‘And he’ll agree to this, will he?’ Ian growled.
‘We have to trust him, or he will never allow himself to become one of us.’
Anna got up and gave Judith a hug. ‘Please be careful.’
‘If, and that is a big if,’ Judith paused. ‘If we don’t come back, make sure that you keep the values we have cherished alive. You need to stay focused and not worry about us. If the bats had not given us this remarkable immortality, we would probably be dead already.’
Ian’s face turned puce. Her son always wanted to do things himself.
This time she would not let him. In a firm voice, she repeated, eyes fixed on Ian, ‘We will go, no matter what you think.’
With a shake of his head, Ian got up from the chair, turned around and left without looking back.
Catherine gave them both a quick but strong hug. As she got to the door, she glanced over her shoulder and smiled. It was nice to see. Judith was glad Catherine understood.
Anna held onto her mother’s hand and made a final request, ‘Promise me you’ll come back safely.’
‘We’ll do our best,’ Judith replied.
When Anna left, Judith reached out for Jeff’s hand and nuzzled into his shoulder. It felt right to make the sacrifice. There had to be another way for Steven. If anyone could find it, they could. It was impossible to know how long it would take for Steven’s injury to heal. Regardless, it was exciting to consider the stories they’d come back with. Whenever anyone else left, it was always interesting to hear what they had to say upon their return. Now, it was their turn to leave. The trip could bring them closer. She did not want to think of all the things that could possibly go wrong.
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Epilogue
A Voice From The Past
Caitlin screamed at the top of her voice, ‘Steven, no!’ Perplexed by the strength of the dream, she sat up confused – it had seemed so real.
She was sure Georgina had woken her up, taken her hand and forced her to follow. Somehow, they had arrived in the middle of the New Forest, before Georgina’s ethereal form had vanished.
Caitlin heard faint voices whisper through the trees. As she peered through, she gasped. In the middle of the clearing stood her image holding hands with the student that had come to her door a few months earlier. She recalled his name, Steven. She remembered him shouting it when she had shut the door in his face.
The thing was her image looked scared standing next to him.
As though he knew she was there, Steven turned to face her and gave a cunning smile. It revealed a set of white glinting canine teeth which leaned towards her image, headed straight at her throat.
At that point she had woken up.
Why would that person, Steven, or whatever his name was, be doing that? What on earth could it mean? She had never been into vampire stories. And what did Georgina have to do with it? She was convinced she did not know this Steven, yet something told her she should.
She stood up and paced her room. The first year at university had gone really well, other than the incident with Georgina. The reason for Georgina’s death was still a mystery – she did not buy into the suicide theory. Yet, for the past few months Caitlin had felt so inexplicably sad and lonely. Something niggled at the back of her mind – a missing piece of the puzzle eluded her.
She fumbled around to find the light switch on the wall. Once on, she blinked, as her eyes adjusted, and scoured through the drawers. It had to be somewhere. Finally she breathed a sigh of relief as she opened the letter she had concealed in the drawer, and read it again to try to make some sense of what it meant.
Dear Caitlin,
You might not remember me now but if someday you do, leave me a message on my Facebook page – Steven Thorn, England, D.O.B. 4th September. If I ever manage to retrieve it, I promise that I’ll find you. If not, I hope you lead a happy and fulfilled life.
Always yours, Steven Thorn
Caitlin powered up her laptop and looked at the Facebook entry for Steven Thorn again. There was no picture and the details were minimal. She thumped the table and sighed. She could not understand why he had slid the note under her room door. She did not remember anything about him and she was certainly not going to leave a message to a total stranger. The problem remained – there was no logical explanation for him featuring so vividly in her dream.
Why had the fact that he had been holding her hand, as though they were a couple, look right to her? And more importantly, why had he leant towards her as though he wanted to suck her blood? She could not shake the feeling she should know more.
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The Evolution Trilogy
COMPLICATIONS
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Prologue
Southampton, England, 1992
Emily fidgeted with her bracelet and kept her eyes to the floor. ‘I’ve been hiding something from you. I don’t know how to tell you the truth.’
‘There’s 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.
Her hands started to shake, the charms rattled. ‘Do you want to know where I go at night? I don’t want to tell you, but…’
‘What’s going on?’ Paul sat next to her and placed his hands on hers. His grip tightened, as though he was trying to help them keep still.
She kept her head low. She could not meet his gaze. The words were hard to say, harder than she imagined. She could not tell him the truth. He would never understand. ‘I can’t stay here anymore.’
‘I don’t understand.’ Paul froze. His hands automatically let hers go.
Emily got off the bed and made her way over to the window. It was dark outside, the time drew near. ‘I can’t live here anymore. I don’t belong here.’
‘Of course you belong here, what are you saying?’ Anger seeped into his tone.
