Haunted Heart

[Lady Phoenix]

This non-fiction story is based on real events that happen 10 years ago. Several poems dealing with this particular topic have led up to this being written. Now you can see why the friend meant so much to the woman in the story (Yes... this would be where the poem Sapphira Dreams is based from... ) . Names have been changed to protect those involved.
Fair warning. Foul language is present in this chapter as well as mentions of domestic violence. It is Romance, but a sad romance...

Rating would be considered PG-13 (strong)... or T
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Haunted Heart
A Non Fiction written by
Lady Phoenix


Chapter 1


Alexia kept her head lowered as she made her way through the kitchen of her home. Her mother was no where to be found. She guessed that she was with her brother and his father. Her sister was at her nightly art class, leaving her to her plans once again without anyone noticing her absence. Everyone came and went in that home. Alexia found it too easy to slip away after school on Fridays and remain gone till about mid afternoon on Sundays. She had never once been reprimanded for it either.

A rueful smile curved her lips for a moment before she noticed a pick up truck with chipped forest green paint coming up the drive. Her heart began to pound and she closed her eyes. Damien had been an older boy she had been seeing. They had met a few weeks prior to her seventh year of school letting out. They did not start seeing each other until after her eighth year had finished, however. He was sixteen. She was still fourteen, but she craved the attention he gave her. An outcast at school and feeling alone, she reached out when he offered a hand to her. She would soon realize that to be the biggest mistake.

Damien took complete control of her life, telling her who to hang out with and what to wear. Her hair was always kept loose, though, typically to cover something her makeup could not. It was her fear of him that made her stay with him and begin to date him after her eighth grade year ended and the summer began. She had tried to go with another during that year, only to have him be unfaithful to her. Being Damien’s punching bag had been just the latest card that was handed to her.

No one saw the bruises, though. He never struck her face. He never wanted anything sexual from her either. It was a challenge of control. He wanted to possess her and then eventually when age was no longer an issue, he would see that he owned the one thing of hers that had never been given. She feared that day, but she never felt the strength she needed to get away. She could never tell anyone for fear of his reaction. So she took each beating whenever he was angry. She dared not to push her luck and always watched herself carefully around him. No one had been in her corner before. No one had ever stood up for her. She felt completely alone.

The horn blew and Alexia grabbed her purse before walking carefully out the door. She winced when her bandaged wrist accidentally brushed against the knob of the door. She injured it when she attempted to defend herself against Damien the weekend prior. Her punishment for that had been great. The long sleeves on her black shirt covered up the slashes and cuts made by a simple pocket knife. The high neck of the sweater covered the cigarette burns on her chest.

That night had changed her. She knew she could not let this continue. She purposely only brought her purse this time. She was going to make sure she did not stay away this weekend. She was going to set herself free somehow.

One way or another, I will be free, she thought as she let her mind wander to the small knife she had in her pocket. She did not want to have to use it, but she would be ready to if she was forced to.

“Come on, Lexi!” Damien shouted out. “You know how I don’t like to wait.” She nodded and hurried to the door, glancing over her shoulder one last time before climbing inside the vehicle. She rode in silence as he tore out of the driveway and down the road. Closing her eyes, she prayed for help. Then she prayed for strength.

She did not have to worry about small talk as they drove. Damien had his bass cranked up in the truck and his gangster-type rap music filled the cab, drowning out any and all possible chance for communication. She obeyed his rule of staring straight ahead while in his car. It was either that, or be struck for the off chance she may have been checking out another man.

At fourteen, all she wanted was her life.

Night had fallen by the time he pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant. Alexia swallowed hard and waited for him, as instructed, to open the door and pull her out. He chose their table and chose her meal for her. It was nothing more than a simple salad. He was insistent that she ate the bare minimum possible.

“I won’t have myself a cow for a girlfriend,” he would always tell her. Their meal arrived and still she had not spoken a word. Damien looked up at her as if just noticing the silence. “What’s your problem?”

“Pardon?” she asked him softly, looking up from her salad. He glared at her in warning and she realized her mistake. She was never allowed to look him in the face. Not even while speaking to him.

“So who is he?” She blinked at her plate in confusion. “Lexi, answer me.” Ice raced down her spine at the warning tone in his voice.

“I don’t know what you are talking about, Damien. There is no one else.” His fork clattered to his plate and he wiped his mouth.

“Don’t lie to me, Lexi.”

“I’m not.” He voice grew shaky as she realized his anger was taking over. She knew then, that she had to get away. The sooner she could slip away, the safer she would be. As if sensing her thoughts, his hand came down and gripped her arm with a bruising force that made tears jump to her eyes as she choked back a cry.

“Is everything okay?” A waiter asked, cautiously approaching the table.

“Just peachy, now f**k off,” Damien growled in response. Alexia glanced up with pleading eyes for only a moment before his grip tightened even more, the bones in her wrist grinding painfully together. The waiter took the warning to heart and immediately left the table.

“Please, Damien, let me go. Don’t do this here,” she begged softly.

“Right then,” He stood and yanked her to her feet as if she was nothing but a ragdoll and began to drag her outside to an alley beside the restaurant. “This work better for you?” He snarled at her. She flinched and tried to pull her arm from his grip. “Lover-boy must be worth the pain you are going through now for you to keep resisting me.”

“I told you there is no one else,” she returned, her tears slipping down her face.

“Oh that’s just great. Go ahead and cry, you baby. How pathetic,” Damien spat at her before throwing her to the ground. She gasped in pain as she slid back against the concrete, her legs becoming scratched against the ground. She laid there on her side, her arm and hand propping herself up. Her hair hid her face from view and the silent tears fell to the ground. She tried to get up but was taken back down by his foot connecting to her stomach. “Stay down, b*tch,” he sneered as she gasped for breath. He stood over her laughing at her pain as she attempted to get up again. This time he grabbed her hair and yanked her to her feet, silencing her cry with a hand to her mouth. “I told you I don’t like liars,” he whispered dangerously. She did the only thing she could do. She bite down hard on his hand.

“I told you I wasn’t lying,” She choked out before taking off down the alley toward the street.

”Get back here!”

”No! I won’t go anywhere with you anymore, Damien! I am tired of being beat. Tired of being controlled!” Her voice shook with her fear as she cried out her words to him. She screamed as he grabbed her arm and jerked her to him before pinning her roughly against a wall.

“Where are you gonna go, eh, b*tch? Look around. You are three hours from home. You want to walk all the way, be my guest; some maniac will find you and kill you before you get half way.” Alexia whimpered and lowered her head, her eyes closed as she realized he was right. She tried to come up with an alternate escape.

“I can call a taxi. I have money,” she murmured.

“Is that so?” Damien ripped her purse from her and she tried to fight him again.

“Give it back, Damien!” During the struggle, her nails scratched his face and she froze in fear when he turned an icy glare at her.

“You dare lay a hand on me?” His voice was deadly quiet and Alexia’s legs gave out on her. She fell and began to plead for her life.

