"Be good to people. You will be remembered more for your kindness than any level of success you could possibly attain."

Mandy Hale

I do not own 'The Owl House.'


Chapter 8

Heads or Tails


With her porcelain bird mask adorning her hooded face, Lilith lifted her head out of the bushes to get a better look at the target.

The Owl House.

It was early in the morning, people were still getting out of bed. The house demon that guarded the home of the infamous Owl Lady was still asleep, hooting soundly in his slumber and wearing a comical sleeping cap as he did so.

Lilith's lips formed a smile. Slowly, she retreated further into the wooded area beyond the Owl House's property line where her squad of Coven Scouts were awaiting orders. Eight witches of the elite coven handpicked by Lilith herself to finally capture and bring in the infamous Edalyn Clawthorne. They stood at attention, formed in a line of white cloaks and silver masks.

"Okay, everyone, listen carefully." Lilith put down her hood and took off her mask. "Despite her misguidance, the Owl Lady is incredibly powerful and annoyingly crafty. I am going to need you all to be on your constant guard. Remember your training, recall the briefing, and show the Owl Lady the error of her ways and the superiority of the Emperor's Coven." Lilith summoned her staff and slammed it onto the ground dramatically, a proud smile on her face. "Victory shall be ours!"

None of the Scouts replied, or even made a sound. One of them coughed. Just to be nice, one Scout offered a half-hearted 'Woohoo.'

Lilith frowned at her Scouts. "Oh, come on now, everyone, where's the moral? Where's your pride in the Coven?"

"Well…" The Scout that went 'Woohoo' stepped forward from the line. "I mean, we appreciate you joining us this time, Lady Lilith, but…we're all kinda, sorta…low-spirited, I guess, from, uh…constantly getting tossed around like toys by your sister's bird-worm-monster-pet-thing that makes us look like idiots every time we come over here."

"Well, I promise you, Steve, this time will be different," Lilith stated. "You have nothing to fear."

"Lady Lilith, I'm gonna be honest, I…I-I'm not sure how many more tea parties I can handle," one of the other Scouts confessed. Several of the other Scouts nodded in agreement. "That house demon, he's…he's the stuff of nightmares."

"That's not very nice."

Everyone's head turned to see Hooty's smiling face next to Lilith, who immediately jumped back with a frightened yelp. The Scouts all let out a terrified gasp and recoiled. The biggest and tallest of the Scouts screamed "I quit!" before tossing away his mask and sprinting away for dear life.

"Hi, Lilith!" Hooty shouted at the dark-haired witch aiming her staff at him. "You have a really pretty name, hoot hoot. OH! Can I call you Lu-Lu? That would be so much fun! Hooty hoot!"

"Attack!" Lilith ordered.


Luz let out a yawn as she descended the stairs, stretching her arms and rubbing her eyes. She went into the kitchen and sat down at the table with King, who was munching down on his breakfast like a cute, little racoon. "Good morning, everyone."

"Morning, little owlet." Eda set Luz's breakfast down in front of her. "Here you go. Griffin omelet and a cup of that gross, utterly disgusting, coffee stuff you love so much."

"Thanks, Mom." Luz picked up her fork and knife and took a bite out of her omelet. "Mmmmm…your omelets are way better than the omelets at Blight Manor."

Aww, thanks, kiddo," Eda said as she sat down at the table to eat her own breakfast. "You're still grounded, though."

"Aw, man," Luz complained.

"You disobey my rules, you pay the price," said Eda. "And that price is being grounded."

"Ha ha, you got grounded!" King mocked, pointing a finger at Luz.

"You be quiet!" Luz said. She frowned and turned her head toward the suddenly noticeable sound of yelling and perhaps even crying. "...Do you guys hear that?"

"Oh, it's probably just Hooty having fun with some Scouts," said Eda. "Wait 'till he's done before you head to school."

"Okay," said Luz, returning her attention to her breakfast.

Eda aimed her fork sternly at Luz. "And when school's done, you're going back home, you got that? No hanging out with friends, no study groups, you come home, understand?"

Luz sighed. "Okay. How long am I going to be grounded?"

"For as long as I see fit." Eda took a big swig of her apple blood. "Hey, by the way, what did you end up doing with all of that stuff we were using to make counterfeit coins? I was kinda surprised when you asked to keep it all. I figured you'd throw it away or something."

"Oh, that?" Luz asked. "I decided to try a little…experiment." Luz patted the pocket of her pajama pants to make sure the coin she had made was still there. "I'm not making counterfeit money if that's what you're worried about."

"It's alright, I believe you." said Eda. "Now finish your breakfast. Once Hooty's done with the Scouts, you can fly Owlbert to school so you won't be late."

Luz's face lit up with pure excitement.

"Yeah, yeah, don't go nuts, you hear?" Eda said. "Just fly to school, and Owlbert will fly back to me once he's dropped you off."

"Yeah, yeah, of course," said Luz, excited as hell to get to fly Owlbert.

"We're not even remotely worried about the armed authorities outside that are here to arrest all of us?" King asked. "This is just our life? This is normal for us…? Sweet."


After breakfast and after Luz got dressed in her student uniform and brushed her teeth, she grabbed her backpack and headed out the house with Eda's staff in hand. Eda had warned Luz not to be too close to the house if she ever practiced flying on Owlbert for the sake of the house's windows, so Luz walked away from the house to find a safe spot to take off from. As she did, she passed by a circle of crying Coven Scouts who were tied together by Hooty and having a tea party with the house demon.

"Soooo, how was everyone's weekend?" Hooty asked his hostages. "Anybody need more tea? Hoot hoot."

Luz stopped by a Coven Scout who was sprawled face-down on the ground and moaning miserably, scrapes and bruises were all over him.

"Hey, Steve," Luz greeted.

"Hey, Luz," Steve's muffled voice replied. He weakly raised his trembling hand in greeting. "How's school going?"

"It's going great!" Luz said. "I'm making friends, keeping my grades up."

"Oh, that's nice," Steve said. "Staying out of trouble, I hope?"

"Actually, I got grounded the other day," Luz admitted.

"Aw, that stinks," said Steve. "But hey, you know your mom only grounded you because she cares about you, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Luz muttered. "You want me to help you up?"

"I appreciate it, but everything hurts, so please don't touch me."

"Okay, fair." Luz walked away. "See ya!"

