"Can you walk any slower?".
My ears fell flat while I tightly gritted my fangs together. The anger swelling in my chest was threatening to burst like a giant geyser. I had to use all my might to keep it within me. Where was the Emira I talked to at the cemetery? She wasn't at the family meeting last night and she sure as hell wasn't in the woods with me. No, she was back to only caring about herself and being jealous as all hell. She still treated Edric like shit, and she wouldn't shut up about how lucky I was to be the Blight of Bonesburrow. I guess it's my fault for thinking she would change just because she showed me a bit of her good side. It would take much more than that.
"Can you whine any more?" I spat like a sea serpent.
"If mom forced you to be my chaperone, then you'd be pissy too" my sister purred wryly.
"I'd think I'd have bigger issues than having to follow you around all day. I'm Titan knows how far from my home. I don't know when or if I'm ever going to see my family, so the least you can do is not be a giant hellhound!".
Emira shook her head at me like I was some toddler throwing a tantrum, "We've all got problems. Doesn't mean I'm about to throw you a pity party because you think yours are worse than mine".
"And I'm not throwing you one either, you titandamn hypocrite. You want me to suffer in silence then you're going to have to extend me the same courtesy". That only made Emira chuckle. Of course it did. She just loved to see people suffer.
"Who's the one whining again?". .
"Just keep your mouth shut until we make it to the owl house, PLEASE!".
Though I turned away from her, I could see Emira roll her eyes from the corner of mine. Whatever. As long as she didn't say anything, we didn't have a problem. I could continue my trudge through the woods in somewhat peace. Yet the silence was just as noxious as Emira's insults. The wounds that my sister had torn open ached like they were full of salt. It made my mind wander like a lost witch far from home. My many doubts were spiraling into a gorenado of uncertainty that made it feel like the whole isle was on my back. Titan, maybe it was! I was prophesied to save Bonesburrow after all!
No, no, no. I had to take this one step at a time. I couldn't worry about the prophecy and mom while also worrying about Luz and Gus. I needed to focus! I would introduce Luz and Gus to Willow and see how things go from there. They were sure to hit it off. It's like they were meant to be friends.
For the rest of my walk, my gaze fell to the ground. I scoured the dirt and red grass for anything to distract me, but the only thing I found were twigs and a few bugs here or there. That was until I heard the bushes rustle, and I noticed a flash of brown through the leaves. Emira tensed in alarm, but I had gotten so used to the obnoxious house demon's presence, Hooty couldn't surprise me anymore.
He jutted out right in front of my face with a welcoming hoot, the look in his beady little eyes so full of excitement they were about to explode like fireworks. Patiently I pushed the bird away from me and summoned a spell circle. From it a handful of worms appeared that I tossed in Hooty's direction. He caught them with his beak and instantly started gnawing on them.
"Emira. This is Hooty" I quickly introduced while I walked past. "Hooty. This is my sister, Emira".
"I wish I could say it's nice to meet you but…" Emira hissed as her mixed emotions made her grimace. For my otherworldly sister's sake, I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her along.
It wasn't far from the owl house after that. The both of us walked in to find Luz and Gus on the couch. They were in the middle of a conversation that slid to a halt when they noticed us. Luz instantly perked up, her eyes starting to shine like diamonds under a spotlight. It was truly amazing how much the starved teen had changed within the last few days. Yes, she was still scrawny, but her grief was beginning to blossom into a small draught of hope that lit up whenever she saw me or Gus. She was healing. She was healing very slowly, but she was healing.
"Hecate!" Luz cheered.
"You know she has a real name, don't you?". As she spoke, Emira walked up beside me. That gave both Luz and Gus some pause. They both went rigid as if they had just spotted a dangerous wild beast. That made Emira laugh, which only made my two friends more anxious. "You're looking at me as if I'm a possum".
"Don't mind Emira" I tried to reassure. "She's just my escort for today".
"More like your parole officer. Mom doesn't want her to escape, so she forced me to walk her to school today".
"Is it really true?" Gus prodded. "Are you really The Blight of Bonesburrow?".
I hesitated. I knew the answer, but I didn't want to believe it. I opened my mouth to respond but Emira beat me to it.
"She is," Emira huffed, her burst of amusement now gone. "Even though she has no clue what that means".
"And you do? By all means, Emira, tell me what I'm supposed to do" I snapped with a roll of my eyes. Emira's gaze shifted away from me. For once in her life, the witch kept her big mouth shut. "That's what I thought".
"Maybe it means you're destined to stop Belos's tyranny!" Luz exclaimed.
