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Chapter Text

There was something about superheroes that made him feel sick. 

Granted with blessings beyond human comprehension, they were a symbol of strength, a picturesque ideal of a superior being. And had they realized the things he had come to learn over the years, perhaps they would have stayed that way. But they didn’t. They never did. So when the blighted crops grew too high, he would find them and cut them down.

And the heroes of Coveren City had grown a bit too much for his tastes.

[ =< | >= ]

When he stepped onto the streets, the crowd fled in terror. He almost smiled at the sight, the stricken faces that turned away as his eyes drifted over them. The way they shuffled away, afraid that turning their backs, even for a moment, would end in their deaths. His mask, reminiscent of a creature that no longer roamed the Earth, was fearsome enough, but the true source of terror was much more than that. Like the Greek god Phobos, his very being emanated a fear-inducing aura. 

“Who are you?”

As his electric blue eyes landed on the newcomer, his lips stretched in a way that could only just barely described as a smile. “Ah, a hero. How fortunate, I am in dire need of one. Please, entertain me.”

“The hell does that mean?” Beneath an emerald mask, equally green eyes flashed in anger. “I asked you a question.”

He held his mask in one hand as he unclasped it. “It is one that I feel no need to answer. You will understand eventually.” The hero’s form blurred, closing the gap between the two in a heartbeat. “I am the one thing that you can never flee from... no matter how swiftly you may run.”

Green eyes widened as they looked upon his face. The hero fell to the ground, screaming and thrashing uncontrollably. He allowed her to writhe for a few more moments before donning the mask once more, allowing the hero to break free of the nightmare. He reached down, grabbed the hero by her collar, and tore the mask off of her face. 

“The only thing you hide behind your mask is the fact that you are human. I now reveal your true nature to the world.” He crushed the mask underfoot, the plastic easily cracking beneath his boot. With the hero in his grip, he set for the town hall. The building would hold the heart of the city. The perfect place to burn the diseased crops.

Three heroes resided in this city. One hung from his fist, still trembling from the visions he had inflicted upon her. The remaining two confronted him on the steps of the town hall, having somehow discerned his destination. But it was of little consequence.

He flung the one in his grasp towards the pair, forcing one of them to catch her lest she injure herself further on the marble steps. With his hands free, he reached up to unclasp his mask once more. The heroes, to their credit, reacted quickly despite being shocked by both his actions and the state of the first hero. The larger of the two charged him, roaring as he ran. But brute strength is meaningless in the face of fear. Just by locking eyes, he managed to instill enough fear to cause the hero to lose balance. The hero tumbled down the steps before crashing into the ground, broken. 

But he had made a mistake. Having assumed that the third hero would flee with the unconscious one, he was left unprepared for the sudden assault from behind. And to his misfortune, it appeared that the third hero was the most skilled of the trio. With a blinding array of attacks composed of both ice and physical blows, she managed to keep him off balance for a few moments. But her fate was sealed when he finally managed to claw his mask off. There was a moment of silence, as the hero tried to fight off the wave of terror rising within her, but it was futile. She joined her partner on the ground, writhing like her fellow hero had been, not ten minutes prior. 

He was swift to unmask the pair, leaving them on the town hall steps in the same state as their compatriot. The greatest heroes of this era, unmasked and broken. He stifled the sense of pity that arose within him, replacing it instead with disgust. 

Had they understood, this all could’ve been avoided. But they didn’t understand. They never did. And perhaps they never would. But that didn’t change his job. When the blighted crop grew too high, he would be there to cut it down. And when the disease spread too far, he would be there to burn it. 

Chapter Text

“How disappointing. I had thought you knew better than that. There is nothing to be found in that filthy bookstore that you couldn’t possibly find in the family library.”

Amity raised her fork to her mouth, eating calmly despite the lecture she had just been given. She didn’t think she deserved it in the slightest. All she had done was visit a bookstore to unwind after attending her father’s business meeting, yet here she was, once again subject to her mother’s cutting words. She glanced at her father, who seemed to have disassociated himself from the ‘conversation’. He ate mechanically, uncaring eyes gliding around the room, but never landing on Amity or her mother. Alador Blight didn’t concern himself with what his daughter did as long as she didn’t fall behind on her responsibilities or soil the family name, but that didn’t mean he would raise even a finger to help her. She turned her gaze back to her disappointed mother.

The first time her mother had lectured her, Amity had been heartbroken. Her older siblings, Edric and Emira, had been disowned just two months prior for reasons unknown, and after weeks of dreadful silence around the manor she had finally admitted to her parents that she felt lonely. But if she had been expecting consolation, or even an explanation, she was just as disappointed as her mother. The words she heard that day were not ones she would ever forget, and now, nine years later, she knew better than to expect something as soft as sympathy from her parents. Blights do not show weakness. 

“I am sorry you feel that way, mother. I shall endeavor to avoid making the same mistake in the future.” Amity replied, keeping her voice monotone to hide any traces of her anger. It was a skill she had an unfortunate amount of practice in. As was knowing exactly what her mother wanted to hear. “I see now that my prolonged stay in the city was unnecessary.”

There was a flicker of suspicion in Odalia Blight’s eyes, but thankfully she didn’t bother pursuing the topic. “I imagine you do. Dismissed.”

With her plate still more than half full, Amity placed her utensils down and rose to her feet. A spark of annoyance passed through her, but she quickly suppressed it. If her past experiences were anything to go by, her mother had done that for the sole purpose of provoking her, and Amity knew better than to react. With a quick bow in her parents’ direction and a nod of acknowledgment to the servants clearing her plate, she left the dining hall, pointedly ignoring the cold glare drilling into the back of her head. 

Unfortunately, her hunger wasn’t as easily ignored as her mother’s animosity. Amity groaned as she twisted and turned in her bed. Sleep would be near impossible with this nauseatingly empty feeling in her stomach. It wouldn’t have been this bad if she hadn’t also been forced to skip lunch to attend her father’s meeting with the company’s board of directors earlier that afternoon, a fact that her mother had most certainly been aware of when she had dismissed her daughter from the dinner table. 

That cruel, wretched, miserable...

As the list of adjectives grew longer, the shadows cast by the pale moonlight began to climb the walls, responding to her building agitation. Creeping tendrils of darkness enveloped her room, until suddenly a burst of rage overwhelmed her. With no other outlet for her frustration, Amity slammed her fist against her pillow repeatedly, not stopping until she used up the scant amount of energy she had left. She sank, facedown, into her bed, taking slow, deep breaths against the soft material of her pillow. A few minutes of silence found her calm and the shadows unmoving.

She turned her head, eyeing the stuffed fox sitting on her nightstand. It was the last gift the twins had given her before leaving the manor, and despite how annoying her siblings could be, the fox was very dear to her. “What do you think? What should I do?” 

Unsurprisingly, it didn’t respond. Amity blinked. 

“Titan, help me, I’m so hungry, I’ve lost my mind.” She pressed her hands against her face. “That’s it. I’m sick of this. I’m finding something to eat.”

Had it been an option, Amity would have preferred to eat in the manor. The kitchen would still have plenty to eat, and the food, prepared by skilled chefs from all over the nation, was always as healthy as it was delicious. But the kitchen was also heavily monitored by said chefs, and just in case that wasn’t enough, a vast array of security cameras. Forget the kitchen, Amity wouldn’t make it two steps outside of her room without her mother hearing about it. Which left only one option: the city.

With her mind made up, Amity rose to her feet and stepped into her closet to find a more casual outfit. The formal dress she had worn to attend dinner would draw unwanted attention in the city, and frankly, it would be beyond uncomfortable to walk in. 

As she quickly changed into a pale blue sweater and a pair of gray jeans, she eyed the large, black cloak hanging from the back of her closet door. She knew that she didn’t have the energy nor mindset necessary to ‘play hero’ tonight, but the sheer amount of confidence and power it brought… it was tempting to say the least. But she had other things on her mind right now, namely finding a place where she could eat without being reported to her parents or chased out for being a Blight. As she went to exit the closet, she remembered the beginnings of rain outside her bedroom window. She quickly selected a rain jacket from its hanger and pulled it on. 

She hesitated again as she passed her desk, noticing her phone resting face down on the wooden surface. Her mother hadn’t mentioned how she had known where her daughter had spent her evening, but Amity had a strong suspicion that it had to do with her phone. Probably a tracker of some sort. But as much as she wanted to avoid getting trouble again, there was something worrying about the idea of entering the city without the familiar weight of her phone in her pocket. But eventually, familiarity was outweighed by freedom, and she left it in its place on her desk. Besides, she had other ways to save herself from dangerous situations. She raised her hand, watching as shadows spiraled between her fingertips. Perhaps far more efficient ways than her phone had been. 

Locking her bedroom door, she crossed her room and quietly inched her window open. There was a small, mostly dry ledge on the outside of the wall, and that was where she perched as she gently slid the window closed. A tendril of shadow crept its way up the frame, locking it behind her. Amity smiled. While she could easily unlock it the same way when she returned, no one in the manor would know that. A window locked from the inside would immediately be dismissed as a possible escape route, allowing her to use the same method in the future. Assuming, of course, that anyone even noticed she was gone. 

Amity turned, facing the two-story drop before her. It wasn’t terribly high, but it also wasn’t a drop she could walk away from without a scratch. Fortunately, the manor grounds were in no shortage of darkness. With a moment of concentration, a vine-like shadow rose from the gardens beneath her ledge. She carefully stepped onto it, arms at her sides to maintain her balance. She allowed it to carry her, much like how she imagined a surfer would ride a wave, until she reached the boundary fence. Hopping over the fence was hardly a problem, especially when there was another shadow waiting to catch her and deposit her on the ground. With one last glance back to the distant manor she began to walk towards the city lights. 

If only for tonight, she was free.

[=< | >=]

Even while raining, the city was beautiful. Sure, most of the buildings were far from fancy and the smell of soaked asphalt wasn’t the most pleasant of scents, but there was something genuine about it all. You could see the city for what it was, both good and bad. Her room at Blight Manor was elegantly designed and smelled delightfully like strawberries, but like the rest of the building, it was all a facade, meant to distract from the lack of true beauty within it. The city, however, had no such qualms with revealing what it was. 

With some kind of pastry in hand and a collection of napkins in the other, she ducked out from under the awning of the cafe she had bought it from and ran to the convenience store across the street, dodging cars and holding back her laughter as she tried her best to save her food from the water. With her jacket hood preventing her from getting too wet, she stayed outside the store for a bit longer than necessary, before grabbing onto the slick door handle and entering. She stood by the door, dabbing at her face with the spare napkins she had brought. She took the moment of respite to wander through the store, eating as she walked. She had never been in a convenience store before, though she had examined several through the large windows they typically had. She found the variety of miscellaneous products interesting. Most of the stores her family and their servants frequented were highly specialized, selling top quality products of a certain category, but containing little outside of their area of expertise. It was supposedly a sign of high class, but Amity just found it bothersome. Why go to ten different stores when you could get everything from just one or two? 

As she glanced over a crate of brightly colored stuffed animals, she couldn’t help but want to buy a souvenir of sorts, to commemorate her first solo venture into the city, but as interesting as the convenience store was, she didn’t think it would be the best place to buy one. She could always find another store. 

With her curiosity more or less satisfied, she left the store. She strolled down the puddle-laden street, crossing the street whenever something caught her interest. But to her dismay, she began to realize that her trip was becoming fairly repetitive. The stores began to blend together and the streets were beginning to look identical. And as she could count the number of times she had entered the city on one hand, she knew she lacked knowledge regarding the highlights it contained. She silently promised herself that she would do a bit more research in the future, but there was little she could do about it while in the city, especially without her phone. 

But there was one thing she had yet to see, and lucky for her, it was something that didn’t require an intimate knowledge about the city. She began sprinting until she found a collection of especially tall buildings. Checking to see if anyone was on the streets around her, she quickly ducked into the nearest alley. It was narrow, with barely enough room for her shoulders to fit, but it would suffice. She walked until the exit was far enough away that any people passing by wouldn’t be able to see her without actually entering the alleyway. There were plenty of shadows around her, and with just a bit of concentration,  she began to rise. She kept her balance by occasionally leaning against the surrounding walls. She could usually maintain balance with her shadows, but she chose not to for the sake of speed. By the brief glance she had gotten, she guessed that the building was around twenty to thirty stories tall, and rising safely to that height would have taken forever. And since she planned on getting at least a couple hours of sleep tonight, she didn’t have much time to spare. 

A couple minutes later, Amity sat down on the edge of the roof, letting her legs swing against the side of the building. She pushed her hood back and angled her head towards the sky, letting the cool rain fall against her face and wash away her stress. Though her time exploring the city had ended not long after she had finished eating, Amity could hardly complain when the rain brought such peace and quiet to the hectic city. She peeked down to the street, over twenty stories below, and found that it was still surprisingly empty. Cars still covered every inch of the roads, but not a single person walked beside them. Sure, she had checked before entering the alley, but she had expected there to at least be a few people. Once again, she contemplated how a little bit of rain had made the city so peaceful. But her pondering didn’t last very long. Dizzied by the height, Amity was forced to pull her gaze away from the street.

Instead, she slowly leaned backwards until she was lying flat against the roof. Her back dipped into a cold puddle, soaking the ends of her sweater that weren’t protected by her jacket, but Amity didn’t mind. For a moment, she just watched as rain plummeted from the sky, splashing against the metal roof and forming smaller puddles around her. Her mind began to drift away as she allowed herself to be absorbed into the steady drumming of raindrops. 

“Hiya!”

Amity’s eyes shot open as she bolted upright. She had been so mesmerized by the rainfall that she hadn’t even noticed anyone approaching, and the shock sent her heart racing. But in her startled state, she failed to realize how precarious her own position was until it was too late. Her hands clawed against the slick metal, but failed to find enough friction to slow her. Amity’s throat locked up in fear as her momentum carried her over the side of the roof. 

