I tontheoffbalance, do not own The Owl House, and am not making any profit from this written work. And is entitled by the parody law or whatever.

Enjoy the show!

Emira could barely keep her eyes open, and the last thing she needed was another detention. She hated those creepy-worm things. Telling her to be a good student. Not that it would take; people have always said she was too stubborn for her good, just like her mother.

Emira snapped herself out of that thought. Note to self when waking up super early. Just stay up. Emira thought as she yawned.

"Have you considered going to bed earlier?"

Emira glared at Ed. He had been drinking a giant mug of clawffee. It was normal for Ed, but never this much. He generally stuck to juice, claiming he could never stand the stuff, though it was oddly soothing. Ironic since things like sugar made him go bouncing off the walls.

"For your information, I go to bed plenty early." Em retorted. "It's staying asleep I struggle with. Now give me some of your clawffee."

Ed jerked the mug away from her.

"No way, you know what this stuff does to you. Half an hour later, you'll be under your desk rocking back and forth, thinking the Emperor's Guard's banging on the door. Why don't you just make an illusion of yourself awake? I can take notes for you."

"Well, for one, you're the worst at taking notes, I might as well skip sans copy. Second, I can't keep using prolonged illusions, and I'm still drained from last night."

Ed cocked his head at her. "Why? What were you doing last night?"

Emira winced at the question. "Nothing. The usual." The sad part about that was she wasn't lying. Not in the slightest.

Ed gave her a concerned look. He opened his mouth as if to say something but closed it instead.

Emira attempted to reach for his cup again, not wanting to further the awkward silence.

"Come on! Just a few sips! I can't get another detention. I have an appointment with Dr. Landon after school."

Ed hesitated but relented. "Here. Only a few sips."

"You're a lifesaver, Ed."

Emira took the mug graciously and took a sip. But then instantly recoiled.

"Ugh! How much cream and sugar did you put in this?"

"Hmmm, I don't know exactly. It might be easier to say I added a clawffee to my cup of cream and sugar." Ed said.

Disgusted, Em gave Ed back the mug. "Here, I prefer to keep my pancreas in working order. Thank you."

Emira loved sweet stuff as much as the next witch, but Ed always went overboard. He always tried to overcompensate for the bitter and bland with a sack of sugar. She was just glad he was a vegetarian. Otherwise, he'd die of a heart attack by 25. Still.

"You should cut back on the sugar. Your youthful metabolism is only going to last for so long." It came out snider than she intended.

Ed only rolled his eyes in response. "Whatever, mom."

Emira bristled at the comment but didn't let it show. She knew Ed didn't mean it like that. Besides, a Blight didn't let their emotions get the best. And that meant not showing them at all.

"Odalia would only care in terms of appearances. I don't want you to make yourself more and more unhealthy over something as trivial as taste."

"Says the girl who ate bacon and a breakfast pastry."

Em playfully slugged Ed in the arm.

"Ow! You sure use me as your punching bag for someone who claims to care about my health and safety."

Em faltered. She knew Ed hadn't meant anything by it, but it still managed to hit her. It seemed like yesterday she had said the same thing almost verbatim to her mother nearly two years ago. At the time, she had been speaking emotionally, though it didn't take long after that to become literal.

Thankfully a certain younger sister managed to save the day unintentionally.

This time, Amity usually went to school much earlier than the twins; she walked past them as though she was avoiding them. Which she probably was since they embarrassed her at the library. She and Ed had been trying to make it up to her, only to be snubbed. Not that she can blame her. Why did she do that anyway? It didn't seem like such a big deal at the time. She thought Mittens deserved it. After all, she'd been the one who was acting like a bully, not that human girl. She'd been pushing others around, looking down on others for years. Having her taken down a peg seemed like justice. And what better way than to expose her secrets and insecurities to the whole school? (Looking back, she can see where Luz was coming from)

But it wasn't like they did that unprompted. Amity had been acting like such a bitch for years, and she'd never been called out on it by anyone! If anything, she'd been encouraged to be colder, snotty, and just plain mean.

