After such an exhausting weekend, it was a relief walking into Hexside where things were more predictable which, considering the day-to-day chaos of the school, was saying a lot. Potential magical shenanigans they might encounter here aside, Amity had always seen the school as a safe space. In spite of the endless hours of study and toil, the emotional exhaustion of keeping up her old facade and having to watch her back for the twins' next prank, Hexside had been her escape from home. From her parents. Now, as she and Luz strolled into the courtyard in front of the school to the sight of her friends waving eagerly at them, she realised it was becoming so much more.
Willow and Gus called loud greetings from their spot beside the stairs with warm, welcoming smiles. It was a far cry from the apathetic 'hello's she was used to from Boscha and (to a lesser degree) her posse, who wouldn't dare be seen as anything less than above it all. Amity much preferred this. Coming to school when she had real friends and a day of classes she'd chosen for herself felt more like a treat than an escape. Like she wasn't just here to seek the approval she never got elsewhere. Now she could look forward to school for more positive reasons.
When they got closer, Luz rushed in to give their friends a big enthusiastic hug. "You guys will not believe what we did this weekend!" She gushed excitedly when she hopped back to Amity's side, launching into a thorough retelling of their misadventures on the Knee.
She made sure to leave out details of Eda's curse, spinning the story as if they'd rescued her from an unrelated owl demon instead. They'd agreed that, for the sake of Eda's privacy and not unnecessarily worrying their friends, they wouldn't tell anyone about her curse unless it was absolutely necessary. It may not be entirely secret but the less people who knew about it, the better. Willow, however, was unimpressed with Luz's grand tale of heroism. She sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.
"Luz, why didn't you call us? We could have helped," she huffed, giving them both a look that made Amity feel like she was somehow being sent to the principal's office. Luz gulped audibly next to her and chuckled awkwardly.
"I… didn't want to put you guys in danger?" She tried, which was mostly the truth anyway, but when Willow's disappointed look deepened into a frown Luz ducked behind Amity with a squeak.
"Hey!" Amity yelped, looking nervously between Luz and Willow's glaring face. "Are you seriously using me as a shield right now?" Luz was lucky she was so damn cute all tucked into her back like that or Amity might be inclined to actually be mad at her. Gus sniggered at them from next to Willow.
"Ooooh you've done it now," he smirked at Luz, who peeked up from behind Amity, gripping her shoulders nervously as she looked at her glowering friend.
"I'm sorry, Willow! I just didn't want to make you guys come when we didn't know what was happening. We had no idea how dangerous it was gonna be and I didn't want you guys to get hurt. I tried to make Amity stay behind too but she wouldn't!" Luz said, stepping cautiously out from behind her girlfriend and wringing her hands anxiously. Amity crossed her arms and glared at her in annoyance. Cute or not, they'd already had this argument and she'd be more than happy to give Luz a refresher on who had won.
"Do I have to remind you of why?" She asked and Luz's guilty expression softened into a smile as she tugged Amity's hands free to give them a squeeze.
"No, Ammy, you were right. We're a team now. I was being dumb trying to make you stay anyway. Pretty sure I wouldn't have made it back without you," she admitted and Amity smiled back at her. Good to know she'd at least learned that lesson. Willow stepped forward and set her hand on Luz's shoulder, giving them both a very serious look.
"Girls, I know you two are together now, but you aren't the only ones that are part of this team," she said, motioning to herself and Gus. "I could have done plenty to slow that demon down with my plant magic and Gus could have done all sorts of helpful stuff with his illusions." She turned to look at Amity and sighed. "I'm happy for you, Amity, really I am. It's great you found something you're so good at, but neither of you needed to get hurt for you to do it. We're your friends too, remember? We care about you guys and we want to help you." Amity grimaced and looked away, guilt gnawing painfully at her gut. She already felt awful about what she'd accidentally done to Luz and having Willow bring it up certainly wasn't helping. She also knew Willow was right. They'd been stupid to do it alone, but there wouldn't have been any way of letting them help without also telling them about Eda's curse. Gus, who was standing beside Willow with folded arms, nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Besides, we want to go on crazy adventures too. You're hogging all the good stuff!" He exclaimed and Willow snorted.
"Not exactly where I was going with this, Gus. We don't need to go looking for trouble, but I think we all know it finds you anyway. So next time you two get into more schemes, plots or ruses… or shenanigans, let us help you, ok? Both of you." Luz smiled weakly at her, scuffing the dirt with her shoe guiltily.
