Page 50 of The Wonder of You
Phoenix scrubs the speckles of blood off my face as I sit in the bath with my head down, my knees up, still sobbing. He doesn’t speak, he just helps clean me off. He knows I need this moment to let it all out while still having the comfort of him beside me.
After a few moments, Phoenix rubs his thumb on my forehead. He looks sad and I realise a bruise must be forming.
“Did he hit you?”
“Yeah, I-I tried to escape, b-but he hit my head on the table. It was so hard, I-I am su-surprised it didn’t knock me out,” I stutter. I think adrenaline from what happened must have brought me back into reality. The mention of my head makes it throb again.
“Renée, I am so sorry. When Lukas told me you left, I just knew… I knew something was off. Turns out Henry can run faster than me.”
“Don’t blame yourself, I never expected that to happen, I never thought I’d see him again.”
I lean forward and kiss him gently. He gives me a small smile and despite everything that has happened, he continues to look at me with that sparkle in his eyes.
“I promised I’d protect you and I’ve nearly lost you twice now. I mean it this time, I won’t let anyone close enough to hurt you, you hear me?”
“Yes,” is all I can manage. I’m so tired I could lean my head on his shoulder and fall asleep.
“I think we should leave after this, Renée. ”
“Yeah, I could do with a nice long sleep in the cabin for a while,” I sigh.
“No, leave this place, this town… go back to the other world for a bit. We don’t know what Carl did before today, who he spoke to, if there will be any questions about his disappearance. We don’t want a link to it. I think your dad will be fine. He’ll act as if he never saw him.”
I fall into silence.
Phoenix is basically telling me to say goodbye to my father. I knew this was coming eventually, but it still creates a conflict within me. I know it’ll be hard saying goodbye to my dad, to this house and all its memories, good and bad. It’s not just a goodbye for now either, it’s goodbye forever. There’s a chance Gabriel will never let us return when he finds out everything that has happened. And if he does let us, Phoenix’s ‘ a bit’ doesn’t mean a couple of years, it likely means a couple of hundred years. A mortal’s lifetime. My dad won’t be here if we come back. If Lydia has a child, it’s unlikely they’ll be here either. It’s somewhat overwhelming, a length of time I struggle to comprehend, even with all the clear memories of my previous life. The feeling is not strong enough to change anything, though. Phoenix and this circus are always my first choice.
“Renée?” Phoenix lifts my face gently by my chin, turning me to look at him.
“I know, he’ll be fine with Lydia, he can move on from everything,” I say with confidence. Dad deserves to rest too .
I lean onto Phoenix and he holds my head to his chest. I listen to the steady beat of his heart and close my eyes.
“You still want me, Phoenix?” I ask weakly, knowing it’s a silly question, but wanting the reassurement of his answer. “Even though I am a bit broken?”
“Always, Renée, always. You are not broken. But if you feel that way, then I promise I will fix you.”
Walking back downstairs, I feel much better, although my head still throbs. I am shocked by the clean sight of the room where Carl was. There is no blood anywhere to be seen. The room looks just like it did before everything happened, beside the removal of the rug. Are they good cleaners or was there magic involved in this? Henry stands with two large black bags and my stomach rolls, knowing what’s inside of them.
I remind myself it was me or Carl though, and I am glad it was him.
“My sweet girl,” a voice croaks and I turn to see Arabella. She is hunched over. She looks so small and frail. Toni helps hold her up.
“I am okay, my love.” She must notice the concern on my face. “Some of the magic takes it out of me, that’s all. Toni here will help me back and a good nap is what I need.”
“Did you use magic to clean this up?” I ask.
“Oh goodness, no,” she laughs. “Toni and Lukas are excellent cleaners. I used it to wipe your dad’s memories. ”
I gasp.
“It’s for the better,” Toni tells me gently.
Phoenix wraps his arm around my shoulder and I return the affection by wrapping mine around his waist. I take a deep breath.
“He’ll just think he came in to see you and fell asleep on the sofa. He won’t ever know about that monster coming back.” Toni’s use of the word monster sounds much more fitting than Uncle or Carl.
“I understand. It’ll be better for his mental health too.” I look up at Phoenix. “It would make sense for me to be here when he wakes.”
He nods.
I walk into the living room and sit on the sofa. Dad looks so peaceful while taking his nap.
I overhear Phoenix talking to the others.
“Lukas, tell everyone to start packing up. It’s time we go back to the other world,” he instructs. His voice is quiet, but I’ve always been good at eavesdropping. Not so much in a nosey way, I suppose I just have good hearing… perhaps it stems from childhood. Listening to what people were saying about me, what they were planning, was comforting. It felt somewhat safe to have a little bit of preparation and control. I’ve never liked surprises.
“I have no problem with that, but what about Renée?”
“She knows, she has us back now, everything will be okay.”
“Is she alright? Are you alright? ”
“Yes, as long as she’s safe, I am good. I won’t let this happen again.”
Lukas chuckles. “You might have to bubble wrap her; you know.”
It’s nice to hear Phoenix laugh, even if it’s slightly strained from everything that has happened. “I am considering it.”
It’s sweet to hear people talk about me in such a caring manner. I’m more than happy for Phoenix to bubble wrap me while I sit in the cabin painting my rocks. But first, I have to say goodbye to this place.