Fire Hearts

Kelly and Kellie

"Phoenix, meet Kellie, your new mother!" Jade -my foster guardian- exclaimed happily.

I froze. The name brought memories rushing at me like a tidal wave. I remembered 

uncontrollable rage, fear, and fire. I could feel the air getting warmer around me. I could feel the

 static in the tense atmosphere, the twitching of my left eye. My eyes were already starting to 

change to the glowing ruby red that I had hated since it first started. I felt a hand on my 

shoulder, and made me turn to see the worrying yet curious eyes of Jade. I snapped my head 

back around to hide my now ruby pupils. Thankfully Jade wasn't the observant kind of person. 

I took two steps toward Kellie with shaking steps. She smiled genuinely and greeted me with 

warm eyes.

"Hi, and you are Phoenix, I assume?" she inquired gently.

"I am," I answered truthfully.

I took a deep breath to get myself under control.

"Well, I'm Kellie, with an 'i-e', not 'y'." She spoke comfortably.

I wish I could do the same, but this curse of mine keeps me cautious. She stepped- no- skipped 

lightly towards me, bouncing higher up with each step. I hesitantly took a step back, and then a 

step forwards, and the devil embraced me in a hug. A big, citrus smelling, lovey-dovey, gooey 

hug. I flinched and cringed inside. I am going to get out of this hell as fast as I can.

"Phoenix?" Jade smiled tightly.

I hugged her back and quickly stepped away.

The silence was deafening.

Jade tried to lighten the chokingly tense atmosphere, "Okay! So I'm going to leave you two on 

your own...I'll come back in a few weeks to check on you!"

I sighed.

Kellie finished sending Jade to the door and turned to me.

"So do you want to eat anything?"

I tried to swallow, but couldn't, "W-water?"

I thought I saw a flash of violet in her dark brown eyes, but it disappeared so quickly, I couldn't 

be sure.

"Of course! In that cabinet behind you."

I turned around to find a glass of water I didn't notice when I came in.

"Huh, I could've sworn that wasn't here when I first walked in,"

Her eyes flashed again and the thought slipped out of my mind like silk. I reached towards the

 water and felt an electric shock flow through my arm when I touched it. I jumped back, 

surprised.

"What's the matter?" Kellie was watching me intently.

I shook my head, not being able to talk for my throat was as dry as the Sahara desert, and 

grabbed the glass again. The shock came again but was less intense this time, and so I gulped 

the contents down. The "water" was sweet, unusually, and felt like syrup down my throat. I 

didn't question it much because it instantly quenched the overwhelming thirst.

"Now, if you go up the stairs, your room is the second room on the right! You get some rest, you must have had a long day!"

For once, Kellie was right. I was extremely deprived of energy, and I needed to rest.