Author's Note: Alright, so I'm back—and a lot sooner than last time. This chapter was a little hard to write, but once I got the ball rolling, I got something that I was super proud of, so it didn't need a lot of work. It's really raw. There are a lot of emotions in this one that I was trying super hard to portray. I hope that shows. Enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter Message: With…

Warning: Strong Emotions (mostly in a good way)

…

Destiny

Chapter Four

Hell or high water

They say that even silence has a sound—like a distinct ringing or some inescapable hum, but it seemed as if even that was absent. As hard as she tried to avoid it, she had become restless, fidgeting with Amity's hand as her mind twisted itself into a massive knot. Her face was ridden with anxiety. Everyone saw that, but nobody knew what to say. Anything they could imagine wouldn't do justice.

The situation was just too much to bear. It wasn't easy, it wasn't avoidable, and it wasn't fair. Not even two months ago, Luz was still new to the Isles, learning her first glyphs as she innocently searched for good in a world so devoid.

Now, she was as lost as anyone. The only difference was that she wasn't lost alone, but even those around her couldn't imagine what she was going through—to a full extent at least. Or… that's what she thought.

She turned to face Amity, faltering in a moment of apprehension, "What if we-"

Amity was quick to cut her off. "No, Luz. We promised Eda that we would stay put. She told us she would be back. We just have to trust her," she asserted, her heart nearly shattering as Luz's face was visibly overcome with sorrow. She wrapped her other hand around Luz's, her own shoulders falling as a result.

"I still don't think this is a good idea," Hunter piped up, leaning against a wall across the room from the rest of the teens. Again, Amity was the first to shut it down. She glared at him. "They don't want us getting hurt. Look, I know we're stronger than they think, but-"

"That's what I mean," Hunter shouted, "Eda and Lilith can't even use magic. They could be wandering into a trap. You know that we should have been there."

"Hunter, relax," Willow interjected, positing "Amity isn't the enemy—neither are Eda or Lilith."

Hunter opened his mouth to argue, but held his tongue, scoffing as he crossed his arms in frustration.

Willow rubbed her temples, sighing, "You're not wrong, though."

"What- You too?" Amity questioned, exasperated. "I- We don't belong on a battlefield. Not now. It's just-"

A rhythmic set of knocks sounded against the front door. The room immediately fell silent. Luz and Amity exchanged a quick glance and Amity immediately knew what Luz was thinking. The girl got to her feet and sprinted to the door, throwing it open with a massive smile. Amity got to her feet and nervously followed.

Luz's eyes widened and her smile flattened. As Amity came to her side, an equal amount of shock came over her as well.

"Hey Mittens," joked Emira as Edric waved from behind her. Luz's head slowly turned to Amity, her jaw practically on the floor. Amity couldn't muster words. Her eyes glossed over. Luz felt the compulsion to reach out and hold her hand, to do anything that could comfort her, but the look on her face was too much to bear. Luz froze.

Before long, Emira took the first step forward, her facade of calm hardly intact. She reached forward with her arms outstretched, and without a moment's hesitation, Amity sprung forward, squeezing her sister tight.

Luz watched with conflicted emotions. Of course, she was thrilled for Amity's sake, but a different part—a selfish part of her wished that it was someone else to walk through the door.

"Where-" Amity sniffled, "Where have you two been," she asked through ragged breaths. Her siblings merely smiled at her. "You gonna let us in," Edric asked with a smile and crossed arms.

Amity stepped aside and gestured inside. Flashing an anxious look to his sister, Edric entered first.

"Seriously," Amity began, wiping her eyes and recomposing herself, "Where have you guys been?"

Emira sighed, lazily plopping herself on the couch. "I mean," she began, taking a moment to think, "Where haven't we been, Edric?"

Edric crossed his arms. "Here," he uttered to himself, sighing.

Seeing as nobody had heard him, he quickly answered, "No- I- I mean, Emira's right. We've been all over the place—you know, doing our part."

There was a brief silence after that. Luz turned to Amity, confused. Not a word was said, but there was clearly something amiss. That much was clear.

