There was darkness.

It was tempting to just settle in it; to let go and forget all of the work and pressure and responsibilities that she had and just slide into a bathtub of warm ooze, alone. Amity moved, her movements sluggish, and the sound was odd, as though she was in a great chamber that echoed everything she did. Except her breath. Was she not breathing? She couldn't hear it, and as she focused her attention on it, it became clear that she couldn't feel it. Her chest neither rose nor fell as she tried, and she began to panic. There was a monster. Had been a monster. Was she still in Hexside? Was she even still alive? What had happened? Where was she?!

Amity continued to panic, thrashing around and reaching out for anything to help her get her bearings. "Come on, Amity." she said to herself. "Just breath and count to five." She could feel smooth walls, but they were encasing her. Whatever room she found herself in was bowl-like, but she felt like she could feel every part of it, and it extended and narrowed upwards. The air was sweet, but musky in the room, with a slight smell of thick, stale bread that she recognized. She could feel her body tightening as the room began to wobble, and Amity felt like she was being sloshed about in the dark, empty space. There were voices outside, muffled as though she was hearing them through thick glass. "Help!" she called. "Someone get me out of here!"

Suddenly, a light appeared at the top of the room; a tiny circle of faint light as though the plug of a chimney had just been removed, and replaced by a massive eye peaking in on her. The black pupil dilated as it adjusted to the lack of light in the room, its brown iris growing. "Is someone in there?!" a girl's voice asked in surprise.

The room began to tip, and Amity found herself struggling to keep her grip on the smooth walls of her prison as she began to slide toward the opening. "Wait, wait! I can't…" she shouted, pouring out of the opening in a gob of thick, black and pink fluid. Her body felt heavy, but malleable as she struck the ground, and she tried to pull herself up to a standing position. Her legs were weak, and her eyes were sore against the sudden light, forcing her to close them. She felt like she was still covered in mud as she stood, and she tried wiping the substance from her face with a hand, to no avail. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

Amity looked down at her hands, ripples of goop not just covering them, but the substance was her hands; and arms, and as she looked past her limbs, she found her entire body was little more than a mound of the ooze. "Oh no… Have I been reincarnated as an abomination?!"

"What are you?!" the girl asked in a frightened, if curious voice. Amity looked up, recognizing Luz instantly, and tilted her head in confusion at her question.

"What? No… it's me, Amity! Why don't you recognize me?! I thought we were…" Amity shouted, realizing her voice wasn't her own. "Luz?" she asked, more slowly this time, and listening to the unintelligible groans that she was vocalizing. Deciding that her body language was likely looking quite threatening, Amity backed away and raised her hands submissively. "Am I dead? No. I must be dreaming, right?" she asked, taking in her surroundings. She was in the forest, on a walking path, though the treeline was foggy and difficult to discern; as though she was near sighted.

Luz calmed down as Amity backed away, though still reluctant to get any closer. "You're not like other abominations I've seen, and I've never seen one bottled like that before. Wait, gooey person… bottle… you wouldn't happen to have any wishes on you, would you?"

"What? No! I'm not a genie, Luz!" Amity growled, causing Luz to back away again. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she said, and she hesitated a moment. She had been taught to never submit herself enough to apologize to anyone she didn't respect as having authority over her, but this had just come out. "I mean… ugh, what does it matter? It's not like you can understand me anyway." She slumped, grimacing at the squishy sounds her body was making when she sat. "It's like talking to my parents."

Luz looked at her quizzically, shifting her eyes back and forth as though expecting the abomination to suddenly attack, or have friends jump out of the darkness at her. Slowly, she approached and held a hand out like one would to a puppy. "Uhm, are you okay Mr. Abomination, sir? Where's your witch?"

Amity looked at Luz, her sagging eyes giving her a sad, pathetic look and she could feel her lips drooping in an unintentional scowl. Without bothering to reach forward, she extended an arm and her index finger to write 'Amity' in the dirt.

"Aw, that seems awfully eloquent for an abomination, but who am I to judge?" Luz said, sitting down beside her. "Sure, I'll be your friend!"

Amity growled again in frustration, adding 'Blight' to her word.

"Amity Blight? Those words make no sense together."

