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As soon as the Owl House settled, Luz sighed with heavy relief. That had been more excitement than she bargained for. When Willow and Gus talked her into having a Moonlight Conjuring, she expected a slumber party. Even though Eda had told her not to have anyone over and to just watch over the house, Luz had convinced herself that the Conjuring would be nice and harmless. And it was important, because Willow and Gus had never had enough friends to have a Moonlight Conjuring.
It had most certainly not been harmless. Instead of enchanting Gus' muscular figurine to bring it temporarily to life, they'd enchanted the whole Owl House. Hooty had gone into a trance, the building grew forty-foot rooster legs (or had those always been there), and the three children took a joyride through Bonesborough in an attempt to show off the power of their magic. And because Luz was just a magnet for trouble, they had to save themselves and the house from a group of monster hunters.
They had only just barely gotten the house back to its plot of land before the moon went down and the enchantment wore off. Luz had been panicking most of the evening, knowing Eda would kill her if she found out how much mischief she'd been up to. Or at least set her butt on fire. But that wasn't going to happen. They were home free, and other than checking on Hooty's welfare, she had nothing else to worry about.
"I'm just glad I was included!" The weird owl/worm/doorknob thing seemed especially cheerful considering the house he occupied had been on a rampage.
Then the door slammed shut. And Eda the Owl Lady stood in front of Luz and her friends with narrowed eyes.
"Oh, boy," Luz gasped.
"You are so busted," Eda announced.
"Oh, man..." Luz's goose was cooked. She was in so much trouble, and she could already feel her knees wobbling.
"You held a Moonlight Conjuring!"
"I did." Luz closed her eyes and took a half step back.
"And you animated my house. My house!" Eda had never been so indignant or angry about Luz's behavior.
"Yes!" Luz whined as she stiffened her whole body. She didn't dare open her eyes, knowing that she would be swept up any moment for a trip over her teacher's knee. And she deserved it!
"No, don't punish Luz!" Willow bravely put herself between Eda and her best friend. "We're the ones who pushed her to do the Conjuring."
"If you're gonna eat me, just do it now!" Gus exclaimed. It would have been a ridiculous statement in Luz's home dimension. But this was the Boiling Isles, and Eda was a cursed witch who had to drink elixir to stop her from turning into a murderous owl beast. So Luz could understand where he was coming from.
Luz was genuinely touched. She'd never had friends who were willing to stick their necks out for her. She pressed her hand on Willow's shoulder. "Hey. You didn't have to do that."
"Yes, we did." Willow's smile was assuring. Luz wasn't thrilled about getting into so much trouble, but at least she finally had friends to get in trouble with.
Eda was thoroughly exasperated. There were too many children in her house. It was one thing to look after Luz, a squishy human who needed protection in the Demon Realm. She'd volunteered for that job. But these other half-pints getting in her way and peer pressuring her sweet Luz into disobedience? That was more than she wanted right now.
"Well, you're all guilty, so you'll all be punished," Eda decided.
Luz blushed brightly. Were she and her new friends all about to be spanked by her Demon Mom? It sure sounded like it.
"By cleaning my house." Eda conjured up a mop and several cleaning supplies for them. "Top to bottom!" The Owl Lady's eyes fixed on Luz when she emphasized this last word, and Luz gulped.
"Yes Ma'am!" the trio said in unison.
"You two, get to work," Eda ordered with a snap. "Luz, you come with me. We still need to have a talk."
Luz has no illusions about what that talk would entail. She put up no resistance as Eda wrapped her arm around her shoulder and started guiding her out of the room. Turning her head, she saw Gus and Willow starting to clean and wondered if they had any idea what was in store for her.
"Eda," Luz whispered as soon as they were out of earshot. "I don't wanna be spanked."
"Oh, yes you do, Luz the Human. I can see the guilt pouring out of you." Eda was stern, but compassionate. The whole reason that she was going to punish Luz separately was because Luz had explained how spanking was a normal part of her home life. "You deliberately disobeyed me, and you need me to go into Mom Mode or you're gonna fret all night about how you deserve to be punished."
"Eda!" Luz whimpered, stomping and pouting as they closed in on her room. The Owl Lady was spot on in her assessment. Luz had been feeling ashamed of herself for hours because of this whole stunt. It felt awful to lie to Eda, and no matter how fun it was, she'd also felt bad about breaking the rules. "That's so not fair of you to use my sense of justice against me like this!"
Eda rolled her eyes and popped Luz on the butt to get her to go into her room. Predictably, the teenager yelped and covered the target.
"Luz Noceda. We have an understanding and an agreement that you insisted on," she reminded her apprentice. She kept her eyes trained on Luz as she pulled her chest away from the wall to give her a place to sit. "What do naughty girls get in this house, young lady?"
"S-sore bottoms," Luz sniffled. She regretted ever telling Eda that her mother was a firm believer in the power of a well-placed chancla. Moreover, she lamented expressing how not getting her butt whooped left her tummy sick from unresolved guilt. How could she have possibly known the Owl Lady would be so committed to the new role she played in Luz's life?
"That's right." Eda took a seat and folded her arms. She tapped her foot expectantly, giving Luz a fair chance to close the distance. After about fifteen seconds had passed with Luz doing little more than blinking, Eda rolled her eyes and pointed to the patch of floor directly in front of her. "Get over here, squirt. If you take much longer your little friend is gonna think I've eaten you."
