Fortunately, Luz and Camila had set up a code, so all it took was a text, and Camila was informed that she was ok and where they would meet up.
Luz stood in front of the abandoned shack, waiting for her Cepan to come and meet her, knowing she was going to be mad.
"Cinco!"
Oh no.
A hand grabbed her arm and pulled her backward.
She was suddenly face to face with a very, very, very angry Camila.
"¡No puedo creerte Cinco! ¡Lo juro, absoluto maldito idiota! Por qué t¡demonios dejarías el auto cuando te dije directamente que no lo hicieras! ¿Y a qué? ¿¡Para ir a jugar en una choza abandonada por unos minutos!?" Yep, there it was.
When they first came to earth, they had lived in the Dominican Republic, and although they had left it awhile ago, Camila still defaulted to spanish whenever she was angry. Originally she had defaulted to Loric, but she trained herself to default to Spanish because although the Loric language sounded almost like French, there were differences.
"¿Me estás escuchando Cinco! ¿¡Vas a explicarte o simplemente vas a seguir mirando nada!?"
"Lo siento Camila. Pero, ¡en realidad encontré algo increíble! ¡Podemos usarlo para escondernos! ¡Estaremos verdaderamente seguros!" She gestured to the shack.
Camila took a few deep breaths, then continued in english. "Five, I know you hate running around, but an old abandoned shack in the woods is not safe. It is too close to our previous lives, people would recognise us. Now come on, we need to leave."
Luz blushed. "Not the shack, what is inside, or rather, who is inside the shack." She raised her voice for the last part, and just as rehearsed, Eda exited the shack, staff in one hand, and the portal key in the other.
Camila moved, positioning herself between Luz and Eda, knife in hand. She spoke slowly. "Luz, did you tell this person about-"
Eda smirked. "She told me everything, and I have a solution." She pressed the button on the key, opening the door to the Boiling Isles.
Luz put her hand on Camila's shoulder. "I wasn't just goofing off. I found somewhere we can be safe." With that she explained the events of the day, with Eda jumping in on occasion to add in details that Luz missed.
By the end of the explanation, Camila had put the knife away, and was looking at the portal door in wonder. "Putain de merde…" She looked at Eda. "Are you sure you have the only portal?"
Eda's smirk faded. "I'm not certain of it, but I think I do. I haven't seen anyone else selling human items. Or even anyone who has even basic knowledge of the human realm besides me."
Camila nodded. "It is better to live in a place the Mogadorians might have access to than one where there are definitely Mogadorians." She walked up the door, "Can it be opened from this side?"
"Not without the key."
Camila nodded. "Does anyone know you have the door?"
"Yeah, but they can't take it from me. I am the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles!"
"Are you certain of that?"
Eda nodded. "Unless Emperor Bonehead gets off his lazy ass, yep." She showed her wrist. "When witches enter adulthood, they are forced to get brands that seal away most of their magic." A twirl of her finger, and a ball of fire and one of water appeared in her hands, before they both disappeared. "I never got one. So although I am hunted, they'll never catch me."
"Ok. I want to see the defenses you have in your house, and I want to know how dangerous the Boiling Isles are."
Eda's smirk returned. "Well then, after you, my dear." She gestured to the still open door.
Camila had been skeptical about Hooty at first.
He was very annoying, and definitely not very threatening.
That was disregarded when a stray creature came too close to the house and was immediately eaten. That mouth could stretch entirely too far in Camila's opinion.
Still, it was good to see that Hooty was so dedicated to the safety of those who lived inside of the house.
After that, it was time for a crash course on the Boiling Isles. For both her and Five.
Boiling rain, dangerous creatures, and a dictatorial government. Not exactly a friendly place. But, well, earth looked more friendly on the surface, but being on the Boiling Isles was so much better.
Five didn't really remember the Mogadorians or the invasion. Camila almost envied her for that.
It had been so fast. One moment, it had been joyous, a festival, celebrating another year.
Then, the bombs started. Cities were leveled and forests burned.
After that, Piken were sent in. Horrid creatures that tore apart anything they came across.
Next, the Mogadorian troops. Hundreds of millions of Mogadorians. With their horrifying weapons. She didn't know what powered them, but they were horrifying, capable of killing with a single cut or shot.
Even the Garde hadn't stood a chance.
