Ingrid moved her head up, her eyes set, a slight crease in the middle of her brow. ‘I understand.’
‘Anyway, now that’s out of the way I can get on to the real reason for the visit. We feel it is wise to include you in the meeting tonight. You’ve shown that you can be trusted and we believe you might be able to help. Will you join us when we discuss the future of the community? Your dad believes you have an insightful nature. And I actually think it is a clever thing to get Caitlin on our side. I like her and don’t see her as a threat.’
Ingrid jumped in, ‘I don’t see her as a threat either. Becoming her friend was not a tactic – it just happened.’
‘I know, Catherine told me,’ Anna smiled. She did not really think Ingrid could have caused the rift between Caitlin and Steven even if she had tried, Anna sensed something else had happened. ‘The point is you became her friend even though she’s the reason Steven remains indifferent to you. Ingrid, I’m being as direct as I can, we need you. The originals will listen to what you think.’
Ingrid’s lips curled up as though embarrassed, her cheeks glowed a shade of pink, ‘The originals want me? In that case, I would be honoured to attend the meeting.’
‘Great, let’s go and find your dad. We need to make sure you coordinate with Catherine and Isaac. The four of you have to fill in the gaps.’
‘We can try, but I don’t know what I can add.’ Ingrid bit her lower lip.
‘And that’s why you’re important. It was you who found Steven, it was you who knew to tell Ian, it was you who immediately befriended Caitlin. Too many coincidences,’ Anna put her hand on Ingrid’s shoulder, ‘don’t worry about it, it might be your skill, you never know.’
‘A skill,’ Ingrid laughed. ‘I never thought I had one.’
Anna smiled, ‘I believe you do, and I’m not alone.’
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Chapter 18
The Originals Meet Again
Catherine brushed her hair slowly and watched her reflection in the mirror. She could see Isaac making notes behind her – he’d been at it for a while. She loved the fact he was so methodical, nothing passed him by. Ever since they had returned he had been withdrawn, lost in his thoughts, she was sure he was on to something. But, she knew what he was like. He was not going to say anything until he had it all figured out. To ask, or even to try to talk to him, was a futile task when he was like this. She had been with him for too long to even try to go there.
She was apprehensive about the meeting, too many hot heads with opinions, especially the Spanish contingent. Her dad’s absence created a void, Ian could not fill his footsteps. But, they needed a leader, someone needed to step up. She wondered if she should. In many ways, she was more sympathetic than Ian to the needs of others. Isaac had always kept her grounded, she never assumed or expected, and she was the only one that could have in depth discussions with her father. The thought of her father brought a lump to her throat, she still missed him. She fought back the urge to cry and put the brush down.
She clenched her teeth, got up and turned to face Isaac. ‘Are you ready to go?’
Isaac nodded slightly in acknowledgement, but he did not look up.
She hoped whatever he had come up with worked. They were a great team, and if they planned to head the move to Borneo, if it was still going to happen, they needed to think everything through.
Catherine made her way to the door. Isaac stepped in her path and put his hand on her waist. She faced him and he kissed her nose and smiled with a distinct twinkle in his eye.
She held out her hand and slipped it in his. ‘Are you ready?’
Isaac nodded. She loved the fact he was so calm and collected, it kept her together.
‘Let’s go and face the others then, it’s time to see what the future holds for Caitlin and Steven.’
‘And the rest of us,’ Isaac added.
Catherine pursed her lips, she found it hard to remain positive. ‘And the rest of us.’
When they arrived only Ian and Carmen were there. Early, they had much to discuss. The large wooden table was bare, but soon it would be surrounded, and she knew they would all have a lot of questions.
‘Ian, Carmen,’ Isaac said.
‘Isaac, you’re ready?’ Ian asked, his eyes bloodshot, Catherine doubted he slept much these days.
‘Yes, Ian, I have come up with a plausible way forward, one that will not disrupt the existing plans.’ Isaac gave a half-smile in Carmen’s direction, ‘Carmen and you are needed here, we will move on.’
