Phoenyx Rising (Demigods Duet Book 1)

by Kolleen Fraser

  Chapter Ten

  Sitting in one of Dr. Grey large leather chairs, staring down, picking at the chipped nail polish on my thumb, remnants from Ianna's attempt at a girls’ night. Dr. Grey is sitting there waiting for me to look at her. I don't want to meet her eyes—her disappointed, judgmental eyes. With a sigh, she begins her lecture, sadly its one I’ve heard before.

  “When is this behavior going to come to an end, Phoenyx? It's been a week since you've stepped foot in any class, longer since you’ve done it sober, I assume. You are failing miserably, by the way. You ignore all curfew rules and now...” She stops talking and takes off her glasses, a move I've come to associate with her trying to 'get down to my level'. “The guards found you passed out in the court yard,” she complains with a sigh.

  “So, I got a little wasted,” I admit in defense.

  The lecture continues. “So, are we going to pretend this hasn't happened before?” I shake my head. She won't let me pull attitude; unlike the guards, she doesn't let me get away with anything. “Your clothes were...you were mostly naked. Did someone drug you? Did they hurt you?” she asks, the concern in her voice breaks my heart. In her perfect world, she just can't understand why someone would have sex with a stranger. I think it breaks the bubble of how she thought the world worked. Her naivety is almost funny. I smile at the memory of last night, did Jesse hurt me? No.

  “No, no one hurt me. I was drunk, couldn't remember which tower led home, and I fell asleep. Really, that's the Academy's fault; they should mark the towers or something,” I suggest with a shrug, picking at non-existent lint on my pants.

  “If it's companionship you're seeking; I don't think promiscuous sex is a healthy way to go about getting it. Normal people don't—” I cut her off.

  “Normal? Ha! What is this normal? Where are these normal people you speak of? They sure as hell aren't on this damn island. I'm an orphaned murderer who can shoot flames out of my hands. I am completely alone in this world, locked up in this prison you all lovingly call the Academy, like we should all pretend it’s a normal college. You banish me in solitary for my crimes, and knowing all that, you are suddenly surprised when I feel the urge to let loose, get drunk, and have some sex. It's just sex!” I'm so tired of everyone trying to fix me. What's the point? I'll only get broken again.

  “What was this one’s name? I see they don't even bother walking you home anymore. Doesn't having sex with random partners bother you? This must have to do with the evidence of abuse we found when you arrived.” She starts trailing off, almost talking to herself. Evidence of abuse, those words make me sick to my stomach. How can she talk about my being abused like it is small talk? Like her words don't crush my soul. I don't have any memory of it, but the marks on my body remain. In my own twisted way, I am grateful for not knowing. Who needs that kind of baggage?

  “Any new flashes this week? Have you been trying the focusing exercises we discussed last week?” she inquires, looking up from her notes.

  “I tried, but what do I know? If my memories are up there, someone made sure to lock the door when they left,” I object, throwing my arms in the air. Dr. Grey’s eyes go wide as if what I said scared her.

  “I have amnesia remember.” I tap the side of my head. “Maybe I was a child whore on some filthy street corner before the trackers found me,” I deadpan. She doesn't react; years of training have taught her to school her emotions. I could set her office ablaze and her response would probably be: I am sensing some aggression in you, Phoenyx.

  She crosses her arms. “That’s enough. You don't believe that any more than I do, and I am tiring of your games. You have a value and purpose in this life, here at the Academy. You cannot keep living this selfish existence, refusing to let anyone in, acting like your actions don't have consequences. You are trading real friendship and intimacy for this ridiculous parade of sexual acts all because a boy broke your heart. You need to build meaningful relationships. There are a lot of wonder people here, ones who won't leave you passed out naked in the quad,” she remarks pointedly at me.

  I groan and roll my eyes. “It was just a bit of fun. I don't see who is getting hurt here. Look, I promise I will stop banging the guards, okay? I promise! You know it would help if they hired some homely old men, not parade the world’s hottest men in front of me. I mean, seriously, you should take one for a ride. They are always up for it and always accommodating. Might help you relax a bit. Jesse does this thing with his tongue... oh, my God,” I suggest with a smile, knowing I'm pissing her off, but I love how uncomfortable she gets when I talk about sex.