She had seen her husband torn apart by a Piken so that she and Five could get to the ship that would take them to earth.
She and the other Cepan had watched Lorien die. They had seen massive tubes take its water onto resource ships. They had seen the green become gray in mere days. She had never felt so hopeless.
She knew that there was nothing that could stop the Mogadorians.
Her job was to keep Five, and to a lesser extent, the other Garde, safe.
And here, they would be truly safe.
Sure, the fauna of the boiling isles was dangerous, and the government hostile, but they would be far, far away from the true threat.
Camila looked to Five.
"Do you trust her? Well and truly trust her?"
Five smiled at her. "Yes. I don't know why, but I feel safe around her."
Camila smiled back. "Then that's all I need." She looked to Eda. "I need to grab something from the Human realm, can you open the door?"
A press of a button, and the portal to earth opened.
When Camila returned to the Boiling Isles, she smelled of smoke and carried the chest in her hands.
"Ok. It is time." She looked to Eda, before putting the chest in her arms. "Keep this chest safe. It is her Inheritance. What is in here is more precious than you could ever know." She smiled at Five.
"Don't think I missed how your legacy came in." She reached into her back pocket, pulling out a rubber bouncy ball and a steel ball bearing. "It is called Externa, and allows your body to take on the properties of whatever you are touching." She held Fives hand, tucking the two into it. "Next, your telekinesis should manifest, and after that, your second major Legacy. I hope I am here for it."
Five looked at her with tears in her eyes. "Where are you going!? We're safe here, don't you get it?"
"I know. But while you are safe, the other Garde are not. I will find them and take them here, where they can be safe. Keep your burner phone, and twice a week, check if you have gotten a message from me. If it is anything besides 'The circus has a new clown', you are not allowed back onto earth until all of your legacies have manifested and you can fight. Do you understand?"
Five looked unhappy, but nodded.
"Good." She hugged Five, knowing this could very well be the last time they saw each other. "I love you, and I am so proud of you Five."
She let go and looked to Eda. "Take care of her." She let some of her desperation show in her eyes. "Please."
"Don't worry your pretty little head. Nothing will happen to the kid."
Camila glared, but let it go.
She went up to the portal door, tracing the frame with her finger. Then she turned to Five and her new guardian. "Te amo Cinco. Volveré pronto." Then, she stepped through the door, wiping the tears from her eyes as she walked to the car.
Luz didn't do much in the following days.
She mainly focused on learning how to use Externa. Switching between steel and rubber.
It was something she needed to focus on, and any amount of distraction would disrupt that concentration, sending her back to her regular skin.
But she was getting better. It only took her fifteen seconds to go from skin to steel to rubber and back to skin.
She also went delivering potions for Eda, and that had gone mostly well.
The last person she delivered too was named Adegast, and he tried to scam her with some nonsense about her being the chosen one.
It had become especially clear that he was luring her into a trap when he started to talk about a prophecy involving a young human girl coming to the Boiling Isles, destined to take some sort of staff.
She had been trained by Camila to identify a trap from a mile away. And this one was just plainly obvious.
Plus, she wasn't even human, so even if it was true, it wasn't about her.
So she just talked politely, accepted the quest, then threw the map into the nearest trash can when she left. Let him puzzle that out when she doesn't arrive to do his quest.
"Well kid, did you think in your life that you would get to see something as amazing as this?!" Eda nudged her shoulder.
'This', was a giant… worm? Slug? Thing, that had boils covering its back, and trash mixed with what smelled and looked like sewage coming out of every hole in its body.
Luz had to hold back a barf. "That thing looks like it came from Mogadore! Smells like it too!"
Eda ignored her comment, marching towards the creature while pulling out a pickaxe. "Yes, it doesn't get more inspiring than the trash slug. It makes a home, a life, from what others have thrown by the wayside." She pulls a piece of trash out of its throat, throwing it to the side. "Until one day, BLAM! It gets hit by a wave and croaks from all the salt, and then we get to sell all the stuff it ate." She held out the pickaxe towards Luz.
"Please don't make me."
"Oh come on Luz, it's not everyday that you get to go to the dump and pick apart a garbage carcass." King laughed as he set his blanket down onto the sand.
Eda swung her pickaxe, "Ah, nuts to you both." A clang, and a bunch of trash came pouring out of the newly opened tear in the trash slug's hide.
