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

“NOAH!”

“What?”

“You can’t climb on the roof like that!”

“Why not?”

“Because if you fall you die.”

“…Right.”

Amelia pressed her index finger between her two eyes, resisting the urge to facepalm. Two years later, and Noah still had a lot of work to do when it came down to being a human. She never thought it would require so much practice and yet…

Noah surprised her every day.

The first few months were the hardest. A lot of broken bones. Too many. Cuts - a lot of cuts. He had gotten used to doing almost everything without being able to get injured. Human bodies were so much more fragile.

Sleep. He had done a few days of no sleep… until he had his body break down. Then she had to explain how much sleep he really needed. Noah did not appreciate the 16 hours lost to catching up on sleep.

For the life of her, she couldn’t understand that. Sleep was heaven.

Eating cues. He was horrible at that. She had to remind him to eat. How did the man forget he had to eat to live? Everywhere the food was delicious.

“Why were you on the roof anyway?” she asked as she watched him recklessly hop down.

“There was a leak.”

From the deadpan look on his face, Amelia understood that he was being serious. Noah loved menial tasks. This wasn’t even their house. It was a short-term rental. On the beach. This was their… fifth? Sixth country? She had lost count.

They never stayed anywhere very long. They would move around in one country and then go to the next. It was a little more difficult at first, especially to get out. He didn’t have any identity, he didn’t have anything.

Amelia sold everything she had and they got him a fake identity. The movies make it look a lot easier than it actually was. In the end, they ended up leaving on a container ship… Not glamorous.

Once they were out, it was a bit easier to get fake papers and passports. Especially once they had a chunk of Noah’s hidden treasures. And by treasures… It was actual treasures. Gems, gold…

It was a little easier to go around with these. They would take a bit with them, sell them, trade with them… Everyone accepted that currency. But, they didn’t live a lavish life. They didn’t own anything really.

It was easier this way. Nothing tying them down. It was easy to pack up and leave whenever they wanted. They had nothing and everything at once.

She liked that.

Still, Noah would always enjoy the little moments. The little things. Like fixing the roof. Though she was convinced he had done a horrible job of it - but who was she to shatter his dreams?

It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford to compensate the owner, so. As long as he didn’t threaten his own life, he could do as he pleased.

“There, I’m down,” he said with a smile.

Amelia didn’t know how old he was supposed to be but - he looked like a little kid. Maybe it was the expression on his face, the tousled hair, the glow in his skin. Something about him made her heart melt.

“Good. Now stop being stupid.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Oh great now he was making her feel old.

“You know, we still haven’t tried that little café by the ocean,” he suggested, a smile on his face. “Pastries, bacon - so much bacon…”

Oh god. Greasy bacon.

The thought of it was enough to feel a swirl of nausea in her stomach. Not again. Amelia clapped a hand on her mouth and turned around, away from Noah’s glance, and bent over.

She emptied the rest of the content of her stomach in the bushes, the sound of it making her feel even sicker. Great, this morning and now again.

This was the danger of exploring the wildlife and not always being careful. Noah had warned her about the water. For once he was the one who had a few tips to avoid human sickness.

Oh god.

It felt like she was dying.

“You alright?” Noah asked as he rubbed her back, getting close to her even though she had tried to keep a distance.

They were two years in. He didn’t need to watch her puke her guts out. A little magic could be nice. The right kind of magic.

Amelia put her hands on her hips, taking a deep breath as she swallowed her saliva, grimacing as she did so. Ugh. Disgusting. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as she slowly rose, standing straight once more.

She nodded, half tilting her head so that she could look at Noah. “Yeah, I think I ate something bad yesterday.” She shrugged. “Or drank.”

“I feel fine.”

Honestly, considering how reckless he had been, she was surprised that outside of broken bones, cuts and bruises, he hadn’t been sicker. She didn’t know if it was the wish or what, but he had a good immune system. Lucky bastard.

“I guess I’m more sensitive,” she said, putting a smile on her face. So she threw up. What was the big deal? Despite this feeling like a completely logical explanation, Noah kept staring at her. What was up with that?

“What? What do you think is wrong then?”

He palmed at the side of his neck as he offered her a shrug. “I don’t know.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Noah…”

“We weren’t that careful… that night…” he trailed off as his cheeks heated up. “At that beach party… in the sand…”

Oh god. So much sand. She had cleaned every orifice of her body for days after that little stunt. Drunk beach sex? Never again. He was right. They were usually very careful but that night, caution went to the wind.

But no.

She wasn’t.

It had been a year. They had been moving all over the place, never staying in one place long enough to call it home. They hadn’t talked about it. It was a case of bad indigestion and nothing else.

“No, it’s not that.”

“Okay,” he said, not pressing the issue further.

It wasn’t.

But - that… Amelia hadn’t let that thought cross her mind. Her entire time at Genecorp had been an overwhelming experience that had centered around pregnancy and kids.

After escaping them, after getting a shot at life, she hadn’t wanted to dwell on that. She had wanted to live, she had wanted to see the world with Noah, and experience everything for the first time.

