“Never mind.” He pulled away, rolling his eyes.
It looked like I had hit a raw spot.
I pulled away quickly to gather my things. My hand struggled to pick up my notebook due to the numbness in my arm, though I could scoop up most of the things to bring them to the far corner desk.
I was not looking, but I knew he paused. His stare bored into the back of my neck. I wondered if he would say something, but when I turned around, he was gone.
“You’re welcome, you plague,” I grumbled.
The blood in the glass was like a thick ink in the dim light. It moved slowly around the bottle as I tilted it. I was becoming feverish thinking of all the tests I could run. Which one did I run first? What would I make of it? What other properties did the blood hold? Why was itblack? The excitement was barely containable.
My thoughts could not be translated into writing fast enough. I made sure to write down the date and approximate time of the draw. I spent hours designing and daydreaming, and my eyes did not seek rest until dawn broke through the fog of night, working until the morning light crept through the windows of my shop.
25
THE POISONER
The college lab was everything I dreamed it would be. It buzzed with an enchanting chaos, featuring a delightful blend of dark wood cabinetry and brass instruments—some of which I had never seen before. There were about a dozen dark wood desks with shelving separating them into halves lengthwise, holding many jars and tools. Everything was organized into drawers or on the tops of the tables—pipettes, syringes, glassware, probes, and cotton pads. Larger instruments were littered throughout the desks, some in their places on the wall and some out in the open from prior students’ use. It was like peeping through someone’s window, looking at unfinished experiments or those about to start. The entire scene appeared frozen in time, capturing the moment when the students had last left off.
Today the lab was deserted, entirely mine to occupy.
“This brings me back to when Jacek and I snuck into this lab as students.” Dr. Hayes chuckled. “Though we had less amicable goals, such as lighting things on fire for a good jest.”
“It’s odd hearing stories about him being fun.” I smiled. “Though I will never understand a man’s natural desire to make things combust.”
“An enigma.” He shrugged, leaning against one of the desks and putting his hands in his pockets. “You will have to collect your things and bring them back each time. You aren’t technically supposed to be here, so you can’t store anything.”
“That’s all fine with me. What time did you say?”
“Three on Mondays and Fridays, five on Wednesdays.”
“I can make that work,” I mumbled, distracting myself with the far wall lined with glass and wood cabinets. The array of items within this enchanting wonderland surpassed my comprehension, leaving me both intrigued and overwhelmed.
Through a door at the top of a half flight of stairs there was a nice viewing area to observe the entire lab. Underneath it was the professor’s desk, where Dr. Hayes had student-authored papers scattered about. He’d taken a break from handing out marks to give me a tour.
“Everything you need should be in here. Standard tools will be on the workbench. You can work at any vacant spot as long as you sterilize it afterward,” he instructed.
I nodded as I peered through the glass of the cabinet. Every chemical I could think of could be found labeled in alphabetical order, lining the cabinet from top to bottom. Much like the gardens, I could spend hours only looking.
The door to the viewing area snapped open, and a familiar dark-haired puppy appeared.
“Alina! How did the apparatus work out?” Viktor grinned, rushing down the stairs to come face-to-face with Dr. Hayes.
“L—ook who it is.” Dr. Hayes drew out theLa bit too long.
“Did you forget my name?” Viktor’s eyes narrowed at him. “I know I am a bit quiet in your class,which I attend, but surely you haven’t forgotten?”
“Of course I haven’t forgotten.” Dr. Hayes squinted at him. There was silence for a minute between the two.
“Viktor.” He raised his brow. “It’s Viktor.”
“Right, Viktor,” Dr. Hayes said slowly, going to sit at the desk at the front of the room. “How could I forget?”
“Easily, clearly.” Viktor returned his attention to me. “So? How did it go?”
“It worked exactly as intended. Thank you.” I smiled sheepishly, nervously rubbing my bandaged wrist.
“What happened?” His eyes filled with concern as he snatched my arm and held it up.
