Hey guys, here's chapter of 5 of The Misadventures of Vee. This chapter was co-written with I Write Big. This chapter will have some insight on the last of Vee's friends, Lance. Alright, here we go.


"¿Có-mo… te… lla-mas?" Vee practiced, nose stuck in a book titled Spanish for Kindergarteners. "¿Có-mo te lla-mas? ¿Cómo te llamas?"

"Muy bien, Vee, very good," her mom called from the kitchen. "You're sounding much better."

Vee blushed at the compliment and swelled with pride. She was starting to get the hang of the weird language of Spanish. Rolling her R's still needed work though, Camilla said her R's were like a growling dog. She had time to practice. Being a Saturday, Vee had no school and was planning to spend as much of the weekend as she could learning.

The doorbell rang.

"Could you get that, mija?" Camilla asked.

"Okay," Vee answered absently, hid her basilisk traits, and headed for the front door, head still buried in the book. "Mi… lla-mo… Vee. Mi lla-mo Vee." She opened the door. "Mi llamo—"

"LUZ!" The textbook nearly flew out of Vee's grip as she was wrapped in a tight hug. "¡Ay, amada, cariño, hija de mi corazón!"

Each unknown word was punctuated with a kiss. The assault of unexpected affection turned Vee's face red and froze her on the spot. Her mind could barely comprehend that there was an elderly woman holding her, an elderly woman who looked eerily familiar. Before the touching was over, Camilla was suddenly next to her, clearly shocked by the visitor.

"M-Mami!" Camilla sputtered.

"Mami?" Vee repeated and now saw the resemblance the two women shared. A Spanish word she'd recently learned popped into her head. "A-Abuela?"

"Surprise, mija!" Abuela nearly shouted and showered Camilla with the same hugs and kisses.

"But, mami, what are you doing here?" Camilla asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Abuela snarked. "News is spreading of the strange magical creatures appearing in Gravesfield. I had to see for myself. And, of course, it has been too long since I've seen my favorite granddaughter." She planted another big kiss on Vee's cheek. The basilisk was absolutely flustered. Her mom gave her hugs and kisses but never this much. This was a whole new level. She could feel the layer of fresh lipstick drying on her face.

"But papi—" Camilla tried to say.

"Ay, you know your father," Abuela scoffed dismissively. "That hombre flojo sleeps for days. He won't even know I was gone." Then Abuela waltzed into the house, wheeling behind her a suitcase that appeared to be almost filled to bursting. She paused in the middle of the room and raised an eyebrow at the Spanish-learning material on the coffee table.

"Oh! That?" Camilla said nervously. "I'm tutoring some kids in Spanish."

Abuela's gaze landed on the textbook in Vee's grip. Vee quickly hid it behind her back and smiled widely. Eyebrow still raised, Abuela headed into the kitchen.

Vee wasn't ready for this. Sure, she wanted to meet more of her family but this was too soon. She turned to her mom, silently begging her for help.

"Don't worry," Camilla assured her. "Mami and I can talk for hours. I'll keep her busy."

"Luz, ven aquí, cariño," Abuela's warm voice rang. "Let's make sancocho."

Vee went pale. "I didn't understand any of that. What's sancocho?" she whimpered. Her Abuela's Spanish was too advanced.

"Uh, sancocho?" Camilla trotted to the kitchen and smiled sweetly. "I love cooking sancocho with you, mami. Why don't the two of us—"

"We made our sancocho the last time I visited, Camilla," Abuela tut-tutted. "It's Luz's turn."

With no other option, Vee marched into the kitchen. Camilla whispered to her, "I'll think of something," as she passed. The kitchen had already been transformed, the suitcase empty and the counters filled with raw ingredients. Abuela was cleaning a knife in the sink. Vee tried her best to remain calm. She was a basilisk, after all. This was what she was born to do. She'd fooled Camilla for months; she could fool her Abuela for a day. How hard could this be?

"Entonces, ¿cómo va tu historia de Azura?" Abuela asked.

Vee was instantly lost. "C-Cómo te llamas…?"

"Ay, lo siento, your fanfic." Abuela snickered. "I know how much you prefer that word." That was the last glorious speck of English Vee heard. The rest was a torrent of incomprehensible Spanish flooding out of her Abuela's mouth so fast that Vee could've sworn it was all one super-long word. She understood none of it.

The only fanfic Vee knew about was the piles of Azura fanfiction Luz had stacked in her closet. Vee had only ever touched the 156 chapters of handwritten work long enough to toss it in the garbage. However, Luz had a digital copy online so no real harm was done.

