A faint image of a distant dream dwelt in Amity's mind. She hit the snooze on her alarm clock despite lacking a school day to hurry off to. Her injured leg, thanks to a little Grudgby stunt, kept her from the classroom while her siblings studied in person. They would bring her make-up work, so she had the whole day to lie in bed pathetically. The worst part about being nearly bed-ridden with pain wasn't the physical discomfort itself but missing out on taking a field trip with Luz. Her classmates were venturing to the Emperor's Castle to learn about the coven relics and the Emperor's Coven itself. Amity would normally jump at the chance to tour the castle and learn even more about the Emperor's Coven, but the idea of seeing Lilith again after that embarrassing "showdown" made her blood boil. Perhaps there was some good to come out of this injury, aside from helping her newfound friends.

Amity didn't want to go the whole day without at least hearing Luz's energetic voice. She called the Owl House's crystal ball right before Luz would leave for school.

"Good morning, Luz," Amity said. "How are you feeling about the field trip?"

"Not sure. I know Eda says covens are bad and all, but I'm still stuck in the middle on that. And going to the center of the biggest coven on the isles is kinda awkward when my caretaker is a criminal on the run from them. Maybe it won't be as bad as I think, especially since Willow and Gus will be there with me, I really don't know."

"I wish I could spend the day with you, Luz. I'll miss you."

Amity's attention shifted away from the crystal ball into her own mind. Her thoughts had been leaking out bit by bit to Luz, her yearning to be more than just Hexside classmates and more than friends. Worry that Luz would consider that sentiment stupid lingered, but not quite as much as the pain this retreat into her mind only highlighted.

"Amity, you're spacing out again."

Amity placed a new healing patch on her cast. She groaned for a few seconds until the recovery spell activated.

"Sorry, the pain was bothering me again."

"I was just gonna say that if you're feeling lonely, I can come after the field trip. I don't want you to suffer alone. We can have our Azura Club too! I promise I'll be there for you!"

Amity blushed and cracked a small smile. Warmth flowed through her hearing those words from Luz.

"Thank you. I lo… no, I like the compassion you've shown through this nightmare of a broken leg. See you after school. I'm looking forward to it."

"Yeah, me too. Bye!"

Luz hung up, and Amity lay flat on her bed. She held the inactive crystal ball to her chest and kissed it, imagining Luz's face was still displayed. Was doing that creepy? She lacked the energy to spend on never ending introspection. Amity's mind quieted with the ball in her arms. The soft sheets she lay on were sweet, but the idea of sharing them with the human was even sweeter. One of her hands stretched out longing for her friend to grasp it, imagining the hydrated and smooth texture on her own palm. She sighed blissfully. The image and texture of Luz embracing her appeared in her mind foggy yet distinct. And it was at that moment Edric barged in.

"Hey Mittens, whatcha doing there?" He commented.

She quickly set the crystal ball on her nightstand and played dumb. Granted, her words couldn't mask her trademark characteristic of getting so red in the face she felt like passing out a little.

"Nothing!"

"I swear, you've been so weird since that little fairy tale dance with the human… Is it like, related? You like her or something?"

"Why do you think that?!"

"You talk for hours with her, and your face is red the whole time. And plus, the both of you were the ones to end up with the Grom crowns. It's almost like you went soft!"

"I'm NOT SOFT!" Amity impulsively blurted, hitting her fist on the bed. "You ALWAYS belittle me because you think I'm beneath you, you think my vulnerability is some sort of defect! Blights aren't weak; they shut up and take it! And I'm SO SICK of it! Why don't you shut up!?"

Amity covered her mouth. Edric halted his teasing. Luz had convinced her to speak her mind more, but not like this, never like this. She paused for another moment.

"Edric, I… uh... I didn't mean that. I'm sorry; I'm just really worried about Mom and Dad finding out about this and mocking me. Or you and Em teasing me about it."

Edric put his hand on her shoulder for an instant, patting it lightly with an encouraging, earnest smile.

