Capítulo 27: Chapter 21: Chapter Twenty One: Prodigal Cure Part 1
Years ago
The day Eda was cursed was the worst day of her life. It ruined her. As a witch and a student at her school, Eda's life was tarnished. With the exception of a select few, no one, not even her own sister, would come near her. Who would, especially with a monster inside you that would take over you any chance it had? A beast that would plunge Eda into an abyss of despair and cruelly take hold of her mind and body.
It was a horrible fate that fell on her, but it was made worse by the nightmares that would come with the curse.
When the 14-year-old opened her eyes and saw nothing but blackness, Eda suddenly gasped and sat up, panting. She found herself in a shadowy void. Not this again, she thought to herself. This couldn't be happening.
Eda stood up and looked around, frightened to be back in this void again. It was here. She knew it was here. It's always there, waiting to attack her. To change her.
A shadow flashed past behind her. She turned around to look at it.
There it was—the Owl Beast.
In its truest form.
True to its name, the Owl Beast was a robust, quadrupedal creature with an owl-like appearance. It had a thick coat of dirty gray down feathers, large wings, bird-like legs, and long tail feathers. Its head resembled that of a barn owl, featuring a heart-shaped white face with hollow black eyes and a small beak.
It stepped on the ground, shaking. It then stretched its neck towards Eda, stopped in front of her, and screeched a horror shriek.
"AAAAAAAH!" Eda cried out in surprise.
"NO!" 14-year-old Eda screamed as she shot up in her bed.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," Malcolm said, taking her into his arms and hugging her tightly. Making Eda feel his love and safety as she hugged him back. Sobbing into his chest. "It's okay, it's okay. I'm here."
The door to the door opened, and three figures came into the room. Gwendolyn, the mother of Eda. The head of the Oracle Coven, Yeoh Saberslayer, before both of her arms were cut off by Belos. And her husband and the then-head of the Healing Coven, Mahri.
Having the same pale skin as her daughter, Gwendolyn had violet-colored lower lip, olive-green eyes, and rounded-out facial features, such as pronounced dimples and a ball chin. Her hair at the time was reddish-brown with a lighter-colored front and sides. It was worn in a symmetrical neck-length style, standing upwards on the sides and top with two locks falling around her cheeks.
Despite his name meaning a place of destruction, Mahri was a gentle giant of a man who was so big he had to bend down to fit through the doorway. Mahri had tanned skin, long hair that was covered by a black headdress, a short mustache, and a beard. He wore the light blue rode of the Healing Coven, with the armband of his coven, and a gray sash around his waist.
"Edalyn!" Gwendolyn ran in when she heard her daughter screaming. "Oh, thank goodness you're awake."
Eda continued to cry before pulling away from Mal's chest to look up at him. Her boyfriend had volunteered to use his amazing magical powers to free his cursed girlfriend.
"Mal…Did you…"
"I tried," Mal said with great sadness and grief. He hated it. He hated it so much he couldn't save her. "I'm sorry, Eda. I tried everything the masters taught me."
Eda hated it too, but smiled to cheer her beloved boyfriend up. "Hey, it's…It's okay, we'll try something else," she said.
What could they try?
Mahri walked up to the young girl, his fingers interlocked. "Eda," he said, "what did you see? In your dreams?"
When Eda swallowed the lump in her throat, it burned. It felt like forcing down razors. "It always starts the same way. I wake up someplace dark…And then it appears. It hunts me. Tries to hurt me…And eventually... I wake up, and I know I turned into... that thing. I…" Eda grabbed her head and shook it, her eyes shut tightly. "I don't want to become that thing again!"
"I wouldn't let that happen," Mal declared with a smile.
Yeoh walked to the bed and held out a hand. "Here, take this," she said, placing an object in Eda's hand. It was a large gem. "It will tell you when the beast's energy is bubbling to the surface."
"Oh, what a beautiful little stone," Gwendolyn said.
"It's a temporary solution," Yeoh said, smiling at the cursed girl. "But at least it gives us a fighting chance against it."
Gwendolyn's face twitched.
"May I speak with you outside," she asked, ushering the three who came to help outside.
"But, Eda," Mal protested.
"It'll just be a minute, hon," said the mother in a kind smile.
Mal looked to Eda, who smiled at her boyfriend. Expecting to see him again.
Eda's mom closed the door. Eda got up and eavesdropped on their conversation behind the door. Watching as her mom turned her anger and frustration on Mal, Yeoh, and Mahri.
"What the hell was that?! I thought you're some kind of powerful witch, not the Bauble Seller." Eda's Mother said, scolding Malcolm for his inability to heal her daughter.
"Mrs. Clawthorne, please." Malcolm pleaded. The elder Clawthorne turned away from him, arms crossed. "I'm trying to help her, but every healing spell I tried using didn't work. The curse is too strong for me to rid the beast within. Whoever cursed Eda must've burned the scroll to prevent me from using it to reverse the spell. But if I can keep it bay, It'll give me—"
"Keep it at bay!?" Eda's mother turned around, infuriated by the young Bridges's suggestion. "Oh, no. Are you saying that you can't do it? My daughter is suffering, and you're standing here, doing nothing! If you can't do it, I'll find someone else! I want that thing out! Cut the curse out if you have to!"