"You're right," she replied. "Next time something comes up, I promise we'll come to you guys."
"Me too," Amity added, a little taken aback at Willow's plea and genuinely touched by her sincerity. She glanced over at Luz, who shared a look of understanding with her. It was easy to forget that Luz, like Amity, wasn't used to having people she could turn to. She was always so quick to help everyone else that sometimes Amity had to remind herself that Luz had never had any friends at all before coming to the Boiling Isles, let alone ones that would drop everything to go on death defying rescue missions with her. Neither of them were used to being able to ask for help, but they were learning.
The warning bell screeched across the courtyard then, forcing them all to part ways again. Willow made sure to give them both a quick hug to let them know she wasn't mad at them before she trotted off to her Plant Track class. They would see Gus in Illusions later but, for now, she and Luz were headed to Healing and when they walked in, Luz nudged Amity towards their professor with an encouraging smile. Heart racing a little with the rush of their discovery still fresh on her mind, she made her way to the front of the class with Luz following behind her excitedly.
"Excuse me, Professor Febris?" Amity straightened her back and clasped her hands nervously behind her back when the gentle old woman smiled down at her from where she'd been making notes on the board for their lesson.
"What is it, dearie?" Professor Febris was generally well liked. Sweet and gentle but surprisingly strict when it came to health and safety (an unusual trait for teachers on the Isles, who generally encouraged brawls and mayhem), she had always struck Amity as someone who deserved respect. The few times she'd had to interact with her had always been after Grugby injuries and had involved some rather stern lectures about being more careful, but she found she liked the matronly old professor. Amity's deeply ingrained need for approval from authority figures, especially ones she looked up to, made having to admit to what she'd done incredibly nerve wracking. Even if the outcome had been good in the end, Febris wasn't going to like hearing about this.
"I'd like to talk to you about the homework you assigned last week." Amity glanced awkwardly at Luz before looking back up at her professor. "I used the spell on Luz this weekend and got some… unusual results that I wanted to ask you about." Professor Febris's brow creased and she folded her arms, her entire demeanor shifting from openly friendly to disapproval in seconds. Amity gulped nervously, knowing a lecture was coming.
"You performed a Healing spell on your friend, unsupervised, with no prior experience in the field at all? What in Titan's name would make you do such a foolish thing, Miss Blight? I would think you of all people would have learned the dangers of attempting magics we are not yet ready for." Amity flinched, shoulders hunching a little and lowered her eyes to stare uncomfortably at her boots. She knew exactly what Febris was referring to. After all, the last time she'd tried experimenting with magic, she'd landed an entire Grudgby team in the Healer's office.
"I… I know and normally I wouldn't have tried, but Luz was badly hurt and I had to do something!" When Febris's eyes narrowed at Amity, Luz stepped up in her defense.
"She's right, Professor. We didn't really have another choice at the time. I'm pretty sure Amity is a natural healer though, because she did something totally awesome with that spell like it was nothing!" Febris frowned at them seriously for a moment, as if gauging how much she should believe. After an agonizingly long few seconds, she huffed out a resigned breath and asked Amity to explain, which she did in a nervous rush. She was careful to leave out the details of how exactly Luz had gotten hurt in the first place. Febris didn't need to know that it had been Amity's fault. She felt guilty enough about it as it was and the Healer probably already thought of her as reckless. She did not need to solidify that opinion or another lecture about it today, so she focused instead on what had happened when she'd used the spell.
Professor Febris's stern stance hadn't changed by the end of her story but her eyebrows did raise with curiosity and she motioned for Luz to come closer so she could inspect her hands. She took them into her own and tilted them about, eyeing Luz's palms and fingers critically.
"Fascinating," she muttered. "You say her hands were severely burned? To what degree would you estimate the burns to have been?" Amity hesitated. She'd only had one healing lesson so far and hadn't had the time to go too in depth with her reading on it yet. She'd certainly been a lot more eager to look into it once they'd left the Knee but they'd arrived home so late and so tired that she and Luz had gone almost immediately to bed. As such, she wasn't really sure how to describe Luz's injuries in medical terms.
"I think they were second degree," Luz piped up. Febris's eyes widened at that.
"Deep tissue?" She asked and Luz nodded in response.
