Chapter Text
Luz had opened the portal to the Boiling Isles many times before, but she could never quite get used to the feeling — that shiver that ran down her spine every time the worlds shifted around her.
Right after the catastrophe, when everyone threw themselves into rebuilding Hexside, she’d been there all the time, helping however she could — though without glyphs, she wasn’t nearly as useful as before. Every night she returned to her mother, until she had to slow down — and remain in the Human Realm for longer than she meant to.
The new house — the one Camila bought, the one with the portal — needed repairs, and moving in took time and energy. Luz couldn’t just leave her mom to handle it all alone. Plus… there was still school.
So she’d drop by the Isles for a few hours every couple of weeks to spend at least some time with Amity — but, really, she’d been gone from Bonesborough life for almost two months.
She wasn’t the only one who’d had to move. The manor and the factory had belonged to Odalia, so Alador and the kids moved into a smaller house. Well — smaller from the outside. In the basement there was a lab so huge that Alador didn’t have to compromise on anything, and the kids got the whole upper floor. Luz had only been there once, and it took her a while to find it again — Bonesborough’s streets weren’t what they used to be.
After what Belos had done, there were barely any whole houses left. The townsfolk patched up what they could: plants covered the holes in the roofs, patches of abomination-goo filled the cracks, and illusions replaced broken windows — until someone could fix them for real.
There was still so much work ahead for the people of the Boiling Isles. And it was all because—
No, stop!If it weren’t for Luz and the others, this place would be nothing but a burned-out wasteland! Period. End of paragraph. Goodbye, stupid guilt, you’re not welcome here!
Not letting herself dwell on it any longer, Luz quickened her pace, tugging at the straps of her heavy backpack — she was staying for a whole week this time, and had packed accordingly.
And there it was — the Blight family house! Not as grand as before, sure, and the plaster was coming off in places, but no one was living in luxury these days.
Grinning slyly, Luz took a step back and hid behind the corner. It was early morning; Miss Blight should be leaving for school any minute now if she didn’t want to be late. And Amity hated being late…
Sure enough, the door burst open and Amity dashed out, scolding Emira and Edric over her shoulder for whatever new mischief they’d pulled. Taking advantage of the distraction, Luz swept her cloak dramatically and stepped out of the alley right in front of her.
“Fair Hecate!” Luz declaimed loudly, dropping to one knee and offering her hand. “The road ahead is dangerous — allow me to escort you to—”
With a squeal utterly unworthy of a well-bred young witch from the Blight family, Amity threw herself at her. Luz lost her balance, and both of them went down into the dusty road.
“I was expecting you to take my hand, but this works too,” Luz groaned — lying on her backpack wasn’t exactly comfortable.
“How long are you staying?” Amity asked, eyes shining, though she tried for a stern tone. “Say it’s for a while.”
“For a week.”
Miss Blight found that answer unsatisfactory, though she deemed it temporarily acceptable. After brushing the dust off her heroine, she graciously allowed Luz to walk her to school — chatting all the way.
“Dad and Darius are working on a way to remove coven sigils,” she said with excitement. “It’s so complicated that I barely understand anything, but I think they’re this close to turning magic into something like… human magic!”
“You mean science?”
“Exactly!”
“What about your mom?”
Amity grimaced and waved her hand dismissively. She didn’t know and didn’t want to. Luz sighed softly and forced a small smile — she didn’t want to ruin the mood. Not that she expected Odalia to suddenly come to her senses and win Mother of the Year…
Okay, maybe she did hope for that. A little.
After all, even Boscha had friends she genuinely cared about — people for whom she was willing to rein in her thirst for power and validation.
Apparently, a husband and kids hadn’t meant as much to Odalia.
Maybe that was for the best. Maybe not everyone should stay together, no matter what.
“I’ve got so many plans!” Luz hurried to change the subject. “I wanna see the flying derby! Willow’s already got a team, right? I don’t think they’ll have a spot for me — I’ve been too in-and-out lately — but I can at least cheer them on! Oh, and I wanna visit Gus! And my mom sent Hunter a bunch of books, I need to drop those off—”
“Well… you can try,” Amity said, and there was something in her tone that Luz didn’t like at all.