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Amity Blight leaned back in her chair, exhausted. Crumpled pieces of paper surrounded her on her desk, a litany of failed experiments. She looked up at the large placard hanging over her desk. THE EMPEROR’S COVEN WANTS YOU! As if, she thought. Like anyone would want me.
The poster had been hanging in her room for as long as she could remember. Mother and Father had drilled it into her head from a very young age that she was to be “The Best, as befitting a Blight.” Everything had been for that goal, from the track she was in at school to even the acquaintances she was allowed to have. She had been told that for so long that she even believed it sometimes, that it really was all she wanted. It wasn’t until her adventure with her childhood friend Willow last week that she was able to remember a time when it wasn’t everything to her.
Remembering her childhood, her eyes drifted over to another poster hanging on her wall. This one wasn’t in shining pristine condition, it wasn’t neatly framed and adorning the most prominent place in her room. It was a slightly ratty sheet of paper, taped at the corners, the edges peeling and the adhesives re-applied many times over the years. Her Good Witch Azura poster, one of the few things in her room that she considered fully hers.
And now her thoughts returned to where they had been all evening. The other person involved in her adventure in understanding Willow. The other person who shared her love for the Good Witch Azura. The other person her thoughts kept returning to over, and over, and over again for the past weeks.
Luz Noceda. The Human.
Ever since Luz had burst into her life like one of her abominations rising from a cauldron of goo (a fairly apt metaphor, in this case), Amity felt like her life had been completely upended. Their relationship had been a rocky one from the start - Amity’s anger over losing her Top Student badge, the embarrassment she had suffered at the Covention, Luz finding Amity’s diary in Amity’s hideaway at the library (Gee, thanks Ed and Em, time to find a new place), and then their adventures at the Knee. But regardless of the circumstances, Luz was always so eager, so fearless, so earnest and upfront with her emotions. The exact opposite of Amity in so many ways.
And somehow Luz had gone from the weird girl who kept turning up, to the person mysteriously taking over her diary entries, to the person who genuinely wanted to be her friend (and not just for social status). Amity hadn’t experienced someone like that since...well, since Willow. And that had ended poorly, to say the least. But Luz wasn’t deterred. And she caused Amity to actually reflect on her behaviour, something she had avoided doing for some time now. And it was also causing Amity to feel some new emotions, things she had only read about but never expected to experience. And definitely not with a human, of all people.
But there it was. Amity...liked Luz. A lot. When her siblings teased her about the library incident, she had brushed it off claiming that it wasn’t like she was lying awake at night thinking about Luz.
Then that night...uh oh.
And now Amity’s attention was brought back to the scraps of paper littering her desk. Her failed attempts to express some modicum of her emotions onto a little slip of paper, to reach out to Luz and see if there was any possibility that her feelings may be reciprocated. The annual Grom celebration was coming up, and just asking someone to attend it with you was (Amity felt) a perfect low-key way to express interest in someone without it being a huge deal.
Unless, of course, you’re a perfectionist like Amity. Who had to get just the right words down, to put just enough of herself out there, to ward off the sting of rejection that she knew had to be the result, but if there was even the tiniest chance that Luz felt the same…
YOU. ME. GROM? - No, too immature.
WILL YOU BE THE AZURA TO MY HECATE? - Too corny.
AB <3 LN - This was a note, not a tree trunk.
Ed and Em had been by earlier, teasing her, trying to get a glimpse of her efforts. She knew they felt that “Humittens” (as they so wittily referred to the not-a-relationship) was a good match, but after the pranks they had pulled, Amity didn’t want them involved any more than she could help it. A simple warding spell kept them away.
Finally she settled on the simplest, most straightforward message she could.
LUZ, Will you go to Grom with me? Amity
At school the next morning, all Amity could think about was the note in her hands. All she had to do was find Luz, give her the note, and pray she didn’t get laughed at. All around the school, Grom decorations were going up, people were starting to act much more couple-y than usual, and Grom proposals (both intimate and extravagant) were happening. She watched as a pair of doctors raced through the hallways, part of an elaborate proposal by Austin to get Skara to go with him. Typical rich-boy excess, but it worked well enough. Skara did always have a bit of a thing for jocks, so I suppose they'll enjoy the more...aggressive aspects of Grom together.
