by Holly Martin
‘And this is a loan,’ I gestured to the necklace. ‘Once the saving of the world is done, I want you to have this back.’
‘OK,’ Quinn said, quietly.
And I knew then that I had to tell him. I took his arm and started walking back up the path. Lucas and Mason followed closely.
I took a deep breath.
‘Quinn, I’m pregnant. Eight weeks actually.’ He stopped and I didn’t dare look at him. ‘Lucas thinks the baby, my daughter, might survive if she was to be born now. Persia has had a prophecy of Seth playing with my daughter and she says that prophecy is still there even though I die. Seth is going to try to save her once I die. If she lives, you’re going to be an uncle. And I want you to help Seth raise her. He’s going to go into hiding, take her to the island and raise her there so the Putarians will never know she exists. She needs an uncle that will play with her and teach her about shape shifting if she is born with that ability. Will you help him?’
Quinn stared at me, fresh tears in his eyes and then his mouth set in a determined line. ‘I’ll help her, I’ll help them both. You have my word on that.’
I reached forward and hugged him again.
I’d just given Quinn a purpose too.
*
I’d spent the rest of the day alone with Seth. There wasn’t a lot that we could talk about, there were no plans for the future as my future consisted of one more night and possibly one more morning. There were no talks about the Putarians or the Reapers. I had made it to the end of the world alive, all of their attempts had failed. So I just spent the day kissing him and lying in his arms and that was enough. I knew that soon there would be the party and I’d get a chance to say goodbye to the people that were important to me then. Though to be honest I wasn’t looking forward to it. I knew it was going to be emotionally draining and I had already cried every tear that I had.
‘We don’t have to go if you don’t want to,’ Seth said, gently, kissing my head as I buried my face in his neck.
‘Yeah we do. They have all given up their whole lives to protect me and stand by me. I can’t just… leave without saying goodbye.’
Seth nodded and got out of bed and I watched as he changed into a shirt. All of our clothes had been destroyed in the fire but the Guardians had managed to find some replacements. The shirt Seth was putting on was quite obviously too small but it showed every muscle in his strong arms. I knew my daughter would be in very safe hands with him, he would never let anything happen to her.
‘Will you tell our daughter all about me when she’s older?’ I asked.
Seth smiled and sat down on the bed next to me. ‘I’ll tell her everything. About you growing up and how you discovered your powers. I’ll tell her all about your training and your many near brushes with death. I’ll tell her how brave and fearless and stubborn you are in the face of danger. And I’ll tell her how you saved me more than you could possibly know.’
I smiled and reached out for his hand. ‘And will you tell her that I love her and that I’m so sorry that I couldn’t be there for her, to watch her grow up.’
‘Yes, of course, I’ll make sure she knows that this wasn’t your fault.’
‘And tell her about us, and how much we loved each other. Tell her about our wedding on the beach under the stars.’
‘Yes, I’ll tell her everything about us, how I fell in love with you when we were kids, I’ll tell her about our first kiss. She’ll know how much I love you.’
I wanted to tell him that I’d be OK if he moved on with someone else, got married and had more children but in reality if he made it to the island, he could never leave. The daughter of The Sentinel, if the Putarians ever found out she existed, would probably have a higher bounty on her head than I did.
‘There would never be anyone that could replace you Evie. A love like ours, it’s never going to come round again. I could never, will never love anyone as much as I love you.’
I smiled before I realised he had plucked my thoughts right out of my head again. ‘Are you walking around inside my mind again?’
He chuckled. ‘These thoughts just keep popping into my head and they don’t belong to me.’
‘That’s how my connection with Lucas started. He can now feel me too, not my signal but something else. When I project, he knows where I am. Can you do that too, can you feel me?’
‘I’m not sure what I’d be looking for.’
‘Here, let me project. See if you can pinpoint where in the room I am.’
He nodded and I lay down on the bed and immediately projected. I floated up and out of my body and hovered near the bathroom door.
‘Seth, can you feel me?’
Seth looked around the room trying to see where I was but his eyes just scanned straight past me.
