Amity was in her room, lying on her bed, but she couldn't sleep. Even though she knew he should get a good night's sleep, her eyes refused categorically to close. Her mind continually returned to the magic lamp; even though she had returned it to its rightful owner, and she didn't regret doing so since she knew it was the right thing to do, she still couldn't stop thinking about what she might have asked to a djinn if she could. Only one wish to make, and she had to choose one carefully, but she had so many in her heart.

The wish to become someone her mother could be proud of. Even though she told her she no longer had to worry about disappointing her, Amity couldn't fear what would happen if she wasn't the witch her mother expected. It was a ridiculous fear, she knew... but she had it anyway. If she had had the magic lamp in her hand, perhaps she could have asked Darius to always make her mother proud of her, regardless of the circumstances... but perhaps, if she thought well about it, that would have been worse. It would mean spending her life never knowing if all the admiration her mother would always feel for her was due to her abilities or the djinn's magic.

Or she could have wished to become a white witch. The thought of failing when her magic would awaken and turning into a dark witch, one of those evil ones from stories, who cursed the innocent and unleashed horrible epidemics or natural disasters, scared her. And not for herself, but for what she would force others to do or do to them. If she had become a dark witch, someone would have had to stop her; who would it have been? Eda? Lilith? Or maybe her mother herself would have taken responsibility? The last scenario was the one that terrified Amity the most. She couldn't help but imagine her mother taking the life of the dark witch she had given birth to, all while screaming her name with extreme pain in her voice, then laying her cold and lifeless body on the ground, then aiming her hands against her own neck, reciting a killing curse and… no, no, she couldn't think about it. What if no one had stopped her instead? What would she have done? She would ruin her friends' lives, she would curse them all... maybe she would even hurt Luz. Just thinking about it brought tears to her eyes. Could Darius have helped her? She doubted it: she wasn't sure that a djinn could interfere much in matters relating to dark magic, which from what she knew was stronger than life magic.

Or... she might have wished her father to finally show her a sign of affection. Amity had promised herself to forget about her father, but how could she? The words he had spoken to her continued to echo in her head. That was still her father, and knowing that he hated her... no, worse, that he was disgusted by her for the simple fact that she had been born inheriting her mother's magic, hurt her. She kept telling herself that he was the only one who lost out, that she shouldn't love him anymore, that she had to move on... but it was easier said than done. Could Darius have granted that wish? To make her father's heart soften, and finally allow that little girl so desperate and hungry for love to enter it? It would be wonderful... but Amity knew it wouldn't be real. It would have been just an act again. Her father would love her because of Darius' magic, not because he wanted it. If she had made such a wish, she would only have agreed to live a lie. It would be no different than asking Darius to set up a puppet theater around her and pretend that was real life.

Or she could have wished to the djinn to erase some of her past actions, or at least remove them from her memory and those of everyone else. In that way she would no longer feel terribly guilty every time she thought about Luz and remembered all the bad things she had done to her, and she wouldn't be so afraid of confessing that she had feelings for her. But even that would have been a mistake. That wasn't going forward, it was going back. And then, part of those actions and their consequences were the reason Amity felt she had matured so much in the last few months; deleting them would have meant starting from scratch.

Amity sighed, rolling over in bed. Choosing the right wish was really difficult; having a djinn ready to express a request was not as simple as she had always imagined. But then, why was she thinking about it? She didn't have the magic lamp, and Darius certainly would never have entrusted such a powerful object to a kid. Her thoughts were useless thoughts that only hurt her... yet she couldn't stop thinking them.

Suddenly she felt something jump onto the bed and immediately slip under her covers and climb up from the foot of the bed to her; Amity lifted the blanket slightly and saw two large blue eyes watching her. "Ghost, what are you doing?"

In response, the cat curled up on her belly and purred. Despite the weight she now had on her stomach, Amity still emitted a tender smile: it was extraordinary how Ghost behaved exactly like a real cat, an animal she had always liked. Well, after all in basically all the stories she knew witches always had a weakness for cats. As she caressed Ghost she felt more serene; as far as she could remember she had read somewhere that cats' purrs had a calming effect on people, and apparently that was true. "Thank you, Ghost" she whispered to him, then she said: "I've got too many things on my mind... I feel like something is crushing me. Mom's stopped demanding perfection from me, and I'm freer on that front... but now I have many more responsibilities than before. I wish there was a way to calm me down..."

