“Oh, I didn’t hear you come up,” piped Kiya. “I was just coming down to tell you the good news!”
“I can be sneaky in my old age,” her Grams responded, and continued with, “and speaking of old, I’m aging as I wait for you to tell me this good news.”
Kiya smirked and rushed to tell her, “I got a job! In my field of study, no less! Not far from home and I start next week! You were right, Grams!”
Grandma Tashina smiled and said as she turned to leave, “That statement implies that I have been wrong in the past, and almost offends me. A good night's rest always does the soul some good.”
“Ha, I knew it! What did you put in my lemonade!” questioned Kiya.
“Nothing dear. Why, do you have something to tell me?” she replied innocently.
“Nope. Two can play that game,” Kiya replied deviously.
Chapter Three
Kiya
The drive was relatively short, but Kiya lived on coffee and the large travel mug she'd poured before leaving was long gone by the time she reached town. She grabbed the latte she purchased from the first little coffee shop on her way into town and drained as much as possible before she headed into the hardware store.
Kiya planned on buying wood to throw together a makeshift table, for some of her equipment that S&S Enterprises ensured her would be onsite when she arrived at the dig site that day. She should have included it in her list of wants, but she was so giddy to get the best of everything she figured paying for a makeshift table that could be used for the fire later would be a small sacrifice. The dolmen site was about a half hour north of Chewelah, at the foothills of the local ski mountain in the area, and this stop could make her late if she didn’t hurry.
Dolmens had always fascinated Kiya and she couldn’t wait to see and touch one up close. They usually consisted of a single chamber with two or more vertical stones supporting a large flat horizontal capstone, the largest weighing in excess of 100 tons.
Most of the significant megalithic structures around the world are located along the Earth’s energy grid. These energy grids, otherwise known as ley lines, traverse the globe and at the major intersections, large quantities of energy can be tapped. Tesla was the last known scientist to have researched this theory, but the government confiscated all of his papers upon his death.
Many viewed the dolmens as burial grounds, but bones had yet to be found inside to confirm that hypothesis. Others believed the more elaborate dolmens were healing temples or portals to other dimensions. Kiya’s upbringing in sound healing therapy led her to lean toward the healing concept, and hoped her own theory of how these structures were built by using sound waves in conjunction with the Earth’s energy grid would soon be proven.
Kiya entered the store and followed the signs to the lumber department in search of an 8-foot-long 2x6, that she could have the store cut in half to fit in her car. As she looked for the best selection, she was disappointed to see how picked through the wood was on the floor stack. She noticed the upper shelf was still wrapped and used the small pocketknife she always carried in her front pocket to cut the cord. As she looked around for a ladder or a salesclerk, she became impatient and decided to climb the shelves to get the perfect piece. Just as she reached the top she heard a deep rich like chocolate voice say, “You look like you could use a hand.”
She almost lost her footing when she flipped her head around to look at the specimen that produced that delicious sound. As she perused the man below her, she took in his chiseled features and sandy blond hair that looked soft to the touch. Kiya longed to run her hands through his shaggy shoulder length locks to see if that thought would be validated.
His regal nose, square jaw and full lips were model worthy and caused a pack of butterflies to let loose inside her. She felt warm in all the right places and was just about to let him know he could help by grabbing the wood, when he opened his mouth and ruined the perfection.
“A pretty lady like yourself, should let a man get that for you,” he drawled, smiling up at her charmingly and winked.
Kiya noticed the dimples that appeared and cursed her year long dry spell for the way this guy so easily melted her insides. She shook her head and frowned down at him and said, “Thanks, but I don’t need the help of a man per se...a woman would do fine as well.”
His smile faltered, “I can still hold that for you, even if you bat for the same team. I was just trying to help.”
“I...I didn't mean it like that...I was trying to infer that either a man or a woman is capable of helping ...don’t get me wrong…I like men.” She stuttered out and then ended abruptly when she watched his smile return from her ministrations. Kiya grew red from her embarrassment and stammered out, “Oh nevermind, will you just hold this for me.” She handed him the smoothest piece she could find and jumped down from the shelving unit, landing next to him. His broad chest, height and emerald green eyes caught her attention and made her feel ensnared in his stare.
“Well, I’m glad to hear you like men.” He said seductively wiggling his eyebrows. When she didn’t respond, he backtracked quickly and added in a smoother tone, “Wait, I didn’t mean to say that. Look, I’m not intentionally trying to offend you. I guess what I meant to say is, where I come from it’s considered rude to not offer my services, I mean, my help.” The handsome man appeared flustered as he quickly tried to amend his blunder and ended the statement with a sheepish grin.
“Where I come from the offer of help isn't usually preceded or followed with lewd remarks,” retorted Kiya, before she grabbed the wood intending to storm away and yelped when a small sliver stabbed into her index finger like a tiny needle. Switching hands, she stuck her injured finger in her mouth and was appalled to find him chuckling at her injury.
Taking her finger out of her mouth, she grumbled, “What are you laughing at?”
“I’m not quite sure you know the definition of lewd, my dear. It usually means inciting lust and calling you a pretty lady hardly justifies your remark.” He smiled so wide, his perfect white teeth glowed against his golden tan skin. She shook her head and tried to remember she was not interested in a man who would try to control or belittle her, no matter how good he looked or how long it had been since she’d been to bed with a man before she answered him.
“Did you just insult my intelligence as well? Where do you get off smiling after a comment like that?” scolded Kiya angrily, when she regained control of her nether regions and her brain took over the conversation.
“First off, we hardly know each other well enough for me to be able to answer your first question easily. We could easily remedy that if you want to get a drink later. Secondly, you know how some people are known to have resting bitch face? Not me, my natural resting face, is a mischievous smile, the kind that makes people wonder what I’ve been up to,” he said with a genuine dimple producing smile. “That looked like it went deep. Want me to carry that to the register for you?” finished the man, as he pointed to her injured finger innocently.
Kiya blushed and caught herself before she leaned closer to him. His smile was infectious and she turned away from him abruptly to compose herself and hide the beginning of the smile that crept onto her face. Kiya was hardly experienced in the male department, having just two boyfriends in her life and was positive a one night stand was out of the question. She felt the personal act of intercourse required more of a connection than one night could produce and shied away from men that came on too strong. She reminded herself that she didn't have time for a relationship and he certainly didn't look like he was interested in anything other than a quick romp.
“No thanks, I can handle it from here. This little sliver is nothing that my first aid kit won’t be able to handle when I get to my car,” she mumbled, as she tried to gain her composure. “I’m not from around here, so I’m afraid you’ll have to find someone else to drink with tonight. Perhaps a real damsel in distress will want a man to come to her rescue, and you can offer her your servi
ces,” she retorted.
The guy was cocky and probably believed a woman’s place was in the home, or some stupid version of that idea. Just because it had been a while didn't mean she had to lust after the first good looking man to flirt with her, even if he was dreamy. Kiya wasn’t looking for a relationship, it took too much energy, and with her career taking off she wouldn’t have the time. Even if she could bring herself to try a one night stand, she promised herself it would be with someone who treated women equally.
“I like your spirit,” he said as he turned to walk away.
Kiya couldn’t help but notice his nice backside before he turned the corner, and once again mumbled to herself as she headed to the register, “He just had to open his mouth and ruin it!”
The old man behind the register was nice but rather slow at getting her wood cut to length, and combined with the bumpy dirt road, Kiya arrived just as everyone started moving towards the center of the campground. She parked in the last spot near the exit and grabbed her coffee as she hurried to catch up with her peers. Kiya had never worked in the field and was anxious to try out her theories outside of the laboratory but was nervous how others would perceive her work.
As she neared the back of the crowd she heard a familiar voice welcome everyone to the dig site, and shivered as her body welcomed the tingle that followed. Kiya looked at the man speaking and groaned when she confirmed he was the same guy from the hardware store.
As if on cue, he looked directly at her with that charming smile of his, dimples and all, and winked. Without skipping a beat he talked about himself and the dig site, like nothing ever happened. She thought it was just her luck, that the gods would tempt her yet again with such a yummy, but frustrating, specimen. She listened as much as possible to his spiel but became distracted near the end when his soothing voice touched her in places that had long been dormant. She cursed silently and said, “Well, shit.”
Chapter Four
Aarik
As Aarik left with his purchase, he stewed about the woman he tried unsuccessfully to help in the store. Women usually flocked to Aarik like children to an ice cream truck in the heat of the summer with his naturally good looks and gentlemanly charm. But this woman reacted to his gesture like a raging feminist at a women’s hate rally, which normally would have been a major turn off to Aarik, but the small flame of desire in her eyes spoke of intrigue, not disgust, which stole his attention. The fact that she rivaled Aphrodite, with her dark olive skin and sleek black hair, probably didn’t help matters in the least. Her hazel green eyes spoke to him on a cosmic level that made their encounter hard to shake.
It wasn’t like he intended to flirt with the woman when he first saw her climbing the shelving unit. His honest intention was to help her out, but when she got all hot and bothered, he pushed her buttons and enjoyed watching her get all fired up. Aarik wasn’t normally the type to be involved in long standing relationships because he lacked the time, not the desire, but there was something about the woman that made him want to find time; even with the added complication of working for a secret government organization added to the mix. He vowed that if by chance he saw her again while he was in town he would apologize.
The previous week was a blur, spent tying up loose ends; like moving all his possessions into a storage unit, talking his best friend Taylor into joining him as his assistant, and hiring a reputable chef. Aarik had arrived the day before and spent the night pouring over documents and research provided by Jones and Thomas, looking for more of a connection to his medallion. He hoped Taylor was there when he got back and couldn’t wait to show him the pictures. The mission was technically not funded by Uncle Sam, but all discoveries would be the property of the United States and would be deemed confidential. The old man leasing the property had two contracts; one with Aarik’s employer operating under the guise of the University of Washington and the second with S&S Enterprises. A group of two employees was scheduled to arrive that day and had requested to use the same campsite to limit the exposure to the land. After an investigation turned up nothing of interest on the company, Jones agreed to the request.
