Iris's Guardian (White Tigers of Brigantia Book 2)

by Lisa Daniels

  He was looking at her expectantly, and Serenity realized that he had asked her something. She tried to smile, “Sorry, could you please repeat that?”

  Professor Cedrus frowned a little. “Are you feeling alright?” The look of concern was obvious on his face, but she was accustomed to that by now. Instead of feeling flattered that he cared, Serenity began to notice details about his appearance. His sandy blond hair was cut relatively short and was very neat. He looked to be roughly as tall as she was and in good shape without being big. As soon as she started really looking at him through her exhausted mind, Serenity realized that her professor was quite attractive.

  Probably for the best that we didn’t get friendly then. That’s a distraction I don’t need right now.

  He was again looking at her, and she realized that she had missed what he said.

  “I’m really sorry, I think I need to get home and get some sleep.”

  “Be careful.” He slung his bag over his shoulder and headed for the door.

  “Oh, I do have a question, Professor.” He stopped and looked at her as she pulled her book bag over her left shoulder and settled it on her back. “You said that the highest grade was a B-. Was that mine?”

  He gave her a look and his mouth twitched. Looking to make sure that no one else was around, Professor Cedrus turned to look at her. “No, that was someone else. I figured saying that someone had B+ work on the first day of class would create the kind of atmosphere that you hated at MIT.”

  “Oh.” Serenity looked at him. “I didn’t realize that I complained about that.”

  His smile widened, “You didn’t really. It just came across in your desire to leave. The things you didn’t say were a lot louder than the things you did say.”

  Uncertain how to take that, Serenity bit her lip. “Well, thank you.”

  “No problem. The people here are great, but resentment is universal, even here.”

  Serenity couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Yeah, the people here are so different than what I am used to, but they also seem far more guarded.”

  He seemed to study her face for a moment. “Sounds like you are having trouble acclimating to the people here. I know what you mean – they tend to be friendly and aloof at the same time. If you would like, there is a group going up to do some whitewater rafting in a couple of weeks. Here–” He reached into his bag and pulled out a notebook. “Give her a call,” he scribbled as he spoke. “She’s coordinating the effort, and I think you will find it really enjoyable.”

  Serenity took the slip of paper and stared at it. The handwriting was incredibly neat, and she began to think the man might be perfect. “Thank you, Professor.”

  His smile was gorgeous. “And here I was concerned that you would turn it down. I think you will be just fine. See you in a few days.” He adjusted his bag as the professor of the next class entered the room. Serenity nodded at him as the woman began talking to him. Professor Cedrus smiled at her before turning his attention to the other professor. It was clear to Serenity that the woman was trying to hit on Professor Cedrus, and he was not interested. Still, she admired just how kind he was in answering questions and not shutting down the entire thing like Serenity would have done.

  Kind to a fault. Bet he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. She smiled as she walked into the hallway and headed for the exit. Looking at the number on the paper, she pulled out her wallet. Slipping it into the back fold, Serenity made a mental note to call the person coordinating the trip when she woke.

  Chapter 3

  A Quick Call and an Unexpected Meeting

  Serenity woke after a two-hour nap feeling a lot better and knowing that she would suffer for it later. Glad that she didn’t have any classes the next day, Serenity got up and started getting ready to head back to campus. She didn’t have any other classes that day, but it was the perfect opportunity to get supplies and try to find some clubs to join. Granted, programmers weren’t known for being outgoing, which meant she would probably be hanging out with people who didn’t understand what she did. This was fine since they would be interested in being outside. At least if she focused on clubs that did outdoor activities, she would be able to find people with other similar interests.

  Suddenly she remembered the phone number in her wallet. If that worked out, she wouldn’t need to look for clubs, at least not today. With two days before her next class, there was plenty of time to hang out on campus and get what she needed for classes. Instead of heading to the campus, she decided to head toward the nearby trail. As she opened the door, Serenity was about to get her wallet out when she realized that she would rather wait until she had finished with the worst of the uphill portion before calling. It would be embarrassing to be panting into the phone, and would give the woman the wrong idea.

  A while later, Serenity pulled out her wallet and found the slip of paper. Dialing the number, she realized that she wasn’t quite sure how to go about asking the woman about joining them. She didn’t know much about the trip apart from the fact that they were going whitewater rafting.

  The phone was ringing when Serenity stepped outside.

  A man answered the phone, “Cora’s phone.” Serenity could hear a woman in the background. “Silas, give my phone back!”

  “Um, I was given this number by Professor Cedrus.”

  “Oh, really? And just what did he think Cora could do for you? She’s not exactly a scholar–”

  Serenity could hear scuffling, then a woman’s voice came through, “Sorry about that. This idiot doesn’t understand boundaries. Anyway, I have to admit, it’s strange that Alaric would give you my number. How can I help you?”

