Fair warning: This is a long read. I seem to have forgotten the "Short" in "Short Story." That being said, here it is:

“Daddy, get up! It’s Christmas! There are so many presents! Can I open them now?”
He then gave forth a tired, “what”, in response to his son’s words. He still felt sleep in his eyes and his dreams fading away.

“The presents, they are so big and beautiful!” His son said in his excited childish voice. He was surly up since three a.m. in anticipation for this morning. His wife roused from her sleep and looked at her son. A smile crept on the beautiful face of hers and she slowly got out of bed. His son followed her out of the apartment bedroom, completely forgetting that his father was still in bed. The father looked at the alarm clock on the wooden nightstand beside him, and it read seven a.m. He pushed himself out of the mattress and followed in the footsteps of his wife, the sound of coffee being made pushing him forward.

He turned the corner to see his son kneeling under the fake tree resting by the windows facing to the outside of the apartment, with a Sony television next to it. The son was in childish phoenix pajamas, with a blue tone on them. This somehow complimented his brown eyes and nearly black hair. He was shaking a present, attempting to make out the contents inside of the mysterious box. The sons name was Xiuhcoatl, and his was Cohua. The series of odd names continued with the marriage of his wife, Iridia. He loved her since he first laid his eyes on her, but not just for her looks. He also loved her for the kind, gentle and quiet personality she had. She was a thinker, not a speaker, and Cohua loved that.

Cohua had proposed to her at the top of the Empire State Building, while on one of their many dates. Four months later they had gathered enough money for a simple marriage at a nearby church of Cohua’s and a honeymoon in Alaska. Iridia always proclaimed how much she had loved Alaska, especially the starry, quiet, peaceful nights they spent together. Nine months after the honeymoon, Xiuhcoatl was born. He seemed to resemble his mother perfectly in personality, and his father in stature. He was the only child sleeping in hospital, while all others cried, and his soft brown eyes and curious personality captivated the hearts of visitors.

Soon the two of them came to a realization that a new home would have to be found, one that was completely theirs, and when Xiuhcoatl was one year old, they were able to afford the apartment they live in now with the few dollars Cohua could scrape together as a fireman, and Iridia as a teacher. It was a quaint place when they first saw it, a mere ten minutes from the city and though this it was nice and quiet. It was a safe neighborhood, one they knew that would be acceptable to raise Xiuhcoatl in. Soon after buying the place, however, it was discovered that their neighbors were not the friendly kind. It was only Iridia’s quiet personality and avoidance of conflict that compelled Cohua to not send them to the hospital when they complained about the couples walking on the floorboards above the neighbors, or when the neighbors sent a threatening letter proclaiming that at some point Cohua and Iridia “shot themselves in the foot.” On top of that, heat was put on as winter began to end by the management, various leaks could appear during rainstorms, and piping turned out to not be in code. Through all this, Cohua was able to crack a smile as he watched his son open a present under the Christmas tree with his wife resting on his shoulder as he rested on the couch and the smell of a fresh cup of coffee rushing up his nose.

“Wow, this is so cool” his son screamed when he was about halfway through opening the barrage of gifts under the tree. He had finally stumbled upon a necklace that Cohua had stumbled on while shopping. It cost him a pretty penny, but the smile on his sons face suddenly made it seem worth it. The gift was a phoenix pendent, designed in gold with its wings spread open and fire coming from behind and a menacing or determined look in its eye, Cohua could not decide which it was. It was suspended on a black steel chain, long enough to comfortably fit Xiuhcoatls neck and have much more room.

“Don’t lose it now” Cohua said, “you’ll be paying for it if you do”

This gave a hearty laugh from Iridia. “He’s only six. What is he supposed to do, pay you in candy?” she said while still laughing.

“No” Xiuhcoatl gave for a response, while still admiring the bird.
___________________________________________

“But I don’t want to go to school!” His son screamed in his ear. The new school year had begun on September 8th, 2000. Xiuhcoatl was putting up his usual fight against his father about entering the school bus as he always did the first week of school. Cohua was trying to convince him to go on peacefully when his radio roared to life. There was an oil leak down in the city, and the company wanted him to go aid in its clean up.

