While the two adults were arguing, the kids had returned to Amity's room. She hadn't said a word the whole way, and as soon as she got to her room she sat down among the remains of what had been their pillow fort and hugged her own knees. Luz had immediately sat down next to her, but before she could try to comfort her Amity had grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, and she had burst into tears; the puppet hadn't said anything and had simply hugged her back, rubbing her hair and back and holding her as tight as she could. One after another all their friends gathered around her, almost forming a warm blanket with their bodies; even Willow, Gus, and Matt climbed onto their backs and leaned into her cheeks as if to simulate a hug, and Hunter, though he took no part in it, put his hand on her head and patted her a few times. After a while Amity stopped crying, or at least she didn't cry too loudly anymore. "Thanks, guys. I needed it"
"Don't even thank us. That's what friends do" Luz told her. "Amity... I'm sorry. For everything"
Amity wanted to say that it didn't matter, but she remained silent. She was tired of being condescending, she was tired of lying… she was tired of actually doing anything. She had experienced far too many emotions for that day. So she simply held the puppet tighter and rested her head on her chest.
Emira was so furious that she seemed to have flashes for eyes. "I'll kill him" she hissed, standing up. "Now I'll return over there and break his legs. I don't care that he's my father, he can't afford to talk to my sister like that!"
"You'd better not to go to him now, your mother seemed pretty pissed off" Hunter warned her. "If there's one thing I've learned about witches, it's that it's best to avoid getting in their way when they're pissed off"
Emira let out a growl. "So what? Mom is pissed at dad, not me. I bet she'll appreciate my help beating him up"
"And what if the very moment you walk in the room she casts a curse and hits you without meaning to?" Hunter told her. "What would you do in that case? Do you think you can protect yourself? Do you want to risk being turned into a frog, or worse, spitting out blood until your heart can't pump enough and your organs fail? Your sister isn't tested enough already at this moment? Do you also want to show her you that die in atrocious suffering?"
Emira opened her mouth to reply, but then she quickly closed it again. She seemed to be in deep internal conflict. Edric stood up and took her by the shoulders: "Emira, Hunter is right. It's best to wait for now". His sister looked at him for a moment, then she sat back down with a dark face, clearly muttering what seemed to be threats. Edric sighed, then he looked at Hunter: "When mom comes back, can you avoid pointing your staff at her? We're already tired enough, we don't need any more tension"
Hunter seemed to think about it, then he nodded. "Okay, but I still won't let my guard down" he said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm willing to give your mother the benefit of the doubt, but I don't intend to lose my defenses around a witch anytime soon". "Especially one who is skilled enough to be able to break the seal I used to block my uncle for a split second" he added mentally.
"Oh, come on, man! Aren't you exaggerating?" Edric asked him.
"The last witch I faced had burned an entire forest, cursed over two hundred people, and tried to turn me into a dog" Hunter replied. "Is that enough to justify staying on guard?"
Edric was silent for a moment with wide eyes, then he murmured: "Okay, objection in your favor. Ok, do as you want, just... avoid escalating the situation. We're already tense enough". Hunter just replied with a quick glance and a slight shrug.
There was silence for a few moments, then Skara tried to break the ice: "Well... let's try to look at the positive sides of the situation! Amity, you'll be able to use magic!"
"Yeah! Think of all the things you can do!" Boscha was quick to back her up. "You could fly on a broomstick, summon mud monsters, maybe even shoot fireballs from your hands! I'm envious, that would be a blast in rugby"
"Maybe you can grow wings and fly like a bird!" Willow added, making her cricket wings quiver. "I just hope you'll be more graceful than me"
"Or you might be able to create illusions so realistic they are practically unrecognizable!" Gus exclaimed. "Man, this could be handy… can you lend me some magic?"
"Right! Give me some too!" Edric intervened, determined to console his little sister with his usual funny attitude. "Damn, this is news. Children of a witch... this is so unfair, why only you can use magic? I want it too!"
Amity giggled and a small smile formed on her face. "Personally, Edric, I agree with mom that it's better if you don't have it. I like Bonesborough just the way it is"
"You too!? Oh, come on, why doesn't anyone want to trust me?" Edric exclaimed, pretending to be deeply saddened. "And then, aren't witches supposed to be chaotic? Why are the two we have in our family polite and order-loving? There must have been some mistake. Hey, maybe that's what happened... all three of us actually inherited some witch traits, but just one each! Amity inherited magic, I inherited a love of chaos and pranks, and Emira sometimes is bitchy enough to be called a..." he wasn't able to finish that sentence because his twin sister threw a pillow right in his face.
