Reclaimed (The Phoenix Chronicles Book 1) (4 page)

“Ha!” said Summer as she got to the ground. “So two?”

Troy smiled and got down next to her. “This is the only time you'll be pushed like this by another person. After that you get to choose how hard you want to work.”

“Fine,” said Summer, rolling her eyes.

She got into the push-up position and allowed Troy to give her some tips. He then mimicked her pose and patiently waited for her to start.

Summer stared at a small rock on the ground as she began her workout.

Up, down,
she thought.
Please do ten.

Her arms wobbled as she counted four. There was no way she was going to get to ten.

“You can do it,” said Troy.

Summer chanced a quick glance at him and caught herself in his stunning grey eyes. She found comfort and strength in the only person who had been genuinely nice to her without judgment.

She worked through the pain and soon realized she was on number nine. With a shaky breath and one last heave of her arms, she pushed up with a grunt.

“Good!” Exclaimed Troy as he helped her to her feet. “You did awesome.”

She smiled despite feeling like her arms were wet sacks of potatoes.

“Thanks. It's been a while since I had to do that.”

“I figured.” He looked at her sides. “And you really need to eat more or you won't even have enough energy to brush your teeth.”

“Working on it,” she answered as she stretched out her arms.

“Glad to hear that.” Troy grinned. “Now that was just the warm up. Are you ready to get started?”

Summer silently screamed in her head and threw herself a mini pity party, all while smiling and nodding. There was no way she could let Troy see that these simple exercises were crushing her.

For the next few hours she tested her body in ways she didn't even know was possible. Troy even had her use a rope to climb across some muddy water.

Surprisingly Summer did okay. She wasn't perfect by any means. There were some things she simply couldn't do. One of those was climbing a rock wall. Her upper body just wasn't strong enough to do that yet.

Once he dismissed her she was able to use the last bit of her energy to drag herself to her room. It took her a while to figure out the key that Tracy had given her.

With one last effort, she threw her sweat covered body onto the bed and fell into one of the deepest sleeps she could ever remember having.

Chapter 5

Summer gasped as she opened one eye. Every part of her body was on fire and begging her to go back to sleep. Even blinking hurt.

She very carefully pushed herself into a sitting position and looked around the room. The light from the glass phoenix and the ceiling was blinding.

“What time is it?” She asked herself.

“One o’clock,” said a voice from the back of the room.

Summer turned her head in the direction of the voice and regretted it immediately. She sucked on her bottom lip and grabbed her shoulder.

“Crap,” she gasped.

“Sore?”

Summer continued to rub her shoulder. “Just a little. Why did you let me sleep so late?”

Tracy held up her hands. “Bosses orders. Jasper said to let you sleep as long as you wanted since you would be taking a break today.”

“Why are you here?”

“Just checking in on you and I brought lunch.” She gestured towards a tray on the one single night stand next to Summer's bed.

Summer grumbled her thanks and reluctantly grabbed her food. It was a simple sandwich, fruit, and chips.

“A milk carton?” Asked summer as she turned over the container. “I feel like a six-year-old again.”

“Milk helps you recover. You did good out there. I was surprised that you kept up with most of the stuff.”

“Me too,” said Summer as she swallowed her food. “You guys might think I'm something special because I can light stuff on fire but, I'm not trying to fool anyone.”

“What do you mean?” asked Tracy.

“I'm an underfed, runaway orphan, with not even a penny to my name.”

Tracy shook her head. “Maybe that's true but, you are a bit more special than the rest of us.”

“Because I can use a power I have no control over at seventeen?”

“No,” said Tracy flatly. “Because you can summon fire without actually having a source. The weakest wielders need their element to be able to use it.”

Summer pushed her empty tray aside and was already starting to feel better. She stretched, her entire back popping.

“What do you mean?” She finally asked.

“For example,” replied Tracy. She opened her hand and a small ember jumped from the fire place. It landed above her palm and began dancing like it had a mind of its own.

“Some fire wielders need fire to be able to use their powers. The same goes with all the others.”

“Seems convenient enough,” answered Summer as she watched the flame.

“Sometimes but, say you're locked up in jail. Do you think they just keep fire in the cells? That would be where someone like you would have an advantage. You can summon fire from the energy in your body.”

