CHAPTER ONE
Emily fumbled with the dial on the radio trying to localize an actual signal. After several seconds of intermittent static, a crackly vibrato pitched through the car’s speakers and she recognized an old Patsy Cline tune but not the words. She sighed and lowered the volume until it became pleasant background noise. She hoped the music would lighten the heaviness she felt in her stomach. She needed some way to alleviate the apprehension that kept creeping up the back of her mind.
She sat forward in the seat, pulling at the thin blue cotton T-shirt that hugged her bodice. Even though it was early June, there was a still a nip in the air and she was alarmed to see goose-bumps rising over her bare thighs, all the way to the lip of her cut-off shorts. I’ll have to cover up when I reach town, she thought suddenly, realizing that her preferred style would probably be a bit too shocking for the country folk she knew she’d be joining the ranks of soon. Her long blond ponytail caught on the fabric of the chair and she shook her head, trying to free it. In the rearview mirror a pair of green eyes caught her attention, and she stared back at her reflection, trying to force a smile. What am I doing? she repeated to herself.
She rolled up the window and propped her arm against the glass and let out a long protracted sigh. Out the window she saw a large brown painted sign with the words TANANA FOREST RESERVE etched into the wood. She struggled with one hand to unfold the map on the passenger seat next to her and tried to follow the winding lines. Almost there , she thought, with more relief than she expected. Large conifers flashed by on the road, a deep and impenetrable wall of trees on either side – after five hours of driving through their green tunnels she was starting to get dizzy. The further she drove north, the greater her misgivings became.
“You committed to this.” she said out loud, as if trying to remind herself of the choices that had brought her here.
The past year seemed like a blur. She could still recall the sunny days in California, the essays and practicums, the hustle and bustle of San Francisco. In the back of her beige Volvo, somewhere in one of the suitcases, she pictured the small piece of embossed paper that officially recognized her as a registered nurse. She’d always dreamed of becoming one, and even though it had taken a year and a half longer than she’d planned, it had all seemed worth it at the end. A thin smile spread across her lips as she thought about graduation day – the speeches and pictures, everyone so happy to have finally made it through the gauntlet.
Reality came spiraling back to her and the smile disappeared from her lips. Nurses were in high demand everywhere but she still couldn’t reconcile her decision to move to Alaska. Neither, in fact, could any of her friends.
“You’re crazy, you do know it snows there… like… a lot?”
“Have you thought this through… it’s dark there half the year.”
“Emily Jones, you’re going to get eaten by a polar bear!”
All the various warnings from friends plagued her during the entire drive north. She had played it off as being a great opportunity to see a part of the country she’d never been to before. It was also a bigger paycheck than any of the urban or local nursing jobs available. Most of her friends had accepted her choice gracefully. Emily had always been strong-willed, a risk taker among a social group whose idea of a ‘wild night’ involved driving around to clubs. When she’d made it clear that there was no way of dissuading her, they’d all accepted it.
Of course, there’s another reason I’m out here in the boonies , she admitted to herself. She had heard rumors that Alaska had
Emily fumbled with the dial on the radio trying to localize an actual signal. After several seconds of intermittent static, a crackly vibrato pitched through the car’s speakers and she recognized an old Patsy Cline tune but not the words. She sighed and lowered the volume until it became pleasant background noise. She hoped the music would lighten the heaviness she felt in her stomach. She needed some way to alleviate the apprehension that kept creeping up the back of her mind.
She sat forward in the seat, pulling at the thin blue cotton T-shirt that hugged her bodice. Even though it was early June, there was a still a nip in the air and she was alarmed to see goose-bumps rising over her bare thighs, all the way to the lip of her cut-off shorts. I’ll have to cover up when I reach town, she thought suddenly, realizing that her preferred style would probably be a bit too shocking for the country folk she knew she’d be joining the ranks of soon. Her long blond ponytail caught on the fabric of the chair and she shook her head, trying to free it. In the rearview mirror a pair of green eyes caught her attention, and she stared back at her reflection, trying to force a smile. What am I doing? she repeated to herself.
She rolled up the window and propped her arm against the glass and let out a long protracted sigh. Out the window she saw a large brown painted sign with the words TANANA FOREST RESERVE etched into the wood. She struggled with one hand to unfold the map on the passenger seat next to her and tried to follow the winding lines. Almost there , she thought, with more relief than she expected. Large conifers flashed by on the road, a deep and impenetrable wall of trees on either side – after five hours of driving through their green tunnels she was starting to get dizzy. The further she drove north, the greater her misgivings became.
“You committed to this.” she said out loud, as if trying to remind herself of the choices that had brought her here.
The past year seemed like a blur. She could still recall the sunny days in California, the essays and practicums, the hustle and bustle of San Francisco. In the back of her beige Volvo, somewhere in one of the suitcases, she pictured the small piece of embossed paper that officially recognized her as a registered nurse. She’d always dreamed of becoming one, and even though it had taken a year and a half longer than she’d planned, it had all seemed worth it at the end. A thin smile spread across her lips as she thought about graduation day – the speeches and pictures, everyone so happy to have finally made it through the gauntlet.
Reality came spiraling back to her and the smile disappeared from her lips. Nurses were in high demand everywhere but she still couldn’t reconcile her decision to move to Alaska. Neither, in fact, could any of her friends.
“You’re crazy, you do know it snows there… like… a lot?”
“Have you thought this through… it’s dark there half the year.”
“Emily Jones, you’re going to get eaten by a polar bear!”
All the various warnings from friends plagued her during the entire drive north. She had played it off as being a great opportunity to see a part of the country she’d never been to before. It was also a bigger paycheck than any of the urban or local nursing jobs available. Most of her friends had accepted her choice gracefully. Emily had always been strong-willed, a risk taker among a social group whose idea of a ‘wild night’ involved driving around to clubs. When she’d made it clear that there was no way of dissuading her, they’d all accepted it.
Of course, there’s another reason I’m out here in the boonies , she admitted to herself. She had heard rumors that Alaska had
Similar Books
