After what had happened, neither Odalia nor Amity said a word to each other again; the girl had closed herself in a profound silence and did not seem willing to interact anymore either with her mother or with anyone else; she did nothing but look at her shoes with trembling eyes, and continued to rub her shoulders as if she were very cold. Odalia, for her part, respected her daughter's silence and took care to arrange everything to avoid anyone asking questions about why a fox and a cat had suddenly appeared in one of the cells, and began by grabbing Adrian and Terra by the scruff of the neck; they tried to escape, probably because they feared that the witch intended to eat them (a hypothesis somewhat supported by her expression, which although she was smiling seemed as if she was continuing to stare at a delicious meal), but they didn't succeed and were grabbed by her claws. Odalia brought them in front of her face so she could observe her daughter's work well.

Amity's curse hadn't just turned them into a fox and a cat: it had also atrophied their tongues so that they could still feed themselves, but were no longer able to articulate the words to speak; furthermore, Terra was also lame in one leg and was forced to drag her tail as if it were a dust rag, almost as if it were an ironic representation of cleaning up the lies with which she had soiled the world, and Adrian had become half blind as if the possibility of seeing the truth had been taken away from him. A rather sadistic punishment, and this could only make Odalia giggle and feel deeply proud of her daughter. "I knew you'd get the job done, Mittens" she told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You never fail"

Amity only responded with a shudder and closing her eyes. Odalia caressed her cheek, and then gently pushed her out of the cell, walking side by side with her and rubbing her hair and face as if to cheer her up; behind them, the door closed by itself and magically everyone, from the guards to the prisoners, completely forgot that there were supposed to be two other criminals there. Odalia led Amity out of the prison, then as soon as they were away she pulled away from her and finally put Adrian and Terra on the ground. "If I left you in the prison some charitable guard would probably adopt you and you would end up getting a nice home and being well fed, and that's not what my daughter wants, so now you'll get out of Bonesborough". She lowered her head and brought her face close to theirs. "Keep walking until your paws bleed, and keep walking even after that. You will live like this the rest of your miserable life. But don't worry, it won't be long; I suppose... ten years? Foxes and cats have shorter lifespans than humans, and you're already middle-aged; I doubt you'll last that long. Now get away of my sight!"

Adrian and Terra trembled and their hairs stood on end, and they immediately obeyed the witch and ran away, stumbling constantly due to not being used to their new bodies and the deformations they had, and quickly disappeared into the woods. At that point Odalia finally abandoned her witch form and returned to her human form, and after fixing her hair back in her bun she returned to Amity. "Are you ok?" she asked her in a comfortable voice.

Amity bit her lip. "I... I don't know" she murmured. "I mean... it was... really gratifying. Those two were horrible people, they hurt a lot of people, they hurt Luz... they even tried to kill her... and when I cursed them... fuck, it was so good!" she exclaimed without the slightest concern about appearing vulgar, and for a moment an evil and satisfied smile appeared on her face, but it was immediately replaced by a frightened expression: "But... what I did was still a bad action... and yet I I don't feel... well... I don't..."

"You're scared because you don't feel guilty, am I right?" Odalia stopped her. "You know you should, yet you can't see yourself wrong even a little bit"

Amity closed her mouth, and then she nodded shakily. "Yes... well, I was sure that I would feel at least a little bad after having cursed two people, even if it was right to do it... and yet it's not like that! I just feel a great gratification and... and I would almost like to do it again!". She put her hands in her hair: "I... I liked it, can you understand? I liked cursing someone! Does this... does this make me a bad person...?"

"No, Mittens, absolutely not" Odalia told her, placing a hand on her cheek and caressing it gently, so gently that Amity felt like a pillow was touching her. "Mittens... I've been through this before you, so trust me when I tell you that this doesn't make you a bad person. Those two were evil people, and you know deep down that they deserved that fate; that's why you can't feel yourself guilty but rather you feel satisfaction in seeing them suffer. It's normal, anyone would feel it in your place. And also... cursing is in our nature, and even if you haven't unlocked your magic yet, your body already knows it; are you expecting that something that is part of you might not give you pleasure? It would be like not feeling the sense of gratification every time you fill your stomach, or of relief when you fill your lungs with air. The fact that you felt pleasure from a condition natural is certainly no reason to be ashamed"

"But it shouldn't be like this!" Amity exclaimed with a slight tremble in her voice. "I should feel guilty about hurting others... even if they are bad people..."

"Mittens, you only think this because you were raised to believe these things are true" Odalia told her. "The school, your teachers, your fairy godmother, everyone has always told you that you must always respect the lives of others, even those of the wicked; but these things are valid only for humans. They must be taught, because if every human started to take justice with their own hands, it would end up creating anarchy, and that is not good for a civilized society. It is much better to convince everyone than harming someone else gives no gratification and actually leaves you with a lot of sense of blame on him, even if this is totally false; in this way everyone respects the rules and civilization is stable". Her eyes narrowed: "But... we are not humans. We don't need to believe this lie. And believe me when I tell you that there are few things more rewarding than punishing an evil person. Try to forget yourself, even if only for a moment, about the teachings you have received; what do you really think?"

