*Owl House belongs to Dana Terrace and Disney. I own nothing*
Here it is at long last; The first chapter of Disney's The Owl House! My interpretation of what Owl House would've been like if it debuted during Disney's Renaissance Era (aka my favorite era of Disney).
I've worked very hard on this and future chapters and I hope you all like it!
Your eyes open and you find yourself flying above a dark, almost endless ocean under the starry night sky. You lower down close to the sea and notice steam rising from the surface with bubbles bubbling under. It's almost as if the sea is like water inside of a kettle on a stove top. Suddenly, an unknown shape can be seen in the distance and growing closer until you recognize it to be a landmass.
Though as you get even closer, you see that the island has a weird look to it that doesn't look like just sand and palm trees; It's a giant skeleton laying in the water! But it isn't a normal looking skeleton. The skull looks like it belonged to some unknown beast that has decayed long ago.
Then you notice lights down below. Not as in fire, but actual lights from a town. Indeed, sitting in the ribcage of whatever his monster once was is a large civilization that looks both modern and medieval at the same time. The town below is littered with monsters with some being humanoid and some too weird to describe with words, but you ignore them and continue your flight.
You leave the bustling town across a giant castle that has a menacing feel to it. You pass it and continue towards a thick mass of bushy trees and enter into the wilderness. For a few short seconds, you're enveloped in complete darkness with the sounds of growling and chattering which comes from the unknown creatures of the woods. You finally exit the forest and come upon a cottage that while lit with what little light the moon gives, you can make out its outline and what appears to be a stone tower sitting behind it. Suddenly, you spot a warm orange glow coming from one of the windows.
Someone's home.
You approach the front wooden door with what looks like the face of an owl in the middle illuminated by the light of a full moon. You open the door to find yourself in a living room where the only source of light is a nearby fireplace with someone sitting in front of the fire on a rocking chair. Their entire body is silhouetted.
"Ah, a surprise visitor! Seriously, you just barged in here without knocking." The silhouette speaks with the voice of an older woman.
"Well since you're here, I was wondering if you'd be interested in a story?" the old lady suggested. " I mean, you might as well stay or else I'll report you for coming into my house without permission."
The old lady then laughed.
"Just kidding; I'm no snitch. Anyways, this isn't your run-of-the-mill fairytale where some princess eats a poisoned apple or a young lady goes head-over-heels for a hideous beast. This one's better!" she promised.
Suddenly, the woman raised her darkened hand and twirled her index finger which caused a book to materialize out of thin air and landed on her lap with a BOMPH! The old woman opened the book.
"This is a true story that takes place long ago about a human girl-wait, why am I telling this with a book? That's so lame!"
The old lady grabbed the book and tossed it aside where it landed hard on the wooden floor. She waved her hands and twirled her fingers again and a large black pot appeared out of nowhere in front of her.
"My old cauldron, now we're talking!" a bright green light glowed within the inside as thick steam seeped out from the top. The old lady reached into the steam and began to wave through it and moving her hands in a way that someone would when making a sculpture out of clay. Indeed, the old lady had managed to form the steam into the figure of a human. And despite it being unclear at first, you realize this symbolizes the 'girl' that the old lady has mentioned shortly ago.
"Back to it, this tale is about a human girl who found herself in a land filled with magic, mystery and adventure. The girl's name is Luz Noceda, and this is how she saved two worlds from an evil emperor's plot of complete domination. And her story starts near the beginning of summer vacation..."
We cut to the inside of an clean and organized principal's office with three occupants.
The first was a dark-skinned man in a suit sitting behind the desk. This is Principal Hal who wore a very sour look on his face. Standing next to the principle was a adult an woman with tan skin and wearing nurse scrubs who looked very disappointed at someone in front of her.
Finally, sitting in a chair in front of the desk was a teenage girl (fifteen-years-old to be exact) wearing an olive green jacket with a white shirt underneath bearing purple stripes, along with black pants and white shoes on her feat. The piece de resistance of the girl's wardrobe is a dark red beanie littered with pins bearing logos from bands, tv shows, and comic book characters fitted on top of her head which doesn't stop her brown hair bangs from spilling out on each side of her face. The girl has the same tan skin as her mother along with brown eyes and what looked to be a very calm expression on her face, showing this isn't her first time sitting in the chilly office.
"Do you mind explaining your recent behaviors to us, Luz?" Principal Hal asked with stern patience.
Luz couldn't recall why she was in her again; though it's obvious that she had broken some rule. Wait! Maybe since she doesn't remember what caused her yet another visit to her principle, then that must automatically make her innocent, right? Still, she chose to speak with a tone with slight innocence but not too much to sound corny.
"I have no idea what you're talkin' about, Mr. H. I've been more worried about my school work than some silly scheme. Everything a model student does to the fullest of their capabilities and... you're not buying this are you?" Luz asked after noticing Principal Hal's disinterested look.
"Not one bit." Principal Hal replied as he pulled out a white binder filled with papers. The front of the binder had Luz's name written with permanent marker.
"So am I here because I did something wrong today? Because I didn't do anything. Honest." said Luz when she pressed her right hand on her heart and held up her left hand to show how honest she is.
"This meeting doesn't have a thing to do with what you did or didn't do today, but of what you've done throughout the school year." Principal Hal open the front cover and scanned the first paper in front of him and began to read out loud. "August 12, 1996: Luz Noceda has littered the bottom of Mr. Pines' desk with assorted globs of chewing gum."
"There's no proof that I committed such a vile act!" Luz said dramatically, crossing her arms and looking away, closing her eyes.
