So yeahhh, I've always wanted to write a fic with a truth-discovering trip kind of thing, featuring some hitchhiking and bonding between characters and such, so I tried my best. And, ever since TOH aired, I've been dying to make a fanfic of it too.
I must warn you, I'm a SUCKER FOR LUZ AND HUNTER SIBLING DYNAMIC, ever since Hunting Palisman, my heart's been dying for that duo, and craving for so much more. This fic helped me vent my enthusiasm for them. I really hope you enjoy it, it' ain't the best but I really burned my head writing it.
P.S. Next chapter will be longer.
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It all started with the car crash.
Although, unbeknownst them, it all really started with the day Hunter was welcomed into the Noceda house. He barely had any recollection before that day (which made sense, he was only 4), and he never cared; the Noceda's were his family after all, they raised him and loved him as such. The only thing that he clutched from his unknown past was the scar that went from his right cheek down to his jaw.
Nevertheless, he had a normal life. Well, as normal as it could be having a sister like Luz. Never a dull day with her, as she liked to remark. And even though she had a lot of stories to prove her point, Hunter thought most of them were embarrassing rather than admirable.
Just like that time when she was a toddler and got stuck inside a claw machine looking for a plushie, or when she tossed all the pots to the floor with her feet when she decided that the best place to show mom her improved cartwheel was on the kitchen, or when they were on their little trip in the woods and, instead of crossing a little creek on a small bridge like a normal person, she went for a fallen tree trunk, slipped and returned home covered in mud and dirt.
It astounded him the patience Camila had for her little antics. Of course, Luz never meant no harm; her creativity and imagination were main pillars of her identity, and neither him nor mom would have her any other way, but sometimes... she exaggerated immeasurably, and that was when trouble kicked in.
Her explosive self almost caused her to be sent away for a whole season to a reality check summer camp (even he knew that would've been no fun). However, due to the miracle that that same year they befriended Willow and Gus (and in due course, Amity Blight), mom let her off the hook.
Regardless, looking back, it all actually started a week before the car crash.
Luz had proposed a sleepover at their house, and fortunately, Willow, Gus and Amity had the green light from their parents. (He had found out later that Emira, Amity's sister and his classmate, had informed Luz that their mother would be on a business trip, therefore their dad wouldn't have a reason why to say not.) Even though it was a Saturday, Gus, as president of the Paranormal Appreciation Society, had to attend a meeting that his club crew had already planned.
While his afternoon was filled, he had the rest of the night free for him to enjoy. Luz decided that while she and Amity went to buy snacks for the night, Hunter and Willow could prepare the living room, not that there was much to prepare anyways.
Contrary to what his sister thought, he was not an idiot, and of course he knew what her real plan was, but since she texted him when she was already on her way and Willow was already knocking on his door, there was no running away.
*You are so dead.
*You'll thank me when you are holding hands and calling each other cute nicknames.
*Not everyone is as cheesy as you.
*Don't act as if you won't enjoy some time alone. You are so head over heels for Willow.
*Just like you and your "cotton candy hair goddess"?
She had disconnected.
He snickered triumphantly.
****
"Sour Patch?"
Luz widened her eyes and pointed towards the cart.
"Don't even ask."
The purple haired smiled, trying her best to hide her blush. Luz added one more box of Nerds before making her way to the aisle that had all the drinks. Of course, she didn't plan splitting up the chores only to offer her dear brother some alone time with his kindred soul, but so she could also spend some time with the prettiest girl in the universe: Amity Blight.
While she was in the middle of an internal debate, whether to take Sprite or Coke, and thinking of a good excuse to take Amity's hand, she noticed a small woman wearing a white hoodie with yellow straps at the end of the aisle abruptly turning her back on her. She raised a brow as she quickly took 2 six packs, one of Coke and one of Sprite, and signaled at Amity so that they could move forward to the snack aisle. She first took Hunter's favorite, Doritos, then proceeded with one bag of Fritos, two of Cheetos, and some Pringles for her while Amity came back with different packs of cookies in her arms. In the same direction she came from, the hooded woman was, apparently, looking for a snack to grab.
"Can we take 2 packs of Oreos? I'm not gluttonous, but once I open one of these, it's hard to stop. Just in case, so no one misses their share..."
Even though Luz was doing her best hushing the alarms on her head, she had no problem turning her attention to the beauty in front of her.
"Sure thing! Hey, let's go back to the candy section for a little while."
"Don't we have everything we need from there?" Amity inquired, reviewing their cart.
"Let's just be certain that we are not missing anything." She pretended to carefully look at all the items on their cart, while lifting her gaze every second, checking for both sides of the aisle.
As she feared, the woman showed up. They interlocked eyes for a brief second, before she directed her gaze to the candies. She was wearing a mask, and the hoodie covered her head, leaving her red eyes as the only part out to sight. Luz immediately took Amity's hand, and pulled the cart to the other side of the store.
"Is something wrong?"
"Don't freak out, but I believe there's a woman following us." Amity's eyes widened up.
"Where?"
"Right there!" she screamed in a whisper, pointing to one extreme of the aisle discreetly. Amity followed the trail with her eyes, and spotted the hooded frame.
"Should we confront her? Or tell someone?"
"No, we don't know if she has something on her. And if she doesn't and we tell someone, they'll think we are making a big deal for nothing." She bit her lip as Amity turned carefully to watch the female again, making sure she didn't get any closer. "Let's go to check out, I'll call Hunter."
They went to one of the self-checkouts stands. Luz made sure to scan the items as slow as she could, so that Hunter could arrive when they were done. She located the woman on an eye glass stand near the exit. Luz didn't care about being discreet anymore, if push came to shove, she was willing to go all in to protect Amity from whatever malicious intentions this agent of evil implied.
"Should I take a picture of her? That would probably scare her away." Amity was getting annoyed with their little stalker. As long as they were surrounded by people, she was not going to be intimidated.
Before Luz could answer, Hunter ran through the entrance, followed by Willow and Augustus. Luz stretched her arms out and waived at them.
"Gus! I thought we wouldn't see you till 7?"
