19. Chapter 18
“As my lab assistant, I’ll need you to count and stock inventory and clean any dirty equipment,” Abbott said, walking her around the lab on Sunday.
Her heels clicked quietly on the dark tiled floor as she showed Ivy the room.
Of course she was familiar with it from the two labs she’d had so far this semester, but she hadn’t gotten a chance to look at everything kept inside.
Two rows of four large black tables were in the center, each with six metal stools, and the walls were lined with simple oak cabinets of equipment and ingredients, with the occasional washing station in between.
Through the glass panels of the cabinets were assorted jars, bottles, and boxes at varied levels of stock, with accompanying labels written in delicate cursive.
“You’ll use this clipboard and write what our inventory is for everything in the cabinets and in the back stockroom.
” Abbott handed her the clipboard and pencil.
“Once you’ve counted everything, you’ll stock the lab with whatever we have in the back.
After that, you can give me the clipboard and move on to cleaning the equipment.
Students often use the open lab hours I host on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings, but they’re terrible at cleanup. Any questions?”
“Not right now,” Ivy said confidently. “I’ll get started right away.
” She moved to the opposite side of the room to start with the cabinets farthest from the stockroom the professor had pointed out earlier.
As she opened the doors, heavy footsteps entered the lab.
She glanced over to see the same man she had sat next to before her assessment.
“Oh, I… didn’t realize I was late,” he said, nodding his chin at Ivy.
“I was just early.” Ivy laughed awkwardly.
“Liam, this is Ivy Heartwell, my lab assistant,” Abbott introduced. “And Ivy, this is Liam Price, my new TA. He’ll also be in your class for the rest of the semester.”
“We’re on the same team for exams this year, too,” Liam said with a gentle smile. “Thanks for wishing me luck on assessment day.”
“Did you get spiders again?” Ivy mused.
Liam grimaced before placing his bag on a stool. “No, I would’ve been scared stiff if that had happened two years in a row.” He unzipped it and pulled out a notebook and several pens and pencils. “How’d you get on?”
“Passed with barely a minute to spare,” she said. She didn’t want to go into details about the morgue that the exam room had transformed into. Or the letter left behind.
“They can be quite intense,” he said as he headed over toward Abbott’s desk. “Want to get a meal after we’re finished here?”
“Sure.” It wouldn’t hurt to get to know her last teammate better.
Maybe she could at least have two out of the three people on her team be her friends.
Hopefully, that would be enough to get through the exam without biting Ezra’s head off.
Thankfully, he’d avoided her since the library, but she knew it wouldn’t last long considering their magic was hellbent on finding each other.
She also hasn’t seen or heard anything more about the investigation into Callum’s disappearance.
If Wren didn’t do something by the end of Monday, she’d go to the local police herself.
After Briar disappeared, she learned that the first seventy-two hours were critical for finding her.
They already lost that with Callum. What if there was a trail he left behind being covered by the falling leaves or muddied by animal tracks?
Ivy squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force the thought to the back of her brain. She had to focus and get back to the task at hand if she wanted to impress Abbott.
She breezed through the rest of her time in the lab.
After having a couple of classes with the professor, Abbott ran a tight ship and left little room for simple mistakes.
But if the small smile on Abbott’s face was any indicator, she’d say she crushed it.
Afterward, she and Liam grabbed dinner and talked about their classes and some of the things they liked to do for fun.
He went on a tirade about his favorite team and their rivals when they got to the topic of rugby.
After that, the rest of her Sunday was simple with finishing some of her assignments due this week and tending to Lou.
But when Monday rolled around, her stomach twisted in knots as soon as she woke up.
She got ready for class early, dressing in her typical skirt and sweater combo, unable to shake the nausea that plagued her.
Maybe some breakfast from the café would help.
As soon as Maeve came out of her bedroom ready for class, they grabbed their bags and left the apartment.
When they opened the door, though, there was a flurry of voices and heavy footsteps in the hall.
Beneath it all was the growing familiarity of silk strands tugging at her magic.
Ivy stepped out, and at the end of the hall were Ezra, the dean, and a few others standing outside his apartment door.
Upon closer inspection, the campus security emblem stood out on one man’s shoulder, and the other two—an older woman and a younger man—had police badges on their chests.
A few boxes were stacked next to the door, and a couple more officers walked out of the apartment before closing it behind them.
“Looks like they’re finally doing something about Callum,” Maeve said as she joined Ivy in the hall. A few other students had come out of their places and stared at the officers as they finished.
“I guess so.” The pain in her stomach eased as she watched the officers seal the apartment door shut with magic and yellow crime scene tape.
Wren shook their hands before they picked up the boxes and moved toward the stairs.
The dean turned to Ezra, saying something Ivy couldn’t make out before turning to leave as well.
Ezra grabbed his duffel bag and slung his schoolbag over his shoulder. But before he could leave, Maeve left her side.
“Hey, Ezra, wait up!” she called out.
“Maeve, what are you doing?” Ivy hissed, waiting by the door to see if Maeve would stop. She didn’t. Ivy rolled her eyes and jogged to catch up with her.
When Ezra turned around, his tired stare immediately fell on Ivy, and she paused at the miserable look on his face.
She wasn’t sure if he was upset about Callum, or being kicked out of his apartment, or about something else.
His curls were a tangled mess, even more than usual, and his black sweater was inside out.
He glanced over at Maeve and sighed. “You’re her roommate? ”
“And your teammate. I’m Maeve,” she said, holding her hand out.
He cast a curious gaze at her hand, then at Ivy, then back at Maeve. “Do you hate me as well? Or…?”
“Hate is a strong word,” she said. “You haven’t done anything to me. Yet.”
“Sensible,” he said pointedly, shaking Maeve’s hand quickly. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have to find a place to stash my bag in the lounge where someone won’t rummage through it.”
“Why there?” Ivy asked. Doesn’t he have a friend he could stay with until the police cleared his apartment?
“If you haven’t noticed, my room is, until further notice, a crime scene. I have nowhere else to stay unless I want to get a hotel in town.”
“You could crash on our couch,” Maeve chimed in.
“What?” both of them asked at the same time, gaping at her.
Maeve rolled her eyes. “Look, there’s clearly bad blood between the two of you. Maybe this can help you bury the hatchet?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Ivy grumbled.
“Pretty sure she’d rather bury the hatchet in my back than anywhere else,” Ezra’s lips curled into a small smirk before he huffed and crossed his arms. “I don’t want to impose.”
“And I don’t want to fail our first exam because you two can’t work together. Or if you’re sleep-deprived from the old couch downstairs,” Maeve said. “I insist.”
“Fine,” he said.
Ivy crossed her arms, cocking her hips to the side. “Fine.”