I'm Cowboy Alchemist#4990 on Discord. Come on over if you want to chat and talk about ideas. If you want an invite to join my discord server, you only have to ask me.
Here is an update on what's happening. I've recently started a full-time job far from my family's homes. As I venture into the world, many new changes are coming to my life. Meaning that until I know the rhythm of my new life, updates will be slower.
For Boscha, nothing was more important than herself, winning, and Grudgby.
When she woke up this morning, Boscha wasted no time preparing for school. All that was left to do was her hair.
Boscha looked into her mirror with her hair down. On every wall of her bedroom were shelves filled with many trophies from her countless victories and wins. "You are talented. You are a star. You may be hated, but that's okay. So long as you are feared," she said to herself. She put her hair into the usual bun and stood up. Bosha then slipped on a varsity jacket before heading for the door.
Before leaving the room, the triclope stopped and looked at her calendar beside the doorway. "Most importantly, you are a winner," she said, smirking.
Boscha ripped off a page of her calendar before walking out the door. The whole month had been marked "Grudgby Season."
Skara had marked her calendar the same way. This month is the month he's been waiting for. The month of the year she's been training for. The moment she'll prove to her friends and family that she's had what it takes to be a winner, just like her mother and father.
"Are you ready for your little games?"
Skara yelped and turned around, only to see it was her great-grandmother, Alice. "Grandma Alice! Do you have to do that?"
"Lightning is unpredictable," she said with a sweet smile. Alice walked up to the young girl. "It seems like only yesterday that your mother and father wore that same uniform."
"Yeah, but I just wish they wouldn't be so strict with me," Skara said.
The truth was Willy and Kimberly didn't want any of their kids to join the sport. They say that Grubgby brought out the worst in people. Her girlfriend, Bo, didn't want her to join the team because of Boscha.
Skara wrote it off as them being protective, as she was part of a fugitive family. However, she would be naive to say that they weren't wrong. Despite how long they've been friends, Boscha was always a mean girl and a queen bee. Grudgby season, however, was when she was at her worst.
The girl shook her head and slapped her cheeks with a smile. "Alright, let's go win!" She exclaimed, turning around and running out of the room.
However, she ran back up and kissed her great-grandmother on the head.
"By grandma!" She then left the room again. "I'll pick you up a hairy-pop!"
"Don't worry about me! I've already got one," Alice said, pulling out a giant lollipop that had some bits of hair on it. She laughed before shoving the lollipop in her mouth, licking and sucking on it like crazy. Making a lot of gagging sounds.
Skara smiled at her great-grandmother with an uncomfortable smile. That woman sure did love her hairy-pops.
She descended the stairs and ran into the kitchen.
"Bye, Mom and Dad!" She greeted her parents. Her mother, Kimberly, was wearing a suit and tie. Her father, Willy, was cleaning the dishes with an apron on.
With her backpack on, Skara kissed her little brother, Gray, on the head and ran out the door.
"Dinner's pizza!" Willy called out to her before the door closed. He sighed. "I hope that girl knows what she's getting herself into."
"She'll be fine. They've made many changes to the rules since we've played it," Kimberly said, walking up behind her husband and kissing him on the cheek.
"It's not so much the game. It's her friend. I never like her hanging out with that punk," Willy said, frowning at the thought of his daughter being influenced by Boscha.
Kimberly sighed and looked down, silently agreeing with her husband. Her mothers, Eden and Rebecca, were lovely people. At the same time, Boscha was the apple that fell far from the tree. However, even since Amity Blight's birthday party, they have been best friends. She didn't want her daughter to lose those friends. However, Kimberly had been a star player herself, so she knew just how much being a Grudgby player could change a person for the worse.
"No worries, she'll be fine," she said, trying to stay positive. "She's not just a Foxbat, but a Bridges. She'll do the right thing."
"I hope so," her husband said. Then he summoned a spear. "Welp, time to go hunt down a pizza."
Skara joined Boscha, along with her other teammates, Amelia and Cat. Together, they formed a V-formation and walked through the streets of Boneborough together. Boscha walked in front of them, dribbling a Grudgby ball with her eyes closed with a smug smirk on her face. They passed by several mesmerized onlookers. All of them looked at the captain of the school's team with amazement.
"There she goes, captain of the Banshees," said one old woman, "off to win another championship for Hexside."
The old woman next to her turned to her grandchild. "Why can't you be more like her?"
Her grandchild breathed in deeply with an annoyed expression.
Soon the Banshees approached Hexside. The school was decorated with blue and yellow flags and streamers. As the team approached, a spell activated that made a banner magically unfurl over the school. On it was "Go get 'em, Banshees!"
The team stopped just a couple of feet from the door. Boscha spun the ball on her finger and threw it away over her shoulder. "Alright, girls. You know the drill. Captain goes first," she said, approaching the doors.
Grabbing both handles, Boscha threw the door open and entered the school. Announcing her entrance to everyone. "Hello, Hexside! Your star has arrived. The groveling line starts here," she said, pointing to the floor before her feet.
However, when she opened her eyes, Boscha was confused.
"Something's not right…Nobody's here!"
The halls of the school were utterly barrow. Only a few balloons and some streamers were there.
The triclops was about to yell again for everyone to come out and give her the attention she wanted. However, she was stopped by the sound of students laughing from a distance.
Boscha peered around a corner, spotting a crowd of students gathered around a student. Narrowing her eyes, she was shocked and appalled to see it was Willow—who was holding a potted plant—getting all the attention.
"No way!" said one student from the Potions Track. "Do me next. Do me!"
Happy to oblige, Willow used her magic on the plant, which was little more than a stick. The plant sprouted a fruit looking like the potion student's face.
The student took it and held it like a baby. "Welcome to the world, little buddy. You're the coolest, Willow," he said.
Willow blushed and said, "Aw, shucks!"
Then a student with a bird-like head exclaimed. "Yeah, Willow rules!"
Oh no, this will not do. Boscha will not have a weak half-a-witch like the plant witch. Recomposed herself and gathered her posse. With hands in her pockets, she walked by Willow and the other students.
"Wow, she has to make friends out of plants. How sad," she said snidely.
Skara laughed with the other girls on the Banshee team. However, she stopped when she caught a glimpse of someone.
Bo was among those who wanted to see Willow's magic. The black girl's girlfriend glared at her with a look of disappointment and turned her head away. Skara looked away in shame, unable to say anything at the moment.
As for Willow, she was embarrassed by the bully. However, that was when Amity entered the fray. "Oh, please!" The green-haired witch caught up with her 'best friends' and walked beside Boscha. "You know, I used to be like you, Boscha, obsessed with status, challenging my competition. But I grew up. When will you?"
Amity walked ahead, leaving Boscha standing where she'd stopped. The triclop was utterly stunned by Amity's words. She was supposed to be on her side. Not that loser! To make matters worse for her, the crowd of students laughed at her.
Humiliation to herself was something Boscha never stood for. This was the month she was supposed to be the most loved and feared by all. She was the star captain of the team. And yet the maroon-haired girl was being laughed at by low-lives, all because her friend stood up for a loser like Willow.
Willow was a nobody and a failure. That's how it was supposed to be. But ever since beginning in the Plant Track, she's gotten much stronger. And with that strength came popularity and attention. Popular and attention that shouldn't have been hers.
In Boscha's mind, Willow was stealing her thunder.
"Oh, this is not gonna fly," Boscha said, gritting her teeth. It was time that Willow was reminded of where her place was in her school.
{Play music: Into the Badlands theme}
As the portal gate opens, the camera zooms in on it.
Booker and Luz are seen in the sky. They opened their eyes, only to realize they were falling, which caused them to freak out before something zoomed past them and caught them. Booker and Luz opened their eyes, with Luz behind her friend and holding his arm while Booker held onto the staff to stay on. The two kids saw they were saved by Eda, who smirked at the duo as they flew to her house on her Palisman staff.
The door where Hooty was opened up as Luz and Booker stepped outside, with Luz twirling and posing with Eda's staff while Booker drew his Dragon's Bite sword he got recently and did his own pose. But then Eda took her staff back with an amused grin while Luz gave a sheepish smile, and Booker looked amused. King popped up in front of them in a pose.
A Boiling Isle mural is seen as Gus, Willow, and Amity are seen briefly before it burns away to show King commanding an army of stuffed toys, which all fall on him. The scene burned away again, showing Booker standing under a spotlight with grief written on his face as the fire was seen all around him. Silhouettes appear as they take the shape of a man with pointed ears, a human woman, and six children with slightly pointy ears. The fire consumed them.
Now Booker and Luz were on Eda's staff, with Luz riding up front like she was driving and Booker standing behind like he was surfing on a surfboard. They zoom down the Boiling Isles, past many friends and foes alike, until Eda and King join in on the ride... then they hang on for dear life as a massive, monstrous worm-like monster, mouth wide open, lunges at them. Everyone, minus Booker, screamed in horror, as the latter looked brave and defiant towards the monster as he pointed his sword towards it.
Then the scene changes back to the Owl House, where it's nighttime, and stars twinkle in the sky as the four are on the roof and looking up into the sky. Luz opens her hands to reveal a ball of light as Booker's hands glow, and a glyph-like symbol appears on the back of his hands.
He grinned and slammed his hands together, causing light magic to burst from his hands. That's when the title appeared.
The Seventh Son
Chapter Fifteen:
Wing it like Witches
The next day, Booker, Eda, and Luz flew in on Eda's staff and saw how Hexisde was in the full spirit of the Grudgby season. Now fireworks were going off all around the school, and the kids wore their school's team colors.
The Owl Lady landed on the brick road, which was repaired in record time after their battle with Holmes, the fraud inventor. Booker and Luz hopped off and took a look around. "Well, this is it. Our first Grudgby season!" Booker exclaimed, pumping his fists with an excited smile. "Crazy colors, fireworks, cheerleaders!"
Knowing he was referring to her, the Dominican girl blushed.
"W-Well, maybe not this year. But I'm so excited; I have more school spirit than the school spirits!" Luz screamed with more excitement than her crush.
Booker looked at her with a smile. However, he then cringed and sucked air through his teeth.
"What?"
The Seventh Son, wearing his beanie hat and color-changing contact lenses, pointed to a stereotypical ghost floating next to Luz, holding a pair of black pom-poms. "Why do I even bother?" The ghost threw its pom-poms on the ground, groaned, and floated away.
"We're sorry!" Booker called out to it.
"Ah, Grudgby season is the best," Eda said, looking at the blue and gold banners with pride, gesturing to herself. "You know, your father and I used to play back in our gory days."
"The expression is 'glory' days," Booker told his aunt.
"Well, that too. It's all the same. We were unstoppable on the field. Mal had the best moves, and I…had the best cheats!" Eda said with her cunning smile and a hand under her chin.
Booker sighed in annoyance. "Of course you do."
"What?" Eda asked, offended.
"Cheating isn't anything to brag about, Eda," Luz said. "How do you know you were any good if all you did was cheat your way to victory?"
"Oh, like you're one to talk!" Booker said, glaring at her. "After you copied off my math test last year and got me in trouble? I got two weeks of detention, man!"
"I-I'm not good with math!" Luz said, flustered.
"That's just your human side talking, Booker. What do humans know? With their goody-goody attitude? If 'cheaters never prosper,' why was I the star player," Eda questioned.
Booker was going to protest but stopped himself. He sighed and shook his head. "You can't reason with crazy, so why bother?" He said.
Before heading off to class, Booker pulled a sleeping King out of his hood.
"Aw~Bye, King, you little snoozers." Luz kissed King's head.
Booker put him on the staff as he woke up. Then the Dominican girl grabbed Booker's, and the two ran towards the school.
