Settling In, Part 3

Above, the skies were dark and stormy, all light choked out by angry clouds that seemed to slam into and roll against one another like battling bulls. Black rain poured down in torrents, the dark clouds bleeding onto the devastation below, soiling it further instead of cleansing it.

The city had been completely destroyed. A massive crater enveloped the entire downtown area, as if an enormous comet had dropped from the heavens above to annihilate the once-bustling metropolis. Entire skyscrapers had been smashed to bits, streets uprooted and broken to pieces, the very ground collapsed into the sewers below. Even neighborhoods far from the blast sight had been leveled by the shockwave, leaving little that was standing, or even living.

And Homulilly was all alone.

She huddled behind a section of shattered wall, skeletal arms wrapped around herself as she trembled from both fear and cold. Her meager dress provided little in the way of cover, as did the wall.

She fearfully looked out at the ruined city. There were shadows moving through the crater, searching. It was her that they were looking for. They were the hunters, and she was the prey, and she had no way of defending herself.

Standing to her shaking legs, she cupped her bony fingers around her mouth and called out, "Gretchen! Gretchen, where are you?"

There was no answer. If her friend was near, then she did not hear her.

Fear was starting to rise into panic. "Gretchen!" she called again. "Gretchen, plea-"

Lightning split the sky overhead, and thunder boomed milliseconds later, swallowing her voice. Homulilly winced and threw her hands over her ears, but lacking skin it did nothing to shield her from the sound.

Then the top of the wall she had been hiding behind exploded.

Squeaking in fear, Homulilly scampered off as bullet pelted the debris right behind her. On zinged past her ear, dangerously close.

"That's her!" called one of the hunters. "The monster!"

"Don't let her get away!"

Hugging herself, Homulilly fled through the ruins, ducking behind smashed cars and chunks of buildings, desperately trying to find a means of escape, but more importantly trying to find Gretchen.

The bulb of a mangled streetlight that rose up above her, somehow left undamaged, suddenly shattered as she passed under it. Their shots were getting closer.

As she continued to flee, Homulilly cast a fearful glance over one shoulder.

The hunters were getting closer. To her eyes, they looked like dark shadows with glowing red eyes, all in the form of young girls wearing extravagant outfits and carrying exotic weapons.

Weapons that they intended to use on her.

Panicked, Homulilly turned away so that she could see where she was going, only to realize all too late that she was running right toward a dead end. The end of the shattered sidewalk that she had been fleeing across had been sheared right off, leading to a sheer drop right into the crater.

She tried to stop, to change direction, but the broken asphalt beneath her feet was slick with the black rain, and her feet slipped right out from under her. She slid right over the edge and fell screaming into the rubble-filled pit.

The fall was a confusing muddle of loud sounds and painful impacts, and when it ended, Homulilly was lying in a black puddle at the very bottom of the crater.

"There she is!"

The hunters were all gathered on the ledge she had fallen from, staring down at her.

"Get her!"

They were after her again, charging down the crater's side. But this time, instead of fleeing, Homulilly just sat up to wait. What was the point of running.

However, just before they reached her, Homulilly found herself looked straight up, and she gasped.

A monstrosity was hovering in the air, a twisted amalgamation of two monsters, one facing up and the other facing down, their torsos fused together. The one on top was a horror of sketchy lines in a humanoid form, its massive claws spread wide and grasping. On the bottom was a woman's skeleton, one with flowing raven hair, and a huge red flower covering half of its skull.

"Homulilly-chan!"

Homulilly gasped as her eyes popped open. She looked around wildly, trying to see where her attacker was.

And then she saw a pair of dark pink eyes staring at her in kindness and concern.

Homulilly blinked, her memories of where she was and the sheer terror of the nightmare thrusting themselves upon one another.

Slowly the memories won out. She wasn't in a ruined city, she was in the room that she shared with Kriemhild Gretchen, in the Freehaven Integration Bureau. And she didn't need to fear death, because she was already dead, and this was their afterlife.

That didn't mean that there was nothing to fear, however.

Sighing, Homulilly collapsed back onto the bed. Then she rolled back and forth, gathering up the disheveled blanket and wrapping it tightly around herself. But she didn't turn away from Gretchen.

Her mouth setting in a straight line, Gretchen reached over and smoothed out Homulilly's bangs.

"You were crying in your sleep again. Another nightmare?"

Still teary-eyed, Homulilly nodded.

"Was it about Doomsday Clock?"

Doomsday Clock was the name of that horrible city of constantly reversing rain and shifting buildings. Apparently all the spawn cities where dead Puella Magi and witches ended up in had similarly horrible names.

