The sound of birds was the only thing that could be heard that peaceful morning. The early autumn breeze was calm, it felt nice, comforting even. The almost risen sun shining through the multicolored leaves was a beautiful sight. With the number of pink tinted clouds in the sky, it was the perfect morning to sit on the front porch and cloud-gaze with my youngest child.

Her constant state of wonder made my heart swell with joy. The poor thing had been forced to run away from the grasps of basilisk hunters for so long that small things like cloud-gazing were life changing to her. Not to mention that this fascinating realm of humans was a brand-new experience for her.

It was such a relief to the both of us that she could finally just enjoy her odd new home instead of worrying about the dangers around her. She felt safe in my care.

That made one of my children.

My other daughter was in a realm far away from home. A realm full of demons and monsters. A realm ruled by the ruthless dictator that had tortured the sweet child sitting next to me. A realm that she would much rather be in than with me and her adopted sister.

She had found a new family there after all. One that didn't try to send her away.

A tear rolled down my face as I closed my eyes. I only sent her away because I thought it would've helped her. That summer camp was supposed to teach her to control her creative outbursts as well as introduce her to some new friends. But, instead, it just ended up driving my beautiful Luz away from her home realm and away from the woman she was supposed to be able to trust the most.

Dios me ayude (God help me), I felt so ashamed. I thought that my baby girl was happy under my care, but she was silently hurting behind my back. And I had to go and make it worse and make her feel more unwanted, like she was a menace that I was pushing away.

"Lo siento, mi bebé (I'm sorry my baby). I failed you so badly" I whispered to the sky.

"Mami?" I heard someone squeak beside me.

I adored my youngest but, in moments like that, it was hard to look over at her. Her bright brown eyes, her short brown hair, her loving smile, they all looked just like Luz, down to every last detail. If Luz had never found a way to contact me from the demon realm, I would have never known that she was an imposter.

But I couldn't let my grief for my first born overshadow my love for my adopted child. Even if she was from another realm, she still needed a mother's love. And I was determined to give her my everything. I would not fail her like I failed Luz.

"Yes, mija?" I cooed. My tired brown eyes shone lightly with love.

"Are you thinking about Luz?" she asked.

I let out an exhausted sigh. She must have seen the few tears that flowed down my cheek a second ago. I figured she would. I wasn't very good at hiding it.

"I'm always thinking about Luz, Vee. Just, like I'm always thinking about you. You girls mean the world to me…even if one of you is a world away".

As another tear rolled down my cheek, Vee wrapped her arms around me lightly. She nuzzled her head into my side and closed her eyes.

"I love you, mom. You're my entire world too" she admitted very softly.

The remaining tears that were welling in my eye came racing down my face. It felt so good to hear someone say "I love you". It made me feel like less of a failure. One of my children loved me, wanted me in their life.

It was like Vee could read my mind. She lovingly grabbed my hand before she said reassuringly, "Luz loves you too. I don't know why she ran away. I don't know how she could run away from such a nice home and… I honestly find her a bit ungrateful. But I know she loves you. I see it in the photos on the walls and in all the messages you received from her".

I sat and soaked up her words for a moment before wrapping her in a strong embrace. My silent crying turns into gentle sobs.

"Oh, cariño" I choked. "You have no idea how much that means to me".

I closed my eyes, letting the feeling of love wash over me. Just being able to hug her was magical to me, yet she was so much more than something there for me to hold. She was my pride and joy despite only being in my life for a few months. No number of words or deeds would ever be enough to show how thankful I was.

The birds' singing soon disappeared along with the awareness of my surroundings. The hug had to have only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like I was holding Vee for hours.

And that was perfectly ok. I didn't want to let go. If I did, I could've lost her forever.

But I had to let go eventually. Vee didn't have school, but the child still had things she wanted to do. I gave Vee a small kiss on the forehead before leaning back and admired my brave little girl.

To my surprise, she no longer looked trusting and delicate. Her eyes were now blown wide in panic, her fear causing her to squirm. White splotches began to sprout on her skin and her round ears grew longer and tufted.

"What's that crawling up your arm?" she yelped.

