Julie and the Monkey Witch

Chapter 1

"I didn't have time because you were rushing us, Lef-tennant," she said mockingly.

"Wow, harsh," he said, causing one of their colleagues to snicker. "If this was the Army, and I was your commanding officer, I would have had you disciplined, if just for the way you mocked my rank."

"Luckily, this is not the Australian Army, nor your good ol' days," said Gina.

The forty-year-old former Australian Army Lieutenant rolled his eyes and led the way.

They were part of an international, pan-Pacific research team made up of scientists and researchers from universities in Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Taiwan, and the United States. It had been a year and four months since they arrived.

The island itself was undiscovered until recently. Despite being as big as the islands of Hawaii combined, and a couple of hundred miles south of the Hawaiian Islands in the middle of the Equatorial Pacific, it was impossible to locate unless you knew where it was. This research team found the island and a wealth of undiscovered flora and fauna species, as well as the previously-uncontacted Teo Tribe.

Much of the rainforest was still thick with branches, which was good. If there was anything they could find on this island, aside from just the pure pleasure of discovery, it could help stop deforestation, at least that was Gina's pitch to her bosses.

Unbeknownst to them, something—or someone was watching them from the trees. The figure leaned down, squatting and holding onto a branch, then moved like an animal out of the way.

Gina was still focused on the path ahead when she heard the rustling. "Gina, not again," said John.

"Sorry, mate," she said. "You know, I can never get used to this."

"I have," John replied.

The figure above them moved closer, peering through leaves and foliage at them, like a predator and a feral glint in their eyes. They watched as Gina cleaned off her fogged-up glasses and brushed back her dark hair. Her colleagues sat down to take a break, having a gulp of water all the while.

"So, how much longer?" Gina asked.

"Not much longer," John said. "Should be back in about an hour."

"Oh, I hate these treks!" their colleague moaned.

"Oh, quit your whinin'," said John. "At least you're not—did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Some rustlin'," said John.

"John, that's just the breeze," said Gina.

"That's no breeze," said John.

"And now you sound like a bad horror movie trailer," said Gina.

"Did I really sound like that?"

"Yep," Gina replied.

"Huh," he said. "I didn't know that."

Neither of them noticed the figure crawling up behind Gina on all fours like a beast. The figure got closer and closer, staying quiet and inconspicuous until they were right behind Gina and yelled, grabbing her by the shoulder and making her scream like she was attacked. John, the colleague and Gina all turned around to see—

"Haha, gotcha!"

Gina let out an exasperated sigh mixed relief. "Julie! Don't scare me like that! I almost had a heart attack!"

"But it was fun!" Julie Vidic, one of the original team members said with a shrug.

"Listen, 'Jane,'" Gina said, invoking Tarzan's wife, "I don't mind your tryin' to be a jungle girl, but you can't just scare me like that!"