(Nine years ago)
The sky was dark orange. Everyone in New Bonesborough looked to the sky to see a starry blue portal opening up…nearly everyone anyway, Not Luz and not Luisa. In front of them, stood Luz's husband and Luisa's father. He stood in front of them all with a large green tank strapped to his back. He kissed Luz lovingly then looked down at four-year-old Luisa. He noticed the tears running down his daughter's cheeks and wiped them away, he kissed her forehead whispered in her ear: I love you, Luisa. Know that whatever happens or wherever I go. I will always love you and never forget you."
Her father then stood up and said goodbye to Gus, Willow, and Eda and then said a tearful goodbye to Aunt Vee who pulled him into a hug as he tried to walk away. The last person to take his hand was Miss Amity. They looked at each other and embraced like two close friends who had seen so many horrors and suffered many hardships. He then looked at them all one last time before taking his Palisman staff and flying high into the sky, right into the blue portal. They all waved goodbye as he flew off and felt their tearing eyes following him until he was nearly out of sight. Luisa got out of her mother's arms and ran out into the streets, not taking her eyes off her father as he flew closer and closer to the portal.
"Papa!" Luisa cried out, hoping he would hear her and this would somehow make him come back and not go through with what he was doing. He would fly back down and take her in his arms like he always did, Mama would fly up beside them and they would all be together again but it was no use. She saw him just outside the portal now and if she looked closer she would have seen a massive starry finger begin to emerge from the portal. Luisa wanted so badly to cry out for her Papa again but it was too late he hit the portal and a green and black explosion covered the portal, the sky turned dark, so dark in fact Luisa couldn't see her hand in front of her face, but she kept running until she felt an arm wrap around her waist and a purple forcefield covered them both from falling Debris. Luisa tried to get out of the hold but stopped when she heard the voice of her mother.
"Luisa, stop!"
Luisa stopped thrashing and looked up at the dark sky, the green smoke was beginning to fade and little wisps of sunlight began to shine through the dark smoke but her father was nowhere in sight.
Tears began to run down Luisa's cheeks like a waterfall, she looked up at her mother but her mother did not take her eyes off the spot where her husband had just been. Luisa knew her father was gone and the reality of losing him began to set in. The pain was so great…too great for such a young girl like her. Her mother finally moved and wrapped Luisa in her arms, her tears flowing down her cheeks like a river.
Luz got up and took her daughter away. Gus, Amity, Willow, And Eda tried to pull her aside to talk to her but Luz gave them the brush off, she couldn't talk to them right now and she didn't want to. She had just lost her husband, the father of her daughter, the only other person besides Amity she had truly loved.
"Mamá?"
Luz wiped the tears away and then looked down at her young daughter, trying to put on the best fake happy face she could. "It's okay mi amor, I'm here, Mamá is here, we're going to-"
"Don't cry Mamá. I'll find him."
"Find who, sweetie?"
"Papa. I didn't see him get exploded, he must be out there somewhere and I'm gonna find him. We're gonna be a family again."
Luz used all the strength she had left in her not to cry, knowing that her daughter was trying to make sense of the tragedy. She couldn't bring herself to tell her that finding her husband was impossible.
(The Present, Hexside Cafeteria)
Luisa, Erich, and Penelope all sat at the same table. Penelope was about to eat her sandwich when she noticed Luisa's various scratches and cuts.
"Uh Isa, your cuts," Penelope said.
Luisa looked down at herself and then smiled.
"Oops, forgot."
Luisa snapped her fingers and Maurice came out of her hair.
"Maurice, if you would be so kind?"
Within a second all of Luisa's scratches and cuts were covered and filled with Healing Abomination goo.
"There we go."
"How did you get so cut up anyway?" Erich asked before taking a spoon full of soup.
"Ah it's just the usual stuff, The ratworm got lost during a training session and I had to help wrangle it, it's no big deal."
"Seems like you're getting a lot more scrapes and cuts from your classes lately…have you considered switching to a new coven? There's still plenty of room in the skáld Coven and-ow!"
Erich stopped talking when Penelope kicked his leg under the table. He looked over at his friend and she shook her head at him and mouthed: Too much.
"I appreciate the offer, Erich but to be honest I don't mind the scratches and cuts I get from working with magical creatures. I feel like working with them and studying every little movement and call or squawk they make is the most fascinating thing in the world. Someday I wanna go and study magical creatures in a sanctuary." Luisa said with a faraway look in her eyes.
