Resurrection

Gracie Indelli
Aug 28, 2017 · 3 min read

“The sixth time I was murdered that week was probably the least painful, but it was also the most personal.”

“Six times?” You’ve been killed six times in one week?”

“Yeah,” the battered boy said casually, brushing off her alarm, as if dying and coming back to life was the most normal thing in the world. “But honestly, that’s on the lower end for me. It typically gets up into the high teens.”

Jemma shook her head slightly. Resurrection, it was such a strange concept. I mean, it’s not like she hadn’t heard it happening before, but things like that tended to be kept under wraps. It’s almost like Matteo was a Phoenix. Dying, but coming back better than before.

“What do you do!?” Jemma asked Matteo in awestruck curiosity. How had he kept so much from her? She had thought that he trusted her.

“Nothing major. I’m just a messenger for some of the most feared people on the planet.”

Jemma paled. He was talking about the Inferno. “You work for Inferno?! Isn’t that, like, super dangerous?”

The boy shrugged nonchalantly again. “I mean I guess you could call it dangerous. Some people might view it that way.”

“Some people?”

“Well, yeah. There’s a lot of us that do this sort of thing.”

“Really?” Jemma asked, interest peaking in her voice.

“Yep. Dying and sacrificing everything for these guys isn’t all that strange.”

“Why would you be willing to die for them? What do they do to make you that loyal.” After she said this, Matteo no longer had that carefree look in his eyes, instead he seemed slightly annoyed by her comment. She wasn’t trying to offend him, she was just curious. However, the moment Jemma blinked, it was almost like that look hadn’t been in his eyes at all.

“That’s like asking why you breathe. I don’t know how to answer that. They just do. They inspire loyalty.”

Jemma nodded. “Okay I guess.” She paused, thinking back to something he had said earlier. “Now, when you said that the last time you died was personal — ”

A shadow crossed over Matteo’s face as he answered. “Yeah,” he cleared his throat. “Yeah, it was one of my mentors actually… I’d rather not talk about it.”

The girl’s eyes flashed in regret. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push you.”

Matteo sighed, running his hands through his light curls. “Nah, it’s fine. It’s fine, I just, it hits a little too close to home.”

Jemma nodded again, slower this time, before speaking, her voice quiet. “Was it your fault or his?”

Grief flashed in the boy’s eyes, but he answered nevertheless. “I’d say it was both of our faults. Maybe mine more than his, but still. I don’t know. It’s hard for me to remember that. It was hard to live through that kind of betrayal.”

“I wish I could tell you that I understand, but that would be a lie, and that’s not something I want to lie about.”

Matteo’s eyes lit up as he studied Jemma’s face for a moment. “Actually, I might be able to help with that.”

)
Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade