“Shall we go?"
“You look very nice,” he complimented her. “You have your mother's poise and beauty."
She smiled, flattered. “Thanks, Dad."
“You'll make the men's heads turn,” he added, before walking out ahead of her.
The hotel was less than twenty minutes’ drive from their suburb. Cars were already parked outside and it was clear they weren't the first guests to arrive. As they entered the reception area, a waiter dressed in a black uniform offered them a drink. Her father took up the offer, scanning the crowd while sipping his sherry. She knew he was looking for a familiar face, and before she knew it, he'd disappeared into the collection of guests, leaving her standing alone like a lost sheep. It was a good thing that she'd become used to his occasional inconsiderate behaviour. Had he been her boyfriend, she'd have dropped him like a hot potato. Fortunately, he wasn't. But it didn't take him long to return.
“Honey, there's someone I want you to meet,” he said, ushering her unceremoniously through the crowd.
She sighed. No doubt that once again it was some young businessman he thought would be a good catch, and she'd end up being bored out of her mind the rest of the evening, too polite to tell the poor sod to get lost. When it came to men, her parents were like pit-bulls. When they thought they'd found a match for her, they held on for dear life. She loved her parents, but it was really getting out of hand. She would need to have a serious talk with them.
“Ah, here we are,” her father suddenly said, clearly pleased. “Cathy, I would like you to meet Professor Al-Abud."
The name rang a bell, but it took a few minutes before she knew why—he had to have been the guest lecturer she had missed that morning. She held out her hand in greeting. “What a surprise, Professor. Apparently I missed a very good lecture this morning."
“Oh, you are a student?” the Professor asked, appearing intrigued.
She nodded, shaking his hand briefly. “Yes, I study Ancient History."
There was something in the old man's dark eyes resisting her from looking away, and she had to force herself to look at her father.
“Sue, Darren's girlfriend, mentioned Professor Al-Abud. She said his lecture was brilliant,” she explained.
The Professor turned to the man at his side. “See, you should have been there."
She hadn't immediately noticed the younger man standing next to Professor Al-Abud, and she looked up, offering her hand in greeting. She was instantly struck by his tall stature and piercing green eyes. She frowned, convinced she'd met him before.
But where?
The Professor motioned towards his colleague. “Miss McNeal, meet my colleague, Dr. Eqin O'Connor. Dr. O'Connor, meet Miss McNeal."
“Pleased to meet you,” she said.
“Pleased to meet you, too,” he replied with a telltale Irish accent. Judging by his tone, he was really pleased to meet her, and she blushed. He took her hand in his and she noticed how perfectly it fitted. She felt strangely at ease with him, as if she had known him all her life.
Out of her corner of her eye, she noticed her father pucker his brow, and instinctively knew he didn't approve.
“Cathy is a postgraduate student,” he stated.
Professor Al-Abud looked at her. “Is that so? Do you enjoy your studies?"
She turned to the older man to answer his question.
“Yes, I do. I planned to study corporate law, but after a few months I realised I wasn't passionate enough about it so I changed my major. I think it's important to be passionate about what one is doing."
“Yes, indeed. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Sometimes we have to do what we have to do."
There was a moment of awkward silence. The Professor's words seemed out of place and she wasn't sure how to react. Her father excused himself, detecting someone else he needed to make small talk to, leaving her alone with the two foreigners.
When he'd left, she spoke again. “I'm looking forward to your next lecture, Professor."
Eqin nodded in agreement. “So am I."
She looked at him surprised. “Why? I would have thought that you'd heard the Professor's lectures several times."
The Professor smiled scornfully. “Dr. O'Connor does not attend many of my lectures. He feels that he is already knowledgeable enough."
He exchanged a meaningful glance with Eqin that didn't escape her observant eye, and she wondered what that was all about.
“I don't see the value of listening to the same unbelievable theories,” said Eqin.
“The theories are quite believable, my young friend,” the Professor said.
