Page 39 of Class Studies
“He probably should have.” Abe chuckled.
I shifted uncomfortably. “I killed him. He’s alive, but not really.” I wrung my hands together. “And I don’t feel bad about it.”
A weight lifted off my chest, and I stared at the hot and cold alchemist, waiting for her judgment.
Abe grimaced. “I shouldn’t have hugged you.” She stabbed a finger at me. “I’m your blackmailer, not your friend. You should not be confiding in me.”
A smile pulled at my lips. “Ah, right.”
Abe let out an exasperated sigh louder than all the bubbling potions in her office. “We need to emulate something living to hold your crystals. You still need supplies for your experiments to identify your magic in people, correct?”
I looked at the pile of crystal dust covering her invention. “I thought your Deltalab test did that.”
Abe gave me a toothy smile. “It only works on potions, not people.”
I widened my eyes and leaned forward. “You were bluffing? It won’t work on you?”
Abe’s grin turned into a smirk. “I suggest you name it something clever as well and patent it. The new testing will change how the MA analyzes potion-related crimes.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why haven’t you patented it?”
Abe frowned at me. “Because, dear, why I invented it would invite a search into my life. As I’ve told you before, I’m quite happy making students miserable and working on the occasional side project.” She pursed her lips. “Not dying because they’ve found illegal potions from mysterious senders in my lab.”
I peered at her, unconvinced. Before I could press, her phone rang, and she answered it. “Florintines’ Pasta Extravaganza, may I take your order?”
I cocked my head to the side.
She listened before speaking again. “No vegan options here.” Another pause. “That would be one hundred and twenty-eight.” She listened again. “Too many watermelons for anyone to count. Yes, Alice, perfect, thank you.” She looked right at me as she answered Alice again. “No, hold on to it for a few days, just in case. Yes, it’s quite the cold, but hopefully, it doesn’t turn into conjure-itis. Yes, I’ll see Norah. If she deems me not contagious, we’re still on for tea. Bye for now.”
Abe hung up, and I narrowed my eyes. “How do you know Alice?”
Abe chuckled. “Feeling protective of the bleeding heart librarian, I see.” She stabbed the air with her pointer finger. “I’ve been teaching here for twice as long as you’ve been alive. I know everyone.”
We eyed each other. I suddenly realized I didn’t fear the cold woman in front of me anymore.
“If Damon was still alive right now,” Abe took another chocolate out of her pocket, “I would flay the skin off his dick and hang him from it for what he did to you.”
A tear slid down my cheek, and I bit my lower lip.
Abe once again gestured to the chocolate she left out for me, and this time I picked it up. We unwrapped the foil from the little morsels at the same time.
I looked at the brown lump between my fingers. “You’re still making me give you some of my magic?”
Abe shrugged. “Life’s complicated, as are the people in it.” She nudged her unwrapped chocolate toward me. “Yes, I am. Do you need me to threaten you with something?”
I shook my head, and we bumped our treats together. She popped hers into her mouth, and I followed suit. Rich cocoa and cream exploded on my taste buds. Chocolate couldn’t fix everything, but it certainly helped the present.
“Is there a way to simulate something living so we can set the crystals down?” I asked after I swallowed.
Abe grinned. “I’ve got something in my special pantry which might do the trick.”
* * *
Abe sat back in her chair with the biggest smile I ever saw on her face. Ten of my dark crystals, shining with rainbows, reflected out of a long box. The moist pink inside layer slightly glowed and pulsed with fake life.
I wrinkled my nose. “I didn’t know anything like this existed.”
Abe popped a chocolate in her mouth and sucked before answering. “Well, when you dabble in black potions, you have to have some way to keep organs fresh.”