The Evolution Trilogy: Hybrid, Complications & Return

by Vanessa Wester

  No Caitlin. No degree.

  Yet, he knew he had done the right thing, he could not let Lucy raise the children without him.

  There was a meeting to attend, so he forced himself into action. He got the feeling it was a big deal, but he was too tired to care.

  He made his way over to the breakfast hall, loaded up his plate and took a seat next to Gideon. He had avoided Jenson and Susanna recently – they were too loved up for words.

  He tucked in and tuned out the mindless chatter going on around him. A touch of auburn caught the corner of his eye, and he glanced up momentarily to see Caitlin walk past next to Ingrid. They seemed to be thick as thieves recently. She caught his eye for a moment and gave a sad smile. His gaze lingered on hers for a second as he gave a tired smile back. Then he sighed and returned to his meal. He did not have the energy to even try to bridge that gap at the moment.

  Eventually, everyone started to make their way over to the great hall and he followed, whilst trying to keep away from conversation. Over the last few days, he had talked so little that everyone realised he wanted to be left alone. It suited him just fine.

  After ten minutes of standing around, he saw Ian and Catherine assembled on the podium. The rest of the originals stood near the front. The atmosphere was tense as people whispered. None of the children were there. Someone must have got the lucky job of looking after them. Come to think of it, Caitlin was nowhere to be seen. He wondered if she was looking after the older children.

  Finally, Ian began, ‘Thank you for coming along this morning to yet another gathering. A lot has happened over the last two years. First, we found out that we had a new member of the community no-one knew about for nearly twenty years. Steven, we hope we made you welcome.’ Ian turned to Steven.

  Steven kept a straight face.

  Ian continued, ‘I know for a lot of you the idea that our kind should breed with ordinary humans is repulsive. And yet when Emily did, the outcome, Steven, is really no different to us, I’m sure you all agree.

  A few people frowned.

  ‘Second, we lost our leader and his wife, my father and mother – they are missed every day, and then my sister, Emily,’ Ian coughed, then carried on, ‘a lot of fallacies have been revealed to us. For years we have kept away from normal society, but not because we were ashamed, because of what we thought we could do. And yet, we can die, we are not immortal. We also know, since Caitlin joined our community, that a human can become one of us. We have not talked extensively to you about this, but even though Caitlin has familiar traits she is not like the rest of us. Some of you know this already but the truth is Judith was also like Caitlin.’

  A series of gasps escaped, and a muffled chatter erupted.

  ‘Settle down everyone,’ Isaac said, ‘let Ian speak.’

  As people quietened down, Ian continued, ‘My mother was changed by my father. It is clear now that the reason my father sought to protect us was because he was aware that we could do things that could be construed to be of a vampiric nature, including changing a human being. The question remains and is unspoken… how do we change a human, and more importantly why would we want to?’

  Ian took the time to slowly look around the room for moment, before he explained, ‘The reason for the why is easy in the case of both my mother and Caitlin – they were both changed in the name of love. But, and this is a big but, it came at a price. I have to tell you all that Caitlin will never have children.’

  More looks of horror resulted, and people glanced at Steven in disgust.

  ‘But,’ Ian continued, raising his voice, ‘Steven did not know this would happen when he changed Caitlin. At least now we know. As to the how – there’s no point going there. Why would anyone want to change a human after what we have discovered? We cherish life here, and being able to give new life is the right of any woman. None of us have the right to take it away. I admit we do not know what would happen if a man was changed. Saying that, why would we want to find out?’

  Ian glanced at Catherine and she gave him a reassuring smile.

  ‘The truth is, we don’t know whether Caitlin will age but, since Judith didn’t, we assume she won’t.’

  He attempted to sound optimistic as he added, ‘However, every cloud has a silver lining. Her blood is different to ours, and as luck would have it whilst working with a sample of her blood and that of monkeys we have found a way to make a new, improved, synthetic blood. We don’t know if it’ll enable the change, but we suspect it will since Tobias survived. And so, another discovery. We don’t have to feed off humans for blood – we can make it ourselves.’

