The Gruesome Twosome

Chapter 1

Nimble fingers scanned the book spines that the dusty bookcase held, dull blue eyes followed in their search for a captivating title. At the age of 10, Phoenix Elizabeth Brookes had a better sense of the real world than most kids her age. She knew that she was unwanted and accepted the stark reality of it.

When she was at the defenseless age of five months old, born to hippy parents she assumed given a name like Phoenix, she was found bundled in blankets by sister Evelyn at the doorstep of St. Katherine's orphanage. From what she was left with of her real family was a letter of what Phoenix now saw as a resignation from parental responsibility that also held her full name and date of birth. To this sad story, Phoenix shrugged off typical orphan feelings of negligence or wonderings of 'what ifs.' She was bombarded as it is by a household of playmates to even stop and reflect on troubling emotions that kids in her situation were burdened with.

Annoyed with her feeble search for a book, she rose from her crouched position in the lounge and sat back down on the rickety rocking chair adjacent to a portrait of the virgin Mary.

There was virtually nobody to play with after a handful of kids were swept up by willing parents that passed by the orphanage. Most of her free time was spent alone seeing as though most of the older nuns never took a liking to her rebelling ways, even calling her by her middle name, Elizabeth, rather than her 'unfeminine and 'juvenile' name.

"Hey Nixie!" Phoenix felt small knuckles giving her head a noogie from behind.

Whipping her head around so fast that her ponytail hit her opposite shoulder, she offered James a big toothy grin.

"Hey Germ, you're done with your interrogation already? You've been in there for a good hour." She stated, looking at the old grandfather clock at the other end of the room.

James was Phoenix's best friend at the orphanage and was the closest thing to a brother to her. They were partners in crime, pulling pranks on the nuns or the other kids at the orphanage. For as long as Phoenix could remember she and James have always been there for each other. The nuns even murmured amongst themselves about the two of them, dubbing them 'the gruesome twosome.'

Sharing similar blue grey eyes and ink black hair they'd jokingly confirm suspicions of them being related in any way to those who inquired. Formulating absurd stories as to how their parents gave up these two ticking bombs to St. Katherine's.

Phoenix envied how James's parents, whoever they are, gave him a simple and common name instead of a name that could be embarrassingly nicknamed as 'Nixie.' Though this isn't to say that Phoenix hasn't given him his own title of, 'James the Germ.'

"Nix, I gotta tell you something actually..."

James's boyish grin fell as his blue grey eyes held a look of uneasiness.

"Well can't it wait after we play solitaire or something? Sister Bethany finally gave in and went to the store to get me a new deck of cards after that incident." Phoenix giggled as she recalled the reason James ruined her old deck.