The Evolution Trilogy: Hybrid, Complications & Return

by Vanessa Wester

  Steven took a step closer. ‘I’ll take your word for it. I’m too hungry to be squeamish. Is it ready?’

  She stopped stirring and smirked, ‘A bit direct all of a sudden, aren’t you?’

  ‘I’ve lost all my inhibitions recently. Politeness is for the fainthearted.’ He doubted manners would matter anymore. It was not as though he had to think about his career prospects.

  ‘Fair enough, we’ll have to work on your manners then. But for now, it is actually ready.’ A little bell positioned in the hallway started to ring as she pressed a button by the stove. In a matter of seconds, you could hear lots of movement.

  A minute later, Ian made his way in, walked up to Steven and grinned, ‘So, are you feeling better now? You looked pretty worn out when we arrived.’

  Steven spoke to the floor, ‘Yeah, all that travelling took it out of me.’

  ‘I think you know everyone, but as a recap, let me introduce you,’ Ian said, turning to face the rest of the ship occupants.

  Steven looked up. He guessed he could be polite after all.

  Ian was courteous. ‘Ingrid and Eilif you know. This is Lana, Ingrid’s mother, and Inna and Tomas, Ingrid’s older sister and younger brother. Not that age matters – we tend to look the same age,’ he joked.

  No-one else laughed.

  ‘I’ll take you to meet my wife, Carmen, later on. Someone has to steer the ship whilst we eat.’ Ian settled in a seat, ready for food.

  Steven studied Lana. He still found it hard to believe she was Ingrid’s mother. Something told him he had seen Tomas before. He could not remember where. They all looked so alike.

  For a few minutes it was silent, as the stew was passed round and everyone tucked in. The soft fish melted in his mouth, like butter. Steven was convinced – piranhas were totally edible.

  ‘Have you been tired recently?’ Ian asked, scooping some stew into his mouth.

  ‘Yeah, but then, it’s been a hell of a journey,’ Steven replied.

  ‘It’s not the travelling that’s making you tired,’ Eilif chipped in. His tone was ominous.

  Steven lowered his spoon. ‘What is it then?’

  ‘Your body is starting to need more than what you give it. It is preparing for the change,’ Lana answered, her voice soft yet full of authority.

  ‘Is it like this for everyone?’

  Ian replied, ‘Everyone who has gone through the change from an adolescent to adult form has had the same experience. At first you are energised and almost invincible. Your focus sharpens and your ability to concentrate is unparalleled.’

  ‘So that’s why all my grades were fantastic.’

  They all smiled, as though acknowledging his experience.

  Ian continued, ‘As you start to approach your twentieth birthday your body will deteriorate and you start to get sick. There is only one thing that can heal you and stop you from dying.’

  Steven blurted it out, ‘Human blood.’

  ‘Exactly,’ Ian nodded.

  ‘So how do you find a victim? Does someone always have to die?’

  ‘As far as we know,’ Eilif interjected, ‘A few times we have been able to keep a human alive and make it look like an accident. I can easily erase any memory they have and make them forget the truth.’

  Steven could hope. ‘Could we do that for me? I don’t want to kill anyone.’

  ‘For a change it is impossible,’ Ian snapped, ‘We are unlikely to be able to make you stop in time. It’s not something you can control.’

  ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way,’ Steven said.

  Ian gave a cynical chuckle, ‘Doubtful, but I like your conviction.’

  Steven was not about to let it go. He wanted to have some answers. ‘So? What about my first question? How do you find a victim?’

  ‘That’s not difficult. We never attack anyone in this area. We usually go somewhere overpopulated or remote where no-one would question the real cause of death.’

  Steven frowned. ‘So why were you in Southampton? It’s not exactly inconspicuous.’

  ‘We were visiting the Robert’s family home. Your grandfather and grandmother’s original house,’ Eilif answered.

  Another revelation, Steven wondered how many more were still to come. ‘My grandparents lived in Southampton? When?’

  ‘Before the Second World War started. After they left England, they kept the house and found a way to stop it from falling into other hands.’

  Steven gave a small nod as he thought aloud. ‘That’s where my dad met Emily. He used to live in Southampton.’

