"Luz...?" Camilla said breathless staring at her daughter. Whiteout saying another word the two wrapped each tower into a tight, and much needed hug. Luz sighed relaxing into her mother'a arms feeling tears well up into her eyes. She didn't realize how much she missed her mom with that had taken place over the past two weeks. When Luz pulled away from her mother's embrace Camilla reached up and grabbed Luz's ear pulling her into the house.
"¡¿¡¿Dónde has estado?!?! I have been looking everywhere for you mi hija! You have some explaining to do."
"Ow, Ow, Mami." Luz said as she was dragged by the top of her ear and sat on the couch, Camilla standing in front of her arms crossed, scowling. Luz looked to Amity who had just finished closing the door and was standing behind her mother. Luz inhaled sharply before giving her mother a quick recaps. "Well, Three years ago I found this place called the Boiling Isles and the people there are witches, and I spent the summer there. I was supposed to go back but the portal to there was closed and I couldn't get back until 6 months ago I found the portal again and I went back. Found my old friends who I now consider my family, almost died like 5 times, learned that dad was a witch, kinda overthrew a empire and maybe accidentally killed my, basically, twin, and now I'm the emperor of said empire that I overthrew, and now I came back, for you." Camilla stood slacked jawed her arms falling to her side, she blinked and raised and eyebrow before speaking.
"You can't possibly be serious." Luz looked behind Camilla where Amity was standing and becomes her over. Amity bad flushed a bright red as she stepped next to Luz, and her small pointed ears were flattened against her head. The young witch smiled and her sharp fang like canines could be seen more than usual.
"I am serious Mami..." Camilla sat down taking her glasses off and setting them onto the side table next to the chair. Luz looked to Amity and then back to her mother, she pulled amity down next to her, gently touching her knee to Amity's to offer some sort of physical comfort.
"So everything you ever said, about witches, and magical creatures...all that stuff in your journal...it's real?" Luz nodded gently allowing her mother to take it all in. But much to Luz's surprise she watched as tears started to stream down her mother's cheeks.
"I'm so sorry I'd don't believe you Luz..." Camilla sobbed out, Luz knelt down next to her and wrapped her into a hug, "Your father, he used to say the same kind of things... I never believed him...and then he disappeared...I would get so upset with you talking about that stuff because I didn't want you to end up like him...." Luz stayed hugging her mom for what seemed like and hour until Camilla finally stopped crying and pulled away from her daughter she dried her tears and took a look at Luz's face drawing her thumb across the scar that ran along Luz's face. "What happened to your face?"
"Heh..." Luz cast her eyes to the side, scratching the back of her neck before looking back at Amity who looked like the cat who ate the canary.
"Oh Luz you didn't introduce me to your friend. OH! You made a friend. I'm so proud of you." She said quickly standing up pulling Amity into an unexpected hug, confused golden eyes looked at Luz over her mother's shoulder, Luz smiled and gave her a thumbs up as Camilla pulled away still holding her shoulders.
" Mami, this is Amity...mi novia..." Luz said nervously in a tongue Amity still didn't understand, she stood closer to Amity gently taking her small hand into her own. Camilla's eyes widened looking at both of them.
"Oh, well, it's nice to meet you Miss..."
"Blight! Um, my name is Amity Blight." Amity stuttered out extending her hand for Miss Noceda to shake it. The older woman smiled kindly at her before wandering into the kitchen pulling Amity along with her.
"Well Miss Amity tell me all about yourself." Her mother said quickly seating Amity down before beginning to prepare a mea, for the two of them. And Amity, explaining in depth everything that occurred in the demon realm since the first time Luz traveled there to the very moment they left. The story extended well into dinner, which was Luz's favorite meal, a grilled cheese sandwich. And not just any grilled cheese, her mother made it on two slices of thick crispy sourdough bread that had butter spread on each side, lightly seasoned with garlic powder, and in between the two pieces of bread laid heaven, a beautiful creamy melty mixture of Romano and Asiago cheese. The thought of the sandwich alone made Luz's mouth water and after months of eating nothing but weird tasting fungi and eggs in the boiling isles, a grilled cheese was exactly what she needed. The three of them sat at the table laughing and enjoying each others company, especially after Luz and Camilla's months apart. But a piece of Luz felt out of place in her old home. Luz paused at the word. Old Home. Had the Boiling Isles really replaced Earth as her home? The thought was mildly upsetting to Luz before she remembered a statement the her mother would repeat on the regular when she was younger. Home is not a place it's a people. A people. Luz thought to herself, she looked to the witch beside her. Her head was thrown back in laughter, pearly white teeth were shown through a smile that was a bright as the sun. Luz remembered every moment they shared together, good or bad, and there was one thing that stayed the same. She felt at home with Amity. And she knew she always would, Amity was her home.
