Amity shuffled along the edge of the pool, sopping wet in her little pink dress that she had picked out for the party her family would be attending tonight. Despite the warm weather, the friendly resort attendants, and the fun adventures the Blights had gone on, she sniffed against her runny nose and wiped the hot, salty tears from her cheeks that had blended in with the water that the Bradbury girl had pushed her into. She had spotted her mother lounging on a basking chair that would slowly creep along with the warmth of the sun, keeping it's occupant comfortable. She was certain that her mother had seen the purple haired girl push her into the pool, but hadn't moved; and although Bria had disappeared before Amity could crawl out, she was certain she was still watching and waiting for her to come back to be picked on again.
"Mom!" she called through her sobs. "Another girl pushed me into the pool, and now my dress is ruined!"
Odalia lowered her sunglasses and looked at her daughter with disapproval. "A strong witch needs to learn to take care of her own problems, dear. Spending all that time with that Park girl seems to have made you forget that."
Amity's chin began to quiver, and she sniffed again at the reminder of how she had been forced to treat her best friend Willow at her birthday last week. Now she was being forced to attend a party in Acetabela with her family for their vacation. "But what am I going to wear for the party now?" she asked through shallow breaths. She rubbed the heel of her hand against her eyes that were burning in her tears, trying to hold back her sobs. It was her favorite dress, and although she hadn't been terribly excited to attend the party, she knew it was important to her parents that her and her twin older siblings attend and look their best.
Her mother let out an irritated breath, as though her youngest daughter was taking up her time by the pool. "We will get your brother and sister to use their magic to fix it for you. Now, you can either go and play with your abomination friend that your father made you, or teach this other girl not to mess with a Blight."
Amity pushed her feelings deep into her chest, clutching her fists around the hem of her dress before turning away from her mother and slowly walking away. After a few steps, she could see Bria Bradbury playing on the slayground, glaring at her. Amity froze as her fear took hold and she reached out for her father's small abomination to take her hand, taking its finger for comfort. One day, she promised herself, she wouldn't be scared anymore.
Amity had made her way back to Glandus High as the sun set, pulling up her hood to hide her identity as well as she could. Most students were either out enjoying the city or still in their dorms, and Amity hoped that the Banshees had stuck to their word and returned as well. The crawling stairs climbed down from their last position to the tenth floor and Amity sprinted up the convulsing steps as well as she could before it had even gotten its grip again. The doors here were all closed, and she had no idea which rooms any of the girls were in. She held her breath as well as she could, trying to ignore her pounding heart. She could feel her ears twitch as she slinked down the hall between the dorms, listening intently for the voices of any of her old teammates.
"I can't believe she sided with Glandus! Of all people!" she heard Boscha's voice, and she opened her eyes to locate the door it was coming from.
"I don't think she meant anything by it." she heard Amelia say as she got closer.
"Yeah, Boscha. It's not like she's transferring schools." Skara added.
"You never know. These Glandus kids are tricky!" Boscha replied.
Amity opened the door to the dorm, her shoulders slumped and her head hung low under her cowl. "Yeah. They are." she said. She couldn't meet anyone's eyes, and instead looked at the floor as she stepped in and closed the door behind her. "Bria stole the Rusty Smidge, and blamed me for it." she explained, raising her field of view. She couldn't help but sniff in an effort to keep her tears at bay.
Boscha was staring at her, her mouth open wide but whether it was anger or just surprise, Amity couldn't tell. "If everyone thinks Hexside is trying to cheat and the Rusty Smidge doesn't show, we'll be forced to forfeit." Amelia said, sitting up from her place on one of the beds in the room.
"But this is the last game of the semester!" Cat said in shock. "If we forfeit now, we'll be out for all of next season!"
Boscha stepped down off of the bed she had been standing on and marched up to Amity. "Serves. You. Right." she said, annunciating each word with a poke to Amity's chest.
"Boscha!" Skara nearly shouted.
"No!" Boscha replied, and Amity shrunk away out of reflex. "She decided that a couple of Glandus losers throwing around flattery was a better option than hanging out with us tonight, and now, we're likely to get thrown out of the game all year because of it."
"I just need help to get it back somehow. To prove that Bria was behind it." Amity replied. "I don't even know what they plan to do with it."
