Chapter Text
The next morning
Amity sat awkwardly with her hands in her lap. The unfamiliar living room of a Hexside acquaintance was not how she envisioned spending her morning, especially after such a sleepless night.
When she first awoke, her anxieties began to strangle her mind anew. The weight of her first summoning sat heavily on her chest. There had to be a way to fix the damage she had done. Perhaps her experience was atypical for the ritual. She needed guidance from an oracle, and she certainly couldn’t go to her mo-
To Odalia.
So she scrolled through her Penstagram contacts and found a vaguely familiar face. She didn’t share many classes with Celine. Amity knew she was a girl with a pale, crescent moon-shaped head, a soft smile, and a singular purple eye on the right side of her face. Maybe she’d be available for some questions.
Amity didn’t expect Celine to respond so quickly, nor to invite her over. So, after a short flight through Bonesbourough, here Amity sat on a soft couch in a brightly decorated home. Celine walked from the kitchen to the living room with a simple tea set on a wide tray. She placed it on the coffee table and poured two cups. Without asking, Celine smiled and added cream and sugar to Amity’s drink.
Raising an eyebrow as she picked up her cup, Amity asked, “How did you know?”
Celine laughed a little as she sat down with her own drink, “I’m pretty good at oracle magic.” Her voice was cool and collected, “I knew you’d want to come over today. I’m always looking into the future!”
Amity nodded, “So, you know why I’m here?”
“Your first summoning went pretty well,” Celine took a sip and smiled contentedly. “Even if you don’t think it did.”
“I scared my friends.” Amity shivered, “I pushed them away.”
Celine tilted her crescent head, “Even Luz?”
Amity sighed and smiled a little, “No. Not her. She’s definitely hurting but she won’t let it show.” She gave a short sarcastic laugh, “She’d rather focus on me than herself.”
“I can’t say I know your gang’s dynamic.” Celine said with a comforting look, “But if Luz stuck by you, I’m betting the rest of them will come around.”
She nodded and pondered Celine’s perspective. “Do spirits of truth always sound so…”
“Painfully honest? Yes.” Celine frowned and placed her teacup down on the table. “I remember my first summoning. I was with my parents.” She laughed a little, “You can imagine how well that went.”
A smirk crossed Amity’s face and she laughed through her nose. “Is the ritual supposed to be terrifying?”
Celine nodded and said, “Oracles are in the darkest school of magic. Back when the covens were first created, witches and demons made a sort of barrier to weed out people that couldn’t handle it.”
“Well, consider me weeded.” Amity looked into her teacup, “I’m never casting an Oracle spell again.”
“That’s okay!” Celine smiled, “There’s no shame in stopping. Just know that every oracle I talk to says the ritual is worth the pain.”
“Really?” Amity felt the heaviness lift from her heart a bit. Half-jokingly, she asked, “Did you look into the future to check on me and my friends?”
With a hearty laugh, Celine said, “I may have peaked. But fortune telling isn’t always accurate. You can see a lot of possible futures, and you have to sift through all the facts to see the most likely outcome.”
Curiosity took Amity’s hand. “So, what do you know about the future?” She took another sip of her tea.
Flatly and quickly, Celine said, “I know how everyone’s gonna die.”
Amity nearly spit her drink out at the shock of such a statement. She held the tea in her mouth, unsure if she should swallow and say something or if she should just stay silent.
A wry smirk crossed Celine’s face, “Got ya!” She laughed as Amity rolled her eyes with a smile. “I know a lot of things! Don’t tell her, but Boscha is gonna end up being the principal at Hexside!”
That came as a surprise. “Really? Wow.”
Celine nodded, happy to share her oracle-expertise. “I know that the rebuilding of Bonesbourough is gonna be great. I know that you and I are gonna be friends when we grow up.” She gently said, “And I’m 100% sure your friends are gonna be okay.”
Amity sighed in content and let the warmth of her tea flow through her. “Thanks.” She whispered. After a few moments, she bit her lip and asked, “You said we’re going to be friends when we’re older? Why not now?”
Celine shrugged, “I guess I’m not ready for new friends right now. Plus,” she rubbed the back of her neck, “It wasn’t too long ago that you, Boscha and Skara were bullying me and my friends.”
“Oh.” Amity looked into her lap, a familiar shame washing over her. “I’m sorry.”
Celine waved her hand and said, “Bygones! I know you’re a better person now. This won’t be the last cup of tea we share; our families will be intertwined in ways we’d never expect.” She grinned brightly and tilted her head again.
Amity blinked and looked out the window when she heard a distant thunderclap. She placed her cup on the coffee table and said, “I’d better head home before I get caught in the storm.”
Celine offered a knowing smile and said, “Don’t worry, you’ll get home safe!”