CHAPTER 32

Spring had arrived finally and as the snow was melting, so was McPhee's demeanor towards Avery accompanying him to a board meeting. Naturally she was excited, he was finally trusting her enough to let her in on the board secrets. Well she wouldn't be able to see all the secrets but she was pleased that she got an invitation to attend a meeting anyway. She got up early and prepared her outfit for the day. Simple white blouse, a blazer and some slacks. She wanted to make a good impression on not only McPhee, but also the rest of the board members. Ahk was excited for her as he knew this was a big opportunity for her and he wished her all the best luck.

Sitting in the back of the room next to McPhee, she listened to board members go through the usual old business of the last meeting and reminders about upcoming budgetary concerns. She took several quick bullet points as she knew it would be important for her to get into the habit of when she was on her own board. And it would help her final internship report too.

"Now we open the floor to discuss new ideas for temporary traveling exhibits. Our museum is proud to say that we have two exciting options to consider. This one is called Atmosphere. It basically details various storms, thunder and lightning, and natural disasters. Even has a replica display of a tornado.

Avery had thought to herself when the board member mentioned weather. She wondered just how that would play out..

Cue thought log

"Larry! I need to talk to you right now, it's urgent!"

"Sure Avery what's up?"

"McPhee is bringing in a tornado!"

"What? What are you talking about? Is he mad at something or someone again? God did I do something that I'm unaware of… no…

"No Larry, listen to me, he and the rest of the board approved a temporary exhibit called Atmosphere. It deals with weather! One of the displays listed is a replica display of a tornado. A tornado Larry! There's also thunder and lightning storms!"

"Okay well, we can deal with this." Larry trailed off, not entirely sure he believed it himself.

"How Larry? How are we going to deal with a tornado! It's intangible, it's wind! I highly doubt it will be sentient. And I doubt we can contain it, it's not like the Mayans where we can close a glass window. The tornado would break right through it. Have you not seen the movie Twister?" She was panicking and rightfully so. Her friends could be in danger. Ahk could be in danger. She knew Egypt had sandstorms which were technically like desert tornadoes but this was inside the museum they were talking about. A closed space with nowhere to hide from the winds. Unless…

"Wait a minute, Larry. I think I figured out how to keep everyone safe. We would just need to gather everyone into the Oceans exhibit. That's the only place I can think of that's secure enough to keep the tornado at bay. Possibly, I don't know how sound it'll be, I'm just thinking out loud."

"No, no. That could work. It's in a closed off area with no windows to break. Great thinking."

The day the exhibit arrived and was set up Larry and Avery had set their gameplan in motion. The night before they had pulled their closest friends aside and explained to them the situation. As soon as the museum woke up, the intercom system would direct everyone to the Oceans exhibit. The small exhibits that were easy to move would be placed in there already to save some time. This meant Dexter and several other mammals, Sac and Lewis and Clark, and a few others.

Avery was anxiously waiting inside Ahk's tomb waiting for him to wake up. She kept glancing at her phone wondering how much time they had to move all the way to the Ocean. Compared to where Ahk was, it was near the other side of the museum. Gasping and scratching sounds drew her attention to the sarcophagus. She and Larry had already moved the heavy slab aside earlier to allow for easier transport.

It's go time, Avery thought to herself.

Ahk knew the drill. He needed to unwrap himself as fast as he could so they could make a running start to the Ocean. In record time, and with the help of Avery, he was unwrapped and ready to go. Grabbing each other's hand they raced through the halls. Avery could hear the horrible sound of wind picking up and whistling. She also heard the unmistakable sound of glass being shattered and grimaced at the thought of having to clean it up and explain to McPhee why the museum was in disarray…again. She heard the crack of thunder and the lights flickered. She prayed that the power would hold out until morning. She clutched Ahk's hand a little tighter. When they got to the Ocean, they were allowed a chance to catch their breath. Well as much as they could. As big as the Ocean seemed, fitting almost the whole museum in there made them packed like sardines. But thankfully they were safe. They could hear the winds whipping by the entrance willing itself to get in. But thankfully the doors held strong. Although they had a plan to get everyone to safety, they realized they hadn't accounted for sunrise where all the exhibits would turn back to wax or whatever else they were made of. A corpse in Ahk's case. It would be damn near impossible for just the two of them to drag all the exhibits back to their usual place in time for the museum to open. It would never work! They would surely be fired and banned from the museum, and the possibility of it happening once was enough for Avery.

End thought log

"Not that one!" Avery suddenly said out loud. She startled several of the board members with her exclamation and soon all eyes were on her. McPhee raised an eyebrow at her. Her face became as red as a tomato.

"What-what I mean is…Not the weather. I mean who even likes the weather? It's boring! We live in New York, do you want to experience the weather? Stand outside for five minutes and you'll likely experience the four seasons and then some! Weather, am I right?" She looked at the nearest board member and put on an awkward smile.

"Riiight…" said that board member, making it a point to scoot away from the weird intern girl.

"Well, the other option is an entomology exhibit, Insectarium, with thousands of rare specimens. We're talking rare beetles and butterflies, extinct and endangered specimens. Its numbers from previous museums show high admission rates."

"Alright, let's put it to a vote then…"

Avery waited with bated breath as the members held their hands up for either option. She dreaded having to tell Larry to prepare for inevitable destruction if Atmosphere one.

"The winning exhibit of the vote is… Insectarium."

Avery let out a sigh of relief. The museum would be safe! The meeting adjourned and she headed out the door to her campus. That night she was in an ecstatic mood. She couldn't wait to share the news with everyone. Once everyone was up, she called a small meeting between their friends.

"Hey guys, I have some great news! The museum is getting a temporary exhibit called Insectarium. Lots of specimens will be on display here. And trust me, this is the best choice. The other option was one called Atmosphere. Basically everything and anything having to do with weather, including a replica model of a tornado. I may or may not, but definitely did cause a little stir as I imagined the worst case scenarios in my head and blurted out that it was the wrong choice. Pretty sure everyone there thinks I'm the weird, intern girl now."

"Oh my, that would have been quite the obstacle. Glad the board steered clear of that one!" Teddy said, relieved that the museum wasn't in immediate danger again.

"I know right? Well anyway, that's all the news I have for you. Dismissed!" She said giving a salute to Teddy and Sac.

"For the record, I do not think that you are the 'weird, intern girl.'" Ahk said as they walked away.

"Thanks Ahk. But I take it as a compliment. I mean if I wasn't a bit weird, I wouldn't be who I am today. I accept that I am neurodivergent! All the best people are!" They shared a small laugh.

Within a couple of weeks, the new exhibit Insectarium was set up and ready to go. Avery even helped direct where different specimen display cases would go. She was excited to see these insects come to life, especially the butterflies and moths. Her favorites were the Luna moth and blue butterfly which she could not remember the name of. When it was finally set up, it was truly a sight to behold. This would be a fun exhibit to come to life.

As the museum doors closed and everyone was awoken, it was Avery's pleasure to introduce to everyone the temporary exhibit. Insects andbutterflies were buzzing by and flapping their wings. Avery was in the center of it all. She was spinning around, caught in the moment. Ahk caught sight of her and his heart leapt. She was beautiful as she danced with her arms wide open. Time seemed to slow as he watched her. Her smile never leaving her lips, as beautiful butterflies flutter around her. She caught sight of him and pulled him into the fray. They laughed as different insects landed on their noses or shoulders. It became a game for them to see how many insects they could carry around on their body. Avery had won by the end of the night.

"You know, butterflies suit you." He said as they walked away from the exhibit. She blushed at the compliment.