Time to Shine

Chapter Four

Tears were falling from Luz's eyes. Amity ran forward and threw her arms around her. She tensed for a moment before her hand found its way into Amity's long hair.

"You're real." She whispered. She placed her hands on Amity's shoulders, making her pull back so she could look at her clearly. She was sobbing now, a hysterical smile on her face.

"You're here, I can't believe it." Luz pulled Amity back into her, and held her tightly, as though she was afraid she'd disappear if she let go. She continued to cry.

"Shhhh, it's okay. I've got you." Amity rubbed circles on Luz's back. She eventually pulled away a little to look Luz in the eye, and cupped her cheek with her hand. Luz leaned into her touch as Amity wiped her tears away with a thumb, but continued to cry.

"I-I thought you had forgotten about me. That you didn't love me anymore." Amity's heart broke at that statement leaving Luz's mouth. Looking into her brown eyes, she saw so much pain and sadness, it hurt her more than anything to see her girlfriend like this. Luz looked down at the floor.

"Luz, look at me." She lifted her face slightly, only to have a soft pair of lips land on her own. It took her a second to process that Amity was kissing her. The purple haired girl had to stand on her toes in order to do that now. Closing her eyes, Luz pulled her in again by the waist as her other hand tangled itself in Amity's hair. When they separated, Amity looked at her sternly.

"I would never forget you, we all promised we'd see you, and now we're here. I promise that I will always love you, no matter what. So never think that again." Luz nodded in awe at Amity, before a puzzled expression crossed her features.

"Wait, what are you guys doing at my school?" Amity grinned, and took Luz by the hand.

"Let's just say we're gonna be staying for a little while." Luz's eyes widened.

"Wait, does that mean everyone else is here? Hunter? Willow? Gus?" Then she gasped. "Eda?" Amity nodded, her tears were also starting to fall. Here she was, standing in front of Luz for the first time in four years. It was a dream come true. A buzzing came from Amity's pocket and she pulled her phone out to see her schedule. Then the bell rang, and Luz sighed.

"That was your bell?" Amity asked. "It doesn't scream." Luz chuckled, it was deeper and nothing like her old laugh. It was more sad, and not as genuine.

"Yeah, that was it. I guess I have to go to class. What do you have? I can walk you there." Amity smiled.

"I have American history with Mrs. Sherman." Luz looked relieved at this.

"Well, I have the same class. I can walk you there." Amity took her by the hand, noticing how much bigger Luz's hands were.

"You got really tall." Amity said, and Luz smiled slyly.

"And you got even more beautiful." Amity blushed at that, she liked this more flirty Luz. They walked to their class, hand in hand. This got some stares from the other students, and Amity heard the whispers.

"Noceda's got a girlfriend?"

"Jeez, she's hot. How did Noceda get her?"

"Is the new girl holding hands with that psycho?"

She felt Luz tensing up, and looked up to see a dark expression on her face. Luz didn't let go of Amity's hand though, she just held on tighter. They stopped in front of a door similar to the one to the music room.

"Alright," Luz said. "Let's go in. But be prepared for boredom. Human school isn't like Hexside." Amity nodded, letting go of Luz's hand. They walked into the room, where everyone's gazes turned to them. Luz immediately saw Hunter, Willow, and Gus. Her eyes widened slightly before she gave a small wave. Luz sat down in a seat near the back of the room, and Amity sat down next to Willow. The teacher then smiled.

"Good morning, everyone! As you can see, we have some new students with us today. Would you like to introduce yourselves?" The class looked at them, and Amity saw a girl that looked a lot like Luz, just shorter, and dressed in brighter clothing. Vee's eyes widened when she saw them. They smiled nervously, and each took a minute to say their names. As they spoke, the teacher spoke again.

"Thank you all for that. It's a pleasure to have you all in my class. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me or any of your peers." Then she began the lesson. Amity immediately became invested in human history. The others also seemed to be fascinated. They were all taking vigorous notes. About halfway through, Amity looked back at Luz and saw that she had her head down on the desk. She was clearly sleeping. How could she be sleeping during something so cool? Amity quickly refocused and kept her attention on the teacher until class ended.

When the bell rang again, Luz jolted awake. The others were standing in front of her desk, grinning widely at her. Rubbing her eyes, she yawned and picked up her backpack.

"Hey, guys," She said, a small smile on her face. "Long time, no see." She stood up and was tackled in a group hug. She immediately flinched and pushed them off. She was in a fighting position, and her eyes were clouded with fear. After a moment, they cleared up, and she stood up straight. They were all looking at her strangely. She cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Heh, sorry. Not used to hugs. It's great to see you all." She was smiling a little. "You all look so different, I can't believe it." As the four of them left the classroom, Amity took Luz's hand again.

"Please tell us everything! How's your mom? How's Vee?" Willow asked. Gus grinned and Hunter looked over with interest. At the mention of her mom and sister, Luz's face dropped into a grimace.

"Everyone is fine." She said curtly, looking away. "Doesn't matter." The short answer and complete shutdown from Luz made everyone feel awkward. Amity looked at Hunter, who shrugged as if to say, I don't know what's going on with her. Luz and Gus had the same class next period while the others were still together.

"I'll see you guys in a bit." Luz said, and squeezed Amity's hand once before leaving with Gus. Amity, Willow, and Hunter all stood there for a moment. Willow was the first to speak.

"What the heck was that?" Hunter sighed in relief.

"Good, you noticed it too. She seems so...cold." They both looked at Amity.

"What do you think, Ams? Did she seem really different to you?" Amity sighed.

"Yeah, she did. I think Luz has been through a lot. We shouldn't push her." Willow looked hesitant, but a look from Hunter made her nod.

"We should probably ask someone to show us where our next class is."