The Solitarian: Part 1 of The Amaranth Series

by Amadore, Chalyn

  “You should be going McKenna. Your father will be worried about you.”

  I look at him and his features are even clearer with his hair drying toward the back, out of his face. The way that his eyes glimmer when he looks directly at me makes me feel strange. I stand and he mimics me.

  “You’re right, I should. My dad will be livid if he comes home and I’m not there.” I dust my pants off and take a step. He hurries in front of me to lead me out.

  “I’m glad that you decided to come back. I have truly enjoyed your company. You have been so gracious toward me. Thank you.”

  “You’re more than welcome Keyan. I enjoyed this time with you as well. I would love to get a peek at those journals of yours one day.”

  “That means that you would have to come back for another visit. I believe that I’m becoming attached to having someone to converse with. Conversations with animals are quite ridiculous.”

  “You talk to animals.” I giggle. “Have you named them yet?”

  “I named them long ago. The friendly ones anyway.” I exit his cave and the darkness of the tunnel surrounds us immediately. He grabs a torch and the pathway is lit. We are quiet as we maneuver through and enter the cave that leads out of this secret, fascinating world that he has created all on his own.

  “Thank you for all of your kindness McKenna. I will treasure it always. I have not interacted with humans for a very long time. And, I do not remember interacting with anyone as kind as you are.”

  “Thank you for that Keyan. I will see you tomorrow and I’ll be sure to bring lunch and dinner. I smile as I see the entrance of the cave quickly approaching. He shakes my hand and we bid farewell.

  I march forward, making my way down the winding spiraling road and I spot the cabin. The lights are on, so that means my parents have returned. I know that my dad is going to give me the third degree. I jog down the remainder of the hill and place the basket outside of my window. I wouldn’t want to have to explain that I’ve been hanging out with a strange old man that lives in a cave. I enter with my back pack and wave at them as I go off to bed.

  Chapter 5

  The weeks has passed very quickly. I take my new rugged friend, Keyan, food daily. I even offered him some clean sheets and covers so that he can smell the freshness of detergent. I tried to comb through his tangled locks but with zero success. His hair has to be trimmed with more than just scissors and I’m not sure I’m really up for that task. Especially after attempting to tackle it. I bet he was extremely gorgeous at one time. His crystal clear blue eyes remind me of the open water at sea. I know that if he was raised and lived in society, some lucky girl would have been very happy with him. He is totally smart. I feel like I have to lose the teen lingo when we speak. He makes me feel like an adult. I feel like I’m in a different era when we’re together. My dad stopped nagging me about where I spend my days when I told him that I like being one with nature. I lied. I can’t wait to get back to lattes and malls. I mean this trip has been amazing and the sights are ridiculously wonderful, but I need my spa tub, fast cars, movie theaters, and most importantly my boyfriend back. I’m in need of a little PT with Rylan.

  I leave tomorrow so I have decided to do something special for Keyan. I want him to experience life from our perspective if just for a day. I grab a few a dad’s cigars and his beloved bottle of Marquis de Montesquiou 1904 Vintage Armagnac. He assumes that he and mom drank it all last night when they were celebrating our return to the States tomorrow. I swapped it with some cheap brandy that he drinks when he’s alone. They were so blasted, I could have given them water and they wouldn’t have noticed. I know that they will be in bed for the day. Dad wants to be well rested for the long flight back anyway. I decide to make a few of my specialties for Keyan also. I’m preparing French toast for breakfast and tons of links and bacon. For dinner, I make my famous roasted turkey breast and potatoes. I boil some ears of corn which are my favorite. Mom smells the aroma and calls out to me.

  “McKenna? Honey what are you doing in there?”

  “I decided to make my breakfast and dinner since you guys are not participating in the last day festivities.” I smile hoping that her heads hurts so bad that she can’t overload me with questions.

  “Well stay close to the cabin today dear. We don’t want to have to search for you.”

  “Mom…you should be happy that I am enjoying life in the mountains.”

  “I am. For a moment your dad thought for sure that you would ask to come to school here instead.”

  “No…I mean I like it here and I would love to return here one day but I’ve had enough of roughing it.”

  “Ha.” She winces and places her thumbs against her temples. “If you think that this is roughing it my darling you are clearly mistaken. We have everything we need in this cabin, roughing it doesn’t come close to this, my young, sweet, spoiled, Kenna. Go ahead have a great last day. I’ll see you later.” She says entering the kitchen.

  “I understand ‘roughing it’ more than you think mom. You get some rest.” I blow a kiss toward her and hurry to pack my party on the go. As I lug my special day packed neatly into my basket, I think about how Keyan will do without me. He will go back to his dingy garments and stinky hair, eating berries and toasting furry little animals on a spit behind his cave. I reach the entrance and there is a fiery path lit for me. Keyan has something special in mind as well. I follow the flame that is comprised of torches aligning the walls. The caves are so beautiful. I get a glimpse of the artsy patterns that the past has created along the crevices. It isn’t as bad as one may think. Although I would never want to live here it hasn’t been so terrible for Keyan. I pass through the tunnels anxiously making my way to his personal living space. When I arrive, things are changed around. He has some of his books out and the rest are packed neatly away. His bed has been taken down and he has a cover spread out for us to sit. I smile. He is not as primitive as one would think. Living out here all alone has not taken his humanity like I imagined it would have.

