Amity and her brother and sister returned home shortly after to get ready for the dance, donning their respective outfits for the evening; Amity adding the flowery hair pin that Willow had given her for her eighth birthday just above her ear, before they began their walk to Hexside. By the time they were halfway to their destination, Edric was complaining about not having a palisman to fly on. "Well you shouldn't have waited so long when mom was offering to take you guys into the forest."
Edric groaned. "Do you have any idea what field trips with mom are like? Besides, I don't know why we can't just buy one like everyone else."
"It's not like you'll be getting a palisman either, Mittens." Emira said. "Dad said the palistrom wood is all gone."
Amity frowned. She wasn't sure she could carve out a palisman if she had the chance, given everything currently going on. According to her studies, a witch needed to be focused on their personality and goals, and Amity… wasn't. She really had no idea who she was right now, or where she should be aiming her attention. She was still nervous about tonight, unconsciously holding onto her dress as they travelled, feeling the small folded note in her pocket that she had yet to give to Luz. She would do it. She would find Luz somewhere alone tonight, ask her to dance, and… and it would either be the time of her life, or the end of her social standing as she was rejected. Hopefully before Grom runs rampant across the Isles.
"You okay, sis? I didn't mean…" Emira said, placing a hand on Amity's shoulder.
"Hmm? Yeah." she replied. "I'm just distracted by tonight."
"And Luz?" Edric asked, relishing in Amity's embarrassed blushing cheeks and clenched fists.
She growled loudly back at him, attracting the attention of a few other nearby travellers on their way to Hexside for the event. "Would you two stop it?!" she said quietly. "I've got enough to deal without your teasing." she said, pausing for a moment as she tried to look about for anyone still within earshot. "Is it really that obvious?"
"Super obvious." Edric grinned.
"So obvious." Emira confirmed. "At least to us. But then you never could hide anything from us." she added. "You're going to be fine. You're a Blight, remember?" Emira straightened Amity's gem and puffed up her sleeves. "We are powerful. We stand above the rest. And we always uphold a deal. You just need to make that deal with yourself. Got it?"
Amity nodded and sighed. "I'm not interested in asking her out like mom would have. I don't want her to see me as a Blight."
Edric shrugged. "Suit yourself. It makes things so much easier."
Amity glared at her brother, but remained quiet as the school came into view. Students, faculty, and even citizens of Bonesborough were attending, as the event could likely have an effect on everyone. Principal Bump himself was standing at the front door of the school, and cast a critical eye; first on Edric and Emira with a suspicious frown, and then on Amity. "I have yet to see Luz, the Human. You're sure she's going to be appearing tonight?"
Amity gulped, and nodded. "She'll be here. She wouldn't let me down… I hope."
Principal Bump let out a breath before ushering them in and greeting the next attendees. They made their way to the gymnasium where the band of animated instruments was already playing. Not wanting to be seen associating with their little sister, Edric and Emira immediately veered off in search of students of their own age group, leaving Amity at the entryway alone.
The Grom Decoration committee had done an amazing job completing the gymnasium, making the entire room look far more festive that it should be, with vines that ran along each wall that kept an eye on the book and drink tables to make certain no one was spiking the punch; though the odd one had to be slapped away from trying to drink from the bowl itself. Abomination balloons were groaning quietly from their various arches, and glimmering points of light on the ceiling were shining out of a moving black substance on the ceiling that the potions track created to give it a disconcerting 'Grometheus' look, though it apparently had the flavor of black liquorice.
"Amity!" Skara called, taking a reluctant moment to take a hand off of Toddric's arm to wave, grabbing Amity's attention. She was wearing an impressive white suit over a blood red, button up shirt that matched her hair tie, and a shiny white bow tie that glimmered under the shining snaggleback demon that was still hanging from the ceiling, reflecting shimmering lights off of its shell. Amity waved back, taking note of Toddric's Beast Keeping Track colored suit that Amity assumed Skara bought for him. She wasn't sure how the boy was faring since escaping Tibblet-Tibblie's captivity at the fair grounds, but he seemed to have adjusted well to school life, especially considering the infestation. They both seemed very happy to be together, and Amity felt her loneliness and anxiety begin to creep in again.