“Please, Damien, I didn’t mean to…” She saw his hand reach back and squeezed her eyes shut as she waited for the blow she was certain to come.

It never came.

“Let her go, Damien. Now,” a new voice was heard near them. Alexia chanced a peek at the stranger and saw him holding Damien’s raised hand and pulling her purse from him. Her eyes blinked open wider and she turned to get a better look at him. Jet black hair and jewel blue eyes that shone just then with anger. He matched Damien for strength. There was something about this stranger that told her she would be safe however and she felt herself begin to relax, if only just slightly.

“Well if it isn’t Adrian the wonderboy,” Damien sneered. “Get outta here. This is no business of yours.”

“Let her go,” Adrian ordered him again, his voice cold.

”No, she’s mine to do with as I please.”

”Something tells me she doesn’t want to be your punching bag.”

”F**k off.” Adrian squeezed Damien’s wrist and Damien growled in response to the pain.

“Doesn’t feel very good does it? How about this?” With the speed of a snake, Adrian brought his fist back from Damien’s wrist and struck him square in the face sending the other guy flying into the sidewalk. Stunned, Damien did not move right away. Adrian took the brief moment to turn toward Alexia.

“Who are you? How did you…?” Her question died in her throat as he returned her purse to her.

“Are you alright?” She blinked and nodded her head.

“Come on, let’s get you some place safer so you can get home in one piece.” He offered his hand and she looked down at it cautiously.

“She won’t go, Adrian. She knows who she belongs to.” Suddenly it no longer mattered that she did not know the young man whose hand was being offered to her. She just wanted to get away. She would face the consequences of her actions later. Without another thought she placed her hand in Adrian’s and he helped her to her feet.

“Come on, my car is this way.”

“Adrian, you have interfered in my life for the last time.” Damien jumped to his feet and rushed at him. Adrian let go of Alexia’s hand and turned slightly. Just as Damien was about to make the connection, Adrian grabbed his arm, twisting it so hard behind him, Alexia flinched at the sound of a sickening crack and Damien’s scream of agony.

“And you, cousin… are an a**. No woman deserves the treatment you have given her.” Adrian let go, roughly shoving Damien face down into the sidewalk before returning to Alexis. “I am sorry you had to see all that. Even sorrier you had to meet him to begin with.” She looked between the two teens.

“He’s really your cousin?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” he answered while running a hand through his hair. “He isn’t the best in the family… but he is still family. My name is Adrian.”

“Alexia,” she told him as she shook a hand he offered to her.

“It’s getting late and it will be hard to find a cab now. There is room at my friend Natalie’s house. Why don’t you stay with her tonight and I can get you home in the morning.”

“I don’t know, Adrian. She wouldn’t want a stranger in her house.” Alexia looked down.

“Don’t worry about it. She lives to help others,” he assured her with a bright smile. “She doesn’t live too far from here either.”

“Are you sure?” He nodded to her and with a sigh, she agreed and followed him to a red Jeep. She glanced back at Damien getting up off the sidewalk before snapping her safety belt in place.

“Don’t worry about him, Alexia. I’ll make sure he doesn’t hurt you again.” She turned her gaze back to Adrian. He did not look at her as he spoke those words. But something told her she could trust those words to be true.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


To Be Continue....

[LadyRiona]

Oh my, that is sad, the relationship betweenthe two. It is even sadder that this is based on the actual event. Being an independent girl, myself, it made me realize even more how hard it would be for Alexis (though her name went between "Alexia" and "Alexis" a few times, by the way) to escape Damien. People like him, you can't just suddenly leave without a word. But, I was glad to see Adrian appear.

Well, good luck on the next chapter, when you get to write it.

The one thing that I had to point out was the name switching of "Alexis" and "Alexia," which I've already done. Also, if you could post the rating, please. Otherwise, well written and quite enjoyable.


Ri

[Lady Phoenix]

Chapter 2

Alexia never remembered the drive to Natalie’s home. She had grown so tired, her eyes closed and she gave in to sleep. Adrian glanced over at her and felt sympathy. He knew what a bad guy his cousin was. He also knew his cousin had been seeing someone over the past couple of years. He had no idea who the girl was, but he knew that one day they would meet. He also knew he had to help her get out and away from Damien. He reached for his cell phone and called up ahead.

“Natalie? Yeah, sorry to wake you. Are your parents home? No? Okay, I need your help.” Adrian explained his situation to his friend and after a pause he told her thank you and hung up. A short time later, he pulled into a drive way and turned his Jeep off.

“Adrian?” He turned his head to the house and nodded as the door opened wider and a girl with dark hair stepped outside. “Is she okay?”

“Luckily, I got to her before he did too much damage tonight,” Adrian answered tensely. The girl shook her head sadly. “Natalie is in the guest room getting it set up for your friend.”

“Thanks, Melody. I am sorry if your sister had to wake you.” Melody shook her head.

“No, that’s all right. I was still awake.” She opened the passenger door for Adrian who stepped up and carefully lifted Alexia from her seat after unbuckling her seatbelt. They walked quietly toward the house doing their best not to disturb the girl on Adrian’s arms. Once again, Melody opened the doors for him and he made his way upstairs to where he knew the guest room would be. Melody moved just behind him. “He’s here, Nat.”

Natalie looked up from her task of pulling back the blankets and sheets on a small twin sized bed. A small, lamp had been turned on it’s dimmest setting so things could be seen and yet not in a disturbingly bright light. She sighed as she stopped what she was doing and stepped over to get a better look at Alexia.

“Not another one,” she whispered. “And so young, too. She can’t even be sixteen yet, can she?” Adrian shook his head and moved passed her to lay Alexia on the bed. A soft moan came from Alexia’s lips as she turned to cradle the feather-soft pillow against her cheek. One of the sleeves to her sweater had been pushed back in her movements and slashes on her arms were revealed. Natalie gasped and Adrian cursed.

“If this is all we can see, I am afraid to see what we haven’t seen yet,” Melody whispered coming up beside her sister and staring at Alexia with sadness in her eyes. The older teens nodded.

“Adrian… He has gone too far in this. She has to be Melody’s age at least. This is like looking at my sister lying there like this.” Adrian’s eyes were cold as he opened her purse and found a small ID card.

“Says here she is only fourteen. Yeah, that makes her Melody’s age all right.” His eyes moved from the ID back to Alexia.

“Are you going to be staying here tonight as well, Adrian?” Natalie asked him.

“If it’s not too much trouble. It would give her a familiar face to find when she wakes up.” Natalie nodded her head and went to the hall closet to pull out a fold out cot. It was quick work to pull it open and set the blankets upon it. Melody brought in an extra pillow and placed it at the head of the cot.

“Will you be needing anything else?

”No, thanks, Melody. I'll be good.” Adrian looked up at Natalie. “I really appreciate this.” She nodded and yawned.

“I know. It’s no problem, you know that. Even if my parents were here. You know how strongly they feel against domestic violence. They would have done the same if they were here.” She and Melody said their goodnights then turned to go back to their own rooms. Adrian climbed on the cot fully clothed feeling that was the best approach for the moment.

