Rebirth

by Valerie Willis

  “For every good man there seems to be a three bad ones behind them.” Flashes of his father’s pictures and Geliah crossed his mind. “It just sucks that it works that way, one bad apple to spoil the bunch.”

  “Yes, all we accomplished was teaching them better ways to hurt one another. Many wars broke out. For every good deed, there were five sins to follow. We decided that we were speeding up the destruction of mankind. For the first time in hundreds of years, my brother spoke up. He purposed an endless cycle of reincarnation. We all agreed, except Geliah. I distorted his judgment to support my brother’s will. That was my first mistake in a long line of misjudgments. My brother’s despair had infected me and after that point it became my obsession to uncover his wrong doing.”

  “Hotan had stopped leading that whole time until that point? Where was he last before you met up? Where did he spend most of his time? Something must have happened during that time while everyone was under the spell. I have a feeling whatever started this, started with him, not you. He was hiding something. He made it very clear he had done something sinful with his power. I haven’t figured out what it was, but it led to a lot of deaths.”

  “Yes, I suppose it did all start with him. He had taken a vow of silence before we left Eden. He was in Greece for some time and then traveled to Japan. He spent a long time in both places, living as a hermit. He was the only one who did not attempt to help anyone.” He could see Talib thinking long and hard for a moment. “Something had startled him back on the island and he never revealed it to me. I assumed it was something dealing with his power, but he locked that away deep in his mind. Being his brother all this time, he never said a word. He just had that deep lost look in his eyes, and then there was only fear.”

  Hotan had spent months digging through history books. He couldn’t find anything. Many folklores and myths caught his attention, but nothing that could be factual. Desperately hoping for a clue, he wanted to be able to find a hint written down somewhere about them, more so about Hotan. There were too many possibilities. Considering their abilities, a lot of technological advances, early medieval time’s improvements, alchemy, all screamed that they had a hand in it. It helped that Fae had agreed to help him search through everything.

  Talib had revealed to him that Fae, the element of Intelligence, had been the first to awaken in the 16th century. It was startling to discover the reincarnation had lasted for approximately a thousand years when her abilities awakened. Talib had described how when she became aware it was like a pin dropping in the dead silence. She had gotten herself in quite the mess when Talib had found her. The Spanish Inquisition had hit her village and she hadn’t held her tongue. Fae was quickly labeled a witch; slipping in and out of comas in attempts to save herself using her power had only made her appear as if she were possessed.

  Hotan was waiting for her there in the library. Frustration was getting to him as he flipped through yet another book in hopes of some clue, something would pop out to him. It was musky there at the table deep in the library. He grinned at himself as he recalled the face of the librarian upon seeing him again. She had immediately looked behind him to see if Kyle was there. Amazing he had made that much of an impression on her. Then again, who could have ignored his loud, crude behavior?

  “I still cannot get over how much you look like him.” Fae’s voice surprised him. He looked up at the woman, with her copper framed glasses perched upon her nose, brown hair in a bun and a stack of books in arms. “You need to be careful not to get yourself too absorbed into something.”

  “Fae, right?” He watched her sit down and smooth out her black pencil skirt. “You look familiar.”

  “I hope so. You passed me in the bookshelves a few months ago when you were last here. I’ve been here this whole time.” Separating her books across the table, she gave him a coy smirk. “Like I said though, you should have noticed me approaching, but you had engrossed yourself into the book.”

  “You’re right, is that normal? If we concentrate too much on something we become blind to everything else?” She seemed meticulous about the books and counted them twice. “Lucius I sensed, but I had given him my attention.”

  “Unfortunately, it is one of our downfalls next to exhausting our bodies. It is also a new issue we have inherited.” Sighing with satisfaction, she stopped her work with her books and gave him her attention. “I have done some research and with what I could see Hotan was staying low. Nothing could be seen in the books that could be Hotan’s doing.”

