Chapter 17

Death

I was at Jasmin's house, sitting while she was busy with trying to speak with some kind of summoned wizard that could help with Meredith’s curse, I spent too much time here lately, and just because this was the only place on earth I could go even when she didn’t speak with me, I was welcomed here, I didn’t want to stay in the afterworld all the time, it was still my purpose to keep everything in place there, but when I had done everything I needed I didn’t want to stay there.

From the side of my eyes I noticed golden red light run by in a split second. I looked in the direction but nothing was there. Was that Jasmins doing? She didn’t usually joke with me, because she knew better. I looked around the room and something caught my eyes. On the floor there was a red feather with golden light around it. It was a feather from some kind of bird, but it needed to be a big bird.

“Hey Jasmin!” I called out to her, picking up the feather in my hands. Silky to the touch almost as if it was melting.

She didn’t come right away and I waited for her while I inspected the strange object. “He will be here tonight, not here but at the packs lake....“she said but stopped talking when she noticed what was in my hand. “Death...” she said, frightened. “Why do you have Phoenix’s feather?” She asked. And then I realized the color it had and the size of it. Phoenix the symbol of birth, death, rebirth, eternity, strength and renewal. In my life I had seen phoenix only once and it destroyed an army of demons. Who knew how powerful Phoenix was, the only thing that makes me curious about its power.

“It’s a sign...” I said while watching Jasmin and she finished my sentence.

“When the Phoenix feather is left in front of you it’s a sign of meeting soon, he will find you...” she sat down next to me. “What have you done to make him reach out to you?” She asked.

“Nothing...”

Meredith

I had just woken up and a huge thud came from my window making me jump in fright. I noticed a piece of paper floating down on my table with glowing gray dust around. This was something strange.

The window was closed and the doors also, everywhere around there was silence. Who put it there?

I quickly jumped out of my bed not even being shocked by the cold floor on my feet.

As peculiar as this was I picked the paper up and it had something written on it. “When the full moon comes, take with you phoenix’s chosen one to your sacred place’ at the end there was a silver illustration of the moon.

Was this Death’s doing? Or Jasmin’s? Maybe Magdalena was playing? Was this some sick joke?

I glided my fingers across the silvery moon… what if it wasn’t a prank?

But there were stories, legends of gods reaching out.

Was that...

Moon Goddess... it couldn’t be... why would she speak with me?

The letter said to meet at my secret place, where I prayed for my element... it was the lake but how do I know what the phoenix’s chosen one is? The next full moon was in three days.

I was startled by the knock coming from the other side of my door.

I put the letter inside my fist. And turned towards. There was Magdalena peaking in. “Breakfast’s ready!” she announced.

She stayed to look at me for a while… like wanting to ask something. Like seeing that I was shocked. She didn’t push it and walked out.

I was uneasy all through the morning, I needed to find out more about that note. But to whom I could ask such a question… I tried to act as normal as I could around my family, but I knew Magdalena suspected something was off but thankfully she didn’t mention it.

After breakfast I walked to Vincent’s. “My light, my rain, my thunder” he said excitedly, but he looked worse, his face was colored slightly yellowish.

“How are you?” I asked, sitting in my usual spot.

“I feel like the time is near,” he said and he even looked like it, slowly leaving.

“You want to talk about it?” I asked him secretly knowing the answer, he never wanted to talk about his health. And about him dying even more, but when he did he always talked about it like the most carefree and easy thing.

He chuckled at me. “You know I don’t, let’s talk about anything else,” he said.

Could these be out final moments? He never looked this bad… his body was more skunked down in his pillow, his eye sockets like deflated. He still smiled. Was his lovely self.. He just looked… sick.

Anything else? What could I talk about?

“Vincent... What do you know about Phoenix?” I asked him...

“Phoenix is a mythical bird that symbolizes birth, death, rebirth, strength, renewal and eternity. Reborn from the ashes of the flames,” he said but only one word caught my attention.

“Death?” I asked again. And he looked at me unsure.

“Yes, it also symbolizes death,” he confirmed. Maybe Death will know something about it? “Why so interested?” He asked.

I shook my head. “Nothing important, just curious. I was reading something and it just popped up,” I tried to sound as confident as I could.

“Let it be, but why so interested in the topic of death lately?” He asked.

I looked down on my hands, I didn’t want to say that I knew Death. “I am putting my fear of Death aside and to do that I want to understand him... it... understand it,” I corrected myself quickly.

“That’s good,” he said. “Death isn’t something to be afraid of.”

“Are you okay with death coming?” I asked.

He looked at me, but something looked off about him, he wasn’t acting like he usually was. “Of course...” he said but somehow it didn’t seem like a real enough answer for me.

“Time for sleep,” Jasper walked in and it was time for me to go. What I didn’t expect out of Vincent’s house was Death waiting for me.

“Hi,” I greeted him. “What brings you here?” I asked, but only then I looked around if anyone was near and I started walking with him next to me, one lady was watching me. Weirdly already for talking to myself.