"Some of them, yeah." Amity glanced at her curiously and when Luz met her eyes she smiled, shrugging a shoulder casually as Febris released her hands. "My mom is a nurse on Earth, remember? I've picked up some stuff over the years." Professor Febris gave Luz a fond smile and chuckled.
"I'd like to think my lessons have taught you a few things as well, Miss Noceda. You are one of my most diligent pupils after all, even without the ability to perform spells. You have excellent bedside manner and gentle hands, I'm sure your mother would be proud." Luz grinned at her, beaming with pride at the praise before Febris turned her eyes back on Amity, who shrank back anxiously. "While I cannot condone unsupervised experimentation with Healing magic, I must admit I'm intrigued by your results, Miss Blight. In all my years of teaching at Hexside, I've never seen such a basic spell be used to such apparently effective results. We shan't jump to any conclusions just yet but, if you can recreate these results, you may well be a natural healer, as Miss Noceda so aptly put it."
Amity was positively giddy with joy at the thought. If even Professor Febris, a well-respected Healer, thought she had potential, then maybe she really wasn't as terrible at magic as she'd always thought. As a Healer, she could help so many people. She could show the world that there was more to her than what her family had tried to force her to be. Her future, while still so desperately uncertain compared to the rigid plans she'd been following her whole life, suddenly felt a lot brighter. Luz squealed excitedly beside her, latching onto Amity's arm to give it a happy shake.
"This is so exciting!" She gushed happily, much to Febris's apparent amusement. She chuckled at them warmly and fixed Amity with a pleased look.
"It is indeed. I look forward to seeing what you can do, Miss Blight. Now, please take your seats girls, class is about to begin." The rest of the students had begun shuffling into the room so they moved to sit at their shared desk, briefly exchanging friendly waves with Cat from across the class. Amity made sure to pay extra attention throughout the lesson, determined to prove that she was, in fact, meant to do this.
When it came time to practice the spell, Febris called in a few students with minor injuries for the class to try it on under her very watchful eye. The fact that there were already injuries that needed healing before the first class of the day had ended was one that didn't really surprise Amity. Young teenagers attempting to bend the vast magical forces in the world to their inexperienced wills was a recipe for disaster on a good day and this was Hexside, a school well known for its weekly disasters. What did surprise her though, was that one of the students turned out to be Viney, who grinned brightly at them when she strolled into the room and happily agreed to be Amity's practice dummy when Febris asked her.
"Puddles got into a little tiff with one of the other griffins and I had to break it up," she explained as Amity and Luz inspected the rather deep looking claw marks on her forearm. The injury was a fair bit more serious than the scrapes and bruises the rest of the class had to deal with which, coupled with the way Febris seemed to be hovering near their table, made Amity wonder if perhaps she was testing her. Viney seemed wholly unconcerned though, chatting amicably as Amity carefully cleaned the cuts the way Professor Febris had shown them, pleased when the sight of the blood didn't upset her at all. Luz's injuries had certainly turned her stomach but that probably had more to do with it being Luz that was hurt and Amity who had hurt her.
"It got kinda nuts and I took a stray claw to the arm," Viney said casually. "The griffins are in heat right now and that buck did not wanna go quietly. Lucky for me, Puddles is a tough girl and she doesn't take crap. She had him pinned long enough for me and the team to get him tied up and out of her pen. Just another day in Beast Keeping, ay?" She added with a wink at Luz, who grinned back at her.
Amity had only had one Beast Keeping class so far, late in the afternoon when they'd been getting the resident beasts settled for the day. Granted, she and Luz had been a little preoccupied with Eda's disappearance at the time, but she certainly didn't recall the class being anywhere near as wild as Viney made them out to be.
Pushing thoughts of the potentially dangerous lessons she'd be having in the future from her mind, she focused instead on the task in front of her, trying hard to ignore the feeling of Professor Febris's critical eyes on her back. She could do this. She'd done it twice now. This was easy. With a deep, calming breath, she twirled her finger over Viney's arm and reached for that same connection to the spell she'd felt on the Knee. It fluttered in her chest and the familiar ghostly echo of pain tingled in her own arm. Latching onto it, she carefully pulled at the pain and drew it out like she'd done with Luz's burns. The wound sealed before her eyes as the magic passed over it, the skin stitching itself back together seamlessly until there was no trace of the cuts left at all.
