Chapter 34
Father Francis strode down the aisle after stepping out of the airplane's restroom. He made his way past a fully packed plane with people engrossed in movies and shows projected before them, connected with a set of earplugs the staff had provided. He moved to the very back of the aircraft, joining Sister Lilian, who was sitting in the middle seat, and Sister Luna, who sat by the window. Due to his tall stature, his left leg protruded into the aisle, while his right leg took some of Sister Lilian's space. But she didn't mind. In truth, she felt a pang of sympathy for Father Francis for having a seat with little leg room. She always felt troubled by how airlines allocate certain sections of their planes to be significantly more cramped than others.
The other person Sister Lilian felt bad for was Sister Luna. Swathed in blankets and their jackets, Sister Luna huddled beneath them, fighting off the chill she had been enduring for the past half an hour now. Sitting by the window seat was unexpectedly cold. Both Father Francis and Sister Lilian had offered to exchange seats with Sister Luna, yet she refused, unwilling to have them be the ones in such discomfort.
Once Father Francis settled in his seat, he fastened his seatbelt once more. Abruptly, the aircraft jolted, a momentary turbulence that prompted him to clutch the armrests of his chair as if his life depended on it.
A sigh of relief escaped him once the plane returned to flying smoothly.
"There is nothing to worry about, Father Francis." Sister Luna's voice held a comforting tone. "Sister Lilian is here. If anything terrible happens, she can just use her magic and keep us safe."
"Oh, no, I don't have magic without Twig," Sister Lilian said, making Sister Luna blink with confusion.
"But you're a witch, aren't you?"
"I'm not," Sister Lilian responded, confused as to why Sister Luna would assume such a thing.
"But I thought your mom was one."
"Yeah, she's a descendant of one, but she adopted me," Sister Lilian disclosed. "I'm merely a regular human if I'm not using any magical tools."
Sister Luna stared at her before her eyes shifted to Father Francis, anxiety now mirrored in both their eyes. In that instant, Sister Lilian could tell she was the only one present who was not afraid to be flying on a plane. It also seemed Sister Luna had presumed she had magic to keep them safe if any problem arose.
"We'll be okay," Sister Lilian offered a smile of assurance. "You have a higher chance of dying in a car crash than in a plane."
"That doesn't make me feel any better," Sister Luna let out, quickly taking a tight grip on the crucifix that lying on her neck. Then she fell silent, fixated on the screen ahead that displayed how far their plane was from their destination - 7 hours more to go.
Father Francis tapped on his own screen, swiping through options in search of a distraction. He would have preferred to stay back like Sister Margaret did, but at the same time, he wanted to help Sister Lilian in retrieving the substance the children needed for them to return to their world. The silence that had fallen between the three prompted Sister Lilian to bring up an important topic that had been on her mind for a while.
"Once we arrive at the Vatican, they're going to be taking both of you aside to talk to you," she began, immediately grabbing the attention of both Father Francis and Sister Luna.
"Are they going to read our minds?" Sister Luna's brows furrowed. "Because I won't let them do such a thing to me."
"They aren't going to read your minds," Sister Lilian reassured her. "They don't have the magic ability to do that or the tools for it."
Sister Luna visibly relaxed at this revelation.
"But I do want us to go over the events that took place before we get there," Sister Lilian said, her tone growing serious. "Our stories must match up. And I want us three to be on the same page with letting them know Philip is not a threat to them or to society."
Sister Luna's expression soured. "But he is a threat…" she grumbled.
"Sister Luna," Father Francis addressed her with a hint of understanding on her part, but at the same time held a steady gaze towards her. "Philip has proven to us how much he has changed in a matter of days. He even risked his life to go back to save Luz and her friends from danger. Remember, even Jesus believed in redemption for all humanity. He even sacrificed himself to redeem humanity from sin."
"Yes, I know, I know," Sister Luna said with an impatient exhale.
"The Church maintains a stringent stance against any magical beings that pose a threat to humanity," Sister Lilian said. "Those in charge of the magical department will immediately take action if they deem Philip as dangerous. And… I know I shouldn't ask you two this, but… I need you to not reveal what Philip has done to the people from the Boiling Isles or anyone else."
"So, you want us to lie?" Sister Luna exclaimed, shocked that she would be asked to deceive others in the Catholic Church, especially to those that held a higher power than her.
