Luz led Azura through the colonnade behind the security desk, walking under the high arches bracing the third- and fourth-floor balconies, and the girls stepped out into the Museum Atrium. Benches, potted trees, and information panels were scattered about on the ground floor, with a few circular welcome center stations where museum employees stood to assist visitors. White granite columns rose to meet the roof high above, decorated with banners and flowering green creeping vines, and balconies on the left and right formed the walls for the rectangular space. Clouds stretched out overhead, visible through the crystal skylight spanning the open area, as well as through the massive windows in the far wall. Walkways for the third and fourth floors crossed the atrium at the far end, where people stood either looking down at the other visitors or pointing out over the South Lawn. "They can control the glass up there," Luz pulled Azura close as she pointed up at the ceiling, "It goes semi-transparent at noon when the sun is really bright overhead, and then during Night Exhibits it's crystal clear so you can see the stars." Azura's eyes sparkled as she looked up in wonder.

"The West Hall," Luz grinned at her wide-eyed companion, motioning to her right, "holds the Fine Art exhibits, while the East Hall," she motioned to their left, "Has all the natural history stuff. Animals, geology, that kinda thing." She turned to face Azura, still holding her hand, "Where would you like to go?"

The pale girl turned her golden eyes up at Luz and stared at her with an unreadable look. "What is it, cariño?" Luz asked with a gentle voice. Azura blinked a few times, then raised the notebook. Luz let go of her hand and stepped close as the other girl wrote a few sentences.

I RARELY GET TO MAKE DECISIONS. WHAT I WANT DOESN'T MATTER. MOTHER CONTROLS MY LIFE.

Luz frowned and shook her head, "That's not okay, Azura... and it matters to me." She placed a hand on Azura's arm as the shorter girl leaned forward to push her black beanie-wrapped forehead against Luz's collarbone for a moment, before standing up and pointing at the page.

THANK YOU

Luz gave her a smile, and stepped over to stand beside Azura, hooking her hand over her left elbow, "Listen, I'm here all the time, so you're in charge." The brown-eyed girl motioned toward the notebook with her free hand and said, "What would you like to see first?"

THE ART

"This way then, mi preciosa," Luz said with a flourish and a bow, shooting a cheesy grin up at the golden-eyed girl. Azura turned a light shade of pink, and Luz smiled wide. As they walked toward the main corridor bisecting the Atrium, Luz motioned toward the balconies above them. "The Paintings and watercolors are up on the fourth floor, fabrics and, uhhh," she thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers, "textiles—that's what they're called—are on the third, and the photography and mixed-media prints are on the second floor." She pointed straight into the corridor ahead and added, "Sculptures and statues, stone work—heavy stuff like that—are down that way. So," Luz squeezed Azura's elbow with her fingers and asked, "What kind of art would you like to see first?"

I'D LIKE TO SEE THE PAINTINGS

"To the stairs!" Luz exclaimed, and gave Azura a gentle tug. The two started up the white marble switchback staircase as Luz began to ramble, "So what did you think of Steve?" Thumbs-up.

"I told you he was a great guy, he's worked here for years. I'm not sure who's worked here longer, him or Tía Lily. Oh!" Her brown eyes lit up as she half-turned toward Azura, stumbling up a step, "Did I tell you about Steve and Lilith?" Thumbs-down.

Luz clapped her free hand to her cheek, "Omigosh! Steve loves my aunt so much, he'd be, like, really good for her, but she just doesn't notice stuff like that. She always thinks he's joking when he asks her out on dates," Luz rolled her eyes, "or she thinks it's like a work-outing-type situation and she invites other people to go along, but—I think—he knows she's not being oblivious on purpose." She chuckled and ran her fingertips along the banister as they turned the corner of the staircase, starting up another flight of stairs, "It's actually happened so many times their coworkers have started a betting pool on when they'll finally get together. It's like something on the Hallmark channel, you know, handsome-big-city-security-guard falls for small-town-archeologist—" Azura scribbled HANDSOME? and gave Luz a questioning eyebrow, and the brown-haired girl stammered for a moment before blushing, "—I don't have a crush on him, if that's what you're implying, missy, it's just an observation. Y'know, objectively speaking, he's not an ugly dude—just like you're not some ugly chica." Luz smirked as a blush crawled up Azura's face, visible above her scarf, "Besides, I'm his number one cheerleader in his quest to catch Tía Lily's attention. He'll keep improving himself and he'll ask her out one day and she'll say, 'why not', and it will be so gosh-darn cute."

