3rd Person POV:
Yells. Blood-curdling and horrible yells. Luz was tired of it, when would it stop. This had been going on for months now, and it didn't seem like it was going to end anytime soon.
Her dad was a sick man. He's cheated, abused, and harassed. Luz was tired of his games, wanting to just go up to him and say every curse word imaginable towards him. He had treated Luz's mother with nothing but disrespect for the past year, acting like she's nothing more than a house pet.
Sick and tired.
Luz's door was shut and locked, wanting to block everything outside of it. Things shattered from the kitchen, hitting the ground and creating a mess. Luz sat down at her desk; music in her ears and a pencil in her hand. She ignored what happened just behind the other side of the wall. 'Can I Call You Tonight' by Dayglow played loudly from her headphones, but it still wasn't enough to block out the noise. She was finishing up a drawing of a man she had seen earlier at the store. The man had caught her attention with his long and beautiful blond hair he had, it was amazing.
Luz's face was damp with tears from before, but she wiped them off and continued. It was better to not think about it. Then she heard it again, the yells. She pulled the black hood above her head and zoned it out again, not wanting any part of this. Everything would be fine if she didn't worry about it, it would be ok. That's what Luz would tell herself every day, that it would eventually go away and she wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. Every story did have a good ending after all.
"WHY DON'T YOU JUST LEAVE"
That was it, the words that could make anyone break down.
"MAYBE I WILL"
She couldn't take any more of it. Luz dropped the pencil in her hand and stood up, sharply inhaling and letting out a deep breath. Tears stung her eyes, but she tried to hold it in, crying was a sign of weakness. She put the drawing in her cabinet and turned off the lamp, walking over to turn on her fan. She felt the breeze from the fan on the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. She pulled the covers from her bed and rearranged the pillows the way she wanted them. Luz's bed was her sanctuary, it kept her safe. The music still played in her ears loudly. She didn't care if they would hurt the next morning, she just wanted to block it out as she every day.
'Could you tell me what's real'
The lyrics played in her headphones, she had memorized them like the back of her hand.
'I hear your voice on the phone'
Luz mumbles the lyrics under her breath a bit, closing her eyes and relaxing her muscles.
'Now I'm no longer alone'
That couldn't be farther from the truth.
'Just how I feel'
Luz didn't know what she felt right now; sad, angry, maybe both. What Luz was certain of right now, was the feeling of dread and despair.
'Could you tell me what's real anymore'
Luz's eyes grew heavy with sleep, she needs some rest but it was hard when all you could hear was the sound of your parents going at each other throats.
'Cause I wouldn't know'
And with that, Luz fell asleep. She didn't have to worry about anything else until tomorrow morning, she could rest peacefully for the night.
---
Luz woke up with a jumpstart. Today was the day, she could finally go to Hexside. She quickly got up from her bed and rushed to the bathroom, brushing her teeth and hair, washing her face as well. Her nerves had shot through her, 'the first day again, make a good first impression' she thought to herself. Making her way back to her room, she tried to pick out an outfit. She dug through her closet, finding nothing that caught her eye. She let out an annoyed huff but. She pulled out a pair of jeans from the back of the closet and a black shirt with a tiny skull patched on the pocket of it. She tucked her shirt in the jeans and but on a black belt. She then put on her red converse and beanie to match, and a flannel over it all.
Luz took a quick look in the mirror, she fixed her hair again and gave herself finger guns as she walked out of her room. She made her way to the kitchen, she plugged in her toaster and pulled out bread from the pantry. Her mom was asleep, so she didn't want to make too much noise. She put on a slice of bread in the toaster and pushed down the lever. She put up the bread and searched for the jar of Nutella in the back. When she found it, she set it down next to the toaster and walked out of the kitchen. She crept down the hall and faced the door to her mom's room. She opens the door slowly, slightly creaking at the movement. Luz tip-toed in, making sure not to make a sound. She walked over to the best to see the sight of her mother sleeping peacefully, Luz let out a soft smile and bent down to give her mom a tiny kiss on her forehead. "Te amo mamá," Luz said quietly before walking out.
When she made her way back into the kitchen, she realized her toast was done. She set down a napkin down on her counter. She tried grabbing the bread but burned her fingers in the process. "Ow!" She exclaimed quietly, rubbing her fingers together. She tried grabbing the bread again, it was still hot but not to bad. She set the bread down on the napkin and smeared the Nutella on it. When she finished, she put the spread back in the pantry and grabbed her toast. There was still about 10 minutes until she had to head to Hexside.