Vee's sudden panic made me feel so bad for her, yet I couldn't help but laugh. I know, I know, but it always cracked me up when children freaked out over tiny harmless bugs.

"Oh mija. It's just a– What!". It wasn't a bug, at least not one I'd ever heard of. Instead, it was some sort of sludge. Just like Vee said, it was creeping up my arm and my shoulders and my neck; It was wrapping itself around my entire body!

My gaze traveled all around me before it jumped back to Vee. She was no longer looking at me. Instead, it was plastered onto her own body which was also being invaded by the grimy greenish goo.

I tried to say something else, but the gunk quickly spread over my mouth. All I could do was watch my youngest child scaredly struggle until my vision was taken over. The last thing I noticed before I lost my consciousness was the sound of static snapping before it exploded into a large flash.

…

My sight came back slowly. Rheum made my surroundings fuzzy as I slowly fluttered my eyes open and shut.

The first thing my eyes latched onto was my child. She didn't look like Luz anymore. Instead, she was in her natural basilisk form. Though I had quickly learned to admire it, a lot of people back in her home realm assumed she was a murderous monster because of her slithery appearance.

I took in the sight of my daughter. Light lime scales covered her entire long snake-like body. A cute white splotch covered her nose, mouth, and chest. Another splotch sat on the left side of her forehead and another one covered the fins at the base of her tail.

Two floppy ears with fluffy tufts of dark blue fur clung to the side of her head as she leaned into my outstretched hand. With my other hand I ruffle the clump of blue fur on the basilisk's head. She stared at me with her drowsy beautiful sky-blue eyes… that then grew wide in fearful confusion. She was staring at something behind me.

I closed my eyes, pushed my red glasses up the brim of my nose, and turned around. Before I opened my eyes, I braced myself for whatever Vee saw. Ok Camila. Three. Two. One…

In front of me was… a dusty water-stained hotel room wall? Well, that wasn't anything dangerous, but it was alarming, nonetheless.

Weren't the both of us just sitting on the porch? How did we get into a rundown hotel room? Did someone bring us here while we were covered by that weird slime? Or maybe the disgusting substance managed to bring us here itself.

"Hijo de puta (son of a bitch)" I mumbled mindlessly before I slapped my hand over my mouth. Vee didn't have a perfect grasp on Spanish, but the basilisk definitely knew what that meant.

Luckily, Vee didn't hear my vulgar slip up. Instead, she was staring at her hands in frustration. She half-sighed half-growled, "I can't shapeshift into my human form. I'm out of magic" when she spotted me staring at her.

"I think that's the least of our worries, Mija. Where are we? How did we get here?".

Vee shrugged before taking a look around the room for herself. There wasn't much left in the room, only two beds and the end table in between them.

When she turned around to face the end table, she breathed in the topcoat of dust blanketing it. She coughed a bit then sneezed, sending dust everywhere.

"I don't know," she sniffled. "But wherever this is, I'm not sure I like it".

I nodded. It was a pretty creepy sight. There were tons upon tons of dust on every square inch of the room and cobwebs were strung up against the headboards of the old worn-down beds. The paint on the walls was badly chipped, gigantic water stains took up most of the ceiling. But, most interesting of all, there was a window covered by a thin curtain that strangely wasn't damaged.

I crept up to the curtain and grabbed it. It probably wouldn't be a dead giveaway, but a view of the outside could've given me a hint as to where we woke up at.
I went to peek out the slightly broken window but before I had a chance to see outside, I heard an extremely excited whoop. I turned around, letting out a whimper in the process. I knew that voice.

"Look out, witches! Im'a packin' heat!" a voice behind the door hollered. In response, a deeper voice I didn't recognize joined in with the cheering.

"Yeah! We got human fireworks, baby!". The first voice laughed. I couldn't see them, but I knew they were rolling their eyes.

"Gus. I told you. It's a flare, not a firework. Huuuge difference there, buddy" they corrected.

"Potato tomato. It still shoots fire!" Gus practically squealed.

The handle on the door turned but, before the door was pushed open, the first voice spoke up again.

