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“Come on, Amity!”
Amity looked up from the potion in her hand to the bard track student smiling at her. She could barely hear Skara over the crowd and the music of the Bonesborough carnival.
“What?”
“We’re going to get our fortunes read!”
Amity opened her mouth to argue but instead dragged towards an unknown destination. She looked around to find the rest of the entourage standing together on the outskirts of the festival. Cat and Amelia were chatting amongst each other, obviously excited. Boscha looked like she couldn’t care less. Behind them was a purple tent. A fabric banner, with ‘Fortune Teller’ painted in red, haphazardly hung above the entrance.
“Fortune Tellers are scammers, Mittens. They will tell their client anything they would want to hear. Any true fortune teller would be by Emperor Belo's side...”, Her mother – being part of the Oracle coven – told her years ago when the family went to the Bonesborough Carnival together.
Her mother wouldn’t lie to her.
The abomination student yanked her arm free from Skara’s grip.
“You all know that this is fak-” Amity started when the tent flap suddenly flew open, revealing two very familiar individuals. They honed their sights on the younger Blight, ignoring the others.
“Mittens!” the twins yell in unison.
“You’re going to get your fortune read?” Edric cooed as he draped his arm over his younger sister’s shoulder. Emira, mirroring Ed, rested her arm on Amity’s other shoulder.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to use it on figuring out if you’re going to get into the emperor’s coven?”, Emira chuckled, “Shouldn’t you use it on something you don’t know?”
“Ooh, like if you’re ever going to cast a fire spell!”
Flushed in the face, Amity is now at a boiling point, “Leave!”
Ed and Emira release their sister, laughing as they disappear into the crowd. Amity could feel the stares of her group, waiting for her next step.
“Wow, Amity, I can’t believe you can’t cast a fire spell.”
“Boscha!”, Skara butted in. There is something that Skara, Cat, and Amelia agreed on: arguments between Amity and Boscha always ended badly.
The comment wasn’t lost on Amity. She noticed the increased ‘teasing’ by Boscha today. The group has a specific pecking order, with Amity always on top. Boscha, however, for the past few months, had been subtly trying to knock Amity off her mantle.
Amity glared at Boscha; guess who will be benched for the next ten games.
“Come on!” Cat quickly changed the subject, opening the tent flap. Amelia and Skara went in immediately, with Boscha closely behind, leaving Amity as the last one to enter.
The warm interior was jam-packed with candles, books, and other oracle objects. At the center of it all is a small table with a deep red cloth and a giant orb—a crystal ball. A pale-yellow head poked out from behind the orb. Amity immediately recognized her as Celine. Her crescent moon head and the singular eye are features unique to the demon.Amity shared a few classes with the oracle student but could count the times they’ve interacted with her on one hand. One of them was just yesterday – when Celine came to the library.
*
Amity would typically do one job in the library – reading to kids. However, the Kid’s Corner went unoccupied today. Since the Bonesborough Fair went up this weekend, the kids have been out with their parents. So Malphas, instead of telling her to go home, had her work the front desk.
She only recently became part of the library staff. It is a quiet and easy job. She didn’t necessarily want it at first, but her mother did remind her that volunteer work is necessary on applications.
Amity tapped her fingers on the hardwood, bored out of her mind. The library is nearly empty anyways due to the fair. She already organized the Demon Decimal cabinets and put away all the returns. She looked around, checking to see if she saw Malphas. He is nowhere in sight. He wouldn’t mind her reading, right?
Amity finally drummed up the courage and pulled out The Good Witch Azura: Book 3. She is already on her third re-read. She was so engrossed in the story that she didn’t even notice the individual in front of her.
“Excuse me,” a soft voice broke Amity out of her stupor. Amity looked up to see Celine, the oracle student.
“Sorry!”, Amity said louder than what is acceptable in a library. She quickly shut her book and hid it under the counter. Her face is as red as apple blood.
“Hey, Amity. I’m wondering if you knew where the crystal ball reference is?”
“Yes, you can follow me,” Amity got up and guided the demon to the section, knowing that she won’t feel comfortable pulling out her Azura book until her peer left.
If Celine saw what she was reading, she was sure it would get around at Hexside. Amity hoped that Celine would know what was best for herself. To keep quiet.
*
“Hey guys!” the demon cheerfully waved her hands. The overly long sleeves flowed with them. Most of the group, except for Boscha and Amity, waved back.
“Wow, Celine! Where did you get this crystal ball?” Skara asked while leaning on the table where the object sat.
“It’s my Dad's,” Celine stated before continuing, “He doesn’t use it much, but I thought I might as well try it out.”
“So, you’ve never done this before?”, Boscha arched a brow. Whether Celine picked up on what Boscha was implying didn’t seem to affect her.
“I have in school, but never with a crystal ball like this-”
“Isn’t that just a regular crystal ball? So what? Are you going to describe the News to us?” Boscha laughed.
