In frustration, he threw the phone on the floor and thumped the table. The wood split. The crack made him wake up. Whatever was going on was all wrong. Determined to find out the truth, he picked up the phone again and manually typed his home number.
After a few rings, it went straight to the answer phone where a short message ensued. It was his mum’s voice. ‘Hi, Paul and Clara are not here. Please leave a message after the beep – Adios.’
Again, wrong. What happened to Paul, Clara and Steven?
Was he still in the dream?
Flustered, he scrolled through the remaining entries in his phone. Two new entries had been added. The names of the entries were Ian and Eilif.
‘No, please. Just wake up now. WAKE UP,’ he shouted.
‘Cool it dude,’ Adam yelled, as he walked into the room with his hands raised. He was staring at the broken door. ‘Oh, it’s you from earlier. Are you moving in or something?’
‘No, I am not moving in. This is my room. For crying out loud the joke is over. You win. Adam, you know me. Don’t you?’ he trailed off, as he realised Adam had taken a few steps back.
‘Sorry dude, I told you earlier. I have no idea who you are. If this isn’t your room, I think maybe you should go.’ Adam folded his arms across his chest.
The last thing he needed now was a challenge from Adam.
‘I’ll go. Whatever.’ Steven brushed past.
It was not a dream.
Something had happened, and whatever it was had led to his being ostracised by everyone he had ever known. If Ian and Eilif were behind this, he intended to find out what the hell they had done.
***
Eilif placed his hand on the armrest of the sofa as his index finger tapped in a continuous motion. It gave him scant consolation, yet strangely the monotonous noise was comforting. He stared at his finger going up and down, then closed his eyes. The waiting game was not something he was good at, even though he was certain Steven would call.
The events of the last few weeks whirled in his head.
He found it hard to understand why Anna had lied. Why did she say Steven was not one of them? If only Lana and Ingrid had confided in him sooner. Either way, the past could not be changed – it was the future that mattered. Ingrid had spilled the beans. He could always rely on his eldest daughter. It still annoyed him that Ingrid had spoken to Carmen, Ian’s wife, before telling him the truth. He could not help feeling like she had some ulterior motive – what exactly that was he did not know for sure. Lana suspected Ingrid wanted Steven to be hers. Eilif did not like the idea. Either way, it was not up to him. No-one could tell Ingrid what to do or feel, especially not if love was involved.
‘He’s definitely Emily’s son,’ Ian stated, as he walked towards him. His grin said it all.
‘Without a doubt,’ Eilif replied. ‘You know something’s bothering me. Why did Anna tell Ingrid and Lana to back off?’
‘I’ve thought about that a lot. I have a suspicion, but I won’t know for sure until we get back.’
‘What’s that then?’
‘I don’t think Anna came back. I think Emily snuck out. Didn’t you notice how she’d cut her hair recently. Sure, she ties it up to disguise it, but she did it all the same.’
‘But, she’s not allowed to leave. How?’
‘Anna must have helped her. The sisterly bond overcame rational thought. They always did have a strange connection. At least Emily came back this time, let’s be thankful for that.’
‘I guess, but why leave Steven here? Emily should have known better.’
‘She should. Then again, when has my sister ever shown common sense?’ Ian laughed aloud, mocking, ‘It’s alright now – we’ll clear up the mess, as usual.’
After a pause, Eilif added, ‘Do you think Steven will accept his fate?’
‘If you’ve done everything right, he has no other choice. His life here is over.’
‘True.’ Eilif had reason to feel guilty. He had just alienated Steven.
Just then, Ian’s phone rang. The wait was over.
***
It was eight o’clock in the evening. Steven sat outside a local pub on the edge of the Southampton Common, his eyes fixed on the distant trees. A million thoughts raced through his head. He attempted to drown them out with beer and a beef, mushroom & Guinness pie. He savoured it. For all he knew, this could be the last time he ate a normal meal. It had become obvious he was not in a dream. The things Ian had said were starting to filter through.
Emily. His mother’s name was Emily. Ian was his uncle. Eilif was Ingrid’s dad. The weird thing was they appeared to be his age. How was that even possible? It was a lot to take in. They had some serious explaining to do. Steven needed answers, he was down to his last pound and had nowhere else to turn. He had chosen the perfect location – they would blend in easily. He had to maintain a level head. By surrounding himself, he stood a better chance of not losing his cool. It was going to be a challenge to trust Ian and Eilif, to say the least.
‘Steven, that looks nice,’ Ian said. It sounded sincere. It did not make any difference to Steven what he sounded like.
‘It’s the most normal thing I’ve done all day.’ Steven took a deep breath. He had to keep calm. He looked over his shoulder and watched Ian make his way round the table to sit down. Eilif hovered for a few seconds and then he gave a slight nod, as though apologetic. He took a seat next to Ian. They each held a pint of beer.
‘We got some nuts,’ Ian said. He threw a few packets of salted and roasted nuts on the table.
It could have been Ian’s idea of a peace offering.
The beer and nuts made them look normal. He stared at his unfinished plate of food, his appetite gone.
‘So, here we are,’ Ian stated, holding his hands up with a smile, ‘Are you ready to start your new life?’
