Before anyone could say another word, Hunter leapt up from his seat, ran towards Masha at full speed, and tackled them, knocking them to the ground. Masha was a security risk and a spy and Hunter knew what to do with spies. Well, broadly speaking. Alas, there was no vat of acid to throw them into like Hunter had done the first time he'd executed a spy on Belos's orders, back when he was nine. But he'd make do.

Hunter grabbed Masha by the throat with one hand and started squeezing, his expression one of perfect calm and composure. "HUNTER, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Camila screamed at him.

He flinched and stood at attention, removing his hand from Masha's throat. Masha coughed heavily, trying to get back their composure.

"My apologies, Mrs. Noceda," Hunter said formally. "I mean, mom. Sorry. Still getting used to that. I should have asked for your approval before executing her. Shall I kill her, mom?"

"THEM!" Vee screeched. "That's my friend Masha and their pronouns are they/them!"

Hunter bowed his head in shame. "You have my most sincere apologies," he said graciously.

"Okay, well, just don't do it again…" Masha said, their voice hoarse.

Hunter looked over at Camila. "Shall I kill them, then?"

"No one is killing anyone," Camila snapped. "Masha, dear, um…I promise you there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this."

Masha rolled their eyes. "Save it. I saw that girl use magic." They pointed at Willow. "Also, there's a giant snake creature over there."

"It's a Halloween costume?" Vee said weakly.

"Just stop it, okay?!" Masha snapped. "I get gaslit enough by my dad. I don't need you adding to the mix." They turned to face Luz. "So, Luz, wanna give me an explanation?"

"Uh…no?" Luz said. "I don't even know you."

Masha flinched. "Oh," they said in a pained voice. "I…I get it. You don't want to associate with me anymore. I'm…I'm not good enough for you? Well, fine. But you owe me answers! How many times did I save your bacon from the counselors at camp, Luz?"

Luz's eyes widened as she belatedly realized just who Masha was. "Oh. Um…well…"

Vee took a deep breath. It was time to stop lying. "None, Masha. Because…Luz wasn't who you went to camp with." She shapeshifted back into Luz's form. "It was me. My name is Vee. I'm a basilisk from the Demon Realm. I took Luz's place at camp while she was in the Demon Realm." She turned back to her true form.

Masha walked over to Vee until they were standing right in front of her. Their mouth dropped open as they studied her more carefully. "You're so…so…"

"Hideous? Monstrous? A freak? You can tell me, Masha. I've heard it all before."

"…so beautiful…"

"Say what?!"

Masha stared at Vee with a look of reverential awe on their face. "You're just gorgeous, Vee. You're like a goddess…"

Luz whistled. "Wow, Masha's got game."

Vee gave a nervous chuckle. "You're just saying that…"

"No!" Masha shouted. "I mean, you were pretty in Luz's form –"

"I beg your pardon?" Amity hissed.

"But like this, you're…you're like a goddess," Masha finished.

Vee blushed. An awkward silence fell onto the room. "Anyway, um, sorry about trying to kill you," Hunter offered. "It's just…well, you did kind of take us by surprise."

"Oh, gosh, sorry," Masha said. "I totally forgot to call, didn't I? Ugh, that's on me. It's just, when Vee gave me a key to the place, I thought I could pop in whenever. So you're also basilisks, then?"

"Witches, actually," Luz said. She proceeded to give Masha a brief overview of their situation, keeping it rather simple. No need to mention the vagaries of Belos and the Collector and the Day of Unity or whatnot. "And now we're viewing my memories of the summer so I can persuade my mom to let me return to the Boiling Isles."

"Oh, awesome," Masha said. "So basically you went through an isekai portal fantasy and now you're doing your own little characters watch the show fic style thing."

"Um…yeah," Luz said. "Would you like to sit in? This one's got a lot of Vee in it, so you might be interested."

Vee nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, please, Masha. I want you to understand why I lied to you."

"Well…I guess I got some time," Masha said. "I did have an important question I wanted to ask Vee, but…it'll keep."

"All right!" Vee said, bouncing in her seat. She had a hunch about what the question was, but that didn't make it any less exciting. Or nerve-wracking. "Then let's get started!"

[The scene opens with an image of Luz's room. The shot is focused on Luz's table. On the table, there's a laptop, a few books, a pair of tinted glasses and an animal hat. The scene changes again and we see Luz's bunk bed with stuffed animals on it.

"Uh, I was just looking after those stuffed animals for a friend," Luz lied nervously. Her friends would think she was just a pathetic child if they knew she'd kept her stuffed animals!

"Oh, that's a shame," Amity said. "I was hoping to show you my Otabin plushie. But if you don't like stuffed animals…"

"Okay, they're mine," Luz backtracked. "I just wanna look cool…"

"Being able to be yourself without being ashamed is cool."

A Good Witch Azura hat is seen on the floor and behind it, we can see a bookshelf. The scene changes again and we can see a tin foil swan, an Azura action figure and a dragon action figure. Someone is shoving all of items to the left. A photo frame with a picture of a younger Luz with long hair and a missing front tooth is seen. In the picture, she is holding an Azura action figure on her right hand and a Good Witch Azura book with her left arm. The person moving the items stops to look at the picture, and then shoves into a box along with the action figures.]

"YOU THREW OUT MY SWANS?!" Luz screamed at Vee. "And my action figures?!"

"I thought you were dead!" Vee said. "Or at the very least not coming back. I wanted to make my own life."

"Not to worry, Luz," Camila said. "I heroically rescued your swans. I didn't want you to let go of your creative self. I was so sad when I thought you were giving up on that. In a way, it was kind of a relief to learn it wasn't you."

"Luz": [Stretches.] Ah! Much better.

["Luz" lifts up the box, then stops to look at her reflection in the mirror. She smiles at it.]

"Luz": Hmm.

[Scene cuts to exterior of the house. Camila is seen standing beside her car and "Luz" is walking down the steps.]

Camila: [Closes car door.] What's the box for, mija? [Walks towards "Luz".]

"Luz": Just cleaning up a little. [Smiles and looks down at the box.]

Camila: Even this? [Picks up the tin foil swan.] You used to love making me tinfoil swans.

"I still have the swan you made me after your father passed on my nightstand," Camila said softly. "It was the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me."

"Luz": Oh, I'm, uh, [Takes back the tin foil swan.] just looking for a fresh start.

[Camila looks at Luz walking towards the trash can with a slightly weirded out expression on her face.]

"That was the last straw for me," Camila recalled. "I started looking into deprogramming after that. I really thought the camp had brainwashed you, Vee. I guess it was a good thing I found out the truth before things went too far."

"Luz": Camp taught me a lot, you know? [Sets down box beside the trash can.]

Masha gave a sad look at Vee. All of the staff's lectures about the importance of putting away childish things and taking on one's responsibilities, letting go of everything that made life fun, had bounced right off of them. But Vee must have taken it all to heart, not having any frame of reference to realize the staff was wrong.

Camila: [Looks at "Luz" strangely.] Yes, it sure did...

[The sound of a rabbit squeaking is heard. Camila gasps. Scene cuts to a rabbit being caught in a trap.]

Masha gave a gasp. They hated it when animals suffered. At the end of the day, despite putting on a tough façade, they were a sensitive soul.

Camila: Ah! Luz, grab the pliers.

["Luz" runs away. Camila puts on a pair of latex gloves.]

Camila: [Kneels down.] Okay, okay, little bunny, you're gonna be all right. [Cuts the string.] There we go.

[The rabbit hops away.]

"Luz": That's the fifth trap this week!

Camila: If I ever catches who's responsible and then I'll pa-pow!

"And she did," Vee said smugly. "It has to be seen to be believed, Masha."

