"This year's conjuring night party is in honor of Amity! Miss you girl!". I had to pause for a moment after reading my scroll aloud. Those words hurt in more ways than one.
I, of course, wasn't allowed to go to that party. It's not as if I would go anyways knowing Boscha and her clique were the ones throwing it, but it still hurt to be excluded. In fact, she did the opposite of inviting me by hash-tagging only real witches allowed. It didn't mention me exactly, but everyone knew she was referring to me.
I was a half-a-witch after all. I may have been in the right track now and my plant magic was improving more and more every day, but my many years of mistakes and blunders I made in the Abomination track were still fresh in everyone's minds. Not to mention me being a late bloomer to begin with.
But I was used to the teasing. I had to deal with that kind of stuff for years before then. What I wasn't used to was all the mourning for Amity.
How I felt about Amity's passing was conflicting to say the least. For a majority of the time, I'd known her she was nothing but a stuck up and cruel bully. Though there was a time before all of us began going to school, where Amity and I were friends. We did everything together, hung out every day we could for as long as we could. Back then she never made fun of me for my bad magic ability. What changed? Titan, I wished I knew. Just, all of a sudden, Amity thought I was weak, and I never got the chance to show her I wasn't.
None of that was supposed to matter anymore. Amity was gone. But things were never that simple. All the hurt that built up over all those years wasn't just going to fade away.
And on top of that, there was the awful memory of that day. I don't know what was worse. Her screams when she was initially stabbed rang in my ears but returning from fetching the healers to find my former friend nearly dead was just as hellish.
"Don't let that get to you, Willow," the younger witch beside me tried to soothe. I looked up at Gus as he sadly looked back at me. His blue eyes shone with worry. "That's just Boscha being Boscha".
"I know," I murmured, still partially submerged in my grief. "I shouldn't let it get to me".
If only it was that simple.
"Willow! Gus!" a familiar voice cheered.
From a bench across the marketplace, Luz skipped up to us. The human was full of energy, like always, with a welcoming smile on her face. That smile soon fell, though when she noticed mine and Gus's upset.
"Wait, what's wrong? Who hurt my babies?".
"Them," I sighed while pointing at a food stand. In front of it stood a few of my classmates, Boscha among them. "Amity's old friends are throwing a moonlight conjuring in honor of her tonight, and they've invited everyone but me".
Luz's eyes went wide in confusion for a moment.
"Amity had friends?". The human strangely looked down at the necklace she was wearing as she mumbled something to herself, then brought her attention back to us. "What's a moonlight conjuring?".
"You spend a night at someone's house," I explained. "Telling stories, playing games".
"Like a slumber party. We have those".
I pulled out a book from under my arm and flipped it open to a page with a blue crescent moon on it. On the page next to it, three people sat in a circle holding hands.
"Then you bring something to life with moon magic".
"Oh…Like a weird slumber party".
"Gus and I have never been to one" I went on with a sigh. "You need at least three people and–".
"I'm three people!". When she noticed Gus and I jump in surprise Luz calmed herself down a little. "I mean, we're three people, and we're way better than them".
Just as Luz was talking, the aforementioned group of preppy witches walked by us. Boscha's three-eyed glance couldn't help but drift over to me.
"Sorry you couldn't get an invite to the conjuring, Willow. The only people that are allowed to come are people Amity actually gave a shit about".
An inaudible growl rose in my throat. As my anger slightly spilled out, vines began to grow from the ground and crawl up my legs.
I was barely able to hold myself back. Boscha knew about my broken friendship with Amity, and of all the times to bring it up she chooses right after her death.
"Don't get all thorny over them" Luz scoffed. "They're not worth it".
"And what would you know about worth, human?".
"Be careful, Boscha," Gus laughed before Luz could get angry. "You saw what happened to the last witch that messed with Luz".
Boscha's mocking smile melted into a fiery anger. Her stare locked onto Luz, it silently wishing her nothing but hell.
"Amity should've cut you open when she had the chance. It should've been you in that body bag they carried out of Hexide".
With that, the triclops and her posse left. Each one gave Luz a grief-filled glare as they passed by.
"Amity's not who I meant" Gus apologized as soon as they were out of earshot. "I meant Katif, I swear".
Luz paid no mind to Gus's apology. Her mind was somewhere else.
"Let's throw our own conjuring".