Wanting a new place to nap, King scurried into Eda's hair. "Ugh. Eda, when was the last time you cleaned up in here?" he complained. His arm threw a bag of onion rings from Eda's hair. Then the little demon pulled out a rat with an eye on its back. "Get your own scalp, buddy. This one's taken."
King threw the rat before snuggling into the mane of gray hair.
"All this talk of Grudgby has me feeling nostalgic. Whaddya say you and I take a little trip down memory lane?" Eda asked her long-time companion
"Hard pass."
"That's the spirit."
"You mean me?" The ghost from before floated up to her.
"Ugh. Come on!" Eda flew away.
Ghost was once again sad. "Oh."
The first class of the day was history. Booker and Luz sat with Willow and Gus in the classroom as the teacher lectured about the Emperor himself. "Over 50 years ago, Emperor Belos appointed a head witch to each coven," he said while some students looked bored.
However, Booker toned out the teacher. With his fingers locked and his mouth hiding behind his hands, the Seventh Son glared at the witch that destroyed his family and ruined their lives. If it were possible, Booker would be burning through the mask of the Emperor with the intensity of his hatred.
"Booker, are you listening?" Luz looked at her best friend worriedly when she saw the glare. Hearing her voice, however, snapped him out of his state.
"Huh?" Booker turned to Luz. "Oh, sorry. Did you say something?"
"I was saying that I can't wait for grudgby season to start! I've studied all sorts of magical sports. Like this," Luz said, holding up a DVD case. "Good Witch Azura and the Dark One 2: The Field of Deadly Fates. A classic underdog tale."
Willow took the DVD case and read the description on the back. "Azura and Dominic challenge Hecate in the Smibbitch championship. But will she risk it all by taking a chance on the deadly Thorn Vault, or will her need to win drive Dominic away?"
"You know that movie sucks ass, right?" Booker said, reaching over and grabbing the DVD case.
"It does not!" Luz snatched the case out of his hand.
"It follows nothing from the book. It completely ruined Dominic's character and made Azura a stereotypical sports movie protagonist," Booker said, taking back the case and opening it.
Seeing the shiny DVD, Gus reached for it. "Ooh, a shiny cookie." He was about to touch it when Booker snapped the case shut on his fingers. Making him pull back his hand. "Ouch!"
"Not food," Booker said.
The friends turned back to the snake teacher as he continued with his lecture. "The council headquarters was built and paid for by...? Anyone? Willow?"
With 50% certainty, Willow stood up and said, "Uh, the Pixie Dust Taxes?"
"Whoo, yeah! Go, Willow!" Cheered the same bird student from the hall outside.
The teacher quickly drew a spell circle and shut the door. He turned back to Willow and said, "Impressive, Miss Park."
The students all started murmuring in admiration, making the plant girl blush adorably as she sat down.
"What's going on? It's like all of Hexside's caught Willow fever!" Luz said.
"Yeah, you've really made a name for yourself," Booker said, smiling.
"Ever since I patched things up with Amity, I've been feeling more confident," said Willow, gesturing to the flower-shaped hair clip she's wearing. "I guess it shows."
However, the moment wasn't about to last. The hair clip started glowing green before being levitated off Willow's head and flowed behind the group of friends.
Right into Boscha's hand. "Aw, Willow thinks she's popular now. How cute," she said mockingly as Skara and the other team members sat with her.
While Willow looked down, Booker glared at the bullies and his cousin murderously. Seeing him look at her like that made Skara slink in her seat. "Hey, I agree. My friend is adorable," Luz said, standing up. "But give that back!"
Luz tried grabbing for the hair clip. However, Boscha pulled her hand back. "It's weird that Amity hangs out with you and a filthy hybrid now. Ever since Grom, she's gone soft. But don't worry," she said, putting the clip in her hair. "I'm still here to show you who's boss."
With his natural eyes glowing behind his contacts' pupils, Booker slowly stood up. Though faint, there was a gold aura coming from his body. He glared down at Boscha as his friends got up and backed away from him.
"Give it back," he said, trying to be as calm and reasonable as possible. "Give. It. Back."
"Or what?" Boscha asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'll rip the flesh from your bones!" Booker growled.
Skara and her team looked scared at the Seventh Son, knowing he could do it with his powers. They've seen him lose control, and the last thing they wanted was to cross him.
Boscha, however, drunk on her own popularity, wasn't afraid and stood up to get into Booker's face. "You better watch who you're talking to, Seventh Son," said the bully with a smug look.
Staring into Booker's hate-filled eyes. With a smirk, she swiped off Booker's hat, letting his golden locks free.
"Yeah, that's right. I know what you are, hybrid freak."
"Then you should know what I'm capable of," Booker said.
"What? You think you're something? You're a loser, just like your friends. So you and that little bitch Willow better know your fucking placing in my hierarchy. If not, I can make your lives at this school absolutely miserable—"
Suddenly, Booker used his light magic to form a giant hand that slammed Boscha into the wall and held her against it. This alerted everyone in the room, who were all shocked to see their Grudgby team captain being overpowered.
"Hey, hey! How dare you harm our captain of the Banshees—!" The teacher started but was cut off when Booker snapped his head around to glare at him from over his shoulder. Some of his magic radiated off his arms, giving him a menacing appearance.
The snake witch yelped and hid behind his desk.
Boscha grunted as she tried pulling herself away from the magic hand. Glaring at Booker for daring to humiliate her, Boscha was about to use her magic when plant vines burst from the wall and pinned her fingers together. "You little—" She was shut in the mouth by an ice spell that muzzled her. The Banshees look at their captain in shock.
"Booker, that's enough!" Luz grabbed his arm to try and pull him away.
"Not yet," Booker said and walked up to Boscha. Glaring at her hatefully as the triclops looked almost afraid of him. Then, however, instead of hurting her, he reached up and plucked the hairpin out of Boscha's hair.
As he turned around and walked away, Booker released his hold on Boscha, and she fell to the ground. Her team quickly rushed over to her while she couched on her hands and knees.
"Here you go, Willow," said the Seventh Son, placing the hairpin on the plant girl's hair before disappearing.
Skara and Amelia helped Boscha stand up. "This isn't over, you freak!" Boscha screamed, pointing at Booker with a furious glare. "I'll make your stay at this school so bad you'll be hanging yourself in the bathrooms by the end of the week!"
Boscha threw the door open and marched out of the classroom in fury as her teammates followed behind. Leaving the classroom in shock as to what had just happened.
"Booker, that was a little uncool," Luz said, looking at her friend in slight disappointment.
"She'll live," Booker said bitterly. "Willow, why didn't you do anything? You could have wiped the floor with her?"
Willow sighed and sat down in her chair. "What difference does it make? Now you're going to be the target."
"Yeah? Let her try and pick on me," Booker said, sitting down and crossing his arms. Boscha was a bully, and the Seventh Son hated bullies. "I've had to deal with people like her all my life. If I can make all my other bullies stop picking on me, I'll do it again with her. And if she wants to play rough, I'll play rough."
Willow, however, wasn't so sure. Booker doesn't know Boscha as she did. There was no reasoning with her. She had never fought back before, fearing retaliation would result in terrible consequences.
And now her fears were about to come true.
Once class was over, Skara was seen grabbing her things from her locker. Alone and away from Boscha's fuming and ranting about how she would get back at her cousin. Leaving Skara with a dilemma. Now that Booker had gotten on Boscha's bad side in a way she'd never seen before, what would she do?
Her head told her to stay loyal to Boscha as she was her best friend. To not let her know they were cousins and to protect her family full of outlaws and wanted wild witches.
Her heart was telling her to stop the bullying. Booker was her family, one of the last of her mom's side of the family. She couldn't just stand by and let him be bullied. However, Boscha would then turn on the black girl and make her life and the lives of her cousins miserable.
"Damnit, Booker, why did you have to do that?" Skara whispered.
"Because he's tired of Boscha's bullshit," said a familiar voice.
Skara turned around and was surprised to see Amity standing behind her. Her expression displayed her disappointment as she crossed her arms.
"As am I," Amity said.
Skara turned around and crossed her arms. "Oh, look who it is," she said bitterly. "Where's your boyfriend and girlfriend?"
Amity suddenly grabbed Skara by her cowl and pulled her close to her face. "Boyfriend? Girlfriend?! Who said that? Was it them? Did they want to be a couple with me?!" Amity exclaimed in excitement and fear.
However, realizing what she was doing, she blushed brightly in embarrassment.
"...I've said too much."
Skara cautiously removed Amity's hands from her clothes. "What does it matter to you? You'd rather hang out with those losers than with your friends," she said, turning back to her lock to organize it.
"I'd rather hang out with my friends than Boscha." Amity corrected her black friend, getting back to the topic. "Especially after the way she treats people. The way she treats your cousin."
Skara's eyes widened for a moment. "Is that what this is about?" asked the witch as she turned around again. "We get it. You and Willow are friends again."
"It's more than just Willow," Amity insisted. "It's everything, Skara. You're better than this. You're a great friend, but Boscha doesn't see that. She just sees a pawn. That's all we are to her."
"That's not true!" Skara quickly denied it.
Amity sighed. "Come on, Skara. You're smarter than this," Amity said, gesturing to her. "You know what Boscha's like. Even if she did see us as real friends now, what's to stop her from throwing us away when better friends come along? Do you think messing with people and putting them down is fun?"
For a moment, Skara paused as she tried to come up with a response. "W-Well, she's not the same as she used to be when we were kids. Remember how bad she was?" Skara asked, smiling.
"Yeah, and she's getting worse. You know how she is around this time of year. And now that Booker stood up to her, your cousin isn't safe. Even if you tried to defend him or talk her out of it."
Skara scoffed and waved off the green-haired witch. "Don't worry. It's not like she can follow them around all day, right?"
Skara was proven to be very wrong when she and Amity found Booker on Hexside's front steps.
He was sitting with Gus, Luz, and Willow, and they were all covered in trash, and their faces were graffitied with insults. "She followed us around all day," Luz said, traumatized. "She literally followed us around all day!"
Amity whispered to Skara, "See what I mean?"
"W-Well, it's not…that bad?" Skara said, shrugging with a nervous smile.
Finally having enough of Skara turning her back on him for Boscha, Booker stood up. "Alright, that's it! Why the hell are you even still her friend?!" He shouted at his cousin, making Skara back up from him. "Huh?! Tell me, cousin!"
"Booker, relax," Luz yelled, grabbing him from behind.
Still sitting, Willow sighed in misery. "I'm really sorry I pulled you guys into this. We should have just kept a low profile. Boscha could get away with murder if she wanted to."
It was at that moment that Principal Bump came walking down the stairs. "What's this? Boscha got away with murder? I can't say I approve, but at least she's trying new things," he said before leaving. Leaving Booker in disbelief.
"Alright, that does it!" Booker threw his arms up. "I'm gonna teach that bully a lesson!"
He turned to walk back into the school to introduce Boscha to Dragon's Bite. However, he was stopped by Amity grabbing his hand.
"Booker, I know you want to do something. Believe me, this time of year, she's extra unbearable," she said, blushing as she held his hand. "But killing her wouldn't make the situation better."
Booker blushed, too, thinking about how pretty her eyes were.
"Well, what about you two?" He said to Skara, whose eyes widened. "You two are her best friends. Can't you get her to back off? No one will do anything about it because she's the 'Star Captain of the Grudgby Team.'"
Still blushing, Amity backed up and averted her eyes from him. "Uh, the hard part is, there's no reasoning with Boscha," she said, holding her books tightly to her chest.
