Firstly, I want to say I'm SO SORRY for keeping everyone waiting for this long. Had a lot of things going on, so finishing another chapter of this story was a damn nightmare. So much was on my mind, and the directions were all over the place. And boy I needed to finish this soon, because I never like to keep my readers waiting for so long.
Also before anyone asks, yes I have seen the first three episodes of Season 2, and let me just say that "One Witch's Secrets" has become a little outdated in terms of Alador, ha ha. Oh well, keeping with the story's ongoing plot, I need to keep to it and not make too much drastic changes. Consider it my "One Witch's Secrets" timeline if you want.
This chapter wouldn't have been possible without my good friend TheCartoonOG. He has a profile on Archive of our Own, so go check out his work! I'm helping co-write a story with him as thanks for his help on this chapter, so it would be highly appreciated.
Alright enough rambling, let's get onto Chapter 3!
The start of a new day was always caused by a new day of sunshine. As the morning sky began to light up all throughout the Boiling Isles, many creatures flew peacefully through the land, as various people awoke from their deep slumber.
Some people though, liked to get a few extra minutes of sleep. Luz Noceda always struggled to sleep at the Owl House when the night critters came to disturb her sleep.
But that all changed when Amity came into her home.
Still asleep, Luz was unaware that her girlfriend just woke up. Recently, Amity decided to stop using products to dye her hair green, because that would've felt like a reminder of her mother's nasty deeds. Surprisingly, Luz loved Amity's brown hair, going as far to call it cuter than before. Sometimes she'd even turn into a Bisexual disaster the very second Amity decided to let her hair down.
Even just thinking of Amity was plenty to keep Luz in her peaceful sleep for longer. Perhaps she was dreaming of the Blight girl. Amity took a close look at Luz, and deciding not to wake her up yet, just gave her a small kiss on her forehead. That didn't stop Luz's lips from spreading into a smile, and turned over towards Amity's direction. The two girls were at peace, again.
That is, until Amity was alerted awake by a shriek that came from another room, despite Luz still being asleep. Dorky girl must be a heavy sleeper.
She recognised that voice, it was Emira.
"Hooty..." she groaned.
The oldest Blight child by a few seconds before Edric, was rudely woken up by Hooty when he stuck his head through her window. "Hi Emira! Thought you needed a good wake-up call!"
"GET OUT OF HERE!" Emira screamed, still in shock from the sudden interruption.
"Okay! Just wishing you a good moooorning~!" Hooty continued, lowering his tube and exiting her room. Emira recently had a spare room done up for herself after getting rid of some old stuff that Eda didn't need. The Owl House was pretty big, so the twins could easily get their own bedrooms.
When it came to Edric, he was still asleep in his new bedroom. But when Hooty came in to try wishing him a good morning, the Blight teen suddenly grabbed Hooty by his tube and started snuggling him in his sleep.
"Mr. Painbow... snuggle with me..." he snored.
"Yay! I finally get a snuggle buddy!" Hooty exclaimed, deciding to fall asleep along with Edric.
Amity had no idea what her siblings were going through at this very second, but she was already awake, so she decided to get up and get ready. Standing up, she yawned and stretched her arms out, followed by rubbing her eyes to get them open more. She looked down at Luz, who was still sleeping despite the noise Amity heard.
She sighed, though out of innocence. "I'm giving you five minutes to sleep Luz. But I'm gonna come in here and force you awake if you're not up by then." And with that, she turned around and started making her way to the living room. The smell of some hot soothing steam attacked her nose, and she started to smell. "Mmmm, that smells so good."
When she made it to the main living area, Eda and King were already awake. Eda was drinking her Apple Blood. "Ahh, that's the good stuff right there."
"Speak for yourself! I am loving the heck out of this white blood!" King commented.
"You do know that's Dragoncorn milk, right?" Eda pointed out. "I think that can kill you if it's not unpasteurised."
"Nyeh!" King swatted towards Eda. "Let me drink in peace, thank you!"
"Just wait until he realises he's drinking from a baby bottle." Eda snickered to herself, before the corner of her eye caught Amity. "Oh! Mittens! You're awake."
Amity facepalmed in annoyance. Eda caught the nickname on from her siblings, and now she was saying it too. "Can you please stop calling me that?"
"Is Luz still asleep?" Eda asked.
"Yeah, I told her she could sleep for five more minutes, or else I'm gonna force her awake." Amity claimed.
"Heh, you're speakin' my language." Eda smirked.
Soon enough, Edric and Emira emerged from around the corner. "Emira, I think I might need a snuggle buddy for a while."
"You're sixteen years old Ed," she mumbled. "You shouldn't need a snuggle buddy!"
"But it makes sleeping so much better!" Edric then turned his attention to Amity. "Well good morning, Missus Mittens!"
"Missus Mittens?!" Amity exclaimed. Her entire face turned red right afterwards, and she covered it. Luz may have become her girlfriend, but she can still get easily flustered at points. "Don't ever say that again!"
"Well why wouldn't he?" Emira teased. "You have a girlfriend now~!"
"That doesn't give you an excuse to call me Missus Mittens!" Amity barked. She didn't notice Luz walked past her to take her reserved seat, to which the human girl just stared at Amity while she still remained unaware. "That first nickname is already bad enough, I don't need an extension of it!"
"Ooh, you better keep quiet there baby sister." Emira smirked, directing her eyes at Luz.
