"Who are you?"
The question struck an unexpected blow, which Amity quickly brushed aside.
"Luz!" Without much thought, she found herself rushing forward, taking Luz into a full embrace, holding her there, feeling her body tensing against hers. She lost track of time, not realizing that the embrace had held for far too long. The other girl squirmed to break free, an awkward chuckle escaping her.
"O-oh! Sorry," Amity retracted, red-faced and eyes darting between the floor and the girl's quizzical, but friendly expression.
"S'ok, it's good to meet a fellow hugger. Hi! My name's Luz. But… you already knew that… somehow," she said suspiciously, musing while she rubbed her chin, giving the other girl a full up and down look.
"It's me, Amity," she reached out a hand, "please tell me you remember something, anything about me?"
Luz eyed the gesture, "Nope, sorry, not a clue. Amity, right? Well, it was nice to meet you, but you should probably be on your way."
"W-what? What do you mean? Luz, listen, I'm here to help you-"
"No...," Luz said with a slow drawl, "look, you're cute and seem nice, but you don't belong here. I don't know what you're trying to do, but I can't just let anyone waltz into my mind!" She smiled, taking a few steps back. "I hope you find your way back out. A word of advice! If you stick around too long, you might get lost. Don't want that to happen, y'know?"
"No, wait!" was all Amity could say before the figure before her began to dissipate, the still cheery face fading into wisps of darkness, leaving her alone in what seemed like an endless expanse of foggy nothingness. And then she fell, whatever surface she was standing on was no longer there. Everything looked the same, but the endless descent felt like eternity. Immense guilt overcame her, the only thought crossing her mind was how she couldn't possibly let Luz down so easily. Her hand reached out to some invisible surface, but caught nothing, she frantically looked about, darkness in every direction. It was as if she were in a void, a space she feared she could be lost in forever.
"Luz!" she cried out as her senses muted, mind and body seemingly fading away. The idea of being pushed out, forced back into the reality of failure made her heart sink. She knew she couldn't let Luz down. Again, she called out, fervent in her desire to see something, anything before she completely disappeared.
"I'm not… going to let you forget!" She steeled her resolve, "Luz! I won't leave you!" This time, her hand took hold of something, everything coming to an instant standstill, the feeling in her body and mind returning to her. Breathing heavy, it took a few moments to gather her composure, at last looking up at a door, her hand grasping tightly at its handle. With another heavy breath the handle turned and the door swung open, basking her in a bright, white light that forced her to shield her eyes. There was no hesitation as she took a step and crossed through the threshold.
The light had changed, softening into a comforting warmth, allowing her eyes to recover and look about her new surroundings. She stood at the back end of a room she could only discern to be a classroom, with rows of desks and chairs facing the front blackboard. Large windows lined the wall, allowing the yellow-orange sunlight to bathe the room in a fiery but gentle glow. Everything was so quiet and still, the faintest sounds of children playing, crying, and laughing came from outside. Amity hadn't noticed, but there was someone in the room, a young girl in the far front corner by the door, hunched over a piece of paper and writing furiously with a pencil.
Amity approached with light steps, craning her neck to get a better look, confirming her suspicions on the girl's identity. A young Luz, perhaps around the age of seven or a little younger, sat alone in a classroom, after school, writing furiously on a sheet of paper. Her hair was made up into messy pigtails, held together by haphazardly placed and tied, multi-colored bows. There were what seemed to be stickers, or perhaps confetti of stars, hearts, and other little shapes spread about her hair. Amity couldn't help but smile at the odd but cute styling that she would have totally expected from a younger Luz. She got a bit closer, still unnoticed, and saw that the girl's expression was of stern concentration, her brow furrowed over furious eyes. The sheet of paper on the desk had a repeating phrase of I will not bring wild animals to class, over and over again, about halfway through the page, before trailing off and leading into a drawing Amity couldn't quite see.
"Hey," Amity finally said, catching the girl off guard and making her jump slightly in her seat. "Hold on, hold on, it's alright. I'm a friend."
The young girl's surprise quickly faded behind swirling, wide eyes and a mouth gaped in awe, "You wanna be my friend?" she exclaimed, turning in her seat.
Amity moved over to the adjacent desk, taking a seat while she nodded to her with a friendly smile.
