Slowly, she picked up the infochip and inserted it into the monitor. She had to admit, as the initial images loaded onto the screen, there was more excitement starting to bubble up than trepidation. No matter what else was going on, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. She had to admit with a wry smirk to herself that she never would have had this opportunity if she had not been in the circumstances she was in. At least not for an extremely long time. Researchers were sometimes granted limited access to the area, but only after a long and distinguished career. Her seeing the place on her own would have been after decades of research, and then only if she were outstanding and lucky.
It didn’t take long for her to become engrossed in the information. It seemed there was an excellent reason the area was limited access only: some of the planet’s rarest and most dangerous animals were in that part of the world. She could tell as she browsed through the section on fauna that it was likely a poacher’s paradise. The thought brought up a wave of old anger.
She had initially decided to go into ecology partially because of the way she felt so much calmer in the middle of forested areas. The other significant reason was that there were many ways the children she went to school with had tormented her in her first year on Aril. Yet, no torment was worse than when they found out what she did when she went out on her own. When they discovered she liked being in the woods and wasn’t afraid of the animals, it was just one more piece of fuel to add to their fire. None of the other people at her school acted that way.
It wasn’t long at all until things started happening, small at first. She would find pictures of fur coats and such in her personal spaces. That didn’t bother her much, since she knew they were only doing it to get on her nerves, and she wasn’t interested in playing their games. However, the morning a small group of boys was huddled near her locker, things changed.
When she first saw them, she was more irritated than scared or angry. However, as she approached and they noticed her, two of them grabbed her and forced her to the center of the small circle up against the bank of lockers. Everyone had already vanished, and moments later, classes started. They were alone in the halls of the school.
She had started to yell at them to leave her alone, but before she could even get the words out, one of them covered her mouth with something that kept her from making any sound, almost covering her nose as well. She began to panic. As she was focused on fighting to get away from the two that held her, another stepped in front of her. Something about his eyes and how he held his hands out in front of himself forced her to focus instead on what he was holding, and finally, on the words he was saying.
“—killed it for a coat I was thinking of making, but my mother says the fur isn’t even good enough for that. I say it would look just fine on a reject like you. What do you say, boys?” She had been looking at the tiny rabbit he held in his hands the whole time he spoke. Its poor head had been twisted almost all the way around, and she could tell there was no more life in its limp little body.
That was going too far. She wanted to vomit and almost did, but when he started to reach toward her with the lifeless body like he was going to drape it around her neck, something snapped. She couldn’t free her arms to stop him, but her legs were free. She kicked out as hard as she could. She wasn’t aiming for anything, but she was more than satisfied when her shin connected solidly with the offending boy’s groin.
He dropped like a stone, and the surprise of the boys around her allowed her just enough leeway to free herself from their grasp. She started running and spit out the rag they had jammed in her face, but her freedom didn’t last long. A couple of them grabbed her before she had managed more than a few steps, and none were happy. Luckily for her, she had lost the gag and could scream before they started showing her just how unhappy they were.
It didn’t take long for an adult to show up after she had screamed to break things up. She had only endured a few slaps and a single punch to the stomach. However, emotionally, she was shaken. She was scared, yes, but she was also livid. There was absolutely no reason for what they had done—not to her, but to the rabbit. She at least could try to defend herself.
The school’s administration officials decided that the level of cruelty and spite in the boys’ actions was so extreme that they were all suspended for the rest of the school year. For Avila, it wasn’t enough. Not that she wanted them to be punished more, but she knew their actions, in part at least, were only a portion of a bigger problem that she felt needed to be addressed.
No one at school bothered her after that. They had all heard what happened. It wasn’t like she was made out to be the hero, but she had stood up to them. She had fought back. Not to mention that if anyone did happen to catch her gaze during those days, they saw a fire burning in them that was disturbing even for some adults.
She started crusading, for lack of a better word. She would write letter after letter or start petitions for more humane treatment of animals in captivity across all businesses. Even if few people signed them, she hoped she was starting to raise awareness. At least her actions had garnered enough attention that zoos across the planet were forced to take measures to publicly show their facilities did not harm the animals. Some even went so far as to expand their pens to better mimic natural habitats. It didn’t get the animals released, but it was a start.
She knew people wouldn’t stop wearing furs or eating meat, and she didn’t expect them to. However, there had to be better ways to handle the animals while still alive and cleaner, less painful ways to kill them. There had to be a compromise somewhere.
In addition to petitions, she would organize rallies, both in school and out. She even managed to get a bill before the king asking that some urban areas be used as nature preserves. That last idea was one of her most successful. Even though few people thought about it, it was why there were so many parks in the center of most sizable cities across the globe that now boasted wildlife that could be seen regularly.