  ‘Exactly,’ Ian grinned.

  ‘So what happens next? How do you decide which human to attack?’ Steven was not going to be side-tracked.

  Lana tentatively answered, ‘Usually, we look for someone vulnerable. Someone not surrounded, a loner,’ she paused, and then added apologetically, ‘this is going to sound terrible, but we make it look like a suicide.’

  ‘A suicide!’ The puzzle pieces aligned to reveal the picture. ‘The student suicide, Caitlin’s flatmate, was that your doing?’

  Ingrid looked up with a guilty expression, ‘That was us.’

  ‘That’s sick. How can you live with yourselves?’

  ‘We have no other choice, this is who we are,’ Lana said. She sat upright and stared at him with wide eyes.

  ‘I guess I have a lot to learn,’ Steven shrugged. He toyed with the rest of his food for a minute, but it was too late. He had lost his appetite. ‘I need to go get some air.

  Back to Table of Contents

  Chapter 23

  The Killer Within

  Lana could see Ingrid was not happy. Steven had got to her. Of all the men available, she had to get hooked on a mere boy, a hybrid. Worse than that, he was Emily’s boy. It was tragic, yet there was nothing she could really do. Just as she anticipated, Ingrid got up to follow Steven.

  Ingrid kept her eyes on the door, ‘I’ll go talk to him,’

  ‘Just remember, don’t tell him what he doesn’t need to know,’ Ian stressed.

  With a curt nod, she walked out.

  ‘I’m worried she’s going to get hurt,’ Lana sighed, as she nuzzled into Eilif’s shoulder.

  ‘I don’t think there’s anything we can do,’ Eilif said.

  Lana lifted her head off Eilif’s shoulder, then she added, exasperated, ‘It’s the first time she’s fallen for someone. Why did it have to be him?’

  ‘You think Ingrid is in love with Steven?’ Ian started to laugh. It was good someone found it funny.

  ‘You don’t choose who to love, it just happens. Isn’t that right Ian? You and Carmen fell for each other when neither of you expected it. It does happen; you of all people know that.’ Lana pouted and clasped her hands together.

  ‘You never know, it might work between them,’ Ian added, then he waved his finger in the air as he laughed again, ‘Maybe he’ll fit in then.’

  ‘Glad to hear you sounding so optimistic,’ Eilif said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

  Lana narrowed her eyes in Ian’s direction. She’d look out for Ingrid as she always did.

  ***

  The moonlight shining on the river caused the ripples to glisten like silver. The beautiful scene did nothing to comfort Steven as a million thoughts raced through his mind. Everything around him was unfamiliar and disconcerting. He longed for the sight of something normal and manmade. Everything they said disgusted him. It had to be a lie. He had no intention of killing anyone.

  ‘Can we talk?’

  Ingrid again. Would she ever learn to leave him alone?

  Steven gave her a cursory glance. ‘Why not? Doesn’t look like anything I think or say makes any difference anyway.’

  She leaned against the railing and said in a casual tone, ‘Do you realise you’re already a killer?’

  He turned sharply to face her, ‘How do you figure that?’

  ‘Well, you’re not a vegetarian are you? You eat meat. Animals die as a consequence.’
/>
  Steven could not believe it. It was like getting a lecture from an animal rights campaigner. ‘Oh, yeah well, it’s not the same thing but, I guess.’

  ‘Did you realise that it was only a few centuries ago that different tribes performed human sacrifices and cannibalism in this area?’

  Steven forced himself to stay put. She really was full of herself. ‘So, what’s your point? Aren’t we supposed to be civilised now?’

  ‘Animals still die in your world. You kill them. Let’s face it, men and women die every day in the name of war. Is that justified?’

  He reluctantly acknowledged she was actually beginning to make sense. ‘I have never personally killed anything or anyone?’ he stated, as he leant away from the railing and folded his arms across his chest.

  Ingrid grinned and then smiled as she spoke, ‘Really, you’ve never killed a fly or stepped on an ant?’

  ‘Oh, come on, give me a break,’ he huffed, indignant.

