Chapter 262

I was on the floor of my bedroom, Dad and I had just come back from Brazil, there was a patient he went to see, but the trip… all I saw was beauty. Península de Maraú, Bahia State, Brazil… white sandy beaches, clear water, lush green natural surrounds, tree’s, mountains, turquoise color like water from the Atlantic ripping upon the pure sand. Leaving it smoother than when I was too afraid that Leo would come after me so I didn’t leave my room or the house we were staying in, but I saw plenty on the ride there and back. So now I was drawing, sketching before I painted a scene I couldn’t get out of my head. I wasn’t very good but dad said that if I practiced I would get better, I liked the colors, I liked when I painted the picture wasn’t all there, I was forming it, making it grow, white blank canvas to the end product – mixing colors to get just the right shades. Listening to my music, ear pods in, I just lost myself painting the beach scene, until a ding interrupted the music, a text message from dad: I’m Knocking On Your Bedroom Door. I placed my paintbrush down, pulling the plugs from my ears and stood walking to the door, opening it, to see Jason smirking, “Sorry, I was painting,” I said immediately and saw the smirk drop and his eyebrows furrowed together, “You aren’t in trouble Chelsea, I just didn’t want you to be afraid if I just came in and tapped your shoulder,” I nodded, not sure because it was all confusing living with Dad. He didn’t yell, he didn’t hit, I got to choose everything and if I didn’t want to do something I didn’t have too. I had – it was different with him, I had options, he didn’t try to bend my will and if I said I didn’t want to do something, he dropped it. He rarely came into my room, unless maybe if I was having a nightmare, but even then he’d turn on the lights so when I woke up it wouldn’t be dark in the room. He didn’t even get angry when I slept with the bathroom light on, and door open in my room, because I didn’t like the dark. Everything was just wrong, different, I was afraid to even like it because I bet in no time I’d be going back to Leo. “Chelsea,” he said again, waiting, as I got lost in my thought, I focused better, not wanting to test his patience, “yes?” “Well there’s someone I want you to meet downstairs,” Jason said not giving me more information but stepping away from me waiting, until he was sure I was following him. “Uhm, our guest is a man Chelsea, but he is a friend of mine and he wanted to talk with you,” Jason said nonchalantly but it still caused me to stumble and stop. He turned around facing me frowning, “Chelsea… sweetheart, I swear I wouldn’t bring someone that wanted to hurt you around,” I nodded, because I mean what else could I do? Going down the stairs we head to the sitting room, and inside was a big bulky man, buzzed cut hair, with light matting of dark blonde facial hair. Wearing just a black shirt and jeans, but all I could concentrate on was his size, overall, then specifically his arms, large, thick, muscular arms… Jason took a step forward, however I took one small step back, staying in the doorway just mesmerized and frightened just by his size alone. “Chelsea, this is Lux Carmine, he wanted to come meet with you, speak to you,” Jason said, but I kept my eyes on this Lux character, walking on the edge of the room closest to the wall, then standing behind the sofa that Jason was sitting on. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Chelsea,” he said not smiling fake, and I actually liked that, he didn’t look like the type of man that a smile looked good on, or natural. I nodded, my voice stuck, not working, but thankfully Lux continued, “Well your dad, told me that you – well you have a fear of being taken…” my eyes widened, “So I wanted to offer to teach you judo, or maybe just some basic self defense skills,” I tilted my head, only to shake it, “No, I don’t want to hurt anyone,” I whispered. Jason turned to look at me, giving me a small smile, probably because I spoke to someone else other than him, Helen and the occasional female guards we take on trips, “Chelsea,” Lux called my head snapped up to meet his eyes, “I’m not asking to teach you how to hurt someone, I’m interested in teaching you how to stop someone from hurt you. I came to the hospital a few times but you were unconscious then, so I know that someone hurt you really bad…” my hand was at my side, and while my face was blank, my hands shook at my side. Lux wasn’t looking away though, so I didn’t either, “Do you know that I can tell a lot by what happened to you just what type of person did those horrible things to you?” he didn’t let me answer not that I could, my heart sped up, sweat bedded on my face and my neck felt like I was being stung by needles, “He was a coward, he wasn’t a man Chelsea. Men don’t need to tie down the people they are fighting, in doing so I can tell that the man that hurt you has no skill in fighting. None Chelsea. Tying you down, was a way to protect him self, even though he may have said that you were tied to be held in place, he lied Chelsea-” his voice sounded so far away as unwanted memories rushed to the front, closing my eyes, I put my hands up trying to fight the imaginary demons from my mind, my stomach rolling as I felt the beating without getting real blows. My hands flying to my mouth to keep the contents of my stomach from escaping but that was a futile move because my stomach was demanding that it be emptied and so it was on the hardwood floor of our living room, the fear of what would happen to me for doing such a thing sent my young heart into panic, “what’s going on-” I hear Helen but then I hear Leo as well, and that’s when the fear I had inside, really surfaced, but I hated that reaction and that made me want to be prepared. Leo was going to find me, I knew that like I knew my own right hand, the real question was whether or not I would react this way, throwing up, tensing and unable to speak or control my own bodily functions when I did? Or stronger than Leo would expect? X _ O _ The Present _ O _ X I didn’t have time, not when Lux came charging for me, he wouldn’t hold back, even though I was in no condition to take him on fully after my sparing with Jack and Jamie. Still I pushed Oakley out of the way, not waiting for Lux to strike me first, all his lessons coming into play. When I shifted the first time and finally told Dad I was sure he’d bring Lux back, but instead I was met with Jack and Casey. I could see the gleam in his eyes, the excitement to take me on right now, especially when he had never had the chance, he only coached me when I was human. Claws out, I was ready, because Lux had taught me so much, showed me that you could tell so much about how a person fault, it was like a conversation, you could reveal who they were based on how they attacked, were they blood thirsty? Were they patient? Afraid? Blinded by fear? Did they fight dirty? Pull your hair? Fight to incapacitate? Or fight to kill? Did they get angry and lose focus? Or did they use each blow to focus on the objective at hand? But before either Lux or I could get within two feet of each other, Oakley, roared out, “Noooo!!” her normally shy quiet voice shook, my eyes pulled away from Lux and immediately went down to her, my push had threw her down but her hands out in front of her, and if I had blinked I would have missed the bright white light that rippled off her hands pushed – forced away aimed towards Lux. His body flying back like a limb doll, the tree he hit falling down with him, with the force Oakley sent… a big smile on my face I turned to face her, but she seemed to be in a state of utter shock, her hands shaking, she looked afraid, unsure and the smile on my face dropped when her eyes watered, but all I saw was anger. So much of it.