Something of a Kind

chapter 23 | ALYSON

Entering the office building was worse than the first day of school. With the swallowed terror that nothing or everything had changed surging, she moved through the doors, surprised to find a crowded lobby.

She knew that morning he had carpooled, though he d idn’t say so, freeing the SUV for a morning commute. Was this what it looked like when they prepared for an investigation? If so, Aly was disappointed.

At some point, her imagination of what Greg’s people did in the field had transitioned from nasally laughs and lab coats to leatherbound techies with enough equipment and sunglasses to belong to the cast of Blade: Trinity or The Matrix. Instead, duffle bags were packed in a pile by the door like a high school field trip, people in jeans, frumpily colored fleeces, and neon hats or head to toe camouflage milled around.

Ignoring stares and too friendly smiles, Aly carved a path through the crowds, hoping eeny-meeny-miny-mo was an efficient way of selecting the hallway to her father’s office.

“Alyson Glass?”

Unwilling to deal with any of them, she debated taking off in a run. As her name was shouted again, Aly turned on her heel, dreading another confrontation.

At least the sweater-vest hardly intimidates.

“I’m Thane Clark.” He offered a small but heavily pa dded hand with a rough shake. “I’m the resident sketch artist, and I wanted to speak with you directly on your encounter, if that’s all right.”

“I haven’t reported-”

“Do you mind just takin’ a look at this for me?”

Hesitant, she nodded, bad feelings rolling through her stomach. Biting her lip, she tucked a curl behind her ear, accepting the pad in hand.

The accuracy was shocking, the position – the body language between the two creatures was incredibly similar to the interaction she’d seen: the baby in the corner of the page with an arm hooked on a branch, the confrontational male standing, another creature on all fours like a gorilla. Noting an issue in the facial features, she ignored the fact that the comment would be offending if anyone drew attention to it on her own work.

“It’s a little cartoon-y,” she muttered, dissatisfied.

His brow furrowed. “Not particularly.”

She smiled to herself, recognizing the immediate walls built around critics from her own behavior. Fingers sliding along the page to direct, she explained, “Notice the distance between the lips in the nose. It’s standard to drawing faces, but isn’t overtly accurate to what I saw.”

“Wow.” He blinked in shock, jaw dropped. “To be honest, I’m completely blown away. It just… seems, ‘right’. Very natural. If I didn’t know the video myself, I’m not sure I would rec’nized the features… Indescribable. Don’t you listen to anyone, ya hear? I know you seen things. You’re too young and all for that kind of pressure, and I’m tellin’ ya, I relate. Ya should see the crud they give me for lookin’ Asian and being one-hundred-percent Dixie. Insane, I’m tellin’ ya.”

She hesitated, confused. “Well, thanks. I guess.”

“Yer dad, his work was all changed. That report though, it has his fire all lit up again. It seems like he really had somethin’ to prove to someone, like his work was all-dayev’ryday, runnin’ out of time. Then somethin’ changed.”

“What changed?” Aly inquired, unsure whether she was asking about his work or his belief in her report.

Thane shrugged. “He’s just weird… blanker, more distant, less hopeful, but then he applies for perm’nent housin’-”

Aly smirked. “Permanent housing? Where did he think he was going?”

“Who knows? Anyway, half a year goes by n’ you show up. You must really calm the felladown.”

She shook her head, swallowing a lump. The realization hit her like a brick – it had nothing to do with him approving of her, or believing her report. “Hardly… My mom died. He didn’t have something to work for anymore.”

“I, uh, see,” he muttered, flinching in discomfort. “Well, I dunno if your daddy called ya in, but Professor Ajay really wants to talk to y’all – a good fella, very serious. At some point, you really should stop in the interviewin’ room.” He pointed across the hall, a blaring realization that she’d opted for a wrong turn.

“I’ll do that,” Aly agreed, nerves mulling. Though curious, the idea of braving another interrogation was sickening.

As if she made an open invitation, her grabbed her elbow, guiding her the short few yards before waving inside and leaving her to her own devices.

Gee, thanks.

“You must be Alyson,” Ajay said. He lifted the sleeve of his blazer, a piece to a brown pants suit, scratching his golden skin mindlessly. Though an older man, he had a quaint sense about him, already setting her as ease. Smiling from beneath an oddly shaped graying mustache, he motioned for her to sit, adding, “Please join me.”

Pulling a chair out, she blurted, “Is this about the old report?”

“No, no. The new one,” he explained, lifting a stack of paperwork. “I just had a conference call with a Noah Locklear. This boy says he is your boyfriend?”

She smiled, glancing at the hands folded in her lap.

“Yes, I was young once too. Blushing the darkest violets, when I met my wife. Prettiest girl everseen, I almost say,” Ajay laughed. Getting serious, he dove for allbusiness. “Now, don’t get upset, Allí, but I have to ask, do you believe you had a bear encounter?”

“It was the Wood Beast,” Aly corrected, grimacing, “Which, I know, sounds totally cliché when you say it out loud.”

“You know,” Ajay said, hesitating, “some scientists think that most ‘big-foot’ sightings are actually an error in the human cognition, part of our psyche, to see ourselves in other animals.”

“This wasn’t anthropomorphism. This is me telling you exactly what I saw. It wasn’t a humanoid wild-man. It was some… freaky primate,” she explained, feeling inadequate. Her hands moved as she spoke, trying to convey the words that didn’t come. They fell into her lap.

“You are sure this is not a bear? Some of the biggest live in Alaska. Have you heard about the Kodiak bear?”

“Yes, I’ve heard of the Kodiak. I grew up in the Adirondacks, with their little cousins. I was in the truck’s cab with my aunt when my uncle slid a ladder in a dumpster so a baby could crawl out. I grew up around life-size carvings and local stories about encounters. I’ve studied and painted them. I know grizzlies have a lot on the black bears, but I’m telling you, I have never seen or heard of anything like this”

“Except for Sasquatch,” Ajay finished, nodding. “Your boyfriend, he said the very same thing.”

“You don’t believe me.” Aly sighed, slumping back in her seat.

“No, Allí, I believe you,” he corrected, adding, “This is my career, all my life. I have heard stories much stranger that I have believed. You know, it’s a very big deal that this species is in a place, like, like America and has not been studied. It may not feel like it now, but you have had a very lucky experience. You should keep that with you, because someday there will be many people who know of it, but you are someone who can say, ‘I told you so! I’ve seen this animal!’Am I right?”

She smiled to herself, raising her gaze to share it and nod. “Yes, thank you.”

Ajay grinned. “You know, Allí, you are a very nice girl when you let yourself be. You should let people see you a little bit more.”

Biting her lip, she asked, “He really called you?”

“Well, I called him. Your father asked. But Noah has told me, ‘you have to listen to this girl. She’s very smart, and she does not lie.’ He’s quite taken with you, Allí. He said, ‘I have a good feeling about this. You’ll see, it is worth it.’”

She nodded, standing to go.

“And Allí?” Ajay added. “I believe him. I believe you, as well.”