Chapter Text
"Here is your lunch. Now, I put a snail in there so you can buy one of those Azura figurines from the vending machine." Manny said this to his excited daughter, Lucia. "You know, the one in the corner shop next to your school. "
Despite being 18 and in her eyes, "emotionally mature enough to take on the world," Lucia really did have the heart of a golden retriever. That, at least, was Vee's opinion of her sister.
"They have Azura here?!" Lucia exclaimed, both surprised and relieved at the same time. Perhaps the demon and human realms were not so different as she originally thought in the aspect of fandom. If she were lucky, no one would make fun of each other for being "fanfic" nerds as they did in the human realm. However, she didn't expect much acceptance from the witches here towards her human features.
"Yes, they do. Edalyn let me know." Camila smiled at Lucia, happy that maybe this new world would give her daughters the chance for a new start.
Lucia looked back at her, eyes lit up as if she were on the verge of squealing in bliss.
Camila chucked, shaking her head and took out a forest green beanie. On it was an Azura series logo and a bright blue evil eye. "Eda helped me make this for you, she said The evil eye is a good luck omen to ensure you don't get dragged into anything shady. I insisted on including the Azura emblem; it adds a touch of you, mija.
She made a wincing face. "Although I hope Edalyn is right about the evil eye, the types of situations the creatures and witches of this world could drag you into... mi luz. Cuida de ti y de tu hermana. ¿Vale?"
"Sí, Mamá. Lo sé." Lucia answered, rolling her eyes affectionately. As much as Lucia loved her mother, Camila could sometimes overdo it.
"Stay warm! Be careful!" Her mother insisted as she wrapped her daughter's scarf around her neck a little tighter than necessary. Lucia took Camila's hands in hers and squeezed them.
"Mama, I'll be fine. You worry too much. I'm 18 now! I know what I'm doing." Well, most of the time anyway. But Lucia kept that last thought to herself.
"Come on, querida. We need to let them discover the world on their own eventually." Manny told Camila.
"I know, I know. It's just hard to remember. It feels like only yesterday that you were still in your nappies and-"
"¡Mamá!" Lucia exclaimed, going red. "I get it! Just..para." She chuckled, embarrassed as she chose to change the subject. "Is Vee still getting ready? It's almost time to go."
"She's just finishing straightening her hair," Camila answered Lucia before calling to her second daughter. "¡Migita, no tenemos mucho tiempo!"
"¡Sí mamá! "¡Voy!" The exasperated voice of Vee Noceda sounded out to Manny, Camila and Lucia, who were all gathered still at the front door of Eda's home. Hooty was working with Lilith today, a relief to the Nocedas, who didn't particularly feel like dealing with his shenanigans that morning.
In that moment, a young girl with blonde wolf cut hair and blue highlights appeared at the door. Her leather jacket and nose ring were the signature signs that she was in fashion with the current teenage times. But the rough stereotype that she was given because of her appearance contrasted with her loving eyes. Vee was a shape-shifting basilisk whom Eda had found abandoned near the foot of the titan years ago. Vee was 9 at the time. Eda had taken her under her wing for a while, that was until Camila and Manny had spoken about wanting to try adoption. So, after complicated months of paperwork, Vee was officially taken into the Noceda family. She, of course, had to take on a human form 99% of the time so as not to raise suspicion of her actual origins. It ended up becoming her favourite look, and so she stuck to it as her preferred form even in Bonesborough.
Now, she ran down the stairs and bounded towards Lucia to wrap her arms around her waist and pull her in for a cute tug-of-war hug.
"¡Oyee Vee!!! Careful! You're going to strangle meee." Lucia laughed, and she shoved her. They both started trying to catch the other in a headlock until Manny intervened. He lectured them on looking smart instead of turning up to their first day with wrinkled clothes.
