Luz's POV
Nothing is more awesome than summer break. I no longer need to worry about school for two months. I can just worry about assisting anyone around the city. My other concern is tracking down Belos and his gang with Eda as my partner. There's no clue of what he looks like underneath the clothing and mask he wears. Same goes for Hunter's friends as they wear the same thing Hunter is wearing. If Eda and I were to have time away from the city, we would find our number one enemy.
The crime rate here at Bonesborough are beginning to go low. I was pretty happy to hear that from a police officer. We're doing a great job of keeping this city safe. Onto the other side of my life of just being a normal mage, my friends and I made plans to hang out. Amity and I would go on dates that she and I decided together. My mom would sometimes invite her over for dinner. They both got closer as days went by and it made me happier than ever. After the last day of school, I went to Emira and Edric's graduation ceremony. Amity was nowhere found when I arrived, but I did text her to tell the twins 'congratulations' as I left once it was over.
Hunter and I have met up with each other a couple of times to just communicate and do mini duels. We talked about what's going on with our lives and if we were planning to do anything in the future. Sometimes our conversations would end up mentioning Belos. I felt bad for Hunter as it felt like he was caged up and wasn't able to escape from Belo's grasp. That is why I'm trying everything I can to search for him as well as the law enforcement to help me.
Tuesday 6:00 pm
"Well, if it isn't blondie. You came back from the dead or what?" Eda sarcastically asked.
I invited Hunter over to relax with us as Eda and I were at the park sitting on a bench. We had taken a break from our hero duty just for today. My mom had today off from work, so she was preparing dinner for us.
"Ha ha ha, very funny. I was busy being trapped inside my place for a bit. I had business to do from Belos. It was such a pain but I'm glad I got it done and over with," Hunter folded his arms.
"Y'know, why don't you just run away and go into hiding?"
"That's a great question Owl Lady. The thing is, I can't. I have nowhere to stay and besides, Belos will find a way to catch me. I've already snuck out many times and I can't raise any more suspicions than I already have."
"Valid answer. Though, you can just stay with me. I do need a dog sitter to take care of my baby."
"What? You have a dog?"
"Yes she does and he is the cutest thing ever," I smiled widely thinking about King.
"I'll pass on that."
"Whatever you say blondie."
"Hey I have an idea," a plan popped up in my head.
"What is it kid?"
"Well it's not an idea really but an invitation actually. What if you come with us to see my mom and meet her."
"What!? Are you insane? I can't just magically appear at your house and meet your mom as if you and I have been friends for years."
"Well you're no fun. My future wife is the bestest woman I've ever had in my entire life."
"You're dating Luz's mom?!"
"Oh right I forgot you don't know about our relationship."
I giggled at Hunter's reaction and the fact that Eda forgot to announce him the news of her dating my mom. This will definitely be interesting.
"How did this happen? Does Luz's mom know you're both heroes? I have so many questions right now."
"It all started when Luz had her parent conference with me. Because I'm her teacher and she's taking honor classes, her mom needs to see me to make sure she knows what type of classes her daughter is taking and how it would benefit Luz. Let's just say I was really attracted to her and she felt the same, so we flirted. Also Camila doesn't know we're both heroes."
"So her name is Camila. Well this is very interesting. Do you approve of their relationship?"
"Of course I do. It's my mom and the best teacher I ever had together," I responded to Hunter's answer.
"Right. When do you want me to meet her?"
"Today."
"No can do. It's close to sunset and I have to head back."
"But she's available for today. Plus, there will be dinner served," I tried convincing him.
"She does make the best food out there and that sir is a fact," Eda as well tried to have him give in.
"Ugh fine. Only for an hour though. You both will have to come up with a lie for me to tell my buddies."
"It's a deal."
"Lead the way then."
Eda and I led Hunter the way to my home. I made sure that he wouldn't fool around or do anything crazy. Hunter was aware of it and that he would act professional. I was quite nervous about what my mom would think about him. I'm hoping that she will like him.
"Hey hun! Luz and I are back and we brought a guest with us."
My mom peeked her head out of the kitchen to see who we had invited over. Eda and I grabbed Hunter from behind and pushed him in front of us.
"This is my friend Hunter. Hunter this is my mom, Camila Noceda," I introduced.
I swear that my mom's eyes shined once Hunter was in her view. She came over quickly to meet him.
"Um, hi...Miss Noceda. It's nice to meet you," Hunter stuck out his hand for her to shake.
Instead, my mother pulled him into a hug and said, "I don't do handshakes cariño but oh my goodness! It's nice to meet you. I've never heard of you before but that's because my daughter and my girlfriend haven't mentioned you before," my mom glared at Eda and I, releasing Hunter.
"My, I love your hair and your eyes really stand out. Oh, and please call me Camila. You don't need to be formal with me."
"Oh, thank you. That's the first someone has ever said that to me and I'll try to not be formal," Hunter rubbed his neck.
"No problem Hunter. Since Luz and Eda brought you over, you can't say no to my delicious dinner."
"Like I said, she does make the best food ever," Eda complimented.