"W-Well, not always," Skara said, still trying to defend her friend's actions while rubbing her arm. "She only speaks in Grudgby terms…."
Booker sighed in annoyance. However, Luz seemed to have gotten an idea.
"Hmm. Okay, okay. I'm pickin' up what you're puttin' down," she said.
Not understanding what she meant, Amity and Skara looked down. The former stared at the books she was holding while the latter examined her shoes. "We're... not putting anything down," said Amity.
"It's a figure of speech, Ams," Booker said.
Suddenly, Booker yelled in shock as a pie of trash fell from above his head onto him.
"Booker!" His friends yelled as the Seventh Son was covered in junk. The sudden dumping got the attention of the other students, who gathered around, watching.
"Booker! What happened?" Willow asked, worried.
"I'll give you three guesses," Booker replied with a growl as he turned around. Looking up to see a trash can hovering over him before returning to the person that had used the levitation spell.
"Hey, Booker!" Boscha shouts from the top of the stairway. "Thought the trash should stay in one place."
Booker growls while tightening his fists. "That's... it! HEY BITCHA!" Boscha looks down at the hybrid with an amused yet questioning look. "GET DOWN HERE! I'M TAKING YOU DOWN!" He drew Dragon's Bite and pointed the blade at Boscha.
"Oh? And what are you going to do? Kill me?" Boscha asked with a smirk as she pulled out Booker's bounty poster. "If you try and do anything to me again, I can just go to the Emperor's Cover. That's a lot of money to live off of."
"W-Wait, Boscha. That's a little too extreme, right?" Skara asked her best friend. Trying to reason with her.
"Excuse me? Whose friend are you? Mine or his?" Boscha asked angrily. This made Skara nervous, so she quickly backed down. "So do as you're told and back off. End of discussion!"
"Don't you talk to her like that, you stupid bitch!" Booker snapped at the bitch.
"Or what?!" Boscha yelled back at him. Furious that he was still defying her. Why wouldn't he just stay down like a dog?
"Or else I—"
Luz suddenly pulled Booker in from the side and pointed at Boscha with a glare of determination. "HE'LL CHALLENGE YOU TO A GRUDGBY MATCH!"
Her declaration made everyone in the area gasp in total shock and astonishment.
"What?!" Boscha shouted.
"What?!" Booker, Willow, and Gus shouted.
Meanwhile, at the Owl House. After pulling out the box she kept her old Grudgby equipment, Eda slipped on her old Grudgby jacket. Happy to find that it still fits her. Sitting on the couch, she picked up a photo album and opened it. Showing all of her gory day photos to King.
"And here's when we took down Epiderm High in the semi-finals," Eda said, pointing to a photo of her younger self holding a trophy. With her was her old flame, Malcolm Bridges. The best player on the team and was an absolute powerhouse. "Oh, me and Mal were the youngest on the team. He was the most powerful, but I had what some call 'star power.' AKA, this."
The Owl Lady reached in and pulled a box out from her hair labeled 'Eda's Rad Cheats.'
"This is my cheat box. I have all my best weapons here. Smoke bombs, sockworms..." Eda kissed her box like it was a baby she was proud of. "I never lost a game with Mal and this bad boy."
All of a sudden, the door slammed open.
Hooty entered and said, "Hoot-hoot! Guess who found a special friend in the forest." He answered his own question by bringing in the person he was talking about, wrapped up in his elongated body. "It was me. Hoot!"
Hooty released the person he'd captured, who fell to the floor. And it was the one person Eda had wanted to see—so she could rip them apart.
"Lilith." Eda glared at her sister, stuffing the box into her hair.
"Edalyn." Lilith glared back at her.
Hooty popped up between them. "Hooty!
"Ugh. Scram, Hooty," Eda said, standing a few feet from her sister.
"Okay!" Hooty's body retracted back into the front door, which promptly slammed shut.
Not sure what to make of the owl….thing, Lilith turned back to her sister. "Why are you in your old uniform?" She asked.
"Shut up!" Eda summoned Owlbert and turned him into his staff form. Glaring at her sister with hatred. "You've got a lot of nerves coming around here," Eda growled, pointing her staff at Lilith as the owl Palismen's eyes glowed.
This shocked Lilith. "Whoa, easy. Is there any reason for such aggression?" asked the head of the Emperor's Coven.
"Oh yeah? Well, was there any reason why you attacked Booker and York's family?!" Eda yelled, jamming the staff into Lilith's chest.
The other woman was shocked at first. But seeing that it was only natural for the Seventh Son to tell her, Lilith sighed and looked at her sister with a neutral expression. "So, he told you about that?"
"Oh, he told me a lot. So, you're going to tell me what the fuck you're doing in my house," Eda said, glaring with disdain.
Seemingly unfazed by her sister's harsh treatment, Lilith used her magic to summon a scroll into her hand. It unrolled into an extremely long list. Lilith then cleared her throat and started reading. "Edalyn Clawthorne, you are hereby under arrest, by order of the Emperor of the Boiling Isles—"
Eda smirked and tapped the scroll with her finger. Her magic caused it to roll up and smack Lilith in the face.
"You were saying?" Eda gave her sister a smug look.
Frustrated by her sister's immaturity, Lilith stomped her foot. "Come on! I have to bring you in. It's time for you to join the coven," she said, pointing at her sister. "And it's time for you to hand over the Seventh Child to the Emperor."
"Yeah, that's not going to happen," Eda said, crossing her arms.
"This isn't up for discussion, Edalyn. The Emperor—" Lilith was cut off when Eda got in her face.
"You are my sister. That's the only reason I haven't killed you. And this is me being nice, sister. So shut your cock-holster, and listen to me when I tell you this: Booker is off-limits. His family is off-limits. Whatever is going on with us has nothing to do with him. Stay away from him. I will never allow you or Belos to take him away from me," Eda said with dead seriousness. Staring into her sister's eyes with a fire in hers. Letting Lilith know that she wasn't joking around. Not when it comes to the boy she's come to view as a son. The Owl Lady would declare war on the Demon Realm if she had to so that boy could live a happy life.
Lilith looked at her sister in shock. Never once thinking that she would threaten to kill her. She remained silent until Eda turned around and returned to the coffee table.
"You would really defy the Emperor for some boy that isn't even a part of our family?" She asked incredulously, unable to believe it.
Eda scoffed. "He's more family than you've been. Do you even know why Belos wants Booker?"
"I don't know, and I don't care," Lilith said coldly. "It's time to stop acting like a child and be your real family. The Emperor has big plans for the Isles and wants you to be a part of it all." Rolling her eyes, Eda picked up the photo album and started flipping through it.
"Ooh, Aah. What an incredible opportunity for me," Eda said sarcastically. "I might be willing to sell out kids, but not my kids."
Lilith glared at her. "What are you even looking at?" She demanded to know before grabbing the photo album from Eda. Needless to say, she was amazed. "Grudgby pictures? Feeling sentimental?"
"Pah! Me? Never. I was just telling King here how good I was," Eda elated as she summoned a Grudgby ball.
Lilith chuckled. "Oh, Edalyn. Not only is the curse affecting your hair, but your memory as well," she said, holding up the picture of young Eda and Mal.
That's when she unfolded it to reveal her younger self leaning against a giant Grudgby trophy and several medals around her neck.
Eda groaned. That's why she folded that photo. However, looking at her jacket was when an idea formed in her head. "Ah, tell you what. I'll go with you peacefully to the Emperor…."
Lilith gasped and smiled with excitement. "Really?
"Sure. If you beat me at a game of Grudgby," Eda said. "Luz is always challenging people to do things. Why not me?"
Lilith thought about it for a moment until she smiled again. "Alright, but if I win, you not only come with me. You'll hand over Booker."
Eda growled angrily at her sister. Damnit, she was not letting him go. Her heart told her not to take the deal, then blast Lilith out of her house and put up a barrier to keep her out. Maybe move the house. However, Eda was a gambler and saw a chance to get some answers.
"Alright, you want to bring Booker into this? Fine. If I win, you not only leave us alone, but I want the truth, Lilith," Eda said, getting up into Lilith's face, glaring daggers into her eyes. "I want to know if you were there when Belos slaughtered Mal's brothers, their families, and their children and babies. I want to know if you have their blood on your hands and if I should consider killing you. Eye for an eye, bitch."
Lilith was deeply shocked by Eda's demand, especially with the threat of killing her. Her own sister, after everything she's been trying to do for Eda. She should be grateful for what Lilith was trying to do for her. But at the same time, this will be the closest Lilith will ever get to bringing Eda in. She had no other options.
"Game on."
"Luz, what the fuck are you doing?!" Booker yelled, grabbing Luz by the shoulders and shaking her.
"You heard what Skara said. Boscha only speaks in Grudgby," Luz said, trying to convince Booker to get on board with her idea. "Trust me. I have a plan."
"No! No, no, no! You don't get to make plans! Your plans suck!" Booker shouted before turning to see that Boscha was standing in front of him and his friends. The other Banshees were behind her. Skara, regrettably, chose to walk over and join their side.
"Okay, maybe it's the altitude, but I thought I heard you say that this low life wanted to challenge me to a Grudgby match," Boscha said, pointing to Booker.
"Shut up, bitch!" Booker snapped.
"That's right! We'll settle this once and for all on the field," Luz said, pushing Booker behind her with a confident smirk.
"Uh, could you give us a moment?" Booker said, facepalming. He pulled Luz and the others aside. "Luz, again, what the fuck are you doing?"
"Helping you take down Boscha," Luz said, rolling her eyes as if it was the most obvious thing.
"No, you're getting me in a bad situation. Just all those other times," Booker said, glaring at her with frustration.
"How else are you going to fight her? You heard Boscha. You can't fight her directly. Not without her going to the Emperor's Coven and reporting you. This way, you can knock her off her pedestal and not get arrested," Luz explained to her best friend. Hoping that he'd see it her way, just like in the second Acura and the Dark One movie.
"Or we could just talk about our issues," Willow said, hoping to avoid being drawn into a fight with her bully.
"And then what?" Luz asked, looking at her friend with a frown. "Boscha will never stop. She'll continue to get worse, and you'll just suffer."
All that said, Booker thought for a moment and considered his options. On the one hand, he hated how Luz was putting him in another dangerous situation, all because she wanted to live out her fantasies. But his first crush was right. Boscha had to be taken down, and he wanted to be the one to do it. But with the threat of the Emperor's Coven being alert about his presence at the school, he couldn't just attack and beat her up. Meaning he had to play Boscha on her playing field.
He exhaled a sigh and turned around to face the three-eyed girl. "Alright, what do you say, Bitcha?
The triclops threw her head back and laughed out loud. "You can't be serious," Boscha said. Looking as if she had just heard something ridiculous.
"I am," Booker says as the other students gather around. "We'll settle this once. One game, anything goes."
Everyone watching muttered it to one another, shocked to see someone would challenge the Banshee's captain.
Boscha smirked with confidence. "Let's do this."
"Oh no..." Willow whimpered.
"When and where," asked the Seventh Son.
"After school, at the field," Boscha said.
"If we win, you don't get to pick on Willow or anyone anymore," Booker said.
Boscha glared at him. "Fine, but when we win, you and your team must be our water gophers."
"Heh, that's not even a punishment. Luz loves water."
"It's true," Luz said with a nod.
"And... we get to use you as target practice."
Boscha threw the ball she held in the air and kicked it so hard that it punched a hole through a tree. The walls of the hole were scorched and smoking. Luz, Willow, and Gus looked incredibly scared at the hole. Staring in horror as they saw the tree collapse under its weight and tumble over. Crashing to the ground as the mental image of their heads being in the tree's place filled their subconscious.
