Her Protector (On Hold)

Chapter 6: Safe Haven

"Jack, what are we doing here?" I asked him timidly as he finally set me down onto the small paved pathway leading up to the front door of my beach house.

We had been on the run for at least an hour, weaving in and out of small alleyways, until we reached the other side of town where I lived. Jack had carried me the entire way, not wanting to exhaust what little energy I had left on top of having a sore naked foot to deal with.

My legs wobbled slightly once I had to fully support myself, making me realize that I really needed to rest. Unfortunately, I knew that being able to rest wasn't going to happen anytime today, especially not while I was at my house.

"You need clean clothes and water. We won't stay long, but we need to take care of you before we go out of town." Jack replied, glancing at our surroundings before using the spare key we gave him years ago to open the front door.

"Out of town?" I echoed curiously. The thought of leaving my little home town excited me, but I also felt uneasy. Sure, I 'd be able to escape today, but wouldn't Tom and Achlys follow me anyways? How long would I be able to stay in my new safe haven until they find me? Or would I be on the run for the rest of my life? Thinking about how uncertain my future was now made me nervous. For all of my life, I knew exactly what I wanted to do and where I was headed. But now, that golden image of my surfing life was starting to crumble as all of these strange, unknown factors of today's events began to take control clouding my security of a successful life.

"You didn't honestly think that we would stay here, did you?" Jack joked, opening the wide, carefully crafted door with ease. I rolled my eyes at him as I followed him into the house. The familiar cinnamon-scented air hit me hard causing my smile to widen further. I didn't realize how wonderful it felt to be back at my own home, a place that I knew every inch of. Walking down the large hallway, I glanced into the rooms on the side as I passed by them, soaking in the sight of my piano, my living room furniture, the paintings and other art trinkets on the wall (from Rosalie's dad, of course), and even the color of paint that decorated each room.

It reminded me of the few times my mother and I had actually spent together. We'd sit there at the kitchen table for hours looking through tons of home renovator guides and samples to pick out the best colors and themes for our house renovations. Despite her lack of parenting, I would never forget those small moments that we shared... I almost felt a little homesick knowing that I would have to leave this all behind today. With each room I passed, a new memory arose.

Jack helped me learn my first simple melody on the piano. There in the living room Rose and I had our High School Musical marathons and gossiped about all of the weird guys that attended our high school while we stressed about stupid math tests. Over in the dining room, I sat many nights as a child eating chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese because that's all Jack knew how to cook when he had to come over in my mother's absence and neglect. And each time he prepared it, despite eating it all the time, I remembered being so happy to have had someone there to take care of me and spend some time with me.

I swallowed hard, feeling tears threaten to spill from my eyes as I really sat there and thought about how much my life was about to change. I would have to leave all of this behind in a matter of thirty minutes, maybe an hour... How could I possibly say goodbye to the only home I had ever known? Growing up may have been rough, but I had everything I needed. A roof over my head, a father to come take care of me, a best friend to keep me company, a pool to swim in, a beach to walk to, food to eat, a warm bed to sleep in... The list could go on!

"Cy?" Jack's voice sounded softly through the empty hallways. I hadn't realized that I had stopped midway between the front door and the kitchen. I must have been so wrapped up in all of the things I was remembering that I had just completely zoned out.