Turning back toward the girls’ room, she nodded.
“I’ll leave you to your job now, Olivia. I’ll send another guard in. When you’re ready to leave, simply use the pad by the door—the security protocol is the same throughout the facility.”
“Okay.”
The Major exited, then a second later, another guard walked in. He nodded to her once and then moved behind her.
Olivia stepped up to the glass wall, smiled, and hit the button on the intercom with shaky fingers, happy the Major had left so he couldn’t see her nervousness. “Hello.”
The girl stood and approached her. She placed her hand against the glass, her dark eyes piercing as she studied her. “Hello.”
Olivia sighed in relief. So far, so good. “My name’s Olivia.”
The girl titled her head. “I am called Eden.”
“It’s lovely to meet you. A pretty name for a pretty woman.”
The compliment didn’t faze her. “Where is my brother?”
Olivia looked around and realized the glass wall between them had somehow been blacked out, making it so they couldn’t see each other.
“He’s right next to you. He’s fine.”
Relief seemed to wash through Eden and she finally smiled. “You are very kind. Thank you.”
Olivia grinned, extremely pleased by how this meeting was progressing. She felt no fear in speaking to the woman and knew the relationship would develop faster if the barriers between them were removed. Taking a deep breath, she decided to take the plunge. “I was wondering if I could come in and we could talk for a bit.”
Eden nodded. “Of course. That would be nice. The silence in here seems so loud.”
She went over to the pad and placed her hand on it, the door sliding open just enough to allow her to step inside.
As it closed behind her, she looked over her shoulder, once again relieved the guard was present. She also realized that this didn’t really seem like a bedroom from this point of view, despite the pretty yellow comforter on the queen-sized bed, the nice little desk in the corner, and the plush area rug. It seemed more of a cell.
Eden went to the bed and sat down again.
Olivia walked over to the desk and chair. “May I sit here?”
“Yes.”
She sat down and shoved the recorder into her pocket as she turned it on.
“When will my brother and I be leaving this place?”
“I don’t know the answer to that.”
“We’d like to leave as soon as possible and be returned to our home. If you could let someone know that, I would appreciate it.”
Olivia nodded, wondering when they would be set free. That was one of the end goals of this little experiment, wasn’t it? To help humans understand the aliens so that we could possibly live together in harmony?
“I’m sure it seems that you are being held against your will right now, but that’s not our intention.”
Eden raised her eyebrow, but said nothing.
She cleared her throat and decided to just push on with the conversation. “Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?”
Eden crossed her legs. “Will it help my brother and I leave here?”
She shrugged. “It’s a step in the right direction.”
“Very well. What would you like to know?”
Olivia grinned, glad the woman seemed to want to be open with her. “Tell me about your family.”
“My mother is dead, and we never knew our father,” she answered, her voice very factual.
“And where did you grow up?”
“We were raised in the mountains of Virginia.”
Maybe if she could pinpoint exactly where, they’d find others. “I was also raised in Virginia. What town or area are you from?”
“None. We’ve lived off the land for the past hundred and fifty years.”
So, that meant that there were others. Maybe a nomadic tribe of sorts?
“I see. So how many of your kind live with you?”
“It is just my brother and I.”
The last of a dying breed, so to speak?
“How many of your kind have lived with you?”
“Just my brother and I.”
Olivia furrowed her brow, thoroughly confused. “But you said that you’ve lived off the land for a hundred and fifty years.”
“Yes. My brother and I are a hundred and fifty years old.”
She sat back in her chair, completely speechless. The girl didn’t look a day over twenty.
Her mind raced through the implications of humans being able to study the make-up of their blood, and what understanding their DNA could do for ageing.
“Have I said something wrong?”
Olivia shook her head and sat forward again. “No, of course not. I just find it hard to believe, that’s all.”
“It is the truth. There’s no reason for me to lie. I don’t lie.”
Eden’s gaze conveyed dismay that Olivia had even hinted at her being untruthful, and she needed to smooth it over. She smiled, and gently said, “I never meant to suggest that you were lying, Eden. That wasn’t my intention, and I’m sorry that came across. You just have to understand that for someone like me, someone who isn’t as amazing as you, your story is difficult to believe. I’m twenty-seven. You’re a hundred and fifty. You look younger than me. I can’t even begin to imagine the things you’ve seen in your lifetime. It’s all fascinating to me.”
As Eden studied her, she couldn’t help but feel as if the girl could see into her very soul. “I believe you, Olivia. What else would you like to know?”
Sighing in relief, she asked, “Can you tell me about your mother?”
Eden nodded and got a far off look in her eyes. “She was a kind woman. She used to say my father had been incredibly handsome, and a very nice man. When she found out she was pregnant, she tried to find him—she lived in Jamestown—but he’d moved on. She stated that they shared a special bond, one that she could never forget.”
“So they weren’t married?”
“No.”
