The guest room where Luz and Amity made their home was covered in darkness. How many hours have passed since they passed out, the human had no idea. The only thing that mattered to her was that the lavender-haired witch was missing and the way the covers were on the floor it seemed like she left in a hurry.
"What the…?" Luz thought, wiping the sleep away from her eyes. She realized there was a dim light coming from the hall and after checking the time on the clock she began to worry, "It's the middle of the night, dammit…" She hated being woken up but something told her that she should be scared. Panicked even. There was a crushing feeling in her chest.
"Hoot!" She heard and by the tone, she realized it was serious. The brunette got up and followed the light.
"Please, n-no…" She heard Amityʼs trembling voice coming from the bathroom.
The retching sound that followed a distraught hiss woke up Luz immediately, making her afraid for her girlfriend. She approached the door and knocked, not wanting to intrude.
"Amity, are you alright?" Clawthorne asked, patiently waiting for the reply, "Amity?" She egged when she received no answer for a while.
Luz felt her heart pounding. She had no idea what was happening but it seemed like her girlfriend was sick. Another retching sound came from the bathroom and Luz felt the need to act.
"Why the hell didnʼt she wake me up?" She thought and worried about the feeling of dread spreading through her body, "Is this another Bond thing?" She wondered, trying to focus on the problem at hand.
"Yes, I am alright, thank you, Mother…" She never finished the sentence, emptying her bowels again, and diving head-first into the toilet.
"Mother?" Now Luz was concerned. The loud hoot, she could not ignore, urged her to enter the bathroom. So she did.
"Oh… Cramity…" She whispered when she noticed her girlfriend.
Amity was sitting on the floor next to the toilet, her back resting on the wall. Her body was curled up, paler than usual, and her quivering lips were almost blueish with the lack of blood pumping in her face. Her eyes were underlined with dark shadows, roaming the room frantically, the strands of lavender hair stuck to the cold, sweat-covered forehead.
Her ears were slanted but still twitching in anxiety just like her hands, curled up on her stomach. Her whole body was shivering, clearly running a fever, and her black pajama boxer shirt was drenched with sweat while her scarred chest expanded in labored breaths.
"Amity, talk to me…" Luz pleaded, approaching the witch carefully.
She halted her movements when she noticed her girlfriend suddenly stiffen and straightened herself, her eyes roamed the room frantically. Her ears almost fluttered in panic while her legs kicked the floor as if she were trying to get away.
"Iʼm not making this up, I feel sick… I-I promise, Mother…" She whispered before assaulting the toilet again, her hair ruffled while her stomach cramped painfully, sending strange sensations through the human's stomach as well.
What Amity did not realize was that Luz scooted closer and took hold of her long, lavender hair to keep it away from her face. She used her other hand to rub long strokes on the witchʼs back in an attempt to calm her down.
"Is that… Chocolate?!" Luz panicked, noticing the contents of the toilet, wiping the pale face with a piece of cloth, allowing herself to even consider that Amity might have food poisoning.
"Hoot!"
"I donʼt know why but I donʼt understand you in the Human Realm," Luz replied in her head and frowned when Amity pulled back, resting her back against the wall again, closing her eyes, slanting her ears, exhausted with her condition, gasping for air, letting her girlfriend clean her face.
"Amity…" She tried again, "Can you hear me?" She asked, cupping her face in support but also in an attempt to check the temperature.
"Too hot… She's running a fever."
"Luz?" The witch asked, voicing her surprise at the realization, her eyes rolling around the room, unable to focus on anything for longer than a second.
"Yeah, Iʼm here…" Luz assured her with a smile, making sure her voice was full of comfort.
"You shouldʼt be here…" She added, confusing the human. Her pale, shaking hands tried to grab Luz but failed miserably, "Sheʼll be back…" The witch tried to explain but another stomach cramp interrupted her again. The pain paralyzed Amity and she waited for it to pass.
"Oh, that's so weird to feel her physical pain…" Clawthorne thought, noticing uncomfortable jolts of electricity-like sensations, running through her body.
"Don't worry, she canʼt hurt you anymore…" Luz added, knowing how her girlfriend was anxious about her birthgiverʼs presence.
"Sheʼll kill you this time…" Amity whispered when she straightened up again, "Sheʼll do anything to…" Another cramp, followed by retching, interrupted the witch's words.
"Okay, thatʼs it! I need to help her!" Luz thought with determination, aching at the sight of pained Amity.
"Hoot!" She might not have understood that but the tone suggested the Demon said something along the lines of "Finally!".
"Amity, my Love…"
"NO!" Amityʼs exclamation surprised both Luz and the Owl Demon, "Youʼre my Love!" She said loudly, words slurring, taking hold of the human's shirt, "I can't lose you…"
Luz could feel how the pale hand was shaking, she looked up and noticed the pupils shrank in the golden orbs before letting out a long distraught hiss. She knew what was coming next. Amity turned around and let out another load into the toilet. Luz noticed the witch's nails lengthened, taking hold of the porcelain rim, scratching it unknowingly, her hair ruffling while her breathing got shallow, rasp, and panicked.
"Amity, please hold on," Luz addressed her girlfriend again. She knew what needed to be done. She had helped Eda through one food poisoning and she hoped this one would not be as bad, "I need to prepare a few things and I'll be back to get you," She added and with a breaking heart, she got up.
"Everyone will leave you eventually…" Luz heard the witch's gasping whisper when she was leaving the bathroom. She tried hard to ignore those words but deep down she knew, she would think about it.
"Okay, okay, calm the fuck down, Clawthorne!" Luz screamed at herself when she bolted into their bedroom, just to realize her jeans were left downstairs.
She stumbled down the stairs, ignoring the jolt of pain in her thigh when she skipped the last three stairs, and another in her stomach, and finally retrieved the list of foods Amity should avoid. Her eyes roamed the piece of paper over and over until she realized she was not processing the words.
"Deep breath…" She tried again, word by word,
"Thatʼs nothing we had eaten, dammit!" She yelled and felt a cold sense of dread when she heard Amityʼs struggle upstairs. That was when she noticed the reverse of the list with two ingredients and many exclamation marks.
TOXIC!
Caffeine
Theobromine
No chocolate or coffee! Can be fatal!
"Oh fuck…" Luz whispered, slumping down on the couch when the realization hit her like a Roller-Ghoaster, "I poisoned my girlfriend…" She whispered, letting her head down into her hands, feeling the guilt and helplessness.
"How could I not see that?! Fuck, fuck, fucking idiot!"
"Hoot!" Whatever that meant, Luz shot up, snapping out of her dread.
"Right! I need to help her!" She said out loud and ran to her childhood bedroom with an idea in her head.
"If thatʼs anything like the time Eda was poisoned, we're gonna need a lot of space," She thought as if she was explaining her actions to the Demon.
Luz ran toward the walk-in closet and retrieved the camp bed, unfolded it, and placed it in the middle of the room, hoping it was far away from all the walls. She then put the camping mattress on it and covered it with bedsheets knowing it most likely would need to be changed often. Another retching sound came from the bathroom, sending a shiver of panic across her back, and another jolt to her stomach.
"Just hold on a bit more…" She thought and pushed her old sketching desk aside to cover the window with a bookshelf.
She then turned around to inspect the room and remove the last redundant objects that might cause problems. The human then prepared the bucket in case Amity would need it and fetched the water and medicine, the witch had found the first day, and the thermometer.
"Amity?" She asked when she returned to the bathroom.
Luz approached the sweat-covered, gasping shallowly, exhausted witch. She cleared the pale forehead from the lavender strands and cupped her cheek, trying to get her attention, watching her golden eyes flutter. Blight's lips were parted in exhaustion, her fangs peeing out, and her ears kept twitching, letting the human know she was fighting to stay conscious.
"She's not going to leave me… Mother," Amity whispered hoarsely, letting her eyes rest.
"Oh… Baby…" Luz gasped, not controlling her own words when she realized her girlfriendʼs feverish struggle.
Suddenly, the witch chuckled dryly, showing off her fangs for a second before her smile faded, making the human anxious if she had offended her girlfriend with the pet name. Luz watched the pale face with panic.
