The Evolution Trilogy: Hybrid, Complications & Return

by Vanessa Wester

It was still too early to decide but she wondered what name she would use. Would it be a girl or a boy? She did not care either way. The main thing was if she moved to Borneo, no-one would need to find out until after they arrived. She could avoid the looks and accusations from most of the community. That would be a welcome relief! She would confide in Catherine, she could not do it all alone.

  ***

  Ian clenched his teeth as he saw his sister Anna approach. Her scowl was never-ending. He took a large bite from his slice of bread and chewed, she would have to speak first.

  ‘Can I come with you to get Emily?’ she asked, her tone impatient. Ever since the decision had been made, Anna had been really snappy. He suspected she was jealous. Her husband Juan had no intention of moving and her son, Francis, sided with him.

  ‘No,’ he finished his mouthful and continued, ‘I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. Catherine has it under control and Steven knows her.’

  ‘Why?’ She sat down opposite him, deflated.

  Something was really shaking her up at the moment. The chances were that her husband Juan was seething at the plans and venting.

  ‘Emily has a way of getting what she wants with you. You helped Steven before, give Catherine a chance now. She knows what she’s doing. I think she’s the only one that has always kept a level head.’ He continued to chew.

  ‘I kept a level head,’ Anna snapped.

  Ian raised his eyebrows. ‘Maybe, at times, but Emily has been known to be persuasive.’

  Anna leant on her hands and pouted. ‘I hate being a twin.’

  ‘It doesn’t change anything. Emily and you have a connection. A connection that has been helpful at times, but, you must admit, has also caused many problems. What does Juan think?’ He rubbed his hands and finished the remains of his juice.

  ‘You know what he thinks,’ she huffed, ‘fine.’ She got up to leave. ‘Let me know if you need anything.’

  Ian nodded. He would need things, just not from her. As much as Anna was not to blame, he would never forget the time she let Emily leave. Anna always had a soft spot for her twin sister.

  Back to Table of Contents

  Chapter 4

  Phone Call

  Ian continued to eat. Food helped to ignore the multitude of problems that seemed to grow like weeds of late.

  ‘Anna’s not happy,’ Carmen noted, following his gaze.

  Ian glanced at his wife. Talk about stating the obvious. ‘It’s not my problem your dad has riled Juan and Francis up. You’re happy with the situation, aren’t you?’ He had not asked her directly yet.

  Carmen’s eyes flinched, but he knew she would not lie. ‘It’s not what I would prefer but it is what it is. It’s time for some of us to move on. Perhaps the problem is many people see this as an opportunity. There are going to be some very disappointed members of the community at the end who will have to stay behind.’

  ‘A lot of them want to stay too. Some people don’t like the thought of change,’ Ian grunted.

  ‘We’ll have to wait and see. I can’t imagine it’s going to be fun to decide who gets to stay and who gets to go. Luckily, you’ll be there to guide us.’ She squeezed his arm.

  ‘Your help is just as valuable. You will help me?’ His eyes narrowed. He hoped she would want to help even if she did not approve.

  ‘You men could do nothing without us to guide you. Of course, I’ll be there.’

  He could not help his sigh of relief. ‘You proud Spanish woman, give your man a kiss,’ he teased and leant in.

  She turned her head away and spoke candidly, ‘You English men don’t understand about passion. Romance me, then I’ll kiss you.’

  ‘Are you blackmailing me, Mrs Roberts?’

  ‘Of course, Mr Roberts.’

  ‘Alright then,’ he sighed, with exaggerated disapproval. He knew this was a game they’d been playing for years. ‘You are the most beautiful woman in the world, I am honoured that you chose to marry me, and I would be the happiest man alive if you kissed me.’

  With a slow, seductive smile she beamed, victorious, ‘It would have been better without the hint of sarcasm, but that’ll do.’ She leant in and gave him a kiss. Not of the lingering variety, no more than a peck.

  Ian longed for more. It didn’t seem like she was going to play at the moment.

  Breakfast over, they got up to leave just as they saw Catherine come in and make her way towards them.

