Chapter 5

From the conversations with Geo, I shouldn’t have been surprised to discover that he kept a home above ground just outside the entrance to Sybil’s subterranean kingdom, but I was. Perhaps it was more the type of home he kept than the fact that he kept it.

After a quick breakfast, he gave me a brief tour of his place before hurrying me along to be reunited with Sybil. I was in awe of the splendor surrounding me. I’d only seen rooms like these in photos of modern, European homes on the internet. The humble cabin that was my home for the better part of my life paled so severely in comparison to the splendor of his exquisite place. As he pointed out the purpose of each room, he acted not the least taken by the quality of the satin, silks, and velvets that covered his sleekly designed furniture and broad windows. Nor was he impressed by the sheen of the highly polished brass and silver door knobs and lighting apparatus. Instead, he expressed his disappointment in not being able to show me his true home in Verso.

His nonchalant attitude toward such modern luxury told me all I needed to know about his fortunate upbringing. Yet, he behaved as if he was one of the masses who struggled for survival.

The more I learned of Geo, the less I knew.

I slid my sun glasses on, but slid them back up onto my head almost immediately when I realized Geo was directing me through a passageway from his house to the entrance leading to Sybil’s subterranean world without having to go outside. As we passed through the narrow doorway, we entered an equally narrow passage that looked long, dark, and ominous. My heart sped up as adrenaline coursed through my veins. My muscles tightened in preparation for flight. Although, where I’d flee to was a mystery in such cramped quarters. It didn’t help that Julia decided to follow, thus cutting off my exit options.

My knees threatened to fail me as I struggled to maintain composure. I’d never been in such tight quarters before and I didn’t like it one bit. I hadn’t realized I was claustrophobic. When we finally reached the end of the three-hundred-foot passageway that descended steadily with each step we took. We entered a much-appreciated anteroom. My body was dripping with perspiration, my face was flushed, and I was breathing laboriously. Geo, whose back was to me during the tortuous trek, looked at me with shocked dismay.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were claustrophobic?” he asked with concern as he affectionately wiped a few stray strands of hair from my damp forehead.

“I didn’t know,” I replied.

“Wimp,” Julia said as she pushed her slender, finely muscled female form past me. The strength that she emitted was almost overwhelming.

“Enough,” Geo said to her with authoritative firmness.

I looked from Julia to Geo and back as I tried to guess who she was and what type of relationship there was between them. I suppose I could have asked outright, but I was afraid of what the answer might be. What if she was also his lover? My possessive innocence wouldn’t allow me to contemplate such a thought, so I pushed it and all curiosity about her into the recesses of my mind.

Whether it was spiteful cattiness or simply an act of possession, I can’t be sure, but I surprised myself when I walked to Geo and gripped his hand in mine. For extra emphasis of my message to Julia, I leaned in close to him. If Geo was aware of the silent turf war between Julia and me, he made no comment. He gave me an affectionate look, wrapped his fingers around mine, and pulled me toward the exit of the anteroom.

“It’s time to reunite with your mother,” he said in that sexy, sultry voice that drove me wild.

When I realized how close I was to being reunited with my long-lost mother, my knees were once again like jelly. I stumbled into Geo. Fortunately, he was quick to catch me and set me aright.

“Are you okay?” he asked with concern.

“Spare me,” Julia said from behind us.

“I said enough, Julia, and I meant it,” Geo growled from deep within his throat.

I shuddered at the contrast between his handsome features and such an ugly tone of voice.

“The reality of seeing my mother after thinking her dead for all these years just hit,” I explained. “I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t know how I’d react if some stranger appeared and announced my dead mother wasn’t really dead and then asked me to journey to a land I never knew existed to reunite with her. You are one strong woman,” he said with a voice that beamed with admiration.

“I don’t feel so very strong. Crazy maybe, but not strong,” I said with a chuckle.

Geo took a moment to smooth my hair and kiss my forehead before urging me to continue on with him.

“Things moved fast between us,” I said, out of the blue.

Geo looked at me with surprise for a moment and then nodded.

“When something is meant to be, that can happen,” he explained. “It wasn’t my intention to fall in love with you. Far from it. I knew you were mine the minute I tasted your sweetness.”

