"Falling Phoenix" by Chelsea Castonguay

                                                            Falling Phoenix

                                                                 Part One

2278

Every morning was the same; she would arrive at school, dressed in her white uniform. Her boyfriend would meet her at the top of the stairs and they would run. Together, they flew through the brightly-lit halls, past groups of students huddled under white cloaks, up the stairs and down again. Since their gymnasium had been turned into classrooms, there was no longer any form of recreation for the children. They couldn’t venture outside, not when the darkness prevailed. Sometimes, the darkness would lift, allowing the sun to shine through, but even then, they rarely went out unprotected, for it was uncertain as to when the darkness would fall again.

            One morning, they stopped at the top of the stairwell, both breathing heavily. They stood side by side and stared out the window, at the blackness trying to break through the glass. They were out there, the monsters that had taken over their world.

            “Someday, I am going to destroy them.” Eithne promised. Soren squeezed her hand and smiled down at her.

            “I know you will. We rely on you, Eithne.” He said his tone half-teasing. Both of them knew that it would be an almost impossible task to free their world, but it was something Eithne was determined to try.

                                                ____________

2288

            “Base to Falling Phoenix…what do you see?” the voice was low, as if trying to conceal itself, but it was no real problem for Eithne. She knew that the Kirrii could not hear her Commander’s voice outside of her headgear.

            “Nothing. They aren’t here.” She replied, keeping an eye out as she moved through the deserted city. Bodies littered the ground around her, and she tried to avoid looking at them.

            “Are you sure? Soren said that they were in the area.” Eithne shook her head, keeping her weapon ready

            “Soren is safely in the Base. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” She replied, as she rounded a corner. All that was in front of her was another empty street, and she decided to turn back.

            “What is the casualty ratio?” the disembodied voice asked. Eithne looked at the ground and sighed.

            “There is no ratio because they are all dead.” There was a long pause from the Base before she was told to retreat.

            “It’s all we can do until the Darkness lifts.” Her Commander told her. Eithne retraced her steps through the city, keeping a hopeful vigil for survivors, but in her heart, she knew there would be none.

                                                _________________

            Soren walked into their darkened bedroom, but with his enhanced vision, he could see through the darkness as clearly as if it were light. Eithne lay on her side in their bed, nearly lost amid an ocean of blankets and pillows. He moved through their room stealthily, getting into his nightclothes and going into the bathroom to brush his teeth before crawling into bed beside her.

            Eithne’s eyes were open and she was staring at him.

            “You’ve gotten sloppy. I heard you from the moment you came through the front door.” She said with a grin. Soren pulled the covers up to his shoulder and grinned back.

            “Sure you did. You were sound asleep when I came in. Snoring in fact.”  Eithne stuck her tongue out at him and rolled over, allowing him to wrap his arms around her.

            They lay quiet for a long time, and just when Soren was certain Eithne had fallen back to sleep, she began to speak.

            “Were there any survivors?” she asked, referring to the school that the Kirrii had ravaged that day. Soren sighed and held her tighter.

            “You know there wasn’t.” He said. He felt Eithne shiver with sadness.

            “All those children. No matter how we try to hide children, they always know where they are. It’s like that time at our school.” She began, but Soren hushed her.

            “Don’t think about it. Our school is past, it‘s gone.” He said, knowing his words were useless. Every day they both lived with the terrible guilt of knowing they were the only survivors of the Kirrii massacre at their high school.

            “All of our classmates….gone.” Eithne whispered. She was tough, she was a strong, able warrior against the Kirrii, but still the thought of all her dead classmates was enough to evoke tears in her.

            “We survived for a reason, Eithne.” Soren said, hoping she would let it go. She believed in Destiny as much as he and they both knew they had been spared for some yet unforeseen reason.

                                                            _____________

            Eithne awoke early the next morning, to see sunlight streaming in through the half-open curtains. She rolled over and shook Soren awake, and they both sat up in bed, staring at the bright world outside. However, just as suddenly as it had come, the sun was cut out by the darkness, which fell quickly and suddenly, as if a giant blanket had been thrown over the world.

            Eithne heard alarms going off and people shouting for their children as the electrical storms which always accompanied the darkness began. Soren climbed out of bed and closed the curtain, shutting out the darkness.

            “What were you planning to do today?” Soren asked, snapping on a lamp as Eithne headed towards the bathroom. She paused by her dresser to pull out some clean clothes.

            “I thought I’d go visit Maleah. It’s been awhile.” She said. Soren grasped her arm before she could leave the room.

            “Why are you going to put yourself through this again? Eithne! Maleah is dead! She isn’t coming back!” Soren said his voice tense. Eithne turned to him, her green eyes narrowed into angry slits.

