Forever More They Shall Be Called
"Woller Ghostew, woller ghostew, woller ghostew!" Chanted the members of the "knocked-Down" Coven energetically.
Eda, Lilith, and the Parks couldn't help but smile as they waited in line to get on the family-friendly version of the famous ride. The day was winding down and the park was starting to fill up. It wasn't all that surprising, schools and businesses were getting done, after all. So, Lilith figured they had time for two more rides before they should call it a day.
The former coven head silently prayed that the titan would let one of those rides end without another incident.
The ex-head witch caught a moment and looked to her right. Her smile grew slightly when she saw Gus waving happily at his father. Since the group had spent a good hour at the game area winning some prizes, Perry had volunteered to remain behind and watch over their prizes.
Lilith thought that maybe the reporter's stomach wasn't as settled as he claimed and just wanted to remain behind to ensure that he didn't throw up again.
Lilith spied the abomination cart that her daughter had made, and her pride grew tenfold. Speaking of her daughter, Amity was tucking on her skirt, a small pout on her face.
"Mommy, move!" the "knocked-down" witch wined politely.
Lilith giggled slightly when she realized she was holding up the line because she was lost in her head. She took her daughter by the hand and moved towards the ride.
It was less than ten minutes later that the group was next and they got into the ride. Because of the nature of the family version of the ride, a parent must be with a child in the ride. So, Lilith and Eda took their kids, and Harvey was riding with Willow. That left a slightly miffed Gilbert to ride with Gus.
"I don't always throw construction," Lilith heard the male witch muttering.
She heard her sister say something sassy, but the voice of the ride operator drew her attention.
"Now, this is a reminder for the little ones," the witch said, with more energy than half the workers Lilith had meant today, "They can stand when the ride is moving, but remember not to go past the line, that's the spell's limits."
He next made a spell circle with his right hand and placed the spell on the head of the ride. Construction magic rippled through all of the carts and Lilith could feel her vest become charged with magic.
"Ihat that?" She smiled when she heard the curious voice of her niece.
Lilith chuckled slightly when she heard her sister explaining the nature behind the magic that was just used. The way an old-fashioned roller ghoster works was magic was used to keep the riders from falling out of the carts.
That was why witches could stand up without fear of falling…at least, as long as they remained behind the line.
Speaking of rides…Lilith felt a small jolt and instinctively reached to place an arm on Amity. The abomination witch didn't like this, and she weakly pushed her new mother's arm away. The former head might have laughed at the cuteness of it all, if the carts hadn't reached the top of the hill and, after a second pause, dropped at top speed.
Joyous screams filled the air as the coster whipped around the track at blinding speeds. Lilith heard gasps turn to cheers as the ride tilted to the left and slammed back down onto the track. The former head looked at her daughter and smiled when she saw Amity having the time of her life.
The ride tilted to the right as it made a sharp turn, and again, the magic on the ride forced its wheels back to the railing. Lilith dared a look over her shoulder and felt a little worry creep into her when she saw her niece was standing. Thankfully, Eda had taken off her right arm at the shoulder and had it wrapped around the "knocked-down" human's waist.
Lilith looked forward and was leaning closer to Amity when a sudden jolt startled her. She frowned as she realized that jolt was different fro the last one, and she quickly realized what that probably meant.
With a frustrated sigh, the ex-head witch wrapped her arm around her confused daughter as she cursed to the high heavens.
"TITAN! Can't you just give me one day with my daughter? That's all I'm asking, just a simple day out without anything happening!"
The Roller Ghoster went off the tracks just as Lilith finished her little rant and went flying. The ride might have hit the ground if a sudden plant platform had appeared and bounced the ride back into the air.
It didn't take much to figure out who was behind the spell, and one "knocked-down" witch wasn't going to let that stand.
"AMITY!" Lilith screeched when her daughter stood up.
Amity made two spell circles and summoned some abomination goo from the earth. The substance shot up and formed into some railing that the ride used to keep moving. Amity tried to keep the goo coming, but the ride proved to be the quicker of the two; the ride ran out of abomination railing and began to fall to the ground.
Willow wouldn't allow that and summoned another plant platform. The ride bounced off like the last time, and this allowed Amity to set up more railing under it. Not wanting to be left out any longer, Luz used some of her fire glyphs to make fireworks and Gus used his magic to make the ride appear to be smoking.