"¿Oistes?" Abuela finished at last, giving Vee an expectant look.

Vee couldn't make a peep.

"Writer's block. Sí, sí, entiendo," Abuela nodded sympathetically. "If you want some suggestions, after Azura blows up the dragon with the rocket launcher, maybe she could—" and the rest was all incomprehensible Spanish again. The wall of noise left a ringing in Vee's ears.

"Mom, please save me," she begged in her mind.

"Luz!" her mom called in the nick of time. She poked her head into the kitchen, waving her phone. "Your friend Lance just called. He's invited you, Dani, and Beth to come over to his place." She subtly winked at Vee.

"He does? Oh, what a shame," Vee said, pouring on the drama. She discreetly mouthed, "Thank you," to Camilla and said, "Sorry, Abuela, gotta run. Maybe next time." Vee skipped toward her escape.

"¡Espere!" Abuela's hand landed on Vee's shoulder. She looked at Vee with amazement. "Luz, you have friends?"

"Uhhhhh, sí…?" Vee answered.

"¡Ay, gracias a Dios!" She lifted Vee off her feet in the biggest hug yet. "What did I tell you? I knew you'd find friends eventually. This is wonderful news. I must meet them."

"What?" Vee squawked.

"But-but-but, mami, what about the sancocho?" Camilla pointed out desperately. "It takes so long to prepare."

"You can take care of the prep, mija," Abuela replied, already pulling a massive purse from the suitcase. "Luz and I needed to buy our special ingredients fresh anyway. Vámonos, cariño, I can't wait to meet your friends. And while we're out, who knows…" she grinned at Vee, "We may run into a magical creature or two."

"Yeah…" Vee replied, trying her best to match that grin. She shot one last silent plea at Camilla but her mom had run out of moves. Vee could do nothing but follow her Abuela out the door.


"So, what's it like at your friend's house, cariño?" Abuela asked as they made their way to the house of the sole boy of the MCH.

"Actually, I've never been to his house before. I've never been to any of my friends' houses before..." Vee admitted, "Which is why I'm using the GPS on my phone" she added while holding up her phone.

It actually didn't take Vee that long to get the hang of using a phone, including her own. With the help of her mom, she was able to get used to using her phone in no time. It only took a few minutes to teach her. She was able to talk, text and other stuff like it was nothing. She may have been a basilisk, but was becoming more like a human teen every day.

"So, what're your friends like?" Abuela asked.

"Oh, they're all really nice" Vee started, "Dani's a little headstrong at times, but she's caring and friendly. Beth really loves nature and is a real survivalist, but she isn't vegan or anything. Lance... he can lose focus at times, but he's still a good guy and means well; totally relaxed" she said as she described each of her friends.

"Sounds like you guys get along pretty well" Abuela smiled, "Estoy muy orgullosa de ti, Luz"

There was that advanced Spanish again. That's when an idea clicked in Vee's head.

"Oh, by the way, none of my friends speak Spanish. So, it's probably best if you speak only in English the whole time" Vee suggested. Hopefully, this would help the basilisk deal with their little language issue. Even if it was only temporary.

"Heh. I'll keep that in mind, cariño" Abuela said while affectionately rubbing her head.

As they were walking, they had passed by a market stand. It had all sorts of fruits and vegetables. One vegetable, in particular, stuck out to Abuela more than any other.

"Look, Luz, ñame. Perfect for sancocho" Abuela held the vegetable out to Vee. Vee, on the other hand, could only stare blankly at the ingredient, "It's always been your favorite, remember?" Abuela asked, taking notice of the girl's somewhat confused expression.

"Oh yeah, ñame! My favorite!" Vee smiled weakly. Vee took the raw vegetable from her grandmother's hand and sunk her teeth into it. However, she found it to be very hard. Upon seeing the older woman staring at her with a raised eyebrow, Vee chuckled nervously, "Heh. Just checking if it's a quality ñame" she said in a joking tone.


Lance's House…

Moments later, Vee and Abuela had arrived at Lance's house, Beth and Dani already being there. However, upon seeing the house, their jaws dropped. It wasn't a house; it was a freakin' mansion! One with a huge gate in front of the yard.

"Oh, Dios mío..." Abuela muttered at the sight of the huge building.

"I knew it!" Dani shouted.

The girls were still gaping. They'd been gaping when Lance arrived at the wrought-iron gate in a gold-trimmed golf cart. They'd continued to gape as they were driven in said gold-trimmed golf cart, which Beth was grateful for since she was still on crutches, across a seemingly endless lawn speckled with ornate fountains, tennis courts, pools, and what looked like a vegetable farm. They couldn't stop gaping when they stepped through a set of great doors that were taller than the Noceda house into a mansion that looked fit for Emperor Belos.

