The Immortals

by Mary Hallberg

  “You sure? Elizabeth sometimes acts kind of weird when she drinks. She didn’t freak you out or anything?”

  “No, not really.”

  “All right then. But you know, if it makes you uncomfortable we can go by ourselves sometime. She’s going to get drunk no matter who she’s with, so it’s not a big deal.”

  “No, it’s okay. She can come with us.” Elizabeth wasn’t exactly my friend, but the idea of her or anyone else drinking alone was depressing. Besides, if the alternative was her driving drunk, I’d let her pass out beside me every weekend.

  I got tired of bio homework pretty fast that night and decided to tackle English. I had read two chapters from The Scarlet Letter when there was a knock at the front door. I ignored it, figuring it was one of Luke’s friends. But a moment later, he knocked on my bedroom door.

  “You have a visitor,” he said, and I spotted a mass of dark curls behind him.

  “Matt!” It came out much more enthusiastic than I had expected. To my even further surprise, I got up and hugged him. He hugged me back rather comfortably. I cleared my throat and nodded at Luke, who nodded back and left.

  Matt glanced at the e-book reader teetering on the edge of my bed. “What are you reading?”

  “The Scarlet Letter.” I sat on the bed and picked up the e-reader so it wouldn’t fall off. I motioned for Matt to sit by me. He did.

  “Never heard of it,” he said.

  “It was a classic a few years ago, before there were Immortals.”

  “Back when people other than nerds like me read for fun?” he said. “Can’t believe I’ve never heard of it. I’m in this advanced English class right now that I really like, so maybe I’ll study it this year."

  Matt’s phone rang. He looked at the display and frowned. “It’s Jacey,” he said. “Sorry, I’ve got to take this.” He stepped out of the room, but I could faintly hear his voice outside the doorway.

  A minute later, he came back in. “Sorry about that. She just wanted to know something about some stupid poem I read to her years ago.”

  I nodded, unsure of what to say.

  “It’s not that I don’t want to talk to her, you know? I mean, I still care about her. But, I don’t know. It’s weird.”

  “It’s always weird when someone has feelings for you that you don’t return,” I said.

  “I guess so. But she’ll move on eventually. I know I have.” He was looking at the floor, but his cheeks were tinged pink. I wondered who the lucky girl was.

  He looked back up. “Anyway, the reason I came…I know this sounds kind of forward, but I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with me and my family tonight. And some friends, too. I know I don’t know you very well, but there aren’t that many of us, you know, our age. So we’ve kind of got to stick together.”

  By ‘us,’ I knew he meant Immortals. There were only a handful our age; apparently most teenagers didn’t care about eternal life. The panel thinks it’s because we think we’re invincible anyway.

  “Sure,” I said. “I’d love to come.”

  “Luke, I’m leaving!” I grabbed my bag from the living room, where Luke was planted in front of the TV. For most people my age, living without their parents — especially in The Necropolis — meant total freedom. But most people my age didn’t live with their older brothers.

  He muted the TV. “Where are you going?” he said.

  “Out.”

  He nodded toward Matt. “With him?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “To his house. We’re going to smoke pot and have a mass orgy.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Have fun. Use protection.”

  Matt laughed as we left, but I wondered if I had freaked him out. Not for being a smartass, but for unintentionally implying that we were headed for more than just a friendly outing. I wasn’t interested in him in a romantic sense, no matter what my mother seemed to think; he was a year younger than me, had dated one of my only friends in this town, and the general populace of girls my age would give their eye teeth to be going to dinner with him. No way would I fall into the the trap of liking someone I couldn’t have.

  Matt’s car was a red convertible. He mentioned he had just gotten it, but it didn’t have that distinct new car smell. Then he explained his father had bought it from a friend of his named Jerome Glen. Jerome had come to the hospital where Dr. Cavanagh worked after being injured in a cliff diving accident.

  “He was fine, eventually,” Matt said. “But his wife died on impact.”