Seeing that scene Amity started laughing. She was still sad, but her heart was finally warming. "Guys, thank you so much. For everything. You are truly the best friends in the world... and two pretty good siblings"
The others started laughing too. It was good to see that Amity was recovering quickly from that situation. Then Luz grabbed her chin and brought her face very close to hers: "Amity, whatever happens, remember that we're on your side, okay? We don't care if you're a witch, you might as well be a tentacled monster as long as it concerns us, but we are your friends and we will always remain with you. Never doubt it, and if you need a hand, call us"
"Um... sure, I'll remember!" Amity replied, even though she had only managed to understand one word out of three of what the puppet had said since her mind had been shrouded in a veil of fog when she found it so close to her and her insides had started to boil. She freed herself from Luz's grip as quickly as possible and turned away while blushing visibly. For some reason, Luz found that reaction really sweet and cute, so much so that she was tempted to nuzzle her face into Amity's cotton candy colored hair.
"By the way, I'm curious. How did you figure out that Odalia was a witch?" Gus asked looking at Hunter.
"I bet it had to do with a certain water bottle that exploded in your hand" Willow commented.
Hunter nodded. "Yes. As I told you, I had guessed that she was a witch, you know... after you hunt and fight magical creatures all your life you immediately recognize certain things. I blew up the bottle to see if she would move away or at least get scared, and so it was"
"Why? Wait... is the story that witches melt when they touch water true?" Skara asked. According to the tales, if a witch was bathed she would immediately dissolve as if she had touched acid.
"No, it's not true, otherwise the witches would all die of dehydration. It simply has a grain of truth" Hunter replied. "The skin of a witch, or at least that of a pure witch, is constructed more like reptile scales than human skin, and such scales are very sensitive to cold liquids such as water. If wet, they begin to crack and peel off, exposing the flesh underneath. This obviously doesn't kill the witch, but it causes very painful sores. It's as if you were scalding"
"Basically you risked sending our mother to the doctor to test your hypothesis?" Amity asked with a bit of irritation.
"Of course not, that amount of water would have done almost nothing to her. At most I would have caused her some serious itching and a little burning" Hunter replied without the slightest empathy.
"Were the questions you asked me also related to figuring out if she was a witch?" Edric asked. "By the way, I can understand wondering if she said strange words or used herbs… but why did you ask about her hair?"
"Witches store their magic in their hair. They're like the feathers of the fairies" Hunter answered, much to everyone's surprise. "Their main source of magic is obviously not there, but any excess magic is stored within it. A bit like a lizard storing fat in its tail. Fairies use their feathers, witches their hair. For this reason it is said that cutting a witch's hair weakens her and the legend has even arisen that whoever possesses such hair has power over her"
"Wow... now I understand why mom almost broke my eardrums with screams and scolding when I was little and I tried to cut off her locks as a joke" Emira murmured, then she looked at Amity worriedly: "Wait... I just cut Amity's hair! Is this a problem? Indeed... why didn't you realize that Amity was a witch too, if it's intuitive?"
Everyone present took on a worried look. In fact, they hadn't thought about that: now that Amity had cut her hair, how would this affect her? Hunter realized that detail too. "Well... I'm not sure. Maybe I didn't notice because she's half human. And I don't think cutting her hair is a problem, because trust me, witches feel pain when that happens since they're depriving themselves of part of their essence, and she didn't feel anything, so I assume that for her is different... again, it could be because she's half human, or..."
"No, Mittens is simply too young" Odalia said entering the room suddenly, surprising everyone. "Her magic hasn't activated yet, so at the moment she's no different from a human. That's why even with your skills you couldn't sense her". Her gaze darkened as she looked at Hunter: "By the way, you know way too much for my liking, and the fact that you walk around with a magic staff doesn't make you any less suspicious. Who are you really, Caleb? Assuming that this is your name"
Hunter remained silent for a moment, weighing his options carefully, but then he decided that there was no point in hiding: after all, Odalia already knew that he was a dangerous person, so in the current state it was better to be honest to dispel any doubts. "I am a monster hunter, and my real name is Hunter. And before you ask, yes, your children and every other person in this room knew, and no, I have no intention of harming anyone of them"
Odalia stared at him intently, as if trying to figure out whether or not he was lying, then she said: "I'll try to understand if you're trustworthy another time. For now, know that if you try to attack me or my children, you can consider yourself died"
"You can make better threats, you're not very good" Hunter commented making her slightly irritated. "But talk to your children, I won't attack you from behind, not until you give me reason to"
Odalia seemed to carefully consider whether she should forget the good intentions and cast a curse on him, but then she decided that was not the time at all, so she sat on the bed and looked at Amity. She wrinkled her nose slightly when she saw the tear marks on her daughter's cheeks, which showed that she had been crying in the presence of other people, but she refrained from scolding her. "As I was saying, Amity, the reason you are still no different from any human being is that you are too young. Witches unlock their magic when they turn fourteen and a half, and you have not yet reached that age yet"
In fact, Amity was fourteen years and four months old, which meant she would have to wait another two months before getting her magic. "And when I will unlock my magic… even I won't be able to touch water or cut my hair?" she asked.