"One of heads of the department lived through the era when the witches were hunted," Sister Lilian began to explain. "He dedicated himself to eradicating such inhuman practices and prejudices. He holds a deep hatred for those who harm the innocent, especially those who have so much blood on their hands, like Philip."
"I can't blame him." Sister Luna shrugged, yet the unwavering gaze of Sister Lilian and the pleading look from Father Francis compelled her to reconsider. "Alright, fine," she conceded with visible effort. "I'll pretend I know nothing about Philip's past. Maybe I'll pretend I'm mute or something."
"Good," Sister Lilian said with a smile.
"Sister Lilian," Father Francis said, "you mentioned that one of the heads of the department lived through the witch hunting era. Are you telling me he's as old as Philip?"
"Yes, his name is Silas," Sister Lilian said. "And while he is rather old, his influence and power within the Catholic Church makes him one of the most important figures to have existed, though he has been largely concealed from the public eye."
"Is he a vampire?" Sister Luna dared to ask.
"No, he's not a vampire."
"Then how has he been able to live so long?"
"That, I'm not sure," Sister Lilian admitted. "There are countless rumors about him, but he's a very private man, and not much is known about him except for some of his actions in helping magical beings. What I do know is that he'll be the one willing to provide the Titan's blood to aid the children's safe return home."
"Just as long as he doesn't know much about Philip," Father Francis said, "because that may complicate things."
"Maybe…" Sister Lilian paused for a moment. She had a feeling a majority of the children, including Luz, may not be okay if the Church tried to annihilate Philip. The last thing they needed was the kids fighting the Church to protect Philip.
"Well… based on what you told them, they'll probably have looked into Philip's role in Gravesfield by now," Sister Luna mumbled. "So, he probably is on this Silas' bad side at this moment."
Sister Lilian mentally swore. Sister Luna was probably right; knowing the Church, they would have extensively looked through every bit of information that was written about Philip.
"Well, that was over 300 years ago," Father Francis said. "We can lie and make it seem that Philip changed through the years."
"Yes, we may have to do that," Sister Lilian said. "We can't spend any more time keeping the children from returning home while Elizabeth and her men are hounding them down. So, I think we should be okay if we just make it seem that Philip had found himself in the Boiling Isles, and somehow, he got himself cursed but was simply living there before accompanying the children to Earth before they lost their way back."
"Something tells me this Silas guy will immediately know that we're lying…" Sister Luna said with a frown.
"Then let's prepare to do what we must if things do go south," Father Francis said, offering an encouraging smile.
"And pray a lot?" Sister Luna suggested. "Unless our Lord and Savior doesn't agree with what we're doing…"
Sister Lilian sighed at Sister Luna's hesitation. She did her best to ignore it as they started fabricating the story they were going to give to the Church when questioned, making sure there were no discrepancies. Sister Luna was right; Silas was no fool, so they had to make sure their story was believable by, of course, telling most of the truth and withholding some details.
Redemption.
That was the word that had slipped from Luz's lips, the same word that blazed in vibrant rainbow hues on the trifold poster. Luz stood in a wide stance, her arms outstretched toward it, wearing a huge grin.
Philip stared at the board, his breath somewhat raspy, as if he was unable to process his thoughts. He barely took notice of the presence that joined his side.
"Hum, what's going on, Luz?" Amity asked as she and the others, except for Hunter and Vee, entered the barn.
The teenagers couldn't help but notice how well put together Philip looked. His hair was no longer a matted mess, now back to looking soft and smooth. The main feature they spotted, though, was the clean shave. He still looked tired, but he looked a few years younger now.
Back at the house, Hunter could be found in his bedroom, using Camila's tablet to listen to some songs from Masha's playlist on a streaming service. There was one song in particular he liked by a certain band and was replaying it for the third time. He perused the lyrics, trying to distract himself as best as he could. He would occasionally have dark thoughts regarding Belos mixed with the guilt he was now carrying for injuring him.
Meanwhile, Vee was in the living room as she watched her friends follow Philip. She wasn't going to go and antagonize the man, but she wasn't going to start trying to form some sort of friendship with him. Instead, she spread herself out along the couch and kept herself busy watching a Korean drama on her phone.
"Well," Luz straightened up, offering an amused smile to her girlfriend and the others. "The other day, Masha suggested that we should help Philip with his communication skills because, let's be honest, he could use some help."
