Amity was on the last chapter of The Good Witch Azura. She was surprised the human-er Luz had gotten a copy of book five before her. She had scoured the markets and the library hoping to find a new copy but had not seen it. Maybe The Owl Lady had managed to get her hands on a copy and give it to her? She would have to ask her when she went to return it. So far, this one has been shaping up to be one of the best sequels. With Hecate and Azura burying the hatchet and becoming friends, there is the potential for something more, with the hint that Hecate is developing a crush on Azura.

It was so good that she had spent all her free time (which was few and far between with her studies) reading it. She was late to school, like this morning. Right now, she was waiting for Edric and Emira to get home so they could talk to their parents about their potential trip to the Knee. Just then, there was a knock at the door, and the Abomi butler opened the door to reveal Emira holding a brown sack. Most interestingly, she wasn't wearing her concealment stone. She looked up from her book, deciding to greet her sister.

"Hey." Emira froze, clutching the bag as if guarding a newborn baby. "Hey." "Where have you been?" "Healer's appointment," Amity nodded, "What's in the sack?" Emira clutched the sack even closer to her, "Nothing." Amity narrowed her eyes suspiciously. It wasn't the sack per se that caught Amity's attention, but the overall lack of her older sister's presence despite her presence. She was tired, not physically, but more so emotionally. Her amber eyes no longer glow from mischief but radiate a drained vibe as if a greater basilisk drained her emotions instead of her magic. But there was also a hint of anxiety. Like she did when she dreaded telling Odalia she was getting a C in her classes rather than an A. It was as if Emira was holding something she needed to tell her but didn't want to.

Perhaps noticing her suspicion, Emira clarified, "I mean nothing interesting; it's just some roots, herbs, and a sleeping elixir… I've been having trouble sleeping recently, so I picked up some over-the-counter stuff to help me." Amity looked at Emira some more. She hadn't noticed she was sleep-deprived. Less than a few years earlier, she seemed to have the opposite problem. She slept all day, every day, for weeks, sometimes months. It is seemingly related to her moon time problems. All she knew was that she started taking a hormone elixir, and then she eventually returned to her old self. Looking at her now even more closely, she could see the dark circles under her eyes, the acne on her face worse, her eyeballs slightly streaked with red, and her eyelids puffy as though she had been crying.

"Are you okay?" That gave Emira pause. She stood there momentarily as if she didn't think Amity could ask that question. For a moment, it looked like her lips were about to form a no before she changed her mind. "Yeah, everything's fine; everything is great." She said as she dug into her pocket and put on her concealment stone. That's when Odalia stepped in. "Hello, you two. I was looking for you. Amity, I just got off the crow with your teacher; your schoolwork is lacking. Two B minuses?" She clicks her tongue condescendingly. "Between your grades slipping, you are getting in trouble with Principal Bump for mistaking a human for an abomination and the incident at the Covention; I don't know how you'll make this up to your father and me. Perhaps another demonstration is in order. Your father is about to reveal the next abomination, and we need a less skilled witch in abominations to truly show off its capabilities. Oh, and Emira…" She paused momentarily, looking over at Amity, before forcing whatever she would say down. "Doing good as usual, keep up the good work."

If Amity hadn't looked directly at Emira during this interaction, she would have written it off as Odalia again favoring her older sister. But this time, she saw Emira's hands balled into fists so tight that she thought, for a second, her fingernails would cut the palms of her hands. Or how she gritted her teeth so hard that she thought they would turn to dust. She also wouldn't have noticed Odalia lean forward and whisper something in her ear before walking away. Emira took a shaky breath in an attempt to compose herself. "Anyway, I should get started on my tea. I need it to be properly steeped before I can drink it tonight." "Uh, okay, remember we need to talk to Mom and Dad about us going to the knee during the break." "Uh huh, will do," she said as she approached the kitchen.

Amity crept towards the kitchen, hiding behind the door frame, and watched Emira. She had seen her older sister slam open and shut cabinet doors and slam down a mug and tea kettle. While the water was heating up, Emira's breath was hitched and slightly faster, as if she were on the verge of tears or a panic attack. "Ugh!" She slams her fist on the counter. Her breathing gets faster as she starts to pace. "I'm already getting As; why isn't that good enough for you?" Amity was taken aback by Emira, who was now talking to herself. "I don't understand why everything I do needs to be perfect. You already have Amity lined up to join the Emperor's Coven. Why can't you just let me live my life?!" Upon further investigation, Emira's eyes were glowing blue. "Shut up! Just shut up!"

Emira cried as she clutched her head and fell to her knees on the floor. It was like a stranger took her sister's place. The tea kettle began to scream, but Emira didn't notice her over her sobs. Amity wanted to do something but wasn't sure if her presence would worsen it. Eventually, Amity stepped into the kitchen and began preparing Emira's tea. She slathered the inside of her cup with honey, then placed the herbs at the bottom, poured in the sugar, and finally removed the kettle from the stove, watching the herbs dissolve in the water. As her only sister's sobs began to die down, Amity set the mug next to her, of course leaving some distance so she wouldn't accidentally knock it over, then leaving the room so she could collect herself in peace. After she left, Amity let out a shaky breath. She had never seen her sister freak out like that.

The only times she came close were when Aunt Rosaline jumped off that building on Head Witch Memorial Day or when she got her cycle for the first time at her fourteenth birthday party. All her life, she saw her big sister as suave, cocky, and collected. Beloved. Everything she was not. But that glimpse into her mindset made her rethink otherwise. She knew the elder blight twin had suffered from depression, but she just thought it was purely her hormones being out of whack and that she was better now she was taking the elixirs. Not. Amity wasn't 100% sure what brought this meltdown on, but she felt there was so much more to her sister than she initially thought.

And she knew it was her fault. Later in the evening, Amity was reading the last few pages of her book. She had wanted to talk to her sister about that afternoon but decided to give her her space. The whole incident was so jarring that she needed some time to recuperate before digging up emotional scars. Besides, she knew Edric was better at comforting their sister than anyone. Except maybe for Rita All the Blight children had agreed to wait a day or two before asking their parents about going to the Knee.

She thought about contacting Aunt Rosaline for help but knew she wasn't sure if she would answer, given how busy she was. She might remove her door if her mother found out she was contacting her. But she felt lost as to what to do on her own. She should do a little research on her own on how to talk to someone who just had a mental breakdown and who's been struggling for quite a while. But for now, all Amity wanted to do was read her book (and maybe work on some fanart of Malingale the Mysterious Soothsayer.)

Notes: Sorry for the long hiatus. I had so many ideas for this chapter and what I wanted to do that I just kept putting it off. But I eventually figured it out. I may do a little reworking while figuring out this story's finer details. All I know is the endgame is clear in my mind, and the thought of sharing that with you is what keeps me going. Thank you so much for reading. Please please leave a comment down below if you like this fic or if you have any notes on what I should do better.

Oh, and I did see the leaked original pilot. (holy crap I can't believe we were deprived of spy Eda!) Let me know if you want me to do something with that.

And for those on , sorry for the double upload of chapter 4. I will make sure to check my documents more carefully from now on.