Phoenix Burning

by Anne, Melody

“Never,” she whispered, knowing she was playing with fire, but somehow unable to control herself.

  “Then I’m going to have to take you as my prisoner,” he whispered back. She could feel every part of his body pressing into hers, causing her insides to shake. She tried to clear her head, but it was almost as if she were under a spell. She couldn’t seem to turn away from him. He started to lower his head.

  She panicked, not knowing what to do. She loved Jayden. She knew he’d return. But part of her was incredibly lonely, and she enjoyed being with Devon so much. What if Jayden never came back and she rejected Devon, then ended up being alone forever? She didn’t know whether to allow the kiss or turn her head.

  “Okay, you clearly win, Devon. Phoenix, you need to practice more on the dummy,” John said, interrupting the moment and reaching his hand out to help Devon up. His eyes cleared as if he’d been in a fog and was suddenly awakened. He shook his head, then grasped John’s hand and stood. Phoenix lay there looking at both of them, still in shock.

  “I know it’s hard for you to lose, but you’ll survive,” John said with a chuckle. Phoenix wondered if he knew what had been about to happen. She hoped no one had noticed her moment of weakness. She felt her face flame and was thankful for the dreary day. She hoped it wasn’t as obvious as she thought. Both guys stuck out their hand to help her up and as she clasped them. She was practically pulled off her feet by their strength.

  “Good match, Devon. I’ll beat you next time,” Phoenix said in a falsely bright voice. He picked up on her mood and quickly clasped her hand for a shake.

  “You can try,” he said with a smile. Then, he quickly jogged away. Phoenix watched him leave, then joined Sadie at the dummy. She worked alongside Sadie for about an hour until John called for a switch of stations. Phoenix walked away with relief. She wandered around the different stations the elders had set up, looking for something interesting. Beginning to feel soreness from her bout with Devon, she didn’t feel up to doing anything too physical.

  She walked over to her father, who was visiting with Cathy and Greg. She waited until they finished their conversation, not wanting to interrupt.

  “How are you doing, princess? I caught the tail end of your stick battle with Devon. You’ve gotten really good at that,” her dad said, making her glow inside.

  “Yeah, so good he knocked me off my feet,” Phoenix joked with him.

  “Ah, but you overtook him. That’s my girl,” he said as he rubbed her hair like he used to do when she was little. She wrapped her arm around him, enjoying being with her dad. She scanned the area of people working with different weapons.

  Her eyes stopped on Devon, who was shirtless and shining from sweat. He was exerting himself as he climbed up one of the ropes. He made it to the top, then quickly starting climbing back down. He was certainly the fastest of their group. He could climb the rope, jump into the tree, and swing around like a monkey. He’d certainly be hard to capture.

  Finally, she wandered to a group of girls who were sitting in a circle. She couldn’t figure out what they were putting together. They had a bunch of twigs and were making something.

  “Come join us, Phoenix,” Leah called when she peered up at her.

  “What are you working on?” she asked as she sat.

  “These twigs are really bendy and Megan has been showing us how we can use them for all kinds of stuff. We’re not going to be in the woods very long, but if we do get trapped for some reason, we can weave them into bowls for food and water. Plus, we can make blankets out of them, or even makeshift tents,” Leah said excitedly.

  Leah didn’t like any of the combat training and only did what she absolutely had to when it came to weaponry or fighting. She’d much rather be behind the scenes, getting items prepped for the team, and being a general mother hen. Phoenix didn’t mind. It was nice to have someone in their group who liked to cook and pamper them. Phoenix would be happy to never have to prepare a meal.

  “Sounds fun,” she replied as she sat with them. She quickly grew bored with the project, but her aching body wouldn’t allow her to get up and do anything else. She started counting down the hours until they could escape to the hot springs. They had the tub inside, but everyone was using that, making it crowded. The one outside was so much larger with far fewer people willing to make the hike to it after a long day.

