PHOENIX

𝙹𝚄𝚂𝚃 𝙻𝙸𝙺𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙰𝚃 𝙿𝙷𝙾𝙴𝙽𝙸𝚇 𝙷𝙰𝙳 𝙱𝙴𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙴 𝙰 𝙼𝙴𝙼𝙱𝙴𝚁 𝙾𝙵 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙲𝙰𝚂𝚃𝙻𝙴. He walked out of the building unsurprised—he knew this was bound to happen eventually—and Alysia guided him over to another treetower. Inside, she fitted him up with white clothes: a blazer, slim trousers, a bandanna, and a pair of black-laced trainers.

  The treetower was full of wardrobes, all circling one another against the panel. She had picked one at random and pulled out a uniform. Phoenix found that it was the perfect size. It was like she'd already been expecting him to join, and that this uniform was reserved for him.

  "No jackets?" He squirmed trying to button the blazer. "A bit too formal, don't you think? All white?"

  She was leaning against the panel with her well-muscled forearms crossed over one another. "Add it to the complaint box."

  "It's strange . . . I mean, don't get me wrong, snazzy as hell. Seems a bit out of place for an alliance."

  "It's better than having that old thing." She pointed down at Phoenix's feet.

  He snapped his head down and saw his ripped silver jacket next to Chrono's nylon suit. Sighing, he said, "I've had that for such a long time. Since I was a kid."

  "You still are," she joked. "You have a lot of life ahead of you."

  "Yeah? And how old are you?" He was curious now.

  "I think I'm twenty-three."

  "You think?"

  She shrugged. "Yeah. I think. I was nineteen when I first got here. Every year the Spiral shouts and that lets us know a year's passed."

  Phoenix nodded. "So that can essentially happen any time at all then?"

  She shook her head. "Not essentially. Zamora can determine how long it's been. It's one of the reasons people trust her."

  "Let me guess: she does that by measuring how much of the world has disappeared in the divisions behind us. Way behind us."

  A nod. "Yes. She's smart that way."

  "But now . . . now that it's speeding up . . ."

  "It'll be difficult for her to determine, yes," Alysia said. She stood forward and let her arms rest at her sides. "It's like God caught on. Like He's trying to spice things up and make the whole process faster."

  "I'd imagine," said Phoenix. "Waiting ten years for people to finish the game? That's a lot of patience."

  "He didn't account for the fact that people would team up, that's what I think."

  Or for Zamora to let others use her wormhole. "I'm guessing you didn't expect there to be such little time," Phoenix said.

  Alysia scoffed. "Not at all! That's why I'm panicked about this whole thing!"

  "And why do we need to team up with other alliances exactly? Is it to use their powers as well?"

  Alysia paused and thought for a moment, looking off to the right. When she returned her eyes to him, she said, "It's more so to stop them from killing us if we try to cross."

  "So Zamora hasn't gotten past their division?"

  "Subdivision," corrected Alysia. "And no, no she hasn't."

  "Damn," said Phoenix, staring blankly at her.

  "You might want to cut that, by the way." She pointed at him.

  "Cut what?"

  "Your afro."

  "What? No! I've had this since I was a kid!" he said, defiant.

  "Suit yourself," she said, "but after a while, it's gonna drag you down. They can grab onto it; it can obstruct your vision. It could get you killed. And plus, it looks unkempt."

  Phoenix snorted. "You're overreacting. I've had this for years, no vision problems. No one's ever grabbed onto it. And hey! It looks fine!"

  She shook her head. "It'll grow back in two years anyway. Why risk it?"

  "Because . . ." Phoenix paused, caught for words. He just needed a moment to think. "I don't know. I like it? I guess?"

  "Okay," said Alysia. "Think about it. You still have time. We won't be heading out for a good while yet."

  Phoenix laughed ruefully. "All right. All right. Whatever. Where do I put these?" He reached down and picked up the silver jacket and nylon suit. His knees cracked a little as he did so.

  "In your new room," she said.

  "My new room? What?"

  "Well," she began, "you didn't expect us to just have you fight with us without a place to stay and rest, did you?"

  Phoenix shrugged. "I guess not."

  "You guessed right." She smiled.

  "Thank you," he said suddenly.

  "For what?"

  "For trusting me back in the urban city. For helping me."

  "No problem," she said, and already she was heading towards the double-door.

  "I mean it, though!"

  And she stopped.

  "I thought you guys were gonna kill me after . . . you know . . ."

  She shook her head. "Even if we wanted to, we wouldn't be able. Nothing to worry about." She chuckled and pushed the door open. A pencil beam of sun grew to a headlight and then to a torch. It shone in and slapped Phoenix in the face. He shielded his eyes and followed her, the jacket and nylon suit tucked under his right arm.

  And he continued following her until they crossed an additional six bridges. It was spectacular, walking through the jungle. He spotted some animals—monkeys and sloths and parrots, each varying in colour and size—and was awed at how beautiful the scenery had been. The tarn was no longer visible from this point onwards, but another lake appeared in the distance. More people from the Castle were swimming in it.