Amity was silent for a moment, then she replied: "Well... I think Adrian and Terra deserved it. You heard them, they weren't sorry and they would never change. I couldn't risk them breaking out or getting out on good behavior and then they went and hurt or tried to kill someone else. And then...". Her eyelids fluttered and her lips began to curve into a smile. "Now... they will suffer. They will suffer for what they did to Luz. They... will pay dearly... for all the evil they have done..."

"Yeah, just like that" Odalia moved closer to her and pulled her into a hug. "You don't have to be afraid for yourself, Mittens. You only did what was right. You protected all the people who could have been hurt by those two in the future and you brought justice for all those who have already hurt. What is the problem with being happy for this?"

Amity had to admit that it was true. Why did she have to feel guilty? She had done absolutely nothing wrong. She had cursed two evil people, not two good people, and both had proven to be unrepentant of their actions, and on top of that they had hurt Luz a lot; wasn't it normal that she liked it? It would be as if an arachnophobe didn't take pleasure in killing a spider. It was ridiculous to try to feel guilty about it... she should have been proud of herself instead and rejoiced in Adrian and Terra's suffering... wait, why did the smile on her face keep getting bigger on its own? And why did it feel more like a cruel grin when she touched it?

Odalia cupped her face and gently met their gaze: "Mittens, you have made the first big choice of your life. You have taken the first step on the path that being a witch will impose on you. Tell me, is it clearer to you now?"

Amity didn't have to think about it much; she quickly pushed away that now very feeble part of her mind that told her that what she had done was wrong and that she should feel wrong about it, and instead replied, "Yes, mom... I fully understand it now. It doesn't matter if what I did was an evil action, because through it I obtained the well-being of many others and brought justice. By sacrificing my morality for an instant, I gave peace to many people. Being a witch... means knowing how to choose how much moral sacrifice depending on the situations"

"I see you understand" Odalia told her, and she pulled her closer and hugged her tightly. "You will be a wonderful witch when the time will come, Mittens"

Amity returned the hug with a smile, but her eyes had become more determined than ever. As soon as her mother let go she stepped back and looked at her hands, and then she clenched her fists tightly; she almost felt her palms tingling. "I have to admit… I don't dislike this at all" she said with a strange satisfaction in her voice. "In short... I will help others in a way that not even fairies can... it's as if I were... I don't know... one step higher..."

"Oh, Mittens, it is just like this" Odalia told her. "We witches are superior, nothing else to say. There is no shame in saying that. Don't you remember what I have taught you all your life? In the world there are people of a certain level and people of another level. Some have talents... and therefore destinies... which others can only look at from below. Could a hare ever be like a lion? Obviously not, and the same goes for people. The inferiors must accept that they are such, including the silly fairies"

And for once, Amity didn't contradict this statement even in her mind, but on the contrary a sinister light passed into her eyes: "Yeah..." she hissed, and she clenched a fist in front of her face as if she was imagining crushing something. "We are superior... we should decide for others... it's the right, natural thing... and then... I have to admit that it was really nice... I almost want to do it again right away... just thinking about the faces of those two assholes makes me want to laugh... ah ah... ah ah... AH AH AH! Gasp!". She immediately covered her mouth with her hands; the sinister light faded from her eyes replaced by fear. "W-What's going on? Why does an evil laughter keep coming out of my mouth?"

Odalia looked worried for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. "Mittens, wait, let me check" she told her, and without waiting for her response she placed a hand on her forehead. "Mmm... as I imagined, you've used too much of my power and now the nefarious influence of dark magic is starting to cloud your mind"

"So this is why I keep laughing like I'm a cruel tyrant?" Amity murmured in terror.

"Exactly. Unfortunately since you don't have any magical balance within you at this moment there is nothing to stop my dark magic from infecting your mind" Odalia replied. "Don't worry, the negative effects will wear off as soon as the contract is concluded, which will be in less than ten minutes from now. However, to be on the safe side, don't cast any more spells from now on"

"Yes... yes, all clear" Amity hastened to say with great relief; for a moment she was really scared. Fortunately, that evil laugh was only the result of dark magic left uncontrolled, which made her understand once again how important it was for her to be able to complete the magical balancing when the time came. The fact that she had considered other people inferior to her was surely the fault of that too... although, she had to admit, such thinking wasn't entirely wrong... the strong ruled over the weak, right? No! She shouldn't have thought about it. She no longer had to let herself be controlled by magic. She had to focus on other things and wait for the contract between her and her mother to come to an end, and then get a good night's sleep and think about those things only the next day when her mind was clear.