"I can't wait."

["Luz" giggles.]

Camila: Let's go back inside. [Boops "Luz"'s nose.] I will make maduros.

"I hate maduros!" Luz said. "Wow, you must have really been in danger of blowing your cover when you started to like that."

"I did find it to be quite odd," Camila admitted. "But teenagers change in strange ways. I know that from personal experience."

[Scene cuts back to inside the house. "Luz" stops to talk to her reflection in the mirror.]

"Luz": [Smiles.] A new life. ["Luz" opens the cupboard to take out a shirt, then closes it. The reflection changes into the real Luz looking at "Luz" with an angry expression.]

Masha jumped into the air. They had not been expecting that at all!

Luz: You! [Slams her hands on the mirror.]

["Luz" screams.]

-THEME SONG-

"What the heck is all this?" Masha demanded.

"This is the theme song to my adventures," Luz explained. "It's clearly a perfectly normal thing to do."

"It most certainly is not," Masha said.

"Finally, someone with sense," Hunter said. Masha glared at him. It was going to take a long time for them to trust him after the whole trying to kill them incident.

[The scene shows the exterior of the Owl House. King, Eda and Hooty is looking at Luz. Luz and King are in front of a makeshift portal door.]

"So this is how we got to that point," Luz explained.

Luz: So, according to Philip's instructions, the hardest part to making a portal was finding someone who knew how to build it. [Puts something on the door.] But a lot of the ingredients are pretty easy to find. [Turns to look at Eda.] Your crazy apocalypse supplies finally came in handy, Eda!

"Eda always makes sure to bury her gold," Luz informed them. "Apparently, she learned that lesson from her ex-husband."

[Eda snaps her finger, points at Luz and winks.]

"Amity, why weren't you here for this?" Camila wondered.

"I had to go some stupid party," Amity sulked. "After what happened at Eclipse Lake, I didn't want to take any chances with my parents. Luz offered to delay, but I told her no. I didn't want you to be missing her for a second longer than necessary."

King: Don't forget this. [Looks at Luz with a sad expression and hands her Amity's glove stained with Titan blood.]

Luz: [Stands up.] Titan blood. I can't believe something this powerful was in the old key this whole time.

"That wasn't the only place where it was," Luz muttered.

[King turns to look at Eda. The duo and Hooty all have a sad expression on their faces.]

"They thought I was leaving for good, didn't they?" Luz realized. "And then I did."

"You'll see them again, Luz," Camila said. "I have faith." Luz wished she had that faith. But she didn't.

Luz: It's okay. If Belos is still trying to get to the Human Realm, he'll have to beat me to it.

[Luz tears a piece of cloth off the glove, and then sticks it on the door. She then takes a few steps backwards. Scene cuts to Eda on her makeshift flying bathtub.]

Eda: Are you sure this isn't gonna like, blow our faces off?

Luz: Nope!

Masha laughed. Maybe Vee had more in common with her doppelganger than she thought. Vee may have been rational and calm in most circumstances, but whenever something science related was mentioned, she turned into a total mad scientist.

Eda: Well, here goes something.

[Eda starts pedaling. The rotors start transferring kinetic energy to the various components of the door. Luz looks at the door in amazement. The pieces of the door then merges together to form a crooked portal door. The door opens, revealing not the Human Realm but a separate, surreal dimension.]

"Whoa," Masha said. "Funky. What the heck is that place?"

"The In-Between Realm," Amity responded. "Legend has you can communicate with absolutely anyone, anywhere in it. But I thought it was just a myth until now."

Luz: It... worked! [Runs toward the door.]

King: Did it? That looks real different from the old door!

Luz: Yeah. [Takes over her cloak from Eda.] But this is my one chance to see my mom. [Ties a rope on her waist.] If it looks like it's closing, pull!

Eda: Luz, as impressive as this is, I don't want you getting hurt.

Luz: Once I make sure my mom is okay, I'll be right back.

Eda: Just be careful. The Human Realm's filled with some real weirdos. [Winks at Luz.]

"It's a fair cop," Masha said with a wink at Vee, who smiled at them. "Oh, wait until Starla and Michael hear about all this! They'll be over the moon!"

"Uh…can you not tell them?" Vee asked. "I mean, I want us to tell them together, is what I meant. I'm gonna need your help…"

"Of course, beautiful," Masha said, and Vee's breath sped up. Vee was gonna die of a heart attack before she could ever become Masha's girlfriend if Masha kept this up!

[Luz hugs Eda, King and Hooty tightly.]

Luz: Mmm!

King: Don't forget to mention me!

Luz: Okay.

[Luz puts King down and walks toward the door, She stops in front of it, stares into the dimension, then jumps into it. The screen flashes then cuts to Luz floating up from a pool of water. Luz gasps, gets up and starts coughing. A strange cube-like object appears from the water and starts floating upwards. Luz watches this and gasps. Scene zooms out and it is shown that there are multiple similar cubes floating around above.]

"So very surreal," Camila breathed. It was like something straight out of Cosmic Frontier.

Luz: Did I... do something wrong? [Shouts.] Eda? King? Hooty? [More cubes appear.] Can anyone hear me?

[A cube appears. It starts flashing and making a sound, grabbing Luz's attention. She walks over and holds it in her hands. The cube starts shining brightly and the scene turns white. When it's gone, Luz finds herself inside one of the Owl House's window as a reflection.]

Luz: Am I... back at the Owl House?

[Wind blows past, pushing open the window, scaring Luz.]

Luz: Whoa! Whoa, I think I'm... in the reflection! [Taps on the window.]

"Oh, so that's how you managed to astral project yourself," Camila said. "Nifty."

[Luz then notices Eda, King and Hooty. Camera zooms out to the trio standing in front of the makeshift portal door.]

King: Do you think she's safe?

Eda: She's made it this far. We just have to trust her.

[Scene zoom in on Luz. The window flashes, then Luz disappears. Scene cuts back to the cube Luz is holding. It starts dimming and returns back to it's galaxy like form. Luz releases the cube and gasps.]

Luz: I wonder if I can see... Amity! [Blushes.]

"Oh, Luz, it's so nice of you to think of me, but you have a mission to accomplish, remember?" Amity said. She just thanked her lucky stars Luz hadn't gone through with it. At that very moment, Amity was being forced to make conversation with Boscha's odious mothers and she'd have been in so much trouble if Luz had shown up in one of the ballroom's mirrors.

[A cube floats up as soon as Luz finishes speaking.]

Luz: [Realizes what she's doing.] Ah! Ugh! No, no, no! [Pushes the cube down back into the water.] Come on, Luz, you're on a mission! [Squeezes in between her nose.] Camila! Camila Noceda of the Human Realm?

[Luz looks up and notices a cube flashing.]

Luz: Got ya! Ice platform!

[Luz slaps a piece of paper with ice glyph on it but it doesn't work.]

"I wonder why there's no magic in this realm," Gus said. "Maybe because it's connected to Earth? Whoa, what if all of Earth's magic is being transferred through this realm to the Isles? That'd explain why there's no magic here!"

Luz: [Angrily.] Fine then! I'll do this the hard way!

[Luz jumps onto a cube floating upwards. The dimension suddenly rotates, causing Luz to fall down. The cube she was reaching for is now right in front of her. Luz reaches for it.]

Luz: Mom!

[Scene cuts to Luz's house. Luz is a reflection inside her mom's cellphone.]

Luz: [Gasps.] It's my house!

[Camera moves to the right. Camila is seen dancing to the music while opening the fridge to take something, then closes it.]

Camila did a facepalm. The truth behind her daughter had been literally right in front of her and she hadn't noticed it at all.

Luz: Mom!

