Ruby Rising Read Free Page A

Phoenix woke up and I took him straight outside before he could pee in the house.
    I found Mum unpacking in the kitchen and she told me that Dad had already left for work.
    “Mum, would you mind if I took Phoenix for a walk? I just want to have a bit of a look around town, get a feel for it, you know? And I want to try and find a good place to run.”
    “That’s fine honey, just take your phone so I can get in contact with you.” She went back to her boxes, happily bopping away to Michael Bublé’s, Come Fly with Me .
    I put the collar and lead on a slightly unimpressed Phoenix and away we went. I turned right out of the driveway, planning on heading towards the lake that we had passed on our way home yesterday. Home , it didn’t feel like that yet, but seeing my parents together and happy, particularly my mother, and watching my father actually trying to make us more of a family was starting to change my mind. I would miss Claire no matter what, but maybe, just maybe , this move could actually be good for my family. It had already seemed to relax my father a little.
    I’d spent most of my childhood hounding him for a dog whenever he was home. I did chores and even went to puppy obedience training with my mother to show him that I was willing to train it the right way. Once I’d even saved enough money to buy a kennel, a bowl, a collar and a lead; all he had to do was agree to the dog. I’d woken up the next day with everything I’d bought gone and a cheque for what I’d spent on the kitchen bench. There had never been any more discussion. I had tried to bring it up with him but in his mind it was over. Even my mother had been unable to change his mind.
    As Phoenix pulled on his lead I would gently bring him back to my side each time with a stern ‘heel’. He seemed to like learning and we soon fell into an awkward rhythm, despite Phoenix occasionally falling over his feet.
    The lake was only a ten minute walk from home and we soon found a shady spot and sat down looking around. The first thing I noticed was how quiet it was. No horns honking, no major traffic noise, just ducks and other birds.
    I let Phoenix off his lead and watched smiling at him as he went off chasing a duck that had come out of the water. I laughed when a large duck decided to take him on and chased him away from the water with his tail between his legs. Despite the small run in he kept coming back to me, jumping on me, before scampering off to see what else he could bark at.
    Eventually he settled on my lap and went to sleep. I stared out at the water, and felt completely relaxed. I’d always been this way around water, it didn’t really matter what type, the beach, lakes, even a bath made me feel content and calm.
    I noticed someone walking around the lake towards us. She was the first person I’d seen since we left the house. Wearing a long black dress and knee high boots underneath it, a silver chain around her neck catching the sunlight, she walked slowly, not seeming to pay much attention to anything in particular. She looked around my age, maybe a little older, with long shiny black hair that cascaded down her back and pale skin that actually seemed even whiter than my own. As she came closer; Phoenix woke up and started growling. Embarrassed I tried to calm him with a soothing voice and some reassuring pats, hoping that this girl wouldn’t coincide her arrival with his strange mood.
    “Hey,” she said, not quite smiling. The first thing I noticed were her eyes. They were an amazing green. Not the hazel green you normally see, but a beautiful emerald colour, I was captivated by them.
    “Hey,” I answered, managing to get Phoenix down to a small growl. “Sorry about my dog, I only got him today…” I trailed off, not really knowing what else to say.
    “It’s fine, most dogs don’t seem to like me, not really sure why.” She stared at Phoenix and he abruptly whined and went quiet. “There you go, maybe he just needed a