Luz was left alone in the park; after Gus and Willow had left, she'd let out a few tears of anger and hurt, but she'd soon stopped. She had discovered that even crying was now difficult for her; maybe it was because she had already shed too many tears the day before, or because she was too tired, or because she didn't even feel like doing that anymore. However, even if she had stopped crying she had no intention of going home; she wanted to be alone a little longer.
Too bad that when she saw a familiar person with green hair appear in her field of vision she immediately regretted not looking for a more secluded place. "You again!? I already told you that..."
She froze as soon as he saw the state Amity was in.
The girl was covered in sweat and her beautiful green hair was totally messed up by the wind, as if she had run like never before in her life. Luz remembered well when she and Amity had competed: she was always careful not to exceed a certain speed to optimize physical effort and therefore not sweat, and if her hair got messed up she immediately put it back in place. But now it looked like Amity had been chased by a wolf and she had run for her life, not caring in the slightest about ruining her perfect appearance. Which knowing her personality was something Luz had up until now thought to be impossible. But what caught her attention most was Amity's expression: not only her mouth was wide open and from there the labored breathing due to her running emerged, but her eyes seemed ready to pop out of their sockets from how much she kept her eyelids open. Luz didn't want to look her in the eyes, but for a brief moment before she could look away she read different emotions in them: guilt, anger at herself, desperation, and much more. Even though it only lasted an instant, that brief sight made Luz forget what she wanted to say. "Um… uh… well, what do you want?" she asked, seeing nothing else on her mind.
Amity didn't respond right away; she remained looking at her continuously for an indefinite time, without uttering a single word. The only sound that occurred during that time was the sound of her breathing, but strangely Luz noticed that it wasn't getting less labored at all, but on the contrary it was getting louder with each passing second, as if Amity was still running and exerting herself physically. Luz, on the other hand, despite finding that silence oppressive, in turn did and said nothing. The two of them remained in that standoff so long that Boscha, Skara, Willow and Gus had time to catch up to them and hid in a nearby bush to observe everything without being discovered.
And then something happened that made Luz's eyes widen and the mouths of their four hidden spectators fallen: Amity dropped to her knees and lowered her head so much that her forehead almost touched the ground. The puppet was completely lost: she didn't know what to say or do in front of that attitude. Never in her life did she think she would see Amity kneel in front of anyone, least of all her. "Um… Amity…?"
"I don't want you to forgive me" Amity's broken voice emerged from her mouth as if it were a whisper. "I will never be arrogant and selfish enough to even hope for your forgiveness, because I know I don't deserve it. So I won't ask you to forgive me. I won't tell you I'm sorry because it wouldn't make sense to do so now that I've hurt you so much. But please, Luz... don't ever say again that you will never be a real girl!"
Luz nearly fell off the bench she was sitting on. Amity had always told her that she had no chance of becoming a real girl, that hers was just a senseless dream; and now she was saying the complete opposite? She seriously began to think that maybe she had tripped and hit her head and that she was imagining it all.
But Amity didn't stop. "I was wrong, Luz. I've always been wrong. No, it's not true... I was scared. That's what I felt for you, fear. Because you were so... smiling, cheerful, and you kept chasing your dreams and your passions, and you never stopped despite everything. And now I know why all this scared me so much... now I know why I kept criticizing you for your dream. Because you are already a real girl much more than I am!"