  “I am officially washing my hands of you and this nonsense, Phoenyx,” she asserts, looking pissed. “You shape up immediately; attend all your classes and training sessions starting tomorrow, and no more drinking or you will be locked up in solitary, for good,” she states with authority.

  Fuck that! I jump up screaming, “This is total bullshit! I have been in control of my powers and haven't hurt anyone! The deal was if I didn't hurt anyone, I wouldn't have to go back. You can't lock me up again!” Prickling erupts over my skin. Dr. Grey’s eyes go wide; she can see the rage brewing. There is a limitless inferno building in me, begging me to let it out. I close my eyes tight and drag in one breath after another until I am calm once again.

  When I open my eyes, she is staring at me. “Well done, your control has improved immensely, but this behavior cannot continue, months of you sulking over a broken heart. You're in danger of hurting yourself, Phoenyx. Rather than rebelling against this place, use it, accept the consequences of your actions, and try to build a life for yourself here. I'm sorry your first love ended this way, but you are stronger than this, better than this. I will no longer stand by and watch you destroy yourself. You will wake up a new person tomorrow or it will be the last time you see daylight for a long time.”

  She stands, walking over to the door, opening it; she waits for me to let her words sink in. In a daze, I walk out and make it back to my room, collapsing on my bed. How do I become the person they want me to be? Not sure I even know how to move on. I fall asleep dreaming of a way out of this place.

  The door creaking open wakes me, a small lamp turns on and the bed on the other side of the room creaks. I open my eyes to see Ianna, her jet-black hair trails halfway down her back in waves. I notice a tattoo of waves crashing wraps around her right arm, that’s new. I watch her getting ready for class. I wonder how many times she's done this with me passed out drunk in bed. I have been a crappy best friend to her while I was wrapped up in my own heartbreak.

  Her side of the room is decorated in every shade of blue in existence. Her bed has fluffy pillows. It's pretty, incredibly girly, but pretty. My side has nothing but the basic needs met by the Academy, nothing to indicate anyone sleeps here. I notice her watching me looking around her things. Her deep blue eyes glare back. She looks pissed off and ready to launch into a speech.

  “Well, holy hell, the red-headed zombie lives. Hi, remember me? Ianna... your roommate! We used to be best friends before you went freaking crazy on me!” she says, crossing her arms over her chest. “You do realize you're like the worst roommate ever. I mean, I know you are heartbroken and all, but that is no reason to lose your damn mind, carrying on the way you’ve been.” The twang in her voice gets stronger the angrier she gets. I just stare at her, shocked to see my kind, sweet friend flip out, and knowing I deserve every word.

  “You wouldn’t understand,” I say.

  She finds this amusing. “Yeah, because a broken heart is something I couldn’t possibly understand, right? Like you are the only person to ever fall in love with an asshole and be hurt.” She points out, rolling her eyes. What the hell? I'm starting to regret making eye contact with her before I've had my coffee; my head is pounding. She is like an angry little cheerleader I cannot deal with.

  “Don’t start with me, Ianna. I’ve had a crappy morning,” I counter, shaking my head, sitting up in bed.

  “Um, yeah I think
I will be ‘starting with you,’ Nyx,” she replies, using air quotes. “You think people aren’t talking about you?” She walks toward me, grabbing my hand, pointing to the tattoos branded on my wrist. “This alone has got people talking, but no, that's not enough attention for you, you go and whore yourself through half the male population, including guards. Almost every girl here hates you; I'm surprised they haven't tried to assassinate you in your sleep,” she says, staring at my tattoos. I pull my hand out of her grasp, pulling my sleeve back down to cover the tattoos, always there to remind me.

