Placing the final filing card back in the Demon Decimal Cabinet, Amity yawned and stretched. The extra work had definitely tired her out more than she had thought, but with the Wailing Star expected to pass by any minute, she wanted to get back to her study and cozied up with some tea and her Good Witch Azura book. There were thousands of books in the Bonesborough Library that shouldn't be opened during the Wailing Star Event, filled with terrifying characters from the past in just the non fiction section alone, never mind what could come out of the imaginations of demons or witches in the fiction texts. Amity was not interested in finding out exactly what those things could be.
She selected a pink cup from the library's kitchen and quietly heated some water in the kettle until it started to scream. With her hot cup in one hand, and taking a lit candle and holder from the kitchen, she began making her way through the stacks of the library. Books were already starting to glow a faint green as she reached the small book shelf for Romance novels that didn't quite fit with the surrounding shelves. For a moment, she thought she heard some giggling in the distance, and she paused. Nothing.
Amity frowned and growled, turning back to run her finger along the spines of the books until she came to one labelled 'The Lone Witch and Secret Room'. She had read most of the tomes on this shelf, from 'Pride & Pythius' and 'Nightlight'. She even flipped through 'A Discovery of Humans' recently, though she'd never admit it. Just for curiosity sake…
She pulled gently on the book, and the shelf slid away and to the side to reveal the study room that Malphas had set up for her. She wasn't sure exactly why he had done her such a favor, but she was grateful. As luxurious as Blight Manor was, it was stifling being there when not in school, but this tiny section of the library felt more open and welcoming to her than anywhere else on the Boiling Isles.
The slanted ceiling accommodated the stairway above, and from it hung glowing cut outs of the various celestial bodies beyond the Boiling Isles, from the small crimson planet Bhaal, to the shimmering, fluorescent blue spiked gas giant Sibriex and all of the colored stars that had an effect on the Demon Realm. The walls to her left and right were covered in her favorite stories that she slowly managed to smuggle from home or purchase from the market, with her prized 'Good Witch Azura' series of books one through four on display to her left, and her customized diary hidden among them. A blue oval carpet covered the center of the floor with soft pillows of purple and blue within easy reach for resting on.
Against the far wall though was her desk, and she took a deep, relaxed breath before closing the secret door behind her and approaching it. The green glow from the books in the room were providing an impressive amount of light, but Amity placed her candle on the desk, illuminating the immediate area. The desk was simple, but sturdy, and she made a point of keeping it tidy for reading, school work, or when she felt the need to draw. Art was something she knew she didn't excel at, and it granted a sense of peace to casually practice at a skill that she didn't have to master in order to secure her future. Her pink slippers were stored under the desk at the feet of the cushioned wooden chair, and a simple waste basket resided beneath one edge of the desk.
She set her tea down on the desk out of reach of where her elbows were likely to be while reading, and she selected a number of books from her shelves that she thought she would like to reference during her chat with Azura. She wasn't sure exactly what a fictional character might know about real magic, but she wasn't about to pass up a chance to learn all that she could about… well, everything.
Amity lifted the fourth volume of the Good Witch Azura series and rubbed a thumb against the cover, feeling the embossed artwork and feeling a tinge of anxiety at what she was about to do. She was really going to be able to talk to Azura herself…
A loud clatter and the sounds of squawking birds rang out from the library and Amity winced. "Seriously?!" She said through clenched teeth. "Why does there always have to be something…" she growled, placing the book back on its pedestal. With clenched fists, she reopened the sliding bookshelf and stepped out into the stacks, listening for where the noise was coming from. She closed the secret door again and began a patrol through the stacks. She could hear foot falls, and stifled giggling, but the tall shelves were making it impossible to tell exactly where the noise was coming from.
She continued searching quietly until her boots made a surprising splash. She kneeled down to touch a pool that had formed in the aisle. It was cold water, and it was spreading from a glowing book that was on the floor nearby titled 'Snowballs: A History'. Picking it up by the spine and closing it in the process, Amity took note of the aisle she was in. This book didn't belong here. It was even in the wrong section, and that was enough evidence to Amity that there was someone else in the library with her. She returned the book to its proper place, noticing that there were at least two other copies of the same book missing and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. It couldn't be…
Amity walked quickly but as quietly as her heeled boots would allow her back to her study to find the secret door wide open with familiar voices coming from within, and she promised she would destroy whomever she found inside, whether it was safe to cast magic or not. Unfortunately, her plans of vengeance were instantly extinguished when she found Luz on the floor of her study, picking up glowing torn pages of her diary with her brother and sister behind her, snickering. Tiny images of Amity stood upon each page, blurting out personal entries that she had made over the last several months.
