[Luz Noceda: Origins]

The sound of birds chirping could be heard all around the small, quaint little neighbourhood located in the small town of Gravesfield, Connecticut. As the birds chirped, doing their regular morning greetings to one another, the sun was just rising above the clouds, giving the sky a faint pinkish hue to separate the normal blue.

Within one this small, normal, regular old neighbourhood, there was one house tucked away a little further than the rest, near the woods surrounding the small town. The house itself wasn't all that big, perhaps no bigger than your typical everyday, slightly below-middle-class home. And although it was small, it was all that was needed.

Now, as for what the house looked like….

The outside of the house was white, sans the brown wooden planks acting as a bit of a buffer between the house and the stairs leading up to the front door. The roof of the house was sky blue, contrasting with white and brown. It had a brick chimney sticking out of the top, with a giant window surrounded by the same brown wood that made up the lower half of the house.

The front part of the house had four windows, the first two separated by a gutter pipe that drained down into the sewer system, where the next two windows then continued past the gutter pipe to the edge of the front exterior. Overtop the front door was a bell, which alerted anyone inside the house that someone opened the screen door.

Next to the front door were two thin windows, not unlike the rest of the windows in the front portion of the house. Leading up to the front door was a small rock path, and over to the right was a garbage can filled to the brim with trash, ready for pick up. The front lawn was a little unruly and could do for a quick trim, but it was nothing too outrageous. On either side of the house was a white fence, separating the lawn from other people's properties.

All around the front of the house were small bushes, some with flowers, others without. Overall, the house looked like something you'd see in a regular, everyday neighbourhood. Nothing was special about it.

It was a Saturday, and the beginning of summer vacation, meaning school was out for the rest of the year. However, while that normally meant it was time to sleep in and catch some extra Z's, for one Luz Noceda, that was not the case. She had to be up bright and early to catch a special bus that would take her to a not-so-special summer camp.

And as the sound of an alarm rang in Luz's left ear, the fourteen-year-old Dominican-American groaned as she sat up in her bed, wearing a set of light blue pyjamas with stars littering across the whole thing. A yawn escaped the teen's mouth as she stretched out her arms from behind her head, after which she slumped forward, not too excited for the morning.

On any other day, Luz would be excited to wake up and start the day fresh! But today was different. Why? Because she had to go to, and she couldn't believe it was the name of the camp, Reality Check Summer Camp. Their slogan? Think Inside the box.

So, yeah! Not exactly something that she would be all too fond of going to. Luz was the type of person who loved to think outside of the box. Her mother even said that her creativity knew no bounds! However, it was because of that creativity that she was in the situation she was in, to begin with. Because of her rampant creativity, she had a hard time, well, not being overtly creative. It often made it so she overdid things, to the point where it got out of hand.

For example, her final project for that year was a book report. That was the metaphorical straw that broke the camel's back, seeing as it involved live snakes. Don't ask her why she chose to involve live snakes, it just seemed like a really good idea at the time!

And so, because of a blunder that her mother was now calling the "Creative Incident of 2018" in a joking manner, she was going to have to attend that rubbish, no-good, no-fun, uncreative summer camp.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Luz crawled out of bed with an unenthusiastic groan, meandering over to her dresser to get a fresh set of clothes to put on, that being a black undershirt, a pair of blue jean shorts, blueish black leggings, and then moving to her closet, she snagged her favourite quarter-purple-majority-white short-sleeve hoodie. After getting dressed, Luz grabbed a brush off of the same dresser she had just gotten most of her clothing from, she quickly brushed her hair to make it look at least a tad-bit presentable.

Once she was done, she sat back down on her bed and looked at the time. Her alarm was scheduled to go off at 7:30 AM, just like her mother had asked her to set it to. The bus was supposed to pick her up at the bus station at the center of the town by 9:30 AM, and the walk was about an hour away. Right now, it was nearing 8:00 AM, seeing as the clock said it was 7:45.

Usually, it didn't take long for Luz to be ready for the day, however, as was previously mentioned, the summer camp was starting today—a summer camp she wanted nothing to do with. Henceforth why she was taking her sweet time.

"Mija! Get ready! You need to start walking to the bus station! You don't want to be late!" The voice of Luz's mother, Camilia Noceda, rang out throughout the house and past the door leading to Luz's bedroom on the second floor. The young girl sighed, standing up from her bed, an unenthusiastic expression on her face as she responded.

"Coming, Mami!" As Luz said that, she balled her hands into fists, trying to get herself out of the little funk she had been in. "Come on, it's not going to be so bad, right?" Luz said to herself, bringing her arms and balled-up hands from either side of herself. "It's just the whole summer at a boring, dull, number-crunching camp. It can't be all that bad, right?"

