The Phoenix and the Dragon

The Situation

Chapter One

         As the school bell rang a multitude of students swarm out of the school building. And as usual, there was the yelling, running, and horseplaying that comes with teenagers being let out on a Friday. However in the crowd, one could see two teens headed in a different direction than the others. The girl had fiery red hair with blue eyes while the slightly taller boy had messy brown hair with green eyes.       There was nothing strange about them except for the fact that they were walking very hurriedly, as if they were trying to get away as soon as possible. Which may have been true since it was the last day of school for the week, but it was doubtful. Not to mention that if one could be close enough to hear what they were saying they would probably have been concerned.
         "Hey Aileen, why do we have to go through the forest again?" the younger boy asked.
        "I've told you this several times already Alex! it was because we don't want anyone to see Grandmother!" cried the sister in exasperation. Aileen, despite her irritation, was usually always the calmer one of the duo, but when her brother asked her the same question everyday she eventually broke. "And before you say anything else, you do know why so stop asking. If anyone saw us going anywhere near her, mom and dad might find out and we would get in trouble for listening to Grandmother," she quickly said in an attempt to avoid further discussion.
         The truth was that their grandmother was a little eccentric. She was nice old woman who was a on the plump side and tended to wear bright colors. At least that's what Aileen got from the few times she had seen her in the last two weeks. On a bright, sunny day, two weeks ago she suddenly barged into their home and exclaimed that she was here to see her grandchildren. Which was fine and all to her mother, she hadn't seen the children's grandmother in years, but then she started talking about how her son-in-law had changed a lot since she last saw him last. Like that he had gotten shorter and dyed his hair. Or that he had gotten more soft spoken and less muscular. Also something about him almost being a completely different person? Anyway that got both of her parents mad, if not a little concerned, and she was politely kicked out of the house and told to just call the next time she wanted to visit. However, in a typical old woman style, she sent a letter to Aileen and Alex in fancy writing that basically said, "I'm still here and would like to see you. Secretly or not, do come visit me," Which might have seemed strange to other people, but Aileen and her brother have always had a curiosity for the mysterious. Plus, even though their grandmother was strange, she was their only known alive relative from their mother's side. They hadn't known anyone from their father's side and whenever they asked he got a dark look on his face and they would immediately take back the question.
          Grandmother was very nice and both of the siblings could tell that while what she was saying was abnormal, she really did mean well. So every day after school for about twelve days, they have gone through the woods around their school to meet up at their grandmother's hotel. The hotel's back entrance lead into the path of the forest they were traveling.
         "I know why we have to be secretive about visiting her and that there is really no other way around it! it was just that there is so many things wrong with this situation. For one, there is no good reason to have to walk through this forest just to go to a hotel! We could just meet up in the park or the library or something. Not to mention we have learned absolutely nothing from her!" Alex complained in his everything is going wrong tone. Aileen simply sighed and silently admitted that he may have a point.
          They would go every day to their grandmother and would have a conversation of one of two things. One possible scenario would be about how their great-grandfather was a detective and that's how her deductive skills came to be. And she would continue to regale them with stories of questionable reliability about various detective cases with remarkable detail. The other option was stories about their parents early marriage life, but these stories were even more questionable than the detective ones. She would insist that their father used to be at least three inches taller and had a lot more commanding personality. And this would be perfectly explained by the fact that everyone has just forgotten and that she was the one in the right. So when following that logic the obvious question was proof, right? But when asked, the only answer she would say was that for some odd reason all pictures she had of their parents disappeared into thin air. Which incidentally was what their parents said when they asked about pictures of their early life. This only served to pique their interest further so they kept coming back in the hopes that something would happen.
           "I think I see her now!" Alex suddenly shouted in the middle of Aileen's thought process. It was true. After they turned around the bend they saw a neon pink t-shirt attached to wildly, curled hair and sparkling, green eyes in front of a drab hotel door. Aileen and her brother waved to their grandmother in the distance and started to walk over.
           "It is so good to see you again," she shouted back cheerfully as they stand in front of her. Aileen realized that their grandmother might have passed on the loud gene to Alex. As Alex was about to open his mouth to ask their questions, she launches into what sounds like a well thought of speech about our great-grandfather.        "So it is one of those days," thought the red haired sister with acceptance.
          "I know some people may not believe me, but your great-grandfather was a excellent detective in his day and age. He could look at a carton of spilled milk and immediately know who did it. If that's not talent I don't what is! And let me tell you ..." was pretty much all the siblings got out of the conversation until the very end. "You really should ask your father what happened to him. Or don't ask at all. I don't know about you, but when someone changes that drastically I leave that person alone and get to know them. I tried several times to get to know him and I failed every time. there was something going on here and I frankly don't want to be a part of it!" Aileen and her brother stared at their grandmother, slightly surprised at how passionate she was about the topic