Upon hearing this, Eda gasped in horror. She covered her mouth and clutched her chest, panting heavily in fear. She looked at the open window, swinging and squeaking from the wind.
"Mrs. Clawthorne, I love your daughter, and I will do anything for her, but this…" When Mal was unable to speak, his master stepped in.
"Mrs. Clawthornes, in spite of being the head of the Healing Coven, I have studied all forms of magic," Mahri explained to the woman. "From the lowest of light spells to advanced lightning magic. I have lived a very long time, and this curse is unlike anything I've ever seen before. More powerful, more accent than anything on record. We need to be careful, or we could permanently damage Eda. For all we know, the curse is now embedded into her soul."
Gwen brushed him off, not happy to hear his concerns. "Oh, what do you know? If you're not going to do what is necessary, then I'll find a way to cure Edalyn. No matter what it takes."
She looked at Mal with disdain.
"And you, Bridges. I would have expected more of an effort. How could you let her suffer?! You're supposed to love her!"
"Don't! You! DARE!" Malcolm yelled, letting out a pulse of his magic that sent the mother to the floor.
The mother of his girlfriend looked at Mal in shock. She tried to get up, but was held down by vines coming out of the ground to wrap around her wrists and ankles.
"How dare you—"
She was gagged by a vine, watching in fear as the ceiling over Mal's head darkened.
"Do not ever question my love for your daughter! I will remove the curse, but I will not do it if it means hurting Eda anymore than she is hurting."
Mal let out a calm breath as his magic calmed down. Freeing Gwen.
"So long as she wants me to, I'm going to cure Eda. Until the day comes that she doesn't want me to help or I finally cure her, stay out of my way," he told the mother, much to her shock. Very, very few things will make Malcolm angry.
Anyone questioning or trying to make him feel like he didn't love Eda was one of them.
He walked past the woman and went back to Eda's room, leaving the mother to face Yeoh's judgmental glares.
Opening the door, Malcolm steps into Eda's room. "Eda I—"
Before he could speak, he gasped. Eda was gone. Her room was empty. The window above Eda's bed was open, and then it dawned on the seventh child of the Bridges family.
"Oh no..."
Meanwhile, Eda ran through the forest faster and faster. She stopped to catch her breath. This wasn't fair. None of this was fair. Why was any of it happening to her? All she wanted was to be normal again. Eda would give up being a bad girl just to have the curse taken away from her. To not have scared all of her friends away.
To not have gravely hurt her father.
"Eda!"
Eda gasped and looked up, only to see it was her boyfriend running to her.
"No, wait!" Eda yelled, holding her hand out to him. "Please. Don't come any closer! I…I could hurt you again."
"What, like you did the last time," Mal said, walking and holding up his arm, which was bandaged. "I'll just flash you again." He conjured a ball of light.
"This is serious, Mal! I…I don't wanna be like that," Eda said, close to tears as she hugged herself.
Mal, hating to see his girlfriend in such a vulnerable state, walked up and hugged her. Kissing her on the lips to calm her down. "I know, and I wouldn't let it happen," he said.
"What about mom," she asked, afraid. "What if…what if she doesn't love me anymore?"
"Your mother does," said Mahri, who walked out of the trees behind the teenage couple. "She's just…doesn't know how to help you and is expecting results."
The master of Malcolm stopped in front of his student and his girlfriend. The boy looked at him in lost. Everything he'd taught him was all for nothing. They worked for every other curse, but this one was different.
"Master, what do we do," Malcolm asked.
Mahri stroked his beard and pondered it for a moment. A second later, he passed the two kids.
"Walk with me," he said, and the two followed. Mahri started leading them into the forest. "This is a dangerous time for you, Edalyn. Your mother's willingness to take more extreme measures to rid the curse is a danger to you, yes. But some will try and hunt you down for it."
"The Empire," Eda asked, scared.
"There are those blinded to see his malice," Mahri said.
The journey would come to an end when they reached their destination. In front of them were the destroyed ruins of a mysterious terrace. The only remains were an iron gate held in place by a stone archway and partial walls. Purple leaves and vines overtook the structure, displaying the ruin's age.
"I never knew this was back here," she said.
Mahri nodded and held out his hand, stopping the kids before they could walk any further. When they looked at him, they saw that he was looking at the ground, more specifically, an object sticking out of the ground.
Kneeling down, the coven head reached out and grabbed the object, pulling it out of the ground and revealing it to be a suitcase-like object buried in the sand. The kids gathered around as he picked it up and wiped off the dirt on its surface.
"What is that," Eda asked, intrigued.
"A bridge. Not the one that would allow you to cross rivers and valleys. One more important than anything made by a witch, yet still about to until two sides to one another. This door is its vessel, and it will keep you safe, young Edalyn."
"You… want to send Eda to another world," Mal asked.
"That is your choice, Malcolm, as I'm giving this door to you. As of today, it belongs to you," Mahri said, revealing the eye of the portal. The very same one he'll give Eda in the future. "All I ask is that you never let it fall into the wrong hands. Not until the day comes when both worlds are ready to meet each other…and Belos falls."
"I…I understand," Mal said with a nod.
"Do you? Belos will stop at nothing to possess it. It must never fall into his hands. I'm giving it to you to keep Edalyn safe, but in turn, you must never allow anyone else to possess it," Mahri said, looking at the portal in his hands. "This portal could be what brings about great change, and Belos would corrupt that change with his tainted magic."
