Quoth The Raven

Nothing Else Matters

Amity and Willow got back in time to see what was so important about the ceremony.

Willow didn't seem bothered by the conversation in the woods, immediately going to sit with Luz and Hunter. But as Amity took her seat with her cello in front of Jericho High's marching band, the sick feeling that had been quietly churning in her stomach since that vision only grew—more so as she looked up at what had just been unveiled.

It was a fountain.

A fountain that had a statue of Crackstone fixed atop it.

Amity didn't believe in heaven or hell, but she did believe in revenge. She usually served it warm with a side of pain. And yet, through all her fifteen (nearly sixteen) years of exacting punishment, she'd never had to face an adversary cast in bronze.

"Welcome, everyone!" Mayor Berry announced, a smile as fake as Vernworth's fixed on his face. "I am thrilled to be here to celebrate Outreach Day, as well as our noble forefather, Joseph Crackstone. Now, he believed that with a noble heart and an open ear, there was nothing our town couldn't achieve. So, together with our friends and community at Nevermore Academy, we've built a monument to celebrate his memory! May the spirit of Joseph Crackstone be memorialized for all eternity!"

Over in the stands, Amity noticed Hunter doing a "gag-me" gesture and Luz immediately covering her mouth to hide her giggles. She felt a small sense of pride at that, though she wasn't sure why. It wasn't like they were really her friends.

The marching band began to play a cover of "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac, which made Amity internally wince. There were plenty of incredible songs written by that band, but this was far from one of them. Really, Stevie Nicks was the best part.

Nevertheless, she dutifully played along as Mayor Berry turned the fountain on with the slam of a button on his podium. A quick glance over her shoulder proved that Ghost had already begun to set their little plan into motion.

She kept her face neutral—which wasn't hard to do—as the spark raced towards the fountain. People did notice, and they did point, but Amity just kept playing that insipid little song.

Until the fountain exploded, that is.

As the crowd started screaming and scattered in different directions, Amity instantly switched over to Vivaldi's "Winter," a maniac smile slowly forming on her face as she picked up the intensity.

It sounded much better, honestly.

................

"WHAT! The ACTUAL! FUCK!" Principal Vernworth screamed, pacing back and forth. "Of course, of course, the SECOND I finally decide to stop watching the Wittebane kid to figure out if he takes after his smug-ass uncle, a BLIGHT comes along! A Blight who sets fire to a FOUNTAIN! A fucking FOUNTAIN! HOW DO YOU SET FIRE TO SOMETHING FILLED WITH WATER?!"

Amity looked around his office with her arms folded, waiting for him to calm down at least a little bit. Or, at the very least, consider the fact that gasoline was a liquid, very flammable, and easy to fill a fountain with.

"I have lost count," he ranted, waving his still unlit cigarette in the air, "of the angry emails, phone calls, people in town, alumni, parents! They want answers, and you know what? SO DO I!" He spun around and gave Amity a furious glare, foot tapping at an alarming rate. "Well? Got anything snappy, spunky, and self-assured to say for yourself?"

"I have nothing to say," she responded. "My hands are clean."

In fact, everyone's hands were clean. Ghost didn't even use her paws.