Phoenix: The Rising

by Bette Maybee

  Eli’s gaze returned to the thin sliver of moon slicing into the night sky.

  “Two weeks,” she murmured softly.

  Eli continued staring out the window. Was he afraid to look at her? “Two weeks, what?”

  Lucy smiled to herself. “Two weeks until the next full moon. I love full moons.” By then, Eli Sullivan, you will be mine! She saw Eli give her a sideways glance, then reach up and behind himself, giving himself a quick scratch between the shoulder blades. She turned and leaned against the window, positioning herself under his outstretched arms. “Hey, you didn’t answer my question.”

  “What question?”

  “Did you go see Julie tonight? I’m just asking because I know how hard it is to lose someone close to you.” And because I want to know where the bitch is.

  Eli dropped his hands off the window frame and stared at Lucy, as if he were sizing her up, figuring out if she were trustworthy. “She came home tonight.”

  Lucy felt her eyes grow wide. Shit! She didn’t know whether to be excited or pissed. Excited because she could now track her and pissed because she knew Eli would probably be spending every waking moment with her.

  “Wow! Really?” she replied with mock enthusiasm. She wanted to hurl her lamp at the window. “When do I get to meet her?”

  Eli backed up to the door and gave Lucy a tentative smile. “It may be a week or so before she’ll feel like coming back to school, but I promise, once she’s back I’ll introduce the two of you.” He grabbed the knob and pulled the door open. “I have a feeling the two of you are going to become great friends.”

  Oh. My. God! That could work! Lucy bobbed her head up and down in unchecked enthusiasm. “I have a feeling we are, too!”

  As soon as Lucy heard the click of the door as it closed, she snatched her cell phone off the nightstand and stared at it. Which one should I call? She scrolled through the contacts and pressed the dial button. Three rings later, he answered.

  “Kas? This is Lucy. The bitch is back. Time to make some plans.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Julie brought her car to a halt just outside the privacy gate of the estate. She sighed and yanked off the itchy platinum wig her father had insisted she get just in case she decided she needed one for school. There was no way she was going to wear this thing to school, even though it looked pretty similar to the original style and color she had before the chemo. However, it certainly came in handy at home. Her father had no idea that she already had a full, albeit short, head of hair weeks ahead of schedule.

  Julie stared in the visor mirror at the two-inch growth of hair covering her head. She tucked what she could behind her ears and smiled. This pixie-style, ala Emma Watson, was actually cute on her, and she was getting used to the color. With it short, the color didn’t remind her so much of her mother. Plus, there were no outward signs on her face that she’d ever been sick. As far as the kids would know, she’d simply taken some time off from regular school after Charsey’s death. No one would blame her. Her smile faded. Except, of course, for the Nephilim, if there were any in her school. She’d be on their radar, especially now that she was sporting her real hair color. She sighed and scanned the parking lot. Only a few scrawny freshman girls racing to the school doors. Candidates for would-be giants they were not.

  The first hour tardy bell rang just as Julie slid through the doorway of American Lit. Mr. Fredricks’s eyes narrowed in confusion as she took her usual seat up front between Grace and Tina whose heads had both swiveled towards her in disbelief. Fredricks leaned against his desk and crossed his arms in his usual nonchalant stance as recognition dawned on his face.

  “Ah. Miss Mason. Making a grand entrance as usual, I see.”

  Blood rushed to her cheeks as she turned to see Eli grinning from ear to ear. “Wouldn’t have it any other way, Mr. Fredricks.”

  “Wow,” Tina whispered, her brown eyes fixed on Julie’s hair.

  Grace slammed her hands on her bible. “Why on earth would you dye your hair red? You’re just asking for trouble, Julie.”

  Julie shrugged as she shifted her gaze from Eli to the girl sitting next to him. That had to be his “cousin”, Liana and Simon’s granddaughter. Holy crap! He didn’t mention how gorgeous she was!

  Grace shot Julie an attention-getting poke in the arm. “Aren’t you worried about getting killed, Julie?”

  Rubbing her arm, Julie turned to the girl. “You know I don’t believe in all that legend mumbo-jumbo, Grace. It’s just my way of paying homage to Charsey. Plus, I needed a change. Things are never going to be the same around here.”

