Steven faced the River, deep in thought, his hands clasped over the edge of the wooden barrier. ‘Yes, I think I do.’
Ingrid had her back to the water, her arms folded over her chest.
For a moment, they just stood side by side listening to the sounds around them. Steven relished the fractured peace, the sound of nature. Not silence, it was never silent in the jungle, just peaceful.
After a few minutes, Steven turned his head to face Ingrid. She had not moved, her face basking in the full sun, her eyes closed. As though she sensed his movement, she opened them and in that glance Steven felt a jolt of something he had forgotten. A flashback of the first moment he had stared into her eyes. He had convinced himself that she had seduced him, but now as he stared into a sea of emerald he became momentarily transfixed and wondered.
‘Anyway, maybe you should go check on Caitlin?’ He needed some space. It had been a while since Caitlin showed him any real affection.
Ingrid blinked, her cheeks now a slight shade of pink, ‘Yes, of course. I’ll go see if she’s, err, okay.’ She gave an awkward smile and rushed off.
Steven lowered his head, elbows on the barrier, and gripped his hands behind his head. He gritted his teeth and made a low guttural sound.
‘Steven?’ Catherine asked, as she came up alongside.
Steven rubbed his eyes with the back of his palms and raised his head, ‘Catherine.’
‘Are you ready to face the community?’
Steven laughed, ‘No.’
Catherine chuckled, ‘You’ll be fine, what will be will be. We’ve always been open about the outside world in the community, we teach our young well. So now we also have to teach about other possibilities. The community will adapt to this new development. We have much to learn from Caitlin and you. I see this as an opportunity, not a failure. Everything happens for a reason.’
Steven was not sure what the reason for Caitlin to fall out of love with him was, but he was not in the mood to argue the toss. He nodded instead. He wanted to get away, but on a ship he did not have many choices. Soon he would be confined within the community. At least he would have Jenson to talk to. Then again, from what Ingrid said he was likely to be all loved up. It was all starting to get to him.
He wanted to swim fast, to escape from everything by immersing himself in a world where all he wanted was speed.
‘You know Steven, I know it’s hard for you, but I think you should know by now that I’ll look out for you. I promised my mum and dad, and I always keep my promise. And seeing as Caitlin is with you, I’ll protect her too.’
Steven did everything he could to stop himself from screaming at her. Caitlin did not love him anymore. He could not understand why it not as obvious to everyone else as it was to him. A distant shout for help brought him out of his melancholy state.
They both turned to face the direction it had come from, the cabins.
Without another word they both ran towards the door, Steven pulled it open and Catherine rushed through. The sound was coming from Emily’s room, Steven was sure it was Ingrid shouting. He stood behind Catherine as she peered in.
The sight of a pale, lifeless, Caitlin on the floor made him want to gag. He pushed past Catherine and knelt on the floor next to her, her hand now in his. He felt a weak pulse, she was not dead.
‘Where’s Emily?’ Catherine shrieked.
‘I don’t know,’ Ingrid said, ‘The door was open. Caitlin was on the floor, Emily’s gone.’
‘Not again,’ Catherine shook her head, confusion in her tone. ‘I need to find her before she escapes. Ingrid you know what to do.’
Steven watched Catherine leave and Ingrid knelt next to him.
‘She needs blood, since you changed her I imagine your blood will work,’ Ingrid seemed hesitant.
‘Okay,’ Steven pierced his vein with his fingernail, and held out his arms towards Caitlin’s mouth. As soon as the blood started to trickle into her mouth, Caitlin’s eyes flickered open, her mouth latched on to his wrist and she started to feed.
A few minutes passed as Caitlin sucked, Steven started to feel weak.
‘Stop Caitlin, stop,’ Ingrid said, her tone firm and insistent.
Caitlin’s eyes flickered over to Ingrid then to Steven, but she continued. Steven tried to pull away but she was firmly latched on. His shoulders drooped and his eyes started to roll back. The last thing he heard was Ingrid shout, ‘Caitlin, STOP.’
