3. Anger is a Waste of Time
Anger is a Waste of Time
Cerise
Iglanced at my watch again, tapping my booted toe as we waited beneath a large tree beside the hitching posts where our horses were tied up, saddled and ready to go. One horse for each team member, plus several extra to carry our supplies.
I wore an outfit of thick brown trousers and a linen button-up with plenty of pockets for my notebook and pencils. Sighing loudly, I toyed with my long brown braid over my shoulder, scanning the area for our late arriver.
“Whoever they got to replace our original beastologist is already frustrating me,” I whispered to Emberly, who had joined the expedition as our cataloger.
Her artistic skills were unparalleled and it would be her job to sketch and document the species we found.
She was also adept with enchantments and her magic would likely prove useful on our journey.
“Everyone frustrates you,” my friend quipped, suppressing a small laugh.
“I just think it’s disrespectful to the rest of us.”
“I completely agree, Doctor Thornheart,” said Aaric.
“Thank you, Aaric.”
Emberly leaned in and whispered in my ear, “He’s just brown-nosing so he can get on one of your research teams when we return.”
“Well, whatever the reason, I still admire his enthusiasm.” Straightening the pencils in my breast pocket, I continued, “Leave it to the other beastologist to be so unaware of the importance of a schedule.”
Emberly opened her mouth, about to reply, when the sound of a carriage turned my attention to the dirt road.
“Finally.” I rolled my eyes, crossed my arms, and waited.
The door burst open and a tall man with white hair and bright emerald eyes framed by wire-rimmed glasses stumbled out. He reached into the carriage, swung a backpack over his shoulder and strode to the group.
“Oh great,” I whispered to Emberly. “Liam Pendragon?”
I’d never met Dr. Pendragon, but had heard plenty about him and his unprofessionalism; he was intelligent, but a complete mess.
A phenomenal teacher, but couldn’t meet a deadline to save his life.
Full of jokes and sarcasm, never seeming to take his career seriously, he was also said to be a brazen flirt.
The type of person I usually avoided.
After having said hello to the rest of the group, Liam waltzed right up to Emberly and me and gave us a wide smile.
“Sorry I’m late. I couldn’t decide which boots to pack.” He held out his hand and I reluctantly shook it. “Liam Pendragon.”
“Cerise Thornheart.” I gave him a curt nod. “Maybe if you hadn’t waited until the last minute to pack, you could have spared us from your tardiness.”
“Ah, but then I would have missed the pleasure of being chastised by the famous Doctor Thornheart.” His smile grew and he winked at me before turning toward Dr. Rosenshield. “So which horse will I be riding?”
I ignored him, turning on my heel, and marched to my own steed, a palomino mare named Honey. Slipping my foot into the stirrup, I swung my leg over and gripped the pommel, settling myself into the saddle.
Emberly approached on her own horse, an all-black stallion. “You’re in a hurry, aren’t you?”
“Well, we would have been on the road half an hour ago if it wasn’t for Doctor Pendragon.” I drew his name out.
Emberly shrugged. “What’s half an hour? We’ll still get to our first stop before dark. Besides, at least you’ll have something pretty to look at. Your previous partner was a grumpy old man. It’s a good thing he got sick…this will be much more fun.”
I shook my head with disapproval. “That old man was one of the most brilliant minds in our field. This replacement will be a challenge.”
“All right, team!” Dr. Rosenshield announced from atop his gray horse, interrupting our conversation.
Our leader was a short, gray-haired portly man.
Odd, but a renowned botanist and well-respected in his field.
“Now that our last member has arrived, it’s time we get going.
It will take most of the day to get to our first camp, then we’ll be traveling all day tomorrow before we reach the main research site. ”
I gripped the reins, waiting for him to finish.
“I suggest you take this time to get to know each other if you don’t already.
This is the team you’ll be spending the next two months with in the bowels of the jungle.
Let’s be off! Chop chop!” He squeezed his horse with his heels and led the team out of the stables and onto a dirt road out of town.
Dr. Rosenshield rode at the front of the party, next to our guide. Ivan was a wide imposing man with a pale complexion, black hair and blue eyes. The two supply horses were attached behind him with lead ropes.
Next in our party were the two graduate students. Aaric, from my own university, and Sylvie, a mousy young woman from Dr. Pendragon’s school who was full of nerves and tended to over explain everything.
Emberly and I followed behind them, and that left…
“Hello, ladies,” Liam crooned as he rode up on the other side of Emberly.
“Doctor Pendragon.” I tipped my head while Emberly gave him a friendly smile.
“Liam,” he insisted. I didn’t respond. “Are you still angry with me for arriving late?”
Emberly clicked her tongue at her horse and joined the graduate students, leaving us alone. I glared at my best friend’s back before turning back to Dr. Pendragon who was now right next to me.
“No. I was never mad, just irritated. Anger is a waste of time, especially when most problems can be solved easily.” I almost winced as I realized I sounded exactly like my mother.
Well, that’s embarrassing.
He gave me a strange look. “Right. Well, then. Since we’ll be working closely together, I suppose we should follow Doctor Rosebud’s instructions and get to know each other.”
“Rosenshield,” I corrected.
“I know his name. I’ve worked with him for years. Rosebud’s a nickname.”
I gave him a frown. “Why do you call him that?”
He leaned in and whispered, “We all do at the University. Behind his back, that is. Watch him over the course of the trip. When he gets angry, his face turns bright red and he purses his lips so hard they look like a little rosebud.”
I gasped. “That’s horrific. And wholly unprofessional.”
He let out a laugh. “You’re not going to tattle, are you?”
“Of course not.” I gripped the reins tighter, my leather gloves stretching. “We aren’t in grade school.”
His expression was dumbfounded. “You’re exactly like I thought you’d be.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I was at your presentation on the life cycle of the cave glowworm. It was brilliant. You were brilliant. But…” He paused momentarily, scrutinizing me.
“But what?”
“But I thought perhaps it was an act.”
I tilted my head and evaluated him. “I don’t understand your meaning.”
“Of course you don’t.” The corner of his lips tilted. “You’re uptight. High-strung. Competitive. Will stomp on anyone who gets in the way of your achievements. It’s not an act, is it?”
My face heated as I gathered his words. “I—You—You don’t know me.”
We continued along the road, passing by dense copses of trees teeming with bright green leaves. Fields of wildflowers were in bloom to our right, a rainbow of petals swaying in the morning breeze.
“I’m good at reading people. And let me guess…” He adjusted his glasses as he gave me a piercing look. “You wake up at the same time every day. Go to bed at the same time every night. You thrive on routine and structure and get irritated any time something interrupts your carefully laid out plans.”
I didn’t know what to say so I just glared at him. The nerve of this man.
“See? I’m right,” he said with a ravishing smile and then trotted ahead to visit with the rest of the party, leaving me alone at the back, deep in thought.
What a scoundrel. A nuisance. And I had to spend two months working with this ridiculous man. But he was absolutely correct. I loved my routine and hated change.
Why was I so embarrassed?