Camila didn't know what to say to this sight. Her eyes teared up just as quickly as Luz's did as she wasted no time and instantly ran up to Luz to give her a loving hug, which Luz immediately returned.
"Luz, my baby. You're back. You're finally back, I'm so happy." Camila said as her tears started falling, as did her daughter's. Her friends all looked at their reunion with sadness, seeing Luz reunite with her mother after what they had just gone through was enough to make their hearts break into a million pieces.
Kneeling down to be eye-level with her daughter, Camila looked at at all the scratches all over her and how broken she looked. "Mija, what happened to you?!" Camila asked in concern.
"It-it's a long story, Mom." Luz answered. "All I want now, is to come inside."
Camila said nothing as she let Luz into the house, but then, she looked with confusion at the other teens that came with her. "Luz, who are these children?" She asked.
"They're..." Luz hesitated to answer. She was worried that her mother might not accept them if she knew where they came from. But Luz didn't care about what her mother would think of them. All she cared about was helping her friends so that they didn't have to stay outside in the rain.
"They're my friends, Mom. My friends...from the demon realm." Luz finally said. Camila's eyes widened in shock at this revelation.
"What?!" Camila exclaimed, greatly surprised by what Luz just said. She looked at the teens and noticed their pointy ears, signifying that they definitely weren't human. She stood frozen by her realization before Luz put her hand on her shoulder.
"Mom. Let them in, please." Luz said. "Mija, I-" Luz quickly stopped her mother thinking she was going to refuse, and she wasn't going to have that. "Mom. I know it's a lot to take in. But, i'm not going to take 'no' for an answer. These are my friends and all I want is to help them. So please, let them come in." Luz demanded with a serious glare at her mother.
Camila was hesitant at first until she saw just how much Luz meant what she said. She then turned and saw the sad looks on their faces and how hurt and scratched up they were as well. Camila finally gave in and looked at them with sympathy before gesturing for them to come in. Willow, Amity, Hunter, and Gus all complied and entered the house.
"Mom." Luz began, getting her mother's attention. "I know I have a lot of explaining to do, but right now, we've been through so much." Luz sighed. "And, and I-"
Camila then put her hands on her daughter's shoulders and cut her off. "Luz, I don't want to hear it now. All that matters is that you're home. Now everyone, wait in the living room." Camila instructed, and the five teens complied as they all walked to the living room and sat on the couch.
While they were waiting, everyone kept silent as they looked around Luz's house to observe what a human home looked like. Gus was very fascinated with how the human furniture looked, as well as the television, the table, and everything else in the room. Willow, on the other hand, was intrigued by some of the small plants in the room. They seemed much smaller and less threatening compared to the plants in the Plant Track's homeroom at Hexside. Amity was also fascinated with how nice and peaceful Luz's home looked, and it was definitely much cleaner and nicer when compared to her own home. As for Hunter, he wasn't really all that dumbfounded by the house as much as the others were.
A minute later, Camila stepped into the living room carrying some towels and a first aid kit. "Here you go, niños. Put these on, you all must be freezing after being in the rain." Camila said in a sweet and caring tone. After setting the first aid kit on the table and handing everyone a towel. Willow was the first to be wrapped up in a towel followed by Gus and Hunter. Amity, however, shared her towel with Luz, much to Camila's sudden confusion as her daughter snuggled up with the pink-haired girl.
But then, she simply accepted it and brought the tools out of the first aid kit. Starting with Willow, Camila began by looking at the deep cuts on her arms and applied some peroxide to a ball of cotton before placing it on her wounds. "Now dear, this is going to sting a little. Just relax." Willow winced in pain from the sting of the peroxide but tried to keep her cool as the stinging sensation died down. After that, Camila wrapped her arms in bandages and moved on to the scratches on her face, gently placing bandages on them as well.
After Camila was finished with Willow, the bespectacled witch looked at Camila's eyes and saw the kindness coming from her friendly smile, causing Willow to smile as well. "Thank you." Willow said, and Camila simply responded by gently patting Willow on the shoulder. Camila then did the same with the others, starting with Gus, then Hunter, followed by Amity, and finally, her daughter. She cleaned all of their scars, patched up all of their wounds and helped them to feel more comfortable around her.
Once she was finished, everyone looked at what Camila did for them and was very grateful for her kindness. "There you go, niños." Camila said, and then turned to her Luz. "Now, Luz. I think I would like some answers right now." Luz wasn't sure if she was ready to hear the whole story, so she turned to her friends, who all gave her some pretty nervous looks. Luz then looked at her mother again and decided that it was definitely time for her to tell the truth, but before she even got the chance, Amity put her hand on Luz's shoulder.
She knew how Luz felt about lying to her mother and nodded at her to do it. However, everyone was still very hurt and tired after what they had been through and Luz decided that it would be best if she waited until morning to tell her mother the whole story.