Luisa then looked at the abomination bandages on her arms.
"I know with Abominations I can help heal any wounds or illnesses a magical creature may get and make sure they always remain healthy and happy. That is what I want my future to become."
"You don't wanna be famous like your mom?" Penelope asked.
This question took the wind out of Luisa's sails.
" No no, I never wanted to be like my mom. Not really."
Penelope understood how hard it was to want to go down a different path instead of the one her parents want her on. Penelope's mother, Boscha had been so mad when her daughter had told her that she had chosen the plant magic coven instead of potions. The three of them knew the pain that came with having celebrity parents.
"It can be hard, for sure," Penelope said "But, I have faith that you can achieve your dreams."
Luisa smiled at this.
"Thanks, Penelope."
Penelope reached across the table and squeezed Luisa's hands. She remembered when she was much younger on her first day at Hexside, people recognized her as Boscha's daughter and since most of the kids were the children of her mother's former bullying victims, they all gave her a hard time, to say the least. But then on her third day, she met Luisa, who unlike the others didn't judge her for being Boscha's daughter, instead she protected her and then defended her from every insult or Beat down someone tried to dish out. Penelope suddenly felt thankful for having such a loyal friend. Well, she didn't see what Luisa loved so much about the Beast keeping coven but she respected her closest friend enough to not question her judgment.
"So after school, you guys wanna come to the orphanage with me? " asked Luisa, her face beaming with joy.
Erich and Penelope both looked uncomfortable as Luisa asked the question.
"I have Grudgby practice after school," Erich said.
"And I have a meeting with everyone else in the Human studies club tonight," Penelope said.
Luisa sighed.
"Fine, would've been nice to have some extra help, it's only been me and Professor Eberwolf lately taking care of all these poor kids."
"Nice try, Luisa. Your guilt trips aren't going to work on us." Penelope said.
"we've developed an immunity to them," Erich said.
While the three friends were talking a 14-year-old student from the illusion coven was about to walk into the cafeteria when an arm came out of the boy's room and pulled him in and after a few moments Pep stepped out of the bathroom wearing the other student's Uniform.
There were so many students with their palisman around, he just had to grab one while someone wasn't looking. He was about to walk in when he bumped into someone and fell over.
"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry. Are you ok?"
Pep looked up and was horrified to see Luisa standing above him. While he had never actually met her, Kikimora had shown him, and Philip numerous images of their supposed enemy, Luz Nocada and Luisa was almost identical match to her when she was a teenager.
He got up immediately, he was gonna run but hit the wall! Before he fell over again Luisa caught him.
"Ooff, you've got a pretty big goose egg."
Pep felt his head and felt a Dump.
"Ow!"
"C'mon, let's take you to the nurse."
"N-no. It's fine."
"Ok…well at least sit down with me and my friends for the rest of lunch."
"Thank you but I…"
"balderdash, c'mon."
"Your Weird," Pep said.
Luisa turned around but instead of rebuking him, she smiled.
"Thank you."
Luisa then brought Pep over to her table with Erich and Penelope, both looking a little surprised.
"This is my crew."
Luisa pointed to Penelope first.
"This is my female Bestie, Penelope, Plant witch extraordinaire and future diplomat of the human realm, Penelope Wormwood."
She then pointed to Erich.
"This here is my male Bestie, Erich Blight, the Warrior poet and top of his class in the skáld coven."
"It's nice to meet you both," Pep said awkwardly that extended his arm out to shake both their hands in an even stranger fashion.
Penelope and Erich both shook his hand.
"And you are?" Erich asked.
Pep's eyes went wide.
This wasn't good, he couldn't just say hi my name is experiment 105…he could tell them the name he chose for himself though. After all Nobody here actually knew him personally. Pep thought.
"Pep…my name is Pep Underhill."
"Well, it's nice to meet ya pep, sit a spell and tell us about yourself," Luisa said.
Now all three of the teens looked at him curiously.
" I don't recognize you and I've never heard of the Underhill family," Penelope said.
"I don't have a family…my father died before I was born, my mother, if I could even call her that abandoned me whenever she gets a chance so most of the time I just have to fend for myself. The reason you probably haven't ever seen me around or anything is because we grew up in the colonies."
"How did you get here then?" Erich asked.
"After the last time, my mother abandon me I decided enough was enough and hopped onto the nearest longship. By chance, it anchored here."
Erich and Penelope looked at each other for a moment then back at their new friend.