"What?! Am I not getting my point across enough?!"
Amity then felt a tap on her shoulder. When she turned around to see who poked her, Luz was right up in her face, giving her a cheeky grin.
"Good morning."
"BAH!" Amity shrieked, falling back on the couch with her face entirely red.
Luz and the twins laughed in response, until she bent over to get a good look at her girlfriend. "I can't believe you still get flustered from me." she giggled.
"Only because you surprised me!" Amity responded, still in shock.
Luz helped Amity back up, then she leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the lips, making the latter feel more relaxed after the shock. "There, feel better?" Luz smiled.
"M-Much better..." Amity stuttered, caught in a daze.
"Alright, enough of that adorable smoochy stuff," said Eda as she rubbed her nose. "Drink up before your morning beverage gets cold."
"Adorable would be an understatement, Eda!" Luz responded.
"Well save that stuff for when I'm not around, or else I'm gonna get sick."
"We can build them a treehouse to do it!" Emira teased.
Amity's face turned red again. "EMIRA!"
"I think we should just drink up to get ready for the day." Lilith murmured, taking a sip from her drink.
"So, what's on the agenda?" Luz asked. "You two gonna learn some more Glyph magic?"
"As far as we're able to learn, kiddo." Eda commented. "Although, this time I'm gonna have to try and stick to the rules, or else I could be hit with another disaster." She added.
"It all comes in due time, sister." Lilith replied.
"Well actually, me and Ed were gonna hit up Bonesborough and get some things to keep around here for now," said Emira. "I don't know how much longer it's gonna be before Mom and Dad will let us live at their house again."
"Knowing them, it could take an eternity." Amity groaned.
"I miss my old stuff." Edric sighed.
Eda and Lilith were secretly tuning into this talk that the Blight kids were in. They knew that living in a crummy old house was hard for some rich kids who could often get spoiled. Amity was the only one who felt objected, because she felt like nothing more than a puppet for Alador and Odalia to wave around. Emira and Edric seemed determined to live a similar life.
When they both exchanged looks at each other, they knew exactly what the other was thinking. Alador and Odalia deserved no mercy, so they could make an exception. "Actually, I think we'll head out for the day as well." Eda lied.
"Where are you going?" Luz asked.
"We're just... gonna try some experiments, for now." Lilith added.
"Hoot! Experiments! I want to try one soon, Lu-Lu!" Hooty chipped in.
"I'll be delighted to see it soon." Lilith smiled.
"Well if everyone's heading out," Luz began before turning to Emira. "Can me and Amity come with you? We have never gone shopping before!"
"Sure! The more the merrier." Emira replied. In reality, she just loved to get opportunities to tease Amity about her new relationship with Luz. All in good fun though.
"Where could we even go for shopping, Luz?" Amity asked when she swallowed her drink. The thought of heading into town for shopping seemed hard with all the recent events going on, both with her and Luz. Eda gave her a responsibility now, and she knew she had to take it into consideration.
"We could look for some... Azura stuff!" Luz said excitedly.
"I suppose we could, as long as we stay under profile."
"Or you two can find a secret spot and hang out together~!" Edric quipped, followed by laughter from himself and Emira. Amity was unamused, especially since she already had a secret spot to hang out if she ever needed to.
At least there was always the hideout in the library.
Eventually, the breakfast feast was concluded, and the day truly began. Emira and Edric admittedly liked helping Eda out in the kitchen when putting dishes away, perhaps to boost their good Blight reputation in the household. Amity meanwhile, was in her homemade bedroom getting ready to head out with her group. Going into Bonesborough was no doubt going to be scary, as the Blights are fairly well known. And any encounter with her parents could be inevitable.
Amity breathed slowly. She had to be more controlling of her emotions this time, especially if she has to concentrate on protecting Luz. Anytime it was let out of control, she wouldn't hold it back. Very well could the memories of her fight with Boscha haunt her minds, knowing what it led up to.
For now, it was time for her to enjoy herself. It was only her second day being Luz's girlfriend after all, so the magical memories were well on their way until Luz would inevitably have to go back to the Human Realm.
But surely she'd never leave it forever.
Surely.
Soon, Amity heard a knock at the door. When she went to open it, she expected to see Luz standing behind, wearing her usual casual clothes when School wasn't on. Instead, Luz was wearing something completely different, to immediately spark into her eyes. A pink striped shirt, with the same shorts and shoes. Yes it was just a shirt, but Amity couldn't help it.
How did she take little effort to look so dang cute?
"Hey Amy! You ready to go?"
Amity swore she'd die if she kept hearing Luz refer to her as that. It was cute, but so much blushing would kill her if it wanted to. Breathing in, Amity put her hands on Luz's shoulders. "Yes! I'm ready!"
"Cool! Let's go!"
Luz turned around and dashed downstairs, almost tripping in the process. Amity had to make sure a gasp didn't leave, or else Luz could catch onto her protective needs. She slowly made her way down the stairs where her siblings were waiting for them.
"About time you guys got ready," Edric quipped. "We've been waiting for nearly five minutes."
"Does time naturally slow down in the Demon Realm compared to Earth?" Luz asked curiously.
"How would we know any of that?" Eda snorted. "I bet you that Goops kid would."
"It would be impossible for a Witch to discover that amount of time difference," Luz thought outoud. "Oh, and his name is Gus." she added.
