All I can see is black. The noise level is so low that it feels like it's in the negatives right now.  I'm lying flat on my back. Something hard is touching my back, and giving me the support. I try to move, but something cold and sharp is on my hands. Something that's restraining me from being free. I try to lift my legs up, but something rough is holding them back. 

I can't get free. I can't spread my wings. I need to spread my wings, and then fly. I want to fly. Then, the light is visible, the flashes cause my eyes to squint out of surprise. Once my eyes adjust to the burst of light, they catch sight of my current state. I'm lying on a bed, with each limb tied to each corner of the bed. The room I'm in is barren, with no other sight of furniture, with paint peeling off of the walls. 

My head lifts itself up a little bit, and I'm only wearing my underwear. "Help! Help!" I scream, but those screams are absorbed by the walls and to never be heard by the outside world. Then, the creaking of the old door grinds my ears, and the one person who I never wanted to see again is standing at the frame. His fingers are wrapped around what looks to be a pocketknife, while malevolence wraps the eyes that he's using to drink in my current state. 

My breathing starts to get heavy, as I don't know what he plans to do to me. It could be a lot worse than all of the tortures combined. He possesses the ability to do anything to me. When he absorbs my vulnerable state, he starts to chuckle. "You know, Nicole? You've always been such a feisty girl. I've been telling you that it's going to get you killed one day. You just never listened," he says, and he sits on the edge of the bed. 

My hands pull themselves from the ropes that are holding me back, with the rough material scratching my wrists. "Let me go, you prick. You don't own me anymore," I spit at him. The tip of the knife flies to my throat, and the look on Colin's face turns sinister. The cold tip of the blade presses against my neck. 

"Ah ah ah. Don't forget that I still own you. You haven't divorced or separated from me yet. You're still mine. And now, you're mine forever," he says, while the tip of the knife traces down to the middle of my chest. Tears sting my eyes like little bees. 

"Colin, please let me go. I won't tell anyone. I promise," I beg, and he just snickers a little bit. 

"Lies, Nicole. I know what Mark and you did. This is to ensure that you will never leave me ever again," he says, while climbing on top of me. I open my mouth to scream again, but Colin's large, strong hand clamps over it. 

"Shut up! You're mine!" he bellows. I thrash violently against his grasp, and I try to get out of his horrid plans. The tears that filled my eyes are now streaming down my face. 

"Nicole! Nicole! Wake up!" a voice screams in my ear. Immediately, my head shoots up, and it hits a soft, yet firm object. My eyes shoot open, and tears spill out of my eyes. Arms wrap around me, and they gently stroke my hair. 

The darkness around the room and the sheets that cushion my body tell me Colin's not with me anymore. "You're okay, Nicole. Nothing will ever happen to you. I got you," a sweet voice whispers in my ear, as I start to sob. 

"I-I can't g-get h-him out of m-my mind. I'm h-having c-constant n-nightmares. He's g-going to g-get m-me. I'm n-not s-safe, Elena," I sob in Elena's chest. Elena's arms wrap around me a little tighter. 

"Shhh. Nicole, I think I have to take you to the doctor. This doesn't look too good," she says gently, while I continue to cry in her arms. 

"What's going on?" I hear the voice of my dad inquire. 

"Nicole had a really bad nightmare, Dad. I think it was about her ex-husband," Elena says. I hear the wheels of my dad's wheelchair squeak over to where my bed is, and his hand rests on my shoulder. 

"Nicole, we're here for you. He's not going to hurt you in any way whatsoever. Calm down. Everything will be okay," my dad soothes. I just remain with my arms around Elena, as I am slowly being calmed down by my amazing family. The tears on my face dry up, but my arms still remain clamped around Elena. 

"How long has this been going on, Nicole?" Elena asks. 

With my face still buried in Elena's chest, I mumble, "A few months. It was worse when he was on business trips. I can't stop, Elena. I know he's going to get me. He won't stop until he gets what he wants," I say, sadly. 

Elena sighs. "Nicole, go back to bed. I'm taking you to do the doctor this week. I don't care what you say. This isn't good," she says. My head raises itself out of Elena's chest and flops back onto the pillow. 

Elena's hand travels up to my hair and starts stroking it. "Go back to sleep. You'll be fine," she soothes, and before I know it, I'm back asleep.

**********

For the first time in a while, I wake up peacefully. Colin isn't yelling in my ear, taking advantage of me, or dragging me by whatever limb on my body. The blankets are wrapped around me tightly, and the smell of breakfast greets my nostrils when I open my eyelids. 

