Wildfire: Rise of the Phoenix

Krystian's Point of View

I didn't trust this Liv Karenin girl who just showed up. There was just something about her that didn't sit right with and I had to figure it out and be able to make sure that Hailie was safe so that she could reach her twenty-first birthday. In fact her birthday was coming up real soon and she would be turning eighteen. Then she only had to wait three more years until they could finally meet and she wouldn't be in danger of dying.

My first priority was Hailie and my second was my little brother Aaron. I had to make sure that he was fully trained in his Guardian duties so that when his Phoenix arrived he would be ready to protect her completely. He was my responsibility when our parents died four years ago and I wasn't going to let anything go wrong with his training.

"Krys are you ready," Aaron asked from the doorway.

I stayed silent as I stared out the window. I couldn't come to terms with why Liv was there in the first place. I did know that if I found out why she was truly there then I would have to risk seeing Hailie in order to protect her. If it came to that then I would have to make sure that she didn't lose control of her gifts to easily.

"Krys, come on we have training to do," Aaron said again.

"Sorry, but I need to make sure Hailie is alright. She had a vision about one of her past lives and now this girl shows up claiming to be her long lost sister. I don't buy it. It sounds too fishy and she seems too sketchy for any of them to trust," I said finally turning from the window.

"Would you like me to go over there and see if I could talk to one of them," Aaron asked.

"You know, that might actually work. I have to prepare you first, but you have to promise to use a fake name and not get too attached because if you do and we have to leave immediately then it will be that much harder to leave," I said.

Aaron nodded his head in agreement.

"Alright, so first things first you need to create a good story as to why you are over there in the first place," I said getting into professor mode.

Before Aaron could say anything there was a knock on the front door. I froze and listened carefully.

"I know you're in there. I may not know your name, but I know you're home," Rosalie's voice said through the heavy wooden door.

I let out a breath of relief. Aaron followed me to the door and I answered it.

"Can I help you," I asked tightly.

"Yes, you can help me figure out what this new girl is doing at our house. She claims to be Hailie's sister and I don't buy a single word of her story. I want to find out what she really wants before Hailie gets hurt," Rosalie commented.

"So you have similar suspicions as myself," I said with a sly grin.

"Yeah I do and if you say that all you want is to protect Hailie then you better help me, otherwise I'll go and ask Dimitri and Roza to help instead," Rosalie hissed menacingly.

"You know I was a little skeptic about letting Hailie come and live with you at first, but now that I know that all you want is for her to be happy and healthy I think I chose the right family," I said nonchalantly.

"What do you mean by 'chose the right family'," Rosalie asked with narrowed eyes.

"I intentionally led Carlisle to pick up Hailie because of the vision that I had of one of my past lives. I saw him when, at the time her name was Cailie, was talking to the Volturi and asking for help. He seemed rather nice and compassionate for a vampire so I sought him out. When I found him I left him the note," I answered simply.

"You had a vision of a past life to," Rosalie asked.

"Yes, why do you ask," I asked curious even though I already knew.

"That's for another day of discussion. Right now I want this Liv to be taken care of before Hailie gets seriously hurt," Rosalie snapped.

"Alright then, that's fine with me. I was actually just about to come up with a plan with my younger brother Aaron here. He was going to go over there and keep an eye on Liv to make sure that she wasn't there for other purposes. I don't trust her either," I answered simply.

"How exactly do these Guardian powers work," Rosalie asked curious.

"I will explain them later," I said trying to get back to the task at hand.

"Fine, but let's get this working soon so that Liv doesn't try anything to hurt Hailie. I don't think I can survive if anything happens to her," Rosalie said and she actually sounded like she really cared.

"You care about her that much don't you," I asked sincerely.

"I do and if something horrible happened to her I don't believe that even though I have Emmett, my life wouldn't be complete if Hailie wasn't in my life as well," Rosalie answered.

I nodded my head and Rosalie followed me into the house. I led her towards the room where I kept all the magical stuff for my Guardian work. I forged silver stakes here so I could kill Strigoi with them. They weren't as powerful as the ones that the Moroi vampires created, but they were at least strong enough to kill Strigoi.