Time seemed to slow as she fell, leaving her in a surprisingly clear state of mind. It would take about six seconds for her to hit the ground. As much as Amity loathed math, she was fairly good at it, and her numerous lessons in physics had seen to it that she could calculate her remaining lifespan as she fell, though it was feat that amazed even her. If she had been falling back down the alley, or there hadn’t been so many car lights below her, she could have called the shadows to rise and catch her as she fell. But the street below her was brightly lit and lacked any shadows large enough to reach her. Her powers were completely useless. Much to her dismay, with nothing else to do, her mind turned to self-accusations. All in the disappointed tone of her mother. If she had been paying attention, she wouldn’t have been startled. If she had been a bit more careful, she wouldn’t have fallen. If she had thought to use the shadows a bit sooner, she could have clung to the roof with them. But it was much too late for—

A hand wrapped around Amity’s wrist, and she latched onto it instinctively. 

The force of slamming into a metal wall snapped her out of her hyperactive thought process. The impact loosened her hold on her savior’s wrist, but thankfully, their strength more than made up for her weakened grip. But still, Amity fought past the paralyzing panic racing through her veins and reached up to grasp onto her savior with both hands. She kept her eyes clenched tight as she did so, knowing that if she opened them, she would be tempted to look down. She wasn’t sure if she could keep her cool if she looked down again, so soon after falling. It wasn’t until a second hand wrapped itself around her wrists that she looked up, confused. 

Amity was met with a bizarre sight. Rather than hanging from the edge of the roof like she had expected them to be, her savior was standing on the wall, completely parallel to the ground. Amity’s mouth opened to ask how, but she failed to find her voice. She averted her eyes as she closed her mouth in shame. Though they had no way of knowing Amity was the Grim Reaper, she still found it embarrassing to be so shaken by the fall. The Reaper of Coveren was supposed to be a figure that inspired fear, not one that displayed it. 

Amity’s admonishing was cut short as her savior swung her up into the air, before easily catching her in both arms. 

“Sorry about that, it was getting kinda hard to hold on.” Her savior said. Perhaps noticing the way Amity’s eyes drifted to the streets again, she added.  “Oh, and you might want to focus on something other than the drop.”

Amity did just that. Tearing her eyes from the pavement below, she instead turned her gaze to the person who had saved her. Now, it had registered somewhere in her mind that her savior was a girl, probably no older than Amity herself, but her heart had been racing much too fast from the fall for her to calmly think about anything. But now that she was relatively safe, she noticed the fact alongside two, painfully obvious details she had somehow missed: her savior was dressed like a superhero, and if Amity wasn’t hallucinating, she was also glowing. 

“D’you want me to put you down in the alley?”

Amity nodded absently, still surprised by the revelation. Logically speaking, she supposed it made sense. Only someone with superpowers could possibly stand on the side of a building and catch her from falling. The glowing was probably a side effect of some sort, which only further confirmed her theory, not that it needed any confirmation in the first place. 

But there hadn’t been any superheroes in Coveren City for five years. Until she debuted just over a month ago, Coveren had been fully reliant on their police department.

Amity’s eyes travelled over her costume before landing on the hero’s mask. It was a pale shade of blue with streaks of white, and covered the top half of her face while leaving part of her nose and her entire mouth open to air. Unlike the stiff plaster that composed her skull mask, hers seemed to be made of lightweight plastic, which admittedly, was probably a lot more comfortable than her own.

“Am I the first superhero you've seen?” 

Amity blinked, suddenly realizing that she had been staring. And for quite a while too.

Amity nodded slowly. “But Coveren has one though, the—”

“Grim Reaper, right? It’s a pretty cool name, kinda scary, but still cool. Doesn’t really inspire a sense of safety though, does it?” 

Amity frowned. Hero or not, she didn’t enjoy being interrupted. She didn’t really appreciate the comment about her name either. The Grim Reaper wasn’t supposed to make people feel safe. While she didn’t protect other people directly, her very name ensured their safety by discouraging people from committing crimes. She told the hero as much, though for obvious reasons she didn’t mention that it was her name they were discussing. 

By the time Amity finished, they were standing in the alley. She looked up, half-expecting to see that the hero had tuned her out. After all, from her point of view, Amity might as well have been a fangirl, ranting about her favorite characters and the intricacies of their design. But much to her surprise, there was a definite look of interest in the hero’s golden brown eyes.

“I guess I’ve never thought of it that way.” She admitted. “To me, being a hero was always about the people. Protecting them and inspiring confidence. I fight crime and stuff to keep them safe. I never thought about fighting crime for the sake of stopping crime.”

She looked upon Amity with an obvious hint of amusement. “But clearly you have. You must really like superheroes if you’ve given this much thought into it.”

Up until that moment, Amity had been listening intently, eager to understand how her fellow superhero had seen their job. Which was why she was so badly thrown off by the teasing that followed. She found herself at a loss of words as her mind scrambled for ways to convey her indignation. But as she failed to come up with even a single retort, a bright shade of red crept onto her face. Without a word, she turned on her heels. She exited the alleyway quickly, despite being grateful for the darkness it provided. She was just defending her role as the Grim Reaper! How dare she tease her for it!

“Wait up!” 

Amity broke into a run as the footsteps behind her drew closer, but much to her chagrin, the hero was faster. And apparently, she was also an acrobat. 

She leapt clean over Amity’s head with a surprisingly graceful aerial flip and what Amity thought was an unnecessarily dramatic three-point landing. She rose to her feet and crossed her arms, pouting. “That was just mean. Why didn’t you wait for me?”

“How—”Amity quickly masked her surprise. It wouldn’t do to let the hero see how amazed she had been, though honestly, Amity couldn’t even imagine attempting to copy what she had just seen. Maybe if she used her shadows as a springboard… but that wasn’t important right now. She mimicked the hero’s pose, crossing her arms while meeting golden brown eyes with a glare. “You don’t get to scare me off the side of a building, and then tease me.”

“I didn’t scare you off the side of that building!”

Amity stared at her with an unamused expression.

“Okay… maybe I did.” She admitted. “But I caught you, didn’t I? Doesn’t that get me any redemption points?”

Amity blinked. Redemption points? “You’re a strange one, you know that?” 

“Of  course!”

Amity almost laughed, both amused and drained by the hero’s zeal. Though she had to admit, as a wave of exhaustion finally overcame her adrenaline rush, she was beginning to lean more towards drained than amused. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have time for this. I have to be home soon if I’m going to get any sleep.”

“Aw, really?” The hero asked sadly. 

“Yes.” Amity answered. 

“Okay then. Are you going to call a ride? I could wait until it gets here.”

Amity shook her head. “I don’t have my phone on me.”

The hero flinched. “Why not? Walking around at night without a phone is dangerous.”

Amity winced. That was a subject that she didn’t want to broach. “I didn’t feel like it.”

“That’s no reason to be out at night without a way to call for help.” She wore an  unexpectedly serious expression for someone with such a playful attitude. The frown on her face almost bordered on angry, and the expression was only enhanced by the reddish tinge of her brown irises. Amity was almost positive that her eye color had been golden earlier. Was that part of her ability? 

Amity held her gaze for a few moments before looking away with a sigh. 

“Last time I took my phone into the city with me, my mother tracked it and I got in trouble. I didn’t feel like making the same mistake again.”

The hero’s eyes widened in disbelief, and the heavy atmosphere faded away so quickly that it left Amity wondering if she had only imagined the tension. “Seriously? Yeesh, that must be terrible.”

“It is.”

A long silence drew out between the pair. Amity sighed. Silence didn’t usually bother her, and this hero had been the cause of this mess in the first place, but she didn’t deserve animosity. She had even listened while Amity ranted about the Grim Reaper and hadn’t judged her, though she did tease her a little. The least Amity could do now is break the silence she had caused.

Amity looked up to address the hero. “So, do you have a name I can call you?”

She blinked. “I wear a mask for a reason, you know? I can’t just go around giving my name out to everyone who asks.”

Amity couldn’t help a small laugh. “No, I didn’t mean your real name, most superheroes have a public name, don’t they?”

The hero brightened. “Ah, of course! Let’s see... strangely enough, I never actually came up with my own name. But the last city I was in called me Et—” she paused. “Actually, you know what? I think I’ll see what they call me here instead of bringing back my old name. ‘New city, new me’ and all that.”

Amity raised an eyebrow. “You know I can probably just search you up online? They’re probably aren’t many superheroes as—”

“Dashing?” She offered. Amity scoffed.

“I was going to say ‘eccentric’” She corrected. “But now I’m beginning to lean towards pretentious.”

“Very funny.” The hero grumbled. “Beyond funny, absolutely hysterical.”

“Thank you.” Amity replied dryly. 

“So, do you know the way back to your apartment?”

The question caught Amity off guard, something the masked hero seemed to excel at doing. “Apartment?”

“Yeah, if you’re not going to call a ride, I at least want to make sure you get home alright. If you don’t mind, that is.” The hero added hastily. “I know I’m a stranger and all, and you probably don’t want me to know where you live.”

Amity thought about it for a bit. The hero didn’t seem to know who she was, and in that case, Amity was in no hurry to tell her. People who knew she was a Blight tended to end up hating her, which was fitting, she supposed. It was in the name after all, she was a disease upon the land. Even if the hero never connected Amity to the Blight name, she’d most definitely be curious as to why Amity lived in a mansion. Just knowing that Amity’s family was rich would probably change the way the hero acted around her, and Amity was just as loath to have the hero act stiffly around her as she was to have her know that she was a Blight.

“Thanks, but I think I’ll go home on my own this time. But I’m a little new to this city, so if you could show me to…” She pulled out the receipt she had gotten for her pastry earlier that night. “This cafe, that would be great.”

The hero checked the receipt. “Morton’s Mochas? I’ve been there before, it’s a pretty neat place.” She looked around to get her bearings. “And I’m about ninety percent sure it’s that way. Let’s go!”

With her guide in front, Amity made her way through the city for a third time. Her night had gone very differently than she had planned, not that she had much of a plan in the first place, but she had to admit that it had been far more fun than it would have been on her own. 

And after a brief farewell in front of the cafe, Amity parted ways with the hero and set off back to Blight Manor.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Amity found herself sitting against the back wall of her closet. The overhead lights were off for the sake of her tired eyes, and the only source remaining came from the small gap beneath the closed door. Her hands ran along the edges of her Grim Reaper mask and her gaze was focused on the black cloak hanging on the door, but neither object truly registered. Her mind was completely preoccupied by the cheerful hero she’d met last night.

Everyone who’s met a superhero has had questions they wanted to ask. 

‘Who are they?’

‘What can they do?’

People who study superheroes in depth may even ask ‘Why did they choose to become one?’

As a superhero herself, Amity knew that there were limits on the answers she could receive. And as desperately as media outlets tried, no amount of needling or questioning would change that. But there was one question that she desperately needed answered.

How?

Just how can someone watch over the city, night after night, and still smile so genuinely?

Despite being new to Coveren, the hero had hinted at a past in another city. While Amity hadn’t been serious about researching her, she wouldn’t have been surprised if the girl had been a hero for much longer than Amity had. And yet for some reason, the hero had seemed much happier than Amity ever had. 

Since that night two months ago when the Grim Reaper first appeared on the streets of Coveren, Amity had been tempted on several occasions to don the mask again. It was a symbol of power, strengthened and deepened by centuries of myths and legends. Simply wearing it had given Amity such an incredible rush of adrenaline, that she couldn’t help looking at it longingly whenever she entered her closet. Being a superhero truly was one of the greatest feelings in the world.

But there was an innate risk that comes with wearing the mask. Just like how a foreign standard signified an enemy in the midst of war, her mask was a target for any criminals residing in the city. With no formal combat training of any sort, Amity was fully reliant on her ability. And if the other night had taught her anything, it was that being overly reliant on her gifts was dangerous. Fatal, even. 

Add to everything, the effect that five years without superheroes had had on improving the Coveren City police force, and outside of any drastic events that could only be solved with her unique abilities, there was no need for the Grim Reaper’s presence. The risks simply outweighed the benefits.

Which is why Amity had to know that hero’s secret. Why she wanted to know what motivated her. And that meant Amity had to visit the city again. 

While her disappearance last night had gone unnoticed by her family and house staff, the look of utter exhaustion on her face as she entered the dining hall was difficult to miss, even for parents as neglectful as Amity’s.

Learning from her previous mistake, Amity ate quickly, though not hastily enough to be considered improper. That would most certainly have resulted in a tedious lecture, and possibly another skipped meal. She took a brief moment to appreciate the delicious food that had been placed before her. The pastry she ate last night had been tasty and quite impressive for a cafe of that size, but it just didn’t measure up to a full meal prepared by a world-class chef. Amity would be surprised if anything really could.

 As she ate, she observed her mother out of the corner of her eye. A small frown rested on her face, accompanied by a slight crinkle between her eyebrows. Disappointment. Again. 

“Were you not able to have a restful sleep last night?” 

Amity gave a slight nod. 

“And what was so important that you had no choice but to present yourself before your parents in such a,” Odalia Blight flicked her hand, gesturing towards Amity in an effortlessly condescending manner. “disgraceful state?”

Amity didn’t allow any of her uneasiness to show. Events like these had taught Amity to prepare a series of supportable excuses before any meeting with her parents. She had dedicated a good part of her morning crafting this one, in preparation for this very moment. “I was up late reviewing the notes I took during father’s meeting with the board.”

At the mention of the company, Alador looked up from his plate, curiously observing Amity. “Did anything draw your attention?”

Amity turned her attention to her father. When it came to company matters, Odalia was the least informed of the Blight family. Amity’s energy would be better spent convincing her father with facts and observations, rather than satisfying her mother with ornate words. 

