So Seven Became Three

Posted by Niemand in Uncategorized on 07 24th, 2009 | 3 responses

This is soon to become a Featured Article. I need to get together a picture for it, as I have no collection of everyone’s “emblems”.

On Tuesday, I lost the closest friend I’ve ever had. I figured that in order to understand the impact that has had on me, I need to explain about “The Seven”.

Sounds rather foreboding doesn’t it? Well, it was a name that Preacher gave to us for simplicities sake one time and it’s kind of stuck ever since. There was actually only seven of us for about a year, but we kept our name anyway. As an added oddity, each of us had a sort of “emblem”, which will be included beside each name. So here for explanation, and as the only record of “The Seven”, I’m going to explain all I can.

First off, you need to realise I’m only giving the Aliases we called each other. It was kind of an unwritten rule (one I’m profoundly breaking, but Preacher and I both agree it has little meaning now) that we didn’t talk about one another to other people. Most of us didn’t have a family, some didn’t have a home. We stuck together and we intended to keep it that way. Now…on with the roll call. First up is Valens and Preacher. I’ll continue posting two a week until they’re all done. No sense having a ridiculously large list.

Valens (Number 1)
Age: 21
Nationality: Irish
Valens was regarded as the unofficial “leader” of our group. His mother was murdered by his father (now in some German prison) and he also happens to be Simone’s brother. Unimaginably smart, Valens saved my life the first time we met, three years ago. We’ve been close friends ever since. He travels a lot, and don’t bother asking where he gets the money, because he has no job that I know of. All I do know is that we’d speak at least once a week while he was away, and on the few occassions that he returned to Ireland we’d meet up in person. He’s been there for me even more than his sister was, and I will be seeing him later this summer for a concert. He used to have what people regard as a “normal” taste in music until I introduced him to mine.

I have to admit, sitting here to write about him, I don’t know a lot about Valens. Having spent the vast majority of our friendship outside the country, I never learnt a great deal about him. I do know that he was the most respected of our group. there was no-one who didn’t like him. Near as I can figure, he saved more than just my life, and has had a beneficial role in everyone’s life. He got Avvy her first job, helped Cannan get a home. He’s one of those people who always seems to have money and time to spare for a friend in need.

He’s been moving around Europe lately, and it’s been getting increasingly difficult to get in touch with him. I haven’t been able to tell him about Avvy, Jericho or Simone yet, so I have to assume Preacher’s doing a better job than I am.

Preacher (Number 2)
Age: Erm…19? Possibly? He’s said he’s not older than 20, but he’s definitely legal drinking age in Ireland.
Nationality: German…I think.
Wow…this is going to be a useless entry. Preacher was -and is- the most enigmatic person I know. Nobody (not even Valens) knows his real name, his actual age or where he comes from. All we do know is that he regards himself as a bit of a biologist and chemist. I’ve met him three times, and one of those times was at Jericho’s funeral last Tuesday.

Preacher is a real psychopath. Not as in he’s murderous and kills people for fun, but in the sense that (as far as I can tell) he has no moral compass, he has no emotional ties to anyone other than Valens, and even that is more a sense of honour and loyalty than anything else. From information I’ve gathered off the others over the past three years, he’s never seen without his coat, always wears gloves, doesn’t ever shake a person’s hand. He never shows the bottom half of his face for one very good reason. This is where it gets interesting.

Remember how I said he was a bit of a scientist? Well, a long time ago he caused a massive chemical burn across the bottom part of his face. His lungs and oesophagus were severly burned by gases and remain prone to infection. Because of this, Preacher is forced to wear a self-built gas mask, which also doubles as a vocoder, synthesising his voice. Makes it easier to hear him, given that half his mouth and voice box are scarred masses of tissue. Makes him terrifying to be around. He is also, to add to the fear factor, not someone you fuck around with. He’s an expert in Karate, Iaido, Kendo, Tae-kwon do and every other “do” martial art I can think of. He regularly visits gun ranges when in America and am told that he is a more than accomplished marksman. He has the unnerving ability to seem like he’s everywhere all the time.

Given the recent occurance of events, Preacher has been taking a more active role in my life. Pushed beyond the boundaries of stress, I turned back to smoking as a way to calm myself. I used to smoke three years ago, and stopped after meeting Simone and Valens. I wake up on the train to Jericho’s funeral, look in my bag. Inside are a packet of “Nicotine-laced” herbal cigarettes. They taste awful and smell worse, but they do help calm me down. Stapled to the packet is a typed out note: “Try these before resorting to those Cancer-sticks – Preacher”. My bag was behind my back the whole time, between me and the seat…

He has more than enough money, and where he gets it I have no idea. But he managed to support both himself and Simone through it. I know him well enough to know it won’t be illegal, but I also know him well enough to know that whatever it is it is pushing the boundaries of what is legal. He will never become a criminal, as in his own words he’ll “let the team down”. I can only assume he means “The Seven”.

That’s it for this week. I’ll post the next one along with next weeks Music Monday so as not to take up anymore of your time.

Sharing is Caring: