Two days, three days, four days rolled by as Boscha laid in the basement of her home. After the events that transpired at the school, the girl had cloistered herself off from the world. Her first day and a half was solely focused on failed attempts to rid herself of the sigil that was stamped on her wrist. When all the attempts fell through, she quickly fell into a depressive state and simply stayed in the house, alone. Everyday, almost three to four times a day someone would knock on the door and ring the bell for several minutes. Boscha could hear it all but she still kept herself secluded in the basement, not wanting whoever it was to see her in this pathetic state.
She eventually dragged herself up the stairs and to the bathroom to get cleaned up. Boscha washed up and changed into her non school clothing, a long sleeved beige blouse and skirt combination with black leggings and brown boots. She fixed her hair as best she could though the girl didn't put too much effort into it.
After getting herself in a somewhat presentable manner she headed to the kitchen. The girl still needed to eat and she'd come up maybe once a day for food and other needs and simply slump back down into the lab. Boscha set out a large slab of cured meat and set it on a cutting board as she grabbed a large knife. She silently went about cutting a few slices off before she stopped and noticed the sigil once more as her sleeve rolled up. Her body began to tremble as the three eyes opened wide and locked onto it once more. This wasn't her choice, it was something forced upon her and no matter what she did it was there forever. Or was it? Boscha's eyes shifted to the knife on the counter as she slowly reached out and gripped it with her left hand before raising it.
No potion the teen had mixed up worked in the slightest to remove it but maybe brute force would. She held the sharp kitchen utensil in an underhand grip and took aim at her target as sweat rolled down her face. Boscha steeled her nerves for what she was preparing to do when...
"Boscha? Boscha?" The girl stabbed the knife down hard into the cutting board beneath her as the blade stood on end unassisted. The muffled voice came from outside as knocking accompanied it. She shook her head and for a moment dismissed the thoughts that had filled her head and went towards the door. On the opposite side, standing with a concerned look was none other than Skara who immediately lunged forward and wrapped the disheveled girl in a tight hug. "Oh Titan, I was so worried about you! Amelia told me what happened. Are you okay?"
"No." Boscha responded, her voice flat and her face expressionless.
Skara stepped back as she saw her friend clutching her wrist in an attempt to conceal the sigil. She reached to look at the mark but Boscha stepped back to make distance. "It's true then?" Her soothing voice brought down Boscha's defenses down a bit as the girl gave a confirming nod. "I'm so sorry, Boscha."
"This is what I deserve, I guess." The three-eyed girl said in a low tone.
"Amelia told me how you were with the coven scouts." Skara said as she shifted her eyes from Boscha, the latter doing the same. "But she also told me you saved her and a bunch of other students despite that. I can't imagine how you feel after what happened but you're a hero in her eyes...and mine. I'm here to help you through this."
"Thanks Skara." Boscha said as the two hugged.
Skara's eyes opened wide as she remembered the other reason for coming here. "We...we need to go."
"What?" Boscha looked puzzled as the two separated.
"Hunter, the Golden Guard told us about the Day of Unity and it's not good." Skara continued as she recited Hunter's words almost verbatim as to what the day really entailed and Belos' true intentions. Boscha was taken aback at hearing all of this for the first time. She could never have imagined any of this to be real if she hadn't seen what transpired at Hexside.
"That explains why they wanted everyone in a coven. Those poor saps don't even know what they are fighting for." Boscha admitted.
"That's why we have to get as far away from the head as possible. Willow texted me a day or two ago, she says the Owl Lady and a bunch of others have a plan to stop it all, but everyone is evacuating Bonesburough just in case. My dad already left but I told him I wasn't leaving without you. I've been hiding out in the treasure shack just in case the scouts started going door to door to round us up."
"Good thinking. We should..." Boscha paused as her eyes widened and she raised back into the house as Skara confusedly followed behind her. The three-eyed girl raced into her room and grabbed the folded up letter on her desk that Hana wrote before leaving. She opened it and scanned its contents before dropping it and looking up. "Mom doesn't have a scroll." She said plainly. "Skara, call my scroll."
"It's off. I've been leaving messages for you for the last few days." The gray haired girl explained, still a bit perplexed. "What's wrong?"
Boscha immediately turned to her, a mix of worry and fear adorning her face. "My mom is going to the head. She's on a business trip and she's probably headed there as we speak! I need to get there now!" She ran out of her room and looked around in a panic.
Skara chased after her and gripped her arm."Boscha, do you know how long it will take to get there? Besides, there's a plan already..."
"I am not going to trust the safety of my mother to some kooky old witch junk seller! I'm going to get there and you are not going to stop me.!" She began to walk away only for Skara to step in front of her, her arms outstretched to her sides to block the redhead's path.
"You're wrong." Skara said angrily. "You aren't going alone. If you're going, then I'm with you... until the end."
Boscha smiled as she put a hand on Skara's shoulder. "Thanks. But we'll need a plan and I've heard you're quite the strategist."