Amity took a second to gather her thoughts, grateful that she had taken such thorough notes the day before. “While I am still young, I am the heiress of the family company and have been studying extensively to meet the company's needs. I had expected a certain amount of respect from the board, even if only for the family name I carry and the position I will hold in the future, but I was dismayed to realize that many on the board of directors had respect for neither. If not dealt with immediately, this could lead to conflicts regarding my ability to lead in the future.”

Alador nodded thoughtfully, seemingly in agreement with her words. “And how do you plan to change that?”

Amity responded with a sharp nod of her own. “I wish to begin a long-term project of sorts, even before I assume a role in the company. The magnitude of it would reassure the board of my serious intent as heiress, and consistent, precise updates throughout should prove my skill and dedication even before the project’s conclusion.”

“Have you decided the contents of your project?”

Amity hesitated. Though she would never mention it, Amity had a feeling that her project would somehow involve the hero she met the day before. Her kind and cheerful nature would discourage claims of corruption and bribery, which would allow them to work together without risking the reputations of both the company and the hero herself. As much as Amity hated the idea of potentially using the hero, if handled properly, she could ensure that the hero isn’t taken advantage of. But she wouldn’t involve the hero until absolutely necessary. 

“Unfortunately, I only have a vague idea of what my project may entail. As you know, the company’s public approval rating is rather low. I wish to improve it, but I have yet to actually solidify any details.” 

Alador shook his head. “It's still an admirable venture, Amity. The meeting was only yesterday. You’ve done well in such a short time.”

Amity blinked. Had she just been praised? She couldn’t remember the last time either of her parents had spoken highly of her. It simply wasn’t the way they operated. Her mother criticized and her father ignored. That was how things were, and yet, “Thank you, father.”

Waving aside the hazy sense of elation she felt, she decided to push her luck a bit. “I was hoping to spend some time in the city on a regular basis, to familiarize myself with the situation.”

When her mother opened her mouth to speak, Amity’s heart sank. There was no way her mother would approve. Amity could already see the disdain in her expression. But her father spoke first. 

“Very well. Make sure to return before sundown.”

The look of distaste in Odalia’s eyes was replaced by outrage as she swung her gaze to meet her husband’s. Amity could almost see the silent argument her parents were holding, her mother burning with fury while her father was cold and aloof. For a moment, Amity just watched, paralyzed by the scene. But when she came to her senses, she quickly excused herself, leaving the dining hall before her mother ordered her back or her father changed his mind. Once out, she rushed to her bedroom and threw herself into her closet. As she changed, she deliberated over what had just happened. Her mother’s disappointment, her father’s pride, and the most surprising of them all, the argument that had nearly occurred between them. In all her years in Blight Manor, she had never seen her parents so much as raise an eyebrow at each other, much less glare like they had earlier. She began to wonder what that could mean for the family, but she pushed those thoughts aside. She knew already that nothing would change. Disowning the twins had severely damaged her parents’ reputations. Any animosity between the two would only injure their public image further, and that would be unacceptable for both. Things would stay the same as they are now, if only for the sake of maintaining reputations.

Amity also noticed another detail. Given that Odalia hadn’t confronted Amity for last night’s venture, it was safe to assume that the tracking device was in her phone, not hidden somewhere in her clothes or on her person. So once again, she left it behind as she exited her room, though this time she left through the door and not the window. She had gotten her father’s approval, after all. 

[=< | >=]

The first thing Amity did in the city was find the bookstore. She knew that it was a bit petty for her to go out of her way to find the same one her mother had reprimanded her for, but she couldn’t deny that it made her happy to know that her mother couldn’t do anything now. Only Amity would know what she did today, and she intended to make the most of it. 

Much to Amity’s frustration, with its vast array of fantasy novels and comic books, Piniet’s Bestsellers didn’t have much in the way of Coveren City’s history. Setting down the books she had gathered, Amity walked up to the front desk, but found it empty. She rung the small bell that rested on its surface, and waited. 

Moments later, a hand pushed aside the curtains hanging in the back of the shop and a head poked out, searching for the person who’d rung the bell. Recognizing his customer, the storeowner’s eyes widened in surprise and he scrambled to the front desk, introducing himself with a bow. “Greetings, I am Piniet. How may I help you, Lady Amity?”

Amity raised an eyebrow. While she knew for a fact that her bloodline could be traced back to nobility, a fact that her mother would mention whenever possible, Amity had never been referred to as ‘lady’ before. It was such a formal and elegant way to be addressed, but as much as she wanted to hate anything given to her by the Blight name, she had to admit that the title certainly didn’t hurt her confidence. 

With her head raised a little higher, Amity answered Piniet. “Where can I find books regarding the history of Coveren, or better yet, the history of heroes in general.”

“History?” For a second, Piniet looked scandalized. However, the expression was quickly masked. “Whyever would you wish to read about history? I’ve one of the greatest assortments of bestselling novels available here for your leisure, Lady Amity. I have yet to hear of a history textbook achieving such a status.” He added with a scoff.

“Nevertheless, a history book is precisely what I am seeking. My reasons are my own, not to be freely given to any who ask. Are you to help me or not?” Maybe Amity was getting a bit too drawn into the role of a noble lady, but as someone raised in a formal environment, she refused to be outdone when it came to a fancy vocabulary. Besides, outside of a Shakespearean play, or something to that effect, when would she get to use such unnecessarily regal language? 

Piniet blinked. Twice. Amity hesitated. Had she gone too far with the formal wording? She was instantly glad that the rest of the store was empty. If Piniet called her out, she would have been significantly more embarrassed if there was an audience. But thankfully, he seemed to accept her words.

“My apologies, Lady Amity. As far as I am aware, what you seek should be in the library of Hexside Academy.” 

With a curt nod, Amity left the shop. She took a deep breath of the cool air outside. As entertaining, and stressful, as that had been, Amity wasn’t sure if she would be returning to the store any time soon, if ever.

While Coveren did have a public library, as sanctioned by national law, the largest collection of books within the city’s boundaries was owned by Hexside Academy. Having received countless donations from both prospective companies and alumni alike, the school was far more prestigious than any she had ever heard of. Amity even suspected that if her education hadn’t been completely dependent on tutors, this was where she would have gotten it. So that was where Amity went. 

Since it was a Sunday, Amity had half-expected that the school would be closed, but much to her surprise, not only was the school still open, students were still wandering the grounds. The casual atmosphere was so unlike the frenzy of a highschool that if she hadn’t known any better, she would’ve thought she had accidentally wandered into a college campus. Appearance-wise, it was as if someone had scooped up Blight Manor and placed in the middle of the city. The columns surrounding the building was nearly identical to those around the manor, as were the doors and windows. There was even a small park in front of the school and several groups of students sat on picnic blankets scattered throughout, chattering with each other as they ate lunch.

As she took everything in, Amity couldn’t help but wish she had attended Hexside. It was so much more lively than the hall she had studied in, and people smiled and laughed freely. If this trip had been about enjoying her freedom, which in a way it was, this place would have been the highlight of her adventure. But she couldn’t stay here forever, she had other places to be. Amity allowed herself to enjoy it for a few more moments, before setting off to find the library.

Despite looking eerily like a larger version of Blight Manor, Amity soon realized that the interiors were nothing alike. She would have asked someone for directions, except Blights were never supposed to ask for help. Her mother called it a sign of weakness, though Amity thought that to be a rather idiotic policy. But when she did manage to find someone to ask, she quickly discovered that being a Blight also meant that no one would be willing to help her. People turned and walked in the opposite direction whenever they saw her. 

Amity steeled herself, not allowing any of her frustration show. With renewed determination, she strolled through the hallways displaying a confident face. While she may not know where she was going, she was certainly going to get there quickly. Her path took her near a stairwell and she slowed to a halt as something caught her eye. Fire escape plans. While the routes displayed there were of little use to her and the only labels were room numbers, it was a map of the entire academy, and if the information Piniet had given her was right, the library was probably one of the larger rooms. 

Sure enough, not five minutes later, Amity stood at the center of the library, taking in row after row of messily organized shelves. Even the library back at the manor didn’t have this many books. She quickly located the section labelled ‘HEROES’, and began to search.

Amity found several records and old newspapers, alongside countless books, about the heroes that had come before her. But as intriguing as they all were, they all seemed to be about the heroes’ actions and abilities rather than their motives. A little disappointed, Amity opened the last cabinet in the row, and that was where she finally found one that caught her interest. Dated five years ago, the headline read: “THE EMPEROR STRIKES BACK”. While Amity found the reference inappropriate, especially considering the severity of the event, the article itself was written far more professionally. She briefly skimmed through the introductory paragraph until she found what she was looking for.

... is believed that the first superhero to confront the Emperor was our local speed demon, Excelerate. The confrontation lasted moments, and witnesses say they saw the hero collapse in a fit, despite the Emperor having apparently done nothing. The villain dragged Excelerate’s unconscious body to the steps of the town hall, at which point he was engaged by the twin heroes, Whiteout and Apex. While the pair fared better than Excelerate did on her own, they ultimately fell in a similar manner. It is unclear what the Emperor’s ability is, though given the heroes’ reactions to its effects, many experts speculate that it is either pain- or fear-related. The heroes were quickly rushed to the hospital after the attack, but despite receiving the best medical care available, doctors are uncertain whether they will ever make a… 

Amity set the paper down, pale-faced and nauseous. Everyone knew that the Emperor had defeated the heroes of Coveren, but Amity had never known how horrifying the event had been until now. She glanced at the photos accompanying the article, and gagged. 

As she fought to regain control of her stomach, she silently cursed the editor who decided that these images were acceptable for public view. She shoved the article back into its cabinet and stumbled out of the library. Would that have happened to her if she had continued to wear the mask? Is that what would happen to that hero she’d met last night? Despite having only met her once, Amity already couldn’t bear the thought of the playful hero being injured, much less in the ways described by the article.

She wandered the halls on shaky legs. Her mind was racing too fast for her to remember the way she had come, and she wasn’t sure she could keep herself together long enough to search for an exit. Her blood rushed in her ears, deafening out any sounds until all she could hear was the erratic beating of her own heart. Her eyes seemed to be unable to focus on anything long enough to register, and the lack of senses only enhanced her sense of fear. For some time, she managed to avoid bumping into anyone, but much to her chagrin, her luck didn’t hold.

“Luz!”

Turning a corner, Amity felt herself collide against someone and she fell, hitting her head against a wall as she did so. The burst of pain only added to the confusion rushing throughout her. When she tried to stand up, she realized that her body wouldn’t respond. She couldn’t seem to be able to bring herself to move.

“Luz, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Forget about me, I think she’s having a panic attack!” Through the haze, Amity frowned. The voice was familiar to her somehow. 

“Wait, isn’t that Amity Blight?”

At the sound of her name, Amity flinched. If word got out that she had had a panic attack in public, her parents would never let her go outside again. Amity had only just achieved her freedom. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing it so soon. 

“Please…” She managed to gasp. Every word required a mountain of effort to force out, but her desperation was even greater than that. “Don’t tell anyone.”

She felt a hand grip her forearm. “We won’t tell. Right, guys?”

The two other voices immediately chorused their agreement. 

“See? Let’s worry about you for now. Would you like me to carry you to an empty room?”

As the question registered, Amity nodded frantically. Even if the people here promised to keep this a secret, the same couldn’t be said for anyone who happened to pass by. Then she paused in confusion. Had the girl just said that she would carry her?

Amity felt herself be lifted off the ground. As memories of falling suddenly rushed through her, she wrapped her arms tightly around the girl’s neck, but if the girl was having any trouble breathing beneath her grip, she didn’t show any indication of it. As they walked, Amity managed to calm herself down a little, listening to the steady rhythm of the girl’s heartbeat. 

What felt like hours later, Amity felt herself being lowered back down onto the ground. She immediately curled up, bringing her knees up to her chest and hiding her face in her arms. 

“Would you like me to stay with you?”

She nodded.

“Just me?”

Another nod. 

Amity heard a door open and close. The room was silent for a few moments. 

“Do you want a hug?”

The question surprised her. Shows of affection were rare in the Blight household and hugs were just one of the many things deemed unnecessary. She couldn’t even imagine what a hug would feel like, but for some reason, Amity found herself nodding again. 

A pair of arms wrapped around Amity, squeezing just enough to comfort her while making sure not to suffocate her. Amity raised a trembling hand, placing it over one of the girl’s in hopes that it would somehow convey her gratitude. 

“My name is Luz. I’m here for you. You’re safe now.” The girl continued to murmur reassuring words into Amity’s ear, until she gradually began to calm down.

The first thing Amity said after she recovered was “thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”

The girl smiled. “Don’t worry, I was glad I could help. I’m not sure if you could hear me earlier, but my name is Luz.”

“I did. Thank you, Luz. My name is Amity.” Amity winced. “And your friend was right. I’m from the Blight family.”

Luz tilted her head. “Is that so bad?”

Amity’s eyes widened in surprise. “What do you mean? Haven’t you watched the news? Heard the rumors?”

“Yeah,” Luz admitted, “but nothing ever mentioned you. Just the company. Did you ever do anything bad yourself?”

“Well… no. Not yet, anyway. It’ll be my company someday, and then all the bad things they do will be my fault!” Amity reasoned. Luz shook her head vehemently. 

“Not if you understand that it’s bad and do your best to fix it.” Luz paused. “Is that why you had that attack just now?”

Amity hesitated. “No, actually. It was completely unrelated. I was in the library and I read a news article about the Emperor. It might have been a bit too graphic for me.”

Luz flinched. “I read that one too, sometime last year. I had nightmares for weeks. Almost made me not want to— not want to move here, I mean.”

“Oh, are you new to this city?”