“Enough from you” Cohua said sternly, “You are going to go on this bus and go to school, whether you like it or not. And you,” Cohua pointed at the bus driver, “make sure he doesn’t throw himself out the window.” This was responded with a sarcastic salute in response as Xiuhcoatl drudgingly crept onto the school bus. The phoenix necklace given to him last year bounced on and off his chest as he walked up the steps. Cohua didn’t know if it was a good or bad thing that Xiuhcoatl refused to take the piece of jewelry off. Xiuhcoatl was only three days into the school year, and today was September 11, 2001. Cohua watched the bus drive off and prepared himself to go check out the oil leak.

Twenty minutes later he was in the city with his fellow firefighters, and they were like brothers to him. One of them actually was his brother, following in Cohua’s footsteps as a fireman. The problem was already dealt with, and Cohua appeared at the scene for seemingly no reason.

“You’re kidding me” Cohua said to the others as he stepped out of the car.

“Yep, looks like you came for nothing.” One of them responded “Tough luck.”

“Come on, I missed breakfast for this. Any of you want a bagel, I’m hungry.” Cohua said disappointingly.

“Sure, I’ll come with you” His brother responded, “I’m hungry too.”

The two of them walked off towards the nearest bagel shop, conversing the whole way. After a little walking Cohua yelled back to the others, “Watch my car.”

After a bagel and some catching up between the two brothers, the two heard a boom. They raced outside with the others in the little corner shop they found, and watched in horror as the first tower was hit with the plane. The instincts brought about by being firemen kicked in, and the two raced towards the destruction, as many others ran away. They were close enough to get to the tower in a matter of minutes. Cohua was the first, and only, to rush in and up the stairs, searching for whoever might be in distress. He didn’t notice that his brother had abandoned him at the front door; he was in awe staring upwards.

Cohua reached the upper levels of the building, and saw someone lying on the floor, in clear pain. Initial sights of the person revealed a broken ankle, resulting in an inability to walk. He immediately carried the person in his arms racing down the stairs, saying he will get the person to safety.

“My wife, my kid” were the only words that Cohua heard through the man’s mouth through the noise. Determination was in his eyes to get to the bottom of the huge building. He stopped when he heard a rumble, and the eyes of the pair widened with disbelief. A nearby sign showed that they were on the eighth floor. Cohua looked at the frightened person in his arms, and gave a comforting smile.

“They’ll be fine, don’t worry” Cohua said to the person, but more to himself. He felt no pain when the immense weight of the building pounded itself onto him.

Xiuhcoatl woke with a startle in the classroom, revealing his sleep to the teacher. He was sent to the principal’s office. He had a feeling that he could not explain when sitting in the chair in the desolate place. For once he was quiet, and he stared at the phoenix while in deep thought. Almost right before the principal came out of the mysterious room with the TV on with all other teachers in the room together, Xiuhcoatl un-chained the necklace around his neck and put it in his pocket.
___________________________________

Xiuhcoatls nose was buried deep within a book on the newly purchased chair in his room. It was directly in front of the television, yet the annoying machine was off. He wasn’t reading as much as he was thinking, an activity which he spent much time doing ever since his father’s death. It was traumatic for the entire family; Cohua was an idle for all. The funeral was painful for everyone, especially Xiuhcoatl. He could not speak for his mother though, she had changed. The person that was once a lovely, quiet, peaceful being had changed into a disgusting form of herself. She did not budge from the bed for a week after the news of the death, moving only to eat, drink, and use the bathroom. Xiuhcoatl didn’t bother her during this time; he was in just as much shock during this time. He was either reading or playing video games during this time, locking himself in his room. He heard his mother cry, a lot. He had cried to, but not as much as at the funeral. Afterwards it all went downhill.

