Dr. Wells’s voice snapped her out of her daydream and back to the task at hand. She bent down to pick up her duffel bag. Letting out a loud groan, she managed to lift it mere inches off the ground.
“Need some help?” Russ had come over, his own bag slung over his shoulder. He seemed shy, his brown eyes not quite looking into hers. Nervously he pushed back the straight dark brown bangs that kept falling into his eyes.
“Oh, no, thanks. I—well, on second thought, I guess I need all the help I can get.”
He’d already grabbed hold of her bag. “Wow. This is pretty heavy. What’ve you got in here?”
“I wasn’t sure what to pack,” Cassie replied apologetically. Picking up her sleeping bag, she fell into step with him as he crossed the parking lot. “Even though I crammed everything I could think of into that bag, I’m sure it’ll turn out I brought all the wrong stuff.”
“You’re Cassie, right?” Russ smiled shyly. “I’m Russ Corcoran.”
“I know. I remember your name from the planning meeting.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask you ... aren’t your parents on the faculty at Mountainville?”
She cast him a wary look. “That’s right. My father, Lawrence Davis, is in the anthropology department. My mom, Virginia Davis, is in political science.”
“It must be interesting, having parents who are college professors.”
“Right now, I wish they were anything
but
college professors. The fact that a million years ago my father served on some stupid admissions committee with Dr. Wells is the whole reason I’m here in the first place.”
“You mean this wasn’t your idea?”
Cassie shook her head. “I don’t know the first thing about science. And tromping off to the wilds of Alaska is probably my last choice in the entire universe of how to spend my summer vacation.” Her voice had become strained, and her eyes were suddenly shiny and wet. “If I had my choice—”
She never finished. They’d reached the van, and Dr. Wells came over to help load their bags.
“I think that just about does it,” he announced. “All we’re missing now is Mariah.”
A few minutes passed before a lone figure appeared, leisurely rounding the corner of the Life Sciences building. The tall, thin young woman ambling toward them was wearing a brand-new pair of tight-fitting jeans, a purple suede jacket, and fashionable brown leather boots with chunky heels. Her nearly waist-length black hair surrounded her face like a veil, setting off her remarkably delicate features. Over her shoulder was slung a backpack, and in one hand she held a nylon sleeping bag. Both the pack and the sleeping bag looked brand-new, as if they’d been delivered by L. L. Bean just the day before.
“We’re going to the airport in
that?”
Mariah cried by way of a greeting. Dropping her baggage onto the ground, she placed her hands on her hips. “You’ve
got
to be kidding.”
Trip poked his head out of the van long enough to cast her a scathing look. “Glad you could make it, Mariah. I hope our early departure didn’t interrupt your beauty sleep.”
“I’m amazed you can be so witty before you’ve had your cornflakes,” she shot back with an arrogant toss of her head. Her pale hazel eyes, gleaming with disdain, rested on Trip for a few seconds before she looked away.
“You’re late, Mariah,” Dr. Wells said firmly. “When I said I planned to leave promptly at seven, I meant it. It’s already seven-twenty.”
“Sorry.”
“Throw your gear into the back and climb in,” Dr. Wells instructed, ignoring her insolent tone. “We’ve got a plane to catch.”
“These vans are incredibly comfortable,” Laurel said to Mariah as everyone got settled in the van. Trip, who claimed to be an expert at maneuvering the congested roads around the airport, sat in front with Dr. Wells, playing navigator. Laurel and Cassie were in the first set of backseats, with Russ and Mariah right behind. Dwight was in the back corner. “There’s plenty of room for storage, too.”
“I’m sure it’s perfectly adequate for those people who love the great outdoors and all that,” Mariah grumbled. “Personally, I’d be happy if we spent the entire six weeks living in one of those trailers that’s fitted with a full bathroom, a microwave, and air-conditioning.”
Cassie cast a wary look at Laurel. As the van pulled out of the university parking lot, a wave of fear came over her. As she’d suspected, even having her best friend along on this trip wasn’t as comforting as she would have liked.
As if the feeling of being uprooted weren’t already strong enough, Dr. Wells, suddenly announced, “We’re off!” in a hearty voice. If Cassie had ever believed there was a chance to back out, that chance had just passed.