  “Do you really think we can make a difference?” Leah asked after some time had passed. All the girls looked to Phoenix. Since her parents were among the founders of their cave and her brother was a team leader, they all looked to her for guidance. She didn’t know how to answer the question. In reality she didn’t know how much of a difference they could make, but she didn’t want to dash anyone’s hope — especially now as they were training for battle.

  “I think a single person can make a difference if they want something bad enough. I mean, it only took one man to stand up against slavery for the beginning of the end. It took one woman refusing to give up her seat to cause a movement. It took one football team working together to start a true end to segregation. One person or one group can make a difference,” she finally answered, glad she’d paid attention during history class.

  “You’re right. Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” Leah said with enthusiasm, her spirit lifted. They spent another hour weaving, Phoenix’s mind wandering as the sunlight started to fade.

  “It’s time to go in, everyone. Let’s get some dinner, then head to the springs,” John called. He didn’t need to tell anyone twice. The group stopped what they were doing and made a beeline for the cave. Everyone was worn out, hungry, and ready for their workday to be over.

  “Phoenix, wait up,” Sadie called. She stopped and turned, watching Sadie run up to her. She was a bit jealous of the energy Sadie obviously still had.

  “How are you so perky? Today was brutal,” Phoenix said in exasperation.

  “I totally snuck off with Brian for the last hours, and we actually ended up taking a nap. I was so worn out after working the sticks that I told Brian if I had to do one more thing I was going to throw a major tantrum, so he carted me away. After some intense making out, we cuddled together and soon were out cold,” Sadie confessed. Phoenix laughed. She was wondering why she hadn’t thought of that. John would’ve most likely spotted her sneaking off.

  “Good, now I have great blackmail on you,” Phoenix bluffed. Sadie punched her in the arm. She knew Phoenix would never bust her. But even if she did, it wasn’t as if she’d get punished. At worst, John would lecture her about being irresponsible. Come to think of it, that was almost worse. John could lay on one heck of a guilt trip when he got on a roll.

  Everyone went straight to the dining room, where dinner was waiting. The elders were preparing some knockout food for them, trying to make sure they were well fed and had plenty of nutrition. Phoenix knew she must’ve gained at least five pounds over the last couple of weeks, which was really something, considering she’d also sweated more than she ever had in her life.

  As Phoenix turned into the dining room, something caught her eye. She craned her head around and spotted Jessica sitting at a table with a group of teens. There were a couple of girls from her old gang and a few from the new camp. Phoenix looked closer and noticed they were unusually dressed, all of them in dark, skin-tight clothing and caked on makeup. Phoenix had no clue where they were coming up with all the war paint; it wasn’t as if they had a store in the cave when someone ran out of mascara. Jessica laughed, and it sent a shudder down Phoenix’s spine. She seemed to get more and more unusual each time Phoenix saw her. She was glad she hadn’t seen her around much.

  As if Jessica could tell Phoenix was looking at her, her head shot up and their eyes clashed. Jessica’s smile grew as she stared back at Phoenix’s shocked expression. She slithered from the table and started across the room, heading straight for her. For some reason, Phoenix wanted to turn around and bolt. She was thinking she didn’t want to get
stuck in a locked room with her. Jessica’s minions quickly followed behind her, all of them wearing a similar sneer.

  “Hello, Phoenix. I heard about you getting knocked on your sweet ass today,” Jessica said with a snide smile.

  “I heard you’re showing a lot of yours,” Phoenix snapped back.

  “When it’s as fine as mine, people want to see it,” Jessica said without missing a beat. She wasn’t at all offended by Phoenix’s statement. Her zombie followers laughed their high-pitched, fake giggles, making Phoenix nauseous.

  “What has happened to you?” Phoenix asked with disgusted puzzlement.

  “Ah, you’ve noticed the changes. I’ve grown up, little girl. I’m no longer locked down in this ridiculous free love, all-help-each-other-out hell-hole. I’ve decided I’m going to do exactly what I want, when I want, anytime I want. My friends here agree with me,” Jessica practically purred.

  “No one here has ever mistreated you, Jessica,” Phoenix said, offended that Jessica would put down their home. The elders had made it a safe and happy place for them, even in the midst of the destruction of their nation.