Booker, however, looked at Boscha unamused.
"Was that supposed to intimidate us?" He asked, making her eyes widen. "Because anything you choose to throw at us, we can take it, and then some. Why? Because we're not scared of bratty jock bitch you."
Luz and Amity couldn't help but blush at how brave their best friend and crush were.
Boscha gritted her teeth and glared at the hybrid, mad at the insult and that he was not intimidated. But that's when she widens her eyes like she remembered something. Something that happened during Grom made her lips curl up into a malicious smile. Her mind formed a cruel idea that would get her the reaction the triclops wanted.
"Anything?..." Boscha said
"Anything." Booker raised up a fist.
"Does that also include... This?!" Boscha opened her hand and created a basketball-sized fireball.
The pupils in Booker's eyes shrank before the Seventh Son gasped and stiffened with fear. Flashes of that day and Grom assaulted his memory. Booker began to hyperventilate and took a step back. Something that made Boscha very happy to see.
"What's the matter," Boscha asked, moving the fireball up to him, increasing his anxiety. "Scared of a little fire?
After a moment of remaining still, Booker couldn't take it anymore, and his anxiety won over his will. The Seventh Son turned and ran away to the other side of the school.
"Booker, wait!" Luz shouted as she, Willow, Amity, and Gus ran after him.
"See you and your loser team after school! If you're not too busy being a coward!" Boscha calls out before laughing at her cruel actions. Skara remained silent, wanting to help Booker, but she knew she couldn't.
When Booker stopped running, he was standing on the left side of the school building. He stood with his hand on his knees, huffing with sweat running down his face.
"Booker!" Luz and Amity exclaimed as both girls, Willow and Gus, ran over to him. Extremely worried for their crush.
"God dammit!" yelled the Seventh Son, punching the wall in frustration and embarrassment. "I'm gonna break that girl's face!"
"But I thought you were no longer afraid of fire," Gus said.
"Yeah, but only my fire! I'm still trying to figure this out!" Booker argued before turning his attention to Luz. "Well, Luz, once again, you got us all into another fucked up situation."
"Hey, you're the one that agreed to go along with it," Luz said, frowning.
"It doesn't matter, Luz," Amity said disapprovingly at her friend. "This isn't a good idea. You're talking about going up against someone that lives, breathes, and sleeps Grudgby."
"But Booker's the better witch," Luz said, pulling out her movie again. "I don't know much about sports, but I know about sports movies. We, too, are a ragtag team of lovable misfits joined together to defeat a powerful enemy. We can win with a little team spirit and…a training montage!"
After she'd finished her speech with a beaming smile that usually would fill Booker's heart with joy, the Seventh Son looked at his friend in disbelief. "Was that supposed to be inspiring?" He asked, much to Luz's surprise.
"...W-Well…yes."
"Then you need to get your head examined!" Booker shouted, pointing at her in anger. Luz was startled by him, never usually seeing him this upset with her motivational speeches. "I want to kick Boscha's ass as much as you, but this isn't a movie, Luz! You have to learn the difference between reality and wanting to play out your Azura fantasies!"
"He's right," Willow said. "In case you forgot, we don't know how to play Gurdgby. We've only got a few hours! Who can teach us how to play in that short amount of time?"
"I can."
The four friends turned their heads to look at Amity in shock.
"You?" asked Booker.
"I used to play. A long time ago," Amity said, approaching Booker with a frown.
"That's right, you used to be the captain before Boscha," Willow said, shocking Booker and Luz.
"Really?!" Luz looked at the green-haired witch with wide eyes, making Amity blush with embarrassment. The human girl's fangirl side came out as she said, "Then you can be our coach character. A person that quit the game for personal—likely tragic—reasons before returning to help the team of misfits in their quest to win the championship! This team can definitely work!"
Booker frowned with his arms crossed. This was a horrible plan, and there was no way Luz's fantasy was coming true. On the other hand, he thought for a moment and figured that if Amity could teach them the basics, at the very least, they may have a shot at taking down Boscha.
"Alright, I'm in," he said.
"We'll need four players," Amity said, turning to Gus and Willow.
Willow looked away as she pondered for a moment. "Well, if you're willing to teach us, then I'm in," she said, smiling at her best friend.
"In seasons past," Gus began, holding up a pair of flags, "these flags have waved in support of Grudgby greats. Now they will wave for the greatest: Me!" With stars in his eyes and a heart filled with determination, the small boy waved his flags with a giant smile.
"Alright, we've got a full team," Booker told Amity.
"Yep, I'm a part of your team," Amity said, chuckling nervously as she looked everywhere but him. "You and Luz. We'll be…running around…in cute uniforms. Sweating!"
"Whoa there, cowgirl! Calm down!" Booker quickly exclaimed. He and Amity were blushing heavily at the mental image the green-haired witch had put in each other's heads. "L-Let's get to how you play the game, okay?"
Cutting classes to prepare for their match, the friends walked to the Grudgby field so Amity could train them. Once on the field, the Blight girl stood before the four friends with her arms behind her back.
"Grudgby is one of the Boiling Isles' oldest and most important games. It is a game of strategy, magic, and brutality," she told the group. Amity grabbed a ball from a large basket filled with them to demonstrate. "The goal of the game is to score as many points as possible by getting the ball through the other team's goal." Amity pointed to one of the yellow triangle goals.
"That sounds easy," Luz said with her hands on her hips.
"It is, except…." Willow conjured a leaf and blew it onto the field.
The moment it lands on the ground, the leaf is quickly ripped to shreds by fire, vines, ice shards, and rock spikes that emerge from the field.
Booker and Luz stare in horror and terror. "Oh, right. Boiling Isles," the Seventh Son mumbled.
"And then there's this," Amity said, pulling an object from her pocket. Opening her hand, Amity presented what appeared to be a golden beetle with six black legs and two black arms with a teal circle and a black pentagon in the middle of said circle.
"Aw~, who's this little fella?" Booker asked, rubbing the beetle on its shell with his finger. The insect clicked its pincers in approval.
"This is the Rusty Smidge," Amity said. "The rule is simple: if it's caught by one of the teams, they automatically win. It's…pretty much the same for all magic sports."
Booker nodded, thinking of it like the Golden Snitch. However, Luz had a problem and would not stay silent about it. "Are you fucking serious? That just invalidates all our efforts! If catching that thing is so important, why do anything else? There's no reason to watch any of the other players! That's such a stupid rule!"
"Well, if you want to beat Boscha, you're going to have to catch this Smidge," Amity said sternly.
"Right. Let's get this training started!" Booker said, eager to start.
"Wait!" Luz said, stopping the team before they could get started. She then set up her phone and had it play motivational sports music. She put a sweatband on and turned back to the others. "Alright! Every great sports story includes a training montage."
"Luz, a training montage is not going to help us with real training," Booker said, only to get a finger poking his lips.
"Oh, hush!"
Gus raised his hand. "What's a 'mon-tage'?"
"Well…"
And thus began what could only be described as a montage explaining montages. At first, Luz explained to Willow and Gus what a montage was while using a chalkboard. Next, Luz showed the two a football movie on a television. And then, to finish off, for some reason, the three of them have a tea party in animal onesies, with Booker and Amity blushing brightly.
At the end of it, they were back on the field. Luz's friend nearly had whiplashes over what had happened in such a short amount of time.
"Oh, I get it now," Gus said before raising an eyebrow. "Wait, were we just having a tea party in animal jammies?"
"What happens in the montage stays in the montage!" Luz exclaimed.
A moment later, Amity had the team spread out across the field.
"Alright, we're going to start off with a warm-up," Amity said, throwing the Grudgby ball at Booker, Luz, Gus, and Willow.
It hit the ground, and Willow prepared to kick it. However, just before she could swing her foot, a giant tentacle burst from the ground, throwing the ball into the air. Willow caught it before she and the others screamed and ran away. Getting away from the tentacle before it crushed them.
However, just before they could get to safety, a giant hand burst from the ground. The four friends came to a skidding halt and split up in different directions. Gus, unfortunately, was grabbed before he could get away.
Bursting from the ground, flaming Grudgby balls went flying Willow. Following her every moment. Meanwhile, in the stands, Willow's fan watched from the bleachers. "Woo! Go, Willow!" he cheered.
"Willow! Over here!" Booker yelled, waving his hands over his head.
Still running, the plant witch threw the ball toward Booker. Seeing about to fly over his head, Booker ran with the ball. As it came closer, he held out his arms and caught the Grudgby ball like it were a football.
However, a trampoline emerged from the ground, and the Seventh Son ran face-first into it. Launching him backward across the field.
"You'll get 'em next time!" said the bird witch.
Booker landed on the ground next to Amity and Luz. The latter of whom hadn't done anything to help out the team. "Nice of you to join us," Booker said bitterly at his friend and stood up. Panting in exhaustion.
Willow joined them, just as exhausted as Booker after outrunning the fireballs. "I…I need a cup of water," she said. Gus walked up to them and collapsed on the ground.
"You all did…antiquely," Amity said, which was the nicest way of saying that they sucked. But she held in her opinion, given that this was their first time practicing. "Now that you know what to expect from the field, what we should do is—"
She was interrupted when Luz chimed in with her usual beaming grin. "Our big finale! Let's try…" She clapped her hands on a plant glyph and activated it. "The Thorn Vault!"
"Wait, what?" Booker and Amity asked. They both knew that move from Good Witch Azura and the Dark One 2: Field of Deadly Fates.
But while Booker was more confused than scared, his second crush was horrified that Luz would do such a thing. Unwilling to allow history to repeat itself, Amity tried to stop Luz. "Luz, wait! Don't!"
Amity was too late. Luz's fist punched the glyph on the ground, and her spell took effect. Under the ground, roofs and vines dug through the dirt and earth. Stopping under Booker, Willow, and Gus and lifting the ground slightly. However, this was just the beginning, as the three students were launched into the air by a column of thorns. Willow summoned a large plant to break their fall.
While she and Gus landed on it, Booker hit the ground hard. Knocking him out.
…
…
…
…
"Booker!"
…
…
"Booker! Come back to us!" The Seventh Son heard as he started opening his eyes again. Willow and Gus were looking down at him, looking less injured than he was. He was bruised up from the impact, with a large cut bleeding over his left eye.
"Booker! Talk to me, Booker!" Amity screamed as she rushed over and knelt beside him. Luz stood before her, looking shocked and ashamed for hurting her best friend.
Amity used her Abomination goo on the cut to stop the bleeding. Booker sighed as he felt how soft yet cooling Amity's magic felt. "I…I'm fine…" he said before he got up. "Is everyone else okay?"
"Yes, but…" Gus pulled out his flags, which were now snapped in two. "I never should have tried to play. They were always enough for me," he said before breaking down into sobs.
Luz wanted to say something until she got cut off when Amity shot at her. With anger in her eyes, Amity glared heatedly into Luz's eyes. "What the hell were you thinking?!" She screamed into her face, making Luz flinch and step back from her. "Why would you ever think that was okay to do?!"
"I-I-I sorry! I thought that if we did it like in Azura 2, it would have…." Luz trailed off, realizing her response wasn't sitting well with Amity or the others. Especially Booker, from the look in his eyes.
Willow looked down to see her hair clipped. The item was now snapped in half, destroyed during Luz's stunt. Shock, Willow felt around the left side of her head, where it once sat, and felt nothing. At that point, Willow had enough. "Come on, Gus. I have some floral tape in the greenhouse. We'll fix them."
Gus sniffled and said, "Okay."
Willow and the young boy stood and began walking away. Seeing them leave made Luz's eyes widen in shock. "Guys, let's try the Thorn Vault one more time," she said, walking around Amity.