           "So, because I don't like getting involved in mysterious, despite who your great grandfather is, I've decided to come visit later. Maybe your father can change back by the next time I visit. I can just ignore my son-in-law," she continued in the exact same cheerful voice. Allen and Alex both felt like all time they had spent on visiting their grandmother was wasted as they ended up in the same place they started. After suffering through what felt like an hour long conversation, and hours of school, they finally get somewhere. And then their grandmother ruined it by saying that she'll be leaving town the next day. So, with a sluggish departure, they trudge their way home. There was only so much disappointment they could handle. At least they don't have to travel through the forest to get home. There was a much shorter way to their home than from the school.
           Now that both of the siblings were on their way home they began to worry about something more important than their family issues. The siblings both have felt a strange coldness at the back of their necks and a creeping feeling of fear for some time now. Sometimes they'll even turn around and see a shadow speed across the ground at breakneck speed. Of course, this was just a trick of the imagination right? At least this was what they try to convince themselves, but it was kind of hard to when both siblings could clearly see that something was bothering the other. Alex was acting a little less cheerful with a somewhat lazy walk and tired eyes. This might seem like nothing unusual, but to Aileen her brother is very hyperactive even when he's sick (he once almost blew up the kitchen when he was supposed to be resting) however, thinking that it might just be problems at school, Aileen decided not to mention it. Likewise, Alex thought that his sister was being more snarky than usual and could practically feel the uneasiness rolling off of her in waves. Aileen sighs discontentedly and tried to pick up the pace a little bit so that he would snap out of the daze he was in.                                                                                                                             "Did you get your homework done yesterday?" she asked with a scolding tone.
           "Ummmm, yep every single thing done with 100 percent of my effort and concentration!" he exclaimed while not making eye contact with his sister. This just proved that something was wrong with him. As bad as it may sound, Alex was usually an excellent liar. it was not foolproof, but when he stared at somebody with his messy light brown hair and his mischievously sparkling eyes, they just had to believe him. He could tell you that the sky is actually a light shade of purple instead of blue and you would look at the sky just to see what he was talking about.
             "Really Alexander, I don't beliv-" before Aileen can even finish the sentence they felt the strange sensation again and they simultaneously turn around to see that shadow speed away from where it was about to touch them. With one blink it was gone and they were left staring at a patch of bare ground.
             "Umm, I'm might not be right, but did you see that?" Alex said in bewilderment.
            "I'm sure it was just a rabbit or a squirrel," Aileen said calming herself, her snarky attitude quickly returning within a few seconds. Aileen just doesn't want to deal with the weird happenings so she always tried to make up excuses and reasons defending them. They had saw another figure yesterday which Aileen claimed to be a bird who may have fallen from its nest. Though when Alex responded with that they should help it, Aileen immediately shot the idea down and declared it could potentially have rabies.
           Aileen was usually interested in the creatures of the forest, taking home hurt animals to care for and return to the wild. Some days she even took evening strolls, skipping homework - not that this hurt her - but her attachment to the forest was a great deal deeper than Alex's. His surprise on the sudden contrast of Aileen was overwhelming. Though he guessed with all of the recent events, not that they were the biggest deal, could have caused some change. Aileen never had a relative who would comfort her despite her parents. Their mom's relatives weren't exactly on the best of terms and their father's for some odd reason don't know them. Plus, their grandmother had been very inviting the moment she saw them. This in itself was a little unsettling. Besides the fact of their parents being irritable with her right now, Alex and Aileen both realized their grandma was a great person, serving in the army and telling them stories of the Vietnam War, despite not really wanting to listen to them. In addition to the fact that her memory was impeccable, Aileen could tell by the amount of detail from her so called experiences, but she also saw no reason for her to lie. So the memory of her son-in-law being so easily lost was incredibly suspicious to Aileen. She did not want her only known relative outside of her immediate family to be ignored and treated as if she was a liar. Her parents refused to talk about her in any sort of way, and if things continue as they have been, Aileen didn't think her parents would accept her right away, if at all.
            Their grandmother has been to some harsh places in her lifetime, being a war veteran and all, who not only improved other lives, but their own too. She was always cheerful (even if she shouldn't be) and tried to work things out (without many good results, but it was the thought that counts). So as Alex watched his sister walk determinedly through the forest he could practically see his same thought process going through her mind too. So with complete inattention for their surroundings, the two siblings came to an unanimous thought. "We are going to a solve this mystery so that our family can be together once more,"

        Sorry for any format issues. Still new to publishing on Wattpad. Feel free to comment! :) Thanks for reading!