The Immortal 5 The Beginning: Rena's Story

Finding Omri

Almost 1500 years later On a dark foggy night in the year 2019, walking alone in a dark alley Rena was on her way home. She pulled her jacket closer to keep out the cool Seattle air out. While walking a very strange feeling came over her. It was like someone who was under the same curse as she was near. She had this same feeling before. She tried to push any thoughts of danger from her mind. As she walked she let her gaze drift over the alley and she took in her surroundings. Ready for a fight if the need be, but as her gaze drifted through the alley the only thing Rena saw was a small person hunched over a fire trying to keep warm. Watching the person as she neared, she noticed it was a boy ho must have been in his mid to late teens. As she neared him she took stock of what he was wearing, which was an old faded army jacket that had seen better days, torn jeans that probably needed thrown out, and a pair of terribly worn out shoes. Then she heard the sound that made her stop, it sounded like he was crying but trying to cover it up. She knew that sound, because she had made that same sound many years ago. Somehow she must have caught the boy's attention because he looked at her. Shocked when she was suddenly confronted with intense blue-gray eyes. Those eyes seemed to reach inside her, as if they were trying to read what was in her soul. "Who are you?” she asked after a minute. "My name is Omri." with that he turned back to the fire hunching his shoulders even more to keep warm. He said that with such emptiness it didn’t make any sense to her at all. Looking around she couldn't see the boy's family anywhere. "Where is your family, Omri?" she asked in concern. "My family is not a concern of yours. Besides you seem to be one very nosy person lady." His answer seemed so unemotional and detached to Rena that she couldn’t fathom why he seemed not to care about his family. It was making her very angry and she tired to control it. Though she tried to control her rising anger it was fast becoming a losing battle. She watched as he rose from the place he was sitting. She watched as he began to wave his arms and kick his legs. It was only then did she notice the look of fear upon his face. That look almost threw her in to a fit of laughter. She tried harder to control herself and keep him at the same height she had lifted him to which was no easy feat.   "I’m only concerned, not nosy." and with that he fell. He dropped to the ground and he gazed up at Rena with a look that was a mixture of puzzlement and amazement. As he lay there looking up at her she felt something ripple across her mind and she shook her head to clear it. After a moment Rena turned and resumed her way down the alley. "Wait!" She stopped a few yards from where she had been and turned slightly to watch him run to her side. "Who are you?" he asked a little winded from his slight run, apparently he was not originally from here. Rena looked over at him trying to figure out what made this boy who is and why he is alone in this world. "My name is Rena. It seems to me that you need all the friends on the world right now. And I want to be that friend for you now." She stated. Watching as his face broke into a faint smile Rena was pleased to see that was what he wanted as well. But she could still tell that he was unsure of what was going on. But when he held out his hand she knew things were on their way to being okay. Rena took his hand when he didn't resist her she tugged him to where he was walking by her side. "I’m going to take you to my house and feed you a hot homemade dinner." Omri's faint smile turned into a huge grin. About twenty minutes later, they walked into Rena’s house. She took off her purse and set it on the couch. Omri took stock of her living room, clean classic lines of a plantation. The furniture was modern and spaced evenly to make the most of the rooms vastness. Which as unusual for homes in this era. Rena noticed that he was taking stock of her living room. “I designed the layout myself. I love space and comfort.” she explained. The colors were rich and vibrant. Mostly jewel tones. He wondered where she got the idea to use these colors. And if they were used throughout her house. Omri followed her into her kitchen. Once in Rena’s kitchen he noticed that the colors scheme did not flow throughout her entire house. Her kitchen was white and black with stainless steel. He was amazed at how much stuff she had in her kitchen. “I am a chef. I own my own restaurant downtown.” with that said she began to make that meal she promised. She pulled out all the ingredients for her specialty setting them on the counter. Glancing up she saw that her cat had made her way into the kitchen and held Omri’s attention. She could tell that Mosha fascinated him. She began to cut the vegetables as she explained about Mosha. "Her name is Mosha. She is my baby. I have had her for about ten years now. Just so you know she is spoilt, she'll want anything you hand her." Rena said lovingly. "What kind of cat is she? I have not seen this color pattern before. It's so beautiful." Rena glanced at Mosha who loved every bit of attention she was getting from this new person in her home. "Mosha is a tortoise shell. The colors of her feline species can vary from black to gray with all those gold’s and browns. Their coats can be very slick and soft or very fluffy. I have seen some cats that are uglier." Rena said with sarcasm towards the last part. As she went back to cutting the green peppers she became aware of that same feeling that she had with Omri. She looked at Omri who was at that same moment having the same feeling. Then a knock sounded the back door making them both jump what seemed to be an inch off the ground. Grabbing the towel off the counter Rena dried her hands off and walked around the island towards the back door. "I wonder who that could be at this time of night. Stay there a second Omri. I don't know who it is but I don't you to get hurt either." Reaching the door she looked out the window seeing nothing she unlocked the door and opened it several inches. She noticed