Page 57 of Evergreen Academy (Society of Magical Botanists #1)

Chapter Fifty-Five

O n the morning of the vernal equinox, I sunk my hands into the dirt of one of the planter barrels on Main Street in Weed.

The students of Evergreen Academy were starting the day’s festivities with a planting party in the local community under the guise of being SCC college students doing volunteer work.

I busied myself filling my barrel with sweet peas, tulips, and begonias, trying to distract my mind from thoughts of the verdant shield.

Despite our best efforts and late nights, we’d made no progress on my family history or powers.

Professor East hadn’t been able to make any connection from me to any of the founders, and Callan and I had had no luck with determining what might have triggered my powers.

Two days earlier, Professor East had made the call to the Board of Regents, and three of their members were scheduled to join the equinox celebrations.

They were continuing to test the property, but so far, they hadn’t been able to determine the source of the excess salt and cadmium, which did not bode well for the strength of the shield.

Despite Callan’s assurances, I couldn’t help feeling that I had let everyone down, and I was approaching the evening’s festivities with a sense of melancholy and a slight creeping dread that I couldn’t explain.

The flowers perfectly situated themselves in the soil, their roots already beginning to stretch out under the guidance of my hands. A little thrill of delight went through me at the feeling of connection between myself and the flowers, easing some of my worried feelings.

The flowers had been pre-enhanced at the academy and were both weed resistant and drought tolerant but not in any kind of obvious way. Down the road, a handful of students were passing out packets of wildflower seeds to those strolling along the sidewalks.

Spending a few hours planting at a regular human pace—since we weren’t allowed to use any noticeable magical botanist powers in front of the townspeople—helped me to settle down and get lost in the rhythm of digging and planting.

The earthy scent of the soil grounded me, a potent reminder that working with my hands was healing for the spirit.

At some point, my shoulders relaxed, and thoughts of the verdant-shield recharge settled into the back of my mind.

Before I knew it, our service project was wrapping up, and we were all to return to the academy grounds to clean up and change.

I gazed down the street through the iconic Weed arch—the town’s quirky name emblazoned across the entrance to Main Street on a painted backdrop of trees and the mountain—to the row of barrels and hanging planter baskets spanning either side of the street, each overflowing with different color combinations of bright, happy flowers.

The street had been transformed in a matter of hours.

Yasmin caught me admiring them. “The real party begins at sunset,” she said, linking her arm through mine as we walked to the academy vans. “We’re entering the most productive time of the year for plants in the Northern Hemisphere, and they like to show off a little.”

“Show off?” I quirked an eyebrow at her.

“With the temperatures rising, the plants will enter their rapid growing phase, and we’ll see new stems and leaves everywhere.

With the flowers, it becomes a bit of a competition to see which ones can bloom biggest and brightest early in the season.

The floral affinities are helping them along, of course.

Starting now and through the rest of the spring quarter, the campus is about to be the greenest, most vibrant place you’ve ever seen. ”

I’d felt that way about the campus all along, especially since the plants were able to bloom year-round due to the verdant shield. The reminder of what was at stake with the verdant shield tonight crept into my mind again, but I forced myself to stay in the conversation.

“And what about the humans? Do they show off for the vernal equinox too?”

“The florals are always showing off, so that will be nothing new. Remember the Floral Fete? But the herbals and harvesters will be bringing their best dishes out for a potluck competition and tea party, and the aquatics usually have some kind of surprise planned. Plus, all the second-years put the research they’ve been working on this year on display. ”

“How about the ferns?” I asked, thinking of her lead affinity.

“We will be in charge of making you feel like you’ve stepped into an enchanted land. And fortunately, ferns don’t need much help to provide that kind of ambience. There’s a reason fern fever swept England in the 1800s.”

When we returned to the campus, we took showers then dressed for a spring party, Yasmin in a dress with a tiny fern pattern and me in a corduroy skirt and floral top that hung off my shoulders.

We took turns magically braiding vines into each other’s hair and dusting some glitter across our eyelids.

Finally, all dressed up and ready to welcome in spring, we approached the clearing next to the pond, and my eyes lit up. The shoreline was lined with glass-bottom boats, and some of the aquatics were already standing by, ready to give tours of the pond.

“Sign me up for that. And Dr. Lemna is nowhere in sight, so maybe I’ll be able to relax around the water for once.”

“Amen to that,” Yasmin said. We approached a blooming trellis, where Professor Tenella was admitting students one at a time.

Yasmin let out a loud sigh. “I wasn’t on the winning team for Capture the Roses, so I’m going to have to answer a plant trivia question to be admitted. You go ahead. This could take a while.”

I didn’t want to leave her, but she joined Aurielle to wait their turns, and Coral spotted me and pulled me through the fast-track line for winners.

“I’ve heard that sometimes it takes people all night to get in. The difficulty of the question depends upon how much Professor Tenella likes you. If you’ve been a pest in her class this year, you might be in trouble.”

I turned back to glance at Professor Tenella with a newfound respect.

“Come on, let’s get drinks while we wait.” I followed Coral to the drink stand, taking in our surroundings as we went.

The Apothecary Arts Club had set up a large booth overflowing with ingredients and glass jars of various shapes and sizes.

They were offering to help us make perfumes, lotions, teas, and other items as gifts for our families or souvenirs from the vernal equinox.

I made a mental note to stop by and create a perfume for Aunt Vera.

With all the various extra studying I was doing, I hadn’t had much time to experiment with plant-based creations just for the sake of it.

I ordered an elderflower spritz and clinked glasses with Coral. We glanced back toward the trellis and saw that Aurielle and Yasmin had both made it in.

“That was quick,” Coral said as they approached. “Professor Tenella must approve.”