"Well aren't you the sweetest," my mom pinched Eda's cheeks.
"I am quite hungry and whatever you're making does smell good."
"Great! Just give me five more minutes and everything should be done. Luz, I'll need your help preparing plates for everyone."
"Actually, I'll take Luz's place to help you instead, Camila. It's the least I could do now that I'll be having dinner with you guys," Hunter raised his hand to volunteer.
"Aw you shouldn't Hunter. You're our guest."
"I insist. Plus, Luz has been helping me out a lot, so I owe her some favors."
"Okay okay. I'll allow it just this once," my mom headed back to the kitchen.
"Thank you."
"You already made a good impression on my mom. Nice," I smiled.
"I'm doing my best to impress her. That's what I care about."
Hunter fled to the kitchen with my mother while my teacher and I set up the table. A couple minutes later, Hunter was serving us our plates. He brought silverware to the table with my mom bringing her own plate. Hunter sat in between Eda and I, as my mom sat next to my teacher. I began slurping my spaghetti and munching on garlic bread with everyone else. My mom was the first to break the silence at the table.
"So Hunter, how did you meet my two lovely girls?"
Hunter was about to take a bite until he heard my mother's question and put his fork down on his plate to answer her.
"Well I know Eda way back because she was my teacher in Hexside before I graduated. I went to visit her a couple months back to see how she was catching up and that is when I met Luz," Hunter made up a believable lie.
"Oh how sweet. It's really nice to know that you're checking up on your teacher."
"Yeah it is. Eda and Luz are great people. You're very lucky to have them in your life," Hunter held a smile.
It made myself and everyone else grin. This was the first time that Hunter showed a real genuine smile. Usually he wouldn't show any emotions, but he is warming up to us more and more each day. This was a good idea to bring him over to my house.
"They are wonderful. Everyone is quite lucky to be friends with those two," my mom looked at Eda then me.
"We may be chaotic, but we're the type of people to allow you to lean on our shoulders if anything," I leaned into my seat.
"I can tell now that I've hung out with you both a lot."
Everyone, including me, laughed and continued to eat our dinner. Each of us talked about our days and what's happening in our daily lives. We even mentioned our future and what we want to look like. After dinner and cleaning up, Hunter had to leave. I was able to come up with a lie for him to tell to his friends. My mom was a bit upset that he had to leave early but was grateful that he came to have dinner with us.
"Come back anytime, Hunter. You're always welcomed here, sweetheart."
"Thank you Camila. I am thankful for you for offering me dinner and allowing me to meet you."
"Anytime. I hope you come over soon."
"I will if I can. It was nice meeting you."
"It was nice meeting you too Hunter. Take care."
"Likewise and you too Camila," Hunter and I stepped outside.
I shut the door and led Hunter down the porch.
"Looks like my mom adores you already," I shoved my hands into my short pockets.
"She really does surprisingly. It felt good to be around someone that nice to you. It is almost like I'm dreaming."
"Good thing you're not. My mom tends to be friendly with everyone. It's her nature to do so. She treats everyone like a friend or family."
"Camila did make me feel like I was a part of your family to be honest."
"That's good. You deserve that feeling. After all, it's been a while since you've had that feeling before," I stared at the stars.
Hunter stared in the same direction as me. We watched the stars twinkle and light up with the dark sky as their background. A little breeze came by and pulled our hair back.
"It really has been. For that, I just want to say thank you...for all of this. I really needed this."
"Hey, I'm just doing what is best to cheer you up. You're my friend and a friend of mine is someone who I would do anything for their well-being."
"That is something you would do. Typical of you Luz. I have to say, I'm afraid your mom would hate me for what I've done. She doesn't know that I have committed crimes and that I'm someone who hurt you when we both fought. What would she think now?" Hunter held some doubt.
I looked away from the stars and focused on Hunter. I could tell he was clenching his teeth from anger on the inside, and his facial expression showed that he is uncertain that he'll actually find a comfortable place.
"You are half correct. She would dislike you for a bit, but she'll forgive you if I do. I mean I already did, but who knows how long it would take her to tell you. I don't think anytime soon she'll know about our second life, so there's no need to worry about it. Plus, we don't need to tell her about the past. Let us focus on the present and the future instead of the days that have gone by."
"Right. I'm really happy to have this opportunity to feel loved and joyful by you guys," Hunter flashed a small smile.
"We'll always provide what you need whether it's emotions or actual things."
"Thanks Luz. Then, I shall be on my way. I'll see you later," Hunter gave me a quick wave.
"Have a good night," I waved back as Hunter was beginning to walk on his way home.
I took a deep breath before heading back inside. After my little chat with Hunter, I felt all sorts of emotions. Mostly happiness but some parts were negative emotions. Hunter is in a bad situation with Belos and if I can't help him escape, who knows what will happen in the near future. The good thing about today was that Hunter felt like he found a new place called 'home' to be in and that's mine. I figured it would be a good idea to have Hunter get the feeling of warmth and love from my mom. It all worked out in the end.
