Chapter Five
For the first time in her life, Willow was enjoying her high school experience!
As per her academic track switch, Willow had arrived at the school early to take a class placement exam. Even with assurances that it was not at all a grade, she had been nervous at first. Then she had gotten to the exam itself and had been surprised, almost shocked, that she knew most of the answers without a doubt from her personal research and reading.
The head of the biology track, Mrs. Petunia Fauna, had looked over her exam with actual shock. She'd looked at Willow with a critical eye that just screamed of suspected cheating and asked several questions both from the test and not, all of which Willow had answered with surety, guessed correctly, or simply said she didn't know. That had apparently satisfied Mrs. Fauna, because she had shaken Willow's hand and enthusiastically welcomed her to the botany program.
Willow had been placed in the advanced classes of her grade and adored her first few classes. She'd raised her hand as often as she could and been called on three times, giving answers or asking questions with as much passion as she could muster. She'd apparently made a good impression on her teacher and classmates too.
As she left the classroom for lunch, she'd caught whispers of "How'd she know that?" and "Where was she before now?" and — one that left her confused about how she felt about it — "Halfwit Willow's actually smart!"
Principal Robinson had also assured her that he was aware of her new scholarship and that it had kicked in overnight, taking even more pressure off her shoulders. As she filled her plate from the lunch line, she felt hope grow in her chest. The hope that school would be enjoyable from now on.
Which meant she was a prime target for Boscha, the redhead shoulder-checking her and sending her lunch crashing to the cafeteria floor. "Oh, sorry!" Boscha crowed, clearly not sorry in the least. Willow swallowed back her sudden sorrow and looked at Amity, who was pointedly looking away with an icy expression. She looked at Boscha's best friend, Skara, who was looking away as if in a daydream, and a girl with sunny blonde hair who was biting her lip with something like regret. Wait, wasn't that girl in her new class? Amy, or something?
"Of course, you really should be thanking me, Park," Boscha said flippantly.
"Thanking you?" Willow asked. "Why?"
"It's not like you need more food, eh, Tubby?" Boscha sneered.
Willow took a step back in shock before the hurt sunk into her heart. She gripped her stomach as her eyes burned with welling tears. Boscha sneered and checked her again as she passed, followed by Skara and Amity. The other girl — Amelia, Willow finally recalled — opened her mouth as if to speak before blushing and stiffly following the group.
The cafeteria had been silent while all this went on and Willow lifted her glasses to brush the tears away before holding herself and shuffling to her table. She sat and held a hand to her mouth to try and keep from crying, several deep shuddering breaths keeping the tears at bay. She sniffled and rubbed her eyes again … and the faint clack of a lunch tray sounded in front of her. She opened her eyes to find a perfect replica of her lunch sitting before her. She looked up to find Hunter standing before her with his own lunch tray before he took a seat of his own, also facing her.
Willow looked at him with wide eyes and Hunter looked up and noticed. "What?" he asked.
"What's this?" she asked, gesturing at the tray.
"Your lunch?" Hunter answered. "You need your energy."
"Do I, though?" Willow asked, Boscha's taunt ringing in her ears as she dug her fingers into her belly. It was certainly true that she was more solidly built than most girls her age. And even though she enjoyed exercise and did so every morning, that didn't change. Her baby fat had never melted away with witch puberty.
"Hey," Hunter said, sharply but … not unkindly. Willow looked up at him to find his brown eyes boring into hers with an intensity that made her skin tingle. "You clearly take care of yourself, Willow." He twitched his head to a far table where Boscha and her cronies sat. "Those bitches don't know a damn thing about real beauty." He opened his book and scooped a bite of his lunch, but first added, "If they did, they would appreciate yours."
Willow felt like butterflies and moths had gone to war in her stomach. Hunter Wittebane just called her beautiful?! It took her a moment to gather thoughts enough to pick up a fork and start her lunch. At least the food seemed to sate the feeling in her belly.
