Inexplicable

Chapter Twelve

We sat on the kitchen floor, Jax staring at me, concerned, and me not staring at anything in particular. He patiently waited for me to say something or even move. I'm not sure how much time has gone by as I repeatedly replayed the memory in my head. I wondered briefly if Jax had fabricated this memory and if it was just a lie to get me to trust him, but I quickly shoved that thought down. I knew it to be true but didn't want it to be. I wanted the picture-perfect family that I always thought we were. I had spent nearly a year mourning the death of my parents, who had tried to kill me, and I was struggling with that thought.

Finally, Jax's patience wore off. "Sapphire," He says cautiously, "Are you okay? Does your head still hurt?" I shake my head slowly, still in a daze. The pain had mostly stopped after I let the memory in. Any trace of the headache I had was gone.

He looks around, unsure, and then says as he stands, "I can go if you want."

"No!" I say almost eagerly, looking up at him. I scrub my face with my hands, trying to snap out of the trance I was in. You don't have to leave. I'm alright." I stand and attempt to back up my words with a forced smile.

"You're far from alright, Davina, " he says softly. I give him a confused look, and he mimics me.

"Davina?" I prompt. The name sounded so familiar.

"Oh." He says, realizing his mistake. "That was your name before. The one your mother gave you. Davianna Otelia. But most people call you Davina."

"My... real mother?" I ask, getting a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I've thought about my biological mother before but could never bring myself to fantasize about what could have been. I never had a reason to. Marilyn had always been my mother to me, but that was all a lie. My image of my perfect family was never real. It was just a better memory than the reality.

"What are they like? My parent's?" I ask.

He thinks about it a moment before answering. "They are everything you could possibly need." He hesitates, his mouth opening then closing again, as if unsure how much he should say. "Your father is strict, but you always knew how to get what you wanted. He had a tough time saying no to you."

I smile, trying to picture it. "And my mother?"

His face falls. "Your mother... she uh..." He trails off, clearly unsure how to say the words.

I nodded once, immediately understanding what he couldn't bring himself to say. "She's dead." His sad eyes confirm my words.

"I'm so sorry." He says, taking a small step towards me. I can tell he's torn between comforting me and giving me distance. "She died when you were born."

"It's fine." I let out a sigh and tried to be a bit more convincing. "I'm fine. I don't have any memory of her anyway."

With new determination, he grabs his bag and slings it over one shoulder. "I want to show you something."

Slowly, I nodded, still slightly unsure, but I trusted him more than before. He saved me from Marilyn and Thomas, but why? Was he actually my so-called 'protector'? Why did I need one in the first place? Was I that important where I'm from?

I followed him back to my car, where he again stole the driver's seat with a slight smirk. Once in the car, I asked, "So, where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." He glances at me, amused.

"I don't like surprises," I state, not at all amused.

His smile grows. "You never have."

He stays quiet, but the smile never fades. I use this time to study him. Looking at him, I noticed he is much taller than I was and was much more muscular than I had previously noted. His eyes were hidden beneath the dark hair, and I wished he would remove the contacts so I could see the bright blue. A memory danced at the edge of my mind again, taunting me, but I just couldn't quite catch it to remember. I struggled for several minutes with the memory but gave up once I noticed black ink on the upper part of his arm, peeking out from under his sleeve. I remember noticing it the other night but didn't get a good look.

"You have a tattoo?" I ask, curious now.

He glanced at me, followed my gaze to his arm, and tugged his sleeve up, revealing a tribal-looking tattoo with words in the midst of a pattern that looked like a different language. I could only see the part on his shoulder. The rest disappeared under his shirt on his chest. "I got it when I was officially made your protector."

My brow furrowed in confusion. He had mentioned being my protector before, but I didn't take it seriously. "Why did I need a bodyguard? Because of Cerberus?" I asked.

"Uh... yeah, among other reasons." He seems hesitant to answer.

"Another time?" I did my best to mimic his usual answer.

He chuckles. "You're a quick learner."

"Will you ever give me a straight answer?"

He sighs, the smile slowly leaving his face. "I will... there's just... It's just that...'' He struggles for the words. "It's complicated. There are things I want to tell you, and I will tell you, but it's just..." He lets out a long sigh, not finding the right words.

"It's fine. I'm sure you'll tell me when the time is right." I give him a reassuring smile, trying to put him out of his misery. I can tell he wants to divulge his secrets, but there's something holding him back. I'll have to trust that he will eventually tell me everything.

I prepared myself for another question, but he cut me off as we turned into the small parking lot I'd become familiar with. "We're here."

I wonder if he really lives here. The building doesn't seem habitable and looks like it could cave in at any moment. A few of the windows were broken and had a couple of boards nailed across them. He steps out of the car, and I follow him, feeling skeptical. He must have seen it on my face.

"Don't worry. I didn't bring you here to kill you." He says with a half smile.

"Not funny," I say, trying to hide my own smile. I follow him to the entrance, but he stops me before we enter.

"Close your eyes."

"What?" Was he serious?

"Just do it." I do as he says, and then he lightly grabs my hand, almost as if to ask if it's okay. After a moment of hesitation, I entirely put my hand in his, the gesture giving me mixed feelings. I know what he's done, and I don't know all the details, but he still has this power over me that makes my heart flutter and my stomach flip flop.

He guides me inside and continues to pull me along. He stops me and then removes his hand from mine. "Open your eyes, " he whispers from behind me. When I open them, I find myself standing in the middle of the hollowed-out building. I look around, confused, until I finally notice what he wants to show me, and my jaw nearly hits the floor.