Phoenix

T h r e e

"Alone is but the wounding of a heart; it is memory that makes it our ruin."
~Brian Buckley
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I wake up from the usual nightmare that plays that weekend over and over. It's been three months. Three fucking months since I lost my parents. Three months since I lost the only two people I had in my life. Now I'm all alone. And it's all my fault.

It's been three months and I already begun walking. The doctors and nurses were pleasantly surprised. Most patients that have been paralyzed from the waist down don't start walking so quickly. That's why I was finally getting discharged today.

"Have a nice day Ms. Semideum." Don't even ask about the last name. It's not even my parents last name. According to my mom, it "came to her in a dream". Anyways I mumble a light thank you in return and I'm on my way. The hospital I was staying at was not very far from the house we were supposed to be living at, before the incident. I guess I'll just walk.

When I get there the outside is breathtaking. First it's surrounded by miles and miles of just Forrest. There's a nice sleek black 67' mustang fastback sitting in the garage. The garage is connected to a nice big wood house. It looked like cabin but a really fancy cabin. One that was all modern on the inside, and that's exactly what it was like.

The hard wood floors were polished to perfection. So polished you could see your reflection in them. The glass tables, velvet couches, and marble countertops yearned to be decorated. The stainless steel appliances begged to be taken advantage of. That was just the living area ...slash kitchen ...slash dining area.

The room cut off into something like a game room. There's a pool table that turns into air-hockey. A flatscreen on the wall with all gaming systems. A poker table and an old fashioned pac-man machine. The second floor is just all bedrooms. There's three bedrooms each with their own bathroom. The rooms were already furnished just needed to be decorated.

I need to start buying things for the house but realize I don't have any money. So instead I went downstairs and started opening mail that has been sitting outside for the past three months. Most of it was random but then I see the familiar cursive handwriting of my dad. A wave of sadness and grief washed over me. I slowly open the letter and began to read it.

Dear Evangeline,

Unfortunately if you are reading this me and your mother have died. I just hope you never get this and get to live your life with both of us forever. I don't think you can comprehend the amount of love and admiration we have for you. When you were a baby me and your mother found you in the woods, all alone crying and weeping for someone to hold you. When we picked you up it was like we knew you were ours. Your mother sadly wasn't fertile, so we knew the Gods have given you to us. We went into town registered you, adopted you and you officially became ours. We brought you home and cared for you and loved you and watched you grow into a smart, beautiful, extremely stubborn young women you are today. Who was a completely pain in my ass and a headache but all of it was worth it, and I would do it all another 50 times. Anyways you are in our will so everything we owned is now yours. Evangeline your mother and I love you so much and hope you live a wonderful life filed with nothing but happiness.

~ love,
Daddy and mommy

P.S I know you hate when we call ourselves that but love you.

I would've cried truly but I was all dried up not a drop of tears left. After the incident I couldn't believe it. And I cried and scream and yelled until my voice was gone and face permanently stained with tear streaks. Soon after that I became completely numb to everything and anything.

I close the letter and place it on the counter in the envelope was a 4-digit key code to a safe. I quickly ran up the stairs and into the largest room. I scan the room looking for a safe, I don't find one though. So I go into the closet. Nothing. I check the bathroom, the other bedrooms downstairs and I can't find this safe. I guess I'll just keep looking tomorrow.

I go back upstairs to the biggest room and walk back into the closet
to change. I flick on the light but instead of the light the sound of a door clicking open echoed throughout the large closet. I turn around searching for the source to see a huge safe just sitting in the middle of the closet.

Where the actual flying fuck did that come from? I keep my eyes on the safe and reach back to flick the switch downward. The safe then disappeared into the ground. Where the hell is it going. Flicking the switch back on the safe reappeared. Using the key code I enter it into the safe.

I practically faint when I open it. Stacks of money were just lying there like Legos. Some documents were there and a credit card.

I got my bag stuffed money in there and left. I went to the garage got the keys that are hanging on the wall and got in the car and left in search for the nearest mall.

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"Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know."
                              ~Ernest Hemingway