Chapter Text
The next few days went by quietly, with nothing major happening. Amelia still felt exhausted and fell asleep crying most nights. She had no idea how to cope with this pain. She had no idea what to do with herself to make it hurt at least a little less.
Gwyn tried her best to be there for the kid and cheer her up somehow. She called her outside whenever Amelia wasn’t asleep, and she had some things to do in the garden, and showed her her recipe book to pick something she would’ve liked to eat. Nyx was a big help with keeping the girl occupied: she snuggled with her a lot and kept chirping about something that Amelia couldn’t understand, but found her adorable anyway.
Amelia was grateful for her mom and her tiny palisman for doing everything they could to make her feel better. And she felt so guilty for still not being any more cheerful.
When the girl wasn’t busy with her new little family, she was thinking. She couldn’t get any readier than she already was to see the rest of the Park family. She still looked like shit, but that couldn’t really be changed; the dark circles under her eyes wouldn’t go anywhere anytime soon, not to mention her scars that were… going to stay forever. The Parks were all used to the sight of her; she had hardly ever looked better than this. Only that now… she was more miserable than ever before.
But that’ll probably never change, unless she’s together with her little siblings again. Which wasn’t likely to happen with Odalia in the picture. So she decided she didn’t want to wait any more, and told Wynn she was ready to meet her dads and little Willow.
But she had to discuss that with Gwyn as well.
Amelia was afraid to bring up anything that could’ve potentially sparked an argument, namely because Odalia never allowed her to do anything and never let her have fun. She was reluctant to talk to Gwyn, but also knew it was inevitable. So, after she gathered herself and took a deep breath, she joined her mom in the kitchen, who was doing the dishes.
“Gwyn?” she started quietly, looking at the floor.
“Yes, Witchling?” hearing Gwyn’s cheerful voice, Amelia dared to look up, and her nerves seemed to calm down a bit.
She looked away again before speaking up, “So I want to meet the Parks.”
“Great! I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you. Want me to take you to their place, or are they coming here?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Is it okay if they come here? I’m not really… feeling like leaving the house right now.”
In the past few days, Gwyn didn’t go to work; she thought it was best if she stayed with her kiddo. Another shift was due soon, but Amelia was far more important. So why care about consistency? Gwyn was sure her customers were fine without her for now.
“Of course! We can bake something together if you’re up for it,” Gwyn smiled at her, now all Amelia’s worries vanishing. This woman was so endlessly kind.
“Thank you. When would it be convenient for you?”
“Anytime, Witchling. Whenever they’re free.”
“Okay. Can you give me your scroll? I’ll ask Wynn.”
Gwyn nodded and summoned her scroll to give it to Amelia. The kid typed something quickly, then, after a short chat with her best friend, she looked up at Gwyn again.
“Is tomorrow afternoon good for you?”
“Yes, it is,” Gwyn smiled at the little excited spark in Amelia’s eyes, then turned back to doing the dishes, while asking if she had any ideas for a dessert they could bake.
_._._._._._._._._._
As usual, Amelia woke up later than Gwyn, but earlier than she otherwise would. She was way too excited to meet the Parks.
But she was also nervous. What would she say to them? How will they react to seeing her? Won’t they want to give up on her after seeing how awful she’s doing?
No, obviously not, they weren’t like that. But… the fear was there.
So Amelia wanted to do everything she could to make herself look somewhat presentable. That included washing her face and hair. Unfortunately, she lacked the energy to do it the night before. Willow will come too, after all, and the little kiddo shouldn’t see her like…
This.
Amelia stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, staring at her reflection. She looked… terrible, like nothing had improved during these few days. She still wasn’t able to eat much more than at the beginning, and no matter how much she slept, the dark circles just wouldn’t disappear from under her eyes. Not to mention the redness in them from the constant crying. Then there was her hair. She hadn’t brushed it since Gwyn took her in, half because she didn’t care and half because she didn’t want to ask for the witch’s hairbrush to use it on her unkempt hair. But now it was time for that.
After she took a warm bath and washed her hair, she called Gwyn upstairs. She dried her hair a little with the towel Gwyn gave her, so her dress wouldn’t get too wet. And now she looked like a sea monster.
“Do you need something, Witchling?” the older witch asked once she stepped into the bathroom.
“Can I use your hairbrush?” she was quiet, not looking at Gwyn at all, which was disrespectful, but she was scared of being laughed at for looking the way she did.
