Hybrid (The Evolution Trilogy)

  ‘I know.’ A lone tear ran down her cheek, so she pushed her finger under her glasses and wiped it away quickly.

  ‘What about a hot chocolate to cheer you up?’ Caitlin suggested.

  ‘Thanks – that sounds great.’

  Chocolate, it had to be the panacea for all of life’s problems.

  Chapter 6

  Missing

  The bed and table were littered with an assortment of lecture notes Caitlin was painstakingly trying to put into some order. She knew she would have to go and buy some folders soon or she would lose track. She stared at her favourite poster and willed it to motivate her. Then she remembered Georgina. It had been a few days since she had last seen her, or it could have been more. She was not sure. Time went by so fast. Even though Georgina came across as a bit of a loner and had admitted to being homesick, it was difficult to know whether she actually wanted company. Caitlin had tried to get her to come out to socialise several times, but she constantly gave her the brush-off.

  It was only nine o’clock, so she put on her slippers, left her room and knocked on Georgina’s door. After no reply, she tried again but there was still no answer. She headed for the kitchen. No sign of her. In the empty bathroom, she struck out again.

  As Julia came out of her room, she headed in her direction and asked, ‘Have you seen Georgina recently?’

  Julia shrugged her shoulders. ‘Now you mention it, no. I can’t remember when I last saw her. But, she might be working late in the library. It doesn’t shut until ten.’

  ‘That’s true. I was just trying to catch up with her. I’ll ask Sally if she’s seen her.’

  ‘Good luck with that, we know where she is,’ she guffawed, as she made her way towards the exit.

  Julia was right of course, there was no reason to worry about Sally’s whereabouts – they knew exactly where she was.

  *

  The following morning Caitlin got up early and waited in the kitchen to see if she could catch any sight of Georgina. Again there was no sign of her. As strange as the possibility seemed, it dawned on her from their previous conversation that she might have actually left the university. For the rest of the morning, she remained deep in thought as she wondered if she could have been a better friend to her.

  In the cafeteria at lunchtime, her phone bleeped and she saw it was a text from Steven. She smiled and texted back.

  ‘Knew you’d be here before I’d even got your message,’ he teased from behind. ‘Can I join you?’

  ‘Of course,’ she replied, as she brushed her hair off her face and tucked it behind her ears.

  He took a seat opposite and placed the palms of his hands together. ‘You’ve been busy, I’ve barely seen you around lately, apart from your usual coffee break in the morning.’

  ‘I’ve been very busy,’ she replied, as a huge grin spread over her face. ‘In fact, there’s something I have to do.’

  ‘You always have something to do. You’re like a busy bee.’

  ‘Buzz, buzz, that’s me,’ she said. Straight-faced, she continued, ‘No, seriously, I’m worried about my flatmate. She’s kind of disappeared.’

  ‘Really? Why do you think so?’

  ‘She was really depressed last week, like just really homesick and stuff. And no-one has seen her.’ She could not help but pause, as she reflected on the fact that it was too easy to talk to Steven. Ignoring the thought, she added, ‘I think she might have left.’

  He scrunched up his face as he considered the problem. ‘What are you planning to do? Do you want any help?’

  ‘No, it’s alright, but thanks. I’ll go to the Biochemistry department after I finish lectures and see if anyone knows. She’s probably just gone home.’

  ‘If you’re sure. I’d make an excellent chaperone.’ The pleading stare nearly made her waver.

  ‘Thanks for the offer.’ With a half-smile, she added, ‘another time, maybe?’

  ‘Say the word, I’ll be waiting.’ He flashed another breathtaking smile. ‘Anyway, I’ve work to do, so I’m going to hit the library for my stimulating case study research.’

  ‘Sounds like fun, all those musty books. I’m so tempted.’

  ‘Yes,’ he contemplated, eyebrows raised. ‘Not as fun as sleuthing, but hey, keeps me out of trouble. Will I see you at training tomorrow?’

  ‘Definitely,’ she beamed.

  ‘If your busy schedule allows, maybe you’d like to have a drink with me?’

  She threw in a light-hearted response, ‘I’ll bring my Filofax along.’

  ‘You do that.’

