Phoenix Fire

by S. D. Grimm

  His smile warmed my heart.

  I swallowed and hope dared to rise. “So, Phoenixes, huh? What exactly does that mean?”

  He sat on the bed and I joined him. “Some kind of person created to protect humans from monsters. We are reborn in different places in time.”

  “Bound by time?”

  “I think so. We always move forward in time. But to different places. We fight the monsters. And Nick says we’re stretched thin because of the Dark Phoenixes. One in particular who is trying to kill us.”

  Could it be the woman from my memory? The one who’d stolen my powers temporarily. I swallowed and my heart pounded as Cade relayed to me that she was indeed the Dark Phoenix trying to eradicate us. And that for some reason, I alone could kill her—for good.

  My mind reeled. I wanted to throw up.

  “Ava? Are you okay?”

  I put out my hand to stop Cade form talking. Why me? My throat constricted. Suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to go back outside and make sure my aim with those weapons hadn’t been a fluke.

  I looked at Cade, my pulse still thrumming in my ears. “Why am I the only one who can kill her?”

  Cade half frowned. “Yeah, I asked that question, too. Something interrupted us and Nick never answered.”

  The door downstairs squeaked open. “Cade? I’m home.”

  I stood and headed downstairs to meet my brother and ask him a thousand questions, starting with why I had to kill the princess of evil and how.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Ava

  I rushed down the stairs. Nick stood in the kitchen, pouring a glass of water, his back to me. I wanted to say something—see how he would feel about my being here—but at the same time, the thought of finding out made my palms sweat.

  Cade clomped down the steps after me, and Nick turned toward us. His eyes met mine and widened. “Ava?”

  My throat tightened. I wanted to speak, but I wasn’t sure words would make it out. Nick crossed the kitchen before I could even say a word. He opened his arms and wrapped me in a hug so tight I thought I’d burst. He stepped back, hands still gripping my upper arms. And he took in every inch of me. “What do you remember?”

  He didn’t give me a chance to answer. He just pulled me in for another hug and, surprisingly, he pulled Cade in, too. “I’m so glad to have you both back.”

  My eyes stung and I squeezed them closed. No one had ever showed this much love to me.

  Nick let us go and smiled, but sorrow tinged it.

  I breathed in, loosening the tightening in my throat and making sure my voice wouldn’t waver. Then I pulled my typical cloak of defiance over me before I could even think about the consequences and crossed my arms. “Cade tells me I have to kill someone?” The defiance did not come through in my words. My voice sounded light, airy, and unsure.

  He winced and backed away from us, heading to the fridge. “Her name was Gwendolyn. She’s gone by Gwendolyn, Gwen, completely different names like Saki and Rosemary and Angelica of all things.” He set two cans of pop on the island. One Vanilla Coke, which was my favorite, and one Dr Pepper, which Cade nabbed.

  I wrapped my arms around myself and my voice came out small. “Why me?”

  Searing pain spread out across my stomach. I grabbed the edge of the kitchen island, buckled over, and let out a strangled cry. Then the pain left as suddenly as it had come, and I stood there, shaking with my eyes wide.

  Nick and Cade both raced to my side. I pulled up the edge of my shirt, and a very strange and brand-new scar showed itself on my stomach.

  Not a new wound—an old scar, as if I’d had an injury there before.

  “What’s that?” I tried not to panic.

  “That is the mark of your first death.” Nick’s tone was gravely serious.

  “What?”

  “A Phoenix can be killed in every cycle. We keep the scars of our deaths. Your first death…the woman we’re trying to kill, she killed you when you were sixteen.”

  Cade set his pop can down with a clack and pressed his hand to his side as Nick said this. Cade pulled up his shirt to reveal the same type of injury. “She was at least methodical, yeah?”

  I stared at the similar scar. “Why would she—”

  “You were both coming into your powers. You’re twins, and therefore a special kind of Phoenix.” He nodded toward Cade. “You are what’s known as a Giver.” Then he looked at me. “You’re a Taker.”

  “Meaning?” Cade waved his hand to get Nick to continue.

  He looked at Cade as if concerned.

