As she tiptoed out quietly, she turned to face Paul. He still sat on the bed, his hands now over his head. Without a hint of emotion, she coolly said, ‘I’m leaving now. I have a taxi waiting. Please look after him for me and tell him I was just protecting him.’
Paul looked up; his eyes glazed, and opened his mouth. But, he didn’t or couldn’t say anything. His head slumped back into his hands. She had broken him.
‘I’m sorry,’ Emily whispered.
*
When she opened the door and left, her life ended. The only two people she cared about were gone. Emily recalled the journey home. A million times, she had nearly turned back. It was the most excruciating trip of her life.
Back then, her decision was clear. It was for the best to leave them both to lead a normal life without complications. She had no doubt that Steven would be well looked after by Paul, he would be a great father. All she needed was for Steven to remain normal. That was her bad luck. He wasn’t. It had all been for nothing. With the benefit of hindsight it was easy to see – she should have taken her son with her. Now, her worst nightmare had come true. Steven was destined to become one of them. Even though she looked forward to meeting him, she was no fool. She knew it would come at a price.
***
Anna walked at a brisk pace down the dimly lit corridor. Confronting Emily was not something she enjoyed doing, but she had been left with no choice. If Emily did not take the time to talk to her, then she had to go and find her. She had to find out what Emily was planning to do. She had helped her to cover up for Steven, but she had not dealt with the problem. She had left Steven behind. It was crazy. Steven could not stay behind. Emily had to go to get him. The question was how? Anna suspected she would have to help Emily again. It was not something she was looking forward to.
Anna’s hand made a fist and hang in the air for a couple of seconds, before she knocked on the door. Emily was one of the few to insist on a real door. Even though it was not locked, she would give her sister the courtesy of waiting. After minutes passed, she tried again without getting a reply. She knew Emily was there. She could sense her presence. Left with no choice, she took the handle and pushed it down to open the door. Her patience had run out.
‘Emily, I know you’re here, I need to speak to you.’ Almost immediately, she felt deep sorrow ease through her. ‘Emily, stop that and come out to talk.’ Anna hated the fact she could feel Emily’s emotions. Since they had evolved, a psychic link kept each of them in tune with the other.
It was not the best gift in the world.
Anna only felt pain and sadness when Emily was hurting. It went against her instinct, Anna being a natural optimist. As luck would have it her twin sister, Emily, was the opposite – an eternal pessimist.
Anna saw Emily peek out from behind the curtain, a vacant expression on her face. She glanced briefly at Anna, then turned away again and faced the opening on the wall, her window to the outside world.
‘I don’t know exactly what you’re thinking, but you need to talk about it,’ Anna said. She needed to engage her in conversation. ‘You are making me feel lousy – can you snap out of it please? What’s going on?’
Emily walked towards the chair and sat down. Hands limp on her lap, she looked up, ‘Look, what do you want me to say? I’m sorry, I can’t help it.’
‘Have you decided what to do about Steven?’ Anna asked. She did not want to beat about the bush.
With a huge sigh, Emily replied, ‘No, I haven’t decided what to do about Steven. I know I have to explain what we are. I’m just scared. Lying to him or even helping him to become one of us is not something I want to do.’
‘I know you don’t want to, but you have to,’ Anna said, exasperated. ‘If you don’t tell him, he won’t understand the change when it happens. What if his instinct kicks in and he kills someone. You know that would be a disaster. He wouldn’t know how to cover it up.’
Emily ran her hands through her hair, her expression wild. ‘You’re right, I know, but how do we tell him? It’s not that easy to explain is it? Hey, Steven, you’ll never guess what. I’m your mother. Yeah, that’s right, your mother. I know I’m a bit young, but… oh, by the way, you’re going to become a killer soon. How? Oh, don’t worry about it you just need some blood. I’m sorry, yes, that’s human blood.’
Anna scowled at her. ‘You are so annoying sometimes. There’s no need to be sarcastic. I’m just trying to help you. That’s all I ever seem to do.’
‘No-one asked you to be my guardian. I can look after myself.’
‘Really? Is that why you managed to get pregnant with a human?’ Anna could not help sulking. Emily was exasperating.
‘Oh come on, Anna, give up the act. I made a mistake. Not everyone is designed to accept our way of living. I was never destined to lead this life. I wanted freedom, a normal life.’
Anna could not believe Emily was crying. She could not remember the last time she had seen Emily cry. Maybe, she could ease up a bit. Anna made her way over and gave Emily a hug. In a repentant voice, she cooed, ‘I’m sorry, I never realised for all those years how trapped you felt. If I’d known before you left, I might have been able to help you. Look, let’s just forget mistakes made in the past. We’ll figure something out, okay, calm down.’
Emily stopped crying, her sobs now more of a whimper. ‘I just couldn’t resist them Anna, I was too weak. I know I have to stay here where I can’t do any harm. I’m evil. I would never have made a good mother.’
‘You are not evil. We are led by instinct, that’s all. Anyway, that doesn’t solve the problem now. Why didn’t you tell Steven the truth when you had the chance?’ Anna tried to maintain a soothing tone.
