Part 1
OMeGA Owls:
Issue 0: Part 1
A batter, brown van rolled down the city of Boneboroughs. Inside the vehicle, Luca Clawthorne hummed to himself as he watched the scenery fly by. He gasped when a familiar building came into sight.
“No way!” Luca exclaimed happily. “The Book Nook is still open!”
The young man heard a chuckle and glanced at the driver. With her gray, wild hair, the driver could be mistaken for an older woman. But that was farther from the truth, and Edalyn “Eda” Clawthorne wouldn’t hesitate to tell you as such, usually with a punch.
“Someone’s happy to be back,” Eda commented, throwing her son a grin.
Luca couldn’t help but return the gesture. “Can you blame me, Mom!” he asked happily. “It’s been seven years, and I can’t wait to see Will and Gabby!”
Eda chuckled again and refocused her attention on the road. The two soon fell into a comfortable silence as they left the small city of Bonesborough behind. The van entered a small forest and, after a fifteen-minute drive, came to a small clearing.
The Clawthornes stopped in front of an old house, and the two stepped out of their vehicle. Luca looked at the house, a nostalgic smile blooming on his face.
The house was white with a blue roof. On top of it was a large stained-glass window, and strangely, behind it, a decaying tower that looked like it once belonged to a medieval castle.
“I'm surprised Hooty didn’t do anything funny on the way here,” Luca heard his mother complain.
The fourteen-year-old looked at Eda, seeing that she was looking at the driver's side of the van, namely a rust mark. Luca pushed back the denim jacket he had wrapped around his waist and walked up to his mom, causally studying her.
Eda wore a red dress shirt with the top unbuttoned, allowing someone a good view of the woman’s chest. She wore a pair of pressed, faded red dress pants and stylish boots with a noticeable heel on them.
The young man smiled teasingly as he got close to his mother.
“If you hate this ride so much,” Luca said teasingly, “Why not trade up? It’s not like you’re strapped for cash, mom?”
Eda gave her son a look, casually sizing him up.
Luca wore a pair of black jeans with a small hole on the right thigh. He wore white high tops with dirt smudges and a white and purple striped long-sleeved shirt. Luca kept his brown hair somewhat short, in a near pixie cut style.
Eda’s eyes fell on the scar on her son’s right eyebrow, and her face became riddled with guilt. The middle-aged woman quickly looked away so Luca wouldn’t see the guilt on her face.
Eda composed herself and was looking at her son when they heard a noise. The Clawthornes looked toward the house and saw two people exiting it.
“...I’m surprised you didn’t get pulled over for driving that clucker down the street,” a middle-aged man said lightheartedly.
Eda casually examined the man who had just spoken. Despite being middle-aged, the man’s hair was still bright blonde, and his blue eyes shone with youthful energy.
The man wore a pair of brown slacks and a button-down white shirt with the top open. The only thing out of place on this man was his footwear; he wore a pair of steel-toe boots with grease on them.
Eda rolled her eyes and walked up to the man. “Celeb, It was one time,” she retorted, smiling, “And I didn’t even have Hooty at the time.”
Luca rolled his eyes as the two adults began to banter back and forth, then focused on the second person who exited the house.
The second person, a teenage girl about 16, looked a lot like Celeb. The only difference, say for the obvious, was the girl’s eyes; they were a deep magenta color. She also had a scar running down the center of her right cheek.
The girl wore a pale gold dress with a skirt ending at the knees, black leggings, and brown boots. She also wore a white jacket with a yellow paint strain on her right shoulder. Finally, her hair was near-shoulder length and tied back.
“Heya, Holly!” Luca greeted bubbly. “How’s my favorite cousin’s been?”
Holly looked at Luca with a slight glare and huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Same as I was when you texted me two minutes ago,” she replied with slight irritation.
Luca let out a bubbly giggle at her cousin’s demeanor and got closer. Holly cocked an eyebrow when she saw how close the Luca had gotten.
“You know,” the dark-skinned boy quipped teasingly, “If you smile more, I bet the guys would love you!”
Holly became flustered by her cousin’s quip and looked away. Luca noticed her cousin’s sudden mood change and giggled. Holly groaned, annoyed by Luca, and looked at her cousin with a glare.
“G-Guys love me just for how am I,” Holly squeaked out, face slightly red.
Luca couldn’t help but giggle at Holly’s reply, which caused Holly to squirm slightly. The blonde girl took a second to calm herself down before addressing her cousin.
“Anyone ever tells you,” Holly retorted weakly, “You’re way too bubbly for a boy.”
Luca’s response to this was just to giggle again, as this was her cousin’s usual comeback, then replied, “And did someone tell you you’re too gloomy for a cute girl?”
Holly looked ready to speak when a noise reached her ears. Luca recognized the sound immediately and gasped in an over-the-top fashion. He then hurried over to the back of Hooty, with Holly following him.
When the young Latia opened the back of the van, Holly easily spotted a pet carrier. Luca took the carrier out and set it on the ground. She unlatched the door, and a small dog scurried out of the cage.
“Sorry, King!” Luca apologized, picking up the dog and hugging it tight to his chest. “But you know mom doesn’t like you loose on long trips.
Holly couldn’t help but stare at the dog of an unknown breed. King’s body was covered in black fur, except for his head, which was a dull gray. He was wearing a red collar with a gold tag on it. The front of the tag had a strange symbol on it.
The most striking feature about King, besides half of his left ear missing, was his eyes. The dog of an unknown breed’s left eye was yellow, and his right was purple.
“I know I say this a lot,” Holly commented awkwardly, “But something about that dog really creeps me out.”
King heard the girl and growled at her. Holly wasn’t scared by the noise and just scuffed. Luca glared at his cousin for a second, then hugged his dog so tight he made a strange ‘weh’ noise.
“Don’t listen to Ms. Grumpy's skirt,” the young Latia said softly. “You’re the coolest king of dogs there ever was!”
Luca set King down and rubbed his tummy. Holly cocked an eyebrow when the dog made a sound that almost sounded like laughter, then sighed. She then went over to her father and Eda, leaving her cousin to her own devices.