The Mask of the collector (an Owl House AU fanfiction)

Chapter 1 - A magic mask and a Thug part 1/2

Azura backflipped onto a rocky surface as she faced her foe, a giant monstrous purple snake. "Foolish child." it said with a devilishly evil voice. "I could swallow you whole." "Do not underestimate me, Gildersnake." Said Azura with a heroic tone. "For I am the good witch Azura, warrior of peace." She stood triumphantly before kneeling down and holding her staff like a bazooka. "Now eat this sucka!" She shot a powerful spell at the beast who collapsed after screeching: "No! My only weakness, dying!" "And that's the end." Said Luz holding a snake in one hand and a doll she dressed as Azura in the other. "The end of what?" Asked her mother Camilla "My book report." Said Luz as the snake bit the doll. "Your book report is why you're here." Said Principal Hal who gestured toward his office door as kids were running and screaming with snakes all over their heads in the hallway. "Oh. That's where the backup snakes went." "And what were you going to do with this?" Asked Camilla who pulled out a bunch of firecrackers "That was for the act three closer." "Mija, I love your creativity, but it's gotten out of hand. Do you remember why you were in the principal's office the last three times?" Luz thought back, the first time she had been sent to the principal's office it was when she auditioned for the role of Juliette, she used a spork to pull links of sausages out of her costume to represent guts which grossed everyone out, the second time was when she made a model of a griffin and put real spiders in its mouth which crawled all over the classroom because it was "anatomically correct", and then during cheerleading practice she scared all of the other students away when she tried to impress them by turning her eyelids inside out. "We all love that you express yourself, but if you can't learn to separate fantasy from reality, you may need to spend the summer here." Camilla pulled out a pamphlet for "Reality Check Summer Camp" which Luz hesitantly took. "Don't worry Mom. I won't let you down." Luz stood up triumphantly and declared: "No more weirdness!" The snake in Luz's hand suddenly jumped out and bit the principal who fell back yelling. "That doesn't count right?" Sometime later Luz was waiting outside her house disappointed. "Oh! Oh, my baby!" Said Camilla as she hugged her. "Now, don't worry. 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!" "But I don't like any of that stuff." Said Luz. "I like editing anime clips to music and—and reading fantasy books with convoluted backstories." She pulled out her copy of "The Good Witch Azura". "Mija, your fantasy world is holding you back. Do you have any friends? Real ones, not imagined or drawn or reptilian?" Luz looked down at her book disappointed. "Summer camp is a chance to make some friends, but you have to try. Can you do that?" "Yes, Mom." Said Luz as she put her book into the trash bin. Just then Camilla's phone started ringing. "Oh. I gotta go to work." She kissed Luz on the forehead. "Your bus is coming soon. Text me when you get there. Cuídate mucho, Mija. ¡Qué te vaya bien!" "Bye Mom." Luz then watched her mother as she walked away, and as soon as she was gone Luz immediately started rummaging through the trash bin to get her book back. "Where is it, where is it?" She said. Luz started to panic thinking it might have been stolen when she and her mom weren't looking, and that's when she saw............... The book was right there, it had got buried under the other trash somehow, it had not gotten stolen, it had not been sold or burned by a witch or anything, it was right there. "Oh thank goodness." Said Luz as she dusted some wrappers off of it, stuffed it back in her backpack, and started walking away. "Sorry Mama but I cannot lose the one thing I have left from-" Then Luz stopped, she thought that she saw some kind of light off the corner of her eye. She took another look into the trash bin and saw something else, it seemed to be what was shining. She pulled the mysterious object out and saw that it was...a mask? It was just an old wooden mask, it was a tannish yellow on one side and a dark blue on the other, with the tannish yellow side made to look like a moon. It had white spines going across its head and sides and had a small ominous smile in the mouth hole. "Where did you come from?" Asked Luz. She turned it over, and could have sworn that the back had lit up a bit for a moment, it was strange and yet she felt enticed by it. As though there was something luring her in to it. Not knowing why she slowly started to lift it up to her face until- "Luz!" Said Camilla. As if snapping out from a trance, Luz immediately pulled the mask away from her face and shoved it into her backpack saying: "Uh! wuh wuh what Mom?" She smiled sheepishly. "Turns out they were calling to tell me that I have the day off from work today. So I've been thinking how about we drive to camp? You'll have full control of the playlist." "Oh, sure mom I'd love that." Luz and her mother got into the car and they drove off. Luz was happy she got to spend a bit more time with her mother before she left for good, but at the same time she was a little bummed she had to go through with it, completely unaware that this was the beginning of the craziest time of her life. Luz