Bandages…
Camila absentmindedly stirred the soup she making, skimming through a news article on her tablet about a girl named Anne Boonchuy who was apparently trapped in a world of frogs. After hearing about Luz and the Boiling Isles, she could believe that Anne’s story was true too.
She lifted the spoon to her lips and sipped the soup. It was warm against her lips and tasted quite good, if she did say so herself. She had gotten into cooking a few months ago as a hobby, and since then she had preferred to make meals homemade.
Camila looked back at Vee, who was sitting on the couch watching a show about a boy with blue hair talking to a red, croissant-looking dude. She smiled fondly at her. The basilisk had become like a daughter to her, and she enjoyed her company. Vee made her feel less lonely since Luz was gone.
“Vee, will you please get the silverware to set the table?” Camila called.
”Sure!” Vee turned off the TV and jumped up, slithering into the kitchen and reaching up to grab two plates and two bowls from the cupboard. She put them on to table and arranged the napkins and spoons. She liked to set the table every night. It reminded her that she had a home and delicious food to eat.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Vee turned towards it, but Camila stopped her.
“I’ll get it,” she told her.
Camila went and opened the door. Once she saw who was standing on the porch, she gasped, shocked. Luz.
Luz was scratched up, had a deep cut going through one of her eyebrows, and the varsity jacket she was wearing has tears all over it, but Camila thought it was still the best thing she had ever seen in her life.
Luz smiled ruefully, holding out her arms. Tears shimmered in her eyes. “Hey Mom, I’m back.”
At those words Camila rushed forward, as if suddenly out of a trance. She grabbed Luz and hugged her daughter close, sobbing tears of happiness. Luz was crying too, and she dug her hands into her mom’s shirt, holding each other for the first time in months. Camila and Luz didn’t seem to care that they were both getting soaked out in the rain, all that mattered was that they were together.
——————————— — — -
After several seconds, Camila pulled away.
“What happened? Are you injured? How’d you get back?” She asked Luz. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re back.”
“I’ll tell you everything later,” Luz promised. “But can me and my friends come in? We’re kinda wet.”
”Your friends…?” Camila finally noticed the four other kids standing behind Luz. There was a girl with purple hair and a tattered black dress who smiled shyly at Camila; a girl with dark hair who was rubbing her hands together anxiously, and a boy with blonde hair who had his arm protectively around a younger boy. They all had many scratches, tears in their eyes, and expressions that were a mix between scared, exhausted, and sad.
”Oh, my god!” Camila cried. “Of course, come in quickly, you’re getting soaked out here!” She waved them all inside frantically, shutting the door behind them before any more rain could get inside. She urged them to sit down and they did, a little nervous.
“Luz!” Vee said. “You’re back! And you brought friends?”
Luz nodded, with a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “It’s good to see you again, Vee.”
”Vee, could you get some more bowls for soup?” Camila asked as she grabbed a first aid kit.
”Sure,” Vee slithered away.
Camila came back with medical supplies and pulled Luz aside. “You need to tell me everything later Mijá, but first, you guys need to be patched up. How bad are you injured?”
”I’m fine,” Luz said. “But I think my friends need some bandages.” She looked to the other kids, who were sitting on the couch, still in silence. “That’s Willow,” she pointed out the girl with the dark hair. “She was my first best friend in the Boiling Isles. And the one with cotton ca— purple— hair is Amity.” She then pointed to the two boys. The younger one had dark skin and hair and was leaning against the older one. “That’s Gus.” She paused. “And that’s Hunter. Be a little careful around him. He’s been through a lot recently and he tends to go none-verbal for a little while.” She sighed. “They’ve all been through a lot. I just hope I can get them back home.”
”You will, mijá,” Camila said. “I believe in you. And until they get back home, they have a place to live here.”
Luz smiled at her mom. “Thanks.”
——————————-
Camila grabbed a roll of bandages, cotton balls and ointment. She walked over to Willow first and made her hold out her arm as she dabbed a bit of anti-infection cream on her cuts, then bandaged it up. Camila finished and looked up to see Willow staring at her. She didn’t say anything, but her pale green eyes reflected her gratefulness. Camila smiled at her and went on to Amity.
Amity looked shy and also didn’t say anything while Camila worked on her wounds. When she put on the ointment, Amity hissed from the sudden sting. Camila reached into her pocket and brought out a little candy in a colorful green wrapper.
“Here, it’ll help distract you,” she said, giving it to her.
Amity took it hesitantly and unwrapped it. She put it in her mouth and chewed on it, smiling ever so slightly.
After she was done, she stood up, but Amity held out of an arm to stop her.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
————————-
Camila went over to the boys but paused. She glanced at them as they sat on the couch. Hunter continued to hold Gus close to him, looking tense and uneasy. Gus had blank look on his face, and his dark eyes were like he was staring ahead but not quite fully there. Now that she was looking at them, she saw that Gus was a couple years younger than the rest of them and had a necklace with a mirror-thingie attached to it. And Hunter… Aside from the cuts and scrapes that all the kids had, Hunter also had a scar on his cheek and a nick in one of his ears. They couldn’t be recent scars. She wondered where he had got them but didn’t want to prod. She also noticed the deep eye bags and constant anxious look.
She felt bad for him. For both of them. For all of them.
She was worried for them.
And she knew that she would do anything in her power to help and protect them.