The Crimson Hunt

by Smith, Victoria H.

  *

  The journey itself to my professor’s office wasn’t long since the science departments were in Landon, but the walk to the third floor felt like an eternity with the way my nerves ate away at me. I could only imagine what would happen once I entered. I had a feeling the end result of this visit would be less-than-desirable.

  I put my fist up to the gold lettering of the glass and knocked. Jeez, I felt like I was going to vomit. I had to stay calm. They could smell fear.

  “Come in,” called Professor James’ familiar voice.

  I gulped and opened the door, but before I could cross the threshold, Professor James breezed right past me holding a cell phone.

  “One minute, Ms. Richmond. I have to take this call.” He pointed toward his phone. “Just take a seat, and I’ll be right back.”

  I nodded with my hand on my chest. God, he scared the crap out of me.

  Taking his cell, he headed down the hallway.

  My adrenaline levels lessened as I checked out Professor James’ office. There were actually two rooms within the space. The main room held a single desk covered in paper. There was a bookshelf with leather-bound books to the right and boxes overflowing with paperwork scattered throughout the area.

  This could have been the room he told me to sit in, I guessed, but boy, was it messy. I decided to check the other room to make sure.

  Pushing the door open, I stepped inside.

  This room was at least twice the size of the first. The desk was neat and orderly, the papers laid on top of the shiny mahogany in organized stacks. The walls were covered in bookshelves. There were so many, in fact, that the office probably could have challenged a small library.

  This had to be it.

  I stepped to the closest shelf. Running my fingers across the many volumes of leather-bound books, I read a few of the titles.

  Botany Systematics: The Science and Principles of a Natural World. Herbal Medicine and its Healing Power. Ethology: An Expert’s Guide. Wildlife and Foundations: A Guide to Life. Ecology: The Life Which Surrounds Us.

  Following those, the books went on about marine biology, limnology, molecular and cellular biology, and so many other ‘olgies my head spun. The guy was probably the head of the science department, or something, and damn-near a genius with all this heavy reading. Well, at least I could say I was getting my money’s worth with the 10K a year I spent on tuition.

  I laid my bag on the floor and took to the maroon leather chair in front of the desk. There was an arrangement of flowers on its surface with a pair of floral shears next to them. Actually, the word flowers seemed like the wrong word. They were so exquisite that I seriously questioned if the flowers were a new breed of plant life. The petals of blues, purples, pinks, and greens damn-near sparkled from the light of the window. I didn’t think flowers could glisten like that unless someone sprayed glitter on them.

  Being drawn to them, I reached out to touch the blooms, but hesitated when I saw a small shift of the petals. Did they just move toward my hand? I shook my head. I needed more sleep than I realized.

  My fingers continued toward them, the compulsion to touch them completely irresistible.

  “Ms. Richmond?”

  My hand snapped back, and I grabbed my chest again. He really needed to stop doing that. I turned around in my chair. Professor James stood with his arms crossed.

  “Yes, Professor?” I asked, my voice breathy.

  He sighed. “Would you like to explain to me why you are in my URA’s office?”

  My eyebrows narrowed. URA? Why did his undergraduate research assistant have the bigger office?

  “Sorry, sir.” I immediately got up and grabbed my messenger bag from the floor.

  Professor James’ gaze shifted to the ceiling before he left the doorway. I followed him to the smaller room and sat in a squeaky folding chair in front of his desk. I put down my bag and waited patiently as my professor retrieved a file folder. When he opened it, I noticed it had copies of our exams.

  Brilliant. The evidence was crystal clear in front of me.

  “Well, I was going to compliment the fact that you were awake, Ms. Richmond, but seeing as how I found you in my research assistant’s office I would have spoken too soon.”

  Ouch. “I-I’m sorry about that, sir. I—”

  He raised his hand. “I’m not looking for any excuses, Ms. Richmond.”

  I nodded, shrinking in my chair.

  “So, have you figured out what you are going to do?”

