Amity was lying on the bed in the guest room, wearing pajamas that Lilith had lent her. After Boscha and Skara had brought her back to the fairy's house she had taken care of her in the blink of an eye, and Eda, Luz's fairy godmother, had also helped her. Amity had felt dazed at first, but she remembered that her first reaction was to ask about Luz. She didn't know why she had done it... but she had to admit that after learning that she was missing she was very worried. She remembered well how the puppet had reacted as soon as it entered the water. She didn't know what had triggered that reaction, but now he was afraid that she would get into some trouble.

When Lilith asked her what happened, Amity had been tempted to tell a lie, but in the end she chose to be honest. After all, the fairy would surely also ask Boscha and Skara for explanations, so there was no point in lying. Lilith hadn't said anything, but the expression she had assumed suggested how angry she was; despite this, however, that was not the time for sermons but for taking action to look for Luz, so since Amity was technically still recovering the fairy ordered her to stay in bed, after which she went to Blight Manor and asked her mother to let her stay with her for a night; obviously she hadn't told her what really happened (under heavy pleas from Amity herself), but she had told her that there would be a rare stellar alignment that evening and she would take Amity to see it, since as her private teacher it was her duty show her such rarities, and somehow Odalia bought it. So Amity so remained at Lilith's house lying on the bed as she had ordered, with Boscha and Skara taking care of her even though she was now completely healed, while the fairy had joined Eda in the search for Luz. By evening, Lilith still hadn't returned, and Skara and Boscha had to go home, so they said goodbye to her and left. So Amity was now alone; which was very problematic given that in that silence her thoughts seemed amplified a hundredfold... especially some that she was desperately trying to suppress, but the more she tried, the more they seemed to wash over her like a wave.

Finally the door opened and Lilith returned. Amity jumped up and sat down as soon as she saw her. "Eda just contacted me. Luz is back home" the fairy told her.

For some reason that she couldn't explain, every muscle in her body tensed like a violin string. "Is... is she okay?" she asked in a whisper.

Lilith nodded. "She isn't hurt. She doesn't even have a scratch on her"

Amity breathed the deepest sigh of relief of her life. She didn't think she could feel so relieved to know that the puppet was okay. She looked up and met Lilith's stern eyes, and she cringed beneath them. "Don't say anything, please"

"And why on earth should I say you something? Your conscience is already saying that to you. In fact, it's screaming so loudly that I can hear it at this distance" Lilith commented. "Amity, may I know what's on your mind?"

"I didn't want this to happen!" Amity exclaimed. "It was... it was just supposed to be a harmless prank. I didn't imagine that Luz would react that way. I thought that at most she would be a little angry..."

Lilith was sure that Amity was sincere: she wasn't the type of person who would have done such a thing if she had known that Luz would have such a nervous breakdown. If she had known about the puppet's past she would surely have refrained from doing this. But that didn't justify everything else. "I know that her reaction wasn't predictable, but that doesn't change the fact that the rest wasn't a harmless prank anyway! It was gratuitous malice"

Amity felt her heart ache at those words, but she immediately pushed that feeling away. "Oh, come on, I just made her miss a day of school! What's so terrible?"

"You knew how important school was to Luz. You can't know the reasons why she gives it such importance, but her behavior was unmistakable. You knew she would be hurt by it, don't try to deny it" Lilith told her crossing her arms over her chest. "Why did you do this, Amity? You've always act a bit like a bully, but you've never done something like this"

Amity frowned and blushed slightly. "Still with this? I wasn't acting like a bully, I was just making sure everyone knew their place in the hierarchy! It was my job to teach everyone who was at the top and who was below!" she exclaimed angrily. "And today I did the same! I taught that puppet who couldn't consider himself my equal! Luz had gone to her head recently, threatening my position, so I solved the problem!"

"Seriously? And you're okay with having her hurt like that just because she was having success only slightly similar to yours?" Lilith asked her.

"Of course it's okay for me!" Amity replied. "I did what had to be done! It's not my fault that she reacted like this, I have nothing to blame!". Shr said that, but still felt like someone was sticking thousands of needles into her chest.

Lilith rolled her eyes and sighed. "You know, my sister recently told me about a method to solve the problem of the lies that I'm seriously thinking about using... although I doubt that even that would be able to make you stop lying to yourself" she said. "Amity, you know that you can't fool me. I'm a fairy, I can read your heart, I know what emotions you're feeling right now. Your mouth says one thing, but your heart says another"

Instinctively Amity put her arms in front of her chest as if to cover herself. She didn't like the fairy peeking into her soul. "So what? Even if I felt bad for having caused that poor puppet to have a nervous breakdown and for having betrayed the trust she had placed in me, this had to be done!" she exclaimed, with an oddly detailed description.