a little boy at the foot of her back steps. Something in the back of her mind told her that this child was not what he seemed. That made her guard go up. "May I come in please?" the child asked with a pristine English accent. Rena stood back and allowed him to enter her kitchen, watching the boy come in she noticed that he seemed a little uncomfortable. Omri walked up behind Rena to see the boy up close. "Alright, kid, what is your name?" Omri asked with his deep southern drawl, acting like the man of the house. The little boy just looked and smiled at him. He turned his attention back to Rena. Not answering the question, the child just stated. "I am a friend of hers." pointing to Rena as he spoke. Who in turn looked at Omri and shrugged her shoulders to say she didn’t know. "My name is Riley Ferguson." The little boy said as if that would mean anything to her right away and with what seemed to Rena smug satisfaction. Rena wondered why that name sounded so familiar. While she was pondering that thought, the little boy began to twitch. Rena put her arm in front of Omri and begun to back up in case something was to happen that would hurt either one of them. But right before their eyes that little boy turned into a grown man in a way that looked very painful. When he was done changing Rena realized now why that name sounded so familiar. She was looking into the face of Riley, her best friend and travel companion from many years ago. "Riley! Oh my god, you've gotten good at that. That was simply amazing." Rena exclaimed. With that Riley pulled Rena into a big bear hug. Looking over her shoulder Riley noticed that Omri was looking a bit angry and just a little out of place. Omri shifted on his feet uncomfortably. "Honey, I think little man is a bit jealous of our relationship." Riley drawled into her ear. Rena pulled back from the hug and turned to face Omri. "Omri, this is my friend Riley, Riley, this is Omri. He is staying with me from now on. So I want the two of you to get along. No nonsense about this arrangement, do you hear me, Riley?" she waited for him to nod his agreement. With that she went back to finishing dinner. Both men stood sizing each other up. Riley noticed that Omri was not fully built yet, but knew somehow that he would be very special his dear friend. They were trying to see which one Rena would like better. She knew what they were up to but chose to ignore it. It didn't matter what they thought they were both very dear to her. Even though she barely knew Omri she knew there was something about him that made her want him in her life. Dinner was done in a matter of minutes. Omri set the table for Rena while she dished up dinner. "Rena this looks wonderful, what do you call it?" She paused from dishing some of the food onto a plate and looked up and across the table at Omri. "It is an old family recipe that my mother had taught me. It is a combination of vegetables and spices that melts in your mouth. I never gave it a name because nothing seemed right." They all set down to enjoy the meal. The table was silent as they ate. Rena knew that Riley was dying to ask about Omri but she didn’t know what to tell him. And she could tell Omri was wanting to ask about Riley. But instead he chose another topic. “How did you become a chef?” he was interested but was more interested in how she knew Riley. Rena smiled as she wiped her mouth making sure the napkin covered her face. She knew what he really wanted to know. “Omri, I met Riley in England. I had just gotten off the boat and we met. He was actually pick pocketing the travelers. He even tried to pick pocket me. That’s how we met, he went for my coin purse and I caught him. We have be friends ever since.” that put some of Omri’s curiosity to rest but didn’t put it all to rest there were more questions he had. But knew this wasn’t the time for them. “I became a chef because I love to cook.” she added as an after note. They continued to eat in silence after that. As soon as they were done Omri went into the living room to lay down in front of the fireplace. She watched as Riley went out the back door for some reason or another. So that left Rena with the cleaning up of the dishes and putting away the food that was not used or eaten. She was just finishing up loading the dishwasher when she started to think about why Riley showed up. As she was wiping down her counter she thought that something must be wrong if Riley came. But she couldn't think about that right now she had Omri to take care of. As she was finishing up a blood-curdling scream ripped through the house and sent chills through Rena. She stood frozen as she listened to that horrifying sound. Dropping the rag from her hand she ran into the living room only to see Omri in the grip of a terrifying nightmare. He was thrashing about like he was trying to out run some one or something. He looked terrified and so hurt. He was so close to the fireplace that the chills were replaced with fear. Rena ran over to him and tried to pull him away from the fireplace. She couldn’t move him so she started shaking him and saying his name. Trying to wake him up. “Omri, oh please wake up! You’re dreaming! Please wake up, you’re scaring me.” she cried somewhat helplessly. She sat there watching as he slowly stopped trembling and as he begun to wake up. His eyes slowly opened and he looked up into Rena’s face. Seeing it filled with concern he knew she was worried. No one had ever cared for him like this since his family. This was something he wasn’t ready to talk about with her. Gazing up into those concerned violet eyes, he knew he would have to tell her about his past when he was ready. “Rena, what’s wrong? Why are you looking like that? And why are you shaking?” She regarded him very closely but chose not to answer him because she felt he had more to say. “Rena, you have made me feel like I belong again after so many years of being alone. There are some things I can’t speak of at this moment. But soon I will tell you all there is to know about who I am and what happened in my life.” he said cautiously. Rena was afraid there that there was something very dangerous going on