Anyone who was in the way immediately shot to the side and took cover. Luz noticed that they were headed straight for Amity's table. 'Not again', she groaned internally. She tried to come to a stop, but it was a bit too late for that.
She squeezed her eyes shut preparing for impact.
Just before she crashed into the Blight she felt a violent halt in her momentum. She opened one of her eyes to peek. She was face to face with a fuming Blight.
She opened her other eye, she looked around hoping to fully grasp the situation. She, her friends, and the Rhinpanzees are all being held in place by abomination goop. She slowly directs her gaze back to the girl in front of her. She smiles awkwardly, "heh heh, hey Amityyy".
•~•○•○•○•~•
"PRINCIPAL BUMP! I have yet again had to stop these delinquents from tearing apart YOUR school!", Amity slammed her hands onto the principal's desk.
All 5 of the students in question stood in the Principal's office, heads hanging low.
Principal Bump sighed. "Amity they already have served 15 detentions this week and it's only Wednesday."
Amity straightened up and glared at the man before her, "Well maybe it's time to do something more than detention. They are turning your school into a Circus!"
"Amity I understand what you're suggesting, but all 5 of these students make exceptional marks, and not only that I get free labor out of them if I call it 'punishment'! The school has never been so spotless!", Bump happily argued.
"What can I say? My mopping skills are pretty fabulous.", Luz cut in with a semi-proud face.
Amity turned to face her. Her glare had slightly startled Luz. She swallowed a lump in her throat and looked elsewhere. 'Ah what an intriguing spiderweb' she thought.
Amity was now looking at Bump. "If you won't get rid of all of them, at least get rid of one... and I think Noceda would be the best pick." She crossed her arms as if it was final.
Before Bump could respond- "Now hold on a minute here! I think you're being a bit dramatic! Expulsion is too extreme!", Luz no longer found the spider web interesting.
Viney jumped in too, "Yeah! That seems pretty uncalled for Princy B."
"Bark! Bark!"
"Yeah! Viva La Residue", Gus yelled.
Willow facepalmed.
Amity ignored them. "Principal Bump please give my suggestion some consideration!".
Bump pondered for a moment. Then an idea struck him. He turned to the 4 witches and the human.
"I won't be expelling anyone." Amity goes to argue, but Bump held up a hand. "But someone is going to atone for ALL the disturbances your little group has been causing this week."
The 5 of them gulped collectively looking at one another.
"Only one of you will be subject to this punishment. So who will it be?", Bump clasped his hands together and set them on his desk.
Without hesitation, Luz stepped forward, "I'll do it!"
Immediately the others erupt into a protest-
Viney: "No! I'm the one who suggested the Rhinpanzee thing!"
Barkus: "Bark! BARK!"
Willow: "I didn't stop us even though I knew it was a bad idea, it should be me!"
Gus: "..."
The other three looked at the Illusionist. Gus noticed, "What? I'm too young to die. I've got my whole life ahead of me!"
But before the others could scold him Bump looked to Luz, "Luz since you volunteered first, you'll be the one accepting this punishment. That is final. Mr. Porter, Ms. Park, Mr. Barkus, and Ms. Spektor- please exit my office."
The four glanced at Luz. She smiled at them and gave a slight nod. They left the office. Amity was just about to follow when Bump cleared his throat. "Actually, Ms. Blight, you stay."
She looks back at him bewildered but lets the door close behind Willow.
Bump studied the witches before him, he looked as of he was having second thoughts on what he was about to say.
He took a deep breath.
"Alright. Ms. Noceda, since you first started attending Hexside last year there has been an increase in incidents around the school..."
Luz shrank in on herself a bit.
"I know you mean no harm and most incidents result in no injuries but nevertheless, most have been disruptive."
Luz couldn't seem to take her eyes off her shoes.
Bump went on, "Taking into account that the last student to be expelled from Hexside was expelled for sending a classmate to another dimension over a cookie... I do think expulsion is a bit extreme. The worst thing your group has done was set the sports field on fire, with no casualties. So instead of jumping the gun, I've decided to bring back an old punishment!"