"So what?" Boscha asked. "Why come to us? Do you have any idea what it would look like if you were found here? You're implicating all of us!"
"I know…" Amity nodded. "I didn't know where else to go or who else to go to. I need… help." she said, trailing off. She hadn't wanted to say it; at least not to Boscha, but she also couldn't deny it. She wasn't going to be able to fix this on her own. Boscha froze with a frown. Amity had never actually asked for help before, of anyone, and she suddenly wasn't sure if Boscha was going to take advantage of her apparent weakness or assist.
"Y'know, if their plan is to force us out of the season, what are they going to do with the Rusty Smidge once we're out?" Amelia suddenly asked, garnering everyone's attention.
"What do you mean?" Amity asked.
"Well, once Hexside is out of the way, do they plan on just coincidentally finding it again, or claim they found a new one? That would be pretty suspicious."
"Okay, but like, what else would they do with it?" Skara said.
"What if they returned it?"
"That's dumb, Amelia." Boscha accused, glaring at her. Amelia frowned and shrank back on the bed she was sitting on.
"Maybe not." Amity said. "What are you thinking?"
Hesitantly, Amelia sat up again, half heartedly looking to Boscha for permission to speak. "Well, they'd look like heroes if they found it and brought it back, right? But what if they had some way of tracking it, or controlling it so their team could find it easier if they needed the instant win? At the same time, Amity is out of the picture due to being accused of taking it in the first place."
"Of course, I happen to be the perfect suspect right now." Amity sighed.
"Maybe it's more than that." Amelia said, standing up and pacing beside the bed. "You're the most skilled Abomination Witch Hexside has, and probably a match for that kid with Bria."
"Gavin." Amity said, and while she definitely worked hard at reaching the top of Hexside's Abomination track, she wasn't sure just how skilled he was. "You think they'll use abomination magic to control the Rusty Smidge?"
"Unless they have someone else working with them, it makes the most sense out of the plant and construction magic that the other two have. Basic spells don't work on its shell, so no oracle magic to find it, no telekinesis to move it, and no beast magic to talk to it."
"But nothing says a small enough abomination couldn't move it around." Amity admitted. "That would require very fine control and a lot of concentration. I'm not sure I can do that."
"Concentration?" Boscha grinned, cracking her knuckles. "If I can see him, I can break it."
"You should probably stay in one of our rooms tonight, Amity." Cat noted, and Amity reached down to make sure her sleepwear was in her bag… which wasn't on her shoulder.
"No… nonononononono…" she argued with herself. Nevermind her overnight bag that was in it, it contained her own notes and Luz's Good Witch Azura book 5. Her face drained of what little color she had as she imagined what Bria and her friends might do with it. "I left my bag in Bria's room."
"It's fine, Amity." Boscha rolled her eyes. "You can borrow my pyjamas if you really need…"
"No, it's not that…" Amity began, wanting to explain, but knowing the group of girls likely wouldn't understand, she refrained from telling them about what all was in her bag. "It's fine. I'll deal with it."
Cat and Skara left the room after another hour of chatting that Amity took little part in, her mind now focused on her bag and the coming day. Borrowing one of the blankets from Boscha's bedding, she washed her mouth out as well as she could, let her hair down to part to either side, and curled up on the floor in the middle of the room. She heaved a heavy sigh, knowing full well she was unlikely to get any sleep.
The Grudgby arena in Acetabela was an over extravagant colosseum compared to Bonesborough's, as Glandus High got to use the pro tournament arena for their games; a convenient byproduct of not having the land mass for multiple copies of the same building. While a high school game; even a defining one, didn't warrant the entire population of the Boiling Isles to be spectators like the pro games often did, the first few rows of bleachers were still relatively occupied enough for Amity to move about unnoticed.
The news had been broadcast early that morning about the theft of the Rusty Smidge, and as predicted, it's return by a select trio of Glandus students who surprisingly made no mention of Amity. Instead, they had found their scapegoat in Mattholomule, who seemed willing to take the fall and be locked up in chains and put on display beneath the judge's box on the field as punishment. Amity narrowed her eyes at the boy, who was obviously forcing a smile in a facade of rebellion when it was clear he was both terrified of being on the field with the players, and frustrated with being framed. She wouldn't be able to reach him at the moment to discover why he was taking the blame, but his gaze was evidence enough. He was looking into the crowd, and Amity followed his line of sight to where the trio that had pretended to be her friends were sitting, trying to be inconspicuous.
