Immortals (ON HOLD)

Chapter 16

A/N: I'm SOOOO sorry about not updating sooner! D: But, I'm here now, and so is Chapter 16 of Immortals, for those of you reading :3 Thanks again, by the way :))

Ariel

            My head throbbed a little as I came back into consciousness, but other than that, I felt fine. I was laying on something stiff, and it felt a lot like those blue gymnastic mats every high school gym has. I felt Dimitri crouched beside me, Scarlet, Chris and Kat not far off. I could even distinguish Leikos’ presence; a small, concentrated ball of calm, passive energy. It didn’t exactly make my skin tingle, but I somehow knew it was him. “What do you think Emrick will have her do?” Dimitri asked, and I decided to wait until my head stopped hurting to open my eyes. “Probably learn to meditate…I don’t think anything major will be happening for at least a week,” Kat noted. “You think she’ll be any good?” Chris asked, and I could feel them all looking at me. I kept my heart rate even, and I wondered how meditating was any different than this. “She took down Scarlet once, and threw two punches at me. She even grabbed me today with our kind of speed, so I think so,” Dimitri murmured, and I almost smiled as I remembered trying to punch him. That seemed so long ago, though it had only been a few days.

My head began to feel better, and my eyes flitted open. I squinted at the harsh lighting, sitting up slowly. Dimitri outstretched his hand to help me, but I pushed him away, partly afraid that I would feel another shock. “Someone go and get Emrick,” he instructed, and Kat smiled to me before daintily walking out of the gym. I looked around, seeing various mats, gymnastic equipment, a pull-up bar, and even a basketball net. “Hey there, Mermaid. How ya’ feelin’?” Chris asked, sitting beside me on the blue mat. I shrugged, fixing my hair. “Eh, I’ve been better. What happened?? Why did it hurt when I shook Emrick’s hand?” I felt Emrick’s and Kat’s presence before they could answer, and I turned toward them, too. “I’m sure the others have informed you that I can not only learn what one’s abilities are, but that I can jump start them. And that’s what I did,” he explained, offering me his hand. I picked myself up, and he smiled as he put his arm back at his side. He handed me a wine-colored thermos with black swirls and vines. “Here is your thermos. It’s empty, as of now, but in time, this is where your elixir will be kept. It’s specially insulated to keep it at the right temperature all day, which is why no other container will work for more than a few hours.” I nodded, turning the thermos in my hand. It didn’t reflect me at all, yet it sort of did. I wondered how many of these things they had, but Emrick clapped his hands to get my attention.

“Shall we begin?” “Meditating?” I asked, and he nodded with a smile. “Yes! It may sound simple, but it’s key in becoming an Immortal.” “Am I going to harness chi?” He smiled and sat beside me, crossing his legs Indian style. I noticed he had taken his shoes off, and the others and I did the same, tossing them aside. “Not yet. You have to learn to meditate, first.” “Isn’t that just sitting around with your eyes closed and taking deep breaths?” “You could say that. But a more spiritual vibe should come from it, as well as a clear mind.” I shrugged, and we all sat in a circle, Dimitri to my left and Emrick to my right. Chris was directly across from me, Kat to the left of him, and Scarlet to his right. Dimitri gave me a small, encouraging smile before Emrick began. Kat nodded and grinned at me, Chris winking. I rolled my eyes at him, turning toward Emrick. I sat like the others, and Emrick molded his hands into the “ok” symbol, instructing me to do the same. I had to admit, I felt like a complete ass, and I’m sure they all picked up on it. “There’s no need to feel silly. You may not get it on the first try, or even the fifth. The point is to keep trying, and when you do finally meditate, you’ll know. It’ll become much easier each time you do it.” I nodded, looking him over. “What do you think about while you meditate? You said you clear your head…” He smiled and nodded. “I imagine myself as a tree, or flower. I picture my feet as the roots, which keep me grounded. And I imagine the rest of me to be reaching toward the sky, where the warm sun is beating down on me. It sounds simple, but it’s very effective.” I said nothing, though I’m sure my face said it all.