"Are you saying that we're going to have to fight Belos," Eda asked.
"An apt question, yet one that you shouldn't worry about right now," Mahri said, brushing his hand on the eye.
The eye then flashed, and the suitcase shot out of Mahri's hand. It folded open into a door with a key in its keyhole. The key turned in the lock, unlocking it. The door then opened, revealing the human realm on the other side.
Mahri walked to the door and pulled the key out. He then turned to his student and held it out to him.
Mal looked at the key and then at Eda. This was a big decision. They were still able to come back whenever they wanted, but by leaving, they would be leaving their family and friends for who knows how long. And yet, Eda knew that she didn't have a choice. Her mother was going to stop at nothing to get her curse removed, even if it meant going to the most extreme measures to get it out, regardless of her input.
This curse was hers to get rid of, and Eda trusted Mal above everyone to do it.
She nodded her head.
Mal turned to the key, knowing the responsibility that was placed on him if he took it. And it was one that he gladly did.
The boy reached out and pinched the top of the key. Holding it by the cut-outs.
"Do you have it," Mahri asked.
"Yes," Mal said.
"Say the words, please."
"I have it."
Mahri released the key to his student.
Years later
Seven years ago, Booker was forced into the foster home that would become his prison. People like to think that orphanages are all nice, happy places. But they're not. They're places where hope can be snatched away if the parent looking to adopt doesn't like you for any number of reasons. Even the most minor things like eye color.
When Booker walked into the bathroom, it felt cold to look at. There was no sense of warmth or care in it. There was only a cross and a picture of Jesus hanging on the wall.
There was another boy in the bathroom, and they were taking a shower. Booker didn't bother him. That was his business. He just wanted to use the restroom.
Walking up to one of the urinals, he pulled his pants down slightly and started peeing. However, at the same time, one of the bathroom stalls opened, and another boy came out. However, they weren't going to the exit.
Booker turned around and saw that the boy was replacing the soap bottle that was sitting at the corner of the shower current. Switching it out for another soap bottle.
However, it didn't look like soap at all. It was clear, almost like water.
The other boy looked at Booker like a deer in headlights. He then turned and ran out, taking the soap bottle he stole with him.
What was that about?
Booker looked back at the shower to see that the boy bathing had taken it. He could hear the bottle being opened as he watched himself with what would turn out to be bleach.
And then came the screams.
Booker gasped and jolted up. Looking around, he was startled to see that he wasn't in his bedroom. However, it only took him a moment to realize that he was. He just wasn't in the sleeping quarters of the orphanage.
He was in his bedroom in the Owl House, his new home and the only home he had ever wanted to have.
That was the first night Booker spent in that orphanage. The next seven years would be the most hellish time he'd ever spent. He didn't feel safe there with the other boys or with the staff. Father Dean was more worried about the reputation of the orphanage, so he did the bare minimum when it came to discipline. The nuns were in charge of that, and they were the cruelest when it came to punishment.
It was in that orphanage that he gained his fury. The trauma of listing his family burned inside of him, eating away at his mental health. He hated being called small because his height was a death sentence. The smaller you are, the more likely the other kids are going to pick on you.
And bullies weren't like on TV. They were dangerous, especially when they knew they could get away with their deeds. So many times in the beginning, Booker was beaten so badly that he ended up in the infirmary.
Leading to Booker's hair-trigger the moment he's told about his height. Because the moment he heard it, his body entered flight or fight mode. His need to live kicks it. If he didn't put down the bullies and show what would happen if he's called small, then he'll just be picked on again until he ends up killed by "accident".
And yet, now, that anger, that hate, and need beat down all who smelled him small—it was fading. And it was all thanks to two people.
Luz, the first love of his life, kept him together. She'd seen the worst of him, and instead of hating him and leaving him, that wonderful young woman chose to stay with him. Because they were both weirdos, and they loved each other for it.
And most of all, Eda.
Booker loved Luz and Amity with all his heart. Willow and Gus were his best friends, and he had a family on the Boiling Isles. But Eda was what he'd needed for so long. A parent who loved him. To fill the gaping wound left in his heart. Eda couldn't replace his family, but she was still there to be the family he needed. And it was with her help and love that Booker became happy.
His anger was a work in progress, but he was no longer lashing out as much. Eda's motherly love and kindness cooled the raging inferno. And for his new mom, the two girls he loved, and his friends, he'd been trying to be better.
Booker was still a wanted person, and Belos still wanted his blood, but he's finally learning to let his guard down.
"Another nightmare, huh?"
Booker looked up to see his mom standing at the bedroom's doorway. She was wearing a longer, three-toned maroon dress with mid-length sleeves and with lighter-gray tights. Her boots were now dark gray, and she no longer wore earrings.
"Is that the dress I bought for you," Booker said with a growing smile. That was until he saw the bottom of it. "Wait, did you rip it?"
"Huh?" Eda looked down at her new dress. "Oh, yeah. I did."
"Mama Eda!"
"What? It looks good on Mama," Eda said, smirking at the modification to her dress. She then looked at her adopted son with a worried face. "So…what was it about this time?"