"No," Homulilly whispered, though Gretchen wasn't wrong for assuming so. They both struggled with bad dreams about that place, about things like being unable to escape being wrapped to that monstrous clock or falling into the gaping abyss between the buildings.

This wasn't one of those nights though.

"It was…it was a different city," Homulilly said. "It was raining there too, but the city. It was broken! Destroyed! Something had ripped it to pieces. And there were people there, and they were hunting me, they were shooting at me, a-and I tried to get away, I tried to find you, but I couldn't! And in the end, they just…"

"Shhh," Gretchen soothed as she gently wrapped her arms around Homulilly's neck and shoulders to cradle her head. "It's okay, it's okay. I'm here. You found me. You're safe now, they didn't get you."

Homulilly tentatively reached out with one fleshless hand and wrapped her bony fingers around Gretchen's arm.

She would have liked to just stay there like that, all wrapped up in her blanket with Gretchen holding her, safe and warm where nothing could get her.

Unfortunately, today was a day in which that wasn't an option.

"It's today, isn't it?" Homulilly whispered.

Gretchen nodded.

The day. The day that she had been dreading. The day that they, and the other witches, would finally be introduced to the magical girls in their class, the Puella Magi. Apparently while Dr. Cynthia had been easing the witches into the new system, showing them around, letting them get to know one another, and preparing them for the day when they would be introduced to the same girls who had previously hunted them, the same had been done for the Puella Magi, teaching them that witches weren't to be feared, that they were just normal girls like they were, albeit with some weird, but harmless, additions.

Gretchen was looking forward to meet them.

Homulilly was not.

"Homulilly-chan, I promise that you'll be fine," Gretchen said, running her fingers through Homulilly's shimmering raven hair. "I'll be with you the whole time. No one's going to hurt you so long as I'm around!"

Homulilly swallowed. "But they hate us! They have to! They all died fighting witches, right? Fighting us? How can they not hate us?"

"Because they know better by now! They know that we're not dangerous." Gretchen titled her head and smiled encouragingly. "Now, come on. It's time to get dressed."

In response, Homulilly merely sank deeper into her blanket cocoon.

"No, that's not right. Come on out." Gretchen gingerly started to unwrap Homulilly, despite Homulilly's half-hearted protests. "Come on. You know you have to get up."

Gradually she drew Homulilly out, getting her out of the blanket and maneuvered her into sitting up on the edge of the bed. Homulilly tried to lie back down, but Gretchen was having none of it.

"No, no," she chided, taking Homulilly by both wrists and getting her to her feet. "None of that now."

Homulilly sighed, but once again Gretchen had won. As it usually was, getting out of bed was the hard part. Once she was out and up, it was easier to clean up and change.

Gretchen was already dressed in her uniform, so she helped Homulilly peel off her pajamas and got her to put her own uniform on, all the while murmuring words of encouragement. By the time Homulilly was slipping on the thick, full-arm velvet gloves that hid the scariest part about her from the rest of the world, she was doing it by herself.

"And there we go!" Gretchen said, helping Homulilly straighten her tie. "Cute as always! You're sure to win some new admirers today!"

Homulilly smiled a little at the praise, though truthfully, that was the last thing she wanted. The less attention on her, the better.

Then, right on time, there was a knock on their door. "Good morning, girls!" Dr. Cynthia called from the other side. "It's time to go!"

"Okay, we're coming!" Gretchen called back.

"That's what she said!" they heard Lucy call from the other side, following by a burst of giggling. Homulilly blinked and glanced at Gretchen, who seemed as confused as she was.

Shrugging, the two headed for the door, Gretchen taking the lead as always, as her many wirelike legs required the most space. Before they entered the hall, Homulilly frowned. "Um, Gretchen-chan?"

"Hmmm?"

"In my dream? You know how there was a broken city, and it looked like something big had destroyed it?"

"Yes?"

The dream was already fading, as dreams do, but Homulilly still clearly recalled that amalgamation of monsters that had been hovering in the sky.

"I think it was us."

…

A small gaggle of the other witches were already waiting with Dr. Cynthia as she went from door to door, getting everyone together.

"So, are you guys as excited as I am?" Lindy said once Homulilly and Gretchen had joined them.

"Excited isn't exactly the word I'd use," Vendel said darkly. "More like, these girls are gonna wanna kill us, and I don't agree with that at all."

"Oh, please!" said Brittney, who had entwined her scaly fingers behind her head. "They wouldn't put us in the same room if that was the case."

"Right! I'm sure it's perfectly safe!" agreed Marty, though it was clear that she had some major reservations about this.