“Of course, darling, it’s here in the first drawer.”
Gwyn handed her the brush, Amelia quietly thanked her for it, then she sighed and prepared herself for the pain.
Amelia never had any haircare products, and that was probably the reason it was extremely hard to brush her hair. For a very long time, Odalia did that for her in the most painful way possible. Amelia’s hair got easily tangled since it was wavy, and when her biological mother discovered she could “discipline” her by brushing it way too harshly, she never missed an opportunity to do that. And if Amelia dared to voice her pain in any way, she made it even worse.
Brushing it for herself wasn’t that much better either. Her hair wasn’t really in the best state, given that she was malnourished, so it was weak, dry and brittle. And those tangles… they were awful to brush.
Amelia tried to bring the brush all the way down to the end of her hair, but it got stuck in the middle and made her hiss in pain. Now her hair was even worse than before, since she didn’t brush it.
Gwyn was on her way out of the bathroom when she heard Amelia hiss. She turned back and saw the kid struggling to pull the hairbrush through her hair.
“Let me help,” she stepped closer again, but her smile didn’t soothe Amelia this time.
“N-no, thank you, I can do it myself.”
She desperately tried to prove she could handle it so Gwyn would leave, and she wouldn’t have to relive the pain of someone else doing it. Gwyn was gentle, sure, but if she did secretly hate Amelia like the girl thought she did, this could’ve been the perfect opportunity for her to prove her right.
“I know you can, but it’s unnecessarily painful. However,” she opened a cabinet and grabbed a spray bottle with a purple liquid in it. “I have this lifesaver here. It’s my own creation, a potion to help my hair stay healthy and easier to brush. It makes it smooth like silk. Since my hair is this long, it gets tangled too easily, and I hated to brush it. But I didn’t want to cut it, so I came up with this recipe, and I’m telling you, it works so well. Want to try it?”
Amelia thought for a moment, then nodded, permitting Gwyn.
“Good!”
Gwyn smiled widely and stepped behind Amelia. She sprayed the potion on her hair, which had a nice, sweet smell, then asked for the brush from Amelia. Reluctantly, but she gave it to her.
The older witch held her hair with her left hand and brushed it with the right. She did it slowly and gently, in case some tangles were harder to brush. She smiled to herself, thinking how nice this moment was.
Amelia saw her smile in the mirror and that contented look on her face. Odalia never smiled like that around her.
Then the kid’s eyes wandered back to her own reflection. What did Gwyn see in her that was worth her motherly love? What made Amelia special enough to earn this woman’s kindness?
She was a nobody. She was lost. Traumatised, depressed and suicidal.
But even when she thought no one wanted her, Gwyn welcomed her into her home. And her best friend’s entire family was about to come to visit her. Maybe Odalia was wrong this whole time.
“And we’re done! See, it doesn’t have to hurt.”
“Thanks, Gwyn. It really didn’t hurt at all. Can I use this potion next time?”
“Of course, you don’t even need to ask! Now dry your hair, kiddo, and let me know if you need anything.”
Amelia nodded and waited for Gwyn to close the door to begin drying her hair. She hated that it was green. But she also liked it because it reminded her of Ed and Em. A sad smile appeared on her face as she imagined what they could’ve been up to right now. A wet chuckle escaped her throat, and it took everything in her not to break down crying.
_._._._._._._._._._
The Parks were coming after lunch, and lunch was currently happening. Amelia didn’t usually feel anxious to meet them; they spent a lot of time together after all. But this time was different.
Gwyn tried to keep Amelia upbeat by asking questions about her best friend’s family and things they’ve done together. It seemed to work, and after a while, Gwyn didn’t even need to ask; Amelia just kept talking.
But she wasn’t the only one recalling memories. Little Willow just changed into the dress she chose with Wynn the day before for this exciting occasion. She stood in front of her mirror and twirled to see the skirt float around her. She couldn’t wait to show this dress to Amelia; she hadn’t seen her in this one before.
Willow just wanted to wear something unique, because she really missed Amelia. It’s been so long since they’ve met! But they were going to a new house to see her.
The little girl was more than confused about what was going on. Her dads and sister told her Amelia wasn’t at the manor anymore, and that she had a new mom. But why didn’t Amity and the twins go with Amelia? Why was it just her to leave the manor? And why did she even leave? They love each other so much…
Willow’s first instinct was to think they’d still meet up despite living separately. But that went down the drain almost immediately, when her family asked her to do something that made no sense to her: don’t mention Amelia to her siblings. Willow couldn’t imagine what was happening, but her family looked pretty concerned. So she decided she’d listen to them. They all loved the Blight kids, so this must’ve served their well-being.
