When she opened her eyes again, Amity found herself in an entirely unfamiliar room. The area looks pristine and stark white from the walls to the bedsheets she's under in. Her Grom clothes had also changed to a simple black shirt and shorts.
But what took her by surprise are the two occupants in the room. Her brother Edric is asleep with his head resting at her bedside and her sister Emira checking through her scrollphone before gazing up with a sudden jolt.
"Mittens!" Emira looks over to her brother and jabs him with her elbow, "Hey, look alive!"
"Is she okay!?" Edric blurts out, startled from his nap. The two girls gave him a stare as he slowly realizes what he said and nervously laughs, "Haha, you know. I was getting bored waiting for her to wake up, because I got, like, better things to do, haha…"
"You're so weak, Ed."
"I know…"
"Em? Ed? What are you two doing here? And where are we?" Amity tries to sit up, but her head got assaulted by the sudden rush. Emira gently lays her back down and offers a glass of water from the bedstand.
"Don't panic… but you're at the hospital, baby sis," Emira explains, "That Owl Lady contacted us had no choice to bring you here. You had a Skull Screamer infection, and she couldn't free you from it herself."
The Skull Screamer. Amity remembers it all now. The day at the beach, the dream she went through, and her saving-
"Luz!" Amity bolts up again, "What about her? Is she okay?"
"She's fine," Edric swears, then uncomfortably glances away, "But it's not her I would worry about it if I were you."
Amity was about to ask what he meant by that before hearing the door leading to the room open. The three siblings all turn their heads to see a woman in a black dress stepping inside while holding the door open. Her face is easily distinguishable from her sharp eyes and the green hair she has tied into a bun. Amity felt all heat leaving her body when her mother gave her a scrutinizing gaze.
"You're awake," her tone is more stern than gentle, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm… fine," Amity answered honestly, but her tone went timid.
Odalia Blight slowly inhales and nods at her daughter, "Good. Because I believe you owe me an explanation."
Emira leans forward between them and says, "Mom! Can't this wait? She just woke up and-"
"If she says she's fine, then she can speak," Odalia narrows her eyes at her eldest daughter, "And I don't recall asking for your opinion." Emira's word got caught in her throat under her mother's stare. With her interjection shot down, she sits back with her arms crossed and irritably stares at the floor.
Ed looks at his mother, then to his two sisters. Feeling his brotherly instinct telling him to stand up for them, he rises out of his chair and faces their mother. He clears his throat and says, "Mom, I-"
"Edric, be a good boy and take Emira with you on your way out."
"Yes, ma'am!" Edric takes his twin sister by the arm to lead her out before mouthing 'I'm sorry' to Mittens. Odalia waits for the two to disappear into the hallway before closing the door behind them. Leaving just her and Amity alone together.
Her mother crosses her arms and slowly walks towards the window with the closed blinds and peers through between them. Amity knows this method of hers, pretending to occupy herself, to let the tension to force her crack open. Or at least that's what she thought, for when she tries to explain her mother suddenly speaks.
"Imagine my surprise," she said, without looking away from the blinds, "That I would receive a call from the healers informing me that my daughter was in a nightmare-induced coma. Brought in, not by either of your friends' parents, but by a wild witch.
"I contacted them to explain why my daughter had been in a care of a criminal and not staying at their place, and you know what they told me? That neither them nor their own kids were even expecting you to come."
"I-I can explain!"
"Would you?" her mother said in a fake and sarcastic tone. "Because I could not possibly fathom why they're confused as I am since you told your father and I where you would stay at. Unless…" Her expression hardens, "Unless you lied to us."
Amity shifts uneasily under her eyes and swallows. Her hands felt clammy and is shaking despite her best attempts to calm it by grasping onto the sheets. "I did, and I'm sorry. I knew you wouldn't approve of me staying over at Luz's place-"
"Who?" her mother frowns at the name.
"Luz Noceda… the human girl from Hexside," Amity explains.
"A human?" repeated Odalia, "You lied to us and ran away so you could have a sleepover with a human girl? What's wrong with the friends you had?"
"They were never my friends!" Amity exclaims, "They're cruel and only care about themselves. They only thing they ever took an interest in me is our family status. They're like… like… parasites!"
Odalia leans forward and replies with, "Parasites that you could use. Have we not been through this? You would be in a prominent position to have such relations with their families. We never said you have to like them."
"But I want a real friend!"
"I fail to see how that matters," Odalia shakes her head, "There's nothing beneficial in being in relations with a human child. You realize they can't perform even the simplest of magic?"
"You're wrong!" Amity snaps back, giving her mother pause. "She can do magic! She's been working hard at it and even discovered an entirely new way to do it. She can use paper to cast spells-"
"Paper?" Odalia scoffs, "Pardon me then, I suppose it's an admirable feat to control school supplies."
"You're not listening to me!"
"And neither are you!" Odalia raises her voice back at her, immediately cutting Amity's protest down. "Have we not warned you about choosing your friends? Not only did you insist on becoming close with a human child, but a human child learning magic from a wild witch? What would you do if the Emperor's Coven caught wind of this? They would believe us siding against the Emperor's laws! It would tarnish our reputation and family name! It would throw everything your father and I have worked for away, all because you wanted a 'real' friend."
It would. It would destroy their family if the Emperor's coven believes them to be in support for wild magic. The other families would do whatever they can to destroy them if word of this got out just so they could make themselves look better. Amity had been careless in letting her friendship with Luz discovered. There is no use in arguing against her mother, who believes in nothing but their own social status.
But this could also mean the end of their friendship as well. They would force her to make friends with Boscha and the others again. She would have to avoid Luz like the plague. To never speak to her again. To never acknowledge her as a friend. To never be able to confess her true feelings.
The thought of it hurts. It hurts more than she believed it would. But she must. For Luz's sake, just like what she did to Willow. She would have to cut ties again to spare her of her parent's wrath.
"I know…" Amity's voice croaks, trying to fight back the tears from coming. She can't let her mother know how much Luz meant to her. "I wasn't thinking at all. I was selfish and made terrible mistakes. I'm genuinely sorry. I'll accept whatever punishment and will try harder in school to make up for it."
Odalia said nothing as she approaches closer to Amity. She reaches out and affectionately smooths out the loose hair sticking out from her head, admiring the green color while ignoring the roots. "I suppose we were all young once," her mother began. Amity looks up at her as Odalia cups her chin with one hand.
"But we all have to grow up," she said while letting go, "Once your father gets here, we will discuss your punishment. Your brother and sister won't get off easy either, since they also lied on your behalf. I trust you will do well in your academics once this break is over, especially without that distraction."
That gave Amity pause. Her voice was almost a whisper when she asks, "W-what do you mean by that?"
"Obviously, this human is a bad influence on you. It's one thing to attend a school with hooligans, but it's another to let a talentless troublemaker to drag your name across the mud. Honestly, that old fool Bump must have finally lost his mind to allow someone like that in. But I assure you, one letter will have that changed. And you can continue your studies in peace."
"No!" Amity shot forward in her bed, "You can't have her expelled! All of this is my fault! She's not the one to blame!"
"I'm not doing this as punishment, Amity. I'm doing this for your own good."
"What good can come from this!?" She couldn't stop the tears from flowing now. Her frustration and despair boiling in her stomach as she desperately pleas with her mother, "She worked hard to get into Hexside! That school meant everything to her! Please, don't do this!"