Olivia found the whole story hard to believe, but then the woman who claimed to be a hundred and fifty years old was the one telling it. “That seems odd for that period of time.”
“Yes. Before she died, she confided in me that she couldn’t resist his charms. She said she’d never met a man like him before, and never did again.”
Olivia tried to remember her Virginian history on Jamestown. She recalled it being a Puritan settlement, but other than that, she drew a blank. Look up the history on Jamestown.
“So, your father disappeared. I’m sure it was a scary time for her.”
“Yes. Pregnant, alone, and in a very religious community, she claimed she had been terrified.”
“What happened, then?”
She seemed to come back to the present and directly met Olivia’s gaze. “Her family was slaughtered before they ever found out she carried us.”
“By whom?”
Eden shrugged. “She never knew for certain, as she hadn’t been with them at the time. She thought perhaps the Native Americans, but she had never been certain.”
Olivia stared at her new project and thought of all the wonderful, fantastic, and horrible things she’d seen over the past hundred and fifty years.
“So, what did she do?”
“She stayed in town as long as she could hide her pregnancy, then she left for the mountains, determined to make it by herself. Once she gave birth and realized our eyes turn colors at night, she knew she’d made the right choice.”
Olivia didn’t know what she found the most remarkable—the fact a Puritan woman could survive on her own in the wilderness, or that this beautiful girl’s eyes turned a different hue at night.
“What color?”
“Light yellow.”
She tried to envision being a woman living alone off the land, then giving birth to not one, but two babies whose eyes turned yellow at night. She imagined she’d be
very afraid. “Didn’t she find that strange? Wasn’t that scary for her?”
Eden shrugged. “I suppose so. She never indicated she was fearful of us.”
Her own mother wasn’t exactly a good example of a healthy relationship between a child and a parent, and Olivia had never given birth. Perhaps she didn’t fully understand the love and the bond between a normal mother and her children. She tried to put herself in Eden’s mother’s place, and she thought she’d be a little freaked out by her babies. Maybe at that time, even think of them as possessed by the devil, or just plain evil.
“May I ask you a question now?”
Olivia nodded. “Of course.”
“May I touch your skin? I have seen people with your coloring before, but I have never interacted with any of them.”
A small jolt of fear went through her. What if Eden’s touch did something to her?
However, if she was going to establish trust, she needed to show that she had no fear of the girl. “Yes.”
Eden stood from the bed and walked over. Olivia remained seated—a submissive position to show that she felt comfortable with her, despite her heart pounding in her chest.
Eden gently brushed her fingertips over Olivia’s arm. “It is truly beautiful.”
“There isn’t much difference between my skin and yours, except I’m black and you’re white.”
Eden shook her head, then returned to the bed. “No. I do believe yours is a bit softer than mine.”
Although her skin looked healthy, Olivia imagined the girl had never used lotion and her skin had been exposed to a lot of elements during her life.
“I’ll bring you something to rub on yours so that it becomes softer.”
For the first time, Eden smiled. “Thank you. That’s very kind of you.”
They stared at each other a beat, and Olivia knew the foundation for a trusting relationship had been laid.
“Can you tell me about where you’ve been living?”
“Yes. It is a cabin in the hills of Virginia.”
“Did you build it?”
“No.”
Olivia furrowed her brow. “How did you find it?”
“After burying our mother about ninety years ago, we decided to move from the area. We found the cabin.”
“And you just moved in?”
“Yes.”
“Weren’t you afraid someone would come and find you?”
She shook her head. “No. It was obvious it hadn’t been used in a long time. We spent months on repairs and cleaning.”
She’d have to ask the Major about the cabin because the story seemed very fantastic. She didn’t think it to be an important part of Eden’s story, but it would satisfy her own curiosity.
Eden wrung her hands, a look of worry crossing over her features. “All of this is very strange to me. I have seen electricity, but I’ve never experienced it. I have never spent so much time away from my brother, either.”
She wondered if Eden and her brother had been sexually active. The thought made her stomach turn, but a hundred and fifty years was a long time to be alone together. Or perhaps, their mother had told them the consequences of sleeping with each other. If she asked now, she felt it would upset the trust they had been building. However, she would inquire in the future.
“What’s your brother’s name?”
“Benedict.”
“Well, he’s right next door to you. He’s not far.”
Eden nodded, but still glanced around with apprehension. Olivia decided to change the subject.
“What do you think of electricity?”
“I think it is much too bright in here. I prefer natural light.”
Olivia smiled. “I feel the same way. Too much white and too much light.”
Eden grinned. “Yes. Exactly.”
“Can you read the English language?”
“Yes, and that brings me to something else I’d like.”
“What’s that?”
“I do enjoy reading the Bible. Our mother brought us up with a strong faith. Benedict doesn’t practice it as much as he used to since our mother died, but I believe.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
She found it interesting that Eden had such strong beliefs, even after so many years, and she thought of her own lack of faith. After a childhood like she and her sister had experienced, she often found herself questioning the existence of God. What had she done to deserve such an awful mother who cared so little about her children?
