The Evolution Trilogy: Hybrid, Complications & Return

by Vanessa Wester

  ‘No, he is an unknown. That’s why you can’t expose him. There are those that enjoy coming here for the kill – it’s like a sport. Others simply view human life as expendable. If they realised that mating with humans was fair game, it could get ugly. I just don’t believe that we can play God. It would get out of hand eventually.’

  ‘I understand.’ Ingrid looked at the floor and studied the pattern, a tessellation of black and white identical alternating diamonds. It was bound to be hard for Anna. Her twin sister, Emily, had caused a lot of problems for the Roberts family in the past. Out of the blue, the obvious dawned on her – the niggling sensation. The woman in front of her was Emily, not Anna. She had to be Emily – the coffee, talk of integration, change in character. And the most important thing, her eyes. Her eyes were just like Steven’s. Of one thing she was sure, Anna had not had a child with a human.

  She kept a poker face and stared at her drink.

  ‘We should go. Hopefully, we can put this behind us. I hope I can trust you to keep this a secret.’ Emily finished the dregs in her mug.

  ‘Anything for Anna,’ Ingrid replied. She maintained a straight face. She owed nothing to Emily. She wanted Steven to come and live with them, the sooner the better. She would come up with a plan and she would make sure Emily was none the wiser.

  ***

  The bed was covered with all of Caitlin’s favourite cuddly toys. They ranged from a tiny Nemo fish to a toddler sized fluffy teddy bear. Her wide array of different sized posters stared back at her, yet they offered no comfort. All she wanted to do was mull. She did not want to face up to what she had seen, even though she’d have to eventually.

  A tiny knock at the door warned her she had company. ‘Caitlin, can I come in?’

  Caitlin remained on the bed and glanced at the door, before she called out, ‘You can come in.’

  ‘How are you doing?’ Her mum walked in. It was obvious she’d just come back from work. She wore the same haggard expression Caitlin had seen many times.

  ‘Same.’

  Her mum took a seat next to her, held out her hand out and placed it on Caitlin’s, ‘You know you can talk to me. You have to talk to someone.’

  ‘I know,’ Caitlin sighed, ‘It’s just, I-I don’t get it, Mum, I just don’t.’

  With her other hand her mother wiped a tear from her eye, ‘There, there, don’t beat yourself up about it. You couldn’t have known what that girl was planning to do.’

  Caitlin sat up and snapped, ‘But, I should’ve known. She was so depressed the last time I saw her. I should’ve made more of an effort to be her friend. I should’ve been there.’

  ‘Caitlin, you can’t live someone else’s life for them. That’s just the way it is sometimes. I know it hurts, and you wish you could have stopped her, but you couldn’t. It happened and now you have to move on. Just because she decided to end her life, doesn’t mean you have to lose track of yours. Does it?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Caitlin huffed and leant her head back. Her mother’s reassuring smile made her falter. It always amazed her that her mum could be so compassionate on some levels and yet so matter-of-fact on others.

  ‘You’ve got to go back to university, sweetheart. You can’t stay here. You know that daddy and I would come back with you if we could, but we need to go to work and we need to be here to look after Jeanie.’

  Caitlin thought of her little sister Jeanie and sighed. In recent years, the focus of attention weighed heavily on Jeanie. Before she came along, her parents had more time.

  ‘You’ll be alright. Time’s a great healer.’

  ‘I know, Mum, thanks for the chat.’ Caitlin knew sarcasm would not solve the problem, but it felt good.

  ‘Caitlin, don’t be like that. I can’t do any more than I do already. You worked hard at school to get into university, and now that you’re there, you can’t let yourself lose track of your goals because someone else lost track.’

  ‘And there I was thinking you were sympathetic,’ she sneered.

  Her mum narrowed her eyes, got off the bed and faced away from Caitlin. After a few seconds had passed, she calmly turned around and began, ‘You know, I don’t know what’s come over you recently. Of course I think it’s awful that your flatmate took her life. I just don’t see why you should allow yourself to wallow. I love you Caitlin, but you don’t seem to understand that we’re doing the best we can to make ends meet. We already pay for your brother to go to university, and now we are doing the same for you. You’ve been here for two weeks already when you should be studying.’