She spent the next half hour casually making her way around the tables, drinking punch, and beginning to notice a trend of select groups of students avoiding her. It was something that she knew she hadn't concerned herself with before, but as it became more obvious, she realized it was other students that she had bullied, or purposely crawled over on her climb to the top of Hexside's academic ladder. She knew she had been admired for her determination and skill by the faculty, but very few of her peers cared. Without being a solid member of Boscha's clique, she was starting to feel very much like the outcast that she had made Willow feel…
Suddenly a touch on her shoulder caused her to let out a shout that was fortunately drowned out by the band. "Sorry, Amity. Are you okay?" Willow asked, recoiling her hand and shying away as though expecting a reprimand for daring to touch her.
Amity reflexively looked around for anyone that might be watching the interaction, then turned back to Willow and smiled awkwardly. "Yeah, thanks Willow. So… how's the, uhm, memory? Finding everything alright?"
Willow looked away, absently wringing her hands together. "Oh, it's… a little weird, actually. Having memories that I know I wasn't there for. It's like I was watching a crystal ball program. I'm glad you showed me what you did though, and I'm sorry that your parents…"
"Willow, you don't have to be sorry." Amity assured her, sighing. "I'm going to try to… be better. But it might take some time. Old habits…" she frowned.
"I understand." she nodded and smiled. After another few seconds of awkward silence, she added, "When I saw your hair pin, I thought it would be fine to say hi. I never thought that you kept it…"
Amity lifted a hand to touch the barrette, and laughed a little. "Oh! Yeah. I still have that wooden box my mom gave me. I keep all my, uh, most important things safe in it."
Willow adjusted her glasses, trying to subtly wipe her cheek as she did. "I'm going to get some punch." she said, walking away until Bo grabbed her attention from nearby, asking her to create some corsages for herself and some friends. A few students had started dancing now, and Amity was surprised to see Mattholomule and Celine on the dance floor together, shyly waving to and fro with several other couples. As she surveyed the room, she caught sight of Eda and King talking beneath one of the balloon arches.
"If Eda's here…" Amity said to herself, looking through the crowd as the lights dimmed. She gasped. "Oh no… Where are you, Luz?"
Gus appeared on stage; the younger Illusionist creating an impressive, attention grabbing flourish as he materialized in a puff of multicolored smoke. "Ladies, gentlemen, and assorted demons! It's almost time for our main Grom event." he announced. As he continued, Amity tuned him out, moving through the audience as she tried to find Luz in the dim light. A spotlight moved inconveniently through the crowd, and the students cheered at Gus's continued speech.
Amity slowly found her way to the double doors that exited into the hall, pulling out her note. If she wanted to ask Luz to dance, this was the time. Wasn't it? Before she had to face Grom, just in case. Just in case of what? If it devoured her, her chances of a dance afterward seemed negligible. She looked down at the note as her thoughts strode chaotically through her mind, and she rubbed her thumb across the paper in an effort to focus.
"I'm not sure if it's nerves or if I accidentally drank some milk," Luz said, holding her midsection with both hands. "But something's making my stomach squirm."
Amity snapped her attention to the figure standing in the hall, quickly hiding the note behind her back. Her eyes widened upon seeing Luz, and she took in this human from toe to head. She was wearing ridiculously large brown sports boots, and purple leggings that disappeared under a two-tone pink classical dancing skirt. From the waist up, she was dressed in a more traditional, expensive looking black suit jacket with a split tail, lined in purple silk and covering a white, double breasted shirt. Her hair had been brushed back at some point, but now looked as though a quick flight on Eda's palisman staff gave it a wind swept look that was… cute. "You look nice." she said, pocketing the note and stepping forward, touching her chin as she continued inspecting Luz's outfit. "Strange, but… nice." She took a breath and placed her hands on Luz's shoulders to hold her focus. "Thank you, Luz. Honestly, I'm kind of amazed with how fearless you are." she said with a smile, looking away to gather her thoughts, recalling how they have each dealt with their respective encounters over the last few weeks and frowned. "You've done things I could never do." she said, pulling her hands away.
Luz crossed her arms and smiled. "Yeah, right!" she laughed. "You goin' soft on me, Blight?"
Amity couldn't help but laugh in return, reflexively hiding her smile with a hand. "In your dreams." she replied, finding herself staring back at Luz for a comfortable moment before she finally felt her confidence grow enough to ask…
"Now, introducing our Grom queen." Gus announced, his normally small voice echoing through the school with the assistance of the floating voice amplifier beast that he was holding. "You know her, you love her... you've at least heard of her." he continued hesitantly. "Luz, the Human!"
