A Hundred Lifetimes: A Clairxie AU

Chapter 8

"Give or take a few centuries."

Douxie shifted to the left, tapping his foot against the metal leg of the folding chair in front of him. The room was nearly empty, as most adolescents had already cleared out. Claire waved goodbye to her classmates, then rapidly made her way to him.

"Hey, teach!" The girl's enthusiasm was contagious. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I always hear about your rehearsals. Wanted to see what all the fuss was about." Douxie pushed open the double doors, letting Claire step through first. "Anyway, you were good. I'm impressed."

Claire met him with a smile from the other side of the doors. "Thanks. I haven't had much time to review the script lately."

Douxie's smile faded. "Because you've been reading spellbooks instead?"

The girl raised her hands in protest. "No! I mean, yeah, but not only that! I've got other things keeping me busy too."

Douxie nodded, refraining from eye contact. "Yeah. Who doesn't?"

The two shuffled about awkwardly.

Claire was the first to break the silence. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"

"Not much," Douxie admitted. "Bit of a field trip."

* * *

Claire paused. "What's that?"

The boy wizard struggled to look down. "What's what?"

"That! On your neck." Claire pointed towards the spot rather unhelpfully. "Where'd you get that scar?"

"Oh, that? Wow, I'm not sure." Douxie glanced skyward. "What do you think, Arch?"

The feline alighted on his shoulder, adjusting his spectacles and peering at the pale gash. "Hm. Bullet graze. German scout, wasn't it? 1916?"

Douxie's smile faded as he turned his gaze back to Claire. She let loose an abrupt giggle. "World War One? Right. There's no way you could..."

The girl trailed off as she studied the nervous looks on the pair's faces.

"I mean, that's impossible, right? Or can you time travel too?"

"No!" Douxie reassured her, raising his arms in denial. "I can't...well, I'm not equipped for that." Douxie shared a nervous moment of eye contact with Archie before continuing. "I've never time traveled. But I am sorta...immortal."

Claire's face shifted into stunned disbelief. "Immortal? As in, you can't die?"

"No," Archie clarified. "It's just that he can't age."

Douxie tensed as Claire's arm reached up to feel his cheek. The girl quickly drew it back in shame. "You're like...100 years old?"

Douxie gave her a weak smile. "Closer to 900, actually. Sorry, I should have told you sooner."

"Yes!" Claire yelped. "You should have! I mean...it's not something you can just ignore!"

"You're right," Douxie admitted. "I just didn't want you to look at me different."

Claire turned to face him. "So, you've been alone for all this time?"

Douxie's breath caught in his throat. "What? What do you mean?"

Claire turned her gaze away, stumbling over her words. "I mean, all the friends you made in the past...eventually, you'd...outlive them, right?"

Douxie nodded. It was only me and Arch. Even Merlin and Morgana vanished.

Archie met the girl's eyes with an unusually solemn expression. "It's something that you have to get used to."

Except you don't get used to it. You can't.

It never stops hurting.

Douxie strode towards the gravel path, refusing eye contact. "We should be getting back."