‘No, I’m not ready to start a new life. I want my old one back,’ he snapped. He was trying to keep it together. It was going to prove difficult. ‘What did you do? Why?’
‘How much do you want to know? It could take a long time. It might be best to leave it for the journey,’ Ian replied. He took a long sip from his beer and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
‘Journey?’
Eilif spoke, ‘We could call it an adventure.’
‘Hah,’ Steven scoffed. ‘Has all of this got something to do with what Ingrid said?’
They looked on without saying a word and waited for him to carry on.
‘Is it true? Am I different?’
Ian popped a few peanuts into his mouth and started to chew. ‘You could say that. You are different.’
‘What am I?’ Steven did not want to ask, but he had to know.
‘Now, that’s a long story. Hmm, to cut it short, let’s just say – you’re a member of a more advanced version of humanity, although you’re the first of your kind. You are the only one ever born part human.’
‘What the hell does that mean?’ Steven hissed under his breath, his fists now clenched into balls.
‘Well, my sister Emily, or should I say your mother, seems to have had a liaison with your father. Obviously, you’re the outcome. You’re a hybrid. You are unique. Consider yourself lucky – the first.’
‘Lucky!’ Steven concentrated on the table. Without lifting his head, he whispered, ‘So, what are you?’
‘Again, that will take some explaining,’ Ian said. He looked like he was discussing the weather.
‘It’s not a bad thing,’ Eilif interjected.
Steven looked up and narrowed his eyes, ‘Try me.’
Back to Table of Contents
Chapter 20
Revelations
Ian drank some beer, opened the packet of roasted peanuts and poured some on his hand. He quickly popped them into his mouth. After a slug of beer, he wiped his mouth and said, ‘I don’t know if you’re ready.’
‘I’m not ready.’ He shook his head and gripped the table. ‘Why didn’t you wipe
my memory? Wouldn’t that have been a bit more humane?’
Eilif glanced at Ian who gave a small, discreet nod. Approval obtained, Eilif replied, ‘The hypnotism I perform and manifest upon others only works on humans. For some reason we are not affected. That includes you since you have inherited your mother’s immunity. We have spent years studying our extra gifts. To be honest we are still a long way from knowing their limitations and full advantages. Relatively speaking, we have not been in existence long enough to know what we are capable of.’
‘How long have we been in existence for?’
‘Since 1942, I was born in 1932.’ Ian kept a straight face as he took a sip.
Steven wanted to laugh, ‘Really?’ It felt like he was having a drink with friends at the local pub. It was anything but. What they were saying changed everything
‘Yes, really,’ Ian took a deep breath. ‘The year was 1942 and my father, Jeff, was a member of the exclusive team of scientists secretly conducting nuclear tests in Los Alamos, New México – that’s in America.’
‘I know where New México is,’ Steven snapped.
‘Good, glad they still teach geography. Anyway, the fate of the Second World War hang in the balance, and his team was designing the ultimate weapon.’
‘The atom bomb,’ Steven interrupted again.
‘Correct again. Do you want to tell the story?’ Ian grinned.
‘No, you carry on,’ Steven replied.
‘As I was saying, the atom bomb; the most powerful weapon ever made by man. As history showed, it did change things a lot. They perfected a deadly weapon with lasting consequences.’
Steven nodded.
‘This is going to sound crazy, but trust me – it wasn’t. I have never been so scared in my life. I was only ten years old after all,’ Ian paused.
Steven did not care if he had still been a baby. ‘Get to the point.’
‘I told you this was not the right time to tell you.’ There was a trace of irritation in Ian’s reply.
‘I’m just not interested in your melodrama. You were ten years old, so what? It doesn’t look like it bothered you in the slightest.’
‘You’re right. It didn’t. I never once questioned what happened. I accepted it. In a way, my young age was a blessing.’
‘I was born in 1948, so this is also a history lesson for me,’ Eilif admitted, head on his hand.
‘Are you going to be patient?’ Ian’s face was serious.
‘I’m listening.’ Steven downed the last of his beer. For once, getting drunk didn’t sound like such a bad idea.
‘Okay, so we were attacked by radioactive vampire bats,’ Ian added, his face lit up, overly dramatic.
Steven was not impressed, but he kept a straight face and nodded. The story was beginning to sound like a horror film.
‘All the bats died, but their bite infected fourteen people in total. My parents and your grandparents, Jeff and Judith Roberts and my oldest sister, Catherine, the twins, Emily and Anna, and me. A Spanish family comprised of Franco, Elena and their children, Hortensia, who is now my mother in law, Lana and Juan. There was also a couple from Sweden, Morten and Arla Clausen. And finally a single man, Isaac Abel, a German Jew who escaped Germany in the early 1930s.’
‘Quite a mix,’ Steven remarked.
‘Indeed. The key thing is all of us eventually changed. Anyway, that’s enough for today. I don’t want to inundate you. The point is the accident led to a further step in the evolution of mankind. All you have to know for now is that you are due a change. When you change you will retain your individuality. We breathe, eat, sleep, think and do all the things we used to. But, you will have other needs…’
‘Needs that make you kill for blood,’ Steven added. It was classic. Leave the best bit for last.