"Mom. I'll be honest with you." Luz said before standing in front of Camila. "I know I lied to you all this time, and I haven't told you everything. While I was there, I always regretted having to do it, but it was only because I knew you wouldn't understand."
Camila seemed to understand Luz now, but that didn't mean she was okay with it yet. "Look Mom. It's true, I was in the demon realm all this time. And I know it sounds weird and crazy, but I promise, I'll explain the whole story to you later." Luz said.
"Later?" Camila asked, wondering if Luz meant that she was still going to lie to her.
"Yes. I promise to tell you everything, Mom. But right now, all you need to know is this. These guys, here," Luz said gesturing to her friends. "They are my friends that I made in that place. The one with the glasses, that's Willow." She gestured to Willow, who timidly waved to her, and Camila timidly waved back with an awkward smile. "That's Gus." Luz introduced.
"Um. Hello Mrs. Noceda." Gus greeted.
"His name is Hunter." Luz introduced the young Golden Guard and Hunter just responded with his own awkward smile. "And this is Amity."
Amity looked to Luz's mother and tried to keep calm. So she simply said hello and tried to be polite. "Hello, ma'am. Yes, I'm Amity. Your house is really nice." Amity complimented.
"Oh. Uh, thank you, Amity." Camila said, flattered by Amity complimenting her home. "It feels so much more cozy and pleasant than my house, that's for sure." Amity said, much to Camila's confusion.
"Well, it's, it's good to meet all of you. I hope my daughter wasn't too much of a handful for you all." Camila said, and everyone looked at each other with a bit of a giggle before they all gave her the same response in unison. "You'd be surprised!"
Now that everyone was introduced, Luz wasn't sure if her mother was ready for the truth. However, she turned to her friends and saw how worried and sad they looked. Luz exhaled as she finally gave her mother what she wanted.
"Okay, Mom." Luz stepped out of the towel and stood in front of her mother. She took a deep breath and prepared to tell Camila everything that lead up to what just happened recently. "I know you might not understand everything I'm going to tell you. But I swear, it's not make-believe. It's the whole truth." Luz said as her crossed her arms and changed her expression from serious to neutral.
"I was going to go to summer camp," Luz began. "but then, I... saw this owl that ran off with my Azura book. And then I followed the owl through a portal in the house behind us and the next thing I knew, I was there in the demon realm." Camila raised an eyebrow, not sure if she believed what her daughter just said. But after seeing teens with pointy ears and watching a Basilisk magically shape-shift into a likeness of her daughter on a camera, she was willing to believe what Luz was saying.
Luz continued with her story. "After that, I sort of got mixed up with a powerful witch. Her name was Eda the Owl Lady, and she was the strongest witch there, but was also...kind of a criminal." Luz cringed at what she just revealed.
"What?!" Camila said in shock. "You ended up with a criminal there?!" Luz nodded but then stopped her mother before she jumped to any conclusions.
"Please, Mom. Yes, Eda was kind of a criminal in The Boiling Isles. That's what the place was called where I ended up." Luz elaborated. "But she didn't deserve to actually be a criminal there. The laws in the place were kind of complicated." She sighed, watching as her mother seemed to calm down. "Anyway, I thought Eda was pretty amazing. She was powerful, fearless, and she never let anyone tell her what to do. She was also the one who gave me a place to stay while I was there."
"Really, Luz?"
"Yeah, Mom. Eda brought me to her house, which was also inhabited by some creepy, talking owl face." Camila was misled again, but then looked at how all of her friends cringed once they heard her mention that part of her story. "There was also this guy living with Eda in her house. His name was King, as in, the 'King of Demons'!" Luz exclaimed while jokingly emphasizing her point by playfully waving her arms up.
"Demons?" Camila asked. "Was this demon king scary, did he hurt you, Mija?!" Camila asked with a hint of worry in her voice.
But Luz simply chuckled at that thought, as did some of her friends. "No Mom. Don't worry about King. He wasn't really a big scary monster. He was actually an adorable little guy with the cutest paws." Luz answered playfully. She then remembered that she still had her phone on her. "Oh yeah, I've got his picture here, look." Luz took her cellphone out and brought up some of the pictures that she took of the Boiling Isles.
"Here they are, Mom." Luz then showed Camila a picture of her with Eda in front of her house. "Here's Eda. She's the lady with the big gray hair on her head." Camila then looked at Eda and how she stood next to Luz with her hand on her shoulder and held up her Owl Staff. Camila wasn't sure what to make of Eda since Luz did mention that she was a criminal.
"This is the lady who you stayed with, Luz?" Luz nodded to her mother. "Mija, I don't believe this." Luz sighed in defeat. "I knew you wouldn't understand, Mom. It's not a fairy tale, I'm telling you, it's for real." Luz replied.