"You have a lovely home, Lance," Abuela said politely.

"Thanks, Grandma N, a pleasure to meet you," Lance said in his classic relaxed tone, then turned to the girls. "It's funny that your mom called me, Luz. I was just about to call you over. I had something really important to tell you three that couldn't wait. You see, I'm, um, uh…" Lance's attention drifted off, lost, "Oh man, I forgot. What was it, what was it?"

"Is it that you're rich?!" Dani bellowed incredulously. Her voice echoed into the distance, really hammering in how deep the cavernous manor went.

"Nah, that's not it." Lance suddenly stiffened, "Wait, I never told you that?"

"No!" all three girls yelled as one.

"Huh." Lance shuffled his feet with a little guilt. "Coulda sworn I did."

"Finally! Shame!" a new warbled voice cried with joy. To everyone's astonishment, Lance's shadow darkened to pitch black and peeled itself off the floor. The dark mass grew until it was double Lance's height and spindly arms burst out of its sides with long, thin, pointy fingers. Three holes opened in the murk: a pair of evil eyes and a mouth lined with razor-sharp teeth.

The girls screamed! Abuela protectively put herself between the children and the monster and raised her purse like a weapon.

"Oh yeah, now I remember," Lance said and gestured to the living darkness with a big smile. "Girls, meet Ash. He's the one I wanted to tell you about."

Immediately, the thing Lance called Ash deflated like a balloon, shrinking until it was the boy's height. "Ack! Stop torturing me, mortal," Ash winced at Lance as if it was in pain. "A morsel of misery after waiting all night only for you to poison me with your happiness. Truly, you are a fiend!"

"Oh, sorry, dude," Lance hung his head in shame.

"Yes!" Ash quivered with delight and began to grow again. "Delicious!"

"Oh, you're feeling better? Cool," Lance said happily.

"No!" Ash shrank again and recoiled in pain.

"Lance," Beth asked, still freaked out, "What is that?"

"I told you. Ash. He's my new friend who goes with me everywhere. Check it out." Lance strutted across the hall. Like a regular shadow, Ash was dragged along the floor with him as if stapled to Lance's feet.

"I think I know this," Dani said, rubbing her chin. "There was something in my aunt's research that mentioned living shadows. It was called a… a… heem?"

"A hym," corrected Abuela gleefully.

"H-Hym?" Vee stuttered. She'd only ever heard rumors about hyms on the Boiling Isles, mostly that Belos used them in his dungeon to torture information out of wild witches. They were the type of magical creatures you didn't want to cross paths with. Which is why it stunned Vee when Abuela pranced over to Ash and squinted inquisitively at him. Ash somehow shrank even more under the elderly woman's sparkling gaze.

"You remember the bedtime stories I told you about hyms, don't you, amada? Undying darkness who attach themselves to others and feed on their sadness," Abuela said fondly. "To think, after all these decades, I finally get to meet a magical creature and he's a hym! Hola, señor Ash." Abuela offered her hand to the hym.

"Uh, greetings, mortal," Ash said awkwardly. "I cannot touch your physical form but okay." Ash waved a courteous arm through Abuela's hand.

"Ay, que caballeroso," Abuela giggled.

"Wait, 'feeds on sadness?'" Beth repeated. "Is Lance in danger?"

"Danger?" Ash roared furiously, his already phantasmal voice warping into unholy octaves. "Your puny friend should be my slave, writhing in agony, begging for freedom. Instead, he keeps trying to get me to play video games with him!"

"I really think you'll like Stardew Valley, Ash. At least give it a try," Lance insisted.

"Never!"

Abuela hummed and nodded with wisdom at the exchange. "Good news, Lance is not in danger," she said to the MHC's relief. "But Ash is. Hyms must eat too and Lance is clearly not sad."

"Why would I be?" Lance chuckled. "I'm never alone anymore." He tried to give Ash a hug but passed right through him. The friendly act appeared to have such a negative effect on Ash that he collapsed.

"Ugh, Titan… so hungry…" Ash moaned.

"Pobrecito," Abuelo cooed at Ash like he was a helpless baby. "If we don't separate them, the poor thing will starve."

"Isn't that good?" Dani asked, glowering at Ash.

Beth, Vee, and Lance gasped at her harsh words.

"What? This is what we do, isn't it?" Dani defended. "We make sure magical creatures are safe for humans to be around. I don't know about you guys, but a ghost parasite loose in Gravesfield doesn't sound safe to me."