Ghost moved his head to the side, then Amity heard his voice in her head. As usual it was a very disturbed voice, and she could barely understand it; her mother had explained to her that this was due to the fact that Ghost, even if he wanted to talk to her, had not yet designated her as his master since he still belonged to Odalia, and therefore the communication between them was incomplete and fragmented. But despite that, with a lot of patience Amity managed to understand what the cat was telling her. "Talk to someone about it?" she whispered. In the past she would have laughed at that prospect, but by now she had learned that confiding in another person was much more liberating than she had always imagined, so she didn't disdain that possibility. "But... with who?"

The best choice would have been to talk to her mother... but this would have clashed with her wish not to disappoint her, and she would have had to admit to her that she still loved the man who had abandoned them both... she didn't have the courage. She knew her mother would be there, ready to listen to her, but just the thought of seeing her judging eyes scared her. Edric and Emira? She wasn't sure; even if they would have been ready to console her, how could they understand all the discomfort she was feeling? They had never had all that weight on them. They didn't know what it meant to be afraid of turning into a dark witch. They didn't know what it meant to have a father whose mere sight of her disgusted him. As understanding as they were, how could they help her?

But Ghost let out a bored meow, and despite the disturbed communication Amity clearly heard him say: "The mistress could have given birth to a more intelligent daughter". She turned red with embarrassment, but before she could reply the cat jumped onto her bedside table and took the pendant Lilith had given her with his mouth and handed it to her. Amity's eyes lit up: "Of course, you're right! She can help me! But... she is probably sleeping now... and mom told her not to go near the Blight Manor again..."

Ghost raised an eyebrow, and even though he didn't say anything Amity seemed to hear him grumble: "Stop making excuses". In fact she had no reason to hold back: Lilith had told her clearly that she shouldn't worry about waking her, and that night her mother wasn't home; in the past Amity would have believed that she had simply gone to some important merchant meeting, but now that they knew of her true nature Odalia had confessed to her children that she had actually gone to nearby Mirkwood to gather certain magical herbs that only bloomed at certain times of the night when the dark magic was strongest, and only on some days of the month; apparently being a witch also meant having a very thorough knowledge of botany and astrology. So Odalia was not there at the Blight Manor that night, and so Lilith would not risk being torn to pieces if she dared to cross the gate.

Finally, Amity decided to stop dithering. She brought the pendant close to her lips and whispered: "Fairy godmother... Lilith? Please come here. I need your help"

The pendant glowed slightly, then it returned normal. Amity didn't know if it had worked, and she sat still on the bed for almost two minutes, waiting for some sign. But just as she was starting to think that maybe she had done something wrong she heard a familiar knock on the window; she turned towards it and saw two large raven wings that she would have recognized among a thousand. Without thinking twice she jumped out of bed and opened the window, allowing Lilith to enter; the fairy was in her real form, completely covered in her beautiful feathers, but Amity noticed that she also had a pair of large round glasses on her nose. "Why do you have glasses?" she asked.

Lilith scratched her head a little sheepishly. "I was reading a book. When you get to my age, reading with a candle as your only light source becomes difficult" she replied.

"Were you reading? At this time of night?" Amity asked confused, since it was almost midnight.

"Said the one who was supposed to sleep and rest in anticipation of a new day, even though tomorrow is technically Sunday" Lilith said back, making her blush. "You know I'm an avid reader, it's not uncommon for a book to captivate me so much that it makes me stay up late at night"

"Yeah..." Amity bit her lip. "Well, at least I didn't wake you up... listen, I'm sorry if I made you come, but..."

"Hey, hey, never apologize for this" Lilith told her as she sat down on the bed and motioned for her to sit next to her. "I've told you a thousand times, you don't have to worry about these things. I'm here for you, I always am; even if you called me while I'm sick, I would still come for you"

Amity cracked a smile; it still surprised her how much good Lilith was to her. Perhaps she had been too accustomed to the rigid lifestyle her mother had imposed on her to understand how easy it was for the fairy to do those acts of kindness without expecting anything in return. "Thank you, fairy godmother" she said, sitting down next to her; as soon as she did, Lilith lifted one of her wings and wrapped it around her like a blanket. Amity felt the urge to resist, but then she stopped immediately: she felt warm, but not in a physical sense... it was a different heat, something that warmed her soul and made her feel protected. As if she were a chick and her mother's wing had covered her while she was in the nest.

"Don't thank me" Lilith told her, then she asked: "So, why did you call me? This is the first time you've done that."