  She ran her hand through her hair. It looked playful. ‘Killing is killing. Doesn’t matter what it is. Humanity is full of excuses.’

  Amused, he gave a half-smile, ‘You got me – I’m already a killer.’

  ‘So now,’ she spoke slowly, as she stepped closer to him, ‘Try to imagine how you are going to feel when you have to kill a stranger for your survival. A natural instinct takes over. You have no control.’

  ‘I see.’ He stared ahead and got closer to the railing, determined to keep his distance.

  ‘I hope you do. I know what happened last year did not make sense. But, I can’t regret having found you. The chances are that Emily, I mean your mother…’

  ‘Emily,’ he snapped. ‘Just because she is my biological mother, does not make her my mother.’

  ‘Fine, Emily would have come to get you. But, we couldn’t wait any longer. You needed to know who you really are.’

  Was she actually trying to apologise? He noticed she was close enough to touch him. He took a step back and shook his head. ‘I wish you had told me the truth when we met.’

  ‘I did start to, if you remember, but then…,’ she paused, ‘It was a mistake. Everything will be alright now.’ She moved closer and held out her hand to touch his face.

  Fury surfaced. ‘Everything is NOT alright. I am in love with someone special, who I am not looking to replace. So, don’t go getting any ideas. I’m not available, and even if I was, I would not want to be with you.’

  The shock on her face was instant. It was a slap in the face, outright rejection. He had probably been too abrupt, but he did not care.

  Ingrid looked away as she spoke, her voice now muffled, distant, ‘I’ll give you some space.’ Then she stared at him, eyes glazed, ‘If you want to talk, as a friend, I’ll be around.’

  In a series of rapid movements she disappeared. Perhaps he had overdone it.

  ***

  Ingrid ran back to her cabin, shut the door and collapsed in a heap on the floor. Tears started to build up in her eyes. She did not want him to get the better of her. Unfortunately, he had managed to weaken her defences. She took an enormous gulp before the dam in her throat fell apart. She had never cried so hard. The tears streamed down her face, her sobbing bordering on a tantrum as she slammed her hands on the floor and groaned. She needed some time away from him. It was Steven that had made her re-evaluate her existence from the moment she had bitten him.

  Everything he said forced her to reconsider their need to kill. He made her think about life in a different way. He made her want to share his space, to join his world. A world where there was black and white and less grey. There was something about him that drew her in. She wanted him so badly to like her. The chance of that happening looked slim. The resulting obsession with Steven was impossible to contain. No-one had ever had this effect on her before.

  The hours she had waited, the months of hope, only to find that after all of her efforts she was too late. He had fallen in love with someone else. She wanted to scream. It was not fair. She forced herself to calm down and took a few deep breaths. Her eyes fixed on the loose nail on the floor. She clenched her fist and rammed it down as she bit her lip.

  She was not a quitter. She would have him. Even if it was the last thing she ever did.

  ***

  Ingrid disturbed Steven. He could not understand why she was still trying it on. Sure, there had been some attraction when he first met her. But, then… well, it wasn’t worth reliving what had happened. There was no way he was going to be with someone like her. Perhaps she felt responsible – she did find him after all. Either way, it was not her fault he was one of them. If she had fallen for him, he felt sorry for her. It was not the first time he’d failed to reciprocate someone else’s affections. The truth was he didn’t feel bad rejecting her. She looked tough enough to cope.

  There was no denying her beauty. It was just a shame she was so cold-hearted. For Ingrid, human beings were takeaway, dispensable. Even so, she had a point. Humans did kill all the time. Nevertheless, he could not see how she could view human death so naturally. He had so many unanswered questions. The sound of footsteps compelled him to turn around. If it was Ingrid, maybe he would apologise. There turned out to be no need for sympathy. It was only Eilif.

  ‘Steven, I was hoping to catch up with you. Do you mind if we talk?’

  ‘No, just don’t ramble on about how great my future is going to be, okay,’ Steven replied.

  Eilif chuckled, ‘Fair enough. All I wanted was to let you know how sorry I am for how things turned out. It must be tough right now. I won’t go on about your great future, seeing as you’ve told me not to.’