"Okay, enough about us," Emira hurried out, "What's up with you guys? Where are… you know… the adults?"

Again, Amity looked to Luz, her downtrodden expression explaining more than her words could have. Trying to cut the conversation off before it began, Amity spoke up. "They're not here," she said, locking eyes with Luz, "...but they'll be back," she assured. Across the room, Hunter scoffed, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes.

After exchanging a glance with Edric, Emira grinned.

"Then why don't we meet them halfway," she said, walking to Luz and placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You know… just to be sure," she finished, not noticing her sister's balled fist and furrowed brow.

Amity walked in between the two and pushed her sister's hand away, glaring at her.

"No," she asserted. Her sister tilted her head in confusion.

"Mi- Amity… it was just a suggestion, I-" Emira started, being cut off quickly.

"No," Amity repeated. "Why can't any of you just listen? We have to stay put. Eda told us to-"

"When have we ever listened to her before," Luz cut in with a nervous tone. Amity turned around and met her eyes, confused.

"Maybe she's wrong. Maybe they won't be safe. Maybe-" Luz spun off, only stopping when Amity interrupted her.

"Luz, we've been over this," Amity remarked in a soft tone, "We can't think like that. We-"

"Maybe that's how we have to think," Luz asserted, coming off unintentionally harsh. Amity recoiled, her mouth opening and closing as she failed to find words. The room fell totally silent. Amity and Luz remained locked in eye contact for what felt like an eternity, but finally, Amity broke.

Her face fell, her shoulders following suit. Luz instinctively reached out, but pulled her hand back as her nerves got the best of her.

"Amity, I-"

"Luz, I promised Eda that I would keep you safe," Amity squeaked out. Luz's eyes widened along with the rest of the room. Luz stared at her with confusion. Amity couldn't meet her eyes. Neither spoke a word as the silence grew louder.

Finally, Emira took initiative, standing up and walking to the opposite couch and gesturing for the teens to leave the room. Following the older Blights, the teens filtered through the door until it was only Luz and Amity in the house.

Seconds passed before Amity was able to gain the courage to meet Luz's eyes once more. Amity was confused. She felt… guilty? But she knew that she had a good reason to do what she did, and when she looked back at it, she couldn't help but still feel that she did the right thing.

"Amity," Luz finally called, her tone hushed and her face almost blank.

"Wh-" Luz struggled to find words, until she finally decided how to phrase her question.

"What did you promise her," Luz finally asked, scooting forward with a solemn expression. Amity shuddered.

"I-" she stammered, "I promised her that I would keep you safe… no matter what. She told me that if things went wrong, she wanted me to keep you from getting yourself hurt. I didn't know what to say, but-"

"Amity-" Luz tried to get a word in, but Amity couldn't stop herself.

Like an erupting volcano, her words continued to spill out. She couldn't stop herself. Her eyes glossed over and dripped down her cheeks. "...but I understood. I knew that if- if the worst were to happen, you would need someone, and-"

"Amity, please-" Luz tried once more to interject.

Amity still couldn't hold herself back.

"I just- I don't care about anything else anymore. I don't have anything else. My family has lied to me my entire life. I always wanted to join the Emperor's coven, but that was a sham, and-"

Luz's face fell as she fidgeted in place. She yearned to speak, but didn't have the heart to stop her.

"And all I want now is you," Amity finally said before her emotions consumed her. Her lip quivered. Her throat tightened. She felt like she couldn't breathe, let alone speak.

Before she knew it, Luz had lunged forward and wrapped her arms around her. Her warmth fell over Amity's body in almost an instant. She melted against her embrace and sobbed uncontrollably.

She wasn't sure where it was coming from, but she couldn't stop it. It was so strong, so powerful, but now that it was releasing, she felt her shoulders become lighter. Her emotions were still there, but she felt—for the first time in a long time—that she wasn't alone.

"Amity, I understand," Luz finally said.

Amity's eyes continued to flow, even harder then. She nuzzled deeply into Luz's shoulder and just continued to cry and cry. Even when it felt like she had nothing left, there was more. Even when her eyes burned with hot tears, they continued to flow.