"Do you really think she's powerful enough to do that?" Gus butted back in. "Belos is the strongest witch on the isles!".
"I'll tell you what I think" Emira muttered.
"Please don't".
"I think we're all going to be late if we keep standing around and talking".
As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. I needed to focus on getting to school, not try to predict the future like an oracle. I offered my hand to Luz, but she refused it. Instead, she wanted to show she was strong enough to rise from the couch herself. She was able to get on her feet, albeit very slowly, but that was only the beginning of a very long walk for her.
We didn't even have to enter the halls of Hexide to find Willow. The raven haired witchling was out in the school yard, admiring a small patch of flowers on the side of the dirt road. When she noticed us approaching from the corner of her eye, she flicked her ear and stood up a bit straighter. Luz and I both stopped right in front of her while the two illusionists kept their distance (each for different reasons). I tried to calm her with a white-fanged smile but, once she noticed Emira, anxiety had already spread through her like a disease. Unlike last time, I understood her fear. Emira wasn't the most powerful witch on the isles yet fighting her was utter hell.
"Can I help you?" she squeaked.
"Hi" I answered just as sheepishly. "Remember me?".
"I do. You're the one who stood up to Boscha a few days ago".
"That's me. And these are my two friends, Luz and Gus. Guys this is Willow, the plant witch I've been talking about".
Luz reached out and grabbed Willow's hand. She shook it excitedly as she began to ramble. "Hey. Like she said, my name is Luz and I'm your new human classmate!".
"So, you're the human everyone's talking about?" Willow hmmed as she checked Luz's ears. They were in fact round. "That's… incredible! How did you even get here!".
"Oh, you know, just went through a portal door" Luz responded nonchalantly before her good mood slightly soured. "Then Eda kidnapped me and we started a prison riot together".
"Right. You were the Owl Lady's apprentice…I'm sorry".
"Don't be. It wasn't your fault". v
"It was Belos" I jumped in before Luz could blame herself. "Belos was the one who petrified her".
There then was a moment of quiet. No one had anything else to say after that. It was time to change the subject.
"Gus," I continued. "You've been awfully quiet. Aren't you gonna introduce yourself?".
Gus looked as though he was about to break. All the enthusiasm he had earlier that morning had leaked out of him like a broken bucket. Now he just stood there and nervously rubbed his arm, the words all trapped in his tightened throat. It was almost unnatural. The Gus in my world would never be so quiet. Only Titan knows what made him so anxious. This wasn't just a case of the witchling having little friends. There was some sort of cruelty involved.
"Don't be shy, Agustus" Emira softly encouraged. "I'm sure she's nothing like those assholes in Advanced illusions".
"You're in Advanced Illusions?" Willow prodded. "But you're so young".
"He'd be the best student in the class if it weren't for me. He wasn't moved up three grades for nothing".
That gave Gus a little bit of confidence despite the source of it being so intimidating. Why Emira was so fond of Gus yet such a hellhound to everyone else was beyond me, but it was nice to see my other-wordly sister cared for someone other than herself.
"I wouldn't say I'm one of the best, but I'm pretty good".
"Say's the witch who's fought the slitherbeast".
"You fought the slitherbeast?" Willow asked in surprise. That surely caught her attention. "What happened?".
"It's a long story…but I can tell it if you want, '' Gus said as his excitement reared its head.
"We have plenty of time" Willow responded while giving him a friendly smile back.
Willow took a few steps then paused until Gus and Luz started following. I was right behind them, until Emira grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back. I turned towards her and threw her hand off of me, a scowl plastered to my face.
"I think they can take things from here. You should focus on getting to class".
"But the bell doesn't ring for another fifteen minutes" I objected.
"I know, but before I can go to my class, I need to drop you off at yours".
Once again, Emira was right. Despite my thoughts on the witch, it wouldn't be fair to make her tardy for class because I wanted to waste time. I'd been there before. One of the twins' pranks or an overly long lecture from mom had led to plenty of incidents. It was always so humiliating to walk through the classroom door and have everyone just stare at you like they'd never seen anyone walk through the door before. And no matter what excuse you gave, the teachers would always be disappointed, if not angry. That may not sound so bad to a lot of witches, but when you have to keep up a good reputation like Emira and I had to, tardiness was not acceptable.
Before I had a chance to move, a familiar voice stole my attention.
"Hey, half-a-witch!". Dealing with Emira this time of morning was bad enough. Now I was supposed to add Boscha into the mix?
