Phoenix: The Rising (7 page)

He laughed and pulled his hand out of hers. “Seriously, you need to get some ice on those lips. They’re already swollen.”

Julie raised her hand to her mouth. Both the bottom and top lips were swollen and tender to the touch. When she brought her fingers away, blood stained the tips. She began to sway as a circle of darkness closed in.

****

“Julie?”

Julie’s eyes fluttered open to find Eli’s face hovering just inches above hers. His sapphire eyes darkened.

“Julie, are you okay?”

His breath was warm and sweet on her face. Just smelling it gave her the strangest sense of euphoria. She smiled. Eli pulled away from her and stood, his brow furrowed with concern. Julie winced as a throbbing pain immediately replaced the fantastic feeling she had only a moment earlier. Her hand flew to her lips.

“Oh, crap!” She clenched her fingers inside her hand. “I—I can’t look at my own blood.”

Eli exhaled and cracked a smile. “Your own blood makes you faint? That’s strange. Normally a person can’t take the sight of someone else’s blood.” He held up a wet washcloth. “No worries, though. I cleaned you up.”

Julie sat up slowly, confused as she took in her surroundings. She was in her room. On her bed.
Crap
!
He must have carried me in!
She felt the blood rush into her cheeks as she unclenched her fist. Her fingers were clean.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. I do think you should get some ice on those or you’ll end up looking like Mick Jagger.” He handed her a baggie filled with ice. “I don’t think your parents would be too crazy about that.”

Julie took the ice and placed it against her lips. She concentrated on the sting of the ice as Eli asked the question she knew was coming.

“Where are they, by the way?”

She knew the moment he stepped in the house he probably guessed it was empty. No parents. No pets. Only the ticking of the grandfather clock in the foyer would have greeted him. Julie held the ice on for a moment longer, then lowered the bag. She raised her eyes to his. Anger and tears welled as she chose her words.

“My father and his lovely
wife
are on a cruise.” She spat the word, filling it with the venom and hatred she felt towards the woman who had her father wrapped around her little finger.

Eli sat beside her. “So they left you here? Alone?”

She breathed in, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill. “Of course. It’s not like it’s the first time, so don’t worry about it. I’m used to it.” She stood, walked across the room, and stared out her bedroom window into the darkness. “You can go now.”

Julie heard Eli move across the room, then felt his presence behind her. The air between them seemed to be charged with electricity. Her heart began to thrum.

“I’m not going anywhere. You can’t be alone tonight, not with Penemue on the warpath.”

Julie swallowed and turned to him. She held her chin high, praying that her eyes and her voice wouldn’t betray her. “I’m fine. Really.” Her voice cracked as a single tear broke through, sliding down her cheek and over her swollen, split lips.

Eli took a step closer and cupped her face in his hands, turning it up to meet his gaze.

“No, Jules, you’re not.” He traced the trail of the tear down her cheek. Her lips parted as his finger brushed them, and she watched in wonder as he lifted his finger, wet with her tear, to his own lips. She shook her head slowly in confirmation as more tears cascaded down her face.

“No. I’m not.”

She knew he was going to kiss her—and she wanted it to happen—more than she had wanted anything before in her life. Her breath hitched in her throat as vivid streaks of color flickered in the sapphire depths of Eli’s eyes, like tongues of fire in the night sky. She couldn’t wait any longer. Without another thought, she reached up and entwined her fingers in the back of his hair, pulling him close.

“Kiss me, Eli,” she pleaded breathlessly.

And he did.

Eli’s breath quickened as he lowered his lips to hers, kissing her softly—almost hesitantly—at first. Julie felt a slight sting on her tender, injured lips, and then a familiar sense of euphoria soaked in as the pain melted away and passion took its place. A passion she had never experienced before. Her mind whirled as colors flew in front of her eyes, and she felt Eli respond with the same urgency she was feeling, his kiss pulling her deeper into the maelstrom of lights that now blinded her. Too soon, the colors swirled into a spiral of white light, reduced to a pinpoint, and then disappeared from Julie’s vision.

****

“I’m so sorry, Julie. I shouldn’t have done that.”

Julie blinked as Eli’s concerned face came into focus. She was lying on her bed. Again.

“Wh-what just happened?”

“You—ummm—fainted.”

“I know what happens when I faint, and that was not what just happened.” Julie tried to sit up, but Eli pushed her back down onto her pillow.

“I think maybe you should just lie down for awhile.”

Julie grabbed a fistful of Eli’s t-shirt and pulled him close. She looked into his eyes and squinted, searching for a sign of what she had seen earlier. Nothing but sapphire and the reflection of the light from her nightstand lamp greeted her. No fireworks. No flames. Just normal eyes. It must have been her imagination. She let go of his shirt and lay back down.

“Maybe I will.”

Eli exhaled, got up, and moved to the chair sitting on the other side of her nightstand. A horn blared for several seconds off in the distance. A moment later, Julie’s cell phone beeped. She reached over the side of her bed to retrieve it from her purse, but Eli beat her to it. He slid it open, then clicked it closed.

“It was him, wasn’t it?” Julie grabbed the phone, slid it back open and read the message.

this isnt over bitch

She clicked the phone shut, threw it in her purse and grabbed a pillow, holding it close to her body as she lay on her side facing Eli. Eli flicked the light off and leaned back into the chair. The moonlight reflected off the side of his face.

“Say it.”

Eli glanced over to her. “Say what?”

“I told you so.”

She saw Eli’s brow furrow. “Why would I say that?”

“You told me to steer clear of him. I didn’t. Now we’re both in trouble.”

Eli smiled slightly. “I’m not in trouble. He didn’t even know it was me. And you,” he looked over at Julie, “you just need to stay close to me. I’m not going to let him hurt you, Julie.”

