Immortal Beauty

by Thomas McDermott

  “Ah Sasha, how nice to see you again.” She embraced Sasha in the familiar French way and they kissed as old friends do. Sasha was not expecting such casual formality from her foe. She tried to match Celine’s tone.

  “It’s nice to see you too Celine.” The days of calling her Ms. D’Aumont were officially over. They sat down together and Celine ordered white wine from the waiter who was now flirting a little more successfully with the gorgeous red head. His day was truly looking up. He asked Celine in between compliments if they needed some time and Celine let him know that they were old friends catching up after so many years and would he be a dear and give them some uninterrupted time to talk before ordering lunch. The man took her extended hand which held a hundred euros. He promised them that no one would interrupt them whatsoever and he would return when she summoned him. Sasha could easily see that Celine loved having servants and loved the false respect they had to show at all times. Celine took a sip of her wine and removed the scarf from her head allowing the mass of curls to fall in a cascade upon her shoulders.

  “So, you’ve been gone for a few days. I do hope you are feeling alright.” She circled the top of the wine glass with her long polished nails.

  “Oh yes, quite well thank you. In fact I feel extraordinary. Especially these last few days. Like I could do anything!” Sasha smiled back at Celine and knew she was a match for this ancient creature whom everyone else was so afraid of.

  “Well, that’s fantastique. I’m so glad to hear it.” Celine was still pretending that there was nothing unusual in their meeting like this. Sasha decided to cut to the heart of the matter. She didn’t know how long she could keep up the fake smile.

  “Listen Celine. I know who you are. I know who I am now. The thing you really need to know from me is that I don’t care.” Celine laughed so suddenly and unexpectedly that Sasha spilled a bit of her water. It was genuine, heartfelt laughter that shook her to the very core.

  “My Dear! Of all the things I thought you were going to say to me, that is the very last thing I expected. You have no idea how refreshing it is to be truly surprised by anything anymore.” Celine wiped away a tear from her eye, she had been laughing so hard. In that instant Sasha grasped the horror of immortality. Celine was a monster because she had evolved over time into something else. Was the same thing happening to Marcus?

  “Celine, I don’t care about the past, or living forever and I certainly don’t give a shit about the waters.” Celine cut her off with a fresh peel of laughter.

  “Stop it Sasha! I’m going to pee myself!” Celine instantly transformed into a real human for a tiny second and Sasha could see that at one time they could have been friends. “The only thing I care about is Taylor. Please tell me that he is alright. If you return him to me, we will leave France forever and never come back. I promise!”

  “Taylor? Give him back? My dear you are so confused. You really have no idea what’s going on do you?” Celine’s dangerous voice purred. “I have been nothing but gracious and kind to Taylor and how does he repay me? By breaking into my lab and trying to kill me. You need not worry about Taylor. He has remembered all of his abilities and then some. I was really impressed.” She stopped to take a sip of the wine, leaving a blood red lipstick mark. “I would never hurt him.” She leaned in closer and whispered. “To be honest I always thought he was quite the male specimen if you know what I mean? But of course you do. You’re in love with him. That’s why you’re here.” Celine was no longer human. It was obvious. She was a statue filled with rage and madness and ambition. “I would never hurt Taylor.”

  “Why not? You tried to kill me. You always kill us over and over again. Why should we believe for one second you are going to do anything different this time.” Sasha was getting angry now and was losing control of her fiery Irish temper. She was so relieved to hear that Taylor was alive that her worry transformed into fury. “You keep punishing us for something that happened so long ago, and by the way, I never did anything to you. I never came and stole your water. It was Taylor and Frankie. All I did was drink the wretched stuff when they brought is back to Rome. If I had know then what it would do to me I never would have touched it. “ She pushed her own water away from her.

  “That has always been your problem Cherie.” Celine’s voice was soothing and low. “You never realized what a gift the water was. You always thought of it as a curse. You never could accept the glory and the responsibility that comes with power. Alas, the water truly wasn’t meant for the likes of you. “ There was a note of distaste in her voice that was not lost on Sasha.

  “You’re right. I wasn’t meant for any of this and I don’t want any of this. Once I know for certain that Taylor is safe I am leaving France and this horrible curse behind me. I want nothing more to do with it. I am through.” She had to use all her energy to keep from crying. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare that had become her life.

  “If it were only that easy Sasha.” This time Celine placed her manicured hand on top of Sasha’s in a gesture of sympathy and this simple act allowed the tears to flow down Sasha’s face. “You have to accept that you are different from the people around you. You are no longer a mere mortal and if you want to live forever and stay young forever, all you have to do is drink the waters. You can’t just walk away from your destiny.”