  As he walked away, she was sure that her heart rate had accelerated again. Something about him made her feel faint. Nevertheless, regardless of what her heart dictated, she had taken control of the situation by refusing to act desperate. If there was any chance he actually liked her, then she would make him earn her affection. She had no intention of giving up her single, uncomplicated life for a man she had only just met.

  *

  The afternoon dragged on. Caitlin attended a Spanish history lecture, which turned out to be extremely boring. Several students had actually fallen asleep, but the lecturer had failed to notice. Keen to escape, she rushed off as soon as it finished. Outside, it was starting to get dark and a strong wind started to howl. If the weather became a torrential downpour, it would be a nightmare. Conscious of time, she found her way to the reception area of Georgina’s faculty. The hallway was deserted and she wandered aimlessly at first. After another ten minutes had passed, she came across an open door with a small reception sign on top. She called out politely.

  A woman in her thirties, who looked a bit too stressed for her liking, popped her head out from behind a computer and answered hastily, ‘Yes, can I help you?’

  ‘I hope so. I’m Caitlin, a first year student. I’m trying to find my roommate, Georgina May – she’s also new. I have not seen her in our halls of residence and I was worried.’

  ‘Well, that’s strange, isn’t it? It’s not like first year students to stay somewhere else, is it?’ she sneered, raising her eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

  ‘Maybe other students might choose to stay elsewhere. But trust me, Georgina is not the type. I’m sure she’s missing. I just don’t know whether she’s left the university.’

  The woman looked doubtful and sighed, ‘Fair enough, I’ll check to see if she has attended her tutorials this week.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Caitlin added.

  After some time, Caitlin was beginning to lose hope. Seated in the reception area, she gave a huge yawn, rubbed her eyes and blinked several times. It was getting late.

  When the woman returned, she sounded sheepish, ‘Right, I’m sorry to tell you that you’re right. Georgina has not attended her tutorials for the past few days. But, there’s nothing to say that she’s left the university. It’s strange, best to be cautious. I’ll let the accommodation office know and I’m sure they’ll send someone around shortly. We’ll look into it now,’ she reassured, in a kinder voice.

  Caitlin walked away with a sense of satisfaction that was quickly overshadowed by concern. She had no idea where Georgina could have gone.

  The campus was practically deserted as she walked out. The only small mercy was that it was not raining. Quickly, she zipped up her long coat and pulled the hood over her head. She walked at a steady pace. As she rounded the corner, a lone figure leaned against the light post.

  ‘Need someone to walk with?’

  It was Adam.

  She cringed at the way he smirked at her, but, she did not want to be rude to Sally’s boyfriend. ‘I guess so, if you’re going the same way.’

  ‘Oh, yeah, I’m heading back too. I saw you from across the street, so I thought I’d wait.’

  In her head she heard herself say, ‘Why did you bother?’ Yet, she could not do it, so she had a dig instead. ‘Has Sally gone home already?’

  He raised his eyebrows. ‘I don’t know – we don’t keep tabs on each other. We’r
e not that serious.’

  Perplexed, she frowned, wondering if Sally knew about their casual relationship. ‘Oh, I just remembered that I have to buy something from the shop. So, I’ll see you around. You don’t need to wait,’ she stressed firmly. She hurried in through the door to the local shop without glancing back, made her way to the end of the aisle and hid behind the corner.

  Slowly, she peeked out and was relieved to see he had gone. As she breathed a sigh of relief, the sound of a voice made her jump. Startled, she very nearly threw the neatly stacked tower of baked bean tins over.

  ‘Calm down, it’s just me,’ Julia giggled. ‘Who are you hiding from? You look so funny crouched behind there.’

  ‘Promise me that you won’t tell Sally.’

  ‘Okay, I won’t tell Sally.’ She moved closer to Caitlin and whispered, ‘What will I not tell her?’

  ‘It was Adam. I think he’s creepy. He looks at me like I’m a piece of meat.’

  ‘Maybe, he has a thing for redheads,’ she laughed.

  ‘Ha, you’re so not funny. And don’t call me a redhead, I hate that; its strawberry blonde,’ she pouted, and folded her arms.

  ‘So, are you planning to buy something or are you heading back?’

