It sounded ominous. ‘What’s that?’
Judith squirmed.
‘We will all need to feed before we leave for England, and I do mean human blood. We can justify it. This is an exploratory trip for us as much as it is for you.’’
‘Right, okay. If you think it’s a good idea.’ What else was Steven supposed to say? Was it selfish to do whatever it took to get back?
‘You’re okay with that?’ Judith sounded surprised.
‘I know what we have to do.’
‘How’s your foot?’ Judith asked.
‘Near enough back to normal,’ he replied.
Jeff nodded. ‘Tonight we should see another improvement.’
‘I guess tonight then…?’ Steven left the suggestion hanging.
‘Tonight,’ Jeff committed.
*
The next morning Steven was overcome by guilt. He had done it. He had played a part in another person’s death. They had killed a man together, so much for his principles. It did not seem so twisted last night. It had all been very peaceful. No screaming, no gory death. The old man did not seem in any pain. It was over quickly. And it had worked, he could now walk normally again. The difference in Jeff and Judith was obvious, with their appearance alone. He had not realised how dull and lacklustre Judith’s hair had gone until he saw the colour come back.
The deed was done, and in a way he was glad the man was dead. The woman had suffered, he could see that now.
His mind was now fixed on his future. He needed to do some research.
He relished the ease with which he walked down the stairs; he did not need any support now. He would not push it too much but he could tell the damage was now minimal, a minor sprain, nothing more.
‘Good morning, do you mind if I grab some breakfast in town and check some things on the internet?’
Jeff smiled. He looked so much healthier. ‘If you need to, we also have to book flights so maybe you can check availability for next week. The documents should be ready by then.’
‘No problem.’
Trust had to be earned. Steven figured he had done enough. He sat on the broken leather seat and got ready to drive. A weight had lifted. Finally, he was on his own. They trusted him enough to leave him alone. It was a breakthrough.
The streets were near enough empty now, people had gone back home. There was something peaceful and serene about the environment. A band played a reasonable tune on the local radio station and for a moment he could have closed his eyes and been anywhere – like he used to when he was normal. For the first time in months, he did not feel like an alien.
After a short drive, he came across the internet café he’d spotted on the previous day, there was nothing wrong with his navigational skills. As he made his way in, he got a few glances from a couple of teenage girls in the corner. He avoided their gaze. He managed to order what he hoped was toast with scrambled eggs and a coffee and paid for an hour. He took a seat on the other side of the room and got ready to surf the net. Eager to see if anything had happened whilst he was away, he logged on to the BBC website and saw that nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Then he checked out his local football club, and was dismayed with the volume of defeats. Everything was as he left it.
He was happy to see what he had ordered brought to him. There was something red on it, but he guessed it was herbs. He took a sip from his coffee and relished the taste. Then he cut a piece of toast and heaped some eggs on top. When he put it in his mouth he was convinced he was on fire. Chilli, the eggs had chilli in them. He took another glug of coffee and managed to burn his mouth further from the hot liquid. He got up to order some water and saw the girls laughing at him. He was glad he could provide some entertainment.
After he had swallowed a whole glass of water, he ate the toast. The eggs would have to be wasted. It was an acquired taste, one he did not intend to acquire!
Back on the net, he made a note of the flights and then logged into his Facebook account. He had left it for last on purpose. There was a high chance no-one would have contacted him. His jaw dropped when he saw he had one message. He clicked on the shortcut to reveal her face. Caitlin had sent him a message. A little flutter of butterflies ran through his stomach as he clicked on it to see what she had written. As he read the message a huge smile spread across his face.
Steven got back into the car deep in thought. Since he had left England he had dreamed that she would remember him, he had hoped. Now, his prayers had been answered. She knew of him. He stood a slim chance. As he rounded the corner, he braked in surprise. Emily was walking straight towards him. She had a look of contentment on her face and there was something different. He was about to call out to her, but he stopped himself. She was alone. He knew she was supposed to be with Carmen and Ian. There was no reason why they would have left her after what they’d said.
Impulsive, he parked the car, got out quickly and followed.
He dodged in and out of shop fronts as he tried to blend into the background. He nearly lost her track. Something told him to head down the alleyway. He felt like an amateur sleuth as he edged into the dark narrow tunnel. There was no sound up ahead. All he could do was walk in and hope that it wouldn’t result in a wild goose chase.
Once in the dark, his eyes refocused.
A sound ahead startled him and he stopped.
She sounded bitter and angry. ‘Stop following me, Steven.’
‘Emily?’
‘I guess you’ll never call me Mum,’ she snapped.
‘What are you doing here? Where are you?’
‘I thought you had excellent echolocation skills, you should know where I am.’
Concentrating on the sound of her voice, he scrambled along the tunnel. Light broke ahead, so he eased out and looked up. She was perched on the roof, her legs dangling over the side.
Without thinking, he scrambled up the wall, and sat next to her. As he looked down, he realised they were quite high up and he had climbed up with practically no support. ‘How did I do that?’
‘There are a lot of things you can do now.’
Everything was calm and quiet up on the rooftop. The street lights twinkled below giving the streets a play set quality.
