‘Let me go,’ Ingrid said, her voice powerful and in command if slightly irritated. She shook her wrists out of his grip and gave him a firm push.
Steven landed on his backside with a thud. It hurt. She was very strong – too strong.
‘Who are you?’ he asked. He looked up and tried to make eye contact. With the street lighting he could only make out her silhouette. Her profile was not attractive anymore. It was scary – even for him.
In a deep voice, she calmly replied, ‘If I answer your question, it will change your life. You should forget the mark for now.’
The words sunk in gradually. He did not want to maintain the weaker ground. He got up quickly. At least he was taller than her, it gave him some comfort. ‘What exactly do you mean by for now? And do you mind letting me in on how you are so strong?’
‘I can’t explain anything logically to you.’ For the first time, her tone wavered.
Just then he felt his energy levels drop as he lost his balance for a second. He straightened up. It could have been the swim, perhaps dehydration? Or just general frustration? Ingrid made no sense at all. ‘Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just too tired and hungry to try to figure it out. When you want to tell me the truth then come and find me.’
He mustered up every ounce of energy he had left and broke into a run. After a few minutes, it became a steady jog. He had to get away from her. He had to get back to the comfort of his room. The cold evening air on his face brought some sanity back to his state of mind. He slowed down further and maintained a steady walking pace.
The voice ahead made his hairs stand on end.
‘Are you avoiding me now?’ Ingrid’s tone was assertive, almost threatening. She leant against the tree in front of him with her arms folded across her chest. ‘What would you say if I was responsible for the bite mark?’ She surveyed him with amusement.
Steven stopped and watched her, unsure on what to say. He could not figure out how she had managed to pass him. ‘So, it is a bite mark? Are you going to answer my questions honestly from now on?’
‘I can’t make any promises.’
Steven frowned. He was beginning to think that getting a straight answer out of Ingrid was impossible. ‘Did you do something to make me pass out? Yes or no, it’s a simple question.’
She stared into his eyes and nodded. It was a piercing look that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Reticent, he continued, ‘What exactly did you do?’
‘What do you think I did?’
The question was a challenge even though allusive – again.
‘Stupid as it sounds, the mark would make me guess that…’ He stopped and shook his head. ‘This is stupid, but it looks like the kind of mark made if you were trying to drink my blood. It’s just ridiculous, isn’t it?’ He rubbed the wound on his neck.
‘Yes, ridiculous, isn’t it?’ Ingrid repeated.
‘What are you not telling me?’ he sighed.
She looked away and glanced at the cars going by, lost in thought. A long minute later, she said, ‘I can’t do anything to harm you. The mark was an accident.’
‘Wait a minute, does that mean that you would have done something to me, but you couldn’t? Can you cut to the chase and just tell me already?’
Irritated, she flicked her head back to face him. ‘I can’t tell you anything that I don’t understand myself.’
‘Fine,’ he muttered. He wondered where to go from here. His short time studying Law had made him appreciate that if she was a key witness, he’d have a hard time getting anything out of her. ‘Okay, time for a direct question. Did you bite me?’
She held out her hands. ‘Why does it matter? No harm was done.’
The suspense was killing him. He raised his voice. ‘I’m just trying to find out who the hell you are. At the moment you’re making no sense at all.’
‘Let’s just say that I’m not like everyone else and keep it at that. I’m sorry that I’ve confused you. You really have to let this go,’ she reiterated, the Cheshire grin back on her blemish free face. He imagined a lot of men would faint at her feet. He was not under her spell. Her expression was completely insincere. She was doing nothing to win him over.
He lowered his tone, and took a deep breath, ‘Are you normal?’
‘Me, normal? Never,’ she cackled.
He had no idea if she was joking. His shoulders slumped. ‘Seriously, who are you?’
‘You know that already, I’m just Ingrid.’
‘Fine, you want to play it like that. Okay, so answer me this. Do you know me from somewhere? I can’t help feeling like the reason I bumped into you was not an accident.’
‘I have never met you before in my life,’ she replied, a half-smile on her face.