Delighted, Amity felt a wide grin spread across her cheeks. Some small part of her had been afraid that what had happened on the Knee had been an accident. That her ability to heal Luz had been born of desperation and a deep need to fix what she'd done to her girlfriend. But now she had proof. It hadn't been a fluke after all. She really could do this! Viney was looking at her arm with open awe and she let out a low whistle as she ran her fingers over where the cuts had been.
"Damn, Mittens. You sure you've never done this before?" She asked, clearly impressed and Amity flushed with pride, choosing to file away the fact that Viney had apparently taken to using the twins's nickname for her. She'd have a conversation with Emira about that later. Febris leaned over to check her work and gave her a warm, approving smile when she stepped back.
"It would seem you weren't exaggerating after all, Miss Blight. This is truly impressive for one so young and inexperienced." She eyed Amity's multicoloured uniform curiously and then leveled her with a contemplative look. "Would you consider switching your focus to Healing? It has been a very long time since I've seen a student with such raw potential in my class."
Amity's eyes widened. It was an honour to be asked to switch Tracks by a professor. It only happened on rare occasions when a student showed real, genuine potential for greatness in a particular Track. In recent memory, Willow had been the only student recommended by staff for a switch after she had shown her incredible affinity for Plant magic. That Febris wanted Amity to switch her focus purely to Healing was a huge boost to her confidence.
But it would mean giving up on the first important choice she'd ever gotten to make for herself.
As much as she loved knowing that she, like the twins, had something she was naturally talented at, Amity was hesitant at the offer. She wanted to study Healing more in depth. Wanted to follow this new path she'd discovered for herself and see where it led. But she also wanted the chance to explore magic in all its forms now that she had the opportunity to. Being All Track meant she got to learn a little of everything and with all she'd seen and experienced recently, doing that felt more important.
She'd barely scratched the surface of the nine Tracks. The possibilities seemed endless. What she and Luz had done during Grom and what they'd done on the Knee were both glowing testaments to the fact that there was more to magic than they realised and she wanted to know more. Needed to. Besides, who was to say there wasn't something else she was good at too? A part of her doubted she'd find another Track she felt as much of an affinity for as Healing, but there was always the possibility.
"I appreciate the offer, Professor, but I'd like to stay where I am for now," she said, biting her lip hesitantly. "I only just started studying all of the Tracks and I'd like to learn more about them before I choose just one." It was mostly true. She didn't really think she'd ever be able to choose just one now, but Febris didn't need to know that. Who knew what she might achieve by mixing Healing magic with the other Tracks. She and Luz might even be able to help Eda after all, with a little experimentation. Supervised by Eda herself of course. Amity had learned her lesson on that front. To her relief, Professor Febris simply nodded and smiled at her.
"That's perfectly understandable, dearie. Perhaps, by the end of the year, you will find a few Tracks you're willing to leave behind. The offer to switch wholly to Healing is always open to you, but I'll be happy to have you in as many classes as I can get." She nodded at Amity and walked off to another table to help one of the other students, who seemed to be having trouble maintaining their spell. When she was gone, Amity let out a breath and turned to look at Luz, who was gazing at her proudly.
"You are gonna be the best Healer in the world someday," she said, with such confidence that it made Amity's heart flutter.
She tried to picture it. Amity Blight, the most renowned Healer on the Boiling Isles. She could revolutionise the field. Find new and more effective ways of helping those in need by blending her magic with other Tracks. Maybe she could even talk to Luz's mom and mix in some human healing. Make everyone see there was more to humans than they thought. Luz would love that. The future it all painted filled her with a bubbly sort of excitement she'd never experienced before and she realised she wanted it. A lot. It was a dream she'd found for herself and she was more determined to have it than she'd ever been about joining the Emperor's Coven. Heart soaring and full, she smiled back at her girlfriend, eyes soft and cheeks warm.
"Thanks, Luz. I like the sound of that," she replied honestly. A quiet snicker made Amity look up to see Viney smirking at them.
"You two are adorable, you know that?" She smirked, before popping out of her seat. "I've gotta head back to the paddocks to make sure Puddles is okay, but I'll see you two saps after class at the Owl House, yeah?" She slipped out of the classroom with a wink, tossing a finger gun at them and leaving Luz and Amity staring after her in confusion.