“This is an actual ancient crystal ball.”
“I bet you’re amazing at it!” Skara butted in and took her place in the chair. She placed two snails in the glass jar filled with coins that sat next to the crystal ball, “I would love to get my fortune read.”
*
The readings were the same. Skara, Cat, and Amelia asked what their love life would be like. Celina gave vague descriptions of their partners – even though Amity felt like Skara’s future spouse description oddly matched Boscha.
Amity spent the time waiting on her scroll and on Penstagram. She was actively listening but acting like she didn’t care until Boscha got her fortune read.
“-So it looks like next year you will be the captain of the Banshees,” Celine stated, looking nervously at Amity.
Amity couldn’t see Boscha’s face, but she is sure that the triclops had a shit-eating grin. Amity arched a brow, her stare penetrating Celina.
Doesn’t Celine know who I am? Or is she just that oblivious?
Boscha stood up and twirled around to meet Amity. Her arms crossed and her head held high. A smug smile is plastered on her face.
“You hear that, Amity? I’m going to be captain.”
“Well, let's see if that happens,” Amity sat down in the seat. She could hear an audible huff from Boscha.
Amity ignored the pink witch behind her and reached into her pocket, grabbing her last two snails and placing them in the jar. Her mother gave her a hundred for the fair. She had already burned through most of it with rides, games, and food. This was the only thing on the fairgrounds that took two snails.
“So, Amity, what would you like to know?” Celine looked over the crystal ball at the green-haired witch.
Amity stared down at her hands in her lap. There was a significant pause before she looked back up at Celine. She didn’t trust the witches around her enough to ask Celine a genuine question.
“Will I become the leader of the emperor’s coven?”
“Let’s see.” Celine used her sleeves to rub around the orb, which started to glow. Amity could hear Cat, Amelia, and Skara whispering among themselves, but she soon droned them out. Amity watched intently as the ball started to get brighter and brighter.
“Hm….From what I’m seeing….”
Amity scooched closer to the orb, hoping to see something in it. But instead, it was just a mix of colors blending into one another like smoke and moving like a breeze inside.
“….It looks like…”
The color of the orb shifted into a warm purple as the smokey mass created its turbulence. She could feel her heart beat a bit faster.
“…you’re not going to be part of the emperor’s coven.”
Amity felt her blood run cold and her ears become hot. The noise from the fair became muted as the shock turned to anger. She did hear Boscha stifle a laugh, however.
“What!?”
Celine started to turn in on herself, realizing the severity of what she had just announced.
“So, the orb is based on what your current path is right now. My Dad said that they could change at any time.”
“Sounds like you’re on the path to becoming half-a-witch-Willow, Amity.”
Amity turned to glare at Boscha with a look that could out-compete Medusa’s. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the rest of the group waiting on her Amity to snap back.
“Just to let you know, Boscha, I think you’ve been lacking in grudgby lately. So as captain, Amelia, how would you like to be on the field for the next ten games?”
Cat held back a gasp. Amelia just gulped, unsure what to say. Skara looked over to Boscha, who was at a loss for words. Amity hit a nerve. The plant track student wanted to be on the field the whole season, and the potion track student lived for the sport.
“Ugh! I’m going to go get some Rotten candy.”, Boscha promptly left the tent. There is an uncomfortable silence.
“That sounds good right now!” Skara broke the silence, “Amity, do you want one?”
“I’m good; I’ll meet you outside.”
Skara, Cat, and Amelia left the tent as well. Again, there is another uncomfortable silence. Amity could feel her face still heated from the exchange.
“How about I give you another reading?” Celine looked a bit nervous. Then, probably scared of Amity jumping down her throat, “It’ll be on the house… er… tent.”
“Fine…”
“Wonderful! Now, what do you want to know?” Celine rubbed her palms together and smiled innocently at Amity. Amity didn’t return with a smile, her shoulders hunched. She felt embarrassed for even thinking about asking.
Celine seemed to pick up on Amity’s embarrassment, “How about… your love life?”
“Yes!”, Amity said a little too excitedly.
“Wonderful! Let’s get started!” Celine started to rub the orb. Amity could feel both her heart and bile sac palpitate at the same time. Her face flushed with red. Amity wasn't sure whether it was from the overly caffeinated Apple Blood Frappe she had earlier or her nerves.
“You will meet the love of your life at Hexside, it looks like,” Celine squinted when a flash of purple highlighted her face. Amity furrowed her brow; she knew everyone at Hexside.
There is no one at Hexside that she liked enough to even consider as a candidate. But, in the back of her mind, Amity could hear her mother: All of these fortune tellers are scams, so no need to even try, sweetie.
“What do they look like?”, Amity asked, trying to sound curious. The question seemed innocent, but it tested Celine’s abilities. Celine had a fifty-fifty chance of flunking this question.
