Maid for the South Pole

by Demelza Carlton

  She left without waiting for a reply.

  It wasn't until she was out of sight that he realised he hadn't gotten an answer to his question about her friend. Jean still couldn't remember where he'd seen the man before. If the man had been on reality TV, he couldn't be hard to find, so Jean grabbed his tablet and searched for the guy.

  Pictures of Audra's friend filled the screen. Jay Felix, the lead singer of Chaya. Fuck. Jean had watched the band play live once. They'd driven all the way down to Seattle when he was still at college. Good concert, too.

  So how did a young meteorologist come to be friends with one of the biggest rock stars in the world? No...not just friends. The man had asked her to marry him. She'd refused, but she hadn't left him alone like a normal person would. No, she still taunted him with the possibility that she might one day change her mind. She was leading the poor guy on.

  Dangerous, just like he'd thought. He'd started to warm up to her, but that stopped now. Jean didn't have time to be distracted by some seductress who played with men's hearts like she did with Jay's.

  She'd soon learn she was wasting her time with Jean. He'd show her he was a heartless bastard, immune to her charms, and then he'd escape to Heard Island. Like the Aussies said, no worries.

  TWENTY-SIX

  Audra took a deep breath. Now was not the time to tell them she'd never coached adults before – only children. And she'd never watched synchronised swimming at all until yesterday. Only the knowledge that Shelley hadn't danced competitively since high school and had never coached anyone kept her from backing out.

  They couldn't stay in the water for more than five minutes, so the routine had to be very short. These guys could learn something short in a week, if they practised every day. If they messed up, at least they'd have a good laugh about it. She'd promised to feature the Davis Dolphins, as they'd styled themselves, on her video channel.

  Audra surveyed the men lined up in front of her. All men. She cleared her throat. "Okay, because I've been told we're only allowed in the water for five minutes a day, we're going to have to practice this on land before taking it into the water. I've put together a really simple routine that we should all be able to do with only basic swimming skills. If you can float, submerge, and kick to the surface again, you should be fine. Is there anyone here who can't swim?"

  Eight heads shook. They were all Aussies, except for Jean. Bloody hell. Now she was even more nervous.

  "Good. Even more good news is that you can stay in your snow gear for the next few training sessions, as we'll be working in that snowfield." Audra pointed. "Okay, I want you to make a circle over there, and I'll show you the routine. Then I'll talk you through it so you can try it."

  Snow crunched beneath their boots as the group walked with her to the practice field. She shouldn't be so nervous, but she was. "Spread out so I don't kick you," she said, waving her arms.

  Audra took a deep breath and lay down in the snow. With all those men's faces peering down at her, she forced herself to describe the routine as she did it. When she got up, dusting snow off her clothes, she tried not to grin at the first snow angel she'd created. She had to look professional, not like a kid who wanted to build a snowman next.

  "Okay, your turn, gentlemen," she called. "Lie down in the snow, make sure you can see me, don't worry about anyone else, and let's go!"

  Who was she kidding? This was exactly like teaching swimming. Using half her body to demonstrate the moves while shouting the same thing over and over, interspersed with encouragement. With her arm in the air and one leg still waving around, Audra felt her body relax. This was easy.

  One of the men scrambled to his feet. "I can't do this. It's ridiculous." Jean stormed off.

  Bewildered, Audra stared after him. What had happened to starting over?

  Carl sat up. "He's right. This is ridiculous. So ridiculous it's going to be awesome. We could be the first synchronised swimming team in Antarctic history!"

  The other guys sat up, too, smiles slowly warming their faces as they nodded. "He's a wanker, Audra," said one of the guys she didn't know. "Don't listen to him."

  Audra blinked back tears. "I know. It's hard not to hear it, though, because he's my roommate. Wish he'd go to the bathroom and do it there instead."

  A roar of laughter erupted, and she felt better still. Yes, she could do this. Jean could go bugger himself.

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  Staring down at the woman lying in the snow, with her white jacket and hat framing her smiling face making her look like some sort of snow angel, Jean almost forgot yesterday's resolution not to think about Audra. The seven other men standing around shared his thoughts, he was sure of it. Why couldn't she have stayed angry at him, like she was yesterday? Today she looked sweet and cheerful and waiting to be kissed...

  "Your turn, gentlemen!" she sang out, springing to her feet.

  Wincing, Jean lay down in the snow. He hadn't made snow angels like this in years. And the moves really were pretty simple. It was basically the same sequence repeated three times, then a couple of extra circles with his arms and it was done.

  "Everyone got it?" Audra asked.

  Someone said no, so they ran through the whole thing again. Jean was proud to say he didn't make a single mistake.

  "Okay, now has everyone got it?" It seemed everyone had, so Audra continued: "I want you to close your eyes. I want you to imagine diving into the water at your favourite swimming spot. The beach, the pool – whatever you fancy – but don't make it too warm. The water's cool, so it'll be a little shock at first, but you'll quickly get used to it."

  Jean visualised the college pool in Vancouver where he used to swim laps every morning. He could almost smell the chlorine, amplified by the humidity in the air. No, that water hadn't been cold. They'd heated it all year round so he could swim lap after lap without freezing.

  A gust of wind blew across the station, bringing the smell of the icy sea to his nostrils. Ice. Salt. Cold water. He wasn't in a pool anymore. Instead, he was immersed in the Southern Ocean.

  Audra continued, "You're going to push through the water and surface..."

  Jean's head broke the surface and another gust of wind froze the water in his hair. He sucked in a desperate breath, then another, as he took stock of his surroundings. He was back in Atlas Cove, far from shore.

  "Remember to kick your legs," Audra said.

  Jean tried to kick, but his legs weren't responding, just as they hadn't at Heard Island. He was back in that nightmare again and this time he wouldn't survive. There was no Dairine to go home to. She didn't want him. He'd drown here and no one would care.

  No!

  Jean surged to his feet, breathing hard. "I can't do this. It's ridiculous." Before anyone could see the tears in his eyes, Jean hurried back to the station buildings. He knew he was limping, his legs stiffened by lying in the snow, but this time he didn't care. He headed for the men's bathroom in the SAM, which was empty at this time of day. He scrubbed at his face until all traces of tears were gone. He was ashamed of himself. What, was he afraid of water now? And swimming?

  He dried his face and stared hard at his reflection. He wanted to head back outside and apologise to Audra for disrupting her class like that, but what was he supposed to tell her? He couldn't say he'd developed a fear of water. She and the others would laugh their heads off.

  He was certain of one thing, though. He wouldn't be swimming with them in the lake, in case he freaked out like that again.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  By the time New Year's Eve rolled around, Audra was exhausted. She was also worried about how her synchronised swimmers would actually manage their routine in the water when they'd only practised it in the snow, but she dismissed that thought as soon as it surfaced. Their performance wasn't a reflection on her. And it didn't matter how good they were. Not to them. They were intent on making history. It was almost enough to tempt her to join them.

  "No, you can't," was Carl's response when s
he'd mentioned it. "We still need our coach, standing out of the water to remind us what to do, and you need to film it. My kids are waiting to watch this video. Besides, you've already made history all on your own. You're the first ever Antarctic swimming instructor, and synchronised swimming team coach. If anyone ever says it's impossible for a swimming teacher to work in Antarctica, we'll be able to point at your video and tell them that's bullshit, because you did it."

  Mollified, Audra resolved to keep her clothes on. It was hardly a hardship – the air temperature wasn't much above freezing, and the water was colder still.

  She and Shelley had agreed to let their groups perform as part of the evening's entertainment, before the bar opened and everyone could ring in the new year. Shelley's dancers went first, so everyone crowded into the LQ for what Shelley promised would be a fun performance.