Odalia shook her head. "To be honest, I don't know, Mittens. You're half human, and since early age your skin has been much softer and less dry than that of normal witches. I don't know if you'll develop an aversion to getting wet with water like me, only time will tell. As for your hair... well, maybe you won't have to be as careful as me, but it will definitely become very important to you, and cutting it will no longer be a decision you can take lightly". Her look became serious: "Anyway, these are small things, Mittens. The question is another, and it concerns your nature and your personality"
Amity knew little about magic, but she knew enough to understand what her mother was referring to. "Witches are made of dark magic and dark magic is bad, right?"
"Exactly. It is not very simple to explain well what happens in these cases, but I'll try anyway. In case a person already has a bad nature, then that person would not change in the slightest; but you are not like that... and the dark magic in your body will not tolerate it. It will force you to change your own personality so that it can thrive" Odalia replied. "But there is a way to avoid this, which is precisely the technique that white witches use"
Amity was listening very carefully. She didn't want to become an evil witch like those in the stories, and she didn't want to hurt anyone or, even worse, her friends, so she absolutely had to know the method to avoid having her mind consumed by dark magic. "What is it about?"
"We call it magical balance" Odalia answered. "It consists of a very complicated process that requires absolute concentration. It is basically based on taking the form of magic directly opposite to dark magic, light magic, and introducing a small part of it into your body. This is very difficult, given that if you introduced too much of it you would end up hurting yourself or even causing physical injuries, since it would annihilate the dark magic and this would have repercussions on your body until it would be destroyed. On the contrary, what needs to be done is to balance the two forces"
"To balance?" Amity repeated confused. "I don't understand"
"I told you it was complicated" Odalia replied. "As I told you, dark magic if left free to act would infect your mind. But if you also had a quantity of light magic in your body directly proportional to the dark magic, the two forces would be equivalent and none of them could influence the your mind. Basically, you would have good and evil within you, just like... well, just like everyone else, and you would be the sole master of your choices. Since light magic overpowers dark magic, you will have to make one minimal quantity but sufficient to consider it equal to dark magic; and since these two forces must never touch each other, since otherwise they will annihilate each other and kill you, you will also have to place barriers between them, so that they remain united like the poles of a magnet but without ever touching. When this difficult process is over, the magic inside you will no longer be able to influence you in any way, and you will be able to choose what kind of person to be. You will not be able to use light magic, since it would remain in too small quantities, but you will be able to use dark magic without necessarily having to do it for evil purposes"
Amity had had a hard time keeping up with that speech. She wasn't the only one: practically all the kids in the room had idiotic expressions. "It's really… complicated" she admitted.
"I know. And trust me, practice is much more difficult than theory" Odalia said, then her face turned apologetic. "Mittens... that's why I asked you to be so perfect. I knew that lifestyle was wrong, that I was forcing you to be something you weren't, that you fell bad... but I had to do it. Because when the time will come, you will have to have maximum mastery of your body, your mind and your spirit. These fourteen years that you have spent trying to be perfect in everything have fortified these parts of you, giving you almost total control over yourself and preparing you for when the time comes". She stood up and walked towards Amity, in front of whom she knelt and caressed her cheek: "I went too far... I realize it now, but please understand that I was acting in good faith. I wanted to make sure that you had the chance to be who you wanted to be, not who your magic wanted you to be. I made a mistake, but I didn't mean to put so much pressure on you. I'm sorry"
Amity felt a lump in her throat. She wanted to be angry at her mother for imposing that too strict lifestyle on her that had almost led her to do something very stupid, but she couldn't. She hadn't succeeded before and she couldn't do it now either. After all, her mother had acted that way because she thought it was right. How could she blame her for forcing perfection on her, if perfection was necessary to become a white witch? Her mother had thought about her future, as she always had. She had tried to protect her, even if she had made a mistake. "It's okay, mom. I... I understand" she replied, then she looked into her eyes intensely: "But... why didn't you ever tell me? What were you waiting for?"