"I bet you Amity's next fairy pie that there's nothing interesting in there" they sarcastically said.

"Oh, you're on. Just wait and see. With all the cool stuff we're finding, there has to be something good in there" Gus laughed back.

That's when the door opened, revealing two younger teens carrying different types of bags.

One had dark shorter hair and skin. His partner was a little bit taller than he was and he sported a strange blue tunic along with a pair of black shoes. And were those elf ears? I assumed the magical looking boy was the Gus the other person had mentioned.

The other person was a girl about two years older than Gus. She had ruffled up brown hair, smooth brown skin, similar to mine, and two beautiful brown eyes that were as bright as the sun itself. She was wearing a familiar purple and white striped shirt and a long purple cape with a hood. She… she … it couldn't have been.

"Luz?" I whispered while tears welled in my eyes. "Is… is that you, Mija?".

Luz could only give me an equally amazed look back. She tried to say something, but the words stuck in her throat, and she could only choke on her surprise. The poor child was trembling so hard I thought she was about to collapse.

Gus leaned closer to Luz and asked, "Is that your mom? And the basilisk you told us about?".

Luz just nodded. Tears began to stream down her face. She began to snivel, lip slightly quivering, while she fought off small whimpers.

Gus put his surprisingly small hand on her shoulder and quietly murmured, "go to her, Luz". My oldest swallowed the lump in her throat and took a deep breath. Another hushed moment came and passed, everyone too anxious to say the first hello.

Luz took a step forward… before she exploded into a run. My child crashed into my open arms and began to sob and laugh at the same time. She grasped at my shirt like she was clinging on for dear life, her head buried deep into my chest as if she was trying to soak in the sound of my heartbeat. She seemed ready to just go limp in relief. It felt like I was supporting Luz's weight more than her own legs were.

Had Luz gotten thinner since the beginning of that summer? My poor baby. How often had she been able to eat while in this awful place?
I wrapped my arms around her tighter than I ever had before. You could not believe how strong the fear that I would never be able to hug her again was. The last time she was able to visit her home she could only appear as a reflection in the window or against the pouring rain. But now here she was. Luz, my baby girl, completely tactile, completely huggable.

I began to sob too. I missed having my precious child buried deeply in my arms. I missed her warmth, her smile, her spirit. I missed the sound of her voice, her bubbly chuckle. Though Vee could do a perfect impression of her, it wasn't the same as the real Luz. And now, the real Luz was in front of me, the Luz I watched grow from a beautiful baby to a shining ball of pure light.

"Luz" I said through my happy weeping. "You have no idea how amazing it is to see you again, mi bebé". The sound of my voice made her hug me even tighter.

"I am so sorry, mama. I never meant to hurt you. I love you more than anything" she cried. "Please… please…".

I started rubbing circles on her back delicately as I shushed my strongly remorseful daughter. Her pained voice made my heart ache in an unfamiliar way. My daughter missed me. She loved me! And now she could finally show me that.

"It's alright, cariño. Estás aquí, mi luz (I'm here my Luz). That's all that matters right now" I hummed.
Luz lifted her head to gaze into my eyes. She had the biggest, most relieved smile on her face. Her calloused hands grabbed mine tenderly.

We stood still for a moment both wanting to take in each other's company. We wanted to make sure that what we were seeing was real. And it was.

"Te quiero, mamá. Estoy tan feliz de verte de nuevo (I love you, Mom. I'm so happy to see you again)" she said in a beautifully soft voice.

"Yo también, cariño. Yo también te quiero (Me too, honey. I love you too)" I said back, just as warmly.

Luz's loving gaze then noticed the basilisk behind me. She had tears in her eyes as she watched the beautiful scene unfold in front of her.

My oldest stretched her arms out and urged her over. Vee's eyes grew wide and hesitant, but she soon rushed towards the two of us.

We all fell into another hug. My chin rested slightly in Vee's soft silky fur while Luz's hand rested comfortably around the back of Vee's neck.

'Heya, sis. Um… I can call you that, right? I mean Camila is your mom and she's my mom too". Vee looked over at Luz and then over at me.