  Where was Shelley? Audra surveyed the room. Everyone was there – even Jean, who'd been avoiding her all week. But she couldn't see Shelley.

  Laughter erupted by the entrance to the kitchen, and Audra raised her camera high to see over the crowd. When the dance troupe came into view, she couldn't help laughing, either. They were all clad in their thermal underwear and nothing else.

  The group lined up on the impromptu stage with the diminutive Shelley standing front and centre, dressed in a particularly fetching set of rainbow striped long johns and a matching top.

  Shelley struck a pose. "Hit it, DJ."

  Music blared through the speakers: Beyoncé's Single Ladies.

  Audra laughed so hard she was certain the camera footage would be too shaky to see when she checked it later, but how could a girl not laugh when a dozen well-built men pranced around onstage in their underwear? With her boss, no less.

  She had to admit, they'd be a hard act to beat, but even as the swim team clapped hard for their colleagues, they muttered to each other how it took more guts to perform in icy water instead of just their underwear.

  Once Shelley's dancers had finished, everyone trooped outside to find a good spot by the lake to watch. The swim team – who'd decided to call themselves the Davis Snowmen, because it was too bloody cold for dolphins down here – disappeared inside a sea container that now sat on their snowy practice field, acting as their temporary change room. Audra waited outside, camera in hand, worrying that Jean was right about this being a ridiculous idea. He wasn't in sight among the crowd. Audra squared her shoulders. If he wasn't here, he'd be the one missing out. Her boys were going to put on an awesome show, every bit as good as Shelley's dancers. Sure, they'd picked a Disney song and not a Beyoncé one, but where else but Antarctica could you have snowmen in summer? They'd even spent the morning building a row of snowmen along the lake shore between the sea container and the water.

  "Hey, Audra, can you get someone to turn on the music?" a muffled voice said from inside the sea container.

  Audra repeated the request and the PA system started playing the snowman's song about summer from the movie Frozen.

  The container door slammed open and seven men skipped out, wearing white shower caps with carrots on their heads and tighty whities below. Audra's jaw dropped. She didn't remember them mentioning this part of the performance.

  Carl winked at her. "Watch us win this for you, coach."

  They marched into the lake until they were waist deep, when they formed up and kicked off the routine they'd practised in the snow. She had to admit they weren't bad at all. They'd added their own little flourishes to make the audience laugh, so they got a rousing cheer as they hit the ninety-second mark and made their way up the shore to their change room. They all paused to pose in the doorway before the door clanged shut behind them at the end of the song.

  "Fuck, I'm freezing," Audra heard someone say from inside the container.

  "Oi, watch where you're putting that carrot!"

  She didn't think anyone else heard, as the watching crowd cheered and applauded before heading back inside for a drink.

  Soon, only Audra and Shelley stood beside the lake, waiting for the swim team to emerge.

  "They win, hands down," Shelley said. "Swimming in that frozen lake in their undies? That takes balls."

  "Yeah, I think I left mine in the lake," someone shouted from inside the container.

  "Do you think he meant...?" Shelley began.

  Both Audra and Shelley laughed.

  The men emerged, now dressed as heavily as the girls, and hotfooted it up to the LQ.

  "Save me some champagne!" Audra called as she and Shelley brought up the rear.

  Shelley watched them go. "I thought your roommate was supposed to be swimming with them."

  Audra winced. "He, um, backed out in the first training session."

  "Before or after they decided to dance in their undies to a Disney song?"

  "Before, actually. I wasn't in on the undies decision."

  Their boots crunched on the gravel for a few moments before Shelley said, "Did you hear the Investigator's due to arrive within the week? It could be as early as tomorrow."

  "Is that the survey vessel that's going to Heard Island?"

  Shelley nodded.

  "What about the South Pole expedition?"

