The Eternal Community Read online

  ‘What are you trying to say, Damion?’

  ‘Well... I guess I’m wondering if these dreams are to do with our daughter in America. Perhaps it’s guilt causing them, perhaps it’s something else. But, it’s a feeling that’s been nagging at me for a long time now and I’d like to find out if she’s okay.’

  He stopped talking to let Camilla digest what he’d said. She seemed to be mulling it over in her mind, which was a change. The last time he’d asked Camilla about their daughter, she’d completely shut him out, refusing to talk about it. But that was over five years ago, and she had mellowed out since moving to the Community. But then this place did that to you, being a paradise away from the stresses of a big city. After an uncomfortable period of silence, Camilla spoke.

  ‘So, what do you want? To meet her?’

  ‘I think so, yes, or at least find out if she’s okay.’

  Camilla nodded as though she’d resigned herself to the fact that this day would come eventually.

  ‘Okay, well I guess I can’t stop you. She’ll be in her mid-twenties by now, so old enough to decide for herself if she wants to meet her birth father. Have you spoken to Leonora about this?’

  ‘Not yet, I didn’t want to worry her until I knew if I had your agreement.’

  ‘Okay, well make sure Leonora is happy with it. You don’t want to ruin what you have for the sake of someone you don’t know.’

  Damion wouldn’t let that happen. Leonora meant the world to him, but she was a free spirit and would surely understand.

  ‘Thanks Camilla, I appreciate you helping me on this. Would you like to be involved in any way?’

  ‘No, leave me out of it. I made my decision a long time ago and I plan to stick with it. Come by my tent later and I’ll give you the details of her adoptive parents, after you’ve talked to Leonora of course.’

  Damion left, feeling like a small weight had been lifted from his shoulders. The first step to finding his daughter had begun, now he just had to convince Leonora.

  Chapter 2

  The siren sounded, summoning the Community members to be seated for the dinner service. Damion and Leonora made their way to the banquet table and sat in their allocated spots. The chief Elders, Keith and Camilla, sat at the head of the table. Damion and Leonora sat next to them and Will and Fenella, a middle-aged couple, sat across from them.

  The two head servers announced the menu for the evening.

  ‘Welcome to tonight’s dinner service. The starter is raw beef, followed by a fragrant fish curry. Please enjoy!’

  The guests applauded as the starter was brought out. The raw beef looked sensational, presented elegantly on a slab of wood with a poached egg on top and some white crusty bread to the side. Damion knew when he began the search for his daughter he would miss the wholesome food of the Community. Fine dining in the wilderness, he called it. He sliced the egg so that it oozed into the beef, then spread some onto the crusty bread and took a bite. His taste buds tingled as the flavours danced around his mouth.

  After dinner, Damion and Leonora put their children to bed, then headed into the entertainment tent where the performers put on a show of foot stomping music. Leonora danced without a care in the world, with her arms floating about in the air and her bare feet springing off the ground like a sexy gazelle. His heart fluttered as he watched her dance with no inhibitions, her braided hair swishing from side to side, her face lit up with a smile.

  Damion had lived most of his life in London and still struggled to lose his cool and dance like the other members of the Community.

  Tonight he felt more uptight than usual, knowing he would be having a serious talk with Leonora later. After the entertainment he pulled her aside. ‘Honey, I have something important I want to discuss with you. Can we head down to the quiet of the beach?’

  The smile dropped from her face, worried Damion had decided to go back to London to live. He’d asked her many times to accompany him on his trips back, but she’d always declined. She’d led an unhappy life there as a teenager and had ended up living on the streets. Keith, the chief Elder, had ‘saved’ her and brought her to the Community to live. She’d vowed never to go back to the ‘other’ world, and she never would.

  Damion and Leonora headed down to the beach. They didn’t speak on the short walk. They climbed over the dunes, sat down on the sand, and listened to the waves washing upon the shore.

  Damion took Leonora’s hand. ‘This is one conversation I never thought I’d be having with you.’

  ‘I know what you’re about to say,’ she replied.