"We're gonna get you one of these days!"

Luz chuckled. "Yeah, sure, if you say so."

Something fell from above and hit Luz in the head. "Ow!" She looked down at what had fallen on her.

It was a white, witch's staff.

Luz blinked, recognizing the white staff. She looked up above her and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Release me, you awful creature!" Lilith shrieked. Hooty's body arched through the air, wrapping around the Head Witch and holding her way up above the ground. "I will have you stuffed! I don't care how much of you there is!"

Lilith looked down and frowned when she noticed Luz staring up at her.

"Hi, Aunt Lilith!" Luz waved her hand and smiled. "You want me to tell Hooty to put you down?"

"For Titan's sake, yes!" Lilith demanded. "Tell your house demon to release me!"

"Hooty!" Luz called. "Drop her!"

"Wait, don't tell him to–" Lilith let out a shout as she was dropped and fell to the ground. She landed on her back and it sounded painful.

"You okay?" Luz asked.

"I'm fine," Lilith snapped as she rose back to her feet, picking up her staff and dusting herself off as she did.

"Still trying to arrest my mom, huh?" Luz asked.

"I am trying to help my sister and save her from a life of poverty and notoriety," said Lilith. "...What are you doing with Edalyn's staff?"

"Flying to school," said Luz.

"Oh, that's right. You somehow managed to get into Hexside." Lilith looked down at Luz through her nose. "How's that downward spiral fairing?"

"It's apparently fairing a lot better than your mission to prove you're better than your sister," said Luz.

"Think you're smart, do you?" Lilith narrowed her eyes at Luz. "If you were, then you'd go back to the Human Realm before I finally turn your 'caretaker' into the Emperor's Coven."

"Yeah, like that'll ever happen," Luz said. "And even if it does, what makes you think that Eda will willingly join you and your Coven? Don't take this the wrong way, but I honestly don't think your sister respects you."

Lilith growled in frustration. "I grow tired of your tongue." She grabbed Luz by her arm. "You're coming with me!"

"Hooty!"

Hooty's head appeared almost immediately by Luz's side. "...Hoot."

Lilith stared at Hooty fearfully before baring her teeth at Luz.

"Fine." Lilith released Luz's arm. She turned around and headed away. "I'll have you in custody soon enough."

Deciding that she was no longer in danger, Hooty moved away from Luz to rejoin his tea party. Luz watched as Lilith walked away with a wary look on her face.

Lilith stopped. "Oh, and, one more thing."

She turned back around to glare directly into Luz's eyes, holding the startled girl's gaze.

"Don't ever call me 'Aunt Lilith' again," she said with a tone like a fillet knife. "I don't care what crib Edalyn stole you from, that does not make you and I kin."

Luz took a scared step back.

"I'll see you later, human." Lilith readied her staff for flight and took off into the air.

Luz watched nervously as Lilith flew away. "...Guess I won't be getting any birthday cards from her."

She then mounted Eda's staff and took off into the air, panicking a little bit as she swerved here and there, heading off to school.

She almost crash-landed down in front of Hexside, but with Owlbert's help, was able to keep the landing relatively painless.

Luz lifted herself up off of the ground and dusted off the dirt and grass on her school uniform. "Oof. Thanks, Owlbert. Sorry about the bumpy landing, I really need more practice."

Owlbert shrank back down into a palisman and flapped his wings. Luz raised her forearm up to Owlbert, offering the bird a perch, and the palisman landed gently down onto her arm.

"Hoo," said Owlbert.

"Man, I wish I could understand you." Luz rubbed the palisman's belly affectionately. "See you after school, ya feathered little cutie."

Owlbert hooted delightfully before flapping his wings and taking off into the air, flying away back to the Owl House.

"I reeeeeally want my own palisman," Luz whined. She let out a sigh before making her way inside the school.


"Drop it."

"Grrrrrrrrrr."

"I said drop it, mister."

"Grrrrrrrrrr."

"I'm gonna count to three." Luz held up the appropriate number of fingers. "And if you don't drop it, you are in big trouble."

Luz's locker growled at her once more, biting down on the oracle grimoire in its teeth.

"One."

The locker whimpered.

"Two."

The locker let out a whine. Then it spit the grimoire at Luz, who caught it in her hands and frowned on the bitemarks decorating the front and back covers.

"Why do you always have to chew on this book?" Luz asked. "I can't get another one if you ruin it."

The locker blew a raspberry at Luz.

"I seriously need to get a new locker." Luz put the book in her backpack and walked away. "One with less attitude."

She stopped suddenly when Luz almost walked right into Boscha, who seemed to have been waiting for her.

"Woah!" Luz jumped back in alarm. "Oh, hey, Boscha, what's up?"

Boscha continued to glare angrily at the human girl, hands clenched at her sides.

Luz frowned. "Oh," she said. "I'm…gonna go ahead and guess that you miiiiiight still be a little mad at me for KO-ing you during the Blue Moon Sabbath."

"You are going to pay for that, human," Boscha hissed with venom thick in her voice. "No one hits me and gets away with it."

"Oh, get over yourself," Luz said. "I saved your life, Boscha. If it hadn't been for me, you'd've been munched down like a piece of burnt bacon. So as crazy as it might sound, maybe you should thank me."

"Thank you?!"

"You're welcome." Luz chuckled. "Cross that one off my bucket list."

Boscha grabbed Luz by her shirt and pulled her face right up to hers, all three of her eyes glaring into Luz's eyes. "I swear to Titan, you worthless human, I will–"

"Boscha, knock it off!"

The two girls turned to see Amity march up to them. Her golden, angry eyes fixed on the triclops girl.

"You know Principal Bump keeps an eye on her," Amity said to Boscha, ignoring Luz's presence entirely. "You're going to get in trouble."

"I'll be fine," said Boscha.

"No, you won't," Amity snapped. "You could lose your position as captain of the Grudgby team if you cause trouble with Principal Bump's exchange student project, so cut it out!"

Boscha narrowed her eyes at Amity, then at Luz. She let go of the human and shoved her away.

"Next time," Boscha said before turning around and walking away. "Come on, Amity."

"You go ahead, I'm gonna have a talk with the human," said Amity.

"...Whatever," Boscha replied bitterly before continuing down the hall.

