Chapter 6
By the time I reached the campsite, the sun had fallen hours ago. The cold had settled deep into my bones, yet I was still sweating. As I stepped into the base of operations, I checked the water one last time for red, searing eyes.
Hopefully, I’d lost him.
“What the fuck, Talia!” Shannon hissed, stomping to me. “I looked for you for hours.”
“The water we crossed has a cavern underneath. I fell through.” I leaned close to whisper. “Wait until you see the video.”
Her eyes widened with bright excitement that made her even more gorgeous, before her face scrunched with forced disapproval. As if she couldn’t bear the idea that I did good. “I told you to take it easy on the donuts this morning.”
I rolled my eyes at her. I hadn’t eaten in three days since the school cafeteria closed, and we were told to get what we wanted. Sue me.
“It went to your ass,” she whispered like it was a huge conspiracy.
Oh, to be a perfect ten in every way. La-di-fucking-da. We couldn’t all be dolls. I flipped her off, and she returned it with a sneer.
“What did you find?” I asked.
“Nothing, because I thought you drowned or something.” She jabbed her finger into my chest. “So you better have something phenomenal to make up for it.”
She walked away, but I didn’t miss the relief in her eyes.
Professor Gale laughed as he passed her, stopping in front of me with a smile that didn’t sit right. Something about it was too forced and practiced for my liking. “Shannon’s a worry wort.”
Considering he was one of the leaders for this expedition, he himself should have been more concerned. Instead, he was playing it cool like he had something to prove.
“Not you?”
“I’ve seen you get out of all kinds of scrapes.
I know you can take care of yourself.” He put his arm around my waist, hugging me too close to him.
I noticed that his hand was significantly lower than the last time he touched me.
He whispered with his mouth touching my ear.
“Please don’t get separated again. Shannon’s not ready to be on her own. ”
It was true. I’d gone on twenty-one field expeditions with him. This was the first time he put one of my classmates up to join us.
“She’s not as precious as she looks.” I hated that about her too. That she could be so pretty and pure, and still be tough as nails. She didn’t take any shit and didn’t hold her tongue for anyone.
The secret part of me that respected her didn’t like what he was implying. “Besides, it sounds like she’s been doing field work through other means. This isn’t her first rodeo.”
“You’re always so considerate of others.” His hand moved down my waist, brushing the puncture wounds from the swamp creature grabbing me. The wounds throbbed in response, and I pulled out of his grasp. Unease made my blood thrum, and I found my eyes searching the swamp again.
“You’re wounded.” He frowned, pulling the wet beige shirt away from my body and caressing the dark red stains on the bodice of the shirt.
“Not really. It’s fine.” I shrugged. “But I do think we need to talk about what grabbed me. There was a…”
What did I say? It sounded insane even to me, and I saw it with my own eyes. “Maybe we should review my footage.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “What happened? Did you meet the Lizardman?”
“The what?” I raised an eyebrow.
“The cops wouldn’t come out because the Lizardman would eat them.” He smiled with contempt. “It’s the local urban legend."
“How sure are we that it’s a myth?” I forced out a laugh, but that sounded like exactly what I’d faced.
He winked, walking away with a booming laugh. “Talia’s already met the Lizardman, guys.”
The other professor laughed and the students followed suit. Every one of them thought it was a joke. Cause as a woman of science and nature, I’d never believe such a thing.
Right.
Shannon was the only one to glance at me with questions in her eyes. Then shrugged it off, knowing what I knew. The recordings would tell us everything.
But it was eating at me that Gale hadn’t taken me seriously. He hadn’t even asked more questions about what happened.
“Hey, Professor Gale. Thanks for your recommendation. You’re the best.” A student smiled at him.
Professor Carter stared at him with goo-goo eyes and a soft sigh, as if he was the best man she’d ever met. But his grin ate at something in me, he wasn’t in it to be altruistic. He was a dancing monkey.
I went over to the fire that had a pot of stew bubbling. One of the other male students was pouring himself a bowl. He smiled his cute boyish smile and offered it to me. “Hey.”
“Which team are you with?” I asked, even though I knew the answer.
He chuckled at my insinuation. “Easy there, Sassy. I’m just saying hey.”
I fought the smile that twitched on the edge of my lips.
“Come on. Give me a smile,” he begged with those big blue puppy dog eyes. “You know you want to.”
I managed to keep my lips under control, but I was certain he saw the amusement in my eyes.
He let out a big dramatic sigh, but his eyes danced playfully. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll say hey again when I see you in August.”
I accepted the bowl, turning to walk again. “I’ll allow it.”
Now that my back was turned, I allowed the smile I’d fought to take over, as I kept walking over to where Shannon set up our electronics station. I sat in the chair beside her, unhooked my camera, and plugged it in. “I don’t know what time it was.”
“I assume it was a few minutes before I realized you still weren’t behind me.” She rolled the tape fast forwarding.
Professor Gale came up with a deep frown on his face. “What the hell was that?”
“What was what?” I froze, spoon midway to my mouth.