"Gus, huh?" Eda replied. "Could swear his name was Goops."
Hooty opened the door for the kids to leave. "Don't take too long new friends! I can get bored without a large company, hoot!"
The kids almost immediately sprinted through the door, unwilling to handle anymore of the Owl Tube's constant talking. Before they left for their location, they all waved back to Eda and Lilith, the former in particular giving a subtle nod towards Amity. She knew exactly what that gesture was for, and promised to herself to stick by Luz at all costs.
No matter the consequences or situation, she wouldn't let Luz out of her sight. Titan knows what she could get herself into at any given opportunity. But she had to stop worrying for now, or else she'd lose track of her group. She hastily caught up with them and made their way down to Bonesborough.
When the kids were out of sight, Eda went back into the Owl House, doing something she didn't remotely say to Luz. She went into the main area and grabbed several bags for her and Lilith.
"Edalyn, do you think it's appropriate to do this?" Lilith asked in concern. "I'm all for helping our new residents, but... stealing?"
"It's not stealing if you're still keeping it with those who own it!" Eda explained, tossing a bag onto her sister. Her words spoke true though. Eda was planning to go to Blight Manor and take back everything that Amity, Edric, and Emira owned. She knew full well that stealing stuff from anywhere was in her blood, but for once at a good cause.
It almost felt motherly in a way, as much as she hated to admit it. She already did well for Luz in recent times, even making sure the girl had the right food to digest. Plus, with Lilith by her side, perhaps raising three more kids wouldn't be a problem.
After all, it only appeared to be temporary.
"But what if their parents find out about what we did?" Lilith asked. "They could easily frame us as kidnappers."
"They'll only know if they see us doing it." Eda explained. "Besides, their parents would be too afraid to run into you again."
"First off, I was wearing my Coven uniform, and I'm not going to wear it again." Lilith growled in annoyance. "Secondly, they could inevitably realise I'm on my own now, and stand up to me like they're more powerful!"
"You worry too much," Eda snorted. "Now are you coming with me or not?" Reluctantly, Lilith decided she had no choice. Grabbing her nearby staff, she prepared to take off with Eda. "Oh wait, I almost forgot something."
Slumping back into the Owl House, Eda went in and soon came out with the house's tiny demon scrambling out of her grasp. "How dare you disturb the King of Demons during his daily nap!"
"Well how else am I gonna spy on whoever's nearby?" Eda replied, plopping King onto the front of her staff. "You can't just leave the boring stuff to Lilith. Besides, we're doing this for the Blight kids." That seemed to be enough convincing to get King to agree to come along, so he just took hold of the staff to make sure he didn't fall off. "Great, let's fly!"
The Clawthorne sisters shot right up into the sky and flew over the forest beneath them. They couldn't see the kids from under the trees, but it didn't matter if they saw them anyway. All they said was they're flying somewhere, but never specified their location.
And said location was not far away. The sign basically gave it away to the flying sisters. Landing in front of it, they needed to make sure nobody was home.
"Alrighty King, this is when you come in," said Eda, tapping King's back.
"Wait, I didn't ask to go in and do it myself!" King whined.
"I never said you have to do everything! Boy you're assumptive. Just go in and make sure nobody's home, then we'll make our move."
"Fiiiiine!" The tiny demon walked up to the front gate, and didn't even try to open it. Only giving a light nudge at the gate, not helping the situation. "Well, it's locked. May as well try again later." Eda was not about to have it with King's futile efforts, and quickly grabbed his collar and threw him straight over the gate, landing face first on the other side. "What the heck?!"
"See? Problem solved!" Eda chuckled. "Now go do what you gotta do!"
King turned his back to Eda, and scurried to the front door. He knew it would've been an obvious giveaway though, so he tried to see if he could get into any of the windows. Blight Manor had a fair number of them, so one of them had to do the trick.
However, the corner of his eye caught notice of something under the door. It was a long piece of paper. Was this a trick?
The tiny demon quickly took the paper and decided to read it, in case there was something the Blight parents had planned. He hid in the bushes when doing so.
And he read through the paper.
The whole paper.
When he was done, he looked shocked. Almost like he was beginning to feel sorry for someone. Someone who just entered the very location he lived in. He really needed to give Amity some credit for this.
Scruching it up in determination, he went to any of the windows to see if he could get inside. Except all the windows were locked. This would certainly be no easy feat, as breaking the window could be another giveaway.
Luckily, one of the windows was open a little bit. Thanks to his tiny size, he squeezed through the tight gap and made his way into the Manor. Taking a moment to adjust himself, he took a good look around the room he was in. With the Azura stuff and Emperor's Coven poster present, he quickly figured out that it was Amity's bedroom.
"I can't wait to see the look on those crummy parents' faces when they see what we're gonna do!"
Nobody was present in this room, so he quietly went out the room to see if anybody was around.
Not a sound was heard.
He went to every bedroom in his sneaky way, but to no avail.
"Coast seems clear!"
King quickly went back into Amity's room to make his way out the window. He still had the paper he read within his claws, he wanted Eda to read it. It seemed like she could have every right to do what she was going to do now.
"Took you long enough!" Eda complained, until she noticed King's slip. "Hey, whatcha got there?"
"The coast is clear, but I found this note." King said in a serious tone. "I think you two should read it."
Eda and Lilith exchanged worried looks at each other, and the former sister took the note from King to give it a read together.
Minutes passed, and they had no words.