"IS THIS REALLY NECESSARY?! Gilbert screamed.
"JUST GO WITH IT, DADDY PARK!" Eda screamed mirthfully. "YOU WILL LIVE A SHORTER LIFE, BUT IT WILL BE A WILD ONE!"
It wasn't long before the two "knocked-down" witches had turned this latest disaster into something enjoyable. Amity added some zigzag lines and would let the ride fall. Willow would then bounce the ride back into the air and rails would quickly form under it.
Strangely, most of the riders began to get into this chaos and cheer. Some even added their magic into the mix, though Lilith did hear one naysayer mutter something about showing off. Soon, the roller ghoster reached the edge of the ride's starting area.
The ride's operators took over at this point. They latched onto the ride with their magic and slowly guided the ride back into the starting area. Once the roller ghoster was back in place, first-aid members went about checking the riders over.
"So," Eda asked, leaning over so her sister could hear her, "Who do you want to pin the blame on this time?"
Lilith sighed as she felt the magic around her disappear and she began to check Amity over.
"I don't believe anyone at fault this time, Edalyn," the ex-head replied bitterly. "I will, however, be writing a strongly-worded letter to the Construction Coven on this Shoddy workmanship."
(SC)
Lilith let out a frustrated sigh as she rested her chin on her knuckles as stared off into space. After the group was cleared, they headed to the nearest site map. The "knocked-down" coven members were currently playing a round of Abomination, Plants, Construction to see who picks the last ride of the day. Lilith might have found it cute that Amity had her tongue sticking as she faced her girlfriend and friends if her mind wasn't a hundred miles away.
She was barely aware when Eda popped down next to her with a cup of kid-friendly appleblood in hand.
"Still sulking, Lily?" the wild witch asked teasingly.
The older Clawthorne sent a weak glare at sister before she went back to staring at nothing. Eda just shrugged and sunk into the bench a little more and took a large sip from her drink. For a few minutes, the two sat in somewhat tense silence as they watched their kids continue their little game.
"Edalyn…" Lilith said after another minute passed, "Is it so wrong to want a simple day with my daughter?"
Eda looked at her sister with a slightly agape mouth before she let out a short laugh.
"Ha!, Sis, I think if this family had a normal day, the Boiling Seas would freeze over, thaw, and then taste like normal water," the wild witch said with a mirthful smile.
"You just don't get it, Eda," Lilith replied angrily, sending her sister an intense glare.
Some of the mirths faded from the younger Clawthorne's face, and she returned the glare.
"Is this going to be like the other day, or are you going to tell me what got your hair in such a knot?" Eda retorted, her words coming out slightly sharper than she wanted.
Lilith sighed bitterly and looked back at the kids. She smiled slightly when she watched Amity throw her arms up in triumph. She had just won the right to pick the last ride, but the sparkles in Luz's eyes suggested that the "knocked-down" human let her girlfriend win.
"Eda," Lilith said, after a long pause, "During our argument in your shed the other day, I came to many realizations. The one that scared me the most was that I was subconsciously keeping others from getting close to me, probably out of fear of hurting them again. We both know how well that worked out."
Eda frowned and looked at her niece. Amity had used some abomination goo to raise herself so she could see the map. The wild witch smiled slightly when the "knocked-down" witch stuck out her tongue again as she continued to look at the map.
The sound of her sister's voice caught Eda's attention and she looked at her.
"It's scary… realizing all I did to ensure that I didn't form any bonds with another person, all because I was-OW!" Lilith suddenly cried when her little sister whacked her in the back of the head.
The ex-head sent a glare at Eda, and the wild witch grinned before looking back at the kids.
"I'm not going to even try to sugarcoat all the mistakes I made in my life," Eda said softly, "But I'm not going to make excuses for them. I know I made them and worked hard not to make them again."
Lilith gawked at her sister, not expecting that response from her. Once more, she was reminded why her sister was the wiser of the two.
Eda looked at Lilith and her smile turned softer. "Besides, the kids are having a blast. So I will tell you what I told daddy Park…just go with it."
Lilith started to smile feeling a bit better after everything, when…
"I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!"
The Clawthorne sisters looked to the source of the voice and saw Bria storm into the area. The group immediately noticed the condition the Gandus student was in; Bria's left boot was missing, and there were many cuts on her outfit. The thing that caught everyone's attention was the fire bee's stinger sticking out of her right shoulder.