Back on earth, Booker was told that he needed to represent a positive image of the church and his orphanage. Father Dean said it was to bring a positive outlook on all of his fellow kids—definitely not to cover up the fact that his happy little orphanage wasn't, in fact, a happy environment.
When he told her about the kid who bathed himself in bleach, Eda was shocked. "Titan-dammit," she hissed. "And Father Dean never did anything to the kid that did it?"
"Locked in solitary for a week, forced to write an essay on one of the old testaments, and he was released," Booker said. "Father Dean wanted everyone to be happy but never did anything to make us truly happy.
Eda sat down next to him and hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that," she said as her adopted son hugged his left arm around her. "Honestly, it's no wonder you got the tempter you have."
Booker sighed in shame. "I know," he said, looking down. "I'm…I'm trying to get better with it. But…well…"
"Is it a bad habit to let go when it comes from your past? Trust me, I know all about bad habits," Eda said, ruffling his hair.
Booker nodded but frowned. "Was…Was I really that bad of a person?"
Eda looked at him in shock. "Who told you that?"
"Well, I've been thinking back on how I've been…well, I just thought that I'm lucky to have still the friends I have," Booker said, pulling his legs into his chest. "Especially when I let that anger get the better of me. Honestly, I would have thought that people would have hated me because of my anger…"
"Let me tell you something," Eda said. "Fuck those people."
"Huh?"
"I said fuck people who would hate you for something that's not your fault, Booker," Eda said with firmness. "You were only a kid that went through one of the most traumatic experiences anyone could have gone through, forced to hold all that repressed trauma in for seven years, allowing it to build up. And that's not even ignoring the fact that you were forced to live in a brutal and dangerous environment."
Eda kissed his forehead with love.
"You're not a bad person, Booker. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise," she said, flicking his forehead. "Even if you do have a short temper, shorty."
"Watch it."
"Hehe, sorry."
"Thank you, Mama Eda," Booker said. "For everything."
"Don't mention it, kiddo. Now come on," Eda said, ruffling his golden hair as she stood up. Booker smiled and got up with her. Together, they left the bedroom.
When they walked into the kitchen, Booker blinked in confusion before smiling. In the kitchen, Luz was sleeping with her head atop a pile of books while snoring, just where he'd left her the previous night when she wanted to continue their research into how to get back to the Human Realm.
"Luz," Booker whispered, giving her a little shake.
Luz groaned.
"Luzzy~"
"Luzzy is sleepy."
Booker smiled at his crush and was about to try again. However, that's when Eda exclaimed, "Beans!"
This caused Luz to jolt up, cry out, and fall backward. Booker quickly saved her by getting behind her and catching her. "What's wrong," Booker asked while Luz looked up at him with a big blush.
"We ran out of apple blood," Eda said, kicked the fridge door close, and turned around.
Booker rolled his eyes with a smile as he pushed Luz back up. "So…Still no luck," he asked, picking up some of the books that landed on the ground.
She sighed and said, "None. And I was up all night. I read every tome, book, notepad, and tea leaf."
Luz picked up the cup she used for the tea leaf ritual and showed it to Ede and Booker. Inside were a bit of tea and the crumbled bits of a leaf.
The tea leaf formed into a shrugging person.
"But nothing explains how to make a portal to the Human Realm," Luz said, throwing the cup away. Breaking it against the wall.
Eda walked around the island and patted her on the back. I wish I could help ya, kid," she said. "My door was already pretty old when Master Mahri gave it to Mal."
Booker blinked and asked, "Master Mahri?"
"Yeoh's husband. He was the former head of the Healing Coven and your father's master. Thought him in secret everything he knew," Eda explained. "I've only had the door for 14 years. Mal's had it when we were…well, the same age as you two."
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
The conversation was interrupted when, from somewhere in the house, Lilith started screaming. Booker, Eda, and Luz gasped.
"Lily?!" Eda called out to her sister.
They ran to the living room. Just in time to see Lilith on the ground, her hands growing feathers on her fingers and down her arm, beginning to turn into Owl Beast.
"Help... me," Lilith pleaded, reaching out to them.
"I've got her," Booker said, acting fast, rushing over and taking out a bottle of elixir from beneath a pillow on the couch.
He then ran towards Lilith as Eda laid her down on her lap. "Calm down, just calm down," she said, tilting her head back to allow Booker to feed Lilith the elixir gently. "The curse acts stronger when you're stressed."
Lilith drank all of the glowing elixir. The potion kicked in, causing the feathers to disappear. Opening her eyes, the woman inhaled sharply and started panting.
"That was... That was horrible!" Lilith exclaimed, rubbing her temple like she had a migraine. One most likely caused by the horrible taste of the elixir. "How have you managed all these years?"
"Well, it's been hard," Eda said, downplaying the experience of her first few years under the curse's control, as she helped Lilith up. "But since we split the curse, at least the elixirs are working again."
Lilith smiled and said, "That's a relief."
She would have placed her hand on her chest…
…If she noticed her left hand was gone.
She made a terrified noise while Luz cried out in shock.
"Your hand!" Booker yelled, pointing at the cut-off end of Lilith's arm. "Oh, wait, there it is." He bent down and picked up Lilith's hand.
"Oh, yeah, sorry. A side effect of the curse. It's actually fun once in a while," Eda said as her adopted son set the hand back in place. "Now, don't worry. I've stashed elixirs all over the house."
