The Phoenix Stone

Chapter 5

    Chapter 5

Noah

I really didn’t think it would be that easy to get her address. Wow kids really have gotten lax these days. I re-read Billies address for what seemed like the millionth time, ‘42 Moon acre close, meet me’. I traced the swift swooping curls that turned Billie’s handwriting into a piece of art. I stepped toward the worn out truck that I called my own; you would have thought that the council would provide the proper transport but apparently ‘lavish motors are not a part of fulfilling my mission’ and therefore my rusty light blue truck would have to do. It’s not that I minded, cars weren’t even invented before I died and we made do then. My biggest fear was learning how to drive but that turned out fine. I was just old enough to qualify for a driving license and I passed with only a few…um…minor crashes? I stepped into the vehicle, inviting the musky scent of the dark leather of the seats that had been warmed by the summer sun. I set off, completely forgetting about the seat belt, and headed in what I hoped to be the right direction.

I arrived at Billie’s house in about twenty minutes without any major problems. Moon acre close was just off the main road and backed off into the woods. 42 Moon acre close was a pretty humble abode that fitted perfectly with its surroundings. It was complete with a wooden decking and potted chimney. The front door was painted a vibrant green along with the garage doors and as I raised my hand to knock, it swung open revealing an ecstatic  Billie. “I heard your car pull up.”  She admitted sheepishly. “Do you want to come in?” she glanced at me standing on her doorstep with a wide grin.

“Sure.”  I smiled and strode into her hallway. The hallway was small and neat and carried an air of daintiness about it. The flooring was a series of wooden slabs and on them stood a small neatly carved table on top of which rested and old family photo in a sleek silver frame. In the photo a five year old Billie was beaming and holding her parents hands. Billie coughed and beckoned for me to follow “We can study in my room” she told me and I nodded and follows her up the stairs.

Billie’s room was the second to the left. It was pretty big for a bedroom and a large double bed took up most of the space. An enormous desk resided in the far corner of the room and was littered with text books and notepads.  There were three seats in the room in total; two large swivel chairs had been pulled over to the desk while the third was a small window seat littered with bright pink quilted pillows. And on the wall was the most magnificent painting I had ever seen. It was an oil painting of a brother and sister walking down a woodland path. The moment was captured in a way that not even a camera could manage. Billie peered over my shoulder and asked “Do you like it? It’s one of my favourites.” I spun round.

 “You drew that?” I asked incredulously.

 “Painted actually, but yeah I did.” She replied, laughter in her eyes.

“It’s amazing!” I complimented but she just shied away from me looking embarrassed.

“So, let’s start with introductions shall we? Bonjour means Hello. ” she shook off her embarrassment and smiled at me, getting straight to business.  

“Bonjour.” I repeated

“Good, now Je m’appelle means my name is” Billie continued. After about three hours of this I was having short conversations In French and I had really relaxed into Billie’s company. Did I mention the fact that Billie is a really good teacher?  We were both sat on her bed and we were at ease with each other until Billie shifted closer to me and our legs brushed together. It was nice, nicer than I expected. Her thigh was warm and cosy and as it rested on mine I made me long for more but I didn’t push it. Instead I leaned over and rested my hand on hers. Her hand was small, slight and felt fragile under my large, rough one. She turned and our eyes met, her eyes were beautiful, they were a light and cheery hazel and as wide as a doe’s in fact they kind of reminded me of Bambi. We sat together like that in comfortable silence until Billie’s mum got home from work and I had to leave. However just as I stood on Billie’s porch preparing myself to step into my truck Billie rose up on her toes and planted a quick parting peck on the cheek. “Nice ride!” she giggled quietly in my ear before fleeing back to the safety of her house. What a day! I thought to myself. What a day!    

Hey! Thank you so much for reading, commenting and voting I really appreciate it. Feel free to leave any criticism or encouragement in the comments and it will, hopefully, help me to improve my writing skills.