Chapter Text
Afternoon sunlight warms your entire self down to each cell in your body.
The air whizzed past your ears, even tickling you a bit.
And Eddy laughs and laughs, her feet dangling underneath her while you held her by the arms, grip tight and secure.
You were laughing along with her, despite the growing strain you can feel from your wings. Still too small to carry both of your weight.
But it was worth it, because hearing your best friend laugh is the best thing you can ever have.
Except for, you know, having two best friends!
“Guys, slow down!” Lily yelled from behind, concern etched across her face as she ran after you two.
Typical Lily.
“We’re okay, Lily,” you called back, mirth lilting in your words while Eddy squealed when you would glide lower.
She swung her legs, like she's playing in a swing. “Higher! Higher!” she cheered.
If it means having your best friend happy, you’ll do it.
With great effort, you took in a deep breath until your face starts to go red, before you willed your wings to flap even faster, pushing both of you as high as you can get.
The sight of branches would’ve encouraged you – you’ve never flown this high before! – if one of them hadn’t smacked you in the face.
You turned just in time as both of you came crashing down, rolling on the dirt until you skidded to a stop. Thankfully, Eddy only got a few scratches, her Hexside uniform all dusty from the tumble.
Meanwhile, you might have bitten off more than you can chew when you decided to take the full brunt for her with your sore shoulder, wincing a bit when you tried moving your wings.
Eddy hastily pulls away from your hold, eyes welling up as she practically whimpered your name.
Lily finally caught up, shouting your name in alarm before kneeling to your other side.
“Th-This is nothing,” you were still able to rasp out, trying to push yourself up on your elbows. Which you were able to do, but it also did take out a lot more from you.
“Don’t move, silly!” Lily admonished, yet her eyes were misty as well when she reaches down, wrapping her arms around your waist to pick you up.
But she’s only seven. She’s not as strong as the witches across the Boiling Isles.
She’s not strong enough to protect you and Eddy from crashing.
“We can do this, Lily!” Eddy’s determination is fierce from that stubborn frown alone. And she did what Lily attempted earlier, wrapping her own arms around you. “On three!”
There was only a second for Lily to realize what Eddy was saying.
“One!”
Lily’s grip grew firm. She won’t let you down.
“Two!”
She shared a nod with Eddy.
“Three!”
Once they got you to your feet, they were quick on correcting their hold on you, now taking an arm each to have it drape on their shoulders. The two sisters are now helping their best friend up.
Success!
“Thanks, you guys.” Though your smile was weary, it still sent a nice, pleasing warmth in the redheads' tummies. “But, Eddy, didn’t you get hurt, too?”
The youngest in their trio shakes her head, thick, wild hair flailing everywhere, and it reminded you of a fireball an older student would cast in the hallway. “I’m tough!” she declared.
Lily sighed, tugging a lock of your own hair to grab your attention. “That was really stupid, you know.” Oh boy, here goes. “You could’ve gotten a bunch more boo-boos if you aren’t careful!”
Instead of getting cowed at her scolding, your tiny smile bloomed into a bright grin, lightly bumping your head against hers. “I don’t have to worry about nothing when I got the Clawthorne sisters with me!”
Huh, all that running must’ve caught up with her when red stains across her cheeks.
You didn’t think another second of it when Eddy whooped, just about to jump when she pumped her fist if you hadn’t let out a quiet hiss.
After saying a sheepish “sorry”, the three of you went on your way back home.
…
“Hoot, hoot! Fancy letter incomi—HOOT!”
The door swung open, with Hooty hacking loudly while soot covered his face. The brilliant silver flames slowly went away, a crisp white scroll now settled in its place on the middle of the living room, pinned close by a wax seal.
Luz crawled closer to where Eda is when she picked it up, leaning on her shoulder to peer at it with an obvious air of intrigue. “Ooooh, it does look fancy,” Luz chimed in. “Perhaps from a rich, emotionally withdrawn admirer?”
King hopped around on his place, clapping his hands as his tail wagged excitedly. “Oh! Oh! Is it money? What if it’s money? The King of Demons demand to be spoiled with riches beyond imagination!”
In-between her unwanted house mates, Eda rolled her eyes, yet there was an amused curl on her lips. “Now, now, having a rich chump would be nice to have, but I don’t think they would…send…in…”
Once her gaze landed on the seal, words died out in her mouth.
Both King and Luz exchanged confused glances from where they’re at, until Eda suddenly has the seal removed after using a bit of her magic.
Gold surrounds the scroll for a moment before going away, and it opened for her to read.
Well, the other two wanted to read it, too, except Eda has it unnecessarily close to her face, as if willing the words to get sucked in through her eyes.
“She…” Eda leaned back, finally, now holding the scroll loosely as she stared at the ceiling blankly. “She…”
Not known for his patience, King snatched the scroll up, and he quickly skimmed through the cursive. Only for his eyes to pop wide open once he reads the bold words nearly at the end of the paragraph.
“INHERITANCE?” he exclaimed, stars sparkling erratically in his eyes, hugging the scroll to his chest like it was an old friend. “We’re stinkin' rich! The King of Demons shall be a wealthy king now! As I deserve to be!”
As he rejoiced, Luz only watched him (while recording a video of him jumping around). But her mentor’s silence prompted her to look at her, still staring up at the ceiling, oddly enough.
“I didn’t know you have an inheritance,” she remarked, conversational.
“That’s because I don’t have one,” Eda answered with the flattest tone Luz ever heard from her.
A brow quirked up, Luz tried to pry more out of her. “Then where did it come from?” Please say mysterious parents. Please say mysterious parents. Please say mysterious parents.
Eda swallowed, thumb running across the wax seal in her hand. “A…An old friend of mine. When I was still a kid,” she said, unusually quiet. “She’s dead.”
Taken aback, Luz fell silent, even tugging King back to settle on her lap, scratching along his back to quiet him down from his huffing. “I’m sorry.” Her lips pursed, clearly uncertain over what to say next. “Were you two…close?”
With a quiet sigh through her nose, Eda draped an arm over her eyes. “You can say that,” was all she shared about it.
The silence that followed was stifling. Luz has a feeling Eda wants to tell more about it – about this mysterious, dead person – but she doesn’t.
Luz can respect that. She’ll let Eda talk to her about it someday.
But for now…
“King and I will be in my room,” she told her kindly, holding King to her chest. “Are you gonna be okay?”
A simple wave of her hand was the only answer Eda gave, still having an arm over her eyes.
And with that, Luz steps out as quietly as she could, leaving Eda on her own to reminisce about her friend.
When times were a lot easier, and she has a best friend who remained at her side through her worst.