  “Oh that’s right, I remember that.” It had been all over the news for several days when it happened.

  “Yeah, they were one of the rare Immortal couples. Other than my parents of course. Anyway, it was her car, so he decided to sell it. And now it’s mine.”

  It wasn’t until later I would realize Mrs. Glen’s death was the only reason there was an available spot for me in the Immortals. But even without that knowledge, the idea of a doctor giving his dead friend’s car to his son as a birthday present creeped me out a bit. So I shifted the subject.

  “So your dad’s a doctor? I want to be a doctor.”

  “Really? That’s awesome. Why a doctor?”

  I shrugged. “I like helping people. Once I finish med school, I want to work back in Rochester. They need me a lot more there.”

  “You’re going to leave The Necropolis? Not many people do that.”

  “I know, but I’m different.” He raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.

  The kitchen in Matt’s house smelled even better than Jacey’s. Elizabeth stood at the stove talking to a woman who was stirring something in a pot.

  Elizabeth whipped her highlighted hair around. “McKenzie!” she squealed and threw her arms around me. I hesitated, but hugged her back. She led me to the stove, where the woman introduced herself as Daphne, Matt’s mother.

  Another boy slid into the room in sock feet. He looked about my age and had Matt’s dark hair, but his was a little longer. Elizabeth grabbed my arm and led me to him. “Kenzie this is Matt’s brother, Gage.” Gage held out his hand and I shook it. He had a firm grip. And brown eyes. And really muscular arms.

  “I think the soup is almost ready,” Daphne said. “Let’s eat!”

  We sat at a kitchen island with dark stained barstools. In addition to what looked like miso soup, there was plenty of sushi and rice. As we sat down, we were joined by a man who introduced himself as Dr. Niles Cavanagh — Gage and Matt’s father. He wasn’t wearing scrubs, so he must have come from someplace other than work.

  “So McKenzie,” Daphne said as we started eating, “How long have you been in The Necropolis?”

  “A couple of months,” I responded.

  “Wow, that’s not long at all. How are you adjusting?”

  “It’s…different from Rochester. But I like it. Well, except the traffic.”

  “Necropolis traffic is insane,” Matt said. “I just drove for the first time last month and had a zillion people cut me off and honk at me. I thought it was just driving in general, but then we went back to Atlantic City a couple of weeks ago and it wasn’t that bad.”

  “It’s those damned Immortals,” Niles said. “They think they rule the road.”

  “Dear, don’t talk like that,” Daphne chided. “We have company.”

  “McKenzie doesn’t mind. I’m sure she’s said worse.” He winked.

  “So McKenzie,” Daphne continued, “How did you become Immortal?”

  “Well, that’s an interesting story. Do you want the long version or the short version?”

  “Long version, of course,” Gage said. It was the first time since our introduction that he had talked directly to me. My heart sped up.

  “Well, I came up here this summer to visit my older brother. He lives here but he’s not Immortal; he’s a photographer. And the first time I went downtown, I saw this little dog dart into traffic and grabbed him just before he got hit by a taxi. The girl who
owned him was Immortal and she was so happy I saved her dog that she petitioned the panel that night.”

  For a moment, nobody spoke and I feared the worst. I just knew they thought my story was silly, and yet another example of how the Immortals system was corrupt. Then Daphne smiled, her eyes wide. “Oh my,” she said, “That’s one lucky dog.”

  Matt shook his head and grinned. “Her dad was one of the people who backed Dr. Cooper when he first discovered TNV. And her grandfather used to be Immortal. He wrote that parenting book you guys like so much.”

  “Oh,” Daphne said. “So that’s how it happened.”

  “Well, that was part of it,” I replied. “The girl found out after I saved her dog.”

  “Maybe we should get a dog,” Gage said.

  “No way,” Niles protested. “I’m not cleaning up after a dog.”

  “It could be an outdoor dog.”

  “You’d still have to feed it, son.” The conversation shifted, and I relaxed.

