The phoenix in the Wind

Ch 3: Escape

Sitting around the fire and discussing our survival plans, Sky stares at me and says, "Hey, you haven't said much. Are you feeling alright? Has the fever come back?"

"No. I am not feeling sick, just tired.", I quickly reply

And they continue talking, while I zone out. When I notice that they have stopped talking I tap back in. Looking to see what is wrong, I find Xavier avoiding eye contact and Sky blushing for whatever reason. This is making me uncomfortable, so I climb up a tree. They both look at me in surprise, but quickly compose themselves, wishing me a Good Night; they continue to be shy and awkward. After a while, I hear them climbing up too.

"I am afraid that I will fall down the branch in my sleep and probably break my neck", Sky mutters

"I could hold you through the night if you want", Xavier says. I don't like the idea of that but I think Sky did as she blushes and mumbles a small 'yeah, thanks'. With this, they settle next to each other, on the branch below me. How they did that, I have no idea.

The next morning and some more after that, we follow the river all day long and rest on different tree branches at night, occasionally encountering some animals that attack us who usually end up as food to soothe our hunger. It has been like that for the past few days. And it seems like we are going deeper and deeper into the forest. The forest is quite lush and we have not felt the sun shining on our backs since we arrived here. But usually, there is enough light to keep our surroundings in check during the day. At night the forest becomes eerie and somewhat frightening.

My body is asleep once again on another tree branch and I am still awake and pondering. It has been like that since I woke up after the fever. I have no problems physically except for the wound on my shoulder, which by the way still hurts, although I have gotten used to the pain. Not forgetting my pretty roughed-up legs and feet trudging forward all day. As of now, we hope to find some civilization. The chances seem dimmer and dimmer as we go deeper into the wilderness.

Talking about my head and memories, I have managed to sort out most of them. It seems to me that we are running from Father, which was the original plan of course, but we seem to have jumped through the wrong portal, that brought us here, in this never-ending wilderness. The credit for all of that also goes to Sky because of whom we ended up jumping into this place forsaken by the goddess. She just had to mess up this for all of us. It is her kindness that is to be blamed, according to Xavier, but in my opinion, it was her foolishness. She pitied the bird that we saw on the door of the room doorways. Seeing that caged bird, she couldn't stop herself and wasted time breaking the bird out of her very complex and secure cage made by Father. In doing so, she alerted Father. In the end, she managed to break it free from the cage, she set a chain of very chaotic events in action and I happened to be in the middle of those. The wound on my shoulder is evidence of that since I do not clearly remember what exactly happened but I am sure I am the victim of her idiotic kindness. She has not lived in the Ardalhese Tower for much longer which is why I believe she hasn't learned that kindness gets you killed very painfully in that place. I never got to learn kindness in that place, neither did Xavier, we wouldn't have survived otherwise. When we were stuck in that hell, she just had to come to the rescue of that bird.

Hmm... that bird, I only remember a glimpse of it. It had silver eyes and feathers. It looks very fierce and dangerous in my memory. It must have been important to Father, that bird. I still remember the look in Father's eyes when he reached there and saw us trying it free it. That look gives me the chills. Even after all that happened, I do not know why I feel relieved. I have concluded that Father sent that thing after us because he wants something from us because I know that Father would never waste anything of his on petty chases and acts of revenge. No, he had moved past all that after my mother left.

Thinking about my mother, I don't have much for I have never known her. She left before I could, and although I am pretty sure Father had that coming, I couldn't bring myself to care about her. I have two selfish suckers for parents. Talk about family issues. As for Xavier, he came when he was 12 and I was 10. Sky joined us when I was 16 and she was 15. We all ran away shortly after my 20th anniversary. So I am 2 decades old as of now.

I am awake now, and we are ready to move ahead. All this green around me has started to irk me; I have been stuck here in the wilderness for too long. I wish I could burn everything and myself too. This is making me lose my sanity. Xavier and Sky both are making me uncomfortable with their ongoing romance. And I am angry with Xavier, he's been neglecting me, I feel. Though I do not show it, because it won't help me, I wish to just let it go and break some things, pull some hair and burn something. I feel as if my blood is boiling sometimes. This place is slowly making me go insane. 

I don't get it. I mean this is too weird. A fever and a wound should not have disoriented me this much. Not to forget my nightly monologues to myself. Something happened during the escape, besides there are way too many gaps in my memory of that incident. I probably should ask my companions about it. This weird feeling of incoordination, it is getting on my nerves. I need to know what exactly happened and why I am feeling so unattached to myself and my memories. I swear something is going on with me and it is all because of that bird, my gut tells me.