  The area of connecting treetowers ended here. They stood on the final platform.

  "A hot spring," said Alysia, looking over the balustrade at the people in the water.

  Phoenix asked, "We're on a volcano?"

  "Probably," she said, and then backed up from the ledge. She turned to face Phoenix, eyes squinting. She brought her hand up to her brow and blocked the light. "This is yours."

  "Mine?" He wriggled back and placed his sight on the treehouse. It looked the same as all the others, but the fact that he owned it made it seem much more beautiful.

  She stood next to him and nodded. "Yours. You can use it as much as you want."

  "Does it have a shower?"

  "I'd imagine so," she said quickly. Now she was folding her arms again.

  "That's awesome!" He interlocked his fingers over his scalp, laughing that childish laugh. "A bed, too?"

  "Of course!" She guided him to the front door and showed him inside.

  Sweet shade swept over him and cooled his body. He wiped a pinprick of sweat from his forehead and inspected the inside. While it had been dark, the sconces holding the magical blue fire emitted a dim glow. They looked like spirit-lanterns. A desk was bolted to the wall up ahead, on which lay a vase with blue strokes and wavy X-shaped patterns. He closed his eyes for a moment. An unusual yet familiar scent kissed his nostrils. Was that lavender? No, surely not. He blinked his eyes open and saw Alysia walking up the stairs. The floor groaned and writhed under the impact of those ruthless calves.

  There had only been three storeys to the building. The second was the bedroom, in which there had also been a rectangle-shaped shower joining the ceiling to the floor. A small, blue sofa chair sat undisturbed on the opposite side. Alysia walked over to it and rested her feet. The bed was small but manageable. Phoenix sat on it and tested the comfort level; it was similar to his bed back on Earth. Correction: it was identical! He knew that feel more than any other. He grinned with sudden euphoria and sighed peacefully.

  "How is it you know Alex?" Alysia's question came out of the blue, with a tone hell-bent on getting an answer.

  Phoenix's smile disappeared. Mouth agape, he said, "I, uh . . . I've known her since we were kids. I went to school with her and we'd . . . we'd meet up every day."

  She pulled down her bandanna. "Is she your girlfriend?" She beamed.

  A pang of embarrassment shot through his body, heating him despite the shade. "Nuh-no. Not really. Wait, no. No, she's not—"

  She laughed. "I'm only asking because I want to know why you want to find her so much. That's all. It's not often that people look for . . . well, friends. Have you thought about your parents at all?"

  "Of course I have," he said. "I think about them all the time."

  "Why haven't you asked Zamora to look for them then?"

  "Because they're not here," he said.

  Alysia wore a puzzled expression. "What do you mean, they're not here?"

  "I saw Alex. I checked for my parents in my house. That's where I was when I first got here, my house. They weren't there. It was only me."

  She nodded. "It's peculiar to me that you didn't get thrown into the world right away."

  "Huh?"

  "That you didn't spawn in the city first. I'm wondering if your vision meant anything. You saw the Hand of God, you saw a crystal. You saw Alex. You sort of got an advantage, especially considering that you're a weather-caster."

  Phoenix lay back on the bed completely now. He stared up at the powerless chandelier on the ceiling. And at that moment, an idea came to mind. He squinted and brought himself up to full height on the bed. Standing on his tip-toes, he reached for the chandelier, pressed his hand against the glass material, and sent a small spark into the bulb. It lit up within seconds, creating a small buzzing sound.

  Alysia's eyes widened. "You can power objects?!" It was said with excitement.

  Phoenix looked down at her, and then back to the chandelier. He whipped his hand away, expecting the chandelier to lose its power, but to his most pleasant surprise, the electricity remained.

  "This is spectacular!" She walked around the bed, training her sight on the light. The room was no longer in shadow but instead fully lit. "You can power the trees!" she suggested. "You could give light to the Castle! Without the need of candles!"

  Phoenix shrugged lightly. "I guess," he said with a smirk. A small difference, though.

  She composed herself and cleared her throat. "Truly amazing, Phoenix. Truly."

  He hopped off the bed and replied, "When are we heading out again?"

  She looked at him somewhat cynically. "Don't worry about that just yet."

  "Just asking," he said, picking up on her suspicious tone.

  "I know. But I'll get back to you. It won't be for a good bit, I think. Don't quote me on that. You already had to fight two people so . . . if you had to use your power again . . . well, we don't want to tire you out, you know?"

  Phoenix nodded. "I understand. And thank you."

  "Again, no problem. It's nice having someone to talk to."

  "What about Valerie?" I like her.

  Alysia laughed. "She's nice but, eh, well, she's a bit goofy. I don't know. I like real discussions. I'm built that way. Don't tell her I said that, by the way."

  Phoenix zipped his mouth. Then said, "My word."

  Another chuckle. "Welcome home, Phoenix. We're . . . I'm glad to have you with us."

