Today was a day that Amity always hated from a young age. The day report cards come home. The day where Odalia can yell and barrade her for having an A- or just an A as the lowest score. Any other parent would be proud and happy for their child to have an A or an A- as the lowest grade. But not Odalia. Nothing seemed to please her.
“Amity Blight. Do you want to explain this?”
“It's just a B+ mother, it's not that bad.”
“Just a B+!? Do you want us to look like imbeciles?! We are Blights, Amity. We always strive to be the best.”
“Well maybe I don't want to be the best!”
Amity hadn't realized what the consequences could be when she said that, but she didn't care. She was fed up with the 17 years that was the mental and sometimes physical strain of having to “Be the best” all because she was a Blight. She had to wear the nicest clothes, only be friends with people Odalia accepted, having to be the top of her grade, having to have the best mannerisms, having to push away Willow because she was “too low” for a Blight to associate with. Before she could think another thought, a hand quickly ran across her face
“Amity Blight. You think I've spent 17 years of my life raising you just for you to talk back to me like that?!”
The same hand ran across her face again in the opposite direction
“How ungrateful do you have to be?”
Again
“Honesty Amity, I thought you were better than this.”
And again
“What is wrong with you? And don't tell me it's that ‘autism thing’ because there's no such thing as a sick and weak Blight.”
“.....”
“Answer me Mittens.”
“....”
“Are you trying to purposely hurt mommy's feelings?”
“... No mother.”
“I want you to go to your room and think of the ways you've hurt mommy today.”
Amity gave a weak nod and turned to the big stepping stones that were the stairs. Her mind was racing with thousands of thoughts. They all shared one thing in common though. Odalia hit her. Her “mother” hit her. She reached the door to her room and quickly shut the door behind her. Slumping in front of the door. She delved her teeth into her wrist. She needed to leave, now. She wasn't physically safe now. She sat there for a few minutes before quickly getting up and grabbing all of her essentials. her phone, charger, headphones, Azura books, diary and school supplies. She was just about to hop from her window when she remembered. Ghost. Her cat, the only thing in the world she loves just as much as Luz. She needed to get her. But in a house so big how could she find her quickly enough? She didn't care if she came out with a bullet wound. All she cared about was getting Ghost out of there too. She put her stuff in her backpack and slung it over her shoulders and slowly peaked her head out of her room looking left and right for her target, Ghost. And the person she wanted to avoid the most, Odalia. She swiftly and quietly rushed to the spare rooms that used to be Em's. No Ghost. She rushed across the hall to Ed's old room. Again, no Ghost. Though there was still the faint smell of body odor. How it lasted 3 years. She would never know, Ed was always a mystery. She rushed down stairs and peaked her head over the wall into the living room. She saw Ghost! But she was curled up sleeping in Odalia's lap, petting her. She was sickened at the sight of this. She didn't want Odalia to infest another thing she loved. She needed to think of a way to distract her. And fast. She pulled out her phone to call the home telephone, hoping Odalia would seize at the opportunity to get a new investor. Thankfully, she knew her mother well because in almost an instant Odalia stood up and walked to the phone. Putting Ghost on the floor. Amity swiftly and quietly moved to scoop Ghost up. Stealth mission completed. Now, run. She booked it out the door faster than she ever ran. She could hear the faint yelling of Odalia but was not able to understand a word she was saying due to the wind blowing against her ears and the consistent and confused meowing from Ghost. Her mind would be racing with so many thoughts if she didn’t have one place on her mind.
The Noceda’s had a weird ability to be quiet and dormant to being loud and awake. This was one of those times. Dinner was nice and calm, talking about how they’re days went to specific stories that were funny or interesting. It was Vee’s turn to talk about her day.
“So turns out the guy who challenged Willow to the basketball match was on an actual, professional team. And he still lost!”
“Really?”
“Yeah! And I’m convinced that-”
‘ding dong!’
“I’ll get it!”
Vee says this and quickly jumps up like it was a part of the conversation. When she reaches and opens the door, she sees Amity. Her hair is uneven and messy with strands of green hair in her face. Her shoes and ankles were muddy, one of her backpack straps was almost down to her elbow, her cheeks were bright red and she was shaking with uneven breaths, with Ghost held in her arms like a baby with Ghost trying to inspect Vee.
“Hey Amity, why do you look like an adventurer?”
“I’ll t-tell you later, Vee. C-can I come in?”
“Hold up. MOM! IS IT OKAY IF AMITY COMES IN?”
“YES BUT WHY IS AMITY HERE?”
“AMITY’S HERE???”
“COME TO THE DOOR TO SEE FOR YOURSELF LOVEBIRD!”
Luz comes running to the door and sees a disheveled Amity, her face quickly turning from excitement to worryness.
“Come in, come in. You must be freezing if your cheeks are that red.”
Luz says this as she ushers Amity inside
“I’m not that cold…”
“Then why are your cheeks tha- no”
Amity just responded with a weak nod. Both of them knowing what happened.
“Señor ten piedad, you must be freezing.”