"What's gotten into you?" Odalia snaps, "You don't even know this human as long as that other girl when you were little. What is it about this one child that has got you acting like this? What is it about her that made you go against your parent's word?"
"B-because!"
"Because what?"
"Because I like her!" Amity covers her own mouth after blurting the words out. Her face flushed and her heart pounding so hard against her chest, she could feel the pulse through her ears. She hesitantly looks to her mother who stands there confused by her answer and reaction. Until the meaning behind them finally reaches to her.
Odalia stares at her daughter in shock, her mouth slightly agape either involuntarily or was about to say something but didn't expect the response. At last, she turns around and heads toward the door. She opens it and turns back to Amity, revealing the mild disappointment look on her face like she just heard her daughter saying she got a lower grade than expected on a test.
"You better correct that behavior then," Odalia said nothing more and leaves the room.
Amity felt like her soul was ripped from her body. All the emotions she had went away with her mother, leaving behind an empty, icy feeling. A feeling that is hauntingly familiar, like it had always existed in her life from her earliest years. It had always been faint, and she could never put a label on it. But she knows what to call it now. She realizes this is what it means to be truly alone.
All she could do now to comfort herself is to cry. Cry for the girl who must pretend to be the cold, heartless Blight who sees people nothing as tools. Cry for the efforts that were made in vain of taking back the life she wanted for herself. And cry for the girl she loves, whose future she helped ruined.
"Excuse me!?" Amity snaps her head up, hearing her mother's voice coming from outside of the room. She could hear sounds of what seem to be like a struggle right at the door. "Who do you think you are!? I should have you arrested!"
The door burst open and a woman with a large, gray hair wielding a crutch stumbles inside and pushes back at Amity's mother from getting inside. "And I should have released all those rats I spent weeks training at your school play! You were lucky Lilith was there to stop me!" shouted Eda as she kicks her back and slams the door shut. She props the crutch against the handle and watch in amusement as Odalia struggles to get it open.
"Yeesh, so Odi's your mother? I thought you were uptight but now I can see-oh," Eda held her tongue upon seeing Amity's face. "Guess I was a tad late, my bad."
Amity rubs her face with the bedsheet to wipe the tears from her eyes. Her voice came out a little rough as she says, "Eda? What do you think you're doing here?"
"Saving your butt," Eda answers as she hastily runs to the cabinet and pulls out all the spare sheets they have and tosses them onto her bed, "Because that's what a responsible guardian would do. Now help me out in tying these sheets together as a rope, we're gonna jump out that window."
"What!? But we're on the third floor!" Amity flinches from the sound of her mother screaming her name and slamming her fists against the door. She never heard her mother being that furious before. "You can't just barge in here and whisk me away, it'll only make things worse! Just get out of here!"
Eda scoffs at her plea, "I ain't leaving you or Luz behind to become spider chow, kid. You got separated from her somehow and ended up in a private little horror show made just for you. But I'm here now and I'm busting you out."
The Owl Lady may have been nearly the strangest person Amity has ever met, but what reason does she not have to believe her? Why would Eda just barge in to tell her that Luz is still in danger? It should've been enough to convince her.
But the nightmare has already planted its roots into her, plaguing her mind with doubts as her mother continues to struggle with the door and shouting her name. Luz is safe. You don't have to worry about her anymore. You made things bad enough for as it is.
"Just go…" Amity sniffs, "Tell Luz that I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry for-"
"-for being such a pain in the neck, yeah, yeah I know, just shut up for a minute." The Owl Lady looks around for a moment before spotting the chair next to her bed. She takes it and holds it over her head before telling Amity to cover her ears, then brings it down upon the window and shatter it to pieces.
"What was that!?" Amity's mother shouts behind the door, "Amity! Open this door this instant!"
Before she could respond, Eda wraps her arm around her shoulder and shouts, "She doesn't have to listen to you anymore, Odi! Your daughter is going to learn wild magic with or without your approval!"
"What!?" shouted both the Blights.
"That's not true, mom I'm not-"
"That's right!" Eda covers her mouth and puts her in a headlock, "This is a decision your daughter wholeheartedly has made for herself! She's going to be a wild witch living off the lands, eating dirt and twigs! Whenever they hear the family name, they'll be thinking about their brave youngest daughter going against the Emperor's laws! Aren't you proud of her?"
The only response they got out of Odelia is her belligerent screeching and the vicious beating against the door.
Eda lets go after sensing no resistance from the girl who stares dumbfounded at the door, "My life was already ruined, and yet, you somehow made it even worse."
"My sis said I have a knack for that sort of thing," Eda chuckles and heads over to the window to kick out the remaining glass from the frame. She peeks out the window then turns back to Amity and says, "Now are you going to come with me to save Luz, or are you going to stay and get another earful from mother dearest?"
The sound of splintering wood causes Amity to turn and see her mother's arm sticking out from the hole she made and fumbles for the doorknob.
"You win!" she exclaims and follows Eda out the window and onto the edge. Amity nearly falter in her step after witnessing the ground below them to be flooded in a raging river of black water.
She grabs onto Eda's arm to stabilize herself and shouts, "What now?"
"We're gonna jump!"
"I'm sorry!? You trying to get us killed!?"
"Come on, isn't this the part where 'true love' or whatever gross thing you call it supposed to prevail and help you save the day? Where's your commitment?"
"You're going too fast for me! Excuse me for being a little hesitant after having you barge into my room, angered my mom, and telling me to jump into… whatever that is!" Amity protested before adding, "And don't call it that!"
Eda sighs, "Alright, fine. I'll let take a moment to breathe and then we'll jump. We'll be fine as long as you hold on to to me, okay? Do you trust me?"
Amity gives her an honest answer, "No," then looks back to see her mother almost getting the door open. "But it's too late to back out now, because of you."
"Good, then we'll go at a count of ten." Amity nods and closes her eyes and calm herself by taking deep breaths. Savoring these small moments to herself before Eda counts-
"TEN!"
Amity screams as Eda prematurely leaps off with her still locked onto to her arm as the black waters below rises to meet them. The Owl Lady grins and conjures up a spell to create a yellow barrier around herself and Amity before they plunge into the murky depths. Both of them slams their face against the interior surface from the fall with Eda landing on top of Amity.
"Get… off…" groaned the poor child.
"Whew, sorry. Probably should have made it more elastic," Eda said as she raps her knuckles against the barrier. She goes to help Amity up to her feet and pat down her messed up hair, "How you feeling now, kid? Still convinced this is real?"
Amity brushes off her hand and rubs her aching back, "It's coming back to me now…" She grimaces at the memory of her saving Luz from that creature. How she heard her screaming her name before she fell into the dark waters.
She gazes around the barrier to inspect the mysterious substance then turns to Eda to ask, "What is this stuff?"
Eda shrugs, "Liquidized dreams, perhaps. You know how some spiders inject venom into their captured prey and turn their insides into soup? I imagine it to be the same, only it didn't just make itself a beverage but turn it into some matter capable of creating nightmares."
"Does it hurt her?"
"Nah, they're just dreams. They'll always be more of them, it's why Skull Screamers prefer to keep their victims asleep."
There was some small comfort in that, at least. Staring back at it, Amity could hardly believe this is how the Skull Screamer created such an elaborate scene. The concern of her parents discovering where she is has always been on the back of her mind. But the lengths it went through was more than she would have expected. She could hardly stop her arms from shaking.