She sat down on the counter and ate her toast, she hadn't noticed her leg had been bouncing with anxiety the entire time. Of course, Luz was excited for today, she finally got to go to the school her friends went to. She could finally talk to them in person and not through the screen. She couldn't help but feel nervous though. She felt like she had to make a good first impression, or else her friends would abandon her just like everyone else did. Luz was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of a faint alarm. She pulled out her phone and turned it off, it was time to go. Luz stuffed the final piece of toast in her mouth, wiping off the crumbs. She washed her hands before she left and walked out onto her porch. It was chilly, but it still felt nice outside.
The sun was rising fast and it shone on Luz. She had an enthusiastic smile as she walked, she couldn't wait! She speeds up a bit, not wanting to waste any time. She felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket, she took it out to see a notification. 'On your way yet?' Read a text from Amity. Luz's smile got wider as she responded, 'Yeah, almost there!' She sent back. Luz put her phone back in her pocket and continued walking a little faster than before, maybe she did already make a good first impression.
She was so anxious the entire time, Luz didn't even realize she was at the school. It took surprisingly shorter to get there than Glandus. The door of the school stood in front of her, but she didn't go in just yet. They were almost like an iron gate, she could pass through. Her heartbeat raced as she stared at the doors, this was her chance to start over. 'Don't mess this up,' She said in her mind over and over again, one final chance.
She opened the doors and was met by the smell of cinnamon, 'weird' Luz thought. She saw the door that led to the front office and made her way to it. Opening the door, the scent got stronger. She saw 3 women inside of the office, each of them seemed to be laughing at something. They all faced Luz as she walked in, giving her a small smile. Luz returned an awkward smile back and walked toward one of the desks. A lady with a purple yarn sweater sat down, she had a plaque in the front that read the name 'Beatrice Lovedale. The lady looked up at Luz with her icy blue eyes, close to Boscha's. "Hello, sweetheart, what are you here for," She said with a welcoming tone. Luz played with her fingers nervously, "Oh, I just transferred here from Glandus, and was wondering about my schedule," Luz said, looking a the lady. Mrs. Lovedale began typing something down on the computer, Luz was amazed at how fast she did.
"And what's your name sweetie?" She asked nicely, looking up at Luz. "It's Luz Noceda," She said. "Luz...Noceda" Mrs. Lovedale whispered under her breath. "Ah, here you are," She exclaimed, getting up from the desk. She clicked a few more buttons on her computer and then she heard the printer behind her. She got up to get the paper and walked over to hand it to Luz, "Welcome to Hexside Luz, if you ever need anything, just come up here and we'll try our best" She said with a warm smile. Luz returned it back and grabbed her schedule. "Thank you," She said before walking out with a wave.
It was official, she was at Hexside! Luz bounced on her toes a couple of times before composing herself with a deep breath. "Act cool, you got this," She whispered to herself. "Yea, act cool" She heard a voice say beside her. She jumped and let out a tiny yelp, she looked over to see Boscha next to her laughing. "Jeez, didn't mean to scare you," She said, putting a hand on Luz's shoulder. "Glad you're here scoop girl, to be honest, I kinda missed you," Boscha admitted, punching Luz's arm. "Yeah, me too," Luz said, rubbing her arm. "Hey, do you know where Amity is?" Luz asked Boscha. Boscha shrugged her shoulder, "I don't know, probably being a nerd in the library," Boscha said. "Well, can you show me where it is?" She asked with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Yeah sure, I'll give you a tour," Boscha said with a wink. Luz's smile grew wide, she already had friends here, a great start. Her and Boscha walked around the school, Luz showed Boscha her schedule and she showed her where all her classes were. "Wow, you have a lot of classes with Blight," She said bluntly. Luz looked up at Boscha with excitement in her eyes, "Wait, Really!" She exclaimed. "Yeah, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th, she's gonna liked this," Boscha said smugly, a smirk on her face. '4 classes, nice,' she thought with a smile. Boscha checked the time on her phone, there were another 15 minutes before school starts. "You want to head to the library to see if Mittens is there," Boscha asked, tensing up. Luz let out a soft laugh, "Mittens?" She asked. "She will kill me if she knows I told you, don't say a word," She said in a scared tone to Luz. "No promises," Luz sang out teasingly.
