He was vengeance, he was the night, he is, Kevin Conroy
1955-2022
Thank you for all the Batman adventures
All characters from Disney and other properties are owned by their respectful owners. The OCs made here are written entirely for the story. Enjoy this fic.
Chapter 75: Amity in Echo Creek
In Echo Creek, sunlight from the windows of the church hit Amity's face, prompting her to wake up. She turned to her side, expecting to see Luz there. When she didn't see her, she remembered where she was. In a cot in a church in the human world. Not back at the Owl House.
"Are you okay?" Sam, Amity's shadow asked her.
"Yeah, I just miss home," Amity sighed as she got up, seeing Ghost laying on her, still asleep. She petted Ghost and the Palisman woke up, stretching. "How did you sleep, Sam? Wait, do shadows even sleep?"
"No, we don't need it," Sam told her. "We also don't need food or drink."
"Convenient," Amity told her shadow as she went to take a shower.
After her shower, Amity headed for the soup kitchen. On her way, she spotted some clothes in a donation booth and figured that she could get a hat to cover up her ears with. She dug through the box and found herself a brown, wooly bucket hat.
She entered the soup kitchen, where she saw several homeless people lined up.
"You can get your tray at the line, darlin'," one lady said upon spotting Amity.
"Oh, um, thanks," she replied as she went to get a tray and got in line. She received some food that consisted of eggs, bacon, sausage links, grits, and a cup of orange juice. She then found a table to eat at.
As she ate alone, Ghost hid in her jacket while her shadow hid underneath her. "How's the food?"
"Pretty good," Amity replied in a whisper. "I was worried that I couldn't ingest this, but I think I can manage."
"Who are you talking to?" someone asked her.
Amity was startled, but didn't make a noise. She looked up at the teenage girl who had spoken to her. She was a Filipino-American girl with dark-blue short hair, and brown eyes. She wore an olive green beanie hat, an olive green shirt, turquoise jacket, yellow skirt, and brown boots. "Or were you just praying and I interrupted you?"
"Uh, don't worry about it," Amity replied. "You're one of the volunteers that work here, right?"
The teenage girl sat down at the same table. "Yeah, though it is more like some community service to keep me out of trouble," she said. "Don't tell anyone, since it could hurt my rep. I've never seen you in here before. Though I like your hair and your contacts."
Amity awkwardly responded. "Um, thanks, Ms…"
"Hey, I'm not old," the teenager interrupted her. "Janna Ordonia."
"I'm Amity," Amity introduced herself.
"Well, Amity, this is the first time I've seen here," Janna continued. "And I haven't seen you around Echo Creek before either. I would have definitely remembered your hair if it had been otherwise. Which means you are probably new in town. Are you a runaway or something? It would be cool if you were."
"Uh, not exactly," Amity said, not sure how to explain her situation to Janna. She didn't know how she would react to a being from another world. "I didn't run away. You could say that I'm… not here by choice."
"Whoa, so you were kidnapped?" Janna asked, leaning forward out of interest.
"Kinda, but then I was just left in the woods," Amity tried to explain. "I'm now lost and trying to find my way back home. And I need to get to a place called Gravity Falls in Oregon."
"If you're lost then why not go to the cops?" Janna asked.
Amity looked down awkwardly. "I don't think the authorities would understand."
Janna didn't ask what Amity meant, instead thinking about what she had said. "Wait, you said you need to go to Gravity Falls? I actually know someone from there."
"Really?" Amity asked her in surprise.
"Yeah, we go to the same forums and are in a group chat about paranormal stuff," Janna mentioned. "Gravity Falls is like a hotspot for the weird and the supernatural."
"Maybe she can help us," Sam said to Amity.
"Who is this friend from your group chat?" Amity asked her.
"His name's Dipper," Janna replied, which caused Amity's eyes to widen in shock.
"No way, you know Dipper?" Amity stood up, which startled Janna. "About this short, with stars on his forehead?"
"Yeah, he's very well-known in the forums that I go to," Janna responded while noticing Ghost popping out from Amity's jacket. "Didn't know you had a cat with you."
"Oh, you mean Ghost?" Amity said as Ghost sat on Amity's lap. "I actually didn't choose her. It was more like she chose me."
Janna chuckled. "Sounds like a cat. So Ghost, huh? Cool name, is she like your familiar or something?"
Amity looked at Janna in surprise. "Wait, are you into like… witchcraft or something like that?"
"Yeah, I like to dabble in 'witchy things'," Janna said with a shrug. "I'm not a goth, if that is what you're thinking. I'm more of the local troublemaker."
"Is, um, Pastor McCay okay with your interest?" Amity asked her.
"Oh, he's no stick-in-the-mud, he's pretty chill with it," Janna assured her. "People are either fine or indifferent with it as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. So… would you like me to help you get in contact with Dipper?"
"Really? You'll help me get to him?" Amity asked her.
"Of course, dude, we can head back to my place and I'll reach out to him," Janna offered.
"Thank you!" Amity said gratefully. "And do you know how far away Gravity Falls, Oregon is?"
"About a whole day trip from here," Janna confirmed. "But you should finish eating. Once you're done, I can let McCay know that I'll take it from here."
After finishing breakfast, Amity and Ghost followed their new friend to her home. "Hey, mom, dad, I'm back with a guest," Janna said as she let them in.
"Hi, sweetie!" said Janna's mom, a Filipino woman in a blue shirt and jeans, as she spotted her daughter and her guest. "Is this a new friend of yours?"
"This is Amity and her cat Ghost. I met them at the church," Janna explains.
"It's nice to meet you, ma'am," Amity said to Janna's mom.
"Oh, so you volunteer at the church as well?" Mrs. Ordania asked Amity. "That's nice. I'll be around if you girls need me for anything."
"Yeah, sure mom," Janna replied. She nudged Amity to follow her. "Come on, Amity."
Amity followed Janna upstairs while Ghost hung from Amity's jacket. Once they were in front of Janna's room, she opened the door.
"Welcome to my humble abode," Janna said as she showed them around.
It was a dark green painted room filled with a lot of weird stuff… by human standards at least. If this was a witch bedroom, it would just be normal. There was a shelf full of books and jars containing oddities, including a monkey's hand and a jar of eyeballs. There was also horror movie memorabilia around, including posters.
When looking around, Amity was almost spooked by a large, werewolf standee. "Nice room," she said. "Looks like something Luz would like."
"Who's Luz?" Janna asks her.
"Oh, she's my girlfriend back home," Amity explained, though she didn't mention that Luz lived in the Demon Realm. Or reveal that she was from the Demon Realm as well… or that she was a witch… and part-Fae.
"Girlfriend? Is she hot?" Janna asked her.
Amity blushed, caught off guard by this. "I mean, yeah she is pretty hot," she admitted. "She is also a rebel back home and is really into horror movies. Recently she showed me John Carpenter's The Thing."
Janna smiled. "A classic."
Amity nodded. "And like you she is also into witchy stuff. It is actually her life goal to be a witch, no matter what anyone else says."
"I can respect that," Janna responded with a nod. "I actually want to be a witch or a dark sorceress myself some day, so that I can unleash curses on my enemies like the Naysaya curse!"
"The… what?" Amity asked in confusion.
"Oh, it's a demon curse that causes a second head to burst from someone's neck and reveal all their secrets when they try to woo their true love," Janna explained as she found a book and flipped it to a page showing an illustration of the Naysaya curse. "See?"
"Yeah… not sure if that's a thing," Amity muttered.
