It Started With a Spinny

Moving Forward

Non-descriptive summary of previous chapter:
- Camilla holds Vee in her lap on the sofa.
- Camilla, Luz and Amity listen as Vee describes her time in the dungeons of the Boiling Isles.
- The guards wanted her to drain peeprats to death, and hurt her when she refused.
- Belos 'saved her', promising she wouldn't be hurt if (and only if) she was a "good little basilisk".
- Belos manipulates her into draining peeprats to death in his hands.
- She gains enough magic to become something large, and escapes with two other basilisks.
- She blames herself for killing the peeprats to save herself.
- She blames herself for not rescuing all the other basilisks.
- She blames herself for enjoying hurting the guards who hurt her.
- She says she's a monster.
- Camilla hugs her tighter.

Camila holds her against her shoulder, rocking her gently.

Number Five just stares at nothing, pulling weakly at Camila's teal top. "But, but I-"

"Hey, hey," her tone is gentle, but firm: "Vee I'm sorry. I should have known - when you said you didn't have a home you were running away from," Camila breathes out heavily, "Vee I'm so sorry."

Number Five doesn't understand. "Wh, why-"

"Because I should have gotten you someone to talk to, and I will!" Her voice takes on that strident tone it does when she's taking charge, "First thing tomorrow I'm calling Miriam!"

Luz gasps: "Yes Miriam!" She holds her tail reassuringly, smiling: "She's really nice! She helped me when, when Dad..." Luz looks down, takes a deep breath, makes herself look up again, "She helped me see that it wasn't my fault."

Camila gasps: "Oh mija!"

"I know!" She smiles, "I know. There's no way it could have been my fault. And Mariam helped me see that." Luz turns to her, smiling despite the tears, "And she can help you too."

She blinks sideways, "What does, what does she do?"

Camila squeezes her shoulder, "Miriam is a child psychologist specialising in trauma. She's someone you can talk to about everything you just told us, and she'll help you with ways to process it and start to feel better about it. Sí?"

Number Five blinks again, "But I, I can't talk to someone else about that, about any of that?" She looks down at her clawed hands, her tail, "Just look at me!"

Camila smiles, "Hey, hey it's okay! Mariam is a close friend, and a really good person. I trusted her with Luz, and if you're comfortable with it, I'll sit in on your first session and make it absolutely clear that I am trusting her again with my daughter who is very precious to me and who I will protect no matter what! And she'll understand."

She blinks again, "your daughter?"

Camila's smile becomes bittersweet, "Of course Vee! You're a part of this family too! I'm so sorry if I haven't told you that enough!"

She looks down, wide eyes staring at her clawed hands, not enough magic to make them brown. "But, I'm not Luz."

Camila's squeezes her shoulders, "I know that Vee! I already have one Luz, two would be-" her eyes widen, and she quickly turns to squeeze Luz's shoulder, "Not that I don't love your enthusiasm so very much and-"

Luz smirks, "But two of me would be a handful?"

Camila frowns awkwardly, "Just a little." She looks back, not noticing Luz's smirk becoming fixed. But she's distracted by Camila cupping her cheek so warmly, saying with such absolutely intense honesty: "You're my daughter too! Not as Luz 2.0, but as you! As Vee, whose brave, kind, intelligent, so very giving and so much better at laundry than your tired old mama!"