  Cade shrugged. “I think if we’re racing the clock, it’s best Ava and I know what we’re up against. Don’t you?”

  The clock? I glanced back and forth between the two of them, but Nick opened his mouth to answer at least some of my questions, so I wasn’t going to interrupt.

  “Cade, you can create Phoenixes. Well, you could. That power was eradicated once the Dark Phoenixes came to be. They used to be Light Phoenixes, like us. Then there was a fight and a split. So the elders decided no one should be able to create more Phoenixes. It would hopefully stop the dark ones from making more.”

  Cade’s eyes widened, but a pit formed in my stomach as the word “Taker” resounded in my skull with every heartbeat.

  Nick looked at me. “As a Taker, if you kill a Phoenix, you end their life cycles permanently.” His gaze flicked to Cade’s. “The only one you can’t kill is Cade, because he’s your twin. Or—you can’t kill yourself, either.”

  My soul whispered the words “kill” and “permanently” and my chest tightened. “My powers are still active?”

  Nick nodded. “They needed Phoenix killers so the dark ones could be destroyed. Our Psycho Chick is the last of them.”

  “I’m sorry, Psycho Chick?”

  “My idea.” Cade stared at me with his lopsided grin.

  I rolled my eyes, then the slight rising joy was snuffed as the weight of what Nick just said beat down on me again. “Why is she trying to kill us?”

  “The Dark Phoenixes declared war on the Light Phoenixes because one of them fell in love with a human and healed him.”

  I stepped back from him. “How is healing someone wrong?”

  “It’s not.” Nick’s voice was quiet. He swallowed and looked down at his hands. “The problem was Phoenixes used to be allowed to marry another Phoenix or a human until one of those humans turned out to not have a very good heart. He didn’t like that the Light Phoenix Elders were the most powerful. He tricked the Phoenix who loved him into falling for him. When she healed him…he became a Phoenix. Then he started using his powers to harm the other humans who had caused him grief. A Taker was sent to kill him.”

  I gasped and pressed my hand to my mouth.

  Nick glanced at me, wincing. “It wasn’t you, Ava.”

  “H-how many Phoenixes have I—”

  “Ava.” He grabbed my shoulders and looked me in the eyes. “You protected your family once. That’s all.”

  My knees gave away and Nick supported me while I clutched the kitchen island for support. “I—but I have to kill Psycho Chick?”

  “Once you kill her, we’ll be free. Our powers will come back.”

  “More powers?”

  “Yes. We kept the ability to self-heal. To heal other Phoenixes. We’re fast enough and strong enough to fight the monsters. But we used to have fire. A flame we could control, specific to our personalities.”

  “How do I kill this…” Calling her “Gwen” made her sound more human than monster. “Psycho Chick.”

  “You have to access your fire. Yours is the strongest I’ve ever seen.”

  “And you can train me to do this?”

  Cade groaned and buried his head in his arms. “Tell her the part about how Psycho Chick has basically beat us in every past life and we get killed first.”

  “Cade.” Nick’s voice was harsh. “Let her process this first.”

  “What?” I couldn’t breathe. “Sh-
she—it’s a good thing we’re reborn, then. Yeah?” Why was I shaking?

  “I’m sorry, Ava.” Cade said sheepishly, then he led me to the couch and we both sat down.

  “I thought you said Nick was the jerk.” I half smiled.

  “All right, I guess I can be a jerk, too.”

  “Why do you look so sad?” I turned my attention to Nick, who sat in the chair across from the couch. “Both of you. There’s more bad news, isn’t there?”

  “Psycho Chick did something to Cade cycles ago. She may have found a way to take his dormant Giver powers.”

  “I thought you said—”

  “I did. Cade and you were supposed to be our last hope. When all the Dark Phoenixes were killed, Cade’s Giver power was supposed to return. A way to create more Light Phoenixes.”

  My heart beat so fast, I started to get dizzy. “But Psycho Chick has that power now? I don’t understand.”