"Yeah, I guess it's just something connected to conjoined twins or something," Janna admitted. "A lot of these old wives tales come from a misunderstanding of real phenomenon. I still believe that some of this stuff is real, but probably not all of it. In Echo Creek's case, we have the story of Bon Bon the birthday clown, who died in an exploding candle accident and promised to return from the grave one hundred years later. I held a séance once, but he never appeared. I may have gotten the date wrong, though." She then opened up her laptop. "Okay, let me get set up. Feel free to look around, just don't touch the jars."
Amity and Ghost went over to the bookshelf, which was full of books about witchcraft and demonology. She and Ghost read some of the titles.
'Dr. P's Extraordinary Guide to Magic & Mystery'
'Dr. Crackpot's Book of the Damned'
'The War on Witchcraft by G.B. Gates'
Ghost's eyes widened as she hissed. "Gates…"
Amity looked at Ghost. "Are you alright, Ghost?"
"Yeah, just… seeing that name displeasures me," Ghost responded.
Amity looked at the Gates book. Her mind clicked as she remembered something Eda mentioned. The Gates Family. Curious, she grabbed the book from the shelf. 'Gates… is there a connection?' she thought while opening up the book and flipping through its pages. "Hey Janna," she said while reading. "What do you know about this book?"
"Hmm?" Janna turned and saw Amity holding the War on Witchcraft book "Oh, I bought that one online. It is written by a witch hunter from the 17th Century. Dude was obsessed even by my standards."
'Just like the Gates Family that Eda mentioned,' Amity thought before realizing that she recognized the contents of the book. 'Wait… these pages…' She remembered when she saw pages of this book on the walls of Hexside. 'Is this where Boscha got her 'human facts' from? How in the realms did she even get this book? I doubt she got it from Eda, but then again stuff does wash ashore in the Demon Realm… I need to ask Boscha about this once she recovers.'
As Amity flipped through the pages, she stopped on one depicting an illustration of someone called the Collector. Her eyes narrowed. "The Collector?" she whispered, remembering that Sly had mentioned him. As Amity stared at the illustration, it turned directly to her… and winked.
Amity immediately slammed the book shut and put it away.
"Alright, where are you… bingo," Janna said as she found Dipper's logged into the forum and sent him a request for a private chat. After waiting a few minutes, the request was accepted. "Finally! Hey Dipper, how's it going?" She typed on her keyboard.
Dipper: Pretty good, Janna, what's up?
Janna: Okay, so I found this girl named Amity and she says she knows you.
Dipper: …
Dipper: Janna, get this Amity to come to the keyboard immediately!
Janna turned to Amity. "Hey cat girl, he wants to talk to you."
"Dipper?" Amity walked up to the laptop and seeing the flat screen with the letters on the bottom made Amity confused. "Okay… this is… something…"
"Have you ever used a laptop before?" Janna asked her.
"Of course…" Amity said.
"...Aren't you gonna type it on the keyboard?" Janna asked her.
"Type? Oh, right." Amity was flustered in embarrassment as she looked at the keys. She slowly typed in a message to Dipper. "Hey… Dipper… it's… Amity."
Dipper: Is that really you, Amity?
"It is, Luz's awesome girlfriend here. I'm stuck in the Human Realm and I'm trying to figure out how this crystal ball works."
Dipper: What matters is that you are safe. Are Willow and Gus with you?
"No, they aren't," Amity replied, accidentally misspelling a few words. "But I did get in contact with Luz. If they are in the Human Realm as well, she would have told them to head to Gravity Falls as well, hopefully I can meet them there. I still need to find transportation to get to you."
Dipper: Alright, I promise to be waiting for you there. You're welcome to stay at the Mystery Shack until we can find a way to get you home.
"Thanks, Dipper," Amity told him while continuing the chat. "So um, how have you guys been? Mabel, Wendy, Stan, Soos?"
During their conversation, Janna looked over Amity's shoulder, confused by some of Amity's wording. Like how she called a laptop a crystal ball.
She then looked back at the G.B. Gates book. She went to pick it up while letting Amity chat away with Dipper. Once she flipped through a few pages, she found a section on witch biology. She saw illustrations of how to tell if someone was a witch, with pointy ears being a major giveaway. Janna then flipped to a section about Palismen while looking up at Ghost, who was licking herself. To Janna's shock, she saw a lock mark on Ghost's paw.
Curious, Janna put the book away. She slowly walked over to Amity and quickly pulled her hat off. This startled Amity, who turned to her in shock as her ears were revealed.
"Janna!" Amity cried out, covering her ears in a panic.
"Huh, so you are a witch," Janna said nonchalantly.
Amity was gonna panic, but then realized how calm Janna is. "You… you're not shocked?" she asked in surprise.
"Eh," Janna shrugged. "I mean, it makes sense. You're not really from around here, are you?"
Amity looked up at Janna before sighing. "Okay, I am a witch. I am from the Demon Realm and, well, I was trying to find a way to your realm but in the process… I got stranded here. I think two of my friends are also stranded somewhere in the Human Realm, but my girlfriend would have told them to go to Gravity Falls as well."
Janna thought about what Amity had said. "So wait, if witches are real and your girlfriend wants to be a witch… is she…?"
"A human? Yeah," Amity responded. "She was raised by Eda, a famous witch and an infamous criminal where I'm from. I just hope to see them again soon."
"Whoa… so what's it like in the Demon Realm? Is it Hell?" Janna asked her.
"No, it is just another dimension where witches and demons live along with a bunch of other creatures that humans consider myths," Amity explained.
"Like werewolves? Vampires? Goblins and centaurs?" Janna asked her.
"Of course, as well as unicorns, griffins, and giraffes," Amity listed off.
"...Okay, we got to talk about the giraffes thing at some point," Janna replied. "But I can also probably help you get to Gravity Falls, if you want."
"Really? That's great! Thanks, Janna," Amity told her.
"No prob," Janna said. "Though… you don't have to start heading there right away. How about you… stick around for a bit?"
Amity looked at Ghost and then turned to Janna with an unsure look. "I don't know, I should really be focusing on finding a way back home."
"Yeah, yeah, I get that," Janna said. "But have you ever been in the human world before?"
"Once," Amity confirmed. "I spent a day in Gravity Falls while on a date with my girlfriend."
Janna nodded. "Well, Echo Creek is pretty different from Gravity Falls. Can I at least show you around town before you go? I mean, I would love to hang out with a teenage witch, but you could also make the most of your situation and make some good memories before you head home. Gravity Falls will still be there waiting for you."
Amity was silent as she considered what Janna was suggesting. It was true that even if she got to Gravity Falls, it still might be some time before a way home was found. If it was just her, Ghost, and Sam, she wouldn't want to stay any longer than she has to. But with a human as her guide and chaperone…
"It could be fun," Sam told Amity.
"...Okay," Amity decided. "I guess I can afford spending a day here looking around."
"Great!" Janna replied. "But first, we are gonna need some cash and I know just who to get it from…"
Janna and Amity stood in front of a triangular-shaped home.
"This is where your friend lives?" Amity asked, looking at the dry-looking front yard which was filled with cacti and a strange looking orange statue with four legs.
"Yeah, though I should give you the heads up. They have a foreign exchange student living with them right now," Janna told Amity as she knocked on the door.
Opening the door was a Hispanic-American man with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a short stack mustache. He was wearing a yellow collar t-shirt with two dark yellow and white stripes running down the middle, dark gray pants, and yellow shoes.
"Janna! What a nice surprise!" the man said in excitement.
"Hey, Mr. Diaz," Janna waved as she gestured to Amity. "This is my friend, Amity, she's new around town."
"Well it's nice to meet some new friends of yours!" he declared. "My name's Rafael. My lovely wife, Angie, is with our house guest right now. Maybe they'd like to meet her."
