The Phoenix and her Flame

Chapter 2

As promised, my parents come by early to see how I'm doing.
It takes forever, but I finally manage to get them out when I convince them that I won't die without them being here every second.
It's actually really boring lying in a hospital bed for hours.
All that there is to keep you entertained is the beeping of your heart monitor and the ever-so-delighful dripping of the drip bag.

It's enough to drive a person insane.

I ask, and I'm allowed to walk around the hallways after they take some blood to test to see if I'm doing all right.
There is hardly anyone here really, and I'm soon bored out of my mind.

Unfortunately, I'm also drugged out of my mind.

I have no idea why the doctors let me wander around in a drugged stupor, but they do.
I giggle hysterically whenever I look into a room and see a person. Most of them look at me like I'm crazy, but the rest smile and wave or start laughing right along with me.
Or, more likely, at me.
I walk into the lobby.
I see a sign that says "Please inform doctor if you are pregnant".
I walk up to the nearest doctor, tap in his shoulder, and say
"Hey doc, *giggle* I'm pregnant"
My speech is slurred, and I sound ridiculous.
The doctor gives me a funny look, and I chuckle.
"Just kidding *hiccup* just kidding" I smile stupidly as I pat his shoulder.
"Ok, let's get you back to your room now" The doctor says, and I can see him trying to hold in a smile at what I just said.
"Oh come on now mister doctor, I see that smile. Tickle tickle tickle!" I giggle as I try to tickle him.
Honestly, I must seem high or something.
Actually, I guess I am.
Oh well.
On the way back, we pass a nurse pushing someone around in a wheelchair.
I suddenly turn and chase after her yelling "TICKLE TICKLE TICKLE!"
She turns with the most frightened look on her face, and begins to run.
The person in the wheelchair is laughing like a maniac as the nurse sprints at full speed, pushing to reach the elevator before I catch her,
me chasing her screaming "TICKLE TICKLE TICKLE!!!"
while my doctor chases me yelling "STOP RIGHT THERE!" As we all thunder down the hallway at an astonishing speed for a nurse pushing a wheelchair and a super-drugged teenager.

We must be a quite a sight to be seen.

The nurse reaches the elevator, the wheelchair-ee still laughing hysterically, and the doors close before I can reach them, the elevator already starting to head down.
I laugh until I can no longer breathe, the doctor catching up to me as I collapse on the floor in a hysterical mess.
Of course, I sound stupidly retarded because I can't breathe through my smashed nose, making me all the more hilariously crazy-sounding.
The doctor chuckles at the sight.
"Come on now, let's go back to your room"
The doctor guides me to my bed, still chuckling to himself.
Jeez, you'd swear he'd never seen a drugged, crazy girl teenager before who wants to tickle everyone in sight.
I lay down on the bed, somehow already feeling drained of all energy.
"Yes now, go to sleep and I'll see you when you wake up" The doctor says soothingly.
I close my eyes and sleep quickly overtakes my exhausted body.
***
"No, it's not possible!"
"But it hasn't been seen in practically a millennia!"
"That can't be right!"
I wake up to hushed voices in the corner of the room. I'm so stiff, I can't even groan.
I won't even attempt to blink.
And besides, whatever those people are talking about, it sounds important.
So, I do what any logical person would do who wants to overhear information.
I feign sleep.
Which, really, isn't that hard considering my condition.
"I know it's hard to believe, but I checked myself. 3 times! Each with a different sample! They all came out the same! It's the only answer! She is the next one!"
"Well, it does actually explain a lot"
I am surprised to suddenly hear my mothers voice speak up.
Wait, what explains a lot?
Ok, I won't lie, I'm smart, and it would take a complete idiot to not realize that they're talking about me.
Alright, as much as I want to hear more gossip about myself that I have absolutely no idea about, I decided to "wake up".
Well, you know, from my fake sleep.
I muster up my strength and groan as loud as I can manage, and it comes out sounding kind of like I'm trying to communicate with a narwhal.
All talk immediately ceases.
I pry open my eyelids to see everyone in the room looking at me curiously.
Everyone meaning-
Holy son of a nutcracker.
It looks like the entire hospital staff is in here, along with my mother.
They all slowly approach my bed, as if I may spontaneously combust at any given moment.
My mother speaks first.
"Honey, how do you feel?"
"Um, fine actually..." I am surprised at my own answer.
I'm really surprised at the fact that I no longer feel pain.
Like, at all.
Anywhere.
"Ok, what. The actual. Heck" I say aloud, waiting for some one to say something.
"Why can't I feel any pain? I can still feel all my limbs!"
I start getting worked up and anxious.
What happened to the pain?
I can tell the drugs wore off because I can feel everything, and I can now form coherent sentences, and yet I feel no pain.
My mother breaks me out of my anxiety attack by sighing, rather loudly if you ask me.
My eyes snap up, and I'm suddenly strangely aware of everything. Especially the things that give off heat.
Light.
Heat.
Bodies.
Heat.
Me.
Extreme heat.
As my eyes snap up, every one in the room, including my mother, all jump back in surprise.
"Look! There's all the proof you need to see that she is the one!"
The head doctor exclaims excitedly.
My mother takes a shaky breath.
"Akaelya? Are you sure you feel alright?" she asks, an edge to her voice now.
"What? Yes, I said I'm fine!" I say exasperated. Didn't I already say that?
"Honey, look in the mirror" she says slowly.
"What? Why? What mirror?" I ask.
She picks up the small, square mirror from the table beside me that I hadn't noticed with a shaky hand.
I almost jump out of my skin at what I see.
I grab the mirror, to make sure I saw right.
And I did.
A strong face looks back at me, with no sign at all if having been beat up.
I notice my flame-coloured hair streak is much brighter than before, and the colours are much more vivid.
But none if that is what really gets my attention.
It's my eyes that do.
My irises are no longer their stormy blue colour.
They are on fire, oranges and reds and yellows flaring out from my super-nova-looking pupils.
There is hardly any white around the edge, and that which is there only adds to the terrifying effect my eyes have.
I drop the mirror, and it bounces off the bed and smashes.
"Mom. What. Is. Going. On." I say.
"Well..."
A doctor cuts her off.
"Wait, she doesn't know?"
Now I'm actually shaking, I'm so confused.
"I don't know what" I say slowly.
"It's quite amazing, actually." The doctor continues,
"How you're here, in a cold climate, as opposed to a tropical one"
"Mom, please, what is he talking about?" I say, tears threatening to make an appearance.
I'm so confused.
WHAT. IS. HAPPENING. HERE.
Please.
Someone just tell me.
I suddenly feel an unexpected emotion as nobody cares to answer.
Anger.
"Tell me!" I suddenly roar.
My mother jumps back, looking hurt.
My hand flies over my mouth, and my eyes go wide.
Where did that come from? Why was I suddenly so nasty?
"I am so sorry mom! I-I don't know where that came from!"
I apologize, instantly feeling awful for shouting at my mom when she did nothing wrong.
She seems to calm down, and comes closer to me.
"Honey, I don't know how to say this, or break it to you gently, so I'll just say it..."
My mind instantly thought she was going to say something world-endingly awful like 'You have cancer' or 'you might die soon', but what she said next was almost just as shocking.