Chapter 87: A Dangerous Idea
Andria’s POV
"Let’s talk about this later," Liara whispered into my ear.
Miss Linda walked into the room with the same calm energy she always carried. She didn’t carry any authoritative energy around, just a steady energy. But unlike many other teachers, she was careful enough to pay attention to all her students.
It was as if she knew all our strengths and weaknesses when it came to the course she teaches.
Her heels clicked against the tiled floor as she made her way to the front desk, placing a tray of labelled bottles on the counter.
The chatter in the lab dimmed, but not completely. No one was terrified of her enough to fall into silence.
Yet no one dared to disrespect her outright either. That was the typical Miss Linda, a nerdy teacher who always kept to herself.
I wondered, given how things have been in the academy recently, if she had also caught the spell flu.
"Good morning, class," she said in an even tone that relayed no emotion.
"Today’s experiment will test your ability to combine observation with precision. Each table will receive the same compound.
I expect you to follow instructions carefully, though I won’t be telling you every step of the practical every step of the way, as I have always taught this in our previous classes.
If you’re careless, the results will tell you beforehand.
Some students chuckled. Tristan leaned back in his seat, smirk already fixed on his face. Damon drummed his fingers against the desk like he was waiting for the perfect time to get under my skin.
They looked at me in unison, as if they knew something hideous I had done. I felt Aven’s heat as he was close to me, and everything they were doing was all too distracting to me.
I didn’t like them much, but I can’t deny that my core gets drenched anytime I see them, and now I’m even closer to them.
I’ve been avoiding them since I left their houses, but having to be in the same class as them wouldn’t let me avoid them in peace.
Miss Linda continued, holding up a clear bottle filled with a pale-blue liquid. "This is a controlled solution, designed to release fumes when heated.
The fumes are not harmful in the quantities you’ll be handling. Still, I recommend you wear your protective gear. I hope you all are with your safety googles?, As I can see, most of you aren’t putting them on."
Her words settled neatly into the room, and for a second, I let myself listen fully, without paying attention to the Alpha successors.
Every student who wasn’t wearing their safety face shield or goggles, including me, went to our bags to retrieve our protective goggles.
Then my eyes drifted to the cleansing potion bottle I had left in my backpack.
I had been reading the inscriptions on the potion bottle, but I hadn’t paid attention to them; there was a subtle clue in them.
And then it hit me. The inscriptions weren’t just about cleansing my blood; they hinted at another property.
The potion wasn’t only a purifier; it was a medium. If mixed right, my blood could be carried into the air, making it easier for us to spread the cure to the spell.
A clever idea popped into my mind. Although it was clever, it was also a very dangerous Idea.
And now, sitting here in this lab with a tray of chemicals in sight, I knew this was the perfect place to test it.
I walked back to my seat with the syringe of my blood that Liara had earlier distributed.
Miss Linda began distributing the bottles, placing one carefully on each table. When she reached ours, she gave me a look, as if she recognises me from every one of her practicals.
Of course, I enjoyed chemistry, and I always made sure to make a good impression in every one of her classes. Although she didn’t make an impressed face, she nodded and moved on.
She divided us into groups of four, as usual, after distributing the bottles of compound. I was unlucky today to have the three Alpha successors in my group.
Tristan leaned forward, elbows on the desk, his grin infuriatingly wide. "Well, well. Suppose it isn’t our elusive groupmate. You’ve been dodging me all week, Aria."
Damon tilted his head, eyes gleaming with mischief. "Us, actually. Don’t flatter yourself into thinking she only avoided you," Damon said with a hint of jealousy, directing his gaze at Tristan. "You have been avoiding the three of us. You thought we wouldn’t notice?.... I’d say that stings, but maybe we were too much for you to handle."
Damon flatters himself a lot, but I couldn’t help but admit he was right. Even now, I didn’t want to face them because the pheromone bitch hadn’t subsided yet.
But I forced myself to remain calm. I raised an eyebrow, lips curving into a dry smile. "Avoiding you? No. I’ve just been busy doing things that matter. You know, unlike sitting around waiting to irritate people," I replied sarcastically, and I could see Damon’s smirk and Tristan’s wide grin falter a little.
Becca stifled a laugh beside me. Liara’s lips twitched, though she kept her eyes on the table. Tristan’s grin sharpened. Damon gave a mock gasp.
"Ouch," he drawled. "She’s got claws today."
"Claws she can’t hide," Tristan added, his gaze lingering on me a second too long, like he was trying to peel back every layer of me.
I turned my gaze to the direction of Becca and Liara, "You guys should already head to your groups."
"So quick to chase us away today, what a friend, she abandons us because she is with her mate," Becca grumbles teasingly.
Oh, how I despise these two; they wouldn’t spare any chance to tease me openly.
Then I leaned forward towards Tristan and Damon, my voice low but steady. "If fate really wants me stuck with the two of you, then so be it."
Their smirks widened, and I felt like slapping it off their faces.
I looked towards Aven; he had been calm all the while, just observing the banter. Aven wasn’t one to talk a lot, and he always carries around a cold, ruthless and closed-off aura.
Then Miss Linda’s voice cut clean through. "Group arrangements for practicals will remain the same until further notice. You’ll learn more from consistent teamwork than from shuffling seats each week. Consider this a chance to develop patience, if nothing else."
My stomach dropped. Permanent? With Tristan, Damon and Aven? Moon goddess had to be laughing at me right now, how do I survive the rest of this session if this group isn’t changed?, What a feromonal torture.
Tristan leaned back again, smirk reborn. "Guess you’re stuck with us, sweetheart."
I shot him a glare sharp enough to slice steel. "I’d rather wrestle with acid than endure your company. Lucky for me, this lab has both."
Becca outright snorted.
"Miss, you can concentrate on your group now," I said, turning to Becca.
Damon chuckled, shaking his head. Miss Linda, unfazed, continued with her instructions, sketching chemical formulas on the board. Everyone’s attention shifted to her steady explanations.
That was my opening to bring my clever idea to life.