and her mother were on their way to "Reality Check Summer Camp". As they passed by trees listening to the music that Luz picked they were soon greeted with the entrance, a big log cabin with a wooden arch in front that had the logo on the top. It didn't look particularly bad but it didn't look very good either. Luz took a deep breath and exhaled before asking: "Mama you're really sure I have to go here?" "Mija it'll be fine, trust me. It may seem like a strange boring place now but if you give it a chance I'm sure you'll get used to it." Luz sighed as she knew no arguing was going to help. Before long the bus came to drop off the other campers. First a young man with green eyes and blonde hair came out and stayed next to the bus door to count the students as they exited the bus and walked to the entrance. Luz and her mom got out of the car and went to introduce Luz. "Why hello there." The man said in a cheery voice as they approached. "Can I help you two?" "Yeah hi this my daughter Luz, I signed her up for this camp but wanted to drive her here instead of taking the bus." "Oh well that is 'a' okay ma'am I was wondering why no one was at the last house." "So you can take care of her from here?" "Right 'a' Rooney." Camilla turned to Luz. "Alright Mija this is it." "I'll miss you mama." Said Luz as she gave her mother one last hug. "Yo también te extrañaré Mija." Camilla said as she walked back to her car. "Alright welcome Luz now go and join the rest of the campers while I re-count." Luz sighed as she joined the rest of the group. They were all grouped up in front of the log cabin, and as the young man counted them all behind them a middle aged woman stepped out of the log cabin. She had pale almost white skin, long gray hair that looked so big and poofy that she could probably fit things into it, and had a pointy gold tooth. Once the young man was done counting the campers he stood next to the woman and said: "Welcome campers, to "Reality Check Summer Camp" where you'll be learning about how to think inside the box, not let your overactive imagination get out of hand and have fun doing it." Most of the kids stayed silent, some of them clapped slowly, one of them gave a mildly enthusiastic: "Yeah!" "Happy to hear the excitement, my name is Nicholas Prender, and this is one of my fellow camp leaders Edith Clawthorne." "Hey." Said Edith with little interest. "First order of business is Roll call, then we can all head inside for our first lesson, now I've already counted everyone, but just to be safe let's go ahead and make sure we have everyone present and accounted for." After Nicholas had everyone, including Luz call their names, they all went inside the big log cabin where inside it looked like a classroom where they watched a cheesy animated video about "Reality Check Summer Camp" where a goofy mascot explained how it was only one of four camps that were hosted in this particular forest during the summer. He went on to mention that the forest they were in happened to be located several miles away from a small town called "Gravity Falls" but most importantly he explained all the activities that they were going to do during their time there, most of which were typical camping stuff like hiking, fishing, archery, making smores. But then there were the lame activities like personal finance, building a company, and learning about mortgages. He also talked about how using your imagination isn't always something to be encouraged and that trying to live in a fantasy world is pretty much like wearing a mask to shield yourself from the real world. It bored Luz to the bone, and she could tell she wasn't the only one, not only did almost all the other kids look so incredibly uninterested but even Edith spent the whole time with her head lowered on her desk. Most of the kids could have sworn they heard her quietly snoring. Luz just wasn't confident that this was going to be tolerable for her, luckily it was over before she knew it and they quickly started their first activity which was hiking. Going outside was definitely better for Luz but she still had the feeling in back of her head that this was going to be the lamest summer of her life (what little she knew). At some point during the hike she accidentally bumped into two girls, one with black hair and a tooth gap and another with blue hair and glasses. "Ouch." One of them said "Sorry." Said Luz. "No no it's alright." Said the blue haired girl. " Yeah this camp is so lame that getting bumped is at least something interesting by comparison." Said the other girl. "Hehe you said it, I mean it's nice to get some fresh air but at what cost when we're going to have to learn about mortgages." The three girls shuttered and then laughed. "Name's Masha by the way." Said the black haired girl as she shook Luz's hand. "Luz, Luz Noceda and you are." "I'm Polina." They shook hands but when they tried to let go there was some sticky substance keeping their hands stuck. "Oops sorry I got tree sap on my hand." They pulled their hands apart and giggled a bit. "So what are you in for?" Asked Masha. "Oh lots of stuff, I unleashed a bunch of snakes in class for my book report on "The good witch Azura". And one time I had a science project where I made a baby griffin model and used real spiders for the anatomically correct spiders breath. You can imagine how that turned out