When my eyelids open, I sit up completely, and I feel a lot better than what happened in the night. Nightmares didn't curse me after Elena calmed me down. I just fell asleep and enjoyed the first day of life without the monster. My legs fly out from the bed, and travel to the bathroom. 

My hand moves over my teeth in swift motions, with my toothbrush in hand, to make my teeth a fairly clean white color. Footsteps pound behind me and they make their way to where I'm standing. 

I dry my face with a towel on my left side, while the voice of Elena cheers, "Good morning, Nicole. Sleep well after what happened?" 

I shrug. "It was fine. I woke up because of that nightmare, but I'm doing fine," I say, and Elena nods. 

"I get that. Nicole, I booked an appointment for the doctor's. It'll be on Thursday. This isn't looking too good," she claims, while I strut out of the bathroom. 

"I know it isn't. I'm just so scared. He definitely knows that I'm gone now. He'll be tearing up the whole state looking for me," I say. 

Elena's hands place themselves on my shoulders. "Not on my watch, Nicole. I'll kill him before he hurts you. Now, don't worry about that. I made breakfast, and I don't need you to go hungry," Elena says, and she turns on her heel and marches to the kitchen. 

I follow her. "You made me breakfast? Elena, you didn't have to do that. I could've done it on my own. Plus, how did you not burn down the kitchen?" I say, and Elena turns back to look at me with a raised eyebrow. 

"Hey, watch it. Nicole, when was the last time that your ex-husband made you breakfast?" Elena asks. I open my mouth to protest further, but I realize she has a point. Colin never made breakfast for me. He always made me make my own food. 

Elena smiles. "That's what I thought. I wanted to make you breakfast. Plus, I made your favorite," she says, and she brings out a plate of my favorite breakfast food. Pancakes, with a square of butter gradually melting into the sticky syrup that's gently drizzled onto the hot cakes. 

My eyes widen, with my mouth watering. "You made pancakes?" I exclaim. Elena nods. "Grandma's recipe. We both knew that they were your favorite," Elena says, while I sit down and she places the pancakes in front of me. 

"Eat up. I'll get you some coffee," she says, while handing me a fork and knife. Without hesitation, I sink my knife and fork into the pancakes, and shove a large section of pancakes into my mouth. While the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafts in the air, Elena's eyes take notice of me devouring my breakfast. 

"Woah, slow down there, girl. We've got time," she says, as she runs into my dad's bedroom. Not long after that, she walks out of there, with my dad wheeling behind her. 

"Good morning, Phoenix. Sleep well?" my dad asks. With a mouth stuffed with pancakes, I don't say anything. I just simply nod, while my dad chuckles and wheels up to the table. 

"You love your grandma's pancakes, Phoenix. I told Elena to make them for you when you woke up today," he says, while Elena brings him a plate with his breakfast. 

"Thanks, Elena," I mumble through the mouthful of pancakes. 

Elena chuckles. "Anytime," she says, while she sits down with her own breakfast and some cups of coffee. 

As I take a sip and let the hot liquid run down my throat, Elena speaks up. "You down for getting your hair dyed and getting some lunch? I still want to catch up with you," Elena says. I nod. "Of course! I miss my blonde hair. And I want to talk with Nina as well. Will she be there?" I ask. 

Elena shrugs. "I don't know. She said maybe not. We'll see," she says, with a little bit of sadness intertwining in her eyes. The sadness sewn in her eyes is infecting me. I really wanted to see one of my best friends again after so long. But I won't get to do that. 

"Let's not focus on that for now. Get dressed, and we can leave in 10 minutes," she says, as I finish the last of the pancakes and gulp down the remainder of my coffee. Elena takes the plates and cups, and she walks them over to the sink for cleaning. I stand up and I make my way to the bedroom. The closet door is wide open, with my suitcase is sitting open. 

Barely any clothes are inside, as Colin never bought me many clothes to wear. I had 5 shirts at the maximum, and 2 or 3 dresses. I kneel down, and dig through my suitcase to find anything to wear. I find a rusty brown T-shirt, with faded jeans to pair with it.

After putting my clothes on, I strut out to the living room, where Elena is on her phone, reading something. When she hears me come out of my room, her eyes shift up from her phone to where I'm standing. 

She stands up, with her car keys in one hand, and scans me. "You ready, Nicole?" she asks, and I nod. "Let's go then," she says, dangling her car keys and marching out of the apartment. I follow her, and I proceed to start my day. 