"Cool, come on, cat girl," Janna said as she led Amity inside where they spotted a light-skinned woman with puffy auburn waist-length hair tied back to a ponytail. She had a bang strand over her right eye, green eyes, red lips, and was wearing an orange shirt with pink ruffles around her sleeves and neck, an olive skirt, and brown sandals. "Hey, Mrs. D."
"Janna, how nice to see you!" Angie replied happily. "I was just helping out making- oh, who's this?"
"This is Amity, she's hanging out with me today. Where's Marco?" Janna asked her while Amity waved to her.
"He's upstairs if you're looking for him," Angie said, pointing up.
"Cool, hey Amity, mind if you hang with the Diazs for a bit?" Janna asked while heading upstairs.
"Sure, I don't mind," Amity replied as she watched Janna walk upstairs. She didn't notice someone approaching her from behind.
"Hello, new friend!"
Amity was startled and turned to see who had entered the room. "Oh, you must be the foreign exchange student Janna spoke about."
"Indeed, I am!" declared a cream-skinned, brown-haired boy wearing a blue, red and turquoise beanie, a long-sleeved sweater with turquoise and Scandinavian patterns, short brown pants, long red socks, and brown cleated boots. He spoke with a Scandinavian accent. "My name is Gustav, I came from my motherland of Scandinavia to visit my good friends the Diaz family, would you like my famous Swedish meatballs?" He held up a bowl of Swedish meatballs.
"Oh, thanks," Amity replied, having one meatball. "Huh, these are good."
"Thank you! I made them myself with the finest ingredients!" Gustav declared.
"So… where is Scandal-vania?" Amity asked him, wondering what kind of realm he was from.
"Oh, girl, you know I'd never mean to hurt ya," sang Latino-American teenage boy with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a mole on his right cheek. He was only in a towel that covered most of his body as he used a blow dryer like a microphone. "When you're sad, you know I'd never desert ya-"
"Hey, Marco."
"AAH!" Marco shrieked when he saw Janna pop up in the bathroom, "Janna!? What are you doing here!? Why are you here!?" he shouted in anger.
"Chill, I'm not here to listen to your concert," Janna said while Marco covered himself up.
"You really shouldn't be here, you know!" Marco told her off while he was flustered.
"Look, I need some cash. Plus I got a new friend I want you to meet. So get dressed and wear something nice," Janna ordered him.
Meanwhile, Amity sat on the couch with Rafael and Angie while Gustav gave a presentation about Scandinavia.
"You see, in Scandinavia where it is both warm and cold as part of the Northern European region!" Gustav informed while hiding a book behind his back. "We have the most spacious wildlife compared to yours. We celebrate Christmas all the time with a natural buffet, as well as celebrating the holidays around crawfish!" he said while holding up a plastic crawfish.
"Don't you love learning about traditional holidays from all over the world?" Rafael asked joyfully.
"Yes, this is informative. What kind of government does Scandivania have?" Amity asked.
"Prime Minister! We have a parliament!" Gustav answered as Amity kept asking more questions.
"What is a parliament?" Amity asked, which made Gustav look nervous. "And what does a Prime Minister do?"
"Uh… you know, we have dukes and lords," Gustav told her.
"What kind of animals live in your region?" Amity asked him.
"Oh, you know, like deer, moose, horses, uh… seals! I once saved a little ice bear from drowning in the ice cold lakes while I was fishing!" Gustav noted.
"I remember that story!" Rafael shouted. "Tell her about the vikings!"
"And how you dance with clogs!" Angie added excitedly.
"What's a clog?" Amity asked.
"They're little wooden shoes," Gustav answered.
"Wow, that sounds like it hurts." Amity noted, imagining what wooden shoes would look like. Probably mostly wood bark nailed together to cover the feet. At least, that's what she imagined.
"Alright, I'm back!" Janna said as she came downstairs with Marco, who was now fully dressed in his red hoodie, jeans, and sneakers. "Amity, this is Marco, my whipping boy."
"I am not!" Marco told her as he turned to Amity. "So you must be Janna's new friend."
"Yeah, I'm Amity," Amity said with a nod.
"He's coming along with us," Janna explained.
"Wait, I am?" Marco asked in shock. "If it's with you, I don't think that's a good-"
"Marco, Marco, relax." Janna patted his shoulder. "Hang with us, and I can make sure that Jackie Lynn Thomas meets up with us as well."
Marco blushed at the mention of his crush. "F-Fine, I'll come along with you guys."
"Aw, Marco you're leaving? I guess I can save you some extra meatballs for you!" Gustav said.
"Wow, thanks Gustav," Marco replied while Janna walked over to Gustav.
"Hey, Gustav, can I talk to you for a sec?" Janna asked Gustav, who looked very nervous.
"Uh, ja, Janna," Gustav said while Janna led Gustav away to talk in private.
"So uh, how do you know Janna?" Marco asked suspiciously.
"Oh, we just met," Amity responded. "I'm in Echo Creek for the day and she offered to show me around before I return home."
"So new kid?" Marco realized. "I see where this is going… alright, gonna give you a heads up now, be careful around Janna and her… Jannanigans."
Amity blinked in confusion. "Jannanigans?"
"Janna is like a teenage mafia don, or an agent of chaos," Marco explained. "She does whatever amuses her, so if she wants you to hang with her she probably wants to involve you in one of her crazy schemes, most likely with you as the victim or the scapegoat."
"Oh I'm sure she's not that bad," Amity said in disbelief. "I mean, your parents don't seem to have a problem with her."
"Well, just watch out for when she goes all… Jannany," Marco warned.
Meanwhile, Gustav handed Janna some notes. "Here," he said with an American accent. "These are Mr. and Mrs. Diaz's measurements."
"Excellent work, Charlie," Janna replied, patting the nervous boy on the head. "Your secret is safe with me."
"What do you even want these for?" Gustav asked.
"Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to," Janna said as she started to walk away backward, leaving Gutav, or Charlie Booth, to gulp nervously.
Amity and her new friends, Janna and Marco, made their first stop at a convenience store called the Stop and Slurp. They saw someone skateboarding towards them.
"Who's that?" Amity asked while Marco's eyes widened.
"The coolest girl at Echo Creek," Janna said with a smile.
"Jackie Lynn Thomas…" Marco said nervously while blushing.
"Sup, Marco, Janna," said a teenage girl with wavy, shoulder-length blond hair that had an aqua streak on the left side, tanned skin, mint green eyes, and freckles. She wore a green and white raglan shirt, an orange seashell necklace, cyan jean shorts, green and white knee socks, and blue and white sneakers. "Who's the new girl?"
"This is Amity, she's visiting so we're showing her around town," Janna explained.
"Nice to meet you," Jackie said, offering a hand shake. "Love your hair and I like the contacts, it makes you look… mystifying, you know?"
"Uh yeah, and I like the streak in your hair," Amity responded as she shook her hand.
"Are you here for the slushies?" Jackie asked and Amity nodded. "Oh, you should definitely try them. But you will have to leave your cat out, they have a no pets policy."
"Oh, sorry Ghost. Looks like you'll just have to stay behind," Amity said to her Palisman.
"Go on, I'll keep guard," Ghost told her, letting Amity enter the shop while Ghost waited.
While in the store, Amity looked around. Compared to the convenience stores in Bonesborough, this place was more… colorful.
"Pick any flavor you'd like. Though I would recommend the rainbow flavor," Janna offered, showing Amity the slushy choices.
"Wow…" Amity responded.
Once they got their snacks, the group of four walked out. They spotted a group of people surrounding Ghost.
"Ghost?!" Amity exclaimed, seeing how much attention Ghost was getting.
"Oh, what a cute kitty!"
"Is she a stray?"