"Well, I'm looking forward to meeting them," Gretchen said. "I mean, they all have memories of a world that we all lived in, but only they remember! I'd like to ask them about it."

"See! That's the spirit!" Lindy said, nudging Gretchen with her elbow.

"Oh, do you think they brought any music with them from the world of the living?" Iris said, her cassette-tape eyes whirring in excitement.

Vendel shot her a look. "Don't you, like, have like a gazillion songs already?"

"Twelve-thousand, five hundred and twenty! But I'm always looking for more!"

"Have you actually listened to all that?"

"Several times! But some more than others, I'm afraid."

Lucy began rubbing her hands together and chuckled. "Well, I'm just going to be waiting for them to drop their guard, and then BAM! Head in someone's lap!"

"Oh, and that reminds me," Dr. Cynthia said over her shoulder. "While you of course ought not hide who you are, there will be no deliberately using your witch remnants to scare them. So yes, your head stays on."

Lucy's face fell. "What? But I've waiting all week to-"

"No, Lucy."

"Well, great. What's the point of having a removeable head if you can't have any fun?" Lucy grumbled as she sulkily folded her arms.

Homulilly said nothing, but she still glanced at Lucy in bewilderment. How could she actually want to provoke the Puella Magi like that? To her way of thinking, the less attention brought to their witch remnants, the better.

They gathered the last of the witches in their class (Claudia) and then everyone headed for the same room that they had their daily group therapy sessions. Apparently the magical girls had been having their own meetings in the same room, only at different times.

The closer they got, the more anxious Homulilly felt. Her mouth had gone dry, and it felt like ice water was sloshing around in her belly.

Then she felt a warm hand slip around hers and squeeze tight. Homulilly glanced to her side to see Gretchen smiling encouragingly at her. Homulilly nodded briefly and squeezed back.

They entered the room, and to Homulilly's dismay, the Puella Magi were already there, standing with their own caretaker, staring at them.

Like the witches, they were all in their early-to-mid teens, and were of an eclectic mix of ethnicities. However, there were only six of them, while there were twelve witches. So if anything violent did occur, at least the witches had the numbers advantage.

Even so, Homulilly really, really hoped that nothing of the sort took place.

The witches all stared at the Puella Magi, and the Puella Magi stared back at the witches. No one spoke.

Standing at the head of the room was another one of the caretakers, a girl with short, curly black hair; chipmunk cheeks; and dark eyes. Homulilly had seen her from time to time, but couldn't remember her name. "Good morning, everyone," she said once everyone was in the room. "Now, this is a very important day. You've all spent the last few weeks getting to know the girls sharing your specific situation, Puella Magi with Puella Magi, witches with witches, and we have all learned the truth about what it means to be either. Well, today we're going to learn how little those differences mean, and how much we really have in common, and from this day on, we will be going forward as a single class."

"Hiiiiiiiiiii!" Iris said, waving enthusiastically. "Nice to meet you all! And hey, does anyone have any good-"

"Iris, Iris, honey," Dr. Cynthia said with a small laugh. "You're getting a little ahead of yourself. Don't worry, you'll be able to ask about music all you want."

"Oh! Right! Um, proceed."

A few of the witches laughed, but the magical girls all just looked confused.

Smiling, the caretaker at the front of the room cleared her throat. "All right, now we're going to introduce ourselves, and we're going to do this in alphabetical order." She looked over to the magical girls. "Amaya, that means we're starting with you."

The magical girl that was named made a face, but she stepped forward. She was the tallest of the group, a girl with curly brown hair and brown eyes. Homulilly recognized her as the loud and obnoxious girl from the orientation, the one that had thrown up when Lucy had taken off her head.

Amaya cleared her throat and said, "So…hi. I'm, uh, Amaya Alverez. I'm from a place called San Fernando, and that's in Spain, and yes, I'm the girl that had the freak out on our first day."

She shot a glare at Lucy, who merely beamed.

Amaya sighed. "So, uh, yes I don't think this is some kind of trick anymore. It's just…extremely weird. So yeah."

The caretaker nodded. "Thank you, Amaya. Amirah, please step forward."

Amirah, the Saudi Arabian witch with two large buttons for eyes and more buttons sewn evenly into her skin, did as asked. "Hello!" she said cheerily. A bit too cheerily, Homulilly noted, no doubt overcompensating for her own nervousness. "Amirah! And before you ask, I can see just find, and no, I don't know how!"

"Very good," Dr. Cynthia said. "Ava, you're next."