"I saw that... human girl again. I may have overreacted. I don't wanna come off as cruel. I just can't show weakness." Said one entry that Amity had made just before the Moonlight Conjuring. "I wish I had somewhere to go." She wrote before Malphas had given her the study room. "Why won't the human leave me alone?" Amity had noted after the Covention. "Called my teacher mom again." She recalled, after being distracted in school during the abomination incident. "Sorry I haven't written for a while. Wait, why am I apologizing?" Most of her entries were written with someone to talk to in mind.
Her rage at finding someone in her private room was shattered by embarrassment and she could feel her face flush at her private thoughts being on full display in front of not only her siblings, but Luz as well. "Really?!" She shouted.
"Uh! It's not what it looks like!" Luz replied, her eyes widening into saucers in surprise at Amity's appearance. Edric and Emira laughed at the display.
Amity poked a finger at the twins in accusation. "You two are the worst!" She pulled the diary back from Luz, stuffing the torn pages back in clumsily out of frustration. "But you..." she said, her chest beginning to ache. After all of the day's events, Amity was tired of dealing with these three. Her private space and thoughts were violated, her night was ruined with having to clean up whatever new mess they caused, and she simply felt done with interacting with this human. "I've been trying to figure out what your deal is. Are, are you a poser?" She asked, stuttering a bit to get the words passed her throat. "A nerd? I know. You're a bully, Luz." She accused, leaving the study to the trio.
"Amity!" Luz called, following, and Amity began to run, feeling tears beginning to well up in the corners of her eyes. She held her diary closely to her chest, feeling like she should just burn it and stop writing her secrets anywhere. Maybe her parents were right about trusting anything to be kept private. Nothing was a secret if you weren't the only source of it, and opening up to anyone or anything was useless.
She could hear her brother and sister laughing for a moment before some unintelligible talking. Amity put her back to a book shelf and slid down into a crouch, repeatedly bumping her head on the cover of her diary and sniffling in an attempt to keep her composure. She breathed in as hard as she could despite her closing airway and she could hear the tell tale squeak of Luz's odd shoes on the stone floor. Amity forced herself back up to her feet and rubbed the tears from her cheeks before continuing away from the approaching human.
"Amity, wait!" Luz shouted, catching up.
Amity turned away to blink away tears before stopping and facing Luz. "First, you embarrass me, then you want to be my friend? I don't get you! Pick a side!"
"Please, just listen…" Luz begged, taking Amity's arm.
"Just go away before things somehow get worse…" she said, realizing what she had just said was bound to summon up some unexpected horror that would continue her streak of luck. Sure enough, she could feel the floor vibrate in pulses, like a giant's foot steps. From the end of the aisle, a massive shadow loomed, preceding the exaggerated and muscled pink form of Otabin, the Book Maker. Except this Otabin was towering, standing nearly as tall as the shelves on either side of them. Glowing green claws extended from each finger, and large tusks jutted out from his bottom jaw. His enlarged eyes glowed green in the darkness, darting back and forth like a predator. Most unsettling though was the loud heartbeat that could be heard from all the way down the aisle, and the open Otabin book that was merged with his flesh over his heart. "Otabin?" Amity asked, more out of surprise at seeing such a gentle childhood character in such a monstrous form.
"With claws and fangs and breaking bones, I've found a friend to make my own." He slathered, drool dripping from his maw. With terrifying speed, he raced on all fours down the aisle and snatched Amity by the waist, pulling her free of Luz's grip.
Amity dropped her diary, throwing the loose pages everywhere as she tried to reach for Luz again. Human or not, she was Amity's only ally right now. Luz fell to the floor and Otabin began running, carrying her through the maze of book stacks. She tried reaching out for something to grab, but the constant jostling made it impossible, until she was slammed onto the page of the large Otabin book that had been on the easel in the Kid's Corner of the library.