"No, Mija. It's not that." Camila corrected. "I just can't believe that you would stay with someone who looks so dangerous. Did that woman even do anything to take care of you? She doesn't look like a good person for you to stay with. And besides, just look at you." Camila gestured to all of the scratches that Luz had on her skin and her clothes. "You stayed with this Eda woman all this time and made you get all of those scratches. Did she even do anything to keep you safe?!"
"Of course she did, Mom!" Luz angrily answered, startling her mother. But then she calmed down enough to resume her story. "Eda didn't do this to me. And she did a great job looking after me all this time. Sure, maybe she got me into trouble a few times and she was also a bit of a rebel. But she kept me fed and safe all through the summer and accepted me no matter how weird I was when nobody here in the human world did."
Camila was quite surprised by how Luz explained how Eda took care of her. "That's Eda for you, Mom. And here's King." Luz swiped her from to an image of King and showed it to her mother next. Camila looked at the image of the little demon and slightly blushed once she saw how small and adorable he looked in it.
Camila gasped. "Oh, ay que lindo!" She shouted with a smile. "Oh my, what an adorable creature."
"That was my first reaction too, Mom." Luz chuckled. "Yeah, King is pretty cute. But don't let that fool you. He can be tough when he wants to be."
Luz continued telling her mother about some of her adventures in the Boiling Isles. Enrolling at Hexside and meeting her new friends, exploring the land with Eda, and so much more. Though, she made sure to leave out a few details that her mother might not have been too happy to hear, such as a few parts involving Emperor Belos and almost getting killed a few times. After Luz was finished with her story, Camila had a hard time trying to take it all in.
"So you've been learning how to be a witch all this time? And you've really been hanging around with monsters, riding pirate ships, and flying on a staff?" Camila asked trying to process everything Luz said. It wasn't easy, but she seemed to understand most of it, considering what she's already seen from the demon realm.
"Yep. Anyway," Luz said, returning to her point. "They were sent back here along with me. They have no way to go back and nowhere else to go right now, so Mom, I would really appreciate it if you'd let them stay here with us."
Camila heard her daughter out, and was surprised to see that Luz would care so much about the people she called her friends, even though they weren't human. She was reluctant to do it at first until she heard a voice from behind her. "Camila." Camila turned around and saw Vee standing behind her. "Please, do it. You took me in and still accepted me, even after you found out I wasn't who you thought I was. They deserve the same."
Luz's mother took the basilisk's words to heart and let out a sigh as she realized that Vee was absolutely right. "Okay, Mija. Your friends can stay." Camila surrendered.
"Thank you, Mamà." Luz said in tears as she hugged her mother.
"Okay. Now, all of you are going to be here for a while. I hope you will all enjoy it here." Camila said and Luz's friends smiled at her. "Now, let's get all of you out of those torn up clothes." She then walked upstairs and left Luz and all of her friends in the living room.
"Your mom is really nice, Luz." Willow commented, much to Luz's comfort. "Thanks Willow."
"Yeah, I didn't know that human parents could be so friendly." Gus added.
"I know." Amity agreed. She then put on a sad look and sighed. "I wish my mother was that nice to me."
Luz then sat in between her friends on the couch and lifted her arms over their shoulders. "Don't worry you guys. I'm glad that you're all here with me. We'll find a way back to the Boiling Isles, somehow." She said feigning a sense of hope. "I don't know how we'll get back, but until then, you guys can stay here with me."
"Thank you, Luz." Willow said. "Yeah, thanks so much for this. We'll try to do our best to be appreciative." Gus added as well. They all then gathered into a group hug, all except Hunter until Gus pulled him into it. Camila heard most of what they were saying as she was walking back downstairs. She also saw how Luz was so close with her friends and pondered what was happening before putting it out of her mind. She returned to the children carrying a stack of pajamas that looked to be about the right size for each of them.
"Okay kids." Everyone turned their attention to Luz's mother and saw the clothes that she had for them. "It's probably been a long and hard day for all of you, and I bet you all must be really tired. So if you'll all change into these clothes, I'll set up a place for you to sleep."
Everyone took a set of clothes and changed into them. Willow was now dressed in a long-sleeved, light green pajama shirt and pants that seemed very comfortable on her. She stretched around a little bit and felt how nice those clothes were on her body. Gus and Hunter, on the other hand, wore short-sleeved shirts and light pants that didn't feel very heavy on them, and Amity wore a long-sleeved shirt like Willow's except that her's was in a light pink color and made her look really cute, to Luz, that is.
"Wow. So this is how it feels to wear human clothes." Gus said.
"Yeah, they feel so nice on me. And I can really move in this." Willow agreed hugging her chest in comfort. Amity did the same thing and Luz stood right next to her with her hand on Amity's shoulder.
