The Evolution Trilogy: Hybrid, Complications & Return

by Vanessa Wester

  Her eyes narrowed as she realised Catherine had lied to her. She had told her nothing was wrong, she had promised her nothing was different.

  Emily knew the truth now – they had all become killers.

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  Chapter 26

  Arrival

  Emily sat up in her bed. With the back of her hand she wiped the sweat from her brow. Restless, she got up and threw herself into her favourite chair. She could not help the tears from streaming down her face again.

  Even after the change, she had never stopped thinking about her home town of Southampton. She had long abandoned any ambition of living in America. All she dreamt of was home. It was with this thought in mind that she had come up with her cunning plan. Since it was clear all adolescents needed blood to change, she suggested they return from time to time. She figured they would need to stay in touch with any developments that happened in the outside world. It seemed like a totally logical idea.

  When it had been agreed, she punched the air. Recreational visits would be allowed every ten years. Since no-one seemed to age, everyone assumed they had developed a form of immortality. Emily remembered their feeling of euphoria – all of them were so happy to be a member of a new species.

  However, she was not over the moon. She missed her normal life and the fact she had to wait made her restless and impatient. She did things, stupid things. It only made it worse. But, how was she supposed to resist. It helped to be in the Amazon Jungle, but she still managed to track down some humans. The others found out; they knew what she was up to. She was considered unstable. Emily snarled. They wanted to suppress her nature, her instinct. It took her ages to keep a low profile. The new confined community walls helped. It was not so easy to get out and she had to behave.

  Finally, on the fifth visit Emily was allowed to make the trip back to her home town. Even though the experience had been magical, exciting even, it changed her life. The day before she was due to return she met Paul.

  No-one saw her again until she returned two years later.

  Falling in love with Paul had been so unexpected. When she found out she was having a baby, it was easy to remain in denial. It was only when she stared into her son’s eyes for the first time that her maternal instinct kicked in and she knew she had to defend and protect her baby. The only way she could think of doing this at the time was by leaving.

  The honeymoon was over.

  Since Steven was a hybrid there was no way to know whether he would go through the change. So, she left them. The pain remained wedged in her heart. Every last shred of hope had vanished when Ingrid found him. Only then, did her worst fear become a reality. His change was inevitable and time was running out to explain who he really was and what awaited him. The question now was how was she going to approach the problem?

  She snapped her head up and wiped her face. Something was very wrong. She could feel Anna. She had never felt Anna in so much pain. Before she got to the door, Anna burst in.

  ‘What is it?’ Emily asked.

  Anna’s lip wobbled. ‘I don’t know how to tell you this so you don’t get upset.’

  ‘Tell me, what’s going on?’

  With pursed lips, Anna stared in her eyes, ‘Its Ian. He’s gone to find Steven.’

  Emily’s jaw dropped. She was speechless.

  ***

  The ship started to slow down as it got into position to dock next to a jetty set up beside the river. Lana made her way over to the deck and saw Ian, Eilif and Tomas securing the ropes to the wooden supports. It was time to unload. Ingrid and Inna chatted behind her. Practically everyone was ready.

  Ian glanced at Ingrid, ‘Where is he?’

  ‘I haven’t seen him since earlier,’ Ingrid said.

  Lana thought she sounded defensive.

  Ingrid shrugged her shoulders and looked at the floor as she added, ‘Do you want me to go and find him?’

  Lana decided to intervene. It was the least she could do. ‘I’ll go. You can stay here to help.’

  The look of relief on her daughter’s face confirmed her suspicion. Something had happened. Something had upset her. She did not want Ingrid to get hurt. A part of her was glad to see Ingrid finally smitten, even if it was with someone like Steven. If there was anything she could do to help, it would be worth a try.

  Lana knocked on Steven’s cabin door. As it opened, she asked, ‘Are you ready to get off this ship?’

  ‘Definitely.’ Steven gave a half-smile and scrunched up his eyes.