"That doesn't mean we should let him die!" Vee argued with a passion she didn't know she had. She didn't particularly like Ash, the mere sight of him unnerved the basilisk and the fact that he was trying to feed off of her friend didn't help his case, but she wasn't about to let the MCH become like the Emperor's Coven. She would never be like the hateful people who imprisoned her. "Is that how we're going to treat every magical creature we don't like? We have no right to do that!"

The rest of the MCH stood speechless for a moment, startled by their usually meek friend's outburst.

"All life is precious, Dani," Beth agreed.

"Totally," Lance added.

Dani eventually let out a big sigh. She went over to Ash and narrowed her eyes at him. "If we let you go, you leave my friends and Gravesfield alone," she said gruffly, not happy with the arrangement. "You don't come back. Got it?"

"Agreed," Ash moaned.

Vee felt relief, she'd narrowly avoided a disaster. A soft hand squeezed her shoulder and she found Abuela smiling proudly at her. "Look at you, cariño," she said, "a hero just like Azura."

The praise brought a little blush to Vee's cheeks.

"So, we are agreed," Abuela concluded to the rest of the room. "We will need to perform an exorcism."

The last word made every head in the room whip towards Abuela. Dani's annoyance evaporated in a second, leaving her gobsmacked. "You know how to do an exorcism?" she asked.

"¡Por supuesto!" Abuela bragged. "Comes with being an abuela. Although they can be muy peligroso. It would be much safer if Lance told us why señor Ash chose him in the first place. That would separate them immediately."

"It will?!" Lance suddenly panicked.

"I'll tell them if it means I can eat sooner," Ash butted in. "This mortal is—"

"Hug!" Lance proclaimed and phased through Ash again, making him collapse.

"Lance!" Beth scolded.

"As I thought. Too personal," Abuela shrugged. "You can keep your secret, Lance. Do you have a large open room we could use?"

"Sure, Grandma N," Lance said. "There's the private movie theater, the private museum, the trophy room, the second trophy room, not the third trophy room, too cramped, and the ten-car garage, take your pick."

There was dead silence for a few seconds.

"We are going to have a serious discussion about how rich you are after this," Dani said.

"Luz," Abuela continued, "you and your friends gather what we need. I'll prepare for the ceremony."

"Right," Vee readily agreed. "What should we grab?"

To her surprise, Abuela laughed at the question. "Ay, que cómico," the old woman said. "You know what we need, Luz. I tell you the "Tale of the Hym" almost every time I visit. Just follow the story."

Vee's throat went dry. She obviously did not know the story. She'd never heard it even once. "Oh yeah, sure, the hym story, I love the hym story," she said a bit too quickly. "How did it go again?"

"Don't worry, you know it by heart, amada," Abuela said sweetly. "Now go, there is work to do."

"Lead the way, Luz," Beth said, the rest of the MCH gathered behind her.

"Oh boy…" Vee muttered and started moving. To where? She had no clue. Yet again her double-life was causing her problems, this time though was far worse because Lance's safety was on the line. Guilt and dread seeped into every inch of the basilisk with her friends in tow.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Ash eyed Vee with hunger.


As the MCH walked down the hall, Vee couldn't help but feel concerned about the situation she was in. Her grandmother had told her to gather the items needed for the exorcism, which were mentioned in the Hym story that she mentioned. The problem was that she had never heard that story. The only person that knew the story was Luz, and she was trapped in the Demon Realm. It was moments like this where she wished she had the mirror magic. If she did, she could ask her sister for the details about the story.

That's when she realized that there was another person that might know the story just as well as Luz does. Vee pulled out her phone and called her mother.

"Hola, Mama" Vee said to Camilla in Luz's voice.

"Hola, Mija" Camilla replied. Since Vee was using her sister's voice, Camilla knew she was most likely still with her friends and/or grandmother, "How are things with your friends? Are you having fun with your abuela?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah, she's amazing" Vee smiled, "Quick question, do you remember the "Tale of the Hym" story? Can you refresh my memory? I want to make sure I have all the details"

Vee heard her mom inhale sharply through her teeth. That wasn't a good sign.

"Mija, you aren't going to like this, but... I don't know that story very well" Camilla admitted.

Vee blinked.

"...What?" Vee asked, not believing what she just heard.

"It was always Mama and Luz's story" she heard Camilla whisper. Vee groaned slightly, "I can still tell you what I know though" Camilla offered.

"Ok" Vee said.