  I search the cave with my eyes and he is out of sight. I call out to him and set my basket onto the blanket that is laid out.

  “Keyan!” my voice echoes throughout the caves and into the tunnels. I call out once more. “Keyan!”

  “I’m here McKenna.” I hear his smooth low toned voice call back out to me. I sit down beside my basket and unload the breakfast that I prepared. I hear footsteps as I plate the French toast. I slather maple syrup on top of it before I rake the sausage alongside. I place the knives and forks down as he approaches.

  “I been out all morning picking these for you.” I turn to face him and he has the most amazing, exotic flowers that I’ve ever laid eyes on. The array of colors intrigue me. Some of the flowers in the bouquet are unknown to me. Before I can stand he holds his hand out for me to stay seated. He leans forward and hands them to me. The fragrance hits my nose and the smell is incredible. “I hope that you like them.”

  “I love them Keyan thank you. Come on sit.” I lie them beside me and pick up my fork to eat.

  “Wait…” he gently places his hand on my forearm and I drop my fork. “I would just like to say a few things before we start. I am so thankful for everything that you have given me McKenna. I thought that I would live in my world alone forever. I had no desire to leave my solitary for anyone or anything. I hated who and what I am. But since I made your acquaintance, I wonder what else I am missing in this beautiful world. Today I am very thankful to you and my creator for giving me another chance.”

  “That was really sweet Keyan.” I say as he digs into his first meal of the day. I watch as he devours the food that I prepared. As we eat I study his deceiving features. He speaks as if he is old but his face, the part that is visible, says that he is as young as I am.

  After we finish our breakfast, we drink a little water and talk. About an hour passes and he slowly hands me a book. Eager to read it, I carefully open and flip through it as he began to speak.

&nbs
p; “This book is from the 1712. It was written by a man name Sir Delavan St Grison.” I strum through the weather beaten pages and read what I’m able to comprehend. I turn it over and glance at the cover. ‘The Order’ is what it reads.

  “The Order of the Falcon are a secret society of family members from several different generations. They have books such as this to train their young members. Sir Delavan fell in love with a Falconer named Tahlia. Falconer is just another word for hunter. She revealed all of the Order’s secrets to him and he wrote about it to warn his kind.”

  “His kind? What did the Order of the Falcon hunt?”

  “They hunted a species of humans called Amaranthine.”

  “Like the species of flowers.”

  “The name was given to the flower over time. It means undying.”

  “Oh…” My eyes are drawn back to the pages of the book.

  “McKenna this is not fiction. Sir Delavan was an Amaranth. Tahlia knew that she would be forced to eliminate him one day so she revealed the societies’ secrets to him so that he could stay alive.”

  “I’m confused Keyan. Why are you telling me this? I think it makes a great story but…”

  “I am one hundred and thirty years old McKenna.”

  “Excuse me?” I stand. “Oh god you are insane. I should have known that a man that lives inside of a cave…”

  “No listen.” He stands and hurries over to his sack and begins to pull out pictures. He grabs a handful and hands them to me. “This is me in 1902. I was 18 years of age. I was preparing for college.” I focus my eyes in onto the photo and the young man is absolutely gorgeous. He has dark colored hair and is standing with the man that Keyan called father. I look at his eyes and they are identical, but he could be a relative.

  “You’ve been here for so long that you have driven yourself insane. How could you believe that this is you?”

  “It is me. When The Order killed my parents they were 260 years old. I have photographs to prove it.” He grabs more photos and places them in front of me. They are pictures that are older than the ones before. He even has small paintings of them. It is all very confusing. It is too unbelievable to actually consider.

  Chapter 6

  I sit as Keyan explains a whole new world of things to me. Amaranthines live as long as they survive. They cannot be killed by any weapon or injury with one exception, they have something called a spiral life-ring that resides inside of each of their eyes. It starts at the pupil, spirals around the inner cornea and connects to the retina. It is only seen when you are very close or from the flash of a camera, which is why they hide their photos from the world. The ring has to be severed in order for them to die. It is no easy task. The body rejuvenates itself when they are injured. It takes a few days but doesn’t harm them in any way. They don’t catch colds or infections. An Amaranth can be born from another’s bloodline but there aren’t any guarantees that their children will be one of them. Only a male child is born with immortality. It has to be passed to a female or if she has the actual gene she can activate it by passing it to her mate. The killer part is that the trait is only activated by body fluids, which means that the partner has to be activated by sexual interaction. But a child can find a mate that doesn’t have the gene and activate it by passing it to them. It would be like contracting the biggest and most complex STD in history. I take in all of the information as it is told to me. I am in awe.