"Really?" Principal Hal began. "Then would you care to explain this polaroid photo which shows you shoving fistfuls of gum wrappers into a trashcan near the girls locker room which was gracefully provided by a real model student?" Principal Hal asked rhetorically while holding up said photo.
Instead of answering right away after seeing the photo, Luz felt the need to address something. "Are you aware that whoever the snitch was gave you a picture which was taken near the girls locker room?" she asked, feeling unnerved along with her mother who also shared the same feeling.
Principle Hal looked at the photo as realization struck him.
"Oh... Well, I'll be giving the former model student's parents a call after this for more investigation. Moving on!" he said, feeling embarrassed.
Principal Hal flipped to a random page and began to read it off while also hoping the two women forget what had just occurred.
"February 23, 1997: Luz Noceda was found to be the culprit of the locker room fiasco where a visiting rival baseball team were massacred by having buckets of itching powder that were hanging from the ceiling of the locker room which was set to pour when the door was opened. Luz had also released skunks onto their bus. Her was discovered only after being caught wildly scratching herself after some of the itching powder found its way onto her own skin."
Luz leaned over to look at the paper. "How was that one bad? That just showed my school spirit." she said defiantly.
Principal Hal huffed. "Maybe so, but the game was delayed by a few hours until the rival team managed to get every inch of power out of their clothing, and they arrived home late at night because those skunks caused them to pull over. But since we're on the topic of 'school spirit'-"
The principal flipped another page.
"Now this one you might have a good recollection of since it's the most recent: "April 23, 1997: Luz Noceda was the culprit in filling the band's tubas with expired ranch dressing sauce which splattered all over the cheerleading squad during the climax of the school's final home game of the school year."
"AH-HA!" Luz shouted while standing up only to sink back into her chair upon seeing her mom's deadly glare. "I-I mean, I doubt that there's any evidence of me doing that. I never went to any of the school's games the whole year. Not even the last thing I did counts!"
"Oh, of course you didn't. But you were in the band room hours earlier filling the instruments with the spoiled condiments which was caught by our new security cameras placed around the school." he said with a twitch of his bushy mustache.
Principal Hal turned the monitor on his desk which allowed Luz to get a good look and her eyes slammed open upon seeing the screen. Despite the footage being colorless and the video quality is far from decent; it was clear enough to reveal Luz who was definitely in the band room hours earlier. She saw herself from a few months ago pouring the rancid ranch into each tuba while visibly gagging at the horrid smell which Luz even now remembers clearly.
"Ah! Technology. Maybe it does have its uses after all." the principle remarked sarcastically.
"Dang it!" Luz cursed internally. Knowing that she was caught and had no way of lying out of this one, she decided to come clean. "Okay, I admit it. But I have a good reason as to why I did it!" Luz interjected.
Ms. Noceda facepalmed while Principal Hal just stared at her; intrigued.
"I'll bite. What made you want to sabotage the big game?" he asked.
"It wasn't the game I wanted to ruin, but the spotlight of that snooty head cheerleader! The one from that rich family. She always had something snide to say about everything involving my life. How my mom and I are poorer and my low social status and how I apparently dress like a hobo-"
"Wait, Luz-" Principal Hal stopped Luz. "You have told me this reason before another student who poured milk on you during lunch period a few months ago. Remember? That young man you pushed into a trashcan?" he reminded her.
Indeed, Luz realized she has said this before. "Ok, fine. The real reason I wanted to get back at her was because... well, she said some bad things about my dad."
The room went silent. Luz looked down at her cupped hands, Camila was surprised to hear this and Principal Hal understood with a nod.
"I see... I'm sorry that has happened. Though I wish you had come to me instead of taking matters into your own hands. I would've talked to her parents, so she could've received proper punishment."
Luz looked up at the old man in disbelief. That's it? A punk insulted her dead father and Luz is just supposed to snitch? They should be glad Luz decided to pull a harmless prank instead of knocking her jaw loose. Now her blood was boiling, but Luz didn't lash out; she instead rolled her eyes and chuckle.
"I'm sorry?" Principal Hal asked almost offendedly.
"Oh yeah, telling her rich parents will really set her straight. Everyone in this school know that you kiss-up to her parents so the school can continue receiving funding!" Luz ridiculed with a sneer.
"LUZ NOCEDA!" Ms. Noceda snapped at her daughter who just crossed her arms and looked away stubbornly. But Principal Hal wasn't mad. He waved at Ms. Noceda to get her attention.
"It's fine, Ms. Noceda," he then looked back at Luz. "I'm sorry you feel like that, Luz, but this behavior cannot be tolerated any further. So I had an idea to send you to this special camp for the summer."
Principal Hal reached under his desk and pulled out a brochure and showed it to Luz.
The brochure had REALITY CHECK SUMMER CAMP printed with the slogan that states: "THINK INSIDE THE BOX" underneath.
Luz's heart dropped as she read it. She has heard of this place through the grapevine (a.k.a. internet chat rooms). It's where every piece of your imagination and freewill is drained out of you and pretty much turns you into a disgruntled forty-year-old while you're still going through puberty. A summer camp? More like a summer prison.
Luz knew that she had to talk herself out of this and fast! "H-Hey, hey now. It doesn't have to be like this. I'm sure that something can be arranged here." said Luz who was beginning to grow nervous.
"I'm not so sure about that." Principal Hal replied, taking a quick sip from his coffee mug.
"Please! There's going to be a new Bad Dream on Melm Street movie coming out in a few weeks and the next addition to the Azura book series releases in a month! I don't want to miss those" Luz pleaded.