"Club meeting ended early. It appeared that I wasn't the only one with plans today."
Hunter placed a hand on Luz's shoulder.
"You ok?" she nodded. "Where is she?"
"Right there..." her voice trailed off when she realized that the woman was nowhere to be seen.
"There!" Amity shouted, pointing the exit, where Luz spotted for a second the yellow straps. They all ran outside, but the woman had vanished.
"Well, good riddance." Amity deadpanned.
"Dang it! I was so ready to execute a real interrogation."
Willow clasped her hands together. "I think it's better she's gone."
"Let's go." Hunter took the bags from his sister's hands and made his way to the car.
"It must feel so cool to finally have your license. I still have 4 years to go." Gus mentioned leaning onto the window.
"Don't you need to be accompanied by an adult?" Amity questioned, the corner of her lips merely lifting at Hunter's distressed sigh.
"First, no one follows that rule. Secondly, it was an emergency, Blight. Maybe when you're older and mature you may come to understand what we adults must risk sometimes."
Willow giggled as Luz snorted. "Yeah right. So mature, but then you see him chasing me down the whole neighborhood just for borrowing his Dumbledore's wand."
"What was that?"
"You've got to tell me that story." Amity whispered, to which Luz nodded with a mischievous grin. Just then she realized that they had been holding hands back at the store. Her cheeks turned pink.
They arrived home in a matter of minutes, and proceeded to get on with the night. The sleepover was a blast. And when mom asked them about their night, neither of them dared to mention a word about the incident at the store. Hunter and Luz decided to keep it between themselves. It was just an incident, not meant to happen again.
_______________________________________
"Hunter, I know you love me very much and that every second you spend away from me must be torture but you can't follow me everywhere I go. Especially today, I am going to Amity's house."
"How come? Is it a date or something? I don't think her house is the best place for a first date." Luz puffed out her tinted cheeks and pointed a finger towards his chest.
"How would you know!? And it's not a date; after school we're gonna have some serious discussions about "The Good Witch Azura". We're even planning on making an Azura book club."
"Fine. Will you call me then when you are done so I can pick you up?"
"Her house is not that far from ours. I can walk home."
"Knowing you, you'll stay there until dark. It's not safe for you to be walking home on your own that late." Luz crossed her arms.
"The night I accidentally broke in the library, I walked home from there. It was past midnight. And I'm still breathing."
"That's totally different. Back then you were being a criminal, not stalked by one. And the Blight twins walked you until our neighborhood."
Naturally, the misfortunate event at the store was still fresh on her brother's mind. Just because she convinced him not to say a word it didn't mean he disregarded it. However, Luz couldn't let that turn her life upside down. She had read about related stories, some were way creepier, but she was fine, Amity was fine, and neither of them had seen the woman again. Although, to be fair, it had been only 2 days.
"Fine. I'll call you."
But if it was for Hunter's sake, she could comply.
Later that evening, Hunter finally received the call from his sister. Camila always worked overtime the first 3 days of the week, so it was him and Luz till 10:00pm. He turned on his scooter, put on his golden helmet, and made his way to the Blight's manor. At an intersection, he stopped and waited for the green light.
Now, Hunter was aware, like everyone else, that a car would always top an electric scooter in speed. Yet, 2 blocks had passed since a red car, an old ugly Nissan, started following the same path as him. He was riding on the sidewalk, and the car was nearly next to him, driving suspiciously leisurely. It was unnerving him. Luckily, he finally saw Amity's mansion from the distance. He sped up, took a different path behind some houses, and texted Luz to come outside when he was at the gate of the manor. After 10 long minutes, she finally reunited with him.
"Ok Golden Guard, let's go." He rolled his eyes and took off his helmet to place it on her head. With Hunter following her around everywhere since the incident, Luz had at least to come up with a nickname to tease him and, hopefully, annoy him enough for him to stop. One look at his golden helmet was all it took for her to set it up. On the way back, Hunter was attentive to the street, and when he saw the same red car getting closer to them, he tightened the grip on his scooter, and inhaled deeply.
"Woah, easy there. You almost rolled over that guy. I'm pretty sure he cussed at us." Luz chuckled, holding onto his waist. It was kind of funny, normally she was the one going as fast as a witch in a broom, and Hunter yelling at her, slow down or get off my damn scooter kind of thing.
"Hey Speedy Gonzales, careful not to run on a red light."
A light bulb went on over the blonde's head.
"That's it!" his sudden scream almost made Luz fall of the scooter.
"What's it? And why do you keep looking at the street? You are seriously going to run over someone if you don't look ahead."
"There is something called multitasking, an ability that you may lack but I thankfully possess."
She puffed at him, but her eye quickly caught a shiny red light one block ahead. And Hunter was not slowing down.
"Do you have a hidden camera recording or something? Cause what you are about to do looks like those videos you find on internet where people do crazy stuff that goes wrong."
He looked to his side one more time and went full speed.
"Estas loco!" Luz screamed, clenching onto him for dear life.
Of course, it wasn't as easy as it looked on the movies. Hunter's heart skipped more than a beat; the honks of the cars (along with a few justified vulgarities) echoed loudly in his ears as the light beams of the vehicles blinded him and almost threw him off the scooter. He didn't stop when he made it to the other side, nor when they were far from that intersection. He stopped when they were safely back at home. Luz took off the helmet and looked at him with wide eyes.
"What the heck was that!?" she screamed, not caring if the neighbors heard her. Hunter put a finger on her lips.
"Shut it!"
"Nah, don't shush me after such a stirring ride. I enjoyed it even though I got the scare of my life," she chortled, putting a hand on her chest, "but what on Earth possessed you and turned you into little Toretto?"
"Can we at least get inside the house?" he rapidly stared at the empty street before grabbing his helmet and unlocking the door.
When they were inside, Luz stared at him expectantly. "So...?"
"There was a car following us." He could tell from the spark in her eyes that her excitement was far from cooling down.
"WHAT!" Hunter flinched as she jumped. "I was involved in a car chase and I was not aware? What the heck! Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't want to worry you?" he raised a brow, "Why are you so happy about this? This isn't something to cheer on." As a matter of fact, it was disturbing.
