Not So Friendly Friends

Phoenix had made it a mile from Tariel Ingerina's home before she turned back to look around. Sure enough, people could be seen entering the house but the four from Ironshade were nowhere to be found. Her heart raced with humiliation and disappointment. Why? The one person she'd be happy to kill and, on a night, so peaceful, why did a group of arrogant Ironshades have to come and ruin it for her? If it weren't for the visitors inside the house, she'd go back and make the final kill. But it was too late

She ran home, anticipating the hot tears that would run down her cheeks as soon as she saw the place. She wouldn't be able to get very far inside because Elliot would be waiting to ask what had happened and if she finished her errand. But Phoenix didn't want to talk to him, or anyone who would ask questions. She wanted to hurt the Ironshades for their interference and kill the leader of the group who mocked her for wanting revenge. So, what if the woman he'd been with was sold? It was nothing compared to what Phoenix herself witnessed, nothing to what she has done to get this far.

The one thing she wanted…

The only thing she had ever wished beyond wanting her family back…

Gone.

If she didn't get her revenge, if she didn't kill Tariel Ingerina for his crimes, then she would not have a purpose. Her family's ghosts would haunt her, scolding her for not doing the one thing that would let them rest in peace. Because everyday since that night, she saw their faces wherever she looked. She saw their pain, their restlessness, their loneliness. She swore to kill the man responsible for their deaths, and now that she's found him, she wouldn't let anything get in her way—not even the Ironshade.

"Are you okay? Did you manage to kill him? Are you hurt?" Elliot asked as Phoenix walked through the door about an hour later.

She smiled at him and shook her head. "No, I did not kill him. I'm fine. Not a scratch on me. Don't worry, everything is fine and my plans have changed due to some complications."

Elliot grabbed her shoulders and stared into her eyes. "Phoenix, what happened?"

She forgot how intuitive he was, how he always seemed to sense something was wrong with her. But she could not and would not tell him what exactly happened in the house. "I don't want to talk about it right now. Let's just go to bed and I'll be fine in the morning."

Although Elliot nodded and let her slip up the stairs, he did not believe a word she just said to him. Her eyes, usually determined and hard, were dull and red. Whatever happened, it had been too much for her and she broke. Elliot hadn't thought she could break because of how strong she is, but he guessed now he was wrong. He didn't like seeing her this way. It meant she could be emotionally hurt, it meant she wasn't invincible as he had hoped. Her strength seemed limitless, until now.

Onyx, Advandth, and Devdan walked into the Ironshade house and up to their boss's office. After three knocks, there was permission to enter, so they did. Inside were the boss and Ecthrois. The boss looked at the three and shook his head, sighing. "So, it's true. He's not dead."

It wasn't a question, but Onyx still said, "What Ecthrois has told you is true."

The boss's fist slammed onto the table, hard, rattling shot glasses and shaking his desktop computer. "How did a girl get in the way, Onyx? What the hell were you thinking in letting her live?"

"I was thinking she wanted the same thing, so I'd make a deal with her to keep our secret. By the time I Dev finished the warning, she was gone."

"No deals!" the man growled.

Advandth flinched, stepping slightly behind Onyx for protection. She hated the boss, and was always afraid of him and what rights he had to all of them. No one liked him, but all respected him. He was only in his forties, strong enough to take on ten of the gang members together, and smart enough to know when someone is blackmailing him. The only thing he wasn't was handsome. Built like a sumo wrestler, his body took up his chair, his stomach overflowing the armrests, and his face sagged like an empty potato sack. His cruel green eyes flashed something death-like whenever someone got on his bad side, and then his chipped teeth would appear like a rabid dog when finding a good meal. No, Advandth wasn't afraid of the boss—she was mortified of him.

"Forget the man for now," he said and looked up at Onyx with interest. "Tell me, what did this girl look like?"

"Strong, red hair, blue eyes, somewhat wealthy by the looks of her clothes and the type of rope she used," Onyx said smoothly.

