Down to Earth visit
Luz POV:
"Luz, we already have enough problems, we don't need another. So what do you mean by we have a problem?" Amity asked as she gave my shoulder a light squeeze. I didn't look up at her, rather my gaze remained locked on my phone, eyes wide with more than a hint of fear.
There, on the screen, were the notifications for nine missed calls and around twenty or so messages from my mom.
"Luz?" I looked over at the teal haired witch, noticing the concern in her eyes. Her eyes widened slightly as she could see the panic seeping onto my face, then they darted down to my phone, trying to get a clue about what's going on.
"I've gotta go, now." I said, getting ready to stand up, but Amity kept me in place. "Oh geez, my mom is going to kill me..." I muttered, running a hand through my hair.
Amity still looked confused, her eyebrows furrowing tightly together. "Why is she gonna kill you?" She asked, but I only shook my head.
"Because she hasn't heard from me for the past week or so!" I said with a bit of panic laced in my voice. Setting my phone down on the table in front of us, I ran my hands over my face, slightly pulling at the skin. "I was supposed to visit her the day that this happened!" I gestured to my side, biting my lip when I moved too harshly. "She hasn't heard from me since."
Amity's ears moved down slightly, the concern in her eyes clear. "Oh..." She finally muttered, drumming her fingers on her legs. "Oh." She muttered, this time with more of a realization.
"Geez, she's probably been really worried, what am I even supposed to tell her?" I asked out loud, sticking both of my hands behind my head. "How is she going to even react?"
"She won't make you stay back on Earth, right?" Amity suddenly asked, making a chill run down my spine. The thought didn't even come to mind that she'd make me stay again, but now that Amity brought it up, it only made things worse.
I started to bounce my leg up and down, struggling to ignore each sharp jab it sent to my side. Taking in a deep, shaky breath, I shook my head. "No, no she won't." I muttered, noticing Amity looking over at me out of the corner of my eye.
"How are you so sure?" There was a waver in her voice that wasn't hard to miss. "I mean, after something like this she might not let you ever come back!"
"I'll be able to convince her!" I said, putting on a quick smile. "Just gotta use a bit of my charm. After all, they don't call me Luz the charmer for nothing!" I told Amity with a wink, struggling to suppress the nervous chuckle that wanted to bubble up. "But to do that, I've gotta do it in person."
"First off, I've never heard anyone call you that." She said, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "Second, you're an idiot if you think I'm letting you go in person."
"And why not?" I asked, hoping that my stubbornness would make Amity give in. She shot me a deadpan look, placing her hand on my knee and despite the tension in the air, her action still sent jolts of electricity up my spine.
"Luz, you just got out of the hospital." She told me, making me roll my eyes. "I'm being serious here, you just got out today. You're barely gonna be able to stand, let alone make it through the portal back to Earth."
"Me going back to Earth like this isn't going to be much harder than when I first tried to do magic, which was considered impossible." I pointed out with a smirk, watching as Amity's ears twitched. "Besides, a phone call isn't going to fly over well with my mom..."
"You need rest." She said sternly, slowly rubbing circles on my knee.
"No, what I need is to fill in my mom about what happened. Then I'll rest." I reached over and picked up my phone and quickly unlocked it, pulling up the messages between me and my mom.
Amity fell silent, turning her gaze down to the floor. I stared at her for a minute, then looked down to her hand, which was still doing circles on my knee.
"Luz..." She started, then let out a heavy sigh before looking back up at me. "There's no way to convince you not to go, is there?" I shook my head, making her groan before running her hands through her hair. "Fine. But you aren't going alone."
"Alright that's fair." I said, looking down at my phone and quickly typing out a message, speaking aloud while I did. "Hey mom, sorry for not responding for so long, give me a call when you can! Te quiero." I put a few hearts after that before clicking send.
Amity stood up, fixing her shirt slightly before looking around the room. I went to stand up as well, but she stopped me. "I need to go get the key." I told her, but she just shook her head.
"Just tell me where it is. I'll go get it." I hesitated for a minute, then nodded my head.
"In my duffel bag up in my room." I told her and she gave me a nod, making her way to the hallway. "Tell King we're leaving please!" Amity called over her shoulder that she would, then she disappeared around the corner.
I looked back down at my phone, seeing that my mom still hasn't responded. Setting my phone down, I started to tap my fingers against the couch, trying to create a rhythm.
It was surprisingly quiet, something that was a little odd for this place. Normally there was always something going on that made some kind of noise, whether it was King ranting about demons or Eda sorting through human junk. Honestly I found it unnerving that this place was this quiet.
The teal haired witch quickly appeared from around the corner again, clutching the key to the portal tightly in her hand. "This is the key, right?" She held it up for me to see, the yellow eye gleaming in the light.
"That's the one. Honestly I'm surprised you found it that fast." I chuckled, but it quickly turned into a hiss of pain. Amity quickly rushed over to me, but I held a hand up to stop her, signaling to her that I was fine.
"Are you sure about this?" Amity asked, looking down at the key in her hand. I nodded my head, gently grabbing onto her arm. Then, I felt my phone start to buzz, startling Amity.
I quickly picked up my phone, it buzzing again in my hands while I checked the recipient. "It's my mom, hold on." I muttered, hitting the little green button and holding it up to my ear. "Hola mamá!" I made sure to put a cheery tone in my voice.
