Chapter 14 – The Games That Play Us
Phoenix sat in the not so comfortable office chair with one leg propped up on the foot of his old bed. His body was still as a statue. All but the tips of his fingers were motionless. In them he turned an old carved onyx over and over. Through the years it had become polished from Phoenix's constant handling. It had been his mother's, his biological mother's pendant. Alice had collected it at the time of his birth. When he'd grown old enough Alice had given it back to him secretly both of them knowing that Rose would not appreciate the gesture. At first Phoenix had discarded it, left it in the drawer of the battered desk but as the years wore on he began the custom of taking it out whenever something was truly plaguing him. It was eerily quiet in the little room above the garage. He'd chosen to make the little space his own mostly due to the solitude but everyone else believed it was simply to be closer to the bevy of vehicles in the huge garage. While it was true that he had inherited his mother's love for tinkering with them the truth was that he just preferred to be alone. Nobody bothered him here and he didn't have to endure the chaos up at the main house. The cars had lain dormant and as much as he appreciated the silence it was always nice to hear the distraction of an engine roaring to life. Deftly he swung around in the creaky chair and laid the stone on top of the worn desk. Phoenix ran a hand through his still windblown hair. He'd spent the majority of the afternoon searching for Aurora to no avail. He hadn't been able to pick up her scent. Just as well he thought to himself as he reflected back on this morning's events. He was still angry with himself for not being in control, for taking her like a mad beast and finally, for letting her go. No matter how bad he knew his presence was in her life there was a part of him that just didn't care. It was that persona that had overridden his better sense last night and it simply refused to wither within him. There was still a sliver of hope that he couldn't squash. Maybe, just maybe they could find a way to be together. He sighed and rubbed at his face in frustration.
"What are you moping about?" Kalika's voice broke through the silence. Phoenix didn't even bother to wonder why he hadn't heard her approach. The girl was like a cat when she didn't want to be heard. She was leaning against the doorframe clad in her usual come-get-me red with a jean skirt that was already puckering at the waist. His sister wasn't going to be able to hide that bump for long Phoenix thought idly.
"I'm not moping" He muttered in irritated tones "How's Renesmee?"
"She's doing better now. For a moment we thought we might lose them both but she pulled through" Kalika sighed and sat on the sleek black coverlet across his bed.
"Make yourself at home" he replied letting the ghost of a grin crook up the corner of his mouth. Phoenix crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back again "The baby?" His question seemed to disturb her. It was still difficult to believe that his half-vampire sister was also pregnant. Of all of them she was clearly the most unlikely of parents.
"The baby seems fine even with everything that happened" When Phoenix didn't bother to ask what had happened Kalika droned on. Even if he wasn't interested she needed someone to talk to, to vent it all out with and Phoenix was always a fair choice "The baby died or so we thought. Nobody could hear his heart beating. Jacob came running out yelling for Carlisle. Apparently the baby had moved. We all chalked it up to grief but when Carlisle did the ultrasound he saw that Renesmee's heart and the child's heart were beating almost in sync"
Phoenix took a moment to process the events before speaking. It was all so fantastical, their lives. Fraught with so many struggles and so much drama it was often hard to keep up to it all.
"Has Carlisle checked you and...Have you been checked?" Phoenix amended not certain what he should call the baby. Kalika rolled her eyes dramatically.
"Yes. I'm fine for now anyway and so is the baby" she absently rubbed the little mound and wondered what had put the shadows in Phoenix's usually bright eyes. He had always been a little more withdrawn than the rest of them but lately he was taking a wider turn on the downward spiral. Kalika knew what, or rather who was bothering him and disliked the girl on principle. Aurora Kavanaugh was tearing up what was left of her brother's heart and whether or not it was her fault meant little to Kalika.
"You're going to give yourself a stroke thinking like that" Phoenix chimed darkly.
"I thought I smelled smoke" Samara was a little pixie of a thing floating into the room with a victorious smile on dancer's toes. Her hair was pulled back into two little ponytails that were spiking out in a riot of black and purple from her head. Kalika merely frowned with pouted lips.
"Enough with the teasing already! Haven't you two got other things to do besides mocking the pregnant sister?"
"I find it unerringly fascinating, you?" he motioned towards Samara as she sat down next to her twin. They were so much alike, both of them with the faces of angels and yet somehow they were like completely separate entities.