Thinking about the parks brought her back to the current moment. She’d always wanted to make a difference. To try and help those that didn’t have a voice of their own and had no way of helping themselves. Still, even though she knew she would be the envy of every ecologist, zoologist, and biologist, she had absolutely no idea what to do with the experience, or where her life might go from there. What was the point of her finishing her degree? It wasn’t like she had a choice in her career any longer.
The thought made a bitter feeling well up, but it also made her wonder—did Galdren think he needed an ecologist? It didn’t seem likely, especially since he hadn’t known she was the outdoors type. Then again, she guessed some were all labs and no fieldwork, so it might not be that far-fetched. If he thought she could give him advice on farming, then he would be sorely disappointed. While her studies did cover that, it was not her focus. She was studying to go into something that could help preserve endangered species. Preferably with one of the reserves, but there were several options.
Something told her that he’d meant it when he said that he didn’t have some grand scheme for her, so she couldn’t figure out why he was bothering with helping her finish her studies. Not that she was complaining, but it did make her wonder.
She realized she was getting tired, so she must have been sitting in front of the monitor for far longer than she thought. She got up to look out the window and noticed that her dinner tray was sitting on her small table, waiting for her. She had been so absorbed in what she was doing that she had not even heard Olva come in or leave.
She went to the tray and found that the food was cold. She ate a little anyway since she knew she needed to, even if she didn’t have much of an appetite. The last thing she wanted was to have an upset housekeeper watching her eat every bite because she didn’t think she was eating enough. Somehow, she could picture Olva doing just that.
She went to bed after that. She was apprehensive again si
nce she had been having such trouble sleeping. However, she found she was so emotionally drained from the last several days that despite her fear of another sleepless night, it wasn’t long until sleep claimed her.
―
Thursday morning Avila felt surprisingly refreshed and looking forward to the day ahead of her. Not that she didn’t still feel the sadness that seemed to have made a home somewhere inside her, but the anticipation of what the day’s lessons were going to cover was more than enough to keep her thoughts occupied and her mood somewhat lifted.
She was up and ready and waiting before the professor got there. She even had a smile for him when he came in.
His return smile looked relieved. “Good morning, Avila. I see you are ready to get started this morning.”
“I have thoroughly gone through all the information on that infochip, and I’m looking forward to the lessons today.” Professor Gilbert raised an eyebrow at her statement. Avila couldn’t help but notice, and while she couldn’t quite bring herself to laugh at him, she did smile before replying to his unspoken question. “Yes, I was up late each night; later than I expected to be, but it was well worth it. I found out a lot of fascinating things.”
“Well then, let’s get started. I have managed to put together a bit about the geography for that area and the climate and how the local flora and fauna have adapted to the more extreme changes, especially in the winter. Now I know your focus will be on the wildlife, so I have devoted the entire afternoon to studying several of the more researched species in the territory and briefly touching on a few of the others. How does that sound to you?” Avila had forgotten she could get so excited about anything. The thought of going over all of it with someone who would know not only what pertinent details to point out but how to answer her questions was a special treat for her. It was even better that it would be with someone who could honestly share in the beauty of it all.
She had found that Professor Gilbert was a kindred spirit in many ways. When she’d brought her passions with her from senior school to the university, he was always the first to encourage her never to lose faith and remind her she was doing wonderful things. “Professor, I am so glad I have you here to go over all this. I don’t think it would be right any other way.”
Her words were clearly unexpected, and the older man cleared his throat before responding, “Avila, it has always been an honor and privilege to teach you.” He then looked away as he said, “Now, let’s get this started.”
The morning’s lessons were as absorbing as Avila had thought they would be, and she had been right to think she would need to make sure she had the warmest clothes she could find before Saturday. The preserve was in a mountainous region of the world and, as such, was at a higher altitude than the capital where she had spent most of her life. Not to mention, it was also farther north. While autumn was just setting in nicely here and the winter that followed would be cold but not too biting, winter’s beginnings might already be starting in that region. At the very least, fall would be over.
The afternoon’s lessons brought her into more familiar territory. Some of the animals the professor talked about were on the endangered species list; some because of hunters of old, and now from the dangers of poachers.
She was already familiar with many of the animals and the threats to them from her work as an activist petitioning and organizing rallies. The people she’d met while working on the bill had taught her of the dangers that came with creating preserves—specifically about the people who don’t care about what happens as long as they get what they want. She became familiar with the animals they hunted most and what their usual tricks were. She was never directly involved in any of the specifics with creating the preserves—they were assigned teams who would create and populate the preserves and, most importantly, protect them—but she made sure she always kept an eye on what was done. It was almost as though she were watching a child grow up.
When the lesson ended, although her mood was not wholly bleak, Avila was not looking forward to a night alone. Although, the prospect of looking through the information again was promising. It might at least keep her distracted.
