Phoenix

by Jessica Wayne

  “It’s possible, I suppose.” Anastasia nudged Brady’s shoulder. “You keep petting her like that, and she’s never going to be able to help me finish the rounds.”

  “Why are you walking the fence, anyway?”

  “Just checking for any damage.”

  “We haven’t had any attacks. The wall is fine.”

  “I just have a bad feeling, Brady. Like something is going to happen soon. Just do me a favor and keep an eye out.”

  “You know I will.” He kicked at the dirt, then looked back up at Anastasia. “I asked Emma to go steady with me.” He smiled, and for a moment, her heart ached.

  Even after all this time, she still missed Dakota.

  Brady and Emma had been dancing around one another for months now. Flirting, without actually taking a step toward a relationship. Anastasia had pushed Brady to make things more official, having experienced firsthand how quickly time could run out.

  Anastasia still bore the heavy weight of regret, having missed out on anything more than friendship with Dakota.

  “That’s wonderful! I'm very happy for you two.”

  He blushed, focusing on the ground beneath their feet as they resumed walking together. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked cautiously.

  “Talk about what?”

  “What’s bugging you.”

  Her smile vanished. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Come on, Anastasia, I know you better than that.”

  She sighed; he was right. “I was just thinking about my best friend from where I used to live.”

  “Oh? What was her name?” he asked.

  “His name was Dakota.”

  “Ohhh, gotcha. Were you two in a relationship?”

  “Kind of? We’d decided to move forward the night I uh—” she sighed, “The night I came here.” Brady was one of the few who knew she had come from another world. Most of the villagers assumed she’d been somewhere in their world rather than a parallel one.

  “Man, that’s rough.”

  “Yeah. He was always there for me, pushing me to enjoy life rather than hide from it.”

  They continued walking the fence, and her mind drifted back to a night that seemed forever ago in his room, when he had told her of his plans for their future.

  Anastasia stared out of her window. The sky beyond was dark, but the raindrops against the window offered her comfort. It wasn’t often that she felt at peace. Her father had come home angry today, and she sported a split lip as proof of some slight she knew hadn’t truly warranted his reaction, but she took solace in the fact that she only had one year until graduation. Three hundred and sixty-five measly days before she could hold her diploma in her hand while she fled from this town and everything she had ever feared.

  She held her hand out of the open window and let the raindrops fall on her palm. The sensation of the drops on her skin brought a rare smile to her face. There was something so cleansing about the rain, and since she lived in Seattle, it was good that she enjoyed it. Rain was one of the things she would miss when she left.

  She knew that this couldn’t be all that the world had to offer her. She had to be meant for something, didn’t she? Then again, if her own parents believed she was worthless, then what did that say about her? She had grown up hearing how unwanted she had been, and what a mistake it was that she had even been born. Could it be that they were right?

  A light came on in the room of the house next door and jarred her from her thoughts. She waited anxiously for the occupant to come to the window, just as he did every night. A few minutes went by, and then he pulled back the curtains and lifted the glass. Dakota Parker, her best friend for as long as she could remember, was always there for her. He smiled, and even in the dark she could see the worry behind his blue eyes.

  She’d always thought he was handsome, but as he got older, the way he smiled at her did funny things to her heart. His dark hair was long enough that it looked messy now, as if he’d run his hands through it repeatedly. Something she knew he did when he was frustrated or stressed.

  “Hey, Ana.”

  Smiling, she climbed out to her rooftop.

  He held out a hand, and being cautious because of the rain, she took it and made the quick jump through his window.

  Dakota wiped a raindrop from her face and handed her a towel to dry her hair.

  “Thanks.” She smiled at him and immediately regretted it. He noticed the cut on her lip, and he touched it gently.

  “Want to stay the night?” he asked. So many nights she had spent in his room, sleeping in the safety of knowing that she wasn’t going to be attacked in the middle of the night.

  She nodded and lay down. He turned off the light and lay next to her, facing her.

  “How are you?” he asked, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

  “I'm okay. I was late getting home today.”

  “You had a meeting with Mrs. Callahan, didn’t you?”

  “I did, but I forgot to tell my parents.”

  “Nothing warrants this, Ana.” He gently brushed his thumb over her lip.

  “How was your day?” she asked, pulling the covers up to her chin.

  “Long.” He laughed and rolled onto his back. “We had dinner with dad’s partner and his family tonight. Their son is just such a jerk.”

  Anastasia laughed. She knew how much Dakota disliked Gage Keesler.

  “Oh, come on, he’s not that bad,” she said sarcastically.

  “It’s good you feel that way since he seems to have a thing for you.” Dakota looked at her and winked, and she rolled her eyes.

  “Not interested.”

  “Why not, Ana? I mean, he is a quarterback, after all.” The sarcasm dripped from his voice.

  “For a losing team.” She laughed and propped herself up on her elbows. “Not to mention the fact that he has an ego the size of the entire field.”

  “He definitely does, but he seems to think he’s going places.”

  “Still not interested.”

  Dakota laughed, and they sat quietly for a moment.