"Mija! Where have you been? I've missed the sound of your voice!" I winced slightly at her volume, then let out a few soft chuckles. Surprisingly she didn't sound mad. Amity raised an eyebrow, but she didn't say a word. Instead, she took a seat on the couch, clasping her hands together and waiting.
"I've missed your voice too. Sorry about not responding for a bit, some stuff has happened." I swallowed, lightly tapping my free hand against my leg. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Amity's hand move closer to mine, then she took a hold of my hand, giving it a light squeeze.
"I was wondering why you weren't responding! Does it have something to do with your little band?" She asked, then I could hear her gasp slightly. "Wait, does it have to do with that Amity girl you always talk about? Did you finally say something to her?"
The excitement in her voice was clear, making a burning blush start to rise up to my cheeks. "Mom stop!" I hissed, hearing her laugh on the other end of the line. "But, I guess you could say it has to do with both of those things."
"Well then, fill me in!" She said excitedly. I opened my mouth to say something, anything at all, but the words wouldn't come out. Amity gave my hand another squeeze, and looking over at her our eyes met.
"I..." I paused for a second, turning my gaze away from Amity. "I'll fill you in soon. Question, are you at work right now?" I asked, hearing a bit of shuffling followed by a few stray voices come from her end of the line.
"Yes, I am, but my shift ends in about half an hour." A smile rose to my face.
"Perfect! Do you mind if I drop by? I'll be bringing a friend along, if that's okay." I squeezed Amity's hand, giving her a quick nod.
"Is this friend you're bringing along named Amity?" I heard her ask, holding that taunting tone in her voice. I started to sputter out a response, which only made her chuckle. "Yes it's alright mija. I'll see you here soon okay? Te quiero!"
"Yo también te quiero." I heard a click on the other end, then I let out a sigh. Leaning back until my back hit the couch, I stared up at the ceiling. "She gets off of her shift in thirty minutes." I told Amity before moving forward again, getting ready to stand up.
"We're leaving now?" She asked and I nodded my head.
"Might as well. After all, early bird gets the worm!" Amity blinked a few times, confusion slowly crossing her face. My smile slowly dropped, then I let out a sigh. "Right, forgot you guys don't know human phrases. Sorry."
Amity stood up, then offered her hand out for me to take. Taking her hand in mine, I slowly started to lift myself up, gritting my teeth the entire time as pain shot up and down my body.
Once I was finally able to stand, I looked at Amity with a smile, placing my hands on my hips. "See! Perfectly fine! Y'know, this kinda reminds me of when Azura still had to fight against..." My voice started to trail off as my vision became spotty. "Woah..." I managed to mumble before I felt my knees give from under me.
"Luz!" Amity cried out, quickly catching me before I fell. She wrapped her arms around me, her arm grazing dangerously close to my side. "Are you okay? What happened?" She asked frantically, trying to get an answer.
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" I quickly said, blinking hard a few time to clear the static out of my vision. "Just got dizzy, that's all." Amity let out a sigh in relief, mumbling a few things under her breath.
Carefully, she propped me back up on my feet, taking my arm and putting it over her shoulder while keeping a grip on my wrist. She brought the key in front of us, staring at it for a moment.
"So how does this thing work?" She asked, lightly running her thumb over the eye.
"It's like a skeleton key. Stick it in any door, give it a turn and it turns into the portal. It's honestly pretty cool." I said, watching Amity grip onto the key. Very slowly, the two of us turned our heads to look at the front door. We sat in silence for a moment, then I shook my head. "Let's... not use it on the front door."
"Would it kill that obnoxious owl?" Amity asked, a bit of hope in her voice. I lightly nudged her in the side, making her scoff. "What? It's just a question."
"One that I don't have the answer to." I muttered, looking over at the teal haired witch. "And besides, if we turned Hooty into the portal door and killed him, technically we'd be killing the entire house. And to be honest with you, I don't want to figure out if he can rot."
Amity grumbled something in response, then sighed. "So what other door should we use?" She asked, glancing around the room for another door to put the key in.
"Kitchen." I muttered, trying to stand up a little straighter. "We can use the pantry door." Amity hummed in response, then slowly started to lead us to the kitchen.
I struggled to walk steady, even with Amity holding me in place. "Are you really sure about this?" She asked softly, looking over at me. I gave her a determined nod, then turned my gaze forward again. "Alright... just, promise me you won't push yourself."
"I promise. Don't worry too much Mittens." I teased, watching as her ears went down and her cheeks lit up. She let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head and lightly squeezing my wrist.
"You know I hate that nickname." She said, making me chuckle even though it hurt.
"And yet you let me use it without getting angry." My eyes landed on my beanie, which was just resting on the kitchen table. "Oh wait!" I stretched out, trying to not take the two of us down to the floor.
"What are you doing?!" She asked, struggling to remain balanced. "Luz you're gonna make us fall!"
"Put this on!" I said, ignoring her concern as I grabbed the beanie off of the table and quickly straightened back out. Holding it out, I waited for the witch to take it out of my hands. "To hide your ears in case we run into anyone."
Amity glanced down at the beanie, then back at me, slowly nodding her head. She took it out of my hands, quickly throwing it on and struggling to adjust it. "How's this look?" She asked me, turning her head to face me.
I raised a hand up to part of her beanie, pulling it down a little more over her ear. "You look like a natural." I told her with a smile, making her smile back.
