The Phoenix Mirror

Chapter 1

Sobs.

Jacqueline heard nothing but her sobs. Somehow, she had been saved. She was the only one to reach the shelter. She had heard the screams, the shots, the thumps as everyone hit the ground. It was quiet. Not a sound from anyone, or anything, else.

Jacqueline could not bring herself to leave the small closet in the corner of the shelter. She did not want to see the ruins, the rubble, the bodies. Was she the only one left? She figured that everyone alive had been taken away or shot again. Or treated to a poisonous feast in false celebration. Why had she been saved? She could have sworn that in her rush, the shelter door had been left open. So why was she still alive?

She reached a quivering hand towards the doorknob, then jerked it back, debating on what to do. She took a deep breath of stale air.

"I survived, didn't I?" she asked out loud, startled by her own voice. She reached into her pocket. A crumpled one dollar bill, a bobby pin, and a hair tie. She put the hair tie on her wrist, clipped the bobby pin onto a stray piece of hair, and tucked the dollar bill into her boot. Finally, she turned the doorknob.

The shelter showed no sign of the terrible events. Her light jacket was still on the floor, on top of a folded quilt. A cot lay folded up next to them. A dagger was mounted in a frame on the wall. Jacqueline picked up the cot and slammed it against the frame. The glass shattered, leaving nothing but a few slabs of wood and a dagger laying on the floor. She picked up the weapon.

"Protection," she muttered, grabbing a sheath which she clipped to her belt. She inserted the dagger and brushed the handle before she walked towards the rusty ladder leading to the trapdoor.

Slowly, she pushed up the trapdoor.

Where her living room used to be was a pile of wood. She coughed at the dust that was twirling through the air and brushed a beetle away from her. She stood up. Her entire house was now nothing but an assortment of materials. She bit her lip and pulled herself all the way up out of the shelter, shutting the trap door and covering it with assorted remains.

"I shall return later," she muttered to herself, beginning to jog towards the forest. She remembered having built a treehouse with her father, and filling it with many things that she loved. Just as she was about to leave the village, something caught her eye. An old building, still standing.

She began to run towards it, but stopped. It was a perfect trap. With nothing but a dagger, it wasn't worth the risk. She turned around and began to head back towards the treehouse. Slowly, the treehouse seemed to come closer and closer.

"This is why Father put the treehouse so deep in the forest," she realized. "He must have known. He must have stocked it with so many materials." Thought Jacqueline was happy, she could not bring herself to smile. Something was wrong. Deep down inside she knew what it was, but she shook her head. It was time to think about saving herself. She had to save herself first.

Finally, the treehouse was mere inches away. Quickly, Jacqueline climbed the rope ladder and pulled it up. She gasped. The treehouse was a vision of luxury! Food, water, books, bedding, even a wagon! And a note. She picked up the note with trembling fingers.

Dearest Jacqueline,

If you are here, then it must have begun. You will see what it is through your own experience. But I have an important message for you. DO NOT use this treehouse as a home. Use the wagon to take it all back to the shelter. Behind the frame is an escape tunnel, but you must seal up the trapdoor. Don't worry, only you can see this note. Good luck.

-Father

Jacqueline was both happy and annoyed to receive this note. Happy because of the advice, but annoyed because Father thought that she shouldn't take precautions against others reading it. It wasn't like she was the only person who could read! But still, she obeyed his orders, taking all of the materials and putting them into the wagon, including several materials for her to seal up the trapdoor.