"Save it for home, I think!" He said to them, but winked at Vee, who flashed him a mischievous grin. "Now come on! It's Lucia and Vee's big day!" He took out his camera, and the girls stood in front of their mother. Lucia wasn't particularly photogenic as she stuck an awkward thumbs up at the lens, the only gesture she could think of in the moment. Vee did better, her bright smile adding a content touch to the family picture.
Lucia couldn't help but think in that moment that while it was perfectly normal for parents to overdo it on their children's first day of school, it would have made more sense if she and Vee were 5. Or perhaps being this fussed over would be expected if they had never been to public school at all. But that was far from the truth since they had attended high school in the human realm before moving there.
You'd probably think that humans were a bunch of weirdos with all the corruption and climate change they caused. To Lucia, though, this generalisation would be completely unfair. Her family were one of the few who were perfectly normal. Aside from the fact that Manny and Camila were research scientists looking into the genetic and evolutionary differences between humans and witches. Since Lucia had been born, her family had lived in the human realm, working with Edalyn Clawthorne to understand the differences between their species better. Vee and Lucia had an average teenage life until their parents got offered a job in the Boiling Isles to publish their findings, and just like that, it was goodbye home and hello high school in Witchlandia.
<3
Hexside was a tall building with white washed walls. It had turrets and circular domes with thin yellow and pink stripes along the white paint and green roofs to add some flair and personality to what would have been the otherwise dull infrastructure. The windows were arched too, and so all in all, it was rather fancy for a high school. What caught Lucia's eye first was the small red entrance door situated between two white pillars, each to its left and right. The beauty of the school was further reinforced by the flight of stairs you had to take to reach the entrance. It looked like something out of Ancient Greece. The front courtyard was packed with students, some gathered in their separate cliques and throngs. Others ran around the building. The girls had just entered it when several of the teenagers came racing forwards in their direction, colliding into the two newbies, making Lucia slip on the grass. Vee grabbed her arm to prevent her fall, helping her sister back onto her feet. The Latina thanked her, dusting herself off.
She turned her attention to the students who were now in the distance as she yelled at them, "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!" The human was just about to march towards them before Vee made a dive for her wrist and shook her head. Lucia sighed, reluctantly deciding to let the matter go as they made their way into school and towards their first classroom.
<3
G11 was rather homey with posters of Eda's bad girl coven promoted on the walls and some fliers talking about demonic and witch literature. Lucia and Vee didn't recognise any titles apart from the first book listed, called: The Inevitable Downfall of Emperor Belos. A history. By Darius Deamonne. Upon their arrival in BI, Eda had insisted that the girls learn about the history of the place since they were going to live there. That book was the first recommendation, and both of them had read it twice back to front. It had helped them, not only in knowing such vital information but also to gain the perspective of witches and allowed them to understand why humans were so widely hated by some.
The classroom had four tables in each row. Some students were already there, from one or multiple tracks, depending on how many they decided to study. Their uniform sleeve colour was a dead giveaway. Lucia and Vee didn't have their uniform yet, as the principal had thought it best they take all classes for the first few weeks until they discovered the subjects they preferred.
A girl was standing near the desk. She had purple hair and dark blue sleeves, showing she was part of the healing track at Hexside. Vee greeted her cheerfully. "Hi! I'm a new student here, I'm Vee Noceda, and this is my sister Lucia. I don't know if they told you about-"
Lucia cringed at the interaction, already anticipating where it was going.
Sure enough, the girl glared at Vee reproachfully as she snapped at her. "Talk to me again, and I'll kick your stupid human ass and that of your dumb accomplice." With that, she turned on her heel and stormed to her desk.
"Witches don't like humans...mostly...remember?" She put her hand on Vee's shoulder, who appeared to have hoped there could be a small chance for them. Though she found it funny that Vee was still taking her human form, probably to make Lucia feel less alone if she received some witch bullying, like she likely would be getting too.
"I know...I just hoped that it didn't apply to a majority. It just pisses me off, you're going to have to deal with this."
The Latina flashed her sibling a loving look and linked arms with her. "Don't worry about me sis."
It was in that moment that the sound of hysterical laughter filled Lucia's ears. She turned her head to see what that spectacle was about. She noted two witches sitting in the second row, one with black hair and blue sleeves. An Illusionist. But it was the girl who caught Lucia's attention.
She was quite petite and had long mint green hair. Half of it was thrown up in a high ponytail, the bottom section falling to her back in a way that made it look kind of classy despite its messy style. Her pointed ears had four piercings in each to add an edge to her look, and she wore a nose ring with a similar silver hue to Vee's. Each detail of this girl added to the previous, making her stand out like a beautiful green sparkler among grey fireworks. Lucia didn't know if it was the mischievous twinkle in the girl's golden eyes, making her toothy grin all the more antagonistic, that set her off or the previous details. Either way, something about this girl made her want to slap that smile off her face.
The human teenager growled. "What's your deal?" She asked, her voice icy, a sign she wasn't playing games.
The green-haired girl guffawed. "I can't enjoy watching two newbies fuck up and forget their social standing in BI? Lighten up, Human." She smirked, an infuriating patronising touch to her eyes, practically begging Lucia to throttle her.
The human crossed her arms. She didn't bother trying to correct her about Vee. "Yeah, well, it's not my sister's problem that we're used to kind and welcoming people, is it?"
Vee ignored the duo getting on Lucia's nerves, deciding to try and find an empty seat as the girl opened her mouth to talk again.
"Can humans not take a joke?" The green-haired girl asked Lucia, exchanging a look with the illusionist boy who smirked as they both glared at her pointedly, still enjoying every second of this. The female sat up a little straighter so that the sleeves of her uniform were displayed, a bright purple. She was wearing a white and pink Hexside t-shirt over it. Lucia snack a look at her diary on her desk seeing the name Amelia Blight on it.
So, Amelia, she guessed was her name, was in the abominations track? Lucia thought to herself. She remembered Eda telling her it was one of the hardest ones because of all the complex mathematical formulas.
Before the human could answer the abominations student, the teenage boy snuck a look in Vee's direction, who was about to take a seat. "I wouldn't sit there if I were you. The girl you were talking to earlier, her name is Bria, and her weird boyfriend is going to sit there." Vee shot a look at him as if assuming he was messing with her, but he flashed a taunting smile. "Believe me or not, your choice."
A purple-haired guy came in and, sure enough, took a seat exactly where the boy had said, as Bria smiled. "Hey, baby!" She shot him a lustful gaze as they began to make out slobbery in front of Vee, who made a disgusted face. The illusionist howled with laughter as his female friend joined in.
Lucia rolled her eyes as she and Vee tried to find another place to sit. This time, in the seat across from the teacher's desk, the abominations girl looked up at them again and shook her head. "Nu uh, Jericho farts a lot."
The boy, whom Lucia could only assume was Jericho, looked upset by this remark.
Vee snapped. "Are you trying to take the mick or something?" She was acting more out of defence of Lucia than herself.
The illusionist raised his arms again. "We're just trying to be a helping hand."
The duo smirked, baring their fangs. Lucia's fists clenched by her sides as she gave the two a middle finger and walked backwards, colliding into Eda, who had just entered the classroom, spilling the apple blood the teacher was carrying all over her clothes.
Lucia cursed out loud, blushing a bright red, as the duo doubled over in giggles again. Vee ran her hand down her face, groaning at her sister's clumsy antics as she helped Eda pick up the books she'd dropped. "Sorry, Eda. You should probably start getting used to Lucia being a clutz."
Eda couldn't help but hide the urge to laugh. "No worries, kid. Accidents happen." She then turned her gaze onto the black haired boy and the snarky girl. "Amelia Blight and Gus Porter? Please take your poor attempts at poking fun outside this classroom. If you're going to make fun of someone, do it better."
Amelia and Gus both tried to calm down. "Sorry, Miss Clawthorne." They said in unison with sarcastic grins.
