PHOENIX

Phoenix stared back at the pair of eyes intently watching her. It appeared to be a mouse swaying to one side, striking a pose, smirking at her. Its ears were big, round, and stiff, like the mouse's flowy skirt, frozen in place.

What a weird-looking mouse.

The sliding door to her side opened and Phoenix heard footsteps nearing her.

“Phoenix! We’re not leaving yet. Isaac’s taking a while at the front desk. Come with me,” Lilianna said, her voice clear and bright. Neither too loud nor soft.

Her gaze shifted to Lilianna. The same big round ears as the mouse statue laid on top of her head. Its shade of white blended well with Lilianna’s pastel blue crop top blouse. She looked adorable. However, looking at that pair of gleaming mischievous eyes, Phoenix already knew what this girl wanted to do.

“No mouse ears.” Phoenix said.

Lilianna’s well-hydrated lips curved downwards in an arc, her eyes misting as she tilted her chin lower.

“There’s one in there that would really fit you.”

“No.”

“Fine. Can you at least come with me to buy souvenirs?”

Phoenix sighed. It wasn’t like she had anything else to do. “Sure.”

That was how the two spent their morning at the Disneyland hotel. They walked around the shop as they waited for Isaac to finish talking to the front desk.

Lilianna wrapped her hand around Phoenix’s arm and dragged her as she fluidly searched through the aisles. Phoenix first glanced at her arm, then at Lilianna who acted so natural. She did the same thing to her brother yesterday. It seemed this was something normal people would do. Phoenix then tolerated that tingling sensation from Lilianna’s touch. It wasn’t that uncomfortable anyway. It was just slightly different.

When they passed by a rack of rounded mouse ears, a design caught her eye. The two circles were fluffy white, appearing like clouds on a headband, definitely something others would crave to touch. Its main piece, the bow, had a similar hue as Lilianna’s eyes. From a certain angle, the article had a sheen with a thousand sparkles. That would probably look good on her.

Lilianna’s eyes followed her gaze.

“Do you like this?” she grabbed the headband and flipped it around. “That’s weird, I didn’t think you’d be into this design.

“Not for me.” Phoenix said.

“Not for you? For me?”

Surprised, Lilianna’s voice rose in pitch. She couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle. Somehow Phoenix could feel her cheeks heating up as if she had been caught in a mischievous act.

Lilianna put the ears on and cast a glance at her. She was a head shorter than Phoenix, so she had to look up. Lilianna tilted her head with the mouse ears, her eyes reflecting a shimmer comparable to the bow.

“How does it look?”

Phoenix cleared her throat. “It looks nice.”

Lilianna’s smile grew brighter. However, it was only for a moment before she glanced back down at the rack of ears. Phoenix was able to breathe again.

“Can I pick one for you too?” Lilianna asked.

“...” Phoenix didn’t know how to respond.

“Please?”

Lilianna gazed at her with the same pleading eyes as earlier. Phoenix wasn’t someone easily swayed, but somehow Lilianna just knew when to ask her and when to retreat. This time, she couldn’t not say yes.

“Fine.”

Lilianna then happily searched for a pair of ears that would suit Phoenix. Phoenix silently hoped the girl wouldn’t choose anything strange.

“What about this?” Lilianna asked. Thankfully, she picked a normal-looking one: simple and minimal in design with only solid black and red as the colors. It also matched Phoenix’s outfit for the day.

“That one’s fine.” Phoenix said.

“Okay. How about we buy each others’?” Lilianna proposed. Phoenix didn’t object.

They strode around the aisles in the shop once more. Lilianna’s collection of items grew. She’d mumble a name under her breath as she observed the little stuffed toys, picking and choosing which ones her friends might like. About half of the time, her eyes would shift to Phoenix as she held out an item, silently asking if she’d like that little trinket.

“You don’t have to buy me any more things.”

The golden keychain, shaped like a jolly dog, drooped in Lilianna’s hand, reflecting her slumped shoulders. She pouted.

“I’m buying you more things because you said you never celebrated New Year’s. One gift for every year you didn’t celebrate. That’s just fair, no?”