"Thanks for freeing me back there by the way," she said.
Eda doesn't turn to look at her as she inspects the dark water surrounding them, but Amity could see the smile on her face through the reflection of the barrier. "Don't mention it, wish I came sooner but that little furball made it harder than it should have. And considering where we are now, I imagine the same for you?"
Amity nods and casts her attention to the black waters around them. Even with the light emanating from Eda's spell, neither of them could see anything beyond the darkness. "You said we could still save her? But how do we get to her now?" asked Amity.
Eda places both hands on the barrier then presses her face against it as well, "It's a long shot, but when I was fighting the other one in King's head I noticed how it kept drawing black liquid to itself. The goo seems to be flowing to one direction. If we follow it, it could lead us to the Skull Screamer. And hopefully, Luz too. I'd brace myself if I were you."
Amity furrows an eyebrow before losing her balance as the orb holding them surges forward through the depths. She bangs her head against the barrier and felt the sharp pain in the back of her head that would have knocked her out if they weren't just mental projections.
Eda stifles a chuckle as Amity growls at her short warning then rests her back against the interior, "So, mind catching me up to speed on what happened here?"
Amity explains the events of her effort in trying to get Luz to realize it was a dream to playing along with it, while obviously leaving out the parts like her encounter with Scar. She noticed Eda's expression went from mild amusement to complete shock when the giant creature Luz claimed to be her was mentioned. But when Amity asked her about it, Eda just brushes it off as some twisted effect of the nightmare.
"Then I pushed her out of the way, and I fell into this… stuff," she gestures to the surrounding liquids, "I don't know what happened to her after that. I didn't think about it, I-I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have left her alone."
Eda slides down against the barrier to sit and yawns, "Man, you teenagers love to beat yourselves up about things."
She got a glare in return for that response.
"What? You did a good thing," Eda said, genuinely, "If it was Luz who fell into that nightmare gunk, all this could've been for nothing. So, don't blame yourself, I guess is what I'm trying to say here." Amity figures it was the best compliment she could get from her and chose not to say anything else.
"So, your Princess Odi's kid?"
Amity frowns at the nickname her mother would certainly not approve, "That's correct. You knew her?"
Eda sneers, "Unfortunately. We went to school together. The same one you two go to."
"Really?" Amity stares at the Owl Lady for a moment, unable to hide the scrutiny in her eyes. Eda sighs and waves her hand at her, "I know what you're thinking. How could someone that old be such a knockout? Well I'm not telling you so quit leering at me like that. Anyways, who's the old man? Wait, is it that pup Ali?"
"A-Ali? Pup?"
"It is, isn't it? Ha!" Eda chuckles to herself, "That's what we called him at school because he would follow your mother around all the time like a lost little puppy. Ahahaha! Oh man, that is still funny."
Amity felt conflicted with Eda making fun of her parents like that but couldn't help to stop herself from smiling either. It didn't last as the image of that hospital scene was brought up again. Still, she knew her mother and father met at Hexside but that was as far as they could know about their childhood.
"Were they…" Amity stumbles her words, feeling embarrassed now to say it.
Eda presses with, "What's up?"
"My parents, were they…? In love?"
"Uhh… I guess so?" said Eda with a shrug, "Don't you kind of have to be to stay married and have kids?"
"No, I mean during their school years together. As a couple, did they-"
"Kid, I said I went to school with them. I didn't say anything about being friends with them," Eda interrupted, "Quite the opposite actually. Your version of Odelia didn't seem to recognize me, and believe me, that scenario would've gone down much differently."
"I see…" It shouldn't have come to a surprise to Amity, but she was hoping for something. Something to prove that her real parents would possibly being sympathetic to her feelings. Anything to shake away the fear of their reaction.
The barrier suddenly shifted its direction, causing both Eda and Amity to be thrown aside. "What was that?" shouted Amity. The barrier violently rocks again as something grips the top, piercing through it with sharp talons. Eda pulls Amity to her side to protect her as they are both lifted out of the liquid nightmare.
Amity recognizes the roar the creature made as they rise out of the surface, "It's that owl monster again! That disgusting, hideous creature that attacked Luz!"
"Hey now!" barked Eda, "Not that I care or anything, but were those insults really necessary?"
As they get pulled into the air, Amity looks down and gasps at the world below them. It wasn't the realm she and Luz explored together anymore. Large chunks of land floats in the air like rocks in space. Amity could recognize some of them to be the terrain from the Boiling Isles, and others she assumes could be from Luz's own world. The dark river they were pulled from wasn't running through any ground but is suspended through the air as well, along with many other channels.
At the center of the mass destruction and chaotic scenery lies a crumbling structure of earth still holding the Owl House together. Both Eda and Amity looks at each other in silent agreement of where Luz has likely ended up at. But first, they need to deal with the Owl Beast taking them further away from their destination.
Eda takes Amity by the arm and twirls her finger to manipulate a hole into the top of the barrier. She shoots a concentrated beam from her hand and grazes the beast's leg, forcing it to drop them. Eda slows their descent with levitation then splits the barrier into two separate bubbles with them both inside of one. She then launches the empty one across area as they float behind one of the floating debris. The Owl Beast reels back from its pain and then chases after the decoy.
The two gently descends onto one of the floating platforms as Eda disperses her spell. Amity looks after where the beast flew off to and watches it disappear. She exhales and takes in the surreal scenery. "What is this place?" she asks.
Eda glances at the surrounding mess and shrugs, "My guess? We're seeing the midpoint corruption of her dream being taken over. That building there must be the last recess of her conscious. We still got time to save her."
"What about the spider?"
"By now it must have noticed I'm here and helped you escape, so we can't let our guard down." Eda and Amity turn their heads to the Owl Beast roaring in the distance, "Looks like our little reprieve is over. Come on, we got this far. Let's not lose it now!"
It would be a risk for Eda to take Amity and fly towards their destination now that they got the beast's attention, so they have to make it to the house on foot. Using her magical abilities, Eda pulls the surrounding debris to form a walkway between their floating island to the next for them to cross.
"You shall not have her!" The voice booms from below as more streams of black water shoots out from below and bends around the connecting bridge like snakes. Eda pulls Amity to a halt and waves the one stone platform they're on to detach itself and shoots across to another island to avoid the crashing waves.
She quickly creates another path and runs down to the adjacent platform along with Amity. "The creature is getting desperate. It's trying to throw everything it has at us," Eda explains between breaths, "But as long as we stick together, we'll be able to-"
The Owl Beast swoops down and plucks Eda off the bridge by locking its claws onto her arms. Amity screams her name as she gets pulled away. "Don't stop!" Eda shouts, waving her hand to quickly assemble more pathways for Amity to cross, though only as disconnected blocks of rock and earth she has to jump across than run.
Eda looks up at the cursed, monstrous version of herself. She never has gotten a good look of herself in that form before. She had only an idea from the other accounts and her own nightmares, but to see it for herself now…
Eda shrugs, "Eh, now that I got a good look at you, can't help but feel disappointed. The only scary thing about you is what you did to my hair."
The beast looks down and roars at her in response.
