Blog Post 4: The Alchemy of Ivy Mae
Title: "Lavender and Lost Time"
Back in Roman’s garage, the three of them sat huddled around the small workbench. The vial sat in the center, glowing faintly under the dim light of a single camping lantern.
“It’s so… simple,” Jas murmured, turning the vial in their hands. The liquid inside shimmered like gold dust swirling in water, but now, a faint floral scent wafted from it—soft, sweet, and unmistakably lavender.
Ivy leaned closer, her brow furrowed. “Is that… lavender?”
Roman snorted. “Great. We risked our lives for essential oils. Should we rub it on our wrists and manifest good vibes?”
Ivy shot him a glare, but her lips twitched into a reluctant smile. “Don’t knock it till you try it.”
Jas uncorked the vial cautiously, letting the scent bloom in the small space. It was stronger now, filling the air with warmth and a strange familiarity.
Ivy froze, her eyes wide. “Wait…”
“What?” Jas asked.
“It smells like… my mom’s garden,” Ivy whispered. Her voice wavered, and she blinked quickly, as though trying to clear her vision. “She used to grow lavender. I’d help her harvest it in the summer.” She hesitated, her fingers brushing the edge of the workbench. “That was before… before she got sick.”
The room fell silent for a moment, the weight of Ivy’s words settling over them.
Roman shifted uncomfortably, his usual sarcasm absent. “My grandmother used lavender,” he said quietly. “She’d sew little sachets of it and put them in our drawers. I hated the smell back then—thought it made me smell like an old lady.” He gave a small, humorless laugh. “But now…” He trailed off, staring at the vial.
Jas didn’t speak for a long time. When they finally did, their voice was soft. “My mom… she used to dab lavender oil behind my ears when I couldn’t sleep. She’d hum this old lullaby…” Their voice broke, and they looked away, blinking rapidly.
Ivy reached out, placing a hand on Jas’s shoulder. “It’s weird, isn’t it? How something so small can bring back so much.”
Roman cleared his throat, his tone gruff. “Okay, so it’s magic lavender. Big deal. What does it do, though?”
Ivy straightened, her usual determination sparking in her eyes. “Only one way to find out.”
“No way,” Roman said immediately. “You’re not drinking that.”
“Who said anything about drinking it?” Ivy replied, but her mischievous grin didn’t help.
Jas laughed softly, the tension easing just a bit. “Let’s not do anything reckless—yet. Maybe we should sleep on it and see if anything else comes to mind.”
Roman muttered something under his breath about common sense, but the others ignored him. As they cleaned up and settled in for the night, the scent of lavender lingered, wrapping around them like a memory they couldn’t quite shake.