Truly exhausted, Layla leaned hard, resting her head and hand on the frame of her tent, hesitating to go inside. Wondering if it would even be worth it. She sighed, exasperated, as looking over her shoulder, she eyed another brightly lit tent at the other side of the clearing. Away from social commotion, gambling, and merriment. Set off, and sequestered.
Dr. Ruiz's tent.
Chapter 5
More Questions, Little Answers
The visage of her advisor's glowing tent loomed before Layla, an ominous beacon of both authority and uncertainty. With a hand resting on the viney trunk of a nearby branch, she weighed the pros and cons of entering and intruding on Dr. Ruiz's self-imposed exile. The man could tend to be a bit overbearing and temperamental when it came to his students, and with the expedition doing as poorly as it has been, he was likely to be in a foul and irredeemably bitter mood tonight. Still, Layla found herself inexplicably drawn to the tent, and suddenly possessed the strong desire to confront him. About the project. About his reasons for selecting her. About everything. And then there was the feeling that, with what she knew she could do, and what her abilities were capable of detecting, that maybe, she could somehow figure out a way of reasoning with him, and in turn, could end up do significantly more to aid the expedition itself. Maybe even help speed things along. For the team. For herself...
But while looping around all these thoughts, and before she was able to convince herself into changing her mind, Layla returned to reality, to find her hand resting on the flap of Dr. Ruiz's tent. The condensation from the humidity and the night air made the surface feel slick and cold within her tight grasp, as her heart raced, and she rallied her nerve to push forward. With one last deep, centering breath, her resolve solidified, and, finally, she stepped inside.
As Layla lifted the damp nylon flap, she examined the interior of the tent and found a set-up that was not at all what she expected to see. Maps, photos, and print-outs, spread over every surface, taped to the walls, circled, and marked up in the margins, with notes and ramblings in a clearly rushed hand. A clear display of desperation merged with haphazard obsession.
And in the middle of all the chaos, stood Ruiz, holding a map in one hand, stroking his thick, black-and-silver-blended hair anxiously with the other, and pacing and muttering, like some caged animal. He hadn't even noticed Layla come in. Hadn't even noticed that he was no longer alone in his thoughts. Nervously, Layla cleared her throat to get his attention.
"What... I... uh... sorry about the mess," he fumbled over his words, in a distracted sort of way Layla had never witnessed in her advisor before, "can I... can I help you, Miss Marin?"
"I'm... so sorry for interrupting. I was just..." Layla paused, choosing her next words carefully, "some of us were getting a little curious about the... uh... expedition... Is there anything I can do to help with the process?"
Dr. Ruiz pinched the bridge of his nose, and immediately at that moment seems to return somewhat to his usual intimidating, condescending demeanor. "Miss Marin, can't you see I'm a little busy?" He exhaled in response, his exhaustion and unveiled frustration now showing through.
"I know. I'm sorry. I just thought..."
"What you thought, was that the instincts and sheer luck you exhibited in New Mexico a few weeks ago would make you an invaluable asset to me on this expedition. That you might somehow know more about my own project than I do. Is that pretty much it?"
Layla gritted her teeth, to avoid blowing up in anger at this directed attempt at condescension. "No, I... I just wanted to help..."
"Miss Marin, if you truly want to help, please, go get some rest, brush up on your Spanish, dig where and when I tell you to, and give me a little more time to figure all this out," his orders, already cutting to the quick, concluded with the words, "do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal," Layla responded, trying to hide the snark and anger in her own tone, "sorry, Dr. Ruiz. I guess... I'll see myself out." He didn't even pay her another moment's mind, already caught up again in his own thoughts and clutter of notes and research again.
Layla left through the flap, and began to make her way into the night air, and back towards her own, much more modest tent set-up. Deflated, and now, with a renewed frustration over the state of this expedition.
The presence of her colleagues now felt a million miles away, and with every step, the jungle surrounding her felt more alive. Wilder. Every sound, every enormous leaf or relentless insect, only served to further remind Layla that they were certainly not in New Mexico anymore. Or even West Virginia. Layla had nearly reached her tent, her own little bit of civilization tucked within this untamed rainforest when a rustling in the vegetation at the edge of the lush clearing made her freeze. Layla slowly and silently panned her lantern, until finally coming to rest on a pair of glowing, red eyes, piercing in her direction through the verdant darkness.
Layla's blood instantly ran cold, as whatever this intruder was, seemed to also be examining her own presence, with an intelligence and intensity that felt far more human than animalistic. And that was when Layla's judgment wained, just for
