The Powers

Chapter Two

Two

I ran for a while, then stopped. I glanced behind me, and found that neither Phoenix nor Ashton was following me.

I leaned against a tree, catching my breath.

"Wait, Mom!" I gasped, realizing I had left her alone at the park.

I started to run back, still tired from my first run, before someone blocked my path.

"Where are you going?" Phoenix asked, a smirk on his face.

I stopped in my tracks, staring at him. "Who are you?"

"Phoenix," he replied, taking a step towards me. I took a step back.

"I already knew that." I rolled my eyes, despite being terrified out of my mind. "Why are you following me?"

"Because," he answered.

He took another step towards me, just as Ashton ran into the clearing.

"Phoenix!" he yelled. "Leave her alone."

Phoenix laughed. "You tried that before, Holland. It's not going to work."

"Why don't you just tell me who you are, and why you're following me?" I suggested.

"I'll tell you if you come back to my lair with me," Phoenix said.

I gave him a weird look. There was no way I was going to a "lair" with some guy who had appeared before me minutes before. That never led to anything good.

"She's not going to go back with you, Phoenix," Ashton said. "You're a bad guy."

"So?" Phoenix retorted. "She might be bad! You never know!"

"If she's really the one we think she is, then she won't be evil," Ashton argued.

Phoenix smiled cruelly. "I think I can change that.

I stared at the two boys in front of me. I wasn't going with either of them, thank you very much. I had a family, and right now, my mom was most likely wondering where I was.

I started walking back towards the park. I could feel Phoenix's and Ashton's stares, but I chose to ignore them.

"Where are you going?" Ashton called out.

"Home," I replied.

He called out something, but I didn't hear him. I was concentrating on getting back to the park, finding my mom, convincing her I was fine, and then going home to enjoy my sixteenth birthday.

I realized I didn't exactly know where I was. I had run into the forest, focused on running away from Phoenix and his fire hands, not even paying attention to where I was running. I could be heading in the opposite direction for all I knew.

From behind me, I heard shouts. It sounded like Phoenix and Ashton were fighting each other again. I sped up.

Soon enough, I emerged from the forest and found myself once again in the park. So I had been walking in the right direction.

As I walked, my eyes roamed around the park, searching for Mom. I spotted her, sitting on the bench and looking around nervously. She saw me walking towards her, and she broke out in a relieved smile.

"Callie!" she cried, running to me. She enveloped me in her arms, hugging tightly. "Where were you? I was so worried!"

"Sorry," I apologized. "I wanted to stretch my legs so I went for a walk in the forest, and then got lost."

"Next time you want to go for a walk, let me know first," Mom said sternly, letting me go and looking me in the eyes. "I don't want to lose you."

"I know," I said. "I love you."