A Brand New Ending

Chapter 9

Phoenix



I feel myself being blinded, opening my eyes slowly. I notice that there is a harsh stream of sunlight coming through the window, hitting right on my pillow. I grumble, pulling the sheets over my head and I inhale an unfamiliar scent. I open my eyes again and slowly remember everything.

Pain. Cold. Daggers. Green. Fear. I peer out from under my covers slowly, only to have a pair of eyes staring back at me.

"Morning!" a small girl says standing over me.

Her eyes are large, a vibrant brown. Her hair is as dark as night and travels down the length of her back in a loose braid. I slide out from under my sheets but keep them close against my chest.

"Don't be afraid, Phoenix." She smiles.

Goosebumps break out all over my body when I realize no one knows my name here besides the nurses and him. I think she noticed my uneasiness.

"Don't worry, I tend to have psychic abilities," she says, holding out her hand. "I'm Rain."

Lifting my hand out from under the covers slowly, I shake hers. We both fall silent.

"Do you want to have breakfast with me?" she asks.

"Uh sure," I answer. "I need to use the bathroom first though."

"Sure, it's just through there," she says, pointing to the closed door.

Pulling my covers off, I swing my feet out, the tile cold on my toes. I use the bathroom quickly, washing my hand and then head back into the bedroom. Rain is holding out a different pair of clothes for me.

"They don't have any strings so they should be OK," she says, the smile now gone, a worried one replacing it.

"Thanks," I say softly, pulling them on.

Once I am dressed, we exit the bedroom, the hallway a lot busier than the previous night. My heart begins to race, realizing that this is all real. This isn't a dream. It's more like a nightmare.

As we make our way to what I assume is where we are eating, I take in my surroundings. There are people everywhere, a mixture of aides and patients. Their faces look tired, as if the life has been drained from them. I can see the pain and the hurt, a sight I am all too familiar with. I feel someone's arm slide into mine. I look over to see Rain standing next to me, our elbows locked together. We don't say anything, she just smiles.

"Sit," she says bubbly, while holding out a chair for me.

I slide into the seat, now alone at a table. Playing with my fingernails, I find myself thinking about him and the feeling that flowed through me before I passed out. Betrayed by my own body.

I can feel my cheeks burning and my heart starting to race. I look up from the table, shifting my eyes around the room. There are mostly female aides in here, except for one unfamiliar guy, who is looking back at me. I quickly look away and back down at my hands.

"He's not here," I hear a voice say, looking up to see Rain sliding into the chair next to me.

"Who?" I ask, trying to pretend like I don't know who she is talking about.

She just laughs.

"There isn't much you can keep from me, Phoenix," she says.

I smile shyly.

"Just in case you were wondering, he works nights and gets off at seven."

She shimmies in her chair, handing me a fork and knife.

"We're allowed to have these?" I ask.

"Yeah, they count them when we leave though," she says, taking a bite of food.

I do the same, the food feeling incredible, fulfilling the nutrition deficit my body has been collecting. We both eat in silence until a figure comes up to our table. It's the male aide that was staring at me, or at least I think he was. Maybe I'm just paranoid.

"Girls," I hear him say.

My heart is racing so fast I can hear the boom in my ears. I don't look up from my plate of food.

"I don't think we've met," I hear him say. "You must be Phoenix."

My eyes widen, knowing I have to look up at him. Shifting my eyes upward, I look into his eyes, nodding slightly. I quickly look back down. I can still feel him hovering, his body leaning in closer to my back. I begin to feel nauseous, my vision blurry. After a few seconds, he leaves. When I know it's clear, I sit straight in my chair, looking over my shoulder slowly, relieved that he is no longer in the room.

"He is the devil," I hear Rain say and I whip my head around to look at her.

She doesn't say more than that, but I tend to agree. We both resume eating. When we both finish, I pick up my tray and utensils, handing it to the aide. She looks over the tray, making sure all the utensils are there. Rain and I leave the kitchen, her arm in mine again. Being so close to someone would usually scare me, but Rain is just…comforting.

"Do you want to go for a walk? I can show you the rest of the hospital…"

"Sure," I whisper.

She grabs my arm and we make a quick right out through a pair of doors, into a small courtyard. It's cold and the wind is harsh but it feels indescribable, like I can finally breathe. I unhook my arm from Rain's, stepping towards the surrounding gates. I feel free for the first time in so long. I feel like no one can touch me here. I feel safe. Tears start to fall, my emotions overtaking my mind. To be so close, yet so far away.

Rain comes up next to me, as though she can feel what I'm feeling. She puts her arm around me, her touch soothing. And then she says something to me, her eyes staring out in the same direction of mine.

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass Phoenix...it's about learning to dance in the rain."

I look over at her, her face expressionless, as though she is somewhere else. She's starting to freak me out a little bit.