"Only she called me that… Even if it was just once…" Amity whispered with her eyes closed, "I like the sound of that… When she says that…" She added and a sudden surge of pain made her grab her stomach and whimper pathetically with a wince. Luz had no time to think about what she just heard, she needed to act.
"Okay, come on, Baby," The human whispered, taking hold of Amity. She lifted the shivering body, flushed the toilet with her leg, and then moved the witch to the bedroom prepared for her, "Try to calm down," Luz said, placing her hand on the pale forehead.
"Too warm… Damn it!" The human thought and took the witch's temperature, "One hundred and one… Fuck…" She panicked internally but tried to remain calm.
"Hold on, Amity," Luz whispered and retracted her hands from the pale body to prepare the water with the anti-fever potion, "Please, drink this. It should help you," She added and helped the witch's head up to help her with the medicine, "Very good, slowly," She cooed watching Amity drink, her ears twitched with every gulp, and then she put the glass on the nightstand.
"Tastes weird," The witch whispered, her eyes trying to focus on her surroundings.
Suddenly Luz noticed her ears had begun to flutter, pupils dilated only to shrink again, and Amity sat up violently letting out a long distraught hiss. Her hair ruffled, her ears slanted and her stomach spasmed.
"Shit!" Luz thought and acted quickly, preparing the bucket, and helping the witch let out her stomach's contents.
She watched the lavender-haired woman struggle, retching time after time, her nails lengthening uncontrollably, and she let out a low growl before retching again. The human helped her hold the bucket with her left hand and caressed soothingly her sweaty back with the other one.
All of a sudden, Amity lifted her head, catching a breath with shallow gasps, a string of saliva dangling from her lips. Luz watched her carefully, trying to figure out if she could take the bucket away. The witch was absolutely frightened, not understanding what was happening to her. She was living in a feverish delusion while her body was betraying her.
"Do you think I can take that?" Clawthorne asked, gently pulling the bucket away from the witch who looked at her frantically, her golden eyes glistening with tears she could not control. Yet, she let go of the bucket, her hands shook, ravaged with fear and confusion, "Can you tell me how you feel?" Luz asked, helping the witch down onto the bed, and cleaning her face with a wet cloth again. She then took another reading of the temperature.
"One hundred and one, point five… Shit! It's going up!" The human did her best to hide her fear.
"Let's try this again," The brunette proposed and prepared a smaller amount of water with the medicine Eda provided them with, "Come on…" She encouraged the feverish woman, helping her drink the contents of the glass before helping her down to the cot.
"N-no…" Amity mumbled, shaking her head violently, "M-mommy…" She whispered, shocking her girlfriend, "D-don't…"
Before Luz could have thought a thought, the witch let out another distraught hiss and turned to the side. The human barely made it in time with the bucket when Blight threw up violently.
"Shit! She's not holding the medicine! What do I do?!" Luz felt her heart pound against her chest.
"Hoot!"
"I don't know what that means!" She yelled in her mind.
When Amity was done again, removing herself from the bucket with full-body tremors, Luz noticed a bunch of feathers sticking out from her tan forearms.
"Damn it!" She exclaimed and ran back to the bathroom, tripping on the way before stopping in front of the potion cabinet.
She retrieved her golden elixir and closed the doors, watching her reflection for a moment. Her irises were golden in black eyes, feathers were sticking out from her collarbones, hair, and ears, and lastly, her fangs were just as long as Amity's. Without any further hesitation, she drank the liquid and watched her features painfully slowly return to normal.
"Oh, shit, that's gross!" She exclaimed with disgust and looked down. She retrieved the note Eda left by the anti-fever potion and tried to find a solution to her problem.
"Meloxicam…" She thought, looking at the note, the cogs in her brain slowly turning. Luz ran back to their bedroom to retrieve her phone and she did a quick Internet search on the medicine, "No fucking way…" She thought when she realized her idea may actually work out.
"Amity?" She asked, returning to her girlfriend's side, checking in on her, realizing she was not vomiting anymore. The witch was shivering, sweating bullets, mumbling incoherently in her nightmares, "I need to call someone to help us, are you okay with that?" She asked, trying to communicate with her girlfriend.
"I… Don't need… Anyone…" Amity mumbled, shiver running through her whole body, tears running down her cheeks, lips quivering, and ears twitching, "Everyone… Left…" She added and turned to the side, grabbing her stomach, and winced in pain.
"One hundred and one, point eight… She'll die if I don't do anything," Luz thought after taking the witch's temperature again. She looked at her girlfriend's figure, feeling helpless like never before.
"I'll be right back, please, hold on," The human said, getting up and running through the corridor. She stopped abruptly in front of the door of her mother's bedroom.
"Fuck this, she needs me!" She yelled at herself and turned the doorknob, opening the door.
It was exactly as she recalled it. But now she had no time to appreciate Eda's hard work. Luz ran toward her mother's desk and rummaged through the drawers, looking for Camila's old phone book.
"Where is it…" She was growing impatient, keeping in mind what could happen if a witch spiraled into the feverish nightmare. She had seen Eda like this just once and it was one time too many.
"Gotcha!" She exclaimed and left the room in a hurry as if staying there for too long might have actually hurt her.
Luz returned to her childhood bedroom and sat on the floor by the camping bed where her feverish girlfriend was mumbling nonsense. She opened the phone book and found the number she needed with ease.
"Let's just hope you didn't change your number…" She whispered, keeping an eye on Amity who lay on her back again, her hands curled up, shaken with painful shivers, "Just hold on," Luz whispered, placing a hand on her girlfriend's sweat-covered forehead, hoping to soothe her.
"¿Si?" Luz heard from the other side of the line.
"Um…" She hesitated and removed her hand from Amity's forehead, "Is this Danielle López?" She asked, barely controlling her shaking voice.
"Yes, who is this?" The woman asked and waited patiently for the answer.
"It's… Luz Claw-... Noceda. It's Luz Noceda," Luz said, choking on her own words. She had not spoken her old surname out loud in so many years. It sounded strange to her.
"Noceda…" Amity whispered and then continued to mouth the word silently.
"This is a really stupid prank!" Danielle exclaimed, Luz heard the anger in her voice.
"No, no, no, Tía Dani, please! I need your help!" Hearing the way little Luz called her mother's friend made the older woman hesitate, "I know it's late and you probably don't believe me but she's running a high fever and throwing up all the medicine I give her. Please, come over to give her a Meloxicam shot. I have money, I'll pay as much as you want just please…" Luz was almost crying, "Help me!" The silence on the other side of the line was tortuous.
"Help…" Amity echoed her girlfriend's words and then began repeating them over and over again.
"I'll be there in five minutes," Danielle finally spoke up, "This better not be a prank or so help me God…"
"Thank you! Please, hurry!" Luz added and disconnected the line.
"Hurry…" Amity began echoing a new word as if she were just an empty vessel with no words of her own.
"Yes, Amity, help is on the way," Luz confirmed, letting the tears of relief go, "I just don't know how I will explain everything to her but that's not important now," She added and took the witch's temperature again, "Your temperature keeps rising so please, try to hold on. She'll give you a shot and all should be better," She said in a comforting manner but it sounded as if she was trying to soothe herself instead of Amity.
"She'll be here soon. Better prepare," Luz thought, realizing that she had to let a complete stranger enter their safe haven.
The human helped the witch take the tiniest sip of water before leaving the room. She stumbled down the stairs, and just as she was about to approach the door to watch for the doctor to arrive, she noticed her reflection in the tall mirror in the entrance hall.
She looked at her figure. Long, tan legs covered only by short pajama shorts, bony collarbones sticking out from the black, sleeve-less boxer shirt. Her hazel-brown gaze roamed her reflection and she growled at the numerous scars she could see.
"That's a lot of body showing…" She thought and then looked up at her face. The scars on her cheeks made her wince and tie her brows, "I don't need to scare her any more than probably would be…" Luz thought and retrieved her Concealment Stone from the coffee table in the living room. The doorbell rang the moment she put on the necklace. Luz ran back into the entrance hall and eyed her, scar-free image, "Better…" She thought bitterly, and approached the door, opening it widely.
A shorter, tan, brunette woman, old enough to be Luz's mother, stood on the other side of the door. Danielle López in the person. Her full lips parted when she looked up at the lean, tall, young woman in front of her.