"Luz, stop it," Booker said, his anger boiling.
"But we're the underdogs. We have to stay upbeat and keep trying and—"
"Will you shut up!?" Booker yelled, walking over to her and stopping in front of his best friend.
Everyone around him looked at the Seventh Son in shock. Never once expecting Booker to yell with such fury at Luz, of all people. Luz was just as shocked. Perhaps more so, considering that this was her best friend, who was always so sweet and caring towards her.
"This is exactly what I've been saying all day! All this time, you've been so focused on living out your fantasies that you fail to consider other people! None of this would have happened if you had kept your mouth shut! After all the times I had your back and after all the shit you put me through, I would've thought you would at least learn by now. But no! You just keep getting people you know into bad situations!"
"Booker?" Luz asks, a little hurt. "Wha…what did I do?"
"What did you do? What did you do?!" Booker's anger grew as he listed things off. "You let yourself be bait for Adegast's trap for Eda; you made me have that duel at the convention where I lost control; you got the Slitherbeast mad by stealing Amity's wand; and back home, every time you dragged me into one of your hair-brain schemes, I was the one that would get in trouble the most!" As he yelled at his friend, his markings started appearing on his body.
Luz backed up and said, "Booker, calm down! What's your problem?"
Booker's power radiated from his body in golden flames."YOU ARE MY PROBLEM! YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN MY PROBLEM! HERE AND BACK HOME! EACH AND EVERY CHOICE YOU'VE EVER MADE IS JUST A PROBLEM! THAT I HAVE TO DEAL WITH ON A DAILY BASIS!"
Amity, Willow, and Gus made a loud gasp from the shock of hearing Booker's harsh and mean words. Luz remained still and quiet as Booker continued to glare at her. His golden powers still leaked from his body as he panted from yelling.
As the weight of his words dropped on her heart, Luz's lips began to tremble as tears began to form. Upon seeing her tears, Booker's glare became a look of shock and regret. Realizing what he'd just said, the Seventh Son felt overwhelming guilt. "Luz… I-I didn't…." Booker tried to explain. He wanted to take back what he said. To say he didn't mean it. However, the Seventh Son couldn't work up the courage to talk.
Beginning to sob, she walked away.
"Luz, wait, please!" He wanted to go after. However, Willow and Gus stopped him by standing in front of him.
"Booker, I think you should let us talk to her," Willow said with a frown before leaving to follow Luz. Gus glanced at him with a slight frown, shook his head, and left with his broken flags in hand. The disappointment they felt towards him was evident in their eyes.
Alone, Booker stood still until he let out a depressed sigh and took off his beanie. He then noticed the broken hairpin on the ground. Walking over, the Seventh Son knelt down and gently picked it up.
"What have I done?" Booker said to himself in sorrow as his own tears formed.
Amity walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, I'll get you some water," she said empathically.
Back at the Owl House, the two sisters created a makeshift grudgby field set up in front of the Owl House, using the garbage that the Owl Lady accumulated over the years. Eda and Lilith approached each other from opposite sides, with Eda holding the ball and her sister holding her hands behind her back. Looking all prim and proper as usual.
Hooty stretched himself over to the witch to be between them, wearing a ref's hat and whistle. "You gals ready to hoot? We want a clean game here, so no magic's allowed."
King stood next to a scoreboard, dressed as a cheerleader. "Yes! Now I'll strike fear into my enemies with this armor of intimidation," he yelled, shaking his pom-poms.
Seeing him in his outfit made Eda laugh. "Yeah, 'intimidation armor,'" she said, snorting. Eda turned her attention back to Lilith and spun the Grudgby ball on her finger. "Pushing paper all day might make you a little rusty. I'll try to go easy on you."
When her sister threw the ball at her, Lilith raised her right knee and balanced it on it. "Remember, dear sister," Lilith said, dribbling the ball and doing some tricks before spinning the ball on her finger, "you may have been the star player, but I was team captain for a reason. And Mal's no longer with us to save you."
Lilith threw the ball back at Eda, frustratingly making the Owl Lady grunt. Both women got ready as they glared at one another. Once that whistle was blown, they weren't stopping until one they won.
Hooty blew the whistle.
Cut back to the Hexside grudgby field, Booker sitting on the bleachers. Repairing Willow's hair clip with a band-aid. But it did little to ease his heart. The memory of how he yelled at her filled his heart with hatred toward himself. Never in a million years would Booker have wanted to make Luz cry or hurt her. And he did both in just one outburst. The Seventh Son felt more alone than ever. The same level of despair he felt when his family died. After how he treated Luz, he knew that their friendship was likely finished for good.
He felt nothing but self-loathing until he heard footsteps coming up to him.
"Here's some water," Amity said, handing him a full cup.
Nodding. Booker took it and drank it all down. "I know what you're going to say. You'll tell me that I am the biggest jerk in the world For yelling at Luz. You might as well go ahead and tell me," Booker said, closing his eyes and accepting the verbal lashing that would undoubtedly be coming his way. He didn't blame Amity. He wanted her to put him in his place.
"Actually, I figured you've been holding that in for a while now," Amity said, looking away momentarily. She then sat down next to the boy she liked. "Did you really mean all that? That she was a problem?"
He sighed and leaned back. "No, of course not. I love Luz! For a long time, she's been my only friend. The one person I could always rely on. I could never hate her. It's just I kind of hate some of the things she does…okay, I really hate the things she does, but I still do them. Because she's my best friend, and I would do anything for her. Just like Willow, Gus, and of course you, Amity."
Hearing him say that made Amity smile with a blush at the boy. Happy to know he would do anything for her. Deciding to just sit with him and enjoy the moment together, Amity turned her head up and stared at the clouds with the Seventh Son.
"But what about you?" Booker looked at her with a curious expression. "You were furious at Luz too. How come?"
For a moment, Amity didn't answer. Then, she exhaled and took her head off Booker. The witch looked down at the field as her mind reminisced about her last game with the Grudgby team.
"It's…the reason why I quit being a captain of the Banshees?"
Amity could remember that day like it was yesterday. She was so confident, so full of herself. The very same person she's been making progress not to be. She was on the field with Boscha and two other teammates, Amelia and Bo. Bo had joined the team the year before she and Skara got together.
"We were playing Glandus High for the Island Championship. We had a move planned, and it was a good one," Amity said, remembering how fast they got the ball away from Glandus. Amity had the ball. All she had to do was go through with the plan. "But, at the last minute, I decided I wanted to do something a bit flashier. I changed our game plan to... the Thorn Vault."
"You like that shitty movie too?" Booker chuckled.
"Uh, yeah," Amity said, turning her eyes to the very same spot she was when she used that spell.
Amity had successfully done the Thorn Vault, launching herself to a goal post and tossing the ball in. The scoring for the Banshee. But before Amity could cheer for herself, she realized she had hurt her teammates. Broken bones and gashes that would have gotten infected if the school nurses weren't there.
As for Bo, she had lost all vision in one eye. It took months of intense healing magic. From what she heard, it was difficult for her, and Bo went to a very dark place. If it weren't for her meeting Skara and the two falling in love, Amity fears that she could have caused the suicide of the witch.
"It went disastrously wrong. My teammates got hurt. All because I had an idea of how things should be. I pushed them too far," Amity said, closing her eyes and bowing her head. To this day, she didn't even have the courage to approach Bo to apologize. "When I left the team, I decided that was a part of my life I wanted to forget. And since then, I've never played another game."
Amity turned her head to Booker, only to see their faces were incredibly close.
Letting out a yelp, Amity stumbled back and fell, blushing heavily. "Wah! Sorry," said the boy as he helped Amity up. "I just…wow. I'm so sorry that happened."
The boy and girl smiled at one another. However, the moment came to an end when Booker saw something out of the corner of his eyes. Looking down, he saw that the Banshees had arrived and were walking onto the field.
Booker took in a deep breath and glared at Boscha. "I'm going to end this," he said.
"What are you going to do?" Amity asked, worried about what the Seventh Son would do.
"The only thing I can do," Booker answered, glaring at Boscha. Luz may have gotten him into this mess, but he still went along with it. Booker still challenged Boscha. So he had to finish what was started. "If something goes wrong…tell Luz I'm sorry."
Jumping over the edge of the breachers, Booker landed on the ground with a superhero landing. Standing up to his feet, the blonde boy removed his hat and placed it in his pocket. He then approached his foe.
Skara was the first to notice her cousin and pointed at him. Boscha turned around and smirked. "It's after school. Where's your loser brigade?"
Booker glared at her three eyes before inhaling. Letting out a breath, he said, "We forfeit. We're going to settle this the old-fashioned way." Reaching behind his back, Booker drew his sword. "Through combat."
Amity gasped. "No!"
Boscha raised an eyebrow. "Uh, did you not remember what I said?"
"I did, but I don't care. If I win, you don't bother us ever again. And if you win, in exchange for not turning me in, I'll take my team's place as your water gofer, target practice, whatever you need," Booker said. Everyone was shocked. He was giving himself up to be the Banshees team's punching bag, even being arrested. All in the name of protecting his friends.
Even Boscha was surprised by Booker's self-sacrifice. "Wow, that's…honestly really noble of you. You're a good friend," she said in a compassionate and respectful voice. Seemingly enlightened by the way he was willing to risk himself. However, any hopes of Boscha being a good person were dashed away. With a sinister smirk, she magically lights a Grudgby ball on fire. "I almost feel bad for what I'm about to do to you."
Seeing the fire made Booker's eyes widen as he gasped in fear.
"Think fast!" Boscha yelled as she threw the ball at Booker.
Seeing the ball coming towards him, Booker froze in terror. However, he was determined not to be a coward like the last time, so Booker steeled his nerves and acted accordingly.
He quickly held Dragon's Bite by the handle with one hand and placed his other hand on the back of the one-sided blade. When the ball hit the blade's sharp edge, the anti-magic sword cut it straight down the middle and dispelled the fire spell placed on it. The two halves of the ball flew past Booker and landed on the ground harmlessly.
Booker panted as he looked at his family sword in shock. Realizing he had an edge, pun intended, he grinned and pointed Dragon's Bite at Boscha. "That's all you got, you stupid bitch?"
Boscha's arm trembled in frustration as she gritted her teeth. But the fury turned into smugness as she summoned more flaming Grudgby balls that floated around her. Her teammates watched in shock and fear as their team captain laughed the balls at the Seventh Child.
Amity watched the boy from the breachers with growing anxiety and fear. Watching as Booker tried dodging and blocking the fireballs. But why wasn't he attacking? Was his phobia preventing him from counterattacking? For every Grudgby ball Boscha threw, she'd replenish soon after. Preventing Booker from getting closer.
Not only that, but Boscha wasn't giving Booker a chance to attack. Using his fear against him, the triclops stopped her friend from using his magic. If he's too busy running away from Boscha's fire, her former friend will hone in on him and hurt the boy.
Something had to be done. Amity had to get the others back.
Booker's friends were in the school's greenhouse, the classroom for the Plant Track. Willow and Gus were attempting to repair the boy's two flags using tape. "There, that ought to do it," she said, patting him on the back.
"These are flags of surrender now," Gus said, depressed by the sight of the now-ruined flags. For some reason, they were hooked up to an IV.
Willow sighed, knowing her attempt to save the flags was in vain. The plant witch turned her attention to Luz, the person responsible for their destruction. When Willow and Gus went into the school to find Luz, they found her sobbing on one of the tables in the room. They had tried to talk to her and cheer her up and said that Booker didn't mean the things that he said. But it did little to make her feel better. Realizing that she wasn't going to be convinced by them, the two friends decided to leave her alone while staying close by in case she wanted to talk.