Once she was gone, Amity and Luz finally looked at each other. Luz looked surprised while Amity attempted to keep a stone mask on.

"Um…thank you, Amity," Luz said. "But, you really didn't have to do that."

"Just because you're the Owl Lady's daughter doesn't mean you don't need to be more cautious about who you make an enemy out of," Amity warned. "Boscha doesn't let things go, she will make it her mission to humiliate you and get even."

"Get even for what? For saving her life?" Luz asked.

"That's not how she sees it," said Amity. "Everything Boscha does–everything, is a competition to her. You humiliated her, you have a point above her, and now she wants back in the lead. Understand?"

"I hate sounding like that kind of person, I really do," said Luz. "But why are you friends with her?"

Amity groaned and ran a hand down her face. "Forget it," she said. "Look, I don't want to argue with you, I want to…" Amity let out a sigh. "...to apologize to you, on behalf of my family, for what happened at dinner the other night."

"Oh, that?" Luz asked. "It's fine, forget about it… Your mom's not mad at me or anything, is she?"

"She's furious," said Amity. "And I mean furious."

"Hoo, boy," Luz fretted.

Amity cleared her throat awkwardly and took off her backpack, unzipping it and reaching inside.

"My brother and sister suggested that I make you a homemade fairy pie to demonstrate the sincerity of our apology to you." Speaking in a strictly professional tone, Amity took out a plastic pie container and offered it to Luz. "Please accept this token of apology so that I can tell my siblings that I gave it to you so they'll leave me alone about it."

"Oh, sweet, a fairy pie! That sounds pretty suggestive out of context, but thank you so much!" Luz took the pie container and began removing the lid. "So why is it called a fairy pie? Does it have a lot of sugar in it or some–"

Luz lifted up the lid and saw the tiny limbs and wings sticking out of the top of the pie. They were still twitching. She could even hear small, soft, muffled screams coming from the pie.

Luz's left eye twitched a few times and she did her best to smile convincingly with little success.

"...Eh-heh…eh-heh…" Luz gulped, which helped keep her from puking, and closed the lid. "...Thank you so much, Amity, I mean just…holy hell. I'm gonna throw–I mean put–this away." Luz quickly tried to escape.

"Wait."

"I'll eat it, I swear!" Luz said.

"No, I…" Amity took a deep, calming breath. "I…was hoping that…after school ended, you and I could…study together."

Luz blinked. "Huh?"

"I know you know a lot about potions," said Amity. "And, as it happens, I could use some extra tutoring in that subject,"

"Potions?" Luz looked down at Amity's uniform, still abomination purple. "Are you thinking of double-tracking?"

"No, it's just for an extra-credit project I'm doing," Amity explained. "So, after the final bell, I was hoping that you and I could stay after school and study together. We can use the school library."

"Oh." Luz's eyes widened with surprise. She studied Amity's blank face, looking for some sign that she might be joking. "Is this a trick?"

"No, of course," Amity said, looking away. "...Edric and Emira said that I should try to make peace with you after everything that's happened."

"And you agreed with them, just like that?" Luz asked.

"If it means shutting them up, there's little I won't do," Amity replied tiredly. "So, what say you?"

"Uh…" Luz pursed her lips. "...Listen, I would actually really like that, but, I sort of got grounded for going to that dinner at your house. I have to go straight home after school's over."

"Okay, good," Amity said, sounding relieved. "If you can't stay after school, then that's perfectly fine."

Luz frowned. "You know, if you don't want to hang with me, then okay. You don't have to pretend to want you."

"No, no, I…" Amity grunted in frustration. "Look, if you change your mind, just let me know, alright?" She then hurried away down the hall. "Bye."

Luz watched Amity hurry away, a curious look growing on her face.


"I say don't do it."

"Why not?" Luz asked.

"Why not?" Willow pointed her fork at Luz. "Have you already forgotten what happened the last two times a Blight invited you to something? First there was that dragon hunting thing, then dinner at their place, and now this."

Gus arrived and sat down next to Willow, setting his bagged lunch down on the cafeteria table. "Hey, what's up?"

"Amity wants to study together after classes are over," Luz explained, filling Gus in.

"Ooo, yeah, maybe that's not a good idea," said Gus. "And besides, didn't you get grounded for that little stunt I helped you pull?"

"Well, yeah, but…it's for studying," Luz said. "I'm sure Eda wouldn't mind."

"Luz, you're a friendly person, and frankly, I love that about you," Willow said. "But don't you think being friends with one of the meanest girls in school isn't really worth the effort you seem to be putting in?"

Luz sighed. "Alright, truth be told, the twins asked me to try to be friends with Amity," she explained. "They think it'll be good for her."

"What, they think you can spread your positivity to her or something?" Gus asked.

"They said I 'bring something out' in her, whatever that means," said Luz. "What was she like when you were friends with her, Willow?"

"We were seven," said Willow. "But…I remember her being a lot nicer and…fun, I guess."

"What do you mean?" Luz asked.

"We were little kids, enjoying being little kids," Willow said. "Things have changed. She's changed. And not for the better."

"But there is good in her," Luz said. "She's a librarian who reads to little kids, she's not a horrible person. Her mom is, sure, but Amity's not."

"Look, Luz, I'm not saying that Amity is a monster, not at all," Gus said. "But she's a rich, popular girl. So…yeah."

"Are you sure this isn't a prank or something?" Willow asked. "You know Amity is friends with Boscha, and she's still pretty mad at you for punching her lights out."

"I seem to have a tendency to knock people out," said Luz.

"Or you just give them a black eye," said Gus.

"You're still hanging that over my head?"

"Luz, I'm being serious," Willow said. "You have to be careful when you're dealing with Amity's kind of people, I figured you would've learned that during your dinner at the Blight Manor."

"It's just Amity this time," Luz said. "And I think she's genuinely sorry about what happened at her house. She even baked me a fairy pie." Luz took out said pie and placed it on the table with their lunches. "Either of you want this, by the way? I feel like a terrible person giving it away, especially since she baked it herself, but I doubt I would be able to sleep at night knowing that I ate even a slice of it."

"Then bring it home and give it to your mom or your brother," Gus suggested.

"Oh, good idea." Luz put the pie back in her backpack.

"Luz…" Willow let out a sigh. "Are you really gonna study with Amity after the final bell? Do you really think it's a good idea?"