  ‘Thanks for saying sorry, but I don’t think I can forgive you. I’m sure you understand,’ Steven snapped.

  ‘Sure. In time, maybe,’ Eilif said, with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

  Steven kept silent. He doubted he’d ever forgive him.

  ‘Do you know about the Spanish explorer, Hernán Cortés?’ Eilif asked, as he leant against the railing and looked out at the water.

  ‘Not really.’

  ‘He led the Spanish to conquer México, and in turn destroyed the Aztec civilisation. Some say he thought it was the humane thing to do – the Aztecs performed human sacrifice. Yet, the Aztecs firmly believed that if they did not carry out these sacrifices, the Gods would have punished them.’

  Steven listened, wondering what his point was.

  ‘Humanity has always been faced with the question of choice – someone’s death can always be justified in the name of God, war or survival. In our case, we need to kill to survive. It’s Darwin’s theory of evolution – the survival of the fittest. In order to survive, a species finds a way to evolve to sustain its population.’

  ‘I understand the theory of evolution,’ Steven said, unimpressed.

  ‘You realise we might now be the fittest race in the history of mankind? Think about it. Anyway, I’ll leave you to it. Just please, try and think of us as your family not foe,’ Eilif pleaded, before he turned and walked away.

  It was a lot to take in.

  Steven closed his eyes and turned his thoughts to Caitlin. He was desperate to talk to her. She always knew the right thing to say, had the best way for him to deal with any situation. He missed her puzzling over whimsical issues. Now, his problem was huge. If only it was something simple. He envisaged her confused face, just before she had slammed the door. It hurt to have been treated like a stranger. He let out a groan and shook his head. His legs started to move. They needed a refuge. At the back of the ship, he focused on the bubbles left in its wake. There was no way he would put his past behind him and forget everyone he ever loved and everything he stood for. They did not know him at all.

  Back to Table of Contents

  Chapter 24

  Memories

  The silver bracelet glistened in the moonlight as Emily twisted her hand from one direction to the other. Its intricate links were oval in shape and it had a single heart shaped charm atta
ched to it. It was simple, yet irreplaceable. It had been given to Emily by Steven’s father, Paul, a week after they first met. She had vowed to cherish it forever and had kept her promise. It remained on her wrist, a cruel memory.

  The resemblance between Steven and Paul was uncanny. Even though Steven had her eyes and dark hair, the rest was all Paul. Paul’s height, build, expressions – he was all Paul. Steven had reminded her of the life she missed, a life with love. There was nothing she wanted more than to live out her life as a wife, a mother, a normal human being. Determined to torment herself further, she played back the last conversation with Paul in her mind.

  *

  ‘I’ve been hiding something from you. I don’t know how to tell you the truth,’ Emily confessed, as she fidgeted with her bracelet. It was a bad habit she could not resist.

  ‘There is nothing you can’t tell me. You know I love you no matter what,’ Paul replied. The warm, irresistible smile he gave her nearly melted her resolve.

  ‘Do you want to know where I go at night?’ Her hands started to shake. ‘I don’t want to tell you, but…’

  ‘What’s going on?’ Paul whispered, as he sat next to her and gently placed his hands on hers. His grip tightened, as though he was trying to help them keep still.

  She kept her head low and barely got out the words, ‘I don’t think I can stay here anymore.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’ Paul froze, as his hands automatically let hers go.

  ‘I can’t live here anymore. I don’t belong here.’

  ‘Of course you belong here, what are you saying?’

  Eyes to the floor, she continued, adamant, ‘I don’t love you and I can’t look after Steven. Motherhood is not what I thought it would be.’ She did not dare look at him but she could tell he was shocked. His frame had gone rigid. He sat like a stone.

  ‘Are you serious? Please don’t say things to break us.’

  Emily fought hard to keep her emotions under check. She got up and left Paul to mull it over. She needed to see her baby again. She did not have a lot of time. Once in her son’s room, she edged over to the side of his cot. Steven breathed loudly, deep in sleep. Even though she was biased, she knew he was gorgeous – a perfect baby boy. There was nothing she would not do to protect him.