Bump breathes out a bit heavily.
Luz knows she should be worried, but her interest is peaked. Both girls waited anxiously for Bump to continue.
"O.B.D.N.S.S"
Both girls looked very confused.
Amity says, unsure of herself, "Obedience?"
Bump smiled warmly, but you can see the hesitation behind his eyes.
"Optimized Behavior Dictation Negotiated by Star Students."
Luz felt an uneasiness in the pit of her stomach.
Bump went on, "It was a program that entrusted our top students with helping our most troublesome ones fall in line."
"But turns out not all our best students were all that... good.", he added under his breath.
"So how exactly does this work?", Amity asked.
"Ms. Noceda will be enchanted with an obedience spell. The control end of the spell will be connected to you.
I trust with you being an outstanding top student, you can handle this responsibility?
"Of course, I can Principal Bump.", she was speaking with her misplaced ego.
Luz was frozen in place. Amity on the other hand was processing the information just given to her.
She slowly looked up at Bump. "So... if I tell her not to cause trouble...?".
"Then she will not cause trouble.", Bump stated.
"Why not tether her with a teacher?"
"Because the teachers can't shadow Luz to every class. You can and will be adopting her schedule for a week. And you will be responsible for staying caught up with your regular classwork."
Amity's ears twitched. She didn't like the idea of being stuck babysitting the human.
"I am also going to require you to shadow her during free periods. Again this will only be until next Wednesday," Bump reassured.
"I'm hoping you two will find some common ground to lessen the bickering you do so much.", He sounded tired.
Luz snapped back to reality. "Principal Bump, can I please just be expelled? I don't think I want to mirror Little Miss Perfect over there", Luz points a thumb at Amity.
Amity squinted her eyes, "Watch it Noceda."
Luz stuck out her tongue in response.
Bump lifted a finger and drew a spell circle. A scroll appeared out of thin air and landed in his hand.
"Luz it's only for a week. If anything does happen, both your guardians know how to dispel the enchantment. But if it is dispelled early without an acceptable reason... I might just have to consider suspension after all."
Luz could not believe this was happening. She loved her free will! This has to be illegal right?! She didn't exactly know what all her rights were in the Boiling Isles.
Bump started to read from the scroll. He cast a spell circle that surrounded Luz and then another that surrounded Amity.
Both girls began to glow. Then Bump snapped his fingers. Half of the scroll disintegrated. Bump then stored the remaining half inside his desk.
Luz looked at her hands, she doesn't feel too different.
Bump leaned back in his chair, "How about a test? Amity, please tell Luz to bow."
Amity smiled. Seeing Luz who was usually so smug look terrified was satisfying to the Blight.
"Bow."
Against every fiber of her being, Luz doubles over forming a 90⁰ angle.
Luz thought it felt unnatural, but it wasn't painful.
Bump looked at Luz, "How do you feel?"
"Strange?.... Like I don't have control."
"Amity, to clear all of your commands simply say
'Free will'."
Amity looks at Luz, "Free will."
Just then the human's body went a bit limp and she straightened up. She looked at her hands again, 'I could make it a week right?'
Bump turned to Amity, "You shall not have her harm others, or herself. You can not make her break the laws of physics. You can not have her do your bidding. And you can not use commands on her outside of school property. Your goal is to prevent disruption."
He now turned to Luz, "If you don't act disruptive then Amity will have no reason to make commands."
Both girls nod. Bump leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk, "I will be contacting your guardians to update them. Be aware that this punishment is 2 steps down from expulsion. I hope you're satisfied Ms. Blight. And Luz, I hope you consider your actions more carefully from now on."
Again, both girls nodded.
"Good. Now off to Luz's next class.", Bump waved them away.
"OH! And show this piece of paper to each teacher, it will explain the change in your schedule Amity." A paper floats over to Amity and she grabbed it out of the air.
The two exited, the door clicking shut behind them.
Bump stared at the door for a moment.
"I feel like I'm forgetting something."