Summer looked at her hands. “I guess I can,” she whispered.

“It was more common but, now someone with that ability is rare.”

Summer tried to think back to see if she remembered Ash, Tracy, or Petar being able to summon it without help. It was so chaotic that she wasn't paying attention.

“Yes,” said Tracy. “I can summon it but,” she flexed her arm, “It took years of practice and I still sometimes use a lighter. You'll learn more about that later.”

Summer knew when enough was enough. Tracy was done talking about wielders. She made it clear that a lesson on their powers would be coming later.

“Do I have anything to do today?” asked Summer.

Tracy shook her head. “They're letting you explore today if you want.”

“Will you be showing me around?”

“No,” smiled Tracy. “There are different things we have to do her on certain days. It's my day to help the earth wielders with the garden.”

“A garden?”

“We grow a lot of food here. The council thinks it teaches discipline if we work on it.”

Summer shrugged. “That's cool, I guess.”

“Yup,” answered Tracy as she stretched her arms over her head. “So today Ash is going to walk around with you.”

“Doesn't he have better-”

Tracy cut her short with a wave of her hand. “He volunteered.”

“Weird.”

“Who knows what goes on in that kids head,” said Tracy. “All I know is that he'll be here soon.”

Summer groaned and carefully forced herself out of bed. The more she moved her muscles the easier it got. Now if she could just get herself into the hot shower then she could more than likely function without limping.

“I'm going to leave the door open for Ash,” said Tracy. “I'll see you around dinner time.”

Summer waved bye from over her shoulder and continued to drag her body towards the large clothing cabinet. She picked out a comfortable outfit of sweats and a tank top, and a sweatshirt, before finally making it into the bathroom.

The steam filled her throat as the hot water pounded on her muscles. They slowly relaxed, causing her to hunch over and press her forehead against the tile.

She wasn't sure how long she was in there but, the water had started to go cold. Summer reluctantly got out and felt a hundred times better.

It was now much easier to get dressed and brush her hair. She had dreaded doing these things but, the miracle of the hot water saved her from embarrassing tantrums.

She walked into the room and ran her hands through her damp, long hair. A person next to the fireplace cleared their throat loudly, causing her to jump into the air.

She narrowed her eyes at Ash. “You scared the crap out of me.”

A small blush dusted his tanned cheeks. “Sorry. You've been in there for a while. I thought you would be done when I got here.”

Summer looked up at the oddly shaped clock hanging above the fireplace. It was made of copper and warped in the center like fire had caused it to melt.

“Forty-five minutes!” She exclaimed. Summer hurried as fast as her body would allow her to put on her sweatshirt and throw her hair into a ponytail.

When she was finally done she turned around and Ash was staring at her with a raised brow.

“What?” She asked, looking down at her clothes.

“Your shoes.”

Summer let out an annoyed growl and stalked over to her bed. She slipped on a pair of sneakers and went to stand in front of Ash with her arms folded.

“Where to?” she asked.

“The library first.”

She followed him out of the room while trying to hide her excitement. She loved reading even though it had been a while since she had the chance. Stepping into someone else’s world was always a welcome break from hers. Temporarily disappearing was much better than the life she had been living.

They walked across the training field and into one of the castle’s towers. They hadn’t even begun to climb the stairs where the stale smell of paper hit her nose. She inhaled deeply, grinning like a child who just found a treasure.

Ash pushed open a heavy, wooden door and held it for her. She walked in and almost squealed. There were massive shelves that were littered with books. Everywhere she looked there were books.

“Can I help you?” asked a bored voice.

A young male walked over to them and was wearing a green robe. It matched his eyes perfectly and was the only attractive thing about him.

“Just showing a new girl around,” said Ash.

The boy brushed his long, greasy hair aside. “Cool. Just don't make a mess.”

He dragged his feet back to his desk and didn't bother saying a word to Summer. She had to admit that she was perplexed by his behavior but, knew that not everyone loved books. She just thought a person working here would.

Ash must have been able to read her face because he tilted his head towards her.

“That's Doug. His father started the library so it's tradition to work here.”

“He seems super happy about it.”

Summer was thrilled when she got a small smile.