"Oh yes. Highlight of my week" Samara rolled her eyes a moment before casting them with fierce concentration on Phoenix's face "What's the matter?" Phoenix sighed and cast his eyes down to the floor. He hated that she knew him so well, that they both knew him so damn well. He scrubbed a hand over his chin in frustration.
"Stop reading me, Sammy. You know the rules" He knew the words were pointless before he even had them out. She hadn't invaded his mind; he knew that but was hoping against hope that it would distract her enough to leave him alone.
"Oh puh-leez Phoenix. We know all about you and the little witch. It doesn't take powers to figure that out" Kalika huffed loudly.
"I think what our less tactful sister is trying to say is that we're concerned about you" Samara said wrinkling her nose at Kalika.
"I'm fine. It's not going to be a repeat of what happened in Alaska. Don't worry Kali, I broke it off"
"That's not what I'm worried about" Kalika replied throwing her arms to her sides in aggravation "I don't want you to get hurt again. You've already been through too much" sincerity was not a frequent with his sister but right now he could see it in her golden-green eyes.
"This is ridiculous" Samara exclaimed swinging her legs over the bed and standing with impeccable grace "Any fool can see that you care for her. You've been hanging around her since the night you found them all. You can't tell me that you aren't in love with her"
"I was protecting her. Is it too much to ask in this family for a guy to be left the fuck alone?" It wasn't truly anger that he was feeling but figured maybe, if he was surly enough, they might stay out of it. The choice had already been made, hadn't it? So why did he find himself wondering if Samara might be right?
"Of course it is" Kalika said with a wry laugh "You're a Cullen, remember?"
"How can I forget" Phoenix burst out finally showing the emotions bubbling just below the surface of his skin like a bad itch "I can't be with her because of what it means to be a Cullen. I'm a vampire, a venomous one at that and you both know how volatile my powers are right now. I'd be her death; nothing more"
Samara started forward disturbed by Phoenix's last whispery statement. She stopped in her tracks when he narrowed his eyes at her. Kalika stood beside her. Neither of them had ever seen him quite this upset.
"Just leave me be!" An incensed Phoenix yelled "You're both screaming at me and right now I can't take it. Get out, please. I just need to be alone right now" he allowed his face to soften slightly in apology. It went hard again as they both nodded nearly simultaneously before turning toward the doorway.
"Training is in an hour. We'll see you there?" Samara asked quietly and left without waiting for an answer. Everyone just expected him to fall in line with whatever madness was going on here. It seemed like all of them were imprinting and falling for one another like lambs to the slaughter. It was ridiculous really, how easily they all coupled up in such a short period of time. Only a few short months had passed since the day they had arrived back in Forks and yet his sisters had both ended up finding their mates.
It's so damn easy for them he thought to himself before picking up the shiny black stone and turning it over a few times to cool down. He felt the insurmountable rush of power and with a stoic gulp swallowed the urges pulsing through him. It was all just too much. Angrier now than he had been even a minute before he hurled the stone across the room. It knocked up against the window frame. Phoenix heard a cracking sound and just before it hit the floor he whirled around in the chair leaping out of it like a crazed cat. The stone fell into his hand only an instant before he hit the floor. Sunlight glittered through the tiny window falling on Phoenix's sparkling palm as he opened his fingers. The sigh of relief escaped his pale, stony lips only an instant before it broke into two halves that rested against his palm like a fireball. It was strangely warm, almost burning hot but what was even odder was the symbol he could now see carved into it with perfect clarity. He got up from the floor to hold it out to the light for a better look. The symbol was etched in a round pattern with a more intricate design inside the heavily etched circle. It was familiar somehow even with the battered state it was currently in. Curiously he twisted and turned it in the light before sighing heavily. It didn't matter anyway right now. He could worry about his lineage later but for now there were battles to plan and training to absorb the crushing insanity boiling within him. Phoenix tossed the stone into the drawer of the old desk and decided he would get a head start. As he left to walk out to the tattered training ground he put all thoughts of the little stone out of his mind. It was time to go to war.
