‹ Prequel: The Fifth World

The Fifth World 2

Half And Half

Bo: I nervously lead Derek into the house. He strays behind me and takes his shoes off at the door upon entry. I wait for him and once he stands in the foyer by the stairs I close the door behind us and lead him into the lounge where it is warm and cosy from the fire. Mum sits on a couch, a book in her hands and she smiles up at me when she sees me.

"Darling, you are early," she gets up from the couch and kisses my cheek before looking curiously over at Derek.

"Mum," I say to her, "this is Derek Brown. We're doing an English assignment together."

Mum looks at Derek but the expression on her face is not very welcoming. It is odd to see, Mum has been nothing but happy these last few days and it has been very frustrating - here I am, depressed and worried whilst my mother is one of the happiest I have ever seen her. I should not have manipulated her.

"Derek Brown," she whispers his name very slowly, "you were the young man that took Bo out on a date that one time."

Oh, no.

Derek's eyes look straight at me, not in fear but in expectation - he wants me to say something, or do something. I know that I have to but not because I want to save myself from humiliation or my own mother from humiliation or even Derek... it is because that Derek is quite... unstable at the moment and I fear that anything can make him snap.

"You put your hands on my daughter!" Theresa begins to yell, she even tries to hit Derek but before she can get her hands on him I am between them both.

I feel as if I am protecting Derek but deep down I know that I am not. I am protecting my mother. Honestly, I don't think I would care all that much if Derek were hurt. I do believe that it could knock some sense into him. It'd probably do him good if anything. I push my mother back with one hand and at the same time I am pressing my back up against Derek hoping that he might just move upstairs and away from the commotion.

"Derek, go upstairs," I say to him.

He begins to move and then all of my attention is on my mother who is hysterical. She is thrashing, she is crying and she is yelling. I have seen my mother upset... but definitely not this upset. I have a feeling, a strange feeling that her behaviour, this sudden episode is not all because of Derek Brown.
I guess there is a possibility of faults in my gift. Maybe deep down she does know the truth - somewhere in the subconscious.

"Mum," I say to her and take hold of her in my arms but I keep my eyes on hers, "Derek is good, do not be angry towards him. It isn't his fault."

I am not sure if I am lying or not. When I let go of her, she looks around and then she wipes her face and combs her fingers through her hair quickly. She apologises and then tells me she is going to go to bed. After escorting her upstairs to her bedroom I go to mine where Derek awaits for me. He sits in the armchair, patiently, but I can tell that he is very uncomfortable being here.

"Tell me about your parents, Derek," I say to him.

"Why?" he asks in a husky voice.

I have known Derek for a while and while I may not know him all that well... I do know that he is not the type who openly shares things about his life. Gosh, if Cynric were here, it would be a lot easier.

"If you want to get to the bottom of this, you need to tell me," I say to him, sigh and sit down on my bed, "I think I know what you are, Derek, but I cannot know for sure unless you help me help you."

I watch him, I don't just look at him but I really watch him. I can see the circles around his eyes, dark deep shadows. His skin is pale... not sickly pale... but just tired. His hair, while it may be beautiful and silky, it is still greasy. I then look at his clothes. His shorts are a bit tattered and they look like they haven't been cleaned in a while. His tee-shirt, on the other hand, is perfectly white and clean - a Nike tee-shirt. Typical of a football player. My eyes then return to his face. If you ask me, I would think that Derek could be part Angelican too... as well as being a Thorne but I also know that the chances of that are very low. Apparently, I am the first hybrid ever. Sometimes I doubt it and sometimes I don't. Derek is clearly beautiful but I am guessing that that is no more than luck and ordinary, Average Human genetics. That is, if he is an Average Human after all.

"Tell me about your mother, Derek," I say to him quietly.

I know that this is hard for him. I know he has had a hard life, so many people have told me that. Too many.

"There is no way-" he begins but he stops and then he runs his hand over his eyes as if he is thinking deeply, "I cannot explain... I don't know how. Nothing can explain why I am like this, Bo, and how do you... how do you know that I am different? How did you know?"

I smile but I am not happy, "If you only knew what I have been through these last few weeks. I saw you at practice today. You were bloody brilliant, Derek. I have seen good football players, Jonathan is a good football player... but you? The way you moved... that is abnormal."

"Maybe I'm just good."

"You and I both know that isn't true. Tell me about your mother, Derek," I say to him but I try not to sound too demanding and I do avoid his eyes as I don't want to force it out of him.

He rolls his eyes but begins anyway, "What's there to tell? The woman has been as drunk as a skunk since my Dad left but even then, I still love her. She's my Mum, y'know?"

I lean forward, carefully, as my fingers tap gently on my chin. I am thinking... thinking hard. This is probably one on the most stupid things I have ever done - I have lead what could potentially be a Fifth World Human into my own home and though I have not told him what I am and who I am... I still have revealed to him that I am not what I seem. If Derek Brown is nothing but merely an Average Human then I have really screwed up.

"Your father?" I ask him with a soft but worried voice, "Tell me about him."

I notice how Derek's hand curls into balls. It is obvious that he is not very fond of his father, not at all.

"The prick left. He left my Mum and I. He left her to raise me but instead she just turned herself into a drunken mess. She loved him, sometimes I think she loved him more than she loved me. You know, it was never something I really understood - even now - about him leavin'. He just left. Now I know he loved the drink too but nobody just... leaves like that. Haven't heard from him since. I blame him for what happened to my Mum, the bastard. It was his fault and I could do nothing. I tried to help her. I tried getting relatives to help too but nothing ever worked... do you have any idea what it's like to see your mother waste away like that and you are powerless to stop it?"

I have spent so long hating Derek Brown... but I guess we have a lot more in common than we think.

I bite my lip and look up at him nervously, "Yeah, I do."

He stares back at me and over a long moment of silence he sighs deeply before looking out into the afternoon sky. School has probably finished by now. I am sure Jonathan is wondering where the hell I am and why I had not met him after school today. We had a fight, sort of, and while my actions today have completely contradicted the argument I had with him, I really don't feel like seeing him.

Derek gets up from the armchair and sits beside me on the bed, not too close either, thankfully, and he stares at me with eyes that are pleading and helpless.

"What am I, Bo?" he says in a very clear voice, "What the hell am I?"

I do not believe that Derek is an Average Human. I believe he is a Thorne. If not a whole Thorne... then half of one. I have met Derek's mother before... her name is Maggie, or Margaret, and there is nothing special nor supernatural about her. She is a sick woman.

"What is your father's name, Derek?" I ask him.

Even if I do not know who his father is... it could still be some use just knowing his name. I could always ask Johnson... he would know a lot of Thornes, I am sure of it.

Derek swallows as his fists clench, "John."