Eda and Lilith got up and joined the other adults as the witchling stormed over to the group, looking close to murdering someone.
"Kid, do you have anything better to do than follow my family around?" Eda asked dully.
Bria looked at the wild witch with a murderous glare and Eda just looked at her with a dull expression.
"You don't get it! Bria shouted angrily and pointed at Gus. "Since that dork tricked me, I have been a laughing stock at school. Even joining a sports team didn't make my classmates fear me again!"
She tried to get closer to the male witchling but his father gently pushed Gus behind him. Eda and Lilith got beside the reporter and Lilith even pulled out a few glyph cards just to be safe.
"Kid, I get it," Eda said with a wave, "You want respect, but picking on someone currently younger than wouldn't get your rep back. Besides, do you even know who you're dealing with here?"
"Indeed, we are-," Lilith paused as a frown crossed her lips.
The former head witch wanted to include everyone in her extended family, but combining everyone's last name seems like it would be a mouth full. Luz must have sensed her witch aunt's uncertainty because she gently tucked on Lilith's skirt.
"Yes, sweet flea, what is it?" Lilith asked curiously.
The "knocked-down" human gestured for her aunt to come close, and the Sisters Clawthorne both leaned down. Curious, Amity also got close and heard the name her girlfriend spoke.
"Mama's likes," Eda said satisfactorily.
Lilith nodded with a soft smile on her face and then looked at the Glandus student seriously. Bria's anger must have cooled enough because she didn't make a move while the Noceda-Clawthorne family was busy. That, or she wasn't foolish enough to make a move, unlike the last time.
"As I was saying, we are the Owl Familia, the-"
"The most powerful witch family on the Boiling Isles!" Eda quickly cut her sister off.
Lilith sent a sideways glare at her sister but otherwise, let Eda have this moment. The former coven head gave her full attention back to the Glandus student and saw the condescending look Bria was giving the sisters.
"Ha, even I know that you two are powerless," Bria said condescendingly and began to laugh.
She soon stopped laughing when she saw the confident smiles bloom on the sisters' faces.
"Once more, child, you seem to have misunderstood some things," Lilith spoke calmly but with confidence. "We aren't powerful because we can do all forms of magic."
"That's just a big, fat bonus," Eda quickly added.
"We are powerful because, no matter the cause or problem, we will raise to meet it and overcome it. Or, as the rumors say…we of the Owl Familia can make the impossible possible," Lilith finished confidently.
Steve suddenly popped up in front of the sisters with his thumbs sticking out. "AYYY!" He said, and then looked around like he suddenly remembered something. "I mean, STEVE!"
The loveable scout then jumped over the sisters and hurried out of the area.
"How did you put up with that one, sis?" Eda asked curiously.
Lilith chose not to answer her sister's question and refocused her attention on the Glandus student. She frowned when she noticed that Bria was in the process of casting a spell, and nudged her sister.
Eda got the message and took two cards from her sister. She handed one to her kid, and, in near unison, all three activated the fire magic. Not one to be left out, Amity created an abomination fireball and aimed it at the current older student.
"However, it doesn't hurt to have access to magic when one needs it," Lilith said, pulling back the arm with the fireball over it. "Now…"
"SPICY TOSS!" the entire Owl Familia shouted.
The four witches let their fireballs fly but Bria wasn't in the mood for anything. She had reached her limits after she took the fire-bee stinger to the shoulder when she was spying on the group in the game area.
It was time to see these dorks who she was once the most feared kid in her school.
She dodged the spells as she spun some spell circles. Two life-size stone griffons were created and they stopped the remaining fireballs. Next, the creations began to launch stone spiders at the Familia. Amity move to create an abomination wall but wasn't fast enough.
A single spider made it past just as the wall was created, and hit Gus in the chest. The "knocked-down" Illusion witch held his chest as he dropped down to his knees and gaps for air.
"Augustus!" Perry screamed as he hurried over to his son.
Everyone, Bria included, stopped and stared as the "knocked-down" boy struggled to get some air into his lungs. Willow gawked as she watched one of her oldest friends struggling in pain, and everything went green.
With a hardened expression, she looked back at the Glandus student and her eyes began to glow green.
"NO…"
The ground began shaking violently as the "known-down" plant witch dramatically raised her hands.