"Is this part of the Guardian magic you use," Rosalie asked astonished.

"It is. I've been teaching Aaron the simple basics to begin with, but he's ready for his first Guardian assignment. Even though Hailie is my Phoenix to protect, I still have three years before she can be fully under my protection. Legends don’t say anything about other Guardians taking over for the time being. I'm creating a new history for our kind by letting Aaron take on some firsthand work," I said and smiled at him.

"Is he even ready for it," Rosalie asked her skeptical tone back.

"Yes, I've been practicing for years," he answered before I could say anything.

"This better work, otherwise I'll kill you both myself," Rosalie hissed menacingly.

I choked back my chuckle of a response and merrily nodded my head in understanding. I busied myself with a small pot that looked like a tiny cauldron. Rosalie was about to say something but I stopped her with a look and then continued to mess with the ingredients of the potion that I was making that would protect Aaron from being detected by any evil entities or agents of the dark side. It was part of the plan that I had formed. When I was done I turned towards Aaron and Rosalie both holding out two vials of the concoction that I just made.

"What is that," Rosalie asked.

"It's a potion that allows people working against evil to do so without being detected," I answered handing one of them to Aaron and the other to Rosalie.

"What do I do with it," Rosalie asked.

"You drink it," I said.

"If I do then I will only puke it up because all I can drink is blood," Rosalie answered stiffly.

"Nope, this will stay with you and it will help with your thirst as well," I said.

"How," Rosalie asked.

"Just trust me," I said.

She nodded and then drank the potion at the same time as Aaron. She shuddered at first and then immediately clamped her hand over her mouth as if she was going to throw up, but then almost instantly brought her hand down. I smiled and she looked at me confused.

"How is that possible," she asked.

"That potion keeps anything dark and sinister under control. I have heard Edward talk about the thirst as a kind of dark monster who likes to take control so I figured that it would help," I said.

"You have to make some for Jasper," Rosalie said.

"Is he against Liv as well," I asked.

"Yes, both he and Edward are. They both went up to talk to Hailie before she came downstairs. I was wondering what it was and he had whispered his suspicions to me before I headed over here," Rosalie answered.

I nodded my head and made another quick batch. I would keep some on hand, because I was certain that the venom would deteriorate the potion faster than normal blood would. I handed her two vials and she pocketed them.

"What's next," Rosalie asked.

"You take Aaron back with you. Introduce him as Jason Hunter and that he was a friend that you met while shopping one day in Ireland," I said.

"My family knows me too well and if he smells anything remotely like a human they will know that I'm lying because I despise humans," Rosalie scoffed.

"Then Aaron will show up a few minutes after you claiming to be looking for his family, but got lost in the nearby woods. He'll have scratches and bruises to make it more legit," I said.

"Sounds good to me," Rosalie said.

"Aaron are you okay with that," I asked him.

"I'm fine with it. Just stop treating me like a child," he said annoyed.

"I'm trying to look out for you that's all," I said.

"Okay, I understand, but if we're going to do this then we better get moving soon," Aaron said.

Rosalie nodded her head. I handed her three more vials of the potion.

"What are these for," Rosalie asked.

"They are in case the one you already drank runs out and there are two more for Edward and Jasper," I answered.

She nodded and then left. I turned my attention towards Aaron.

"Are you really up to this task," I asked him seriously.

"Yes. Krystian you have to trust me in this. If I'm going to be a Guardian one day then I have to take the same risks as you," he told me.

"Be careful. I wouldn't be able to grasp life if I knew that something horrible happened to you," I told him.

"Stop worrying about me Krys. It's time I start taking care of myself," he said.

I nodded my head and gave him a swift hug before letting him start his first huge mission.

Liv's Point of View

I finally found her. Now all I had to do was get her to give up her destiny. When she gave her destiny then her power would be gone and they could go in for the kill. I actually didn't feel right manipulating her, but it was the only way that my family would stay safe from the damn supernatural world. I couldn't let my family perish for my stupidity. I was told that if I managed to capture Hailie Marsinelli then my family would be set free.