While Vee was talking to her mother, Beth and Dani were talking with Lance.

"So, why didn't you ever tell us you were rich? Shénme guǐ, huǒjì? (What the hell, man?)" Dani asked, saying that last part in Chinese.

"And why did you choose Lance of all people to feed off of if he's not feeding you sadness, Ash?" Beth asked them with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion, the latter being towards Lance.

"I have my reasons..." Lance answered vaguely.

"I chose to feed off Lance because he's-"

"Come here, buddy!" Lance cut the shadow off in an attempt to hug him, only to phase through just as before.

Ash grunted as he collapsed, now slightly weaker.

"Damn you, mortal. You did that on purpose!" Ash glared at the boy with a wince.


Moments later, the MCH had met with Abuela in the garage with the items needed for the exorcism. As Lance had mentioned earlier, it was big enough to hold ten cars. They had brought candles, Hymilaiyan salt, handmade incense made of basil, rosemary and mint leaves, and golden yellow chalk for drawing symbols. They also got olive oil. Camilla said they'd need some kind of sacred oil, but since they didn't have any, it'd have to do. Plus, her mom said it was a sacred oil for those that worked in the kitchen.

"Ok, Abuela, we've got the ingredients" Vee said as the MCH held the items in their arms.

In a few short minutes, the garage had been transformed. Lance and Ash now sat in the center of a five-pointed chalk star; each corner dotted with a lit candle. Intricate mystical symbols were scattered everywhere and the air was filled with incense smoke.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Dani asked. "Not to be rude, but didn't you say you learned this from a bedtime story, ma'am?"

"Ma'am? Ay, so polite," Abuela snickered. "Please, call me Abuela. And, sí, this exorcism is based on a story. A story that has been passed down by the Noceda family, grandmother to granddaughter, for generations. Every story has some truth to it. Stories carried knowledge before books; not so different from your aunt's research, I'd say."

This odd insight left Dani at a loss for words.

"And… done," Abuela said as she finished pouring a circle of salt around the star.

"All done? You sure?" Vee asked nervously. "Not missing anything?"

"You did well, cariño." Abuela patted her head. Vee breathed easy, it looked like what little Camilla remembered of the Hym Story would be enough. "Before we begin, I must warn you," Abuela said to everyone, "do not cross the salt. No matter what happens, do not cross the salt. ¿Oistes?"

The MCH nodded and stepped back from the salt line. Vee took a mental note that "oistes?" meant "understand?"

Abuela faced Lance with a solemn stance. "Hold still, Lance," she said and then started a flow of Spanish. Like before, it was an incoherent babble to Vee but she was more interested in the way Abuela's voice sounded like it was booming around them. Vee couldn't tell if this was the echoey garage or magic. It couldn't be magic. The only magic on Earth was in her deck of cards. Right…?

That's when Vee noticed the Hexes Hold'em card laying unseen on the edge of the salt. "How did—?" She slapped a hand over her pocket that held her cards, and found a hole. "Oh no," she gulped.

Vee was the only one to see the card in the circle burn to nothing in a quick burst of green magic. The chalk glistened like gold and the mysterious symbols shimmered. Swirls of incense lazily coiled around the room on an unfelt breeze. The tiny candle flames warbled and grew too bright to look at directly.

"Awesome…" Beth whispered.

"Yeah, Luz," Dani said, "your grandmother is so cool."

"She… really is," Vee squeaked. She was barely holding on to her reason. "Please don't blow up, please don't blow up, please don't blow up."

Then Abuela's chanting abruptly stopped. For a glorious moment, nothing happened.

"Uh, am I done?" Lance asked.

"Yes, mortal, am I free?" Ash implored.

"Almost," Abuela answered. "Bien, Luz, add the saffron."

Vee blinked. "Uh… the what now?"

The question hung in the air for a brief second and then Abuela snapped around with a look of alarm. "You forgot the saffron!?"

A deep THUMP ripped through the garage. The golden sparkle of the chalk darkened, the breeze sped to a whipping gust, the candle flames erupted into pillars of fire that licked the high ceiling. In that ceiling, before everybody's eyes, tore open a hole to an inky black void.

"Is that a portal?" Vee blurted. For a second, she thought it was, but then she remembered the portal that had brought her to Earth had been filled with strange colors and cosmic shapes. This was far different. This looked like a doorway to… nowhere.

"Uh, girls!" Lance cried.

Vee looked down and found the boy flailing in the air. He and Ash were slowly floating up toward the hole.

"Lance!" Vee shouted and, without thinking, dashed after him.