here. Someone or something Omri was afraid of. “I hope that you will find it easy to speak with me. I want you to believe what I said earlier. That I want to be your friend.” she watched his eyelids drift shut as she talked. “I’ll stay here with you so you don’t have to be alone.” she whispered. Rena lay down next to him so he could find some peace to sleep. She watched as he drifted off to sleep again. Soon she too was asleep lying next to her new friend. Seeing his sister full of joy about the new adventure she and her family were starting, made his heart swell with pride. Seeing her smile felt like the sun was shining down on him. No one noticed the brigade stand up and take aim. They heard the shots being fired; he watched the smile slowly vanish from his sister’s lovely face. She started to fall forward. He caught her in his arms; he could smell the coppery aroma of her blood just before he saw it. Staring he couldn’t believe that his beautiful baby sister was slowly bleeding to death. He looked up to see his mother kneeling over his father who lay dead. His brother, who lay beside his father, was already dead. He could tell because there was no movement coming from his chest. He turned his attention back to his sister who lay gasping for breath in his arms. “Omri, please don’t leave me alone. It hurts so badly. Where’s mama? I feel so cold. Oh Omri, I see a light it’s so beautiful.” “No! Sasha don’t go to the light. Please stay with me.” he cried. She gazed into his eyes, and smiled ever so softly. “I shall always be with you. I love you, my dear brother. Never forget that I will always be with you.” He stared in disbelief as her body went stiff in his arms as she tried to gasp for breathe, then all of the sudden her body went limp. “NO! Sasha don’t close your eyes. Honey please stay with me.” When she didn’t move he knew that she was gone. Hugging her close to his body he began to rock back and forth. He could feel the tears streaming down his face. Looking up to the sky he let out a howl of anguished pain. He couldn’t hear his mother any more. When he looked over he saw that she to lay dead. She lay like she was sleeping with his father. Looking in front of him he could see the brigade descend upon him. Not caring if he died he laid his beautiful baby sister on the ground. He moved her hair out of her face and kissed her forehead. Slowly he got to his feet, looking down at his chest he was covered with her blood. If he was to die he would die proudly with his family surrounding him. He was the last of his family, and he would go down fighting. He watched as they came forward with their guns raised. He took off for them seeing that they took aim he waited for the piercing pain to come and end his life so that he may join his family once more. The bullets ripped through his body causing him to fall to his knees. He stared them down until the blackness engulfed him. Jerking awake in a cold sweat he realized that he was crying just like in his dream. How he missed his sister. The pain of losing her was still too raw. It felt like an open wound. He looked around and saw Rena sleeping next to him on the floor. He watched her sleep for a minute. That gave him the opportunity to study her features closely. Her face was almost perfect except the tiny scar above her brow. He wondered how she got it. Her lips where a rose color compared to her olive skin tone. Her hair was like a burning fire in the low light. She was in a sense almost the exact version of his sister. So perfect. She was timeless. Age only increased her beauty. Rena slowly felt herself being watched, she knew it had to be Omri. She let him continue studying her for a moment longer. Slowly she opened her eyes and gazed into his pain filled ones. Seeing the pain and weariness she smiled at him. It was a smile to ease his pain. She didn’t know why it was there but she was willing to wait for him to tell her when he thought it was the right time. She turned her head and looked out the window. She could see the beginning of dawn. “Did you sleep ok?” she asked, her voice roughened by sleep. Looking down at his hand he was quite for a moment before he spoke. “I have these dreams of my life. They are not too bad anymore but they usually keep me awake for days. But last night was not too bad. So, yeah, I guess you could say I did sleep ok. Um, Rena, if you slept here with me where did Riley sleep last night?” Omri asked. Looking around she noticed the couch was left the way she put it last night. Blankets and pillow were on the end. “I don’t think he even slept last night at all. Do you want to tell me about your dreams?” Shaking his head, he wasn’t ready yet. “Ok, then it is time I got up. I have some shopping to do.” With that they got up and begun to put things away. Rena placed the blankets back in the linen closet. She went to her room to shower and change. Laying her clothes on her bed she went to the adjoining bathroom to run the water. Checking the temperature she switched to the shower heading. Undressing she wondered were Riley spent the night. She had to remember to fix up the guest rooms for both of her new house mates the house was roomy enough since she liked her space. She quickly forgot about that as soon as she stepped under the shower. Minutes later she was dressed and heading down stairs when she thought she heard Riley talking to Omri. She couldn’t hear what was being said. She paused by the kitchen door to listen for a moment. They were talking about nothing really. They were making small talk. She walked in to the kitchen and they stopped talking. She walked in gave Omri a kiss on his cheek and hugged Riley. She went to get her grocery list and made some last minute changes. She only bought what she needed which wasn’t much because she was the only one who she had to take care of. Now she had two others to look after and after last night she knew she had to stock up. Both men had big appetites. “Is there anything you boys need from the store?” When they didn’t answer she just put the list in her back pocket and headed for the front door. “You boys play nice now you hear?” she said as she walked out the door.