On Friday morning they headed off to the spa which was just north of London. Their package included bed and breakfast, and free treatments. Alice wasn’t into facials or manicures, so she opted for a massage, hoping it would help with her heightened stress levels.
She’d been avoiding Ethan all week, not wanting to talk to him after he told them of his crazy plan. Even though Alice had never had children, she could imagine how hard it would be to lose one, but there were lines you should never cross.
She turned off her phone, not wanting to be disturbed. Damion knew where she was in case of an emergency, and she felt comfort with that.
While Katie headed off for a facial, Alice booked in a massage, never having had one before and not knowing what to expect. Her therapist, Suzanne, spoke with a thick French accent. Alice lay on the table and tried to relax while Suzanne kneaded and prodded her.
After only ten minutes she was bored, wondering how she would cope with an hour of it. Her mind drifted to Camilla and The Community. She needed to talk with her, tell her it was wrong to keep the members there against their will. Shelley’s identical twins popped into her mind then. Little mini-Ethans. Again, she was filled with disgust at what he had suggested.
She tried to switch her mind to something else but couldn’t. She mumbled through the hole in the table that she’d had enough, but the therapist didn’t hear her. The stale smell of aromatherapy caused her to gag. She pushed herself up, and Suzanne jumped back in alarm.
‘Are you all right? Have I hurt you?’
Alice clung to the towel in an attempt to cover her nudity. ‘I’m fine, but I need to go. I’m sorry, you did nothing wrong.’
Claustrophobia consumed her, and she needed to get out. She threw on her clothes and raced through the hall and the dining area, swung open the door to the terrace and breathed in the fresh air in greedy gulps. What had just happened?
She had no idea, but knew she had to get back to London. She found Katie, who was in the middle of her facial, and told her she had to leave.
Katie didn’t mind. She was such a good friend. Alice raced back to their room and piled clothes into her bag.
As an afterthought, she switched on her phone. There were dozens of missed calls from Ethan that morning. There were also some missed calls from Terri and Damion.
Something bad had happened, and she didn’t want to find out over the phone.
Chapter 43
The train ride back to London took an eternity. Alice texted Damion to tell him she was heading home, then put her phone on silent mode, and ignored it for the journey. She wanted to be in the safety of her home before she found out what was going on. The train rocked and rattled as she leaned her head against the window and watched the countryside flash by. It was raining again, the dull day doing nothing for her mood.
The train rolled into Marylebone station at 4pm and she queued up for a cab, not wanting to catch The Tube in rush hour. They crawled through traffic, but Alice felt numb. The longer it took to get home, the longer life would be normal for her. Because once she knew what had happened, she couldn’t un-know it.
Her overnight bag sat on the seat next to her and she drummed her fingers on it. The cabbie’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
‘Are you visiting London for the weekend?’
‘No, I live here.’
‘Ah, have you been away then?’
‘Went to an overnight spa with a friend, but it wasn’t for me. So, I came home early.’
‘That’s unusual, most young ladies like that sort of thing.’
But Alice wasn’t ‘most young ladies’ and she didn’t know whether it was her own doing or not.
The driver continued. ‘What didn’t you like about it?’
She wished he would shut up, but he was only trying to be friendly.
‘I dunno. The smell I guess, sweet aromatherapy. Stuffy rooms. Boring massages. Like I said, not for me.’
‘You prefer smelly old London then?’
Alice shrugged and pulled her e-book reader from her bag, hoping he would get the message. She tried reading, but nothing was sticking and she read the same paragraph over and over. At least it had shut the cabbie up, so she continued to peer at the words on the screen.
An hour later they pulled up outside her apartment block. Alice paid him, baulking at the cost. She wouldn’t be catching a black cab in rush hour again.
As she rode the lift to the 5th floor, anxiety palpitated in her chest. She walked into her apartment and the tension stretched tight across the room. Terri sat on the couch, her eyes red from crying, and Josh sat next to her with his arm around her shoulders.
‘What’s happened?’ Alice asked, already knowing the answer.
Damion rushed up and hugged her. ‘You’d better come and sit down.’
Alice’s legs wobbled as she made her way to a seat opposite Terri and Josh.
Terri’s voice quivered as she spoke. ‘I’m so sorry Allie, but I tried to talk him out of it, but I couldn’t stop him.’
