The Risen Phoenix

Chapter Two

There were so many flowers around me, not the normal kind but the metal kind that my mother used to make. She would sit there all summer long, creating these gorgeous bouquets. She would paint them and give them to our neighbors as gifts, or use them as our lawn decorations. That's one of the reasons my sister and I joke about growing up on a farm, because beauty would grow throughout our property.

I looked down at my bare feet, noticing my white dress for the first time. It was a lacy summer dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves made purely of lace. I twirled quickly, relishing in the swishing noise of my skirt. The last time I wore a dress was years ago, they just weren't practical while you were on the run. I twirled again, until I was giddy with laughter.

When was the last time I was able to be this carefree? When would I be able to again?

At that moment, the blue skies began to darken and thunder rolled in the distance. My dress began to fly with the wind, whipping against my skin with the violence of a hurricane. I saw the flowers begin to lose the battle as they flew towards me, their beauty becoming fatally dangerous as I tried to dodge their metal edges. However, I was waging a war where there was no chance of survival. I needed to escape.

One orange flower came hurtling towards me and I couldn't dodge properly, it slammed into my shoulder. The next one came and went, purple this time; leaving a river of red in its wake. The pain made me cry out, but it didn't hurt nearly as bad as when the lightning struck the ground at my feet. Shockwaves crashed through my body, it was all too much and the only thing I could do was stand there. Knowing I was going to die but not really certain if I could.

"Phoenix!" I heard a cry in the distance, my body shaking and trembling from the fire igniting my veins. Again the cry came, louder this time. But there was too much noise and I was in too much pain. I couldn't focus.

"PHOENIX!! WAKE UP!!" Ashlin was screaming, shaking me awake from my position on the floor. My body was covered in a cold sweat, and I was shivering. I tried to focus but it was very difficult, I could see Ashlin and Danny but not their details. I close my eyes hard and shook my head. The storm was back and I tried to get back to Ash but the world was just spinning way too fast and I was falling too fast.

My heart sank as I remembered Ashlin and Danny, how worried they'd be if I didn't wake up. I knew it was a dream now. I could differentiate and see the storm recede the more and more I willed it to be my dream again. The flowers all fell back into place, gracefully as if they'd never been destroyed or had the power to destroy. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and could smell the field giving way to the smells of our cabin. The fire, the coffee brewing, something that smelled like bacon but not quite. I heard the crackling and sizzling of meat in a pan, heard the tea kettles faint whistle.

Slowly I opened my eyes, and Ashlin's beautiful blue eyes came into focus. Her short, sandy colored hair was tousled and unkempt like she had just woken up. I blinked a few more times, taking in the cabin, the scents and smells of being back in the real world and not in dreamland. Danny was leaning up against the wall, standing now. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was staring out the window, his jaw was tense and his features screamed alarm.

I tried to talk but coughed instead, my throat burning.

"I think she has a fever. We should probably wrap her in more blankets and set her closer to the fireplace to break it." Danny called from across the room.

Ashlin grunted in response as she tried to help me sit up, but that only made my head scream. I winced in pain, and Danny slowly left the window to carry me like a baby to the chair closest to the fire. He set me down gently but it didn't help the pain, it felt like someone was taking an ice pick to my skull from inside. I groaned as I let my head roll, everything hurt and I was so cold. My body was continuing to shake and I was so afraid it was the lightning aftershocks for a moment.