Evolution Series Books 1-2: Evolution Series

Chapter 1

It was amazing how my perception of reality changed in a single instant. How I could pinpoint the exact moment when I realised that I would never be the same. The world I'd known all my life ceased to exist, and a new reality began.

That moment hit me as I stood naked, staring at myself in the mirror.

To the unknowing, I still looked the same. Only I had noticed what was different about me. I was thankful that not a single doctor or nurse at Holy Spirit Hospital had picked up on it. If they had, I certainly wouldn’t be getting discharged as soon as I left the bathroom. In fact, I was pretty sure they would lock me up in a psych ward, or worse, haul me away to some top-secret government facility, never to see the light of day again.

Not knowing if my eyes were betraying my sanity, or if what I was seeing was really possible, my whole body went numb as I watched the only sign that I had just been in a car accident disappear.

What I was seeing belonged on the screen of a Hollywood blockbuster, not in real life, and especially not in mine. It defied everything I had ever been taught. God, it defied everything anyone had ever known.

The inch-long slice above my right ear was no longer there. It was as if my head had never gone through the car window. I was, once again, in perfect condition.

I stood there staring, too scared to move or think. I hoped what I was seeing was just a side effect of the head trauma I ought to have experienced. The accident should have killed me.

But if what I was seeing was real, what did it mean? What would become of me? And more importantly, what the hell was I?

A knock at the door jolted me out of the hysteria I could feel myself slipping into. Jade? It was my mum. Is everything okay in there?

Panic rippled through me. Things were the complete opposite of okay. What if I went out there and they noticed my head was no longer being held together with the stitches they had put in no less than an hour ago? Or what if the cut really was still there and I was having hallucinations? Were hallucinations even a side effect of severe head trauma?

I stepped closer to the mirror, rubbing the stitches. I hoped the cut would reappear, and I could blame the incident on my eyesight being affected by the accident – that would be the best explanation. But sure enough, the cut was gone.

Jade? Mum called again. Her voice was etched with concern.

Yeah? I replied automatically, my voice barely a whisper.

Do you need a hand? Mum tried opening the bathroom door, which thankfully, I had locked.

I had to quickly pull myself together. I knew I couldn’t let them see me like that. I’m fine, Mum. I’ll be out in a minute, I called out, throwing on the clean clothes she had brought in for me.

Taking one last look in the mirror, I let down my long, dark brown hair, trying to cover the spot where my cut should have been, and stepped out of the bathroom to face her.

Even though my heart was beating so hard I was sure it would pop out of my chest, I tried my hardest to put on the same carefree face I'd worn before my life turned upside down only seconds ago. And it worked.

I was discharged without anyone noticing my cut was no longer there, and my mum was still too caught up in the fact I had somehow cheated death to pay any attention to my wound – or lack thereof.

After listening to my mother going on and on about how lucky I was to be alive, and how I should be more careful when I was behind the wheel, we finally arrived home, and I was quick to make excuses as to how tired I was before I headed off to bed. Reluctantly, she let me go after I promised I would let her know if I got worse or needed her for anything. I swear, I thought she was going to insist that she stay with me all night, which was more than a little disturbing.

The last thing I wanted was sleep. My mind kept replaying the vision of my wound healing before my eyes. How was it possible? It defied logic. It defied science. But I saw it with my own eyes, and for some reason, I was sure I wasn’t going insane.

My freakishly fast healing wasn’t the only thing bothering me. There was something else. Something at the back of my mind that kept slipping away just as I thought I was grasping it. All I could catch was that it was important. Something I desperately needed to remember but couldn’t.

A soft tap on my door snapped me back to reality. What was with her? I didn’t need her making sure I was okay. What I needed was some time alone to try to figure out what the hell was going on with me.

I decided to ignore the knock and pretend I was asleep when the door handle started turning. All I had time to do was make sure my hair was covering my stitches and make a mental note to cover them with gauze as soon as I was free from my mother’s watchful eye.

To my surprise, it wasn’t Mum checking in on me. It was my boyfriend, Aiden. Hey, I wasn’t sure if you would be sleeping, he said in his usual soothing tone. His eyes scanned over me, checking that I was okay. Normally that kind of attention would send the butterflies in my stomach into full flight, but at that moment, I wanted him to look away. I was afraid that if he kept looking at me, he would figure out something was wrong with me. That I wasn’t normal. That I was possibly not even human anymore.

In that instant, Aiden’s eyes showed he was satisfied with what he saw, and he made his way over to my bed.

