(I'm skipping the yoga Beckett scene because as much as I loved it, it's pointless and I don't feel like writing it)

She woke up the next day, her thoughts still stuck in what Kontos had told her. Rachael got out of bed and began to get ready for her day when she remembered she had to meet her friends to watch Griffins first Thief game of the season later.

After breakfast she caught up with everyone and they began to walk to the arena. "When I met with Kontos yesterday, he told me the rock is called essence. I think it was used with Blood magick to make those monsters. He wouldn't tell me much more than that though."

"Using Blood magick and an essence to create life... Incredible. I didn't even know that was possible." Beckett says impressed.

"I bet he's hiding something! This seems like just the kind of thing administration doesn't want students learning about." Shreya says.

"He's just trying to keep Rachael safe, Shreya. There's nothing wrong with that." Griffin says, in Kontos' defense.

"Maybe we should listen to him, Rachael. He's a professor. He can handle this way better than we can." Zeph agrees.

"I know Kontos means well, but these shadow creatures are dangerous. I can't just sit idly when they could try to kill me again." Rachael says. "I need to investigate so I can protect myself. If I act like everything's okay and I just try to focus on school, they could catch me off guard. At least while I'm investing, I'm learning more about these shadows, so I can defend myself against them."

"You're right. We need to do whatever we can to ensure you don't get hurt." Griffin sighs.

"I just wish I knew where the monsters were coming from. Then we'd have a lead." Rachael sighs.

"Actually, the essence could do just that. I know a potion that reveals where an object originated from, but it requires very specific ingredients." Beckett says, casually. "We'll need baby's breath, meteorite fragment, and a basilisk scale. And the essence of course."

"So we swing by Penn Square after the game." Rachael says.

"You can't just go to the store and purchase these ingredients. They're harder to come by...Perhaps we could find a baby and bottle their breath." Beckett says, with complete seriousness.

"I thought baby's breath was a type of flower?" Rachael says, getting confused stares from all of her friends. "Or maybe it's breath from an actual baby...Jesus, I'm never gonna get used to this place..."

"Beckett, do you think Kontos would have these ingredients?" Shreya asks. 

"Probably. In his private stock, at least. But that's not available to students." Beckett says.

"And after the warning he just gave me, I doubt he'd give them up if I asked. And he took the essence from me as well." Rachael sighs.

"How is that a problem? I was just going to sneak in and take the ingredients. We can get the essence back then." Shreya says.

"You've got to be joking! Steal? From a professor? Absolutely not!" Beckett gasps, looking at all of them like they're crazy.

"I don't know. Breaking in actually sounds kinda fun." Rachael smirks at Shreya.

"That's my girl." Shreya smiles. "See this is why we're such good friends."

"Then you guys are gonna have to miss the Thief game. It's the only guarantee you have that Kontos will be out of his office, since he's refereeing." Griffin sighs.

"Then you can count me out. There's no way I'm going to miss watching the first game of the season just to get some potion ingredients." Zeph says.

"Typical...Well then, looks like it's just you and me, Rachael." Shreya smiles.

"Are you seriously going to skip the game? Griffin's on varsity!" Zeph asks.

"Zeph this is life or death. If these creatures keep attacking me, there's a good chance I won't get to see Griffin play at all this year." Rachael says.

"Ugh, you're right." Zeph sighs.

"Alright, guess Shreya and I'll head out after the game starts." Rachael says.

"Thank goodness I won't have to sit through the whole match. It's so hard to watch." Shreya says relived.

Zeph linked arms with Rachael and Shreya dragging them up into the stands with him. Beckett followed after them feeling a little unincluded, but suppressing it.

Once the game started Shreya and Rachael made their way out of the Stadium and down to  the greenhouse. They walked across campus quickly, and snuck inside.

"It's unlocked...He must really trust people..." Shreya mumbles, as they looked around at the empty room.

"Tim, can you give us a hand?" Rachael asks, the little frog popping out from the ether. "Ouick! You and Shreya look for his private stock. I'll get the essence."

