Luz and Willow could be seen at Luz and Flint's lockers. Flint was sporting a new Glyph Grafter on his right hand after losing his previous one back at the carnival. Luckily his hand was as good as new after that healing session.
"Oh my gosh, Willow, I'm so excited for photo class! I can't believe you can make pictures of your actual memories!" Luz said excitedly as she opened her locker. "I'mma see me some baby Willow!"
"I'll admit, I was adorable," Willow responded.
Luz tries to take a book out of her locker, but it bites down on it. "Hey! Don't eat that. Whoa!" Luz chastised the locker and tried to pull the book out, only to fall instead.
The locker ate the book and hissed until Flint shot a glare at it. It trembled under his gaze before spitting the book back out quickly.
Luz picked up the book and dusted herself off. "Thanks, Flint."
"Personally, I'm kinda wondering if it might help me see whoever my bio parents are," Flint said.
Willow tilted her head. "'Bio parents'?" Willow questioned.
"I'm actually adopted. I was left on my mom's doorstep when I was a baby. DNA tests didn't say anything useful though," Flint answered.
"Because they aren't from Earth?" Willow asked.
Flint shook his head. "Actually, it's because I somehow registered as my mom's bio son, which makes no sense. Especially since she can't even have children in the first place, it's kinda hard to have a child when your genes literally say you can't."
Willow was about to ask how that was possible until the popular girls, including Boscha, Amity, and Skara, walked by.
Boscha was laughing loudly, clearly knowing they could hear her. "I can't believe she'd even hang out with her! It's just embarrassing." Boscha brought her hands up and made glasses around her lower two eyes with her fingers. "'Oh, look at me! I'm going on a date with my ferns!'" Boscha mocked, making a bad impression of Willow.
Flint looked at Boscha with a raised brow. "The only embarrassing thing I see around here is how calling you 'garbage' is an insult to garbage."
Boscha froze in place as everyone around looked at him in shock…except for Luz, who proceeded to facepalm.
One of the trash cans nearby blinked awake. "He's right you know." The trash can agreed.
"Not again," Luz muttered with a resigned sigh.
Boscha turned around and stomped back towards them, getting up in Flint's face. "You wanna repeat that you low-life human scum?!"
Flint met her challenge with a wicked grin. "What, does having that third eye make your hearing worse?"
Both of them growled, sparks of hate nearly visible between them as they growled at each other. They reached to claw at each other, but suddenly their heads were grabbed by an abomination that suspended them both a foot in the air and moved the two away from each other before either could gouge the other's eyes out. To their credit, they did still try, even as they were ripped out of each other's range.
Amity sighed as she held a completed spell circle up, indicating it was her abomination at work. "Luz, can you handle him please?" Amity asked.
Luz sighed as she pulled her arms up under his armpits and held him back. "Yeah, I've got this. Wouldn't be the first time, and I highly doubt it'll be the last," Luz remarked as she took Flint from the abomination, the boy foaming at the mouth to tear apart the triclops bitch that dared insult his friends.
As Luz did this, Amity did the same with Boscha, her abomination hoisting the triclops over its shoulder like a sack of potatoes as she flailed, attempting to free herself as well.
Willow blinked as Amity, Boscha, and Skara continued down the hall before turning to look at Flint's animalistic state. "Wow. I don't think I've ever seen Boscha get that mad so quick."
Luz sighed as she still held Flint back. "Yeah…I'm 90% sure Flint already had fire breath long before the Covention. The only difference is that now it can be literal." Luz said tiredly.
The three could now be seen in a darkroom-like classroom with students sitting in front of undeveloped photos. Luz, Willow, and Flint could be seen near each other as Luz held a pair of tweezers.
"Alright, memory melon, let's pick another juicy one!" Luz said as she brought the special tweezers up to Willow's ear.
"Be careful with my brain!" Willow said as Luz inserted the tweezers, pulling out a photo from her ear.
"Ooo, who says brain surgery is hard?" Luz said confidently as she put the empty photo on a wire, while Willow rubs her ear.
"This is magic though. Plus, that's a whole 'nother beast entirely," Flint stated as he looked through a few of his own pictures hanging on a separate wire.
The teacher then walked by. "As you work, note that some prints have greater clarity than others. These are moments that evoke a strong emotional response." She explained.
Flint nodded. "Makes sense," Flint said, looking at one in particular with a sad expression. It was one of Flint and Luz with their moms. They were standing before a grave, Flint's mom was comforting a crying Camilla, and Luz was crying into Flint's shoulder as she clung to him like a lifeline, the young boy doing what he could to comfort her.
After a few more moments, Flint couldn't bear to see the picture any longer. He reached for it only for a big blue hand that has 'HALT' on it to appear in front of it.