I didn't like dealing with the supernatural world mainly because of how horrible the races could be. All races including humans and Wiccans for that matter were always at war against each other. If I could make it stop, or at least try to make the fighting stop then I had to at least try. They told me that Hailie was a danger to all things living and I believed them and promised that I would do everything I could to bring her down. I just didn't know how I was going to go about it.

All I know is that I would everything I could to try and get her to believe me. I would play the role that I was given as best as I knew how. Alice had shown me to a bedroom and it was rather close to Hailie's. I was now sitting on the bed contemplating my next move. Jasper didn't seem to trust me and neither did Edward. Hell, even Hailie seemed a bit skeptical of my story. Honestly, they had every right to be seeing as though it was all a huge lie, but I had to make sure that they didn't find out about that.

My thoughts were kept secret from anything magical. That was what I was told by the people who employed my services. They trusted me to complete this mission and I had to accomplish it. My family meant everything to me. My phone buzzed and I answered it, or rather I read the text that they sent me.

How is the job going?

It's fine so far. They seem to buy my story I replied.

Be careful. Edward can read thoughts so don't think anything guilty or suspicious otherwise he will try and reveal your secrets so that the family will turn on you

I understand. I'm deleting these as we end our conversation

Good. The less evidence you have with us the better

What do you want me to do now?

Make them understand why Hailie's parents 'put you up for adoption'. After that get real close because Hailie needs to trust you completely for this plan to work

Alright, I will do it.

The texts ended and I immediately deleted the evidence. I couldn't let them figure out why I was really here. I knew that Hailie meant a lot to this family and if anything horrible happened to her than I knew that I was as good as dead if not worse. I didn't unpack my bag in case I had to make a quick getaway. I wasn't going to be taking many chances because of the major risks that were at stake for me and for my family. All I knew was that they had to stay safe.

I managed to hide them from the supernatural world, but it was only a matter of time before they found them and I couldn't let that happen. I wasn't sure how I was going to complete this mission yet, but I knew that I had to at least try otherwise I was dead and so was my family, but I would be forced to watch them die and that was something I didn't care to do.

"Liv are you okay," Alice's voice asked through the door after a small knock.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just unpacking," I answered wiping my eyes from the tears that had fallen as

I was thinking about my family that I had to save.

"Are you sure," she asked again.

"Yes I'm sure that I'm okay," I replied a little more strongly.

"Alright, well dinner is almost ready so I hope that you're hungry," she said.

"I'll be down in a minute," I told her.

She didn't say anything. I honestly didn't know that vampires ate food. I was told and I had learned that all they ate was or rather drank was blood. These vampires were completely different than the ones I was used to. I knew that the Cullens' were vampires because of what my mother had told me about the supernatural world. I didn't expect to see a young man with dark skin hanging with a bunch of vampires, so that threw me for a loop. I finished cleaning up my face and then headed down the stairs.

Once at the bottom I saw Hailie talking to a petite dark haired girl. The petite girl was standing next to a rather tall, muscular guy with dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. He was rather cute, but then I caught a glimpse of a silver band on his left ring finger and a silver band on the petite girls. I shrugged it off and then looked around the room again.

My eyes landed on another couple. One had jade green eyes and platinum white blonde hair and the other had dark brooding blue eyes accompanied with black hair. He was cute, but he seemed rather close with the platinum blonde chick. My eyes continued to scan the room. A young woman was talking with Esme and she looked similar to the blue-eyed, black haired boy who was all over the platinum blonde hair girl. Two other young boys were standing in the corner talking.

One of them was rather cute looking and he seemed to keep glancing at the tall, muscular guy and petite dark haired girl. He looked a little angry, but also a little sad. My eyes finally landed on Rosalie. She was talking to, or rather whispering, to Edward, Jasper, and another young boy that I've never seen before. Jacob was also talking with them.

I finally made my decision and headed towards Hailie and her small little group of friends when three people walked up to me. Actually, it was Alice, Bella, and Bella's daughter Nessie.