Phoenix didn’t get the logic, but she also didn’t care much about the money. TThe Earnest family was pretty well-off anyway. It was not worth the time to keep arguing about money, so she accepted.

When Isaac finished talking with the front desk and searched for them, he was surprised by the sheer amount of stuff they have accumulated. Phoenix felt the same. Lilianna grinned mischievously at her brother, and Isaac could only shake his head before taking them back to the hotel room to store the items.

***

“Okay. We’re gonna eat first before going to Disneyland. Any suggestions?” Isaac asked.

Once they were able to pick a restaurant, the three headed out of their hotel into the gentle splash of morning sunlight.

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“Alright children, let’s go to Downtown Disney!” Isaac said.

Phoenix felt as if she was being swept away by a storm in the form of the Earnest siblings. It wasn’t erratic, but a thunderstorm that softly uprooted her in place and paused to let her catch her breath when it became too much.

As they walked around Downtown Disney, the initially sparse crowd gradually increased in number as people trickled in. Lilianna clutched onto Phoenix and Isaac’s arms and they walked together in a straight line.

“Order whatever you want. I will pay.” Isaac told them after walking into the restaurant.

Phoenix searched through the menu items and ordered a dish she recognized. While they were waiting for their food, as the siblings chatted amongst themselves, she mused over how she ended up in this situation.

Lilianna messaged her early this week and asked what she would be doing for New Year’s. Phoenix was perplexed. New Year’s to her was like any other day except for dealing with the inconvenience of switching the calendar year. When Lilianna realized Phoenix hadn't been celebrating with her family for New Year’s, she immediately invited her to Disneyland. Their parents also wouldn’t be home for the holidays, so the trip would only be with Lilianna and her brother.

Phoenix was determined to learn how to interact normally with others, so she had accepted. Her father permitted her to leave with the same notion in mind. She only had to wear and carry self-defense weapons with her at all times. Phoenix already did that, so it wasn’t anything new to her.

Isaac and Lilianna wanted to stay over at the Disneyland hotel for three days. The first day was them settling into the hotel and winding down from the trip, day two would be them going to Disneyland and for day three, they could do whatever they wanted. Lilianna said it would depend on how everyone else was feeling. Phoenix had a hunch they would want to use the Poolside Cabana Isaac rented, though.

After going through security, aside from Phoenix almost getting in trouble for staring too much at the man inspecting her bag, they were all able to pass through without any problems.

On her first step after a small tunnel, the world brightened, and heaps of crowds either huddled in one area or moved along a path. A train passed by with its rhythmic ringing of a bell. Chattering blended with the vibrant music, and along with the scent of sweet waffles in the air, their surroundings radiated festivity.

They first went through a ride called Space Mountain thanks to Lilianna’s suggestion. Isaac had bought a pass, so they didn’t have to wait in a long line and walked straight in the building.

The area was luminescent blue, imitating an image of a space station. Cold air seeped through Phoenix’s arms and fingers as they passed the gate and sat on the narrow seats of the ride.

“You didn’t have to join us,” Phoenix heard Lilianna’s voice behind her.

“I wanted to. I’m having a fantastic time. This is great!” Isaac’s voice sounded further away. His voice cracked and immediately quieted when they began to move.

With a clunk, the roller coaster rolled forwards and stopped at an area where the worker could check if everyone had their safety belts secured. Once the check had been completed, the ride jolted forward, and with a steady clank, it pushed through the initial track of the roller coaster.

Clack clack clack

Everything turned dark. Phoenix’s arm pressed against her seat as the roller coaster jerked sideways.

“AHHHH!” Isaac’s voice resounded as the ride sank. Phoenix’s stomach dropped. She caught her breath as the wind splashed against her face, but she couldn’t stop herself from smiling.

Once their speed slowed down, she glanced around the dark space and noticed multiple glistening stars. It was beautiful.

“I told you you should have stayed.” After they exited the ride, Lilianna scolded her older brother.

“I’m the adult here. You needed supervision.” Isaac said, his face pale and posture slightly crouched.

“No we didn’t. I’m old enough now. Besides, Phoenix will be there for me.” Lilianna looked at her.