Next was the girl with the white hair, the same that had surprised Homulilly and Gretchen that one day, thinking that they had been the Walpurgisnacht that had killed her sister.

Sure enough, she had been stealing glances at the pair ever since they had all entered the room. Swallowing nervously, she said, "Um, hello. I'm Ava, Ava Nummi. I'm from Finland, and…hi."

She quickly stepped back.

Next up was Brittney. "Well, hi, everyone!" she said. "Brittney, in da house! Uh, as you can see, I'm kinda scaly, and that's it. Kind of feel ripped off, actually. Some of these weirdoes have all sorts of cool powers, and I get scales. Total ripoff."

That got a few giggles, mostly on the witches' side, but a couple of the magical girls cracked a smile.

After her was one of the magical girls, who was white with pink eyes and long pink hair. "Well, I'm Carly," she said. "Carly Sanders. I'm from Grenoble, France. And believe it or not, I actually learned what the deal is with us and witches before I died. That was…a pretty bad day."

"Whoa," Brittney whistled. "And you still kept fighting?"

"No, I got hit by a truck. That's how I died."

Brittney snorted back laughter, but that quickly tampered off when she saw that Carly wasn't laughing.

"Oh," she said. "You're being serious."

Carly shrugged.

"Uh, sorry." Blushing with embarrassment, Brittney stepped back.

"It's okay," Carly said. "I, uh, get that a lot."

Next up was Claudia. "Er, hello!" she said. "I'm Claudia. And yes, I am, in fact, an intersection." The streetlights in her eyes switched from green to yellow to red before clicking back to green. "And no, my vision doesn't changed when the lights do, and yes, it doesn't make any sense at all. Nice to meet you!"

By then the magical girls seemed to be loosening up a little, and there were a few murmured greetings.

"Well, hello everyone," said Gabrielle. "And…I think I'm also French, if my accent means anything."

"Oh, huh," Carly said, her brow rising.

Gabrielle nodded to her. "And yes, the hat is part of my head, and seeing just how stunning it looks, I'd say I was the most fortunate."

Next, it was Gretchen's turn. "Hello," she said with a friendly wave. "It's great to meet you all. My name's Kriemhild Gretchen, but you can just call me Gretchen. And, uh, yes, I get really tall when I stand all the way up, so that's a bit of a bother."

"She bangs her head on stuff," Lucy snickered. "Like, a lot!"

After her was another one of the Puella Magi, a shorter Hispanic girl with short, spiky hair that was bright orange. "Well, here goes," she said. "I'm Heather, and I'm from Cuba, and I actually already know one of you! Hi, Lillian!"

"Hi!" Lillian waved back.

"Yeah, so, she and I actually killed each other!" Heather said. "But then we became friends, so it worked out. Miss you, babe!"

"Missed you too!"

"You guys, like, have been talking pretty much every day," said Vendel.

Heather shrugged. "So? We're still missed each other."

Smiling, the caretaker at the front of the room nodded. "Well, you'll be seeing a lot more of each other from now on. Now, Homulilly?"

Well, here it came. Swallowing, Homulilly stepped forward and bowed her head. "Hi," she said in a small voice. "Homulilly." Then she stepped back.

Fortunately, nobody asked anything.

After her came Iris, and she was excited. "Hiiiiiiii!" she said in the exact same tone as before. "I'm Iris, and like I was saying, if anyone has any great music from when you were alive, let me know! I'm always adding to my playlist and am happy to share!"

"Oh, uh, huh," said the next girl in line, a black girl with straight blue hair. "I'm Jordan Lewis, and I'm…I'm from Liverpool. That's in England." She shrugged. "Hello."

After her was Lillian. "Well, hello everyone!" she said, fidgeting with both nervousness and excitement. "I'm Lillian, and I guess I'm also from Cuba, because Heather is! And if we can become friends, then I'm sure all of us can be friends too!" Heather grinned and shot her a pair of finger-guns.

"Isn't this great?" Linda beamed. "Hey, everybody! I'm Linda, but you can call me Lindy. And I'm a real big spider! So, uh, sorry to everyone who's not comfortable with big bugs, but I can promise you that I am the friendliest big bug that you'll ever meet!"

"Whaddup?" Lucy grinned. "I'm Lucy, and you all got a taste of what I can do during the orientation. Unfortunately, they're not letting me show you, so if you can just imagine me taking off my head and spinning it like a basketball, maybe you'll have an idea of what my deal is. And yes, it is as awesome as it sounds."

"So…hey!" said Marty. "I'm Marty, and I'm a big paperclip collection. No, it's not uncomfortable. And please don't untwist the paperclips, it kind of hurts."