"But, if you damage the prints, you'll damage the memories themselves! Be extremely careful." The teacher warned.
Flint raised a brow. "Then is there a point where the photo won't?"
The teacher nodded. "Yes, of course. After a few hours, the photos are completely safe. They're only dangerous at first. The longer the photo is separated, the connection to its originator will sever. They should be safe for you to handle by the time you leave." The teacher informed before walking over toward Mattholomule.
"Whoa. Photo class is intense," Luz remarked after hearing all that.
One of Willow's photos develops, showing Willow on a chair, blushing a bit, with a band-aid on her cheek, and with wavy and poofy hair.
"Oh my gosh, Willow, you had an awkward hair phase, too? I knew we were meant to be friends." Luz practically squealed as she held up her own picture of her as a child with her hair done up in three awkward braids, each sporting two bows. That, and there are also stickers in her hair.
"Thank goodness I like mine short," Flint remarked, rubbing a hand through his buzzcut. However, it was starting to grow out due to how long they've been in the Demon Realm. Maybe he could use magic to make it manageable. He had always kinda wanted to see if he could pull off one of those anime hairstyles.
"Ooo, there's more!" Luz said excitedly as the other photos developed…though there was certainly one in particular that caught the two off-guard.
It was one of a younger Amity hugging Willow at a birthday party.
Willow sees it and scoffs, turning away from the picture with crossed arms.
"Hey, I know you and Amity have a history. Wouldn't you feel better talking about it?" Luz asked, resting a hand on her shoulder.
Willow shrugged the hand off. "No, I'd rather do this." Willow proceeded to flip the photo around. "That's my motto, after all! 'Out of sight, out of mind.'"
Flint frowned at that. Before he could say anything though, the bell screams/rings, and students began to file out of the room. Willow went to join them but was stopped by Flint.
"Bottling your feelings is never a good idea. Everything has a breaking point. I don't may not know what happened between you two, but there's got to be more to it than you think." Flint said firmly. He thought back to Amity's joy while he helped her get past the fire trauma.
"Amity may not have treated you the best, but I know she's a good person. Eda herself mentioned her mom was a total bitch…do you think that might have something to do with it?" Flint asked.
"Yeah! If you won't tell us what she did, I'll never be able to cook up a scheme to make you friends again." Luz said.
"Luz!" Willow yelled, startling the two at her sudden volume. Willow took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing. "I get it, but I don't want you to do that. No schemes, no plots, no ruses, none! Okay? Now, let's get to lunch!" Willow said before leaving the room.
Luz turned back to the photos and donned a devious smile Flint knew all too well.
"She never did mention anything about...shenanigans," Luz said as she flipped the photo back over.
Luz went over to the door and turned back to Flint. "You coming?"
"I'll catch up. I wanna copy these pics with my phone real quick." Flint said, gesturing with his phone in hand.
"Okay. Meet you there!" Luz said, before following Willow.
Flint turned back to the line with his photos and frowned. One was of him watching TV, specifically, it was Avatar: The Last Airbender. Another was of him with a black eye and one of him and Luz's bullies looking worse for wear beside him in the principal's office (they little shit deserved it, and Flint would die on that hill before saying otherwise).
There were all kinds of photos throughout his childhood, and even a few from their time on the Isles, but none of them provided him anything worthwhile in regards to his connection with this world.
"I can't believe I made him cry. Like, he's the teacher." Flint heard the triclops' voice at the door. He glanced over at the door to see the bitch and Amity walk past.
Amity curiously looked in, not seeming to notice him but looked toward Willow's photos, her eyes widening in horror. "Oh no."
"Why do you look like you've seen a ghost? Is there a ghost in photo class? Are they cute?!" Boscha asked, attempting to look in.
Amity blocked Boscha's attempts by holding up her hand though. "Yep, just a super cute ghost. But they're all mine!" Amity said frantically, coming into the room and slamming the door.
"Ask if they have any friends!" Flint heard Boscha's muffled cry from the other side of the door.
Amity takes down the photo and sighs. "Willow."
"Hey, Amity."
Amity jumped at Flint making his presence known. "F-Flint!? W-What're you doing here?" Amity said nervously.
"So, am I a ghost now? I mean, you certainly didn't seem to see me for a minute there," Flint remarked in curious confusion.
Amity's face lit up with a nuclear blush as she realized Flint had inadvertently asked if she'd just called him cute. She needed to change the subject. Now!
"You didn't answer my question! What're you doing here?" Amity asked, fighting her blush down.
"I was sticking behind for a bit to scan my memory photos onto my phone real quick. Though I think maybe I should ask what you're doing here, especially with Willow's prints." Flint asked, crossing his arms.