"Mija," Ms. Noceda began. "There's nothing that can be done."
Luz was ready fall to her knees and beg for mercy, but before she could get out of her chair, Principal Hal spoke.
"Hold on now, Ms. Noceda. Luz, I wasn't aware that you enjoy reading."
Luz was caught off guard momentarily before returning back to earth. "Oh, yeah..." Luz unzipped her backpack and reached inside, pulling out a book which she showed the cover to her principle.
"The Good Witch Azura? I see you're into fantasy." the older man remarked.
"A bit," Luz answered, sounding a bit embarrassed. "I have the whole series so far and I really love it! And getting the next book would really mean a lot to me."
Principal Hal noticed how genuine Luz sounded, so he decided to give her a chance.
"How about I cut you a deal? If you can make it to the final bell of the school day without misbehaving, then you won't have to go to the camp."
Luz was astounded that she was catching a break. She has a chance to save her summer and has no intentions to ruin it.
"Thank you, sir. I promise to be the best student that I can be! No pranks, no fights, no insults, nothing. I'll pick up trash left behind by students, help some of the teachers who don't have dry erase clean off their chalkboards and help with organizing the library books, and even stomach the garba- good food that our lovely lunch ladies have prepared for our final day of school. You have my word!"
Principle Hal thought over Luz's offer for almost a minute. He was about to reprimand her for the rude comment she almost made about the lunch ladies' cooking, but he also knew deep down that he'd be lying if her distaste for school food wasn't shared. There is a reason why he brings his lunch from home every day after all...
He contemplated whether or not Luz was up to the task before looking at Camila who was waiting for his answer.
"I believe she's being honest, Ms. Noceda. Do you think we can grant her one final chance?" he asked with a scowl.
Ms. Noceda sighed while looking at her daughter. Mostly at her eyes.
She could see Luz's nervousness and stress from the suspense of whatever her answer will be. She knows that her daughter is a good person at heart despite her flaws, but she also knows that Luz tries to be the best she can be.
"Okay," Ms. Noceda smiled hopefully. "If you go through the rest of the school day without getting into trouble then you won't go to camp."
Luz jumped up with a cheer, raising a fist in the air.
"THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU! I mean... thank you both for allowing me this chance. I promise that I won't disappoint any of you." Luz thanked, feeling relieved.
"I'm glad to hear that, Luz. I believe that you'll succeed." Principal Hal smiled.
But as if the universe decided to rip Luz a new one, the door to the office opened and a teen boy with dark skin and long hair leaned into the office.
"Luz! We just got done covering the principal's car with mayonnaise. Best. Prank. Ever." The teen ran off leaving Luz and the two adults.
"H-He didn't mean that. He just overheard us and decided to mess with me is all." said Luz nonchalantly.
Suddenly, a teenage girl with light skin and short blonde hair poked her head into the office next.
"Oh Luz. We just got done putting cheese slices in the science room textbooks. Those will be stinking before school starts back, you always come up with the best ideas!"
The girl left and Luz noticed Principal Hal and her mom staring at her.
"S-She only said that because her boyfriend winked at me a few days ago and she is trying to get me in trouble." Luz explained, now sweating.
After she said this, a group of teens came to the doorway.
"Luz, your idea to fill the Senior's lockers with jellybeans worked! They're so steamed!" Principal Hal suddenly remembered getting word of this moments earlier before his meeting with the Nocedas.
"They meant a different Luz!" Luz said quickly in a desperate attempt to save her summer.
"Luz Noceda: The Pranking Queen!"
"The only student named Luz in this school and she rocks!"
" Luz, girl who wears an olive green coat and a red beanie, Noceda!"
"LUZ! LUZ! LUZ! LUZ! LUZ!"
The parade of teens then quickly cleared out of sight.
Luz, now speechless and wide-eyed, turns around to face the principal and her mom to see that both were looking at her in disappointment. She sucks in a breath while failing to make up a valid excuse.
"Could I get one last final chance?" Luz smiled sheepishly with a shrug.
"This is a nightmare." Luz cursed as she stood on the sidewalk in front of her house awaiting the bus for the summer camp. She's still in the same clothes like before, but is now toting around a large backpack filled to the brim with clothes, dental supplies, sunscreen and other stuff of Luz's that she managed to sneak in behind her mom's back. (Hey, if Luz is gonna have her summer wasted then she's going to have some fun stuff along the way.)
Though a part of Luz still wishes that something can change. Anything to keep her away from such a dark and boring fate.
Luz heard the sound of the house's front door closing as Ms. Noceda approached her from behind.
"I'm about to head to work," Camila hugs her daughter. "Be good and I'll see you in a few months. Be sure to call me daily. If they don't have phones then just e-mail me. And if they have no computers, then just write letters to home."
Camila Noceda quickly noticed her daughter's silence and gloomy expression which caused her own smile to fade. She sighed and placed a hand on one of Luz's shoulders.
"Sweetie, I'm real sorry about this. Honestly. It's just... this might be what's best for you." Camila said, hoping that her words would reach Luz only to see that it didn't. "I know that things have been difficult for us, mostly you, since your father... passed on. But he wouldn't want to see you being like this if he was here now."
Luz glanced at her mom and glared. "If dad were here, he wouldn't allow me to be sent to this death camp." she scoffed.
Camila put her hands on her hips with a disapproving look. "Luz. You're being unfair and dramatic."
"No. I'm just refusing to accept all this!" Luz began, fully turning to Camila. "I heard stories about this camp. They turn you into something that you're not. I know I misbehave a lot. I know that I can be stubborn, over-confident, and maybe sometimes a bit selfish, but that doesn't warrant my life being ruined!"