  “You’re just showing everyone your true colors. You’ve always been a selfish, spoiled, little brat, and because you haven’t always gotten the attention you want, your pride is wounded. I feel sorry for you, but I have no desire to talk to you anymore,” Phoenix said and turned to leave. Jessica gave her the creeps and she didn’t want to continue their verbal battle. She didn’t want to have another physical altercation with her, either. She wouldn’t put it past the girl to stab her.

  Jessica reached out and dug her sharp nails into Phoenix’s arm, jerking her back around. Phoenix felt her skin rip under the pressure of her nails, and it took all her willpower not to flinch from the pain. The look in Jessica’s eyes sent fear through her, but she refused to give her the victory of knowing it.

  “You’ve already been warned not to walk away from me before I’m done speaking,” Jessica snarled. The girls behind her stepped forward, flanking around Phoenix. Phoenix knew they couldn’t do anything in the rapidly filling room, but she was still apprehensive.

  “We’ve also talked before about you laying your hands on me,” Phoenix said, looking pointedly at Jessica’s claws, digging into her skin.

  “One day you’re going to find yourself all alone, and then we’ll see how brave you are,” Jessica threatened as some of Phoenix’s friends noticed the altercation and started approaching.

  “The same goes for you, Jessica. Let’s see how brave you are without your groupies surrounding you,” Phoenix said angrily.

  “Meet me outside tonight. I’ll show you how brave I am,” she said with excitement in her eyes.

  “I’m not meeting you for a duel, Jessica. Grow up,” Phoenix said. Jessica was really scaring her. She could see her practically panting at the thought of getting Phoenix alone. Phoenix was starting to think Jessica could kill her with zero qualms about it.

  “Is everything okay here?” Devon asked as he stepped between Jessica and Phoenix. Jessica had no choice but to release Phoenix’s arm, but she recovered quickly and laughed.

  “Of course, it’s all good. We were just catching up. It’s been a while,” Jessica said, actually batting her eyes at Devon. He didn’t buy her act.

  “That’s good,” he replied to her curtly. “Phoenix, let’s grab some dinner before it gets cold,” he said, placing his arm around her in a protective gesture. Phoenix leaned into him, praying she didn’t start trembling.

  “Don’t you two just make the perfect couple? It wasn’t too long ago that it was Jayden’s arm wrapped around you so tightly. I wonder how he’d feel about your betrayal,” Jessica said with a cold smile. “You sure do get around, don’t you, Phoenix?”

  “We’re just friends, Jessica, but you can take it any way you want,” Phoenix said. She was more defensive than normal, as she did feel guilty about how easy it was to be with Devon.

  “Let’s go,” Devon said, not even pretending to be civil any longer. He didn’t like Jessica, and he didn’t want to play her games.

  “I’ll talk to you later, Phoenix. As always, it’s been a pleasure,” Jessica said, taking one last opportunity to trail her nails down Phoenix’s arm before turning away. Her friends laughed, then they all made their way down the dark hallway. There was almost a collective sigh of relief in the room as they disappeared.

  “You need to stay away from her. She wouldn’t think twice about hurting you,” Devon said. He took Phoenix’s arm and examined the bruised skin with a few small puncture wounds in it. The bleeding had already stopped. “We should get this looked at.”

  “I’m fine, really. She just grabbed my arm too tight,” Phoenix said, taking her arm back. She didn’t want to look down at it. She was fighting to stay calm and act like the entire event hadn’t freaked her out so badly. If he babied her, she’d lose the battle. Devon looked into her eyes for a minute, then led her to the line for food. He didn’t say anything, as if he knew she was barely holding on. She appreciated him so much more for it.

  “What the heck was that, Phoenix? I just spotted you with that horrid witch and was about to come over when I saw Devon interrupt you and Jessica,” Sadie said, worry in her expression.

  “It was just Jessica being Jessica. I’m fine,” Phoenix said with a laugh, hoping everyone would let it drop. Phoenix knew she wouldn’t wander the caves alone anytime soon. She wouldn’t put it past Jessica to lurk in a dark corner and jump out when Phoenix wasn’t ready for it.

