Fruits of the Gifts Risen

one

     I slowly tip toe the train tracks, kicking the occasional rocks that are teetering themselves, balancing my body from left to right trying not the chuckle at the irony of it all. The sun was just setting, kissing my cheeks and making beads of sweat come out of my pores. Careless could not describe me more, though I haven't always been so nonchalant about defying death. Like when I was ten and rode my bike too close to the edge. Too close to the truth. Never here nor there. Now to date, it's been about six years since I realized something strange has happened to me. Almost like a fog had taken over me.
     The truth is I can't quite make it to the afterlife. I can't get hurt, I don't age. Even when my fingers slip while cutting something, nothing rushes out my blood just pools and clots immediately. I still feel pain, and pain do I feel. I can hold my breath indefinitely. I get hungry but could go without food if need be. Makes for a hell of a torture tactic but it wouldn't kill me. Still nobody around me has noticed anything wrong with me. Although I can't say that something is necessarily wrong with me. After all is not dying so bad?
     I first noticed my immunity halfway through my junior year in high school. It was in gym class when we had to take the swim test. I ended up so exhausted by the end of it that I started to sink to the bottom. Only I wasn't drowning. It was like a video game when your stamina bar depletes but nothing happens, you just stagger and the bar refills. I stayed on the pool floor till I regained some strength back. It wasn't pleasant, I can't breathe underwater. I had to keep my mouth and nose tightly shut hoping water wouldn't get in. It didn't. I survived. Or rather didn't survive, because how can you survive if you can't die? I resurfaced after the quick break and nobody was the wiser. I finished my swim exam and got a good grade for it.
     I kept walking the tracks falling off a few times here and there. If a train were to hit me right now would I survive the stun? I think the answer is obvious but how would I come out the other end? Broken bones? Bruises inside? I'll be honest I don't have all the answers when it comes to this ability. I've mostly just floated through high school trying to make something of myself not thinking anything of it. Maybe that's wrong of me, maybe anybody else would try to test their limits. They would probably try to be the hero and do something significant with their extra given time. Me? I'm not sure I care enough about all of that. After high school came college, which I quit after I got my associates. Not much to be said there, I guess it just wasn't for me. I got the education my parents wanted and that was that. I work at a small business - a plant store called Queen Of The Night with a middle aged woman named Flora. I think my life is just about filled to the brim with ironies. Anyway, it pays well and I'm not in a rush to do anything else. Not like I have any desire to.
     The winds have picked up slightly with the sun going deeper into the horizon. Lights are starting to come on. I was supposed to meet my friend Leslie here a half an hour ago but she must have gotten caught up in something. I turned my head to the side to look at the cemetery next to me. I stopped walking and just pondered the idea of that for a moment. Will I ever be buried in a cemetery? Or worse would I be buried alive? Waiting to claw my way out? Many questions wanted to pop up in my head in that moment but I just blankly stared at the graveyard not wanting to acknowledge what it might mean for me. Not aging can be explained for a while but one day I might just have to explain myself and what do I say then? I quickly shrugged those thoughts off but my mind refused to take my eyes off of the burial grounds. Such a mystical existence, the both of us. I was so deep in thought that I hadn't noticed the oncoming train and in a moment of a quick rush I thought what if-
    What if I just let go even more and decided to see what would happen?
     With a quick breath I braced myself, closed my eyes and-
   Thud!
     "Oakley!" her voice high pitched in worry but pissed enough that I could tell.
     Both of us on the ground now I looked at my friend Leslie and threw myself into her for a hug. The wind of the train beside us was making our hair fly everywhere. Its horn blasting blocking out any clear thoughts.
     "You were supposed to be here half an hour ago. It's not my fault I was bored to death and didn't know what else to do with myself" I told on her, calling out her lateness.
     "I'm happy that my mere absence causes you to go full suicidal, but I'd appreciate for next time to not jump in front of trains."
     "Hey now! I wasn't jumping. I was merely pondering life."
     It wasn't a lie, I was indeed pondering my weird existence but not even Leslie knows about my condition. Can you even call it that?
     "I don't care what you call that, you quit it" she threw my a glare, "you ready to get some grub?"
     I was starving, "heck yeah, you know how that goes? I am always a hungry beast. Must. Feed. Oakley." I said in a robotic tone.
     She snorted, "oh yeah you sure are a beast".
     "Hey it only works if I make fun of myself first" I smiled crookedly at her.
     We began our short walk to a local place called Dragon Breath. They claimed they had the spiciest pizza around but I wouldn't go as far as saying that. They did try with that though and they do make good pizza.
     "Which pizza are you going for today?" Leslie asked.
     I thought about it for a moment, "perhaps the Antique Shelf" which was a weird name for a cheese pizza topped with a lot of onions. Like I said, they're trying and they do have good pizza.
     "I dunno how you can eat all those onions."
     "Onions are so good for you."
     "OK Shrek whatever you say" she put her hands up. 
     "Ogres have layers," I simply replied, "which one were you thinking of getting?"
     "I really liked their Brown Tabletop one" she exclaimed and I gave her a look, "they really have weird names for their pizzas don't they?"
     We both laughed our asses off at that and kept walking.