"This is my chance to really get to know Amity," Luz said. "Look, I've met her mom, and it honestly explains a lot. But if it's just the two of us, no moms, no teachers, no Boschas, then there's nobody she needs to impress. Except for me, I guess, but I can't imagine she gives a fig about what I think about her. I'll be able to get to know the real Amity."

"Well, then, I wish you the best of luck with that," said Willow, still not sounding convinced. "But, I would advise you, as a friend, to not trust Amity."

"I trust Amity," Luz said. "I honestly do."

With a joyless expression, Willow stabbed at her lunch. "I don't think you should," she said. "But, that's just me."

Luz looked down at her lunch, now feeling just a little unsure.


The final bell rang throughout the halls.

At her locker, Amity put the books she needed to bring with her in her backpack and left the rest in her locker. The locker rolled its tongue back into his mouth and closed his lips.

"I better not find any more teeth marks on my textbooks," Amity told the locker.

The locker grunted at her.

Amity rolled her eyes before slipping on her backpack and turning around.

"Mine does that too."

"Gah!" Amity jumped back when she saw Luz standing in front of her, appearing almost out of nowhere. "Don't do that!"

Luz raised up her hands apologetically. "Sorry."

"What do you want?" Amity demanded.

"To say yes," said Luz. "I'd love to study with you."

"Oh, that." Amity cleared her throat. "...Won't you get in trouble with your mom?"

"I'm helping a student study, is she really gonna get mad at me for that?" Luz asked. "...Probably. But, I think this could be fun." Luz grinned real wide and shook her hands festively. "You and me. Study buddies!"

Amity groaned and turned away from Luz, running a hand down her face. "You are…you are something else. I'm not sure there's any other way to describe you."

"And I will take that as a compliment because that's how high my self-esteem is!" Luz cheered.

Amity looked around, watching all of the students head for home.

"Alright, let's go." Amity made her way down the hall, opposite the direction of the flow of egressing students. "Have you been inside the school's library yet?"

"I actually haven't." Luz hurried after Amity. "But I am eager to check it out."

The presence of students lessened more and more as Luz and Amity made their way through the halls to the library, until the only students that could be found were the two of them.

"Are we allowed to be in the school after school hours?" Luz asked.

"It's allowed, but no one really does it," Amity explained. "I don't even do it. If I want a quiet place to study, I go to my library. I have my own little study space there I like to use."

"Aw, that sounds nice," Luz said. "Hey, how'd you get that job at the library?"

"It's a school program, I've been working there for two years now," Amity explained.

Luz smiled. "You really like it at the library, don't you?"

"...I do," Amity admitted.

"Is your favorite part reading to the kids?" Luz teased.

"No, my favorite part is getting away from all of the things that annoy me." Amity quickened her pace, walking ahead of Luz.

Luz winced at Amity, not particularly enjoying the feel of that bite.

They arrived at the library doors. Amity pushed them open and headed inside, followed by Luz. The human girl took a moment to marvel at Hexside's library. It wasn't anything compared to the Bonesborough Library, but Luz still found it pretty neat. The library was a large, cylindrical room with a spiral staircase that provided access to the upper levels of the library. The light source was a chandelier that hung from the ceiling, made up of several large, glowing spheres of light all connected to one another with thick, golden strings.

"I love libraries," said Luz. "I mean, I just freakin' love them."

Believe it or not, Amity almost smiled at that. But then she quickly put back on her stone face and walked over to the nearest study table.

"Advanced Potion Brewing and Potion Ingredients and Mixtures, please," Amity requested as she sat down at the table.

Luz thought that Amity was talking to her at first, but then two books floated off their shelves and hovered down to Amity. She grabbed them out of the air and set them on the table.

Amity looked over at Luz, who was still standing at the door. "Well, come on."

"Right, right." Luz came over and sat down across from Amity.

Amity glanced up at the clock that hung high above the door before picking up one of the books. "Okay, so, uh, can we start on potion ingredients? I'm having trouble memorizing all of the necessary ingredients for specific potions."

"Oh, that's something that people don't always get." Luz took the other book. "Potion brewing is a lot like baking. Sure, you can follow the list and whip up something basic and tasteless. But if you want something really good, you gotta use your imagination."

"So, you…don't have to follow the list?" Amity asked.

"Well, yes, but all you really have to do is stick to the basic guidelines. The rest is entirely up to you," Luz said. "It's like mixing your own drink. Mix to your own liking."

"Did you start off on potion brewing?" Amity asked.

"Of course," Luz replied. "My mom was in the Potions Track, and she first started teaching me how to brew potions for our business ever since I could hold a stirrer." She shrugged and looked to the side. "Plus, you know…as a human, it was really the only kind of witchcraft I could perform."

"You mean before you discovered those picture spells?" Amity asked. "Like that light spell you can draw?"

"Those are…a more recent find," Luz explained. "I'm not sure I really understand what they are either. They're like…magical commands, I guess. Well, actually…they feel more requests."

Amity looked down at her book again. "Uh…I'm confused with what exactly fire bee honey is used for in potions. Some kind of stimulant?"

"Sort of," Luz said. "Fire bee honey is used to excite a mixture. To 'get it going.' You normally don't use fire bee honey unless you're brewing a powerful potion. Sometimes if you want your potion to have just a little bit more of a kick than the usual brew, add a tablespoon or two to your mixture. Me personally, I've discovered that it's not half-bad in coffee. A little spicy, don't use too much, but I kinda like it."

"What's coffee?" Amity asked.

"Human Realm drink that I'm sort of addicted to but apparently makes witches and demons throw their guts up. At least, that's what happened when my mom tried it." Luz tilted her head at Amity. "...Can I ask you something?"

Amity raised an eyebrow. "You don't normally ask for permission. Go ahead."

"Boscha is the top student in the Potions Track, so why come to me for extra tutoring?" Luz asked. "You could've just asked her."

Amity's eyes widened. Then she looked at the table, attempting to give nothing away with her poker face.

"...There's honestly only so much of Boscha I'm willing to deal with on a weekly basis," Amity admitted.

"Yeah?" Luz asked. "I thought she was your friend?"

"She's a control freak, just like my mom," Amity said tiredly, running a hand through her green hair. "...She's the kind of person who likes to be on the highest pedestal, above even her friends."