  “Dr. Grey says you will get locked up again if that stuff continues, and that I might be able to, slap some sense into you. Well, not actually slap you.” She tilts her head sizing me up. “Though I think I could take you. I've been training my butt off every day, where as you...” She waves her hand at me. “You're drunk off your ass most of the time. So, consider this me slapping some sense into you. You know tough love and all that... Well, without the love part, because I’m not sure if I even like you anymore.”

  Hallelujah, she stopped talking. I just sit there staring at this girl. She is bossy as hell and just reamed me out, but managed to do it in this southern cheerleader, sunshine and rainbows kind of way. I’ve missed her, a lot. I know one thing for sure; I am not going back to solitary.

  “I will do whatever it takes to stay out of solitary,” I say, giving up. I don’t remember how to function without getting drunk every day. Fact is they were all right; Asher was just a guy who broke my heart. I need to avoid men, not seek them out.

  “Excellent!” she exclaims, clapping her hands—yes, actually clapping her hands and bouncing like a freaking kid at Disney. “Get dressed, class starts in an hour.” I groan and throw a pillow over my head. Classes, sober, this is going to suck.

  Classes on the main campus are very different from classes in ward housing. Most require no books or pens. Instead of constantly drilling in suppression and control of one’s powers, they want us to use them, a lot, pushing us to the limits of what we think we can do. It’s liberating and slightly terrifying. The possibility of me freaking out and killing everyone in an explosion of searing heat is unlikely, but not impossible.

  Combat class is by far my favorite and quite possibly the coolest place on earth. The room is packed with every hand to hand combat weapon known to man, and some unknown I’m sure. Swords, spears, daggers, staffs, throwing stars, semi-automatic weapons, the list goes on and on, from ancient weapons and new technology, only one rule, absolutely no Demigod abilities allowed.

  After class, Ianna and I walk around campus. It's ridiculous to keep calling it a campus like we are college students. The three-story building surrounds the inner gardens. Top floor, where all the sexy man candy trainees live, is off limits once again. According to Dr. Grey, I need to avoid sexy man candy. I shake it off, knowing I'm out of chances. If I step out of line, I’m locked away for good.

  The second floor is orphan “ward trainee” central, where we live and socialize. We have classes to attend, a dining hall to eat at, and all manner of control therapy imaginable to try to gain the upper hand over their formidable powers. The harmless have been either sent home to the world to live relatively normal lives on or off the island. The best stay here and enlist in ward training, then the Titan training. The worst I assume end up locked away in prison for the criminally insane. Who knows what happens to the ones who fall through the cracks. Maybe they just take them out back and shoot them like rabid dogs. Then again, if they did that, they wouldn't need an army of Demigods to guard the world, now would they?

  The first floor of the campus is communal—with lounge areas, the library, dining hall, classrooms and staff offices. Most of our time is spend here; it is essentially the “school” level. The basement, on the other hand, is pure extracurricular fun; complete with a pool, work out gym, theatre room, and games room. Lockdown rooms are on that level as well. They are for the crazy ones who fly off the handle and let their powers cause pain. I have personally torched three of those rooms. Have I mentioned how much I hate solitary?

  We all settle into lunch. The room is buzzing with conversation, except us. I don’t know what to say to these people, I have no interest in making friends. The topic turns to the reason each of us were sent here, I of course say nothing since my crimes are out in the open. Ianna talks about being raised by her aunts who sent her here, the best place to develop her skills. Kai comes from a wealthy family. When he attacked a classmate; in exchange for dropping criminal charges, he agreed to spend most of his time here, like a boarding school, only going home on winter and summer breaks, like Ianna. Most of the ward trainees live like that. They get to leave this place and go home to their families a few times a year, except me of course.

  Chapter Eleven

  Escaping campus to go hiking in the woods surrounding campus on a sunny Saturday is my idea of perfection. I’ve earned this small freedom by being a good girl, following all the rules, attending all my classes. It took a while before guys stopped asking me out, hoping to get laid. I’ve gone cold turkey: no booze, no drugs, and no sex. I train hard every day with Mason. On the outside, I’m a whole new me—a happy productive student at the Academy—but on the inside, I still feel empty. Although, the ache Asher caused has turned from self-loathing to acceptance, I miss the connection we had. Constantly reminding myself that, in the end, he caused more damage than he fixed and whatever connection I thought we had was due to the fact we had like powers, nothing more.