Eda ignored them as she smiled at Lucia, winking at her, who was still standing in front of the teacher, babbling awkwardly. "You owe me apple blood later."
Lucia nodded while the members of the class talked amongst themselves, muttering about chaotic humans.
A few minutes later, a tall individual with blue hair entered the room wearing glasses. Lucia observed how this teacher carried themselves. They appeared to have an authoritative air that made you think twice before crossing them, while simultaneously giving the impression of someone who meditated as a full-time job. "Is everything alright in here?" They said.
Eda nodded. "Yes, it is, Principal Whispers. Don't worry." Vee passed her a tissue so she could dab down her front red dress that had some of the spillage stains on it. It occurred to Lucia that this was the infamous Raine Whispers that Eda spoke about a lot! The adventures they and Eda were rumoured to have had in their youth were famous bedtime tales for the girls since they were very small. Vee seemed to share Lucia's train of thought as they both gaped at this great hero in awe.
The principal appeared to be more interested in talking to Eda, with a soft smile on their face. "How was your summer?"
Eda looked up, stressed. "I almost got caught by human police several times for stealing random items...so I'd say...not great." She whispered to them, causing them to chuckle.
"Very in your style, I see." They said before turning to address the entire class. "Well, everyone. I'm here to introduce you to our two new students: Vee and Lucia Noceda. They're transfers from the human realm and will be joining us. So I hope some of you can put your prejudices aside and give them a warm welcome." They left it up to Vee to decide whether to inform people of her actual basilisk nature. Raine gave Bria a pointed look when they spoke of prejudices, who flushed red from embarrassment. It seemed Principal Whispers could already read the energy of the room and deduce what had happened earlier, like some master psychic.
Lucia's jaw was still hanging open until Vee had to shut it for her, snapping the Latina back into focus. Raine's bright eyes twinkled as they smiled at the two Nocedas, perhaps knowing the enigmatic air attached to their name thanks to Eda's descriptions.
"Welcome, girls. I hope you're ready to deal with the wild ride that is Hexside since lots of pupils here are a handful...still.." Eda added as she got ready to sit at her desk.
"That shouldn't be an issue for Lucia since she's also a walking, talking handful." Vee snarked, earning an elbow in the side from Lucia. "Owww."
"It seems so. Go on now, kids, go sit down."
Lucia and Vee obeyed, finding the final two empty seats in the classroom.
"And Lucia?" Eda called.
Lucia turned towards her family friend curiously.
"Don't trip as you walk." Eda and Vee burst into laughter as Lucia groaned at the comments, sitting down. Raine offered a knowing smile to Eda, who returned it.
"You know if you ever need to talk to anyone about your prison mishap-" The bard began reflecting on it cheekily with a smirk before Eda cut them off.
"It's alright, Raine, you can go." Miss Clawthorne snorted as Raine hid their laugh and left the classroom.
You know that feeling you have when someone is staring at you? Like, eyes are boring into the back of your head? If you've ever experienced it, you would know how sharply it hits you all at once. Your gut clenches as if it warns you against whoever it is. Well, Lucia had that right about now. She turned around, raising an eyebrow and found the girl she'd interacted with, Amelia Blight, was eyeing her intensely. It was a strange tension that entered the room, but it was hard to exactly deduce what was inside that look. Curiosity? Aggravation? Uh, how much Lucia Noceda wished she could read people better in that moment. If she had known better, perhaps she could have avoided trouble for many months to come.
<3
It was at lunch that day that Lucia realised how truly cruel witches were to her kind. She had tried to sit down countless times, but people mostly glared at her reproachfully or placed a bag in an empty seat. The human decided to try to spot Vee out, but when she finally found her, it appeared she was already sitting down in the far distance, shape-shifting. It earned laughs from a bunch of girls whom Lucia could only assume were her new friends. It appeared her sister had to reveal her actual form to make life easier. Eventually, the tall teen gave up and settled for eating lunch in an empty cubicle.