"Caramba, Luz!" Abuela yelled. "Don't cross the—"

She crossed the salt. It was like someone had turned off the gravity. Vee's feet left the ground and the momentum from her run launched her straight at Lance. With no control over her journey, Vee spun erratically through the air but she never stopped reaching for Lance. "Take my hand!" It was sheer luck that they were facing each other when she passed. Their hands clasped together tightly.

"I got you!" Vee said.

"Yeah, thanks, Luz," Lance sighed in relief.

"Yes, yes, you're very brave," Ash scoffed impatiently. "How do you intend to save us, mortal?"

Vee stared at the hym blankly as they continued to float up toward their doom. All three proceeded to scream. Then Vee felt something grab her foot. She craned her head down and saw Dani holding her. Clasped to Dani's foot was Beth, and holding onto Beth's crutch was Abuela. Being the only one outside of the salt circle, Abuela appeared to be enough of an anchor to keep the MCH on Earth yet not enough to drag them back to gravity. How long would that last? Vee refused to let go of Lance, however, both of their palms were getting sweaty. She could feel the pull of the black hole increasing. The smoke and fire were starting to be siphoned into the featureless depths. Soon they'd be next.

"Luz…" Lance started to say.

"Don't worry, Lance," Vee rambled. "We'll figure this out. No need to panic."

"Too late," Ash whimpered, his gaze locked on the infinite abyss.

"We just need a plan—"

"I've always been alone!" Lance shouted loud enough for everyone to hear, much to their confusion. His eyes were scrunched shut and there was shame written all across his face.

Ash instantly perked up. "You're admitting it?" he asked Lance. "Finally, hurry, mortal!"

Vee suddenly knew what he was doing. "Wait, Lance, you don't have to—"

"My parents are never home," Lance powered on even though the words were clearly hard to say. Vee had a front row seat to his normally relaxed composure being utterly wrecked with grief. "They leave me here all day with no one. I couldn't take it anymore. They didn't send me to Reality Check Summer Camp, I went there on my own so I could finally find a friend. When I'm with you girls I don't feel alone anymore."

A tremble shook the hand in Vee's grip and the boy squeezed tighter. She realized he was crying.

"That's why I never told you I was rich; I was afraid I wouldn't fit in. I was afraid you wouldn't want to be my friends anymore." Lance admitted.

Vee couldn't look away. Right then and there it was… like looking in a mirror. "Me too," she whispered.

Another deep THUMP shook the garage and the black hole sealed shut. Gravity reasserted itself and the human chain tumbled to the floor. The MCH were hugging Lance before he knew what hit him.

"Oh, Lance, you idiot," Dani wailed, crying rivers. "How could you think that? We'd never abandon you."

"Yeah," Beth agreed, crying just as bad. "We're friends to the end."

"Thanks, girls, you're the best," Lance sniffled.

The outpouring of love and friendship warmed Vee's heart. As she held Lance close, she felt hope for herself. If she, Beth, and Dani could accept Lance's secret, maybe they could accept who she was too.

"Free at last!" Ash declared. The hym stretched his body tall and punched at the sky. His dark legless lower half slithered across the floor, no longer attached to Lance.

"Yeah, good for you, buddy," Lance cheered.

"Now go away," Dani ordered firmly.

"Indeed, mortal, a deal's a deal and I honor my…" Ash's dark sights landed on Vee and all comprehension was lost. Whatever served as Ash's pupils dilated and a line of drool trailed from his sharp mouth. "So much guilt and self-deprecation… delectable…" Ash licked his lips.

"Hey, whoa, back off!" Beth barked.

"Buddy!" Lance warned.

"Just a taste," Ash moaned, only to be dusted with what looked like little red threads. "What the—" Ash turned to see Abuela standing next to him with a half-empty bottle labeled saffron.

"Now, now, behave yourself, señor Ash," she chided and held her purse open expectantly. A final act of magic happened before the kids as Ash was forcefully pulled by unseen forces into the purse. Impossibly, the massive creature of shadow fit in the far smaller bag.

"See?" Abuela said, snapping the purse shut. "Just like in the story."

"That is one really weird bedtime story," Vee muttered.


"And this is the gaming room" Lance opened the door to his favorite room in the house.

The girls gasped; their jaws dropped at the size of the room. He had every modern console ever made, along with several gaming chairs that looked like those simulation chairs that you'd see in movies.

"Damn, Lance..." Dani said.

"Yeah, I've seen animal habitats at the zoo smaller than this" Beth commented.

While the other girls were checking out the scenery, Vee felt a hand upon her shoulder.

