‘I’m alright, Mum,’ Emily said, even though she did not mean it. She tilted her head to look at her wrists and saw they were wrapped in some material. The material looked uncannily like her dress material. She hoped they had not ruined her dress. It was then she noticed Anna next to her. She turned and embraced her. ‘I’m sorry Anna. I didn’t mean to fight with you. Are you okay?’
‘I’m fine. I’ve just got a few scratches like everyone else.’
‘Why did they bite us like that? They were crazy.’
Anna bowed her head. ‘I don’t know.’
‘At least they’re dead now. It’s over,’ her mother, Judith, said.
Emily looked around and saw the bodies of dead vampire bats scattered around the floor. The sight did nothing to appease her.
A few days later, Emily watched her parents whispering secretively to one another for the third consecutive day. As Morton Clausen, the Swedish scientist, joined them, they looked troubled. Whatever he had said had not made them happy. It had been the same every day since the attack, a lot of chatter and speculation with no real explanation. The only thing they had come up with was that the bats had become radioactive. Whenever Emily asked what they were talking about, her parents fobbed her off with the usual remarks. It was frustrating. She knew something else was going on. It scared her.
It was that afternoon when she heard a story that chilled her to the bone. The cooks were talking about a local animal attack which had resulted in the death of a teenage boy. It appeared the boy had lost a lot of blood and had marks on his neck and wrist. Desperate to know more, Emily went to see her older sister, Catherine. She hoped Catherine would tell her the truth.
‘Why do you think there is anything wrong Emily?’ Catherine sighed.
Emily could sense Catherine was edgy. ‘Since the bat attack, everyone has been acting weird, especially the adults.’
‘No they haven’t. I’m the same right?’ Catherine added.
She hadn’t thought about it that way, but Catherine was old enough to be classed as an adult. ‘Really?’
‘You always worry, don’t you? Whatever you think is going on will sort itself out. I’m sure of it.’
As her twentieth birthday approached, Emily set her doubts aside and focused on the birthday preparations. It was not every day she stopped being a teenager. Sat in front of her table mirror, she brushed her hair and studied her reflection. She wondered how much older she would actually look when she turned twenty. With her face but a few inches from the glass, she studied her reflection and searched for signs of wrinkles. As she did, she saw red veins creeping along her eyes. A minute later they were bloodshot. Startled, she leant back and could not control her hands as they started to shake.
The sound of an early bird roused Emily from her sleep. The night before was a blur. She hoped she had not missed her Birthday.
‘Emily, you’re awake.’ It was her father’s voice.
When she sat up, she saw Anna in the bed next to her. Had Anna also fallen ill? ‘What happened, Daddy?’
‘Don’t worry about that now. You both got sick in the night. We have to leave so that you get better. Everything will become clear when we’ve gone,’ Jeff said. She had never seen him look so anxious. The last time he had ever been so serious was when he had told them they had to leave England.
‘I feel different, why is that?’ Anna asked.
‘It must have been something you ate. Nothing to worry about, girls,’ Judith reassured, as she stood an arm’s length away.
Something about her mother’s eyes made Emily doubt her words. Yet, as Anna started to laugh at a face Ian was pulling from behind Judith’s skirt, Emily’s suspicious thoughts were replaced with joy. Then just as it had happened the happiness disappeared and left her in a void. The switch had flicked as soon as Anna stopped laughing. It was so strange. She could have sworn that Anna’s happiness was her own.
After what Emily considered to be very hasty packing, they left the next day. She could not understand the hurry. It was when they stopped at a café that she noticed something about her had changed.
‘I keep having visions of drinking blood,’ Emily said, her tone light-hearted yet serious.
Around her, you could have heard a pin drop.
‘So do I,’ Anna added, in a quiet voice.
‘Must be a weird twin thing,’ her ten-year-old brother, Ian, guffawed.
Their parents, Jeff and Judith, and older sister Catherine laughed – their laughs did not sound genuine.