"Yes... maybe I should have done it more often" Amity admitted while she was enjoying the touch of that soft wing. "It's just that... recently I feel like I'm overwhelmed by my responsibilities. Everyone keeps telling me that everything will be fine, that I will definitely become a white witch, that I have all the tools I need to do it... and I keep repeat that I know, that I am convinced of it, that I can handle this thing... but it's not true! I'm scared!". She trembled and gripped the wing that was enveloping her tightly, and nearly tore off some feathers. "I... I could make a mistake. I could fail to become a white witch and succumb to my own dark magic. I could become a cruel person and harm all of you, and you would be forced to stop me... in any way possible. And that scares me! I don't care if I have everything I need to become a white witch, I'm still scared! I'm scared! I'm scared! I'm..."

Her words were cut off when Lilith brushed her hand against her cheek, and she felt the soft feathers touch her skin. She looked up and stared into the fairy's eyes. "Amity, I can feel how burdened you feel" Lilith told her. "I wish I could tell you that you don't have to worry and that everything will be okay, but I know that would do no good. You are carrying a much bigger weight on your shoulders than any girl your age should be carrying. But I want you to know this: regardless to how it ends, you'll have me by your side. And not just me. We all will continue to help you, whether you manage to become a white witch or not. We won't let you become an evil person, you have my word"

Amity was silent for a moment, then she rested her head on the fairy's chest. "I don't know why... but I can't help but believe you, fairy godmother"

"Because it's the truth" Lilith whispered to her. "Amity, I know how afraid you are of being abandoned, it's normal with the kind of... life you've lived. But you don't have to have it. None of us will abandon you, ever. Not me, not all your friends. And not even those two rather inconvenient twins who are currently spying on us from behind the door"

"What?" Amity exclaimed as she whirled around. Lilith snapped her fingers and the door to the room opened, making Edric and Emira fall to the floor; at that moment they had evidently been pressed with their ears to the door in an attempt to eavesdrop. Amity turned red: "Why were you spying on me!?"

"Um... sorry Mittens" the two twins replied standing up. "It's just that... we saw Ghost running down the halls and we thought he was a... well, a ghost, so we started chasing him, but then we realized it was him and he was going towards your room and we thought something wasn't right, but after entering he gave the door a tap and made it close again, and so we lurked here trying to hear something..."

Amity turned even redder with anger and embarrassment. "Why were you awake at this time?"

"Judging by the buttered bread and jam in their hands, I'd say they were ransacking the kitchen" Lilith pointed out; in fact the two siblings had a lot of food on their hands.

"Mom forbade us to eat at night!" Amity snapped irritably. "And you shouldn't eat so many sweets! You'll get a stomach ache!"

"So what? A great excuse to skip school tomorrow" Edric laughed.

"Tomorrow is Sunday!" Amity reminded them, and by now she was so red she looked like she was about to faint.

"Uh, really? Damn, we didn't check the calendar. It's hard to keep track of the days when you're always skipping school and... okay, I'll stop" Edric said, noticing his younger sister's dangerous glare, then he became serious again: "Mittens, listen... we can go on all night with you berating us and us ignoring your more than fair advice and promptly waking up tomorrow with excruciating pain in our tummies, but don't you think it's best to skip that part and come back to what you were telling your fairy?"

Amity opened her mouth, then she quickly closed it again. She felt embarrassed at the thought that her siblings were watching her being cradled by her fairy godmother's wings, but at the same time she didn't want to send them away. Almost without wanting to, she hid herself further among the feathers, but she didn't chase her siblings away.

Taking her silence as agreement, Edric and Emira closed the door and went to sit on the floor in front of the bed, regardless of how hard it was. They were silent for a moment, then Emira said: "Mittens... I will never be so arrogant as to say that I know what you feel because it's not true. Edric and I haven't experienced a tenth of what you are experiencing. But that doesn't mean we can't understand how difficult it is for you to carry all this weight"

"Even though we keep acting funny and saying how much we envy you and wish we had magic, in reality we know you're scared" Edric added. "How could you not? Anyone would be afraid. If I were in your place I would risk fainting at least nineteen times an hour just from anxiety. And you're a young girl, Mittens; you're a prodigy, something that neither I nor Emira we may never be, but you are still just a young girl. Don't be afraid to confide in us if you feel crushed by the weight of your responsibilities... and above all never be afraid that we will abandon you, because we never will"

"Yes. If you were to become an evil witch, Edric and I will embark on the toughest journey, climbing the highest peaks and crossing the hottest deserts, until we find the strongest rope in the world, and then we will return and we will bond with you, so you won't be able to throw us away and you will be forced to spend your days immersed in our embrace, until our love manages to reach your heart, at the cost of becoming old in the meantime" Emira said resolutely.

