The Mortal Fringe

by Jordi Ribolleda

  The power of words has kept Immortality a secret that one day will be unfolded to change the world.

  -Barbra Harris.

  Usually quotations come from known authors, but I have never heard of this one. I go on with the book and I am disappointed to discover that it won't help me, after all. It does talk about ancient mythology, but in the most classic way. I know those stories, I don't need a book to write an essay about it. I put the book down, frustrated.

  Jay comes out of the bathroom.

  "Hey, didn't hear you arrive."

  "I was reading."

  He looks over me and reads the title of the book, which is still on my hand.

  "So you are still with the essay.”

  "I can't find any information."

  "Well, whenever I have to do one of these things I use four words that usually help me."

  I look at him, expecting to hear the words.

  "Google, I summon thee" he jokes, opening his arms as an orchestra conductor.

  I can't avoid laughing. I take the book again and give it another chance, even though I know I won't find much in it, at least I pretend I am doing something useful and that way I can give Jay some time to put some clothes on. Trying to look for information in a place that you know to be useless is perhaps one of the most daring things I've done all week. I don't feel too bad with myself about it, it's just the way it is.

  It's not been a month since I got here, and I must admit to myself how proud I feel to have encountered someone like Jay to help me become someone else, someone like who I used to be.

  Night comes sooner than expected, I wanted this to be a good and productive day of working and I haven't even written a single word down. I can't sleep, I am still scared of what might come after closing my eyes. I try my best to remain awake for as long as I can. But in the end, I fail to do it, and the darkness of dreams takes me.

  A corridor so familiar that I almost call it home. It's wet, full of dark water and thick and deep mud. At the horizon of the endless path, a shadow. Balancing on the slippery trap underneath me, I try to make my way to the other end of the hall. There are broken windows on the walls, some of them are half closed, and the others are just torn apart. As I get closer to the shapeless shadow I start to feel cold. The closer I get to the now shaping figure, the colder the aisle becomes. I am freezing, I can hardly move. I am an inch away from the motionless body in front of me. I rise my hand to touch it, I need to see her face.

  The grey body starts to turn, and when she is about to face me, I see the face of fear, of horror. A faceless body with only two green orbs staring at me. I fall on my back, scared.

  I am on the wet mud again, the dream of the last few months is back. My back is wet and there's something in my chest that makes it impossible for me to breathe. Slowly, I drown with the rain. I can't move, I can't shout out for help. The only thing I can do is hope for it to finish. I hope I die soon.

  I wake up sweating again, I have not even been sleeping for an hour. Jay is snoring so loudly that it is impossible to relax. I look at my night table, it's about to be three in the morning. The book from the library is right next to the alarm clock and I take it, hoping that a quick look at its useless pages, will push the dream away. When the cover flips over, Jay's four magical words suddenly come back to me.

  I open my computer and Google the quotation's Author. Barbra Harris, and for some reason my fingers shake a little bit as I type the name.

  There is nothing but one result.

  Hiding behind myth: Immortals

  CHAPTER 6

  As I walk through the corridors of the university I can't avoid thinking about last night's dream. The windows along the way, all closed now, and the long, almost endless, aisles become part of my own reality. I wish I could avoid thinking about it, or stop relating everything I witness in my dreams to what I see when I'm awake, but everything looks the same, too real to be ignored.

  I walk shyly across the long way connecting the two buildings of the university when she crosses the door at the other end. She is coming towards me, with that freshness that she brings to me. She walks right by my side for a second, and that small lapse of time makes something move inside of me. I only hope I did no put up one of those stupid faces. It would be too embarrassing.

  Before I get to the door I hit someone and I fall down. I look from the floor up, nothing. Then I look to my side and I see Ms. Adkins on the ground. I did not see her coming, at all. I am terrified of what I have just done. I stand up immediately and run towards her. I help her get up, she has a big bruise on her arm, and apparently she hit the pointy end of a bench when she fell down.

  "Oh my God, I am so sorry" I apologize, never having been more embarrassed in my life.

  "Don't worry dear, I'm a tough woman."

  It seems to be true, the bruise on her arm is hardly bleeding, only a hint of blood shows up, but it is so thick that it certainly seems to be nothing but a healing bruise already. Ms. Adkins smiles back at me and starts walking again.

  "Just try to focus on where you put your feet, rather than where Ms. Mears does."

  I blush again. She smiles and I feel that she is trying to make me forget about the incident, but I just feel more embarrassed than before. I didn't know that it was so clear from the outside.

  "I wasn't…" I try to deny what she said, but before I can go on with my explanation, my ancient mythology teacher is gone.

  I spend the rest of the afternoon in the library. I want some time for my own after what happened, and if possible, I want total silence, which is something that I will clearly not have back in the residence. I try to do as much work as I can, but my mind floats by, and I end up doing nothing but looking around the place and study every single person that walks in.

  "The Immortal boy shows up!"

  I look up, it's Ingrid.

  "Hi" I say with a hint of my voice.

  "May I sit with you?"