Alice’s heart plummeted. She knew what Terri was about to say.
‘Tell me, I need to hear it.’
‘Ethan passed away just after lunchtime today.’
‘What?’ Alice wondered if she’d heard correctly.
‘Ethan’s dead.’ Terri repeated.
‘But... how?’
‘He killed himself. I’m sorry Allie.’
Alice’s heart sank as the words pierced through her heart. It explained his calls stopping after lunch. If only she’d answered her phone that morning she might have been able to help, but now it was too late.
‘But why?’
‘He induced a brain haemorrhage, and they put him onto life support. Had he recovered he wouldn’t have been... himself anymore. But they saved his organs, all of them.’
‘I don’t understand,’ Alice said. ‘Ethan said he didn’t believe in organ donation.’
‘He’d left a note, Allie, requesting they use his heart to save his son, and harvest his other organs to save others.’
Alice burst into tears.
He had taken his own life to save his son. Ethan Smith was a good man.
Epilogue
Five Years Later
Alice sat in her office at BanAddiction, loving her job. She felt a great sense of pride in what she did for a living. In his will, Ethan had left his business to both her and Zac with detailed instructions on how the process worked. Alice had resisted it at first, but Terri had looked into it from a medical perspective, and Doofy had spent a lot of time analysing the software. Both had deemed the process safe.
Terri runs the consultations and treatment for the mind while Alice runs a naturopathy clinic to help the body.
Their first employee was Steve, the homeless man who used to sit outside Tesco. After three months of sessions with Terri, he became a new man. He is now the number one guy on the streets. His job is to look for people who need help, and to bring them in. BanAddiction helps these people by curing their mental illnesses and associated health problems. It then directs them to a company that helps find them work and accommodation.
Doofy and Chas are also involved in the business and have set up BanAddiction offices all over the United States. It’s been a huge success.
Alice has stayed true to herself and not had an alcoholic drink in five years. She got to know Camilla and finally talked her around to informing the members of the outside world.
The Community still exists, but is no longer a secret. The members now know about the outside world and have the choice to live there should they wish. Some have taken on the challenge of a new life while others prefer the peacefulness of The Community.
Zac’s mother, Matilda, and his sister, Sally, were the first to move to London, to be near him while he recovered from his operation. They live there now as Zac will be on medication for the rest of his life. They also help run the family business.
In Alice’s quest to control mental illness and
addiction, The Community is now a place for people to recover, and take stock of their lives, either for a short time, or forever, the choice is theirs.
People’s outlook on the world is changing, people are becoming less materialistic, and more spiritual. It’s a long way off, but Alice believes that the world can be saved.
The Letter
Dear Allie,
If you are reading this, you will know I am gone. I don’t like to use the word ‘dead’; I prefer to think of it as I’ve moved on to the next stage of my journey.
I’m so sorry to do this to you, but I need you to understand why I did it. Zac is my son, and I needed to do what was right. When I found out he needed a new heart, I was distraught. It was all Martin’s fault. If it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t have been in this situation. And do you know what? I scared myself to death at that terrible idea I had, wanting to use Harley and Triumph, the identical twins from The Community, to save Zac. I was disgusted with myself and knew then that Martin was still active in my brain, controlling me.
I tried to contact you, and I can’t blame you for not answering my calls. Please don’t hold it against yourself, I deserved it. But I want you to understand there was only one thing for it. I knew I could always be a threat to people who trusted me, and the answer was obvious. I could save my son and in the process, save the world from Martin.
And you got me thinking. There were other people out there, like me, who might lose their own child, parent or sister because I was too selfish to donate. So as my heart was already going to Zac, I’d be dead, anyway. It made sense to help other worthy people in the process.
I never told you this, but the car crash that killed Martin, was no accident. He had planned that day carefully with the help of your adoptive father, Pete. At the time, Martin was obsessed with Terri and he would do whatever he could to get her. He thought by transferring his brain into me would be the means by which this could happen. He was crazy Allie, and I worried every day that his craziness might be passed on to me.
So, I have left my business to both you and Zac, with you as the director. I know you will do the right thing. I’ve seen how you reached out to Steve, and I know you want to make a difference in the world.
Good luck Allie and please do me proud.
You will be forever in my heart,
Love, Ethan.
The End
Note From the Author
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