An Eternity of Change

Chapter 10

February 17, 1830

Jaylyn had been with the immortal for four days now and they barely spoke even to the point they still didn't know each other's names. All she knew about him was that he had become immortal long before she had even been born. A door opened and closed and she looked up from where she had been watching the flames in the fireplace.

"You haven't burned to death before have you?" He asked as he observed what she'd been watching.

"No. My sister and brother in law did... they were already dead though." She followed his movements tensely, still not trusting him completely.

He sat down in the remaining chair and closed his eyes for a moment before glancing over at her again. "Then how did you die?"

"Why the sudden interest?"

"I decided to let you stay, it has been boring... not having anyone to talk to."

Jaylyn gave a short laugh. "You don't seem to talk much."

"How did you die?" He repeated the question.

"Tell me who you are first." She replied. "I'm not about to tell some stranger."

He took a deep breath before answering. "Adam, call me Adam."

"That's it? No last name?" She saw Adam's annoyed look and decided to just answer his question. "I was murdered by a man called Samuel Treen, the same night my entire family was killed. Well, everyone but my half sister. I died distracting Treen so she could escape. I bled out in a river after getting shot and cut open."

"You didn't kill the man though... I could tell when you attacked me. You've never killed anyone, the cuts you made would've killed me if they hadn't been so shallow, you're afraid to kill."

"I don't have to kill people." Jaylyn said coldly. "But I will admit I enjoyed watching Treen die."

"Eventually they'll be a situation you'll have to kill in, what will you do then?" Adam asked and studied her reaction.

"Only if I have to." She said a bit quietly.

"It's a start..." He sighed. "How long have you had your curse?"

"This is a curse?" Jaylyn wasn't sure what their immortality was but to call it a curse? "Only about a year."

"That explains a lot. You're still young, you still have hope in the world... see the good in people." Adam looked at the fire. "Wait a couple thousand centuries, you'll start seeing what the world is really like, how what you see around you is just an illusion for the darkness beneath."

"You're over a thousand centuries old?" She couldn't hide her shock. "You don't look like it!"

"We don't age, of course only being a year immortal, you wouldn't notice you look the same."

"How did you die?" Jaylyn asked curiously.

Adam gave a small smirk. "Why would I tell a stranger, tell me, who are you?"

"Jaylyn."

"No last name?" He was lightly mocking her responses.

She scowled at him as she noticed. "Carver."

"Much better." He stared at the ground and thought for a moment before starting his story. "I was killed defending Caesar believe it or not, I took the dagger I carry to the stomach and bled out. I assure you, it was more painful than I make it sound."