  He nodded towards Eilif, and held his head high, ‘This leads me to the final point,’ he paused and coughed, ‘we know that the community is too big. We have to start again, or some of us do, on the island of Borneo. The thing is, based on everything I have just said, should we remain hidden away from humanity? Should we shy away from the outside world? Or, should we actually consider joining it? Trust me, the originals have discussed this at length and personally, I have reached a conclusion.’

  The atmosphere in the room was intense. Steven had no idea what he could reveal next.

  ‘I’m not your leader, I never was. I’m one of you, and as one of you I am not in a position to tell you what to do anymore. I think we are all entitled to free will, to decide our own destiny. The gates are open, the heads of each family have the exit codes. You can all do as you wish.’

  A loud, unsettled chatter erupted, so Ian lifted his hands up. ‘I do warn you that if you choose to leave here without the ability to create synthetic blood, you’ll become a murderer. At some point you will need blood, and you all take full responsibility for your young. I believe that only those who have changed, and have parental consent, should go. But, that’s just my opinion. I choose to stay here for now, this is my home, but I will not tell you what to do from now on. Thank you for being so patient.’

  Ian moved to the side with the rest of the originals.

  Catherine faced a silent, speechless crowd. ‘Isaac, my family and I are still going to Borneo to start again. Anyone wishing to join us is welcome.’ Catherine moved next to Ian.

  Morten moved into position. ‘I’m taking my family back to Sweden. We will start anew there.’

  Franco stood next to him. ‘And I’m returning to my homeland, Spain. We will start again, we will help my country regain its former power. This is not the end, it is the beginning.’

  Steven could not believe what they were saying. The community was falling apart.

  He watched as everyone started to talk at once and ask questions. Within a series of minutes, groups had formed around the originals. It seemed that family loyalties were having a swing on people’s decisions.

  Steven made his way over to Catherine. She caught his eye and made her way towards him and excused herself from her husband, Isaac.

  They walked away from the room together.

  Once they were alone, Catherine said, ‘You will come with us?’

  ‘Right,’ Steven nodded, ‘and anyone who wants to go just leaves? Just like that.’

  ‘Pretty much.’

  ‘Madness,’ Steven said, his eyes narrowed.

  ‘No, it gives everyone a chance at a life. It give those you love a chance,’ Catherine stressed.

  ‘Caitlin?’ Steven felt his chest constrict. ‘Has she left? Has she gone?’

  ‘Yes, it’s for the best,’ Catherine nodded. ‘You’ll see her again one day, I’m sure. But, now you must let her go.’

  Steven fought to keep it together. She could not have left, she could not have abandoned him. This was not the way it was meant to end. He choked out the words, ‘Who went with her?’

  ‘I think you know. The only person who can make what they need, the only other person she trusts.’

  ‘Not Ingrid, please not Ingrid,’ Steven said, his hands in fists.

  ‘You never understood that Ingrid never meant you any harm. You never real
ised that all along she only wanted the best for you. And now she’s looking after someone you care about. She is a true friend and you should be grateful she has chosen to help Caitlin.’

  Steven relaxed his hands, and spoke through gritted teeth, ‘And there’s nothing I can do.’

  Catherine put her hand on his shoulder. ‘You cannot perform your duty as a father and leave with Caitlin. Besides, I think she’s looking forward to finding out who she really is. You want the best for her and this is it.’

  ‘This is it. Everything I have gone through, the deception, the death, the confusion, all for this. Free will.’

  Catherine smiled. ‘Do not mock it. Free will is something man has fought for, and we seek to give it back to our kind. We will hide what we are, we will mix within society, and we will have to adapt and find ways to avoid suspicion. It should be easy to do. And if any of us are ever caught, there’s no way they’ll be able to prove that we’re different. If we don’t feed we will simply die. Life repeats itself again through our children. We will learn from our mistakes, from our past, just like every other human before us.’

  ‘Okay,’ Steven took a deep breath and composed himself. ‘I’ve got to go.’

  He walked away in a trance barely hearing Catherine ask him to go see her if he needed help.

