The Senthien (Descendants of Earth Book 1)

by Tara Jade Brown

  “Ah, that. Well, for most species, the time right after rejuvenation is the time they have several physical encounters.”

  “Several?” he repeated. “With the same person?”

  “No, usually not,” I said, not knowing his reason for this question.

  “Oh.” His face fell.

  “You see, the virus that enables rejuvenation also causes a rise of hormone levels, and the post-rejuvenation interaction is simply the way of releasing the tension.”

  “You make it sound as if it’s completely devoid of joy.”

  “Joy? Well, it does release the tension, so that’s pleasant—but, you see, the IP inhibition in Uni citizens is so strong that even while the encounters are taking place, people have this mental barrier which makes them feel extremely uncomfortable when they touch each other.”

  “But you’re half Human. Didn’t you enjoy it?”

  I looked at the ground, pondering the question. “I think I probably enjoyed it more than my partners, despite the flexile IP skin protectors. But I always had a feeling that there was more, as if I was just at the beginning of something, and then it would be over.” I looked up at him to explain. “Most encounters don’t last more than eleven seconds.”

  “What?!” He almost jumped from his seat in the sand.

  I looked at him, bewildered. “Why is that so shocking to you?”

  “Dora, Dora, Dora, Dora.” He was shaking his head. “They really didn’t feed your Human side there at Uni, did they?”

  “I am still a little bit confused.”

  “Sex—or ‘making love,’ as it’s called when it’s with someone you love—should, in my humble opinion, be measured in minutes… I mean, passes… at least.”

  He then lowered his gaze, a mischievous smile on his lips as he came closer, holding a thought I could not decipher.

  “Perhaps… we should do something about that.”

  My heartbeat picked up immediately. I bit my lip and looked down. I wanted to withdraw, but at the same time, I wanted him to come even closer.

  “You do that, when you’re unsure,” he said, “biting your lip like this.” He placed his finger on my lower lip and gently pushed it down, releasing it from my teeth.

  I held my breath, my heart was thrumming, and I saw little tinkling spots blurring my vision.

  He came closer then, his lips just an inch from mine.

  “Before you fall unconscious,” he said, his hand gently touching the side of my neck, “you should at least have a reason…”

  I inhaled. My mind was racing with a million thoughts and at the same time empty as a blank page. Still holding my breath, I felt it—his warm lips on mine—and a feeling like an electric shock zipped through my body.

  And then everything went dark.

  I lost consciousness.

  Again.

  Chapter 18

  “You know, there’s more to it than that. You should really stay awake,” he said as I opened my eyes. I was lying with my head on his chest, looking sideways at the ocean.

  “I’m sorry,” I said and lifted myself up to sit.

  “Don’t be. I’m still enjoying the ego boost when I cause such a reaction.” He stood up and offered his hand. “Come, I still want to show you something.”

  I took his hand and stood.

  We walked on the very edge of the water where small waves washed over a shore, building tiny sand dunes. I stopped for a moment, looking at the ground.

  I watched my feet on the sand as the salty water washed over them. It was mesmerizing. Every little wave brought some sand on my feet, and as it retreated, the grains found their way between my toes. With every wave, I was also sliding deeper into the sand, the water washing away some of the sand under my feet.

  I stepped forward and pressed one foot on the wet sand. The small area of sand around my foot dried out, like a temporary drought at the rim of my sole. When I moved my foot, the dry sand flooded with water.

  I kept walking, looking at my feet, drying and flooding the little islands of sand underneath. As we walked parallel to the water, the waves every now and then washed the collected sand off my toes. J didn’t talk, but he held my hand and kept looking at me.

  “I love the ocean, J. It’s amazing!”

  He smiled. “I thought you would like it!”

  He brought our laced hands to his lips and kissed the back of my hand. “But there is something else I want to show you.” Then he looked forward and narrowed his eyes to see better. “We’re getting close.”

  “Close to what?”

  “Well, since you’re enjoying our vegetation so much, I thought you should see the forest around the river.”

