"So, Eda picks up the blow dryer and goes "what can I do to this thing that will make it worth five hundred snails?". And Amity goes, "ask five hundred snails for it and find someone really stupid".
I rolled my shining eyes and began to impatiently tap my foot. That was the third time my girlfriend had told that story this morning, and I knew for certain it wouldn't be the last. Yet I couldn't help but smile. Luz's joy was infectious, and I had totally gone septic.
"What did Eda end up doing?" Gus prodded from beside Willow.
"She tried to turn it into a flamethrower and ended up breaking it".
My ear flicked as I noticed the sounds of footsteps. From up the hallway a pink haired, pink skinned, triclops was strutting towards us with a small army of witches behind her. All three of her blue eyes were pointed at me, a glower sitting below them.
"Boscha" I greeted passively.
"What are you doing?".
"I'm standing in the hallway" I answered, "talking to you".
"You know what I mean," she huffed. "Amity, I say this because you're my friend. Don't you realize what you're doing to your social life, hanging out with half a witch instead of us, let alone dating a human?!".
"I don't see anything wrong with dating someone I live with".
"She killed you!".
I could practically see the shame radiating from Luz as she flinched in surprised pain. Despite my eyes not leaving Boscha, I saw the poor human take a step back and shrink.
"She didn't kill me," I replied more curtly. "But she did take me in when Blight Manor wasn't safe".
"Wasn't safe" a witch behind the bully echoed. The silver eyed haired student stepped up beside Boscha.
"Yeah" I sighed while I let a sliver of sensitivity show. "Turns out my mom was willing to hurt her own children.
"I knew there was something wrong with your mom" another witch from Boscha's posse gnarled.
"Is she the one who stuck you to that necklace?".
"Did she actually kill your brother?".
Before I had the chance to answer any of those questions, Boscha continued.
"So, your oh so loving girlfriend is forcing you to hang with half-a-witch?" she asked as if no one else had said anything.
"What do you have against Willow?" Luz spat. "She hasn't done anything to you!".
"Oh, I have no spider-beef with her. But someone has to keep losers in their place".
"Oh please" I scoffed. What I was about to say next had been welling inside me for seven years. "If not being better than someone at magic makes you a loser, then aren't you a loser too? There are plenty of witches out there more powerful than you".
Boscha bared her fangs like a rabid cerberus. "Did you seriously just call me a loser?!".
"I said you were calling yourself a loser". I calmly corrected. My own guilt made me soften, my leer falling into a pained frown. Shame made it hard to keep my chin up and my back straight.
I admit it. You could've said the same thing about me just a month ago, and I would've reacted the same way as Boscha. But now I knew all my anger towards the bully and her friends was covered in hypocrisy, despite not taking pleasure in all the jokes and teasing. I could not deny that I was one of the hellhounds that made up Boscha's pack.
"I used to be obsessed with status, Boscha, but now I know I shouldn't care about what you or everyone else thinks. I'm way too strong of a witch to let anyone else decide how I should act".
"You're joking, right? Whatever happened to being the best, huh?".
"I want to be the best witch I can be, not one who's so scared of being unpopular they have to put down anyone they see".
Just as I finished, the bell screeched. I flicked my ear in goodbye as I turned away and began to head to class. Luz gave her two friends a wave before stumbling after me. From my side, she stared at me in admiration. I pretended not to notice, yet I couldn't stop my face from flushing red.
"Did you and Boscha really used to be friends?" she asked when we arrived at Professor Hermonculus's room.
"Sadly. Mom made me hang out with her and her posse because she worked with her parents".
"So…you weren't really friends?".
The answer was "no" wasn't it? So why couldn't I just say that? I didn't think of Boscha very fondly. Hanging out with her was always a pain because she treated everyone around us so poorly. But I'd been acting like she was my friend for so long that's what my mind actually believed.
"Let's just say it's been a long time since I've had a good one".
Just like every other day, Luz gave the professor the amulet and left for her first class. I would study abominations for half the day before Luz would join me for her class and then take the amulet to the cafeteria for lunch. The rest of the day afterwards I would have basic oracle classes like spirits and the beyond 101.
It was a very long first part of the day. Despite my deteriorated abomination abilities, I was still in the advanced class. I kept up well when it came to abomination theory. I knew everything about the past abomination coven heads and the current one, who was both a friend and a rival of my father. I knew about the long history of advancements to abomination magic, including the ones created by my own father. I knew every fact, trick, and technique there was when it came to abomination magic. But when it came to practicing it, I always fell flat.
"Miss Blight," the professor called, causing a chill to run up my back like a swarm of bugs. "Can you show us an example of the golem we find on page 431?".
"Of course," I answered while stuffing my doubt back down within me. I rose from my seat and let out a deep breath.