Luz gripped the armrests of her seat in Eda's "car" as the Owl Lady drove into the woods outside Gravesfield. This machine was strange, even compared to staff flight. Granted, it felt more heavily protected in case of a crash, but somehow it still felt less safe. How she wished she could just hop on Paloma and follow from the air, but Eda and Willow's commentary on the faint magic in the human realm had both of them too scared to have Paloma out of stasis unless it was an emergency.
Luz sighed and glanced into Eda's back seat at her staff lying inert, along with Eda's staff and King snoozing in the seat behind Eda. She'd felt so lonely of late without her little wooden dove cooing and cuddling her cheek from her shoulder.
"Here we go," Eda said, turning off the main road and onto a dirt path that meandered through thick trees for a few moments to arrive at a structure that resembled a stone tower, though in poor upkeep.
"Where are we?" Luz asked.
"I like to call it the 'other half' of the Owl House," Eda said, getting out of the car and gesturing for Luz to follow as she fished her staff out of the back seat. The witchling struggled for a minute with the "seatbelt" before disengaging it and leaving the car as well with Paloma.
"The other half?" Luz asked, shifting her staff over her shoulder.
"I bought this land at an estate sale 'bout twenty years back," Eda laughed. "The building was built by some trust fund baby with more money than sense. But the land is close to the city while still far enough for privacy, so I use it to get away from modern life. And the cops. Or ex-boyfriends," she snorted with a laugh.
"So why are we here?" Luz asked.
"To put your skills to the test," Eda replied. "I know a thing or two about the branches of magic, and I wanna test out your talents with each of 'em."
"Oh," Luz said. "Uh, okay. I guess I can do that." She worried her lip between her teeth. "But what about the thin local magic?"
"You'll be fine," Eda deflected. "We'll take the rest of the day easy."
Luz sighed and took some sharp breaths to pump herself up. "Let's do this!" she said aggressively.
"Liking the spirit, Kid," Eda laughed. She removed a sheaf of papers held together by one of those paper-clorp things and flicked through them. Luz looked closely and found them to be copies of texts from the Boiling Isles. The strange patterns on the corners looked like the curls of scrolls, meaning they were copies from thos human "copier" machines.
"Okay, what are you best at?" Eda asked.
"Out of the tracks?" Luz asked. "I study potions." She winced goodnaturedly. "It's hard on the elbows, but you can do some seriously cool stuff."
"Alright, we can test that back in the city," Eda said. "What next?"
Luz pressed her lips and looked around. "You don't have a problem with mixing magic, do you?"
"No way," Eda cackled. "I am an agent of chaos!"
Luz's eyes shone with joy. "My mom's a wild witch, too! She studies Healing and Beastkeeping to take care of animals!" Luz danced in place. "I mean, I'm not great at Healing or Beastkeeping, which is kind of ironic, and my Abominations absolutely suck, but-"
"Focus, Kid," Eda said. "That's all good to know, but what are you good at?"
"After potions I'm probably best with plants," Luz said. "I've got a gift for Oracle magic, too, and Construction. My illusions and Bard skills aren't bad, either."
"Alright, I heard Plants, Construction, Oracle, Illusion, and Healing," Eda reported. "Let's test 'em out."
"I said I'm not good at Healing," Luz pointed out."
"Still worth figuring out your limits," Eda said. "Okay, Plants. Show me what you've got!"
Luz turned and traced a pair of spell circles to grow a pair of pine trees.
"Nice," Eda said. And the day continued.
Willow smiled to herself as she sorted her things in her locker. She'd gotten her first homework assignment and for the first time in her life she was looking forward to it! She sealed her locker and turned … to find Boscha glaring at her with an icy smile and crossed arms.
"Sup, Park?" she asked.
"Just ready to go home like everyone else," Willow said, holding her books over her chest.
"Sure you are, plant girl."
Boscha moved to step closer, but someone cleared their throat and they both turned to find Hunter standing there with his arms behind his back and an expression of lazy confidence.
"Willow, might I offer you a lift home?" he asked.
"Forget her, Hot Stuff," Boscha said, stepping between him and Willow with her eyes lidded, "how about a lift with a real woman?"
