The front hall of the house was exactly what I expected it to be. A polished dark wood floor covered by an area rug with an intricate swirl pattern in dark red, yellow, and orange. A heavy claw foot table stood in the middle of the rug, serving no other purpose than to look expensive. The short hall gave way to a huge open space flanked by matching staircases leading up to a railed balcony on the next floor. A chandelier twinkled in the middle of it all. To the left of the entry was a room with squishy looking couches and armchairs, dark wood tables dotted the open space between, and ornate stand lamps cast everything in a soft yellow glow. There was also a floor to ceiling bookcase along one wall. The other side had a sleeker, modern look with tall-back white chairs and a glass top, marble inlaid tables. Bright ingressed lighting made the room look sterile. On the back wall was a long bar with a lighted mirror and dozens of colorful liquor bottles.

Nate stepped into the library. My eyes were drawn to the massive bookcase, and I walked along it, trying to take in every title. There were sets of encyclopedias on a wide variety of subjects; philosophy, science, religion, as well as an entire section of classics, all with matching white spines with gold lettering. I had always loved books and looking at these made me remember my little book shelf at home that held my favorites. All destroyed now.

“He has quite the collection, but I don’t think some of them have ever been taken off the shelves.”

I pulled my hand away when I heard the unfamiliar voice and looked around the room, but Nate wasn’t there. Movement from a shadowed corner drew my attention. There was someone sitting in one of the oversized armchairs. The chair and shadows hid any details. A pale hand reached out and placed a drink on the table beside the chair. A book laid open next to it.

“Are you Colin?”

“No, he is upstairs somewhere, I think. I believe Nate went to retrieve him. My name is Benjamin. I am one of the Phoenix that live here. And you must be the one Nate felt this morning.” His speech was slow and deliberate, like he was talking to a scared animal, or someone without all their wits. “I’m glad to see he could get you safely. Although, I would say by the looks of you, you have not quite recovered yet? Please, sit and rest.” He motioned to a chair across from him.

I hesitated. I’d grown used to Nate and somewhat numb to the situation, but something about this man was unsettling.

“There is no reason to be frightened. You are safe here. I know you’ve had a difficult night and lost many things, but you can rest now.”

He was right, but I still didn't move forward. I was tired and sitting for a moment was appealing, but I really didn't like this guy. He seemed patient though and eventually fatigue won out. Anyway, it would’ve been stupid for them to save me from kidnappers and bring me all the way here just to off me, right? I moved to the chair across from him, perched on the edge.

Closer, I could see his features more clearly. He was slim, in his forties perhaps, with salt and pepper hair, a pinched face, and a pointy nose that made him look a bit like a rat. His dark dress pants and button-down shirt looked freshly pressed and stiff. He sat back in his chair and smiled at me, just a slight upturn of his thin mouth that did nothing to make him seem more friendly. He looked like the kind of man who belonged in a house like this. “What is your name?” he drawled.

Yeah, if I wasn’t willing to trust Nate with that, I definitely wasn’t telling this guy.

“Jemma.”

Ben’s smile widened. “Well Jemma, I am sure after you have been introduced to Colin, you will be given a place to rest for a while. Tell me, have you discovered your abilities yet?”

“No. No, I don’t have any abilities.”

He let out a quick bark of a laugh. “Oh, you have some. We will just have to wait and see what that is.” Did he think that smile was endearing? “I imagine you are hungry after the day you have had. Can I have some food brought in? Or perhaps a drink. I don’t know if you noticed, but Colin has quite the variety.” He motioned toward the bar.

“No, I’m fine.” In reality, I was starving and needed a drink more than I ever had in my life, but I wasn’t taking anything from this guy. “Um, you said earlier you were a changer…”

“A Phoenix,” he snapped, but his smile returned quickly. “We prefer Phoenix here.”

“Um, yeah, a Phoenix, sorry. Does that mean you have abilities? I mean, you know what your abilities are?”

“Yes. I went through my awakening nearly a month ago. I’ve had plenty of time to...explore...my new self.”

I sat and stared at him for a moment, but he didn’t seem willing to divulge anymore and I didn’t want to push him. He was fraying my already ragged nerves. A noise from the other end of the room pulled my attention away from him and I looked up just as Nate and another man entered from a door I hadn’t noticed before. The man with Nate was not as tall, but just as broad. His skin was rich brown and his short hair and close beard were black. He had a kind face, and he looked as tired as I felt.

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The man stopped a few feet back as Nate continued toward me and gestured to Benjamin. “I see you’ve met Ben,” he glanced at the man across from me but did not greet him. Ben had picked up his drink again and was staring over the rim at Nate with an unreadable expression. “This is Colin,” Nate turned toward the man he had entered with. “I’ve told him a little about what happened today, and he’d like to meet you before you get some rest.”

