Chapter 43
Chapter Forty-Three
“Are you going to sneak up and take a cutting, or are you going to tell your aunt what you’re doing?” Yasmin asked as we pulled up in front of Aunt Vera’s home.
“I don’t see Bryce’s car, so it’s just my aunt here. I’ll tell her so she doesn’t think someone is trying to raid her flower beds.”
“Want us to come?” Callan asked.
When I nodded, we left the car and walked to the house. Callan and Yasmin waited by Rosie while I went in the house and found my aunt watching television.
“Hey, B. I didn’t know you were coming over tonight,” she said, pausing her show.
“Sorry, it wasn’t planned. I’m here for Evergreen Academy reasons. Can I take a cutting of Rosie?”
Aunt Vera stood up, looking intrigued. “Are you going to use your flower witch skills?”
I laughed. “Magical botanist skills, Aunt Vera. Want to help? We could test out what we’re trying to do here if you have any fertilizer.”
“I have a few bags in the garage. Take your cutting and come right in.” She glanced out the door and waved at Callan and Yasmin.
I took the cutting, and soon, we were all gathered around the dining room table. “We’re trying to activate some genes in Rosie,” I explained. “She’s been in our family a long time, and we think she might be an ingredient in some magic we’re trying to do.”
“Really?” Aunt Vera looked surprised. “I guess I always wondered what the history was behind her. The only thing we were told growing up was that we couldn’t let Rosie die, and we had to keep her in the family.”
Callan, Yasmin, and I exchanged meaningful glances. That boded well, based on what Eli had told us. I took some of the fertilizer and spread it onto the soil containing the cutting.
“Eli didn’t say if there would be any outward appearance of the genes activating,” Yasmin mused.
“True.” I took that as my cue to connect with the flower on the cellular level. After a minute of searching Rosie’s cells, I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.
“Maybe we need to play with the soil concentration. More nitrogen, less phosphorous, that sort of thing.” Callan reached into his backpack and pulled out a notebook then quickly drew a perfectly straight table with names of common soil nutrients in its columns.
“Is this what you do all day at Evergreen Academy? Take measurements and create graphs? I thought magical training would be more exciting,” Aunt Vera said, though she was eyeing Rosie with interest.
I laughed. “There is plenty of work involved in magical botanist training, but I can assure you there are exciting parts too.”
We got to work, with me manipulating the soil and checking the flower’s cells for any reaction while Callan recorded null result after null result. After fifteen minutes, my aunt brought us all glasses of spring cider, and we took a short break.
“You’re exceptionally good at working with soil, B,” Yasmin said.
I shrugged, surprised by her words. “Maybe it has something to do with having all the affinity powers.”
Yasmin bit her lower lip before saying, “Maybe.”
I stared at Rosie, searching through her cells.
The lack of any changes was strange because of the fertilizer.
“Maybe it’s not the quantities that need adjusting,” I said after thinking it through.
“Perhaps I need to work on her uptake mechanism. Maybe in her dormant state, Rosie doesn’t take up nutrients correctly. ”
“Good hypothesis,” Callan said.
I zeroed in on the plant’s roots and xylem, gently modifying them with a common Floracantus to increase nutrient uptake. Only a few seconds passed before Rosie’s bright-pink flowers emitted a soft glow.
Aunt Vera gasped, Yasmin clapped, and Callan gave me a high five.
“I take it back. That was exciting,” Aunt Vera said, running her hand along one of the glowing petals. “How did you do that?”
“I can teach you one day, if you’d like.”
“I’ll think about it. What happens now?”
“Now,” Callan said, grinning at me, “Briar is going to test out your family’s ancient powers.”