The boss nodded and leaned back in his leather chair that creaked and groaned at the weight of its owner. Ecthrois shook his head imperceptibly and folded his hands behind his back, Devdan twitched beside Onyx nervously, while the dark man himself stood tall and proud, unaffected by the boss's temper and attitude towards them. Advandth admired Onyx, but would never tell him, and would never express it unless she knew he'd appreciate it. And she knew he wouldn't.

"Onyx stay here. You other three leave this room and make sure no one eavesdrops on our conversation. Including yourselves," the boss ordered harshly. Shuffling out of the room, they did as they were told, not looking at Onyx or giving words of encouragement because they knew he would brush them away, like he does with all compliments. When the door was shut tightly, and their footsteps disappeared somewhere down the hall, the boss looked at Onyx with a kind of admiration and hatred. "You had a job and failed."

"Not yet," Onyx hissed. "I haven't failed because I know exactly where he is at this very moment. The girl won't be a further problem."

"You don't know that, Onyx. All women are problems, no matter their age or looks."

Onyx snorted and crossed his arms. "She wasn't after us. She wanted to kill him just as much as we did, if not more. I say let her into the gang, make her one of us."

"Why should I do that?"

The man shrugged his broad shoulders. "She's on her own, would get the job done right, and would help you gain more control of this island. The victim called her the Phoenix."

"The Phoenix?" the boss said, leaning forward in interest. "The little bird who burns through the night killing criminals and stealing from families?"

Onyx shrugged. "I don't know. I just know that the man feared her, begging me not to let her near him. I am not sure if it is the same person you're talking about."

"Oh, I think she is." The boss laughed maniacally and rolled his chair to a filing cabinet. He took out a single piece of paper and nodded, then showed it to Onyx. "Is this her?"

The paper had a picture of a family: two parents, and three children. One of the children was circled in red marker. It was a smiling girl with red hair and big blue eyes, happily holding her father's hand while her other hand was holding her little brother. The mother had a baby in her arms wrapped in a flowery blanket. The girl who was circled looked like a younger version of Phoenix, but so vulnerable compared to the woman he saw tonight.

He nodded. "Where is her family?"

The boss shrugged. "That's not the point. The point is, no one has seen or heard of this girl for twenty years. She disappeared one night and never returned or showed her face in public. The point is, she's been my target for a long time now. Tariel Ingerina is still top priority, but if you get this girl to me alive, then you will help the one person you love most."

Onyx stiffened and stared at the picture, at the girl who looked so innocent long ago and who now has blood on her hands. He wondered just how she got through twenty years alone, how she was able to stay sane after killing people and stealing from innocent families. If he caught her, the boss couldn't use threats against him. If he brought Phoenix here, he might be able to go free with the one person who he can call family. "How do you propose I get her here?"

The boss smiled with delight and hunger.

The next morning, Phoenix stayed in bed and didn't dare get up until she heard the door close signaling Elliot leaving on his weekly routine to go do whatever he wants by himself for the day. Although he was her friend, she couldn't wash away his intent to be her servant first. She offered him the luxury of doing whatever he wanted everyday, but he was adamant about serving her. So, she said one day a week just so he could feel like a human, not a pet. Elliot didn't like it at first, but obliged if it made her happy. Faster than either of them thought, he liked his temporary freedom and stated he owed her whatever he could give. Phoenix, however, rolled her eyes and acquiesced, but didn't let him do everything he could. She didn't want that.

Now that he was gone, she went downstairs and out to the backyard where the meadow grasses swayed to and fro in a sea of brown and green. Beyond, she could see the forest and the path through it to the bridge to another Archipelago. She hasn't taken that route again, for many reasons but the main being that the Archipelago beyond was one of the most feared. She shivered at the thought and walked to the hammock to lay down, closing her eyes enjoying the sun on her face.