Amity pounded the ground with a heavy fist and a groan. "C'mon, Luz!" Amity then wrote 'Name' in large, child-like letters above the words, struggling to maintain her concentration on her lengthened arm.

"Name? Is that your name?" Luz asked, and Amity nodded, feeling like she was some kind of ancient lost link in the demon line of Boiling Isles evolution, and then looked down at her mitten-like hands. She supposed she was now. Maybe she was dead, and this was just what happened to witches, returning to the mud of the Titan to be summoned and controlled as abominations. "Aw, don't feel bad, Amity Blight. I've never known an abomination with a name before. I'm Luz."

Amity had to put effort into showing a smile, pulling the corners of her heavy lips of mud up as best she could. She wasn't sure why Luz wouldn't recognize her name, but if anyone could figure out her predicament, it would be Alador Blight. Amity started to draw a new picture, this time of Blight Manor, in a clear patch of dirt. She did the best that she could with hands that were far too large and awkward to be her own.

"Hey, I know that place! Is that where your witch used to be?"

"Used to be?" Amity asked with a groan.

"That house burned down years ago. Something about one of the daughters getting fed up with their parents? I'm not really sure of the details." Luz explained, her expression remorseful at the thought. "But, if you need a new witch, I could be it."

"But Luz, you're not…" Amity began, turning to look at her again. Her large, sagging, void-like eyes widened even more as she caught sight of the girl's pointed ears, and the sharp fangs in her smile. "A witch?"

"I'll take that questioning groan as an affirmative." she grinned. "I don't have a lot of friends at school, so I guess I should take my teacher's advice and make a new one." she chuckled lightly in self deprecation.

"Okay, so dreaming, and not dead… at least not yet, unless that monster gets its way." Amity's self control had often allowed her to wake herself up when she realized she was dreaming, usually about something she didn't want to be, and this certainly qualified. Unfortunately, her usual methods weren't working. "I guess I'll have to wait this one out." she said, feeling a small feline rub up against her leg. "Well hello. Where did you come from?"

The small white cat looked up at her with bright blue eyes, letting out a contented chirp before curling up in her lap. "It looks like someone likes you." Luz said with a smile, reaching over to pet the creature.

Amity was following Luz uncontrollably with the white cat still curled up around one of her arms, arriving at an odd mix of Hexside and Bonesborough's Library. Stacks of book shelves had replaced the lockers that had lined the hallways. Several students were wandering around inside, appearing as ghostly blurs; witches and demons that she had ignored for so long for being beneath her stature and not worth her time; or so she had been raised to believe. The halls were twisting and branching off at odd angles, not that anyone else seemed to notice, and Amity passed it off as little more than her new uncertain future. Emperor's Coven flags hung half burned from the walls and ceiling, overshadowed by Blight Industries advertisements, causing Amity to give a confused look. "If the Manor is gone, who's running the business?"

"Willow!" Luz called, throwing her arms around her friend as they met in the hall. "I'd like you to meet my new friend! I think you could get along great!"

The announcement grabbed Amity's attention, but she couldn't help but shyly look away from Willow, wringing her hands nervously. "Willow, I…"

"Astounding!" Willow said, drawing closer and adjusting her glasses to observe the abomination that Luz had dragged in. "How did you get it so large? And it's body language is so realistic! Luz, you are sure to get the Top Student position again with this. Can I see its ingredient list?"

"Luz? Top Student?" Amity asked, looking from one witch to the other. "You can't be serious!"

"It's not actually one I made… I kinda found it in the woods." Luz explained. "It was asking about the old Blight Manor."

"It can speak too?"

"Well, it can draw…"

"Willow Park! Luz!" Odalia Blight called from the ceiling of the hallway. "What are you still doing in the halls?! Get to class!"

"Mom?!" Amity exclaimed. "But Luz said…"

"And keep that… thing… quiet!" Odalia continued, pointing at Amity. "Or I'll feed it to Grom itself!"

"Yes, Principal Odalia!" Luz and Willow said in unison, though they refused to move.

Odalia touched the pendant that hung around her neck, causing both it and Amity's abomination body to glow a bright purple. The cat leaped from her arms as Amity felt herself begin to float, and she shouted out at her mother. "No!" she exclaimed, feeling her heavy feet begin to slip on the stonework floor. "Stop controlling me!" Odalia spun a finger in the air, pulling Amity into the school's foyer, past Boscha and Bria who were holding their school books. They smiled and waved as Amity clawed at the floor to try to stop her movement.