"I don't see a woman, I see a bitch," Hunter replied icily. "Go to practice, or whatever you do. I doubt Willow wants to talk with you, and I certainly don't."
Boscha stepped back as if stung, her eyes wide with ire. "What did you say?" she demanded.
"You heard me," Hunter bit back. "Leave. Now."
Boscha's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water for a minute before she scoffed and walked away with her head held high. Hunter watched her with narrowed eyes before he looked back at Willow.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"I'm … great," Willow said, blushing bright red. Titan, she needed to get a handle on herself! She couldn't get used to relying on Hunter to come to her rescue! No matter how warm it made her feel when he did.
"So, yes or no on the ride?" he asked. "I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Sure," Willow squeaked and fell into step beside him. "What did you want to talk about?"
"It's related to that night you fought the basilisk," Hunter said.
Willow blinked and adjusted her glasses at the thought of that night. The elation at finding a connection to her lost homeland, the fear of encountering an angered and very dangerous demon … and the feeling of power and freedom as she tapped into her magic in a way she never had before.
"What do you want to know?" she asked in a small voice.
Hunter paused to open the exterior door for her, even bowing and extending his hand like a classical gentleman. Willow giggled at the old-fashioned gesture, assuming he'd learned it from his uncle or something, and stepped out into the late-afternoon sun with him behind her.
"I wanted to ask you about-"
Hunter's words were cut off by a bone-chilling roar that echoed across the school grounds. Screams of teens and adults rose in answer, and the students parted in the wake of a large creature the size of a semi truck with snow-white fur, massive limbs, and wide jaws … with eyes on its upper gums.
"Slitherbeast," Hunter whispered.
The Slitherbeast roared and swiped at a car, the force of the impact overturning it. Hunter grabbed Willow's wrist and pulled her to his town car, tearing the driver's door open. "Virgil, I need your coat!" he said, taking Willow's satchel from her shoulders and tossing it past the driver into the passenger's seat.
"Sir?" the chauffeur asked, baffled.
"Now!"
Virgil got out to remove his coat and pass it to Hunter, who slung it over Willow's shoulders and zipped it up. The uniform piece, already a thigh-length garment on Virgil, nearly reached her ankles. He gestured for Virgil's hat and gloves, which he gave up as well with a good-natured scoff. Hunter was in the middle of stuffing Willow's hair into the cap when Willow broke out of her confused stupor.
"Hunter, what are you doing?!" she shrieked.
"Disguising you," Hunter said briskly, slipping the gloves onto her hands. "You're the only one who can handle that thing."
"What?!"
"Willow, listen to me," Hunter said, looking into her eyes. "Slitherbeasts are passive creatures that don't attack unless scared or angered." Another roar. "And suddenly appearing in a new realm would piss anyone off, especially an animal. And the police are either gonna kill it or get killed by it." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "You're the only one who can restrain it until it calms down."
"Hunter, I-"
"You can do this, Willow." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "I know you can."
Willow looked past him at the rampaging beast … and she saw what he meant. This was a scared animal, and it needed help. She nodded and took a handkerchief from the coat's pocket to tie around her face. Then she strode forward with sudden confidence, tapping the ring on her right hand through the glove to disperse the illusion around her ears.
She was a witch and she would go into battle as one. Plus it would help throw off anyone who might recognize her.
Luckily for her, trees, bushes, and ivy were planted liberally across the campus. As she neared the Slitherbeast, she took a deep breath and traced a spell circle that she clapped onto the ground. The magic seeped into the pavement and rushed out to imbue the trees with her power, bending them to her will. With unsettling creaks, the trees leaned and spread their branches like hands to reach for the Slitherbeast with shocking speed.
The trees snagged the beast as it reared on its back-hinged legs to smash at another car, lifting it from the ground and holding the beast's limbs within its own. The demon howled and thrashed, and Willow poured more power into the spell, sweat beading her brow. She'd never experienced anything like this in the practice trips with her dads and it was showing. She felt the wood of the trees straining, the fibers tearing under the strength of their captor. The spell was flickering and fading, soon to fail.
