Amity had a shower, throwing her slime covered sports padding back in her bag and stepping around the various pools of ectoplasm on the floor and walls. She had just gotten dressed back into her school uniform when the other girls began filing in, breathing heavily and covered in sweat. Some were talking about their achievements on the field, while others were complaining about the bumps and scrapes they had received from the opposing team, as well as some of their own team members. They all stopped however when they saw the mess in the locker room, and Amity inspecting the red tinge on her cheek in the mirror. They seemed hesitant at first, surveying the room for the usual assault of dour fortune telling and terrible ghost puns from the spirits that were normally flitting about. "What happened in here?"
"The… cleaner got rid of all the ghosts finally." Amity said casually, tenderly touching her wound. "I imagine someone will be back to clean up the rest. Just watch your step."
"Ew." Skara said, stepping in a sticky pool of goo. The rest of the girls began dancing around the mess, and Amity averted her eyes, feeling her cheeks warm uncomfortably as they got into the showers. "I can't believe Mr. Pectoralis made me play again when I didn't have my sports padding." Skara added, stepping up beside Amity. She closed her eyes with a smile and let out a high pitched whistle.
"Just like every time, Skara." Amity replied. A soft breeze began to blow through Skara's hair and uniform and a pleasant glow surrounded her. Her hair styled itself, her clothes blew out, and the sweaty sheen she'd just had faded until she appeared to have just stepped out of the shower herself. "Bard magic must be nice."
"Bard track rule number one: Always be presentable." She said, opening her eyes again and giving her reflection a satisfied nod. "Are you okay? I could cover that up for you."
Amity froze for a moment, meeting Skara's reflective gaze. "I… I'm fine. Thanks." She replied, somewhat surprised at Skara's genuine concern, but still cautious about showing any kind of vulnerability. "It shouldn't take long to fade."
Skara shrugged and walked away, exiting the locker room without another word, and Amity frowned. Skara had always followed in Boscha's shadow, targeting anyone for bullying that Boscha… and Amity… had, though often reluctantly.
As the humidity in the locker room began to thicken, Amity let out a sigh and slung her gym bag over her shoulder, leaving the room while her thoughts jumped from event to event from the day so far. She couldn't help but feel used by everyone she trusted lately, and it only seemed to add to the isolation she felt. Her brother and sister, her mentor, her friends, and her parents all seemed to want something from her without giving anything back and she was feeling tired. The only people that hadn't been taking advantage of her lately had been Luz and the Owl Lady, and they had also been the only people actually offering any kind of encouragement; the human more so than the other, but still…
Amity lightly tapped on her locker, and the creature opened its single eye to look down at her, wincing at her tired and sore expression. It gave a huff, rolled its eye, and opened its mouth. It stuck its tongue out, revealing her lunch bag and an assortment of books, such as Luz's Good Witch Azura book, which she exchanged for the pack on her shoulder. She removed the cover off of the novel to keep it's content hidden, and placed the cover back into her locker before it retracted its tongue and closed its mouth.
She slowly made her way to the cafeteria and took her usual seat with Boscha and the rest of the Banshees, who were once again bragging how they had swapped bodies, though this time in more hushed tones and giggles. "What was it like being in a guy's body?" Someone asked Boscha, and she whispered back to an assortment of laughter.
"Hey Amity, change your mind about going…" Boscha began, turning away from her groupies to face her.
"Nope." She replied, glaring back. She unpacked her lunch and opened her book to her last place and began reading, attempting to ignore the crowd around her.
"What's her problem with Grom?" She could hear Cat ask in a whisper across the table.
"Amity doesn't like watching her fellow students fight monsters." Boscha said, making Amity's face flush in embarrassment. "Or maybe she doesn't know how to dance." She continued, the different inflection in her voice making it clear that she was facing Amity now, likely looking for a reaction. "It would be a shame if she was crowned Grom Queen and forced to go…"
Amity lowered her book to let her glare crest the pages. "Don't even think about it, Boscha."
"Think about what? Nominating you for Grom Queen?" She grinned. "What is Amity Blight afraid of? Wouldn't that be a sight to see."