“Really?” I said with surprise.

“It’s an undeniable, unbreakable connection, my love,” he said. “In time, you’ll see what I mean.”

“An unbreakable connection,” I mused, more to myself than anyone else.

“Are we going or what?” Julia blurted with disdain.

Her abrupt reminder of where we were and what we were about to do brought both Geo and me back to reality. He smiled, reassuringly, patted my hand, and led me deeper into the underground world that belonged to Sybil.

I was both surprised and impressed by the manner in which the earth was carved away to create broad, smooth walled tunnels and living areas with seemingly no ceiling for the mass of people who chose to make this inner sanctuary their home. The lighting was nearly as bright as that above ground, but the air felt denser and more difficult for my lungs to process. I was assured my body would acclimate relatively quickly and I would soon not notice.

I could see my mother’s handiwork in the botany surrounding us. I recognized most of the plants, since they could also be found in my grandmother’s garden or greenhouse. Some, however, were so foreign I couldn’t even recollect ever having heard of them. I was so engrossed in my observation of our surroundings that I failed to notice when we stopped in front of a broad white building with enormous double doors until my body collided with Geo.

As I stumbled to realign my balance, while muttering my apologies, I stopped short when my eyes settled on my mother. She looked just as I remembered her. There wasn’t a year added to her face or physique. How could that be? She moved toward me so gracefully that had I not seen her body pelleted with bullets I would have never guessed she was one of Bartholomew’s victims that fateful night. She’d managed to heal completely.

If she noticed my slight flinch when her outstretched hands cupped my cheeks she made no mention of it.

“You’ve grown into a beauty, my girl,” she said in a voice that was slow and sultry.

Finally, something about mother that wasn’t normal. The voice I remembered was smooth and light. This voice was deeper and slower, with only a hint of the feminine tone I remembered so well.

“Hello, Sybil. You’re the same as I remember you,” I said, boldly.

“No. I’m changed, my dear daughter,” she said with a hint of sadness that may have been because of my bold, emotionless tone of voice or may have been because I called her Sybil instead of mother. I had no idea. Heaving a sigh, she added, “I’m still your mother and my love for you is the same.”

“Is that why you let me think you were dead all these years?” I asked with unmasked hostility.

The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop myself, but it didn’t matter. She’d left me thinking she was dead for ten years. Is that the act of a mother who loves her child? I think not. I had a right to be angry, no matter what her excuse for doing it was.

“I suppose I deserved that,” she said calmly. “Come inside for tea and I’ll explain.”

“Tea,” I said with a chuckle. “After disappearing for all those years, you want me to join you for tea. What if I don’t like tea?”

“You love tea and you know it,” she replied, briskly, before turning on her heels.

She led us into the grand building that I later learned housed her as well as was used for government headquarters. I equated it to the White House I read about that housed the president before the New World Order took over, more so than the palaces and castles of the lords and rulers of old. My undead mother escorted us to a large sitting room. There had to be at least forty exquisitely upholstered, sleekly designed club chairs positioned to allow small intimate conversations throughout the room. She moved to the far end where a few steps took us up to an intimate sitting area resting on a platform that made us just high enough above the rest of the room so that everyone sitting in the room could view those occupying the chairs on the platform.

A tea cart was being wheeled through a door at the back of the platform by a meticulously groomed young man in a white jacket. He reached the seating area at the same time we did and began pouring and distributing fine china tea cups filled with a deliciously aromatic lemongrass tea.

“How did you know I learned to enjoy tea?” I asked. “I didn’t when you...err... left.”

“You’d be surprised by what I know. I may have been absent all of those years,” she said, firmly, “but I was never far away. My eyes were always observing.”

“Why didn’t you come home?” I practically whimpered.

I took a deep breath to control the tearful emotions created by loss and longing that were threatening to burst forth.

“Your grandparents thought it best I stay dead to you,” she explained. “I suppose they were right.” As an afterthought she added, “You have no idea how difficult it was to stay away.”

“If you knew where I was then why did Geo have to search for almost a month to find me?” I asked accusingly.

“It’s complicated,” she replied, dismissively.