~~~
Amity laid peacefully asleep on the couch while Luz and Camilla began to clean up from the nights events.
"She's a nice girl." Camilla hummed talking the plates off of the table carrying them to the sink. Luz looked over her shoulder where Amity was sleeping, her eyes were shut softly and a few strands of auburn hair were scattered in front of her face, the gentle rise and fall of her chest.
"Yeah" Luz took a clean sponge from the sink and began wiping down the counters with soap and warm water aggressively . "Why didn't you tell me...?" Camilla stopped what she was doing.
"Tell you about what?" The grip Luz had on the sponge had tightened slightly, anger was a rare emotion she felt towards her mother but Luz felt like steam began to come out of her ears
"About dad... about any of it? I spent my whole like not feeling like I belong anywhere, and now I realized that was because I'm part witch, I have a whole other world, another family." Luz's voice started raise but the sound caused Amity to stir slightly, so she took a breath to prevent any outbursts.
"Mi hija..." The term of endearment only fueled the flames of the fire burning in Luz chest.
"No don't Mi hija me, you kept me from an entire part of myself, what if I didn't find the boiling isles, where would I be then? Thinking that being myself wasn't ok? That I was weird, a freak, that all the whispers I heard at school where true." Tears started to burn Luz's eyes as they threatened to spill over her cheeks, Camilla looked at her hurt as if Luz had said something to hurt her, but no, Camilla didn't get to be hurt right now.
"Luz...I was only trying to protect you-"
"Mierda, you weren't trying to protect me. But maybe if you spent less time trying to protect me and more time in believing your own husband, maybe I'd still have my father." Luz left the sponge on the counter and walked over to the couch, her mother had tears in her eyes as Luz looked up to her before feeling slight remorse for the words she had said to her mother, she cast her eyes aside closing her eyes taking a sharp inhale of breath, "Amity and I are leaving tomorrow night, the boiling isles needs us now." Luz gently slid an arm behind Amity's knees and under her back before picking her up bridal style, her head fell back slightly, resting against her forearm, she turned to walk away but not before turning her head slightly, looking to the side of her, "But you're welcome to join us." Once the worlds left her lips she carried Amity to her room and closed the door behind herself, laying Amity on her bed gently. Luz slid the covers over Amity just how she liked it before slipping into bed next to her and switching off her bedside lamp. She felt the woman beside her shift so she was halfway on top of Luz, her head tucked into the crook of her neck, legs intertwined with her own.
"You need to go easier on her, all she was trying to do was take care of her daughter, it's a lot more than my mother would ever do, just be thankful she tried, not how she did it." Amity mumbled groggily into Luz neck letting out a puff of air before falling back into a peaceful sleep. That night Luz had slept the worst but also the best she had ever slept in her bed on earth. Her chest was full of regret after her outburst with her mother, but she was sleeping next to Amity, who somehow made everything a million times better just by existing. In the middle of the night Luz found herself slipping out of her bed and quietly walking into the kitchen where she found her mother sitting at the kitchen table, illuminated by a single white light, for her usual midnight snack. Luz pulled out a chair and sat down next to Camilla.
"Mi hija...?" Camilla asked as tears started streaming down Luz's face, breaking out into an unexpected sob that ripped through her body, Camilla quickly enveloped her daughter in her arms and brought Luz's head to her chest, cradling it gently, resting her chin on the top of it, her other hand rubbing soothing circles on her back, like she used to do when Luz would cry when she was a little girl.
"I'm so sorry Mami." She sobbed out quietly, the tears were painful and her head started to throb, for after months, Luz finally let herself go, and cried.