When Wynn told her dads Amelia was ready to meet them, they let out a heavy, relieved sigh, and they couldn’t stop themselves from crying a little, either. They cared a lot for their kid’s best friend, who never had an easy life, but they tried to make it better for her to the best of their abilities.
When lunch was over, Amelia went upstairs to check herself in Gwyn’s big mirror. Her hair looked much better now; it already had a shine that wasn’t there before, even after using Gwyn’s potion just once. The dress she borrowed from the older witch was slightly too big for her, but Gwyn said she’d grow into it. Because she wanted to give her this dress, since she wasn’t wearing it anymore anyway, given it no longer suited her. It was a cute dress with colourful waves and sparkles. Amelia liked it a lot.
The girl considered asking for a concealment stone from Gwyn to hide her scars. She usually hid them from the Parks out of habit, but they’ve seen them before. So-
“Amelia! I heard a knock on the door!” Gwyn’s voice from the kitchen made the girl snap her head towards the stairs. It was time.
Amelia walked down the stairs, her heart pumping with nervous anticipation. Gwyn smiled at her, and after sending a small smile of her own, Amelia stood before the door.
She took a deep breath and opened it.
She saw Gilbert lift his hand in front of his mouth, very clearly on the verge of crying; she saw Harvey hug him closer, his own eyes shining with tears. Wynn had her hand on Willow’s shoulder, the little girl smiling widely. Wynn’s own smile was kind and comforting, happy to see her loved ones together again.
The green-haired kid had exactly five seconds to take this sight in.
“Amelia!” the husbands exclaimed almost at the same time, stepping forward to embrace the girl. Amelia sniffled as she felt their arms around her in a protective hug, warmth spreading through her entire body.
They were so obviously worried about her. They loved and cared about her. Amelia knew she’d treasure this moment throughout her whole life, no matter how long - or short - that may be.
“I missed you so much, I couldn’t wait to meet you again!” Willow chirped and rushed to hug Amelia as well, pushing herself inside the group hug.
Amelia held the little girl close with one arm, unable to hold back her tears anymore, “Same here, Wills. I missed you,” she loved Willow like a little sister. She would’ve given her life for her, just as she would've for her siblings.
As they were hugging, Wynn also joined them, and Amelia wished Ed, Em and Amity could be there too. She was happy to have one little sibling there, but she still missed the other three immensely.
Once they broke the hug, both Harvey and Gilbert took a deeper look at Amelia to see what that woman had done to her. And… they wanted to cry even harder while running to grab Odalia’s throat and kill her with their bare hands. Amelia had even more scars now, deep and severe ones. Not to mention those that the eye couldn’t see.
“We’re so happy to see you, Camellia,” Harvey started, once he took a deep breath and cleared his throat.
Gilbert nodded along, then added, “We were so worried about you. And we still are, so if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to let us know, okay?”
“Okay,” Amelia nodded. “Thank you.”
A small smile passed her cheeks, then she remembered someone else had said almost those exact words to her. Someone who was waiting for them inside.
“Come in, I want you to meet Gwyn.”
Without any more words, Amelia turned around and led everyone inside the small house. Gwyn had made four more chairs from abomination, one slightly taller than the others. The lemon cake sat in the middle of the table, a jug of water next to it. And the older witch herself was standing in the middle of the kitchen awkwardly, doing a little wave with her hand.
“Hi, I’m Gwyn-”
“Thank you for saving Amelia and taking care of her,” Gilbert almost exclaimed, not letting Gwyn finish her sentence. That she had no actual idea how to end anyway.
“I’m glad I could help, and I will continue to do so as long as I can,” she replied with a soft smile. “Come inside everyone, make yourselves comfortable!”
To Amelia, the atmosphere felt a little… awkward. And not because Gwyn and the Park dads just met. It was because of her.
Just as well as Wynn, their dads stole worried little glances towards Amelia too. They hadn’t seen her since her life got absolutely shattered, and it was very evident on their faces.
She didn’t want to be the center of this kind of attention, but she was aware that the Park family was just worried about her. And she appreciated the fact that they cared.