I stood, but Colin was across the room before I could make it to my feet. “No, no. You are exhausted, and understandably, after everything you’ve been through. Sit, please.” He motioned me down and dragged a chair from another part of the room to sit near me. Ben was still watching every move, but Colin just gave him a quick nod before turning his attention back to me. He just sat and looked at me for a moment. It took a lot not to fidget under the scrutiny. He didn't seem to notice my discomfort and after a moment; he sat back and sighed. “Nate has explained some of what is happening? And I’m sure you have so many questions. I will answer any I can, but right now I plan on getting you a meal and a bed. I just wanted to meet you and assure you that you are safe here. We do not allow anyone on the property who has not been invited and we have a 24 hour watch on the area.” Something of the shock I felt must have shown on my face. “I don’t mean to scare you. I simply want you to know you can sleep easy tonight. Everything will be provided for you and tomorrow we can sit and talk about all of this.” His smile was genuine and his words did reassure me. So did the idea of a sandwich, to be honest. Colin stood and turned to leave. “I will have someone show you to the room we’ve set aside for you.”

“I think Nate would like to do that.” Ben muttered from his corner.

“Shut up, Ben.” Nate was blushing.

Colin sighed, “We’ve talked about this Ben…”

“Sorry.” Ben held up his hands, looking innocent. “Just trying to be helpful.” He still had that hateful smirk on his face, though.

“Well, stop.” Collin didn’t look angry, but there was a firmness in his voice. “Jemma, we will talk in the morning. Please, get some rest.” He nodded and made his way out of the room.

I was too tired to care about anything other than how I was going to get wherever I was going without falling down. I really didn’t feel like meeting anyone new, so I asked Nate if he would see me where I needed to go.

“Yeah, sure. It’s up here.” He moved to the closest staircase without another look at Ben.

The stairs led to another open area more sparsely furnished with a few tables along the walls. I looked out over the balcony into the front hall. Ben appeared to have returned to his book, and Colin was out of sight. The far wall was one big bay window. I could just make out a maze-like garden in the dark below. I followed Nate down a narrower hall with a multitude of doors set along each side. I had to stretch my legs to keep up. How did he have the energy to go so fast after everything that had happened? He finally stopped at the fourth door on the right. He stepped in without waiting for me to catch up.

Through the door was a well lit room that looked quite a bit like my old loft apartment, only cleaner and better furnished. The walls were the color of brick and the carpet was a soft brown. A deep blue couch and chair and a long low table sat on a blue green area rug in the middle of the room. Off to one side was a small stone fireplace and through an open door on the other side of the room, I could see a small bathroom. Empty shelves and little tables sat here and there along the walls.

“The bedroom is through there,” Nate pointed to a broad set of stairs by the bathroom that led to a darkened room. “And I think the cook already left something for you to eat over by the fireplace.” He looked nervous.

“Thanks Nate. Thanks for...you know, everything.” That was a stupid way to say thanks for saving my life, but I was too tired to do better.

“Yeah, no problem.” He smiled weakly before walking out and closing the door behind him.

I walked to the door after him and made sure it was locked. I trusted Nate, a little, and Colin seemed nice enough, but there were supposed to be a lot of these Phoenix living here and there was Ben to think about. Sleeping under the same roof with that guy gave me the willies. At least Nate had been right about the food. I found a small tray on the table by the fireplace with potato soup, two rolls, and a glass of apple juice. It was a very good soup, but not as well...cheeseburgery as I had hoped it would be. I ate standing up and spent some time just looking around the room. It was nice, less gaudy than the rest of the house I’d seen so far, and comfortable. But it was also cold. I looked longingly at the fireplace, but the light from the bathroom caught my eye and reminded me of how much I needed a shower. The quick wash up I’d had earlier hadn’t really done much good. I sighed as I sat down the empty bowl. I was tired enough at the moment not to care about being clean. I moved up the stairs to the bedroom and switched on the lights.

The walls were light beige, with tiny blue flowers in a pattern around the top and bottom, and the centerpiece of the room was an enormous four poster bed with a thick brown comforter. The posts were carved with curves and spirals and the dark brown wood was mirrored in a side table, vanity, and a straight-back chair. Tall windows with light blue curtains covered one wall. There was something hanging over the back of the vanity chair. I walked over and saw it was an assortment of cream nightgowns and a matching robe. They were different sizes. Evidently, they wanted to be ready for whoever Nate brought home. Silk was not really my style but still more comfortable than scrubs to sleep in. But I couldn’t face the thought of clean silk and clean sheets while I could feel the layer of grime on my skin. I really needed that shower. Sleep could wait for a few more minutes. I found a nightgown that would fit and headed for the door.

The bathroom came stocked with everything I could need, including fluffy white towels, a variety of soaps and lotions, and drawers full of various toiletries. The hot water felt like heaven after such a long, tense night. I spent a long time just standing under the water and trying not to fall asleep and drowned. I couldn’t hold on to one thought for long. My life had been completely dismantled in a day, so maybe that was understandable. I had no place to live, most likely no job, which didn’t matter much since evidently I was a wanted fugitive, and I was now staying in a house with even more fugitives that I knew next to nothing about. What in the hell was I going to do?

After a while, I decided I would not do anything without some sleep, so I got out and dried off. The sink held, among other things, a new toothbrush and a fresh tube of toothpaste. This place was stocked like a fancy hotel.

“Well, at least I’ve fallen in with rich criminals.”