“I can’t believe they knew you were alive and didn’t tell me,” I complained. “I feel deceived and cheated on so many levels.”

“I’ve no doubt you do,” she said with a nod.

I waited for her to say more... to apologize or cry tears of remorse over abandoning me. All she did was sip her tea and watch me as I sipped mine. I felt Geo’s hand gently squeeze my knee with reassurance. It was the first I realized he was even sitting with us. I looked for Julia, but only Geo had joined us. Once again, I questioned who Julia was and what role she played in the scope of things.

Sybil scowled at the apparent intimacy between Geo and me.

“What’s this?” she said while staring disapprovingly at his hand on my knee.

“I didn’t plan this...” Geo began.

“What have you done?” she said.

“It just happened,” he sheepishly explained.

“I thought you were equipped with better control,” she snarled. Looking at me she asked, “Did he take you by force?”

My face burned. Was my mother referring to my sleeping with Geo? Surely his hand on my knee wasn’t enough to let that cat out of the bag. Sex was something my grandparents and I never discussed. I grew up believing it was a private thing between man and woman that should only be done after marriage. It definitely wasn’t a woman’s place to initiate pre-marital sex. Yet, I allowed myself to be lost in the sensuality of the moment. It was because of me things went as far as they did. I was the cause of what happened between Geo and me.

I was uncomfortable with the way this conversation was going. More than that... I was mortified with the fact that I was the one who caused things to go that far, yet Geo was getting the blame for it. I drew a little comfort from the fact that he was clearly happy with the situation.

“It’s no big deal,” I said timidly.

“Did my mother teach you that pre-marital sex was no big deal?” she almost screeched. “I assure you it’s a very big deal. Free love is not tolerated in this society. There are too many disfiguring diseases to contract. Mankind learned its lesson long before the war. Even if they hadn’t, they have by now. The gruesomeness of the germ warfare that took place prior to the bomb may never be eliminated. Not to mention the undesirable DNA to pass on. One must be extremely careful.”

“You know I’m...” Geo began.

“There’s also the matter of the fact that you’re promised to another,” mother interrupted him.

“That can’t happen now,” Geo said, firmly.

“I know with certainty that Geo is disease free and his DNA is desirable, but he is not your intended,” she said, ignoring his remark. She set her cup down on the small brass based, glass top table next to her chair and crossed her legs as she sunk deeper into the sleek, yet plush club chair. “You’ve made a mess of things, Geo. I should have you flogged.”

“What’s she talking about?” I asked with confusion and hesitancy.

“I’m not your fiancé,” Geo said softly and with great reluctance.

Although clearly annoyed with the direction things had gone, he acted completely unruffled by the aggressive chastising my mother was dishing out.

“I’m to be married? That’s presumptuous,” I snapped, ignoring the verbal onslaught being dished out at Geo.

“She can’t marry him,” Geo said, regardless of Sybil’s tongue lashing. “I love her. She’s mine.”

“The hell she is,” Sybil practically roared. “You’ll stop this nonsense at once.”

I was aware the practice of arranged marriages had returned to society but, since my grandparents promised never to put me in such a position, I wasn’t prepared to be a victim of said practice.

“I was hoping to introduce you and let you get to know your intended and decide to wed him on your own,” Sybil said. She waved her hand as if dismissing the matter. “It doesn’t matter now.” Clapping her hands loudly she called out, “Archibald!” The well-groomed man who served the tea reappeared almost immediately. “Fetch Luthias and Abigail please,” she added with polite warmth.

“Yes, majesty,” he said with a smile and a bow.

He managed to catch a quick glimpse of me before he scurried out the door.

Sybil stood and took a moment to stretch her back before ordering Geo to get out of her sight and for me to follow her.

I asked several times what would happen to Geo, but was met with silence as I dutifully followed her down a long, expansive hallway to her living quarters.

“This is your room,” she said after abruptly stopping in front of a large, oak door. “I hope you like it.”

“Thank you,” I said, a little uneasily.

I peeked over my mother’s shoulder as she pushed the door open. The room’s decor was sleek and simple, yet lovely. The quality of the materials the furniture and window treatments were made of, as well as the workmanship, was outstanding. Once again, I questioned where my mother acquired the ability to possess such wealth.

