Jayden’s thumbs battled with the PlayStation controller as it jerked and spasmed in his hands. He was almost there—just one more to kill. His avatar, a muscular ex-army soldier called Monster, was weary and bleeding heavily. His energy was only five per cent.
Nearly there.
A crash from downstairs disrupted his concentration for a millisecond, making Monster fall. ‘Fuck!’ Jayden yelled. Monster’s target had seen him fall. ‘Get up,’ Jayden yelled, jabbing at the controller as Monster struggled to his feet. The target-turned-predator was two metres away and taking aim.
There was another crash from downstairs. Then Jayden’s bedroom door burst open, and a real monster stood in the doorway. Jayden didn’t even have time to yell before his body was splattered all over the bedroom walls.
Macy and Courtney screamed. Lisa looked up from her book, pulled a face of disgust, and returned to her story.
‘Those are awesome,’ Narcifer said. ‘I’ve seen them before on TV. What did the boy call them? Play-something?’
‘A PlayStation,’ Macy said. ‘This was the most brutal ending of any movie ever, and all you’re interested in is the video game?’
‘They need to invent PlayStation for real. They look awesome,’ Narcifer repeated.
‘Wait, what?’ Courtney said. ‘They have already been invented in real life. Are you saying you’ve never seen one outside the TV before?’
Narcifer shook his head, his eyes on the TV as the credits played. ‘I’ve never seen them on my island,’ he said.
‘I’ll buy you one for your birthday,’ Macy said, picking up the TV remote and turning the volume down.
‘Birthdays only happen to humans,’ he said.
‘No birthdays, either?’ Courtney stared at him. ‘I don’t get it. Everyone has a birthday. Everyone. How old are you?’ she asked suddenly.
He looked thoughtful. ‘I’ve been twenty-nine for a while.’
‘You have Christmas, though?’ Macy asked.
He shook his head and explained that the word ‘Christmas’ had never been in his vocabulary before coming inland to England. Even Mumma Lisa put her book down to listen as Narcifer explained that such traditions didn’t exist where he came from. Macy loved Narcifer as an individual, but sometimes his Jelvian ancestry seemed one-dimensional.
‘On that note, I’m off to bed,’ Mumma Lisa said.
‘Me too,’ said Macy. She looked at Narcifer. ‘Coming?’
‘Soon,’ he said.
Hiding her disappointment, Macy faked a smile and stood up. Her movements were slow and stiff, and Narcifer jumped up to help. It should have been sweet, but it made her feel like an old maiden aunt.
It was a miracle she survived when she was pushed from the car. Her injuries had been horrific, but she’d recovered relatively well, considering she’d been left with a shattered right side and fractures to her leg and three ribs, her arm and collarbone, and the front right lobe of her skull. Her left side hadn’t fared too badly—just a broken wrist and a shattered kneecap. They had inserted a metal plate in her right leg; the scar, running from her ankle to her thigh, was like a seam inside her leg.
The incident happened several months ago when Courtney’s ex tracked her down and tried to convince her Aldarn was stalking her. At one point, Courtney didn’t know who to trust and unfortunately turned to Greg, who revealed his true colours when he tried to kill Macy and kidnap Courtney.
Worse for Macy was the psychological impact—the memory of the wind dragging at her when Greg opened the car door, his hand as he shoved her, her fingers clutching at air before she fell out, and the split-second knowledge that she would probably die when she hit the rushing ground. And then hearing the thump of her body on the tarmac before everything went dark.
She didn’t think she’d ever get over that, but everyone assured her it was early days. And it was, she guessed. She’d only been released from the hospital two weeks ago.
On the other hand, Courtney had to deal with her guilt for letting Greg back into her life.
‘It’s okay, I can manage,’ Macy said when Narcifer looked like he was about to scoop her up and carry her up the stairs. She didn’t want to draw any more pity from him. She walked stiffly, feeling his gaze on her back.
Her room was directly above the kitchen. The sound was faint and muffled, but she could hear Courtney washing up their cups and wine glasses. Macy undressed, listening for sounds of Narcifer coming upstairs, but there was nothing. After a short time, she heard Courtney heading to her room, but Narcifer was silent downstairs.
Straining her ears, Macy heard the front door opening and closing. She forced her uncooperative body out of bed. She got to the window. Narcifer was already climbing onto a neighbouring house’s roof. He scaled it quickly, his speed and agile movements a testament to his Jelvian genes. He could twist his body in ways that were alien to a human. Macy watched him jump from roof to roof, then disappear from view.
Letting the curtain fall, Macy turned from the window, her shoulders slumped. It was difficult to describe—Narcifer was as loving as always, but at the same time, he was distant. Macy climbed into bed, pulling the duvet up to her chin.
For much of her stay in the hospital, she had been encased almost head to toe in a cast; she’d been on a morphine drip, making October and most of November a blur. Then, just as she felt better, she developed septicaemia, which set her recovery back.
