Phoenix Rising (re-writing)

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

I change quickly and note that the dog averts his gaze until I'm dressed. That dog seems more like a human than a beast. I drive fast to the party only stopping to fill up on gas and grab some caffeine for Nix. On the way I attempt to open my mind to Zayes and am relieved when he makes an angry entrance.

"What human?" He growls.

"You were right I was being an ass." I state. "I am sorry I should have never treated Red and Nix like that."

"Don't let it happen again," he threatens.

"Never will." I promise, "We good?" I ask.

"For now."

The rest of the drive he is silent giving no conversation. When I pull up in the party, I see its packed with cars. I get out confused when I don't see anyone, my phone rings in my pocket.

"I completely forgot to call you back." I tell Zeke quickening my pace looking for everyone.

"Please tell me you found her." He says his voice tight.

"No, I talked to Sara though, she said she thinks she is at the party." I say covering my opposite ear trying to hear him better, over the sirens growing closer. "Are you at the party? I just got here. Where is everyone?" I ask as the source of the sirens pull up. Great what every party needs Cops. another noise pulls up, an ambulance.

"Evan, we need to talk. Im walking to the fire meet me there." He ends the call abruptly. The paramedics and cops race towards the water. I want to follow them but need to find out what happened, so I run to the fire meeting Zeke who was running to.

"Whats going on?" I ask urgently.

"Don't freak out, Someone I don't know claims they saw Nix jump in the lake from the cliffs. I don't believe it, I don't know why I don't, but I just have a feeling it wasn't her. They admitted they didnt know her personally but saw her in an outfit I cant see her wearing and said she had red hair. Four others said they saw it too, but I don't know man, it just seems weird. They said she was wearing a V neck black dress that hung off her shoulders they thought she was just cliff diving, but they never saw her re-surface. They also said she was wearing heels and I just cant picture that."

My heart plummets. "That's what she wore to the funeral. Sara said she hadn't been home." We both run to the water. There is a sheriff SUV backing a speed boat in surrounded by the entire partys attendance. I call to Zayes in my mind and he urges me to dive in the deeps to look for her.

"I need cover, Zeke." He nods.

"Go left Ill make a scene in the right." I nod and disappear in the foliage where Nix and I made out last time. I strip my clothes and hide them before diving off the shore. I have no idea what Zeke is doing, but it seems everyone is pretty absorbed in whatever it is. As my body submerges, I am engulfed with pain. My hands dart to my neck hoping to ease the immense pain. Its gone in moments and I find myself able to breath the water. "A warning would have been nice." I seethe to the beast in my brain.

"You will live." He pushes wanting control of me and I step down allowing him to stretch in my body as I shrink to the subconscious mind. He makes little time of propelling us through the lake. Through his eyes there is no shadows, my body glows blue, Zayes explains it. As his energy flows through me it illuminates my body. He explains thats what happens with Nix when I see her glow. Its just Reds energy overflowing Nix. We search the area where she supposedly jumped and find a single stilettoe. I yell in the subconscious positive this is proof of what we had feared but Zayes growls as he says it isn't her smell. He looks faster, staying in the middle of the lakes depths, I watch a monster pike swim away frightened by the dragon in me. Zayes dives to the bottom anytime there is a rock formation or drift that she could snag on. I hate thinking like that, but I guess we must. When Im beginning to think we have searched everywhere, on top of the lake he finds something floating. He swims to the surface careful not to ripple the water and attract the search boats. His energy fades as we near the surface. He snags the item from the top of the water before hauling ass to shore.