  ‘I’m not sure that you do.’

  ‘I know you enjoy going back to London and you’ve made up your mind to return and never come back.’

  ‘Don’t be silly, I’m not planning on leaving you. But there is something I haven’t told you.’

  The tension in her face eased slightly, but was replaced by a look of concern.

  ‘I thought we had no secrets?’

  ‘It’s not a secret, just something I’m not proud of. Remember I told you that Camilla and I dated when we were at high school?’

  Leonora nodded. ‘Yes, you said you drifted apart when you went to different universities. Don’t tell me you’re still in love with her!’ She laughed to show she was joking.

  ‘Certainly not, but we didn’t drift apart naturally either. I was upset about it at the time and it took me a long time to get over it.’

  ‘What happened, did she have an affair or something?’

  ‘Worse. She got pregnant.’

  Leonora gasped. ‘You have another child somewhere?’

  ‘Uh-huh. Camilla had her adopted without allowing me to have any say in the matter.’

  ‘But surely you could have done something? That poor child, being given up because her mother didn’t want her.’

  ‘I know. I tried to stop her, but Camilla told me she’d had an abortion.’

  ‘Oh my god, she tried to kill her own baby?’

  ‘Yes, and I thought she had, so I broke up with her. I couldn’t bear the sight of her, knowing what she’d done.’

  ‘So what happened?’

  ‘The abortion failed and by the time I found out, she’d adopted her out without consulting me.’

  ‘Oh Damion, you poor thing. I can’t begin to imagine how you felt.’ Leonora pulled him close and embraced him.

  ‘Yeah, it sucked, having no control over it, and it’s been on my mind even more since Molly’s birth. I love our little girl so much and it makes me wonder what happened to my firstborn all those years ago.’

  He went on to explain his recurring nightmares and the theme of them.

  ‘I can see only one thing for it, Damion.’

  ‘And what’s that?’

  ‘You must go and find your daughter. This is a sign, so do whatever it takes. She’s in trouble and is calling out for your help. You need to take these dreams seriously. I know you don’t believe in spirituality, but the signs are strong. You must go, as soon as you can.’

  Surprised by her reply, he fought back the lump in his throat, overwhelmed by Leonora’s understanding. He pulled her into his arms and held her tight, trying hard to stop the tears that threatened to burst their bank.

  ‘I’ll miss you,’ she said.

  ‘Hey, I’ll miss you too, more than you could ever know.’

  He felt both excited and scared for the first time in five years.

  Chapter 3

  Terri was a bundle of nerves as she waited for the plane to take off from Farnborough airport. Josh sat by her side and he gave her hand a little squeeze followed by a friendly smile. After all the years she had known him, she still adored him, proud to call him her partner.

  They were the only two passengers on the private plane, heading to their childhood home in the Community. Damion had called them a week ago, saying he had booked the plane to take him back to the UK. To save costs, Terri and Josh used the opportunity to go back and visit their family and fri
ends.

  Terri loved the feeling of being pushed back in her seat as the plane accelerated down the runway. She tightened her grip on Josh’s hand as the ground disappeared below them, not relaxing until the seatbelt sign switched off. She drifted into a dreamless sleep for the next few hours and woke up when the pilot announced they would soon be landing. She opened the blind and looked out the window, watching as the plane navigated between two mountain ranges, before coming in to land with a thud on the grass runway.

  Terri saw Keith driving towards them in his rusty old Jeep, and excitement fluttered in her stomach. They changed into the Community uniform, leaving their clothes on the plane, then disembarked and climbed into the Jeep.

  Keith expertly navigated the rough terrain over the mountain, accessible only by 4WD. An hour later he parked the car, and Terri and Josh climbed out. Keith parked the Jeep in a cave and pulled a branched gate across to hide it. They spent another thirty minutes hiking over a big hill before arriving at the Community.

  Terri watched as Matilda ran towards Josh and leapt into his arms. Matilda and Josh had been best friends back when Josh lived in the Community, almost becoming lovers before the fateful day that changed their lives forever. Terri shuddered as she realised how close she’d come to losing him.