The second to last of the magical girls was next, a small, shy-looking black girl with dark violet hair. "Um, h-hey," she said. "I'm uh, I'm Shiloh Williams. I'm from Philadelphia. In America. And, uh, if I was the one to, uh, take any of you down, I just wanted to say that, um, I'm really, really sorry."

"Aw, don't worry about it!" Linda said. "It all worked out!"

Vendel was the last of the witches, and as always, she looked like she would much rather be anywhere else. "So, hey," she said, her arms folded. "I'm Vendel. And before you ask, I still have no idea what my deal is, or why my neck is so long, or what is even going on with my face, so don't ask."

Bringing up the very end was a short Asian girl with straight maroon hair. "Well, hello," she said. "Zhao Ming. I'm from Taiwan. And this is all really weird, but hey, I guess it could be worse."

And that, Homulilly felt, was a pretty good summation of how her life was now. Really weird, but it could be worse.

She still didn't want to be there.

…

When the witches had been told that the day in which they would be fully introduced to their Puella Magi counterparts was coming, Homulilly had hoped that it would be a quick affair, that there would just be a round of introductions and then things would carry on as normal, only with the two classes now merged into one.

Unfortunately, the FIB had different ideas.

They turned the meeting into a party.

Well, not a party, per se, but more of an extended mingling session with food and drink, a chance to break the ice and get people talking.

Well, Homulilly would have liked for there to be more ice, and she was heavily opposed to talking to a bunch of people that she didn't know and might have reason to want to kill her.

Gretchen, however, did not share her fear, and in fact was quite eager to meet everyone. And so, determined not to ruin it for her, Homulilly kept quiet, kept close, and did her best to avoid drawing attention to herself.

This was a lot easier than she had expected. With her arms covered, the only visible witch remnant was the flower on the top of her head, and with girls like Lindy, Marty, or Vendel around, she just didn't stand out.

Good.

Gretchen, however, did. When standing straight up, her wire legs made her the tallest in the room, towering over even Lindy and Vendel, so she had to spread out to keep on the same level as everyone, which still made her very conspicuous, so there seemed like each and every one of the Puella Magi stopped by to talk to her and ask questions about how her legs worked. Through it all, Homulilly stayed close but stayed quiet and just waited for it all to end.

Eventually people broke off into little groups, and due to the ratio, those groups roughly equaled two witches and one Puella Magi each. And as it worked out, Homulilly found herself fiddling with a plate of fresh fruit while Gretchen talked to Zhao.

"It's just the weirdest," Zhao said. She was sitting cross-legged on one of the chairs, while Gretchen and Homulilly occupied a nearby couch. "I never really, you know, believed that there even was an afterlife. I mean, I didn't think that there was a god, so why would there be a an afterlife?" She looked around at the room. "But even if there was one, I don't think anyone thought that it would be like this!"

"I know what you mean," Gretchen nodded. "I mean, I don't actually know what I believed in, but it probably wasn't, well, it probably wasn't a really nice school near a beach."

Zhao tilted her head. "So, you two don't remember anything at all? Not who you were or what your names used to be?"

Homulilly frowned. To her, that was a really personal question. However, Gretchen didn't seem to mind.

"Nope!" she said cheerily. "Nothing! I mean, there were these quick little flashes our first few days, but they faded pretty quickly."

"Like a dream?"

"Exactly!"

"Wow," Zhao said. "You know, you guys are actually kind of lucky. I mean, at least you get to, you know, just start living here. You don't have to worry about your families or anything!"

Homulilly's frown deepened.

Gretchen's face softened in sympathy. "Do you miss your family?" she asked.

Zhao made a face. "To be honest…not really. I mean, I lived with my aunt and uncle, and they were…okay, I guess. But they were always so busy, I barely saw them at all. And even when they were around, all they wanted to know was how my grades were and stuff." She anxiously twiddled her thumbs together. "I mean, I didn't want to die, but honestly, well, it could be a lot worse, and…"

Her voice trailed off. Ava was walking toward them, her eyes focused intently on Gretchen and Homulilly.

"Um, hey," she said. "Sorry, but c-can I say something? Just real quick?"

"Er, sure?" Zhao said. "I mean, I can leave if you want…"

"N-No, it's fine. I'll be quick."

Here it came. Homulilly steeled herself.

But instead of the expected verbal abuse, Ava nervously wrung her hands together and stared down at the ground. "Look," she said. "I'm really, really sorry for thinking that you guys, um, you know, killed my sister. You had nothing to do with that, and, well, I mean, you're from a different country entirely, so how could you? So, um, sorry about that."