"OMG, that's such a cute cat," spoke a black haired Chinese-American girl with light skin, long black hair to her waist, brown eyes, pink lips and black mascara. She was wearing a white and purple shirt, a darker-purple skirt, white socks and purple shoes. "Hey, would you like to come with me?" she asked Ghost, offering her hand.
"With that smell, I don't think so," Ghost responded, even though no one understood her.
"Hey, excuse me," Amity said as she pushed through the crowd, Ghost walking up to Amity and jumping into her arms. "I leave you alone for five minutes and you manage to get a crowd."
"What can I say, I'm a crowd-pleaser," Ghost noted, seeing one guy wearing an anime cat shirt.
"Hey," Brittney Wong said. "Nice cat you got there, how much for it?"
"I'm sorry, but Ghost is not for sale," Amity told her, holding Ghost protectively.
"Then can you tell me what kind of breed 'Goost' is? I so wish to have one," Brittney said.
"How do you not know how to pronounce 'ghost'?" Marco questioned the rich girl.
"I don't know, but I'm sure you don't need my help to get a new cat," Amity told Brittney, who huffed at her.
"You're right, pink eye. I don't need you. I'll just buy an even cuter cat," Brittney said as she started to walk away. "Chantal, Megan, Sabrina, let's go," she said as her posse followed her.
"Who is that?" Amity asked as she, Janna, Marco, and Jackie walked away.
"Brittney Wong," Marco explained. "Our school's head cheerleader, though she only became that because her dad made a large donation to the school."
"Pretty much your stereotypical vain and spoiled rich girl," Janna added.
"Oh," Amity realized. "I know girls like that. Actually, I used to be one…"
"Seriously?" Marco asked.
"I… came from a well-off family," Amity admitted. "But I had a falling out with my folk and I ended up living with my girlfriend."
"Did they kick you out?" Marco asked.
"No, it was my choice," Amity clarified. "I wanted to be my one person rather than who my mother or my grandparents or anyone else wanted me to be. And thankfully, my girlfriend and her mother understood that and helped me out. I'm… very grateful for everything that they've done."
"So where were you from, Amity?" Jackie asked her.
"Oh, um… I'm from…" Amity didn't know what to say, but Janna gave the save.
"She's from Nebraska," Janna explained. "Yeah, you once told me that you are from the grass field state. Right?"
"Uh, yeah, I lived in Nebraska," Amity said with a nod.
"Nebraska? Hey, that's where Alfonzo and Furgeson moved to," Marco mentioned. "It is strange that they just moved at the same time to the same town."
"Eh, they probably have their own spin-off," Janna said with a shrug. "An unpopular spin-off that would end after only ten episodes."
"And here's the Hill-Thrank Plaza," Janna said as she showed Amity the strip mall. "The local strip mall where Marco takes karate."
"Hey, Dorko!" cried out a young boy with bang-style blonde hair, wearing a white karate uniform with a black belt. With him was a man in a black karate uniform. "Can't wait to beat you down in the next class!"
"Jeremy…" Marco said, gritting his teeth.
"Uh, who's the kid and why is Marco mad at him?" Amity asked Janna.
"Oh, that's just Jeremy Birnbaum," Janna answered. "He's some rich kid from a well-off family. His parents fund the karate dojo to keep it in business for their son."
"And why's Marco mad at him?" Amity questions.
"Because he's an arrogant rich kid who thinks he's better than everyone else because his parents bought him a black belt!" Marco ranted. "It takes years to master karate, you can't be the best by taking shortcuts like he did!"
"You really don't like him, do you?" Amity noted.
"He's practically my rival. I'm currently a red belt but I'll show him," Marco declared, while Amity just gave him a weird look. "What?"
"Your rival… looks like he is only eight years old," Amity pointed out. "He may believe that he is better than everyone else, but he is just a kid. I mean, really, he should be jealous of you rather than you being jealous of him, which is kinda sad and questionable."
"It… it's not like that!" Marco claimed. "Jeremy's just a mean kid-"
"All kids can be mean, that's what they are. Hell, I was mean at that age, and that is not something I am proud of now. And the fact that you consider him a rival, someone who is much younger and shorter than you, is pathetic. Even my girlfriend knows not to pick on kids. Her rivals are at least in the same age group as her."
"But he picks on me!" Marco pointed out.
"Then you shouldn't let him get to you, just don't take him seriously," Amity advised. "Because if you do let him get to you, it would just look like you're bullying him."
"Yeah, Marco, quit picking on kids," Janna joked.
"Yeah, that isn't a good look for you," Jackie agreed.
Marco pulled his hoodie over his head in embarrassment, closing the hole.
Amity then spots someone coming out of the music store. "Is that a… werewolf?" she asked, pointing to the bearded hipster.
"You know, I'm not sure…" Janna responded while looking at the hipster in suspicion.
Next stop was Echo Creek Park where Amity saw a large mud pit.
"This is the Echo Creek Mud Pits, one of the town's popular tourist attractions," Janna showed Amity. "Yeah, we need better tourist attractions…"
"Welcome to the Echo Creek Mud Pits," said a man in a ranger uniform as he saw the teens walking up. "Here, we will answer all of your questions about mud." He saw Amity's hand up. "Yes?"
"Is the pit popular because there's some kind of monster living in it?" Amity asked.
"Nope," the ranger responded.
"Did people sink into the Mud Pit and die?" she asked in curiosity.
"Legally we have to say no," the ranger told her.
"...Oh! Is it because a long time ago this mud pit was the center of a battle in some kind of war, where the opposing sides faced off against each other for the land!" Amity indicated.
"Yyyyyyyyyeah, nope," the ranger responded.
"So… what is it famous for?" Amity asked.
"It's just a pit full of mud," Janna answered flatly.
"Amazing…" Amity said in awe, much to the confusion of Marco while Jackie just smiled as she watched Amity enjoying the lame tourist trap.
"Just a pit full of mud?" the ranger questioned. "Boy, are you guys in for a real educational treat today."
He led the group to a wooly mammoth statue sticking out of the mud. "Observe the woolly mammoth, who may or may not have walked through these mud pits nineteen million years ago. Though, we're really not sure…" He saw Amity raise her hand again. "Yes?"
"What does the woolly mammoth do?" Amity asked, which confused the ranger.
"Ma'am, I only answer mud-related questions," the ranger told her.
After the trip to the Mud Pit was a bust, they decided to stop at Britta's Tacos. There, Amity ate a taco.
"Mmm, you know, I've never had one of these before," Amity said as she ate. "My girlfriend wanted me to try one, but…" She stopped, remembering the conversation she heard between Charlie and Sprott in Gravity Falls. "Nevermind. This is good though."
"Yeah, Britta's Tacos are the best in Echo Creek," Marco agreed.
"Though I don't know why Janna is dressed up like that…" Amity said, pointing to Janna who was wearing a cowboy hat and a fake mustache.
"Oh, I'm actually banned from here," Janna admitted as she took off the mustache. "I have to use disguises and fake names in order to get food from here."
Jackie took a sip from her drink. "So Amity, where'd you get that outfit?"
"From back home," Amity responded. "Though I have been wearing the same outfit for a few days now…"
"Whoa, the same thing?" Janna asked. "Marco wears the same hoodie everyday, and he has, like, tons of them. The same red hoodie."
"I just like red hoodies!" Marco defended himself.
"Well, I do think I need a change of clothes," Amity said. "Though I don't have any money."
"Relax, me and Jackie can help you pick out your clothes while Marco pays for them," Janna offered.
"Oh come on, I've already bought you guys food!" Marco complained. "You guys are bleeding me dry!"
"Yeah Janna, give Marco a break," Jackie said while turning to Amity. "I can buy you some clothes, Amity. Something that will impress your girlfriend when you come back looking stylish."