There's no way Isa could believe this guy's bull. Penelope thought to herself.
Luisa gave Pep a sad look and then embraced him.
"You poor thing," Luisa said.
Dang it, Isa! You're too nice for your own good. Penelope thought.
"If you're not from here then how do you have a Hexside uniform?" Erich asked.
"It's from my school in the colonies, you're not the only place in the demon Realm with a magical school you know."
"Oh well, I guess that makes sense."
"Sure it does. So how do you like it here at Hexside?" Luisa asked as she sat down next to Pep.
"It's fine I guess, same as any other magic school."
"No school is like Hexside, our institution has pumped out the best witches there ever has been, you should consider yourself very lucky to attend Hexside Academy," Penelope said.
"Well this has been great but I gotta go," Pep said as he tried to get up but Luisa brought him right back down.
"Where to? Lunch isn't over for another 20 minutes." Erich said.
"I promised my teacher I would do a favor for her."
Pep got up from the table only to accidentally collide with another student, splashing the other student's soup all over his Oracle Coven uniform. This student was none other than the school bully, Mary's son Roland.
Roland glared at Pep then at Luisa, Erich, and Penelope. He wiped a mushroom slice off of his face then pushed Pep to the ground!
"Watch where you're going!" Roland said.
Roland then looked over at Luisa, Erich, and Penelope.
This little cretin with you three?!"
Luisa glared back at Roland then got up to help Pep up.
"So what if he is?"
"That means he as well as you three are about to have the ever-loving-"
Roland stopped talking when Erich got in between Roland and Luisa.
"It's not polite to speak that way in front of a lady," Roland said sternly.
Roland scoffed.
"Outta the way Blight. Instead of worrying about Bug over there, you should go back to doing what you do best, worrying about your next meal."
Roland then poked Erich's plump Belly.
Luisa smiled Evilly.
"Oh your in for it now, Roland," Luisa said.
"Why?" Pep asked.
"Shush, just watch." Luisa responded.
Erich knocked Roland to the floor and began to continuously punch him! He grabbed Roland by the head, two teachers came out to pull Erich off but not before he broke off most of Roland's left head horn!
Everyone in the cafeteria gasped. Roland felt the area where his left horn had been, he then looked down at his now severed horn, wiped away tears then looked hatefully at Luisa, Penelope, and Pep.
"You three are dead, you hear me! Dead!"
Roland grabbed his Horn and then ran out of the cafeteria.
"Still alive, Idiot!" Luisa yelled after him.
"I think he was saying we might as well be dead after he takes vengeance on us," Penelope said.
"I know but I wanted to make him feel like a punk while he ran away like a baby."
(End of Flashback)
Luz was about to say something when Roland poked his head into the office.
"Lies, I did not cry. I walked out of the cafeteria menacingly." Roland said. Everyone in the room could see his left horn only now beginning to grow back, it still looked odd to everyone though.
"Get back out here!" Principal Collector shouted as he grabbed Roland and plopped him on a bench right next to Lithie, Steve's daughter.
"Roland, let your classmates finish in there."
Roland didn't respond but looked away from his principal.
Principal Collector then looked at Lithie.
"Lithie, while your classmates tell there a version of events. Why don't you tell me yours and Roland's?"
Lithie sighed and adjusted her glasses with round lenses. Her father often joked about how much she reminded him of her namesake, Lilith Clawthorne. Lithie didn't mind the comparison, since her father was a single parent Lilith did act as a mother figure to her.
Lithie looked up at her Principal and then at his Palisman, Ghost. The white cat looked down at her like she was a tasty mouse and her principal knew this.
"Make sure, to tell the truth, Lithie." The collector then patted his cat palisman behind the ears. "Ghost here will know if you lying."
Lithie sighed.
"Ok, so things started to get bad when…."
As Lithie was talking Pep was outside, standing atop a gargoyle and listening in on Lithie's side of the story. As he was listening, he felt a slight tickle in his ear and then heard a familiar hiss. He turned around and saw none other than String-Bean herself.
String-bean had changed after being in her egg form for so long. He ears were gone and instead, she had a hood now like a cobra, the ball at the end of her tail was now red instead of green and her body was much longer.
"What are you doing here?! I told you to stop following me around." Pep said.
String-Bean hissed happily three times.
"No, nothing yet. That's why I'm listening in on what they're saying."
Pep then turned back to listen to Lithie's story. Strong-Bean meanwhile wrapped herself around Pep's shoulders and listened in as well.
To be continued
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