Phoenix Fire: From Witin the Flames

Show Us What Ya Got

I climb from my bed and creep to the closet, hulling open the doors to reveal a rack bursting with dresses and short skirts and pants and tops. I reach in and pull out a dress to colour of a purple bruise. It is a strapless dress, with 3 different layers. 2 layers try to touch but cannot, no matter how hard they try; a third layer hides behind them to make the dress more appropriate. I glance over my shoulder to see Conner, roll over. I sigh and shake my head snaking towards the window and close half the certain to stop the light shining in his face. Like Jamie use to do, like my parents never did. I grab the bruise coloured dress and slip into the bathroom for a bath.

The hot water prickles my skin as I slip into the bath. I sink into the water... all the way. My head submerged under the water, holding my breath and open my eyes, seeing the world through blurry eyes, my hair floating around my head and body. I let the boiling water sooth the bruises on my back, the hot water removed every memory... except for one... the day when I first meet talked interacted with Adrian.

I wake, not knowing where I was or what had happened. I flung my eyes open and take a sharp breath smelling something the smelt of eggs and bacon. I looked around the unfamiliar room. The room was small and dark, I couldn’t see much but the walls were thick and cold, made from stone concrete. A small fire place crackled at the end of the bed, a cupboard with pictures on it was press against the wall behind the door, which was ajar, little light poured from the crack in the door. A small bedside table was jammed close to the bed, and a picture of a young boy smiling broadly, kneeling next to a dark coloured dog kelpie sat on the top of it, a white collar wrapped around the bottom of the picture frame. My heart sank; the little boy was Adrian and the dog... I’m guessing... was like a friend, who’d died.

“Her name was Cara, with a ‘C’” I looked up to the door to meet the green green eyes of Adrian Hunter. His red hair caught fire in the early morning sun “She was... like a best friend to me, or more rather the closes thing I’d have to a friend really,” He smiled at the picture then looked to me “always greeted me with a wagging tail every time I’d come home,” his smile slipped away “but she got cancer in the liver,” he ran his right hand through his hair, always the right hand he looked at the collar and touched it gently, swallows “we thought it be best if she’d be put down.” He lets out a raggered breath, before quickly snapping himself from the memory and smiled at me

“Anyway, how are you feeling? You took a nasty fall... What were you doing anyway? Don’t you know it’s dangerous to wonder in the forest after curfew?” he asked the questions carefully, not to be rude or mean, just for an answer. I lowered my eyes and look away, open my mouth to speak

“Oh, you don’t need to answer if you don’t want to” he said quickly running his hand through his hair again, I close my mouth and sigh, I want someone to know, someone who won’t remember me after they find out I’m a monster freak.

“Kids from school were chasing me and... I... fell down the hill. I was looking for a safer way up but... go lost” I say, not telling him the story in full. How hurt I was, ‘he probably saw how badly damaged you were’ says a inner voice why the students were chasing me, ‘because you’re a monster, a side show freak’ or how I know everyone would rejoice in my death, ‘because you destroy everyone’s happiness, because you destroy everything.’ I didn’t want him to know my sin secret, my pain, my hate... for myself, my fear of everyone and thing.

He grimaces, “Just ignore them, they’re just idiots. Come on, I think breakfast is ready...”