"Thanks, Jackie," Amity said to the skater girl. "I think… I need to look cool, but not too cool.."
"I think I can help you with that department," Janna replied.
Amity looked down at her reflection in her drink, noticing how unkempt her hair was even under the bucket hat. "It has also been a while since I got my hair done…"
"I think you could definitely use a haircut," Sam encouraged. "Though no offense, I actually prefer your old hairstyle to your new one…"
"Yeah… a haircut is overdue," Amity agreed. "I haven't done anything with my hair since I had it dyed and that seemed like forever ago…"
"Well, I am sure that we can help you with that as well," Jackie said while finishing her drink.
At the local thrift store, Jackie was looking for some clothes for Amity, who was waiting with Janna while Marco was looking for more hoodies.
"Is this really red, or velvet?" Marco asked an employee who just shrugged.
"He really does like his red hoodies," Amity noted.
"Yeah, he's kind of a picky guy, very painful to shop with," Janna responded. "So how do witches dye their hair?" she asked in a whisper.
"We use a potion dye for it," Amity explained. "Do humans do it differently?"
"Nah, that sounds pretty similar to how we do it," Janna commented.
"Anyway, I dyed my hair as a way to express my own identity," Amity admitted. "You know when I said that I used to be a mean girl? Well, that was an old part of me that I wanted to leave behind. I used to dye it green because my… mother wanted it green, but I had it dyed green to show that I'm my own witch, not the witch she was trying to mold me into."
"Hey, I totally get it," Janna told her. "Honestly, I've always wanted to dye my hair, but… I have my reasons not to."
"Why's that?" Amity asked her.
Janna sighed. "Don't tell anyone, but my favorite color is pink. It is why I liked your contacts… or is that your natural eye color?"
"That's… complicated. But liking pink is a problem because…?" Amity wondered.
"It's kind of a gender stereotype," Janna replied. "You guys have that in the Demon Realm?"
"Not really," Amity admitted. "Though Luz did mention that humans are a bit weird when it comes to stuff like gender."
"Yeah, humans are definitely weird," Janna agreed with a sigh. "I like pink, but I'm afraid that if I wear pink in any way, I'd only contribute to the stereotype of girls liking pink. But pink is still my favorite color, despite my macabre interests, and I feel like-"
"Janna, listen," Amity calmed Janna down. "Look, there's nothing wrong with liking your favorite color. If you want your hair dyed your favorite color because that's what you want, do it. Don't be worried about what other people think. Besides, it's not like having pink hair would suddenly change you into someone you're not."
"Huh, I guess that's true," Janna said while thinking about what Amity said.
"And besides, liking pink doesn't have to conflict with the rest of your image. I bet you could make it work with your look," Amity added.
"Maybe I can…" Janna considered.
"Alright, try on these threads," Jackie said, handing Amity some clothes. "There's a changing booth over there."
Amity went in to change into her new outfit. After a moment, she came out wearing a red and white striped witch hat with purple hoop earrings. She wore a dark purple shirt with a white skull surrounded by pink slime, fishnet arm-sleeves, a pink waist belt over her white belt with a purple buckle, dark purple ripped jeans and purple shoes. She also sported one blue sleeveless right-glove and two wrist rings on her left arm.
"I look amazing!" Amity said, checking herself out. "I wonder how Luz would react to seeing me like this?" She saw Sam giving a thumbs up.
"I think she'd have a nose bleed," Janna joked.
"Not bad, if I do say so," Marco admitted. "Great choices, Jackie."
"Yeah, figured that it'd be her style," Jackie mentioned.
"I am a bit of a traditionalist myself… but you don't look terrible," Ghost commented on Amity's attire.
Amity smiled while turning to Jackie. "Thanks for picking these out for me."
"It's no big. I figured you'd also be into all of that witchy stuff."
Amity's eyes widened. "What… do you mean…?"
"You know, like Janna does. Right?" Jackie turned to Janna.
"Uh yeah, of course," Janna replied while scratching her chin.
Jackie led the others to her house, a one-story building with white walls and a red roof.
"Come on, we can have your hair done here," Jackie said as she used her key to unlock the front door.
"I… I'm entering Jackie's home…" Marco looked nervous while Janna nudged him.
"And if you're lucky, you might see her room," Janna teased as she grabbed Marco by the hoodie and pulled him inside.
Amity looked around at the light-blue painted living room, which had a couch, a beanbag chair, a doorway with a bead curtain, a TV, and decorative seashells everywhere. "You have a nice home, Jackie."
"Thanks," Jackie replied as she spotted a note on a table. "Looks like my folks are out to sea again."
"Oh, are they fishermen?" Amity asked while spotting a framed photo of Jackie with her parents on the table. The father had aqua-blue long hair and a beard. He was wearing tie-dye and he appeared to have Jackie's eyes. The woman, Jackie's mom, resembled Jackie physically with long blonde hair and she was wearing a long blue dress with a seashell necklace. "I actually did work on a fishing boat for a time."
"You could say that," Jackie replied while grabbing some scissors. "Come on, let's give you a haircut."
Soon Amity found herself in the bathroom, where Jackie had a seat placed by the sink. Janna was also there. "So what are you two waiting for?"
"Um… just nervous," Amity said, worried about showing her ears.
"Yeah, nervous," Janna responded, not just about herself, but for Amity.
"Relax, you two. I'm here to help," Jackie said as she went over to Amity. "Here, let me help you with your hat."
"Um… maybe I don't need my hair cut…" Amity said nervously.
"Hey, relax, you can trust me," Jackie reassured the nervous witchling. "I doubt your hat hair is that bad."
Amity looked down, still worried about how Jackie might react.
"Just remove it," Sam encouraged her. "I have a good feeling about her."
Amity sighed and made her decision. She removed her hat, showing her ears to Jackie. Surprisingly, Jackie didn't even seem taken aback.
"Huh, is that what you were nervous about?" Jackie asked, seeing the ears.
"You're… you're not surprised?" Amity asked her.
"Honestly, I already suspected something was up," Jackie admitted. "But hey, it's fine. You're a cool girl like us."
"Of course, you're Jackie Lynn Thomas," Janna commented. "You're just chill about everything."
"Come on, let's deal with your hair," Jackie said as Amity stepped into the chair.
Afterward, Amity checked herself out in the mirror. Her hair was now shortened with bangs. "This… is really great, Jackie. I like it."
"I hoped you would," Jackie replied.
"It really does suit you," Sam spoke up.
"Thanks." Amity replied before turning to Janna. "I think you look really good with your new hair color."
"You think?" Janna replied while looking at her own hair in the mirror. Her hair was now a fuchsia shade of pink with strands of her natural hair color. "You guys don't think this is a little too much?"
"Only if you feel it is," Amity said. "But you really do look great, Janna."
"Yeah, I think you are going to rock your new hair," Jackie reassured her.
"Thanks, guys," Janna said, feeling better about it as she took a deep breath and let it out. "Alright, time to show the world the new Janna."
Marco was sitting in the living room, waiting for the girls. He didn't want to be caught wandering around, so he just sat next to Ghost.
"How much longer do you think they will take?" Marco asked Ghost, who just licked her own paw. "Ah, like you'd understand me. You're just a cat."
"Please, you're the one who can't understand me," Ghost responded. "After all, you're just a human."
As Janna stepped into the living room, Marco turned to her and his eyes widened. "Janna?"
"Hey, Diaz," Janna said, pointing to her hair. "How do you like my new look?"
"Wow, um, I didn't think you'd like pink," Marco replied.
"And is there a problem with you?" Janna asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
"No, no, I have no issue with it! Honest," Marco reassured her. "It actually suits you very well. Like wow."
"Oh, um, thanks," Janna replied, hiding her blush.
