Crissa's Mate

Chapter Thirty-Two

After quickly amassing Julie's clothes and articles frantically into the girls luggage Crissa met David at the door who had come up to help her.

"I'll take Julie's bags, you just carry yours," he said. "Everyone's waiting for us in the vans down stairs."

"But how did they ever get her . . . in there?" She asked. "Julie is so determined to stay."

"The professor gave her some kind of . . . sedative. A shot of some kind. She's tranquilized now. Asleep in one of the vehicles."

"Oh my God."

"Come on Julie. There's nothing we can do about this. We all must get back. Everyone together. The girl has a family in Alaska."

"Yes, but it's like she's . . . being kidnapped, David." She went over and picked up the two heavy suitcases next to her own bed.

"Like me, Crissa. Julie will just have to get through this."

The two of them left the room and struggled down the hallway with the luggage to join the others, already seated in the two white vans.

As she and David loaded the suitcases into the back of one of the vehicles, and climbed inside to take a seat, Crissa looked back toward the lodge for one more memorable image. One last look at where she had spent the hellacious past week. Standing off to the side of the structure were Lara and her village lover—the young man Crissa had reluctantly seen making love to the girl in the barn. They were standing close together, looking to be deeply affectionate, and content to be where they were. Both in time and space. They quietly watched the academic team preparing to depart to a world unknown to them. Perhaps they watched out of some respect or civility—but certainly it was out of concern for Julie, Crissa knew, whose plight they could viscerally understand.

* * *

Arriving at the posh hotel in Berlin, the professor made arrangements with the management for there to be a change in reserved room assignments, due to what he said was one of the members of his team "gone ill." He insisted that a third bed be brought to Josh and Mary's room, in order that they might monitor Julie's 'condition' during the one night stay over, and before the early flight the next morning. Crissa understood this to be but one more step in the professor's determination to ferry Julie out of the country, perhaps rightfully so, but which was still certainly against her will.

As everyone was getting situated into their new rooms, Mary approached Crissa as she was about to enter her own room, now alone for the night.

"Crissa, I know you've been through a lot on this trip. And . . . well because of your age and experience, it was just not fair to you. To see these things. But trust me . . . we all have been shocked by them."

"Look, I'm OK, Mary. It's not about my age."

"I know. But I do understand you are upset. About the way Julie is being handled. You are a lot closer to her . . . Understand her feelings about things back in the village."

Crissa was silent.

"So just know. Josh and I don't approve of professor's actions. Everything he's brought us through here. But we're cooperating to get us all home safely. Where Julie and David can get the best help."

"I do understand that Mary. It's just that . . . somethings are more about the heart. I've totally learned that on this trip."

"We all can see that, Crissa. But please . . . don't think we're being complicit. With whatever it was the professor brought us here for. We all recognize he's a disturbed person. Both in his thinking and his methods. Where it's all going or was intended . . . none of us can tell."