"It's not save for you Phoenix" my mother said. Her cold hands took mine. "I can't leave you here" I said looking at her then my older brother, Zander. "No, go...get far away from here" she said with a trembling voice. I grabbed my hood and my pocket knife, which was very dull but in trouble it could be useful. I looked at my brother again. I wanted to ran and hug him. But the sound of bombs rushed me out. I ran bare feet and head low. If I was seen out in the city I would be taken or worse...killed. Tears ran down my face uncontrollably. I wanted to turn around, I wanted to take my mother and brother, I wanted to do so many things. And here I am saving myself. I couldn't think about that now. My feet started to slow down when I saw a tall boy with a gun guarding the fence out of the city. I crouched down behind a building that was half burnt. I looked through a crack in the wall watching him stiff as a statue. I needed a distraction I thought. Maybe I could just fight him. But more would come. I could sneak by him and climb over the wall. Or....I couldn't think of any other way. I'll have to climb since my fighting skills where unbearable to watch. At least that's what Zander always told me. When I looked in the crack again he was gone. Here's my chance I thought. I bolted straight to the gate and grabbed the mental hard making my fingers red. I started to climb but a hand rapped around my ankle. I looked down seeing the tall boy with sky blue eyes and is dirty blonde hair looking at me. "Take me with you" he said looking over his shoulder making sure no one was watching. "Who are you" I asked pulling my foot free. "It's best if you don't know" he said in a stern voice. I heard men shouting down the ally and he heard it too. Soon two men where running towards us. "....sure" I said claiming the fence again. The boy followed. When we got to the other side we didn't stop to think, we kept running. We ran across the Burnt Meadow. It got that name from the Slanders. There the people who set fire to everything, there the people who killed my father, and this boy is one of them.
I looked at him with fire in my eyes. "I get it I'm a Slander. Will you stop looking at me like that" he said turning away. I didn't say anything. "Do you have a name?" He asked. "Phoenix" I said coldly. "Oh look the bird does talk" he said jokingly with a smile. "if this is away to make up for what your people did to me. It's not working" I said walking fast. "That's wasn't my intention" he said grabbing my wrist. I swung around with tears in my eyes. "was it your intentions to kill my father, to...to burn my house. Or kill innocent people huh" I said looking straight in his eyes. His hand grip loosened and he slid his hand in mine. "I'm sorry, I can't fix what as already happen. But why do you think I left" he said looking back at the city which was miles away now. I pulled my hand away. "It's best if we forget and start heading towards the woods" I said pointing at the forest that was ahead in our journey. "I never got your got your name" I said looking back at him. "Oliver....Oliver Hudson" he said smiling back at me.