"Amity, I didn't realize you were this serious about her. Hey, it's okay. I promise I won't tell them. Sorry for prying about it."

Amity pushed his hand off her shoulder and smiled back.

"Sorry for lashing out. Have a nice day at school."

"Thanks, Mittens. I'll go fetch that dumb notebook and be off on my way for reals. See ya later."

Amity waved politely and shifted to the other side of the bed. Why did she drag him into any of this? The conversation looped in her mind. Edric, off to fetch his Illusions notebook he often forgot, closed the door. She sighed with embarrassment. Ed was pretty serious about love (compared to most other things), and he wasn't exactly quiet about it. After all, his ability to keep secrets was about as good as Luz's ability to refrain from referencing The Good Witch Azura for the entire school day. And guess what? Luz never did that. With most embarrassing secrets, if he blabbed on about it with others, her parents would learn via rumor, and they certainly wouldn't be happy. After what happened with Willow so long ago, of course they wouldn't! Edric sounded more considerate than usual. Maybe he really wouldn't tell them. Despite all the trouble and pain they caused her, Edric and Emira at least cared about her.

"I really shouldn't have gambled on him…" Amity covered her face and tossed and turned on her bed a couple of times.

A piercing headache halted Amity's at least tenth internal rant on the subject in the past week. She took her cup of water off the nightstand. Drinking more water somewhat alleviated the headache. Remembering basic self-care was easier when other people were there. At least then, Ed, Em, Luz, or maybe her acquaintances could remind her to drink and eat a little more. Of course, her constant struggle with simple hygiene and nourishment brought one thought to the forefront of her scattered mind:

"I hate being alone," she thought aloud.

She replaced the healing patch on her leg and took a nap to shut up her thoughts, even if only for a bit.

She slept.

And slept,

Dreams of Azura and Hecate dueling at the Bog of Immediate Regret,

Subconscious images of holding Luz's hand while they battled fearsome evil,

Blurry images of a panicked Luz tumbling to her doom before being saved by glowing magic, only for the scene to fade to black.

All sorts of distant ideas filled her half-active mind.

Amity slept more throughout the rest of the morning and a good chunk of the afternoon.

Her eyes hesitated open while her body shook lightly. Emira's hand was on her shoulder, pushing her. Amity sat up, stretched her arms, and yawned.

"Hey there, Mittens, I got your homework," Emira handed the papers over. "Sorry to disturb your nap."

"It's… it's fine." Amity assured. "Has Luz come by?"

"No, why are you asking?"

"She said she would visit after school." Amity checked the clock. It read 4:26PM. "She should be here by now. Luz is always there for her friends. She never breaks her promises, right?"

"You sound like you're getting worked up. Maybe the field trip ran long? That's nothing to worry about. Say, why don't you use the homework to take your mind off it?"

"That's a good suggestion. Thanks."

Emira had this sudden smug smirk, probably coming up with some stupid prank.

"And Mittens, if you need me to change your clothes, I totally can, heh!"

"Em!" Amity flushed with embarrassment. "I'm not some little kid anymore!"

She chuckled like it was a typical day. "Yeah, yeah, I know! But for real, if you need help, lemme know. Have fun with the homework. Bye."

Amity looked at the crystal ball on her nightstand thinking back on what Luz said. She couldn't consider the possibility that Luz would bail out on her in the very same way her old friends always left her behind or treated her like a third, often fourth wheel. She replaced another healing patch before working on some history homework. They were just some basic questions about how Emperor Belos became emperor to go along with the day's activities. It wasn't anything complicated, just the kind of questions added after a field trip to make it more educational. The end of the Savage Ages, creation of the coven system, and more specifically the implementation of the Emperor's Coven as a method of law enforcement; these were all pretty basic things every witch and witch-in-training (aside from maybe Luz) knew. Amity struggled to get these done, but only because her mind lingered on Luz's absence the longer she worked.

"And thanks to the work of the Emperor's Coven, wild magic is punished, and the order the Titan intended was restored to the land." Amity spoke aloud as she finished her homework.

