The Rising Phoenix **HIATUS**

Chapter 1: Blackness

It's really dark tonight. There's a full moon though, so there should at least be some light to guide me. As if I need it, I think to myself. I slip out of bed and sneak out the door. Once outside, I take a deep breath of the cool night air. I exhale, then start running. Honestly, I have no idea where I'm going or when I'm going there. I'm acting purely on instinct. As I run, a wisp of a cloud goes over the moon, blocking the only light I had.

This is why I love to run. My heart and feet pounding, the adrenaline going through me. Finally I slow down, gasping in the fresh air as I kneel down, resting my forehead on my knee. As I catch my breath, the cloud finally passes over the moon and I see that I am near the river. I get up slowly and step towards the river that border the city.

It's so beautiful at night. I think to myself. I kneel down at the edge and let my fingers trail in the water leaving ripples in it's wake. The water feels like a soft piece of silk, drawing me in. As I get up and look in, something in the river sparkles and it catches my eye. I quickly dip my hand in and grab it. It's a stone. A smooth and silky round stone with light gray pieces, like the moon with wisps of cloud over it. It's cool against my hand as I inspect it.

Suddenly, an image flashes in my mind. It's a wolf with wings. It looks like it's about to take flight with the wings spread out.

I feel the oddest sensation and an urge to carve it into the stone, to hold it close to me and never let it go. I stick it in the pocket sewed on to my nightgown and start running home. This time though, I'm using the pale light of the moon to guide me back.

I slow down near my house, and I pad towards the front door, left unlocked by me and look up. The moon seems to wink at me, before I slip back into my warmth and safety of my house. I lock the door from the inside, then sneak across the hallway and go into my room. Holding the stone, I lay down and let sleep take its toll on me. I fall asleep with the stone pressed up next to my heart.

. . . . .

I wake up to the sun shining through the window. I feel kind of sore and I wonder why until last night comes rushing back to me. It must have been a dream. I think to myself as I got up from my bed and stretched. Only then did I realize that I still had the stone. It had fallen onto the floor while I was asleep, but it was still there. Or maybe it was real. I mused as I inspected the stone more carefully than I had before. As I turned it around in my hands, I realized just how smooth the stone really was. At least on one side it was. The other side was jagged and dirty, a rough grey-white color. That makes sense considering it was  embedded in the bottom of the river, for who knows how long. I set it down on the table, then I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and started changing into the clothes that we're required to wear.

"Ugh. Why does everyone have to wear the same thing anyways? Couldn't they have at least gotten better uniforms?" I mutter to myself as I stare distastefully at the clothes I'm wearing.

I'm wearing a navy blue short-sleeved shirt with black pants. Girls have the option to wear skirts, but I always thought they were terrible. I mean, You can't run in those thing, heck, you can barely move. I shake my head to get rid of my thoughts and go downstairs. I inhale the delicious smell of fried eggs and bacon.

"Good morning Katherine." My mom greets.

"Mornin'." I reply, as I sit down and start eating.

"Mmm.. you cooked breakfast?" My dad asks as he staggers downstairs, still rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

My mom laughs and says, "Don't I always?" Then kisses my father on the cheek before motioning for me to hurry up. I give her a questioning look and she reminds me, "Remember? School?" I groan.