Luz's tears had long since dried up, and she was just laying her head on the table. Miserable and sad at the way Booker yelled at her. Having never seen him that upset before with her. However, she wasn't mad at him like Willow and Gus were thinking.
She was mad at herself because all the things Booker said were true. Every time she's put her best friend in danger or gotten him in trouble was because of her selfish desires to live out her dreams and fantasies. Dreams and fantasies spawned by the novels that inspired her to become a witch. And Booker was right about the consequences being placed on him.
While in her state of misery, Luz's eyes looked up at a full watering can sitting in front of her. As the Dominican girl followed a drop of water slowly sliding down the side of the watering can, Liz's sharp eyes caught sight of something in the droplet. Leaning in, she saw that it was another glyph.
The glyph resembled a drop of water landing on a wavy line that resembled water. Going across the droplet was an arching line connecting both sides of the wavy line. And at the tip of the droplet was a small circle.
Luz pulled out one of her glyph papers and drew the glyph. Tapping it, she activated the spell, and the paper crumpled up in a ball before turning into water that spilled onto the table's surface.
What should have been a happy moment for her was outweighed by her disappointment in herself. "Booker's right," she said, gaining the attention of her friends. "I pushed you guys too hard. It's just…I hate seeing you get picked on, Willow. You're one of the best friends I've ever had. And then when Boscha started picking on Booker, I just…I couldn't take it anymore! He didn't deserve that. Willow, I'm sorry I got you into this mess."
Willow placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "It's okay. I know you were just trying to help in your Luz way."
Before Willow could continue, the door to the room was slammed open by Amity. The witch rushed in a panic and rushed over to the others. "Luz, Booker needs your help!" Amity tells her. "He's fighting Boscha!"
"What!?" Willow exclaimed in shock. "But what about her reporting him to the Emperor's Coven?"
"That's why we have to stop the fight," Amity said, pleading with her friends to help Booker.
Luz was about to stand up and rush out the door. However, her legs locked up, and she hesitated for a second. "W-Why should I go to help him?" She said with her arms and head on the desk's top. "I'm nothing but a problem to him. Remember?"
Amity looked at her girl-crush in shock. "No, you are not! Luz, you know he didn't mean it," she said. However, Luz turned away from Amity. As her sad expression turned into an upset frown, the green-haired girl approached Luz. "Look, I get it. He can be an idiot sometimes. Which I love—I mean hate! In any case, he needs us right now! Which is sweet—I mean, I hate it! And it's dumb!"
Amity remained blushing as Luz looked over her shoulder. "Why would you want my help?" Luz asks.
"Because despite what he said, he still considers you his best friend. He told me that he loved you. And I know that even with your hurt feelings, you still think of him as yours. You have a great friendship. Why let it end over a fight?"
Upon hearing Booker's confession, Luz lifted her head off the table and looked at her girl-crush. "H-He loves me?"
Amity stared at the Dominican girl with a sad expression and looked away. Knowing that she had to accept the reality that between the two of them, Booker's heart always belonged to Luz. That her hopes of a triouple would never come true. "Y-Yes…"
"B-But I thought he was in love with you?" Luz asked, standing up.
"HE LOVES YOU BOTH!" Gus shouted at the two girls. They both jumped back with startled faces, never expecting the short witch to have shouted at anyone.
"Gus!" Willow scolded him. "They were supposed to figure it out on their own!"
"Oh, come on! What's the point of waiting for them to do it when we all know they like one another? I'm just being real! That's how Gus Potter do, okay?" The black witch said, pointing to his chest with his flags. "That's how Gus Potter do."
Luz and Amity then looked at one another, widening her eyes with the realization that Booker indeed likes them the way they do him. They then turned away from one another with smiles and blushes on their faces after thinking the other was really pretty. Shaking her head, Luz said to her friends. "Alright, what do you guys say? You wanna save Booker?"
"Can we resist the call to action? No! May the flags be raised again," Gus exclaimed before running out of the room. Luz, Willow, and Amity followed behind him.
Meanwhile, back at the Owl House, Eda and Lilith's Grudgby match was starting to heat up. Both witches were evenly matched. However, Eda had one more point ahead of Lilith. Giving her 5 in total compared to her sister's 4. Meaning that she only needed one more score to win.
With the Grudgby ball in hand, Eda rushed to try and score another goal. With a clear shot, the Owl Lady threw the ball at the goal.
However, Hooty blocked the ball like the idiot he is. "Hoot!"
"Hooty! Whose side are you on?" Eda yelled at her house guardian. Lilith bolted past her sister, heading for the weird owl thing.
"I'm an unbiased participant, hoot-hoot," he told his mentor as Lilith jumped before him and grabbed the ball.
With speed and grace, Lilith successfully avoided Eda and made a run for the goal. However, Hooty's face burst from the ground, and opened his mouth as wide as he could. Becoming a trap for the Emperor's Coven Leader. But Lilith jumped over him, grabbed the goal's pole, swung around it, and threw the ball into the hoop.
King marked the score, which was now tied 5-5. "Point goes to Lilith. We're at a tie here, folks!"
However, despite how good the two were doing, Eda and Lilith both pant in exhaustion. Their ages made their bodies unable to move like they used to, and the two felt the effects of their ages. The only problem was that neither was ready to throw in the towel. Lilith was too determined to get her sister and the Seventh Son to the Emperor. Eda wouldn't let that happen and was determined to make Lilith tell her what she wanted to know.
"Time for one more play!" exclaimed Hooty with the ball on his head.
Seeing no other option, Eda pulled out her cheat box. "Just one little trick, and the game will be mine," she said, opening the box….
Only to find it empty. Save for a note reading, "I noticed your lunchbox was getting dirty so I cleaned it! LOVE, LUZ", with a drawing of a heart and Luz throwing a peace sign. Floating around her head was a chibi Booker.
"Damn it, Luz! Your nonsense has gotten into my head," Eda retorted as she closed the box. She turned her head back to Lilith and shoved the box back in her mane. "Well, Mal, you wanted me to win fair and square. Time to do this the old-fashioned way."
After catching her breath, Lilith returned to being her arrogant self. "Taking your time. Nervous?" she asked with a smirk.
"Not today, sister," Eda said, prepared for the game to start again. Determined to win against her sister.
Still balancing the ball on his head, Hooty blew the whistle and began the game by throwing the Grudgby ball up into the air. Eda and Lilith both jump for the ball. Eda grabbed it and made for the goal.
Hooty emerged from the ground. "It's me again!" Eda stepped on his face, using him as a launchpad. "Ow!" Lilith tried chasing after Eda. But she couldn't build up the strength to jump after her. She ended up leaning on Hooty's face. "Oh geez, hey!"
"No!" Lilith gasped, reaching her arm out toward Eda. Helpless to stop her.
"Yeah!" Eda exclaimed as she threw the ball and scored the goal.
King drew the final point on the scoreboard. "Ha ha! Game over! Team Owl House rules supreme!"
Eda landed on the ground and started dancing. "Yes! Still got it! Still got the skills to pay the bills!"
"No!" Lilith yelled as she threw a fit on her knees, slamming her fists angrily at the ground. "No! I can't go back to the Emperor empty-handed."
"Oh, you've got more than just Belos to worry about."
Lilith looked back, likely in a vain attempt to plead with her sister to come with her. She was, however, blasted in the back and sent sliding across the ground. Stopping at the edge of the cliff. Groaning in pain, Lilith tried to get up. However, Eda's high-heel boot slammed down her chest. Penning her down as she summons a ball of fire in her hand.
"Now, sister, THE TRUTH!" Eda yelled at Lilith, who struggled to lift her sister off her chest.
"Edalyn, please," Lilith pleaded with her sister.
"No! Belos killed our friends, their families, and their kids. And you, my sister, still decide to stay with him!" Eda screamed in a fury at Lilith. "What I want to know is whether or not you have their blood on your hands!"
Lilith looked at her sister wide-eyed, staring into the death glare Eda was shooting down at her. However, after a few seconds, Lilith sighed.
"Yes, I was."
The fireball in Eda's hand intensified.
"But she spared my husband's life."
With a vicious glare, Eda's head snapped around. Intending to blast them first before blasting. But, to her surprise, the person standing behind her was York Bridges. He was standing with his wife, Sarah Gearmind.
Eda and Lilith stared at the two of them in shock. "Y-York? Sarah?"
Lilith gasped and summoned her staff. However, the earth under her wrists and staff rose up and trapped them. "Oh, Lilith. If you wanted to kill us, that time has long passed," the bunny-eared witch said, smirking.
"Wait, hold on! She…spared you?" Eda asked, understandably shocked and in disbelief.
"Is it so hard to believe?" Lilith questioned her sister. The look she got from her sister was enough to let her know her answer. With a sigh, Lilith laid her head back down on the ground. "I wasn't with the main force when it happened. I was kept back at the palace. But…when I got there…it was already too late."
When Lilith landed in the courtyard of the Bridges family home, she was met with the most horrific sight she'd ever seen. The family home burnt to the ground and collapsed in on itself. Through the wreckage of the once proud home, the young Emperor's Scout saw the burnt carcasses of men, women, and children.
Brought to tears, Lilith collapsed to her knees with a hand over her mouth. Her mind could only imagine the horror that took place here and the suffering the family had to go through before death took them. Believing that Mal was dead as well, Lilith started sobbing.
However, her mind was working to push her sadness down into the dark depths of her heart. Lilith had to believe that the Emperor's reasons justified this. That there was a just reason for exterminating such a noble family of witches. She had to believe that, or else her heart would question her faith in her loyalty. If she faltered and lost faith in the Emperor's plan, all she'd done and believed in would be lost.
Her desire to be with her sister again would be lost.
Suddenly, the sounds of moving rubble and debris brought her back to reality, and Lilith looked up. To her surprise, it was Sarah, carrying her husband's body.
The two former friends stared at one another, clearly shocked to see each other. Sarah, however, was on edge. Seeing Lilith in her Emperor's Coven uniform had the wife stare at her with mistrust and hatred.
Lilith steeled herself with a cold scowl and stood up. Then she stood up. "Go," she simply said. "Bury your husband, and never let me see you again."
She then turned around and walked away from the ruined building.
"I left because I had originally believed that York was dead. The last of the Bridges line had fallen, and there was no point in arresting her," Lilith said to Eda.
"And yet, after all that had happened, you still follow Belos," Eda said with a growl. While she was thankful that her sister did not kill anyone that night, the Owl Lady was still disgusted that she was still in league with Belos.
"I must."
"Why?!"
"Because you, Edalyn!" Lilith shouted at her sister. Eda looked at her sister in surprise as she continued. "Because the Emperor promised he could even heal your curse!"
Silence filled the air around the Owl House as Eda stepped off her sister. Allowing her to stand back up on her feet.
"Everything I've been doing—that I have done, it was all to lift the curse off you, sister. Don't you see? Belos can cure you, and together, we can have our dream of being a part of the Emperor's Coven come true. Just like when we were kids," Lilith said, holding her hand out to Eda. Hoping that she would finally see things her way and abandon her silly rebellious attitude toward the Emperor's rule.
However, Eda pushed Lilith's hand down. "No, I'll heal it on my own terms. I don't wanna owe him anything," she said, frowning at her sister. "And even if I did have this curse, I'd never join him. Not after what he did to Booker's family."
Looking surprised and hurt momentarily, Lilith's fists clenched with anger. "I don't believe it. You would rather protect that boy than get the help you need?!"
"Yes."