Amity didn't know how she could be saying those things; she had spent her whole life focusing on self-control, on never letting emotions dominate her, on never letting weakness show. On never saying what she really felt, because it would have meant admitting a flaw. It would have meant that she too had negative emotions, that she wasn't capable of doing everything right, that she wasn't perfect. But suddenly she didn't want to do it anymore; it was as if all the walls she had built over the years into an impenetrable fortress had shattered into dust, and now she was bringing out everything inside him without any restraint. Even though a part of her kept trying to hold her back, telling her she couldn't be so pathetic, reminding her that someone might see her, whispering that a Blight couldn't act that way... she wasn't giving it any more attention. At that moment she just wanted to say what she really thought. "Between the two of us, you had always been the real girl, Luz. You were the one who managed to... really live. You were enthusiastic about learning things at school, you shared your joys and doubts with others, you you weren't afraid to show yourself for who you were. From the first day, when you introduced yourself for the first time in front of the class, you made it clear that you didn't have any hairs on your tongue, that you didn't care what others thought you you, who did everything you did only because you wanted it and not because someone forced it on you. This was you... you were like a sun that shone brighter than any light, warming the environment around you as if you were the fire of a fireplace in winter, and anyone couldn't help but love you for this very reason... quite the opposite of me"
Amity saw several drops begin to fall on the ground in front of her. She knew full well that they were coming out of her eyes. She felt the part of her mind that wanted her to be a perfect girl screaming at the sight, shouting at her to stop right now, to not dare cry. She heard her mother's disappointed voice in her ears asking her why she kept crying like a little girl. But she ignored them both and instead let the tears flow from her eyes without even trying to stop them. "I've always just followed a standard. I've never really lived" she said. "I behaved in a certain way because I had to be perfect. I studied and worked day and night because I had to have perfect grades. I walked, talked and smiled according to certain patterns because my bearing had to be perfect. This is me... I always just followed a script that someone else had prepared for myself. I had strings tied to me and I followed the puppeteer's orders. I wasn't like you who smiled because you wanted to smile, you joked without fearing that your jokes were cringe, you studied because you liked it, you played a certain game because you really wanted to play it. Between the two of us, you have always been the real girl, while I have always been the puppet. You are without strings, you don't let any puppeteer to control you. That's why I was so afraid of you. Because you, a puppet, had the ability to become a real girl, in fact you were already acting like one, while all I knew how to do was act as if I were a doll. That's why I kept telling you that you couldn't be a real girl, because I was too cowardly to accept that you weren't on my level. Because I didn't want to admit that I'm just a weak, miserable and useless doll trying to delude myself into thinking I'm important, when in reality with your simplicity you achieved much more in a few weeks than I did in years with my absurd idea of absolute perfection! I'm the puppet, not you! So don't ever say again that you will never be a real girl, because you will become one for sure! I know you will definitely become one!"
Luz was speechless. Not that Boscha, Skara, Willow, and Gus were any different, as they were all staring at the scene from their hiding place with their mouths wide open and eyes bulging. No one would have ever expected to hear those words coming out of Amity's lips. Now no one would have been surprised if the world had suddenly turned upside down and the dolphins started flying in the sky and the eagles started swimming in the sea.
Amity could barely see now because of all the tears, and suddenly she did something she would never have done under any other circumstances: she raised her head and clearly showed Luz her crying face, no longer hiding. She completely revealed her expression to her, without caring about what she would think looking at her pathetic imagine. And then with an extremely trembling voice she said: "Please, Luz... smile again, shine again, and believe that you can become a real girl again! You can do it! If anyone can do it, it's you! I don't... I don't want you to forgive me... it hurts me to lose your friendship, but I know I can't ask you to forgive me! But please... continue to be the wonderful person you were before! Find other friends ... friends who won't have to be ashamed and won't want to slap themselves every time they will look in the mirror... play, have fun, share with them all the most beautiful experiences that can come to mind... and never give up! Please, Luz..." and her voice suddenly became shrill, but at the same time confident and determined: "... become a real girl!"
Silence fell in the little park, broken only by Amity's sobs. Luz had completely abandoned any aggressive look and had taken on the expression of someone who had just received a stick on the head. Neither of them moved or spoke for an indefinite period... at least until a scream woke them up. "AAARGH! That's enough, I can't take it anymore!" Skara exclaimed, suddenly coming out of her hiding, and completely regardless of how Amity and Luz would take her sudden appearance, she ran next to her friend and fell to her knees as well. She was crying too, though not so much like Amity. "Sorry... I know I shouldn't have eavesdropped but... but everything Amity said is so damn true! You're always so cute and cheerful and beautiful and smiley, Luz! You attract the sympathy and kindness of people like a magnet attracts iron! A single smile from you melts the hardest ice heart, and a single word from you is enough to make you loved by everyone! You can't give up on becoming a real girl just because we were so cruel and made you so bad! I know it's selfish of me to say this and you're free to consider me a worm, I know I deserve it after all... but please, continue to be that person! If you stopped being that person, then the whole world would be right to hate me... because I would have deprived it of a treasure, indeed of a real living miracle! I... I don't..." She stopped, clearly not knowing what else to say. Just like Amity was just spitting out whatever was in her heart, even though she was having a much harder time interpreting her feelings.