“She is scared enough, she doesn’t need to wake up to some half dressed man in the same room with her,” he reasoned quietly as he rested his head on the pillow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alexia gave a soft moan as she stretched and yawned. The morning sun was peeking through the curtains and it was only a minute before she sat up with a start, looking wildly around the strange room.

“Hey, you okay?” She turned toward the sleepy voice at the far side of the room. When she did not answer, she watched as the man sat up with a concerned look in his jewel blue eyes. “Alexia? Are you all right?” She blinked at him. “You don’t remember me?” She looked down for a minute, closing her eyes. Her face crumpled and tears stung her eyes as the memories returned to her. Not wanting her tears to be seen, she buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with her silent tears. Instantly, she heard the springs of the cot creak as he stood and hurried to her, the bed giving under his weight as he reached and pulled her gently to him.

She did not fight him. She did not have to. She remembered he was the one who helped her away from Damien. She remembered his name was Adrian. She allowed him to hold her, his fingers stroking her hair softly as her tears soaked his shirt. He quietly shushed her, before whispering soft words meant to calm her.

“What’d you do to her, Adrian?” Came a voice from the door.

“Not a thing, Natalie,” was the tense reply. His friend walked into the room and sat on the other side of Alexia.

“Poor thing. It’s okay. You are safe here,” Natalie assured her. Alexia sniffled and lifted her head from Adrian’s chest. She looked at the other girl with dark blue streaks in her black hair. Her eyes were almost violet in color. Her face was open and honest. “Come on, you must be starved. I remember what he was like. Let’s get you some breakfast. I smell bacon and sausage, meaning Saige decided to play chef this morning.”

“When did he get here?” Adrian asked.

“About an hour ago. Melody had plans with his brother, this morning.”

”Okay, Nat, Blais and I are heading out. You need anything?” Alexia looked toward the door to see another dark haired girl standing there with a smile. “Oh, great, you’re awake! I’m Melody.” Alexia blinked as the girl approached her with her hand out. Hesitantly, she took the girl’s hand and shook it in greeting.

“Alexia.” She looked around again. “Thank you. Thank you for taking me in last night. I- I really should be headed back home though.”

“Not without something to eat first,” Natalie informed her, taking her hand from Melody and pulling her up from the bed. “You have got to try Saige’s French toast. It’s an old family recipe and it is absolutely delicious.” Adrian chuckled as he stood to follow them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alexia had to admit the scent of cinnamon and sugar was sweet to her senses as she was pulled in the direction of the kitchen. The door to the refridgerator stood open. Alexia stopped short of the door before it was closed and she came face to face with a blonde with deep green eyes.

“Bonjour, mon ami,” he greeted her with a smile and a kiss on the back of her hand before turning his attention back to the stove.

“Alexia, this is Saige. He is from France,” Natalie explained.

“Oh, really? Does he speak English?”

“Very fluently actually,” Saige replied with a hint of laughter in his voice. Alexia felt her face flush with color as she lowered her gaze with a smile. “Ah, a shy one, I see. We will have to fix that then, won’t we, Natalie?” He flashed them a grin and flipped over another slice of French toast on the griddle. The girl beside her laughed.

“One thing at a time, Saige. We get her fed then work on getting her home.”

“She is lost?”

“Not exactly,” Adrian answered his friend as he entered the room. Saige arched an eyebrow and turned a glance at Adrian.

“Bringing home strays again, eh?” Alexia frowned and Natalie smacked him. “Ouch! I wasn’t being serious, just curious.”

“Curiosity killed the cat, Saige.” He shrugged.

“Then some restaurant picked him up and made him a delicacy, so?” Natalie groaned.

“That’s disgusting.” He gave a taunting grin at her before going back to breakfast. “You’ll have to forgive him, Alexia. He can be a little crazy sometimes.”

“Though not as crazy as Kevin,” Adrian added thoughtfully.

“Now there’s a crazy son of a-,” Saige stopped himself with a cough and Adrian smirked.

“At seventeen, he’s the extremist of all of us. His life motto I swear is ‘if it ain’t dangerous, it ain’t fun’,” Adrian explained. Natalie giggled and shook her head and even Alexia managed a soft, yet warm, smile.

Looking around the kitchen, she felt her earlier fears began to melt away. They had a way of making her feel as if she was one of them. They welcomed her brightly and were so calm and carefree. She could not help but like them all instantly. They were all a couple years older than she was; Adrian and Natalie both sixteen and Saige seventeen, but that did not matter to them. They all gathered around the table laughing and joking around, tossing bits of bread back and forth at each other. The fun paused only momentarily when they heard the door open and a knock.

“Anyone home?”

“Come on in, Kevin!” Natalie called out to the voice at the door.

“Something smells good in ‘ere,” another voice commented as two teens entered the kitchen.

“Has to be Saige’s cooking,” the first voice stated as two new faces entered the room. Saige beamed and motioned to the stove.

“Plenty left, Kevin, our new friend here wouldn’t eat more than a couple here,” he told them with a laugh. Alexia blushed and Adrian shook his head with a smile. Kevin stopped mid-way to the stove and turned to look at Alexia.

“I thought something looked different in here. Another blonde,” he chuckled.

“Nah, she ain’t a true blonde,” his friend commented as he lightly reached out to her hair and fingered it gently. “More… reddish gold; strawberry blonde I believe is what they call it. Is it natural?” Alexia frowned as she blinked up at the teen male touching her hair, she noted that like Natalie, there was a slight Italian accent in his voice.

“Yes, why?”

“Forgive me, sweet. It is just rare for hair color such as this to be natural. Women try everything to copy this color. Few succeed.”

“That’s enough, Mateo,” Natalie cautioned as she pulled his hand away. She gave an apologetic grin to Alexia. “Sorry about him. My older brother has a tendency to get carried away sometimes around women; like most eighteen year old males,” she added with a roll of her eyes.

“He’s your brother?”

“You mean, the hair didn’t give it away?” Kevin joked from the stove with a plate in his hand and a fork half way to his mouth.

“Hey, that wasn’t my fault!” Mateo returned defensively. Natalie smirked.

“He liked my blue streaks and wanted to do his this way too. But instead of letting someone else do it for him. He was stubborn and tried to do it himself; thus explaining the head of blue hair.” Alexia laughed softly.

“I don’t know… It’s unique like me; maybe I will keep it this color,” Mateo thought aloud.

“If mom and dad don’t kill you first over it. You know how they are on appearances.” He gave his younger sister a “that’s true” look and joined Kevin at the stove, picking up a plate and helping himself.

“So who is our new friend anyway, Natalie?” He asked, turning and leaning against the counter in much the same position as Kevin.

“Her name is Alexia. Adrian brought her over last night,” Natalie answered.

“So, she’s Adrian’s girl, eh?” Kevin replied with a nod. Alexia bowed her head, blushing deeply.

