Mornings and I are generally not on good terms, and even though I'm buzzing with excitement, this morning is no exception. I settle into my window seat, hoping like hell that I can sleep for most of the thirteen hour flight ahead of me, but the chances are slim considering the gallon of coffee I drank at the airport less than an hour ago.

Pulling out the paperback book I've been reading, but have only been mildly interested in, I mindlessly thumb through the pages. Silently wishing for the seat next to me to remain empty, but the plane is filling up fast. I could really use some quiet time to mentally recharge after the hectic month I've had preparing for this trip. More than a trip, really...it's a brand new start. Even after weeks of preparation, this doesn't feel real to me yet. None of it. What I'm about to do is still settling in.

My flight is headed to Santiago, Chile, with a refueling stop midway in San Jose, Costa Rica, but that's just the beginning. I'm starting a new job. Sounds great, right? It is. Only I've never been one of those people who does things the easy way. It's taken me 12 years of college and 3 failed relationships to get here, but that's all just water under the bridge, I suppose.

I'm the newest member of a research team at Palmer Research Station.

Name: Bo Dennis

Occupation: Marine biologist

Location: The coldest, most desolate end of earth

That's not much of an exaggeration. Palmer Station is the smallest of only three permanently manned U.S. research facilities located in Antarctica. It's located on Anvers Island and staffed year round with around 40 people in the summer and half that during the winter.

To get there, you have to really want to be there.

The station isn't serviced by aircraft; there's no landing strip, and only one helicopter goes in or out. Once we land in Santiago, I'll have to board an icebreaker ship for the final leg of my journey. It will then take 4.5 days on the open water, passing over the equator and traveling through Drake Passage, known to be some of the roughest seas in the world. It freaked me out a little when I read that some 20,000 sailors have lost their lives exploring these icy waters.

There are really only two notable seasons in Antarctica, summer and winter. During the winter months, the sun remains very low in the sky or doesn't even rise at all. Where it does rise, the days are short. During these months, the icy waters are dangerous to attempt passage. I'm hoping my carefully planned arrival will be safe and uneventful. January is considered summer there since the seasons are opposite from the Northern hemisphere. It's also the time of year where the sun never completely sets.

Only a few vessels regularly navigate these waters called the Antarctic Convergence. It's where cold Antarctica water meets warm southern Atlantic water creating an area intensely rich with marine life. This convergence also prevents the colder waters from flowing too far from the continent, which is one reason why Antarctica stays so damn cold.

It's basically a 14 million square kilometer sheet of ice.

That's the charming place I'm now going to call home. It's going to take some time for this California girl to adjust to the change. Even the most ardent scientists are reluctant to work in such an isolated and extreme environment, and yet that's exactly the type of challenge that excites me. I'm either wildly adventurous or out of my freaking mind.

Probably both.

There's a lot of interesting work being done at the station, ranging from the study of the local Gentoo penguin population, to autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) that roam the sea for weeks gathering data on phytoplankton. Marine biology and ornithology are the primary projects at the facility, but there are also ongoing geology, meteorology, and atmospheric studies.

I'm excited and curious to find out what the other scientists and staff will be like. Everyone signs a six-month contract to work at Palmer, but some of the team have been at the station for many seasons, devoting years of their lives to their research. I'm certain it will be a huge learning experience for me, being around people who are passionate about their work, but I also have to wonder if they will be open and accepting to a new kid in town.

I'm not really that young. I'm 32, but I've been around long enough to know how dreadfully stuffy some scientists can be. Once I'm there, I'll have nowhere to run if they don't like me, or worse yet, if I don't like them. It's nearly 700 nautical miles from the island back to Chile. I laugh to myself, because of the situation I could find myself in, and a little from sheer nervousness, but I know my decision has been made.

Everything has been set in motion. There's really no turning back now.