Gus quickly broke out of his remorse. His ears perked up as excitement shot through him.
"Seriously?! That's at the top of my bucket list, that and owning a real human bucket!".
"That's a weird thing to want but okay!". Luz excitedly bounded back across the way. "Just let me check something first".
At first, I thought she was going to ask her mentor about us coming over, but she instead skipped past her into a nearby alleyway.
While the human was off doing titan knows what, my excitement at the idea of a conjuring with Luz and Gus blossomed. I had always wondered what one was like. Everyone always made a huge fuss about them around that time of year and now I could finally see what that fuss was about.
"Look!". Gus pointed up to the sky in elation. "The moons rising into place".
Above head, partially hidden by the daylight, the swollen full moon hung in the sky. It was crazy to think that the moon only held its power for one night of the year.
When Luz wandered out of the alleyway, the two of us trotted up to her.
"Well?" I asked. "Are we good to go?".
"Yep," Luz affirmed. "We should be good as long as we don't make a mess".
"Good for what?".
The human froze. She had completely forgotten her mentor was with her, and she had apparently forgotten to ask her mentor for permission.
"So…um… Willow, Gus, and I were thinking of having a conjuring–".
"No".
"But Eda! It only happens once a year". Eda scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"The white death only happens once in a lifetime and let me tell you, you don't want to catch that".
"But Am–" Luz suddenly stopped. Her breath hitched, her heart stopping for a moment. "She said it was okay as long as we don't bother her".
"She"? Was there someone else in that alley with Luz? With Luz, it was best not to question things. As long as that mystery person said okay, it should've been okay, right?
"She's not in charge. I am".
"Well, if I've learned anything from you it's not to listen to the people in charge. Besides, who can say "no" to these faces?".
On cue, Gus and I gave the older woman the widest puppy dog eyes we could. The owl lady only responded with a raise of her brow.
Luz sighed, releasing the tension from her shoulders.
"If you let them sleep over tonight, then I'll wash Hooty for the next month".
Without a moment to think, Eda patted her student on the back.
"Welp, in that case, sure. But I don't want to see a single thing out of place, or you'll be scrubbing the place spotless, you hear me?".
Like a cat springing after a mouse, Luz wrapped her arms around Eda for a quick hug.
"Thanks, Eda! You won't regret it!".
"I already am".
…
"Alright, kids" Eda rasped to the three of us. We were all lined up on the living room couch while the owl lady gave us the run-down. "While King and I are out at the night market, it will be up to you three to keep Hooty and each other out of trouble. Technically, you're in charge, Luz, but that doesn't mean you can screw around willy-nilly".
Said human gave a fake salute.
"I won't let you down, Eda".
"Let's hope not". Eda's golden eyes lit up in intensity. "Because if you do, I'll never trust you again… So, no pressure".
On her way out, Luz's mentor stopped in the doorway and turned around.
"And one more thing. Luz don't use the amulet in front of those two, no matter what she says. We've already had one situation; we don't need another one".
My attention was thrown towards the trinket around Luz's neck. Until that moment, I thought it was only a basic piece of jewelry. Yes, the human frequently held the charm close to her and spoke to it, but the human also frequently talked to herself in general. I thought that was just Luz being Luz.
But no. That charm on Luz's necklace did something. And that something involved whoever Luz spoke too earlier. Maybe it was some sort of special communication device?
"You've got it, Eda. I didn't want to bother her tonight anyways".
"Bother who?" Gus prodded.
"That doesn't matter. What matters is making tonight legendary!". The way Luz pushed through the question didn't help ease the suspicion we were both feeling. "We've got snacks, spooky music".
My new friend bolted to a gramophone sitting on the table. Just like she had said, it played a hauntingly creepy tune. At the same time, Gus rummaged through a pile of junk on the other side of the room.
"Ladies and gentlemen" he announced, struggling to keep his joy from spilling out. "We've got ourselves a bucket!".
I couldn't help but chuckle at the two's antics. I was just too stoked! This was gonna be a night I'd never forget.
"So how does this conjuring thing work?" Luz questioned.
"Well first, we find an object to animate". As I spoke, I walked up to and admired a pot full of flowers. "Since it's our first time, it should be something meaningful".
Gus popped up beside me. In his hands was a random burly doll he found lying around.