The two of us slowly closed the distance between us and the door, Amity holding the key out before pausing. "Why does Eda's pantry door have a lock on it to begin with?"
"To stop King from raiding it at night. And maybe me." I said simply, making Amity nod her head. She quickly put the key in the lock and twisted it, the door shaking in response.
The door knob quickly changed into a shiny gold as a familiar, giant eye opened in the middle of the door as the swirls started to form. Amity took a step back, her ears moving down slightly.
Then, the door opened, the bright white light quickly creeping into the room. "That's obnoxiously bright." She mumbled, shielding her eyes with her free hand. I gave half a shrug, not saying anything as the two of us walked through the door.
My vision was covered in in black dots, blurring the green landscape in front of me. I could hear Amity groan, struggling to clear her vision as well. The door closed behind us with a few loud thunks, then Amity yelped in pain.
Luckily, this time the key hit her in the back of the head instead of me.
I finally managed to clear my vision, and turning to Amity I watched as she rubbed her eyes. When she moved her hand away from her face, her eyes widened at the sights around her. I could see her ears moving under the beanie, probably trying to flap but couldn't due to the restrictions.
"Oh wow..." She finally said, looking all around us as she rubbed the back of her head. "Why are the trees green?" I snorted, then shrugged my shoulders.
"Something to do with the color spectrum. Honestly I don't really know, I was never good in science. Anyways, welcome to the human world!" I looked down at the ground, barely able to see the tip of the key behind us. "Amity, the key."
"Right! The key!" She looked around for a minute, then looked down and spotted it on the ground. "Can you stand on your own for a minute?" I slowly nodded my head, taking my arm off of her shoulder.
Surprisingly, I managed to hold myself in place while Amity quickly bent down and grabbed the key, shoving it into her pocket. "Right, now we just need to leave the forest."
Amity grabbed onto my arm again, placing it back over her shoulder. "Which way do we go?" I pointed ahead of us, and we started moving forward. "How far away is your house from here? Nothing's gonna jump out at us here, right?"
"Not that far. And unless Yogi bear decided to take a visit to town, I doubt something will jump out at us." I sucked in a breath, bringing a hand to my side. Glancing over at Amity, I could see her quickly look away from me.
"Once we reach the edge of the forest, which direction do we go? Left or right?" I hesitated for a minute, thinking it over in my head.
"My left or yours?" Amity turned her head to face me, her eyebrows furrowing together.
"Luz, they're the same."
"Oh. Well then we go left." I mumbled, feeling my cheeks warm up slightly. The two of us walked until we made it the the clearing, the road ahead of us. A few cars whizzed past, making Amity tense up.
"What were those?" She gave my wrist a light squeeze, her eyes practically filled with stars.
"That was a car. Basically the carts of my world." I made a dramatic gesture with my hand, making Amity smile. "Y'know, if I learn how to drive, I'll take you for a ride sometime. They aren't that much more dangerous than a staff."
"Sure." She said, her eyes catching the sight of my house. "Is that the house?" I nodded my head. "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said it wasn't that far." I nodded my head again, then we started heading in that direction.
The two of us made it to the front the house and I could see the garage opened with my mom's car inside. "She's already home, great." We both went up the front steps, pausing at the door.
"Ready?" I asked as I looked over at the witch, who turned to face me.
"Honestly I should be asking you that." She muttered, turning to face the door. "So, are you ready?" I watched as she raised a fist up to the door, waiting for my response.
"As ready as I'll ever be." I muttered. Amity quickly knocked on the door and I tried to straighten myself out a little, hoping to hold up the facade that I was okay till we made it to the living room.
I heard a bit of shuffling on the other side, then the sound of a lock turning. The door quickly opened and we were met with the familair scent of home flowing out the door and my mom, who's eyes lit up at the sight of us.
"Luz!" She exclaimed, instantly pulling me into a hug. My side instantly blew up in pain, feeling like a thousand blinding hot knives were stabbing me in the side, making me see white. I couldn't even cry out in pain, all I could manage was a strangled sound. My mom was saying something to me, but I wasn't able to catch any of it.
She pulled away, almost making me collapse to the floor, the only thing holding me up being Amity. My side was throbbing, sending extremely sharp jolts of pain up and down my spine. That, and there was something new.
Now, instead of just the pain in my side, there was also a sharp, almost burning pain in my chest. "That's new." By the time the thought popped into my head, the pain in my chest disappeared. "Or maybe it's just because I'm actually moving around now."
"It's so great to see you again!" Her gaze moved away from me, then landed on Amity. "And you must be the famous Amity I hear so much about!" I could hear Amity stammer for a minute, then she cleared her throat.
"That's me. It's nice to meet you Ms. Noceda." My mom laughed, adjusting her glasses as they slid down her nose.
"Please, just call me Camilla." She told Amity after her laughing stopped, then she looked back over at me. "Now, wanna tell me why you weren't answering any of my messages? I know you're busy back at the Isles, but mija you had me worried!"
I wanted to give her a response, but I couldn't say a thing. It almost felt like my throat was closing up, and I was starting to feel sick. My vision was spotty, almost going black, but I was quick to try and blink it away. Swallowing, I opened my mouth to speak.
"I'm not doing so great..." I strained my voice to say, just loud enough for Amity to hear. She tensed up, her grip on my wrist tightening slightly. I looked over at Amity, noticing the uncomfortable look on her face.