When they reached the library, Luz was starstruck by how big it was. So many books filled the shelves, she felt like she was in heaven. "Hey, earth to Luz," Boscha said, waving a hand in front of her face. Luz snapped back and shook her head. "Please don't tell me you're a bookworm too," Boscha whined out. "Sorry, Bosh" Luz apologized playfully, giving her a small smile. They walked into the library together and looked around for the youngest Blight. After a couple of turns, they saw Amity sitting down at a desk with her back towards them. Boscha walked up to her but Luz's pulled her back. Boscha gave her a confused look, but Luz put a finger up to her mouth signaling her to be quiet. Boscha nodded and gave her a nod. They both walked up quietly, Boshca sat down next to her. "'Sup, Blight" Boscha said. Amity gave her a slight wave back but stayed silent.
Luz crept up behind Amity, making sure not to make too much noise. When she directly behind her, she placed her hands over her eyes. Amity was startled and jumped a bit. "Guess who," Luz said behind her. A smile formed on Amity's face as she shot up and faced Luz. "Luz!" she exclaimed, earning a shush from students, Amity didn't care though. She embraced the cashier in a hug, the contact made Amity's heart spin around. Luz tensed but hugged her back, they stayed there for about 2 seconds until they heard Boscha clear her throat behind them. Amity instantly pulled away, a blush forming on her cheeks. "Don't worry Blight, you have all day to do that" Boscha said raising her eyebrow. "Shut it," She said coldly. She faced back towards Luz and gave her a smile. "Do you have your schedule yet?" Amity asked.
"Oh, Yeah," Luz said, showing the piece of paper in her hand. Amity took it and looked through it, her eyes widened and she had a spark in them. "4 classes together, nice!" She said, giving Luz a high-five. Luz returned it and gave her a warm smile. Boscha came up behind Amity and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I hate to ruin this little moment," She said pointing between Luz and Amity, "But we have like 5 minutes before the bell" Boscha finished. As if on cue, the 5-minute bell rang and Amity let out a groan. She walked back to the desk and put her stuff in her backpack. "I'll walk you to your first period, it isn't too far from mine," Amity said. Luz nodded and the 3 of them started walking. Luz heard the chatter of the students, it hurt her ears from how loud it was. People looked at her and whispered, making her stomach feel queasy.
Amity looked over at Luz to see her anxious expression. "Hey don't worry, kids here aren't that mean," Amity said over to her. Luz felt a sense of relief wash over her, but the nervousness instantly came back. "Yeah, except for Kali and her beehive," Boscha said with a fake gag. Amity slapped her upside the head, earning and 'ow' from Boscha. "Don't scare her dumbass," She said. "They aren't that bad Luz, just don't mess with them and you'll be ok...kind of the reason we call them bees," Amity chuckled. Luz's frown went into a small smile.
"Ok, were here," Amity said pointing to the class. "Meet me by the bathrooms over there, I'll take you to 2nd since we have it together," Amity explained. Luz gave her a small nod and walked over to the door. "Oh wait," She heard Amity call from behind, Luz looked back. "Uhm, just...have a good day and text me if you need anything," Amity said with her head down. Luz gave her a smirk and hugged her again, earning some stares from people. "Thanks, Amity," She said with a wave and going into the classroom. It was cold and dimly-lit. People looked at her as she walked into the classroom, whispering to one another. Luz felt her stomach go into a knot as she walked past them, she took an empty near the back that no one seemed to be at. She sat down her things next to her, taking out the textbooks she got the other day.
She had just finished setting up when she saw someone walk up to her desk. She looked up to see the teacher, giving her a warm smile. "You must be Luz, I'm so excited to have you here," She said enthusiastically. Luz let out a chuckle, "Thank you," She said. "My name is Mrs. Dean, just raise your hand if you need any help,". Luz gave her a nod as she walked back to the front of the class. The bell rang, making students sit down in their seats. "Good morning class," Mrs. Dean exclaimed. Some people responded back. "As you guys know, we have a new student today," She, pointing to Luz's seat in the back. People turned to face her, making Luz want to shrivel up. "Her name is Luz and I ask you all to make her feel welcomed at Hexside," She said, people nodded their heads in response.