  “Not completely. Cade’s powers are still dormant because not all of the Dark Phoenixes are dead. But I think she’s finding a way to use it. I know for sure she’s taking his powers. And it’s turning Cade into a human. If we don’t kill her this time, it could be Cade’s last cycle. And if she kills him…” Nick’s voice wavered and he cleared his throat. “Twins are bound. If Cade dies for good, when you die, it’s for good, too.”

  I leaned back against the couch as his statement knocked the air out of me.

  “That’s most definitely worse news.” Cade stared at Nick as though it was the first he’d heard that, too.

  Nick stood. “We’re going to get her this time. Trust me. I won’t let anything happen to either of you.” Then he opened the shades over the back door. “Who’s ready for a little target practice?”

  Cade covered his face as the sun spilled in, but I popped up. My stomach was churning and my breathing shaky, but if I was supposed to save these two—my brothers—then I didn’t want to miss out on a family. I fisted my hands. “I’m in.”

  Nick’s proud smile lightened the heaviness in my chest.

  Cade stood, too. “Are you going to tell her about Wyatt, the evil Dark Phoenix?”

  Something inside my chest shuddered. It echoed no in a hollowness that grew and throbbed around the edges. I looked at Nick. “What?” My word came out an airy whisper.

  Nick held out his hand to calm me down. “Cade doesn’t remember exactly what he’s talking about. Wyatt—”

  “Is not evil!” I was shaking.

  “Ava.” Nick’s gaze held so much sympathy. “Wyatt has betrayed us in the past. Please be careful around him. Gwen has…a pull on him that he can’t always resist.”

  “But he wants to.” Hope exploded into that hollow space and, against reason, I latched on to that feeling. “Resist, I mean.”

  Nick sighed. “Please be careful around Wyatt.”

  I nodded, not sure who to trust. How to feel. What to believe. The only thing that would sort out this mess right now was to get my own memories back.

  “Wyatt is—”

  “I’m sorry, Ava.” Cade’s words sounded clipped. I faced him, and he pressed his palm against his head and swayed. “I didn’t mean to”—he closed one eye and hunched over as if in pain—“stir up trouble.”

  “Cade?” My heart revved. What was happening to him?

  Nick raced toward him. “Ava. Get him a glass of water, please?” Nick helped Cade lie down on the floor. I was about to ask why not the couch, but Cade started convulsing, and Nick held his head so he wouldn’t hurt himself any worse.

  And I stood there, helpless. “This is how she takes his powers from him?”

  The concern in Nick’s eyes didn’t douse my worry. “I’ve never seen him so bad.”

  “Hey.” I touched Nick’s arm. “How much time do we have?”

  He shook his head. “A couple of months at most. Usually once you get your memories back, it means she’s strong enough to fight the three of us. She waits for a full moon so she can bring her army.”

  I breathed in a shaky breath. Not much time for me to learn how to become the Taker I was born to be. “What makes her strong enough?”

  “Remember I told you Cade is a Giver? Gwen was, too. She uses her Dark Phoenix powers as a strange perverted form of the powers she had. They give her the ability to create monsters.” He sighed. “That beast in the woods the night I met you? The one you ran from? It was one of hers.”

  A chill swept through my bones. I just got my brothers back; I wasn’t about to lose them. “I’m going to kill her. We’ll free Cade. Okay? All you have to do is tell me what I need to know.”

  His jaw clenched. “I’ll train you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Ava

  I settled into my seat in biology and slumped, watching the door for the two boys I wasn’t sure would actually show up.

  I’d texted Wyatt over the weekend, but after what happened with my…my brothers…I wasn’t sure hanging out with him was such a good idea.

  Then again, maybe being a Phoenix had screwed me up. It seemed like the perks of being born again were that we never got to lay down roots anywhere. Sounded familiar. I didn’t want to feel like any place could be permanent at all. It hurt too much when they pulled me out of the ground and shipped me off somewhere else.

  Cade walked through the door and when he glanced my way a real smile filled his face. He took his seat right as the bell rang. I frowned at the door. No Wyatt today. Why did that make my heart wilt? Maybe I shouldn’t care. Nick had basically warned me to stay clear of Wyatt. Not that that meant I’d listen. At least I knew why. Wyatt was some Dark Phoenix—Nick didn’t have to admit it. His glance told me the answer. But Wyatt? He was nice.

