The S-Gene (Book 1: Amelia) - COMPLETE

Two minutes late.

He wasn’t up to a good start. Did he not know it took every inch of her self-control to even stay seated? Every time she glanced down at her cellphone, she wanted to bolt. There was that and the fact that whenever someone approached her table, she jumped ten feet into the air.

Sure. She had seen the tiny picture in the corner of the file but - pictures and real life were never the same. Plus, a tiny-teeny part of her half expected to see a wolf waltz through the streets…

Amelia scratched her left arm, grazing the skin with her nails, leaving red marks behind. Come on Caleb. The details were vague, but the time of the date had been clear. Oasis café, 13h15.

Now it was… 13h18.

She had left early to be here on time. And also because she didn’t have a fucking clue where this oasiscafé was. No map app could tell her where to go in this fake place. Even if she had wanted to look, the cellphone was regulated and she couldn’t get whichever app she pleased.

Amelia drummed her fingers along the edge of the table, her heart pounding in her ears. She could hear the blood rushing, the quickening of her breaths as her irises darted left and right, searching the emptiness in front of her.

“Amelia?”

The voice was smooth like velvet, washing over her skin like a wave. She turned to the right, finding herself staring at a crotch. She moved her gaze up from the jeans, taking in the tightly fitted blue dress shirt, and made her way to his shiny eyes.

He smiled at her, leaning in as he extended his hand. “I’m Caleb.”

A fresh stubble of a beard covered his jawline, tousled brown hair pushed back, and a grin that could melt hearts - hers included… if she didn’t know better. She reached for his hand, her own shaking, and she gave it a weak squeeze.

“Nice to meet you,” she managed to utter, her voice only slightly shaking. Oh yeah, good going Amelia. Now he can definitively tell how much you wanna do this.

Part of her had hoped he might be as reluctant to do this, but if the smile on his face was any indication, he was thrilled. Not good. Maybe he was thrilled about the end result? Not so much about the whole we-have-to-deal-with-each-other part.

Maybe.

“Can I sit?” he asked, gesturing to the empty chair in front of her.

“O-oh, sure. Of course. I mean - that’s why we’re here!” she answered, smacking her hand together. Wow. She was out of breath. Had she said these words as fast as she felt she did? Fuck.

He chuckled before pulling the metal chair and sitting across from her. “I’m gonna take a wild guess and say this is your first date here?”

“You got me,” she replied, palming at the back of her neck. Ew. Her hand was so fucking sweaty. Oh no. Did she have sweat stains under her armpits? Shit. Could she check without him noticing?

Nope. His eyes were completely on her. She wouldn’t get away with it. Fudge.

“Can I be honest?”

“I would prefer,” he teased.

“This - I didn’t… it’s all new. I’m not… no offense, but I’m not super happy or comfortable with the situation.”

Maybe it was the wrong thing to say on a first date. Not that it was an actual date. They both knew what this was - there was no illusion, no lie, no trickery. This meeting was for one purpose and one purpose only.

Dr. Harper said some people were looking for love but she didn’t believe it. No one could look for love in this situation, in this fucked up world. They were stuck, she was stuck. This was all out of necessity - maybe desperation.

“Soooo… this is all new for you. Myths and legends huh?”

She nodded. “Pretty much…” Amelia chewed on her bottom lip, holding his glance as he studied her face. Why was he looking at her like that?

“Then you made the right choice.”

“How so?”

He shrugged. “As far as the supernatural goes, werewolves are pretty human. Sure, there’s the whole turning into a werewolf thing - but most of the time, we’re pretty human. We eat the same thing as you, we live the same way… We don’t live longer… we are stronger but we can get hurt too.”

That was… not wrong. When he was in human form, there wasn’t anything special or different. Sure, even through his shirt, she could tell there were a lot of muscles under there. Being what he was probably helped his physical shape…

But a lot of humans were strong and ripped. It wasn’t exclusive to werewolves.

“I guess… I mean - alright, sorry, this may be rude but… after encountering an eager vampire… do werewolves… ya know…” she tilted her head to the side as she spoke, but he didn’t seem to get it. Amelia gestured to herself, waving her hand up and down. “Do you guys eat… what is…”

“Do we eat humans?” he asked, one eyebrow quirked.

She bunched up her nose, nodding as she glanced to the side, looking away from his honey-colored orbs.

A peal of laughter filled the vicinity as he leaned forward, chuckling into his fist. “No, we don’t eat humans. Don’t get me wrong, we like meat and we like it bloody but - we’re not into human meat.”

“Oh.”

At least he wasn’t offended. Could anyone blame her? All she had to go on was… legends, myths, movies… TV shows. How was she to know what was real and what wasn’t? None of this was supposed to be real in the first place.

“Sorry - it’s - this isn’t what I had in mind for my life… I know they almost advertise it as a dating thing but - feels like a forced surrogacy to me.” Perhaps it was the wrong thing to say, but she had to be honest.

