Chapter 1… oh happiness…again...I don't own anything, except Paige, Mercy, and Leila…so read on...and have fun!
I came into being as I came into being. I grew as I grew. I changed as I change. My mind is fire, my soul fire. The cobra wakes and spits fire in my eyes. I rise through ochre smoke into black air enclosed in a shower of stars. I am what I have made. I am the seed of every god, beautiful as evening, hard as light. I am the last four days of yesterday, four screams from the edges of the earth—beauty, terror, truth, madness—the phoenix on his pyre.
In a willow I made my nest of flowers and snakes, sandalwood and myrrh. I am waiting for eternity. I'm waiting for years to pass before I dance on flame, turn this desert to ash, before I rise, waking from gold and purple dreams into the season of god. I will live forever in the fire spun from my own wings. I'll suffer burns that burn to heal. I destroy and create myself like the sun that rises burning from the east and dies burning in the west. To know the fire, I become the fire. I am power. I am light. I am forever. On earth and in heaven I am. This is my body, my work. This is my deliverance.
--Excerpt from "Becoming the Phoenix", Egyptian Book of the Dead
as translated by Normandi Ellis
Death of the Phoenix
Chapter 1:
Secrets, Lies, and Mercy
Paige poked her head into the training room, scanning it for Jeff, he was there, standing in the middle of the ring, she was about to call out to him, until she saw the blonde girl standing beside him, it was Mercy, Jeff was obviously explaining something to her, by the way Mercy was motioning and nodding her head, Jeff gestured to the turnbuckle and said something inaudible to Paige, and Mercy shook her head, Jeff nodded, and Mercy sighed heavily, Paige tiptoed into the room, closing the door softly so neither of them would hear it, then ducked behind a rack of folding chairs, just within earshot of the ring, "You just...jump?" Mercy asked, looking at the turnbuckle, "Yeah," Jeff said, "You can already do the flip, all you have to do is jump and flip at the same time" "Are you sure?" she asked, biting her bottom lip, "I've been doing this since before you were born, yes, I'm sure," Jeff said, "Try it" "No" Mercy said, "Why not?" Jeff asked, sighing, "Because I'll be killed!" Mercy said, nodding with a 'duh' look on her face, "No you won't" Jeff said,
"Yes I will!"
"No you won't"
"Yes I will"
"No you won't,
because I'll catch you" Jeff smiled, Paige smiled too from behind the chairs,
the two people she loved most in this world, they were so perfect together,
they seemed to balance each other flawlessly, canceling out the negative
qualities in each other, she loved them more than anything, and to think, 15
years ago she didn't think happiness on this level was possible, and now she
was here, she looked back up at Jeff and Mercy in the ring, "You'll drop me!"
Mercy said, "No I won't" Jeff sighed, "Yes you will" Mercy said "You have to
trust me" Jeff said, "You'll drop me" Mercy continued, "Trust me, I will not
drop you" Jeff said, Mercy let a defeated sigh, "Ok, I trust you, Rainbow" she
said, turning and climbing the turnbuckle, perching on top with ease, and
looking down at Jeff, "Now jump, and flip, but not all the way" Jeff said, "You'll
catch me?" Mercy asked, Jeff nodded, "I won't let you fall" he said, Mercy
nodded, stood, and jumped, doing just as Jeff told her, flipping halfway
through, but not all the way, and falling perfectly into Jeff's arms, "I told
you that you could do it, Tigress" he said, kissing her nose and lowering her
feet to the ground, Paige stood and walked to the ring, "That was perfect!" she
said, jumping onto the apron and hugging her daughter over the ropes, "Were you
watching?" Mercy asked, Paige only laughed, "See, Paige, I told you I'd
teach her to Swanton" Jeff smiled, Paige nodded, "Let's go eat, ok?" Paige
said, "Matt and Amy and Maddie are waiting" "Food, yummy, let's go Tigress"
Jeff said, taking Paige's hand and watching as Mercy ducked through the ropes,
"Where are we going?" Mercy asked, "Chili's," Paige said, "You two weren't
there, so we decided without you" "Gee, I love you too Mom" Mercy joked,
smiling as she ran to the door ahead of her mother and Jeff..
