"Lily." The two-year-old Eda giggled as she tried walking across the carpet littered with the brand-new toys that she got for her birthday yesterday. But despite all the gifts given to her by her parents and the Beast Keeping Coven, Eda was more interested in playing with her big sister.

"You can do it, Eda." The four-year-old Lilith cheered her sister on. Eda just learned how to walk not long ago but still struggled to get the hang of it. But Lilith had learned her baby sister was motivated to do something when it was made into a game. This little game ruled that if Eda wanted Lilith to play with her, she would need to catch her first. "Almost… almost…"

"Gotcha." Eda managed to walk across the carpet and grab Lilith by the waist.

"You win. You know what you get?" Eda just giggled, knowing the answer. "You get… tickled!" Lilith began tickling her sister playfully, and her laughs became louder and full of more joy than ever.

The door to the girls' room opened and their mother, Gwendolyn, stepped in. "Oh, girls." She began, grabbing the sisters' attention.

"Yes, Mommy?" Lilith asked.

"I have a surprise for you both." Gwendolyn stepped aside as another figure revealed themselves. It was their father, Dell, and the little girls' faces lit up.

"Daddy!" Eda and Lilith exclaimed simultaneously as they fast walked over to her father, hugging his legs.

"Sweet Flea. Pumpkin." In that order, Dell referred to Lilith and Eda by their nicknames as he got onto his knees to embrace them.

"You're home!" Lilith cried, tightening her hug.

"I know I was only gone for a few days, but it felt like years."

"Daddy, Eda has something to show you." Lilith was bouncing with excitement.

"She does?" Dell looked at his younger daughter.

"Mm." Eda nodded and drew a spell circle, the second one in her life, and Dell's eyes widened as a ball of light appeared from it.

"You're very first spell." He seemed like he was about to cry. "My little girl is already growing into a fine witch." He "booped" her nose with his index finger, inciting a giggle.

Their laughter came to a halt when their mother's hawk palisman, fittingly named Hawksley, flew in without making so much as a sound. "Hawksley, what is it?" Gwendolyn asked as the palisman perched himself on her arm. His eyes glowed white, communicating with her. Gwendolyn's expression changed, and not for the better.

"Dear, what is it?" Dell asked with concern.

Gwendolyn grabbed her husband's shoulders. "Dell, they're coming."

The father's expression became just as dire. "Daddy?" Lilith asked.

Dell knelt again, trying to hide his worries. "Sweet Flea. Pumpkin. We're gonna play that game Mommy and I taught you, remember?"

Lilith and Eda nodded quietly. It was a game they had to learn routinely. It involved hiding under the floorboards hidden beneath the girls' shared bed. There was a tunnel underneath they would crawl through, leading outside the house. From there, they would run into Bonesborough and hide by their secret spot. And they would not leave there or speak to anyone until their parents came to get them.

"We're gonna play that game now, okay?"

"No, it's scary." Eda protested.

"I know it's scary. But you have to play now. You have to be brave now. Do it for Mommy and Daddy, okay?"

Eda nodded weakly, on the verge of tears. "Okay."

Dell and Gwendolyn lead their daughters to their shared bed. They crawled underneath and removed the floorboards as instructed and entered. Lilith covered them back up as she kept Eda close by. "Dell…" The sisters heard their mom cry from above and peaked through the cracks to see them embrace each other.

"I know, Gwendolyn." Their dad said, crying himself. "But I'll be damned if I let Belos have them."

"Daddy said a bad word," Eda whispered to Lilith.

"Come, let's go greet our guests." Their mom and dad walked out of the room with shaking confidence. Eda and Lilith knew the rules of the game they wanted them to play. But they decided to break the rules this one time and find out why they must play it.

They followed their parents to the living room. "Gwendolyn and Dell Clawthorne." A voice made itself known on the other side of the door leading in and out of the house. It sounded like it belonged to a sweet old lady. "We know you're in there. Open up." Dell walked to the door and opened it. He stepped back as two figures entered the home.

One of them was a red-skinned bipedal demon about the size of a child with talon-like hands and feet. On top of her head were a pair of conjoined dark blue hands with turquoise claws that gave off the appearance of hair. Three fingers covered her right eye, leaving her left one exposed. It had brownish-red and yellow colors. She wore a white robe with black sleeves, and the collar covered her mouth completely.

The second figure was taller and wore an ivory hooded cloak over a golden-yellow tunic with dark sleeves, black leggings, and deep brown gloves and boots. In place of their face was a pointed mask with a thin slot across it. They carried a long staff with a golden wing at the end and topped with a sharp ruby.