when I tested it out in class." "That sounds cool!" Said Masha. "Yeah, it seems like they just don't appreciate your creativity." Said Polina "Right?" Said Luz. "*sigh* So what about you two?" "Well I have a firm belief in the supernatural, aaaand I've kinda been performing some unsuccessful voodoo magic. My parents sent me here when they found out." "Wow you're an exorcist, cool!" "Thanks, but try telling that to my mom and dad." "And you?" "My fathers sent me here because I wasn't doing so well in school and also because I may or may not have a plant obsession." Said Polina "Plants?" "Yes! They are so fascinating. Did you know that plants can hear us?" Just then she was hit in the face by a pebble. "Whoopsie." Said a blonde girl in an expensive mink coat and a pink skirt. "Sorry didn't see you there." Luz and Masha glared at the girl who laughed mockingly while Polina stared down in shame. "Take a good look girls." the girl said to her friends who were in equally expensive looking outfits. "These are what dorks look like. They could never truly comprehend the benefits of being rich." The rich snobs then giggled at the three girls, that is until Masha took a rock and threw it at the girl. "Ow!" "And that girls is what an arrogant jerk looks like." "Oh go lick a cactus you uncultured peasant!" Yelled the rich girl. Luz's blood started to boil as she tried to throw another rock at the girl, only for one of the other girls (This time one with brown hair and pigtails) to catch it and throw it back. Luz nearly dodged it before the pigtailed girl said: "Get outta here losers!" She and the other snobs then walked away. "We would if we could!" Yelled Luz "Hey don't let those mouth breathers get to you." Said Masha. "They're too caught up in their egos to understand people like us." Luz smiled, it seemed as though she just made her first friends. "Yeah well anyway Polina I think your passion for plants is really cool." "Really?" "Yeah you have the bravery to be yourself and I respect that." "Hm, thanks." "Something that those jerks just don't understand huh?" Said Masha. "Hehe yeah." Said Luz. The three girls spent the whole hike talking to each other. After which they had a lesson about organizing bank accounts, they roasted hot dogs for dinner and had s'mores for dessert. The entire time however Luz kept having this strangest feeling, like there was some kind of presence of someone or something everywhere she went, but it couldn't compare to the dread she felt of having to go here in the first place so she decided to ignore whatever it was. They were then all introduced to their cabins. Luz, Masha, Polina, and some other girls were put in cabin 7. Most of the girls talked while Luz read her copy of "The good witch Azura". It was always a comforting feeling, reading those books, it reminded her of her childhood and all the memories she had, both before and after her father's passing. Eventually it was time for everyone to go to sleep, Luz then remembered that she never did brush her teeth. So she grabbed her backpack and walked all the way to the closest bathroom. It smelled and the mirror was slightly cracked in certain areas but it was still usable. As she brushed she couldn't help but think about whether she'd be able to tolerate it all. "I mean mom was right, it is an opportunity to make friends." She thought. "But I dunno what if it all gets to me, like what if all this boring stuff ends up being too much for me to handle?" She rinsed and spat into the sink. "I guess I'll have my book to help, and maybe if I make some more friends like Polina and Masha then maybe they might help me make it more tolerable, but still what if even they can't help." Luz sighed and she put her toothbrush and toothpaste back into her toiletries bag. "I wish you were still here, dad." She said, "You probably would've not wanted me to go here. Or at least supported my creativity." She then put her bag back into her backpack, only to find something else inside. It was the mask she found in the trash can outside her house. "Oh hey forgot you were here. Hmm what a pretty little thing you are, I wonder who would've just thrown you away like that." She then looked at it and herself in the mirror thinking about what the video earlier said. "Trying to live in a fantasy world is pretty much like wearing a mask to shield yourself from the real world." Luz mockingly said to herself. She snickered a bit before jokingly trying to put the mask on, only for it to attempt to latch onto her face and suck itself on. Luz immediately pulled it off and gasped in shock, she could've sworn she heard a small voice laughing as she did. She stared at the back of the mask which shined brightly for a second or two. Her heart started beating as she slowly lifted the mask back up to her face, enticed and curious of its effects. As soon as it made contact with her face it sucked itself onto her and the spines on the side stretched out and started to wrap around her head. Luz screamed in fear as the cracks of the mask started to shine brightly, then suddenly without warning Luz's entire body started spinning so fast that she became a human tornado. She spun all over the bathroom, with stars spinning around her until eventually she stopped next to one of the stalls with a completely different look. Luz's outfit had been completely changed from a white