The Owl House. Aka "Gay Satanic Criminal Panic, the show".

Zam

Well-known member
First Night Home
For well over a year, one Luz Noceda had been missing under mysterious circumstances.
Then on an unassuming night, she returned, but why, how, & who was responsible?
Camila Noceda has questions & the messages Luz left her are her only resource.

Her body was aching, bones cracking and muscles quaking with every movement, but Luz didn't care, couldn't care, not when the sound of the castle collapsing still echoed in her mind. "Come... On, come on!" She hissed, dragging her bloody palm along the filthy floorboard and making a circle.

"The base of the magic is the circle," She uttered as if in a trance, "The Eye in the center the focal point, use it to pierce the veil and open the way," She squeezed her shaking hand until a small pool of blood formed and half collapsed over the steps.

Ignorant to the frantic buzzing of her phone she dabbed her finger into it and painted the folded eye of worlds, "Please... Just let me see them one more time," she begged.

Hand slamming down on the spell circle she called out to the Boiling Isles, to Eda, her friends, to Amity. The circle flashed with a crackling crimson red, horrifically reminiscent of Belos magic but it was working, the eye opened and... Her arm was numb, the pain was fading and she felt... So... Cold.

Luz's eyes went wide as she watched blood flowing from her wounds, her muscles spasmed and her skin twisted and clenched as the spell grew in power, crimson light cracking at the membrane of worlds as her vision faded.

'Its eating me!'

With a scream, Luz slashed through the spell circle and hit the ground with a wretched sob, bile spilling from her mouth as tears rolled down her cheeks, everything numb and hazy, but pain tearing through her head and choking her veins. She'd made it work, she'd made the magic work but looking at her dripping wounds, Luz choked at the realization of the cost.

'I don't... Have enough...'

She wanted to scream, to howl and thrash and kick and wail. She wanted to hold her friends, to hug her mentor, to embrace her Amity, but they were gone now, worlds away and death stood between her and even a chance at seeing them again.

With a violent shove she rolled herself over and sucked in the cold night air, shivers running across her frame as something buzzed in her ear.

It was her ring tone.

It was her mobile.

It was her mom.
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Camila had been up late, which had become a custom for her since Luz's disappearance.

She didn't sleep well these days, too often her dreams filled with fretting and fear for her daughters fate; with any time she spent not seeking her out felt wasted and misspent. Thus she searched, and researched and called again and again helplessly until her body demanded she collapse and with hope she would fall into a dreamless sleep.

This night had been like any other, the early onset of exhaustion was just creeping in, as she scoured websites from social media to the criminally inclined in disguise, seeking some presence of her baby girl.

Then her phone had started going off.

She tried not to jump, not to hope, but when it began to vibrate harder and louder, the jingle that accompanied messages flickering wildly she knocked over her chair racing towards it and felt her eyes fly open at Luz's name flashed and messages began to pile up.

She didn't even read them, letting her phone howl she raced to the land line and began frantically dialing heart hammering in her chest and for the first time in nine months she heard the telltale sound of ringing on the other end.

'Luz, pick up, please!'

One ring, two ring, three, four, and-

A rough, strained voice, like it was chocked with ash and tears whispered, "Mami..."

"Miha!" She was crying, her eyes growing blurry as she begged, "Where are you baby? Mommy will find yo! Are you OK, I love you, I'm so sorry please stay with me."

Her babies breathing was labored, but a faint, dry chuckle that blurred the line into a sob echoed in the phone, "I never thought I'd hear you again... I'm so sorry I made you sad..."

"You have nothing to apologize for, please, please tell me where you are, I can bring police, doctors, anything!"

Another labored breath was her answer followed by a groan, as Luz murmured, "None of them, I'm... I'm coming to you...."

"Where are you, I'll come to you, are you hurt?"

The next words were muttered, like they were not directed at her, she could only make out a few, "Sorry.... Go.... Fine..."

"Miha?"

"Sorry," She gasped, "My arms tired, I'm... Just stay where you are mami, I..." she gasped, "I can see the light. You left it on for me.. Thank you," She was weeping now, "I'm coming home, I'm in the woods."

