Chapter 2: To Be More Than Not Friends

Willow is doing the routine of plant room maintenance.

Saturday..

At 5am in the morning.

She really really wishes she didn't have to. She's exhausted from yesterday. She'll just get it over with quickly! Then pass out the moment she gets back home! Perfect plan!

Though it seems the door was already unlocked.

How odd.

She knew for sure she was the one assigned today. But she checks in, just in case.

"Hello?"

The door creaks open, causing Skara to jump at the sudden intrusion.

"Ack! Oh- Hey! Willow!" She said, giving Willow a perfectly innocent smile.

"What are you doing here? On a Saturday, this early?"

Skara explains. Apparently, she's looking for an herb, and unfortunately for her, she doesn't know anything about plants. She was just trying to guess based on google images, but everything looks the same to her untrained eyes.

Willow laughs. How convenient! An opportunity to lighten her workload. "I'll help you find it."

"Really!"

"Yep. If you help clean the room."

"Oh." She should've known that there was a catch. "Can't I just pay you instead..."

"You could. But also, explain how you broke in here in the first place?"

Damn, and Skara thought she dodged a bullet. "...Fine. You win. I'll help."

"Great!"

They quickly got to work, the room ghost-quiet, both wanting to get it over with as soon as possible; the sound of pouring water, the cool air of dawn flowing in. An almost comfortable silence... Almost.

It was a little awkward.

Skara, engrossed with the elevator music playing in her head, accidentally knocks over a plant. She apologizes quickly, expecting Willow to be upset at her. But to her surprise, Willow just laughs it off, quickly putting the plant back in its place with one spell cast.

"Wow you're really good at this." Skara doesn't know why she said that. "You must do this a lot?"

"You'd be surprised how often it happens."

"Really?" 'Please, tell me more. I'm so bored.' Skara thought to herself.

Willow, seemingly reading her mind, regales Skara, talking about the little mishaps that have occured during her time in the Plant Track. And to Skara's surprise, she's actually interested! Though she does ask how she got onto the plant track, because for as long as she could remember, Willow was in Abomination with Amity.

The two witches blabber on, the conversation flowing smoothly. They did not have a lot in common, which was an interesting change of pace for the both of them. Moving swiftly from topic to topic, though a common theme being their 'weird' friends. Whom they both absolutely cherish.

Oh hey would look at that, done already! That was fast! Willow hands over the plant to Skara.

"What's the herb for anyway?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Oh it's just, I know this plant heals injuries. I was wondering if it was for..."

"...Boscha."

"Yes…"

"Wow. You're really perceptive. Yeah it is for Boscha." Skara takes out a piece of paper from her pocket. "She told me she twisted her ankle. So she asked me to get these things for her."

Willow looks over to see a list of potion ingredients. "That is way too strong of a healing potion for just a twisted ankle!" She swipes the paper from Skara's fingers, examining it closer. "Are you sure she didn't break her entire skeleton?"

Skara laughs. She wonders if she should tell her. "It's complicated." It wasn't, she just wasn't sure if Willow would be able to handle information like that.

"Anyways," Skara continues, quickly changing the topic. "Speaking of yesterday, we were going to play Grudgby tomorrow, wanna come?"

"Geez. Don't you guys ever get tired?" Willow teases, but to be fair, she would've expected nothing less.

" Please. Don't take it so seriously. It's just for fun! House rules and all that." Skara gets up, plant in hand. "DM me if you want!"

With that, Skara leaves. And Willow is left to ponder.

"What did she mean by 'it's complicated?'"

"What took you so long! I am literally dying!" Boscha complains, opening up the window.

"Sorry! I kinda lost track of time..." Skara hands her the stuff she asked for. "So are we even? Are you still mad?"

Boscha groans. Yes she is still mad. Though now she's just slightly less mad.

"I'll take that as a 'Yes I forgive you you're the best!' then." Skara smiles, trying her very best to charm her.

Boscha doesn't have the energy to care anymore. She's too exhausted. And she needs to save up her energy for what she's about to endure. "Yeah okay okay thanks mom."

Either that or she decides to just let the world take her, either one. She hasn't fully decided yet. "Now run along, I have a potion to brew."

"Ok take care of yourself. You better still be alive for tomorrow."

Heh. She knows her too well.

Boscha hurries back into her study, pulls out a cauldron, and starts chucking in ingredients.

She knows this potion could potentially make her sick.

Or worse.

She wishes she wasn't born this way.

Being the weakest in her group of friends.

Brewing potions for the rest of her life.

She stirs the pot faster. Concentrating on the smell of burnt herbs and animal bones. Ironic, the remains of life contain more magic than her… Shut up brain!

She needs this potion. Now. She doesn't care if she'll pass out once this thing sucks up all her magic to heal her leg. She'd rather deal with her mom thinking she slept in the whole day.

Grabbing an empty bottle, she bottles up some of the hot liquid.

Boscha makes her way to her bedroom, making sure to lock the door behind her. Potion in hand, she sits down on her bed.

Bottoms up…

Her head starts to ache, pain stabbing her in the chest, the room spins and spins around her bed; she feels nauseous.

Her chest tightens. She hears the faint sound of shattering in the distance, her bed sways under her, pillow making contact with her head.

Everything is dark.

Yet peaceful.

Eyes adjusting to the dark room, she feels something dripping down her nose.

Blood...

Gross.

She sits up, and coughs. Something's stuck in her throat. Her head turns to her pillow.

More blood. More gross.

She grabs the tissues on the nightstand, and spits the remaining blood into the bin. Boscha grabs the water bottle she always keeps next to her bed and attempts to drown out the taste of metal from her tongue.

Ignoring the sweat seeping through her shirt, that was the best sleep she's had in weeks. No really! She slept like a dead person.

Ok, she really feels disgusting.

She wipes off some of the sweat from her forehead, and starts tugging at the neckline of her shirt. Wearing a tanktop under a shirt wasn't the best idea in terms of sleepwear she must admit, but what can ya do.

Chucking her shirt across the floor, she lets her hand fall limp off the bed, to the feeling of shattered glass.

"Ow." She looks over the side of the bed to see the broken potion bottle. "OHhhh… Right. That..."

"Ehh I'll deal with that later."

After a few light stretches, she kicks the blanket off her, and closes her eyes. She wasn't comfortable, but it was good enough.