"I'm not happy, just... thrilled. It's the adrenaline, we just escaped from the jaws of death, it's not something that happens every day."
Hunter sighed in distress. Putting aside his sister's dramatic flair, she was kind of right. What would've happened if he hadn't noticed?
"This must be related to what happened at the store. Maybe the driver was that woman." He thought out loud, pacing from one side of the room to the other. "We have to tell mom."
"What? No. You promised."
"I promised not to tell her what happened at the store."
"Hunter!"
"Luz, this is deadly serious. Scratch that, it's dangerous! Don't you get it? It can't be a coincidence that you get followed one day, and the next day I do. What comes next? We get kidnapped?"
"Why would someone want to kidnap you?"
He stood silent for 5 seconds before smacking her on the head. She squealed surprised.
"You really don't give a shit about this, do you?"
"It's not that." She replied while rubbing her head. "I just think it's best that before you worry mom with this... situation, we dig more into it."
"Dig more?" Luz sat on the couch with her legs crossed, facing him.
"Yeah, we should investigate! Why are they following us? They should've givenup the first time. Maybe we can, I don't know, set a trap for that mysterious lady, and maybe then we-"
"You are crazy if you think I'll let you do that."
"It could work."
"Yeah, until she pulls out a gun and decides to shoot us. No thank you."
The engine of a car turning off interrupted their squabble. Luz quickly turned to her brother.
"At least don't tell her. Not yet, please." She clasped both her hands together and gave him a puppy stare.
Hunter sighed exasperatedly.
_______________________________________
The fourth day was the most disturbing one. Perhaps because he finally stumbled upon the mysterious woman. He was waiting outside the veterinary clinic where his mom worked at. Hours ago, he was at one of his classmate's place due to a project that, thankfully, everyone in his group wanted to finish as soon as possible. Since his apartment was just a street away from the clinic, he chose to wait for her and ride home together. He was leaning against his mom's car, her shift was supposed to end in less than 10 minutes, therefore, he was not in a hurry.
His eyes were on his phone, but he felt someone standing in front of him. A short woman, perhaps no taller than Luz, with bluish green hair and a mask on (he wondered if she was germophobic), was standing in front of him. He felt a chill run down his spine.
"Can I help you?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Your mother works here, right?" her voice was squeaky and whiny. Hunter frowned.
"Why? Are you asking for a certain vet?" she narrowed her eyes and took a step closer.
"Well, she's not really your mother, is she?"
What the fuck.
He didn't open his mouth, because if he did, that was all that would've come out. The vein in his forehead began to throb as he held back a growl.
"Wouldn't you like to know more about your real family?"
"I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you better back the heck off."
He tried to make some distance between them, but he was trapped between the her and his mom's car. His eyes went wide when he heard her laughing out loud.
"You two are so alike." She murmured while catching her breath. Hunter felt his heart thump hard against his chest. "I could take you with him right now."
"What?" he turned his head to the side. The entrance was close. He could make a run for it and, if anything, he would scream. "Listen-"
"Is it the other brat? You want her to tag alone?" he froze, and she looked up, as if she was thinking. "I don't think he'll like that. Whatever, I don't care."
"If you dare to even look at my sister, I'll zap you to dust." her squeaky giggle cut him off again.
"You think you scare me, little snake?"
He noticed then how she looked behind him, and quickly stepped back. The flash of a camera lit her red eyes up. Hunter turned and saw his mom with her phone on one hand and a chancla on the other, glaring daggers at the woman in front of him.
"Get away from my son right now before I call the police." She didn't wait to be told twice, and Hunter saw how she ran to the same red Nissan that chased him and Luz the other night.
"Hunter! Are you ok? Te hizo algo?" she asked after hugging him, checking for any wound.
"Estoy bien, mama."
"Who was that woman?"
He bit his lip.
"I don't know."
After pondering a little, he finally told Camila on the ride home about the store incident only, and he expected her to lecture Luz about keeping this from her, but as soon as they reached their house, the subject was never touched again. Of course, he informed Luz about what had happened.
Two days later, after a mother-daughter dinner (Hunter was staying at Gus's house for the night), Luz was helping Camila drying the dishes as she washed them. She then remembered that morning's mail, which consisted of a single letter.
"Hey mama, this arrived today." The envelope looked like it was made from recycled paper. Camila turned off the faucet. The moment her eyes fell on the envelope, her heart raced and her breath hitched. She took the letter, gripping it harder than normal, and thanked Luz as she hurriedly exited the kitchen and made her way to her room, from where she didn't come out until next morning. Of course, Luz had taken the liberty to memorize the sender's information provided in the envelope. As soon as she changed into her PJs, she googled the address on her phone. The sender was from a curious town in Tennessee. Bonesborough.
Huh.
She had never heard about that place before, but, for some reason, the name seemed oddly familiar to her. She researched more about Bonesborough. It held the coolest festivities Luz had ever seen.
They arranged an interesting brawl once a year where anyone from fourteen or up could participate. They also hosted an entertaining yearly convention where they displayed in engaging manners 9 main college careers, that for some reason were of supreme importance to the town. Hunter would've thought that it looked more like a job publicity fair, but way more enlivening and spellbinding. Luz thought it was fascinating.
I have to go there at least once in my life.
As she kept digging, she learned that Bonesborough had an amazingly low crime-rate, which was why the town was shaken by a cold-blooded murder that occurred a little more than a decade ago. A married couple was slaughtered one evening by the husband's younger brother: Phillip Wittebane, or that was what most of the town suspected. The couple's toddler was the only survivor.
There was a 7 month-trial, followed by a 10-year sentence in a psychiatric hospital, from which Phillip was released 3 years earlier due to the "lack of evidence". Luz spent the whole night binge reading and watching all the news and videos she could obtain about the Wittebane case. There was not as much information as she expected to find, but it was better than nothing. She had the overall details of the case, recollected from whatever was broadcasted or published.