It was scary that the two almost had the same reaction King did when they were done. Were... were the Blight parents really going to go this low?
Suddenly, Eda realised she may have to take back a comment she made earlier. Tucking it into her pocket, her weirdly motherly instincts started to kick in. Regardless of a protest, it was personal. When she turned to Lilith, she nodded quietly.
Lilith was no longer concerned of committing a crime. There was no remorse to be held now.
It was time to take everything the Blight children owned, and give them back, personally.
With love.
Bonesborough was fairly busy around this time of day, especially when the sign was shining without a sign of rain to come. It could make it hard to even reach a shop you wanted to go to. Thankfully, crowds never bothered the Blights. They were practically used to it at this point.
Regardless of the busy crowd, Luz was not going to let it get in the way of her shopping day with Amity. The idea seemed so exciting for her that she even considered bringing Amity to the Human Realm to do things that she loved doing.
The consequences though seemed far too great. Any wrong hands that get onto a portal could spell disaster for Luz's world. For now, it was just time to enjoy herself with her friends.
And they did a lot.
First, they all went to the book store, looking for their usual tray of favourites. Luz was always eager to see the Azura stuff they had, glad that Amity was with her as well. Edric and Emira, when they weren't looking around, would typically just pull sneaky pranks on customers and even staff, praying that they at least don't get caught. Amity would normally tell them off for what they were doing, but she was too happy being with Luz that she could let it slide a few times.
After the look through the book shop, they decided to get some lunch. Unfortunately for Luz, the Blights were unaware of the kinds of food that she couldn't eat. All Amity offered to give her was a chunk of ogre meat. It looked... uncooked. Who knew if this kind of food would kill her?
Luz didn't want to throw up. It would look too hurtful for her girlfriend.
But Amity wasn't stupid. She wasn't going to let a clear negative gesture shadow over her to guilt trip her.
"Can you not eat this kind of food?" She asked innocently.
The sweet tone in her delivery gave Luz comfort in that she could tell her the truth. "No."
"Fair enough, I'll see if they have something you'll eat." Amity replied, getting up to have another look at the menu. Luz was caught in a daze, unwilling to look away from her girlfriend. She cared about her so much that a literal offer for meat was taken lightly. It was nothing compared to standing up for her at Grom, but if there was one thing Luz knew about Amity, she'd fight near death to keep her safe.
She loved her, so, so much.
Once Luz had managed to feast on something more to her standards, they continued their shopping trip. Admittedly after the book shop, Luz and Amity were getting a bit bored of the shopping trip. But that time was filled with them just being love-filled idiots, giggling and kisses filling it all the way.
Through all the shops they had to go to with Edric and Emira, they were never bored, keeping each other entertained or just plain joyful by the other's presence.
The amount of love Luz had for Amity was something truly beyond this world, or even her own world.
There was however, one store that Luz took notice of, for a personal reason. A jewelry store sat on the other half of where she was standing. Being the hopeless romantic she was, she had to fulfill a trope she loved. Call it cliched she could, but it was still something wonderful to do.
Getting something special for the love of her life.
"Luz?" That love of hers spoke from behind, throwing Luz off balance and turning to face her.
"Oh, sorry Amity!" Luz stuttered. "I was just gonna go into that jewelry shop."
"Really? I was gonna go into the clothes store. You know we're gonna need new clothes to wear at the Owl House." Amity pulled on Luz's wrist, not willing to let her out of sight.
"Mittens, come on." Emira pushed Amity's hand away. "Stop being so clingy. If Luz wants to go into that shop, let her."
"But..." Amity paused for a moment, briefly stopped when Luz gave her a kiss on the nose.
"I'll be fine," she smiled.
Amity kept a promise to Eda. She had to keep Luz close by without letting her run into trouble. Any shop could be shady, and untrustworthy.
But it would only be a few minutes, they both knew that.
"Okay, fine." Amity finished. "But don't be too long."
"I won't!" Luz replied, rushing into the shop. Her naive optimism sent a chill down Amity's spine, knowing it could potentially lead her into danger. She had to trust her, so she turned around and went to her shop with Emira. Edric meanwhile, was just sitting on a bench waiting for both groups to be done.
Taking her first steps into this shop, Luz was admiring the various pieces of jewelry that they had. Granted she isn't one for beauty, but Amity was beauty, so she could make an exception. Gawking at the various aisles of necklaces and rings, Luz was completely unsure of what to choose. They all looked equally pretty, and equally expensive.
Would Amity even like jewelry in the first place? She's rich, but she didn't seem to like being pampered. But Luz, as she normally would, decided to take that risk anyway. Even if Amity didn't like it, she would never get upset with her.
If only she could make her mind up on what to pick out.
Just when it seemed like her eye caught something perfect, her ear picked up on a familiar voice that came from someone in the shop. Normally, that voice would send a dark chill down her spine, almost willing to do something about that bratty and annoying tone.
Except that was then, and this is now.
As Luz suspected, it was indeed Boscha. She was looking at various pieces of jewelry along the wall, particularly at the necklaces. She was mumbling to herself about what to pick out.
It may be a bit rude to interrupt, but the curiosity got the better of Luz, and she couldn't resist.
"Hi Boscha!"
The sudden blurt from Luz caused Boscha to shriek in surprise, almost losing her balance in the process. She turned around to face Luz. "Human! What are you doing here?!" There was clear annoyance in her voice, and Luz decided to back down. "Uhh... sorry about that."
