Craig Stevens watched the large doors shut at the back of the studio. It was dark back there with the spotlights on. But as we his custom, he enjoyed watching the vault style doors close. Each door had a large lever that locked the door, similar to what he expected on a vault. Once they were locked in and the red lights were on, what he was made for, what he was put on this earth for would start. He would begin to interview and with that interview he would make history.

Craig looked over to Frankie Names. He was sitting comfortably in the chair looking like he didn’t have a worry in the world. Craig knew his worries were just beginning. The red lights on the four camera flashed once and the director stood up. He held open the palm of his hand showing all five fingers.

“In five, four, three.” He used his fingers to show two and then on one he pointed toward Craig Stevens. Craig smiled and looked to camera three. From his peripheral vision, he saw himself smiling in the monitor. His teeth looked good as always as he started into his welcome.

“Welcome to the Good Show. I’m your host, Craig Stevens. You are in for a great treat today. We are lucky enough to have the exclusive, first interview with the man that has been making the news over the past month. You have seen his statement and photographs in magazines and newspapers around the world. What you have not seen is the man himself give an interview. It is my pleasure to introduce the world to that man: Mr. Frankie Names.

Craig waits for the camera to pan to Frankie Names, who still has that comfortable looking smug look on his face. That will change in a bit. He waits two beats before continuing. The camera light switches over to his camera, and he looks a bit to the left of the camera as if he was looking Frankie in the eye. Just a trick of the camera, of course. “Welcome to the Good Show, Frankie.”

“Thank you, Craig. It’s my pleasure to be here and to speak directly to the people.”

“You have made some incredible claims over the past month, Frankie.”

“Claims that have I been backed up through experts and doctors, Craig. I have been more poked and prodded over the past month than any lab monkey.”

“You claim you’re immortal, Frankie. That’s quite a claim. It’s a dream for many people to live forever. You have said you have accomplished that dream and want to pass it on to the world.”

“Yes, it is quite a claim. We’ve lived in secret for so long. It was not fair to the rest of the world. Here we were, running around, immortals, all of us, and not sharing our secrets with the world. It’s like we invented a cure for old age and refused to share it with the world. We only passed it only to others, keeping it secret for the sake of secrecy. You should see the games we played to keep it that way.”

Craig was excited. He was sure Frankie Names would stick with his story and not bring new information that he could play with and challenge. But this was the first he had heard of others out there. The story became more amazingly impossible the more he spoke. He gathered his thoughts as his camera’s light went on. He ignored the teleprompter and stayed with this line of questioning.

“So there are others like you out there? Other immortals running around? Why have you kept it secret all this time? You claim to be older than a hundred and fifty years. Didn’t it occur to you at any point to maybe tell the world, to share in your fountain of youth? That is something we’ve been hunting for so many years. Why not sell the secret.”

Frankie smiled for the first time. Craig saw that his teeth were brilliant white and perfect. Craig always thought he had perfect teeth, except for his left canine, which was slightly longer than his right one. Looking into Frankie Names’s mouth, he couldn’t help but become jealous. His canines were even, as were the rest of his teeth. They looked especially white against his tanned skin. Craig forced himself to concentrate. He was losing concentration on this segment. Here he was, with the biggest interview of his career, and he was focusing on his victim’s teeth. He almost laughed at the ironies.

“Yes, of course there are others. Did you think I was the only one?”

The camera cut to Craig and he smiled while holding up his hand to cut off Frankie. “We’ll hear more about the others in the immortal’s secret fraternity after we take a short commercial break.”

The music played in the background, and Craig looked over at Frankie. “You’re going to make me pull it out of you, aren’t you?”

“What are you talking about?” Frankie asked. He looked so innocent at that moment, so naïve and unable to understand what was going on. It was almost unfair that Craig had to resist the urge to explain the situation to Frankie. He knew that would not lead anywhere good. Craig looked down at his notes and scribbled a few word changes. He knew the camera over the desk would send those words to the control booth, and they would change the script accordingly. He scratched at the back of his head with his pencil as he waited for the commercial break to end.

The light flashed on, and Craig looked slightly away from the camera to give the impression that he was talking to Frankie. “Before the break, you were telling us about the fraternity of immortals. Will they be angry that you are on the Good Show giving away their secrets? Do you have a tell-all book plan in the works?”

“Even now I imagine my friends and scurrying around trying to figure out what to do next.”

“And yet you still have not given the world your secrets. Will you do so here, on the Good Show? Will you prove to the doubters out there, the skeptics, the unbelievers, that you’re the real deal? Come on, Frankie Names, now’s your chance for immortal fame—if you’ll excuse the pun.” Craig really liked that pun. He smiled briefly at the end of his question. He wasn’t sure if the camera caught the smile before he switched over to the calm looking Frankie Names. As was his custom when asking the hard questions, Craig looked over to the monitor to watch Frankie’s reaction. He knew it made it more difficult for the guests to look like they’re directly responding when they had to either look away or stare at the side of Craig’s head. It was another tactic he pulled out as he forced his victims into the corner.