  “Do you ever wonder what it will be like when we graduate?” Anastasia asked, her face growing serious.

  “Sure. In fact, I can tell you exactly what’s going to happen.”

  “Oh yeah? What’s that?” Intrigued, Anastasia propped herself up on her elbow.

  “Well, I’ve already decided that I’m going to go to med school and you want to be a writer, right? So, the way I see it, we are going to move further into the city and go to school.”

  “Together?” Her heart leaped into her throat.

  “Of course. Where else would we be?”

  Could life honestly work out that way? Could she be lucky enough that he might see her as more than a friend?

  “We’re best friends, Ana. Where you go, I go.” He looked away, and she turned back to the window to watch the raindrops race to the windowsill.

  Best friends. She smiled. She supposed that was pretty dang lucky in itself.

  “Ana?”

  “Yeah?” She turned to face him.

  “I’ll always be here for you, no matter what.”

  “I know, Dakota.” She smiled and leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. When she pulled away, the look on his face had her heart thumping in her chest.

  “Ana, I—” he started, and then took a deep breath. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Goodnight, Dakota.”

  “Night, Ana.”

  A scream tore through the night, ripping Anastasia from her memories. She spun toward the sound.

  “Brady, get inside and lock the gate!” Anastasia took off at a sprint, and Brady started to follow.

  “No way! I’m going to help you!”

  “No, Brady! I need you inside, please.” She stopped and faced him, her eyes wide and jaw set. She couldn’t risk Brady getting hurt again. He hadn’t been training long enough to put up much of a fight, and his participation would
only be a distraction.

  He opened his mouth to argue, but at the last minute changed his mind. “Fine, but call if you need me!”

  30

  Anastasia

  Barely inside the tree line, at least a dozen Brutes marched their way toward the fence. A body lay crumpled on the ground behind them. Kaley growled deep in her throat, and Anastasia charged.

  She spun, swinging her blade through the air at the one closest. It moved just out of reach, but she recovered from the miss, bringing the blade down on its neck.

  The other Brutes howled in rage, and one that was nearest to her stabbed at her with a large knife held in its meaty hand. She dodged, but not fast enough, and the blade caught her arm. She felt the sharp jab of pain as the blade slice through her skin, but refocused her energy on taking the beast down.

  Kaley kept a handful of the monsters occupied, so Anastasia focused on the ones that were currently targeting her. While she still hadn’t managed to conjure up anything lethal, she used what Gregory taught her and blasted one of the Brute’s with a ball of light.

  The magic stunned the targeted beast, and dropped it to its knees. Anastasia drove her sword into the monster’s neck.

  She spun just in time to slice open the abdomen of one of her assaulters, only to have her braid grabbed by another. Anastasia winced in pain as her neck jerked.

  “This her?” it asked, his voice like an avalanche of rocks crashing against each other.

  “It’s her,” the other one answered, its voice just as gravelly as the other’s.

  She drove her sword into the Brute that approached from the left, and then another grabbed her arm. She spun and kicked the Brute who held her hair and when it released her, brought her blade up and down on its neck.

  Other Fighters burst into the clearing, taking the last of the Brutes down.

  Anastasia stood for a moment staring down at the dead. Blood began to pool on the ground, and Kaley padded over next to her. Her own blood pounded in her ears, and she did what she could to steady her breathing and allow the adrenaline to dissipate.

  “You okay?” Tony asked as he came to stand next to her.

  “Yes, I’m fine.”

  “Your arm.” He pulled a handkerchief from his waistband to tie it around her bloody arm.

  “Just a flesh wound; I’m fine.”

  “You’re sure?”

  She nodded, kneeling beside the body of the woman who’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Brutes had caved her head in with their hands, and she lay in a pool of her own blood.

  Anastasia felt a pang to her heart. Jocelyn was a kind woman who helped in the medical cottage prepping salves and healing light injuries. She’d tended to a few of Anastasia’s wounds more than once over the years.

  “She will be missed,” Tony said as he helped Anastasia to her feet.

  “You okay?” Shane asked, checking her arm.

  “I’m fine, Shane.”

  “How the hell did they get so close?” he asked. “Where was Dave? He was supposed to be on sentry duty.”

  “Dead,” Tony commented. “Looks like someone snuck up on him.”

  “Fuck.” Shane ran his hand over his forehead.

  Anastasia turned, and winced when pain shot up her bicep.

  “We need to get you looked at,” Shane said, and Anastasia looked at her arm to see the blood leaking down through the temporary bandage.

  “Probably not a bad idea,” she agreed.

  “You sure you’re okay?” he asked as they made their way back to the village together.

  “I really am.” She offered him a smile; Shane really was kind, and she hated herself a little for breaking his heart. “How’s Ophelia?”

  “She’s good. Seems to be settling in all right.”

  “That’s good.”

  “I guess. There’s something off there.”

  “What do you mean?” Not wanting to sway his opinion with her own, Anastasia acted as though she hadn’t been thinking the exact same thing.