  ‘So, it’s just about the money, is it?’

  ‘No,’ her mother practically screamed at her, ‘it is not about the money.’ She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. ‘It’s time for you to go back, whether you like it or not. You have to face your fears not hide from them. I’ll let you think about it. I have to go and cook.’

  ‘Fine,’ Caitlin replied. She threw herself back on her bed, grabbed the pillow and placed it firmly over her head. Her muffled sobs broke the stony silence.

  Back to Table of Contents

  Chapter 12

  Reunion

  Steven whistled to the tune of Star Wars as he cruised into his lecture. For the first time in a few days he felt at ease. A huge weight had been taken off his shoulders. Even though the conversation he’d had with Ingrid a week ago had rocked him, it was already forgotten. Ingrid was a psycho, end of story.

  ‘Hey, Mr. Happy – over here,’ Adam hollered.

  ‘No need for that,’ Steven snarled.

  ‘Well, it would be like you to stroll into lectures on a day as pitiful as this one with a smile on your face.’

  ‘Is Caitlin back then?’ Sally asked eagerly, as she poked her head out from behind Adam.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Steven stated, surprised to hear Caitlin’s name again.

  ‘Oh, I thought that was the reason why you’d be happy. You’ve been miserable since she left,’ she hollered as she nudged Adam in the ribs.

  Steven took a seat and mulled over the suggestion. It was true. He had been miserable since Caitlin had gone. Yet, he had met Ingrid a few days after she’d left so that could have been a factor. Truthfully, since Caitlin had left, university had not held the same appeal. She was the first person he had come across who he liked to spend time with and he had enjoyed their conversations.

  A friendship could lead to more and they had got so close.

  At least, it was close in his books. He had never texted a girl he was not dating on a daily basis before and he missed their exchanges. Since the suicide, he had regularly checked his phone after he texted her to let him know if he could be of any help. But, as of yet, there was no reply.

  ‘If you’re interested,’ Sally whispered, over Adam’s shoulder, ‘she’s due back at the end of the week. I doubt you’re interested. I thought I’d let you know, just in case.’ She giggled and snuggled into Adam’s shoulder.

  Steven mused over this information. Caitlin was due back. It gave him a warm glow.

  ***

  Caitlin stared at her new room in silence. Even though she was lucky a student had dropped out and left a vacancy, it felt all wrong. Regardless, she had no choice. It was three weeks after Georgina’s death. It was time. The idea of resuming life as if nothing had happened made her cringe, but she knew she had to try. The best medicine to combat trauma was surely hard work, and a few weeks at home had reminded her of the reason why she had worked so hard to leave. She loved her independence. It was not going to be easy, but she was determined to make up for lost time and catch up on any deadlines missed.

  Her new room was in the catered accommodation block. The last thing she wanted to do was eat alone. The selection of bags, scantily arranged around the room, beckoned to be sorted. The walls were bare, devoid of all character. She was not sure if she had the energy or enthusiasm to redecorate again. The memory of putting up her posters with Georgina remained. She sat on the bed, stared out o
f the small window and held back tears. Annoyed at her weakness, she took out her iPod, put it on shuffle and placed it on the docking station. The sound filled the room as her chest heaved and gave up all resistance.

  A knock on the door, a few minutes later, startled her. She took a tissue out of her pocket, wiped her eyes and blew her nose, then took a few breaths and headed for the door. Even though she wanted to ignore everyone, hibernation had gone on for long enough.

  When she opened the door she did a double take. It was Steven. His eyes smouldered. Her stomach did a flip. All she wanted to do was to launch herself into his arms and forget.

  ‘Caitlin, welcome back. I hope I’m not disturbing you. I just came to see if you needed help settling in?’ he said, in his polite and refined way.

  Caitlin reflected on the fact he always sounded so proper. To make matters worse, it looked like not a hair on his head was out of place. He was the image of perfection. Everything she was not. ‘Steven, why are you here?’

  ‘Well, strictly speaking, I was here first. You moved in.’

  ‘Oh, I didn’t realise. Are you staying here too?’ She tried to sound normal, even though she was sure her voice was high-pitched and squeaky.

