Disclaimer: I own none of the presented properties. All rights go to their respective copyright owners and/or creators.

Today was the first day of the new school year, and Luz Noceda was walking down the sidewalks of Gravesfield, Connecticut, looking around the small town. She had to admit that, as much as she preferred the Demon Realm, the Human Realm could sometimes be pretty. Autumn in Gravesfield was one of those times.

She made her way to the school, waving at anyone who passed by and enjoying the crisp air. Leaves crunched under her feet as she admired the swatches of gold, orange, and brown. The slight chill in the air made for very pleasant weather.

Luz continued on her merry way, humming as she took in the scenery. She was truly enjoying herself as she walked to school.

Midway through her walk, she came to a street she had to cross. She paused, and after looking both ways, she readied herself to cross the road. However, she didn't get a chance to do so, as someone grabbed her arm and yanked her back.

She yelped in surprise as the teen who had grabbed her arm held her away from the road. They looked to be about her age and height, maybe slightly older and taller. Their hair was longer and messier than hers, they wore a uniquely patterned green and yellow hoodie, and they smelled a lot like cinnamon. However, she couldn't see their face, as they were facing the road.

Before she could do anything else about the situation, her attention was snatched by a black sports car speeding down the road she was about to cross.

The car's tires squealed as it swerved, going at least double the speed limit. A few seconds later, a cop car with blaring sirens and lights sped after it. The cop was just as fast but didn't swerve like the erratic driver.

As the cars passed, the teen's gaze seemed to follow the black, manic car. They muttered something under their breath, but Luz couldn't make it out.

While Luz was shocked into silence, trying to process what had happened, the teen just... let her go, and started to walk away.

It took Luz a second to process what had happened. But when she did, the realization hit her like a truck.

This person, without so much as a second thought or a single word, pulled her out of the way of a speeding car. They had saved her life.

When she realized this, she shook herself out of her stupor and rushed to thank them.

"Hey, wait!" Luz called, jogging after them.

The teen perked up, signaling that they heard her, and slowed down.

When Luz caught up with them, they simply acknowledged, "Hm?"

Luz fell into pace with them and continued, "Look, I just wanted to say thank you for saving my butt back there. I definitely would've been roadkill if it weren't for you."

They just nodded, replying, "Any time." Nothing else.

Luz was a little taken aback by their aloof demeanor. They saved her life, and when she thanks them, they just say 'any time' like it's no big deal. They either had a very blunt demeanor or flat-out didn't want to talk to her.

Hoping it was the former, she asked, "Well, could you at least tell me your name?"

"Kris," they answered, "Kris Dreemurr."

Luz gave a nod, greeting, "It's nice to meet you, Kris. I'm Luz Noceda."

In response, Kris scoffed and joked, "Don't think 'nearly getting ran over' counts as 'nice'."

Luz's eyes widened, and she chuckled. "Well, getting saved made it nice," she replied.

"Good point," Kris admitted.

Luz smiled, happy that Kris was willing to talk with her, just being a quiet person, and she continued to walk beside Kris. However, she found something odd about them. They had a shadow over their eyes, hiding them from her view.

Curiously, she asked, "Hey, what's with the shadow on your face?"

Kris shrugged, explaining, "My hair casts a shadow, and I don't bother to fix it."

Luz was confused, questioning, "But doesn't that shadow cover your eyes?"

"It does," Kris confirmed.

"And you don't mind?" Luz questioned as she tilted her head.

Kris shook their head, replying, "Nope."

Luz huffed in mock irritation, putting on a pout and crossing her arms. Barely disguising her burning curiosity, she rebutted, "Well, I don't know about you, but when I talk to people, I like to see their eyes."

Kris shrugged, "Hey, whatever works for you."

They then looked over at Luz and noticed she was still pouting. They sighed, and guessed, "You want to see my eyes, don't you?"

Luz beamed, answering, "Sure do!"

Kris shook their head, a sigh escaping their mouth, yet an undeniable hint of a smile appeared on their face. Then, they brought one of their hands up to their head.

Luz watched closely as they lifted their hair. And when their hair was fully out of the way and she could see their eyes, her own eyes widened as her jaw dropped.

Kris' eyes were... amazing.

Their irises were the same intense red as blood as if they were dyed by an open wound. Not only that, they almost seemed to glow, reflecting light in a way that reminded Luz of the stars.