"Can't take criticism either, huh? Well, you are me after all…" Eda kicks her legs back and forth to build up momentum and delivers a frontal kick to its face. The monster screams and lets go of her, but Eda grabs onto its leg and hoists herself onto its back. "Come on 'me,' why don't we go for a ride?" She goes to pull a handful of hair to steer the creature by force, but the hair pulls out from the root with little resistance.
The Owl Beast screams with rage and pulls Eda off of its back and throws her at one of the larger islands. She barely had time to stop herself mid-flight before crashing into the ground, caving a crater into the dirt on impact. She groans and painfully lifts her head and shakes off the excess dirt from her face and hair.
"Once… just once, I would like a normal, good night's sleep," she groans.
"Eda!" She turns her head to Amity, hopping across the debris before stopping at one to point above her, "Lookout!" But it was too late. As Eda looks to the sky, a torrent of liquid nightmare immediately overwhelmed her.
~/~
Eda faceplants into a table and shot her head up shouting, "Who, what, where!?" She takes a moment to settle down before finding herself sitting at an outdoor table near the street of Boiling Isles. Eda frowns, knowing full well she's in a nightmare, but wonders why the scene feels so similar until her eyes notice a slip of paper in front of her.
On it, it reads, "Let's meet up at the Kraken Café at 2pm."
She turns to her left, noticing the building she's sitting at is the coffee joint with the Eldritch Barista who waves at her through the glass window and behind the counter.
She slowly waves back and mutters, "Odd… I don't go out and buy overpriced coffee drinks for myself. The last time I been to one is when I had that horrible blind date… at this exact location…"
"Oh good, you made it." Eda jumps in her seat by the nasally voice behind her. She turns and stares in horror at the rotund, sweaty man. Her face scrunches at the sour odor emitting from his body.
"Sorry I'm late, I saw you earlier and needed some time to compose myself. I have a very nervous bladder."
Oh no.
Eda goes for her best fake smile and says, "Oh, uh sorry hon. But I think you're mistaking me for someone else, I just sat down and-!?" She goes to rise out of her chair but was halted by the iron claps on her legs with the chair bolted to the ground.
The Date doesn't notice and goes to take his seat, "Nonsense, I hope you don't mind but I did cheat a little and did some background digging." He chuckles nervously and fixes his tie, "So you're a blood type A? That's pretty cool."
"Oh god, why didn't it just put me in a slasher film scene?"
"I know I don't seem to look exactly the same as the picture you got, that's the funny thing about images, it just make you seem taller, have more hair, or not a pig person. But like my mother say, it's about what's inside that counts."
Eda struggles to free herself out of the chair, "Get me out of here! Get me out before he starts it!"
"Introductions are always the hardest part to these dates," he continues, "But I did some research and found that poetry is the best icebreaker."
"No…" Eda cries, "Please don't."
"Course I forgot to bring one."
"Oh thank goodness-"
"-which is a good thing I been practicing freestyle form." The Date clears his throat, sounding more clogged than it should've been, then dramatically holds out his arms before him. "Your eyes are as-uh, yellow as the eggs I had for breakfast. Your hair reminiscent as the gravel road I took to get here."
"Someone get me the heck out of here!"
"Eda!" Amity pulls her head out of the pool. She gasps by the sudden pull from the false reality and spits out the liquified terror. "You okay?" asked Amity, in concern.
"Yeah… thanks, kid. You just saved me from reliving one of the most horrific moments in my life. And right before it got worse, too. When he turns it into," Eda shudders, "a rap." Amity doesn't know what to make from that statement but gives her a comforting pat on the back.
The Owl Beast dives in and lands before them, letting out another guttural roar as it arches its body to attack. Amity conjures a glyph on the ground and slams it with the palm of her hand. Beneath the monster, a glowing circle appears before a pool of Abomination slime emerges. Multiple arms sprung out of the puddle and latches onto the beast to suppress it from charging at them.
"Nice trick," Eda commented as Amity helps her up to her feet.
"It won't hold it for long, neither of me nor Luz was able to stop it."
"We won't get anywhere waiting for each other to catch up." Eda conjures a spell of her own and creates a bubble around Amity. The girl bangs her fists against it and shouts, "What are you doing!?"
"You still feel guilty leaving her behind? Here's your second chance then, get to the house! I'll hold her off myself."
"I can help! You can't defeat it alone!" protested Amity.
Eda rolls her eyes with a smirk on her face, "I wiped the floor with you at Magicball and you still doubt my abilities? Little runt…"
Columns of nightmare liquid erupts all around the island, coiling the surrounding space, threatening to engulf them. Amity stares, frozen in fear, at the incoming assault. Eda raps her knuckles against the barrier to break her out of the trance and kindly smiles to her, "You're a real thorn at my side, you know that?" She chuckles, "Guess that's why I took a liking to you. You fit right into our dysfunctional little family. Tell Luz she's got a good eye for friends. And that I'm proud of her."
With a flick of her hand, Eda sends Amity forward to the island inhabiting the Owl House as she screams for her name before the coiling river channels closes in. Eda cranes her neck and cracks her knuckles before letting her magical abilities surge forth into her hands. She turns to the Owl Beast, who manages to break free from the slime.
"Fighting the manifestation of your inner demons is a cliché to me," chided Eda as she flexes her right arm and magically creates a golden whip, "Beating the snot out of it? Now that I can get behind. Come on girl! Show me what I got!"
The Owl Beast snarls and bares it fangs at her then lunges but fails to close in before Eda strikes it in the face with her weapon, knocking straight to the ground. She creates another with her other arm and uses to lasso around its body then swings the creature's body back onto the ground.
The island itself becomes entrapped by the raging nightmare liquid and converges together to down them together, but Eda doesn't let up and forms a comically gigantic hammer. The Owl Beast shakes it head from the ground, failing to notice the Hooty-like face imprinted on the hammerhead coming down to meet it.
The barrier holding Amity lands at one of the islands and shatters, causing the girl to tumble out. She quickly gets up to hear the sound of something shattering within the raging torrent. Pieces of earth fell out of the bottom of the sphere of running dark waters, but no sight of Eda or even the creature.
The sphere doesn't dissipate however but shifts and contorts its shape into something else. Tubes of black liquid shoots out and lands at the surrounding islands. It doesn't run through them as liquid would to a solid matter, but it holds still at the surface. Like a support to help the sphere stay balance.
The front of the sphere balloons an adjacent sphere, growing larger and larger than its initial form. Amity recognizes the form as the Skull Screamer just as it finishes its face, now appearing similar to an Abomination in form of a spider. Amity wastes not a second later and continues to make her way to the Owl House. She only has a few islands left to get it now.
"I will not let you take my feast from me!" It brings down one of its forelimbs, shattering through the island just as Amity hops off of it to a floating chunk of rock.
"I'm not afraid of you!" she shouts as she hops from one landing to another, "Luz and I fought against Grom! We faced our fears before and we can do it again!"
"Foolish child!" the spider screams, "How do you think our kind came to be? Our ancestors fed themselves from the flesh of Grom! It changed them, twisted their bodies. Their minds. Their appetite. We could hold your dreams, your fears, and your emotions in our fangs and taste it!"
Amity at leaps off the last island to the mainland with the Owl House, but just a hair late from the spider's assault on it. The force sends her flying face first into the dirt just a few feet from the building.