"Of course, my name's Amity… What's your's?"
"I'm Luz! I really like your hair, by the way. It's pretty. And different."
"T-thanks… I think your hair is really cute, too."
The little girl's eyes lit up at the compliment, but quickly faded away as she averted her gaze and shifted back to her drawing, mumbling a thanks into her arm as she leaned into the desk, pencil lazily moving across the paper.
"Are you alright? I didn't mean to upset you," Amity quickly said, compelled to comfort the girl. There wasn't any particular direction or path Amity was supposed to follow. Her father had given little in the way of instructions beyond acting as some sort of subconscious guide. And now she also had to avoid the possibility of delving so far as to become lost within the forgotten memories of Luz's mind. Before her father performed the spell, he had implored that if she truly believed in her path, all she had to do was abide by what resonated within. There was no way to know when or how she would see that path, but helping Luz in this moment only seemed like the right thing to do.
Luz didn't respond to the query, grumbling quietly to herself.
"Why are you in here all by yourself? Don't you want to… umm, go outside and play? Why not go home?"
"My mom's outside with the teacher…" she grumbled, "They're talking about me again."
"Oh…" Amity paused, thinking for a moment, having enough experience with kids to know how temperamental they can be if told the wrong thing. "Hey, I'm sure your mom just wants to help. How about you show me your drawing? Y'know, I'm a bit of an artist myself." The little girl's eyes widened at this, giving a curious glance but still hesitant to respond. "How about if I drew something for you? Could I see then?"
There was a short pause of consideration before Luz sat up and slowly slid the paper across, giving Amity a clear view of her art. It was a crudely adorable self portrait, a young Luz adorned in a witches outfit that was instantly recognizable as Azura's. Amity's heart swelled at the intoxicatingly cute image.
"Is that Luzura?"
Instantly, the girl's mood shifted, absolute delight adorning her features, eyes as wide as saucers looking at Amity with such admiration. "You… you know Azura?"
Amity let out a small laugh, "Of course. Here," she reached out for the pencil, which was handed over without a second thought. Amity worked quickly and, admittedly, a little sloppily, finishing in just a few minutes, all the while Luz watched her with amazement.
"There! How's that?" Beside the little Luzura, Amity drew her own Azura persona, postured in a simple pose, a hand on her hip and the other held a staff up in the air, little stars emerging from its point. Amity herself couldn't help but scrutinize her own work, judging its shoddy proportions, but the thought was pushed away by the excitable glee that now emanated from Luz.
"It's Amityzura" she said, eliciting a giggle from the little girl. Luz took it into her hands, admiring it for a long moment.
"I can't believe you're an Azura fan, too!" The excitement once again shifted as her face fell, "Most kids don't know what I'm talking about and just ignore me…"
It was a surprise to hear that Azura wasn't ubiquitously known in the human world, which was slightly disappointing, but that thought didn't linger as the notion of Luz being rejected as a child by others, treated as a pariah amongst her peers, overtook her. How could someone so excitable, so passionate possibly be so easily ignored? It saddened her to think that she, too, was once no different when first encountering Luz, how effortlessly she shut down her dreams of becoming a witch, writing her off as nothing more than an overzealous, flippant human. Since then, she constantly tried to forget that part of their past, but the fact that it had only been mere weeks since everything happened, guilt would persistently encroach upon her. Even more damning was the reality that it took someone like Luz to make her realize what she had been doing for years to others, including Willow. Even though Luz regarded her as a friend now, and she was perhaps even beginning to reconcile her relationship with Willow, it didn't mean she was absolved yet. Not to her, anyway.
"Kids can be real jerks… I should know. I used to be the biggest one around. Maybe even still am, but that's besides the point."
Luz sniffled into her sleeve, looking over to Amity but still not saying a word.
"Let me tell you something about those kids," she sighed, "it's easy to blame them, and even easier to blame yourself, but the truth of the matter is that they're naive and too short sighted to really see who you are. They may reject you and ridicule you… but in the end, what really matters is for you to believe in yourself and who you are." Amity smiled warmly, a hand put gently on the girl's shoulder, "Luz, you are truly extraordinary, and those who can't recognize that are missing out on the greatest friend anyone could ask for. Trust me, you're going to find those that really appreciate and see who you are soon enough. Like me, for instance."