  On the way down the corridor, Lana spoke quietly, ‘My daughter doesn’t mean you any harm. She cares about you.’

  ‘I didn’t ask her to care about me,’ he said, his tone serious.

  ‘Do you have to ask people? It just happens.’ She did not know him well enough to challenge him. She tried a more subtle approach, ‘None of us mean you any harm. It would be good if you started trusting us. Ingrid is my daughter and I’m very proud of her.’

  ‘As you should be,’ Steven said, ‘A mother is supposed to look out for her child. I just lost the only real mother I knew and as far as I can see it was Ingrid’s doing. If she had left me alone I would have been just fine. So, don’t expect me to care about what she thinks when she never stopped to think about me.’

  Lana was impressed by his directness, even though misguided. ‘She did. Look, I know it can’t be easy for you at the moment. But, Ingrid did what she thought was best. She saved you from hurting those you love. Trust me. You need to be here with us.’ Steven kept quiet so she continued, ‘All I am asking is for you to think about how you treat my daughter, before she ends up getting hurt. I wouldn’t be happy if she got hurt.’

  Steven faced her, ‘That’s sounded like a threat.’

  Lana glared, ‘Not a threat, a warning. We look out for each other. You would be wise to make an effort to fit in.’

  ‘Fine,’ Steven snapped, before he sped ahead.

  Even if he did not take heed, at least she had tried.

  ***

  As they reached the deck, Steven heard Ian call out, ‘We have company.’

  All he needed now was another confrontation. Even though his little chat with Lana was unlikely to make him change his view on Ingrid, he knew to be cautious. He did not want to make enemies so soon. From the deck, he could tell Ian was talking to someone standing on the shore. He could just make out the words.

  ‘Ian, where have you been?’ a female voice asked, exasperation evident in her tone.

  ‘Anna, it’s so nice to see you. We’ve been on a reconnaissance mission. Seems we have a new member of the community no-one knew anything about, until recently. So where is our sister then?’

  ‘She can’t leave the community without permission, you know that. So, who exactly have you found?’

  ‘You know who he is.’

  ‘Do I?’

  ‘Apparently that’s what you told Ingrid and Lana. That he was under your protection.’

  ‘I never said that.’

  ‘That’s right, you didn’t,’ Ian paused, triumphant, ‘Emily did. I knew you hadn’t gone to England,’ he accused, as he jabbed a finger in her direction.

  ‘It was me,’ Anna answered. She lacked conviction.

  ‘How could you let her leave the community? What if she’d disappeared again?’

  ‘She didn’t though, did she?’ After a pause, Anna added, ‘What gave her away?’

  ‘Coffee,’ Ingrid said, aloud. ‘You hate coffee and she was drinking it happily at the café with me.’

  Steven could see Ian now. He had folded his arms and was leaning to the side. He had that familiar smug expression on his face again. ‘So, back to the original question, who is he Anna?’

  Before Anna got the chance to reply, Steven walked out to face them. As Anna gazed at him, she gave an audible gasp. She stared, speechless.

  ‘Who are you?’ Steven asked. Everyone remained silent.

  A few seconds later, she replied, ‘I’m you
r aunt, Anna. My twin sister, Emily, is your mother.’

  Ian broke the moment by returning to the job at hand. ‘Right then, well glad that’s out in the open. We’ve got a lot of stuff to move, so let’s get on with it.’

  As everyone got busy, Steven watched in two minds. Anna stood still, waiting. Steven decided to leave the unloading to the others. He walked down the narrow ramp and stood away from her.

  ‘Can I show you where we live?’ Anna asked.

  Anna eased her hair behind her ear and smiled at him. Her hair was the same colour as his. Dark, practically black, and her eyes were also a shade of amber. The family resemblance was obvious. She wore a green vest top and brown short. Camouflage gear, yet normal attire for humid weather. It dawned on him that so far he had not seen anything to mark them out as different or eccentric. They seemed too normal for what he had been told.