Amity looked away. "I'm sorry, but this is something I have to do. Willow's better off not remembering this. Don't try and stop me."
Amity summoned a small flame and burned her face off the photo. She blows on the embers to put it out, puts the photo back, and starts to leave.
"What happened between you two?" Flint asked.
Amity sighed. "Nothing."
"Sure doesn't seem like nothing to- shit!" Flint swore.
Amity turned around to ask what was alarming Flint, only to look in horror at what she saw.
Willow's print had reignited and was now burning away.
"Oh, no. No, no, no, no!" Amity ran back over, trying to blow out the photo...only to cause the flames to spread to the other photos.
"Oh, come on!" Amity exclaimed, turning to Flint desperately. "Help me!"
Flint sent a leveled look at her as he crossed his arms. "Tell me what happened, and I will. Otherwise, you can face the consequences." Flint gave her his ultimatum.
Amity rapidly looked between him and the photos before ultimately deciding to try and put out the flames by herself.
Flint tsked as he shook his head disapprovingly. "Wrong choice."
Gus and Luz ran through the halls with Willow walking drunkenly behind them. Willow had been acting strange before suddenly showing cases of amnesia and given what class they'd just come from, there was only one way Luz could think this could happen.
They burst through the door to the Photography room.
"Hexside Free Press! What's going on here?" Gus announced.
Luz gasps at the sight before them. Amity is desperately trying to blow out the flames burning away at Willow's prints while Flint just…stood off to the side, doing nothing!
Amity turns to the sudden noise and gives a nervous look. "...Hi."
"You destroyed Willow's memories?!" Luz exclaimed.
"I-I saved as many as I could!" Amity tried to defend herself, showing the picture of Willow's awkward hair phase with another behind it…only for an ember to spit from the fire and rapidly burn both of them to ash in an instant. Amity and Luz watch the ashes fall.
"Ugh! Why would they make memories so flammable?" Amity cried out.
Luz turned to Flint angrily. "And you! Why didn't you stop her?!"
Flint shot another glare at Amity, causing her to flinch under his gaze before he looked back at Luz. "I gave Amity a choice, she's the one who decided poorly." Flint spat venomously. "Well…plus she already burned a hole in one before I could do anything," Flint added a moment later.
Willow, still in her delirious state, giggled, wiggling her fingers. "Have I always had this crazy thing?" She proceeded to slap her face gently. She then walked to Amity and Luz and put her arms around their shoulders. "Eeee, heee, heee, I can tell we're gonna be good friends!" Willow said before collapsing.
Luz sighed. "Flint, grab her. We're taking her to Eda." Luz said before pointing at Amity. "And you're coming with."
Amity looked remorseful. "That's…fair." She admitted.
Flint proceeded to pick Willow up in a bridal carry.
"Heh heh. Hey there handsome~." Willow deliriously flirted with him in his arms.
"…Aaaaand now I feel very uncomfortable," Flint said blankly as he walked out of the door.
Luz and Amity stood still for a moment after watching that unfold, their minds sharing one thought.
'Titan damn it! That should be me in his arms!' They both screamed internally before chasing after him.
Gus lagged behind with a contemplative look. "Maybe I should interview Flint for my report."
The group now stood in the Owl House's living room. Amity is standing to Luz's right while Flint stands to Luz's left.
"So, this is the Owl House," Amity said.
"Yup." Both humans said.
"And you... sleep here?" Amity asked hesitantly.
"When the night critters allow me to," Luz said in a haunted tone.
"I thought I scared them off days ago," Flint said confused.
"So, you set Willow's memories on fire and erased everything. Even minor damage can have huge effects!" Eda chastised, standing in front of them.
They look over to see Willow walk into the couch where King is sleeping. "Ahh, a chair for sitting!" Willow then proceeds to flop face-first onto the couch before doing a handstand while trying to sit and then flops upside down.
"Yep, her brain's burned up real good. Damage like that can change everything about a person. Willow may never be the same." Eda remarked, pointing to her own in reference.
Willow eventually gets into an actual sitting position. "I got it! Ooh, a furry fruit!" Willow said as she noticed King and picked him up. "I'm gonna peel it!"
This caused King to wake up in alarm. "Nani?" King then attempts to escape her grip as she begins to try to peel him. "What is happening?!" King cried out in alarm as he flailed in the girl's grip.
"Nap time," Eda said, casting a spell that put Willow to sleep, causing King to be dropped back onto the couch.
"Sleep spell..." King yawns, curling back up and going to sleep.
"I didn't cast it on you," Eda said.
King yawns again. "Yeah, who cares?"
"Isn't there something we can do?" Luz asked.
"There is one way, but it's terribly dangerous and partially illegal," Eda stated.