***
Ingrid could see what was happening and everything inside her screamed to protect Steven. She did the only thing she could. She put her hands around Caitlin’s neck and squeezed, not hard enough to break her neck but enough to make it difficult for her to swallow. As soon as she did Caitlin let go and gave a pained screech, before she scampered back. Her eyes darted from left to right frantically, confused.
Ingrid cradled Steven in her arms. He had gone limp. She needed Emily, only her blood could help. ‘CATHERINE,’ she screamed over and over.
The next minutes seemed to go by really slowly until finally Catherine appeared, flustered, ‘What is it now?’
The sound of Caitlin whimpering in the corner was hard to ignore, but she did, ‘Did you find Emily?’
‘Yes, we found her,’ Catherine sighed, she knelt down next to Steven. ‘What happened? What’s wrong with Steven?’
‘Bring Emily here, NOW,’ Ingrid pleaded.
‘No, we take Steven to her. Caitlin, can you get up, can you follow us.’
Caitlin looked up, her cheeks glistening with fresh tears, and nodded.
Catherine scooped a lifeless Steven up into her arms and Ingrid followed, the sound of sniffling continued behind them.
They ran to the cockpit, where they found Emily tied up next to Ian.
‘I hope you’re happy sister, this is what you’ve done,’ Catherine scowled, ‘Untie her wrists, we need them.’
Ian grunted, ‘Eilif stay on her other side.’
Ingrid was proud of Eilif as he held Emily’s shoulders whilst Ian undid the knots. Then he held her right arm behind her back, as Ian extended the other. Catherine lowered Steven to the floor next to Emily. It was lucky Emily’s legs were tied up. When Catherine made Emily’s blood flow into Steven’s mouth, he latched on and started to suck.
Emily hurled abuse at everyone. She had gained some youth, but her eyes were crazed and her body trembled. As Steven sucked the blood, her hair started to turn white again and her cheeks shrivelled. ‘I save my son and I die,’ she screamed.
‘So be it,’ Catherine said.
Ian nodded.
Ingrid could not believe what she was seeing, as Steven continued to take her blood and Emily aged and withered before them.
No-one stopped Steven, or said a word, as Emily shut her eyes.
Ingrid was poised to say something, but she couldn’t. Emily would have rather saved herself than her son, it made her sick.
It took a while for Steven to stop, and when he did there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that he had sucked Emily dry.
Steven fell asleep, so Catherine picked him up and took him back to his room. She nodded at Caitlin as she did, ‘Come with me.’
Ingrid watched as Ian felt for a pulse, and then shook his head. It appeared Emily was dead, hard to believe but it was true.
‘She can’t be, is she really, I mean, can she be dead?’ Ingrid had to say something.
‘She can be dead,’ Ian said, ‘She is dead. All of us have a pulse, she doesn’t have one. It’s over,’ he rubbed his forehead with his hand and lowered his eyes to the floor.
‘Ingrid, help me,’ Eilif said. ‘Let’s take her back to the cabin.’ He picked Emily’s withered and empty frame in his arms. Ingrid watched Carmen put her arm over Ian’s shoulders, before she opened the door and let Eilif pass.
Ingrid followed with a heavy heart, her thoughts now in complete disarray. She could not understand why Caitlin had healed Emily, or why they had allowed Steven to kill Emily. She knew Emily
had crossed the line again, but she doubted she was so dangerous she had to die. Yet, they had always killed for survival and this was no different. Emily had saved her son and Ingrid was glad Steven had survived.
Once Emily was laid to rest on the bed and a white sheet covered her body, Ingrid gave her father a hug. She refused to cry.
‘You go with Catherine,’ Eilif kissed her head, ‘I’ll watch the body.’
Ingrid flinched at the word body. It hurt more when their own died, regardless of who they were.
She did not want to argue, so she eased out of the room, glad to be away from the cadaver, and found her way to Steven’s cabin.
Catherine sat by the edge of the bed. Caitlin was hunched on the floor, head in hands, her body shaking.
‘How is he?’ Ingrid asked, it seemed to be the only thing she could say.
‘When he wakes up he’ll be as good as new,’ Catherine said, ‘Caitlin, you need to rest. You’ve been through a lot of trauma. Ingrid, she’s obviously in shock. Take her to my cabin and watch over her, please.’