The little girl looked to her with tears welling in her wide eyes, lip trembling slightly and mouthing barely comprehensible words. "R-really?"
Amity nodded with certainty, enticing a smile on the girl's face. "T-thanks, Amity… I'm glad… we're friends."
The simple possibility of some sort of progress towards helping Luz filled her with excitement. Perhaps helping Luz through her memories was the path she was meant to take? Of this she was still uncertain, but that fact did not deter the pleasant feeling she received from looking at the broad smile adorned on the wild-haired little girl.
"I'm glad we're friends, too."
They smiled at each other, and then Amity watched as it faded away from the girl's face as she turned in her seat and began to scribble over the paper again. On closer inspection, she noticed her own drawing was no longer there, only the little doodle of Luzura remained.
"Hey, Luz," she said, but there was no response, the girl only continued to doodle over her page. "Luz…"
A harsh creak came from the door, drawing the attention of both girls, an older woman stood there, recognizable features leaving little doubt that she was Luz's mother. She stood at the doorway, worried eyes betraying the light, strained smile that adorned her countenance. There was a rather prolonged moment of silence as the two looked at each other, neither acknowledging Amity's presence in the room.
"Vamos, Mija," she said simply, holding the door and stepping aside to let Luz pass. The little girl's head hung low as she got up wordlessly and walked out the door, her mother following close behind. The door began to swing closed, forcing Amity to lunge forward and catch the door handle just before it shut. She held it there for a moment, taking a drawn out breath before opening it wide and stepping through.
Amity found herself in a small bedroom, posters of cartoon characters, art, and little doodles spread about the walls, little stars and crescent shapes adorned the ceiling, a plethora of photographs posted in no particular arrangement, and tiny lights strung across the opposite wall above the bed, giving the room a dim, mellow glow. Luz, still seemingly the same age, or maybe a little older with a more tame hair styling, sat against the headboard and clutched her knees close. Her mother sat at the foot of the bed, her intertwined hands laid on her lap as she stared at the shaggy carpet on the ground, a strained, pensive look on her face. Amity stood there and looked between the two, again her presence was completely ignored, even so, the tension in the room was palpable, keeping her frozen in place by the door.
"Mija…" At last the silence was broken by her mother's low voice, and after a short pause, she continued, "Escuchame… ya sabes lo que voy a decir-"
"I know…" came the barely audible mumble, "you don't have to tell me again."
"Then why are we doing this again?" her mother retorted, looking to her now, an almost pleading look on her face. "I need you to understand-"
"Entiendo!" her tone was sharp, the glare on her face quickly taken over by regret as she once again buried herself into her knees. "Sorry."
Silence permeated the room as neither of the two could hold eye contact. Her mother's fingers fidgeted slightly, Luz seemingly attempting to shrink even smaller in place, holding herself tighter and tighter as neither of them knew what to say next.
"Lo siento, mama," came Luz's trembling voice, "I know I keep messing up. I can't… I don't know what to do-"
"No, no, mijita…" her mother scooched over, getting close enough to reach out her hand and ever so gently brush the little girl's hair. She hushed quietly, encouraging Luz to look up, teary-eyed and trembling. "None of this is your fault. Don't ever think that… it is just…"
Her mother paused, ruminating on her next words, ambivalence on her features as Luz looked on, a tear running down her sullen face. Amity continued to watch with pained intrigue, knowing full well that the events unfolding before her were completely out of her control, wondering how often Luz had to experience such conversations, and how much it reminded Amity of her own mother's admonishments. Luz's mother didn't seem anything like her own, that was for certain, and judging from what Amity witnessed during Grom, there was no doubt in Luz's love for her. Even so, there was a telltale dissonance present between the two, but Amity wasn't quite able to put a finger on it.
"Mira, eres perfecta y te amaré pase lo que pase," her mother continued, "OK? I love you… pero tienes que entender, Luz, not everyone will see what I see."
"So what am I supposed to do?" she said, again her voice rising, brow furrowing as her tears fell through reproachful eyes. "You say that I'm special and unique… but then you tell me those are the things I should hide. Sometimes… sometimes I think you're ashamed of me."
