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Luz POV:
Two years.
Two long years since I had last been to the Boiling Isles. Two years where I've barely had any contact with the friends I made, nor my mentor. Two years since I've started learning and practicing magic. Two long years since I've seen my home away from home.
And now, it was finally time for me to go back. I stood in the doorway of my room, a duffel bag full of anything I'd need draped over my shoulder and a key tightly gripped in my hand.
I looked down at the key Eda had given me a couple of years ago. The bright yellow eye at the top of the key still shined as brightly as it did when I first got it. My thumb ran over top of it, watching the light collecting in its eye.
Taking a deep breath, I glanced at my room once again, a soft smile on my face as I observed the fairly empty walls of my old living spot. Then, spinning on my heel, I stuffed the key into my pocket and made my way downstairs, ready to head back to the Boiling Isles.
This time, to stay.
My footsteps loudly echoed off the walls as I quickly made my way downstairs, nearly falling down in the process. Jumping off the last three steps, I grabbed onto the banister and hung off of it for a moment.
"Mom? I'm gonna go!" I called out, moving over to the mirror that hung on the wall. Looking at my reflection, I quickly adjusted my beanie and flicked the collar of my jacket up before shooting myself finger guns. "Still looking sharp."
Suddenly, from behind me, I could see my mom appear in the mirror. The sight of her reflection startled me, making me jump. My bag fell to the ground with a loud thud, making her wince. She placed her hands on my shoulders to steady me, making sure I didn't fall.
"Oh geez! It's just you." I started to laugh, earning a slightly confused look from my mom. "Thought you were a monster there for a second." I managed to get out between chuckles.
"Hopefully there wasn't anything fragile in your bag." She said, cracking a small smile. I glanced down at my bag, then shrugged.
"Eh, if there was, I'm sure it can be fixed with a bit of magic." I winked, earning me a soft sigh. She eyed me up and down for a moment, her hands moving to my collar to adjust it.
Her eyes met then mine before she quickly pulled me into a hug. "I'm going to miss you mija." She said softly, hugging me a little tighter. I hesitated for a moment, then wrapped my arms around her.
"Woah! Hey, you're acting like you'll never see me again." I muttered as she pulled away from me. I could see her eyes were glistening slightly.
"Sometimes it feels like I won't." She said softly. "I mean, I'm letting you go to live in another dimension."
"Honestly, I'm still surprised you're letting me do that." I remarked, earning me a small snort and another smile.
"I'm surprised too." She replied, moving her glasses to wipe her eyes. I bent down to pick up my bag, throwing it over my shoulder. My mom's eyes went from me to my beanie. "Do you really need that?" She asked, reaching to take it off my head.
I quickly moved away, lightly swatting her hand. "Hey! It's part of my style!" I said, adjusting it slightly on my head.
"Is wearing a plaid shirt like a jacket also your style?" I nodded my head, to which she gave me a soft sigh. "If you say so."
She gave me a slightly lopsided smile, her hands moving up so that she could run her fingers through some of my hair that peeked out from under my beanie. "Promise me you won't cause too much trouble?" Her voice wavered slightly, but I could tell she was trying to cover it up.
"I promise." I said softly, feeling myself tear up. I quickly pulled her into another hug, this time catching her by surprise. We stayed like this for a bit, the two of us just savoring the moment. Finally, after some time, my mom pulled away.
"Don't cause your teacher too much trouble." She stated, making me laugh. "I'm serious Luz. Don't keep her up with your drumming, or get in a bunch of trouble that she'd have to sort out."
"I probably won't." I said, watching as my mom gave me a look. "Okay look, I can promise I won't keep her up with my drumming." I held my hands out defensively, then my eyes widened. "Wait! That reminds me!"
I dashed past my mom back up to my room, skidding to halt in my doorway. Wracking my brain, I tried to remember where I stashed them. Then, a light bulb went off.
Moving to my dresser, I pulled open the drawers and started to sift through them, struggling to find what I was looking for. Then, after opening my third drawer, I finally found them.
