Thine Poison'd Hearts

Visitor

"Witness Dahlia Hawthorne flees courtroom upon hearing murder accusation"

"Murder in the Courtroom – Dahlia Hawthorne Prime Suspect"

"Defense Attorney Found Dead – Murderer Chase Gone Cold"

            Piles of newspapers and articles rest on Phoenix's desk as he continues to shuffle through them day in and day out. Every readthrough is the same, and yet he convinces himself he missed something. Days turn into weeks as the shuffle continues. Any new leads result in dead-ends with more frustration than the last. Phoenix pushes off case after case, insisting that he must be ready for the day she arrives. As customary in the Prosecutor's Office, gossip spreads quickly. He becomes the talk of the building and quite the laughingstock. He could care less. His heart is still focused on a task and he plans to see it through until the end. What is the end exactly? Not even Phoenix knows the answer. He wishes to have the girl brought to him alive, but he fears her being brought to him dead. His goal is to deal with her by his own hand which means no one else may get to her first. He wipes the sweat caking on his forehead as he flips over another newspaper. No new details that would be helpful. He considers calling in new witnesses but nothing they have told him matters. He knows she is guilty. All that is left to do it make sure she pays for her crimes. Nothing else. The thought nearly makes him salivate. The setting sun casts a beam of light onto his desk. He reclines in his desk chair as he releases a huff of annoyance. Perhaps a small break may help. He takes a drink of water from a half-empty bottle resting on the windowsill and takes a moment to observe the view outside. Truly magnificent. He realizes how much he had not appreciated it before. Not many can say they get a view like this every day. He feels his eyes begin to grow heavy, but he forces them back open. Any time for sleep is wasted time. He rubs a hand under his bloodshot eyes as he resumes his furious searching. He glances over at a picture resting on his desk. The portrait shows him and Dahlia standing hand-in-hand in a patch of flowering cherry blossoms. Both of them have the widest of smiles on their faces. The image makes Phoenix feel sick. The reason he keeps it close by because it is the one thing reminding him of what all this work is for. Four years of law school and a whole bar exam later should show how serious he truly is. He feels his eyes grow heavy again. His body begins to feel like clay as it slowly melts down onto the desk. A deep sleep finally takes over him as he collapses.

            Seemingly moments later, a knock on the door can be heard.

Phoenix jolts awake as a glare of lightning peers into his room. His breath picks up as he goes into a small panic. Hard raindrops splatter onto the window. Thunder rumbles in the air and under his feet. He releases something of a relieved sigh. Perhaps it was only thunder that woke him up. At least that is what he hopes. The aura of the room feels different now that he has awoken. The feeling of being watched had seldom bothered Phoenix until now. He sits back down into his office chair feeling as though he could not go back to sleep if he tried. Besides, it is much too late and rainy to head home anyway. Phoenix decides that it will be yet another sleepless night at the office. He places his chin in his palms as he stares into the darkness. He holds up one of his hands; he cannot make out its shape in the dark room. The feeling makes him feel tired once more. However, his thundering anxieties keep him awake. A rumble makes its way through the floorboards once more. The rain on his window seems to grow louder as he becomes overly sensitive to the sounds around him. He feels his heartbeat grow louder and louder, but he works to stop the sensation. There is nothing to worry about. Everyone in the office is gone by now. He checks his cell phone for the time. As he suspected, it was critically late: 2:30 on the nose to be precise. Just the thought of the hour being so late causes Phoenix to grow more tired. He feels himself begin to fade away once more. But all too quickly, lightning strikes once again. Phoenix nearly leaps out of his skin as he tumbles out of his chair. The light breaks its way into the room, casting a beam directly at the door. The sight the lightning revealed was the cause of all of his anxieties. A figure stands before him silently and still but now clear as day. Phoenix feels his breath begin to pick up. His childish fears and urge to be professional clash as he makes his way back to his feet. He works to harden his face, but pure terror can clearly be seen breaking through the façade. In just the span of a second, Phoenix can already identify the figure. He feels his blood begin to boil. Why now of all times and places would she show up? He hopes he realizes the amount of danger the girl is in standing before him. As much as this is everything he has been waiting for, this feels almost too perfect of a victory. A bitter taste enters his mouth at the idea. The room remains dark as Phoenix collects his thoughts. No words are spoken by either party. He still cannot see the figure, but they are now both aware of one another. A sharp exhale of air can be heard through the blackness as a lamp flickers on. Phoenix feels his face go pale before fuming red with pure hatred. His fist clenches at his side as his other hand slams onto his desk. The girl standing before him jolts backward. He was correct, but how he wishes he wasn't.