Similarly, she had an overall glimpse of Phillip Wittebane's life: orphaned at the age of 8 along with his older brother Caleb Wittebane, he was the youngest member of the family, son of a religious academic and a housewife. Phillip's trial revealed that his late father turned out to be a brutal bloke who stood by... rather archaic views, views that were highly intolerant towards women. It was due to his convictions that he was indulged into giving his wife a daily beating.
During one of these beatings, Phillip's father went overboard and beat his wife to death. Caleb had immediately alerted the neighbors, only for them to find the man laying lifeless next to his wife's corpse, a knife inserted on his neck. While the brothers were able to escape their domestic hell, Mr. Wittebane's dangerous motto never abandoned the youngster's mind. That was the main factor that helped Phillip be seen as innocent. That, and one witness that declared that Phillip never left her side the night of the slaughter.
It was a captivating case, one that almost distraught Luz from her original goal. She remembered the letter that she gave her mom.
Eda Clawthorne
PO BOX XXXXXXX
Bonesborough, TN, 38067
Nothing came up when Luz searched the name. Camila had never mentioned her or Hunter anything about that woman. She had no pictures of her, no records, no nothing. How did they know each other? Why did her mama look so concerned about the letter? Did this Eda know what was going on with them?
And most importantly, who the heck was Eda Clawthorne?
_______________________________________
Hunter never had to fight with Luz for the passenger seat. They always took turns. That day it was his turn. Their mom had to drive to the post office to expedite a letter. And since the day was sunny andwindy, and she was off, she offered to buy them some ice cream after going to the post office. They were now on their way for the dessert.
"Chocolate?"
"No."
"Wait, wait. Oreo?"
"No. It's gonna be the same flavor as always"
"Ooooh, I know." She smirked at him, even though he wasn't looking at her. "Strawberry."
"Bravo, you hit the nail on the head."
"Don't you wanna guess mine?"
"You always pick a different one and I don't remember all the flavors."
"Can we play 'guess that song' then? Let's make it Disney edition." Hunter let out an annoyed groan while Camila giggled.
"I like that game. You want to start, cariño?"
"Yeah! Let me think..." after 5 seconds of silence, she sang louder than necessary, as always. "We don't talk about Bruno-no-no-no!"
"The title is literally the first lyric."
"At least let me finish Pepa's part."
"I thought you were over that movie."
"I could never get over the songs."
"Guess that song" was an excuse for Luz to introduce to everyone songs of her liking. And almost all the times that it was Luz's turn, they lost because there was no one more educated in that department than her, who most likely spend her free time discovering a new song and memorizing the lyrics so she could use it for a future round.
Plus, she had unlimited options, going from anime openings to musicals. Luz, however, constantly accused Hunter of cheating when it was his turn, since he didn't sing but recited the lyrics of the song as if he was dictating a sentence from a court. She always had to beg him to play properly.
"You're such a party-pooper."
"Excuse me for not being a musical ding-dong like you."
"It's not like I'll record it and show it to Willow."
"Can you please stop using her as an excuse for everything. You never have anything to support your arguments."
"Don't need to, she's the argument."
He groaned loudly and hit his forehead with his hand. Luz snickered.
"By the way, how's Willow? And Amity and Gus? Planning another sleepover anytime soon?"
"She's charmed by Hunter's idiocy. And he's bewitched by her but still haven't gained the courage to ask her out."
"What about you huh? Why haven't you asked Amity out yet?" Camila laughed at her son's blushed face. He got pretty defensive whenever his sister teased him with Willow. Luz clasped her hands together.
"Amity is smart, cool and classy. Asking her out should be breathtaking, emotional, and real!" she closed her hands in fists and shook them as she spoke. "I still haven't thought of the perfect way."
"Just ask her in a nice place, surrounded by flowers if you must. That should be enough."
"I want it to be significant and special, so that she always remembers it with joy. I may know the perfect place, but I need to prepare what I'll say."
"Go out with me?" she shook her head.
"That's at the end. I can't just ask it. I need to place some context. Create the atmosphere. Foreshadow it but not so clear-cut, suggest it but not throwing it out, you know, climbing the ladder, so getting to the top is satisfactory, the emotions still fresh, undrained."
"I'm drained from hearing this."
"What if you write her a poem?" their mom suggested. "I'm sure that with that mind of yours it will be marvelous."
"That's an excellent idea mom!"
Hunter didn't have to turn around, he pictured her taking out her phone and writing verses and verses dedicated to the youngest Blight.
"And Hunter,"
"Yes?"
"Your sister might be a little more enthusiastic, but that doesn't mean you should go at her same pace. Take your time, and when you feel it's the right moment, go ahead." He smiled at her.
"Thanks mom."
"That's if she doesn't confess first."
"Mom!" they both laughed heartily.
That was the last time he heard his mom laugh before they were violently pushed to the other side of the street. Luz screamed at the top of her lungs. Then, the car stumbled with something on the road, maybe the pavement, because it jolted and turned. Hunter felt pieces of glass on the right side of his face as soon as he opened his eyes.
His head was throbbing and his face was hot. His right arm felt numb and his side hurt, though not as much as he imagined it would. When he moved (which he regretted since his arm was hurting now), he noticed that outside his window (or where the window used to be) was nothing but pavement. He was able to distinguish a white lane. It was starting to make sense why he felt so much weight on his side.
He turned to his left.
"Mama?" his unconscious mom was safely secured on her seat. Her glasses were nowhere to be seen, and her hair was coloring red. With his left arm, he shook her lightly, but she didn't reply. He shook her again to no avail. He then recalled the piercing scream, and his eyes widened.
"Luz!" he had to take his seatbelt off to be able to turn around. When he did, he found his sister on a similar position. However, unlike Camila, she had opened her eyes.
"Hmm?"
"Up here, hermanita. Can you move your head?"
Luz's head felt heavy, and her vision was blurry.
"Hunter?"
"Right here, I'm right here. Just move your head up a little, ok?"
It took a while for her to distinguish her brother's voice, understand what he said, and perceive the direction it was coming from.
"Hunter?" her voice was shaky.
"Right here, Luz. Up here."
