The Phoenix Quandary

Chapter 19

     She couldn't breath. She gasped for air, feeling like a fish out of water as she continued to march onwards, deeper into the forest. The pain in her chest was now unbearable and finally she screamed so loud so hard, her throat felt raw. Violently she lashed out sending a ball of fire crashing into a pine almost fifty feet tall, she began lashing out, sending ball after ball of fire until the tree was completely engulfed and already catching its neighboring trees on fire as well. She continued on until she collapsed and as she did the  fire too fell and extinguished with her as she cried. Each sob shaking her to her core, breaking her heart, her spirit her soul. How could Demian be so fool headed so blind, so dense. She cried until her eyes swelled and she was hiccuping. Two strong arms began to embrace her, she would have relented had she not recognized the scent. She whirled around and shoved Marcos away roughly, expecting a violent back lash, instead he held his hands up in surrender, eyeing her worriedly. She was too weak to fight him as he gently wiped away her tears, as he picked her up gently and cradled her until she was all cried out. Not once did he make any unwanted advances on her, he only  stroked her and then  gently set her down on a rock once her crying had ceased. He took a step back and shoved his hands in his pockets looking away.

"I'm so sorry." His voice cracked with emotion.

"This isn't your fault Marcos." She replied her voice hoarse.

"I'm sorry for everything, for what was, for what is and for what it s going to be. I'm sorry he can't see how much you love him, I'm sorry I never appreciated how much you cared for me. I'm sorry he's as stubborn and as stupid as I am or was or still am. But mostly I'm so sorry to see you breaking, this is too much and he should understand how much weight is on your shoulders. I'm sorry if my presence has caused problems with him." 

   Tears now slowly streamed down his face unabashed. He jumped momentarily as he felt her hands wiping away his tears, leaning into one of them. He looked into those deep pools of rich dark brown and what he saw broke his resolve ; there was no hate or pity in them, no he saw compassion, forgiveness and kindness in her eyes, something he thought he'd never see from her. She embraced him as she now became his shoulder to cry on. After a few moments he pulled away red as a beet.

"We are all sorts of fucked up aren't we?" Anaiis teased, making him chuckle as he scratched the back of his head.

"Not me, I'm totally normal. You on the other hand are a total head case!" He teased back.

"Normal my ass!" Anaiis laughed shoving him playfully, before catching him off guard and embracing him. "Thank you for this right now."

He just held her back and smiled tenderly." Any time. Now let's get you back and rested before the rest of the gang starts to think I ate you or something." 

 They separated and began walking side by side in the moonlight.

  CRACK!!

  He threw the small coffee table that once stood beautifully against the bathroom door frame, watching its beauty shatter into a million pieces due to the sheer violent force. He grabbed a vase filled with birds of paradise and calla lilies of all colors and lunged it blindly at the bedroom door the delicate flowers shattering and breaking with the impact while others wilted on the floor. He never heard the tapping of the door and when he threw the decanter he froze terrified he'd just killed Lestat, although in all honesty he probably wouldn't have cared much if it had not been for the mere fact that Anaiis would never have spoken to him again if he did indeed take his life or any innocent persons life at that. But Lestat being who he was managed to dodge the decanter ever so gracefully it seemed almost hilarious.