• Chapter Eight •
Lusus Naturae
Cael knocked on the back door of the Phelps's home. There were blinds over the door's window, so he couldn't see much until Mrs. Phelps came to the back door to let him in. She looked welcoming with long, gray hair framing her face and a warm smile taking up her lips. "You must be the one—Dominick," she said. It threw Cael off for two reasons. For one, she called him Dominick, and he didn't know how comfortable he was with that right now.
Two? She called him Dominick and then held her arms out for a hug. Cael was hesitant at first, but he ultimately couldn't resist a hug that he knew he needed in that moment. So, he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her as if he had always known her. "Thank you, Mrs. Phelps. I go by Cael." Cael released her before fully walking into the house. The back door led right in the kitchen, which was nicely-sized with an island in the center. "If you know who I am, then why do you seem happy to see me?" he asked, confused.
Mrs. Phelps closed and locked the door before walking to island, where it appeared that she had been cutting tomatoes and mozzarella. The stove behind her had a pot that was cooking on low. "Please, call me Lane. I suspect you'll be around often, so no need for formalities. And I'm happy to see you because I'm happy to see everyone until I'm given a reason not to be. I'm aware of what you've done, but if you're here, then that's a start to something good. And I cannot judge you for past transgressions that I wasn't there to witness and that you can't even seem to remember your damn self," Lane explained. Cael felt a sense of relief wash over him. "Now...be a gentleman and shell these shrimp right there." Lane grinned, nodding at the bowl of shrimp next to the island sink.
With all of the excitement that had been going on recently, Cael could use some mundane work. "Of course," Cael smiled, undoing the buttons on his shirt cuffs and rolling up the sleeves. He walked over to the sink to wash his hands. "What are you making?"
"My favourite. Four cheese risotto with shrimp and a Caprese salad. And I make it damn good." Cael gave a genuine chuckle as he started to shell the shrimp and de-vein them with a fork. It was oddly therapeutic.
"Is it okay if I ask how you got wrapped up in all this? What's it like for you?" Cael asked.
Lane chuckled. "I'll tell you like I tell Sabin: it's hell. It's stressful. Most of the time, my husband and I go shopping at night because paranoia peaks during the day for us. In the day...it's like a person who fears open spaces. It feels like there's so much more opportunity in the day to be caught, for some reason."
Cael was surprised to hear her say that. He had anticipated her to say something more righteous. "Then, why do you do it?"
"Because it's the right thing to do. Don't get me wrong, it has its disadvantages, but I was basically raised to understand the costs." Cael rose a brow, waiting for her to go on. "I've known Sabin since I was a little girl."
"What? How old is Sabin?"
"He lost count when he came to Earth—the Alusek calendar is different. But he has to be over 1000 years old. He said that he was born in Zefur, which is Earth's December, so I make him a birthday cake every December for shits and giggles." Lane had finished cutting the tomato and mozzarella, so she resolved to tending to the risotto.
Cael could see why Sabin had the whole wise man thing going for him; he had too many years on him to not have learned something. "So, what did you mean about being raised to understand the costs?"
"My family line made it their mission to protect Alusek-kind. You'd be surprised—before the Cipher was officially a thing, there were already families that were willing to help them. We call ourselves the Legacies. We pass on the duty of protecting these beings to our children. Sabin united us under the Cipher. While Sabin is the founder, there are Cipher leaders in other commonwealths to keep things organized."
"Wow...that's amazing." Cael was floored. They must have gone to great lengths to keep their secrets from getting out; Cael doesn't know one person from his life as Cael that would know about the Legacies. He had not heard of it himself.
"It is. We're a network of sorts. Littered everywhere, and we send messages through the grapevine in case we need to be on high alert. And we've all taken it upon ourselves to learn Alusi to avoid as much interception as possible. Seda valan dur sekma oy...jukeh moyesh dur sekma-koo."
After Cael finished with the shrimp, he cleaned them off with water and then passed the bowl over to Lane, who began to season them. "What does it mean?"
Lane glanced over her shoulder at Cael, giving a smirk. "Stand fearless for something or...fall foolish for anything. It's a code of the Legacies. Tell anyone about it, I'd have to kill ya." Lane winked at him, but with the way Cael was feeling, Cael felt that she was serious.
Hell, she probably was.
Cael cleared his throat, wanting to change the subject. "So, you have kids that you raised to do this?"
"Thank you, dear. And, oh yes. Those two jackasses that picked up your clothes. They're my sons. Twins." Cael could see that Lane was definitely a relief around here. He had not really seen their faces that well, but it didn't help that he had been in a fighting match with his dead ex-girlfriend moments before seeing them.
"Your sons are like ghosts. They seem to come and go."
"They do come and go...sometimes I fear that I've led them into their deaths." Lane turning off the finished risotto and retrieved a pan to sauté the shrimp. Cael wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that. He had never had children, though that was most likely an instance of him dodging a bullet with Clarice. He also considered that that was probably intentional on Clarice's part—she couldn't up and have children by the man he was supposed to be keeping an eye on. What's more, they never married.
"I can't say that I know what that feels like. But I hope they remain protected...as much protection as they can afford, living this kind of life," Cael said, hoping that offered a bit of comfort.
Lane gave him a smile. "Thanks for trying. There's some kitchen scissors in that drawer there. Cut some of those basil leaves from that plant by the window." She gestured to the drawer and then the plant. Cael followed her directions and handed over the basil he cut. "Can't finish that salad off without my basil. This shrimp is about done, so you can grub soon."
Turning down the heat on the pan, she went about setting up the salad. "It's all about the presentation..." she mumbled.