*-*That Night*-*
After the Hardy clan ate supper, they came back to the hotel for some play
time, Paige sat on the bed while Jeff and Mercy played the Smackdown game on
PlayStation 2, "Who are you going to be Tigress?" Jeff asked,
"Well, I know who I'm not going to be" she laughed, knowing Jeff would
throw a child-like fit if he didn't get to be himself, Jeff laughed, "I'll
be...Matt," Mercy nodded, "Because we all know he can whip you
anytime, anywhere" they both laughed again, including Paige this time,
"I think she told you, Nero" Paige smiled as Jeff turned around and
stuck his tongue out at her, Jeff and Mercy's match had been going on for a few
minutes, Mercy and Jeff were being very melodramatic about it, pushing each
other and yelling at the TV screen, this kept Paige rolling with laughter, until
a knock at the door stopped her, "Paige, hun, can you get the door?"
Jeff said between screeches, "Of course" Paige rolled her eyes and
stood up, walking to the door and opening it, Paige almost fell backwards at
the sight of the young woman at the door, she was taller than Paige, slim and
lanky, almost anorexic looking, her jawbone set back and her green eyes sunk
into her head, curly, stringy red hair hanging limp around her face, wearing a
hot pink shirt that exposed her belly button and short shorts, on her hip sat a
baby, no more than 6 months old, a mass of matted red hair on its head, and
brown eyes, plump cheeks, legs, and arms, Paige gasped and stumbled back a
couple of steps, "D-D-Danni?" Paige stammered, still hearing Jeff and
Mercy behind her, the girl nodded, "Danielle, what are you doing here,
what's wrong?" she whispered, too low for the others to hear, then looked
at the baby on her hip, "You...you had a baby?" Paige smiled at the
baby, then brought her eyes to Danielle, "I named her Hannah Jane, God is
gracious and merciful" Danielle said, looking up at Paige, then past her,
at Mercy, "Is that Ly-" "That's my daughter" Paige said,
"Alexiandra Mercedes, God is merciful" "But...I thought that
Lyd-" Danielle started, but Paige cut her off with a strong look,
"What do you want?" Paige asked, "I hope you didn't come here to
bring up the past" "No, well, kind of, we have a problem, Paige"
Danielle said, Paige's heart dropped, her eyes pleaded for more information,
and feared the worst, "It's about Aaron" she said, Paige almost fell
down, her legs were like jelly, "W..w-..what about him?" she
stammered, "He...he knows where you are" Danielle said, "Oh
God.." was all Paige could manage, "You have to get away for here,
Paige, he's going to come after you, I just know it" Danielle reasoned,
"I have to stay for a week, for work, I can't leave" Paige said,
"He's been talking...he says he's going to 'hit you where it really
hurts', I have the feeling he knows more about you than any of us think"
she said, "Oh no.." Paige said, "What am I going to do?"
she whispered, "I have to go, Chris is expecting me home" Danielle
said, hugging Paige, "You be careful, watch your back" Danielle said,
"I will, you too girl" Paige said, Danielle turned and began to walk away,
"If you ever need anything, just call" Danielle said, "Bye"
Paige said, "Bye" Danielle called as she rounded the corner, Paige
turned around and went back into the room with a sigh, "Who was that,
Paige?" Jeff asked when she sat down, "No one," she lied,
"just a salesman" Paige put her head in her hands as she listened to
the two playing in the floor, she could only hope that she would be able to
protect them from her past..
Hahaha….wow…was that fun
or what? Just for reference…I know that it's prolly impossible for a 14 year
old to do a Swanton…but that's why it's called fiction…right?
you know the drill…5 reviews then another chapter…