"Or we will let you turn us into cockroaches, but before you can crush us we will stick ourselves in your ears where you can't get us, and we will tell you every day everything we did together. We will remind you of how much we joked, how we played, how much we did together. we rolled on the floor in fits of laughter. We'll tell you about the pillow fight, the way we forced you to stuff yourself with biscuits. We'll continue throughout your life, until you too will start to remember those good moments and your heart will warm up, washing away with its heat the dark magic that enveloped it, and eventually a genuine smile will form on your face again" Edric stated with determination.

Amity remained silent for a second, then first she let out a light laugh that she tried in vain to hold back, and then she completely let herself go laughing genuinely, while tears of emotion fell from her eyes. "Guys... you are the most trouble-making, reckless, lazy and irritating siblings in the world... but I wouldn't change you even for all the gold in the universe!" she exclaimed, standing up and running to hug them.

Edric and Emira were initially surprised by that reaction, but then they returned the hug warmly. "You forgot 'slackers', Mittens. I feel offended" Edric said jokingly.

Emira, on the other hand, didn't even try to joke, but instead planted a kiss on her sister's forehead. "Mittens... we're here. We're always here. And we're here to support you, through thick and thin. We know we're not exactly the most trustworthy people you'd want to turn to... but we can pretend to be if that's your thing." useful"

Lilith too got up from the bed and knelt in front of the three embraced siblings, looking at them with a tender smile that seemed as sweet as honey. "Listen to your siblings, Amity. Don't be afraid to talk about what scares you, especially to them. Tell them what it is that's bothering you so much"

Amity looked down for a moment, then she whispered: "There are so many things... I don't know where to start. I wish I had more confidence about becoming a white witch..."

"Then you just need to stop thinking about it. The more you think about it, the more you will only have more anxiety. Don't think about it and everything will be fine" Emira told her. "Look at us: we practically never think and our heads are as empty as a balloon, and in fact we are always sure of ourselves!"

"...and even though I know she hates me, I wish dad would be nicer to me...and even though I know she can't be disappointed in me, I'm still afraid of disappointing mom..."

"Mittens, trust these words of ours: our parents are two idiots. Stop worrying about their opinion and live doing what makes you happy" Edric told her. "Look at us: we never obey them, we have missed more lessons than we have ever attended, we lounge around and do nothing from morning to night, we only think about having fun and we really don't care about mom's or dad's opinion, and in fact we are very happy!"

"...and then there's Luz..."

"What about Luz?"

Amity's cheeks turned red and she put a hand over her mouth. "Nothing! Luz had nothing to do with it!"

"Sweaty hands, blushing, avoiding eyes, stammering... Mittens, we're not stupid" Emira told her with a sneer. "Let me guess: you finally understood what you really feel for the puppet?"

Amity's face looked like a tomato. "Did... did you know?"

"It was obvious right from the start that you had a crush, Mittens. And judging by your reaction I say that not only has it not passed, but that the feeling has also taken deep root in your heart" Edric replied, and then he rubbed his hands together. "Well, finally something we can really help you with! Come on, tell us!"

Amity was somewhat unsure, but a quick look at Lilith's encouraging expression made her try to trust. "It's just... it's all so strange" she replied. "Ever since Luz came here... things have just gotten confusing. I'm thinking things I never thought before... I'm feeling things I've never used to feel...!"

"Is that so bad? You weren't happy before" Emira pointed out with a wide smile. "Don't you like it?"

Amity bit her lip. "No... no, I like it... but... I don't know if I deserve to have these feelings" she said, nervously clenching her fingers. "I... I treated Luz very badly for a long time. I denigrated her, I made fun of her dream, I tried to make her give up... I even hurt her... with what cheek, can I now ask her to... to reciprocate these feelings of mine? Luz is already an angel to treat me like her friend..."

Edric and Emira looked at each other for a moment, and they both seemed quite unsure of what to say, but before they could utter even a syllable Lilith stepped forward and brushed her fingers against Amity's chin, making her look up at her. "Amity, Luz has already forgiven you for everything you did in the past. Why do you keep thinking about it?"