"She has a point, cariño. You are my child just as much as Luz is. But we'll call you whatever you feel comfortable with" I hummed. My eldest nodded and happily gazed at my youngest.

"Y..yeah" Vee stammered. "I guess you are my sister, Luz''. Luz let out a small squeal at that and beamed at her adopted sister.

"Welcome to the Noceda family, Vee!" She cheered. "Well, you've already been a Noceda for a while but now I get to finally see you in person".

Vee laughed at that and then thanked her new sister. I could tell that the basilisk felt a little uncomfortable around Luz. She had told me before that her feelings towards her were rather complicated.

Luz really helped her out when she needed to find magic to eat. She not only found her some tarot cards that she loved to snack on, but she also saved her from the creep who tried to dissect her.

And she was grateful that Luz left in the first place. That gave her a chance to join our family and meet new friends, even though none of us knew she wasn't luz.

But she also had some bitter feelings towards my oldest. She just couldn't understand why Luz would choose to run away from what she saw was a perfectly loving home.

Vee had no home or family in the demon realm. She was kept in a cage and beaten brutally by the cruel emperor Belos and his guard. So, the fact that Luz chose to flee to the Boiling Isles struck a bad chord within her.

Not to mention that she saw how much pain the whole situation put me through. Vee was well aware of how much Luz's disappearance tore me apart to the point where I think it pained her.

Fortunately, Vee had mostly pushed her convoluted feelings to the wayside. She cheerfully welcomed her sister's bright enthusiasm with a smile before we all reluctantly broke away from the Noceda family hug. Luz then turned back to her friend while she gestured towards him with her arm.

"Mom, Vee. This is Gus. He's one of my best friends and a classmate of mine" Luz stated with a grin.

"Is he the one that makes the illusions?" I asked. I had an idea of who Gus was. I knew from the video diaries and text messages she sent me that the witch was one of Luz's closest friends. According to Luz, he could "rally a crowd to jump off a cliff!". It was easy to see why the two clicked together.

"That's right!" he answered proudly. He held up his fist in front of him and struck a dramatic pose. "I'm actually two years younger than Luz but I was able to move up to her year because of my advanced knowledge and skill".

"Wait" Luz uttered while slightly tilting her head to the side. "How did you know that?... You got my messages! They must have sent when I went into the portal we made! I can't believe the in-between realm got reception".

As if she were violently struck by her sudden realization, Vee screamed in genuine terror. She quickly squirmed over to me and clutched my arm, her nails digging into my skin slightly. She was making squeaking sounds while she whimpered and hyperventilated all at once.

"No! No! No! I couldn't have gone through a portal! I can't be back here! He'll catch me!"

That caused something to click in my brain. Some unnatural mystery substance knocked us both out and we woke up in a place that had both witches and my daughter in it.

¡Oh, dios bueno no puede ser (Good god. It can't be)! I was too excited from seeing Luz again, I didn't even realize what seeing her and her witch friend really meant.

"Luz?" I choked. "Are we in the demon realm?".

Luz walked up to me and Vee. She looked very worried, yet she was the calmest of the three of us. She grabbed the hand on my free arm with one hand and cautiously grabbed Vee's with the other.

"We are," she sighed ruefully. "But it's gonna be ok! You being here means that someone found a way to travel between both worlds! All we need to do is find the person who owns the portal you went through, and I think I know who that someone is".

Luz gave us the most hopeful smile but that and the offered reassurance didn't seem to calm the young basilisk down. She was still shivering in panic and her grasp on my arm got tighter. My oldest let go of my hand and grabbed Vee's shoulder. She gave her a confident but gentle gaze.

"Vee?" she said. "I've been running from Belos for literally my entire time on the Isles. There have been some close calls, I will admit, but the people who care about and support me always had my back. Mom and I, we have your back. And I'm sure once they meet you, Eda and King and everyone who has been there for me will be there for you too". Vee's eyes squeezed close in frightened frustration.

"You don't understand, Luz! I–".