  ‘I’m heading back. Are you coming?’

  ‘Not yet. I just came in to get a few supplies. We’ve got an evening pub crawl planned. Do you fancy coming along?’

  ‘No, thanks for the offer, but, you have fun. Tell me about it in the morning if you don’t have too bad a hangover, that is,’ she joked.

  Outside, Julia headed towards the main campus and Caitlin continued her walk back to halls. At least there was no sign of Adam. Within twenty minutes she arrived back. The corridor was quiet, no-one was around. On the off chance that Georgina had returned she knocked on her door, but there was still no answer. Key in hand she opened her own door and dumped her bags on the floor. A minute later she headed out towards the kitchen to make some tea. As she did, she saw a woman coming in through the entrance.

  ***

  Gladys had been working at the accommodation office in the university for ten years. She was more than aggrieved to be pulled away from her job to check on a first year student on the whim of another. She was convinced the girl in question would be fine and was probably temporarily residing in some boy’s room, like they usually were these days.

  Once inside, she saw a wide-eyed redhead loitering in the corridor. She made her way towards her. ‘Are you Caitlin, the girl that reported the missing student?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I’m Gladys, I’ll just have a look inside to check that nothing’s wrong.’

  After knocking several times, she put the key in the lock. Inside, the room was pitch black. Some blackout curtains had been placed over the window. A stale smell hung in the air, it made her gag involuntarily.

  ‘Stand back,’ Gladys warned. She had to keep Caitlin at bay. She turned on the light and gave an audible gasp. She glanced back briefly, and saw Caitlin was in shock. ‘Don’t look!’ In a bid to do something, she rushed over to the body to check for a pulse. It did not surprise her when she found none. She bowed her head in defeat.

  The sound of Caitlin’s scream forced her to get into action. Caitlin had started to hyperventilate, and had slid down on the floor of the corridor. The sound of her sobs echoed down the hall.

  On the bedside table, Gladys saw a note. All it said was ‘Sorry.’ Without wanting to touch anything, she backed out of the room and locked it with a shaky hand.

  She put her hand on Caitlin’s shoulder. ‘Calm down. This is shocking, and very sad. I need to go and report this,’ she paused, and caught her breath. She fought the urge to panic; she had to stay in control. ‘Don’t mention what you’ve seen to anyone. It looks like she took her own life. We don’t want her family to find out via gossip.’

  ‘I-I won’t s-say anything,’ Caitlin stammered, through choking tears.

  ‘I’ll contact the police straight away. They’ll probably want to talk to you. It’s such a waste to bring a life short like that. It’s probably best if you come with me. Is that okay?’

  ‘Yes, th-that’s fine,’ Caitlin said.

  ‘You did the right thing.’

  She put her arm under Caitlin’s shoulder and helped her up. She glanced at the door she had just come through in horror and wondered why anyone would want to die so young.

  Chapter 7

  Rendezvous

  Sally walked into the now familiar lecture hall and kept her head low as she took a seat. A lot of students watched her as she sat down. They gave her weird glances she hoped would soon be a thing of the past. It was not her fault a girl had committed suicide in her corridor. Yet, there was an accusation on all of their faces, as if she’d actually had something to do with it. Although, she suspected it was more than that. They just wanted to know if she had any gory details to share; it was disgusting.

  ‘Hey, gorgeous, how’re you doing?’ Adam slid next to her.

  ‘You know me, same as usual.’

  ‘I think I can do something to help ease the tension. If you like, we could slip out early and forget the rest of the day.’

  Sally needed the distraction, so she leaned in and kissed him. The kiss soon got heated as his hand fumbled up her back and then moved close to her breast.

  A few voices muttered.

  ‘Adam,’ Sally sighed. She leant back and pushed his hand away. ‘Maybe later, I can’t afford to flunk.’

  ‘If you insist,’ Adam pouted.

  The lost puppy look was getting old.

  ‘I’ll back down for now,’ Adam said. He ruffled his hair with his hand. ‘Anyway, you know it’s my way of helping you to put the whole incident behind you.’

  ‘Thanks for helping, but I’m fine. Caitlin’s the one that’s gone.’

  ‘Why did she go again?’ he asked, confused.