and blue shirt with a hood that had cat ears, to a tuxedo that was yellow and had suns on one side and was dark purple and had stars and moons on the other. But perhaps the most drastic change was her face, as it was now yellow on one side and light blue on the other with the yellow side made to look like a moon. To top it all off her normally dark brown hair was now completely snow white. "Hello world!" She said in a now strange and echoey voice. "What're we playing tonight?" She dashed to the mirror and said: "Oh my what a fabulous new look! I'm definitely looking more classy with this style. In fact Y'know what, this classiness can't be seen in a dirt hole like this. Forget this boring dump, I'ma head home and have some REAL fun." Luz then burst out of the bathroom door and took a deep breath. "Ah much better." She then dashed off all the way to Gravesfield. She arrived in a matter of seconds and stood in the middle of the road. "Wow, record time." She said, "Hmm if I'm gonna have some fun, I should probably see what other cool powers I now have." Suddenly a man with glasses and a goatee in a car showed up and started honking at her. "Hey, get outta the road!" He said, "Hehehe here goes nothing." Said Luz. She then pulled out a tiny horn that said: squeeze me gently, and once she squeezed it bursted out with a tongue making a honk so loud the man's windshield was destroyed, his hair flew back, and both of the lenses in his glasses were cracked. Luz then gave the horn a blow and wiped her shoulder in the direction of the man. She then merrily skipped off saying: "Eeeee that was awesome! Boy, I wonder what other type of cool stuff I can do." She then overheard some commotion and went to investigate. She hid behind some trees where she saw a group of guys wearing gray pointed masks, hoods, brown gloves, boots, belts, and white cloths around their necks held by a golden triangle and black pants, except for one who was taller and wearing a pointed hood, a beaked mask with yellow eyes, and a long white shirt which had a golden triangle badge. They were harassing a young woman with a ponytail and a dark purple dress, a bald man with a pig-like nose and an eye patch, and a super short girl with orange hair and a pointy nose. "Bug off!" Said the woman. "You think we can just let people like you chumps walk on our turf?" Said one of the thugs. "Whaddya mean people like us? All I want is to write fanfics about food falling in love!" "Exactly I mean who does that? And you!" "Me?" Asked the bald man. "You were stupid enough to get your eye poked out, like how dumb can you be?" "I didn't mean to, it was an accident." "Yeah, just like how you are one. And don't get me started on you shortie." "We are members of fwee expwession you will never sciwence us!" Exclaimed the pointy nosed girl. "And that's exactly your problem believing stupid things like that." "The wored is a simuwation we are but pway things for a higher being!" The big thug then grabbed the girl by her neck and said: "Let this be a lesson to all of you: There's no place in society for you if you can't fit in." The thug was just about to punch the kid onto the pavement when suddenly Luz approached from behind the trees. "Ah excuse me but didn't you hear the lady? Cut the trash!" "Oh yeah?" Said the thug as he dropped the girl. "Listen here kid, we don't take no orders from freaks. I mean seriously what's wrong with your face?" Luz pulled out a mirror and said: "Why I don't believe there's anything wrong with my face." She then spun the mirror in the air turning it into a hammer and used it to whack the dude in his masked face before pulling his underwear over his head. "What's wrong with yours?" She then shoved the thug into the other thugs, allowing the people they were harassing to escape. Luz then blew a raspberry at then with eyes bulging out and her tongue stretching out and waving before dashing off. They then chased after her who lured them into an alleyway. "C'mon!" She said as she dashed around the corner, the thugs quickly followed her but as soon as they turned the corner they were met with a huge collection of fireworks pointing in their direction with Luz on the other side of them with a match in one hand and a fuse connected to all of the fireworks in the other. "Oh hello." She said as she lit the match. "And now goodbye." She lit the fuse and the jerks immediately started to scramble to get out of there. The fireworks all launched in almost an instant and each of them soared after each of the thugs exploding on contact and chasing them out of there, even the thugs that managed to escape the alleyway were still struck with a colorful explosion. Once it was done and they were all gone, Luz took a moment to be fascinated by her new abilities. "This is AMAZING! Eeeee Hehehe I could be a hero with these powers, just like Azura, fighting bad guys, doing magic stuff, saving innocent lives...hmmmhmhmhmhmhmhmhm, but first." Luz's eyes glowed red for a moment before she dashed off into the night. Meanwhile Camilla was at home preparing for bed when she decided to quickly send Luz a text. "How's summer camp?" It said, about half a minute later she got a reply saying: "I think I'm gonna like it here." Camilla smiled believing that she had done her daughter well, completely unaware of what Luz was even doing while she had sent the text.