The Immortal 5 The Beginning: Rena's Story

Prologue

It was an unusually cold night for the summer in the small Italian village that Rena lived in. She knew that with this unusual weather would bring bad tidings for someone. Bad tidings were abundant around her village lately. With the arrival of the Roman centuries a lot of strange and unexplainable things were happening to a lot of the people she had grown up around. She knew that something was going to happen on this night but to whom it was going to happen she didn’t know. Things were going to change and she had a feeling that it wasn’t going to be for the best. “Hey, my little one, what weighs on your mind?” She turned and saw her father, the one man whom she trusted with her every little secret. Her mother would not approve of what she talked about with her father. In her mothers’ mind women didn’t speak of such things but her poppa encouraged her to speak to him about anything. “I have a really bad feeling about tonight, poppa.” He smiled as he took her hand. She knew that he was going to be a little patronizing. Even though she understood that he loved her and this is what parents did when they thought their children where making something out of nothing. “My little one, there is nothing for you to worry about you’re too young to have the weight of the world on your shoulders. Just be my little girl for a little longer and let me worry about the concerns of the world.” She smiled at her poppa and nodded her head in acknowledgment. But still she had this fear that something really bad was going to happen. She pushed those thoughts from her head. Her poppa was right she needed to think about other things. She could hear her mother coming out onto the veranda. “What on earth are the two of you conspiring about?” She smothered a laugh as her father spoke. “We are contemplating the worries of the world, my dear. Rena is worried that something is going to happen. I was assuring her that nothing of any sort was going to happen.” Her mother looked at her with an expression that Rena always hated. It was the look of utter dissatisfaction. She knew that her mother thought she needed to act more like her. She also knew that her mother was more into social standings even though they were not exactly rich like her mother had hoped. She loved gossip and thrived on what other people thought of her. Even though she wasn’t the richest woman in her small village she made it well known that she was the mother of the prettiest girl. Rena hated that her mother bragged about her. It was well known that she wanted Rena to marry into wealth and had picked out the man she hoped would be asking for her hand in marriage but Rena had other ideas. She was not going to fall into her mothers plans. “Well, now that you have contemplated the worries of the world. Rena, you can go fix the guest room up. There are roman officers here. They will bed down in the guest room. Now go.” her mother practically buzzed with excitement. Rena made a face and to her amusement her father saw it and smiled. Rena moved past her father and mother. She didn’t know why her stomach knotted at the mention of the soldiers, she never really liked soldiers especially roman soldiers. She passed through the door way and stopped abruptly when all heads turned in her direction. There were at least five roman officers in her home and all their eyes were on her. She knew that they were staring at her because of her beauty. Her father said it was her greatest attribute and her greatest downfall at least she thought so and she knew that her mother was jealous of it. But her eyes were what truly made people stare. No Italian woman had ever had violet eyes. They were so unique her father said they were a gift from the gods. She prayed nightly that the gods render her with some kind of mark so that her beauty wouldn’t make people stare. She started to move passed the soldiers to go to the guest room to get it ready when one stood in her path. She patiently waited for him to do and say what he wanted. “And what do we have here? You are a pretty young thing.” Rena tried with all her might not to let her disgust show. Her control was slipping as he touched her hair. He must have liked the feel of it because of kept running it through his fingers. “Please, move aside sir, so that I may get your room ready.” All the men laughed, some even snickered. “Now that I know that you will be getting my room ready, you can wait for me there to so that I may enjoy the pleasure of your company.” He thought he was so smooth. This thought made the Rena very angry. As her anger rose a picture fell from the wall, and the walls had started trembling. Some of the soldiers shifted uneasily placing hands on their swords. Not knowing what was happening. “I have no intention of staying in your room waiting for you to do whatever you intend to do. I have better taste then to have my virtue taken by a roman pig. I would die first.” She watched as his face became red from his mounting anger. As this happened she heard her mother gasp in shock. Her father was by her side in seconds. “Rena, go ready the guest room please. Sir, I apologize for my daughters’ rudeness. She is just tired from a long day of hard work. She meant no harm.” The soldier watched as Rena moved down the hallway to the sleeping quarters. She entered the guest room and readied it for the soldiers as she did this she was able to vent some