He repeated the question. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Escaping,’ she said in an amused tone. ‘I’m breaking free.’
‘Really?’ he mused, unafraid but nervous. ‘I can’t say that I blame you for wanting to leave, but will you be able to live with yourself. How are you going to stay undercover?’
‘I’ll find a way.’
‘So, is this goodbye?’
‘Until another time, not goodbye – that’s too final.’ A smile spread across her face. Then she cocked her head, as she swung her legs alternately over the side. ‘I really am sorry for everything, but I hope you get a chance at a good life. That’s not something I can help you with. I’m not good for anyone.’
‘Are you always going to be a killer?’ He needed to know how bad things might get.
‘I don’t know. I’d like to think not. Sorry I’m not a mother you can look up to.’
‘Don’t apologise to me, you’re only letting yourself down. You don’t have to be driven by your needs. You can fight it. I did.’
‘What if I like being driven by my needs, what if I can’t stop?’
‘Mind over matter,’ he stated.
‘Drug addicts never get over their obsession. I don’t hold up much hope for beating this.’
‘Just try,’ he hesitated and bit his lip. ‘You should really go back.’
‘No, sorry, I’m not going back. I’d rather die, as would you. Do you think I can’t tell that you’ve fed again? Your foot is back to normal. I bet my parents fed too. We all have to in the end.’
Before he could say anything else she got up. He noticed a black bag strapped over her shoulder.
‘I do love you.’ Emily threw herself back down into the dark alleyway. She seemed to float throug
h the air. He did not hear her land. He distinctly made out her faint silhouette as she disappeared into the distance.
All this time, he had failed to think of her as a person.
Now, for the first time, he saw her for what she had become – a caged, dangerous animal that had obtained a set of keys.
Was he destined to be no better?
***
Ian could not believe it. First, his sister went missing and now there was no sign of Steven. He made his way to the back room to confront his parents. Carmen shuffled after him. He could not even look at her, he was so angry.
‘Where is Steven?’ he shouted, his hands in fists.
Judith replied casually without lifting her head, her eyes transfixed on a newspaper. ‘He’ll be back soon. He had some things to do.’
‘You let him go out alone? Are you crazy?’
Judith looked up now and folded the newspaper away. ‘No, we are not crazy. Anyway, why are you here? You were supposed to take Emily back.’
‘Emily escaped.’
Jeff fumed, ‘You let her go and you have the gall to tell us off.’
Ian leaned against the wall and folded his arms over his chest. ‘It’s hopeless. I’m not ready to take charge of the community. I need you to come back Dad. I can’t do this.’
Judith got off the floor and made her way towards him. ‘You can and you will. Steven will come back and we will find Emily. As hard as this is to believe I really don’t think she will do anything stupid.’
Jeff remained pensive. ‘It’s a test. Steven cannot run like Emily. We know where he wants to go. We would find him easily. He will come back. By the way, don’t shout at us again. If there is one thing I have learnt it is that anger is never the solution. You can take charge. Keep a clear head and don’t lose your nerve. Things have a way of working out in the end.’
Ian could not understand how his father could spin the situation. Like a petulant child, he spat back, ‘We’ll see.’ He turned round and wandered into another room. He couldn’t bear to wait with them. He needed space.
***
Steven knew they had visitors. His senses became sharper every day. It was just what he needed, another confrontation. As soon as he walked in the door he got accosted.
‘Did you find what you were looking for?’ Ian’s dry and condescending tone was starting to get irritating.
‘I did actually, thanks for asking. Did you find Emily? Oh, no wait, I can answer that. NO. I just bumped into her. It was most enlightening.’ Steven could not help himself, he had to grin.
‘You saw her?’ Ian’s jaw dropped a split second before he composed himself. ‘Where is she? Where was she going?’
‘Do you honestly think she would tell me?’ Steven rolled his eyes. Ian did not look as stupid as he acted.
‘So, you let her get away?’
‘And how exactly was I meant to stop her?’ Steven huffed, he was getting impatient now.
Judith saved the day. ‘Leave him be Ian. Come in Steven, tell us what she said.’
Steven eased past Ian, who was still partly blocking the corridor, and made his way into the kitchen. He took a huge slug from the orange juice carton on the worktop.
Jeff, Judith, Ian and Carmen followed. Carmen stayed at the doorway. She did not look too happy. Steven assumed she had experienced the wrath of Ian.
‘So, is she okay?’ Judith asked, still the compassionate mother.
Steven shrugged his shoulders. ‘You know what? I think she is. She wants to be alone, to be free. I didn’t get the impression she would do anything stupid.’
Ian guffawed. ‘As if!’
Emily was not his best friend, but Ian’s reaction grated. He was a real idiot sometimes. ‘What would you know about her? I don’t think you ever even tried to get to know her.’
‘And you did?’
Steven fumed, anger brewing. ‘No, I didn’t, as you well know.’