"What do you think that was about?" Luz asked curiously. Amity shrugged helplessly. She didn't know Viney nearly well enough to puzzle her out and they had a busy schedule of classes ahead of them, so she put thoughts of the girl out of her mind for the rest of the day. They'd find out soon enough anyway.
True to her word, Viney came knocking when they'd made their way home after classes were over, stopping to exchange pleasantries with a thrilled Hooty before she trotted into the Owl House like she was a regular there. She plopped down on the sofa beside Luz, much to King's dismay as he scrambled to avoid being squished between them. He glared at her from where he settled in Amity's lap while Viney fished around in a fuzzy satchel at her side, pulling something out and presenting it to an intrigued Luz with a flourish.
"Special order, directly from the twins," she said, slapping what turned out to be a brand new Scroll into her hands. Amity, who was seated on Luz's other side, leaned in to look at it and her eyes widened.
"Oh! I almost forgot about this." So much had happened since she'd asked the twins to get Luz a Scroll that it had completely slipped her mind and boy had they delivered. Despite their apparent grounding, they'd somehow gotten Luz what appeared to be the newest model available.
"Viney! This is awesome, thank you!" Luz said, staring down at the Scroll in her hands with fascination while King pawed at her pocket gleefully.
"Now that you have your own Scroll, I'll take your magic box," he said, trying unsuccessfully to get past Luz's defensively swatting hands. "You're the one always saying we should share! So share already! Gimme!" Amity had to practically drag him away from Luz, ignoring his angry little grunts and whines as he tried to pry himself free from her arms. Luz snatched her phone from her pocket and curled herself away from him with a ridiculous hiss.
"King! You know my phone isn't the same as a Scroll. I need it to talk to my mom!" She said, holding it out of reach. While King and Luz exchanged increasingly loud hisses and pulled their faces at one another, Amity looked up at Viney and smiled at her gratefully like there wasn't a very childish fight breaking out on the sofa between them.
"Thank you for bringing that all the way here, but you really didn't need to go to so much trouble. You could have just given it to us at school," she said. Viney waved a hand at her dismissively.
"Don't worry about it. Anything to get me in good with your sister," she said, waggling her eyebrows at Amity who rolled her eyes and looked away to hide her blush. She did not need to picture why Viney might want to 'get in good' with Emira. The very thought made her shudder.
"Besides, that's not the only reason I came." Viney turned to the door and grinned widely. "Hey, Hooty! That's your cue, buddy!" A loud ruckus outside and Hooty's grating voice filled the room when the front door swung open, breaking up the little scuffle between King and Luz and making all of them flinch visibly.
"Anything for my new beeeeest friend! Here comes the Hooty Express, hooty hoot, hoot!" He sang in a voice so shrill it sent shivers down Amity's spine. Even worse was when Hooty curled himself into the room, his long, disturbingly soft, serpentine body writhing into the space from somewhere out in the yard. Balanced precariously on the length of his grotesque back were two large beds that he just barely managed to fit through the door before dropping them unceremoniously into the middle of the living room with a resounding crash. Humming happily to himself, he wriggled his way over to Viney, who patted his head affectionately in thanks.
"What in Titan's name is going on in here?" Drawn by the commotion, Eda walked in from the kitchen where she'd been in the middle of making potions, her hair pulled back into a messy tail that was frizzing all over the place from the steam coming off her brew. She looked from the beds sitting smack in the centre of her living room to King and the three girls on the sofa, one of whom was inexplicably petting Hooty like a favourite pet and crossed her arms. "I don't know this one," she said, propping one elbow in the crook of her folded arm to point at Viney curiously. "This another one of your friends, Luz?"
Luz, who had been staring in shock and confusion at the new furniture in the room, looked up at Eda and nodded.
"Uh, yeah… this is Viney. Viney, this is Eda." Viney grinned and waved at Eda who narrowed her eyes.
"Why is she dumping stuff in my house?" She leaned over towards Amity and Luz cautiously and lifted a hand to her mouth to talk from behind it, weary eyes never leaving Viney. "And why is she touching Hooty?" She asked as if the very idea disturbed her. Amity had to agree with the sentiment. The few times Hooty had come into contact with her in any way had been horrifying. He was entirely too squirmy and weirdly moist, which made no sense because he was meant to be made of wood. Or flesh. Or feathers? She honestly wasn't sure and that made it so much worse, especially when she remembered him pressing himself up against her face.