“No, she is not ‘my girl’, Kev. I met her last night. She needed a place to stay,” Adrian informed his friend.

“Where’d you meet her?” Mateo prodded further. Adrian glanced over at Alexia before speaking.

“Outside of Tony’s Villa. With Damien.” Saige frowned and Kevin flinched.

“Good food, bad company,” Mateo commented lightly with a sad shake of his head. Saige stood and took his empty plate to the sink before walking over to Alexia, kneeling before her to get a closer look. She gazed back at him with fear in his eyes.

“There is no need to fear us, cheri. We are here to help you. If you allow us to,” he assured her softly. She eyed his hand cautiously as he raised it to lift the curtain of red-gold hair from her face. “That beautiful face needs to smile more.” She could not help but give a soft smile at his words. “See? That wasn’t so hard now was it?” The group laughed.

Alexia still watched them all in wonder as they all made their plans for the day. Natalie wanted to hit the mall and Saige was ready to accompany her. Mateo had nothing better to do so he agreed. Kevin had a martial arts class to attend but he promised to meet them at the food court later. Adrian kept quiet while his friends made their plans. He knew his plans would include taking Alexia back home. She felt a stab of regret when she remembered this and looked up at him.

“Are you ready to head back?” He asked her. She nodded.

“I will just take a cab home. I don’t want to take you from your friends. I have already taken enough of your time, anyway.” He frowned at her.

“Nonsense, where did that come from?” She shrugged. “Okay, if this is what Damien’s thinking has done to you, then we need to reprogram that pretty little head of yours.” He grinned at her and she lowered her head quickly to hide her cheeks which were turning red once again.

“Hey, Adrian, didn’t you and Chaud have something you were doing today?” Adrian looked thoughtful.

“No, we met up last night before I met Alexia. He wanted help making his plans for the annual summer beach party.”

“Oh, man, I forgot about that!” Kevin exclaimed.

“How can you possibly forget about the party? It’s only the most looked forward to event of the summer around here,” Natalie chided him. Kevin shrugged sheepishly.

“You’ll be coming, won’t you Alexia?” Saige asked. She blinked at him in shock. Swallowing hard, she looked over at Adrian who nodded with a smile.

“I don’t know…” she said trying to cover her nervousness with a laugh.

“Oh, come on, you have to go,” Kevin encouraged.

“Yes, it is always fun to see what Kevin will do to make a fool out of himself each year,” Mateo teased, rewarding himself with a punch from his friend. Alexia smiled again. It was very tempting, but she was still uncertain. She had only just met this group of lively teens and already she was overwhelmed by their almost exotic beauty and kindness.

“Of course that means you will have to come and see us again,” Natalie added, draping an arm around Alexia’s shoulders. “You know, so you can get used to us. And who knows, maybe we can all teach you a little something. Like living life instead of hiding from it because some jerk tells you to.”

“And how to defend yourself, too. Adrian is a black belt, you know. He and I can teach you some self-defense if you would like, free of charge,” Kevin offered. “Adrian has a complete workout room in his parents basement he uses to train.” Alexia looked over at Adrian who nodded again.

“You… you would do that for me?” She asked hesitantly.

“If you wanted to learn, yes, I would. We all would,” Adrian assured her. She thought a moment before looking up at them all with a smile.

“Who knew I would meet such a great group of people thanks to one jerk,” she told them with a shake of her head. “Yes, I would love to get to know you all better. Learn the things you can teach me. And yes, I would love to attend your party.” Alexia was knocked over when Natalie lept forward to give her a tight hug.

“Alexia, this is the start of a wonderful friendship. Look around you, girl. You can’t have a better group of friends. And now that you are one of us, you will always be safe. Now what do you say we go to the mall?” Alexia smiled and laughed, forgetting her rush to get home as she agreed to join them.

“Awesome, I know Chaud will just love to meet you. We can stop by the sportsman’s shop first so you can meet him,” Saige told her as they made their way to the door.

Yes, Alexia was more certain now than ever that life would never be the same now that she had met this group of friends. Her life lost a bit of it’s darkness. Their acceptance bathing her in the purity of it’s light.

She finally felt… Free.


To Be Continued...

[Lady Phoenix]

Chaud was a seventeen year old male who managed over the summer sports section of the store. Alexia stayed in between Natalie and Adrian as Saige slipped closer to their friend. Once in place, he coughed to get Chaud’s attention.

“Yes, excuse me, I was wondering if you could tell me the difference between a surf board and a snowboard.”

“If you need to know that, you shouldn’t be in here,” Chaud responded with a chuckle. His voice carried an Australian accent to it that Alexia recognized right away. Turning, he waved to his friends, his blue-green eyes shining with happy surprise. “Hey guys, what’s going on?”

“Not too much, thought we would check out the mall and see what’s new,” Saige answered. Chaud looked around and his eyes narrowed thoughtfully when they met Alexia’s own blue eyes.

“Someone new? Haven’t I seen you around?”

“Not likely, unless you have seen her with Damien lately,” Adrian told him dryly. Chaud nodded his head.

“I see. Good to see you have met the good of the two cousins now.” Alexia smiled at him and he offered his hand. “Name’s Chaud; welcome to my humble work area.” He waved his other hand around at the rest of the store.

“What time do you get off?” Natalie asked. He checked his watch.

“Not until four.”

“Cool, we can meet up back at the food court for you then and head out for dinner, how’s that sound?”

“Works for me,” Chaud returned with a smile. The others agreed.

“Well, we better get moving if we are going to get our shopping done by four,” Natalie smiled. “You know it takes Mateo forever in F.Y.E.” The others laughed and Chaud nodded.

“Have fun, you guys and I’ll catch up with you later. Adrian…” Adrian turned back to face his friend. “Take care of her. Some of his friends were in here earlier. He isn’t very happy.” A dark look crossed over Adrian’s face as he nodded and Alexia hung her head.

“Don’t worry. We’ll make sure he keeps away,” Adrian promised.

*************************
The summer days were filled with brighter chances for Alexia. With her family rarely home, she spent most of her days at Adrian’s house with his friends as he worked with her, teaching her some of the basics in self defense. He and Kevin had made great sparring partners for her. Natalie would often join them for a female partner on some of the moves that were being taught when Alexia seemed unsure. Strong bonds were beginning to grow and take shape within the group every day. When she was not with them, they would come over and see her.

Alexia and Adrian’s friendship was stronger than she ever could have thought. He not only taught her about self defense, but he turned her negative thinking into something positive. He could always make her smile when her world was tipped upside down. The smallest gestures between them always seemed to be the best things in the world. Alexia had realized that her heart was leaning toward Adrian in a different light, but she feared it would never work. She also feared what it would do to the friendships she had with the others. It was because of this that she kept silent. She continued only to cherish the moments they had.