"If I were a professor, where would I hide my personal potion ingredients?" Shreya mumbles as she looked around.

"Probably somewhere out of sight... You don't think he made it invisible, do you?" Rachael asks.

"Only one way to find out." Shreya sighs, resting her hands on her hips.

Rachael began to go through Konto's desk drawers until she came across the amber like essence, shoving it into her backpack. Shreya was running her hands against the walls of the room looking for a secret area or anything really. Tim was messing around in the different plants, a happy croak escaping from him as he came across something.

"Did you find it?" Rachael asks, heading over to him. He had managed to discover a cabinet hidden by the greenery in the room. She tried to open it, but it refused to even budge. "This has got to be where he keeps his personal ingredients. Now, we just have to bust this lock open."

"Stand aside, and watch a master work." Shreya smiles walking over towards her. She stood in front of it clenching her fists and placing two fingers to the lock. It popped open revealing a large assortment of potion materials. "Magnifique!"

"Well then, I was gonna suggest we bust it open, but that works too." Rachael mumbles.

"We're lucky that Kontos is so trusting. If he were my parents, he'd have at least a dozen enchantments guarding his stock." Shreya says, walking back towards the door. "You find what we need. I'm going to watch the door, just in case anyone decides to come by."

"Alright, little buddy, Beckett said he needs baby's breath, meteorite fragment, and a basilisk scale." Rachael says, glancing over at Tim before looking back in the cabinet. She started to rummage through the ingredients grabbing a small bottle of what just seemed like smoke hoping that's what she needed and tossed it into her bag. Her hand found a smooth metallic rock, slipping it into her bag as well before her eyes finding the shelf labeled 'Animal Parts'. She grabbed one of the small green scales sitting in a basket on the shelf and put it in her bag. "Okay, that's everything. Let's get out of here."

Rachael shut the cabinet and headed back towards Shreya.

"Well, did you get everything?" Shreya asks.

"Take a look." Rachael says, opening her backpack towards her so she could see her loot.

"Nice work. With Tim's help, I'm not even sure you needed me here." Shreya smiles.

"Maybe not, but that would've been less fun." Rachael says.

"As much as I appreciate the flattery, we should get going." Shreya says, trailing off as the sound of whistling could be heard outside the door. "How's he back already? The game just started!"

"We have to hide! Quick, Tim, back to the ether!" Rachael whisper yells quickly, looking around for a hiding place.

"Look! This is about the essence." Shreya mumbles having spotted a book left open on Kontos desk. The page contained a sketch of the rock and had diagrams and information surrounding it.

Rachael walked over to it, skimming her eyes over it hastily. "...must be used to fuse two essences together first...however, the process of removal and fusion corrupts the essences, So the creatures created no longer resemble their original form."

"Rachael! We're out of time!" Shreya whispers, yanking on her arm and pulling her into a pile of vines, covering both of them completely. Just in time for Kontos to step inside and head towards his desk.

Shreya and Rachael were pressed up against each other as they hid, a strange moving sensation passing by them as the vines move. One of them wrapped around Shreya's leg, tightening around it like a snake overpowering its prey, another vine bloomed a light pink flower right below her nose. Her mouth fell open, eyes widening, Rachael quickly covered her mouth with her hand to suppress her scream. Instead only a muffled groan in pain as the vine tightened around her leg. Rachael stepped on the vine aggressively until it let go of her leg, she sighed against her friends hand in relief. They both relaxed when they heard Kontos' foot steps receding and the loud shutting of the door and untangled themselves from the vines.

"That was way too close." Rachael sighs.

"You're telling me. Let's get out of here, before these vines decide we're food." Shreya says, as they quickly walk towards the door.

Once they were outside they made sure to put some distance between them in the greenhouse before stopping to take a breather.

"That wasn't so bad. We got all the ingredients in time for the last have of Griffin's game." Rachael smiles, as they slowly start to make their way back to the stadium.

"You wanna go join everyone in the stands?" Shreya asks. "Or do we want to pretend like our excursion took so long we unfortunately had to miss the rest of the game?"

"Looks like it took too long." Rachael smiles, at her.