The Skull Screamer plants its two front legs onto the island, dissolving the nightmare liquid from its limbs into the ground. Amity picks herself up in time as it pools towards. "There is always something to be afraid of. We became gluttonous through the bounty only we can taste! Our hunger can never be sated! And you will never see the light of day!"
Amity picks up a rock and arches her arm back to throw at the spider. It rears its head back and makes a noise she assumes must be its version of laughter. "A vain effort. Go ahead! Save your friends from the endless nightmare with that rock of yours!"
"If you insist," Amity turns to one of the pincers he planted and lobs the rock right at it. The Skull Screamer directed its many eyes to the object, watching it slowly sinking into its body before noticing the drawing etched onto the stone with its own nightmare liquid.
Sounds of crackling and snapping fills the air as the massive foreleg made of liquid material freezes into ice. The Skull Screamer lets out a painful and surprised sound as ice continues to crawl slowly up its limb, then lets out another screech as Amity tosses another ice rune into the other pincer.
"Normally this would be the part where I would say some sort of pun like 'ice to meet you' or 'chill out,'" said Amity, air quoting her words before turning her back to it, "But I'm better than that." She ignores its screams and walks over to the Owl House, wishing Luz were able to see how she used her spells to win the fight. She appreciates the lack of Hooty on the front door before opening it and closing it behind her.
As she slams it shut, the screaming from the spider ceases and she immediately felt the difference of atmosphere inside. Amity looks over and felt her chest ready to burst upon seeing Luz sitting on the couch with her head buried in her arms.
"Luz?"
The human lifts her head up, "Amity?"
She runs over to Luz who spreads her arms, expecting for a sudden hug only to have her face grabbed by both cheeks. "Is this really you?" Amity says, testing their stretch between her hands. "Are you the real Luz and not some terrible copy that will probably say horrible things?"
"Owowowow! Stop! It's me!" Luz pries her hands off her cheeks, feeling the heat and sting it left behind.
"Thank goodness, I…" Amity swallows and stops herself from getting overwhelmed. It needs to end now. "Luz, I need you to listen to me! All of this is a dream! Eda and I went into your head to save you and we can't leave until you wake up!"
"Amity, I know."
"I'm begging you!" Amity takes her by the arms, "I don't want to lose you and Eda to this mess I made. I want us to…" She blinks, finally taking in what Luz just said, "What?"
"I remember," Luz tightly held onto her hands, afraid of letting go of it again. "When you fell and disappeared, I didn't know what to do. I was afraid and I… I thought about the Owl House. About you, me, King, and Eda hanging out together. I wanted to go back to that. And suddenly I ended up here but…"
She looks around the dark, empty area. There was sadness in her eyes as she continues, "No one was here. I looked all over the place, and when I was done, I tried to leave but the door wouldn't opened. Then these 'dark thoughts' kept appearing in my head, telling me how everyone abandoned me. Saying things that were… really mean. Like how worthless I am and… a nuisance to others."
"It's the nightmare, it's trying to break you. But now that you realize it, you can wake up and put an end to it all! We can finally go home together," said Amity.
Luz gives her a weak smile and nods, "That's all...? Just wake up and we'll be fine? Okay, I can do that." She takes a step back and rubs her hands together to prepare herself. She takes in a deep breath and holds it while closing her eyes.
Amity watches in excitement, finally reaching the end of this horrid journey. To go back in enjoying their week together. To being a part of their home. They are finally going to escape this nightmare.
… like, right now.
Any minute now.
Luz exhales and gasps for air from holding her breath for too long. "Is it done?" she asks, still keeping her eyes shut, "Are we awake now."
"Luz, this isn't a time for jokes!"
"I'm not!" Luz exclaims, now opening her eyes. There is panic in her eyes as she fidgets around trying to think of why she isn't able to force herself awake. She then remembers that old trick to do to tell if you're in a dream and goes to pinch herself.
"Ow!" she stares at the mark she made on her skin and looks back up at Amity, "It's not working, I can't get myself to wake up!"
Amity felt all hope she had slowly fading away, "That can't be! Maybe you're doing it wrong?"
"Wait, I have an idea." Luz turns her cheek to her and says, "Slap me."
"What!?"
"I need you to slap me!"
"I'm not going to slap you!"
"This is the only thing I could think of! You wanted to slap me when we first met. Just think back to that feeling and do it!"
"Ah!?" Amity lets out a shocked gasp at the accusation and crosses her arms, "I-I never thought of that! What kind of a person did you took me for?" Luz raises her hands and chuckles nervously at the mistake.
Bang!
The girls nearly jump out of their skin from the sudden hard knock against the front door. Amity zips around takes a defensive stance at whatever is forcing their way into the house. "Luz, we don't have much time left! You have to keep trying!" she pleads.
"I-I don't…"
Bang!
The door bursts open and spills black into the room, barely flooding it up to their shins. A man familiar to Amity enters the room and adjusts his loosened shirt collar from ramming at the door. His steel-like gaze fell upon Luz who shifts uneasily from the scrutiny then settles onto Amity who stares back in shock.
"D-dad?"
"Ugh, what is this dreadful place?" Odelia enters from behind, staring in disgust at the room before them.
"Not a home from any families we're familiar with," Alador noted while keeping his stare at his daughter.
Odelia groans, "And you prefer to be here of all places?"
"Hey, it's not that bad!" Luz retorts, "I mean, sure it's kind of scary at first… and it's still is at times… and I may keep waking up with scratch marks on my back, but you get used to it!"
"Don't bother talking to them, Luz!" warned Amity, "They're not my real parents. They're just figments of the nightmare trying to break us, but it's not going to work this time. Luz and I already know none of this is real. You're too late!"
Odelia and Alador looks at each other for a moment. Then laughs. They laughed and laughed and laughed, until their voices completely drown the room. Amity feels unsettled by their reaction, but it wasn't until the black liquid began streaming from their eyes did, she truly start feeling terrified.
"The charade's done, dear. We have no reason to play along anymore," said Odelia, smiling as wide as her face can possibly can.
"The girl's dreams are ours now," said Alador, "the Skull Screamer has succeeded in taking over her mind." He leans forward, his eyes stained black with the vile liquid. "You have failed, daughter."
Amity hesitantly looks to Luz who is just as shocked and crestfallen from the news than back at the pretenders wearing her parents' faces. Shaking off her fears and now blinded with rage, she goes to summon an Abomination but the False Alador flicks his hand at her causing her body to be thrown and pinned against the wall.
"Amity!?" Luz rushes over to help her but False Odelia sinks into the flooding liquid then re-emerges right in front of her. She lets out a terrified gasp that was cut off as she gets grabbed by her collar.
"Let-hng!" Amity struggles to lift her head, "Let go of her-mmf!" A hand belonging to the fake father forcefully covers her mouth as he lifts another one to silently press the finger against his lips.
Odelia chuckles and lifts Luz into the air, "We may not be real, but your fear of them are. Not just you, little green, but this child as well."
"I-I don't know what you mean!" trembled Luz.
"You saw what they would have done to that Willow girl," she cackles as her body stretches. Her anatomy thinning in appearance like rubber being pulled on both ends. Her face contorts, still brandishing that awful black grin. "But it wasn't the fear of being kicked out of Hexside that had you worried, is it? No, it's the fear of what they would to do the both of you. The fear of them doing whatever they can to keep you two separated."
Luz hesitates to answer and looks back at Amity pressed against the wall by False Alador. She knows not to listen to them. Not to give in to their scathing words.