"PICK ON…
The sound of breaking stone soon filled the air, and cracks began to form around Bria. The shaking had also gotten worse for the Glandus student, and she soon found herself on the ground. She couldn't help but gawk at the witch, surprised by the power she wields.
"GU-GU!"
Suddenly, a large plant burst through the ground, scaring everyone in the area. Bria, however, looked ready to soil herself and tried to crawl away. Willow wouldn't allow it and commanded her plant to grab the witch.
Bria shrieked as she felt the plant's vine wrapped around her ankle and was dragged across the ground. Panicking, she tried to grab onto something, anything to stop herself. Unfortunately, the only thing she could grab was the ankle of some poor witch, just as Willow's plant threw the Glandus student into the air.
"WAIT! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Boscha screamed as she disappeared into the sky.
The Owl Familia and the Parks watched as the two witches disappeared into the sky, and slowly looked back at Willow.
"I know I shouldn't be, but I'm always impressed when that girl does something like what she just did," Eda said awkwardly.
Lilith nodded her agreement and turned her attention to the Porter family. Relief filled her when she saw Gus was recovering and breathing with much more ease than a minute ago. Still, she and Eda went over to their daughters' friend to see if there was something they could help with.
Because everyone was focusing on Gus, no one saw the uneasy looks Harvey was giving his husband.
(SC)
Boscha was screaming at the top of her lungs as she flew through the air. She tried to spin a spell, but the speed she was flying made it hard to keep her hand steady. Finally, she managed to create a circle and use a small speed-slowing spell to slow her climb.
The potion student was in the process of making another spell, a floating spell that should get her down without injury when birds suddenly flew in her direction. She covered her face as the finger-shaped birds into her.
The birds flew by her a second later and she looked down when she felt the wind against her bare limbs. She cocked an eyebrow when she saw that her outfit had somehow been replaced with a bathing suit.
"That was unexpected," Tiny nose said, drawing the three-eyes attention as she floated by.
Boscha watched the strange demon floated away and looked at the reader/writer.
"...Huh?" was all she could say before gravity took hold.
(Meanwhile)
Somewhere in the game area of the park, a couple dressed like human farmers were having a heated argument.
"I can't believe you sold our booming rat-worm farm for a human-style dunk tank and forget to get someone to dunk," the woman said sharply. "What, did you think someone would fall from the sky?"
Before the mousy-looking husband could respond, Boscha came down right into the tank. The two looked at the student, who looked dazed and a little disoriented, but fine.
"I think someone owes me an apology," the husband said in a soft voice.
The wife muttered something but began getting people's attention for the attraction. Boscha had regained her sense by this point, let out a light sigh, and resign herself to her fate.
"I better get paid for this," Bosch retorted as a ball hit the target and she fell into the water.
(SC)
Darius grumbled as he glared daggers at the Not Dog that serves as his dinner. All he could see was the grease covering the food and how it would no doubt give his skin an unhealthy shine.
Currently, the Rebel Trio was at the dining area of the park, and the Abomination Coven head wasn't too thrilled with his dinner. Eberwolf, who happened to be on its sixth Not Dog, notice its friend's disdain. It put on its "speaking" items and reached for the tray holding the food.
"If you're not hungry, I will take it off your hands, old bean," the beast-keeper said.
Darius shot his friend a glare and was about swat the keeper's hand away when all three rebels heard something to their right. They looked in the direction they heard the noise and saw a young, purple-haired witchling hanging off the umbrella of a nearby table.
The three secret rebels felt a bit bad for the girl; she had landed in such a way that her right leg was bent under her body. Also, her left arm is on the umbrella's railing, and looked like a loose nail was jabbing into the witch's skin.
All in all, the witch look she was in a bit of pain, and Darius decided to take pity on the girl. He summoned an abomination and ordered it to take the girl down. While his creation was doing that, Darius decided to take the dive and picked up his Not dog.
He took a small, gingerly bite, and, though he would never admit it out loud, he liked the taste.
(M Corner)
I once had a theory, one that's going into the next story after this one, that Luz's mom also had a rough childhood, which forced her into trying to send Luz to that camp. I also know I wasn't the only one to think this, but it's still satisfying when theories are proven, somewhat, true.
Also, Abominations, Plants, and Construction are the Demon Realm version of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Abominations cover Construction; Plant tear open Abominations and Construction crushes Plants.
Finally, while the Owl Familia will be the name used by the group going forward from this point on, the series will still use its original name because I'm too lazy to change the name.