Read Online The Harvest (Book 1) by Anne Ferretti - Free Book Online

her. 
    When the firing ceased, Eve knelt down hands raised in the air. The men approached. When they placed the metal shackles around her wrists she remained compliant. She allowed them to lead her blindfolded into the mountain. When they removed the cloth from her eyes she found herself inside a glass cage.
    She stood in her cell unaffected for them all to stare and gawk at her, to wonder what she was and where she’d come from. That they could sense she was dangerous came as no surprise to her for she thought all species possessed this natural ability. It would surprise her to know how unaware most humans were of their own self preserving mechanism. Something she relied on like air to breathe for it was all she had to rely on, that and the voice.
    For as long as Eve could remember she’d been the only one of her kind. She’d no concept of where she came from or even how long she had existed. She’d walked the Earth observing mankind in all his glory and degradation. As a general rule she avoided humans. Years, sometimes decades, would pass where she had no direct contact with them, other than when necessary for survival.
    If solitude to this extent was not normal it didn’t matter to her nor was it ever considered by her as a state of being. It just was. She’d always accepted everything as so, allowing the presence to be her guide. The voice she thought to be familiar, but unsure if the intimacy was due to repetition or because she truly remembered hearing the voice spoken from the lips of a living being.
    It was the voice that had told her to travel to Deadbear, Alaska, where she’d found a human unlike any other. Although having occurred many years ago, the image of the boy being pulled from the icy waters remained vivid in her mind. She’d watched from her hiding place as the medics worked on him. Their initial attempts to revive him proved futile and he was pronounced dead, but she could hear his blood coursing through his veins. You’re not dead, she remembered thinking.
    His body jerked forward as if obeying her thoughts. He coughed and spit up water for several minutes before the medics wrapped him in blankets and loaded him into the back of the ambulance. They’d conversed amongst themselves how a miracle had saved him. She’d heard this word before, but didn’t know what it meant, other than it had caused humans to live, to which she’d concluded miracles must be like medicine.
    From the start the boy’s blood intrigued her and for all the memories she had, which were few despite her years, she couldn’t recall another human being having that effect on her. The novelty, and the curiosity his scent created, kept her in Deadbear.
    It wasn’t long before she revealed herself to him, feeling compelled to do so even before the voice told her it was safe. To her amazement he introduced himself, displaying none of the usual signs of fear so common place with his species. One of their many weaknesses, which made them easy prey. That Austin was never intended as prey or that he knew her name never struck her as out of the ordinary. It just was. Over the months that followed he became her companion, although she would argue the dynamics of their relationship was not friendship.
    In a blink she’d spent an entire year in Deadbear, keeping company with Austin and out of sight from the small Deadbear population. The lack of food made the logistics of feeding more difficult, but not impossible. For her safety she made an effort to travel away from Deadbear whenever the need or desire grew too strong.
    Making her stay more tolerable and prolonged had been the realization that she could communicate with Austin. At first she entertained him with glimpses of the future, later she used her power to manipulate him into doing her will. That he considered her his friend didn’t matter, guilt and remorse were foreign to her.
    Prior to Deadbear, the drive for survival had always dictated her every move, but Austin had