Luz could not stand being in the presence of the smell anymore. "If it's alright with you, I'm just going to go back to the Owl House and continue training my legacy." Before she could bolt away, she felt a hand grab her arm.
"Not so fast." Eda pulled her back to the body of the trash slug, and plunged her hand into one of the pools of sludge. "Both of us are in very similar situations, hunted for being who we are. The reason I have stayed ahead of the Emperor's Coven for so long is being resourceful! Consider this a lesson! You need to be able to think on your feet and use whatever you have on hand." Luz felt her hand grab a sphere. Pulling it out of the sludge to look at it. It was deep brown, with several small hairs
"Oh yay, a greasy slimeball."
"Use it wisely kid. You have no idea how many times I thought I was cornered when BLAM! An innocuous thing saved me. Trust me on this one." Eda let go of her arm. "Alright you're free to go goof off. Have fun!"
Luz walked off, hoping to get the smell of the decaying carcass out of her nose.
She pulled the rubber ball and the steel ball out of her pocket, fidgeting with them.
She focused on the rubber, and felt the rippling across her skin.
She stretched her arm forward, far farther than she would be able to otherwise, wrapping it around a branch and pulling herself up into the tree.
She let go of her hold on Externa, her skin rippling once more as her body changed from rubber to flesh.
She sat down against the tree trunk, looking over the Isles.
She fidgeted with the steel and rubber ball. Shifting her body from rubber to steel to bark and back to flesh.
It was calming, to practice her legacy. It let her know she was doing something.
Her whole life had been dedicated to training in the hopes of one day fighting alongside the other Garde, defeating the Mogadorians and restoring life to Lorien.
Now, it felt like she was abandoning that purpose, by hiding in the isles.
She felt like she was betraying the other Garde by being so safe, and secure.
While she was in the isles, playing with King and talking with Eda, the others were being hunted.
Four must be running for their life, desperately looking for any place that was safe, while she just sat around.
She felt like an utter coward.
The worst part of it was that she loved the feeling of being so safe.
It was a good feeling, to not have to look over your shoulder. To not worry that everyone who meets you could learn your secret.
What if you never go back?
There it was. Her mind never left that idea. To destroy the portal door and be well and truly safe. It was something she so desperately wanted.
"No." she whispered. "No. You're Number Five. Garde of Lorien and Warrior of Peace. It doesn't matter how many Mogs there are, or how hopeless it looks. You can do it. You know you can. You just have to believe it."
"You can do it! You can!"
Luz nearly knocked herself out of her tree perch when she heard the voice.
"A voice of encouragement?" Her enhanced ears picked up the source of the sound, and she gasped in shock as she looked down into a nearby clearing. "No, little witch girl!"
In the clearing was a witch with dark hair tied into two braids on either side of her head and she was wearing glasses. Next to her was a book and a cart that contained a cauldron.
"You can do it! Even if you get a bad grade, it's not a reflection of you as a witch!"
Luz gasped once more. "Oh my Lorien!" She whispered. "Witch grades! Which means Witch school! Why wouldn't Eda tell me!" She thought back to Eda's lack of anything even remotely close to respect for authority and nodded. "That checks out."
"My parents are right, there are better opportunities on this track. Now get to school!" At the end of her hyping up speech, she stomped on a flower. When she realized this, she jumped back. "Oh no! Little friend, I'm sorry!" She drew a green spell circle in the air over the flower, and it grew back to its full height, looking untouched.
Suddenly, the sound of a wagon emanated from the other side of the clearing, and Luz watched as a cauldron on a cart much like the witch girl's emerged from the trees, with a young witch girl with mint green hair and brown roots riding on top.
"Willow! You're so unnoticeable I almost rolled into you."
The flower the newly named willow had tended too died, as Willow rose to her feet. "Hi, Amity."
Amity gave Willow a mocking smile. "Shouldn't you get to class early, to prep your-" She was interrupted by the cauldron on Willows cart shaking, before spilling over, revealing a bunch of purple goop with a few eyeballs floating inside.
"Oh, Willow, you don't have anything to show, do you?"
Willow turned away from Amity, obviously attempting to ignore her.
"This is why people call you half a witch Willow." A groan came from Amity's cart. "Oh, looks like someone wants to say something to you."
She lifted the lid to her cauldron, "Abomination, rise." A snap of her fingers, and what looked like a golem made of purple sludge rose from the cauldron. It slumped over, leaning towards Willow, drawing a star on her forehead.
"You're a star." The words were faint and weak, but definitely audible.
"Aww, it's like mine." Amity put her finger on a star badge that was pinned to her chest. "But smaller and meaningless. As top student, it's my duty to tell you to keep at it. Even you could get a passing grade someday. Abomination, cower." The sludge dropped its form, sinking back into the cauldron as she put the lid back on and wheeled away. "See you in class, super star." With that, Amity walked away, pushing her cart in front of her.
Luz stuck her tongue out at Amity from above. She had dealt with a lot of that in the human realm. Even when you let go of the fact she was an Alien, which most people didn't know, she was weird enough to be ostracized.
"Ohhh, see you in class, super star." Willow wiped the goo off of her forehead. "I hate when she does that. I hate making abominations, I hate getting bad grades, I just can't stand this anymore!" With that, her eyes turned green, and all the plant life around her went wild.
Luz was unceremoniously grasped from her hiding spot in the branches and pulled down onto the ground.
She managed to land on her feet, fortunately. But she made quite a lot of noise when she ripped the root that grabbed her out of the ground.
Willow turned to look at her.
And immediately calmed down.
"Oh my Titan, I am so so so sorry."
"It's ok. I am perfectly fine." And she knew exactly why. She looked at Willows shin, and sure enough, there was blood leaking out of a small cut there. "Looks like you got cut though."
Willow didn't seem to notice, she was right in front of Luz, looking at her ears. "So… Circly." She gasps. "You're Human!"
Luz winces a bit, and almost corrects her, but stops herself.
"This is astounding! How'd you get here! What are you doing here!" She pulled and prodded, examining Luz.
Before she could get any more excited, a bell rang out across the forest. Willow froze. "I'm sorry. I can't stay, I have to go disappoint my teacher. It was nice to meet you Human."
Luz really should just let her walk off.
Don't get attached, don't get attached. You'll have to leave for Lorien and you will never see anyone you meet ever again.
"Wait!"
Damnit.
"I'm Luz, and your Willow, right? What you did with that flower and those plants, It was amazing!"
"Thanks, but I am not even supposed to be doing plant magic. My parents put me into the abomination track at school."
"I'm so jealous, the person I'm staying with would never let me enroll, I wish I could spend just one day there." Learning magic would be invaluable. The Garde needed every tool they could get their hands on, and being able to use magic would be a massive benefit.
"I wish I could get a passing grade for once. Then people would stop calling me half a witch Willow."
An idea entered Luz's head.
It would not be very difficult for her to be this girl's Golem. Or abomination. Externa allowed her to take on the property of whatever she touched.
Besides, it wasn't like the Mogadorians even knew about the demon realm, let alone had eyes there, right?
"I know how we could both get what we want. I'll be your abomination!"
"What!?"
"I saw that girl's thing! It's just chunks of stuff that talk weird! I'm junks of stuff! And, I talk weird!"
Willow laughed. "That's true, but the abomination professor wouldn't be fooled by a human covered in abomination goo." She seemed disappointed.
"I have a different approach."
Luz took a deep breath and stuck her hand into the goo and focused Externa. She felt the clay like substance ripple. It felt like it was fighting against her attempt to become it, but after a moment, her skin rippled and shifted, turning into a clay like purple substance. It was fortunate that her Legacy also affected her clothes. Although it would be tough to clean.
"Whoa. I didn't know humans could do that!"
She didn't tell her that humans couldn't do that.
Instead she said "So, do we have a deal?" She held out her hand to shake, her voice wobbly and faint.
Willow laughed again. "Ok, it's a deal, Luz." They shook on it.
When Willow tried to pull her hand away, a punch of goo stretched between them, not breaking.
It didn't take much for Luz to break it, a quick rip, and it went flying back into her arm.
It didn't take long to arrive.
Luz had one tendril of her body holding an eye above the lip of the cauldron so she could watch the students, and it was amazing!
"Welcome to Hexside, School of Magic and Demonics." Willow seemed nervous, her voice shaking a bit as she added, "Be sure to stay hidden alright?"
