The cardinal cottage

Episode 1

"... And that's the end."

The principal and Camila just stared at the young teenage girl with a snake and action figure in hand.

"The end of what?" Camila asked her daughter.

"My book report." The girl said innocently. Then the snake in her hand bit the action figure."I think I knocked it out of the park."

The principal sighed."Your book report is why you're in here." He explained.

Outside the office kids were running and screaming in terror with snakes on their heads.

"Oh. That's where the back up snakes were."

Camila picked up a bunch of fireworks."And what were you going to do with this?"

The girl lowered her head and the smile left her face."That was for the act 3 closer."

Camila kneeled down in front of her daughter." Mija, I love your creativity, but it's gotten out of hand."She tried explain."Do you remember why you were in the principal's office the last three times?"

How couldn't she. She used sausages to make a play more real, released Spiders in her school and creeped everyone out with her trick at the cheerleader audition.

Her principal narrowed his eyes at her.

Her mother continued."We all love that you express yourself,-" She took a brochure out of her handbag."-but if you can't learn to separate fantasy from reality, you may need to spend the summer here." The brochure showed a boy stuck in a box who seemed weirdly happy saying "Think inside the box".

She took the brochure from her mother. "Don't worry, mom. I won't let you down." She stood up from her seat as her smile returned."No more weirdness!"

The snake she had held attacked the principal."That doesn't count right?"

------------------

It did. It was the first day of summer break and the girl, or Luz, stood on the sidewalk in front of her house waiting for the bus to pick her up. Her normal cheery spirit was nowhere insight. She was really upset.

"Oh. Oh, my baby. Hmm. Now don't worry." Camila hugged her daughter to cheer her up which didn't work at all. "Summer camp is only going to be for three months. You'll be so busy balancing checkbooks and learning to appreciate public radio, the time will fly by. "

Luz was still upset." But I don't like any of that stuff. "She tried to reason." I like editing anime clips to music and reading fantasy books with convoluted backstories."

" Mija, your fantasy world is holding you back. "Camila told her." Do you have any friends? Real ones, not imagined or drawn or reptilian?"

Luz sadly stared at her favorite book the good witch Azura thinking about her mother's words.

"Summer camp is a chance to make some friends, but you have to try. Can you do that?"

"Yes mom."

Luz put her book in the trashcan.

That's when her mothers phone buzzed."I gotta go to work."She plastered her daughters face, who was still upset, with kisses. "Your bus is coming soon. Text me when you get there." She said something in Spanish and then left."Bye mom."

As soon as her mother was gone, Luz started digging in the trashcan for her book.

"Where is it? Where is it?"

Chirp!

She looked up to see a red cardinal with a back of junk and her book. When it noticed her staring it hopped away.