After drawing a spell circle in the air, a witch sized abomination golem rose right next to the teacher. He was just plain pitiful. Matter slowly seeped from him like sweat and his back was so hunched over he hobbled whenever he moved.
"Well" professor Hermonculus hmmed. "It's the right size, and the consistency of the abomination matter is next to perfect. But the posture and composure suffer from weakness".
"I apologize" I murmured in shame.
"I know. If you had your body, you could make me an army of perfect golems. But now…it's passable for a spirit I suppose".
Every single titandamn day was like that, nothing but embarrassing performance after embarrassing performance. My only relief was that I would get to see Luz once the lunch bell cried.
After what felt like an entire lifetime, Luz finally made her way through the door and–Great titan! She looked as if she'd been locked in a dumpster and thrown down a hill! Her uniform was covered in paint and trash. A slip of paper with "hex me" was stuck to her back, and different scribbles and words had been drawn onto her face. The witch responsible had even signed her name on Luz's neck.
"Boscha" I growled as I sneered at the sight.
"She's been following us around all day!".
"Us? You don't mean…".
"Oh, I mean alright! Ever since History class this morning, Boscha's been non-stop tormenting us! She thinks Willow's gotten too popular".
Of course! I should've known this morning would lead to trouble. Why did I seriously think that Boscch would back down? Of course, such a competitive pain in the ass would turn this into some type of popularity contest!
"Popularity contest" I whispered as the phrase suddenly stuck out like a thorn. It repeated in my mind over and over again as it clung to my mind.
"That's a great idea!" Luz suddenly hollered while slamming her hands into the table. All the conversations around us suddenly stopped while everyone turned to gawk at the human.
"Miss Noceda" the professor shouted. "What was that all about?".
We should have some sort of contest, like…like… like a talent show".
"A school talent show? Titan, we haven't had one of those in literal ages''. Hermonculus paused as he mulled over the idea.
"Why not?".
"Because some kid was mauled by a liger last time" I answered flatly.
"Well as long as nobody brings any killer cats, we'll be fine".
"I still don't see how that will fix our situation". I kept my voice low so the teacher wouldn't hear me.
"Then why did you suggest it?".
"I didn't! It just popped into my head and wouldn't leave".
"Maybe it's a message from the beyond, just like the one you received about Willow" Luz prodded. "We have to do it now".
Luz's argument didn't take away my worry, despite her point being a good one. All the times I've gotten a sign, following it was the way to go. But this was Boscha we were talking about. If something backfired, it would just give the bully more ammunition.
"I don't know how much I trust this augury".
"You trust me, don't you?".
That question bit me like a ravenous fairy. I wanted to say yes, but my answer couldn't fight past the lump of fear in my chest. I had already hurt Willow enough. If this plan failed…
"Okay" I finally choked. "Let's see where this'll take us".
…
"And this is supposed to shut Boscha up, how?" Gus prodded. He leaned forward, partially hanging off the couch we were sitting on.
The late afternoon sun shone through the owl house. Eda was in the kitchen working on potions, while Luz unveiled her master plan to Willow and Gus. They shared my pause, but relaxed when I told them about my message from the spirit realm. Still, they both had a thousand questions.
"If Willow wins, then Boscha will have no choice but to admit how great she is". How Luz sounded so confident, I'd never know.
"Or she just takes it as a challenge, and she'll get even worse" Willow argued. "That's the whole reason she's been so ruthless lately".
"But everyone else will love you, and once Boscha finds that nothing will change then she's bound to stop".
"I've known Boscha most of my life" I jumped in. "And I know she'll never stop. But the fight will be easier if no one else is on her side. She'll get desperate, which means she'll get sloppy".
"That's great:" Willow rushed. "But in order to win a talent show you need a talent".
"You have one of those," Luz insisted. "You're great with plant magic".
"Just cover the auditorium with vines like you did for principal Bump and you'll be fine" Gus reassured.
"No, no, no". Luz shook her head as she spoke. "You need something flashier!".
As she thought, Willow's gaze circled around the room, scouring through all the junk Eda had collected. It stopped on a beautiful purple flower sitting idly in a pot. She took a moment to gather her thoughts, then summoned a green spell circle into the air.
The stem of the flower slithered as it grew longer and wider. More flowers began to bloom from its side until the whole vine was a barrage of different colors. In the meanwhile, it twisted and contorted, tying itself into a bunch of flower-filled knots. It kinda looked like a leg…four of them with a body and a head and even a face! It was a griffin with a rainbow coat and striking golden eyes!
"Is this good?" she asked after a moment.
"Willow, it's beautiful!" Luz cheered.
"Can you do more?" Gus asked, his grayish blue eyes wide in amazement.