  “It looked pretty intense,” Sadie said, but she let it drop. The conversation turned to other things, much to Phoenix’s relief. Her arm throbbed and she just wanted to get through the meal then find her dad to give her some medicine.

  Phoenix tried to keep up with the conversation, but Devon seemed to know she was hurting and distracted everyone. As soon as the meal ended, he led her from the room as quietly as possible and straight to the medical area. Her dad didn’t ask any questions, assuming it was an injury from her day of training. Lots of the kids came to him at the end of the day with minor injuries. He put ointment on her arm, instantly soothing the wound, then gave her a pain pill and told her the best medicine would be rest.

  “Do you want to go to bed or still go to the hot springs?” Devon asked as they left the office. She didn’t want to be in her room alone with the rest of the hallway empty. She’d much rather be in a large crowd.

  “I’ll come with you — otherwise my muscles will hate me in the morning. The stuff Dad gave me helped a lot. I’m much better, now,” she responded. Devon didn’t say anything else. He led her to their group, who were waiting for them, and they left through the back of the cave.

  As they walked along the familiar trail, Phoenix looked up to the sky, wondering where Jayden was. She knew Cassidy was searching for him — she was one of the few who knew that. She hoped she’d find him, and they’d both come home safe.

  They reached the spring, Devon staying by her side the entire time, and she was grateful for his presence. The pill her dad had given her was kicking in, making her feel light-headed and sleepy. She rested her head against Devon’s chest as the hot water did its job and soothed her body. No one said a word, but the guilt ate her up. She knew she was betraying Jayden, but he’d been gone so long, and Devon was just a friend . . . It was her last thought before drifting to sleep in the relaxing water, with Devon’s arm securely around her.

  John watched Phoenix as her face showed every emotion she was feeling. She thought she was hiding it from them — but she’d never get nominated for an Academy Award. He knew how much she was suffering. She missed Jayden, but Devon was there for her to lean on. He couldn’t fault the kid for falling for Phoenix. She was one of those people you were naturally drawn to. John knew her heart still belonged to Jayden.

  John insisted on carrying Phoenix back to the cave, even though Devon argued with him about it. His sister was vulnerable,
and he’d be the one taking care of her. He knew how much she’d hurt if Jayden returned and she had to choose.

  Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was falling for Devon. And it was Jayden’s fault. Yes, he’d left to protect her, but that meant he’d also left her vulnerable. Devon was a good guy. John knew Jayden, but he also knew this was a new dark world and there was a good chance Jayden wasn’t coming back. What were any of them to think after months had gone by?

  The situation wasn’t any of their faults. But John feared the end result would be a civil war. Phoenix was special. Of course he was biased as she was his sister and he loved her immeasurably. But beyond that, others were drawn to her. She was genuine and kind, and the world was a better place with her in it.

  There was no doubt why Jayden had fallen so hard for her. It was also no wonder Devon had as well. John just hated the heartbreak Phoenix was going to have to go through. She’d have to choose. He had no doubt Jayden would come back. That was going to be a painful day for the three of them.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Phoenix, why do you continue to resist me?” Vyco purred in her ear. “I only want to help. Don’t you miss Jayden? You can be with him — and not just for this lifetime. You can be with him for eternity, never dying, never losing your youthful beauty and young body. All you have to do is take my hand. He’s hurt, Phoenix — he needs you. Why won’t you come to him?”

  Vyco circled her, close, but not touching. He said the very thing she wanted to hear — she could have an eternity with Jayden.

  “They’re lies, Phoenix. You must stay strong,” Josiah’s voice whispered in her other ear.

  She was torn. She didn’t know what to do. She missed Jayden, and each day he was away, she felt like she lost another piece of him. It would be so much easier to take Vyco’s hand and end her suffering. She knew it was wrong, but she felt herself caving and what worried her was, she didn’t care.

  As if Vyco could smell her weakness, his dark face softened. He caressed her tear-stained cheek. His ice-cold skin was rough against her face.