The Phoenix Chronicles: The Curse of Lustria

Chapter Three: Raizan

(NARRATED BY ELLI CRAYDELL)

I woke up with my head on my desk, holding a cell phone in one hand and my home phone in the other. With a deep groan, I brought myself upright in my chair. My neck was extremely sore.

How did I fall asleep here? I wondered.

Setting both phones down, I took a look at the clock that sat on my dresser. It was half-past six in the morning. Then I noticed that I was still dressed in the same clothes I had worn the day before. "What the...?"

Suddenly, the memory of that night came crashing down on me like a tidal wave.

I cursed silently as the blood rushed to my face. "I sure hope he forgets all that...."

Moving over to the mirror next to my bathroom, I examined myself. Not surprisingly, I looked like a total train wreck. My hair was a mess, my clothes were dirty, and my skin looked rough and unclean. It had been a long time since I actually cared about my appearance. That was before I had given up. Sarah had won the beauty contest and my best friend's heart. But what did it matter anyway? I had been doomed from the start. I couldn't have possibly hoped to compete with a girl like her.

Even though I had grown over an inch since that summer, Sarah was still taller. Her hair was long, blonde, and naturally straight, while mine was brown and boring. In addition, to be frank, what good were my eyes when Sarah's face and figure were more striking than my own? As artistically capable as I was, not even I could draw up a girl as beautiful as she.

Of course, I knew that my beloved Travis wasn't shallow. He wouldn't have fallen for Sarah simply because she was "hot." But either way, that girl beat me in every category. For one, she was more talented than I. I could draw pretty well, but she was even better at cooking. She could also fight with a sword and was braver than my own father, while I was too scared to touch a kitchen knife.

She had the prettiest smile, the most charming laugh, and the cutest voice. She was that one girl that every guy wished he could have. If I hadn't been a "Prophesy kid," nobody would've even known my name. It just wasn't fair! I had known Travis for years, yet she managed to win him over in a matter of days!

"Pull yourself together," I chided.

Isabel would've said the exact same thing. As emotionally strong as she was, I was nothing like my ancestor in that regard. I constantly had to remind myself to quit complaining. I knew I often came across as a melodramatic, whimpering crybaby whenever something happened to upset me, but it was a hard habit to break.

Like any good person would, Sarah had invited me to Travis' little birthday "get-together," which was supposed to take place following the General's meeting in the afternoon. On my desk sat the present I had made for Travis. It was somewhat a replica of a gift he had once made for me a long time ago, within my first year of living in Moreila Valley: a beaded bracelet.

On each bead, he had painted symbols representing each of our childhood "adventures" together. A couple years later, when I had broken it climbing a tree with him, he made me another one in the form of a necklace with even more beads. It was all metal, so I figured it came from his father's workshop. Instead of painting on the beads, he had fashioned each one into a unique symbol. There was rarely a day when I hadn't worn it. In fact, I had it on that very moment. It was resting over my heart—right where it belonged.

Even though he denied having any artistic talent, I was impressed by how he could fashion such a wonderful piece of jewelry. On the other hand, while I already knew how artistically capable I was myself, I had never actually returned the favor until now.