With that simple answer, Lilith fell silent. Seeing as though she wouldn't leave without something to show for her efforts, Eda sighed and took her ring off. The Owl Lady then holds it out to Lilith.
"Here. Tell Belos I put up a heck of a struggle," Eda said as her sister took the ring. "Now leave my home."
Lilith remained silent for a moment. Staring at the ring as she contemplated what she was just told. Then, the Head of the Emperor's Coven clenched her hand around the ring.
"I can't accept your answer, Edalyn," she said, giving her sister a determined glare.
Eda said, "I know.
Lilith then turned and started walking away. However, she stopped and looked over her shoulder at Eda. "I will be back for you," she said. "And next time, I won't be alone."
And with that, Lilith walked away into the distance.
"I'll be waiting," Eda solemnly said. She then turned her head to York and Sarah. "So… I guess you'd like to come inside?"
Things were looking terrible for Booker as he ran around the Hexside Grudgby Field. Boscha continued throwing Grudgby balls that were lit on fire. The Seventh Son tried his best to destroy as many of them as possible, but he would be quickly overwhelmed, and his phobia would force him into a retreat. Some of the balls landed on the many hidden traps, activating them and throwing Booker off his game.
However, when he ran away again, Booker became trapped. One of the balls hit a trap in front of him, and a wall of rock spikes emerged from the ground.
"Having fun yet?" With a sadistic smile, Boscha summoned another ball.
Working up the courage to finally say something, Skara walked up to Boscha. Trying to talk her down from what she's about to do. "B-Boscha, don't you think this is going too far?"
"Not at all. I'm just getting warmed up!" Boscha exclaimed as she threw the flaming grudgby ball at Booker.
However, just before Booker could do something to deflect the ball, Boscha's attack was sent back by a tree suddenly emerging from the field in front of the Seventh Son. The flaming ball bounced off the tree and flew back towards the Banshee captain. Forcing her to catch it.
"Hands off, Bitcha!"
Booker gasped as not only Luz but Willow stood in front of him. Both were ready to take on Boscha.
"Luz! Willow!" Booker shouted with joy as he rushed over to his best friend. Grabbing Luz, he hugged her tightly as he felt tears welling up in his eyes. "Luz, I'm so so so sorry. I should never have said all those awful things. You're my best friend, and I wanted to…"
Booker was stopped when Luz pulled away and kissed him on the cheek. His eyes widened as he looked at her with a big blush on his face. Luz blushed as well as she said, "It's okay, Booker. I've not been the best friend in the world either. I was caught up in all that dumb movie crap. That's why I'm going to get us out of his mess."
"And we'll do it together. As a team," Willow said with a smirk. Turning back to Boscha, the plant witch placed her fists on her hips. Luz did the same while holding Booker's right hand. "The game is back on!"
"You need four players on your team. Where's your fourth?" Boscha asked with a smug look on her face.
Booker, Willow, and Luz look at Gus in the bleachers. He was still sad at his flags. "Why is there an IV," asked Booker.
Willow scratched the back of her head. "Uh, well…"
That's when another hand grabbed Booker's left hand. To his surprise, it was Amity. "Right here," she said with a determined look in her eyes as her lips curled into a smile.
This plot twist shocked her old teammates, who never expected to see their old captain step on the field again. Boscha was shocked for a moment before she glared at Amity with resentment. "What the hell are you doing?" she growled.
"Something I should have done a long time ago, Boscha. Stand up for my friends," Amity said, looking at her real friends as they smiled at her.
Boscha couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You just destroyed your social life," she said in a vain attempt to get the reaction she wanted to see from the Blight girl.
However, Amity ran out of fucks to give. "Nah. I think I made it better," she said, interlacing her fingers with Booker's. Making his blush turn redder.
Boscha groaned. "Ugh! Game on!" She yelled, stalking off back to her team. Booker, Amity, Luz, and Willow smiled at each other. Each of them had a score to settle with the triclops. Now they had a whole team to take on Boscha and bring her down.
After equipping themselves with grudgby gear, Booker, Luz, Willow, and Amity faced off against Boscha, Cat, Skara, and Amelia at the center of the field.
"Go, Willow!" Gus cheered, waving his flags.
Willow smirked at Boscha and whispered, "There's something on your shoe."
Boscha scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Like, I'd fall for that."
The ball was launched into the air from a hole in the center of the field. Boscha immediately lunged for it but was stopped when her right foot got stuck. Willow had used her magic to make vines that wrapped around her shoe. Making Boscha fall over.
Willow caught the ball and used her magic to sprout giant vines from the ground. These vines wrapped around her like a cocoon before Willow was pulled into the earth. The others on Boscha's team were surprised by this move when they rushed to get the ball from their opponent.
Coming out of the ground before the goalpost, Willow threw the ball and made the first goal.
The game progressed as Luz and Amity rushed toward the Banshee's goalpost. However, Luz, holding the ball, stepped on one of the traps, and a giant swinging ax came out of the ground in front of her. Blocking their path.
It was a close call. The two girls would've been cleaved by the blade if they had taken another step forward. Amity used a giant abomination arm to hold back an ax for Luz, who scored another goal.
Up in the bleachers, Gus created illusion duplicates of himself to cheer Booker, Luz, Amity, and Willow on.
Speaking of the Seventh Son, Booker was placed as the goalkeeper of his teams. Using his immense powers to block anyone that tried to go for the goal.
And that included Amelia as she rushed toward his team's goal. When the green-haired witch threw the ball at the triangle-shaped goalpost, Booker grinned and clapped his hands together. Using the new water spell shown to him by Luz, the brave boy pulled his hands away, and a ball of water formed in between his hands. Reaching in and grabbing the center of the ball, Booker cocked his arm back and swung forward.
That water ball turned into a whip as it reached the Grudgby ball. Spiking it in the air and sending it back towards Willow. The plant witch summoned a vine to catch the ball.
Amelia slowed down and stopped before Booker, panting from exhaustion. Seeing she was likely in need of water, Booker summoned a small water ball and offered it to her. "Nice work."
Surprised by his kind gesture, Amelia nonetheless accepted the water. "Thanks," she said, slurring the water ball entirely into her mouth. Her cheeks puffed, full of water, as she smiled at Booker.
However, when she looked back at Boscha, her captain was highly annoyed with her. Wanting to stay on her good side, Amelia glared at Booker and crossed her arms. However, her cheeks were still puffed.
It did little to stop Booker's team and their winning streak. The team had been on a winning streak, with eight consecutive scores against no losses.
"Give me that!" Boscha shouted as she snatched the ball away from Skara. Setting it on fire while glaring at her opponent, Boscha throws the flaming Grudgby ball at Booker. Intent on harming the boy and taking him out of the game.
Gasping and widening his eyes in fear of the ball being thrown at him, Booker reacted instinctively. The blonde clapped his hands together and cast another water spell. Forming another ball of water and then holding it out. The Grudgby plunged into the water and passed through it. The flames extinguished before the ball came out and landed in Booker's waiting hands.
Booker held the ball in his hands and gave Boscha a challenging grin. Concentrating his magic, he reignited the ball's fire and threw it into the air. He clapped his hands and used his powerful light magic to form a man-portable, shoulder-fired catapult. Its shape and function resemble Fallout's M42 "Fat Man" Launcher.
The ball landed in the hard-light contraption and aimed. Pointing it at an angle, Booker fired and shot the ball. Sending it flying over everyone in an arch. The witch followed the path of the Grudgby ball as it flew into the Banchee's goal.
"Way to go, Booker!" Willow shouted at her friend, giving him a thumbs up.
"Yeah!" Amity and Luz cheered together while laughing happily. They hugged each other and jumped up and down. However, when they looked at one another, they blushed and pulled away after realizing what they were doing.
Watching Booker dispel his light spell, Boscha was seething with anger and frustration. She couldn't believe what was happening. The captain of the Grudgby team was unable to comprehend she was losing to those she saw as inferior and below her. However, the triclop wasn't going to admit defeat.
"Time out! Girls, huddle!" She shouted, stumping away to her side of the field.
Her team members were somewhat surprised by her reaction, and the girls became a little concerned. Cat and Amelia both knew Boscha was angry and that she would be upset with them.
Both teams huddled up, and Boscha glared at her teammates. "What the fuck was that? We're getting creamed out there!" She shouted at them.
"Whoa, Boscha, chill," said Skara as she frowned at her supposed best friend. "There's nothing wrong with how we're playing. Booker and his team are just better—"
Boscha suddenly snapped her head at her and began shouting at Skara, "You shut up, Skara! No! Don't talk! Just shut your damn mouth, and stop being so useless! I'm not going to lose to a loser who forgot his place! And I suggest you remember yours and do as you're told. End. Of. Discussion."
If Skara wasn't so sure about her friendship with Boscha going forward, she was now. Hiding her intentions, Skara became stone-faced as she clenched her fists. "Fine, what's the plan?"
Thinking she'd put her subordinate back in line, Boscha smirked smugly with satisfaction. Then her eyes turned to the other team. "There's only one way to win this game now," Boscha said.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, Amity looked at the timer on the scoreboard. "There's time for one more play."
"And this play could determine whether we underdogs win or lose," Willow said.
"Here's what I have to offer," Luz said as she held out her fire, light, plant, and ice glyphs.
Booker was about to pick one when he noticed something golden under Luz's hand. "Uh, guys," he said, gently pushing Luz's hand away for a better view.
To his and everyone else's surprise, the Rushy Smidge was crawling on the ground between the players minding its own business.
"It's the Rusty Smidge!" Booker exclaimed in wide-eyed shock.
The four friends tried to drive for the beetle at the same time. Only to butt their heads together and fall on their butts. The Rusty Smidge flew away as they groaned and rubbed their heads in pain.
Boscha spotted the beetle and gasped. "Get that beetle!" She yelled, running at the beetle.
Booker heard Boscha and saw her and the rest of the Banshees rushing at the beetle. "Oh no, you don't!" He clapped his hands together and slammed them on the ground. Conjuring a thin layer of ice that spread towards the girls. Causing them to trip and slide across the ground as the Smidge flew over them.
"Come on!" Luz said as she quickly got up and jumped onto the ice. However, instead of tripping, the girl stayed on her feet as she slid across the frozen ground. Nearly losing her balance and she waved her arms around. "Whoa!"
"Careful!" Booker yelled as he skated after her. The two friends jumped over Boscha and her teammates, nearly falling over if they didn't grab each other's hands. Together, they balanced each other and pushed off across the ice.
However, it didn't take long for the ice to melt. Allowing Boscha and her teammates to get back up. "Stop them!" She yelled, picking up a ball and setting it on fire.
Amity gasped and drew a magic circle.
Boscha threw the ball at Booker and Luz. However, Amity's abomination magic created a giant hand that came out of the ground and grabbed the ball. "Sorry, Boscha," Amity said, smirking, "but no one hurts my Booker and Luz."
Running together, Booker and Luz were about to catch up with the beetle when it suddenly climbed up, turned, and flew over their heads. Booker and Luz stopped and watched as the beetle flew back toward the other side of the field. "What? No! Come back!" Luz said.
"I'll give you some treats!" Booker pleaded.
Cat ran towards the Rusty Smidge, and Amelia ran beside her. The green-haired girl stopped and drew a spell circle. Creating a giant mushroom that came out of the ground. Cat ran up to the mushroom and jumped on it. Sending herself up into the air to catch the beetle.
However, a vine from below grabbed her and pulled her down. "Sorry!" Willow said after slamming the girl with glasses on the ground.
"I've got it!" Booker said, about to clap his hands to create an illusion. He planned to extend his arms and grab the beetle.