Willow and Gus glared at Boscha; the magenta-haired girl initially pretended not to see them, but then she gave up. "Oh, fine" she grumbled, standing up and walking towards her friends, then she knelt down next to them. "Luz, I won't pretend to like you because I don't... but I admit that I admire your ability to inspire others, your sense of humor, your courage, and many other things about you. And... I also admit that what we did was wrong. If you don't want to talk to me anymore, go ahead, I won't blame you... but please, give Amity and Skara another chance. They deserve it. And above all... never stop to give yourself a chance. Because Amity is right... if anyone can become a real girl, it's you. Just between us, and know that I will forever deny ever having said this sentence... but if someone proposed it to me I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to bet on you"
Luz still didn't say anything, clearly too shocked and confused by the situation. Amity knew they couldn't stay in that position forever, so she said: "I think... we'd better leave now" and she stood up on her legs, albeit with great difficulty because they seemed to have become the consistency of jelly. Skara and Boscha followed suit and started to leave.
Amity glanced at Luz one last time, then turned away. But she hadn't even taken three steps before she felt something very hard wrap around her hand forcefully; she turned and saw that Luz had stood up and taken her hand, and was now in front of her staring at the ground, so much so that she couldn't look at her face. "Luz...?"
"Where are you going?" the puppet asked her bluntly.
Amity was surprised by that question. "Well... at home..."
"You can't" Luz said.
Amity wasn't understanding and was about to ask for an explanation, but then the puppet raised her head. And what Amity saw made her heart do a somersault: Luz's face was smiling and happy again, and her smile and her sweet eyes seemed to emanate so much light and warmth that for a moment Amity feared she would melt. There was no longer any trace of anger, resentment, hatred, revenge, grief or any other negative emotion that had accompanied the puppet since she entered school that day. Luz stared into her eyes for a moment, and then she said: "You have to come and study at my house today. I only invited you yesterday, have you already forgotten?"
Amity was paralyzed. Only after a few seconds did her trembling voice come out of her mouth: "N-No, Luz... I can't... I don't deserve... you can't forgive me like this..."
"Sorry, but I'm afraid this is my choice, not yours" Luz replied without batting an eye. "It's true, I'm very angry with you. You hurt me, and a lot. But... I just discovered that I still want to keep you in my life for a little longer"
Amity began to sob even harder. Luz's smile was giving off such a beautiful light, and she wanted so much to be able to bathe in it, but the shame in her heart wouldn't let her do so. "No, no, please... you can't do this... you should hate me... you should..."
But Luz pulled her close and Amity found herself falling towards her, and then she felt the puppet's arms wrap around her body in a warm embrace. "I won't do it. You said it yourself, I do what I want and like. I'm without strings, I don't let any puppeteer to control me; I can choose who to forgive myself"
Amity tried again for a quick fraction of a second to resist... then she couldn't anymore; her body moved on its own and she returned Luz's hug forcefully. Finally she gave up and let herself be warmed by the heat of that little sun. She held her tightly, despite the hard wood she was made of, and began to whisper: "I'm so sorry... I was so cruel... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...!"
"It's okay" Luz replied without even hesitating. "I forgive you"
Amity sniffed, and even though she was crying she couldn't keep her lips from curling into a smile. She couldn't believe that there could be a person like Luz in the world and that she was lucky enough to meet her. The scene of the two of them hugging was so touching that their viewers burst into tears. "It's... it's all so... beautiful..." Skara stammered through sobs.
Luz motioned for her to come closer. "Come here you too. I forgive you two too"
"Oh, Luz, you truly are a living miracle!" Skara exclaimed as she threw herself onto her and joined the hug.
Boscha had stiffened and was looking in any other direction but at them. Willow flew to her shoulder and whispered: "Crying and hugging the people you love is not synonymous with weakness. Let yourself go"
Boscha narrowed her eyes, then she growled: "If you tell anyone, I'll kill you!" and having said that she too gave in completely and also joined in that warm embrace.
Did you want the touching and moving reconciliation? Here you are served: Amity who for once breaks her character and finally says out loud what she really thinks, without pretending to apologize or be forgiven it up to Luz, but only because she doesn't want Luz to give up after realizing how important it is for her to be a real girl, and precisely because of this sincerity Luz agrees to give her a second chance. Well, what can I say... I gave you my gift, so... Merry Christmas to everyone!