“Well, she doesn’t look like a witch.” Celine sounded unsure of what she saw herself, but Celine was correct that Amity is into girls. But the other half of the statement threw Amity off.
“Not a witch?”, Amity paused, thinking of what else her hypothetical future love might be, “…like a demon?”
Amity thought what she liked; her infatuation with Azura in the Azura series gave her that direction. Some actresses she liked… who had looked like Azura if you squinted. But there were other women she liked too. Though a demon, she never found demons attractive.
“No, not a demon… I think” Celine looked even closer into the orb. She is almost flush against the glass.
“She looks like a witch, but something is off, and I am sure she isn’t. The image is too blurry to make out. Maybe she has some demon lineage? Maybe a half-witch? Her ears are different….”
She’s pulling my leg. A half-witch?
There are literal half-demon, half-witch mixes, but they are a rarity, and Amity wouldn’t even be caught dead with a half-witch. Most had demon lineage than anything, like Boscha. Amity doesn’t think she’s ever seen a full half-demon, half-witch, however.
Her mom made it very clear a few months ago when Amity just turned twelve, “Blights are cut from silk rather than cloth, Mittens. Your father’s ancestors kept it that way; it would be such a disappointment if you were to change that.” The whole event gave her whiplash. After that, Amity became uncomfortable bringing her friends to the manor. While both of their parents were friends, more like rivals, Odalia didn’t want any relations with Boscha to go further than just friends.
“Okay, how about hair color? Eye color?” the question is sharper now that Amity is losing her patience.
“That… I can make out!” Celine looked at Amity with a smile but turned back to the orb, seeing Amity’s unenthused expression.
“So she has tan skin and dark-brown wavy hair- ” Celine continued, but Amity started to feel her ears redden.
Celine is describing someone who sounds oddly like… Azura!
Amity almost facepalmed with just how annoying this ordeal became. The demon was describing the illustrated woman on the book Amity was reading. Amity hiding the book so quickly probably made Celine think it was a romance novel.
“-and bright hazel eyes.”
“You can stop there, Celine.”
Celine looked up to see Amity already standing.
“No one at our school has that description or is a ‘half-witch.’” Amity turned to glare at Celine, “Cute that you tried, though, but a Blight wouldn’t be caught dead with anything other than an actual witch.”
Amity exited the tent and saw her entourage standing around with rotten candy in their hands. Boscha is staring at someone in the crowd.
“Look, half-a-witch Willow showed up.”
Amity looked over to the witch in question. Willow was far from the group, sparing her from the harsh words. Boscha was saying something, but Amity’s full attention was on Willow and her family. Augustus and his dad were with them. She watched as her former friend held her father’s hand. They were all laughing while playing whack-a-giraffe. She watched how Augustus and Willow seemed to enjoy each other’s time.
She could see that there was no ulterior motive between them. No jealousy between the two or need to show off. Was that how friendships were supposed to be?
Amity and Boscha were all that: jealousy and ulterior moves. Amelia, Skara, and Cat – though not like her friendship with Boscha – were using Amity to climb the social hierarchy. It was exhausting.
All the group did was bully others – even each other.
Amity could only remember when she wasn’t surrounded by those who wanted something from her when she was friends with Willow. A true friendship.
At that moment, Amity regrets everything she did to Willow.
**
Amity ran her finger along the ridge of the tiny ear. It was pointed but not as sharp as her mother’s. Its owner, a newborn baby girl, made a frustrated noise.
“Sorry,” Amity pulled her finger away.
Her daughter was just seven days old. She was tiny but already took up so much of her mother’s life. She had lighter skin than Luz but got her facial features and eyes from Amity. Her hair color was yet to be known.
She was the second half-witch half-human in the Boiling Isles' history. Amity chuckled; she wondered how her younger self would've reacted, seeing that she would be a mother to a half-witch.
Half-a-witch.
It was years ago, before she was even a teenager, when the moniker was created for Willow. Even now in her thirties, Amity’s own words haunted her still. Amity couldn’t remember if it was her or Boscha who came up with the term, but she knew one thing: she was a bully either way.
Her mind was poisoned with preconceptions by her parents. It didn’t take hold; she was quickly able to let go of those ideas, as were her siblings. It was still scary none of the less. The guilt was still there even though her victims had forgiven her.
Luz and Amity weren’t sure, but their daughter might struggle with magic herself. Or might not be able to at all. What was terrifying, though, was that her daughter would likely run into who would pick up on those weaknesses and use them against her. Someone who was like her back then. Someone who would bully her daughter, as she did with Willow. Someone who might hurt her in a way that Amity could never fix.
But maybe that won’t happen. Perhaps the boiling isles have become more tolerant since glyph magic came around. Or maybe Luz changed the minds of the Boiling isles.
Amity won’t ever know until then. Only time could tell… or maybe a fortune teller.