"Cooking must be your favourite hobby," Cael observed. Lane chuckled.
"How'd you guess? Was it my knife skills or how hard I'm staring at this salad bowl?" She finished it off with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. "So...do you ever plan to have children?"
Cael's eyebrows rose, having been thrown by the question. "Uh...I don't know about that." He rubbed the back of his neck. "My life was just turned upside down. I don't know if I want to bring a child into all this trouble that I'm in, especially when I don't know when or how it will end."
Just as Lane was about to say something, they heard a door opening from the front of the house and two people talking. Reena was back.
"I have high hopes for you." Lane said, giving a smile that suggested that their conversation was finished for the time being. Reena subtly peeked into the kitchen.
Reena looked liked she was about to leave again, so Cael spoke up. "We need to talk."
"Can't talk. I need to go--"
"0047." For the first time, Reena look startled, but it soon faded in exchange for a defensive expression. Cael didn't care. "Like I said. We need to talk. Now."
• • • • • •
"You lied to me," Cael said, stern. After Lane had finished cooking, she had made plates for Cael and Reena before leaving with two for herself and her husband. Cael and Reena had started their conversation by not talking all. They ate in the dining room in an awkward silence until he broke it.
Reena set her fork down. "I did not lie."'
"You lied by omission."
"Because I don't owe you my story."
Cael dropped his fork then, sitting back in his seat and looking across the table at her with narrowed eyes. "Well, apparently, your story is connected to mine. Matter of fact, without me, it sounds like you wouldn't have a story. So, the way I see it, yes the fuck you do owe it to me. Ow!" Cael pushed back in his chair, leaning over to rub his shin. "Did you just kick me?"
"I'm the only one sitting here with you, aren't I? Fuck you, Cael." Reena picked up her fork again to pick with her risotto.
Cael huffed and scooted back up with his chair. He didn't say anything for a long pause until guilt started to set in. "I'm sorry. But everyone seems to be in the know about my life except for me. You can't possibly think that's right. My life is over. Okay? I'm on the run, my students will probably think I'm dead with how absent I'm going to be from classes. Of course, I would like to at least recover the life that I lost in the beginning."
"I don't think anything. What I know is that it will do more harm than good to tell you everything at once. Especially when you need to see it for yourself."
"Is there really nothing that you can tell me right now? Just something about yourself."
Reena was slow to respond. So slow that Cael sighed in defeat, leaning back in his seat with a hand over his eyes. After a moment of looking at him, she spoke. "My real name—before you changed me—was Irene. Irene Dodson." She put her fork back down and brushed one of her dreadlocks behind her ear. Cael moved his hand. "I was 21 when I was taken in as one of your test subjects. Irene Dodson—she went to West Bridge University as a dance and theatre major, but she became sick. Cancer. Her parents had already been helping her with school, but..."
Cael's stomach dropped as his mind automatically imagined her in a hospital bed. It was such a stark contrast to the woman that sat before him, one that was kicking and kicking strong. He leaned forward, folding his hands on the table. "But...?" He noticed that she had put distance between herself and the story she told, but he didn't mention it.
"But...then they were stuck with hospitals bills and a daughter that they could potentially lose. One of the doctors that was a representative for the Syndicate talked with her one day. Irene felt guilty, so she took the deal that was offered to her. They told her that her parents would be taken care of, and she believed them."
"Was I...cruel?"
"You were not cruel. You were ignorant—smart when it came to the make-up of the body, but dumb to what the Syndicate was actually doing." Cael cringed when she said it. "But you were kind to me. To your subjects. You got to know us. While you called us Homo immortalis, the others that weren't as close to us or the work that you did called us and the beings we come from Lusus naturae—freaks of nature."
This made Cael feel slightly better. He wasn't outright cruel...he was thankful for that news. "I saw you melt holes through the door of your holding place. How were you able to do it?"
"The DNA that was used for my change came from something called a Raiku in Alusek. On Earth? I think it would be the equivalent of the phoenix in myth," Reena explained. Telling by the way Cael fell back again, he was blown away by this information.
So, phoenixes exist?
"So, that man...the Burning Man--"
"--was one of your subjects with Raiku DNA used on them. Whatever formula you first used, it was too strong. So, he couldn't withstand the effects." Cael nodded, soaking that in. Reena started to get up.
"Wait, one more question." Reena picked up her plate and waited for him to continue. "Have you ever seen your parents since then?"
She laughed. How could a humorless sound still be so honeyed? "Of course not." Before she departed, Reena gave a look that suggested that she was done answering questions.
But Cael knew that there was much to learn from her.
•
Author's Note
What's up, peeps! First of all, I just want to apologize for the delay on this chapter. I was starting, stopping, changing things, and on top of that, I just got back on school campus a week ago. Ya girl is a senior in university, and she is stressed already! But all the blessings that I've come this far, hoping to close out in a timely and extraordinary manner.
Thank you all that have made this far into the book, there is more juicy facts and tea to come, so stay tuned in for the next installments. In concerns to this chapter, this was a filler chapter as a way to give Cael a break (and finally get some food in his body)before things kicked back up again.
How did you like Lane? What did you feel about Reena's story?
Speaking of Reena's story, I just want to give a little bit of background. Reena's real name—Irene—is taken from my late grandmother's name, Irene Ward. Hell, if this woman wasn't as strong as Reena, if not more! My grandmother did, indeed, have cancer. But man...she was not afraid. I just wanted to acknowledge her memory. This was also a tribute to my mother and Irene's daughter, Constance. My mother also had cancer. She is still living and quite the survivor.
This is in both of their honor.
See ya, Retros,
~ Chantel, Soulo