Pulling my drumsticks out of the drawer, I tightly held them in my hands and raised them above my head, acting like it was a special item in some video game.
"Can't believe I almost forgot you!" I said, quickly stuffing the sticks into my bag before bounding back downstairs. My mom looked at me from the bottom of the stairs, raising an eyebrow.
"Now do you have everything?" She asked me, an amused tone in her voice.
"Yep!" I replied, lightly patting my bag. Then, reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the key and carefully held it in my hand. Both of our gazes slowly dropped to the key, then back up to each other.
I could see her eyes held this soft look, a small smile etched on her face. "Message me when you get the chance, alright?"
"Will do." I said, gripping the key tightly in my hand as she patted my shoulder. Then, turning towards the front door, I made my way to leave. Resting my hand on the doorknob, I paused, then turned back to my mom. "Hey, don't forget, I'm dropping by at least once a week if I get the chance." I said enthusiastically, making her smile.
"Just message me before you do." She responded, I answered with a nod. I turned the knob and opened the door, then paused once again.
Turning back around, I quickly called out. "Wait!" My mom paused, turning back around to face me. "Te quiero." I said, shooting her a quick kiss
"Yo también te quiero mija." She said with a loving smile, blowing me a kiss back. And with that, I slowly walked out the front door, closing the door behind me with a soft click.
Standing there for a moment, I took a deep breath and stared at the sky. It was a bright blue with the sun hanging high in the sky. "Honestly, I think I'm going to miss this." I said softly to myself, memories of the Boiling Isles' purplish orange sky filling my mind.
Walking down the steps, I went over to the bus stop and waited. Lightly tapping my foot, I looked around for Owlbert, remembering thatt Eda said he'd meet me here in her last letter. "Owlbert?" I called out softly, still looking around for the tiny palisman. "Owlbert?" I dragged out, still waiting for him to arrive.
Then, there was a sudden sharp hoot as something softly landed on my left shoulder. Looking to my left, I saw the tiny owl himself. "Hey there buddy!" I said, bringing my hand up to the top of his head and giving it a light scratch.
He nuzzled into my touch, closing his eyes as another soft hoot came from his beak. Opening his yellow eyes once again, he stared at me for a moment with a look that was asking me if I was ready to go.
"Alright little buddy." He hopped off my shoulder, his wings lightly flapping to keep him in the air. "Ready to get going?" Giving me an eager hoot, he started to fly into the forest, me tailing close behind him.
The further we made it into the forest, the more I could feel my excitement building up. This was finally it, I was actually going back to the Boiling Isles, finally getting to go back to learn more magic and see everybody again.
I'd get to see Eda again and go on more missions and adventures with her. I'd get to see King and learn more about different types of demons. I'd be able to see Willow and Gus and catch up on everything that I'd miss in the time I was gone. I'd even be able to see Amity again...
I slowed down slightly at the thought of the witch, my cheeks starting to heat up. It'd been forever since I had heard from Amity, in fact, I think she only sent me one letter while I was gone. But, despite that, the witch never seemed to leave my mind.
Maybe it was because of how much I looked up to her, with her being the top student at Hexside and all. Or, maybe it was because of the things we had in common, like both of us liking Azura. Or, it could have been the blossoming crush I had developed on the youngest Blight during the time we spent together.
Or it was a mix of all those things.
Yeah, it was probably a mix off all those things.
Owlbert flew over towards me, flying in front of my face to get my attention. He gave me a hoot of concern, quickly pulling me out of my thoughts. "Oh! Sorry Owlbert, let's keep going."
We both continued into the forest before we made it to the abandoned house I had followed him into the first time. I paused for a minute in front of the house, observing it while Owlbert rested on my shoulder.
There were vines hanging off the worn down gutters of the house, draping over the house like a cloak. Part of the roof was caved in, vines also spilling into the hole. The windows were shattered, and surprisingly, the door was still on the hinges.
I looked at Owlbert, then at the key in my hand before I moved forward towards the rotting door. "Eda said this key would act like a skeleton key, right?" I asked Owlbert, earning me a short little hoot which I assumed was supposed to be a yes.