Emira didn't know why she said they always kept getting away with things. It's not like either of their parents reprimanded her for her holier-than-thou attitude. If anything, Odalia encouraged it, and her dad-

Well, it seemed her dad didn't care as much anymore.

And where did she get off saying that she and Ed were perfect in their parents' eyes? (Obviously, she didn't add that last part, but it was heavily implied) when it was so obviously the other way around! Emira was always considered the annoying toddler in Odalia's eyes, whereas Amity was always the perfect little angel. Both she and Ed always barely fell short of perfection (academic-wise), whereas Amity didn't even have to try. It was always Amity this, Amity that. "Why can't you be more like Amity? She's a big girl two years younger than you!" "If Amity can get straight As, then you and your brother can too."

She's studying abominations, Mother! We study Illusions! It's the literal definition of blood apples and blood oranges!

Ironically, this pushed her and Ed to combine forces to get perfect grades and cultivate the image of a perfect daughter. Sweet, docile, courteous, respectful, and following every rule. (Until Amity threatened to ruin it all by constantly reporting their truancy to Principal Bump) And Edric, being oh so, well Edric.

In the end, she guessed she had been right, that she and Ed were the Golden Children of the Blight family. But being the Golden Child wasn't what's cracked up to be. Maybe that's the route she should have taken instead of trying to expose her diary.

It was for the best anyway; if it had gotten out to the whole school, it would have circled its way back to Odalia. And she would have cracked down on her and Edric, not for humiliating Amity but for tarnishing the Blight family name. (And scold Amity for keeping a diary/allowing her secrets to being spread around the school)

All that being said, Emira didn't hate hate Amity, even though half the things she said and did annoy the Hades out of her. And she did feel bad.

So she might have attempted to apologize.

She sped walk to her younger sister, Ed trailing behind her.

"Heeeey, Mittens."

But Amity didn't answer her. She sped up even faster. Emira shared a glance with Edric. Using their semi-telekinetic twin powers (But not really because you needed to study Oracle magic for that)

"We just want to reiterate how sorry we are about almost exposing your deepest darkest secrets to the entire school."

Amity continued walking faster, not acknowledging their presence and trying to maintain her Little Miss Perfect, haughty, I'm-so-much-better-than-you composure.

"Yeah, it's not like you're the only one to accidentally call your teacher mom."

For possibly the first time since yesterday, Amity acknowledged the twins' existence. "That still doesn't give you the right to-

wait, what?"

Emira quickly tried to save face by elbowing Edric. "Nothing! He means that everyone has embarrassing secrets hiding their true selves. And we have learned that some secrets need to stay hidden. And anyone who tries to expose them is an awful person." Emira stared intensely at Edric.

Amity glanced over her shoulder briefly to try and decipher her words before giving up.

"Well, at least we can agree on one thing."

"Look," Emira began. "Let us make it up to you. Why don't we go on a short vacation together? You, of all people, could use a break."

Amity was quiet for a split second before answering. "I'm good. I'd rather get eaten by a Slithebeast."

"Perfect! We'll go to the Knee. That's like the most magical place on the Boiling Isles. We'll tell Mom and Dad we're helping you train."

"Yeah," Ed chimed in. "Come on, Mittens. We'll teach you how to make a firewall to protect your secret hideout."

Now that got Amity's attention. "Fine, I'll go with you guys. I could use all the extra training. But I'll only go if you admit you're only nice to me, so you'll avoid getting in trouble with Mom."

"That's not true." Emira protested more defensively than she intended.

"Wait, it's not?" Ed asked dubiously. Emira glared at him elbowing him in the ribs again.

"Mm-hmm." Amity started speedwalking down the path to school.

"Alright! We'll admit it if you're the bully, not Luz."

Amity stopped dead in her tracks. Like Emira had touched a nerve. Edric seemed just as surprised, which was semi-understandable since Emira rarely showed her more serious side.