  I take a quick look, all the tables are empty, but mine. I move to a side and make room for the chair she is already holding to fit next to me.

  "I hate Library afternoons."

  We go on working without saying much to each other.

  Barcelona at nightfall is part of a dream, it must be. The lights start to go on as I walk back home. I feel surrounded by something greater than nature: the structure of this huge city makes me feel small. It is just different from any other place I have ever been to.

  There are more suitcases on the front door when I get to the residence. A red headed girl, about my age, is having trouble getting all her luggage in. If this had happened the day I arrived, I would most likely had gone to my room and pretended I had not seen her. Human interaction was, and remains, terrifying for me.

  "Do you need help?" Luckily for both of us, I'm better at this now.

  She looks up at me, her face is red and sweaty and the constant gasping works as a clear answer. I smile at her and take one of the suitcases. She walks right in front of me to guide me to her room. I like her smell, it's different from what young women use to wear, I have never smelled that scent before.

  She takes the elevator and stops in the same floor as I would normally do. We walk for a few meters and she stops at room 201. I laugh, and she does the same when I tell her that my room is right next to hers.

  "My name is Jessica" she shakes my hand and thanks me for helping her.

  "I'm Alex."

  She smiles back at me.

  "Nice meeting you, Alex" The sweet voice pronounces my name in a charming way. I must be too tired, everything looks genuinely weird today.

  Ever since last night's dream, I haven't been quite myself. I still have the vivid image of the faceless body on my mind, and every time I close my eyes I see it.

  I arrive in my room. Jay is on his bed reading something and listening to some music. He puts the book to a side and waves at me.

  "Hey, roommate!"

  "Hello Jay" I leave my bag on the floor and throw my
self on the bed. I am really exhausted today.

  Jay keeps looking at me, it feels awkward.

  "Are you ok buddy?"

  "Just tired" I answer with my face against the pillow, which hardly allows the voice to leave my mouth. "Don't call me buddy, never liked it", I mean it, Richard tried to use that with me and we almost ended up punching each other.

  "Sure" he laughs.

  It's a long while until he talks to me again, I feel bad for having said that to him but I'd rather do it now than having him call me names for the rest of the semester. After all, I have to live with him and I want a good relation.

  "Damn I forgot!"

  "What?"

  "You got mail. It's on the check-in desk, they could not leave it here, so the receptionist kept it."

  I put on my clothes again and leave the room in less than five minutes. When I walk past Jessica's door I hear the soft melody of a violin. It does not bother me, nor any other person living in this floor.

  When I get to the front desk the old woman is already holding the package on her hands and pointing it to me. She is smiling, as happy and nice as always. She says something in Spanish, but I can't hear her properly. I am more interested about what I am holding right now.

  I start ripping of the wrapping paper as I walk back to the room. The book is thicker than what I had anticipated. Jay is waiting for me in the same position I left him, and when I get back he stands up to see what it is that I have on my hands.

  "It's a book I bought for the essay."

  He takes a glimpse of it, and frowns his forehead.

  "Doesn't look to good, if you ask me."

  "Well, it only needs to help me pass the subject."

  I lie on my bed and open it up. I will read a little before going to bed. Just for myself, it usually helps me clear my mind of anything I might be thinking about. That way, I might avoid dreaming. Even if it is just for one night, I would do anything for that.

  Preface:

  A door by three shadows opened,

  By three shadows shall be covered

  Jay murmurs something I can't hear.

  "Sorry, what?"

  "I said, what a waste of money. That sentence is just dull."

  I don't understand.

  "What sentence?" I ask putting the book down for a second.

  Jay looks at me as if he had done something really wrong. His eyebrows rise and then shut together in an expression that he tries to hide.

  "Dude, the one you just read" He says in the end, bringing so much confusion to me that I simple ignore the remark.

  CHAPTER 7

  Everything written in the book seems impossible to prove or believe. I have not closed my eyes in the entire night, the reading is as fluent as it can get, and I only want to know more. I remember things very vividly from what I have read so far. I can't hide the emotion it brings to think that such things could indeed be possible. Naively thinking, as a constant dreamer, be it about dreams or nightmares, such possibility enhances the way I understand the world.

  I turn again to a little paragraph at the very beginning that has been stuck in my mind since the first moment I came by it. There's something in it that triggers my mind, transporting me to a place where everything has a meaning and a reason to be. A place that has nothing to do with the world we live in, or at least the world I have been trapped in for quite a long time.

  No piece of information, be it big or small, has ever been so well hided through time. What the world knows as legend and myth is basically a euphemism to keep history from the people. It is not coincidence that there have only been so many discoveries from ancient times, for what it's been discovered is only what the Immortals wanted us to find.

  Every piece of history tells us a story that can change the course of humanity in a matter of seconds. That is why the vast amount of remains that would lead to certain discoveries have been either destroyed by their own creators, or hidden from time. However, there are a few clues that lead to understand reality that proof the existence of beings of different nature in our world.