Julie rolled her eyes. Good thing he couldn’t see her.

“Right. My hero.”

Funny thing was, that’s exactly what she thought. He was her hero, and she felt perfectly safe with him. She pulled her pillow closer, wrapping her knees up around it. Eli closed his eyes. Julie’s mind drifted back to the kiss they shared, and she replayed it over and over in her mind, until she remembered the words Eli spoke just after.

“What did you mean when you said you shouldn’t have done it?”

Eli raised his eyebrows without opening his eyes.

“I meant I shouldn’t have kissed you.”

A lump immediately formed in Julie’s throat. She should have known better. Everything she had felt when they kissed, everything she thought he had felt, was just her imagination. She rolled away from Eli and let her tears fall silently to her pillow. Within a few seconds, she heard soft, steady breathing coming from behind her. Eli was asleep.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered to herself, “it won’t happen again.”

Chapter Six

Something wasn’t right. Julie slowly opened her eyes and was immediately blinded by the sun coming in through her window.

“What the—?”

“Good morning, sleepy-head.”

Her father’s voice.

“Or more precisely ... good afternoon!”

Julie sat up and looked around the room. Thank God! Eli was gone. Julie glanced at her alarm. It was almost two o’clock. She’d slept the whole morning away!

Her father stepped inside the room and moved towards her bed. The smile on his face turned to a quizzical look as he approached.
My lips!
Julie’s hand flew to her face.

“I—I can explain, Dad!”

He shook his head and sat down on the edge of her bed.

“No need to explain, hon. I’m sure you stayed up late and fell asleep before you could change. I slept in my clothes more often than not at your age.”

Julie looked down. She still had her clothes on from the night before. Her jeans, at least. The top was different!
The top was different? Sullivan!
Julie felt the blood rush up her neck.

Julie’s dad grabbed her by the shoulders and planted a kiss on her forehead, then tapped a finger on her nose.

“I missed you, Kiddo. Next time, we’re all going together. I promise.” He stood and moved towards the door. “Renatta’s going to be napping, so you probably don’t want to disturb her.” He turned as he pulled the door shut. “I hope you weren’t too lonely.” 

Julie sat, stunned that her father didn’t mention anything about her lips. She brushed her finger across them. No pain. They felt ... normal.
What the heck?
Julie
hopped
out of bed and ran to her dresser mirror.
No way!
Her lips were perfect. No swelling. No splits. No blood. No sign of injury. It was as if nothing had happened. But that couldn’t be! She was a mess last night. She backed away from the dresser and looked down. There, sitting neatly folded on the top of the dresser, was the shirt she wore last night. She picked it up and sniffed. It should have reeked of beer, should have been spotted with blood, but it smelled like the dryer sheets she always used and was a pristine white.

Maybe last night didn’t happen. Maybe it was just a dream. Then she remembered the kiss. The kiss that took away her pain. The kiss that filled her mind with an explosion of color and made time disappear. The kiss she had been waiting for all her life. She held the shirt to her face as tears threatened to spill. It was also the kiss he said he never should have given her. She sniffled and folded the shirt back up, resigning herself, once again, to a life of loneliness.
It’s better this way.
You can’t hurt a heart you never had in the first place
.

****

Monday morning came, but Charsey and her ride didn’t. Julie waited by the front door with her book bag flung over her shoulder and glanced at her cell phone. Charsey was already ten minutes late picking her up and wasn’t answering Julie’s calls. She checked her cell. Nothing but the cryptic text from Kas showed up. At least that was one tangible piece of evidence that Friday night’s ordeal really did happen, although she wished it hadn’t. How was she going to face any of them at school? Charsey had turned into someone she didn’t recognize, Kas was out to get her, and Eli regretted kissing her. That one was the hardest to swallow of all. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, she felt something—something strong, and real, and undeniable for Eli Sullivan. But he felt nothing for her. That seemed to be the common thread that wove its way through her life. It was better that way.

Julie dug in her purse for her keys as she walked out to the garage. She was probably going to be late again, but by now that didn’t matter.

Amazingly, by the time she got to school she still had two minutes to make it to class. She stopped by her locker, dropped off her book bag and grabbed her stuff for her first few classes. Charsey had obviously already been there. Her bag hung on her hook and her books for first hour were gone. Julie shook her head. Seems the combination was suddenly easy for Charsey to work. It was the first time Julie didn’t need to open the locker for her. She slammed the locker shut, ran down the hall and slid inside the door of American Lit just as the tardy bell rang. Mr. Fredricks looked up at the clock and then down at Julie.

“Cutting it a bit short, aren’t we, Miss Mason?”

Julie wanted to flip him the bird, but she bit her lip instead. “Yes, sir. Sorry.”

Muffled laughter filled the room as Julie looked for an empty seat. She groaned to herself. One was up front by Mr. Fredricks. The other was right beside Eli. Julie’s heart twisted in her chest, and she decided to choose the lesser of two evils. She headed to the front.

Unfortunately, the seat was located between Grace and Tina, who were whispering animatedly back and forth. Grace clutched her Bible to her chest and was obviously trying to hold back another onslaught of tears, while Tina twisted her braid back and forth in her chubby hands. As soon as Julie sat, they stopped. Grace’s hand shot up in the air, quickly garnering Mr. Fredricks’s attention with its frantic waving.

“Yes, Grace?”

“Sir, they got another one.” Julie looked over at Grace. Grace had that same horrified expression on her face as she had last week.
Here we go again!

Mr. Fredricks leaned against his desk and crossed his arms.

“They ... as in who, got whom?”

Tina spoke up. “The Nephilim. They took another kid to see if it was the Fire-Child. It’s all over the news. He’s been missing since Friday night after the game.”