She hadn't given much thought to Grom Night, but the thought of being forced to go due to being declared Queen for the night froze her blood. Fighting a subterranean, amorphous monster was one thing, especially if she could manage to learn the barrier spell she had picked up from the Owl Lady, and hopefully the fire spell her siblings had promised to help her learn. But to have her fear put on display in front of the entirety of the school wasn't something she was eager to have happen. What was she truly afraid of? she thought to herself. Disappointing her parents and the Emperor's Coven? Being stuck on the Boiling Isles, working for Blight Industries for the rest of her life? Having her charade of being at the top of the social hierarchy exposed? Just being alone? It wasn't something she was ready to discover.
Amity debated threatening Boscha with ousting her from her social circle, or even physical violence, but she doubted either would affect her much. Now that she was the Captain of the Banshees, Boscha had a guaranteed circle of friends that had her back; a feature that Amity had taken for granted while in the same position until Amelia got hurt.
"I guess we'll never know, will we?" Amity shot back, then returned to her book.
"Maybe." Boscha smiled, then turned back to the other girls seated around the table to return to their chatter.
Amity spent the rest of her lunch period reading and slowly consuming her lunch until the bell screamed to signal the beginning of classes again, and with it the double doors leading into the cafeteria burst open. A pair of giant arthropods clambered through the doors, their few dozen legs clacking on the floor and their mandibles salivating at the sight of all the students that were just beginning to stand to return to class.
Then the screaming began.
Students were climbing up onto the lunch tables in a panic as the greyish blue carapace covered creatures began to wind their way into the crowd. The door slammed open again and two more identical creatures streamed in, followed closely by the Owl Lady. "Okay, nobody panic!" She shouted over the screams, "The cerebi typically only eat the non living. Probably."
Amity stood as one of the creatures grabbed her chair and tore it into pieces, and then glanced at the book in her hand. "No!" She shouted, hugging the book to her chest and climbing up on the table with Boscha, Skara, and the rest of the Banshee girls.
"Just give it the stupid book, Amity!" Boscha shouted.
"No!" She replied, glaring back at Boscha while stepping away from the edge of the table as the cerebi tried to snap at her feet. "It's not mine!" Another of the creatures began to crawl up on the other end of the table they were on, hissing and clicking.
"Amity, it's a book! These things will eat us alive! Get perspective!"
"Keep your cowls on, kids." The Owl Lady said. "I've got this. Just needed them all in one place to round them up." She began casually drawing a series of glowing figure eights in the air, with each circle flashing before a flock of tiny translucent owls flew out of each of them.
"Where are those guards that are supposed to be guarding the school?" Boscha asked, kicking at the creature that was crawling onto the table.
"I saw one of them dragging that human to the detention pit." Skara replied. "She was hanging around with that little illusionist kid."
Amity felt her ears reflexively perk up at the mention of Luz, though it didn't surprise her that she had gotten into trouble with the guardsmen. To hear she had been taken to the Detention Pit sent an odd, cold sensation through Amity that made her shiver uncomfortably. With a renewed determination, Amity used her free hand to draw a spell circle in the air, causing a large, disembodied abomination arm to grow from the floor and grasp the cerebi that was nipping at her boots and pull it away from the table with a terrifying screech. "Why isn't the Beast Track doing anything?" She growled.
"The Beast Track homeroom didn't come to the cafeteria today because of the hydra loaf the lunch lord was serving." Amelia added.
"Lucky them." Boscha said with a snort.
The ethereal owls were gliding about the large room, screeching painfully loud, and causing the majority of the students to clap their hands to their ears. The sound seemed to agitate the cerebi as well, and they curled up into armored orbs to protect themselves from the perceived danger. With a grin and a twirl of her finger, the Owl Lady blew open the doors to the outside. With a sweeping gesture, the abomination arm she had summoned tossed the creature like a grudgby ball out through the door, followed by a few of the illusory owls. She pointed at the next hiding cerebi and made a fist, causing the arm to slither its way to her target like a slug and grab it as well before launching it too through the door.
While they were dormant, several other students began to hop down from their place on the tables. "Everyone just calm down. These things' shells are magic repellent. You'll likely just make a mess trying to get rid of them." The Owl Lady informed them when it looked like some of the students were set to try attacking.
