arriving at ACMER. Unable to control her tongue, Marya replied, "I've traveled to Middle Eastern countries before, Dr. Ducharme."
Marya could feel all eyes on her, and she just wanted to evaporate from the scene. Dr. Ducharme's lips twitched, then she shook her head and marched towards the ACMER building without saying another word. Marya shoved her hands in her pockets and looked down at the ground, letting her damp hair veil her face as the other team members shuffled by her, either following Dr. Ducharme into the building or going to the hostel.
Marya heard a low whistle as one of them walked by, and she snapped her head up, frowning. A young man wearing a red bandana tied around his head grinned brazenly over his shoulder at her as he walked past. Marya grit her teeth and turned away. Unsure of what to do next, she stormed back into the hostel. She stopped short when she realized she wasn't alone anymore -- her roommate stood watching Marya warily from her side of the room.
"Oh, hi," the girl said nervously. "I'm Amy." She had a kind face, Marya thought, with wide hazel eyes and freckles across her nose. She wore her sandy blond hair very short, and sported a pair of jeans that were most unflattering to her figure. Mom jeans.
"Hi, Amy. I'm Marya."
"Yeah, I know." She turned away. "Everybody knows."
Just as Marya's heart plummeted to her feet, Amy turned and flashed a small smile. "That was awesome, by the way. Nobody talks to Margot like that."
Marya let out her breath slowly. "I didn't mean to be rude. She was just so condescending. It pissed me off."
Amy laughed, revealing "invisible" braces. "Yeah, about that. Margot is condescending to everyone, so you may spend a lot of time ticked off these next six weeks."
Marya cracked a smile. "You have a serious Canadian accent." She wanted to try and imitate Amy just to see if she could do it, say aboot instead of about...
"Well, you have a serious American accent," Amy said, still smiling. "Come on, let me introduce you to the rest of the girls." She took Marya by the wrist and pulled her into the hall. "Shannon! Liz! Connie! Amber!"
Marya cringed inwardly as the doors opened and the girls came out to meet her. She was a curiosity to these Canadian girls, since they all attended the same archaeology class with the same professor at the same university. Shannon was a skinnier, darker-haired version of Amy. Liz was a Kate Winslet look-alike, if Kate Winslet wore dreadlocks and long, hand-dyed skirts. And a nose ring. Connie was tall and thin, with long brown hair in braids and an engagement ring on her finger. Amber was a petite, blond-haired girl in glasses who looked to be afraid of the others and hung in the back.
"Hi," Marya said, waving quickly and plastering a smile on her face. "Nice to meet you."
Liz, the Kate Winslet in dreads, smirked at her. "So the American girl finally got here. I guess we can all get back to our lives now." She began to turn away as she said, "I'm assuming Felicity has told you all the rules?"
Wow. Okay. Nice to meet you too. Marya glanced at Amy. "What rules? She just said -- "
"You know," Liz answered. "Five minute showers, be on time for dinner, no consorting with the boys, all that jazz."
"Everything but the last one," Marya mumbled.
"Ah." Liz turned in the doorway, smiling wickedly. "The last one is Professor Ducharme's rule. The boys' hostel is on the other side of the ACMER building. We are not allowed in there, and they are not allowed in here. Comprende?"
Liz slammed her door shut, and before Marya could ask Amy why Liz was such a bitch, Amy said, "Yeah, Dr. Ducharme used to be a nun before becoming an archaeologist."
Marya raised her eyebrows. "She used to be a nun?" That explained a lot, actually.
Sharon hissed at Amy. " Gawd, Amy, you just can't keep quiet, can you?"
"Why should she keep quiet?" Marya asked.
"Sorry," Amy replied in a tone that indicated she wasn't sorry at all. Sharon ignored Marya's question and
Marya could feel all eyes on her, and she just wanted to evaporate from the scene. Dr. Ducharme's lips twitched, then she shook her head and marched towards the ACMER building without saying another word. Marya shoved her hands in her pockets and looked down at the ground, letting her damp hair veil her face as the other team members shuffled by her, either following Dr. Ducharme into the building or going to the hostel.
Marya heard a low whistle as one of them walked by, and she snapped her head up, frowning. A young man wearing a red bandana tied around his head grinned brazenly over his shoulder at her as he walked past. Marya grit her teeth and turned away. Unsure of what to do next, she stormed back into the hostel. She stopped short when she realized she wasn't alone anymore -- her roommate stood watching Marya warily from her side of the room.
"Oh, hi," the girl said nervously. "I'm Amy." She had a kind face, Marya thought, with wide hazel eyes and freckles across her nose. She wore her sandy blond hair very short, and sported a pair of jeans that were most unflattering to her figure. Mom jeans.
"Hi, Amy. I'm Marya."
"Yeah, I know." She turned away. "Everybody knows."
Just as Marya's heart plummeted to her feet, Amy turned and flashed a small smile. "That was awesome, by the way. Nobody talks to Margot like that."
Marya let out her breath slowly. "I didn't mean to be rude. She was just so condescending. It pissed me off."
Amy laughed, revealing "invisible" braces. "Yeah, about that. Margot is condescending to everyone, so you may spend a lot of time ticked off these next six weeks."
Marya cracked a smile. "You have a serious Canadian accent." She wanted to try and imitate Amy just to see if she could do it, say aboot instead of about...
"Well, you have a serious American accent," Amy said, still smiling. "Come on, let me introduce you to the rest of the girls." She took Marya by the wrist and pulled her into the hall. "Shannon! Liz! Connie! Amber!"
Marya cringed inwardly as the doors opened and the girls came out to meet her. She was a curiosity to these Canadian girls, since they all attended the same archaeology class with the same professor at the same university. Shannon was a skinnier, darker-haired version of Amy. Liz was a Kate Winslet look-alike, if Kate Winslet wore dreadlocks and long, hand-dyed skirts. And a nose ring. Connie was tall and thin, with long brown hair in braids and an engagement ring on her finger. Amber was a petite, blond-haired girl in glasses who looked to be afraid of the others and hung in the back.
"Hi," Marya said, waving quickly and plastering a smile on her face. "Nice to meet you."
Liz, the Kate Winslet in dreads, smirked at her. "So the American girl finally got here. I guess we can all get back to our lives now." She began to turn away as she said, "I'm assuming Felicity has told you all the rules?"
Wow. Okay. Nice to meet you too. Marya glanced at Amy. "What rules? She just said -- "
"You know," Liz answered. "Five minute showers, be on time for dinner, no consorting with the boys, all that jazz."
"Everything but the last one," Marya mumbled.
"Ah." Liz turned in the doorway, smiling wickedly. "The last one is Professor Ducharme's rule. The boys' hostel is on the other side of the ACMER building. We are not allowed in there, and they are not allowed in here. Comprende?"
Liz slammed her door shut, and before Marya could ask Amy why Liz was such a bitch, Amy said, "Yeah, Dr. Ducharme used to be a nun before becoming an archaeologist."
Marya raised her eyebrows. "She used to be a nun?" That explained a lot, actually.
Sharon hissed at Amy. " Gawd, Amy, you just can't keep quiet, can you?"
"Why should she keep quiet?" Marya asked.
"Sorry," Amy replied in a tone that indicated she wasn't sorry at all. Sharon ignored Marya's question and
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