Nine Lives

The next day without Katelynne seemed to drag with Vic by my side. He even stayed for a slumber party, but he must have managed to sneak in and out somehow because in the morning he had completely different clothes on. A Chiodos shirt with black skinnys. Well at least he had taste in music.
Turned out neither of us really ate breakfast so we settled on coffee.
“What exactly am I supposed to do?” I asked running my middle finger around the rim of my cup.
“See that’s the thing.” He bite his lip “No one really knows.”
“What?! You’re dragging me into this blind?!”
“This is what incarnation is for. It’s like immortality-but with a limit.”
I groaned sipping my coffee “And I’m stuck with you the whole time?” he nodded “Great.”
“That’s why it’s nine lives, Kellin. With the plus of not aging, you have nine extended life times to figure out what you have to do.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Incarnation gets passed to the next generation when it’s meant to.”
“You know it doesn’t make sense.” I furrowed my eyebrows “There’s got to be more to this than just stopping Death’s will.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. It’s all we know besides the fact that with each new generation of incarnation there’s a new generation of death.”
I nodded “Seems logical I suppose.”
I finished my coffee.
“Is stuff like this-like the generations-are they related or…?”
“Completely random.” Vic replied “On both end. It could be anyone.”
“What about you?”
“Me?” he leaned back in his chair “People like me are chosen for the job and much like incarnations and death, we’ve all died. That’s the one thing we all have in common.”
“But I didn’t die.” I said quickly staring at Vic who nodded.
“You did. It just doesn’t feel like it. I know it didn’t when I died.”
“If you don’t mind me asking. Uhh-how did you die?”
“Suicide.”
“Oh.” I sat shocked.
“My younger brother’s death finally caught up with me.” He held his arms out, wrist way up, to show a long-jagged scar running up each forearm. “It just kind of sucks you get stuck with the reminders.”
He pulled his arms back and I rolled the shoulder or yesterday’s broken arm just knowing there was going to be a scar from the fracture.
“H-How did your brother die?”
Vic sat there, contemplating.
“You don’t have to tell me if it’s too personal.” I held up my hands apologetically.
“No it’s not.” He reassured “I just haven’t spoken about him in a long time.”
His eyes seemed to be looking somewhere else; maybe even a different time.
I shook my head “Forget I asked.”
“Okay.” He squeaked out. I’d never seen him look so vulnerable in the short amount of time that I’d known him. Two days isn’t long-but it feels like forever.
I stood and put out cups in the sink.
“Right.” I turned around, leaning on the edge of the sink “What’s on for today then?”
“Nothing. We can’t really do much but watch out for hints on Death’s next moves.”
“Alright, but what about all those stories you keep talking about? Shouldn’t I know those?”
Vic’s head shot up “Shit, you’re right” he stood “I have them at my place if you uhh-want to come with me.”
I nodded, probably more enthusiastically than I should have.
“Let me just get changed.” I still hadn’t got dressed out of my pyjamas. I eventually settled on denim skinnys with my Every Time I Die t-shirt. I dragged my fingers through my hair, shifting back into place and brushed my teeth to prevent coffee stains. Loved the stuff, hated the aftershock.
“Right, ready?” I walked out into the living room smoothing over my jeans.
“Yup.” Vic jumped up from the lounge and we set off to his.

We were in the car; I was driving while Vic gave directions.
“You know you’re taking this really well. The whole thing, most people would flip or think I’m crazy.”
“Well someone tried to-well-did kill me and people don’t just survive that.”
Vic nodded, listening as I continued to ramble.
“It’s just odd. You can’t survive death, it’s illogical. And plus, I could have got stuck with someone crazier than you.” I smiled at the end of my sentence.
“Well you aren’t so sane yourself, Quinn.” He teased “You believed me.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but closed it realising he was right. I did believe him.
“Stop just at the end of this road.”
I pulled up in front of, obviously, Vic’s house because it was the only house at the end of the road that lay along the beach. It was a standard two story house that made my apartment feel smaller than it was. The house was light blue with a homey, inviting front porch with a potted plant by the stairs.
“So when do you start filming the new season of Desperate Housewives?” I asked.
He punched me in the arm, in a friend like way “Shut up. I live with some friends. Tony, Austin and Gabe.”
“Who’s the secret woman than?”
“That would be Gabe.” He said getting his keys out.
“Do they” my voice grew into a whisper “Do they know?”
Vic started laughing “They’re all exactly the same as me, it’s why we live together.”
“Oh.” Well that explained a lot.
He put his key into the lock and opening the door to reveal a spacious living room with a dining island separating it from the kitchen. At the island sat a guy who couldn’t have been much older than Vic. He had black hair with a single braid, inch gauges and a dermal piercing under his left eye.
“Hey Tone.” Vic said throwing his keys into a communal bowl.
So this was Tony.
Tony looked up from the book he was drawing in “You brought him here?” he asked nonchalantly.
“I need the books.” Vic ignored the question “Where’s Austin?”
He’s in the studio. He’s been screaming all morning.” He rolled his eyes, obviously annoyed.
“He hasn’t has Alan round has he?” Vic asked cautiously raising an eyebrow.
Tony nodded.
Vic sighed and told me to follow him. As we walked up the stairs, I took the liberty to ask who Alan was.
“Alan is Austin’s band mate. When they get together all hell breaks loose.”
“He has time for a band?”
“Austin is more of a guide for Tony, Gabe and me.”
I nodded as we reached the last door on the right, Vic knocked before entering into the converted studio. The two guys in the room couldn’t be more opposite, minus the fact that they both had tattoos and a nose piercings, like Vic. The first guy was obviously taller and had brown hair with a light smile while the other was ginger with silver diamond blue eyes.
“So this is Kellin.” The brown haired one spoke in a rough yet soothingly sweet tone “I’m Austin and this cat here is Alan.” He jabbed his thumb towards the ginger guy who waved.
“Hi.” I said sheepishly, returning the wave.
“Austin where did you put the books?” Vic didn't beat around the bush.
“Which ones?”
“The uhh… special ones?” Clearly Alan knew nothing, not to mention he looked confused as hell.
“Give me a second.” Austin said to Alan as he led Vic and I into a room which I could only assume was his bedroom.
“Stay here.” He said before disappearing into the connecting room. He reappeared with a handful of books.
“I can only assume you want these ones.”
He handed the books to Vic and he looked them over. At least the titles were straight forward and not in Morse code.
Incarnation, Generation, Prophet, Higher Arches and Death.
Maybe a little too straight forward.
“Thanks.” Vic said and turned on his heels quickly but I seemed to be stuck in place.
Just as Vic left Austin said “Watch your trust.”
He looked almost worried as he said it. I panicked so I left the room without reply and went back downstairs.
I didn't mention anything to Vic.