The trials of the match were about to begin, with Dean Samael making the announcement as to the trials that would take place. Light blue and dark purple flags began to wave around the arena, though the Glandus purple far outnumbered the Bonesborough flags by at least ten to one. While everyone's attention was on the players, Amity made her way to where she had seen Bria and her companions. She took her time; nearly a half hour, to encircle the arena while being as nondescript as she could, and slowly found a seat above where they were sitting. Bria was sitting next to Gavin, with Amity's pink shoulder bag between them with Angmar sitting next to Gavin, and the three were inconveniently situated in a crowd of other Acetabela residents that had come out for the game.
"Do you think your dad will make it out this time?" Angmar asked, looking over at Gavin.
"Why would he? He doesn't even show up for the stuff I'm actually involved in." the boy replied.
"You don't need him anyway. You've got us." Bria added in, and the connotation behind her words made Amity shiver. She scanned the crowd around the three teens, trying to determine if they would have any familial back up if she made a move. She knew her first priority should be to make certain they weren't able to cheat, but couldn't help but focus on her bag and its contents. Still, with the trials having been completed, the Rusty Smidge could go into play at any time, and she needed to keep her eye out for when it was released onto the field. "Besides, parents are over rated."
"Heh. Thanks, Bria." Gavin replied. "I can barely get him to have any interest in the Gland Prix race next semester. If I win, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind on the broadcast for everyone to see. Maybe that'll get his attention."
Amity was half way through forming a small spell circle when she hesitated, feeling a drop of sympathy for Gavin before narrowing her eyes and whispering to herself, "I'm getting that bag." Whatever problems she might or might not have in common with these Glandus students, it didn't negate the fact that they manipulated her into both thinking they were her friends, and framing her for a crime. She finished the circle, causing her shoulder bag to faintly glow before slowly sliding out from between Bria and Gavin.
"Well, it looks like we've gotten someone's attention." Bria said, grabbing the strap of the bag before it could float away.
Amity jumped forward, reaching out for the bag as her hood flew off with the motion, but Bria pulled it out of her reach with a grin. "Give me back my bag!" she shouted, her face blushing with anger. She could feel a growing number of eyes in the crowd turning to her momentarily before they turned back to the game, indifferent to a squabble between a group of teens.
Bria, Gavin, and Angmar stood to face Amity and she paused, retracting her outstretched arm as they looked up at her confidently. "Oh look, the human lover wants her bag back." Bria giggled. She reached into the bag and pulled out the Good Witch Azura novel, opening the book. "Luz, was it?" she asked, reading the name written on the inside of the cover. "I'll tell you what, Amity." she said, putting the book back in the bag. "You walk away right now, and I will give you back your bag when the game is done."
"I'm not a human lover." Amity growled, frowning. "Why are you doing this? What makes this game so special that you need to go to such lengths to win?"
Bria turned to Gavin for a moment. "Make sure Hexside doesn't find the Rusty Smidge. Amity and I need to have a talk." she said, putting the strap of Amity's bag over her shoulder to keep it secure and turning back to her. "After you." she added, gesturing to the set of stairs that led off of the bleachers.
Amity hesitated for a moment, but the realization that she wouldn't be able to face off against three other students in a duel wasn't lost on her. "Fine." she growled, leading the way off of the bleachers. While Gavin and Angmar sat back down, Amity and Bria made their way under the bleachers when Amity turned. "So what? Is this you taking me behind the bleachers for a fight?"
Bria giggled. "No, silly! This is me taking you where you can't interfere with your team losing. I'm not an idiot, Amity. You may have been Hexside's top student, but I know what the limits of your abomination magic are. You can't have any effect on the game if you can't see it. And besides, as tough as you talk, we both know you don't fight." she laughed. "Isn't that why you joined the abomination track? So that you wouldn't have to fight your own battles?"