Luz nodded. “Yeah, I moved here about a month ago, just in time for the school year. You?”

“I lived just outside the city for all my life, but I’ve never actually seen any of it until today.” Amity rubbed the bruise forming on the side of her head. She must have hit her head hard. “My parents didn’t let me visit very often.”

“That must’ve been terrible.” 

“It was.” Amity wasn’t sure if she was sharing too much with a person she’d just met, but after Luz helped her through her ordeal, it just felt right. “But seeing as how both of my adventures into the city ended disastrously, I’m beginning to think they’re right.” Amity made a face. “Not that I would ever tell them what happened. They would never let me back.”

Amity looked up, and found Luz deep in thought. “Is something the matter?”

“I was just thinking… I have the rest of the day off, so maybe today doesn’t have to end disastrously for you? My friends showed me around a bit when I first got here, so I happen to know some pretty fun places.” Luz offered. “I could give you a tour?”

“…I’d like that very much.”

“Great!” Luz rose to her feet. “I’ll go outside first and tell my other friends. Wait here for a minute?”

Amity nodded and when Luz went outside, practically skipping with joy. Amity on the other hand, was a bit confused. What had Luz meant by ‘other’ friends? In the brief time they had spent together, had Luz already begun to think of her as a friend? While Amity thought it might be a bit early to call this a friendship, she couldn’t help but feel delighted by the idea. 

Luz peeked her head back in the room. “Hey, Amity. They’re all fine with it, but do you want to meet the rest of my friends before we leave?”

The warm feeling that rose as Luz reappeared, vanished. “Uh… I’m not sure I’m ready for them to see me, especially since they saw me during this .” She raised a still-trembling hand. “Would it be okay if I met them some other time, after I’ve… recovered?”

“Of course!” Luz left again. At the sound of footsteps leaving, Amity stood up and walked to the door. She poked her head out the doorway, much like Luz had done before, and came face-to-face with the girl. Amity jerked backwards, cracking her head against the door.

“I’m sorry!”

“Titan help me, if I hit my head one more time…” Amity groaned as she rubbed the newly forming bruise. Noticing Luz’s wide-eyed expression, Amity winced. “I’m sorry, Luz. That was my fault.” 

“It’s okay, it was partially my fault for surprising you.”

Noticing the empty hallways, Amity asked. “So, are we leaving now?”

Luz nodded. “If you’re ready.” 

“So, where are you taking me?”

A large grin formed on Luz’s face. “The ribs!”

“Ex- excuse me?”

Chapter Text

“You know, when you said you were going to give me a tour of the city, for some obscure reason, I thought that we would begin by actually going out into the city.” Amity teased as she waited outside a changing stall in the Hexside girls’ locker room. “Though I have to admit, this is a pretty impressive locker room, not that I’ve actually seen any others.” She added with a slight smirk.

“Hey, if I had to walk through an entire city in this uniform, I might die.” Luz complained. “What would happen to your tour then?”

Amity opened her mouth to retort, before realizing that she didn’t have anything to say. “That’s… that’s a good point.” Amity paused as a question came to mind. “Why are you here on a Saturday anyway? In uniform, even.”

“Everyone is required to wear uniforms while on campus, even on weekends. The only times you don’t have to are if you’re in the dorms, if you’ve signed out to leave campus, or if you’re a visitor, like you. All visitors are supposed to check in with the principal and receive a ID badge.”

“Oh.” Amity looked down. She hadn’t known that the school had visitor protocols, though now that she thought about it, it seemed rather obvious that they would. It was a prestigious private academy after all. Piniet had neglected to mention anything about a pass, but whether it was because he himself hadn’t been aware or if it was meant to be a small form of revenge, Amity didn’t know.

“I’m sure you’ll be okay though.” Luz reassured her. “As fancy as this school is, we can’t seem to get any of the staff to volunteer to monitor on weekends, so nothing usually happens. I’m only wearing mine in case I run into Headmaster Bump in the hallways.”

Amity breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good… wait, what happens if your headmaster sees me in hallways?”

Luz didn’t answer. Had she not heard her? Amity opened her mouth to ask again, but flinched as the curtains were yanked open with a metal screech. 

“I’m done!” Luz announced, unaffected by the piercing sound. Rubbing her ears, Amity looked over at Luz, who was slinging her school bag over her shoulder. Her friend had changed into a short-sleeved hoodie and denim shorts. Amity looked down at her outfit, a warm jacket over a magenta t-shirt and black jeans, then back at Luz. As nice as she looked…

“Aren’t you cold?” Amity couldn’t help but ask. “It’s fifty degrees outside. It’s not exactly winter, but it’s still pretty chilly.”

“Oh, I don’t get cold that easily.” Luz explained. “My old city was way up north, so I’ve gotten pretty used to it.”

“Really? Which city?”

“Bonesborough.” Amity froze. Bonesborough was the city that Edric and Emira had gone to when her parents disowned them, nine years ago. While she didn’t remember much from that time period, she’d heard a few rumors around the house. Apparently their tutor, an old family friend, had been kind enough to take them in, though their name was unfortunately one of the few things she had never learned. Could Luz have… Amity shook her head. Bonesborough was almost as large a city as Coveren was. The chances that she would have even seen the twins were infinitesimal, much less actually have known them.

“I see… I’ve never been before, but I’ve actually been thinking about visiting someday. Is it nice there?”

Luz frowned thoughtfully. “I’m not sure about ‘nice’, but it certainly is lively. And fun. It’s definitely a lot more chaotic than Coveren is. But still, it’s home.”

 Amity couldn’t help but wonder what that might feel like. She had lived in Coveren for her entire life, but she had never come to think of it as her home. It was just as foreign to her as Bonesborough was. And as for Blight Manor… Amity wasn’t sure she would ever even want to call that place home.

She felt a slight nudge in her side. Casting aside her thoughts, she looked up at Luz questioningly and found her grinning.

“If you ever go to Bonesborough I’ll give you a tour of the best spots, but that’s for later. Today’s for exploring Coveren. Are you ready?” Luz asked excitedly. “The ribs aren’t going to wait forever!”

Amity gave Luz a confused smile. “They won’t?”

“Nope.” She shook her head. “Rude of them, right? But that’s not important right now. Let’s go!”

The ‘ribs’ weren’t actually real ribs, much to Amity’s relief. When Luz had declared they would be going to the ribs, Amity had immediately imagined towering rows of bleached-white bones belonging to some ancient creature. Though she quickly realized how ridiculous the image was, she still couldn’t imagine what else they could be. As it turned out, the ‘ribs’ were a set of ruins in the very center of the city. Massive, stone arches jutted out of the ground, arcing towards the sky, though time had seen to it that none of them met their counterparts. The resulting display was eerily reminiscent of a partially buried, human rib cage. 

“They really do look like ribs.” Amity muttered. Luz brightened.

“Right?”

“What was it? Before it got ruined, I mean.” Amity asked. “And what happened to it?”

“According to Willow,” When Amity raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar name, Luz was quick to clarify. “One of my friends from earlier. She’s the one that recognized you in the halls. I’ll introduce you some other time.” She promised. “But anyway, according to her, this was going to be a big church a hundred years back, St. Epiderm’s, apparently. It was supposed to be the greatest architectural marvel of its time. As for what happened to it…” Luz winced. “It’s just a local rumor, but if it’s right, it’s part of the reason superpowers were made illegal.”

Amity’s eyes widened. While she could think of an endless list of generic reasons for it, none of the books at the library, or any of Amity’s personal research, had ever mentioned a singular event as a cause. “What happened?”

“The story’s pretty long. Do you want to find someplace to sit first?” Luz asked. Amity nodded, already looking around. She had seen a few benches placed around the ruins, but as she looked again, she found that they were all occupied. Amity felt a hand slip into her own. She looked up at Luz, head tilted questioningly. “Come on!”

Luz led her to the nearest of the ‘ribs’. Brushing some dirt and dust off of the smooth marble floor, she sat against the ruined arch, pulling Amity down with her. 

“Is this allowed? I didn’t think they’d allow people to actually touch them. Hundred-year-old ruin and all that.”

Luz shrugged. “This place is more like a park than a historic site, so I think it’ll be okay as long as we don’t try to chip at it or try to take it down. Besides, if we’re not allowed to, someone will probably tell us.”

Amity couldn’t help but be a little amazed by Luz. How could she be so relaxed about things? Amity had spent her entire life following even the most meaningless of rules, except the ones regarding her ability, and the idea of acting without knowing if there would be consequences simply didn’t make sense to her. But that didn’t stop Amity from copying Luz’s posture, leaning against the cracked surface of the arch. It was surprisingly comfortable.

“I should probably begin by explaining a bit about the time period.” Luz took a deep breath, either preparing herself for a pauseless explanation or gathering her thoughts. Or maybe both. 

“Okay, so superpowers were really rare back then. Like, incredibly rare. There would only be five or six people in the world who had powers, and since there were so few, the ones that did have powers usually never learned how to control them. Most of them spent their entire lives alone so they wouldn’t hurt anyone.” Amity could already see where this story would be heading, but that didn’t stop her from getting increasingly more tense as it progressed.

“But that’s where this church comes in. Tens of thousands of people were brought to build it, most of them unwillingly. And one of the slaves,” Luz wrinkled her nose in disgust at the word, “forced to work here was apparently one of the few gifted of the time. But he lost control. Burned everything down until only the stone arches were left… and not a lot of people made it out.” Amity traced her fingers along one of the cracks in the marble, trying to picture the events Luz was describing. The terror, the confusion. It wasn’t hard to imagine someone losing control of their abilities. It had happened to Amity herself when she first developed them. Only copious amounts of luck had kept her from accidentally revealing her secret to the world, and even worse, her parents.

“The ones that survived kept petitioning the government, and eventually, superpowers were banned and the people with them were tried and jailed. No one even protested it or anything! I guess it was nothing new to them… they already had slaves, what’s one more rule that allowed discrimination by birth.” She added under her breath, though Amity was close enough to hear. She regarded Luz curiously. Was she just angered by the idea of legalized discrimination, or was her reason a bit more personal? Amity’s heart began to race as her mind wandered further. Was it possible that Luz had superpowers too?

Misinterpreting Amity’s expression, Luz shook her head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so grim. I just really hate stories like that. Half of the time, it’s not even the person’s fault, but they end up being blamed for it anyway.”

“I understand, it’s completely unfair.” Amity agreed. 

This time, it was Luz who turned to Amity with a curious, albeit slightly anxious, expression. “So, you don’t think that superpowers should be illegal?”

Amity hesitated. Her parents were both firm believers that superpowers were a plague, and though Amity disagreed for obvious reasons, she had been forced to present herself in a similar way to the public. As much as she hated it, she had a reputation to maintain… 

Amity sighed. She couldn’t lie to Luz. And if her suspicions were right, and Luz did have powers, hearing Amity say that powers should be illegal would hurt her. Even if she didn’t show it.

“No, I don’t.” She admitted. “I can understand why people would be scared after an event like that. After all, I was terrified after reading about the Emperor earlier. But I don’t think powers should be illegal because of them. No one should have to apologize for something that’s not their fault.”

Luz sighed in obvious relief, only further confirming Amity’s suspicions. For a second, she was tempted to ask Luz to make sure, but she quickly realized that that would have been a terrible breach of etiquette. If Luz wanted to share, she would. Asking would only put Luz in an uncomfortable and likely stressful situation, especially since it was technically illegal.

Instead, Amity rose to her feet and offered a hand to Luz. “Hey, I’m pretty hungry. There’s a cafe around here that sells pastries. Morton’s… something.” Amity frowned, trying to remember. It had only been yesterday, why couldn’t she remember the name of that cafe? Amity sighed in resignation. As sleep-deprived as she was, Amity was surprised she could even remember her own name, she would just have to content herself with her patchy memory. Everything would be better after she got a full night’s rest.

“Morton’s Mochas?” Luz asked as she took Amity’s hand and stood to join her. Again, Amity was struck by a frustrating sense of familiarity, but she still couldn’t place where it was from.

She shook herself out of it. “Yeah, I think that’s the one. Do you know where it is?”

“Yep! I stop by there sometimes. I can’t eat anything there though, but I like sitting on the couches and reading.”

“Are you allergic?” Amity asked. “We should definitely go somewhere else then.”

“I’m lactose intolerant. And yeah, somewhere else would be great. I haven’t eaten anything in at least five hours.” 

Amity did a bit of math in her head. “Actually, me neither. Do you know any places here? Morton’s is the only place I've been to so far.”

“Sure! Though that’s definitely something we’ll be changing someday.” Luz added with a smile. “But lucky for us, I spent some time searching for at least a couple food sources to help me survive high school.” 

[=< | >=]

Amity quickly realized that walking on the streets during the day was much worse than walking during the night. Ever since Coveren lost its guardians, significantly fewer people roamed the sidewalks in the dark. People just didn’t feel as safe anymore, despite the best efforts of the revamped police department. Even the few people that had seen her hadn’t recognized her with her face hidden in the shadows of her jacket hood, and as tired as they were, no one had bothered giving her a second glance. 

The walk to the ruins earlier this morning had also been uneventful, though that was largely in part due to the several alley shortcuts Luz had guided her through. For someone who had only been in the city for a month, she was awfully knowledgeable of its layout, though for some reason, Amity wasn’t really surprised. Despite only having known her for a single morning, it was clear to her that Luz had an insatiable curiosity for all things. 

 Unfortunately, the quiet circumstances of both of her trips had prevented her from realizing a key fact. Up until now, Amity had never truly known just how much the people of Coveren hated her.

“Watch it, Blight!”

Amity stumbled as someone violently shoved past her, painfully elbowing her in the ribs before they left. Luz managed to catch and steady her before she could fall and hurt herself even further.