of her anger on the single pillow. When she was done she gazed around the small room. Then she moved from the guest room to her own room. Once in the safety of her room she began to ready herself for bed. It was late when she thought she heard her parents move into their bedroom. She moved to her door and opened it. Her goodnight on her lips but she saw that the roman centuries had her parents on their knees. She saw that their hands were tied. Her father, though on his knees, stood proud. Her mother looked pale and frightened and she coward, she never coward. She watched in horror as one of the soldiers drive his sword into her mother. She could hear her scream even though her mouth was gagged. She watched as he slowly withdrew the sword, he seemed to relish, which was cover up to the hilt with her mothers’ blood. Her mother fell with a soft thud to the floor, her once pristine white dress soaked in her blood which made the dress a deep maroon color. Her father, she could see that he was deeply affected by the loss of his wife. The soldier didn’t even wipe off her mothers’ blood before he drove that same sword into her father. She must have made a sound, because her father turned and she saw the reflection of his tears on his face. His eyes widened as the soldier pulled the sword from his chest. Rena screamed as her poppa hit the floor. The soldiers turned at the sound. All at once they moved coming after her but she was already out of her room and running down the hall. As she made it to the entry to her home before she turned to look back. She saw they had made it into the living room. For fear of her life Rena took off out the door. She could hear them yelling for her to stop in the name of the Caesar. She kept running, fear driving her on. She didn’t stop even as she thought her lungs would burst. Her lungs burned so bad that every breath was painful. She slowed until finally she stopped. Dropping to her knees she fought for breath. She was crying, not just tears but heart wrenching sobs. She lost her family in one night. She felt so lost. She had nothing anymore. No one to confide in, no one to go to when she was scared. Her whole world was destroyed in one night, why would the gods do this to her? She didn’t know what to do. She was wrapped in her own misery that she never heard the soldier come up behind her. All she felt was the searing pain of the sword being driven into her flesh. She looked down as the blade stuck out from her chest. She felt the hot sticky flow of her blood. She smelled the coppery metallic essence of the blood and it made her want to vomit. She started to become dizzy as the blood left her body. She screamed as the blade was withdrawn, leaving her bleeding profusely. She fell forward and caught herself on her hands. She saw a man’s legs move in front of her. As she fell to the ground she heard the most chilling words in her life. “The lord Caesar in his almighty wisdom ordered the execution of any and all non-conformists. You and your family were found guilty of such crimes. You are here by executed by his decree.” Sometime later she awoke confused and stunned. She couldn’t be alive, there was no way. Slowly she moved her hands over the spot where the blade had exited her chest. Amazed that there was nothing there she slowly got to her feet. She looked around her, no one was there. Her gaze went to the ground. She almost fainted there was so much blood, not more than ten feet away from her. She looked at her dress again and noticed that it was soaked in blood. This couldn’t be real she had to be dead. Then she heard something that made her freeze in the spot that she was standing in. “No, my little one, you are not dead. You are indeed alive. Though I feared this might happen. I had hoped that it wouldn’t be you. It seems my wishes went heard. You must live a long life alone. And I am deeply sorry that you have to make this journey with no knowledge of what has been given to you by the gods.” Rena was in disbelief, her poppa was talking to her. But he was dead, she watched him die. “How can you be talking to me? I saw what they did to you. I watched as your life slipped away. And what do you mean you hoped that this wouldn‘t happen to me?” Her father smiled his knowing little smile. “My dear little one, this new life is an immortal life given to only one in our family every century or so. It is a curse; one that I had hoped would never be laid at your feet. But I can only tell you that the gods have given me the chance to explain to you what is going to be. I am to tell you that you must go on and stay alive. You will encounter many who will oppose you and what you believe in. I also want you to know that in the future if you are given the chance to love and be loved do not let it pass you by. You will encounter some people that you will take in as your own. Please, my little one take care of them and please take care of yourself.” She didn’t know what to do. She wanted to run and be comforted by her poppa. Something stopped her before she did. He was giving her the courage to move on with her life. “I will poppa. I shall try and make the best of this curse that the gods have placed on me. I love you poppa.” With that he slowly vanished from her sight. She knew that in her heart he would remain forever. She started walking and began planning her new life. A life of never knowing when she might at last know the sweet embrace of death.