  When he arrived it amazed him that nothing had changed, life continued.

  He did not know what he expected. Somehow, he had the impression loads of them would run for the exits, but it did not appear to be happening. He kept his head low and listened as the others discussed their options. They sounded excited, but not overly bothered. The majority wanted to stay as they were – it seemed the unknown did not appeal to everyone.

  ‘What about you, Steven?’ Susanna asked, as she broke away from the others.

  ‘What about me?’ Steven smiled.

  ‘What are you going to do?’

  ‘I’ll go with my aunt Catherine to Borneo.’

  ‘Hey,’ she paused, ‘sorry about what happened to Caitlin. It must be tough.’

  ‘Caitlin will be just fine. Don’t be sorry, she has always been stronger than the rest of us. She was never fussed about having a family.’ He did not know it for sure, but it felt right to say it aloud.

  ‘Of course,’ Susanna spluttered, ‘I just…’

  ‘Don’t worry about it.’ Steven lowered his head and swallowed. He did not want to talk about her anymore.

  He had a job to do. Deciding how Borneo would be organised had never been so important. It would be easier to accept the fact that Caitlin no longer wanted him in her life if he just concentrated on work, his children and survival.

  Love had always been far too over-rated and it was obvious his mind and heart had different agendas.

  He would not let his children down – ever.

  Back to Table of Contents

  EPILOGUE

  Return

  Caitlin giggled nervously as she made her way through the thick trees and undergrowth. ‘Are we nearly there?’

  Ingrid turned to face her and rolled her eyes. ‘After everything we’ve seen over the past five years, you should have got over your nerves.’

  ‘Oh, it’s just that…’

  ‘I know,’ Ingrid smiled, ‘even I’m wary about seeing Steven again, although I look forward to seeing Tobias more.’

  Caitlin shook her head. ‘Just because Tobias is the eternal romantic. I’m amazed you managed to have a long distance relationship with him after all this time.’

  Ingrid raised an eyebrow. ‘Hey, don’t dismiss it. Love can work its magic via email, telephone and messaging.’

  ‘We’ll see if he’s as good in the flesh as he has led you to believe. Truly, I hope it works out for you. But, seriously, stop teasing me. Steven and I are history. I left without saying goodbye and he has children with another woman. Why would he even remember me?’ Her stomach whirled slightly at the thought. It was stupid to go there even though she had put off a visit to Borneo for a long time.

  ‘Yeah, why would he…’ Ingrid chuckled, then gasped as she pointed ahead, ‘there it is!’

  An open community had been created in the middle of the jungle. It was not a hidden world inside a volcano. It was outside. If any human stumbled upon it they would simply have their memory erased, or so she’d been told.

  There were a lot of things she’d had to do to survive with Ingrid. It was just life.

  As they made their way in, a range of familiar faces came into view. Ingrid started to hug a lot of the adults and Caitlin embraced some of the now much older children she had worked with.

  Everyone fired questions at them.

  Eventually, they took a seat by the fire. Caitlin was given some stew and water. She was ravenous, and did not care what it was. All the time she was eating, her eyes surveyed the area. It was ridiculous and a part of her wanted to get up and run away. It was a mistake to be here.

  A little girl came up to her and handed her a wooden doll, with intricate details cut into the wood for a face, and a simple dress made from a green fabric. As Caitlin went to say thank you she saw the girl’s eyes were the deepest amber, streaked with gold strands – just like her father. She smiled, and swallowed hard to keep calm. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Will you tell me a story?’ the little girl asked, as she twirled a strand of raven hair in her finger.

  ‘Sure,’ Caitlin said, ‘what’s your name?’

  ‘Cara.’

  Caitlin nodded, and resisted the urge to smile. ‘So, Cara, what stories do you like?’

  Cara took a seat on the floor and licked her lower lip, nose scrunched in concentration. After a minute, she replied, ‘Where’ve you been?’

  ‘Well,’ Caitlin replied, ‘that would take a long time.’

  ‘That’s okay,’ the girl settled back onto her hands.

  Caitlin glanced at Ingrid, but she was still talking to the others. ‘Okay. Well, I went to see the world.’

