Golden Wings

Chapter 4~ Present Day, The Blue.

Samantha and I sat laughing on my bed, holding hands and looking at the sunset.

"Will you stay over tonight?" I asked, feeling suddenly uneasy for reasons I couldn't explain. A knot had manifested itself into my stomach. I winced, feeling stupid for my needing.

"Oh, Claire, I would love to, but I have to be there for Raphael." She looked away.

I winced again. "Uh- right... Um, sorry. I- uh..." I struggled to find the right words.

"Claire, are you okay?" Sam sounded concerned, and looked at me with worried eyes.

"Yeah," I lied, "I'm feeling great. Especially with you here."

"Alright... If you insist." She smiled, and climbed off my bed, stretching. "I should go check on Raphael, anyway." She yawned, heading towards my door. "Night!"

"Night, Sam." I called, heading out towards the balcony. Staring out at the clock tower in Phoena, I tried to decipher the sudden hollowness that had consumed me minutes before. There was a feeling that I was missing something. I glanced around, hoping something jump out at me. The problem was, nothing did. I looked at the sky, watching it turn from blue, to pink, to purple. That's when it hit me.

Kalie. I looked around the outcropping balcony, wishing to see a flash of golden feathers.

She's never late. Kalie is never late.

Becoming confused and desperate, I jumped from the balcony, extending my wings, and soaring around the palace. Looking for something, anything, that would show me where Kalie is.

"Maybe she's just ashing." I muttered, trying to stay positive. Every now and then, Kalie would hunker down in a tree or bush, burst into flames, then be reborn again as a baby. But the logical side of me knew that this wasn't just a bi-monthly ashing. Something was wrong.

~

"Grandfather!" I burst into his office unceremoniously, not to mention, completely against regulation. Raymond James, my grandfather, had died in the late 1800's, and had come to the throne shortly thereafter. It was odd to think of him as my grandfather, as he looked just under 35. Age was was weird in The Blue. Like in real life, there's a certain age where you stop growing. That is your age in The Blue. Confusing, I know.

He looked up from his papers, seeming taken aback. "Clarisa! Whatever is the matter, dear?" I felt guilty, having distracted him.

I felt silly, standing in front of the King of the afterlife, for crying out loud, complaining about my lost pet. But I plowed through regardless. "It's... It's Kalie. She's gone missing." I looked down, my face reddening.

"Kalie? You mean your phoenix?" He asked, standing and rounding his desk.

"Yes..." I looked away, anywhere but at my grandfather. This is dumb. I cursed at myself. He's a king, he doesn't have time to look for your pet bird.

"Are you sure she isn't ashing?" He asked.

"Yes... I'm sure, she's..." I sighed, looking away. "Never mind."

"No, no no no, Clarisa!" He fretted, coming closer. "If Kalie is missing, we'll go looking for her."

"I don't want to distract you!" I protested, but he had already crossed to his own balcony, and was looking around, concerned.

"You know who else will want to know about this?" He asked, still facing the sky.

"John." I sighed, I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell him. John Maddsen was Kyle's father, and head of the Royal Guard. I didn't want to have to cause him stress, let alone drag him into a pointless rescue.

Running down the hall, I headed to his chamber.