Amity ground her teeth, clutching the bottom of her shirt in her clenched fists, silently wishing Edric and Emira had taken the time to teach her that fire spell already, if only so that she wouldn't be forced to rely on her abominations. The problem was that Bria was right. Amity had worn a mask of someone not to be trifled with, using the Blight name as a shield to hide behind, to keep from having to confront her problems. At least until Luz came along.
"To be honest, I'm surprised you don't already have an abomination here." Bria continued, then gave a casual wave and a smile to a passing adult that had curiously looked their way. Of course, anyone passing by saw little more than two students chatting under the bleachers, which wasn't particularly unusual despite their opposing uniforms.
"You're right, Bria." Amity admitted, loosening her grip on her shirt and frowning, casting her gaze down at the ground. "I've never had anyone backing me up, so I've had to pretend to be tougher than everyone else so that I wouldn't have to confront anyone."
Bria frowned for a moment, clearly surprised by Amity's sudden show of vulnerability, but her eyes quickly narrowed suspiciously. "What are you getting at, Amity? Trying to distract me or get me to drop my guard? Nice try…"
Amity shook her head. "No. I just want my bag back, and I'm willing to walk away to get it." she said, feeling her eyes moisten. She wasn't sure if Boscha and the rest of the Banshees could actually win the game with Bria and her companions in control of the Rusty Smidge, but she couldn't convince herself that challenging the Glandus students were worth the win.
Bria cocked her head to the side, as though trying to decide what to do. "Did you know that some Emperor's Scouts bet on Grudgby games? I don't really know exactly what the wagers are, but I imagine it cures the boredom."
Amity looked up, confused. "Okay?"
Bria took Amity's bag off of her shoulder and dropped it on the ground beside her. "I'm not sure if it's for snails, or bragging rights, or what, but one particular Scout has offered to give us information on how to find those galder stones I mentioned yesterday."
"That's it?" Amity asked, her eyes darting about as she tried to put together her thoughts. "All of this for some mythical power up relics? The construction glyphs aren't enough?"
Bria grinned. "Oh, they're good insurance." she said, lifting her shirt to reveal one of the small patches on her abdomen. "I wasn't sure if you'd actually cooperate, so I figured it would be a good idea. They have their drawbacks though, as you know. Really gets the bile sac pumping, don't they?"
Amity growled, but the cheers of the Glandus audience above her drowned it out. She had made her choice, and a Grudgby game just wasn't worth putting herself in danger for. She had put that behind her for a reason after Amelia and Boscha got hurt, and she would have no chance against Bria charged up on a power glyph. She was unconsciously staring at her shoulder bag until the other student began to move. "So what now?" she asked, her eyes darting back to Bria.
"I'm kinda disappointed, to be honest. I was expecting a bit more fight out of you, but neither am I surprised." the purple haired girl said, bending down to pick up the shoulder bag. "Unfortunately, Glandus has very specific rules about getting what you want. You gotta be strong enough to take it. Can you imagine what I could get in exchange for just a Blight's diary, let alone a one of a kind human…"
The large left hook that erupted from the ground took Amity by surprise as much as it did Bria, but it sent the girl spinning. Amity looked down at her own clenched fist before staring at the large fist of abomination goo, and Bria that laid sprawled out a short distance away, giving her head a shake. Her heart was pounding harder than when she had been in the duelling pit, and she could feel her magic tingling her fingertips. As Bria shakily began getting to her feet, Amity gestured toward her with an open hand. "Abomination, seize!" she commanded, running forward.
The fist lurched its way over to Bria, grasping her around the shoulders to keep her arms from moving. "Did you forget that construction glyphs don't just power up magic, Amity?" Bria asked, straining to free her arms. The abomination was strong, but Bria's amplified strength was impressive enough to forcefully open the fist from around her.
With a grunt, Bria pulled herself loose from the abomination's grip and prepared herself for Amity's charge that never came.
Amity was already half way back to Hexside's dragon bus before she had to stop running, and she checked the contents of her shoulder bag to make sure everything was still present. Her clothes, her diary, her notebook, and Luz's Good Witch Azura book were all present and she breathed a sigh of relief. She had no desire to watch the rest of the Grudgby game, and she was simply outmatched trying to fight alone; abominations at her side or not. Though the sudden rush of magical power she had felt had left her wondering where it had come from. It had almost felt more powerful than when she had used the power glyphs both at the covention and at the school the other night. As far as she could tell, she was just… feeling. Feeling something enough to get her heart pounding hard; something she hadn't experienced before.