  “Well,” Mr. Fredricks interjected, “if I have anything to say about it, things will return to normal right now! I’m sure we are all thrilled about your return, Miss Mason, but I’d like my class back. Turn to page 79.”

  Julie flipped open her book, then glanced over her shoulder. The girl was still staring at her. She smiled. The girl smiled back, then leaned towards Eli. Too close. She whispered something in his ear. He smiled. Crap! Couldn’t she feel the electricity pulsing out of him? Worse yet, wasn’t Eli concerned that she could? Things didn’t make sense. Either she couldn’t feel it, or she knew about everything, which could only mean one thing: Julie had been replaced. Julie chewed her lip in worry and flipped her book to the next page, mimicking the rest of the class. Even if the girl believed that she was a blood relative, she was probably smart enough to realize that second cousins could be legally married in all fifty states. Lovely!

  Julie forced herself to keep her eyes on the pages of her book as Fredricks droned on, when all she wanted to do was swivel around in her seat and watch the show in the back of the room. She exhaled in relief when the bell rang, then sprinted out the door without looking in their direction. It was hard enough knowing Eli and the girl were sitting together without actually seeing them. The thought of another girl in his life made Julie sick to her stomach, even though that girl thought they were related.

  ****

  A familiar buzz in the air announced Eli’s arrival even before he grabbed Julie by the arm and pulled her to the side of the hall.

  “Lucy, this is Julie.”

  Julie and Lucy smiled simultaneously. While the girl sported a genuine grin, Julie had to force hers. Lucy was even more beautiful close up. The word goddess popped into her head. Julie was once again relegated to the stature of a garden gnome.

  Lucy’s eyes flashed over Julie from head to toe and back up again in a matter of a millisecond. No one else would have noticed, but it was evident to Julie that Lucy was sizing up her competition.

  Lucy suddenly flung her arms around Julie, crushing the air out of her lungs. “I am so glad to meet you!” She released her just as quickly, and stood back, glancing nervously at her feet. “Sorry. I’m just excited to make a friend besides Eli. I think all the girls around here are pretty intimidated by my size.”

  Julie inhaled. “I bet the boys don’t mind. You look just like Lucy Lawless—you know—Xena: Warrior Princess.”

  Lucy rolled her eyes. “I know. It’s a curse. But, I don’t have time for boys, anyways. I’m just trying to keep my head above water in all my classes.”

  Julie studied Lucy’s face. Maybe she was wrong about her. “I hear we have something in common.”

  Lucy’s eyes immediately misted over as she nodded in affirmation. “I lost my mom about the same day you lost your best friend.”

  Julie cleared her throat nervously. “She was my only friend, besides Eli, of course.” She threaded her arm through Eli’s and smiled at the surprised look on his face. He wasn’t used to her touching him in public, especially since she was so wary of the electric thrill it gave her. “Eli now holds the esteemed title of best friend, but it’s just not the same as having a girlfriend.” Eli simply smiled and stood there looking like the cat who ate the canary. He was enjoying this way too much.

  Lucy looked from Eli to Julie then hooked her arm through Julie’s empty one. “Look no f
urther. Xena to the rescue!” Lucy tugged on Julie’s arm and the three of them walked down the hall together, arm in arm. Julie was amazed that Lucy hadn’t chosen to latch onto Eli, and he seemed more than happy to see that Lucy had taken to Julie so quickly. How could she have been so wrong?

  Three classrooms down, Eli peeled his arm from Julie’s, and with the arm went the intoxicating buzz that always accompanied his touch. She wondered if Lucy could feel it through her. If she could, she wasn’t letting on.

  “Hate to break up the party, but this is my stop. Try to stay out of trouble, you two.” Eli winked at Julie. He seemed genuinely happy about this new friendship. It seemed important to him. The least she could do was try to be Lucy’s friend. She knew what it felt like to be the new girl at school.

  Eli disappeared through the door, and Lucy gave Julie another tug. “Come on. We don’t want to be late for gym.”

  Julie turned to Lucy. “How did you know I had gym this hour?”

