Two: Fateful Encounter 1/2

I must have missed it.

The fateful encounter.

I’ve been with the Wolves for days.

May would seek me out and ask me to go on walks with her first thing in the morning.

I didn’t require much sleep to function.

I was mentally getting my report ready for Icarus.

He should know the trivial details as well as the big ones.

“Sunny?”

I turned to see May in the small doorway.

If I could even call it that.

Her red hair looked like fire in the sunlight.

She is another being I would consider beautiful.

Both in her physical form and in her personality.

“May!”

A boy was calling for her.

It was one of the boys I met when I first arrived.

He went through his first change on the night I arrived.

“What is it?” I asked.

I ran to meet them without thinking it through.

“There’s a man on the beach,” he said, “He looks dead.”

Man on the beach?

I thought about stopping.

I thought about returning to my bed.

My body didn’t listen.

I ran to meet May by the beach.

There was a body face down in the sand.

It looked like he washed up here.

May didn’t hesitate to kneel by the man to see if he was alright.

She gently pat his cheeks before I watched her press hard against his chest.

CPR in this day and age?

She didn’t look like she knew what she was doing.

It was like she was trying to beat him back to life.

I could hear choking.

“He’s alive,” May called.

The boy next to me looked relieved.

I was still trying to figure that emotion out.

“Sunny!” May called, “Help me!”

I ran to her side to help her lift the man off the ground.

When I looked up, I noticed Brian running towards us.

He moved me aside to lift the man over his shoulder.

It was like watching him throw a sack of potatoes over his shoulder.

May was quick to follow.

Seems like I wasn’t the only one to show up unexpectedly.

He must be Michael King.

Now I just had to watch and wait.

++++++++++

The waiting was difficult.

Despite knowing I had to be patient, I still felt a strange urgency to find out something new.

Icarus was waiting on me.

It made me wonder if I had already experienced their fateful meeting.

Nearly two months have passed.

Everything seemed normal.

Michael had no memory of how he washed up on the beach.

He didn’t even seem to know what he was.

I caught him helplessly trying to split a fruit.

It was a Mango.

I felt the pull to move forward and assist him, but I stopped myself.

May moved to sit beside him.

His gaze shifted away.

Her nudeness was awkward for him.

She pulled out a blade and easily sliced around the large seed.

She held the fruit out to him and laughed.

She was teasing him.

His gaze on her said a million things.

He wasn’t angry.

He wasn’t upset in the slightest.

It was something like love.

That wasn’t possible.

They’ve only been around each other for a couple of weeks.

I would watch as Michael made subtle movements to get closer to May.

Whenever Brian was around, he’d try to keep his distance.

Fateful encounter…

I needed to talk to Icarus.

I stood up and made my way to the beach.

If it looked like I was simply taking a walk, the others would leave me be.

I called out to Icarus, but I wasn’t sure how to reach him from another dimension.

Did it work the same way?

He said I should be able to reach him.

I tried again, and I was able to get through.

“Sunny,” he greeted, “How are things looking?”

“I’m not sure,” I said, “I believe he met who he was supposed to meet. Am I done?”

“Stay,” he said, “I think things are more complicated than what I was told.”

“Explain.”

“The shades I'm seeing are getting darker the longer you’re there,” he said, “I think this is a bad encounter.”

“He seems normal,” I stated, “He doesn’t have any memory of his life before.”

“Sunny,” he said, “That isn’t always a good thing.”

I suppose I could understand that.

“Memory dictates behavior,” he stated, “And in most cases, a Phoenix loses their memory after they’ve died.”

“I was not aware,” I said.

“I didn’t expect you to,” he sighed, “This feels wrong.”

Wrong?

I glanced back at the encampment.

“Sunny,” he said, “I’m seeing the color black.”

“Black?” I asked, “What does that mean?”

“Normally, it would just mean misfortune,” he stated, “But when it’s pitch black, it means something terrible is going to happen.”
Something terrible?

“I’ve heard about dark fates before,” Icarus said, “But I didn’t think we would come across one so soon.”

“What do I do?” I asked.

“Nothing,” he said, “You are there to observe him.”

Him.

His fate.

What about the others?

“Once the event passes,” he said, “I’ll know more.”

I wasn’t sure what to do.