[Camila continues dancing while humming.]

Camila: Oh yeah.

[Camila takes a hand of bananas from the counter. A family picture is shown and we see a younger Luz, Camila and an unknown male whose face is obscured by reflection.]

Luz sighed. She remembered when they'd taken that family picture. She'd been so happy back then. She thought she'd be that happy forever. But life – and the horrible specter of cancer – had taken that happiness, and that family, away from her.

Luz: [Tears rolling down cheeks.] Mo—

"Luz": Mom? Do you need any help?

[Luz gasps, shocked by what she's seeing.]

Camila: Oh, are you done cleaning your room?

"Luz": Almost! With all that old stuff gone, I feel like a whole new person.

Luz: [Shocked.] Evil doppelgänger!

"Sorry about that, Vee," Luz said. "I just figured anyone who got rid of my swans must have been evil."

Vee waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, Luz. I'd have come to the same conclusion in your shoes."

Mom! Mom! [Knocks on cellphone's glass.] Mom! Mom!

Camila: I can finish up here, mija.

"Luz": Thanks, Mom! [Runs off to her room.]

[The cube flashes and stop showing.]

Luz: Follow her! Luz Noceda 2.0! Doppelgänger! Why won't you work?! [Exasperated sigh.] Okay, Luz, calm down. Just breathe and count to five.

"Oh!" Luz said. "That's why the cube worked! Because you were named Number Five!"

Masha gave a horrified gasp. "You weren't even given a real name?" they said, sounding indignant. "Just a number?" Vee nodded. "Oh, that is messed up."

[Water sloshing sound, a cube floats up, Luz notices it. The cube's screen changes, Luz walks towards it.]

"Luz": A new life. [Closes cupboard door, notices real Luz in the reflection.]

Luz: [Angrily.] You!

[Scene cuts to Camila cooking something. She hears "Luz" screaming. Scene cuts back to Luz's room again.]

Luz: So you can hear me.

"Luz": [Scared.] You're from the Demon Realm.

Luz: Listen, I just wanna—

"Luz": [Blinks.] I'm not going back! I—I won't go back! [Picks up a red baseball bat and attempts to break the mirror.]

"Are you still that scared of going back to the Demon Realm, Vee?" Luz asked. She wanted to go back more than anything in the world, but she'd be sad if her sister wasn't beside her.

"I…don't think I am, actually," Vee said, surprising herself. "I mean, if Belos was still around, yeah, I'd be terrified. But he's gone. His people can't hurt me anymore. And you showed me there's more to the Demon Realm than just people hurting me. So…I think I could handle it. Maybe. I'm not entirely sure, but I'd be willing to give it a shot."

Camila: [Outside the door.] Luz? ¿Está todo bien?

Luz: Sí, Mama! I just saw a spoiler from Monster Slayer Academia!

Camila: [Disappointed.] I'll never understand anime.

"But she makes up for it in other ways!" Luz assured Masha.

Luz: [Looks at "Luz" and shrugs.] Hmm?

["Luz" runs and jumps out the window.]

"Where were you exactly going?" Amity wondered.

"I have no idea," Vee admitted. She had just ran in a blind panic.

Luz: Wait!

["Luz" lands, jumps over a fence, then runs into the house where Eda used to set as an exit for her portal to the Human Realm. The inside is littered with random stuff and old newspapers. Luz appears as a reflection in a small purse mirror.]

"Luz": So this is it. I'm gonna have to run... again. [Sad expression.] Why couldn't this just work out?!

["Luz" kicks a rock, it hits a trap mechanism and accidentally triggers it. A rope tightens around her foot and drags her backwards.]

Masha let out a gasp of horror. When they got their hands on whoever had put those traps, Camila would be the least of their problems.

["Luz" becomes scared and reveals her true form, a basilisk. She groans.]

"You know what, Vee?" Masha said. "I think you look a lot better in this form. Man, I wish you could just go out in public like this. It's not fair you have to hide yourself. But on Halloween, at least, you'll be able to be like this all day!"

"Oh, that does sound fun," Vee admitted. "But what if someone realizes it's not a costume?"

"Then Hunter can strangle them!" Masha said brightly. Hunter grumbled at them, but wisely decided to say nothing.

Luz: Stop moving! You'll make it tighter!

Basilisk: Huh?

Luz: I didn't mean to freak you out. I just want to figure out what's going on, okay? You're a demon from the Boiling Isles, aren't you?

Basilisk: Mm-hmm. [Reverses back to half-human form.]

"You look pretty cute like that," Masha said. Vee gasped. "But I like you as a basilisk more."

Luz: [Smiles.] What's your name?

Basilisk: I'm Number F—I mean, I'm Vee.

"Vee…since your name is derived from the number they gave you, do you want a different name?" Camila asked.

"Absolutely not," Vee said firmly. "I love my name! I love being Vee Noceda."

Luz: Okay Vee, I'm gonna help free you. You're gonna be alright. Now, back up a bit, give the wire some slack. Now, look for a little metal thingamabobber. [Apologetically.] Sorry, I don't know what it's called.

[Vee finds the metal object, then pulls the rope loose.]

Luz: There you go, nice and easy.

Vee: Ah! [Pants.] Thank you. [Sobs.] You must be Camila's real daughter.

"My biological daughter," Camila said. "Both of you are my real daughters now, mijas."

Luz: I am. But right now, I'm trapped in the Boiling Isles. Who are you, why are you pretending to be me?

Vee: I am... just looking for a place to belong.

[Luz stares at Vee with a weird expression.]

Luz sighed. "Yeah. I know what that's like."

Vee: You're missing and mom... I mean, Camila seemed so kind, so I stayed with her but uh, I'll go if you—

"Oh, honey," Camila said, wrapping her arm around Vee's shoulder. "I'm glad I was able to help you, even if I didn't know it. You suffered so much. You deserve to be happy."

Luz: Wait, wait, wait! Maybe we can help each other! Today I was gonna tell my mom where I've been, but because of you, she hasn't realized that I've been missing! So, keep living in my place! For now. When I get back, I can introduce her to the Demon Realm and help you find a place to live.

Camila put her hands on her hips. "Luz."

"Look, I mean, if the portal was stable, sure, I'd have told you," Luz argued. "But all that happened in the end was that we were all unhappy for weeks! It would have been for the best."

"You don't have the right to decide that," Camila said icily. "Just as you didn't have the right to keep the Isles from me before the portal blew up."

"I…I'm sorry," Luz said. "You're right."

Vee: There's one problem. I need magic to transform and I, uh... just used the rest of it.

Vee was just glad she could feed on Amity's abominations and Gus's illusions and didn't have to worry about running out of magic for the foreseeable future.

Luz: Hmm... [Thinks while looks to Vee's left.] Oh! [Points.] That's where we can get some magic!

[Vee picks up an old newspaper. The title reads "SECRETS OF GRAVESFIELD" and at the bottom, "BY JACOB HOPKINS".]

Masha grimaced. Hopkins was their predecessor at the historical society. He had been so bad at his job and lowered the reputation of the society so much that the board had been desperate enough to hire a teenager as his replacement. The man had been a total nutcase. An incel, Q-Anon type who believed in the wildest of conspiracy theories and whose filing system had just been atrocious. Masha had already found sixteen guns Hopkins had scattered around the society in various bolt holes. They just thanked their lucky stars he had been arrested for a variety of petty crimes. And though he'd skirted out of going to jail, the board wouldn't hire someone with a criminal record for crimes he'd blamed on a…demon shapeshifter framing him…

"You got him arrested, didn't you?" Masha said.

"I don't have any clue what you're talking about," Vee said with a wink.

Vee: Secrets of Gravesfield?