  Lucy shrugged. “Eli mentioned it when I was signing up for classes. I hope you don’t mind that I requested this section. I wanted to see at least one friendly face in there.”

  Lucy glanced over to Julie. “I can’t get over how pretty you are. No wonder Eli’s so smitten with you. Love your hair, by the way. And those green eyes. I am SO jealous!”

  Julie looked at Lucy and smiled warily. Was she being sarcastic? The smile on her face seemed sincere. Julie sighed in surrender. This girl was Liana and Simon’s flesh and blood, for God’s sake! “Coming from a warrior princess, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “Warrior princess? You must be our new mascot!”

  Kas Penemue seemed to materialize out of nowhere, a Sherman tank blocking their progress. The girls came to a halt just short of running into him.

  “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your new friend, Julie?” Julie watched Kas’s eyes roam over Lucy, and then over her, settling on her hair. It was the first time he’d seen her since that night. “And I almost didn’t recognize you. What’s with the new hair? Looks like you’re thumbing your nose at those Nephilim. What do you have, a death wish?”

  Julie dropped her arm from Lucy’s. “You know I don’t believe all that crap. I just needed a change after what happened to Charsey. You do remember Charsey, don’t you?”

  Kas’s eyes bore into hers as his cheeks flamed. “Of course I do. How can I forget when the police are over at my house every few days reminding me?”

  Julie could have bitten her own tongue. She had no idea what any of Charsey’s other friends were going through since she had been gone. Plus, she was a little preoccupied with her recovery and trying to figure out the identity of the Nephilim.

  “I’m sorry. Old habits die hard. I guess I should make some new ones.” Lucy cleared her throat, reminding Julie that there was a third person standing with them. “Oh, Kas, this is Lucy Temeluch, Eli Sullivan’s cousin. Lucy, Kas Penemue.”

  Kas’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. “No shit? So that’s why you’ve been catching a ride on his bike. I thought you two were hooking up.”

  Lucy’s face blazed red as she grabbed Julie’s arm and squeezed. “Well, you thought wrong. Eli happens to be my second cousin. His aunt and uncle are my grandparents. They’re the only family I have, not that it’s any of your business.”

  Kas’s hands shot up in surrender. “Sorry. I didn’t know. Just trying to be friendly, Lacy.” He backed away, a half-smile lifting the right corner of his lips, then turned, leaving the two girls standing outside the gym doors.

  “Lucy,” Julie called after him dryly. “Her name is Lucy.”

  “Good God,” Lucy exclaimed as she leaned against the door, “he’s an annoying one, isn’t he?”

  “Annoying, yes, but I don’t think he knows any bet—” Julie’s words were cut short by the last thing she wanted to hear: the tardy bell. Crap! She grabbed Lucy by the arm and hauled her down the hallway. “Come on. If you’re hanging out with me, you’ll need to know where to get a tardy slip.”

  ****

  Lucy waited until the end of the day to approach Julie again. She threw her a couple of hey, girl’s throughout the day, just to let Julie know that she saw her, but she didn’t want to seem too overbearing and fuck things up this early. Her close encounter with Kas had done almost that. Good thing he played along with her when he found out about her true relationship with Eli. Maybe he wasn’t as dumb as his cousin. Now she needed to concentrate on befriending the Fire-Child. Catching her at her locker was going to be a critical part of her plan, and it looked like the moment was now.

  “Knock-knock!” Lucy rapped her knuckles on Julie’s open locker door.

  Pale, green eyes peeked around the door’s edge and blinked. “Oh, hi.”

  Julie’s less than enthusiastic greeting made Lucy think twice about what she was about to do. She knew she was pressing her luck with this next move, but she couldn’t help herself. Weaving this web was so much fun! Besides, she had a feeling she was running out of time. Winning the trust of the Fire-Child was the one sure way she could be near her when it came time for her to claim her birthright. Lucy pulled the door open the rest of the way so she could get a good view of the inside of the locker as Julie continued stuffing her books into her book bag for the ride home.

  “You are so lucky you don’t have a locker mate. Mine is a pig! My bag ends up smelling like dirty gym socks and beef jerky by the end of the day. Here ... smell.” She held her bag up and shoved it towards Julie’s face. Julie didn’t flinch. Lucy looked from Julie’s incredulous stare to the empty locker and back. Her hand flew to her mouth.