"Okay."

Now it was Emira's turn to be caught off guard. "Okay?"

"Okay. I admit it. I've been a bully. For a while now. And, I have to admit I'm not proud of it."

"I don't understand what's going on here. Are you guys having a stroke, or am I?" asked an incredulous Edric.

"Alright, we admit it; we only apologize to keep you from tattling to mom. If she cared about anything other than her reputation, she wouldn't have reprimanded you for allowing your diary to be stolen or even having a diary in the first place. Which she wouldn't."

Amity looked somewhat disappointed. She was used to her sister's blase attitude, but it still hurt. Amity crossed her arms and looked away. "I've heard better apologies from Mom."

"Mom would've told you what you wanted to hear only to move you closer to her side. Plus, you can't deny any of that wasn't true."

Amity looked down at her feet. She knew it wouldn't be out of character for Odalia to do something like that, and now that she thought about it, that was probably what would have happened had the twins' plan succeeded.

"Look, I meant it when I said I didn't mean to hurt you. I should never have broken into your secret hideaway and tried to steal your diary. That was a low blow, to say the least. I hope you can forgive me."

Amity thought for a minute. Should she forgive them? Can she forgive them? What Edric and Emira did violated her trust entirely, and now her secret hideaway was less secret it felt less safe. Not that this was anything new. That may be the point. But they were still her siblings. They could be really sweet when they wanted to be; also, Emira did have a point. It'd be just as bad for her, if not more so, than for them, if she told their mom. So they must mean it. But did that mean she could trust them?

"I want to believe you, but what you did was messed up. You can't keep doing things like this because you know you won't be punished. I will admit I have been a bully myself. But that doesn't give you the right to bully me. I hope to forgive you, but not right now."

Oof. That hurt. Was this what she meant when she said they kept getting away with things? As much as Amity's attitude drove her crazy, she never actually wanted her sister to feel bullied by her.

"However, I will join you guys on the Knee, if only to get away from Mom. Besides, I do need to train. I'm getting lower A's in magical defense, and Mom will make me quit my job at the library, and I am this close to getting a paid position."

Alright, swing and a miss. But still, this was a start. There was still a chance to repair their relationship. It wouldn't be easy, but there was still a chance.

"Okay, great, so we should go to the left Knee. They say that it has the most potent magical energy. Plus, it's away from the uh, you know."

"Oh, you mean the death cabin?" Edric blurted out.

"Edric!" Emira scolded.

"What? I thought we were only supposed to tip-toe around the issue with Dad, Uncle Ricky, or Aunt Rose."

"Yeah, but that's still a family tragedy; show some respect."

AUUUUGGGHH! The Blight children jumped as the bell startled them from their conversation to find themselves at the school.

"Alright, we'll discuss this after school. More than likely, we'll be going to the left Knee.

Especially since Mittens needs all the help she can get."

"Oh fuck you," Amity grumbled as she stormed up the steps to her first class.

"Hey Em, aren't you glad we don't have to deal with the old principal? We'd probably be expelled by now."

Yes, Emira grew up hearing horror stories from everyone and her mother about the former Principal Faust, detentions for being too late, detentions for being too early, and detentions for chewing too loudly. If not for the efforts of her grandmother Head Witch Gardner, the constant complaints from all the parents, and the pressure from the PCA did, he finally resign, and Principal Bump took over, bringing his reign of terror to an end.

"You don't know my abilities as a professional truant and one of the best Illusionists at Hexide? Dear brother, I thought better of you."

"Sister, please, don't get me wrong, you are fantastic at both, but Faust ran down every student with a fine comb at least twice on an off day."

"I've bamboozled worse, like that coven scout recruiter at the covention?"

"Please, that guy was half asleep; that doesn't count."

"It does so!"

"Let me see you do that while he was awake."

"Oh, you think I won't? I will do it! I'll do it on the way home if you want!"