  In front of us, I saw the ocean entering deeper into the beach, making a small bay. I could not see the end of it - it was hidden behind the trees. As we walked toward it, I realized that it wasn’t really a bay. The water just continued into the land. And the forest around it was—ah!—simply breathtaking.

  “We call this the Falls River,” he said, answering my unspoken question as we reached the river’s shore. “This is the sweet water, and it runs into the sea. Up there,” he said, letting go of my hand and pointing with his finger to the top of the small hill, “is a beautiful waterfall, hence the name, and it comes crashing down over a cave system.” He looked at me sideways and smiled. Then he walked a few IPs ahead of me while I stopped to view the hill, which was completely covered in trees with dense and lush foliage.

  I looked back at him. J was about four IPs away when, all of a sudden, I shivered. I was somehow… too far from him. I didn’t understand why this was a problem, but something seemed very wrong. I slowly started walking toward him. He turned and stretched his arm to me. “Come,” he said and smiled. “We can’t walk there now, it’s a bit late, but we’ll do it on our way ba—”

  At that moment, several things happened at once. J’s jaw dropped, his eyes open wide in a shocked stare. The next second, his expression hardened into something I could only define as ready for combat. His mouth shut tight, his eyes narrow slits and his head thrust forward, he started to sprint toward me.

  I could not hear anything. I knew there was something very wrong, and I should do something to help myself. It was clear I was in danger, but all I could see was him running toward me, his legs flexing and bending in uniform motion, skin stretched over muscles, using his arms to gain speed. His chest was packed tight with muscles tugging against one another, stomach muscles forming a solid wall around his abdomen. I knew I should be scared, but all I could think was how beautiful he was.

  Two IPs away, he stretched his legs as he leaped forward, stretching his arms and folding his hands in a double fist as he flew through the air like an arrow, aiming at something very close to me. As I turned my head to follow his motion, I saw a large jaw with pointy fangs open to grab my body from the side. As it lunged, the animal twisted its head to clasp its jaws around my waist. In this position, the animal’s belly was turned toward J, and it met his double fist with a dull thud.

  The sound was back on.

  The animal was roaring, falling backward from the hit. Its closing jaws scratched my arm and stomach, and I fell sideways away from where J had landed on the animal. The sand cushioned my fall, and I looked backward to J. The animal was on its back, but it quickly turned itself around.

  J’s arm was grabbing something from the other side of his hip, and with the next quick movement, I saw him stabbing a sharp metal piece into the animal’s chest right between the front legs. The animal was struggling violently, but its movements now were not of a predator, but of prey, afraid for its life.

  As J kept the knife deep in the animal’s chest, its violent movements slowed, and gradually they stopped completely. J was still holding the animal, keeping the body still with his legs bent over its belly and hind limbs.

  They stayed like this for what seemed like a long time.

  The animal did not move.

  J pushed himself
away in a quick movement and grabbed me by my arms, and we fell back several IPs away, his arms around me. We were both still, lying sideways on the sand, looking at the beast. Once J was certain that it wouldn’t move again, he looked at me, worry on his face.

  “Are you okay?” he said.

  “Am I okay? Are you okay!”

  “Dora, I’m fine. But—oh, no!” His gaze fell on the bloody tooth marks on the side of my waist. “You’re bleeding!”

  “I’m okay, it’s not that bad,” I said, trying to calm him down.

  “Have you ever been injured this badly?” he said as he effortlessly lifted me up in his arms. “You’re in shock, Dora. The body doesn’t register an injury when it’s in shock. We need to get some help back at camp.”

  I held onto his shoulders, but suddenly felt so weak I let my arms drop to my side. He looked at me, and his face softened as he said, “We’ll get some of the guys to fetch it. Crocodiles are quite tasty.” He winked at me and squeezed me in a stronger hold. “Seems you really are a good bait.”

  Ah, so that’s bait…

  I smiled weakly and then leaned my head on J’s chest.

  Chapter 19

  “What happened?”