‘Of course,’ Ingrid said, before she made her way over to Caitlin and helped her to get up. Sleep and more blood would enable a speedy recovery, the fact they had stopped Caitlin feeding had left her in no-man’s land.
Slowly, Caitlin shuffled next to Ingrid until they made it to the cabin and Ingrid helped Caitlin lie down. Just as Caitlin was about to close her eyes, she gripped Ingrid’s hand, ‘I nearly killed him, I nearly killed him, didn’t I?’
Ingrid could not answer, ‘Go to sleep Caitlin, Steven’s alive and well. It’s not your fault.’
Caitlin lost her fight with sleep and closed her eyes. Ingrid sat in the corner chair and stared out of the tiny circular window. She knew Caitlin did not intend to kill Steven, but she did wonder why Caitlin had gone to see Emily. She could not understand what could have compelled her, or why Emily knew Caitlin’s blood would heal her.
Yet more questions that needed answers.
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Chapter 14
Back In The Community
When the ship docked and jolted to a standstill Caitlin came out of her exhausted sleep. Dread overcame, as the excitement and euphoria of the journey was eclipsed by Emily’s death. She could not believe what had happened, or what she had nearly done. Steven had done so much for her, and he was handsome and sexy and everything she ever thought she wanted. Yet, it was all not good enough for her. Not only had she convinced herself Steven was not the one, she had nearly killed him. It made her sick. She loathed the person she had become. Self-centred, egotistical, vain. All qualities she had never possessed. She owed it to Steven to find Caitlin again, to find the girl he fell in love with, the girl who fell in love with him. She had to try.
Caitlin rose onto her elbows and noticed Ingrid watching her from the corner of the room. It dawned on her that she might be keeping guard, not watching out for her.
‘Caitlin, we’ve arrived,’ Ingrid eased up alongside the bed. ‘Freshen up, I’ll wait outside, okay?’ Ingrid put her hand on Caitlin’s shoulder and gave a light squeeze.
Once Ingrid had left, Caitlin sat up on the bed. Apart from the trauma of the day, she felt great. It was a real pain in the neck she still got emotional. It was a shame evolution didn’t make her stronger in that respect.
Once freshened up, she opened the door and braced herself for whatever else she would have to face. Ingrid was outside. She was starting to resemble a guard dog. ‘You know, I’m not going to run away.’
Ingrid burst into giggles, ‘Never thought you would, honest. But, I was told to stay with you, so I will.’
‘Okay, I just never had a guard before,’ Caitlin gave a nervous smile, ‘it’s a bit creepy.’
‘Don’t see me as a guard. See me as a friend looking out for you.’
Caitlin gave a half-smile. Even though she had clicked with Ingrid and liked her she was wary for the first time. She could not help wondering if Ingrid had an ulterior motive. ‘Do you know if Steven is okay, I should go see him?’
‘As far as I know he also made a full recovery, you’ll be together soon enough, be patient,’ Ingrid laughed.
Caitlin bit her lip. She could not exactly tell Ingrid they were not actually together. There was no point telling anyone. The truth was, she still loved him even though she was not in love with him. She had no idea what she was doing. Confusion ruled.
‘Let’s go, Caitlin, there’s no need to worry, honest,’ Ingrid put her hand on Caitlin’s shoulder, ‘I’ll look out for you.’
Caitlin tried as hard as she could to return a confident expression. Somehow, she doubted she had pulled it off.
Outside, Caitlin searched for Steven. She could see the others unloading, but she could not see him. The scene took her breath away as she forgot Steven for a moment and focused on where they were. Colossal trees towered above them, and giant shrubs were haphazardly scattered here and there with leaves the size of people. The sound was intense. A chattering, playful sound came from high above in the trees, and there was a lot of buzzing. She smacked the back of her neck, she guessed some insects wanted to suck her blood too.
A dark, green jeep waited to be loaded up, there appeared to be a makeshift road easing through the trees. Someone had arrived in the car but Caitlin had not been able to see who it was.
‘Can I help?’ she asked Ingrid, there was no point just watching.