Just then it hit him. She might know something about him, something about his past. Why had he not seen it before? She had even known his name. ‘But you know something about me, don’t you?’
‘Not really, but there is something about you I find familiar. I have to admit that. Honestly, I don’t know why.’
She sounded truthful. ‘What is it that makes me familiar?’
‘Look, you remind me of someone I know and the truth is we have something in common, something that makes us different to other people.’
He was not sure if he wanted to know what she was talking about. For all he knew, she could be crazy. ‘What is it?’ his voice sceptical.
‘I can’t tell you.’ She looked at the floor. For one fleeting moment, vulnerable. At last, her defences were starting to crack.
‘So let me ask something even more insane. Are you or we according to you, even human?’
Choking involuntarily, she laughed, ‘Of course, we’re human.’
He relaxed his shoulders and then tensed again as she added, ‘Mainly.’ The cheeky smile was back again. Ingrid was the weirdest person, or whatever she was, he had ever met.
‘What does that mean?’ He paced up and down. He needed some momentum to think.
‘I know that if I tell you I bit you, you’ll think I’m something stupid like a vampire – which I’m not,’ she said, as she raked her hands through her hair, ‘look, I give up. I never lie to our own. The truth is that I wanted human blood.’
‘Be serious,’ he gasped, his jaw slackened. In a quiet voice, he asked, ‘What are you?’
The way she stood tall, remaining calm and collected, was starting to get on his nerves. The answer she gave did nothing to put him at ease. ‘Look, a lot of stories have been written and it makes it hard to explain. The point is, you don’t believe in vampires, do you?’
He laughed aloud, nervous, ‘Not usually, but these circumstances make me use my imagination. Look, if it was human blood you were after, what was wrong with mine?’
‘Your blood was no good for me.’
‘Why?’
‘You don’t have normal human blood.’
‘This gets more ridiculous by the minute. So what do I have, alien blood?’
‘No, it’s like mine.’
‘What the… what does that mean?’ He ran his hand along his head and scratched his brow, his pacing still frantic. Just then, he froze, and narrowed his eyes to face her again. ‘Is that why you said that you never lie to our own, am I related to you?’
‘I can’t explain it now.’
‘You are so infuriating. TELL ME WHAT’S GOING ON!’ As she remained still, refusing to retaliate, he added in a softer voice. ‘And you say you’re not a vampire?’
‘No, I am not a creature of the night. And neither are you. Look, I can’t tell you any more, just that we are different to other people and I don’t know why you don’t know anything about it.’ She paused. Then she talked aloud, lost in her own thoughts, ‘I have to try and find out. I’m sorry to have started you on a path that leads nowhere. If I can answer your questions, I’ll come and find you. But, I can answer your last question. Of one thing I am certain, we are not related.’
In a split second, she got within breathing distance and kissed him on the lips with force. Too shocked to react, he closed his eyes and remained still, fixed to the spot. When he opened them again, she was gone.
‘Ingrid,’ he hollered. No-one replied.
His head pounded with questions that could not be answered logically. As much as he didn’t want to know about his past, he realised that perhaps it was the only way to get some answers. Maybe his biological mother left for a valid reason after all and he should try to find out about her. His dad never talked about her. He had no pictures or evidence to show she even existed. As far as he knew, she had vanished. Ingrid had opened a can of worms. He just could not figure out if it was all in her imagination.
Of one thing he was certain, looking into the past had consequences. He did not want to hurt his dad. Yet, he did not want to remain in the dark. He was caught in a Catch-22 situation. It was easier to believe Ingrid was insane. Unfortunately, his logical mind had picked up a few things that were not normal – her strength, her speed, her beauty. She was not what he called ‘run of the mill’. And if she had said the truth, neither was he.
Chapter 10
Emily
It was hard for someone like Anna. All of her life she had lived as a pair. Even though she had her own life, a husband she loved, her children – all of which her sister, Emily, had none – she never stopped being a twin. She hated being identical. Looks were nothing to go on. They had totally different personalities. Emily insisted on bending the rules, all the time. If what she had heard was true, this time her sister had gone too far. Yet, even though she knew her sister was going to be in a lot of trouble, it was inconsequential. She would be compelled to help her again.