Luz: No, no, that's junk. Turn it over.

"Heh," Luz said. "If only we knew!"

[Vee turns over the paper. The title reads "STRANGE WOMAN BANNED IMMEDIATELY FROM CAFE FOR CREATING LIVING BOOKS".]

Vee: Strange woman banned from café.

Luz: That's Eda the Owl Lady. She's been coming here for years. She might have left some magic stuff behind!

Vee: Okay! [Picks up the mirror.] We can try.

[Vee walks out the door. Camera pulls slightly up, and we see a functioning CCTV installed at one of the house corners recording the room. Scene changes, showing a town sign which says "Welcome to GRAVESFIELD", "FOUNDED IN 1635". A crow is pecking on it. Vee walks by, and the crow flies away. Vee puts on a pair of tinted glasses. Scene changes again, showing statues of two people wearing clothing from the 1600s.]

Hunter hissed. Camila had been right about the Wittebanes being honored as statues. And sure enough, Caleb did look remarkably like him. Luckily for him, Masha didn't appear to notice.

[Two crows fly by, crowing. Camera pans to the right, showing the exterior of a café called "ROBIN'S ROAST CAFE". There are people walking outside it.]

Vee: Is this it? Huh, I—I just go in and ask about that witch from the paper?

Luz: Yes. [Turns to look at the café.] Maybe they still have one of her enchanted pastries! [Turns back.] Huh? [Points at her ears.] Ears! Ears!

[Vee's ears accidentally comes out. She whimpers and quickly covers it with her animal hat. A kid notices that and points at it, but her mother drags her away. Vee pushes open the glass door. A door bell chimes. Vee starts sniffing at something.]

Shopkeeper: Hello!

[Vee yelps and quickly covers her mouth. The shopkeeper hands over a drink to a customer and turns to Vee.]

Shopkeeper: What can I get ya?

Vee: [Walks towards counter.] Uh, have any, um, magical old ladies left enchanted items here?

"Truly, you are a master of subtlety, Vee," Masha snarked.

"Hey, normal social interactions were still new to me!" Vee protested. "You try spending your childhood as a lab experiment and see how well adjusted you are!"

Shopkeeper: Ugh, you're not friends with that witch-obsessed guy, right? I told him to stop leaving pamphlets here!

Vee: [Frightened expression, looks up and points.] Actually, I'm asking about her.

Shopkeeper: Oh, Marylin?

[Camera pans up, showing a sign which says "BANNED FOR LIFE" with pictures of some people on it, one of them is Eda holding a raccoon.]

"Ah, classic Eda," Luz said, shaking her head fondly.

Shopkeeper: Yeah, she tried to pay for a latte with a live raccoon a couple of months ago. But when I called the cops, she did something weird to the croissants. [Picks up a croissant with a pair of tongs.] We threw 'em in the trash but... Well, [Sighs.] now we have a whole new problem.

[Vee pushes open the back door of the café, which leads to an alley, and starts sniffing around.]

Vee: I don't... smell any magic. [Hears hissing sound.] Huh?

[Two talking rats with glowing red eyes emerge from behind two boxes.]

Rats: Bread of wisdom grants us speech. We desire more!

Camila let out a shriek. Masha looked at the rats with a huge grin on their face. To think, all this time, there had been real magic lurking around Gravesfield and they'd totally missed it!

Luz: Cool! Talking rats! Maybe they know something.

[One of the rat hisses and pounces at Vee. Vee screams and runs away. She runs to a park and stops behind a statue, panting, then turns to look at the rats. They hiss then turn back into the alley.]

Luz: Vee? Is everything alright?

Vee: Oh, [Laughs.] yeah, I—I just don't like confrontation. [Chuckles nervously.]

Luz: Oh! Well, that's okay. I'm sure there's someone else who's seen Eda. [Gasps.] There!

[Vee turns around and sees three high schoolers hanging out together under a tree, laughing.]

"Oh my gosh, that's me!" Masha said, bouncing in their seat. "Oh, this is just so cool! Gee, I remember that day. You were acting so weird. I wish you'd told me the truth then, Vee. I'd have helped out."

"I'm sorry," Vee said. "I was planning on telling you eventually! It's just…it's so big and scary…"

"Hey, no, I get it," Masha said. "I was the same way about telling my parents about being nonbinary. Mom was cool with it, but Dad flipped his lid. I was just lucky Mom tricked him into sending me to Reality Check Camp instead of an actual conversion camp."

[Camera zooms in Masha's hands and they're holding a deck of Hexes Hold'em card.]

Luz: Hexes Hold'em cards! Eda got rid of all her decks. I was wondering where they went...

Vee: [Sniffing.] Well, they must've run out of magic, I don't... smell anything.

Luz: But maybe they know where to get more! Okay, we gotta be careful approaching high schoolers. Mark all your exit routes—

"Luz, exactly what happened to make you so paranoid about high schoolers?" Camila demanded.

"Eh, Karl Lofstrom's brother and a couple of his friends on the football team might have beaten me up a little once," Luz said in a casual tone. "It's okay! I should have known better than to ask Karl out."

"Luz, in no possible way was that okay," Camila said. "You said you tripped and fell down a flight of stairs!"

"Tripped, thrown, tomato, tomahto," Luz said flippantly.

Camila crossed her arms and gave her the most stern glare she had available to her. "There will be no more hiding things like this from me in the future. If I am to help you, then I need to know what's going on!"

"Oh, you can't help me," Luz said simply, as if repeating an inexorable axiom of existence. "No one can."

Vee: [Laughs.] Actually, these guys are cool. [Starts walking towards the high schoolers.]

"You bet your life we are," Masha said. "Cabin 7 for life!"

Luz: Ah! Wait, hey!

[Scene cuts back to the three high schoolers.]

Masha: A past connection that left its mark on your soul has shown up again, and it's asking you to shed your old ways and enter a metamorphosis! Becoming a spiritual leader, you're meant to be.

Boy: Yeah, that sounds about right. [Scratches himself.]

"I'm not going to get into that," Masha informed them. "What's going on in Michael's life is, to put it bluntly, none of your concern."

"Of course," Camila said. "We understand."

[Masha puts the card on the grass. Vee stops in front of them and kneels down.]

Vee: Hello!

[Scene cuts to Luz in the Reflection Dimension.]

Luz: [Panics.] Oh, she's gonna embarrass herself! [Covers her face.] I can't watch...

Camila felt her heart breaking a little. Her lucecita had gone through so much in school. And Camila, with her instinctive rush to blame Luz for every little incident, had systematically severed any hope of Luz trusting her enough to confide her problems in her.

Masha: [Sounds from cube.] Oh, hey, Luz! Good to see you outside of prison.

Vee: [Laughs.] Come on! Camp wasn't that bad.

"I mean, you haven't been in real prison like I have," Vee said. "It was kind of insensitive, really. But I know you didn't know, so it's good."

"What were you in for?" Masha wondered.

"Existing."

Luz: Camp?

[Scene cuts back to Vee and the high schoolers.]

Vee: We did have the best cabin!

"Those punks in Cabin 8 had the audacity to claim they were the best cabin," Masha recalled. "But we showed them. We showed them all." They gave a maniacal laugh.

Vee and High Schoolers: Cabin 7! Hoo-ha-ha! [Laughing.]

Vee: Cool cards! Where'd you get 'em?

Masha: Uh-uh. Let me give you a reading first. I wanna practice.

[Masha lays down three cards on the ground. The first shows a crescent moon as the whitespace of an abstract sideways face. The second shows a skeleton with a golden chalice, and the third shows a fish with two Y-shaped arrows behind it.]

