Silence, silence so loud it was almost deafening.
All eyes were glued to Luz, her own eyes cast down at the wooden table. Isabela cast fluttering looks between the others, trying her hardest to gauge how they were reacting to the news Luz had shared. Camila was more in a state of confusion than anything, still not fully grasping much about the Demon Realm. Hunter, who already knew the story, was biting his lip and trying not to look at anyone.
The others, however, were staring at Luz in shock. Willow's mouth was formed into a shocked 'o', and Vee was blinking rapidly. Gus was the first one to speak, talking softly and slowly.
"You….helped Belos meet the Collector?" Gus asked. Luz nodded, still not looking up from the table. Isabela immediately set to defending Luz, still not able to determine if the others were mad or not.
"Accidentally," Isabela said. "She did not know it was Belos at the time, and she was trying to find a way to get me back home. Blame me, if you -"
"No, Isa," Luz cut in, looking up. "I did this all on my own, you don't have to take their anger."
Willow tilted her head to the side and a decision seemed to be made in her eyes.
"We're not angry," Willow said firmly. "At least, I'm not." She reached to where Luz was sitting next to her and took her hand. "Luz, I know your heart, I know you would never do something to hurt anyone on purpose."
Vee squirmed in her seat and ran a hand through her blonde and blue locks. She had recently changed her appearance to be less of a copy of Luz and more her own person. Isabela was a huge fan of this change, not just because it was strange to see two versions of Luz walking around, but because she wanted Vee to feel like she could be free to be themselves.
"I just….you saw him? Talked to him?" Vee said. Luz nodded solemnly. Vee ringed her hands and shut her eyes. "I just can't believe….I can't believe it. Belos wasn't always…..Belos."
"He was always Belos," Luz said darkly. "Looking back…..I should have known that something was wrong. That he wasn't who he claimed to be, he was nothing like the man in that journal."
Vee looked over at Amity, who was staring at Luz with an unreadable emotion. Amity caught Vee's look and shook her head, reaching to take Luz's other hand.
"Luz, you can't….you can't blame yourself," Amity insisted. "Belos tricked the entire Boiling Isles for years. That's what he does. He tricks, he manipulates, and he does not care who he hurts." Luz looked over at Amity, and Amity gave her a small, reassuring smile. Luz did not return it, and turned away, ashamed. Amity frowned.
"Luz, you really can't expect yourself to have known the unknowable," Amity said.
Camila still seemed confused, her brows furrowed, but she finally entered the fray of conversation with a comforting smile.
"Mi hija, I'll be honest, I don't understand most of the mechanics of what happened. But it sounds to me like you're blaming yourself for things out of your control," Camila said in a soothing tone. She stood from her spot opposite Luz and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing comfortingly. "This Phillip or Belos or whoever he is, he tricked you and used you. You didn't have the whole story, and you can't know the unknowable. And no one blames you."
Camila motioned out to the rest of the table, where everyone was looking at Luz with sincere and forgiving expressions. Tears welled in her eyes and she threw herself at Camila, wrapping her arms around her mother's middle.
Isabela's own eyes started to glisten with tears at the sight. Luz did not deserve to tear herself apart like this, not over something that she was tricked into. Belos had taken advantage of her sister, and not for the first time, hate blazed in her for the man. As a tear fell onto Isabela's cheek, she felt a hand take hers, and between blurry tears she turned to see it was Hunter, even though his gaze was still locked onto Luz.
"I-I-I'm so sorry!" Luz cried. Camila pulled her even closer. "I didn't mean to!"
Hunter set his jaw.
"Luz, you were tricked," Hunter stated. "That's what Belos does. And-and I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner, but I don't blame you. No one blames you for what happened. So don't blame yourself. Blame the real enemy."
"Blame Belos," Isabela finished for him. Luz looked up at Isabela, and Isabela smiled at her sister. "Like I told you, Belos is a manipulator, and you did what you thought was right because you didn't have all the information."
Gus nodded in agreement and Vee grinned at Luz.
"You're a good person, Luz," Amity said. "We know who you are, and we know you would never do this on purpose."
Luz sniffled once and smiled weakly through her slowly disappearing tears.
"You guys really aren't angry?" Luz asked once more, cautiously.
"We're not angry," Willow assured.
Isabela turned to Hunter, and saw a spark of contemplation in Hunter's violet eyes. But as soon as Hunter realized that Isabela was looking at him, it was gone, and Isabela wondered what he possibly could have been thinking about.
