All I need

3: Fear and... truth?

Luz has always been fascinated by the human realm. Always happy to learn and discover, everything Owlbert would bring back was like a treasure to the girl. She would study every object to uncover its purpose and do her best to repair it if needed. For years she had dreamed to explore this unknown world herself but Eda never flinched. Only after Luz managed to break into the conformatorium and leave unharmed did Eda agree to let her kid explore the other world alone.

The girl put such efforts and time trying to convince her mother to let her do this. She would use that opportunity to the fullest! She would explore as far as she could and study the human culture which she could only imagine how different it was with her own. This would be her great adventure!

Eda had hear the girl repeat these tirades endlessly and, if she was being honest with herself, she wasn't expecting the girl to come back before at least the second day. That would let the witch a lot of time to put to use somehow. She tought about it a moment then simply brought out a chair and laid on it with sunglasses. Luz may be her treasure, but the kid sure has energy. A day of rest wouldn't hurt. That's what she thought at least...

Most likely less than an hour after she left, Luz stormed back trough the portal, causing Eda to jump out of her chair from that unbelievable sight.

"LUZ!? What happened!? You okay?"

"Mom!" yelled the girl as she ran to her. "I messed up bad!"

Eda was about to ask for details when someone else got out of the portal. A girl with pale skin and long brown hair, a human. Immediately, the witch went to action. She closed the portal and called her house.

"Hooty!"

In a second second, the wooden tube wrap itself around the poor girl, preventing her from moving and also causing her to scream in terror.

"Luz!" Eda said with strength as her daughter was panicking. "Keep an eye on her. I'm getting the amnesia potion and we send her back!"

These worlds did little to calm Luz but at least it allowed her brain to work again. And so, with really little confidence, she walked to the girl still panicking in her Hooty prison and looking frantically around her. Luz recognized her as the girl she just met in the human realm. Had she really followed her all the way to the portal? Luz immediately felt sorry for that girl. It was her fault this human was so terrified when she seemed to have a great day before they met.

"I'm sorry..." Luz softly said to the girl. "I promise you be back home in no time okay?"

These words seemed to slightly calm the human as she stop fighting against Hooty and looked at her. Luz had an happy smile when seeing this human seemed to trust her but her smile suddenly trade to shock when she saw the girl's ear sticking out of her messy hair. A long and pointy ear. Immediately, Luz vanished in the house and Amity was shocked to the core when she heard what that girl yelled from inside.

"Wait mom! She's not human! She's a witch!"

What? What was that girl even talking about? How was she not an human!? Sure kids would sometimes call her freak or mute because of her weird ears... That was why she let her hair grow long enough to hide them... But to call her a witch for that simple reason? Seriously!? If anything these people were the one toying with sorcery! With that talking bird tube and that door which straight up teleported her there! Where even was that place!?

Amity kept venting to herself for a couple of minutes until the woman finally came back, the tanned girl following behind. The woman leaned to take a close at her ears, much to Amity's anger.

"Well would you look at that..." sighed the woman with a step back. "Care to tell me what a young witch like was doing in the human realm?"

That again?

"I'm not a witch damnit!" yelled a really pissed off Amity. "Yeah my ears are deformed! I had my fair load of bullying for that! But I'm just as human as everyone so would you PLEASE tell your monster... BIRD-HOUSE to let me down!?"

That anger burst seemed to surprise the woman for a second before she chuckled.

"You can let her down Hooty."

"But she called me a monster bird-house..." lamented the wooden creature with a down voice.

"It's okay Hooty" said the other girl while petting the tube. "She is just afraid. Besides, you're the coolest house in all of the iles."

"Hoot... Thanks Luz."

And Hooty finally put the girl down before shrinking back into his door. Taking a long breath to calm down, Amity proceeded to look at those weird people who had both a teleporting door and a living door... That Luz girl was looking at her with big eyes, like she was fascinated. This embarrassed her a bit but luckily, the woman broke the silence.

"So you really think you're human?"

"Well... duh. What else could I be?"

"A witch?"

"Will you get off with that!? They're just deformed okay? I was born like this!"

"Yeah I know, like everyone here."

And only then, as the woman pointed to her own ears, did Amity finally noticed. That woman has pointy ears too! Astonished, Amity looked back to the other girl, only to confirm she had normal ears."

"Yeah Luz is human" continued the woman seeing her gaze. "Long story. But I can assure you the iles are full of pointy eared witches, just like you."

Wait... HOLD ON A SEC HERE! Pointy ears were normal in this place!? Was she from there too!? She just proved the travel was possible but... Just what the hell!? There was really a town full of people with pointy ears? A town of people... like her?

"I can show you the town if you want."

That voice brought Amity back to reality, only to find Luz's smiling face right in front of hers. That proximity with a complete stranger immediately got Amity to back two steps as she felt an ever so slight heat in her cheeks. Again she took a deep breath and turned back to the girl.

"You... you would do that?"

"Of course!" she answered with an even bigger smile.

"Thanks... I'll count on you then. Oh, my name is Amity by the way. Amity Noceda."

"Cool name! I'm Luz Clawthorne. Nice to meet ya."

Next time

"You reminds of my brother"
*
"Hey gang! Meet my new friend Amity!"
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"I could swear I've seen her somewhere"
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"Amber?"