"That's enough out of you!" Odalia said, tossing Amity toward what would normally be nothing more than a way to observe the lower floors of Hexside, but now it was only darkness. As Odalia ended her spell, Amity slid past and over the railing before falling down into the pit. "You disappointed me, Amity. I told you what would happen if you associated with weak witches. A Blight always upholds their end of the deal…" her fading voice said.

Amity continued to fall, scream and flail in the darkness as the abomination ooze began to tear away. It floated off in droplets at first, and then in larger chunks until it faded completely and she was dressed in her school uniform again. The fall felt like it was taking forever, and tears began to stream from the corners of Amity's eyes until a point of light below her appeared and grew rapidly. Normally, she would have been able to wake herself by now, the sense of freefall making her terribly uncomfortable and out of control, but still the dream wouldn't end. She closed her eyes, waiting for the impact until she landed softly in a pair of thin, but strong arms that cradled her landing.

She opened one eye to impossibly find herself in Luz's arms with her own around the girl's neck. "Luz? But you were… nevermind." she said, her face warming, causing her to look away. "Nothing here makes sense anyway."

"Fear not, child. I have come to protect you." the girl said, and Amity took another look at the young woman that was still holding her. She still looked like Luz, though she wore a long white and blue gown with a pointed hat surrounded by a gold crown. "The beast is still close! Quickly, we must find shelter."

"Wait, what? Azura?!" she asked, putting her feet down and unclasping her arms from around her rescuer. She looked the young woman up and down, feeling a tingle go through her body and she stepped away uncomfortably, crossing her arms in an attempt to protect herself. "Wh… what are you doing here?" she smiled shyly, looking away as she blushed. As she did, she noticed her dark surroundings brighten into a soft lavender that cast a sillouhette around Azura's form, causing her long green hair to appear, draping down her back. "I thought you were someone else for a minute."

Azura offered a hand and a smile to Amity, her ivory staff with its glowing blue, tear drop shaped gem, materializing in her other hand. Cautiously, Amity relaxed and reached out as well, placing her hand in Azura's. "Do you trust me, Amity?" the young woman asked, and Amity nodded. "Then we should run." she added, accentuated with a loud hissing sound that seemed to come from everywhere. "I do love the running!"

"What?! Where are we going?" The sound of claws scraping on stone came out of the distance, and Amity saw the serpentine form of the Emperor's Coven Inspector charge toward them. She let out a loud cry as Azura pulled her along by the hand. The beautiful lavender colors began to swirl and sparkle, and despite the encroaching monster behind her, Amity couldn't help but look at Azura with affection.

Azura looked back at her, laughing and smiling despite the danger, speaking softly to her as they continued to run. "Come with me, Amity! I want you to see my world!"

Amity grinned at the offer, but as they continued to run, the floor beneath them began to break apart. Fissures blew green steam and smoke into the air, blocking out the colors that had just begun to bring her comfort. The green haze began to whisper with the sound of her mother, and Amity stopped, shaking free of Azura's grasp. "I… I can't. It's not safe for you!" she cried, causing Azura to stop in her tracks as well.

The green smoke began to coalesce into multiple forms that were vague at first before changing slowly into various memories of Willow. "Why, Amity? Why did you stop being there for me?" they asked. Some forms were of the current day, when Amity had seen Willow in the halls of Hexside. Some were of Willow only months prior, in her abomination track uniform when Amity had treated her harshly, more out of habit than any malice. But there was one form, shorter than the others, and covered in small bandages and wearing an orange flower dress, that Amity recognized from when they were just children, looking devastated and lonely.

"Amity, what did you do?!" Azura asked, her friendly visage turning to one of not only disappointment, but on the verge of rage and judgement. "Did you abandon your friend…" she began, gesturing to the space around her as images of Boscha, Skara, Cat, and Amelia appeared. "For these?"

"No!" Amity protested, shrinking back. "I mean, I did. But you wouldn't understand! No one does!"

"I do!" the monster from school growled. Amity turned, terror in her eyes as the massive jaws of the creature snapped shut around her.