‘Enough!’ Jeff exclaimed. ‘No-one really knows Emily. Anna is her twin. She is the only one with a direct link to her emotions. Ian, ask Anna how Emily is. She will know. As for the situation, it’s done, it’s over. Emily is gone. Deal with it Ian. Our plans remain unchanged. We leave for England as soon as possible.’ He turned and faced Carmen. ‘Carmen. Thank you for trying to help. It can’t be easy. My daughter is a live wire, always has been, always will be. All we can do is hope she has some common sense.’
Just as Ian opened his mouth, Jeff grimaced as he said, ‘We will figure out what’s best.’
Steven hoped Jeff knew what that was.
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Chapter 9
Settling
From the tiny window of the plane it was difficult to see what the weather was like outside. The air hostess flashed Steven a set of pristine teeth. They were so white against her tanned complexion. There was no way she had been in England recently.
‘Can I get you anything else sir?’ she asked.
Somehow, he got the feeling she would have given him anything.
‘I’m good.’
‘If you think of anything just press that button over there.’ She half smiled, as though disappointed, and wandered off.
First class was a great place to be. At least his grandparents had more sense than Ian and Eilif. If he had travelled in this style going out he might have been less bitter.
After a sleep in the comfy spacious chair, which was more like a sofa chair, he heard the instructions from the Captain. They were making their final approach. It was time to belt up, and get ready for landing.
Steven could barely contain his euphoria.
When the engine died down the plane came alive, it was a hive of activity. As soon as the seat belt sign went off the noise tripled. Overhead lockers opened, bags and coats materialised out of nowhere and the passengers started to talk simultaneously, as a few children shouted and a baby cried. Everyone wanted to leave. They were so loud. He would give anything for a pair of earplugs. They’d been stuck in there for long enough.
Steven was desperate to leave and by the look on his grandparents’ face they were too. Long haul flights were not ideal for people like them.
He gave a half smile as he imagined Ian scouring obsessively through every news report around the world. He was determined to keep track of anything suspicious that would lead him to Emily. Apparently, Anna was also to tap into Emily’s feelings, to try to keep tabs on her state of mind. It was the only thing they could do for now.
‘Home at last,’ Judith said, her hands clenched tight.
‘If that is what it is, then yes, we are home again,’ Jeff replied. Was he sceptical?
As they walked past the stewardess, she grinned in Steven’s direction. ‘Thank you for travelling with us.’ He heard her heart skip a beat as she swallowed involuntarily.
Steven had to be careful. He barely managed the attention he used to receive. He did not even want to consider how he would cope with any more.
At passport control the queue was no better, it was tempting to use mind control to cheat.
Eventually, Jeff approached the passport desk. As he passed over the passport he leaned in and said something to the inspector. The expression on the woman behind the desk went blank and she handed back the passport without scanning it. When Judith approached the same thing happened. Steven took a deep breath and stepped forward, his turn. He handed over the passport and remained silent. The woman glanced at the passport and robotically handed it back. He walked on in utter bemusement.
‘What did you say to her?’ Steven whispered, once out of earshot.
Jeff gave a small chuckle. ‘That she was to let us through of course.’
‘And it works, just like that?’
‘Just like that.’
‘Wow!’ He held his mouth open a second too long.
Jeff nudged his shoulder. ‘All of us can do it to some extent. Some are better than others. It’s like any skill really. I’m pretty average, but I can do enough
to get by without giving rise to any problems.’ His cheeky smirk was familiar; Ian looked a lot like his dad.
‘I’ll have to practice that one. It could be handy.’
Judith gave an amused huff. ‘Don’t think you’ll have any problems. The stewardess would have done anything for you just then and you barely said a word to her.’
‘So, could I make people remember me?’ Steven’s eyes came alight. A new possibility dawned on him.
‘No idea. I know what you’re thinking though. Be careful with mind control, we don’t know what the lasting effects are,’ Jeff said, his brows furrowed.
With their luggage in tow they made their way out of arrivals and headed for the taxi stand.
‘Where are you heading then?’ A balding, overweight cabbie with a strong cockney accent asked.
‘Southampton,’ Jeff replied.
‘Do you have a postcode?’
‘Yes, this is the address. We will pay cash.’
‘Right then, as you wish,’ the man replied, as he entered the postcode into his satellite navigation system. As the distance and location came up he nearly coughed up a lung in shock. It was a fair distance. ‘You realise that’ll cost over 200 quid right?’
‘Yes, that’s fine,’ Judith replied, her voice crisp.
‘Thank you very much. Enjoy the trip,’ the man spluttered. It was obviously his lucky day.
Jeff and Judith started talking in their unique dialect to prevent the man from listening. It also stopped Steven from listening. For once, it did not bother him. He stared out and watched as teardrops of rain traced their way down the window pane. The weather outside was dismal for the end of November. It was near freezing and the rain seemed incessant. A news update on the radio even mentioned the possibility of snow. It was unheard of at this time of year.
They still had a way to go so Steven leant his head back and closed his eyes. He dared to dream.
***
Judith noticed Steven was asleep, his face angelic, at peace at last. She nudged Jeff. ‘Look at him, can you believe he’s Emily’s son.’
‘He sure looks like her. It’s weird isn’t it? I think we get along just fine, don’t you?’
The Evolution Trilogy: Hybrid, Complications & Return Page 37