Phoenix Rising

Important

All I ever hear is how glorious my mother was, an actual goddess amongst men. Now she is a shell of what once was. After the traumatic death of my father, she hasn't been the same.

I never knew the man, but I could hear the stories floating around the village.

"He was a vigorous man. It feels like yesterday that we lost him."

"Amazing, he was. He kept to himself he was a bit scary, but he was a great man."

And the most famous line I would hear every single day.

"You're like his ghost, it's uncanny how much you look like him."

"You're a mirror image of your father, I met him once he was a bit more stoic and gloomy than you, but other than that you're an almost replica."

Maybe that's why my mother can't even look me in the eye. Maybe I look too much like my father.

He is only mentioned in whispers. Never is he brought up out loud. The village fear for their already fragile lord any word or mention of my father could break my mother like China hitting the ground.

Everything is the same. Always. I wake, I eat, I force my mother to at least open her window, I train with Gareth, I learn potions from Zoe, and then repeat.

I hear about the fantastical adventures that my mother and father went on with their friends. I have the urge to have one myself! But... I can't with my mother in her state. I wouldn't dare leave her side, I'm all she's got, but I can dream. I can wish, I can imagine. I've never been outside of these walls, ever.

But I feel like I have with the books in travel and the stories told by mouth. Yet that feeling never lasts...

I walk down the gravel path from our house on the hill. The village is bustling with life. People play in the square as bystanders cheer them on. My mother's people...

"Rain! We got a new shipment in today! Library right now!" Freya yells at me.

"Oh! I thought it wasn't coming till next-!" I say with excitement as I get cut off.

"Yes! They were but they came early now come on I'm not waiting for you any longer!" She screams at me.

I rush after here kicking upright rocks as I sprint. I catch up to her in seconds, I've always been a fast runner. We barge into the library as Freya's mom Emily falls back at us suddenly slamming the doors open.

"Oh my Irene! What is wrong with you two?!"She yells dusting herself off.

"BOOKS, MOM! BOOKS!"Freya yells.

Emily grabs a crowbar and opens a wooden crate by her desk. Inside is 45 new additions to the village library theses aren't just any old books... they're published journals of adventures dead or alive.

"IT'S...I'm going to faint! It's Henry's journal... number TWO!" Freya raves.

"No way!" I say walking over to her.

"They found his second journal according to this book it was.. it was in his grave buried with him!!!" She says dropping it.

"Cool," I say picking it up.

"Falcon... something Emily I think Freya broke your book this title it's missing the second half."I say looking at the book.

"SHE DID WHAT TO ONE OF MY BOOKS!"Emily screams.

Freya hits me in the shoulder.

"Ouch." I say, casual gimping inside of the book.

"Come on! I practically punched you! You can't tell me you didn't feel that!" Freya says.

I don't really pay her any attention.

"Destroyed village... curse... mysterious disappearance?! How does a village do that?" I say to myself.

"Are you listening to me?!" Freya asks.

"Mmhm." I reply.

She rolls her eyes and she walks away. I continue to scan the book. It's interesting and it feels like I should learn more about it, that's weird.

"Hey, Emily I've got  Henry's journal too I'm checking it out!"I yell to the back, where I can hear Emily chastising Freya.

"Mom, I'm home." I say as I enter the house.

Mom stares blankly into the fireplace watching the flames dance.

"Mom, I found this cool book in the library. I'll read it to you tonight if you'd like." I say knowing she won't answer.
"If you need me I'm in my room, I love you." I say kissing her warm cheek.

I run-up to my room and begin reading.

"Okay, this book is pretty hefty I'd say about two days, maybe even a week if I'm not in a reading mood tomorrow," I say to myself.

Before I knew it I finished the whole book in 24 hours. For some reason, I feel emotionally drained I mean it's said that all those people disappeared or died but wow that... felt strange I've never got emotional reading before I suppose there is a first time for everything.

I fell asleep with my quill in hand. I was taking notes so I could remember every single thing I read.

I dreamed that I was in that village, but it wasn't me. It was a man with a hood over his face and a bandana over his eyes. He just stared at the ruins, I could feel the emotions coming off of him.

"What happened here?" I ask him.

"Me." He replies.

"You? What are you talking about?" I ask him.

"Run." He says plainly.

"What?" I say confused.

"RUN!" He yells at me.

A beast comes charging at me it pins me to the ground. The man just stands there not even moving.

"Help me!" I scream.

He doesn't even look at me.

The beast bits me on my shoulder I scream in pain.