“Yes, and the pyramids weren't built more than twelve thousand years ago and no advanced civilisation existed before that time,” Eqin responded sarcastically.
Cathy frowned. “I thought the pyramids were built around 2500 BC. Is that not the case?"
He shook his head. “You see, that is what I am saying. This is what your theories are creating."
“I didn't state that as a fact. I merely asked a question,” she said coolly, feeling a bit annoyed by his comment.
The Professor smiled sympathetically. “I must apologise for my colleague. He gets somewhat carried away. Of course the pyramids were only built in the third millennia BC.” There was a moment of silence before he added, “Let us not spoil a good evening by debating the validity of mainstream thought. Would you excuse me for a moment, I see the host has arrived. I want to share a quick word with her."
Cathy stared at the old man as he walked away. Even for his age he was remarkably agile, walking with a most unusual, strangely athletic stride. It was almost feline, and yet, at the same time, he held his back very straight. A strange man, she thought.
“He's intriguing, isn't he?” suggested Eqin as if he had read her thoughts.
His gaze was resting on her and she blushed profusely. Self-conscious, she turned back to him. “Eh ... yes, I suppose.... “She suddenly felt tongue-tied. “I get this ... peculiar feeling around him. I can't quite place it."
“You're right. He is a peculiar person. Maybe it's because he is from another world."
“He's not that old,” she remarked.
He frowned. “You don't understand...” But before he could finish his sentence, Professor Al-Abud had joined them again, glancing sharply at Eqin. She felt a sense of unease.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a person whom she would have rather avoided, heading in their direction.
Oh no. Not Darlene!
She quickly tried to excuse herself, but her luck failed her miserably. The red lips pecked her on the cheek before she had a chance to duck, and she had to resist the temptation to wipe her face in public as the lips withdrew. The heavy floral scent of the older woman was overpowering.
“Hello, darling,” said Darlene. Her voice was deep and sultry. “I haven't seen you in such a long time. I thought you'd left the country."
“Hello, Darlene,” she replied evenly.
The heavily made-up, middle-aged woman turned towards the two men, giving them a quick up and down. She evidently liked what she saw. “I'm Darlene, and who might you be?"
Her words were so heavily loaded with sexual innuendo that Cathy looked away appalled. The woman was married, after all!
The two men, on the other hand, seemed unaffected by Darlene's simmering attempts at sensuality, although Professor Al-Abud did hold Darlene's hand a bit longer than was required, and smiled a bit more admiringly than was appropriate.
Fine wrinkles of amusement started forming around Cathy's eyes when she realised that Darlene was falling hook, line and sinker for the old man's charm. She caught Eqin's gaze and saw her own amusement reflected in his eyes, but neither said a word.
Professor Al-Abud brought Darlene's hand gently to his lips, eliciting a coy giggle from the older woman in the low-cut shiny red mini dress.
The old man introduced himself. “I am charmed to meet you, Madam. I am Professor Al-Abud.
This is my colleague Dr. O'Connor."
“Well ... hello,” drawled Darlene. She gave Eqin an appreciative look. It was clear that she wasn't averse to flirting with younger men. “You're a doctor. Is that a medical doctor or one of those clever academic ones?” she asked coquettishly, moving closer to Eqin, and pressing herself up against him while waiting for him to take her outstretched hand.
“I'm a doctor in Egyptology,” Eqin said evenly.
“My! Egyptology. You must be a very clever man.” Darlene replied admiringly, but Cathy wondered if she had any idea what Egyptology was.
She couldn't watch the older woman make a fool of herself a minute longer.
“If you'd excuse me, I'll just get a drink from the bar,” she said in an attempt to remove herself from Darlene's company.
To her surprise, Eqin stepped forward and caught her arm. “Wait, let me get it for you."
She could hardly miss the desperation in his voice and for a moment, she almost agreed, but then she shook her head. “No, thank you. I'll get it myself."
However, Eqin was not easily discouraged. “No, I insist. Not getting a woman a drink is extremely impolite in my country."
Her eyes narrowed. Since when?
