Page 22 of A Drop of Anguish
I grin. “I would if I could. But the timing would be impossible for just me, while also taking classes. Plus, some potions have different temperature requirements. I can’t make the cold potions and hot potions at the same time.”
“You’re saying that evenyouhave a limit? Shocking.”
I shrug again.
“So, what are you working on?” He leans over a copper cauldron that’s not steaming as much as it should be.
I point to one after the other. “Stunning, confusion, poison—don’t tell anyone about that one.” I leave out the fact that it’s a lot more than just poison and is very, very illegal. I continue pointing. “Truth-telling, sleeping draft, and another nullifier.”
“Anothernullifier?” he asks.
“Yep. The nullifier is what saved my life when—well, you know.”
“So, that stuff is true?” For the first time, Thompson seems out of his element, an innocent sense of wonder enters his eyes.
My chest tightens, but I decide it’s worth it to give him the cliff notes version. I speak casually as I stir the neglected potion, trying to figure out what small element is off. “My sister died in the Akrasia Games this past summer. When I had the chance to enter, I took it to learn what really happened to her. I refused to sign the contract, though.”
“And you used the nullifier on—”
“Well, Jarron first. He wasn’t going to let me enter Minor Hall, where the contestants were supposed to start so I used it on him, to stop him from stopping me. He followed me anyway—long story. I then used the same potion on Mr. Vandozer after he injured Jarron. It was really just to stall until help came. It didn’t actually do much. But it still pisses me off that people think so little of me.”
“Thanks for telling me,” he says. “Do you really think Jarron won’t be coming back?”
My brows pinch together. “I don’t know. To be honest, I was surprised he didn’t come back to start with. He could show up anytime. Or never, for all I know.”
“Why do you think he’s stayed away?”
“What’s with the Jarron inquisition?”
Thompson grins, leaning onto his forearms on the concrete table. “My toxic trait is that I’m fatally curious.”
“Mhmm.” I cross my arms. “Show me this potion of yours.”
“Right!” Thompson grabs a book from his bag and flips to a page about midway through. “This one. I’ve got to complete it for midterms, and considering I missed most of the semester—well technically all of it, but the break was extra-long for, ya know, reasons, and they’re making everyone, including me, finish the final projects that were due in the fall, now to make up for it. Anyway, I lost out on all the teaching and practice time.”
I look over the instructions a little more closely than during lunch. I try to play the steps out in my head and figure out what could be tripping him up, but it’s hard without going through the motions myself.
“Right. Get to work,” I say, holding the book out to him.
“What?” He takes the book from my hand, but his expression is humorously panicked.
“It only takes a half hour to complete,” I say while I grab an extra cauldron and place it on one of the few extra burners. “Do it here and I’ll watch, see if I can figure out what your problem is. I can’t tell just by looking at the instructions.”
He frowns then after a beat sighs. “Fine.”
He stands and wipes off his pants and heads to the ingredients. I help him gather the right ones because there’s a ton in here and that could add a half hour on its own. Once he has all of his ingredients in order, he rubs his hands together and sets to work.
While he’s prepping and getting started, I work on my own. I add a dash of hemp to my truth potion, which is now billowing nicely.
Then, I hop around to each of the others, giving them a stir and checking the consistency. The stunning spell is a bit thin for where I think it should be, so I add a dash of rock salt and pixie dust. The death potion is hard to read, but I think it’s all right.
“You’re not even watching,” Thompson complains.
“You’re doing good so far,” I say.
“How can you even tell?”
“Just can. Keep going.”