  I heard the alarmed voices of several people shouting at once. I must have fallen asleep in his arms, because I didn’t remember the walk back to the camp.

  “A crocodile attacked her!” J said as he laid me down on a mattress of leaves. I heard several sharp gasps, but no one said anything.

  “I was at the mouth of the Falls River. Right near the beach. The beach!” I could tell from his voice that he was angry, but I didn’t understand why.

  “That’s impossible! A crocodile wouldn’t go that far down the river,” Frank said.

  “We’ve only ever seen them farther upstream, miles before the waterfall,” Peter continued.

  “Yeah, well, this one decided to stray. Rick, could you get me some water and some bandages? Thanks,” J said. Then he turned to me and said in a much quieter voice, “Dora, how do you feel?”

  “I’m… fine. A little… dizzy…”

  “I know, honey.”

  Honey? I wanted to ask him about it but I simply didn’t have the energy to voice the question.

  “Perhaps it’s the loss of blood.” His voice was still low.

  Someone knelt next to me and whispered to J, “Could be just shock. Here’s some prunella. This should help with the bleeding.” I heard some rustling from a bag. “I’ll put it under the bandages.”

  “Thanks, Simon,” J said.

  Although my eyes were closed, I realized Rick must have returned, as he loudly dropped to his knees.

  “Did it hit an artery?” Rick said with a hushed voice, handing bandages and a water bottle to J.

  “If it did, she’d be dead,” Simon responded.

  I heard J take in a heavy breath, hold it in, and then exhale again.

  “She was lucky.” I heard Patrick’s voice as he lifted my head a bit to place a rolled up blanket underneath. There was silence for a few moments.

  “How could I have been so stupid?” J whispered, his voice broken.

  I realized then that J was angry at himself. I wanted to open my eyes, tell him it was okay, that he saved me, but my words stayed silent under layers of physical shock and exhaustion.

  “It’s gonna be okay, J. She didn’t lose a lot of blood. She’s just in shock.” Peter placed his large hand on J’s shoulder.

  “J, you saved her.” I could sense in Peter’s voice that he was smiling. “As impossible as this is, she is alive because of you.”

  “I shouldn’t have tak—”

  “J, just stop it! You couldn’t have known. Now, you tell me where the animal is, and we’ll go and fetch it. I’m starving.” Peter gave a short, gurgling laughter.

  J said something about a beachside and a riverbed, but I couldn’t follow. I fell asleep again.

  Slowly I opened my eyes. Pine needles high on the top of the tree were dancing with the wind, colored by orange flickering light from below, sharply contrasted against the black night above. I took a deep breath. Something smelled nice.

  I inhaled again.

  A delicious smell instantly made my mouth water. I turned my head toward the fire. Blinded for one moment from the light, I closed my eyes again.

  I inhaled deeper. Burned wood, smoke, and meat. Deliciously smelling meat.

  Slowly, I opened my eyes again. Most of our group was gathered close to the fire, holding long wooden sticks with meat stabbed on the top and folded in a spiral. They were all talking in low voices. I didn’t understand them, but I did want to try some of that meat.

  I tried to sit.

  “Dora!” J was sitting next to me. He held me with both hands by my shoulders and moved next to me so I could lean on him.

  “How are you?”

  “Better,” I said, looking down on the bandage. I moved my hands toward it to remove it, but J stopped me.

  “No!” he shouted.

  “J, it’s fine. Look.” I took the bandage off. “One of the benefits of Descendant heritage. Faster healing.”

  J kept looking at the cuts, which were already closed and appeared to be healing nicely. “Wow. Why… why would you need such… healing powers? I mean, it’s not like you go fighting wild Uni animals… do you?”

  I started laughing but stopped, realizing that hurt. “No… no wrestling with beasts. It’s just a side effect of the rejuvenation.”

  He gave a sigh of relief and then looked into my eyes. “Are you hungry?”

  “No, I’m not hungry,” I said and instantly saw his face fall. “I’m starving!” I continued with exaggerated enthusiasm.

