Students were being lined up to get on a dragon bus for Grudgby. I saw Luz running toward it but not paying attention.
"Hexside's gonna wreck your side. Huh, no. Hexside is the best side in the west side." She muttered to herself as the bus bit her, roaring. "Ah! Friends." Luz said, approaching us.
"Whoo‐hoo!" Luz and Willow cheered.
"Game day roar!" Gus and I exclaimed.
"Happy game day, fellow, uh... Are we Hexidians? Hexies? Hexoleos?" Luz gasped.
"Actually, most people call us... winners." Willow gloated.
"Grudgby games are the best. The players go through these action‐packed trials. And the audience gets to wave flags. Look, I practiced." Gus explained, pulling out two flags, turning them in a circle as he waved them and hummed.
"Is it weird that Ingrid and I aren't wearing anything Hexside?" Luz asked, looking at her hoodie.
"Who said I wasn't." I said with a smile and took off my hat and mask, revealing my face littered with Hexside colored face paint.
"Besides, um, it's weirder that you're wearing Glandus colors." Willow pointed out.
"Get ready to be creamed, Glandus nerd." A giant guy said.
"Hey! I'm a Hexside nerd. Gotta change out of this shirt. Where can I get a Hexside one?" Luz asked.
"I know. There's a lost and found box in the cafeteria." Gus informed.
"Ah! The lost and found. Where mouthguards go to retire." Luz said, running inside. She came back in full Hexside attire. "Goooo, Hexside!" She cheered while doing the splits. "Well, I never did that before. Uh, where is everyone?" She looked up at the dragon bus is flying away.
"Hexside rules!" The same boy from before cheered.
"Oh, no! Come back! Why didn't you guys board the bus?" Luz asked.
"We weren't going to leave you behind." Willow said.
"That's bad friending." I added.
"I was." Gus muttered.
"Gus!" Willow scolded, poking her elbow into his side.
"Can we walk to Glandus?" Luz asked.
"We'd never make it in time. Glandus is..." Gus said, rolling his flags and pointed with them, "all the way out in the middle of the island."
"Typical Glandus." Luz scoffed.
"And my parents are working, otherwise I'd see if they could give us a ride on their staff." Willow admitted.
"And if I asked my parents, you'd all hear a lecture from my mom, detailing why she was right and why hybrids can't have friends until they can protect themselves or get a staff." I mumbled. "Then my Nibi has business to attend, or I would've asked them."
"A staff... because staffs fly. Of course. I can get us a staff." Luz said.
"You can?" Gus questioned.
"Yes, come on." Luz urged, grabbing mine and Willow's hands and running off with us. She brought all of us to The Owl House and told us to wait outside while she retrieved the staff. She opened the door and gestured to the sky with the staff, hitting the palisman against the house. "To Glandus High." Luz announced as the owl hooted. "Oh! Sorry, Owlbert. It's okay. We're just on our way to help some friends."
"Ooh!" Willow, Gus and I gasped.
"Who's ready to board Air Luz?" Luz asked as we all boarded the staff.
"Feel that power‐to‐weight ratio." Willow said.
"Can this support us?" I asked.
"Boys, prepare to fly." Gus told his flags.
"Next stop, Glandus High. Let's go." Luz said as the staff rose in the air. "Step on it, Owlbert." She slapped the staff, making Owlbert squawk and rush forward.
"Whoa! Whoa!" All of us exclaimed. The staff did a loop-de-loop, then ran into several trees, leaving us to grunt and scream. We hit a tree. Willow, Gus and I fell directly into a bush. Luz got caught on a branch, then fell out of her Hexside sweater, grunting upon impact to the ground.
"Is everyone okay? Huh?" Luz groaned, standing up. Owlbert hooted and I heard departing noises. Guess it left us. "Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no! Owlbert, come back!" Luz begged. We began running through a forest, trying to find the wooden owl.
"Owlbert!" Luz yelled. Owlbert hooted as he flew into a foreboding cave. We stopped running and panted.
"Man, humans can run. Must be their dorsal fins." Gus said.
"He went through those trees. Come on." Luz said but was stopped by Willow.
"We have to be careful. It's really easy to get lost in this part of the forest." Willow advised.
"This is Eda's palisman, Willow. She'll kill me if we don't get it back. Let's go." Luz said.
"You seem to have a problem with Eda almost killing you." I voiced. Bats screeched as we entered the cave. Bones crunched under our feet.
"Wow. I keep stepping on a lot of crunchy twigs." Willow stated.
"Those are bones, Willow." Luz said. Willow's face got uneasy as she forced it to stay up.
"Not if I never look down." Willow said. A shadow passed us, scaring us to huddle closer.
"This isn't any kind of forest I'm used to." Luz said, poking a spiderweb with the staff.
"That's because this isn't a forest." Willow said. Some bats chirped as they approached us. "It's a nest."