Odalia seemed to think the same way, because she took Ghost out of her pocket again and transformed him back into a flying broom. "Come, let's go home. You need to sleep, and we already did what we had to do"

Amity nodded and sat on the broom, and the two of them flew up into the sky again; the prison soon became small behind them. The cat-faced prisoner who had bothered them earlier had been watching them all the time from the window of his cell, and breathed a sigh of relief to see them go; but before the broom began to zoom towards the Blight Manor Odalia turned quickly, for a brief moment, and her eyes flashed blue; the last thing the frightened prisoner saw was her monstrous smile, and then he turned into a stone statue. "What were you looking at?" Amity asked noticing that her mother had turned away for a moment.

"Nothing, I just wanted to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything" Odalia answered her in an innocent voice, and that ended the conversation. However, the satisfied and slightly cruel smile did not fade from the witch's face.

The two of them returned to the Blight Manor, this time much more quickly than before, and returned through the window of Amity's room. Once there Odalia returned the room to normal with a simple wave of her hand, and then she said: "The magical contract between us is now complete, which means you can no longer have my magic"

And indeed Amity realized that she no longer felt the magical energy in her; and looking at the wall clock that she had hanging above her desk, she realized that in fact an hour had now passed. Odalia pointed to the bed: "Now go to sleep. It's been a busy day, and you need some rest"

Amity obeyed immediately without fuss: she was seriously starting to feel her head hurt and her eyelids get heavy. She really needed to get some sleep, so she got into bed and lay down in it. Odalia watched her positioning herself on the mattress, then she had a quick impulse and almost without realizing it she pulled the covers up. Amity looked at her in surprise, to which Odalia asked: "What?"

"You've never tucked me in before" Amity replied in a voice somewhere between strangled and excited.

Odalia bit her tongue. "Well... I should have. Now sleep" she said hastily, and she left the room, closing the door behind her. Amity looked at the spot where her mother had disappeared, and then she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Odalia moved away from her daughter's room, then as soon as she was far enough away she finally transformed Ghost back into a cat, who hissed furiously. "Sorry to turn you off, but you were getting annoying"

"I was trying to make you understand that it wasn't a good idea to make that poor girl do those things!" Ghost told her with a meow that only she understood. "Mistress, this time you have gone too far!"

"I just made her understand what awaits her" Odalia replied without the slightest regret. "It is important that she has clear ideas about her future. When the time comes she will have to know what is best for her and for this family. Only in this way will she be able to fulfill her destiny"

"Destiny that YOU are forcing her to fulfill" Ghost snorted. "Aren't you tired of manipulating her yet?"

"I'm not manipulating her, I've given up on that option now. Everything would have been easier if that stupid fairy and that puppet hadn't appeared and broken the control I had over her, and by now Amity would still be ready to follow my every order to the letter. But now I can no longer rely on that method to ensure that he will obey me in the right moment" Odalia said with a certain note of irritation in her voice. "Therefore, if I cannot control her, I have no choice but to make her see the world as I see it, and as every other witch sees it. I never wanted this for her, but if I have to teach her to be tyrannical in order for her to do the her destiny, so be it. I'm just showing her the way... even if it's revealing just some pieces each time"

Ghost bristled. "Mistress, this is going too far. I don't want..."

"You don't want? Interesting. Tell me, since when do you have a will?" Odalia hissed, her eyebrows arching dangerously. "I don't remember you ever objecting to any of my actions. After all, an object only exists to serve its master, right?"

Ghost stepped back slightly. "Mistress..."

"And you…" Odalia interrupted him. "... should remember who gives the orders here. You are my flying broom, not my daughter's. It is me you have to serve, and if I tell you to do something, you do it. So stop trying to interfere with something you already know can't be stopped, Ghost; don't force me to put you back in the case. I care about you and I'm happy with the bond you have with my daughter, but if you become an obstacle I won't hesitate to deactivate you for a long time"

The cat's blue eyes narrowed, but he didn't reply. Evidently he understood that it was better not to argue any more. Odalia seemed quite satisfied: "Good, I see that we have resolved every disagreement between us. Now come, it's time for us to go to sleep too and..."

"Odalia"

The woman stopped and sighed as she recognized her husband's voice. "Obviously. It seems to me that the night was going too well" she grumbled, turning to find Alador watching her from above the stairs. "What do you want? Hurry, it was a beautiful night and I don't want to ruin it with your presence"

But unlike usual, Alador didn't just tell her what he wanted, but rather signaled her to come up. "We need to talk" he told her.

Odalia's gaze became quite frowned upon. "This won't end well" she warned him, but nevertheless she still went up the stairs with Ghost following, and she followed her husband.

The curse that Amity places on Terra and Adrian transforms them exactly into the Fox and the Cat from the original story, including their physical defects. In fact, in Collodi's book the Fox pretends to be lame and the Cat pretends to be blind; however, at the end of the book they are punished by becoming truly crippled and blind. In this version it is Amity who makes them so