Only Human (11 page)

‘
Aecia, she…she is dead!’

‘
No, she looks better, she’s not hot anymore’

I have my ear to her chest to see if there
’s a heartbeat, ‘It could be just too faint to hear Anne, she just looks asleep.’

Even as I argue
, I know it is the truth. Leandra has gone, and I feel like I have just been kicked in the stomach!

Orianna is pulling Leandra
’s arm, she is trying to wake her up; how can I make her understand that she has passed away? I can’t believe it! Leandra was just about to start really living; she had been rescued from a nightmare and brought into life. This is not fair, it is not right, and there is absolutely nothing any of us can do about it.

Orianna knows, she is crying
, as Anne and I are, as we hug Leandra for the last time. I want to wash and dress her in a clean nightdress before the boys return. We will comb her hair, and make her body presentable, so that the others can say goodbye. We should bury her when Uncle comes, but in a place far from the Vampire patrols. She can be part of this earth, and part of the growing life all around us. She will be at peace.

I don
’t think the boys will be back for ages yet, and I’m not sure what to do until then. I would normally have gone out with the girls, to collect wild berries or fruit from the trees outside. We would have practiced writing, while sitting in the last of the summer sunshine, and listened to the rustlings, chirpings, and buzzing of the animals. It doesn’t feel right to do any of that now, not with Leandra lying cold at our feet.

‘
We should go outside for a while Aecia; we can’t do anymore until your Uncle arrives.’

Anne has just read my mind and she is probably right
, but something inside me protests at leaving Leandra’s body alone and unprotected. I know her spirit isn’t here, but it would still feel like we were abandoning her. I doubt if I could prize Orianna from her side anyway.

‘
You go if you wish Anne; I think I should stay with Orianna and Leandra. We have paper and pens, and Orianna said my name before, I want to see what else she can say.’

‘
I won’t be gone for long. We need some water, and I’ll wash the bowls in the spring.’

The spring is not far from the mountain, a busy, continuous stream of water that runs over the rocks and finally ends up in the river. It tastes delicious, it really does
, and that is an unusual word to describe water, but it is true. I suddenly feel really thirsty, and I hope Anne returns soon.

Orianna looks a little flushed as well. She
’s been crying for hours and she has worn herself out, poor thing. I’ll see if she can say my name again, take her mind off Leandra for a moment. ‘I am Aecia. You are Orianna.’

‘
Orenaa.’

‘
Oreeaana.’

‘
Oreeaana.’

‘
Yes, that is you, and I am Aecia, can you say that?’

‘
I am Aeeceea.’

‘
You’re getting it, but not quite, you are Orianna.’

‘
You are Oreeaana.’

This is going to take some time
, but we’re definitely getting somewhere, she’s not daft, she’s brilliant, and she is also very tired at the moment. She’s yawning all over the place, so I’m going to see if she’ll sleep for a while.

I wonder if this is what motherhood feels like? I am constantly thinking about all of the
Clones, whether they are with me or not. They seem vulnerable to me, and I would fight any predator, including Vampires, if they were attacked. I feel happy when they are, and sad when they are sad. There is a gaping wound in my heart now that Leandra has gone. I am a mother, yes, I am a mother.

All is silent now
, except for Orianna’s breathing; the calm before the storm, which will surely rage when Garok, the boys and Lupe return. They don’t know that Leandra has died, and it will be a terrible shock.

I have no idea of the time but it feels like they should be back soon. Orianna is still asleep
, and Anne is not back yet, she has been longer than I thought. I would normally boil some water now, but we have run out. We have some root vegetables left that I can prepare, ready for Anne’s return with the water.

I can hear someone coming back now,
‘AECIA, HELP ME.’

It is Garok
’s voice, what has happened to him?

‘
I’m coming!!’

We all have to crouch through these tunnels
, and, like an idiot, I have left the mini-torch from Uncle in the cave. I can hardly see Garok.

‘
Sebastian and Baran are ill, they can barely move, help me get them to the cave Aecia, quickly.’

We are in Garok
’s cave now, because it is nearer than ours. The boys are feverish, and in obvious pain, exactly as Leandra was last night. Garok is exhausted.

‘
Where and when did they become ill Garok?’

‘
They seemed ok for most of the day; we caught three rabbits, and Baran found a field of wild potatoes, so we dug out a bag full of those. It was as we were coming back, Baran was holding his stomach. They don’t speak much of any language you know, but I always understand them now. Sebastian had the same symptoms, soon after, and we had to keep stopping to rest. They both collapsed completely when they saw the mountain was in sight. I think they tried to hold out as long as they could.’

‘
So you must have dragged them all the rest of the way.’

‘
I was frightened that it was going to get dark, and the Vamps would have smelt us on their patrols.’

‘
Sit down; have you any water left in here?’

‘
No, but there is half a bottle tied to my waist.’

‘
Here, drink.’

‘
Thank you Aecia.’

‘
Garok, Leandra is dead!’

‘
Dear God! No! What happened? Did she get sick and choke or what? It was a stomach ache; how can you die from a stomach ache? I don’t understand what is happening to them. What about Orianna and Lupe, are they ill too?’

‘
Lupe? She is with you isn’t she, where is she Garok, she left with you?’

I have only just
realised that Lupe isn’t here with Garok. I can’t seem to think straight, and I share Garok’s confusion. Why are my friends dying around me?