The teacher started teaching the lessons, and Luz surprisingly caught along very fast. Taking note, she looked around the room once. When she did, she saw 2 girls looking back at her with a smirk. Luz made eye contact with them as they turned away and giggled. Luz gave an uneasy smile as they did that, holding her head down low. For the rest of the class, Luz avoided making eye contact with anyone else, but she could feel their stares burning through her head like lasers. When the bell rang, Luz let out a sigh of relief and stood up, packing her things. She was about to walk out when she was stopped by the teacher. "Do you know where you are going next?" She asked sweetly. "Not really, but someone is helping me out," Luz said with a smile. "Who might this person be?" The teacher interrogated. "Uh, Amity Blight," Luz said, stuttering out a bit. The teacher raised an eyebrow, "Hm Amity, that's peculiar...Well, have a nice day" She said.
Luz was confused about why she said peculiar, but she didn't pay much attention to it. Luz walked towards the bathrooms Amity told her to wait by. She bounced her leg as people walked by, some of them giving her stares. After a few seconds, Luz saw a certain green-haired girl walk towards her. "Sorry, Boscha was being clingy," She apologized with an eye roll. Luz chuckled, "It's fine," She said. Amity began to walk, Luz following close behind her. Amity talked about the class and how it was kinda boring, but nothing would be boring to Luz if Amity was there with her. When they reached the door, Amity held it open for Luz as she walked in. Amity walked over to her seat, patting down the one next to her. Luz sat down and gave Amity a warm smile, she notices Amity tense up a bit. "You ok there, Amity?" Luz asked worriedly. Amity put her face in her hands, "Yep, Just peachy," She muffled.
The bell had rung and the class began. This teacher was monotone to Luz, very grey in her eyes. The teacher had explained somethings, and Luz was confused. She asked Amity for help next to her, which she did. Amity helped her write down the notes and gave her some pointers, she was a good study partner. When the class ended, the 2 walked out together. Since they also had the 3rd period together, Amity walked with her to the next class. Amity explained how Boscha was in there with them, and how she can sometimes be distracting. Luz liked that the 3 of them could spend time together though. "Wait, what about Willow?" Luz asked. Amity shrugged her shoulders. "I don't have any classes with her this year, we don't really talk that often," Amity said, looking straight ahead. "Well when she and Boscha get together, we're gonna be 3rd wheeling," Luz said, nudging Amity. "Trust me, Boscha's gonna be too much of a wuss to actually commit," Amity exposed. Luz chucked as they walked to the class.
They went through the same motions. Luz asked Amity for help and she gave her pointers. Boscha whispered a few jokes to her and she tried to choke back a laugh. The class went smoothly, and then the bell rang. Amity and Boscha got up quickly, and Luz was confused why. "Better hurrying if you don't want to get stuck in rush hour," Boscha said. Luz's eyes widened and packed her stuff quickly, walking out with the 2. "Ah yes the cafeteria, barbaric and wild," She said dramatically, earning a thumped from Amity. "I told you to not say things like that," Amity exclaimed. Luz zoned the 2 out for a bit, looking at all the people around. It seemed like they were all beading their eyes into her head. She was pulled out of her trance when she felt a hand on her arm. She looked over to see a worried expression on Amity's face, "You ok?" She asked.
Luz gave her a reassuring smile back, "Yeah, I'm fine". Lunch went good, she sat down at the table with the 2 girls and they joked. People looked back at them, wondering how to new girl already got the be friends with Amity Blight, It was unnatural. The bell rang again, cutting off their conversation. "So, we have Chemistry together right?" Luz asked. "Heck yeah you do," Boshca exclaimed. Amity looked over at her with a furious look, but then rolled her eyes "Dumbass..." She mumbled under her breath. She looked over at Luz, "Yes, we do," SHe responded. Luz smiled and walked over with the girls to throw away the trays. Walking out of the cafe, Amity and Luz said bye to Boscha as she left for her class.
They walked together and continued talking until the bell. Amity was still helping her catch up, she liked being helpful for Luz. Since they had different 5th periods, they said goodbye to each other and walked off. Luz was excited for her next class, which was art. She wanted to see what the program was like at Hexside, because at Glandus, Luz didn't enjoy it at all. Luz walked into the class, being met by every color in existence. The room almost looked like a daycare with how bright and fun it looked. The teacher stood off by the side. She wore a flowy, green dress that fell to her ankles, a scarf covered her neck. She also had on a headband and a pair of round glasses, she already looked like a fun teacher. As the teacher looked at Luz, she gave out a small gasp, "Oh my gosh, you must be Luz!" the teacher exclaimed.