“Is everybody settled in back there?” the professor asked once he’d veered onto the highway that, after a ride of an hour or so, would lead to the airport. “I’d like to take advantage of the fact that right now you’re all a captive audience to remind you that what I need from you most over the next six weeks is your complete cooperation. A little team spirit wouldn’t hurt, either.” Glancing into the rearview mirror so that his eyes met Marian’s, he added, “That means keeping to whatever schedule I’ve laid out.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” Mariah muttered under her breath.
“But it also means everyone’s willingness to pitch in, without being asked. We’re going to encounter all kinds of different situations up there, many of which are new. If we work together, we’ll all work better.
“Actually, I’m not that concerned about getting the group to act as a whole. As I say, I’ve run field trips like this before, and I’ve never run into any problems. I’ve picked each and every one of you carefully. You all have something to add, something invaluable.”
Trip glanced back over his shoulder. “The three lovely ladies on our trip certainly make it more pleasurable, but what about their ability to keep up?”
Cassie felt Laurel tense up. Behind her, she heard Mariah mumble, “What a turkey.” But before any of the girls had a chance to voice their protests, Dr. Wells broke in.
“Trip, one of the best ways to get this group acting as a single unit is to keep comments like that to yourself. As I’ve said, I put a lot of thought into everybody who’s been invited to be part of the team. Every individual—and I mean every one—is bringing some real strengths to the project.
“Trip, you’ve already proven yourself a capable scientist in my classes and in my lab. I think you have some real leadership capabilities, as well, although I’d like to see how you function in a group before I make any definitive judgments. Laurel, you’ve also distinguished yourself with your lab work. Dr. Ames was very pleased with your work during second semester.
“Russ, if you don’t mind, I’d like to fill the others in on your background.” When Russ gave a nod of his head, Dr. Wells went on. “For those of you who haven’t yet had the chance to talk to Russ, he grew up on a nature preserve in New Hampshire. If you’ve ever wanted to see a dyed-in-the-wool naturalist, he’s your man. Mariah, your comprehension of theory has been topnotch. A little time out in the field and you should have the makings of a first-rate field biologist.”
Cassie’s palms were sweating. So far. Dr. Wells had sung the praises of every other person on the project. And he hadn’t had to work very hard to do it. Yet she knew perfectly well she had nothing to contribute, that she was only along for the ride because her father had used his connections. She could feel her cheeks reddening as she braced herself for the uncomfortable silence she expected to follow, now that he’d rattled off everyone else’s name.
“As for you, Cassie ...”
She held her breath, meanwhile making a point of staring out the window of the van.
“I think you may be surprised this summer, not only by how much you learn, but also by how much you’re able to add to the project.”
She let out a sigh of relief.
“At any rate,” said Dr. Wells, “I’d like to make this my official welcome. I promise that what’s ahead will be one of the best educational experiences you’ve ever had—not to mention one of the most fun.”
From where she sat—stuffed into a van with a single familiar face among a group of strangers, headed for one of the last uncivilized places on earth, one that happened to be five thousand miles from everything she’d ever known—Cassie had to admit she found Dr. Wells’s promise hard to believe.
Chapter Five
Pressing her face against the window of the plane, Laurel drew her breath in sharply. Nothing she had ever imagined, no daydream she’d ever constructed, had even begun to prepare her for her first glimpse of Alaska.
Slowly, the plane was descending over Turnagain Arm, the branch of Cook Inlet that ran south of Anchorage, It drifted down through the thick carpet of clouds that had been her only view since leaving Chicago seven hours earlier for the third and longest leg of their journey from Vermont. Suddenly a spectacular panorama stretched out before her.
The jagged coastline, a rich emerald green, formed sharp Vs that jutted out into muddy gray-blue water. Not far inland was a dense covering of trees that looked like velvet from the air. Everywhere tiny lakes dotted the landscape. Most dramatic, however, were the mountains. Huge dark gray masses of craggy rock cut through the ground, as forbidding as they were beautiful. Their tops were sprinkled with snow, such a pristine white that they shimmered in the pale sunlight.
“Look!” Laurel cried, her voice catching in her throat. “Isn’t it the most ... the most ...”
“Amazing.” Russ, sitting behind her, his face also pressed against the window, supplied the word for her.