Otabin hefted a large mending needle from the floor, its glowing thread reaching back to a ball. With awkwardly large hands, Otabin stabbed the needle into the page of the book that he had Amity pinned against, causing her to flinch. With surprising skill, the large pink monstrous form of Otabin began pushing and pulling the massive needle into the book and around Amity's right arm, flattening the limb onto the page as the magic thread took hold. Amity looked down at her two dimensional arm in surprise before turning to Otabin, feeling his hot breath on her face. "Why are you doing this?!" She pleaded. "I've been reading you since I was a kid. I know you're not like this! Someone changed you!" She shouted, and then she saw it. The open book that covered his heart had been doodled in, giving him an angry look and large claws.
"But friends are what I've always sought, and now a friend my claws have caught." He rhymed in reply. He severed the thread with his teeth, before rolling it against itself again, ready to begin threading a new part of Amity into the book. As the needle touched the page again, the room began to rumble, and both Amity and Otabin looked toward the entryway where a plume of purple smoke began to billow into the room. They began to swirl and congeal until the form of a white and blue robed figure stood in the doorway, wearing a pointed, wide brimmed hat with a golden crown.
She was carrying Amity's diary, and as the smoke cleared, Amity's eyes widened in astonishment. "Azura?" She gasped.
The mysterious figure looked up from under her hats brim and smiled confidently. "Close." She said revealing herself to be no more than Luz. She then frowned, pulling at her robe. "Is it drawn okay? I kind of interpreted the descriptions…"
"Luz!" Amity cried, drawing the human's attention back to the situation at hand and how she was about to become a permanent resident of a picture book. She couldn't imagine what would happen if she was stuck in this book when the Wailing Star's effects were gone.
"Ah, right!" Luz replied nervously, fumbling with Amity's diary. "The good witch 'Luzura', grabs her trusty staff…" she said aloud while writing. Immediately, an ivory white staff rose from the page, ending in a brilliant blue, tear drop shaped sapphire, and she took it in one hand. "Alright beloved work of children's fiction!" She shouted, charging forward and swinging the staff wildly with one hand while holding on to the open diary with the other. "Let go of her!" She charged at Otabin, performing spins and slashes with the staff while the beast looked down at her curiously. With one final swing of her staff, Otabin snatched it away and tossed it over his shoulder before calmly taking the diary as well. Luz looked up at him helplessly as he closed the book causing her costume to vanish. Chuckling nervously, Luz added, "Not an Azura fan, are you?"
With a surprisingly swift hand, Otabin grabbed Luz and pinned her to the page opposite Amity, continuing in his rhyme. "Making friends, taking friends. I'll never be without my friends."
"You fiend! You can't rhyme friends with friends!" Luz shouted, as though that was the most important element of what was going on at the time. Otabin wasted no time sewing her into the page despite her struggling.
Amity glared at her incredulously. "Great work, 'Loser-ah…"
"Hey! I was trying to save you!" she replied, glaring back in disbelief.
"Well it doesn't matter." Amity said, rolling her eyes. "We're going to be stuck together forever." And face to face, no less.
Luz was already back to fidgeting distractedly, trying feebly to pull her arm off of the page. "No, we aren't. Follow my lead!" She said, kicking the bottom of the book with her heels as she pulled at the top with her sewn in arm. "One…"
"What are you doing?"
"Two…"
The book began to shift with Luz's momentum, and Amity caught on to what she was attempting. Otabin was threading his needle again and was distracted. She nodded at Luz, and began kicking her heels into the bottom of the book as well.
"Three!" The book began to topple, attracting Otabin's attention enough for the top edge of the book to catch him in the forehead, and knocking him away. Amity and Luz were both pressed down to the floor by the heavy book on their backs, but lifted it enough to be able to drag it along. They squeezed through the Kid's Corner entryway and continued into the aisle outside, hiding behind a standing kiosk.
"Now what?" Amity asked, trying to catch her breath. She felt like she was all out of ideas. This was not the plan she had for the evening, and her mind was struggling to keep up.
Luz frowned as though trying to think of something herself. "I don't know. I didn't even think that would work! I was all like, RAAHHH!"
Amity looked at her for a moment, realizing for the first time that Luz was in the same situation she was. Witch or Human, neither of them were likely expecting to spend their night being chased by the crazed living embodiment of a children's protagonist. But she had adapted, just like she had with learning to cast spells, no matter how simple, without a Witch's physiology. Amity let out a laugh, and it felt amazing. For a moment, she didn't feel so alone. Luz grinned in return, but the moment was split by Otabin's needle stabbing through the back of the book and piercing the page between them.