Iridia became violent and crude. When she first began calling him fat, dumb, and mocked his newfound loneliness, Xiuhcoatl did not know just what to do. He stayed with a cousin for some nights, before returning home. When he returned he was greeted with hits and insults. He tried to kill himself three times so far, each time failing because of the fear of the pain, not death. He did not know if it was him or his friends that pulled away, but whichever it was he was alone now. If he was not in school, he was locked in his room, and during school he completed his work with flying colors and went home, never partaking in after-school activities. He felt no need any more for socialization, but craved it so much, as much as he craved death.

They had received new neighbors below them, and they turned out to be anything than friendly. The first week of their presence three years ago they marched up the stairs to complain about the two of them walking on the floor. A week later they yelled at his mother about her cutting the wire that they used to steal cable. Xiuhcoatl listened from his room, and he did not like what he heard. They insulted his father, claiming he was burning in hell for marrying such a stupid, here they used a word Xiuhcoatl did not like to hear. They then moved on to insult Xiuhcoatl about his friendlessness. He found it amusing that they used almost the exact same words that his mother had used. They then retreated downstairs, heads held high. They walked as if the world was lucky to bear their presence. Although their abuses, Xiuhcoatl knew fighting back would not aid the conflict, especially not if it became physical. It was because of this that the mother and son took the abuses.

It was ten years from his father’s death, and nothing had changed since then. Tomorrow was the first day of his sophomore year in high school. He did not know if he was excited or fearful.

“Get in groups” the contemporary issues teacher called out to the class. Xiuhcoatl remained in his seat as everyone else poured toward their usual friends. If someone wanted to work with him, they would come Xiuhcoatl figured. Soon after he remained alone, the only one without a partner, and he looked at the teacher as she tried to find out what to do with the lonely kid.

“Natalie, you got anyone?” she called out towards the back of the class.

A quiet, slightly sheepish, and beautiful voice in the back responded “no, ma’am.”

“Ma’am, I missed being called that. Work with Xiuhcoatl today” The teacher said pointing towards Xiuhcoatl.

Xiuhcoatl remained facing straight forward, until he felt someone sit in the empty chair next to him. He looked towards his side to find a small, lovely girl sitting next to him. Xiuhcoatl did not recognize her from the year before, and figured she must have been a part of the influx of new students that year. She must have been like the others, a sense of entitlement and lack of concern of grades. She seemed to stare at him, as if awaiting some sort of reaction to her presence. Xiuhcoatl did not know what to do in the situation and turned forward again.

“I’m Natalie” She said more confidently, holding out her hand as the teacher repeated the instructions.

Xiuhcoatl was taken off by this action. He was used to people expecting him to do the work so that the others could chat and text, or people downright ignoring his presence. Here was a girl openly acknowledging his being, and pushing him to socialize with herself. “Xiuhcoatl” he said shaking her warm, soft hand nearly underneath the table.

“That’s a nice name” she said, “What’s it mean?”

Another question, Xiuhcoatl was coming out of his shell, he could feel it. “To my understanding, it’s an Aztec dragon. Fire-serpent to be exact, similar to a Chinese dragon.”

“I take it your fond of dragons?” she asked.

“No, phoenix’s actually. Absolutely love them. I don’t mind dragons though.” It surprised him the length that this girl could get information out of him. He could bet that he didn’t have his usual appearance of a sad, miserable kid contemplating suicide. She seemed so friendly, and so outgoing to connect with him, as if she could sense his distress. The conversation ended there, and the two worked, and finished the project twenty minutes earlier than the rest of the class.

The next class was English for Xiuhcoatl, and as he soon discovered, the same was for Natalie. He tried to avoid conversation with her for this time. He was unused to talking with random people that he had just met. Unfortunately for him, it was unavoidable. She took a seat right next to him in the corner of the room.
“Well hello again, it seems we have two classes together” she said to him, as she gave a beautiful smile, “Can you believe it, the first day and they give us a speech on cyberbullying. It seems like they make more of an issue of it than it actually is, probably thanks to the media.”

She was referring to the previous class, where the project was on cyberbullying. She seemed to take the words right out of his mind. He was surprised, the new girl was pretty, intelligent, and trying to become his friend.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself” he replied, more openly with a smile.

