The Phoenix Girl

7. A Secret

    It was dark. Campsis was scared. Her breathing steadied as her eyes fluttered open. 

Campsis' entire world was white for a few long, terrifying moments. Nothing she could see, nothing to hear.  

She was lost, in the middle of the cold, dim woods. Campsis surveyed the area. No sign of houses or human life. She could tell it was autumn, but autumn of which time, she could not tell. Campsis started moving before it was too late. She shrieked as a loud whoosh sliced through the hushed forest. 

 Suddenly, before she could even blink, her whole world went white. As if it was a huge Imax screen cinema, her past played in front of her eyes, like a movie. Playing with her friend in the park. Being taught how to build towers with Lego. All the little memories Campsis had hung onto as a child. She blinked, trying to make it go away. It wouldn't. She fell back onto the ground as she watched all of her memories flash before her eyes. How was this happening?

Then Campsis saw something. 

A memory. 

It was floating around in the form of a wisp of light. She grabbed it and held it tight. It felt cool and slippery in her hands, like diluted slime. It held something special. Campsis threw it into the air, as all of the other memories were overtaken by this one. 

"Campsis, come on!" yelled a girl. Campsis smiled. She recognized the voice. It was her sister. 

"Coming!" the young version of Campsis yelled back. 

The odd thing was Campsis didn't recall this memory. She always had a good memory and was known for remembering things, but not this memory. She continued watching. 

The girls ran and ran, the wind blowing through the leaves of the trees above them. 

"Hurry, Mom's gonna kill us!" Campsis' sister called. 

"Dahlia, wait! I need to breathe!" Campsis shouted back as she stopped to take a break. Dahlia rolled her eyes and walked back to her little sister. 

"Look, Campsis. I'm sorry, but you have to keep on going! This may not be a super life-threatening thing since we just have to get home from playing with our friends before dinner, but if it comes to that, you have to keep on going. No matter what. Ok?" Dahlia explained to her younger sister. Campsis looked over at her sister. Was what Dahlia saying true? Campsis may only be a few years younger than Dahlia, but that doesn't mean she didn't understand what her sister was trying to tell her. 

"Oh, I remember!" Campsis recalled. "Dahlia would always say stuff that had something to do with the future! This must be one lesson I forgot and might help me currently."

What Dahlia was trying to tell Campsis was that a big event was about to happen. Dahlia didn't know this, but Campsis had ways of knowing. The girls finally reached home. 

Their home was small but comfy. It had 2 floors with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms on the top floor, and a kitchen, living room and bathroom on the main floor. It was perfect for their family. 

The memory skipped the excess parts, like them watching their Friday Night movie, eating dinner, etc. Then it stopped at a scene where Dahlia and Campsis were playing a game of Scrabble with against their parents. 

"Yay! I knew that the word "Fantastic" would get us triple points, Dahlia!" Campsis cheered. "Good job, Campsis!" Dahlia congratulated her little sister and gave her a high-five. Their parents smiled. Suddenly, the family heard an alarm. Campsis screamed and grabbed onto Dahlia. 

Campsis' parents exchanged worried glances and went to check what the cause of the commotion was. They ran over to the front door and screamed. 

The man was back. Their old friend. Now their enemy. 

"Zandar, please! Leave our family alone!" cried Mother. 

A sinister laugh escaped his mouth. 

"You think," Zandar started. "That after everything you put me through, that I would just let you be?". 

Father's face flushed with anger. 

"You were the one who stole our power! Our necklace! Our parents trusted you and so did we! And you proved yourself untrustworthy. We had to turn you in!" Father yelled. 

"Mother!" screamed Dahlia from the living room. 

"Mommy, there's a fire! Help!" cried little Campsis, cradled in her sister's arms. 

"We're coming!" their parents shouted back at the same time. Before they could make a run for it and save their daughters, Zandar grabbed them. 

"Oh, I don't think so," Zandar said, grabbing them and taking them away.

The memory burst into flames as it ended. Campsis stared at the ashes floating around her as her heart fell into the pit of her stomach. 

Her parents. Her family. Gone. 

Forever. 

Or so she thought.