  After dinner, the family moved into the living room. Gage was informed that the dishwasher was still broken and it was his turn to do the dishes. I’d assumed they had at least one full-time servant there as well as a repairman to fix a broken dishwasher fairly quickly, but didn’t see or hear about either one. Any potential servants could have gone home for the night, but they probably would have been mentioned over dinner. Even if it was only something like “I wish Florence had done a better job on those floors today.” Then again, the dinner conversation had mostly revolved around me and other trivial things.

  Gage reached over my head to take my plate, his head coming in close to mine. “Need any help with these?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “Nah, I’ve got it. But…I could always use some company.”

  Two minutes later, everyone else was in the living room and I stood by the sink next to Gage, who was up to his elbows in soapy water. “So how do you like The Necropolis so far?“ he asked. “Other than the traffic, because I think we already covered that.”

  “It’s interesting. I’m still trying to figure out how to work all my new electronics. Our dryer has a touch screen.”

  “What did your old dryer have?”

  “Clothespins.”

  He laughed and immediately looked over to me, probably afraid I was offended. But I wasn’t.

  “It took me awhile to get used to those things,” he said. “Even longer to get used to all the TV channels. But now I guess it’s kind of normal.”

  “Your brother doesn’t seem to think so.”

  “Oh, he’s gotten the hang of all the gadgets.” He slung a plate in the air to dry it. “He’s not used to the lifestyle. Even though he didn’t actually pay for it, his new car costs more than our old house. And none of us are used to getting a check in the mail for doing nothing.”

  “That’s good, isn’t it?” I said. “My grandpa always says that once you get complacent with it, you start to feel a sense of entitlement.”

  “Your grandpa is very smart.” He squeezed a soapy sponge over plate and bubbles ran down his tanned, toned arms. I discreetly dropped my hands in the water and slung them at him.

  “Hey!” He almost tripped, but flung a handful of water back at me. Soon we were engaged in a full water war. I slipped on the floor and almost fell over, but he grabbed me before I hit the ground. His head rested on my shoulder as he pulled me back to my feet. “You okay?” he said, still laughing. His hand was still on my waist; he moved it, but I felt a wet handprint.

  “Hey you guys, come here!” Elizabeth called from the living room. “You’ve got to see this. This guy’s about to drive his motorcycle into a lake!”

  “Now I remember why I never watch TV,” I muttered. Gage laughed again, took my arm and led me to the living room.

  The couch was almost full, but we managed to squeeze in beside one another. Gage grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch, draped half of it over his legs and offered the other half to me. Even though my palms sweated like crazy, I took it.

  chapter four

  Matt offered to drive me back to my apartment later that night. The temperature had dropped significantly and I shivered as we stepped outside. He slung off his jacket and placed it around my shoulders, maybe a little too gently. “Wouldn’t want you to get sick,” he said. “Not that it would be a big deal.”

  “You know,” I said, “It’s weird. Even before I was Immortal, I never got sick. I can’t even remember the last time I had a cold.”

  “Lucky you. But now that we’ve talked about it, you’re going to get sick. Just watch.”

  “Yeah right,” I said.

  But less than a week later I was sick. I don’t know if it was the sudden drop in temperature or if Matt actually did jinx me. But I woke up Saturday morning with a sore throat, runny nose and a cough so bad my sides hurt. Even though it would only last 48 hours with the TNV, it felt like the cold was trying to cram as much misery as possible into a short amount of time. Luke had a package of Gatorade bottles in the cabinet; even though I didn’t really need them, they tasted so good that I ended up drinking half of them that afternoon. By Sunday morning, I could finally sit up and talk to people, but the living room coffee table was littered with Gatorade bottles and tissues.

  Elizabeth came by later that afternoon, which was a surprise considering our relationship was quasi friendly at best. She would have been more welcome if she had restocked my Gatorade supply and not brought me biology assignments (or at least told me what to do instead of tossing them in front of me). But she was pleasant.