She just stood there in awe of the of their eyes. She'd never seen anything like them. Not even on the Boiling Isles. And especially not on a human.

"Whoa..." she gaped.

Kris raised a brow, almost confused by her reaction. They muttered, "Yeah, my eyes are pretty weird," as they moved their hand and let their hair cast a shadow over their eyes again.

Luz just stood there, mesmerized. And she stayed like that, long enough for Kris to notice and lightly jab her.

At the jab, she was brought back to the conscious world, and it was like a dam broke. She shouted, "Oh my gosh!"

Kris was a little startled. "What?" they asked.

Luz had a big smile as she rambled, "Your eyes are so strange! I've never seen eyes that color in my life! Just- wow! Never in my life would I have thought that I'd see someone with blood-red eyes! I mean, they're almost vampiric, or- or even demonic!"

Kris just stood there, taking in Luz's babbling. At first, they were flabbergasted, but they grew to find it endearing.

Luz finally finished her schpiel, catching her breath. Then, she complimented, "Your eyes are so cool!"

Kris chuckled, arms crossed and a large grin now on their face. They returned her compliment in mind, "You're pretty nice."

Luz beamed, happy that they liked her. She happily said, "Thank you!"

Kris let out a small laugh. "No problem," they responded.

Luz smiled at them, then got an idea.

"Here," Luz interjected, "Can I try something with your hair?"

Kris raised a brow, thinking about it. After a moment, they shrugged. "Go for it," they responded.

Luz nodded. Then, she began to run her hands through Kris' hair, brushing and styling it. All the while, Kris just stood there, patiently waiting for whatever Luz was gonna do.

Soon after, Luz stepped back to look over Kris' face, smiling. "Done!" she happily announced.

Kris asked, "So... what did you do?"

Luz beamed, then took out her phone, went to the camera app, and held the screen up to Kris' face as a sort of mirror.

Kris looked at the pseudo-reflection, and they were pretty impressed. Luz had styled their hair so that, while it still looked the same, it was out of the way enough to let their eyes peek through the shadow. And it looked good on them.

A dumb grin stretched out on Kris' face, and they lightly nudged Luz. They commended, "You're pretty good at that."

Luz smiled back. "Thank you!" she happily replied.

The two of them then continued their walk to school. And to start a conversation, Luz asked, "So... How have you been doing?"

"Good," Kris answered, "You?

"Oh, I've been doing good too," Luz replied. Then, she asked, "You have any hobbies?"

"Well, I play piano a bit," they answered.

Luz perked up hearing this. "Oh, really? That sounds cool! Are you good at it?"

Kris shrugged, "Eh...? I mean- people say I'm good, but I'm not sure."

Luz nudged them with her elbow, proposing, "How about this: why don't you play a song for me, and I'll judge how good you are. Deal?"

Kris thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. "Sure," they replied, "Why not?"

Luz smiled and nodded, "Sounds like a plan!" as she continued to walk beside Kris.

Then, Kris asked her, "What kinda stuff do you like?"

"Oh, I love fantasy!" Luz shouted, "Especially 'The Good Witch Azura'!"

Kris raised a brow at her, then chuckled. "So you're a fantasy geek?" they asked.

"Yeah," Luz admitted, "I am."

Kris then inquired, "Own the whole series?"

Luz nodded, "Every single book!"

They asked again, "Ever cosplayed?"

"Absolutely!" Luz answered.

Kris smiled at her enthusiasm. Then, they asked her, "So what's the wildest thing you've ever done?"

Luz slightly blushed, answering, "Well, I did put spiders in a griffin statue for a school project once..."

Kris' smile got wider, and they prodded, "And...?"

Luz sharply inhaled, and answered, "...And I boughht a live snake to school for a book report."

Kris grinned, patting her shoulder and complimenting, "You sound fun as hell."

Luz's cheeks were dusted red in response to the flattering comment. No matter how unexpected it was, she liked that Kris found her weirdness endearing and wished she had met them sooner.

Luz and Kris kept chatting as resumed their walk. They enjoyed being with each other, approaching the doors to the first day of what was to be a very, very interesting school year.

Next Chapter:

Meet the Fun Gang

Luz and Kris go through the first half of their first day of school. Along the way, she meets the recluse's friend group and becomes one of them.