"I am pleased to see you are reasonable." The short woman began. "Most would've fled if they heard or saw us coming."

"What do you want, Kikimora?" Gwendolyn asked; blatant spite in her tone.

"There have been rumors going around, concerning you Mrs. Clawthorne. I have heard reports from the Beast Keeping Coven that you have been very… vocal with your opinions on the emperor."

"And they're just that, opinions," Dell said. "We all have them. But we are wise enough to not act on them."

Kikimora did not respond to that statement. "Strange."

"What is?"

"That there is no sound. I was under the impression you had two little girls, correct?"

Though they did not show it, Lilith and Eda could feel the anger coming from their parents at the mere mention of them. "No, we don't have children." Gwendolyn lied with a hiss. "If you're here to arrest us, then get it over with."

Eda and Lilith looked at each other, wondering why their parents would be arrested. They have never done anything wrong. "You wouldn't happen to be hiding them, now, would you?" Kikimora questioned, looking around. "A good mother should always be honest." Gwendolyn's and Dell's anger continued to build. "But you need not worry. They won't suffer any punishment. They are children, after all. And I assure you that when they are found, I will take good care of them."

Gwendolyn's and Dell's rage exploded in a terrifying burst of magic aimed directly at Kikimora. The masked individual stood between her and the blast and cast a spell from his staff to block it. But the force managed to shoot them both out of the house. Hawksley transformed into his staff for Gwendolyn as she and her husband went after their blatantly apparent enemies.

"Eda, come on." Lilith took her sister's hand, wanting to play the game their parents instructed them to do.

"But Mommy and Daddy!" Eda protested.

"They'll come get us, like always!" The sisters made their way back to the tunnel and crawled through it until outside the house. They heard a Witch's Duel, but Lilith ignored it as she picked up Eda and ran to Bonesborough to their secret spot. The sight of their home grew smaller as the world around her began darkening. She was tired and wanted to go to sleep. And with that, the world faded to black.

Eda's eyes slowly opened, waking from that strange… dream? The brightness overwhelmed her and forced her to cover her face. Once her vision cleared, she saw she was inside a house, lying on a couch. A pillow underneath her head, a cold towel on her forehead, and blankets wrapped around her body. "What is…" Zzzz. Zzzz. Zzzz. On her stomach, her little brother was sound asleep. "King?" She asked.

"Huh… what?" King's eyes groggily opened, then his pupils dilated upon seeing his big sister. "Eda!" He crawled across her frame and nuzzled up to her face. "I was so worried; I thought you weren't gonna wake up!" Hoot! Owlbert suddenly flew in and landed on the couch's armrest.

"Hey, hey, I'm fine," Eda said as she forced herself into a sitting position, accidentally knocking King off the couch. But he got up quickly and did not mind at all.

"Huh?" Another voice made itself known, and Eda turned to it to see a woman resting on a nearby chair. She gathered her bearings then gasped. "You're up!" She was about her mom's age and had tan skin with brown hair styled in a pixie cut and hazel eyes. She wore a long-sleeved shirt with white and indigo stripes and a pair of jeans and white shoes.

Eda blinked upon noticing her ears and realized they were round. There was only one creature with ears like that. "You're a human."

"Hm?" The human looked at Eda, confused. "Yeah… I mean, we both are… right? Well, King told me you're a witch… but he didn't specify—"

"What's a human doing on the Boiling Isles?"

"The boiling what?"

"Uh, Eda…" King began. "We're not on the Isles anymore."

Eda looked at King, more confused than before. "What?"

"Mija, is everything alright?" Another voice said as an older woman who shared similar features with the other entered the living room. She noticed Eda was up and let out a sigh. "Estás despierta gracias a dios."

"What did you just say? Are you trying to hex me, granny?"

"No, she's just saying she's glad to see you awake." The first woman clarified. "We weren't sure if you were gonna wake up. You've been asleep for almost a whole day."

Eda shook her head. "I've what?"

"Okay, let's just start from the beginning. I'm Luz Noceda." The now-named woman turned to the older one. "And this is my mamá, Camila."

"Hello," Camila said.

"See, your pet owl stole my bag—" Luz began.

"Dang it, Owlbert." Eda sighed. "I've told you before; only take things people won't miss, and when they're not looking." Hoot. Owlbert gave the girl big eyes. She patted his head. "It's okay; I still love you."

"But it's a good thing he did. Otherwise, I wouldn't have found you and this little cutie pie." Luz looked over at King.

"I am not a cutie pie!" King protested.