"No, it shouldn't have been done!" Lilith replied. "Amity, stop being so stubborn! What you did was very wrong and you know it"

"That's not true! It was exactly what needed to be done! That's how the world works, and how the Blight stands above everyone else!" Amity said clenching her fists. "In the world, you either crush or be crushed! Every flaw or oversight can be exploited by the enemy, so it is imperative to erase it! And if someone else is stupid enough to have faults and not try to correct them, then it is right to exploit them to our advantage! If we don't do it, someone else will! If I want to honor my family, it's my duty to stay at the top of the social pyramid at least in my school, and crush those who try to take what's mine!"

"Amity, you're talking so much nonsense that I don't even know where to start to correct you" Lilith told her. "But to begin with, Luz never tried to take anything from you. I don't know what happened between the two of you, but that puppet didn't seem like the type to be a social climber at all to me. She just wanted to be your friend. And I am sure that you too appreciated her company"

"It's not true! I hated her, and I'm glad I got her out of the way!" Amity growled.

It was a complete and utter lie, and Lilith didn't even have to look into her pupil's heart to understand it. "Amity..."

"Why do you care so much!? It doesn't matter what I thought about that puppet!" Amity exclaimed.

"It sure does, because what you did today was wrong!" Lilith scolded her.

"You have no right to tell me that! You're not my mother!" Amity replied sourly. "If I want to destroy the best friendship I've ever had with my own hands, I'll do it, and to hell with your opinion!"

Lilith knew that Amity was only responding that way because she didn't want to admit she was wrong, but that didn't stop her from feeling a little hurt. However, she remained unmoved and instead focused on what the girl had said: "The best friendship you've ever had? Didn't you just say you hated Luz?"

Amity's eyes widened and she put a hand over her mouth, realizing what she had just said. "I… it was just a completely unrelated example!" she protested. "And even if it were true, and it isn't, that doesn't change the reality of the world. A Blight like me can't let trifles like friendship get in her way, she must always stand her ground, even if it hurts me terribly!". As soon as she said the last words she put her hand over her mouth again. What was happening? She didn't want Lilith to know that she felt bad for hurting Luz, so why did she say that? She couldn't say it!

A Blight showed no weakness.

A Blight didn't show when they were emotionally hurt.

This was what her mother had always taught her, what she had made sure to do ever since she was able to speak and walk independently. So why was she saying those things now?

"Amity, these thoughts are wrong and you know it. Fame, wealth and position can be achieved even without trampling on others. If you do, all you gain is losing precious things like your friendship with Luz" Lilith told her. "You're obsessed with being this sort of perfect girl who is superior to everything and everyone because your mother is imposing this image on you. You don't have to be like that, no one forces you to be like that"

"Don't talk like that about my mother! I owe everything to her!" Amity growled, hissing like an angry cat. "You have nothing to do with it, if I made a mistake it's only my fault! No... wait a minute..." Why had she just said she made a mistake? She wasn't wrong! "Why do the words keep coming out of my mouth on their own!? It's you! You're doing some magic on me!"

"I'm not doing anything at all. My wand is over there, can't you see?" Lilith said, pointing to the window, on the windowsill of which Mike Socks was leaning while he was preening his feathers.

"I don't know how you do it... but you are! I don't want to say those things! I..." Amity was ranting, but she stopped when she felt something wet dripping onto the back of her hand. She looked down and saw several drops of water appear out of nowhere and fall onto the bed. No, they didn't appear out of nowhere... they appeared from within her eyes.

No.

No, no, no, no, no!

Extremely quickly she passed an arm in front of her eyes and used the sleeve of her pajamas to dry her tears, but the moment he removed it others immediately formed in their place. It didn't take Lilith long to notice. "Amity, are you…?"

"I'm fine! Nothing's happening, I'm fine!" Amity almost screamed, her voice becoming strangely shrill. "And you have to stop sticking your nose in my business! I don't need your help or your pity! I can handle myself! I don't need anyone! Especially a puppet who thinks she can become a real girl, and who has the courage and strength to pursue an impossible dream, and who doesn't stop at any obstacle, and who despite not being able to make progress is always cheerful and smiling and... ARGH! I told you to stop talking use your magic to make me say certain things!"

"Amity, I'm not doing any magic" Lilith repeated.

Amity inspired thoroughly. She had to compose herself. She couldn't let her emotions dominate her. A Blight didn't give in to emotion. A Blight never lose their composure. A Blight couldn't crying! She didn't know why her eyes were watering, surely the fairy was using some trick on her, but she absolutely had to make them stop!

She couldn't cry. She shouldn't have cried. She wasn't a little girl! She wasn't weak!

"Mittens, crying is synonymous with weakness and fragility"

"Mittens, you need to learn to control your emotions, and crying means you haven't done it yet"

"Mittens, a true Blight never cries, especially not in public"

"Mittens, you don't want to suffer the humiliation of having someone else see you cry, do you?"