‘And by we you mean?’ Carmen asked.
Isaac kept a straight face. ‘I will make a suggestion, everyone else will decide. It is not my choice who stays and goes, it is ours.’
Carmen gave a sigh, ‘That is the only way.’
‘The only way for what?’ Franco asked, he strode in with a slight swagger. His dark, practically black, eyes narrowed.
His wife, Elena, hid behind him like she always did. Juan came up alongside his father, a younger but practically identical version.
‘Franco, we have a lot to discuss,’ Isaac said, his voice relaxed yet exerting some control.
‘I’m sure we do,’ he said, his tone impatient. ‘We’ll sit down and wait for the others.’
A minute later, Morten and Arla arrived and took a seat.
No-one was late for this meeting.
When Catherine saw Eilif come in with Anna and Ingrid she was slightly surprised. Ingrid was not one of the originals, but she had a feeling she knew why she was there.
‘Ingrid cannot attend,’ Franco huffed, standing up.
Anna glanced at her husband, Juan. ‘She has important information for the rest of us.’
Franco slumped back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest, ‘I’m sure she does. You might as well send the girl in, let everyone join in!’
Ingrid waited at the entrance, and stared at the floor.
Eilif went next to her and whispered in her ear. Then he lightly grabbed her upper arm and led her to a seat.
As everyone sat down there was a momentary pause. They were all there, the remaining few, short of three originals.
At the head of the table, Ian cleared his throat, ‘Friends, we have much to discuss. And Isaac has stepped up to lead the proceedings. I feel I am ill-disposed to lead, unless I have everyone’s vote of confidence.’
Franco guffawed slightly, Catherine scowled at him. Ian was right – he did not have Franco’s support.
No-one ever questioned Isaac. She was glad he had stepped up to the role.
From the other end of the table, Isaac spoke, ‘Thank you Ian. We all appreciate what you do. It has not been easy on you. The loss of a father is difficult, not a day goes by that I do not think of my own. Family is very important,’ he paused, and looked around the table, ‘to all of us.’
Franco shrugged his shoulders, aloof. Sometimes Catherine really wanted to thump him. He was such an arrogant and self-centred man. It was lucky Elena was so docile, she suspected few woman would tolerate him.
Isaac ignored Franco, and continued, ‘A new dawn is upon us. I will cut to the chase, Steven turned his girlfriend, Caitlin, into one of us and,’ the protestations started, but he held his hands out firmly, ‘and, it appears that she was not the first.’
Around the table those that did not know glanced at each other, concerned yet curious.
‘Let me explain,’ Isaac said. ‘It appears that Judith was not bitten by bats, she was turned by Jeff. They kept it a secret from all of us, and for some strange reason decided to share the knowledge on how to change humans with Steven. We believe this was because they felt guilty for never having shared it with Emily. They believed,’ he glanced at Franco and Juan, ‘perhaps incorrectly, that she would have led a better life if she would have been given the choice.’
Franco could not hold back, ‘Emily should never have had that choice.’
Isaac gave a curt nod, ‘I agree with you, my friend,
I do agree with you. But, if you remember Steven at all then you will acknowledge, as we all must, he is not like his mother. This is why, I think at least, his grandparents gave him the choice.’
‘And so, this girl, this child, is one of us?’ Franco spluttered the words.
‘It appears so,’ Isaac added. ‘We have only just got to know her, but Ingrid became friends with her straight away. Ingrid, can you please tell us about Caitlin?’
Ingrid sat a bit straighter. ‘Of course. She’s a very nice person. I don’t think she’ll have any problems settling into our way of life. She seems keen to learn, to adapt. Very different to Steven,’ she said, raising her eyebrows.
Juan frowned. ‘In what way is she different?’
Ingrid dropped the smile. ‘She’s friendly. Steven was very hostile at first.’
Morton spoke for the first time, ‘Does anything about her strike you as different from us in any way?’