But she couldn't refute them either.
"Even if you two do escape, you will both risk the trouble of being discovered. And it will be all your fault. You pushed her to lie to her parents. You risked her life on multiple occasions. Do you think her parents, or ANY parent, would believe you to be deserving of their daughter's friendship? What sane person would willingly let their own friend suffer because of their incompetence!?"
Odelia leans in close to Luz's face, dripping some of the nightmare liquid on her face. "You don't deserve her," she croaks, "But you already knew that, don't you?"
She does. Her new feelings and view on Amity felt unwarranted. Undeserving for someone who brought mischief and pain onto them. She never thinks about her actions for once. Always quick to cause trouble for the people around her just to satisfy her selfish needs. It's because of you Luz, that she is in this mess. It's because of you that she and Eda will suffer endless torment. And it's because of you, that I will sire an offspring to devour what remains of your mind and body, and then your friends. It is over now. I have won.
"Argh!"
The False Alador pulls his hand away after Amity manages to bite into it. His concentration on the spell falters, allowing her to gain back control of her body. She summons her Abomination to charge forth and suppress him.
Odelia glares at the girl but doesn't bother to move at the girl. Amity mistakes the indecision as an opportunity to strike but when she goes to take a step forward, she found her feet unable to move from the black slime. The substance cling onto her despite her best efforts in trying to break free.
"Amity." She looks up at Luz, seeing the tears falling from her eyes. The pain and anguish on her face, Amity received the haunting reminder of the talk they had before she succumbed to the spider's venom. "I'm sorry," she chokes, "For being a terrible friend…"
"Luz…" Amity balls her hands into fists at the fake parent laughing and savoring their victory. "I had people who wanted to be friends with me," Amity said to her, "I pushed them away, knowing they were the kind my parents wouldn't approve of. All they do is surround me with people to use for my own benefit. I listened and followed them just to not get myself and others into trouble. I let them control me. I let them control my life.
"But they can't control you," she raised her voice, "I pushed you away many times and gave you reasons to hate me. But you kept trying to be my friend! You didn't care I came from a powerful family or was the popular kid in school, you liked me for who I am. Does that sound like a terrible friend to you?'
Odelia snarls at her then holds out her hand to Amity, "Enough of this wishy-washy nonsense!" Her hand morphs into black sludge and shoots out a stream directly at her. Amity covers her face and braces for the impact, but Luz holds out her hand and screams "No!"
The stream splits in half before Amity, letting the nightmare substance safely pass around her instead. Odelia gasps and looks over to Alador still struggling to tear the Abomination off him, "Quit messing around and stop her!"
False Alador sinks into the liquid beneath him with the Abomination and re-emerges behind Amity to grab her. She struggles out of his grip, keeping her mouth from being covered by his attempts. "I could have continued pushing you away. To keep you from getting close to me and risk getting in trouble with my parents. But I wanted to be your friend! I saw the person you really were, and I want to be with you! I want you, Luz!"
The last line struck a feeling in her heart. A mix of uneasiness, excitement, and hope. The dark thoughts plaguing her mind, echoing into her ears became little more than a whisper. After Amity manages to summon her Abomination to pry Alador off of her, Luz asks "You… you really mean that?"
Amity smiles at Luz and nods, "It's true my parents wouldn't like you, but I don't care what they say. They can't force you to leave Hexside. They can't stop you from becoming a witch. And they can't stop me from being your friend!"
Odelia lets go of Luz and charges at Amity, turning her hands into elongated claws at a desperate attempt to stop her. Amity doesn't flinch or close her eyes. She stares directly at the monster wearing her mother's face and watches it takes a swing at her.
Only to find it stop just inches away from her face.
The nightmare Odelia groans and looks down at her chest. Most of her body from the neck down have become distorted and forming back into the nightmare fluid. But at the center of her chest, is a dim light.
Amity notice the brightness of a ball of light floating up next to her. She stares at it in wonder before noticing more pockets of light emerging out of the dark liquid beneath her.
Both Odelia and Alador panics and looks over to Luz, leering at them with an intense expression in her eyes. "You almost had me there for a second. Making me believe it was already too late to buy what little time you needed to completely take over. It was a good try," she admitted, "But you done something you really shouldn't have tried to: hurting my friends."
Luz raises her hand and slowly, dramatically, closes it into a fist. Both Odelia and Alador stare at their own chests as the light within pierces through their bodies. Their bodies' twist as the light eats away at their forms like a fire. They let out horrifying screams until the light devours what remains of them, leaving behind two floating orbs.
Amity watches the darkness slide off of her body and sinks into the floorboards beneath them. Free from its grasp, Amity runs over to Luz, and this time, gave her a hug. "You did it!" she cheers, "You stopped them!"
Luz laughs but it slowly fades as the realization kicks in, "Oh… that must have been really weird to see your parents go out like that, huh?"
"It was… haunting," admitted Amity, "But let's not dwell on that. It's time for us to put an end to this nightmare."
The building shakes violently as something strikes the house from above. A chorus of splintering wood and crashing furniture fills the area as Amity and Luz watches the second floor above them getting torn from the first floor and lifts. The Skull Screamer fills the opened sky and screams at the two, "I was so close! So close in making all of you mine!"
"Well, sorry!" Luz shouts at the creature, "I'm not interested!" She turns her head to Amity and holds out her hand, "Come on, let's go home." Amity thoughtfully smiles to her and takes it. They both look back up at the spider as the light orbs all began to converge together in front of them. The Skull Screamer makes one desperate attempt to channel all of its nightmare to surge forth and drown out the two.
With both their hands together and the last orb assimilated into the large sphere before them, they thrust their hands out at the spider. The giant light explodes and bursts a blinding wave of light. Swallowing the dark spider into its brilliance, burning out all the nightmares and its gigantic form entirely.
Amity closes her eyes, embracing the warmth from Luz's light and her hand. Feeling her senses getting pulled from this reality.
~/~
Her eyelids felt heavy and glued to her eyes. Amity faintly groans and felt the fatigue hitting her system hard. Despite that, she blinks away the desire of sleep and notices a brown blur in front of her. When her vision finally sets in, she finds herself face to face with Hooty peering down at her.
"Were you dreaming about me?" he asks.
"… yes, I was actually."
"Really?" he beams, "What was I doing?"
"Getting chased," Amity answers with igniting a fireball in her hand. Hooty stares at the flame then back at her. Without another word, he slowly slinks back to the front door and gently closes it behind him.
After… whatever that was, Amity sits up and stretches out her arms. Her ears picked up the sounds of the others stirring from their sleep next to her.
Eda was the first to awake, rather unceremoniously, as she bolts up screaming, "How the heck did you get my baby pictures!?" She pants before recognizing her own living room. Her eyes glaze over until she finds Amity looking back at her with a funny look.
"You… you did it," Eda grins, "You saved all of us."
Amity looks down at Luz slowly stirring from her slumber, admiring the now peaceful manner of her sleep freed from the nightmares. "I didn't do it alone," she said.
King groans and lazily lifts his head up to glare at Eda for her outburst, "Ugh, are you still on about that porker guy? Give it a rest, he filed a restraining order against you after you kept sending him pictures of you eating bacon."
"The last one was pulled pork," Eda said, proudly.