‘Sometimes, death is not always necessary. It’s complicated, I know,’ Ian mused.
‘It’s not a bad thing to be one of us,’ Eilif added. ‘As you can see we don’t age after the change. Think of that perk!’
‘Perk! And watch everyone else around die,’ Steven spat, disgust, thick and heavy, in his voice.
‘That’s the point. None of us will die. Don’t you see that we have made it easier for you? We have cut loose the ties that bound you to a normal human life,’ Eilif continued. It was a blatant attempt to justify their actions.
For a brief moment no-one spoke as Steven contemplated their undeniable logic. Finally, Steven said, ‘Can I just ask you one more thing?’
‘Sure,’ Ian replied.
‘Why was the charade with Caitlin necessary? Why didn’t you just come to talk to me and then make me disappear?’
‘Steven, you have to understand. There was no other way in which you would have taken us seriously. She can’t be in your life anymore. This is the best way forward. You realise you could have killed her in a few months’ time.’
‘Will she ever remember me?’ Steven directed his question at Eilif.
‘Truthfully, I don’t know. Maybe in a few years’ time the memory will come back and she’ll think it was a dream.’
‘Will my parents ever remember me?’
‘Again doubtful. In time, like I’ve just said, they might remember something deep in their subconscious. The conscious mind will never convince them it was a reality.’
Steven mind was spinning. ‘Can I ask one more question?’
‘Go for it,’ Ian conceded.
‘Why do you have to kill occasionally?’
Ian stared at the table for a split second, then he looked up and held Steven’s gaze, ‘Ah, now that is more difficult to answer. In a few months you will understand that one better. The truth is you will need human blood to change. After that, all mammal blood tastes good. To make it easier to understand, human blood is our chocolate. Not for overindulgence.’
‘I need human blood to change?’ Steven winced.
‘Yes, you do,’ Ian replied.
‘Is it impossible to live amongst normal humans after the change?’
‘That is our firm belief. If we started to allow that it would be like opening a can of worms. Who knows what the consequences would be? We are respectful of human life.’
‘So, I won’t become a blood lusting, insatiable vampire?’
Eilif laughed.
‘Not from our experience. But you are the first of our kind to be born half human, half vampire.’ Ian tweaked his fingers to form speech marks at the word vampire. ‘So I can’t give you a foolproof guarantee of what you’ll become. This is why you should be with us now,’ Ian finished with conviction.
Steven had lost the will to fight. Even though he did not want to go, he had run out of options. ‘When do we leave?’
‘Now is as good a time as any.’ Ian downed the rest of his drink and stuffed the other unopened packets of nuts in his pocket. ‘Ready?’
‘Not really, but I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Don’t expect me to be overjoyed.’
Eilif’s expression was alight, full of optimism. ‘We are realistic. We didn’t expect you to be jumping through hoops. You have a great future ahead of you. This is not the end, it’s the beginning,’
Steven did not share their enthusiasm. If this was the beginning, he’d skip and read to the end.
*
A baby continued to wail as the parents frantically rummaged in a huge rucksack. The moment was tense. They were flustered, too slow to appease the demanding babe. The moment the bottle of milk was thrust in the baby’s mouth, blissful silence ensued. It was broken by a group of boisterous teenagers keen to have an argument. Their unfortunate parents grimaced in the background. A lone businessman frowned, appalled at being sandwiched between the crazy baby and mutinous siblings.
Amongst it all, in the queue for the passport checkpoint, Steven mulled over his predicament. He wished his life was like theirs – normal. But, he had no alternative. Where else could he go? Strangely, this stage of his life brought about a farcical element of excitement. Saying this,
he was still in denial. There was no way his existence had been erased. Tomorrow, he would wake up to find it had all been an extravagant dream.
In truth, he was disappointed. All of his childish notions had been quashed when he realised they were travelling on a normal flight. He hadn’t really considered any other options, but a plane seemed way too ordinary. To add to it, he was still travelling under his real identity. To all intents and purposes he did not exist, yet his passport was still valid, a last remnant of his previous life.
Steven was determined to look disinterested and wore a permanent scowl. He was curious, just not in the mood to have a friendly chat with his new guardians. As he walked through the metal detector he willed it to beep. When the guards waved him through, he resigned himself to his fate.
Finally, it was time to head to the gate. The flight was going to São Paulo.
‘So, do you know where São Paulo is?’ Eilif asked.
‘No,’ Steven huffed, intent on keeping up appearances.
‘Do you want to know?’ Ian asked, a smirk on his smug face.
‘Not really bothered,’ Steven added. He dug his heels in.
Eilif pulled a face and glanced at Ian, who then raised his eyebrows in disbelief.
Ian shrugged his shoulders, ‘Drop the act, we know you’re curious. The sooner you cheer up the better. It’s not our fault you got left behind in the first place.’
Steven decided not to respond, kept his head down, and closed his eyes. Whatever his personal views, he was not going to give them the satisfaction of thinking he was impressed by any of it.
The Evolution Trilogy: Hybrid, Complications & Return Page 14