The Shattered Genesis (Eternity) (89 page)

             
“Yeah, he’s really stubborn. He always thinks he’s right, even when he’s being ridiculous, like he was with that fight we had. It drives me crazy sometimes.”

             
“So, how did it resolve? How did you settle the matter?”

             
Alice gaped at me for a moment,
stunned that I was actually posing a question to her. In asking for a solution to mine and James’s problem, I was admitting that she knew something I did not. I expected her to stick her tongue out at me, gloat for the duration of our walk down to the kitc
hen, and then tell everyone she met about my moment of cerebral weakness.

             
Instead, she reached out, placed her hand on my arm and rubbed it comfortingly. I cringed for a moment but then realized that her consolation was needed greatly.

             
“You’re so weird.”
She told me with a small smile. “Every time someone touches you, you cringe.”

             
“Yes. I have trust issues. Could you answer my question?”

             
“Well, we just had to let it run its course, I guess. I had to wait for him to actually let me talk before I could ap
ologize for whatever part I played in it.”

             
“So, you had to admit fault even though it was not…”

             
“No, I didn’t say that I admitted fault. I apologized for not talking about it sooner. I apologized for the misunderstanding. The rest of the apologies had to
come from him because he was in the wrong. I know that you’re probably going to say that you’re not at fault, but between you and James, in complete honesty, who is wronger?”

             
“The correct term is 'more wrong' but...” I muttered and she frowned jokingly a
t me, “Never mind. I am not going to be biased, as I have slept on it for a night and am seeing it clearly now. I should have said things differently. I should have acknowledged that perhaps I was being slightly hypocritical. I should have agreed with him
because I do actually agree. But what he said to me would have been very hurtful if I had feelings that could be hurt…”

             
I saw her roll her eyes and smile slightly. I chose to ignore that. She chose not to call me on the ridiculous suggestion that I had no
feelings.

             
“We were both angry. I think, in a way, we are testing one another. We are trying to see how deeply our devotion runs. I could be wrong, I suppose.”

             
“I don’t think so. But just know, from an outsider's perspective, that he really cares about y
ou. I didn't think so before but after watching you two these past couple of days, I can see that. I know that you two haven’t been together for very long…” She trailed off and I realized that she had posed a question to me.

             
“Well, it has only been since
I found him in the woods that we have been dating officially. But there was always a spark, a flirtation, if you will, from the moment I began to trust him. I cannot say I
felt that way from the moment we met because that is a long story.”

             
“Well, I’d love
to hear it sometime. But just keep that in mind. It hasn’t been long but his feelings for you run deep. It sounds really cheesy, but I can see it in the way he looks at you. And just so you know,” Alice beamed, “you look at him the same way.”

             
When she wa
lked into the kitchen ahead of me, I smiled to myself. I knew she was right about that. For the first time, I acknowledged that my feelings for James had progressed far more quickly than I ever could have imagined. Those were not the hopeful, blindly sangu
ine feelings present at the early stages in relationships. It was not ‘puppy love’, as it was called. It was, quite simply,
love.

             
It was a new breed of love, though. It was a perfect mixture of joyful lightness and dark recklessness. It was a love that co
uld burn brilliantly or scorch painfully. It was far more enhanced than anything we could have experienced on Earth.

             
It was yet another complexity of Pangean evolution.

XXX

             
I was not familiar with activities that were enjoyable due to the presence of ot
her people, but that was the case with work in the kitchen. We had a daunting task ahead of us; we were required to utilize the homegrown Pangean fruits, vegetables and the hunted meat to make a meal large enough to feed the entire population of Don’s comm
une. Violet, Alice and I shuddered at the task, only to be reassured that it was not only possible, it was much easier than it sounded, given how many hands were contributing.

             
I engaged in conversation with the other people, interested by each of their st
ories that were being shared with us freely. There were many different cultures coming together in that kitchen. There was a man from Brazil, a woman from Switzerland, a man from New Zealand… The list was endless. I enjoyed their company, truly.

             
“My husba
nd is on guard duty, too.” A woman named Rachel told me.

             
“Do you worry about him? I am very worried about James and Elijah, admittedly.”

             
“I was at first. But look at what’s happening to all of us. We’re getting stronger every day. We’re becoming more lik
e Adam’s people. Maybe if we were still completely human, I’d have to worry about him. But now, I don’t worry at all. They can handle themselves.
We
could handle ourselves out there, what with what we’re changing into!”

             
I laughed before replying.

             
“We cou
ld probably handle it better.”

             
She laughed raucously and nudged me with her elbow.

             
“That’s right, girl.” She looked up at Penny, “Your sister is beautiful.”

             
After watching the man from Japan expertly flip and toss his knives around before chopping the v
egetables at record speed, Penny gasped, beamed brightly and clapped her hands in excitement. I covered my mouth as I beamed at the sight of her youthful enthusiasm.