Amity was so engrossed in her thoughts that she rounded the corner and slammed straight into someone, dropping her books. Her haughty attitude rose up and she lashed out at whatever nitwit was in her way - until realizing it was Luz.
“Oh, hi Luz,” she stammered (Do it! Do it now!), before her eyes continued up to see Willow and Gus standing behind Luz, “...and co. Sorry about that.” She knew she’d never be able to raise the issue with anyone else around, much less Willow. Even though they had started to repair their friendship, she didn’t know what Willow might do with knowledge of Amity’s weakness.
As Amity gathered her books, Luz reached down and grabbed...the note! Oh no! Luz, don’t open that! Not now! Amity snatched it out of Luz’s hands. Luz made a witty remark about Amity’s “quick grabbers” (Why is she so adorable?) and Amity mumbled back about it being private.
Amity paused, and began steeling her nerves. OK, Amity, you can do this. “Actually, can I talk to you about something for a minute?” That’s all you have to say. She started to open her mouth and was interrupted by the loudspeaker.
Principal Bump was preparing to announce this year's Grom Royalty, the unlucky soul who would have to publicly face their fears defending the school. Amity figured Austin was a shoo-in, he loved fighting and would definitely make a show out of it. Just the kind of thing Bump would want for Grom.
“This year, I have the privilege to bestow our highest Grom honor to...Amity Blight! Our Grom Queen!” Amity’s eyes widened in shock. The whole world shrank to a tiny pinpoint as Amity began to face the realization that her fears would be made public to the entire school. She was vaguely aware of some students around her muttering. Luz made some kind of cheerful exclamation - Doesn’t she know what this means? Of course not, they probably have something totally different in the human world. Amity did the only thing she could think of at the moment - she turned and ran.
Amity sat in the bleachers of the gymnasium, contemplating her fate. She was a Blight, the highest echelon of social status. She couldn’t show weakness, Mother and Father had made that perfectly clear. But now, that arrogance was about to be punished in the worst way possible. In front of the entire school, all her weaknesses, all her fears, were about to be put on display. Below her was the pit where she would be publicly humiliated the following day. Where she would be...rejected. Suddenly the floor started opening as if the beast within could already taste her fears. Someone had pushed the activation button on the podium. Who would be doing that? Oh, of course.
As expected, Luz knew nothing about Grometheus, only assuming it would be a fun dance party. Amity gave her a quick history lesson, explaining what Grom was and how it would take the shape of her worst fear. “And mine is...very embarrassing.” Especially in front of you.
“If it worries you so much, why don’t you tell Principal Bump you want out of this death match biz? Unless..talking to Bump is your greatest fear?” Luz’s eternal optimism was infectious. Amity couldn’t help but giggle.
“No, but that’s a good idea. Thanks, Luz.” Amity walked out of the room smiling, then stopped outside in the hallway and slapped her face. Idiot! That would have been the perfect time to give her the note! But Luz had already run off to find her friends. “OK, well, talking to Bump it is.”
The meeting did...not go well. Bump reminded her that she was, after all, still the “Top Student” (even if she didn’t bother to wear her star anymore), and that came with some responsibilities. He said his decision was final, unless she could find some poor sap who would willingly take her place. But who would want to do that? To volunteer to be publicly shamed?
The sun was going down as Amity wandered through the forest. She was vaguely heading in the direction of the Owl House, but she wasn’t sure why. Did she still have a chance at asking Luz to Grom? Did she just want a sympathetic ear to unload to? (Ed and Em were, naturally, the furthest thing from that.) Did she just want to...see Luz again?
Lost in thought, Amity was startled when she heard running footsteps and a scream, “Luz chop!” A figure shot out of the bushes and knocked her down into a pile of mud. A familiar ball of light floated up from a sheet of paper as Amity’s attacker recognized her and started apologizing profusely.
Luz. Of course. “And here I thought this day couldn’t get any worse.” Luz reached down to help Amity to her feet, both of them losing their balance in the slippery mud. With one final pull, they stood upright, their faces brought tantalizingly close to each other before Amity sat down on a stump.