And then Willow felt something … different.
Willow took a rattling breath, and she felt power flow into her. She gasped as her spell flared brighter, the magic building like she had never felt before. More trees sprouted from seeds in the ground and wrapped around the Slitherbeast, their holds tight but not dangerous, and Willow ran forward to trace another spell circle — this one producing a plant of its own.
A cluster of orange flowers with yellow stamen. Sleeping nettles.
Willow's magic ground the flowers of her homeland into powder that she tossed at the Slitherbeast's face. It snorted, coughed, and roared again before the sound trailed off into rumbling snores. Willow shuddered as the surge of magic waned and her bile sac began to ache, leaning to place her hands on her knees as she gasped for air through her improvised mask and runnels of sweat rolled down her face.
Willow was able to soothe her aching lungs before she heard the sound of approaching sirens. Students and faculty were milling about and slowly, hesitantly, converging on her now that the threat had seemingly passed. Thinking quickly, Willow traced another circle that seeped into the grass and forced it to grow to incredible length, forming cover for her to run to the school and get inside. She checked for anyone inside and ran for the nearest ladies room, shedding Mr. Virgil's coat and hat but stuffing the gloves into her pockets.
She ducked into the bathroom, careful to push with her elbow to prevent fingerprints — the police procedurals that her papa loved coming to mind — and finally into a stall to lean against the wall and order her breathing. She felt her phone vibrate and checked it to find a text from Hunter.
Police are here. Where are you?
Willow smiled and texted back, In the bathroom closest to the door. What do I do?
Stay there. I'll come and get you.
Willow left the stall and removed her glasses to wash her face in the sink. She grunted at a sudden ache in her bile sac and gripped the porcelain of the sink as it passed. She looked up into the mirror, her reflection blurry without her glasses. She settled them back and yelped at a knock on the door.
"Willow?" Hunter called.
"I'm here," she called back and rushed to the door. Taking a final breath to steady her nerves, she slipped out and into the hall to find Hunter there looking as calm as ever.
"Are you-?" Hunter grunted as Willow wrapped him in a crushing hug, the air squeezed out of him by her surprising strength. "Uh, it's okay," he grunted, patting her lower back. "You're okay, Willow." He was silent for a moment before adding, "You did great out there, Willow."
"Really?" she asked, fears crashing down on her to meet the doubts rising up.
"Absolutely," he breathed. "C'mon, we should go out and see if the police want to process us. If they ask, we were just bystanders who took cover in the school when that 'thing' came."
Willow nodded into his chest and stepped back to follow him outside. Several police cars had pulled up and cordoned off the area. A half dozen officers were asking the students, staff, and parents questions while others were directing traffic and a few were examining the Slitherbeast from a safe distance.
Hunter took Willow's hand in his and approached a policeman. "Officer, what happened out here?"
"That's what we're trying to find out, son," the officer replied. "Mind if I ask you a few questions?"
Hunter nodded and answered things such as who he was — his answer making the officer flinch — what they did during the attack, and how a monster ended up wrapped in trees. Hunter answered each question decisively, having clearly thought about the answers. After a few rounds, the officer nodded and let them go. Hunter kept his arm around Willow and guided her to his car before ushering her into the back seat.
"I'm sorry about your uniform, Mr. Virgil," Willow said shyly.
"Don't worry about it, Miss," he said with a chuckle. "And don't worry about anything else. I saw nothin' today, ya hear? Nothin' except some crazy monster and a mystery hero who wrapped it up and saved us all."
Willow smiled in thanks and took her satchel that the driver handed to her before settling in the seat as he drove from the school. Her heart rate finally began to settle from the rush of restraining the Slitherbeast, using so much magic, and escaping the police. Her mind began to turn to a burning question when Hunter's voice drew her attention.
"Willow?" he asked. She looked at him curiously. "About what I was gonna ask earlier … what happened with the Slitherbeast wraps it up nicely."
"What do you mean?" Willow asked.