"I'm uh… not sure?" Luz said, looking at Viney questioningly and the older girl laughed, leaning an arm against a positively preening Hooty.
"Well, last time I came round, Hooty and I were having ourselves a little chat and it happened to come up that neither of you have beds. That didn't fly with the twins and they asked me to bring these along with the Scroll today," she said, waving her free arm at the two beds. Luz's eyes widened excitedly.
"Seriously?" She leapt off the sofa and danced on the spot happily. "No more sleeping on the floor! Yes, yes, yes, yes!" While she darted around the coffee table to bounce eagerly beside the beds, eyes shining over her huge grin, Amity stared at Viney in utter shock.
"How did they even get these?" She asked and Viney snorted through a shrug.
"I've learned not to question things when it comes to those two," she said, which Amity could understand fully. Sometimes the things the twins could do frightened her a little. They were so naturally talented, creative and downright crafty that it was almost lucky they were usually too lazy to really apply themselves. If they ever thought to try, Amity was fairly certain the two of them could wreak unspeakable havoc on the Boiling Isles. Or take over it entirely depending on how they were feeling that day. Eda's annoyed growl cut through her, hopefully over exaggerated, musings and Amity looked up to see her pouting, arms folded like a grumpy toddler.
"I was planning on getting you girls more permanent stuff since you're apparently gonna be around for a while but now I guess I don't have to. Those kids are making me look bad," she added with a huff that made Luz giggle. Eda turned annoyed eyes on Hooty who was still happily humming to himself under Viney's arm. "You and I are gonna have a talk about spilling all the house secrets to strangers, birdbrain! Now get back to guarding the house like you're supposed to. Who knows how many Coven Guards have been sneaking around while you're in here making yourself cozy." She swatted at him and he slithered away with an indignant squawk.
"Geez, you never let me have any fun! Hoot!" The door swung shut behind him and Viney stood to brush a few of Hooty's feathers from her uniform.
"Well that's my cue. It's been fun but it's time to cash in all the girlfriend points I've been racking up playing delivery girl for you two. See ya in class, cuties!" She said before slipping out with a casual wave. It took all of her considerable will for Amity to ignore that last comment, for the sake of her own sanity. She turned instead to a still bouncing Luz and grinned at her happy squeal.
"I know they haven't always been the best but I love your brother and sister," she gushed. Amity laughed and rolled her eyes as she stood, setting King on the ground at her feet so that he could scurry up onto one of the beds and perch himself there to test out the mattress. Apparently finding it to his liking, he promptly curled himself up and went straight to sleep.
"Yeah, they're definitely making up for a lot with this. No offense to that nest you made me, but I cannot wait to sleep in a real bed again," Amity said with utter relief. As sweet as Luz had been to put it together for her, cushions and blankets on a hardwood floor did not exactly make for an easy night's sleep. Eda scoffed at them, twirling a finger to lift the beds into the air with a bit of magic, heedless of King who yelped when his napping spot tilted beneath him, claws gripping onto the mattress tightly.
"Beds are fine but a nest? Now that's the best way to sleep. One day you kids will learn but, in the meantime, I suppose these will do." She strolled off towards the stairs, the beds bobbing along behind her.
"Unhand me witch! Eda! I demand you let me down! Please, I'm gonna be sick!" King cried. Amity and Luz scrambled to follow them, neither wanting their bed to be the one King defiled. Once the (thankfully vomit-free) beds were settled into their respective rooms, they spent a few moments setting them up with the various cushions and covers they already had. The pink blanket and white pillows on hers added a nice touch of colour to Amity's otherwise very bland room. Besides a chest of drawers and a tall cabinet that held her rescued clothing, the room was empty.
Having a bed again was great but it was still depressingly sparse in there. She longed for a little decoration but they hadn't had the time to do anything with the room yet. The thought made her feel like a selfish child and guilt over it swirled in her stomach. Eda had opened her home to her and Amity would never be able to tell her exactly how grateful she was for that, but sometimes she still felt a little like she didn't belong there. Like she was standing in a guest room rather than her own space.
Despite her very valid reason for leaving and the ever present ache of her parent's total and complete rejection of her, when she wasn't being distracted by school or Luz or terrifying rescue missions, Amity found herself missing the manor. Yes, she'd spent most of her days there miserable, stressed out and exhausted in every way, but there had been good moments too.