Trixx spoke up as she stood over with Gus in her true form. "Since when has that stopped you?"
Eda pointed finger guns toward Trixx. "Exactly! You're in the right place! I'll send you into her mind to fix the damage."
"Be still my fantasy-loving heart, I have always wanted to do this! Thank you, Boiling Isles." Luz said excitedly.
"I'm pretty sure having our friend's mind be damaged to the point we need to do this isn't something to be excited about," Flint said bluntly.
Luz glared at him. "You're one to talk Mr. 'Not going to bother helping put them out'."
Eda blinked. "Wait, for real? Since when are you the one disregarding safety?" Eda asked, pointing at Flint in disbelief.
"Because someone needed to deal with the consequences her actions can cause," Flint said, side-eyeing Amity.
Amity at least had the dignity to look away guilty at that.
Eda noticed this but decided it wasn't her place to fan the flames, seeing as Flint was already enough of a fire starter. Eda suddenly reached an internal epiphany. 'Ohhhh. That's why his name is Flint. No wonder he's good with fire magic.'
Eda shook herself back into gear and turned to Luz. "Anyway, Luz, who's going inside with you?"
Hooty opens the door. "Maybe I can help! I'm pretty good at getting stuck inside people's heads!"
"Fingertips on the surface of my mind!" Flint said in a haunted tone.
"This is someone's brain, not a nightclub or nightmare!" Eda said, making a spell circle and causing the door to close. "Two max."
"Well, Gus seems like he's busy with his own thing. And I think it's obvious who screwed up and needs to make up for it." Flint said venomously as he turned to Amity.
Amity looked away and began to rub her arm. "Willow might not want me in there."
"You set everything in there on fire! You have to help." Luz said firmly before turning to Flint. "And you. You just stood there! You're as much to blame for this as she is, so you have to go too," Luz said.
"Fair." Flint agreed, his expression not changing.
Amity sighs. "Okay, I'll do what I can."
"Except at the moment, I clearly can't trust you two to be in there alone," Luz said, turning to Eda. "Send the three of us in."
"Ah ah ah! I said 'two'. No more, and anything less may take too long to recover her." Eda said firmly.
"I know what you said, but this isn't up for debate Eda. Send. Us. In." Luz stood her ground. She was not in the mood for this.
Eda blinked in surprise at seeing Luz like this. "Damn kid, you've got some spunk. Alright then. Three of you it is."
Luz holds her hand out to Amity. In contrast, she practically tries to rip Flint's shoulder out of its socket when she grabs his.
"Alright then," Eda says as a spell circle appears on the floor around them. Eda then creates a second one that summons a bell, which lands in Flint's free hand. "When you're done, ring that and I'll cast you back. Oh, and keep an eye out for her 'Inner Willow.' She's the gatekeeper of emotions and memory. She might help ya," Eda informed them.
Eda lifts her hand and the spell circle around the three produces a light that encases them.
"Now, here we go!" Eda says as the three disappear into the spell's beam of light.
The next thing any of them knew, they landed within a black void. Moments later, the void around them shone with light, causing the girls to cover their eyes while Flint stared directly into the light, unfazed.
When the light dims, they're standing in a forest, each tree growing around a dark picture frame. The three let go of each other as they began to inspect the area.
"Where's her Inner Willow? Do you really think it'll help?" Amity wondered.
"I don't know. We'll just have to start fixing stuff on our own!" Luz said with determination. She went up to one of the picture frames with Flint coming up beside her. This frame looked more burnt than the others around it.
Luz turned to him. "Why Flint? You could've stopped this from happening, so why didn't you?" Luz asked. It just didn't make any sense to her.
Flint sighed, pocketing the bell and bringing his hands up to rub his face. "I don't know!" Flint said, evidently frustrated as he dragged his hands up his face and pulled on his hair. "It's just like on the first day."
Luz looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"When the basilisk attacked, it's like I…saw the near future moments before it happened. It wasn't just a feeling, I knew what was coming. I wanted to stop Amity, but…it was like my body was screaming at me not to," Flint revealed, bringing his hands back down with a sigh.
Luz sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder reassuringly, she could feel his heart beating anxiously. "I'm sorry. I know you wouldn't have done this on purpose. We'll figure this out later. Right now though, we have to save Willow."
Flint took a few breaths to calm himself. Letting himself be overwhelmed by everything going on wasn't going to help him right now. He'd never been very good at keeping his sporadic thoughts in check whenever he got like this. His worries would only ever amplify one another as they bounced around his head like a pinball machine, overwhelming him quickly and making him just want to scream. He was going to need to sit in the dark and listen to some music after this was over, it'd been a while since he'd done one of those sessions. That, or scream at the top of his lungs.
On second thought…both. Both sounds good.