"Because I haven't forgiven myself!" Amity exclaimed with a lot of shame in her voice. "And I don't think I'll ever be able to do that... I'm sure not even Darius could make me make peace with my past..."

"That's right, Amity: past" Lilith interrupted her. "All the bad things that happened between you and Luz happened in the past. And that's the beauty of the passage of time: the past stays in the past, both the good and the bad. You can't get rid of them, but you can move forward, into the future. Instead of crying over your mistakes, you can learn from them and turn them into your strength. You made Luz sad in the past... so why hold back now if you have the chance to make her happier than ever?"

Amity felt her heart warm at those words. "Do... do you think I could make her happy? That she would return my feelings?"

"Whether or not she returns your feelings, that will be Luz's choice alone" Lilith replied. "But if she were to... I know for sure that you will make her happy. Because even if you don't realize it, Amity... you have a heart of gold, and you always know what to say and do to make those who you care about happy. Even if sometimes you tend to forget to listen to your coscience"

Amity didn't know whether to feel embarrassed or happy at those words; her fairy godmother's encouraging gaze was so beautiful that she almost felt like she was losing herself in it. And Edric and Emira were looking at her the same way too. "Thank you... fairy godmother, you guys... you are the best"

In response, her siblings rubbed a hand through her hair. "Our Mittens is really growing up" Edric murmured. "And as much as I'm a little sad to no longer have that cheeky little girl hanging around me... I have to say it makes me feel really happy"

"Yeah… I almost want to cry" Emira said, then she asked: "By the way, who is this Darius you mentioned?"

"Oh... um... he's a djinn. You know... a genie of the lamp, one of those who grant wishes" Amity replied. "Long story short, Eda's ex-boyfriend, Raine, came here to Bonesborough..."

"Raine is back!?" Lilith exclaimed in surprise. "Wow... Eda could have warned me"

"Well, it was a little sudden... it only arrived yesterday, and Luz said that Eda was a little annoyed by it..." Amity tried to justify her. "Anyway, Darius is a friend of them, and he travels with them along with the BATTs, who are undercover rebels... and he's a djinn, so whoever has the lamp can make a wish..."

"Did he tell you he was a djinn?" Lilith stopped her by raising an eyebrow.

Amity scratched her head in shame. "Not really... we entered their tent without permission and touched the lamp... but we immediately returned it to its rightful owner!"

Lilith gave her a reproachful look, but it didn't last more than a few seconds. "Well, I'm glad you guys did the right thing in the end" she said. She didn't want to be too harsh, but as fairy godmother she had to at least scold Amity a little, even just with a look.

However, Amity didn't have time to worry about what Lilith thought, because within three seconds her siblings were looking at her with glowing eyes. "So there is a djinn here in the town who can grant all our wishes!?" Edric exclaimed.

"Oh, I already know what to ask! Thanks for the information, Mittens! Edric, I know what we'll do tomorrow!" Emira said.

Okay, maybe it wasn't a good idea to tell her siblings that detail. Amity was already about to stop them and tell them not to do anything stupid, dangerous, or both, but before she could a scream made her freeze. Lilith fell to her knees with a look of pain on her face and tears streaming from her eyes, holding her right arm, which was swelling and covered in black and gray feathers; not beautiful, silky feathers like those of her fairy form, but squarish, ruined feathers that almost looked like malignant tumors. "LILITH!" Amity screamed immediately running to her fairy godmother. "W-What's going on!?"

"Amity... help me get to... Eda..." Lilith muttered as she tried in vain to get up. "Luz... she's in trouble..."

Amity's heart skipped a beat. "W-What does that mean!?"

"I'll explain... along the way... now help me!" Lilith replied. Amity didn't have to be told again and helped the fairy get up, and her siblings did the same, grabbing her by the shoulders to support her; she seemed to have been completely drained of all strength. Without wasting any further time, the four immediately headed towards the exit of the Blight Manor and then towards the Owl House.

Unknown to them, hidden in the shadows, someone had heard everything. Alador Blight watched them leave the manor, then he turned and ran to put on a hooded jacket and a scarf to hide his face, and he left as well.

It was right to give Edric and Emira the chance to act like good siblings with Amity, since they hadn't had a real conversation yet. And finally Amity asked Lilith for help on her own initiative, stopping worrying about bothering her. There's no telling that they don't look like a familiar picture... until Lilith remembered that she shared half the corruption of the Owl Beast with Eda.