The pink triclops b-lined straight to Willow, Gus, and Luz. The former shrunk back as if Boscha threatened to bite her, while the latter watched the scene in dismay. I tensed as I prepared to rush to their rescue, but Emira held her arm out in front of me. She gave me a silent message. Let them handle this themselves. I didn't want to listen to her. I had, for many years, stood by while Boscha tormented Willow. Though I would try in little ways to stop her, like telling her to leave her alone, nothing was ever enough. And I had made a vow to Willow that I would never let Boscha and her clique bully her again. I couldn't break my promise now. I had to do something.
Yet I stayed put and gawked. Now wasn't the time to jump in, but if things got out of hand, I was ready.
"I know you're desperate for friends, but really? The human and this baby?".
"He's not a baby!" Luz snapped. "And there's nothing wrong with humans".
"I didn't say there was anything wrong with humans. I said there was something wrong with you. I mean, look at you. You can't get any more pitiful".
"Leave Luz out of this, Boscha" Willow jumped in while flashing her fangs. "Your quarrel is with me".
"I'd hardly call this a quarrel. You're nearly as bad as the human, and you aren't starved or have a dead mentor".
Gus muttered something too quiet for me to hear. Boscha heard it, though, and she set all her focus on the younger witch.
"What was that?".
"I said they aren't as pitiful as you!" Gus snapped.
"You must be too young to know what pitiful means" Boscha laughed, unamused. "It means–".
"I know what it means. It means someone who's so desperate to feel like she's worth a damn she'll put down others. It means someone who clings to her popularity because that's the only thing she'll ever accomplish. It means someone who thinks everyone loves her but they only love her social status. Does that sound like you?!".
Boscha didn't speak for a moment. She was too caught in a whirlwind of her own anger. But when words did come out of her mouth, they were angry shouts.
"I'm gonna make your life a living hell".
"Except you won't". Emira left my side and got into the triclop's face. "If you've got any brain in that hot little head of yours, you'd walk away right now. But let me spell it out for you just in case. Porter is off limits".
It was Boscha's turn to shrink back in submission. Just the sight of my sister made the witch's posture deflate. Though she managed to stop her three eyes from going wide, you could tell very easily that the pink witch was overwhelmed. Without another word she turned around and stormed away, her ears pointing towards the ground and a growl rumbling in her throat. I watched her leave, greatly relieved. Her torment of Willow wasn't done, by a long-shot, but at least Willow had plenty of witches by her side. The witch would grow more confident. I just knew it.
"I thought you said they could handle things themselves" I pointed out as I stopped next to Emira.
"They can," Emira insisted. "But with witches like that, you need all the help you can get".
"Wow, Gus," Luz added. "I didn't know you had that in you".
"Neither did I" Gus replied.
"Boscha's gonna be relentless now," Willow said worriedly. Though she wanted to be thankful to the many witches on her side, her concern stifled whatever good feelings she had."She's gonna be after us all day".
"Whatever she does, we'll be ready" I reassured. At the very least, my words reached Luz. A burst of excitement shot through her, making her do a little jump.
"We'll show that bully who's boss!".
That brought a small smile to Willow's face. She turned to Gus, hungry for his reaction, to get a smile from him too.
"We've got your back".
"That's all very sweet" Emira rushed. She subtly started pushing me away from the scene. "But I need to get to class, which means you've got to get to class".
I said my goodbye to the three witches and began my trek to my homeroom. When we arrived, Emira instantly shot towards the illusions hallway without saying a word. As rude as it was, I thought nothing of it. I was just glad that I didn't have her breathing down my neck. My focus shifted towards the teacher who'd just noticed me walk into the room. Just like in my world, it was Professor Hermonculus teaching all the abomination classes. And just like my world, all of the pressure was there too. He knew I was a Blight, the daughter of the great Alador. He was going to expect to see my father's talent within me.
"You must be Amity" he greeted as he crossed the room to meet me. "Why don't you take a seat, and I'll give you a rundown of what we've been working on this quarter".
I did as asked. I took a seat at the table in the front of the classroom, as far away from the other students as I could. Their many stares felt as though they were scorching my skin. The news had spread like wildfire, my mother had made sure of that. They all knew I was staying at Blight Manor, that I was the Blight of Bonesburrow. They had a million questions, I could tell, and I hadn't had the answer to every one of them.
I had plenty of questions for myself I needed to answer before I could address anyone else's. What was next? What was left for me to do? How would I do it with mom on my back? I could only be the Blight of Bonesburrow when I knew what that meant. But I was destined to find out, wasn't I? Opportunities come to those who are patient. Plans take time to form. I would figure things out in time, but for now all I could do was live my life as normally as I could.