"What was that mija?" My mom asked. I started to lean against Amity more, her becoming pretty much the only thing holding me up. Amity looked between me, then my mom, quickly getting out an answer.
"Maybe we should go sit down." She suggested, the worry in her voice clear to me.
"Of course!" My mom said in a happy tone, stepping aside to allow us it. "Do you guys want anything? Water?" I softly nodded my head, knowing she'd disappear long enough in the kitchen so she wouldn't see me stumble. "Alright I'll get you both a cup! Luz will lead you to the living room."
My mom quickly disappeared, leaving me with Amity. "One foot in front of the other..." I mumbled under my breath, trying to move forward. "Amity... I might pass out."
"I told you, don't push yourself." She drew a quick spell circle to lift me up, but it fizzled out. "What the?"
"Magic doesn't work here, sorry Ammy." I let out a low groan as I brought my hand to my side that was still throbbing in pain, although it wasn't as severe as before.
Amity sighed, then pulled me closer to her, taking small steps forward so that I could keep up. "I should be the one telling you sorry, which way is the living room?"
"Take a right at the staircase." I muttered, wincing as I gently placed my hand over my side. "It's the room with the T.V. on the wall, or well, the big rectangle."
Amity nodded her head, then started to walk in the direction I told her, moving at a slow pace so I could keep up. The entire time her eyes roamed around the room, her gaze never staying in one place for too long.
Once we made it to the living room, I collapsed onto the couch, leaning my head back and closing my eyes. The weight of the couch shifted on my good side, then I felt Amity place a hand on my shoulder.
Soon enough, I could hear the sound of my mom's footsteps walk into the room as she hummed a familiar tune under her breath. "Now, I want to know everything you crazy kids have gotten into!" I lifted my head up to face my mom, who's eyes widened. "Mija are you alright? You look pale."
She quickly rushed over, placing the back of her hand against my head, the entire time she was mumbling Spanish under her breath. "Before we say anything, you're gonna want to take a seat." My mom backed up, looking at me with the concern painted clearly on her face. She turned to Amity, who tensed up under her gaze.
Slowly, my mom took a few steps back, then sat in the chair a little to my right, clasping her hands together in her lap. "Alright, what is it mija? Did you two kill somebody?" She asked, but I only shook my head.
"I wish I did." I heard Amity growl, which earned her a quick jab from me. "Hey!" She hissed, making my mom raise an eyebrow.
"Alright look..." I started, catching my mom's attention. "So a week or so ago... oh geez how do I say this without giving you a heart attack?" Clasping my hands together, I went to rest them across my stomach before pulling back, letting out a low hiss in pain.
Amity looked between me, then my mom, her ears now freeing themselves from my beanie in order to be pinned down. "Ms. Noceda, Luz got hurt, really badly." She finally said, her hands stuck as tight fists in her lap.
My mom froze up, tensing up slightly in her seat. "Really badly... how?" She said after a moment of silence, her eyes remaining fixed on me as I struggled to regain my composure.
"I may have been shot..." I started, instantly noticing the color drain in her face. All three of us went silent, unsure of what to say next.
"Lo siento, ¿qué fue eso?" My mom finally asked, her voice shaking. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Amity blink a few times, clearly confused on what she just said. "¡¿Dijiste que eras qué?!"
"Listen, if you just give us a moment to explain-" Amity started, but stopped when my mom sprung up from her seat, talking so fast I couldn't understand a word she was saying.
She dashed over to me, placing her hands on my shoulders as her eyes frantically scanned over me. "Luz Noceda ¡¿Estás loca?! ¿Cómo pasó esto? ¿Por qué estás aquí abajo con una herida así? ¡¿Por qué no me llamaste?!"
"¡Lo siento! Lo siento mucho, pero déjame explicarte!" I said, holding my hands out defensively. Amity scooted slightly to the side, trying to stay out of the way.
"Where is it?" She asked, her voice barely shaking. I blinked a few times, looking up at her with a confused look.
"Where's what?" I asked, making her furrow her eyebrows. She gave my shoulders a squeeze, her glasses slipping slightly down her face.
"Your wound Luz. Where is it?" Her voice remained at a low tone, sending a chilling pang of fear to pierce my chest.
"My side-" I started, only for her to try lifting up my shirt. "Mamá!" I exclaimed, trying to keep myself covered. Amity let out a squeak, then quickly got on her feet, her hands held tight at her sides.
"I'll go to a different room..." She quickly said before walking off, her face a bright red. I continued to try and keep my shirt down, my face burning a bright red.
"Luz." My mom's voice held that grave, scary parent tone, almost instantly making me stop. "Stop fidgeting, I need to make sure you're alright."
"Yeah but did you have to do it in front of Amity like that?" I managed to squeak out, only earning a stern glare, making me back down again.
I could feel her gently running her finger over the bandages, and looking up into her eyes I could see they were glossy with unshed tears. Guilt slipped into my veins, but was quickly replaced with pain as she brushed her fingers against my wound.
Instantly she pulled her hand away, looking back up into my eyes, then back down at the bandages. "Amity? Dear?" She called over her shoulder, and I could see Amity pop her head around the railing.
"Yes?" I could see the witch's ears were still down, her eyes barely darting over to me.
"In the hallway, third door on the left is the bathroom. Go into the cupboard and grab the bandages por favor?" Her tone was suddenly gentle, a stark contrast to the low tone from earlier. Amity stood there, her eyebrows furrowing up in confusion.