“It's just his personality.”

Summer nodded. “I bet he's invited to every party.”

Ash ran a hand through his thick hair as his smile widened. “Do you want to look around?”

She bit her lip and glanced around the room. The amount of books was overwhelming.

“Can I come by myself?”

Ash shrugged. “If you decide to stay.”

“Cool. Where to next?”

Ash waved bye to Doug and led Summer out of the room. She watched his large frame move with ease that belonged to someone with agility that she didn't think he possessed. His presence alone brought her a comfort she didn't know she craved. Some part of it was due to her running for so long and another part was the fact that she was just plain terrified. All she could do was take it a day at a time and hope that easing into this life would make it not so bad.

Ash had showed her where the cafeteria was, the pool, the recovery ward that the healers ran, and now he was taking her to the garden.

“Ash?” asked Summer.

“Hmm?”

“Why are you being my tour guide? I can do this by myself and I'm sure you have other important things to do. So, why you?”

He paused and looked down at her. “The council asked me to.”

She raised an eyebrow. “So you are my babysitter? Why do I need one?” She patted his arm. “No offense. I think you're great.”

“I'm guessing to protect you.” He shrugged. “I don't want to be doing this as much as you don't want me here.”

“Ouch,” said Summer as she sucked air in through her teeth. “You sure do have a way with words.” She walked in front of him and put her hands on her hips. “Let's make a deal. You pretend you showed me around and I'll just take the tour by myself. I won't tell anyone.”

Ash frowned. “People will see you and the council asked me to do this.”

“Really? You don't seem like the kind of person to take orders from a bunch of people who pretend to rule by sitting in a tower all day.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You don't know anything about this world. We rescued you from being killed.”

“I didn't ask for that. And even when the police got me you guys still came after me.” She held her thumb and finger just slightly apart. “Seems like you guys have some big expectations for me when there’s only a tiny chance I could be staying.”

Summer watched as Ash clenched his jaw and ran a hand down his face. If she had to take a guess she would say that it took a lot to get Ash irritated. She found just a small amount of joy in being able to do that.

“Listen,” he said, his purple eyes darkening. “I was ordered to bring you here. Now I'm ordered to show you around. After that I don't care what happens. You can leave, you can stay. It really doesn't matter.”

Summer snapped to attention next to him. “Yes sir!” She grinned as he let out a frustrated growl. “And to think, we could have been best friends.”

Ash didn't say another word. He led them to the back of the building and out a small door. Summer gasped. Below them were rows upon rows of greenhouses. All were exploding with the vibrant colors of fruits and vegetables. Some even had exotic flowers that she had never seen before.

She spotted Tracy who was carefully burning the grass around the greenhouses. She happened to look up and waved at an approaching Summer.

“At least someone is nice to me,” said Summer.

She practically tumbled down the hill until she was standing in front of Tracy. “What are you doing?”

“Burning some weeds. I'm not supposed to but, it’s fun.” Tracy wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. “Ash looks extra pissed off.”

Summer shrugged. “I asked him why I needed a babysitter.”

Tracy rolled her eyes but, didn't say anything as Ash approached. He shoved his hands in his pockets and angrily glanced around the field.

“What else are you going to show her?” Asked Tracy.

Ash continued to look around the field. “Nothing. She saw all the major parts. Everything else she can find on her own.” He finally looked at Summer. “Do you want to stay here or go back to your room.”

She stretched her arms and slowly moved her neck. “I'm still sore. Sleep sounds good.”

Ash nodded once and started climbing back up the hill. Summer had no choice but to wave a quick goodbye and try her best to chase after him. Once she caught up her legs were on fire. She glared daggers at his head which he successfully ignored.

“You're training with us tomorrow,” said Ash.

“Does that mean I passed the test?”

“You could have done better. Maybe if you stay then you will.”

Summer clicked her tongue. “Gee, thanks for the encouragement.”

They continued in silence until they got to the fire wielders room. Ash opened the door and surprised Summer by stepping inside after her. The door slammed shut as he stared at her with folded arms.

“What do you want?” She asked.

“I'm not going to hurt you.”

Summer moved slowly until her back was against a wall. “Okay but, that doesn't answer my question.”

“Who are you?” asked Ash.