An audible gasp escaped her mother, eyes wide as she mouthed silent words though trembling lips. Amity's reaction was not far departed, the sentiment striking hard at her chest. In a way, she was completely empathetic with this feeling, the thought of being a disappointment in her mother's eyes. She couldn't deny that until just very recently, that fear was one of Amity's most influential incentives, even though she would have never admitted that before. To walk on eggshells day by day, and to doubt your true nature was something that Amity accomplished passively, having convinced herself from a young age that her mother's will was her own. Luz, on the other hand, was much too stubborn to simply abide by anyone else's path.
"No, no, no…" she hushed, moving even closer to take Luz's stiff, unmoving form into an awkward embrace. "Please, don't you ever think like that again. You know it's not true."
"Then why does it feel like that…? Why does it hurt so much?" She sniffled, burying her head into her knees to muffle her voice. "Every time I get in trouble… you look so sad when the principal talks to you. You keep saying sorry for me. It must be so tiring."
"No es así," she sighed, tightening her embrace, "I am not and never will be ashamed of you, mija. It is just…"
There came another pause, Luz raised her head and faced her mother, the lingering silence created a palpable tension that Amity couldn't ignore. The teary eyed girl stared keenly, her lips pouting slightly, a face her mother could only reciprocate with her own disheartening frown. Amity stepped closer, a foreboding feeling weighing heavily upon her. She wanted to step in and say something, anything that could possibly help Luz work through her tempestuous emotions. But what could she possibly do? Not only was this a memory, and a particularly heart wrenching one at that, but it was not her place to interfere. Guilt and hopelessness struck her as she watched on, only the thought of Luz's unwavering tenacity could mollify her nerves.
"What is it?" Luz spoke up, "Is it that I'm too wired? Is it because… I read too many fantasy books and watch too many cartoons? Because I like to imagine myself in fun, magical places? Mamá, I don't care what the other kids think…"
"But you have to-"
"No I don't! Why should I?"
Her mother breathed audibly, closing her eyes for a moment. "I do not like seeing you like this. With no friends, always getting into trouble. Mija, please, I am just worried," she reached out a hand to caress her daughter's cheek, to which Luz quickly flinched away. "Por favor dime, what can I do?"
"Go away," Luz said in an almost inaudible whisper.
"Perdón?"
"Go! Please… just leave me alone." Her sobs renewed, she once again compressed herself into a little ball, tightly holding herself. Her mother frowned, attempting to reach out again but thinking better of it, pulling back as she stood. She remained here for another moment, looking down at her daughter, a pained countenance on her face, regret and ambivalence in her eyes as she reluctantly turned away. All Amity could do was watch as Luz's mother stood before the door, her hand on the handle for what seemed like minutes before she stepped out of the room, the door closing gently behind her.
Luz remained in place for an imperceptible amount of time, only the faintest sobs emanated from her, breaking the silence in the room and penetrating Amity's heart. Amity took careful steps, getting closer, but still her presence remained completely ignored. She sat on the bed and looked towards Luz with a crestfallen expression, the desire to comfort the little girl caused her chest to ache and the choking feeling of suppressed tears to rise.
"Luz," she said, only to receive silence in return. "Luz… I'm sorry. I know how hard this can be. How it feels to be an outsider. Afraid of being yourself, being told what and who you should and shouldn't be…" Amity looked down at her hands that rested on her lap, fingers intertwined tightly and thumbs fidgeting against each other. "I've made a lot of mistakes… even when I thought I was doing the right thing. It took me a long time to realize that. And, honestly, I'm still coming to terms with it all. Still trying to figure myself out… Kinda late, huh?" a weak laugh escaped her, followed by a deep sigh. Silence once again fell, Luz seemingly oblivious to her words, but something compelled Amity to carry on.
"Luz… I don't know if any of this is getting through, but I really look up to you, you know? Here I am, playing the role of top student, prodigy witch know-it-all… acting like such a jerk. I can't even figure out if that's really me or not. Sure, my mother may have been a huge influence on all that, but there's no doubt that I willingly followed her every word," Amity chuckled feebly to herself, "What my mother thought of me… what everyone thought of me was always such a heavy weight on my shoulders… I allowed all of it to shape who I thought I should be. But it's because of you, Luz, that I'm finally realizing my own way. There are a lot of things I regret doing… but I'm so happy to have met you."