That night Emily woke up parched. When she saw Anna was also awake she got out of bed and stood next to her, ‘I’m so thirsty.’
Anna nodded, ‘So am I.’
Emily looked at the corner of the room. Ian was sleeping soundly. Her parents’ bed and Catherine’s bed were empty. They tiptoed out, so as not to disturb their brother. Once outside, Emily was surprised at how clear her vision appeared even though it was dark. A full moon could not account for the clarity. Her throat complained again as a sweet scent filled the night air.
‘What is that smell?’ Emily asked.
Anna shrugged her shoulders and pursued it, as though in a trance.
Instinct took over, as they found the scent. Five minutes later, they were surprised to see one of the maintenance crew as he locked up. They edged closer, unable to stop.
Emily made the first move.
Anna followed.
He did not scream, he was in awe, hypnotised.
Moments later, Emily stared at the desert sand as it danced in the air, and tried to come to terms with the fact she had just killed someone. The light breeze, amidst the evening air, brought much needed relief from the daily, stifling heat. She raised her chin and closed her eyes in an attempt to shake off the events of the past hour. She had played a part in murder, and she had no idea what it meant or why it had happened.
The sight of blood had always made her queasy, yet minutes ago she had sucked and licked the trace off her hands. It had been irresistible. Even though it was out of her control, she wondered if she could have done anything to stop what they had done.
She opened her eyes and caught sight of the corpse’s lifeless pair, the colour on his skin pale, almost translucent under the glare of the full moon.
‘What have we done?’ Anna sat on the ground, her hands raking the sand.
‘I’m not sure.’ The last thing she wanted to do was admit she had enjoyed it.
Anna widened her eyes, their amber colour retaining a brightness that seemed out of place in the dead of night, and said, ‘We killed a man.’
Emily gnashed her teeth. ‘That’s obvious.’
Anna scowled, then clasped her hands together. ‘There’s no need for your sarcasm now. For once, can you act like a grown-up?’
Emily shook her long, black hair off her face. ‘Calm down. I’m not trying to be sarcastic. What’s done is done. We can’t take it back. I just wish we could find out why we did it.’
‘We’re evil, the devil incarnate. I want to die…’ Anna burst into tears, and hung her head low with her shoulders hunched.
The situation annoyed Emily, it really did, but she knew then she did not want to die. She wanted answers first. What they had done was impossible, like something out of a comic book. The problem was it was real, it had happened.
Her eyes narrowed as she realised Catherine had lied to her. She had told her nothing was wrong, she had promised her nothing was different.
Emily knew the truth now – they had all become killers.
Chapter 26
Arrival
Emily sat up in her bed. With the back of her hand she wiped the sweat from her brow. Restless, she got up and threw herself into her favourite chair. She could not help the tears from streaming down her face again.
Even after the change, she had never stopped thinking about her home town of Southampton. She had long abandoned any ambition of living in America. All she dreamt of was home. It was with this thought in mind
that she had come up with her cunning plan. Since it was clear all adolescents needed blood to change, she suggested they return from time to time. She figured they would need to stay in touch with any developments that happened in the outside world. It seemed like a totally logical idea.
When it had been agreed, she punched the air. Recreational visits would be allowed every ten years. Since no-one seemed to age, everyone assumed they had developed a form of immortality. Emily remembered their feeling of euphoria – all of them were so happy to be a member of a new species.
However, she was not over the moon. She missed her normal life and the fact she had to wait made her restless and impatient. She did things, stupid things. It only made it worse. But, how was she supposed to resist. It helped to be in the Amazon Jungle, but she still managed to track down some humans. The others found out; they knew what she was up to. She was considered unstable. Emily snarled. They wanted to suppress her nature, her instinct. It took her ages to keep a low profile. The new confined community walls helped. It was not so easy to get out and she had to behave.
Finally, on the fifth visit Emily was allowed to make the trip back to her home town. Even though the experience had been magical, exciting even, it changed her life. The day before she was due to return she met Paul.
