“Did they die because the vines died?” Lizzie asked, pushing her curls off her forehead. “And how are we going to clean this up?”
One of the officers put his hand on Lizzie’s shoulder. “You won’t need to. Your landlord should have insurance—he can have a company come in.”
She sighed in relief. “Oh, that’s true. Thanks.”
Nicole shut the door of the apartment, and they all walked to the lobby of the building. The girls thanked the cops again, then sat on the steps to wait for Sam to return.
Denise joined them and put an arm around Nicole’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry this has happened. I feel just awful. I mean, I’d heard about people going missing and I know a few dead bodies have been found in the area . . . but I never thought the cause behind all of it was planted in my own front yard.”
She paused for a moment, then looked at Nicole. “You look exhausted. Why don’t you two come up to my place and get some rest?”
The girls met eyes. “That sounds wonderful,” Nicole said, and Lizzie nodded her agreement.
With the expedition starting in less than three hours, Nicole would need all the rest she could get.
Chapter Nine
At eight o’clock, Nicole met the expedition group outside the museum. They would be carpooling to the airport. Even though the drive was only thirty minutes or so long, Nicole was hoping to get in a little more shut-eye.
It seemed like everyone else also wanted more sleep. They were tired and grumpy. No one said anything as they waited for Coolidge to arrive.
Ten minutes after eight, two cars pulled up. One was Coolidge’s. The other was driven by a brunette, who, when she stepped out, gave Nicole a glance of triumph.
Judith Ann.
Nicole held a groan inside. She tried not to smile when Sylvia actually did groan.
“I thought she wasn’t coming,” Sylvia said to Jason, who was leaning against the museum wall, eyes shut.
Jason shrugged. “Coolidge couldn’t find another undergrad who passed the tests satisfactorily.”
Sylvia folded her arms. “Makes me wonder what sort of strings she pulled to get included.”
Nicole frowned, glad that at least she had passed legitimately.
Coolidge finished pulling his luggage from his trunk and started giving out last-minute instructions.
He assigned Sylvia, Nicole, and Jason to the same car. They would also be sitting next to each other on both flights. Nicole was glad when Judith Ann was assigned to a different car. Sadly, it was Austin’s, but that couldn’t be helped. He’d either fall for Judith Ann’s annoying personality or he wouldn’t, and Nicole had no control over the situation. Even knowing that, though, didn’t stop her heart from aching just a little.
***
Seven hours and two flights later, with Nicole fitfully sleeping while in the air, they touched down at the small airport in Moab, Utah. It was sunny and hot—a welcome break from near-constant rain. Nicole had learned to appreciate Seattle’s beauty, but had seriously missed seeing the sun on a regular basis.
She raised her face now, enjoying the warmth that melted through her skin to her muscles. Every ounce of her body heated up, and suddenly she felt more alive than she had in days.
Coolidge signed off on the Jeeps and met the drivers, then they headed to the motel and unpacked in their designated rooms.
Later that day, the group from Armitage University would arrive. In the meantime, Nicole took a walk down Main Street, immediately falling in love with the city and its tourist attractions.
***
Right after they’d met with the people from Armitage, Coolidge took Nicole aside.
“The professor who was bringing the air-conditioned shed pulled out at the last minute. Fortunately, Judith Ann’s father has access to the same type of equipment and is trusting her and us with it. I’ve already talked to her, and she’s willing to allow you to store and practice your cello there.”
Nicole tried her hardest not to let her dismay show. She’d be in debt to Judith Ann, of all people. If she’d known this would happen, she wouldn’t have brought her cello. At least now she understood why Judith Ann had been chosen.
Coolidge must’ve sensed her frustration. “I know it’s not the best situation, given her previous interactions with you, but it’s the only thing we could do on short notice.”
“Why did the professor back out?”
Coolidge frowned. “He felt the expedition would be too dangerous.”
Too dangerous? Nicole was beginning to wonder why she didn’t sense the danger.
