A Brand New Ending

Chapter 11

Phoenix



Forty eight hours. It's seems like an eternity. I lay in my bed, the room completely black. Rain is snoring lightly, the sound somewhat of a comfort to me. To know that I am, for once, not alone.

Knowing that I won't be getting any actual sleep for some time, I get up out of my bed, put on a pair of slippers and pull open our bedroom door, the soft glow from the hallway light illuminating my face.

"Be safe." I hear Rain say. I just smile, knowing better than to think I could get out of here undetected.

"I'm just going for a walk, be back soon," I whisper back.

Shutting the door slowly behind me, I look in both directions, a pair of unfamiliar eyes looking back at me. An older woman with grey hair gives me a small smile from behind the nurse's counter, clearly my disturbance deterring her from her work. I give one in return and head toward the day room. I finally have time to observe my surroundings for the first time since I've been here by myself.

As I saunter down the hallway, I keep close to the wall, my right shoulder scraping across it as though it is there to support me. There are security cameras everywhere, observing every angle of the floor. I'm shocked I hadn't noticed them before. A feeling of panic sets in. I wouldn't be able to hide even if I wanted to.

I walk faster down the hallway when a door to my right flies open, my body slamming into something hard. I fall backwards, my butt hitting the cold tile floor. Looking up, I see a figure standing over me. Something makes me shift my eyes from the figure above and into the room it just exited. It's dark, but some light is shining into it, my eyes meeting the face of another young women wrapped up in a blanket on her bed. The look on her face is something I am familiar with. Fear. Terror. Just as I get a good look at her, the door slams shut. My eyes shift from the room back up to him. Rain's words enter my mind. The Devil.

I go to scramble to my feet, a feeling in my gut telling me to get away from him but I am frozen in place. He just continues to stare down at me, his eyes following down the length of my body. Before I can scramble to my feet, I feel a pair of hands helping me up. I get up on my feet, my eyes boring into him. Once I am vertical again, he quickly steps out and around us. As he walks away, he pulls his ID tag on over his head, running his fingers through his hair as he rounds the corner and out of sight. I look over to see who it was that helped me up and I am met with a pair of soft eyes. Standing beside me is a young boy, who I am guessing is around sixteen years old. He gives me a soft smile and I notice that he is still holding onto my arm, making me feel slightly panicked.

"Are you OK?" he asks softly.

I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. I instinctively pull my arm away from him, even though his touch is nothing but gentle.

"I'm Liam," he says, still continuing to smile.

"Phoenix," I say, giving him a small awkward wave.

Neither of us speaks for a second.

"Thanks for helping me up," I say, realizing how rude I am being.

"You're very welcome," he says as he folds his arms behind his back.

I gnaw on my bottom lip while we stand in the hallway together, not knowing what to say next. I'm not used to these social situations.

"I was just about to go get myself a cookie, would you like to join me?" he asks softly.

"Sure," I squeak out.

He starts to walk down the hallway again and I follow behind him quietly. When we reach the patients' kitchen, Liam reaches in, grabbing a container. He pulls out two cookies, putting each of them on a small napkin. Turning around, he hands one to me and then heads out. He walks into the day area and sits down on one of the couches. I follow, setting myself on the one directly across from him. I can feel myself becoming fidgety, my elbows resting on my knees. I hesitantly look at my cookie. Liam is already almost done with his. He looks up, realizing I am staring at him. He laughs lightly.

"These are my favorite. Just about the best thing in this place." He smiles. "Braeden always makes sure we have plenty of them on hand."

I widen my eyes, my heart races just hearing his name. I look down at my cookie, my fingers picking at the corner of the napkin.

"So, you know Braeden?" I ask, trying to not sound over eager.

"Yeah, he has been really good to me since I've been here. Kinda think of him as a big brother," he says, smiling. I gnaw on my lip some.

"If you don't mind me asking, how long has that been?"

"Three years."

I just look at him, his face blank.

"Isn't that hard? Don't you miss your family?" I ask. He shakes his head.

"Being in here is better than being out there," he says, looking out the closest window. "It's obvious that my family doesn't care about me. It's been about two and a half years since they last visited me."

My heart aches for this boy. He is younger than me by a few years but he seems so much older. More mature.

"So, what are you in here for?" he asks, eating the last part of his cookie.

A cold sweat breaks out through my body. I hesitate to answer.

"Don't worry, Phoenix, I've heard it all. And I promise you that there are crazier people in here than you."

I chew on the inside of my lip.

"I tried to kill myself," I admit, an odd sensation of relief coming over me.

He doesn't ask any more questions about it. I slowly nibble on my cookie, the taste somewhat comforting. Something normal in this crazy place. Liam perks up, looking at something behind me. My heart begins to race as I slowly turn in my seat, my eyes finding an unfamiliar massive figure towering over me.

"Hey, you two, did you save one for me?" his voice booms, the white of his teeth bright because he is smiling so hard.

The figure moves out from behind me, walking around and takes a seat on the couch beside me. He looks at me, the smile still on his face.

"You must be Phoenix." He waves, almost like a small child would. "I'm Donovan."

I smile back at him.

"Nice to meet you," I say quietly.

We all fall silent and I just keep my eyes on my cookie, pulling the chocolate chips off and eating them one by one. Donovan and Liam talk, and I sort of phase in and out, my stomach feeling like it's been turned inside out. Then, suddenly, Donovan moves, his arms flailing up in the air in what I assume is part of the telling of an embellished story. My body reacts and I flinch, a whimper leaving my throat. I just look down at the floor, feeling the burn in my cheeks, completely embarrassed.

"I'm so sorry, Phoenix," he says, the tone of his voice apologetic. "I should know better than that."

"It's OK," I mutter.

I keep staring at the ground, contemplating just getting up and heading back to my room.

"Well, I gotta go finish my rounds. Your man Braeden decided to call in sick," he says to what I am assuming is Liam.

I snap my head up.

"Is he OK?" the words flowing out of me before I can stop them.

I look out from under my hair; Donovan looks back over at me, the smile back on his face.

"Yeah, he was just a little under the weather."

"Oh," I respond.

"Nice to meet you." He nods, and goes to get up slowly from the couch. "Goodnight, Phoenix."

"Night," I whisper.

It's just Liam and I again and I can hear the rain hitting the roof top, the melody it creates is quite calming. I hear Liam yawn, looking at the clock on the wall. He stands up from the couch, stretching out his body.

"I am going to try to go back to bed," he says. "I think the voices have all gone to sleep."

"OK." I respond.

"Do you want me to walk you back to your room?" he offers. I smile.

"No thank you, I think I am going to stay out here a little longer."

"OK, night," he says.

"Good night, Liam, and thank you."

"Anytime," he says before walking out.

I am alone again. Usually this would scare me, never knowing what may lie ahead of me or what mood my stepfather would be in. It was always a convenient time for him, my mom was never home when he usually came home from the bar. But tonight is different and that makes me smile. In a place where I truly know no one, I feel the most at home.