Page 30 of Dryad, Try Again
“Kovi, our school needs you. The forest needs you to support it. There are trees that simply won’t grow at the edge of campus this week, and we, the faculty would like you to check up on them. But I don’t want to move forward without properly compensating you. So going forward, we’ll have you sign up as a part-time employee while you’re still a student.”
My jaw hasn’t closed this whole time. “Was that what the faculty meeting was about?”
“What? Oh no.” She waves her hand. “That was preparations for the Halloween Ball. With the full blood moon on the rise, monster researchers around the world are expecting a spike in paranormal activity. I hope no property is damaged with all the spontaneous shifting over campus. I don’t want to have to call parents…”
I quirk an eyebrow.What’s this about the moon and shifting?
“Mr. Sampath, will you please take a look at these trees?” She slides another paper forward, this one detailing the locations of the trees she’d like me to assist with. “And please consider working here for as long as possible. I’d love to have you full-time once you graduate. It’s a big ask, but monster institutionsaround the Northeast would adore having a dryad on the grounds. For now, we have you, and we want to keep you. Because you, sir, are special.”
She sits back and smiles warmly. Meanwhile, my dark skin is probably blushing under all this praise. The dean thinks so highly of me, and is willing to pay me handsomely. A huge opportunity has landed on my lap, now it’s simply a matter of taking it.
“That’s awesome,”Niko says, leaning on the counter. “A job after graduation, what more could you want?” He grins at me, and I shrug.
“I don’t know. Won’t it be like being in college forever?” We’re standing in the pick-up section of Mummy Mocha during the post-classes, pre-dinner rush. Monsters and humans mull about, sipping drinks and chatting while we wait for our orders. I haven’t seen a certain red-headed server, and hopefully Niko and I can get our drinks and get out before that happens. Seth’s been kind enough to not ask me about Tanner, and I’ve distracted him with conversations about my new potential job.
“Maybe. But you’re smart. You’re not some dumb party jock,” Niko says.
I smirk—he’s got it bad for a human, but I’m not bringing that up.
“Imagine me going to college parties in my late twenties, early thirties.” I snicker and Niko snorts. “That would be awkward.”
“Try going in your three-thousands, early four-thousands.” Seth appears with a grin and plops our drinks down. I chuckle when I remember he’s literally an ancient being living a twenty-two-year-old’s life. “Two Sarcophacappucinos. Niko, you got the double espresso.”
“Thank you, Sethem. Always a pleasure.” Niko beams at my best friend while holding his specialty drink.
“Of course.” He turns to me. “You headed out to the forest, bro?”
“Yeah, I finally have time,” I reply, taking a sip. “A lot on my plate now.”
“Hey, the dean is paying you big bucks.” Seth points at me, and I nod.
“That is true. I’m an employed dryad.” I preen.
“Welcome to the workforce, Mr. Sampath,” Seth says with a faux sternness.
Niko laughs, and then glances at his phone. “Speaking of responsibilities, tutoring calls.”
“I got a hot date with a mostly dead tree, and you got a hot date with a—”
“Don’t!…Don’t even.” He raises his finger to me, and Seth and I crack up. Messing with Niko is so fun, he’s even more high-strung than me.
With drinks in hand, we each head our separate ways. I’m proud to say I only looked back twice to see if Tanner showed up. Not that I care. We’re just friends, and sometimes friends ignore each other, right?
An hour later,the sun is setting as I place the final tree down into the hole in the ground. In my dryad form, my branch arms easily pat it into place and refill it with soil. Dean Yaga paid me a pretty penny to remove three on the eastern perimeter; apparently some maples bloomed too soon, creating a mismatched color scheme. She specifically requested dogwoodtrees, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her that they’re not in season.
So, here I am, attempting to commune with these majestic beauties. Each of the twenty-five-foot-tall plants have green buds, but barely any flowers. I don’t think the dean wants to wait six whole months. All living trees are gorgeous to me, but I’m not keen on forcing them to flower out of season. It’s autumn, and most of the school is still surrounded by lush green.
Now how to make these dogwoods match?They’re barely responding to me as I commune with them. The closest translation is that they’re set in their ways and have no interest in blooming. If it didn’t take me so long to find them, I’d meander back into the forest to search for more appropriate plants.
I shift down, ready to be in my original form again. There was hardly a time when I was solely human, but I don’t like to stay in either form for too long. After I shift back down, I shake out my shoulders. I stare up at the dogwoods, as if I can scowl them into submitting and blossoming. Is this really what I want to do forever? Humans have such a tenuous understanding on how to treat flora. Maybe my talents are better suited elsewhere.
“What are they saying?”
My head whips around, and for a moment I think it’s an illusion. I blink my eyes, but no, he’s here. Tanner is approaching me, hands in his pockets. He’s wearing a white short-sleeved button-down, with a hearty amount of chest showing past his gray undershirt. He looks divine and sexy, and staying away from him has only made my attraction to him stronger.
“Huh?”
“The trees,” he replies. He points up and I turn around. “What are they telling you?”