"It's okay, I didn't mean to scare you," Luz whimpered.
"I just wasn't expecting you to be in a place like this, that's all," Boscha turned around to have another look through her jewelry, still listening to whatever Luz wanted to say.
"Really? I could say nearly the same thing about you," Luz giggled. "Why are you in here, anyway?"
That sudden question caused Boscha's face to light up bright red. She knew why she was in here, but did Luz need to know yet? Trying to keep her face hidden, she continued to look. "Oh you know, just looking for something nice to wear at a party tonight."
"Party? What kinda party?"
Luz was really going to be this nosey, wasn't she? Boscha already lied now, she may as well keep going to get Luz off her back. "It's just a family party! As in, friends not invited."
"Oh."
Boscha's back remained faced to Luz. At least she was doing a good job at hiding her flustered face, which was thankfully settling down. Luz wasn't ready to know her secret. Not yet anyway. "So, what brings you to this shop?"
"I was gonna get something in here for Amity. Something nice to show my token of love for her."
Seemed similar to what Boscha was doing.
"Why don't you get her a necklace? That one she wears from time to time looks pretty ugly." Boscha flinched a little with that last delivery. She really didn't want to throw out such a quip that could make Luz question her change of heart.
"It's not ugly!" Luz cried. "Everything about Amity is beautiful!"
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry." Boscha said simply, her eye still not going back to Luz. "That just slipped out."
Luz was relieved to hear that comment. For just a second, she thought Boscha was going back to her old form. At least she was willing to apologise when Luz called her out, so the steps were going well into the right direction. She decided to stand beside Boscha, finally being caught by her eyes. "I've kinda been gawking at everything I see. It's all so beautiful!" She cried, putting her hands on her face. "I don't know what to choose!"
From her point of view, Boscha could tell Luz was feeling stuck. Like two peas in a pod. She just needed a little bit of help, as much as she did. She gently took her hands off her eyes and pointed at a glowing pink necklace. "How about that one? It's pink, just like Amity's track colours."
Pink... exactly like the track colours of Abomination. Luz's eyes geeked for a second, because it just looked so perfect for Amity. As a small squeal left her lips, Luz hugged Boscha with excitement. "It's perfect! Thank you!" The sudden act of affection from Luz cut Boscha off from even thinking of what she was doing. But she reluctantly returned the hug, rather slowly.
"Not a problem, Luz."
Dang, she was getting so used to calling her by her name. But the prolonged hug was making things a bit awkward for her, even if it was a bit nice to get a hug from someone who was starting to care for her. "Now, can you please let go of me?"
"Oops, sorry!" Luz excused herself, and went to grab the pink necklace to pay for at the register. Boscha stared at her for a second, and expected her to leave the store. Instead, she waltzed right back to where Boscha was. "Hey, maybe I can help you find something too!"
"No thanks Luz, I can handle this by myself." Boscha stuttered, trying not to look so red again. But even the tiniest showings sent Luz into nosey mode again.
"Ohh, I think I know what's going on here!" Luz said in a cheeky tone. "Someone's in looove!"
"I am not in love!" Boscha sneered.
"Then why's your face red?" Luz grinned. "You told me you're not into romance, but I think you were lying!"
"I said I'm not in love!"
Boscha's sudden uproar caused Luz to stumble back a bit. Granted she could get used to Boscha getting angry with her, but never in a genuine sense. She thought maybe it was best to back down. Taking her bag, Luz gave a light wave to Boscha and headed for the doorway.
But the three-eyed girl figured there wasn't a point in hiding it now. If Luz was all who had to know her secret, maybe it was best that was all who needed to know. At least, the small extent of it. Looking back at all the jewelry, Boscha realised that simply getting this gift for whoever she had her eye on wasn't going to make up for how she had been acting in recent years.
She couldn't cower. She had to brace it fiercely if she were to be brutally honest.
Before Luz left the store, Boscha held onto her wrist to stop her. Guilt was shown in her eyes. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell."
"No, I'm sorry for being all nosey." Luz said sincerely. "I'll let you do what you gotta do."
"I don't think a gift is worth it at this point," Boscha admitted. "I need to try a bit harder if I'm gonna earn my crush's love."
"So you do have a cruxh!"
"Yes I do! But don't tell anyone, okay?!"
Luz did a little gesture, as in to zip her mouth shut. But being a human, Boscha had absolutely no idea what she meant. "I'll keep my mouth shut? It's a gesture."
"Oh, like a human gesture?" Luz nodded simply in response. "Ah, fair enough."
"Well either way," Luz said gently when she put her hand on Boscha's shoulder. "I won't bother you about this anymore. But I want you to know, from experience, you should embrace everything you love about this crush of yours. Show them how much you love them, or even how much you're sorry for what you did. At the end of it, I'm sure they'll return your feelings."
How did some genuine confidence from Luz make Boscha feel better? Was this just part of her nature? Was it a secret trick she learned in recent years? Luz was a strange individual, but that strange charm was there. Enough to make Boscha smile in response.
"Thank you Luz."
Luz returned a smile in response, and opened the door to let her new friend out. Boscha stepped out gleefully, her eyes still glued onto Luz in joy. The confidence boost was all she needed to make sure her redemption to her crush was worth it.