"This summer camp isn't going to ruin your life, Luz. It might improve it." Camila replied.
"Improve how? By destroying my imagination? Teaching me how to speak only when spoken to, or to even train me on how to be some CEO's obedient secretary?"
"No!" Camila groaned. "Just to fix you and-"
"Fix?" Luz interjected, sounding mad.
Camila realized what she had just said and hurried to correct herself. "Sorry! I honestly didn't mean to say fix; you're perfect the way you are. I really meant to say... to help you."
Luz dropped her bag on the ground. "Mom. There's nothing about me that needs helping! I do dumb stuff, but that's because I'm young! I also like things that regular people also enjoy like scary movies, junk food, playing video games, watching late-night talk shows, and Azura!" she said, pulling out her book.
"I can be better and you know this! So, please, don't send me to this camp." Luz pleaded, her expression softened and her voice low but audible.
Camila bowed her head and breathed deeply.
"Luz," she began. "I believe you, I really do. But it's too late to back out now. I really do think that this camp will help you learn to use your lovely imagination for more creative purposes rather than destructive, and to do that you need to let anything that could hinder your progress go." said Camila, looking down at Luz's book.
Luz's mouth hung open as her eyes opened wide. Her shocked look was immediately changed to bitter anger.
"Fine! If you want me to 'help' me so bad.! Luz tossed her book into a nearby trashcan.
She then folded her arms and looked away from Camila who was still struggling to find the right thing to say. The hardest part about being a single parent to a teen is making the correct choices. And even now, Camila is questioning hers.
"Luz, I..." Camila tried to speak, but nothing that could fix this any other way than just letting her daughter stay home came out. "I love you." she said, hoping it would be enough.
"Sure you do." Luz replied coldly, still looking away.
Camila stood frozen for a brief few seconds before simply nodding at her daughter and walked away to the direction of her job. And despite Camila's calm demeanor, she was secretly fighting back her tears.
...
A few minutes passed when Luz looked in her mom's direction to see that she had finally disappeared around the corner.
"Me, helped? Right!" Luz spat with a roll of her eyes.
"The only helpingthat'll be needed is the camp when I'm through with it. I'll pull my biggest, most baddest prank ever there which will have them send me home early. I might get grounded until I'm in college, but it'll be worth it!" Luz spoke to herself. She then went to retrieve the book from the trash only to stop after noticing that it wasn't where she left it.
"What? No!" Luz ran up to the trash and began digging through its contents like a raccoon. She could've swore that the book was on top of the pile, so how could it of sunk down in the trash?
Luz's search stopped once she heard a loud Hoot! nearby.
She looked towards the source and spotted a tiny brown owl looking back at her. A part of Luz wanted to aww at the tiny bird until she noticed that a bag was under its feet and she could see her book peeking out from the top.
Luz sucked in her breath as she slowly stood up from the trach can and carefully walked towards the little owl.
"Hey, cutie. I'm not gonna hurt you. I just want my book back. So how's about you give it back and I'll give you a tasty mouse?" she said through a strained smiled.
The owl simply blinked before spreading its wings and flying off into the air.
"NO!" Luz shouted and gave chase behind the owl who was now going into the woods next to Luz's home.
"Bad owl! Bad! Drop that bag now!" Luz commanded only for the owl to ignore her and continued to glide over her head.
Luz continued to follow the owl deeper into the woods, not slowing down for a second. She made sure to avoid tripping over rocks and bulging tree roots while keeping the thieving owl in view. A sprained ankle is the last thing Luz wants right now.
The owl decreased its altitude and was now soaring towards what Luz saw to be an old shack sitting in a clearing in the woods.
"You're just going to trap yourself. But I'm not complaining!" Luz grinned as she followed the owl who flew through the doorway.
As Luz raced into the old house, she was immediately met with a flash of bright light which caused her to shut her eyes tight. If anyone was around, they would've also see a bright light illuminating out of the house before it dimmed into nothingness.
The house was now empty. No owl and no Luz.
A door-shaped portal with an eye on it manifests out of nowhere and opens up, allowing the owl to hop out with Luz close behind.
"Come... Back!" Luz grunted with left arm covering her eyes.
She stopped in place and rubbed her eyes for a few seconds and opened them only to gasp in surprise by what she was seeing.
Instead of what should've been the inside of an old house, Luz saw herself in what looked to be a giant tent with piles of junk surrounding her.
Luz looked around and immediately recognized objects she sees everyday at home or in town. Boxes filled with random stuff, toys, shopping carts, gardening tools, regular tools, sports equipment, furniture, dish plates, clocks, some refrigerators, clothes either dangling from the ceiling via hangers or lying around on the ground or on other boxes, and other basic junk scattered everywhere.
Luz didn't really know what to think at the moment. "I could've swore I walked into a house, not a storage area. Did I hit my head and I'm just dreaming?" she pondered only to be interrupted by a nearby voice.
"Finally! You're back."
Luz yelped and quickly hid behind a stack of boxes. She waited a bit before peeking around the corner to see that she was still alone. She left out of her hiding spot and looked at the portal and the tent flap.
She took a quick breather before carefully approaching the light.
"If horror movies has taught me anything is that I should never approach a voice in an unfamiliar environment. Yet here I am, ignoring basic common sense."
Luz pulled the tent flaps apart to peer out and quickly noticed that she was in a market place. She then noticed someone covered in a large cloak and the owl from before looking up at whoever it is wearing it.