Homulilly blinked. This was not what she had been expecting.

Gretchen, however, didn't seem taken off guard. "Not at all!" she said, rising up just enough to take one of Ava's hands in her own. "I don't blame you at all!"

Ava's brow rose, and she managed a sheepish smile. "Um, th-thanks?"

"Did you ever find your sister though?" Gretchen pressed. "Did you find out where she went?"

Ava's eyes were already a little watery, but now they misted over completely. "They found her," she said with a small laugh. "I couldn't believe it, but they did! She went to another town so that's why…" She swallowed. "Um, but hey! They were able to find her, and we talked a lot on the phone! She's flying in next week to come visit!" Ava shook her head in disbelief. "I never thought I'd even see her again, but I get to see her next week! It's insane!"

"It's wonderful!" Gretchen suddenly wrapped both arms around Ava and hugged her tight. "I'm so happy for you!" Ava seemed a little taken back by Gretchen's sudden affection, but she gingerly lifted her own arms and returned the embrace.

"Aw, that so sweet!" Zhao said as she and Homulilly looked on. "You know, I'm still not sure how I feel about all this, but this part is cool, right?"

Homulilly said nothing.

"Um, right?"

"Um, yeah," Homulilly said hastily. "Very cool. Right."

…

The "party" dragged on, and the longer it did, the more Homulilly found herself wishing that the Puella Magi had turned out to be hostile so they could just run away and hide already.

Unfortunately, they were all proving to be increasingly friendly, or at least they were pretending to be, and Gretchen just wanted to meet all of them, and individually at that. Homulilly followed along the best she could, but after the third request to touch her spider-lily, she left Gretchen chatting with Heather and Lillian and went outside onto the balcony to get some air, as well as some space.

Fortunately, there was no one else out there. Slowly breathing out, Homulilly went up to the stone railing and looked out.

The balcony overlooked the facility gardens and, beyond the white wall that surrounded the grounds, the city itself. It really was a beautiful sight. The variety of climates represented in the gardens were blended tastefully together, creating a pleasing tapestry of color. And the city beyond always looked so peaceful, so welcoming.

Don't worry, it seemed to say to those inside the facility. You belong here. Get better soon; your home is waiting.

And yet Homulilly just felt so confused as she looked out at the sight, so twisted up inside.

How could such a beautiful place be so welcoming to monsters? They had all done such terrible things to each other, the witches and magical girls alike! Every witch had been killed by a magical girl, and she was pretty certain that the overwhelming majority of magical girls had not died from the flu! And that wasn't even getting into the many, many innocent people murdered by witches! There was probably not a single resident in all of Freehaven that did not have someone's blood on her hands!

Homulilly looked down at her own hands, currently hidden within her violet velvet gloves. She flexed her fingers, feeling them tighten.

Maybe that's why my hands look so dead, she thought. Maybe I was the biggest monster of them all.

Did the girl she had been have any idea what was in store for her? Did she know of the monster that she would become, that someone else would take her face but not her name, that her soul would be commandeered by the same beast born from her own despair.

Maybe she did. Maybe that's why she fell into despair in the first place.

"Hey."

Homulilly stiffened. She had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she hadn't heard anyone approach.

Amaya Alvarez walked up to stand beside her, a cup of punch in her hands. The other girl had an odd look on her face, not the disgruntled surliness from that first day, nor the nervous apprehension from early that same day. Instead, she seemed…confused. Unsure of something.

Homulilly wondered if she should leave, if Amaya also wanted to be alone. But leaving would be rude. If Amaya wanted to be alone, she wouldn't have walked right up to Homulilly.

Or maybe, Homulilly found herself considering, I'm the witch that killed her. Maybe she's figured it out. Maybe she wants revenge.

"So, uh," Amaya said as she slowly ran her finger over her cup's outer edge. "Homulilly, right?"

Homulilly swallowed. "Y-Yeah."

"That's kind of an unusual name. Never heard it before, actually. Any idea what it means?"

"No."

"The other witches all have regular names. Well, all except for that Vendel character. That's a new one." Amaya slowly breathed out. "Sorry, guess that wasn't much of an ice-breaker. Not really a party person, are you?"

Homulilly shook her head. "No."

"Me neither. Your friend was looking for you, by the way."

"Gretchen?" Homulilly glanced briefly over her shoulder. "Oh, uh. Okay. Thanks, uh, thanks for telling me."