While Luz was initially smiling as well, the very second she turned forward, her eyes widened and her mouth dropped in shock. As soon as Boscha did the same thing...
The confidence and joy vanished, replaced by fear.
Amity was standing right in front of the two of them, having just left the shop that she was in with Emira. Along with her, Edric was standing behind her.
Amity's fists were by her sides, and she looked MAD. It was almost terrifying for Luz to see Amity looking this peeved, and had to find a way to make sure she took this calmly.
"Amity..." Luz said gently.
The Blight girl was completely deaf to anything Luz tried to say to her, when all there was in her body was pure blind rage. This was, after all, the first time Amity had seen Boscha since that night at the festival.
And how horrible it seemed to have Boscha literally talking to Luz after EVERYTHING she had just done to her in recent times.
She knew she shouldn't have let Luz go off by herself.
"WHAT WERE YOU DOING WITH HER?!" Amity roared loudly.
Boscha immediately flinched in fear, trying to keep her moral ground. But it seemed impossible right now. "I-I was just talking to her Amity! You don't need to get so-!"
"GET SO WHAT?!" Amity's voice was so loud that people around started to take notice. "GET SO WORKED UP OVER SEEING YOU WITH LUZ?!"
"I was only talking to her! Nothing more!" There was clear fear in Boscha's voice, one that Amity refused to take notice of.
"I know you too well Boscha! You do anything but talk to people! Always up to your usual tricks and eventually cutting down to anybody who has a higher ground than you! You did it to Willow, you did it to me, and now you're doing it to Luz?! I'm surprised you even had the decency to show up here without a THOUGHT of me showing up like I am now!"
Boscha didn't even try to get defensive. Despite how scared she was, Amity had every right to yell at her. "Amity, I've changed! Really!"
"Oh there you go with your stupid manipulative talking!" Amity snapped. With every passing scream from her lungs, she was getting fairly sick to her stomach. But she kept going, unwilling to stop now. "You say you've changed, but I know for a fact that you're only saying that just so you can backstab people you cared about! I MEAN, YOU PERFECTLY SHOWED THAT OFF AT FESTIVAL LAST WEEK!"
Falling back onto the ground, Boscha tried to scurry away from Amity, who only stormed closer to her. Even Luz looked so frightened by Amity's fit of rage that she had to keep near Emira.
"You know Boscha, normally I wouldn't be getting this angry with you! Because I thought for just the TINIEST bits in my life, that you were actually a decent witch who was fun to hang out with! But no, that was just younger me being a total IDIOT and needing to stick with the fact that you're the kind of horrible person who NEVER CHANGES! Even after EVERYTHING that happened at Hexside, you STILL remained your stupid cold-hearted self! OH WAIT, SOMETIMES I FORGET IF YOU EVEN HAVE A HEART IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Amity's breath was getting more puffed out, but she needed Boscha to hear this. "It was you who made me lose Willow, it was you who exposed my secret to Luz before I intended to, it was you who MADE ME FEEL MISERABLE!"
That last part hit really hard for Boscha. She didn't want to show it, but it did.
"From start to finish, you've been nothing more than a pathetic child who refuses to take responsibility and lashes at others for not feeling the same! I've been holding this in for as long as I can imagine, but I feel it's completely justified! You'll never change, and you don't deserve a chance! AND YOU BETTER STAY AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS, OR YOU'LL WISH YOU NEVER EVEN SAW ME!"
So many emotions were bottled up in Amity at this very moment. Anger, rejection, and sadness. Everything that led up to this, all because of Boscha's horrible deeds. From her point of view, there was no decency from her at all.
And Boscha knew one thing. She would never be friends with Amity again.
Despite the harsh lashing, Boscha got up as fast as she could and began to run. Seemed like a role reversal to her, as this was the exact thing that happened during the festival. Now she was running, far away from the rage induced Blight.
She wasn't going to let Amity's lashing gloss over the advice Luz had given her, so perhaps her other friends were more important to deal with than Amity right now. She knew what her next move was, and wanted to make a move on it.
Even then, what Amity said? That hurt.
Really badly.
Within a few short seconds, Amity had suddenly transformed into a different person. A witch so unbearably frustrated that Luz almost swore it wasn't the same Amity she grew to love in the last few days.
The enraged Blight was still standing in her place, breathing heavily, knowing full well everything she had just said. All the years of pain and suffering were lashed onto the very girl who basically gave her that pain in the first place. To her, it was all worth it.
Luz went up to her, feeling unsure of what to say. When she lightly tapped Amity's shoulder, she was greeted by her angry look. But she could tell she seemed less angry than she was a few seconds ago.
"Luz, what the heck were you thinking going to talk to Boscha like that?! I almost feel like you've forgotten everything she did to me! And you as well!"
"Amity, on a regular circumstance, I would agree with what you said." Luz breathed in slowly. She knew what she was about to say next could send her girlfriend into another blind rage. "But I think there was a better way to say what you just said to Boscha."
"Wha-?!" Amity swore she had to hear that right. "BETTER WAY?! Luz! This is Boscha we're talking about! The same girl who tried to kill you during Grudgby practise!"
"Yeah, I know. But that was a different Boscha. The Boscha I know now, is beginning to change."
"Are you even listening to what you're saying, Luz?!" Amity asked in disbelief. "Boscha contributed to my life being miserable! She bullies my friends, she blames her problems on others... she's a monster!
"Amity!" Luz gasped. "Boscha is not a monster! Not now anyway!"