Camila said this as she ushers herself up to Amity and puts her hands on her face. Simultaneously Amity’s face scrunches up a bit, she sharply inhales quietly as she does this and slightly jerks away from Camila’s hands.
“Ella no está congelando a mamá.”
“Entonces, ¿por qué tiene las mejillas rojas?”
“Te lo diré más tarde, ¿puedes hacer un poco de té, por favor? Del tipo que le gusta a Amity.”
“Sí que puedo.”
“Let’s get you cleaned up Amity.”
Luz says this as she puts her hand behind Amity’s back and leads her upstairs to her bedroom.
“You can put your stuff here for now. I’ll grab a towel for the shower and get it ready and stuff, my dresser is over there so feel free and don’t be shy to grab a change of clothes.”
“You’ll keep an eye on Ghost right?”
“I can’t, I gotta run down to the corner store to pick some stuff up, I’m sure when Vee finds her, she won't let her out of her sight.”
“Sometimes I forget that you two aren’t related.”
“Yeah, we’re so much alike. It’s like I was cloned.”
This got a little chuckle out of Amity, she eased up a bit. She didn’t have to be tense here. She didn’t have to worry about being too loud, or being too quiet, or making a mistake. She didn’t have to fear repercussions like being locked inside her room for all spring break for accidentally calling the teacher “mother” to teach her not to “embarrass her own mother like that” or only being fed stale bread and lukewarm water for a few weeks because she complained her food was too salty.
“Uh, like I said, pick out a pair of clothes, I’ma go get a towel for you, I’ll be quick about the store. Te quiero batata.”
Amity let out a small chuckle from the weird but charming pet name
“I love you too Luz.”
Luz gave Amity a peck on the lips then walked out the room for a towel, Amity exhaled heavily with chills surging across her entire body for a few seconds. She put Ghost down on Luz’s bed, which she only stayed stationary for a second before hopping off to examine her new surroundings.
‘I don’t have to go back right? I mean, they like me. Not because they have to or because of my family’s statice. They like me because of me. I’m sure Camila would understand and let me stay here if she got the full story. Just what would mo- Odalia do? Would she send an entire search party after me or would she just not give a crap and focus on the business.’
Amity shook her head, trying to get her mind clear from Odalia
‘Now’s not the time to worry. Just focus on getting cleaned then getting the story out to Camila. Then I can worry about what she’s going to do.’
Amity put her bag on the floor next to one of the legs of Luz’s bed and walked to the heavily decorated dresser, with books, action figures and random school supplies on the top and covered top to bottom on the front in Azura stickers, anime stickers that Amity couldn’t really recognize, except for a few Evangelion stickers and Dragon Ball stickers. Pokemon stickers, some DnD stickers Gus gave her and just cutesy stickers in general. Amity searched around for a bit till she found a long sleeve Lemon Demon graphic tee with baggy sleeves, a pair of sweats, boxers and a pair of ankle socks.
‘It’s enough for today’ Amity thought, she didn’t mind wearing it, mainly because it smelled like Luz, and also it wasn’t the cutesy outfits she wore as a kid and the posh clothes she wore as a teen. It worked, till she got clothes she liked. If she was even staying here. She walked out the door and into the bathroom to find a neatly folded towel on the closed toilet seat. She put the clothes on the vanity then locked the bathroom door and got ready for a shower. After she got out of the shower she went to wipe the foggy mirror so she could see herself. Her cheeks were less red, now it looked like she put on too much blush. She grabbed a hair brush, hoping no one would notice or care and started brushing her hair, she grabbed a handful of strands and lifted them up to where she could see the roots. Her roots were showing. She was going to have to dye it again, Odalia only made her dye her hair green, it was her favorite color and she only allowed Amity to dye her hair if she got to choose the color. Green was a good color, but the more she looked at it the more it reminded her of Odalia. She continued to brush her hair, she went as fast as she could without pulling too much hair out. She put on the clothes she grabbed from Luz’s room then headed out and dumped her dirty clothes inside the hamper filled with clothes belonging to Luz, Vee and Camila. She headed to the living room, only to hear Camila call out for her.
“Amity, I made some tea if you want some.”
“That would be nice. Thank you”
“You’re welcome, also Luz told me what happened between you and your mother. Feel free to stay here as long as you need.”
“You don’t know how much that means to hear.”
“Well I can at least try.”
Camila let out a little chuckle before taking a sip of her tea. Amity smiled as she said
“You can try to.”
Amity walked to the dining table and sat down. She picked up her warm cup of tea then took a sip. She put the cup down and held her hands together.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course, what is it?”
“It’s just, my roots are showing and I want to re-dye my hair, if that’s okay.”
“Of course that’s okay, I think we have some from when Luz was crazy about hair dye and some dye from Vee’s hair.”
Amity let out a chuckle and said “That sounds like Luz.”
“It sure does.”
Right after Camila said this, Amity heard a voice to her right
“Hey Amity, look who I found!”
It was Vee, holding Ghost outstretched to Amity.