The end of summer came and the beach party found ways of making bonds even tighter when Damien and his friends showed up looking for trouble. Adrian and Saige kept Alexia behind them and Chaud and Kevin stood just behind her. Natalie, Mateo, and Melody stayed by her side. Damien had not counted on all of them plus others being there and left before any real damage could be done. To shake off the tension, a girls against guys volleyball game was suggested. Afterwards, everyone had chosen to lay out under the night sky on blankets and towels and stare up at the stars. Alexia felt at peace once again as she found herself laying encircled in Adrian’s protective embrace. She noticed Natalie and Saige speaking in hushed tones and nodding at them, but she said nothing. School would be starting soon for them all. She would not be able to spend as much time with them as she had enjoyed doing that summer. So all she wanted to do was take this time to relax as best as she could, and enjoy the time she had with them.

********************************
Fall came too quickly for Alexia and her ninth year of school began, placing her in her Freshman year of high school. It was a typical start. She met up with a couple of friends there at the school and made her way to her homeroom class. Taking a seat in the back, she listened as her friends detailed their summer vacation trips and stories. When asked how her summer was, she merely mentioned that she had made some new friends and just hung out mostly with them. She was not ready to give out any details surrounding how they became friends. No one knew about that darker life. She had started over thanks to her new friends. Her black clothing was gone, replaced with whites, bright blues, and pale pinks. She had begun a brand new life.

Not long into the year, one of her friends had managed the nerve to ask her to go out with him. It took Alexia a short time to answer, her heart still telling her of the feelings she had developed for Adrian.

But that will never happen, at least with Nick I have a chance at something, she reasoned before accepting the offer. Her life kept her constantly busy as she tried not to mingle both sides she had taken. Every other weekend she spent with Adrian and his friends, continuing her self defense lessons, watching movies and hanging at the mall. When she was not with them, she was at home, working on homework and trying to stay out of trouble. Her relationship with Nick had started out fine. They went to school dances together and managed time alone between classes. As time wore on, however, she knew she could not continue the double life she was leading. She needed to choose one or the other.

Her fifteenth birthday came up and she received the party of her life from Adrian and the others. Several gifts of perfumes, and jewelry were given as well as flowers and balloons. Her best gift came from Adrian, however, when she opened the box to find a couple of special covered notebooks and a few pens. He knew she loved to write and was running low on some needed supplies to keep her going. Not being able to get a job for yet another year and not getting an allowance, she was unable to purchase the kinds of things she needed. Adrian always loved reading her poems and stories. He highly supported her dream of publishing a book one day. Praised her for having such a goal and always encouraged her to push forward until she had it.

Sweetest Day was the week after. Alexia still had not yet decided on her choice so she celebrated it with Nick and a few school friends, but her heart was never in the festivities. It longed to be elsewhere. She just did not know how to let go. When she returned home from school, two dozen roses sat on the kitchen table, a card buried there in the middle. One set had been from the group. The other set had been from Adrian. When she looked closer at the bouquet from Adrian she noticed a long black velvet box. Opening it, she found a beautiful silver chain necklace with a cross-shaped pendant. It was nothing big, and it held no real promise of anything other than his continued friendship, but it was still beautiful, and she still treasured it.

The year continued, with very little changing. When trouble came up, Adrian was the first one Alexia called. He was always first there for her. There had been whispers throughout the group that they were hiding a secret relationship. One so secret it was apparently even kept from themselves. Alexia trusted him with all of herself. Nearing Christmas time, she finally admitted that she thought she finally understand what love was. She thought she had found it in Adrian. He had joined her family for a small New Year gathering at her home. He had been accepted as one of the family by her mother, though Alexia was questioned on several occasion as to why she called Nick her boyfriend, when she spent so much time with Adrian. Truth be told, Alexia did not know. When that ball fell in Time Square and the glasses were raised in a toast, Alexia looked into Adrian’s eyes.

“What’s your resolution?” She asked him quietly. He looked at her.

“I don’t know. Perhaps finally do something I have been wanting to do for a long time. What about you?” She thought long and hard.

“To not let anyone tell me I’m not worth it anymore. To be strong. To do something I have been wanting to do for a long time as well.” They looked into each other’s eyes, confusion filling their gaze. They were mere inches from their lips meeting when it struck them what was happening and they backed up suddenly. Adrian apologized and stood not long after. Claiming he needed to leave. Alexia frowned sadly, but walked him to the door.

“See you later?” He asked her.

“I have to go to my step-father’s next week for a couple of weeks. But I will be at the next group gathering on the twenty-fifth.” Adrian nodded and reached to pull her into a tight hug. She was surprised at the need she could almost feel hiding within him.

“Okay, then, Alexia. I will see you again, then.” She nodded and watched him go. She never knew of the dangers the start of the new year and that particular month would bring. Never dreamed the horror of what happened next could have be real.

Or that it could ever happen to someone she loved...

[Lady Phoenix]

Chapter 4
(Warning, some mentions of blood and mild cursing)


Alexia had not been looking forward to returning to school after the winter break was over. She knew she had to, but she just did not want to. She had enjoyed the break, even though she had to spend that last week with her step-father. The only thing she looked forward to was the upcoming gathering. She had found a great deal of time to think and had finally reached the decision to tell Adrian what she thought she was feeling. She thought she could never forgive herself if she never once let on what was going on in her heart.

From day one, he had been kind and caring, even when she kept her distance. He was patient with her. She respected that. She had gained a new vote of confidence in herself since she had begun to hang around his friends and him. He was someone she knew she was looking forward to being with one day. There had been only a couple of things in the way. One was Nick, the boy she was seeing at school, and the other was the fact that she never knew if he felt for her, anything like how she felt for him. The rumors flew around their group of friends, but that did not exactly mean that they were true.

The first week of school seemed to fly by. Mostly because snowfall had caused the roads to be blocked to a point that made the school close down. Alexia listened to the snow plow as it pushed its way down her step-father’s street, the grinding and rumbling making it hard for her to sleep. But that was not the only reason she could not sleep. She had woke up with a terrible weight on her chest. She could not explain it, but it felt to her as if something was terribly wrong. Then, the phone rang.

“Alexia, phone,” her step-father called out from the livingroom. She reached for the phone and gripped it tight. Her heart began to pound wildly.

“Hello? This is Alexia.”

”Alexia, it’s me, Chaud.” Chaud never called her before. They were not quite as close as she was with the others, but he still respected her. She could tell from his voice that something was wrong.

“Chaud? What is it?”

”Saige and Mateo are on their way to pick you up. We need you here.” That was all he would say to her. She tried to get more information out of him, but he would not speak. She was not due to meet them until the next day; the twenty-fifth. For him to call her out there now, she knew it had to be serious. She quickly changed into street clothes and packed her bag.

“Where are you going?” Her step-father asked her when she placed the bag on the floor.

“Home,” was all she said as she heard Mateo’s car pull in the drive. She never did get along very well with him and was glad when her mother divorced him. She hated the trips to his house, but until she was sixteen, there was not much she could do about it. He opened his mouth to speak to her again; to tell her she could not go, she did not doubt. Sparing herself the lectures, she lifted her bag from the floor and dashed outside. Both teens had grim looks on their faces.