  My mouth opened, but I closed it. What did he mean?

  He sighed and grabbed two quizzes out of the folder. He slid them across his desk. “Your grade. I know you have seen these, and I know you are aware of the point scale of this class. You’re almost past the point of no return. Your future is looking quite bleak in my class.”

  Oh, God. Oh, God I think I’m going to vomit. “I can’t drop. I’m a junior, and I need this class. If I don’t take it, I’ll be behind and have to take summer school.” I could never afford that. What am I going to do?

  Professor James leaned back in his chair. “Ms. Richmond, I don’t want you to have to drop this course, and contrary to popular belief, I don’t enjoy watching my students fail.”

  Wow. That was like a direct quote from his latest review on his RateMyProfessors.com page. I didn’t think they actually read those …. Crap.

  “My drop rate has been increasing lately, and it has been called to my attention that I should change some things.”

  I wondered who called it to his attention. Whoever the person was must have had nerves of steel. The guy was a complete stiff and it made me scared shitless to be near him.

  “So, I have asked you to see me because I am holding a little experiment, if you will.”

  “Experiment, sir?”

  He nodded. “Some of the lower grades in my class were put into a pool. Your name was chosen to partake in an extra credit opportunity.”

  Well, that sucked. I was one of those lower …. Wait? Oh my gosh, I get another chance! I perked up.

  Professor James smiled at my reaction. “So I take it you’re interested?”

  I nodded eagerly.

  “Good.” He bent down and retrieved another file folder. He pulled out a paper and slid it to me. “Here you will find a list of over fifty different species of Aves common in the area during the fall season.”

  I arched an eyebrow.

  He cocked his head to the side. “Birds, Ms. Richmond.”

  Right. “Of course, Professor.” I grabbed the paper, quickly getting lost in it so I wouldn’t have to see his reaction to my stupid.

  “You will go to a park, and I suggest the one listed at the top of the page. Fewer people go to it since they’ve opened the new one closer to campus, and you will need quiet to do this. You must discover a couple of the birds listed. I then want you to write up a report of your findings and your experience with the assignment.”

  Sounded easy enough.

  “What I am looking for in the report is listed there, as you can see, and if you have any questions, email me.”

  I couldn’t believe he gave me extra credit. I was saved!

  I stood when he did and shook his hand. “Thank you so much, Professor.”

  “Don’t thank me. Thank my URA. The assignment was his idea.”

  I released his hand. “Well, thank your URA for me, then.”

  “Will do, Ms. Richmond. And I’d appreciate your thorough feedback on your experience with this.”

  “Of course, sir.” I grabbed my bag and headed for the door. As I reached for the knob, I stopped. Looking through the crack of the door to the second office, I saw someone sitting at the mahogany desk. It must have been his research assistant, but I hadn’t even heard him come in.

  I put my hand on the door to push it open, but hesitated. I wanted to thank him, but I didn’t want to press my luck. If I pissed him off by saying the wrong thing I could lose my extra credit opportunity as quickly as I
got it. He seemed to have a lot of influence over Professor James.

  I continued though the door and on to my next class.

  Chapter Five

  For the first time since the showcase announcement, I woke up refreshed. Grateful for my extra credit opportunity, I called it a night around 9:00 p.m. last night, which now made me completely ready to tackle my early morning, weekend assignment.

  The sun just came up as I drove to the other side of town, to the park Professor James suggested. He was right. The wooded environment was quiet, just like he said. I saw no one else as I made my way through clusters of trees along the dirt roads.

  I pulled into the vacant parking lot, grabbed my materials, then went scouting for the perfect location to identify the birds. Walking through the woods, I took in the scenery. The breeze on my face and the crisp smell of the fall air made me want to drop my school bag and start sketching right then and there, but I resisted the temptation and kept scouting. I couldn’t help but bring my art materials with me. I bet Lila Nix didn’t take a day off to save a failing grade.