“What is with that guy?” Luz muttered as she angrily glared back at whoever had hit her. “That’s four times now, and I swear I saw him go out of his way to run into you.”

“It’s because I’m a Blight, Luz.” Amity answered as she rubbed her bruised side. “As much as I want to complain, I deserve a lot worse than this. My family’s experienced a lot worse than this. Not that we didn’t deserve that either.” She added.

Luz’s eyes darkened at the statement, and though concern was still prevalent amongst the emotions swirling within them, her expression contained an almost scary amount of anger, which was something that Amity would never have expected from the usually cheerful girl. However, the moment passed quickly and Luz pulled herself back, before checking to see if Amity was okay.

“Wait, how do they even know who you are? It’s not like your picture is on the front cover of any magazines or newspapers. I didn’t even know what you looked like until this morning!” Luz pointed out. 

“Is that why you were so nice to me?” Amity asked with a wry smile. She said it in a humorous tone, in hopes of lightening the atmosphere, but with one glance at Luz’s face, it was clear. Her friend was not amused. 

Luz grabbed Amity by the shoulders and met her eyes. “I will not let you talk about yourself like that, even if it’s a joke. I know it sounds like some movie cliche, which I guess is fitting since you kinda are one, but you are not your family. You didn’t do anything to deserve this.”

“Movie cliche?” Amity repeated incredulously. “How in the world am I a movie cliche?”

Luz snickered. “How are you not a movie cliche?”

While Amity stared in confusion, Luz took her hand and began leading her down the street again. As they walked, Amity did her best to get Luz to explain to her what she had meant, but to no avail. As talkative as she was, it appeared Luz wasn’t one to reveal her secrets, especially when keeping it caused such great amusement for her.

“Anyway, you never answered my question.” Luz said after a few minutes of silence. “How did that guy know who you are?”

“I’m not sure, actually. I’ve been in a few newspapers before, but the last time I made a public appearance was when I was eight, and there’s no way anyone would remember that.”

“Unless they were there.” Luz pointed out.

“Well… I guess they might.” Amity admitted. “It’s pretty unlikely any of them would be wandering around Coveren though, and most of them work with my family, so chances are that they wouldn’t bother me.” She sighed. “No, I’m pretty sure that recognized me the same way your friend did this morning. They saw my eyes.”

“Your eyes?” Luz leaned closer, trying to get a closer look at them. “I mean, they’re a pretty recognizable color, but how many people would know that?”

Amity winced. “…everyone in the city.”

“What? How?” Luz exclaimed. “You said the last time people saw you was when you were eight.”

“I haven’t, but I’m not the only one with this color. It’s genetic. My father and my siblings have the same color eyes as me. It’s a point of pride for my family since gold is a really rare natural eye color. My mother married into the Blight name, so she’s the only one without, but she’s so widely known that there probably isn’t anyone in the—” Amity yelped as another person ran into her, but instead of pushing past her or elbowing her like the people before had, this one stopped to shove her. Hard. 

Without thinking, Amity’s hand tightened around Luz’s as she instinctively tried to keep her balance, but her friend was completely unprepared for the sudden movement. Amiy knew the distance was incomparable to the height she had fallen from the previous night, but her heart still skipped a beat as she found herself falling for the third time in twenty-four hours.

Unsurprisingly, Luz fared better than she did. Though, Amity couldn’t help but be amazed by the ease at which Luz recovered. Amity had let go of her hand immediately for fear of doing more damage to her friend, but despite having been caught completely by surprise and violently thrown off balance, Luz somehow twisted her momentum into an improvised cartwheel before dashing off to find who had pushed the pair. If the cry of pain that sounded moments later was anything to go by, Luz had succeeded.

Amity, on the other hand, had no such unbelievable athleticism to aid her. She scraped both palms and the side of a knee against the rough concrete, and she immediately felt a rush of pain course through her. But the pain was quickly overwhelmed by a surprising wave of relief. Amity blinked. Relief? Has she been more affected by last night than she had thought?

“Are you okay?” She heard Luz ask. Amity nodded, though she still checked to see if any of her injuries were bleeding too much. Thankfully, it appeared the long sleeves of her jeans and the cuffs of her jacket had prevented her from getting scratched too badly. 

“I’m sorry.” Amity apologized while she checked. “I really didn’t mean to pull you down with me.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Luz told her. Amity looked up as a boy not much older than her was pushed into her line of sight. Strangely, he was panically alternating between blowing on his hands and waving them in the air. “I can’t say the same for this guy though.” 

Amity’s eyes narrowed as she understood what Luz meant.

“How’d you catch him?” Amity asked.

Luz laughed, though the sound was much more angry than it was humorous. “He decided to stick around and film us falling.”

Amity’s jaw dropped in surprise, though her expression quickly turned into one of disgust and fury. 

“What kind of sick, twisted—” Amity took a deep breath. As much as she wanted to yell, there were a few people watching her, and even if they hadn’t recognized her yet, someone might eventually make a connection. And any rash actions, no matter how justified, would be seen badly by both her parents and the rest of the city. Her project, which was her only excuse to enter the city regularly, would fail even before it had properly started. Amity would never allow that to happen. When she was sure she could maintain an even tone, she spoke again. 

“Where’s his phone?” She asked, as calmly as she could. “It’s about to find itself in a street gutter.”

With a slight smile, Luz handed her the device. It had a large crack down the side of the screen, and since there were still small glass shards lining the crack, Amity could tell it had been broken just moments ago. She took it between two fingers, unwilling to touch it with more than was absolutely necessary. But despite her minimal contact, she could still tell that the grey smartphone was unnaturally warm. Searing hot, even. She frowned. It explained why the boy had been blowing on his hands, but she couldn’t understand how a phone could overheat this much. She pressed the power button, but the screen remained dark. Was it completely broken?

“What happened to it?” She asked Luz. “Why’s it so hot?”

“No clue.” Luz shrugged. “I was about to take it from him, but he suddenly yelled and dropped it before I could. Miracle it didn’t completely shattered. He doesn’t even have a case for it. Idiot.”

Amity couldn’t help nodding in agreement. “Well, I suppose I might as well cool it down for him while I have it. Do you see any gutters by the road?”

Luz made a show of peering over the curb. “There’s one right here. It rained last night, so the water’s still pretty high. It should be perfect.”

“Great!” Amity got up to her feet, phone still in hand, and walked to Luz’s side. She saw the gutter Luz had found, and sure enough, there was a current of water rushing below it. For a second, Amity actually considered dropping the phone down it. Up until now, she had just been acting. Pretending, so she could get revenge on the boy without actually harming him. But as anger and disgust welled up in her, she found herself wanting to drop the phone. “You’re right, this’ll work.”

“Stop!”

Amity heard rapid footsteps behind her. She turned to face the boy. “Is something—”

When Amity saw the fist, she knew she had made a mistake. She had carried her act just a bit too far. She hadn’t expected the boy to react by attacking her. With this many people present, and with the hesitation that comes with being thrown off guard, she had hoped the boy would remain paralyzed by confusion. But his anger had overwhelmed any sense of reason. Amity raised her arms defensively, closed her eyes, and braced herself for the blow. 

It was Luz that prevented Amity from receiving a serious injury. Her hand seized the side of Amity’s jacket and pulled her to the side, though not completely out of the boy’s path. She felt his fist slide past her arms and scrape against the side of her face, but it was nowhere near as painful as a direct blow would’ve been.

With no real resistance to his punch, the boy’s momentum carried him over the curb and into the side of one of the cars waiting at the nearest stoplight. Ignoring the loud series of honks and the angry cursing of the driver, he stumbled back on the sidewalk before trying for another swing.

This time, however, Amity was prepared for it. She stepped back, easily dodging the clumsy blow, then a second. 

By the third swing, Luz decided to intervene. As Amity took another step back, Luz took one forward. She neatly ducked below the wildly thrown punch, drew back her shoulder, and rammed her elbow right into the boy’s stomach. The momentum behind the blow sent the boy stumbling back. Luz rejoined Amity as he fell to his knees and hunched over, gagging and gasping for breath. 

“Are you okay?” Luz asked her again. Amity ran her fingers along her cheek, probing where the boy’s fist had hit her. 

“I think so.” She answered. “I don’t think it’s bleeding.” She looked down at her other injuries. “I wish I could say the same for my everything else though.”

Luz looked around, and noticed the crowd gathering. “Hey Amity, I think we should go. Get away from them.”

Amity nodded and let Luz guide her through the crowd, which easily parted before her, perhaps both amazed and terrified by the way Luz had handled the situation. Amity didn’t blame them. She had seen the state the boy was in when they left. Despite having only been hit once, Amity wouldn’t have been surprised if he needed more medical attention than she did.

They were almost back at the ruins when Luz pulled her into an alley and took her hands, gently examining the shallow gashes. She briefly glanced down at her leg, and winced. “It doesn’t look too serious, but you should still get it treated soon. It could be dangerous if they get infected.” Luz looked up. “I guess we’ll have to call it a day. Do you have any disinfectants and bandaids at your house?”

Amity hesitated. She knew there were. Blight Manor had originated as a holiday hotel resort, and one of the few rooms that hadn’t been remodelled for residency was a medical ward. For the sake of avoiding hospital visits, her parents had maintained it to this day, fully stocked with all sorts of expensive medicines and ointments. But she knew that anything there would be unavailable to her, for the same reasons she had been unable to eat at the manor last night. “Actually, I don’t think I should go home like this. Explaining it to my parents would be… difficult.” 

Luz’s eyes softened in understanding. “Oh. Okay, then how about we go back to my school? They have supplies there.”

“Would they help someone who’s not a student there?” Amity asked.

Luz grimaced. “As much as I hate it, probably not. Unless you were injured on school grounds, of course. I suppose they would if you mentioned who you are, but that’s probably not something you want to do, is it?” She questioned.

Amity shook her head vigorously. “But then why should we go back?” 

“Because, my years in Bonesborough… or at least my years with Eda,” She corrected in a mutter. “I was pretty much a model citizen until I met her…” She shook her head. “Anyway, I learned a variety of useful skills from her.”

Amity frowned. “Like first aid?” 

Luz shook her head happily. “Nope! My mom taught me that stuff, she’s a nurse.” She explained. “Eda taught me how to pickpocket and shoplift.” Amity’s eyes grew wide as Luz continued. “It shouldn’t be too hard to steal stuff from the nurse’s office.”

“You’re going to steal?” Amity asked in disbelief.

Luz shrugged. “Hardly anyone goes to the nurse’s office anyway, other than to take naps. We won’t be depriving anyone of anything they actually need. Besides, the only other option is to go to a pharmacy, and the only one I know of is on the other side of the city. The school’s only a couple minutes from here.”

When Amity still hesitated, Luz laid a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll only be borrowing the stuff. I’ll put it all back. Except the band-aids. ''Luz made a disgusted face. “You can keep the band-aids. They probably wouldn’t want them back anyway.”

Amity couldn’t help but laugh. “No, I imagine they wouldn't. Alright then.” She conceded. “Let’s go back to your school.” 

Luz beamed and together they left the alley, heading back towards Hexside Academy.

Chapter Text

“This isn’t the way to the nurse’s office…”

Luz blinked. She turned to Amity, confused. “Of course not? You’re technically not allowed in the nurse’s office since you didn’t get hurt on campus. Did I… not mention that rule?” Luz scratched her head as she tried to recall. 

“You did. But then you said that you were going to steal supplies from the nurse.” Amity pointed out. “Isn’t that ‘technically’ against the rules too?”

Luz wagged a finger. “Ah, ah, ah, my injured companion. Just because I’m breaking one rule for you doesn’t mean we can go on a crime spree, you know.”

“Crime spree? That’s not what I meant!” Amity protested, hiding her face in her hands. Luz winced as she saw Amity’s palms brush against her cheeks. The scrapes weren’t dangerously deep, but they weren’t shallow either, and it was clear that Amity had been hiding how painful they really were. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

Luz nodded in agreement, reining in her expression until she appeared dead-serious. “Yep. Of course I do.”

Amity frowned in suspicion, studying Luz’s face for the slightest hints of sarcasm. Luz felt the corners of her mouth twitch upwards, but she quickly suppressed the movement, even going as far as matching Amity’s frown and furrowed eyebrows. She did her best to keep her face steady, but after a few more seconds of the close scrutinization, she couldn’t help but break character. 

“Luz!”

“I’m sorry!” She managed to gasp between laughs. She was pleased to hear Amity joining in moments later.

“Besides,” Luz added as she got her laughter under control. “We’re not exactly stealing. It’s more like borrowing.”

“Borrowing without consent is the same as stealing, Luz.” Amity chided. 

“Is it though?” Luz mused. “Eda certainly didn’t think so.”

“I’m beginning to think that your mentor may have taught you too much.” Amity said dryly. “Considering what you’ve told me about her, I’m just a little bit concerned.”

“I can’t blame you.” Luz chuckled. “I guess it’s just as well that I’m here now. Spread the chaos a little, you know? I’m not sure my old city could have survived another Eda-apprentice.”

“Wait, another?” Amity repeated, eyes wide. “You mean she actually went around teaching people how to pickpocket?”

“Among other things. But yeah, she’s pretty famous now and all the attention makes it hard to get away with stuff, so she decided to pass on her skills.” Luz explained. “I’m actually not the first one she taught. I learned with two others. They’re both a couple years older than me though.”

“Oh. That’s…”

“Terrifying?” Luz supplied.

“That about sums it up, yeah.”

Luz laughed. She had felt the same way after her first week with them. Together, the twins were a force of nature that rivaled Eda herself, which considering the woman’s history of pranking and superheroics alike, was an amazing feat all on its own.

“You still haven’t told me.” Amity said after a few seconds. “If we’re not heading towards the nurse’s office, where are you taking me?”

“Oh, we’re going to my dorm!” 

