Claimed by the Desert

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Birds chirped happily outside the window and Vera smiled. Sunlight warmed her face and the bed beneath her felt like a cloud. It was like waking up in a fairytale. Not for the first time, she thought to herself that coming with her father on this dig was one of the best choices she had ever made.

Eventually she managed to pry open her eyes and crawl out of bed. Her head ached a bit and she rubbed it in annoyance. The last thing she needed was for Halsten to find out she had a headache and try to keep her home all day.

She dressed quickly and shoved the essentials into her satchel before rushing down the stairs for breakfast. As she entered the room Halsten waved his spatula in the direction of the table, indicating she should sit and wait.

Vera's father dragged in last minute, yawning and buttoning his vest up wrong. Vera snickered under her breath and Halsten gave her a stern look. 

"What are your plans for today?" her father asked as he sat down at the table.

Vera shrugged. "I'd like to take another look at that cave you found, but I'll see if Dr. Peters needs anything first."

Her father nodded. "I think he could probably use the help. I think he and Kareem have been working on a different project, or so I'm told."

She nodded and wolfed down her breakfast, eager to get to the site and get started. Without warning a sharp pain erupted behind her eyes and she gasped.

"Are you alright, Vera?" Halsten asked, reaching out to clasp her shoulder.

The pain faded quickly and she nodded. "Yes, yes. I'm fine. Really," she added when he gave her a skeptical look. "It's only a slight headache. It should go away soon."

Halsten started to say something else, but Vera's father held up his hand. "Don't baby her, Halsten. I'm sure if it was truly hurting her she would be smart enough to stay home."

Vera grinned at him and said, "I'll be waiting in the buggy, Papa!"

She could hear Halsten grumbling under his breath as she made her way to the door. Her father was right though. She was nineteen years old and could handle a slight headache. Or at least that's what she thought until she stepped out into the bright sunlight and it felt like daggers piercing her skull.

As she opened and closed her eyes to try and get adjusted to the light the scenery around her seemed to waver in front of her eyes. For a moment she could have sworn it looked as if she were in a completely white room.

"Get it together, Vera," she mumbled to herself. "Do you want Halsten to think you're crazy and drag you to see a physician?"

It took a while, but the pain faded to a dull ache and she laughed at herself for being so silly. Her father joined her after a few minutes, this time with his vest buttoned correctly.

"Ready to go?" he asked cheerfully, beginning to whistle as he helped her into the buggy.

"Papa?" she asked, hoping he wouldn't make too much of what she was about to ask. "Have you ever seen a room that was made entirely out of white stone?"

His brow furrowed in thought as he tried to remember. Eventually he shook his head and replied, "I can't say that I have. Why do you ask?'

Vera pulled at a string on her sleeve. "It's just a dream I had, nothing important."

The rode in a comfortable silence the rest of the way and bid goodbye to each other once they reached the dig site, promising to meet back up for lunch.

Vera made her way through the rubble of the excavation trying to locate Dr. Peters in the crowd of people working around her. While she was taller than most women, there were still many men here who towered over her and she found herself having to stand on top of stones to look over and around them.