I guess Mum’s told you what happened? I asked, already knowing the answer. I was sure that before Aiden had come up to my room, he would have had to listen to her tell him all about my brush with death – not that I came anywhere even close to dying. But Mum being a reporter and all, well, it was in her DNA to be overdramatic.

Aiden nodded. He sat down on the bed, put his arm around my shoulder, and drew me to his side. I had been on edge all day, but almost instantly I could feel my nerves start to subside. It was the same unexplainable reaction I always had around him. The world could be falling apart—or in my case, me going insane—and the minute we were together, all the craziness would somehow come to a halt, and my soul would be at peace.

So... was it as bad as the version I got out there? Aiden cocked his head towards the door.

I scoffed, I doubt it. I could only imagine the overdramatised story my mother had given him.

"What really happened?"

I’m not exactly sure. All I remember was driving down the highway, and the next thing I knew, I had ambulance officers hovering over me telling me how lucky I was to be alive. All I got was a small bump on the head, which has given me a bit of a headache—but apart from that, I’m fine. The first part was true, at least.

Which reminds me. I glanced over at the alarm clock sitting on the bedside table. I’m due for my next dose of painkillers. I looked up at Aiden, putting on my best helpless, ‘I need you to look after me’ face.

And I suppose you want me to get them for you. It was more a statement than a question. He leaned over and kissed my forehead before standing up. I’ll be back in a sec, he said, leaving my room.

I felt like the worst girlfriend ever. I had never lied to Aiden before, but what choice did I have? I couldn’t tell him the truth. Thankfully, he seemed oblivious to my deception.

Making the best of the little time I had before he was back with painkillers for my non-existent headache, I jumped up from my bed and turned the lights off, leaving only the moonlight coming through my window to illuminate the room. I quickly changed into a T-shirt that was lying on my pillow and managed to climb back into bed just as Aiden came back into my room.

He sat down on my bed and handed me the pills and a glass of water. Is your headache that bad? he asked.

Uh-huh, I said, swallowing the pills. I think I’ll probably need to sleep it off... I faked a yawn.

Is that my cue to leave? Aiden started edging off the bed.

No! I grabbed his arm, pulling him back. Do you mind staying for a bit? I knew the longer Aiden stayed, the greater the chance of him discovering my secret, but I really didn’t want him going. For the first time since I had left the hospital, I was able to relax.

I was hoping you’d say that, he said, as he climbed over the top of me, stopping briefly to give me one of his irresistible kisses that left my lips wanting more. Sadly, just as suddenly as it started, it was over. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I hope I didn’t make your headache any worse.

I swear I could see a smirk on his lips, but it was gone before I could be sure. I was probably just being paranoid.

Aiden lay down beside me, pulling me into him so my head was resting against his chest. Now get some rest, he said, stroking my hair.

Okay, I replied in my best sleepy voice. I wasn’t sure how long it would take me to fall asleep, but I didn’t want to enter into any conversation just in case he caught me out on my lies.

Listening to the steady beat of his heart, I forgot all my worries and drifted off to sleep.

***

The next morning I awoke to an empty bed. Strangely, I no longer felt the fear of what I had become, although I still didn’t know what that was.

Somehow my rapid healing felt normal, as if that kind of thing had happened to me all my life. Even though I had gotten over my shock, I knew that I couldn’t say a word of it to anyone.

Pondering my newfound acceptance of my freakishly fast healing abilities, I made my way down the hall to the bathroom to get ready for school. Although I was sure Mum would allow me to stay home to recuperate, I would have to face everyone at school sooner or later. I figured I may as well get it over with. At least that way the rumour mill wouldn’t have hit epic proportions, and I might have a chance of convincing everyone it had been just a minor accident and nothing to gossip about. The less attention I received on the matter, the better off I would be.

After showering, dressing, and bandaging my non-existent wound, I walked down the stairs, bracing myself for a heated discussion. All I found was a note on the kitchen bench from my mum, saying she had to catch a flight to Sydney for some story and would be back in the evening, with a ‘P.S. stay home from school,’ at the bottom.

Yeah, right. I picked up my iPhone and called Aiden, hoping he hadn’t gotten to school yet. He picked up on the first ring. Hey, beautiful. How are you feeling this morning?

I heard a knock at the front door. Better, thanks. You’re not at school yet, are you? I walked to the front door to see who was there.

Nope.

Good. There was another knock at the door. Coming, I called to the persistent knocker.

I took a deep breath and braced myself for any onslaught he might throw at me for wanting to go to school so soon after the accident. Can you pick me up on your way to school? I opened the door and found my persistent knocker snickering. Aiden was standing there, looking as gorgeous as ever.

Want a lift to school?

