The bell rang overhead as Sky and I made our way through the maze of hallways, the crowd around us a blur of chattering students and clattering lockers.We finally stopped outside a door labeled "Chemistry Lab 3B."
Sky grinned, rubbing his hands together. "Ready to blow something up?"
"Let's not make that today's goal," I muttered, pulling the door open.
The lab was... different.
Instead of the sterile, white-washed labs I was used to, this room was all muted colors and polished dark wood. The tables gleamed under the low-hanging lights, and glass cabinets lined the walls, filled with strange, glowing liquids and unfamiliar instruments.It looked more like an alchemist's den than a science class.
Sky let out a low whistle. "Fancy."
At the front of the room, a man in a deep navy coat leaned casually against the desk, arms crossed. His hair was salt-and-pepper, but he had the sharp, alert energy of someone you wouldn't want to underestimate.
"Welcome, everyone," he said, his voice carrying easily across the room. "I'm Professor Alden. I don't believe in boring labs or boring students. So we're going to skip the syllabus and get straight to it."
A few students exchanged excited looks.
"You'll work in groups today," Alden continued. "Pick your partners. Three to a group, maximum. And remember—chemistry is about more than just reactions between elements."
His gaze flicked meaningfully across the class before he turned to start prepping the front bench.
Sky elbowed me. "You hear that? More than just reactions. Maybe he means human ones, too."He wiggled his eyebrows dramatically.
I rolled my eyes and scanned the room. Students were already moving into little clusters, chairs scraping against the floor.And then—
"Hey, Marx."
I turned.Standing beside our table was Camilla Devereux, looking calm and composed in a soft gray sweater and black jeans. Her dark hair fell over one shoulder, and those steady gray eyes met mine with a faint, knowing smile.
"Mind if I join you two?" she asked, voice smooth as velvet.
Sky recovered faster than I did. "Please. Save us from ourselves."
Camilla slid into the seat beside me, setting her bag down neatly, her movements graceful in a way that made it seem effortless.
For a few heartbeats, I forgot how to sit properly.
Sky smirked out of the corner of his mouth but said nothing, bless him.
Professor Alden clapped once. "Today's experiment: Controlled Reactions. I want you to pick three substances and combine them carefully. Observe what happens—and be ready to explain your results."
Three substances. Three people. Easy enough.
Camilla leaned toward the center of the table, resting her elbows lightly on the surface. "Ideas?"Her voice was low enough that it felt like a secret.
Sky immediately grabbed a vial filled with shimmering blue liquid. "This one looks awesome. I vote we start with this."
Camilla smiled slightly. "Impulsive. I like it."
She turned to me, one eyebrow raised. "And you?"
I cleared my throat, reaching for a container of faintly glowing crystals. "This one. Seems stable."
"Safe choice," Camilla said, her lips curving. "Very you."
Was that teasing? I couldn't tell. My brain was too busy replaying safe choice, very you like a broken record.
We picked a third item together—a silvery powder that Camilla suggested with a mysterious glint in her eye—and began the experiment.Sky added the blue liquid first, causing the mixture to fizz and crackle.I sprinkled the crystals carefully, watching the reaction stabilize into a bright, clear glow.Then Camilla, with a precision that seemed almost instinctive, dusted the powder into the beaker.
The reaction was immediate—a burst of color that shifted from silver to deep gold, swirling hypnotically before settling into a quiet, steady pulse of light.
We all leaned in, watching.
"That," Sky said softly, "is pretty freaking cool."
Camilla smiled, glancing sideways at me. "Chemistry is all about balance," she said. "Too much of one thing, and everything falls apart."
Our eyes locked for a second longer than necessary.Something buzzed at the edge of my mind—not danger, not fear—just... electricity.
Sky coughed loudly, breaking the moment."Anyway," he said, dragging the word out. "We make a great team."
Professor Alden made his rounds, stopping at our table briefly. He raised an eyebrow at our glowing solution, nodded once in approval, and moved on without a word.
"That's the chemistry seal of approval," Sky whispered.
The rest of the period passed in a strange, stretched-out blur.Camilla was easy to talk to when she wanted to be—thoughtful, clever, slipping jokes into serious conversations like stones into pockets. But there was also a wall around her, something quiet and hard to see but impossible not to feel.A wall she chose whether or not to lower.
As the final bell rang, students scrambled to clean up and pack their bags.
Sky and I filed out with the crowd, and as soon as we hit the hallway, he bumped my shoulder with his.
"So," he said, drawing the word out with a shit-eating grin, "when's the wedding?"
I groaned. "Drop it."
Sky laughed, jogging a few steps ahead and then spinning to walk backward, facing me."Marx Cartez," he intoned dramatically, "blown away by one class of chemistry."
I flipped him off casually. He only laughed harder.
From the corner of my eye, I caught Camilla slipping past us into the flow of students, her dark hair swinging over her shoulder, the faintest trace of a smile still lingering on her lips.
I shook my head, a reluctant grin tugging at my mouth.
Maybe Sky was right.Maybe Chemistry class was dangerous after all.