Chapter Text
Blight Manor was large. Everyone knew where the house was, because you couldn’t miss it even from a small craft airship flying as high as possible above the Boiling Isles.
That and the giant arch above that explicitly spelled out for all to see that the place that Amity Blight called home was Blight Manor.
Blight with a capital “B”. (Secretly, Amity could think of something else she could call herself that began with the letter “B”.)
She knew she was supposed to be happy for her status among her classmates and that the house was a display of wealth – but like everything else, it just felt empty.
(Amity felt empty too.)
She felt even emptier when she arrived at Hexside the day after the whole mindscape incident and watched Willow Park stroll happily through the halls with a new spring in her step. As Willow walked, she smiled at her best friend – Illusion prodigy Augustus Gus Porter and Luz Noceda, the new human transfer who continued to vex her pop up wherever Amity was to cause trouble.
In a word, Amity had been awful to Willow. Actively terrible. She had gone out of her way to bully her and amplified the words of other bullies. She’d been almost personally responsible for the continued use of the taunting nickname, “Half-a-Witch Willow” that followed her former friend through the hallways.
What Luz had said in the mindscape was true. Willow might have been a late bloomer, but now she was a “Great Bloomer”. Since her track switch it was becoming clear that everyone could see it now. Willow Park was powerful, yes. But she was also lovely and kind and funny. All the things Amity had known years ago and twisted into ugly words.
But now Amity was at a crossroads.
In the mindscape, she’d made a promise to Willow to stop letting Boscha and the others pick on her. And she wanted to be the type of person who could look Willow in the eye again … but … what if it was just too late for her?
“Whoa! Amity!” Luz’s face appeared in her view jolting her from her mind, “penny for your thoughts?”
Amity’s face grew hot and red.
“Who’s Penny?” Amity asked. She looked around the room, “is she in class with us?”
Luz chuckled, “No, silly! It's a human term for, ‘what’s on your mind’?”
Titan! Luz was cute annoying in a cute way.
“If I told you what was on my mind, that would be cheating,” Amity pointed, “this is an Oracle Track class, after all.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Luz laughed, “I guess I’m surprised to see you here, actually! I thought you were all Abomination Goo magic.”
“I am,” Amity sighed heavily, “but we are required to take one basic level exchange class before graduation, and my mo- er, I chose Oracle Magic.”
Odalia had chosen it for Amity, because that had been Odalia’s track. Amity wondered a bit if her mother didn’t resent the fact that not one of her children followed in her footsteps magically.
Luz didn’t question Amity. She just bobbed her head enthusiastically, as usual.
“Class!” Mx. Gotye cleared their throat, “gather your thoughts, take a seat and pay attention! Today we will be beginning our unit on dreaming visions!”
_______
The assignment was simple. Students were supposed to write letters to themselves from the past, present, and future and try to create a charm that would allow for visions of themselves to appear in their dreams and read the letters out loud.
The lesson was interesting enough but Amity found it adorable frustrating how Luz just kept talking throughout the project.
“This is soooooooo cool!” she kept saying, “it makes me think of that whole Christmas Carol thing, you know?” she pulled her hood over her head, “Ammmmmmmmity! You’ll be visited by THREEEEEEEEEEE GHOSTS!”
“What is a Christmas and who is Carol?” Amity asked, “is she in the next Azura book?”
Luz chuckled, “no, no! Nothing like that. But it is from a famous book about a rich guy who’s all mean and doesn’t treat his employees or his family nicely and then three ghosts visit him and tell him about his past, present and then how his future will be if he doesn’t change his ways or anything.”
Amity felt her face burn as Luz spoke. She wasn’t certain how obvious it was so she turned her head fast and pretended to be invested in the text book.
Aside from that, the class went along without incident. Well, mostly. The problem was, that Amity couldn’t actually imagine what she would write. When she thought about her past, and she thought about people she hurt. When she thought about her present and she thought about people she still hurt.
And when she thought about her future?
Amity hated thinking about the future, because even if she had achieved everything she was supposed to, there was no real joy in the thought of it other than existing.
Instead, she scribbled out something trite on each page and folded them in the precise pattern that Mx. Gotye demonstrated – Luz was having trouble with that part.
“Origami wasn’t ever my strong suit,” she smiled, “My da- err… I was taught how to make really good paper planes though! Those are like human airships.”
“Human airships are made out of paper?” Amity chuckled. She helped Luz refold her letters, taking care not to touch her hand — because the idea of doing so made her stomach feel weird.
Class wrapped, Amity was met by Boscha and company at the doorway who ushered her away as Luz connected with Willow and Gus.
Boscha made some comment about how Amity shouldn’t have to babysit the new social outcast just because she can’t do magic.
Secretly, Amity glanced back and found herself wondering how her life would be if she walked away from Boscha and followed the so-called, “social outcasts” instead.
_______
Amity went to bed early. Dinner had been the usual quiet affair with her mother snapping at her father about how business could improve, and then grilling Amity about her week’s accomplishments. Edric and Emira had been sent to their rooms after arguing over the last slice of roach beast.