“Wait, what?” Amity exclaimed as she froze in her steps. “Isn’t that… private?”

“It’s the only place I know of that you can hide in while I get the supplies.” Luz answered.

“Oh.” Luz couldn’t tell if it was discomfort or worry she heard in Amity’s voice. Maybe Amity didn’t like the idea of being in Luz’s room?

“I guess I could just find another empty classroom,” Luz thought aloud, “but I don’t think it would be nearly as comfy.”

“No, it probably wouldn’t…” 

Luz glanced towards her friend, taken aback by her strained tone, and her stomach twisted as she saw the queasy expression on Amity’s face. The events of this morning flooded back into her mind, and she silently berated herself for her absentminded musing. It had only been a few hours ago, how had she already forgotten?

“I’m sorry.” Luz said softly. “I didn’t mean to remind you.”

Amity shook her head. “It’s okay. It wasn’t even your fault.” She pointed out. “You don’t have to apologize. I’m perfectly fine.”

They finally arrived at the dorm room. Luz quickly pushed the door open and brought Amity inside. As a school with extensive funds, Hexside dorms were grander than those of any other school Luz had ever seen, not that she’d ever been in a school with dorms before, but she’d watched movies! Every dorm at Hexside, with the exception of the top students who were rewarded apartments near campus, was composed of two rooms; a bedroom and a slightly smaller study. As this dorm was on the far end of the school building, its window didn’t point towards the park, but instead to a small courtyard with a marble fountain. It was a beautiful view, and when Luz had moved in, she’d placed a small couch in front of the window so she could relax while watching the water fall. It was on this couch that Luz seated her upset friend. 

Luz sat on the windowsill as she watched Amity’s forced calm expression slowly crumble down. Amity let out a loud groan and slid her hands down her face in frustration. Luz cringed as the motion left small streaks of blood along her cheeks. Amity really needed to be more careful with her hands.

“It shouldn’t be such a big deal, but I just can’t get over the fact that I let it happen in such a public place. I can’t even imagine how many people would have seen me if you hadn’t helped me out of there.”

Luz quickly dropped from her place on the windowsill and knelt before the girl. She reached out, gently pulling Amity’s hands away from her face and interlacing their fingers. “It’s okay if you feel like it’s a big deal. But this is important. ” Luz met her gaze. “You didn’t ‘let’ anything happen.”

Much to her chagrin, Amity’s eyes slid away from hers, but Luz leaned forward, maneuvering to meet them again. “It wasn’t something you can control, and it’s not something you can blame yourself for.”

Amity looked away again, but this time Luz could tell that it wasn’t out of shame. She stared at their intertwined fingers for a few minutes, before taking a deep breath and relaxing into her seat. “Okay, Luz. Thank you.” 

She opened her mouth to say more, but hesitated and shook her head briefly, as if she were discouraging herself. “I’m sorry, do you have any water?” She finally asked. Luz nodded immediately. 

“Of course! There’s some in the other room, I’ll go get for you.” With a brief, hopefully reassuring squeeze, she released Amity’s fingers and went to get her a drink. 

A few days after Luz moved out, Eda, in a rare show of her affection, suddenly decided to give her a mini-fridge from her vast assortment of household appliances. However, unlike most things in her collection, the device was suspiciously new, which led Luz to believe that Eda had bought her an entirely new fridge, rather than simply give her a second-hand one like she had told her she would. Luz had protested at first, not wanting her mentor to spend so much money on her, but when a confused delivery man showed up in front of her dorm room with a large present box topped with a terrifying owl plush instead of a bow, she had relented. 

To avoid drawing attention from the school board, the twins had been gracious enough to retrofit the appliance to run on batteries rather than a cord and outlet. And Luz had to admit, despite having to charge it herself once a week, the benefits far outweighed the downsides, especially since it was conveniently located to serve as a nightstand as well as a late-night snack stand. 

She opened the fridge, taking a moment to allow the chilled air to pass over her before she snagged one of the bottles of water. 

“What in the world are you doing here?!”

The angry shout, so sudden and out of place, startled Luz so badly that she slammed the fridge shut with much more strength than she had meant to. Frosted cans of soda clinked against each other as the entire appliance nearly tipped over. Heart in her throat, her hands shot from her sides to steady the precious gift and save the drinks inside. 

Luz sighed in relief as she pushed it back upright. She caught a glance of her reflection in the mirror on the fridge as she rose to her feet. She groaned. Apparently her strength hadn't been the only thing she'd lost her control over. Luz did her best to press her newly-spiked hair back down, ignoring the crackles and pops caused by the static electric charge. 

With one final check in the mirror, Luz scrambled back to the door, nearly tripping over her still partially-packed suitcase as she did, before exiting the room in a flash. 

The first thing Luz saw was her friend, Gus, peeking out from behind the desk. She couldn’t blame him. In fact, if it were possible, Luz would have liked to join him. 

The scene before her was only marginally better than the potential loss of her mini-fridge. 

Willow, her roommate, stood over Amity with both hands clenched into fists and an expression that was far beyond furious. “ What are you doing here. ” Willow repeated through gritted teeth. 

Amity had fallen from the couch and was now pressed against a wall, though her eyes gleamed in challenge. As Luz stood in the doorway, invisible to both her friends, she saw Amity slowly rise to her feet and draw herself to full height. 

“I was invited .” Amity answered icily as she looked down to meet Willow’s glare with one of her own. Her gaze briefly flickered towards the doorway, momentarily softening as they landed on Luz, but she quickly returned to staring down her opponent. 

Unfortunately, Willow didn’t miss that slight glance. She whirled around to face her, and Luz fought the urge to back away from the angry girl. There was something scary about seeing the kind girl exhibit such rage. “Why is she here, Luz? For what reason could you even think of bringing a Blight into our room?”

Luz didn’t miss the way Amity flinched when she heard her surname, though Willow certainly did. Given the look of disgust Amity always wore when mentioning her family, it was painfully clear that Amity hated them just as much as Willow did. 

“She was hurt, Willow.” Luz said. “By some jerk for the same reason you’re yelling at her now. I brought her back here to help her.”

Willow turned back towards Amity and her eyes widened a little, as if she’d finally noticed the streaks of blood on her face and the scrapes on her hands. It was clear that Willow was slightly concerned. If Luz had learned anything about her roommate in the past month, it was that Willow was a very sympathetic, caring person. But Luz would be amazed if that was enough to calm her fury against the Blights. “I’m sure her mansion has plenty of medical supplies and servants to treat her, why didn’t you take her there?”

Luz glanced towards Amity, unsure whether she would want Willow to know the truth, or at least what Luz thought to be the truth. Thankfully, Amity decided to answer Willow herself. 

“The manor… wasn’t an option.”

Willow scoffed. “How could your own home not be an option?”

“Because it isn’t a home. It hasn’t been for nearly a decade.” The room fell quiet at her words. At the obvious weight behind them. But the silence didn’t last very long. Luz knew that the longer they waited, the more likely Amity’s injuries would get infected.

“I couldn’t take her to the nurse’s office since she wasn’t hurt on school grounds.” Luz said. Willow nodded in understanding. After all, it had been Willow that had taught her the school rules. “I was planning on sneaking in and bringing her some band-aids and stuff.” Luz hesitated. “This is your dorm too… I’m sure we can figure something else out if you disapprove, but it’d honestly be better if she’s here.”

Willow sighed. “Fine, she can stay for a bit. But I’m going with you, Luz.”

Luz raised an eyebrow. “Have I finally convinced you to join me in a life of crime?” She asked with a mischievous smirk. A small laugh drew everyone’s gaze to Amity, who immediately ducked her head at the sudden attention, cheeks tinged pink. 

Willow rolled her eyes as she headed towards the door. “Hardly. We need to talk.”

Luz nodded in reply. Briefly stepping out of Willow’s way, she went to hand Amity the water bottle. Their fingers briefly brushed during the exchange. Luz felt a slight warmth at the touch, but Amity yelped and drew her hand back in surprise. It took a moment for Luz to realize what had happened. Static. 

“Sorry!” Luz wracked her brain for an explanation. “There was… um, rug. Carpet! There’s a carpet in the other room.”

Luz tried again, this time successfully handing the bottle over without zapping her friend. However, the exchange only revealed another problem, though thankfully one that could be easily resolved. 

“Hey Gus, I completely forgot about this, but could you show Amity where the bathrooms are? She has to wash the dirt and blood away before I can do anything.”

“Of course, Luz.” The boy answered, now leaning against the desk he’d previously been hiding behind. He rose to his feet grinning broadly, turned to Amity, and bowed . “Lady Amity, will you permit me to escort you to the restrooms?” He asked, with the overly dramatic flair Luz had come to associate him with. A brief glance to the doorway revealed that even Willow was smiling at the ridiculous scene. Amity looked at Luz with an expression of amused confusion. 

Play along. Luz mouthed. 

Amity gave a small laugh before mouthing something back. Luz was certainly no expert when it came to reading lips, but it almost looked like she’d said, not again.

Luz couldn’t help but laugh as well. Was this a common occurrence for her? 

“Why, thank you…” Amity paused in mock hesitation. “I’m afraid I’ve yet to learn your name.”

Luz was a little surprised. Either Amity was well-practiced in acting, or she really had been in situations like this before. Gus looked up, nearly glowing with sheer delight, clearly overjoyed that she was going along with the act. “My name is Augustus, but you may call me Gus.”

“Then you have my gratitude, Gus. But I do wonder, how long must we speak in such formal terms?”

“Must we stop?” He asked with an exaggerated look of dismay. “It’s not every day I get to speak with a noble .”

Luz smiled. Out of everyone she’d ever met, with the possible exception of her mentor’s sister, Amity was the most formal and proper person she knew. It really wasn’t too difficult to imagine her as a princess from the Middle Ages. 

But when Amity asked, “Wait, how did you know?” In obvious surprise, Luz’s jaw dropped. 

“I studied famous bloodlines as part of a project last year. Yours was one of the lines I followed.” Gus explained. “Well, two of the lines, actually. Both your mom and dad have noble ancestors. How cool is that?! You’re like a… noble-squared or something!”

“That’s not— well I guess I am, but these aren’t medieval times. I’m just a normal—”

“Wait, what?” Luz yelled, much too late. “You’re actually royalty? That’s so cool!”

“Not royalty,” Amity corrected. “Nobility. My family’s never had a throne or anything. Titan knows my mother would never stop bragging if we did.”

A loud cough reminded Luz of her original goal. “You are definitely telling me more about this later.” Luz told her as she crossed the room and left. 

“No promises.” Amity called out to her. “Besides, Gus probably knows more about my heritage than I do.”

Luz poked her head back in the room. “Still. You’re going to tell me everything you know.” 

This time, Willow stopped Luz from sticking around to chat longer. She closed the door and dragged Luz to the end of the hallway. 

“Right. ‘We need to talk’?” Luz asked, repeating what Willow had said earlier. 

“You didn’t tell her, did you?”

Unfortunately, Luz’s mind immediately jumped to the story of St. Epiderm she had told Amity earlier today. “...was I not supposed to?”

Willow paled. “Luz!” She whisper-shouted. “You can’t give away your secret like that. Didn’t I tell you who she is this morning?”

Realization dawned. “No, of course not! Wait! I mean, yes, you did tell me about her, but no, I didn’t tell her about that . I thought you were—” A sudden frown replaced her startled expression as she registered what her friend had just said. “What does her identity have to do with anything?” 

Willow’s jaw dropped in disbelief. “She’s a Blight, Luz.” She said slowly. When Luz still looked confused, she began to explain. “I’ll admit, she was nicer than what the rumors say, but even nice people can have cruel beliefs, and her whole family is famous for discriminating against people like us. It’s practically their trademark.” Willow added with no small amount of disgust. 

“But she’s not like that.” Luz protested. “She even said so herself.”

“She could be— wait, how did that even come up?” Willow asked. 

“I took her to the ribs and she asked what happened to them.” Luz answered. A slight smile grew on her face as she recalled the memory. “I told her the story you told me and she agreed that the whole thing was completely unfair.”

Willow groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Luz, I’m sorry, but she could be lying. With all the fame superheroes are getting, it’s not a really popular opinion to have in public anymore. She might’ve been lying so you wouldn’t turn her away for being discriminative”

“No.” She said resolutely. “She wasn’t.”

“And what makes you so sure?” Willow asked.

“I met her last night.”

Willow paused, face scrunched in confusion. “What do you mean ‘last night’? Weren’t you—” Her eyes widened. “No way. That girl you told me about this morning, that was her?”

“Yep.”

Willow groaned. “I should’ve known. You even said that she had golden eyes. I just never imagined a Blight would be in the city.”

“Well she was, and there’s no way that she hates people with powers.” Luz continued. “If anything, she seemed to be really supportive of us. She was certainly a fan of the Grim Reaper.” She added as an afterthought. 

“The Grim—”

Luz held a finger up to her lips. The nurse’s office was right around the corner. “Let’s talk about this later.”

They strode up to the door and Luz knocked. 

Silence. 

Luz knocked again, louder this time. But when she still received no response, she pushed the door open and found the room empty. “How lucky is that?” She exclaimed. 

Willow went to the desk in the middle of the room. “It says she’s out for lunch.”

Luz nodded absently as she rummaged through the cabinets running across the far side of the room. Considering the size of the scratches, a couple normal band-aids would be enough to cover the ones on Amity’s hands. The one on the side of her knee might warrant one of the larger ones, though. 

“So, about the—”

“What kind should I get?” Luz asked abruptly. 

“…what?”

Luz held up a band-aid. “The plain ones are boring, so what kind should I get?”

Willow leaned over her shoulder. She pointed at one of the opened boxes. “Those.” 

Luz stifled a laugh. “I’m not sure Amity would like those. They’re a little… childish.”