The raven-haired plant witch summoned another vine. This time all the flowers had long red speckled petals that looked like scales when pressed together. The vine twisted into one long rope before growing a fang filled jaw and beady icy blue eyes. I shivered as it all came together. Not only were its eyes the same vivid color moms were but it was a serpent, just like the basilisk that rampaged the school.
I was the perfect meal for it, always full of energy for it to constantly devour. Titan knows what would've happened had it gotten its grubby hands on the amulet. I would once again be trapped and taken advantage of. Used like I was just some sort of tool.
"Do a banshee. They'll love the pandering".
Willow went to make another, but she stopped. Her skin had turned pallor and her green eyes had gone dull. She grabbed at her stomach, right where the shard of the amulet was resting.
"What's going on?" Willow croaked.
"You nearly died, remember?" I reminded. "You need to take it easy on yourself".
"But that shard of the amulet healed the wound?". Desperation lined Willow's voice. The whole reason any of this was happening was to prove Willow was a strong witch. But everyone had their limitations, Willow of all witches knew that.
Her first couple years of magic was an uphill battle. Her magic was…finicky to say the least. It was no fault of Willow's. She practiced her magic constantly, just like she was supposed to, but a lot of her spells would go wrong during or after she casted it. But that was all behind her now. She had better control of her spells and was thriving.
And now came another problem, though it was at least a problem every witch faced. Willow's body could only handle using so much magic before her body got too tired, and now that she had a crystal shard embedded deep within her, that tiredness came faster.
"What you've done today was impressive enough" I tried to soothe. "With some good rest, you're bound to win".
"Yeah, Willow" Gus joined in. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about".
"Now may not be the best time". Despite what she'd just said, Luz believed now was the perfect time for a subject change. "But we need to decide what we're doing for the show".
"We" I repeated.
"Well". The human grabbed the fifth Azura book from the table in front of her. "I was thinking… we could do something… together".
I knew exactly what she was saying. When everyone else wasn't looking, Luz and I would often lock ourselves in her room and reenact our favorite Azura scenes together. And book five was home to Luz's favorite Azura scene of all time, Hecate and Azura's confrontation after the latter fakes kidnapping the former. It's a heart-breaking scene full of sweet pining and slowburn.
But to reenact that scene for the entire school, something deep inside of me squirmed at the thought. Everyone would see me, including Boscha's clique, the very witches I desperately hid my love for the Azura series from. They knew I liked the series, all of them having seen the posters and merch in my room. But with all the talk of friendship and goodness and it's old as dirt writing style, Boscha hated that I was into something so gaudy. Whenever someone mentioned the series, I would hastily change the subject and pray everyone would just drop it.
If I were to dress up as one of the characters and fully nerd-out about its overly dramatic romances, Boscha would burn me at the stake.
What was I saying? Wasn't I the witch who told Boscha I didn't care what she or anyone else thinks? That I was too strong of a witch to mind? That cowardice I bragged about getting rid of, I hadn't flushed all of it out of my system just yet. Now was a better time than ever to do just that. Just like Willow, I had to be brave and show everyone who I was.
"Luz," I replied. "That's a perfect idea".
…
Despite being hidden by the curtains in front of me, the spotlight felt miserably warm. How Gus was able to stand there and introduce each act… well I knew how he was able too. I myself had done it many times before while heading demonstrations for school sponsors. But this was different. Great titan, it was so different. This wasn't a demonstration I had practiced weeks beforehand for, and this was much more than a show of my magical prowess. To say I was nervous was quite the understatement.
"You'll be fine" Luz whispered from beside me. Even with the teal braided wig and large white witch hat, she looked stunning. Granted I don't think I'll ever not think Luz was beautiful. "You were perfect when we were rehearsing".
"We weren't rehearsing on a stage being watched by a ton of people" I whispered back while playing with a strand of hair from my long red wig.
"You know what they say. Just imagine everyone in the audience is in their underwear".
"Thats…a disturbing thing to say…especially since you have a girlfriend".
"That's just what they say".
"What who says, perverts?".
"And now". My ear flicked as my nerves shuddered. Gus had finished his in between introductions spiel. "We have our two former grom queens performing a piece from "The Great Azura Five". Amity Blight and Luz Noceda!".
The sound of the applause was too quiet. Everyone was going to hate this! Well, everyone aside from Luz. That's who I was doing this for, not for any in the audience. This was mine and my girlfriend's moment!
Just as we planned, Luz strode out on stage a few paces ahead of me while I rushed in behind her. The human had a big smile on her face, both for the scene and from her own excitement. I on the other hand acted worried, reaching my hand out to the love of my life desperately.
"Such rewards our plan has brought. Such sweetness fate has granted! Hecatee, tis time to rejoice".
"Hark, Azura". Luz paused as a frown fell on her face. She turned towards me, her brown eyes full of feigned heartache.
"What ails you, Hecate?".