‘I couldn’t face him. I didn’t want to take him away from his life. I couldn’t… how do you prepare someone for this way of life? We only created this place so that we could live normal lives, without becoming fugitives. I wish there was another way.’
‘No-one has thought of a better way. There are only so many suicides we can make up, before they begin to look suspicious.’
‘True, but don’t you feel like sometimes,’ Emily sniffled, ‘we don’t actually have control anymore? Don’t you sense the unease? There is a growing restlessness amongst our kind. Don’t you realise that there are others like me that do not want to hide? The new generation do not understand the human world – they think they can just go there and take what they need. They think… they think they can integrate.’
‘I know what you’re saying,’ Anna paused, then stood up and paced as she talked, ‘we can’t teach them about persecution. But, we have to remain strong. If our resolve crumbles, then this place will fall regardless of how tight we keep security. You never know, Steven could be the missing link. He might be the one who reinforces the need to lead separate lives. Maybe, destiny that had a hand in his birth. He understands the human world. Surely, he’ll realise in time that living out there is futile for us.’
‘Maybe, but you know as well as I do that sooner or later, we will need to find another place to live. We can’t all carry on living together – there’s no room for a start! The time will come when someone will have to lead and take up a new location.’
‘That’s for the council to decide. You should bring it up again.’
‘You know they don’t listen to me. No-one trusts me.’
Anna sat next to Emily again. ‘There’s a reason for that, but what you did happened a long time ago. What you have to say will be heard when everything blows over. Now we have to come up with a plan. Let me think about it. We’ll get Steven home. Here is where he belongs. Maybe Ian could help?’
Emily grimaced. ‘The last person I need rubbing my nose in my mistakes is my snotty younger brother.’
Anna laughed, more at ease she got up again. ‘He’s not that bad you know. I’ve got to go. Do me a favour? Please do something to keep busy.’ Anna smiled as she took her leave. She would have to find a solution to Emily’s problem �
�� again.
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Chapter 25
The Past
Emily struggled to get to sleep. The conversation with Anna had ripped open old wounds and made the all too real nightmare return. As she tossed and turned in bed, she relived the past and remembered the day her life changed.
*
‘I hate you. LEAVE ME ALONE.’ Emily ran at full pelt, intending to get as far away from Anna as possible. Anna did not understand her, she never did. Just because they were twins, everyone expected them to be the same, but they were like chalk and cheese. Once alone, Emily mulled over her limited options. As soon as the war was over, she would move away from her family to start a new life of her own. She would stay in America by herself; after all it was the land of dreams. Now that talkies were all the rage she was sure there would be plenty of work in Hollywood. Not that she wanted to be an actress. Her ambition was to write film scripts and work alongside the likes of Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable. What a dream that would be! She was sure she would be able to do the job just as well as any man – if she was allowed!
All that running had made her even hotter than usual. She flopped on the ground and flapped her dress up and down, to create a cool breeze. It was always so hot in Los Alamos. Dry, scorching – unbearable. All she longed for was the sea breeze on her face. She missed her hometown of Southampton.
As she threw stones into the stream, she lost track of time and only realised it was getting late when she looked up at the sky. The sun had gone. Another day wasted. A faint sound made her flinch. As it grew louder and more urgent she got up and looked around. She was sure she could hear her mother calling her name.
Being a typical laid-back teenager, she dragged her feet as she made her way back. The sound coming from the distance should have warned her, but she was too preoccupied with thoughts of a better life. As she approached, she could ignore the cacophony no longer. It was only then that she noticed black swooping animals flying over her head in a densely packed cloud formation. They snapped at the air, erratic, out of control. Their distinctive wing span gave them away. Bats – lots of them.
‘Emily, hurry,’ her mother shrieked.
Emily ran towards her mother, as panic set in. Just when she was within reaching distance a few bats swooped towards her and caused her to trip up. She felt herself faint, as something bit into her wrist. When she started to rouse, she could hear her mother calling her name, over and over.
‘I’m alright, Mum,’ Emily said, even though she did not mean it. She tilted her head to look at her wrists and saw they were wrapped in some material. The material looked uncannily like her dress material. She hoped they had not ruined her dress. It was then she noticed Anna next to her. She turned and embraced her. ‘I’m sorry Anna. I didn’t mean to fight with you. Are you okay?’
‘I’m fine. I’ve just got a few scratches like everyone else.’
‘Why did they bite us like that? They were crazy.’
Anna bowed her head. ‘I don’t know.’
‘At least they’re dead now. It’s over,’ her mother, Judith, said.
Emily looked around and saw the bodies of dead vampire bats scattered around the floor. The sight did nothing to appease her.
A few days later, Emily watched her parents whispering secretively to one another for the third consecutive day. As Morton Clausen, the Swedish scientist, joined them, they looked troubled. Whatever he had said had not made them happy. It had been the same every day since the attack, a lot of chatter and speculation with no real explanation. The only thing they had come up with was that the bats had become radioactive. Whenever Emily asked what they were talking about, her parents fobbed her off with the usual remarks. It was frustrating. She knew something else was going on. It scared her.