But she was outmanoeuvred, and backed off reluctantly. Her gaze followed him as he headed towards the bar.
Darlene caught her staring, and giggled coquettishly. “Oh my! Isn't he a darling? You shouldn't let him slip through your fingers. But then, you aren't really interested in men, are you?"
It was on the tip of Cathy's tongue to respond to the woman's last remark, but then she decided it was simply not worth the effort. Without a further word, she went to look for Eqin. She was surprised when she found him comfortably seated on a bar stool, drinking from a tall glass. Her drink was nowhere in sight.
“I was just about to bring your drink over,” he said, taking a sip from his glass.
“Yeah, right."
She sat down next to him at the bar counter. He was rather self-assured for someone who had just met her. Placing her order, she could feel Eqin's gaze on her, and again went red.
He winked at her teasingly. “At least we have a chance to get to know each other better."
She glanced at him, trying hard to appear indifferent. “The speeches are about to begin. My dad's waiting for me."
Eqin hesitated, and then said almost grudgingly, “Yeah, I guess we won't be sharing a table."
She looked over his shoulder, and saw her father gesturing at her from a distance. He pointed meaningfully at the empty chair next to him, and she nodded. Looking at Eqin, she said, “I have to go. It was nice meeting you."
She picked up her glass, walked over to her father's table and sat down. The lights had been dimmed and people were taking their seats. She looked around to see if she could see Eqin or Professor Al-Abud. Their table was close to hers, and she glanced in their direction, vaguely hoping to catch Eqin's eye, but the two men appeared to be engrossed in an intense discussion.
After a while their exchange ended and their attention became focussed on the guest speaker. As if sensing her, Eqin took his gaze off the speaker and looked directly at her, smiling. She blushed self-consciously, embarrassed that he'd caught her staring. She averted her eyes for a moment, then looked back at him and returned his smile. She had to admit she liked him. He was self-confident, apparently easy-going, and not too unpleasant on the eye.
Just then, she noticed the Professor had turned towards him, and she caught the old man's eye. He seemed angry, leaned over towards Eqin and exclaimed something. Eqin's face instantly fell. He shook his head and said something to the older man, but the Professor had already turned his back on his young colleague.
How odd.
She was sure the old man had reprimanded Eqin about something.
They certainly seem to have an unusual relationship.
The rest of the evening Eqin seemed to avoid her gaze. Only once did Professor Al-Abud look in her direction, but she couldn't read his expression.
The incident left her feeling ill at ease. Something about it was not right, but she couldn't quite place it.
She quietly hoped that she would get another opportunity to speak to Eqin, but at the end of the evening, she found their seats empty. They had to have left early.
Feeling disappointed she picked up her handbag. “Daddy, I'm just going to freshen up and then I'll meet you at the car, okay?"
“Yes, sure. Don't be long."
Cathy nodded, and walked down the darkened passage towards the ladies’ rooms. Most of the people had already left, and the hotel was suddenly uncomfortably quiet. Cathy had never been a nervous person, but for some reason, she got the distinct feeling she was being watched.
Her high heels made a muffled sound on the luxurious carpet as she continued down the passage. Although she knew it was empty, she struggled to shake her paranoia. She was convinced someone was following her. She stopped and looked over her shoulder. The passage was empty. There was no-one in sight.
With her heart hammering in her chest, she started walking again. Then she stopped abruptly. There it was again. The faint sound of muffled footsteps. Someone was definitely following her. She turned around and stared down the darkened passage. Where was ... he? She knew he was there. She could sense his presence.
“Cathy..."
Alarmed, she swirled around. “Eqin!” she gasped, trying to regain her composure. He'd been standing behind her all the time.
Where did he come from?
“Are you alright?"
“You gave me a fright,” she admitted with her heart still beating loudly in her ears.
“I'm sorry."
“Were you following me?"
He opened his mouth to say something, but then seemingly changed his mind. She frowned. His strange behaviour made her feel ill at ease.