Eda then showed all the places where she hid the elixirs. She still had five more under the couch seat and stashed one behind a flower pot.
Whenever you start feeling feathery, just help yourself to one of these bad boys," she said, pulling one out of Luz's hood.
While Luz was impressed and clapped her hands, Booker was more confused.
"Wait, when did you put that there," he asked.
"Don't worry about it."
Seeing just how much Eda had come to rely upon these elixirs, along with the many other pains and hardships she'd endured being cursed, Lilith looked down in shame. All this time, she could have been there for her sister, and yet she wasn't. Only trying to fix the problem instead of comforting Eda. Never fully understanding her suffering until she finally had it nearly happen to her.
"All this time…I had no idea this is what I did to you. I am so, so sorry," Lilith said as Eda walked up to her.
"Eh, don't worry about it. Yeah, I lost a lot because of it, but I also gained good things for it," Eda said, handing Lilith the bottle of elixir. "And you got me if you need anything."
Eda patted Lilith on the shoulder and walked out with Booker and Luz. Leaving Lilith to lie down on the couch.
She looked up, only to notice a few bottles of elixirs taped to the ceiling.
Lilith smiled. At least Eda was prepared.
"Mahri gave the portal to Malcolm and told him never to allow anyone to have it," Eda said, continuing their conversation from the kitchen. "Made him sore an oath, just like he did with me when he gave me the door. When Mal and I broke up, that was pretty much it. I no longer had a means of going to the human realm until 14 years ago."
"You never came back to our world," Booker asked.
"Not as often as I'd hoped. If I wanted to, I'd have to go to your father. I still have strong feelings for the adorable idiot, but when he started dating and then marrying your mother…well, it never felt right," Eda said, looking at the horizon sadly as she rubbed her arm. "I didn't want to get in the way of their happiness, so I just started having more adventures in this world."
"Why wouldn't you tell anyone," Luz asked her.
Eda smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Why? Suddenly curious about my past?"
The girl gave her a serious expression. "Always. Always curious."
"Well, I may have been using it to hide from someone," Eda said with a sour look in her eyes.
This got Booker's attention as he looked alarmed. "Hide from who?
"Probably me!" said an all too familiar voice.
"Shit," Eda said.
A sudden strong gust of wind started blowing, forcing Eda, Booker, and Luz to shut their eyes and shield their faces. Through cracked-open eyelids, they saw a bird flying and a tornado coming toward them.
Fully opening her eyes, Luz looked up, surprised, and said, "Magic bird tornado?"
Booker summoned his Dragon's Bite to him.
"Booker, don't!" Eda said, placing a hand in front of him. Looking at the tornado with bitterness. "I know exactly who it is."
"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about!" Booker said. It was only a matter of time before all of Eda's enemies came after her, and it looked like today was the day.
However, when the tornado stopped, Eda's eyes narrowed when she saw it was none other than her mother and her Palisman, Hawksley. He was a red-tailed hawk talisman with desaturated medium brown feathers and a lighter head and neck, and he had darker, black-tipped wing and tail feathers. His beak was more yellow-brown, as were his talons, and he had glowing white-gray eyes.
Gwendolyn landed in front of the trio as her bird landed back on her staff, turning into his staff form. Hunched over and imposing, his eyes medium brown instead of white, and the staff was a dark gray crook.
The mother's appearance had aged, and her hair was now mostly light gray, with the exception of two patches of white on her sides.
"Hello, little witchlet," Gwendolyn said with great joy. She was so very happy to see her daughter. Her staff vanished before the older woman ran forward with open arms. "Come here," she said.
"Gwendolyn," Eda said in disgust, stopping Gwendolyn from coming closer by pressing her hand on her head.
Booker, still armed with Dragon's Bite, leaned to Eda and asked, "Mama Eda, who is this?"
"Hush, child!" Eda covered his mouth in a panic.
However, it was too late. The moment she heard the word 'Mama', Gwendolyn gasped and stopped. "Mama? Are you telling me…"
"No, NO! It's not what you think!"
"I have a grandbaby!"
Booker didn't know when it happened, but Dragon's Bite was on the ground, and he was in the air. Having everything inside his body squeezed out towards his head and legs as Gwendolyn's arms hugged him to the point of nearly passing out.
"Help…please!" he gasped, feeling his eyes about to pop out.
Luckily, he was placed down at Gwendolyn, who looked him over with glee. "Oh, he's so handsome. His ears aren't very pointy, but other than that, he's perfect," she said, pinching his cheeks. "Edalyn, how could you not have told your own mother about you finally settling down and giving birth?"
"Mother?!" Luz and Lilith, who heard from outside and pushed open a window, shouted in shock.
Booker at Gwendolyn in awe and with a growing smile. "I…I have another grandmother?"
"Adopted grandmother," Eda said, pulling her adopted son away from her mother. "And I didn't just knock up or settle down. I adopted Booker. He's Malcolm's son."
Gwendolyn leaned down to look at Booker closely.
"Oh." She shrugged. "That's a shame, but legally speaking, he's your son?
"If you wanna split hairs—"
"Hello, I'm right here!" Booker yelled, feeling a bit offended. Behind him, Luz was the only person to see Lilith crawling out of the window like a scurrying animal. "And you signed the documents, lady. Making it the first legal thing you've done."
Eda rolled her eyes.
"Oh, don't be like that. Isn't it so good to see your mother again?" Gwendolyn said, squeezing Eda's face with both hands before Eda bushed her away. "How are you feeling? Are you eating well? I heard all about the Petrification Ceremony. Trust me. I have a lot of strong words for that Belos."
"Yeah, you do that," Eda grumbled.
Booker nudged her. "What's with you? Isn't she your mother?"
"Unfortunately—AAH!"
Eda yelled, and she and Booker were shoved out of the way and to the ground when Lilith came out from behind them.
"Mother! Mother, you know, I was there too," she said with a smile, hoping to get some kind of recognition from her.
"Oh, hello to you too, sweet flea," Gwendolyn said, touching Lilith's hair. "Still dyeing your hair, I see. Well, it's very sleek. Now give me a moment with Edalyn, dear. It's important."
For a moment, Lilith looked surprised by how her mother brushed her off so easily. She should be shocked that after all these years, her mother didn't have the time even to acknowledge her like she did her older sister.
But really, she wasn't.
People don't change that easily, and Lilith's mother still ignores her. Because of that, she became sad and backed off.
"That's right! Today, I am about to complete a 30-year mission," Gwendolyn proclaimed to her daughters, adopted son, and the little human girl.
"Mission," Luz asked.
Eda, with an annoyed expression, groaned. "Oh, no."
"Your mother has finally succeeded."
Eda pinched her eyebrows. "Here it comes."
"Today," Gwen spun her staff and jabbed it on the ground, "I shall be curing your curse!"
Booker could almost hear the music of hope from some random movie playing in his head. "Are…Are you for real," he asked with a growing smile. "You can actually cure mom?!" He turned to Eda, who was digging for gold in her ear with her pinky. "Isn't that great?! Mom, you can finally be cured!
"No, thanks."
"WHAT!!" Booker, Luz, and Lilith yelled in shock. Eda looked at them with wide eyes filled with disbelief.
"I said, 'No, thanks,'" Eda said, crossing her arms. "I got my elixir system. I'm good."
"But... But who knows what they put in those nasty concoctions?" Gwen asked, appalled.
"Actually, I do. I was in the Potions Track, remember? And would you look at the time?" Grabbing Gwendolyn's staff, Eda quickly pushed Gwendolyn to sit on it, much to the old woman's surprise. "I've got a lot to do today. It's so sad to see you go. Okay, bye!"
With a slap on Gwendolyn's staff, Eda sent her flying away. Satisfied with herself, she turned back to the house with her eyes closed, eyes closed, and then dusted off her hands.
"Moms. Am I right?" she said, opening her eyes to look at the other.
No one was happy with her. Booker, Luz, and Lilith stared at Eda with a completely shocked expression on their faces.
"What?"
"Your mother was going to cure you…and you sent her flying away…I…I don't…" Booker's shock turned to anger as he shouted at his adopted mother. "What is wrong with you?!"
"Booker, you shouldn't yell at your mother," Lilith said. However, just as frustrated at Eda, Lilith walked to Eda to criticize her too. "But he is right. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! I haven't seen Mother in forever!
"She was handing you a cure on a silver platter, Mama Eda!" Booker yelled again.
"How could you do that to her?!" Luz yelled, joining in on the berating. "I'd kill to see my mom right now, and you just launch yours into the sky?!"
"Everyone, time!" Eda said, putting her hands together in a T. "Look, I get why you're all mad, really, I do, but listen. She comes around every year, toting a new cure for my curse. But they never work, so I am done getting my hopes up."
"But…But what if it's really a cure," Booker asked, looking at his adopted mother with pleading eyes. "Eda, can't you at least give it a try?"
"I'm sorry, kiddo, but I'm not," Eda said and started walking into the house.
Booker sighed in frustration while Lilith stood there with a look of disbelief. "Mother visits Edalyn... regularly?" she asked, following Eda into the house.
Booker and Luz turned their heads back toward the mother of their adopted mom/mentor. Gwendolyn landed, then walked away with a sad expression.
Luz made a pitiful sound, and Booker frowned. "Do you really think she found a cure? " he asked her.
"I…I don't. I really want her and Eda to make up, but…" Luz paused for a moment.
"It could not really work and make things worse," Booker said, nodding as he picked up Dragon's Bite. "I understand…but I think this is something that we need to do."
Luz nodded, and together, they ran after Gwen.
Booker waved to her. "Mrs. Clawthorne, wait!"
Gwendolyn turned around to see her adopted grandson running up to her.
"I-I mean Grandmother Clawthorne. I mean grandmother. I…Titan, this is so weird," Booker said, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean, I'm adopted, so I don't know what to call you."
"You can call me Grandma Gwen, my dear," Gwen said, smiling at her grandson.
"Uh, right. So, I'm your new grandson, Booker," Booker said, holding out his hand to her, only for Gwen to smile and pull him into another hug. "Ooooooooh, the back again."
Luz giggled at the funny yet sweet scene as she cleared her throat, getting the grandmother's attention. "And I'm Luz. Eda's apprentice. I think what you're doing is so sweet. Eda can just be so…"
"Stubborn," Booker said with a smushed face.