9. Renewed Friendship
Before the professor left, he came and sat down next to Avila at the table. “You are an accomplished young woman, driven and capable of doing so much. Please do not let anything get in the way of that.” He meant it as a way of reassuring her that she could still do whatever she wanted. However, the horrified look on her face made him realize she must have been thinking he meant she should leave if she wished, which was not at all the case. “Avila, I’m trying to say I know you will still have plenty of opportunities, and this coming weekend is just the first of many extraordinary opportunities that will be available to you.”
Her face changed again when he said that, and he could see the spark in her eyes wink out like a cloud was passing over her face. “Professor, I have been thinking about the preserves in the city. I have not been able to see any reports on them since I came here. Unless you count the antics of the squirrels outside my window.” She said the last with a passing attempt at a smile, but it didn’t last long. “I am guessing things are still running as smoothly as ever?”
While her question was off topic, he let it slide. Especially since it reminded him of a memory that he thought would be good to share. “Yes, they are going as smooth as ever. You know, that was one of the best ideas anyone in this line of work has come up with. So many people enjoy them, myself included. I really have to thank you.” At that, she blushed. He knew she never expected thanks from anyone for what she did; she often said she was just satisfied to know that people were happy and the animals were safe.
He knew his compliment would throw her. It was in her nature not to expect it, so before she could try to stammer out some sort of response, he continued, “I don’t know if anyone ever told you or not, but the reason Araleen Royal Park and the few others like it are in existence today is that more than a hundred years ago, the royal family saw the same need. They set that aside for the same reasons and continue to maintain it. It isn’t just private hunting grounds, as some believe. It is still exactly what it always has been. Now, that being said, when your proposition was placed in front of the whole royal family, they all fell in love with the idea. They couldn’t set aside more land to keep away from people; there are just too many people. Still, they thought if they could give the populace small glimpses of why the large parks are necessary and give the animals safe havens, it would be a win-win.”
Again, Avila only stared at him. He could tell she had not been expecting that either, but he wasn’t finished. Despite her silence, he knew she was ready to hear the last part of what he had to say. “When they found out the bill was set forth by a girl still in senior school, it made no difference to the king’s decision at all. However, I can tell you this: the prince was impressed. He could not believe that a girl even younger than him had the drive and intelligence to put together something like that, so he did a little research. When he found out about your activist history and all the changes your work prompted, he was even more amazed. He wanted to meet you then to find out what kind of person could do what you did and still be in school, but he had to leave soon after. I honestly don’t think he has connected yet that you and she are the same person.”
“You’re right, Fredrick. I had not.” That simple statement almost made both of them fall out of the chairs they had been sitting in. Since they had both been positioned with their backs to the door and quite engrossed in the conversation, neither had seen nor heard the prince walk in. Nor had they expected him to, since he had already said he would not be back until the following day.
―
They both stood, but as Avila took a few steps toward Galdren, she found that her mouth was dry and her heart was beating funnily. She didn’t understand it, but it might have had something to do with the way he was staring at
her like there was no one else in the room.
Neither Galdren nor Avila caught more than passing movement as the professor grabbed his things. When he had everything gathered up, he said his goodbyes, but they both barely heard him as he slipped out the door.
Several moments later, Galdren and Avila were still standing there, looking at each other. He kept staring as if he wasn’t sure exactly who she was, and she had no idea what to say to him. Finally, she had to break the silence. “You said you wouldn’t be back until tomorrow.” It was the thing that kept popping into her head, so of course, it was the first thing that popped out of her mouth.
It worked to break the tension of his stare. He smiled at her and shook his head. “I had some time, so I thought I would stop by. Please sit down; I have a feeling we need to talk.” He walked up to her and motioned to the chairs across the room with one hand. She could tell he was careful not to touch her, though.
She obliged him and walked across the room to sit. He sat across from her. The pattern of those motions was getting to be so familiar to her, but at times, times like these, it felt like there was a skip, and something was off. It was probably because she was anxious, of course. She knew he had to have overheard enough of the conversation to have realized what they were talking about, or else he would not have said what he did or been staring at her that way. Still, she wondered how much he had overheard.
Before she could get too worried about it, he started talking, and she soon had more than enough in the way of answers. “Avila, let me start off by saying Professor Gilbert was right about a lot of things, first being those preserves are one of the best gifts to the people we have been able to give, and I too am happy and thankful to have them.” To hear the gratitude coming from Galdren was almost more than she could bear. Her entire face had to be glowing with the blush she felt; she had a hard enough time accepting praise when she heard it from the professor. That is when it struck her—if he’d heard that part of the conversation, then he heard all of it and had stood there and said nothing until the end.
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