"That I am." Skara said with a smirk as she began to formulate an idea in her head. "There's definitely going to be a lot of guards there so we'll need help getting in. Luckily, I know some folks who can help us. To the treasure shack." She brought out her cricket palisman and staff as she got on and levitated at tree level. "Come on."
Skara looked to see Boscha's gaze turned to the ground as she rubbed her left arm. The girl slowly lowered herself back down and looked at the pained expression on her friend's face. "Boscha? What's wrong?"
The triclops balled her fists tightly and shut her eyes as she struggled to speak. "I don't have Maya anymore. She was trying to tell me something for my own good and I wouldn't listen. She pleaded for me to stop, to turn back from what I was planning and I drove her away. I was her partner and I abandoned her like someone did before me. And now she's not coming back. "
Skara didn't speak at first. She just thought for a bit. "Maybe she would if you said you were sorry and showed her you've changed."
"How? I don't even know where she is." Boscha said as she looked to Skara who looked to have an idea. "Do you?"
It took a long ride but the two finally made it to a spot deep in the woods as Boscha shared Skara's staff and the duo touched down near what looked like a very creepy cave. "And how do you know this is where the Bat Queen lives?" Boscha asked as they entered.
"Simple, when she visited the school I saw her fly off at the end of the day. I recorded the direction she flew off in to triangulate her likely dwelling spots." Skara explained to a stunned Boscha.
"Wow, I was really holding you back." She had to admit as they pressed forward. Eventually the two arrived and were stopped by three miniature bat creatures that howled at the tops of their lungs. It forced the two teens to cover their ears before the sound became the least of their worries as the Bat Queen, guardian of cast off palismans landed down.
"Why do you trespass in my lair?" She demanded to know before identifying the two girls. "You!"
Skara was prepared to speak but she was stopped as her friend stepped forward. "Yes. And I'm sure you know why I'm here." The Bat Queen gave no answer as she simply watched the girl stop and drop to her hands and knees to bow before the creature. "I beg your forgiveness for the intrusion but I needed to see Maya."
The Bat Queen's gaze never left the girl as Boscha stared down at the ground beneath her. "You wish to take her back?" She demanded to know in a booming voice.
Boscha dug her nails into the ground beneath her as she strained to speak. "No. I want her to take me back. We were partners and I let her down. I didn't listen to her even when she was only trying to help me. Everything I've gone through, all the pain and the suffering wouldn't have happened if I'd taken her advice. I just want her to know I've changed. Now I know what it means to be a good partner and all I ask is that you just give me the chance to speak with her."
Boscha's words seemed to touch the Bat Queen's heart as her face softened slightly. "I beg your forgiveness first of all. You entrusted her to me and I let you down. And I want to beg her forgiveness too. Even if she won't have me back, I just want her to know how sorry I am. Then I'll leave... and I won't come back."
The girl didn't look up as she heard the heavy footsteps approach her and the massive shadow cast over her. Whether she was going to be crushed or eaten whole she couldn't say, but she hoped it would be quick. Instead she heard a hardy chuckle from the Bat Queen as she spoke. "What do you say Maya?"
Boscha's eyes opened wide as she heard the familiar clicks and chirps and felt the hard carapace rub against her right hand. "Maya?" She looked to her hand to find the crab palisman with a pleasant look. "I am so sorry for everything! I've been such a fool and I should have listened to you from the start and maybe...maybe I wouldn't be where I am right now." The girl gestured to her slacking right arm as Maya used her claw to pull up her sleeve and see what had been done. The palisman looked to her sadly as she chirped in response.
"I'll be okay...eventually. But it's not about me. Mom is in danger and I'm going to help her," She looked back at Skara. "And as many others as I can. I know it's wrong of me to come here and ask for your help but I can't do this without..." She was stopped as Maya scurried up her arm and onto her shoulder. "You...you really mean it?" The crab gave several responsive clicks and happily snapped her claws. Boscha brought her in close and the two nuzzled heads. "It's good to have you back, partner."
The girl looked up to the Bat Queen with tears in her eyes. "Thank you." The massive creature gave a silent nod before turning back into the cave. The girls exited the cave as Boscha and her palisman got reacquainted. All the while, Skara walked silently, happy to see her friend back in good spirits. The two disembarked as Skara led the way back to the treasure shack, the gang's old hideaway. As they got near, Boscha saw quite a few familiar faces. She could identify Amelia, Cat, Viney and even Celine among the near dozen faces there."You didn't tell me everyone was here." Boscha said as they got near.
"When I told them I was staying back they insisted on doing the same." The two touched down as everyone gathered around and bombarded Boscha with questions, checking to see if she was alright after what Amelia had told them. For Boscha all this attention was weird. Not unwelcome, just weird especially after all that she did.
"I'm fine." Boscha assured as she took a few steps back. "Thanks. I didn't expect this kind of welcome after everything."
Amelia stepped up. "You risked your life to save me and everyone else. The old you would have just went along with those coven jerks and left me to rot."