Luz paused for a moment as they reached the third-floor landing, as if she wasn't sure if she should continue, then carefully she confided, "I think part of it is that she doesn't think very highly of herself. She's made mistakes in her life and hurt people she cared about, so she can't see why anyone else would be interested in her..." Azura looked over at Luz and saw the pensive expression on her face. The pale girl scratched down a quick note, then held it up for Luz to see.

SHE STILL DESERVES TO BE LOVED

Luz gave her a gentle smile and whispered, "Yeah, she does," before clearing her throat, "So yeah, y'know, I think it's related to this whole thing that happened between her and step-mama when they were younger, and that is a super long story, so I'll save it for the next time we go out." Her teeth snapped shut when her ears registered what had just fallen out of her mouth, and she shot a worried glance toward Azura. The pale girl had a slight blush around her cheeks and eyes, but she nodded and squeezed Luz's hand.

Luz gave a sheepish grin and squeezed Azura's arm in response. She cleared her throat and ran her free hand through her hair, "Steve used to smoke all the time, but he quit cold turkey to impress her—and don't get me wrong, she noticed—but it wasn't the home run he'd been hoping for." They reached the mid-stair landing and turned the corner as Azura wrote.

GOOD FOR HIM

Luz nodded, "Yeah, it was hard for him, y'know, I've not had to deal with anything like that, and you could really see him struggle some days. It worked out though, because he's healthier now anyway, and Tía isn't huffing her inhaler all the time when she's in her office." She groaned and slouched for a few steps, "And I don't know what upholstery she has on her furniture, but it traps smells. Like, her couch is haunted forever by our lunch from six years ago. I spilled Chinese food in there one time—one time—and it took her two years to be able to eat beef lo mein again." She pulled her free hand down her face as she moaned, "You have no idea how big a pain it was to get her to eat with me after that!"

They crested the staircase, and the fourth-floor gallery opened up before the girls. The walls were all solid soft whites and neutral grays, the floors a dark wood polished to a shine. Black leather benches were placed strategically throughout the maze of art. Luz tugged Azura's hand just for a moment, and the girls turned to face one another. "Hey, listen," Luz said softly, then winced, "sorry—If I'm talking too much, let me know. I don't want to bother you." Azura's eyes widened, and she shook her head, patting Luz's hand before she began to write swiftly, her eyebrows drawing down in what Luz thought might be anger. She started to regret asking and opened her mouth to apologize when Azura held up the notebook with a hmph.

I LOVE HOW YOU TALK TO ME. IT HELPS ME FEEL SAFE Below was underlined, IF YOU STOP I WILL BE MAD

Luz stopped and stared at the words before looking past the notebook to the golden-eyed girl glaring at her. She gave Azura a hesitant grin, "Okay, I won't, I just had to ask... you understand, right?" Azura's eyes softened, and she nodded, taking Luz's hand gently in hers again. "Look, here's the deal," Luz started, softly, "There's gonna be stuff to read in there, and I know I can't read while someone's chattering away in my ear—go figure, right—so if you want me to pause for a minute," Luz looked down and swung their hands from side to side, "Just squeeze my hand until you're ready for me to start talking again. Okay?" Azura nodded, and Luz grinned.

"Okay, so, through here is—" Azura squeezed her hand. Luz raised an eyebrow, "This is the Witteb—" Azura squeezed again, then looked away. Luz chuckled, "Oh ho, so that's how— it's gonna— How very dare y—" Azura looked up at Luz, a picture of innocence. "You feisty little shi—" Azura giggled, and Luz felt a thrill run up her spine. She grinned, and motioned toward the gallery.