She seemed taken aback by this response. “No arguing? No disputing my claims? No personal experience riddled with various acronyms that I don’t know the meaning of?”

Xiuhcoatl said confused and in the form of a question “No?”

Natalie responded with the question, “What about Obama, SOPA, and UFO’s for Christ’s sake?”

Xiuhcoatl responded with a quick “Needs to be hung, burn the people trying to pass it, and they exist.”

Natalie gave a nonchalant “I like you.”

Xiuhcoatl was now taken back yet again. Never had another human being said that to him, at least not that he could remember. Not only was this said to him, but it was because of his ideals, something widely considered overly radical by many people. Xiuhcoatl was surprised by this girl, and wondered if she herself was in fact an alien.

The rest of the day went smoothly, mainly because he spent most of it with Natalie. They conversed, and debated on some things. It turned out that they had almost every class together except for gym and journalism. Whenever they were together, they would chat, something Xiuhcoatl hadn’t done for roughly five years. He was used to bottling up his opinions and never letting them out, but Natalie wanted to hear them. Whether they were at lunch, or whispering during class, she always seemed amazed by Xiuhcoatl, and Xiuhcoatl amazed by her. The rest of the days went smoothly, until winter.

By this time the two had an obvious relationship. Xiuhcoatl never brought her to his apartment, for fear of his mother and of the downstairs neighbors, but he occasionally went to her house. They would more often be outside, in some random store talking. Xiuhcoatl suspected love, but was un

“So who are you going to the dance with?” she asked him out of the blue. He was prepared for this though.

“I don’t go to those things. I would have to pay ten bucks so I could sit in the corner by the Oreos, and then later get kicked out early for eating all of the Oreos. It’s not worth it.” Xiuhcoatl answered with a slight smirk on his face.

“What do you mean you don’t go to them? They’re so fun, besides it helps out the school.”

“Never been to one in my life. And if you really want to cry” Xiuhcoatl said sarcastically, “I’ve never gotten one of those gifts kids give to each other. I always find a corner and wait out the time they give to give gifts.”

“You’re kidding” Natalie said, mouth dropped open.

“Nope” Xiuhcoatl said.

“Well then, Xiuhcoatl, would you like to go to the dance with me and would you kindly not eat all the Oreos while
you’re there?” she said in a mockingly proper tone.

Now Xiuhcoatl was taken back. He had not expected that from her. A tear started to roll down his eyes, and Natalie saw. He ran out of the door of the donut shop, Natalie running after him. After a little chase in the city, Natalie caught up to him and questioned him. Through the tears Xiuhcoatl opened up to her, revealing his father’s death, the life he lived including his terrible neighbors and slightly abusive mother. She listened with increasing focus to every word as they stood on the seemingly abandoned street. After about half an hour Xiuhcoatl said, tears starting to stop, “Yes, I’ll go with you. And thank you, for listening.”

She nodded in acknowledgement and set Xiuhcoatl on his way home. With every step he felt like a new person was starting to walk. He felt ready for whatever the world sent him, and like he could fight god himself and win.
He walked home to hear his neighbors at the top of the stairs screaming at his mother, “Stop stomping on those ------ stairs, or I swear it you’ll join your ------ husband in hell. And don’t worry; I’ll make sure that ------ son of yours
joins you there!” Xiuhcoatls mother started to cry, and this strangely bothered Xiuhcoatl.

Xiuhcoatls newfound strength turned to immediate rage. He found a new hatred for Craig, the man of the couple downstairs. He wanted to mutilate him, ensure his existence was forgotten. He screamed, “You best stop talking you idiotic, narcissistic, mama’s boy! Or else I will make sure you don’t have a tongue to talk with!”
Craig looked down with his wife, and saw Xiuhcoatl standing there, this being the first time he had seen him at the bottom of the stairs. “You speak to much kid. Go back into your hole, before I rip you apart.” Craig said surprisingly calmly. The calmness scared Xiuhcoatl a little. Xiuhcoatl was not about to back down though.
“You just gonna stand there? ---- it, I’m gonna send you to hell with your father, just where you belong.” Craig
said with a little more energy while making rather rude gestures.