No-one saw her again until she returned two years later.
Falling in love with Paul had been so unexpected. When she found out she was having a baby, it was easy to remain in denial. It was only when she stared into her son’s eyes for the first time that her maternal instinct kicked in and she knew she had to defend and protect her baby. The only way she could think of doing this at the time was by leaving.
The honeymoon was over.
Since Steven was a hybrid there was no way to know whether he would go through the change. So, she left them. The pain remained wedged in her heart. Every last shred of hope had vanished when Ingrid found him. Only then, did her worst fear become a reality. His change was inevitable and time was running out to explain who he really was and what awaited him. The question now was how was she going to approach the problem?
She snapped her head up and wiped her face. Something was very wrong. She could feel Anna. She had never felt Anna in so much pain. Before she got to the door, Anna burst in.
‘What is it?’ Emily asked.
Anna’s lip wobbled. ‘I don’t know how to tell you this so you don’t get upset.’
‘Tell me, what’s going on?’
With pursed lips, Anna stared in her eyes, ‘Its Ian. He’s gone to find Steven.’
Emily’s jaw dropped. She was speechless.
***
The ship started to slow down as it got into position to dock next to a jetty set up beside the river. Lana made her way over to the deck and saw Ian, Eilif and Tomas securing the ropes to the wooden supports. It was time to unload. Ingrid and Inna chatted behind her. Practically everyone was ready.
Ian glanced at Ingrid, ‘Where is he?’
‘I haven’t seen him since earlier,’ Ingrid said.
Lana thought she sounded defensive.
Ingrid shrugged her shoulders and looked at the floor as she added, ‘Do you want me to go and find him?’
Lana decided to intervene. It was the least she could do. ‘I’ll go. You can stay here to help.’
The look of relief on her daughter’s face confirmed her suspicion. Something had happened. Something had upset her. She did not want Ingrid to get hurt. A part of her was glad to see Ingrid finally smitten, even if it was with someone like Steven. If there was anything she could do to help, it would be worth a try.
Lana knocked on Steven’s cabin door. As it opened, she asked, ‘Are you ready to get off this ship?’
‘Definitely.’ Steven gave a half-smile and scrunched up his eyes.
On the way down the corridor, Lana spoke quietly, ‘My daughter doesn’t mean you any harm. She cares about you.’
‘I didn’t ask her to care about me,’ he said, his tone serious.
‘Do you have to ask people? It just happens.’ She did not know him well enough to challenge him. She tried a more subtle approach, ‘None of us mean you any harm. It would be good if you started trusting us. Ingrid is my daughter and I’m very proud of her.’
‘As you should be,’ Steven said, ‘A mother is supposed to look out for her child. I just lost the only real mother I knew and as far as I can see it was Ingrid’s doing. If she had left me alone I would have been just fine. So, don’t expect me to care about what she thinks when she never stopped to think about me.’
Lana was impressed by his directness, even though misguided. ‘She did. Look, I know it can’t be easy for you at the moment. But, Ingrid did what she thought was best. She saved you from hurting those you love. Trust me. You need to be here with us.’ Steven kept quiet so she continued, ‘All I am asking is for you to think about how you treat my daughter, before she ends up getting hurt. I wouldn’t be happy if she got hurt.’
Steven faced her, ‘That’s sounded like a threat.’
Lana glared, ‘Not a threat, a warning. We look out for each other. You would be wise to make an effort to fit in.’
‘Fine,’ Steven snapped, before he sped ahead.
Even if he did not take heed, at least she had tried.
***
As they reached the deck, Steven heard Ian call out, ‘We have company.’
All he needed now was another confrontation. Even though his little chat with Lana was unlikely to make him change his view on Ingrid, he knew to be cautious. He did not want to make enemies so soon. From the deck, he could tell Ian was talking to someone standing on the shore. He could just make out the words.
‘Ian, where have you been?’ a female voice asked, exasperation evident in her tone.