That alone was enough to make Luz dread the next upcoming months of her life, which made her facepalm. She honestly didn't know why she was being punished for being creative! It was completely unnecessary! Sure, she had no real friends, but that was because she was fine without them! She was fine being by herself, making AMVs. She was fine writing her cringy fanfiction! She was fine reading her favourite fantasy books all alone!

But, her mother just wouldn't understand her, or if she did, she refused to let Luz stay that way. That was what annoyed her the most about this. She knew her mom was doing this out of the goodness of her heart. She knew her mamá wasn't doing this to spite her. But it just felt like she was up against a brick wall.

"I know the difference between reality and fantasy. Why won't Mamá see that?" Luz thought, pulling her hands away from her face as she looked down at them, a sombre expression on her face.

…until that sombre expression became one of confusion. Why? Well, it was because that was when she noticed something… off… about her hands.

Now, what exactly would be considered "off" about someone's hands? Well, the first thing that came to Luz's mind was perhaps a scar from some sort of accident like palming the ground to avoid introducing her face to the concrete.

But what she saw on her hands? Well, it wasn't exactly a scar, but rather something… worse? Maybe not worse, but definitely something that wasn't supposed to be there.

There were tiny, little holes the size of dimes in the palms of each of her hands. Luz blinked, thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her, but when she opened her eyes again, they were still there. Luz then pinched herself on the cheek to make sure she wasn't dreaming; namely, because she had a habit of lucid dreaming from time to time.

When she realized that she was awake, only then did alarm bells go off in Luz's head, and for her to stumble backward, trip, and land on the floor, back against her mattress as she groaned. When she looked at her hands again, she couldn't stop staring at the little holes in the palms of her hands.

"When did I get these?! I didn't have holes in my hands yesterday, so why do I have them now?!" Luz thought, panicked as she tried to rationalize the reason she had holes in her hands.

"Mija?! Is everything alright up there? I heard a loud thump!" Her mother called up as Luz instinctively slid her hands into her hoodie pockets. She would deal with whatever that was later.

"I'm alright, Mamá! Just slipped on a stray… piece of paper!" Luz called down, gaining no response. She sighed, taking her hands out of her pockets as she helped herself up. Looking back at her palms, Luz bit the inside of her lip. Deciding to test something, she took her left pointer finger and went to stick it inside of her right hand's palm hole.

In the best-case scenario, they were just random doodles she did on her hands yesterday.

In the worst-case scenario, the holes were real, and if the holes were real, that meant something must've happened to cause them.

Besides, it would be fantastical to believe that the holes were real. And Luz was able to separate fantasy from reality, so obviously what was going on had to be the former. There was just no possible way for it to be the latter.

So, when the finger actually went into the hole, to say that Luz was beyond confused, concerned, and also a tad bit excited, would be an understatement. Removing the finger from the small finger-sized hole, Luz immediately opened the door to her bedroom and ran down the stairs, her expression riddled with confusion, slight excitement, as well as enthusiasm.

She had to tell her mom! Especially because if her mom didn't find out sooner rather than later, then the freak-out would probably be worse. That, and perhaps there was a chance that she could avoid going to that summer camp.

When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she sharply turned into the kitchen, which was where her mother was. "Mamá! Mamá! Look! C'mere! Mamá!" Luz practically shouted, though her mother was on the phone, and more focused on the call. Her expression was confused, too. Luz didn't know why, but she seemed confused as well. Camila was an immigrant from The Dominican Republic of Spain. As such, much like Luz, she had caramel tan skin, medium-length brown hair, and dark brown eyes. She was wearing a two-piece light blue doctor's attire, with a pair of black shoes on her feet.

"I don't understand. What do you mean your son started to breathe fire? Racheal, please calm down. I'm sure he's just being hysterical. Look, I have to go, my daughter is bugging me. I'm just a vet, so I can't help you with what your problem is, go to the doctors and have them check it out there" Camila said, hanging up the phone before looking over at Luz. "Hello, Mija, how're you doin—"

"Mamá! Look! I've got holes in my hands!" Luz called out as Camila recoiled, her eyes adjusting to having hands shoved into her face. She saw the small holes before sighing and shaking her head.

"Mija, come now, this is ridiculous. Come here, I'm going to clean your hands, then you gotta get going," Camila said, not too impressed with what was going on if her annoyed expression was something to go off of.

"No, Mamá! I'm serious! I'm not—"

"Luz, not right now!" Camila said, walking over to the sink and grabbing the cloth that was draped over the sink tap. Rinsing the cloth under warm water with a drop of soap, she walked over to Luz, grabbed her wrist, then began to scrub over the hole. "You need to stop drawing on yourself. That's something a little girl does. Ahora tienes catorce años, Luz. Empieza a actuar según tu edad!"