Luz looked down into the green eyes. She looked almost exactly as she recalled her from all the long afternoons in her mother's Vet Clinic or fun-packed weekends. Danielle was probably half a head shorter than Amity.
She was a sturdy woman with shapely curves. One could say that she was surprisingly foxy for her age. She wore dark blue veterinary clothes with a white tee underneath, and she had a black medical bag in her hand.
"¿¡Luzita!?" She exclaimed when she realized that was no prank. There was indeed a very alive Luz Noceda standing in front of her, "¡Dios Mio!, you're so much like Manny!" She added, not realizing what she was saying. Before she could have spoken any other word, she was crushed in an emotion-filled hug.
"Thank you for coming, Tía Dani," Luz whispered, not realizing how much she missed the woman in front of her, "Please, come in," She added and closed the door behind them.
"It's okay. You know I always help any way I can," Danielle said with a small smile, "Although I'm still shocked to get a house call in the middle of the night from a woman presumed dead because of a sick cat," She added and Luz's expression faded, her lips parted in shock.
"S-sick cat?!" She exclaimed, shocked by the assumption, making Danielle raise her eyebrow in question.
"You said she has a high fever, throwing up medicine, and she needs a Meloxicam shot so…" Her reasoning was interrupted by a muffled scream from the first floor.
"Oh, boy…"
"Luz… That's a cat, right?" Danielle paled a tone.
"Um, it's best if we go upstairs…" Luz guided the way and even though she was still reluctant, the older woman followed.
"Right?" She now whispered when she heard another very un-cat-like groan from the other side of the door.
"Okay, so Dani," Luz said in a low voice when she noticed a purple light underneath the door gap. Their eyes met and the older woman just then noticed a white-gold fang in the younger brunette's mouth, "You need to be very quickly very cool about everything you see, okay?"
"Luz… What happened?" López asked, watching the taller woman's worried expression.
"I accidentally poisoned my very powerful…"
"Luz!" Came a strained and pained call from inside the room and Luz did not think twice. She opened the door in one swift move, revealing the problem at hand.
"Witch girlfriend…" She finished the sentence, her mouth falling open when she noticed Amity's body convulsing on the cot, surrounded by her purple magical aura, abomination slime escaping her body, pooling under the bed, crawling up the furniture and walls of the room, creating an eerie image, "Amity!" Luz exclaimed and ran toward her girlfriend quickly, taking hold of the lavender head which shook from one side to another. With one hand she retrieved the thermometer, took another reading, and faced the newcomer, "Dani, please! Her temperature keeps rising…"
"D-don't…" Amity growled while her eyes rolled up, getting Luz's attention.
Danielle watched the two women interact. She took a step closer and with a doctor's fascination looked at the twitching pointy ears that Luz avoided in her soothing caress, she noticed the feral fangs in the young woman's mouth, her golden eyes so inhumane, yet so enchanting. Most importantly, she noticed the deep emotional connection the couple in front of her shared.
"How can I help?" She finally choked out, kneeling in the pool of abomination slime by the witch's right side, letting her bag rest next to her.
"I…" Luz hesitated, turning her gaze away from the feverish woman, eyeing the doctor, searching for any hint of dishonesty, "Her stomach doesn't hold the medicine given in water so I thought an injection would help. She was throwing up for a few hours but now it seems like she…" A sudden slap on her face interrupted her.
"Pathetic…" The witch growled, throwing her head to the side. She cried an abomination slime and then hissed angrily, snarling, making Danielle tense at that sudden change of behavior, and the sight of long fangs, "You weren't good enough to be my mother!" She exclaimed into the vast emptiness of space, snarling again, and to the doctor's surprise, the witch's hands ignited purple flames, making her exclaim in shock and lift her right hand, shielding her face protectively.
"Come on, Amity, calm down. Sheʼs not here anymore, youʼre safe," Luz pleaded.
She took hold of the scarred forearms, and pushed them toward the sweat-drenched torso, making the witch discard the spell. The lavender-haired woman gasped hoarsely, catching a breath, her eyes roaming the room in panic, ears twitching unevenly.
"L-Luz?" She asked, surprised to see the human above her.
"Y-yeah, Iʼm here…" Luz confirmed, letting go of the pale hands and once again caressing her hair, making Amity close her eyes.
"W-where…" The witch gulped and inhaled sharply, her eyes shot open, and her pupils shrank down, "You aren't my Luz!" Amity suddenly exclaimed, trying to crawl away from the touch, "My Luz died… I-I… I couldnʼt save her… I failed her!" She rumbled in her delusion, panicking, not understanding her current situation.
Danielle tried to wrap her head around everything. She did not understand what the strange being had in mind, saying Luz died. She did not understand how Luz was back in the first place. Then again she had no idea what that creature, leaking purple goo from her eyes, was. But the older woman was not about to leave now.
"No, no, no, no, Amity, you saved me!" Luz said rapidly, once again stroking the witchʼs hair, trying to calm her down, "Youʼre just sick but I brought help," She gestured toward silent, dumbfounded Danielle, still sitting by the bed, "Youʼll be fine, I promise," She added and watched Amityʼs reactions.
The witch managed to look to her right side, where the older woman sat, watching them interact. The golden eyes stopped crying abomination slime and Amity tied her brows in a frown as if she was trying to comprehend her surroundings, not realizing Luz had taken another temperature reading.
"One hundred and two point four…" She said with a shaky voice, looking up at Danielle.
"It's not that high…"
"Not for a human. Her temperature is naturally one point five lower than ours so sheʼs on the brink of…"
"V-Viney?" Amityʼs confusion interrupted her girlfriendʼs explanation. Luz blinked twice and looked from Danielle to the witch and back to the older woman.
"Wow… Sheʼs kinda right…" Clawthorne thought when she noticed Danielle's hair tied in a bun, her green eyes of a similar shade, and her skin just a few tones darker than the real Viney's.
"YES!" Luz exclaimed, hoping this would make things easier, "Emira sent Viney to help us!" She added and caressed the heated, pale cheeks, wiping the remains of abomination from the sweaty face.
"Oh, thatʼs nice…" Amity said, turning back to Luz but stopped without a warning.
All of a sudden her pupils shrank, her ears slanted, and she hissed in distress. The human already recognized that behavior and helped the witch to the bucket that Amity held possessively, emptying her stomach.
"Just go with it, Dani," Luz looked back at the woman on the other side of the bed, "Viney is her sister-in-law, Emira's wife. Call her Honey, tease her a bit, and donʼt be afraid of her…"
"H-help…" Amity's quivering voice distracted her girlfriend. The pale hand held onto her stomach, wincing in pain and she started crying again.
"Hi, Honey…" Dani spoke softly, getting Amity's attention who let out a small growl interrupted by quiet sobs.
"You'll never stop calling me that, would you?" The witch asked in a voice so angry that Danielle paled again. The older woman noticed Luz who nodded her head and with a circling finger, gestured her to continue.
"You know I won't," Danielle said mustering a teasing smile and was surprised the witch let out a small chuckle, "Listen, Luz told me you're sick so I need to give you a shot with medicine…" She said softly, "You're very feverish…" She explained and Amity managed to turn to her back again to look at the green-eyed woman. Both human women were shocked to see the witch smiling widely in a maniacal manner, showing off her fangs, making Danielle gulp at the sight.
"She wanted to kill you too, you know…" Blight whispered and her smile faded when her eyes closed again, "She wanted me to kill you…" She added in a barely audible whisper.
"What didn't you tell me yet?" Luz wondered, realizing what her girlfriend just said.
"I need to get her left hand," Danielle got her equipment from her bag and noticed Luz's questioning gaze, "I need to inject the medicine into the hand closest to her heart," She explained.
"Oh, then you're good on that side," Clawthorne said quietly, "Witches' hearts are more to the right."
"Fascinating…"
"Oh, okay," The doctor mumbled and finished her preparations.
"I forgot to warn her Amity hates being touched…"
"Amity, Honey, I need to touch your hand now, is that okay?" She asked, surprising Luz with her considerate behavior. The witch only nodded in consent but was too tired to say anything.