  “Oh, um,” Serenity was wondering if maybe the trip was not meant to be for outsiders. It certainly didn’t sound like they were expecting to have others join them. “He, um, he said that you guys are going whitewater rafting and–”

  “Is he planning on joining us now? Are you his girlfriend? Oh, that is so–”

  “No, no, no, no. I’m just a student in his class. Just transferred here from–” Serenity suddenly cut herself off. Saying that she was at MIT would probably be considered bragging. Immediately shifting her ideas, Serenity continued, “from the east coast.”

  “Oh, you are one of his charity cases, huh?” The woman did not sound derisive, even if her words sounded like she was being condescending. “Well, it’s good to hear that he’s at least taking it a little more seriously, even if he is avoiding actually participating.”

  “Wait, is he not planning on going?”

  There was a pause. “Ah, you aren’t disappointed, are you? He hasn’t joined us since our first outing, and even then he basically ditched us in the beginning. I don’t think he’s a fan of being outside. You know his type, tech geeks who can’t seem to put down their toys long enough to enjoy the outdoors.”

  “Uh,” Serenity wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that considering that was pretty much how people usually viewed her until they got to know her better. Giving a weak laugh, she thought it might be best to bow out. “Well, I just thought that I would see if you guys were wanting more to join, but if you guys already have it planned–”

  “Oh, don’t tell me you don’t want to go if he isn’t going. You aren’t one of his love-struck students, are you?”

  “What? No! I–”

  “Oh good. If you’ll text me your email, I’ll send along the details of the trip.”

  The guy with Cora spoke up, “What about we meet up tonight?”

  “Oh, that’s a great idea!” Cora’s voice was a little too loud for how close her mouth was to the phone. “How about it? Would you like to meet up tonight and we can discuss everything? It will make it easier to get a feel for your experience level and build up some trust. With some of these guys, that will be better than trying to get accustomed to their thick heads while going down the rapids.”

  Serenity was having a difficult time imagining just how a trip out with these people would
go. They certainly seemed high energy, but the way they talked about each other left her feeling a little bit uneasy. “I’ll have to–”

  Suddenly she heard the guy speaking into the phone as Cora protested in the background. “Hey, Silas again. Please say you will come. We could really use a little more new blood on these expeditions. “

  “Um, okay, sure. I think I should have time to make it tonight.”

  “Fantastic! We’ll meet up at this little diner downtown. I’ll buy your dinner, as a way of saying thank you for joining us.”

  Again the voice on the other end switched to Cora. “Seriously, stop that, Silas. You are such a pain in the ass.”

  His voice was a little muffled. “What? I got her to say yes.”

  “Oh, really? Really?” Cora’s voice was louder the second time.

  “Yes, I’ll come tonight. Homework can wait, right?”

  “Homework can burn in hell where it belongs.” Cora’s voice was emphatic as she responded. As if a switch had been flipped, she sounded chipper again when she answered, “This is great! We are really excited to have you. I’ll try to get everyone together and we will see you there at 5:30.”

  “Where is there?” Serenity asked before Cora could hang up.

  “Oh, right, I’ll text you the name of the place and directions to get there. Ciao.” With that, the line clicked.

  Serenity pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at it for a moment, wondering just what she had gotten herself into by following through with her professor’s recommendation.

  “Well, Professor Cedrus hasn’t steered me wrong yet.”

  She was again startled by a man’s voice. “And exactly how long have you known him that you can trust the man?”

  Serenity looked over and felt a sense of déjà vu as she saw the same figure looking out over the same spot. The only difference was that the sun was higher in the sky. Just when she had forgotten about all of this, she was faced with having to talk to the guy again.

  “I don’t see why it matters to you.” Serenity didn’t even bother to look at him as she responded and tried to keep going.

  The man’s voice was impossible to ignore as she continued up the path. “He’s not what he seems. If you are doing this to impress him, you are just wasting your time.”

  “What?” Serenity spun on her heel and looked at the man. “Why would I want to impress him?”

  The guy was staring at the scenery. “Because most of his students want to impress him.”

  “Who said I was one of his students?” She tried to sound confident because she really did not like the man’s tone.

  The guy finally turned, and she thought she saw pity in his eyes. “Only his students call him Professor Cedrus.”

  Cursing herself for not having realized her mistake, Serenity tried to get the upper hand. “Maybe you shouldn’t be listening in on other people.”

  The amused smile on his face annoyed her, but Serenity couldn’t help but be drawn in to his cool nonchalance and easy way of expressing himself. “Maybe you should learn how to internalize your thoughts. There are plenty of people who would start to make assumptions about you being so vocal about your internal thoughts.”

  Her eyes narrowed at the implication. “I am not crazy.”

  To her surprise, the man laughed. “I don’t think people would make that assumption. More like they would question your ability to think if you have to hear your thoughts to understand them. It’s kind of like explaining things to a child.”

  “Are you saying I’m stupid?”

  “Why exactly are you being so defensive? I’m just giving you advice.”

  “Some advice. Everything out of your mouth sounds a lot more like criticism than advice.”

  The man paused and looked at her for a moment. The sudden sound of The X-Files theme song rang out. The man slipped his hand in his pocket. “Excuse me.” He turned his back on her as he answered his phone, “What now?”

