A year ago
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Juno stared up at Brown University’s Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology & the Ancient World. Located at the south end of the main quad, the white two-story building reminded her of an ancient Grecian temple. Inhaling the late summer air, she hefted her backpack and climbed the steps. Her class was on the second floor, but she was early. She looked around for a while, enjoying the relaxed feel of the place. Unlike the tension that charged her father’s Senate offices, the Joukowsky Institute seemed to laugh at today’s problems.
Juno liked that.
She located the closest stairs and headed up. Her class was in a room at the end of a hall. She found it easily and went in. Desks were arranged in a semicircle facing a whiteboard that doubled as a screen. The room’s lectern stood to one side, looking forgotten and unused. Two black carts were parked closer to the desks, a laptop open and humming on the one to the right, notebooks and loose papers strewn about the one on the left. A figure lounged in the first row’s desk, his sneakered feet up, a pen in his mouth and a map in his hands.
“Hey,” Juno said, navigating the desks. “I’m Juno Montressen. Are you in this class too?”
“Yeah,” the guy said. “I guess I am. What about you? Is this an elective or part of your core?”
He climbed out of his seat. He was of medium height, five-eleven to six feet, and rangy. Dark hair framed a chiseled face. His skin was a hue Juno had never seen before, a cross between wet sand and fallen oak leaves. But it was his shimmering silver eyes that held her attention. Superficially, they were bright and confident, but deeper down she saw sadness and tragedy. She realized she was staring and spoke quickly. “Core,” she said. “I just switched majors.”
The guy smiled. It was a nice smile. “Really?” he drawled. “And what, may I ask, was your former major?”
“International Programs.” Juno shrugged. “It just wasn’t me.”
“Parents?” the man asked.
Juno rolled her eyes. “You have no idea. What about you? Major or elective?”
“Neither. I’m Professor Tallaenaq.” He held out his hand. “I teach the class.”
Heat burned Juno’s cheeks. This wasn’t happening. She hid half her face behind the palm of her right hand. “I am so sorry,” she sputtered, lowering her hand to shake his.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m a little young for a professor. Kind of ironic, though, considering the field.” A few other students started drifting in. “I hope that won’t be a problem.”
Juno’s blush deepened. “No,” she lied. “No of course not.”
As it turned out, Baiyren was such a good teacher that a few weeks into the course, Juno stopped thinking about how cute he was, how different. The melancholy she first sensed in him surfaced now and again, mostly when he discussed ancient monarchies and the tragedies surrounding them. She wanted to know what triggered it. Her heart twisted, and then her head. She wanted to take his pain away knowing she couldn’t. It wasn’t appropriate. Sighing, she pushed the idea aside and dove into her studies. For a while everything was fine, and she managed to keep her emotions in check for the rest of the term. That all fell apart the day after finals when Baiyren called her to his office.
The meeting began promptly at two, and like the first time they’d met, Juno was early. His office door was open. She knocked, poked her head in, and saw him sitting in a leatherbacked chair. “Professor?” she asked.
“Juno!” he said, standing. “Come in. Please.”
She did as requested, dropping her backpack beside a chair before sitting. “You wanted to see me?” Her heart pounded. This wasn’t about grades; hers had been nearly perfect. What then? What did he want? It certainly wasn’t to ask her out. Since the first day, she maintained an air of professionalism. He had as well. Then again why wouldn’t he? She doubted he even noticed the attraction she tried so hard to hide. He sat. She noted he left the door open.
“Juno,” he said, fingers steepled. “You are a fantastic student. You’re smart, inquisitive, and – more importantly – you have great instincts. It’s hard to believe you ever considered a different major.”
She grinned. “I do my best.”
“And then some. Look, Juno, I won’t mince words. I’m a bit of a maverick when it comes to archeology. My finds are controversial, most of them remain secret.”
“Why?” Juno frowned. Come to think of it, no one had heard of Baiyren Tallaenaq. She’d asked around, checked the net. Nothing. That might have bothered her in another setting. Not here. Brown had a reputation. They hired the best.
“Because they’d upset too many people.” Baiyren stared at her, measuring her resolve. “The point is: I’m leading another school-sanctioned expedition this summer. We’re going to Peru to check out a local legend; we’ll have ten researchers, seven interns, and five students. I’d like you to be one of those students.”
Juno’s mouth fell open. “Me? You want me? But I just changed majors.”
“Which means you’re not prejudiced. You’ll have a fresh perspective.” He lifted a printed sheaf from his desk. Her final exam. “Like I said, you have great instincts. You will get full credit and a chance to work in the field. Most students don’t get that until their junior year.” He dropped the exam onto his desk. “You don’t have to give me an answer now, but since we’re going the first week in July, we have to start planning early next semester.”
“Of course I’ll go,” Juno blurted. What an opportunity. She gathered her bag, stood and held out her embarrassingly sweaty hand.
Smiling, Baiyren rose and took it. “I appreciate your enthusiasm. I’ll mark you as a tentative yes. You’ll need your parents’ permission first; get that and we’ll go from there.”
“Parents,” Juno sighed. “That could be a problem.”
“It won’t,” Baiyren promised. “I’ve asked the school’s president to call your father personally. He’ll tell them I take care of my students and that I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll give them my word.”
“And if that doesn’t work?”
“We’ll find another way. We’ve done this before, don’t worry.”