"You know, Luz, I had a backup bottle of saffron in my purse. I could've saved Lance if you hadn't put yourself in danger like that" Abuela said, light chided the girl, making her hang her head in shame, "Still, I admire your bravery, cariño" she said with a warm smile, the compliment making the girl blush with slight pride.

"Hey, Grandma N, could you let Ash out on one of the gaming chairs? I want to show him something" Lance asked the elder Noceda as he sat in one of the chairs.

Abuela and Vee looked at each other, the younger Noceda giving the older one a shrug. Abuela opened up her purse and dumped the shadowy creature into one of the chairs next to Lance. Before Ash could react, Lance shoved the VR helmet that was attached to the chair onto his head. He was about to argue for the millionth time that he didn't want to play, only to be stopped by a groan.

In the game, Ash could see Lance playing this co-op game, Stardew Valley. He watched as the boy burned down another player's farm. This action caused the other play to release an angry outburst, which included a volley of swears. Ash heard this, the negative emotion feeding the shadow. It was delicious.

"The misery. The delicious misery..." Ash chuckled evilly as he took the controller into his hands, continuing to troll the other players.

"I think this kills two birds with one stone. If you stay here, it'll get rid of my loneliness and return, I'll let you play all the video games you want so you can steadily consume the misery of the players you troll online" Lance said to the shadow demon as he got out of his seat, "What do you say, sound like a plan?" he offered.

"Yeah, sure, whatever" Ash said absently, "Now get out of here so I can play," he told them all.

"Well, that's another job completed by the MCH. Thanks, guys" Lance smiled at his friends.

"No problem" Beth replied.

"Anytime" Dani and Vee chimed in unison.

"Hey, if you're so rich, why did I have to lend you five bucks last week?" Dani asked with her arms folded.

"I forgot my credit card that day" Lance replied.

"YOU HAVE A CREDIT CARD?!" the girls asked in unison of both shock and slight disbelief.

Abuela checked the time and saw that it was almost evening.

"Luz, it's getting late. We should get back home if we're going to finish the sancocho" Abuela told her granddaughter.

"Alright. See you later, guys" Vee waved to her friends as she and Abuela left the mansion, heading their way back to the Noceda household.


The Noceda House…

The rest of the day after the hym incident went remarkably well. Vee and Abuela had arrived back at the house to find Camilla sweating over a massive boiling stewpot, which Vee took over for her. Under Abuela's guidance, she'd finished the sancocho with "Luz's" favorite ingredients they'd bought from the market and the three of them ate a stupendous dinner. After that meal, sancocho officially became Vee's new favorite human food, behind strawberry pop-tarts. Even communicating with Abuela had gotten easier. For some reason, even though her friends weren't around, Abuela kept speaking English, not once losing Vee in a sea of Spanish.

Now, with the kitchen cleaned and the leftovers stored in the fridge, was the time for goodbyes.

"Thank you for coming, mami," Camilla said, hugging Abuela tightly. "It was a joy to have you, but maybe next time call first?"

"No promises, mija," Abuela joked and gave Vee a goodbye kiss. "Ay, Dios mio, I forgot my cookbook!" she exclaimed. "Could you grab it for me, mija?"

"Mami, you can be so forgetful sometimes," Camilla sighed and went to the kitchen.

It took a moment, but Vee thought she recalled where the cookbook was. She specifically remembered Abuela… putting it in her suitcase. Vee looked down and, sure enough, there it was, sticking partially out of the bag.

"Um, Abuela…" she started to say, only to look up and be met with a knowing smile. Vee suddenly realized that Abuela had sent Camilla on a wild goose chase.

"It's incredible how much we change as we grow, isn't it?" Abuela asked gently.

"Yes…?" Vee answered, unsure where this was going.

"Knowing two languages can be hard when your friends only speak one," Abuela continued tenderly. She glanced at the coffee table, now emptied of the Spanish learning materials. "And there was a time when you would eat nothing but ñame. But tastes change, anyone can understand that."

"Uh, yeah!" Vee agreed, jumping at the opportunity she saw. "I'm growing up, Abuela. Any weird changes you might've noticed are just me growing up, hehehe."

"Changes," Abuela hummed, that same knowing smile still present. "Such big changes too. Hunting magical creatures with not one but three friends, protecting them with your life as well. This is the person I knew my granddaughter could become." Abuela faced Vee… and winked. "But forgetting stories that you once knew every word of?"

Vee's entire body clenched. "Wait, does she know?" Vee thought in a panic. It took all of her self-control to not turn invisible.