While I stood in front of the door, the smell of wet wood filled my nostrils. I looked down at the keyhole to the door, noting that it was probably the best looking part of the house. My hand very slowly started to move towards the keyhole with the key, then I stuck the key in and turned.
The door started to shake, then the doorknob quickly shifted to the middle of the door, it's color changing into a shiny gold color. A big, bright yellow eye opened in the middle of the door, it's slim pupil staring straight ahead. The door straightened out, slowly shifting into different shades of brown, eccentric swirls sprouting out on the door.
Once the door finished changing, it cracked open. A blinding white light came from behind the door, making me have shield my eyes for a moment. "Wow." I said softly, staring at the door in awe. Owlbert flew off my shoulder and floated in the air for a moment as he turned to me, then he flew through the door.
I quickly followed him, my body being swallowed in the light for a moment. When I emerged on the other side my vision was covered in lots of black dots, blurring the landscape in front of me. Blinking a few times, I tried to clear up my sight a little faster, but it didn't seem to be working.
Behind me, I could hear the door fold up with a few loud thunks, disappearing from sight. Rubbing my eyes, my vision finally became clear enough to see where I was. And from the looks of it, I was probably on the outskirts of Bonesborough.
Something hit me in the back of the head, making me wince and bring a hand up to where I was hit. Owlbert flew to the ground before coming back up, the key in his small beak. Rubbing the spot where the key hit me, I took the key from him and shoved it into my pocket.
Staring out at the bustling town, I couldn't help but smile. It was just like I had remembered it, lively with all different kinds of people and a few different creatures flying through the air above. Overhead, I could hear the screech of a griffon, spiders tumbling down from its beak and flying through the light breeze.
"Just like I remember it." I said softly, my eyes lightly stinging with tears as I smiled. Wiping my eyes, I turned to the small palisman that hovered by me. "Alright Owlbert, you mind leading me to Eda? I want to surprise her."
Owlbert gave me a little hoot, then started flying towards Bonesborough. I ran after him, my feet pounding on the orange grass with each step. "Hey wait up!" I called out to the small owl with a laugh, slowing down from a run to a walk.
He paused, then flew over to me. A few hoots came from his tiny beak. "Sorry little buddy, my stamina sucks." I said to him with a small chuckle. "And besides, I don't want to just go thundering into Bonesborough to see Eda, it'd ruin the surprise."
Another hoot came from the small creature. "Is Eda at her stand?" I asked him, which earned me a happy hoot that meant yes. "Well then, why don't you lead me to the back of the stand so I can surprise her by popping out, huh? Whatcha think about that?" He mulled it over for a minute, then hooted again before slowly flying in front of me.
We both slowly made our way through the town, passing by all sorts of people that frequented it and a few of the markets that sold Boiling Isle goods. I couldn't help but stare at a few of the items in the stands, wondering what each thing was used for.
There was one purple stand that had large, pig looking legs hanging off of hooks. A bunch of jars containing some sorts of items littered its shelves with a sign that read "Soomite Haunches." and a small sign to the side reading "25% off."
Another stand we passed was selling some kind of fur coats. Its sign read "Slitherbeast pelts" in dark red writing. I immediately recognized the name of the creature, remembering the time we were attacked by one at the Witch arena.
Owlbert took a sudden sharp left, cutting through two stands, one of them selling magical rocks and the other selling some sort of food. I quickly followed after him, ducking through the two stands and struggling to keep up while I watched my step.
Our travels continued behind the stands, Owlbert swerving out of the way to avoid different things that stuck out from behind the shops. I stepped over a pile of large teeth, silently questioning what they were from. Then, spinning around, I nearly took my own head off with a giant sword that was emerging from the back of a stand.
I yelped in surprise, freezing in my spot as I stared at the sharp blade in front of me. Ducking down, I went under the sword before popping my head back up, reaching up for my neck and giving it a rub. "That could've been a disaster." I said to myself, swallowing before I continued forward.
