Heart of the Phoenix [UNDER NEW TITLE]

Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A New Danger

The light from the sun filtering in through my window woke me from a troubled sleep. Blinking blearily, I sat up and hugged my knees. That dream again.... I thought to myself. But....I haven't had it in years. Why would it come back? Why now? After a few more moments, I shook my head. It wasn't that important. I had more pressing things to deal with, like my Mark of Mastery exam. Sighing, I ran my hand through my hair, which I found surprisingly hard to do. Then I realized that I was trembling, and it wasn't because I was cold. I took a deep breath to calm myself before getting up and getting ready for the day. When I was done, I made my way to Mickey's room for breakfast, just like I always did.

"Good morning, Kenza!" quacked Mickey's friend Donald from a corner of the room. Despite my misgivings I had to smile at him - he was just that sort of character.

"Morning, Donald," I replied. I wasn't fazed by his appearance. Donald, Goofy, Mickey and I always had breakfast together in this room. You could say it was a sort of tradition.

Speaking of Goofy, he looked up from a pancake that he was trying to cut and gave me a friendly smile. "How're ya feelin' today?" he asked. "Are ya nervous?"

I sighed. "A little," I admitted, then grabbed a plateful of food that Mickey had cooked up.

"Aw, don't worry," said Mickey. "You'll do great. I know ya will."

"You bet!" Goofy chimed in before yelping and rubbing his face where his fork had accidentally hit him. "That really hurt!" he said.

"Well it's your own fault, you big palooka," Donald put in a bit sourly before taking another bite of his own breakfast.

"Aw, are someone's feathers a little ruffled this morning?" I cooed to him, which made him freak out. Then we all burst out laughing. For a moment, the room brightened a bit and a heavy weight was lifted from my shoulders. I was glad to have friends who could always make me smile and would be there for me no matter what. It's funny....they kind of remind me of Derek a bit, I thought to myself. I didn't notice until now but they act almost exactly like him. Unbidden, memories of him rose to my mind, memories that I'd kept buried inside myself for years. His bright eyes, his cocky grin, his carefree attitude, his laugh, the way he would always stick up for his friends and his little brothers, the look of deep sadness on his face the very last time we said goodbye....

"Kenza? Kenza!"

"Huh?"

Mickey's voice had brought me back out of my memories and into the real world, the one where he, Donald and Goofy were all sitting and staring at me with concern. "Gawrsh, are you okay?" Goofy asked.

"Uh....yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." They didn't look too convinced, but they didn't question it either, which I was thankful for. Slowly I pushed the food around on my plate, my head spinning as I focused on one question. What had just happened? I normally kept my emotions under tight control. Was I starting to slip? That wasn't good, especially with Xehanort still searching for me.

There was a knock on the door and it opened to reveal Yen Sid. His eyes took in the scene and found their way to mine. "Good morning to everyone," he said. "I trust you all got at least some rest." Donald, Goofy and Mickey all confirmed his statement, but I couldn't bring myself to look at him. "And what about you, Kenza?" he asked me.

I stopped in the middle of cutting up my pancake. The answer was no, but there was no way that I could let them know that. He was depending on me to pass my examination so I could protect Ven. I couldn't let him down. "Yeah, I slept fine," I said, not meeting his eyes.