“What law?” Evelyn spoke up.
“Breaking into the city. Neither of you lawfully entered.”
“We were going to die,” Evelyn argued.
Jeremiah nodded. “I know. I know. I’m not a merciless man. I understand the situation you were in. It makes it easy for you, uh…”
“Evelyn.”
“Yes, Evelyn. This is all easier with you because you didn’t break in with some kind of power that could pose a threat to my city.”
“So, you are asking me to leave?” Whit asked.
“No,” Jeremiah said. “No I’m not. I’m going to have to take you in for a few days. We’ve got to test your character. Try to determine what kind of person you are before we can let you out into the streets.”
“I understand,” Whit said.
“As for you,” he turned to Evelyn. “You will be set up in a room for the night until we can get you a place to stay. Screven has filled up fast. I’m sad for those people out there tonight, but we would have had to turn most of them away.”
Jeremiah stood and gave directions for the guards to take Whit away and for Evelyn to be put in a room for the night. She felt sick by all sick byof this. She couldn’t believe that she had lost her friends. She had no idea how long Whit would be gone…wherever he was going.
Despite the lack of sleep Evelyn had been getting the past several nights, she couldn’t seem to even close her eyes until the wee hours of the morning. As soon as she was alone, she had found the ability to cry — to just let go and finally allow herself to mourn the way her friends deserved. What kind of world had she been born into? What kind of life was this?
As a child, she had seen glimpses of the life before the greyskins. Technology gradually started to fade away. People’s spirits dimmed. Year-by-year, things seemed to get worse. There even used to be news on the television when she was a child. People could learn about what was going on in the world and how the fight against the greyskins was going. The news was rarely good, but eventually it was gone altogether. Soon, nothing aired on the television. Occasionally, radio would be a source for people to find help of some kind, but it was most often full of uninterrupted static. It was a life of digression instead of progression. She had known plenty of people that had lived before the greyskins. All they ever talked about was how the ‘good old world’ had been. How everything had been so much better. Sure there had been problems, but nothing like today. Never like today.
In the morning, after finally falling to sleep, Evelyn was awakened by a knock at her door. When she answered it, she met a man that told her there would be breakfast on the first floor and that she was expected to be there. This was all that the man told her.
She did what she could to freshen up, but a splash of water on her face was nowhere near the bath she needed. When she got downstairs, she was directed to a room with a large table that had various kinds of food stacked all around it. She felt awkward being the only person there, but perhaps more were on the way.
After sitting for nearly five minutes alone, someone walked through the door. Covered in the same clothes that she had seen him in the day before, sunglasses and all, was Jeremiah.
“You haven’t started eating yet?” he asked, throwing up his arms. “I tell you, the hired servants around here can be useless.” He moved to the end of the table, only a few seats down from Evelyn and pointed at the food. “Please eat.”
She didn’t have to be told twice. She instantly started loading her plate with various meats, cheeses and fruits. Jeremiah just watched.
“Screven is a special place,” Jeremiah said. “We produce a lot. We have the machinery to utilize certain resources such as oil. We can create gas for vehicles. Weaponry for defenses. We even have a small factory for all kinds of sweets and beverages to help keep the citizens happy.”
“Trying to give people a feel for the old world?” Evelyn asked with a mouth full of food.
“Exactly!” Jeremiah said. “That is the purpose of Screven.”
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Evelyn asked, pointing at the food.
Jeremiah put up a hand and shook his head. “I’ve lost my taste for that kind of food.”
Evelyn didn’t really understand what he meant by that kind of food but she didn’t give it much thought. She was just happy to be getting food for herself.
After a few moments of silence, Evelyn noticed Jeremiah just staring at her. With her fork halfway between her plate and her mouth, she stared back for a moment, feeling extremely awkward. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing is wrong,” he said. “You are very beautiful.”
Evelyn’s face started turning red as she took another bite. No her biteone had actually ever told her that before. How did one respond to that? The leader of the city of Screven was sitting at the table telling her that she was beautiful. She would have never imagined herself in this position.
“Whit tells us that the two of you are out of a village north of here called Seymour?”
Evelyn nodded. “It was destroyed by the greyskins a few days ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, taking his sunglasses off to rub his eyes. Ev
elyn couldn’t help but notice that one of his eyes was drooping slightly. “I’m always interested to hear about that area. I have roots around there myself. Who were your parents?”
“I don’t know about my father,” Evelyn said, taking another big bite of ham. “My mother’s name was Jessi. She died the same night I was born.”
“Tragic,” Jeremiah said.
“People I grew up around called me a miracle child,” Evelyn continued. “They said my mother was bitten before I was born but she gave birth to me before she died. They said I was born the night the grey virus started.”
Jeremiah stopped responding at this point, so intrigued by Evelyn’s story that he simply stared at her, waiting for her to continue.
“Hard for me to believe the virus started so close to home,” she said. “For something so deadly, I would have thought it would have originated somewhere else.” She shrugged. “I don’t really know why I thought that. It’s a shame they never figured out the origin of the grey virus.”
“Yes,” Jeremiah said. “Pity.”