"Now let's see what you got here," the person spoke with what Luz noticed was the voice of an adult female.
The owl flew up on the tip of the staff that the woman was holding. The mystery woman then placed her ivory-colored hand with long orange nails on top of the owl's head and began turning it on the tip. After a complete spin, the once feathery owl was transformed into a wooden statue which both shocked and amazed Luz at the same time.
"Yep. Definitely dreaming."
The cloaked woman sat the staff aside and began rummaging through the bag that the owl had earlier. The first item to be brought out was a soldier action figure with a small plastic gun from a Saturday morning cartoon that Luz hears about.
"Garbage-" said the woman, tossing the toy aside and brought out a sparkling diamond ring.
"Garbage-" she said again, throwing the ring away. If Luz wasn't so curious about where she's at she would've nabbed that ring and immediately bring it to a pawn shop for some extra dough.
The third object from the bag was a golden chalice that illuminated a warm glow. It looked like something that belongs in a museum! But the woman also tossed it away.
"Ah-ha!" the woman shouted which mad Luz jump thinking she was spotted only to see that whoever under the cloak was still paying attention to the bag.
"Now this will make me rich!" the woman proclaimed as she put on a pair of gag glasses which sprung out from the plastic lenses.
Luz struggled to hold back a laugh.
"And this," the woman spoke as she pulled out Luz's book which caused her hidden laugh to vanish. "Oh, this will make good kindling."
The woman held the book over a lit candle which began to burn the book.
Gasping, Luz exited from the tent and quickly snatched her book from the lady.
"Ohsorrythat'smybookthanksbye!" Luz said quickly as she bolted back into the tent beelined straight for the portal.
Just when Luz was about to make it, the portal door suddenly closed and folded up into nothingness in front of her.
"You're not going anywhere!" Luz turned around and saw the woman in a cloak standing a few feet behind her. The woman removed the fake glasses revealing two golden eyes glowing in the dark.
"AAH!" Luz screamed. She shoved the book in her backpack and pulled up the side of the tent and slipped outside. Luz ran aimlessly forward just to get away from whoever that lady is and in doing so she's unknowingly running towards a cliff.
Luz looks where she's running at the last second and manages to stop at the edge. "W-What is this?" she asked out loud, both nervous and afraid.
From where she was standing, Luz was granted a great view of... a place that wasn't earth.
Down below was a town that looked like it was from medieval times. That was normal enough, but the giant arms that looks like it all grew out from the ground with some holding houses, the big bones everywhere, and what looks like whatever this town is being in the middle of a giant ribcage. Luz also saw flying creatures you will find in fairytales and Greek/Norse mythology flying through the air with one looking similar to a dragon being grabbed by a giant hand and dragged down to wherever the arm grew from. Looking down, Luz could see the citizens of this strange place who looked even stranger! None of them looked human. They were mostly, well... monsters of all shapes and sizes! Some looked like hands or floating eyeballs and one was surprisingly enough a walking ice cream cone.
"Oh! Oh no. This has to be a dream. It has to!" Luz closed her eyes and did her best to remain calm.
"I'm dreaming! I'm dreaming... And when I wake up, I'll be in my bed, or at least in that old house where I probably passed out in." Luz breathed heavily through her nose and let it all back out. And when she opened her eyes, Luz was disappointed to see that she was still here.
"This isn't a dream..." she said, horrified.
"Hello!" a small, squeaky voice greeted.
Luz flinched only to stop when she saw a fairy floating by her.
"Oh, hey. You're kinda cute." Luz smiled, attempting to pat the fairy on the head.
"GIVE ME YOUR SKIN!" The fairy screeched, revealing two rows of big and sharp teeth.
"AAAHH!" Luz screamed and smacked the fairy away with her hand.
"Is this... is this the bad place?" Luz thought. She proceeded to fold her hands together and looked up into the sky. "Hey, big man, it's me. I know that I haven't been the best person, but I don't believe that I deserve to be here! So could something be arranged where I can be brought back to life? I promise I'll do more good deeds, just please don't let me stay in the bad place!"
"This isn't the bad place." The cloaked woman spoke behind Luz. "It might be as hot, but the whole eternal torment thing isn't present."
Luz stepped back while minding he footing near the edge of the cliff. "W-Who are you? Tell me or I'll kick your butt!" Luz threatened in a stern voice to hide her fear.
The woman let out an amused chuckle. "A feisty one, aren't you?"
When the woman in the cloak stepped closer to Luz, the teen threw a fist only for the woman to easily dodge it and grabbed Luz's arm.
"NONONO! LET ME GO!" Luz screamed as she tried to squirm her way out of the woman's surprisingly strong hold.
"Oh, I'm not letting you go anywhere. Not until you... See what I have in stock!" The woman said with an oddly cheery tone.
Luz stopped squirming and scowled in confusion. "Wha-?"
"Oof!" Luz grunted as she was thrown onto a stool. She looked up at the cloaked woman now confused than nervous. Peering behind the woman, Luz noticed shelves full of random junk like alarm clocks, stuffed animals, dolls, and little toys.
The woman reached under a table that had a cash register sitting on top and pulled out a regular sandal. "Can I offer you this flat human foot with what looks like a rubber wishbone?" The woman placed the sandal on the table and grabbed a can of spray deodorant. "Or this can of human breath spray?" The woman turned the nozzle of the can towards what Luz could assume to be her mouth hidden in the darkness and pressed it down, releasing a blast of spray. The woman immediately dropped the can and began violently coughing. "See? *COUGH* *GAG* My breath smells fresh!"
