Lumity - The witch and the well

The Sleepover

Though her butt hurt from sitting on the backseat of Luz's bike as they rode over bumpy roads and her hands were cold from the sudden summer storm, her heart had never felt so warm. Hanging on to her companion, Amity felt how the other panted and struggled to keep them going steadily - she smelt mud and pine needles, but also something feminine, almost flowery. She supposed Luz smelled like that without her protective layer of dirt... She closed her eyes, caught in a moment of life she'd rather not end, and only opened them again when the rain suddenly stopped and the bike came to a halt.

Luz shifted and Amity let go, trembling slightly from the cold that stole her place. "Well then, here we are, casa de Noceda!" Luz exclaimed excitedly as Amity took in the surroundings. They were in a little shed without a door, the place barely more than a few wooden planks hammered together. There were mechanical parts strewn about the place and lose wheels stacked against one of the makeshift walls. It smelt of fungi and dirty water mixed with oil - it was cold and damp, but it had something home-y about it. It was very Luz, Amity thought.

"Come, lemme get you in through the back." Luz said, unapologetically grabbing Amity's hand and leading her through the opening and around the lonely, smallish home in the middle of nowhere. She didn't know whether it was because of Luz or because she'd sat on a bike without a cushion in the pouring rain for so long, but her knees felt weak and moved only barely. Her shoes squished with every step she took and she felt her skin stick to her clothes as wet strands of hair fell in her eyes. Despite it all, Amity was swept away by Luz and escorted to the back of the house where Luz stuck her hand in a potted plant.

Before Amity could question it, Luz took out a little bronze key and quickly opened the door. She swung the rickety door open enthusiastically and it banged on the wall nearby. "Luz, querida, is that you?" A soft, old voice in the distance asked. "Si, abuelita." Luz answered, hanging her jacket on the nearby wooden coat rack and urging Amity to do the same with a single look. "Did you get caught in that storm?" She asked concerned, still remaining in the room where the light was on. "Si, so I'm going to take a shower now and get warm. I'll just be upstairs, no te preocupes."

Amity held her breath as the two conversed, then almost jumped out of her skin when Luz grabbed her hand again and took her upstairs up a creaky staircase, no carpet to soften the footsteps. Amity followed quietly as Luz looked back and smiled. "Don't worry, my abuelita, she doesn't hear that well - I usually make a ruckus anyhow." Amity nodded politely, but her throat was still swollen like a frog's and keeping her from making a sound until they were somewhere she deemed safe.

Upstairs, Luz took her inside a door labeled with a sign akin to one you'd put on car, only it spelled out 'LUZ' in large, bold letters. The wooden door was scratched and written on with many different colours, all saying something like 'KEEP OUT' and 'OPEN IF YOU CRAVE DEATH'. The two had very different ideas of fun decorations, so it seemed. With a grin, Luz opened the door to reveal her room.

The place was dark, even with the dim light of a ceiling lamp that coated everything in a yellowish glow. It was bigger than she'd expected when she'd seen the house from outside, enough room for two two-person beds if Luz so desired with room for walking to spare. Ripped, old and stained posters from angry looking bands covered the dark purple walls around a bed for two, though it carried only a single pillow. The pattern of the covers were cute, cartoony otters. In the middle of the room stood a little table with a chair atop a purple rug, facing a double window sporting lacey, black curtains. On the table stood a few candles, empty cans of energy drinks, pens and pencils; though their existence was not limited to just the table as they were strewn about the floor as well... Amity felt the need to pick them up and store them somewhere. The other side of the room's wall was decorated with cartoon figures doing spectacular poses or looking very serious. Against the wall stood a black shelf with books, strange trinkets like an old pocket watch, some sparkly rocks, jars full of... Well, Amity could only describe the contents of the jars as 'strangely fleshy and icky', some drawers which were probably used for clothes, and a collection of small animal skulls.

Luz had an elated look on her face as her new friend took in her room. Amity noticed out of the corner of her eye and forced a smile. "How... Unique!" She complimented, not technically lying. The room was a mess of themes and an insult to the art of decorating - the very spirit of colour theory and everything that could make a room look and feel pleasant -, but Amity couldn't have imagined something stranger even if she tried. It was, without a shadow of a doubt, Luz's room.

This comment seemed to satisfy her as she kept on smiling as she threw her bag against the table and took off her soaked sweater unexpectedly. Amity grew red in the face and covered her eyes with her hands. "W-What are you doing?" She asked, a little more high pitched than she'd intended - she wasn't that kind of girl after all! -, and Luz looked at her a little bumfuzzled. "I mean, I intended to put on some dry clothes after a warm shower, but if you want to go first-" She explained, slowly pulling her wet sweater back down over her undershirt. "O-Oh..." Amity responded softly. "Well, I don't have any spare clothes with me, so I might just wait till it dries..."

"Nonsense, you can borrow some of mine - we're about the same size." Amity opened her mouth to argue against it, but couldn't find any argument against the idea... none that made sense anyway. So, she went along with it, even the showering part when Luz explained the door could be locked and when Amity had checked that there weren't any peepholes to be found. Luz handed her a bundle of clothes, wished her good luck on not drowning - what a dummy! - and left her alone in the bathroom.