************

"I'm planning on getting a pedicure while you're getting your hair dyed. What color do you think would look the best on my nails?" Elena asks as she drives to the salon. I shrug as I keep an eye on the road. 

"I think a dark magenta would look great on your nails. I was bugging you to let me do your nails, but you were like 'no way.' I'm not that bad," I defend, while Elena chuckles. 

"Nicole, the last time I painted your nails, more nail polish ended up on your skin than the actual nail," she says, and I scoff. 

"Come on. It was my first time. And to be fair, no one even taught me. Mom never even taught me, despite painting her nails every week," I shoot, while the look on Elena's face drops. My words are like the knife that is used to cut the ropes hanging onto Elena's face. It drops far down to the pits of wherever it can go. 

"Or even have the decency to be in our lives on a regular basis. Don't forget that," she bitterly spits as we stop at a traffic light. 

I gulp. "I'm sorry, Elena. I shouldn't have brought her up," I say, hanging my head. Elena's glance doesn't shift from the road. "I'll never forgive her for what she did to you. No matter what anyone says," she says, with neutrality running through her voice. 

I just cross my legs and I fidget a little bit. I'm an idiot. I shouldn't have brought up that, because the subject is insanely touchy. "Phoenix, don't feel guilty. I knew you were a little bit curious. I'm not mad at you," Elena assures me, and I relax a little bit.

*********

"So what color would you like?" the hair stylist asks, as she strokes her fingers through my long locks. 

"I want my hair back to its original blonde color. And I'd like a trim. My ends are really damaged," I command, and she nods. 

"That's fine. What shade of blonde would you like?" she asks, and she goes to fetch her color guide, but Elena whips out her phone. 

"I have a picture of her with blonde hair. Is it good enough?" Elena asks, while the hair stylist studies the image. 

"That's perfect. The image is good quality," she says, and immediately, she gets to work. She takes her comb and starts to section off areas of my hair for dying, while Elena studies the work that she's doing. 

"So, how's the relationship with you and Roy?" I ask, while the stylist stirs hair dye together like it's a potion. "It's going great. He proposed last year, but you weren't there. I haven't picked out my wedding dress yet, mainly because of a few options. I wanted to wait until I found you, and Roy's been going on a few business trips lately, and they're intense. So we decided to plan it slow," she says, while the stylist begins to paint on the dye. 

"That's amazing, Elena! Where's the wedding going to be?" I ask excitedly. 

Elena chuckles. "It'll be at a beach down south. I'm really excited. I was planning on going this month to go choose a dress. Do you want to come with me?" she asks, as the stylist clips another section of hair up. 

"I'd love to, Elena. That sounds great. What about Dom and Lara?" I ask. Elena smiles brightly. 

"That'll be coming up in a few months. I've got time, mainly because of the fact that I'm turning 26 soon, and Dom's 26, turning 27 this year. But Dom will be getting married sometime in the next few months. I promise you," she says, and I squeal. 

"I can't wait, Elena. I finally get to see my brother get married!" I say, and Elena chortles. 

"I'm excited too, Nicole. We have to wait a little bit, but other than that, it'll come sooner than you expect," she says, and with that, our talk is interrupted with the loud blaring of Elena's cell phone. The sudden burst of sound causes Elena to mutter curses under her breath. 

80% of them are in a foreign language, which are probably the ones she's learned in her lifetime. She sharply yanks her phone out of her pocket, and she reads the caller ID. "It's Dom," she states, and before I can react, she presses her phone to her ear. 

"Hello? Oh, hey Dom. Yeah, she's here with me. We're getting her hair done. Why?" she asks, and silence follows for a good 10 seconds. Then, Elena speaks to Dom in very fluent French, which I can't make out. 

Even though my dad forced us to learn several languages growing up, French isn't one of the languages I know. Considering they only speak in French as like a secret code, I know something is up. I just can't identify it.

"So, what exactly happened after you got married?" Elena asks, while warm water runs through my scalp at the salon sink. I shrug. 

"It's basically where hell started. The first night, he almost forced me to do it with him. I resisted, and then he choked me and made me go to bed. I paid for it the next day," I say, while the hairstylist massages shampoo into my scalp. 

Elena gasps. "Oh, Nicole. I'm so sorry. How long did this go on for?" she asks. 

I sigh. "All throughout my marriage. The last time he forced me to do it was a few days before Mark got me out of there. I don't miss that hellhole at all," I tell her, while another set of warm water runs down my scalp. 

