A Brand New Ending

Chapter 13

Phoenix



I hear voices stirring in my head, and then a sharp pain shooting up my back. Opening my eyes slowly I upright myself, realizing I'm still in the day area. I never made it back to my room last night.

Grabbing the blanket, I pull it up to my chest, getting up from the couch slowly. The room is now full of other patients, making me semi-uncomfortable. I start to make my way back down the hallway, the hospital quite different then it was last night. It's hurried and busy, and I can feel my anxiety kicking in. I start to make my way around the corner faster, my nose picking up a familiar scent, but I can't pinpoint where I know it from. I soon realize it's coming from the blanket wrapped around me. Pulling it up over my nose I inhale, the smell intoxicating. It smells like home after the first rain.

I feel someone watching me, making me look upwards. All I see is him, and no one else. The room around me becomes foggy and everyone else becomes a blur in my vision. It's now that I realize he has been watching me smell this blanket. Now he really knows I'm f*cking insane.

My knees start to become weak, feeling completely embarrassed. Before he has time to see my crimson cheeks, I bolt down the hallway in the opposite direction, opening my door quickly, and then slamming it behind me. Leaning up against it I breathe in and out, heavily. Rain comes out from the bathroom, a smile on her face.

"Are you hiding from someone?" she asks giggling.

I slouch, letting the blanket falling to the floor. I breathe out one last loud sigh.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" I ask. For the first time I'm starting to think I belong here.

She comes over to my bed, sitting down and patting besides her. I shimmy my way over and plop myself down.

"I can't…" I mutter. "There's no way…"

Rain lifts her hand up and she rubs the back of my hair, stroking it softly. I close my eyes and instantly flash back to when I was little and my mother used to brush my hair. It is my favorite memory of her. Although, there aren't many to chose from. I open my eyes again and turn my head to Rain, an apologetic look on her face. I know I don't have to speak for her to understand me. She continues to rub my hair, calming me greatly.

"What do you have to lose when you have nothing left?" she says.

~

Getting out of the shower, I wrap my body in a towel and brush my hair, staring at myself in the mirror. My face is extremely pale with dark circles under my eyes. I touch them with my fingertips, small patches of puffy skin adorning them. Pulling my towel off I go over every scar, for once my arms and legs are not decorated with new bruises. Each scar brings back a certain memory. He will always have a hold on me. These scars will never go away.

Looking back up at the mirror, the sound of cracking glass reaches my ears, but I know it's just a memory. It's as though I can still feel the warm blood oozing down the back of my arm.

~

"Phoenix!" I can hear her scream from the bottom of the stairs.

I lay curled up in my bed, wishing and hoping that I can somehow disappear from the Earth this instant. I have no desire to live. I can hear feet stomping up the stairs, not knowing if it is her or him. Maybe he has come to finally put me out of my misery. The door slams open. I don't turn around to see who it is.

"Phoenix Grace," she says, throwing the covers off of me. The cold air hits my wound, it making me wince.

"I have told you to come down…" she begins to say, pausing mid sentence. She grabs onto my arm so hard that it makes me flip over.

"Mom," I scream out. "You're hurting me."

"What the hell happened to you?" she asks. "I told you to stay out of trouble."

I don't say anything, knowing she won't really listen to me. I just stare at her, my eyes burning from crying. She just stares back at me and then puts my arm down slowly. She turns around and leaves, shutting my door behind her without saying another word.

~

I pull my hands off the sink and head back into the bedroom. I grab a new outfit, sliding it on. Putting my hair up into a high ponytail, I sigh, not really knowing what to do next. That's one thing I have learned in here, days go a lot slower when you have nothing but time. As Rain and I leave the room, she gives me a reassuring pat on the back.

"Sometimes the right path isn't the easiest." She smiles.

We walk back down the hallway, my eyes scanning and my heart racing. Moments later, we are approached by tall slender women with a clipboard.

"Phoenix Harper?" she asks, looking at me. I nod.

"I'm Doctor Conrad, if you could please follow me," she says, ushering me in the opposite direction. I look over at Rain.

"It's going to be OK," she assures me.

I bite my lip, nodding slowly. I follow behind the doctor quietly, until we reach a door, her name across it. She opens the door, telling me to enter. When I get inside I know exactly what this is. Another psychological evaluation. Time to find out how crazy I really am.