"Mittens, are you still crying? When are you going to grow up and stop acting like a little girl?"

"You're definitely doing some magic! I would never say things like that on my own! I'm a Blight! I'm not weak! I have no remorse for what I've done, and Luz can only blame herself for forcing me to do it… she deserved it all… she should… STOP FALLING!" she screamed at her own tears, which had now grown to the size of grapes. She began to frantically wipe her face, desperately trying to make them disappear, but she couldn't remove one that ten more formed in its place. "Go away, you stupid tears, I don't want you! I don't cry! My mother would be disappointed if I cried! I'm not a little girl! I don't…!"

"AMITY!"

Amity looked up and saw Lilith standing in front of her. When had she closed the gap? The fairy took her face in her hands and looked her straight in the eyes. "Amity, you're right... I'm not your mother, and I don't care if you cry. And your mother isn't here right now. Stop resisting"

Amity remained as still as a statue for an instant, and with the last bit of willpower she had left she desperately tried to resist again... but that will vanished when she looked into the fairy's eyes and in them she found not severity and austerity, but compassion and pity. It was as if they were encouraging her rather than blaming her for getting desperate. At that point she couldn't stop anymore: her eyes broke like a dam and tears flowed freely from them, and she started sobbing. Lilith sat next to her and wrapped her in her arms, and Amity instinctively clutched her dress.

Lilith didn't scold Amity for crying, or for showing her emotions. She didn't blame her, he didn't look disappointed. Instead, she rubbed her head and cuddled her lovingly. Amity continued to cry non-stop for almost half an hour, then she finally began to calm down. "There, that's better, right?" Lilith said lifting her face and wiping her face.

Amity sniffed. Part of her was furious, she was hating herself for letting herself go in such a pathetic show, and she just wanted to slap herself; but another part couldn't deny that her heart now seemed to have become lighter. Almost imperceptibly she nodded with her head.

Lilith dried her face completely, then she asked her: "Now that you've vented, do you want to tell me the truth? Let your heart speak instead of the obsessions that your mother imposed on you"

Amity looked down. She didn't want to do it, but she couldn't stop anymore. "The truth... is that I'm so ashamed! And I hate myself! Luz didn't deserve that horrible prank... and she absolutely didn't deserve that panic attack, whatever caused it! I deserved that book on my head !It's my fault Luz was hurt so much and could have even hurt herself! I... I was so bad... I-I don't know what came over me! I knew it was wrong... I... I... oh my, what have I done!?"

Lilith realized that Amity was about to cry again, so she quickly intervened: "You made a mistake, that's what you did. But now that you've finally accepted and admitted it, you can fix your mistake"

Amity sniffed profusely. "If you want to punish me, please turn me into a worm and feed me to your Palisman"

"I don't mean to punish you with magic, Amity. I don't need to, not when your own conscience is already punishing you so much. Besides, Mike hates eating organic matter" Lilith replied. "But tomorrow, when you go back to school, you will apologize to Luz, and you will do it properly. And I hope your friends will have enough sense to do the same"

Amity shook her head. "I can't do it. How could I dare to look Luz in the face again? I'm not brave. I'll never have the strength to speak to her again!"

"You will have to find that strength, because mine is not a request. Tomorrow you will apologize to Luz" Lilith said in a firm tone. She was not willing to negotiate on that point.

Amity looked down and bit her lip, but finally she nodded. Deep down she knew that her fairy godmother was right: she had behaved badly and she had to apologize for it. Luz hadn't hesitated to do so when she had caused the incident at the library. But Luz was Luz... she was brave. Amity knew she was a coward; just the thought of looking the puppet in the eyes again made her feel like she was a disgusting snake.

Lilith realized her pupil's fear, so she said to her: "Amity, having the courage to take on your responsibilities is also part of life. Even though you may not like Luz's reaction, you must do what is right"

"I know, fairy godmother. I know" Amity whispered. "I will apologize to her"

Lilith smiled. "Good. This means you've matured" she told her. "Now try to sleep. You need rest"

Amity nodded and lay back down in bed; she started to pull the covers up, but Lilith grabbed them before she could and covered her with them. Although what the fairy had just done was nothing extraordinary, Amity felt a strange warmth invade her chest from that small gesture. Almost without realizing it, she said: "Goodnight, fairy godmother"

She had never said such a thing to her mother.

Her mother had never tucked her in the covers, after all.

Lilith smiled back, a smile that Amity thought was truly sweet. She could almost taste it in her mouth, and it strangely reminded her of a ripe plum, her favorite fruit. "Goodnight, Amity" Lilith said to her, and then with a breath she turned off the little light that was shining in the room.

Lilith: "I am Amity's mother. Change my mind"