"And what kind of person are you?" Luz asked. "I'm not trying to start anything, I sincerely want to know. Do you like being on the top pedestal?"

"Oh, why the hex do you care?" Amity asked.

"Because I want us to be friends," Luz replied kindly. "...But that can't happen if we don't get to know each other."

Amity sighed. "...Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, absolutely," said Luz.

"Why do you want to be a witch?" Amity asked. "Out of all the things you could be, either in the Human Realm or the Demon Realm…why are you so dedicated to becoming a witch? You're a human. Even with your picture magic, why try to run up that hill?"

Luz looked down at the table. "...I don't like it when people take one look at me and immediately assume what all I'm good for," she said. "Sometimes all they see is a weird kid with no friends, I've gotten that a lot. And before Gus and Willow, it was true."

Luz sighed through her nose. "...But as soon as the people of this world see my ears, right off the back, they assume that I'm just…" Luz closed her eyes. "...useless."

Amity blinked at Luz. Her poker face became softer.

The two of them sat there in silence for a moment. The only sound that could be heard was the ticking of the clock.

"...I know what that's like," Amity finally said, breaking the silence with a soft voice.

"How could you possibly know what that's like?" Luz asked. "You're from the Blight family, one of the most influential families on the Boiling Isles. You're from ancient bloodlines, you're Hexside's top student, you're mentored by the Head Witch of the Emperor's Coven!"

Amity grimaced at the mention of Lilith.

"What do you know about feeling useless?" Luz demanded. "Ever since I was little, I had to wear a mask to hide who I really was just to avoid everyone's judgmental gaze. People see you, and they see–"

"Exactly what my mom wants them to see."

Luz froze. Her eyes widened a bit and her face became surprised and curious. "What?"

Amity took a deep breath, closing her eyes as if she were trying to fall asleep.

"Maybe I don't know what it's like to feel useless. But I do know what it's like to have everyone look at you and expect you to be exactly what they expect you to be." Amity opened her eyes and frowned down at the table. "I can't be anything else because I'm not allowed to be anything else. The only thing I'm allowed to be is…my mother's daughter, and the prodigy legacy of the Blight family. Whether I like it or not."

Amity looked Luz right in the eyes.

"...I wear a mask too, you know."

The two of them stared at each other in silence. Luz looking surprised and Amity looking…regretful.

But then Amity blinked a few times, as if realizing something, and a look of surprise formed on her face as well.

Then the young Blight suddenly let out a mortified groan and stood up from the table. She began pacing back and forth as she gripped the sides of her hair in frustration.

"Stop freaking doing that!" Amity demanded.

"...Uh…" Luz stared at Amity in pure confusion. "Stop doing what?"

"That!" Amity pointed a finger at Luz as if she were accusing her of murder in front of the whole court. "How the hex do you do that?!"

"Do what?" Luz asked. "You're starting to scare me."

"You are literally incapable of performing a single spell of oracle magic!" Amity exclaimed. "So how do you manage to get in my head even better than my mom does!"

Luz blinked her wide, confused and surprised eyes. "...Um…charisma?"

Amity narrowed her eyes. "Are you wearing a charm or something, is that how you do it?" She marched right up to Luz, who leaned away from her fearfully. "Hand it over! And stop getting in my head!"

"Amity, what this is isn't any kind of magic." Luz offered a nervous smile. "This is called communication. Communication with a friend."

"We are not friends!" Amity said. "We can't be friends!"

"Sure we can," said Luz. "And I would really like to be."

Amity blinked at the human girl.

"Amity, I get that there is an image you need to keep up because...it's just how you were brought up," Luz said. "I know you don't want pity, so I won't give any."

Amity's eyes widened a bit.

"But you have the right to some autonomy in your life, because it's your life," Luz said. "It's not your mom's life, it's yours. And she can be as controlling as she wants—she can dye your hair to match hers, she can sign you up for every class on the list, she can have the Emperor himself mentor you. You're your own unique person, Amity. I can see that. Your siblings can see that."

Luz smiled a kind and genuine smile at Amity. "I want to help you see that. So…let's be friends. And I promise, when you're with me, you can be the real you, you can be any version of you that you want to be. And…" Luz shrugged. "I won't judge. Not at all. Not even a little bit. What right do I even have to judge? It'll be nice just to be able to hang out with you."

Amity blinked her wide eyes at Luz and her mouth opened and closed like fish out of water. She seemed to have no idea how to respond to any of that. Almost as if she had failed to understand the language being spoken to her.

Luz stared back at Amity, a smile still decorating her face. "...You didn't actually want to study potions, did you?" she asked.

Amity ground her teeth, staring downward for a little bit before looking back up at Luz.

"You need to leave."

Luz frowned. "Oh." She pursed her lips and looked to the side. "...Look, I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable, I just wanted–"

"No, you don't understand." Amity glanced at the clock again, appearing frightened by how much time had passed. "You need to leave."

Luz blinked, furrowing her brow at Amity. "What's going on–"

"Listen to me!" Amity rushed up and grabbed Luz by her shoulders. "There's not much time left, but you might still be able to get out of here before–"

"Before what?" Luz stood up from her seat and moved away from Amity. "...Willow was right, wasn't she? This was just to get me alone so Boscha could get back at me for punching her lights out."

"Luz, please–"

The door handles of the library entrance turned, and the doors began to open.

"And, that must be Boscha." Luz stepped past Amity toward the door. "Hey, Boscha, when someone saves your life–"

Luz immediately shut up and backed away fearfully.

"Edalyn never thought things through either."

Lilith closed the doors behind her.

"Always so confident that she could get out of any situation unscathed." Lilith took a step toward Luz, hands folded behind her back professionally. "And even at your age, she was a real witch with actual talent. So imagine how much more ludicrous your own self-confidence is in comparison."

"Why is it that you 'important people,' as you call yourselves, seem to feed off of condescending and talking down to other people?" Luz demanded. "Are you that insecure? Seriously."

Lilith frowned and narrowed her eyes at Luz. She looked ready to offer up a retort, but recomposed herself, giving her 'niece' a chilly smile instead.

"Thank you, Amity, for agreeing to help me with this." Lilith turned her head to her apprentice. "I apologize if this is disrupting your schedule."

"All you want is to talk to her, right?" Amity asked nervously.

"Yes, yes, of course." Lilith raised her hand toward their study table. "Let's sit and talk, shall we, Luz?"

