The Vanishing of Luz Noceda

"**Chapter One: The Vanishing of Luz Noceda**" is the first episode of *Ordinary Abstract* and the first episode of the first season. It was written and directed by the Dana Terrace and premiered on Disney on January 10, 2020, along with the rest of the season.

## Synopsis

On her way home from a friend's house, young Luz sees something terrifying. Nearby, a sinister secret lurks in the depths of a government lab.

## Plot

On November 6th, 1983, in Gravesfield, Connecticut,, a scientist flees down a hallway in Gravesfield National Laboratory from an unseen force. He gets in an elevator, only to realize the force is inside with him and hanging on the ceiling, he is killed as the doors close.

Middle schoolers and best friends Amity Blight, Gus porter, Hunter Wittebane, and Luz Noceda play *Dungeons & Dragons* in Amity 's basement. Their party is fighting a powerful creature known as a Demogorgon. Luz , the party's cleric, is pressured by Gus and Hunter to choose between a safer protective spell or an offensive (but more dangerous) fireball. Luz chooses a fireball but knocks the dice off the table in his excitement. Amity's mother Odalia interrupts, telling Amity that it is time for her friends to go home, since it is a school night. Gus tries to offer the Squads' leftover pizza to Amity's older sister Emira, who ignores him. He comments to the group that she used to be cooler until she started dating "that douchebag" Viney. The others (except Amity) agree. Before they leave, Luz tellsAmity that She rolled too low, and the Demogorgon got her. The lights in Amity's garage flicker as her friends leave.

Riding in the dark past the laboratory, the light on Luz's bike briefly flickers out. When it comes back on, a tall, shadowy figure appears before her. Luz swerves off the road and crashes her bike in the woods. She then runs home as the figure pursues her. She finds her house empty. Luz dials 9-1-1 but only hears garbled static on the phone. Her sees a dark shadow moving on her front porch. Her locked front door seemingly opens by itself from the inside, causing Luz to flee to a backyard shed. She grabs a rifle inside and loads it, aiming it at the door as the lights above him flicker. The figure rises up behind her and Luz turns to face it, the lights brightening before going back to normal, both Luz and the figure now gone.

The next morning, police chief Warden Wrath awakens in his trailer. As he showers, a newscast reports power outages across the county. Wrath smokes, pops a pill, and drinks some beer, then dresses before leaving for work. Meanwhile, Luz's mother Camila and her older Sister Vee realize she did not come home last night. Camila calls Odalia Blight to ask if Luz stayed the night, but Odalia confirms Luz left a little after 8:00 the night before. Arriving at Hexsides Middle School, the other three squad members also wonder where Luz is, but are interrupted by bullies Boscha and Skara. At Hexsides High, Emira's best friend Jerbo asks about whether or not she and Viney are dating, which Emira denies. She finds a note in her locker from Viney asking to meet her in the bathroom, to which Jerbo smugly smiles. Emira and Viney make out in the bathroom, and they make plans to meet to study that night.

Camila goes to the police station and begs Wrath to find Luz. Wrath is not very concerned, since 99% of the time a missing child will be with a parent or relative. Wrath's first instinct is to contact Camila' ex-husband Manny, despite Camila's insistence that he is not involved.

A group of suited men led by Dr. Jacob Hopkin enter Gravesfield Lab, dressing in hazmat suits and descending into the lab's basement, where the air is now filled with strange flecks and the walls are covered in black marks. They see a large hole in the wall infested with a grey substance that seems to breathe. One of the men asks Hopkin if the hole is where "it" came from, and asks about "the girl." Hopkin says that she could not have gone far.

A young girl in a hospital gown with a shaved head wanders barefoot through the woods, coming across a diner called Burger Queen. She enters the back of the restaurant. Owner Caleb Wittebane catches her stealing food. At school, the Squads approach science teacher Hieronymus Bump and learn that a powerful radio for their A.V. club has been delivered. Before they can use it, they are called to the office to talk to Wrath and deputy Steve. The Squads describe Luz's route home, and states She goes down "Birkwood", the *Hobbit*-based nickname they gave a road that Luz uses to go home. When they offer to help look for Luz, Wrath adamantly refuses, ordering them to stay home. As Camila and Vee search for Luz around her fort in the woods, Castle Nocedas, she remembers visiting her there to surprise her with tickets to *Poltergeist*.