We all took a deep breath at the same time, and closed our eyes. I tried to imagine what Emrick had said, but it felt too weird. I couldn’t believe I had been zapped to sit here and pretend I was a flower. I wondered if my mom had felt the same way, and Emrick’s voice made me jump. “Concentrate, Ariel. You’re letting your mind wander. Take deep breaths; center yourself.” I bit my lip and nodded, still closing my eyes. Dimitri spoke a moment later, his voice as soft as downy feathers. “If it’s easier for you, imagine yourself as a leaf floating along a calm river. That’s what works best for me…” “Or a dandelion floating through the air, gently being pushed by a breeze,” Kat murmured, and I nodded even though they couldn’t see me. I took a few deep breaths, and I figured everyone could hear them. I tried to slow my heart rate, which worked after a few minutes. I imagined a gentle, quiet river in a forest, the trees around me the beautiful reds, oranges and yellows of autumn. I took another deep breath, telling myself this wasn’t some ridiculous exercise, but that it was necessary for me to become an Immortal. I imagined myself as a wine-colored leaf, just like my new thermos, and when the wind picked up, I was lightly plucked from my branch. I let myself fall slowly toward the river, and I felt the breeze on my actual skin. As I hit the water, I got goosebumps, and it carried me away, past rocks and other leaves. I saw fish underneath me, and deer lapping on the river banks. And I just kept floating and floating, riding the river like I was at an amusement park. The water underneath my back refreshed my skin, and I breathed deep, reveling in the forest scents around me.

That’s when I noticed I wasn’t smelling the forest, but the scents of everyone in the room, even Leikos, who had left when Kat went to get Emrick. He smelled like musk and pine needles. Emrick smelled like expensive cologne with a hint of citrus. Kat smelled just like her favorite fruit, strawberries, with a bit of champagne. Chris’s scent reminded me of smoke, but the kind you smell in the winter when people are starting to use their chimneys again. There was also the smell of the ocean on his skin, and it was actually a little comforting. Scarlet smelled like Japanese cherry blossoms, mimosa petals, and Asian pears. Her scent was pleasant for someone so distant. And Dimitri had that same cedar wood, musk, and sandalwood smell, but with an added hint of gingerbread. I was surprised my nose could handle all of their intense odors, and began to worry when my hearing stayed in the forest I had imagined. I was still that same maroon leaf, just floating down the river, passing birds, rabbits, deer, raccoons, and fish. I jumped when someone shook my shoulder, my eyes flying open to see the gym around me. I could no longer smell everyone’s unique scents, and I took a deep breath of reality. “Are you alright??!” Dimitri asked, eyes wide. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why??” “We’ve been trying to wake you up for five minutes…you’ve been out of it for almost a half hour…” Chris muttered, eyeing me. “What?!?” Emrick smiled, clapping quietly. “That was amazing for someone who’s never meditated before!” He praised, and I smiled lightly. “Thanks. It was really relaxing. I took Dimitri’s idea..” I smiled over to him for a minute before turning toward Emrick. “Good. Now, do it again.”

My eyes widened, but I reluctantly obeyed, going back to the forest faster than what I had before. And I stayed there longer, too. And when I was woken up, I was told to go back. I had meditated for hours and hours, and the sky was black when we finally stopped. “Excellent work today, Ariel. Will you be back tomorrow?” We all stood up, but I looked at Dimitri. He shrugged, stretching. “It’s up to you.” “Would we meditate again?” Emrick nodded, and I considered it. “I’ll be back tomorrow.” I yawned, realizing all this meditating took a lot of energy. Emrick smiled, and I wondered if he even slept anymore. “You’ll be tired for the next few days…it’s normal. Meditating takes a lot of energy, but you seem to be learning quick, so maybe you’ll learn to take in energy quicker than what I would’ve thought.” I nodded, shaking his hand before giving Kat a hug. Scarlet shook my hand today, and I smiled at her. “Good work,” she murmured before tossing my thermos at me. I barely caught it, and I watched her leave before I shook Chris’ hand.

“So? I’ll be seeing your sweet behind here more often? Yes!!” I rolled my eyes, shoving him toward the door. Dimitri and I were the last ones to put our shoes back on, and he drove me home. “I hope we didn’t keep you too long,” he muttered, and I shook my head. “Nah. It’s pretty much just me here, remember? I’ll probably just go to bed, anyway.” “Oh…well, good night. Nice work today,” he murmured, smiling gently to me. I tried to return the gesture, though it wasn’t something that came natural to me. “Thanks.” “You’re learning quick. Rick will probably have you doing basic martial arts in a week.” I nodded, stepping out of the car to go inside. “Ariel…be careful,” he whispered, and I nodded as I entered my house. I closed and locked the doors behind me, changing into a pair of warm, comfy pajamas before heading to bed. I was barely able to brush my hair, teeth and set my alarm before I flopped down on my bed. I practically fell asleep as my head hit the pillow, really wishing I was still suspended…