Frankie Names sat in his chair and smiled. He looked directly at the camera, something they had repeatedly told him not to do. Craig resisted the urge to push the button that would change the perspective of the camera. The camera was focused on Frankie and he began to speak.

“The spell itself for immortal is one of the simplest we learn. A good master will teach his or her apprentice the spell within the first week of the apprenticeship. Of course, once we teach the spell, traditionally, the student is signed on to finish their apprenticeships or be killed. Our society—that is to say, the society of immortals—work under different rules than the rest of the world. Those are the rules that I am going to change.

“I’m not going to waste your time with politics or further proof of what I am. You have seen the reports. I’m going to offer you and your audience, and the world, for that matter, something more. I’m going to give them that lesson and let them enjoy the immortality themselves. It’s been unfair for us to hide away and keep this technology to ourselves. It is not technology as you know it. There are no wires or electricity or magical pills. It is something much more—and here I’ll have to use a word that many of you might not like in this day and age—it is much more spiritual. It is something that is in each and everyone one of you that just needs the right push.” At this, Frankie twisted his fingers and pushed his hands up, as if the answers to immortality were as easy as a hand motion.

The green light had been flashing for a while before Craig noticed it. He looked down at the whiteboard held up by one of the interns. It read: “cut to commercial before he gives away the ‘secret.’” Craig can’t believe he almost missed it.

“Before you go on, Frankie. While we’re all anxious to hear about the revolution, we’re going to have to take a quick network break. You know how it is: we all have masters to pay. We’ll be right back with the full reveal of Frankie Names’s formula for immortality, right after these messages.”

The lights on the camera went off, and the people standing beyond the stage seemed to take a step forward toward Frankie. “You really have them riled up. Even the crew is anxious to hear your next words.” Craig said to Frankie. Frankie continued to sit staring at the camera, not saying anything.

“What about you?” Frankie asked, breaking himself out of whatever reverie he was in. “Don’t you want to know the secrets of immortality?”

“If the secrets were real, sure I would. But I know they’re not, Frankie Names. I know you’re selling something, and this is the end game. I’m very interested to hear what you’re going to say after we return from commercial. I’m anxious to see it, really. You’ve dug yourself a big hole, and I’m the one who’s going to push you in the end. Just so you know.” And with that Craig gave him his biggest and brightest smile, the one he usually saved for right after the reveal on television. It was probably the reason Frankie wanted to be on this show: he wanted that reveal, he wanted the opportunity to best the master of this space. Craig knew he would be disappointed.

“What if I’m not a faker, Craig? Don’t you sometimes wonder about it, about immortality? About magic? What if I could give you that secret? Here, I can whisper it in your ear right during the commercial break. You can be the first in the world to hear of it.”

Craig looked at the timer. They still had six minutes. If he knew what Frankie Names was going to say before he said it, he figured he’d have a better opportunity to prepare for his victim creations. “If you don’t mind tipping your hand early, you know I would love to know. Who wouldn’t want to know the secrets of immortality?”

“Oh, I doubt that’s the real reason you want to know. But I’ll humor you.” Frankie stood up and before Craig could stop him, he removed the microphone that had been carefully clipped to his collar. He walked around the couch and came up behind Craig. Craig felt Frankie lean over his shoulder. He smelled Frankie for the first time. He smelled of wine and spices, and something earthy and old. He was not sure if it was his cologne or something else, but it made him think of deep rich earth and deep caves.

The clock flashed three minutes as Frankie Names began to talk. He whispered the secrets into Craig Stevens’s ear. Craig sat there transfixed, listening to each word. He did not hear the words so much as see the burned into his skull. The smile had long since faded from his face, and Craig began to sweat profusely as he listened. He had never heard truth spoken before. He did not even know that truth could sound like something. But as Frankie spoke there was not a doubt in Craig’s mind that what he said was true, and that he was hearing the secrets of immortality.

Craig did not see the crew members waving wildly. He did not see the clock count down to zero. He did not see the director throw up his hand and give the point with his index fingers that meant the cameras were broadcasting. He did not see the lights over the camera flash red. All he could do was listen to Frankie Names’s words. When Craig later viewed the video of the live broadcast, he saw Frankie Names with his hand covering his mouth whispering into his ear. He saw himself nodding foolishly, his eyes glazed over and oblivious to the cameras or the studio.

The next thing the video showed was a sudden blackout. The studio lost power and all the lights flashed off. It took a few moments for the emergency lights to kick on.

Daily word count: 2,196.

Words remaining: 35,644 (14,356).

I had a bit of a headache today (probably thanks to the strange weather—it hailed last night and lightning today). Luckily it’s the weekend, and I hope sleep and relaxation gets me back on track.