Ingrid cocked her head slightly to the side. ‘Not really. Then again, no-one ever suspected Judith was different, did they?’
Catherine gave a little cough, ‘I did.’
Franco gave her a venomous stare. ‘And why have you never said anything?’
‘She was my mother,’ Catherine said, ‘I suspected from the beginning she was different, but I did not dwell on it. Emily suspected something too, and it made her angry – she did not like the fact something was held back.’
Anna sheepishly joined in, ‘I also thought my mother was different.’
Ian raised his hands, ‘I didn’t, honest.’
Catherine held back a smile, she was not surprised. Ian was only ten when the attack happened. He was too young to notice then, and when he was old enough to realise he was not looking for anything.
‘So, the question is – different how?’ Isaac asked, he looked around the room. It seemed he did not want an answer as such. ‘I have given this a lot of thought, and I believe Caitlin may reveal a lot of possibilities and their disadvantages to our race.’
‘How so?’ Morten asked.
‘Ingrid, thank you for your time,’ Isaac deviated for a moment. ‘I only have one more question for you?’
Ingrid made to stand, but then waited, ‘Yes.’
Isaac continued, ‘When you drank Steven’s blood you were repulsed, correct? Any other side effects?’
Ingrid looked straight ahead as she considered, ‘I was repulsed, yes, but I still drank from him. I stopped when I realised how weak I felt. I knew then something was very wrong.’
‘Thank you, Ingrid. We have things to discuss that it is best you do not hear for now, it might change the way you look at Caitlin.’
‘Oh,’ Ingrid narrowed her eyes, then got up and hastily left the room.
Once the room was secure again, Isaac turned back to face everyone. ‘I have a suspicion, and we would have to carry out tests of course, that Caitlin is barren. Judith was considered too old to have children, but it was still possible and yet she never conceived. I believe that normal humans that are changed cannot reproduce.’
‘That would simplify things,’ Franco said, a smug look on his face.
‘Possibly,’ Isaac said. ‘The question is what about Steven? Can he father children? We would need more tests.’
Catherine gritted her teeth. She did not want Steven and Caitlin to be treated like lab rats, but she did not want to interrupt her husband.
‘The interesting thing is that Ingrid was repulsed by Steven’s blood, in the same way we’re all repulsed by the blood of our kind. Saying this, we know from the journey that Emily fed from Caitlin and recovered. Then Caitlin fed from Steven and recovered, and then Steven fed from Emily and recovered. The point is Caitlin’s blood was not bad for Emily, and then Emily’s blood healed Steven. Do you not see the implications?’
A lot of faces paled.
Anna spoke slowly, ‘Caitlin is capable of feeding us, but can regenerate herself when she has blood,’ she glanced around uneasily. ‘Any human changed could help us survive. We would not have to die if we had a steady source of human blood that would not kill the human involved. This would have saved my mother. There would be no more guilt, if any of you felt any. Think about it, we would have no more bodies to conceal.’
Ian gave a low whistle. ‘It would change everything. But, if you’re right, how do you think Caitlin will feel when she finds out she can’t have any children when all of us have them like rabbits?’
‘That I don’t know,’ his expression became forlorn, ‘first, we find out.’
‘What about the plans for the move to Borneo?’ Carmen asked.
‘Nothing has changed,’ Isaac replied. ‘We stick to the plan. Catherine and I will lead the move to Borneo, Ian and Carmen will lead the community here. Ian, Carmen, are you still happy to do this?’
Ian looked around the table. ‘Only if I have everyone’s backing.’
Franco’s features relaxed. ‘We do not want to lead.’
‘Neither do we,’ Morten smiled, his hand firmly in his wife’s.
‘Then it is agreed, ‘Isaac said, ‘Nothing changes, but until we find out more about Caitlin I suggest we keep her in solitary confinement. It would be dangerous for her if any of our kind found her appealing, so to speak.’
‘What about Steven?’ Catherine asked. She doubted he would leave Caitlin, but wondered if he should be given the choice.