“Ready?” Saige asked her. She nodded.

“Yes, I am ready. What is so important it could not wait till tomorrow?” Mateo shrugged.

“Really, I don’t know. Adrian just called saying he had heard something and he wanted all of us to meet him at his place. We left as soon as he called to get you because of all this snow. We knew it would take longer.”

“Okay, then, mind if I catch some sleep on the way?” Saige shook his head.

“Nope, go right ahead. This could be a long night anyway.” Alexia climbed in and buckled up before removing her jacket to use as a pillow. Closing her eyes, sleep claimed her quickly. The hours went by and she felt a gentle nudge from Saige as the car came to a stop.

“We’re here?”

“Yes, we are,” Saige told her with a soft smile. She unbuckled the seatbelt and opened her door, throwing her jacket on over her shoulders as they made their way to the porch.

“I just heard from Adrian. He was just a couple of blocks away when he called. He should be here at any time,” Chaud informed them as he came out of Adrian’s home. Everyone nodded and stepped onto the porch.

“What is going on, Chaud?” Alexia asked.

“I’m not exactly sure. He just called to tell me to get you up here and keep an eye on you.” Alexia looked down in thought. She could not imagine anything being so important that he would have her brought all the way out to his house without any kind of clue. She had almost stepped inside the house when the sound of squealing tires and crashing metal caught her attention. Fear gripped her heart and she slowly turned to face the road.

“That... can’t be good,” Mateo said softly reaching for his cell phone to dial 9-1-1. Alexia and Saige flew from the porch and down the driveway with Chaud not far behind. The horrible feeling in her heart grew stronger with every step. They rounded the corner and came to a dead stop.

Up ahead of them, smoke rose from twisted metal. The eerie silence froze Alexia’s blood even more so than the falling snow. She recognized the Jeep crushed under a large truck. Tears stung her eyes and she forced herself to move forward. She heard Saige and Chaud calling out to her, but she ignored them both as she drew closer. Gasoline and smoke filled her senses. Her head chose not to believe what her eyes were seeing. Carefully, she picked her way to the only door available to her and peered into the passenger window. Adrian had been jostled from his seatbelt and laid on the passenger seat. Gashes bled on his forehead and his face had gone from tanned to crimson.

Without thinking, Alexia tore open the door and reached in to lightly touch Adrian’s head. He did not move. His breath was ragged and wheezing. She could not believe she was looking down at someone who had been such a lively man in her life. She opened her mouth to speak but her voice failed her. Her tears cascaded down her cheeks in her silent grief. She drew a shaky breath.

“Adrian? Adrian, can you hear me?” She whispered when her voice returned. Her eyes closed and she lowered her head. “Please, Adrian, show me you can hear me.” He gave a soft moan and tried to open his eyes. Alexia’s face cracked then and she lowered her head onto her arms resting on the seat beside his.

“Alexia, come on. The paramedics are on their way,” Saige said softly as he gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

”I won’t leave him,” she returned. “Not until they are here.”

“Aww, f**k! Look at my car, man!” Three furious faces looked up and over at the man climbing out of his truck. His speech was slurred and his legs were not cooperating with him. He cursed again after he punched his fist into the truck. Chaud’s eyes narrowed and he stalked up to the man. Without a word, Chaud’s fist lifted and slammed hard into the man’s face.

“You could have killed our friend and all you are worried about is your d**n truck!?” He shouted at the man.

“Hold him, Chaud, the cops are going to need him around,” Mateo informed him as he, Natalie, Melody, and Blais joined them outside.

“Gladly,” Chaud growled.

“He said hold him, not hurt him. The last thing you need is an assault charge brought on you when they get here,” Natalie cautioned him. Chaud nodded and grabbed the man’s arms. Kevin approached on the other side and helped Chaud restrain the drunk.

“This man is toasted,” he said tensely. “He reeks of the stuff.”

”Hope the party was worth jail time,” Melody commented darkly.

“Come on, Saige, let’s try to get Adrian out of the seatbelt at least,” Mateo said as he made his way around the Jeep. Alexia watched silently as they went around and pulled out a pocket knife to cut through the strap on the seatbelt. Adrian’s body fell more onto the passenger seat and he groaned, wincing in pain.

“Hang in there, Adrian. Help is on the way,” Alexia whispered to him. It was then that the sirens could be heard. In a matter of seconds, police and medical personnel flooded the street. Alexia was forced away from him. Natalie and Saige stood near her. When Adrian’s body was released from his Jeep and placed on the stretcher, Alexia did all she could not to fall to her knees. She turned and buried her face in Saige’s chest. He only held her, his head resting on hers as he tried to think of comforting words. The problem was he could not comfort her.

The words he thought of, he did not even believe himself.

Chaud and Kevin released the drunk into police custody and gave their statements. Alexia was numb by the time they turned to her for her statement. All she wanted was to get out of there and go to the hospital.

“One more thing, miss,” the cop was saying as she watched the ambulance lights fade over the hill.

“No more,” she choked out.

“Pardon?”

“I said, ‘no more’. I have told you all I know, now please may I leave to follow the ambulance to the hospital?” The cop sighed and flipped his notebook shut.

“Sure, go on. If there is anything more, we know where we can reach you.” Saige helped to lead her away. They reached his car and he opened the door for her. Blais and Melody climbed in the back. Chaud, Kevin, and Natalie rode with Mateo.

The ride was silent as Alexia stared out the window at the passing trees, houses, and shops. They reached the hospital and all were somber expressions as they entered the building.

“Can I help you?” The receptionist asked them with a gentle smile.

“Our friend was just brought in a few minutes ago. A car accident,” Chaud told her.

“His name?”

“Adrian Winters,” Saige said quietly. The receptionist typed in his name and looked at the screen.

“He is still in the ER right now. If you have a seat in the waiting room someone will be out shortly to let you know how he is doing.” They nodded and turned to enter the quiet room filled with nothing but chairs and magazines. Time just did not seem to be moving very fast. Alexia looked around. Melody had curled up beside Blais on two of the chairs at the far end of the room. Tears were on Melody’s face. Natalie stood with her brother and Kevin quietly talking over what had happened. Chaud stood near by to herself, but stared out the window. He and Saige wore similar grim faces. One could have cut through the tension in the room like a knife. When the door opened, a man in a green surgery uniform entered with a clipboard.

“Are any of you family to Mr. Winters?” Everyone shook their heads and the surgeon sighed. “Has the family been contacted?”

“I called his mother while we were on our way here. They are on the next flight home, but it could be a few more hours before they arrive,” Natalie responded.

“Doc, tell us straight,” Kevin interrupted. “How is he?” The surgeon looked down. He took a breath before facing them again.

“I am afraid it doesn’t look good. He continues to fade in and out on us. His wounds were critical.” Alexia stared at the surgeon with a blank look on her face. She had the dreadful feeling she knew where this was going.

“Please, sir. Can we see him?” The surgeon looked at her and Saige tensed beside her once again.

