Page 7 of Broken Bonds

To my relief, she lets it go.

“I’m actually here to study a unique type of hoatzin that was recently discovered. There’s a large nesting area near here where I can observe them.”

She here to study birds. That’s a bit ironic. I get the strange feeling that there’s more that she’s not actually telling me. I can’t really put my finger on why I have that suspicion, but something about her has suddenly grown guarded. Almost defensive, as if she’s waiting to throw me off her scent as quickly as I threw her off mine.

I won’t lie, that makes me incredibly curious about her work, but I’m not going to pry. It’d be rather hypocritical of me to insist she reveal more about her research when I want to keep information about mine secret from her. If I don’t dig into her stuff, it’s more likely she won’t dig into mine.

“Well, sounds neat,” I sigh, turning for the door. “I’ll show you the dorms. You can choose whichever one you want.”

There’s a split second where she doesn’t follow me, but I pretend not to notice. Soon enough, I hear her light footsteps behind me as I make my way out of the greenhouse.

As much as I hate to admit it, I’m not completely annoyed by Samantha’s presence. She’s intelligent and inquisitive, and even her bubbly personality doesn’t irritate me. She has secrets, though, and that appeals to my scientifically inclined mind. When I know something is hidden away, just waiting for someone with the right tools and knowledge to find it, I can’t help but want to get in on the hunt.

Samantha’s secrets are a far more tempting prize than I would’ve anticipated, but I know I can’t go digging for them. I have to resist the urge to know more. I have to resist her.

There’s a tingling feeling of doubt in the back of my mind, however, that’s warning me resisting her might be quite a bit harder than I think.

Samantha

As I unpack my things and get settled in my room, I can’t get Dr. Pyrrhos off my mind. Charlie was right, he’s a strange man. But he’s also fascinating, and, dare I say, very easy on the eyes. Tall, blonde, and with the most intensely blue gaze I’ve ever seen, Dr. Pyrrhos is a hunk. I don’t really know what I was expecting, but based on Charlie’s description of his character, I think a bridge troll would have surprised me less than a hot nerd.

He’s definitely rough around the edges, I can’t deny that, but I probably would be too if I’d been living basically on my own in the middle of Antarctica for as long as he has. He probably just needs a friend. Someone who can see past his grumpy exterior to the lonely soul beneath crying out for some kind of connection.

That settles it. I’m going to make him like me. I’m going to become friends with Dr. Pyrrhos, whether he likes it or not.

I finish unpacking my stuff and consider laying down to take a nap. My body is wiped, but honestly, my mind is so wired I doubt I’d be able to actually fall asleep. I need a little more time to get used to everything, and then maybe I’ll calm down enough that I can rest. A little exploring might just do the trick.

Decided, I cross the small room to the door and open it so I can step out into the common space. There are three other rooms nearly identical to mine, but of course, only one is currently occupied. And, of course, Dr. Pyrrhos isn’t there. It’s still the middle of the day for him. I wonder if he’s in his lab?

It didn’t escape my notice how quickly he dodged my question about his research. What had he even said? Energy distribution among living organisms? It does explain the plants, but not Antarctica. He quickly turned the conversation back onto me – classic move – and I’d decided just to roll with it.

After all, I don’t really want him to find out about my research quite yet, either. What I’m working on is highly classified and a little crazy, and I’ve got the government contract and funding to prove it. Who knows what might happen if I open my mouth and spill the beans? The CIA might come propelling down through the roof to cart my ass off to an undisclosed location for the rest of my life.

I shiver, as there’s a little bit too much truth in that joke.

Shaking my head, I move out of the dormitory area and head in the direction of the labs. I think. To be honest, for such a small place, navigating it is kind of confusing. I try to remember where everything that Dr. Pyrrhos showed me is, but I still passed through the kitchen twice before I remember where the labs and the greenhouse are.

I stop into the empty lab first and feel a thrill rush through me. The space is small, but it appears well-equipped with the essentials and is neat and clean. I’m going to make so many breakthroughs in this place, I can just feel it! I run my hand along the long metal worktable in the middle of the room and try to imagine what it’ll feel like if I’m actually successful with my work.

It’ll be groundbreaking.

Literally life-changing.

The phantom twinge I feel in my thigh is a constant reminder of what I’m working for. For myself, and countless others like me.

I take a breath and step away from the table, nearly overwhelmed with the emotion and gravity of it all. Whatever happens is going to happen in this laboratory. If I succeed or if I fail, I’m going to do so right in this room.

It’s terrifying and exhilarating all at once.

Shaking out my arms, I realize that being in here is not helping me relax in the least, so I retreat back out into the common space. Right across from me is Dr. Pyrrhos’ lab. The door is closed, which doesn’t surprise me in the least, but I can hear noises from the other side. Loud, clanging noises, punctuated by the occasional shouted curse. What in the world is he doing in there?

Curious, I step up to the door and for a wild moment, consider opening it just to catch him unprepared. That wouldn’t be very nice of me, though, so I resist. Instead, I notice an intercom box hanging next to the door.

Pushing the talk button, I say, “Dr. Pyrrhos? Hello?”

I wait for him to respond. Enough time passes that I think he’s just going to blatantly ignore me, but then to my delight, the intercom buzzes and his voice carries through to me.

“I’m rather busy at the moment, Dr. Reyes. Is there something you need?”

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