The Phoenix's Maiden

Where it All Began

It’s the middle of the night and Amber walks as she observes the trees that dance with the wind, and she only hears the sound of rustling leaves. Amber Cesia Garcia is her name; a 26 year old woman and her appearance suit her name. Even for her this is a mystery because both the pupils in her eyes and her hair are red, as if this is another type of albinism. She’s pale enough for the people to think she doesn’t get enough sleep, but Amber make sure that she always get enough rest. More than anyone else she cares about her well-being. Well, Amber doesn’t care about a thing what people think about her. At a young age she realized how cruel the world is, children were bullying her everyday due to her strange appearance and as she grows up her self-esteem dropped low when a boy played her feelings. Soon she learned how to ignore everything and to avoid interacting with people. She dropped out in high school and now she is making a living by working in a convenience store. Her parents abandoned her because she disobeyed their orders and Amber is living by herself now.

She is now going home from work, and this time is her favorite to walk around. This sidewalk is not as busy during the broad daylight and at midnight only few people like her are walking around taking a breather in this busy life. She observes the moon and embraces the cold winds from the sky. It is almost December that is why the season is cold and soon the winter will fall from the sky. Building up piles of white snow in the road and children will soon come out and enjoy what the season offers. Snowball fights, building snow mans, and even hovering using a snow board, but she doesn’t experienced all of this even her siblings avoided her because that will ruin their reputation. At an early age she also knew that she was adopted as her parents told her the truth early on and enslaving Amber at their home. Doing all the chores and was only given a small portion of food every day. Until one day, during her high school she decided to go away from her home. She went far away from home and her so-called family didn’t even bother to find her. At first life is tough, as a teenager her life on the streets, where danger is lurking everywhere, sure is tough. Every day is a gamble for her, where to find food, and to sleep. But one day a good samaritan offered her a job at a convenience store that she is currently working for. She managed to rent a small apartment where she lives and the only place she calls home. She observes her surroundings; few people with sad looks on their face are walking on the street sides.

“Tough times huh,” she mumbled.

Few motorcycles and cars passed, and she started to feel cold. She puts her hand inside the pockets of her sweater and stopped to take a glimpse at the river full of swans. Amber remembered the story of the ugly duckling that suffered the same pain as her.

‘I will be a swan like you someday,’ she thought to herself. She continues to walk and passed on a bench where a homeless man sleeps. She stopped again as the man reminds her experience when she left her foster parents. She pulled out five bills from the pocket in her fitted jeans and shoves it inside the hands of the sleeping man. The man was startled by Amber’s action but as he opened his eyes, she flashed him a smile. The homeless man sits on the bench and checked his hands to know what the girl gave him. His face brightened as he realized that this money can buy him a week worth of food.

“Thank you,” she receives a heart-warming gratitude from the man.

“No problem,” she replied. “I’m sorry that this is all I can do for you,” Amber added.

“This is more than enough,” the homeless man reassures her. “I can still manage to work myself to earn a living,” he bitterly smiled. Amber noticed the sadness in his eyes, and she realizes that those kind of eyes tells her that his sorrow just recently happened. She sat beside him and looks at the night sky full of stars.

“The stars are bright today,” she said. “Don’t you think this is the best time to tell someone your entire luggage inside your heart,” she added. The man stared at her, contemplating every word that she said. “Don’t worry, I will not judge you,” she smiled at the man and this time the man receives her message.

“My children just abandoned me recently,” he bitterly said. Amber felt a pinch in her heart. “They say that I was just a useless livestock and they can’t take care of me anymore. Technically, they didn’t abandon me because I left my home and I can’t accept how my children that I raised with all my might, sees me,” he told her. Amber realized that this night is trying to remind her about the bitter past that she just recently moved on.

“Same story,” she sympathizes with the man. “I left home when I was in high school,” the man was shocked. “This wouldn’t happen if I had been your daughter instead of those ungrateful children of yours,” she jokingly said. She tries to lift the mood to help the man ease his sadness inside his heart.

“They are still my children you know,” he laughed and Amber felt a heart squeeze inside her chest. She stands up and faces the man.

“You are a great father sir and I admire you for that,” she said and the man looked at her with awe. “I still wish that the day that I will be loved will come,” she candidly said and Amber looks at the sky again. “I’m sure that your children will find you, regretting all the words that they said to you. By now they realized that their father that loved them more than anyone else is missing,” she tries her best to not look at the man’s eyes. She feels that her tears will burst anytime and she decides to walk away from the homeless man.

“Father?” she heard from a distance afar. She is not gone very far from the homeless man that she just talked to. Amber looks back and saw a woman with two men behind her, the woman is hugging the old man and they are both crying now. Jealousy filled her heart once again and back to her path she tries her best not to cry. Using her handkerchief she wipes the tears that starts to appear. Increasing the speed in her walk she reached a dark alley-way and there she cried until her heart’s content. She thought that she completely mastered the art of not feeling anything and realizes that she is still her older self, proving her own self wrong. Her phone buzzed inside the pocket of her jeans, she reached it with all her might.

“Where are you?” a voice of an old woman can be heard from the phone. It was the land owner of the apartment that Amber is currently lodging in.

“I’m on my way home,” she tries her best not to sound quaver, due to all her crying.

“What happened?” the old woman started to sound worried, she did not fail to notice the unusual voice of the girl and Amber continues to walk.

“I caught a cold on my way home, it’s starting to get chilly again,” she reasons herself out.

“Okay,” she cheaply said. “Be safe on your way home,” she added.

“I will,” she replied. “Thank you,” she said before ending the call.

She is too busy putting her phone inside her pocket and her thoughts were clouded by her past. She didn’t notice that a car is rampaging towards her. It was too late when she realized that she is in danger.

She is hit by the car.

-The Phoenix’s Maiden-