She couldn't bear to leave her, but Camila couldn't let her little girl stay out there alone for a moment longer, shouting, "I'm coming for you!" and bursting through the front door, porch light blazing bright as anything she called, "LUZ!" So loud that neighbors lights began to flick on.

Turning frantically, wildly, eyes adjusting to the night slowly, she froze at a shadowed figure lurching out from the woods, taller than she remembered. Brown hair at her shoulders, baby fat fading to reveal defined cheek bones on a drained face that radiated exhaustion and pain. Clothes adorning her chest were barely more than bloodied tatters revealing cuts, bruises, scars and even a splash of dark ink.

It was Luz, her baby was home and she was hurt.

Camila didn't even stop to think, to process, she raced forward, grass grinding beneath her feet as she came to a stop and slid her arms around her daughters waist, pulling her close and cradling Luz against her chest.

"I'm here Mija," She whispered, pressing a hand over the deep cut on Luz's stomach.

"Mami..." Luz's shaking arms clung to her as her body began to give out, "I'm home."

Neighbors were looking out from their porches as Camila laid Luz on the grass with shaking hands, pulling a pocket first aid kit from her hip pouch and murmuring every apology and affirmation she never thought she'd get to say as she bound the wounds shut, someone was shouting for an ambulance as Camilia tried to work through the tears.

She stilled for but a moment when she felt Luz's hand grasp hers and her daughter smiled, "I'm home," Squeezing with strength someone so inured should not have had, her daughter lay back, chest rising and falling gently as sirens began to ring in the distance.

"Welcome home Mija..." She whispered, pressing another deep gash shut, "I'll never let you go again. I promise."
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Camila's gut felt like it had snakes fighting within it as she sat outside Luz's hospital room, hands clasped and sweaty, foot tapping sharply as she stared at the closed door, gaze unwavering as if looking away would be a betrayal. She squeezed her hands until the bones ached, mind flashing to the wounds, to every act she took, to the subtle movements of the paramedics on their race to the hospital, Luz's eyes flickering open, always seeking her out before she faded again.

Taking in a shuddering breath she jolted to her feet as Amanda stepped out from Luz's room; the brunette was looking wary having stayed over time but alert.

"Camila, I have mostly good news," She said, wincing at her phrasing.

A brief, sharp sigh of relief was quickly swallowed by worry, "What's her condition, can I see her?"

Amanda nodded stiffly, motioning her into the room, "She's still asleep and will be for awhile, but she's stable."

Camila registered the words but did not think much on them as each one felt like they were stabbing her heart. There was her baby girl, laid out and unconscious on a hospital bed, covered in bandages, IV drips and more.

Without thinking she dragged a chair to her side and delicately took Luz's free hand in her own, Swallowing back her anxiety, "So.. She'll recover?"

Amanda's expression was tense but she nodded, "By all rights she should, but I cannot tell you how touch and go there it was for a time. If you hadn't found her...'" The doctor shook her head and began flipping through Luz's chart, upon which were far too many pages for Camila's comfort.

"I'll start it off simple," Amanda said, "Luz has several fractures, deep bruising and some minor broken bones, we've set them as best we can," She assured hastily. "And she should recover but she will be very delicate for some time, its almost like she was hit with something heavy and concussive or hurled from a moving vehicle."

Given no one knew where Luz had been for a year, Camila knew it was entirely possible Luz had needed to fling herself from a vehicles to escape and bile burnt at the back of her throat at what a captor might have done to her sweet little girl.

Amanda flicked to the next page, "We many several gashes which your quick treatment helped stem the tide on, but we also found some scars I doubt were there before... Especially one that almost looks like a talon mark."

"Talons?" Camila gasped, "What kind?"

Amanda frowned, "We don't know," she shook her head, "The size of the marks indicate whatever they were they were too large to be any bird on record, but the indentation and shape is right, but there's also too many. It could have been," She licked her lips, "Something engineered."

Camila's brown knitted together, teeth grinding, "There's more you are not saying, you wouldn't suggest such a thing lightly, what else is there?"

"Several things," Amanda murmured, "But we are.. Alost done. All right I am not sure how to say this but Luz needed a transfusion and not a minor one either, in fact she's liable to need at least one more, plus a potential treatment of steroids and the works. I don't know why or how, Camila but your daughter had lost something like... Well, half of her blood.