She ought to have taken the excuse to go find Gretchen, and yet for some reason she didn't. Which was odd, because the alternative was staying outside with a girl she didn't know and didn't want to get to know, and there really was nothing for them to talk about besides-

"Do you hate me?" Homulilly found herself blurting out. Moments later her face heated to bright pink when she realized that, yes, she did indeed say that out loud, and there was no way to unsay it.

Sure enough, the cup of punch slipped right out of Amaya's hand, over the balcony to the ground below. She didn't even noticed though, instead gawking open-mouth at Homulilly in shock.

"Ah, I'm sorry!" Homulilly hastily turned away. "I shouldn't have said that, I'm so sorry!"

A beat passed, and then Amaya said in a small voice, "You guys think that we hate you?"

Homulilly swallowed hard. "Well, d-don't you?"

"No! None of us do! I mean, a lot of us were worried that you would all hate us!"

That gave Homulilly pause, and, blinking away tears, she turned back around to stare curiously at Amaya. "Wait, you thought we would…But why?"

"Because you're witches, and we used to hunt you! Why wouldn't you hate us?"

"But…we were monsters, weren't we? We would kill people! We killed you!"

Amaya winced. "Um, yeah, but it wasn't your fault, right? It was those damned Incubators! I-I mean, if we didn't die, we would've ended up just like you! So, uh, how is any of this your fault?"

Homulilly didn't know what to say. True, Dr. Cynthia had hammered home again and again that they were not in any way to blame for anything that had happened when they had been full witches, and that the magical girls wouldn't hold any of it against them, but she didn't expect that to actually be true!

"Really?" Homulilly said in a small, hopeful voice.

Amaya shook her head.

And then she smiled a little.

"Man, you really thought we were still into that Puella Magi versus witch crap? Dude, that's over! You don't have to worry about us!"

Then, still smiling, she extended her hand.

Homulilly felt her breath catch in her throat. The other girls…didn't hate witches like her? Dr. Cynthia had been telling the truth?

Homulilly almost reached out and took Amaya's hand as well. But just as she was about to stretch out her arm, she caught sight of her glove, and then remembered.

"What's wrong?" Amaya said with a frown as Homulilly withdrew her hand.

Homulilly looked at her hand, glanced up at Amaya, and then looked down again.

And then she slowly pulled her glove off.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Amaya asked. "Is there something…" And then her eyes went wide. "Oh, holy shit."

Though her arms and shoulders were trembling, Homulilly held up her hand, all five skeletal fingers spread wide. She could see Amaya's stunned face through the gaps in the bones.

Homulilly smiled bitterly. "Maybe you don't hate us," she said, unbuttoning the sleeve of her cardigan and pulling her glove back on. "But you still fear us."

"Homulilly, hold on," Amaya said as Homulilly turned to walk away. "I'm sorry, I was just startled, that's all."

Homulilly paused. She glanced back at Amaya, who really did look remorseful.

Sighing, Homulilly turned away and went back inside.

Maybe they were safe. Maybe nobody hated them, or wanted to harm them.

But that didn't mean there was anyone that Homulilly wanted to be friends with. She had Gretchen, after all. Who else would she even want as a friend?

…

For the last several weeks, Dr. Cynthia had barely been able to get out of the facility. Those first few days between welcoming new arrivals, teaching them the ins and outs of their new existence, and preparing them to meet their counterparts were critical and always harrowing. But now that part was past, and though there obviously was still a great deal of work to be done, once she had some time to herself she went with her customary celebration: a trip to the Honey Hive.

The Honey Hive was a combo bakery/coffee shop not far from the FIB facility. And while the coffee provided by the FIB was very good, it was nothing compared to the sweet ambrosia of the Honey Hive, something she sorely missed when things got rough and her sleep got bad. Sure, she could order some for delivery, but it just wasn't the same.

Besides, there was just something about purchasing it in person. The Honey Hive had a warm, homey atmosphere, and she personally knew many of those who worked there, thanks to the time they had all spent at the FIB.

Sure enough, behind the counter was one of the Honey Hive's celebrated bakers, a curvy Japanese girl with honey-blonde hair tied behind her in a practical, yet flattering, ponytail. She was someone Dr. Cynthia knew fairly well. After all, Dr. Cynthia had been her group's therapist back when she had gone through the FIB herself, and she had to admit, the girl and her friends had been some of the more memorable that she had treated.

As soon as Dr. Cynthia stepped through the front door, ringing the little bell that hung overhead, the witch who was working as baker that day brightened. "And there she is," she said. "The day after the big meeting party. Like clockwork."

"If it ain't broke," Dr. Cynthia said. Already her mouth was starting to water.

The baker knew exactly what she wanted, and started to pick out a selection of frosted lemon cakes from the display. "So, how's this year's crop?"