Phoenix must have fallen asleep because when she opened her eyes, she heard loud voices calling her name. Furrowing her brows, she went inside and saw Elliot coming towards her with an angry look on his face. "What is wrong?"

He grabbed her elbow and led her back outside, only to turn to her and push her against the brick wall of the house. "Your friend from last night is here, demanding to see you."

"Friend?" she asked in confusion.

Elliot nodded. "I didn't even make it to town when he appeared and threatened my life if I did not show him to you and let him talk to you!"

Phoenix blinked and jumped when a voice said in a sigh, "I did not threaten your life, just your throat. There's a difference."

She looked over to see the leader of the group from last night leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed, looking bored. Today, he wasn't in black or leather, but jeans and a t-shirt. His hair was disheveled and he didn't look as feral as he has in the past. If anything, he looked like an irritated big brother. "What are you doing here? Why are you here?"

He looked at Elliot and rose a brow. "Why are you holding her against the wall like you're about to rob her?" Abruptly, Elliot jumped back and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Phoenix brushed herself off and gave him a small smile before the man said, "I wanted to apologize about last night."

She looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"About what I said with you being unable to handle what I do. I'm sorry." He stepped forward and looked down at her with intense eyes. "Now, would you like to come with me somewhere?"

She snorted and pushed him away, walking into the house. "Just because you apologize does not make us friends."

The man pouted. "But I want to be friends," he said in a monotone. He didn't seem like he wanted even to be there, why would he want to be friends?

Phoenix grabbed a water bottle and opened it, then took a long drink. "I don't even know your name, just that you're from Ironshade and a killer."

"And you're so innocent?" he asked with a knowing look. She didn't answer. He said, "My name is Onyx, and you are Phoenix."

She shook her head. "Like me, your name is just to keep your real identity hidden. We aren't friends until we know each other's real names. Until then, we're enemies."

Onyx shrugged and grabbed something out of his pocket. "I'd prefer peers. It's less violent." He held up her knife from last night and handed it to her, hilt first. "I mean, we aren't trying to kill each other, are we?"

She took the knife and pointed it at him. "I don't know. I don't trust you."

He smiled with malice. "Feeling's mutual. But friends learn to trust the other, right? Maybe we can learn to trust the other?"

Phoenix snorted. "I highly doubt that!"

Onyx pushed the knife aside and held out his hand to her. "How about we try? You and me get to know each other, become friends. We'll know if we succeeded when we learn each other's names."

"What about Tariel Ingerina?" Phoenix asked incredulously.

"Alive for now." He shrugged again and sighed, lowering his hand to his side. "Maybe we can come to an agreement. If we become friends, I'll let you kill him for whatever reason you possess. If not, I'll kill him and you can hate me for the rest of your life."

Phoenix shook her head. "No. I want to kill him no matter what. I don't care about an agreement. I want him dead by my hands, not by yours or any of the Ironshade members."

Onyx thought for a moment and crossed his arms. "Fine, how about this. I'll let you kill him once I get all my information and you'll let me take the trophy, but only after we become friends."

"What's the trophy?"

"The head."

Phoenix smirked and shook her head. "Cliché!"

Onyx looked at her with raised brows, surprised at her reaction. "Explain."

"It's always the head or the heart!" she said with a sigh of exasperation. "Why not the intestines or the lungs?"

The man smirked, liking the way she thinks. "Okay, how about I take the spine?"

Phoenix nodded and put her knife away, then she turned to her friend. "Elliot, I'll be back by dark."

He shook his head. "You're not seriously taking his offer, are you?" She shrugged and threw a bottle of water to Onyx who smiled smugly at Elliot. Phoenix explained, "He doesn't know what he's agreeing to and we both know there's no way he'd want to be friends with me."

"But then you don't get what you want."

"Oh, don't worry, Elliot, I always get what I want."

Onyx followed her to the front door and looked over his shoulder at the boy, a deadly glint in his eyes. "See you around, Elliot."