Caught Between Read Free

go. "Ms. Felicity, one more thing," Marya ventured. "Where is everyone?"
    Felicity glared. "Some are in the labs, some in the library. But most of the team went to the airport to get you ."
    " Oh ." Her heart sank as she watched Felicity walk out of the hostel, the red door slamming behind her. Damn. These people were going to hate her before even meeting her.
    She rubbed the jetlag from her eyes and glanced around her home for the next six weeks.  There were two twin beds, one obv iously claimed by her roommate. A soft blue blanket was neatly folded at the base of one bed, and a teddy bear sat smiling amongst the throw pillows. A poster of Robert Pattinson was haphazardly taped to the wall nearest to her bed.
    You're kidding me. Teddy bear? Throw pillows? Twilight? Is this girl a college student or a giggly tween?
    She looked over at her own bed, with its paper-thin blanket and flattened pillow. Then again, maybe her roommate was on to something. Despite its uninviting appearance, Marya was overwhelmed with exhaustion at the sight of a bed. She would have loved nothing more than to fall asleep until tomorrow. She glanced at the pink digital clock her roommate had set on the table between their beds: three in the afternoon. She groaned, sitting down on the flimsy mattress. The springs creaked beneath her. If she fell asleep now, she'd screw up her entire sleep cycle. She had to stay awake and meet Dr. Ducharme and the team when they got back... Which is going to be just fabulous.
    Shaking her head vigorously in an attempt to snap out of her sleepy haze, Marya sprang up and opened her suitcase. She shoved a granola bar in her mouth and collected her toiletries. Grabbing a worn towel that was folded on the laundry basket, she rushed into the bathroom at the end of the hall. Five minutes. She pulled her long dark hair out of its ponytail. She'd taken shorter showers than that, right? She came up with a plan of attack as she stripped off her travel-worn clothes. Shampoo, skip conditioner... shave pits, skip legs...
    Ten minutes later, she was sitting on her bed, dressed in cotton pants and a t-shirt, dragging a comb through her tangled, wet hair. Outside, she heard an engine approach, and she peered out the window to see a small bus pull up in front of the ACMER building.
    She slumped back down and turned, locking eyes with Rob Pattinson. "This is going to suck," she said softly to him.
     

 
    2.
    Might as well get this over with.
    Taking a deep breath, Marya ran her fingers through her wet hair and swept out the door. She stepped outside just as several people filed off the bus. Trying not to cough from the exhaust, she walked around the front of the vehicle and said to anyone who would listen, "Hi... Dr. Ducharme?"
    She wore a tan hunting vest and matching pants that were tigh tly belted at the waist. A pith helmet sat on her head, shading a pair of very severe blue eyes. Marya bit her lip. Dr. Livingstone, I presume?
    "Are you Marya Helwe?" This was a woman who was used to being obeyed. Her posture was rigid, the lines around her thin mouth deeply etched.
    "Yes... I'm so -- "
    "How did you get here?" she interrupted.
    "Well, I didn't realize anyone was coming to pick me up, so I got a ride." It suddenly occurred to Marya just how bad her explanation sounded, and she felt her face infuse with heat.
    "You got a ride?" Margot Ducharme repeated loudly enough for the others, who were all standing around watching, to hear. "With a stranger?"
    Marya stood perfectly still, willing her eyes to unfocus. "Yes..."
    Dr. Ducharme lifted her head indignantly, piercing Marya with her disapproving gaze. "Ms. Helwe," she snarled. "Do you realize how stupid that was? A young American woman like yourself, traveling alone to a Middle Eastern country?"
    The shame Marya had initially felt was swiftly replaced with a spark of anger. She didn't appreciate what this woman was implying, nor did she appreciate the way she had been treated since