Saturday 12:50 pm
My favorite thing about summer is going swimming. Swimming at the beach. With my mom, Eda, and my amazing girlfriend. All of us were here underneath a big umbrella that Eda had brought. Amity and I were building a sand castle as my mother, Eda, and King were taking a nap on top of a big blanket that was my mom's. It was a really hot day as I wore a sleeveless shirt and shorts while Amity had a flannel over her bathing suit.
"Wanna get some more water together?" I asked my girlfriend, trying to make my sand castle look perfect.
"Yeah, let's go."
I grabbed my bucket and walked down with Amity to the edge of the shore. We waited for a wave to come by so we could scoop up some water.
"Soon, we're just going to be like my mom and Eda," I grinned when I watched the couple sleep and thought about my future with Amity.
"Heh, yeah we are. I'm glad that it's just you who's with me in a relationship. Honestly, I'd never picture anyone with me besides you," Amity blushed as she grabbed ahold of my hand.
I raised her hand to my lips and kissed the back of it.
"I feel the same way Ami. You're someone who understands me in a way no one can," the little wave splashed onto our feet.
I quickly used the bucket to pick up some water and collected some sand in there as well.
"You make me happy Luz," I felt my lover's head placed against my shoulder on our way back to our spot.
"You make me happy too Amity," we looked at each other for a second before pecking our lips together.
I sat down on the sand to finish building my sand castle along with Amity. I was adding some details to it to make it look decent. My castle was almost about two feet tall while Amity's was a bit smaller than mine. Though, her castle looked way better with the details she put on.
"What're you looking forward to in our last year of highschool?"
"Beating you in the Power-Up Challenge," Amity smirked.
"Haha, you think you can beat the hero of Bonesborough," I whispered in the last part.
"I don't think. I know Noceda."
"We'll see in a month. Make sure Boscha doesn't beat you in the leaderboard. It would shock me to see you in third place."
"I don't need to worry about her. She doesn't use her magic much now that Willow has her under control such as not fighting every person she comes across."
"Willow has a leash on that girl, I swear," I giggled lightly.
"She really does. Everyone in our group has a partner now except Gus. I wonder if he likes someone," Amity thought about it.
"Probably not. I don't see him acting nervous or scared around someone. Either Gus is really good at it or he just doesn't have a crush on anybody."
"I doubt anyone would be good at hiding their crush. I mean look at me for an example. I was stuttering and turning all red whenever I was with you."
"Hehe and you still do that mi amor," I gently soothed Amity's cheek before retrieving back to building my castle.
"Kid..."
"Yeah, Eda?"
"What time is it?"
I reached over to grab my phone that was on top of my towel. I turned on my phone to look at the time.
"It's almost one."
"Thanks," I saw Eda fall back asleep, wrapping her arm around my mother.
"And I thought Eda had something important to say."
"Haha, you should know by now how she is."
"Heh, I know."
"I'm not sure if Eda has told you yet, but in the month of September, we'll be having a field trip to the Boiling Isles National Park."
"Woah, really? I've only been there once with my mom, but this would be amazing to go with you guys."
"I've never been there before, so it'll be my first time," Amity admitted.
"Then it could be a date for us," I beamed.
"That's a great idea. From what I heard from Ed and Em, we'll be able to go hiking on our own after our tour around the park."
"I keep forgetting that they already went there for their senior year."
"And I keep forgetting that they graduated. Can you believe it, Luz? Soon, it'll be our turn to graduate."
"Nothing is better than to graduate with you and our friends together," I added my initials and Amity's on my castle as a final touch.
"You're right about that. I can't wait for that day to come," Amity smiled shyly once she saw my castle.
"Me either Am."
6:30 pm
"Everyone, say cheese."
"Cheese!"
I looked at my mom's phone camera and smiled as she took a picture of all of us, including her. I was holding my girlfriend behind as well as Eda holding my mom. The sunset was behind us which would make the picture look beautiful. After our pictures were taken, my mom sent them to all of us. I was amazed how wonderful they looked. It was a memory that shouldn't be forgotten.
"Now that everything is ready to be placed in the car, let's go home," my mom said.
Everyone nodded and walked as a group to my mom's car. I carried some bags and placed them in the trunk with the rest of the other stuff we had brought. Amity and I sat next to each other in the back seat. We were all buckled and prepared to head home. The drive was almost an hour with a little bit of traffic on our way back. We first had to drop off Amity.
"Thank you guys for taking me to the beach today. I had lots of fun," Amity thanked us.
"No problem sweetie. You're welcome anytime to hang out with us," my mom smiled sweetly.
"Thank you again Camila."
"Text me later babe," I gave Amity a quick kiss before entering back into the car.
"Will do. Bye Luz."
"Bye Amity," my mother drove off and I waved through the window.
Amity waved back until I no longer was able to see her. I rolled up my window and sat back into my seat. Mom and Eda were chatting with each other while I stared out of the window. I grinned to myself about today. I was able to spend time with the people I love. It felt like all of us were a family. I do hope it'll be like that someday. It's another wish that I would want to make come true. That is for fate to decide whether or not to make it accurate.