"You're right, Vee. I don't understand. I've never had to go through anything like what you had to, and I hope I never will. But that doesn't mean that we all can't help you make it through this in any way we can" Luz interrupted. She gave her younger sister's hand a tight squeeze. "I know it's hard to trust me or trust anyone really. But I've found that you'll walk farther in life when someone's there to help you up when you fall".

"What if I have to leave them behind?! That always happens sooner or later! I find someone who cares about me and then I'm forced to leave them, or they're forced to leave me! I thought I wouldn't have to worry about that in the human realm but I'm not there anymore!" Vee cried.

That made Luz's confidence melts like snow. Her smile faded away while her eyes grew cloudy. She looked like an injured deer. She could only stare as dread slammed into her at full force.

I hadn't noticed how colorless my daughter's complexion was until then, how the lines on her face were so deep it looked like someone had carved them into her. Her eyes were deeply sunken. They were still bright and filled with a love for life but at the same time they looked tired.

I knew what her exhausted appearance meant all too well. She was very stressed, to the point where one wrong word would cause all of the emotions, she had to carry on her shoulders to crash to the ground. Knowing how my baby hid her own feelings in order to focus on others' problems, I knew that her stress, worries, and problems were continually stifled, only released when Luz couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I… really…um. I really wish I could… answer that but…" my daughter whimpered while attempting to hide her pain with a smile. Her chest heaved, a mournful sob trying to claw its way out. "...All I've done is… just… hurt the people I love here. Just make them sacrifice so much for someone… for someone who's just gonna leave them behind… I… I'm so, so sorry! I've been nothing but trouble and I'm so sorry!".

I had never seen Luz this broken. Not after her dad passed back when she was five, not after a group of bullies convinced her that everyone would be better off if she faded away, this hurt her on a whole new level.

She… she was happier here, wasn't she? Of course, she was. If she wasn't she would not have chosen to stay, there.

"Stop right there, Luz!". Gus stepped towards my daughter and helped her rise to her feet. He made sure he had her full attention while he was talking but, by the way his voice fluctuated, I could tell he wanted us to pay just as much attention.

"We might not always be together but you're here now and that's what matters! And we'll fight the entire emperor's coven to help you, Belos and all!".
Gus then paused for a moment, his excitement faltering a bit to show off his raw thanks. "I mean… you did it for us… so why would you think we wouldn't work our damndest to help you?".

Luz's eyes shone like they had been fully re-charged. Vee's eyes were just as lively. It was as if Gus had breathed new life into both of them.

Vee turned to me, silently asking me if I would give her the same support Gus was offering Luz. Her smile sent an aurora around the decaying room.

"Tha… That's right! I would… I would... fight a million lions for the both of you!" I declared, trying to be as inspiring as Gus and failing miserably. The previously mentioned leaned towards Luz whispering, "what's a lion?".

Luz leaned towards him before answering, "It's an extra fluffy murder cat". He nodded in understanding as he made a mental note at that.

"Mi niñas. No te sientas triste (My dears, don't feel sad)" I continued after a sigh at myself. "I would give everything I have to be there for you. And, even if we do have to part, I will make sure you leave with all the love a mother can possibly give. That love will always stay with you" I cooed.

My voice was as soft as honey and my grasp on each of my children's shoulders grounding. While I tried to act assured, I couldn't help but pull my children into a cuddly bear hug.

"But" I said a little more jokingly. "Just so you know, if we do get separated and lose all contact with each other, it's not gonna be because of some stupid emperor. This Belos guy will never be able to keep me from my babies!".

Vee began to laugh, obviously relieved and refreshed to have so much support. My oldest, on the other hand, let out another squeal.

"Ah, mom! Welcome to the Bad Girl Coven™, A.K.A the Screw Belos Club." she cheered.

After receiving a ready sign from Gus, Luz turned around and headed towards the door. She beckoned us to follow her with an excited look. I was more than happy to leave the decaying musty room behind. I subconsciously assumed that Luz and Gus were taking us somewhere nicer, hopefully that being a place that Vee and I could stay until we found a way home.

"Can I join?" Vee questioned while she and I followed Luz and her friend.

"Heck yeah you can! In faaAAh! What is that thing!".