Then it said, “Go to bed. Strong women need their rest.”
In the morning, Kurt gave a quick yelp when he realized Fiona was on her cot with her arm curled around the skull. He summoned the others. Professor Harris said not to wake her and ruin the moment.
“Wish I had a picture,” Tom whispered. Professor Harris motioned for him to go get his camera. Fiona opened her eyes before he’d even left the tent in search of it.
“What the hell are you all staring at?” she asked.
“You and your little friend,” Jackson said.
Fiona picked up the skull and stroked it lovingly.
“She was lonely, lying over there all alone,” she said.
Fiona got up. Her hands were sticky from wearing the gloves all night. She returned the skull to its proper place in the adjacent tent. The men followed her and waited outside while she put it down.
“That was pretty fucking badass,” Kurt said.
“Didn’t know you had it in you,” Tom said.
Fiona snapped off her gloves. She was hungry. She asked who was going to make eggs. Professor Harris volunteered.
Everyone in the Anthropology Department had heard about Fiona’s night with the skull by the time they returned. No one disapproved. In fact, her reputation soared. She had nerve, she had guts, and what about that totally unexpected off-beat sense of humor? She was just the kind of person you needed out there in the field.
As for Estrella, she turned out to be older than anyone expected, over two thousand years. She shed new light on the history of the native people in that region. Professor Harris quickly applied for and received another grant. Fiona was the first team member he approached. But she wasn’t interested. She was giving up anthropology in favor of her first love, geology. When her father once again objected, she told him she wasn’t asking for permission or even money, since she was okay with going into debt for something that important. He was so surprised, he said nothing, and for once Fiona had the last word.
14