz held the cube that had spoke to her. "Hello? Who are you?"
"What? Who's there?" asked the bright cube as Luz could almost see someone in it. "Is there someone out here?"
Luz was wondering who this person was, since she didn't call for a name or anything. All she did was curse 'motherfucker' and… wait, could it be…
"Dad?" Luz asked, trying to get a better look.
Unfortunately, it was not his voice that answered her.
"Is that you, Philip?" asked a female voice that echoed around Luz.
The liquid that she was standing in began to turn blood red and while looking around, Luz saw a hand emerging from the blood. This caused her to release the cube she was holding, which floated out of reach as Luz backed away.
A woman pulled herself out of the blood. She was covered in blood that gushed from the shards of glass that were embedded in her skin. She looked… crooked, her limbs bent unnaturally. Her long hair was black and her eyes glowed red. She smiled.
"It's me, Mary."
"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Luz cried out before she suddenly felt herself being pulled into the bloody water and away from the woman.
"Come back here!" Mary cried as she reached out to grab Luz by the leg, attempting to pull her back. Luz could only gurgle while Mary held onto her.
"And pull, and pull, and…!" Eda, King, Morty and Summer kept pulling on the rope, managing to pull Luz out of the in-between and back to the Boiling Isles.
"Get me out! Get me out!" Luz cried out as Hooty wrapped around Luz, pulling her out completely, just as the portal folded in on itself and disappeared completely.
Luz gasped while Eda and King came to her. "Luz, are you alright?" she asked, letting Luz breathe.
"I'm… fine…" she replied, while looking down and seeing a disembodied rotten hand still holding her leg. "Gah!" she cried out as she kicked it away.
"Is that a hand!?" Morty cried out in shock.
"I think… I just saw Bloody M," Luz replied, which shocked them.
"You-know-who's in the in-between?!" Eda exclaimed.
"Yeah!" Luz replied as she caught her breath, shocked at who she saw.
After calming down, Luz was brought into the Owl House and was handed a cup of water to drink.
"Okay, so you see the Pines?" Eda asked her.
"Y-Yeah," Luz nodded. "I saw Dipper. And that's not all…"
In the Brooke home, a miserable Skara continued to lay on her bed. She didn't bother to move or get up. She just wanted to stay in bed. She was all alone…
Until she heard a tap on her window. This caused her to lift her head up and see Nina at her window, which surprised her.
"Nina?" Skara asked as she got up and opened her window, letting Nina in.
"Yo, school was boring without you so I jumped out of class and decided to come back here," Nina replied while looking over Skara. "You look like hell."
Skara gave her an indifferent look. "Isn't this breaking your parole?"
"Eh, I'll worry about that later," Nina waved it off before looking awkwardly at Skara. "You uh, doing alright? Need to be petted or something?"
Skara looked down. "Leave me alone," she muttered while turning back to her bed.
"Hey, was just trying to be nice," Nina said. "I forgot how you wolves are so sensitive…"
"Did you really skip school just to bug me?" Skara told her, just wanting to be left alone.
"Fine, I get it," Nina held her hand up as she noticed a picture of Skara with Willow on her dresser. Nina sighed and went to sit by Skara's side on her bed. "Look, I'm sorry. I don't know how to handle this kind of situation but… I do know that it must really suck for your girlfriend and your friends to be missing. And if it means anything, I do hope they are found soon so that you don't stay stuck like this."
Skara sniffed as she turned to Nina. "Thanks," she said as she wiped her tears away.
"So um, do you want to listen to music or do whatever you Bards do?" Nina asked her.
Skara looked at her CDs and grabbed one. "Maybe listening to music would help," she said as she pulled out one and inserted it into the CD player. "This one I got for my birthday from Luz."
"Wonder what her music taste is like," Nina said as she leaned back while Skara let the music play.
The tune was from Stevie Nick's 'Rhiannon', which both girls listened to.
Rhiannon sings like a bell through the night, and wouldn't you love to love her?
Takes to the sky like the bird in a flight, and who will be her lover?
All your life you've never seen, woman taken by the wind!
Would you stay if she promised you heaven?
Will you ever win?
