The Cursed One ✔ - Book One of the Phoenix Trilogy

Two ~ What Am I?

The sun was setting.

Venus looked up and indulged herself for a moment to enjoy watching the orange-red hue that painted the horizon. As much as she loved to savour her moment of bliss, she knew she had to gather her wits to formulate a plan. Worry creased her brow as she peeled her gaze away from the dusking sky.

She straightened her back, regaining her resolution. Her expression hardened as she stood with a renewed purpose, mouth set in a hard line. She was armed with a new set of determination as she looked around and studied the surroundings for the first time.

The forest was starting to get eerie as the night was fast approaching. Shadows lurked everywhere. Spooky sounds were heard: insects churring loudly, squirrels chattering behind burnt bushes, rustling animals rooting in a few underbrushes, scrabbling of lizards on charred tree bark, but she wasn't afraid of the forest. Because Venus knew that the real monsters were the ones that claimed themselves as humans but acted otherwise. She shouldn't be afraid of the forest because the real threat wasn't living on mountains. Just thinking about the village people made her shiver, they terrified her. She would be having a hard time trusting another person again.

If there was any consolation, at least she was alive, and she had to do everything in her power to stay that way. She was relieved that her calculation was right. Her pursuers had actually stopped chasing after her in the mountains. She wasn't entirely sure of their reasoning. She really couldn't guess what kind of weird thoughts were running inside their minds. Maybe they got tired or they thought she wouldn't survive the night out in the forest by herself. Whatever the reason they had in their twisted brains, she couldn't care less.

Her priority was to find a shelter somehow, so she looked around once more. This part of the mountain was dead except for a few big trees and underbrushes scattered around. The burnt smell was prominent and the soil was dead and black. The loggers had overdone themselves in that area and it was only a matter of time before they would finish cutting down the rest as well. People had really become monsters.

Venus sighed.

She shook her head to clear it from the anger she felt. She needed to clear her mind from irrational thoughts. Soon enough, Vee spotted a big enough tree with a low branch easy enough for her to climb, but also high enough to keep her safe from the possible wild animals that prowled by night.

Her thoughts wandered to the times when she fought and argued with her mom from forcing her to endless summer campings. A sad smile found its way to her lips. It was ironic how useful her training was now as if her mom had known she'd need it someday. Ah, if only she could turn back time, Vee would've gladly embraced more summer camps if that meant having her mom never leave her side. She shook the thought away. What was done was done. All she needed to do was to look ahead. There must be somewhere for her, somewhere she could fit in and be safe.

Without hesitation, Venus climbed the tree, pushed herself up the low branch and settled on a nearby bigger branch. The fog was slowly getting thicker below her; the temperature dropped tremendously, making her shudder; her teeth made chattering noises, shivering from time to time. She promised herself to find a way the next day. She needed to go as far away as possible from that place, but for now, she let her tears flow once again. Her sadness overwhelmed her.

She was lost in her painful memories.

The thoughts about the death of her mom were killing her.