  Steven had nothing to lose at this point. ‘I’ve come this far, I might as well find out what hell I’m destined to live in.’

  Anna nodded, eyes narrowed, ‘Follow me.’

  His feet crunched against the loose bark and bracken on the floor.

  ‘This way.’ Anna turned to face the massive Amazonian trees. After a few minutes’ walk, Anna spoke, ‘So, how was your journey?’

  ‘Long.’ He kept his reply short and to the point. He did not enjoy acting aloof, but one word answers were all he could handle.

  ‘I hope it was bearable. You have a lot to discover here.’

  He lifted his head up and considered saying something. He changed his mind. With a shrug of the shoulders, he looked ahead. They walked on in silence.

  Steven was actually in awe of the environment. He did have a lot of questions, but he put them aside, unsure of where to begin. The fact that nature was all around disconcerted him. Just as he was starting to appreciate it, he was jolted back to reality as the sound of a car broke the peace. To the left hand side, there was a clearing that seemed to run from the river in the direction they were heading, acting like a makeshift road. It was obvious they had chosen the area because of the tall Amazonian trees, but he wondered where the ship was kept, to remain out of sight.

  After walking for a further ten minutes, they started to approach a huge mountainous rock formation that was surrounded by trees. It resembled an inactive volcano. The scene was breathtaking.

  Anna pointed towards an area at the base of the rock. It looked like a cave entrance. ‘We have to go in here.’

  Steven nodded and followed.

  Inside the entrance was a carved out tunnel with electric lighting fitted onto the ceiling. The cables were neatly tucked away in an electrical conduit made from a flexible plastic piping system that obviously gave the wires protection and routed them around the area. Somehow, this was not the image he had expected when he entered the cave. It would have been more appropriate to have fire-lit torches, like those in adventure films. They walked for a few minutes longer before they arrived at a huge steel door with no keyhole. A keypad took its place.

  Steven was surprised. It was starting to feel like Fort Knox.

  Anna entered the password and a voice registered who she was by saying ‘welcome back Anna Santos.’ As the door slid open, it revealed another corridor. This time it was made of steel walls. It looked like an underground scientific research centre.

  ‘Is this what you expected?’ Anna paused to face him.

  He shook his head and laughed. ‘I don’t know what I expected to find in a dormant volcano in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest, but it certainly wasn’t this.’

  ‘I hope I can surprise you some more.’ She gave a simple half-smile and carried on.

  The adventure continued.

  Back to Table of Contents

  Chapter 27

  Community

  When Steven and Anna turned around the corner they were face-to-face with another barrier. This time it was a lift, with another password protected keypad. Anna entered a number swiftly and the doors opened. She pressed the L button. There were five settings: 2, 1, U, L, and G. It looked like they were on the U level. Steven assumed they represented Upper Level, Lower Level and Ground Floor. The button for the upper level was controlled by a key. Escaping was not going to be an easy option. As the doors opened to the L Floor, Steven remained glued to the entrance as he watched in awe.

  ‘Come on, you have to get out of the lift,’ Anna encouraged.

  He must have looked dumbfounded.

  The scene before them was surprisingly familiar. It looked like a typical English shopping complex. There were people walking around in groups, little stalls selling a variety of goods, and small shops on the sides that looked incredibly normal. Robotically, he got out of the lift and started looking around.

  The shop fronts had subtle differences. A clothes shop had no mannequins dolled up to impress customers. All you could see were simple railings with a range of clothing.

  A greengrocer’s display was filled with colourful fruit and vegetables of different shapes and sizes, unlike any you would see in supermarkets. The main and glaring difference was the lack of prices. No buy one get one free signs to tempt the consumer, or general sale and discount signs. The goods were just there.

  ‘Anna,’ Steven called out, unable to hold back his questions anymore.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Is it me or is something missing?’

  ‘What’s missing?’ She gave a knowing smile.

  ‘Where are all the prices? How do people know what to pay?’