Luz was sitting on the rooftop on the Owl House, looking down at the beanie Amity had given to her. She sighed, wondering how she would be able to reach Dipper, Amity, Gus, and Willow again. She especially hoped that Willow was alright.
"Luz?"
Luz didn't turn, she knew who it was.
"I was told that you needed to talk to me about something," Camila said as she joined her daughter up on the roof.
The human-witch was looking out at the Boiling Seas. "While I was in the in-between, I heard a voice," she admitted. "I think… that voice was… my father." This surprised Camila as Luz continued. "If the in-between is connected to both the Demon Realm and the Human Realm, I think that it must've connected to the afterlife as well."
"What… what did you find out? How is Manny?" Camila asked her.
"I was unable to talk to him, since I was interrupted by Bloody M," Luz told her.
"Manny… oh I wish I could hear him again," Camila said, looking down.
Luz turned to her mother. "Are you… ready to talk about how my dad died?"
Camila nodded. "I think so, you deserve so much." She took a deep breath. "Manny was an engineer. He got into engineering because he was a big fan of science fiction like Cosmic Frontier, since he was a bit of a geek."
Luz smirked. "Guess like father, like daughter."
Camila smiled as she continued. "Your father ended up getting a job in Connecticut with the Gates family, specifically at a facility called Department A. He worked with them for several years, though he didn't tell me what they were doing because of a non-disclosure agreement he had signed. For a while, everything was fine…"
The Noceda mother looked down with a frown. "But then one day, shortly after you were born… there was an explosion at Department A and a fire started. Many people died, including Manny and Abigail's brother Joseph. Abigail was absolutely devastated, as was I. It got so bad that I knew that I couldn't stay in Gatesfield, so I left, hoping that you and I could start over somewhere else."
It was then that, to Camila's surprise, Luz gave her a hug. She looked down at her daughter. "Thank you for being here with me, Mami."
Camila smiled and wrapped her arm around Luz. "You're welcome, mija," she told Luz as they sat on the roof together. She didn't ask Luz if this meant they were okay now. But at the very least, she knew that this was a step in the right direction…
In the in-between, Bloody Mary was nursing her missing limb. "Soon…" she said while looking up at a sphere floating above her. Trapped within that sphere was a dark shape that flew around in its prison.
"H-Hey!" they spoke to her with a childish tone. "You look like you could use a hand!" They laughed at their own joke, which Bloody Mary ignored.
"Soon, Philip… very soon…"
Silently sitting on his throne was Belos, who rubbed his mask while his throne room was filled with coven scouts. Coming into the throne room was another scout with a cart.
"My Emperor, sir!" the scout declared. "I bring news about the Golden Guard!"
"What?!" Belos raised his head up. "What do you have!?"
The scout pulled the cover of the cart off. "We found a trail of blood in the woods and… this is what we recovered," he explained while showing Hunter's disembodied arm. "We IDed his coven brand and confirmed that it is his arm…"
This set off Belos, whose eyes widened behind his mask as they glowed green. "No… NOOO!" he roared, twitching and falling off his throne chair, hitting the floor. "Nononononononono!" he shouted as he started to transform.
The scouts knew that they shouldn't stick around when he was like this, so they quickly rushed. The scout that brought the arm fell back in shock and fear, while the other scouts left him behind.
"I-I'm sorry, my liege, forgive me!" the scout cried out as he saw Belos losing control.
"RAAAAAAAHH!" he roared at the scout, who quickly got up and ran for the door, which had already been closed by the other scouts. As Belos reaches out for him, the coven scout could only bang on the door.
"Let me out! Let me out!" he cried out as Belos drew near him.
On the other side of the door, the others could only listen to the poor scout's agonized screams… followed by silence.
At the Gatesfield Cemetery, Abigail Gates was paying a visit while dressed in a white suit. She sipped from a flask as she visited two graves in particular.
"Joseph Gates: Beloved Husband and Brother. 1967-1998."
"Manny Noceda: Beloved Husband and Father. 1968-1998."
Abigail took another sip of her flask and sighed before hearing an approaching car. She turned around and saw a car driving up. It stopped and her husband came out.
"Abi," he said to his wife with a serious look. "We have a problem…"
Well this is a reassurance that Willow's fine, guys.
"Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac is used for the fic, which I do find it fitting considering the song's themes fitting to the story. Add that to Luz's playlist.
The two cops, Barns and Andrews, are pretty much a reference to the characters from the Andy Griffith Show, the classic tv show that your grandma or aunt watches in the small tv in their kitchen. Of course Barns does appear to be like Don Knotts. And I'm pretty sure that non of you know who Don Knotts is… it's pretty much a second reference to an actor from Three's Company.
So we like to give credit to Crosshot for his submission of his OCs: Augustus "Gus" Gordon and his mom Leonora Gordon. He states that he based off human Gus after it was mentioned by Luz that she knows an Augustus at the human world, so he granted us a fleshed out take on human Gus.
And now the one thing you guys are probably wondering about Masha… let us explain. Masha hasn't come out yet, so they're still using she/her pronouns. For a narrative purpose, this can be considered Masha's character journey of self-discovery. And it's based off of an indication that in Yesterday's Lie in Masha's introduction that back then they hadn't come out yet, until their appearance in "Thanks to Them", which in a headcanon, they have transitioned throughout somewhere around season 2B. Also that we've picked "Moore" as Masha's surname after Demi Moore, who played Esmerelda from Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame.
And now to explain Department A. They used to have a much larger presence in Gatesfield, but after their main facility caught fire, they ended up moving out of Gatesfield, with a smaller GHS building becoming their main facility in Gatesfield. Though it was not one meant to permanently hold prisoners. You'll see a lot more of them in the Human Realm Arc. Also to clarify that Abigail's husband took his wife's surname, to prevent any confusion.
Odalia' s new look is meant to have her separated from her canon counterpart, to differentiate in comparison between the canon-evil to the much more LC-redeemed one.
Also a message from Crosshot for any artists that reads the fic:
"To all readers and possible artists. We need more character images for the tropes pages and I'm swamped just creating canon characters. Due to the last chapter, I'm personally asking if anybody knows people who'd wanna design and submit the appearances of some of the Rick and Morty characters. The designs must blend the style of R&M with that of The Owl House to qualify. The following characters needed are Witch Rick, Witch Morty, Witch Summer and Witch Jessica, the latter three in their Hexside uniforms. As for Rick, go nuts and incorporate whatever describes your definition of "edgelord". I await to see what you'll show off! It should be a simple character render: no scenery, no over-the-top art. I can't stop you from doing that, but I just need character renders." -Crosshot.
Now to answer Reviews:
ReviewerDWJ: Well, right now this arc is going to be a lot less creepy…
OMAC001: Thanks, hope this chapter also add the layers to what goes on in the human realm.
BlueKnight-X2: You can say that.
Wolf of Howl Street: Oh, Wolf, we're just only at the tip of the iceberg…
Teloch: Then why are you wasting our time if you're not paying attention? Lesson learned: Don't skim out stories, cause if you do then that means you're not really invested.
Matteso585: 1) There wasn't really any intentions of them sent to specific locations. Pretty much, out of randomness. 2) Well, it's not said that there aren't any Titan's Blood around. Well, not much as Rick still has some bits of it. 3) Bill just have this unnatural feeling around Belos, that relates to the Horned King's presence.
Alamout: 1) It didn't really cross our minds about the Star Wars reference for the chapters. But there are here. 2) Maybe. 3) Probably soon or later.
Crosshot: Thanks, and they're very useful to bring out these characters for the chapter, and to give them a role.
Shuffollower: Hope this chapter can be a relief.
Ultimate-drax: Thanks for the review.
JTK: We'll see.
61394: Well he's less of Orochimaru, the body he's using is his original body but he does plan to use Luz's body for his needs… fuck, that does not sound right, is it?
Franco Almiron: Probably not. Spoilers. You'll see. As for the last one, well, as long as it takes. Depends on if the OCs sounds useful to use in the story, and the winners announced will have their OCs showcased here.
Do not fret, my friends, as the OC contest still lingers on. We have picked out which OCs to use for the story and so on, they will be revealed throughout the story. So stay tuned to see if your OCs have made it. And keep on submitting OCs as even though Crosshot's OCs are here, doesn't mean it's over. There's no official deadline for now.