"I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't. That place seems like actual torture to live in," she says, and I shrug. 

"When he was gone, it was like heaven. I could do anything that I pleased. He never called home to see if I was okay. He was a prick," I tell Elena, and the last of the warm water flows down my scalp. 

"Okay, miss, follow me," the hairstylist says, and I get up from the sink. "Come on," Elena says, and we follow the stylist back to the salon chair. When I seat myself, the stylist drapes a wrap over me, so that hair won't get onto my clothes. 

"So, what restaurant do you want to go to, Nicole?" Elena asks. 

I shrug. "I'm down for anything, to be honest," I say, as my hair is being combed. 

Elena raises an eyebrow. "Come on, Nicole. We both know that you love your Middle Eastern food. There's a really good place not far from here. Are you down?" she asks. Damn. Elena knows how to get to my favorites. I love how she still remembers that I love Middle Eastern cuisine after all these years. 

"You know me so well," I say, and Elena chuckles. While the stylist finishes up my hair, I notice Elena shifting to her phone a lot. She's texting someone constantly, and occasionally cracks a smile here and there. I wonder if it's Dom, or some mystery person. 

"Okay, miss. You're done," the stylist says. I look in the mirror, and happiness overcomes me. My hair is restored to its original golden color, and it looks a lot more full and lively. The old, split ends are gone and my ends look healthy and soft. 

A big smile flashes on my face. "I love it! Thank you!" I squeal, and the hairstylist smiles. 

"Of course," she says, while she pulls the salon wrap off of me. I get up off of the chair, and turn to face Elena. "Nicole, you look so gorgeous! You look fresh and young again! I love it!" she says, and I smile. 

"Thanks Elena. Shall we go? I really want Middle Eastern food," I say. 

Elena nods. "Let me pay, then we can go," she assures me, as we make our way to the counter.

"So, did you ever get a job, Nicole?" Elena asks as we drive to the restaurant. I shake my head. 

"Colin made the money. He wanted to keep me out of the world as much as he possibly could. That's why I dyed my hair and cut it. He forced me to," I say, while Elena's teeth grit together. 

"So THAT'S what his name is. I wish I could go over to his house and break his neck," Elena spits. 

I sigh. "Don't. The police will take care of it," I say, as we pull up to the restaurant. 

"Alright. Let's go," she says, and we both get out of the car to go eat in the restaurant. When we get to the door, the first thing I notice is the long line. It's definitely longer than any of my relationships for sure. I sigh, and I cross my arms. 

"Crap. I forgot it's Friday afternoon. Dang it. I guess we can wait," she exclaims, and I plant my feet to the ground a little bit harder. I can see Elena turning around a little bit more often than she should, but I don't consider anything of it. I just think she's seeing how long the line will end up turning out. 

Finally, I hear footsteps coming up behind me, and out of fear, I turn around swiftly. My hands are balled up in fists, because I'm so scared of the person that's coming behind me. When I see who it is, however, all my apprehension suddenly fades away. The person standing there is no other than one of my best friends. 

Nina is standing there, with her eyes a little bit red. Her curly hair is like a large bush lying on her head, and making its way down to her elbows. A smile is painted across her face, with disbelief shining in her eyes. I don't say anything. I just go up to her and jump into her arms. I thought she wasn't going to come. I thought I wouldn't be able to see her for some more time. 

But she's here. I have my best friend back. I have my whole family back. When I saw her, it was like that one piece in the missing puzzle. At that moment, I wasn't just a pile of ashes anymore. It was the start of my rebirth. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ah, I love extra long chapters! So, out of curiosity, what do you guys think was the deal with that nightmare? Let me know. 

Hey everyone! How are you all doing? So, I just wanted to ask something. After I finish up Phoenix, and finish up The Badass Diaries, (it's not very long) would it be okay if I took like a month long break? 

I have lots of things in mind, and I want some time to plan that out. I've been pumping out work after work for the past couple of months, and it's starting to get tiring. Of course, I'm going to wait until all my WIPs are done, but after that, what do you guys think? I'm gonna use that time to write and get a nice push on my other works so that I'm not stressed about things. 

I want to give you guys the best I got, and I don't want to give you guys half assed work. Of course, I'll still be on and checking my works, but what do you all think? Would you all be cool with that? Let me know. 

That's pretty much it. Hope you all liked this chapter!

Please vote/comment/share/follow/message if you like my work! See you all next Saturday with a new chapter of Phoenix! Have a great week!

Love you guys, 

Shree.