Caleb Wittebane makes burgers for the girl and tries to talk to her, but she remains silent. He notices a tattoo reading "023" on her left forearm, and she seems to identify it as her name by pointing to herself. Assuming she is an abuse victim, Caleb calls Social Services. While he does, the girl stops an irritating, noisy fan just by looking at it. Wrath, Steve, and deputy Derwin search Birkwood and find Luz's abandoned bike. At Gravefields Lab, several workers listen to various nearby phone calls, one of them being Camila desperately trying to call Manny and being stopped by his girlfriend Roselle. Wrath approaches the Nocedas house with Luz's bike and starts looking through the house. He notices the Nocedas' dog barking at the shed, which he investigates. The lights in the shed go out until Wrath is interrupted by Steve. Wrath tells him they need to organize a search party.

Over dinner, Amity begs her mother to let her search for Luz, and Emira asks to go and meet "Jerbo" to study, Odalia vetoes both requests. As Emira and Amity argue, She Reveals to their parents that she is dating Viney. This causes Emira to storm off. Believing She is the only one in the family that cares about Luz, Amity also angrily leaves the table. Odalia chastises her husband Alador for his lack of help in dealing with her two older children. Bump and Wrath discuss Luz while participating in the search party, and Wrath mentions that he has a daughter who lives with her mother. A bystander informs bump that Wrath's daughter actually died several years ago.

Amity calls Hunter on her Supercom. Amity tells Hunters that Luz Chose to put herself in danger during the game by casting a fireball instead of playing it safe by choosing the protection spell. Understanding what Amity is saying, Hunters says they Should meet in ten minutes. Amity sneaks out on her bike, seeing Viney trying to climb through Emira's window. They have an awkward moment before Amity shrugs and rides off Wittebane gets Twentythree to smile before Social Services representative knocks on the door. The woman at the door, Dottie , identifies herself as being from Social Services but then shoots and kills Wittebane. Twentythree runs out to the back door but meets two armed agents there. Dr. Hopkin, entering the front of the restaurant, hears a commotion at the back entrance. Hopkin finds the two armed agents who tried to stop TwentyThree are dead, and that Twentythree has fled out the back of the restaurant.

Viney tries to seduce Emira while She helps her study, but ultimately ends up helping her work. As it starts to storm, Camila and Vee go through family photos so they can choose a picture to put on missing posters. Vee, having worked late the previous night, admits he blames Themself for Luz's disappearance. Camila tells Them it is not their fault. The phone rings and Camila answers, at first hearing breathing she identifies as Luz before hearing animalistic growling. The phone shocks her with a light electric current.

The three Squad members are in the woods searching for Luz. Gus tries to convince the others to turn back due to the storm, and since they are going to the place where Luz disappeared, but they have no weapons. They hear a rustling sound near them and turn to see Twentythree

## Cast

* Elizabeth Grullon as Camila Noceda
* Roger Craig Smith as Warden Wrath
* Mae Whitman as Amity Blight
* Tati Gabrielle as Twentythree
* Issac Ryan Brown as Gus Porter
* Zeno Robinson as Hunter
* Erica Lindbeck as Emira blight
* Michaela Dietz as Vee Noceda
* Rachael MacFarlane as Odalia Blight
* Roger Craig Smith as Dr. Jacob Hopkin

## Also Starring

* Jim Pirri as Alador Blight
* Ally Maki as Viney
* Zeno Robinson as Officer Derwin
* Alex Hirsch as Manny Noceda (voice)
* Noah Galvin as Jerbo
* Matt Chapman as Steve
* Sarah-Nicole Robles as luz Noceda
* Bridget Underwood as The Monster
* Alex Lawther as Caleb Wittebane

### Co-Starring

* Andrew Benator as Elevator Scientist
* Grey DeLisle as Roselle (voice)
* Avi Roque as Raine Whisper
* Cissy Jones as Agent Dottie
* Eric Bauza as High School Principal
* Randy Havens as Mr. Clarke
* Hugh Holub as Scientist
* Tobias Jelinek as Lead Agent
* Cade Jones as James
* Ryan O'Flanagan as Edric Blight
* April Stewart as Agent
* Grey DeLisle as Katya
* Tony Vaughn as Principal Jenkinmeyer
* Eden Riegel as Boscha
* Miley Cryus as Local Newswoman