Amity finally mustered the courage to look over to Luz, startled by the girl's wide, swirling eyes looking back at her, the slightest hint of tears still welling beneath them. Their gaze locked, a sudden surge of inexplicable emotion overtook Amity, as if she had suddenly released something deep within. A tear streamed down her face, and then a few more before she allowed them to fall freely and unconstrained, a gentle smile coming to her face.
"H-hey," Amity said, still reeling from her catharsis, "Luz… it's me, Amity."
The girl stared, a concerned look on her face.
"Are you okay? Why are you crying?" she said, drying off her own damp cheeks with a forearm, shifting from her place and settling down on her knees.
"Y-you don't remember me?"
"No, I don't think so… but I heard what you said… you must have been through a lot. I don't know what I did, but I'm glad I could help!" Her smile gleamed, forcing Amity to return her own grin.
"Yeah… you've done a lot more for me than you'd realize. But hey," Amity said, quickly wiping away her tears, "I want to help you now. If I can."
"With what?"
"Well… I saw what happened between you and your mom. I'm sorry I did, but I want to tell you something. Your mom is telling the truth when she says how much she loves you and about how special you are. And maybe she hasn't realized it yet, but you're a lot tougher than one would think. Embrace who you are, Luz. And even if you and your mom are at odds sometimes, she'll still be there for you. Don't push her away."
Luz mused for a moment, bringing a hand to her chin. "So… you're saying I should probably apologize, huh?"
Amity nodded cheerfully, suddenly taken aback as she felt the entire weight of the little girl upon her, arms clasped tightly around her neck. She had no time to react before Luz released her, hopping off the bed and standing before her at the center of the room.
"Thank you, Amity. I'm glad I met you, too!" And with that, she turned on a heel and hurried out the door, leaving Amity alone in complete silence, ruminating on the emotions that were still coursing throughout her entire body.
It was a few minutes before she found herself on her feet again, the urge to move forward compelling her towards the door. She swung it open and stepped through the threshold, finding herself in that same, darkened realm, a barely transparent mist surrounding her on all sides. The door behind her shut and it was almost as if she were left alone to wander in this empty, foggy world. She took a few steps forward, and again, just like she had experienced in her own mind, glassy, hazy surfaces just out of arm's reach appeared. Straining her eyes, she concentrated on a barely discernible image, frameless silhouettes and figures slowly taking shape to reveal a dynamic scene.
It was Luz, older now, a closer resemblance to the girl Amity had become so fond of. The setting seemed to be another school, other kids her age walking about her, a few of them giving her a cautious side glance as they went by, a few of their looks being a bit too conspicuous. Luz didn't seem to pay them any mind as she continued to walk down the hallway, some sort of taxidermied creature resting stiffly in her arms. The image blurred and then reformed to show Luz standing bashfully upon a stage, a bundle of what looked like sausages in her arms as students ran away, a teacher approaching her with an exasperated look on his face. Again there was another shift, this time it was Luz and her mother exchanging a few words before she departed, leaving Luz standing there with a defeated expression that made Amity's heart ache ever so slightly. Amity couldn't help but feel as if she were intruding on Luz's memories, guilt beginning to weigh on her mind as she forced herself to look away, only to notice someone a short distance away.
Luz was standing there, facing away from her and eyeing something with intense intrigue. Without hesitation, Amity hurried over, Luz's focus unbroken as she approached.
"Luz! I've been looking for you."
At last the preoccupied girl looked over to her, pensive expression unchanging, "Oh, Amity, right?"
"Y-you remember me?"
"Yeah, you're the intruder that's been messing with my memories. I'm surprised you're still around." Amity could only return a defeated expression, words caught in her throat. "There's something weird going on here… is this your doing?"
"W-what? No! Luz, listen, please, I'm trying to help you remember… remember me!"
Luz returned an incredulous look, eyeing Amity carefully before returning to peer into the dark and hazy distance.
"Something's wrong," she said, "my memories… it feels like there's something missing. I can't explain it."
Amity stepped closer, looking towards what drew Luz's attention. The scene was one that Amity knew well, something that made her heart skip a beat and make her insides twist uneasily. Willow was there, as well as Luz, the memories of her past actions suddenly overwhelming her.