Amity came over suddenly and looked worried. "Flint, are you…okay?" Amity asked hesitantly.
"Yeah…I'm fine. Let's get this over with." Flint said as he took a deep breath before blowing at the picture, kicking up a cloud of smoke.
All three of them coughed as it cleared before a damaged picture of a fort on a beach was revealed.
Luz goes up and touches it with her hand, which ends up going through the picture.
"This some Super Mario 64 stuff?" Flint wondered out loud.
"Only one way to find out!" Luz said as she entered the picture. Moments later her head poked out of the picture. "I think I found the memories. Let's go!" Luz said, grabbing Amity by the arm and dragging her in with a yelp.
Flint shrugged, putting his hand on the edge. "Ba ba, ba, ba ba BA!" Flint said before pulling himself in.
"-to Willow's beautiful...memory?" Flint heard Luz say as he entered.
Flint looked around to see the memory had lost its color and parts of the area itself burned away to leave a void in its place. They were at a grassy beach with a dock and sign that read 'LAKE LACUNA'.
Amity looked on with wide eyes. "Lake Lacuna! This is where Willow and I took swimming lessons!" Amity said as the girls got to their feet. Amity held her hand out and looked around. "The ash must be from the fires." Eventually, her gaze locked on a structure sitting on the beach, letting out a gasp. "Our fort! In the dunes!"
Amity ran up to the fort with Luz and Flint on her tail. The witch began taking things off of it.
"One time Willow wanted to play hooky from our swim lessons, so we built this!" Amity said, shoving a plank in Luz's hands.
"Forts, hooky, Willow. Can words get any cuter?" Luz asked in a near squeal.
"We knew the swim teacher would be on the prowl, but Willow said she'd protect us with an illusion spell," Amity said as she removed the debris from the fort and looked at it with pride.
"Wha? It's like a little dog house for angels!"
Amity's expression faltered. "Wait, but something is missing."
Amity looks down at something. She swipes sand off a small flag buried in the sand reading 'A+W'. She smiles at it fondly before putting it in a small flowerpot tied to the top of the fort. "There."
All of a sudden, the three were met with a bright light and were now standing outside of the memory. Flint looked back at the tree it was housed on to see it fully repaired.
"We're back!" Amity said as she gauged her surroundings.
"Looks like fixing the fort fixed the memory." Flint pointed out, the three of them all looking at the picture as it played the memory like a video.
The memory showed a young Amity and Willow laughing and entering the fort, a bunch of avian creatures atop it.
"Ugh! The seagulls are back again!" Y!Amity complained.
Y!Willow smiled. "Don't worry, I'll get rid of them!" She said. Y!Willow casts a spell, but instead of getting rid of the seagulls, she gets rid of the fort. The seagulls attack them as the fort reappears. The two young witches yell as the seagulls flail around in the fort.
"Willow!"
"I'm sorry, I thought I was getting better!"
The swim teacher shows up, spotting Amity and Willow before dragging them away.
Amity looked away from the memory. "Willow was a...late bloomer."
"I know, but now she's more like a great bloomer! This place is like a theater showing her most important moments! Now, let's fix some more!" Luz said excitedly, running up to the birthday party picture.
"The photo that started it all! Let's do it next." Luz suggested as she prepared to enter it.
Flint sees Amity visibly panicking before noticing a different picture. "Wait! Uhh. You want important moments?" Amity asked before gesturing to the awkward hair day picture. "This one might be about a crush!" Amity said with a nervous smile.
"Hmm, don't mind if I do!" Luz laughed as she jumped in, leaving Amity and Flint in the hub area.
"You can't avoid it forever. We have to restore it eventually," Flint stated.
Amity donned a conflicted expression. She knew he was right, but…
"Amity…what happened between you and Willow?" Flint asked softly.
Amity seems to debate internally before joining Luz in the memory, much to Flint's disappointment.
Flint let out a long sigh before turning to the birthday picture. He walks up to it and hovers his hand over it. "What happened that day?"
"Hello…Flint."
As Amity stepped into the memory, she saw Luz searching the area for any damages. Luz turned to her and noticed Flint's absence.
"What took you so long? And where's Flint?" Luz asked.
Amity turned back to the entrance for a moment to see if Flint would come through. This caused her to frown. "Flint asked me something, but I don't know why he's not here yet."
Luz shrugged. "Maybe he's sticking outside to see if he can find the inner Willow, or maybe he's just going to another memory to help things get fixed faster. It seems like something he would do."
Amity pursed her lips as she looked to the entrance. "Maybe…" Amity trailed off in thought. 'He didn't go into the birthday memory, did he?' Amity thought.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's fix this memory!" Luz said, beckoning Amity forward.