‘Lucas said that it was like looking at a shimmer,’ I said, trying to help him.
He looked around the room again and shook his head. ‘I have no idea where you are. Maybe my connection isn’t as strong as what you have with Lucas yet.’
I pulled a face. He would never have time to establish that connection. I wouldn’t be around long enough for that.
I sat back up in my body. ‘It doesn’t seem fair does it? That you start developing this connection now when it’s too late.’
Seth shrugged. ‘Maybe I’ll have that connection with our daughter too.’
I smiled. I liked that.
‘Come on, you should get dressed. The party will be starting soon,’ Seth said. ‘It’s down in the large room at the bottom of the tower.
I opened the wardrobe and saw a selection of hoodies and jeans, my wardrobe wasn’t too hard to get right. Tucked up against one side was a pretty green dress. I pulled it out. It wasn’t flashy or too dressy. It looked like something you’d wear to the beach. It had tiny embroidered flowers around the top. I guessed a party to celebrate my last night alive deserved something a bit more than jeans and hoodies. I pulled it on and realised it was a tiny bit small for me too. It was a bit tight across the belly but I didn’t think anyone would realise it was because I was carrying a baby.
I turned round to show Seth and he was still sitting on the bed watching me. He stared at me for a moment and then wrapped his large hands round my waist and tugged me between his legs. He bent his head down and placed a kiss on my belly.
‘Can you tell that I’m pregnant?’ I asked, nervously. I wanted the bare minimum amount of people possible to know.
He shook his head. ‘No, but knowing our daughter is growing in there, well… you look so beautiful tonight.’
I smiled as I kissed his head and he wrapped his arms round my waist and placed his head over my belly. He closed his eyes and listened for a moment to her heartbeat and then stood up and took my hand.
Lucas and Eli were waiting outside my room and they fell in around me and Seth as we walked down the stairs.
‘I’m not sure about this party Eve, I’m not sure your death is anything to celebrate,’ Eli said.
‘I know it’s weird Eli but I feel I need to do this. I can’t go round to every one of my guard and Quinn, Persia and Izri and say goodbye to them all. At least this way I can do it all at once.’
Eli nodded though I could see he really didn’t get it.
I walked into the room and looked around at the fairy lights that were strewn from the walls, twinkling in the darkness, at the beautiful flowers, that spilled out from numerous vases around the room, and the spread of delicious food before me. They had really pulled out all the stops.
My personal guard were all there as well as Noah, Ethan, Jacob, Thomas, Philip, Rhesa, Zach and Deacon. Quinn and Izri were talking quietly in one corner and I smiled when I saw they were holding hands. Persia came over and hugged me when she saw me.
‘Is this OK?’ she asked. ‘It’s not a celebration or anything like that, it’s just…’
‘It’s perfect Persia, thank you.’
She smiled in relief.
I looked around t
he room and wondered if I should go round and talk to each of them, thank them individually or whether I should make some big speech and if I was to do that would it be better if I did the speech now or at the end of the party.
Seth squeezed my hand. ‘Let’s just go and chat to people. We can do all the speech stuff later. Just enjoy the party if you can.’
I nodded and grabbed some food and then went to sit with Quinn, Izri, Persia and Lucas for a while. I would pluck up the courage to talk to the others later. I had all evening and I was hoping the day would never end. Seth excused himself to get some air and I knew that he was finding it difficult to put on a brave front for the whole time.
Quinn wrapped an arm round my shoulders and I leaned into him.
Cain suddenly landed in the room. Though I had been expecting him to come at some point, some last pearls of wisdom to share, I hadn’t been expecting the big grin plastered on his face.
‘Hi Eve,’ he beamed, excitedly. ‘Bet you’re looking forward to tomorrow.’
I looked at him in confusion, but my Guardians were less reticent. Eli stood angrily, his fists clenched at his side. Lucas lunged for him, and only Mason suddenly leaping up and holding him back stopped Cain from getting a sudden beating.