“It’s the only way to describe it. I’ve never seen anything so magnificent in my life.”
“If you ask me,” commented Mariah, “it looks like we’re about to land on another planet.”
“I don’t remember anybody asking you,” Trip said from across the aisle, “but you’re right. It does look like we’re hovering over Jupiter or Mars.”
“That’s Planet Earth, all right,” said Dr. Wells. “Earth the way it looked before so-called civilization came along.”
“I don’t see any signs of life,” said Cassie.
“There’d better be.” Mariah, who’d been leaning over Russ to get a better view out the window, turned away and went back to her fashion magazine. “My hair dryer broke last night. If we don’t find a drug store, I’m going to go around looking like the Bride of Frankenstein.”
While Laurel had expected to be tired after the long trip, she was instead energized by finally having reached their destination. Even the ordeal of waiting for all their scientific gear and personal belongings at the baggage claim, renting a Jeep, and loading everything into it for the second time that day did little to dampen her spirits.
“We’ll be driving directly to Wolf Lake, a few hours to the southwest,” Dr. Wells informed them as they headed out of Anchorage Airport onto Seward Highway. “I’m anxious to get everyone settled as quickly as possible. I’d like to get started first thing tomorrow morning. We’ll begin by laying fish traps, taking measurements of the lake, collecting plant specimens—”
“Tomorrow?” Mariah squawked.
“Don’t tell me you’ve got something more important to do,” Trip countered.
“I just figured we’d take a day or two to get settled. Unpack, go into town....”
“Where we’re going,” said Dr. Wells, his voice reflecting his amusement, “there
is
no town. And getting unpacked should take you all of five minutes.”
As they drove along the coast of the Kenai Peninsula, Laurel sat next to the window of the rented Jeep, her eyes wide as she eagerly took in her brand-new surroundings. She was awestruck by how wonderfully untouched Alaska was. The roads weren’t lined with stores and houses, like they were back home. Instead, the two-lane highways cut through endless acres of fields and forests. In the distance was an incredibly beautiful and dramatic backdrop of craggy snow-covered mountains.
They drove past fields of colorful wildflowers, stretching on as far as the eye could see. They passed calm blue lakes that looked like pictures on a calendar. They rode by violent rivers in which the swirling water, tinged a deep shade of blue-green, was perfectly clear.
“Glacial melt,” Dr. Wells explained as they gasped over the beauty of the Kenai River. “That’s why the water’s so pure—and such an unusual color.”
At one point what little traffic there was slowed to a halt.
“What now?” Mariah demanded, craning her neck to see out the front of the car. “Gridlock?”
“Not quite.” Dr. Wells was grinning. “Here in Alaska drivers brake for moose.”
Sure enough, up ahead, a stately moose took her time strolling across the highway. She was easily one of the biggest animals Laurel had ever seen—certainly the largest she’d spotted in the wild. Even after the moose had made it to the other side of the road and stood munching on a low willow bush, the cars remained at a stop as onlookers took out their cameras.
It wasn’t long before Laurel understood precisely what Dr. Wells had meant about getting unpacked in five minutes. After a long drive along a winding dirt road that took them way off the main highway, the rented Jeep stopped with a lurch. A cloud of dust rose up all around. Fifty feet away was a crude log cabin, no more than twenty feet by twenty feet. It was compact and angular, with a slanted roof. Three steps led to a small front porch. On it were two propane tanks, a sign that a gas stove was inside. Pushed off to one side were large plastic jugs of water.
“Home, sweet home,” said Dr. Wells. “Okay, everybody. Pile out.”
Cassie swallowed so hard Laurel could hear her. Her panic only thinly masked, she cried, “You mean this is where we’re supposed to
live
for the next six weeks?”
Marian just stared. “You’ve got to be kidding. Somebody tell me this is nothing but a cruel joke.”
“This is my fifth summer up here,” said Dr. Wells. “I promise that after you make a few minor adjustments, you’ll feel just as comfortable as you do in your own houses.”
As Laurel climbed out of the Jeep and stood in front of the log cabin nestled in the woods that, as Dr. Wells said, was going to be her home for the rest of the summer, her reaction was quite different from that of the two girls standing on either side of her. To her, coming to a place like this meant having a lifelong fantasy finally come true.