"Is that real magic you're using?" Amity wondered. "Mom says some oracles use cards like that to make their predictions."

"I always thought so," Masha said. "But since there's no magic on Earth, probably not. I'm still gonna do readings, though. It's fun."

[Scene cuts again to Luz in the Reflection Dimension looking through the cube. She grabs and presses her nose up to it, perhaps intrigued.]

High Schoolers (excluding Masha): Woah.

[Cut back to Vee and the high schoolers. Ominous music starts playing.]

Masha: You're running from your past. From a previous life that was not kind to you. However, the guilt and fear you carry will eventually catch you in a self-fulfilling prophecy that you won't be able to escape from.

"Whoa, I was pretty spot on there," Masha said. "Hey, now that I think about it, that could apply to both you and Luz!"

"Probably," Luz admitted.

[Vee makes a nervous noise.]

Masha: You're gonna need some bath bombs, girl.

"I did take your advice," Vee told them. "But they really itched, so…I guess it's a basilisk thing."

[Ominous music stops. They pick up the cards.]

Masha: Anyway, I got the cards over at the Gravesfield Historical Society.

Masha was starting to get a really bad feeling about what was coming. If that creep Hopkins had got his hands on a real demon…

Vee: [Dejectedly.] Thanks. I'll see you around.

[Vee starts to walk over to the nearby Gravesfield Historical Society.]

Masha: Did you see the look in her eyes? I gotta find out where she got those contacts.

[Vee enters the Gravesfield Historical Society building. Cut to inside the reception desk. Vee sniffs, then quietly sneezes.]

Jacob: Is it that dusty in here? Welcome to the Gravesfield Historical Society. Lemme guess, you're here to buy those weird cards, right?

Vee trembled a little at seeing the man who locked her in a cage again. "He's not here right now, mija," Camila said. "He's never gonna hurt you again, I promise."

Vee: How did you know?

Jacob: Well, they've been really popular with high schoolers. Yeah, saw an old lady try to dump 'em in a river a while back, but I bought them off her instead. Was really odd though, she kept asking for snails.

"You'd think Eda would know how to behave in the Human Realm by now with all the time she spent there," Camila mused.

"Eh, I think she just likes messing with people," Luz speculated.

[Scene cuts again to Luz in the Reflection Dimension.]

Luz: This is it!

[Cut back to the Historical Society.]

Jacob: You want a set?

Vee: Yes, please!

Jacob: Well, I'll be just a minute, so feel free to look around.

[Jacob enters a door labelled STAFF. Vee chooses to walk into the Historical Society's museum and stand opposite a framed painting of a flag. Luz appears in the framed reflection.]

Luz: Are you okay? Hey, forget what that girl said! I know what it's like to run away from home. I did the same thing.

Vee: You and I are not the same. You had a mom who loved you, a home, a life, you had it good!

"I…I'm sorry I said those things to you," Vee said, looking at the floor. "I…I get it now more. You were so alone. Even with your mom, you were still alone. I know what it's like to be alone."

"No, Vee," Luz said quietly. "You were right. I chose to lie to mom. I chose to run away. I…I should have told her. That's on me. I had it good, like you said. And because I ran away…everyone suffered. It was all my fault."

"Luz…" Camila said, unsure of how to respond to that. Silence settled on the room.

And you still wanted to run away, I... I didn't have a choice. My real name is... Number Five. I'm a basilisk, and technically, I... I shouldn't exist.

[Cut to a flashback with Vee in her true form behind cell bars. Each shot in this flashback is one frame per shot.]

"Vee, you don't have to show this to us," Camila said, while she tried to hide the sheer horror she was feeling at seeing a child, her daughter, behind bars.

"No!" Vee said. "I want you all to see it! I want you to understand! I want to stop hiding my past."

Vee: [Narrating.] My kind went extinct a long time ago, but we were brought back.

[Shot of Vee sucking out magic, perhaps the soul, of a small rat. Warden Wrath stands behind Vee, writing down something on a clipboard.]

"That's it," Masha shouted, shaking their fist in the air. "Plague doctor dude is dead when I get my hands on him! I'll beat him to death with my own two hands if I have to! No one hurts my Vee and gets away with it!"

"Your Vee?" Vee whispered, awe filling her voice.

[Two Coven Scouts stand behind him.]

Vee: They wanted to know how we drained magic.

[Shot of many other basilisks trapped in these cells.]

Luz: I met a basilisk once. She hurt a lot of people.

Vee: For many of us, all we knew how to do was feed.

[Shot of Vee holding her arms out to shield the rats from harm.]

"I lost an eye because of that," Vee remembered. "They grew it back…very, very slowly."

A strangled sob erupted from Camila's chest. Her poor baby had suffered so much!

[Shot of Vee and a few other basilisks at a mountainside, Emperor Belos and a group of Coven Guards are looking over a cliff.]

"That's Emperor Belos," Luz explained to Masha. "He's the bad guy."

"He sure looks the part."

Vee: Some of us escaped, but I knew it was only a matter of time before he caught us again.

[Shot of Vee at the back of episode 1's "human collectibles" scene. Vee sneaks behind the tent and it is implied she goes through the door to the Human Realm.]

Vee: That's when I saw you, and... and realized there might be a way out of this!

"I'm sorry, Luz," Vee said, bowing her head in shame.

"Hey, it's okay," Luz said. "You just wanted to be safe. If you hadn't gone, mom would have freaked out when I never showed up at camp."

[The flashback is now fully animated. A flash of yellow light emits from the abandoned house. Vee emerges from the abandoned house where the portal was set up. Camila walks in view of the house.]

Camila grimaced. Spectacular. Masha was about to see firsthand what a horrible mother she was, that she couldn't even tell the difference between her daughter and imposter. Not a good impression to make on the person who would almost certainly soon be Vee's partner.

Camila: Luz? Where are you?

Vee: Eeh! [Transforms into a replica of Luz.]

Camila: Luz? There you are.

Vee (as Luz): [Nervously.] Hello... fellow human! Um... skin's sure weird!

"Wow, you got me down cold," Luz said with a impressed whistle.

"It was a one in a million chance," Vee said. "I was so lucky Mom was kind to me. Even after she learned the truth."

Masha nodded. Even their mom wouldn't have been very appreciative if Vee had impersonated Masha. Ironically, their dad probably would have been fine with it. He'd have been elated to have a daughter who could act normal instead of a child who could not.

Camila: Very funny. But, I was thinking, instead of taking the bus to camp, why don't we drive? I got the day off from work, and you'll have full control of the playlist.

Vee: [Narrating.] I didn't mean to keep playing this role, but... Camila was nice to me.

"I'm just glad I could make your life better, Vee, even if I didn't know it," Camila said.

[Flashback exits, return to museum. Vee is visibly upset.]

Vee: I resent you for running away. But I'm also thankful that you did. I dunno. It's... confusing.

"You guys need therapy," Masha pronounced.

"Oh, I agree wholeheartedly," Camila said. "Unfortunately, no therapist in the world would ever believe us. We'd be lucky to escape being locked in a rubber room."

"What's therapy?" Hunter joked.

[Vee sniffs something odd and stops the conversation.]

Vee: Do you smell something?

[Vee walks towards the room labelled STAFF. Luz disappears from the framed flag. The room is strangely pitch black.]

Luz: Where's the light?

[Vee locates a light switch and flicks it on. She gasps. Scene cuts to multiple weapons on display such as a sword, drill and an axe.]

"I'm definitely gonna get rid of that stuff as soon as I can," Masha decided.

[Scene cuts again and shows an old picture with the words "THE HUNTING OF A DANGEROUS WITCH" underneath it. Scene cuts again and shows a flashing toy witch on a guillotine with the words "YE OLDE WITCH".]

