Claws of Truth

Skyhigh

HORROR/BLOOD WARNING

"Mija, is this true?" Camilla asked her daughter. The three, well, four of them sat around the Noceda family dining table. Luz broke eye contact with her mother and Camilla looked back at the mysterious pale woman who sat across from her. 'Eda' she remembered her name being.

"Si, mama." Luz nodded her head softly, staring intently at the hardwood table in front of her. "I wanted to come back and tell you sooner, but I wasn't sure if you would approve. I even lied to Eda for a while saying that I came back and made sure you were okay with everything. It's all my fault, so please don't blame her."

Camilla ground her teeth back and forth, not nearly as angrily as she thought she should be. After all, her daughter had finally come back after three months only to tell her that she was never actually at her summer camp. 'I'll have to have a long chat with those counselors as to why I was never notified that my daughter hadn't arrived.' She thought. Camilla pursed her lips together into a fine line, bringing her clasped hands in front of them.

"Listen, ah..." Eda hesitantly continued her thought, "Ms. Noceda?" Her eyebrow slightly arched upward.

"Camilla." She stated.

"Right, Camilla. Listen, I want you to know that Luz was never in any real danger while I was around. I'm the strongest witch on the Isles, after all. Whatever kind of creature came after us, I could handle, no problem."

"And what if you couldn't?" Camilla batted back. "What if there was some creature out there that you don't know about? Something stronger than anything you've ever faced? Something which could resist your 'magic'." She threw into air quotes.

"Mom! Magic is real! I can-"

"No, Luz! What's real is that you were never where you were supposed to be! What's real is that you were off, probably on some island in the middle of the Pacific, drugged up to think you were in a fantasy world! What's real, is that you were in danger."

Camilla's stares spoke volumes to Luz. Her mother was beyond furious with her. She would be lucky if she ever got to see anyone she knew ever again at this point. Her mom would have her grounded for life, and afterlife. And not to mention the grief stricken pain hidden just poorly enough for Luz to pick up on. Her mom was worried sick just at the thought of something happening to her. A knot began to form in the pit of Luz's stomach. She felt like she was going to hurl at any moment.

"Hey, if you'd like, you're more than welcome to take a tour with me and I can show you just how safe she was. I'll show you my house, Bonesborough, and if you're interested, maybe even a few of the local food vendors. There's a place that serves some of the best kabobs you'll ever have!" Eda gave an encouraging grin in a desperate attempt to sell her not-so-foolproof plan to Camilla. A plan which, unfortunately for Eda, wasn't well received.

Camilla's brows furrowed together. "You think I'm going to willingly follow you back to whatever island you came from? Do I look like some second rate fool to you? You're lucky I'm not on the phone with the police right now."

"You don't even have to come, I can just show you-" Eda started before being abruptly cut off.

"No!" Camilla's fist slammed down onto the table, causing a clattering of silverware together, as well as a startled 'Weh!' from Eda's direction. "In whatever moment of fragmented clairity you had," she pointed to Eda, "you returned my daughter to me. I'm not letting you take her away again, because if you do, I'll probably never see her again!" Her nails were digging into the palms of her skin. Hot tears were on the brink of cascading down her rapidly flushing cheeks. She would not, under any circumstances, let Luz leave with this- this- monster ever again! Camilla knew how child trafficking worked, and she was infinitely lucky to even have her daughter before her at this very moment. She would not let her go again. She couldn't...