Hunter walked with a pep in his step, which felt unusual but really uplifting. Before now, there was nothing to look forward to, only his next assignment for the Emperor.
But this? The mere idea of being a student made him giddy.

"Hi, Hooty!" He waved from nearly a hundred feet away from the house.
Hooty stretched out of the door and tucked himself under Hunter's arm.

"Hey, pal, hoot! You look like you had a great adventure."

Hunter grinned at the demon. "I sure did. I'm going to tell Eda that I want to be a student at Hexside!"

Hooty wrapped himself around the boy. "Woah, HOOT! Stop right there! You do know you're kind of a CRIMINAL, hoot? Principal Bump would never let you in."

Hunter tried to wriggle free of the owl's grasp. "HOOTY! I am not a criminal! I was doing my job, and I don't even like Belos! Come on, I should at least try!"

Hooty finally dropped Hunter and he brushed off his shirt. "Plus, I don't even have to tell anybody I was the Golden Guard. I can just be Hunter."

He didn't want to be connected to that identity anymore, anyway.

Hooty slid back into his door spot and let Hunter in, where he immediately started searching for the owl lady. He speedwalked down the halls, peeked around every corner, and finally found her in a closet, digging around.

"Hi, Eda! I'm back!"

Eda jumped nearly two feet in the air.
"FUCK! Hunter, kid, you scared me. Give an old lady a few extra feet of space."

Hunter sank in place. "Sorry..."
Eda cupped his shoulder. "It's fine! No worries. Did ya make it to Hexside alright?"

Hunter nodded, straightening back up. "Yeah, it was great actually. I wanted to talk to you."

He hesitated as they walked back to the living room. Hunter was expecting a long speech on how being a Hexside student would be unsafe, or a bad idea, or anything.
He thought that maybe it WAS a bad idea. He would be exposed to the world, no longer hiding in the walls of the Owl House or behind a mask. It was a little bit terrifying, he had to admit.

But it couldn't be more terrifying than the things he experienced under the command of the Emperor.

"Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about--"

"You saw the school, loved it, and wanna get out of this house and learn some shit." Eda interrupted. "I think it's a great idea. Let's get that Emperor crap out of your head and get you on a track you actually like. Life's too short, kid, you need some real info up there." She tapped lovingly on the top of his head, indicating his brain.

"I-- what?" He stammered. Hunter was speechless. He thought that Eda would put up a fight, kind of like how she did with Luz. She had told him the ups and downs of her Hexside experience, starting with how hard it was to actually get in.

Eda smiled softly. "Hunter, I think you deserve way more than what this life has given you so far. And if school's what you want, we can go to Principal Bump when we pick up Luz today."

Hunter was overcome with joy. He subconsciously flung his arms around Eda in a hug.
"Thank you." he said, and then started to cry a little. He didn't feel like crying a lot, but just enough to feel a little more deflated.

Eda didn't stop him. She just held him close and let him be. She got it. She didn't understand, but she knew what a pained soul looked like, and his eyes told a thousand stories that she knew he never deserved to experience.

Eda had grown quite fond of Hunter, and quickly found that she saw him as her own child, just like Luz. Something about these two made her feel whole.

She looked at the boy. "I believe we had some plans today? You need some new clothes."
Hunter nodded, wiping away a tear and smiling widely. "Yeah. I kind of want more colored shirts." He looked down at the fading grey shirt.

--

Just in time to pick up Luz, Eda and Hunter returned from the market with a bag full of clothes: some for him, and some for Luz as a surprise. They even found a sweater that would be the perfect size for King.

"Hang on, I want to change my shirt." He said excitedly, running up to the bathroom and pulling off the grey long-sleeved tee. He was careful not to disrupt the perfectly wrapped bandages around his chest. He tried on one of the first shirts in the bag: a black tee with a small owl graphic. He smiled at himself in the bathroom mirror, then ran back to a patiently waiting Eda.

They arrived at Hexside and saw Amity, Luz, Gus, and Willow on the front steps.

"Hi, Eda! I didn't expect you to pick me up today! And Hunter!" Luz exclaimed.

Hunter grinned. "Guess what?" He said, bobbing up and down on his toes.

"Hmm... You had to go trash picking. Or... you learned a new spell. WAIT! I know. Hooty ate Rascal."

Hunter shook his head. "No! None of that. Eda and I are going to talk to Principal Bump RIGHT NOW and I'm going to school with you tomorrow!"

Luz stomped her feet over and over, practically dancing in place. "NO WAY!!!" She shrieked.
Luz, Willow and Gus cheered along.

Luz looked lovingly at her girlfriend. "Amity, is it okay if I go in there with them? I know I was going to walk you home, but I'm just so excited!"