  ‘My room is in the hall below this one,’ he explained, ‘I’m not stalking you, I promise. I just happened to look out the window when you walked past half an hour ago.’ He twiddled with the cord on his hooded top. He held eye contact as he continued, ‘I thought you might want some company.’

  Even though she had thought about him a lot whilst she was away and she had stared at his text for a lot longer than she should have done before deleting it, she never dreamed he would remember her. She simply assumed he would have moved on to someone else. Jolted back to reality, she found herself saying, ‘Do you want to come in?’

  ‘That would be nice, but,’ he paused, as though surveying the mess inside the room. ‘Maybe you want to come out to the bar for a drink or something. It’s Sunday night after all, and I think they’ve got karaoke. It might cheer you up.’

  ‘Karaoke?’ Now she was worried.

  ‘It’s always entertaining,’ he smiled.

  His smile sent her stomach off on more acrobatics.

  Caitlin was having a silent discussion with herself. Half of her was screaming at the fact he was asking her out. The other side was saying he’s just being friendly. Either way, she wanted to go with him. Her mood lifted and she replied, ‘That’d be great.’ Self-consciously, she added, ‘I don’t know if I’d be good company at the moment.’

  ‘I promise not to talk about it. I’m not the gossiping type,’ he said, leaning in conspiratorially.

  She felt herself blush as she attempted to suppress a smile.

  *

  The hall bar was packed. A girl was killing a Madonna song slowly and painfully with a high pitched shriek. Steven turned to Caitlin and raised his eyebrows. ‘Maybe this was not such a good idea after all.’

  ‘It’s just what I need at the moment,’ she replied, and gave her best attempt at a reassuring smile.

  ‘What would you like to drink?’

  ‘I’ll have a J2O, if that’s alright, apple and mango if they’ve got it. Do you want some money?’ she asked, her hand already reaching for her bag.

  ‘You can get the next one.’

  She watched him head off to the bar and stared at the stage. From the side, she heard her name being called out so she turned in the direction. Sally rushed towards her and gave her a huge hug. In an intoxicated slur, she said, ‘I’ve missed you. You alright?’

  Obviously, she’d had a few drinks. Nonetheless, the gesture was appreciated. Caitlin avoided the question, and asked one of her own, ‘Where’s Adam?’

  ‘In the loo, I think,’ Sally giggled. ‘It’s so good to see you again. We have to catch up. Are you alone?’

  As Caitlin was about to answer, Steven handed over her drink.

  Sally looked from Caitlin to Steven and winked, then laughed, ‘I guess I’ll see you later. You’re busy.’

  ‘You don’t have to go,’ Caitlin started to say, as Sally skipped off chuckling.

  ‘Is she tipsy?’ Steven shook his head, unsurprised.

  ‘You think?’ Caitlin raised her eyebrows. To her relief, the song ended and a new track began. It was no better than the last as a rowdy group got to the stage and started singing along to Queen.

  Steven’s next question took her by surprise, ‘Are you planning to sing?’

  ‘Are you?’ The suggestion was nothing short of life-threatening.

  ‘Fair enough,’ he guffawed, ‘you never know, you might like singing.’

  Hesitant, she admitted, ‘I love singing, actually, but I’m not sure this is the right time or place to show everyone what I’ve got.’

  ‘Really?’ he grinned. He lowered his voice and whispered in her ear, ‘Do you think this is below you? You can be honest, I won’t tell anyone.’

  The smell of his aftershave overpowered her. She leant in and took a deep breath. It was an earthy smell, enveloped with cinnamon and exotic spices. Even though overcome, she forced a reply, ‘No, I think I’m just too shy.’

  ‘Hmmm,’ he mused, as he moved back. ‘I never took you for the shy type.’

  ‘There’s a lot about me you don’t know.’

  ‘So, will you let me find out?’ he asked, his expression serious.

  ‘Maybe.’ She lowered her eyes to her drink and took a sip.

  After a short intense moment, she looked up and saw he was still staring at her. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

  ‘It’s really nice to see you again,’ he added, with a grin that sent her emotions off on a rollercoaster ride.

