Rectification

Chapter 18

She gazed up at the crowd, though the bottom part of the bleachers was obscured from where she was standing. The faces all blended together. She couldn't tell where one witch stopped and the next began.

But she knew Luz was out there, watching, waiting for her to fight back.

I'll be your fearless champion this time, Luz.

Before the illusions of her parents could say another worthless word, Amity raised her sword and charged toward them, letting out a cry of fury.

"Stay out of this!" she roared, slashing the blade in a neat arc and cutting through both figures. They focused their eerie, lifeless stares on their daughter once more before evaporating.

"Is that all you've got?" Amity snarled. She turned in a circle, watching the remnants of Grom amalgamate into something new. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. The defeat of her parents had made her feel more alive than she had in a while. Maybe she could handle this.

The next person Grom took the shape of was Principal Bump.

A flash of triumph flashed through Amity's chest. "Too easy. Is that all you've got?" she crowed. "A Snaggleback is more intimidating."

Bump didn't reply immediately, only watched Amity with a level expression.

"So? What are you gonna scare me with, huh? Extra homework?"

Bump's tone was just as artificial and bone-chilling as her parents' had been. "I'm sure you know why I've called you to my office today."

"I sure don't," Amity replied.

"We need to talk about your grades."

Instantly Amity's heart dropped. It's not real, she reminded herself. No matter what he says to you, you're still one of the smartest and most capable witches in the school.

"You are failing all your classes. I'm afraid we'll have to be looking into expulsion-"

Before Bump even finished, Amity's sword stuck itself straight through where his heart would have been. Amity cringed as she did so- slaughtering look-alikes of real people made her uneasy, even if they were her manipulative parents or annoying principal- but now her second fear had been defeated, and she felt as strong as ever.

Whatever the next fear would be, it'd probably be terrifying, and she'd need a vicious and cunning attack to conquer it.

But Grom's third form wasn't intimidating or scary at all. This new form matched her height nearly exactly. Amity expected Grom to take the shape of a horrible beast, or perhaps someone who held some sort of grudge against her- maybe her former mentor Lilith, or even Emperor Belos himself. But what she didn't expect was tufty brown hair, a cropped white-and-purple hoodie, and sorrowful brown eyes that stared at her like they could see the deepest depths of Amity's soul.

Amity suddenly felt dizzy.

"Hi, Amity," Luz greeted her. Amity stared back at her.

Why did Luz sound so... sad?

"Luz," she whispered. "I don't understand. I'm not scared of you anymore. We're together now. You can't reject me."

The sorrow in Luz's gaze intensified. "I wish that were true."

"Luz, what do you mean?"

She didn't answer verbally. Instead, she reached into the back pocket of her shorts and pulled out a bronze-plated key that gleamed in the darkness.

For a moment, Amity thought that Luz had somehow gotten ahold of the key to the time spell cabinet, but when Luz lightly touched the center of it, she realized that it wasn't a library key at all.