"Friends!" Otabin shouted, and the book tipped over backward, over the kiosk, and began to be dragged down the aisle toward the monster. While Luz pulled frantically at her sewn in arm, Amity reached out for one of the ladders that were connected to the passing bookshelf. The thread went taut, and Otabin wrapped the thread around his clawed hands in an effort to break her grip. She swung her legs out, wrapping them around the rungs of the ladder and groaned against the monster's strength. Finally, the threads keeping her arm flattened against the page of the book broke free, slingshotting her forward and into a book cart.
Amity rubbed her head and surveyed her surroundings, calling out when she saw the book continuing to be dragged away from her. "Luz!" She shouted, dumping the remaining book off of the cart. "Okay, just like skating on the abomination back in Latissa…" she whispered to herself, putting one leg on the shelf of the cart and pushing herself forward with the other. She had no idea what effect using magic right now would cause, but she trusted the librarians enough to know it probably wasn't worth risking right now. An abomination stumbling around and tossing more open books around wouldn't be ideal anyway. Instead, she let out a shout before Otabin could finish sewing Luz into his book.
She jumped off of the cart and gave it a kick forward, sending it careening into Otabin, who stumbled backward into another shelf, toppling it over on top of him. Amity slid over to the giant book that had been dropped, digging her hands under the threads that were holding Luz down. The magical thread held fast though, and she grit her teeth and pulled until her hands started to cut and the thread began to fray. "Come on!" She whispered, feeling the first thread come loose, then begin snaking its way out.
Luz lifted her arm and smiled in relief. "Oh, third dimension, how I've missed you!"
Otabin lifted himself up from under the book shelf, the open scattered texts sending out various tiny blue elf characters in white caps and pants that screamed in fear and darted away from the looming monster. "We must stay friends until the end. There is no tear I cannot mend." He shouted, lunging forward to grab Luz again before they could escape.
Amity reached out for her, one hand sliding down her leg before the other hand managed to grab Luz's back pocket and tear it open, spilling her pencil and notebook onto the floor. Otabin was beginning to tie his thread around Luz's face, and Amity dropped to her knees in front of the giant book. Recalling what Luz was able to do with the Azura costume and her diary, she grabbed Luz's pencil and began to write. "Luz has to right a wrong…" she said aloud.
The page glittered with power and a large pink eraser rose up from it, popping out as it was fully formed. "Luz!" She called, catching the eraser and tossing it up to her. "Quick!"
Luz fumbled with the eraser for a moment before grasping it, and reached in close despite the threads that were closing around her. With a few quick rubs against the exposed page of Otabin's book, the angry eyebrows and sharp claws began to disappear. As they did, Otabin's monstrous form began to shimmer and fade as well, and Luz fell from his grasp to land on her rear on the floor with a grunt. Moving quickly, she reached out and caught the adorable tiny form of Otabin, the Bookmaker in his true form that Amity recognized.
Groaning from the fall, Luz placed him on the floor and Amity approached, hefting him up in her arms like a toddler. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me." He said, the horrifying growl now replaced by a meek and apologetic voice.
Amity smiled at him, giving him a gentle hug. "Hey, it's okay. We're still friends." He wasn't Azura, and he had no advice for a young witch dealing with overbearing parents, or vengeful siblings; but maybe she could learn something from the evening anyway. She gestured for Luz to close the book that had fallen from his chest, and Otabin vanished in a swirl of green light. She frowned, feeling the creeping loneliness well up again, but Luz approached with a grin. "What?"
Luz was still grinning, hands balled into fists with excitement. "Wasn't that fun?!" She asked, stepping away and twirling like a dancer. Amity watched as the green glow of the surrounding books began to fade, the Wailing Star losing its influence on the stories. She had missed her evening, and she let out a sigh. Maybe next year…
"Luz, we were very nearly pressed into a book for probably an eternity, unless someone somehow decided to open it again in a year. What about any of that would be fun?" Amity asked, bending down to pick up an armful of the spilled books.
Luz returned to look Amity in the face. "I don't know. I mean, I've come close to dying nearly every few days here, but my heart is just pounding, y'know?" She said, bending down to pick up a few of the books as well and placing them on a shelf at random. "Hey, is this my notebook and pencil?" She asked, recognizing the set of utensils.
Amity frowned, taking the books Luz had just set down on the shelf and putting them in their proper places. This was going to take the rest of the night at this rate. "Yeah. Your, uh, pocket ripped."
"Amity, did you grab my butt?!" She asked, her grin transforming into a playful smirk.