Odalia bit her lip. "Initially I thought you were too young... I postpone the talk because I was sure I would have time. After your fourteenth birthday I started thinking about how to introduce you to the issue, but... it was difficult. I wasn't sure how you would take it. I was afraid that the shock would be such that it would seriously affect the magical balance. I knew I had to tell you, and I tried many times, but I could never find the right words. And also... I knew that this revelation would lead you to... to confront your father..."
A slight shiver ran down Amity's spine, but she quickly shook it away. She could understand her mother's concerns... thinking about it, she too, in such a context, would have found herself in serious difficulty in confessing such a truth. It was really strange: for all her life she had looked at her mother as an infallible goddess who always knew what to do, and now in front of her there was only a woman who was only doing her best to protect her daughter even if she wasn't sure how. Strangely, she felt much more in touch with the second version. "It's okay, mom" she said. "It doesn't matter. I understand it's been difficult for you. And… I'm not that upset, really"
Odalia smiled and rubbed her hair. "I will never stop saying that you are very mature and sensible for your age, Mittens" she said. "Don't be afraid for the future... starting tomorrow, I'll teach you everything you need to know for when the time comes. You've already done most of the work in getting your concentration, I'll just have to give you some basics. You'll see, everything will work out for the best"
Amity smiled at those words, and then leaned over to her mother and pulled her into a hug again; despite an initial second of surprise, Odalia reciprocated immediately and this time without hesitation. Amity reveled in that touch, feeling her heart warm... although strangely she also felt a shiver down her spine, as if the hands with which her mother was holding her were turned into claws that threatened to grab her, but it was definitely just her imagination.
However, she didn't have time to think about it too much, because the voice of a certain puppet broke the silence. "Yeah! Everything will work out for the best!" Luz exclaimed throwing her arms in the air. When everyone's eyes focused on her, she blushed slightly and scratched her head: "Sorry... the scene was so touching that I couldn't stop myself. What I wanted to say is that everything will definitely be fine! You'll see, Amity, you can do it all! You'll master that magic in no time! Your mother seems to know what she's talking about, and I'm sure Lilith and Eda will help you too if..."
"Lilith? Why should she help her? And why Eda too?" Odalia interrupted her.
"Uh, well..." Luz realized that she had spoken out of turn and that Lilith had asked her not to spread the word that Amity had a fairy godmother, but after all, Odalia was also a magical creature, so she could say it, right? "Because Lilith is a fairy, and so is Eda... they know about magic, so we could ask them for help, right?"
She immediately realized that maybe she shouldn't have said that. Behind her, Hunter slammed a hand over his face. Odalia's expression quickly went from confusion to utter fury, and her eyes shone brightly and her hair also tossed and emitted a faint emerald light. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN WITH 'FAIRY'!? IS LILITH A FAIRY!?"
Amity jumped, and so did Edric and Emira; it was the first time they had seen their mother so angry. She looked ready to tear apart the first person who came in front of her. "Um… Mrs. Blight, are you okay?" Luz murmured hesitantly.
"Luz, think before you speak!" Hunter yelled at her. "Fairies and witches are natural enemies! It's as if you had just told a sheep that her little lamb spends her days with a wolf!"
"Uh... everything's clear now" Luz said biting her tongue. Damn her.
Odalia grabbed Amity's face: "Is it true? Is Lilith a fairy? Has she ever hurt you? Has she ever tried to..."
"Hey, hey, mom, calm down!" Amity stopped her. "It's okay! Lilith never tried to hurt me! I bet she doesn't even know that I'm a witch or that you are! And I can assure you that she loves me... she's not just a fairy, she's my fairy godmother!"
Odalia trembled with anger and fear for a moment longer, and for an istant Amity thought she saw her teeth turn into fangs; but then, with an effort that seemed inhuman, the woman stepped back and her body relaxed, and finally her hair stopped shaking and her eyes returned to normal. Although the furious expression still didn't fade, she said: "Okay... you're not a naive person, Mittens, and I trust your judgement, so... if you say she's not dangerous, I'll give her a chance. I'll talk to your... fairy godmother... and we'll see who she really is"
Amity had to conclude that witches must really hate fairies, because those words seemed to cost her mother a lot. She was probably summoning all her self-control to not immediately go to Lilith and confront her. She hoped that Lilith would react differently when she told her the truth, but she suspected that if the fairy had had a very bad opinion of her mother before, when she learned what she really was she would have an even worse one. "Thank you, mom. You'll see, Lilith isn't dangerous and won't hurt any of us"
"We'll see" Odalia said, rubbing her temples, then she murmured to herself: "A witch with a fairy godmother... now I really saw everything". Amity had to admit that her mother wasn't entirely wrong: that combination was so unusual that she would never have expected it.