After a bit more walking, I could see a familiar purple tent up ahead. My excitement quickly peaked and I quickly flagged down Owlbert to make him stop. "Owlbert! Go to the front, act like you couldn't find me, I'll surprise her from the inside of the tent." I whispered. The tiny owl gave me a small nod, then disappeared to the front of the stand.
Moving over a pile of skulls, I crept to the back of the purple tent, then looking around to make sure no one was looking, I snuck inside. The tent was full of random human items, multiple of said items littering the floor.
Carefully, I snuck into the tent, making sure to watch my step. I could easily recognized a bunch of the items that laid on the floor and were in piles next to the walls. Up ahead, I could hear the sound of voices.
"So why are you guys getting this stuff anyways?" Eda's voice asked, to people who I assumed were customers. I took another step forward, then nearly tripped over something lying on the floor.
That something's head shot up, glowing eyes turning to me. "Hey!" A familiar voice squeaked, which I instantly recognized.
"King?" I asked, making him tilt his head slightly.
"Luz?" He asked back, his voice taking on a higher pitch. I could hear him start to squeal in happiness, then he ran and jumped up into my arms, pulling me into a hug. "My boo-boo buddy is back!" He exclaimed excitedly, making me laugh.
Looking at King, I realized he wasn't too different since the last time I saw him. The most noticeable difference was that he was slightly larger and his good horn had a small crack close to its center.
"I thought you'd never come back!" He said loudly, which I quickly shushed him. Placing a finger against my lips then pointing forward, I silently told King that I planned to surprise Eda.
He gave me a nod, telling me he understood. Creeping forward a little more, I listened in on the conversation between Eda and the customers. I wanted to peek out and see who she was talking to, but I knew that could get me caught.
"Oh right, that book." I heard Eda say, making me wonder what kind of book she was talking about. "Unfortunately for your sister, I still don't have it. But, you can tell her that if I find it, I'll hold onto it for her."
"You'd actually do that?" A female voice asked, one that sounded really familiar, but I couldn't seem to put a name or a face to her voice.
Eda snorted, a low chuckle escaping her. "Sure I would, I mean, unless someone offered me a good amount of money for it." She chuckled again. I could see King roll his eyes at Eda's response, which made me laugh.
There was a few chuckles from the customers, then another voice spoke. "Honestly, I don't think anyone else is going to buy that book off of you." A male voice said, and like the female voice, it was familiar but I couldn't remember who it belonged to.
Another laugh came from the customers. "Well, we'd better get going now that you have your stupid candy." The first voice said to the second, earning an offended gasp.
"Hey! This candy isn't stupid! It's like, the greatest human stuff I've ever tasted." I could hear Eda snort again.
"Kid, anytime you come here and buy something edible, you say that." Eda remarked, making the female voice laugh. "Alright you two, as much as I love talking to you, you need to scatter. I've got other business to attend to."
The two people said their goodbyes and walked away, their voices quickly blending in with the others that were passing by the stand. I could hear Eda sigh. "Okay Owlbert, they're gone. What did you want to tell me?"
Owlbert responded with a few hoots. "What? What do you mean you couldn't find her? I told her to meet by the bus stop like last time." Peeking slightly out of the tent, I could see Eda rubbing her temples. From the looks of it, Eda hadn't changed a bit. I bent down and set King on the ground.
"I swear, if I have to go and find this kid myself..." Eda trailed off, leaning on her table. She turned to the small palisman, who now rested on the table. "Are you sure you didn't see her at the spot?"
Now, I decided to step out, still sticking to the shadows so that she couldn't see me. My eyes landed on my bag, remembering the thing I got for Eda. I slowly reached into my bag, my hands sifting through my things while I struggled to quietly find the item.
"Did my last letter even go through? You gave it to her, right?" She questioned the tiny owl, I felt my fingers graze over the item I was looking for. I clasped it in my hand, then slowly pulled it out of my bag.
Reaching back into my bag again, I grabbed a hold of a flashlight that I packed along and pulled it out. Then, with the flashlight in one hand and the item in the other, I pointed the flashlight at the object and turned it on.