What does he want? Why isn't he saying anything?
“I have to go,” she said, avoiding his eyes, and tried to squeeze past him, but he didn't budge. She looked up. “Please..."
He hesitated and then moved aside almost reluctantly. As she brushed past him, he grabbed her arm, holding it tightly as if not wanting to let her go. Their gazes met.
“Watch out for Professor Al-Abud,” he said in a low voice.
Cathy was stunned. She didn't know how to respond. When he let go of her arm, she rushed down the passage without looking back.
Her father was already waiting impatiently for her.
“Where have you been? I've been waiting for you for ages,” he said irritably.
Cathy avoided a direct answer. “I was held up."
Her father looked at her fleetingly. “I don't like that guy."
“What guy?” she asked, creasing her forehead.
“That O'Connor-guy. I don't like the way he looked at you. He's trouble."
Cathy managed to grin. “Oh, you're just overprotective, Dad. No guy is good enough for your only daughter."
“No, I mean it. I don't like him. He's trouble. Stay away from him,” her father ordered sternly.
She didn't answer. Any other day she would have argued with him, but perhaps he was right this time. The incident in the passage had left her shaken. There was something about Eqin ... something that was hard to define. She was convinced he wasn't who he claimed to be, but why warn her about Professor Al-Abud? She was probably never going to see the old man again.
Or was she?
* * *
Chapter 2
That Tuesday, Cathy was sitting on a bench under a tree, when a familiar voice interrupted her reading.
“Hi."
She looked up, startled, as Eqin sat down next to her. Her heart was beating a bit faster, but she tried not to show it. The incident four nights ago was already forgotten. There was something about Eqin that drew her like a magnet.
“Oh, hi,” she answered steadily.
Eqin motioned towards her book. “Studying?"
Cathy nodded her
head. “Yes."
He looked around. “Lovely campus. Really peaceful."
“Yeah, it is,” she replied. He was right. It was a peaceful campus, especially when the sun was shining.
Some distance away, Cathy saw Darren walking past and waved at him, but he didn't see her. He was walking slowly like an old man with his back bent and his eyes fixed on the ground. She frowned. What was wrong with him? She had never seen him like that.
Eqin had to have followed her glance, because he asked, “Friend of yours?"
“Yes,” she answered, unable to mask the concern in her voice. She felt Eqin's gaze on her.
“You seem concerned."
She nodded. “Yes, I am,” she admitted.
“What's wrong with him?"
She shrugged her shoulders. “Don't know. He hasn't been himself lately ... saying strange things..."
“Like?” he prodded.
She closed her book. “I don't know ... just strange things ... and he seems depressed...” She watched Darren disappear into the library, and frowned. “Something's wrong with him."
“What things has he been saying?"
Cathy glanced at him, wondering why he was so interested in what Darren had to say.
“He said there were aliens among us."
Eqin didn't flinch and when he didn't respond immediately, she quietly added, “You don't seem surprised."
“Should I be?” he said, looking her straight in the eye, and she felt herself go red—again. The man had the ability to make her feel like a fool.
Before she had a chance to answer, he looked at his watch, and got up. “I'm so sorry, but I have to go. Professor Al-Abud asked me to attend his lecture, and I'm already late. Maybe we can have coffee next time?"
Cathy packed her book in her backpack and got up. “Yes, that would be ... nice.” She spoke the words against her better judgement—her father's warning already forgotten.
“I'll see you later, then,” he said as he waved goodbye.
“Yes, I guess...” She suddenly felt a bit disappointed. Despite her father's reservations, she liked Eqin. He seemed like a perfectly nice guy.
* * * *
Eqin didn't go to any lecture. Instead, he went back to his hotel room. Cathy was no fool, and he knew she was getting suspicious when he asked her about Darren. So, he made up the story about the lecture. It was an easy way to avoid any more questions. There was something about that girl ... He had never met a woman like her before, and he had to admit that he found her company refreshing.
Alien Genes 1: Daughter of Atuk Page 2