  Down the leaf-coated trail, I came across a tree that seemed like a pretty good viewing spot. I sure as hell wasn’t going to go up the tree, but sitting at the base should be good enough. Birds walked on the ground, too, right?

  Placing my bag down, I parked myself right at the roots. I took out my assignment, but placed the paper to my side, awed by my surroundings. The environment was just so quiet, peaceful.

  I marveled at the clear view of the open, cloudless sky. I took a deep breath, the fall air and serene woods filled me with inspiration. I immediately broke out my sketchbook; the temptation to record the moment overwhelmed me.

  Placing the end of the pencil to my lips, I scoped the area. A red bird, which reminded me of the color of Piper’s hair, landed within inches of my feet.

  Aha! I knew birds walked on the ground, or maybe my natural bird-finding instincts drew it to me.

  I sketched, taking in every detail from the bit of black on its head to the pointed beak of the little guy or gal. I stopped drawing, and the bird flew off. As I watched the bird fade into the horizon, a gust of wind stole my assignment paper.

  Groaning, I slammed down my sketchpad and got up. The paper landed several feet away, and as I got closer, that bitch known as Mother Nature sent it farther into the woods via the breeze.

  I whimpered and picked up my pace. Finally making it to the scrap of blasted paper, I bent down to swipe it from the ground, but froze. The paper rested several inches from the edge of a gaping hole. A really, really big hole. Like the kind people fall into, then die in, and, years later, their remains are found. It was a good thing the paper didn’t go any farther to the edge; otherwise, I would have fallen in trying to grab it. The hole was nearly impossible to see from the angle I traveled. I guessed Mother Nature was looking out for me a little bit by stopping the paper in that location.

  Before the wind could hit it again, I carefully reached out and grabbed the paper back so quickly that I fell backwards, smarting my ass once again. I swear to God it was like I was going for an award this year on how many times I could piss off my butt.

  I pushed myself to my feet, then dusted off the dirt and dried leaves. Turning to walk away, I heard a noise and stopped.

  Standing very still, I strained my ears. The noise sounded like … crying. It wasn’t a person crying though. The sound was more like an animal cry.

  Scanning the area, I quickly discovered the sound came from the direction of the hole.

  I stepped toward the edge very cautiously, then looked into the crevice. Swallowing hard, I saw what I didn’t want to see. There, lying at the bottom of the hole in a heap was a fawn with patches of white fur on its brown skin. The baby was no larger than a basketball. She attempted to move her legs in the leafy sludge, but gave up when she lost the energy. She tipped her head up making short, struggled bleats then hung her head. After a few moments, she let out another cry, revealing a pair of sad, big brown eyes.

  Aww … poor Bambi. The little thing must have gotten lost and fallen. My animal rescue instincts kicked in, and I immediately searched for a way to get the poor thing out, but that hole was so deep. If I got in there, I would never be able to get back out. I couldn’t just leave her lying there, though. She cried so badly, her bleats sounding so drained. She was probably so scared, maybe even in pain. I had to help.

  I folded my paper and slid it into my jeans pocket. My gaze darted around, looking for a large stone I could throw in. I could grab her and step on it to get out of the hole. No, that wouldn’t work. I’d probably pummel her with the stone. Some search-and-rescue there. There had to be something. God, where was Lassie when a girl needed her? Wasn’t she supposed to assist in times such as these?

  I nibbled on my thumbnail and paused, briefly seeing a dark shadow shift by a tree up ahead. The figure was so quick, but I definitely saw him. The shadow was a man wearing black. He could help me. If there were two of us, I bet we could get her.

  I gazed down the hole and cupped my mouth. “Hey, little one, I’m going to get you help.” Now … I was talking to animals. Hopefully that guy by the tree didn’t hear, otherwise he’d think I was insane and wouldn’t help me.

  I stepped toward the tree. My feet stalled when the man left from the tree he was behind and went in front of the tree next to it. Good God, the guy was quick.