She felt weak, but in Luz's arms, she felt safe. Nothing could hurt her there and she never wanted to leave. As much as it pained her to be so dependent on another person, she felt like she would sooner die than give up what she had.

And she didn't move. She just let it all out. Luz never left, no matter how uncomfortable she might have been.

Minutes later, Amity had finally cried her final tear. She trembled as she laid in the comfort of Luz's touch. Finally, she removed herself, sniffling and wiping her face to the best of her control.

"I'm sorry," Amity said, still failing to meet Luz's caring eyes.

"What- Why are you sorry, you did nothing wrong," Luz assured, holding out a soft blanket for Amity to better wipe her tears.

She took the blanket and looked to the ground, sighing as she finally met Luz's eyes. Red streaks played across her face. Smeared makeup washed around her eyes. She was at her lowest.

"I-" words failed her. She felt the urge to cry again, but blinked away her tears.

"Amity," Luz called, taking Amity's hands in her own. When she didn't meet Luz's eyes, she called out again. "Amity," she repeated, holding her eyes in a solemn gaze.

"Amity, I understand," Luz repeated, pulling Amity closer, "...but I can't stay here."

Amity sighed deeply, her face falling once more. Luz moved her hand to her cheek and met her eyes again.

"I need you," she said. Amity's golden eyes widened as she sniffled. "I can't make you do this," she explained, "...but I can't do this without you. You know they should be back by now. I wish that it was different, but I know they're in trouble and I don't know if I have the strength to do what Eda wants me to do."

Amity's hand wandered on top of Luz's hand that was on her cheek. She thought for a moment. She told herself that she was right—that they needed to stay put no matter what, but she knew that it wasn't right, even if it was the only way to keep Luz safe. She wasn't sure if Luz would be able to forgive her if something happened to Eda, but she knew that she wouldn't.

Luz was her everything. There was no real choice.

"Then I'll stay by your side," Amity finally decided, her tone raspy. She cleared her throat and held both of Luz's hands in her own.

"Only if you'll have me, of course," she finished, smiling as Luz did the same.

"Come hell or high water," Luz remarked.

Amity tilted her head, confused.

Luz giggled to herself, realizing her mistake. "It's a human thing. It means-" Amity giggled to herself, inadvertently interrupting her. She looked up and smiled, sighing. Amity finally stopped herself.

"What does it mean," she asked, wiping some residual makeup away.

Luz smiled, holding Amity's hands in her own once more. She sighed in contentment.

"It means… no matter what happens, I'll be with you," she explained, staring into Amity's shimmering eyes.

"Why do you always have to be so cute-" Amity remarked, being pulled into a kiss. Her eyes widened as her cheeks flushed red. Luz pulled herself forward, lingering in the moment as long as she could before finally releasing her.

"Crikey," Luz said to herself, blushing as she realized what she had said.

"That was-" Amity paused.

"Our first kiss," Luz finished, her mouth curving in an unavoidable smile.

Amity nodded, remarking "That's not how I imagined it would happen" as she continued to clean her face, "...and I'm such a mess that-"

"Amity, it was perfect," Luz reassured, unable to shake her smile.

Amity smiled, sighing in contentment. "You're right," she agreed, scooting forward and pulling Luz into a hug.

"I'm glad I got to share it with you," she remarked. Luz smiled, concurring "me too" before finally peeling away.

Knowing what was on Luz's mind now, Amity looked past her and to the front door.

"I guess we have to go now, right," she asked, a mixture of contentment and nerves in her voice. Luz sighed.

"I guess we do," she determined, slowly getting to her feet. Amity lingered for a moment, looking to the ground with an anxious expression. Luz turned back and watched patiently.

Amity closed her eyes and took a deep exhale before finally standing up.

"I'm ready," she remarked, walking to Luz's side and taking her hand.

…

"You know, you don't always have to be so mad," Willow jabbed, Hunter hardly acknowledging her. She sighed, leaning against her staff as the sun slowly crept toward the horizon, just escaping the gloomy clouds that lingered above.

