?

A few days had passed now and Amity's spirit began to change. Each day brought a new exchange of letters between her and Luz but each one made her feel worse. Something was wrong. It didn't matter how hard she tried, Luz just seemed to not notice Amity's cries for help. She wanted her to comfort her, to ask her how she was doing, to show some kind of interest and connection like she had before. But her letters were always the same. "I know you'll do great! Can't wait for you to come back!". Always the same thing, always cold, always empty.

"Ms. Blight, you have done very well in mastering all I've given you but I am afraid we are running out of time. The emperor thinks it is time for you to try again to make your staff. If you are able to make it, you will officially become part of the Emperor's Coven. However, if you fail again, you will be sent home and continue your studies there. You'll be able to try again next year if it comes to that."

Amity stood in silence as she thought about what Kiki had just said. She wanted to succeed and make her staff but… becoming part of the Emperor's Coven NOW? She wasn't sure that was something she still wanted to do. What would Luz say if she chose to stay? Maybe she could help her get information, be a sort of spy for her. As she continued to think about Luz and how her decision would affect her, she realized something was different. Even if she was thinking about her girlfriend, she was only doing it out of habit. Her heart felt nothing. She didn't feel the old excitement at the idea of going back to Luz. There was no pride in the idea of being able to help her. There was not even fear or sadness at the idea of not seeing her again if she joined the coven. There was just an empty bottomless feeling.

Once she was alone in the forest, Amity began looking for the stream she always went to. A little salamander jumped out at her, a little bigger than the last time she had seen him. She smiled as she petted his head. If there was anything good coming out of her training, it was the friendship of her buddy. As he stared at her for a few seconds, it was almost as if he knew something was wrong. He jumped back to a rock in the stream and motioned for Amity to follow him. She was curious and wanted to clear her mind of what she had felt in the morning. Without thinking, she followed him down the stream and then into a dense part of the forest. After a short walk, they finally arrived at a thick strong tree near a second stream she hadn't seen before. The salamander seemed to smile and jumped on the tree. Once he got on the tree, the tiny creature began to transform. The salamander began to grow, at first appearing to become a branch and later growing to be the size of Amity. Once it was at this height, Amity could see the salamander had turned into a young girl. A nymph!

"You lack clarity but your heart shines pure. What you are looking for is not in the coven, but rather back at home. As long as you remain here, your soul and mind will only continue to get clouded. Answer this question, Amity Blight; Are you a friend of nature?" the nymph talked with a quiet elegance Amity had not heard ever in her life. The young witch nodded slowly, trying to process the question and her answer as she did so. The nymph smiled and extended her hand towards Amity. She took her hand and a bright light blinded Amity for several seconds. Once she was able to see again, the nymph was no longer there but instead a fiery red branch was in her hand. Confused, she looked around trying to see if perhaps Kiki was around and waiting for Amity to spot her so she could explain whatever that was. Once she realized this was not part of her training or something planted by Kiki, Amity decided to keep the branch in her pocket and continue trying to make a connection with nature so she could get her staff.

The day went by fast after her encounter with the nymph and once Kiki returned to test Amity, there had been no progress. Amity gave a sigh, accepting the fact that she would be returning home the following day. As the got closer to the tower, a cold feeling began to creep up and a thought crossed her mind. She was going to have to explain this to Luz. She could feel her shoulders begin to tense up and she realized for the first time that she was scared. She was scared of Luz.

Dear Luz,

I think I will be going home very soon since I wasn't able to make my staff. I guess Kiki's giving up on me for now, at least until next year. I want to say I'm excited to see you but, I think we need to talk. When I get back, do you think we could meet up near the grom tree? Things just haven't felt the same between us and I want to make things right. I love you! I just want to be close to you again and make sure this weird feeling I've been having for the past several days is just from not being able to see you. I can't wait to see you.

Te amo,

Amity

Amity laid down in her bed and looked at the ceiling. She was going to have to confront Luz now, there was no going back. Maybe it was just Luz's writing style. Maybe the stress from Kiki's training was doing something to her head. The nymph had said her mind would get cloudy if she stayed in the tower so maybe she would see clearly once she was back home with Luz. She gave a short sigh, a bit of hope returning to her. Yes, she would talk to Luz and remember every single reason why she fell in-love with her in the first place! As she began to pack her clothes a few hours later, she saw the dove return with a new letter. 'That was fast' she thought as she grabbed it and sat down to read it. The small ounce of hope she had felt before quickly melted away as she read the letter.

Amity,

I'm surprised you want to talk to me when you get back after failing at doing the thing you were sent there to do. I'm not surprised Kiki's tired of you, I mean who wouldn't be? You keep trying to be little miss perfect everything but you're really just average at best, huh? Did you finally figure out there's something missing between us? A connection you can't feel? If that's what you wanted to talk about, let's not waste our time. That emptiness is from a lack of love. There's no love between you and me. Did you really think I loved you? A Blight is only good for status, nothing more. You understand, right? I mean, you were super mean to both me and Willow before we began to do 'real magic'. You didn't really think I could love someone like you, someone so mean? I understand if you don't think a relationship based on class is for you but I'll be here whenever you want to take that step. Love ya!

Sincerely,

Luz Noseda