‘Looking forward to it? I’m going to die Cain, of course I’m not looking forward to it.’
Cain’s face fell. ‘Yes… erm… of course. I just… erm…’ he looked at me in confusion, and then round the room at the furious, silent Guardians. ‘Eve, can I have a word, outside… in private.’
I nodded reluctantly, though Eli fell in at my side as I walked out.
Cain pulled me to one side as soon as I stepped out into the corridor. Eli let him, though he stood nearby watching us carefully.
‘Eve, why haven’t you told them? I understand that you want to keep this a secret but you’ll need a few of them to help you with this. You can’t pull this off on your own…’ Cain’s face suddenly turned to one of horror. ‘Eve, you don’t know do you?’
I looked at him in confusion, then up the stairs that lead to the roof. Where was Seth, my last night on this planet, my last few hours alive, why wasn’t I spending it with him. He’d gone up to the roof for some air, but that had been a while ago.
‘But Jonah, he came to you, he showed you his prophecy?’
I nodded, turning my attention back to Cain. ‘Yes, he showed me my death, my funeral, then he died.’
Cain groaned out loud. ‘Why didn’t you come and see me?’ then eyeing Eli, he continued in my head. ‘For the last few days you’ve been thinking you’re going to die, I’m so sorry, I thought you knew.’
I looked up the stairs again, towards the door leading to the roof, what was he doing up there, he said he’d only be a few minutes.
I turned back to Cain with some annoyance. ‘Cain I have no idea what you mean, and whatever you want to say you can say in front of Eli, I trust him with my life, what’s left of it.’
‘That’s exactly what I’m trying to tell you Eve,’ Cain stepped forward, and took my hand. ‘This was what Jonah was trying to show you.’
Suddenly my head was filled with images, the same thing that Jonah had showed me, the end of the world, fire, people screaming, then me landing in my bedroom, Seth catching my corpse, telling the room that I was dead. I watched my funeral, my body being lowered into the coffin, Seth, Eli and the others setting fire to the coffin. Then the image changed and I saw Mason, removing my limp body from underneath the coffin and walking down the corridor with it towards the cells. I frowned in confusion as Mason sat down on one of the beds, with me on his lap. He brushed my hair out of my face.
‘Come on Eve, open your eyes,’ Mason muttered and my heart nearly stopped in shock as I watched my future self do just that, opening her eyes and stretching out in his arms.
The prophecy winked out and I stared at Cain in shock. He grinned at me.
Chapter 18
Anger boiled up in me and I suddenly found myself slamming Cain hard into the wall, it cracked behind him.
‘Why are you doing this, why are you showing me these lies?’ I roared. ‘Do you think I won’t save the world if I know I’m going to die? Do you think I just won’t bother? I’m doing what you created me for, you created me to die for the world and that’s exactly what I’ll do. Don’t come to me now on my last night and give me this false hope, it’s not fair.’
‘Eve, I’m not lying to you, this is what Jonah wanted you to see, he wanted you to know about your funeral, about how you would have to stage your death at the end in order that the Putarians and Reapers would leave you alone. You don’t die Eve, I swear to you, let me show you what I see, let me show you your future, what I’ve seen.’
My head was filled with more images, my island, the sun bright in the sky, me on the beach, playing baseball with Seth, Eli, Lucas, Quinn, Persia, Izri and four children. I watched as my future self ran towards one of the bases, and as Seth tried to stop her from getting there, holding her T-shirt as she pulled with all her might, like a small dog dragging a sled too big and heavy for it.
Holding out her hand towards the base, it zoomed across the sand towards her, and Seth laughed at her cheating. She touched the base, and did a little victory dance. Seth caught her in his arms, laughing loudly, as he kissed her, his hand resting protectively on her stomach.
‘NO!’ I growled, slamming Cain into the wall again, and the prophecy winked out. ‘This isn’t fair.’
Eli stepped up. ‘I think you should go.’
Cain shook his head. ‘No Eve, I’m not lying to you, I’ve never lied to you. The prophecies are never wrong, you know that.’