  “I had no luck either.” Leaning back in his chair, he couldn’t help but feel he had wasted his time again. “Nothing that I saw caught my attention in anyway.”

  “I did, however, find where many of us had influenced cultures. I was able to confirm it with those I contacted in their whereabouts during those decades. There were some cultures that had beliefs and stories that I could trace to before we left the Island as well.” Leaning in closer, she clasped her hands together and cleared her throat. “But I found some very odd information. Events similar to the ones we had made both intentionally and by mistake. Only problem, it was none of us.”

  “None of you? Then it had to be Hotan.” Something stirred in the depths of his mind. “But I think, I think you may have found the clue I was looking for.”

  “Hotan’s powers had remained undetectable until you came along, mon cher. After talking to Talib though, I was able to confirm something odd. These events end in high death and destruction. Anything from mass wars to entire colonies turning up missing or dead. It started before we arrived back to the homelands and more disturbingly, continued while we were all under the spell.” Her eyes commanded him to take in her next words. “But Hotan was sighted in the area just before, always leaving moments before the destruction. It was as if he were running away from something. Whatever or whoever it is, was slipping under Talib’s radar.”

  “Something was hunting him down. You think it was Geliah?” He refused to break the connection with her elegant dark blue eyes. “Or was he not awake for the majority of this either?”

  “Oui, he has only been awake in the last 50 years. He was a body builder, which gave him the advantage he has in having stamina to use his power; his body trained for high endurance. I have no idea if it’s a person or something demonic that was chasing Hotan. I am sorry.” The muscles in her cheeks twitched. “I don’t think it’s gone either. I think it’s still looking for him, perhaps another immortal that’s not one of us? In all our years, we have never seen anything that would reflect the myths and folklores time has painted. Demons and such do not exist, but here we are. Perhaps this immortal has a tendency for doing the world harm.”

  “My power and looks make it so I am the original Hotan, essentially, just a different soul. If this thing is still looking for him than I am sure my latest stunt has given it a clear sight where to find me.” Every muscle in his body strained, aching as they did so. “We will find out soon enough what we are dealing with. I released a beacon and it’s only a matter of time before it reveals itself to me.”

  “I am afraid so.” The air about them was grim as they boiled over the information. “Please remember you are not alone. We will help you in any way we can and here for you, mon petit.”

  “Thanks.” Standing up he nodded his goodbye to her. “Thank you for the information. I assume I can find you here at any time?”

  “Oui, I am always here night or day.” She nodded her goodbye, finishing with her graceful French. “S’il vous plait soyez prudent.” Please be careful.

  Hotan had one more stop to make before meeting everyone at 7even’s. He had missed every show and the Battle of the Bands was a couple of weeks away. At least he owed it to the others for one last round of being part of the band before giving up his dream. There would be no use in keeping such a public dream due to the current circumstances. A lot of things would have to change in his life. Being immortal had its limitations and need for concealment.

  He had
parked behind 7even’s and walked to Tina’s bookstore. Hotan could feel the tingling sensation as he neared the little store. It would take him some time to get used to using his new ability to sense and hone in on who was who. As of right now, it all felt the same to him. Worse, he had to be careful not to get distracted by what’s going on. If he let his attention stray too far one way or the other. Doing so could cause him not to be able to notice anything.

  “Hotan,” Tina’s voice echoed through the stale bookstore as he walked in. “You’re alone now, so lonely.”

  “I was always alone.” Once more, he couldn’t see Tina anywhere. Then again, who could make out anything among the clutter, dust and cobwebs that filled the tiny store. “Where are you?”

  “You had a friend in there, in your head.” Books fell from a mountainous stack in the center aisle way and she came crawling over them. Stopping at the floor, lying on her back, she grinned up at him. “Where did he go, the man in the shiny ball?”

  “He went away.” Having no patience for where her conversation was leading, he laid the book on her counter along with a large bag of chocolates. “Here. I’m done with this book for now. As promised I brought chocolate.”