She blamed herself.
In hindsight, it was obvious Emily had been hiding something. There was no other reason for her disappearance all those years ago. Still, she found it hard to believe her sister had actually hidden a son. A son conceived with a normal human. It was a ludicrous notion. What had Emily been thinking? How could she be so irresponsible? Emily always managed to bypass rules, as though it was inbuilt. Either way, even for her this situation went too far. She had endangered them all by being so incredibly reckless.
Anna tucked her short black hair behind her ears, and braced herself as she approached the door. She closed her hand into a fist, knocked and waited.
Emily threw the door open and embraced her sister. ‘Anna, I’m so glad to see you.’
Anna eased back and folded her arms over her chest. ‘What have you done now? What’s going on?’
Emily turned and walked away. It was a manoeuvre Anna recognised well. She always did that when she did not want Anna to see her expression. ‘Has Ian been talking to you already?’
‘You know he has.’
‘So, what did he say?’
‘I don’t think so,’ Anna shook her head. ‘You tell me first.’
Emily continued to study the wall. ‘I guess he told you they found a boy like us in England.’
‘Yes, a boy in his late teens.’
‘Nineteen years of age.’
It was time to cut to the chase. ‘Coincidence, or not?’
Emily turned around, her eyes glazed, ‘Not, unfortunately not.’
Throwing her arms up in despair, Anna shrieked, ‘For goodness sakes, Emily. What were you thinking? You conceived a son with a normal human.’
‘I didn’t do it on purpose,’ Emily pouted. She always did that when she did something wrong.
‘Some accident. Ian knows the boy is yours. Let’s face it you’re the only one that disappeared twenty years ago. Slight giveaway.’
‘You have to help me,’ Emily pleaded, as she rushed towards her and grabbed her hand, ‘I don’t want them to bring him here. Ingrid could have… she could have made a mistake. What if she changed her story?’
‘Why would she do that?’ Anna suspected Emily had something else up her sleeve.
‘She always listens to you.’
‘Me, what does that have to… hang on a minute. You want me to lie for you? Is that your grand plan? Please tell me you can do better than that.’ Anna gulped, and backed away whilst she slipped her hand out of Emily’s grasp.
‘No, no. You don’t have to lie. I will do it.’
‘Lying is one of your specialties,’ Anna grunted and rolled her eyes. She took a seat on the corner chair. The request for a favour was coming up. ‘What do you have in mind?’
‘I–I was thinking, if–if you cover for me, I can pretend to be you and go to talk to Ingrid,’ Emily stammered, as she eased closer. Her eyes were wild, desperate. ‘You have to do this for me. I know I should have told you many years ago. Truth is I was scared. You know they won’t let me leave again. Please you have to help me. You’re my twin sister!’
Anna got up and paced up and down the room, mulling it over. ‘This is dangerous and risky. You know I want to help you. If I do, you must promise me that you will return and not do anything stupid. If you don’t come back, I will suffer the consequences,’ she hissed, shaking her head. Emily had let her down before.
‘You can cover for me. You know we can look identical. I just have to cut my hair to look like yours.’ Emily squared up in front of Anna and put her hands on her shoulders. ‘This is my problem. I have to fix it before it gets out of hand. He is my son after all. We have to put Ian off the scent,’ she stressed, determined.
Anna noted the use of the word we. Now she was in on it. ‘So, will you bring him back home?’ Anna narrowed her eyes.
Emily walked away and took a seat. With a sigh, she added, ‘I don’t know if he will want to come here. I have no idea what he’s like. I’ll try, but I would not blame him if he said no. I would said no if I’d had the chance.’
‘If Ingrid could not kill him the chances are he is one of us. He has no choice. He has to come. You know that don’t you?’