"I mean… you're not wrong," Gus admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
"And, as I told Philip, we can do much more than that," Luz continued. "We can show him how to become a better person. I spent all yesterday and early this morning devising the best plan to set Philip on the road to redemption."
Masha, Gus, and Amity joined Philip in staring at her, while Willow approached the poster, looking at it with a blend of curiosity and wonder.
"Ooohhh," she exclaimed in awe as she examined the sections Luz had created on the board.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Luz asked Willow with amusement. "He's definitely going to need our help though if we want all of this to work."
"Hum…Luz…" Amity began.
"I searched through the internet and found an amazing resource that shows people how to become better through self-development," Luz said, cutting off Amity in her excitement. "It provided ten things that people should follow. Here, let me show you." She asked Willow to help her hold the poster up to the group, as they appeared hesitant to approach it. Willow took one end, while Luz held the other, and then she gestured toward a section on the board. "The ten ways we can help Philip become a better person are as follows. Well, eleven. I added one of my own."
Luz proceeded to point at the sections, which were essentially a numbered list outlining what Philip should do to become a 'better' person. The list read as follows:
Be open to change - Philip has stopped trying to harm us. Now he's helping us, yay! Good job, Philip!
Stop making excuses - Realized witches are not the problem and that he admitted that he messed up big time~ Potential seen here for change!
Control anger - Work in progress o.o.
Be a role model – To be determined.
Self-care - Mom and Auntie Margaret will be in charge of this.
Listen actively - He's definitely listening to some people now, particularly Auntie Margaret and Masha. There's room for improvement, though.
Practice honesty - Work in progress.
Step out of your comfort zone - Spend time with each of us :3... Philip will dedicate his time to the two of us in the afternoon and later with the group in the evening.
Surprise someone special - To be determined.
Apologize to others - He's apologized to a couple of us. Must apologize to the rest : ).
Forgive someone - To be determined.
"Of course, I'm open to everyone's feedback," Luz stated, looking over to her friends and eagerly awaiting their reactions.
Masha couldn't deny that the list was pretty well put together. They could see how the suggestions would help Philip overall, especially the parts about him spending time with them. However, presenting it as if Philip were a project was not the wisest approach, especially by how Philip took a slight step back from everyone. He probably felt suffocated.
"So… yeah, this is great, Luz," they said, walking over to close the poster so Philip's glowing eyes weren't glued to its contents. "But… I think you might be overwhelming Philip."
Luz blinked at them, bemused.
"Yeah, I agree with Masha," Amity said, doing her best to sound as nice as possible so Luz wouldn't take it personally.
"But he needs to see what I've planned for him, so he knows what he should be doing to redeem himself," Luz countered with a pout.
"Yeah, I get you, but not like this," Masha insisted.
"I'm not gonna lie, I really like number eight on the list," Gus remarked with a thoughtful expression before looking up at the elderly man with an encouraging smile. "Spending time with each of us could be good for you."
Philip avoided eye contact with the boy, wrestling with the peculiar sensation tugging at his heart, akin to fear. He couldn't fathom why he felt this way about spending more time with the children.
"We should create a schedule to see who'll be spending time with him for the remainder of the week," Willow proposed. "Though I suspect we can all agree that Hunter may not be participating in this."
"I should probably check with Vee if she wants to be included in this as well," Luz said.
Waves of nausea coursed through Philip, while the pain from the chest wound threatened to test his patience. He struggled to steady his racing heart, attempting to quell the haunting words from that poster replaying in his mind.
Taking a shaky breath, uncertain whether his anxiety or the persistent chest pain was to blame, he settled for giving Luz an impassive expression.
"We should concentrate on gathering the materials needed to construct the portal instead," Philip said in the calmest tone he could muster. He was trying to divert her attention to what was more important for her friends, a way back to the Boiling Isles.
"Oh no, you don't, my dude," Luz retorted, wagging a finger at him. "I know what you're trying to do, but you can't fool me."
Philip frowned.
"You need this," Luz insisted. "And honestly, it won't be so bad. We can start things off with your favorite people, Masha and Gus."
Philip fixed a stern gaze on Luz. "No."
His response left Luz looking perplexed and then irritated. Yet, she found it somewhat amusing that Philip didn't deny favoring Masha and Gus for the moment.
