Phoenix ☠️

Part 9 of Dead End. It actually follows the prompt this time! Enjoy!  

“And then she said I’m going to have another class for Hallucikinesis.” I say, repeating the story for the third time. First to Alpha, then to Chase, and now to Sky.

She nods. “This could be good.”

“I thought you said I wasn’t supposed to draw attention?” I ask. 

We’re at the mall, sitting at one of the booths at the top. Alpha’s sitting beside me, his arm around my shoulders, but Chase is at the bottom level somewhere. I think he might still be mad at me. 

“Well, yes, but you didn’t mean to. Also, you becoming Glean could lead to the change we’re working towards. But that’s not what I meant.”

I frown. “What did you mean?”

“The best Hallucikinesis teacher is a part of the Outcasts.” She says, tapping her fingers on the table. “How good are you?”

I imagine another me sitting by Sky, and it flickers into existence. Her eyes widen. “That’s...really impressive. Most people can’t do that.”

“What can they do, then?” I sigh. “Why is this so great?”

“Well, most hallucinations are put in your head, and you usually also need telepathy to do that. Some can use it to hide things, but I only know one other person that can make a solid replica of themselves.”

“It’s not solid,” I say, waving a hand through it. “And you can hide things?” 

She nods, and waves her hand. Two wolf ears the same black as her hair appear on her head. My eyes widen, and after a second, hers do too, as if realizing what she did.

“Sorry, I wasn’t supposed to-Alpha, would you quit laughing?” He snickers again, and she glares at him, then sighs. “Well, I’m half wolf. A lot of the Outcast’s are different creatures, actually. The school hates us, but they can’t really do anything about it, so they just ignore us.”

“And you weren’t supposed to tell me?” I ask.

She shrugs. “We can’t tell you everything yet. Anyway, you should meet Phoenix.”

“Who’s Phoenix?” I ask, following her as she starts walking towards the stairs, Alpha beside me.

We start down the stairs. “The Hallucikinesis teacher.”

“So, why is a teacher a part of the Outcasts?”

“Because she’s an elf. But she’s the best, and the Glean still needs her help. She just makes sure all the other teachers ignore her.”

When we get to the bottom level. She scans the room, then walks over to a table.

“Bella, where’s Phoenix?” She asks. 

One girl looks up, and I recognize her as the one that opened the door for us the first day we got here. “The Glean called her for a meeting, but she’ll probably go back to her office.”

“Thanks.” Sky says.

“Sky? What’re you doing here?” 

Sky, Alpha and I have been waiting for Phoenix in this dark, creepy room for about twenty minutes. We turn to see a girl standing at the door. 

“Why are you guys standing in the dark?” She asks, snapping. The room lights up. She has long auburn hair, freckles, and big glasses. She looks about our age. 

I look around the room. The walls are green, and there are different plants against the walls. There are comfy looking couches and armchairs, and a big desk. There’s something on the desk covered by a black blanket. I think there’s a garden in a corner. It’s a lot less scary now.

“What’s up, Sky?” Phoenix asks, walking to her desk. “Who’s this?”

“This is Ari. We think he’ll be your new student.” Sky says. She explains how the Glean is teaching me shapeshifting herself. 

Phoenix studies my face, and smiles. “How good are you?”

I make the replica of me, and her eyes widen. “That’s amazing. When did you get the power?”

“This morning.” I tell her.

“Wow, okay, that’s awesome. The Glean will definitely send you to me. Even she can’t do that. And you got this today?” She seems to be talking to herself, and walks around the room. “This is awesome. Do you have any idea how powerful that is? No wonder the Glean’s training you herself.”

“Phoenix.” Sky says. “Focus.”

“Oh, yeah, sorry. Anyway, the Glean will definitely send you to me. I’m the only Hallucikinesis that can do that.”

Sure enough, when I go back to the Glean after lunch is over, she tells me Phoenix will be my Hallucikinesis teacher. She clearly doesn’t like it.

 She has me shapeshift, and it turns out I can turn into object's, too. It’s harder to change back, but still doable. 

Later, Alpha walks with me to Phoenix’s room. “How was it?”

“Fine. I can turn into a flower pot.”

He looks at me curiously. “What?”

“Apparently I can shapeshift into different object's, too.” I tell him. 

He smiles. “You’ve got to be the most powerful gleaner in a long time.”

“That’s what the Glean keeps telling me. But, I mean, I’ve only got two powers. I can’t be that great.”

“Yeah, but imagine if your other powers are as strong as the ones you have.”

I nod as we start down a set of stairs. “Yeah. Hey, I’ve got a question.”

“Hm?”

“Why haven’t I seen anyone else? I mean, I saw the mall, but I haven’t seen anyone here except you, Jax, Sky, and Mac.”

We reach the bottom of the stairs, and turn the corner. He lowers his voice. “Well, the castle is huge. The Glean doesn’t want you to meet too many people, because she’s going to try to convince you her way is the right way, and she doesn’t want anyone to get to you first.”

“Oh. But wouldn’t I still see people, though?”

“They might be avoiding you. Most people here don’t like new students. And they definitely won’t like that you’re the Glean’s favorite.”

We reach Phoenix’s room. Alpha leans down, and kisses me lightly. “See you later.”

I knock on the door as he walks away. After a second, it opens. Phoenix is standing there, an annoyed look on her face. But it disappears when she sees me. 

“Ari! Come in, come in.” She says. 

Her room is dark again, but she flicks it on. “Sorry, I forgot you were coming. Gleaners are supposed to be creepy or whatever, but I’ve never really been able to do that. This looks so much better, don’t you think?”

She walks to the desk, and I see a bird cage. There’s a beautiful bird with red and gold wings sleeping inside. She sees me staring at it, and smiles. 

“That’s Sidney.” She tells me. “She’s a phoenix.” 

Phoenix has a phoenix. Okay.

“It’s interesting that she’s here. Phoenix’s don’t die. They’re always reborn from their ashes. I just found her here one day. Anyway, we should start working on your Hallucikinesis.”

We spend the next hour working on making my replica solid. Once I do that, she helps me make it copy my movements. Then making it move without me. 

“Well, you might be more powerful than me.” She says.

I nod, but I’m barely paying attention. I’m exhausted. She seems to notice.

“I’ll get someone to take you back to your room. You used a lot of power.”

But before she can leave, the lights flicker off. There's a bright red light coming from Sidney’s cage. She’s awake now, and looks straight at me. 

A raspy voice whispers, “he is the one.”