However, Boscha wasted no time in trying to stop him. With fire in her eyes, she threw another Grudgby ball that she sent on fire. Amity saw this and screamed out, "Watch out!"
Booker turned his head and gasped, seeing the flaming ball. However, with a confident smile, Luz jumped ahead of him and slammed an ice glyph on the ground. Creating an ice pillar in front of her that blocked the ball. As the hot Grudgby melted slowly into the ice block, Luz turned back to her friend.
"Got your back!" she exclaimed, giving him a wink. "Now, let's win this game!"
As the Rusty Smidge flew around the field for about a minute, everyone tried their best to catch it. But just like the Golden Snitch, doing so was easier said than done. The beetle flew around erratically, dodging all their attempts to catch it. Willow tried grabbing it with her vines, but it looped around the plants before it could catch. Amelia and Cat tried to run after the beetle, but it stayed well out of their reach. Amity and Luz gave it their best shot. Running at it from two directions. But the beetle simply flew up, and the girls ran into each other, bouncing off each other and falling on the ground.
"I've got it!" Booker exclaimed, rushing toward the beetle. He was about to clap his hands and cast another spell but never got the chance when Boscha suddenly tackled him to the ground. "Ow!"
"Got you, you fucking half-breed loser!" Boshca screamed in fury as she grabbed Booker's wrists and tried to pin him to the ground. Booker stood up to her all day, and the triclops had reached her breaking point. She couldn't mentally take it anymore. "Stay down!"
"What's your problem?!" Booker shouted back at her as he tried pushing her off. "Why is it so hard for you to stop bullying us!?"
"You think it's that easy? Everything was perfect before you came along! I had my hierarchy, and no one stood up to me. Then you had to come and ruin everything! If it weren't for you, Willow would know her place! Amity wouldn't be so soft if it weren't for you!" Boscha yelled at Booker's face before pulling away one of her hands and igniting another fireball in her hand. She reveled in the fear she put into Booker when he saw it. "Now, let's—"
"Get away from him!" Skara suddenly kicked Boscha in the head. The three-eyed girl cried out in pain as she tumbled away from Booker. Turning to her cousin, Skara offered her hand. "I hope this works as an apology."
Booker was surprised by his cousin's sudden change of heart. But, he nonetheless grabbed her hand. "What took you so long?"
"Just had to see my friend for the person she truly was," Skara said.
"What the fuck, Skara?!" The two cousins turned around to see Boscha looking at them with an almost crazed glare as her bun started to come undone and strands of hair came loose. "You're supposed to be on my team!"
"No. I'm supposed to be your friend. But friendship is a two-way street. Besides…" Skara turned her head to Booker and smirked. "Family is the best team."
Booker smiled and nodded. "Thanks."
"Save it when you get that Smidge," Skara said, nodding at the beetle. Booker turned around and saw that it was flying high in the air and out of reach of everyone. There was no way anyone could get to it.
But someone had a plan.
"Booker!" yelled Willow from where she stood on the field. "Thorn Vault!"
Booker looked at her with wide eyes. Willow responded with a nod and a determined smile. She was ready to finish this game and beat Boscha. And she'll do it with the same trick Luz wanted her to do.
Nodding, Booker clapped his hands and slammed them on the ground. Willow stood ready with a bend in her knees as the ground beneath her crumbled. Before Cat and Amelia could run over and stop her, the Thorn Vault was unleashed. A large pillar of twisting wood shot out of the ground from under the plant witch, sending Willow across the field and into the air.
"NO!" Boscha screamed as she summoned another flaming Grudgby ball. With all her might, she threw it, intending to put a hole through Willow's body.
Time seemingly slowed down as Willow flew the beetle at fast speeds, her arms reaching out towards it, while the flaming ball flew towards her. On the ground, everyone on Booker and Boscha's team watched with bated breaths.
However, just as the ball was about to hit her, Amity threw a ball of abomination goo. With skillful precision, she intercepted the Grudgby ball. Knocking it out of the sky as Willow grabbed the beetle.
The moment she did, Booker's team score went up to 999 points, and air horns blared loudly. In the bleachers, Gus made hundreds of himself to fill the seats, and all of them erupted in cheers.
Willow screamed as she fell to the ground until she was saved when a bed of flowers appeared. Allowing her to land softly on the ground. After picking herself up and straightening her glasses, Willow was gathered by all of her teammates. All of them were smiling and cheering for her victory.
"We did it!" Luz screamed, hugging Willow as she blushed a bit.
"That was amazing!" Booker exclaimed with a giant grin on his face.
"You were amazing!" Amity joined in praising her friend.
"Aw shucks," Willow said, smiling with embarrassment.
Boscha sat on her knelt, as still as a statue, as her left eye twitched. An expression of disbelief plastered on her face. Unable to comprehend her defeat as Skara, Cat, and Amelia ran up to Booker, Willow, Amity, and Luz.
"Good game, Willow!" The black witch said.
Amelia chimed in and said, "I had so much fun playing with you guys."
"Oh, really?" Willow asked, taken aback by their happiness after losing to them.
"Hell yeah! You're excellent. Would you want to be on our team?" asked Cat.
"Wait, really?" Booker asked, raising an eyebrow and pointing his thumb at the triclops. "Don't you think that'll be too much for Bitcha?"
Skara scoffed and said, "Boscha might be our captain, but she doesn't speak for us."
"LIKE HELL, I DON'T!" Boscha suddenly screamed, gaining everyone's attention as she approached them. Her eyes burned with rage after being handed her first-ever loss. "You think that you've won, you half-breed freak!? You think that you now have social dominance over me?!"
"Back off, Boscha!" Amity said and pushed her former friend away. Glaring at her with her own anger. "And don't you EVER call him a freak again!"
"I second that! No one talks like that to my cousin," Skara growled. "I'm down letting a horrible person like you push me around anymore. Bridges cross together, and I'm letting you pick on Booker."
"Then you're off the team!" Boscha snapped, disowning Skara right then and there, before turning back to Booker. "And don't think that this is over. Not when the Emperor's Coven finds out about you being a student of Hexside!"
"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted.
"That was not part of the agreement!" Booker yelled, only for Boscha to scoff.
"You think I care? You're a wanted criminal, and I'm going to be rich. I'll be waiting in the front row of your petrification," Boscha said smugly as she turned around and started walking away.
All of a sudden, a vine wrapped around her leg.
"What the—"
Boscha was pulled into the air—upside down—and screamed as she was whipped back around. Hanging from her ankle, she was brought over to face Willow. The plant witch was far from happy as she gave her a glare that made Boscha's blood freeze momentarily.
"No, you wouldn't, Boscha," Willow stated, her voice as cold as winter on the Isles during the deathly frost season. "Because if you do, it wouldn't be pretty."
The way she was talking and the look she gave her made Booker and his friends nervous.
"W-Why wouldn't I?" Boscha tried to remain calm and smug, but the way Willow looked at her whittled down her confidence.
As for Willow, she thought momentarily as she rubbed her chin. "Well, let's think about this, Boscha. If you go to the Emperor's Coven, you'll have to admit that you only found out about the Seventh Son's identity because you lost to him in a Grudgby match. And losing is something that you like, right? But to turn in a person because you couldn't handle losing? That's just low, even for you."
Boscha's eyes widened, realizing it would ruin her reputation if people believed that. "W-Who's gonna believe you?"
"Maybe not Willow," Amelia said as she and Cat looked at her with disappointment, "but what about us?"
"Huh?"
"Boscha, you're our friend, but you're out of control. I'm not turning in Booker. He won, fair and square," Cat said, gesturing to Booker. "So, you can go through with your plan and lose everything…."
"...or you can accept defeat," Willow finished for her. "I'm done with Grudgby for a while, so you don't have to worry about me being on your team. Take Skara back. You take your loss and be seen as a humble player that accepted their defeat."
Boscha glanced between the girls in disbelief. Booker and Luz glanced at one another, wondering what she would do. In the end, however, Boscha had no other option. She let out a sigh and said, "Alright. You win."
"And you're not gonna pick on us again, right?" Booker pointed his finger at her face.
Boscha rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure, whatever."
Booker looked at Amity. The Blight girl shrugged and said, "It's the best you're gonna get from her."
With everything settled, Boscha was dropped on the ground none too gently. She got up and marched away with a huff.
"Well, see you girls later," Skara said, walking off.
"Where are you going," asked Amelia. "Don't you want to hang out and play another game?"
"Sorry, Bo's been wanting to go on a date with me for a while. It's time I stopped disappointing her," Skara said.
And with that, the black witch walked away. Her heart cleared of all the negative emotions that had been building up inside. She was free of Boscha's iron grip, just like Amity. Now she can blossom into a new witch.
"You're—You're not gonna show this to anyone, right?" King said, dancing in his cheerleader outfit while Luz recorded on her phone.
"Of course not. Keep cheering," Eda said.
After leaving the field and the school, Booker and his friends returned to the Owl House to hang out and celebrate their victory. Booker was surprised to see that his aunt and uncle were there. Though, he was happy to be able to introduce them to his friends. Luz, Amit, Willow, and Gus greeted the two witches.
"So, what are you two doing here?" Booker said, looking at his family members.
York and Sarah glanced at one another as they stood before the kids sitting around the table on the couch, Eda, King.
"We wanted to talk to you about…well, a name change," York said.
"What do you mean?" Luz looked a bit concerned.
"The Emperor has labeled us all as traitors. The name Bridges is a dangerous one to have," York said.
"Yeah, but it's my family name!" Booker stood up. Eda placed a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him back down.
"It's mind too, but I changed it to my wife's maiden name for my family's sake," York said, grabbing Sarah's hand and holding it tightly.
"Throwing on a hat and changing your eye color is one thing. With a different name, no one will know who you are," Sarah said.
"Oooh! Oooh! I've got the perfect name!" Luz sprung up on the couch. "From now on, you're Carlos."
The others looked at her with confusion.
"Why Carlos," asked Amity.
"He looks like a Carlos."
"No, I don't!" Pulling out a mirror, Booker looked at himself. "Do I?"
Standing behind the couch, Eda snorted and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry, kid. I've got just the right name in mind."
"Really?" Booker said, looking at her with curiosity.
"Oh, don't worry about it," Eda said, siping her blood apple juice. At the same time, she looked down at the ground. "I'll show you when the time's right."
A stack of papers was at her feet and partially hidden under the couch. They were documents for a legal name change. Booker's name and his new name were already filled into the boxes. Eda had already signed her name. All that was needed was for him to sign the papers, and Booker will have his fake name.
Booker Clawthrone.
I know many people have been waiting for this chapter to come out. I hope that it was all worth the wait. This was an entertaining chapter to do. We got laughs and drama between friends and family and the start of Skara's path of good.
Skara definitely took on a bigger role in this chapter, as this was mostly her chance to break away from Boscha. Not gonna lie; writing Boscha, Skara, and Amity's friendship reminded me of Anne, Sasha, and Marcy's friendship before going to Amphibia. Only much more toxic. Boscha is a toxic person that really needs to be put in her place.
One of the big conflicts of the chapter was Booker snapping at Luz for all the trouble she put him in. Yeah, he was mean to her, but there's no way Luz didn't have it coming after getting into dangerous situations. There's only much someone is willing to take before they have enough of it.
And then we have Lilith, who did not kill anyone that fateful night. But that doesn't mean that she's innocent. She's still willing to follow the Emperor blindly, after seeing what he did to her friends. So, yeah, Lilith will have a lot of trouble gaining the full trust of Booker and the rest of his team.
And then we have a sneak peek of what is to come from Booker and Eda.
Thank you very much for reading and I hope to return to the story soon. Until next time, farewell.