‘Anna, it’s so nice to see you. We’ve been on a reconnaissance mission. Seems we have a new member of the community no-one knew anything about, until recently. So where is our sister then?’
‘She can’t leave the community without permission, you know that. So, who exactly have you found?’
‘You know who he is.’
‘Do I?’
‘Apparently that’s what you told Ingrid and Lana. That he was under your protection.’
‘I never said that.’
‘That’s right, you didn’t,’ Ian paused, triumphant, ‘Emily did. I knew you hadn’t gone to England,’ he accused, as he jabbed a finger in her direction.
‘It was me,’ Anna answered. She lacked conviction.
‘How could you let her leave the community? What if she’d disappeared again?’
‘She didn’t though, did she?’ After a pause, Anna added, ‘What gave her away?’
‘Coffee,’ Ingrid said, aloud. ‘You hate coffee and she was drinking it happily at the café with me.’
Steven could see Ian now. He had folded his arms and was leaning to the side. He had that familiar smug expression on his face again. ‘So, back to the original question, who is he Anna?’
Before Anna got the chance to reply, Steven walked out to face them. As Anna gazed at him, she gave an audible gasp. She stared, speechless.
‘Who are you?’ Steven asked. Everyone remained silent.
A few seconds later, she replied, ‘I’m your aunt, Anna. My twin sister, Emily, is your mother.’
Ian broke the moment by returning to the job at hand. ‘Right then, well glad that’s out in the open. We’ve got a lot of stuff to move, so let’s get on with it.’
As everyone got busy, Steven watched in two minds. Anna stood still, waiting. Steven decided to leave the unloading to the others. He walked down the narrow ramp and stood away from her.
‘Can I show you where we live?’ Anna asked.
Anna eased her hair behind her ear and smiled at him. Her hair was the same colour as his. Dark, practically black, and her eyes were also a shade of amber. The family resemblance was obvious. She wore a green vest top and brown shorts. Camouflage gear, yet normal
attire for humid weather. It dawned on him that so far he had not seen anything to mark them out as different or eccentric. They seemed too normal for what he had been told.
Steven had nothing to lose at this point. ‘I’ve come this far, I might as well find out what hell I’m destined to live in.’
Anna nodded, eyes narrowed, ‘Follow me.’
His feet crunched against the loose bark and bracken on the floor.
‘This way.’ Anna turned to face the massive Amazonian trees. After a few minutes’ walk, Anna spoke, ‘So, how was your journey?’
‘Long.’ He kept his reply short and to the point. He did not enjoy acting aloof, but one word answers were all he could handle.
‘I hope it was bearable. You have a lot to discover here.’
He lifted his head up and considered saying something. He changed his mind. With a shrug of the shoulders, he looked ahead. They walked on in silence.
Steven was actually in awe of the environment. He did have a lot of questions, but he put them aside, unsure of where to begin. The fact that nature was all around disconcerted him. Just as he was starting to appreciate it, he was jolted back to reality as the sound of a car broke the peace. To the left hand side, there was a clearing that seemed to run from the river in the direction they were heading, acting like a makeshift road. It was obvious they had chosen the area because of the tall Amazonian trees, but he wondered where the ship was kept, to remain out of sight.
After walking for a further ten minutes, they started to approach a huge mountainous rock formation that was surrounded by trees. It resembled an inactive volcano. The scene was breathtaking.
Anna pointed towards an area at the base of the rock. It looked like a cave entrance. ‘We have to go in here.’
Steven nodded and followed.
Inside the entrance was a carved out tunnel with electric lighting fitted onto the ceiling. The cables were neatly tucked away in an electrical conduit made from a flexible plastic piping system that obviously gave the wires protection and routed them around the area. Somehow, this was not the image he had expected when he entered the cave. It would have been more appropriate to have fire-lit torches, like those in adventure films. They walked for a few minutes longer before they arrived at a huge steel door with no keyhole. A keypad took its place.
Steven was surprised. It was starting to feel like Fort Knox.