Back in the bathroom, Amity and Jackie were talking.
"So you're really a witch from a different world?" Jackie asked her.
"Yeah, I've already explained it to Janna," Amity admitted. "Long story short, me and Ghost were dumped here in the human world against our will. Though, how did you know that I wasn't human?"
"Oh I've had some… experience with magic and keeping secrets," Jackie said.
"Really? Do Janna and Marco know?" Amity asked her.
"They'll probably know eventually," Jackie replied. "Though you know, there is someone that I think you would like to meet."
"Really? Is she a witch like me?" Amity asked her.
"Probably not in the same way as you, but she can do magic," Jackie explained.
"Great, maybe she can help me," Amity said as she and Jackie walked into the bathroom.
"Marco, Janna, me and Amity are going out for a bit." Jackie told them.
"Really? Where are you two going?" Marco asked while Ghost jumped off the couch to follow Amity.
"I want to show her something," Jackie answered. "But we'll be back!"
"Where do you think they're going?" Marco asked Janna after Amity and Jackie left with Ghost.
"I don't know," Janna responded with a shrug. An awkward silence followed as the two teens looked at each other.
"So, uh, how-"
"Chicken butt," Janna said, which caused Marco to fall unconscious on the couch. "Now where's the remote?"
Jackie picked up her skateboard as she turned to Amity. "So you think you can fly?"
"I think we'll ride with you," Amity responded as Ghost jumped onto her shoulders. Amity stepped on the board behind Jackie, who handed her a helmet.
"Safety first," Jackie said as she slid down the boardwalk "Hang on!" she said as she, Amity and Ghost skateboarded out. "So, this is your first time?"
"Actually, no," Amity responded. "Hell, I made a skateboard once."
"Really? That's sweet!" Jackie commented.
"Yeah, where I'm from, we have a shortage of witches' staff, so some of us have to improvise," Amity explained. "I even once made and drove a motorbike."
"Seriously? You must've been the cool girl back where you're from!" Jackie commented.
"I'm not that cool, really," Amity admitted. "The coolest witch I know is my girlfriend, Luz."
"Well, it sounds like she is a lucky girl," Jackie said while making a turn down the road.
The two girls and cat soon find themselves at the bridge by the river. Jackie came to a stop. "Welp, we're here" she said. "Come on, watch your step," she said while getting off the road and sliding down the slope that led to the river. "You know, I actually used to live here."
Amity followed her. "Really?"
"Yeah, I ended up in this place after running away from home," Jackie explained while leading Amity through some bushes, revealing a small house by the river.
"Really, why did you run away?" Amity asked. "Oh wait, is that too personal of a-"
"It's fine," Jackie responded. "I ran away because I learned something about my parents that they had been keeping from me. It changed everything and shattered how I viewed them. I didn't know how to handle it so I just… ran."
Amity looked down. "I think… I think I know how you felt."
"Really?" Jackie asked, turning to Amity.
"Not too long ago, I learned about something that my mom did," Amity explained. "She had been keeping this secret from not just me, but from the whole family. This was the last straw that broke our relationship. I ended up disowning her and my family name, after which I knew I couldn't go back home. But before I was sent here, I received a letter from her. She… wants to make it up to me, but I don't know whether or not I should give her a chance."
"I'm sorry about that," Jackie apologized. "And well, I don't know what your relationship with your mom is like, but maybe you should hear her out."
"You think so?" Amity asked her.
"If you two have some unresolved business, it might be good for you to face it," Jackie suggested. "I mean, I was able to face my parents again and forgive them for it, and I'm better for it. It's ultimately your call though. And well, you don't have to forgive your mom to clear the water with her."
"I'll… think about it," Amity said as they got on the front porch of the house.
Jackie knocked on the door. "Hey, it's Jackie!"
"Jackie Lynn Thomas?" said a voice from inside the house. The door opened. "My, it's so nice to see you again, Jackie!" It was a brown-skinned woman of short stature, the same height as the girls. She had long dark brown dreadlocks and green eyes. She wore a raggedy blue and green coat, two necklaces, a green hairband, and large red rings in her earlobes. "And who's your friend?"
"This is Amity," Jackie introduced while turning to Amity. "Amity, meet Brigid, she lives on the river."
"Hello, ma'am," Amity greeted.
"Well why don't you two girls come right in," Brigid offered as she let the two and Ghost inside her home. "Welcome to eighty square feet of my own personal paradise. I've made pancakes, would you girls like some?"
"Sounds good, Brigid," Jackie said while she and Amity sat at the table.
"Yeah, that does sound good," Amity agreed. She looked around. "Wow, this place looks cozy."
Ghost also took a look around, noticing a wolf tapestry. Curious, she got a closer look at the tapestry and sniffed it. "Hair?"
Amity heard what Ghost said, turning to her as Ghost pointed at the tapestry, meowing. "What? The tapestry is made of hair?"
"That's right, sweetie," Brigid admitted.
"Wait, so you make stuff with hair?"
"Yes, dear, though I don't take hair from people," Brigid explained. "It's more of a back-alley kind of thing. You know, dumpsters, behind hair salons, dog kennels… discarded hair. You can do lots of things with hair, even make pancake batter from it." Amity grimaced as she ate her pancakes, which made Brigid laugh. "I'm just playin' with you. But seriously, my favorite thing to do with the hair is to weave it into nests for all my wounded forest friends!" She pulled aside the window curtains, showing woodland critters (including the bearded hipster from before) laying in the hair nests.
"Aww, that's so sweet," Amity admitted. "So do you, um, use hair for your magic?"
This caught Brigid off guard. "Pardon, dear?" she asked, turning to Amity.
"Jackie has already told me," Amity said as she stepped up, revealing her ears to her. "She told me you can do magic. Well, I can do magic as well." She drew a spell circle, creating a ball of light. "I'm a witch."
"Oh, well this day's gotten interesting," Brigid replied. "Yeah, I do occasionally use hair for my magic. But not most of the time."
"Are you some kind of witch?" Amity asked.
Brigid was amused by the assumption. "Oh, goodness no, dear. Well, not exactly. I don't use the term 'witch' to describe myself. I prefer to call myself a… caplata, a female practitioner of vodou magic."
"Vodou?" Amity asked, realizing what she meant.
"Yes, I serve the loa," Brigid mentioned and Amity felt a sudden breeze. Brigid chuckled. "That must be them. The loa are invisible spirits from the Other Side, but they always know when they are being talked about. That is why it is more polite to call them… Friends."
Amity replied cautiously. "I know about your… Friends on the Other Side. I actually met one named Baron Samedi."
"Really?" Brigid asked in amusement. "I know him. The loa that I have a connection with is Maman Brigitte, the consort of Baron Samedi."
"Whoa… I didn't take him to be the married type," Amity admitted while feeling a chill.
Brigid laughed. "Best not to make light of Maman's love, dear. Now if you know all about this, has Jackie shown herself to you yet?"
"What do you mean?" Amity asked, turning to Jackie who was eating the pancakes.
"Well, I did tell you that I had experience with secrets," she replied as she got up and removed her necklace, causing her eyes to flash aquatic blue. "You are not the only one pretending to be human…"
Amity and Ghost watched as their new friend started to glow, blue-green lines swirling around Jackie's skin. Her hair turned aqua blue, her ears formed into blue fins, scales appeared on her arms, and her legs formed together into a tail with a blue fin.
"Ta-da, I'm a mermaid," Jackie revealed, which surprised Amity.
"I never could have guessed you were a magical being like me…" Amity said in awe.
"I get it from my dad's side," Jackie admitted while waving her tail. "It all started before I was born…"
My father, a mermaid, met my mother when he came to shore. The two met at some beach party in LA and they just… clicked. But in order to be with her, he had to find a way to become human so that they could be together. Eventually, he was successful.
