The Rise Of The Phoenix

Kaelyn Rodgers I found myself in the middle of a foggy forest. How did I even get here? I couldn’t see the next few steps in front of me, and I had no idea how to get out. “Hello?” I called out. Then a voice bellowed back. “Kaelyn? Are you there? Follow the sound of my voice!” I had no idea who the voice belonged to. I had never heard it in my life. But I figured it was more worth my time to look for the lady who was calling out to me, than for me to stay lost. I stepped very carefully through the thick fog, watching out for trees or roots that could harm me. The forest had an eerie feeling. The thick fog barely let any light through, and the tree branches had intertwined to look very scary. I had been walking for so long when I suddenly stepped into an open space in the middle of the forest. No trees, just grass and the sound of a peaceful, flowing river. I still had no idea where I was. “Kaelyn. Where are you?” The voice called again. This time, it was closer than it had ever been. I felt like I was just about to find her. I really hoped I would. Maybe we could get out of here together. “I don’t know where you are!“ I responded, already feeling frustrated. This mystery lady didn’t seem too interested in being found. “Come on, you can do it. I know you can. I don’t know where I am, either. But I know you can help me. So come on.” The voice said back. I scoffed. How trusting was this lady? She didn’t even know who I was, and she was counting on a mere seventeen year old to save her? Even I didn’t know what was going on! I was so frustrated, I even considered leaving this mystery lady and all her expectations of me, behind. But I decided to go on, anyway. While carefully following the voice, I heard a low growl behind me. Then, I noticed the forest animals had all gone silent, even the crickets. Something was in the forest with us, and it was right behind me. I immediately stopped moving, and stayed as still as possible. I felt something brush against my back and take a long whiff of my hair. I shivered. I didn’t know what was standing behind me, and I wasn’t going to wait to find out. I ran. I ran as fast as possible in zig-zag motion, away from whatever that was. I heard it roar, something familiar to a jaguar’s, and I knew it was coming after me. Adrenaline took over. I ran aimlessly, recklessly. I felt my skin being cut by tree branches, but I didn’t care. As long as I got away from the thing. While running, I heard the voice call out to me again, but I was too focused on staying alive at the moment. Suddenly, I felt my foot grip onto something, and I fell face first into the ground. I had tripped on a tree root. Just great. Luckily, the ground wasn’t muddy. I stayed very still to hear how close the creature was, but I heard nothing. I must have lost it. I let out a sigh of relief as I stood up to dust myself off. Then, looking forward, I saw the figure of a woman standing right in front of me. I felt so much relief in that moment, knowing the lady hadn’t been attacked by whatever was chasing after me. “God, I’m glad I finally found you!” I exclaimed. There was no response. I was confused, but I decided to try again. “Hey, there’s a creepy thing in this forest trying to attack us, we should go” Still no response. Okay, this lady was starting to creep me out. Why spend all that time and energy calling out to me, just to say absolutely nothing when I finally show up? I reached out to tap her, only to find out that she was turned away from me, standing perfectly still, too! I thought the creature was nearby and maybe she was trying to stay as silent as possible, but that wasn’t it. I’d had enough. I wanted to leave this creepy forest, and I wanted to leave immediately.I reached out to her shoulder to turn her around to see her face. As soon as I did that, the world around us started to unravel. Her face was all muddled up, and I was horrified! She opened her mouth to speak, but I couldn’t hear her. Then, there was a knock, and my eyes opened. “Kaelyn, honey, it’s time for breakfast!” My mom was at the door. I realised I was having the same dream again. I sighed as I hopped out of bed to get my day started. While getting ready, I couldn’t get my mind off that dream. I found myself in that foggy forest at least once a month, and I was always looking for the lady with the voice. The exact same routine, over and over. But this time, I had gone farther than ever before. I had actually found her, but I didn’t see her face. Who could the lady possibly be? Well, dreams never really have an explanation, right? They’re always weird, and this was just another weird dream. I slipped on my sandals and headed downstairs to greet my family. My little sister Ivy was helping mom set the table, while dad served the plates. The scent of pancakes and syrup filled the air. While coming down the stairs, I let out a little yawn that drew mom’s attention. “Well, someone had a good night.” Mom laughed. “Good nights are all I’ve had this holiday.” I responded as I took a seat at the table. “And, good morning to you too.” Ivy took a seat opposite mine. “This holiday trip is the best thing that’s happened all year, you know. It’s been amazing!” We had taken vacation to Hawaii for two weeks, and it had been the most relaxing two weeks of our lives. We had visited beaches, gone sight seeing, and Ivy even learned how to surf. It was the best vacation we had in a long time, and it actually brought the family even closer. It had finally come to an end, though, and this was the last day of the vacation. We had to go home and use the next one week for school prep. “Honestly, I haven’t felt this great in a while. And now, I’m so ready to start my senior year on the most amazing note, with my friends!” I shrieked as I took a bite out of a pancake on my plate. “And I’m about to be a high schooler! God, I can’t wait!” Ivy giggled with excitement. She had been preparing for her debut as a high school student for a month now, and it was just the cutest thing to me. I had no idea why she was so eager, but she insisted that her first few days could make or mar her reputation at school. You know, I couldn’t argue. I was fairly popular at school, so I understood what she meant. As Ivy and I rambled on and on about how great our school year was about to be, I noticed our parents had gone silent. They weren't laughing, or chiming in, like they usually would. Mom sat there, anxiously sipping her tea, eyeing dad, who would not look up from his plate. “Hey, what’s up with you two?” I asked, looking at them.Mom looked at me with wide eyes. “What? Oh, it’s nothing, honey.” She went back to sipping her tea. She was avoiding eye contact. “Dad? Are you going to tell us what the problem is? You guys are awfully quiet.” I said, glancing at my dad. He looked like he was being held at gunpoint. “Yeah. What’s up?” Ivy asked. My mom let out a sigh. “David, they’ll have to know eventually.” ”Yeah, dad. We will have to know eventually. So come on.” Ivy said, stuffing pancakes in her mouth as she waited for a response. My dad sighed. “Girls, we won’t be going back to California. We’re moving to Massachusetts.” There was silence at the table. I was too stunned to speak, and Ivy had even stopped chewing her pancake. I couldn’t believe my ears.