Invincible

Chapter 1 - Prehistoric

    How is it that people's lives are so short? An "exceptionally long life" in their eyes is only one hundred years.

I am a person too, aren't I? So why did I say "their" instead of "our"? Sometimes I catch myself off guard, and it scares me that I've begun to think of people as an entirely different species that I'm not a part of.

Well, something that classifies any natural creature, like humans, is finite life spans. So maybe I'm not a human after all.

God, I wish I'd never wished...

It all sounds strange, I know. But if you haven't figured it out by now, I'm immortal. And this is the story of how it happened.

I was young. I can't remember just how old I was, but I must have been in my late teens. I was naive, and foolish, and it was billions of years ago, before civilization, before the Earth's destruction. I was part of a tribe.

This day was so many years ago, but it is a vivid memory that has been with me all this time and has never faded.

My tribe lived in a cold land where ice stretched across the ground for miles, and harsh wind layered with bits of sediment and snow attempted to stab through our handmade shelters. Voyages and hunts were dangerous but necessary every day. After all, we needed to eat.

No matter my age, I was still considered a kid. And I was a girl. Which meant I could never go along on these expeditions, though I wanted so badly to do so.

"Aiyana, I want you to stop pestering your father and I about this. I need you here at home to help me with these tasks. Sewing, cooking, caring for the animals—and looking after Cheveyo," my mother said. (Cheveyo was my little brother.)

"But why can't I go with them? The tribe can always use more food," I reasoned.

She replied with a hint of condescending, "It's not like you really know how to hunt anyway."

That was a lie. I'd go out on my own or with a friend whenever I could, even as a child, and sometimes the adventures I had out there included hunting. It was never anything really serious, like an occasional rabbit or squirrel, but after the years of doing it I considered myself experienced enough to take on larger animals with a group of tribe members.

My mother happened to know it was a lie, and after she let the words escape from her mouth, a sort of expression of apology passed over her face.

"Just...never mind. You can't go."

"Haha!" Cheveyo teased, "I'll be able to go in a few years. But you won't!"

I sighed. I'd have to take matters into my own hands.

You may be wondering why I wanted to go so badly. Well, I was a rather adventurous spirit. I hadn't much regard for rules, and I'd always been curious how a real, actual hunt would go.

I walked out of the shelter my family owned and wandered around the rest of the tribe, looking for nothing in particular.

I ran into my best friend, Catori. Well, technically she ran into me. She was dashing in the opposite direction I was walking, and I'm assuming she wasn't looking where she was going, because she crashed right into me. I almost fell over, and she did. She was always a clumsy one.

I helped her up and she stood up, apologizing.

"Why were you running?" I asked, curious.

As soon as she regained her breath, she said, "Well, the sun's setting now. And I want to get a good view from the top of the mountain. But I'm about to miss it!" She pulled me along with her and we started running.