"I… uh… I didn't mean… I mean, you were about to be sewn into… I wasn't trying…" she stammered, feeling her face flush.
Luz chuckled. "I'm kidding! I'll need to resew my pocket back on though. I'm sure Eda has some sewing supplies at the Owl House." She said, playing with the flap of the pocket that was hanging off of her pants.
Amity sighed and closed her eyes. "Are you capable of focusing? Like, at all?" She asked, turning back to Luz. "This mess is your fault, after all. I shouldn't even have to be cleaning this up. I had other plans that were ruined by you and Ed and Em." She intended her tone to be more matter of factly, but she knew it probably came out more angry. "I'm… I'm sorry. I'm tired. I was… I was hoping to talk to Azura tonight, not be chased around by a super sized Otabin."
Luz's eyes were wide and her face wore an exaggerated frown that almost made Amity laugh. "Oh, Amity! I am so sorry!" She said, approaching with arms outstretched. Amity held up a hand to stop her, and glared. "Right. Not there… yet." She added. "But that is a great idea! To be able to bring Azura… the real Azura, to life and just talk to her? About magic, and adventure, and life, and romance, and…"
"Romance? I'd hardly call Azura's life a romance." Amity scoffed, lowering her arm when it was clear Luz was backing off.
"Oh, right… uh… spoilers?" She grimaced. "Amity, I will make this night up to you, starting with cleaning up this mess!" To Amity's surprise, Luz seemed almost laser focused now, placing tomes in their proper places according to the Demon Decimal System, and even guiding Amity, albeit shamefully, everywhere she and the twins had gone and caused a mess.
"How long were you guys in here before I found you?" Amity asked, genuinely surprised by the mess that they had managed to make. Fortunately, the various puddles from their magical snow ball fight had vanished with the Wailing Star's magic, but not before some books had been damaged by the water.
Luz shrugged. "I dunno. We were having fun, I guess." She replied, looking regretful. "I am sorry again that you didn't get your night."
"It's fine." Amity said. She was certainly still disappointed that her plans had been foiled. Again. But cleaning up the library with Luz was surprisingly not as horrible, or even annoying, as she thought it would be. She began to understand that maybe Luz was just as lonely as she was, and just… dealt with it by clinging onto people like Edric and Emira, who had certainly inherited their mother's ability to manipulate people into doing what they wanted. Having one other person on the Boiling Isles to talk to about The Good Witch Azura wasn't terrible either. "I just wouldn't recommend getting too involved with Ed and Em. I love them, but they can be… a handful."
Luz laughed. "Yeah, I kinda got that impression. They do care for you, even if they're intentions are a little misplaced." She said, moving a stack of books back onto a shelf. "And I did try to keep your diary away from them. When I saw the custom drawn cover, I just couldn't help myself… I didn't know."
Amity's frown wavered for a moment, and she nodded. "I get it. Just don't go spreading it around, okay?" She wasn't sure if she could trust Luz at all yet, but she was going to have to. "Anyway, I think that's about it for the mess." She continued, beginning to walk toward the lobby. She winced against the morning light beaming in through the stained glass windows. She breathed a heavy sigh again, opening the door and waiting for Luz to grab her yellow shoulder bag and pass through before her.
"What an adventure." She reiterated, herself blinking against the brightness of the morning sun. "Thanks for helping clean up."
Amity stepped through the door after her and locked it before passing by Luz to descend the steps. "This never happened."
"Wait!" Luz called when Amity was at the bottom of the stairs. "It doesn't make up for reading your diary…" she said, pulling a book out of her bag and descending the stairs as well. "But would you want to borrow this?" She asked, holding out a Good Witch Azura book that Amity didn't recognize. On its cover was Azura standing back to back with Hecate, her arch rival, and both were holding Azura's staff, as though allied. "I noticed you only had up to four."
Amity cautiously reached out for it, and took it in her hand, noticing the number FIVE beneath the title. "Thank you." She said, awkwardly turning to walk away. She felt the embossed cover under her fingers, flipped it over to quickly read the back cover, then stopped and sighed. She turned back to Luz, who looked apprehensive about lending out her book like it was her most prized possession. "Maybe you aren't a bully…" Amity looked away for a moment, then returned Luz's gaze. "I haven't exactly been the friendliest witch either. I'll think on that."
Luz nodded, and Amity turned again to leave the library, exhausted despite knowing she still had a long walk home.