When arriving home, Manny and Camila asked her how her first day was, but she only tutted out a "fine" before running to her room and slamming the door shut. Lucia lay on her bed facing the ceiling as she sighed. She arranged herself in a foetal position to her left so that her Azura plushie was in sight. She picked it up and placed it under her chin, cuddling it.
"I wish I could be as great and as powerful as you here, Azura. No one likes me because I'm a useless human girl. It's not my fault I was born a human, and not all of us are like Emperor Belos! I don't get why these stubborn witches can't get that through their knuckleheads! I'm just left to my own devices, and here I thought school couldn't possibly get worse than the judgmental arseholes of the human realm!" She groaned, placing Azura to her side and burying her face in her pillow. "Bunch of asshole witches!"
Her room looked exactly as you might expect. The wallpaper was a forest green. To the left of her front door was a wardrobe painted with black outlines of Boiling Isles trees. The inside displayed stripy shirts, flared jeans, flannels, jackets and leggings. Inside the wooden drawers were folded colourful socks and beanies in almost every colour of the rainbow. To the right of the door was an oak bookshelf crammed with all kinds of books, ranging from mainly fiction to non-fiction, the history of the demon realm that Eda had bought her, and she had yet to read. Lucia's desk was situated opposite her wardrobe, on it was a simple cupholder with tons of colourful markers and pencils with different gradients and sharpness for sketching. Her portfolio from the human realm was in a massive folder tucked underneath the desk. She had lots of sketch books arranged in a row next to her cupholder, empty and some full. Inside her desk drawers were figurines of the good witch Azura series that Lucia had collected over the years of being a massive fan. On the wall above her desk were posters of the good witch Azura and polaroid photos of her and Vee from the human realm, as well as some holiday photos of the Nocedas with Eda and King. Finally, her bed stood next to her bookshelf. The quilt on top of it had skulls and bones resembling the fallen titan of the Boiling Isles that Eda had made for her.
Lucia heard a knock on the door. "Go away!"
"It's your sister, squirt!"
She sat up. "Vee? I thought you were off with your new friends?"
The blonde-haired girl opened the door and entered, sitting down next to her. "No. I don't know them that well yet, and it's a school day. There isn't exactly a lot I can do."
Lucia whined. "You're lucky! You can basically fit in anywhere...and I'm...the school human numpty." Her eyes looked downcast as she placed her boots onto the end of her bed, where her white sheet covers could be exposed from underneath the quilt.
"Lucy. You're making the sheets dirty with your shoes."
"Oh fuck! See sis! I'm just a total fucking human clutz." She removed them straight away as Vee tried to give her a reassuring smile.
"You're still my sister even if you're a clutz or a school human numpty. Plus...you could have just sat with me instead of hiding away in the girls' bathroom like a loner."
Lucia turned towards her suddenly. "How do you know that??!" Her face flushed scarlet red.
Vee chuckles. "Do you remember Miss Green-haired snarky girl? Amelia..I think her name is...She told me."
"Golden-eyed piercings girl, snitched?"
That earned a teasing smirk from Vee. "You noticed she had golden eyes?"
Lucia shrugged. "They're kinda hard to miss." She lay back down on her bed, shutting her eyes.
"Rightttt."
Lucia batted her with a pillow. "How did she even know I was in the bathroom anyway? Is she a stalker or something?"
Vee shrugged. "Maybe she was going in there and saw you duck into the stall. I don't know."
"So the one time I try not to be noticed. It fails. Huh?"
"It may not always be a bad thing. You know? Maybe...it'll get better, and if it doesn't, you'll always have me." The shorter sibling hugged her.
Lucia returned it. "Yeah. That is true."
Vee stood up and wandered toward the door. "Now come on. Let's go to dinner, or dad and mum will think you've turned five again with all the sulking you get up to in here."
They both laughed and headed downstairs.