  “So how are you feeling?” she asked, but didn’t wait for an answer. “Paige and I missed you last night. You didn’t miss much, though. We just hung out at her house and watched TV. She didn’t want to go out because Matt didn’t go. Said he was studying.” She snickered. “Anyway, I haven’t even talked to you about dinner Monday night. How was it? Did you have fun? What did you think of Gage?”

  “Um…” I wasn’t sure which question to answer first, so I went for the last one. “Gage is nice. I can see why you were so into him.”

  She shook her head. “Relax. It’s perfectly okay to like him.”

  “Well, I’m sure it would be if I did. But I don’t.”

  “That’s too bad, because he really likes you.”

  I guess I should have been flattered, and I kind of was. Sure Gage was attractive (okay, gorgeous) and had a mesmerizing…well, everything. But I hadn’t even thought of him as a potential crush. I was too busy trying to keep up with bio assignment and not cough up a lung.

  “No he doesn’t,” I said. “He barely knows me.”

  “Of course he does! Did you see the way he was looking at you the other night? He even let you share his blanket.”

  “He was just being polite.”

  She sighed. “I don’t know what’s with you. Yeah, girls fall all over Matt, but Gage is awesome too. He’s cute and sweet and smart and funny…”

  I laughed. “You would think so.”

  “Oh come on. I know we had sort of a…fling, but we’re both over it. And he likes you now. So what’s the problem?”

  “What problem?”

  “Why don’t you go for it? Talk to him.”

  “I don’t know, Elizabeth. I’m not like you. I can’t just go up to guys and talk to them.”

  “Well, I don’t know what to tell you. Just go up to him and...start talking.” She still tried to smile, but didn’t seem very happy, and excused herself soon afterwards.

  Even though Elizabeth was right, I wasn’t about to admit it to her or anyone else. I hadn’t dated much in Rochester; when I wasn’t focused on schoolwork, I was way too shy to approach even the most friendly of guys. It’s not that I didn’t want to date, but I didn’t want it badly enough to actually make the effort.

  But more than anything, I couldn’t see myself with an Immortal. It was bad enough that I was one myself and, deep down inside, I hoped I’d have the courage to leave one day. But if I a
ctually cared about someone, romantically or not, I had roots here. That scared me even more than the rejection I was sure would come but never did.

  I tried to ignore the butterflies that appeared in my stomach when I thought about Gage. It got less and less difficult as I continually trained myself. But even the main character on one of Luke’s crime shows reminded me of him. And if I left the room, not only would I have to move all my things with me, but I’d be left alone with my thoughts, Gage-filled or not. Not to mention Luke would probably question why I was randomly leaving.

  So I continued to chug Gatorades, even after my cold was gone, and tried to forget about Gage. But when he showed up at my door Monday morning, just as I was headed out the door for bio, I felt like I had chugged ten Gatorades at once.

  “Hey McKenzie,” he said, leaning on the door frame. Not only were his arms muscular, I noticed, but he still had a summer tan. “Jacey said you weren’t feeling good, so I thought I’d come by to see how you were doing.”

  “A lot better. In fact, I was actually headed to class. But…you can come in if you want.”

  “Oh good, that’s all I need.” I turned away as he walked in, hoping my face wasn’t as read as it felt. Of course, I walked right into the coffee table full of used tissues.

  Gage stared at the table. “I love what you’ve done with the place.”

  I rubbed the back of my neck. “So how have you been? I mean, in the past week or so since I’ve seen you.”

  “I’ve been okay.” He pointed through the doorway into the kitchen where Luke’s coffee pot sat halfway full on the counter. ”You like coffee?”

  “Oh, I drink it sometimes. It’s mostly Luke’s, though.”

  “Someone named Luke lives here? Is he your boyfriend?”

  “Boyfriend? No, Luke is my brother.”

  “Oh, that’s your brother’s name? What about your boyfriend?”