Phoenix nodded, her mind alert and body still energized from the rush of adrenaline. The sensation from riding this roller coaster was similar to being a passenger in a racing car. Except it included drops and climbing heights. It was nice.

They had to give Isaac a break. They walked around and skipped any rides to let him recuperate. At first, Lilianna repeatedly told her brother not to join them in rides and wait for them at the exit, but Isaac never budged.

“Sorry my brother’s such a dummy,” Lilianna whispered.

“It’s fine.”

For the next activity, they walked inside a building and waited in line to take a picture with Lilianna’s favorite Disney Princess: Tiana. Beside her was another princess dressed in pastel blue.

The adrenaline already flushed out of Phoenix’s system. Standing in a slow-moving line for the first time today had made her a little drowsy.

“Who’s your favorite Disney Princess?” Lilianna asked, pulling Phoenix back to reality.

“I haven’t watched any of the movies. I don’t have one.”

“Really? We should watch some! I think you’ll like…”

Time passed by as Lilianna talked about the movies. Later, Phoenix noticed the kid ahead stealing glances at Lilianna. His eyes would shift between both of them and he would look away when Lilianna catches his gaze. Phoenix got so fed up with it that she stared at the kid dead in the eyes.

Tears and snot formed on his face. He wailed and wrapped his arms around his mother’s waist. His father turned around with a little girl on his shoulders and frowned at Phoenix. With an eyebrow raised, she eyed the father intently. He seemed like he was asking for a fight.

A hand rested on Phoenix’s head. She instinctively glanced up at Isaac. He smiled.

“Don’t fight,” he said before turning to the family. “Sorry about that. She’s feeling a little grumpy today.”

Phoenix looked away. Lilianna tugged her closer and whispered about one of the best churros they had to try after taking the photos.

“Whatever…” Phoenix heard what the father said, but she didn’t listen to the rest of his sentence.

After getting their pictures taken, Lilianna whipped up her phone and immediately urged Isaac to send them to her. They stopped at a rest area, bought churros and shared the photos. Phoenix’s phone vibrated. Lilianna forwarded the pictures to her.

Phoenix stifled a smile when she saw the awkward first shot of them. In the photo, her eyes were staring daggers at the camera and her lips curled up in a very subtle smile. Beside her, Lilianna appeared like she was part of the Disney Princess crew.

Their day passed swiftly. They strolled around both Disneyland and California Adventure Park, enjoying several attractions and rides. Before they knew it, it was already close to midnight.

Right in front of the Disneyland Castle, upbeat music blasted, the spotlights swayed in different colors and performers danced and interacted with the crowd. The castle itself was covered in lights that climbed around the towers like plants, but had the glow of a thousand stars.

The music quieted.

Ten seconds before midnight, the screen on the Castle changed, encouraging the audience to count down with it.

“Ten! Nine!”

Phoenix glanced at the siblings happily counting down.

“Six! Five!”

She could already see the tails of the fireworks reaching higher and higher into the sky.

“Three! Two. ONE!”

Fireworks exploded in the sky in quick succession. Bright colors painted the sky in streaks, sometimes creating a big splash of color and other times in tiny drops.

Everyone screamed for the year ahead. The orchestra continued playing.

Phoenix’s mind lit up along with the fireworks and she waited for the next series of eruption in the sky. With Lilianna’s arm wrapped around hers, her heart pumping from the extraordinary sight, the chill of the night felt much warmer.

“What are you guys’ New Year’s resolutions?” Isaac asked when the noise settled.

“I want to help mom and dad with their work!” Lilianna replied immediately.

Phoenix paused to think. She didn’t pause to think about her answer, but whether she should share it or not.

“What about you Phoenix? It’s fine if you don’t have one yet.”

As the final fireworks faded into the night, Phoenix’s eyes met Lilianna’s. Her Mickey ears glistened alongside her eyes, both clearly reflecting the magic of the New Year.

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“I want to make my dad happy.”

Surprised by her answer, Lilianna’s eyes widened before she broke into a smile.

“Similar to mine, then.”