Chapter 1: The Recruit

Dylan Windell’s POV

I was looking at my uncle Sam’s study table when he entered the room. I rolled my eyes as I knew he loved to make a dramatic entrance.

 “Now that was a dramatic entrance, uncle,” I said before I went to hug him. He patted my back before I took my seat and he was taking his.

 “How are you, Dylan?” Uncle Sam asked me as I was crossing my hands in front of him. I rubbed my mouth before I was looking at him.

 “Well, I have a meeting with my advisor today as it will be the recruits day. I might meet people and I will have another partner that might be happy to share new knowledge with me, I hope,” I said as I was sipping on the tea. Uncle Sam nodded as he was sipping on his tea as well.

 “Good for you. I’m sure your father would be proud,” he said as he smiled when he was remembering his brother AKA, my late father. Maxwell and I were the only living last wielder of the Wind element. I hoped nothing bad would happen to us.

 “When will you join Max at the school?” He asked as I shrugged.

 “After our meeting. I heard that you have something to tell me?” I asked him as I was looking at uncle Sam before I was putting my teacup down. He nodded before he was opening his drawer and pulled something from it.

 It was a journal and I was arching my eyebrow at him.

He put the journal in front of me before he slid it to me. I was looking at it before I was looking at my uncle again.

 “What was this?” I asked him as he gestured to me to take a look.

 “I think after you read this, you will be surprised to know something about your father,” Uncle Sam said before he stood up and went to the window. I was looking at him before I was taking the journal. It was old but I know it was my father’s when I remembered I was looking at the cover when I was little.

 “He wanted you to have this when you were 23 years old. That was 2 years ago before he…” uncle Sam said as I was looking at him. He was trying to control his tears before he smiled weakly at me.

 “Now that you have come of age and I think you are ready to face the prized possession of your father, you can take it with you,” he said as I was getting up from the chair before he stopped me again.

 “But be warned. Do not let anyone catch it or your life will be in danger,” Uncle Sam said as I was arching my eyebrow at him.

 “And why is that?” I asked him as he shook his head.

 “You’ll see,” he said. I blinked a few times before I was getting out of the study room and I went to meet my mentor and Advisor, Prof. Lucia Belmonte. She was the one that has introduced me to the aerospace and meteorite for me to complete the interest that I developed when I was an undergrad.

 I wonder what was in this journal that would be something that would hard me.

 Pfft, yeah right.

I was gripping the journal before I put it into my back. I was in my 3rd year of being a Ph.D. student at NYU. It was horrible but I think I loved it. I get to spend more time doing my research and I don’t think that I would have any problem from now on. I was getting to the exciting part.

 But how wrong I was when I reached the lab.

The meeting of the recruits at the lounge was making it hard for me to locate Lucia but I saw Maxwell at the end of the room. He was talking with someone.

 “So, I would love to know your development, Silas. And I expect it to be research-guaranteed material, okay?” Max said as he was patting someone’s head before he moved out of the way. I was smiling at my older brother who was now happily married to the young professor as well.

 Max said to me before he was smiling widely at me.

 “Well, well. Look who decides to show up at the lame party,” Max said as he hugged me. I scoffed at him before I was looking around.

 “I would not call it lame, just a bunch of new nerds to join us in the department,” I said as I was looking around before Lucia was talking to someone. She was about 5 ft 8 in, give or take. She was a nice figure but I was not here for that.

 “So, why did Uncle Sam wanted to meet you?” He asked me as I shrugged. I don’t recall that my uncle said to share it with my brother. So I just keep it quiet.

 “Nothing much, you know him. He was worried that I was 25 and I was not having a girl that I might be interested to make her as my wife. Unlike you,” I said before max smirked at me.

 “What can I say? Carol loves me and I have the same feeling for her. It was not that hard to confess then,” he said before I shook my head.

 “Must be good than to be you,” I said before I was noting that Lucia was going with the new student. I need to be with her to introduce myself to the newcomer.

 “I got to go. I see you later,”

 “And later you mean at the family monthly dinner? Yeah, I wonder when that ‘later’ was,” Max said before I was rolling my eyes at him.

 “Yeah, whatever. I need to go. Bye,” I said before Max went to meet his recruits and I don’t have a chance to know who it was.

 Maybe there will be a surprise at the family monthly dinner after all.

I was following Lucia and the recruit as well as an elderly woman who must be the newcomer’s guardian. She was young to compare with the others but I don’t think she was that innocent. 

 She might be the 20s but still, she looked like she was only 20 years old.

I cannot let anyone deceive me as I know better than to look inside them, not by their appearance only. I was shaking my head before some bad memories were coming to my head.

 “Come on, we need to wait here before my other student will be joining us,” 

 “if you don’t mind I’m asking, Lucia. How many students were under your supervision?” The newcomer’s voice was sultry and has a Southern accent to it. I think I was smiling as I was listening to her voice.

 “Well, I guess I was overdue to get going. You will call me if you need anything else, Daisy,” the old guardian was speaking to the young woman as she smiled to her guardian.

 “Yes, aunt Milly. Thank you for coming to stop by and help me out,” the young woman stated before Lucia was laughing.

 “As if she will let you out. You’re her only relative, she has promised your father to take care of you until her last breath,” Lucia said before the old guardian was grunting to her.

 “Shut up,” she hissed.

I smiled as I was trying to get inside the room before the old guardian was coming out of the office.

 “Oh, sorry ma’am,” I said before I was looking at her. She was eyeing me up and down before she harrumphed at me. I was looking at the retreating figure of the old crone before I knocked on the door.

 “Ah! There you are! We were about to get started. Come in, come in,” Lucia said as I was striding into the room. I was looking at the newcomer before she turned to look at me and I stopped in my track.

 Time slowed down as her brown eyes were looking at me, into my soul. She smiled at me as she stood up and I was blinking at her. She was speaking as I know her mouth was moving before I was snapped to reality.

 “Dylan, I wanted you to meet your new lab partner, Daisy Dyer. She is interested in the meteorite that was related to paleoclimate and how the Big Bang was being created. From now on, you will be sharing your lab with her,” Lucia said as I was turning to look at her.

 “Say what again?”

 “You will be partners and share the lab. I hope you don’t mind,” Lucia said before I turned to look at the newcomer. Did she want to invade my lab?

 No fucking way!

 “Hi, my name’s Daisy Dyer. I hope you don’t mind that I will be sharing the space with you,” she said before I was looking at her hand and I took it to shake it. I gave a firm grip, a warning to her but she was strong, I gave her that.

 “Dylan Windell, hope to make your acquaintance,” I said as I was forcing a smile to her while I was thinking one thousand ways to make her feel burdened to be sharing my space.

 Why do I felt vulgar toward her?