Anna stretched out her arms. ‘I have a feeling Steven is happy to stay where he is. Let’s leave them together until we decide to introduce Caitlin.’
‘Is it wise to introduce Caitlin at all?’ Juan asked, his face quizzical.
Anna placed her hand over his, ‘She is not an animal. We have to let her out eventually. After this, what will be, will be.’
Catherine glanced at Isaac, her eyes pleading.
Isaac caught her stare and gave a low nod. ‘Caitlin will be introduced after the tests. Everyone in favour?’
All of the hands shot up.
Catherine relaxed. At least Caitlin would have a chance in the long run. It was a chance, nothing more. It was not a big surprise her father was so overly-protective of her mother. It also explained the bite marks her mother had fought to conceal over the years, Catherine had seen them though. She knew someone bit her, and now she knew who it must have been and why her father was always so strong when her mother was so weak. It made her sick. She just hoped her mother had never suffered, and yet, somehow she knew the answer to that. It explained why her mother had chosen to die.
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Chapter 19
Testing
Steven did not know what to think. Caitlin seemed to be back, the old Caitlin, the girl he fell in love with. He was worried about her though, there was no denying it. She seemed so unstable, hot and cold. Yet, she seemed to have calmed down, to have come to terms with what she was and, if he was lucky, to have fallen for him again. He could not bear to lose her, he loved her too much. He just knew she was the one he was meant to be with, she had to be, otherwise none of it made any sense.
They had decided to watch a film in the end, to pass the time. There was not a lot they could really do whilst confined to four walls. Steven squeezed his hand against her shoulder; he loved the feel of her body against his. To hold her again, to be comfortable together, it was a luxury.
At his squeeze, Caitlin moved slightly and said, ‘You okay.’
‘Yes, I’m fine.’
Caitlin eased off his body and sat to face him. ‘Do you think they’ll be long? This suspense is killing, and I’m looking forward to seeing that waterfall you all talked about.’
‘You’ll see it,’ Steven smiled. ‘Don’t fret. Let’s watch the end of the film.’
Caitlin slumped back into his chest and gave a loud sigh, ‘I was never the patient type. I wish they’d hurry up.’
An hour later, as the end credits for the film started to scroll down, they heard the sound of the key in the door. When it opened they saw
Catherine at the door, Isaac behind her.
‘Caitlin, Steven, good film?’
Steven sensed her voice was strained, as though she was trying really hard to sound friendly. It was not like Catherine.
‘Yes, we’re fine,’ Steven said, ‘bored, but fine.’
Isaac stood alongside Catherine. ‘We’ve explained your presence to the others and we do not see that you pose any threats, however we would like to take blood from both of you and carry out some routine tests before you join the community. We need to make sure you do not carry any diseases, even if inadvertently.’
‘Neither of us have diseases,’ Steven frowned. ‘You didn’t do any testing on me when I arrived.’
Catherine bit her lip. Steven knew he was on to something.
‘Things have changed since you arrived. We have to be more cautious, for the sake of the community.’
It sounded like a plausible excuse, but Steven still did not like it. ‘Can we stay together for the testing?’
‘As much as possible,’ Isaac said, a smile on his face.
Steven looked at Caitlin. She looked resigned to the fate, as though she had no fight left. He did not like what they were doing. He knew they wanted to test Caitlin, not him. It was easier to say they needed to do both of them, but he could see through the lie.
‘Caitlin, are you okay with this?’ Steven asked.
Caitlin put on a brave face, he knew it well. ‘If it’s in the interest of the community how can I refuse? When do we go? The sooner we get this over with the better, as far as I’m concerned.’
‘In that case, come with us,’ Isaac said, ‘a team is ready and waiting, it should not take long. When it’s all done, we will introduce you to the community and your new life.’
Caitlin took hold of Steven’s hand and pressed hard, ‘I’m ready.’
The Evolution Trilogy: Hybrid, Complications & Return Page 75