  As she watched the two of them, a flicker of jealousy swept through her as to how close they were. The new world she lived in had created these feelings. In the Community, they had been brought up to be free spirits, to share and work together as a team. London had changed her though, with its sense of ownership in everything. Her new lifestyle had changed her, and she wasn’t sure she liked it.

  She turned away, not wanting to watch anymore, when she spotted Ethan glaring at Josh, also unhappy about him hugging Matilda. A shiver ran down her spine; he gave her the creeps.

  Just then an arm draped around her shoulder, distracting her.

  ‘Hey chicky babe! Great to see you!’ Damion said, then swept her into his arms.

  Terri hugged him back, genuinely pleased to see him.

  ‘So how’s life in the big smoke?’ he asked.

  ‘Ah, the usual, work, work and more work. I can tell you, I was ready for this break!’

  ‘Hey, we’ll catch up later? Your mother’s giving me the ‘stop hogging you’ look!’

  Leonora nudged Damion out of the way and stepped in to embrace her daughter.

  ‘Lovely to see you Terri, I’ve missed you so much.’

  Terri still struggled to comprehend how Damion had fallen in love with her mother and moved to the Community to live. When she first met him six years ago, he’d been a playboy with no intention of settling down. Now he was in a relationship with her mother and they had two children together. How times changed.

  After saying hello to everyone, Terri and some of her friends headed down to the beach for a swim. She whipped off her leather clothing and sprinted down to the water’s edge, bounding over the waves before diving head first into the deep blue sea. Enjoying the sensation of the water on her naked skin, she continued to swim, diving expertly through the breaking waves. When she grew tired, she stopped and lay on her back, allowing her salty friend to rock her back and forth.

  Damion swam out to join her, interrupting her private reunion with the sea.

  ‘You’re in your element here I see,’ he said.

  ‘Yes, I miss the sea. It’s one of the things I miss most about living in London. We’ve driven down to Bournemouth on a couple of occasions, but it’s too cold to swim, and there are too many people. It’s not the same.’

  ‘You don’t need to tell me!’

  ‘So you’re going back to London? Tell me the goss.’

  Damion filled her in with the details of his past life with Camilla and the daughter he’d never met.

  ‘This place is quite incestuous isn’t it,’ Terri said, when she realised how inter-related everyone was.

  ‘Yeah, anyone looking from the outside would think we’re some kind of weird cult.’

  ‘Sometimes I’m pretty sure people in London think I’m one of those.’

  ‘I said ‘cult’, now behave!’

  She giggled, splashed him in the face, then swam back to shore, hoping he wouldn’t catch her.

  Back at camp, Terri and a few of her friends headed into the forest. They laughed and chatted as they followed a well-travelled path towards one of her favourite places. After a fifteen minute walk, they reached a clearing. In front of them a waterfall cascaded over the edge of a cliff like a bridal veil, extending three-hundred metres to a pool below. Terri’s eyes welled up at the beauty of it, having taken it for granted in the past.

  ‘Race you to the waterfall,’ she challenged Josh, then dived in. The shock of the cold water took her breath away. While she recovered, Josh splashed into the water and started swimming towards her. Not wanting him to win, she put her head down and pulled herself through the water with ease.

  She reached the rocks at the base of the waterfall and scrambled out of the water, only to see Josh’s smiling face peering down at her.

  ‘How did you manage to beat me?’

  ‘Clearly I’m faster than you! You must have lost a bit of conditioning living in London,’ he replied, with a smug grin.

  ‘Not fair!’ Terri wandered over to the waterfall, found a flat rock to lie on, and let the water cascade down over her body, massaging the tightness of London away.

  Once her muscles had taken a fair pummelling, she moved to a sunny spot to dry. Her friend, Sofia, joined her.

  ‘It’s great to see you again, Terri.’

  ‘You too Sofia, I miss this place at times.’

  ‘Why don’t the two of you move back? It’s not been the same here without you.’