Amity motioned for the abomination arm to grab the next cerebi, knocking aside tables and chairs on its path that caused her to wince. This was the first time she had even attempted to create an abomination without a bipedal form, and so far it was working fantastically, even if it had no autonomy. It was requiring more concentration, and she had to focus intensely on what she wanted the phantom limb to do, feeling like trying to get her own arm to work after it fell asleep while she leaned on it, reading. That pins and needles feeling was in her mind, uncomfortable and distracting, and as her creation slapped open handed on the cerebi and formed around it, her growing tunnel vision missed the last cerebi creeping up behind her.
She failed to hear the warnings from the students behind her still on the table, but her ear caught the sound of one of the screeching owls diving at her head and she ducked as it swept past. The attacking cerebi recoiled and tucked itself into a protective ball again, hissing loudly. With her concentration broken, Amity crawled away from the dormant creature, looking over her shoulder at the abomination arm that had now become a mound of sludge, melting back between the tiles of the floor.
The Owl Lady gave her a subtle nod before drawing another gold spell circle in the melting goop of Amity's abomination, and the ooze began turning a salt and pepper colored grey until a feathered, wing-like structure protruded from it and splatting to one side. Then another wing stretched out before a flat, beaked face with large, round yellow and black eyes reared up and screeched. The drips of abomination goo slowly formed into feathers that were constantly molting off, and the witch sized owl stood, pulling its talons out of what remained of Amity's abomination and grabbing the coiled up cerebi that was still in front of it.
The student body present in the cafeteria gasped at the display, and the Owl launched itself into the air, forcing the students still on the tables to duck out of its way as it snatched the last cerebi off the floor from in front of Amity and barrel rolled out through the door leading outside.
"See? Handled!" The Owl Lady said, clearly pleased with herself, though whether it was from terrifying all the students or actually accomplishing such a seemingly random task, it wasn't clear. She gave the external doors a nod to magically close them again and turned, her high heeled boots clicking loudly on her way back out the door.
"Was that the janitor you were talking about?" Skara asked, climbing down off of the table.
"I think that was the junk shop lady from the market." Said Boscha, jumping down as well. "Figures she'd come in and wreck our school. My mom says she's nothing but trouble. I guess she used to go here or something?"
Amity climbed to her feet and brushed herself off, collecting what was left of her lunch back into its bag, and placing Luz's book on the table in order to free up both hands. No sooner had she done so that Boscha reached for it with a devious grin. "Let's see what kind of book is so good as to risk your life for…" Having seen Boscha approach out of the corner of her eye, Amity was quick to grab the bottom of the book as well and wrenched it forcefully out of Boscha's grip and hold it to her chest. Boscha growled and glared at her, crossing her arms. "Well, I guess it is that important." She added, her gaze lowering to the book again.
Amity followed her gaze to where her own fingertip was glowing purple, ready to defend herself and the book. "No, it's just… it's not mine. I'm just borrowing it." She said, a bit confused herself at her protectiveness, though being the only known copy of The Good Witch Azura; Book Five on the Boiling Isles did make it a bit of an artifact in a sense.
"Whatever, Amity." Boscha snapped, brushing away one of the bangs that framed her face with a hand. "I'll see you after school, if you still care to hang out."
The cafeteria was clearing out already with everyone talking about the surprise display of magic from the Owl Lady; but Amity stood there alone, still holding the book to her chest with one hand while grabbing her lunch bag with the other. It wasn't until the sound of a loud explosion shook the school that she was pulled out of her thoughts about her own behavior, and she ran to the cafeteria door. Teachers were coming out of their class rooms as curious as Amity was, and Ms. Anansi pointed two of her furry arms in the opposite direction of the noise down the hall. "Please get to class, Ms. Blight." She ordered, her mandibles clicking in worry.
"Yes, ma'am." Amity nodded, though she couldn't shake the feeling that either Luz or the Owl Lady had something to do with anything exploding in Hexside considering how the rest of the day had gone. She began a slow walk to her locker, her usual anxiety about being late for a class being one of the furthest things from her mind. Her relationships with her friends were in turmoil, her future career was uncertain, and she couldn't even be sure of her magic anymore with having to go back to a training wand. Despite all of that though, she found herself suddenly uncomfortable with the fact that the Owl Lady had shown her more encouragement than most of her teachers or her own parents ever had. If the rumors were true, it was unlikely she had even needed Amity's help, so why accept it?