"I know more about her than anyone else does! And she's one of the most miserable people that live on the Boiling Isles! Never once have I seen any level of decency from her!"
"But I have, and I can tell she's not all bad!"
"HOW HAVE YOU?!" Amity startled.
Luz jumped back in defense from Amity's outburst. She hoped it was better to keep her night about Boscha a secret until the time was right. Which seemed to be now. "Alright, you want me to tell you? Boscha stayed at the Owl House on the night that she exposed your secret."
Amity was utterly flabbergasted at what she just heard, still keeping in her angry state of mood. "Why would you let her do that after what she did to you?!"
"You really think I was gonna let her die?! And even then, after Boscha spoke to Lilith, she apologised to me! And we started getting along with each other!"
"You can't give into Boscha so easily!" Amity replied harshly. "She may act nice at first, but sooner or later she'll stab you in the back to make her feel better about herself! She's fluking on you, Luz!"
Amity was becoming really difficult to reason with, despite Luz trying to keep herself calm as to not anger Amity even more. "I'm not going to act like she's perfect, but I know she's trying. She really does want to help others out to make up for her actions. You just need to let her in."
"NO!" Amity snapped. "Boscha doesn't speak on that term and you know it! Helping someone who treats you like garbage won't do a single thing for them!"
Suddenly, Luz felt her mood was shifting to one that she tried to keep under control. Something about the way Amity said that last line felt very vague to her. Reminding her of something that had happened long when Luz first arrived at the Boiling Isles.
Even now, it seemed like Amity was acting the way she used to when she held a grudge against Luz; Judgemental and angry.
Now Luz was starting to feel angry as well. Without warning, she stood right up to Amity, face to face, enough to actually throw the Blight girl off. "Funny you should say that. Because don't let me forget what happened when I first met you!" She yelled. "You picked on me and my friends, without an ounce of decency to show for it! Yet when I saw you reading to those kids, I knew there was a soft side that you needed help getting out of! Even after you pushed me away, I still wanted to be your friend! And look where that got you! You've patched things up with Willow, you're on better terms with your siblings, and..." Luz paused for a second, trying to fight against the cracks in her delivery. "And you have a girlfriend! All because I believed you could change!"
Startled, but nontheless intact, Amity started getting defensive. "That's different Luz! I was always noble to people when I was a kid! It was my stupid parents who forced me to change, and Boscha established that misery front and center! She's been horrible throughout her entire life!"
"Do you actually know that, though?" Luz asked quietly.
For just a second, Amity felt her arguments coming to a grinding halt. Luz really did have a point there. Amity didn't know Boscha for all of her life, and yet it was the first impressions that led her to believe the girl was beyond redemption. Very much like what happened when Amity first met Luz posing as Willow's abomination.
"No..." Amity muttered.
"Exactly." Luz replied. "I didn't like you at first, but now I do. You got way over the line there. In fact, the way you spoke to me just then was almost like how you did when you confronted me and Willow at the gates of Hexside."
Amity's eyes faced Luz's, widened and surprised. Any reminder of the way she used to be would send chills down her spine, because given the circumstances, she may not even be where she was today. She never would've been Luz's girlfriend if it wasn't for her, she never would've patched things up with Willow, and she never would've protested towards her parents.
Her life got better in the long term, all thanks to Luz believing she could change.
It was incredible.
Then something broke. Amity jumped forward and hugged Luz, trying to fight back the agonizing sobs she could feel were coming.
"I'm sorry, Luz! I'm sorry for everything I said to you! I shouldn't have yelled!"
"Hey hey, it's okay." Luz spoke gently, eagerly returning the hug to her emotional girlfriend.
The next few seconds were just the two girls hugging to keep each other calm. Amity's breathing got softer, and Luz's gentle hearbeats helped in keeping her that way.
When the time came, they broke from their hug and stared into each other's eyes, something they'd been doing a lot recently. "Luz, I... I really am sorry."
"I know you're sorry," Luz smiled. "I know you're too much of a sweetheart to not be sincere with your apologies. But I know why you got so angry at Boscha. You're just being protective, and that's okay. She did do a lot of horrible things, but trust me when I say, she is changing."
"Are you sure?" Amity asked quietly.
"Would I ever lie to you?"
The Blight girl faced down for a second. "No."
"Exactly." Luz stroked her fingers in Amity's hair, sending tingles down her body. "You just need to let her in."
"I don't think I can forgive her yet, Luz. But I guess I can let you talk to her again." Amity also did the same thing with Luz's hair. "Promise me you'll tell me what you're doing before you do anything."
"Gee, okay Mom." Luz giggled. "But sure, I'll tell you."
"Good, that's my girl." Amity smirked.
"Oh I see, you're gonna start being funny with me now Blight?" Luz replied in a cheeky tone, sending her girlfriend into playful giggles when her fingers tickled her neck.
That cute moment of fluff was plenty to get Amity to cheer up again. She gave Luz a quick kiss on the lips, and looked behind at her siblings. "Should we go home?"
"Yeah, I think so." Emira admitted. "Today was a pretty eventful one for you, Mittens." She recieved a light elbow nudge from Amity in response, albeit in a playful manner.
The kids grabbed their bags and decided to head back home. But Luz took a brief look behind her to see if she could spot Boscha anywhere. The girl was running fast, really fast. It was almost unbelievable that someone like her ran off in such fear when she also saved Luz from being eaten by a giant monster.