Quiet days spent reading on her window sill in the warm sun, hidden behind her curtains where no one could find her. Listening to the distinctive sounds of the twins scrambling about beyond her bedroom door while they got into all sorts of trouble. Getting lost amongst the many shelves of their private library and running her fingers along the dusty spines, looking for something new and interesting to study. Evenings spent sipping cool drinks and counting the stars on the balcony with her family around her, no one talking and all quietly going about their own business, but there none the less. She missed the familiarity of the home she'd grown up in. She missed the innocent, ignorant bliss of the life she'd had before her world had been shattered by the people meant to protect her and the rug of her childhood had been yanked from beneath her feet.
She'd only been away from home for a week but she knew she would never be able to go back and she missed it dearly. Missed her old room and its tidy but obviously lived-in feel filled with memories that made it her own. The twins may have saved her clothing and the Grom note and she loved them for that, but their idea of 'personal items' had been a few books and the Emperor's Coven poster she'd had taped to her wall, which she had promptly destroyed when she'd found it tucked into one of the bags they'd sent. They hadn't saved anything she might actually want to keep, which said a lot about how much mending their relationship still needed.
Things like the little Otabin plush that she'd kept under her bed from when she was just a child. Or the photo of her and Willow at her birthday party that she'd had tucked away in her bookshelf. Her lockbox. Her Grom crown. Little pieces of herself that she'd collected and saved over the years that were now gone forever. No matter how grateful she was that she had somewhere safe to stay where she was loved and free to express herself, a part of her longed for home and the Owl House didn't feel quite like one yet. Not when she was alone anyway.
So Amity turned from her empty room and walked over to Luz's instead, tamping down the guilt of her ungrateful thoughts with a smile when she knocked on the frame of Luz's open door.
"Hey, can I come in?" She asked tentatively. Luz looked up from where she was arranging an array of cushions and plushies at the head of her bed and smiled at Amity brightly.
"Of course you can. You're always welcome in here." She flopped onto her new bed and patted the purple bed covers beside her invitingly, which Amity was more than happy to accept. She curled herself up next to Luz, careful to avoid King who was dozing on the end of the bed and tucked her feet in under her so she could lean into her girlfriend. Luz slipped an arm around her and Amity let out a content sigh, already feeling far more at home as she watched Luz fiddle happily with her new Scroll.
"This thing is weirdly similar to my phone," she said as she poked at the papery screen with her thumb. "It's always neat seeing something here that's a magical version of something from Earth." She tilted the screen so Amity could get a clearer look. "Ed and Em even put their contacts in here. Yours too. We can spend all night texting each other!" She said and Amity chuckled. Luz's endless enthusiasm for all things magic never ceased to bring a fond smile to her face.
"Luz, my room is literally next door. You just have to talk loudly enough and I'll hear you." Luz shrugged, seemingly unconcerned.
"Yeah, but texting you will be way more fun." As if to prove her point, she typed out a quick message and sent it off with a grin. Amity rolled her eyes in amusement when a little musical chime played from her Scroll and sat up to summon it.
Unknown Rune: Hi amity! Guess who? ( ﾉ ◕ ヮ ◕ ) ﾉ *: ・ﾟ ✧
She snorted out a laugh, grinning as she stared at the ridiculous little character Luz had somehow drawn into the text with just shapes and symbols. Of course she'd found a way to be an adorable dork even over text. A few taps at the screen later and she had added Luz's rune sequence to her Scroll. If she added a little heart or two next to her name, no one needed to know.
"There's actually a reason I asked the twins to get you one of these," she said once she'd sent her scroll away.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I thought that, since your phone seems to work here, then maybe when… when you have to go home, the Scroll will work the same way. We can use it to keep in touch," Amity said quietly. Luz stilled, looking up from where she'd been messing with her Scroll to meet her eyes sadly. Amity's chest felt tight at the thought of Luz having to leave not too far in the future. They didn't talk about it much but her looming deadline was a constant dark cloud that hung over the both of them.
Even if things went perfectly and, by some miracle Luz's mother didn't have any problems with where Luz had really been all summer, Amity still doubted she would let Luz live permanently in the Owl house. In spite of the problems between them that Luz had told her about, she got the impression that Camila Noceda really loved her daughter and no loving parent would want their child permanently living in someone else's home. Not that she knew what that was like of course.