“Normally we would say no. Family only would be allowed. But for this special case, it might help him to see his friends. Just don’t crowd the bed, and remember that he may not look exactly as you remembered him.”

”He is still Adrian,” Alexia whispered as she followed the surgeon out of the room. He led them to a room and opened the door. There were pieces of equipment everywhere. The beeping was monotonous. Alexia walked in first and did not hesitate in going to where Adrian rested.

“Sweet Jesus,” Natalie murmured behind her as she raised a hand to her mouth. Those had been Alexia’s thoughts exactly. She gazed down at him and felt the tears sting her eyes once more. Died blood and glass matted in his black hair. His tanned face tinged with the crimson of his blood. Bruises could be seen on his forehead where he had struck his steering wheel. Alexia’s eyes squeezed shut and she choked back her sob as she sat near the bed and reached for his hand. It was cold in her grasp. She did not like the look of her friend.

“Adrian,” she called out, her voice just barely above a whisper. His hand twitched in hers before she felt a slight pressure as he tried to return her grip. His eyes opened to slits as he attempted to look at his friends. Chaud and Kevin stood on the other side of the bed. Natalie and Saige behind Alexia. Melody, Mateo, and Blais stood at the foot of the bed. He winced as he tried to look around at them.

“Don’t move, pal. It’s alright,” Kevin assured him. Alexia was not convinced. It did not look all right to her. Adrian’s hand squeezed hers once again and she looked over at him. A finger on his other hand lifted slightly and motioned for her to lean closer. She swallowed and stood to get closer to the bed before leaning her ear near his lips.

“Alexia,” he whispered. She held her breath. He struggled with his own breathing. Finally he took a small breath and tried to speak again. “Something… need to… say.”

“I’m listening, Adrian,” she told him softly.

“Not much… time.” He swallowed hard and opened his lips; once smooth and tempting, now cracked and swollen. “Alexia… Wish I… had said… something sooner.” He coughed and she closed her eyes, her heart beating wildly. “Always meant… to tell you. You meant the world… to me. Alexia…” His voice grew quieter and she began to struggle to hear him.

“What is it Adrian? You can tell me.”

“I always… loved you.”

Alexia’s world came to a crashing halt and her heart stopped. Her eyes flew open and she gasped for breath. Her sob escaped her lips before she could stop it and she sat up straight looking down at him, her tears streaming down her face with abandon. There was no way for her to control them now. Her mouth opened and closed several times with no sound. Adrian’s eyes had closed and his heart monitor sounded odd as his heart rhythm changed. She spun to look at it.

“Adrian? No, don’t you leave now. Don’t you dare!” She turned back to stare down at him. His grip had loosened in hers and his chest had stopped its rise and fall. “No! Adrian, you can’t!” She screamed out, her head falling to his chest. “Not before I tell you I feel the same. Adrian, please, come back,” she pleaded. Her cries were in vain. The monitor let out an alarm as his heart stopped it’s dance. “Adrian, please, I love you, you can’t go…” Saige and Natalie pulled Alexia from the bed as gently as they could and Saige took a hold of her to keep her from going back.

“Shh, Alexia come on, this won’t help,” he whispered to her as they returned to the waiting room. They stood for a moment as she continued to cry. The others looked on, sharing her grief. They had never dreamed they would be faced with a tragedy such as this. They always assumed it would never happen to them. They were careful. They followed all the driving laws. Yet, the one most spirited among them, was the one taken.

Two cops stood at the receptionist desk. Alexia recognized them from the accident. She glared at them as they approached. She did not want any more questions. They would not bring him back. Suddenly, she had gone from grief to anger.

“I am sorry for your loss,” one of the cops told them.

“Don’t be sorry,” Saige responded.

“Just make sure that sorry b*st*rd gets what’s coming to him,” Chaud added. Without another word, they all left and made the silent trip back to Adrian’s home. Saige and Chaud watched Alexia as she made her way downstairs to the basement where Adrian had kept his workout equipment. They looked at each other and shrugged.

“I think we should follow her,” Natalie suggested. They nodded and soon joined her. They watched as she looked around the room, her fingertips trailing on everything she could touch.

There were katana blades on a case hung up on the wall. Pictures were everywhere. A ghost of a smile crossed her lips as she picked up one with them as a group. On his desk more pictures were found. She placed down the group photo and gazed at a picture on his desk she had not known was taken. It was of the two of them resting peacefully on the beach the night of the summer party. A wall of tears filled her eyes making it hard for her to see. She closed her eyes and gasped in her breath as she clutched the picture to her chest. Then, without warning, she lost control.

The picture went flying out of her hands, crashing against a far wall and she swiped everything off the desk, sending papers scattering everywhere. The others ducked as other pictures and items were hurled about the room. Her screams of anguished grief almost lost in the havoc she was creating. Her words were not understandable, but her friends knew where they were coming from. She was only physically doing what each was feeling inside. Some would say her actions to be therapeutic, but Natalie grew concerned she would hurt herself. With a nod at Saige and Chaud, the three of them leapt forward and tackled Alexia, sending the four of them crashing to the floor.

“Let me go!” She shouted, fighting them off. Natalie grabbed her legs while Chaud and Saige each grabbed an arm.

“Enough, Alexia!” Chaud called out.

“Please, Alexia, this will only make it worse!” Natalie pleaded. Alexia pulled her arms free and curled up in a ball on the floor. Her shoulders shaking as more tears fell. Natalie moved to wrap her arms around the distraught girl. “We understand the anger, Alexia. We knew all along how you both felt. We know this isn’t something that we can make better by saying it’s okay. Because it’s not. It’s not okay.” Natalie’s voice shook with her tears. Saige knelt beside them and stroked Alexia’s hair.

“You are a strong woman, Alexia. You can get through this and what’s more is you don’t have to go through this alone. You still have us,” he assured her. “We have to stick together. It’s what he would have wanted.” Chaud returned to them after going to where the picture had fallen and picked it up.

“Here, he would have wanted you to have this, too.” Alexia looked up and took the picture and just stared at it, her hand swiping the broken glass from the frame.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“It’s okay, we all felt like doing the same. You just did it for us.” Chaud offered her a soft smile.

“Come on, Alexia,” Natalie urged as she helped her friend stand. “Why don’t you come back to my home and stay for the night?” Alexia nodded. Her eyes were swollen from crying and her voice was hoarse from screaming. Exhaustion began to take over. All she wanted was to sleep and pray to wake up and find this was all just a horrible nightmare.

[Lady Phoenix]

Chapter 5


A nightmare. That was what she wished it had been anyway.

Alexia stood gazing at her reflection in Natalie’s mirror. The weather at her own home had grown worse and schools were cancelled almost all week. She was grateful that she had not had to face the kids at school just yet. The past few days had made her numb. It had made them all appear numb. Natalie and Melody had tried to take the edge off things with a shopping trip. It would have been fun for them, too, except they were purchasing outfits for their friend’s funeral. It was not the kind of thing that added spice to an outing.

