Beast Hunter

Chapter Two

Before I had a chance to process Stu's order, the woman moved across the room, and quickly reached our table.

"Hello, Stuart. It's been a while."

I watched Stu who looked to be debating something silently to himself. It seemed as if he was contemplating whether we should stay or go. I could tell that there was part of him that was really struggling inside. He looked both pleased to see her and eager to run for the hills, like the two emotions were waring inside of him in a battle that would determine his next move.

I wanted to stay, if only to find out what this was all about.

Finally, Stu said, "Hello, Skyler. Please, have a seat."

The woman did so. She was roughly Stu's age, attractive in a girl-next-door sort of way. Dressed in a nice evening suit, she had a crisp, professional ere about her. Yet beneath all that lay another side. Her eyes gave it away. They had the look of someone who'd been places and seen things.

"This is my nephew, Nick."

The woman extended her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Nick."

I shook it. "Thanks," I said. Then I added, "Pleased to meet you." Some adults tend to ignore teens in situations like this, fazing them out of any conversation as if they were a nuisance rather than a useful part of things. This woman didn't do that. Her graciousness seemed genuine. I liked her right away.

"Nick," Stu said. "Allow me to introduce Dr. Skyler Colman, professor of paleontology at Stanford University."

"Please," she said. "Call me Sky."

Sky. A great name for a mysterious woman who I couldn't help but find instantly captivating.

Truth be told, my experience with the opposite sex is...limited. At the risk of sounding pretentious, I'm what you might call a not-quite genius. I know that sounds silly, but hear me out. When I was little, schoolwork came easy for me. I didn't even have to try. Lots of A's and the occasional B, only if I completely phoned it in. My mom eventually had me tested and low and behold, I came back with an IQ of 124. To be considered a true, official genius, you have to have an IQ of at least 125, hence not-quite genius. Missed it by that much.

What does this have to do with girls? Well, as a result, I was moved up several grades and managed to graduate high school at fifteen. That might have been great for my academic prospects, but lousy for my social life. Suddenly, I was no longer around other kids my age. Everyone was a few years older then me. Plus, most of them regarded me as that weird smart kid who didn't really fit in. It's hard enough being a teen, and even harder when you're an island unto yourself. That meant no first date. No prom. Nothing. I might be able to tree-diagram your sentences without much thought or calculate your factions while eating my Cheerios. But when it comes to girls, I may as well be sitting on a stoop in the corner with a dunce cap on my head.

So yeah, a Romeo I am not.

Which is why this whole thing utterly fascinated me. In the time I'd lived with Stu, I'd never seen him go out on a date either. Like me, he had confirmed bachelor written all over him. Yet here was a side of him I hadn't seen before. He and Sky obviously had history, and the chemistry between them – though muted for some reason I had yet to comprehend – was undeniable.

After an awkward moment of silence, Sky shifted her attention to Stu and said, "You look good, Stuart."

Stu didn't return the compliment, choosing instead to get right down to it.

"Sky, what are you doing here?"

Seeming to respect his directness, she answered, "I didn't like the way things ended between us. I wanted to see you again."