  "We don't have a date for that one yet. The next two weeks really aren't favourable. At this rate, it might be February before we leave." Shelley kicked a stone off the path. "I have to send you to Heard. You know that, right? The Director wants you to install the weather station there. Even if it means you miss out on the South Pole."

  Audra sighed. "I know. And Heard Island has all that wildlife, like you said, which is what the video channel viewers want to see most. My most popular video so far is that one of Jen's seal. Though that might change when I post today's one."

  "Do you think you can handle it by yourself? I mean, you'll have a whole team out there with you, who you can ask for help if you need it, and once you get the satellite uplink working on the island, I'll only be a short call away. So will Kingston, if it comes down to it. But you'll be the only meteorologist, and their safety officer. Lives will depend on your daily forecasts, and the decisions you make."

  Audra managed a smile as she waved in the direction of the lake. "They survived all right. It's not like I haven't been forecasting for expeditions before, and Heard Island isn't as cold as Dome Argus. I should be fine."

  "Heard has its own dangers," Shelley insisted. "There's a reason we don't keep a permanent base there. The whole island is a volcano, too, though I don't know the last time it erupted. It might not be active any more. Have you asked your roommate about his accident there last time?"

  "No," Audra admitted. She hadn't asked him much at all, and she didn't intend to, but the expedition's safety was far more important than her personal feelings toward the man. She'd put everyone in danger if she didn't find out how to avoid a similar incident to the one that had given him his limp. "But I will."

  "Good." Shelley grinned. "Because I don't want to miss out on this South Pole expedition. It'll probably be my last, as I won't be returning after the summer's over. I miss my husband and my daughter, and I don't want to miss any more of her growing up. I might even want more children."

  Children. The furthest thing from Audra's mind right now, especially in relation to her future.

  "Then I'd better do a really good job at Heard, so they'll give me your job when I get back," Audra replied cheerfully, but the statement wasn't as flippant as she tried to make it sound. She would do an amazing job, she vowed, so she could win both the competition and a more permanent place out here.

  The swim team was just the start. If she really wanted to make her mark on the world, she'd need to do more than just make a few videos. She needed to do something truly remarkable. Unique. Newsworthy. She only wished she knew what.

  TWENTY-NINE

  Jean typed furiously, determined to finish these papers before the Investigator dropped him off at Heard Island for what could be his last ever expedition. What had happened last t
ime could happen again, and he might not survive. That meant leaving a research legacy behind to live on after him. He'd already sent the current version of his thesis to Louis, telling him that if he didn't get any new results from Heard Island, he wanted his supervisor to submit it for him. A posthumous PhD was better than none at all.

  It wasn't that he wanted to die. No way. Jean wanted to live and discover and have a long, prosperous career after his PhD. He was just being practical, that's all. That stupid swimming class had brought back his nightmares with a vengeance, and now he was about to set foot on that cursed island again, the nightmares seemed all too real.

  He didn't waste time socialising with the crew aboard this ship. They were just his ride to Heard Island, where he'd be working alone for weeks until they returned to pick him up. He had enough supplies to last six weeks, though he only expected to be there four at most.

  Someone pounded on the metal hatch to his cabin. "Hey, Pennant. We're approaching Heard now. ETA 1600."

  Jean checked his computer. He had two hours, then. "Fine." He skimmed through what he'd written. It would have to do. He emailed the draft papers to Louis, telling him he'd be out of communication range for four to six weeks.

  In a matter of hours, he'd be preparing to count penguins. Jean grinned. He packed his laptop and the few items that weren't already stowed, and carried his bags up on deck. Some of the crew had already started to bring his gear out of the hold, so he helped them, glad of the extra time he'd put in at the station gym at Davis. His mind might be weak enough to let the nightmares in, but his body was strong enough to fight off almost anything.

  The mountain came into view first – cloud-topped Big Ben, white with snow and glaciers so that it looked like a mirage among the clouds. He knew better, though. Big Ben's old lava tubes had nearly been his undoing.