“Do you like it?” she asked.

“I’m trying to wrap my mind around the idea of windows in an underground world,” I said.

“We try to keep things as close to the way they are above ground as we can,” she explained.

“Where does the sunlight come from?” I asked as I walked to the window and peered through the glass pane. “It looks real.”

“It is. We’ve secured technology to funnel it down to provide light without the harmful radiation and rays,” she said, softly, as she seated herself on a sleek settee and patted the cushion next to her. “Come... sit here.”

I hesitated briefly before doing her bidding.

As I seated myself next to my long-lost mother, my heart skipped a beat. The energy projecting from her was profoundly intense. I longed for the warm, soothing embrace I remembered so well. Who was this woman and what had she done with my mother?

I remembered my grandmother’s words, ‘Your mother was no longer herself. We felt it best to leave things as they were.’

“What happened to you?” I asked as I inched away just a bit.

“Didn’t Geo give you my note?” she asked with surprise.

“I saw you die,” I continued.

“Yes, that,” mother said with a sigh.

“Why are you here and why do you … feel like... I don’t know,” I said with frustration.

“All in good time, my sweet daughter,” she said as she patted me on the knee.

The power that surged into my knee from her hand was like a jolt of lightning. I leapt up in surprise.

“I think now,” I demanded.

I stood a fair distance from her as we locked eyes, each assessing the other.

“You’ve grown into a fine young woman with a strong will,” she said. “I like that.”

“What are you?” I demanded.

“I’m your mother,” she replied.

“Tell me or I’ll leave,” I insisted.

“Where will you go?” she asked with mild amusement.

“Home,” I said.

“So far on your own?” she asked, still amused.

“It isn’t so far... a few days maybe,” I replied with annoyance.

“Try a few weeks,” she said firmly. “Geo is not your average man. He has strength and power that allows him to move at an unbelievable speed with incredible endurance. He carried you over a distance that would have taken you days to walk in a matter of hours.”

“Geo and I were on the road a few days, not hours,” I said with a conviction that I suddenly didn’t feel.

There was a nagging inside me that wondered if she was right and I was wrong, but, how could that be? Geo and I stopped to sleep only a few times before I woke in his home. Was he also altered? If so, that might explain the irresistible draw I had to him and why I behaved in such a surprisingly wanton manner. Could that be it, or was I simply grabbing for excuses to justify my behavior.

I regretted my actions. If only I could turn back time. I wanted to erase everything that happened since meeting Geo. I started for the door. Once I was back home I’d forget about all of this and life would be normal again. People would be normal again. This place may be far lovelier than anything I experienced in my desolate home above ground, but it was filled with unfamiliar and frightening energy... and people.

“I want to go home,” I said, firmly.

“Give this place a few days and then see how you feel. Get to know us … who we are and what we are about. Then decide,” she said, patiently.

“Is everyone here like you and Geo?” I asked, hesitantly.

“Geo and I are not alike,” she said, “but if you mean are we all different than those above ground, the answer is yes. We aren’t only different. We’re better.”

“Geo isn’t like you?” I asked.

She nodded.

“What are you and what is Geo?” I continued.

“Geo was severely wounded in a battle above ground by Bartholomew’s troops. When we found him, he was on death’s door,” she began.

“He told me,” I interrupted with impatience.

“Yes, I suppose he would,” she said with a warm smile. “Did he tell you that in order to save his life we needed to infuse him with a solution that altered his DNA? It turned him into the best he can be. He is stronger, faster, and his senses are far more acute.”

“Is he human?” I asked hesitantly.

“Absolutely,” she replied with humor.

“Not that I’m going to do it, but what about this... person... you decided to marry me off to? Is he human?” I asked, hesitantly.

“No,” she said in a flat, matter-of-fact way.

“Oh,” I said with surprise. We sat in silence for a brief moment before I continued. “Are you?”

“Not so much,” she said, honestly.

“What does that mean?” I continued.

“Sit back down,” she demanded, gently, while patting the cushion beside her, “and I’ll tell you all you want to know.”