  Keyan says that his kind stops aging somewhere before their 20th birthday. And only ages ten years every hundredth year, to blend in. So by the time he would turn 200 he would appear to be around thirty. The first hundred and ninety nine years are lived as a young adult or teen. That must be awesome. The only enemy that he’s aware of are the Falcons. They’re the only entity aware of them. The Falcons founder thought that it was dangerous and against nature to have a human evolve to such a level that they couldn’t be destroyed. He felt that they would commit crimes and try to eliminate the regular human race. Basically he was afraid of the unknown. And he was definitely afraid that human kind would become extinct when the Amaranthines spread throughout the world. Just think if they went around screwing numerous amounts people to create more of themselves. I am not sure if I actually believe this magnificent tale that I am being told but I will humor him and provide my undivided attention.

  “Have you ever created a mate for yourself?” I ask.

  “No. I was close to it but her…after that debacle, I never wanted to put anyone else through the hell that I have had to endure. I created this solitude so that The Order could not find and kill me. I wouldn’t want my wife to live like this.”

  “But…you’ve been alone for…”

  “Ninety three years.” I cover my mouth to stifle shock.

  “How? How have you survived here for so long, alone?” I purse my lips.

  “Very carefully. I stay out of sight and I do not interact with others.”

  “Oh my goodness. That is so sad. Have you ever revealed this to anyone beside me?” he drops his head and stands. I watch as he circles the room and pauses over by the sack. Once again he rummages through it and retrieves three more pictures.

  “This is Lady Cortina Malden. I met her at a school in Troyes. She was so beautiful. She was as intelligent as she was intriguing. I swear that my heart stopped beating the moment she said hello to me. Her hair was the same reddish color as yours. She even had your eyes. They were a brilliant shade of brown.” I love the way he breaks up the word brilliant. He speaks with elegance and ingenuity.

  “Hazel. My eyes are hazel brown.” I inform him.

  “Hazel brown. She was tall and distinguished. Gentlemen from any part of this country would have been honored to have acquired her hand. Especially because her parents were members of the cabinet. Her father was reluctant to accept the request, but eventually they both grew to love me. My mother worked diligently to make sure that we were matched. She convinced Lord Malden that I would be a great husband for his daughter. And the fact that we were wealthy jewelers seemed to help as well.”

  “Wow.” I say as I listen carefully to his story.

  “I loved her so much McKenna. She was everything that I hoped she would be. I wanted an eternal love like my mother and father. After all of the years that they spent together they looked forward to forever. That is a hard thing to accept.” He pauses and then continues. “Before my parents were able to explain the role of The Order and who they were Cortina was murdered by a Falconer.”

  “Oh no!” I shout.

  “I was helping my father create gold bands for the wedding when it happened. They figured that she and her family were aware of what we were and didn’t want her to be ‘infected’. They killed the entire family. I never got to explain the whole thing to her. I never got to hold her in my arms after making love to her. It was something I looked forward to.” He turns his face away to hide the moisture stirring inside of his luminous peepers. I feel sorry for him. “My parents and I packed up and fled. We escaped to La Havre and sailed to Weymouth. We purchased another shop and worked there as jewelers until they found us and murdered them. I sailed back to La Havre and did not settle until I ended up here. And that was 1920.”

  I don’t respond right away. I’m still trying to comprehend everything that he revealed to me, and decide if I believe that this could possibly be true. Humans that live practically forever? Impossible. I grab the basket and take out the Marquis de Montesquiou 1904 Vintage Armagnac that I slipped from my dad. I place a glass across from me and one in front of me and pour. I chug a glass back and cringe from the hardened flavor. He sits down and in one big gulp he drinks it all. I hurry to pour him another. I take a pair of cigars from my bag and I hand one to him.

  “After everything that you have suffered in the last hundred years or so I think you deserve this.” I flick a lighter that I yank from my pocket and he inhales. I witness the bliss in his eyes as he enjoys the expensive cigar. “You adjust well Keyan. You speak different
ly than you did when we first met.”

  “It is how we adapt.” He pauses and inhales another puff from the cigar. “And it was pretty easy to convince you of what I am. Why do you believe me?”

  “I guess I believe you…” I pause and take the whole story in. I do believe him. “Because it’s stranger than fiction. Who could make that up?” I pick up the book and begin to read what I can understand. The more I read the clearer it becomes. I read how The Order had gadgets to detect the life-ring in their eyes and how they sever it. It is really terrible how this group of people are threatened by people who were created differently than the rest of us. I wonder if The Order still exists.

  “I know you are probably wondering why I decided to reveal all of this to you the day before you leave.”

  “I don’t know. I think that maybe we’ve become great friends and you didn’t want to hide it from me any longer. I do ask a whole lot of questions.”

  “You are right. You do.” He smiles and I am impressed. He hasn’t gave me happy since the day that we met. “Actually I have an ulterior motive.”

  “Really? Don’t tell me…you want to make me one of you?”

  “No.” he giggles. “I want to go back to America with you and find me a bride. It is time that I reintroduce myself to the world. But I will change my name so the Order does not find me. If they are still in operation.”

  “Sounds great. But…You don’t have a passport.” I bite my thumb nail and think. “Wait, I can sneak you onto my dad’s private plane. I have to fit you inside of my trunk though.” I laugh and he is definitely interested. “What are you going to do when you get there?”