“What, you don’t think she’ll like unicorns?” Willow asked with a hint of sarcasm. 

Luz shook her head. 

“Then how about fairies?”

“Willow!” Luz scolded. When Willow raised the box in question, Luz stilled. “Actually… Those are kinda nice. I might use them myself.”

Willow rolled her eyes, though she was clearly trying to hide a smile. 

But when Luz walked over to the sink and washed her hands, the look of amusement faded. “Wait, you got hurt too?” 

“A little. It’s just a tiny scratch though, I barely felt it.” She answered. 

“How’d you get it? ”

“My hand slid a little during a cartwheel.” Luz answered.

“And why were you… never mind.” Willow sighed. “There’s no way I can keep up with all your shenanigans.”

Luz grinned. “I happen to be very proud of my shenanigans.”

“I’m sure you are.”

When Luz returned with clean hands, Willow passed her the band-aid she’d selected earlier and a packet of ointment. Though it was rather difficult treating an injury with just one hand, with Willow’s help, it took no longer than a minute to cover the small gash. Once she finished, she quickly cleaned up the counter they had been working on. After placing everything back, she selected a couple band-aids and extra packets for her injured friend. 

“Now, we should get back.” She said cheerfully. “I’m sure Amity and Gus have gotten tired of all the formal-speak by now.” 

She poked her head into the hallway, looking both ways before beckoning Willow to follow her. But on their way back to their room, Luz noticed the uncomfortable look on Willow’s face. 

“Is everything okay?”

“Luz… about Amity.” Willow began. Luz sighed, assuming that Willow would try to convince her to avoid the girl. 

“Willow, I may not have known her long, but I trust her.” And she did. Despite the hazy rumors swirling around her family and her reserved personality, Amity was a genuinely good person who gave herself far too little credit. 

“I get that.” Willow conceded. “I’m not sure I do yet, but I do trust your judgement. It’s just, if she really is a fan of the Grim Reaper, her views might be a little… extreme.”

“Has the Grim Reaper killed people?” Luz asked in both disbelief and a small amount of horror. While she may have believed in using her abilities to stand against crime, she didn’t think that anyone deserved to be killed for what they’d done. As such, she was pleasantly surprised when Willow shook her head. 

“No, everyone they apprehended survived.” Willow reassured her. “But there is a reason the Grim Reaper is just as much a symbol of fear as it is one of justice. A lot of people don’t even think the Grim Reaper is a person.”

“What, do they think they’re an actual grim reaper?” Luz asked, amused. 

Willow hesitated for a few seconds, but nodded nonetheless. “They never said a word, so age and gender are unknown. They fought with a giant, black scythe, so no one knows if they even have abilities, much less what they might be. And you probably already know, when the mysteries pile up that high…”

“It’s easy for rumors and theories to fill in the gaps.” Luz finished. “And the most popular one is that they’re a real grim reaper?”

“Yes.”

“That’s… unsettling.” Luz said. “And honestly kind of a shame.”

“A shame?”

“Yeah! It would’ve been nice to have a partner. I can only do so much on my own, you know.” 

“Why am I not surprised that you would think about partnering up with someone called the ‘Grim Reaper’.” Willow said dryly. 

“Well, of course! A mystery is just a question no one’s answered yet. Imagine how cool it would be if I got to solve it?” She asked excitedly. 

As they neared the dorms, Luz ran ahead of Willow, unwilling to make Amity wait too much longer than necessary. But as she reached for the doorknob, she heard pieces of a conversation flutter through. Luz smiled as she pushed the door open. Though her introduction to Willow had been rough, it was nice to see that Amity was getting along well with Gus.

“Hi Luz.” Amity waved as she rose from her place on the arm of the couch. Gus greeted her similarly. He had apparently drawn up one of the plastic chairs in the closet so they could face each other while speaking. Luz waved back.

“Oh, and Willow, right?” Amity asked as she noticed the short-haired girl still standing in the doorway. Willow nodded, though she pointedly remained silent.

“Anyway.” Luz cut in. “Did you wash your hands?”

“Yep.” Amity raised both of them, palms facing Luz as proof. 

“Great.” Luz crossed the room, and gently brought Amity back to the couch. “I’ll get to work then.”

Gus chuckled. “You make it sound like you’re doing surgery.” He pointed out. Amity nodded in agreement. 

“They’re just scratches, Luz. I can do it myself.” Amity said, reaching for the band-aids and ointment in Luz’s hand. 

Luz held them just out of reach. “Do you have medical training?” She questioned. 

“No…” Amity admitted. “Wait, do you?”

“Yes.” Luz answered. Technically it wasn’t a lie. Her mom was a real nurse, so even if Luz wasn’t actually certified, her methods all followed official procedures. Or at least, the ones she remembered did. The rest required a bit more improvisation. 

Of course, it had to be said that Amity’s injuries didn’t actually require a professional eye. Anyone with a basic first-aid kit would be able to help her. Not that Luz would say that out loud. Unfortunately, she didn’t need to. 

“It’s like they’re actually doing surgery.” Gus said in disbelief, running a hand through his short, curly hair. “They’re just scratches…”

Luz narrowed her eyes at him. 

“So how lucky we are to have an expert here to help our young noble.” He finished smoothly, relaxing as Luz smiled at him. “I’m going to get some lunch. Willow, you want to come along?”

“Sure.”

Moments later, Amity and Luz were alone in the dorm room.

“Please, just let me help? I already feel bad that you got hurt in the first place.” Luz pleaded. “Besides, taking care of your own hands isn’t easy.”

“Okay.” Amity acquiesced. 

“Yay!” Luz beamed. 

“But I’ll handle the one on my knee.”

The bright smile immediately turned into a scowl. But Luz knew that she shouldn’t push too far.  “Deal.”

Luz sat on the arm of the couch, and gestured for Amity to hold out a hand. After briefly checking to make sure it was clean, she pulled out one of the packets she’d brought from the nurse’s office. But when Luz tore it open and began to smear ointment over the gashes, Amity finally noticed the band-aid on her thumb. 

“Wait, when did you get hurt?” She asked. 

“Same time as you. It’s nothing serious though.” Luz answered reassuringly. She pulled out the band-aids, carefully arranging them to cover up the worst of the scratches. “Other hand.”

“I’m sorry.” Amity said as she held out her right, palm up. “If I hadn’t grabbed onto your hand, you wouldn’t have fallen with me.”

“You can’t blame yourself for an instinctive reaction, Amity. Besides, it was that idiot’s fa—”

When she looked up from their hands and Amity met her gaze, eyes gleaming with obvious remorse, Luz’s heart skipped a beat. Amity was really pretty. Luz had had the same thought when they’d bumped into each other earlier today, but Amity’s condition had quickly overwhelmed her with concern. But now, with no such pressing matter, the realization fully developed in her mind. 

“Luz?” Amity asked hesitantly, eyebrows furrowed in slight concern. Luz felt her face begin to warm as she realized she had frozen mid-sentence. 

“Fault!” Luz burst. “It was that idiot’s face— fault, I mean.”

Luz tore her eyes away from Amity’s and began treating her other hand, though this time she maintained minimal contact throughout the process. Despite that, under her renewed determination, it hardly took more than a minute to completely finish. “Done!”

As promised, Amity tended to her own knee. though she did stop once to question Luz’s choice in band-aids. In her defense, there were a lot fewer options when it came to the larger ones, and the neon pink frog was just begging to be chosen. 

Once she was finished, Amity rose to her feet. “Well, now that that’s taken care of, I think I should head back. It’s been a… it’s been a day.”

Luz nodded in agreement and they walked to the door, though through her exhaustion she felt a little sad. She didn’t want to part so soon. She didn’t often get to make new friends, and she’d had a lot of fun, despite all the problems they’d dealt with. 

“Do you want me to walk you home?” She asked, searching for a way to prolong their day, if only for a few minutes.

Her heart sank when Amity shook her head. “That’s alright. I think I’ll get a cab or something. It’s a long way home, and I don’t really feel like walking.”

“Right.”

Luz stepped forward to open the door for Amity, who smiled in response. 

Amity was smart. There was an obvious air of intelligence around the girl, which was only reinforced by the fact that she had visited a library to research, on a weekend. It soon became clear that Amity was an incredibly fast learner too. Despite having only been through Hexside twice now, she easily navigated its maze-like hallways and found her way to the main entrance, all without help. There was a fiery look of satisfaction in Amity’s eyes when they reached the perimeter fence, and Luz couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride for her. But the quick pace Amity had set only meant that much less time they would have to part. 

And much to Luz’s dismay, the taxi was equally as quick to pull up to the curb.

With nothing left to do, Luz gave Amity a hug, which she returned after a moment of surprise. “Bye, Amity. Thanks for hanging out with me today.”

“Same to you. I had a lot of fun today.” After a moment of hesitation, Amity asked, “I’ll see you later?” 

Luz’s spirits rose. They’d met on a rooftop at night, of all places, and against all odds, they’d met again the very next day. Surely there would be a third time. “Of course.”

Amity ducked into the taxi, and Luz watched as it drove away, waving when Amity briefly glanced back at her. When it turned a corner and disappeared from sight, Luz went back in to join Willow and Gus for a late lunch. 

Chapter Text

The most awkward part of being a superhero isn’t the improvised excuses or the swarming reporters, though those are plenty uncomfortable. No, as far as Luz was concerned, the most awkward part of being a superhero was putting on her suit.

It wasn’t as easy as movies made it seem. Most of them glance over the actual changing and leap straight into the action. The hero pops into a closet or stairwell, and pops back out in full costume just moments later. Few movies depict the inside out sleeves, blind stumbling, and painful collisions that accompany the process, and honestly, Luz couldn’t blame them. It was a point of pride for most superheroes to appear as cool and steady as humanly possible. Not one would want to be seen tangled up in their own outfit with their mask sitting crookedly on their head, and Luz was certainly no exception. But as Eda had taught her on several occasions, sometimes you had to know when to step away and call for backup.

Fortunately, Willow was happy to help her out of her sartorial situation, though not without a healthy amount of teasing. 

“Why Luz, is this your first time wearing a supersuit?” Luz looked up as Willow untangled her sleeves and found the girl grinning, eyes filled with mirth and cheeks slightly red from laughter. “I thought you’ve been doing this for a year already. What happened?”

“Hey!” Luz protested as Willow pulled her to her feet. “It’s not easy to do on your own, you know. Em was always there to help me with this part…” Luz sighed. She missed having her partners around, as mischievous and friendly as they had been. Over the years she had spent under Eda’s wing, she had come to think of the twins as her own pair of guardian angels. They watched over her when Eda couldn’t, and Luz had been saved by them on several occasions. Though, as protective as they were, they certainly had no qualms with watching her step into one of their many pranks.

Feeling an odd pressure at the back of her neck, Luz glanced back in the mirror. She frowned. The hood of her suit had somehow gotten wedged into the collar. She groaned, only further lamenting their absence.

“So, is that everything?” Willow asked once Luz finally managed to wrestle her hood into place.

“Almost. I just need to figure out how I’m getting back in. I’m thinking I’ll use the window again.” As she spoke, she pulled a pre-packed bag with a spare change of clothes from underneath her bed. ‘Always keep a spare set of clothes on hand.’ Another Eda-lesson, though this one wasn’t exclusively for superheroics. As Luz had learned over the years, cloth was almost as useful as duct tape when it came to improvisation.

“Do you want me to put that out back like I did yesterday? Next to the fountain?” Willow clarified while gesturing to the bag. Luz nodded and handed it to her. Students weren’t allowed outside after curfew unless specifically excused and the faculty rarely went into the courtyard, so the bag would be left alone until she needed it, which if everything went as planned, wouldn’t be until a bit past midnight.

“Well, I think that’s all then.” Luz picked her mask up from where it had fallen on her bed. Holding it up to her face, she took a moment to admire the faded designs. While it had once felt foreign in her hands, it was now one of her most cherished possessions. A few scratches criss-crossed it, but far from marring it, Luz thought they were fitting. She wasn’t without her imperfections, so why should her mask be any different?

“Let’s not keep Gus waiting.” Luz added. She had mostly prepared on her own yesterday, and Gus had been a bit upset that he’d missed the chance to see her in costume.

She rested the mask on her head, ready to be pulled into place at a moment’s notice. She took one last glance in the mirror to make sure everything was right, and satisfied, she left the bedroom.

When Gus saw her, his jaw dropped. “This is awesome!” He cried, practically vibrating in his excitement. “I’ve never seen a superhero up close before!”

Luz chuckled. “You should check out Bonesborough sometime. There’s at least seven of us there.”

“No way! I’m definitely visiting now. When’s the next break?”

“Three weeks, right?” Luz looked to Willow for confirmation, and continued when the girl nodded. “Eda said I could come back for the break, so I’ll be there to give you a tour!”

Thump!

A quick glance found Gus collapsed on the floor, leaning heavily on the same wall Amity had fallen against earlier that day. 

“Oh gosh, are you okay?” With no small amount of concern, Luz rushed to her friend’s side, closely followed by an equally worried Willow.

But instead of an answer, Gus took in a shaky breath. “You know the Owl Lady?” He asked weakly. “Edalyn Clawthorne?” Luz nodded, mystified by her friend’s reaction.

“Is that bad? She said that she’s ever been convicted of anything.” Luz said, almost to herself.

“Bad?” Gus squeaked. “What do you mean ‘bad’? That’s absolutely amazing!”

Luz looked over Gus’s head at Willow, who shrugged and mouthed. How would I know? 

“Edalyn Clawthorne.” Gus repeated. “Until she retired, she was the most famous hero in all of the Isles. And you know her! How could that possibly be bad?”

