Greenhouse || Xavier Thorpe x Male Reader

white-tipped pitcher plant || chapter 6

 "Welcome, students, to our journey down into the dark side of botany. We will be spending the next few months discussing and propagating poisonous and carnivorous plants," our botany teacher, Miss Featherfell, the only other plant psychic at Nevermore, tells the class in excitement. Wednesday snaps her head over to look at where I'm sitting, and I shake my head. She's been here almost as long as I have, she should know Miss Featherfell doesn't enjoy dangerous plants. She just enjoys teaching them.

"What kind of silent communication am I missing here?" Xavier whispers from his seat next to me.

"Wednesday thinks Miss Featherfell has been growing oleander in the woods for some reason. I think it's BS," I respond quietly. He nods, raising his eyebrows.

"That's... extremely correct. But I'm not surprised Wednesday thinks it's her. She's so suspicious of everyone."

Miss Featherfell begins to pull out various plants for the class to identify. Bianca Barclay, a student that's always been at odds with Wednesday, leans forward to get a better look at the plants. Wednesday does the same.

"Now, who can identify this plant?" Miss Featherfell asks, pointing to a flower. Bianca raises her hand in a regal fashion. "Yes, Miss Barclay?"

"Sarracenia leucophylla," Wednesday answers before Bianca can speak.

"ALSO known as the White-Tipped Pitcher Plant," Bianca adds, not to be outdone.

"The genus name Sarracenia honors Dr. Micael Sarrazan of Quebec because he sent the first pitcher plants to Europe in the 1700s," Wednesday tells Bianca as if invoking a challenge.

"Wednesday," Miss Featherfell begins, "Maybe you can tell us what makes the plant so special."

"Because of its unique shape and the fact that it often hangs from trees, pitcher plants can live in places with nutrient-deficient soils," she states. Miss Featherfell looks impressed ad is about to speak again when Bianca cuts her off.

"How do you know the pitcher plant isn't sucking the nutrients out of the soil? Have people tested that?"

"How do YOU know the plants surrounding the pitcher plant aren't sucking it out themselves? Sometimes, you just need to pull the plants out to create a healthier ecosystem, especially if they dominate a fragile one," Wednesday replies coolly.

"Hey, are we still talking about plants?" Xavier asks. The class snickers and Miss Featherfell puts the plant away.

"Looks like our plants aren't the only deadly ones in class today," she remarks. When everyone quiets down again, she moves on to a new plant.

~=~

"It was suspicious that after I see oleander in my vision, we begin a deadly plants unit," Wednesday says to me as we leave class.

"I don't know, Miss Featherfell isn't the type of person to grow oleander in the woods," I respond. She shakes her head, disappointed in me for not suspecting my botany teacher of kidnapping someone, and walks faster.

"What was that about?" Xavier asks from behind me.

"Wednesday's mad that I don't agree with her about the oleander," I explain.

"She'll come around. I mean, Miss Featherfell didn't even have oleander on her desk today when we were talking about plants. At least it's a better suspicion than goddamn Rowan," he points out. I shrug.

"Yeah. How long ago was it that he disappeared?"

"Couple years, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's dead. Telekinesis can seriously mess with your mind, you know."