They entered the school proper, and when Willow went to her locker, (Which was its own living creature!) She was approached by a boy in a uniform that looked mostly like Willows, only with blue sleeves and pants rather than pink. He was reading a magazine called, 'They Walk Among Us!' with a picture of a stereotypical alien on the cover.
"Hey Willow, did you know that in the human realm, There are creatures called Aliens who kidnap humans to experiment on them!" He turned the magazine around, showing a picture of a human on an operating table while the same aliens from the cover stood above him.
Luz couldn't help it. She laughed.
She looked around with the eye she had above the lip of the cauldron to make sure no one else would hear before speaking. "Actually, that isn't true. People occasionally hallucinate something like that, but that isn't something that actually happens." Probably. Who knew what the Mogs wanted.
She saw Willow put the book she had grabbed from her locker next to the cauldron, before pointing at the boy. "Ok, Augustus, I'm going to tell you something, but you have to be cool!"
"I can be spool." The newly named Augustus stuttered a bit, before speaking, "I- I mean cool!"
"Ok, abomination, Rise!" She pointed at the cauldron, and Luz let go of her hold on Externa, her skin retaking its flesh like qualities, although still covered in Abomination goo.
"Ta-da!" She didn't bother being careful. She hadn't seen anyone nearby. "I'm an Abomination!"
Willow stamped her foot. "Luz, that's not how Abominations act!"
Augustus dropped his magazine and put his hands on his cheeks in shock. "No way!"
Willow leaned towards Luz, "He's the president of the Humans Appreciation Society. Most witches wouldn't be able to identify a human immediately, but Augustsus here is an expert."
"Where are your gills!?"
She ignored that question, instead saying "I knew an Augustus back in the human world. We called him Gus."
He looked so excited to hear that. "Gus! Nickname! Human Nickname! Gus! Call me it!" He looked at her in wonder. "This is the best day of my life."
Before they could continue talking, the bell screamed, and Gus grabbed a wand out his pocket. "I have to get to spelling class! See you guys at lunch!"
Willow grabbed the lid of the cauldron. "Alright, into the darkness you go!"
Luz hissed, activating Externa again, and dropped into the bottom of the cauldron.
While sitting in the dark, she experimented.
She had found when she went into the cauldron that her body couldn't lose its form, so she wasn't able to become a puddle unfortunately. That would have been so cool. Also perfect for hiding. Stick your hand into a puddle of water and BLAM! Perfect hiding spot.
Still, her body was a lot more flexible, even more than it was when she used her Legacy on rubber, although it was also a lot worse at stopping attacks.
She found that she could reach into her body and touch her organs. That had felt odd, to say the least.
This line of experimenting led her to realize she could detach body parts and control them remotely.
She did this by pulling her hand off of her arm and throwing it across the rather cramped cauldron.
Although they didn't float, rather, it acted much like Eda's hand did when it was detached.
While she did this, she listened to the class going on outside of her cauldron. It was a little confusing without sight, but she didn't want to risk being seen. Something about too many toes, and extra homework for a month.
Then Little Miss Bully said something about wanting to go next, which the teacher denied.
"How about…. Willow."
She heard various murmurs around the classroom about 'Half a Witch Willow', and how they were guaranteed extra homework.
She couldn't help but scowl. Her new friend was a great witch!
She didn't risk telling Willow that, but she made a note to later.
She was carted up the front of the room, and Willow spoke with a squeak in her voice. "Abomination, Rise."
Luz put admittedly a little too much of her Garde strength into the punch that sent the top of the cauldron flying up into the roof, where it got stuck.
No matter. She jumped into the air, doing a flip on her way to the ground, and landing with a flourish, specks of abomination goo dripping onto the floor she was standing on.
"Abomination, Bow."
She bowed.
"Very impressive. But does it speak?"
Luz paused for a second before grabbing Willow's hands. "I may be your Abomination, but you're my A-mom-mination." To gasps from the class.
The Teacher laughed. "A-mom-mination! Brilliant! A+!" He drew the grade on Luz's forehead with red paint.
Cheers rang out, although it looked like one person was doubtful. Little Miss 'Top Student' seemed a little suspicious, but whatever.
The bell screamed, and the teacher approached Willow. "Wonderful work today Willow. I have never heard such splendid word play from an Abomination before. It looks like we have a new top student!"
