Caloric

Phoenyx sleepily opened her eyes. Soft orange-yellow sunlight flooded her vision. She blinked and saw a wonderfully familiar ceiling above her. She sat up, her hands sinking into the cool fluffiness of her old down comforter. She was in her bedroom, her old bedroom, in the house in Phoenix she grew up in. Is this real?

Wait. She remembered. This house burned down years ago and she had caused it. Then it all came rushing back to her. Being trapped in a cell for days, the hunger, the discomfort, her friends, their powers…but she couldn’t be alarmed. Not right now. The place she was in right now was the epitome of comfort, warmth, and contentedness. All those worries were so far away.

She stood and walked around her old room, touching all of her old treasures that were lost six years ago. Her Nancy Drew books on the bookshelf, her now much too small clothes hanging in the closet, her NSYNC poster—everything was just as she left it.

She ventured down the stairs slowly, running her hand down the smooth wooden banister, savoring every sensory detail. As she descended, she saw her father sitting at the dining room table, reading the newspaper, and bathed in thick golden sunshine raining through the window. Her memories of him all this time hadn’t done him justice. He was so handsome, a beacon of all good things, a halcyon.

He looked at her and smiled. “Hey kiddo. Wow, look at you. My little girl turned into such a beautiful young lady.”

The resonating sound of her dad’s voice brought tears to her eyes.

“Daddy?” she asked. “Is it really you?”

“It sure is, honey,” he said.

She ran down the rest of the steps. He stood up to receive her as she dove into his arms, hugging him as tightly as she could. His arms engulfed her; his embrace the safest place in the world.

“I’m so sorry, Daddy.” She wept.

“For what, kiddo?” he asked, pulling her away enough to see her face.

“It’s my fault that you’re dead,” she cried. “I started that fire. I’m a freak!”

“You’re not a freak, honey,” he said soothingly. “You’re a wonderful, smart, resourceful person, and you have an amazing gift. What happened here was an accident.” He held her face in his hands. “I could never blame you for it. The only thing I regret was not being able to be here for you as you grew up. Although, your mom did a fine job raising you without me.”

Phoenyx shook her head. “How could you not hate me for it? I hate myself.”

“I love you, Phoenyx,” he said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the person you’ve become. You can’t let your fear hold you back anymore. Right now, your friends need you. You can’t be afraid to use the gifts you were born with. It’s your destiny. Don’t run away from it. You have to go back now.”

“Go back?” she asked. “No, I can’t go back now. I’ve missed you so much, I don’t want to say good-bye yet.”

“You don’t have to say good-bye,” he said. “I’m always with you. I love you, sweetheart.”

“I love you, too, Dad.”

“Now, wake up, Phoenyx. Wake up. Phoenyx—”