Christian, and how else am I going to share my good news if I don’t get out into the world and meet new people?”
“Exactly,” Katiya agreed. “I’m always curious about the beliefs of others. Perhaps we can—”
Suddenly the door to the room swung open. Amanda jumped at the noise. When she turned, she saw Maxwell Cameron standing there. When he saw her, his frown transitioned quickly to a look of surprise.
“I… I heard voices,” he said. “I—”
Katiya seemed strangely unaffected by the intrusion. “Max, have you met Amanda?”
“Ah, yes… we met earlier.”
Amanda extended her hand. “Nice to see you again.”
“Nice to see you.” He shook her hand but kept his eyes on Katiya. “Don’t you need some rest? It’s getting late.”
“We’re just going to talk for a few minutes. We’re fine.”
“But—”
“We’re fine , Max.”
He took a few steps backwards but then stopped. “Okay. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Thank you, Max.”
“And let me know—”
“I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”
Max glowered but backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Amanda faced Katiya again. “Sorry, but I have to ask… does he always just barge in like that?”
Katiya let out a long sigh. “You’ll have to forgive Max. He and I are close friends, and he cares about me. A lot. I know he’s a bit overbearing, but he really does mean well. If it weren’t for him, I doubt I’d be where I am today.” She poked a few random pages on her bedspread with a finger. “As I’m sure you know, the academic world can be filled with backstabbing and jealousy. And because of that it’s good to have a friend who’ll watch your back. For me, Max is that friend.”
Amanda nodded. She agreed that friends were invaluable, particularly in academia, but it still didn’t explain or excuse the man’s odd behavior. Couldn’t she have found someone a little more stable to run her support network? He seemed a little odd for that role.
Amanda decided it might be a good time to switch gears. “So tell me about alien anthropology. I’m fascinated by the topic.”
“Well, can I tell you a dirty little secret?” Katiya’s eyes beamed playfully.
“Of course. I love dirty little secrets.”
Katiya leaned forward and whispered, “There really isn’t anything to tell.” After holding her serious look for a moment, Katiya laughed. “To be honest, I was afraid someone was going to ask me about it, and I guess I should’ve expected it might be you. I’m exaggerating a bit. We’ve actually conducted quite a bit of research, but the field is still in its infancy.”
Amanda sat upright. “So tell me what you have done.”
“Well, for one, I’ve conducted a lot of interviews. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot .”
“How many?”
“I lost count a long time ago. If I had to guess, I’d say I’m probably approaching a thousand.”
Amanda’s eyes widened. “And who have you interviewed? What’s it all about?”
“Right now it’s the primary way we gather information. We want to talk to anyone who claims to have seen an alien craft or who says they’ve been abducted.” She bit her lower lip. “Let me make a clarification: we don’t interview just anyone. The people we sit down with must have an unassailable reputation for character and ethics. In fact, I probably spend almost as much time looking into each person’s background as I do conducting the interview itself.”
“So, be honest… do you believe these people are telling the truth?”
“Yes, I do,” Katiya answered without hesitation. “My assistants and I do a pretty good job of screening out the nut jobs and the people with a reputation for exaggeration. Once we do that, we find we’re talking to people who are both truthful and stable.” She shrugged. “Obviously, there is the occasional story I’m skeptical of. But I’d say that’s the exception and not the rule.”
“Have you been able
“Exactly,” Katiya agreed. “I’m always curious about the beliefs of others. Perhaps we can—”
Suddenly the door to the room swung open. Amanda jumped at the noise. When she turned, she saw Maxwell Cameron standing there. When he saw her, his frown transitioned quickly to a look of surprise.
“I… I heard voices,” he said. “I—”
Katiya seemed strangely unaffected by the intrusion. “Max, have you met Amanda?”
“Ah, yes… we met earlier.”
Amanda extended her hand. “Nice to see you again.”
“Nice to see you.” He shook her hand but kept his eyes on Katiya. “Don’t you need some rest? It’s getting late.”
“We’re just going to talk for a few minutes. We’re fine.”
“But—”
“We’re fine , Max.”
He took a few steps backwards but then stopped. “Okay. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Thank you, Max.”
“And let me know—”
“I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”
Max glowered but backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Amanda faced Katiya again. “Sorry, but I have to ask… does he always just barge in like that?”
Katiya let out a long sigh. “You’ll have to forgive Max. He and I are close friends, and he cares about me. A lot. I know he’s a bit overbearing, but he really does mean well. If it weren’t for him, I doubt I’d be where I am today.” She poked a few random pages on her bedspread with a finger. “As I’m sure you know, the academic world can be filled with backstabbing and jealousy. And because of that it’s good to have a friend who’ll watch your back. For me, Max is that friend.”
Amanda nodded. She agreed that friends were invaluable, particularly in academia, but it still didn’t explain or excuse the man’s odd behavior. Couldn’t she have found someone a little more stable to run her support network? He seemed a little odd for that role.
Amanda decided it might be a good time to switch gears. “So tell me about alien anthropology. I’m fascinated by the topic.”
“Well, can I tell you a dirty little secret?” Katiya’s eyes beamed playfully.
“Of course. I love dirty little secrets.”
Katiya leaned forward and whispered, “There really isn’t anything to tell.” After holding her serious look for a moment, Katiya laughed. “To be honest, I was afraid someone was going to ask me about it, and I guess I should’ve expected it might be you. I’m exaggerating a bit. We’ve actually conducted quite a bit of research, but the field is still in its infancy.”
Amanda sat upright. “So tell me what you have done.”
“Well, for one, I’ve conducted a lot of interviews. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot .”
“How many?”
“I lost count a long time ago. If I had to guess, I’d say I’m probably approaching a thousand.”
Amanda’s eyes widened. “And who have you interviewed? What’s it all about?”
“Right now it’s the primary way we gather information. We want to talk to anyone who claims to have seen an alien craft or who says they’ve been abducted.” She bit her lower lip. “Let me make a clarification: we don’t interview just anyone. The people we sit down with must have an unassailable reputation for character and ethics. In fact, I probably spend almost as much time looking into each person’s background as I do conducting the interview itself.”
“So, be honest… do you believe these people are telling the truth?”
“Yes, I do,” Katiya answered without hesitation. “My assistants and I do a pretty good job of screening out the nut jobs and the people with a reputation for exaggeration. Once we do that, we find we’re talking to people who are both truthful and stable.” She shrugged. “Obviously, there is the occasional story I’m skeptical of. But I’d say that’s the exception and not the rule.”
“Have you been able
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