  ‘I wondered how long it would take you to notice,’ she smiled. ‘We don’t use money. Everyone has a job to do and you just take what you need from each other. It’s based on the barter system, without anyone taking account. We all trust each other; no-one takes more than they need. We all work hard and help to sustain one another.’

  His mouth opened wide in amazement. ‘Does no-one want more? Isn’t it human nature to succumb to greed and jealousy?’

  ‘Are you like that?’

  ‘No!’

  ‘Well there you go. Greed is like a sickness. If you feed it, it will grow. We do not promote selfish or singular behaviour. We work together. We have always had to, otherwise our days would have been numbered from the start.’

  ‘But you obviously have resources to provide electricity and other luxuries.’

  ‘Well you don’t expect to put together a group of nuclear physicists and not have electricity do you?’ she said, her face alight as she chuckled.

  ‘Nuclear physicists? Why are there…?’ he trailed, confused.

  ‘I don’t know how much you’ve been told. My father, your grandfather, Jeff is one of the brightest minds you’ll ever come across. He was a close friend of Albert Einstein during the Manhattan project.’

  Steven could not hold back. Now he was impressed. ‘Wow. I’ve heard about that. It was linked to the nuclear testing in Los Alamos, wasn’t it?’

  ‘Yes. Your grandfather was the mastermind for our community. He designed it. He thought of everything.’

  Steven was not sure he’d agree with that. He did not factor in the chance of his daughter having a liaison with a normal human. He let it drop. ‘How do you generate electricity here?’

  ‘We currently have access to solar, hydroelectric, fossil fuel, and wind-generated electricity. We are in the process of investigating a geothermal method.’ She paused for what felt like effect, and then added, ‘We are quite an intellectual bunch. We like a challenge and we found the community diversified naturally. Some took on the role of providing food, whilst others focused on the living arrangements and nurture of the younger members of the community. In time, you will find your calling.’

  ‘You know, as much as I am impressed by what I see, I’m still not totally convinced that I would like to choose my calling and stay here. No offence intended.’

  ‘Steven, only time will tell what your future holds, but try to keep an open mind.’

  Her comment pushed him too far.
‘Look, you lot have just made me leave the girl I love, my family and my life. I don’t know if I want to be more open-minded.’

  ‘Keep your voice down,’ she warned.

  ‘I wanted to be a lawyer someday, but somehow I don’t think you’ll have much need for one here,’ he ranted on, as several people started to stare at him.

  ‘Let’s move on,’ Anna said, her nostrils flaring.

  ‘Fine,’ he huffed, suddenly self-conscious. Everyone was staring.

  Anna smiled through gritted teeth and pushed him along.

  After walking through the shops in silence, Anna stopped and turned to face him, ‘I’m sorry about what happened to you. Are you hungry?’

  ‘Yes,’ he admitted. Even though he was angry, it only made him hungrier.

  The gigantic entrance carved into the rock gave way to a huge area. Stone tables and wooden benches provided the base for the hive of activity, as a range of people chomped into their meal. For the first time, Steven took the time to observe. He had never seen such a disparate group of people. Some had olive skin and nearly black hair – he assumed these had to be people of Spanish descent. Others had bleached blonde hair and blue eyes – just like Ingrid and her family. A few wore, what looked like Jewish caps, or kippah – as Steven had learnt during his religious studies course. They had to be descended from the Jew they had mentioned – Isaac Abel. The rest were a real mixture. At a guess, Steven conjectured they were offspring of all the different permutations obtained after couples of different descent had paired off. The array of people was mind-boggling.

  One thing was clear. No-one in the room looked over the age of twenty.

  A lot of children scampered around the room. Some sat down, eating. Most ran around chasing and playing with what looked like older siblings or friends. A few women nursed their babies; they showed no sign of embarrassment. The scene reminded him of something out of a bible story. That was until he spotted an area similar to a canteen serving station – a modern one.