"I already got rid of that stuff," Masha informed them.

[A few books can be seen beside the toy. Vee walks further into the room looking around. Scene changes again, showing a deck of glowing Hexes Hold'em cards. Camera pans up and shows a bulletin board with multiple pictures of Eda. The pictures are connected to each other using red strings.]

Vee: What is all this?

[Vee bumps into a computer, turning the desktop on and revealing several tabs of video footage of Vee and the abandoned house.]

"Not to worry, Vee," Camila said quickly. "I made sure to delete the footage. And I smashed the computer too for good measure."

"So that's how that stuff got destroyed," Masha said. "Thanks for that," they added, a trifle grumpily. The board was notoriously stingy about replacing things and they'd had to do without a computer. Thank goodness everything historical on there had already been uploaded to the cloud.

[She screams, and runs to exit the door, but steps on a laser grid and is caged, her front mirror breaks too, rendering Luz unable to see the scene.]

Masha let out a gasp of horror. Vee started breathing more heavily, but Masha squeezed her hand and she managed to calm down.

[Cut to a distressed Luz in the Reflection Dimension.]

Luz: [Increasingly panicked.] Vee? Vee? Vee?

[Scene cuts to exterior shot of Gravesfield Historical Society. Dark clouds start rolling in and rumble of thunder can be heard. Luz reappears in a reflection in a framed painting in the room.]

Luz (in reflection): Vee!

Vee: [Stressed, revealing true form.] Let me out!

"I am going to destroy him," Masha snarled. Vee fanned herself a little. "I am gonna make that little punk wish he'd never been born!"

[Jacob enters the room apprehensively, holding a stick.]

Jacob: Woah, it worked?

[Luz hides, crouching further down the framed painting.]

Jacob: I—I can't believe it, are you real? [Vee slaps stick out of Jacob's hand.] After all that time, after setting up all those traps, I... I finally caught a living, breathing demon! Oh, don't be surprised. A few years back I had a chance encounter with another one of your kind. [Holds a photograph taken of Eda's owl-demon form.]

"I wish she'd eaten that bas – meanie," Camila said and then breathed a sigh of relief. Close call there. Vee rolled her eyes. Again with the shielding her from bad language. Still, it made sense Camila would be feeling extra protective after seeing Vee's horrific past.

Jacob: Yeah, at first I couldn't believe what I saw, but after watching a few MewTube videos I learned the truth. Witches and demons are real...

[Luz gasps through the reflection.]

Jacob: ... and they're all sent from Mars to harvest human teeth to power their time machine!

"That sounds totally awesome," Gus joked. "Why are we not doing that again?"

[Luz strikes an odd expression.]

Vee: You... don't actually know anything about us, do you?

Jacob: Oh, I know enough. I'll expose your vile plans on MewTube and finally... get my account verified.

"Seriously?" Masha said. "That's all? Like, do you not understand you'd be the most famous person ever if you proved other sentient beings and other worlds were real? That's all you're shooting for? God, Hopkins is such a dumbass."

"Masha, language!" Camila snapped.

"She's not gonna like to hear about all the bad language we used at camp, is she?" Masha said in a stage whisper. Vee giggled and shook her head.

Get comfortable, demon. Cause you'll be in cages for the rest of your life. [Exits room.]

Luz: Don't worry, Vee, we can get out of this...

Vee: Go back to the Demon Realm, Luz.

Luz: Huh?

Vee: Even if I get out, he knows what my disguise looks like. He'd out me to Camila and it'd would cause her more trouble than if you just disappeared.

"Like I'd believe a single word that lunatic said," Camila said. "Footage can be doctored, you know. I saw it with my own eyes and it was still so hard for me to believe…"

Luz: Vee! You're giving up too quick!

Vee: I'm being realistic. It's okay, I'm used to living like this. Goodbye, Luz.

"Well, now you're gonna get used to living like this," Camila pronounced.

"I already am," Vee said with a wide smile.

Luz: No!

[Vee destroys the framed picture Luz is in with her tail. Back at the Reflection Dimension, the cube Luz was using breaks.]

Luz: Vee! Five! Number Five! Agh! [Punches black water.]

Luz: [Pauses, now more confident.] Camila Noceda.

[A cube emerges from the water. She accesses it and is transported to the reflection of Camila's phone. Camila can be seen with a box of various items from Vee's earlier packings. Camila is playing around with a tinfoil swan.]

"Thank you so much, mom," Luz said. "It really means a lot to me that you rescued that stuff."

"De nada, mija," Camila said. "But don't think too badly of Vee for throwing it out. She didn't know how important it was to us."

Camila: [To tinfoil swan.] Boop.

Luz: Mom, are you there?

Camila: Huh? Luz? I didn't even hear you call!

Camila did a facepalm. The evidence was literally right in front of her and she ignored it.

Luz: Mom. It's so great to hear your voice.

Camila: Oh. It's great to hear you too? What's wrong?

Luz: I found out who's setting up those traps, and he's... hurting a friend of mine. But first... I have to tell you the truth. About the last few months. Let me tell you about a place called Boiling Isles.

[Camila sits down to listen to Luz's story.]

"I have to admit, I didn't believe a single word of it," Camila said. "I thought it was some elaborate game you were playing. I didn't really pay attention to your spiel. I should have. I regretted for weeks I didn't."

"It's okay," Luz said. "You're learning about it now."

[Fade to Camila's car arriving at the Gravesfield Historical Society building. It is shown to be dark outside.]

Camila: You know, if you wanted me to pick you and your friend up, you didn't have to make up this elaborate story about the "Demon Realm".

Luz: I'm not making it up, Mom.

"I should have believed you," Camila lamented.

"No, mom," Luz said. "I get it. It's a huge thing to ask someone to believe."

Camila: [Giggles.] Don't worry, I'll play along. [Enters building.] I know this stuff made school difficult, but I'm glad you're still being creative.

"It was such a huge weight off my shoulders," Camila recalled. "For the first time in weeks, it really felt like I had my daughter back. And it turned out I was right. Just not in the way I thought."

[A flying pickaxe flies toward and hits a statue labelled "A WITCH" in the back. Pan right to reveal Jacob handling some boxes.]

Camila: Are you the curator here?

Jacob: Who's askin'?

Camila: A little birdie told me you caught a demon! I would love to see it!

Jacob: Wait, how did you know? Do you work for the government?

Camila: Oh. I'm a veterinarian, actually.

Jacob: So, the President sent a vet to study the demon's anatomy, huh?

Vee groaned. "I can't believe I got caught by such an idiot."

Sure. But first, [Picks up a voice recorder.] I'll need verbal confirmation that I get to publish my findings first. [Voice recorder beeps.]

Camila: Uh... 'kay.

Jacob: Good. [Voice recorder beeps again.] Now you're bound by law. Follow me.

"That is literally not how these things work," Camila complained.

Camila: [To Luz.] You even made me a part of your game! Ooh, This is so fun.

[Camila and Jacob both enter the STAFF room. Vee's cage is covered up with a rug.]

Camila: Ooh! Is this one of those escape rooms? Or, um, what do you call them, a LARP? Oh, sorry, don't want to break the illusion.

Jacob: Let me start by telling you the secret history of Gravesfield.

[Jacob walks over to wall covered with notes held together conspiracy-theorist-style. He places his hand on Camila's shoulder, though Camila brushes it away. He opens up a book and flips to an old drawing of a burning building, possibly the building the Gravesfield Historical Society was built on.]

Jacob: In the 1600s, this was a peaceful colony. Until, tragedy struck.

[Jacob flips the book to the next page to reveal a drawing of two Victorian-era dressed men, one of them shaking hands with a witch. All of their faces are somewhat rubbed out.]