  Serenity immediately turned and stalked away from the man, her mind spinning through numerous insults she would like to have hurled at him. Pulling her headphones out, she shoved them in her ears and kept walking.

  Her anger subsided after a while as Serenity explored a new path. It led her up to a point that overlooked a large valley. In the background she could see Mount Rainier and on the other end of the valley Mount Baker peeked out. It was beautiful and made her feel at peace. After the last 24 hours, she was glad for the sense of relaxation and clam. Sitting down, she began to meditate. It was only as she began to clear her mind that Serenity realized she hadn’t done this since her arrival in Deep River. Perhaps that was why things were bothering her so much. Usually she had a better grip on her emotions, but she had not really been acting like herself for the last day or so.

  Time passed, but she did not pay any attention to it. All that mattered at the moment was recentering herself. It was going to be a very long school year if she started it off feeling off-kilter.

  At one point during her meditation, a sound from the bracken caught her attention. Turning her head to the side, Serenity tried to find what was making the noise. She had heard that there were cougars in the woods, and bears. It seemed unlikely that they would be this close to the town. Right? Suddenly a squirrel burst out from the bracken and shot up a tree, screeching as it went. Placing a hand on her chest, Serenity smiled and closed her eyes. She would periodically hear rustling, but the noises did not quite penetrate her thoughts as she escaped into herself.

  When she finally felt better, Serenity rose and looked out over the landscape. “It really is breathtaking up here. I can’t imagine moving somewhere that didn’t offer–” Suddenly she cut off her verbal thinking. Without thinking about it, she looked around, half expecting to see the man she had encountered earlier. Giving a sigh of relief, she put the headphones in her ears and started down the path. As long as she was listening to music, she wouldn’t talk to herself. Even if she did, she wouldn’t hear his response. Not a bad form of defense. It certainly worked back home.

  Serenity was making her way down the trail when her phone buzzed. Frowning, she pulled it out of her pocket. There on her screen was the name of a place. Her frown deepened until she realized that she was supposed to be meeting up with the group going whitewater rafting. Her eyes shifted to the time. She only had about 15 minutes until she was supposed to be there. Picking up her pace, Serenity was almost running down the trail.

  When she reached the place where she had encountered the mystery man twice, she slowed down. She did not want to trip and fall in front of him, giving him one more thing to criticize her for. Her feelings were mixed when she looked to the side and saw that the man wasn’t in his usual spot. Automatically, Serenity began looking around, half expecting to see the man smirking at her with some quip to belittle her. When she didn’t see him anywhere, the woman began to jog down the trail. Obviously she wasn’t going to be on time, but at least she could be only five or ten minutes late.

  Not the best impression to make. As she thought that, Serenity thought back to the conversation that she had had with the two people who were going. Somehow, she didn’t think that it would be that much of a faux pas to be late for the impromptu get-together. It’s not like there had been much time to prepare. Once she reached the bottom of the trail, she pulled out her phone again and texted them that she would be a little late. She apologized for not having texted earlier, then explained that she was somewhere with bad reception.

  Seconds later a text arrived.

  “Quite alright.”

  “We are still a couple short, so you are fine.”

  “Oh, nope, make that one other short. Someone else just arrived.”

  “See you soon!”

  Serenity smiled at the texts. Something about Cora reminded her of her friend, Eva, although Eva was a bit more reserved around people she didn’t know.

  I would prefer to not be the last one there, she thought as she began jogging again. She c
ould slow down when she got a bit closer, that way she wouldn’t be too out of breath. After taking some time to really get it together, Serenity was feeling slightly excited about the meeting. With any luck, I won’t have to spend a lot of time trying to get to know people in my classes. I didn’t move here to spend time inside.

  Smiling that things might be about to get more interesting, Serenity turned down the street to the diner.

  Chapter 4

  A Lively Gathering

  It was only when she opened the door to the diner that Serenity realized she was lacking basic information to figure out who she was meeting. There had been no descriptions of people or what they were wearing. Looking around, she had no idea which one of the several groups was the one she was supposed to be meeting. She stood there looking around, wondering if she should text Cora.

  “You must be our newest member.” A woman with platinum blonde hair in a very cute pixie cut walked up to her. “Hi! I’m Cora.”

  Serenity took her outstretched hand. “Serenity. Thanks for setting this up on such short notice. I feel guilty.”

  Cora laughed, her musical voice echoing around them. Serenity noticed that several people turned to look at her, mostly men, and Serenity recognized the look they were giving Cora. If she had to guess, at least half of the men in the diner were in love with the girl. A sincere smile spread across her face. Suddenly Serenity felt very comfortable with the beautiful woman in front of her. Finally, she would not be attracting a lot of attention because there was someone else far more desirable than her. Unlike Serenity, Cora did not seem to realize just how pretty she was. At about five foot one inch tall, Cora was a small package with a lot of energy. Exactly the kind of thing that would make a guy want to protect her. Right?

  “Wow, look at you!” Cora had stepped back and was looking Serenity up and down. “So tall and thin. I bet people ask you if you are a model all the time. So jealous!”