Page 36 of Serpent In White

My eyes widen as we enter a giant lab, full of metal machines and beakers and chemists bustling around. There aren't that many of them, but at least ten people in this room right now. It's huge.

I glance at Jasper again, and his eyes flick forward. "That door there."

I'm so nervous my hands are practically dripping with sweat as I walk across the platform toward a lone door with a sign on it that saysDo Not Enter.

I’m trying not to focus much on what the chemists are doing, but they certainly seem busy. None of them are even paying attention to me. They're just rushing around, picking up gallons of chemicals, dumping things into machines, swirling stuff in beakers, weighing things on scales. There's a lot happening in here, and it's crazy overwhelming.

I get to the door and notice, below the big red sign, a smaller nameplate that readsThe Alchemist.

Gulping over a throat dry and scratchy like sand, I shift to Jasper one last time. He's already back at the double doors, leaving. So I take a deep breath.

And I knock.

Hearing nothing for a second, I stand there, shifting my weight back and forth, contemplating what the hell I’m even doing here until finally the door opens.

And I’m met with snake eyes.

I don’t see The Alchemist often. Really no one does, but still, he’s around. I’ve knownof himsince I was a child, and yet we’ve never spoken actual words to one another. And every time I see his eyes, I’m always initially taken aback. Not because they’re creepy, although some would say they are.

I honestly think they’re sort of breathtaking.I’m certainly without breath right now…

“Abdiel Harmony.” Drake’s head cocks to the side, something smirk-adjacent on his lips, though I wouldn’t categorize it as any type of smile I’ve ever seen. It’s much more inquisitive, and even more alarming. He opens the door farther and steps to the side, motioning with his hand. “Please, do come in.”

Watching him as he watches me, closely, I attempt to shake off my uncertainty and meander inside his office, if that’s what this is, as he closes the door behind us. The room looks less like that of a lab, and more like a fancy therapist’s office. He has a beautiful green leather couch up against the wall, two large wall-length bookcases filled with what look to be medical journals and chemistry books. I can’t help but wander over to the shelves to check them out.

There are many science books, but he also has some fiction, some poetry, and even graphic novels. Quite the vast variety, which is appealing to me. I love to read. Always have.

“You like to read…” His voice slinks at my back, and I turn over my shoulder. It sounds like it was supposed to be a question, but it’s not. And it’s clear from his face that he already knows the answer.

Gaping at him for a moment, I’ve completely forgotten where I am and what he just asked me, because I have the distinct feeling that he’s in my head right now. I’m not sure how or why I know, but after what happened with Darian last night, and then my dream…

I blink at him.You can hear me, can’t you?

He slants his head again, blinking slowly at me, like a curious animal. Or like a snake, studying the mouse who just stepped into its office.

Finding my voice, I croak, “Yes. I like to read.”

Our gazes remain locked, and I canfeelthe silence between us, like a fog. There’s a conversation happening without words, and I’ve never been so intrigued by anything in my life.

Drake saunters to the couch, his movements graceful as he takes a seat and pats the cushion next to him. Getting close seems like the opposite of a good idea, but I can’t help being drawn to his magnetic force, pulling me in without a choice. I drift over to the couch and sit down, keeping enough distance between us, though he shifts to face me and his knee brushes mine. I almost flinch, trying hard not to make it visible.

He’s just watching me, and it’s so peculiar, I have to look away out of sheer insecurity.

My eyes roll over the rest of the room, taking in its comforts and decor. The desk and chairs, all handcrafted by our carpenters. A table of various plants and flowers. Art hanging on the walls, paintings and sketches. I recognize the style of a couple.

“Did Emithel do those?” My chin tilts to a collection of three small oil paintings depicting different trees before turning to face Drake once more.

He nods, barely a movement at all, still just watching me. I don’t know what he wants, or why he brought me here, but it couldn’t possibly just be so he could stare at me in silence like this. And I’m at a disadvantage because being this close to him is reminding me of what I saw in the lounge the other night…

His body, long and slender yet defined with slopes of muscle; strength in a different form. His scattered tattoos, sort of like my own, little pictures here and there, telling an individual story that comes together in flesh. Jet black hair, hanging in his eyes while he filled our Head Priest, pushed and pulled between his legs, animalistic grunts fleeing his pink lips…

“I guess you heard I was interested in classes…” I jump in with words before I accidentally blurt out something perverse.

I need him to stop staring at me like that. And I’d like to know why I’m here.

He says nothing, just keeps giving me thislookwith his snake eyes, glaring as if he’s part angry, part fascinated.

“I’ve been thinking lately about what I want to do,” I keep talking, blathering to fill the silence, “And I thought maybe something in the sciences. It might be worth looking into—”