             
“She is, isn't she?” I responded to Rachel after that moment of observing Penny.

             
“Is she
secretly your little girl?” Rachel asked, and I shook my head before reconsidering.

             
“Well,” I replied softly, “yes, I suppose if she was not already before, she certainly is now.”

             
“You look at her the way moms look at their babies, I know that much. It’
s very sweet.”

             
“Thank you.” I replied with a soft chuckle.

             
I returned to stirring the huge pot in front of me. It had taken six of us to lift it into its holder over the fire pit that was built at the far end of the kitchen, closest to the windows.
             

             
“Ca
n I ask you something?” She asked after looking over at me.

             
I nodded and watched as she dropped some freshly cut spices into the boiling water.

             
“I suppose so.”

             
“How do you feel about the fact that she’ll never age?”

             
I had not thought about it. Given th
at I was prone to looking at the darker side of any scenario, I
was surprised to find that Penny remaining five for all eternity was not something that scared or saddened me in any way.

             
“Don’t we all wish once we are older that we can go back to seeing th
ings the way we did when we were children? When we are young, we see the magic in everything because we have not seen the darkness of the world yet. Penny will live in that state of mind forever. Yes, she will be my responsibility forever but...” I smiled,
“that’s how it would have turned out anyway.”

             
Rachel smiled, too.

             
We were going to live forever on Pangea. Eternity was far too great for us to imagine. We would witness every shift, gradual and sudden, that our new world underwent. We would never grow
old, lose our strength and fade away. It was the dream of all living creatures, even those who did not admit it to themselves. Everyone wanted to remain in the common, known realm, sometimes for no other reason than that they were too afraid to face the un
known that came after. I could not help but smile at the thought of spending thousands upon thousands of years with James and my family, free from the worry of illness or the plague of old age. Sure, we could still die, if we were killed by another or by a
ccident. But those were forces far easier to control than the deadly weapons wielded by nature.

             
And Penny would remain young and innocent forever. It was poetic, in a way; I had lost my own innocence at such a young age and yet Penny would retain hers for
as long as she lived. Her childlike wonder would never escape her. It would never be replaced by the same harsh reality that woke me every morning. I was not envious of my little sister. I wanted nothing more than for her to have what I had lost. It was a
n added bonus that she now had it indefinitely.

             
Rachel was right; I looked at her the way a mother looked at her child. I wanted the best for her. I would trade my life with no questions, regrets or hesitations if it meant that hers would be lengthened.

             
When Maura had fallen short, I had done my best to take care of Penny. I had been so young and yet I knew that her precious life depended on my competency and care. I swore I would never fail her. I would never abandon her. I would never allow her to wonde
r if she was truly wanted. Now, she was officially my child. Our father and Maura were gone. Our mother was gone. Penny's happiness and her longevity depended on me. It had always been scary to be responsible for another life. It still was, but I knew that
I could handle it.

             
Above all things, I knew that I could take care of Penny.

             
I walked over to her after my work was done and kissed her forehead.

             
“Are you having fun?” I tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

             
“Yeah. Did you see him juggle his kniv
es?! And then he cut the vegetables really, really fast! I want to do that!”

             
“No!” I exclaimed as I wrapped her up in my arms, “That is far too dangerous, little one!”

             
“Will James play soccer with me again today?” Her arms were around me and her chin was
pressed to my chest as she looked up at me.

             
“I’m sure he will.” I replied, and I was sure. Whatever problems James and I were experiencing would not deter him from playing the role of Penny's surrogate father. He adored my precious sister almost as much
as I did. My smile grew at the thought of their bond. I pulled away from her and kissed her forehead again.

             
“I love you, Penny.”

             
She beamed up at me, her blue eyes that matched my own alight with the glow from the mid-afternoon sun.

             
“I love you too, Brynna.”

XXX

             
James returned just as the sun was beginning to set. I had been in the throes of nicotine withdr
awal for several hours before a fellow smoker took pity on me and offered one of his own cigarettes. I was just finishing it when I saw the group returning. They were talking loudly and hauling
several bags. After willingly changing my eyes over to enhance
my vision, I stood up from the porch-swing I had been sitting on. I needed to make sure he was with them. They were carrying on enthusiastically, clearly bonding over their joint mission and raving enthusiastically about their huge load and safe return. I
saw James carrying on with Quinn and some other guys. I turned and walked over to the swing again after flicking out my cigarette.

             
“Hi, Brynna.” The men and women greeted me as they passed. Quinn outstretched his fist to me; I pounded my own against it a
nd actually chuckled softly.

             
“Yeah, I’ll be in in a minute.” James called after them when they said that they were getting dinner. He sauntered over to me, grasping a pack of cigarettes in his hand. After sitting down beside me, he opened the pack and ext
racted two. I took one when he offered it to me and smiled slightly when he struck a match and lit the end of mine before lighting his own.