"Amity, I'm gonna hold you now. This might sting a little," Luz hovered above her girlfriend and her hands sneaked around the body, immobilizing her to help Danielle inject the medicine, "Make it quick," She then addressed the doctor and everything sped up.
Danielle quickly placed an elastic band on the pale hand, making the dehydrated veins pop out in an instant. With one last glance at the patient and then at the other human, she quickly inserted the needle underneath the porcelain skin and pushed the piston, emptying the syringe's content into her bloodstream.
"AAAAA!" The witch suddenly started yelling as if someone was deskinning her. Danielle pushed a button on the elastic band and it opened, allowing the medicine to flow with the bloodstream toward the woman's heart, "NOOOO!" Amity roared, feeling the burning sensation inside her body, arching her spine, and gasping for air.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Luz started to panic when she could have sworn she felt her girlfriend's sensations.
"Don't!" Blight exclaimed and with a sudden surge of strength, she pushed Luz off her, accidentally ripping off the Concealment Stone, exposing her true image.
With a delicate poof sound the Illusion disappeared, the magical object rolled underneath the bunk bed, and Luz's body was covered with scars.
"¡Qué mierda!" The older woman exclaimed in shock, pulling away when she noticed the Illusion obscuring the younger human disappear.
"Later!" Luz said sternly, her attention back to her girlfriend who was dealing with a horrific amount of pain from an unfamiliar sensation, "Amity, hold on, it's going to be alright," She whispered words of comfort, holding the witch's hands to prevent her from hurting herself, "I'm not leaving you, my Love," Clawthorne added and watched Amity like a hawk.
"What the hell happened to her?!" Danielle froze in her position. She watched the young woman, comforting the strange, feral being, and tried to think of any rational explanation, "Was she in a car accident? No, that can't be as simple as that…" The woman's mind was racing a thousand miles per hour.
She took in the young Noceda's features. The deep scars covered a lot of her skin - her legs, arms, face, and back. Only because Danielle dealt with a lot of injuries at work, she knew that there were hundreds more healed and faded lacerations.
"Most of those seem quite fresh," She thought, "Whatever happened it must have been barely a few weeks or months ago," The doctor kept analyzing.
"P-p-please…" Amity whispered between cries with a shaking voice, "I'll obey, I swear…" Danielle's thoughts stopped when she listened to the hurt woman's rambling and she looked down at the witch.
"She must have been hurt badly…"
"I'll do anything, just don't… Don't hurt her, take me instead…" Amity's plea was interrupted by another surge of pain.
Her scream was deafening but what surprised Danielle was that Luz needed to take hold of her own chest as well, as if she shared the witch's pain. Both women breathed heavily and their faces contorted in pain.
"Luz?" The doctor tried to comfort the other human. She gasped in fear when she noticed the black-gold eyes staring back at her, "¡Dios Mio!, what's going on?!" She demanded to know.
"Later…" Luz gasped, taking a deep calming breath, and her eyes returned to normal, "I promise, I'll explain everything later…"
Amity's whimper got her attention. The lavender-haired woman's eyes were rolling back, purple slime escaping her tear ducts again, ears fluttered widely, breathing increased, turning into shallow, raspy gasps for air, lips snarled, showing off fangs while a pained growl rumbled in the squeezed throat.
"Who hurt her so badly?" Danielle asked with a much softer voice, watching the pale woman's body struggling with the medicine spreading through her system.
"AAAAA!" Amity yelled again and a wave of purple aura left her body, her eyes shone with a similar but brighter glow while the generous load of abomination escaped her body, crawling away from the woman.
"What the hell is that?!" Danielle wondered, watching the purple slime move as if it had a mind of its own.
"Oh, Mittens…" A new feminine voice, coming from the foot of the bed, surprised the doctor. Luz froze in her pose, and her hands began to shake, shocking Danielle even more, "You don't need that pathetic filthy human animal…"
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no…" Luz whispered in panic, too scared to face the source of the voice.
The older woman finally turned to the right and gasped, covering her lips when she realized she was looking at a purple, slimy golem with clear feminine features. She could have distinctly recognized the shape of the eyes, glowing in bright green light, spiky ears, and sharp chin.
The figure had broad hips and seemed to be dressed in some sort of a suit, though it was difficult for Danielle to distinguish it with the figure being all created from the purple goo. The smile the golem wore, sent chills down the doctor's spine.
"L-Luz…" The older woman needed some explanation but her focus was brought back to the younger brunette when she realized Luz had taken hold of her hair and started rocking energetically, breathing heavily, shaking her head from time to time, as if she was trying to rid of intrusive images in her head.
"AAAAA!" The witch screamed again and her body tensed, her hands balled the sheets, cutting them with her sharp, elongated nails. Amity's jaw clenched as well and she breathed heavily through her teeth.
A sudden wave of purple light erupted from the pale, sweat-covered body, and the slimy golem disappeared only to be recreated in a different form. Danielle had no idea what was happening but she could not move when she watched the sticky goo form into the two figures, one towering above the other.
The doctor recognized the smaller one to be the feverish woman, crying while the taller one tugged her hair and hit her head on the wall, sending hurtful words at her. The doctor did not need to watch anymore. She knew too well what had transpired. She looked back at the camping bed.
"Oh no," Danielle whispered, noticing the witch's behavior. She quickly ran to Luz's side, fetched the thermometer, and took another reading, "Luz," She touched the brunette's shoulder, making her jump in surprise, "I need your help, sheʼs approaching one hundred and three."
"Thatʼs not happening, sheʼs not here, sheʼs banished…" Luz mumbled, tugging her hair even harder, trying to ground herself.
"Luz!" Danielle yelled at the young woman, "Snap out of it!" She grabbed the tan hands, helping her let go.
"¿T-Tía Dani?" Luz asked in surprise, her black-gold eyes roaming the older womanʼs face.
"Amity's going into shock, we need to cool her down," The doctor said in a much softer tone, letting go of Clawthorneʼs hands, "We need to keep her alive before the medicine kicks in," She explained and watched how the blackness of Luz's eyes faded, "Can you do that for me? We need ice… Lots of it," She added and looked at how Clawthorne started comprehending her surroundings.
"Amity…" Luz whispered and jumped back toward her girlfriend. The witch was tense, shivering, sweating, and whimpering, "Is she…" Her question was interrupted with another grunt and Amity began convulsing, making the abomination slime lose its shape, and just like that Odalia was gone.
The witch writhed, her body tensed up again, her eyes rolled up showing the whites and then she fell off the bed. Her ears fluttered widely while her ragged breathing left her breathless.
"She's going into a seizure, Luz!" Danielle exclaimed while Luz held Amity's head to prevent her from hurting herself, "Does she have any history of epilepsy or alcohol abuse?" She asked, looking at the younger brunette.
"No! Damn, I donʼt know!"
"Any family history…" Danielle had no chance to finish her question when the witch's aura erupted again so powerfully it sent the cot flying away, forcing the doctor to duck.
"What…" Danielle tried to ask but she could feel the air getting thinner, making it difficult for her to breathe.
"You need to leave the room, Dani. I don't want you to get hurt," Luz said sternly, still holding Amity's head, and then looked up at the older woman with her demonic eyes, "Please draw a cold bath. In the potion cabinet in the bathroom, you'll find the blueish Kryos Potion," She added right before another surge of magic erupted from the witch's convulsing body.
"What about you?" Danielle asked, worried about the young woman, gasping for air.
"Look at me. I know how to deal with powerful witches," Luz said sternly, "Just call me once the water is ready so I can bring Amity to cool her down," She added. The doctor immediately left the room to do as asked.
"Please, you have to make it…" The human pleaded while she watched the witch struggle against her hold, letting out an unspeakable amount of magical energy and abomination slime.
"T-too m-m-much…" Amity whimpered in a strained voice when her seizures became weaker.
Her golden eyes tried to focus but kept rolling up and she felt her muscles let go of the tension. The nails retracted and the ears stopped twitching. Luz could feel the witch losing her touch with reality.
"LUZ!" Danielle called from the other side of the hall, letting the woman know she could move the lavender-haired woman in the hope of saving her life.
"Come on, Amity. Everythingʼs gonna be fine, youʼll get through it," Luz whispered as if she was convincing herself, and lifted the sweat-drenched woman in a bride-like embrace.