‘Sure, just take some of those bags to the car. Then I’ll walk you to your new home, I’m sure you’re going to love it,’ Ingrid beamed.
Caitlin picked up a few bags and balanced them on her arms. They were not heavy, just cumbersome. She made her way to the car and passed them to Carmen who was loading up the jeep.
Carmen nodded, ‘Thanks for your help.’
Caitlin passed them over and went back, if she kept busy she would stop thinking about the fact she really needed to know where Steven was. Back on the ship she set about grouping together as many bags as possible. As she was about to set off, she looked up and her jaw dropped. It was Emily with Steven. The bags fell out of her hands and she stared. She could not understand, she had seen Emily dead, she was sure of it. Her lower lip wobbled.
She glanced at Emily and then back at Steven, both wore forlorn expressions. It did not make sense.
Steven seemed to register her look of confusion and rushed over, all the time glancing nervously towards Emily. ‘Caitlin, this is Anna, Emily’s sister.’
Caitlin mouthed the word ‘oh’ and then closed her mouth shut. Emily’s sister, no wonder she looked upset. She could not help noticing how much Steven looked like Anna – Emily had changed so much when she was ill.
‘Caitlin, it’s nice to meet you,’ Anna said, she extended her hand.
Caitlin wanted to give a firm handshake but she was too shaken so it ended up limp as she let go almost immediately.
‘Anna, is it okay if we take Caitlin to the community?’ Steven asked.
Anna gave a deep sigh, her eyes tearful. ‘Yes, it’s a good idea. Sorry, excuse me,’ she seemed to fight to keep in control. ‘My sister, Emily, was a nightmare. But, I always loved her, I’ll miss her.’
Steven gave a slight nod. ‘It’s a shame it had to happen like it did. I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t apologise, it’s not your fault. You did what you could to survive, as we have all done in the past. My sister made her choice, we must make ours.’ With the back of her hand she wiped the lone tear that escaped, held her head high and led the way.
Caitlin walked next to Steven, Anna made off at a cracking pace. ‘So, you’re feeling okay?’
He glanced at her, ‘Better than ever, you?’
‘Yep, I’m fine, just fine.’
The awkward silence created a gulf between them. She hoped this polite conversation would not be an indication of the way things would be like in the future. She just didn’t know what to say. Instead she concentrated on not tripping over the bracken and ample ha
zards on the floor. She was sure the view from the top of the trees had to be amazing, somehow she didn’t think now would be a good time to go see.
‘Caitlin, I…’ Steven hesitated.
‘Yes?’ Caitlin encouraged.
‘I hope you like the community.’ Steven recovered.
She had the feeling he was going to say something else, but he didn’t.
‘I’m sure I will,’ she replied.
The way her hand hung within reaching distance of his made Caitlin uneasy. It could have been straightforward, she would just reach out and take his hand, and they would smile at each other like they used to. She would feel his love, let his warmth engulf her and she would be complete. Yet, she had broken the link, she had destroyed the love they had. To want or even desire it would be foolish, she had to look forward and stop messing with Steven. It was wrong to hurt him.
***
Steven swallowed and forced back the words he was desperate to say. Even though he knew it had been the right thing to do, the fact he was not with Caitlin caused him physical pain. He just could not let her see how he really felt. He had to maintain a positive front so that the others would not suspect, he could not let Caitlin down. Whatever the reason for her change of heart he had to try to understand it, even if his own heart broke into pieces in the process.
As Anna led the way to the entrance Steven glanced to the side. He wanted to see Caitlin’s reaction and he was not disappointed as her eyes widened and a broad smile graced her face, the former discomfort momentarily blurred.
‘The community is in there?’ Caitlin gasped.
Anna turned round, her eyes still blotchy but somehow she held it together. ‘Well, at least you’re more excited than Steven was when he first came here. I thought I’d have to drag him in.’
Steven frowned. He didn’t like being the brunt of anyone’s joke. ‘That’s not exactly fair, my life had been erased, and I was more or less abducted. Caitlin chose to be here.’
Anna stopped, stood straight, and stared at Caitlin. ‘Really? You chose this life?’
The Evolution Trilogy: Hybrid, Complications & Return Page 72