I grabbed his shirt and pulled him inside. He wrapped me up in his arms, lifting me off the ground momentarily before setting me back down. All I wanted was to melt into his embrace and never let go.

I’m glad you’re feeling better, he said, then kissed the spot where the gauze was covering my stitches. I swear there was something more to what he was saying. Like he knew there was nothing under the bandages. Maybe he had taken a peep when I fell asleep last night. I knew I shouldn’t have asked him to stay with me. God, what was I thinking!

Come on. Aiden released me. You’d better hurry before we miss first period. He pulled me back into his arms, his body pressing against mine. Unless.... He didn’t need to say any more.

I knew exactly what was on his mind. And no matter how tempting it would be to spend the day in bed with Aiden, I had to face everyone at school.

Not wanting to end our embrace, I forced myself to say, Not today.

I thought he would be disappointed, but I saw understanding in his eyes.

God, you make it hard on a girl to do the right thing, I said, looking at what I was passing up to go to school. His dreamy green eyes, short brown hair, chiselled jaw line covered in just enough stubble to be sexy. Add to that his tanned skin and perfectly-toned body—what could I say? I had to restrain myself from tearing his shirt off right then and there. I should have been locked up in a psych ward for refusing such an offer—maybe I wasn’t really human, after all.

I let go reluctantly, went back into the living room, picked up my bag, and headed for the front door, stopping briefly to look in the hall mirror to make sure I had covered the stitches properly.

Satisfied that nobody could see my non-existent wound, I grabbed my keys and joined Aiden in his black BMW convertible.

Chapter 2

My first class was chemistry. I quietly opened the door, praying I could slip into my seat without Ms. Drake noticing I was late. To my luck, I made it over to my seat next to my BFF, Chelsea, without Ms. Drake noticing. She was busy preparing the chemicals for the day’s lesson—it looked like I wasn’t the only one unprepared for class.

Chelsea took the chance to grill me about the events of yesterday. So, I guess you’re still alive?

I gave her a ‘what the hell’ kind of look.

Chrissy was telling everyone that she heard from someone that you died in a car accident last night, Chelsea said, answering my unasked question.

And you believed her? I asked sceptically.

Chelsea gave a little laugh. I don’t believe anything that girl says anymore. She shook her head, obviously thinking about how much Chrissy had changed over the years.

We had all been best friends for years—that ended soon after Aiden transferred to our school. It turned out Chrissy thought she was a better match for Aiden and tried everything she could do to break us apart. I just couldn’t believe she would throw away our friendship over something so silly.

What really happened? Chelsea asked, her eyes gleaming. She was always eager for a good story.

I tried to play it cool. Nothing much. It was just a minor car accident—

Minor accident, my butt! Chelsea cut me short. Ben said he saw your car on his way home from the gym last night. He said it was a write-off!

It was just my luck Ben had seen the car. Ben was one of Aiden’s friends, and there was no way that I would be able to convince anyone he was lying. For all I knew, Aiden had been giving him a lift home from the gym, and that was how he ended up at my house last night. That kind of made sense, because I hadn’t planned to see him ’til today, and he didn’t exactly explain why he had come over so late. And I was pretty sure my mum hadn’t called him.

All I could do was go with the facts and try to minimise the gossip. All I got was a small cut on my head. I pointed at the gauze.

Chelsea’s eyes dropped with disappointment.

They released me from hospital almost straightaway, and then I went home. Aiden came over.... I trailed off as I watched Chelsea’s eyes gleaming once again as another thought popped into her head.

Ooh. Do tell. Chelsea was sitting on the edge of her seat, her head resting in her hands, waiting eagerly for me to divulge any juicy details.

Oh my God! Is that all you think about? Thanks to her non-existent love life, Chelsea seemed to live all her romantic fantasies through me.

"Ah-ha, so there is something you’re not telling me."

I shook my head, bewildered by her persistence. You really need to get your own love life. And before you say anything else, nothing happened last night. Okay?

Chelsea sat there staring at me. I know you’re hiding something. You’ve got that look on your face.

What look?

Ladies, please! Ms. Drake snapped. Class is not the time to be discussing your love life—or lack thereof. Ms. Drake gave one of those demeaning smiles to Chelsea. Now, if you don’t mind, we’ll get back to the reason we are all here today, she said, turning her attention back to the rest of the class. We are already behind schedule.

Yeah, no thanks to you, Chelsea muttered under her breath, which got her a warning glare from Ms. Drake and a few snickers from nearby students.

Ms. Drake quickly moved on. If you can all move quickly over to your lab stations and put on your protective wear, we might just get out of here on time.