The pale body turned limp, barely conscious, golden eyes kept fluttering, ears twitching while quiet whimpers were heard. The abomination slime covering the bedroom disintegrated the moment they left while their way to the bathroom was marked with another load of fresh goo, leaving the feverish witch weaker by a minute.
"Try to stay in the back, Danielle. It might be dangerous," Luz said when she entered the bathroom and approached the tub.
"Have you seen it before?" The older brunette asked with a concern-filled voice while she watched the strange substances escaping the pale body, dripping onto the floor, making her wonder where it all was coming from.
"Yeah," Clawthorne said dryly, "My mother had similar symptoms once."
"Camila?!" The doctor exclaimed in shock, making Luz chuckle.
"My adoptive mother," The young woman explained and then looked at the water in the tub, "How many drops did you add?"
"Five, as per instruction," She confirmed and Luz nodded in understanding.
"Okay, so it's cold as fuck," Luz thought and looked down at her girlfriend in her arms.
"Amity, I will now put you in cold water," The human informed, hoping the witch could hear her, "Please, don't panic," She added and slowly lowered the witch into the water, concerned with the lack of reaction to the sudden change of comfort, knowing how sensitive the witchʼs body was.
Luz felt her hands hurt when they touched the freezing water but she did not falter. With a small grunt of discomfort, she slowly continued lowering the lavender-haired woman until her whole body was submerged. Clawthorne then moved her hands to hold the head to make sure her girlfriend would not go under and drown.
"Are you okay?" Danielle asked, hearing the younger woman's grunts.
"Yeah… Just fucking cold," Luz said with a wince, "Five drops added to a tub-worth of water lowers the temperature to circa forty degrees," She explained and took a deep breath to control the feeling of numbness.
"L-Luz…" Amity whimpered in a weak voice with her eyes still closed and her girlfriend smiled, noticing the witch's features began to relax, her magic aura died down, and purple slime disappeared into nothingness.
"Yeah, I'm here, Amity," Luz cooed, hoping to comfort the witch but was shocked when the golden eyes suddenly snapped open, wide in panic and distress, roaming from the human's face to the ceiling and again to the water-filled tub.
"Oh, no…" Luz though.
"How dare you!?" The witch growled, sitting up swiftly, and surprising everyone, she took hold of Luz's throat, pulled her into a tub, pushed her underwater, and straddled her hips in an attempt to drown the human.
"¡Qué mierda!" Danielle thought and she took a step back, frightened of the witch's frantic behavior.
"Dang, it! I forgot about that!" Luz thought when she recalled Eda behaved similarly when she was cooling her body. If not for King it might have ended badly, "I need help…" She thought, feeling the lack of oxygen affecting her strength while the numbness of her freezing body did not help.
"I'm gonna be next!" The doctor panicked and froze, unable to react, watching the feral woman kill her girlfriend.
"You'll never control me again! I won't let you hurt Luz, ever again!" Amity yelled and she squeezed her girlfriend's throat harder, ignoring a strange feeling in her own esophagus.
"Oh, Amity…" Luz thought, watching her girlfriend from underneath the water, hearing her muffled words that broke her heart and made Danielle reevaluate her worry, "I need to help her…" She thought but her hands went limp, "I need…"
"Hoot…" That sounded familiar to the human but she did not know why.
"Help…" Luz thought with her last drop of consciousness when everything started to fade away.
"HOOT!" A loud yell of the Owl Demon echoed in the human's head and suddenly Luz felt warmth spreading across her body.
Danielle was shocked when she heard a loud, deafening screech in the bathroom, followed by a bright golden light erupting from the tub, blinding her in the process. She had to close her eyes for a moment, hearing only splashes of water. When the woman managed to look again, she could not believe what she was seeing.
Luz was sitting in the water, holding her girlfriend tightly from behind to prevent her from any further harm, making sure she was still submerged and cooled down. What surprised Danielle even more was that Luz was the source of the golden light and while she had demonic eyes, long fangs, and pointy ears, her face was wearing an expression of love and worry.
"Shh, shh, Amity," Clawthorne cooed in a distorted voice, calming the witch down, "You're safe and I'm not going anywhere," She added, waiting patiently for the witch to calm down.
"L-Luz, are you okay?" Danielle managed to choke out, shocked and worried for the young woman. Luz smiled at that and looked at the older woman, sending a shiver down her spine when her black-gold eyes met the green ones.
"Just freezing but I know the medicine should start working any moment now," She said with a smile that made Danielle gulp nervously, "I wouldn't want to abuse your kindness but it would be very helpful if you could fix the camping bed in my old bedroom," She said and the older woman nodded hesitantly, "You can use the guest room if you want to stay until morning. I'm not leaving her out of my sight so the bed is yours if you want," She added and then looked back to the lavender-haired woman.
"Titan, I fucked up so bad…" Luz thought when she watched the calming breathing of the woman in her grasp.
"I'm so sorry, Amity…" She whispered and relaxed her head on the rim of the tub, letting go of the witch who was now calmly lying in the water.
"Hoot!" She ignored another echoing call of the Demon inside her.
"Luz?" She heard a familiar voice but she was too tired to even open her eyes, "Luz, talk to me!" The hazel-brown eyes cracked open.
"Dani? What's up?"
"I finished with the bed and I fetched you some dry clothes. How do you feel?" Danielle asked, watching the younger woman's behavior, worrying about her.
"Oh, that's nice, thank you," Luz said with a small smile, "The water is getting warmer, it's not that bad…" She added and Danielle realized that the young Noceda was not shivering anymore.
"Out!" The doctor yelled, "Get out, you're getting hypothermia, Luz!" She ordered and started by pulling the witch out of the bath. The younger human had no strength left in her hands to keep Amity in her arms.
"Oh, wow… She's so light…" Danielle thought, placing the unconscious woman on the floor before returning to assist Luz in getting her out of the freezing water.
"N-no… Al-s-aright…" Clawthorne mumbled when she felt the strong embrace on her body, pulling her up. With one powerful tug, she was out of the water and on the smaller woman who lost her balance and got the cold water all over her.
"That's what I get for answering the house calls from dead people…" Danielle murmured trying to fight her panic and anxiety with humor when she rolled Luz off her and onto the younger woman's back, "¡Oye!, Luz you have to open your eyes!" She exclaimed, trying to get the woman to respond.
"Mmmm…" Luz managed to hum, her eyes fluttering but she could not focus.
"Amity needs you!" Danielle tried again and, despite being scared, she was relieved to see Luz shoot her black eyes open while the golden energy erupted from her body just to die down a moment later.
"Mmm-ity…" Clawthorne mumbled, trying to roll to the side to sit up. Danielle used this moment to cover both women with some towels.
"Come on, Luz, we need to get you both into some dry clothes and under a blanket or something," The doctor ordered and watched the younger brunette with worry.
"She might look like El Diablo but she has the same worry in those black eyes…" Danielle thought and realized fear left her heart, quickly adjusting to the situation.
"Y-yeah…" Luz agreed and began to slowly undress, her hands began to shake like in a delirium, her muscles spasmed uncontrollably.
"Good, she's shivering again…" The doctor thought and she tried to help her friends' daughter to change.
Danielle knelt behind Luz, helped her take off the drenched shirt, and covered her with a towel to dry her body. She decided to ignore the massive scars on her back for now. She knew that the young brunette would not be able to answer any questions in her current state. When Luz was dried, Danielle helped her into a warm sweatshirt and was relieved to see that Clawthorne's movements became smoother and more flexible.
"W-would you… L-leave us f-f-for a second…" Luz managed to ask with a voice trembling from cold. Danielle understood that she wanted to change her girlfriend and did not want any witnesses so she nodded and left the bathroom, "C-come o-on… L-let's g-g-get you d-d-dry…" Luz mumbled and quickly undressed the pale woman. She realized that Amity was partially cooperating as if she knew what needed to be done but had no strength of her own.
"L-Luz…" The witch whispered, trying to open her eyes but failing miserably every single time, "S-s-sorry…"
"Shh, shh, Amity," Luz pulled her in a delicate embrace once she dressed the lavender-haired woman, "Y-y-you have nothing to apologize f-f-f-for. Just keep your s-s-s-s-strength and feel better," She added and lifted her in a tight bride-like embrace to move her to bed.
