The Interrogation
Amity was being watched.
This wasn’t a problem, exactly, but it was very annoying.
She glanced up from the indecipherable history textbook. There was some oddly familiar details here and there, but for the most part this was complete nonsense; and it constantly used terms and referenced people that Amity didn’t know.
Luckily, what she was dealing with right now was something she knew a little better.
Annoying teens.
The feeling of eyes on her vanished instantly, and the only sign that she was being watched was the little tuft of brown hair that instantly vanished behind a shelf.
Amity sighed.
“Why are you watching me?” she muttered, unimpressed.
“Whaaaat?” said the girl - Luz? - from behind the shelf, voice muffled and faux-confused. “I’m just a lonely bookshelf! I’d never watch anyone.”
“I will burn this place to the ground,” Amity said, voice matter-of-fact, “if you don’t leave me alone.”
There was a pause.
“How about I ask you just one question?” Luz said, peeking around the bookshelf. “And then I’ll leave you to study, okay?”
“...Fine,” Amity said, pushing her book to the side and leaning her head on her hand. “Ask away.”
“What are you studying for?”
“A test,” Amity lied smoothly.
“Really?” Luz squinted suspiciously. “You don’t go to my school, I don’t think.”
Amity took a moment to be confused.
Sure, she was from another world - but Luz didn’t know that. Why was she so suspicious?
Was there some other way to distinguish witches from humans?
“Maybe we go to different schools,” Amity said, voice showing no hint of her growing nervousness. “Or we just haven’t caught each other around.”
“How old are you?” Luz demanded.
“Sixteen,” Amity said without thinking - and paused. “Wait. You said just one question.”
“You should be in my grade, then,” Luz said, leaning forward. Like she was interrogating Amity.
Amity shied away automatically.
What was up with this girl?
“Do you go to a private school?” Luz said.
Amity blanked.
That was a harder lie. Because if she said yes, Luz could catch her in a trap. She knew it well - the question, then the reveal that the question was just a ruse to prove that she was lying.
Or Luz could press the question.
And if Amity said she didn’t, it could force her into a trap, too.
She’d been caught in a web. Where any lie would cement who she would pretend to be from here on out - and possibly make Luz even more suspicious.
So instead, Amity dodged.
“You said you’d leave me alone,” Amity said, expression and tone not showing a single hint of the storm brewing inside her. “One question. You’ve asked three. Let me study.”
“What?” Luz demanded, slamming her hands on the table. “Afraid of the question?!”
A harsh shhhh! echoed from some other corner of the library.
“Sorry,” Luz muttered harshly, before glaring at Amity demandingly again.
“Annoyed by the question, more like,” Amity said flatly. Locking her emotions in a cold, black box in the back of her mind until she could analyze what the hell was going on here.
At this point she was starting to suspect that Luz was just crazy.
“Please leave me alone,” Amity said, looking down at her textbook again.
Luz slowly stopped glaring, and glanced away. “Uhm. Sorry. I get a bit excited sometimes. I just like learning about new people.”
Amity glanced up at her.
She looked believably bashful.
Amity wasn’t buying it. Not that she was going to say that.
“Right. Well. Why don’t you just try introducing yourself next time, hm?”
“Alright!” Luz chirped - and waved at her. “Hi - I’m Luz! Luz Noceda!”
“Charmed,” Amity deadpanned.
“And you aaaare?” Luz said, with an encouraging smile.
Amity hesitated for a moment, before deciding that using a fake name wasn’t worth the trouble.
“Amity Blight.”
“Ooh, cool name,” Luz said. And the way her eyes darted and glittered, it almost looked like the name delighted her, for some reason. As if Amity had just fulfilled some soulful desire Luz had.
Amity gave her a flat look. “I know. Now can I study?”
“Oh. Right. Sure!” Luz said, stepping back easily and waltzing to her counter again.
Amity stared after her the whole way there.
Amity Blight. If that isn’t a fake alien name or the name of a fae, I don’t know what is!
Luz stepped behind her counter, and made sure Amity wasn’t staring after her anymore before jotting down her new notes.
-Knows what tests are
-Sixteen years old (according to her)
-Refuses to talk about her school
-Named Amity Blight (according to her)
Anything that was according to her was up to suspicion. After all, she couldn’t be trusted to be telling the truth if she was an alien.
…
-Probably shouldn’t ask about her school again. If she’s uncomfortable talking about it, maybe she’s not doing very well. Or she’s expelled and/or dropped out, for whatever reason.
Not nearly as glamorous as the possibility that she was a lying alien, but. Still worth noting.
Just in case.