We walked back to the same spot we previously talked, in the garden. I didn’t need to ask him when he started talking. “Tonight at the lake Jasmin will bring a wizard to look at your curse,” he explained.

Yesterday’s meeting with Zion didn’t exactly bring anything good. “What do you think the curse could be?” I asked him.

He was a little hesitant about my question.

“Maybe your curse is seeing Death,” he said expressionless.

I chuckled a little. “You are not my curse,”

“You don’t know that,” he said, turning away from me. If this curse would be him, I would want him gone. He is a lot nicer than I thought he was and I wanted him in my life… even if this was too crazy for anyone else but this bit of crazy made my life a little more exciting than it was. “Besides, the curse can progress later in your life, it’s not always meant to start right when you get the curse it can come much later.” He explained. I nodded in understanding.

My mind wandered back to yesterday. How close he was. Holding me. I told him I hated him… I was heated. Angry.

Now I didn’t really feel angry. It was something completely opposite of anger.

I remembered the note I received earlier. “Do you know anything about the Phoenix?” I asked him and he shot a look at me quickly scrunching his eyebrows together.

“What about him?” He asked a little too curious to not know anything.

I took the folded note out from under my bra strap and I gave it to him, “I found it on my table this morning... I am sure it’s from the Moon Goddess, but I don’t know why...” I explained and he read through the note.

He looked at me. And reached for something in his pocket. He took out a red bird feather. “What’s that?” I asked suspiciously.

“Phoenix feather... I am the chosen one,” he said and buried his head in his hands. “Now you see...” he said. “I could be the curse for you because I got you in this,” he said with his jaw clenched in anger, but he wasn’t angry at me, he was angry at himself.

“How are you so sure it’s your fault?” I asked.

“Phoenix is the symbol of Death, not the symbol of nymph or werewolf. It is powerful and can destroy without even breaking a sweat. Are you really that eager to meet him?” he asked furiously. “I’ll try to do something to stop this, I’ll talk with Jasmin,” he said and started to walk away but I wasn’t going to let this go

“I will not go against Moon Goddess!” I said with a growl in my voice. He turned towards me with a stunned expression.

“You will get yourself killed!” he said in a stern voice.

“Not necessarily” I argued. “You have that time of me does it say that I will die?” I asked.

He looked down. “Sometimes things like these are not written in peoples fates… sometimes it shows the wrong time and breaks right at the moment, it’s not written in the fate because it is not known how it will end, the fate changes after you meet gods, goddesses and in this case also Phoenix,” He explained.

“You are just afraid of what you don’t know…” I pointed out. “Moon Goddess rules over Werewolf’s and I will do what she says, either you come along or not…” I explained there was nothing he could say to make me change my mind.

He mockingly laughed at me. “No,” he said through laughs. He pointed his index finger at me. “You.” he cut the word. “Will stay here in your pack. Like you should. And I will go and sort my business out.”

“I am going.” I said, crossing my arms in front of me.

“if you do not obey, I have my ways.” Was that a threat?

I let out a surprised breath of air. “Weren’t you the one who told me to not follow the rules?” I questioned with my lips pouted and eyes bulged out like a little girl would.

I leaned in a little closer and his expression started to change to anger. “I suggest you follow my rules.” He cut at me.

“You threatening me?” I questioned in a challenging manner.

“Don’t test me, Meredith!” he had raised his voice now. His jaw clenching at each word.

“Tell me what will you do.” He didn’t like me challenging him.

His eyes flew around. He was actually growing furious with me. “Why do you act as if you’re untouchable? Immortal?”

“Tell me what will you do when I go against you?” I asked again since he didn’t have an answer for me. “ How will you hurt me?”

His eyes instantly softened. “Why would you think I’ll hurt you?” as if he was offended. Hurt?

My arms dropped to my sides. “What makes you think I will do what you say just because you told me?”

He looked like a loss of words. What so wrong did I say?

“Do you want me to hurt you?” he questioned. I kept thinking that I imagined that he looked even worried.

“Well… no… but…” I couldn’t find the right words and took in a pause to sort my thoughts. “I am not some child you can order around. I don’t need to be protected. And I don’t need you to be my spokesperson. I was called there and I will go!” I told him my final word. I wasn’t going to continue this banter.

But it angered him. “You can get yourself killed!” he shouted. Almost making me flinch but I could be just as angry as he was.

I shook my head “I don’t care!” I said in a loud voice at him.

“I care!” he screamed at me, furious. “I care if you die…” he said quietly the last part. I heard my quick breathing between us as the silence stood in.

“Why?” I asked finally just as quietly. I didn’t understand.

I looked at death. He was… almost starting to shake. His hand flew up to his face. He kept shaking his head. Was he sick? Did something happen?

“Death?” I tried to speak with him but he quickly hurried away through the garden labyrinth and I tried to follow him but I went around the corner and he was already gone.

What happened to him?