It had been a minute before she realized she was standing in front of her locker, still trying to process the Owl Lady's ulterior motives. She absentmindedly slapped at her locker door without looking, much to the annoyance of the creature that growled at her in irritation. "Sorry." she said without thinking. "Maybe the Owl Lady is trying to get back at Mom for some grudge she has from school? She did say they knew each other, and that mom was a pain." she said aloud, still batting at the locker, searching for some invisible handle before it nipped at her fingers. "Ow!" she cried suddenly, balling up a fist out of reflex and threatening to strike the locker.
"Just open up. I'm already late." she added, and the locker sighed, as though complaining that she wasn't putting in the effort she once did. It reluctantly opened up, and Amity put her lunch away, exchanging the Azura novel for the texts for her next few classes. As she continued on her train of thought though, things began to add up. Everyone else just wanted to use her for something, what if the Owl Lady was no different? What if Luz was just another tool she was using to make her vulnerable, or worse, what if Luz had been so desperately friendly because she was the one that wanted to use her?
Amity frowned, slouching toward her in progress Titan Biology class. She could feel her thoughts condensing her shoulders, and making her throat hurt. She was instinctively trying to curl herself around her books; trying to find any kind of comfort while her experiences with being used by friends and family began to overshadow the brief moment she'd had of feeling cared about. Boscha was willing to discard her for not allowing her to abuse Luz's book, but Luz and the Owl Lady weren't even her friends, were they?
She entered the biology class to gasps from the other students, and even the large, three eyed and blue skinned teacher, Mrs. Hexbane. Her specialization was the Illusion track, but often taught biology and photography class as well. She was far more nurturing than most of the other teachers, willing to help with student's problem areas and warn against probable dangers rather than allowing students to learn from consequences like most teachers at Hexside. She was also very observant, and Amity's stealthy entrance did not go unnoticed. Fortunately, she only shot Amity a disapproving look, rather than making a big, humiliating deal of being late for class.
Amity took her seat quickly and quietly, opening her books and notes to start distractedly copying down what was already on the chalkboard. Normally, jotting down notes and catching up on the lecture wasn't anything she had an issue with, as rare as it was, but her current train of thought was so derailed that she started writing a diary entry rather than what was on the board, and she tore the page out in frustration. She simply wasn't used to having anyone be nice just for friendliness sake, and it felt so foreign that she was finding it difficult to believe.
She became acutely aware that her little tantrum had garnered attention from the rest of the class again and she glared around the room, causing the other students to look away and turn their heads back down to their own notes. It was then that she noticed that Willow Park wasn't in the class, and she let out a small gasp. Had the explosion she had heard earlier affected the Plant track some how? As much as she claimed to ignore Willow and distance herself, she had still been protective and concerned for her well being; although, she realized by using harsh methods.
Amity was finding it even harder to concentrate now, watching as the time ticked away until the bell screamed again. She began collecting her books slowly and methodically while the rest of the class moved quickly to their next classes. "Are you alright, Ms. Blight?" Mrs. Hexbane asked when she and Amity was alone in the class. "You were late, and barely did any work. Any other student, I might not be concerned…"
It took a moment for Amity to realize she was being spoken to, and she looked up in surprise. "Hmm? Oh, yes. I'm… I'm fine. Just took a Sport ball hit before lunch." She said, gesturing to her fading red cheek. She turned to leave before pausing and turning back to ask, "Actually, do you happen to know what that explosion was just after lunch? Is it something we should be worried about?"
"I saw Principal Bump heading that way with the Owl Lady a few minutes before, so I'm sure whatever it was has been handled." Mrs. Hexbane said, drawing a spell circle on a piece of paper.
"I just… I noticed Willow wasn't in class today." Amity admitted, nervously watching the door to make sure no one would come in to over hear the conversation.
"There might be an announcement about it in the morning. I'm sure there's nothing to be concerned about." She added, handing Amity the piece of paper she had just cast a spell on. "Normally, I would expect each student to do the work assigned for the class, but I am aware that you have no issue with laziness when it comes to your studies." She smiled, the eye in her forehead giving a wink.
