Page 12 of Surge of Fire

“There’s Dr. Frye,” Aydan says, nodding with his head toward the man.

He, like all the professors, is a world-renowned scientist. His specific study is in petrology, the study of rocks. He was one ofthe scientists who helped to discover that the core of the earth was a billion years old. It took his team years to recreate the conditions at the core on a small scale and calculate how long it would take for the molten iron to build up to its current size.

“That man is a rockstar,” Granger says.

“A legend,” Aydan murmurs.

“But would youput outfor him?” I tease, lifting a brow.

Aydan looks horrified. “No. What the hell?”

But Granger seems to give it some thought, with a goofy grin on his face. “I mean, you can’t say no toDr. Frye.”

We all laugh.

Then, I follow the man with my gaze until he disappears around a building. “Have you noticed how content all the scientists are? They’re not like the ones I’ve seen at other places. They truly seem to enjoy their work and enjoy this place.”

Granger scoffs. “I mean, who wouldn’t love working here though, right?”

Right.

God I hope I get a job here after I graduate.

Granger checks his watch. “Shit. Time to go.”

For one minute, we start running like a pack of dogs, an old habit of ours, before we realize what we’re doing and exchange grins before slowing down. Granger smooths his shirt, putting his shoulders back, and I pat my unruly hair, hoping to make a good impression while Aydan casts me a funny look.What? Yeah, my hair is insane, what am I supposed to do about it?

We make it to the largest building on campus. Like the others, it’s built solidly out of white brick, and it’s covered in ivy. I wonder briefly if this campus is set up with sturdy bricks and buildings low to the ground because of the earthquakes, but then I push the thought aside as we enter the building, students ahead of us and behind us. Signs point us to a large room with oak floors, about a hundred wooden chairs, and a stage at thefront of the room. The stage’s chairs are filled with some of the top scientists in the world.

After all of us are settled, the room begins to quiet. A familiar man enters the room, climbs the steps to the stage, and stands in front of the professors who are seated. There's no microphone, but then, there doesn't have to be one. His presence commands the room without him even saying a word.

This is Dr. Benjamin Williams. Dr. Benjamin Williams established the Phoenix Institute, bringing with him some of the leading scientists in the world. People he supposedly handpicked. Just like he supposedly handpicked each and every one of us.

His gaze moves around the room. “Fifty-six,” he says.

No one speaks. I’m pretty sure no one knows what he's talking about.

And then, he repeats himself, “Fifty-six. There are fifty-six of you in this room. Of the fifty-six of you, I will be looking for six people to come join the institute after graduation. Every single move you make on this campus, every decision you make, will lead to my decision on whether to offer you a job, or for the summer to be the only time that you spend here at the Institute." He pauses for a moment, studying all of us.

After an oddly tense minute, he continues, "Your professors, the scientists here, will also help in deciding who will stay. So don't see this so much as a summer study program, see this as the longest interview of your lives."

That's not intimidating at all.

He raises a gray brow. "What you will also discover here very quickly is that the Phoenix Institute is incredibly well-funded. Anything our scientists need, they get. Butmorethan that, this is an interesting place. You will see things in your environment here that you may never see again. So use your time at ourinstitute wisely.” Without another word, he turns and walks off the stage and… leaves.

If we're going to talk about poor impressions, maybe we should talk about his? Arrogant weirdo.But, I guess, brilliant people have always been described as a bit eccentric.

A woman stands next. Like all the doctors here, I recognize her immediately. Her name is Dr. Hannah Abigail, and she's one of the top reasons I wanted to be part of this program so badly. Dr. Abigail is a leading scientist in ecology and conservation biology. She’d even invented multiple tools to help track wildlife, and intensely studies the effect of humans and climate change on wildlife.

Wow. I can't believe I'm actually in the same room as her. She's kind of my idol.

Okay, notkind of, I worship her.

She has a stack of papers in her hand, but her dark eyes are on all of us. I know just about everything about this woman, including the fact that she's in her early sixties, and yet appears much younger. She’s one of those people who you can tell lives an active lifestyle, from her toned body to her deep tan.

Her gaze zeroes in on me, and I startle, sitting up taller. “I am Dr. Hannah Abigail. You may call me Dr. Abigail. I will be teaching a group of ten students. Five of you will work primarily with my assistants, focusing on lab work, which seemed to be your area of interest. And five of you will be accompanying me into the nature preserve as I tag wildlife and document significant observations.” She pulls the pencil out from behind her ear and looks down at the papers in her hands, then begins a list of names. She specifies if each person will be working in the lab or alongside her.

I hold my breath, praying as she slowly moves through one name after another.

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