Luz covered her mouth and snickered at the woman's silliness.
"Or how about this black box that can steal people's souls with a flash of light!" The woman offered. Though Luz knew this 'Soul Stealing Box' as a polaroid camera.
"That's not true," Luz corrected. "No one thinks that these steals souls. This isn't the 1700s anymore."
Though even if she couldn't see it, Luz could tell that the woman's patience was wearing thin. "Oh, yeah?" she dared.
"Yes." Luz smiled smugly.
The woman huffed and aimed the camera at Luz. "Let's see you say the same thing after I take your soul!" she cackled and pressed the button. A bright light from the camera flashed in Luz's eyes as a click sound was heard.
"Now you'll see!" The woman cackled.
"See what?" Luz asked, amused.
"The... Umm... you have to wait a little bit. Stealing souls isn't a quick & easy job." So the two waited. Luz rested her right arm on the table and put one of her legs over the other and still wearing a smug grin while the lady stood in place, feeling very awkward by the current situation.
"I don't feel any different." Luz remarked.
"Quiet!" The woman snapped.
After a little over a minute passed, the camera began clicking multiple times before the picture came out with a Churrr sound.
"AH-HA!" The woman rejoiced and snatched the picture from the camera, raising it in the air. "BEHOLD!"
"Behold what exactly?" Luz asked, motioning to the blank picture.
The woman lowered her arm and turned her head to face the photo. "Oh... I forgot. We have to wait a bit longer for your soul to show up in the picture." She said with the excitement that once filled her voice now gone.
"Oh, I'll be sure to savor the time I have left." Luz teased, waving her hands.
The cloaked woman shrugged. "Like I said: Not a quick & easy job."
After more waiting for what felt like more than five minutes, the picture finally developed which the woman noticed.
"Finally! I have your soul!" The woman cheered, almost shoving the photo in Luz's face.
The teen admired the picture if front of her. "Huh. I see you got my good side."
But before Luz could reach for it, the woman snatched it away. "I'll happily give you your soul back. For a price, that is." The woman began.
Now fully invested in the woman's attempt to con Luz for her "soul", she decided to play along a bit more.
"Fine," Luz began with a roll of her eyes. "What's your price."
The woman held out her left hand towards Luz.
"Five snails even." she replied.
Luz scowled. "Snails? Like those slimy things that lives in shells?"
The woman grunted almost as if she was annoyed by Luz's question. "No, not that kind! I mean money. Y'know, Coins? Dollars?"
Luz leaned over the table. "So, you mean to tell me that I have to pay for a photo of myself?"
"Soul. And yes." The woman corrected.
Luz shook her head and let out a breathless laugh before looking back up into the darkness of the woman's hood.
"Look: I know you don't really have my soul. That's a myth created by close-minded old dudes who are afraid of change. That's just a regular camera!" Luz snapped.
The woman flinched, taken aback by the girl's outburst.
"Sheesh, kid, cool it. I have to make money off of this junk somehow." she defended.
"Well lying about a product may work sometimes, but there are better ways then just spreading some ancient talltale." Luz explained.
The woman placed a hand on her hip in a sassy fashion. "Oh, really? So you can do better?" she questioned, doubt-filled.
"Watch me!" Luz then jumped onto the table and took the camera from the woman's hand and turned to the crowd of creatures.
"ATTENTION, LADIES AND... MONSTERS?" Luz began, unsure how to greet the weird-lookin' beings. But Luz still went with her plan. If whoever the lady under the cloak is doesn't know what a sandal or a camera is, then maybe the rest of these civilians don't either. So what would work better than telling the truth?
"Do any of you know what this is?' Luz asked with all eyes now on her.
"That's a soul stealer box!" someone in the crowd screamed.
"Nonono! No, it's not!" Luz said quickly before panic could ensue. "This is a polaroid camera. It doesn't take your soul, it instead takes photos of special moments! Weddings, birthdays, sports events, or anything you just want to look back on years later."
"Prove it" another creature in the crowd said loudly.
"Always a skeptic." Luz thought before taking the photo of her from the cloaked woman and showed it to everyone. "This is a photo that was taken of me just a few minutes ago! See? It captured a moment in my life when I was... sitting down. Now imagine the great moments you can catch with this." Luz finished.
The entire crowd was silent save for the sound of crickets chirping.
The cloaked woman made an audible cough behind Luz. "Hey kid, I don't think they were convi-"
"I'LL GIVE YOU FIFTEEN SNAILS FOR THE CAMERA!
I'LL GIVE TWENTY!"
"FIFTY!"
The crowd began roaring with offers of high pay for the camera which surprised the lady more than Luz. The crowd then began to close in in hopes of reaching the camera while also resorting to throwing coins. Luz centered herself on the table and held the camera high while the lady climbed up with her.
"Wow, kid. I'll admit that I'm impressed. Now help me get the snails into a bag!"
Suddenly, a goblin-like creature with spikes on his arm unknowingly snags onto the woman's cloak and accidentally rips it from her body. The cheers of the crowd changes into gasps and then dead silence.
Luz turned to see an adult woman in a maroon-colored dress that reached down close to the feet of her high-heel boots that have a yellow-orange color to it. The most noticeable features of this woman is her ivory skin, gold-colored eyes which Luz recalled seeing in the dark of the tent, long pointy ears with large round orange earrings, a thick bush of untamed hair layered with two different shades of gray, and a single fang poking out from her ruby lips. The final pieces of this lady's wardrobe is a gold necklace with a red jewel and a golden belt with similar red jewels circling her hips, and a dark gray cape tied around her neck.
