When Crissa had left her parents' home that morning to check on David, she had originally planned to return up the mountain that evening following a lengthy visit with her mother and father. The frightening incident with the local wolves inside the cabin had changed all that, compelling her to escape with David and bring him back to his own small place for further recovery. The surprise phone call from Trisha about Professor Dekker now altered her plans even more, as she felt a need to return to her dorm room and confront the professor by phone. She needed to hear firsthand what his intentions were with David.
It was not totally news to her that Dekker might be seeking David out, as she had learned as much from Brad only the day before. Now, as she pulled her father's car into the driveway, she understood she would have to cut her visit short with her parents and return by taxi to the university. There she would wait for the professor's next attempt to reach her.
"But Crissy," her mother lamented, "you've been out all morning. And most the day, darling. Why can't you stay the rest of the evening here? In your own room? It's newly painted and with all new curtains! Can't you stay at least until Sunday sometime, hon?"
"Yeah, well mom, I just got a call from Trisha. She's pretty sick . . . Again! Throwing up like crazy, she says. And worried she may pass out. She's just not safe over there, by herself like that."
"My gosh, Crissa! You think it's food poisoning?"
No, Mom. Alcohol. She has an intolerance to it. And then goes out in the evening like an idiot and gets totally drunk. I told you she was problematic. It's happened before. Unfortunately, as her roommate, I'm the only one to care for her."
"Well, isn't there anyone in the dormitory that can . . ."
"No, Mom. Ok, if you're dying, they'll get you to the hospital."
"Well, what about her . . ."
"Her parents live in San Diego, Mom. Look . . . I just have to get back. I'll stay over here maybe next weekend. Tell Dad what happened. And tell him I'm sorry, OK?"
"Well honey, you can tell him yourself. He'll be back from the supermarket anytime now."
Crissa handed her mother the car keys.
"Really, Mom. I have to go."
As she turned and walked back toward the front door, a wave of guilt came over her. She never felt good about lying to her parents. She also knew how they missed her and how she had not spent the quality time with them they both deserved. As she turned and walked back for a final hug, she felt the tears well up in her eyes. She never knew her young life could have become so complicated, all from her expedition that summer.
* * *
As Crissa entered her dorm room an hour later, she found Trisha in her exercise tights and sitting in the middle of the floor, cross-legged in a yoga position.
"Hey, girlfriend," Trisha uttered between deep breaths.
"You're looking pretty healthy there," Crissa answered, walking around her to run the hot water for a shower.
"So how was your day?" Trisha continued, raising her arms upward slowly for an extended stretch.
Crissa began to undress. She could smell the perspiration the whole ordeal with David and the wolves had left on her.
"Well, not as exciting as your night must have been," Crissa said boldly.
Trisha broke her concentration to smile. "Oh yeah . . . that."
"Well, you can spare me the details about . . . that. But I was kind of worried about you not coming home."
"Come on Crissa. Troy just didn't feel I was in any condition to make it home last night. His place is not that close to campus, you know."
Crissa was now standing in her underwear with a clean towel held up against her naked chest.
"It's alright Trisha. I'm never going to tell you how to live your life. Or who you should be with. Just let me know you're OK . . . so I don't worry about you all night."
"Well, I guess I could say you're sounding like my mother . . . and Robby, too. But what you say is fair . . . and right, Crissy. I should be more careful."
Crissa just nodded in agreement while heading into the bathroom.
"But you know . . . he was pretty damn hot!" she lastly heard as she closed the door and stepped under the warm and soothing water.
In the middle of rinsing the shampoo out of her hair, Crissa heard the bathroom door swing open and felt a blast of cool air enter. Trisha had charged in with the room's portable dorm phone in her hand.
"It's him! He's called again," she exclaimed. "That professor guy!"
Crissa quickly shut off the water and grabbed her towel. She reached over and took the phone out of Trisha's hand. As her roommate stepped back out of the steamy room, Crissa shut the door behind her so as not to be heard.
"Hello?"
"Crissa? Hello. It's Dr. Dekker. . ."
"Yes . . ."
"Crissa, during our research this summer, you had the rare privilege of experiencing . . . something, well quite phenomenal in science. Particularly genetics. Are you aware of how rare that was?"
"Yeah. I realize that."
"And as you know, two individuals came back with quite amazing . . . adaptive changes. Changes found in legends and folklore . . . but never before witnessed or documented by a scientific expedition."
"OK . . ."
"And as a biology major at university now . . . you must realize the importance of that?"
"Yes, Professor. But those . . . individuals were not just experimental animals. They were young human beings. And people I got to know well by name."
Well, that's why I'm reaching out to you now, Crissa. Because of your . . . connection to David and Julie. You see, I've assured both of them that if they allow me to study their physical changes . . . the cellular dynamics, I would do all I could to reverse the process. What it was that caused them to be . . . so mutated."
Crissa was silent. Only the sound of water dripping off her body could be heard in the shower stall.
"Wouldn't you like to see David and Julie returned to their former selves, physically? Psychologically?"
"Yes. But what guarantee is there of that, Professor Dekker? You exposed us all to great dangers this summer. Some of us returned healthy and some not so fortunate. And it all could have been prevented."
"Well, I'm not so sure that it could have . . ."
"I've heard you've just tried to study them . . . to make a name for yourself. In the academic world."
"Not so, Crissa! I do want to help them. But I need to carry out the proper research on their adaptive mechanisms to do that. And it's why I need your help. To locate both of them."
Again, she was silent.
"I've determined from other students that David left Alaska and traveled south," he continued. "It's no secret that you and he were . . . well, attracted to each other on that trip. It would be logical that you might have seen him lately, Crissa. Or know where he has now located."
"Well I don't know, professor. I have not seen him. And I don't know where he went after returning to Alaska."
Crissa found it far easier lying to the professor than it was to her parents. Especially as it would help David stay out of this deranged man's designs. She had long come to mistrust the professor, as did everyone else on the expedition to Germany.
"Well, I'll be in the area for a while . . . testing this hypothesis about you and David. It might just be that it's false. And one way or another, Miss Palmer . . . I will locate him."
"I'll keep that in mind, Dr. Dekker."
"Until then . . . enjoy your studies, young lady."
Crissa shut off the phone and set it on the sink. A chill ran over her bare skin as she quickly dried off and wrapped the towel around her. As she exited the bathroom, she looked only at the clock and realized David had now had three more hours to come back from his hellacious journey. There was after the call even a greater urgency to feed him, support him and keep him hidden away from every radar screen—scientific and otherwise.
* * *