He grabbed Amity's star badge, ignoring her protest, and pinned it to Willow's shirt.
Amity glared at Willow. "Last I saw you, your Abomination was mush! What did you do!?"
"I- uh- took your pep-talk to heart?" Willow was apparently a really bad liar.
Amity's glare intensified. "I have my eyes on you, Half a Witch." She walked off, never breaking eye sight with Willow.
When Amity turned a corner, Willow sighed with relief. "I think Amity is on to us."
"Don't worry about it. No one will catch us."
Willow nodded. "Yeah, you're right."
At lunch time, Luz sat in her cauldron at the end of the table, while Willow and Gus sat on either side of her.
"... and that's why people get braces." Luz finished.
"Intriguing." Gus wrote something on his notepad. "Tell me, what is a human's favorite food?"
"Well, that really depends on the human. I really like PB&J's, although my Ce– Mother really likes rice." Fortunately, neither of them noticed her slip.
"You like PB&J's? Do you want some of mine?"
"Oh my god, yes! I haven't had real food in so long!" He threw half of his PB&J in the pot and she took a bite. A little more jelly than she usually liked, but still great.
"I don't know you guys, what if Amity saw that?"
A loud shake of the table. "I saw that! Abominations don't eat!" She reached into the pot, grabbing Luz and shaking her. "Who are you! What are you! I want answers!"
"Amity Blight." Out of the side of her eye, Luz saw the Abomination teacher approaching. "I thought there might be a twinge of jealousy, but this? This is just pathetic." He pointed at the doors to the cafeteria. "Report to Principal Bump's office."
"But, look at it!" She shook Luz a little more, and Luz's hand fell off.
"Now!"
She dropped Luz and exited the cafeteria, defeated.
Luz climbed out of the cauldron, letting go of Externa as she did so, stretching.
Even without Externa, she and her clothes were covered in abomination goo. She would have to ask Eda how to get it out of her clothes.
"Woo. You have no idea how cramped it is in there." She stretched, "At least we don't have to deal with Amity any more. High five!" She stretched her hand out to receive a high five, but nothing happened.
She looked towards Gus and Willow. "Slap my hand, it's a human thing."
Gus walked forward, and delivered a rather mediocre slap to her hand, before doing it again, and again, getting more excited each time his palm hit hers.
"Oh man. What a rush!"
The door opened, and Luz immediately activated Externa and fell limp on the floor.
In walked Amity, and behind her, a man with what looked like an imp on his head. "Good afternoon, students."
"Principal Bump." Willow spoke hesitantly.
Bump walked towards Luz, eyeing her with suspicion. He examined her, turning her head left and right and humming. "Abomination, Rise."
She stood up and groaned, hoping it would trick him.
"Abomination, lie."
Luz almost spat out a bunch of lies before realizing he was telling her to lie down.
She went to the nearest table and lied down on top.
"When Miss Blight told me about your Abomination, I just had to see it for myself. See what it's made of."
"Oh, I have a list of ingredients right here." She tried to dig something out of her pocket but Bump's hand stopped her.
"No, I meant a closer look." He held out a knife. "Willow, since it is your Abomination, I shall let you take the first cut."
Willow gulped nervously, and approached Luz. Leaning down, she whispered, "You can't just cut open a human, can you?"
Luz whispered back, "I'll be fine. Do it." It was fortunate her nerves were gone.
Right as the knife descended. Luz had a horrific thought.
The charm.
It would reflect the damage done to her back onto whoever did it. In this case, Willow.
She couldn't let that happen. Willow could die from an incision like the one she was about to make in Luz's chest.
Thinking quickly, she grabbed the knife and pulled it from Willow's hand. She let go of Externa and punched Bump. She could have used Externa on the metal, but she didn't want to kill him.
As it was, a punch was more than enough to knock him out.
She grabbed Willow's hand and ran.
Before they could escape however, glowing red barriers erupted around them, sealing them in the hallway!
"What!? What's happening!?" Luz shouted. "How do we get through these things?!"
Willow shook her head. "We can't! Only the principal can control the barriers!"
"Not with that attitude we can't!" Luz smiled as reassuringly as she could. "We can do this! Now let's calm down and think of our options, acting like cornered animals won't help us."
Willow slumped down against a pillar. "There's no point. Amity's right. I'm just Half a Witch Willow. There's nothing we can do."
