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Hi friends! If you're a fan of either of our work, we have a feeling you're going to enjoy this. It's not a Kimmy story, it's not a Sophie story, it's not a Sophie && Pudding story... it's something entirely new! It's a Sophie & Kimmy story! Welcome to Amulette, a land of magic and witches, demons and diapers, faeries and familiars. We've been writing on this one for a while, and we aren't done yet, but we think it's time to share it! Sophie is going to be posting odd-numbered chapters and Kimmy will be posting the even-numbered chapters. We hope you enjoy it and make sure to leave us lots of Likes and Comments! Also, if Amulette really grabs you, please feel free to write your own stories in this world. Thanks for reading. @Sophie ♥ & @bbykimmy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Colors of Amulette Chapter 1: Dust To Dust Smoke hung heavy in the room; the spell had gone awry and Jade was highly irritated... bordering on livid. Tapping her finger on the table, she waved the acrid, purple smoke away from her face with the other hand. Her long violet nails clicked on the dark oak tabletop, as she sneered - she should be able see her reflection in the shine, but it was filthy, it looked like it hadn't been dusted in days. She swept her eyes across the room, her private workroom was decorated entirely in burgundy and shades of violet, illuminated by faelights and candles in equal measure, her black gown shimmering just so. It was a dark room with a dark purpose, and it was her pride and joy. Jade's sanctum was extravagant - not every witch in the Keep got a private sanctum, but being the daughter of a particularly powerful witch definitely had its perks. She was a member of the most powerful bloodline in the realm… though she wasn’t terribly skilled herself. She had her own quarters as well, no mere dorm like the lesser witches. No, Jade was used to the finer things in life, and she expected things to go her way. She scowled at the purple haze descending over the room, soiling her precious belongings, tainting pristine white pages with the violet smoke. The spell had been a disaster, and the mess was staggering. She knew the failure was her own fault, deep down... but she was furious at her servant for it regardless. And she would find some reason to blame her for it. "Paige!" she roared, hands moving to her hips as a sneer curled her purple-painted lips. Her natural color was a pale green, but she hated green. She dyed that pale green hair black regularly, and performed a charm every morning to turn her soft green eyes a brilliant purple. Lips, however, were tricky - so she resorted to mundane means. She loathed her mother's choice of name for her, but names had power and to change a given name in her world was to give up a great deal of it. "Paige! Get in here now!" Great, Paige thought, in trouble for something I didn't do, no doubt... She sighed and got up from her desk and fixed her dress. She wanted robes. She wanted a cute hat. Acting as a witch's Apprentice wasn't anything like she thought it would be. And it didn't help that Miss Jade always called her a servant... Paige was twenty-eight years old, but like most women in Amulette - the World of Witches - she looked a lot younger. Large, puffy cheeks. A button nose. Bright shimmering yellow eyes. Her long summer-blonde hair curled over her shoulders and down her back - a very easy spell she had learned ages ago. Looking nice was important for someone in her position. She was the niece of a First Circle member - there wasn't room for failure. And nonetheless, Jade treated her like a common street urchin. It was so frustrating. One step into her office and Paige knew she was in trouble. Her eyes scanned the bookshelves, ensuring everything was properly put away. The curtains were closed. The lamps were polished. What had she done? What had she forgotten? "Yes, Miss Jade?" Paige asked quietly, stepping into her office. The carpet was plush beneath her bare feet. She felt the energy in the air. Electric. Magical. Paige loved Jade's sanctum... The scowling witch’s eyes narrowed further at the lazy girl sauntering into the room, as if Jade had invited her for a casual tea. Paige fancied herself well on the road to being Promoted, despite only having served as a Apprentice for a measly three years. The girl hadn't even earned the title "Apprentice" in Jade's opinion - she needed to learn humility, servility, silence. And so she didn't use the title. The difference in appearance between the two of them was night and day. Jade Mazzi was sharp lines and harsh angles, pencil thin and severe. Her skin was milky-pale and clashed horribly with her choice of makeup - her natural shades of green softened those lines, softened her look… but she covered it all up with blacks and violets. She stood over Paige, sneering, her angular self a stark contrast to soft and inviting Paige, the friendly Apprentice, the kind girl. It made her sick. "Yes Miss Jade?" she repeated mockingly. "Do you see something wrong with my sanctum, Paige? Hmm? Anything? Anything at all?" The girl was so disgustingly adorable, Jade couldn't stand it. It was so unfair that she had been saddled with this brat. But she would bring the girl low - ostensibly to build her back up - but the Mentoring witch wasn’t exactly honest with her own motivations. Jade had taken her shoes a week ago, just as she had taken the novice robes her servant was not entitled to. She would continue to strip Paige of her comforts until she learned her place, and if that didn't do it, she would do what some of her Order did and strip her adulthood as well... but there could be consequences. No. No matter how Paige screwed up, she