Rectification

Chapter 4

Amity nodded and stood. She tried to keep her usual air of confidence about her, but as she dragged Luz to the front of the class, her heart began to pound. It was so easy to remember the events of Luz's previous first visit to Hexside. She'd almost been killed. Now the responsibility to make sure that didn't happen rested squarely upon Amity's shoulders, and upon her luck at evading the suspicion of any faculty.

"Abomination, rise." Amity winced as her voice cracked. On cue, Luz leapt onto the tile floor, splattering the area around Amity's feet with purple goop. She wasn't completely coated, and some of the browns from her skin and her hair peeked through, but if this had fooled the class last time surely it would work now. After all, everyone in here was already wrapped around Amity's little finger.

"Abomination, bow." It felt strange to command Luz like she was some sort of animal, but Amity supposed it was necessary. When Luz struck a dramatic bow, the class let out a collective gasp.

The professor's eyes glowed with approval. "Impressive as always, Miss Amity."

"That's not all I've got." She faced Luz and quickly thought back to the day when Willow presented Luz as her own work. What had Luz said to Willow? Hadn't it been something really cute? Did Amity just want to hear Luz say something cute again? Probably. "Abomination, speak."

Luz blinked at her for a moment, dumbfounded, but then stumbled over to Amity and threw her arm around the other girl's shoulder. The purple goop on her arm felt cold and alien against the back of Amity's neck, but it was Luz. Amity would welcome any contact.

"I may be abominable," Luz joked, "but you're adorable!"

All the blood in Amity's face rushed to her cheeks. "Oh, that's so sweet," she muttered. She realized that the class was staring at her, watching her as she presented. They'd probably see her blushing. Which would they find weirder, Amity blushing over a human or Amity blushing over an abomination? She didn't know which option was worse.

"How cute, Miss Amity," praised the professor. He painted a red A-plus on Luz's forehead. "A bit different than your usual style, but I like it. You'll remain the top student."

Amity froze and dropped her hands from where they were poised to remove her Top student badge. "But Willow... she improved so much. Shouldn't she be the top student now?"

"No. You are my top student. Willow still has a long way to go before she could earn that title."

From where she was sitting back at her desk, Willow seemed to shrink into her chair.

"Perhaps if she could pull off something like you, Amity..." the professor mused.

Amity pulled Luz back to her desk and deposited her there. Then, unhooking the badge, Amity held it in the palm for a moment, feeling the cold metal against her pale skin one more time. Maybe it wasn't within her social standing to give up the most powerful title that could be bestowed upon a freshman like her, but it wasn't within her new moral standing, either. "Here," she said stiffly, marching over to Willow's table and holding that badge out to the other witch. "You deserve this." I'm sorry, she thought, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words out loud.

Willow gingerly took the badge and turned it over in her hands for a moment. When she glanced back up at Amity, her green eyes were brimming with confusion. "Thanks, Amity?"

Amity shrugged. "Maybe your skills don't lie in abominations, but that doesn't mean you don't work hard. You deserve it."

When she turned to head back to her own desk, she saw Luz's curious gaze peeking out at her from underneath her lid. Face flushing red, she averted her eyes.