Logically she knew it wasn't exactly healthy for them to be living in the same space when they were so young and in a romantic relationship but Amity would take that over potentially never getting to see her again. She liked having Luz around all the time and when she eventually had to leave, Amity would miss her desperately.
"Oh…" The arm around Amity's shoulder tightened slightly. "I guess I forgot about that with everything that's been going on." Luz frowned down at her Scroll and then looked back up at Amity hesitantly. "But… there's no magic on Earth. Don't Scrolls need it to work?"
That was a fair question. Amity wasn't exactly sure how scrolls functioned. She knew magic was obviously involved but she'd never bothered looking into how they worked, so long as the one she had did work. Even when it didn't she'd usually just have it sent in for repairs or get a new one without thinking about it. She supposed she probably took the devices a little for granted.
"Maybe?" She said hesitantly. "I'm not really sure but it's worth a try. And if it doesn't work then I'll find some way of getting a human phone. We'll figure something out." She leaned against Luz and tucked her head into her neck, her throat tightening as she spoke. She needed Luz to know how much she meant to her, even if talking about it out loud made Amity feel terribly vulnerable and exposed. "Whatever it takes, I promise. I'm not ready to give you up, Noceda. Not when I just got you." She felt Luz take in a shaky breath before she set her scroll aside so she could slip that arm around Amity and draw her in close.
"Whatever it takes," she agreed and that tiny admission was enough to flood Amity with warmth because she knew Luz didn't want to lose her either. Soft lips pressed gently to the top of Amity's head in a feather light kiss and she sank into Luz with a hum. She let her eyes drift shut and wrapped her own arms around Luz's waist, surrounding herself with that familiar, lemony scent that was so uniquely her. They may not have a lot of time left together but Amity would savour every second she had with this girl who had made her life so much brighter.
"Why don't you just visit each other through the door?" A voice snapped at them and they both looked up sharply to where King was still curled up at the end of Luz's bed, apparently not quite as asleep as he'd been pretending to be. He hadn't opened his eyes and wasn't looking at them but the slight tilt of his head in their direction showed he had been listening. "It's not like the door is going anywhere and Eda's such a softy these days that you know she'll let you use it. Stop acting like you're never gonna see each other again. Your sweet, dramatic teenage yearning is sickening!" He glared at them for a moment before curling in on himself again and shutting his eyes to sleep. Or at least keep pretending to. A relieved laugh bubbled its way out of Luz and she gave Amity a little squeeze.
"The demon on my bed makes a good point. Not about us being sickening coz, rude," she said, glowering at King's back. "But we could still visit each other. The shack where the portal opens on Earth is really close to my house. I could come over after school or you could come visit me."
Amity's jaw fell open and she stared at Luz, utterly flummoxed. A moment ago it had felt like she might be on the cusp of losing her to another world forever. Like her own world might end with Luz's departure. Then King had dumped ice cold logic all over her spiraling thoughts and she suddenly felt like a complete fool. A deep flush spread across her cheeks. Stars, was this a part of puberty? If it was she wanted a refund because she did not like how quickly her emotions had swallowed her common sense just then.
"I… How did we not think of that?" She asked and Luz laughed again.
"I guess all the 'teenage yearning' was making our brains a little foggy," she said, leaning in to press a quick kiss to Amity's lips, mindful of the fact that King clearly wasn't as asleep as he was making himself out to be. "I'm just glad we have a plan now. Even if mami doesn't want me coming back here after we tell her everything, I'll find a way to sneak over if I have to. She's not home enough to stop me anyway." Her slightly bitter tone at the end twinged Amity's heart.
She knew that, while she was certainly a large part of the reason she was so determined to come back to the Boiling Isles, Luz really didn't want to lose the one place she felt like she could be herself. A place she'd found all her own dreams coming true. Dreams of friendship and adventure and magic that she had never imagined she'd have in her lifetime on Earth. Amity wanted all those things for her too. Luz was the kindest person Amity had ever met and she deserved to have everything she wanted and more.
Maybe her reasons weren't all entirely selfless. Maybe Amity wanted Luz to stay on the Isles for herself as well. But she also knew she would do whatever it took to make sure Luz got to come home so she could be happy too. Whether that meant persuading Camila or just sneaking Luz back through the door whenever she could, Amity would do it. Because this was Luz's home now. She belonged on the Boiling Isles and no one would ever convince Amity otherwise.