Amity winced as something tickled her ear in the darkness. She swiped a hand at the mystery, only to have it return with a rhythmic purring and small puffs of air directed into her ear again. "Stop it!" she shouted, opening her eyes and waving at her ear again as she sat up. She looked down to find the same white feline with blue eyes that she had met earlier, cleaning its forepaw with its tongue. "Ugh. What's with you? Why do you keep showing up?"

"Mrr?" the cat questioned, pausing its cleaning for a moment to match Amity's eyes before getting back to it. Amity stood and brushed herself off, now finding herself on the beach with the acrid scent of boiling sea water wafting in off of the ocean. "Rowr." the cat said, extending a leg embarrassingly toward toward the water while it continued to bathe itself.

"What are you, my spirit guide?" Amity asked, rolling her eyes at first before she caught sight of a figure on the edge of the water. Her form was darkened against the pink sky, but Amity felt a sense of comfort just from seeing them, and she started to walk toward them. She was slow at first, the feelings of acceptance being so unfamiliar that she wasn't certain if they were even good or not. She began to run, but only seemed to grow further away. "Wait!" she called, her pointed boots having difficulty finding traction in the hot sand. "Don't go!"

"Amity!" she heard her mother call, but Amity continued to run as hard as she could, her breath beginning to come in gasps. "Stay away from them!"

Dark purple sludge began to seep through the sand and pull at her feet, keeping her from being able to lift her legs until she eventually fell to her hands and knees. The dark figure remained where they were, but turned to hold out a hand to her. She still couldn't recognize them, as familiar as they seemed to be. "Help me! Please!" Amity shouted, reaching out her own hand to them as the abomination ooze continued to crawl its way up her thighs.

She gasped as Odalia stepped between her and the figure and knelt down to hold Amity's chin. "Mittens, you're not capable of being loved by anyone but us."

"Us?" Amity asked, feeling her limbs getting heavier. "Dad?" she shouted, desperately looking about for her father.

"Alador has left me to deal with you, since you're such a burden. Tell me, Mittens… how do you intend to not drag our entire family down? Will you still join the Emperor's Coven, or will you run away and live in some other world where you are nothing?"

"I…" Amity began, looking around her mother to search for the figure on the beach. They were still there, waiting and unmoving with their arm still patiently extended. The goo had made its way up to her chest and she was finding it hard to breath again. She squeezed her eyes shut and looked away from her mother's gaze. If she wanted to reach whoever was on the beach, she would have to do it herself, but what if she was too late? What if her mother was right, and she couldn't be loved or accepted? Amity reached out to the figure again, but frowned when the abomination mud continued to hold her down, sucking her supporting arm into the sand as it reached her shoulders. "Please!"

"A Blight offers deals, Mittens. What could you possibly have to offer them in exchange for their help?" Odalia asked. "You are just another abomination requiring control."

Amity could feel the ooze crawl along her chin, and was ready to concede to her mother's control, hanging her head in exhaustion until something furry tickled her nose. "Mrr?" the white cat chirped, rubbing up against her arm and evaporating the abomination goo that had been there a moment before. It then stood on its hind legs for a moment, rubbing off the mud that had begun to collect on her chin.

Odalia stepped away at the site of the feline and narrowed her eyes. "Do you think an ounce of freedom will help you?"

Flexing her fingers, Amity pushed herself up onto her haunches as the cat continued to rub itself against the purple shell that had nearly encased her. She ignored her mother for a change, causing Odalia's voice to begin to fade. "Is that what you are?" she asked the cat, scratching its chin affectionately. "Are you representing freedom?"

"Mrow." the cat said, licking the mud off of its paws.

"Well thanks." she smiled. Amity pulled her legs free from the remainder of the ooze that was slowly trying to reform itself, and she searched for the figure again. She climbed to a standing position, spinning in place to desperately find that feeling that she had experienced earlier. "Come back!" she called. "I'm ready! I… just want to not have to be alone anymore." she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut again and clutching the hem of her shirt.

"Amity." whispered a voice from beside her. It was familiar, but she couldn't muster the concentration enough to place it. "You don't have to be."

A soft, warm hand touched her cheek and she leaned into it as it wiped away a tear. Amity held her breath as another hand took one of hers and lifted it to her chest. She could feel a warm breath that wasn't hers on her lips and she struggled to open her eyes.