  “Hey!” I called out, picking up my pace. There was no movement. Maybe he didn’t hear me. “Hey! I need your help.”

  My quick strides took me to the new tree he was behind. I crossed in front of the tree to where he stood. “Hey, I need your help. There’s a baby deer and—”

  Those same eyes stared at me, just as bright and green-gray as too many times before. He stood there, frozen, his eyes widened and gaze locked on mine.

  My mouth dropped open. My eyes, I was sure, were just as wide.

  He wore black, all right, and swapped out his normal business-casual attire for it. The taut material outlined every bit of definition across his chest. His sculpted arms glistened with sweat. He’d clearly been for a run that morning. I didn’t need the matching athletic pants and black running shoes to confirm that, with the way that tank top tightly fit him.

  Finally making it back to his eyes, I blinked. And with that blink, any of that beauty that just distracted me became a distant memory. This guy had been nothing but an über douche in every encounter I had with him. I wanted to stomp on his sexy foot, and walk away with my head held high. But as I thought about the reason I came over to him, I put that thought aside. There was a creature in need, dammit, and I had to save her. Hoping my voice didn’t come out sounding cracked—he was drop-dead gorgeous, after all, and there was no denying the fact that his striking presence took my words away when I first saw him—I said, “I-I need your help.” That came out better than I expected it to.

  His sculpted eyebrows furrowed. He stared at me, looking confused.

  Okaaay. He was really hot … and apparently really dense. No surprise there. I guessed a guy couldn’t always have both. I wanted to turn and walk away. I hated this guy and wanted nothing more to do with him. But I just couldn’t do this without him.

  Without thinking, I grabbed his hand. It jerked in mine, but I didn’t care. I dragged him to that hole and didn’t let go until I made it a few feet from the edge. But as soon I did let go, I wanted his hand back in mine. That brief contact was so warm, it tingled every part of me. The sensation in my body was so distracting that I didn’t realize I was just standing there, reminiscing about it. It wasn’t until those familiar cries coming from the hole hit me that I was forced out of my daze. I focused on his eyes and pointed to the hole. “I need you to go down there and get that deer. I’m too short and can’t do it by myself.”

  His gaze darted to the hole, and his facial expression made an abrupt change. His wide eyes were no longer confused, but alarmed.

  Without hesitation, he jumped into the
hole.

  Oh, my God, he’s going to kill himself. I ran to the hole and watched the most miraculous deer save in history. Not that I’d seen any at all, but wow. He scooped the baby up underneath his arm in one quick motion. There was a root at the side of the hole and he grabbed it with his free hand. He stepped off the side of the dirt wall and to the other side where he gripped another root near the mouth of the hole. And with one more quick jump off the side, he cleared the edge of the hole and landed gracefully on his feet.

  I stood there in astonishment. Holy hell …. I guessed the guy was a free-runner in his spare time. I’d seen some Parkour free-running on television, but wow was it crazy to see up close.

  I walked over and crouched down beside him.

  He held the baby so delicately, caressing her fur with his fingertips.

  Lucky deer. I shook my head, my gaze shifting to his beautiful face. His expression was so warm and kind as he touched her. He’d been so stoic before, so vacant, and completely unreadable. I guessed all he needed to have was an animal in his hands to show his sensitive side. He continued to work his gentle touches along her body and slowly her cries stopped.

  I drew in a bit closer. “Is she … is she okay?”

  He didn’t speak, still holding and caressing her.

  I sighed. For two seconds, I thought differently about him. For just a moment, I thought, how could someone who had such a wonderful connection with such a small creature be a jerk? I guess I was wrong. I started to rise.

  “She will be all right.”

  I froze. His voice was so enchanting. The sound was smooth and soft, melodic even. It came out so silky and quick. Had I even heard it? “What did you say?”

  He glanced away from the fawn and looked into my eyes. And when our eyes connected, he smiled. I’d never seen him smile before, and the action of it took my breath away. He had great smile. “She will be all right, Ariel.”