“First and foremost…” Gwyn started with a serious expression, but in the next moment, her features turned bright and beaming. “Who wants cake?”
“Me!” Willow exclaimed, looking at the cake in question excitedly.
Gwyn smiled, and with a wave of her finger, six plates and forks flew neatly onto the table in front of everyone. She cut a slice for Willow, and then for everyone else too. But the youngest one in the room didn’t start eating, even though she got her slice first.
“What’s wrong, Saintpaulia?” Harvey asked his younger daughter, trying to understand that little pout on her face.
“Can I sit with Amelia?”
“I think you should ask her,” Harvey said with a smile.
Willow turned to Amelia, who tried her best to look like she was okay.
“Can I sit in your lap?”
“Yes, you can, little one,” despite everything, her smile wasn’t any less warm than before. Willow clapped her hands before climbing down from her chair to go to Amelia. She loved sitting in her lap, the kid was absolutely amazed by her. Besides her family, Amelia was her idol too.
After Willow got comfortable, Harvey and Gilbert shared a look. Then Gilbert spoke up.
“How are you doing, Amelia?”
She knew she’d be asked this. And yet, she had no idea how to answer. She wasn’t going to blurt out everything because Willow was in the room, plus it was hard to talk about. Especially in front of multiple people. But if she’d be too vague, Gwyn would tell the Park dads what they needed to know, so it was probably best if Amelia was the one to say it.
“I’m… not… really doing okay,” she answered slowly, her voice fading away by the end of the sentence.
Gilbert nodded, “We didn’t expect you to be fine after all this.”
His husband put a hand over his, a silent support for both of them. Then, Harvey continued, “But we’re happy that you’re here.”
Amelia’s throat started to ache… a lot. She was holding in her tears the best she could, but some still escaped.
The Park dads wanted her to be here. They were happy that she got out alive. Even if she was still trapped and miserable.
Gwyn kept her eyes on her kid, her expression becoming more and more concerned. She felt like this was her cue to take the mic for a while.
“She looks better now, than she did when I found her. The poor girl didn’t want to accept my help at first, but I’m more than happy that she changed her mind.”
I had no other choice.
Amelia looked down at her hands in her lap, so she missed Gwyn’s smile directed at her. Said smile quickly faded, and this little interaction wasn’t lost on Wynn, like everybody else. They made a mental note to ask about it later.
“Sounds like you were at the right place at the right time,” Harvey added.
“Definitely,” Gwyn noticed how grim the mood was becoming, so she decided to change the subject for now. “How do you like the cake?”
“I love it!”
Willow raised her tiny arms in the air to emphasise her point, earning fond smiles from her family. She pushed the plate away from herself, signing she was done, and started swinging her legs while looking around. She started to get bored.
Which, having three small siblings and knowing Willow, wasn’t lost on Amelia.
“Do you want to draw something?” she asked quietly, her smile tired, but honest.
“Yes!”
Gwyn was mid-sentence about something Amelia didn’t pay attention to, but the older witch still heard them. She cast a spell while talking, and made some paper and the same pencils Amelia used before, appear. Willow got to work after an enthusiastic “Thank you!”, and Amelia turned her attention back to the adults’ conversation.
“...You do seem to be able to take care of her. And if she really wants to stay here, we have nothing against that.”
“Yes, all we want for Amelia is a safe environment. And to be present in her life, as we care about her a lot.”
“Both are granted,” Gwyn smiled softly, then turned towards her kid.
Amelia shot her eyes down, though. She didn’t want to be the centre of attention any longer, even if she knew that was the whole point of this meet-up.
“And, of course, if you need help with anything, you can turn to us.”
“Thank you. Parenting is definitely new to me, but I’ll always try my best. And will probably ask for advice from time to time.”
Amelia could feel her best friend’s glare on her, and when she looked up, she was greeted with an “Are you okay?” look from Wynn. She gave a shrug as a response, trying to be as subtle about it as possible, so the adults wouldn’t notice.
To take her attention from the conversation, Amelia looked down at Willow’s drawing. It wasn’t done yet, but it was definitely going to be a family drawing.
It was bittersweet.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn’t dare to wipe them because then everyone would notice. However, she also didn’t want to mess up Willow’s work. So, Amelia sucked in a breath, closed her eyes for a second and prayed to the Titan to end her misery as soon as possible.