was safe from that fate. Paige was so blasted cute as it was, Jade wondered if she would even notice. She drummed her fingers irritably on the table as she waited for an answer, glaring through the purple smoke. Paige wasn't dumb. She had been practicing magic since she was a little girl. But, unfortunately, without a witch's blessing, she wasn't going to make anything of herself. Apprenticeship came first. In Jade's sanctum, she was careful to polish everything by hand. One wrong spell and something could break... Paige shivered at the thought. But she wasn't dumb. Jade was hot tempered, quick to start placing blame. So Paige did what was most logical: she examined the contents of the table between them. A scrying orb. An advanced text in a language Paige couldn't read. Lots of purple smoke. Purple smoke, purple smoke... "Uh, you used the wrong catalyst?" The words had slipped out. She hadn't meant to say them out loud. It was a thought that reached her mouth before her brain could stop her. Paige had been working for Jade for nearly three years, and never did anything good come from assuming Jade had made a mistake. Jade pursed her lips as the girl’s foolish words sent raw, red rage coursing through her. Why did I have to get a human? she lamented, I could have bought a fae-servant, or a demon. But no, I needed the prestige of initiating a new witch. "Excuse me?" she seethed. "Are you implying that I, your Mentor, your owner," it was technically true, she owned Paige until she received the blessing, "am responsible for this? Doesn't it seem a little more likely that you FAILED TO CLEAN THE BRAZIER?" Jade knew the girl was right and that made it even worse. Green sparks crackled at the fingers of her right hand, magic leaping from fingertip to fingertip as she struggled to keep from hexing her stupid Apprentice right there. "You will clean up this mess. Properly. And then you will report to my quarters for your Demotion, servant." Demotion?! Paige's eyes went wide and she shook her head in disbelief. Over something this stupid?! Absolutely not! "No way! I cleaned that thing yesterday!" Paige had been meticulous, thorough. She moved every book on the shelves. She lifted every artifact and ingredient and placed them back in the exact same spot. She'd washed all the tubs and the braziers with the stuff Jade had given her. And Paige hated cleaning! All month she had been trying so hard. Frustration bubbled up in her chest. "This isn't fair! I've been helping you for years and I should be learning magic by now! Not cleaning up your sanctum! When are you going to teach me some real spells? When do I get to do something fun?!" "Not fair?" Jade scoffed. Paige just didn't know when to stop talking! "Not fair!? I served as an Apprentice for fifty-two years, you whining whelp! You've belonged to me for three, and I've been incredibly lenient despite your constant incompetence." She slid a finger along the worktable, holding it up and showing the non-existent dust mingled with the residue from her failed spell. "When do you get to do something fun? When you learn your place." Jade stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her and returning to her quarters. Her gorgeous, luxurious quarters, which were hers by virtue of her station. She was Third Sword in the Order of the Manticore, though she aimed to be Second Scepter before the end of the year. She strode through her sitting room, past the bedroom, and entered her private study. She unceremoniously flopped down in the enormous overstuffed recliner and set her communication crystal on the table, tapping it and chanting a few words. "She's finally done it," she growled to Rosa the moment their crystals linked. "She's finally pushed me too far, I'm going to Demote her." "What did she do?" her best friend asked, obviously eating something - which was distressingly poor communication etiquette - but she wasn't going to alienate her oldest friend. "She's demanding to begin spellwork after three measley years, Rosa! I am weary of her impertinence." "Why are you keeping her?" Rosa asked, her voice full of scorn. "Just kick her out, buy a familiar - my little fae is so precious, you should get one." "I can't," Jade sighed. "I'm stuck with her. She's the great-niece of a First Circle member... if I kicked her out, she'd complain to mother and- " "That would be bad," she could practically hear the grimace on Rosa's face. Nobody crossed the High Manticore, not even her own daughter, and certainly not said daughter's best friend. Jade sighed a weary, put-upon sigh, covering her face with her hand dramatically and taking a very purposeful cleansing breath. "You keep your fae diapered, right? Where do you buy the diapers?" "I'll port you some," Rosa offered, ever the kind friend. "They should fit, pernicious Paige is on the small side, right? And worse case, you can enlarge them a bit. Do you want the normal daytime ones, or the humiliating night-time ones?" "Oh the night-time ones, for certain. Those will be her daytime diapers." *** Paige continued to clean up Jade's sanctum, muttering to herself. She really hadn't done anything wrong - there was barely any dust on the desk at all! But she shouldn't have spoken to Jade like that either. Paige's impatience was no excuse for her outburst and she knew it. Demoted... Paige didn't know a lot about demotion, but she knew it was a terrible fate for Apprentices. It changed all the time - in her father's day, a Demoted would wear an enchanted collar. Everyone knew. She shuddered at the thought, rubbing the back of her neck. She was a great Apprentice! Jade just never gave her the chance. Either way, Paige thought, maybe I could make that soup she likes... She had to get on Jade's good side.