Amity took the paper and watched the class notes scroll by as an illusion. "Oh, thank you, Mrs. Hexbane." They wouldn't last long, so she would have to copy them into her own notes in the next few hours before the illusion ran its course. "I should get to my next class…"
Mrs. Hexbane nodded and smiled, and Amity strode out of the classroom and into the crowded hall. Her final class of the day was Magical Defense Techniques, located nearby; but her curiosity was piqued now and she dodged and weaved through the swarm of students toward where the explosion had occurred while still trying to keep the appearance of a cool exterior. As she was nearing the Detention Pit, she could see rubble scattered about the floor and could hear voices coming from around the corner.
"Exactly how much is this going to cost?" Principal Bump asked.
"Enh, yer lookin' at some hefty work 'ere, my frien'." Replied another voice, likely a Construction Coven member. "Someone blew dat dere door righ' off its track."
"I can see that. I was here when it happened!" Bump replied. "Three students used a giant femur to break out not an hour ago."
Amity's eyes widened. Three? Luz wasn't a student, so perhaps she wasn't involved after all…
"Well ta be to'ally hones', mate, it ain't gone be cheap. We hafta bring in da mats and prolly ge' da Beas' Coven involve'. Dem boys don't come chea', y'know. I don' think you be gettin' thi' operational again fo' a few months."
Principal Bump could clearly be heard getting frustrated. "Fine! I'll have to request some extra funding from the Emperor's Coven to cover the further repairs. I swear those three will see the destruction of this school."
Amity moved closer to the corner in an attempt to get a closer look. While she had never been in the Detention Pit herself, she had passed by this way before and recognized the massive door that blocked escape from the pit strewn about. Teeth the size of her arm were jutting out of the walls where they had been embedded with impressive force. Pieces of the door's three eyes the size of Amity's head were oozing out onto the floor, but strangely the bar that had been across the door was mysteriously intact at the base of the doorway, implying it had been removed before the door was broken down.
As Principal Bump began to approach, Amity raced back down the hall she had come from in order to escape his notice, and slid through the door of the Magical Defense Techniques class before the teacher closed it. This classroom was vastly different from most of the others, taking up the space of two with coven track specific foci that students were encouraged to learn with when completing their assignments. Quite often, the class would even take place outside where students of different tracks could spar with each other under supervision, learning to defend themselves against the various forms of magic.
There were shelves with training wands, Oracle Orbs, vials of various potions, seeds ranging from tiny fern spores to large nuts, and containers filled with abomination mud lining the far wall of the class. Students were standing in line, fidgeting with the various magical foci while they waited for the teacher to address the class.
Miss Jenkinmeyer was an elderly demon, with a grey plumage of hair sticking out around a pair of curled horns and sagging, pointed ears that supported thick spectacles that made her eyes look cartoonishly large. She was hunched over, supported by her witch's staff topped with a spherical palisman with a multitude of eye stalks, and ferocious jaws that were grinning menacingly. She walked on wobbling furred legs that ended in hooves and clacked on the stone floor. "Welcome to class, Ms. Blight." She said, and Amity couldn't help but focus on the old woman's teeth. For as long as Amity had been taught by Miss Jenkinmeyer, she had had a noticeable lack of chewing tools, but now seemed to be smiling extravagantly with new pearly white fangs. "Today, I will be pairing you up for sparring. Final exams for the semester are fast approaching, so let's see what you've all been working on."
Pointing at students seemingly at random and assigning them matching numbers, Miss Jenkinmeyer began pairing sparring partners and the various coupled witches and demons found a clear area in the classroom to put a short distance between themselves and other groups. Finally, as she was the last one into the class, Amity was coupled with Boscha, whom most other students had little interest in being paired with due to her aggressive attitude. She had been keeping her distance from Amity so far during the class, and she rolled her eyes when the match was made.
Amity approached Boscha with a frown, holding her Magic 101 text and a training wand she picked up off the shelf. "Are you ready?" She asked quietly. Most students didn't see much of a contest between the Abomination track and the Potion track, but she knew that Boscha focused her potion skills on utility, and instead relied on her natural athletic ability to compensate.