So far, he appeared to be genuine with her and the least she could do was give him the truth. She wasn’t sitting here, doe-eyed, waiting for her prince charming. Would she like a prince charming? Of course, she would. She wanted someone…. Eventually.

But not like this.

In the end, her only way out was to make some sort of contract where she tried to have a baby with someone, and then she would move on. She would return to being a regular human with a different life than before.

Amelia opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it. What else could she say, what else could she add? At least he knew where she stood on the whole matter but - maybe he didn’t care. Maybe he wasn’t here to give a damn about what she had to say.

After all, he was a part of this, of this broken system - wasn’t he?

“Listen - I know this is weird. Can’t be easy for you. It’s not… very organic to start a relationship like this.” He put his hands up. “Any kind of relationship. I’m not trying to force anything here. Friendship, love, whatever, same thing.” Caleb scratched the side of his face with his index finger.

“It would be a lot easier if everyone could be with whoever they want. I know that.” He shrugged. “I guess what I’m saying is, I don’t have any expectations. I’m glad I get to sit down and talk to you and we can go from there. Whatever you want.”

She came into this not knowing what to expect. Would he treat it like a date? Would he treat her like a commodity? Would he slap down a contract, lay down the law, and tell her what he wanted? All of these options were a possibility.

But none of them came to fruition.

It didn’t tell her what he wanted. It didn’t say much. He was attractive - very attractive. He probably had someone else he wanted in life, but couldn’t. Or maybe the plan was to have a baby and then move on with whoever he actually loved.

What was this baby obsession? Was there something about the supernatural that she was missing? Why did they want babies so badly? Then again, if they needed carriers… would they go extinct… were they already on the brink of extinction?

Maybe there was a reason for that.

Amelia squeezed her legs together, as his eyes pierced through her. He was waiting for her to speak, but… how could she start that conversation. Did it matter who she picked? Did she need to talk to him? Did she need to know anything about him?

Would they co-parent? Would she disappear? If so, shouldn’t she want to know what kind of person would be raising… her child? The word left a lump in her throat and choked her up.

“Sorry, I’ve gotta go to the bathroom real quick.”

“Sure,” he replied with a grin. “I’ll be right here,” he added before leaning back into the chair.

She smiled at him with tight lips and hurried to her feet. Amelia could feel his eyes on her as she walked away, sweat dripping down the nape of her neck, and cooling her off as it trailed down her spine.

Lord, she did not even want to think about what her armpits might look like. Though the distance between them was enough for her to breathe a little easier. She had been insanely nervous about this, too nervous to breathe.

Truth? She didn’t have to pee.

Amelia simply needed a moment to center herself. She had wanted to be rude, she had wanted to be mad… but taking with Caleb… It wasn’t like she was happy about the whole thing. She thought it was bullshit, unfair, and - it broke so many fucking laws.

Yet, he wasn’t - he was stuck too. He hadn’t been walking around, lurking, hoping to snatch someone away for evil purposes. Nature had left him… desperate. It was hard to keep the monster label when he was being kind to her. And while he looked so normal.

Her brain still liked to believe that they weren’t real, that none of this was real. He appeared to be as normal as anyone else she had ever met and her brain was feeding into the illusion.

It might be endurable. She might be able to get through this without losing her sanity. Even if she was overwhelmed to the point of feeling suffocated…

A chuckle filled the vicinity - interrupting her thoughts. She frowned, bunching the skin between her eyes. It sounded familiar. As in - it was Caleb. He was speaking to someone, but she couldn’t tell who exactly.

It wasn’t any of her business.

Maybe the waitress had come back. Maybe he had run into one of his friends. Obviously, he had been there longer than her and he had to know more people than she did. Especially since she wasn’t making an effort to integrate into this weird fucked up society.

She should finish what she came here to do and walk out.

But she didn’t.

She lifted her head, looking at the small open window at the top of the wall. She could hear him through there. Could she… could she reach it?

Amelia scratched the skin of her chin, irritating the skin and creating a blotch of red. No. It wasn’t necessary. A fluttery feeling rolled in her stomach, and before she knew it, she was clutching the white porcelain sink.

Maybe a quick peek? It felt sturdy enough to hold her weight.

She left one leg, putting her foot on the rim, and then winced as she lifted her other leg. She was crouched, on top of the sink, feeling like a fucking idiot. Was she about to spy on him? For real?

This place was turning her insane. She would need a shrink after this. Maybe two.

She glided her hands across the smooth surface of the ceramic wall, inching herself taller and taller until she could grab the window’s edge. She should be close enough to hear him now.

“Listen, I gotta let you go. I’m on this date.”

The way he said the word date had the hair on her arms standing up. What happened to the smiley, happy, go-lucky guy that had been sitting across from her a few minutes ago?