  "I know," he joked, and she was already walking downstairs to leave.

  They exchanged goodbyes and Phoenix closed his eyes, lying down in bed. After a while, he drifted off into a dreamless sleep. He awoke later, dry-eyed and thirsty and groggy as hell, so he opted to test out the shower. God knew he needed one.

  God knows everything.

  The water was nice and comforting against his black skin; there were no cuts or bruises, nothing to even merely suggest that he'd been deep in battle. Nothing to suggest that he did anything physically taxing. It was indeed quite jarring.

  The time went by rather quickly. After he got done showering, he got dressed and went outside. As if by muscle memory, he expected the spotless blue sky to have darkened considerably, exposing an open sprawl of stars against the black canvas of space. It definitely took some getting used to. No doubt about that.

  He journeyed through the Castle until coming across the bar; the place where Luke turned water to alcohol and Valerie pestered him to have a glass of mead. Phoenix had anticipated her presence at this treetower. And, sure enough, she was there, playing a game of pool by herself while all the other men sat at the bar. She saw him walk in and quickly a smile coalesced upon her visage. Her hair was tied back into a bun, and she pulled down her bandanna, exposing her sharp facial features and her curvy, womanly nose.

  The people at the bar snapped back at Phoenix, silent, then turned around and began talking once again.

  The sudden discomfort Phoenix had felt lessened. He sauntered over to Valerie, wondering if he could challenge her to a game of pool, because, back in the Retrove Centre he was quite the player.

  The answer was yes, as it turned out.

  "You know how to play, love?" Valerie reorganised the balls.

  Phoenix smiled. "I know a thing or two, I guess. Not an expert. Not a noob."

  "Good. I like a challenge." She grinned.

  Phoenix thought she looked pretty—a young woman after applying a great deal of makeup, only she didn't have any makeup. She was all-natural. The way Phoenix liked it. Too much makeup ruined people, he thought.

  He grabbed a pool cue and opened. The balls flung about but none of them landed in the holes. Ah, shit.

  "At least you know how to open, love." She positioned herself with the cue. "Where'd you learn to play?"

  "I, uh, I played a lot at an arcade. Not long ago, actually."

  "You played with Alex, yeah?" She snapped the cue forward and hit a stripe into the hole.

  Phoenix was taken aback. "Yeah, how did you know that?"

  "Ah, ya know. Psychic," she grinned. "Was she good?"

  Phoenix laughed. "Not the best."

  "Ah, well. Not always about who's better, is it?"

  "Not at all."

  "It's the fun that matters, isn't it?"

  "It is."

  "That's the spirit! You'll make a pro soon enough."

  The game lasted an hour, very quick. Because Valerie had utterly destroyed him. It was like he suddenly forgot how to play; then again, she was a talker. Maybe that distracted him. Who knew?

  She ordered him a glass of water, and herself a beer. Phoenix asked to see Luke transform the water into alcohol and he obliged. It was magnificent, like Jesus touching water and turning it into wine. His finger tipped the surface and that was enough. He explained that whatever alcohol he had in mind, that was what the water would mimic.

  "Honestly," started Phoenix, "that's pretty cool."

  "Pretty useless." Luke laughed. "Especially if you're trying to reach the Spiral."

  "Yeah, but come on," Phoenix said, "you can get your enemy drunk."

  He laughed heartily and passed him a glass of water. "You're all right, kid. Welcome. Enjoy your stay, wouldja?"

  "I'll try," joked Phoenix, and he sat down with Valerie. Same spot as before.

  "Making friends already?" Then she said, "That uniform looks slick on you, ya know that?"

  "Not as good as my jacket," confided Phoenix.

  "That old thing? You know how long my clothes lasted here?"

  "How long?"

  "I was naked when I came here. That's how long they lasted."

  Phoenix laughed, and she did, too.

  "Yikes. That's one way to start," he said.

  She looked at him a little admirably. "Yeah. It is, love. I also fell from the sky into a snowy desert."

  "Ouch. How did you survive?"

  "Zamora. She found me when I was fightin' a polar bear."

  Wide-eyed, Phoenix asked, "Did you win?"

  "My dogs killed it for me."

  "Oh, that's right," Phoenix said, "you have wolves. They're pretty cool."

  "Aren't they? I love them. But, you know, you have the power to change the world. Alysia told me you powered a chandelier. That true?"

  A nod.

  "Wow. Not much, but enough, it is. Any ideas what you want to do when you get out of here?"

  That word—when—had a special place in his heart. "When? Oh, if I do, I'll probably just live. Nothing else would matter."

  "You're the same as me," she said. "Take life by the horns and see where it leads us."

  He took a sip of his water, swirled it around his mouth, then swallowed. "That's a nice way of putting it."

  "It is, isn't it? Been waitin' to use that one for a while now." She chuckled.

  Phoenix picked up his glass of water and at the same time they both sipped their drinks. Take life by the horns. A nice way of putting it. And hey, it was going to be a long trip, so why not.