"Oh." Luz sniffled, and approached Eda without any further delay. She wasn't frightened of the witch or what she would do to her. But self-preservation was a difficult thing to overcome when she wasn't actively pulling the most reckless stunts imaginable.
As soon as Luz was within reach, Eda took hold of her and guided the whining girl over her knee. Despite her apprehension, Luz neither struggled nor complained as the Owl Lady adjusted her position to her liking. Even the removal of her loose jorts barely elicited a whimper. She was such a good kid, and it broke Eda's heart to cause her any pain. But she knew that after a little bit of comeuppance, Luz's mood and demeanor would shift back to its usual effervescence.
"Ah! Ow!" Luz squeaked as soon as Eda brought her palm down. While she didn't have the denim armor, she still had her undies and tights to protect her. Compared to what Eda's hand felt like on her bare skin, this was more tolerable. "Oww! Eda, I'm sorry!"
"I'm sure you are," Eda dismissed, clutching Luz's small frame closer to her. It was the best approximation of a hug she could manage under the circumstances. "Luz, do you remember what you said to me before I left home?"
"Ow! Not really," Luz gasped. She shut her eyes tightly and shook her fists. Half of her wanted to behave and accept her consequences, but the other half wanted to kick and squirm her way free. For now, the more honorable half was winning... but just barely.
"You said to me, 'You can count on me, I'd never betray your hard earned trust.' Those were your exact words, young lady." Eda made her frustration perfectly clear with loud, sharp slaps on Luz's bottom. "And you were already planning to disobey me and have your friends over for the Conjuring, weren't you?"
"Ouch! Ow, oww! Yes, yes I was!" Luz sobbed. She had forgotten about that blatant lie, and being reminded of it stung worse than the smacks she knew she richly deserved for telling it. The instinct to wriggle about won out, but Eda's tight grip kept her from dodging even one blow. "I'm sorry, I'm not very reliable or trustworthy, am I? Oww!"
"Sometimes you aren't," Eda agreed plainly, thinking it best not to sugarcoat it. She delivered a few more swats before giving it a rest so Luz could focus on what she had to say. "And you're going to have to work to earn my trust before I leave you in charge again. But more importantly; when I tell you not to do something, I have a good reason."
She punctuated this point with two pops that nearly made Luz kick her shorts all the way off. "I know the Moonlight Conjuring is special and I'm impressed you were able to animate the Owl House. But it's also dangerous for a group of inexperienced witches. You didn't mean to send the house on a rampage through Bonesborough, did you?"
"No, Ma'am, I did not!" Luz assured her. "I kept telling myself it was okay to have a little fun, but it got way out of hand."
"That's why you listen to Mama," Eda scolded, unleashing a downpour of discipline that destroyed all desire to disobey. Luz was openly sobbing now, and Eda's stomach wrenched. "And for Titan's sake, don't lie to me, Luz. For one, you're really bad at it. Two, you'll just be in more trouble."
"I know." Luz buried her face in her hands. Between her shattered feelings and her burning backside, she didn't think she could feel any worse. "I'm so sorry, Eda. I promise I won't spend a whole day planning to disobey you and lying about it ever again."
Eda had to bite down a laugh. It was such a specific promise that she thought the girl might actually be able to keep it. Luz was so impulsive and curious that Eda doubted Luz would ever be perfectly obedient, and she didn’t want her to be. The rebellious streak would keep her from succumbing to the oppressive rule of Emperor Belos and his Coven. But sometimes it would be nice not to worry about her safety. Occasionally.
"Okay, pumpkin. I believe you." She gave Luz's butt a soft, approving pat.
"Ow!" Luz yelped automatically.
"Oh, that one didn't even hurt," Eda protested, patting relentlessly. "You're being silly."
It took about five of the gentle pats for Luz to realize Eda was playing with her. She giggled, and started squirming with abandon. "No, no, it hurts my ego! Ow, ow, oww!"
"Brat." Eda gave Luz a real spank to round it off, and got the appropriate whine out of it. "Now. You are going to be on your best behavior for at least a week, alright? I don't want you getting up to any more mischief without my supervision."
Luz took a deep, relaxing breath. "Yes, Ma'am. I'll behave myself." The girl started drying her tears. It seemed like Eda was done punishing her, and while her butt still simmered, her heartache was soothed.
"Attagirl. Now stand up, kiddo. You've got a hug coming, and it's just as mandatory as the smacking," Eda declared with exaggerated sternness.
As Luz rose from Eda's lap, she fell right back into her shorts. Her teacher had held them up for her, and Luz flushed. Even this mild assistance in dressing herself made her feel babied, especially after a spanking. But her concerns were set aside as Eda trapped her in a smothering, spirit-lifting squeeze.
"You're a good kid, Luz. And if you live long enough, you'll make a very fine witch one day," Eda assured her.
"And you'll make a pretty great Mom." Luz snuggled up to Eda and kissed her cheek.
For a moment, it seemed she'd left the Owl Lady speechless. But Eda quickly regained her composure, and showed her fangs with an ear-to-ear grin.
"Hah. I'm already a great Mom. Now hurry and help your friends clean up." Eda sent Luz off with one more good swat, hopefully reminding Luz to actually follow through on her promise to behave.