Jacob: Two brothers were lured into a realm of evil by a real witch, never to be seen again.

"That's a filthy lie!" Luz screamed. Masha looked at her askance. "Uh, never mind. Continue."

[Closes book, turns to table.] People have stopped believing in the horrors of witchcraft, but... I know the truth. [He bangs his hand on a table next to a training wand.]

"Masha, that's an artifact from the Demon Realm," Camila told them. "It's called a training wand. It allows you to do magic." Masha's eyes lit up. "But it only has a limited charge and we don't know how to recharge it. We need you to find out where he got it from, because if we do, we might find a way to get Luz's friends back home."

"I will get right on it," Masha promised.

Camila: Woah. Luz, this is quite a detailed story.

"I mean, can you blame me for assuming?" Camila said. "This is exactly the sort of thing you'd come up with, Luz."

Jacob: [Walking towards concealed cage.] But now I've got proof that otherworldly beings exist! Behold!

[Jacob pulls back the rug to reveal Vee in the cage with duct tape over her mouth.]

Camila: [Alongside multiple shots of Vee's features.] Oh, wow! That is a very... convincing... [Realization.] costume? [Loud gasp.]

Camila shivered, remembering the moment when she realized that Hopkins had been telling the truth, at least about how demons were real. She had been so afraid Luz had gotten caught up in this man's zealotry and put herself at risk. If only she had known!

Jacob: A costume? This is a real life demon! C'mere, watch this.

[Jacob runs over to a series of four monitors, displaying a video where Vee transforms into her true form. The camera focuses on Camila for most of the shot, who is completely shocked by it.]

"It made so much sense," Camila remembered. "I didn't want it to. But it did. Every single piece just slotted into place in my mind. Every time you slipped up, Vee, every ordinary detail you knew nothing about, the way you didn't seem to understand Spanish anymore…it all came together."

Jacob: More vile beings will probably come to its rescue. But I can protect humanity. I even had some custom gear made at the renaissance fair. Usually I don't take it out for just anyone, but what the heck! If I'm gonna be working with the government, I might as well show off a little.

[Jacob takes a hook and tries to get the suit of armor down. This serves as a distraction for him.]

"Ugh, I can't believe I work at the same place as this idiot," Masha said.

Camila: Luz, come on. I don't like this game anymore.

Luz: It's not a game, Mama. Everything I told you was true.

Camila: So that thing has been living with me the entire time? It's just a lot to believe...

Luz: Her name is Vee, and she may look different, but she's not bad. Please, you gotta help her!

[Camila turns to Vee and walks towards her. Vee braces in expectation that she would be hit, but Camila crouches to talk to Vee instead.]

Camila: Hello... this is all so confusing, but... who knew I had such a strong girl living under my roof this whole time?

"I still can't believe you weren't angry at me," Vee said in wonderment. "If I found out someone was lying to me this much, I'd be so mad!"

"I could never be angry at you for that, Vee," Camila said. "You were just scared. You thought if you didn't lie to me, you'd be alone and homeless. I completely understand. And I love you. Even then, I loved you, even when I didn't know it was you."

[Vee is touched by that and starts to tear up, but is interrupted by Jacob wearing the suit of armor.]

Jacob: So how do I look? Maybe we can collaborate on a version that can survive the battles on Mars? [Notices Camila's phone, gasps.] Wait, what is that? Are you recording this?

Camila: Uh...

Jacob: Wonderful! Well I was gonna wait until after the press tour, but let's begin our live dissection of this demon right now!

Everyone let out a gasp. "Oh my god," Masha said in a panic. "You can't be serious? He was really gonna cut you up?!" Vee nodded. "That monster."

Camila: Stop! Uh, the... the President just called. Yeah, and, uh...

[Camila looks at her phone where Luz is signaling to her.]

Camila: Uh... Y'know what? I don't have the imagination for this. I will be taking this innocent child with me, and you will never bother us again.

Jacob: What? No absolutely not! We made a verbal agreement—

Camila rolled her eyes. Like she'd have ever agreed to anything if she'd known about this. Also, verbal agreements did not work like that.

Camila: Mister. [Brandishing an upside-down slingshot.] You better back the heck down, or I will tell the police you have been illegally setting up traps and cameras on private property!

Everyone gave a cheer. "Your mom is so awesome!" Masha said.

"Oh, you ain't seen nothing yet," Luz said.

[Drops the slingshot.]

Jacob: I won't let you take away my discovery. I'm the good guy here!

Camila: Yeah. [Takes out a flip-flop from her handbag, aiming it square at Jacob.]

"La chancla," Luz and Vee said in a hushed, awed tone.

A lot of bad guys say that.

[Camila strikes at Jacob with the flip-flop.]

Everyone gave a much louder cheer this time around. "Best. Mom. Ever," Masha pronounced.

"Oh, stop it, Masha," Camila said. "You're too kind. Anyway, he knew better than to mess with the Nocedas after that."

[There is a presumed short timeskip. Cut to outside the building where it is currently raining. Camila and Vee are walking out of the building. Vee has a coat on.]

Vee: Is it okay to leave him in there?

Camila: He'll be fine. He can use the time for some self-reflection.

"You should have killed him," Amity said. "He was too dangerous to be left alive."

"Well…I'm not a killer, sweetie," Camila said. "That's hardly an example I want to set for my children. All of my children," she added to Hunter sternly. Hunter nodded.

[Another presumed short timeskip, this time Camila and Vee both arrive at the Noceda home, exiting their car. Luz appears through the headlights of the car.]

Luz: Heh! Look what I can do with the rain! Vee! I'm so happy you're okay!

[Luz then attempts to high-five Vee, but Luz's hand phases through.]

Luz: Woah.

Vee: Yeah. Thank you, Camila. For everything.

Camila: Vee. You have a place here for as long as you need. And take these. [Hands Vee a deck of Hexes Hold 'Em cards from her handbag.] Luz said they might be helpful for you.

"I…I can't thank you enough, mami," Vee said.

"You'll never have to thank me for doing what any decent person would have," Camila said dismissively.

"Uh, yeah, she does," Masha said. "You underestimate yourself, Mrs. Noceda. Very few people would have done the same thing in your shoes."

Vee: Magic!

[Vee starts eating a few of the cards, and walks away.]

Luz: Mom, you were awesome back there! Thanks for being cool... about everything.

Luz cringed. It was so hard to go through this experience once. Seeing it again would be just torture. But it was a torture she deserved.

Camila: [Starting to cry.] I'm trying to hold it together... I really am... But I have never been this scared before.

It was even worse than when she learned Manny's cancer was incurable and fatal. That had at least been certain. But this revelation had left her in a limbo that had lasted until Luz's return. For what felt like ages, Camila had never known if she would see her daughter again. At least Manny had left a corpse behind. If Luz had died in the Demon Realm, Camila would never have known it.

A demon realm? Magic? How are you gonna get back here? Is this the only way I can touch you?

[Camila attempts to hold Luz's hand, but it just phases through again.]

Luz: I... I need a little more time, but if I keep working my hardest I will make a working portal, I promise!

Camila: As scary as this is, it really does seem like you've matured.

"I just wish it hadn't come at such a high cost to you, Luz," Camila lamented.

"Suffering is what makes us stronger," Hunter offered. "Anything given to us that we didn't earn just makes us weak."

Camila narrowed her eyes. "We're going to talk about that among many other things later, Hunter. We have a lot of work to do. But we'll work on it together, okay, mijo? There's nothing to be scared of."

Luz: Yes! I've learned so much... Staying here was the best decision I ever made.

Luz let out a strangled sob. Why had she said that? Why had she given Camila the impression she didn't love her?