  She broke eye contact and turned to face the stage to see Sally attempting to sing an Enrique Iglesias song. Her endeavour to master some erotic dance moves was not going so well. Instead, she looked like a puppet being thrust around by a child.

  ‘Oh no, look at Sally!’ Caitlin exclaimed, ‘I hope Adam’s going to help her home. She looks out of it.’

  Steven laughed aloud, stopped staring at her, and turned his attention to the extravagant display of exhibitionism. ‘She certainly doesn’t have a problem putting herself out there. I’m not surprised she wants to be a lawyer.’

  ‘Yes, I’d be scared to come across her in court,’ she giggled. ‘It’s my turn. Do you want another drink?’

  ‘Yeah, that’d be great.’

  ‘What would you like?’

  ‘Just a beer, any will do.’

  ‘Okay then.’ She grabbed her handbag and made her way towards the crowded bar.

  Students ordered or chatted casually amongst themselves. Huge proportions of the girls were dressed up for a night out and had gone to a certain degree of effort. The majority of guys were in casual jeans and t-shirts. Caitlin was not spruced up at all. She felt like a Plain Jane next to the other girls.

  Even so, she was sure Steven’s eyes were burning a hole in her back. She glanced back and saw him staring at her, before he gave a lazy smile. She smiled quickly and continued. She had to admit she was unnerved. No one she had considered dateable had ever looked at her in that way before.

  She had no idea what he actually thought of her, but she had to admit that she liked talking to him. At the back of her mind, she was convinced he only saw her as a friend. It was stupid to think whether he liked her or not. She didn’t even want a boyfriend – did she? Even so, if he did see her in that way, could she refuse him? She knew the answer straightaway. Probably not.

  ‘Can I have a pint of bitter and a J2O please?’ Caitlin raised her voice for the bartender. She hoped Steven liked bitter – it was what her dad always had.

  ‘What type of J2O would you like?’ he shouted, now leaning across the counter.

  ‘Apple and mango,’ she shouted back.

  As he went to get it, Adam appeared next to her. He grinned and pressed his shoulder against hers, ‘Is Steven into J2O’s, then?’<
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  ‘No, that’s for me.’

  ‘No alcohol,’ he sighed. ‘You know it helps loosen you up a bit, so you can have more fun.’

  The way he said that made her shudder. She stared ahead, as she urged the pump to pour the beer faster. ‘I don’t need loosening up,’ she snapped. It was at least an attempt to get him to leave her alone.

  ‘Don’t you? But you look so uptight,’ he leered, and then ran a finger along her shoulder.

  ‘Don’t touch me,’ she warned, ‘I’m here with Steven.’

  ‘But, you’re not together, are you? I know a way to make you relax.’ Adam gave her a lecherous glare.

  ‘You are so full of yourself,’ she grimaced in disgust. ‘Does Sally know that you hit on other girls?’

  Blankly, he shrugged his shoulders, ‘Why does what Sally think matter?’

  ‘I give up, I hope she ditches you soon,’ she turned to leave.

  As she got the drinks, he placed his hand on her arm and stopped her. ‘Will you go out with me then?’

  ‘No, piss off,’ she spat, outraged. Was there no limit to his arrogance?

  ‘I like a girl with vigour and I’ve never dated a redhead.’ He folded his arms in triumph.

  ‘Ugh.’ Mystified by his unbelievable manner, she stomped back to where Steven was standing.

  ‘Are you alright?’ Steven gave a wary glance in Adam’s direction.

  ‘Fine,’ she stated.

  ‘What’s he done? I know he can cross the line sometimes.’

  ‘Nothing much, but I have no idea what Sally sees in him. It’s not even worth talking about, just forget it.’

  ‘If you’re sure,’ he sounded unconvinced.

  She refused to say more and frowned as she saw Sally finish her song and race towards Adam. As if giving a theatrical display of affection, he lifted her up to kiss her passionately before smirking in Caitlin’s direction. If Sally had heard him a few minutes earlier, she might not have proved to be so receptive to his affections.

  ‘I think I’d like to head back now. You stay; I don’t want you to miss out.’