The cast on her right leg had come off in early December, and now, with many physical therapy appointments behind her, she could walk almost normally. Her leg tired quickly, and her gait was quick to turn into a limp, but she accepted that. What she found hard to take was that Narcifer found her scars repulsive.
And because it had been Courtney’s ex-boyfriend who’d caused Macy’s injuries, their friendship was under undue strain. Macy had shown restraint when Courtney had not only attended Greg’s funeral, but also the wake, made her realise their friendship would never be the same again.
To be fair to Courtney, it must have been hard on her. She respected Macy’s feelings despite her anxiety about Aldarn’s recovery, who’d been injured trying to save her from Greg. She’d also been brilliant in supporting Macy’s recuperation and well-being—brilliant and very professional.
If Mumma Lisa sensed the tension between them, she said nothing.
Macy sat up, flicked on the bedside light, and reached for her iPad. She couldn’t sleep, and she wouldn’t sleep until Narcifer was back. She opened the iPad, its glare blinding her momentarily. She had an alert set for any Jelvia or Wake Up Movement—or WUM as it was also known—activity. Thanks to the new bill in the House of Commons—which was debated throughout her stay in the hospital and finally legislated before Christmas—the media could no longer write negatively or broadcast stories about Jelvian activity, so most of her alerts were about the WUM.
Macy didn’t know why the government had devised the new law. She didn’t think it was to appease Jelvias. It was more than likely to stop the growing panic among the people. Although, there seemed to be no panic surrounding WUM, just pure hatred of Jelvias.
Their motto was Wake up! and their cause was steadfastly gaining support. The number of people claiming to be ‘waking up’ was worrying. It was like a type of madness spreading across the globe.
A knock on her bedroom door caused her to look up. Then the door opened and Courtney looked in.
‘I saw the light on,’ she said. ‘Are you okay?’ She came over and sat on Macy’s bed. She was in her PJs. ‘You’ve been quiet today. Worrying about going home next week?’
It wasn’t going home that worried her. It was learning that Narcifer no longer wanted her as a partner and that it was only a matter of days before he would tell her. He wasn’t a cruel man. He was probably battling with the correct words, so he didn’t hurt her too much.
‘A little,’ she said. She’d already told Courtney her worries. ‘I need to get back, though,’ she added, knowing Courtney and Lisa wanted her to stay. They thought she was rushing her recovery. ‘The Wake Up Movement has upped the pace since I’ve been in the hospital. I want to investigate them. Apparently, they’ve sent me letters and messages, and they’re all sitting on my desk.’
‘You’re not going back to work?’ Courtney asked, dismayed. ‘I thought you wanted to concentrate on, you know, Narcifer? Your job should be the last thing you want to return to. It almost killed you in the summer.’
Macy snorted. ‘That was Jon Johnsen, and he’s dead. I’ve a new boss whom I’ve not met yet. Paul said he’s great.’ Paul was her line manager at London Echo, where she worked as a journalist. Macy had taken up the role of investigative journalist under Jon Johnsen to gain insight into Jelvian activity. That’s how Macy met Narcifer and how Courtney met Aldarn. She hadn’t reckoned on Johnsen having an ulterior motive and using her as bait, though. ‘I do want to concentrate on Narcifer,’ she added. ‘But that means getting back to normal and going back to work.’
Courtney grabbed her hand. ‘Macy,’ she said. ‘Forget about work. You need to concentrate on getting better, and for goodness’ sake, tell Narcifer your worries about your scars.’
She shook her head. ‘I couldn’t cope with the confirmation that he doesn’t fancy me anymore.’
‘Aw, Mace! Of course, he does. He probably thinks it’s too soon to do any more than kiss you.’
‘He doesn’t want to do that either!’ She forced a light-hearted laugh. She hated people fussing around her. ‘I’m fine. We’re fine. How’s you? You look tired.’
‘I am. It was a long and arduous shift today.’ Courtney stood up, yawning. ‘Christ, I’m knackered. Don’t let Mum wake me up in the morning.’
‘I’ll try, but you know what she’s like.’
‘She’s putting the house back up for sale,’ Courtney said, going to the door. Lisa put her house on the market in the autumn but had taken it off since Macy’s accident. ‘I know she wants to do a big clean before the valuers come again.’
‘Like that’d make a difference.’
Macy smiled, and after a cheery wave, Courtney left her alone. Macy flipped her iPad closed and reached for the light. A noise outside made her stop, and she pushed back the duvet and padded over to the window. She pulled back the curtain to see Narcifer jump from the roof to land in the front garden. She watched from the window as he walked up the garden path towards the front door. He stopped and glanced up as if sensing her there. His face immediately lit up. He grinned, his dimples deeply indenting his cheeks, and raised a hand to wave at her.
Macy waved back, smiling just as widely. All her doubts about him vanished. He was the perfect boyfriend—except that he was a Jelvia.
And he killed people.