Whether any of it was true or not, Amity was unsure. It was all she ever heard throughout her whole life, yet the time she spent with Luz and her mentor contradicted it. If mixing magic was so bad, why were those enforcing the law exempt from it? They could mix magic to stop other people from mixing magic? The Titan's will, or so claimed the Emperor claimed, was unclear to those not well versed.

Amity sighed, feeling tired and having another headache. She drank more water to ease that new one. She felt sweaty. Amity hadn't been able to change out of her school clothes since the injury. The healer at the office assisted her in changing that day. Luz offered to help instead, but Amity almost fainting at the suggestion changed her mind. Luz can be such a bonehead, missing what's lying right in front of her. Then again, her plate has been pretty full, especially with her parental figure. Supposedly, the Owl Lady's curse was getting worse, and things in general have been going downhill for Luz on top of that. Despite all the misadventures and harrowing quests she tackled, Luz stayed optimistic and strong. Amity wished she could be the one to greet her home from peril with a kiss, but not so tonight. Luz still hadn't come, and the sun was growing low in the sky. She couldn't keep waiting; Amity had to do something!

She clumsily got off her bed and stood on her good leg. With crutches in hand, she drew a circle with them onto the floor, hit it with her other crutch, and rose on the shoulders of a large abomination that was fueled by a power rivaled by none: a worried gay. The abomination kicked the door open and took Amity down the stairs. She told her parents where she was going, well vaguely, and hurried off to the Owl House.

The sun sank gradually while Amity's abomination hurried through the woods. Her chest was starting to feel tense from her overactive magic bile sac, but Luz would never break a promise without something going wrong. She drew a circle and added more mass to her abomination to make it run faster. Amity yelped, her chest suffering a sharp pain. Her outfit felt even sweatier, and her vision started to blur.

"Luz…" She wheezed while the slime man picked up speed, the bumpiness of its gait starting to bother her. "I hope you're okay…"

The gooey feet of the false humanoid slapped against the leafy forest floor while Amity used most of her strength to get to Luz. Her chest hurt like boiling rain, and even with the help of the abomination, she was just barely able to reach the Owl House by sunset. Her abomination dissipated, and Amity fell to the cold ground. Everything hurt so much.

"I can't stop now…" Amity croaked. "Luz… I need to see her…"

She pushed herself back up. Amity cautiously approached Hooty. Pain shot through her bad leg limping on it, but that wouldn't stop her now.

"Can I come in?"

Hooty said nothing. He simply swung the door open, revealing Luz curled up on the floor with that little demon dog holding onto her forearm. He extended out to Luz to ease her pain.

"Luz!" Her hand extended to help, but her knees gave out.

Luz sniffled and turned around. She helped Amity stand back up.

"They took Eda..."

Amity's heart sank further. Luz held her upright with trembling hands. Her arms clung to Amity's waist like Amity wasn't the only one trying to remain standing. Those three short words escaping Luz's lips perfectly explained the agony with which she said them. Amity strained herself further and guided the both of them to the couch. The darkness of the room embraced the two hugging friends.

"She was captured, and it's all my fault…"

"Luz, don't blame yourself," Amity ran her fingers through Luz's hair. "It's—" Amity turned away and coughed weakly, her bile sac in pain. "It's not your fault."

"Yes it is. If I didn't try to steal the Healing Hat, I wouldn't have gotten caught by Lilith, and Lilith wouldn't have taken Eda away."

Amity almost pulled Luz's ruffled hair in shock.

"You… you tried to steal a coven relic. Are you serious? No offense, but how did you think you could get away with that alive?!"

"I don't know! I thought it would cure Eda's curse!"

"You could have hur—!"

"I know I could have hurt someone! And I did…"

Luz put her head against Amity's shoulder. Her grip tightened on Amity's waist. A bitterly cold tear brushed against Amity's neck. Sweat coated her forehead and chest from the heat.

"Luz, oh Luz… I didn't mean to raise my voice." She patted Luz's head. "I was just concerned for you."