"What if I say no?" Luz asked.

"You don't get to," Lilith answered. "I'm just trying to be polite."

Luz glared at Lilith, but decided to comply and sat back down at the table.

"Good." Lilith walked up and sat down across from Luz, placing her hands on the table and folding them together. Amity, with a guilty look on her face, moved away from the table, walking over to stand next to the door.

"What do you want, Lilith?" Luz demanded. "Are you so desperate to bring in my mom–"

"She's not your mom," Lilith said with a controlled tone. "You are not a witch. You are a human. And you do not belong here in the Demon Realm."

"Says who?" Luz asked.

"Says logic and common sense," Lilith replied. "Come now, Luz, you can't tell me it hasn't been a struggle. Growing up the way you did. No magic, those round ears, having no dynasty to call your own."

"I'm a Claw–"

"Are you?" Lilith asked. "I am aware that my mother has taken a liking to you." Her tone seemed to sour at that statement. "Hardly surprising. I love her for it, but she's always been one of those people who don't mind bringing in strays."

"What do you want?" Luz demanded once more. "You know, aside from a night in bed with Belos."

"You little—" Lilith was barely able to fight off the urge to strangle the life out of Luz and managed to calm herself back down, although her glare now held some added harshness to it. She took a deep breath before speaking again. "I am here to offer you an ultimatum."

"Oh, this oughta be good," Luz said with a roll of her eyes.

"Simply put, I want you gone from the equation," Lilith explained. "I want you out of Edalyn's life. I want you back where you belong."

"You want me to go back to the Human Realm?" Luz asked.

"Yes," said Lilith.

"Why?"

"Because Edalyn needs a wake-up call and you leaving her may provide just that," said Lilith. "You go back to where you came from, make up whatever reasoning you want, it hardly matters, and perhaps losing you will finally get her to open her eyes and see the disastrous state of the life she's chosen."

Luz stared at Lilith, looking almost horrified. "...You think me breaking Eda's heart and leaving her will get her to come crying to you."

"That's not exactly how I would put it," said Lilith.

"What is wrong with you?" Luz asked.

"If you refuse, then I'll make use of you in another way," Lilith continued, an edge now in her voice. "I bring you into custody, and I hang onto you until Edalyn is willing to make a compromise that she's too proud to realize is for her own good."

"Do you hear yourself when you talk?" Luz asked.

"That's the deal, human," Lilith snapped. "I'm giving you the chance to go back to where you belong, with your own kind. Or, you can be tossed into a prison cell until, well, who can say when."

Luz glared hard at Lilith.

"You care about Edalyn. You are loyal to her. But can't you understand that everything I am doing is to help her?" Lilith asked in irritation. "I don't want to hurt my sister, nor do I have any desire to harm her human. So, say your goodbyes and go back to the Human Realm where humans are supposed to live before you get yourself hurt. Okay?"

Luz narrowed her eyes.

"Fuck. You."

She heard Amity gasp over near the door.

Luz also heard a hard, popping noise, and she wasn't sure if it was from Lilith grinding her teeth or clenching her hands together.

"...You and Edalyn…what a pair."

Lilith stood up from her seat and drew a large magic circle aimed at Luz. Her pale face was almost lit up with rage.

"I will teach you some respect, you worthless insect!"

With no way to defend herself, Luz raised her arms in a feeble hope to shield herself.

Two gooey tentacles grew out of the floor and grabbed both of Lilith's wrists, encasing her hands in purple abomination goo.

Lilith's face became flooded with shock and confusion. "What?!" The goo tentacles shrank down into the floor a bit, forcing her arms down at her sides. "What is the meaning of this?!"

The Head Witch looked over at Amity, who had both hands aiming magic circles at her mentor. A steely look decorated the young witch's face.

"Amity Blight!" Lilith shouted angrily. "How dare you–"

"Oh, shut up." With a magic flick of her wrist, Amity launched a small blob of abomination goo at Lilith's face, which stuck to and covered her mouth, keeping her from saying anything more.

Luz stared at Amity in utter surprise and confusion. "Amity?"

"Let's go!" Amity tossed the doors open. "Come on!"

"Why should I trust you?"

In an exasperated manner, Amity gestured to Lilith, who continued to thrash and fight against her restraints.

"Oh, right. Okay, that works." Luz grabbed her backpack and rushed out of the library with Amity.

The two girls ran down the empty and darkened hallway of the school, making their way to the exit.

"Your goop will keep her where she is, right?" Luz asked as they ran.

"Not for long," said Amity. "And don't call it my goop, that just makes it sound gross."

The lockers lining the walls in front of them all began to glow blue. They tore away from the walls and formed a blockade in front of Luz and Amity, stopping them both in their tracks.

They turned around to see Lilith standing before them, staff in hand and looking genuinely pissed off.

"I expected such idiocy from the human, but you, Amity?" Lilith shook her head. "I thought you were smarter than that."

"You have some of those picture spells on you?" Amity muttered softly to Luz.

"A few. Not many," Luz replied in the same tone. "You know how to fight and stuff, right?"

"Of course I do," said Amity. "The problem is she's the one who taught me how."

"Ooo, dang," said Luz. "Yeah, that won't help."

"Enough of your muttering!" Lilith shouted. "Human, you are coming with me!"

Amity drew two large magic circles with her hands and a thick wall of abomination goo formed between Lilith and the two girls.

Lilith burst through the wall of goo in a blast of blue magic with little to no effort, looking almost bored as she did.

Luz took out a small notebook from her backpack and ripped out one of the pages. She tossed the piece of paper decorated with the fire glyph and a ball of flames shot at Lilith.

Lilith drew a small magic circle and with a quick, small wave of her hand, canceled the fireball before it could hit her.

"I am a descendent of the Clawthorne Clan," Lilith stated as she stepped toward the two girls.

Amity formed two large, spiked gauntlets of abomination goo on her hands and launched them both at Lilith.

Lilith twirled her staff and knocked aside both of the gauntlets. Instead of hitting her, they both slammed into the walls behind her.

"I am the Head Witch of the Emperor's Coven, and his majesty's most capable disciple."

Luz ripped out a page with the ice glyph drawn on it and slammed it onto the floor. A trail of tall, sharp icicles made its way toward Lilith.

