The Otherworlders Academy - An Original Teen Fantasy

Ep. 1.3 (R) - Cameron, Inez, and Aidan

Inside the potions lab at the Otherworlder Academy, Inez Hidalgo, Cameron Baker, and Aidan O'Brien are working on a project that the headmaster of the new school, a fellow Enchanted named Headmaster Pierce, assigned them moments ago.

Inez stands behind a colossal lab table situated at the front of the classroom, wearing an apron, gloves, and a see-through mask for protection. She examines the various bubbling liquids in the cone-shaped flasks resting on the burners before her.

Smiling to herself, she lifts up a beaker, half-filled with shockingly blue crystals, and inspects its contents closer, ensuring she has just the right amount, according to Stanford Merriweather's Guide to Potions and Elixirs.

"Really, Inez?" Cameron, who's standing a few feet behind her, leans forward to get a better peek at the experiment. "Do you really think it's a good idea to mix iron sulfate and goblin ore?" His brows rise in question. "I've never heard of that particular combination."

"Yes, Cam! I do!" Inez snaps back playfully. "I think it's a brilliant idea, if I do say so myself," she coos with fake grandiosity. "Anyway, the assignment says to find a way to stabilize the goblin ore so that it doesn't release its arsenic fumes when it comes into contact with fire. I may be a Seer, but I do know my chemistry."

"Well, I've always been taught to use potassium, but..." Cameron raises his hands as he takes a few cautious steps backward, "...whatever. You're the one in charge," he responds.

Aidan, sitting with his feet propped up on a student desk, tossing a hacky sack ball from hand to hand asks, "What's goblin ore?"

"Aidan, honestly!" Inez rolls her eyes as she chastises him for his academic laziness. "It's cobalt. Don't you ever pay attention in class?"

"Have you seen my grades, Inez?" Aidan chuckles. "It's a lost cause. I mean, seriously, it's a good thing I'm a Spirit Guardian because if anyone put me in charge of potions and elixirs, well, the school would blow up or I'd end up burning it down."

Inez and Cameron laugh because they know the statement is true.

Inez gets back to work, adjusting the flames underneath her beaker. She carefully adds the iron sulfate to it. The concoction sparks and sizzles before she covers it carefully with a glass hood.

Aiden watches her for a moment, then asks, "Are you going to poison us, Inez?"

"Seriously, Aidan?" Inez cocks her head in response. "Oh, ye of little faith. That's what the glass case is for, silly." She taps it lightly with her finger. "It's fortified."

Aidan looks over at Cameron, who just shrugs. "Even though I'm the resident Mage," Cameron says. "I have to admit, she's the best chemist among us, so we should probably give her the benefit of the doubt."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Aidan agrees.

Inez looks up and arches a brow as her voice rises in irritation. "Probably? Probably? Precisely who was it that was first in our class in almost every subject, including chemistry, and also volunteered to handle our potions project for the day?"

Quickly, Cameron and Aidan realize their mistake.

"Oh, no, I meant definitely, definitely the best chemist out of all of us," Cameron nods as he corrects himself.

"Right!" Aidan straightens in his chair, eyes wide. "By far the best out of the three of us, for sure! Perhaps the best I've ever known!" he adds.

Inez rolls her eyes in response.

Both boys know that Inez actually likes to take charge during these group assignments, just to ensure that everyone, especially her, got an "A."

And while they considered her to be a truly lovely person-perky in her attitude and modest in her demeanor-she didn't take kindly to people underestimating her abilities, and neither of them wanted to piss her off and get stuck writing up the final report.