A Loss of Hope

The Scout

Luz finished her last class and made her way out of her school as fast as she could. She walked alone, drained of all energy from the day. "Day one done, only one hundred and seventy-nine days left." The Latina put her earplugs in and started to play music while she made her way off-campus. She blasted music so she could just relax and try to get herself into a better mood. While she walked down the sidewalk she rubbed her knuckles, trying to soothe the pain from earlier. But what the girl didn't seem to notice was a small owl following her every move. 

Owlbert witnessed everything, from the soccer game to punching her own locker, he was there. It may have been a couple of years since the owl visited this realm, but that didn't slow him down. His little owl heart hurt for the once lively human that brought such joy to his wielder Eda. Now all he sees is a different human, in a familiar body.

But as if Luz's day couldn't get any worse, it did. Mia pulled up next to Luz in her convertible with friends sitting next to the blonde. They were all laughing with their iced teas and coffees, and spatting insults. 

"Hey Luuzer, I would give you a ride, but I already have shit in my trunk. So maybe next time." Then Mia speeds off with her laughing disciples, making her engine rev as loud as possible. 

Luz balls her fists and holds in all of her pent-up anger. She then turns around and runs towards familiar woods, with a familiar cabin. She throws her bag at a tree and starts to yell as loud as she could towards the dull cabin, with a closed door. "FUCK YOU! YOU RUINED MY LIFE! BEFORE YOU I AT LEAST HAD HOPE FOR BECOMING NORMAL, THEN YOU HAD TO GLOW ONE DAY AND RUIN ANY CHANCES OF THAT!" A tear falls from Luz's eye, but she quickly wipes it away, trying to seem more mad than sad. Not that anyone would ever see her yelling at a cabin "I want yo- I wanted you to be real. I wanted all of you to be real." Luz kicks the deck and breaks a couple of rotting planks, trying to ease the hurt. "It was real. I know it was. But now, with everything, I think it's best you never came back for me." She looks at the dull, closed-door, finally letting go of any chance she had deep down. She reaches for the door, but immediately pulls away, not wanting to hurt herself any further "Goodbye" 

Luz finally does something rash out of her pure hatred for this cabin. She grabs a lighter from her pocket and ignites it. She stares into the flame, then back at the abandoned home. Then, with one swift motion, Luz throws the lighter onto the dry deck, starting a fire that would soon burn the cabin to the ground. Luz looks at the flame grow, studying it, making sure no forest fire would start as a result of her actions. Once she scanned the area and realized she was in the clear, she picked up her bag and left the cabin to burn.

Owlbert's eyes grew as he saw the scene play out in front of him. He tried to stop the fire, but it was too great for him to control it alone. He couldn't contain it. So all the pailsman could do, was watch as the cabin fell into ashes. But Owlbert had a mission to scout Luz, so that's what he was going to do. He would just have to figure out what to do later.

Luz ended up just going home for the rest of the day, locked up in her room doing homework and watching Netflix. Owlbert, after a while, decided that it was time to go back and check on the cabin and that he had enough intel to report back to Eda.

Hours had passed and the fire finally distinguished. Owlbert flew to the ash-filled scene and was astonished at what he discovered. The whole cabin was nothing but ash, except for the door. It all made sense really. You can't destroy a magical door in a realm with no magic in it. The owl jumped with glee and went through the portal door, ready to inform his witch on the human she calls her own.

~~

"Ok, I'll see you guys tomorrow after school! Your parents would have me petrified if I made you four skip." Eda says while embracing the four Hexside students in a group hug.