“Did you talk to Bump? Was it as terrifying as you imagined?” Luz just plopped down into the mud to sit by Amity without even a second thought about her appearance. The dirt, the mud, all the things that would cause Amity concern over her appearance were just...dismissed as unimportant compared to showing concern for her friend.
Amity sighed. “He said no. I’m Grom Queen, unless I can find a replacement. And who’d wanna switch with me?” Amity couldn’t bear to look at Luz right then, she couldn’t deal with the look of pity she knew had to be there. So she almost missed Luz’s quiet, heartfelt reply.
“I would.”
Amity’s eyes opened in shock. “What?”
Luz stood up, assuming a grandiose post. “Amity Blight, I’ll do it. I’ll take your place, and face Grom in the arena. I’ll be your fearless champion!” Her declaration was only slightly undercut by the spider she suddenly realized was on her face, and her subsequent freakout and tumble into the mud. “...fearless...champion.”
The next day at school passed by in a blur. The only point that stood out clearly was when she went with Luz to talk to Principal Bump.
“I volunteer as tribute!” Luz declared, with a goofy smile on her face. Bump just looked confused.
“Is that...a human thing? I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
“I want to take Amity’s place as Prom Queen - I mean Grom Queen. I mean, I always wanted to be Prom Queen back home, but then I got kicked out, and this is like a totally different thing, and there’s fighting, and…” Luz babbled on as Amity mentally admired her courage, if not her eloquence.
Bump cut Luz off with a gesture. “Alright, you may replace Miss Blight as the Grom Royalty.” He looked suspiciously at Amity. “But please take it seriously. I don’t know what you...humans are afraid of, but Grometheus escaping is still not exactly a desired outcome.”
After school, Amity went home to change out of her uniform, into something more casual. She accosted her siblings, and demanded their assistance in helping get Luz ready for her ordeal. She called in every favor, demanding recompense for their shenanigans at the library and at the Knee. She led them to the Owl House, and went to go inside and retrieve Luz.
“Hoot hoooot, hooooo are you here to seeeee?” The strangely sentient door knocker of the house stretched out and wrapped itself around Amity putting its beak into her hair. “Is it Luuuuuuuuuuuz?”
Amity slapped the bird-thing away. “Yes, Hooty. I need to see Luz.” She entered the house and Luz’s mentor Eda pointed back at the stairway with her thumb.
“Her room’s upstairs, try not to destroy her memories while you’re up there.” Amity blushed at the reminder of the last time she had encountered Eda, when repairing the damage Amity had done to Willow’s mind.
Amity ascended the stairs and pushed open the door to Luz’s room. “If that bird tube ever talks to me again, I’m going to destroy it.” She pushed down her annoyances at Hooty and the other residents of the Owl House and focused on the reason she was here. “You ready to train?”
Luz, in typical fashion, was on a completely different tangent. “What should I wear to Grom?” She held up a tiny black sleeveless dress with a moon on it, and Amity’s mind temporarily froze at the thought of Luz wearing it. “This one says, ‘Witch with a dark side.” Distracted, Amity barely heard Luz’s other option. “This one says otter! ...With a dark side.”
Amity shook off her thoughts of Luz in her black dress. “Luz, you need to take this seriously! If you can’t defeat Grom, everyone on the island will have to live out their worst nightmare.” Including me. Oh please, Luz, don’t make me face that.
Hooty’s face suddenly appeared pressed against her cheek, his breath smelling faintly of bugs. “Wanna hear MY worst nightmare?”
Amity’s eyebrow twitched. All her rage at her own cowardice, her fear for Luz, her anguish over her feelings suddenly had an outlet. Amity didn’t even bother with magic as she leapt at the intruder, barely hearing Luz’s protestations as she attacked.
Amity, her siblings, and Luz stood in front of the Owl House, a bandaged-up Hooty wisely remaining silent on the door. Amity started pacing. “Grom will transform into your darkest fears. What are you afraid of, Luz?”
Amity looked on as Luz’s brow furrowed in contemplation. Ed and Em tried to volunteer their fears to put her at ease, although Amity wasn’t entirely certain how authentic they were. Suddenly Luz perked up. “In preparation, I made a list!” Amity snatched it out of her hand.