“That little giggle fest with Drew.” The harshness in his eyes set off every instinct to run in my body, but he stepped too close, cutting off any potential escape.
I searched for a way out. “Drew?”
“The guy at the dinner pot, hitting on you,” Shannon whispered to fill me in.
“What about him?”
He leaned down, putting a hand on each arm of my chair. I half climbed back ready to plow through Shannon if I had to, so I could escape the sudden closeness. But he followed me, putting his lips to my ear. “Don’t forget, your scholarship is up for renewal in July, and I will be on the board.”
I attempted to lean closer to Shannon, but he grabbed my shoulder in a bruising grip. “Don’t do anything that might ruin your future, Talia. You’re so close to freedom. Be a good girl.”
Be my good girl. The ghost of a voice I couldn’t quite remember echoed in my mind. All I knew was that one of my foster fathers loved that phrase.
I wanted to snap, to tell him to fuck off. But he had me by the nuts, and he knew it.
With that, he stormed off without another word and disappeared into his tent.
I’d stayed single all through college because he became unhinged every time I so much as smiled at another man.
Did he really think I didn’t see through him?
That all his ‘kindness’ had strings that would require me to pay up sooner, rather than later.
I was surprised he hadn’t demanded payment yet.
I let out a shaky breath, and I hated how he’d gotten under my skin. Sometimes he was so good at hiding his true colors, that I forgot what he was. I swallowed the rage threatening to boil over. I’d worked hard to get where I was. I’d be damned if that fucker ruined it right at the finish line.
I tapped my foot, trying to get myself under control. Instead, thoughts of slapping Gale’s pretentious smirk right off his face filled my mind and bubbling anger burned in my chest.
I hated how everyone controlled me.
My nails dug into my legs through the fabric of my pants and my knuckles ached from the tension.
Would I ever be free from people who were entitled to me?
When would I finally be in a position to stop it?
When I got my doctorate? Or would it always be another thumb I was trapped under?
No. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.
A frown pulled at Shannon’s perfect lips. Suspicion filled her eyes, but instead of saying anything, she hit play. “This is where you dropped.”
Something about Shannon’s voice anchored me back to myself. It calmed me in a way it shouldn’t, but I guess Shannon had become a sense of normalcy for me over the years.
Even if she was a bitch.
I rewatched the horror of sliding through the water, preferring to watch that than think about Gale’s insinuations. Each turn I found myself jumping as if I was back in that tunnel again. I was lucky I survived.
I found myself excited with the notion that the creature would be revealed. I’d been so panicked earlier I hadn’t studied the specimen like I should have. This would give me a chance to study without a looming threat.
When the footage showed the basin, I pointed to the screen. “It’s a natural basin designed to prevent flooding out of the other exit.”
“It’s not natural. It’s too smooth. It’s been carved out,” she disagreed.
“There’s no way.”
“I’m willing to bet my extra blanket you’re wrong.” She smirked at me, but gasped when the nest came on the screen. I knew she would appreciate it as much as I did.
“It’s protecting that.”
A roar echoing far in the distance made goosebumps cover my skin. Was that him?
“Holy shit. It’s beautiful.” Her voice filled with wonder. She smiled and pointed to the various plants I’d overlooked. “Look at the herbs. They all have mood-boosting properties. Like someone putting themselves in a good mood.”
“Or the male.” I eyed the water nearby, waiting for something to signal he’d found me. “Some species of birds actually use it as a courting display.”
Curiosity brightened her face, making her even more gorgeous than normal. “To say look at how well I could provide for you?”
“Exactly.” I pointed to the protective wall around the nest. “The side wall is made with materials I’ve never seen used before.”
“What kind of bone is it?” She paused the video.
“Mostly alligators.”
“That’s the only true apex predator native to these swamps, right?” Her eyes grew wide.
I nodded. I hit the play button and gestured for her to put on her headphones. I knew she heard the roar when her eyebrows lifted.
The male made it, and I was a direct threat to the safe space he built for his mate. Fear oozed down my spine. He had my scent, and I wasn’t sure how far he’d go to dispatch a threat.
The footage continued, but as soon as I stepped out of the cavern and light hit the lens, everything turned into a kaleidoscope. “You’ve got to be fucking me.”
So much for my proof.
The stew turned to mush in my mouth.
I needed to see him again, even if it made my fingers tremble. I needed to confirm that it really happened. And it was gone.
“The camera took a beating. The daylight lens must have gotten smashed.” Her normal snarky tone took over. “You did alright, though.”
I sighed. “I got a camera on the nest.”
Knowing my luck, that wouldn’t pull up either.
She pulled up the application for our remote monitoring, and that feed was still rolling, but the nest was empty. Small Victories.
“Is it safe enough to go back?”
“We should wait a few days. I pissed off the male." But suddenly I wanted to go back, just so I could prove he was there.
She stood up, closing the laptop. “You did okay. Tomorrow we’ll do better.”
Then why did I feel so defeated?
My eyes went over to Gale’s tent and found him sitting out front with a book in his lap, but his eyes were locked on me.
At least the monster showed his teeth to everyone.