My Future, #1

by Marion Dess

  Winnie rolled her eyes and grabbed her bags down from the compartment. “Have a nice day,” she said. She followed the path down toward the snoring man, his mouth still open wide.

  “Winnie, right?”

  Winnie stopped and turned. “Excuse me?” “You’re Winnie Keating, yeah?”

  Winnie walked back to her. “Do I know you?”

  “Elaine Giovanni. Nice to meet ya, honey,” she said, sticking her hand out toward Winnie quickly.

  Winnie looked at her freshly polished fingernails and ring-less finger. “Of course, I don’t go by that anymore.”

  Winnie didn’t reply. She knew she was supposed to. She knew that this was the woman who was going to help her and protect her. She knew that Shorty had sent her here to meet her.

  “Sit, let’s talk,” Elaine said. She motioned for Winnie to sit in her original spot.

  Winnie hesitated, and looked at her for a minute more before sitting down. She placed her bag in the seat next to her.

  “I’m guessing you’re curious about what’s happening,” Elaine said. “I’m the boss, but you don’t need to look at me that way. We are friends now, I’ll be showing you the ropes.”

  Winnie bit her lip. She wasn’t the type that lacked words in any situation, yet she had none in this moment. She fiddled with her wedding ring.

  “Got nothing to say?” Elaine asked, shifting to cross her legs. “I just didn’t expect to meet you so soon,” she said.

  “Well, I’m here. Now, let’s get started.”

  “Started?” Winnie tilted her head, her hair falling to the side out of her face. “Initiating you. Hank explained, didn’t he?”

  Winnie crossed her arms. “You make it sound like I’m joining some secret organization, like this is something I wanted. Like it’s something I would choose for myself.”

  “Of course you didn’t want it, but that’s how life works. You don’t get to decide whether something bad happens, whether you get to live or die. Life decides for you.”

  Winnie wiped at her eyes, trying to stop herself from crying.

  “Hank says that your family is safe. He’s letting them stay with him for a bit, until they get back on their feet. Speaking of your family,” Elaine cleared her throat.

  “What about them?”

  “Rule number one. You stay as far away from your family as humanly possible.” Winnie crossed her arms. “Shorty told me,” she said.

  “Good, good. That’s the most important rule. But since you already broke that rule once, I’m enforcing it again. ”

  Winnie leaned forward, trying to think of something to say. Words didn’t come, so she hoped her face would suffice.

  “Did your house not just burn to the ground? You risked your family’s life last night because you didn’t believe Hank. They almost died because of you.” Elaine was sitting casually back in her chair, starring at her fingernails. “Didn’t you believe Hank after the fire, Winnie?”

  Winnie sat back, folding her arms over her chest. “That’s why I’m here.” “The most important thing is keeping your family alive and staying free.” “Free?”

  “Not only do the Trackers kill your family, they kidnap you. They keep you somewhere we’ve never been able to find.”

  “What do they do with us if they find us?”

  “Store you, torture you, try to get you to tell them where other Immortals are.”

  “How do you know this if you’ve never been able to find them?” Winnie couldn’t trust her. She couldn’t trust anyone.

  Elaine smiled. “Touché. Just as there are spies in the real world, there are spies inside the Tracker organization. They’re people who were once Trackers, but have either seen the errors of their ways, or in some cases, became Immortal themselves.”

  “Then why can’t you find the Trackers, if you have people who know where they’re at?”

  “Believe me, we’ve tried. They pick up and move their base, every single time somebody leaves their organization.”

  “People don’t leave often, then?”

  The train lurched to a stop, and Winnie watched as others boarded their train car. They would have to be quieter. She took a deep breath, watching people as they walked past her and sat too close, in the seats across the aisle and behind her.

  “Are we safe?” Winnie asked.