  “Just the way she’s been acting.” He ran a hand through his thick hair. “I mean, she supposedly lost everyone she knew, but she doesn’t act like it. She uh… came on to me pretty hard last night.”

  Anastasia raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

  He nodded. “It was uncomfortable.”

  “I’m sorry?” She laughed. “I don’t really know what to say.”

  Shane smiled down at her. “I like it when you laugh.”

  Anastasia cleared her throat, and they continued walking. Once inside the village gate, she headed for the medical cottage, leaving Shane to fill the other villagers in on what happened.

  After her arm was patched up, Anastasia made her way home to let Gregory know what happened. He was waiting for her, whiskey in his hand, and they took a seat on the front porch. Not long after, Kaley arrived and lay down at their feet.

  “Your arm all right?”

  “Yeah. It’ll scar, but hey, what’s one more, right?” She took a drink and thought back to Jocelyn. She was married and they had a young daughter who would now have to grow up without her mother. “We have to find a way to stop this. For years we’ve been playing defense; it’s time we went on the offense.”

  Gregory lifted an eyebrow “Football?”

  “Dakota loves football.” The memory saddened her, and Anastasia cleared her throat. “Or, loved it, I guess.”

  “I’m sure he still does.”

  “Thanks,” she said with a smile.

  Gregory shrugged. “Just a guess.”

  “I really miss him sometimes,” she said sadly.

  Gregory placed a hand on her shoulder. “I know you do. I’m so sorry.”

  Tears in her eyes, Anastasia tried to offer him a smile. “You don’t need to apologize. You saved my life and gave me a family.”

  “You had family with Dakota; Annabelle and I just extended it,” he said with a smile.

  “And Dad Number Two,” Tony said from the darkness.

  “Way to be creepy.” Anastasia laughed.

  “Sorry, I was just making my way back home and heard you talking.” He took a seat on the step below them, his back to the rails.

  “Want a drink?” Gregory asked, starting to stand.

  Tony put his hand up. “Yes, but I’ll get it.” He got to his feet and made his way inside.

  “Anastasia, I want to say that I am so proud of you and the woman you’ve become.”

  His words caught her off guard, not because she didn’t trust the sincerity, but because they were so final. “Thanks.”

  “If anything were to ever happen to me, I hope you always know that.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  Gregory took a drink from his cup and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him, as if her entire childhood was spent this way, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

  “Everything is perfect,” he said softly. “Absolutely perfect.”

  31

  Anastasia

  Anastasia was making her way into town the next morning when Ophelia waved her down. The other woman crossed the distance between them with grace that reminded Anastasia of a predator about to pounce.

  She wore a smile on her petite face, but it was forced.

  Great, what the hell does she want?

  “Anastasia, it’s a lovely morning, isn’t it?”

  “It is. How are you? Settling in okay?”

  Ophelia nodded quickly. “We can talk between us girls, can’t we? After all, I think we’re the same age, and I’m sure we could be friends.” She linked her arm through Anastasia’s, and Kaley, who had been padding alongside her, growled low in her throat.

  Interesting. Anastasia glanced at the feline. So Kaley didn’t trust Ophelia either?

  Looking back at Ophelia, she smiled. “Sure, what did you want to talk about?”

  “Oh, you know, this and that,” she said loudly, then lowered her voice to just above a whisper as she brought
her head closer to Anastasia’s. “Maybe we could talk about Shane?”

  Anastasia sighed. “What about him?”

  “Is he single? I mean, I’ve been dropping hints like crazy but he just keeps shooting me down.” She laughed, and the cackling sound grated on Anastasia’s nerves. “That, or he’s just very obtuse.”

  “Shane is not obtuse.”

  “Oh?” She stopped walking and raised an eyebrow. “Are you two a thing, then?”

  Anastasia couldn’t make out the emotion behind Ophelia’s cold eyes, but she could have sworn it was a challenge of some kind. She nearly rolled her eyes; there was no competition.

  “No, we’re just friends.”

  “Oh, good,” Ophelia responded with a tight smile.

  Anastasia didn’t miss the way her jaw tightened, or the fact that she appeared to be more disappointed than relieved.

  She looped her arm back through Anastasia’s and started walking again. Anastasia nearly groaned out loud, but managed to stop herself just in time. She was never one for girl talk, ever, and even if she had trusted the other woman, it was doubtful she would have been more interested in what she had to say.

  “So, are we safe here? In this big village?”

  Anastasia fought the urge to roll her eyes at the weak way she said ‘big village’. “Yes, we are perfectly safe.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Anastasia narrowed her eyes. Ophelia’s tone had Anastasia questioning the true motives behind the question. Challenge again?

  “Absolutely, no one is going to hurt my people.” Anastasia meant it as a threat, but the smile on the blonde’s face said she’d missed the underlying meaning.

  “I think it’s wonderful how protective you are over everyone here,” Ophelia said kindly. “I can’t tell you how glad I am that you brought me to your home.” She released Anastasia again and turned to face her. “I think we’re going to have a great time together.” A wide smile stretched over the bottom half of her face, and her eyes darkened.