Ed and Em came over and read it over her shoulder, chuckling and using their illusion magic to make portrayals of Luz’s written fears manifest. Luz jerked away as they appeared.
“Jerks online who wanna debate! Human souls trapped in cat bodies!” A glass of milk appeared. “No! I’m lactose intolerant!”
Amity was getting frustrated. Luz, you aren’t getting this. “Not enough. The reason I can’t face Grom, it goes deeper than things that just gross me out.” Much deeper, and much more personal. And you’re a big part of it. “What’s your real fear, Luz?”
Luz paused and looked up at the giant stained glass eye dominating the building she lived in. “My real fear is...that Eda thinks I’m too fragile to do this.” Luz looked angry, then dejected. “And if she’s right, I’ll never be a real witch.”
Amity’s elder siblings looked at each other, and then without speaking formed a dual-spell-circle, combining their already powerful magic and creating a gigantic replica of the Owl Lady. The Edallusion dismissed Luz as being inadequate, and then appeared to cast a spell of its own turning Luz into a baby sitting in a high chair. Why does she have to be so cute even when she’s being a dork?
Luz’s exclamation brought Eda herself out of the house, dressed up in her brown suit. After admiring her enormous doppelganger, she realized what Luz was doing. Eda began complaining how she would have to bail Luz out (again), while Luz protested that she would totally be able to beat Grom.
Amity looked at where the sun was and realized that their training time was completely used up, and they needed to leave now to be able to arrive on time for Grom. She had to give her honest opinion; “Luz, I don’t think you’re ready, but we’re literally out of time.”
Heading home with her siblings, Amity realized that once again, she had been too distracted to actually give Luz her note. Maybe it was better this way.
At the school, students were still filtering in, dressed to the nines in their formal attire. Willow was magicking corsages onto willing students, a few souls were braving the dance floor, and most people were just mingling around. Em and Ed were in their complementary tawny gold outfits, waiting for their dates to show up. Amity saw Eda leaning against a floral archway, meaning that Luz was around somewhere.
Amity rubbed the note she had written between her thumb and first finger. Maybe it’s not too late. People can totally ask other people to Grom while they’re at Grom, right? That can be a thing? Her eyes scanned the students when suddenly the lights dimmed and Luz’s young friend Gus began announcements for the upcoming show.
Not seeing Luz in the gymnasium, Amity headed for the hallway. Maybe Luz just hadn’t come in yet. She looked at the note in her hand again. Her ears perked up as she heard the voice she’d been longing to hear speaking.
“I’m not sure if it’s nerves or if I accidentally drank some milk, but something’s making my stomach squirm.” Amity’s eyes widen as she took in the sight of her crush. A million thoughts raced through her head at once.
I can’t believe she’s here - her poor scared expression - I wish she would have chosen the black dress - at least it’s not the otter outfit - her hair looks great slicked back like that - how did she get a tuxedo that matches her color scheme so well - a tutu? - she looks amazing -
The only words that she could get out of her mouth were, “Uh, you look nice. Strange, but nice.” Smooth, Amity, real smooth. “And, thank you, Luz.” Amity put her hands on Luz’s shoulders. I’m touching her! “Honestly, I’m kind of amazed with how fearless you are. You’ve done things that I could never do.” Amity glanced away, hoping, praying that Luz could see how true it was, how much Luz truly meant to Amity.
Luz chuckled. Oh, that laugh. “Yeah, right. You goin’ soft on me, Blight?” Her smirks are so enticing…
Amity couldn’t help but smile back. “In your dreams.” Are we...flirting? Is this flirting? Give her the note! But before she could work up the courage, both girls heard Gus announcing Luz’s entrance.
“Now introducing our Grom Queen. You know her. You love her. You’ve...at least heard of her. Luz, the human!”
As the spotlight descended on Luz, Amity stood back in the doorway. Luz glanced back over her shoulder. “Wish me luck!” she smiled as she (mostly) confidently marched into the gym.