Lilith slammed her staff into the floor and the entire trail of icicles shattered into pieces.

"The Golden Guard himself is nothing compared to me!" Lilith shouted. "I will not be made a fool of by two misguided children! Especially when one of them being my sister's pet human!"

Lilith drew a magic circle, and the notebook in Luz's hands burst into blue flames. Luz yelped and tossed the burning notebook aside before the flames could burn her. Amity summoned a short sword made of goo and aimed it bravely at Lilith.

Lilith stopped just a few feet from the girls and stared down at them with a stern and cold look on her face.

"You can't win," she stated as if it were a fact you could look up. "Plain and simple."

"Uh, hey! Lilith! How about a little wager?!" Luz suggested desperately. "You a gambler by any chance?"

Lilith raised a confused eyebrow at Luz. "I beg your pardon?"

"Have you lost your mind?" Amity asked.

"I've got a bet for ya." Luz reached into her pocket and pulled out a copper coin. "We'll flip for it."

"Flip for what? Your escape?" Lilith asked in bewilderment. "How stupid do you think I–"

"It's a deal then!" Luz exclaimed, readying the coin for a flip. "Heads, I win. Tails, you lose."

"That's not even a fair–"

With a flick of her thumb, Luz tossed the coin into the air.

Lilith watched the coin as it rose toward the ceiling.

Luz quickly used her hands to cover her and Amity's eyes.

The coin exploded in a blast of blinding light.

Lilith screamed as her retinas were fried and turned her head away, recoiling and stumbling backward.

"MY EYES!" Lilith wailed, her hand placed over her eyes.

Luz reached into her backpack and took out the fairy pie that Amity had baked for her, taking it out of the plastic container it had been safely stored in up until now.

"Think fast, Lilith!"

Lilith removed her hand and blinked her blinded eyes toward the sound of Luz's voice. "What–"

Luz tossed the pie into Lilith's face Stooge-style. The mighty Head Witch of the esteemed Emperor's Coven stumbled back again, tripping over her own dress and swinging her arms in circles as she fell onto her back, face covered in homemade pie.

Amity stared at her famous mentor, blinded with a face covered in pie, in utter astonishment. "...I spent hours baking you that pie."

"I know, and I'm really sorry," Luz apologized. "But, to be perfectly honest…I probably wasn't going to eat any of that pie."

"Oh." Amity stared at the floor in embarrassment and disappointment. "...Human dietary issues?"

"Eh, something like that, yeah."

"You horrible little monster!" Lilith wiped some of the pie off of her face and struggled to her feet. When she spoke, it almost sounded like she was speaking through a pillow. "I will destroy you for this!"

"Oh my god!" Luz and Amity both cringed at the sight of Lilith's face, which was now puffy, swollen and red. "What the heck happened to your face?!"

"I'm allergic to fairy dust, you wretched brat!" Lilith dropped her staff on the floor and began frantically searching her dress, patting all of her pockets. "I need my epipotion!"

Luz slowly snuck up to Lilith as she searched her pockets. Lilith finally found the small vial of potion she was looking for and quickly popped off the cork, downing the whole bottle.

Luz quietly picked up Lilith's staff.

Lilith tossed aside the empty bottle and took deep, steady breaths. Only for Luz to whack her upside the head with her own staff.

The force of the hit, and possibly thanks to the allergic reaction she was having, was enough to knock Lilith unconscious. She fell to the floor in a graceless, red-faced slump.

Amity walked up next to Luz and joined her in staring down at Lilith in shock and disbelief.

"...I'm glad we won, but, it still seems kind of messed up to knock out someone having an allergic reaction," Amity commented.

"Why am I always knocking people out?" Luz asked. "I mean, sure, so far it's only been people who had it coming, but why does it keep leading up to that? For Titan's sake, I punched Gus in the face literally the second I first met him, do I just have that instinct or something? I…I am genuinely worried about this."

"Should we just…leave her here?" Amity asked.

The palisman atop Lilith's staff came to life, taking the form a white raven with a golden underbelly, and flew down to her, landing atop her head. The raven was a bit stoop-necked, like its head was too heavy to be lifted up any higher, but its golden eyes shone with intelligence and concern. With a frowning beak, the palisman looked up at Luz woefully, as if trying to apologize to her.

"Um…hi," Luz greeted, raising a hand in greeting at the raven. "...Would you like us to help you get her home?"

The bird nodded.

The two girls glanced at each other. Then they both walked up and knelt down beside Lilith. They straightened out her body on the floor, rolling her onto her back. Then Luz placed her staff on top of her and Amity wrapped her to it with several bonds made of abomination goo.

The raven smiled gratefully at Luz before flying back to the top of the staff and resuming his position as the staff head, morphing back to his previous form. All on its own, the palisman staff levitated up into the air, lifting Lilith up with it, and floated above the floor like a magical stretcher of some kind.

Amity used her magic to move aside the blockade, putting the lockers back against the wall, before the two of them guided the unconscious Lilith wrapped to her staff through the hall and toward the exit.

"I honestly didn't realize that she used a palisman staff," Luz admitted. "I thought Emperor Belos didn't like palisman staffs?"

"Your family has been famous for carving palismans for generations, of course she has a palisman staff," Amity explained. "I doubt even Belos could convince her to get rid of her palisman."

"Titan, I want a palisman so badly," Luz said dreamily.

"I know, right?"

The two girls chuckled a little.

"So, what was that coin thing you did back there?" Amity asked.

"Oh, my mom was making counterfeit snails–we scrapped that project, don't worry–and I used the materials to make a coin with my light glyph carved onto it," Luz explained. "The light coin I used on Lilith was the first one I ever used, I hadn't tested to see if any of them would work yet. I'm actually surprised by how well it worked with such a small glyph carved onto either side of the coin."

"Well, you used a copper coin, so that might explain the spell's potency," said Amity. "Copper is one of the three magical metals, alongside silver and iron."

"Gold's not a magical metal?" Luz asked.

"Eh, gold is more of a symbolic metal." Amity smiled. "Regardless, that glyph coin of yours is pretty cool."

"Can I use that name? Glyph coin?" Luz asked. "It's actually really good."

Amity giggled, actually giggled, at Luz. "Yeah, sure, all yours."

With smiling faces, the two of them reached the exit and pushed open the doors, letting the palisman staff float out of the school. Once it was outside, the palisman staff flew Lilith into the air, flying off to wherever she needed to go.