"At first, I was surprised because dogs don't talk here."

"He's not a dog; he's a demon." Eda interrupted.

"He already explained that to me. Still trying to process that." Luz coughed into her hand. "As I was saying, I was surprised, but he needed me to help you. So, I brought you back to my place, and Mamá took care of you."

Eda looked at Luz, confused. "Why would I need help?"

"Because you were unconscious and running a high fever," Camila explained.

"I was?"

"Eda, what's the last thing you remember?" King asked his sister with concern.

"Well…" Eda rubbed her chin. "I remember being at the tryouts. I forfeited the duel, then… I remember there being a pain in my chest. And the next thing I know, I'm waking up here." She looked over at King. "Did something happen?" King looked away from her, unsure how to answer that question. And now Eda was getting worried. "King, what happened?"

"Eda, after you forfeited the duel… you… transformed…"

"Transformed?"

"You turned into something. A beast. I… I think you've been cursed."

Eda looked at King in shock, then chuckled. "Okay, that's a good one, King. You had me going there for a minute."

But King did not laugh. "The crowd turned against you. You ran away, and… you attacked Mom."

"Stop it… this isn't funny anymore… Ah!" Eda started to feel her head throb.

"Hey, are you okay?" Luz asked as she and her mother's worry grew for the teen.

Memories… it was all coming back to her. Edalyn. It's me. It's Mom. Crraaaaugh! My baby girl. What's happened to you? Crraaaaugh! It's okay, Edalyn. Everything's going to be alright. Crraaaaugh! MOM! Crraaaaugh!"Oh, Titan…" Tears began to stream down from the girl's eyes. "What have I done?"

"Eda, it's going to be okay," King said as he hugged his sister. "Just let it out." Eda let out all her cries as Luz and Camila watched. Now was not the time for the two women to say or do something. This was between Eda and King right now.

They stayed like that for a few minutes until Eda was finally done. She wiped away the last of her tears and said, "We have to get back to the Isles. How did we get here?"

"When you were transformed, you dug up a door of some sort," King explained. "And you jumped through it. That's when you turned back to normal. But after Owlbert and I went through, it disappeared." Hoot. The palisman confirmed what he was saying.

"No… no, it has to be there. Portals just don't disappear." Eda tried standing up. "We have to go back there and—"

"You're not going anywhere," Camila spoke up as she walked over to the teen. "You just woke up from a serious fever."

"Look, granny, I appreciate the concern, but—"

"But nothing. You're not going anywhere until I'm sure you're alright." Eda has been to a Healing Coven clinic enough times to recognize when a doctor or nurse takes the patient's health very seriously. And this old human lady was no different. Meaning there should be no point in arguing with her…

"But I feel fine." Borborygmus. Eda immediately turned red in the face upon realizing that was her stomach growling.

"You should at the very least eat something first." Luz offered. "Get your strength back."

King perked up at the sound of being offered food. "Oh, yes! I agree! I agree!" Hoot! Hoot! Owlbert agreed with him.

Eda sighed. "Alright, humans. I'll take up your offer for food. Whatcha' got?"

"Well, I have some leftover mangú from last night I can heat up."

"What's that?"

"Oh, I think you'll love it. Its green bananas and butter mashed together and topped with sautéed onions that have been cooked with vinegar."

"I have no idea what any of that means, but I'm game."

"Excelente." Luz was about to leave for the kitchen.

"I'll take care of it, Mija," Camila said, stopping her daughter.

"Are you sure?"

"Sí. I'm sure she'll relax more with you around." Camila then looked at the house guests.

"Oh, is there anything specific for King and Owlbert?"

"Nah, we pretty much eat whatever she eats," King answered. Hoot. Owlbert confirmed it.

"Alright." Camila nodded before entering the kitchen.

Luz joined Eda on the couch with King and Owlbert. "After you get some food in you, we'll help you search for that portal." She offered. "Make yourself at home, until then."

"I just have one question." Eda began. "Why are you being so nice to us?"

Luz blinked. "What's wrong with being nice?"

"It's just… What do you get out of it?"

"Well, helping someone who needs it is enough of a reward. Also, I do have some questions I want to ask. I mean, I never thought I'd meet a witch or a demon."

Eda chuckled to herself, thinking about how this must feel for a human that is entirely unaware of the other side. She does not know much about humans; the whole of the Boiling Isles knows very little. But Eda had a feeling about Luz Noceda; that she could trust her. But something else bothered her. She was not sure she wanted to share with the others what she saw in her mind.

Please favorite, follow and leave a review; feedback is appreciated.