Camila: You... [Getting angry.] chose to stay there?

"You have to understand," Camila said desperately. "Everything I thought I knew was turning out to be wrong. I was living with a creature from another world and I didn't even know it! My daughter was trapped in another realm! I…when I'm really worked up, I have a tendency to go for the jugular…"

"No, mami," Luz said. "You were right to be upset."

Luz: Oh, uh...

Camila: Were you trying to live out some witch fantasy? Did you... did you hate living with me that much? [Turns to look at Luz with a hurt expression.]

"No!" Luz screamed. "No, mom, it wasn't like that! You were the only reason I was ever planning on coming back! I wish…I wish I'd had the time to tell you that. You deserved that. You deserved so much more than me – that. I mean that."

Luz: Mama, no!

[Luz is then dragged back up by the rope she is attached to. Cut back to the Reflection Dimension.]

Luz: No. [Pulls herself down on the rope.] Not yet. Not... yet! Mom!

[Luz drops the hovering cube. A wide shot of the Reflection Dimension reveals Camila's face on many of the cubes. Cut back to the human realm.]

Luz: I'm being pulled back!

Camila: Baby? No, no, no, no, no, no... [Luz is pulled back further.] Promise me. When you come home, you'll stay with me, and you'll never go back to that place.

A chill went down Camila's spine. "Luz…that's not what I said. Why are you remembering me saying something different?"

Masha looked sharply at Camila. Of course she was too good to be true. Of course she resorted to gaslighting too when the chips were down. Why had they thought otherwise? "Don't you try that on her," they snarled. "I've heard that before. 'Oh, it was just a light tap, Masha, hardly a punch.' 'I would never lay a hand on you. You're not remembering things right.'"

"No, no, Masha, it's not like that!" Camila said. "And I can prove it. Gus, extract the memory from my mind." Gus did just that.

When you come home, promise you'll stay here. I didn't mean to push you away. I swear things will be different.

Luz's mouth dropped open. "You…why the hell do I remember that other thing then? What the hell is going on here? Someone…did someone mess with my memories?!" She gasped. "Oh my god, it must have been the Collector! He lives in the In-Between Realm. He must have wanted me to come back, so he twisted my memories to make them even worse, to encourage me to go back and talk things out with you! And trap me there!"

"You don't know that for sure," Amity pointed out.

"Yeah, well…it's the best theory I got."

Masha looked over at Camila. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Noceda. I shouldn't have accused you like that."

"Oh, sweetie, it's okay," Camila said. "I am concerned about your home life, though. Are you safe at home?"

Masha nodded. "My dad's an asshole, but my mom's divorcing him. Once she gets custody, I should be fine."

"Well, if you need a place to stay, I seem to have made a habit of taking in strays," Camila said, ruffling Hunter's hair playfully. Hunter struggled, but only perfunctorily. If he really wanted, he could have stopped her in a second.

Luz: [Starts tearing up.] Mom, it's not you, it never was!

Camila: Promise me, Luz... please!

"I'm so sorry," Camila said. "I just wanted you back. I just wanted things to go back to the way they were…"

"I didn't," Luz said bluntly. "I wanted them to get better."

"It will, mija. We'll both make sure of that."

Luz: [Sad expression.] Okay, Mom. I promise. [Fades away from view.]

[Camila cries. Cut back to Luz in the Reflection Dimension, who is being pulled back with a rope. The camera rotates as Luz is pulled back to the portal to the other side of the Reflection Dimension.]

Luz: Mom! [Tears dripping from her eyes.]

[She is pulled back further, splashing into the water. For a brief time, only her glowing outline remains before fading from the Reflection Dimension. Luz arrives back at the Boiling Isles, flying out of the portal. Eda, King, and Hooty are all sent flying back too. They all land on each other.]

King, Eda, Hooty: Luz! [All get up.]

Eda: I'm sorry, I had to pull you out. The portal was closing.

[Cut to the portal, which creaks, then folds in on itself in a ball, finally disappearing in a puff of smoke.]

"I guess I'm not as good at the mad science as you are, Vee," Luz joked.

"Luz, you created an interdimensional portal," Camila pointed out. "I mean, sure, it went to the wrong dimension, but still, no scientist on Earth has ever come even vaguely close to doing something like that. And you did it at the age of fourteen. You should be really proud of yourself."

King: [Hops onto Luz's shoulder.] Did you talk to your mom? Did you mention me?

Luz: Yeah. Mama... Mom can't wait to meet you guys.

"You lied to them too," Camila said, her voice surprisingly gentle.

"I thought you were going to force me to stay and never return," Luz pointed out. "I couldn't bear to tell them they were never gonna see me again. I just…I couldn't hurt them like that."

"Yeah…I understand," Camila admitted. "I don't approve. But I do understand."

Eda: Well, just rest up now, okay? And don't you worry, kiddo. With everything we've learned, we'll have a real working portal in no time.

King: I can't wait to eat human snacks!

Hooty: [From behind the others.] I can't wait to share parenting tips!

"Yeah, no," Camila deadpanned.

Eda: Who dubbed you a parent? [All laugh, except for Luz.]

[Luz looks towards a camera with a nervous look in her face. Fade to black.]

"Well, that was…something all right," Luz said. "Sorry I lied to you all for so long. All of you."

"Everything turned out right in the end, though, didn't it?" Amity offered. Luz just sank into her seat, feeling morose.

"Hey, Vee, can we talk in private?" Masha asked. Vee nodded.

"Keep the door open, tórtolos!" Camila teased Vee. In truth, she trusted Vee implicitly when it came to such matters. She trusted Masha too, though not with complete confidence. They were still a teenager, after all.

Vee and Masha sat down on the bottom bunk of Vee's bunkbed. "I'm not angry at you, you know," Masha said. "I totally get why you hid all this from me. I don't hate you. I wish you had told me, because, damn, the Demon Realm looks so kickass, and it is awesome you're a basilisk! But I get it."

"Thank you."

Masha took a deep breath. "So with that in mind, do you want to go on a date with me on Saturday?"

Vee's mouth dropped open in astonishment. "What?"

Masha crossed their arms. Was this a mistake? No. They were sure they were doing the right thing. And anyway, it was too late to take it back. "See, Vee…I really like you a lot. It started back at camp. And, uh, this hasn't changed that. I'd really like to be your partner. Please?"

"YES!" Vee screamed so loud that they could hear her in the basement. In the basement, Camila gave a diabolical grin. She'd been planning her shovel talk for ages, and now she was finally going to get a chance to use it. Obviously, it would have been wholly inappropriate to use on Amity, given her background, but Masha would be able to handle it just fine.

Back in the bedroom, Vee wrapped up her new partner – her partner! – in a tight hug. "Oh my gosh, Masha, I'm so happy right now! I've been trying to work up the courage to tell you I like you for ages!" She paused. "You're…you're sure this doesn't change that? You don't mind."

"Vee, I know you're a demonic magic-sucking slug monster," Masha said tenderly. "But what you don't understand is that I'm totally into that shit." Vee giggled.

Masha pecked Vee briefly on the cheek. Her skin was surprisingly soft. Masha was worried it might be slimy. Vee's face turned bright red. "See you Saturday," they said, and stood up.

"You're not staying?" Vee asked.

"Sorry, Vee, but this isn't my story," Masha explained. "I don't feel comfortable watching any more of it. You're not in any more of it, are you?" Vee shook her head. "Yeah, it's not my business. Besides, I have a curator to track down. I'll get that information out of him, by hook or by crook."

Vee gave a huge grin. "Thank you, Masha. It really means a lot to me."

"You can repay me on Saturday, gorgeous."

"Eep!"