The two began to repair the memory, working to repair the room. Eventually, Amity paused as a question ate at her curiosity.
"Hey, Luz?" Amity called.
Luz poked out from behind a wall. "Yeah?"
Amity pursed her lips. "Is he…is Flint okay?"
Luz gained a frown on her face before letting out a sigh. "Honestly…I'm not sure anymore. Ever since we arrived in the Isles, he's been trying desperately to figure things out…and I think it's getting to him." Luz said sadly.
"We've been here for nearly a month and yet…outside of his health improving and finding out he has magic, we still don't have many answers. It's like the answers are just taunting us, just out of reach." Luz sighed. "I just…I wish he'd stop obsessing over it so much. I know he's my friend, and that's all I really need honestly. It doesn't matter if he's a witch or human, he's my…friend." Luz said the last part with a bit of hesitation.
Amity mulled over Luz's words and thought back to that horrid day. She hated what she'd had to do, but she had no choice. Amity wanted to protect Willow, and pushing her away was the only way she could. If she'd tried to stay friends with her in secret back then and her 'mother' found out, it would've only made things worse.
Amity sighed. "Willow and I were friends. That birthday memory is when it stopped. I had to stop being her friend…to protect her." Amity revealed.
Luz looked over curiously. "What do you mean?"
"Hello…Flint."
Flint turned to the source of the voice to see a humanoid being made of pink fire approach him. Flint turned to the being and stood tall.
"So, I take it you're the inner Willow?" Flint asked with a neutral expression.
The fiery avatar dissipated until only an imitation of Willow hovered in front of him.
"I was…until you let Amity burn Willow's memories." Inner Willow accused venomously. Inner Willow held up her hand, summoning a ring around Flint at his feet, causing him to look down as the pink fire licked along the ring.
"You're not welcome here anymore." Inner Willow said, closing her fist and causing the fire to rise, consuming Flint entirely. After a few moments, Inner Willow turned to the memory Amity and Luz were in with a scowl. "Now to deal with Amity."
"I'm gonna have to say no to that."
Inner Willow blinked in surprise, looking back to see Flint walking out of the fire, completely unharmed.
"What?! Why didn't that hurt you?!" Inner Willow demanded in alarmed confusion.
Flint raised his hand, extending his index finger like he was listing something of. "One, I got Eda to help me fireproof my clothing a while ago. Two…" Flint put the hand on his hip and sent a raised brow at Inner Willow. "You do remember that fire is like, my specialty…right?"
…
…
"…oh…right…" Inner Willow said sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck as she blushed with sheer embarrassment.
Flint sighed. "Look, I know you're mad at me, and you have every right to be. But think about it, and I mean really think about it. In what world would I ever willingly let this happen?"
Inner Willow looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"I just told Luz about it, but something was preventing me from helping. I am so sorry, but my body refused to move." Flint apologized.
Inner Willow floated over to him, getting in his face and staring directly into his eyes, searching for any hints that he was lying. After a few moments, she drifted away with a sigh.
"Okay. I believe you." Inner Willow accepted as the fire around her dimmed, but not fully.
Flint approached her and put his hand on her shoulder. "I know what Amity did was wrong, but I know there's more to this than we realize. Just like I said earlier though, bottling all this up won't do you any favors."
Inner Willow scoffed. "And you know about that?"
"I do know, because I've been doing the same thing for years," Flint revealed, surprising Inner Willow.
"What?" Inner Willow questioned.
Flint sighed. "You saw how I was during my duel with Amity. When I did that, I still had some control. So think about how I might've been when I was younger. I would always get in trouble back home because I lost my cool, hell, I even put a kid in the hospital because of my temper. And it was all because I bottled everything up." Flint created a ball of ice in his hand and began to squeeze it. "But that's the thing about everything really. You put it under enough pressure…" Flint trailed off.
CRASH
The ice shattered in his hand. "And it will break."
Inner Willow turned away, crossing her arms and rolling Flint's hand off her shoulder. "I can handle it. 'Out of sight, out of mind.'"
"We both know that's not true, or else all of this wouldn't have happened in the first place. And look at you now, consumed in anger. Fire can't burn without something to fuel it." Flint said. "Even when we first met, you were bottling everything up by being in a track that you hated. What might've happened if we didn't show up? Who would you have hurt because you lost control of yourself? Even then, your plant reacted and attacked me and Luz." Flint questioned.
Inner Willow was silent for a bit before sighing. "They're about to fix that memory they're in." Inner Willow changed the subject.
Flint frowned. "We all want answers, and Amity has them. I may not know what happened in that memory, but I'm guessing it involves why you aren't friends anymore. Come on Willow," Flint urged her.
Inner Willow contemplated Flint's words. After a few moments, she came to a decision.