"Someone upset Willow…" Luz continued, "but why would anybody do that?" She looked at Amity, a stern expression on her face. "Did you have something to do with this? What are you doing to my brain?"
"N-No! Well, I mean… yes, but I can explain! Look-"
"I knew it! You're trying to sabotage my mind! What are you plotting?" Luz said, pointing an accusatory finger and forcing Amity to hold her hands up in defense.
"Let me explain… please," Amity sighed, Luz setting her hands on her hips as her defensive expression didn't waver. "I'm the one that treated Willow like that… and about your other memories, I can probably make a good guess as to which ones feel off. But I'm here to make things right. So you can remember… all of that again." Her voice trailed off as she realized how futile her explanation really seemed.
"Uh-huh… so why do I want to remember what made my friends feel so terrible? And these corrupted memories, I only get glimpses and feelings of them, but… I remember being banned and chased out of Hexide… then someone made me doubt if I was really worthy of being a witch… But then I betrayed someone's trust, and I can't seem to shake off that guilt… If what you're saying is true, and all of these memories involve you, then I don't know if I want to remember all of that."
Luz's expression fell, her body seemingly going limp at the reluctant claim. For Amity, however, the words hit a sensitive nerve, resurfacing regrets and doubts that were still insistent and unwavering. She grit her teeth and bared through the constraints pressing against her heart, knowing that she couldn't allow them to dissuade her from her true purpose. Yes, she had done what she did, and even though she recognized that fact and pledged to make a difference, the memories and feelings that came with them still failed to subdue.
"OK, I know what you must be thinking," Amity said, pausing in an attempt to settle the trepidation behind her voice, "I've been through this over and over and over again… I guess I deserve it. But please, Luz, keep searching. You have to keep trying to remember! If you can just look past all of that, you'll see that we've been through so much more. I… changed. I-I mean, I'm trying to change. And it was all because of you, Luz!"
Amity's breathing had become rapid, her hands held against her chest, forcing her straying eyes to look back at Luz, renewed tears beginning to well beneath them. Luz gazed on with awe, letting the silence settle between them, a myriad of emotions coursing through them both.
"I-I…" was all Luz could mutter as Amity quickly averted her eyes just as a single tear was let loose. With a sigh, Luz turned back towards the shadowy mists of her memories, peering intently towards the nothingness in hopes that something, anything would emerge to unravel the inexplicable emotions that pulled and tugged deep within her chest. Amity took a step closer and joined her, watching as images and scenes came to life and quickly disappeared, memories that remained preserved and intact, still uncorrupted by her mother's spell. Then she saw them, incomplete and broken memories, cracks that spread outwards like webs creating a distorted, confusing image that was barely discernible. So delicate were these moments, so easy was it for them to be lost within the confines of Luz's altered memories. Upon closer inspection, Amity could still see the smallest fragments of the times she had spent with Luz in recent weeks. When they saved Eda, Edric, and Emira from the slitherbeast. When they overcame Grom together and were crowned Grom Queens. When they played grudgby and defeated Boscha and her crew.
Amity once again felt that pull, that desire to jump forward, to break through the barrier to somehow reveal to Luz the truth of their past, to regain those memories they had spent together, to realize what they had become and how much she truly meant to her. Without thinking, Amity reached out, grabbing Luz by the hand and taking a confident step forward, only stopping when she felt resistance holding her back. Luz was pulling back, her other hand gripping against her chest as a worried, slightly frightened countenance came to her features.
"H-how can I trust you…? How do I know you're not the cause of all this? This… aching, pressure I'm feeling!"
Amity looked back and frowned, a heavy sigh slipping through her lips. "In a way… you're right. I am the cause of all this. I'm sorry, Luz. But please, you have to trust me. Everything I've told you has been the truth. I want to fix this, but I need you to follow me. Just… trust me, okay?"
There was another long pause, their gaze locked, watching as a flurry of emotions swirled in each other's eyes, their hands still clasped tightly together. At last, Luz nodded in confidence as she stepped forward, now side by side with Amity, both girls facing the hazy abyss of broken memories.
"Thank you, Luz," Amity said as they both took a step forward, and then a leap, breaking into a new realm of peaceful familiarity.
