Crissa's Mate

Chapter Thirty-One

Once back inside the lodge, Mary and Josh greeted the two with some curiosity as to where they had been. They then asked if they were ready to travel in a matter of hours.

"Most definitely," Crissa exclaimed. "I've never been so out of here!  Have either of you seen Julie?" She asked.

"Yes, she was just here," Mary reported. "She looks good. All cleaned up and seemed mostly her old self . . . as nearly as I could tell. She's back in her room now. I just checked on her."

"So did you ask her about . . ."

"Well, Brad said he asked her about returning earlier. Said she didn't tell him much. Wasn't very enthused about leaving. But I guess we'll all just have to see that when it's time to go. She's definitely not acting as anxious as the rest of us are. Jannick has told her the village guy . . . the varkolak  she connected with is named Andreas."

"Don't expect much," David weighed in on the conversation.

"Yeah. I expect a fight," Josh replied. "And so what about you, Dave. You ready?"

"Yeah, I'm good with it. We've all had a pretty rough time here. It'll be good for you guys to get home, I know."

"He's asking about you, David," Mary added, sensitively. "You must have some real concerns about . . . going back. But I know when we get there . . . every effort will be made to . . ."

"Yeah well, I don't want those efforts, Mary." He snapped back. "I'll be on my own. And I'll just have to accept things . . . as they are. That's all. Life will have to go on for me. Whether I remain this freak anomaly of Nature . . . or not."

Brad was seated over in the corner while listening. He still seemed inconsolable and angry about the outcome of the ill-fated project.

"Hey, Brad . . . come on," David called out. "Over here to join us."He seemed to be interested in changing the whole subject and the uncomfortable focus on him.

Brad slowly walked over and took a chair at the table they were all seated around.

"I swear to God," he said defiantly. "When we get back, I'm going straight to the police. And then to the university administration about the professor! What he'sdone here is not just unethical. It's criminal!  And we'll have court's in Alaska weigh in on that."

"OK, Brad. Now's not the time for that hostility," David offered. "For now, tone it down. At least until we get out of here, pal."

"And if he does touch you . . . or Julie again . . . I swear, I'll bust his face!"

"Brad, please!"  Mary cautioned. "David's right. This all is best to wait on."

Crissa nervously stood up from the tension. Her heart was feeling what she knew David was going through.

"I think I'll go see what Julie's thinking," she said. "We have to understand where she's coming from."

Brad spoke up, slightly calmer, but the anger ad still not disapated from his face.  "Tell her if necessary . . . we're going without her, Crissa. If she's not in one of those vans back to Berlin . . . OK, she stays."

"I'll try," she said, leaving the table for the stairwell.

"When she entered the bedroom Crissa found Julie laying on her bed with her headphones on. She didn't remove them even when Crissa persisted, by signaling with her hands to remove them.

Julie finally and slowly complied, but seemed annoyed with her.

"So what do you want now, Crissa?"