Chapter Text
It all started with Boscha being nice to Luz. That should’ve been the first indication that something was about to go horribly wrong.
Boscha had walked over and patted Luz on the back after their potions class together. “Nice job with that invisibility potion today, human. Maybe you’ve got a chance at being a witch after all.
“Awww, thanks, Boscha!” Luz said, beaming at the compliment.
Boscha smiled as she watched Luz walk away. The human hadn’t even noticed the small slip of paper she’d stuck onto her back. As Boscha watched, the paper began to glow before fading away into the fabric of Luz’s cowl, as though it had never been there to begin with.
Now, to find a good sit back and enjoy the show.
Luz wasn’t feeling good. She wasn’t sure what was wrong, exactly, there was just an overwhelming feeling of wrongness. It crawled up and down her skin, dripped from her pores, shivered down her spine. Every instinct in her was telling her that something terrible was happening, yet as she looked around the lunchroom, she could see nothing out of the ordinary.
She tried to block out the feelings and went back to talking to Gus and Willow, forcing a smile on her face.
“So is it true that humans have webbed toes?” Gus asked, reading from an old book on human lore he’d dug up in the school library.
“Not remotely true,” Luz replied. “I mean, some do, but it isn’t normal.”
Then how do you live underwater? Are you telling me you don’t have gills either?”
Luz didn’t respond. She shivered slightly. “Are you alright, Luz?”
“Something’s wrong,” Luz replied. “I don’t know what, but something’s wrong.”
She suddenly gripped her stomach and doubled over in pain, falling out of her seat onto the lunchroom floor. Heads turned to see what was the matter as Gus and Willow rushed to her aid.
Amity looked up from her lunch. “What’s going on?”
Boscha smiled and rested her chin on her hand. “Looks like the human ate something that didn’t agree with her.”
Luz tried to push herself to her feet, but the pain was unbearable. She could only push herself to her knees.
“Luz! Are you okay?” Willow asked, running to her side. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t…I don’t know!” Luz clenched her teeth and tried not to scream. “It hurts. Everything hurts.”
“I’ll get a healer!” Gus said, standing up and rushing over to the healing track table.
“Luz!” Willow said. “Your arms!”
Luz looked down at her arms. Something was growing through her skin. Her heart dropped as she recognized what they were.
Feathers. Long, brown feathers.
“Stay back!” Luz shouted, pushing Willow away.
“Luz, what’s happening?”
Before Luz could reply another wave of pain surged through her. Willow stepped back as more feathers sprouted from Luz. The human screamed as her bones began to stretch and grow, her face twisting and morphing into a muzzle as her teeth grew into long, jagged fangs. Wings sprouted from her back, unfolding into a vast wingspan that knocked Willow over and scattered chairs and curious students. Her hands lengthened, fingernails sharpening into fierce talons that carved deep grooves in the floor.
Amity watched it all in horror, her eyes drifting back over to Boscha. The three-eyed girl had a wicked grin on her face. “Boscha, what did you do?” she asked.
Boscha pointed to herself in mock surprise. “Me? What makes you think I had anything to do with this?”
Amity reached across the table and grabbed Boscha by the collar of her shirt. “WHAT. DID. YOU. DO?!”
Boscha only laughed. “It’s nothing she didn’t deserve. Just a harmless little prank.”
“Does this seem harmless to you?!” Amity asked, gesturing to the chaos unfolding.
Gus ran back over and stood next to Willow, clutching her arm as he stared fearfully. “Willow, what’s happening to Luz?”
Luz’s screams faded, and the beast that had taken her place now lay on the lunchroom floor moaning piteously. Willow took a step forward cautiously. “Luz…can you hear me?”
Luz’s head jerked up, causing Willow to recoil in shock. Slowly Luz shifted onto all fours, looming high over the rest of the students. She looked around at all the horrified faces, then whined and stretched out her wings. With a running start she vaulted through one of the high windows, sending shattered glass raining down on the students, and flew off across the lawn and into the woods beyond the school gates.
Amity, Willow and Gus ran to the window and looked out. “I’ll go get the Owl Lady,” Willow said, “Maybe she’ll know what to do. You two follow after Luz!”
“But she could be going anywhere!” Gus said.
“No,” Amity said. “I know where she’s going.”
Eda jerked awake from her nap at the sound of someone furiously hammering on the door. “Ms. Eda! Ms. Eda!” She stood up, stretching and moaning as her back cracked, then walked over to the door and opened it. Luz’s friend (Willow?) stood at the door, looking visibly upset. “Ms. Eda, you have to come to Hexside! Something’s happened to Luz!”
