P H O E N I X : Flight

CHAPTER I

Cameron Walden had seen a lot of weird things.

For example: a giant city filled with talking animals and mythical creatures. That's pretty weird.

Another example: said city getting attacked by literal demons and saved by literal angels. And of course, let's not forget that during that time, Cameron herself was possessed by a fallen angel. So yeah—she had plenty of experience with "weird".
Now, with all that being said, you'd think that not much else could freak Cameron out.

This was not the case.

Because last night, the mild-mannered school counselor had been chosen as the unlikely bearer of an incredible gift: the Sword of the Phoenix, a weapon that gave its user incredible strength, stamina, durability, and... hm, what are we forgetting...? Oh, yes.

Wings.

Big, honking bird wings.

Some would see that as a blessing.

For someone recovering from fifteen years suffering of severe zoophobia, ehhh... not so much.

-

Cameron woke up to the strangest of feelings.

It was almost like something alive was trapped and wriggling under her eyelids—which, understandably, was both uncomfortable and horrifying.

"Ah!" Cameron leapt out of her bed, vigorously rubbing her eyes with her fists. Unfortunately, that didn't make any difference—in fact, it seemed to make the feeling worse. It didn't hurt, but it was almost unbearably annoying. Oddly enough, though, she found that when she opened her eyes, the feeling went away. Still, blinking would be an issue if she couldn't fix the niggling sensation.

Cameron hurried into her bathroom, still rubbing her eyes, and then lowered her hands to take a look in the mirror.

And she blinked.

And blinked.

And blinked several more times.

Now, in her defence, what she was seeing was rather unbelievable. In fact, if she hadn't seen it, she never would've believed it.

But as she continued to blink and stare at the mirror, the reality of what she was seeing became clear: her eyes were on fire.

Her eyes. Were on fire.

Cameron's earsplitting shriek shattered every window in the neighbourhood.

"Omigosh... omigosh... what is happening?" Cameron whispered, hyperventilating and fanning herself as she frantically walked around her bathroom in a circle. "Gotta... gotta get some water!" She turned on the sink and splashed water in her face, but it evaporated as soon as it hit her flaming eyeballs.

Next, Cameron tried taking two water bottles and pouring each on one eye, but all the succeeded in doing was producing two volatile mini-geysers that singed the paint off the ceiling.

For her third attempt, Cameron filled up her tub with freezing water and dunked her head into it. Almost instantly, the water began to boil and evaporate, filling the bathroom with steam.

"Oh, come ON!" Cameron burst out of the bathroom, looking around desperately. "I can't deal with this right now! I've got work at Zoo Phoenix Academy!"

A sound like the roar of a mighty wind suddenly echoed through the house, and in a flash, the Sword of the Phoenix was in Cameron's hand. In response to its appearance, two majestic wings exploded from Cameron's back, spreading wide and almost knocking over several objects in the room.

"Whoa! Whooooaaaa..." Cameron staggered sideways, trying to balance herself with the sudden appearance of the sword and wings. "What the heck?!" she yelled in protest, shaking the sword angrily. "I didn't call you! Just—shoo! Shoo!" She tossed the weapon onto her bed, and her wings instantly receded.

Cameron breathed a sigh of relief, but scowled once she realized the fire wasn't gone from her eyes. "Okay, look," she snapped at... somebody. (The Phoenix, maybe?) "I know you probably have some important mission for me or something, but I've really gotta go to work! I can do the 'hero' thing at night, okay?"

The sword offered no response.

"Okay. Thank you." Cameron pointed at her eyes, adding, "Now can you please get rid of this fire? I get that it's part of the whole 'Phoenix' thing, but—"

And just like that, the Sword of the aforementioned Phoenix was back in Cameron's hand.

"Hey!" Cameron cried, startled. "Why do you keep doing that?! I—"

Cameron suddenly stopped, the fire in her eyes glowing brighter. A strange feeling washed over her—something she couldn't exactly explain. It was almost like a... pull. A magnetic force, tugging on her very soul.

Cameron began to enter an almost-trancelike state, her eyes widening as she lifted her head to the sky (or the ceiling, rather). Flames began to gather at her feet, rising up her body as if she were doused in oil. "I... I..." she whispered, filled with the overwhelming urge to help—

-

"Stop! Thief!"

"He has my purse! Somebody stop him!"

-

"—Safe Haven..." Cameron breathed in a voice that was not her own.

And then, in a burst of fire, she disappeared, inadvertently leaving a flaming carpet in her wake.