Just then, Judith Ann pranced up. “Coolidge has informed you of the arrangements? You’ll be given an extra key and can use the shed, but only as long as you promise not to touch anything. It’s very expensive equipment, and I doubt you could afford to replace it if something gets damaged.”
Nicole glared at Judith Ann, deciding not to bring up the fact that her parents could probably afford to buy triple sets of the equipment. She wasn’t the type to flaunt their wealth, unlike Judith Ann.
The girl sauntered off and linked arms with Austin. Nicole turned away, refusing to listen as she bragged to him about all the places she’d lived with her ever-important father.
The next day, everyone was separated into groups of three. Nicole wasn’t surprised to be assigned to Sylvia and Jason again—that seemed to be a trend Coolidge would probably follow for a while, and she eventually figured out why. They were his most powerful students and evened out Nicole’s inexperience.
Their object was to follow the magical pulses, measure them, and compare their findings with the other groups at the end of the day. Based on what the groups found, Coolidge and his colleague, Professor Howard, would determine where to start digging.
As luck would have it, Nicole’s group didn’t find anything. That was fine, though, since the area they’d been assigned to had several beautiful arches in it, and they spent the day exploring.
Occasionally, Jason or Sylvia would sense something, but most of the time, Nicole couldn’t feel any of the pulses. It disappointed her, but didn’t surprise her.
Late in the afternoon, they hiked back to their Jeep and returned to the hotel for showers and a dinner with the others. Coolidge and Stan Howard—the professor from Armitage—spent several minutes discussing the results of the day before presenting their decision to the group.
Howard was a portly man of probably sixty years of age who sported his gray hair proudly. It curled past his shoulders, and he had a frizzy white beard to boot. At first, Nicole called him Santa Claus in her mind until she heard him address the group. His gruff personality and mannerisms definitely did not match Santa’s warm joviality.
Howard now relayed their decision. They’d be setting up camp just outside of an old pioneer homestead. It was far enough away from the motel that they wouldn’t be able to come back most of the time, so they’d have to let their rooms go.
That evening, while Sylvia was out for a walk, Nicole called Lizzie.
“How’s Arches so far?” Lizzie asked.
“Beautiful. I got some fantastic pictures.” Nicole curled up on her bed. “You doing okay?”
“Pretty good. It’s really nice not having spiders in the apartment anymore.”
“I’ll bet. I’m almost envious I can’t enjoy the place until I get back.”
“Are you still planning to wait to talk to your mom?”
Nicole nodded. “Yes. I’m too mad to do anything about it yet. I don’t believe she wanted to hurt us—it had to be that old woman—but something is going on.”
“Oh, totally.” Lizzie paused. “So, how are things with Austin?”
Nicole waved her hand, rolling over. “Fine. I haven’t really seen him—I’m beginning to think that night with him in Coolidge’s kitchen didn’t mean as much as I’d thought it did.”
Lizzie made a sympathetic sound.
“Besides,” Nicole continued, “Jason isn’t too bad-looking. And
he’s a lot more approachable than Austin. He and Sylvia were talking a lot about relationships today. Apparently, his ex moved to Denver and he still hasn’t found someone else.”
“Is he hot?”
Nicole rolled her eyes. “Only you, Lizzie, only you.”
“What? Attraction is important.”
“Yes, he’s cute.”
“I didn’t ask if he was cute, I asked if he was—”
“Oh, hey, Sylvia’s coming. Gotta go.”
Nicole ended the phone call and pretended to be texting when Sylvia entered the room. Had she heard any of Nicole’s conversation? Nicole hoped not—that would be embarrassing.
***
The next day was another scorching one. Instead of wandering and exploring, though, they left the motel and drove all of the Jeeps out to the old pioneer log cabin.
The first thing Nicole noticed as they neared the cabin were the magical pulses. They weren’t constant, but occasionally, a really strong one would wash over her, making her heart skip a beat. It was disconcerting.