“You look good, Alexia,” Natalie commented as she entered the room. “Would you like some help with your hair?”

“Thank you, Alexia returned softly, bowing her head. It had taken her forever to get her make-up the way she had wanted it to look. It had taken even more time to make sure it was all waterproof. She was not taking any chances in having black lines running down her face. It was not long after that Natalie had Alexia’s hair swept up on her head and pinned back. The doorbell rang afterward and Natalie left to answer it. Alexia moved to the bed where Adrian’s picture rested as she had left it.

“Are you ready, Alexia?” Saige’s voice called her back from her thoughts and she looked up at him. She took a breath to steady herself and closed her eyes to fight back the tears. She looked up at him and nodded.

*************************

The funeral home found itself packed with people. Family and friends all were gathered to say their goodbyes. Alexia and Saige walked side by side into the room. He had become her support post through this. He never left her side if he could help it. If he had to, Chaud was there to take his place. She learned early on why they were switching as they were. They were worried. They knew the strength of her anger. They knew her grief had shut her down. They simply did not want to risk her getting herself hurt.

Alexia looked around at the flowers and pictures surrounding the white casket. Pictures of him in the theatre program at his school. Pictures of him hanging out with his friends. Football games in which he had volunteered to be a vendor on several occasions. Pictures at the beach and just hanging out at the mall. There was even a picture of herself beside him. One of the first that had been taken of them. Alexia hung her head and Saige lightly placed her hand on his arm so he could guide her to their seat.

The funeral progressed with friends and family standing up to say words of praise and respect for Adrian. When the time came for the final walk through, Alexia stood on shaky legs. She walked until she stood beside the coffin. A few tears slipped down her face as she looked down upon him for the last time. She drew in a shaky breath and reached forward to touch his cheek.

“Adrian,” she whispered when she finally found part of her voice. “I don’t know if you heard me. This is my last chance to tell you. You meant the world to me. I never told you. You were my strength, my hope, my light, my best friend. You were my guardian angel, and I fell in love with you. My only regret is that I never told you when I had the chance. I will never forget you. You will always be in my heart. I await the day we can see each other again.” She placed a single white rose under his hand and turned away, walking quickly out of the funeral home to find somewhere to stand alone.

She watched as Saige, Chaud, Mateo, Blais, and two others she did not know carried the coffin to the hearse. Her breath caught when she looked to her side and saw Damien standing with his parents not far from the crowd. Once the coffin was in place, Chaud and Saige took their place, one on each side of her while giving Damien a warning glare. They stayed with her through the trip to the graveyard where the final scriptures were said. Alexia left a kiss on a red rose pulled from a flower arrangement presented as a gift from the group. Each one of them had taken one. One by one, they dropped their red roses onto the top of the coffin. Then, they each tossed a handful of dirt on top of them and slowly moved on their way.

************************
When she returned to school, Alexia made some changes. She ended things with her current boyfriend knowing it would never be fair to him if she continued to lead him to believe there was a chance. She cared for the teen, but she did not have the heart to be in a relationship after everything that had happened. She withdrew from a lot of people as she grieved in silence. Her poetry and short stories becoming her one true escape. For three years she would meet with the group on the anniversary of Adrian’s death and go to visit his grave together and reminisce over the good and fun times shared. One day when Alexia had been finally old enough to drive, she took a trip to the beach. She sat in the sand and stared into the water.

“Thought I would find you here.” She did not need to turn to see who was speaking. Not many of their friends stayed around there anymore. Chaud had gone back to Australia to care for an ailing family member. Natalie and Mateo returned to Italy to attend a University for the arts. Melody and Blais were lost in the reality that was life as they began to near the end of their high school lives and the prospect of college loomed overhead. Saige was the only one left behind. But Alexia knew that his homeland was calling him as well. He had accepted a scholarship to study abroad in France. This was the last time she would be seeing any of them for a long time.

“Hey, Saige.” He sat down beside her and she leaned her head on his shoulder. “I didn’t think it would be so hard. I thought when I watched that drunk as he was sentenced for his crime that I would be fine. That it would at least make some of the pain go away.”

“But it didn’t.” She shook her head.

“No, it didn’t. Just made things seem… more final.” They were silent a moment before she spoke again. “Saige, that night at the hospital… When he told me he loved me,” her voice shook with her emotion. “I actually hated him for that moment. I hated how he chose then to tell me what I had been longing to hear for so long. Hated that he chose a moment in which I could not respond. At least I thought I did.”

“What do you mean?”

“I realize now, I hated myself for not saying anything sooner.” He pulled her to him and held her close.

“Hush now, you didn’t know that would happen. None of us did. There is no sense beating yourself up over it. You know he wouldn’t let you.” She smiled.


“That is why he made it so you were the last to leave.”

“Why is that?”

“So you would be the one to remind me.” She pulled back and looked at him. “Thank you for being there for me over the past few of years, Saige. It meant a lot to me.” He nodded to her with a smile. “I’m going to miss you.”

“Ah, mon ami, I shall miss you as well. I will never forget your beautiful smile. Your grace. You have a light within you, you know. You said Adrian was your light. But you have been mine. I was honored to know you.” Tears filled her eyes again and started to trickle down her face as she laughed softly. “Come on, I can at least treat you to one last dinner before I have to meet my plane.” She nodded and allowed him to help her stand.

As they walked back to their parked vehicles, she made a vow to herself to never forget any of them. Even if they were to lose touch, she would never forget them. She would treasure the lessons they had taught her. She would be strong for them even when she felt weak. She knew it would not be easy, but she wanted to do her best. She would be the kind of person Adrian had helped her to become after he had found her broken.

Looking up at the full moon in the sky, Alexia sighed. She shook her head slightly and swallowed hard. “Adrian, you will always haunt my heart. Your light will be what guides me through the dark. I will cherish you forever. Good bye, my friend. Till we meet again…”

“Alexia, you coming?”

“Right behind you, Saige. Last one there is paying!” With a laugh, she jumped into her car and drove off with her friend following just behind her.

Adrian and the others may have been gone, or going, but her life had not ended. It was merely just beginning.



~FIN~

[Lady Phoenix]

The story is over... but I do know a song that always hits my heart when I hear it... It came on my player when I was posting this today...

Memories by Within Temptation

[Whisper] Memories, memories, memories

In this world you tried
Not leaving me alone behind
There's no other way
I'll pray to the gods: let him stay

The memories ease the pain inside
Now I know why

[Chorus:]
All of my memories
Keep you near
In silent moments
Imagine you'd be here
All of my memories
Keep you near
The silent whispers, silent tears

Made me promise I'd try
To find my way back in this life
I hope there is a way
To give me a sign you're okay
Reminds me again
It's worth it all
So I can go home

[Repeat Chorus]

Together in all these memories
I see your smile
All the memories I hold dear
Darling, you know
I love you till the end of time

[Repeat Chorus ]

All of my memories...

( Song is © to Within Temptation just using it as a ending type of thought...)