Amity squeezed Luz's hand and smiled. "Of course! Ed and Em are walking home, anyway. I'll tag along with them."

Ed and Em. As in, Emira and Edric. He thought to himself, stumbling over all of the new names he had learned that day.

"Muchas gracias, mi amor!!" Luz kissed her on the cheek and started up the stairs. "Bye Gus, bye Willow! See you tomorrow with HUNTER! Let's all have lunch together!"

Eda, Hunter and Luz knocked on Principal Bump's door and he let them in, finding his way back to his seat.
"Hi there, Luz. How was school today?" he asked warmly.

"Fantastic! Just like every day, Bump." Luz said, beaming and giving a thumbs-up. "But we have more important matters to discuss."

"I can tell, you've brought a guest!" He said, waving at Hunter.

Eda cleared her throat. "Bumpypoo,"
"Never call me that."
"Anyway, Bumpers, this is Hunter. He has recently come into my home under my care and it's about time he got a proper education."

Principal Bump looked Hunter up and down. Hunter could feel his eyes stop at the notch out of his ear, then again on the large gash scar across his face. He didn't move, but avoided eye contact.

"Hunter, what are your interests?"

His ear twitched and he looked at the man, happy to answer.
"I like helping people. I like to study what the Boiling Isles has to offer in order to make our lives better. Stuff from the ground, the plants, all of that." He smiled nervously, thinking about all of the books he had collected from the Emperor's castle library. His interest in wild magic and healing had to have another purpose, somehow.

Principal Bump nodded. "I see. I think you'd be a great addition to the Healing track, Hunter."

He snapped his fingers and Hunter was encased in magic, and his new shirt was folded neatly on the desk before him, along with his jeans. Instead, he wore a Hexside uniform with blue undergear, indicating his new status as a Healing Track student.
He looked down at his new clothes, astounded by how perfect he felt.
Though Bump had looked at him like he was a discarded, lost cause, he didn't hesitate to hear his story. That was one of the most uplifting things he'd experienced. That look wasn't at all what he thought. He felt understood, in a way.

"You look pretty snazzy, dude!" Luz said, offering a high five.
He reached out to return the favor, but she slicked her hair back and smirked. "Too slow. Heh."

Hunter rolled his eyes.

Eda and Principal Bump nodded at each other, happy with their decision to allow Hunter to be a student.

--

Eda flew home on her own, because Luz demanded that she give Hunter a tour of the school before he began classes the next day.

The two kids finished their tour after about an hour of Luz's rambles and advice, and they pushed open the doors of the main entrance. To their surprise, Amity and the twins were sitting on the front steps.

"Amity! You're still here!" Luz cried, running down to her girlfriend and hugging her.

"Yeah, I wanted to wait for you. Also, it seems my siblings have already met Hunter."
Edric and Emira looked up and waved, looking completely synchronized.

Amity looked at Luz, then at the older kids. "I think we should let them all get to know each other, since they'll be in the same class. Do you want to go to the library?"

"I think that sounds great! Azura book club!" Luz exclaimed, and she took Amity's hand.
They started to walk in the opposite direction of Blight Manor and the Owl House, towards downtown Bonesborough.

"Ew, they're totally going to make out in Amity's secret spot." Edric said, sticking his tongue out in disgust.
"Gross." Emira agreed. "Love is for chumps!" She added, loud enough for Amity to hear, as she turned her head and revealed her bright red face. Emira laughed and waved at her little sister.

The twins looked over at Hunter, who shrugged. "I think love is nice."

They burst out laughing, then each put a hand on either of Hunter's shoulders.

"Oh, blondie, you have so much to learn." Edric said, shaking his head.
"We LIVE to tease Luz and Amity." Emira said sternly. "It is our life mission to make their faces look like little gay tomatoes as often as possible. Kind of like you are right now."

Hunter didn't realize how warm his face had gotten, and could only assume that he was bright red as well. The twins backed away and helped Hunter stand up.

"Seriously though, you're just as easy to make blush. It's like you've never talked to teenagers before." Emira commented, poking Hunter's flushed forehead.

Hunter nervously chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I'm not the most social guy ever." He looked away from her but found that his eyes met Edric's. He winked at Hunter, and Hunter's breath stopped quickly.

Fuck. He thought, as he felt the flush return just as soon as it had disappeared.

"Um, I gotta go. I need to get ready for school tomorrow. Also, I think I have to help Eda with some stuff, and do, like... Owl... house stuff." He said, words tripping over themselves.

"All right. See you later, blondie!" Edric said, winking one more time before turning and walking away with his twin.

Hunter stood on the steps for a moment, then absentmindedly started his stroll back to the Owl House, feeling silly for his lack of social skills.