The demons mounted on the ceiling of the gymnasium converged their light through the doorway, focusing on Luz as she made her way through the door. She turned back to Amity and raised one of her thumbs. "Wish me luck!"
"Luck…" Amity replied, mentally kicking herself for being too cowardly again to just talk to her. The floor of the gymnasium slid to either side, revealing the ancient pit where Grom made its nest. Cheers swept through the crowd and Luz stepped forward to the edge; the armory rising from the floor to either side. Luz explored her options before settling on a heavy flail, pulling the handle from its place and letting the spiked ball swing loose on it chain. She pulled one of her small paper glyphs from her inside jacket pocket and placed it in between the spikes, causing the head to glow a faint blue and begin emanating a thick layer of frost and steam.
Amity could see the nervousness in her posture, but still Luz walked forward and down into the pit. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She suddenly wanted to dive into the nest next to her. To fight the battle that had been chosen for her, but she felt herself locked in place with indecision. The familiar black ooze drew up from the floor, forming into vague, feline-like creatures that seemed to do little more than cause Luz to make a disgusted expression before she struck the floor with her flail. A wall of ice materialized where she struck, launching the black creatures in all directions.
She could feel her fear of Grometheus begin to overwhelm her, and her vision began to swim. She wanted to stay; to make certain that Luz was safe, but she needed space. She needed water, air, something. Amity made her way around the pit, trying to stick to the darker edges of the room so that no one would notice she was gone, and barged into the change room to lean over the sink. Her breathing was shallow and rapid and she felt like she might vomit when King's voice came over the intercom.
"Hel-LO Hexside!" he began, then paused as an odd fluttering sound filled the silence. "Oh, oh gosh… Uhm…" and Amity suddenly felt like the little demon's anxiety was adding to her own. "Wow, these lights are warm."
"Oh, King… this is not going to end well." Amity said to herself, knowing exactly how her peers were about to react to his obviously vulnerable state.
"Observe! Luz is um, she's down there, alright! And uh, yes she is. There she goes, folks! She's battling the thing, and uh…" the intercom went silent for a moment before he shouted loudly into the voice amp. "You will clap for me!" he ordered before suddenly changing his tone to one of pleading. "Please?!" He could be heard crying before a loud, high pitched whine from the voice amp being dropped onto the stage blared out.
Amity had clamped her hands over her ears to block out King's yelling and the feedback, and then looked up at the beast mounted on the wall that had been echoing the announcements. Unfortunately, the silence was making her feel worse than the play-by-play, and she had to support herself above the sink again to keep from feeling faint.
The sound from the speaker signified someone fumbling on the stage before speaking. "Luz has lasted surprisingly long." came Principal Bump's voice. "But what form will Grom take next?" he asked, resulting in an uncomfortable silence.
She looked up at the ceiling of the change room, waiting for the next announcement, but all that came was a gasp. "Oh, come on!" she shouted into the air, stumbling to the door. "What's happening?!" She steadied herself on the wall of the gymnasium, focusing her vision enough to see the gargantuan form of Grom crawl out of its pit; even larger than when she had seen it in the basement. All the fear of its escape from the audience was feeding it; giving it power, and Amity watched as Luz escaped the gym from the opposite exit. Steeling herself, Amity ran across the gymnasium, having to take the long way around the pit to meet Eda in the hall. "What happened?"
"I'm not sure, but something sure spooked her. She locked up solid." Eda replied, drawing a large spell circle that conjured her palisman staff. "Need a ride, boots?"
"Yes." she answered before even thinking. What was she going to do? Grom was at full power and had escaped its cage. She hoped that Eda was actually as powerful as she claimed to be. Amity grabbed the end of the staff and barely climbed on, hanging her legs off one side, before Eda was off the ground and rocketing to where the trees in the forest could be seen waving back and forth from Grom's bulk. "Are you sure you can beat that thing?!" she shouted over the wind.
"I can beat anything!" Eda replied confidently, leaning into the speed. It didn't take long to pass the other students that were chasing the show, and to see that Luz was running blindly toward a cliff overlooking the boiling sea. "Whether that's before or after Luz gets eaten is another story. Now hold on!"