"She just said please!" I told Amity, making her nod her head before disappearing. "So what are you doing?"
"I'm making sure they patched you up correctly..." She let out a sniffle, running the heel of her hand under her eyes to wipe away the tears. "Honestly Luz what were you thinking? I could've lost you! Did this happen with your mentor?"
"No!" I quickly interjected, bringing a hand up to her wrist. "Eda may do some dangerous things, but this didn't happen with her around!"
"Then was it with one of your friends? I know they don't understand stuff from our world but wouldn't you tell them when something's dangerous?"
"It wasn't with one of them either!" I said, feeling my eyes welling up with hot tears.
"So what caused this?" She gave my shoulder a squeeze.
"I was protecting Amity!" I finally yelled, instantly closing my mouth when I heard the silence. "I was protecting her..." I said, my voice softer this time.
"Protecting her?" My mom's voice was soft as well, and looking up at her I could see a tear roll down her cheek.
"Let me explain..." I muttered, motioning for her to take a seat. She did, and the moment she did, I quickly started running through what happened, trying to get it all out in only a couple of breaths. I also told her why I didn't let her know what happened, managing to pile that on with the rest.
By the time I finished explaining, I was out of breath. "And now, we're here..." I panted slightly, placing a hand over my chest as I tried to catch my breath. My mom stayed silent, making me steal a glance over at her. "Listen, I know that was a lot and that's probably not what you wanted to hear from your daughter after work-"
She pulled me into a hug, quickly shutting me up. "Cariño, you should've just called me." I could feel her squeeze me a little harder, making sure to avoid my side. I stayed silent for a moment, nuzzling my head into her shoulder a little further.
"I figured a call wouldn't fly over well with you. Especially with something like this." I muttered into her shoulder, slowly reciprocating a hug. "Besides, I figured it'd give you less of a heart attack if I showed up in person."
"Mija you should've stayed and gotten rest." She said as she pulled away, making me give half a chuckle.
"Funny, Amity told me the same thing before we came by..." I rubbed the back of my neck, making my mom furrow her eyebrows together.
"That's because that girl has some common sense." I placed a hand over my chest, pretending to be offended. "I'm serious Luz. But I guess that leaves me one less thing to worry about, maybe she'll be able to keep you out of trouble."
Suddenly from behind us, Amity cleared her throat. "I got the bandages." She said softly, motioning to her hand. Quickly walking over, she handed the bandages to my mom, who gave her a soft smile.
"Thank you querida." She told Amity, who gave my mom a soft smile back. Amity's eyes met mine, then her cheeks lit up with a bright red again.
"I'll just be around the corner, since, y'know..." Amity fell silent, tapping her hands against her thighs before spinning on her heel and quickly leaving the room. My mom let out a chuckle, but I couldn't tell if it was a bitter chuckle or an amused one.
"Alright, sit up." She told me, putting her hand on my shoulder and gently pushing me up. "At least, try to sit up as straight as you can."
"So about halfway?" I joked, snapping her a set of finger guns. My mom bit her lip, holding back a chuckle as she shook her head.
Quickly, she managed to undo the bandages wrapped around me and quickly started unraveling, making sure to be careful the entire time. By the time the bandages started pulling at my skin, I let out a small sound of discomfort.
She got the rest of it off, her eyes scanning over my wound. I glanced down at it myself, seeing the neatly stitched wound on my side. "Doesn't look infected..." I could hear her mumble as she gently prodded around the wound.
The contact made me tense, but thankfully it didn't hurt. "Well I mean, they are magic." I lightly shrugged my shoulders, but my mom only shook her head.
"That doesn't mean they know anything about humans mija." Her eyes met with mine, then her eyebrows lightly bunched together. "Are they even giving you an antibiotic up there? Pain medicine?" I shrugged my shoulders again.
"You'd have to ask Eda. They gave me something that left me all loopy and weird and I don't remember a thing." She sighed, shaking her head again. Then, using the bandages in her hands, she started to apply more to my side.
It didn't take long for her to reapply the bandages. "That's not too tight right?" She asked me, pulling at the end gently. I shook my head, then she turned her gaze down to my bandages, quickly clipping it together so that it would stay on.
She started to get up to take care of my old bandages, but I grabbed her by the arm. "Mom wait." She raised an eyebrow at me, and I was quick to swallow down my fear. "You're not making me stay back here on Earth instead of the Boiling Isles, right?"
My mom froze up, turning her gaze down to the floor. After a long time, which was maybe only a minute or so, she took a deep breath, pushing her glasses up further on her face.
"Listen mija..." She started, turning to look at me before pausing. Her eyes darted around my face a bit, then she let out a sigh. "No... I won't make you stay."
Instantly my face lit up and I pulled her into a hug, tightly squeezing her. "¡Dios mío, gracias!" I exclaimed, feeling her tense up in my grasp. "I can promise you nothing like this will happen again!"
"It better not mija." She said softly, gently pushing me away from her. "If it does, I will make you stay here." Then, she turned her gaze behind us and following her gaze, I found Amity standing there, just leaning against the wall.
Amity looked like she tensed up when she realized she had been noticed, but she didn't say a word. My mom motioned for her to come over, which made the teal haired witch spring into action.
She took a seat next to me, this time making sure to keep her distance. "She's letting me stay in the Boiling Isles Amity!" I told her, making the witch's eyes widen.