“Woah, calm down. What exactly happened?” Eda said, her dormant motherly emotions suddenly kicking into high gear.
“I don’t know! We were eating lunch and suddenly she turned into this terrifying bird monster and flew away!”
The words echoed in Eda’s head. She felt her legs threaten to give out as she took in the news. “A…terrifying…bird monster?” Willow nodded. No. Eda summoned Owlbert and hopped onto the staff, pulling Willow on to sit behind her. “Take me to her. Now!”
Amity and Gus ran through the woods until they reached the cliff edge where the Grom Tree now stood. It had only been a week since that night, one of the most magical nights of Amity’s life. A large, dark form sat huddled at the base of the tree. Gus grabbed Amity’s hand and pulled her back. “Amity, wait! Luz might not be in control of herself. We have to be careful.”
Amity shook herself free and kept walking. “Don’t worry about me, Gus. I’ll be fine.”
Amity slowly approached Luz, careful not to startle her. “Luz…it’s me, Amity.” Luz didn’t respond. “Everything’s going to be fine. Willow’s getting the Owl Lady, and everything will be okay.”
Luz’s head jerked up and she gave a low, inhuman growl. Amity flinched but didn’t run, standing her ground. Slowly, Luz rose to her feet, standing a good head taller than Amity, and stalked over to her. She stopped, her face inches from Amity’s, and began to sniff her. Then she rested her forehead against Amity’s and purred. Slowly, Amity raised a hand and rested it on Luz’s cheek. “It’s okay, Luz. I’m here.”
Eda and Willow flew in on the staff and landed beside Gus. “Oh, Titan,” Eda muttered, hardly believing her eyes. She fished in her hair and pulled out a bottle of elixir. “Boots, step aside, I’ll take it from here.” Amity moved over as Eda walked up to Luz and studied her sadly. “Oh, you poor girl. What have they done to you?”
Baby bird!
Protect!
Revenge!
KILL!
Eda mentally hushed the owl beast screaming in her head as she uncorked the bottle of elixir and held it to Luz’s mouth. “Please, drink this. It tastes awful, but it’ll help you.” Luz groaned but obeyed, tipping her head back and letting the elixir slide down her throat. She coughed and then began to shrink, slowly regaining her human form. Eda caught her as she fell and brought her close to her chest, rubbing her back as Luz began to sob uncontrollably. “Shhh, it’s okay, Luz. It’s okay,” she said soothingly, not quite believing the words coming out of her own mouth.
Eda looked up at Amity, tears in her eyes. “Who did this?” she growled.
“I think you’re failing to understand the gravity of this situation, Boscha,” Principal Bump said. He sat behind his desk, Eda standing behind him and glaring daggers at the three-eyed girl. Luz sat in a chair in the corner beside Amity, huddled up in a thick blanket and looking completely drained. “I can excuse some of your behavior as youthful antics, but cursing a student? I expected better from you.”
“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Boscha said, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. “Just give her the cure. No biggie?”
“Don’t you get it, kid?” Eda leaned forward and slammed her fist on the desk. “THERE. IS. NO. CURE.” Eda crossed the room and stood before Boscha, eyes wet with furious tears. “You’ve cursed Luz to a life of pain and suffering, and for what? For kicks? You disgust me, kid.”
Boscha’s eyes went wide. “What?! No! There has to be a cure! Grimhammer said—”
“ Grimhammer? ” Eda scowled and clenched her fists. “ Tibbles. ” With that she swept out of the room like a cyclone.
Bump turned back to Boscha and steepled his fingers. “If what Ms. Clawthorne says is true—and as she’s been living with this curse for close to thirty years, I have no reason to doubt her—then I am afraid I am going to have to take dramatic disciplinary action. I will not tolerate such woeful misuse of magic in these halls.” He stood up and walked around his desk. “Boscha Arens, you are hereby expelled from Hexside School of Magic and Demonics.”
Boscha paled. “What! You can’t—when my parents find out, they’ll kill me! You can’t expel me, please, I’m begging you!”
“I’m sorry, Boscha, I hate to lose such a gifted grudgeby player, but you must learn that your actions have consequences. Consider that your final lesson in these halls. You have one hour to collect your belongings and leave the school. I will be placing a crow call to your parents shortly.”
Boscha staggered to her feet and walked to the door, casting a quick glance at Luz and Amity as she passed them. Luz didn’t look up, but Amity glared at her. “How could you, Boscha?”
“I-I didn’t know…” Boscha’s voice faded, and she left the room.
