Amethysts to Ashes

By Cassandra Hamm

Aislinn never thought she’d see Travis inside her greenhouse again.

Clutching her amethyst necklace, she addressed the prison guard accompanying Travis. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“The prisoner asked to see you before the trial, Dr. Groves,” the guard said.

Sweat beaded against the back of Aislinn’s neck, an unfortunate side effect from the glass greenhouse’s stifling heat. She gestured to the ten remaining amethytes—plants that grew precious gemstones—stretching eagerly toward the ceiling. “I hope you took away his cigarettes. We don’t want another fire.”

Travis’s expression pinched. One lock of his red hair stuck up, like a devil’s horn. “I just wanted to talk to you before the trial tomorrow, Aislinn.”

What would a few words hurt? Though Dr. Bryant wouldn’t approve, Aislinn waved him forward. The guard followed.

“Just the two of us,” she said. “There are cameras.” New ones—the fire destroyed the old equipment.

The guard folded his arms. “He can’t leave my sight.”

“We’ll just be right over there.” She gestured to a blooming amethyte.

The guard hesitated, then nodded.

Aislinn led the handcuffed Travis farther into the greenhouse. They passed newly planted amethytes and stopped next to one that’d blossomed this morning. Rough, uncut amethysts nestled in its creamy petals.

Her life’s work, nearly destroyed by a single cigarette. If not for the seeds Travis had stowed in his pocket, everything she’d worked for would be ash.

“They’re growing back nicely.” Travis turned his gaze from the plants to her matching amethyst necklace and earrings—the marks of a supervisor. “I see you’re doing well in my absence.”

He’d never been handsome, but her eyes lingered on the smattering of freckles on his once-broken nose, the crease in his bottom lip.

This was exactly why they couldn’t work together.

“You’ll really testify against me?”

Aislinn ran her fingers over the amethyte’s coarse leaves. “What do you want me to say, Travis? You’re the one who decided to smoke in a greenhouse.”

“I know. Not my smartest move.”

They’d stayed late, just the two of them, calculating and analyzing. The air, ripe with amethyte blossoms, was sweet and fresh. Darkness had wrapped over them like a cloak.

Those cameras hadn’t reached every part of the greenhouse.

“Here’s the thing. I don’t recall dropping the cigarette. I gave it to you, and…” His cheeks darkened.

She remembered the thrill of her lips touching something his had touched. Smoke stinging the back of her throat, she’d gazed at the glowing butt––a tiny ember, capable of such great destruction.

Then she’d broken every company rule and kissed him.

“I think you were a little distracted,” she said.

His eyes moved to her mouth. “Right.”

She turned away. “I’m sorry I have to testify, Travis. I really am. But you’ll only get a year.”

“Only? Linn, this is jail we’re talking about, not an unpaid internship.”

“I know!” She pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to dislodge the mental image of Travis behind bars.

“Please don’t…” He reached for her.

She pulled back, wishing she could forget the way his hands had cupped her cheeks, the taste of cigarette smoke on her tongue. “The cameras—”

“I don’t work for Gemites anymore. They can’t do anything to us.”

“Dr. Bryant doesn’t care about technicalities. You know how she is—‘once lab partners, always lab partners.’ Besides, she never liked me as much as she liked you.”

“That’s not true,” Travis said.

“Yeah?” Aislinn’s lips pinched into a thin line. “Then why did she explicitly praise you when the amethytes started germinating? As if I were just a lab assistant, not one of the minds behind their development. And when you overslept, she patted your hand, but when I had a family emergency, she threatened to let me go.”

His brow furrowed, like she was a formula he was trying to figure out.

Aislinn’s chest tightened. I shouldn’t have said all that.

“You asked me to pick the amethyte seeds.”

“It’s a good thing I did,” she said. “Or we’d have to start from scratch.”

“You’d have to start from scratch.” He paused. “Aislinn, why did you ask me to pick those seeds?”

“I thought we could take them inside and analyze them after our walk.”

“Not so the police would find them on me after the fire?”

Aislinn froze.

“The kiss was a distraction.” Travis backed away. “So I would forget that you never gave the cigarette back. You set me up.”

Her mouth opened. Closed.

“Is it because you thought Dr. Bryant liked me better?”

“She was going to find out about us, Travis. And when she did, you know who would’ve been the one to go.”

He gaped.

“Don’t look at me like that.” She bristled. “As if you wouldn’t cut me down if it meant keeping your job.”

“I would not.”

She arched an eyebrow. “You would’ve given up ever growing another amethyte?”

“Of course not.” He frowned. “I don’t know. But I wouldn’t have set them on fire.”

She flinched, remembering the amethysts glowing among the ashes. Only something that drastic could’ve persuaded Dr. Bryant to get rid of Travis.

“Thankfully, someone saved enough seeds to rebuild.” She gestured to the flourishing seedlings. “In a few months, it’ll be like the fire never happened.”

“I’ll tell them tomorrow what you did.”

She adjusted her gems. “The feeds show you lighting a cigarette in a greenhouse. Who do you think they’ll believe?”

His face paled. “You’re despicable, Aislinn.”

She shrugged. “Science is about progress, isn’t it? I cut the undesirable variable out of the equation.” She cleared her throat. “Excuse me, guard? I think Mr. Vossen has said enough.”

The guard hurried toward her. “Is he hurting you, Dr. Groves?”

“Oh, no,” she said. “He can’t touch me.”

Travis’s expression was as hollow as her soul.

She plucked a gem from the ripe amethyte and smiled. “I’ll see you at the trial.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cassandra Hamm is a psychology nerd, jigsaw puzzler, and hopeless romantic who spends most of her time lost in another world. Her work appears in various anthologies, including Stories that Sing, Bingeworthy, and Sensational from Havok Publishing; Warriors Against the Storm; When Your Beauty is the Beast; and Faces to the Sun. She suspects she may end up as a cat lady (or the owner of a Warrior Clan).

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