It was a personal matter though, not a rescue mission.
She really was going to need some help.
It was extremely quiet on the way back to the Owl House. Aside from Edric saying a few things in regards to the surrounding area, everyone else remained silent. Luz and Emira were still in a bit of shock from Amity's outburst, and as for her...
She didn't say much on their way home. Part of her was still feeling bad over how angry she was towards Luz, and to some extent, even Boscha. She knew she had every right to call her out on the exposure, but even she had to admit some of her choice words were going way too far. It seemed to be too much of a common problem for her to easily lash at others.
Amity had some real anger issues that she needed to work on, especially when she lives in an era where love comes her way from those who used to hold a grudge against her. She knew now that she had to fix this mental state of her's, or the next thing she could expect is unintentionally hurting someone she loves.
She would never forgive herself if she hurt Luz.
"Hooooot! The kids are back with bags!" Hooty cried from in front of them.
"Hooty, not now." Luz spoke in a serious tone. "Amity's going through some thought right now."
"Really? Because there's a surprise for you inside, Blights!"
"Surprise?" Amity asked curiously.
"Is it a pet bat?!" Edric asked excitedly.
Luz eagerly opened the door, to see there wasn't much of a change. Although Eda and Lilith were sitting on the sofa, with welcoming gestures. "Hey, you kids are home!"
"Hooty said something about a surprise. What is it?" Emira asked.
The Clawthorne sisters gave each other a quick smile, before turning to the Blights. "You should go to your rooms first. You seem awfully tired." Lilith replied.
As their word, the Blights went towards their separate rooms.
They were filled with utter surprise.
All of their stuff was in each of their rooms. All their books, belongings, and even their own beds. Granted the paintings were still the same they always were, but... How?!
That was all they thought. How did they do this, and how did their parents not know?
They immediately went back downstairs to confront the Clawthornes.
"You took all our stuff from Blight Manor?!" Amity cried.
"Yeah, pretty cool isn't it?" Eda smirked.
"No, you don't get it! You can't steal our stuff!" Emira explained. "If our parents find out, they could easily put you two in prison!"
"That is... if they were still your parents." Lilith admitted.
The Blight children were caught off by surprise, until Lilith handed them the note King had found at Blight Manor. They opened it up to read the following.
Dear Children,
We've left this letter by our Manor in case you decide to bring your sorry excuses back home. It will do you no good, because me and your father have decided that you're strong enough to be on your own.
If you think you're capable of handling others, let alone even facing your own parents, then perhaps our company is better off without you. We wish you all the best, but will not be letting you back into our home after everything you've caused.
Good luck with your lives.
-Odalia Blight
The room was filled with complete silence after what they had just read.
All these years of being looked after by their very own blood, living up to the family name.
Thrown out the window within a second.
"They've... disowned us..." Amity whispered.
Emira and Edric had to make sure they heard those words properly. They both stared at each other and briefly at Amity for a while, unsure of what to even say. But, the looks from Eda and Lilith gave her an uplifting reassurance.
"Well you know what?" Emira spoke at last. "Maybe we are better off without them! Mom and Dad have done nothing but force everything they want onto us!"
"I have to agree with you there sis, but it's gonna feel weird knowing our own parents don't even love us anymore." Edric replied.
"Do not worry children," Lilith said gently. "We can reassure you that we'll be your new guardians from now on."
"Does that make you our new moms?" Edric asked.
"Well, she can be your Mom! I can be the fun loving Aunt!" Eda quipped towards Lilith.
"Yeah right, you'd do anything to keep away from meternal responsibilities." Lilith smirked.
"This could benefit us, you know?" Emira said to her siblings. "We won't have anyone to push us around anymore, and we'll be free to be whoever we want!"
Amity stared at the letter for a longer amount of time, then she crumpled it. Ripping it to pieces, and burning it in the process. She breathed heavily, but she had to control herself. In reality, she was both glad her parents would no longer be there to force things onto her.
But at the end of the day, she was now an orphan.
An orphan with a terrible legacy left behind.
"Amity..." Luz spoke sincerely to her. She knew the poor girl was on the brink of breaking down. "It's okay. You don't need to worry about your parents anymore. I promise you, we'll make sure you guys are happy here, and we'll make sure nothing ever happens to you." Before she said anything more, she pulled out her bag she got from the shop, and brought out her cherished gift for her girlfriend.
Amity took notice of it. The pink sparkling, her reflection coming off of it, but notably the charm at the bottom. It read the very words she used to hold deeply mere months ago.
Top Student.
"And most of all, we'll love you for who you are."
This moment felt like various things for Amity. It was her first step into being an orphan, it was her first step into living in a new home, but most of all, it was her first step into feeling true love from a family.
One that Luz would keep together happily.
The walls blocking Amity's tears finally came down, and she threw herself onto Luz. Hugging her tightly and letting her sobs out. Luz hugged her back gently, stroking her hand into her hair. Soon enough, Amity felt King hugging her around her legs, and the twins joining in as well. Eda and Lilith shared a shrug, and joined in the awkward hug as well, of course finished by Hooty wrapping around all of them in his giant tube.
Through this, nobody objected to anything that ruined the moment, and nobody made a fuss to move.
They were all feeling the same sensation of love.
It was beautiful.
I'll try not to make you wait too long for Chapter 4. ;)