The drive to the dig site was fast and his Jeep had no problem as it barreled down the dirt road, leaving a trail of swirling dust plumes in its wake. Washington reached record high temperatures in May and the landscape was already parched, literally begging for water. It wouldn’t be long before outdoor fires were banned in the state if rain didn’t come soon. Aarik slowed, out of courtesy, as he neared the small gravel lot adjacent to the campsite and parked in the northwest corner, beside the chow hall tent. The campsite was located directly south of the find, in a rectangular layout.
Canvas tents lined the south and west sides of the area and faced a massive fire pit in the center. The northeast corner across from the chow hall held the command center tent and the north side of their makeshift compound was lined with tables for the incoming artifacts and the dirt loads that needed to be sifted.
Aarik dropped off the batteries in his tent and walked by those already congregated around the campfire to make his introduction to those gathered. He turned around, took a deep breath, before he announced, “Welcome everyone, I’d like to get started with the agenda, so we can get to the real work.”
He scanned the crowd as he made eye contact with each member of the crew until he noticed a female straggler join the back of the crowd. As soon as she looked in his direction he recognized her as the woman from the store and smiled knowingly in her direction. Aarik thought to himself how much of a distraction the woman could be if he let it, and decided he would apologize directly after the meeting to clear the air. He would need to keep their relationship strictly professional if they were going to be working so closely together in the future.
“For a quick introduction, my name is Dr. Aarik Landon. I graduated with my PhD from UCB, just last week. Four years earlier than the majority of my peers, with honors. I finished high school at the age of 16 and I believe in hard work. I will never ask you to do something I wouldn’t or haven’t already done. IQ’s are overrated and although this is my first time leading a dig, I have been a member of many teams, so I come with a lot of experience.” Aarik tried to look at everyone equally, but it seemed his eyes continued to stray back to the woman from the store every few seconds.
“The site behind us is a recent discovery and has the potential to rewrite history. Preliminary findings lead us to believe this find could be as old as the last ice age, around 13,000 years ago. Gentlemen, and ladies of course, we have a mission and a purpose to get to the bottom of this mystery, which leads me to talk about why we’re here.” He smiled at the more eager faces before he continued.
“There are two external dolmens, at forty-five degree angles from the main entrance, of what looks like a megalithic chamber dug out of the base of this mountain directly behind me. The dolmen to the west, seems to be fully intact and is what attracted others to explore this area further in 2015, when it was first discovered. Sadly, the second one did not survive the flooding from the ice dam that broke in Montana, all those years ago, and lies in shambles to the east,” he said. Aarik looked in the direction of the black-haired woman, only to see a clean-cut man standing close behind her.
“We will break up into two teams. A group of five will work at the standing dolmen, working to uncover the floor and catalog anything of interest. The remainder will work with me, digging out the main chamber located directly behind me, to the north.”
He drawled on, “Breakfast will be served bright and early at 7am, lunch around noon and dinner at 7pm in the chow hall daily, so don’t be late or I’ll hear it from Doris, our chef.” He nodded towards the chow hall and continued, “That’s the big tent in the southeast corner, or on your left for those directionally challenged,” he chuckled. “Our workday will begin at 7:30 am and unless we find something major, I see us calling it a day around 6 pm. That should give everyone enough time to get cleaned up before dinner. I’ll give you al
l the next hour to get settled in and then we get to work. I also want to make it clear that, if anything of importance is found, I want to be notified immediately. If this is your first time around, my assistant Taylor will be in the command center tent this morning and will be more than happy to point you in the right direction.
“I realize I haven’t had the chance to meet a few of you yet, so while you move around and select your tents, I’ll be swinging by to get acquainted,” he finished, and looked in the girl's direction, meaning to visit her first to get the apology out of the way. Aarik watched as she turned and smiled a little too friendly up at the guy who had been standing behind her earlier.
As he moved through the crowd, with every intention of pulling her to the side and apologizing, he felt like a caveman that had his woman stolen from him. Aarik cringed when she reached out to shake the man’s hand and felt his temper rise. It was almost like he was running on an empty stomach and the longer he watched their interaction the more his anger rose. He shook his head and tried to rationalize his unusual and unwanted reaction. He had only met her that morning, he needed to remember he had no claim on the woman who was practically a stranger and act like a rational human. He reached the conversing couple, who were no longer touching and tapped her on the shoulder. Aarik regretted the way her smile fell as she turned and saw it was him.
“Listen I know we got off on the wrong foot earlier today, but I need you to be professional, seeing as we will be working together.” Holding his hand out he said, “Hi there, I’m Aarik, lead archaeologist around here. What’s your name and occupation?” he finished with what he hoped was a serious, but professional, smile.
Chapter Five
Kiya
Kiya muttered to herself about having to swallow her pride and work with the egotistical jerk, now that she had a name to go with the handsome face, when a man whispered in her ear from behind and startled her with his low timbered voice, “He does seem a little pompous in my opinion, as well.”
Sounds of the Forgotten Page 3