At hearing the insult directly intended to him and his father, Xiuhcoatl flew into a rage. He had a rather good day, and had finally built a relationship with Natalie, one that meant something. Now this man was trying to take it away from him, and Xiuhcoatl was not about to let that happen. He charged up the stairs, almost seeing the fire in his eyes. He did not know what he was going to do to Craig, just that it would send a clear enough message. His mother was crying even louder now.

He took Craig off guard, with the speed he flew up the stairs with. His fist made contact with Craig’s face, sending Craig back and hurting Xiuhcoatl. Craig’s wife tried to join in, trying to stand between the two fighting people. Iridia had run inside. In his rage Xiuhcoatl pushed Craig’s wife down the stairs, a surprisingly easy act. It allowed Craig to get a punch to Xiuhcoatls stomach though. Craig tried to get a punch to Xiuhcoatls face, but Xiuhcoatl was able to block the oncoming punch and knee Craig between the legs. Xiuhcoatl then punched Craig in the face a second time, getting the wall of flesh off of him. Xiuhcoatl hit him in the stomach, putting Craig in a crouching position. Xiuhcoatl then stepped aside and with all his strength proceeded to push Craig, grabbing his shirt and pants, down the stairs. Xiuhcoatl watched him tumble down, hitting his injured wife. Craig had a look of shock. Xiuhcoatl stood in the hallway; ready for the next strike should it come as the two got to their feet once more.

Craig’s wife ran inside her apartment, clearly near tears. Craig stood in front of his door, staring up at Xiuhcoatl, blood running down his lip and an already swelling eye. He then said in an eerie whisper, yet loud enough for Xiuhcoatl to hear “I’m gonna kill you kid.”

“Go ahead and try” Xiuhcoatl said loudly back. He then continued to stand in the same position until Craig proceeded inside at the requests of his wife. After five minutes or so Xiuhcoatl went inside as well. He knew Craig would not call the cops, Xiuhcoatl could make a valid argument of self defense, or maybe that Craig was trespassing. He could definitely get evidence of Craig harassing the already troubled family, and threatening Xiuhcoatl with death. There was too much evidence against the man, he would never report him.

Xiuhcoatl was greeted by the tears and screams of his mother, clearly planning to punish Xiuhcoatl for something. He then proceeded to his room, never looking at his mother. As Xiuhcoatl walked through the threshold to his room he slammed the door and locked it behind him. His mothers’ screams were still audible, but not as loud. He then prepared for the dance, finding the casual fancy clothes he never wore.

As he browsed the closet, a couple of clothes fell. He picked them up as his mothers screams started to quiet down. As he was bent down, he noticed a small box on the floor. It was a large jewelry box, large enough to hold a necklace. The instant he looked at it, an onslaught of memories came to him. A tear trickled down his face as he opened the rectangular box. He had forgotten about the clothes as he gazed at the phoenix residing inside. It was the same one from his early childhood, the one he took off for the first time when his father died. The flames behind the soaring bird gave him inspiration, a drive, a will to ensure to not mess up his life like he did in the past. He was going to keep the relationship with Natalie, he was going to make sure Craig never bothered him or his mother again, and he was going to patch up his relationship with his mother. This was all decided in his mind, he slid the familiar cold black chain around his neck. He knew he was given another chance, and this time he was not going to waste it.
_______________________________

The week had gone slow, and all Xiuhcoatl could think about was the upcoming dance. Natalie had questioned him on the necklace around his neck the next time they had met, and Xiuhcoatl gave a story to her that he had found it in a window of a jewelry shop on his way home one day and it was an impulse purchase. The two continued talking like they used to before Xiuhcoatl told Natalie about his life. Craig seemed to disappear into thin air, he never seemed to come out of his apartment since the fight, and no cops had ever showed. His mother had even seemed to gain a new respect for him, even apologizing for the way she had treated him. It was as if there was a newfound energy that ensured his life would be the best it could be. Xiuhcoatl was happier than he had ever been, especially since today was the dance.