Luz frowned. "Mamá! Por favor, just listen to me, I'm not—"

As she scrubbed the "doodle" one of Camila's fingers brushed over it. As she put more pressure on it, her finger with the cloth entered the hole, making Camila's eyes widen. The older Noceda backed away, taking the cloth away from the hand and letting go of Luz's wrist. Luz shook her hand as she pouted, looking up at her mother with an unamused expression.

"See, I told you Mamá, I'm not lying! I really do have holes in my hands!" Luz exclaimed as Camila looked over to her phone, then back to Luz, then back to her phone, then finally back to Luz. It was then that her motherly panic took over, which caused Camila to once again grab Luz by the wrist and take toward the front door.

"¡Oh Dios mío! Luz! We're going to the doctor, right now!"

"¡Espera, mamá!"

"No discussion, we're getting this checked out, now!"

And that was exactly what happened. There was no argument, and there was no fighting about it. Luz was going to the doctor for an impromptu appointment. When they got to the bus station, instead of boarding the bus heading toward the Summer Camp, which funnily enough was not there. Luz, now with Camila, boarded the bus toward the city to take her to the doctor, the entire way Camila was nervously muttering to herself in Spanish, making Luz feel a tad bit uncomfortable.

If what Luz had overhead on the phone conversation was true, perhaps the summer camp was being delayed due to what was going on. If other people were waking up with strange anomalies like the holes in her hands, then maybe the camp was cancelled.

If that were the case, then Luz would be pretty happy with that idea.

When they got there, what the pair were greeted with were several children Luz's age in a very similar situation. Some kids were floating things with their minds with excitement on their faces, and worry and trepidation from their parents. A few had ice forming on their hands, and a few even had gills on their necks.

If Luz had to describe it, she would probably have to describe it as something ripped out of a fantasy novel. However, if that wasn't confusing when she walked into the room, there were thin, barely visible strings attached to those with powers. Out of the 50 people in the room, 35 of them had some kind of power, visible or otherwise.

None of the other kids knew about the strings, or if they did they didn't pay attention to them. Luz blinked in a bout of confusion, and just like that, the strings were gone, which only served to confuse Luz even more.

Why were there strings around those people? Better yet, why didn't they notice them? "What was that?" Luz thought as she observed the atmosphere of the waiting room. The staff were just as confused as everyone else, trying to organize something to make the area less chaotic. TVs were playing as they usually did. News stories of children 12 to 15 waking up with superpowers across the globe.

It was like a national disaster was being reported on. Some of the news anchors were freaking out, saying it was some sort of secret conspiracy. Of course, it was Fox News who was on, specifically Tucker Carlson, because of course it was.

"Let me guess, your kid got one of those freaky superpowers, too?" The secretary lady asked, catching both Camila's and Luz's attention. The pair walked up to the desk as the lady sighed. She looked tired with bags under her eyes. She was wearing a white shirt, and that was all that Luz could see seeing as the counter blocked the rest of her view. "So, does she? If it's nothing too troublesome we can let you see a doctor right away."

"I don't know if it's troublesome or not, but…. She's got holes in her hands. I don't know when they showed up, but—"

"It was probably late last night, that's what everyone else is saying. So that probably extends to your kid, too," the secretary interrupted, reclining in her chair, giving luz a glimpse of the lady's black yoga pants. "Seeing as your kid's power doesn't cause any kind of property damage, we'll let you sneak into one of the doctor's offices. Quickly, get. The furthest down on the right. Go."

With that, Camila and Luz went down the hallway. Luz looked back at everyone else in the waiting room, all of them trying to figure out whatever superpower they had gotten. To Luz, it all made no sense. Just yesterday, everything seemed normal. Now all of a sudden everything was warping into some strange amalgamation between fantasy and reality.

In a way, she found it funny. Everyone had been telling her to separate fantasy from reality, and now it was blending together. The irony was palpable. "Suck it, crappy teachers! 1 point for Luz, 0 points for restrictive school!"

When they entered the doctor's office, they were greeted by a young white-skinned black-haired man, wearing a white doctor's coat. Underneath the coat was a light blue outfit, not too dissimilar to what Camilia was wearing.

"Good morning. I take it you're in a similar situation as everyone else right now?" The doctor asked as Luz took a seat in front of the doctor, while Camila sat on the sidelines.

"Yes. My daughter woke up this morning and found holes in her hands. At first, I thought she drew on herself again, but this was different. Please, doctor, can you tell me what's wrong with my baby girl?" Camila asked, her voice almost desperate sounding as Luz recoiled. There was nothing wrong with her. Why had she assumed the holes in her hands were bad? It wasn't like they hurt or anything.