She pushed her head up and finally interlocked her eyes with his. Half of her face was scraped and wet of sweat (or maybe blood, but he couldn't tell). He didn't detect any open or serious wounds.
"What happened?"
"I think someone crashed with us." Every word was pronounced with effort. Hoping his mind was not playing any games, he heard sirens approaching, and he confirmed it when they became louder and louder. Luz squeezed her eyes shut and placed her hands on her ears, but then she hissed in pain and retreated her left hand.
"What's wrong?"
"It hurts. A lot."
"Ok, just look at me Luz. Look at me, don't fall asleep."
Several cops helped them out of the car and immediately rushed them to the nearest hospital. Hunter lost sight of his mother and sister in the ambulance. He spent the first 20 minutes asking for their whereabouts, rather desperate, gaining no answer.
He remained silent after that, giving monosyllabic replies to all the questions he was asked while he was examined. After hours of seen white from the doctors' coats, MRIs, x-ray machines, beds and charts, he could determine from the doctor's face and his reaction that there was nothing serious with him.
The cut on his forehead didn't require stitches (thankfully, he didn't want to add another ineradicable scar to his face), thecuts and bruises would take a little more time to heal, but there was no fracture, no trauma and no internal bleeding to fret on. That's what he basically understood from the doctor's diagnosis. After his wounds were treated and his examination was done, he was given some demographics to fill out with his personal information.
"Where's my sister? Can I go with her now?" he asked the nurse when he was finished.
It took 17 minutes (he counted them, yes) for the nurse that was with him to finally take him to Luz.
His heartbeat resonated on his ears while he followed the nurse. He could only picture the worst even though he wished for the best. He silently prayed for his sister to be alright (because he didn't know what he was going to do if she wasn't). Thankfully, the horrid image he had on his head quickly faded once he entered the room she was in.
It was a shared room; her bed was the closest one to the door. She had an IV attached to her left forearm. There was a curtain dividing the room, but the reflection from the light coming from the window showed that there was someone occupying the neighboring bed. He paid no mind and rushed to her side.
He grabbed her hand with ethereal touch. "Luz." He whispered. She was sound asleep. "Is she ok?"
"She's stable." The nurse answered while reviewing the chart attached to her bed, flipping the papers. "She sprained her left wrist and one of her ribs broke due to the collision."
"What?" his look flickered from his sister to the nurse. "What does that mean?"
"Broken ribs can heal in 6 weeks, though they could take up until 8. For the wrist, she may not be needing the splint in 2 weeks."
"Is she going to be ok?" his voice was so low, as if raising it might elicit a negative answer. He couldn't glance away from the younger Noceda.
"She will. We are keeping her under observation for the moment, but she should be alright. The first two weeks are the most difficult regarding the rib, she will need to rest and take a break from sports if she practices any. The scrapes should heal in the next days, the bruises might take a little longer, but that's all. Nothing life-threatening."
"What about my mom? Camila Noceda?"
"I don't have any updates on her. Last time I checked she was still in surgery. But I'll inform you tomorrow."
"Surgery? Is she ok? Is she alive?"
"She was still alive when she was admitted in surgery, but I don't have information on her current status. I'll let you know once I have any update, alright?" that didn't satisfy him in the minimum, but he nodded. The nurse wished him a goodnight as she silently exited the room.
He looked at her disappear before looking back. Luz was wearing a hospital gown, a white one with colorful spots on it, but she still had her jogger pants underneath. He finally noticed the black splint on her left hand. Her face was indeed scraped, but it didn't look as bloody as it did back at the car. He released a breath and hopped on the bed and lied next to her, careful not to wake her up.
He was... enraged. The image of his mom unconscious next to him, and that of his little sister hanging from her seatbelt, her eyes unfocused, her voice so weak, popped up in his mind. Now, she looked so frail. It made his chest hurt. And it stirred up the flames inside him.
Who dared to do this? And why? Because he would wager his life that it was not an accident. Everything that had happened in the past days had led to this. Was it the screwy lunatic that asked him those fucked up questions? How could someone be so deranged to do something like this? To hurt his family?
Fuck.
He stroked his eyes and sighed. Yes, he was infuriated, but mostly tired. He would think tomorrow, when his head wasn't so fuzzy. He looked at his sister; her chest moving up and down confirmed she was alive. Her features displayed no worry, no terror, no confusion, just peace (which was good, he felt they would have anything but that in the coming days). Although the sight of her in a hospital gown with an IV next to her dishearten him, his mind was at ease knowing she was not in a critical condition.
"At least you're ok." He breathed as he drew her closer, wrapping his arms protectively around her frame. He rested his chin atop of her head. And closed his eyes.
Someone was going to pay for this. He didn't know how he was going to find the responsible for this catastrophe, but he swore on his dearest mother's name that he was not going to rest until he found the monster that decided to hurt his beloved ones. And when he found them, he was going to make them regret for ever disrupting in his life.
_______________________________________
"Do you think Amity would help me eat lunch? Or is that too much?"
"You are right-handed."
"Doesn't mean that she can't help me eating."
"I'm sure she'll let you step on her back if you asked her."
Luz giggled at the thought. Hunter took a slip of his water bottle. It was almost noon. Breakfast was below average, and even though Luz had woken up with the same energy as always, it was evident that the pain on her chest slowed her down. Luckily, the splint on her wrist took her attention, distracting her from the constant aching caused by her broken rib. She interrogated Hunter with questions on how to use it as if he was a doctor.
When the real doctor showed up, Dr. Cutburn, he examined both of them, answered Luz's inquiries about the splint, and informed her how to proceed regarding her rib.
It was important to stay active. Laying down or staying still for too long wouldn't do any good, but she had to stay away from sports, and avoid any heavy lifting or sharp movements, especially, anything that applied pressure on her rib.
She had to focus on her breathing too, completing at least every hour deep-slow breaths to prevent any lung infection. Additionally, he discouraged the idea of bandaging her chest since it would limit her breathing, and the last thing they wanted was for Luz to have shortness of breath. The first 2 weeks were the hardest since the pain was going to reach its peak during that time, but after that, it would get better, and by the sixth week, she should be mostly recovered.