He was at home, getting into some casual fancy clothes, and worrying about his appearance, something he had never done. His mother even helped him prepare himself for the date he had with Natalie. He accepted it as a date, and so did Natalie. School went slower than ever, Xiuhcoatl stared at the clock and whispered to Natalie the entire day. He could barely contain himself with the anticipation for his first dance.

Soon enough he appeared presentable and his mother sent him on his way. She had even given him a loving kiss when he left and a hug to top it off, the first one he had gotten from her in at least two years, he had lost track. Xiuhcoatl could walk to his school from his residence, and he liked to walk, so he did. As he walked past the usual parking spot of Craig’s, he noticed the missing car. He figured that Craig must be gone, and he rejoiced in private.

As he walked he admired the Christmas decorations put in place by the residents of the complex. The lights on various lampposts and trees, wreaths in doorways, even a couple of mistletoes here and there gave him a feeling of warmth, of happiness, in the bitter cold of NY winter. He knew that Christmas was truly a Pagan holiday, hijacked by some other religion years back, but he still loved the feel of the holidays. It was as If the world stopped for that one season, and forced each person to drop weapons and relieve them of anger. It was a time of peace, to enjoy each other’s presence and express the forced joy given by the air of the holiday. The night air only emphasized this, Xiuhcoatl observed as he walked past the many shining houses towards the school.

Soon enough the school house came into view and Xiuhcoatl saw Natalie waiting nearby. She looked gorgeous that day, in a casual dress with just enough make-up on. She noticed him and ushered him over. Xiuhcoatl ran to her presence, nearly getting run over by a passing car that he did not see because he was captivated by her beauty. He had eventually crossed the street alive.

“Try not to die while you’re in there, alright?” She said as she tried to catch her breath from the shock of him nearly being run over.

“I’ll try” he responded, “so do I take your hand and walk you in or do I carry you past the threshold?”

“Holding my hand will be fine” she said sarcastically.

The two held hands into the school building, showing their affection for one another to all that were present. The instant they walked into the building, however, the blood from Xiuhcoatls face ran away, turning him pale white. There were too many people there, all dancing, and conversing, and doing things that Xiuhcoatl never had dreamed of doing. He just stood there, watching everyone in a nervous shock.

“Come on” Natalie screamed, pulling his arm. Her voice was barely audible over the blasting music.
They went off, Xiuhcoatl following Natalie. She introduced him to seemingly everyone present, and even striking a conversation with the DJ, as Xiuhcoatl stood nervously for everything. Natalie seemed to take no notice of the nervousness though, and Xiuhcoatl was glad of that.

“Xiuhcoatl, this is Carl, Jessica, and Aurora. Carl, Jessica, Aurora, this is Xiuhcoatl” Natalie said while Xiuhcoatl stood stiff in front of people he went to school with everyday but had never known.
Xiuhcoatl gave a nervous “Hi” to the group and slight wave of his hand. They all responded with a nod of the head.

“Why don’t you guys go get some punch or something?” Natalie said to the strange three, clearly noticing Xiuhcoatls anxiousness. The group walked away. “Are you okay? We can go over to my house instead if you want” she said to him, finally acknowledging his fear.

“No, no” he said, “I just need to stop in the bathroom for a second.”

“Well okay, I’ll wait at the Oreo’s” She said mockingly with a smile on her face.

Xiuhcoatl entered the bathroom and rushed over to the sink. He splashed water on his face in an attempt to get some color back. It seemed as if he was alone in the bathroom, but he didn’t bother to see if there were any legs in the stalls. He continued to splash the running water until he looked at the mirror in front of him, and said mournfully to himself with water dripping down his face “What are you doing here Xiu? You don’t belong here, you shouldn’t be here. Just go back home, go back into your hole.”

“You’re right. You shouldn’t be here” a voice from the back said, catching Xiuhcoatl off guard.

