The next day Luz woke up as usual to go to school, but while they were having breakfast Eda told her something unexpected: "Kiddo, today you won't be able to bring the strong cricket and the illusionist spider with you to school. I need them here"
Luz was taken aback by that statement. "Um... why?"
"I have to do some magical experiments and I need a couple of guinea pigs... er, some subjects to test some things on. Nothing dangerous obviously" Eda answered.
In reality the situation was more complicated: Eda in fact needed Gus and Willow to be able to harness their essence and create powerful amulets that would allow them to transform into humans. It would be a long process that would take at least five or six hours, so she needed to have them in the house all day; once she was done she would just have to wait another day or at most two for the magical energy in the amulets to stabilize, at which point she could give them to Gus and Willow and they could transform into humans. She hadn't talked about it with Luz because the two arthropods wanted it to be a surprise for the puppet; they were sure that when she saw them in human form she would rejoice as much as they did... maybe even more.
Luz was somewhat doubtful. "But... who will come with me to school today then?"
"You can go there alone. By now you know the way by heart" Eda replied. Seeing Luz's unconvinced expression, she put her hand on her shoulder and said: "Kiddo, I know you're scared, but you have to try to trust yourself. Try going to school alone, okay? You'll see, nothing will happen!"
But Luz wasn't as optimistic as Eda. So as soon as she left she went to the terrarium where Matt lived and called him: "Hey, are you sleeping?"
"I was sleeping" the crab grumbled as he opened his eyes. "What do you want?"
Luz made a sound of disappointment. She didn't like this situation at all, but she had no alternative. "Would you be willing to walk me to school?"
Matt raised an eyebrow. "Don't you already have the strangler cricket and the pain-in-the-ass spider?"
"Don't talk like that about my friends! And anyway they can't come today" Luz replied with a certain note of anger in her voice. "And you've been here for almost a month by now, it's time for you to pay your rent. So make yourself useful and accompany me for today at least!"
It didn't take the crab long to weigh his options: if he refused, Luz would almost certainly grab him and take him away by force, and he wouldn't have the chance to resist. So he might as well accept and get out of it with at least a minimum of dignity. "Okay. But I do it against my will" he said climbing on top of her and hiding behind the collar of her uniform, since he was too big to fit in the pocket.
Luz smiled cheekily at the small victory she had achieved, then she went to find Gus and Willow. She found them sitting in a corner of the kitchen discussing something, but they fell silent as soon as they saw her arrive. The puppet, however, didn't ask why they behaved like that and she said to them: "Guys, you can't come with me today, Eda needs your help"
"Yes, she warned us about that" Willow replied. "Sorry Luz, you'll have to go alone today"
"Yeah. But don't be afraid, you'll be fine!" Gus reassured her.
"I'm the one who should be saying these things to you. I'm not sure that being used as guinea pigs for magical experiments is a good thing. Well, I hope Eda knows what she's doing" Luz said, then she headed towards the door. "See you tonight, guys! Have a nice day!" and having said this she ran away.
Gus smiled. "I'm sure that when we show her tomorrow afternoon why we stayed home today she will explode with joy and start dancing with us. I hope it won't be too difficult to move on two legs because it will be difficult to keep up with her otherwise"
"One way or another we'll get through this" Willow said, eager to gain human form, even though she still had some qualms about trusting Eda's magical experiments.
In the meantime Luz had already moved a long way from the Owl House, crossing the countryside and arriving near Bonesborough. She didn't like the idea of being there alone without her friends, and Matt somehow didn't seem very trustworthy. She could do that; she just had to continue to school, right? It wasn't that difficult...
Halfway she fortunately saw Amity, Boscha and Skara, who strangely seemed to be heading somewhere else. Luz didn't care; they were probably just going another route. "Hey, girls!"
"Oh, hi, Luz" Amity greeted her. Luz felt that she was different than usual; for some reason it gave her strange sensations. It was as if she felt that her smile was even more fake than the one she often showed off in class for the sole purpose of being admired. "We were waiting for you"
"Uh, really? Do you want to go to school together?" Luz asked. It would be her first time hitting the road with any friends other than Gus and Willow.