"Are you really going to be this stubborn, Philip?" Luz asked, narrowing her eyes at him when he turned away.
Masha sighed, sensing tension growing in the air.
"Maybe we can find some middle ground," Gus suggested as he thought about a way to reduce the time Philip had to spend with them.
"There's nothing to negotiate," Philip said firmly before he began walking toward his "room". His labored breathing caught Luz's attention, reminding her of the lingering wound. The very one that she was hoping would heal soon.
"You're right, Philip, there's nothing to compromise," Luz said, her voice strong and loud. "Starting tomorrow, you'll spend two hours with two of us, and maybe you can teach one of us some healing magic to fix that wound of yours. I won't accept a 'no' from you, no matter what. You're doing this, got it?" Her tone held the determination that Philip didn't like, but he tried to ignore it as he retreated into his stall.
Luz seemed poised to follow him, but Amity gently held her hand, stopping her.
"We should let Philip rest," Amity suggested. "His body is likely working hard to heal, and you know how older people can get when they're tired," she added with a hint of humor, offering an amused smile to Luz.
"Let's give him some space," Gus said.
"But what if Sister Lilian returns with the Titan's blood before we have a chance to help Philip?" Luz pressed.
"Let's discuss this back at the house," Masha proposed. She wanted to sit down with Luz and the others and confirm if Luz was genuinely trying to help Philip become a better person or if it was just a game to her. They also thought that Philip didn't want to listen to them talk about him in the same room as he was trying to rest.
"Fine, but I'm leaving this here," Luz said, taking the poster and placing it on the ground, "in case someone gets curious." She said that last part a bit louder to make sure Philip had heard her. Masha let out an amused smile at Luz's daring move.
Then everyone departed, leaving Philip alone in the barn.
Philip had lied down on his makeshift bed, placing a hand on the wrapped wound, while he tried to understand what was driving Luz to "help" him.
He knew she wasn't trying to mess with him. Luz wasn't a terrible person like he was. She had a good soul that drove her to help others, even though some didn't deserve it. But he just couldn't comprehend why she thought he could become better when it was obvious that his own soul had been forever tarnished by his own hands…
Luz, Amity, Willow, Masha, and Gus settled in the living room, arranging themselves in a circle on the floor.
In the kitchen, Camila and Margaret were preparing dinner while Vee helped by trying to make garlic bread for the first time.
Masha, seated across from Luz on the soft, crimson rug, broached the subject. "So, are you serious about helping him?" They were careful to clarify, "Before you answer, let me make it clear that none of us is obligated to help Philip after what he's done."
Luz met their gaze with determination in her warm brown eyes. "I know we don't have to, but I want to," she replied earnestly. "Over these past few days, I've been thinking about everything that's happened, especially back in the Boiling Isles. You know, many people there didn't like me, and some even tried to kill me."
Masha blinked at this revelation, and they couldn't help but notice Amity glancing downward, her fingers absentmindedly tracing her left arm, as if weighed down by guilt.
"Yet, many of those same people are now my friends, people I care about deeply," Luz continued, her expression softening into a smile. "Philip may have been the worst of them, but I feel it wouldn't be fair of me if I didn't give him a second chance or try to help him when he's trying to help us."
"Well, he's only helping us because he feels guilty," Willow pointed out. "Which is okay, given it's the least he can do. But I don't think he's helping us because he's a nice guy."
"What makes a person 'nice'?" Luz asked Willow.
"Someone who does good things?" Gus offered in response.
"Philip has done a few good deeds in the past few days, and while it may be driven by guilt, he's still doing them. I believe he has the potential to be a good person overall," Luz argued.
"Luz, you have to remember, this is real life," Amity let out quietly. "We're not in a fictional story."
"Yeah, Philip is a real person, and he's just as complex as the rest of us," Gus said.
"Like the rest of us…" Amity mumbled under her breath, almost inaudible. The face of her mother flashed in her mind for a second, but she did her best to shove her aside.
"Just a bit more messed up in the head," Willow chimed in, summing up the sentiments in the room.
"Anyway," Luz resumed, "Philip has gone through a lot according to Gus, and while it doesn't excuse his terrible actions, I believe if he genuinely wants to change, he deserves a second chance. I don't want to simply use Philip for our benefit, then lock him up and throw away the key. Using people like that is what a manipulative and evil Philip would have done."