"Half!?"

"I know, its horrible and insane," Amanda said, tapping the chart, "none of her wounds should have caused that even if she marched for miles.."

"Are you saying you think someone drained her of blood?" Camila asked, trying not to seethe as her heart hammered in her ears.

"Maybe, the marks on her back don't look ritualistic but they aren't natural and," Amanda shook her head, "Luz didn't have a tattoo before she left, did she?"

"Of course not, rambunctious as she was she'd never do something like that," Camila's mind was whirling, who had taken her daughter, what had they done to her, had they used her love of fantasy to toy with her, to try and twist her!?

"Well she does now, a circle with a pattern inside it but her wounds obscured the design and that's not all.."

"Dios mio," Camila murmured, bringing up and kissing Luz's limp hand, "What else has been done to her?"

Amanda shrugged, "Its hard to say but her lab results are... Inconclusive, that is to say, we have found foreign elements in her system but we can't identify them, maybe it is due to the loss of blood but even that shouldn't cause us a problem but... Camila I just don't know, the samples are so small and there's nothing on record like it but if she wakes up and can get her to tell us anything it would be incredibly helpful. At this point we're too wary of her health to take more and its possible the samples were corrupted but..."

"You think someone's been feeding her unknown drugs," Camila muttered.

"Drugs, food, tainted drinks, the system is as confused as we are, it doesn't seem to be doing any harm but who knows... Not us, sadly," She said, frowning.

Camila nodded, "Thank you Amanda... I mean it, despite all this you and the others saved my Luz."

Amanda smiled, "Just doing our job ma'am, I'll leave you here for now, but expect everyone to come and check on you and... do try to get some rest."

"When I can," Camila murmured, "But I'm not leaving her side."

"Of course," Amanda said disappearing out the door.

Welcoming the silence Camila ran her thumb along the back of Luz's hand, "Oh Mija, what happened to you?"

The silence was broken by another vibrating ding from her phone an her eyes flashed wide.

'When she arrived, messages were pouring in, of course!' Camila's free hand rummaged in her pocket and she pulled her old model phone free an saw it flashing 'Memory Maxed Out' and swallowed. 'All this time you were trying to contact me?' And yet somehow she hadn't noticed anything wrong until the fake camp letters stopped.

Scanning through the collection Camila's brow furrowed as the number, 'If she sent one a day that would be nearly nine months of messages, how long did they have her in some dead zone, why let her keep her phone, was it a trick?'

Camila knew the only way to find out was to begin scanning the messages. She almost skimmed to the last one but stopped herself at the title on the oldest message, 'Something Happened, the Whole Truth, love Luz,' it was entitled. 'She must have started realizing something was wrong or...' Camila shook her head and after putting in her ear phones, not wanting to disrupt her daughters rest, she hit play.

"Hi mom!"

Camila's heart soared for even a moment hearing her daughters voice not cloaked in pain but she could hear the dread behind it, and see Luz looked to be in a dimly lit room looking like an attic.

"So, I know you're probably surprised to get a video message from me... Or maybe not, I guess it will depend if this goes through or when or, uh... If, you ever see it..." Luz's gaze shifted wildly for a moment before she leaned into her pillow looking at the phone with a worried little pout.

"So, uh, I've.... Not been totally honest with you about where I am this Summer. I know, lying is bad and you can ground me when I get home but and I am begging you here," She clasped her hands, "Please just hear me out the whole way and don't do anything rash, OK? OK."

Luz sucked in a breath and sighed, "I went over this so many times and I still can't get it right, can you, uh, get a piece of paper and pen, I have a cool trick to show you, see the symbol on the screen?" Luz's face vanished to reveal a circle containing a rune.

'It is a cult,' Camila frowned.

"Now I know you're probably jumping to a bunch of conclusions," Luz's voice cut in, her face half obscured behind the symbol, "But I really need you to follow me on this, so maybe consider it a birthday present? Please?"

Camila didn't want to, but some part of her had never shaken the feeling if she'd just listened to Luz more her daughter might not have disappeared and there was no better time to make good on her promise than right now. So she propped her phone up on her knee, pulled out a not pad and pressed it to the phone, using a pen from Luz's chart she traced the symbol as her daughter talked.