  Elaine nodded, watching as people settled into their books and music. “We’re safe,” she said. “We’ve given up on finding the Trackers for now. We’ve begun to focus on safety instead, training our people to protect themselves, to live cautiously but happily. To be satisfied. We come back because we have more life to live, more things to do, a legacy to fulfill. To teach people what needs to be taught, by our unique wisdom.”

  “I don’t have any wisdom,” Winnie said.

  Elaine rose her eyebrows and laughed lightly. “Oh please, Winnie. You’re a nurse. You’re a wonderful mother, wife, person. Something kept you alive. You’re meant to do something bigger with your life.”

  “I only wanted to be Elizabeth’s mom, Reagan’s wife. That’s all I wanted.” Elaine shook her head. “The stars were aligned differently for you, honey.” “What else do I need to know?”

  “That’s all, for now.”

  Winnie leaned forward over the table. “After everything I’ve been through in the past 48 hours, you deserve to tell me everything I need to know.”

  Elaine grinned at Winnie. “I like you,” she said. “We’re going to New York. That’s where the main hub of the Immortal organization is. I think I told you before I’m in charge. I run everything, from setting people up in homes to helping with new identities and social security numbers.”

  Winnie bit her fingernails nervously. “Can I – can I be a nurse?” Quitting her job wasn’t something she had thought twice about. She hadn’t wanted to miss anymore of Elizabeth’s life, her milestones. But now she would miss everything and she had no choice in the matter.

  Elaine smiled. “Of course you can. As soon as we set up your new identity, I’ll get you an interview.”

  “You mean you can just…create a new life without any questions asked?”

  “Immortals have been around for some time, living peacefully until the Trackers formed a couple of decades back, right around when I started living this life. The Immortals before me, the ones who made it possible for me to do what I do, made a lot of trusted connections. Police, lawyers, government officials. People who cared about us, who wanted us to stay happy and safe.”

  “That’s lucky,” Winnie said, looking out the window. Outside, it was starting to rain, grey skies meeting a green pasture. Horses were running alongside the train, until the train long outran them and fences blocked their path. Elizabeth loved horses. Winnie wiped away a tear. Her mother owned a ranch in Dallas, and Winnie had taken Elizabeth and Reagan to visit for Christmas last year.

  She had taken Elizabeth out one morning right after a heavy snow storm. She bundled her up in a down coat and big, waterproof boots. The hat had gone missing somewhere along the way, as Elizabeth toddled alongside Winnie, gripping her hand tightly. She had never been in the snow before, and had just begun walking, so Elizabeth hadn’t mastered it just yet. Janelle had three horses and two donkeys. One horse in particular was unusually small, and it happened to be the one Elizabeth wanted to pet the most. Elizabeth’s little hands held each side of his brown face, and they made eye contact. Winnie had never seen the little horse as calm as he had been when Elizabeth was looking at him. She watched as Elizabeth patted his forehead, brushing his hair with her tiny fingertips.

  She smiled at the memory, but her eyes were wet. She looked back to Elaine, her fingers wiping at her eyes.

  “You alright?” Elaine asked, not understanding. She nodded. “Just missing my family.”

  Elaine bit her bottom lip. “I miss mine. Every day.”

  “It doesn’t get easier, does it?”

  “I’m happy tha
t your daughter is okay,” Elaine said. She didn’t answer Winnie’s question. Winnie could see the truth without an answer.

  Winnie nodded, trying not to pry. “Are you alright?”

  “It’s been a long time. My daughter would be 16 now. She’d have a boyfriend, or maybe not. Hank would be over-protective, you know? He’d kill any man that might break his baby’s heart.”

  Winnie smiled despite her mood. “I think Elizabeth is lucky to have him.”

  Winnie watched Elaine as she waited for her to react. Everything about her, from her black slacks that cut off at her ankles and her black and white pumps to her denim blouse with a lace bustier peaking from beneath, breathed an immense confidence. She held herself with the best posture she’d seen a person carry. Her face was elegant and sharp, and she might be intimidating to anybody else. But Winnie could see something else in her. Something that Winnie could understand.