The two had a daughter, me. My parents have decided to not tell me about my mermaid heritage, so that I could have a normal life. But then I started going through some changes a few years ago, when I was twelve.
I started to have trouble breathing and I had to drink a lot of water. When the scales started to show up, it scared me. I told my parents about it and they told me the truth.
"You're… you're a mermaid?!" I asked in a panic.
"Yes, honey," my dad admitted. "We didn't tell you because we wanted to give you a normal life."
"We didn't expect this to happen," my mom added, which didn't make me feel better at the time.
"So all this time you guys have been keeping this huge secret from me with no intention of ever telling me!?" I shouted in anger, tears were streaming from my face. "I can't believe you…"
I ran off, my folks unable to stop me. I was left confused and hurt, eventually falling into the creek. Once I reached the water, I fully transformed into a mermaid.
Seeing my mermaid form for the first time, I was… surprised by how good it felt. How I still felt like myself. But I didn't want to go back to my parents, so I lived in the river, managing to avoid being spotted. And it was actually great. But eventually I missed being a human. I missed my friends. And I missed my parents. But I was unable to go back on land without my legs.
I soon realized that I was pretty much going to be stuck as a mermaid forever. I didn't even know how to change back, until Brigid found me. Once I told her about my predicament, she gave me something that could return me to my human form.
"Here, wear this necklace, child," Brigid advised, giving Jackie the seashell necklace. "With it you will be able to change back into your human form, and you can change back to a mermaid whenever you want by taking it off."
Once I tested it out, I gained my legs back. "Wow, thank you, ma'am!"
While I stayed with her, I told her about how I ran away.
"Jackie, your family loves you," she told me. "Let's call them and tell them you're okay."
"But… they've been keeping this secret from me for so long," I told her.
"And I am sure they had their reasons," Brigid told me. "And they never meant to hurt you. Don't you think that you are hurting them now by not letting them know that you're safe?"
"I… I think I would like to stay with you," I told her, but she just shook her head.
"This is no life for a little girl," Brigid said while patting my hand. "What you and your parents need to do is talk to each other."
She called my parents, they came over, and we talked. They apologized for not telling me and I apologized for running away. Ultimately, I decided to go back home with them and eventually I forgave them. From then on, there were no secrets between us.
"And since then, I've kept my mermaid side a secret," Jackie explained. "Though Janna will probably figure it out sooner or later."
After hearing the story, Amity nodded. "So has your dad helped you out?"
"Of course, my dad takes me out for swimming lessons with him,'' Jackie confirmed.
"You're lucky that you have someone who can help you with this, Jackie. Someone with experience," Amity told her. "I've actually been going through some experiences similar to your own. Lately, I've… changed. Not like witch-puberty, but recently I learned that I've become part-Fae, which is something that I am still processing."
"Well that explains your shadow," Brigid said, pointing to Sam, who waved.
"The Fae?" Jackie asked.
"They are powerful tricksters and shape-shifters. Though unlike you, Jackie, I don't really have anyone to help me through this," Amity admitted. "I did make friends with a Fae, but he died and I don't know if I can trust any other Fae to help me. So right now I'm pretty much alone."
Jackie patted Amity's shoulder. "I wish I could help you, maybe give you some advice. But I don't know what else to say other than I'm sorry."
"Thanks, Jackie, but that's okay," Amity told her. "Honestly, your story is still somewhat encouraging. Plus, I still have people back home who will support me when I tell them."
"Well, then I wish you luck," Jackie told her.
"And that's enough," Amity said with a nod.
And so, Amity and Jackie said their goodbyes to Brigid before deciding to meet Marco and Janna at the Echo Creek Pier.
"Hey, where'd you guys go?" Janna asked out of curiosity.
"Oh, we were visiting an old friend of mine," Jackie explained. "So, who wants to seize the day at the Echo Creek Pier?"
"You guys have carnival rides as well?" Amity asked, seeing the Pier's rides and games.
"Yeah, obviously," Marco said. "Why is that a surprise to you?"
"Come on, Marco, she clearly hasn't been to one at a pier before," Janna said while covering for Amity.
"So where to go first?" Amity asked.
Their first stop was a roller coaster. It was thrilling, especially going through the loops. Ghost stayed behind waiting for the teens, as she was busy with the fish catching game.
Next Amity would experience the bumper cars. She managed to quickly get the hang of it, going around bumping others including Janna and Marco. At one point she ended up backing away and she didn't know how to stop until Jackie came up to bump her from behind. They laughed it off as they enjoyed themselves.
After the rides, the teens decided to try out some games. Amity and Janna watched as Marco tried to win a prize for Jackie by throwing the balls into holes, but they bounced off or missed.
"This thing is rigged!" Marco shouted in frustration.
"Let me try," Jackie said before she managed to throw all the balls in the holes, receiving a high score. "Sweet!"
"How did you do that?" Marco wanted to know as a pier employee carried a giant green kung-fu dog stuffed toy.
"Grand prize for the lady," the employee said as he gave the dog to Marco. He tried to hand the dog to Jackie, but the size of the thing caused him to collapse while Amity and Janna just laughed.
After playing some games, the four ate at a seafood restaurant. After they finished eating, Amity noticed a bunch of lobsters in a tank. She saw their saddened expressions and whispered something to Jackie. She nodded in agreement before letting Marco and Janna in on the plan.
Once the waiter turned around, he spotted the group of four grabbing some of the lobsters from the tank. "Hey, you can't do that!" he declared, causing them to run. "Come back with those lobsters!" He chased them out of the restaurant, Amity secretly using her magic to stick his shoes to the ground, causing him to trip and fall. He raised his fist up at them as they returned the lobsters back to sea.
"Freedom to lobsters!" Jackie shouted. "Death to fancy restaurants!"
Later they were all on the ferris wheel. Marco and Jackie ended up sitting together in one car while Amity and Janna sat together in another, Ghost with them.
"Do you have ferris wheels from where you're from?" Janna asked.
"Yeah," Amity replied while feeling nostalgic. "To tell you the truth, this is the first time in a while that I was at a carnival or amusement park without anything bad happening to me."
"Really?" Janna asked.
"One time I got cursed by a mirror, the other time I almost got turned into a donkey," Amity answered. "But this?" She leaned back and smiled. "This is nice. I even got this cool keychain with my name on it and this watch for souvenirs." She pulled out a key chain of a license plate with her name on it along with a GIR watch. "Plus I got this from that guy selling art!" She pulled up some Azura and Hecate fanart. "I definitely gotta bring Luz here someday!"
"Glad you had a good time," Janna replied. "Though I am surprised you like the Azura stuff."
"Yeah," Amity said while looking at the fan art. "The Good Witch Azura series has gotten me through a lot of difficult times over the years. It was my comfort series."
"Oh, I get it," Janna admitted. "It isn't really for me, but I totally get it."
Amity sighed, while looking at the sunset. "Yeah, it wasn't really Luz's thing either, though she did show an interest in it for my sake. She read the books, got me the edition I was missing, and even drew me some fan art. I… I miss her so much." She closed her eyes. "This is only my third day in the Human Realm, but it still feels like it has been an eternity."
Janna noticed Amity's reaction and she reached out, gently touching her shoulder. "Hey, are you going to be okay?"
Amity opened her eyes and nodded. "Yeah… thank you for this, Janna. Seriously."
"Don't mention it," Janna told her. "And this Luz… she sounds like a really special girl."
"She is," Amity admitted. "I… I love her. And I think you two would really get along. You would definitely have a lot in common."
"Yeah, I bet we would really vibe," Janna said with a smile. "I hope I do get to meet her someday. And I bet she thinks the world of you too."