She swallowed hard and continued, ‘I don’t love you and I can’t look after Steven. Motherhood is not what I thought it would be.’ She turned around to face him, but his eyes were far away. His frame had gone rigid.
He looked away from her as he spoke, ‘Are you serious? Please don’t say things to break us.’
Emily fought hard to keep her emotions in check and made her way out of the room. It was best if he mulled it over alone. 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 gave a deep sigh and turned on his side, deep in sleep. She was biased, but as far as she was concerned he was gorgeous, a perfect baby boy. There was nothing she wouldn’t do to protect him.
She kissed her fingertips and placed them on her little boy’s head, then eased out quietly and made her way back to Paul. He was still sat on the bed, head in his hands.
Without a hint of emotion, she 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 flinched and looked up. His eyes glazed, distant. He opened his mouth and then closed it shut. He didn’t, or couldn’t, say anything. His head slumped back into his hands. She had broken him.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Emily whispered.
It was only when she had closed the door that her chest heaved and she broke down. Somehow she got to the taxi. Somehow she did not turn back. Somehow she thought she had done the right thing.
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Chapter 1
Back To Civilisation
A mixture of excited, concerned, and confused faces waited. Judith held her head high. None of them understood. The young ones, in particular, could not grasp the decision to leave. In times like these, she was glad she only had four children. Saying goodbye to three was hard enough. She blinked consecutively and took a deep breath. She had made a vow to remain calm; she would not lose control of her emotions here. Not now. The tears that threatened were kept at bay.
A t
hought crossed her mind.
There was a distinct possibility they might never return. It was strange; a part of her was convinced she would never return. It was the reason why her chest ached. It was a silly notion. They would be back in no time. She had no idea why she thought this would be the last time she would ever set foot on her beloved Amazon Jungle, her home and sanctuary. Regardless, nothing could put her at ease.
It was hard to acknowledge the facts.
She had not left the community they had built within the Amazon in over sixty years. It was a long time – too long, probably. Now, she was about to return to normal civilisation, a place she feared. Not for what it would do to her, but for what she could do to it. Again, even though there was no real reason for her to be scared, she was. It was a fear of the worst kind, a fear of the unknown. Her uppermost concern was whether she would be able to resist the normal humans, or more to the point human blood.
A vague recollection of the taste remained. It was the burning desire to have it which she remembered the most. Up close, it would be hard to say no. In the Amazon, it was easier to abstain. In a few days’ time, humans would be all around her, enticing her. For Steven’s sake, she hoped she would be strong. She owed her grandson that much. With a deep sigh, she turned in time to see her eldest daughter, Catherine, come up beside her.
Catherine threw her arms around her and the sobs began. Judith felt the lump on her throat expand.
A minute later, Catherine eased back and wiped her face with the back of her hand. ‘Don’t do anything reckless.’
Judith smiled at her beautiful, fiery haired daughter, the hair a constant reminder of her grandfather’s Scottish roots. ‘Catherine, why do you worry so much? We’ll be fine.’ She knew her daughter was right to be afraid. Catherine found it impossible to control herself around humans. That was why Catherine never left anymore. The guilt was too much to bear.
Catherine gave a half smile. ‘Just try to keep away from them.’
Judith nodded as Steven’s mother, Emily, came into view. Her now short, black hair glistened as the early rays of sunshine beat down on her head. It was hard to distinguish her from her twin sister Anna now. They looked identical. Judith recalled how as a child Emily was always the carefree, happy little girl. After the accident, she became so serious, so lost. It was sad. Judith never realised how bad things got for Emily.
It wasn’t until they had found out about Steven that she realised the extent of her inner torment. What mother would not grieve the loss of a child and partner? Judith could not imagine what it must have been like for Emily. It must have been hard to let go of her only son and the love of her life, even if he was just a normal human. It was typical of Emily to fall for a normal human, she was always a rebel. Yet, to sacrifice everything and return to the community to lead a life she hated. Judith could only now begin to understand what she must have been going through. In hindsight, it explained a lot.
Through the corner of her eye she saw Steven arrive. Emily watched him, a look of despair etched on her face. A second later, Emily adopted her usual aloof expression. She was such a brave girl. She would have made an excellent actress if she had ever been allowed to follow that dream. With the aid of two wooden crutches Steven made slow progress. He had the same, almost angry, expression his mother carried. She could not blame him; an attack of the kind he had endured would have shaken any of them.
Steven reminded Judith of Emily in so many ways. His dark raven colour hair and piercing amber eyes were certainly like her daughters. Yet, there were other qualities that were alien. His height and build for a start. She would have liked to have met the man who stole her daughter’s heart.
Of course people would assume Emily and Steven were siblings. It was useful Emily would always look aged twenty, and now so would Steven. None of them ever looked old. Yet, because she changed when she was older she would always look old, she would always be taken for their mother. No-one would ever suspect Emily was Steven’s mother. It was the only thing that alienated her from the community. The more the community grew, the older she felt. There were times when she grew tired, tired of the existence. She wondered what the point of it all was. But, then she had her husband. Jeff was the reason to live, the reason to exist. And now they had a new adventure to look forward to, an adventure on the outside.