"Hey, I remember you. You're Bat Queen's babies." Luz said, making the babies screech.
"Wait. The Bat Queen?" Gus asked as all of us, except Luz backed away.
"I think I'd rather take my chances with Eda." Willow said.
"I'll even plan and host our funerals." I offered.
"That makes no sense, Ingrid!" Gus exclaimed.
"Uh, we're looking for a little owl and... There he is." Luz said, ignoring us and saw Owlbert warble back into the shadows. "Owlbert, thank goodness you're okay. Come here, buddy. Time to go home." The Bat Queen stepped in front of Owlbert, making her appearance visible as day, making all of us gasp.
"Hello, small human." The Bat Queen hissed.
"It's the..."
"Bat Queen. I know." Luz finished for Willow. "We kinda babysat her kids once. Don't worry. I got this. Hiya, BQ. My, your hair is looking greasy. And your kids they're as hideous as ever." Luz chuckled.
"You know, that coulda gone worse." Gus said as the Bat Queen growled.
"Sounds like it already has." I muttered.
"So... Owlbert ran away and I need to get him back. I'm just gonna grab him and we'll be on our way." Luz chuckled as the Bat Queen put a claw on her chest. "Ah!"
"To be careless with a staff, it's very serious. I protect him." The Bat Queen said.
"And thank you for that, uh, but he belongs to Eda, the Owl Lady." Luz removed Bat Queen's claw. "And you owe her a favor, remember?"
"Owl Lady is careless. Her staff left her sight. Taken by human who steals, hurts, frightens..." Bat Queen said, confusing Luz.
"Huh?"
"He told me all." She said as hers and Owlbert's eyes glowed yellow.
"Owlbert, I never meant to hurt you. Please trust me." Luz said softly, kneeling down. Owlbert hooted but flew onto the Bat Queen's head. Their eyes glowed again as Luz stood up.
"Trust must be earned..." Bat Queen boomed as she flew to a perch. "...through trials!" Fire burst from the ground with the final word.
"Trials?" Gus asked happily, waving his flags.
"Luz, the Bat Queen is well‐known for her impossible trials. I've never heard of anyone winning against her." Willow said.
"But I have to get Owlbert back. I accept your challenge." Luz said.
"And we'll be right there with you." Willow cheered.
"Let the flags raise you up." Gus exclaimed.
"I'll host her funeral." I muttered as Willow elbowed me. "You're the one who said no one's made it out alive."
"That is not what I said." Willow defended as webs encased us all of a sudden.
"Hey!" Gus exclaimed.
"What?" Willow questioned.
"Um, I'm claustrophobic." I said in hope it would convince Bat Queen to free us. However, it only shocked those in the webs.
"Ow! What was that for?!" Willow asked angrily.
"My fault." I waved off.
"No helpsies. Now, let the trials begin. Milk the spider demon." Bat Queen announced. A spider with udders approached Luz, holding a bucket, growling. Luz grunted while looking at a hooting Owlbert.
"All right. Come here, pal. Let's do this." Luz said while the spider demon ran away, squealing. "If you run, you'll just make this harder for yourself." When the task was completed, a flame was put out.
"Remove bees nest." Bat Woman commanded as Luz climbed a tree, empty staff in hand. A giant buzzing bees nest sat on one of the branches. She raised the staff to smack the nest, but it turned into the head of a giant bee that screeched at her. Luz yelped as she fell out of tree, she ran past us, screaming with the bees screeching after her.
"Come on. Almost got it." Gus grunted as he freed himself from the webs. "I am free! Bat Queen, you will rue the day you tried to trap‐‐" he was cut up by her trapping him again, this time suspended from the ceiling. "Aaah." A second flame goes out.
"Give babies a bath!" Bat Queen said as Luz scrubbed one baby bat, sitting on another, a third biting her shoulder, all covered in suds. Luz was grunting while the babies were screeching.
"Go, Luz." Willow cheered.
"Luz, we're here if you need us." Gus said.
"Yeah. Cut us free. We can get Eda." Willow noted.
"But we'll be captured again." I said.
"No, Ingrid's right and I was selfish," Luz said as the babies continued screeching. "...and I hurt Owlbert. I need to do this alone so he knows I care about him." She dumped a barrel of water over the baby bats. They screeched and turned around to show their hair neat and faces shiny. "Aw!" Luz cooed as the babies shook their heads; returning to normal and screeched, making Luz scream. The third flame goes out. Gus freed himself from the web again, landing in a handstand.
"Yes, I am free again. I--" Webs encase him yet again. His screams were muffled and waved his legs.
"Just stop at this point." I shook my head.
"Okay, Bat Queen. That's the last one. I've done all your chores. And I've proved my dedication to Owlbert. I'm so sorry for the pain I caused you, Owlbert. I promise to be more careful. Will you come back home with me?" Owlbert took Luz's words into consideration, nodding and hooting. He flew off of Bat Queen's perch to the ground. Bat Queen raised her claw, and webs encased Owlbert, making him squawk.