"Thanks so much mum, you're the coolest," She said jovially, as if knowing Camila's every action... 'Then again she could be quit intuitive,' Camila mused as she completed the circle and moved onto the pattern within.

"So anyway, I know you told me to throw away my Azura book on the first day of camp, but after you left I went to get one last look at it," The fact she'd tried to force Luz to throw away something she treasured, especially a book felt like a needle jabbing into her side but Camila pressed on finishing the triangle.

"Well, it was missing! Stolen by this adorable little owl that started hopping away, so I chased the tiny trash thief down and into this old house which... Yeah OK not the safest thing ever I know but adrenaline right?" She laughed.

Goodness Camila had missed Luz's laugh.

"Anyway, uh, it was here I met a cool lady named Eda, not in the house but on the other side of the door, trust me this will make sense, and she needed a little favor done and I was the right person for the job!"

Camila's teeth ground as she pictured some creeping, skulking figure spying on an impressionable little girl in the back woods, just waiting to play on her naiveite.

"And after I helped her get her buddies crown back she offered to let me study under her... Well I asked, but she agreed, and if you've finished the glyph you'll just need to tap it to see what I learned.

Sighing, Camila tapped the last line and then froze as the paper shriveled and crinkled, a flickering pulse of flashing gold vanishing in an instant as it turned to waving streams of light that vanished before she could even blink.

Camila's chair skidded back as she nearly choked on her tongue and Luz cheered, "Surprise! You just made your first Light Glyph! Or, at least something obviously magical, my fire Glyph didn't work so hot earlier today either but I'll get to that. The point is," Luz stressed, "I've been studying magic, real magic under a real witch in another world on a place called the Boiling Isle."

Camila watched as Luz pulled back the paper she'd used to demonstrate the 'Glyph' to her and tap it, the paper crinkling into an orb of light that she cradled in her hands, "Pretty cool right?" Her smile was gentle and proud but her tone grew softer, almost guilty.

"Its been amazing here, I made friends, went to a school dance, and yeah sometimes its been dangerous but Eda or my friends were always there for me, I think you'd like them, plus, hey, friends! Just like you wanted!" she cheered, only for the light to fade from her eyes as she let the orb float away.

"But there's a problem," Her shoulders sunk, "I got kidnapped, and then Eda sacrificed herself to save me and when King and I went to get her back there was a big fight, well, several, one with Lilith whose... Complicated and this horrible jerk," she spat. "Emperor Belos, the guy who rules things here and he wanted Eda's portal to the human world, to our world."

Luz's recording locked eyes with Camila who stared enraptured and horrified as the realization washed over her, "I knew he was an evil man, I know not to trust evil men with power and so to try and protect you, protect everyone... I destroyed the portal with some booby trapped Glyphs." Her words came out faster, "I scared his henchwoman into letting Eda King and also that Lilith lady who changed sides out of the cage and Eda flew us away... She was an Owl Beast at the time, I'll explain later."

Luz sucked in a breath and licked her lips, a smile forming on her face, "And that's how we escaped from the emperor, everyone told me he was the most powerful witch alive, but look at this mom," she smirked holding up a piece of golden shrapnel, "I chipped off a piece of his mask! I know he's not invincible now."

Her smile faded and her gaze wandered, "Its a strange feeling, having gone through so much and not having you here to share it with and I don't know when or how I'm going to see you again," her head drooped and the phone was placed down. Camilia saw Luz take up a picture of them together clearly kept at her bedside before looking high, "But I will find my way home to you, I promise."

She placed the picture down and took up her phone again, "Deja una luz puesta para mí." and popped the light orb and with that, the first message ended, and with it, Camila's entire understanding of the world as she knew it.
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Camila barely slept, only breaking to speak with doctors and a few well wishers from her collogues. Her worry had not abated, but her anger and dread had faded, if only somewhat after watching so many of her daughters messages.

'She was happy there,' Camila has thought to herself.

'Not always safe, and the weight in her eyes at times...' The thought had lingered, for even when Luz smiled the occasional missed day, a lingering wound or reference to a battle still chilled her. Luz had spoken with a sense of weight and maturity Camila had never expected from her, let alone wanted to see so young.