"Now where was I? Right, Tía Lily. I didn't make her sound weird, right?" Luz looked down and Azura shook her head, "Good, 'cuz she really is super sweet and super smart. She's just up in her head a lot, y'know? and little day-to-day things just don't click for her." They walked toward a series of paintings and Luz rambled softly while Azura gazed up at the bright splashes of oil on canvas, "She made this amazing exhibit about handrails one time—I see that face!" Luz pointed at Azura's eyes, the pale girl wrinkling her nose above her scarf, "I made that face too! But I'm telling you—I swear—this display was so cool. She knows just about everything about everything in this building." Azura moved throughout the gallery, examining the artwork, and Luz drifted along beside her, following her lead, "This place would fall apart without her. Honestly, her face should be on the front of the building! Like, just staring coldly out at the pedestrians below, and they're all oh no what did I do to anger this raven-haired goth librarian queen, also, how do I get her number meanwhile Aunt Lily is actually thinking something like I've finished with this new award winning exhibition of great-recession era door knobs, now where did I have Clifford place those elizabethan flannel pajamas, were they in Storage Room 1A or Storage Room A1 or whatever, I dunno how she thinks. The woman is a mystery." The silent girl snorted at the funny voice Luz used in her impression.

Azura paused in front of a large oil painting. It was a rocky, dangerous looking landscape, with a sea of burgundy trees on fields of orange grass. The red and purple sky faded off in the distance, over what looked to be enormous spires of bone. She squeezed Luz's hand, and the brown-haired girl went silent as they both examined the art. Eventually, Azura's grip lessened, and Luz looked over at the pale girl. "What do you think?" she asked, nodding toward the painting, and let Azura's hand slip from her fingers as the girl put pen to paper.

I MUST HAVE SEEN THIS ONE BEFORE, IT LOOKS FAMILIAR

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised," Luz replied, leaning down to examine the plaque beside it, "This is one of the Caleb Wittebane landscapes. He launched a whole," she lazily waved a hand in a circle, "post-realism slash expressionistic slash other-worldly phase, or whatever. I forget exactly how Lilith put it." She chuckled as she curled a hand over Azura's bicep, following the silent girl to the watercolors exhibit.

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF, PLEASE? JOB, SCHOOL, ETC

"I help Eda out at the shop, mostly, she's always making something for a delivery order, or needs a product tested," Luz sighed, and slightly adjusted how her stepmom's black backpack hung at her shoulder. "She makes a lot of womens' safety devices, teaches self-defense courses... also lock-picking and safe-cracking, if you ask nicely. She's chaotic. She seems to know everybody's dirty secrets, too, I dunno how." Azura's eyes crinkled as she looked up at the taller girl. "She's crafty. She's taught me a lot about, like, shaping metal and electrics, y'know, fixing machines too." Luz glanced over at Azura, then back to the watercolor the golden-eyed girl was examining, "So that's how I make a bit of spending money. In between manning the counter and delivery days, I take some creative writing and art classes down at GBU." Azura looked up at Luz in surprise, and Luz grinned, "You know I'm a huge Good Witch Azura fan, so I've wanted to be a witch for as long as I can remember, but being a writer is my, y'know, my fallback option." Azura huffed a laugh and scribbled for a moment.

SECOND BEST CHOICE, OBVIOUSLY

Luz chuckled as she pushed her free hand back through her hair, "See, you get me, mi compañera. I love to draw and paint," she motioned around them, toward the gallery itself, "so I'm always here for inspiration. Growing up, I'd read those fantasy books with the full-page illustrations, right, and I want to be able to do the artwork for my own stories." She sighed, and bounced the toes of one foot off the ground behind her, "So the readers can really see what I'm talking about... so they can see what I see, in my mind." Luz glanced down at the notebook Azura held up.

YOUR SKETCHES? AMAZING!

"Thanks, Azura. I'm glad you like them." They wandered over to a new cluster of delicate pastels, the pale girl gasping in delight as she squeezed Luz's hand. Luz smiled as she watched the other girl lean close to take in the display, her golden eyes glittering. After a few minutes, Azura turned back to Luz and wrinkled her nose, pointing toward another exhibit and squeezing her hand.

"School, though?" Luz asked, and exhaled noisily when Azura nodded. "Wow, school was rough, growing up. Kids are awful no matter where you go, they're just, I dunno, better at hiding it in certain places." She glanced over at the silent girl, her eyebrows furrowed in sadness as she nodded. Luz sighed and rubbed the back of her neck, "I was just trying to make friends, make connections, and I'd end up pushing people away." She paused for a moment, then, "I guess I was too much for them. The other students had shunned me entirely by the middle of 8th grade, so I just stopped trying."

WHY?