“She threw me a question about ferns,” Yasmin explained, “Total softball. And she asked Aurielle a photosynthesis question that a high schooler should be able to answer.”

Once Coral and Yasmin had their drinks, we took turns making cosmetics and perfumes at the apothecary booth then got in line for the glass-bottom boat rides. I made sure to admire the spectacular potted ferns that were scattered around the area, shimmying nonstop.

Just as I was about to climb in with my friends, Nevah cut to the front of the line and looped her arm through mine. “Mind if I steal her? ”

My friends widened their eyes at the sight of the second-year founder’s descendant, suddenly shy in the presence of the most powerful aquatic here, but they all nodded simultaneously. “Thanks,” Nevah said sweetly and took over the wooden paddle from one of the other aquatics.

“I was hoping to catch up with you today. We can squeeze in another lesson.”

“You don’t even take the equinox off?” I asked her playfully.

“It’s not as much of a holiday when you’re a second-year. I spent the last hour setting up my research for display.”

“What are you planning to do next year?” I asked, surprised it had never come up before. I didn’t know much about the internships that occurred during the third year.

Nevah easily rowed us away from shore, and we took off in the opposite direction of the boat my friends were in.

“I want to combat invasive species. Invasive aquatic plants are some of the most detrimental to native habitats. I’m hoping to get an apprenticeship with the magical botanical field office back in Michigan.

The Great Lakes could use some support. If I don’t get picked up for an internship with the aquatic conservatory, that is. ”

“Wow, good for you. That sounds like important work.”

“Look down,” Nevah said, and I peered at the glass along the bottom of the boat. Tiny fish were zooming by, and plants were brushing along the bottom eagerly, as if saying hello. “It never gets old. Mundare aquam ,” she said, and the water beneath the boat became even more clear.

“A purification Floracantus?”

“It’s the reason my hair is so silky. Keep some aquatic plants in your shower, and have them purify your water before you wash.”

“Thanks for the tip.” I looked down again, now able to see all the way to the bottom of the pond. The fish and plants moved around in all their colorful, viscous glory.

“So, why did you really invite me out here?” I asked. I’d sensed another motive from her the moment we climbed into the boats, and I noticed a slight shake in her hands as she’d first dipped the oar into the water.

“That obvious, huh?” Nevah sighed and studied the water.

“I’m nervous about tonight. I don’t know how much Callan has told you about the Board of Regents, but they’ve been wanting to get a tighter grip on this place for years.

I feel like having them assist with the recharging of the verdant shield is going to open the door for more oversight. ”

“Yeah, Callan mentioned that some of them might have personal agendas.”

“That’s putting it mildly. They have different priorities for graduating magical botanists than the school, which has historically allowed us to explore any avenues we are interested in.”

“Like what?”

“They want magical botanists to have more influence in the world. They’d like to see more of us in government positions or situated on the boards of influential private companies and nonprofits.

That’s not always a bad thing, but that can’t be the only path.

Magical botanists are not a monoculture.

Some may be suited for leadership, but others want to do field work in remote villages, or open restaurants, or pursue art.

It’s always been the academy’s mission to support space for all of that. ”

I swallowed, the sense of foreboding that I’d felt that morning returning. I was one of those students who planned to pursue art. If the Board of Regents took over and things changed next year, where would that leave me?

“Is there anything we can do to stop it?” I wondered why Nevah was telling me all this.

“I’m graduating this year, and my internship, if I get it, won’t have me returning here very often.

Eli Quinn will be gone as well. But you’ll be here next year.

You and Callan. I know you’re not a founder’s descendant, but with you having all of the affinities, I think you’ve got an important role to play here, should you choose to. ”

“So you want me to… keep an eye on things?”

“I’m not even sure what I’m asking. I mostly wanted to give you a heads-up. Callan already carries a lot, and it would be great if he didn’t feel he was on his own next year.”

My eyes met her dark-brown ones, which seemed to gleam like the clear liquid of the water. “He won’t be alone. I’ll make sure of it.”

Nevah nodded and began to turn our rowboat back toward the shore.

We spent the rest of the late afternoon visiting the various activity stations and the research booths that the second-year students had put on display.

We tried the potluck appetizers from the harvesters and the tea innovations from the herbals, casting votes for our favorites.

At sunset, we all took seats at a series of large circular wood tables for dinner .

Professor East rose, and we turned in his direction.

The pond was at his back, and the sunset and the mountain reflected majestically onto the water.

I had a strong desire to pull out my notebook and sketch the scene—or even paint it.

The sight lent itself perfectly to watercolor, a medium we’d been exploring in my Art II class at SCC this semester.

Professor East clinked his glass, and the group quieted.

“We have some very special guests celebrating the vernal equinox with us tonight. I’d like to welcome three members of the Magical Botanical Board of Regents.

Oliver Saxson.” Professor East nodded toward a tall Black man wearing a deep blue suit that appeared slightly whimsical in its stitching, who stood and nodded then took his seat.

“And Solomon and Wendy Rhodes.” The two stood up, and my eyes gravitated to the woman, who had sun-kissed olive skin and dark locks pulled into an effortless, loose, wavy bun.

Wait . Had Professor East said their last name was Rhodes? My eyes shot to Callan, who was sitting across the clearing with some of the other tree affinities. His eyes met mine briefly, and his jaw tensed ever so slightly.

“I see where Callan gets his looks from. His dad is kinda hot, and his mom is a smoke show,” Coral whispered, confirming my suspicions.

The hot bloom of surprise formed in my stomach and planted a seed of disbelief in my brain. Solomon and Wendy, two members of the Magical Botanical Board of Regents, were Callan’s parents.