Closing my eyes, I mentally check off the list of things I needed to pack for my new adventure in the polar desert. The normal travel philosophy is to pack as light as you can because anything beyond your passport and credit card is not considered absolutely essential. Whatever you've forgotten can probably be found once you get there. Antarctica is definitely an exception to this rule. If I forgot something, I will most likely have to do without it.

Almost as if reading my mind, a petite girl plops down in the seat next to me. "I hope you remembered to pack your toothbrush, because that could be a helluva situation, am I right?"

She has long, dark hair which strikingly contrasts the brightest blue eyes I think I've ever seen. Her smile lights up her entire face, and my face immediately responds with a smile of my own. She shrugs out of her backpack which looks like it easily weighs more than she does, yet she somehow manages to stuff it underneath the seat directly in front of her.

Reaching into the pocket of her hoodie, she pulls out a fistful of Twizzlers and generously offers me one. "I'm Kenzi. I never leave home without snacks. Don't worry, there's a lot more where this came from."

My stomach involuntarily growls in response, and I take the red candy, thinking it would probably be rude to turn it down. "Thank you. I'm Isabeau, but my friends call me Bo. Is that what your backpack is stuffed with - Twizzlers?"

"Gurl, listen, I'm not even gonna lie. My stash would make Willy Wonka weep with envy. The downside is that it took me 45 minutes to get through airport security. I thought for sure I was gonna miss the flight, but holla! I made it." She waves her red candy in the air like a magic wand, and I can't help but laugh.

I'd only met her a few short minutes ago, but I could already tell we were going to hit it off.

"Bo, please don't think I'm rude if I fall asleep in a few minutes. I'm not trying to avoid the whole awkward stranger convo thing; it's just that flying makes me hella nervous, so I'm gonna try and catch a few winks. Also, didn't anyone ever tell you not to take candy from strangers?"

She barely finishes the last sentence before she's out, snoring softly.

I suddenly realize this young girl has managed to make me smile more in five minutes than I have all week. There's something about her that puts me at ease.

Finally the airplane door shuts, all seats are secured in their full upright positions, and we're barreling down the runway. I look out the window, and my stomach flutters with a crazy mixture of excitement and nervousness.

This is really happening. Antarctica, here I come.

I feel like I'm leaving everything behind and strangely, that thought doesn't scare me. Somehow it feels right. I close my eyes and welcome the new beginning and the refreshing winds of change.

It doesn't take long before I drift off to sleep, thinking about all the possibilities ahead for me in the mysterious land of the midnight sun.

Santiago, Chile

I wake up when the pilot announces that we are only minutes from landing in Santiago. I guess I somehow slept through refueling in Costa Rica. Still groggy, I look over at Kenzi and she is squeezing her eyes shut tightly and concentrating all her energy on breathing. Realizing I'm awake, she grabs my hand and grips it hard as the airplane makes its slow descent. Surprisingly, the gesture doesn't feel like an awkward invasion of my personal space, considering it's someone I've only just met. She's turning pale, and I'm just glad I can be here to support the poor girl.

The landing is successful and Kenzi has apparently fully recovered from her fear of flying because she's excitedly talking 65 miles an hour, and I can barely keep up with her. After a much needed restroom break in the airport, we head over together to wait in the customs line. We're processed in only 20 minutes, half the time we expected. There's an advantage to arriving at 2 am.

I'm prepared to say goodbye to my new found travel buddy and catch a shuttle to Hero Inlet, aptly named after the 125 foot ship Hero that docks there. Then Kenzi excitedly informs me that she's also traveling on the same ship. I'm a little nervous about the potentially rough seas on the trip ahead, so I'm relieved to have her company, even if only for a little while longer.

Then it suddenly dawns on me…if she's boarding Hero, it must mean she's also going to Palmer Station.

Everyone who works at Palmer has reasons for doing so, but Kenzi is so young, I never expected she would be headed there. After a few minutes, I can't contain my curiosity any longer. I just have to know - why is she going to an obscure research facility in Antarctica? Is she an adventure-seeking tourist? Is she running away from a life of crime? Is she visiting family there?