‘I know, I know.’ Ruffling her hair with an exasperated look, Emily continued, ‘Look, I don’t want to take him away from his life yet, he still has some time left before the change. I’ll figure out what to do.’
‘It’s not a question of figuring it out. The time has come. He needs to be prepared and has to come here with us.’
‘Okay, okay, I’ll bring him back,’ Emily surrendered, her hands raised. ‘You’re the best sister in the world you know that.’
‘Yes, well. Someday, it might be reciprocated,’ Anna grumbled. She was so weak when it came to Emily. She would go to the moon and back to help her sister have a better life.
***
Emily sat in the taxi on the M3 in high spirits. London Heathrow had been manic. Now she had some time to reflect. Today she would see her son again. The journey had been long. All she could do was hope it was not too late. The sound of a dance song belted out from the radio station. With a strong beat and pounding bass, it made her want to dance. It was liberating to be free again. Away from the restraints they imposed. If circumstances were different, she would now be looking back on her past surrounded by children, grandchildren and possibly even great grandchildren.
What a dream!
Then again, for all she knew, she would be dead by now, having lived a lonely and meaningless existence. She still found it hard to believe that in real time she was eighty nine years old – she did not look older than twenty. Emily was convinced her life was nothing but a sick joke. All she could do was to try to figure out the best way forward.
It was unfortunate Ingrid stumbled upon Steven. She had never expected his father, Paul, to stay in Southampton. The last time she had checked they were living in a different place. Unless, Steven was the one who had returned by choosing to study in Southampton. That would be a strange coincidence. It was not that she had forgotten about Steven, but she had lost track of time. It was easier to ignore the fact that he was going to be twenty soon. That age would change everything, especially if he was like them.
A dangerous thought crossed her
mind. If she failed to return, they would never find her. She could go anywhere in the world. She brushed the thought aside and focused. She had promised her sister. The thought of letting her down again was not something she could contemplate. It was time to grow up.
As the car entered Southampton, via the A33, the satellite navigation system tracked down the destination. A further twenty minutes followed through windy roads, surrounded by beautiful countryside. Finally, a majestic house perched securely on the steep hill came into view. The house looked old now, but it was a reasonable size with a large driveway and a few acres of land. They had been careful to ensure no developments occurred close by.
‘Stop here,’ Emily shouted, as the car reached the bottom of the hill.
‘I don’t mind going up to the top,’ the driver called back, in a cockney accent.
‘Don’t go to the top,’ she insisted.
‘Alright lady,’ he huffed, pulling over to the side.
‘Here’s the fare,’ she said, as she handed over four fifty pound notes. ‘Keep the change.’
‘Great, thanks a lot,’ he replied, his eyes wide, excited.
When she started to get out of the car, Emily hesitated for a moment. It would be so easy to give in to temptation. She needed some energy. She just could not afford to drop her guard here. With as much control as she could muster, she walked up the hill and did not look back as she heard the sound of the engine fade away. Reminding herself of Anna’s traits and habits, she made her way up to the front door. Even though it had no bell to announce her, she knew they would already sense her presence.
As the door flew open, Ingrid held up her hands. A huge grin spread across her face. ‘Anna, it’s great to see you. You just couldn’t keep away, could you?’
A wave of relief swept over Emily as she realised she had managed to fool Ingrid with her altered appearance. ‘Ingrid, I hear your trip is proving eventful. You have to tell me all about it, but first, I’d love a cup of English tea.’ She knew Anna loved tea.
‘Of course, come in, they’ll all love to see you. I guess you heard about what happened?’
‘Yes, let’s talk about it inside.’
The house had a grand hallway, leading to a large winding staircase. A beautifully framed mirror hung in the corridor giving the illusion of depth and space. Next to the staircase, the hallway led to a series of rooms. Emily followed Ingrid to the heart of the house where the kitchen was housed. It had a massive Aga, surrounded by beautifully handcrafted oak worktops and matching cupboards. As the kettle boiled, Emily reflected on the last time she had stayed in the house. Back then, she had been so carefree and reckless. When she met Paul she did not hesitate at the chance to start a new life.
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