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I walk timidly into the dark room and turn around to thank him again, but he's gone. A long breath releases as I quietly shut the door.
The room is intimidating, and I’m almost afraid to touch anything. The walls were covered in a deep red and thick wooden furniture was situated around the space. My eyes widened as I reached the bed that was at least twice as big as mine, tall, with a black comforter set that looked too delicate to touch. A few family pictures were scattered among the dressers and I paid careful attention to them, noticing the sophisticated nature of what I assumed were Jax’s parents. A knock on the door startles me and it opens.
“Here’s your bag,” Danny’s face looks worried and tired.
“Thanks,” I grab it from him. “What are we gonna do Danny?”
He wraps his arms around me in a warm embrace and for some reason, I can't shed a tear. I want to. I'm scared, shocked, and degraded, but nothing comes out of me yet.
“I don’t know yet, but I will figure it out,” he separates us looking me square in the eyes, “It’s going to be okay.”
“What about dad-“
“He’s dead to us kiddo. It’s you and me now okay.”
I nod. The gravity of what he said hasn’t quite hit me yet because if it did, I would be crying and screaming in fear right? The fact that we were now homeless, parentless, jobless, completely on our own and I hadn’t even graduated from high school yet was terrifying.
“I’ll be down the hall if you need me.”
I decide not to examine anything else in the room since it’s only reminding me of how much I don’t belong here and I slide off my jean shorts, crawling into bed with only the t-shirt I changed into after dad ripped mine.
I laid there for a long time, in the darkness and replayed the events that happened tonight. The events that led up to that encounter. I realize now that every moment in my life had been leading up to that moment, and I never had a clue. It was always going to happen, and yet up until the second it did, I never realized I was about to lose what little bit Danny and I had left. I tossed and turned, catching glimpses of the crescent moon through the window sheers until finally, I needed to go to the restroom.
I freeze and wince when my foot hits the floor and the wood creeks just a bit. I move to the door using only the light from the digital clock on the nightstand to lead the way.
I’m not exactly sure where I’m going but there’s got to be a bathroom up here somewhere. I slowly open the heavy wooden door, leaving it cracked behind me. I round the corner and am startled when a figure stands propped against the first doorway.
I swallow my need to scream, covering my mouth.
Did he know I was coming? Had he been waiting there for me?
“Need something?” Jax whispers in a growl.
“Um, restroom.”
He points to the door across from him and I nod and head there.
When I finish, I don’t expect to see Jax still perched on the door, waiting and watching for me…but he is.
“Did I wake you?”
He scans my body from top to bottom and I clench my thighs together as I remember that I’m in my underwear.
“No. I don’t sleep much,” he answers plainly.
“Oh, ok…night.” I don’t know what to say so I just tuck my head and saunter back down the hallway.
Chapter 6
Chalene
I roll out of bed in a panic. It’s late in the day. I can feel it. I feel like I need to be somewhere, do something but then I’m reminded, as I look around this room I don’t recognize, of the horror from last night.
I think I had dreams, wild ones. Dreams about dad, dreams about Danny, dreams about Jax.
Jax…
I dreamt he was watching me. I'd peek out into the darkness from time to time and swear I'd see a shadow of a man. Dark fluffy hair, square jaw, broad chest, dark clothes. You'd think it would scare me but for some reason it only made me feel safe…able to close my eyes again.
