by Dan Glover
Karen grunted something Lily couldn't hear. Marilyn didn’t acknowledge Karen other than to go on with her monologue.
"I think all that happens is preordained. We as human beings cannot change a thing even if we want to. God is omnipotent. In order to live a truly happy life all we have to do is give ourselves over to the will of god."
"I'm sorry, Marilyn, but I'm an atheist. You know that. We've had this discussion years ago. Why are you bringing it up now?"
Karen sounded perturbed at Marilyn's words but the woman continued on as if she hadn’t heard a thing. Her speech became increasingly hectic.
"All those souls who perished during the Great Dying did so because they did not love god. They turned their backs on him. Instead of worshiping him and following his commandments the people thought they knew best. They believed that they were the ones in charge when in reality it is god who abides in all."
"Look, Marilyn... I don’t want to hear this... if you haven’t anything else to say other than this tripe about god, please shut up."
"God sent his only begotten son to us to teach us love and forgiveness. Those who give themselves over to Jesus will have everlasting life. This is something you need to know, Karen. Don’t shut me out."
"Darling Nate, can you please pull over so I can ride up front with you and Lily?"
As she climbed into the front Karen rolled her eyes at Lily. For the remainder of the trip Marilyn was silent as a tomb. Nothing was said by anyone. Lily had an uneasy feeling about the woman as they descended into the depths of the CDC compound so she decided to keep a close eye on Marilyn. She was no match for the strength of Lily and Nate but she might try to overpower them in other ways.
Though they haven’t been back to the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control in over twenty years the power generator kicked to life immediately when Karen pushed the right buttons. Karen shuffled off into one of the lower cubicles to retrieve the sample she required while Nate went into the closet to gather up the list of needed items.
Lily still had nightmares about the place though she never shared them with even those closest to her. It was as if giving voice to the black visions made them corporeal, somehow... as if they might come to life if shared with anyone.
Marilyn appeared to be in a kind of fugue state. Lily watched out of the corner of her eyes as the woman wandered about with a lost look in her eyes, her hand tracing patterns of religious icons over the wall of glass that once was Lily's prison before breathing upon them to bring the images to life.
It wasn’t long before Karen returned with a canister under her arm which Lily assumed was what they had come for while Nate seemed to have crossed all the items off his list of things to gather as well.
"Okay, my darling Lily... are we all ready to get out of here?"
"I've been ready since we first arrived, sweet Nate. Do you have everything you need, precious Karen?"
Karen looked around the room. A look of bafflement crossed her face.
"I have what I need but where is Maon?"
The boy had been walking about investigating the doors all of which were locked, or so Lily had assumed. She felt a rush of fear realizing she had been paying more attention to Marilyn than to her own son. Karen set the canister down on the counter as they began a search for the boy.
"It's okay... he's in here."
Marilyn's voice came from inside the Plexiglas and steel enclosure that served as an isolation chamber. Lily, Nate, and Karen rushed inside. Sure enough, Maon was happily giggling over the switches he found that operated the steel shutters over the windows.
The sound of the door closing behind them and the lock turning chased away any momentary sense of relief Lily felt at finding her son. Marilyn's face was a contorted grin as she peered in at them from the outside.
"I really hope you all enjoy the remainder of your lives in this nice little cage. I have to be going now. Don't worry, Karen... I'll put this to good use."
Marilyn held up the canister containing the specimen Karen had so painstakingly gathered. Lily realized too late that the voice they heard inside the isolation chamber didn’t actually come from there... they were hearing the intercom. Marilyn had lured them into a trap.
A scream boiled up inside of Lily as Marilyn turned her back to them and walked out of the room. She fought her fear not wanting to frighten Maon.
A few seconds later the lights went out.
Chapter 37—Leaving Lake Baikal
"We've been here long enough, my lovelies."
The sun was rising over the mountains swollen orange and so bright it hurt her eyes still accustomed to the darkness before the dawn. Lily knew her lovers were still sleeping... she was whispering to the spirits of the Lake which she saw dancing over the waters in the misty new day.
She felt renewed. Yesterday she plunged into the Lake with Natalia and Lauren diving deep under the crystal waters with her sister while their lover treaded water far above, watching their intricate dance from the surface. Lily knew how badly Natalia desired to join them but they were too deep for any human to dive and survive even with scuba gear.
"We have to do this, my lovely Natalia. Please come with us... stay as close as you may and you will be safe. We will both encompass you with our love and no harm will come to you even though we part for a while."
"But what about the pollution in the water, darling Lily... will it not harm you and our lovely Lauren? You said the last time you dived into the Lake you both passed out from it."
"We will go to the place farthest from the paper mill. The waters will hopefully be safer for us there. We have learned a harsh lesson and we will take more care this time. Thank you for worrying about us, darling Natalia. You have no idea how I long to bring you with us to dance below the surface."
"Please allow me to try, my sweet Lily... maybe I can do it."
"But you will drown if we attempt such a feat, my precious Natalia... you haven’t the ability to do what we do... you see, our second heart helps to compensate for the pressure differential as we go deeper into the Lake.