  Elaine nodded, and looked out the window without answering. They sat in silence for a while. “I think you’ll like New York,” she said quietly.

  Winnie shrugged, “I’ve never been. I think I’ll be overwhelmed,” she said.

  “It took a few days to get used to, but it wasn’t too horrible. I promise,” Elaine said. She flashed her a smile.

  Winnie looked out the window where Elaine was looking. Winnie had never seen anything like it. The skyline was littered with the tallest buildings she’d ever seen, blinking and

  shining along the horizon. Behind the buildings, the blue skies were speckled with little white clouds, giving some cover from the sunshine to the residents below. Still, the sun was bright and beaming enough to create massive glares against New York’s millions of windows. She could feel the heat radiating inside the train as they approached the city.

  Winnie leaned toward the window, her lips agape as the city grew closer to them.

  “Like what you see?” Elaine’s voice echoed in her ears, breaching Winnie’s thoughts of the city.

  Winnie didn’t answer. Words didn’t suffice.

  The city flew by her. Brick and metal surrounded the train, until it pulled to a stop in the station. Winnie watched out the window as people began to board, but couldn’t move.

  “Let’s go,” she said. “This is our stop.”

  Winnie broke her view and looked at Elaine. She took a deep breath, nodded, and grabbed her bag. She followed Elaine quietly, passing by people as she walked down the steps, her feet meeting with the New York pavement for the first time.

  She watched as a wave of people rushed past her. One man in a leather coat bumped into her as he boarded the train.

  “Excuse me,” she called, staring behind her.

  “Watch out, lady,” he growled in response, flipping his middle finger at her as he boarded the train and disappeared out of sight.

  “You’ll get used to it,” Elaine said, ten steps in front of her.

  “Is everybody like that?” Winnie fastened her pace and caught up to Elaine, walking beside her.

  “Not everybody,” Elaine shrugged. “But a lot?”

  “A lot,” she said, smiling.

  Union Station was the largest building Winnie had been inside outside of her hospital, which still wasn’t that large. It echoed with loud voices, booming against the walls and back into Winnie’s ears. The chatter was overwhelming. There were hundreds of people inside, sitting at the several rows of old wooden benches. Waiting for their train, or for somebody to arrive. For somebody they loved. Saying good bye, perhaps. Winnie wished she could say good bye, one last time. She watched as a couple was hugging near the edge of a terminal. The girl couldn’t be more than 18, and she was grasping onto the boy, probably the same age. They kissed, and when they pulled away the girl had tear stains on her face.

  Elaine grabbed Winnie’s arm. “Let’s go,” she repeated.

  Winnie couldn’t take her eyes off of them. They kissed one last time, and the boy stayed put as he watched the girl walk away into the terminal. Winnie wondered if they’d ever see each other again.

  Winnie caught up with Elaine for the second time, until they were finally outside of the station and out in the hot, sticky air of New York. Winnie wrapped her arms around herself. “I’m cold,” she said, not comprehending the feeling when she knew that it wasn’t close to cold outside.

  “Our bodies react different to temperature and pain now,” she said. “You’ll never feel the cold the way you used to, or the heat. I’ve tried to figure it out, but I just began to accept it after a while.”

  Winnie followed Elaine to a nearby car, rubbing the goosebumps on her arms. “What do you mean about the pain?”

  Elaine unlocked the car and climbed in, and Winnie followed, buckling herself in.

  “Shorty told me about what you did, to prove to him that you were immortal,” Winnie said.

  Elaine pursed her lips tight, and looked away from Winnie to the street as she pulled out of the spot. “That was between us,” she said softly.

  “He wanted me to believe him. That’s all.” Winnie watched Elaine carefully, waiting for her reaction. “Did…it hurt?”