"You look so cute, Amity." Luz said. "Thanks, Luz." Camila noticed the way they were looking at each other and grew confused with it. She wasn't sure what it was but there was something about the way they stared into each other's eyes that made her feel a tad uneasy. "Okay, everyone. Follow me upstairs and I will get all of you settled into your rooms." Camila brushed the previous thought out of her head and lead everyone, including Vee, up the stairs.
"I've arranged some sleeping bags for everyone in the guest bedroom. I hope you all like them." She opened the door to the guest bedroom which had a few sleeping bags on the floor. However, Camila felt a tap on her shoulder from one of the witches and turned to see that it was the pink-haired Amity.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Noceda." Amity said. "If it's all the same with you, do you think I can sleep with Luz in her room?" The youngest Blight asked. Camila was confused at first by Amity's request, but she didn't really see much of a difference.
"Well, okay Amity. If that's what you want." Camila replied and saw Luz and Amity smile at each other. Willow, Gus and Hunter stepped into the guest room with the sleeping bags while Camila brought out two more sleeping bags for Amity and Vee to rest in while Luz slept in her own bed.
"Thank you very much, Mrs. Noceda." Amity said.
"It's no trouble at all. I hope you and the others like it here. Good night." Camila replied before heading back to her own bedroom for the night. Everyone settled into their new rooms, albeit, some of them being a little bit nervous and hesitant as they try to adjust to their new surroundings.
Amity then turned to Luz before settling into her sleeping bag. "Thanks for letting us stay here with you, Luz." Amity said.
"Of course, Amity." Luz replied. "Like I would just let you guys sleep outside."
"You think we'll find a way back home soon?" Amity asked. Luz didn't know how to answer at first, so she tried to be as optimistic as she could.
"Don't worry, Amity. We'll find a way to get back." Luz answered, feigning hope. "If Philip can build a portal from the demon realm to the human world, then I'm sure we can make one that works in the opposite direction."
Amity gave Luz a small smile, but it quickly faded before she finally lied down on her sleeping bag. It was time for everyone to finally go to sleep. Camila and Vee were the only ones in the house who could easily let it go and just fall asleep without any hesitation. However, the others had a much more difficult time falling asleep at first.
Willow might've been in a new home, but she still missed her home back in the demon realm, along with her two fathers. Gus wasn't fairing any better, all he could think about was his own father, who was now a world apart from him and he had no way of contacting him to see if his father was alright. Hunter, on the other hand, didn't have a lot of people to miss back in the demon realm, but that didn't mean he wasn't worried about anyone. He still had a few people in the demon realm that he considered his friends, like Scara and Viney, and even Darius.
As for Luz and Amity, it was already almost an hour since they got to bed, but they still couldn't bring themselves to shut their eyes and rest. "Hey Luz. Can you sleep?" Amity quietly asked once she got up from her sleeping bag.
Luz turned to her with tired eyes, showing that her answer was obvious. "No. How about you?" Luz asked back and Amity shook her head. "That's what I thought."
Luz sat on her bed as Amity sat next to her and she put her arm around the pink-haired witch's shoulder to comfort her. "Luz, how can I sleep right now when I don't even know what's happening back in the Boiling Isles?" Luz understood what Amity was saying as she felt the same way, as did everyone else.
"I know, Amity. King and Eda are still there. And who knows what that Collector guy could be doing with him right now." Luz replied.
"It's not just him." Amity added. "I'm also worried about my family. Edric and Emira are still there and they don't know what they're up against. But, at least my dad is there to protect them."
"Yeah. I know your dad will keep them safe." Luz said, hoping to make her feel better. Unfortunately, it didn't do much for her current state.
"And you know, Luz. Call me crazy, but now, I think I'm even starting to miss...my mother." Amity might have been on bad terms with her mother at the moment, but still, she at least wanted to know that she was safe too.
"I know your relationship with your mom is...complicated, Amity." Luz said. "But, I bet your dad and your siblings won't give up on her." Amity seemed to perk up a bit, as she gave Luz a hug, which she quickly returned. "Don't worry, Amity. We'll get back. Someday."
Amity seemed to feel better as Luz was now ready to fall asleep, and so was she. However, once Luz got into her bed, she saw Amity lift her legs on it too and made some room for her. "Good night, Luz." Amity said. "Good night, Amity." Luz said the same thing as they both fell asleep together in Luz's bed. Just as they did, Willow, Gus, and Hunter were able to fall asleep too.
They realized how much the situation has changed for them. The five of them were now trapped in the human world and had no way of returning to the Boiling Isles, and no way to contact anyone else there either. Not only that, they also worried for the safety of the demon realm now that it was in the hands of the Collector. They were gravely concerned for all of their friends and families who were waiting there for them there and probably worried about where they might be. At this point, there wasn't much they could do now except adjust to their new environment. Hopefully, they could accomplish that without arousing suspicion from any other humans.