That was probably what they’d hoped for when they began arguing. At least that’s what Amity had suspected.
Her father had mentioned to Amity that she was approaching the age for Emperor’s Coven try outs. She thought about responding that she’d hoped to finish High School first, but her mouth wouldn't open. And Odalia had dominated the conversation. She had been gleeful since she’d heard that Amity requested a new mentor that wasn’t Lilith Clawthorne.
“I never liked that prissy little echo mouse,” she’d said, “maybe Amity will be promoted to her position after you succeed in the try outs!”
Amity finished her dinner, then her homework and got into her pajamas. She checked her scroll and caught up on the latest drama, scrolling past a few messages from Luz. She looked at Luz’s contacts and considered trying to add Willow as a friend, but stopped short.
Then she placed her oracle letters under her pillow and dozed off to sleep.
_______
“Mitteeeeeeeeens.”
Amity blinked her eyes open then snapped them shut.
“Mitteeeeeeeeeeeenssssssssss!”
Okay, now this was weird. A moment earlier, Amity had let her eyes flutter shut while reading some texts from Boscha where she was trash talking the dress Skara wore to her birthday party, and now she was staring at two glowing figures that looked like older versions of Edric and Emira.
And for some reason they were rattling what looked like chains?
“Could you guys knock it off?” Amity rolled her eyes
“Mitteeeeeeeeeeeens!” They continued.
“Youuuuuuuuuu are in danger Mittens!” that was Edric.
“Offffff grooooooowing up to beeeeee nooooooo fun foreeeeeeeveeeeer.” that was Emira.
“Really?” Amity quirked a brow, “I thought we were done with this stuff since the whole diary incident.”
She tossed a few pillows at them which flew right through their forms and smacked against the walls of her room,
“You missed!” Edric snorted.
“Alright. Nice illusion,” Amity shook her head, “now if you two will stop –”
The specters rattled their chains a little more and moaned incoherently until Edric swallowed his own spit and began a coughing fit.
Amity nearly allowed herself a chuckle at their obvious folly and waved them on.
“If you two are quite done, I am going back to sleep.” she sighed.
“No! Not yet!” Edric begged, “we’re not done with our bit! Now … wait… what was the next part in Luz’s script?”
“Luz?” Amity felt her cheeks glow, “did she put you up to this?”
“No, you did!” the older looking Emira frowned. “Okay, so …” she blinked as if she was trying to remember what she was saying, “you are not happy now, right?”
For a moment Amity felt a sliver of fear pass through her. She wanted to tell Emira that she had no idea what she was talking about, but instead, she just shrugged.
“Thought so,” her sister smiled sadly, “you will be visited by three spirits tonight.”
“Listen to what they have to say, sis.” the older looking Edric shrugged, “because they have some real good advice and a few clues on how you can make it through how you’re feeling right now.”
“Okay,” Amity shook her head, “I have no idea what you guys are up to, but can I at least ask you what is with the chains?”
“Dunno,” Edric frowned, “Luz said they’re part of the whole thing. She also said that this was written by a guy named Charles Dickens? That’s a funny name! Dickens.”
Emira smacked her specter brother halfway through his giggling fit.
“Ignore him, I’ve been ignoring him for almost twenty one years!” she laughed, “anyway, go back to sleep. You’ll hear a chime when you wake up again and … the hauntings will begin.”
With that, the images of Amity’s siblings faded as they returned to their initial moaning of her nickname.
“Miiiiiitttttttteeeeeeeennssssssssss.”
No sooner had Amity fallen back asleep before she heard a loud chiming sound. She spun around in bed, and sat up with a hiss.
“I SWEAR! IF YOU TWO DON’T!...”
“Oh! Sorry, I thought you were told I was coming?”
Amity rubbed her eyes. There, at the foot of her bed, stood a little girl, no older than nine or ten. She was skinny with big golden eyes. Her light brown hair was tied up in a high ponytail on her head.
And she glowed.
“H-hello?” Amity swallowed.
“Hello!” The girl waved merrily, “I’m the spirit of Amity past.”
“Oh. Okay, sure.” She put her head back on the pillow.
“Aren’t you going to ask me why I’m here?”
With a sigh, Amity picked her head up. The younger version of herself looked a bit saddened. Something in her belly tumbled. Amity loved children. Seeing them happy was a rare joy she experienced at the library. But seeing herself as a child?
She thought about what she’d needed most back then and took a breath.
“Um. Hey there,” she smiled, “a-are you supposed to be me?”
“I am the spirit of your past,” her younger self nodded, “your inner child! Do you recognize me?”
“It’s been a long time since I had brown hair,” Amity sighed. Her mind ticked, “is this because of the Oracle Class assignment?”
“Yes!” the girl beamed, “I’m a piece of the memories of your past self here to guide you to a better future!”
“That sounds pretty optimistic,” Amity smiled a little, “for me at any point in my life at least.”
“Yeah, I can see why,” the child reached out her hand and Amity took it. At their touch the room around them began to fade away.
“There is reason to be hopeful though,” she cooed, “I will show you why.”