Gesturing for them to follow me, I walked up the steps to the diningarea.
“Sylvie, heat up the portable stove. Aaric, get a kettle and some tea leaves.”
Hopefully, giving them a task would calm their nerves. The tea wouldn’t hurt, either. Minutes later, they had a pot brewing. Sylvie retrieved the teacups while Aaric plopped down across from me on the dining bench.
“Is Doctor Thornheart going to die?” His voice came out in a rough whisper.
“No,” I said. “We got her back in time. She’ll be all right.”
He put his head in his hands.
I glanced at Ivan, Emberly, Rosenshield and Cerise. Cerise was still unconscious but her breathing had evened out and she wasn’t trembling any longer. Emberly held her hand, rubbing the top of it as she whispered to her friend.
Aaric was still tense, his chest heaving.
“Hey, Aaric,” I said, trying to distract him. He regarded me with watery eyes. “Why don’t you tell me about your favorite class at school? Perhaps we’ll be able to apply what you’ve been learning while we’re here.”
He sniffled. “Yeah. Okay. My favorite class is actually Research Methods. Doctor Thornheart teaches it.”
Sylvie set clay mugs in front of us and took a seat beside Aaric, pouring the three of us a cup. I lifted mine and took a sip. “Thank you Sylvie.” Turning back to Aaric, I said, “Go on. Why is it your favorite?”
“Honestly, it’s because of her. I’d always hated my research classes in undergrad. They were confusing and I struggled to understand the differences between quantitative and qualitative analysis. But the way Doctor Thornheart teaches just clicks for me. And she’s always willing to answer my questions or explain things differently. I never feel shamed for not understanding. I can’t say the same for all the professors. Plus, we have this amazing window where we can observe wildlife and practice right there in her classroom.”
“She sounds like a fantastic teacher,” I said.
I wasn’t surprised. Cerise was intelligent and knew what she was doing. What did surprise me, though, was how much her students seemed to like her. I thought she would be harsh and have unrealistic expectations. Ashamedly, I had expected she would be like her mother. But though it had only been a few days since we met, I was already learning that wasn’t entirely accurate.
“Everyone who’s never taken her classes thinks she’s cold,” Aaric went on. “But she’s actually not. She just comes across that way sometimes because she’s so dedicated to her work. She’s kind and wants us to succeed.”
“I can see that.”
A gasp came from Cerise, then a moan. She was awake. I whipped my head in her direction just as Emberly leaned down to hug her with tears in her eyes.
I shoved down the sudden urge to rush over and comfort her. I didn’t know her and she didn’t seem to care for me. The last thing she probably wanted was the flirty professor hovering above her.
Chapter 10
Go With the Flow
Cerise
Ishuffled on tired feet to our specimen tent. It had been two days since my encounter with the drenstiria spider and I’d spent most of my time sleeping. The recovery was painful, my muscles often locking, along with a full day of fever and chills.
But other than slight exhaustion, I felt better today.
Liam had stayed back while I recovered, seeming to want to give me space, but when he thought I wasn’t looking he watched me closely with something like guilt on his face.
I groaned as I stepped onto the raised platform.
Liam raised his head from where he stood over a table covered in field guides, sketches and specimen jars, adjusting his glasses. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” I said, stretching my arms overhead. “Just a bit sore from all the trembling.”
His face fell. “Cerise, I’m truly very sorry.”
I stopped at the table beside him, adjusting the sleeve of my periwinkle button-up. “For?”
“It’s my fault you were bitten. If you hadn’t tried to get it off of me, it never would have happened.”
