Phoenix

"Phoenix, you're on! How many times do I have to tell you this? Pay attention! God! Get out there!"

She scrambled, blushing a final application of rose across her cheekbones, poofing her hair and then examining herself in the full length mirror. She was thinning, slowly yet surely. The eyes that were once so bright and alive were dark and deep, intense. Telling things they should not and she wished she could just cover them, just stop them from divulging her secrets, just stop those eyes. They haunted her, her reflection of what she had become haunting her every night.

"Get out there!" He hissed, and as she ran by he slapped her on the back, a little harder this time then usual. "Remember Phoenix, you are the star of the show!"

The music started, loud, excited, drilling into her mind. Yet it didn't bother her like it had, the music was lost in the pounding of her heart. She was the star of the show, no matter what kind of show, she was the star, and all eyes were on her for once.

"Ashley, where are you going? You get your ass back here! I am your mother, did I tell you you were aloud to walk away from me? Get back here, I'm talking to you! Ashley!"

She slammed the door forcefully, dropping to the ground. If only she wasn't on the third floor. If only she could lock the door. If only there was somewhere to hide.

She could hear her coming up the stairs. "Ashley, godamnit, I'm so fucking tired of your shit! I asked you to fucking clean the house you ungrateful bitch!"

The door flew open. Ashley scrambled to the other side of the room, knocking the rose blush off the vanity in the process. She cowered in the corner as her mother continued to scream, "I hate you Ashley, I try so fucking hard to make things work for us, but I get nothing from you in return! No wonder no one likes you at school, you're pathetic! No wonder you get beat-up! I would beat you up too! You're disgusting! Look at this room, look at you! Ashley, look at yourself! You're fucking sick, you're not beautiful! No one will ever love you! Ashley, listen to me!"

She glanced at the full-length mirror. Years of being beat down and she had started to see what her mother saw. Her nose was a bit off-centre. Her complexion was pasty and pale. Her hair was frizzy and unmanageable. But her eyes, her bright electric blue eyes were that of a star.

"Phoenix!" He hissed from the sidelines. "Get moving!"

She didn't need to look in the mirror anymore, she was fine with herself, and for her mother, she could rot in hell where she belonged. Plastic surgery had rid her of the burn marks, therapy had rid her of the hate, dancing had rid her of the memories. She just had to start small, she could hit the big-time later.

She danced, she flew across that stage and the crowd whispered, Isn't she just marvelous? And out of the ashes flew the phoenix, out of the soot and dirt and reality flew the make-believe creature, flew Phoenix.