“Icarus?” I asked, “What if I can’t just watch?”

I could almost hear him struggle to find the words.

“You mustn't,” he said, “This event is supposed to shape him.”

I didn’t like the idea of something terrible happening.

“He is a Phoenix. He won’t die,” he stated, “So you don’t need to worry about him.”

It’s not him I worry about.

The others here have been good to me.

A scream sounded behind me.

“Sunny?” Icarus asked.

“Something is wrong,” I stated.

My body moved on its own.

I could feel the connection between us end.

“Sunny!”

I heard several children call for me.

I didn’t realize how bad it really was until I saw the fire.

It was unusual.

Blues and reds circling together.

Brian was glaring at Michael.

It looks like Michael got upset and accidentally used his fire.

“I already told you,” Brian growled, “May is my mate.”

Michael didn’t look pleased to hear that.

“I’ll kill you before I let you lay your hands on her,” Brian threatened.

What did I miss?

May was hidden behind Brian.

She looked worried.

This was usually when she would inject herself in the middle to calm Brian down.

She didn’t.

This time was different.

“What happened?” I asked.

May looked up to meet my questioning gaze.

She was awkwardly covering herself with her hands.

He must have touched her.

I guess being around her naked really got the better of him.

Stupid boy.

“He touched her,” Brian growled, “And now he needs to leave.”

Michael looked angry, but more than that, he was clearly confused.

“It wasn’t like that,” Michael said, “I didn’t mean to.”

“I don’t give a fuck if you meant to or not,” Brian growled.

Why did the Phoenix look so hurt?

My eyes went back to May.

She bit her lip.

I could see her struggling with running to Michael’s defense.

Despite having a mate, I knew she was drawn to Michael.

Maybe that’s what all of this was about.

This moment felt crucial.

I couldn’t be a part of it.

My mouth stayed shut as I watched on.

Brian stepped forward even though Michael didn’t look like he was trying to fight.

“Fuck it,” Brian hissed, “You won’t leave. You’ll die.”

Michael’s eyes went wide as if he wasn’t sure what to do.

He looked scared.

This situation was unpleasant.

“You want to put your hands on things that don’t belong to you?” Brian asked.

It looked like a flip switched inside of him. I could see it on Michael’s face.

“She is a person, you dick,” Michael said, “And she doesn’t belong to you either.”

Brian lunged at the shorter male and wrapped his large hand around his throat.

Michael flinched at the rough impact.

He glared at Brian despite his airway being cut off.

“Things just might go back to normal once you’re gone,” Brian spat, “Good riddance.”

I could see the strain on Michael’s face.

The hold on his throat was getting to him.

He wasn’t even fighting back.

He must know that he won’t die.

Brian moved his face forward, and I saw the wicked grin on his face.

“And when you’re dead,” he whispered, “I’m going to fuck her next to your corpse.”

He said it so quietly I’m not sure if May heard it.

Michael looked enraged.

His hand came up as if to try and force Brian’s hand away from his neck.

Brian laughed.

“You’re weak,” he spat, “Die like the insect you are.”

I kept my gaze locked on Michael.

I barely noticed the change in his eyes.

A white circle lit up around his iris.

Dark blue fire poured from his hands, and Brian started to scream.

Michael stared at him as his wails of pain got louder.

His face went from rage to calm as the fire turned black.

Black fire?

“If I could,” Michael said, “I would erase you.”

It suddenly felt cold.

I shouldn’t feel a chill like this.

Something was happening.

The black fire wrapped around Brian, and I could see his skin tissue dying slowly.

May screamed.

I wasn’t expecting her to run forward and try to pull Michael’s hand off of Brian.

The second her right hand locked over his, her body started to catch fire.

The black flame started to engulf her arm, then the right side of her body.

The fire went out, and Michael stared at her.

He looked horrified as she screamed and cried.

He tried to reach for her, but she forced him away from her.

“May,” he pleaded, “I’m so sorry.”

If I was human, I would probably crack at the broken sound of his voice.

Brian was lifeless on the ground, and May tried to pull him away from Michael.

She pulled so hard that Brian crumbled in her hands.

It was painful to watch.

Michael looked distraught as he tried to help her.

Even though it was his fault.

She only screamed for him to leave her be.

This encounter was indeed dark.

Fate was cruel.