  “Chocolate!” Hugging herself as she rocked on the floor, she looked beyond happy. “Bye-Bye, Mr. Hotan.”

  He didn’t give her any chance to talk any more than that. She had hit a sour note by mentioning she was aware of the fact the Old Hotan was sitting there. Huddled inside his mind’s depths, he felt ignorant that even she had felt it there. In fact, it took all his patience to hold back the flood of anger that wanted to push pass and spill forward. The element of Insanity had known about the issue but never spoke of it. Why did he have to be the last one to find out and destroy him? What good did it do leaving him out of the loop on that very important detail?

  Nearing the club, he started to pick up the tingling sensation again.

  Kyle must be here already.

  He hadn’t seen or talked to him since he had been back on his feet. At least everyone had given him room to recover. As he passed the locker rooms, the hairs on his arms felt like they were standing on end. He wasn’t just feeling one immortal but two. He paused, trying to hold the panic at bay as thoughts of Cassandra or Geliah invaded his thoughts.

  No, this wasn’t a threat, but who else do I know that is an immortal? Jake? Who else is here?

  He let his mind reach out as far as he felt the energies. He was getting better at being able to block everyone but who he wanted to talk to.

  It’s safe. I promise, come out and see if you can tell who it is. Kyle’s answer was reassuring, allowing his tension to recede some as he continued out onto the stage with his guitar.

  “Oh! Look here!” Hisota was quick on the draw as Hotan walked up to them. “I was wondering if you were part of the band anymore!”

  “I could have said the same about you months ago.” Searching, he went from person to person; eager to see if he could figure out whom the other immortal was in the group of familiar faces. “At least my excuse was for health issues. You just didn’t show.”

  “All right, I’ll back off this time.” Scoffing Hisota pulled a curly, black haired girl to his side tightly. “By the way, this is Charlotte.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Waving slightly as he took into account of everyone there; Shellie, Kyle, Hisota, Charlotte and then there is, “Metsy.”

  “Oh, hey there, Hotan! Sorry I was busy fixing my bass’ case.” She was squatting behind everyone, on the floor with some purple duct tape. “I somehow managed to bust open this one corner and it’s driving me crazy. Luckily, I always carry purple duct tape with me. Never know.”

  It’s you, isn’t it. I can feel it strongest in your direction when I focus on you. The smirk took its place on his face as he came over and squatted next to her to assess the damage. “Need help?”

  I’m so sorry. I should have said something sooner but, well. Her smile was warming and genuine. “I got it. Thank you.” We were hoping you’d wake up, sorry about this mess.

  Its ok, I understand. Standing up, he turned his attention to everyone else on the stage. “Let’s get this show back on track. I have a new song I want to sing tonight. If you don’t mind, Perfect Circle’s The Noose. It’s slow, but I am in the mood for something that’s steady, even a little dark. I’m sure Kyle wouldn’t mind doing it.”

  “It’s cool with me, man.” A wink went out as Kyle’s green eyes glowed. “At least I get to lead the beat on that one! It’s gloomy and slow, but you’re the boss.”

  There had been no signs of Cassandra or Geliah. It was making him nervous. All he had heard was a few moments of Callan expressing warning or that Geliah was fuming with rage. All he could do was keep an eye and ear open for any signs of them. Hotan was more concerned about Shellie, whether he would target her. He stayed close to her and spent as much time with her as he could. There was no sure way to tell how much longer he could keep their relationship going with everything riding on his shoulders and screaming in his ears of danger. Let alone the complications of being immortal.

  Shellie became more like a band manager. She came to every practice as she adjusted equipment. Having a set of ears with the only task of listening and critiquing had been a big help. If it sounded off at any point, it could cost them the chance to make it to the last round. This was the least he could do for everyone, one last round of playing with them and a chance to see how far they could go, for old time’s sake. It was going to be the final chapter of his normal life. A life that his destiny would have never allowed him to have in the end.