"If I didn't know any better, amada," Abuela pressed on almost playfully, "I'd say you're a completely different person."

"She knows!" Vee nearly screamed and prepared to run.

"A good person," Abuela said. The warm weight of her hand on Vee's cheek stopped the basilisk's anxiety attack. "A very brave person who wants to protect those she cares about and even those she doesn't. A person I would be proud to call my granddaughter." The jig was up, Vee could tell. The way Abuela spoke, the glint in her eye. She may not know what Vee was, but Abuela knew she wasn't Luz.

And… she wasn't angry. She wasn't calling the police or locking her away. Was she really… okay with this? Could Vee tell her the truth? She peered carefully at Abuela and her compassionate smile, searching for a hint of treachery. She found none.

"I…" Vee's mouth was dry, her voice weak. "I'm… I'm…" But she couldn't. "I'm sorry." Vee stepped away from Abuela's soft touch and hung her head.

"I understand, amada," she heard Abuela say with disappointment and then felt a kiss on the top of her head. There was the roll of suitcase wheels and then Abuela was gone. Camilla was soon by her side.

"Mami, where are you going?" Vee heard Camilla call. "I still haven't found your cookbook."

"I had it the whole time, mija, mi disculpa," Abuela replied.

"Ay, that woman," Camilla scoffed. "Always making up stories."

Stories.

Vee looked up; her eyes went wide. "Stories," she wheezed.

Before she could change her mind, Vee bolted past Camilla and out of the house. She ignored her mom's shout and didn't stop until she nearly crashed into Abuela's car. The elderly woman stopped loading her suitcase and stared at the out of breath girl.

"Cariño?" she asked.

"Do you…" Vee took one last deep breath, shut her eyes, and blurted, "Do you know the story of the basilisk?"

No answer came from Abuela, but Vee kept going.

"Once upon a time, there was a basilisk in a faraway magical land. She was the last of her kind and was held prisoner by awful people who wanted the basilisk only for her ability to transform into anyone she wanted and eat magic," Vee began, and then switched to her real voice, "One day, the basilisk escaped to another world where she was lucky enough to trade places with a human girl who loved magic and wanted to explore the basilisk's home. But now the human girl is stuck in that world and the basilisk is really sorry and she's trying her hardest to bring her back and… and… and…"

Vee's voice gave out. Her heart was racing a million miles per hour in her chest. She couldn't think of anything else to say. So, instead she opened her eyes, her real eyes.

A light gasp escaped Abuela's lips as she saw the yellow and blue. It wasn't Vee's true form, not even the partial form she used around Camilla, just the eyes. That was all Vee could stomach.

"Please don't hate me", Vee begged in her mind. "Don't run away, don't scream."

"Que… hermosa," Abuela whispered, enraptured.

Vee didn't know that word. "Ermo-what?"

"Beautiful," Camilla translated, hugging Vee from behind. "She said, 'how beautiful.'" Immediately, Vee felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. The older women chuckled at her reaction.

"Entonces," Abuela smirked at Camilla, "I thought you were in on this."

"I wasn't going to say anything, mami," Camilla casually waved off. "It's up to her who she tells."

"Fine, fine, I guess I can keep this a secret," Abuela sighed. "But when Luz returns, I fully expect her and other Luz—"

"Vee!" the basilisk practically shouted. Raising her voice hadn't been on purpose, she was just overwhelmed by the compliment and severe lack of rejection. She took a second to steady herself. "Mi llamo Vee."

Abuela knelt down with a caring smile. "Bueno, Vee," she corrected herself and kissed the basilisk's forehead. "When Luz returns, I expect the two of you to tell me about all of your adventures, Vee." With a final wave, Abuela climbed into her car and drove away.

Vee watched her go, her real eyes glistening in the light of the setting sun. "Mom, I'm not dreaming, am I?" she asked, feeling a little lightheaded. "Did that really just happen?"

Camilla hugged her close. "Sí, mija, it did."


Alright, that's the end of this chapter. With this, we've delved into the last of Vee's friends. We also got a look into Luz and Vee's grandmother. I didn't give her a name because I couldn't really think of one. Then again, Uncle from Jackie Chan Adventures is just called Uncle, so, eh. I had the idea to basically make her an adult Luz, so in this story's continuity, we know where Luz gets most of her personality from.

And like Camilla, Luz's grandma seems to have accepted Vee for who she is. Now she has two favorite granddaughters. Whether or not I'll have her in future chapters is debatable.

I decided to make Lance rich to give that "they never care" line that he said about his parents more depth. Rich yet neglectful parents. Cliché, but it works.

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