Amity was silent for a moment before she turned to Janna. "So what about you? Do you have a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a partner…"
"Eh, I've dated a few guys, but nothing that lasted too long," Janna waved it off. "Besides, I'm fine right now. No current crushes or anything."
"Call me a Gossip Tabby, but I don't think she's being completely honest about her crushes," Ghost whispered to Amity.
"Well, maybe there will be someone for you soon," Amity suggested. "And even if there isn't, you got your whole life ahead of you."
Janna nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I do, don't I?" she asked as she also watched the sunset.
"Well, see you guys tomorrow?" Janna asked while seeing Marco and Janna off.
"Yeah, Gustav's probably saving me more meatballs," Marco responded. "It was nice meeting you, Amity."
"Yeah, you can vibe with us anytime," Jackie replied.
"Thanks, though I do plan on leaving Echo Creek tomorrow, I hope to see you guys before then," Amity told them.
"I hope so too," Jackie admitted. "It was really nice getting to know you."
"We'll see you later," Marco states as he and Jackie went their separate ways from Amity and Janna.
As they walked, Amity looked at Janna. "Hey um, there's something else about me you should know."
"What's that?" Janna asked.
"I'm part-Fae," Amity revealed.
"Woah, you mean like you're part-fairy?" Janna asked. "How does that work?"
"It's complicated," Amity admitted. "But I do have a shadow that moves on its own." She pointed to Sam. "Meet Sam."
"Hi!" Sam said as she waved at Janna, though the human wouldn't be able to hear her.
"Oh man, now you're twice as cool," Janna said while looking down at Sam. "I don't think I've ever heard of a witch/fairy hybrid before."
"Honestly, I'm not completely sure what I am right now," Amity admitted. "But I think I'll figure it out eventually…"
As the two girls headed back home, they didn't see an ice cream truck with a satellite dish and a clown head on the roof. The truck was hanging out nearby, watching them…
Soon enough Janna and Amity had made it back to Janna's place. Janna offered to let Amity sleep over which her parents didn't mind.
"Thanks for letting me sleepover, Janna," Amity said while wearing pajamas Janna lent her.
"No prob," Janna replied after setting up the sleeping bag for Amity. "Though I confess that I do have ulterior motives."
"What do you mean?" Amity asked while Ghost settled in with her.
"Well, I have tons of questions about the Demon Realm that I want to ask before we go to sleep," Janna said. "If you don't mind answering them."
"Oh, I don't mind at all," Amity told her. "Okay, for starters, I live on an island that formed from the corpse of a Titan. It is called the Boiling Isles due to the scalding waters that surround it."
"Ooh, beach days must be tough," Janna commented.
Amity continued. "We have a coven system that's part of our government body, nine main covens, though not everyone likes being in one coven…"
"Dictatorship?" Janna indicated.
"Yeah, pretty much," Amity replied. "Our ruler, Emperor Belos, is a human as well, though he pretends to be a witch and only me, my girlfriend, and a few others know what he really is."
"Oh, so like a Wizard of Oz situation," Janna realized.
"Wizard of Oz?" Amity asked in confusion, not getting the reference.
"Uh, nevermind," Janna said. "You said your girlfriend is learning to be a witch. Do you think it is possible for me to go there someday and learn how to be a witch?"
Amity thought about it. "Maybe," she said. "Though now is probably not a good time."
Janna nodded. "Yeah, I thought so. Now about giraffes…"
Earlier that day…
Somewhere in Echo Creek, someone was digging through a dumpster. She was looking for food.
"Finally," the girl said while munching on a half-eaten doughnut. Suddenly she saw the shadow of a winged creature pass over her. "Shit!" she shouted as she instinctively shot a magical blast out of her hands at the winged creature without looking at it. As it fell to the ground, she dove into the dumpster. A few seconds later, she peeked out and realized what it was.
A heron, now dead from the blast.
"You can't be losing it now, Star," the girl with blonde, unkempt hair said to herself. Her clothes were dirty and worn out. Her blue eyes shifted around as she kept hiding herself in the dumpster. She then realized that the heart shaped marks on her cheeks were glowing and she touched them. "No, no, nononono, not this, not now…"
Her name was Star.
She had been born a princess of Mewni.
And she would still be, had her destiny not taken a very different turn…
Well, after everything that the Gus chapter ended, we figured we'd give you guys a break.
Amity meets Janna, along with meeting Marco and Jackie, who the latter is revealed to be a mermaid. At the end of the day, nothing bad happens. So yeah, this was meant to give Amity, and you the readers, a conflict-free day in the human realm.
So a lot of you are probably wondering what goes on with the story. Well, outside with a lot of cameos and references, this crossover of Star Vs is a lot different than in canon. For instance, Jackie here is a mermaid, which is based off of a theory that she may be a mermaid, and that it was a request made by one of our readers, WaterDragonMaverick, on AO3 in Book One. We have remembered his request and planned to fulfill it here.
We've also adapted the minor character, Brigid, into a caplata, a female practitioner of vodou magic. She's also connected to Maman Brigitte, the wife of Baron Samedi.
There's also a confirmation that non of the human characters in Echo Creek have met Star, hinting at hoe things are different in this timeline. Perhaps Starfan13 was somewhere in the background awing at Ghost, probably a girl named Beth, or whatever her name was.
And also like to thank ultimate-drax for some info on about how to basically describe Scandinavia for "Gustav" to explain to Amity. I know that I asked you about it, and I couldn't say anything because spoiler reasons, but hopefully this is a good surprise for ya.
Also to add about Alfonzo and Ferguson's absence is a nod to how Daron Nefcy wanted to use them as little as possible, as they were just added in by Disney's insistence to be Marco's male friends. Hence why they barely had a speaking role in season 2, so in this LC timeline Janna and Jackie have become Marco's close friends instead.
Now for the reviews:
The Great Fossil King: Now whom do you mean by…
BlueKnight-X2: You're welcome.
OMAC001: Well this is also a stress-free chapter as well.
Crosshot: It's ambiguous.
JTK: Sorry, but we just don't see that happening. And yeah, contact lenses can exists, but adding glasses to Odalia was not something we had in mind, nor is it necessary.
Guest: Stay tuned.
Wolf of howl street: Just PM us or submit your OC in the reviews. We will decided on whether your OC would be a good pick.
Moheart7: Nice character, but the backstory is something that wouldn't work in this story. Also really nice that you're reading this fic, wonder if you can make Witch Rick, Morty, Summer and the rest of the Smith family into the fic, along with the Boiling Isles version of Bird Person and Squatchy.
Alamout: 1) And how do you think he'll do it if he's stuck in the Forest of Fears, and the Dream Realm? 2) We have for a while.
Matteso585: 1) Luz didn't really see enough and she doesn't want to cause her friends to worry anymore than they already are, especially since they can't really do anything about it. 2) Nina never used her culture as an excuse for kidnapping Gus. Heck, she doesn't even blame Emily or Heinous. She does take responsibility for her own actions, rather than blaming someone else. 4) That's not how it works. Belos is not seeing what Luz is seeing 24/7.
Ultimate-drax: Thanks.
Shuffollower: Belos may have invaded Luz's head, but it doesn't mean he would already know about the old witch. The fact that he thinks Hunter's dead is evidence that he isn't seeing Luz 24/7. Him invading her mind isn't a technique to spy on her, it's a backup plan in case of his death. Especially since he doesn't want to risk anyone else catching on. Remember that Luz can see through his eyes as well, which is something Belos doesn't want to be a regular thing, so he's playing it carefully. Like, if him spying on Luz were that the case, wouldn't Luz had learned about him breaking his promise by now?
The OC contest is still underway, and you can PM us or post them in Reviews if you like.