            “Don’t you think I know that, Soren?  Maybe her soul isn’t in her body anymore, but she knows when I’ve been there! She has to know! Besides, she’s your daughter too! You might show a little more interest!” Eithne said. She was instantly sorry for her words. Soren dropped her arm and turned away, leaving their bedroom and heading for the kitchen.

            “Soren! Stop walking away from this!” she said, so quiet she wasn’t sure if he heard her. But suddenly, he was there in front of her, staring down at her with a look of sadness and confusion combined. He lifted his hand to touch her cheek, but stopped. A small voice came from behind them, and they both turned to see Sundari standing in the hall just outside her room.

            “Mommy, Daddy! I had a dream!” she said, reaching out to them. Soren picked her up and held her small body against his.

            “What was your dream about?” Eithne asked her small daughter.

            “I had a dream that Maleah came home! She woke up!” Sundari exclaimed happily. Soren shot Eithne a look.

            “What do you mean, Maleah woke up?” She asked her daughter. Sundari smiled, waving her arms in the air.

            “Exactly what I said Mommy! They’ll be calling you soon! Maleah woke up!” Eithne leaned against the wall, her heart beating at a frantic pace. Four-year-old Sundari was one of the operation’s most useful tools with her visions about the Kirrii, but she had never before seen anything to do with her family.

            All three turned their heads towards the living room as the phone began to ring. They all walked into the living room together, as if in a trance. Soren pressed the talk button on the screen and their close friend and colleague Dr. Mali Curit’s face filled the screen.

            “Soren, Eithne, I have some amazing news for you!” She exclaimed. All three waited with bated breath to hear what she would say.

            “This morning, Maleah woke up! And she’s asking for you! This is astonishing! In all the years the Kirrii have been stealing souls, never once has a victim woken up! Never!” She paused for a moment, surveying the shocked expressions on her friends’ faces.

            “Is she…the same?” Eithne finally asked. Soren placed his hand on the small of her back and gave her a warning look. Don’t expect too much, his look told her. She knew better then to expect anything anymore, but there was always a small part in her that kept hoping.

            “It’s too early to tell for certain, Eithne. There’ll be some tests that we need to run, and she’ll have to remain here on Base for awhile….Eithne, are you all right?” Mali asked. Eithne shook her head and collapsed to the floor, darkness closing in around her.

                                                                        ____________________

            The day Maleah died still burned clearly in her mind’s eye. Eithne had been responding to a call for help from an abandoned building in a section of a city that the Kirrii had recently attacked. She had found a young mother with her four children huddled in a basement room of a cleverly built shelter, and she had been helping them into a chopper when Soren’s voice came into her helmet. His face shown on the built in screen, and he was crying. She had never before seen him cry and instantly her heart was gripped with an ice-cold fear.

            “Eithne, you need to return to base immediately.” He told her, as cold sweat began to drip down her spine.

            “Why? Soren! What’s wrong?” she demanded. Soren faltered and her panic grew.

            “What the hell’s happening Soren?! Is it Sundari or Maleah? Tell me!” By now she was racing through the city, back to the Portal that would take her safely through the darkness to Base.

            “Eithne, its Maleah. They got her.” Soren finally said, his voice hovering above a whisper. Eithne hurled herself into the Portal and punched in her password. She became aware that she was crying as she was transported through space and back to the Base. She stepped out and fell into Soren’s arms. He pulled her helmet off and sturdied her shoulders with his hands.

            “Tell me.” She demanded. She was shaking uncontrollably and Soren led her into an empty conference room, and sat in one of the chairs that surrounded an empty table.

            “Soren! Stop holding back! Tell me!” She shrieked, losing all sense of self-control as her panic escalated. Soren sat down in a chair beside her and took her hand.

            “This morning, the Kirrii attacked Maleah’s school.” He said. Eithne stared at him, shock rolling like waves over her body.

            “Everyone died, but Maleah is...lingering.” Eithne stared blankly at her husband.

            “Lingering? What the hell does that mean?” Eithne screamed. She noticed people outside the room pausing to talk, and many where crying.

            “She’s not dead, but she’s not Maleah, either. It’s as if they took her soul, and left the shell of her.” Soren said.  Eithne didn’t look at him, but continued to stare through the windows into the hall.

            “Is Sundari all right?” She finally asked. Soren sighed and nodded a yes.

            “She was here at the Base with me this morning. She had a vision of a school being attacked, but she couldn’t tell which on, and then we got the call…”

            “Where’s Maleah now?” Eithne whispered, her voice catching. Soren reached out to hold her and she pulled away. His brown eyes were hurt as he sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

            “She’s here at the Base. Mali is looking after her.” Soren’s voice broke and he left the room. Even after the room filled with people comforting her and lamenting the loss of her beautiful child, Eithne sat still and silent.

                                                            _______________