With his options limited there was no choice but to trust her. It was not as if he could call the police – he had no crime to report. Even so, there was no point denying he was worried. Something was not right. It was that sixth sense all over again.
After a short drive, the taxi arrived at the deserted location. Wary, the taxi driver turned to face Steven and asked, ‘Is this where you need to be?’
‘Yes, this is fine. Thanks.’ Steven got out of the car, paid for the trip and started to walk.
This place was special. They came here every weekend to get away from the madness of university. It was nothing much to look at, just a mixed bunch of trees surrounding a small clearing, but it was theirs. Barely a few minutes had gone by when he heard the distinctive sound of crunching leaves. He turned around and was stunned to see Caitlin flanked by two men. A sense of déjà vu overcame him. He wondered whether he had met one of them before.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Caitlin cried in hysterics, as she ran towards him and cowered in his arms.
Confused, he looked up at the men. They were both in casual clothing and did not look threatening at all. One of them had bleach blonde hair and a lithe build. The other an ordinary man of average height, weight and build with brownish hair.
The ordinary man studied him. It was unnerving. ‘Finally, we get to meet you. With the right incentive a lot can happen, don’t you think?’
Steven was on alert. For someone so ordinary, looks could be deceiving. ‘Who are you? What do you want?’
The man ignored Steven, and carried on talking, ‘I have to admit that even if I did not suspect it, I would have immediately recognised you as my sister’s son.’
‘You know my mother?’
‘There is no question about it. You are Emily’s son.’
‘Who is…?’ Steven trailed off, lost in thought. His dad had never mentioned her name. It sounded normal enough.
‘Emily,’ the man finished his sentence. He smiled and nodded in the direction of the man standing next to him.
‘Let’s start from the beginning,’ the other man added. ‘My name is Eilif. I am Ingrid’s dad.’
A flashback run through his head. Ingrid again. This Eilif looked a lot like her. ‘Surely, you meant to say brother. You can’t be Ingrid’s dad. You’re the same age as me!’ Steven chuckled, uncomfortable. Things were getting weirder by the minute.
Eilif pursed his lips without giving a reply.
The ordinary guy spoke instead, ‘I’m Ian, your uncle. I’m disappointed to see you know nothing of your past. It’s time we put you in the loop.’
Steven tightened his grip on Caitlin. He was not sure he wanted to know.
*
Steven woke up with a thumping headache. Dazed and disorientated, he sat up and looked around. He was in bed, pyjama’s on, just like he always was. How was that possible? In theory, it was plausible it had all been a dream. Had he really gone to the New Forest to meet Caitlin and talked to those men, Ian and Eilif? It all sounded like a dream. In need of reassurance, he scrambled off the bed and retrieved his wallet. The twenty pound note he used to pay the taxi fare had gone. Logically, he must have gone out. It did not make sense. Unable to come up with an explanation, he got in the shower. Once under the hot water, he tried to relax. After ten minutes he remained tense – something was not right.
He pulled the towel off the rail, wrapped it around his waist and glanced in the mirror. His reflection revealed red puffy eyes. He swallowed two paracetamol down with water. His medical supplies were scanty. He stared at the empty paracetamol packet in his hand. It dawned on him that he had been having a lot of headaches recently. He had put being lightheaded and nauseated down to stress. Stress. That was a new concept for him. He was never stressed. He never buckled under pressure. The throb continued. If it was possible, it was more intense than the others. He hoped it would go away soon.
It was frustrating to know Caitlin would have left already. She always had an early start at the beginning of the week. He could have texted or called, but he felt stupid. It must have been a dream. There was no point in calling her. He’d see what she said later on.
***
Caitlin sat through her Spanish history lecture in a trance. She was trying hard to concentrate. No matter how much she tried, nothing went in. It was all incomprehensible. She rubbed her eyes and forced them to stay open. She was so tired. It had been hard work at the hotel the night before. She did not even remember putting on her pyjamas or getting to her room. It was weird. She felt as though she had forgotten something important. Whatever it was, she could not stop a tear running down her cheek as an unexpected sadness came over her.