"Willow, I don't think these 'events' are going to stop," he explained. "We've had a basilisk and a Slitherbeast confirmed, and rumors I've heard imply a Puppeteer running around, too." He held up his hand and lifted three fingers. "They say three times establishes a pattern. And if this keeps up, the police are going to be way outclassed."
"What are you saying, Hunter?" Willow asked.
"I'm saying," he replied, fidgeting with his fingers, "I think you should be the one to handle these demons as they come through to Earth."
"What? Like a superhero?" Willow giggled, but Hunter's straight face didn't change. "You're serious," she realized aloud. "Hunter, I can't do this."
"You did great today," Hunter pointed out.
"But that was- I didn't- Hunter, that was a fluke!"
"It showed that you can function under pressure," Hunter replied. "Not to mention that you can keep your head clear since you restrained the Slitherbeast without hurting it."
"I don't know anything about demons," Willow said.
"I do," Hunter said. "I'll do everything I can to help, be it sharing what I know, formulating plans, and providing supplies."
"Hunter …" Willow whined, nerves building.
"Willow," he said calmly, turning in his seat to face her. "No one else can handle this." He shrugged. "It's entirely possible that I'm wrong and these were isolated incidents … but something tells me they're not." He reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, but hesitated and pulled back to run the hand through his hair.
"Willow, someone needs to step up, because at the rate things are going, we're going to 'play host' to things way more vicious than a basilisk or a Slitherbeast. And unless you know another witch who can help … you're this city's best hope."
Willow opened her mouth to say that she did in fact know another witch, and one probably far more practiced than her, but the words died in her throat. Hunter didn't know about Luz, and it wasn't her place to out her new friend. "No, I don't know any others," she said.
Hunter lifted an eyebrow in something like surprise before he sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I can't make you do this, Willow," he said, "and even if I could, I wouldn't. That would just put you in even more danger." He looked back at her. "It has to be your choice." By now, they had made it to Willow's townhouse. "Just think about it, okay?" he asked.
"Okay," Willow said, picking up her things. "I'll think about it." She opened her door and got out.
"Willow?" Hunter called. She turned and looked at him. "You really were amazing back there," Hunter said, his expression neutral but his cheeks tinted pink.
"… Thank you," she whispered back. "Good night, Hunter." She ducked down to look into the front of the car. "Goodnight, Mr. Virgil!" she chirped.
"G'night, Ms. Willow," Virgil smiled, glancing over his shoulder.
Willow waved shyly to Hunter before she moved to enter her home. As she climbed the stairs to her dads' floor, she had a feeling that Hunter's offer would plague her all night.
As the Wittebane car drove away, it just passed a large white van marked with the Empire Enterprises logo going in the opposite direction. The van pulled up to the police tape surrounding the roundabout and out of the passenger's side stepped a tall, slender woman with dark hair that contrasted pale skin and framed mint green eyes. She was dressed in a close-cut but conservative charcoal business suit and dress shoes.
From the driver's door came a brunet man with dark eyes dressed in a white button-up with an orange tie and dark slacks, though lacking a suit jacket and his clothes rumpled. He dropped a cigarette and ground it under the heel of his dress shoe before taking a place next to the woman.
Out of the van came a dozen men and women dressed in state-of-the-art body armor and face shields. They came armed with high-tech lariats and what looked like electrified clubs.
"Halt!" one of the police officers barked. "Who are you?"
"Special agent Lilith Clawthorne of the Boiling Isles Containment Squad," the woman said, holding up a badge with a sword superimposed over a cloud and sunbeam. "This is my associate, Agent Steve Gripes." The man showed a badge as well. "We've been given clearance to take this creature to a facility built to contain it."
"Detective Dan Hirsch, ma'am," the officer said with forced patience. "I've been a detective for ten years. And I've never heard of any 'Boil Containing Team,' or whatever you called yourself." His words were derisive, but the glint in his eye implied he perfectly recalled their title.
"With such a record, I would think you recognize the signatures of your police chief and the mayor?" Lilith asked, drawing a sheaf of papers from her coat pocket.