Luz gave her a warm smile and a slight wave, "Yep, that's me," She said awkwardly, looking down at her feet. The teacher placed her hands on her shoulders, "No need to be nervous, I can already tell we're gonna be friends," She said excitedly, with a wink. Luz let out a small laugh and looked up at the teacher's emerald green eyes, they were beautiful. "My name is Ms. Sanders, just come to me if you ever need anything, sound good?" She asked. Luz nodded and the teacher let go of her grasp. "Ok then, do you happen to have any pieces you would like to show me," The teacher asked. Luz's eyes lit up and she set her backpack down eagerly, this was what she was waiting for all-day. Luz unzipped her backpack and carefully pulled out a folder filled with her creations. "There is one I am proud of," Luz said, scrummaging through the pieces of paper. Her smile grew big as she found the sketch. It was one of the man with luscious, blond hair. She handed it to Ms. Sanders and watched as she inspected it. Her eyes widened, making Luz frown a bit, "Wow...Luz," She said softly.
Luz's face fell as she heard the teacher. "This is amazing and so advanced!" She said a little louder. Luz's smile was back on her face and she hopped on her feet. "I'm glad you like it," Luz said. "Like it! This is beautiful, I love it!" she exclaimed, giving Luz back her piece. Luz neatly tucked it back into the folder, making sure not to ruin it. "You're gonna have fun here Luz, I can tell," Mrs. Sanders said, giving her one final wink before going to the front of the class. Luz found a seat in the second row, closest to the wall. She set down her backpack behind her. The class went smoothly for the rest of the time, Mrs. Sanders was extremely nice and funny. When the bell rang, Luz frowned, she didn't want the class to be over yet.
6th Period was a free period, which meant she could basically do whatever as long as she didn't cause any trouble. Luz tried to look for Amity but could seem to find her anywhere. Luz figured she was probably already studying somewhere secret. She shrugged it off, but she had nowhere to go. So, Luz made her way to the library where she went earlier, Amity was most likely in there. She walked into the giant doors and saw all the books again, it never ceased to amaze her. Luz walked through the library, heading the same way she did earlier in the morning. As Luz guessed, there sat Amity Blight, with a pencil in her hand a journal in front of her. Luz made her way over to Amity, sitting down next to her. The Blight was caught by surprise as she looked over at Luz. "O-oh Luz! hey," She said awkwardly, shutting the journal she had.
"Hey Ami," Luz said with a smile. Amity felt a red grow on her cheeks when Luz called her that, it felt like her heart did a somersault. "You studying?" Luz asked, looking over at the journal. "Oh no, I was just writing," She said, picking up the journal and putting it in her backpack. "Oh Cool! What about?" Luz asked with a twinkle in her eye. "Nothing, just an idea that came to mind," Amity said, zipping her backpack. "Oh, ok then," Luz said. For the rest of the free period, they sat and talked about random things that would come up. They enjoyed talking with each other, just the 2 of them. So when the bell rang, their faces fell and they got up. "Well, I might not see you after school since I have practice, but I'll call you later," Amity reassured her. Luz gave Amity a warm smile and a final goodbye, walking off to her next class.
The last period of the day, she had made it with no mishaps. 'Good Job, Noceda' she thought, congratulating herself. Her last class was P.E. which was ok. Even though Luz didn't play any sports, she did work out. She was surprisingly athletic and strong. The final bell rang as Luz changed out of her gym clothes. She hurried as fast as she could out of the locker room, almost tripping over her shoelaces. Outside of the school, she could she groups talking to one another. Luz looked at all of them but decided to make her way home. As she walked, her headphones played music softly in her ears. Today was a good day, and nothing could ruin it.
Or at least she thought.
Luz was sitting down at her desk, adding the finishing touches to Amity's portrait. It came along nicely, and she couldn't wait to show it to her. As she looked at it, she saw her phone illuminate a bright color. She picked it up, seeing that she got a notification. When she unlocked her phone, her heart sank and shattered into millions of pieces.
'Hi Mija' the screen read.
Luz's eyes began to tear up. He hadn't contacted her in weeks, why would he start now. Luz was unsure of what to do. She wanted to block his number and remove him from her life forever. At the same time though, she wanted to talk to him. Even though she hated him, she didn't know if it was wrong to not respond. After all, could you ever hate your own dad?