Air mattresses
Luz dragged the air mattress box down the hall while Camila followed, carrying the inflation air pump machine. Luz used her foot to push her bedroom door open. It creaked, something it had been doing for years and they still didn’t know why. She plopped the box down on the carpeted floor, then looked around.
It felt good to be in her bedroom again after so many months.
There was her weathered wooden desk that had a small slash through it from when she had accidentally hit it with the sword she had got at that convention. Above the desk was a window that looked out over the street and yard. And her bookshelf with the full collection of Azura books. She sighed.
Of course she was glad to be back, but it felt… wrong, in a way. Being back in the human realm that she had been trying to figure out how to get to for months, and now that she was here…
She just felt weird about it. Was it really worth it, to be back when everyone else she knew was suffering at the Day of Unity? Or maybe they were dead. That was the thing.
She didn’t know.
The last she saw was The Collector stopping the Draining Spell, destroying Belos to mush, then taking apart the Skull with his magic to play some game called “The Owl House.’ Eda, Raine, Lilith, and the rest of the CATs were far away, they had split up before the Day of Unity. Eda and the rest of them had their plan, and Luz had gone to get Amity.
Who knows what could have happened to them in those hours?
Luz certainly didn’t.
And she hated it.
Luz was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of Camila putting the inflation machine on the ground. She looked over to Luz.
“Vee has been sleeping on the top bunk,” she said. “And I know you like to sleep on the bottom bunk. And two of your friends can sleep on the air mattresses in hear, and the other two can sleep in the basement. Or on the couch, what do you think they’d prefer?”
“Amity and Willow can sleep in my room,” Luz replied. “Gus and Hunter can sleep in the basement. I think they’ll like it down there.”
Camila nodded.
“I will try my hardest to make this house as welcoming as possible for your friends,” she vowed. “They can stay as long as they need.”
Luz smiled, grateful for her mother. She was really doing a great thing, taking in four kids from another realm, plus Vee. “Thank you, I really mean it. They need a good place to feel safe right now. Some of them really need it,” she murmured, looking away and frowning sadly again.
Camila had a look of concern on her face. “I’m worried about them. Especially the oldest one.”
Luz nodded. “Hunter. Yeah, he’s… had a rough life.”
Camila was quiet for a moment, then said, “I’ll take care of them.”
“I think they’ll all adjust soon,” Luz said. “Gus is still a little bit in shock, but he loves human stuff. Make sure to hide all your valuables from him,” she joked, laughing.
Luz took off her backpack and unzipped it. “By the way, I have a Palisman too,” she told her mom, pulling out the wooden egg and setting it down on the desk.
Her mom leaned closer, looking at it in awe. “Woah.”
“Well, it’s not really a Palisman yet. But hopefully it will hatch soon.”
“I’ve had some snakes and birds in the clinic before. I can show you how to take care of the egg,” Camila suggested. “Actually, I don’t know how magic eggs work. But maybe I can help anyways.”
Luz smiled. “I would like that. Thanks, Mamí.”
Camila ripped open the box and pulled out the deflated air mattresses. Luz helped her to unfold them, then plugged the cord for the air machine in. As the mattresses inflated, the two of them stood together quietly.
“So, the Demon Realm, huh,” Camila asked, breaking the silence. “What was it like?”
“The house I stayed in, the Owl House, was in a place called Bonesbourough,” Luz explained. “It was a town in the island of the Boiling Isles. There were lots of witches and demons there. Lots of creatures that could kill you or take your skin. No highways or big cities or anything like the stuff in this realm. And the food is odd, but some of it is good. Lots of weird things there. It’s weirder than anything I’ve ever even imagined.”
Camila chuckled, but looked slightly concerned that her daughter had been living in a place where demons could kill you everywhere for several months.
“I lived with a witch named Eda. I thing I mentioned her before when I visited in the reflections, remember? She was very powerful and was called the Owl Lady because she was the most wanted criminal in the Boiling Isles. Well, for a few months. But she has this curse and lost her magic because of it. She is my mentor and she is very cool.”
“It’s great to know that you’ve been living with a… witch criminal.”
Luz laughed. “She did run from the law and escape prison multiple times, but she’s not a bad person. She took care of me for all those months. Let me stay in her house even when she had just met me.” Luz trailed off, glancing away sadly. “I hope she’s okay. I miss her.”
Camila smiled and put her arm around her daughter. She was glad that Luz had a mother figure to take care of her, even if she was a wanted criminal. She hoped to maybe meet her one day. She didn’t know her, but she was grateful nonetheless. “I know that you and your friends will find a way back eventually. I’m sure your mentor is fine. She sounds very capable and mature.”
“She is. Well, capable, sure. I don’t know about mature. Oh, and King lived with us too. He’s a dem- I mean titan. He looks kinda like a little dog, but he wasn’t a pet. I was like a big sister to him.” Luz paused for a moment. “Actually, he’s part of the reason we came here. During the battle and the Day of Unity, I wanted to stay with him, but he let go of my hand and sent my back into the portal. Now he’s probably with the Collector, and—“
She stopped as tears welled in her eyes. “I wanted to keep them all safe! But I failed and now they’re in danger again, and I’m not even in the same realm, and I have no way to know if they’re safe, and—“
“Shhh..” Camila pulled Luz closer to comfort her. She was very confused about Titans and the Day of Unity and someone named the Collector, but she saved her questions for later. “It will all be okay. You can tell me everything when you’re ready. Then I can help. Everything is going to be fine.”
Luz nodded. “Okay.”
Luz explained everything to her mom. About the Emperor, how she got to the Boiling Isles, the Day of Unity, the Collector, magic, and the rebellion. She decided to leave out how she helped Belos find the Collector and how everything that happened was basically her fault. They didn’t need to know. She didn’t want her mom or her friends to hate her.
When she was done, the air mattresses had finished inflating. They put blankets and pillow on them, arranging them carefully, then headed back to the living room.