  I mean, Gwen sounded awful, but if I’d fallen in love with Wyatt, he had to have changed. My heart clutched as I remembered that Wyatt had sent Scott Mitchell to the hospital because of his temper.

  “Ava?”

  I shook free of my thoughts and looked at Cade.

  “Are you coming over after to school to train?”

  “Yeah.” That thought scared me. What if I’d lost everything I knew how to do before? What if defeating Gwen was impossible? I looked at Cade and his sideways smile.

  “I made a playlist. You’re gonna love it.”

  I couldn’t stop my laugh. “A playlist?”

  “Yeah. Beating Nick up to the sounds of ‘Eye of the Tiger’ is epic.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Really? You’re going to make me listen to—”

  “Don’t.” His expression mock-serious. “It’s a good song.” He leaned closer. “And it’s satisfying to throw punches while it’s playing. You’ll thank me later.”

  My laugh caught Mr. Cummins’s attention. Both Cade and I straightened back into our seats, and Wyatt rushed through the door, backpack still on his back.

  “You’re late, Mr. Wilcox.” Cummins’s voice barely registered as I watched Wyatt hurry to his seat next to me. A rush of cool air seemed to seep off of him as well as the scent of fall leaves and fresh air.

  “Sorry, sir.”

  Cummins seemed appeased and started handing out sheets of paper while he prattled on about microscope settings.

  I was too preoccupied to hear because Wyatt took all of my attention. “I wasn’t sure you’d make it today.”

  That smile melted my resolve. He hurried to get his textbook out and set it on the desk. “And miss seeing you? No way.”

  A stupid grin stretched my lips, and my cheeks were practically on fire. I turned my attention away, letting my hair fall in front of my face so he wouldn’t see. Then I caught Cade’s cautious glance out of the corner of my eye. I mouthed, “I know what I’m doing.” But I didn’t.

  I so didn’t.

  And I was in trouble.

  Class wore on, and I looked into the microscope and some cells. Again. New cells, I guess. I mean, whatever.

  Wyatt’s fingers brushed against mine as he slid the device from me for his turn. “Are you—” He
paused, his blue eyes met mine, unsure for a moment. Could he tell I’d been thinking about pushing him away?

  My heart beat faster.

  I couldn’t. Truth was, Nick might think he deserved my trust because he was my brother, but I remembered more about Wyatt. And…well, those memories were good. So unless some huge thing happened in which Wyatt totally betrayed my trust, I wasn’t willing to toss him to the wayside yet.

  I had to figure out what was going on and make my own decisions about whom I was going to trust and why. “What were you going to ask me?”

  He tapped his fingers nervously on the table.

  I offered him my sweetest smile and touched his hand, stilling it. If I was going to get all the information I needed, I had to remember both my brothers and Wyatt. That meant keeping all of them close. For now. Because I had to get them to trust me if I was ever going to trust them. “You can ask me anything.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Can I take you out Friday night? Like on a date?”

  A firework finale let loose in my chest. I wanted to squeeze his hand. I wanted to text Yuki. I wanted to squeal. So I tilted my head to the side, hiding my burning cheeks once again. Then I looked him in the eyes. When I was sure I’d have control over my voice, I said, “That would be amazing.”

  “Really?” Now his smile was huge and dorky in the most adorable way. “Great. That’s great.”

  “…and all of your microscopes away.” Cummins interrupted our awkward staring and Wyatt started putting away slides and things.

  I turned away, trying to cool the heat in my face. I almost hadn’t realized how much I wanted this until now.

  “Still know what you’re doing?” Cade’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

  “Yes. I know what Nick thinks. But I also know what I remember.” I wanted to trust Cade so badly my chest ached. But I needed him to trust me first. I locked eyes with him, hoping he could sense my sincerity. “Trust me.”

  His jaw clenched and he nodded once, tight. I wasn’t sure if that meant he actually trusted me, but I knew he’d at least try. And that was something.