"Skara told us that you are trying to be a better person and if she says so then we believe it. It may not be easy to forget everything but rest assured, we can forgive you."Cat said as the two girls walked up to Boscha and wrapped her in a hug.
Viney looked over a loudly cleared her throat. "Okay, well after all that, we should probably get going if we're going to get as far away from the Day of Unity as possible."
Boscha looked up and slowly separated herself from her friends and looked to Skara as the girl gave a confirming nod. "We aren't running. Boscha and I are going to the castle."
"What?!" Viney and the others said in disbelief.
"My mom is there and I'm getting her out." Boscha declared.
"Didn't you tell her about the plan?" Viney asked Skara.
"I'm not willing to risk my mom and everyone else' lives on that. If the Owl Lady's plan fails then someone needs to be there to help as many people as we can." Boscha said. "Now I'm going to fly to the head and get her out no matter what it takes."
"And I'm going with her." Skara declared as she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.
Celine stepped up. "I'm in of course." She said as many of the others there agreed to go as well.
Viney sighed. "Well if Skara's going then I'm going so you can count me and Puddles in."
"Us too." Cat said, gesturing to Amelia and herself. "It won't be easy though. Everyone is going to the Head as we speak." Cat explained.
"Not to mention who's going to believe us." Celine noted. "It's our word against Belos'. And it's not like they saw any of what happened at the school."
Boscha thought about it and they had a point. The teens had no proof to back up anything that the Golden Guard claimed. But they all experienced for themselves how far Graye was willing to go to force them into covens and that was all she needed to speak up. "Then...we save who we can. We try to direct people away from the castle before they arrive. To do that we'll need some authority. I've got a...scout uniform back at my place. You all know why."
She was silent for a moment knowing that everyone would be right to judge her for her actions with the Emperor's Coven. "Yeah, and that gives me an idea." Celine spoke up. "I know where we can get more."
At the near empty marketplace Tibbles was hard at work making sure Mattholomule was hard at work loading up all of the former's supplies into his wagon. "Will you hurry? I want to be out of here in an hour." Matt grumbled as he was weighed down by the items from Tibbles' various scams. His knees buckled as he was crushed under the heavy load, causing his diminutive employer to roll his eyes.
"Hey short stack..." Boscha called as she and Celine approached, the latter levitating a duffle bag before dropping it at Tibbles fit. The bag opened revealing a ton of gold coins from the casino fiasco as Tibbles eyes opened wide. "I think we have business to discuss."
The two departed with a case of coven scout uniforms to use in their plans. They also brought along Mattholomule to lug the case as a sort of payback for what happened on Boscha and Celine's night out. Once back they divided the uniforms between everyone and Skara explained the plan. "Alright, so Amelia, Cat, Boscha, Viney, Celine and I will head to the grounds to get as many people away as we can using our "authority". Meanwhile the rest of you will use your disguises to set up roadblocks to turn others away. Make up whatever excuse you have to but make sure they turn back."
"Alright everyone, let's get some sleep. We've got a long trip and a lot of work ahead of us." Boscha said as they all nodded in agreement. As everyone rested up for the next day, Boscha found herself tossing and turning, unable to sleep. She groaned and so headed outside with Maya awaking and following her out. Boscha sat down on the edge of the cliff that overlooked Bonesborough as the cool night air blew. "You think we can really do this girl?" Maya responded by snapping her claws. "Well I'd be lying if I said I didn't have my doubts but mom and all those people are counting on us."
Maya clicked several times as Boscha's brow furrowed. "The Owl Lady? They may have a plan but I can't risk it if it doesn't work." Maya responded with concerned chirps as she brushed up against her right arm causing Boscha to frown. "I know. I know. But I have to do this."
A loud roar disturbed their talk as the two turned to find Viney trying to calm Puddles down as she brushed her coat. Maya looked down before looking back to Boscha and clicking. "What?" Boscha asked as Maya continued. "She'd never go for that. Not after what I did." Maya snapped her claws and shuffled her feet as the three-eyed girl sighed in defeat. "Okay, you're right. You're always right." She rose up as Maya climbed up on her shoulder and the two walked over to the multi-track student who had gotten her griffon under control.
"How do you do that?" Boscha asked as Viney turned to see her before turning her attention back to her assistant.
"I just do." Viney responded. "Me and Puddles have been a team for a long time."
Boscha bit her lip as she was hesitant to continue but Maya gave her an encouraging nudge. "Beast-keeping sure is something." The three-eyed girl's attempt at what Viney assumed was a compliment annoyed the girl as she continued to brush Puddles. "Do you think...you could teach me some of that?"
"Why would you want to learn..." Viney snapped as she stopped, her brain putting two and two together. She turned and looked at the the other girl who was clutching her right wrist again. The multi-track student slowly approached the girl and took Boscha's hands in hers and smiled. "Sure. Of course I can."
Viney slowly guided the triclops girl over to the griffon who looked at Boscha hesitantly. "Easy girl." Viney said as she calmed Puddles down for her new student. "Now it's all about finding that spark between you and forming a connection." Boscha listened intently as the girl explained everything she knew about the track.