A/N: Luz is traumatized as hell. She was in a car crash at the age of three, and her Mom was killed. Everyone in Gravesfield says that she killed her Mom, and she believes them. Owlbert thinks the childrens home she lives in is abandoned and grabs stuff for Eda, she chases him, and Eda pretty much kidnaps her.
Luz POV
It's been twelve and a half years since Mom died. Everyone says that it was just an accident, and that there was nothing that could've been done to save her, but I don't believe that. If I hadn't started screaming then she wouldn't have been distracted from driving while trying to make me calm down. It was my fault that she died. I'm not dumb enough to think that it wasn't.
" Luz! Get out here and eat your goddamn breakfast, little girl!" One of the orphan keeper's shouts. I grunt and roll my eyes. The last time I ate something they made I got food poisoning from it. That's why I only eat the school's food anymore.
Even though I really don't want to, I get out of bed, run a comb through my hair, and pull on my shoes. It's not like I'm really being given an option here.
When I sit down at the girls table, just like every day, everyone slides farther down so they won't be near me. I already know that they don't like me, but for some reason their rejection still gets on my nerves. I never did anything to them. I just showed up here one day and they all decided not to like me.
I look down at my plate of food and gag. A rotting apple, moldy toast, foul-smelling eggs, and a glass of milk that's starting to get chunky. I pretend to eat it by cutting it up into tiny pieces and dropping it on the ground when no one is looking for the mice.
The woman who yelled at me, Matilda, inspects my empty plate, smiles, and says that I can leave now. She showed up to work here a few days ago, and is a total bitch.
I go back to my room and spot a tiny owl with my Good Witch Azura book in its beak. I yell at it and it hops through my open window. I growl and follow it through the window, chasing the stupid tiny thing through the woods.
Eda POV
Owlbert should be back in three…two…one…now! I look to my left and spot him hopping away from a girl chasing him. Who is she? And what the hell does she want with my palisman?
I pick Owlbert up and put him back on his staff. The girl stops in front of me and says that he took a book from her bedroom, and she was just trying to get it back from him. I laugh a bit.
" Look, kid. When Owlbert takes things from the human realm, it was either in the trash or an abandoned building. So if he really had something of yours, then you threw it away or left it somewhere it shouldn't be." I reply. She scowls a bit and insists that she had the book in her bedroom.
Luz POV
I follow the owl and spot some older woman picking it up and attaching it to some staff. I go up to her and explain the situation. She just laughs.
" Look, kid. When Owlbert takes things from the human realm, it was either in the trash or in an abandoned building. So if he really had something of yours, then you either threw it away or left it somewhere it shouldn't be." She replies firmly. Who is she? And why are her ears so pointy?
" Well, it wasn't. I left the book on my bed in the orphanage. Your owl came in and took it." I tell her. Suddenly a man come up to us and glares at her.
" Eda the Owl Lady! You are under arrest for misuse of magic and magical misdemeanors!" He shouts. I wince a bit, and he looks at me.
" And you're coming too, for fraternizing with a criminal!" He says to me. Suddenly I'm being picked up by the hood. I yelp in terror and the woman looks at me with some emotion in her eyes. What is that? Guilt? Concern? No, if anything it's probably annoyance or anger. That's all I ever make anyone feel when they look at me.
Eda POV
Is he really going to drag the kid into this? She didn't do anything wrong! The girl just wanted her freaking book back, for titans sake!
" All right, fine. Just let me get my things." I say to him. I cast a quick spell to pack up my stand, summon the portal door, and hit the coven guard over the head with my staff. He drops the kid quickly and rubs his head, where there'll probably be a bump later.
I grab the girl by hand and drag her along behind me. Neither of us are going to the Conformatorium today, sucker!
Luz POV
The woman, Eda, drags me along behind her until we're out of the market, and then gets us onto her staff. Before I can even blink, we're soaring through the sky like magic. When I look down, the strange island looks incredibly beautiful.
" You okay, kid? Are you hurt anywhere?" Eda asks, with a slight hint of concern in her voice. I can't hide my smile at her words. Nobody's ever worried about my wellbeing since Mom died. I almost forgot what it feels like to be cared about. Almost.
" No, I'm okay? But where in the heck am I?" I ask her. She smiles and says, " Welcome to the Boiling Isles. Every myth you humans have is caused by a little bit of our world leaking into yours."
Suddenly, I spot a Griffin breathing out a bunch of spiders. I can't help but to point at it and shout " I knew it!"
" Oh yeah, Griffins, vampires, giraffes."
I give her a strange look
" Giraffes?"
" Oh yeah, we banished those guys. Bunch of freaks." She says with a slight shudder. I laugh a bit. She's so nice. But, why?
Eda POV
I can tell by looking at her that she's mildly upset. It wasn't just the coven guard grabbing her that did this either. No, she had that look of hopelessness in her eyes when I first saw her too. What's she been through? Who hurt the kid.
" I don't think I got your name, kiddo." I say suddenly. I know that I shouldn't get too attached, but I can't just keep calling her 'kid'. Not if she's going to help me get King's crown back.
She smiles a bit and says that her name is Luz Noceda. I smile at her and say " Hang on, Luz. We're landing."
She nods a bit and wraps her two hands around the staff. I look at her arms and see a few scars peeking out from inside her hoodie sleeves. Did she do that to herself? Poor thing.
Luz POV
She asked my name. She must want something from me. And once she has it I'll bet that she sends me back to my world. I wouldn't be surprised. I was in foster care for a while, and I was always sent back by the end of the third month, sometimes sooner.
We land in front of a nice little cottage with, what I'll just assume is some sort of demon trapped in the door.
I watch as it tries to make Eda answer a riddle to get inside, and she pokes him in the eyes in return. I scowl a bit and fish some crackers out of my pocket for it.
When I approach the door, I give them to him and smile. The look on its cute face warms my heart. He thanks me and I head inside, where Eda is staring at me with an incredulous look on her face.
" What did you just give Hooty?" She asks.
" It was just a few crackers." I reply. She smiles at me and tousles my hair.
Eda POV
That kid just fed Hooty, and didn't even flinch when his beak touched her hand, even though he clearly cut her palm open. She really is something special, isn't she? I grab her hand carefully in mine, doing everything I can to avoid startling her, and heal her cut.
When I make eye contact with her again, I see tears pricking in the backs of her eyes. What? Is she hurt somewhere?
Luz POV
She healed my hand. I didn't even realize I was cut, but she noticed, and for some reason cared enough to heal it even though she didn't have to. There isn't even a scar. On top of that, the scars on my arm are gone now. Did she heal those too?
But why? She doesn't even know me beyond my name, so why does she care enough to heal me?
I don't even realize that I'm crying until she wipes the tears off my face.
Eda POV
Well, I guess it's too late not to get attached. This human is very clearly broken, and I honestly just want to try to fix her.
" Luz, are you okay?" I ask her. Her eyes snap up to mine, and she says the most hollow, empty thing I've ever heard.
" I'm fine."
I know that face. I know those scars. I know exactly how she feels. I was there for a while. I was trapped in that pit of despair at one point. The difference is she'll have someone to pull her out of, unlike me. I'm going to make her feel better. I'm going to heal her.
Luz POV
" So, is it just you and Hooty living here?" I ask smiling. Suddenly, a loud stomping sound penetrates through the room. What the heck is that?!
" Actually, I have a roommate." She replies. Suddenly, a tiny little demon walks around the corner in a bath towel holding a rubber ducky. Oh. My. God. He's adorable! No, Luz. Resist the urge. Do not hug the adorable little fur baby. Do not hug the adorable little fur baby. Do not hug the adorable little fur baby.