"Yeah, there we go."
Gwen sighed and released Booker. "But please don't blame Edalyn. It was the curse that created the rift between us," she said with a hand on her chest. "It destroyed all of Edalyn's relationship. Including the one with your father, Booker."
"Yeah, she told me all about that," Booker said, rubbing the back of his head.
Luz stepped up to smile at the old woman. "I understand. Right now, there's an actual rift between me and my mom in the Human Realm."
"Human Realm? Hmm." Intrigued, Gwen thought for a moment before gasping when an idea came into her mind. "My dear, I may know how to fix both our rifts."
This excited Luz. "Really?"
"I've heard some information that may assist you with your quest. Help me cure Eda's curse, and that information is yours," Gwen said to the two kids.
Luz, exhilarated, hopped on. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"
Determined to find the cure, Booker nodded with a grin and asked, "When do we get started." Was it small to go on a quest with a stranger? No, but Gwen was his new grandma, and if she really did believe that she had the cure, then it was worth the chance.
"We'll be consulting someone…" Gwen grabbed her necklace, and the rune on it started flashing. "Very special."
Leaving the Owl House together, Booker, Luz, and Gwendolyn walk together down a path in the forest. On both sides of the trio were two rocky bluffs.
"So we're gonna meet a curse expert," Luz asked, excited to find the cure. "This is so rad."
"Yes, after years of dealing with the Healing Coven, I finally found someone who promised me a cure," Gwendolyn said, smiling. "And once he gives me the cure, we can finally be a family again."
"I'm sure Mom would love that," Booker said, rolling his eyes. "She just…likes doing this her way. Had been for as long as I've lived with her."
"Oh, she thinks that she knows what she wants, but as her mother, I know what's best for my little girl," Gwen said, wagging her finger.
Booker and Luz glance at one another. "Right…"
"You know, when Eda and Malcolm were dating, I thought they were the happiest couple in the world. I was sure they would have gone on to marriage. I will admit, I wasn't fair towards your father," Gwen said, looking down at the ground in shame. "He truly was trying his best, but it wasn't enough. And if his best isn't enough for my daughter, then I couldn't accept the relationship anymore."
"Well, as you know, Grandma Gwen, my father really did try everything. I'm sure that had he had enough time, he could have cured your daughter and saved their relationship," Booker said. He didn't like how she was talking about his father like that.
"Either way, my little Edalyn still ended up becoming your mother. Still, I never would have thought that my Edalyn would finally have a child. And while I would have rather she's…" Gwen glanced at Booker, who gave her a raised eyebrow.
"Gave birth?"
Luz said, "Well, it's not like Booker's not a bad choice for a grandson, right." She gave Gwen a warning look. As if dangering her say something bad about her best friend/crush.
"Oh, no, I'm not saying that. I just…didn't expect Eda to adopt anyone after not wanting any," Gwen said, pointing to Booker. "Especially for someone so young and little."
"Hey! I'm not a miniature gopher anymore, dammit!" Booker yelled, his anger spiking again.
As the group came to a stop, Luz sighed in exasperation and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Booker, you know that's not what she said," she said, helping him calm down.
Gwen looked at Booker with a raised eyebrow. "Hmm, a bit of a temper on you."
Exhaling a deep breath, Booker frowned and looked down in shame. "I know, I'm sorry, Grandma Gwen. It's just…It's something that I can't stand being called," Booker said, rubbing his arm as he explained to them the originals of his fury. "The orphanage I grew up in was extremely rough. And because I was the shortest person on the block, I was the easiest target for a lot of the bigger kids. They called me short and tiny, all while kicking the shit out of me. Most nights, I would go to bed with bruises and cuts."
"Oh my," gasped Gwen, looking at her new grandson with horror.
Booker nodded and stuffed his clenching fists in his pockets. "And then, one day, this really bad kid came at me. The others held me down as he started cutting me," Booker said, feeling his chest where the bully cut into him. "He said that I deserved it for being weak and small. That God took my parents and my brothers away because I was so small. And you know what's the fucked up part? I…I kind of believed him. I'd believed him so much that I got angry. Everything went blanket, but when I woke up, I…"
Knowing exactly where the story was going, Luz walked up behind him and hugged him. "Booker, it's okay," she said softly.
"No, I need to say it," Booker said, trying to get his breathing under control. "I'd beaten that kid within an inch of his life. He never picked on me again and had to be moved away. I don't know why Father Dean kept me around. I wouldn't. But since that day, whenever someone calls me small, I just…snap. To be called small is to be called weak, and in a place like where I grew up, weakness is death."
"Well," Gwen said, "I'll be sure to give this Father Dean a good verbal thrashing for allowing such things to happen—right after we cure Edalyn." She turned and continued walking with Booker, and Luz followed her from behind.
Walking abreast with her best friend, Luz looked at him worryingly. "Are you okay," she asked.
"Yeah, it's just…I've been thinking a lot about how I've been the last few years," he attempted, looking down in shame. "Is there really any wonder I turned out the way I did? A thug with a hair-trigger temper. It's honestly a wonder why you didn't just dump me when I yelled at you on the Grudgby field."
"Booker, I told you, it's okay." While it did hurt when he saw all those awful things, it made Luz realize that she wasn't the best of friends for Booker when she could almost get him killed. "You had nothing to apologize for," Luz said, still not sure why Booker thought he was the bad guy. "I was the screw-up."