It was ridiculous to be tearful. If she did not know any better, she would have sworn her heart ached. As though she’d gone through a major break up. It was like being ditched by Danny Young at fifteen all over again. It was laughable. She had nothing to be heartbroken about. A boyfriend was the last thing on her mind. It was her time of the month. She could confidently put it down to hormones.
Chapter 19
Non-Existent
Steven waited in the student union cafeteria for Caitlin and started to wonder why she had not turned up. In his confused state, he had left his phone in his room so he could not even text her. As he saw Adam walk past, he called out to him, ‘Adam, how’s it going?’
Adam walked up to him in his usual, relaxed manner and pulled a quizzical expression. ‘Sorry, do I know you?’
‘Of course you know me. Are you feeling alright?’
‘I’m sorry, I don’t know who you are man, but hey, I’ll see you around.’ With that, he turned and walked away.
Weird. It had been the same all morning. He kept getting strange looks from people he’d sat next to for months.
Aware Caitlin wasn’t going to show, he went to pay and showed his student ID card at the till to get a discount.
‘I’m sorry, this card is not valid. You have to pay the full price,’ the lady said, in a snooty voice.
‘Oh, that’s just perfect.’ Everything had turned topsy-turvy.
*
At the entrance to the halls of residence, he was thrown into further confusion. His key did not fit the lock. He cursed inwardly. Someone had it in for him today. He waited until a girl came along who he vaguely recalled having met. ‘I’ve left my keys behind, can you let me in?’
The girl nodded and showed no recollection of having met him before. Even so, she opened the door and let him in. He thanked her and picked up the pace, making his way up to the second floor, where he buzzed outside Caitlin’s hall. One of the Malaysian students peeked out from behind the door, ‘Can I help?’
‘Can I come in? I’ve come to see Caitlin.’
‘Oh, okay.’ She opened the door and eyed him suspiciously.
She had seen him before. This was getting ridiculous. He made his way to Caitlin’s room and knocked.
When it opened, Caitlin stared at him with a blank expression. ‘Hello? Can I help you?’
‘Stop kidding around – it’s me,’ he paused, ‘I’ve had a hell of a day already so please have mercy on me.’
Caitlin pursed her lips, as she normally did when she stood her ground, and started to close the door. ‘I’m sorry; I’ve never met you before in my life.’
He held out his hand and stopped the door from closing. ‘Please let me in, I need to talk to you.’
‘I don’t know who you are and if you don’t let go of the door, I will scream.’
She sounded like she actually meant it.
‘Caitlin, it’s me, Steven. You must know me,’ he continued, his voice taking on a desperate edge.
She paused for a split second. Her eyes faltered, even though her face showed outrage. ‘I’m sorry for you, I really am. I don’t know you and I can’t let you into my room. Please leave.’
Overcome, he let go of the door. It slammed shut in his face. He had been banished. A sense of hopelessness came over him as he sn
apped out of his trance and wandered down the hall. He looked back and checked her door did not open again. She had a warped sense of humour sometimes.
The door did not open. It was not a joke. Even for Caitlin this kind of humour was a stretch too far. Something strange was going on and he needed to find out what it was – fast.
Aimlessly, he went towards his room convinced things could not get any worse.
Yet, they did. His room key did not fit the lock either. ‘What the hell?’
It was too much.
In a rage, he slammed his body against the door and it gave way. He could not believe he had forced the door open. It did not even hurt. Inside, he fell to his knees, his arms limp at his sides. The room was bare – nothing remained. It was an empty shell. A shiny metallic object remained on the desk, his mobile phone. He used all of his remaining energy to get up. His hand hovered above it, almost scared to touch it. Before he could change his mind, he snatched it up and looked at the screen. He scrolled through the relevant keys and looked for his address book entries. All of the entries he had entered had disappeared.
In frustration, he threw the phone on the floor and thumped the table. The wood split. The crack made him wake up. Whatever was going on was all wrong. Determined to find out the truth, he picked up the phone again and manually typed his home number.