  Sally grimaced. In a whisper, she said, ‘She saw her, you know, dead.’ Talking about it felt like talking about a contagious disease. ‘University is supposed to be fun, now it’s like, become dark – scary. It’s hard enough to be away from home, let alone to have someone committing suicide.’

  ‘I guess. At least they’ve put you in a new room. Which reminds me, we have not inaugurated it yet… maybe, tonight?’

  ‘Is that all you think of?’ Sally squealed, delighted and yet amazed by his needs.

  ‘Only with you, Baby,’ Adam teased, as he squeezed her hand.

  ‘If it wasn’t for the fact that I desperately need the distraction, I would class you as a nymphomaniac.’

  ‘Like I said, only with you, Baby,’ he smirked, and ran his finger along her arm.

  Sally was overcome by desire. She was always attracted to guys who wanted action.

  ***

  The sound of the song coming to a close prompted Steven to grab his iPod and scroll through his selection to find a new track. As he did, he heard someone bang on his door. Hesitant, he opened it. Adam stood in the hallway, with one hand leaning on the doorframe. He was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses, which he now pushed down his nose. ‘How’s it going? We’re going to the bar for some drinks, fancy coming out to play?’

  ‘I’m not in the mood for small-talk right now,’ Steven replied. He folded his arms across his chest and pursed his lips.

  ‘Look, I know it’s depressing about that girl dying and all, but life goes on. Unless, you’re just missing Caitlin,’ Adam sneered.

  ‘I’m not missing Caitlin,’ Steven snapped.

  ‘Sensitive, okay, whatever, will you come with us or what?’

  Reluctant, he shrugged his shoulders and grabbed his brown leather jacket. ‘Sure.’

  The moment they walked into the bar, Steven noticed a few heads turn in their direction. It was something he was used to so he ignored the stares. Adam smiled broadly, oozing confidence, as he approached the group sitting at the table.

  ‘We made it. Did you miss me?’ Adam flashed his
brilliant white teeth at Sally, ‘I had to force Steven out of his room.’

  Steven did not bother to contradict him.

  Julia looked directly at Steven and smiled. Sadness lingered in her eyes. He had not noticed it before.

  ‘We don’t bite, you know.’ Grace gave Steven a vixen-like glare.

  Grace wore an excessive amount of makeup. It was beyond him why some girls did that. It did not make her prettier. Purposefully, he diverted his eyes to the floor – refusing to succumb to her games. Ever since he had given her the cold shoulder by rejecting her advances, she had become the ice queen. He found it amusing that someone like her should get upset over the fact he didn’t fancy her. He was sure any other bloke would be happy to receive her attentions – Adam included. He hoped he was wrong, but Adam did not strike him as the faithful type.

  ‘I’m going for a drink. Anyone want one?’ Steven forced himself to be polite.

  After taking a few orders, he made his way to the bar and waited. The truth was, he was worried about Caitlin – he just did not want to admit it. When he got served, he placed the drinks on a tray and balanced them on one hand. With the other, he took a sip from his beer. He braced himself for another laborious conversation. In full stride, he accidentally crashed into someone and sent a few of the drinks flying up in the air. With no free hands, he watched as two glasses smashed on the floor.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ he started to say, mortified. The incident had a déjà vu feel to it.

  ‘It’s okay, Steven, I shouldn’t have been standing so close,’ the person replied. The voice was female and she sounded confident. In a calm and composed manner, she brushed the liquid off her top, making it splatter on the floor. Steven tried to appear nonplussed, but it was difficult. He had no idea who she was, and therefore, could not understand why she had called him by name. The thought lingered as he turned to place the tray back on the bar and was handed a pan and brush to scoop up the glass.

  ‘You made it, you clear it,’ the girl behind the bar shouted with a scowl.

  ‘Sure, no problem,’ he replied.

  Before he bent down to clear the mess, he found himself staring at her features. Long, straight, blonde hair hung over her chest. A pair of emerald-coloured eyes twinkled cheekily. Her tight, knee-length leggings, and the now wet, skimpy t-shirt clung to her frame leaving little to the imagination. He lowered his eyes, and got to the task at hand. After passing the pan and brush back over the counter, he turned to her again. She stood so still.