"I know, but still…"
"Booker, you're not a perfect person. You're brash, get angry quickly, and are violent," Luz said, giving him a critical eye. However, that softened as she smiled at him. "But I would have to be the biggest loser on the planet to not see past all that. To see the real side of your worth being friends with. You can be a jerk, but you're a jerk with a heart of gold. You're strong, you always try to keep me out of trouble when I'm in the wrong, and most of all, you were there! You were there for me when no one else was. If it weren't for you, I would have been alone forever.
"I sure as hell am not perfect," Luz said, rolling her eyes. She then looked at Booker with her big eyes, looking at him with love in them. "I have made so many mistakes that it's not funny. If anything, you shouldn't be friends with me."
Booker looked at the first girl he'd ever love in wonder. For as long as they'd been friends, he'd never once thought Luz thought of him like that. He'd always thought about the Dominican girl as the ray of sunlight that brightened his bleak life. Never once imagined it was the other way around.
"Heh, you know, Eda said the same thing to me this morning," Booker said, smiling. "About people being dumbasses for only seeing our flaws."
"And that's why we weirdos need to stick together," Luz said, pointing her fist at him. "Which is why, if I do something stupid, I'll need you there to bring me back to reality."
"And if I get too hot-headed, I'll need you there to cool me down," Booker said, and the two of them bumped their fists.
The three of them continued walking until Gwendolyn stopped. "Here we are," she said.
Booker and Luz looked up and were confused at first as they found themselves standing in front of a rocky cliff. For miles, there were no signs of anyone, not even animals.
For a moment, Booker was going to write off his new grandmother as an alcoholic like Eda. However, something caught his attention.
One of the stones was a slab that would have been perfect for a door. This was proven when Gwendolyn walked up to it and displayed her necklace.
The boulder flashed the same symbol, then opened up by moving aside, revealing a hidden cave entrance.
"Whoa! How long has this been here," Booker asked with wide eyes. "Are there more of these places?"
Gwendolyn chuckled as she walked forward. "Of course there are," she said. "They're all over the island. You just have to know where to look."
"I love secret passages!" Luz cheered as she and Booker rushed to catch up with the old woman.
Before long, the three of them entered a large cave decorated with many things. Hanging from the ceiling were many golden shapes, like circles, moons, and stars. Purple crystals jutted out of the ground, and large tree roots were buried in the cave from above. Candles illuminated the room, along with a waterfall in the back wall of the cave. Its rocky wall was painted to look like a sun.
And there, sitting in the middle of an altar in front of the waterfall, was an old witch with four hands. His skin was purple, and a blue jewel was on his forehead. He had long white hair and a beard. He wore a pale gray robe with a large green orb necklace around his neck. In his top right hand was a staff with a diamond top, and a similar orb bracelet in his lower left hand.
The trio approached the altar as a gremlin with boils on his eyelids kneeled in front of the witch.
"Please, they're so itchy," the gremlin pleaded.
Humming, the old witch waved his hand, casting a spell circle. A circle of purple light surrounded the gremlin and lifted him up and off the ground. The light then flashed, and the gremlin was healed. He opened his eyes to show a look of pure joy as they were filled with stars and a moon.
Gwendolyn, Booker, and Luz gasped at the sight of that. Gwendolyn looked happy, while Booker and Luz looked shocked at the witch's abilities.
He watched as the gremlin was then put down on the ground. "Boils, they're... they're gone! Thank you, Wortlop. Thank you," he ran away out of the cave, crying happily.
The blonde boy's attention was pulled away when Gwen placed a hand on his shoulder.
"That's Master Wortlop. He's a traveling curse expert who's perfected next-level healing magic," she said when Master Wortlop gestured for Gwendolyn to come over. "Ooh!"
Gwendolyn shoved Booker aside and passed her staff to Luz. The two kids looked at one another, confused, but stood back as the old woman walked up to Wortlop and knelt in front of him.
"Gwendolyn, my pupil. Your aura is shining bright." Master Wortlop complimented her, opening his glowing white eyes devoid of pupils.
"It took many months, but I was able to gather the sacred items you requested," Gwen said with excitement as she pulled out a sack. From it, she took out an egg. "The copper egg from the Snowy Rib Cage." The second item to come out was a dagger. "The silver dagger from the Swampy Toes, and…" Lastly, Gwen pulled out a glowing gold chalice with eyes carved into it. "The golden chalice from the desert of Palm Stings."
"You're a dedicated mother, aren't you?" said Wortlop, stroking his beard.
Clapping his lower hands together, Wortlop summons a spell book out of thin air.
"Inside this tome is the healing ability you seek," he said, passing it over to Gwendolyn. "But keep it away from the eyes of non-believers, for many will be blinded by the power it holds."
Gwendolyn looked at the tome in awe for a moment. Finally, she had the answers she wanted. Finally, someone was giving her what she wanted: a straightforward cure for her daughter.
"I understand," she said, standing up and bowing to Master Wortlop. "I am in your debt, Master Wortlop."
Booker and Luz glanced at one another as Gwendolyn turned around and walked away. Could this really be it? Did they really find the cure for Eda?
There was only one way to find out.
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