“You think we’ll ever know?” Evelyn asked.
Jeremiah took a deep breath and looked at the food on the table. “It’s not our job to know why some things happen. It’s just our job to be the strongest and survive.”
“Even the strongest can be taken down,” Evelyn replied. “A bite or a scratch is all it takes.”
Jeremiah stood from the table and placed his glasses back on his face. “That’s where you are wrong, Evelyn. The strongest can survive a bite or a scratch. They just have to know how. That’s what makes them the strongest.” He began walking out of the room, and once he made it to the door, he stopped for a moment. “Your apartment will be waiting for you. Welcome to Screven, miracle child.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Jeremiah had asked Evelyn to dine with him every week for the next year. At first, she didn’t feel comfortable with it, especially since he never actually ate when she did. He always said that he had a big meal in the afternoon and he just didn’t have the stomach for more. That never stopped Evelyn from eating, however.
She never did understand why he decided to have these dinners. Did he like her? Did he want her? Was he trying to seduce her? It didn’t appear that way. Jeremiah seemed nice enough, but he had so many oddities and strange quirks that Evelyn could never entertain the possibility of a relationship with him. Besides, she was in a relationship now. His name was Mark, and he lived down the street from her. The two of them had met at the job they were assigned in one of the factories. She had found his shaggy, brown hair and dimpled cheek charming. His good sense of humor always kept her smiling too. The two had fallen hard for each other.
Evelyn and Jeremiah’s dinners were of concern to Mark at first, but Evelyn assured him th
at nothing was going on. The man simply loved hearing stories about her life. Good and bad. He always had questions. And for a free, very lavish meal, she was happy to answer them.
For the first few months, Evelyn always felt guilty about her meals with Jeremiah because of Whit. She had asked Jeremiah what had become of him and if he was to be let out any time soon. Jeremiah simply told her that Whit was sent away from Screven based on the fact that he had an uncontrollable power that wasn’t safe for the populace.
It had been a touchy conversation as Evelyn asked him why she hadn’t been allowed to talk to Whit before he left. Jeremiah just told her that he had tried to arrange such a meeting, but Whit wouldn’t have it. He didn’t want to see her because he didn’t want her to feel guilty for staying. Evelyn never thought it sounded like Whit, but she didn’t argue with the city leader.
On this particular night, Evelyn had asked Mark to come with her to one of the meals. He didn’t think it was a good idea.
“Does he even know that you are inviting me?” Mark asked as they walked through the city streets toward the Center where Jeremiah resided. The streets were busy that night. It was the last weekend of the month — the day that Jeremiah opened the doors of the city for new people to come in and live. Screven had been nearly filled, but there was still limited room.
“No, but he doesn’t have to,” Evelyn replied. “Every time I go there, he makes enough food for twenty people. I always ask why, but he only says that somebody will eat it. I think he’s just saying that to be nice. You should come this time.”
“Why?” Mark asked. “You’ve never invited me to one of these before.”
“Well, we’ve only been together a few months,” she said. “I think it’s time he knows about you.”
“You mean he doesn’t know about me?”
Evelyn rolled her eyes. “Come on, he’d be happy to see that people in Screven are happy. He’s eager to see everyone doing well. He will be glad to meet you.”
Despite his apprehension, Mark found himself sitting across from Evelyn at the large table full of food. In his usual fashion, Jeremiah entered the room about five minutes late. This time he didn’t wear his large hat or sunglasses. In fact, he looked very handsome with his three-pieced suite and combed back hair. The smell of flowers and other scents still surrounded him. He stopped his stride at the sight of Mark.
“Oh,” Jeremiah said. “Who are you?”
Mark stood and held out a hand for Jeremiah to shake as the city leader began to walk by. “Mark, sir. Evelyn invited me to join you for dinner tonight.”
Jeremiah ignored Mark’s hand as he walked passed him to the head of the table. Mark sat down awkwardly, still doing his best to maintain composure.
“I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to be here,” he said.
“Were you summoned by me?” Jeremiah asked.
“Er…no,” Mark said.
“Then you aren’t supposed to be here.”
“I wanted you to meet him,” Evelyn said.
“Why? Why did you want me to meet him?”
“We’re together,” Evelyn answered.
“In a relationship?” Jeremiah asked.
Evelyn had been smiling, but started to feel the muscles relax in her face to a more serious look. “Yes,” she said.
Jeremiah said nothing. He motioned for the two of them to start eating. They did, but they coulbut theyd feel the weight of Jeremiah’s brooding. Evelyn couldn’t understand what was wrong. Jeremiah sat there with his teeth clenched, completely silent. His usual, hearty conversation was as dead as a greyskin. The room felt cold. Even the food didn’t taste as good. Evelyn tried to start some kind of conversation.
“There’s a rumor going around that your planned expansion to make colonies is supposed to start this year,” she said.
Jeremiah didn’t even look at her. He was staring straight at Mark. “Do you know why I didn’t return your handshake?”
“No sir.”
“I look at it as an insult,” he said. “Do you know why the handshake was invented?”
“No sir.”
“Some think it was to show others that they didn’t have weapons. A symbol of trust.”