  “Watch me.” Sasha jerked her hand away and wiped her eyes with her napkin. “If you let Taylor go, then I will leave the country and you will never have to worry about me trying to get involved in your affairs. I truly don’t care about any of this. I just want my life back.” She had completely recovered from her emotional outburst and felt strong once again.

  “Let Taylor go? What do you mean? I don’t have Taylor.” She sounded so surprised and sincere that Sasha thought she must be telling the truth. “I thought he was working for Marcus. I thought the attack was part of Marcus’ plan to interfere once again with my company. You mean he acted alone?” Sasha could see the confusion in Celine’s eyes. Those emerald green eyes that had a way of piercing right through her.

  “Listen Celine, all I know is Taylor went to Orleans three days ago and nobody has seen him since. What do you expect me to think? I’m not as old as you are but I am no fool.”

  “Oh Cheri, you are many things but a fool you are not. I always wondered why we never got along all these years and now we’re having a civilized lunch. See? Maybe we have misjudged each other. I mean, we work together in this lifetime. We could accomplish great things in this time when women finally have their power back. Marcus has filled your head with poison. If only you would let me explain myself, I’m sure you’d see things differently.” Celine’s voice was dripping with ice. Sasha recoiled at this.

  “I don’t want to see things at all! This is all hideous to me! I don’t want any explanations. I don’t want to know what Marcus is up to. I came here for one reason today and that is Taylor’s well being. If he is not your prisoner then my task is accomplished. I think we’re finished here.” Sasha stood up quite suddenly and noticed Celine was regarding her with a new air as if she somehow respected this young woman across the table from her.

  “Sasha, please sit down. There is so much more to say. I’m sure you must have questions. I would be more than happy to help you in any way I can. We don’t have to be enemies.” She swirled her restless fingertip around the wine glass again, this time emitting the highest of pitches. “Besides, you are right about the waters. You never did steal them from my people. You truly are an innocent bystander in all of this and you should have never been pulled into this war. I’ve never really thought about it before. I was just so angry at being locked away in the hillside for so many years that for a long time all I could think about was revenge.” Celine stopped talking and looked up at the old woman sipping her coffee, thankful she would never have to know the misery of old age.

  “And now?” Sasha stood still, not making any move to leave.

  “Now? Now I have new plans and d
reams ma Cherie, I don’t care about Marcus either or the others for that matter. This is a new age we live in. The freedoms the common people enjoy are incredible. I am wealthy, I am beautiful and I have a vision. I have my own life now independent of any man. I can do with this life as I please. I have a beauty company about to become incredibly successful. Do you think I have time for ancient grudges?” Celine’s eyes were glowing with passion. “Do you know what it feels like to be able to give the whole world what it wants? Do you know how much power and responsibility are in my own hands? In a few weeks Pandora’s box is about to be opened and I will be the one to blow off the lid!” She was almost yelling now, engulfed in her own blazing emotions. Sasha thought that this woman must be mad. She was delusional with visions of grandeur and self importance. This made her dangerous, but it did not make her relevant to Sasha and her own plans for living.

  “Celine!” Sasha halted Celine in the middle of her tirade. “You don’t get it! I don’t care! You can keep your dreams. I’m not interested. I am just going to have to trust you that you don’t have Taylor. But I can’t imagine where he would be. What happened after he attacked you in the lab?” Sasha finally sat back down as her curiosity won out like it always did. Celine looked at Sasha slowly as if she were waking from a long sleep. The crazed look was gone from her face now and once again she was smiling and pleasant. The transformation was incredible.

  “Oh that….after he tried to kill me he grabbed one of my employees and cut her throat and used her as a hostage to leave the grounds. We haven’t seen him since.” Celine finished her drink. “Listen, I know all of this is overwhelming. I can’t imagine what it must be like since I’ve always remembered everything, though there was a moment in the cave…” She glanced over to the coffee bar and realized the crone was staring at her with keen interest. She snapped her attention back to Sasha. “Don’t make any rash decisions Sasha. Just remember I am not your enemy, I am just your boss.” They both laughed at the absurdity of the moment. “You can keep your job if you like. You really are good at what you do. Or you can run back to America, it matters little to me. Only I wouldn’t be so quick to throw away what so man people have been spending their entire lives trying to find. Take a few days to think it over. You can use one of my houses on the Mediterranean to get some perspective. I will let you know if I hear anything from Taylor. Even though he attacked me, I mean him no harm. It’s just Marcus twisting everything again. It’s not his fault. If you see him first would you tell him for me?” Celine began to wrap the green scarf back over her hair and put the sunglasses back on her face. Once again she was the mysterious spy. “Call me anytime darling. I know this hasn’t been easy for you.” She embraced Sasha falsely and called the waiter over. She paid for the drinks and told the waiter she wanted to pay for the old woman’s coffee and whatever else she might desire. Sasha watched in amazement feeling more confused than ever. Celine obviously was either lying or she really had no idea where Taylor was and she didn’t know what to believe. She looked at her watch and decided to walk all the way back to Passy. It would take close to an hour but she needed that time to think, and walking the streets of Paris always had a way of clearing her head. She smiled at the waiter who was very happy with the amount of money he had made on these two women and wished they had been a little more than just flirtatious. He hated when they played hard to get. It was easy for the rich and he grumbled to himself as he counted the bills over again. Sasha walked out of the dark little café and was warmed by the midday sun. She turned down a street lined with even more antique shops and this time she walked slowly and aimlessly peering in all the windows and dreaming of a life she had never known.

