Relentless

6- Saige

       

"No."

"Oh come on."

"No."

"You'll love it."

"Doubtful."

"Fact."

"Not happening."

"You won't know unless you try."

"I guess we'll never know."

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, "I drove two hours for this."

"Then you go. I'm staying right here where it's safe."

"There's only one way down."

"Wrong, there are two. The way we came and dying. I'm just choosing the latter."

"You're being dramatic."

"It's called being realistic."

"Saige."

"Jax."

"Hey!"

"Sup?"

His tough façade broke as he cracked a smile, "You are definitely picking up traits from Justin."

"Oh please, I don't even hang out with him as much as you, Phoenix, or Ky."

"Still, his attitude is like a fast-spreading disease."

"I'll take a disease over death."

"You're not going to die, you saw the other people go."

"They disappeared! How do you know they're still alive?"

"Because I've ridden this before, and I'm standing in front of you."

"That explains it."

He cocked an eyebrow waiting for me to finish.

"You're the Grimm Reaper here for my soul."

His eyes widened, then cracked up with laughter, "You know the story of the Grimm Reaper but never heard of Santa Clause?"

A deep ache etched its way into my chest, "I came from a...dark place."

He caught the sudden shift in my mood and quickly changed the subject, "So, about-,"

"The ride of death."

He rolled his eyes, "It's called a mountain coaster."

"Same thing."

"You're not going to ride by yourself."

I narrowed my eyes not convinced, "So you brought me all the way up here to kill me?"

"Where's your sense of adventure?"

"In the truck where I left it."

"Look, we are in control of the brakes so we can go slow if we want."

I pursed my lips, his dark gaze penetrated my own imploring me; and yet, something else nipped at me. A foreign feeling shot through me causing goose bumps and my stomach to flip; it reminded me of the time he was teaching me how to toss a beanbag at the Fall Festival before the Cleo incident. I didn't know what it was then, and I'm not close to understanding it now. He's not even touching me this time, so why do I feel like this?

As if reading my mind, a sly smirk swept across his face as he repeated his words from that night, "You can do it; you just need to keep proving yourself wrong."