Between Two Worlds

Luz Alone

Luz gripped the edges of the sink tightly, her tears fell off her cheeks and swirled down the drain. The person in the mirror was almost unrecognizable, she was taller, broader, older. She had lost most of her baby fat, she was stronger and her muscles were more, toned and defined. Luz brought a finger up to the bruise forming on her jaw line, the touch made her wince in pain.

"Luz you need to be more careful, you could've gotten seriously hurt." The green haired witch expressed her concern as she examined the purplish blue bruise on Luz's forehead. But the human just smiled at her.
"Ami, I'm fine, I just whacked my head. I'll be ok." Amity froze at the use of the nickname. The points of her ears turned bright red, she turned her head away to hide the blush creeping on her cheeks.
"Just be careful next time dummy."

Luz could feel her throat tighten and the thought of the memory. It had been 3 years since she left the boiling isles. She hadn't planned on being gone that long, it was just for the school year, then she would go back for the summer, but when she went back to the portal it was gone. Luz waited for hours until the several worried calls from her mom made her go back home. Although she still had hope she was almost 18, it was time for her to accept the fact that she was never going back.

It hadn't been the first time Luz had come home with bruises, she played them off as accidents to her mom, but the real reason was Autumn Blake. A girl in her senior class, who took it upon herself to make her life a living hell each an everyday.

The cafeteria was busy as usual. Luz tried to maneuver her way through the sea of hormonal zit faced teens but her attempts were unsuccessful. Some how she ended up by Autumn Blake's table. Which was currently being used by her usual posse. Luz tried to steer clear of occupied territory but sometimes it was inevitable. They were laughing and cackling at something but Luz couldn't bring herself to care about what it was. She kept her head low trying to pass unnoticed, tried and failed. As she was walking she tripped on someone's shoe and came crashing down to the floor her chin smacking against one of the tables.

"Oh hey Luzura, didn't see you there." Autumn laughed out accompanied by the rest of her group. Luz's chin started radiating with pain as she stood up. She wrung her fists in anger. When Luz took a step forward about ready mop the floor with Autumn's face, a teacher stepped in.

"Alright that's enough, Regina George." She said stepping in between them both. "All of you get to class, now."

It was no secret that Luz didn't belong in this world. Everyone had to fit in my go along with the social norms instead of being themselves. And Ms. Douche Face saw her unique personality as a thing to judge. Of course the fact that her diary about the Boiling Isles got published in the school newspaper didn't help but you get the jist of it.

Luz dried her tears with the heel of her palm and walked out of the bathroom to see her mom, envelope in hand, angrily talking to someone on the phone.

"What do you mean it's not coming?! I've been waiting for two weeks Jim." Her mother's frustration was evident in her voice. When she noticed Luz's presence she said a brief goodbye and hung up the phone.

"Is everything ok Mami?" Luz asked grabbing two plates for the both of them. Camila took off her glasses and started rubbing the bridge of her nose, letting out a stressed sigh.

"The guy in charge of giving out the pay checks to the nurses at the hospital."

"Mmh" Luz hummed as she started scooping some pasta onto the plates and arranging the broccoli into neat circles.

"Well this idiota lost a bunch of important paperwork and now all of us have been waiting for two weeks for our paychecks!" Camila closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before looking back at her daughter. "What happened to your face?" Luz picked up the bowls and handed one to her mom.