  Celine walked around the corner and pulled out her cell phone. If Taylor wasn’t with the others as she had believed then he was still somewhere very near. If finally occurred to her that she had been assuming he would want to escape. The door was left wide open to give the impression that he had fled and she smiled at the thought of how clever he had become. He was becoming more devious; he had potential. She could use a man like him and he was already immortal, she made sure of that by getting him addicted to the waters. She punched a number on the device and waited for an answer.

  “Sophie? C’est moi, Celine…Ecoutez moi bien….” She walked over to her car which was waiting for her and the pretty woman who had driven Taylor from the airport smiled graciously as she opened the door for her boss.

  “Orleans. As fast as you can.” Celine gave the command before she seated herself in the comfortable auto. The young driver nodded her head and started honking the expensive horn even before the car began to move.

  TOYS IN THE ATTIC

  Taylor stirred from his troubled sleep. He was crouched up in a ball in the corner of the room in the attic of one of the rounded towers. He had been in the house a few days now and had very little to eat though this was the least of his troubles. His dreams were all of the past and each time he dreamed he remembered a little more of the lives he had lived. It seemed that every time he returned, Celine was there waiting for him only to destroy any chance of happiness and normalcy he might have achieved. He wanted to learn as much as he could, hiding away in the huge fortress from long ago, but there was little happening above the laboratory and he found it impossible to return to the basement without detection. At night he could hear the unearthly howls of what he was sure must be the creature Celine had created. He finally rose and stretched his aching limbs. The attic ran through the entire house and he had plenty of hiding places, though nobody had come looking for him. There were boxes and fabrics and furniture all piled up on top of each other with no sense of order. This morning he started poking around to see if he could find anything of interest. If not, he decided it would be time to escape from this place and head back to Paris to find out what happened to Sasha. He hoped that she had remembered something and returned to the safe house on Rue Raynouard. They would welcome her home. They must be waiting for her.

  He started with a pile of stuff in the middle of the room and soon moved on to the corner. Most of it was probably the belongings of the previous owners as there were lots of chairs and tables and trunks full of clothes that looked like they were from the seventies. He found a pair of faded corduroys and a white cotton shirt which he changed into. Not a bad fit, found a little loose. He scrounged around until he spotted d a brown leather belt with a large buckle. He looked at himself in a faded mirror and laughed at the image. It looked like he was going to a costume party with a disco theme. At least the clothes had never been worn and were in perfect condition. He looked around and spotted a large wooden chest that had intricate carvings on it that looked Celtic in origins. Circles danced around circles and intertwined throughout the gorgeous old wood. There was a rusted lock in it which gave way with no resistance at all. He cautiously lifted the lid and began to pull the things out one at a time. On top of the chest lay a bow and arrow, so old that it looked as if it might fall apart if he touched it. Carefully he lifted them out and placed them on the floor. There was a silk dress that was in tatters but was made of a turquoise silk with yards and yards of decaying fabric. Undernesath the dress lay a sword. It was Japanese in design and had a dragon carved on the handle. He recognized it right away. This was Nyoirin’s sword. This was her weapon of choice, though the samurai were known for their skill with the bow and arrow, she had always preferred hand to hand combat and could dance circles around her enemies with this weapon. He gasped at the enormous memory of it. Would Sasha remember too? He grabbed the sword and decided it was time to leave this evil palace. That was when he heard a door. It was a slow creaking sound which attracted his attention. He hurriedly threw the items back into the chest and closed the lid quietly. He ran back to the corner where he had slept and gathered a bunch of drapes and clothes on top of his body. He looked just like another random pile and was sure he would not be detected. Taylor caught a scent of something familiar. His heart quickened when he realized it was the
creature. Suddenly it occurred to him for he first time that the creature was sentient. It was half human after all, but he had only seen it in the darkness in the forest behaving like an animal. He never once thought that it would have human characteristices such as thinking and speech. The thought horrified him. He remained still and presently he could hear the creature sniffing around.