Luz, eager to repair the damage that she inadvertently did, stepped forward: "You'll see, Mrs. Blight, you'll be satisfied by Lilith! Maybe you disagree and belong to natural enemy species, but... you both want the best for Amity, and that's enough to settle enmities, right?"
Odalia looked at the puppet's bright, smiling face in surprise, feeling a little uncomfortable. "Yes… yes, I guess so" she said, and then she recovered: "Okay, that's enough now. We'll talk about anything else tomorrow. Kids, it's getting late now and you need to rest after this… busy evening, so go to sleep"
Even though normally at a sleepover the kids would have protested at a parent's request, in that moment they all welcomed it: all of them had experienced far too many emotions, especially Amity. All the effort of playing the rugby match, getting angry with the Glandus' principal, being pushed to the limit by Amity, arguing with each other, looking for Amity, playing in different roles again, feeling the euphoria of the victory, celebrating, fighting of pillows for over an hour, finding out that Odalia and Amity were witches, getting pissed off at Alador and hearing a very complicated explanation about Amity's nature and future had made them all very tired. So everyone lay down, taking advantage of all the pillows and blankets on the floor to sleep comfortably, and as soon as Odalia left the room they all fell into a deep sleep.
Amity, unlike the others, was lying on her bed, but she was having trouble falling asleep. Or rather, she was fighting the sleep that constantly threatened to close her eyelids, because although she had accepted her identity as a future witch relatively well, her father's words continued to echo in her mind, and she was afraid that if she fell asleep she would relived that horrible moment in a dream. But as she was forcing her exhausted body to stay awake she felt a familiar wooden person move next to her. "Luz? What are you...?"
"Sorry. If you want I'll leave" the puppet replied. "It's just… I thought that after everything that happened tonight, you might like to have a friend by your side while you sleep"
Amity was stunned for a moment, then she smiled. Yeah... she couldn't expect anything else from Luz. "Yes, I'd like to" she admitted, and she made room for her (which wasn't difficult since the bed was so big that at least four people could have slept in it side by side). "You can sleep here"
Luz lay down next to her and crouched down so she was looking at her face. "If you have bad dreams... remember that I'm here, okay? If you wake up scared, hug me and hold me tight. Don't be afraid to wake me up"
Amity's smile widened. Oh, she couldn't understand it: how did Luz always find the right words? For a moment she didn't know what to do, but then she simply decided to follow her heart and she grabbed the puppet and nestled in her arms. "Do... Do you mind if we sleep like this?"
Luz shook her head. "No. No, it's fine. It's comfortable, you're soft" she replied, resting her head on her chest.
Amity felt her face heat up again as she heard those words. She couldn't understand. Why was her heart doing somersaults? Why did her insides feel like they were dancing? She couldn't comprehend it at all...
Wait.
Redness in the face in the presence of another person.
Rapid heartbeat, always in the presence of that person.
Bowels twisting, still in the presence of that person.
Decreased speaking skills and some increase in embarrassment, again in that person's presence.
And a strong sense of security and protection every time that person encouraged her or hugged her or supported her, as if she were a lifeline in the middle of the ocean...
The pieces finally fell into place in Amity's brain. "I can't believe it..." she murmured looking at Luz, who had fallen asleep with her head resting on her chest and a wonderful smile on her face. "I fell in love with this silly, exuberant, courageous and adorable puppet"
Yes, she finally understood it. It took her 43 chapters, but she finally got there. Now we have to see how long it will take Luz to understand.
I invented the story that witches store excess magic in their hair taking inspiration from a true legend of medieval folklore, which states that whoever cuts a witch's hair has power over her and can command her; the fact that they cannot get wet with water is taken from the Wizard of Oz, where precisely if a witch gets wet she melts as if the water were acid (here it simply causes painful sores due to their scaly skin, so be Odalia that Amity can safely drink any type of liquid as long as they don't get wet in it, as demonstrated by the chapter in which Odalia calmly drinks iced tea without hurting herself)