"I agree," shouted Hooty in his typical enthusiastic tone, Willow glared at him, shaking her head.

"Something doesn't feel right," Edric remarked, staring at the cloudy sky.

"It shouldn't," Emira explained, "The world is going to-"

All eyes turned to the front door as Luz and Amity walked out, hand-in-hand.

"So you two are alright," Emira asked, smiling as she made the determination.

"We're going," Amity announced so all could hear, "We're going to find them."

Hunter turned with an expression of surprise. "Finally," he muttered, walking toward them as they continued.

"What changed your mind," asked Willow with a face of concern.

"I-" Amity stammered, pausing as she turned to Luz, who still hadn't shaken her goofy smile. "My amazing girlfriend," she finally determined, smiling back at her. Luz blushed.

Willow's eyes widened. Gus turned to her with a puzzled expression. She chuckled to herself.

"They totally kissed," she explained.

"Ewwww," Gus recoiled, looking at the two with childish disgust. The group burst into laughter, pleased with each other's company.

But the peace couldn't last. Hunter backed away, staring off in the horizon when he spotted something in the sky.

He squinted, staring at it until he determined it was coming closer.

"Guys," he called, pointing at the object in the sky. Luz pushed to the front of the group, her eyes immediately widening as the object came into vision.

"Owlbert," she muttered to herself, sprinting in his direction and holding him close as he finally arrived. He hooted and chirped at her frantically, but she couldn't tell what he was saying. Hunter's palisman darted away from him and flew into Luz's hand beside the Owl.

The two chriped and hooted at each other until Hunter finally caught up with his palisman, gasping for air as Flapjack chirped at him.

His eyes widened and snapped to Luz.

"They're in trouble," he said, turning back to the group, who watched anxiously.

"If what he's saying is true, then they're off to the conformatorium," he explained.

Luz immediately turned to her friends, meeting Amity's worried eyes. She turned to Hunter, opening her mouth to say something, then leaving without a word. He watched as she sprinted into the house, coming back out within seconds with a backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Let's go," Luz said, her friends' eyes all on her.

She was shaking. Her friends all listened rather quickly, getting on their staffs and getting into the air, but Amity walked to her instead, pulling her into a soft hug. Luz's trembling subsided under her care.

"Come hell or high water," Amity whispered. A chill rushed down her spine, but it was exactly what she needed to hear. Peeling from the embrace, Luz nodded with a smile. Not a second later, Owlbert flew into her hands, turning himself into a staff.

She stared at it for a second, not moving an inch, but as Amity called for her, she hopped onto the staff and followed her into the air.

She wasn't sure she was ready for what she was bound to see, but she couldn't let Eda or any of the coven heads get hurt. It was time to face the music. It was time to face her destiny, whether it would kill her or not.

One thing was certain, though. She knew she wouldn't have to do it alone.

…

Author's note: Just couldn't shake the "crikey." It was simply too funny and just soooo Luz. I did make some changes to the first kiss, but that much was too nice to leave behind. Anyways, I hope this chapter was uplifting after how… let's say "rough" the last chapter was. Obviously, it is clear where the next chapter is headed, so I hope it comes out as soon as I hope it does, but as usual, I can't make any guarantees. But hey, I don't have much to say this time, so I guess I can just make this short.

Comments/Reviews:

TheFranninator: "Alador, please turn to the good side, your kids need you. owlbert has a plan, maybe. Great chapter! See you next time!"

Hey, hope I didn't get you too excited about Owlbert. He just wanted to take matters into his own hands and get the kids, but seriously, glad you liked the chapter and I hope this one was a lot sweeter.

Final notes: Anyways, I seriously hope you enjoyed it, because that's the main point of writing, isn't it? Either way, I would appreciate it if you gave your feedback with a review or a comment depending on which site you're on. If you don't want to be added to the notes, feel free to specify and I will keep your comment private, but all of the feedback is appreciated, even if there is criticism. I am a growing writer afterall.

That's all I've got.

Please, have a great day and have a great summer!

~ lucash21