That, though, didn’t come fast enough. The closer Willow got to finishing her drawing, the more it hurt Amelia to see her little siblings and herself in one picture. There were also Gwyn, the Park dads, Willow and Wynn too. Everyone was smiling, holding hands. Even the sun had a face, blessing the drawn figures with its yellow rays.
Amelia knew this would never be real. No matter how much she wanted it to be.
When Willow was done with her drawing, she proudly showed it to Amelia first, then everyone else. Wynn saw the immense sadness in her best friend’s eyes, and wanted to say something so badly, but they also knew a deep conversation between just the two of them was impossible at the moment. That’s why they put a hand on Amelia’s instead, as a sign she was seen and supported.
Since she wasn’t paying attention to the adults, she was surprised to hear them sound like the Park family was ready to leave. Amelia had no idea how long they’d been there.
“Thank you for having us, you have a lovely home,” Gilbert complimented, as he stood from his chair.
“Thank you! Now you know where we live, so you’re free to pop in, whenever you feel like.”
“Will do,” Harvey nodded with a smile, then turned to Amelia who swallowed hard; she wasn’t sure if she was able to speak without exploding into sobs. “It was so nice to see you, Amelia. We’re so glad you’re safe now, and you’re always welcome to visit.”
Amelia muttered a “Thank you”, and smiled weakly, leading the Park family out of the house beside her mom.
“Thank you for the drawing, Willow,” the teenager finally said, ruffling the little one’s hair. “It’s really beautiful.”
Willow smiled sweetly and hugged Amelia, Wynn quickly joining the hug, “I will come by again tomorrow, and we can hang out, just the two of us, if you’d like.”
“Yes, please.”
_._._._._._._._._._
Soon after, Gwyn and Amelia were sitting at the dinner table, eating the freshly baked goods the older witch made right after their guests had left. Amelia was quiet; Gwyn definitely noticed that, and tried to talk to her to see if she was up for a conversation if initiated.
“I had a good time with the Parks. We should hang out with them more in the future!”
In-between two small bites, Amelia hummed in agreement. Not a complete rejection of talking, so Gwyn continued.
“Maybe we could have family movie nights? Would that be fun?”
She only got another hum as a response, accompanied by a quick smile. Gwyn didn’t take it as a total defeat, but she accepted that Amelia probably wasn’t actually up for a conversation.
The kid didn’t really mind her talking; she just didn’t want to be more than a listener. Meeting the Parks after being alone with the older witch for a while exhausted her social skills for the day. And she wasn’t even talking that much.
The attention, however, was on her the entire time, and that was a lot. Whenever that happened, it was for something bad, like making a mistake or simply existing. Amelia didn’t want that anymore. She didn’t want her only feature to be a sad child. She was more than that… right?
Almost immediately, guilt started to bubble to the surface for thinking that her loved ones would reduce her character like that. On top of debating whether they’d be wrong for that.
“I’m going to bed,” Amelia announced, her food unfinished, already on her feet.
She gave one second for Gwyn to stop her, but since she was too surprised by the sudden action, she didn’t say anything. The green-haired girl took that as permission and walked up to the bedroom.
Amelia quickly changed into her pyjamas, and a moment later she was in bed, the blanket pulled right up to her chin. The door was closed, but she could see the light escaping from under it, paired with some faint noises that Gwyn made.
Then the noises stopped, and Amelia could see her new mom sitting at the table alone, while she could be next to her, having a nice conversation. But no, she had to be selfish and leave like that. So rudely, without even asking if it was okay. How was she expecting Gwyn to treat her well if Amelia couldn’t do the same? That just wasn’t fair.
The girl was staring at the wall, once again convinced she’d end up on the streets again. There was no way Gwyn would tolerate her for long. She felt like she took up too much space, yet was too small to cope on her own. She was just a kid, after all. But to Amelia, kid or not, she still put all the burdens on her shoulders to carry.
Gwyn sat on her chair beside the table, a magazine in front of her, opened at the first page. She picked that up a few days before when she was in town, but hadn’t had the chance to read it yet. And it appeared she wouldn’t do that today either, even if she got to the point of opening it.
Gwyn just stared at the pages, her mind travelling somewhere completely different. She had her doubts before, but now they were flooding her brain. She didn’t want to be too much and make Amelia feel like she had to leave to get some peace.
So, the older witch decided to wait until her daughter fell asleep, and then, as quietly as possible, do her own night routine. She was determined to come up with an idea to help the kid, and she might have already thought of a nice way of doing that.