"Wait, what?!" Amity cried as Eda took a sharp turn that sent her unprepared passenger careening off into the upper branches of one of the trees. Amity drew a quick circle that encased her in an orb of abomination goo as she struck the tree. She could feel herself falling through branches, tossing her side to side before finally coming to a rest. She split open the protective sphere and climbed out, watching as Grom was readying itself for a human meal with a vaguely witch-like form protruding from its back that was shouting temptations down at its victim.
"Hands off my human, you misshapen excuse for a monster!" Eda shouted from below her, now standing defensively on the ground. Grom turned back and growled, slavering at Eda's fear for Luz's safety.
"Eda!" Luz shouted, regaining Grom's attention as she cowered on the cliff edge, trapped. "You're right! I'm not ready!"
Amity narrowed her eyes at the beast and gathered her footing, leaping out of the branches over Eda's head. She raced past Grom and placed herself between it and Luz, her arms outstretched. She could feel her fear coming out in waves, and she glared at the creature in all of it's eyes, but speaking to whatever Luz was seeing protruding from its back. "Stay away from her!"
"I know you…" the monster growled inside Amity's mind, and the manifestation of Luz's fear reached out with a thick inky tentacle and struck her in the chest, wrapping around her torso and lifting her into the air.
"I'm sorry Luz!" she shouted. "I should have fought my own battle!" Just like with Bria, and Tibblet-Tibblie, and Goreman, and her parents when they told her to abandon Willow… "I…"
The world around her went silent, and she was alone. An abomination began to grow from the ground, lifting her higher and higher as it continued to grow and she closed her eyes and winced as it threatened to consume her. To turn her into nothing more than another abomiton under full control of someone else. "You've changed…" Grom growled again, its deep, menacing voice thick with gleeful malice.
Before the abomination could toss her into its mouth, Amity found herself standing on the cliffside, looking into Luz's eyes. "Luz? What happened?"
"Amity," she began, though her usual bright eyes and smile were gone, replaced by an angry scowl. She took Amity's hands in hers and looked directly into her eyes. "Whatever made you think I'd go to a dance with you?"
"What?" Amity asked, feeling her heart begin to pound again and she began pulling at her dress with her hands. "I didn't…"
"You've done terrible things, Amity. You're a monster, and a coward." Luz said, reaching into the pocket of Amity's dress and pulling out the folded purple note. "I want nothing to do with you." she said, tearing the note in half and dropping both pieces to the ground. She turned her back and began walking away toward the school.
Amity was speechless, and she reached down to pick up half of her note, clutching it to her chest. Her heart had stopped pounding, and had simply grown cold. She could feel tears welling up all the way from her throat and she squeezed her eyes shut, clutching the note as hard as she could. She could feel her lips begin to curl uncontrollably and her body shudder as the impact of all her fears struck her. She could feel movement beside her and she struggled to push her emotions down into her core and open her eyes to find Luz next to her again, reading the other half of the torn note.
"You were afraid of getting rejected!" she said, then looked Amity in the eye and smiled. "Amity, it's okay. What if I went to Grom with you instead?" she asked, offering her hand to take.
Amity sniffed, locking eyes with her and reaching out as well. "Really?" she asked, pocketing her half of the note and shaking the hallucinations that Grom had given her from her mind.
Luz grinned. "That's what friends do!"
Yeah. Friends. Amity felt a twinge of disappointment at the word, but smiled nonetheless. If that was all that Luz wanted, then that would do. She turned and glared at Grom, feeling her fear and embarrassment subside and attracting the monster's attention. Sensing its most recent morsel threatening to expire, Grom turned back; ready to finish them off.
"Well then, if that's settled…" Amity said, taking a deep breath to find her calm. She held her hand out to Luz. "May I have this dance?"
Luz happily placed her hand in Amity's, and she aggressively pulled Luz close until their noses were nearly touching in a closed dance position. Grom crept closer slowly, seemingly confused by the two teen's sudden calm. They danced forward, no music required, and settled into an in sync rhythm surprisingly quickly. Luz playfully spun Amity at arms length with an improvised style. Amity had done very little dancing outside of her recitals, but much like when she had been forced to play her song in Latissa, she was finding herself adapting to Luz's movements.