"Uh...wow. You have a pretty vivid imagination, dontcha Bo? I'm going to Palmer Station on a university research grant. Primarily to photograph ongoing projects there, but between you and me, I really want to see the penguins!" She winks and nods enthusiastically, and I have to admit once again that her charisma is contagious.

Soon we are boarding the steel vessel together, and I'm able to confirm that all of our baggage has also been loaded onto the ship. That puts my mind at ease until the captain announces that there are strong winds ahead, and the trip may take a little longer than expected. He explains that this is just a normal day at the office for him, and not to worry. He and his crew have made this trek countless times. I feel reassured, but that doesn't stop the various Titanic scenarios running through my head.

In less than 2 hours we'll leave the dock. That gives us some time to find our cabin and explore the ship. We're offered some food from the ships galley, but there's no way I'm going to eat anything before we head out into rolling waters. I opt for dramamine and two generous shots of whiskey instead.

I offer some dramamine to Kenzi, but she brags that she doesn't need no stinkin' drugs, and she will tough it out on her 'sexy sea legs, like a boss.'

I watch as she meticulously removes the crusts from two ham and swiss sandwiches. Then she slathers on several packets of mayo, more than one person should probably ever consume, and eagerly scarfs them down. She chases it with a large root beer. As I observe her wiping the foam off her mouth and sighing contentedly, I have a sneaking suspicion that she's going to regret this decision later.

Our cabin is basically two sets of bunk beds welded into the cold steel gray ship wall, a small sink and a toilet. Just as the sun is beginning to come up, we are settling into bed. My sleep schedule is going to be royally messed up by the time I arrive. Hopefully there will be a day or two to adjust before any real work is required. Whatever happens, I'm sure I'll be able to roll with the punches. I made it through college on caffeine and adrenaline. I can do it again.

The ship begins to roll back and forth as we head out to open sea. That's my final cue to go to sleep. As I lay my head down on the pillow, I hear a few yelps and groans coming through the steel walls of the other cabins around us, as the vessel continues rock from side to side. Most of them are tourists, probably second guessing their decision to visit Antarctica instead of some warm tropical beach destination.

I don't know how, but I managed to doze off before the biggest waves hit. It seems I was able to sleep right through the worst of it. Kenzi did not fare as well. She tells me that she was rudely tossed out of her bunk a few times. I also notice unsecured items are scattered all over the cabin floor. I know she isn't exaggerating because I wake up with sore arms and cramping fingers. I realize that I must have been gripping the bed as I slept, subconsciously holding myself in place so I wouldn't roll out.

"I guess Sea Legs won't be your new nickname after all, huh, boss?" I begin to tease Kenzi until I realize she is holding her head between her hands and trying not throw up. She has terrible seasickness, which sucks the humor right out of the situation.

"What do you say, we go upstairs and get some fresh air?" I offer.

She's hesitant at first, but I gently pull her up by the arm before she has a chance to answer. I bundle her up snugly in her coat, and she wraps her arm around my waist for support after I put mine on. We gingerly make our way down the hallway and up some stairs, pushing open the large metal door between us and the main deck. Kenzi loosens her death grip on me once daylight and the cold breeze hit her face. Relief washes over her, and she breathes the fresh cold air into her lungs.

The temperature has noticeably dropped since the last time we were on deck. Zipping my coat up a little higher, I move closer to starboard to get a better view. If the wind isn't enough to take my breath away, the scenery certainly is. We are just a tiny speck in the midst of water and ice as far as the eye can see. I've never felt so small in my life.

Hello...it's been awhile. I started this little story months ago, and I'll be honest that I'm not sure if I'm going to keep going with it...I think that will depend on your reviews and comments. If you want more, let me know...Maybe it will help motivate and inspire me to continue...This is an entirely AU story...100% Doccubus. I would love to hear from you...