That caught Eda's attention pretty quick. "Shiny." She said, her eyes widening as she looked for the source of the light. She turned to me, then froze in place, the shiny thing no longer having her attention.
"Hey there Eda." I said with a smile. A smile slowly crept up on her lips, which turned into laughter. Running up to her, I pulled her into a tight hug.
"I knew something was going on here!" She laughed, pulling me into a headlock and ruffling my hair. "How long have you been here?" Eda asked with a snort as she pulled my beanie over my eyes, a form of payback for hiding.
Stepping back, I adjusted my beanie so that I could see. "Only a few minutes." I responded, making Eda laugh again.
"From where you appeared from, I assume you've already said hi to King then?" King popped his head out of the tent at the sound of his name, a little weh sound coming from his mouth. I nodded, watching King come from behind the tent.
Owlbert flew into the air by Eda, then landed on his staff and turned back into wood. "It took you long enough to get here!" King said, lightly punching my leg.
Picking up the small demon again, I lightly booped his nose. "I know. Believe me I would've come sooner if I could, but it took awhile to convince my mom to let me stay here." King shot me a confused look while Eda's eyes widened.
"Stay?" King questioned, looking between me and Eda.
"How could I forget?" Eda facepalmed, her hand gripping tightly on her staff. "It completely left my mind that you were gonna be living in the Boiling Isles." She muttered, now making King's eyes widen.
"Wait you're staying in the Boiling Isles?" He squeaked out, to which I nodded. Then, he started to rub his hands together, an adorable little laugh coming from his muzzle. "I can teach you even more about demons now!" His eyes sparkled with excitement.
I set King down on the stand's table, once again booping his nose. "Yep!" I said to him, then turned back to Eda, who was organizing something at her stand. "Even though I just got here, I should probably go say hi to my friends."
Eda turned back around to face me, leaning her staff on the table. She folded her arms, but only for a moment before she just shook her head and smiled. "Okay then kiddo." Reaching out, she ruffled my hair once again. "Make sure you come back to the house some time tonight though, no sleepovers you hear me?"
She grabbed my bag off my shoulder and set it down on the floor next to her. "I'll take this back to the house for ya." King instantly pounced on my bag, but Eda shoved him off with her foot.
"Actually wait." I paused, bending down into my bag to grab a few things. "I got you guys something actually!" King started to bounce up and down while Eda just rolled her eyes with a smile. After a bit of searching, I found what I was looking for.
Turning to King, I could see his eyes were still sparkling in excitement. "King, since you already got your crown, I got you this. Close your eyes." He obeyed, and I tied the item around his neck loosely. He opened his eyes again and looked at what I gave him, a small squeal coming from him. "After all, what's a mighty ruler without his cape?"
King jumped up onto the stand's table, pointing one finger into the air. "Yes! I am a mighty ruler! You all with bow to me!" He proclaimed, pointing at some of the people that passed by, his new purple cape swaying with his actions.
"And as for you Eda." I turned towards my mentor, who had this amused look. "I got you this thing, it's called a disco ball." I handed her the mini disco ball from earlier, she carefully held it in her hands, scanning over the new item. Then, I grabbed my flashlight from earlier. "It sparkles in the light." I stated, turning the flashlight on and pointing it at the sphere.
Eda's eyes sparkled again, following the tiny lights that were being made by the ball. Turning the flashlight back off, I handed that to Eda as well. "Welp, now I should get going. I'll see you guys later tonight!"
I waved the two goodbye, then left the tent and started to make my way through the rest of the market. Staring at the things being sold, I couldn't help but be captivated by everything. Shaking my head to focus, I tried to think of where I would find Willow and Gus.
There was a possibility they could be in the market, but I doubted it. Then, I thought that they could still be in classes at Hexside, which didn't seem as far fetched.
So, I decided to first check to see if they were at Hexside, but instead of taking the direct route to the school, I decided to take the route where I first met Willow. It took a little bit to get there, by the time I made it the sun was hanging at the top of the sky. Because of this, it was a lot warmer, so I took off my jacket and tied it around my waist.