After a few rings, it went straight to the answer phone where a short message ensued. It was his mum’s voice. ‘Hi, Paul and Clara are not here. Please leave a message after the beep – Adios.’
Again, wrong. What happened to Paul, Clara and Steven?
Was he still in the dream?
Flustered, he scrolled through the remaining entries in his phone. Two new entries had been added. The names of the entries were Ian and Eilif.
‘No, please. Just wake up now. WAKE UP,’ he shouted.
‘Cool it dude,’ Adam yelled, as he walked into the room with his hands raised. He was staring at the broken door. ‘Oh, it’s you from earlier. Are you moving in or something?’
‘No, I am not moving in. This is my room. For crying out loud the joke is over. You win. Adam, you know me. Don’t you?’ he trailed off, as he realised Adam had taken a few steps back.
‘Sorry dude, I told you earlier. I have no idea who you are. If this isn’t your room, I think maybe you should go.’ Adam folded his arms across his chest.
The last thing he needed now was a challenge from Adam.
‘I’ll go. Whatever.’ Steven brushed past.
It was not a dream.
Something had happened, and whatever it was had led to his being ostracised by everyone he had ever known. If Ian and Eilif were behind this, he intended to find out what the hell they had done.
***
Eilif placed his hand on the armrest of the sofa as his index finger tapped in a continuous motion. It gave him scant consolation, yet strangely the monotonous noise was comforting. He stared at his finger going up and down, then closed his eyes. The waiting game was not something he was good at, even though he was certain Steven would call.
The events of the last few weeks whirled in his head.
He found it hard to understand why Anna had lied. Why did she say Steven was not one of them? If only Lana and Ingrid had confided in him sooner. Either way, the past could not be changed – it was the future that mattered. Ingrid had spilled the beans. He could always rely on his eldest daughter. It still annoyed him that Ingrid had spoken to Carmen, Ian’s wife, before telling him the truth. He could not help feeling like she had some ulterior motive – what exactly that was he did not know for sure. Lana suspected Ingrid wanted Steven to be hers. Eilif did not like the idea. Either way, it was not up to him. No-one could tell Ingrid what to do or feel, especially not if love was involved.
‘He’s definitely Emily’s son,’ Ian stated, as he walked towards him. His grin said it all.
‘Without a doubt,’ Eilif replied. ‘You know something’s bothering me. Why did Anna tell Ingrid and Lana to back off?’
‘I’ve thought about that a lot. I have a suspicion, but I won’t know for sure until we get back.’
‘What’s that then?’
‘I don’t think Anna came back. I think Emily snuck out. Didn’t you notice how she’d cut her hair recently. Sure, she ties it up to disguise it, but she did it all the same.’
‘But, she’s not allowed to leave. How?’
‘Anna must have helped her. The sisterly bond overcame rational thought. They always did have a strange connection. At least Emily came back this time, let’s be thankful for that.’
‘I guess, but why leave Steven here? Emily should have known better.’
‘She should. Then again, when has my sister ever shown common sense?’ Ian laughed aloud, mocking, ‘It’s alright now – we’ll clear up the mess, as usual.’
After a pause, Eilif added, ‘Do you think Steven will accept his fate?’
‘If you’ve done everything right, he has no other choice. His life here is over.’
‘True.’ Eilif had reason to feel guilty. He had just alienated Steven.
Just then, Ian’s phone rang. The wait was over.
***
It was eight o’clock in the evening. Steven sat outside a local pub on the edge of the Southampton Common, his eyes fixed on the distant trees. A million thoughts raced through his head. He attempted to drown them out with beer and a beef, mushroom & Guinness pie. He savoured it. For all he knew, this could be the last time he ate a normal meal. It had become obvious he was not in a dream. The things Ian had said were starting to filter through.
