Chapter 3 part 1

Chapter 3

I woke up refreshed and happy. I sat up and stretched.

                “Where am I?” I ask. I then remembered the phoenixes and my crazy day yesterday. On a chair, there was a dress and a note. I got out of bed and picked up the note.

                Good Morning Sienna,

                I hope you had a good sleep. Sophia has laid out a dress for you to wear today. As usual, if you need anything ask Sophia.

                ~Dad

I pick up the dress and examine it. It was a light blue color with little flowers embroidered on the bodice. It fell a little past my knees when I put it on. I didn’t see any shoes other than my converse. I put those on and head down the stairs. When I get to the bottom, I see Sophia.

                “Good morning,” she says smiling at me. I smile back; she really was pretty. Her pink hair gleamed and her wings sparkled in the dim morning light. The music her wings made reminded me of a lullaby Mom used to sing us; sad but beautiful.

                “Are you hungry?” she asks. On cue, my stomach growled. She giggled and flew across the hall. I followed her through a pair of French doors. I assumed that it was the dining room. The vaulted ceilings were immaculately decorated with paintings of angels and ancient Greek gods. The table could have easily fit thirty people. What was on the table was what really interested me. There were platters of eggs, bacon, ham, sausages, pastries, toast, and all sorts of things I didn’t recognize. Sophia giggled again.

                “You know you can eat this food -- not just look at it,” she laughs flying over to a platter of pancakes. I walk over to the table and take one of the seats. I fill my plate with more than I could eat in a week and start eating. I look up as another door squeaks open: it was Dad. He was wearing a bathrobe with fuzzy slippers—just how I’ve always remembered him.

                “’Morning Si,” he says yawning. He loves shortening my name. I never cared for his nicknames for me, but I’ve learned to just deal with it.

                “Hey Dad,” I say unwrapping a warm blueberry muffin. He sits down and pours himself a cup of coffee. He takes a large swallow and puts down his mug.

                “Are you ready to see Grimm?” he asks putting two pieces of bacon on his plate.

                “Sure. I’d like to see Ruby again,” I say putting a piece of the muffin in my mouth.

                “Ruby?” Dad says looking confused.

                “Remember the phoenix that was in the net? Her name is Ruby,” I say pushing my plate forward.

                “Oh, okay. How about we meet at the front door in oh,” he paused and looked at his watch, “ten minutes?” I nodded and Dad got up. I grab one more mini muffin and stand up to follow. The window caught my eye first though. I went over to it and stood there in awe. Grimm (despite the name) was beautiful in the daylight. The sky was blue and all the trees were blooming. I looked over the town and saw pretty much what I saw last night, only crisper. There were a lot of different creatures, a lot I didn’t recognize, and that’s coming from a fantasy junkie.

                “Beautiful, isn’t it?” I hear a voice say behind me. I turn around and see a little girl, smiling up at me. She must have been four feet tall, but had an aura that could say otherwise. She looked sweet and kind, but I knew that was only her appearance. Her honey blonde hair glimmered in the morning light and her skin was almost translucent.

                “I’m Josephine. You can call me Joey,” she says holding out her hand to me. I shook it; she had a surprisingly hard grip for someone who looked about eight-years old.

                “I’ll be accompanying you to the Forge,” she says withdrawing her hand and sticking it in her pocket.

                “Isn’t my dad going?” I asked. She shook her head.

                “An emergency came up that needs his attention.” I sigh and look back out the window. Dad always let his work come first. I think that’s why Mom and Dad split up. She gestures towards the door and I start to follow her out of the room. We get out into the town and she starts walking towards the big black building from last night.

                “Ruby?” I asked.

                “Yes Orator?” Ruby responds.

                “You can call me Sienna. All my friends do. We’re friends right?” I said a little nervous.

                “All right, I’ll call you Sienna. What do you require?” she asked.

                “Are you at the Forge?” I questioned.

                “Yes Sienna. I will be awaiting your arrival,” she says then cuts off the connection. I start thinking about Joey and her background. I wonder if she’s…like me.

                “Can I ask you something?” I ask Joey.

                “Sure. What is it?” She responds. I swallow and clear my throat a little before speaking.

                “Are you….a…..um……,” I say trailing off. I feel myself blush as I wait for her answer.

                “I’m not like you. I’m just an elven guard your father employed for this short journey,” she says looking back at me. She shoots me this look that says “I don’t want to talk again.” I silently obey her wishes and keep my mouth shut for the rest of the walk. The forge looked closer than it actually was. Maybe I thought that because when we finally got there, the building was huge. The building wasn’t black like I originally thought; it was white but because of the business inside, it turned the walls blackish. The doors creak open like they’ve never been oiled. Joey goes in first while I follow behind. The scene inside was amazing to me. I was hit with a blast of hot air as soon I got past the threshold. I noticed the phoenixes first (well, who wouldn’t?). They seemed to be at stations with giant workers. I couldn’t tell what kind of creatures they were; all I knew was that they were huge! Joey’s voice brought me back to reality.

                “Are you coming or not?” she says impatiently. I hurry after her, trying not to trip on the shards of metal on the floor. At the other end of the building, there was a smaller door. Joey knocks three times and waits. The door swings open and I prepare myself for someone on the other side. To my surprise, there was no one there. Joey goes in anyway and I follow cautiously.

                “Ah! This is the Orator,” someone says from the depths of the room.

                “Yes Centos. I have brought the Orator. She was going to see Diana’s quarters today. She also wanted to see one of the phoenixes,” Joey says formally.

                “Ruby. Her name is Ruby,” I say not seeing anyone to tell this to. Just then, I see a shape appear in front of the window. The figure became clearer with every second. I recognized the figure but couldn’t come up with a name. The figure was crippled and its skin was charred. I remember seeing a picture in my Mythology textbook.

                “She has full access of the Forge if she so desires,” he says turning back towards the window.

                “Thank you for your time,” Joey says bowing. She pivots and walks back towards the door. I follow behind her, a little confused at what just happened. The door shuts behind us.

                “Who was that?” I ask unsure of myself and of what just happened.

                “It was Hephaestus, god of fire and of blacksmiths,” Joey says starting to walk away. I start to follow then get pushed back by a flood of thoughts. I fall to my knees in agony. Joey sprints over and kneels with me.

                “Sienna what’s wrong?!” she asks looking at me, fear in her eyes. As suddenly as they arrived, the burdens of my thoughts disappear. Joey helps me to my feet as I brush the soot off my skirts.

                “I’m fine Joey,” I say smiling at her. She looks at me, puzzled, but walks forward. I follow behind, wondering what the hell that was.

Look for part 2 soon!