Making my way through the trail, I stared at all the trees that surrounded me. It was calming. Something that was pretty rare in the Boiling Isles, with all of it's creatures and spells. Slowly walking through the trail, I froze when I heard the sound of rustling in the leaves.
Assuming it was some sort of dangerous creature, I ducked into one of the dark bushes by the trees and peered out, waiting to see what was going to emerge. There was more rustling, then a voice.
"Are you sure about this?" A soft voice asked, which I almost instantly recognized as Willow's.
"Of course I am Willow! Nothing dangerous is around here!" Another voice chimed in, which I assume was Gus', though it did sound a bit deeper than before. Still looking out the bushes, I watched the two of them emerge from a clearing in the trees, Gus dragging Willow by her wrist into a more open area.
The two of them didn't see too much different either. Willow seemed slightly taller, her hair just barely below her shoulders. I could also tell that she was buffer than before. And Gus really only changed in height. Now, he was about the same height as Willow.
Gus let go of her arm and stood towards the middle of the trail, shaking his hands a few times as he bounced up and down. "Okay, watch." He said to Willow, then he put his arms out. I watched as he closed his eyes and bit his lip, clearly concentrating.
Then, he opened his eyes again and had a smug look on his face. "Okay, now try to walk towards me." Willow did what he asked before running into thin air. She took a step back, then placed her hand out, her hand coming in contact with something invisible.
"No way!" She exclaimed, now placing both hands on the invisible object. "You finally can do the wall spell?" Gus proudly nodded, quickly drawing a small, blue circle with his finger.
"Not only that!" He said, finishing the circle. Suddenly, a blue outline of Gus appeared, standing proudly next to him with his arms folded across his chest. "I managed to finally figure out how to do this spell!" Gus gestured towards his blue outline copy.
Willow raised an eyebrow at the copy. "Willow watch, now you see him." He pointed to the copy before snapping his fingers, the copy disappearing from sight. "Now you don't!" I couldn't help but stare in amusement at Gus' magical ability.
"You just banished him." Willow said, a smirk on her face. Gus shook his head in reply.
"Nope, it's a ghost spell, they can go invisible at a simple command." To prove his point, he gestured towards Willow, who soon jumped after he did. Gus chuckled a little, then motioned to Willow again.
She looked around, trying to find the illusion before she flinched again. "Gus!" She hissed, clearly not liking the teasing coming form the illusion. Gus snapped his fingers again, and the illusion reappeared by Willow's shoulder.
The illusion gave Willow a cheeky little wave before it faded away, this time actually disappearing. "I swear, you better not act the Blight twins did in school." Willow stated, earning a gasp from Gus.
"You think I'd really spend my last few years at Hexside like they did? Wow Willow, just wow. Have you seen me? Or did someone wipe your memory?" The two of them busted out laughing at his question.
"Okay, okay, okay." Gus struggled to get out, still laughing. "That's all the new spells I've got." He stated as he turned to Willow. "You got anything new?" He asked her, to which she shook her head.
"Nothing new on me anyways. If I would've known you were showing off new spells I would've brought my wiglac plant." I had no idea what kind of plant Willow was talking about, but it was fun to imagine what it'd look like.
"Never heard of that plant before." Gus said, speaking exactly what I was thinking. They fell silent for a moment, Gus moving over towards Willow and taking a seat on the path. Willow copying his actions.
"Wanna play a game?" Willow asked Gus, which was answered with a nod.
Gus stretched his arms out, twisting his arms to pop his joints. "What kinda game?" He questioned as he stretched his arms over his head, casting out a quick spell that made tiny, pale blue butterflies flutter through the air, disappearing just as fast as they came.
Willow looked around for a moment, then a smile landed on her face. "How bout, I say a word, and you spell cast the first thing that comes to mind. But, we both do it with our eyes closed, so it's like a surprise."