"Like this," the young witch prompted while he proudly held up his find. He squeezed the toy's stomach prompting it to talk.
"He's perfect," Luz murmured while staring at him in awe.
"That's not…Okay, buff boy it is".
"Yes! Tonight he shall rise!".
In the middle of the floor, the three of us sat in a circle holding hands. The doll laid in the center, temporarily lifeless. I quickly checked the book over to make sure we were doing everything right.
"It says we have to recite the incantation and make a connection with the doll".
"Figurine" Gus quickly huffed.
"Moonlight, we call, we sing. Moonlight take this chance. Moonlight come tie the string. Moonlight start the dance!".
As Gus and I continued to chant (and Luz continued to fumble along) the stark lively moonlight found its way through a window and into the owl house. Despite us wanting it to find the doll in front of us, the beam instead focused on Luz, or more, on the amulet around Luz's neck.
The purple charm started to shimmer before it lit a blaze. A flurry of blue and purple flames rose from the necklace and spread to the middle of the circle. It brightly burned there for a moment before dispersing to reveal a familiar newcomer. Her face showed no emotion whatsoever, and her once golden eyes were now glowing a light blue.
The last time I had seen her, the witch was on the ground, drowning in her own blood. Now, Amity was right in front of me wordlessly gawking.
I don't think I'd ever seen Luz so panicked. Her brown eyes were now the size of pinpricks. Her mouth gaped open as it searched for the breath taken from it.
I was just as dumbfounded. Was Amity the "she" both Luz and Eda kept talking about? Why was she here? Why was she in that amulet?
Luz frantically broke from the circle. She raced up to Amity and tried to block her from our sight.
"Forget you ever saw this! Amity wasn't here tonight! I mean, she can't be here! She's very very dead, remember?!". The distraught human quickly whispered a question into the ghostly witch's ears.
"By the power of the moonlight, I have risen," the spirit responded. Her voice thundered through the living room, bouncing off the walls.
"Luz, what's going on?" I pressed. "What does that amulet do?".
After a frightened pause Luz squeaked, "Promise not to tell anybody?". Gus and I just continued to stare at her.
"After she died, Amity's mom trapped her inside this amulet and tried to use her as a weapon. But when Amity didn't do what she wanted her to, her mom gave a certain command that would make her literally writhe in agony. I know she's not the nicest person, but nobody deserves that, so we took her in. Please don't tell anyone she's here. She could get really hurt if you do".
That was quite a lot to take in. My feelings about what happened to Amity were already complicated enough. I used to dread seeing her every day at school. The embarrassment I felt when she and Boscha taunted me was only the start. Every time I saw her was a painful reminder of the day, she told me she didn't want to be friends anymore, that I was too weak for her to even talk to. And seeing her ghost in that moment was no different.
But I felt bad for my former friend. It was not a surprise to hear that her mother did something that cruel. Even from a young age, I was able to tell that Amity's mother was much different from any normal parent. She never seemed like Amity's mom. She was more just a bossy old witch who happened to live in the same place Amity did.
As much as Amity had hurt me over the years, I didn't want to see her get hurt, especially by a witch that was supposed to care about her.
"It's okay, Luz" I said once my initial shock wore off. "We won't say anything".
"You won't?".
"Yeah. We're no snitches" Gus affirmed while crossing his arms.
"Besides," I added. "We don't want you to get into any trouble. Do you have any idea what would happen if her mom finds out?".
"Yeah, I hear it wouldn't be pleasant," Luz admitted. "But Eda's been hiding from the emperor's coven here for years. This is the perfect place for Amity to hide".
While Luz spoke Gus cautiously crept up to Amity. He waved his hand in front of her face to try to get the spirit to react, but she didn't move. He then tried poking her in the cheek, quickly rearing back after he did so.
"I don't think she's fully with us" the illusionist deduced. "She's in a trance of some sort".
Luz jumped as realization struck her. She turned to Gus and grabbed onto him with her stare.
"Did you just touch her, like actually touch her?". The human touched the side of Amity's face, taping it over and over. "It's not phasing through!".
I gazed forward in astonishment. I couldn't help but walk up to the Blight and shake her shoulder myself. Just like Gus and Luz, I was able to grab her without my handing falling through her. It was as if the magic from the moon made her a new body.
"Guys, we didn't just put Amity in a trance. I think we somehow brought her back to life!".