Edric hesitated for a second. "Nah, maybe during one of mom's private sales. I don't want to hold you up from your appointment."

Emira was surprised at this sudden maturity. It's not like Edric is incapable of it (despite what their mother or Amity would say) but not expected in this scenario.

Typically he would double down when it came to this sort of thing. Maybe he knew more than he let on. Now wasn't the time to go down that antelabbit hole right now.

Emira walked mindlessly walked down the halls to her locker. The micro serving of clawfee seemed to help a little, but her mind was still in a fog of drowsiness.

The insomnia was either due to the new times she took her elixir or her brain breaking through the elixir. She knew it was likely the former, but she had read about the latter happening to those who were long-term users of elixirs.

Stop it. You're fine. This isn't a relapse. Emira told herself. This fogginess wasn't like the fog of depression she experienced. She could still feel things, and her thoughts weren't drifting toward hopelessness. Still, she should probably talk to Healer Maggie about taking it at another time later today. Maybe morning, since afternoon and night weren't working for her.

Emira tickled her locker to get her books; she spun around to get to her class when she accidentally slammed into another witch, knocking them over.

"Oh my, Titan! I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" Emira said, offering a hand to help them up before realizing who it was.

Rita Janis Anchorman. Aka her ex.

The two looked at each other awkwardly before Rita took Emira's hand and stood up.

"Don't worry about it; accidents happen. Besides, it's not like you did any damage. Nope, I am totally fine."

The two stood awkwardly as the silence permeated the two.

"Um, anyway, Rita began. "How are you doing mentally? With your condition and your mom and everything else?"

"Oh, I am doing great! Totally. I started seeing a new Healer and a therapist; they gave me a prescription for a bunch of new elixirs. Now I am in tip-top shape again. Emira said, stretching into a nonchalant pose.

"Wow, that's…great. Great. I'm happy you're doing better."

Another awkward silence. Titan, she was getting a lot of those today.

"Well, I should be getting to class. Can't afford another tardy." Emira said as she scurried to pick her books up off the ground, which she didn't do from before.

"Oh yeah, because of all the times you and Edric cut class."

"Right, right. And we would've gotten away with it if it weren't for our meddling sister!" Emira said jokingly, in a vain attempt to ease the tension."

"How is Amity, by the way?" Rita asked.

"She's…Amity, you know. Same as always." Emira said, colder than she intended to.

Emira hadn't wanted to reveal the library incident to Rita. Mainly because she couldn't exactly say, "oh, Ed and I conspired to steal our sister's diary, roping in an innocent human, humiliating them both. Oh, a doodle of a scary Odabin came to life from the Wailing Star and attacked them both. Causing her and the human to go through some life-changing event, which results in her getting a new book."

Especially since she doubted Rita knew exactly what a human was. But mainly due to Emira not wanting to talk to Rita about Amity. At all.

"I should be heading to class, though." Emira said briskly, trying to sound less harsh but without real emotion."

"Of course. So should I."

"Okay, then."

"Okay…talktoyoulateriguessbye!" Emira forced herself to scurry away before she could be sucked in any longer. Only making it to her first class seconds before the bell screamed.

Thankfully the professor was busy talking with another student to realize she was technically late to her seat.

Now Professor Shackleton wasn't exactly a strict teacher, but she was particular about the "students only being on time if they were sitting in their seat before the bell" rule. A rule that was all but dropped since Bump took over. A rule that infuriated students and parents alike.

However, if there was one perk that came from being in Shackleton's class, it was that this was one of the two classes that she didn't share with Edric.

Don't get her wrong; she loved her brother, but with four classes, lunch, most of their passing periods, and the rest of their lives. Emira rarely got a break from Edric. Scratch that; she rarely got a break from being a Blight twin.

It was nice to be her own person for 50 separate minutes.

The rest of the day seemed to drag on forever, especially when the drowsiness started to take over. Thanks to the power of illusions (and Edric), Emira made it seem like she was actually paying attention.

