My dorm room door swings open, and Sax appears with stacks of food boxes in his hands, all of which almost fall from his grasp as he gapes at the woman before me.
I sense her panic as she brushes past me, darting for the window, but I'm rooted to the spot as a pile of clothes formsbeside me. A burst of yellow, red, and orange shatters through the glass, leaving Sax and me staring at the jagged hole.
Sax clears his throat, finding the ability to speak first. “Did she just?—”
I nod, clearing my throat. “Yes.”
“Was that?—”
“My mother?” I interject, and he nods, jaw slack as he glances from me to the shattered window and back again.
“A phoenix?” he clarifies, and I hum, my heart sinking to the pit of my stomach.
“A phoenix.”
26
ARCHER
The heavy door of my family’s house closes behind me, enveloping me in a clinical environment that doesn't feel like a home. Even without my father's presence, there’s no warmth in the space, and I hate it. Rocking back on my heels, I acknowledge the fact that I’m back here.
It’s been a while.
Some things never change, like how this place makes me feel. It never fills me with any sense of joy; it just reminds me of pain. It threatens to seep into my bones and distract me from the task at hand, and I’m not here for a trip down memory lane.
My father isn't home. I made sure of it when I left Teddy on campus. After his revelation last night, we spent all morning tearing our lives apart, trying to understand everything, and after so much back and forth, I had to see my mother and sisters with my own eyes before I made a single call.
My father has been playing with our lives long enough, and I’ve always vowed vengeance, but it's not just my life I'm turning upside down; it's theirs too, and I need to know it's worth the carnage.
Pressing my lips together, I inhale sharply before calling out their names.
“Mom, Arabella?”
Footsteps pound from upstairs immediately, growing louder as they near the top of the staircase, and a few moments later, my sister appears, eyes wide as she screeches my name at the top of her lungs.
“Archer!”
She barrels down the stairs as my mom emerges from the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe with a soft smile on her lips.
We all move to the center of the foyer as one, embracing one another in silence as we take a moment to bask in each other’s presence.
I finally feel those sweet tendrils of home. It’s not a place for me, it’s people.These people.
I squeeze them tighter, desperate to hold on for as long as possible before my mother clears her throat.
“It's a surprise to see you,” my mother says, brushing her fingers through my hair just above my ear before she cups my cheek, and I lean into the embrace.
“I just had to see you guys,” I explain, hoping she doesn’t push further, and she doesn’t… for now.
“Come on then, let's go and have a cup of tea.”
My sister hums her agreement as our mother guides us into the kitchen. Arabella doesn't let go of me, wrapping her arm around mine as she walks at my side, and I’m happy to bask in her presence.
Glancing around the room, I notice it hasn’t changed a bit. The kitchen is just as clinical as the rest of the house, but I choose to pay it no mind as I take a seat at the island, focusing on my mother and sister instead.
My mother is wearing a white t-shirt and a loose pair of denim overalls, her hair scooped back in a curly mess, with a bandanna holding it off her face. There are a few smudgings ofgreen on her denim, making it look like she'd been out in the garden for a while, and it makes me smile.
If my mother has the energy to go outside and garden, she's usually in a good headspace, and the garden always seems to optimize it.