  ‘Sometimes I think I’d like to, but we have a greater purpose outside of the Community.’

  ‘Can you tell me about it? Where do you go? What’s is like?’

  ‘Sorry, Sofia, but we’re sworn to secrecy. It could ruin everything if I tell you.’

  ‘That’s a shame. Sometimes I wonder if there’s more to life. To this.’

  ‘Trust me, what you have here is perfect, never try to change it.’

  They spent the afternoon relaxing by the waterfall, taking a dip in the cold pools to cool off, then basking on the rocks, allowing the sun to warm them up again.

  ‘Hey, let’s go to the hot pool!’ Josh suggested.

  ‘Good idea,’ Terri agreed.

  The group of them swam leisurely back to shore, too tired to race now. They walked along another well-travelled path until they arrived at a creek with steam rising from it. They followed the creek down the hill to a steaming pool at the bottom.

  Terri climbed in and let the warm water shroud her like an electric blanket. Josh and the others climbed in next to her.

  ‘Aaaah, I’ve missed this,’ Josh said.

  ‘Don’t you have hot pools where you live?’ Scott asked.

  ‘Not natural ones in the middle of the forest,’ Josh replied.

  ‘What do you mean by “not natural”?’

  ‘I’m not even sure why I mentioned that, ignore me.’ Josh realised he’d said too much.

  ‘Come on, give us a clue as to where you live now, we’re all intrigued,’ Scott persisted.

  ‘Sorry Scott, we’re not allowed to say. Can we drop it?’

  ‘You two have changed and I’m not sure I like it.’ Scott got out of the hot pool and headed back to camp on his own.

  ‘What’s with him?’ Terri asked Sofia.

  ‘Things aren’t so great at the moment. He’s had a couple of run-ins with Ethan and has been threatened not to talk to Matty anymore.’

  ‘Really? But he and Matty used to be such good friends.’

  ‘I know, but since you and Josh left, Ethan has threatened a few of us and it’s caused an unsettled mood.’

  ‘We’ve noticed he’s changed too. What do you think’s going on?’

  ‘I’m not sure, but he�
�s always moody after hunting trips. Scott said he’s useless and has never managed to shoot an animal. A few of the others tease him about it. On a couple of occasions he’s disappeared, and I wonder if he has another girlfriend hidden away somewhere. That’s why I wondered where you lived. Perhaps you’ve seen him around.’

  ‘No, he’s definitely not anywhere near us. Interesting though. I’ll keep an eye on him,’ Josh said.

  They climbed out of the hot pool and headed back to the camp. Terri had worked up an appetite and she sat down for dinner, nestled between Josh and Damion.

  Terri ate the main course with enthusiasm, the home-reared beef melting in her mouth. She had just taken another mouthful when a shiver ran down her spine. She looked up and noticed Ethan, staring at her intensely.

  Her appetite evaporated. Something about that stare took her back five years when she’d been held captive in a London apartment by Martin Bickford-Smith.

  Was it her imagination because Ethan resembled him? Or was it something else? She nudged Josh and whispered in his ear. He glared at Ethan, causing him to look away. Still, her appetite had been ruined.

  After dinner she spoke to Damion about it.

  ‘Is it my imagination, or is Ethan creepy?’

  ‘I don’t like him either, he’s controlling and is always raising his voice to Matty. I’ve even noticed some bruising on her wrists, but whenever I’ve asked her about him, she denies there’s a problem.’

  ‘I’d never noticed his weirdness in the past, only lately. Do you think it’s because he’s grown to resemble Martin now? I shudder every time I see him, and the memories of those days come flooding back.’

  ‘Yeah, I think you’re right, looks can trigger memories. I know you had a bad time back then, but please don’t read too much into this. Martin’s dead and can’t hurt you anymore.’

  Terri knew this was true; she’d attended his funeral. Still, he’d kept her locked up in his apartment and starved her for days, and she now suffered terrible nightmares as a result.

  ‘Do you think Ethan could have inherited his mental illness?’