Blood and Magic

Chapter 15 - I Try To Be A Phinoix (Peyton)

DNA - Lia Marie Johnson

I got out of the manor as soon as I could. Hot tears burned behind my eyes as I forced them to stay in. Betrayal stung deep inside me. How could I be so blind? It was so obvious.

Gods, I wanted to break down, I wanted to stop and curl up and cry until I couldn't anymore. I don't why but I didn't, something inside me kept me walking. That when I got home I could shut down. Now I had to get there.

I was so focused on not losing myself that I stopped paying attention to where I was going. When I stopped and looked where I was I realized that wasn't at my apartment instead I was at the alleyway that Hale and Ryker said they saw... where they met up.

I tried to swallow the golf ball-sized lump in my throat and looked around. Probably not the safest place to be right now. I knew I was right when I heard bone hitting flesh. I could see the shadows move in the alleyway. A tall slender figure stood over a bulky but smooth person who was swaying on his knees. The standing figure was sending rough, angry punches to the poor swaying shadow.

As a car past the headlights passed over the figures for a second. Enough for me to recognize the people.

"Hale?" my voice cracked.

She turned her head to me for a second then back to the person she was beating up, which I could now see was Cooper.

Hale brought her knee up and rammed it into Cooper's stomach. He let a long painful groan.

"You even think about coming near her again I will put your ass in the hospital, I've done it one this week, I will do it again. Got it?" Hale threatened in a hiss.

He quickly nodded his head.

"Great, Now get the Hell out of here."

She didn't have to tell him twice. Cooper got up, groaning in pain, and limped out of the alley and down the street as fast as he could.

Hale walked over to me. As the moonlight covered her face could I see she didn't come out of this fight unscathed, her lip was busted and swollen, a streak of blood ran down from her temple. She stood there speechless. I surprised her and myself when I bust into tears and hiccuped sobs. I leaned forward and borrowed my head into her chest and put my arms around her body. Slowly she reached up and returned the embrace and rubbed my back, not saying a single word.

-*-

I woke up snuggled up in my bed under my covers. My eyes burned and my head ached, luckily my blinds were shut. I groaned a flipped over to glare at my alarm clock. Seven-thirty on a Sunday morning. Why the hell was I awake?

I jumped when something like a groan or a snarl came from the floor. I peered over my eyes still half shut.

Hale was curled up on the floor with a pillow and blanket. She was twitching and had a permanent frown on her face.

Why was Hale asleep on my bedroom floor, and how did I get home last night?

I reached over the bedside table and grabbed a pen and dropped it on Hale's face.

She woke up startled.

"What the actual hell?" She grumbled and chucked the pen back at me.

Oh, surprise, she's not a morning person.

"How did we get here? And why are you still here?" I asked as I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

"I'm here because you had a god damn meltdown on the street last night, and fell asleep, on me. and I had to help you walk home, up to the fire escape, so your parents wouldn't know and then get you into bed. And by then it was too late to sneak back into the academy." Hale explained in a huff.