Dawn took hold of the sky as the small group landed on the penthouse's rooftop. Phoenix held Anastasia in his arms as she slept peacefully. Yawning, Sarah stretched her arms overhead; the rising sun cast long shadows along the roof. The roof's stairway door opened as Rachael joined them wearing her robe. Her folded arms held the robe close to her body keeping out the autumn wind. Shaking out her wings, Jane wrapped herself in them keeping what little warmth she had attained from the flight in.
"How'd it go?"
"Rachael, you have any coffee made up?"
"Yeah, I got a pot going downstairs."
"Mind if I?"
"No, go ahead. It's the one thing I can't burn. So, how did it go?"
As planned. He wasn't happy about it but eventually accepted it.
Phoenix signaled to Anastasia sleeping in his arms. Rachael looked down glancing at her, and replied in a whisper.
"Oh sorry. I didn't realize she was asleep."
Helping Sarah up from the ledge she had been lying on, Jane walked her down the stairs. Phoenix and Rachael followed. Ali, sitting in one of the arm chairs reading, looked up as the others came downstairs. Jane entered the kitchen to fix everyone a cup of coffee. Sarah stretched out on the sofa. Phoenix carried Anastasia to his room, tucked her into bed and closed the curtains darkening the room for her to sleep.
Closing the door behind him Phoenix crossed to the other armchair next to the sofa. Glancing at the book Ali was reading, he recognized the cover.
"Ali?"
"Yes?"
"Where did you get that book?"
"From the room next to Anastasia's old room."
Rachael's eyes widened at Ali's responds.
"Uh Ali, you do know that is Phoenix's private art room don't you?"
"It is?"
"Yes, it is."
Phoenix's voice slowly deepened with anger.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude but your poetry is rather gripping."
"I didn't want others to read those poems or see those paintings."
"But why? You use your words so well when you write. For example this poem:
My Hand
Outstretched reaching down to you.
The desire to help you,
Is only a desire to help a younger me.
Once like you but now different,
Changed for better or worse.
My only desire now is to help you.
For you to take my hand,
So I may pull you up from the darkness.
Guiding you out of the confusion."
Phoenix held two fingers to his forehead between closed eyes. He could feel the violation of his personal space build a slow rage within. Then suddenly quit, it was gone. The darkness, the rage, were simply gone. Looking up, he saw a hand on his shoulder. Anastasia's hand.
"Can I hear more of your writings?"
Phoenix nodded to Ali.
"K then, the next one is:
BlackRoses
Blackfire in a small glass ball.
Swirlingl ike water,
Moving with no cause.
Rolling off a table,
Falling to the stone floor.
Breaking into pieces.
Spilling the black fire on the floor.
Large black metal vines grow from the black fire,
Vines that twist and turn.
Growing along the floor and walls,
Up the table's legs.
Growing rapidly.
The metal vines reaching out across the floor.
Climbing the bed,
Twisting and turning.
Moving like snakes under the covers.
Lifting her body off the bed,
Raising it into the air.
Her body lying still.
The vines growing up around it,
Hiding it from view.
A black rose takes shape from the vines.
Opening up,
Showing her in the middle.
The black metal leaves of the vines open up.
Releasing hundreds of lights into the air,
Dancing along the vine.
Dancing their way up to the rose.
Illuminating its petals,
Revealing her beauty to the night."
Sarah was now sitting up on the sofa, her legs pulled up to her chest as she hung onto Ali's reading. Anastasia was now sitting in Phoenix's lap, her arms around him, her cheeks flushed. Jane sat on the armrest of the sofa, a cup of coffee forgotten in her hand. Rachael had entered from her room now dressed for the day.
"Wow, Phoenix, you really wrote that?"
"That I did."
"That's really beautiful."
"Thank you. It's one of my less dark pieces."
Ali flipped through the pages looking for another poem to read aloud. Stopping, her eyes scanned down the page reading it.
"Oo you'll really like this one. It's called:
Your Tears (I dry): ..."
Phoenix snapped his fingers removing the book from Ali before she could read the poem.
"That's enough for now."
"Awe, but it's a really good one."
YOU ARE READING
1. Fallen Phoenix
Science FictionAn urban sci-fi thriller that takes place in the near future between a hidden species and the humans. Where winged beings are interwoven into the fabric of everyday living while going unseen. That is until one starts drastic changes within his own s...