  His lips spread into a brilliant white smile, and he laughed a happy, hearty laugh. I looked at his lips, momentarily distracted, and forgot what I was saying. He hugged me even tighter to himself and kissed my forehead.

  “All right, Human, let’s eat! Looks like our predator’s very tasty.”

  He helped me get up, and we walked slowly to the fire, though I wanted to run to get to the food sooner.

  “Good evening, sleeping beauty! Feeling better?” said Patrick loudly and moved to a side to leave space on the log for J and me.

  “Much better, Patrick. Thank you.” I smiled as J gently helped me sit down on the log, and then sat behind me so I could lean against him. Both of his legs were resting on the outer side of my thighs. I was acutely aware of his body wrapped around me, but I tried hard to stay focused.

  “Here, Dora,” said Rick as he handed me a stick with nicely cooked meat, “I’ve been saving this for you.”

  I took it and smiled at him, “Thank you, Rick. This smells so nice I don’t know how much longer I could have waited.”

  There was a short moment of silence, and all that was heard was soft, chewy munching, crackling firewood, and gentle wind sounds coming from the pine needles above.

  “Why aren’t you eating?” I turned to J, mumbling a bit with my mouth half full.

  “I want to see you have enough. I’ll eat later.”

  “I’m not going to eat the whole animal! There’s plenty. Please, eat.”

  J smiled but didn’t move.

  “Ah!” Peter sighed theatrically as he stabbed raw meat onto a new empty stick and walked toward us. “Here you go. Just so you don’t need to move away from Dora for a few seconds.” And he winked at me as he handed the stick to J.

  “Thanks, Pete.” J smiled, lifting his hand to bring the meat over the fire.

  The evening soon turned out to be very cheerful. I didn’t feel any pain, and I was ready to sit by myself, although J never let me go. I enjoyed his undivided attention immensely.

  At the end of the evening, everybody went to their tents. Only Rick, J, and I stayed by the fire, still talking.

  “Dora,” Rick said, looking straight into my eyes, “why are your eyes so green? I mean, the color is just amazing,” he said, not realizing I was a bit embarrassed
by his words. “And the whites in your eyes are… not really white either.” He leaned a bit closer to me. “There is this same shade of green.”

  I looked away. “It’s the fluorescence.”

  “What fluorescence?”

  “It’s a green fluorescent protein, and its gene is connected to the gene of interest in the Descendant species of Senthien.”

  Rick shook his head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  I braced myself for an explanation, but J was faster. “If you have a feature that you want to introduce into an organism using genetic engineering, and this feature is difficult to measure or see, you need to link it to another gene that you’ll be able to see more easily. So in our time, and this is probably what they did with you,” J said, looking at me, “was to link this gene of interest which causes a specific feature, to a green fluorescent protein, a GFP gene. The GFP lights up fluorescent green when excited by a wavelength of UV light. So if a cell, or organ, or the entire organism lights up green, you know your gene of interest is there as well. Right?”

  “Yes, thanks.” I was amazed by the simplicity of J’s explanation.

  “All right… but we don’t have UV light here. Why do I still see it as green?” Rick persisted.

  “During the day, the sun emits UV light and excites the GFP. This excitation is so strong that the fluorescence lasts for many hours, even when the sun is down. Additionally, the concentration of the GFP is so high that you see the color simply because of its density,” I explained.

  “So the protein of interest is important for this future-seeing stuff, right? So, why isn’t it expressed only in the brain?” asked J.

  “Mainly it is, but there are some random areas where the gene was inserted by mistake during the genetic engineering, in some specific epithelial cells and connective tissues like eyes, bones, and cartilage, as well as nails.” I lifted my hand and showed the backside of it to Rick so he could see my green tinted nails.

  Rick raised his eyebrows. “Cool!”

  “Now, a question for you,” said J, his left eyebrow arched inquisitively. “Why did Descendant researchers still use basic molecular biology techniques when they made such a perfect Descendant species?”