"Boy, imagine the look on her swollen face if she wakes up mid-flight," Luz said.

Amity and Luz shared a laugh as they exited the school. Luz sat down at the top of the school steps. And after a moment of awkward hesitation, Amity came up to sit down next to her, keeping a comfortable distance from the human girl.

"Do you, like…need a ride home?" Amity asked. "I can order you a broom-lyft if you want."

"Nah, I'm just gonna take a moment to work up the courage to face my mom," Luz replied calmly. "I disobeyed her again, and now she is no doubt fuming." She looked over at Amity and shrugged. "But, hey, I imagine you're in for it too. I doubt Lilith is going to be very merciful during your next training session."

"Oh, please, I am so done with Lilith," Amity stated, her tone suggesting that she meant it. "She can find a new apprentice. What kind of high-ranking official goes through that much trouble to arrest a teenager?"

"Won't that piss off your mom?" Luz asked.

"Yeah, probably." Amity shrugged and smiled a little bit. "But, that's my choice to make. Not hers."

Luz smiled back.

Amity sighed, frowning and casting her guilty gaze downward.

"Luz, I'm…sorry about…everything," she said softly. "And I really mean everything. Willow is lucky to have a friend like you. Fact of the matter is," Amity closed her eyes. "I don't deserve a friend like either of you."

"Apology accepted," said Luz. "But, despite what's happened…I still would like to be friends."

"Wait, what?" Amity blinked at Luz in surprise and confusion. "You can't be serious."

"I am, though," said Luz. "Amity, I would like to be friends. That hasn't changed."

Amity stared at Luz as if she had spoken pure gibberish to her.

"...Oh, come on!" Amity shouted in frustration. "Let's recap real quick: I was nothing but mean to you since literally the day we first met!"

"You were nice to me at the Blue Moon Sabbath," Luz said.

"I didn't know it was you!" said Amity. "And remember my mom trying to turn you in to the Emperor's Coven after she tried to exploit you for profit?!"

"Well, yeah, but that wasn't you, that was your mom," said Luz.

"I am not a good person!" Amity yelled.

"You read story books to small children, you're hardly a monster," Luz said. "Amity, take it from a girl who grew up with literally no friends except for her brother and her house demon and her masks that she talks to…having a friend, a real friend, is kind of awesome."

Luz smiled kindly. "And, I would love to be your friend."

Amity's face formed a slight blush. "...You are a…difficult person to figure out."

"Oh, it's not that difficult," Luz said. "I'm a freakin' weirdo, that about sums it up."

Amity snorted out a laugh, blushing and covering her mouth in embarrassment. Luz laughed as well, finding the snort to be a little cute.

"LUZ!"

Fear suddenly overcame Luz. "Uh-oh."

She and Amity looked up to see Eda flying down toward them on her staff.

"Whatever you do, don't tell her about Lilith," Luz said to Amity. "She'll never let me out of the house again if she knew."

"Sure thing," said Amity.

Eda landed at the bottom of the steps and stormed up to Luz, looking downright irate.

"I told you to come straight home after school!" Eda said. "Why are you still at Hexside with Odalia's stinkin' brat?!"

"Miss Clawthorne, please." Amity stood up and placed a hand on her chest. "I asked Luz to study with me, we stayed after school hours, we never even left the building."

"It's okay, Mom," Luz said. "Amity's fine, she's sorry about what happened at Blight Manor. She even baked me a fairy pie to apologize."

Eda raised an eyebrow at Amity, who blushed and chuckled under her gaze nervously.

"M-my siblings convinced me to do it," Amity stammered. "Miss Clawthorne, I promise you, I have no intention of hurting–"

Eda's face was suddenly an inch or two away from Amity's, who leaned fearfully back as far as her spine would allow without falling over. Eda's angry golden eyes glared directly into Amity's terrified golden eyes.

"Stay. Away. From my daughter." The Owl Lady's pupils lit on fire. "Am I understood?"

Lacking the courage to speak, Amity shook her head up and down, resembling more of a tremble than a nod.

"Good." Eda turned around and descended the stairs as if Amity no longer mattered. "Let's go, Luz."

Luz smiled apologetically at Amity. "Eh…sorry about that." She descended the stairs after Eda. "Bye, Amity."

Amity nervously waved her hand goodbye at Luz. "Bye, Luz."

At the bottom of the stairs, Luz got on the staff behind Eda and the two of them took off into the air.

Amity watched them leave with a conflicted look on her normally emotionless face. She sat back down on the steps and leaned her face onto her hand, letting out a frustrated sigh.

For the first part of the flight, they flew in silence. But then Eda looked behind at Luz as they cruised through the air.

"I don't like that you disobeyed me, Luz," Eda said. "You're still grounded, no question about it. But…I know you're just a sweet kid trying to make a new friend. So as stupid as it was to trust Odalia's mini-me and agree to a study session with her…I'm not gonna punish you for it."

"Honestly, Mom, you can double-ground me for all I care," Luz replied. "It would still be worth it, because I did, in fact, make a new friend."

"Allow me to clarify–I do not want you to go anywhere near that girl," Eda stated. "It's for your own safety, Luz. Stay away from little miss mint chip. Got it?"

"But, Mom, Amity is a good person. I know she is," Luz argued. "If you want me to be careful around her, then I will. I know you don't trust her, but you don't even know her. If you can't trust her, then can you at least trust me to know the difference between a bad apple and a sweet cherry?"

"Sweet cherry?"

"You know what I mean."

Eda let out a groan and rolled her eyes. "Freakin' teenagers–please just promise me you won't let your guard down," she said. "You might think Enmity or whatever her name is might be a 'nice girl once you get to know her' or something, but there are some people in this world, Luz, that just can't ever be trusted. You need to understand that."

"I do, Mom. Believe me, I do. And, yeah, I promise to be careful." Luz leaned the side of her head affectionately against Eda's back. "I'm sorry I didn't save any of that fairy pie for you. If it makes you feel any better, I didn't eat any of it."

"Ah, it's okay, kid," Eda replied with a smile. "I'm allergic to fairy dust anyhow."

"Oh, so you both are?"

"What?"

"Uh, nothing."


"The only safe and sure way to destroy an enemy is to make him your friend."

Abraham Lincoln