"It was that easy to convince her?" Amity asked me, making my mom sigh in response. I looked over at her, watching as she pushed up her glasses to rub her eyes.
"To be honest with you, I want you to stay here." My mom started, making my eyes widen. "But I wouldn't be able to take time off of work to help you, and I know you still have everyone there to keep an eye on you. Especially this one." She jabbed a thumb in Amity's direction, making her eyes widen a bit.
"What makes you think that?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest. My mom rolled her eyes, shooting me a smirk.
"Because, from what I've heard you two stick pretty close together." My mom then turned to Amity, a smug smirk appearing on her lips. "Speaking of pretty close, you dating anyone by any chance?" She asked, making mine and Amity's face burn a bright red.
Amity hesitated for a minute, letting out a nervous set of chuckles as her ears flapped. "I, I mean now I am..." Her eyes widened as she quickly slapped a hand over her mouth, her ears pinning themselves down.
"Oh really!" My mom turned to face me, giving me a toothy smile. I blinked, almost wanting to disappear at that moment. "So how long have you two been together?" I let out a squeak, Amity looked like she was about to combust into flames.
"Mom!" I whined, trying to hide my face. "Stop it!"
"That doesn't answer the question." My mom said, I took a deep breath, running my hands through my hair. Turning to Amity, I silently asked if we should say anything. She looked between me and my mom, then shrugged her shoulders, still bright red in the face.
I let out a sigh, turning to my mom. "It's a new thing..." I mumbled, just barely loud enough for her to hear. Her smile grew wide, then she looked at Amity, motioning for her to stand.
Amity looked over at me, confusion written clear on her red face. I shrugged my shoulders and Amity turned away, slowly standing up in front of my mom. Then, in a flash, my mom pulled her into a tight hug, making the teal haired witch go stiff as a board.
"Welcome to the family quierda!" She told Amity, who could only let out a squeak. My mom quickly pulled away, placing her hands on Amity's shoulders. "I will say though, hurt Luz and you won't hear the end of it from me." Her voice dropped the cheery tone it held before, quickly turning into a serious one.
The teal haired witch slowly nodded her head and my mom put a smile back on. "Mom, please don't scare her." I said, which only made her laugh.
"I'm telling her the truth mija." Amity let out a nervous chuckle, turning around to face me, silently asking me what to do. "Now Amity," Amity turned her attention back to my mom. "do you need anything? Other than a last name that is." My mom chuckled again at Amity's reaction.
"Mom!" I hissed, feeling my cheeks go a deeper shade of red. Looking at Amity, it looked like she'd crumple to the floor if my mom let go of her shoulders. "Look, as much as I love seeing you again, we've got to get back."
My mom let go of Amity, who stumbled back until the back of her knees hit the couch, where she collapsed with a hand over her heart. Her eyes were darting across the floor, her mind clearly going a million miles a minute.
"Oh that reminds me! I'm coming with you." She suddenly said, making my eyes widen. "I need to pay somebody a visit." There was a hint of venom in her voice as she spoke, a dark glint forming in her eyes.
But, her dark glint instantly went away when her phone suddenly rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked it over, a low sigh escaping her lips. "Work?" I asked, earning me a nod.
She quickly picked up the phone and started talking to someone on the other end. While she did that, I turned to Amity, noting how she was still red int he face. Reaching over, I placed a hand on her leg, making her jump at the contact.
The call didn't last long, and when my mom hung up she let out another sigh. "Scratch that mija, I've got to go back to work, which means you two will have to head back on your own."
Amity shakily stood up, her hands still shaking as she tried to take in a few deep breaths. Then, she turned to me, offering me her hand, which I was quick to take.
I was quickly pulled to my feet, giving me a sharp jab of pain in my side. "I'll visit again soon, I promise." I told my mom as Amity placed my arm over my shoulder, but my mom only shook her head.
"You're not visiting me again until you're better mija." She walked over to me, giving me a quick kiss on the forehead. "And I'm serious when I say that. For now, just stick to the calls and texts okay?"
"Are you sure?" I asked, knowing it'd be awhile before I was better. My mom nodded her head, placing her hand on my shoulder.
"I'm positive." Then, she looked over at Amity, giving the witch a smile. "Keep her in check for me, will you?" Amity nodded her head, making my mom chuckle. "Treat her right dear, I trust you."
"Yes ma'am." Amity responded, then turned to look at me, her ears twitching. "Ready?"
"When am I not?" I joked, but before we started to walk, I turned back to my mom. "Te quiero, mamá."
"Yo también te amo Luz, ten cuidado." She gave the both of us a smile, then stepped aside, letting us go. Amity and I quickly started to leave, I struggled to ignore the pain in my side. "Let me know when the wedding is you two!" She called out to us, getting one last tease in before we left.
Both of us stayed quiet at her comment, the two of us still red in the face. The rest of the walk back to the old abandoned house wasn't too eventful, I did nearly fall halfway there because I got dizzy.
Amity quickly put the key in the door and activated the portal, both of us walking inside. When we reemerged, we were on the outskirts of Bonesborough, the lights from the buildings bright compared to the dark night sky.
"Home sweet home..." I could hear Amity mumble. "Where around every corner, something will try to kill you." I let out a small chuckle, softly shaking my head.
