Rectification

Epilogue

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Luz's eyes flickered open.

It wasn't yet dawn. Darkness flooded her room and silence pounded in her ears, save for the ticking of the clock that hung on her wall, just above her headboard.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Was it time for school already?

Instinctively Luz reached towards her nightstand, where her phone would be plugged in, so she could check the time. Her hands brushed smooth wood. Save for a half-empty cup of water, a notepad, and a pen, her nightstand was bare. Of course. How could she have forgotten? Out of habit, she grabbed the pen, scrawled a light glyph on the paper, and tapped it. Nothing happened.

Heaving a sigh, she stumbled out of her bed and switched the overhead lights on. Instantly the room was bathed with brightness, and she squinted against it, her brain buzzing. When her vision adjusted, she made her way back to her bed and pulled the blinds on her window open. She rested her cheek against the cold glass and noticed that her reflection appeared disheveled. She hadn't changed before she'd gone to sleep last night. Her Hexside uniform was smudged and dirty and there were bags under her eyes. She almost wished she had her hoodie with her- it was much more comfortable- but she reminded herself that it was better off left behind, and that its new owner would appreciate it very much.

She couldn't see stars here the way she could on the Isles. The sky there had been so beautiful.

She wished she hadn't dropped her phone as she'd hurried out of the portal seconds before it closed.

Then maybe Amity could send her pictures of the stars they'd watched together.

~

"You made the honor roll this year, cariño!"

Luz forced herself to smile widely at her mom, ignoring the obvious presence of her report card sitting on the kitchen table. "Thanks!"

"This will be really good for you when you start applying to colleges next year," Camila went on. "Schools will really start to notice you. You're a smart girl, Luz. I'm glad you're finally embracing your full potential. Summer camp last year must have really helped, huh?"

"Yeah," Luz echoed. Already her head was spinning. College? College applications? Summer camp last year? When had time slipped by without her noticing? It felt as if she'd been living in her own little bubble while the years around her passed.

She wasn't ready to be a junior.

"Aww, don't worry!" Sensing her daughter's worry, Camila placed a hand on Luz's shoulder reassuringly. "I'll help you with all that. It's a scary time, I know. But you won't be alone."

"Not alone," Luz murmured. She appreciated the sentiment.

But if she wasn't alone, then why was there such a huge hole in her heart?

~

"Luz Noceda, class of 2024!"

Every inch of Luz's skin tingled. Her steps felt automatic, her mind a million miles away. The cool leather of her diploma touched her fingertips. She could see faces in the crowd, but they all blurred together. This felt... familiar. Her thoughts drifted a little farther, seeking the corners of a memory she knew was there, somewhere, buried under three years worth of loneliness and academic frenzy.

"Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Amity replied. She was trying to sound sure of herself, Luz could tell, but there was still a slight tremor in her voice. Luz knew she must be radiating nervousness of her own. Amity, ever the empath, squeezed Luz's hand in reassurance, and together they stared defiantly out at the crowd.

The cheering faded away, and Luz was jolted back to the present.

I can't wait to take this itchy robe off, she thought as she left the stage.

~

There was a strange energy around Luz's house the day she finished packing her things and getting ready to leave.

Well, actually, there had always been a strange energy around Luz's house, not just today. But today... today it felt stronger, nearly tangible. Like it was about to grow hands and drag her into the depths of the woods and let the magic in the air seep back into her veins.

She resisted the touch. Today began a new chapter in her life. She knew she needed to move on. She was a creative writing major now- she could create as many fantastical words and people as she wanted in her classes, and everything could look and act exactly as she wanted it to. She'd never have to leave her world to find another. She still had business in this world anyway. She had to go out, meet new people, make friends, become as successful as her mom promised she would be if she worked hard. Memories would only trip her up, distract her.

If she was being honest with herself, she didn't remember a lot about her time on the Isles anymore. She couldn't recall the name of Hexside's rival school, or which hand Eda had worn her ring on, or the three key components of an Abomination. She didn't remember what the little golden Grudgby beetle was called, or the names of all the girls in Boscha's posse. She couldn't even remember the format of scroll numbers, which was perhaps her greatest regret.

There were a few things she could remember with great clarity, though. Things that she could imagine so vividly in her mind that they almost seemed real. She saw these images in her dreams all the time, and when she did, she felt like she was being torn open from the inside.

A festival. The glimmering of golden eyes in moonlit darkness.

Heat on her face and smoke in her lungs.

Stone crawling up her leg. A pair of soft hands in hers.

Fury, a heavy weapon in her hands, her feet barely skimming the dirt floor as she charged at her enemy.

The sensation of being held close. Gentle fingers combing through her hair, the soft murmuring of a voice that was so obviously laced with affection she wondered how she hadn't heard it sooner.

She missed Amity.

Even thinking the name caused tears to rise up against the back of her lower eyelids. Amity Blight. Amity. Amity. Amity. But her thoughts had already begun to spiral, it was too late, memories were barraging her brain faster than what she could deal with-

She took a deep breath to steady herself.

You're okay, Luz.

She paused and set the book down that she'd been ready just about to pack into the last moving box. The energy in the air was growing stronger. It felt like millions of tiny sparks- the air was sparking the way her senses did all that time ago whenever she'd cast a spell. She couldn't ignore it any longer- something was happening in the woods. And she had to be there for it.

She was out the door before she even fully made the decision.

There was undoubtedly magic in the atmosphere that afternoon. It was rejuvenating, and it filled Luz's body from her head to her toes, giving her a strength she didn't even know she was missing. 

She felt fourteen again as she approached the decrepit shack outside the forest. The closer she got, the more certain she was that something was about to happen, to more magic she felt swirling in the air, inviting her closer.

She stood at the entrance to the shack. Her heart soared with excitement.

A flash of light appeared inside.

And she waited.