Luz felt her legs shake but she could not fail now. The cold water did not do her any favor regarding all the bones she had broken and all the joints she had torn. Slowly but steadily she walked toward the bedroom with the witch in her arms. Clawthorne held her close like the greatest treasure of her life.
"Here, let me help," Danielle said softly when she noticed Luz's uncertain steps when she entered the bedroom.
The older woman guided Luz toward the camping bed with fresh, dry sheets and a spare blanket prepared to cover the patient. When Clawthorne let Amity down delicately onto the pillow and she plopped down on the floor, the doctor took another temperature reading.
"Ninety-seven point two…" She read the result with visible relief, "You did it, Luz. You saved her," She added with a small smile that quickly faded when she noticed the condition the other human was in.
Luz was experiencing whole-body shivers, her eyes were barely open, and she had no strength to reply. Her breathing was ragged and her eyes had a hard time focusing on one point at a time. It was clear as day that the time spent in the cold water endangered her well-being.
"Luz, I need you to stay still for a moment," Danielle said softly when she brought the thermometer to the brunette's ear, "Ninety-six… Luz, where do you keep blankets and warm clothes?" She asked in all seriousness but was afraid she would not receive an answer from the shivering woman in front of her.
"B-bas-ent…" Luz finally managed to slur when she fell to her side, letting her head rest on the side of Amity's bed, never letting go of her girlfriend's hand.
"Just…" Danielle hesitated, "Okay, you're not going anywhere. I'll be right back!" She added and after quickly covering the witch with a prepared blanket, she darted downstairs and found the basement with ease.
After all, she was the one who taught Camila to sew and prepare better ComiCon costumes. They had many Cosmic-Frontier-themed parties in their Nerd Den, as they liked to call it. Unfortunately, now was not the time to think of those simpler times. Danielle was surprised to see everything was almost exactly the same as they left it years ago. That helped her find everything she needed right now.
"Luz, Cariño, please wake up for a moment," The older woman pleaded when she made it back upstairs. Luz managed to crack her eyes open, still feeling painful shivers rummaging through her body, "Put this on, we need to warm you up," She presented the warm beanie that Luz quickly put on her head before realizing Amity's hair was still wet too. She did not think twice before removing the beanie and placing it on the witch's head, hiding her frozen, pointy ears as well, "That's why I brought two," Danielle added, feeling warmth in her heart, seeing that even barely conscious, Luz still had her girlfriend's well-being at heart, "Here," She added and placed the second beanie on the brunette's wet head, "Now I'll cover you with a warm blanket, okay?" She asked but did not worry when she did not receive any answer.
"Officially, that was the craziest forty-five minutes of my life," Danielle thought and she tucked the women in before leaving them to rest. With one last glance at the way Luz was holding the pale hand of the poisoned witch, the older human smiled warmly, "You'd be proud of her, Cami," She thought, and without thinking, she walked to the guest room, and threw herself face-first on the bed. Exhausted with stress and emotional turmoil, she was out in no time.
The morning approached rather too quickly and the sun rays stubbornly shone above Gravesfield, entering the darkness-covered bedroom, making its way from behind the bookshelf obscuring the window.
The lavender-haired witch felt numb but she was certain her hand was being held tightly by someone's calloused hand. She finally managed to crack her golden eyes open and tried to focus her blurry sight. She turned her head to the right and found the owner of the hand holding hers, resting her head on her bed, sleeping soundly, breathing calmly, despite delicate twitches of the left, scarred eyebrow.
"What's going on…" The witch felt dread entering her heart when she did not recognize her surroundings. She pulled her hand away from the warm grasp but stopped the moment she noticed the hazel-brown eyes meet her own.
"Hey, you're awake?" A low, groggy, sleepy voice welcomed her and a small smile appeared on the full lips, showing off the white-gold fang. The brunette sat up, wiped the rest of the sleep from her eyes, and scooted a little bit closer, "How do you feel?" A question followed and the witch tried to pull away while her breathing increased, "Do you remember what happened?" A warm voice became one filled with worry and the witch managed to only shake her head. The tan face frowned, tying the thick brows in concern, "Do you know where you are?" Another shake of the head in a negative answer.
"Oh, no…" Luz thought and she let go of the pale hand, worried about the answer to the last question.
"Do you know who am I?" The hazel-brown eyes roamed the pale face, hoping to receive a nod as an answer.
"N-no…" Amity whispered, breaking Luz's heart. The witch watched the reaction of the person in front of her and felt like she should know the answer to all of those questions.
"It's okay, don't worry," While the Amity feared to be scolded or punished, she was surprised by the warm, soothing affirmation, accompanied by a soft smile, "Do you know your name?"
Luz waited patiently and watched her girlfriend's reaction. The witch's expression was flushed with fear and uncertainty. The human wanted to hug and comfort the scared woman but she knew better than that. Amity had no recollection of their relationship at that moment, which meant she would not appreciate physical contact from a stranger.
"A-Amity…" She finally said though she did not sound confident.
"That's right," Luz confirmed and smiled, relieved that the witch at least remembered who she was. She was surprised to see a frown creep onto the pale face and it would seem the witch was trying hard to remember anything about her.
"My name is Amity Blight, Heiress to the Blight Industries," She paused while her eyes roamed the room, "I'm the daughter of Alador and Odalia Blight, sister to Emira and Edric, Grudby Team Captain, and Abomination prodigy, the Top Student of the St. Epiderm High School," She continued, her voice rising a bit, and Luz began to worry to where did her memory regress. The witch's breathing changed into shallow gasps while her pupils shrank in the golden eyes, and she tried to move away from the brunette.
"Amity, take it easy," Clawthorne tried to calm her girlfriend down but she was surprised by a push so forceful that shoved her beanie off, making the witch gasp in shock. Her brows and pointy ears twitched while she covered her quivering lips with a pale hand, watching the woman on the floor.
"Y-you're… You're a human…" She whispered not believing her eyes.
Luz smiled delicately, noting how the witch eyed her curiously. There was no disgust in her eyes. Just honest curiosity with a tinge of fascination.
"Yes, Amity, I'm a human," Luz confirmed, sitting back up.
"Did my mother put you up to this?!" Amity growled in irritation, her face suddenly turned cold and distant.
"Oh, no, Amity," Luz smiled, hoping to make the witch feel more comfortable, "Your mother is not here. You were poisoned so you need to take it easy…"
"Poisoned?" The witch squeaked with fear while she watched Luz limp to the left side of the bed where she poured water into the tall glass and smiled at her.
"Yes, Amity. It was an accident but it still took a toll on your body," Luz confirmed, "Please, drink some water, you're very dehydrated," She added and offered the drink. Amity looked at it suspiciously but she accepted the drink. It almost slipped her weakened hands but the human helped her keep the glass secure, and take a few sips of the drink, "Very good," Luz praised with a smile and then put the glass back on the nightstand, "Try getting some more sleep, okay?"
"Did you…" Amity did not know if she could ask a question, not noticing she was back under the covers, "Did you… Care for me?" She asked hesitantly and was surprised that the human smiled at her while she tucked her in.
"Yes, Amity," She confirmed with a smile, happy the witch was not pushing her away, "And I'm not going to stop now," The human added and grabbed a strange device from the nightstand, "Don't be alarmed, I just need to check your temperature. Humans have no magical ability so I need to use this device," She explained patiently and waited for the witch to nod in consent.
"No one has ever been so… Caring…" The witch was confused by the whole situation but she could not deny that she adored the way she felt safe around this stranger, "I don't really feel like she's a stranger… So who is she?!"
"Ninety-five point five," Luz said with a smile and a sigh of relief, "You don't have a fever anymore, you just need to rest," The human explained, addressing the lavender-haired woman, and putting the device away, "Try to get some more sleep, okay? I'll prepare something to eat and I'll check in on you in an hour or two. Is that okay?" She asked, getting up from the floor, and approaching the bedroom door.
"W-wait!" Amity exclaimed, suddenly feeling scared at the thought of the human leaving her alone in the strange room, "Who… Who are you? Why are you so good to me? Is… Is she paying you?" She needed to know but at the same time, she was afraid to know the truth. The brunette smiled warmly at her.