Throughout their childhood and into adulthood, Vicky had always been able to maintain her innocence, never becoming as jaded as Olivia, and often said she believe in a higher power. Olivia couldn’t help but wonder if her trusting nature had been one of the factors leading up to her death.
She glanced at her watch and realized they’d been chatting for about forty-five minutes. Her recorder only allowed for an hour at a time. Pleased with what she’d accomplished so far, she decided to call it a day and make her notes while everything about the session was still fresh in her mind.
“I’m going to go now, Eden, but I was wondering if I could visit again either later tonight or tomorrow?”
She nodded. “Yes, I would like that. Also, can you please tell me when I can expect to return home?”
Olivia stood. “I’ll ask.”
“Thank you.”
As she placed her palm on the pad next to the door, Eden spoke again. “Oh! One last thing.”
Olivia turned, and a wave of panic went through her as Eden approached. She stopped suddenly, her eyes growing wide.
“I did not mean to scare you, Olivia. I mean no harm to you.”
How had she’d known she’d been afraid?
Eden took a step back and laced her hands in front of her, staring at the floor. “I was only going to ask you to look in on Benedict.”
She took a deep breath and tried to calm the rush of adrenaline through her system, and decided she’d address Eden’s ability to know her feelings later. It could be as basic as the look on her face, or it could be something else. “I will.”
Stepping outside, she kept watch on Eden out of the corner of her eye until the door closed, then walked a few feet until Benedict came into view, the guard trailing her.
As Benedict met her gaze, she could see that yes, he and Eden did look alike, but his features were very masculine. While Eden was tall and thin, he had been built like a mountain. He must stand just over six feet, his body wide and muscular. Both wore their hair loose, and it flowed around his shoulders. In fact, she’d have to say he may very well be one of the most beautiful men she’d ever seen.
Except for Roman.
She sighed and smiled at him as he approached the door, his face set in a mask of stone.
Maybe she could soften him up a bit. His sister had been so sweet, she had to assume that he had a bit of that trait in him as well. She pressed the intercom. “Hello, Benedict.”
He glared at her, but said nothing.
“My name’s Olivia. Eden asked me to check on you, to make sure everything is okay.”
He smirked and shook his head. “You lock us up in this horrible place and pretend to be nice to us, and I’m supposed to be okay with that?”
“I’m going to find out when you’ll be released, Benedict. What we’re doing here is very important. We want to know about you and help you and others like you integrate into our society.”
Crossing his arms over his big chest, he tilted his head to the side. “My sister is innocent and trusting, Olivia, and I may even go as far as to say she’s gullible. I’ve shielded her away from almost everyone to keep her safe. You may be able to spew your lies to her and have her swallow them without issue, but I can tell you that your words sit like acid on my ears.”
Olivia stared at him, understanding that he had been the one in charge for a very long time, and being here took that power away from him. Yet, she had to gain his trust.
“Is there anything I can get yo
u to make your stay more comfortable?”
He stepped closer and stopped, his nose almost touching the glass. If the barrier hadn’t been between them, she would have found the moment intimidating, or possibly even sexual.
“Yes, Olivia, there is something you can get me.”
She smiled, hoping to mask her discomfort. “What’s that?”
He stared at her a beat, then spoke. “The keys to the front door, my sister, and our freedom.”
Why didn’t he want to be part of regular society? A question for another time. For now, she felt happy with the work she’d done with Eden. Obviously, Benedict would be a tougher nut to crack.
“I look forward to talking more with you later, Benedict.”
She removed her hand from the intercom and turned to leave. Before she got to Eden’s room, she looked behind her.
The glare of hatred from Benedict gave her a jolt of chills down her spine.
Eden stood at the glass, and Olivia smiled and waved, then gave her the thumbs up.
The girl stared after her a look of confusion on her face.
It was as if Eden knew exactly what she felt, that she didn’t buy her happy façade.
When she left that floor of the facility and opened the door to her own quarters, she sighed with relief and kicked her shoes off.
Sitting at her desk, she fired up her computer and stared at the blinking cursor, gathering her thoughts.
A few moments later, she pulled out a notebook from her bag and began writing out her thoughts from her first session with Eden and Benedict. Yes, she’d been told that paper wasn’t allowed at the facility, but for her first drafts, she preferred to put pen to paper. It allowed her to expand her thoughts in the margins, and she found it easier to concentrate and get in touch with her feelings on things when she could doodle. Once she had really thought through the meeting, listened to the audio, and had a clear picture, then she’d type her report into the computer.
For now, no one needed to know she’d broken the rules.
Chapter 15
Blake stood at the head of the dining room table. He’d asked everyone to gather there because he felt pretty certain they had a big problem on their hands. He tried to remember how many people lived in the silo as he counted the expectant faces, but hell, this place was getting really damn crowded.
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