"I don't like being this impulsive," Luz's normally strong voice cracked as she spoke. "It always puts the people I care about in danger. You have no idea how much I hate myself for letting this happen."

"Don't hate yourself. You were just trying to help her. You were just… careless."

"I'm always careless. Look where it gets me."

Amity wrapped her finger in Luz's hair. She pulled Luz's face closer to her shoulder. The atmosphere of dread destroyed even the possibility of Amity gay panicking at the intimacy. Their hands intertwined in an attempt to comfort.

"That impulsivity and creativity always circles back to a solution. No matter how much you mess up, which you honestly do a lot, you always find a way to resolve it."

"You really think that? After how bad I messed up this time?"

Amity really didn't know. She simply hoped, clutching onto that misplaced optimism that made Luz so loveable.

"Yeah, you've already done the impossible! Fighting that Slitherbeast, going to Hexside, for goodness, doing magic! I never thought a human could do that!"

"You're right. Maybe I'm not that bad."

Of course not! You're smart and strong and kind, just all around wonderful! I have a good feeling about you kicking… uh, who exactly captured the Owl Lady again?"

"Lilith."

"Lilith?" Amity felt a tired rage resurge. "Yes, please kick her so hard she flies into another realm. I have no pity for her."

"Yeah, yeah!"

Luz fixed her posture, invigorated by hope.

"We can fix this together! I'll gladly get her back for the Covention!"

"We CAN fix this together!"

Luz pumped her fists. Amity's artificial excitement was contagious like a plague. But like a plague, that excitement awakened symptoms of a greater problem in Amity, a problem eating away at her while trying to help Luz with all her heart. Amity felt her body suddenly feel detached from herself. Her head fell onto Luz's chest.

"Amity?"

Shaking. Her hand wouldn't stop shaking. Spinning. Her head wouldn't stop spinning. Blurring. Her vision wouldn't stop blurring. Amity collapsed onto Luz further. Her breath slowed. Her grip loosened. Her chest stung.

"Luz…"

Her voice was soft with pain, weak with suffering. She couldn't say another word, for her consciousness was foggy. She clung tighter to Luz, hoping that would somehow help.

Hooty snapped back from his position near Luz to his home on the door. The Owl House's entrance opened, and two figures obscured by the night. Coven guards? That was Amity's first conclusion. She held Luz tighter, more so to protect her than herself. As the footsteps resounded against the floor and the house's dim light revealed them, the fear that struck the two embracing friends faded.

"Mittens, are you okay?" Edric asked.

"We didn't think you were going to go running after your new best friend without some sort of drama, so we came to check on…" Emira paused noticing the dreary atmosphere of the normally fun Owl House and Luz's tear-stained cheeks. "What happened?"

"I'm sure you'll find out, but right now, she needs help."

Edric walked over to Amity and picked her up gently. He placed his hand on her chest.

"Oh, she overdid her bile sac. Classic Mittens." Edric adjusted Amity in his arms to make her more comfortable.

"But is she alright?" Luz asked softly. "I can't deal with any more loss."

"She's gonna be fine with rest. She must have really wanted to get to you if she pushed her magic this hard."

"Amity really cares about you," Emira added. "Anyway, Mom and Dad are going to kill us if we're out any later. I'm sorry for whatever happened to you that worried her so much. I hope you feel better soon, Luz."

"Thank you, but I don't think I'll be taking this one laying down."

"Good luck with that, really, I mean it," Edric, alongside his twin sister, walked out of the house.

"Thanks guys," Amity mumbled weakly while clutching onto her brother.

"Don't worry, Amity," Emira patted her head with concern. "It's just what siblings do."

Amity stared at the expansive night sky of the Boiling Isles as her siblings took turns carrying her home. She hoped with all her heart Luz would save her mentor, all of her worn out, strained heart.

A feeling of motivation touched down on Luz after Amity left. She would take down Lilith with the fury of all those who loved Eda. She would fight Lilith and save Eda with hopefully the same determination Amity would fight to recover and cheer for her. Justice would be carried out, and freedom would be encountered!