"I'm just a person who keeps a promise to keep you safe," Clawthorne said warmly, making the witch relax a little, "Try to sleep, Amity," She added and left the room, leaving the doors ajar.
"She didn't close me in… Is this a trap? Or maybe she's testing me?" Amity thought but everything she just heard made her feel truly safe. She did indeed fall asleep as the human woman suggested.
Luz walked downstairs slowly. She felt her body ache while her mind was racing in fear. Sleeping only a couple of hours on the floor with everything she had been through was not a very bright idea.
"Titan, I feel so old…" Luz whispered when she put on the water to make herself a cup of a strong Black Bean Brew. She did not know she was actually being watched with care and curiosity.
"You do look like you've been through a lot…" Danielle said, startling the young woman, making her jump and wince when the pain shot from her right leg.
"Dammit, Dani!" Luz said, taking a deep breath, and calming herself down.
"¿Podemos hablar de anoche?" The older woman asked and approached the kitchen bar counter, "Quiero entender…" She paused, noticing Luz's ashamed expression.
"I don't understand Spanish anymore… I haven't had a chance to use it since," The young woman explained and turned around to pour water over the strangely smelling powder.
"Oh… That's understandable. You were so young," Danielle replied with a sadness-filled voice, "I was hoping you could tell me about last night… But I guess I want to know about the last couple of years," She explained, watching her friends' daughter carefully.
"I owe you that much," Luz replied with a faint smile, "What do you want to know?" She asked, placing a cup filled with strangely smelling, black liquid in front of Danielle.
"Um… Thank you but what is it?" The woman asked hesitantly.
"Black Bean Brew… It's the Demon Realm's equivalent of coffee… Which NOW makes a lot more sense since caffeine is apparently toxic to witches," Luz explained, her voice filled with frustration about poisoning the woman she loved.
"Oh… Demon Realm? Wow… So how did that happen?" Danielle did not know how to create a proper sentence but was relieved that Clawthorne smiled at her, showing off her fang.
"Well… Long story short, I was chased away by bullies who surprised me here in this very living room," She pointed behind the older woman, "Tommy Bergstein and his posse. I ran into the woods and got lost. I followed a woman into a cabin that turned out to be a Portal to another dimension. That woman was Edalyn Clawthorne - my mother. She adopted me when I was around sixteen. To be honest I never thought I'd ever come back to the Human Realm but well… We thought a nice vacation, after everything that happened during the last Academic Year, would do us good," She paused for a moment as if she was recalling something pleasant, "Additionally, Amity and Eda thought that it would do me good to find some closure," She added and began preparing some toasts.
"That's… Wow…" Danielle sipped her drink and did not know what else to say, "That's a really long story made short but um… When was it? I mean, we only were informed about your disappearance about three years ago. Your foster family did not inform anyone, to keep getting funding for raising you," She added and Luz chuckled dryly, "Also, wow, this is strong. Good but strong," She pointed at the Brew in her cup.
"I'm glad you like it," Clawthorne smiled and took a deep breath, "As for my foster parents… I'd feed them to angry Slitherbeasts. They were one of the reasons I ran away. Toxic, abusive…"
"I should have known that right after they forbade me from keeping in touch with you…"
"W-what?" Luz stopped in her motions and watched her mother's friend in shock, "What do you mean? I thought you…"
"I never abandoned you, Luz," Danielle said sternly and took a deep breath, "But back in the day, I had a problem with my working visa and they thought, I wouldn't be able to give you the safety you needed… It seemed logical. I was so stupid, barely thirty-five at that time…"
"Hey, don't beat yourself up. I'm actually happy where I am now," Luz interrupted and was shocked with the questioning gaze.
"You are happy with all…" She eyes Clawthorne's body, "That?"
"I know it looks bad…"
"And hurts…" Danielle suggested.
"Like hell," Luz confirmed but then paused and suddenly smiled, "But those marks tell my story. How I learned magic," She pointed to her eyebrow, "How I saved my mother," She pointed to her back, "How I freed my girlfriend…" She could not come to finish that thought, thinking about Odalia.
She offered her guest some toast, butter, and jam. They ate slowly while Luz could feel the doctor eyeing her fang and her features, hiding her curiosity to the best of her ability. Feeling the awkwardness of the silence the doctor finally cleared her throat.
"So you have a witch girlfriend, huh?" Danielle asked, trying to change the topic into something more pleasant, "What's your story then? I guess you did find happiness despite all the bad that happened…" She added with a smile.
"Well, Dani, she followed me to a bathroom and helped me to not Beast out in the school where I could have killed hundreds of innocent people…"
"It turned out she reads Azura too," Luz said with a smile, "We had these Book Club meetings, and from one thing to the next one… Here we are," She added and Danielle smiled widely.
"Like mother like daughter," She said and chuckled a little bit, "Cami and Manny bonded through their passion for Cosmic Frontier," Danielle explained, "Although, it would never have happened if it weren't for Cami saving him from local bullies…" She added and Luz gulped dumbfoundedly, "They stole his medicine and threatened to dispose of it… And you know how expensive that can be?! Anyway, out of nowhere, Cami comes with la chancla and beats the shit out of them," She laughed at the story she told, "Or at least that's how your Dad always liked to retell this story," She added and wiped a tear away from her eye, "It doesn't matter where the truth lies because since then, they were inseparable."
"Wow… That's nice to know something more about them," Luz said softly, realizing she was robbed of those stories growing up.
"Yeah… I've seen only one other couple look at each other the way they did," Danielle said and smirked, "Yesterday. That's why I decided to stay," She added and Luz burned with a deep blush while the older woman hid her face in the mug.
"Um, yeah… Thank you for that. I meant it when I said that I'll pay you as much as you want," Clawthorne stuttered but a small, dismissive wave of a hand was all the reply she got.
"Stop it. Better tell me how's she doing?"
The smell of food spread across the house. Its intensity was alluring and enchanting. Amity felt a low rumble in her stomach and opened her eyes. She looked around the room and blinked a few times to recognize shapes in the darkness. Slowly, with a great amount of discomfort, she managed to sit up and wipe the sleep from her eyes.
"Titan…" She thought, grabbing her stomach with a wince, "What the hell happened…" Amity thought and suddenly, it all came back to her in a painful tsunami wave of guilt. She had seen how she slapped Luz, how she behaved, how she tried to drown her, "LUZ!" She remembered.
"Oh, no, no, no, no, no…" She mumbled in panic, getting up with difficulty.
She needed to find HER Luz. Fighting the dizziness, the witch rolled off the bed and got to the bedroom door. Amity stumbled through the corridor and toward the stairs. She heard voices in the kitchen where the wonderful smell originated.
"So yeah, my mother did the same thing. Apparently, when poisoned, witches tend to see their biggest fear…" She heard a familiar voice that made her heart skip a beat, "Eda was afraid to hurt me and King… She thought, she was fighting the Owl Demon, and let me tell you, it wasn't pretty…" Amity watched from afar the curly-haired brunette who paused whatever she was doing the moment she noticed the witch awake, "A-Amity?" She asked hesitantly.
"Luz!" The witch exclaimed in a weak whisper and began walking toward the kitchen. Danielle could not believe the pained expression, a mixture of guilt and love on the strange being's tired face.
"She remembers!" Luz thought and quickly limped to meet the lavender-haired woman halfway while the older brunette watched them with a melting heart when the witch crushed her girlfriend in a tight embrace.
"I'm so sorry…" She whispered, feeling tears threatening to escape, nuzzling her face in the crook of the human's neck.
"Shh, it's okay," Luz cooed, feeling guilty, "I'm sorry I failed you. I should have triple-checked that damned list. You almost died because I didn't check the reverse of the page," She added.
Luz was grateful that she still could hold the woman she loved close to her heart. The tan fingers stroked the lavender strands gently, soothing the witch who balled the tee on her girlfriend's back, afraid to ever let go.
"Honest mistake, Luz… Those happen," Amity whispered with a shaking voice, fighting the urge to cry, "But I'll be haunted by my actions forever," She tried to lighten the mood and pulled away to look into the brunette's eyes, glistening with tears, "Oh, no, no, no, don't cry. The joke wasn't that bad, was it?" She asked and that prompted a small chuckle out of Luz.
