Eyes of the Phoenix

Chapter One: Dark Eyes

"In Chinese mythology, the phoenix is the symbol of high virtue and grace, of power and prosperity. It represents the union of yin and yang. It was thought to be a gentle creature, alighting so gently that it crushed nothing, and eating only dewdrops. It reflected the empress, and only she could wear the phoenix symbol. Jewelry with the phoenix design showed that the wearer was a person of high moral values, and so only a person of importance could wear the phoenix. The Chinese phoenix was thought to have a large bill, the neck of a snake, the back of a tortoise, and the tail of a fish. It carried two scrolls in its bill, and its song included the five whole notes of the Chinese scale. Its feathers were of the five fundamental colors: black, white, red, green, and yellow."

A pretty girl with a dark curtain of hair laid her head down on her pillow. Her finger fondled a small amulet of a bird that hung around her neck. She often let her mind wander. Outwards, she was a normal 17-year-old girl; inwardly she was different. She had a secret she guarded close to her heart.

The summer heat filtered through her open window, and she took a deep breath of the heavy air. Her responsibility, her destiny lay within her small fingers. She was the descendent of a great Chinese empress, and she had been handed down the responsibility of Guardian of the Phoenix.

Only one Phoenix lived at a time, and at the bird's death, he erupted into a ball of flames, and was reborn from the ashes. Each Guardian of the Phoenix had to rise out of her own ashes. Their lives were littered with tragedy and heartbreak. She must have seemed so shallow and naïve to those close to her, but her heart was deep. The amulet around her neck could only be worn by a person of high moral values and importance.

Her grandmother was the last Guardian of the Phoenix, and at her death, she had passed on the burden to her oldest granddaughter.

"This is the curse and gift of our women," she had told her. "Wear this and it will show you the way."

The amulet sometimes burned and other times, it was ice cold. She could feel the burdens and the victories of the Phoenix, and where he went she did also. Her tears fell often, and the magic within them was unknown to everyone. They helped heal the anger and pain that surrounded her and the people she choose to be close to.

She closed her eyes and saw the pain on a young boy's face. She didn't need to be told what was bothering him. She saw the loss, the pain of death within him. She urged the great bird to help him as she had urged in the past, but his tears could not heal this pain. This was a pain she would have to heal herself. He was so angry, so withdrawn. She had come so close to disclosing her secret to him. She had hoped the kiss of the Guardian would help him release his anger, but she was wrong.

She had dealt with pain herself. Her first love was taken by the curse of death. She knew that is was a cycle of nature that she could not explain or control. She knew that is was her love's time to join the other side. All of her knowledge could not suppress the pain she felt. The curse she had to live was one of tragedy and how she rose out of each situation would define her reign as Guardian of the Phoenix.

She had allowed herself to become too close to the boy who lived. She sensed a greatness in him that was unmatched by the others that surrounded her. She had personally watched his victories and his defeats. She felt every tear that stung his eye, and she knew every challenge he faced.

She closed her eyes and became the Phoenix. The Phoenix had saved Harry Potter many times, and he held a special place in the boy's heart. Perhaps this is why she couldn't stay away from him. She was drawn to him, and she knew that his burden was equal to her own. She knew his secret. He was the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord.

It was her duty to help him with his destiny; it was her responsibility to walk the path of death next to this boy. She had given him her heart, and he didn't know. One day she would tell him her truth; one day he would know that she and him were the same.

The face of a dark haired boy danced on her eyelids. He had touched her heart and made her cold at the same time. He thought she was shallow and weak, when in truth she was the only one who could ever understand the heaviness on his chest. She wanted to help him, to guide him.

Her life was full of tragedy and heartache; it was the way things were. She also knew his fate.
"Neither can live while the other survives."

He was marked by death, yet she believed her love could save him. If he would just open his heart, she could save him. She needed to show him how to love and be loved. He didn't have to live this life alone.