"No! More trails. Last trial. You must face... me." Bat Queen said, expanding her wings with a jet of flames going up behind her.
"What?" Luz questioned. Bat Queen roared, advancing forward. Luz ran away, yelling.
"You will never get him back!" Bat Queen yelled as Luz grunted.
"Luz, get us out. We can help." Willow said as Luz freed her, letting her free Gus then he freed me. "Look out!" The babies came at us, screeching.
"I'll hold'em off with my flags." Gus said as the babies attacked us. "No! That was a bad plan."
"You're just now realizing that?!" I yelled through the attack. Luz sneaked off but yelped when she was spotted by the Bat Queen, who roared. Bat Queen chased Luz through the forest. Owlbert squawked as he freed a wing from the web.
"I won't let you imprison Owlbert." Luz said, as the Bat Queen roared. Luz grunted upon tripping, allowing the Bat Queen to try and attack Luz, who stops her with the staff. "Is that an interlock?" Luz gasped as the Bat Queen looked away. "Bat Queen, you used to be on a staff, didn't you? You were a palisman." The accusation made Bat Queen gasp. "You were once a Palisman, weren't you?" Bat Queen looked at her claw with the interlock on it and turned away from Luz.
"Yes, I was once part of a grand staff. A staff made for a giant. But I was broken, discarded." The Bat Queen explained.
"So, that's why you're so protective of Owlbert." Luz said softly.
"I protect... all!" Bat Queen boomed. Her eyes glowed again. Behind her, dozens of other eyes began glowing. Luz gasped as countless broken and scarred palismen of every type were in the trees. "I made home in forest. I'm here to take the lost. The forgotten."
"I understand. But Owlbert is not forgotten. He has someone at home who loves him very much." Luz explained as the Bat Queen walked away.
"He will not go back with you." Bat Queen announced.
"That's not your decision to make." Luz interjected, making the Bat Queen turn around.
"I won't let him." She said as Luz braced for an attack but Owlbert protects her. His eyes started to glow with the Bat Queens.
"You...You care for her." The Bat Queen said as Owlbert nodded and nuzzled Luz. "Very well. Go. And take your friends." We all ran in, still being attacked by the bat babies. Bat Queen whistled as they fly to their mother.
"I don't think I'll ever be clean again." Gus said.
"Imagine how I feel." I gasped. Owlbert grabbed Eda's staff and brought it to Luz. Gus and I wiped the bat babies' spit off us.
"Bat Queen, do you know what happened to your owner?" Luz asked.
"It has been thousands of years. I've forgotten." She answered.
"If you ever want to search for the truth, I'll help you." Luz offered. The Bat Queen thanked her before flying away.
"I can't believe you took on the Bat Queen." Willow said, hugging Luz. "And Ingrid didn't have to host any funerals."
"It was just in case." I waved off as Gus started dancing.
"And we're not dead." He cheered.
"Thank you for helping me get Owlbert back. I'm sorry we missed the game." Luz apologized.
"Are you kidding? That was better than any grudgby match. There were action‐packed trials. I got to do my flag wave, and I'm slightly traumatized. Hooray!" Gus cheered.
"Let's get this little guy home." Luz chuckled.
~Time skip, at Lilith Castle~
"Remind me why we call this place a castle?" I heard Heath ask.
"Yeah, it's just an old mansion that people think is abandoned." Preston said.
"The few first dated Lilith's stayed in castles." Mom interjected.
"But they didn't live in the now century." Silas moaned and I giggled.
"Oh hi Ingrid, how was the grudgby match?" Mom asked flatly.
"It was action packed." I said, nervously.
"Was your friend there? Oh, what did you call him-Goldie?" Mom asked. My face turned crimson, Goldie hadn't been mentioned in years.
"I have a friend named Gus but no, I didn't see Goldie but can see where the mistake would be." I said as I went back to my room. I took out the photo memory that I kept under my bed at all times and sadly stared at it. The contents were of five year old me, and my six year old friend, that I nicknamed Goldie since I never learned his real name.
I remember we would play together, joke about how he was a full year older than me, and just talk. But, I stopped seeing him after I turned ten. At that time, the curse worsened, so my mom tried to kept us apart for 'his well-being' as she put it. Nibi couldn't care less that I had a friend, and always asked if I had a good time with Goldie, which the answer was always yes.
"I hope I can see you again, Goldie." I whispered to no one and fell asleep, clutching the photo to my chest.
Trivia
- Ingrid is revealed to have a childhood friend nicknamed Goldie
- Ingrid reveals that she always looks on the down side of things
- Ingrid reveals that Loretta thinks hybrids can't defend themselves unless they have a palisman with a staff