I could see Gus laugh, saying something I couldn't understand to Willow before sitting up a little straighter. Realizing this would be a great chance to surprise them, I waited for the perfect moment.
They both closed their eyes, Gus preparing a spell in front of him. "Alright uh..." Willow hesitated for a moment. "Book." Gus paused, then made a quick spell circle.
In front of them, an illusion of Amity appeared. Though I couldn't see the front of the illusion, I could only assume it was what Amity looked like now. She wore a purple sweater and dark jeans with dark grey combat boots. They opened their eyes, the two of them chuckling.
"You really think she's still into books?" Willow asked, turning to Gus.
Gus replied with a laugh. "Oh definitely. Amity may have changed, but she hasn't changed that much." I wondered what he meant by Amity changed, but I didn't get much time to think about it.
The illusion of Amity faded away and the two closed their eyes again. "Bright." Willow said, and Gus started his spell. I knew this would be the perfect time to surprise them.
Another illusion summoned, one of someone I could vaguely remember seeing around Hexside. She had silver hair and an undercut, standing tall in front of the two. I quickly got out of the bush and pushed the illusion to the side.
I watched the illusion look at me in surprise before dusting away. "Okay, so that was a little creepy." I thought to myself, but quickly put on a small smile and clasped my hands behind my back when I saw they were opening their eyes.
The look on Gus's face changed, clearly surprised. "That... wasn't the first thing that I thought of." He muttered to Willow, who shrugged her shoulders. I enthusiastically waved at the two of them, then shot them finger guns which made them both smile.
"I really do miss her. Y'know, I wonder if Luz still acts like she did since the last time we saw her. Or, do you think she got all serious?" Willow asked out loud, looking away from me to look at Gus.
"Oh believe me, I still act like this." I quickly responded, making the two of them instantly freeze up. Willow looked back at me, blinking a few times while she stared. Then, very slowly, she leaned over to Gus.
"I thought illusions weren't supposed to speak?" She hissed, making Gus' eyes dart between me and her.
They both stood up, standing a little defensively. "Certain ones can, but the one I just casted shouldn't." He responded, still staring at me.
"So banish it and recast it." Willow suggested, which Gus nodded his head. He made some sort of movement with his hand, probably trying to banish me.
And with that, I decided to put on a show.
I brought my hands up to my neck and acted like I was being choked. "Ack! No! Banishment!" I hissed, dropping down to the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see look on both of their faces, ones of confusion.
Raising one of my hands up in the air, I pretended to reach up for something, then flopped my arm to the ground. There was a moment of silence, then with a laugh, I got up off the ground and started to dust myself off.
"Just kidding guys, I'm still here." I laughed, smiling at the two. I watched as both of their eyes widened in fear.
"Gus, that's not an illusion." Willow managed to squeak out. "Is it a skinwalker?" She shakily asked, still not looking away from me.
I looked at my arms, pulling at the skin a little. "Nope, not a skinwalker. At least, I don't think I am." Gus' look changed, going from a look of fear to a look of recognition.
He took a cautious step forward, then his eyes lit up. "Hold up, Luz? Is that really you?"
"In the flesh." I popped the collar of my jacket, winking at the two. There was another moment of silence, before suddenly I was tackled by the two. I stumbled, then fell to the ground, taking Willow and Gus with me.
The three of us started to laugh, the two of them hugging me tightly. "It's been forever!" Willow exclaimed, sitting up and pulling the two of us up with her. "How long have you been here?" She asked me, Gus let go of me and moved in front of me.
"Oh, I'd say about an hour or so." Shrugging my shoulders, I just gave them a goofy smile.
"And you didn't try to get to us sooner? There's so much we have to tell you!" Gus said, lightly shaking my shoulders. He quickly got on his feet and yanked us up, pulling both of our wrists so we would follow him.
Willow and Gus started filling me in on anything interesting I missed while I was gone, like how there was a huge beast outbreak that happened right before last year's graduation, or how the twins managed to turn the whole school a neon green. Gus filled me in on how classes have been for him, and how he's managed to take back the Human Appreciation Society from Mattholomule.