Hours later Phoenix was tackling Tristan to the ground with such ease it was impossible to feel even a little triumphant about the take down. The boy was soft when it came to battle and would have to be moulded carefully if they were to let him anywhere near a fight. His abilities were powerful, of course, but they weren't going to suffice if he got taken down while shooting fireballs into the fray. Tristan swung around sluggishly on the ground and shot out his palms. They were both engulfed in flame, lighting up the cocky smirk on his face as he stood.
"Why do I need to learn to fight when I've got the big guns" Tristan yelled out to the group that had begun gathering for training. He lifted his arms straight above his head, combining the two burning balls into one swirling mass and hurled it at Phoenix's feet. Completely undaunted by the little trick Phoenix only took a second to look over for Jasper's quiet nod. With a swiftness that Tristan would probably never be able to emulate, Phoenix took off across the field with his feet just barely touching the ground. He used the momentum to bend himself over flanking the newborn and plucking him clean off of his feet before rolling him quickly over his back. Tristan tumbled to the ground with a thud snarling up at Phoenix who had landed swiftly after a couple of well crafted shoulder rolls. So the animal was free again. Bring it on Phoenix thought and growled in response. This was turning in to an all out brawl and everyone seemed keen to watch the new guy get his pyromaniac ass handed to him. Jake and Embry stood over by the training dummy seemingly taking bets while Edward and Emmett laughed. The ladies were grouped together all except for Aurora. Where the hell was she anyway? And Seth hadn't arrived yet either. Putting it out of his mind Phoenix kept himself in battle stance and waited for the pathetic onslaught Tristan would undoubtedly try. Newbies were always going in for the kill a little too soon. They circled one another dubiously hissing at the other. Tristan tried to make a grab for Phoenix and was expertly evaded. Phoenix darted to the side so fast it was nearly impossible, even with the keen sight his new condition had brought, for Tristan to even have seen him move. Angrier now by the voices rising around him, most of them laying their bets on wonder boy Phoenix, Tristan turned around and threw his arm out. Before it even fully straightened he felt the heat rising up inside him, felt it clawing through him like a living thing before the inevitable release. He watched the fireball with bright eyes and clenched teeth as it shot out towards the half breed prodigal. When it hit and the flame burst free, flames rained down Phoenix's arm like napalm and the smile that spread across Tristan's face was victorious.
"Oh, now you've pissed me off. I was taking it easy on you up until now but that was my favourite shirt, bastard" Phoenix grumbled loudly as he brushed the embers of burnt fabric off his arm and then as an afterthought ripped the whole thing off. No more playing around. He curled his palms, gesturing towards himself "You want to burn me than come on, give it your best shot!" Tristan lifted his fiery hand and began to throw a series of fireballs while Phoenix seemed to be dancing lithely around them. One only missed him by a fraction as he jumped up what seemed like twenty feet in the air and rolled a few times before landing in a spread out stance. Phoenix's smirk glittered in the floodlights that lit the field while Tristan glowered back. Flames flickered in the places around Phoenix where the grass had caught the stray fireballs.
They stayed like that for a moment and then another as everyone watched in hushed silence. Phoenix finally made the move to strike and failed to hit the mark when Tristan dashed out of the way. He twisted himself around while Tristan was busy congratulating himself and grabbed him from behind in a hold that no person had ever been capable of breaking. It was one of Jasper's signature moves that Phoenix had taken and perfected over the years. His arm was right under Tristan's jaw and even though his newborn strength was formidable there was something to be said for experience. No matter how hard he struggled the hold only got tighter.
Something in the distance caught Phoenix's eye, a flash of purple through the trees. His concentration wavered for an instant when he saw that it was Aurora coming through the forest with Seth on her heels. She laughed back at him, her whole face seeming to glow when he took her hand into his own. They moved together like one person in a fluid dance. The hold weakened when Seth leaned in and the pain began to set in on Phoenix like nothing any of Tristan's fire balls could ever accomplish. His lips touched hers softly at first before she leaned in and grasped him firm around the waist. Aurora was now clearly too enamoured with Seth to give any thought to him. Had it really been so easy for her to forget what they'd shared? Tristan struggled against him as Phoenix watched the two of them, his lover and his best friend caught up in a kiss that seemed to linger on far too long even if they were mostly out of sight. Seth's hand snaking up over Aurora's hip finally did him in and Tristan broke the hold easily. He turned and the only thing Phoenix saw before the lights went out was Aurora wrapped around Seth and then everything was, blissfully, dark.