"No you're not! Your Full Witch Willow! We need to be resourceful! What do you have on you? Maybe we can come with a plan."
Willow gave her a small smile and searched her pockets. "Not much. Everything I could use in this situation is in my locker. You?"
Luz searched her pockets. She pulled out a bandaid, a small tac, a marble, a nickel, and that greasy slimeba-
"That's it!" Willow's hand shot forward. "This'll get us out of here!"
"That greasy slimeball?"
Willow laughed. "It's not a greasy slimeball, it's a seed!" Willow made a spell circle over it and began twirling her finger over it, constantly renewing the circle. "Please, GROW!" She lifted her hand upwards, and the plant grew.
It quickly grew over the entire school, covering the lockers, pillars and hallways in plants.
It went straight through the barriers, disrupting them.
"See! You are an amazing witch Willow!" Luz grabbed her by the arm. "Let's go!"
They ran through the school towards the entrance.
They were almost out before a voice called out behind them.
"Not so fast!" In front of them was Amity, frazzled and angry. "I want my BADGE! Abominations, seize!" Abominations surrounded them.
Luz sighed. "I really don't want to deal with this. Please let us through."
"And how are you gonna make me? You're just a human and a half witch." Amity's voice was full of disdain.
Luz laughed like that was the funniest thing she had ever heard. "That is where you are wrong." Luz grabbed the blade of the knife she had taken from Willow and focused Externa.
She grabbed Willow and ran forward like a cannonball, letting the weight of her metal body carry her through the Abominations. Her strength plus the weight of her body meant they had no chance of grabbing her.
She ran right past a startled Amity and out of the school.
She didn't stop then though. She ran until she could no longer see Hexside.
She didn't realize she was going to the Owl House until it came into view.
When she got there, she saw an exhausted Eda and King standing in front of the house.
She put Willow down, then went up and hugged Eda.
"You were right. Keeping junk in my pocket saved my life!"
"Yeah, yeah. What, did you think I would give you bad advice? All my advice is tried and true."
Luz smiled at Eda.
"Luz! Willow! You guys ok!?" Gus burst out of the trees, and ran over towards Where they were.
"Oh my Titan, you are a fast runner." He bent over to catch his breath. When he looked up, he looked absolutely ecstatic. "Guess what?!"
Willow looked down at the ground, dejected. "I'm expelled?"
"Nope!" He popped the p. He made a blue circle in the air, and the color of Willow's uniform changed from pink to green. "When Principal Bump woke up, he was so amazed by what you did to the school, that he immediately switched your track to the plant track!"
Willow's mood changed entirely. "Oh my Titan!" She looked so excited. "Really?!"
Gus gave her a smirk. "Do you think I would lie to you? I am so hurt."
Luz was curious. "What about Amity?"
"Last I saw she was asking if today could count as extra credit."
Willow scoffed. "Typical."
"Well, I can't wait to see you in the plant track next time I sneak in."
Gus winced. "Well, about that, you're kinda, sorta, banned." He pulled out a piece of paper with her face on it and the word BANNED in big red letters on top of it.
Eda laughed as well. "That's my girl!" Then her face grew serious. "Although, if you want to learn magic, why didn't you just ask me? I would be more than happy to teach you magic Bumpykins wouldn't even dream of teaching."
Luz winced. "You're already doing so much for me. I didn't want to pressure you, or make you feel obligated."
Eda put a hand on her shoulder. "Listen, Luz, No kid should have to grow up like you have. You shouldn't have so much responsibility forced onto your shoulders. You should be going to parties, hanging out with friends, maybe even getting someone to be more than friends with." She wiggled her eyebrows. "Not worrying about the fate of your species. That's why I took you in. I would be more than happy to teach you magic. All you have to do is ask."
Luz smiled. "Alright then, Eda the Owl Lady, would you please make me your apprentice?"
Eda bowed in mock formality. "Of course, Luz Noceda, Garde of Lorien."
They both laughed.
They heard someone clearing their throat, and they turned to see Gus and Willow looking at them with confused expressions.
Gus is, of course, the first to ask a question. "What was any of that about?"
Luz sighed. Oh well. She had always wanted to tell people about her heritage, and now she could. She even had friends to tell it to.
"Come on inside. It's a long story."