Luz examined the lady and noticed how oddly human she looked, and also looked like she was old enough to be her grandmother (though Luz decided to not mention the last part out loud).
"It's her!" Some one in the crowd whispered.
"It's Eda the Owl Lady!" another said out loud.
"Eda?" said Luz.
The woman who's name has been revealed to Luz as Eda stands next to her completely frozen out of fear. She then noticed a paper nailed next to Eda's stand flapping in the wind. Focusing on it, Luz saw that it was a wanted poster with a drawing of Eda and what looked like a tiny dog creature standing next to her. The poster also had her bounty price bounty which Luz's eyes widened when she saw that the prize was exactly One-Trillion snails!
"Woah." Luz spoke quietly before looking at the crowd and at Eda who had a very worried look on her face.
Luz honestly felt bad for Eda. Sure, the teen could tell that she's just a con-artist trying to make a quick buck (or snail), but she's also by far the most entertaining person Luz has met in this place. So maybe she could help her out a bit?
"Hey, everyone!" Luz called to the crowd. "Whoever doesn't tattle will get a fifteen percent discount on this camera!"
The crowd once again went into applause and returned to offering their prices except for a small pig creature, who wanted to cash in on the bounty, went to retrieve the authorities.
Luz started shoveling snails in a bag only to stop once feeling a hand touch her shoulder. She turned her head to see Eda looking at her, confused.
"Why did you help me? I tried tricking you into thinking I had your soul." The Owl Lady asked, genuinely curious.
Luz tossed the bag of snails over her shoulder and fully turned to Eda. "Well for starters, I'm not a shallow person. And you're not all that bad yourself." Luz explained.
"But I'm a wanted woman. Doesn't that worry you in the slightest?" Eda asked again while pointing towards her bounty poster.
Luz just shrugged. "You had plenty of chances to do something bad to me yet you didn't. And that soul thing was kinda funny."
A warm smile grew on Eda's face. "Thanks, kid. I really appreciate that."
"Freeze, Owl Lady!" A deep voice boomed.
Everyone turned to see a group wearing black tunics with white cowls and gray masks that looks similar to the ones worn during the days of the Bubonic Plague.
"Who are those guys?" Luz asked Eda.
"Guards of the Emperor's Coven. Just stay close to me! Things are about to get crazy."
"Eda the Owl Lady, you are wanted for misuse of magic and demonic misdemeanors and are hereby ordered to come with me to the Conformatorium!" A hulking guard announced while glancing at Luz. "And your little friend here is also under arrest for fraternizing with a criminal!"
"What?! I just learned that she's a criminal!" Luz replied.
Eda leaned close to Luz and whispered. "None of us are going anywhere! Now be ready to grab onto me." Eda reached into one of the bags of snails and tossed a handful at the guards.
"Free snails!" Eda said the crowd.
Everyone charged at the guards with some being tackled to the ground as the civilians reach for the cash except for the huge guard who fought through the small riot.
"Okay, kid. Time to go!" The Owl Lady yelled while grabbing the owl staff. Luz quickly clinged onto Eda and looked back at the table.
"Wait, your stuff!" said Luz.
"Oh, right-" With a snap of her fingers, every good on the table including the cash register and the items in the tent suddenly vanished into nothing.
"So what no- WOAHWOAHWOAAHHHHH!" Luz screamed as she and Eda were suddenly flying in the air just before the large guard was able to grab them.
"OWL LADY!" he roared down below, shaking his fist in the air and slammed it hard on the table seconds after.
Seeing that the owl lady is too high and going too fast for him to chase after, the bulk soldier was ready to give up until he notices something under his balled fist on the table. He picks it up and discovers Luz's photo which she dropped during all the commotion.
The soldier felt his anger rising by viewing her smug smile only to realize after close examination that this is a photo of a human. A human is in the Isles...
"The emperor will be thrilled once he learns about this." he said with sinister glee.
Luz can't stop hyperventilating as she grips Eda's dress tighter while trying to keep her bottom on the staff and fights the urge to look down.
"You okay back there, kid?" Eda questioned with a laugh.
"N-N-Never Better!" Luz lied with her teeth grit tightly.
Eda smirked while causing the staff to lowered until their feet finally met the ground.
Realizing that she's no longer in air, Luz moaned happily as she dropped herself onto the dirt and began kissing it.
"Oh, solid ground! I'll never take you for granted again!" she promised only to spit out the dirt that has gotten into her mouth.
"Didn't know humans loved soil so much. You can also open your eyes by the way." said Eda as she grabbed the staff.
Luz opened her eyes and looked up to see a cottage a few feet away. The cottage's exterior is made of white bricks with a sloping blue roof and a huge stained glass window that looks somewhat like an eye sits just above the wooden door. Behind the house stands a stone tower like you would see connected to a castle with orange moss stuck to the sides.
"Is this your house?" Luz asked, intrigued by the simple yet unique home before her.
"Not just my house," Eda began with a wag of her finger. "This is what many have called, including myself, The Owl House!"
Luz examined the house starting from the top to the bottom. "Looks cool. But why is it called that?" Luz questioned.
Eda motioned at herself. "Because I'm the Owl Lady, so it makes since of my place is called the Owl House. Get it?" Eda explained.
The Owl Lady grabbed her bag of snails and began to walk toward her house. "You can come in. Oh, and don't worry about the guards finding us. We're deep in the wilderness on a cliff next to the town called Bonesborough. I've been hiding out here for years and haven't had much trouble. Much."