"No way!" Luz gasped. "She's alive again?!".
Luz took Amity's hand and pressed two of her fingers against her wrist. She then did it again in a different spot. And then moved to feeling the side of her neck.
"Well… She's got skin again at least!".
That was still impressive enough. I honestly didn't expect us to resurrect the doll we'd chosen let alone a dead witch!
"This is incredible" I murmured in amazement. "You know how much power it takes to do something like this?".
"Who're the real witches now, bitches?!".
"It's a shame we can't show Boscha," Gus mentioned as he quickly checked his scroll. "Imagine the look on her face when she sees something like this".
I leaned over the witch's shoulder to see Boscha's post from that morning. From the lack of activity, I guessed that her and her clique weren't having any luck with reanimating something.
"You know, there might still be a way to stick it to Boscha," Luz hmmed while mulling her idea over. She turned to Amity and lightly shoved her shoulder. "You have fire magic, right?".
"Granted to me in death".
"Great. Let's write Boscha a little message then". With a hop, Luz rushed towards the front door. "Let's go, Amity".
"If you want me to follow your command, the three of you must hold hands".
After pausing, the human turned back around and trotted back up to us. She stuck both of her arms out, offering her hand to me and Gus. The latter swiftly took it but I hesitated.
"I don't know, Luz. Won't Amity be angry that we're controlling her body without her knowing?".
"Nah, I'm sure Amity will be cool with it. I mean, it's not like we're forcing her to do something embarrassing right?".
I let out a big sigh. I had the strongest feeling that Amity wouldn't be happy with us messing around with her body while she was in a trance, but as long as we don't reveal her secret or make her do something embarrassing then there wouldn't be any harm done. Besides, I knew if it were the other way around, Amity wouldn't hesitate controlling me.
Something like this was a rarity that would be hard not to play around with.
Reluctantly, I grabbed Luz's hand. The three of us led our bewitched subject out to the beach beside the house and began writing Boscha a little message.
In giant fiery letters we wrote "Suck it, Boscha" in the sand. We also had Amity draw a crappy little doodle of her right next to it in which we then defaced. On our command,
Amity started writing words next to it like "hellhound", and "bully". Just like my two friends, I laughed the whole time as we all imagined what the triclop's reaction to our post would be like.
Then, my eyes got caught on one single word, a name that had haunted me throughout my years at Hexide.
"Half-a-witch" I choked silently. A lump swelled in my throat. All of the joy I'd felt that night froze and shattered like ice. Out of all the phrases Amity could've used she had to use that one.
But of course, Amity would use that certain insult. That is how she used to get under my skin after all. All the bad memories of her mocking me along with Boscha all flooded back to me. Every petty put down, every time she bragged while I stewed in my failure, every time she made me feel useless!
And among all those memories, the worst one stood out like a sore thumb. The one that started it all. The night of her seventh birthday. I once again was forced to relive it.
As the other's celebrated downstairs, Amity and I played in her room. I technically wasn't invited, and we both knew that we might get in trouble when Amity's parents noticed
I was there. But, according to the birthday witch, I was the only one she really wanted there at her party.
We hung out for a little while before Amity left her room for a second. And then, when she came back, it was over.
She was suddenly mad at me. She started shouting at me to leave. And when I asked her why, all she said was she didn't want to be friends with someone as weak as me.
I could hear her voice in my head. I could hear her high-pitched shouts as she drove me away. I stared at the burning purple letters in front of me. From inside me, a hurt growl slipped its way out.
Amity instantly stopped what she was doing and looked up at me. She climbed up the sand dune the three of us stood on, her moonlight filled eyes never leaving me. Once she was at the top the spirit stopped in front of me. She expectantly faced me.
"If you want to know, then your words will make it so".
I had to take a moment to catch my stolen breath. Amity had heard my thoughts, my silent question.
"Know what?". Luz's wide eyes locked onto me. They sparkled with deep interest. I glanced at her, then brought my focus back to the phantom in front of me.
"Tell me what happened," I ordered. "Tell me why you stopped being my friend".
Amity raised her hand to my face. When her palm hit my forehead a thousand chills surrounded me. The world went dark as my eyelids fluttered like birds. I stayed like that for a few seconds before I reappeared at Blight Manor.
Just as she said she would, Amity had taken me back seven years, to the night I had lost my first friend.