"Oh, every new year brings its own special flavors of problems and personalities. No real big issues just yet, but I've got my eye on a couple."

"Well, those girls are lucky to have you helping them," the baker remarked as she boxed up the cakes. "I know we sure were."

Her witch remnants were a pair of golden ribbons, in the place of arms and hands.

"Hmmm, well, sure, you were lucky to have me. Not sure if it was the same case the other way around."

The baker laughed. "Oh, come on! We weren't that bad, were we?"

"You did give me more than one sleepless night," Dr. Cynthia said. "How is the gang, by the way?"

The baker's eyes lit up, as they always did "Oh, we're all doing great! Char just got a new job, actually!"

"Oh!" That was right, Charlotte had been looking. "Well, congratulations! Even if she's not here right now. Second-degree congratulations, once-removed? Uh, where at?"

"The library!"

Dr. Cynthia nodded. "Oh, that makes perfect sense. You couldn't get her out of the one at the FIB."

"She still means to have one of her own books in there," the baker remarked as she began ringing Dr. Cynthia up, the tips of her ribbons working the register as deftly as if she had fingers. "Now, if she would only stop procrastinating and actually write one."

Dr. Cynthia laughed. "Well, it's not like she doesn't have all the time in the world. What about the other two?"

"Oh, same as always. Tavi's still doing freelance diving. She's been gone most of the week, actually. Apparently several sea turtles are migrating through Freehaven's waters, so she's been helping the researchers over at the Aurora Borealis chart their path.

The Aurora Borealis was a marine laboratory stationed off the coast of Freehaven. Given the influx of extraterrestrial life drifting in from other territories in the afterlife, it was any marine scientist's dream. "That sounds like something she'd be all over. Has she released any new music lately?"

"Not lately, but she does say she gets her best ideas while swimming, so I'd expect her to be spending a lot of time in the studio once she gets back."

Dr. Cynthia made a face. "I hope it's a little more mild than that last album she put out. I mean, the melodies were as good as always, but the style…what did she call it?" She handed over her bank card.

"Grindcore." The baker made a face. "And I'm with you there. Char actually loved it. No accounting for taste, I guess." Registering the transaction, she handed Dr. Cynthia her card back.

The transaction was complete and the cakes paid for, but Dr. Cynthia wasn't ready to leave just yet. "What about Phe? Does she still do that competitive dancing thing?"

"Oh, you can't stop her. With Oktavia out of the house most days, Phe's been spending her free time training over at the dance studio. Apparently there's this vaskergoros dancer that's been making waves on the local circuit, so of course Phe's taking that as a challenge."

Dr. Cynthia blinked. Of all the different species to have been contacted by the Incubators and thus wind up in the afterlife that magical girls from all across the universe shared, the vaskergoros were easily the most physically intimidating. Standing on average around three to four meters tall, they resembled what one would get if the Abominable Snowman gained four arms and huge tusks. Dr. Cynthia herself had almost screamed and ran away the first time she saw one.

Of course, she had long worked her way past that, as the vaskergoros had turned out to be perfectly pleasant. A sociable species with a deep and rich culture, they got along quite well with their human neighbors, and a couple were now counted among Dr. Cynthia's personal friends.

Even so, she wouldn't want to challenge one to any kind of physical contest.

"Well, best of luck to her," Dr. Cynthia remarked. Then she smirked. "Oh, that reminds me. Your bird showed up at the FIB again."

The baker paused. "Oh, no," she sighed.

Even though Dr. Cynthia didn't really have a problem with the foul-mouthed fowl showing up on occasion to scream at people, she did like to lecture his owners about it. "Now normally that wouldn't be a problem, since he never does much more than scream profanities, but I was showing a new group around, so…"

The baker held up both ribbons in a placating manner. "I am so sorry. I swear, we've been trying to break him of that swearing habit, but he refuses to learn anything else! I think it's out of spite."

"It's fine, it's fine," Dr. Cynthia laughed. "Honestly, I think the girls just thought it was funny."

"It is," the baker said, though her right eye had developed a noticeable twitch. "Most of the time. I'll talk to Ophelia. It's her fault he's gotten such a filthy mouth."

Dr. Cynthia nodded. Then she picked up her purchases and straightened up. "Anyway, I'd better get back." She turned toward the door while waving over her shoulder. "Take care of yourself, Candeloro! Give my love to the gang!"

…

Sorry about the wait, guys. I've got like a ton of other projects and they took precedence. But there will be a bunch of WN updates over the next few weeks.

Until next time, everyone!