Bump turned to Amity and Luz, a regretful look on his face. “Miss Noceda, on behalf of the entire school I sincerely apologize for what happened here today. Miss Arens’s behavior should have been addressed weeks ago, and I’m sorry it escalated to this.” He reached into his desk and pulled out a stack of papers. “If you could sign and initial these documents promising not to sue the school, I would greatly appreciate it.” Amity and Luz stared at him in disbelief. “I’m…not helping, am I?”
“TIBBLES!”
Tibbles looked up to see Eda the Owl Lady stalking towards his booth, fire in her eyes. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Owl Lady. Come back for more elixirs? My price has risen since the last time we—what are you doing? Wait! No!”
Eda grabbed Tibbles and hauled him off his feet, throwing him out of his booth and clear across the square and into a stack of crates, which smashed to kindling on impact.
Tibbles lay groaning on the ground as Eda walked over to him. She picked the demon up by the neck and brought his face to hers. “Listen to me, you steaming sack of ratworm shit! My apprentice is cursed and it’s all because of you!” She tightened her grip around his neck and throttled him. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t tear you limb from limb.”
A curious crowd had gathered around them, among them an intrepid, and impressively stupid, coven scout. “Eda the Owl Lady, you are under arrest for disturbing the peace. Drop the demon and put your hands in the air!”
Eda turned to the scout and growled, her fangs lengthening, eyes turning pitch black. “ FUCK. OFF. NOW! ”
The scout stopped dead in his tracks. “Ummm, I can see you’re in the middle of something. I’ll just come back later.” He promptly turned and ran away screaming.
Eda turned back to Tibbles. “You told three-eyes it was a temporary curse. You lied, didn’t you?”
Tibbles smiled sheepishly. “A-anything for a s-s-sale. You’d know that, right, Eda, a fellow b-businessperson and all that—”
Eda tightened her grip again, cutting the demon’s airflow off. “Where did you come across that curse?”
“A-an old grimoire!” Tibbles croaked. “It’s under the c-c-counter! Please, Eda, h-h-have mercy!”
“I ought to destroy you,” she hissed as Tibbles spasmed and gasped for breath. “I ought to repay you a hundred times for what you did to my Luz. But I don’t want your death on my conscience. Having said that,” She grabbed Tibbles’s arm firmly. “When you go to the healer’s coven—”
“No!”
“—Tell them you have a compound fracture.”
“NO!”
“Deep breath, Tibbles.” There was a snap and the diminutive demon shrieked in agony. Eda dropped him to the ground and walked over to his booth. She searched under the counter until she found an old leather-bound book and tucked it away in her hair. She walked back over to Tibbles, who was clutching his arm and sobbing like a baby. “If I ever see you in this city again, you’re dead . Do you hear me?” Tibbles nodded, whimpering. “Have a nice day,” Eda said as she mounted Owlbert and flew away.
Amity walked Luz home to the Owl House. “I’m sorry, Luz,” Amity said as they reached the front door. “If I’d known Boscha was planning something, I’d’ve stopped her.”
“It’s not your fault, Amity,” Luz said, her voice hollow. “What happened…happened. There was nothing you could have done.”
Amity nodded, shuffling her feet. “Do you need anything?”
“I don’t know what I need,” Luz replied. She looked over at Amity and smiled weakly. “Thanks for walking me home. I’ll see you tomorrow…maybe. I might take a few days off, just to wrap my head around all…this.”
“Take all the time you need, Luz,” Amity said. “Just know that me, Amity and Gus are here for you.”
“Thanks.”
Amity rushed forward and wrapped Luz in a hug. Luz froze before returning the hug, fighting back more tears. “It’ll be okay, Luz. We can fix this together.”
“Sure,” Luz replied, her voice catching in her throat. “We can fix this together.”
Luz entered the Owl House and slowly climbed the stairs to her room. She lay down in her sleeping bag, not bothering to undress, and stared up at the ceiling. Try as she might, she couldn’t get comfortable. After a few minutes of tossing and turning, a strange, intrusive thought entered her head…
Eda came home, ignoring Hooty’s attempts at conversation, and went upstairs to check on Luz. She cracked open the door and was treated to a surprising sight. Luz had torn her sleeping bag into shreds and arranged it with other rags and blankets into a makeshift nest in the corner of the room. She lay curled up in the center of the nest, fast asleep.
Eda couldn’t help but smile sadly. “Goodnight, Luz. I’ll fix this.” She ran her fingers across the cover of the grimoire in her hands. “I promise, if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll fix this.”