But to her surprise the three shook their heads. "No, we're not going to school today. We skip for today!" Boscha replied. "We have decided to listen to you: we will go and look for the Titan ourselves!"
Luz was caught off guard. "Are you going... to look for the Titan? But you didn't seem interested yesterday..."
"We've thought about it" Skara told her, putting her arm around her neck and winking with her eyes. "After all, you were right, it could be a good experience. And besides, we're tired of spending the mornings studying: we want to take a trip to the beach!"
Luz didn't know how to explain what was happening. She could expect such behavior from Boscha and Skara, but not from Amity: she had always been too strict with the rules to even think about skipping school. "Are you going too, Amity?"
To her surprise she nodded. "Yes. Normally I wouldn't, but I'm ahead of schedule in all my subjects, I don't need to be at school. I can at least take a day off, and lately I really wanted one. I think you've infected me with all those adventures, now I want to live another one". Then she looked at her with strangely sharp eyes. "Do you want to come with us?"
Luz bit her lip. The idea of going to look for a Titan fascinated her, even if it was probably just a legend; and even more she liked the possibility of spending a day with Amity, Boscha and Skara. Skipping school together made her feel like they were solidifying their friendship, and she appreciated that they even waited for her to suggest going with them. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea... after all, as Amity had said, it would only be one day. Nobody would have noticed, not even Eda...
No! She shouldn't think like that, she couldn't act like a bad girl again! She had to be better! She had to honor her mother's memory by keeping good resolutions and going to school!
But...
"Can't we go after school?" she tried one last time.
"Tsk! Do you have any idea how big the beach is? It's almost winter now and the days are short. We would never be able to explore it all if we only went there after school" Boscha replied. "So, are you coming or not?"
Luz bit her lip. It seemed to her that her conscience was literally being torn apart by her desire to have fun with her friends and to continue behaving like a good girl. "Can you excuse me for just a moment?" she said, and without waiting for their response he immediately ran behind a tree. Amity, Skara, and Boschs looked at each other in confusion, but they respected her privacy.
There Luz opened the collar of her uniform and discovered that Matt had fallen asleep; she woke him up with a pat on the head. "I didn't bring you with me so that you could sleep, but so that you could watch over me and give me good advice!"
"Ugh... good advice? Me? I'm not a sage" Matt grumbled, but then hr asked anyway: "What's the problem?"
"My friends are suggesting that I skip school and go look for the Titan with them" Luz explained.
"Skipping school is bratty. Don't do it"
"I know. But..."
"But?"
"But this is an opportunity to bond more with my friends!"
"If that's what you really want, then go with them"
"But I would skip school like that!"
"Then go to school"
"But they will be disappointed if I say no!"
Matt rolled his eyes. "Luz, I ask you clearly and concisely: are you hoping that I will provide you with a solution that will allow you to go and have fun with your friends without feeling guilty for not going to school?"
"Now we understand each other!" Luz exclaimed with a smile. "So, how do I do it?"
Matt clawed his face. "Luz, the dilemma before you presents only two paths: either you go to school or you don't. Either way there will be consequences. Now you have to choose. There is no middle ground that allows you to do both. And I'm not your conscience, it's you who has to decide for yourself"
Luz's smile faded. "Seriously? You won't even give me a little hint?"
"I'm a crab, not a philosopher. I don't know what the spider and the cricket do when they're with you, but I don't mean to interfere with your choices. Just take me home when you're done" Matt replied.
To his surprise, Luz seemed to regain her happiness at those words. "You're right, I have to take you home! And your home is the beach. This is also an opportunity to put you back in your natural environment, something I avoided doing for too long! Yes, now everything is clear: I have to do it too for you! It's an altruistic gesture, not a selfish one!"
Matt mentally called Luz a hypocrite; it was clear that she was just trying to find an excuse that would justify her at least a little. However, it was her choice, so he wasn't about to do anything about it; he remained silent and went back to hiding inside the collar of her uniform, and soon he fell asleep again. Luz quickly walked back to Amity, Boscha, and Skara: "Okay, girls! I'm coming with you!"
"Wonderful! We knew we could count on you, Luz!" Skara told her satisfied, and Amity and Boscha nodded smugly.