‘And what about the prophecy Nathaniel showed my mum, the one of her growing old and grey, playing with her grandchildren on the beach? That was a lie, you manipulated my mum by showing her lies and now you’re doing the same with me.’
‘Eve, it wasn’t a lie. Nathaniel lied about what the prophecy was, but the images were true. You look just like your mum, the prophecy wasn’t her growing old and grey, it was you. What I’ve just showed you is the truth, I swear to you. You and Seth have a very long and happy life together.’
I released my hold on him. ‘I… I don’t die?’
Cain shook his head.
‘You promise me.’
‘I’ve never lied to you Eve, I’m not about to start now. I promise, you do not die, that you go on to have three children at least, that you live a long life surrounded by your friends and family, I swear to you Eve.’
I looked at Eli, who had a smile slowly spreading on his face.
Seth. I had to tell him. I quickly raced up the stairs towards the roof, pushing the door open so forcefully that it slammed open. I ran out onto the roof, but it was empty.
Panic engulfed me. Seth had said he wanted to be alone. Surely he wouldn’t end his life. He had a responsibility for our daughter. He wouldn’t leave me before the end. I ran to the edge. ‘Seth! Please no.’
‘Eve, what’s wrong?’ Seth’s voice broke the darkness, behind me.
I whirled round to see his shadow looming towards me from the small area behind the door. I ran to him, slamming into him so hard, I nearly bounced off and hit the floor, if Seth hadn’t caught me. I held him tight, crying with relief and happiness. Our future together, our bright future. If Cain was telling the truth and I had to believe he was, it was assured now.
‘Eve, what’s happened?’ Seth said, holding me tightly.
‘I thought you had killed yourself,’ I mumbled into his chest.
Seth laughed hollowly. ‘Maybe tomorrow I will, but I promised you I’d be there for you at the end, and to try to save our daughter. If she dies too… Well I make no promises for after that.’
‘Seth…’ How could I say this? I hardly dared to believe it myself. Was it wrong to tell Seth this? If this was a lie, if Cain was lying to me, I couldn’t bear to lie to Seth, to give him false hope. But I also couldn’t bear to look into Seth’s
anguished eyes any more. Plus if Cain was right, I’d need Seth to help with the funeral at the end.
‘Seth, Cain is here… It seems we might have got it wrong. He says I live, that we have a very long and happy future together…’ Seth’s face hardened angrily. ‘I’m not lying to you Seth, I believe him to be sincere, look what he showed me…’
I filled Seth’s mind with the prophecy of my future life, on the beach with our children.
‘Look at our daughter Seth.’ She was tall, sprightly, beautiful. I took Seth’s hand and rested it on my stomach. ‘That’s her, maybe six or seven years from now.’
Seth sank to his knees, holding my waist in his hands, as tears streamed down his cheeks. ‘This is true?’ he whispered as he watched our daughter run into my arms on the beach.
I nodded. ‘I believe so Seth, how would Cain know what she looks like. This is the same girl that was in Persia’s prophecies but older. It has to be true.’
Seth kissed my belly softly, then pressed his ear against it. ‘Our daughter.’
I knelt down in front of him and nodded, Seth lips were on mine in an instant, pulling me tightly against him. He kissed me, fiercely at first, but then tenderly, laughing in between his kisses, my cheeks wet with his tears and my own.
Eventually I pulled away and stood up, holding my hand out for Seth. ‘Come on, it seems I have a funeral to organise.’
Seth frowned, in confusion, but I smiled at him as I led him back to Cain and Eli who were waiting for us in the corridor.
‘I’m sorry that you had to go through that, I never knew,’ Cain said. ‘I’ve explained to Eli what needs to happen, I’ll leave you now.’
I nodded, but then stepped forward. ‘Will I see you again?’
Cain nodded. ‘Yes, after the funeral, I’ll find you.’
I smiled gratefully at him and he vanished.
I looked at the empty gap he had left, in stunned silence. Then I felt my hand being squeezed and I turned to look at Eli. He was grinning broadly.