Eli Fletcher: The Golden Orb

Chapter Nine: The Pheonix

Chapter Nine

The Phoenix

"We'll take care of Allison," Sparrow says stepping into the apartment, carrying a stretcher with Robin. Jason joins them but my dad stops him.

"We could use your help," he tells him.

"How can I help?" Jason asks doubtfully. "I'm not trained and I don't have the powers Eli has."

"You have training," Dad counters. "Allison told us all about it. She even named you as her replacement should anything happen to her. Please, help us."

I watch Jason, trying to read his reactions. He's extremely conflicted, and I don't blame him. His sister has just been killed so he wants to help his other two siblings deal with that, but now he's being asked to help me, someone he's called his nephew on plenty of occasions.

"Eli, what do you think?" Jason asks me.

I look at Miss O, now on the stretcher, then at Robin and Sparrow. They're looking up at me waiting to hear my answer. How can I ask him to abandon his family now? He may not be close to Robin or even Sparrow, but they're still family and their father just took off on them. They need him more than I do.

"It's your decision to make. But Miss O is your sister and they probably need you more than anybody right now."

Jason stares down at his sister, tears welling up in his eyes. If I know him at all, he's asking her what he should do. If she were alive I know what she'd tell him and Jason confirms it for me when he responds.

"She'd want me to help you," he says in almost a whisper.

Robin and Sparrow look up at their brother. They nod at him together, showing their understanding and agreement. They then cover Miss O's body with a white sheet and then pick her up with the stretcher. Robin makes eye contact with me with bloodshot eyes and nods curtly at me. It's then that I realize how much Robin actually loved her sister. I wish it'd been this side of her I'd originally met.

"Get the monsters who did this to her," Sparrow says firmly, looking over his shoulder.

I nod sadly, unable to speak. I really like both of Miss O's brothers; they seem to really care about me. Then it hits me that I don't even know his real name. I'll have to ask him later.

"Eli, I want you to take us to the house you found the orb in," Dad says.

"Eli?" says a young voice from the doorway of my bedroom. I look and see David standing there, rubbing his eyes. It's the first he's spoken to me since we brought him from his parent's house.

I go to him and sit on my knees in front of him. "What's up, buddy?"

"Where's Grace?" he asks; how does he not know what happened?

My head drops and then I look up at him sadly. "Do you remember the demons I killed earlier?"

"Yeah," he says confused.

"Well, some other ones came here, inside of the bodies of men, and took her."

"Are you going to get her back?" he asks, scared.

"I'm going to do everything I can to get her back, I promise."

He nods then asks, "Where's Miss O?"

I stare at him, feeling more tears spill out of my eyes and run down my cheeks.

"Is she with my parents?" he asks looking like he might cry too.

I nod and then he hugs me around the neck. How is this kid be comforting me? How weak am I?

"It's okay, Eli," he says. "She's safe now."