Sure, she had been human her entire life, but he hadn’t. It was nice to take the time to stop and live through the little things. He was so proud every time he did the simplest thing.

When they were in that little cabin in the mountain, he would get up at the crack of dawn to feel the frost on his fingers. Of course, she always had to drag him back in because hello frostbites… But it was adorable.

Amelia always had to work, and slave away. For the first time, she could enjoy the little things. She could stop and smell the flowers. Life didn’t have to go so fast. Life didn’t have to be pain and suffering.

So, that whole time, she hadn’t stopped to think about kids.

And they hadn’t talked about it.

Noah hadn’t even broached the topic.

Though, she knew there was a time when she wanted them. In a faraway future. And obviously, Noah had wanted them to - hence why he had become all wrapped up in Genecorp’s shenanigans.

So… where did that leave them?

And what about the risks?

“If we had kids… do you think they could be…” She rolled her bottom lip inward, unable to finish her question.

“Like you?” He asked, tilting his head to the side.

Amelia knew she couldn’t have a child that was a Djinn because not only was Noah human but she was no longer a carrier. She couldn’t carry a supernatural child. But - she didn’t know anything about how she was a carrier.

Was it in her genes? Was it something she could pass down even if she was normal now?

After all, to her knowledge, no one in her family was a carrier. Else she was convinced Genecorp would have gone after them. Except her family was all safe and sound. She had to have gotten it from somewhere and the thought of passing this burden down to a child…

She hated it.

It didn’t matter that they had run away, it didn’t matter that they lived what felt like a life of freedom. Genecorp still had a hold on them.

“Yeah - like I was.”

Noah walked over to her, grabbing her face with his hands and forcing her to look up at him.

“I don’t know. But if we have them, and if they are, we’ll deal with it.”

She quirked an eyebrow. “We’ll deal with it?” Amelia covered his hands with hers. “By running away all over the world?” she teased.

“It’s not like they have a little machine that beeps every time a carrier is born ya know.”

“No, but someone… something could realize it…”

“Amelia, you went a long time without anyone knowing about you.”

Fair point - but now that she knew, she would never stop worrying, never stop wondering. She couldn’t unlearn all this.

“It could still happen. Maybe I was lucky.”

Being poor and isolated from most beings as a whole helped with that, there was no doubt about it.

“I’ll kill them then.”

“Human you will kill a supernatural creature?”

He winked. “I know all their weaknesses.”

Another valid point.

“And if Genecorp is the enemy, what then?”

“I guess we’ll have to take them down.”

Amelia tossed her head back, laughing. Alright, he had spent way too much time in the sun. His brain had melted. “Us - two humans - taking down Genecorp? Noah, I love you but - we barely made it out. And that’s when we were valuable to them.”

“We didn’t have to take them down, we had to escape. We did.”

“They control everything.”

“They’re not invincible. We got out.”

“That’s insane.”

“They’ve wronged other people. Eventually, it’ll bite them in the ass.”

What wishful thinking. From her point of view, everyone loved Genecorp. At times, she had felt like the crazy one for trying to escape, for not wanting anything they were offering her.

“Look, Ames,” Noah began, pulling her into a tight embrace. “If - if all these little ifs happen… we’ll deal with it. But I’m not gonna let them dictate what we do with our lives. Not anymore. So if we have kids, if they are carriers, if Genecorp finds out, we’ll deal with it.”

“Even if it means taking down an evil corporation?” she mumbled in his chest.

“Even if it means burning those fuckers to the ground.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that, you know?”

“Good,” he chuckled, as she felt the vibrations on her cheek. “You better.”

He held her close for a few more seconds before pulling away from her. “Now, since you’re having indigestion and not a baby, and this roof is shit and I’m not allowed to fix it… How about we pick our next destination?”

Oh yes. That.

Throwing a dart at a map and letting the winds carry them.

“Maybe we could limit it to places that are not in the middle of nowhere.” It wasn’t like she hadn’t enjoyed peaceful times in the mountains, or the desert but…

“That’s new.” He leaned into her. “Why the change?”

She shrugged. “Ya know. To be around people again.”

“You’re the master.”

“Very funny,” she said as she smacked his chest, following him inside the house.

There was no reason for it.

Well.

Maybe. In case. For whatever reason, she needed a hospital. Or something.

She wouldn’t.

But just in case.

***THE END***

A/N: Here we are folks! The end of Book 1. Thank you for sticking with the story, thank you for reading it.

As a clarification because I got the question a lot. Book 2 won't be about Noah and Amelia. It's the same world but new MCs.

Please, if you liked it, comment, review, it’s always super appreciated and I love knowing your opinions :)

I will be posting the summary of Book 2 shortly. (As an added chapter to this story).

I do not have a date for Book 2 yet. I have 3 kiddos and the holidays are right around the corner. So it won’t be yet. I’ll post an extra chapter here when it’s out, and you can always follow me, once I have the date, I will post it on my profile’s wall :)

Happy Holidays everyone!