They stood hand in hand at a cliff's edge, the sounds of ocean waves and the delicate touch of moonlight bathed them. The sudden tranquility soothed Amity's heart, unable to resist the light smile coming to her face, inhaling the sweet air greedily as she looked over to Luz. The other girl's countenance was one of wonder and fascination, wide eyes scanning the distant horizon, then looking up at the moon and letting the light reflect back into Amity's own admiring gaze. How beautiful the night was, how precious a memory so small could be.
It struck Amity suddenly, her purpose and reason for being there. There was no other choice, no other possibility. She took a step back and outstretched her arm towards Luz, the other girl taking notice and returning a curious glance.
"May I have this dance?"
Luz stared wordlessly, slowly lifting her arm, hesitating for just a moment before letting her hand fall delicately into Amity's. With a tug, the two girls found themselves mere inches apart, Amity's confident expression so close to Luz's surprised, yet excitable one. Amity quickly took the lead, swinging Luz about, moving in rhythm to the peaceful sounds of their surroundings and the rhythm of the tune that had become ingrained in her head. Their eye contact never faltered as sways and twists became perfectly synchronized, pushing and pulling against each other as they worked in perfect tandem. Graceful leaps and bounds eventually slowed into gentle, delicate movements, the two girls' hands outstretched and holding on to one anothers, spinning around and around as they looked into each other's eyes. Amity had just noticed now, but they were surrounded by beautifully pink leaves from the tree high above them, the pleasant wind moving them about like an ensemble of tiny dancers encircling the pair. At last they came to a halt, leaves continuing to fall and settle in their hair and on their shoulders, completely ignored as they were completely engrossed in one another. Still, their hands remained intertwined, Amity tightening her grasp as she took a long breath and prepared herself to speak.
"Luz… please tell me you remember me? Something… anything?"
There was a smile on the other girl's face, but it was betrayed by the clear dejection in her eyes. Instantly, Amity's heart felt constrained and torn apart simultaneously, her stomach dropping as if the wind had been taken out of her. She released her grasp, taking a few steps back, head shaking back and forth as tears came to her eyes.
"Y-you don't remember…"
"I'm sorry, Amity-" Luz began, interrupted by Amity rapidly turning away from her, arms pressed against her sides and trembling fists clenched tightly. Tears soon turned into light sobs, vague, quavering words seemingly mumbling through trembling lips.
"L-Luz… I'm sorry…" she said, unable to control the aching pressure that spread throughout her body. All controle had seemingly left her, her mind was empty, her body unresponsive. Was this the moment she would return to the waking world in failure? A world where Luz no longer remembers who she was? The simple through brought upon her another wave of oppressive emotion. Everything was becoming dark again, disappearing before her bleary eyes. This world, this place, was being erased forever.
And then, as suddenly as the feeling of her body had gone, it returned, Luz's tight embrace seemingly holding her in place, preventing her from departing.
"Wait! Please…" Her grip lightened and then fell, hands now settling on Amity's shoulders. Amity couldn't help but flinch slightly as Luz leaned her teary face gently against her back.
"Please don't go… I'm sorry I don't remember…" Her voice wavered into a near whisper, her tears wetting Amity's back.
Amity couldn't help but let out a feeble, choking laugh. "Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong."
"But… I don't know why I can't remember… This feels… it feels so right. So safe and warm. I want to remember so badly. It feels like you've done so much for me. I know that sounds silly, but I can't explain it." Something that sounded like a mix between a laugh and a sob escaped her as she tried to rub her eyes against Amity's back. "Amity… if I don't remember you in the end, I want you to know that you're very special to me. I still want you to be my friend. No matter what."
"Yeah…" was all Amity was able to say, her body and mind once again fleeting. "Luz, before I go, I don't think there's a better time than any for me to say this… but… I like you." She spoke softly and frankly, surprising even herself, the simple words still forcing a coursing shiver through her entire body. "Like… really, really like you. I need to emphasize that I like you in a very non-platonic way."
Luz giggled, once again wiping her face against Amity.
"Y'know… I wouldn't be surprised if I reciprocated that feeling."
Quickly, Amity turned, their wide eyes once again meeting, their hands once again seized tightly with each others'.
"Luz…"
"I promise I'll try to remember. See you on the other side."
And with those final words, everything obscured before Amity's eyes as she was once again pulled back into the waking world.