"That's a lot to remember." Luz murmured with a strained smile. Hunter grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly.
"It'll be alright. I'll help with everything you need, don't worry."
After that, they finally received news concerning their mother.
The crash had damaged 2 internal organs, the liver and part of her stomach, which were perforated by a piece of steel incrusted on her side, and it was severe; when they started operating on her, she was already bleeding internally. Thankfully, the surgery helped with the lacerations. However, she was in a coma due to a head contusion. Camila was currently being carefully monitored at the ICU. She was audibly the mostly affected by the collision.
"So, you don't know when she will wake up?"
Dr. Cutburn shook his head.
"Can we see her?" Luz asked. She toyed with her fingers as she intently looked at him.
"Of course. Although, I would need you to fill out some papers before."
"Already filled those." The blonde replied, showing it to them. Luz had used the back of the papers to play Hangman in the morning.
The doctor motioned the teenagers to follow him. Luz was about to jump off the bed when the twinge on her chest reminded her that she had a broken rib.
"Are you ok? Take it easy." Hunter was immediately on her side when he heard her whimper. He had a hand on her back to support her.
"I'm fine, sorry."
"Maybe we should get a wheelchair." His eyes scanned the room, looking for one.
Luz shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous. It's not that serious."
"It is actually."
"The doctor said it's good for me to walk. I'll go slow."
She walked away, ignoring his reply, taking the infusion pump with her. Hunter stuck to her side, watching over her as if she was an egg that would break at any moment. Even though Luz was not going to admit it, it was quite bothersome. She had never broken a rib before (never had broken a body part before, or sprained one for that matter), so she was not used yet to the uncomfortable throb on her chest. She was not complaining though, she didn't want to worry her brother even further.
Two floors up and they finally made their way into the ICU. When they found their mother's room, their breath hitched. It was chilling. There were way too many wires attached to her body, and way too many machines piled up in one little room. Her head was shielded in bandages, and her face was barely visible since it was covered by a mask attached to a mechanical ventilator.
Hunter knew these sights would haunt him for years now. He looked away. Luz, on the other hand, approached her mother and began talking to her.
"I'm going to the bathroom. Stay here, and don't move around too much."
"Roger boss."
"Here." He placed a chair next to the bed and left the room.
He was getting nauseous, the urge to return his breakfast increased with every second he was there. The color left his face as the image of his mom attached to all those machines and Luz looking anything but alive hanging from her seat replayed on his mind, along with the high pitch scream that ringed in his ears.
He searched for the closest bathroom. When he found one, he locked himself in and blew chunks in the toilet. After he emptied himself, he sat on top, catching his breath.
I can't believe this shit.
He was really going to strangle the assholes that harmed his family. The question was, how could he find them? He didn't even see the car.
Wait. A. Minute.
If his memory served right, the car was not even there when he woke up. It was basically a hit and run. He was sure there were cameras at the place where they crashed. Maybe the police could tell him something? He tried to look for the doctor that helped him but, of course, doing that in a hospital was like looking for a needle in a haystack. He reached for the first nurse he could find, and she directed him to the closest receptionist.
"Do you know if there was a report filed or something?"
"You would need to discuss that with the police. I wouldn't know what to tell you."
"Someone crashed with us and fled the scene. That's illegal. Even worst if the victim is in critical condition. Is there a way for me to find out at least which car crashed us, or if there's a video? Anything?"
She politely told him to take a seat so she could make a call and look for someone that could help him. He obliged hoping she wouldn't forget about him. While he waited for her, he googled in his phone the most recent news about car crashes. He found a video in YouTube, published no more than 24 hours ago, talking about the car accident, but nothing else.
Later, he saw a cop walking towards the front desk. The lady that helped him called someone else. His doctor appeared and greeted the officer as they turned to him. Hunter stood up and greeted them before they went back to the room where he and Luz slept.
The officer began. "Probably you don't remember me," he didn't. "But I was one of the cops who helped you and your family get out of the car. As you may know, the responsible for this fled the scene. Fortunately, we have a footage of the whole accident, including images of the car that fled. It was a red 2007 Nissan Versa. We also got the license plate."
"So, you know who did this?"
"We have a suspect. The individual that showed up when we put in the license plate was someone reported dead 13 years ago. Yet, the person driving the car, from what we can see in the footage, is a woman, but we barely got anything else since she was wearing a mask. She most likely stole the car so that we couldn't trace her from the license plate."
When the officer mentioned that the woman had a mask, his blood ran cold. He was now certain who was to blame for this.
"Can I see the video?"
"We have it back at the station."
"I think I've encountered that woman before." He briefly described the car-scooter chase and his little clash with the short woman outside his mom's workplace. He also mentioned his belief of the crash being planned. The cop wrote down everything on a notepad and asked him a few more questions; if he had seen that woman before, if his family had any enemies, another weird event that might had taken place in the last weeks, etc.
"There's no reason for my family to have an enemy." He replied bitterly.
"I understand that. I'm just checking out any possibilities or connections."
"Well, she's not really your mother, is she?"
"Wouldn't you like to know more about your your real family?"
The memories of his encounter with the lunatic lady flashed in his mind. Now that he thought about it, she mentioned stuff about his "real" family. He supposed she referred to his biological parents. Even though he never dug into his past, since he was never intrigued enough to do it, he had once (when he was about 7 or 8) questioned Camila about them, if they were dead or alive.
She informed him they had passed away when he was a little, which was the reason why he was placed in foster care. He wasn't sure if that madwoman knew his parents, but by the way she offered to deliver him information about them, he supposed she must've known something.
"You two are so alike."
"I could take you with him right now."
What he couldn't figure out was to what, or whom, she was referring to when she offered to take him to meet someone. Was she talking about a distant relative? He provided the officer the interesting fact that he was adopted.
In that moment, the door opened, and Luz stepped inside. Three sets of eyes laid on her, but her gaze was directed to the man in dark uniform. She raised a brow as she closed the door behind her.