So they set off, but they hadn't even gone a hundred meters before Boscha exclaimed: "Oh, damn! I forgot to leave some food for Echo! That rascal will definitely be angry... girls, go ahead of me, I'll meet you at the beach!" and having said that she ran off towards Bonesborough.
"Who is Echo?" Luz asked confused.
"Oh, it's just Boscha's pet mouse! He's adorable, trust me! But he's a spoiled mouse, if you don't give him the right amount of food he wants he sulks for days!" Skara said trying to sound casual, though a small drop of sweat formed on her forehead, but luckily Luz didn't notice. "Anyway, what do you think we should do to search for the Titan?"
"Well, I assume such a beast leaves tracks. All we need to do is follow them" Luz proposed.
But Amity shook her head. "No, I don't think it will be that simple. The Titan has never left any traces, so if we assume that it exists, it must have some power that prevents it from leaving them" she said, rubbing her chin. "But there could be other clues. Fallen teeth, pieces of claw, black hairs... but it's unlikely that we would distinguish them from normal rocks and stones..."
Luz had to admit that Amity's reasoning made sense. "Isn't there a way to recognize them?"
Amity seemed to think about it carefully: "Well... organic compounds are much more susceptible to dyes since they are soft tissue. If we had some on us we could..."
"I have it!" Skara exclaimed. "My mother is a painter. If I hurry, I can sneak into her lab and get some! Go to the beach, I'll join you!" and having said this she also ran away as fast as the wind.
Left alone, Luz and Amity continued to discuss how to search for the Titan. Amity continued to propose chemical and scientific solutions, which fascinated Luz. "You're really smart. Well, you're not at the top of your class by any stretch"
"Heh heh! Now you are flattering me. Don't exaggerate" Amity said blushing slightly.
"I'm not exaggerating; trust me, I've never met anyone smarter than you. In fact..." Luz hesitated for a moment, then she asked her: "...how about coming to study with me tomorrow? You could help me with some subjects. Oh, and of course I'll also invite Skara and Boscha and anyone else you want"
"Uh... well... okay. I don't see why not" Amity replied, and strangely her forehead was beaded with sweat and she looked very conflicted in that moment.
Eventually the two girls reached the coastline. Luz had to admit that Boscha was right: the beach was so large that it was impossible to see the end of it through the sea mist. "How come Boscha and Skara aren't back yet?" she asked, since it had been a while since they left.
Amity bit her lip, and for a moment she seemed to want to say something, but then she closed her eyes and shook her head in disappointment. "Skara must have gotten lost again, as usual. That girl has zero sense of direction. And I bet Boscha went to get her..." She let out a soft grunt. "I have half an idea where they might be. Wait here; I'll find them and be back soon"
And with that she also ran away and disappeared into the horizon. Luz was left alone, but after all there was nothing to fear there at the beach. She was about to tell Matt that he could go on his way, but she realized that the crab was sleeping soundly, so she decided to wait for him to wake up. She sat down on a small rock and waited for her friends to return.
IMPORTANT: Ok, since it's Christmas and everyone is better at Christmas, I'm giving you all this gift: starting today, in addition to the usual publication at 7.00 pm (Rome local time) there will be another one at 12.00 pm (6.00 pm New York); in this way we will arrive at Christmas Day with the long-awaited moment of reconciliation between Luz and Amity, and you will all be able to enjoy the touching reunion between the two. I will make this exception ONLY UNTIL CHRISTMAS DAY, and I make it just for you, so tell me thank you for the double effort I put in and leave kudos and comment. I'll have to work hard, so a gesture of appreciation from all of you is a MUST. Yes, I'm talking exactly with you, guy that read my work without never leave kudos: I know who you are and since I'm Italian I know how to handle with people like you (coff coff mafia coff coff), so do it if you still want to spend a Christmas Day!
Oh, and in case there are any Hazbin Hotel fans out there, today at 9:30pm (3:30pm New York) I'll post a Christmas-themed one-shot titled "How the legend of Santa Claus was really born", so go and enjoy it.
Just to remember in case someone forgot: these things will happen on the site Archive of Our Own