Chelsea and I were, of course, lab partners. We got up from our desks and headed over to our lab station.

Are you going to put me out of my misery? she asked.

I gave her a questioning look, not knowing what the hell she was on about.

You. Aiden. Last night? she said as if she couldn’t believe I wasn’t following her. What are you hiding?

God, that girl never gave up. I was just thankful that all she thought I was hiding from her was a sex-frenzied romp, instead of the truth.

I ignored her prodding and decided to turn the tables on her. You know Ben likes you. Maybe you should give him a chance.

Ben? Chelsea scrunched up her nose. Are you serious?

A small laugh escaped my mouth, which I quickly shut off to show just how serious I was. Come on, give the guy a break. He’s changed a lot over the last few years. It’s about time you gave him a shot.

Ben had had a thing for Chelsea since we were five. Chelsea was the pretty, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, girl next door type of girl that everyone thought was cute as hell. And Ben, well, he was kinda geeky back then. Actually, he stayed that way until he was about fifteen, when he finally filled out, swapped his glasses for contacts, and got his braces off. His popularity had soared ever since. And with his ever increasing climb up the social ladder, he never once strayed from his adoration for Chelsea.

Sure, he would date other girls, but that’s where it would end. He was really only interested in one girl—Chelsea. And the poor bugger didn’t stand a chance. She would forever see him as the geek he’d been.

Chelsea was about to say something when Ms. Drake instructed us to turn on our Bunsen burner. The experiment was ‘how to make seawater into drinking water.’ She could have picked something a little harder for a grade twelve experiment.

Anyhow, I followed Ms. Drake’s instructions. Just think about it, I whispered to Chelsea, while I waited for the next step to the science experiment.

Chelsea stood there, chewing on her bottom lip. Okay.

I shot her a sideways glance. Did I hear right—you’re actually going to give him a chance?

Yeah, but only if you... She grabbed me by the shoulders to whisper something in my ear, and that’s when it hit me. At the moment of contact, sheer terror surged through my body. It was like nothing I had ever felt before. I was literally terrified beyond what words could describe. A searing pain ripped across my neck, and all I could see was blood, swallowing me into a pool of darkness until everything went black.

I awoke seconds later, being blasted with foam from a fire hose Ms. Drake was pointing at me.

I screamed out for her to stop and shielded myself from the spray. But she didn’t. She was relentless in her desire to cover me in the thick white foam. I had to get away from her. I continued to shield my face as I clambered to my feet.

Just stay calm! Ms. Drake shouted and continued to spray the hose at me. I need to make sure the flames are properly extinguished.

I didn’t listen. I ran.

As I rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs, I ran straight into Aiden. I collapsed into his arms, tears streaming from my eyes. He wrapped his arms around me, instantly calming me. I felt safe. I felt like nothing in the world could hurt me while I was with him.

It’s gonna be okay. It will all make sense soon, he whispered into my ear.

I pulled back, studying his face, trying to figure out where the heck that came from. Aiden’s face suddenly went blank. He was looking over my shoulder. We have to go. He grabbed my hand, dragging me towards the exit.

What’s wrong? I didn’t understand why he was freaking out. I mean, I was the one who’d had the crap scared out of me, been set on fire, passed out, then was woken by the teacher spraying a fire extinguisher at me.

He pulled me through the front doors. They’re coming for you, he said, not looking back. He was too fixated on getting me out of the school, but I still had no idea why.

I waited for him to explain his absurd reaction, but none came. Who’s coming for me?

He continued to drag me towards the parking bay. Ms. Drake, Chelsea, and a couple of others from your class.

So?

Aiden didn’t answer my question until we had reached his car. Look at you. They’re going to wonder why? He spoke as if it was so obvious. Aiden was no longer looking into my eyes but down at my dress.

My eyes followed Aiden’s, wondering what the hell he was on about. I gasped, unable to comprehend what I was seeing. My school uniform had been burnt through, yet my skin was untouched. I had been set alight, the flames had engulfed my dress, and yet, there wasn’t a mark to be seen on my skin. How was that possible? I know I saw the cut on my head heal right before my eyes, but there was always the possibility I was going insane. And now, knowing that Aiden could see the hole in my dress, I couldn’t possibly be insane. This was real. Something was wrong with me. No human could possibly heal so quickly. Did this mean that I wasn’t human? And if I wasn’t human, then what the hell was I?

I could faintly hear Aiden calling my name, but I was too caught up in my own freak-out to respond.

Aiden reached out and lifted my chin so that I was looking at him. You need to get in the car. He didn’t seem at all concerned by my lack of burns, and I couldn’t understand why. All his eyes portrayed were understanding and desperation.