As the group started setting up camp, Nicole was surprised to find that Sylvia was right—the guys all treated Nicole like she was some sort of prissy princess. At first, instead of allowing her to help, they had her carry the small things. It didn’t offend Nicole—she couldn’t blame them, especially after seeing how Judith Ann acted upon arriving.
At first, Judith Ann grabbed an oversized camp chair, unfolded it, and flopped into it, a Diet Coke in one hand. She bossed Austin around, having him move and set up her dad’s things. When someone complained that she wasn’t helping, she joined the others and whined about having to carry a half-empty duffle bag, saying it was too heavy. Nicole rolled her eyes, stepped around the girl, and grabbed the bag. It hardly weighed twenty-five pounds.
Nicole carried it over to where Jason pointed, feeling Judith Ann’s glare on her back.
“At least we’ve found something for you to do, haven’t we?” Judith Ann said.
Nicole raised an eyebrow and stared at Judith Ann until the girl looked away. She refrained from verbalizing her thoughts, knowing that anything she said would only make things worse. Judith Ann was the prissy one, and it wouldn’t take long for the others to figure that out.
Instead of waiting for someone to tell her what to do, Nicole grabbed a tent—a dark green one made of heavy-duty canvas—and tossed it over a shoulder, then dropped it where Coolidge indicated it should go.
“It’s a difficult one to set up,” Coolidge said. “Let me know if you need any help.”
Nicole nodded, grateful that Coolidge was giving her a chance to prove herself. She unfolded the tent, staked it, and set it up. She could feel Austin’s eyes on her, but ignored him and the others, pausing only once to redo her ponytail when her hair started coming loose. Good thing her father loved the outdoors—she knew her way around pretty much any kind of camping equipment.
Pretty soon, all the tents were set up and people were hauling stuff into them. Once Judith Ann’s items had been put in the huge, air-conditioned storage shed, she gave Nicole the go-ahead to put her cello and music in there. Nicole did so, making sure to pick a place where her things were least likely to get bumped. She stared at the equipment filling the shed, not recognizing anything.
The shed was actually two put together. The front room would be left empty until tests were to be conducted. They’d pull equipment to that section as needed. For the time being, that’s where Nicole would practice.
Nicole headed back to the Jeep to get her things. Unfortunately, her luck where Judith Ann was concerned really had run dry. They were assigned to the same tent, along with Sylvia and a red-headed girl from Armitage named Camille.
Not surprisingly, Judith Ann insisted on having the spot farthest from the tent door, and even demanded that everyone’s sleeping bags face the same direction, parallel to the front of the tent. Sylvia and Nicole looked at each other. Nicole held back her eye roll, and Sylvia mumbled something under her breath. Camille, probably in an attempt to ease the awkward situation, volunteered to be nearest the door. Nicole didn’t envy her—it would end up being the dirtiest part of the tent, no matter how careful the girls were to remove their shoes before entering.
Sylvia and Nicole set up their sleeping bags in the middle and quickly exited, joining the others near the portable kitchen area. Nicole unfolded a camp chair and slumped into it. She drained a bottle of water in seconds, wiping the sweat off her forehead.
“Oh, Nicole,” Judith Ann called, exiting the shed. “Come here—let me show you how this is to be locked up.”
Nicole joined the brunette and watched as she turned a key in the padlock. She held back a retort—she already knew how to lock things.
“Don’t forget to secure both doors,” Judith Ann said.
Nicole didn’t respond—she knew Judith Ann was trying to annoy her. Instead, she merely took the key, secured it to the others in her pocket, and returned to her camp chair.
She slid down until she could rest her head on the back of the chair, then opened a new bottle of water. Coolidge had decided not to start digging into the well until the day after, allowing everyone to have a relaxing evening. They’d definitely earned it—setting up camp had taken several hours.
Nicole still didn’t feel comfortable being there—she was so different from the others, who were confident in their abilities. She’d been surprised that no one showed off their powers. So far, they all acted like normal people.
Nicole glanced at Austin every now and then. He was reading on his phone, ignoring the chatter that surrounded him. Judith Ann had returned to her own camp chair and was flipping through a magazine.
Nicole studied those who’d come. Howard had brought more undergrads than Coolidge, and she wondered why. Maybe it was because he didn’t have enough talented master’s or doctorate students. Or was it because Coolidge felt the trip was going to be dangerous, and Howard was openly disagreeing with him?
Nicole shut her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the setting sun on her face. The other campers continued talking, but Judith Ann quickly became the loudest. Nicole did her best to tune the girl out, but was unsuccessful. After twenty minutes of hearing the girl bragging about the latest house her parents had purchased, Nicole got up, deciding it was time to check out the air conditioning in the storage shed.
She let herself in and latched the doors behind her, switching on the hanging lantern. The coolness inside gave her goose bumps.
Nicole unlocked the other set of doors and retrieved her cello. Rather than setting up the stand and getting her music, she decided to play from memory. Starting tomorrow, she’d practice the stuff for symphony . . . and perhaps try to coax out a bit more magic. But for now, she was content to play whatever called to her heart.
Nicole closed her eyes, letting the melodies wash over her, flooding the shed, her fingers moving of their own will. The music transported her to locations around the world. To the deserts in Africa, the marshes in the Southern States, the freezing rains of Northern Canada along with the heat of Israel. Not for the first time, she was grateful that her parents loved traveling.
After she’d fully warmed up, she started adding her own sounds to the compositions of other musicians, making them fuller, more complete.
Two hours later, Nicole let the last note ring and slumped in her chair, resting her head against the cello’s scroll. She was glad Coolidge had agreed to let her bring her instrument. It was her only true friend here—she wouldn’t feel alone as long as she had it to play.
She took a deep breath and put her cello away, locked the first set of doors, turned off the lantern, then locked the outer doors.
Playing always put her in her own world, and at first, Nicole didn’t notice that everyone was staring at her. When she did, though, she felt her cheeks redden.
“That was some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard,” Professor Howard called to her. “I look forward to hearing more of it.”
Nicole nodded, tucking some hair behind her ear. “Thanks. I, uh . . .” She cleared her throat. “Thanks.” She retreated to her tent, wanting to get out of sight, but her heart swelled with happiness. She was used to getting attention when she played, but for some reason, having these people appreciate her music felt like a huge accomplishment.
Once inside, Nicole turned on her satellite phone. She didn’t want to have to ask to charge it in the Jeeps very often, so to save the battery, she’d be keeping it off. Every evening, she would call Lizzie, and Lizzie would keep her family and friends updated.
Nicole exited the tent and walked away from the campsite until she had a clear signal.
“We’re all set up now,” she said once Lizzie had answered. “Going to start digging into the well.”
“Uh . . . You’re digging a well?” Lizzie asked.
Nicole chuckled. “Not really—we’re widening an existing one. It looks like it’s had some foot traffic recently, and they lowered someone down into it today. It opens into a cavern.”
“Cool. Anything interesting happen yet?”
Nicole shook her head. “Nope. But I can tell why they chose this area—the pulses are really strong here. It gets distracting sometimes.”
They talked about members of Nicole’s group for a couple of minutes, then Lizzie sighed loudly.
“I’d better let you go now. I miss you! How much battery do you have left?”
Nicole checked. “A couple hours’ worth. Once I get to know people here, I’ll be able to charge it in one of the cars, but for now, I don’t want to bother anyone.”
“Understandable.”
They ended the conversation. Nicole slipped the phone into her pocket and stared out across the desert. It was a beautiful night, and the stars were magnificent. She breathed deeply, the smell of dust and sage brush and a little bit of chicken still cooking back at the campsite rushing into her nose.
Nicole raised a hand to tuck her hair behind her ear and jumped when something scurried across her wrist. She gasped.
Discern (Mosaic Chronicles Book 1) Page 16