Boscha turned from looking out the window to Amity with a hurt glare. "Fine. Let's get this over with." She said, standing and moving to the foci shelf. "You're really going to use a training wand?" She scoffed, picking through the potion vials.
Amity steeled her facial features, though she couldn't help but feel her shoulders slump slightly in dejection. She took her place a short distance from where Boscha took hers and raised an arm to signal her readiness in the duel. Seconds after Boscha did the same, Amity quickly drew a spell circle with her right hand to summon an abomination that materialized out of the cracks in the floor. Boscha was already moving however, tossing a vial at Amity's feet that exploded into a green mist.
The vapor splashed into Amity's face and she backed up, coughing and covering her face before she could focus on Boscha's movements or speak commands to her abomination. A moment later, she found herself pushed against the wall behind her hard enough to have the air forced out of her lungs. Boscha was grinning in her face with a forearm pinned against her chest. "What's wrong, Amity? Don't have your book to protect?"
Amity pushed Boscha off and growled, her eyes moving to Miss. Jenkinmeyer, who was clearly watching but decided not to intervene. "What are you going to do when you don't have someone watching your back?" Amity retorted, her abomination clutching Boscha in a fist and pulling her away.
Boscha's eyes grew wide in surprise for a moment before she was sucked into the abomination's torso with just her face exposed. It was clear that she wanted to swear at Amity, but she clenched her jaw in anger. The muffled sound of breaking glass came from the abomination, and the creature looked at Amity in shock as it's viscous body began to freeze solid. Ice started to grow from its mid section, moving outward before the entire abomination shattering under its own weight and dropped Boscha to the floor. The demon girl wasted no time, and under handed another vial where Amity was still standing. With a flick of her left wrist, Amity twirled her training wand in a quick spell circle that erected a glowing purple net of energy like she had watched the Owl Lady summon earlier.
Unfortunately, she wasn't quick enough with the unfamiliar spell to catch the vial and it deflected into the ceiling where it exploded in a burst of fire. Completing the barrier spell, Amity expanded it to protect herself from Boscha's charge by swirling the wand to the outer edge of the shield. Out of reflex, Amity reconstituted the abomination from its quickly thawing pieces scattered on the floor and pushed forward, forcing Boscha back with the barrier.
Boscha looked confused, having not seen the spell Amity was using before, or experienced its shocking webbing. "Wha- where'd you learn that?!" She shouted. "That's not abomination magic!"
"I'm starting to expand my horizons." Amity said, reaching out with one arm to command her abomination. "And I'm betting you're all out of potions." She added as her abomination encased Boscha's head in a fist. A muffled scream came out of the abomination's fist as Boscha clawed at the gooey appendage and kicked outward, only striking the barrier.
"Enough!" Miss Jenkinmeyer shouted, clacking the end of her staff on the floor. A single eye in the center of her palisman glowed bright white and all the magic in its field of view dissipated. The smoldering flames on the ceiling winked out, Amity's abomination melted into sludge, and the barrier vanished all at once as Boscha fell onto her back, gasping for air.
Amity stepped up to kneel at Boscha's feet, offering a hand to help her up. Boscha's face was red with either embarrassment or near asphyxiation, Amity couldn't be certain, but when the demon girl bat her hand away and stood without help, it was clear.
"Well done, Ms. Blight." Miss Jenkinmeyer said, gingerly walking over to the pair. "You showed some impressive adaptability. You too, Boscha. It will be interesting to see how you both finish off the semester."
As the teacher slowly walked away to get the rest of the class back to sparring, Amity turned to Boscha. "I'm… I have a lot going on lately, with the Emperor's Coven, and my parents, and…" she began, trying to sort something out with her remaining oldest friend rather than bury it like they always did.
Boscha turned away and crossed her arms, clearly not interested in working anything out. "Whatever. I have my own stuff too." She sniffed. "My mom's still being smothering since Latissa, and I just spent a day in a stranger's body. It's not like that was easy to deal with." She admitted, then pinched her face in an annoyed expression. "I'm going to just watch the other kids make fools of themselves."
With that, Boscha walked away, leaving Amity feeling unresolved. They had certainly fought before, but it was always Amity that patched things up, usually after her parents heard about their falling out from Boscha's parents. She just wasn't sure she wanted to this time.