When they asked what I'd done the past two years, I filled them in on what had happened. There wasn't a lot of interesting things that had happened to me, but I told them about how I got into drumming. At first, it was just something to pass the time, but I eventually became addicted and started to practice it a lot more. Gus asked if that was why I had a change in style, which I just shrugged.
They also told me how everyone else was doing, which everyone seemed to be doing alright. "Oh! And there's Boscha! Wait a minute, Willow! Why don't you tell her about you and Boscha?" Gus wiggled his eyebrows, making the short haired witch blush.
"Wait, what about you and Boscha?" I questioned, the blush on Willow's face deepening. She turned her head away from us, which only made Gus laugh.
She quickly covered her face with her hands, trying to hide from us. "We're..." Her sentence trailed off so that I couldn't hear what she said.
"What?" I asked, leaning in a little closer to hear her.
"We're... dating." She muttered, instantly trying to hide. I froze in place, making the others stop with me. Grabbing Willow's shoulders, I shook her a few times.
"You and Boscha are dating?!" I exclaimed, only flustering the poor witch even further. Gus started to laugh even harder, barely able to stand.
Willow looked over at Gus, rolling her eyes but smiling. "Looks like you owe me some Snails Willow!" Gus remarked, making Willow fish in her pocket for a moment before pulling out three Snails and tossing them to Gus.
"Honestly, I don't even know why we made that bet, we both knew Luz was going to react like that." Willow muttered, her cheeks still red. Gus simply stuck out his tongue and pocketed his loot.
Gus continued to chuckle, but then perked up. "Wait, have we told you about Amity yet?" A vision of the green haired witch filled my mind, making my cheeks heat up lightly. But, before I could give Gus an answer, Willow cut in.
"Oh shoot! That reminds me!" She turned to Gus. "Gus, I'm not gonna be able to go tonight."
"What! But, we've already got the tickets!" Gus hissed, I stood between the two, completely confused about what they were talking about.
"I know! I know, but stuff's come up." Willow rubbed the back of her neck, her eyes darting to the floor before looking back up, her green eyes lighting up with an idea behind her glasses. "Luz! How would you like to go to a concert tonight?"
My eyes widened slightly. "You guys have concerts here too? Wait, what kind of concert?" I asked, thinking that it'd be kind of like the Witches Convention.
"A band concert." Gus chimed in with a smile, shooting Willow a look. Willow shot him a look back, a smirk appearing on her lips for a moment before it disappeared.
"I promise you'll love it." Willow said, a soft smile now appearing on her face. Reaching into her pocket again, she pulled out the ticket for the concert and held it out for me to take.
I carefully took the ticket from her hand, scanning it over for a moment. "I'm surprised you guys have band concerts here!" I wanted to question how mentioning Amity brought this up, but I didn't. I read over the name of the band, then raised an eyebrow. "The Abominations? Who are they?" I looked over at my friends, who were giving each other another look.
Gus simply responded with "Wait till tonight to see." Shrugging my shoulders, I carefully put the ticket in my pocket.
Willow looked up at the sky then back at the two of us. "Well, I better get going. You two have fun at the concert, okay? And Luz, it was great catching up with you." We all said our goodbyes and Gus and I watched Willow walk away.
"I should probably get going too." Gus said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll come to the Owl House when it's time for us to go." I gave him a nod, then finger gunned him goodbye. I watched as he went through the clearing in the trees he came from, then disappeared from sight.
Spinning on my heel, I went the opposite direction and started to head to the Owl House. A few things were already on my mind, but the two of them that stuck out the most was the concert and Amity.
The only reason why Amity was stuck on my mind was because of what the others have said. They said she'd changed, but I had no idea what they meant by that. All the ideas I could come up with were easily debunked in my head. For a split second, I thought that they meant she died, but I quickly brushed that off. It was a stupid thought.
Instead of overthinking it, I just cleared my head and decided to focus more on what was going to happen tonight. I dashed towards the Owl House with a smile on my face, excited to fill in Eda on what my plans were for tonight.