  ‘Where did you go?’ Her innocent expression and large eyes made Caitlin’s heart melt.

  ‘Hmmm… First, we saw a lot of South America. Have you seen a world map?’

  ‘Yes, my mummy showed me, but I don’t remember Sou’ ‘Merica.’ She frowned.

  The fact she found the words hard to say forced a smile. ‘Okay, well, I’ll draw you a picture on the ground.’ Caitlin took a stick and drew a rough sketch of the world on the ground. Then she pointed at South America. ‘This is where we started.’ She trailed the stick along the route as she spoke, ‘Then we moved to North America, then Canada, then we sailed across the ocean and landed in Ireland, then moved to the rest of Europe, before we crossed into Africa via a tiny place called Gibraltar – the place I was born.’

  The girl was enraptured. ‘Did you see any animals?’

  ‘Yes,’ Caitlin nodded, ‘we saw lots and lots of animals.’

  ‘Wow…’ Cara stared with an open mouth. ‘Can I come with you?’

  ‘I just got here,’ she laughed, ‘maybe one day.’

  ‘Were they scary?’

  Caitlin nearly said “not as scary as us” instead she replied, ‘They’re just animals. Some are more dangerous than others.’

  ‘When I’m bigger, like you, I can go,’ Cara smiled.

  ‘Maybe you will,’ a deep voice said behind Caitlin.

  ‘Daddy,’ the girl screamed, as she got off the floor and ran into his arms.

  Caitlin turned around, her insides falling to pieces. She glanced up at a bearded face, with the same amber eyes. ‘Steven, nice to see you again.’

  ‘Caitlin,’ he nodded.

  Just the sound of her name off his lips make her quiver.

  ‘Do you know Caitlin, Daddy?’ Cara asked.

  Steven put his daughter down. ‘Yes, I know Caitlin. Now, run along and go find your mum. I’m sure Caitlin will tell you more stories later.’

  ‘Will you, will you?’ Cara jumped on the spot.

  ‘I promise,’ Caitlin smiled.


  When Cara was gone Steven sat next to her. ‘It’s been a long time.’

  ‘It has,’ Caitlin said.

  ‘You finally cut your hair,’ he gave a half-smile.

  ‘Oh, yeah,’ Caitlin said, as she absentmindedly ran her hand over her short cropped hair. ‘I said I would cut it all off one day.’

  ‘It’s nice,’ he said, his eyes fixed on hers, ‘it suits you.’

  To break eye contact, she asked, ‘How’s Lucy?’ and then glanced towards Ingrid.

  Ingrid caught her eye, smiled, and then continued her conversation.

  ‘Lucy’s great, she’s a good mother,’ Steven replied.

  Caitlin hated the way the conversation sounded forced, as if neither of them dared say what they really thought. She continued the façade, and asked, ‘How are you?’

  ‘As you see,’ Steven said.

  She could tell he had faced her again and she looked towards him and smiled.

  One moment he maintained a stiff posture and intense expression, and the next he relaxed as he saw her more at ease. ‘I’m glad you’re here now. Are you planning to stay long?’

  ‘We don’t know,’ she replied.

  ‘Look, I don’t want to bring up the past,’ he faltered for a moment, ‘it’s obvious you’re doing well. I’m happy for you. Can I just ask, can we be friends?’ He held out his hand.

  ‘Of course,’ Caitlin gave a cheeky grin and held out her hand. As they touched an electric current raced down her arm. She jolted it away and gave an awkward laugh. ‘Sorry.’

  Steven’s lips twitched, as though amused, as he stood up. ‘It’s nothing you could control. I hope we get the chance to catch up again later. Either way, Cara will get you first. She has a way of getting what she wants.’

  ‘Clever girl,’ Caitlin stood up next to him.

  Steven took a step away, but then he turned back and said, ‘Can I say something else?’

  ‘Sure,’ Caitlin spluttered, annoyed she felt like a stupid teenager.

  ‘I never forgot you.’ His gaze lingered for an eternity before he turned to leave.