She thought back to their conversation just a little bit ago. Hunter had said firmly that he was not hiding anything else, but Isabela had her doubts. Hunter grew up in a world filled with secrets. It was more than likely he was still hiding something, but Isabela knew if she pushed too hard and too fast she would never find them out and it would only make Hunter's already fragile state worse.
So, she penciled that away for a different day and returned to Luz. Hunter could wait, Luz could not.
In the next few days, Lux's mood lightened considerably. She was nowhere near the Luz she used to be, but Luz was no longer dour. She smiled more freely, she was more likely to initiate conversation, and she was far more optimistic about the possibility of getting back to the Demon Realm. She was still a little melancholic, but Isabela argued that was a natural reaction after everything they went through.
Isabela still kept an eye on her sister, but Luz's change in mood felt like a weight had been lifted from Isabela's shoulders. Isabela could tell that Luz getting all that off her chest and getting reassurances that her friends and family still loved her and was not mad at her had pulled Luz off of an emotional precipice of some sort. Luz was no longer close to falling face first into depression, and that made Isabela's step much lighter.
On Saturday when Luz insisted that she and Amity were going out on a date and essentially marched her girlfriend out the door, Isabela was almost as excited as the couple, if only because it was a sign that Luz was doing better. Camila had left soon after them, taking the emergency weekend shift this week, leaving Willow, Gus, Vee, Hunter, and Isabela an entire house.
Vee and Gus decided to go to the shack, bringing a tablet so they could practice their Spanish, while Willow tended to the garden in the backyard. Hunter joined her for awhile, leaving Isabela to study for a test at the kitchen helped her study, holding up flashcards with his trunk as Isabela rattled off elements of an ecosystem. When she got it right, Algernon would give a little trumpet with his trunk when she got it right, and Isabela gave a little smile everytime Algernon did so.
After about an hour and a half of silence other than Algernon's little trumpets, Isabela heard a little chirp and she looked over her shoulder to see Flapjack flittering in the archway to the kitchen. His bonded was nowhere to be seen, and Isabela tilted her head to the side curiously.
"Flapjack?" Isabela asked. Algernon tooted a greeting. Flapjack flew over to Isabela and landed in Isabela's lap, their red feathers striking against the skirt of her light pink dress. Isabela smiled at the palisman and ruffled a few of their feathers, and Flapjack gave another chirp of contentment.
"Flap!" Hunter's voice rang throughout the house. "Flag, where are you?"
Hunter slid into the kitchen, wearing a dirt covered apron and gardening clothes. He frowned as he saw Flapjack in Isabela's lap.
"Traitor!" Hunter accused. He marched deeper into the kitchen and raised a shaking finger at his palisman. Isabela raised a brow.
"What happened?" Isabela asked. Hunter huffed and walked over to get a cup of water.
"I was being chased by bees and Flapjack totally abandoned me!" Hunter said. Isabela could not help but laugh, a giggle making it's way through her throat.
"It's not funny!" Hunter said. "I almost died!"
Isabela rolled her eyes and Flapjack rose from her lap as Isabela stood up.
"A little hyperbolic, don't you think?" Isabela teased. "I'm sure you didn't almost die. I'm sure Willow would have saved you if you were in any real danger."
Hunter huffed and opened a cabinet, but it was the wrong one, revealing stacks of plates. This caused Hunter's irritation to grow and he growled in frustration.
"Oh, calm down.," Isabela counseled. She reached into the correct cabinet and got him a cup, and smiled at him. Hunter took the cup with a quiet thank you and went to go get water.
"I take it you're done gardening for the day?" Isabela asked. Hunter humphed and took a sip of his water once it was filled.
'For a lifetime!" Hunter corrected. Isabela laughed again.
"Oh, Hunter, you're the most dramatic person I've ever met, and I love you for it," Isabela said between giggles. Hunter couldn't help the break in his frustration and he gave a little smile at Isabela's words. It was a little smile, not a full one that reached his eyes, but a true one none the less. A little more than a ghost of a smile, just enough for it to be seen.
Isabela and Hunter stayed like that for a moment more, just standing quietly in the kitchen, before they heard the front door open and Luz and Amity's laughs start to make it's way through the house.
Isabela went to greet them, but before she turned to leave, she noted to herself that she liked Hunter's little smile.
we're back, super late. hope you all are having a good holiday season!
i felt it was important that everyone talk to luz, because in the show hunter tells luz that she was manipulated and it really seems like something that would have been nice for him to say like? weeks ago? to her, idk may be just a me thing.
questions, comments, or concerns, let me know!
-PrincessChess