It was that afternoon when she heard a story that chilled her to the bone. The cooks were talking about a local animal attack which had resulted in the death of a teenage boy. It appeared the boy had lost a lot of blood and had marks on his neck and wrist. Desperate to know more, Emily went to see her older sister, Catherine. She hoped Catherine would tell her the truth.
‘Why do you think there is anything wrong Emily?’ Catherine sighed.
Emily could sense Catherine was edgy. ‘Since the bat attack, everyone has been acting weird, especially the adults.’
‘No they haven’t. I’m the same right?’ Catherine added.
She hadn’t thought about it that way, but Catherine was old enough to be classed as an adult. ‘Really?’
‘You always worry, don’t you? Whatever you think is going on will sort itself out. I’m sure of it.’
As her twentieth birthday approached, Emily set her doubts aside and focused on the birthday preparations. It was not every day she stopped being a teenager. Sat in front of her table mirror, she brushed her hair and studied her reflection. She wondered how much older she would actually look when she turned twenty. With her face but a few inches from the glass, she studied her reflection and searched for signs of wrinkles. As she did, she saw red veins creeping along her eyes. A minute later they were bloodshot. Startled, she leant back and could not control her hands as they started to shake.
The sound of an early bird roused Emily from her sleep. The night before was a blur. She hoped she had not missed her Birthday.
‘Emily, you’re awake.’ It was her father’s voice.
When she sat up, she saw Anna in the bed next to her. Had Anna also fallen ill? ‘What happened, Daddy?’
‘Don’t worry about that now. You both got sick in the night. We have to leave so that you get better. Everything will become clear when we’ve gone,’ Jeff said. She had never seen him look so anxious. The last time he had ever been so serious was when he had told them they had to leave England.
‘I feel different, why is that?’ Anna asked.
‘It must have been something you ate. Nothing to worry about, girls,’ Judith reassured, as she stood an arm’s length away.
Something about her mother’s eyes made Emily doubt her words. Yet, as Anna started to laugh at a face Ian was pulling from behind Judith’s skirt, Emily’s suspicious thoughts were replaced with joy. Then just as it had happened the happiness disappeared and left her in a void. The switch had flicked as soon as Anna stopped laughing. It was so strange. She could have sworn that Anna’s happiness was her own.
After what Emily considered to be very hasty packing, they left the next day. She could not understand the hurry. It was when they stopped at a café that she noticed something about her had changed.
‘I keep having visions of drinking blood,’ Emily said, her tone light-hearted yet serious.
Around her, you could have heard a pin drop.
‘So do I,’ Anna added, in a quiet voice.
‘Must be a weird twin thing,’ her ten-year-old brother, Ian, guffawed.
Their parents, Jeff and Judith, and older sister Catherine laughed – their laughs did not sound genuine.
That night Emily woke up parched. When she saw Anna was also awake she got out of bed and stood next to her, ‘I’m so thirsty.’
Anna nodded, ‘So am I.’
Emily looked at the corner of the room. Ian was sleeping soundly. Her parents’ bed and Catherine’s bed were empty. They tiptoed out, so as not to disturb their brother. Once outside, Emily was surprised at how clear her vision appeared even though it was dark. A full moon could not account for the clarity. Her throat complained again as a sweet scent filled the night air.
‘What is that smell?’ Emily asked.
Anna shrugged her shoulders and pursued it, as though in a trance.
Instinct took over, as they found the scent. Five minutes later, they were surprised to see one of the maintenance crew as he locked up. They edged closer, unable to stop.
Emily made the first move.
Anna followed.
He did not scream, he was in awe, hypnotised.
Moments later, Emily stared at t
he desert sand as it danced in the air, and tried to come to terms with the fact she had just killed someone. The light breeze, amidst the evening air, brought much needed relief from the daily, stifling heat. She raised her chin and closed her eyes in an attempt to shake off the events of the past hour. She had played a part in murder, and she had no idea what it meant or why it had happened.
The sight of blood had always made her queasy, yet minutes ago she had sucked and licked the trace off her hands. It had been irresistible. Even though it was out of her control, she wondered if she could have done anything to stop what they had done.
She opened her eyes and caught sight of the corpse’s lifeless pair, the colour on his skin pale, almost translucent under the glare of the full moon.
‘What have we done?’ Anna sat on the ground, her hands raking the sand.
‘I’m not sure.’ The last thing she wanted to do was admit she had enjoyed it.
Anna widened her eyes, their amber colour retaining a brightness that seemed out of place in the dead of night, and said, ‘We killed a man.’
Emily gnashed her teeth. ‘That’s obvious.’
Anna scowled, then clasped her hands together. ‘There’s no need for your sarcasm now. For once, can you act like a grown-up?’
Emily shook her long, black hair off her face. ‘Calm down. I’m not trying to be sarcastic. What’s done is done. We can’t take it back. I just wish we could find out why we did it.’
‘We’re evil, the devil incarnate. I want to die…’ Anna burst into tears, and hung her head low with her shoulders hunched.
The situation annoyed Emily, it really did, but she knew then she did not want to die. She wanted answers first. What they had done was impossible, like something out of a comic book. The problem was it was real, it had happened.
The Evolution Trilogy: Hybrid, Complications & Return Page 17
