Like A Phoenix (N.S.)

Chapter 1

"Do you really have to go?" I whisper into my mom's ear, tears streaming down my face. 

I did not want my mother to let me go, but we all knew she had to at some point.

"You'll be fine, Devvy. I promise."

A sharp knock on my front door awakens me from my deep slumber, and I sit up immediately. I'm still in bed, my legs still tangled in the torn out sheets that cover me. My head is spinning from my sudden movement, and I massage my temples to soothe the pain.

"Damn it," I curse to myself. I didn't think today was the day.

Someone knocks again, but this time even louder. I have no choice but to get up and finally face Mr. West. This isn't the first time an administrator of this building shows up at my doorstep. People have to drag me out of my apartment just to pay the bills they know I can't afford.

I untangle myself from the sheets and fix the way I wore my shirt. I'm not even ready to face the people of London, what more Mr. West? I walk out the bedroom door and turn to face a small mirror situated on top of my parent's shrine. I try my best not to look at them, but every time I look at myself in the mirror, I remember them. Everything is still so fresh in my memory.

I shake the thoughts out of my head and fingercomb my hair out of my face. I huff a breath and unlock the door to face Mr. West, only to find Axel Summer with envelopes in his hands.

Axel Summer is the closest I have to a "friend" in London. After the cargo plane landed, he spotted me and helped me escape security. He was the nephew of the pilot that brought me here. We were partners in crime. Were.

"Good Morning, Dev!" he chirps, a wide grin on his face.

I sigh and lean on the doorway. "Devonne. You meant Devonne," I correct him.

"Right," he emphasizes on the T at the end. I can see the disappointment in his features, but he only chuckles as he hands me the monthly bills. 

"So, here are some envelopes you haven't picked up from your mailbox downstairs," he says.

I look at his hands, then I look back at him. I don't take the envelopes from his hand.

"If I don't open my mailbox, Axel, it means I'm not expecting anything," I remind him.

"Of course you're expecting something. We all have bills to pay," he replies.

I swiftly take the envelopes from his hand and give him a fake smile, a very fake smile.

"Thank you for coming all this way to remind me I have bills to pay, requirements to submit, and people to kill." I laugh when I see his eyes widen. "I mean--people to be grateful for."

He only gives me a bigger smile and pats my shoulder. "Don't worry, Dev--"

I shoot him an icy glare.

"..Vonne. Yeah, I got you," he stumbles in his words. "I mean, I got you, Devonne. You know that."

My face contorts to a disgusted look, and I think Axel noticed because he looks down at the floor and blushes. I roll my eyes and shut the door on his face.

"See you later!" he says on the other side of the door.

I don't reply, but I do lock my door. Well, just in case he tries to do something stupid. 

My eyes scan through the different envelopes dated two to three months ago. The dust irritates my nose, and I sneeze. Let's see what we have here. Electricity, nope. Water, maybe next week. Association dues, not in this lifetime.