"What's going…" Luz pauses to yawn as she wakes up from her sleep, "What's going on? Are we still…?" She found her answer as she sees Eda, King, and Amity sitting around her.
Eda takes Luz by the shoulder and pulls her in for a quick hug, "We're safe, kid. Thanks to your friend there."
Luz gives Amity a grateful and proud look, causing the girl to melt under her gaze. "I-It's nothing…" she giggles.
"Of course, it was her fault for bringing the Skull Screamers into our house in the first place."
If looks could kill, Amity would have slain Eda at the spot as Luz frowns in confusion by what she said while King jumps to his feet and shouts, "That was you!? You have any idea what you put me through? You made me feel things!"
"Wait, that thing was the Skull Screamer?" Luz clutches her head barely processing how such a thing was in her own dreams, "Why won't anyone explain to me what the heck they are!?"
"Fine, you want the deets?" Eda groans, "They're spiders that crawl into your skull and make you scream until you become a dried-out husk for their babies. You feel better now?"
"Not really, no."
"And that's why ignorance is bliss, kid." Eda stands up and stretches out her back. She checks the time by looking out the window and says, "Looks like we still got a few hours' worth of sleep before the sun comes up. Let's all get to bed. We'll have gumbo for breakfast tomorrow."
King stands up as well but timidly approaches Luz. She affectionately rubs his head and asks, "What's up, buddy?"
Without warning, he embraces her arm and says, "I love you."
Luz draws out a gasp and squeals, "You do?" Of course, King didn't mean to slip that out especially in front of everyone. He opens his eyes and looks at the girls all staring at him.
"Uh, no! I mean-I love-uh, you as in-gah!" He stomps his foot and shouts, "Dummy!" and runs up the stairs. He stops midway to point and shout, "Dummy!" again then disappears to the second floor.
Eda walks by Amity and bumps her to whisper, "Looks like he just beat you to it." She snorts from the growl she received as a reply and heads upstairs herself. "You both have a goodnight, and again, good work, kiddo."
Amity watches her take her leave, feeling the warmth of her words washing over her. She felt a bump gently touching her arm and turns to see Luz pressing her head against it. She squeaks as Luz giggles, "Someone really impressed Eda tonight."
"I-I didn't do it for her…" she stammers.
"No," Luz nods, "You did it for me. All those things you said back there. How hard you tried to save me from those nightmares. That was… really amazing of you."
Amity couldn't look at her now from hearing those praises. She didn't feel deserving of them for causing the trouble in the first place, but it touches her heart nevertheless. "You'd do the same. I just did what was right," she turns and smirks, "Of course, you didn't make it easy."
She was hoping for a playful reaction, but what she got was Luz's smile fading as she stares into space. Immediately regretting the jab, she says "Not that it was bad! I meant-"
"I know," Luz interrupts, "The Skull-er, spider was trying its best to stop me. I had nightmares before, but I never had ones that were so… personal." Amity nods, recalling that hospital scene. Had Eda not shown up, they would have both been done for. Not only that, but the way how her 'parents' were really tearing into Luz. Saying such awful things to her. It wouldn't be too far from the truth, but the things they said to her were the same as the conversation they had just before Luz passed out.
"Luz, do you mind if I ask what happened back there?" Luz looks up at her, confused by what she meant at first before realizing it. She hesitates to answer, thinking back to how she discovered her new look on Amity. But after what they went through. It only seemed fair to explain. Fair to tell her the truth.
"I… You remember our talk at the coffee shop? The one about… crushes?"
Amity held her breath. Her heart races but she pinches her leg to keep herself under control to listen. "Yeah, what about it?" she asks.
Luz taps her fingers on the floor, fighting against her flight mode. She squints her eyes and blurts, "I tried to find out about your crush behind your back!"
"What!?"
"I know! It's awful and personal! You didn't seem like you wanted to outright tell me and I… I got curious, so I tried to learn what I can from Willow and might've told her you had a crush without your permission, so I'm sorry about that as well! But when I got nothing, I thought to ask your old friend Skarra since you two been together for a while. But she… she didn't like me… she really gave me a serious verbal beatdown, about how I ruined your friendship with her and Boscha. How horrible of a friend I seemed to you and I… I believed her."
"Skarra!?" Luz noticed that got a bigger rise out of her, "You're saying Skarra said those awful things to you!? That little-!"
"Hey! It's okay!" Luz throws her hands up at her, "It was really mean and out of nowhere, but I kinda deserved it. It's not like I don't understand where's she coming from. She seems to really think you three were good friends…"
Amity eases her tension a little. She lets out a strained sigh and says, "Yeah, Skarra wasn't as bad as I thought she was when we first met. But her and Boscha been friends since they were babies. She always follows her around. Never questioning her. Never challenging her. She knows how mean Boscha can get but her idea of being a friend means enabling their actions whether they're good or bad. I tried to explain to her that's not how it should've been but… I wasn't in the right to say that either."
Luz turns her gaze to the floor, thinking back to how Skarra must have feel of losing a friend. "When you explain it that way, it's actually pretty sad."
Amity leans against the couch, noticing it must have been brand new after causing the last one to combust. She continues with, "But that still doesn't give her the right to speak on my behalf. I gave her a chance to understand my decision, but she would rather follow Boscha and continue acting all high and mighty. She has no say in whoever I speak to. I choose my own friends. Not her. And not my parents. Not anymore…"
Her defiance felt inspiring to Luz there. It was a shame the dream version she had of Amity being a knight wasn't real. She would certainly pull off the role. That moment of admiration zips out of her head though once Amity turns to glare at her, "Don't think I forgot about what you did."
Luz jumps and plants her face onto the ground to beg for her forgiveness. "I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I won't ever do it again! I learned the error of my ways!" she pleaded.
"If you wanted to know… why didn't you just ask me?"
The human girl opens her eyes and gazes up at Amity who turns her head away. Her cheeks flush in bright red color. Luz assumed the reaction was of her embarrassing posture and sits up, "You're not mad?"
"Of c-course I am!" Amity snaps, "All this could've been avoided if you had just asked me…"
Luz picks up the message. She wants her to ask. Amity's willing to let her know about who she likes. The reason behind her behavior. The person she wanted to go to Grom with. The person she practiced pick-up lines in their bathroom. She can finally learn the truth with her consent.
"No, that's alright." Amity spins her head at her response, "W-what?"
Luz shakes her head, her heart feeling like it had frozen over and with one tap it would shatter. To learn about who Amity likes that isn't her, after everything that has happened between them, she wouldn't be able to take it. Luz forces a smile and says, "It shouldn't have mattered to me. You like someone and I felt like I needed to know-as a friend! And that's wrong. I'm not entitled to know everything about my friends. It doesn't matter. You like someone else and that's cool. So you don't have to feel like you need to-"
"It's you, doofus!"
"… huh?"
Amity was not having it. Her face could not be any more indistinguishable with a tomato due to the mix of anger and flutter. "The girl I like! The girl we been talking about today! It's you! I like you, Luz!"
Amity huffs and puffs, feeling the massive weight finally lifting from her chest. But it leaves behind an uncertain emptiness. It's hard to describe the feeling as being satisfied. Nor does it seem to allude to feeling like freedom. How Luz will respond to her now will be the deciding factor.
And so, she waits. She waits for the human she likes to process the news. Each second that passes felt like an eternity. Her nerves causing her body to shake. Her emotions boiling out of control in her heart. Her mind going blank, not daring to imagine the outcome of this.