  Catherine nodded at Carmen and then looked at Ian. She kept a straight face. ‘We need to call Steven.’

  ‘What about this afternoon?’ Ian countered.

  ‘Nothing like the present.’ Catherine turned to face Carmen. ‘Carmen, you don’t mind?’

  Carmen shrugged her shoulders. ‘No. Do what you have to.’

  That was his wife, practical to the core.

  ***

  Catherine was apprehensive about calling Steven. The last conversation they had was difficult, to say the least. It was not easy for her to find out from Steven that her dad was dead, as well as knowing he had her sister, Emily. It was such a mess, all of it. Ian did not help, but she knew that to not involve him would be a mistake. He would only force himself on the situation. She would keep him sweet, let him come along for the conversations, and make sure he did not tag along when she went back to England.

  ‘Does he know we are calling?’ Ian asked, irritated.

  ‘I texted him an hour ago, he knows.’ She really hoped Ian would control his temper this time.

  They entered the metallic, grey lift and Ian inserted the key into the control panel. They made their way up to the secure upper level. Once the doors opened they made their way towards the control room, hardly anyone knew it existed. Ian placed the key in the keypad and an automated voice reacted.

  ‘What is your name?’ the robotic voice asked.

  Ian replied in monotone, ‘Ian Roberts.’

  A second passed before the automated voice reacted. ‘Access granted.’

  The door opened automatically and they made their way in. A long narrow corridor greeted them, the lighting subdued. The same low lit conduit piping ran through the entire facility. Catherine loved the natural rock walls; she had helped to carve out the passages many years earlier. At the end of the corridor, they turned to the right and made their way into a decent sized room. Computers and gadgets littered the room. A lot of them were now broken or defunct. Her dad had collected a lot of rubbish in his time, now it was their rubbish. She could not wait to have a clear out, even though she suspected she’d act like a sentimental fool.

  Ian took a seat by the large wooden table against the wall. A speaker phone waited.

  Catherine moved the chair back, which scraped the floor as she did, and sat next to him. She tucked her red hair behind her ears and adopted a business-like stance. She could do this. She dialled the number and put it on loudspeaker.

  After a few rings, Steven replied, ‘Catherine.’

  ‘And Ian.’

  Catherine faced Ian, and widened her eyes. She really, really hoped he would behave. They needed some answers. ‘Steven, are you at the house?’

  ‘Yes, we got back last night. Emily is lying down. It seems I damaged her spine when I attacked her. She’s not in good shape, not that I care, but the good thing is she’s not going anywhere,’ Steven chuckled.

  ‘Why did you attack her Steven? What did Emily do now?’ She dreaded to think.

  There was a long pause.

  Catherine glanced at Ian, who shrugged his shoulders and slouched slightly on the chair. He folded his arms over his chest.

  Finally, Steven spoke, ‘She killed my mother.’

  Catherine’s jaw dropped. She never thought Emily could stoop any lower, she guessed she was wrong. ‘I’m sorry, Steven. I really am.’

  ‘It’s not your fault Emily is a psychopath.’ There an element of humour in his tone.

  Ian kept silent, at least he was behaving.

  Catherine fidgeted. ‘Steven,
we could not come over as quickly as I had hoped. Things are changing here. I’ll talk to you when I get to England. I’m coming over with Isaac. Is that okay?’

  ‘Yes, that’s fine. Isaac is a decent guy.’

  Catherine noticed Ian flinch at the remark. She continued, ‘Can you contain Emily until we get there?’

  ‘No problem.’

  ‘Who else is there with you, Steven?’ Ian leaned forward.

  ‘That is not your concern, Ian. I’ll talk to Catherine and Isaac when they arrive. I have to go.’

  Catherine was concerned about Steven’s attitude. Time would tell what he was brewing. ‘Steven, we’ll be there in a few days. See you then.’

  ‘Yeah, see you then.’

  The phone line went dead.

  Ian shook his head. ‘I don’t like it. I just don’t like it.’ He got up and paced the room, his eyes drifted to the surveillance screens.

  ‘No-one is asking you to like it, Ian. You just have to get over it. I’m going with Isaac. Decision made.’