Luz looked sad, and Azura placed her free hand on the brown-haired girl's shoulder. "It was... hard, after my dad died," Luz spoke quietly as she gazed down at her feet, "before I met Eda. It just... it wasn't worth the effort."

YOU DESERVED BETTER

"Thanks. It worked out. I was getting in trouble constantly at school, trying to avoid the bullies," Luz jerked slightly when Azura swiveled to face her, a worried look in her eyes. "I was an easy target," she shrugged. "Then I started making more and more ridiculous attempts, y'know, taking drastic measures to get attention." She chuckled as she gave a sidelong glance at Azura, "So embarrassing... My grades were plummeting, Mamí was getting called in for meeting after meeting. When I stopped communicating with anyone, Mamí got worried." She sighed and looked off into the distance for a moment, before smiling, "The school counselor thought I was 'at risk' and recommended this summer camp. That's about the time I met Eda. She thought we were kindred spirits." Azura looked up at Luz and gave her hand a quick squeeze. Luz gave her a smile in return.

"She could see how traditional schooling wasn't working for me, so she offered to start tutoring me, home school, whatever you wanna call it." Luz stuck her free hand in her pocket and shuffled her feet, "Graduated early with, y'know, pretty good grades." She shrugged again and laughed, "I've never been a straight-A student."

Luz went quiet for a minute as she thought. Azura stood and watched the taller girl's face as several emotions ran across her features. Luz opened her mouth to speak, but had to swallow and try again, "Eda helped me when she didn't have to, but she did... I'm pretty sure she saved my life." She looked down at the golden-eyed girl and gave her a half-smile, "So I try to pay that forward." Azura hugged Luz's arm before scribbling a quick note.

AND YOUR MOM?

Luz looked uncomfortable for a moment, then asked, "Are you sure you want to hear about my mom?" She rubbed at the back of her neck as she stammered, "I-I-I don't want to, like... I know your mother isn't... nice." She trailed off, looking uncertain, "I didn't want to be inconsiderate."

I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT YOU. SHE IS PART OF YOU

Luz smiled, "Alright, cariño." She sighed and looked up at the watercolors Azura had moved toward. "She's a nurse, I think I mentioned that earlier? Now she is, anyway." She chuckled, "She was a veterinarian for years, when she married my dad and when I was little." Luz grinned down at Azura, "People are animals too, right? So she's still a vet." Azura huffed a laugh, and rolled her eyes. Luz followed the pale girl as she walked to the next display. "When dad started to get sick, she began taking courses to learn how to help him. It... well," She looked down and coughed, "It made a difference for her and him, y'know? Their relationship? But it didn't make a difference in the end." Luz frowned before Azura squeezed her hand and patted her arm. Luz rubbed the palm of her free hand on her stomach as she forced a smile, "But she kept up with the classes, and eventually got her certification."

They turned the corner and stood in front of another large piece. Soft hues portrayed a great tree with pink leaves standing on a cliff. Both girls looked at it for a few minutes in silence before Luz spoke again. "Mamí is a real down-to-earth sorta lady, while my dad wasn't. I took after him, growing up—always with my head stuck in a book, wrapped up in a fantasy world—which made it hard for us to understand each other after he was gone." Luz's smile was sad, "She might not have known how best to help me, but I never questioned how she felt about me."

Luz looked over at Azura and gave a small sigh, "She was the only person I had in my life, until I met Eda, at least." She shook her head and scoffed slightly, "They hated each other at first, but they both loved me, and that let them see the other in a different light." Azura placed her hand over Luz's and rubbed her thumb over her tanned knuckles. They had reached the end of the watercolor gallery, and they stood in a quiet corner with no other museum visitors in sight. There were no windows nearby, just the beautiful artwork shining under the brilliant white gallery lights. Azura scribbled a quick note.

SHE SOUNDS LOVELY

"She is," Luz smiled. "I think you'd really like her. I know she'd love you, too."

Azura looked up at Luz with tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. She turned away from the other girl for a moment to wipe at her face with the edge of her fingers, before leaning her side against Luz's chest, like in the subway earlier that day. Luz wrapped her arms around Azura and clasped her hands together over the pale girl's shoulder, just as she had that morning.

MY MOTHER DEMANDS PERFECTION

Azura's pen scratched slowly along the page, and Luz could feel the