"RAIN OF FIRE" by Sarah Ryniker

STORY LAST UPDATED ON 21/04/2002

Rain of Fire Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Epilogue

CHAPTER TWO

Walking down the hall, my heart pounded so hard with anger I was sure it was going to pound right through my chest. I got to Jenny's door and pounded, not hesitating at all. "Let me in! Right now, Jenny!" I yelled at the door when she didn't answer. Growing impatient, I tried the doorknob. It clicked open and I pushed it wider. She wasn't in there like I had thought. Or at least I thought she wasn't, until I heard singing coming from her bathroom. She came out dressed to kill, her hair perfect, which was nothing new, and her face made up. I raised my eyebrows.
    "What do you want, niece darling?" She smiled sweetly at me and I felt like gagging.
    "Don't call me that, Jenny," I snapped.
    She looked at me innocently. "Whatever have I done now, Phoenix? You know, you always go around with a sour look on your face. That'll give you wrinkles and grey hair early. You really shouldn't do that." She smiled as she sat on the side of her bed to put her shoes on.
    "Why did you tell your father that the reason we came in late last weekend was because I forced you to drink and 'hook up' with a couple of boys?" I demanded.
    "Oh, that?" she asked, laughing. "He wouldn't stop questioning me about it, Phoenix. And I hate how Daddy gets angry with me, he runs and tells Mother, and Mother is rather irritating when she says that I am grounded." She sighed. "Though Daddy never makes me stick to being grounded to the house or anything, I still didn't want to listen to her ramble on." She shrugged her shoulders. "I'd rather blame you, anyway. He already hates you." Oh, how matter-of-factly she said that! It made my stomach knot. Why did she have to throw it in my face that my grandfather hated me as much as he hated my mother, if not more?
    Instead of feeling defeated, though, her claim that she made so easily only made me angrier. "You should have told him the truth about how I told you to not drink, and you didn't, anyway. And how about telling him how I pulled you and only you away from two boys? Huh? I really would rather you tell him that!" I yelled.
    "Oh, Phoenix, you know I can't tell him that!" she whined. "And really, must you yell?"
    I walked over to her and grabbed her by the ear. "Ouch!" she screamed. "Let me go, right now, Phoenix! Or else I'll tell Daddy!"
    "You go ahead and tell him. He'll see it first hand, though. I'm taking you down to him right now so you can tell him the truth and if you don't, I'm going to beat you. You need a good beating anyway, you spoiled little brat!" And with that, I dragged her out of the room and down to where my grandfather sat in the den, reading his newspaper, with her whimpering, complaining and making threats all the way there.
    I thrust her into the room. He looked up, shocked to see us standing there so suddenly. "Go ahead, Jenny! Tell him!" I demanded. The adrenaline in me was pumping, feeding my anger at her. If I had to, I'd beat her right in front of her beloved daddy.
    "Now, what the hell is this all about, Phoenix?" He hated me enough. Doing this to his precious daughter was bound to make him even angrier with me. But caring whether or not he was angry with me didn't seem to be something I ever worried about.
    "Jenny has something to tell you about last weekend, Grandfather. I won't let her lie about me the way she did. She's definitely no little angel being forced to drink!" I hollered.
    "Daddy, Phoenix just wants a way out of-" She cried out in pain as I walked up behind her and grabbed a fistful of her hair.
    "Now, what were you saying, Jenny?" I hissed into her ear.
    "Let her go right now, Phoenix, or you will be paying a dear price!" Grandfather Gerald screamed at me, jumping to his feet.
    "My life, Grandfather?" I asked sarcastically. "Please say it's my life, because I find that I truly have nothing to live for around here. My grandfather and father hate me, my mother is some mysterious runaway and I'm mothering my stepmother's mistake child. Gee, how peachy. Really, Grandfather," I insisted. "There is nothing you can do to make things worse."
    "Phoenix!" I suddenly heard from the doorway. I let go of Jenny and turned to see Mitch sitting there. "What on earth are you doing?" He looked shocked and I knew I must look completely insane.
    "I just… I'm not going to let Jenny use his hate against me by telling him lies!" I suddenly felt like crying, the anger in me melting to nothing but ashes. Mitch always had that affect on me.
    "Come on, Phoenix. Give it up," Mitch said, shaking his head. He held his hand out, hoping I'd take it and give up the futile fight. I nodded.