"Please stay on the top of the waters piled above us where we may see each other. Watch us and later this afternoon we will all be together again to satisfy each others' desires."
Lily had forgotten how intimate the dance of renewal could be... she hadn't practiced in years. Lauren was tentative at first... almost shy as they swirled around one another barely brushing bodies together, their gills pulsating in unison.
Lily remembered leading the first dance long ago as a whole menagerie of her kind cavorting and wheeling under the gentle waves telling the tale of their ancestors in movement and thrusts that detailed every nuance, every sequential mode of being that led down the evolutionary path until now.
As they danced, the spirits of the Lake—tiny orbs of luminosity that scattered about caressing them in light and in love—undulated and quivered in response to the delight they must have sensed. As she tangled in Lauren's arms Lily looked high above to see the silhouette of Natalia dancing the surface of the waters like a lone ballerina longing for love.
With a lilting motion of her eyes she guided Lauren's gaze to Natalia's shadow far above and together the lovers made a slow and winding ascent to encompass her between them. Wordlessly they pressed their tingling flesh together sandwiching Natalia, engulfing her with kisses and touches in all the right places.
Lily had never known such peace as these last few days had brought her. She felt as young as the first dewdrops painting the world in a shimmering mist. She understood her tormentors were coming for her but she knew they were not yet here and so she treasured the moment in hand before it too passed into the obscurity of things past.
"Oh, my darling Lily... you're awake and watching me!"
Natalia opened her eyes looking surprised at seeing Lily lying next to her, staring at her as if amazed to see her there. She arched her back seemingly in order to urge her lover's webbed fingers to fondle her waiting ches
t longing for a cuddle. Lily cupped each breast in the palm of her hand one by one feeling them slowly engorge at her touch.
"I swear by all the gods of the Lake, lovely Natalia... you are a most gorgeous creature. Please, lay still for a little bit while I play."
"Shall we wake our sweet Lauren?"
"Leave her to her slumbers, my darling Natalia. She is exhausted. I want you to myself for just a while this morning."
Yesterday in the Lake had awakened every fiber of Lily's being. Her fingers exuded such potency that they had to but hovered over Natalia's fragile flesh to feel the heated longing deep within her lover's being. Touching her Lily was lost in a frenzy of lust that maddened her senses and unleashed any hidden inhibitions she might secretly have harbored.
Like a snake her tongue darted out to taste the air that was flowing over Natalia's body as she kissed her way up and down her body pausing here and there to revel in its subtleties. As the early morning sun worked its way across the room to become afternoon still she played at pleasuring this treasure leaving Natalia wet and writhing.
"Feed me, my darling Lily, but please don’t stop doing what you are doing."
Natalia's voice was a purr of contentment that wakened Lauren who smiled and giggled at the display of carnality unfolding beside her.
"I will go and bring you both some food. You must be famished. It is way past noon. And when I return I want to watch so please do not stop what you're doing."
She brought fresh strawberries in cream, ripe peeled pears, blueberries and fried Spam. One by one she fed the lovers tender morsels with her fingertips while Lily continued her play and as Natalia arched into one explosion after another until they ran together like clear mountain streams overflowing into the Lake.
"You two are the most splendid of creatures under this blue sky."
"Come and join our play, my sweet Lauren. Can you not see that our Natalia is aching for your touch? You take this side while I take the other."
The afternoon wore away into evening as a Lake breeze laden with the scent of late summer and still waters caressed Lily's skin reminding her of the days of old when magic filled this land of valleys between the mountains.
"I feel a bit guilty lying here all day and half the night letting you two do all the work."
"Hush sweet Natalia... this is nothing like work... is it, our lovely Lauren?"
"If this is labor then I will slave to the end, my darling Lily."
"You two have spoiled me... I will never love anyone as I love the both of you."
Spent, the three of them cuddled under the blankets and talked of things to come.
"We must make a decision... the three of us. I fear the time has come for us to leave this place, at least for the time being. We are not safe here."
Lauren spoke in a low whisper while watching as Lily kept moving her hands over Natalia her fickle fingers fondling her lover in special spots all but gliding over her body like tiny butterflies alighting for a moment before moving on.
"Where will we go, sweet Lauren?"
Natalia sounded like a lost little girl who found herself alone in the world and unwanted for the first time. Lily wanted nothing more than to take her into her arms and allay her concerns but she knew the road ahead would not be an easy one for any of them.
The moon had risen as a fullness of light ignited the forested mountains surrounding the Lake and set the grass in the yard outside the window ablaze in silver and white.
"I am hungry, again, my lovelies. Feed me please."
Natalia breathed rather than spoke the words as Lily took her by the hand to lead her into the kitchen while Lauren followed close behind. They made a meal of fresh bread, cheese, and wine before sitting at the table feeding one another tender morsels.
"We might consider going to Scotland. I have a castle in the south."
"You have a castle in Scotland, sweet Lauren?"