Amity was lifted into the air, and she placed her hands on Luz's shoulders as her partner took hold of her waist for another spin. She could feel her emotions rising to the surface. More than fear, or anger, or a sense of self consciousness that kept her from doing anything that the people that surrounded her through her life might consider uncouth, and she couldn't help but grin in genuine happiness. Holding Luz's hand, Amity performed a forward split, tracing out a large purple spell circle on the ground at their feet.
She and Luz switched hands and spun once again, coming together on their tip toes to activate the circle, but Amity was hardly paying attention to the magic she was casting. Her hands, and everywhere Luz touched seemed to tingle with magic; feeding the abomination that grew below them. She could feel that magic pulse with every beat of her heart, much like it had when she had been using the power glyphs, but this didn't feel like a struggle. Her magic was flowing freely, and soon they were towering over Grometheus on the head of her abomination.
They spun again into a cross step, and Luz pulled a collection of cards from her inside pocket with a glyph symbol that Amity didn't recognize. She grinned, using the cards like a hand fan to hide her face and eyeing Amity flirtatiously over its edge. Amity smiled back and nodded, dipping Luz low as she reached down to decorate the abomination's forehead with the cards like a crown.
Grometheus roared, clearly growing angry with the display that was paying no attention to it. It's amorphous form charged forward, and Amity's abomination knelt forward to meet it. The abomination leaped ahead, tossing its passengers into the air before diving head first into Grom's hungry jaws. Luz landed on the ground first, spinning and having to take a few steps in order to catch Amity out of the air. Grom began to look visibly uncomfortable for a void-like blob, with green light piercing its skin and glowing through its teeth.
Luz used Amity's momentum to continue spinning as she cradled Amity in her arms until finally setting her on her feet in an open pose. Amity could feel the explosion of energy from Grom's destruction wash over them, but she was barely paying attention to the cataclysmic event behind them until bright pink blossom petals began to fall between her and Luz.
"Whoa…" Luz whispered, letting her hand slide away from Amity's to take in the view of an enormous tree that had grown in an instant where Grometheus, the Fearbringer had threatened them a moment before. It looked old, as though it had always been there, but its pink leaves stood out from the surrounding orange and brown forest. It was very likely the most beautiful thing Amity had ever seen, and she smiled up at it, realizing it was a combination of hers and Luz's magic that had brought it into being.
Small, slug-like bits of the monster were slinking back toward Hexside in defeat in an attempt to regenerate itself back in its nest. It wouldn't survive long in the wilderness now, but what pieces managed to make it back beneath the school would return next year.
Amity felt a faint glimmer of magic on her forehead as a pink crystal began to appear, encased by a thin gold frame that formed into the delicate Grom Champion crown on both herself and Luz. She met Luz's eyes and reciprocated her smile. "Soooo…." Luz began shyly. "Who did you want to ask out?"
She felt ridiculous now, feeling her cheeks warm and blush after what had just occurred, but she couldn't help still feeling embarrassed. She pulled the note from her pocket to toss it into the wind. "Oh, it's… it's not important." she lied, now unable to look her friend in the eye again.
Before the wind even caught the crumpled note, King ran from the edge of the forest on his tiny legs. "And there you have it, folks! A happy ending for this year's Grom. Let's give a big hand to our Grom Queens; Luz and Amity!"
Realizing that their entire dance battle had an audience as everyone from the gymnasium poked out from their hiding places, the girls stood frozen in mild embarrassment. Cheers began to erupt from the forest, and the word of what happened passed through the crowd to those that hadn't had a chance at a front row view. A collection of students gathered around Amity and Luz, lifting the pair onto their shoulders to carry them back to Hexside. Amity suddenly felt uncomfortable being surrounded by so many people and was about to protest when Luz placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled, giving her an anchor to focus on rather than the people carrying them, and Amity looked back at her with a smile of her own.
Eda was on the outskirts of the crowd, casually applauding for them both before she was almost pushed aside for King to be lifted up as well and placed between Amity and Luz. "They love me!" he shouted, adding to the crowd's cheers for himself, and the girls couldn't help but laugh at the little demon's antics.
"I'm already tired." Luz whispered to Amity as they were carried into the forest. "How long does Grom night go?"
Amity chuckled. "You just defeated Grom, Luz. You've got a long night yet." she smiled.
Luz laughed and casually touched Amity's hand. "We beat Grom. We're both Queens tonight."