Melt

by Robbi McCoy

  Jordan laughed. “It’s obvious.” She got up to take the boiling water off the stove.

  “I am in love with her,” Pippa admitted, sounding reluctant to say it out loud. “What do you think about that?”

  “Pippa, it’s none of my business. If Kelly has said something that makes you think there’s anything between us now—”

  “She hasn’t said anything at all. I just wondered because of how she used to feel, if maybe she still had feelings for you. Or maybe you do.”

  The last thing Jordan wanted was to be involved in a love triangle, even if only in the mind of one young woman. “You have nothing to worry about,” she assured Pippa. “Not from me. It’s possible I will never even see Kelly again. Our paths crossed here by accident in a purely professional capacity. She outgrew her infatuation with me years ago. And whatever affection I had for her back then was entirely platonic. She’s all yours, Pippa.”

  The girl smiled with relief. Jordan turned back to the counter and put tea bags in two mugs and poured hot water over them. She brought the tea to the table.

  “Is that what you came to talk to me about?” she asked.

  “Oh, no!” Pippa bounced in her chair, suddenly full of excitement. “It’s about the cave I fell into. I was hoping you could help. I think it might have some archaeological value.”

  “Really? I understood it was just a rock fall type of thing. Never inhabited. Do you want sugar?”

  “No, thank you. It wasn’t permanently inhabited, but I think somebody used it as a temporary shelter.”

  “What’s there? A firepit? Tools or something?” Jordan took her chair.

  Pippa shook her head. “Better than that.” She leaned forward and whispered, “There’s a body.”

  Jordan stared into Pippa’s earnest face. “Is it possible you want the police instead of an archaeologist?”

  Pippa snorted a laugh. “It’s a very ancient body. The thing is, it’s so amazing to get DNA samples from that time period. I mean, there might even be hair, and you know how valuable that would be.”

  “What time period?”

  “Fourteenth century. A Viking body from the fourteenth century.”

  Jordan took a sip from her mug before asking, “What did you see in that cave, Pippa? Did you actually see a body?”

  Pippa leaned back into her chair. “Not exactly. I don’t really want to draw conclusions. A professional should do the excavation.”

  “Excavation? So these remains are buried?”

  “Right. There’s a rock cairn. I think they’re under it. Like a burial mound. And an epitaph scratched into the wall above it. You know that wouldn’t be an Inuit grave.”

  “Because of the epitaph, you mean.”

  “Yes. The Inuit don’t write epitaphs because of the name souls. They don’t want to fix the name to a person who’s dead. They use the name again so it keeps living.”

  “I’ve heard of that. The cemetery over by the airport, for instance, has blank crosses marking the graves. But that hardly qualifies as evidence that there’s a Viking body buried there. Why do you conclude that?”

  Pippa looked evasive. “I can’t say. When the excavation is finished…”

  “But, Pippa, to get an archaeological team out here is a big deal. You have to give us a reason. Who’s going to send a team all the way out here on the strength of your hunch?”

  “But if I’m right, if a body of one of the Norse settlers could be found, it could open up all sorts of research possibilities. I mean, how often does that happen?”

  “It’s extremely rare,” Jordan agreed. “Most of them seemed to have just vanished. Obviously, if there is a Viking body in that cave, scientists would be seriously interested.” Jordan observed her silently, debating the merits of her request.

  “Please,” Pippa begged. “I know it sounds crazy, but it would mean so much to me.”

  Jordan set her mug on the table. “I know an archaeologist working on Disko Island. Dr. Salvatore Lund from UCLA. We used to work together. Maybe he would take a look. If he thought it was a valuable site, he would be able to inform the right people and get something going. Would that work for you?”

  Pippa smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

  “I’ll give him a call,” Jordan said, “and see if he can find some time to come over.”

  “Mange tak!” Pippa blurted, jumping to her feet. She hugged Jordan impetuously.

  Just then, the sound of laughter drifted down to them from the east.

  “That’ll be my team,” Jordan said. “Let me call Dr. Lund before it slips my mind.”

  “I really appreciate your help.”

  Brian, Julie, Sonja and Malik came hiking into view, followed by Atka. Brian waved and Jordan returned the gesture, then went to her tent to call Dr. Lund. It’s probably nothing, she would tell him. A young girl’s romantic imagination gone wild. But she felt the need to show Pippa she had no ill will toward her, that what she had said about Kelly was true, that there was nothing between them, no residual feelings. It wasn’t entirely true, but Jordan was accustomed to this sort of subterfuge. Burying the truth about her emotions when they might lead to pain or ridicule was her usual strategy. There was no harm in it, she reasoned, because she would never act on those emotions. Pippa had no reason to know that Jordan was attracted to Kelly. Pippa would never know that, nor would anyone else.

  As long as they still call me the Ice Queen, she thought with a smile, I know I’m pulling it off. That nickname, whispered behind her back, was supposed to be an insult. She didn’t mind, because along with the intended slur about her lack of tenderness was an implied respect.

  So there was not much chance, in this universe, that she would have poured out her heart to Pippa. And if she had, she wondered, what would her heart have said? Her heart had been silent for so long. It may have forgotten how to speak. And that’s the way she wanted it, she reminded herself.

  * * *

  Pippa recognized Malik as soon as he arrived in the kitchen, despite his new haircut and the amazing tattoo on his head. He greeted her in Greenlandic, asking how she was, and she told him his hair was awesome. They were in the midst of their conversation when Sonja walked up and slung her arm around Malik’s shoulders. “English, people!” she commanded.

  Malik laughed. “Pippa and I are practically neighbors, but I haven’t seen her in a few years.”

  “Hi, Pippa,” Sonja greeted her. “Small town, sure, everybody knows everybody.”

  Malik nodded and went to get a soda.

  Sonja grabbed an energy bar off the counter. She wore a flannel shirt open over a tight-fitting T-shirt. She removed her sunglasses and propped them on top of her head. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m fine now.”

  “Well, you look good.” Sonja winked at her before unwrapping her snack.

  Pippa got instantly hot in the face, suddenly remembering that Sonja was a lesbian. Malik came by again, popped the top of his soda can and said, “Watch out for this one.” He jerked his head toward Sonja. “She is a dangerous woman.” He smiled and walked away.

  Sonja frowned disapprovingly. “Bullshit!” She took a bite of her snack. “Where’s Kelly?”

  “Why does everyone keep asking me that?” Pippa complained.

  “Hey, don’t get sore. It’s just that every time I’ve seen you, she’s been there too.”

  “Not today,” Pippa stated flatly. “She’s just a friend of mine, you know, not my conjoined twin.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Sonja took a bite off her energy bar, then stared at Pippa, chewing methodically, one hip thrust out, letting her gaze meander unapologetically down the length of Pippa’s body. “What’re you doing here?”

  “I came to see Jordan.” Pippa was nervous but also excited at the idea that a lesbian was checking her out.

  Sonja was actually nice looking, she thought, with her spiky blonde hair and hazel eyes. Her face was round and girlish with a pouty-sexy mouth.

&
nbsp; “What’d you want with Jordan?” she asked with her mouth full.

  “Just a science question.”

  “You like science?”

  “I love science!”

  “What’s your thing?” Sonja took another bite.

  “Genetics. Biophysics. Paleomorphology. Anything to do with evolutionary history, really.”

  Sonja nodded appreciatively. “So you’re a little brainiac. What about fossils? You like those?”

  Pippa nodded. “Love ’em.”

  “I found one last week. Wanna see it?”

  “Sure.”

  “Come on. It’s in my tent.” Sonja led the way to the blue and orange dome, unzipped the flap and ducked through.

  Pippa followed. Inside was a cot and sleeping bag, a couple of boxes and some canvas bags. There was a battery-powered lantern on an upturned box for reading. Sonja popped the last of her energy bar into her mouth, wadded up the wrapper and tossed it toward a paper bag serving as a trash can. She missed. Pippa scooped it up and dropped it in.

  “Have a seat,” Sonja said, indicating the cot.

  Pippa sat while Sonja dug through a duffel bag for a wad of newspaper. Then she came over and sat on the cot so close to Pippa that their thighs pressed against one another. Sonja unwrapped the newspaper to reveal a gray oval rock. She handed it to Pippa, who took it in both hands, recognizing immediately the clear black impression of a trilobite.

  “It’s amazing!” she pronounced, running her index finger over its well-defined ridges. “A nice one!”

  “It is a nice one. Who would have thought there’d be trilobites in Greenland?”

  “Is it Cambrian? Greenland was near the equator then and had tropical forests.”

  “Brian thinks it’s Ordovician. He’s more of a fossil geek than I am.”

  “Where did you find it?”

  “About five miles up. According to Jordan’s records, that spot was covered with ice just a few years ago. As the ice melts, I guess there will be a lot of things uncovered that haven’t been seen for millions of years.”

  “Yeah, like the ice mummies.”

  “The what?” Sonja wrinkled up her nose.

  “The ice mummies they found a few years ago. Inuits frozen under the ice for centuries. The ice melted and there they were. All dried up, but still with patches of clothing and hair and everything. They’re in the national museum. You should go see them.”

  “No, thank you! I have no interest in looking at freeze-dried humans. Rocks, inorganic stuff, that’s my thing. Not mummies or zombies or shrunken heads.”

  Pippa snorted and handed the rock back. “That’s really cool.”

  Sonja wrapped the newspaper around it and placed it on the box next to the lantern. Then she turned back to Pippa and smiled at her. “You’re cute. A cute little imp.”

  “Thanks,” Pippa replied, embarrassed. “You’re a lesbian, aren’t you?”

  Sonja laughed. “Yes. What about you? Are you into girls?”

  “I would be, if there were any girls to get into.”

  Sonja’s eyes widened suddenly as her lips curled into a smirk and Pippa realized what she’d just said.

  “That came out wrong,” she quickly blurted.

  “I don’t know. I think it came out unexpectedly right.” Sonja tilted her head, looking curious. “So there’s a shortage of lesbians around these parts?”

  “A regular drought. Not a one in sight. Other than Kelly, but she’s just visiting. Not that it would matter. She wouldn’t be interested anyway.”

  “Really? Why not?”

  “She thinks I’m too young.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Eighteen.”

  “Then you’re not too young. Eighteen’s legal.”

  “Not here.”

  “No?”

  “Legal is fourteen here.”

  Sonja’s eyes widened. “No shit?”

  “No shit.”

  “Hmm.” Sonja tilted her head, gazing thoughtfully at Pippa. “I don’t know how it’s possible that Kelly isn’t interested in you. You’re the cutest thing I’ve seen since I got here. I think you’re the bomb, little mama.”

  Pippa giggled, glancing sideways at Sonja. “For reals?”

  Sonja nodded, leaning closer. “In fact, I think you’re irresistible.”

  “Wow! Nobody’s ever said anything like that to me before.”

  “Then it’s about time they did. I don’t know what Kelly’s problem is and I don’t care. You’re a little hottie. I mean, just look at that beautiful complexion.” Sonja touched her fingers to Pippa’s cheek. “And those incredible eyes. And those lips, so soft and sexy and…” Sonja’s fingers moved to her lips and ran lightly over them before her hand slipped to the back of her neck and she leaned in for a kiss. It was soft and gentle and thrilling.

  “Ummm,” Sonja murmured, pulling back. “Did you like that?”

  Pippa gulped, staring into Sonja’s eyes. She was so overwhelmed with wonder, she couldn’t speak, so she simply nodded.

  “Me too.”

  Pippa closed her eyes as Sonja kissed her again. Sonja’s arm tightened around her and her mouth became more ardent. Pippa returned her kiss awkwardly, overjoyed that a woman was interested in her at last. She let her body mold itself against the soft curves of Sonja’s. They continued kissing, Sonja coaxing Pippa’s mouth to follow her lead until it felt more natural. They sat side by side on the cot kissing for several minutes until Pippa began to understand the rhythm of their mouths and felt the fluttery feelings deep inside that she felt when watching love scenes in movies.

  Sonja leaned into her, pushing her back gently on the cot, then lay on top of her. She kissed her neck, then sucked her earlobe and licked the outer curves of her ear, her breath hot and moist on sensitive nerves that seemed to connect to all parts of Pippa’s body.

  “I’m going to make you feel so good,” Sonja whispered.

  Pippa lay stiffly, flat on her back. “I don’t know what to do,” she squeaked.

  “You don’t have to do anything. Just relax. Let your body do what it wants to. Your body knows what to do.”

  Sonja ran her hand slowly across Pippa’s clothed body, over her thighs and chest. She kissed her again, probing with her tongue. Pippa was at a loss. What was she supposed to do? She recalled passages from books and thought she was supposed to breathe hard, maybe moan and thrash about. But if she was to do what Sonja said, to let her body do what it wanted to do, it would remain scared stiff, immobile and silent. She began to panic and her limbs started to tremble. She had no idea what Sonja would do to her, she realized. Not that she hadn’t read things. But there were some things she’d read about that she’d rather not do. A lot of things, in fact, and she was beginning to think Sonja intended to do them all.

  Pippa attempted to sit up, saying, “I think I should go.”

  Sonja leaned more heavily on her, pushing her back down. “No, no, no,” she said softly. “Don’t be scared. I’m not going to hurt you. I’ll be very gentle with you. This is what you’ve wanted for a long time, isn’t it? A woman to make love to you.”

  “Uh-huh,” Pippa agreed uncertainly.

  “Of course you have.” Sonja took hold of her hand and pressed it against the thin T-shirt over her chest. “Well, I’m a woman and I want to make love to you.”

  Sonja kissed her mouth deeply, rousing her body into a state of excitement. Where her hand still lay against Sonja’s breast, she felt the firm lump of a nipple through the cotton T-shirt. She squeezed tentatively, then allowed her fingers to move over the soft curves, mesmerized by the sensation and the sound of Sonja’s murmur of pleasure.

  Sonja’s body moving over hers felt so good it was scary. She wanted to stop, but she couldn’t…until she felt Sonja’s hand on the bare skin of her stomach, sliding upward toward her bra. She jumped, startled, and lurched away with an involuntary cry of alarm.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Sonja.

  Pippa
shook her head, embarrassed. “I don’t think I’m ready for this,” she said, her knees bent up between them and clamped tightly together. “I…I’m sorry.”

  Sonja eyed her over her knees, looking seriously displeased. After a moment of silent contemplation, she sighed and moved aside. “Get out of here, you little squirt,” she said in exasperation.

  * * *

  Jordan was on her way to the clothesline to hang up her towel when she saw Pippa half crawl, half hop out of Sonja’s tent and take off running toward the fjord like a jackrabbit.

  “Pippa!” she hollered, bringing the girl to a sudden and total stop.

  She approached her, observing her state of breathlessness and the wild-eyed look of a hunted animal.

  “I didn’t know you were still here.”

  “Just leaving.”

  “Are you okay?”

  Pippa nodded vigorously.

  “What were you doing in Sonja’s tent?”

  Pippa’s eyes widened even more. “She wanted to show me a trilobite fossil.”

  “Uh-huh.” Jordan inspected her wordlessly, waiting to see if she would volunteer anything more, but she stood mute and resolute like a soldier at attention. Jordan decided not to press her any further, for it was obvious there was more to it than a fossil, and she was clearly embarrassed.

  Pippa still stood stiffly, looking like she was expecting a dressing down.

  “Dr. Lund has agreed to come look at your cave,” Jordan informed her.

  The girl visibly relaxed. “Awesome!”

  “I’ll let you know exactly when.”

  Once she understood they were finished, Pippa took off at a sprint to the dock. In a few minutes, her boat was speeding away.

  Jordan strode purposefully to Sonja’s tent. She entered without announcing herself, startling Sonja where she lay on her cot reading a magazine.

  “Jordan!” She put down the magazine and sat up.

  “What did you do to that girl?”

  “Pippa? Why? What did she say I did?”

  “No games!”

  Sonja swung her legs over the edge of the cot, recovering her defiance. “Whatever I did, it’s a private matter between me and Pippa.”

  “My God!” Jordan fumed. “Are you really that depraved?”