‘
Aecia, Lupe was with us for about an hour, but she couldn’t settle. She wanted to come back to you all and Leandra. She kept pointing towards the mountain, so in the end, Baran walked part of the way back with her, and then came back to us.’

‘
She never came back.’

‘
I will go and look for her.’

‘
Garok, it will be dark in an hour.’

‘
I must try, she could have fallen and hurt herself, or maybe she is ill too, and hasn’t the strength to get home.’

I don
’t want him to go, but there is no choice Amica, I must see to the boys and Orianna. Orianna! I must get to our cave and see if she is alright; if she gets this illness, I don’t know what I will do.

‘
Orianna.’

‘
Aecia.’

Thank god, she is fine! In fact she looks well, rested after her sleep. She has just said my name correctly too. I
’ll bring her to Garok’s cave, and we can look after the lads together.

Orianna never ceases to amaze me, she is calmer than I am now
, and is bathing Sebastian’s face with the remains of Garok’s drink. She is humming that horrendous birdsong tune, but quietly, and it is making Baran and Sebastian smile, so that is something. Wait, I can hear movement in the tunnel, it is Garok, and he has Lupe.

‘
She is ill Aecia, but she is all right. I found her near the spring.’

Lupe is hot and moaning like the others
, but she is alive, she has a chance.

‘
Anne, where is Anne? Didn’t you see her at the spring Garok?’

‘
No, no sign of her.’

We need
Uncle, I don’t know what the hell is going on today friend, and now Anne is missing. It is getting dark, and I won’t let Garok go out again. He will surely be discovered, and then we are all discovered. But Anne, where on earth could she have gone?

I must ask
Uncle for a watch when he arrives, this waiting around is horrible, and I wouldn’t know if he is late or not. It is dark now, and Anne is still missing. Come on Uncle, hurry up. I wonder where he went today; who he was visiting. I guarantee it was something to do with the Rebellion, and I am going to find out about that too, whether he likes it or not! I can hear movement, thank god, and about time!

‘
Uncle.’

‘
Yes sweetheart, why are you all in Garok’s cave?’

My eyes are filling with tears and I can
’t speak, I’m just so relieved that he is here, and it’s like a damn bursting inside of me. Uncle will straighten things out somehow, I know he will. I want to cling to him and never let go.

‘
What has happened Garok? Where are Anne and Leandra, and what is wrong with the boys and Lupe?’

I am safe in
Uncle’s arms, as Garok explains what has happened today, and I am grateful to him for that.

‘
Aecia, release me, so that I can see to the boys and Lupe. I will examine Leandra’s body later, for she is beyond my help.’

‘
I’m sorry Uncle; I was frightened that you wouldn’t come as well. It has been a strange and ugly day.’

‘
Yes, I know,’ he is patting my arm and gently pushing me aside, ‘but I am here, so you must let me get on with it.’

Uncle
has his bag with him, with goodness knows what inside. It is huge, and we have never really needed him to open it before now. Vampires don’t get ill at all. I wonder how he has even kept his practice running for all of these years. Don’t get me wrong, a Vampire can be hurt, or reduced to ash by the sunshine, but they don’t get colds or rashes from disease, the way Humans of old did. Whatever exotic or immortal serum that runs through their veins, seems to be too powerful for age and bacteria to affect.

Garok, Anne and I
, have some diluted form of that serum within us. We are born from Vampire, but our humanity still fought the battle to remain human, and won! Maybe that is why we are not ill. Whatever disease this is, has no chance within our biological make up.

Orianna
is a Cloned human, with no Vampire resistance, and yet she is not ill either. OMG Amica, I am going round in circles here, I am not a Doctor or Scientific researcher. Uncle will clear all this up I’m sure. He is 432 years old, with a wealth of experience in everything, and he is my hero.

‘
I will be back shortly.’

‘
WHAT! Uncle, you are not leaving us are you? What is wrong with them? Have you given them some medicine?’

‘
Yes, I’ll explain when I get back. Aecia, Anne is still out there, and I have to find her.’

‘
But the patrols, it is not safe!’

He has gone
, and we are rigid with fear again. The patrols consist of an indeterminable number of the oldest and strongest Vampires of the Capital. I’m not sure if any of the Elders join the search, or if it is too demeaning for their superior, designer clothed butts.

Anyway, these are the fastest, sharpest crew available
, and have the fiercest and most accurate senses in the universe. They can pinpoint an object from a mile away in the dark, and their sense of smell is just as potent. All of the caves are doused with neutralizer every day, as well as our bodies and clothes, for that reason.

These
Vamps can fly, and I’m not kidding! They can cover 20 miles in less than a minute, with their capes billowing in the wind like bat’s wings. That would be an incredible sight to see, except for the fact that if I was unfortunate enough to see it, I would be blood soup before I blinked.

Can you imagine Amica, if the
Vampire’s power was combined with a good heart, selflessness and humility? The world would be truly a living, breathing Heaven, for all who inhabited it. I pray that one day that will come about!

‘
Aecia, are you asleep?’

‘
No Garok, I’m sorry, I daydream sometimes, and I must have closed my eyes.’

‘
Yeah you did, but you are standing up?’

It
’s too soon to let Garok into the crazy. He thinks I just write to you friend, not see you and talk to you.

‘
I’m just so tired and worried Garok, how are they?’

‘
The same so far, I mean they are still hot, but they are all asleep. I think Rauul gave them a tranquillizer and pain relief.’