Amity and Luz appeared outside the memory in a flash of light.
"Alright! Two down, and however many to go!" Luz cheered as she looked around. "Oh hey! And there's Flint!" Luz said, pointing towards the boy.
Amity turned in the direction Luz was pointing only to realize he was preparing to jump into the birthday memory. "Flint, wait!" Amity called out.
Whether he heard her call, neither of them knew, but Flint proceeded to dive into the picture.
"Nonononono!" Amity panicked as she quickly ran over and frantically climbed into the picture herself, with Luz trailing behind her.
The two found themselves in a bedroom as Flint sat on the edge of the bed, looking expectantly at them.
"So Amity, care to share with the class why you were avoiding this memory?" Flint asked with an accusatory look.
"Flint, you need to-"
"NO!" Flint interrupted Luz, causing both girls to jump. "This needs to happen. So Amity, what'll it be? Are you gonna keep running away from the past?"
Amity sighed. "Just…let me fix the memory first," Amity said in a sad tone.
Flint simply sat on the bed with his arms crossed as he and Luz watched Amity repair the memory. After a bit, Amity finished repairing the room and they were all ejected from the memory. They all turned to the picture to see what happens.
The door to the room opens, with Y!Amity and Y!Willow entering, both looking upset.
"You have to get out, Willow, now!" Y!Amity demanded.
Y!Willow looked at her friend in confusion. "Wait, why?"
"Because-because-" Y!Amity said, trying to come up with a reason.
"Is it because I still can't do magic?" Y!Willow asked, grabbing Y!Amity's hand. "Amity, I'm-I'm sorry I got us in trouble at the beach, I just-I can't get the spells right." Y!Willow apologized.
Y!Amity rips her hand away. "Well, yes, that-that is why! Because you're a weakling! You can't do magic so I don't wanna be your friend. Now, go!" Y!Amity demanded.
Y!Willow looked at Y!Amity distraught as tears welled in her eyes. She began to cry as she ran out of the room and the memory stopped playing.
Amity looked at the memory sadly.
Flint looked at her with a scowl. "I was right about you from the start then. You're no different from those other upper-class bitches," Flint said disgustedly, stomping toward her until Luz stood between the two.
"Get out of my way Luz. Now." Flint growled, his clenched fist lighting with pink fire in his anger.
Luz stood her ground. "No. This is Willow's side of the story. You wanted to hear Amity's side earlier, so let her tell it."
Amity didn't say anything as she wiped away a tear before bringing her hand up to touch the memory's border. Suddenly the memory rewound to before the encounter, showing herself in front of two people showing enough similarities to her that Luz could gather they were her parents. The woman radiated total bitch-energy and the man looked a bit scatterbrained.
"What is Willow doing here? She wasn't on the guest list for a reason." Amity's mother asked in disgust.
"But, she's-she's my best friend!" Y!Amity said.
The woman nudged the man with her elbow.
"Er-Nonsense, Blights only associate with the strongest of witchlings. You can choose a new friend from one of the suitable companions we invited." Amity's father said as images of a young Boscha and Skara appeared next to the Blights, both witchlings looking bored.
"But they're mean! Just because you work with their parents doesn't mean I have to like them!" Y!Amity said upset, crossing her arms in a huff.
"Good children don't squabble, dear. Sever your ties with Willow, and if you don't...then we will." The bitch said sleazily.
This caused Y!Amity to gasp.
The bitch smiled evilly. "We'll make sure the girl is never admitted into Hexside. Now go, and try not to make a scene."
The door closes and the scene fast-forwards back to the end of the memory. This time, after Y!Willow left the room, Y!Amity could be seen with tears in her own eyes as she began to sob. She went to the ground, getting into a fetal position as she cried.
The memory stopped as Amity pulled her hand from the border, turning to Flint and showing the tears in her eyes.
"I hated it. I hate what I did so much. But it was the only way to protect her. If word ever got back that we were secretly still friends…" Amity trailed off.
Flint's anger had long faded. "All this time…you were protecting me…" Flint said softly.
Luz and Amity blinked in confusion. "Wait. What do you mean protecting you?" Luz asked, confused.
"I knew there was more to it." A voice called out.
The girls turned to the new voice to see…Flint?
The two turned between the two Flints in confusion.
Luz pointed to the new Flint. "Wait. Why are there two Flints? Did Trixx somehow sneak in with us?"
The second Flint snorted. "No, she didn't. It's because I'm the real Flint."
Amity pointed to him. "Wait. If you're the real Flint…then who is…" Amity trailed off, pointing at the one they'd been with.
Pink fire erupted from 'Flint' as his body was engulfed in it. When the flames faded, it revealed Inner Willow in his place, much to their shock.