"Yeah, I would," the detective said, glancing at the papers, "and I-" He cut himself off as he read the papers, the bottom of each signed with the signatures of said officials. "What the-?"
"If you please, detective," Lilith said, "I have no desire to affront or belittle you or your men. But this … entity is not your average creature, and our facilities can make sure it does not cause more damage."
The detective read over the papers again before taking out his cellphone and dialing a number. He turned and had a brief conversation before hanging up and looking at Lilith with resignation. "It's all yours, ma'am."
"Thank you, detective," Lilith said, before ordering her men forward.
"Our men are in position and ready to begin sedation and extraction, sir," Lilith reported.
"Excellent, Agent Hawthorne," Philip said, watching the feed from one of the cameras hidden in their transport van. "Begin sedation, but proceed with caution. This is literally a caged animal and will act … unpredictably."
Philip forced himself to watch the live feed of the agents — his agents — fire darts filled with tranquilizing herbal extracts and purified water into the Slitherbeast. True, whomever had engaged and defeated it had left it out like a light, but there was no reason to not be careful. As his agents began using modified chainsaws to cut through the demon's bindings without harming it, Philip looked at a different monitor.
This one showed the data from the Third Eye system. Around the time Westside would have released its classes for the day, there was a huge spike in localized magic … on the campus. What had come from this event was the Slitherbeast.
And even further than that was the amount of magic in Gravesfield after this third event. Like before, the background magic in the city had sharply risen to nearly four times the level it had maintained ever since Philip had developed this technology nearly two years ago!
It was clear beyond any doubt that these events were causing the rises in magic … but what about the growth rate? Given the miniscule original levels, it would hardly take much to cause a relatively substantial increase. But what if …?
What if these events kept happening? Would more and more magic saturate the human realm?
These questions were pushed to the back of Philip's mind as he got to his serious work inputting new commands for the Third Eye. In addition to constant monitoring of background magic levels … he adapted additional programs to alert him to any spikes in magic across the city.
Thrice establishes a pattern. And he would not be caught unawares a fourth time.
Hunter drummed the fingers of one hand over the knuckles of the other as he thought over what he'd said to Willow on the drive home.
He had to admit that Willow was a good friend. She'd denied there being another witch in Gravesfield, even though he knew that this "Luz" girl was there — Willow didn't know that he knew, so to her she was protecting her friend's identity. That was a good sign for a potential hero. He smiled at the thought.
"You know something, Hunter?" Virgil said from the front of the car.
"What's that, Virgil?" Hunter asked.
"I like that girl," Virgil grinned.
"A little young for you, don't you think?" Hunter asked sardonically, though his faint grin took the bite from the words. He'd known Virgil for years as his uncle's driver, and Philip had graciously assigned Virgil as Hunter's driver when he was deemed old enough to go about on his own.
And yet, Hunter felt something cold and bitter in the depths of his belly at Virgil's words, even if he knew they were teasing. What …?
"Oh, I'm happy with my missus," Virgil said, going along with the fun. "But some poor little rich boy would probably be very lucky to have a lady like that at his side."
Hunter's eyes widened as Virgil's meaning clicked in his mind, and he forced any resultant thoughts away. If he was right about what was coming — and evidence really did point to it — then he couldn't let himself be distracted.
There was too much work to be done.
Chapter five is here! And it was so fun to write Willow's first act as a hero. Her debut is soon to come!
*Luz's palisman, Paloma, is carved in the likeness of a grey-white dove. Her name literally means "dove" in Spanish.
*I actually put a lot of thought into Luz's magical talents for this AU. Her mom's skills are obviously a parallel to canon.
*Steve's last name in this fic is based on his conversation with Hunter in "Any Sport in a Storm," where his complaining about the Emperor's coven gave him some depth and helped Hunter realize how badly he'd messed up.
*The detective is named after Dana Terrace, the creator of TOH, and Alex Hirch, who created Gravity Falls and voices King and Hooty in TOH.
As always, many thanks for reading! Leave a review if you have feedback or questions. And have fun with your own projects!