  She hoped, somehow, she would know what to do.

  Ian turned to the screen of the entrance. ‘Eilif is coming.’

  ‘He must be doing his usual checks,’ Catherine said. She stared at the screens; they mainly focused on the exits and open areas. It was their best way of checking for predators. Now, it was also a way to check no-one tried to leave. Sometimes she felt like they were monitoring a prison, not a society.

  Eilif ambled through the door and stopped, he looked from Ian to Catherine. He frowned and then smiled. ‘I wasn’t expecting to see you two here today.’

  Catherine liked Eilif. She remembered the day he was born. He was the miracle child, the first baby born in the community. All blond and blue eyed. Still was, just older, but then again when most of them looked as though they were only twenty years old, old was a relative term. She was one of the few in the community that was slightly older, even though it was only by two years. Her age was fixed the day the vampire bats bit her.

  ‘We were just going,’ Ian said. ‘Everything looks good to me, so I don’t think you have to worry, Eilif.’

  ‘Sure. I’ll just have a look at the internet search I started earlier. We have to see if Steven is up to anything in Southampton. You did tell me to check?’ Eilif looked at Ian.

  Ian’s face froze.

  Catherine fumed, ‘I knew it was too much to ask for you not to interfere. But, actually what did you find? It could be useful.’

  ***

  ‘Not much yet,’ Eilif said. He took a seat in front of the screen and got on with business. He had known Catherine and Ian too long to get bothered by their sibling banter. He focused on the newspaper reports and scrolled through, there had to be a connection. From his earlier search he sensed something was going on in England, he had always been able to pick things up. Everyone called it his extra sense.

  A part of him felt partially responsible for Steven. After all, he had helped to erase his existence.

  ‘Anything?’ Ian was looking over his shoulder, there was nothing like a bit of pressure.

  ‘Patience.’

  The internet had made things a lot easier, it meant a lot less phone calls, but it still took time. He huffed aloud and continued to search, desperate to nudge his memory. Eilif was sure he had seen something – he just could not think what it was. In a bid to retrace his steps, he resumed his last search and scrolled through the options to see if whatever it had been appeared again.

  He froze and stopped clicking as he read the article.

  ‘What is it?’ Catherine asked, she got closer to the screen.

  It documented a suspicious death in Hampshire. It did not give many details but the police did not sound happy about the condition of the body, it apparently had unidentified markings and an unexplained loss of blood. The police were appealing for more witnesses to step forward.

  Even though they had no suspects or leads the story had made it onto a local television channel. The only witness they had found was an old lady who claimed to have seen a couple wondering around the neighbourhood on the night of the death. The only reason it had been raised was that they were seen to leave the building where the suicide took place at one o’clock in the morning, a strange hour to be leaving unless invited.

  Eilif had read enough. ‘This does not make sense, a couple? I would not have thought that Steven would kill with Emily. Would you?’

  ‘No.’ Catherine’s jaw had dropped. ‘But who else would be with him?’

  ‘That’s it, I’m coming with you,’ Ian exclaimed, he held his finger up in the air.

  Catherine took a deep breath, ‘Ian, no, I’ll go with Isaac.’

  ‘I could come with you, Catherine. Steven knows me and I could also help to smooth over any loose edges that have been left by whatever he’s been up to. I’d be happy to help.’ Eilif glanced from Catherine to Ian.

  ‘That’s a good idea. If I can’t go, then Eilif goes instead. I’m happy with that. Are you?’ Ian glared at Catherine.

  ‘You know, it is actually a good idea,’ Catherine admitted. ‘But, we won’t tell Steven. You stay in the shadows.’

  ‘Fine. When do we leave?’ Eilif took a final glance at the screen.

  Catherine started to make her way to the door. ‘Tomorrow, I’d better go pack.’

  Once Catherine had gone, Ian faced Eilif, ‘Bring them back, whatever you do, bring them back.’

  ‘Don’t worry Ian. I’ll do what I have to. I’ve never let you down before, have I?’

  ‘I know.’ Ian paced up and down the room. ‘I need to get a grip. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so out of control.’