“Nah, she’s nothing special. Pretty plain but - she’s a universal. I wanna get out of here and the pack could use a few carriers. She can pop a few, get some cubs, get some carriers, then she can get tossed.”

Her heart slowed down for a beat and her grip on the window’s edge loosened. Every time her heart pumped, it ached in her chest. It was fine. She didn’t want love, she didn’t want something true… yet his words were like daggers.

She was nothing special? He was nothing special.

Amelia was the one with the power. She got to pick someone while he had to wait around for someone to choose him. Her own life could have proceeded uninterrupted and without any help, if it wasn’t for Genecorp. She didn’t need him but he needed her.

The nerve of that jerk.

“Look, I’ll call ya back. She’s gonna be back soon. Later.”

He had been putting on a front, pretending to be pleased about this. He tried to trick her into a false sense of security. The worst part? She was madder at herself for falling for it. She thought he was genuine. She thought he was nice.

Was anyone real?

They were all selfish, in it for themselves. Why should she be surprised? This was basically kidnapping. Why did she think any of them would have a shred of decency? She hadn’t asked him to love her… but he could have been honest.

Hadn’t she been? She had told him how she felt about this?

Did he think pretending would get him brownie points? She didn’t give a shit that their interests aligned, she didn’t care that he also wanted nothing to do with her. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of winning.

Did he want to get out of here? She didn’t know exactly what that meant, or where he normally lived - but one thing was for sure. He wasn’t getting out of here through her. She had to suffer, and he would have to go through the same thing.

Amelia climbed down the sink, flattening her hands against the tiles of the wall to help herself down. Once her feet touched the ground, her arms straightened, her hands locked into fists. She twisted her mouth, a sore expression on her face.

She could leave. Dash out and run out of him.

But then he might wonder, he might think he had won.

She wanted him to know she had seen through the facade.

For a second, he had her believing that they weren’t as bad as she thought - that maybe they were both stuck. They needed a carrier, there was no way around it. She bought his bullshit.

No wonder they had the upper hand. She’d bought it like an idiot. She had been an easy prey. If she hadn’t overheard him, she might have agreed to do this with him - to get it over with…

What a fucking idiot she was… She blinked away the tears that threatened to burn her eyes. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. She lifted her head, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She tucked her hair behind her ears, took a deep breath, and then, she gave herself a nod.

She could do this.

Amelia unlocked the bathroom door and walked out. Her feet were heavy as lead as she headed back to the small terrace outside. Even without being outside, she could see the back of his stupid head.

She stomped the rest of the way there, huffing with each breath she took. Once she reached his side, he began tilting his head to flash one of his many fake smiles at her. Asshole.

Her brain turned off. She didn’t think - she only acted.

She reached for his glass of water, and then, threw it on his face, watching as his lips parted in surprise, water leaking down his face unto his shirt. He was pissed. She tossed the glass back on the table, hearing it wobble.

“I may not have werewolf hearing, but I have ears," she hissed, throwing a glance of disgust at him. “You can find someone else to knock up and toss away like garbage. We’re done here.”

She swallowed hard as she flipped on her tippy toes, turning around and showing him her back. It sounded like he was saying something, but his words were muted by the rush of blood in her head. Her heart strained with each beat and she forced her feet to move.

Maybe provoking a creature wasn’t a good idea, but she wasn’t going to be a victim.

The ground was rumbling; was he coming after her? She couldn’t will herself to turn her head to the side. Instead, she hurried her steps, hoping she was putting enough distance between the two of them.

They were supposed to be watching; they had eyes everywhere. They wouldn’t let him hurt her, would they?

Her heart leaped in her throat as her pace picked up - at this point, she was running, but she wouldn’t admit it. Her footsteps echoed with a bang against the concrete as she headed in what she hoped was the right direction.

The street signs, the light posts, everything was blurry. Was it tears? Was it sweat? Maybe stress. She felt elbows and fabrics as she bumped into people, but she never stopped. Everything warped around her until she caught sight of her fence.

Amelia launched herself forward, gripping at the white picket fence, finally halting her exhausted, clammy body. Her lips parted as she drew in a deep breath, filling her lungs until they burned. This was her safe place.

“Amelia?”

This voice was different than Caleb’s - deeper. Noah. Her glance zapped to the side, her head still leaning forward, and she saw him from the corner of her eye. He was getting closer.

Instead of replying, she released the fence and dashed inside. The door was unlocked - she could only lock it when she was inside of it. She slammed the door shut, the sound almost like a warning to anyone who might try to come close.

Not today.

She had enough of this.

Enough of this fucking place.

She grabbed her phone from her back pocket and pulled out her message thread with Genecorp.

AMELIA: Not Caleb.

She didn’t want to hear about it. She didn’t want another date with him - or anyone else.

She wanted her old life back. Now.

A/N: Meant to post this yesterday but - everyone has COVID here, so things are a little chaotic! Have a good week everybody. As always, any comments are appreciated :)