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I made sure that my backpack was secured and trudged toward the little crowd.

“Excuse me,” I said and no one moved. I said it a little louder this time and got a few glares as they moved aside, like it was my problem that they had to move. Why would you stand in front of the exit?

Ignoring them, I hurried down the sidewalk to campus. I couldn’t let anything stall me now, I waited too long trying to avoid people.

Why did I always do that? I decided then and there that I had to stop inconveniencing myself for others.

When I finally walked over the threshold into class, only the teacher was there.

Was my watch wrong?

“You’re the first one to arrive, please head to your desk and I’ll get your supplies ready. Prue, you are not to start until I tell you to, do not touch anything, either,” he told me firmly. Professor Sandford had always been a strict professor, but at least he was fair.

Time needed to speed up, I couldn’t keep going on with this heavy foreboding on my heart.

I pulled out my notes and started to go over them. A little review couldn’t hurt, right?

Professor Sandford placed my tubes and compounds in front of me with a final look of warning. I didn’t dare touch it and returned to what I was doing.

The shuffle of feet pulled me from papers minutes later and to no surprise, it was Regina and her clones trailing her. I pretended not to notice and got back to my work. They walked straight to my table and knocked over a vial. The glass sprayed the floor and Regina yelled out in pain.

“Prue, why did you have to cut me?” she wailed, causing the professor to run over. Her face was twisted in fake agony, but her eyes were a dead giveaway that it was all an act. They were as lifeless as ever.

“Is this true? You broke this tube just to assault Miss Red?” he asked me, stunned by my supposed actions.

“You said not to touch, so I listened. Miss Red didn’t know the rules, apparently, and did it to herself,” I answered, not looking up from the notes.

“Why would I do it to myself?” she whined.

“Why would I do anything to you? I’m studying for this exam like you should be,” I said evenly. My voice sounded so calm and reasonable that Professor Sandford looked conflicted.

Finally, he muttered a healing spell. Her skin mended together, leaving nothing behind, before he did the same to the vial and returned it to my table.

“Get to your seats and keep your hands to yourself,” he told the others before turning and walking back to the front of the room. “We will give the others a couple minutes. If they aren’t here by then, we start.”

I placed my notes back in my bag and folded my hands in my lap. It was a long few minutes of silence, but not peace. Regina and her crew were staring daggers at me in sneaking glances from a few rows away. I rolled my eyes and ignored them. They were just mad he didn’t immediately side with her.

“I’ve given them enough time, please turn your papers over and complete the assigned potions there. Once you have completed it, please call me over and I’ll inspect yours one at a time. Begin now,” he said as he set a timer.

Professor Sandford had set the instructions for a luck potion on my desk and I almost smiled. I could brew this in my sleep.

I took a second to inhale and exhale, pushing away all the negativity and focusing on what I knew. First, I took stock of the inventory he placed on my desk. I made a mental note of the missing ingredients before heading for the storage cupboard.

Several other students were ahead of me, frantically pilfering the supplies, but I didn’t care. I was confident and fell into the groove of doing what I was good at.

This was where I thrived. Potion-making had always come easy for me.

I glanced at the clock and let out a breath of relief. This was record time, even for me.

With my missing ingredient in hand, I sat down, freezing as I lifted the golden powder. The coloring looked off.

Just enough to notice.

It was from the professor, though… there couldn’t be anything wrong with it. Everything was regulated meticulously here.

That feeling of dread pulsed in my veins, warning me to stop as I added it. I should have listened.

That was my second mistake today.