Amity grabs Ghost while saying
“You shouldn’t hold a cat like that.”
“You shouldn’t?”
“Yes, it’s uncomfortable or painful for the cat.”
Amity says this as she holds Ghost to her shoulder with one hand on her back and another at her feet, Ghost still examining her surroundings.
“I never knew that, is that the proper way to hold a cat?”
“It’s a proper way, yes, but there are others. But they all involve holding the cat by the feet and back or stomach, and there’s also holding it like a baby.”
“Huh, can I try?”
“Yes, be gentle though.”
“I will!”
Amity moves Ghost to Vee with Ghost being tilted almost 90 degrees to where her back is facing the floor. Vee grabs Ghost and holds her like a baby. Ghost’s head moves up to Vee’s chin and starts examining them.
“I think she likes you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Amity goes to gently pet Ghost’s chin
“Does she meow?”
“She does. But only If she wa-”
“I’M HOME! AND GUESS WHO I FOUND PULLING UP!”
Amity jumps at the sudden yelling and instantly stiffens up. She manages to muster out a “Who is it?”
“You’re supposed to guess Mittens”
Emira said this as she, Luz and Edric walk into the kitchen
“Ed and Em, what are you two doing here?”
“Dad told us the thing between you and mom.”
“So we figured you’d be here.”
“He heard what happened?”
“Yeah, surprised us too.”
“You’re not here to take me back are you?”
“f*ck no.”
“Language!” Camila said in a sterned tone
“Sorry, but yeah. We’ll take you back when hell freezes over.”
Ed walks up to Amity after Em finishes saying this and scruffs up her hair
“We just wanted to see how our little sis is doing.”
Amity relaxes at this news and giggles as Ed scruffed up her hair
“Ed! I just brushed it!”
“So? Just brush it again”
Em backhands Ed’s shoulder
“Ed quit it.”
“Fiiiinnnneeee”
Amity pushes aside the strands of hair in her face and looks at the twins with a smile on her face. She stood up and hugged Em with Ed hugging Amity in a way that looked like a hug sandwich.
“It’s good to see you guys again.”
“It’s good to see you too, Mittens.”
Em was the first to let go followed by Amity then Ed. Em looks around the room to scan the people in it. When she looks at Luz she says
“Y’know, you’re really lucky to be dating her, it’s a really nice and loving family.”
She looks over at Camila and Vee when she says that. Vee is now sitting down at the dining table with Ghost still in her arms and giving Em a big cheery smile, with Camila giving a soft and warm smile.
“Plus she’s a cutie.”
Ed says this as he leans his head towards Amity’s head while pointing at Luz. Amity chuckles at this and Luz goes wide eyed like a deer in headlights before quickly turning her head away to hide her blush and smile.
“Edric!”
“What?”
“Really?”
“What?!”
“You’re flirting with a minor?!”
“She’s 17.”
“Yeah, and you’re 24”
Ed looks at Em with a stunned face with Em returning a stern face with crossed arms. Ed tries to make out words but ultimately he can't. Ed shakes his head while walking towards the door and before he exits he yells
‘I’M NOT EVEN INTO WOMEN!”
Everyone in the house except Em bursts into laughter. Once the laughter died down, Em turned to Amity with a relaxed pose, She smiles at her and she smiles back then they exchange hugs. After they let go, Em walks to the door while looking back at Amity and waving, Amity waves back.
“Bye Mittens.”
‘Bye Em.”
“Hey mom?”
“Hmm?”
“Since we don't have the spare bedroom set up at all, can Amity sleep in my room tonight?”
“Alright but no funny business.”
Luz stands there wide eyed, staring at Camila with embarrassment on her face, Amity sharing a similar face with a huge blush on it. Vee had the complete opposite face with her trying her best to hold in laughter with both hands covering her mouth. trying their best to hold it in.
“Mom!”
“I mean it Luz.”
Luz sharply exhaled from her nose
“No funny business I promise mama.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
Luz walkes to the staircase with Amity quickly following behind. They both reach the room, Amity and Luz still feeling awkward and embarrassed. Luz closes the door when Amity walks through and right when she does Camila yells
“KEEP THE DOOR OPEN!”
“MMMOOOOOOMM!!”
“I MEAN IT LUZ NOCEDA!”
“FINE THE DOOR STAYS OPEN!”
She keeps the door open, only by a inch or two. She turns back to Amity with a sort of defeated look.
“Sorry about my mom.”
“It's okay.”
Amity says this as she sits at the foot of the bed. Luz quickly goes to lay with her back against the wall behind Amity. She has her arm outstretched as an invitation for Amity to join her, which she does take. Luz holds Amity with one arm around her stomach and the other under Amity's arm. Holding the back of her hand with their fingers intertwined with one another.
“I love you.”
Luz whispers this into Amity’s ear. Amity grows a soft smile on her face.
“I love you too.”
Soon she falls asleep within her girlfriend's embrace. Knowing that she's safe here. Knowing that everything will be alright.