Luz got to her feet and dusted herself off while taking a look at her surroundings to see that she is indeed deep in the woods with trees that had a blood red color instead of the usual brown she sees all the time at home.
Being away from the place that was filled with monsters and creatures, Luz could almost believe that she was back on earth.
Luz turned her body and jogged after Eda. "So where are we at? It's very clear that I'm not dreaming and this apparently isn't the bad place. So where am I?" Luz asked, catching up with the witch.
"Well, kid-"
"Luz." Luz interrupted.
"Excuse me?" Eda questioned.
"My name is Luz Noceda." Luz smiled with her hand held out.
"Right," Eda began, shaking Luz's hand. "Eda Clawthorne; The Owl Lady." Though you've probably heard that guard say my name."
Eda stopped shaking Luz's hand. "The place you're currently in is the Demon Realm and we're on an archipelago called the Boiling Isles. It's called that due to the infamous boiling sea that surrounds us."
"A boiling sea? I bet decent beach days are hard to come by.." Luz remarked.
"Oh, like you won't believe! And I take it that you've noticed the humongous ribcage we flew past few minutes ago?"
"While I was hanging on for dear life? Yes, I did manage to catch a quick glimpse." Luz joked.
"Well those are the ribs that belonged to a Titan. The whole isles is just a decaying corpse floating on the boiling sea."
"Wait, a Titan?! So we're literally standing on the body of a dead titan? Rad!" Luz asked, highly invested. She then begins stomping on the ground with both feet.
"I'm stomping on a dead titan! This is nuts!" Luz smiled.
"Yep. But don't ask how it died. The full origin of the isles has been debated for a very long time by teachers from today and the past. More than a few centuries to be more precise. But with death came life as the immense, ancient magic that once belonged to the Titan was imbued into every piece of life that evolved from it." Eda explained.
Luz was astonished by what she had heard. "So, magic really does exist! A-And witches as well?" she spoke, looking at Eda.
"I'm indeed a witch. We also live with demons as well as ghosts, goblins, trolls, and we even had giraffes here, too." Eda added.
A surprised look was stuck to Luz's face. "Giraffes lived here?!"
Eda nodded. "But we exiled those freaks a long time ago. The were just so creepy." she shivered.
"I'll definitely remember this the next time I visit a zoo." Luz noted.
"And you know all the myths, legends and folklore that exists in your world? Those were just pieces of this realm that have somehow found their way into the Human Realm."
"So... Vampires exist?" Luz asked, anticipating Eda's answer.
"Yep." Eda replied simply.
Luz felt excitement flow through her body. "So does the name Dracula mean anything?" she asked.
Eda blew a raspberry. "Yeah, I know that name. ol' Drac was around before my time. He was a giant geek who believed he was a chick magnet, but was some weirdo who constantly made everyone around feel uncomfortable."
"So he wasn't hot?" Luz questioned, sounding disappointed.
"If your standards are low enough then yes, he was a hottie. Werewolves, however, are the real dreamboats."
"So all of those movies were a lie? Dracula was some dork?" Luz thought.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Eda speaking as she stopped in front of the front door of her house.
"Get ready, Luz. Things might get a little weird for ya." Eda warned.
"What's more weirder than going into a witch's house?" Luz asked.
"Maybe standing outside of a witch's house. Hoot-Hoot!" a high-pitched voice spoke really close into Luz's left ear.
The teen quickly looked towards the voice to see a face of something resembling an owl close to hers.
"Hi! Hoot!" it squeaked again.
"WOAH!" Luz jumped back which earned a slight chuckle from Eda. She got a better look of the owl thing from the small distance between them and saw that it was protruding from the door like a worm from the dirt. With the fact that this owl worm has no limbs cements this further.
Eda walked up to the owl worm and patted its head with it nuzzling under her touch.
"Luz, this is Hooty. My house demon." The witch introduced.
Hooty extended closer to Luz who quickly used her backpack like a shield to keep the owl thing away from her.
"Hello! I'm Hooty! Who are you?" he asked.
Luz looked over her bag to see Hooty staring at her, expecting an answer.
"L-Luz." she answered hesitantly, staring into Hooty's black eyes.
"Hi, Luz! Would you like a drink?" Hooty offered with a wiggle of his long body.
Luz lowered her bag. She felt the inside of her cheeks with her tongue and felt mild dryness all around; it has been a while since she had anything to drink.
"Sure. Water, please." Luz said with a trusting smile while still feeling weirded out by Hooty.
"Well, I unfortunately can't because I have no arms to get you any water. Sorry!" Hooty apologized in a cheery voice and shrunk himself back into the door where his face was still exposed and looked like a doorknocker.
Luz was... very lost.
"That's everyone's reaction when meeting Hooty for the first time. He's a little strange and a bit of an idiot," Eda explained, saying the final part quieter to not hurt Hooty's feelings. "But I still keep finding ways to love the goober. And don't worry about him being a demon; He's not dangerous. Well, not fully."
Eda grabbed the door handle and pushed it open, stepping aside to allow Luz to enter first.
Luz was hesitant to enter a stranger's home, but she would rather deal with whatever is inside than risking the guards finding her. So Luz walked past Eda and stopped at the doorway, she taking one final glance outside before walking inside.
I hope you all enjoyed this so far and you can expect the next one to be posted soon! And if anyone is curious as to why this chapter didn't include any songs like I mentioned in the concept, that's because making lyrics is hard. But maybe one day I'll attempt it.
Also, a few things in this story might be a little different than what I had in the concept as new and sometimes better ideas usually come out of nowhere. So don't rely on that.
Lastly, remember to fav, follow, and review.