"What if he doesn't want a second chance?" Gus asked her. "Not that I'm against helping him, but Masha mentioned that he's been clear about not wanting it. He just... wants to be locked away."
"I think we can agree that Philip isn't the best judge of what's best for him," Masha said. "Having good people in his life might help him recognize the good he has to offer, and that life is worth living."
"So, we don't want to seal him up anymore?" Amity asked. "I don't think other people on the Boiling Isles will be as forgiving, and, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think it's rather cruel to help Philip become a better person and have him want a second chance in life, only for him to end up imprisoned when we return home."
"Well, maybe others will change their mind if Philip does end up helping us return to our families and stop the Collector," Gus said. "If he can prove that he isn't trying to kill our people anymore, maybe everyone won't be quick to just get rid of him forever."
Amity frowned. "So... he's just going to be forgiven after everything he's done?"
The room fell silent for a moment.
"There are other ways to 'punish' someone besides locking them up forever," Luz assured Amity. She then noticed Hunter appearing from the stairs and heading towards the kitchen. She waited until he was out of earshot before turning back to her girlfriend. "Let's talk more about this later."
The group didn't say anything else since they didn't want Hunter to catch their conversation, and they soon found themselves gathered around the rectangular dinner table, enjoying a meal of spaghetti and meatballs.
Luz shared a portion of her plans for Philip with those who were not present in the barn. Hunter had gone to his room with his dinner, so she felt open to talk about things a bit more freely. Well, just slightly. She just stuck with telling Vee, Margaret, and her mother about them spending time with Philip later in the week. She had disguised the plan as a great way to "keep Philip in check" to hide the truth from Vee.
"So, I was thinking that tomorrow, Gus and Masha would start things off. Then the following day, it will be your turn, Mom and Auntie Margaret, to spend some time with him," Luz explained. "After that, it will be Willow and Amity, and on the fourth day, I guess it'll be me and anyone else who wants to join."
"I'll join you," Vee spoke up, catching Luz off guard. Confusion filled the room as everyone looked at her.
"Vee, you really don't have to do this," Luz said.
"I know I don't have to, but I want to," Vee insisted before she heard the timer of oven go off in the other room. "The bread should be done now." She smiled before running off to retrieve the bread for them.
"If we're going to do this, let's try not to overwhelm him," Masha said when Vee left. They then turned to Luz, knowing that she was hyper-fixated on helping Philip now, which could pose a problem. "That means not bombarding him with everything from your list right away. It might be too much for him to handle."
"Yeah, even I thought the list was a bit much at that moment," Gus added with a hint of amusement.
"I didn't expect him to do everything on the list in a day," Luz defended. "I just wanted him to see what I had planned for him. Like, he could use it as a syllabus that we would follow in the upcoming days. Take it as a school course so he isn't caught by surprise later."
"I understand, mija, but we need to take things slow," Camila said with a soft smile. Seeing Luz wanting to help someone instead of wanting to hurt them warmed her heart. Her old Luz was back.
"I know, mom," Luz sighed.
Meanwhile, there were still some who felt Philip didn't deserve the effort that Luz was putting into helping him, but they held their tongue for now.
Unbeknownst to everyone else, back in the barn, Philip had yet to find sleep. He remained fixated on the ceiling, his mind ruminating on the words Luz had penned on the poster.
A big part of him was irritated that Luz would be getting her way and have him spending time with the other children. He questioned whether she couldn't see that he still posed a threat to them. While he might not be losing his mind as he had been days ago, he knew better… He didn't trust himself in any way, especially if he were to lose control of his temper.
However, he hoped that proper sleep and some solitude would help him maintain the calm demeanor he had cultivated over centuries.
"You'll end up hurting them…" the dark voice that he hadn't heard for a while hissed in his head, which he quickly did his best to shove into the dark depths of his mind.
As the minutes ticked by and increasing numbness took hold of him, he ultimately convinced himself to do what the children wanted. After all, he had lost any right to voice his opinions or make choices about himself because of his terrible actions.
With a sigh, he closed his eyes, attempting to sleep as an inexplicable fatigue washed over him. At the same time, he strained to reassure himself that the faint whispers echoing in his mind were nothing more than a product of his twisted imagination.