  Elaine sighed, taking one of her hands off the steering wheel and showing Winnie her wrist. “Don’t try to prove to anybody what you are,” she said. There was a long raised scar on the skin that connected her hand and forearm. Winnie looked to the other wrist, and saw the same scar. “People see my scars and look at my differently. They don’t go away, they just heal. I didn’t feel anything, except the thickness of the blood rushing out of my body, sucking my life out with it, until I woke up in Hank’s arms and he told me what happened.”

  Winnie nodded, and bit her lip.

  “I’m not trying to scare you,” Elaine said. “I just want you to be aware of our situation.”

  Winnie stayed silent as Elaine pulled up to an old apartment building, and parked on the street.

  “This is where I live. You will be staying with me until you find yourself comfortable enough to stay on your own,” Elaine said. She got out and moved to Winnie’s door, opening it for her.

  “How do you have the money to live here?” Winnie had heard how much it cost to live in New York State, let alone the city itself. The apartment was in the middle of the city. As they boarded the elevator and arrived on the 20th floor of the building, Winnie felt a little uneasy. She couldn’t understand how a person who was supposed to stay hidden was living in plain sight in the middle of the greatest city in the world.

  Their apartment was 20B, and Elaine unlocked the door to reveal a large living room and kitchen. Winnie followed Elaine in and closed the door behind her quietly. The living room was straight in front of her with the kitchen to the right. Two large plush leather sofas were laid out in the living room, and on the wall there was an entire bookcase, with a medium-sized television inside surrounded by hundreds of books. The bookcase was dark oak, with grey walls behind it, the same color as the rest of the room. Winnie turned to the kitchen with marble countertops and glass cabinets. “You live here?”

  “Now you do, too.”

  “This is a really beautiful home.”

  “It’s alright,” Elaine said, waving her hand dismissively. Winnie figured she was joking, because she couldn’t understand why somebody wouldn’t think this was a wonderful place to live. “There’s a guest bedroom down the hall on the left. Make yourself at home, okay?”

  Winnie turned to her, dropping her bag on the couch where Elaine had made herself comfortable. “Do you let everybody stay with you? Why am I here?”

  “Don’t sound so ungrateful,” Elaine said. Her voice was sharp, but she calmed herself. “Every Immortal gets assigned to one leader, to teach them the ropes. I don’t assign myself anybody. I prefer to come home and sleep by myself. But, you’re special. Hank has spoken very highly of you. And I trust him.”

  “I trust him, too,” Winnie said. But she shut her mouth after that, because she wasn’t sure she trusted Ela
ine, and she didn’t want Elaine to know that. She didn’t understand her. She wasn’t intimidated, but she couldn’t quite see why she was looking out for Winnie the way that she was. Nobody would ever go out of their way to protect somebody if there wasn’t something in it for them.

  “I have some work to do, but please, make yourself at home.”

  Winnie watched Elaine pull out her laptop, typing along as if Winnie weren’t there at all.

  Winnie grabbed her bag and headed down the long hallway to the bedrooms. She grabbed the left bedroom doorknob and turned it, opening to a queen bed and two dressers, along with another bookcase that went along the border of the room close to the ceiling, books piled on top of other books. It was a beautiful set up. Winnie climbed onto the bed and laid down, her head hitting the pillow heavily. She was exhausted, having stayed awake the 9 hour ride from Ohio. She only planned to close her eyes for a moment, but when she woke up it was dark outside.

  She climbed out of the bed, looking out the window. She hadn’t looked at the city from the apartment yet, but she was stunned. The same windows that had blinked in the daylight were blinking in a different way that night. Lights turned off and on around the city throughout the different buildings, but most of the city was lit up. She could see the edges of Time Square just up the street, and little dots of people on the ground below heading toward downtown. She looked back at the time. It was 9 o’clock. In Ohio, nobody would be out at this time of night.

  Everybody would be in their homes, screen doors the only thing stopping the outside world from coming in, televisions on or books in hand, wine on the end table, happy and relaxed. Here, Winnie wasn’t sure if being relaxed was part of the lifestyle. She would miss that about Ohio.