Natalia and Lily said it in unison looking at each other and giggling. Lily was quite amazed at Lauren's proclamation. Not wanting to intrude into her privacy she hadn’t asked Lauren where she had been over the many years they were apart. She felt her sister would tell her when the time was ripe.
"I have a magnificent castle, my lovelies. It even has a name: it is known as Orchardton Hall."
"How did you manage to acquire a castle, lovely Lauren?"
"I married a very wealthy man, darling Natalia. The law proclaimed that when he died all his property was mine. It is the way of the humans... they live but short lives and when they go it is customary for them to leave their possessions to their loved ones."
"Was your husband good to you, sweet Lauren?"
"He was a man, darling Lily."
"Did you love him?"
"No, lovely Lily... I needed him. Without his help I could not survive. We all do what we have to do. One day he left me and never returned. I heard that he had died. This did not trouble me as perhaps it should. I expected it. Humans live short lives compared to us."
"Yes of course you are right, darling Lauren."
"Now, precious Lily... tell me how the two of you happened to meet. Was it love at first sight?"
Lauren looked from Lily to Natalia and back again with a grin on her face and a twinkle in her eyes.
"We met on the train to Moscow. I noticed this gorgeous creature watching me."
Lily took Natalia's hand in hers as she kissed it softly and continued the tale.
"I saw right away that this girl needed me even though she did not yet know it. I went to her to make her my own."
"I remember things differently, darling Lauren. Perhaps our lovely Lily is thinking of another girl."
Natalia giggled as if Lily's touch tickled but she didn’t pull away. She took up the tale from her point of view.
"I saw this wondrous creature as she boarded the train. I was extremely ill but just the sight of Lily set my stomach at ease and the pain in my pelvis disappeared for the first time in weeks. The doctor told me I only had a short time to live so I had quit my job, gave my possessions away, and took a long trip. I was sure it would be my last.
"I watched this gorgeous blonde woman with enormously deep green eyes and lusciously long blonde hair as she boarded the train and worked her way down the aisle. I yearned to reach out for her as she passed me by but I thought I might frighten her away. I kept glancing her way hoping she would look at me but she closed her eyes.
"I went to this sleeping beauty wishing more than anything to kiss her awake but I was too shy. Instead I spoke to her. I thought I was saying something witty but when the words emerged I sounded stupid. Lily did not seem to notice that, however. She opened her eyes and looked at me in a way no one has ever done before.
"I never wanted a woman. Neither have I ever had any use for men. But now I was enthralled to this vision of splendor sitting right in front of me. I knew I would never leave her for the rest of my life, although at the time I didn't expect to live for so long as I have.
"Soon I was healing, however. I could feel it. Within hours of meeting my sweet Lily I was becoming like a young girl once again, full of vigor. The disease that threatened my life had vanished. No one had to tell me that it was gone... I knew."
"I told our sweet Natalia that I was known as a healer among my people though I wasn’t sure my skills would work upon her as well. I am happy to report that they do."
"Teach me about something, my darling Lily... I learned long ago that my touch killed the humans I came into contact with. But when I took a husband he did not die. This seemed curious. Am I a healer too? Or am I deadly to human beings?"
"Yes to both questions, my sweet Lauren... our species carries something in our bodies that is deadly to human beings. That is why I was kidnapped and taken to England for study."
"But our sweet Natalia is not affected. Why is this?"
"She is bound to us now. Should we leave her, or if she leaves us, she will die in a matter of hours. As long as she stays with us,
she will live as long as we do."
"No... tell me this is not so."
Lauren looked to Natalia for confirmation.
"It is true, my darling Lauren. When I met our sweet Lily I was near death. She healed me and made me whole. I owe my life to her. So it looks as if you and darling Lily are stuck with me."
"Hush... none of that, my pretty girl. I will have it no other way. But tell me... how did you come by this knowledge, my lovely Lily?"
"I have learned it through my trials and tribulations in dealing with human beings, my darling Lauren. Yet at the same time it seems as if I knew of my dual capacity for life and death from the beginning.
"Since we were last together, sweet Lauren, I had a great adventure where I saw many wondrous things and met lots of cruel and unusual people.
"During our last visit to Lake Baikal—when you sank beneath the surface and I thought you were dead—I was taken prisoner by a group of scientists when I tried to save you. I passed out too. When I woke I was in a cage. They brought me back to their country where they sought to learn my undisclosed truths. Little did they know, but they shared more of their secrets with me than I did with them.
"I informed the lady doctor how I learned that human beings perish under my touch unless we stay together. She was slow witted and it took her a long time to catch on but she soon believed I was telling the truth.
"At the same time, however, I told this doctor that as long as my husband stayed with me, he was fine... in fact, he was better than fine. His life span was greatly extended and sickness could not take him."
"So it was my fault my husband died, sweet Lily? Is that what you're saying?"
"Oh no, lovely Lauren... never think of it like that... we cannot help being who and what we are. You did nothing to harm your man."
"So, lovely Lily... shall we take our sweet and precious Natalia to Scotland?"
"Absolutely... even though we might have to drag her kicking and screaming... I love castles, darling Lauren. Remember when we lived in the one deep under the Lake?"