"Liv, you're finally down here. Dinner's getting cold," Alice chirped excitedly.

"Alright, I'll grab something to eat," I smiled.

Alice followed closely by Bella and Nessie.

"Alice I get the feeling that something is wrong," I said turning around once I was in the kitchen.

"Nope, nothing's wrong. I just don’t want you to feel left out or forgotten," she smiled sweetly.

"Thank you, but I'll be fine. Once I get to know my sister then everything should be good," I smiled back just as sweetly.

"Speaking of getting to know your sister, why are you all of a sudden here trying to get to know me," Hailie asked from the doorway leading to the kitchen.

I turned and faced her.

"I didn't know I had a sister until three weeks ago," I told her.

"Really, then how come my parents never told me about you," she asked.

"I don't know why they kept me a secret from you. Maybe they didn't want you to know about me because of my troubled past," I lied sufficiently.

"Troubled past," she asked confused.

"Yeah, I was a rebellious teen and I still sort of am, but I was a lot worse before I found out about you. When my parents finally told me that I was adopted and that I had a sister, I knew that I had to find you or at least try, so I sobered up and got clean for about two weeks. My parents still didn't want me looking for you because they feared that I would ask you to buy me booze and drugs, so I ran away from home," I lied to her.

"Really, you ran away from home just so you could find me," Hailie asked.

"Yes. Is it wrong for a sister to want to find her older sister and get to know her," I asked.

"No, but if you had contacted me and tried to find me through the Internet I'm sure I could have managed to find a way to you," Hailie said.

"How was I supposed to know that? How was I supposed to figure out how to find you without physically looking for you myself," I asked feeling tears back up my lies.

Hailie didn't answer; instead she embraced me with a hug. I was already getting closer to her and it only took a few white lies backed up by glistening eyes. I could see this backfiring easily, but not until after I had accomplished my task. I had to take this as far as I could so that I could keep my family safe. I knew that her birthday was coming soon, but I was told that I had to get her to relinquish her powers before she turned twenty-one. I had three years to complete my job or at least attempt to complete it before it blew up in my face. I had to be careful with the way I was going to go about this whole thing.

I was good though because of what had truly happened to me in the past. I guess that’s why these people wanted me in the first place. I had truly ruined a high school boy's life by telling a few white lies and creating the evidence to back up my statements. The boy is still in juvenile prison as far as I heard. He should be getting moved to prison shortly since he should be turning eighteen in a few weeks.

Remembering that horrible incident made me feel guilty and comparing that incident with what I was about to do this young girl just to save my family from destruction was wrong as well, but I don't know who else I could turn to for help. If I had asked them for help I'm not sure they would help me unless I asked before they found out the complete truth and why I was truly here. I had to be careful though because these people sounded dangerous and I couldn't let them hurt my family.

It's better if I just do what they want me to and then forget the whole thing like I did before. I pulled away from the hug and looked into Hailie's eyes. They were similar to mine, yet completely different. These people who threatened my family told me about the power that she carried with her and that she would soon abuse it for her own gain. That was something that I was taught to never do, so I believed what they told me.

"Liv, would you like to hang tomorrow after I get back from a school tour," Hailie asked me.

"Sure, how long is the tour," I asked.

"Maybe about half a day," Hailie answered.

"Okay, we can go to a movie or something like that," I offered.

"Sounds good to me, but right now get some food so that you're not hungry, because I know you must be," Hailie smiled sincerely at me.

I nodded my head and then proceeded to grab some food. Alice ate some too and that totally surprised me. She smiled at me and then skipped or danced out of the room. I finished my food and then put my plate in the dishwasher. I stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room and watched the many different conversations going on.

Hailie saw me and waved her hand over to where she was standing and I smiled back. I walked over to her and told her that I was tired and would see her tomorrow. I made my way to my room and got ready for bed. Before turning out the light I recorded the day's events in a small journal along with some ideas of plans that might help me complete this mission for these people and get back to my normal life. Once that was done I turned out the light and fell asleep so that I was ready to start part one of my plan to take down Hailie Cullen, formerly known as Hailie Marsinelli.