  Half an hour into my walk, I hear whistling. I have never run into anyone out here before. My curiosity gets the best of me as I follow the sound into a clearing. There, sitting on a moss-covered stump in the middle of the forest, is a guy—a blond, messy haired guy. I smile at him, what is he doing out here? He hasn’t seen me yet; he is just sitting there, looking up at the trees, whistling a happy tune. I laugh out loud before I can stop myself.

  He looks at me, smiling this huge bright smile, lighting up the forest. “Well, hello there, beautiful,” he says, relief washing over him.

  “What are you doing out here? You lost or something?” I ask, walking toward him. He chuckles, rubbing his already messy hair, making it ridiculously worse. “Yes, very lost,” he confesses with another dose of that killer smile. Lord have mercy, his smile could melt panties. NO! Bad Phoenyx, do not ogle the sexy man, I think, chastising myself.

  “Come on then, I’ll show you the way back,” I say, walking away, trying not to think about how I can see his abs through his tight t-shirt or fantasize about ripping his clothes off right here in the woods. He jogs up beside me, trying to keep up, but he keeps looking all over the place.

  “It’s beautiful out here, like a fairy tale.”

  I look at him and laugh, shaking my head. “Who let you wander off? You shouldn’t leave campus by yourself if you don’t know the way; the woods can be dangerous.”

  “I would ask who is going to protect you out here by yourself, but I think you’re the meanest damn thing I've seen in these woods today,” he says, while chuckling and shaking his head. “Though I am younger and a great deal nicer than your usual prey.”

  I stop dead in my tracks. I slowly turn to glare at him. Who does this guy think he is? Clearly not new here, which means he already knows too much about me. I am so sick of trying to overcome the bad reputation I gained in my binge of self-loathing following Asher’s abandonment.

  “Look, dude, you’re incredibly cute, so I will let that asshole comment slide, this time. I am not the resident slut anymore, so keep it in your pants or I will happily torch you.” I step up to him, holding my hand out, letting the fire come to the surface. I try to intimidate him, but by the laughter dancing in his green eyes, it’s not working.

  “Yup, you’re the meanest thing in these woods,” he replies, shaking his head. “I am not one of those assholes sniffing around you looking to get laid. And, for the record, you couldn’t hurt me if you tried sunshine. I’m a Shiel
d.” He reaches out to my flaming hand. The second his finger touches mine, the flames flicker out.

  A Shield. “Cool,” I whisper with a smile. Then catch myself and build my walls back up and resume scowling at him.

  His laugh is full and his smile is bright. “I love those moments when you let your guard come down. It’s beautiful. You are beautiful, Phoenyx,” he professes with a small cautious smile, like I will punch him for complementing me. To be honest, coming from any other guy on campus, I might have. But him, he is something different, something special. I can tell and it scares me, in a good way. I will not fall for this guy; I will not fall for this guy!

  “Okay…” I say, taking a step back. He takes a step forward, raising one eyebrow, challenging me. I hold up my hand, asking him to stop. “Clearly you know who I am; how about you tell me about yourself while we walk back to campus.” We continue walking while he talks.

  His name is Silas Chase Gage III, I kid you not. His father is some politician on the mainland; his uncle is a teacher in ward housing for boys. Silas was curious about life at the Academy, so he came to live here, willingly. It boggles the mind that someone would choose to live here and I am being held against my will. Silas plays guitar, likes to run in the morning, and has apparently been here for a year. Long enough to witness my many deviant behaviors, but he doesn’t seem to judge me or rub them in my face or ask stupid questions about my murder charges like everyone else. He is simply… Silas, emanating sunshine, and I feel lighter just being around him.

  Kai is his roommate, note to self, kick Ianna’s ass for not telling me. We make a date to meet in the theatre room later for movie night. Once we are back on campus e say our goodbyes, and he kisses me on the cheek.