Inner Willow walked up to Amity. "You could've at least told me why, you know."
Amity pursed her lips. "I know. I just-I panicked, okay? We were young, and I was scared. I didn't want to ruin your future…I did an awful job though." Amity admitted. "You were never too weak to be my friend, I was too weak to be yours. I can't take back what I've done, but I can promise you this-" Amity said, pulling out an invite to Skara's birthday that was written on a butterfly-looking invite. "-I won't let Boscha and her gang pick on you ever again!"
Amity stood there not doing anything. Flint was confused because usually this was the part where someone would tear apart the invi-
"I'm not actually gonna rip it because it's a real butterfly, but you get the gesture, right? "Amity asked, pocketing the invite and holding out her hand.
Oh…yeah, makes sense why she wouldn't want to rip it.
Inner Willow had tears in her eyes as she looked at Amity with a smile. "I do." Inner Willow said, taking the offered hand. "I think Willow should keep her memories of you. The good, and the bad."
Amity looked so relieved at hearing that. "Me too."
Luz walked up to the two. "Then let's get to fixing this place up then, that sound good?"
Inner Willow nods as the four split up to fix Willow's memories faster, Luz and Amity taking on the memories the latter was a part of, and Flint going with Inner Willow as his guide. Eventually, Willow's memoryscape was fixed in no time; the forest was lush and teeming with life as the group met back up in front of the birthday memory.
Inner Willow bid her farewell to the trio as she walked off, meeting up with a young version of Inner Willow from behind one of the memories. They smiled as the two left, but not before the younger of the two accidentally bumped into the tree behind her, causing her to break down in a fit of giggles as her older counterpart guided her away.
Amity looked on at the scene with a smile.
Luz leaned over to her. "So, does this mean you and Willow are buddies again?"
Amity looked down with an unsure look. "I'm not sure."
Flint rested his left hand on her right shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. "I think it's safe to assume you guys are on decent terms at least," Flint said with a smile.
Amity was typically rather touch-averse, but Flint's hand was a reassuring presence for her. His hand was firm yet soft and warm.
Amity's face lit up a bit with a small smile. "Yeah…I think I can live with that." Amity said happily.
Flint looked over to Luz having an unreadable expression on her face, confusing the boy a bit. He shrugged it off as he pulled out the bell Eda had given them from his pocket. "Then let's get out of here, shall we?"
The girls nodded as Luz took Amity's other hand with a faint blush on the minty-haired girl's face, as Flint rang the bell.
The three found themselves back in the living room with Eda looking over them, the bell poofing out of Flint's hand. "So, did things go well?" The woman asked.
"Yeah. Only one way to find out though." Luz said as they looked over to Willow as she began waking up.
"Willow! Do you know who I am?" Luz asked.
Willow sits up and tilts her head confusedly. "A friendly scarecrow?"
The color visibly drained from the teens' faces. Eda on the other hand, spun on her heel and waved over her shoulder. "Well, I've done all I can do."
Willow donned an alarmed look and frantically waved her hands. "Ah! Wait! I was just messing! I remember everything!" Willow quickly amended.
The teens sighed, all donning looks of relief. "Don't do that to us!" Luz said frantically and she ran over and hugged the girl.
"Nearly gave me a heart attack," Flint said in a somewhat haunted voice as he held a hand over his chest, trying to calm his rapid heart rate.
Amity smiled in relief before a frown adorned her features, turning around as she went to leave.
"I remember what you did too."
Amity stops halfway to the door and looks back at Willow.
"What you did up there-" Willow continued, pointing to her head. "It doesn't change what happened, but it's...a start," Willow said with a small smile.
Amity smiles in relief. "That's…better than what I deserve," Amity said as she went to the door and left.
Willow turned to Luz. "Luz, question: how did Amity happen to see the photo I hid in class?" Willow asked with an accusing raised brow.
Luz chuckled nervously. "You never said anything about shenanigans..."
Flint shook his head fondly as Gus came over to him. "Hey Gus, you need something?"
"I was gonna ask you if I could interview you for my journalism class. I'd talked with Trixx while you guys were helping Willow, but…" Gus trailed off.
Trixx scurried up Flint and perched on his shoulder. "I don't want the Beast Keeping class to possibly find out about me. I won't be able to mess with them if they find out I actually was talking all those times."
"You mentioned trolling the Beast Keeping class before, but is there anything else you usually do when we're gone besides that, napping, or stealing something?" Flint asked.
"Mostly just exploring. Nothing all that interesting really. I did meet a guy called Eber-something though." Trixx said.
Flint turned to Gus. "Sure, I'll do what I can to help."
Gus proceeded to thank him as they got into the interview. Overall, Flint thought today was a good day.