“Luck…” Amity’s eyes followed Luz as the arena floor opened up, and Luz selected a flail as her weapon of choice. Slapping one of her signature magical glyphs on it, Luz entered the combat zone to face Grometheus.
Amity barely noticed the other students’ reactions, her attention was solely focused on this human girl who had done so much for her, asking for nothing in return. Austin and Skara somehow were wearing Grom jerseys, Eda’s companion (pet?) King was trying to make some jokes on stage, but all Amity saw was Luz facing all the things she had put on her list before. The Scaredy-Cats, the floating phone troll, everything but the pitcher of milk. One by one Luz conquered each of these forms. Would I be doing so well, if Luz hadn’t volunteered and the situation was reversed?
Finally Amity saw what she had been dreading all night. Grometheus would always start off easy, pulling surface-level fears from its target. But after working through those, the Grom would attach itself to its victim's mind and bring forth their truest, deepest fear. Could Luz handle that? She portrayed herself so fearlessly, that was one of the things Amity loved (admired!) about her.
The oozing black mass coalesced into a form that looked suspiciously like a giant owl-shaped monster (Is that why Eda is looking so embarrassed?), and one of its tentacles lashed out and attached itself to Luz’s forehead. Amity winced as Luz eyes glowed the same sickly blue as the Grom’s eyes, knowing Luz’s mind was being laid bare before the Fear-Bringer. So now we find out what Luz is truly afraid of.
The Grom’s shape shifted again and it turned into...a door? Amity was confused (along with the rest of the students, it seemed). The door opened and another human stepped out, one who resembled Luz but was speaking in an unfamiliar language. Luz’s fear is...not being alone? Or is this some person who tormented her? Amity glanced at Luz, expecting to see her forthright attitude ready to face the phantasm, but was shocked to see Luz’s expression of pure dread.
The onlookers outside of the pit couldn’t clearly understand the conversation taking place, but Luz’s terror was plain to see. The other creature was just talking, but Amity could see Luz backing away in horror. She dropped her weapon, and the Grom transfigured into a gigantic beast with the vague shape of the other human perched on top of it. Luz took off in a panicked run, scrambling up the ramp and skidding into the hallway, then fleeing out of the school with the monster at her heels.
Oh no...what have I done?
Principal Bump announced what everyone could clearly see - that the Grom had escaped. Students milled around, worried. In all the years that students had been fighting the monster, it had never actually escaped. Made its victims wet themselves in terror, sure, but they always managed to vanquish it in the end. Amity quickly searched out and found the one person she knew would be competent enough to handle the situation - Luz’s mentor, Eda. The two women shared a look, silently agreeing with their determination to protect the person they both cared about so much. As everyone else ran through the halls after the departing champion, Eda grabbed Amity and suddenly they were on Eda’s magical flying staff, far outpacing the crowd.
Fortunately it wasn’t terribly difficult to track the rampaging beast. Eda’s speed allowed them to keep the giant black shifting mass within sight, even as it headed into the forest towards the cliffside. As they neared Luz’s cowering form near the steep drop-off, Amity’s heart was breaking at the ordeal that she felt solely responsible for. Eda swung low so Amity could hop off into the trees before the old witch effortless tossed a fireball at the Grom. Eda landed and prepared to attack the monster herself, when Amity couldn’t take it anymore.
“Rrrrraaarrrgh!” With the aid of a quick spell, Amity flung herself out of the tree and raced to Luz’s side, no thought in her mind but to throw herself between Luz and Grometheus. Luz, what have I put you through? “Stay away from her!”
Shifting its focus to this new interloper, the creature reached out an amorphous tentacle and grabbed Amity by the midsection. Amity didn’t even have the presence of mind to try and cast some kind of spell before her arms were pinned to her sides. Still, her thoughts were only with Luz. “I’m sorry, Luz! I should have fought my own battle! I--” Amity’s next sentence was interrupted when the Grom’s eyes started glowing and her mind was breached.
No! Not...that! Come on, Amity, focus on something else. The Otabin monster, that was scary. The Slitherbeast, the Basilisk, anything but…
Amity’s defenses were useless before the sheer power that was violating her thoughts. Sounding like it was coming from a million miles away, she could faintly hear Luz’s voice calling out in concern for her. Even after being scared out of her mind, her first thought is concern for others. For...me. Like a tracking spell, the invader immediately latched onto the powerful emotions and Amity knew instantly what was about to happen.