  The event was in full swing as they came through the back doors, flashing their badges. They had gotten the call of making it to this round while Hotan had been away, and now it was time to showcase what they could do. Hordes of people had showed to the event. The energy that the sold out show brought was intoxicating and exciting. At least his final goodbye to a mortal life would give him a moment of feeling like a rock star.

  At least this is a worthy last moment for me.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to stay back stage with us?” Kyle was pleading with Shellie among the hustle and bustle of people carrying band equipment. “It’s no fun to play up here if I can’t hug you right after the performance.”

  “No, I want to see what the audience sees.” Shellie chuckled as she gave Kyle a hug. “Plus, you’re always sweaty after every song. That’s the grossest hug ever.”

  “Shellie, just be careful.” Hotan was adjusting the strap on his guitar as he watched her finish her hug with Kyle. Kyle and he exchanged the same worried expression with each other. “You said you’ll be up front, right?”

  “Yes, don’t worry so much!” She rushed over and kissed him on the cheek. “Good luck, I will be front and center.”

  “All right, Shellie.” He grabbed her arm, swinging her back to him and gave her a kiss on the lips. “That’s better, I feel luckier after that one.”

  “Oh! They said that we’re next!” Metsy was on the other side of the backstage crowd waving her arm high up to gain attention. “Get ready!”

  “See you out there!” Shellie rushed off out of view, disappearing in the crowd.

  “You think she’ll be ok out there?” Kyle shot him a serious look. “We aren’t sure where Geliah is, but with this commotion we’re all going to have a hard time sensing him.”

  “It’s probably safer for her to be there in the middle of a crowd.” He sighed as he watched Hisota flirt discreetly with Charlotte in a dark corner. Unlike them, he hadn’t a worry in the world. “Plus there’s too much going on around here for anyone to notice what someone else is doing. It’ll be for the best. I can relax if she is out there and not alone back here.”

  “That’s true. Thank you by the way.” Kyle was watching the couple as they laughed and whispered into each other’s ears. “It’s nice to have this as a farewell to a mortal way of living. It means a lot to me too.”

  “I
didn’t know it meant that much to you. It was my dream, but I suppose for you to have been here so religiously, you must have felt just as attached.” Never did it cross his mind that this last chronicle was more than about him. “I was doing it purely for my own selfish reasons to be honest, Kyle.”

  “I know that.” Once more an encouraging smile and pat on the back. “But that doesn’t mean we feel that way too. We are all envious of the lives that flow with the tide of time.”

  Metsy had made it across the way. Compared to the other bands, their group looked like they had plucked people from a hat at random. Hotan always had that grunge look going, Kyle the punk rocker, Hisota the preppy boy-band singer, and now Metsy in her Gothic punk style. By the time they peeled Hisota away from Charlotte, the red light to indicate staging had come on and they were scrambling for the stage.

  For their first song, they had chosen to sing So Cold by Breaking Benjamin. It had a good slow start that quickly sped up. In addition, he had always loved the lyrics to the song, making it easier for him to get into the music.

  This is my goodbye to my childish dreams. To the mortal life I was lousy at living anyhow…

  As he looked across the crowd, he was able to spot Shellie. Front and center as promised. She was right there next to security, which made him feel better. If anyone tried to take her against her will it would be noticeable. He focused back onto the music as he bounced across the stage, walking over to Metsy as they grinned ear to ear. There was so much excitement on the stage and it tingled across them all, including the audience. Clearly, Metsy was using her ability to make sure this was a good time, increasing the spirit across the area.

  Amazing to think someone could persuade even this sensation in people.

  It was a wonderful feeling when one of the stagehands came over to them and informed them they were going into the second round. It was starting to be less crowded backstage as bands were being told sorry and sent home or at least out of the backstage area. He walked over to another stagehand who pointed him over to a table off the side next to the stage entrance.