“Most wanted, too.” Luz reminded him. “She’s really proud of that. You wouldn’t believe the number of tax collectors and private investigators I fought during my apprenticeship.” Noticing Willow’s appalled expression, Luz quickly added. “It’s okay. Eda told me that taxes are just how our demonic overlords keep us in check. And the investigators were just plain rude.”

Unfortunately, rather than alleviate it, her words only seemed to add to Willow’s horror. In fact, Willow looked downright scandalized.

“Luz, not paying your taxes is—”

“Exactly something a person as great as the Owl Lady would do!” Gus cut in. 

Luz nodded enthusiastically. “Right?”

But sadly, Gus’s support didn’t last very long. The moment Willow glared at him, Gus paled and pretended to zip his lips. Apparently satisfied, Willow turned her gaze on Luz, who laughed nervously. Luz rarely saw Willow this serious, and on the rare occasion she did, it never happened twice in one day!

Willow had just opened her mouth, likely to chastise her for reasons unknown, when she was cut off by a loud buzzer. And for the first time since the school year began, Luz felt relief at the sound of the curfew warning bell.

“Ah! That’s my cue, I should get going.” Luz scrambled to her feet, nearly tripping in her haste. She had almost made it to the window when she felt something latch onto her hood. “Oh… hey, Willow.” Luz said casually, as if they hadn’t been talking just five seconds ago. “Is something wrong?”

Willow raised an eyebrow. “What’s ‘wrong’ is that your morally grey, superhero mentor taught you that tax evasion is okay.” She sighed and released Luz’s hood. “It might not be my place, but we’ll definitely be talking about that later.”

Luz felt herself relax. If only for today, she was safe. She turned back to the window, opened it, and peeked out, scanning the courtyard below for anyone who might see her. But as Luz leaned over the windowsill, she felt something dig into her hip. She pulled herself back in, and reached into her pocket. 

“I forgot about these.” She muttered as she pulled out three earpieces. 

“What are they?” Gus asked.

“Earpieces.” Luz answered. “The twins and I used to use them back in Bonesborough, but they gave them to me when I moved here. They said patrolling can get boring on my own, and this way I can talk to someone without having my phone on me. I’m pretty sure they can only connect to each other, but the range is crazy far.”

Gus’s eyes went wide. “That’s so cool!”

Luz handed one to him and offered the second to Willow, who examined it briefly before fitting it into her right ear. Luz beamed.

“Okay, I’ll call y’all in a few minutes.” With a silly salute, she pulled her mask down, turned back to the window and climbed out.

Even three stories from the ground, Luz found no trouble in maintaining her balance on the narrow windowsill. It was a feat that she would attribute to her years of gymnastics, both under Eda’s tutelage and before. 

Luz reached out for one of the metal rain gutters running vertically along the wall, and with practised ease, she ran electricity through her hands and feet, allowing it to be drawn into the metal lining her gloves and shoes. Both pairs had been modified for this very purpose, with strips of metal embedded into the original material, giving her reasonable flexibility and traction while still allowing her to make use of one of the other effects of her powers. 

As her hand drew near the drain, she began to feel an invisible force pull at it, allowing her to hold onto it while exerting minimal physical strength. She repeated the process with her feet, and then with her other hand, until she was clinging to the drain. 

A long creak cut through the silence, and Luz shuddered as she felt the metal shift beneath her gloved fingertips, but she forced herself to climb nonetheless. It had held her weight yesterday, though she had been climbing down instead of up, and there was no reason it wouldn’t hold her tonight as well.

But even with that knowledge, she felt a wave of relief wash over her when she reached the top of the gutter and swung herself over the ledge. 

The roof of the school was unexpectedly barren. Air-conditioning units stood in orderly rows, like a miniature replication of the city built on an untouched, gravel plain. In fact, the expanse of gravel was completely smooth outside of the marks left by her own footsteps. As she walked over the crunchy surface, she made an effort to press her feet into them. It may be a bit childish of her, but she couldn’t help but want to leave her footprints there. A stroke of life in an otherwise lifeless environment. She was slightly tempted to scrape ‘Luz was here’ into the rocks in large, blocky letters, maybe followed by a large smiley face of some sort, but it would have been difficult to explain on the off chance that someone found it. As far as she knew, there was only one student named ‘Luz’ attending Hexside at this time, and she really didn’t want that number to drop to zero.

Despite the restless energy coursing through her veins, Luz took a couple of minutes to stretch. She had experienced enough muscle injuries to know better than to throw herself against the limits of humanity without first loosening her body. While her electrical abilities allowed her to push past physical strain up to an extent, it did little to actually lessen the damage such stress would cause. It was a fact that she had lamented to no end in the early days of her training, when she was prone to forgetting to properly prepare for her patrol shifts. 

Once she had sufficiently stretched, she walked to the edge of the roof. With only four floors, Hexside Academy was significantly shorter than the surrounding buildings. The day before, Luz had worn her hoodie and simply walked into an alley before climbing onto a fire escape. Sadly, she had been forced to leave the hoodie behind and, much to her despair, she had been unable to find it upon her return. It was a worn-out article, and likely ruined by the rain, but it still upset her to know that it was gone. 

So, for the sake of all her future hoodies, Luz had found another, more efficient method. One that would make her mentor proud. 

After all, Eda hated traffic lights almost as much as she did taxes, and Luz couldn’t think of a greater show of rebellion than standing on one.

Luz backed several meters away from the ledge, just far enough to give her some room to build up her speed. She dropped into a start position and, feeling the gravel shifting beneath her, scooted back until she could brace her right foot against an AC unit. She took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders, grimacing as she felt the tension in them. Even stretching wouldn’t rid her of nerves, and thinking about it would only make it worse. Luz rarely got the opportunity to practice a jump like this, and she could already feel the boiling anxiety churning in her stomach. If she ran now, there was a large chance that she would hesitate just before jumping, and a moment of hesitation could lead her to miss completely. No, if she was going to make it, she would need someone to direct her focus. 

Reaching up, Luz pressed the small button on the side of her earpiece, and it came to life with a short, ascending note. “Anyone there?”

The response was immediate. “ Hey, Luz! Stop any bad guys yet? ”

Luz smiled. “Gus, I’ve only been gone for like two minutes, I’m still on the roof.”

“ Is everything okay? ” Willow asked, joining the call. 

“Yep. I just need a start buzzer.” Luz answered. “Any volunteers?”

“ What for? ” Willow asked, but before Luz could respond, Gus volunteered. 

“ Ooh, me! I’ll do it! ” He yelled. Luz could almost picture him bouncing up and down in excitement. “ On the count of three? ”

“Sure, why not?” 

“ One… two… ”

“ Wait! ” 

“... Three! ”

By the time Willow’s sudden cry registered in her brain, it was too late. Luz had already taken off.

She raced across the rooftop, heels digging deep into the gravel. With each stride, she could feel the soles of her shoes scraping against the concrete beneath, and with the reassuringly immobile surface below her, she confidently poured every ounce of her strength into propelling her forward that much faster. And finally, at the edge of the roof, she planted her right foot and leapt. 

A flicker of fear rose within her as she flew through the air, but it was almost immediately extinguished by the sheer exhilaration rushing through her system. Adrenaline coursed through her, intertwined with the electricity that flowed through every inch of her being. Sure, a jump like this was terrifying and dangerous, but once she was in the air, it became one of the greatest feelings in the world. 

Unfortunately, however amazing her moment of flight may have been, it was just that. A moment. With every leap came a landing, and Luz’s was quickly approaching. 

Luz’s vision tunneled, the rest of the world fading from sight as she fixated on the metal post that was her target. It was a little bit to her left, but the slight misalignment would hopefully work to her advantage. While Luz admittedly wasn’t the greatest at math, she was fairly certain that it wouldn’t be possible for anyone to safely land on top of the traffic light without some sort of enhanced coordination or agility. Neither of which she possessed. 

Small sparks danced along the edges of her gloves, a byproduct of the massive amount of electricity she was running through them. She could even feel the heat of the metal beginning to bleed through the material, but she shrugged off the sensation as unimportant. She shot her hand to the side, hooking her fingers around the metal post and redirecting her momentum around it instead of past it. But as large as the post was, Luz found it impossible to get a proper grip with just one hand. So, with a grunt of exertion, she twisted her body, bringing her right hand around to strengthen her hold. 

It hardly took more than a few seconds for her momentum to die down. During that time, Luz caught the eye of the women attending the cash register across the street, and as she felt herself slow, she managed to pry one of her hands away from the post to wave. The woman jumped, immediately reaching into her pocket to find her phone. Instinctively, Luz raised her hand to her face to make sure her mask was in place, but there was little need. By the time the woman had pulled out her phone, Luz had already climbed to the top of the post, and hopefully out of sight. 

Eda had told her that the city’s first impression of a superhero was important, and Luz didn’t think this was the best time to make hers. Especially this close to her school and residence.

She ran along the beam, carefully watching her step so she didn’t step on a traffic light. Luz didn’t know how firmly attached they were, and accidentally destroying city property wouldn’t be much of a first impression either. She easily jumped to the post of the traffic light across the street, and from there, it was just a matter of climbing the opposing building’s many balconies.

As Luz neared the top, she felt her heartbeat slowly begin to accelerate. The corners of her mouth tilted downwards in a confused frown. She climbed a few more meters, hoping that the irregularity would fade on its own, but her heart only raced faster the higher she went. Slightly frustrated, Luz perched on the balcony railing of the highest floor and tried to puzzle out why. She had never had a fear of heights, and there was little chance that she would be attacked up there. If anything, the roof was probably empty. But rather than reassure her, the thought only made her grimace.

“Oh…” Luz murmured, eyes widening in realization. Empty . That was the problem, wasn’t it. She didn’t want the rooftop to be empty. Luz rested her forehead against the brick wall, feeling the smooth inner surface of the mask press hard against her face. “This is stupid.” Luz told herself. She had only met the girl yesterday, but she seemed to be popping up in the randomest of places. Even when she wasn’t there, she was present in Luz’s mind. “Amity.” 

Warmth blossomed in her chest as the name brought to the forefront of her mind, the fun memories she had made during the day. Oddly enough, Luz began to feel herself relax, her heartbeat finally drifting down to more normal rates. Or at least, she was in the process of relaxing when she heard a loud snort. 

“ Amity? ” Willow repeated, voice trembling with laughter. “ No way, Luz. Don’t tell me that you… ”

Immediately, the warmth that had been residing in her chest shot up her neck and painted her face bright red. Had the call really been connected this entire time?

“How long have you— No!” She spluttered. “I’m telling you nothing! Wait no, that’s not— I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

“ Hmm, is that right? Well, if you say so. ”

Willow’s words were so filled with sarcasm and amusement, that Luz could see the raised eyebrow and teasing smile. 

Luz knew that she should leave it there. It would only make things worse if she responded. But instead of being comforting, the silence quickly became unbearable. Almost as if the entire world was holding its breath… or maybe it was just her that wasn’t breathing. 

“Yeah, I do.” Luz shot back, desperate to end the awkward silence that had fallen upon them. Then she promptly buried her face in her hands and groaned. There was no way that Willow didn’t suspect anything now. In fact, Luz might as well have confessed! 

“Don’t you hate her? Why are you so calm about this?” Luz demanded, in hopes of directing Willow’s attention away. 

“ I thought there wasn’t a ‘this’? ” Willow questioned innocently, and Luz had to resist the urge to return her head to the brick wall, with significantly more force. 

Willow allowed her to suffer for a few moments before answering her question. “ I’m still a little worried, but like you said, she seemed like a good person. ” She explained. “ I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. Besides, it’s a lot more fun to tease you than argue about her.”

“Of course you’d say that.” Luz muttered. “You’re almost as bad as the twins are, and that’s saying something.”

“ Twins… ” Willow repeated thoughtfully. 

“Is something wrong?” Luz asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Willow assured her. Then, with a soft curse, at which Luz’s eyes grew round in shock, Willow continued. “Well, I better get going. Gus was nice enough to volunteer to take your bag down, since I still have plenty of studying to do. I guess I’ll see you when you come back?”

“Sure. Good luck with your studying!” Luz responded quickly. 

As Luz pulled the earpiece out and put it back into her pocket, she let out a pent-up breath. She took off her gloves, set them down on the rail, and pressed her newly-freed hands against her reddened face. Her hands were still warm from the burning heat of the gloves, but her face was warmer still. A testament to how hard she had been blushing. While she was grateful Willow hadn’t teased her too much, if living with the twins had taught her anything, it was that teasing didn’t just end . Today was just a prelude to weeks of equally amusing and embarrassing suffering. 

Shaking her head, Luz rose from her crouch and stretched her legs, all while still carefully balanced on the balcony rail. She replaced her gloves, making sure not to touch any of the metal strips as she did so. The way they still sizzled in the cool night air told her all she needed to know about their temperature. She didn’t really want to wear them, but she knew better than to go without. Half of her tricks and stunts would be impossible, or at the very least, significantly more difficult. And it really was past time that she began her patrol.

Luz easily pulled herself over the edge of the roof. It wasn’t exactly a move she had practiced in gymnastics, or with Eda, but it was near-identical to how she would pull herself out of a pool after swimming. The sport was another one of her many passions, though not one she got to indulge in often. Her powers tended to discourage any activities in highly conductive areas, especially with so many other people present. 

She stopped for a moment to take the city in. Sure, it was nowhere near as majestic as the towering buildings she had run along the night before, but there was a certain beauty to the darkened square of apartment buildings and small shops surrounding Hexside. It was almost peaceful, which was something Luz had not been expecting from a city as big as Coveren. 

With a slight sigh, Luz turned away from the view and walked to the other end of the roof. She allowed her electricity to flow through her body again, and the air around her crackled with the excess energy. With hardly a second thought, Luz crossed the gap between buildings. Her work had just begun, and it was only a matter of time before something would require her attention.