  It is indeed a curious matter that after thousands of years we can still remember the names of the so called Greek Gods, or ancient mythology Gods, and hardly memorize the names of the people we share a work shift with, or an office. That, is Immortality, and the creators of Immortality are still living amongst us, watching our evolution into a more specialized species.

  From all topics I could have been given, this is probably the most interesting and by far difficult to discuss. Why would Ms Adkins choose me to work on it, I wonder? I can't take the thought away from my mind that she gave me the piece of paper on purpose.

  As the sun rises again behind the top buildings of Barcelona I get off my bed and get ready for another day of aisle exploring and probably high hoping for another accidental meeting with Elizabeth. I still don't feel sure about myself when it comes to her. I know I am not good enough for anyone, that's the way I've come to feel about myself. Depressing, I know, but after all this time this is the one reality I have chosen to be my own.

  I read a bit before going inside, not too much, I don't want to be late. There's a tiny summary of each section, which is great if you have no idea of what it is about, which exactly my case is.

  The Immortal nature:

  Beings of almost needless breath and no thirst or hunger, with dense blood through their body. Every Immortal being shares the same natural features, for they come from the same natural condition: Immortals don't only enjoy the gift of eternal life, but also the ability of mind interpretation, teleportation, and others

  Appearance is highly regarded in the Immortal community and it is quite normal for them to dress in colourful clothes and use strange accessorizes that provide them with a distinctive image, and look, that is distinctive from common mortals.

  As it has always been pointed out, the eyes are the window to the soul, and in the Immortal world the soul is the most regarded part of the body. The silver soul of an Immortal being is hidden by the intense green light of the eyes.

  Immortals compose a society of cold minded beings that are drawn to each other for power and the assurance of eternal life.

  That looks more like a comic book or a fantasy novel than an academic volume, but I enjoy the reading.

  There's no one in the class the moment I walk in. But a second later, Ms. Adkins is behind me, smiling as a cartoon would smile at his best friend. The situation makes me sort of uncomfortable. I thought about showing her the book, but now that she is in front of me, I decide not to, it does not look like such a good idea.

  "Had a pleasant night, I trust" she says as she walks to her desk.

  I blush, I don't know what did that comment came from.

  "Sorry?" I can't pretend I have not heard her, it's just me and her in the room.

  "You look like you had no sleep."

  I breathe again, then I nod. I finally sit on my usual bench and wait for the rest of the class to join me. Jay is the last to come in, he sits right next to me, but barely talks. He looks at Ms. Adkins and then takes out his things, ready to begin the class. The inquiring smile on her face is still on me, and remains that way for almost the whole class.

  "I shall see you at my office" I hear Ms. Adkins before leaving the room.

  "Yes, of course" Nodding again as one of those plastic puppets people have in their cars.

  My next lesson is unexpectedly canceled, there is no information to tell us why or what we should do. Everyone leaves to the bar or back home, but I have to stay here so I sit on one of the stone benches in the middle of the cloisters and take out the book.

  I continue the reading from where I left off. The ambiguous descriptions of these beings is depicted so detailed and precisely that the writing gives a certain feeling of veracity to what is being explored.

  Suddenly, I start to have a bad feeling.

  Every Immortal is not completely fulfilled until accepted into eternity, that means for them to be ac
knowledge as God. It is utterly important to obtain the most precious element in the world, and the most powerful. A human soul.

  I stop the reading. The joyful time I was having while going through this pages is gone. I look up, I need some air. My body freezes when at the other end of the cloisters someone I know is watching me with a masterful smile on her face.

  I remember how she appeared out of nowhere the previous day; I remember when I hit her, and the bruise on her arm did nothing but bleed a strange, thick and slippery liquid. The thoughts come back as killing knifes slaying my body. The shattering look on her face makes me feel small, unprotected.

  I have had clues from the beginning, everything within these pages translates into reality, in an almost unnoticed way. The showing up with the strange hair looks, and the strange clothes, the mind interpretation when she knew about the topic I had unluckily picked. She wanted me to learn about all this. She did, for some reason.

  I look again, and she is gone. The book is still on my lap, and after a long pause I use for breathing smoothly, I talk to myself with the clearest voice I can find in me.

  You are just imagining things. Stand up, go to the office, and think about nothing for the next couple of hours.

  But it doesn't work as much as I would like. I need put my head between my legs once more, I've not needed that for a long time, but now it seems the only thing to be helping me to lower the pressure I feel in my head and chest.

  "Are you ok?"

  I look up and I see Ingrid with two other boys who I don't know, although I've seen one of them in my mythology class. They are all looking at me with a weird look. I nod, trying to get away with it, but Ingrid does not give up. She asks the boys to go on, and she stays with me.

  "What's wrong?" she asks again, after some long silence.

  After telling her everything I've read, and all the strange connections that I've discovered between what's written in the book and our teacher's behavior, she looks at me and starts laughing.

  "You need a couple of days off. Go home, and sleep tight for a couple of days. I always knew reading was not that good as they say" she jokes, caressing my head friendlily.