Luz, staring wide eye at the girl before her with an expression that does not hint acceptance nor denial, finally blinks. She swallows and breathes in. Her mouth parting slightly to speak up now for the first time.
"¿Qué?"
Amity blushes angrily and gasps, "Ah, seriously!? I know you can be immature but that is not funny!"
Luz flails her hands at the grave misunderstanding, "¡Me voy al modo español cuando me pongo nerviosa!" She slaps herself with both hands, "I mean I go Spanish mode when I'm nervous!"
Amity held back her emotions, remembering that Luz is bilingual in human languages. She watches the human girl physically expressing her shock by fidgeting with her hands and barely making eye contact. It wasn't what she expected, but it was oddly comforting to not be the only one emotionally distressed.
"I-I didn't… oh, wow I… all those things I said and-and all this time," Luz desperately grabs both of her arms together to keep them from moving and timidly looks back to Amity, "Amity-this… you're not joking are you?"
Amity didn't get a chance to respond before watching Luz slaps her forehead shouting, "What am I saying! That was rude to ask! I-I mean, w-what brought this… ah!"
"Calm down!"
"Perdón! I'm sorry!" Luz stands up and paces around the room to exercise out the jitters in her body. Amity waits patiently for her to settle down, feeling more unease with bringing such discomfort to her. "I didn't mean to make you feel this way," she said.
"No no no! It's not your fault!" said Luz as she sits back down on her knees, "I just… I didn't think this would happen to me. I thought I would be the one doing the embarrassing the confession! When did this happen?"
"I don't know!" Amity exclaims, "It just… started. I couldn't get you out of my head. When I think about those times we spent together, I keep thinking about how amazing you are. How you were so kind, smart, and even cute." She bites down her teeth for letting that one slipped.
"C-c-cute?" Luz had often heard that word said to her by her mother, but the only other time she received it from someone was Amity's sister, Emira. But to hear Amity say it to her during a confession? "Aha ha… wow, that uh… that's… new…"
"I didn't mean to say that!" Amity shouted, keeping her face turned away.
"All this time… you had a crush on me?"
She nods.
"And that invitation to the Grom… that was for me?"
"Yes."
"And those pickup lines in the bathroom?"
"Yes-wait," Amity snaps her head to her with saucers for eyes, "You heard that!?"
Luz was going to explain that she heard it from King but stop herself from throwing him under the bus. So instead she nods. Amity buries her face into her knees and groans. "Just kill me…" she begs.
"All this time," Luz repeated, "And I didn't know? Amity, I'm so sorry."
"You didn't do anything wrong," Amity said between her knees.
"Are you kidding!? Do you know how much I hated the 'oblivious love interest' trope?" Luz exclaims, "I always thought you have to be legally identified as a rock to not notice someone taking an interest in you! Oh man, I owe so many main characters an apology."
Amity couldn't help but to laugh at that. "Stop! I'm supposed to be embarrassed to death over here!" she giggles.
"I'm being serious here!"
"So am I!" Amity continues to laugh, feeling thankful and slightly resentful for Luz bringing her out of her shell. Luz waits for her to finish as the laughter dies down.
Amity felt better for sure, knowing Luz didn't outright rejected her feelings. But her heart still is in constant alert. She wants to know for sure. She wants to know how Luz feels.
"So now you know," she said, trying to choose her words carefully for whatever comes next but the tired state of her mind and situation got her impatient now. "You know now how I feel about you… and I… I was wondering if…"
Luz continues for her, "You want to know how I feel?" Amity nods.
Luz reaches with both her hands to take Amity's. After a moment of hesitation, she complies and face Luz with uncertainty beating in her heart. "You mind if I ask a favor first?" she asks.
She blinks and nods, "What?"
"Can I… Can I hear just one of those pickup lines?"
Amity squeezes her hands and relied, "That's a hard no."
"Ow ow! Okay! I'm kidding!" Luz cries between laughs. "Then how about a trade? You told me a big secret, then it's only fair if I do."
Luz did what Amity wasn't expecting her to do. The human girl leans dangerously to her ear, cutting the lifespan of her poor heart by a few years with how fast it started going. Her cheeks burning red hot at the side where she is leaning to whisper, "I like you too."
"MMMMMM!" Amity seals her mouth shut from screaming.
"Was that too much!" Luz said worryingly, feeling flustered by the action as well. "I was just trying to be affectionate! I didn't-"
"Why?" Amity cries, "Why did it had to be you!"
Luz watches the girl she always thought to be strong and smart. A person with ideal level of maturity beyond their age and levelheaded. Someone who she saw standing up against threats that would have made anyone else quiver. She watches the same girl adorably breaks down in front of her.
When Amity finally calms down, she spoke in a higher pitch tone asking, "How long?"
"Just today," Luz answered honestly, "But maybe it was longer than that and I was just slow to realize. And you can probably guess that was the reason I been trying to find out about your 'mysterious crush'"
"It wasn't mysterious at all!" Amity exclaims.
"Well I didn't know!"
"That's because you're as dense as they come!"
"Geez, for someone who claims to like me, you really are mean."
"And you're insufferable." They kept their eyes on each other, still holding their hands, feeling all the joy and excitement washing over them. Amity revels in the feeling, all the worries she had seem to disappear. The fear of rejection. The fear of their friendship being at risk. The fear of her parents finding out. She didn't care. She couldn't remember being this happy in her life before.
And for Luz, she was beyond ecstatic to know it was her this entire time. The worry of discovering her feelings for someone who already likes another. And to think it was someone who felt this strongly about her too. Hard to believe that it would take for her to end up in another world to make great friends and find someone special.
A wonderful moment to be sure. But the excitement slowly crawls itself into a corner, curls up, and dies. Making way for Mr. Awkwardness to step in as the two just sat there holding hands. Neither expecting to end up in this situation in the first place, now unsure what to do from here.
Luz whistles, "So… what happens now?"
"I don't know…? I never really thought this far ahead," Amity admitted.
"… should we kiss?"
Amity withdrew her hands from Luz and with flushed cheeks, "What!? N-no! Too soon!"
"I'm kidding!" Luz chuckles nervously, the back of her brain telling her to quit playing around or you're gonna blow it. "How about a hug instead?"
Amity slowly nods and reaches in for the embrace. They both stiffen from the contact and awkwardly readjust themselves for another attempt, but it didn't make it any better.
"Ha… this feels different," Luz noted.
"Yeah, it does."
"… do you want to stop?"
Amity thinks for a moment, feeling the warmth from Luz pressing against her. All the experiences and struggles she went through to finally make this a reality. Suddenly, it didn't feel as weird anymore. She liked the weirdness of it. She responds with an even tighter squeeze and buries her face into her shoulder.
Luz felt her affection through the embrace and does the same.
"Yeah, me neither…"
Author's note: Hi! Allow me to first thank you all for getting this story to reach over 200 followers and 100 favorites! Not to mention all the great comments I received as well! I'm beyond thrilled to know my story and jokes have reached out to you all.
I want to take this moment to say to anyone during these trying times to please take care yourselves out there. My best wishes goes out to you all and I hope nothing but the best. This year has reared its ugly head, but the Owl House series was one of the best to come out of it. Take care and I will see you guys again in the next chapter.