    I turned back to Jenny and Grandfather Gerald. They stood glaring at me. Jenny was rubbing the back of her head where I'd grabbed her hair, and leaning on her father, half whining and half shooting daggers at me with her eyes. Grandfather Gerald had his arm wrapped around her protectively as he looked at me with anger and disgust. I waved at them as if waving away flies. "Just… forget about it." I walked out of the room, pushing Mitch down the hall.
    We made our way into the library. He watched me as I stormed to the large windows looking over the ocean. I stared down at the sea's waves lifting, hitting ferociously against the rocks and then falling back down to mix with the rest of the water once more. I didn't realise I was crying until I felt a teardrop fall onto my hand. I looked down at it and then wiped it away.
    "Phoenix," Mitch began, wheeling towards me. "Is it really that important that he knows that Jenny lied and you are the good girl and not her?" I knew he was right, but I wasn't ready to give in yet.
    "Of course it is! He's my grandfather. Shouldn't he care about me?" I moaned, sitting in one of the nearest chairs.
    "He didn't, or couldn't, care for his own daughter, Phoenix." He shook his head, as he often did when trying to make me see reason and was getting frustrated. It was his only sign of frustration, though. Mitch never raised his voice.
    "I don't think the man cares about anything but Jenny," I pouted, setting my elbow on the table and placing my cheek in my hand.
    "I'm not sure he even cares about Jenny. I think he just finds her easier to deal with. She's usually out of his hair if he just gives her what she wants."
    I nodded, remembering what I had told Grandfather Gerald earlier. "Out of sight, out of mind," I muttered, sitting my hands in my lap and staring down at them.
    "What?" he asked. "Out of sight, out of mind? What are you talking about?"
    I sighed. "It's what I told Grandfather Gerald about me earlier. As long as I was out of sight, he could forget that I existed. Do you think that's what he does with Jenny, only in a different way?" I didn't want to sound hopeful, yet I was. What gave her the right to be so loved by him, and not me?
    "I know that's what it is. How often do you see him actually spend time with her or my mother?" he reasoned. I shook my head. I really had never seen him spend any time with them, except at dinner. "He's just not a family man, Phoenix. He just doesn't know how to love."
    "Maybe I am more like him than I think, then," I said sadly. "I certainly have his temper. I can't get rid of it, though I don't want them to see what makes me angry, I just can't stop myself!" I looked up at him, trying not to burst into tears again. "And I'm not sure I know how to love either. It's so confusing anymore. Without anyone to love me, how can I possibly know how to love?" It was a depressing thought. A thought that Mitch snuffed out quickly.
    "Who doesn't love you, Phoenix?" he demanded. "Your grandfather? Your father? My sister?" He smiled as if I had gone completely insane. "What do they matter when so many people do love you? My mother loves you, Julie loves you, Damian loves you and Melanie loves you!" he cried. "Everyone adores you, Phoenix. They know you're good, loving person. You're not that much like him."
    "What about you, Mitch? You said they all loved me, but you didn't say if you did or not." I didn't know why I had to go ask that, but I wanted to. I knew what I meant, though. I knew Mitch loved me. But how much did he really love me?
    Something in his blue eyes darkened for a second, becoming more serious. "Phoenix-"
    I cut him off. "Don't you love me, too, Mitch?"
    "Of course I do." He smiled, lightening up the conversation. He didn't want to get in that deep with me, evidently, and I wasn't going to push it.
    I got up from my seat and smiled. "I have to check on Julie," I said, excusing myself. "Thank you for cheering me up and making me feel better again, Mitch. You're good at that!"
    He gave me his most charming, irresistible smile. "That's what I am here for, Phoenix. I'm your friend. I'm supposed to make you smile rather than frown, right?"
    I nodded and left. I was happy, yet there was something in me nagging me to go back to him and get back into that conversation. There was no denying Mitch had feelings for me that were by far stronger than friendship. The question was, did I feel the same way? I wasn't sure, but I knew that the answer leaned more towards yes rather than no.
    I walked into the nursery in time to see Damian lifting Julie out of her crib. I smiled. It was such a sweet sight to see. He was a good father and would make some woman very happy someday. But it just wouldn't be me, even if he did want it. I had my reasons, other women just didn't.
