Page 12 of Evergreen Academy (Society of Magical Botanists #1)

Chapter Eleven

I drove to Evergreen Academy after my psychology class with my heart in my throat.

While the spark of friendly flirting that had flared up in Alex’s presence had pushed my concerns about the affinity tests out of my head temporarily, they were back in full.

I was acutely aware that I had no idea what to expect, and that set me off balance.

As I approached the gate, I searched the area where Professor East had scanned his necklace the previous day and noticed a little carved leaf in the brick wall. I held my ringed hand out the window and felt that tiny pulse of energy again, and then the gates to the school grounds creaked open.

The sight of the massive glass-encased, vine-covered building was just as enchanting the second time. I parked in a small clearing where a few other cars were nestled in the shade then made my way to the building.

Yasmin met me in the entrance atrium and handed me a deep-green notebook engraved with a few leaves. I took it from her, noting the soft feel of the cover against my palm. On the front of the notebook read the words Anno Uno .

“Latin for year one,” Yasmin said, correctly realizing that I didn’t know the translation. “This is the basic level that everyone works to complete during their first year of training. Next year, you’ll get the anno duo notebook.”

Carefully, I opened the first page and saw a place to inscribe my name. That page was followed by a table of contents listing the classes I would take as a first-year.

I swallowed as I reviewed the list.

Fall:

Latin for Botanists

Basic Plant Biology

Biostatistics for Botanists

Affinity Studies

Winter:

Latin for Botanists

Chemistry of Plants

Biological Applications of Physics

Kitchen Botany rotation

Affinity Studies

Spring:

Latin for Botanists

Flowering Plant ID

Ecology in Action

Affinity Studie s

Despite a few exceptions, which still looked challenging, it was chock-full of science and math courses. My stomach flipped. I navigated to the section for affinities and saw that the last quarter of the journal was reserved for Affinity Studies.

“Take this everywhere you go. As you complete your classes, there will be key pages to fill in. Once your affinity is determined, you’ll start doing small group and independent research and practice that will be documented in that section throughout the year.”

I relaxed a little as I skimmed the pages. My eyes were drawn to places on the soft pages to press flowers and sketch plant anatomy. Maybe there were a few areas in the classes where I could excel.

“I have to get to class now, so you’ll meet Professor Tenella for your first affinity test. Affinity tests are conducted from most to least common affinities, so florals are up first. Her office is out in the flower gardens. Do you remember where that is?”

I nodded, picturing the luscious blooms we’d walked through on the way in. “Thanks, Yasmin. Do I need to bring anything?” I could feel my palms start to sweat at the thought of doing my first affinity test, nerves and excitement mixing in equal measure.

Yasmin inclined her head toward my hand. “Just your journal. Good luck.”

After Yasmin disappeared down the wide hall of the indoor oasis that was the school’s central vein, I turned toward the entrance atrium and made my way out to the gardens.

At first, I wasn’t sure where I would find Professor Tenella’s office.

I hadn’t seen one on the previous occasions I’d had to walk through the garden.

But this time, I turned and took the first narrow row through the overflowing bins of canna lilies, petunias, creeping phlox, verbena, and dozens of other flowers I didn’t know the names of.

As I followed the slender path, it spiraled through the garden and to a corner covered on three sides with trellises where flowering vines crept from the earth, stretched skyward, and dangled above my head.

Underneath the spacious makeshift room were three wooden workbenches that blended into the trellises, each strewn with piles of gardening tools and dirt-encrusted notebooks.

A tiny woman with tanned skin and dark curly hair piled into a loose, springy bun by a floral bandana got up from a stool she’d been sitting on. “You must be our newest botanist,” she said with a smile.

“Hello, Professor Tenella. I’m Briar Whelan.”

“You’re right on time. And the test is mostly completed. The floral affinity tests are considered to be some of the easiest, and it’s the broadest group, so that’s why we usually have new students experience it first.”

I blinked. What did she mean that the test was mostly completed? I’d just arrived in her office cantina.

Professor Tenella gave me a coy smile. “Caught the meaning of my words, did you? Yes, this test started as soon as you walked into the gardens. I was observing how the flowers responded when you walked through. Typically, when someone passes through these gardens who has an affinity for florals, the blooms perk up and lean out of their planter boxes, as if drawn to the affinity in the botanist.”

I glanced around me in slight alarm to see if I noticed any unusual leaning of the flowers around me, but they all appeared as they always had. “You said the test was ‘mostly’ completed? Is there more you’d like me to do here?”

The professor, who I deemed to be in her mid-fifties, nodded. She reached onto the workbench behind her and picked up a round plant container that was made of natural material rather than the plastic ones I was used to. She beckoned me over.

“I’m going to have you plant a flower. Do you know what to do?”

“I’ve planted flowers before. So just proceed as I normally would?”

When Professor Tenella nodded, I grabbed a trowel and scooped out a big pile of soil from the bag on the bench then placed it into the container.

I continued to add soil until there was just enough space left for the nursery flower that Professor Tenella held out.

I took it from her, carefully nestled it into the soil, added a bit more to top it off, and patted the whole thing down.

As I worked, I remembered my mom’s advice about planting depth and felt confident that I’d done fairly well.

“Now, give it a little water.” Professor Tenella held out a clay pitcher, and I took it and poured a small amount into the pot. I stood and looked at the professor, wondering what she was watching for. Her eyes studied the flower for a full minute before she finally spoke.

“Well, Briar, you don’t have an affinity for florals.

They’re a huge group, so we usually need to do some more detailed testing to get specific affinities, but these first two tests determine if there’s any affinity at all.

If you had an affinity, we would have seen the flower you planted grow and bloom in seconds. ”

Professor Tenella went through the motions I just had with another plant, and I watched in amazement as a small green sprout stretched and opened into a vibrant pink snapdragon within moments. It tilted slightly toward Professor Tenella.

My shoulders fell, and she smiled kindly. “Don’t worry about it, dear. This is the first test of many.” She reached out a hand toward my journal, and I released it to her.

I watched as she flipped to the affinity pages. The first page had a list of each of the affinities. She went to the one for the category of florals, posed her pen below it, and scrawled non par in a looping script.

Was that Latin again? I was beginning to understand why Latin was listed on all three trimesters of my first year. I needed to start learning it—and quickly.

“So non par means…”

“No affinity match. But as I said, don’t worry about it.

You’ll be with Professor Variegata next for a few other tests.

I saw her a few minutes ago. She should be around the other side of the building somewhere.

” Professor Tenella pointed at a path that led through the flowers along the building, and I nodded.

“Thanks, Professor Tenella. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too, Briar.” There was a slight twinkle in Professor Tenella’s eyes, and I found myself smiling as I left the cantina.

I glanced down at the flowers with renewed interest as I walked to the other side of the building. It was hard to imagine the mass of blooms bending toward botanists who had a floral affinity, as if the person were a ray of sunlight.

But a moment later, two students emerged from the glass building, and the nearby flowers strained toward them.

A little spark of excitement ran through my veins at this dramatic display of magic, and I headed to my next affinity test with a renewed sense of anticipation.