The doctor motioned if he could see her hands, to which Luz reluctantly accepted, opening her hands up to reveal the small dime-sized hole. The doctor scratched the side of his head in confusion, shrugging his shoulders as he looked over to Camila.

"There doesn't seem to be anything wrong. But… just in case…." And thus, the doctor began a rather standard check-up procedure. When nothing was found wrong with Luz, the doctor scratched the side of his head again, just as puzzled as everyone else. "I can honestly say your daughter is in good health, Mrs…?"

"It's Ms. And, my name is Camila Noceda. This is my daughter, Luz Noceda. I'm sorry, I should've introduced ourselves before this. I was just so caught up in what was going on that I—"

"No, no, it's quite understandable, Ms. Noceda. However, your daughter is fine. The only thing I could recommend right now is for her to be careful and to wash her hands extra thoroughly. Although, I'd like to ask you, Luz. What's your perspective on this?" The doctor asked as Luz cleared her throat.

"Uh… well, when I woke up, I didn't even notice them at first. It was only after I face palmed for something I was thinking about that I saw them. I told my mom, then we came here," Luz explained as she rubbed the back of her neck. "But when I came into the waiting room and looked at the others… I saw strings. I counted the strings, and all those who had a string had superpowers because others didn't have strings… the older people, I mean. When I blinked, the strings were gone."

As Luz finished her explanation, the doctor quirked an eyebrow. "Strings? Did anyone else see them?" The doctor asked as Luz shrugged.

"If they did, they paid no attention to them," Luz replied as the doctor sighed.

"Alright. Well, my recommendation is the same as before. And if you see those strings again, maybe try seeing what they are. I suspect the government is going to want to know what these powers are about at some point. Try and stay safe. You're free to leave."

When the doctor finished, he gestured for the pair to leave his office. The two did as they were silently asked as another older person walked past her and entered the office. As Luz re-entered the waiting room, she saw the strings again. So, she did as the doctor suggested. She reached out toward the string and grabbed it. When she did, small sparks showed up dancing around on her fingers. But nothing happened after that. She removed her hand away from the string, then put her hand into her hoodie pocket.

"Weird…." Luz thought as Camila glanced over at her, then away. Luz felt weird when her mother looked over at her like that. There was a hint of concern in her eyes, yet also… fear? No, that made no sense. Maybe it was because of what she described to the doctor that she was slightly scared of her. But why? Luz had no idea why that was, but she wasn't going to press it.

When they got home, her mother immediately asked her to sit down. When she did, her mother sat across from her at the table and placed her phone down on the table. There was a picture of Reality Check Summer Camp with big red words saying "Closed till tomorrow".

"You're still going there, Luz. I already paid $250 for your admission. I know you don't like it, but I promise you will come out of it a better person. You'll meet friends! Bond over classical radio and crunch numbers! Besides, it's a learning experience, too. What's so bad about that?"

Luz was taken aback by that, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "Huh? ¿De donde viene esto? I never said anything about not liking the idea of going to camp," Luz said, though it was a lie for the most part. She never did say anything, but she was against it.

Camila sighed, taking her phone back. "I can see it in your eyes. You don't want to go. I just want to tell you that it's a good place. I've been there myself, so don't worry about it. Now, I'm going to be late to for work. Do what you want today, but tomorrow, I want you to set your alarm for the same time as this morning. Go do that now before you forget. Te quiero, Luz. I'll see you after work."

With that, Camila kissed her forehead, then left the house with the sound of the door closing echoing throughout the now-empty house. Luz sat at the table, slumping forward, her hands on her cheeks as she looked absently at the time on the stove.

It seemed like that she was going to Reality Check Summer Camp after all. "1 point for dull and crappy camp. 0 points to Luz Noceda…. Crap."

-To Be Continued in – The "Not-so-Dull" Summer Camp Pt 1-

So… uh…. Hi, The Owl House Fandom! My crummy hands are now suffocating you lot now! Jokes aside, this is the first time I've written anything for The Owl House. I just finished watching the show, and am patiently waiting for Season 3 to release. And being the MHA nerd that I am, I thought… what if I give Luz a Quirk from MHA? And what other Quirk did I decide to give her but, well, I think it's obvious for those who know.

Also, if it wasn't obvious enough, the canon of The Owl House has been broken for the time being. Luz has not yet entered The Demon Realm/The Boiling Isles, but she will.

Before anyone asks, yes, I have this all planned out. What will the ramifications of people waking up with Superpowers? You'll see soon enough. I'm going to keep my cards close to my chest for the time being.

With that being said, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you all in the next one. Peace!