Grometheus’ inchoate mass gently lowered her to the ground as it shrunk in size. Amity watched in dread and resignation as it assumed the form that was so incredibly familiar to her, having nearly monopolized her thoughts these past few weeks. It even got the hair right...that tousled wavy style that she manages to pull off perfectly. There’s no way Luz can fail to recognize herself. And now she’ll know...everything.
The not-Luz reached up and placed its hand on Amity’s shoulder in a gesture of familiarity, just as Amity had done to Luz in the hallway earlier. The memory flashed by and Amity knew this one wouldn’t end in the same nearly flirtatious manner.
“Who is that?” Luz’s confused voice came from behind Amity. Is she playing dumb? How can she not… Amity’s attention was brought back suddenly as the form in front of her reached its hand down into the pocket of her dress and removed the simple note she had agonized over for so long.
Wordlessly, the apparition raised the note and simply...tore it in half, discarding the scraps carelessly on the ground. Amity didn’t need to hear its message out loud. What? You? How could you think I would want to go to Grom with you? You’re weak, you can’t fight your own battles. I had to rescue you from Otabin. I had to rescue all of you from the Slitherbeast. I had to rescue you from the Basilisk. I can do magic better than you and I’m not even a “real” witch. I even had to step in and save you from Grom, because you were afraid. You’re not worthy of love. I reject you. I, Luz the human, earnest and forthright and always seeking the best in everyone, can’t find it in you. I reject you. I reject you. I reject you.
Amity glanced wordlessly at the crumpled remains of her carefully worded note on the ground, not even trying to argue against the message. She couldn’t have given Luz the note. She couldn’t face the rejection she knew would come. She reached down and picked up half the note, holding it to her chest. It doesn’t matter anymore. Luz knows. She knows I like her and she knows I only deserve rejection.
Luz appeared in her field of vision, picking up the other half of the note. Uncrumpling it, Amity saw her reading the simple message and braced herself for what would inevitably happen next.
“You were afraid of getting rejected,” Luz slowly explained. From you, Luz. How can you not see that? How can you not recognize yourself, my feelings for you? Luz’s next words, however, Amity never could have seen coming.
“Amity, it’s OK. What if I went to Grom with you instead?”
Instead? Luz, who else could I possibly have been asking? And...what? The rest of Luz’s words, and their meaning, dawned on Amity. “Really?”
“That’s what friends do.” Luz smiled, her earnest smile, her beautiful smile. She...didn’t reject me. She even asked ME to Grom, in a roundabout fashion. Amity closed her eyes and savored the moment, that wonderful feeling of unconditional acceptance.
Then she heard Grometheus growling to the side. Remembering that there was, in fact, a pressing concern brought a look of determination to Amity’s face. The creature was no longer Luz-sized or shaped, but took on the appearance of a giant horror, mouth and teeth and (as befitted its title) fear-inducing.
If Luz still cares for me, if she’d still go to Grom with me, then darn it I can do anything! “Well, if that’s settled, may I have this dance?” What?! Where did that come from? Is that too forward? What am I doing? Amity stretched out her hand, and Luz took it.
Afterwards, Amity couldn’t even begin to say what had happened. The two girls had danced, perfectly in sync with each other somehow, knowing what the other would do before they even knew it themselves. There was closeness, tantalizing proximity to each other, their arms wrapped around each other as their bodies moved together as one to an unheard melody.
At once point Luz spun Amity around in a circle and somehow she used her feet to draw a spell circle (I didn’t even know that was possible!). They rose together on an abomination larger than any Amity had generated since her Power-Glyph-boosted creation at the Covention. Luz fanned out some of her spell glyphs (Was that a coy look in her eyes when she did so?) and Amity dipped her down to slap them on her abomination. The glyph-enhanced creature flung itself towards Grometheus as the two girls leapt off, Luz catching Amity and swinging her around as the plant glyphs activated and an enormous tree sprouted from within the Grom’s innards, scattering bits of it in all directions.