Mark nodded in understanding, though he didn’t seem to know where any of it was going. Neither did Evelyn.
“I look at it as an insult because you shouldn’t feel the need to show you don’t have weapons. Why wouldn’t you come in peace?”
“It’s just something people do,” Mark said. “I had no meaning behind it.”
“Now, on the other hand,” Jeremiah said, ignoring Mark, “when a woman, someone you’re particularly fond of, reaches out her hand, a man is supposed to take it and kiss it.” He looked at Evelyn. “Hold out your hand.”
Evelyn swallowed and did as she asked. Mark looked at her wide-eyed. What was Jeremiah doing?
“Now, I am fond of Evelyn,” Jeremiah said. “It would be rude of me not to kiss her hand. I am not fond of you in anyway. You come into my city and insult me. You come to my meal uninvited.”
Mark thought about saying something in his defense, but Evelyn shook her head at him briefly.
“Yes,” Jeremiah said. “Listen to Evelyn. Shut up.”
“Jeremiah, I’m sorry,” Evelyn said. “I know I should have asked you before bringing a guest. This isn’t his fault.”
“Be quiet and give me your hand,” Jeremiah said.
He reached out his hand to Evelyn, touching her fingers until the two of them gripped softly. He brought her hand to his lips and that’s when it happened. For what felt like an hour, she blacked out, though she knew it was only about ten seconds. But it wasn’t any kind of regular blackout. No. What she felt and saw was much more disturbing. During those ten seconds, she saw everything. She saw Jeremiah as a little child growing up. A graduate from a prestigious university. A professor. Then images of a woman came to her mind. A woman named Willow. Willow was best friends with Jessi. Jessi, her mother.
She saw the entire story unfold right in front of her. For these ten seconds she gained a lifetime of memories.
Jeremiah was not the man he said he was.
He created the greyskins. He was bitten by a greyskin — a greyskin who had power. A Starborn? One that had long life. Jeremiah now had long life and symptoms of the greyskins, but he never died.
After creating the greyskins, Jeremiah went into hiding. Once he knew that the virus hadn’t been traced back to him, he came out. He had to find a healer. He had resources. He had a way to pay people. He started planning. Building. Over the years, he built an entire city. No one knew him from Adam, but he offered hope. He knew he could find Starborns if people just came to him. A healer never came forward. Others did though. A man who could breathe under water. A woman who could camouflage her skin in any environment.
Since he had contracted the greyskin disease, he had the lusts of a greyskin. To sustain himself, to curb his apo curb hpetite, to keep himself from rotting away, he had to eat human flesh — people held in the small prison on the other side of the city. He never ate the Starborns. He feared what their powers might do to him. He never ate them until…Whit. Whit hadn’t been sent away. Jeremiah had eaten him. It took him a week.
So many images passed through Evelyn’s mind of Jeremiah melting, burning, and scorching with his bare hands as though to practice.
His intentions with her were not pure either. She had made him angry by bringing Mark. By being in a relationship with him. He was going to take Mark to the prison. He would be burned to death, then eaten. Evelyn. He was going to have his way with her. He would do this every night until she was no longer attractive to him. Then he would eat her too.
When Jeremiah finally let go of Evelyn’s hand, she was wide-eyed and her mouth had fallen open. She didn’t know what to think about everything she had just seen. All of it was so real and vivid. The thoughts had come out of nowhere.
Jeremiah looked at her with concern. “What is wrong?”<
br />
She looked at Mark, then back at Jeremiah. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
And she was right. What food she had eaten came up and landed on her plate in front of her. She grabbed hold of her glass and was about to take a drink when the thought came to her. They had to run. She sat up straight and brought the glass to her lips to take a sip. Instead of drinking, however, she gripped the glass and smashed it into Jeremiah’s forehead.
Jeremiah let out a curse as he reached for his head. Blood trickled out between his fingers as he continued to yell curses at her.
Mark sat at the table, stunned at what he had just witnessed.
“Mark, we have to get out of here!” Evelyn yelled.
“Why did you just do that?” he asked, standing.
“Because he wants to eat us,” Evelyn said. “He ate Whit!”
“What?”
“Shut up and run!”
Jeremiah screamed again as the two of them tore out of the room, but he was soon on their heels. “Get back here!” he yelled out. The sight of a sprinting man with blood pouring down his face was enough to make her move faster. But what she noticed more than that was his glowing hands. This had to be some sort of nightmare.
Evelyn and Mark dashed for the door to the streets. To their left in the giant opening of the Center were several guards coming to block their path. Mark was slightly faster than Evelyn so he reached out and grabbed her hand to pull her forward.
It was like the moment Jeremiah had kissed her hand. She saw everything in Mark’s life. It was as if time stopped and she was a bystander in a life flying past her. His parents had been killed when he was a child. He had never been in love with a girl before. He was going to ask Evelyn to marry him next month when spring came. He loved her more than any person he had ever loved before.
She let go of his hand, not wanting to see any more. She loved him too. She didn’t want to read his thoughts. She wanted to discover them for herself.
The Starborn Saga (Books 1, 2, & 3) Page 39