She quietly boarded the bus and found her seat, sliding down enough to remain hidden before summoning her scroll to browse her penstagram. Local posts about the game filled the scroll, with images of each goal and play being taken by members of the audience. Amity tried to tell herself she didn't care, but as the Glandus score ticked up passed Hexside's, she couldn't help but feel disappointed in herself. She groaned, banished the scroll, and pulled out Luz's book as she would undoubtedly be waiting for awhile before the game was done and other students began to board.
The time rushed by quickly while she was reading, her attention solely focused on the final battle of Azura and Hecate teaming up against the tyrant Jove when tired and disappointed students began filing onto the bus. Begrudgingly, Amity put the book back in her bag and sat up, leaving space on her seat this time for anyone that needed it. She jumped in surprise when Jentil shouted out his displeasure with the game and took hold of the cable that still hung off the back of the bus. "C'mon! Let's go already!"
Amity looked up with a frown as Skara passed by her seat, met her expression, and continued on to sit with Toddric. The bus continued to fill with students and Mr. Pectoralis before launching up into the sky for the long, lonely trip back to Hexside.
Amity spent the next several days cloistered in her library study room when she wasn't at school, the crowds of a local book fair filling the lobby. She had spotted Boscha, Skara, Amelia, and Cat among the multitudes that were fawning over well known authors such as Jean de Plume, Elmira Poe, and… was that Luz's demon pet, King in a sweater and sunglasses? The Banshees weren't typically patrons of the library, but the book fair was making it surprisingly difficult to avoid them since the Grudgby game in Acetabela.
While King and his publisher were keeping his fans busy with book signings, Amity took to renewing her tea in the library kitchen. She was on her way back to her study room when a loud sigh came from one of the study tables. Peeking around one of the book shelves, she saw a small pale demon with red hair sadly turning the pages of a notebook. She had seen the little creature before around Bonesborough, and even recognized her from penstagram under the handle 'TIN3NOZ'. Amity looked about to see if anyone else was going to talk to her, then sighed. "Hey there." she said, stepping out from behind the book shelf. "Is there something I can help you with?"
The small round creature looked up at her, her large blue eyes looking past her equally large nose. "I wote a stowey but no one wants to wead it."
Amity half smiled, taking a seat across the table from the demon. It was a feeling she understood. She had finally decided to put her own story on display for the book fair, using an abomination to man a booth in the market to keep the attention off of herself and the Blight name. Unfortunately, Planetary Love hadn't gained much attention, and Amity had taken the booth down and stashed the left over copies in her study. It had been a disappointing week to be certain, but maybe she could help make someone else's better. "I could read it if you want." she offered.
"Weally?" the little creature asked, her eyes sparkling with gratitude.
Amity shrugged. "I'm not sure my opinion will mean much, but sure." she said, taking the notebook. She noted the title; 'MY STOWEY' on the cover and let her smile grow a bit, expecting it to be fit for witchlings to read, but after an hour into it, she found herself invested in the story and relating to the characters. "Y'know, this is really good!" she finally noted.
"Pioniews aw neva appweciated in thew time."
Amity nodded. "I'm not really supposed to tell anyone this, but Mr. Piniet, the publisher, has been using the dressing rooms off of the Dueling pit in the Covention Hall for his stay." she whispered. "If you want to get anyone to read your story, you could try there."
Her companion's eyes lit up with a grin, and she snatched her notebook back from Amity. "I'm going to get him to wead my stowey wight now!" she said, racing away from the study table to leave Amity alone.
Amity stood and stretched, frowning at her now cold tea. At least the weekend was nearing and she could return Luz's book. It had been a wonderful read, but just having it had seemed to cause so much trouble for her that she was eager to meet with Luz again to give it back. Hopefully, she would be able to do so before she went with her brother and sister to the knee. After all, her exam was quickly approaching for the end of the semester, and it was about time to become someone new and fulfil a promise she had made to herself years ago.