‘So, there’s nothing we can say?’ her youngest son, Ian, asked, as he eased up alongside. ‘You are ready to brave civilisation?’
Judith shrugged her shoulders. She would miss him. ‘Absolutely, what will be, will be.’
At that, Jeff came up beside her and slipped his hand in hers. ‘Neither your mother nor I intend to become killers. Hiding isn’t always the best course of action. We can’t go back in time and change what we are. If Steven feels he doesn’t want to become a killer then we must try to follow the same route. To be honest most of us have been too scared to try.’
‘But what if you can’t stop and you do kill? Doesn’t that go against everything?’ Ian threw his hands up in the air.
Judith gave a curt reply, ‘No, we always said that to kill to save someone’s life was acceptable – this is no different.’
She recognised the problem. It was probably their fault Ian was institutionalised. Blind to any view other than what he had been taught. After all, he was only ten when they had arrived. This life was all he knew.
‘Steven isn’t dying, he’s injured.’ Ian rolled his eyes.
‘He is severely impaired from leading a normal life. Of course there is nothing wrong with having a deformed foot.’ Judith sighed as she felt the strain. She did not want to argue before she left.
As if sensing her unease, Jeff took over. She was grateful for the interruption.
‘Ian you have to agree. If his foot does not heal, he will be unable to do a lot of the things we take for granted. He has a long life ahead of him. It’s not a good idea to let him stay like that if we can fix it.’
‘So there’s nothing I can do to change your minds? I’m not allowed to come with you?’
Judith and Jeff shook their heads in unison. Even if they thought it was a good idea, Judith knew Emily would not stand for it. Emily never saw eye to eye with her younger brother.
***
Steven glanced at Jensen, who he now considered to be his best friend, and nodded. He then turned to face the rest of the people he had met in his last few months at the community. He saw in their faces a mixture of hope and fear mangled together. Without a doubt, some were glad he was going away. He had confused many of the young ones, who now demanded the right to leave. His uncle, Ian, was fuming about the decision. Ian wanted to take Steven back. Ian did not to understand why Jeff and Judith had decided to take responsibility. Steven suspected deep down Ian understood all too well. He suspected Ian did not think his sister Emily deserved to leave. She apparently always broke the rules. Steven had yet to see why she was considered to be such a threat. Either way, Steven was sure Ian would be glad to resume normality, even if it meant losing Jeff, Judith, Emily and himself.
As the time to go approached, they made their way to the exit. Ian and his wife, Carmen, got into the lift last. All ready, Jeff inserted the key to enable access to the exit. As the doors closed, Steven mentally said goodbye. He might never see any of them ever again. Not if he could help it. With a jolt, the motley crew made their way up. Once outside, Steven reflected on the last time he had walked this route. He had known nothing back then. He had no idea of the life they led. Now, he knew different. It was amazing what a few months could change. It was not a life he would choose, but it was still a good life, a decent life.
The community looked out for each other. They maintained valuable principles and taught lifelong lessons. Most of them were happy. The life they had chosen to create was self-imposed. They acknowledged they were dangerous to humans and so opted to keep away most of the time. Steven recognised the fact each of them had to kill a human to change – he’d had to. Yet, as far as
he could tell, death was restricted to necessity. Greed was not allowed to flourish. A lot of their principles were commendable.
In mid thought, he crumpled in pain and winced as his ankle gave way again.
‘Let me help,’ Jeff said, as he placed his arm around Steven’s waist.
With no choice, Steven accepted the assistance and ignored the throb. Progress was slow.
‘There’s no hurry, you go ahead and get the ship ready,’ Jeff barked at the others. It was not a request. ‘Tell me if the strain gets too much. I can carry you.’ The voice was more subdued, compassionate.
The vessel looked smaller than Steven remembered. It had lost its mystery and charm. Now it was a means of escape.
The Amazon River bustled with activity. A pair of macaws flashed their impressive blue and yellow colours overhead, monkeys chattered and played in the trees to the sound of snapping branches, and river dolphins swam alongside the boat. They were all oblivious to the danger within the boat. Finally, they arrived at the junction where the Rio Negro and the Solimões River clearly distinguished themselves. For a second time, the sight took Steven’s breath away. The dark waters of the Rio Negro contrasted against the lighter shade of the Solimões River. Steven watched as they refused to mix, stubborn in their quest for independence. He half-smiled as he contemplated the view. The water was a metaphor for his life – two sides that might never be compatible.
Even though they would be keeping him under close surveillance, he could taste freedom for the first time since he had boarded the plane at London all those months earlier.
He was getting out at last.
The Evolution Trilogy: Hybrid, Complications & Return Page 32
