All For Not - Wednesday

Page 42

"So after class everyone reports to the quad for the small banquet, okay?" He lifted his hand gesturing towards a raised hand, "yes Maya?" My first class and outing in the school since the Rave'N and it was draining me, whether the cold was freezing my insides or not.

"I heard Principle Weems saying something about Phoenixes this morning, after the Mayor left, is the school accepting one?" The elemental teacher didn't look my way but he stiffened just the slightest bit, barely noticeable, "I thought Phoenixes were just legends of the sun gods," I watched as he cleared his throat but another person popped up with a scoff before he could stop anyone from furthering the conversation, "they went extinct, everyone should know that."

"That's impossible, if they were real they wouldn't just die off. They're just myths, right?" They stumped the teacher and the dread in my stomach began to grow as the teacher caved quickly, "fine, the topic for the moment will be Phoenixes," pulling a popsicle stick from his cup he listed off a name, "Jenson," the kid perked up for a moment before practically spilling his guts, a torrent of incorrect words, "they're just legends, red quails mistaken for being on fire because of the sun, the chinese said that every hundred years they would sit in their nest and turn to ash, a new egg appearing in what was left, if they were real they just die and leave an egg."

The teacher didn't agree or counter, only pulling another name as I swallowed my nerves, "Yoko," she seemed bored with her own words as she spoke, "I think they're extinct, they're only reborn every hundred years. No children, no mates. It's just rebirth, and if it was a gift from the sun gods then they could have taken the birds back anyway."

"Morella..." He regretted speaking my name but it popped out as soon as he read the writing on the wood. Xavier and Ajax looked directly at me, Kent's and everyone else's eyes on me as well, "they're immortal," I spoke calmly as the teacher became interested, watching intently as I knowingly spoke with the knowledge that there was practically no information on my kind, this small bit only a small fact and pretty much the only thing I knew about what I was, "There is no rebirth and there is no egg from the ashes. When a phoenix is injured, fatally, they turn to ash before their body is reformed." Yoko spoke up, "but that's pretty much impossible, everything dies, the balance wouldn't be...balanced, if there was a creature who could stay alive for eternity," my brows knitted, "I never said they couldn't die," Jensen and his table laughed as he argued back, "they're not real, even in the stories they die or are reborn," he was shushed by the man standing up front, "Morella, please, enlighten us."

"There's only one way a phoenix can die... Suicide."

"That's dark even for you Feathertail, guess you really are an Addams," Jenson spit out the sentence with a semblance of disgust and sadness at a ruined conversation, "Jenson." My eyes caught the boy as he went quiet, the teachers hand raised towards me, allowing me to continue, "Morella, would you please explain your answer," Xavier took that moment to lean in towards me, whispering, "you don't have to do this you know," I swallowed, feeling no regret for the moment as my eyes slid to the boy next me. I scanned his face before looking away back at the teacher, "but isn't suicide kind of impossible for them, kinda sad?"

"Whether it seems tragic or not Yoko, just like your kind a Phoenix does have an option. Many have chosen this option," she swallowed and as everyone stayed quiet I could feel the peering of eyes on me from the vampire, "okay, but if they're immortal how would they, how would they take their own lives..." I blinked boredly, "simple, they sit in a nest, or rather their home..."

"And they light themselves on fire."