"Hi. I'm Luz." She greeted, making her way to the bed.
"This is my sister."
"Good afternoon, young lady." He turned to the blonde again. "I have to return to the station. I'll look into this and I'll keep you informed with everything I find, alright?" the teenager nodded and the officer took it's leave.
Dr. Cutburn focused on them.
"I've noticed that on your paperwork you didn't list an emergency contact. You don't have anyone we could call?"
Luz shook her head. "We only have mom."
"When are we getting discharged?" inquired the blonde, his hands getting sweaty.
"That's the issue. Your mother is in a coma. We need a next of kin to be able to discharge you."
"What if we don't have one?" Hunter was not liking where this was going.
"If your mother doesn't wake up in the next 48 hours, the State will need to take care of you."
Luz frowned. "By that you mean that they will take us?"
"If your mother's condition doesn't improve, then yes."
The Noceda siblings looked at each other and swallowed hard. When they were left alone, no sound was heard other than their breathing. After what it seemed like an eternity, Luz lifted her head up and stood in front of Hunter. Her voice didn't waiver as she spoke with a fierce look.
"I've got a plan."
_______________________________________
"Look guys," Luz yanked Hunter's arm and pressed his face next to hers.
"What are you doing!?"
"Stop moving for a second!"
Amity smirked as Willow giggled, leaving Gus as the only one paying real attention.
"What is it?"
Luz pointed to a cut on her eyebrow. "Hunter and I match now! We are scar twins!"
Hunter finally released himself from her grip.
"That's not something to brag about."
"Are you jealous that you're not the only one looking like a badass now?"
"Pff, you're the jealous one, your scar ain't nothing like mine. In fact, you look more like a gangster."
Luz hit him hard on the arm.
"You're lucky your rib is broken."
She drew a smug grin on her face. "Gotta take advantage of that somehow."
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Two green heads poked through the door. "Hey Mittens, will be waiting for you on the car. Don't take too long." Emira said followed by a wink from Ed. "Willow, your dad said it was time to go."
"Alright, thanks Emira."
The guy who used to be on the other side of the curtain was discharged that morning, meaning that the squad was able to chat and be as loud as they wanted without anyone complaining. After school, Willow, Gus and Amity had paid the Noceda's a visit. For Amity it was the second time though.
"Dang guys, I wish we could go with you, but my dad would kill me if I did."
Luz wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry Gustopher, we'll be fine. Besides, you can be my eyes at school, if you see anything suspicious, let me know immediately." Gus gave her the thumbs up.
"Be safe. No matter where you are, call us if you need anything." Willow said, handing Luz a notepad. Gus did the same with Hunter. Luz opened hers and quickly glanced at her best friend before grabbing Gus and squeezing them both in a warm hug.
"Thank you so much guys, really. I promise I'll pay you back, but for now I want you know that I really mean it. Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Willow chuckled and grabbed her hand.
"Never mind that. Consider this a conjoined gift from us."
"Sorry for bothering you. But on top of that, thank you." Willow then hugged Hunter, resting her chin on his shoulder for a couple of seconds. Hunter hugged her back, feeling his cheeks burn.
"It's no bother, silly."
Gus gave him a friendly punch in the arm.
"Now, you go and kick some butt in our behalf."
"It won't come to that."
"Hopefully." Luz added, although her tone implied that she wished for the opposite. "You guys are literally the coolest. You know that, right?"
They hugged one more time before Willow and Gus said their goodbyes once more and exited the room.
"We'll be parked in front." Informed Amity, handing them a plastic bag before following the pair and closing the door.
As soon as she stepped outside, Luz grabbed the clothes from the bag, carefully removed the IV needle from her arm, took off her hospital gown and put on her purple hoodie with cat ears. Hunter put on a light brown jacket. The brunette took her mother's purse (a nurse gave it to her after she woke up), placed the notepads in it, and took a quick peak outside the room. The corridor was clear.
"Let's roll."
They walked out without looking back. Luz was reluctant in taking the elevator, but Hunter didn't want her taking the stairs; it hadn't been five days and, even though Dr. Cutburn said it was better for her to move around, he didn't want to push it too much. When they reached the first floor, they avoided looking at anyone from the staff. It was not until they finally passed the hospital's doors that Hunter's hands stopped shaking. As promised, Amity's car was in one of the parking spots in front.
"Finally." Hunter breathed.
"No one saw you, right?" Amity asked, sitting next to Luz. She shook her head.
"We are masters of stealth."
"Seatbelts, please." said Emira from the driver's seat. "Next stop, Noceda house."
"I know I've said it a million times, but from the bottom of my heart, I'm really thankful for your help. I'm also sorry for the inconvenience, you are not getting in trouble for this are you?"
Edric waved a hand. "Not at all. As long as Emira's driving, dad doesn't mind lending us the car. And don't sweat about the rest; in fact, when Mittens asked us to help you guys break out of the hospital, we were surprised." Edric grinned from ear to ear, looking with pride at his little sister. "You're becoming more of a delinquent every day."
"I think that's because of someone's bad influence." Hunter replied, eyeing his sister. Luz stuck out her tongue at him.
When Emira finally parked in front of their house, the siblings spoke at the same time "We'll be right back."
Luz took out the keys from her mom's purse and unlocked the door. They hurried to their rooms and began loading their backpacks with some spare clothes and fundamental items. She left her mom's purse in her room, grabbing the keys only. After their improvised packing, they grabbed some snacks from the kitchen, placed them in a plastic bag, and raced back to the car.
"Take it easy." Hunter reminded her when she winced in pain.
"I'm fine." She replied catching her breath.
"If anyone needs to go to the bathroom now's the time, because it's 45 minutes until Hartford Station if I don't get stuck in traffic, so there would be no time for stops."
It was an enjoyable ride. While Luz's favorite Blight was her cotton candy haired goddess, she adored all the moments she spent with Emira and Edric. She befriended them before Amity, and even though they occasionally went a little too far with their pranks, they didn't hold any malice in their hearts. They were dear friends to her.
Emira played the music albums she had downloaded on her phone, and almost an hour went by with the twins and Luz singing passionately, Hunter and the twins listing their classes' homework, and Amity and Luz discussing about their favorite book. Luz didn't realize how late the day actually was until she looked outside. It was dark. Nighttime already.
"Final stop." Announced Emira, turning off the engine.
Hunter hanged his backpack over his shoulder. "Thank you again. I owe you one big time." He looked at the two green haired teens, smiling at him. "Or two I guess." The Blights laughed.
"We'll keep it in mind. Take care and be safe." They gave him a quick peck on the cheeks, one on each, and they watched his face turning red prior running back to the car, not giving the blonde the opportunity to smack them.
"Damn those Blights." He muttered with a scowl, tapping his foot bitterly on the ground.
Finally, Luz accompanied him to the entrance. She waived them off while he struggled not to showed them the middle finger.
"What were you doing with the youngest Blight that took you so long?"
"It wasn't that long. Barely 2 minutes."
"Long enough for that vexing duo to mess around."
Her laugh confirmed that she saw them kissing him. The only reassurance Hunter had was that at least no picture was taken. "Don't mind them, they know you're not into people your age."
"Oh my God, I'm only 18 months older than Willow."
"So specific. And so adorable!" he rolled his eyes at her gushy cries.
"Por amor a Dios, para."
She did when they were finally inside the station building. It was loud, not only from the trains' whistles, but also from the chatter of the horde of people. The had to either keep walking or step aside so that no one ran over them. The crowd was making them woozy, so they stood near the restroom's entry.
Luz took out the tickets that were inside the notepads that Willow and Gus gave her and Hunter. They still had 4 hours until their ride showed up (Willow was super attentive when she bought the tickets), and then it would be another 3 hours until they reached New York.
Hunter led her to one of the café's tables so they could rest. They left their backpacks on the chairs next to them.
"I guess we just wait then." She said resting her head on her arms.
"You can take a nap if you want. I'll watch over our things."
"You have to rest too."
"You know staying up all night is a child's play for me. Besides, I'm not tired. If anything, I'll sleep on the train." Luz shrugged it off, it was no use arguing with her brother. Instead, she took the letter from her backpack and read it again.
Hey Camila,
It's been a while since I've heard about you. I'm sorry for never answering the calls, I got rid of my old phone and never replaced it. I was planning to reach back to you after I moved but everything changed when I settled in. I'm sorry too for not replying to your letter back then. What I want you to know is that I'm really sorry for all that.
I would ask you how you're doing but I guess your letter says it all. About that, it looks like you weren't aware of this, but Phillip left the asylum earlier than expected, and by that, I mean years earlier, since they had no proofs and the culprit was never found. I swear, just when I thought I couldn't respect the law any less they pull out this bullshit. He was in Bonesborough for a little while before disappearing. Someone told me that the only person he went to see was Darius Deamonne (in case you don't remember him, he was the snob that helped you with your boy's adoption). Apparently, that bonehead was asking for the kid, can you believe it? As if the kid would still be around, or even more, as ifanyone would tell him his whereabouts.
That was his business in town, because no one saw him after that, you know how the word spreads here pretty quick. Obviously, Darius didn't tell him anything. However, Phillip's visit alarmed him greatly; and not only him, we were all shocked when we learned that that wacko was out. He tried to contact you but the number we had was not working, and when he asked me, well, I had nothing either. I thought of sending you a letter but I wasn't sure if you were still living in the same address. He decided to track Phillip down. We did our best helping him but luck was not on our side. That was a long while ago.
But something odd happened a couple of weeks before I got your letter. One morning he found his car's tires flat, and there was a nasty scratch on the back that read "traitor". A friend of his found two broken windows in his house one evening, my sister got blackmailed (we solved that immediately just to let you know), and, maybe a week ago, maybe a bit more, I found painted on a wall outside my house the word 'WITCH".
Of course, we suspected it was Phillip, but the only piece of evidence that we have says otherwise. You see, I had installed some cameras outside my house (don't ask me why), and instead of that maniac, it caught a small woman assaulting my place. They don't have the best resolution, but I believe we are talking about the same woman you described me.
I don't want you to get worked up Camila, like I told you, nobody has seen him since he came asking for the boy, which was years ago. I don't know who this woman is, what does she know, or how does she know, but what I know for a fact is that she's with Phillip. She must be. We are trying our best in tracking him again, but if you want my advice, keep a close eye on your kids. That bastard ain't on his right mind, and he's capable of anything.
I'll leave you here Darius and Lilith's number. Be safe, lookout for your children. And again, I'm sorry.
Take care,
Eda.
There was so much in those words, and all the same, there was nothing. At least for the time being. She had elaborated some theories, dug up some more, after all, putting 2 and 2 together was no easy job, contrary to what the movies exhibited (everything looked so dang easy on the movies, it was exasperating). Still, there was so much more that she and Hunter didn't know that their mom appeared to.
Luz let out an exhausted sigh before bending on the table and closing her eyes. Emira was wrong. Hunter and her were far flung from their journey's end.
She had no idea what her future holded, what were the details hidden behind those words, what mysterious past did her mom share with these strangers, or what exactly was going on. Her mom was fighting for her life on a hospital bed, and they were waiting for a ride that they didn't really know where it would take them.
They had discussed a bit about all of this, however, with the hour hands of the clock ticking at them, they didn't have much time for anything but follow her mad schemes. There was absolutely no going back. They were at luck's mercy now. And even though Luz was moderately anxious, and slightly terrified, she was mostly excited, for this journey was the onset of a hair-rising adventure.
So yeah. In fact, they had just begun.
-------
When I write a fanfic, I try to use as many canonical characters as possible, 'cause I don't really like going for OC's (it's not my thing). Dr. Cutburn is based on the headwitch of the Healing Coven, Hettie Cutburn.
Fun fact: originally, I was going to locate Bonesborough in Oregon (because since it's in another realm you can add it in our world wherever you want) but while reading some Owl House wiki, I changed it to Tennessee.
Welp, that's pretty much it. Stay tuned for the second part! Hope you liked it!