It also helped that classes were mainly reviews, so it was easy to coast.

Finally, the last bell screamed, dismissing school for the day. Emira grabbed her textbooks and schoolwork and made a mad dash for her locker. But not too fast to aggravate the new hall monitors that showed up when the human first appeared.

Emira and Edric walked to the steps together before departing.

"You're sure you'll be okay without me?"

"I'm sure." Ed assured her.

"Okay because I won't be home until 5."

"I know."

"And remember to go straight down Pinecrest Road to our house. No turns or detours, okay?"

"Em, relax! I'm not a little kid anymore. I know how to get home by myself."

Usually, Ed would go into Bonesborough with her, but today Ed stayed after school to work on the Grom committee.

According to Ed, this was the least tedious after-school curricular Hexide offered, but Emira knew he wanted to hit on a demon from their Illusions Forever class. Since he also spent most of his time on the planning committee.

And since Emira had to make her appointment, which she didn't want people outside of her circle to know about, she couldn't be seen with Ed.

Besides, she liked the time alone. It made her feel like a real person instead of just a Blight.

"Okay, I'll see you back at the manor at six. Think you can manage till then?"

"Yes, now, for the love of Belos, go before you miss your appointment!"

"Okay, okay! I trust you. I just want you to be okay. I know you don't always do well on your own."

"Have a little faith in me, oh twin of mine. I can handle more than you know. Now seriously, you better get a move on. Go take your brain."

"I know! I know, I'm going, I'm going. Bye!"

"Bye."

Emira jogged down the path leading to the road from Hexide to Bonesborogh. She looked over her shoulder before removing her concealment stone and putting on an illusion spell to disguise herself.

With the shorter, less voluminous braid and a face full of pimples, plus the spell, Emira was almost unrecognizable to anyone she might run into.

This didn't make her look like a different person, but rather changed her features ever so slightly, such as her nose, chin, cheekbones, eye shape, and color, to the point she couldn't be recognized.

While not a super advanced spell, it was more nuanced than most basic disguise spells.

It wasn't so much her classmates she was worried about (though she wouldn't be thrilled if anyone at school found out she was going to therapy) but instead her parents' associates or customers. Anyone who might let it slip to Odalia (her dad probably wouldn't say anything) who would then make her quit because "Blights don't have problems" and "A Blight doesn't reveal their weakness to anyone." Also, she would infer that she was blabbing about the family secrets, mainly how Odalia treated them.

This way, she wouldn't get any questions or invasive questions. This thing could be all hers. And that kind of thing was rare between a micro-managing mother and a clingy twin brother. Maybe that's how Mittens felt about her secret hideaway before she and Ed ruined it.

Emir forced herself to snap out of her guilt. Not now, she thought. Save it for the session.

A Blight does not break down in public.

Eventually, she reached a small building. Before checking in all directions to ensure no one she knew saw her, Emira entered the very humble office and the…(not quite dingy. Electiqe maybe?) waiting room. Picking up her usual form to fill out.

It wasn't long until Dr. Maggie Landon, her therapist, poked her head into the waiting room, calling her name.

Emira followed her into her surprisingly tasteful and cozy office before sitting on the chair before Dr. Maggie.

"Hello Emira, how have you been this week?"

Hey, sorry I've been gone. College has taken up a lot of my time. But I'm here now and will try to upload regularly. Thank you to those who have stuck by me until the end and those who are just joining me; thank you for giving me a chance; try not to get too excited, for this may take longer than I intend.

And yes, I took the summary from my previous fic, but it fits more here.

If you stuck around this long, I would accept constructive criticism. It details what to do better and is not just "boo, you stink!"

I will be going off of my experience with general anxiety, the show's lore, and what I've picked up from other topics I have read about, so if I get something wrong, please, please, please don't be afraid to correct me.

Hopefully, this story will satisfy you.

Again, I appreciate your support, so stay tuned for more because there will be more, no matter how long it takes.