The Last Phoenix- Book 1 of the Legends of Henge Series

Chapter 27

Lance Taylor

"I cannot believe I'm saying this, but I actually miss you," I growled into the phone I was issued on campus.

"Aw, I'm touched man. I really am. I know that you're head over heels for me, but let me just remind you. I. Only. Have. Eyes. For. Arielle," Ryker enunciated over the line.

"Shut it," I called back, smirking in spite of myself. "Just please get me out of here."

"No can do, I have a family dinner with my grandparents and myself and if I brought you, you would do something really klutzy and embarrassing," Ryker teased.

"I am not a klutz," I told him firmly.

"Oh I know," Ryker relented. "Everything you do is so finely planned I wouldn't be surprised if you've calculated to the millisecond when you'll breath in and out for the next year."

"You make me sound uptight," I pointed out.

"You think you're not?" Ryker scoffed.

"Whatever," I scowled. "How's it going with Operation Never-Going-to-Happen-Because-Arielle-Hates-Your-Guts?"

"Dude," Ryker started. "First of all, it is going to happen, she just needs to give me a chance to woo her. And second of all, nothing's happened since the beginning of break so I don't know why you're even asking. I don't actually know how to get ahold of her."

"First of all, did you just say woo? And second of all, I did not call you to have small talk," I pointed out.

"Uh-huh, it was because you're anti social and have no friends outside of me."

"Asshole," I muttered. "Have you talked to Chetan lately?"

"Not since before break, why?"

"He was going to talk to Jason about figuring out what our quest is going to be and who the leader is," I explained.

"And how the hell would they figure that out?"

"Well, Golden Girl certainly knows," I said, referring to Arielle and her signature golden eyes.

"How do you figure?" Ryker questioned. I thought back to before break.

Arielle had come in late at night. She had been for a while now and I wanted to know why. "Where have you been?" I asked from the darkness as soon as she shut the door.

I saw her golden eyes flash towards me in surprise. "What are you, my mother?" she snapped, every bit as fiery as a dragon.

"No, but I am your teammate and have every right to know where you're going every night," I informed her.

"And I have every right to plead the fifth," she replied snootily.

"What?"

"God, you're an idiot. I have the right to remain silent," she said slowly, as though I were a toddler.

"Wait, you haven't been out with another guy have you?"

"Why do you care? Jealous, are we?" she smirked at me, making it hard for me not to strangle her.

"No but Ryker will be," I explained. At his name, her beautiful golden eyes filled with disgust.

"I wasn't out with a guy, if you must know. I was talking with Professor Aurum about our quest," she admitted. This peaked my interest and apparently she'd known it would. "No, I'm not telling you anything. I know how obsessed you are and I'm not about to feed it."

"I am not obsessed," I had protested.

"It's all you actually talk about," she pointed out. "You seriously need to get out more."

"Says the Queen of Fertility," I countered nastily.

"Asshole."

"Bitch."

"Snob."

"Dirt."

"Coward."

"Orphan."

She'd slapped me then and left. I probably deserved that. It wasn't like I was supposed to know that. I'd just overheard her talking to Professor Aurum the first day of school. If she was as close as she said she was to Asteria, the last phoenix, she'd probably been in Vale's local orphanage where Asteria grew up.

I hadn't meant to say it, but I always ended up saying the right thing to make everyone hate me. Guess I was just hatable. But I hadn't told anyone about my suspicions. At least I knew to be that decent.

I had wanted to tell Ryker but if he accidentally slipped to anyone else that he knew, he'd never have a chance with Arielle and I actually wanted to see him succeed.

"Weird," Ryker spoke into the phone, after I told him how Arielle had been talking to Aurum about the quest. "But then we know how she knows, don't we?"

"Yeah, I suppose," I admitted, sighing. "But there's gotta be some other way to find out," I insisted.

"Maybe, but I'll leave you to that. Anyways, it's not long until break is over and then we'll all know," Ryker pointed out. But I was impatient. I wanted to know and I wanted to know now. "By the way, my grandparents admitted to me that they were shifters finally. I had suspicions when they said my mom and dad were but... at least now I know."

In my head, I let out a little sigh of relief. Now I didn't have to completely lie to my parents. Ryker wasn't an Insignis, like Lark or Anvi.

There was one other thing about Ryker. He was an orphan too. He lived with his grandparents. If Arielle just got over her hate for the opposite sex, she could see that the two had some things in common. Ryker ended the call a few minutes later.

I heard yelling from downstairs and tried to block it out. My parents were fighting again it seemed. Probably about me. I already knew which sides they'd taken. My mom would be defending me and my dad would be reaming me out.

What an asshole.

Guess I know where I get it, I thought bitterly.

No need to beat yourself up, a raspy voice in my head whispered. It's the parent's fault not the child.

Who are you? I thought harshly. Get out of my head!

I just need your help-

No! I know what happens. Whoever you are, you're using students to get what you want. I'm not sure how you're controlling us but I will not be controlled!

I would never dream of controlling you. I just want to talk.

I sighed. About what exactly?

Our similar interests...

HEEEEEEEYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!! I finished writing like two minutes ago. It ended up being 46 chapters plus an epilogue so it's a long way off. So that means next Monday I'll start the three updates a week thing.

Question of the Day: Soooo, would you prefer that I publish once a week and take no break in between the two books or publish three times a week and once I'm done publishing, take a month break?

I'll probably go with the three times a week but I want to see if anyone's totally against the month thing. Because if I do three times a week then I'm going to take a month off afterwards.

Anyways, when I'm done publishing, I'll reveal the title of the next book and the release date.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Vote, Comment, and Share!!!!!

I reverse hate you all!!!