  “Oh, I am such a freak! Charsey was your locker mate, wasn’t she? I didn’t mean to imply that I wanted to be your partner ... I mean, I did, but it was just a spur of the moment idea. I’m so sorry. Forget I even said anything.” Lucy hiked her backpack onto one shoulder and turned to leave.

  “17-29-36.”

  Lucy smiled to herself and turned around, plastering a puzzled crinkle into her brow for the desired effect. “What?”

  Julie closed the door to her locker and spun the lock. “It’s my locker combination. Air out that bag tonight, and you can move in tomorrow.” Julie smiled and Lucy knew that she’d just completed the hardest part of her plan. The Fire-Child was about to become her best friend.

  “Are you sure? I mean I know I could never replace Charsey.”

  Julie hoisted her bulging bag onto her shoulder. “Oh, don’t worry about that. Charsey was one of a kind. No one could replace her.”

  “Yeah, and so popular. What a waste. Nobody should die that young.” Lucy squeezed out a smile as she thought of Charsey going at it with Dan in the pool house right before he snapped her neck. Dan obviously didn’t mind sloppy seconds, knowing that Charsey had been with Kas less than two hours before he took his turn. Even Remy had gotten in on the act, nailing her two weeks before at a party. At least she kept it all in the family. Unfortunately for her, she chose the wrong family.

  Lucy sighed as she saw Eli jogging down the hall towards them, her stomach flipping at the sight of his pecs bulging under his t-shirt with each step. The sight was enough to drive her crazy. Her eyes flashed over to Julie, whose own eyes were busy following every movement of the lithe body springing towards them. She might be the Fire-Child, she might be the current object of Eli Sullivan’s affection, but Lucy had a few advantages over the slight redhead, her main one being that when he went to bed at night, she was the one occupying another bed just a few yards away from him. If she had her way, within the next two weeks, the only thing separating them at night would be a few inches of white, cotton sheet.

  Eli stopped in front of them. He wasn’t smiling. “We have to go.” He looked from Julie to Lucy. “Liana’s had a heart attack.”

  Lucy’s thoughts rewound to the vision of Liana’s hand on her chest and her faltering steps as she left Lucy’s room the night before. Yes, the cruel words she spoke to her
were meant to crush her spirit and hurt her as much as she hurt her mother, but she didn’t mean to physically harm her grandmother. Grandmother. She’d uttered the word several times in the past two weeks, but this was the first time she ever felt any emotional connection with it. Was this what it felt like to have family?

  “Lucy, did you hear what I said?”

  Lucy blinked, trying to clear her head. “Yes. Heart attack.”

  Julie grabbed Lucy by the elbow and led her down the hall as Eli sprinted away. “You can ride with me. Eli’s going on ahead. We’ll meet him there.”

  The trip to the hospital was made in guilty silence. Lucy knew this was her fault. The bitter taste of remorse mingled with the newfound contempt she felt for most of the humans she encountered. Not another tear, she reminded herself, but the breeze on her damp cheeks told her otherwise. She still had a thread of humanity left in her, and right now it was tying her in an emotion-filled, gut-wrenching knot.

  Julie opened Lucy’s door for her and pulled her from the car. Her feet had to be coaxed into walking.

  “She’s going to be all right, Lucy. Liana’s one of the strongest women I’ve ever met.”

  “She’s human. Humans die.” Lucy turned her brown eyes to Julie’s pale, green, immortal ones. “You should know that better than anyone.”

  Julie stopped in her tracks. “What?”

  Shit. Did she just make a fatal error? Time to cover her tracks.

  “You just buried your friend, Julie, and if the rumors are true, it’s because those Nephilim bastards were looking for the Fire-Child. According to Tina, they’ll kill any redheaded, green-eyed human that crosses their path. And now you—” She poked an accusing finger at Julie’s hair. “You’ve made yourself a sitting duck for those monsters. You might as well have put a target on your back! I just lost my mother, Julie. I don’t want to lose my grandmother, or my best friend.”