"This fate. Azura, why must you always hold thine heart out in wish that someone will take it?".
"Tis called kindness, Hecate. It is the very meaning of my be—".
"BE STILL!" I cried while stomping forwards a few steps. Fake agony made my voice crack like ice. "Thy heart has one owner. Thy heart is belonging to you alone, Azura!".
"I shall quire again. What ails you".
"You care for me. Fates be damned, you care so much it gives you harm!" I threw my head in my hands, though I made sure people could still hear me. "You made my eyes see you in fondness, yet you haul yourself close to the icy grip of mortality. Thy have cast my heart into hastening mourning".
Luz went to cusp her hand on the side of my face, but I lightly slapped it away. "You wish to relinquish thine love to me? Preserve yourself, Azura. For so long as you live, you honor me".
"Hecate" Luz choked. "To live is to love you".
At that moment, I was supposed to pull away and flee into the wings, but Luz grabbed my arms instead. I was stunned by my surprise. Luz easily pulled me into her embrace.
Then her lips met mine. I sunk into her hold as I felt a wave of warmth sweep over me. Not even the euphoric moments before my death were that peaceful.
"Surprise" the human squeaked sheepishly.
Before I could speak, a roaring sound came from the audience. They were clapping and cheering! Was this Luz's plan all along, because it had definitely worked!
"Give it up for Luz and Amity!" Gus hollered as he took center stage. Holding each other's hands, we ducked back behind the curtains. There Willow was waiting for her turn.
She gave the both of us a smile and Luz a knowing wink. Was I the only one who didn't know Luz would kiss me tonight?!
After a few more jokes, Gus called Willow out to the stage. As she gathered her bravery, she took a deep breath in and blew it out. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a spark of admiration watching Willow face the crowd and draw the first spell circle. From it vines and flowers sprouted from the wooden stage floor.
"Watch closely, girls," someone from behind us quietly laughed. "This shows about to go up in smoke". There she was: the hellhound of the hour.
"Oh, Boscha," I purred back. "You can only hope".
All the vines in the middle of the stage formed a familiar figure, an abomination golem that was made of a bunch of lilac branches. Beside it a tower made of brambles with a flower-filled stained-glass window. And next to that, a wrappings covered spirit made of dark petaled roses holding a crystal ball made of purple chrysanthemums. Willow made a beautiful display for every track at Hexide.
Once they were all summoned, she snapped her fingers and made them break apart and fade back into the floor. The witch took a deep breath, then another. Just like the day before she had gotten sickly pale while sweat seeped down her face.
Yet she was determined to make her big finish. With one more giant spell circle a menagerie of dark branches tangled together behind her. From them millions of tiny blue flowers bundled together to form the ghost of a beautiful yet terrifying woman, with weeping willow leaves for long hair and marigold for two fiery orange eyes. It was the school mascot, the banshee that fronted all of our assemblies and grudgby games.
I could hear Boscha's clique chattering behind me. If this didn't win their favor, then nothing–WILLOW!
The plant witch dropped to her knees, then hit the ground. As she grimaced in pain, she grabbed her chest and squeezed it. That's when the witches behind me shot into action. Bo, a healing tracker, instantly began examining Willow, while Skara and Cat sat her up. But most surprisingly, Boscha hung over her, barking orders to her pack of hellhounds.
"Bo, do that while we walk. We need to get her to the healers' office, now!". She then turned towards said healers sitting in the audience. "What part of "now" don't you get?!".
I joined my old friend and found the shard in Willow's chest. It looked okay but the area around it was very raw and inflamed. I brought Bo's attention to it so she could instantly help with the swelling.
"Willow" Skara prodded. "Can you speak".
"Yes" she choked. Her voice sounded worn down by pain. "My whole body hurts".
"Then maybe you shouldn't have over done it" Boscha gnarled.
"Like you haven't before" Cat argued back.
"Yeah" Skara joined in. "You remember that one grudgby game where–".
"Can you walk?" the triclops spat louder. Willow answered her by slowly but surely rising to her feet. She gave the bully a confident glare before nodding at her.
"I'm starting to feel a little better" she huffed and puffed. Determined not to look weak, Willow began to hobble towards the wings. Both Luz and I followed after her, but not without me thanking the witches who came to their aid.
"Keep us updated, Amity" Amelia called, in spite of the three-eyed glare from Boscha it called.
"Shut up, Amelia! I'm sure she'll be fine".
That bounced around my head as Willow, Luz and I walked down the empty hallways. I'd hung out with those witches for around seven years, but what they did today still shocked me. Not only did they come to "half-a-witch's" aid, but they had defended her from Boscha! Even though Willow was soaked in embarrassment, her pointed ears pointing down at the floor and her head hung low, I still had a really good feeling about all this.
"Willow" I called, careful to be delicate. "I think our plan worked".