"That didn't go as badly as we thought it would, now did it?" Amity shook her head, making me smile. "Now, it's about time we headed back to the owl house, I can finally go to sleep in my room for the first time in awhile." I rub above my wound a little bit, feeling the pain creeping up my side.
The teal haired witch paused for a moment, then turned to me. "Do you still sleep on the floor?" She asked, making me blink a few times. I stayed silent, turning my gaze away from the witch. She let out a sigh, then started walking forward. "I'm taking that as a yes. In that case, you're crashing at my place tonight."
"Huh?" I asked, watching as Amity drew a spell circle. I felt my feet lift off of the ground some pressure on my side being lifted.
"You can sleep on my bed." She said, holding her hand out as she walked, I floated behind her.
"Amity I'm not kicking you out of you're own bed. I can sleep on the floor, I'll be fine." I said, my voice a little higher than usual. Amity just shook her head. "I mean, that or we could share..." I mumbled, just barely loud enough for her to hear.
The witch froze in her tracks, letting out a squeak. She quickly shook her head and started to walk again, mumbling things under her breath as her ears softly flapped.
"It's fine Luz, I can take the floor, you can take the bed." She finally said. I wanted to argue, but I stayed quiet. The rest of our walk was pretty much in silence until Amity's house came into view. "Let's hope the twins aren't home yet..."
We both went inside, and the moment we did, both the twins popped their head out from upstairs. "Hey there you two!" Edric called out, making Amity groan.
"Dammit..." I heard her mutter, letting out a groan before rolling her eyes. "Listen, Ed, Em, now isn't the time." She said, making the twins laugh as they quickly appeared by our sides.
"Oh c'mon Mittens, it's always the time for us. You're just grumpy." Edric nudged Amity, making her shoot him a glare.
"And you're just annoying." She hissed, carefully bringing me down to the ground before turning off the spell. "Look, I'm just gonna take Luz upstairs to my room for the night, so keep your noise down for one, will you?"
"We should be saying that to you." Emira teased, making my eyes widen. I let out a little squeak, but Amity only hissed, shooting her sister a death glare. Then, she took a deep breath, straightening out slightly.
"Alright, before Mittens blows a fuse, let's let her take her girlfriend upstairs." Edric nudged his twin, making her laugh.
"I'm tired..." I muttered, sounding a little irritated as I leaned up against Amity. I could see something flash across the twins faces as the tone of my voice, but they were quick to cover it.
"Well then, we won't keep you here." Emira muttered, both of them turning on their heels and leaving the room. Amity hesitated for a moment, then slowly started moving forward, making sure to stay slow so that I could keep up.
The two of us went upstairs to Amity's room, and once we made it there Amity closed the door behind us. Amity carefully moved us over to the bed, then helped me sit down towards the middle of the bed.
"You're bed's cozy." I said aloud, running my hand up and down her blanket. Amity moved towards the foot of the bed, keeping her gaze on the window. I stared at her for a minute, then slowly started to lay down, making sure to be careful.
"Yeah... it is." Amity said after a minute, not moving from her spot. She started to bounce her leg up and down, her posture stiff.
We fell quiet for a minute, I stared at the witch who continued to stare at the window. "I don't bite Ammy." I said after a bit, letting a soft chuckle slip as I nudged her with my foot.
"I know you don't." She muttered, finally turning to face me. "I mean, unless you've suddenly gone rabid." She joked, making me smile.
I held my hands up, making them look like claws as I let out a fake growl, making Amity laugh. Her laugh was nice, making a pale blush rise to my cheeks.
Giving her another nudge, I let out a small chuckle. "You can relax, you know." I told her, watching as she stiffened up again.
"What are you talking about? I am relaxed." She placed a hand on her bouncing knee, struggling to make it stop. I blinked, looking down at her leg, then back up at her.
"You're sitting on the edge of your own bed. You don't seem like it." I said softly, propping myself up on my elbows.
"I am." She said quickly, her knuckles going white.
"Ammy, you're bouncing your leg. You aren't relaxed." I told her making her let go of her leg before shaking her hand.
"What's wrong with bouncing my leg?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest. Her ears were pinned down, but her face remained neutral.
"You do that when you aren't relaxed." I said, making her eyes widen slightly. She tried to quickly cover it up, bringing her hands down to her sides.
I could see her hesitate with her response, then she turned her gaze away from mine. "Since when?" She asked, her voice suddenly going soft. I could see her look up at the door, her ears twitching.
"Since I've known you." I pointed out, the teal haired witch staying silent. I debated what to say for a moment, then slowly sat up, wincing a little when a bit of pain shot up my side. "Come here." I waved at Amity to come over, hearing her suck a breath in through her teeth.
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, then she slowly scooted over to me. I slowly pulled her into a hug, noticing how her breathing got shaky. "Why are you acting all nervous?" I asked her softly, hearing a flat chuckle escape her lips.
"Besides the fact you're here?" I nodded my head, slowly bringing my hand up to take the beanie off of her head, throwing it to the side before running my hand through her hair. "No reason..."
"Really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's nothing really..." She mumbled into my shoulder, letting out a small sniffle. "It's just me being paranoid."
"About what?" Amity slowly put her arms around my neck, her body starting to shake.
"Everything..." She managed to say, her voice sounding so vulnerable. "But you have enough on your plate already, I don't need to worry you with this."
"Leaving me to wonder about what's worrying you will make me worry. You can spill." Amity's breathing hitched slightly, I could feel her pull me a little closer, still trying to watch out for my side.