Xiuhcoatl immediately turned around to see where the voice came from. Then a form seemed to come from the shadows, immediately in front of him. To Xiuhcoatls dismay it was Craig that came from the wall. Xiuhcoatl gasped in fear, not from Craig, but the butcher knife held in his hands.

“It’s too late to run to your hole now, boy” Craig said as he casually walked towards the closed door and locked it, never taking his eyes off of Xiuhcoatl and Xiuhcoatl never taking his eyes off Craig.

“I’m gonna teach you some respect” Craig said as he stood by the door, pointing the knife directly towards Xiuhcoatl. Xiuhcoatls breath had hastened and gotten deeper, in pure fear.

Craig then lunged towards Xiuhcoatl, knife in hand. He was too powerful for Xiuhcoatl. Craig pushed his skull into the nearby mirror, shattering it and leaving pieces lodged in Xiuhcoatls head. Xiuhcoatl dropped to the floor. He was stunned, and barely able to see Craig standing right by. Craig seemed surprisingly calm, though deep breath and rage in his eyes. He then bent towards Xiuhcoatl, grabbing his shirt and lifting the top portion of him up. Xiuhcoatl was close enough to his face to see the black eye Xiuhcoatl had given him.
“Revenge” was the only word Craig whispered into Xiuhcoatls ear. Xiuhcoatl then felt the jabbing pain of the knife in his chest. He thought that it had touched his heart. He then felt the same pain, with more thrust; a little lower than the first stab. Xiuhcoatl was finally dropped after the second stabbing, and as he lay on his back he felt the knife penetrate his stomach, and Xiuhcoatl knew that he was going to die there.

Xiuhcoatl began to smile, and Craig noticed. Leaving the knife in his stomach, he picked Xiuhcoatl up once more. This time Xiuhcoatl whispered into Craig’s ear “Thank you” as he still smiled, blood trickling down his lip. Craig then dropped the body and stood up, staring down at Xiuhcoatl. Xiuhcoatl saw the look of shock on Craig’s face, knowing that there was no way he could escape without anyone knowing he had killed Xiuhcoatl. There was already knocking on the door and the jingle of keys across the slab of wood. He knew that he would spend the rest of his life in prison, or share the same fate as Xiuhcoatl. Xiuhcoatl blacked out, smiling, knowing that he had gotten the last laugh, and that he no longer had to worry about life, while staring at the blood splattered phoenix hanging from his neck.
_________________________

Natalie was lying on her bed in her house. The funeral was this Saturday and she was unprepared for it. She had seen the body when the door first opened with the strange man standing over it; she had been worried about Xiuhcoatl and had wanted to get his attention by knocking. The man had been tackled to the ground by the janitor after the door was opened, and held there until the police came. They had immediately evacuated the school, but word had gotten around about the murder. She cried for the rest of the night that night, clutching the gift she was about to give him when the night was done. It was a ring, an expensive gold ring that she spent the last of her dollars on. There was a flying phoenix on either side of the circular band, flames trailing behind them. Around the stone in the center, which was a fake ruby, was an eastern dragon, a fire-serpent. It made a full circle around the stone, leaving just enough space so it did not seem to eat its own tail.

She had wanted to give it to him to make his Christmas that much better for him. She remembered how he said he had never gotten a gift from a friend, and she wanted to be the first. She felt that being the first meant that she had to go all in, buying the most expensive and thoughtful thing possible. She now wore the ring, loosely around her middle finger in memory of him.

His mother had committed suicide an hour after hearing about the death. She stabbed herself through the heart and died on the kitchen floor. The apartment was put up for sale, and still was on the market.

She loved him, and she knew that he loved her. He was a special kind of person, a rare gem. She missed him, and thought that maybe by killing herself she would be with him. Her friends grew distant from her and her mother cold by her new introvert behavior. Throughout this though, she still adored the phoenix.

A family gathered on Christmas day, each loving each other’s embrace. The mother and father held hands as their son opened presents under the tree. They loved each other. The father smiled, the mother cuddled, and the son became gleeful. Their time was now as a dream would only have, a perfect time, a better time, and a peaceful time.