Chapter 14 The Phoenix
Chapter fourteen
The Phoenix
Fall was my favorite time of year. There was something refreshing about the crisp, cool air that accompanied the leaves altering their pigments.
Because of living in the Appalachian Mountains for my entire life, I grew to rely on the mountains and lush forests to bring me comfort.
Once, a long time ago, I thought about them as suffocating.
A beautiful prison that kept me locked away from exploring the outside world.
Now, having grown up to appreciate the area I was in, I saw the beauty and protection in being surrounded by one of the oldest mountain chains on the planet.
Not everyone was cut out to live in the mountains.
In the winter, the roads were treacherous, covered in snow and ice.
Even the dangers held such a unique beauty that nowhere else on earth could compare.
However, fall was always my favorite of all the breathtaking seasons our little slice of the world experienced.
Downtown Elston Hollow was my favorite place to be in autumn.
The historical buildings lining Main Street were usually decorated with pumpkins, candles, scarecrows, hay bales, Halloween decor, and an assortment of other fall decorations.
The lamp posts on every corner glowed orange at night when the sun started to set earlier, illuminating the leaves blowing down the street and dancing around the patron’s legs.
Fall also meant Halloween was close. My favorite holiday.
One where being scared became an exciting rush instead of the normal day-to-day fear from the anxiety that I experienced growing up.
Horror movies, apple cider, cool weather, ghost tours, football, haunted houses, pumpkin spice everything, because yes, I was that basic, there was never a downside to harvest time.
The change of seasons brought a change not just to my surroundings, but to myself as well.
My heart felt lighter as I breathed in the fresh air, the chill nipping at my exposed skin.
I wore my jacket unbuttoned, open against the cool morning.
I wanted to feel the coolness against my skin.
It was long overdue after several days of being locked indoors.
I wouldn’t classify myself as an outdoorsy person by any means.
I was known to hate camping, fishing, hunting, and being exposed to the sun for too long, yet I did enjoy being outside for more limited amounts of time.
Short hikes, hay rides, horseback riding, long leisurely walks, all things I found pleasure in, because at the end of the activity I could always escape back indoors and into a book, or more importantly, the air conditioning.
I didn’t like having to go so long being cooped up indoors, excited to finally be outside with the illusion of freedom, even if it was just for an hour.
My relationship with the great outdoors was all about a specially curated balance.
Last night at dinner, Cindy announced that our group therapy session was canceled due to Jessica being sick with the flu, so the nurses were in charge of the time slot.
With the weather still nice enough to enjoy a walk, they organized our group to be able to spend time outside for a limited amount of time while supervised on the property.
High up on the corners of each of the buildings were enough security cameras to catch most of what was happening in the main courtyard.
With the hospital's campus built so close to the mountains, there were also a few walking trails nearby.
Mature trees stood proudly around the yard, taller than the buildings they surrounded.
When we got outside, our group was divided into two smaller groups.
Group one was with Shemar, staying closer to the hospital, where there were benches to rest on.
Thelma, Tyson, and Andrew chose to stay with him.
Group two was allowed to go with Cindy and Thomas on one of the nearby walking trails.
Kendi and I decided to go, much to my displeasure so did Brandon.
Thomas was still a constant presence when Brandon was around.
The fact that he was able to physically put the pedophile in his place must have been enough to maintain some control over him.
It didn’t surprise me that he had come with us outside when Cindy was at most half Brandon's size.
The last thing any of us needed was a maniacal lunatic getting loose in the woods, free to torture anyone he wanted to.
Taking in a deep breath of fresh autumn air, I committed my surroundings to memory.
The leaves didn’t just change into one or two colors in the mountains.
They varied in shades of browns, oranges, yellows, and reds, creating a rainbow of a picturesque fall day.
If I had any artistic ability at all, I would paint the trees as they looked at this very moment.
Calm, beautiful ,and strong. Harboring the secrets of the ancient mountains.
“I wish I had your talent,” I said to Kendi as we started walking, following behind Cindy. “These trees are too beautiful not to be captured in some way.”
She smiled behind her bright pink scarf.
Since she was self-admitted she had a decent amount of belongings with her, enough to keep her nicely layered and warm against the elements.
Michelle had thought to pack my jacket, but neither of us knew they would let me spend any amount of time outside, so I hadn’t thought to ask her to pack anything warmer than regular clothes.
“The colors are beautiful, I don’t think I could do them justice by painting them.”
“Nonsense, your work is beautiful. This is my favorite time of year,” I blew hot breath into my hands before rubbing them together and putting them deep into my pockets.
“I’m a Christmas girl at heart, but I love the fall too.
Though I’d pick a Hallmark movie over a horror movie any day.
” Our shoes crunched on the gravel beneath our feet.
As we left the shelter of the courtyard, the gravel path slowly started to turn into dirt, and the large towering trees grew dense.
It was still early enough that a hazy layer of fog hovered above the ground, swallowing the small shrubs and fallen branches that lined the path.
No insects were around to annoy any of us taking a walk today; it was finally cool enough to send them running back to where they belonged, hell.
The sun was starting to crest over the mountains, but the trees were too dense to allow much direct light through their branches.
Cindy glanced over her shoulder occasionally at us as we walked, but other than that, she gave us privacy as we talked.
Thomas was bringing up the rear while Brandon walked slightly in front of him.
Kendi and I stayed close together, my hair coming close to hitting her in the face when a slight breeze broke through the trees.
She had all her braids pulled back into a thick ponytail at the base of her neck and tucked them all under her scarf.
As we lost sight of the hospital in the distance, Brandon started to hum a creepy tune that I didn’t recognize.
Kendi and I both tried our best to pretend he wasn’t there.
He hadn’t dressed warmly for the walk outside, yet the cool air didn’t seem to bother him as he kept his eyes on us instead of the nature around us.
“I never was a fan of Christmas growing up,” I admitted. Halloween was an easier holiday to not be home for; Christmas, on the other hand, you were expected to spend the time with family.
“Your family didn’t have any traditions?”
“If we were lucky enough to be with my grandmother, we did all the traditional stuff. Gingerbread houses, Christmas cartoons, and Communion at church on Christmas Eve. If we were with my parents, it would have been a little less enjoyable. On the rare occasion we did get gifts, my mother tried her best to make my dad feel guilty for spending money on us.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I was lucky; both of my parents were so full of Christmas spirit that it was contagious to anyone around them. Do you do anything fun for Christmas now?”
“My sister and I usually celebrate together. It’s just the two of us, so we don’t do a whole lot. The only thing we never miss doing is making Santa’s cookies.”
“We did that too, my mom always got the cutest cookie cutters for the cookies. My family wasn’t super big on Halloween though. My mom worked as a 911 dispatcher, so she was always paranoid. Certain times of the year were worse than others from what she noticed in her line of work.”
“Halloween and what else?”
“Full moons tended to bring out the,” she drifted off, glancing around us to make sure no one was listening too closely, “crazy people. Her friends in the hospital agreed with it too, I know it sounds crazy, but I completely believe it.”
I laughed, but not in a cruel way, my breath visible in the cool air, “You know, after meeting certain people, I would tend to believe it as well. You never know what might bring out that side of someone.”
“I’ve always said there’s crazy good and crazy bad, with a nice gray area in between. But with any kind of crazy, you never know what you’re going to get. No offense, though, to anyone here, I’m not judging.”
“It’s okay, I believe you, trust me, I know on some level I’m crazy, I always have. It’s who I am, so I accepted it a long time ago.”
“Well, I like who you are, so other than getting stronger, don’t ever change.” She looped a slender arm through mine as we continued walking behind Cindy.