There was silence for a moment, then Amity spoke again, her voice shaky. "What if something else happens?" I froze up for a moment, licking my lips before giving Amity a light squeeze.
"Nothing else is going to happen Ammy, I promise." I told her, trying to keep my voice steady.
"You don't know that... first there was that creep, then Matt..." She mumbled, nuzzling her head a little deeper into my neck. Normally the action would make a blush rise to my cheeks, but I pushed it away this time.
"You know, you never told me what he did, well, other than him being a massive downer." I could feel Amity suddenly tense up, her hands clenching into tight fists on my back.
"He... he tried..." Amity suddenly pulled away, trying to get off the bed. "I've... I've got to go out for a breather, just for a minute." Before she could get too far away, I gently grabbed onto her wrist, keeping her in place.
"Amity, what did Matt do?" I asked, seeing how her eyes were glossy now. She opened her mouth to speak, but there was a sudden set of knocks at the door, startling both of us.
I let go of Amity's wrist, placing a hand over my now racing heart. "Hey you two." Emira opened the door and poked her head inside. "Just wanted to let you guys know that we're going to bed, alright?"
We both nodded our heads, Emira giving us a slight smile. Then, she disappeared, closing the door behind her. Amity stood frozen in place for a minute, then sat down at the foot of her bed once again.
"Sorry..." She finally said, her voice dry. "It's just, Matt's a..." Amity started to drum her fingers on her leg, swallowing before starting to speak again. "He's a touchy subject I guess." Then, she let out a bitter laugh, running her hands through her hair. "And the thing is, I need to tell you why he is. After all, the whole reason I threw him out was because of that stunt he tried to pull on you!"
After saying that, Amity froze up, her eyes wide. I hesitated for a moment, trying to wrap my head around what she said. "The stunt... he tried to pull on me?" I finally managed to say, staring intently at the witch who now fiddled with the hem of her shirt.
Slowly, I reached my hand out to put on the witch's shoulder, who only tensed up at the contact. I pulled my hand away when she did, making her turn to face me. Her eyes darted down from my face to my hand, a look on her face that I couldn't describe.
"Sorry..." She mumbled, clasping her hands together in her lap. Then, she let out a bitter laugh. "It's stupid how jumpy I am."
"Hey, have you noticed how jumpy I am?" I said to her, making her look over at me before shaking her head.
"You have a legit reason to be. I'm just paranoid." I let out a dry laugh that quickly shifted to a wince, making me bite my lip.
The teal haired witch looked over at me, concern etched in her eyes. "You have just as much of a reason Amity." I said after a minute, taking in a few deep breaths.
"No I don't, you were the one that actually got hurt." She told me, her eyes darting down to my side, just for a moment. "Even though I should've been the. one that gotten hurt, not you.
"You were hurt too Ammy, it just wasn't all on the outside." The witch stayed silent, making me reach a hand out to her shoulder again. This time, she didn't tense up, rather, she leaned into my touch.
I slowly pulled the witch into another hug, feeling her melt in my touch. I hoped she couldn't tell how shaky my breathing had gotten, but I knew that was too much to ask. However, she didn't say anything.
"Look, you don't have to tell me what he did now..." I muttered, resting my head on top of hers. "You can tell me another time what happened with you know who." I wanted to chuckle as I thought of another witch reference, but I stayed quiet.
Amity wrapped her arms around my shoulders, staying quiet for what felt like an eternity before she spoke.
"He... tried to finish the job."
My eyes widened at her statement. "He, what?" I asked, tightening my arms around Amity.
"If Eda didn't drop by for a visit, he would've succeeded. He was working with the guy that hurt you." She told me with a sniffle. I opened my mouth to say something, anything that might bring comfort to the witch, but my mind pulled a blank.
Licking my lips, I finally found my voice. "Can you hear my heartbeat right now?" I asked her, feeling her nod her head. "It's still here, I'm still here. That's what matters." Amity nodded her head again, squeezing me a little tighter.
"But still... what if he did manage to do it?" She asked softly, her voice trembling with emotion. "What if he did manage to finish you off?"
"He didn't Amity, and I promise you he never will." Amity gave me another squeeze as I struggled to stifle a yawn. "And hey, I don't know about you, but I'm pretty tired."
"Yeah... same here." I felt a small smile rise to my lips as I slowly started to lean back, taking the small witch with me. The two of us laid down, both of us laying so that we were facing one another.
I pulled her a little closer to me, her head resting in the crook of my neck. Then, I slowly snaked my arms around her waist, resting my head on top of hers. "You're warm..." I mumble, feeling my eyes flutter.
"So are you..." She mumbled back, the tip of her ear lightly grazing the bottom of my chin. "It's soothing."
"That's good." I told her, feeling her nod. We both fell silent for a minute, a few stray sniffles coming from Amity.
"You'll be here when I wake up, right?" She suddenly asked out of the blue, making me open my eyes. I didn't pull away from the witch, but I softly nodded my head.
"Always." I told her, giving her a quick peck on the top of her head. A soft squeak came from the witch, making me smile. "Goodnight Ammy." I mumbled.
There was a moment of silence, then Amity spoke up. "Goodnight Luz." She finally said, relaxing in my embrace. I couldn't help but smile, managing to push away thoughts about everything that's happened and just think about the witch I held in my arms, quickly drifting off to sleep.