Emily. His mother’s name was Emily. Ian was his uncle. Eilif was Ingrid’s dad. The weird thing was they appeared to be his age. How was that even possible? It was a lot to take in. They had some serious explaining to do. Steven needed answers, he was down to his last pound and had nowhere else to turn. He had chosen the perfect location – they would blend in easily. He had to maintain a level head. By surrounding himself, he stood a better chance of not losing his cool. It was going to be a challenge to trust Ian and Eilif, to say the least.
‘Steven, that looks nice,’ Ian said. It sounded sincere. It did not make any difference to Steven what he sounded like.
‘It’s the most normal thing I’ve done all day.’ Steven took a deep breath. He had to keep calm. He looked over his shoulder and watched Ian make his way round the table to sit down. Eilif hovered for a few seconds and then he gave a slight nod, as though apologetic. He took a seat next to Ian. They each held a pint of beer.
‘We got some nuts,’ Ian said. He threw a few packets of salted and roasted nuts on the table.
It could have been Ian’s idea of a peace offering.
The beer and nuts made them look normal. He stared at his unfinished plate of food, his appetite gone.
‘So, here we are,’ Ian stated, holding his hands up with a smile, ‘Are you ready to start your new life?’
‘No, I’m not ready to start a new life. I want my old one back,’ he snapped. He was trying to keep it together. It was going to prove difficult. ‘What did you do? Why?’
‘How much do you want to know? It could take a long time. It might be best to leave it for the journey,’ Ian replied. He took a long sip from his beer and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
‘Journey?’
Eilif spoke, ‘We could call it an adventure.’
‘Hah,’ Steven scoffed. ‘Has all of this got something to do with what Ingrid said?’
They looked on without saying a word and waited for him to carry on.
‘Is it true? Am I different?’
Ian popped a few peanuts into his mouth and started to chew. ‘You could say that. You are different.’
‘What am I?’ Steven did not want to ask, but he had to know.
‘Now, that’s a long story. Hmm, to cut it short, let’s just say – you’re a member of a more advanced version of humanity, although you’re the first of your kind. You are
the only one ever born part human.’
‘What the hell does that mean?’ Steven hissed under his breath, his fists now clenched into balls.
‘Well, my sister Emily, or should I say your mother, seems to have had a liaison with your father. Obviously, you’re the outcome. You’re a hybrid. You are unique. Consider yourself lucky – the first.’
‘Lucky!’ Steven concentrated on the table. Without lifting his head, he whispered, ‘So, what are you?’
‘Again, that will take some explaining,’ Ian said. He looked like he was discussing the weather.
‘It’s not a bad thing,’ Eilif interjected.
Steven looked up and narrowed his eyes, ‘Try me.’
Chapter 20
Revelations
Ian drank some beer, opened the packet of roasted peanuts and poured some on his hand. He quickly popped them into his mouth. After a slug of beer, he wiped his mouth and said, ‘I don’t know if you’re ready.’
‘I’m not ready.’ He shook his head and gripped the table. ‘Why didn’t you wipe my memory? Wouldn’t that have been a bit more humane?’
Eilif glanced at Ian who gave a small, discreet nod. Approval obtained, Eilif replied, ‘The hypnotism I perform and manifest upon others only works on humans. For some reason we are not affected. That includes you since you have inherited your mother’s immunity. We have spent years studying our extra gifts. To be honest we are still a long way from knowing their limitations and full advantages. Relatively speaking, we have not been in existence long enough to know what we are capable of.’
‘How long have we been in existence for?’
‘Since 1942, I was born in 1932.’ Ian kept a straight face as he took a sip.
Steven wanted to laugh, ‘Really?’ It felt like he was having a drink with friends at the local pub. It was anything but. What they were saying changed everything
‘Yes, really,’ Ian took a deep breath. ‘The year was 1942 and my father, Jeff, was a member of the exclusive team of scientists secretly conducting nuclear tests in Los Alamos, New Mexico – that’s in America.’
‘I know where New Mexico is,’ Steven snapped.
‘Good, glad they still teach geography. Anyway, the fate of the Second World War hang in the balance, and his team was designing the ultimate weapon.’