Phoenix Rising (re-writing)

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

I wake early Monday morning, my brain feeling foggy and my muscles aching as if I'd had an intense weight training class last night. Everything feels like rubber and is hard to move. I dress with sluggish movements and grab my bag deciding to get Nix early for school. I grab coffee stalling beating on her door. The coffee cup is warm in my cold hands spreading life through my limbs. The sun hasn't risen yet, but nature has begun calling its wake-up calls to the world. I wait until the morning sun turns the world blue before climbing in Shelly. She roars breaking the silence of the world. A hummingbird slightly stills for me to see her delicately dancing around wild asparagus. The world is beautiful today, with orange and purple streaking the morning sky. I reach her driveway as Zeke speeds away with Nix's red hair flying behind her. Her arms wrapped tightly around him. He sends his middle finger my way. I really hate that guy.

School sucks. Nix keeps true to her word and ignores me. I try to talk to her in first period, she scoots far away from me in her desk and insists on pretending to sleep. At lunch, she isn't there. Tyler tells me she is with Zeke who has transferred here. Great, I'm so excited I could pee. He is in art and math with us. When I try to pass Nix a note, he steals it throwing it away before she knew I sent her one. I try to catch her after class but her, Tyler, and Zeke chat eagerly about video games. She meets my eyes and looks away quickly. With my hopes crushed I go home. According to Nana, I'm a mope monster. Not sure what that is but it is in no way related to the cookie monster or I would have cookies, which I do not. I take a walk on the 108 acres Nana owns, allowing the woods to grant me some form of peace in my chaotic mind. I let my mind travel to everything that has happened since I came here. Zayes enters my mind again full of complaints and sass. I guess my mind is worse than his last visit. I go to my favorite spot on the river and enjoy the silence. Well until drunken canoers break it with their loud obscenity. Zayes takes a kind tone. It will get better; Nix will come around. I snap harshly back, don't call her that, only I can. He agrees to only use her name Dayjanerah that seems just as strange to hear. I jump in the water allowing myself to sink in the murky waters. The current pulls me as I swim to the top. "Someone is coming." Zayes alerts me long before I see Elliott pop his head over the river reeds.

"Hey, lets work on getting your girl back." That may be the best thing my brother has ever said. I swim to the shore wiping the water dripping from my face. "Nana told me something. Its supposed to be a surprise from dad, but I think we can use it to our advantage. He is flying in Outta Ammo this weekend and has a place booked for you to perform." I look up getting excited. Outta Ammo is the band I started back in L.A. with kids from my school. We were rather good. We haven't performed since Alex died. "Elliott pulls my guitar out of the red geo tracker Nana uses for an off-road vehicle. "What girl can resist an original?" He asks with a smile.

"Like I could even get her there," I say already feeling defeated.

"I promise she will be," My brother doesnt make promise often, and he has never broken one to me. I cant help but trust in his word. He places my guitar in my hands. I nod sitting down and tuning my old beat-up guitar. Its an off-brand nothing special guitar that I found in a pawnshop for 160 bucks. It has a tune all its own due to the abuse it suffered from its previous owners. I have never heard another with a voice the same. It rings deep with a strange twang that reminds me of something old. I have nicer guitars but none with its soulful voice. "Ill start a fire you get to tinkering." I nod already picking out a melody. Something about the sound of the river soothes the pain in me, something about the crackle of the fire soothes the beast in me. With everything finally quiet I can hear myself. The things I want to say. After Red showed me the world I learned to love, after Zayes showed me wrath, I understand myself. The constant fighting warring in my mind has finally come to a silence. My mind is quiet as I remember myself through Nix's eyes. Now I just need her to see through mine. I smack the worn spot in my guitar adding a substitute drum as I play completely absorbed my music. Everything stops as I find the words. As I sing, I can see her dancing in the sun, her hair swirling taming the wind. My song ends with a soft note. I open my eyes to see a crowd of canoers onshore surrounding me with Elliott front and center. "That will do it. See any girl try to resist that." He states through a sloppy grin. Right guys? The canoers cheer.