Chapter Text
Aconite is a flower that goes by many names. It is also known as Monkshood, wolfbane, and Devil's hamlet, just to name a few. It is known for poisoning, it's main use in the Savage Ages. Modernly, it is a flower only used for decoration. A beautiful blue bloom with curling petals, this poisonous plant makes even more lethal potions. It warns people to be cautious. It is also seen as a symbol of hatred.
Back to the Roots: A Physical and Spiritual Guide to the Flora of the Boiling Isles
Boscha knows she’s not a good person. She’s known it for a long time, years even. As far back to when she still chased around losers and ridiculed them all day just to try to make herself feel better. She's a rich brat. A bitch. A witch with a tongue more deadly than her spells, not that her spells were terrible either. Boscha knows she’s a shitty person. She just keeps it to herself more because, as much as she hates herself, she’s sick of making others hate her too. It’s not anybody else’s fault that she is a piece of garbage. She always came down from the high it gave her with a vicious crash. One that left her burned and seething worse than any curse that could be cast- Boscha isn’t stupid enough not to see that the costs outweigh the benefits.
Skara is blabbering about something. Her boyfriend or her barely passing math grade, she’s mentioned both in the past five minutes and Boscha is just too tired to keep up. Her caffeine boost is wearing off and she does not have energy to waste on Skara’s daily dilemma. Instead, she scrolls through Penstagram, checking her like count on her last post and glancing through everyone’s feed.
Emira’s anniversary with Viney is coming up. Boscha can tell because her personal-personal account (the one she blocks from her parents) is flooded with couple pictures and disgustingly cute captions. Although Viney’s expression is making it look like she’s one picture away from declaring them both single. Amity has pictures from her last grudgby game- she’s made her way onto a small, private league outside of the school circuit. Luz’s back is covering half the picture and Amity is struggling to take the photo and hold her girlfriend at the same time. She moves past the Blights, half wondering why she still follows Amity’s gay ass once they split off two years ago. Amity looks a moment away from punching her in the face every time she sees Boscha. Like the puppy picture, scoff at Edric’s idiocy, and scroll through countless images of smiling faces and good times.
Boscha scroll snaps closed. She’s getting sick of Penstagram.
The bell is screaming anyway. It graciously shuts up Skara, who chirps a farewell and bounces off to her next class across the school. Another morning at Hexside is starting. Boscha bangs her locker open, hisses back when it hisses at her, and scoffs when it whimpers. She drags her books out. The hallways are getting loud. People talking so fast that their mouths will fall off as they cram in what little socialization they can before the first period begins. Someone screams in her ear and Boscha hisses straight in their face. Her three eyes fixate on the paling face of some nobody underclassman and she ignores the stammered out apology. With a clash of its teeth, Boscha closes her locker and spins in her boots. Time to finish another day.
Boscha doesn’t give people shit anymore- at least not like she used to. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t follow her around like the reek of death on a reanimated carcas. People fear her and she’s fine with that- less people to annoy the magic right out of her. She can only hold so much blame when people just won’t fucking leave her alone. People know what kind of person she is. It’s not her fault if they disregard the warning label. Don’t blame the jackal for biting you if you stick your nose in its face.
Her first class is her advanced hexmonics class where she’s stuck dealing with that dumbass human and her idiot brigade. They’re everything she hates rolled into one group: loud, annoying, and disgustingly close. Boscha is pretty sure they coordinate outfits for their Moonlight Conjurings. Gross. She’s stuck sitting behind them because sitting any farther back meant not being able to read the dumb board. They’re quiet whenever she passes them, little mice quaking when the cat prowls by. Boscha is still a predator, but it’s not like she has much bite to her left. Her fangs prefer to dig themselves into her own flesh, burrow into her mind like they are the masters and not the servants.
Half a Witch is ironically the least scared of her. Maybe it’s because even half a witch like her is still more magically competent than a human and more physically competent than that twig of an illusionist that tags along with them. It’s kind of pathetic, but Boscha guesses even freaks have some friends.
Boscha loses in that regard. She doubts she knows anybody who'd come find her when it rains.
When she glances at them with her third eye, the one she can move without her central eyes following suit, Willow is watching her. Boscha tilts her head and glares. The plant witch tenses up, shoulders stiff and head jerking straight back toward the board. Good… Boscha doesn’t like people looking at her. Boscha doesn’t like looking at herself. No filters or editing is able to hide what everyone already knows.
Amity is at the door when class ends. Picking up Luz for one of their shared classes. Apparently they have a presentation in their abomination class. Not that Boscha cares, it’s just that Luz isn’t exactly silent and blabbered about it all class. It’s Amity, little miss perfect, Boscha knows she’ll get an A even with her girlfriend handicapping her. Boscha waits behind them because they’re blocking the entire door.
“Can you fucking move? Some of us have places to be.”
It causes Amity to puff up and Boscha to roll her eyes. As if she’d ever be scared of someone who fangirls over a kid’s series. Amity lost any edge she had in the school the day Luz showed up in an otter costume for a school dance and the Blight turned bright red and couldn’t speak the rest of the night. Funny? Extremely and immortalized on Penstagram forever. Still pathetic and still as unthreatening as a baby griffin. What's she going to do? Turn so red that Boscha dies from the secondhand embarrassment?
“Oh fuck off, Blight. As if you are threatening to anyone. Now move,” Boscha spits and pushes past the illusionist. Willow and Luz immediately step to the side, Luz tugging on Amity’s arm to try to get her out of the way. Amity only glares at her and crosses her arms. Really? Were they really doing this? Boscha might not be top student, but she can throw down in a fight. Everyone knows that.
“Ami, come on. It’s not worth fighting over,” Luz pleads and tugs her girlfriend harder. “We go to go anyway.”
“Yeah, alright,” Amity grumbles and backs down. She throws one arm over Luz’s waist and steps aside. She eyes Boscha as she passes her. “Don’t mess with them Boscha or you’ll be dealing with me.”
“I haven’t touched your precious girlfriend or any of her nerdy friends in years, Blight,” Boscha snarks as she pulls her books closer to her chest. “Weren’t you the one to tell me to grow up? I have better things to do than mess with your idiot brigade… What are you staring at Half a Witch?” Boscha hisses and Willow looks away, fiddling with her wire rims.
A pang of guilt burrows into her chest like a thorn. Why it still hurts? Boscha doesn't know. Maybe she's addicted to it. Maybe her body is punishing her for being a terrible person. Even if it's not her fault she's as friendly as a rabid animal. She doesn't do friendship. It's not like she's happy, but it's less tiring to not have to fake crap to impress anyone. Can't feel happy. Body is just giving her the next best thing. Showing her she's not completely numb, What's that saying? What doesn't kill you makes you stronger? Boscha's too stubborn to die, so she must just be strong as steel. At least she's got that going for her.
“Just get out of here Boscha,” Amity said tiredly.
Please, Amity has no reason to act like this to her anymore. Boscha hasn’t messed with them in ages. Barely even looks at them since Amity finally got her butt in gear and finally kissed her idiot human.
“Been trying to,” Boscha bites back as she finally leaves that Titan forsaken classroom. It’s not like she wanted to stick around. No reason to stay where you’re not wanted.