"I'm sorry, I was just so scared to lose you," The brunette whispered and wiped tears from her eyes, "Anyway, do you think you are ready to eat something?" She changed the topic and slowly guided the witch toward the tall chair next to Danielle who could not stop watching their love-filled interaction with a small smile.
Amity sat next to the older woman and watched the toasts Luz prepared. She was surprised by the freshly prepared cup of the Black Bean Brew and started feeling anxious under the other woman's gaze. Her ears twitched nervously and she felt the need to finally say something.
"I guess you're not Viney, huh?" She said and took a slow sip of her drink while Luz prepared her food.
"Um, no… I'm Danielle López. I used to be close friends with Luz's parents…" She introduced herself not knowing what to expect.
What she had seen yesterday was still freshly engraved in her memory. The feral behavior of the powerful being from the other world scared her. The suffocating magical aura, the weird slime-made beings, and even Amity's fangs and claws made her feel uneasy. However, the way she was gentle and caring toward Luz, conflicted her feelings.
"Well…" The witch straightened herself and despite her exhaustion, she mustered a friendly smile, "My name is Amity Blight. Thank you for saving my life," Amity hesitated and turned her head to face the older woman, sending her small smile with a glint in her golden eyes which scared the human, "I'd really like to apologize for my behavior," She said with a guilt-filled voice and watched the woman's features.
"Is she scared of me?" The witch thought with worry and then turned back to her drink and food, feeling Danielle watching her intensely.
"No need to apologize," The doctor finally replied, "You were hurt and confused. This is all new and shocking to me but I'm happy Luz called for help."
"Aw, that's so cute…" Luz said with a smile while she kept preparing some vegetables, "My new life meets my old, OUCH!" She exclaimed, making both women worry about her, "Damn it!" She exclaimed, taking hold of her bleeding hand, "I got distracted," She explained, trying to find something to get the bleeding under control, and Amity frowned her brows at the sight.
"Have you drank your elixir today?" The witch asked, looking at her girlfriend, feeling a questioning gaze Danielle gave her.
"Um… I had one at night…" Luz answered, "Why do you ask?" Amity took hold of the bleeding hand, pulled out a few feathers from underneath her skin, and presented them to the human, "Oh…"
"Yeah, 'oh'," The witch agreed, and with brows tied in concentration, she investigated the cut, "It's not deep, don't move," She instructed, and before she could draw a spell circle in the air she was surprised with a delicate hold of her hand.
"Don't… You're still very weak," Luz whispered but her girlfriend smiled at her warmly.
"What did I say just yesterday? If there's anything I can do, I'll help," Amity said so sternly, that the brunette did not dare to argue.
The lavender-haired woman drew a blue spell circle in the air and in an instant felt pain in her chest that she shared with her girlfriend. Her bile sac was strained but not emptied. With a little bit of struggle and a lot of concentration, Blight managed to heal the hand laceration that quickly closed, leaving no mark to remember it by.
"So stubborn…" Luz whispered when she retrieved her hand to clean the blood off it.
"That you are," Amity said with a smile as she reached deep into her lavender mane, "And forgetful," She added, retrieving a golden elixir-filled vial, "Drink up, say hi to Beasty," She added, feeling getting weaker from this small exercise.
"No way! Eda told you how to… No! I asked her for years…" Luz began to rumble in excitement, still not believing Eda trusted Amity with her secret, "It's a Clawthorne family secret and, and…"
"Sounds like Eda considers you a Clawthorne," Danielle said with a taunting chuckle that turned into wholehearted laughter when both young women blushed crimson red, "I'm sorry, sorry… I just don't know how to process what I've just seen. Ignore me. Wow. It's a doctor's dream!"
"The Healer's," Luz answered Amity's questioning gaze.
"Oh…" The witch said and smiled delicately, "So you're a Healer…" Blight smiled widely unaware of how her fangs scared the older woman, "If you want we can share our Realms' healing knowledge. That might be interesting," She proposed and Luz could have sworn that Danielle almost fell off the chair.
"¡Dios mío! Yes!" The woman exclaimed, unaware she would be so excited about the proposal, suddenly forgetting about her fear.
"Okay…" Amity whispered weakly and smiled faintly, "But some other day… Now…" She suddenly shook her head with the flapping sounds of her ears when the wave of weakness washed over her.
"Oh, no…" Luz thought, recognizing her reactions.
The human quickly dropped everything she was doing and approached Amity. The witch did not fight the dizziness the moment she felt the safety of her girlfriend's embrace. A delicate lemon scent surrounded her, making her relax.
"Mmm… Warm…" The witch murmured, snuggling in closer.
"Okay, change of plans. Let's go sit in the living room," Luz suggested, taking Amity toward the adjacent room in a bride-like embrace.
No one argued with that idea. Luz limped with her girlfriend in her arms, placed her on the couch, and after covering her with a blanket, she placed her head on her lap while Danielle brought their refreshments and took a seat in an armchair where she had a good view of the young women in front of her. She watched with fondness how Luz stroked the lavender hair and watched her girlfriend relax.
"No way… Is she?" Danielle was not sure she was hearing right, Luz chuckled at that.
"Yeah, witches purr," Clawthorne confirmed with a smile and continued to make sure the witch felt safe, warm, and relaxed. After all, she still had a lot of recovery to do.
"Now I'm not surprised you stayed there!" Danielle joked and gestured cat ears the way the young Luz liked to say 'meow-meow'.
"Ha-ha! Very funny… You're such a vet."
"And you're…" Danielle paused, "What you are, actually?" She asked curiously and Luz leaned back to rest her back a little bit. She then smiled fondly.
"Actually I can be a vet too. I'm studying three majors at the Academy. When I picked them I had a different idea for my future but being with Mystical Beasts makes me so happy… Especially considering I'm partially a Mystical Beast myself…" She paused, noticing López's shocked expression, "I actually miss Puddles, the Griffin I take care of…" Luz paused and realized Danielle was holding to the edge of the seat, anxious to hear another word about her life, "Everything okay, Dani?"
"¡Dios mío!, yes!" She exclaimed with excitement, "It's just so amazing! While I thought you were dead, I mourned you, you, you… You had a life! In a different Realm at that. You found a mother, a girlfriend, you're studying at the Academy… I'm so excited, you found home and happiness," Danielle rambled excitedly, making Luz chuckle.
"Wanna hear more?" She asked, not even realizing Amity's purrs died down and the witch was now fast asleep. The doctor nodded with the eagerness of a child, making Luz smile at that, "Well, you'll be happy to even see some photos Eda left here," Clawthorne said and felt a warm feeling, spreading across her body, seeing the older woman's excitement, "Where should I begin?" She wondered and began telling her story from the very beginning.
Luz told her everything, happy to rekindle this relationship. She knew it was silly but to her, it felt as if she had seen Danielle just yesterday. It felt even sillier that she felt as if she was telling her mother all about her adventures. From the day Eda found her, though the way they found out King was a Titan, up until the day she had begun studying at the Academy.
Danielle was happy to learn that Luz had found a family, friends as good as Willow, and siblings as amazing as King but most importantly she was glad she did not lose her light. The older woman knew that the young brunette was not telling her everything, and she considered it perfectly normal.
"Maybe one day…" She thought with a smile and watched how Luz's energy slowly decreased. Yet, she never stopped keeping a hand on her girlfriend as if she was scared she would get hurt, "I don't know how something can be cute and scary at the same time but they somehow manage to pull it off…" Danielle thought when she watched Luz finally doze off, her head resting on the backrest of the couch. The older brunette stood up and tucked both Luz and Amity in under a blanket.
"Luz…" The witch whispered, frowning and relaxing her features again.
"Not so scary when she's sleeping…" Danielle thought with a small, warm smile, watching the pointy ears twitch in her sleep while her pale hands balled the blanket on Luz's lap.
Once the older woman was done, she cleaned all the dishes in the kitchen and left them a note explaining her absence. She approached the front door and sent them one last parting look and with a sad smile she left.
"I'll make it up to you, that's a promise, Luz."