Do you trust me? he asked, looking me directly in the eyes.

I couldn’t seem to make my mouth work, so I nodded.

Good. Then get into the car, and I’ll explain everything later. He already had the passenger door open, waiting for me to get in.

As I was climbing into the car, I heard Chelsea calling out to me. I looked up to see her, Ms. Drake, and a few others running towards me.

Just get in the car, Aiden said when I paused to look at them.

I sat down and watched them all come to a halt as Aiden pulled his car onto the road.

It wasn’t until we had pulled into Aiden’s garage that I finally found my voice. What the hell’s going on? What’s wrong with me? What am I? Wha—

Aiden interrupted my endless questions, I’ll explain shortly, but first you need to come upstairs and get changed into something a little less... holey. He had a smirk on his face as he looked down at my dress.

How could he be joking around? I was about to say something about his inappropriate behaviour while I was going through the biggest freak-out in history, but he cut me off again.

Sorry. I know you’re worried, but it really is all going to be okay. Just go upstairs, get changed, then we’ll talk. Aiden got out of the car, walked around the side, and opened my door. I hadn’t moved. I didn’t want to get changed. I wanted him to tell me what was happening to me before I got out.

It’s best that you get changed before I explain anything. You’ll have too many questions, and you’ll wish that you had cleaned up first.

How did he know what I was thinking? He always seemed to know when something was wrong or on my mind. Was he just being observant, as he had once put it, or was there something more to it?

Aiden laughed. You’ll find the answers to all your questions soon enough. He held out his hand. Now, will you just get out of the car?

Taking his hand, all my anxieties slipped away just like they had when I ran into him in the hallway at school. I looked up into his eyes, wondering what just happened.

After you get changed, Aiden replied to my unspoken question.

Chapter 3

For the second time in two days, I found myself unable to comprehend what I was seeing in the mirror.

I had left Aiden downstairs and was in his walk-in closet, supposedly getting changed. I knew I had answers waiting for me downstairs, yet I couldn’t seem to tear myself away from the mirror. I had a badly singed hole the size of my fist in the middle of my dress but not a mark on my body.

On closer inspection, the skin on my stomach looked the same as it did before the accident. But after getting burnt with fire, I would have thought there would be something different. Yet it was the exact same bronzed colour as the rest of my skin. Even the tiny little hairs that covered my body were still there.

I lifted my hand up to my neck, trying to see what had caused the searing pain that had ripped across it before I blacked out in chemistry. But—of course—there was nothing there to show for it either. At least the hole in my dress confirmed I hadn’t lost my mind. What the hell was I? I mean, what I was seeing wasn’t normal, and yet... I couldn’t deny what I was seeing.

I looked at my reflection in amazement, wondering how any of this was possible. I needed answers, and I knew the mirror wasn’t going to give them to me. Reluctantly, I pried my eyes away, grabbed the closest T-shirt off the hanger, stripped, and put on Aiden’s shirt.

Without taking another glance in the mirror, I left his room and made my way back down the stairs.

I didn’t see anyone in the living room. Aiden? His place was enormous. He lived with his sister Anna and her husband Dave, in a three-storey waterfront mansion in Paradise Waters.

I’m in the pantry. I’ll be there in a sec, he called back.

By pantry, he meant their butler’s pantry, which was really more like a second kitchen. It was about the same size as the only kitchen in my house. But they didn’t have a butler. His sister just liked to be able to keep all food prep where it couldn’t be seen and keep the kitchen looking like something out of a magazine. So they had two of everything—stoves, ovens, dishwashers, microwaves, fridges. One was for display, and the other for use.

I sat down on the massive U-shaped, white leather sofa and waited impatiently for Aiden to finish whatever he was doing so he could finally explain what was happening to me.

My mind raced with possibilities, going from the logical—I was insane—to the absurd—I was an alien, vampire, or some other Hollywood phenomenon.

A muffled laugh came from the pantry, leading me to think that Aiden might really be able to hear my thoughts. What’s taking you so long? I called out, unable to contain my growing annoyance any longer.

Umm... I’m waiting for Anna. It sounded like he was still in the pantry.

Come on! I got up and started walking toward the kitchen. You said that you would explain everything once I had changed. Well, I’m changed.

He didn’t respond.

Aiden, I pleaded.

Okay, okay. He came out from the pantry, trying to hide a smile.

You can hear my thoughts, can’t you? Deep down, beyond my rational thoughts, something was telling me I was right.

Aiden steered me back to the sofa and gently pushed me down onto it, then he sat down on the coffee table in front of me. He stared at me for what seemed like an eternity before he