'My baby got to live her dream of a magical world, but it cost her that whimsy... It cost her the safe and easy childhood every child deserves,' she had thought, scowling as the name Belos burned in her memory, 'No, he took it from her!'

She had ultimately calmed, in so much as she could at least, pushing forward through more and more messages as the night trickled into day.

It was only well into the next day when the police finally showed up, and by then she had seen more than enough to know that she would have to cover for her daughter. They didn't trust the police on the best of days and assuming the state didn't think them both mad, well... Camila didn't want to think about the consequences.

Fortunately it had taken very little effort on her part. The officers seemed irked to be there at all, as if offended Luz had returned on her own rather than being saved by them. Asking pestering questions about her possibly running away, implying at a con before making veiled statements about her immigration status.

After revealing that information was stored with a human rights law firm, the officers had clammed up, taken a brief statement from Amanda while clearly not listening and shuffled off, leaving Camila to curl up in the chair next to her daughters bed, Luz's phone and her own both well hidden as she fell into a fretful sleep.

Another day passed, Luz had another transfusion and more medical cocktails to keep her body from collapsing on itself before she recovered and Camila stayed by her side, one hand in her own as she watched the messages. After the first month Luz had switched to speaking entirely in Spanish, seemingly worried that she might forget her own tongue, and she continued it even after Gus had begun taking lessons from her.

When the last one came, Luz was clearly a year older than when she'd started, sharper, with longer hair, bright but tempered eyes and a level tone that held back emotions straining to burst forth from a dam.

"Hey mum, I don't know if you'll ever see this, or any of these, but if you do know I love you. Know I did everything I could to come back to you, and know everything I am doing is to keep you and others safe." She forced a grin onto her face and cheered, "I'll be home soon, OK, love you!"

And that was where it ended, marked just one day prior to when Camila found her in the woods.

Squeezing her sleeping daughters hand Camila kissed her brow, "Thank you, for coming back to me, I'm so proud of you Mija."

The next days passed in a blur of tests.

Whatever foreign elements were in Luz's body had been flushed out and there'd been too few for the lab to make any conclusive statement on.

Color had returned to her cheeks and her breathing was steady. When Camila squeezed her hand, Luz's instinctively squeezed back even if she did not yet stir.

A local news caster had briefly come by but seeing Luz was still asleep had promised to return later; Camila was not looking forward to that.

One unexpected but welcome visit had been a blonde girl named Cerri, a cheerleaders and fellow student of Luz; having been in the acting club alongside her. The girl was obviously awkward, but had passed on a get well soon card murmuring, "Luz and I weren't close or anything but she was sweet and class was a lot less lively without her, so I wanted to wish her the best."

Before leaving she had also revealed exactly 'how' she had learnt of their room number.

"Some true crime Youtube twits apparently came by town; they're doing a missing persons special, that's how I even heard about this after my... friend showed it to me."

Camila had thanked her and quickly set about finding whoever thought to profit off her little girls disappearance, brow furrowing at the sight of two smug looking twenty something recording themselves outside the hospital where they should not have been given information but had apparently gotten an interview with one of the orderlies.

Camilia would be on the look out for that 'anonymous' voice.

Then they 'investigated' the home, peaking in windows and bushes before being scared off by Mr Jenkins dog.

Camilia would have to thank him.

Finally, they were in the woods and had found the house Luz had mentioned.

It was a ragged, run down thing, looking like a long abandoned shed that Camilia would have wanted condemned just to avoid possibly infectious splinters and mold.

The two men were prattling on in front of the wavering camera.

"Now our inside sources say this place was looked over by the search parties but found nothing!"

"However! We also got word the missing Noceda staggered out of these forests and look here!"

One pointed to splinters wood and the other trailed their camera across it.

"Oooohhh!?"

"It looks like someone hit this place with a ton of force right?!"

"Right! And look, is that vomit? Gross!!"

"Yup! and blood too, clearly Noceda was here, could this be an underground bunker situation!?"

"Or maybe she was thrown from a chopper or dumped here!?"

"Or this was a safe house for some illicit dealings!"

'If I ever meet them. They will regret it.'
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NOTES:
With thanks to Dan-Heron for feedback & support!
 
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