    "Hey," he said, smiling broadly at me. I smiled back. "You okay? I heard some yelling earlier. I didn't want to get into it, though."
    "I'm fine. Just Jenny acting up again. It shouldn't surprise me, though. Jenny is twofaced like that." I sighed and walked over to play with one of Julie's curls. I sighed as I thought of Mitch's and my conversation. He was so very right. All of these people really did love me. And blood related or not, they were my family. They cared for me more than anyone else in the world. And all of them, in some way, depended on me.
    "I'm glad you're fine." He smiled at me, his green eyes glittering suspiciously. "I was thinking," he began, "why don't we take Julie on a trip and we go see Karen and everyone?" His smile was mischievous, but I smiled back. I needed a break from here, and to see the look on their faces wouldn't be so bad. Besides, it had been so long since I had seen them. I actually missed them!
    Two days later I had Damian's, Julie's and my stuff packed up to go. I kept checking over the car and through our suitcases to make sure we had everything. I had never travelled as a family, and as much as I hated to think of it as that, we were doing just that. We were taking a family vacation. What a strange family we were, I thought to myself.
    Mitch sat on the front steps of the house, watching me go over our things for the fifth time. He wheeled himself down the ramp and came up to me. "Phoenix, everything is going to be just fine. You have everything. You know you do!"
    I sat down on the trunk of the car. "Oh, Mitch. I can't help but wonder if this trip is a mistake!" I groaned.
    "It's only a mistake if you don't come back," he said softly, looking at me so seriously and so tenderly. I knew he was nervous about my going back home. But didn't he realise that this was now my home? This was the only place that I felt safe now. That was why I was having second thoughts about going back there. I was afraid of being uncomfortable in their presence.
    "Of course I'll come back, Mitch. I have no reason not to. This is my home now, really. That is why I am having second thoughts!" I assured him, patting his hand gently. "Trust me, you can't get rid of me that easily!" I teased.
    He laughed. "I know, I know. I'm just a little nervous. I know you'll be back. There is no reason for you to stay there now, right?"
    "No reason at all. I wouldn't want to be so far away from my best friend, anyway," I claimed, jumping down from the trunk and leaning down to kiss his cheek.
    "Are we ready to go?" Damian hollered from the doorway, holding a sleeping Julie on his shoulder. I smiled at Mitch one more time and then rushed up to Damian. Suddenly, I felt so torn between the two.
    "Yes, we are all set to go," I told Damian as I took Julie from him. I bent down and put her in her car seat. Damian came up behind me and grabbed my behind and I cried out and jumped, smacking my head on the ceiling of the car. I pulled out of the car, turned around and smacked him. "Don't do that again!" I yelled at him, rubbing my head. "It was uncalled for!"
    "I'm sorry, Phoenix," he apologised sheepishly, his eyes glimmering. "It's just so-" He held his hands out and motioned as if holding my butt in his hands.
    I slapped his arm. "You're a sick pervert." I pushed him and made my way around the car.
    Mitch obviously didn't find Damian too amusing. He grabbed my wrist just as I went to pass him. "He's a jerk, Phoenix, but charming all the same. Watch yourself around him," he warned. His eyes were dark, as if he were seeing something that I wasn't.
    "There is nothing to fear, Mitch. If he were going to charm me, it would have worked already." He nodded and I leaned down to kiss him on the cheek once more. "I'll miss you, Mitch! Love ya!" I cried and got into the car beside Damian.
    After I had got settled in my seat, I couldn't help but replay Mitch's words in my head. Was he right? Did I truly have to watch myself around Damian? Did he have the ability to charm even me? I shuddered. I couldn't let that happen. Damian broke hearts after he got what he wanted. Love 'em and leave 'em was his motto. It would be no different with me.
    But I was immune to Damian's charms. I had got through being charmed before, hadn't I? I wasn't going to let him make me fall in love with him. You have to have a certain caring. I was numb to Damian. I was!
    Then why was it I felt as if I was a dead animal in the desert ready for the picking, and Damian was the vulture?

Rain of Fire Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Epilogue

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