  ‘Things have a way of working out, don’t stress about it. It’s not your fault.’

  Ian stopped, his eyed widened. ‘Isn’t it? I brought Steven back here. It was when he arrived that everything started to go wrong.’

  Eilif shook his head. ‘You know we had no choice. Besides, Steven was just one catalyst. There would have been another eventually. There has been some unrest for years.’

  Ian gave a half-smile. ‘You’re right, I know. You’re right. Shall we go back, or do you have to do anything else?’

  Eilif smiled. ‘I have a few things to do. You go, I’ll see you later. Go for a swim, that’ll help.’

  ‘Yeah, I’ll do that. Thanks.’

  Eilif was glad he was not in Ian’s shoes. He did not want the responsibility of the community on his shoulders.

  Back to Table of Contents

  Chapter 5

  Search Party

  Eilif focused on the screen. He was sure he had seen something else. He started to scroll back. On impulse he typed in “Thorn” and did a search. Nothing relevant came up. Then he typed in “Thorn, death.” A few entries down he saw what he was looking for. A Clara Thorn, living in Ilfracombe, had been found dead in her home a few days earlier. She was noted to have been the wife of Paul Thorn, Steven’s dad. He wondered if Steven knew, he could not help thinking Emily had something to do with it. Was that why they were together? He just could not understand why Steven would hunt with Emily, if she had killed his mother. It did not make any sense.

  He logged off, locked up and made his way back.

  As he approached the main dining hall, he bumped into his daughter, Ingrid. He would do anything to see her smile like she used to, her carefree days were a thing of the past since she met Steven.

  Ingrid gave him the same half-baked smile. ‘You alright?’

  ‘Not really,’ he said, and then laughed. At times like these, Eilif found it hard to believe she had been his child not that long ago. He tossed the thought aside. ‘Can I trust you?’

  ‘Of course,’ she replied, eyes wide.

  ‘I’m pretty sure Steven’s up to no good.’ He narrowed his eyes. ‘Don’t tell anyone you know, but I’m going with Catherine and Isaac to England tomorrow. We’re going to bring Steven and Emily home.’

  ‘Can I help at all?’

 
The request was innocent enough. It made him wonder. ‘I wish you could,’ he mused. His mind wrestled to come up with a plan. ‘Actually, maybe you can.’

  ‘What are you thinking?’

  ‘Do you think you could convince Catherine to let you come?’

  ‘I can try.’ Her eyes fell to the floor. ‘It would mean I’d get to see Steven again.’

  Eilif knew there was a glitch. ‘I’d forgotten about that, you’re not still pining for him are you?’

  Ingrid flicked her long blonde hair back, and raised her chin. ‘It’s in the past.’

  ‘When did you grow up so fast? It doesn’t seem that long ago that you were a baby,’ he said, as he put his arm over her shoulders and gave a squeeze. ‘You’re sure you can handle it?’

  ‘Promise. Now, let me go and convince Catherine that I am indispensable.’

  ‘Clever girl.’

  As he watched her leave he was overwhelmed with a sense of pride. The only thing she needed was a nice man to settle with. It was a shame Ingrid had not made a connection yet. The thing was men were short on the ground. It was a problem. Either way, Steven had been a fool to disregard his daughter so easily.

  ***

  The remnants of dessert remained on the table. Musicians played a Spanish flamenco song to the enjoyment of the crowd in the middle of the room. Some of the Spanish women had taken to the dance floor, as expected. A lot of children ran around playing chase or hiding under tables. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. In the corner, Ingrid spotted the Spanish male contingent huddled in deep conversation. A puff of smoke rose in the air from the group. They loved their tobacco. They had to be discussing the latest developments.

  Ingrid paused, surveyed the room, and found her target. Food could give her the excuse she needed to mingle with the right people. She made her way over and smiled at friends and family. It had to look casual.

  ‘Can I join you?’ she asked, her voice sweet as honey.

  Ian glanced up, he looked deep in thought. He just nodded, as he ate a mouthful of chocolate cake. His wife, Carmen, looked at her curiously, as though she suspected she was up to no good. Ingrid observed that women were always more perceptive than men.