As the witch and the human looked on, both trying to process what had just happened, the infamous Grom Tiara appeared on both of their heads. Together they had defeated the monster, and together they received their rewards.
Luz and Amity looked at each other, still shell-shocked with wonder at what they had done. Luz looked away first, and teasingly asked, “So, who did you want to ask out…?” Amity’s cheeks flushed. Are you being serious with me right now? After THAT dance? How can you think there’s anyone else…
“Oh, it’s...not important.” I got what I wanted, even if I couldn’t work up the courage to actually ask you. And if I did, for real, would your response be the same? She tossed the half of the note she had picked up earlier over her shoulder, removing the incriminating evidence of her crush’s actual name. If that fell out of my pocket and Luz picked it up, that would bring up all sorts of questions that I still don’t know if I’m ready to deal with. A quick circle with her finger behind her back, and the written testimony was summarily incinerated.
Before either of them had time for anything else, the little broken-horned demon appeared next to them announcing their victory. Students appeared from the woods nearby, cheering them. How much had they seen? What is the fallout from this going to be? Amity blushed as the two of them were raised up by a crowd of students and carried away from the cliffside. Luz reached over and briefly took her hand in a comforting manner and everything else was just washed away for the moment.
The remainder of the Grom night was nearly a let-down after the high of their experience together. True to her word, Luz continued to “escort” Amity, getting her a ready-made corsage from Willow (who looked at Amity with a curiously knowing expression), eating snacks together, sitting with Willow and Gus and just laughing and watching the rest of the students.
Luz found the photo booth and immediately had to take some “glamour” shots to be sure she’d never forget the night. I know I’LL never forget this night. Amity sat with Willow and Gus and just enjoyed Luz’s infectious enthusiasm, when Luz suddenly ran to the table and dragged all four of them into the booth for a group picture. Amity couldn’t do anything but blush as her “date” pulled her in, the human’s arm around the witch’s neck, not romantic on Luz’s part but Amity knew this was another part of the evening that would stick with her.
And there was even dancing, though nothing could compare with the experience from earlier. They stuck to the peppy, upbeat numbers, Luz adorably flailing around, showing none of the incredible coordination from before. But she danced with no shame or reservations, simply enjoying the music. Amity was even drawn out enough to sway on the dance floor a little, especially to some of her favorite jams from Maul Picante and Witch in Mauve. But Luz didn’t offer any of the slow dances, and Amity couldn’t steel up her nerves to ask.
Eventually the party wound down, and Amity’s siblings came by to take her away from this enchanting night. A plethora of thoughts ran through Amity’s mind - Could she be expecting a kiss? Is that a normal thing on her world? Should I ask? Could I actually follow through if she said yes? What would that mean? - but with Willow and Gus and Ed and Em looking on, Amity settled on a heartfelt “Thank you” and a tight hug. Maybe she lingered on the hug slightly longer than she needed to, but no one noticed. Probably.
Willow’s dads took Luz and Gus home, Eda having left shortly before to take a sleepy King back to the Owl House. The twins seemed in a dark mood, and Amity realized that both Ed and Em had been stood up. I should have picked up on that earlier, but how could I focus on anything else?
Mother and Father were thankfully nowhere to be found when the siblings arrived back at the Manor. Amity slipped away to her room before the other two could take out their frustrations on her. I don’t want to spoil this night now.
Safely ensconced in her room, Amity took up her favorite position at the windowsill, looking out over the Isles. When she gazed out, the Manor was behind her, and she could pretend for a short time that it didn’t exist. There was only her, and the world. And one particular human, out there somewhere. I wonder how she’s doing tonight. Is she feeling the same as me? Did this night mean as much to her as it did to me? How can we have danced together like that and NOT have something real between us?
Amity held the Grom Tiara in her hands, thinking about it, about everything. It was supposed to be a reward for overcoming her fears. But she hadn’t, actually, had she? I had a wonderful, enchanting night, but I still couldn’t actually work up the courage to let her know how I really feel. She placed the tiara into her private keepsake box, the one she kept hidden from prying eyes and concealed with a number of illusion spells. Maybe the night wasn’t perfect.
But it’s a start.