Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Chapter 8 don't hesitate

Eating at a dinner table with people was quite the experience. I had always eaten alone in my room, only taking the leftovers of the food. But this was different. Katelin and Ace constantly discussed their life while I listened.

I had always been a bit shy in my life, and the abuse has only made it worse. So instead, I use my eyes to observe and my ears to listen. I do enjoy talking with friends and people I'm comfortable with, but as of now, I don't exactly feel comfortable.

Even though I didn't exactly feel comfortable, the environment reminded me that of a family. People enjoying a meal around the dinner table, and discussing their lives and feelings.

"Well since everyone is done eating, I'm going to clear the table." Katelin says, glancing at me and smiling.

She's leaving me alone on purpose.

She wants us to talk.

Katelin leaves the room with the dishes stacked high and a smug look on her face.

I take a deep breath. Maybe this is good for me. Maybe facing my fears was good for me.

I can do this.

I can do this.

I can't do this.

"You alright?" Ace asks sheepishly.

I look up from the table and meet his gaze. He looks.....generally concerned.

"Yes, I'm f-fine." I reply, making sure to add a small, fake smile.

Ace nods and leans back into his chair, still staring at me.

This is so awkward.

Ugh why do I have to be so shy?

I look at him, waiting for him to start talking, but he doesn't.

Crap! We can't just sit here in awkward silence the whole time!

So, I decide to open my mouth first.

And let me tell you opening my mouth made it worse.

"So, how's...life?" I ask, immediately becoming embarrassed at myself.

Ace's mouth curls up in a smile and it looks as if he is holding in a laugh.

Jerk.

"Better, I guess." He replies.

I feel so nervous....so afraid. I'm afraid of him and what he could do to me. But Katelin said he wouldn't hurt me, and I trust Katelin. And as much as I trust Katelin, it is still hard to step out of my comfort zone.

As Katelin said, Ace is harmless as a teddy bear towards those he cares about.

It is still hard for me to just throw out what has been engraved in me for so long.

But I can do this.

Harmless as a teddy bear.

So, with those thoughts, I relax....just a little.

"So....what kind of work are you involved in?" I ask Ace, who is currently sipping his drink.

Ace chokes on his water the moment I ask him that, and he holds up his finger, signalling hold on, as he sets his glass down and continues to choke. He soon gains his composure, and looks uncomfortable.

He fumbles with his hands a bit, and he looks as if he is debating himself. He clears his throat, then speaks. "I am the leader of The Revelation Gang."

My eyes widen and my pulse quickens.

As harmless as a teddy bear.

As harmless as a teddy bear.

As harmful as a grizzly bear.

My eyes dart around the room in panic. I am stuck with yet another gang leader. And since he is the leader of the largest gang in the nation, he must be even more dangerous than my dad.

I gulp. "W-wow...was not expecting that." I say nervously.

I wanted to escape this life, not run right back into it!

But I honestly should have known. I've heard of this Ace a lot, actually. My dad despises Ace, as he is a rival among his gang. He would often brag about how he would kill Ace one day, and he also said how Ace was a ruthless monster who destroyed everyone in his path.

But when I think about it, my dad is the one who does that. My dad destroys anyone in his path. He's the actual monster. Ace hadn't shown any violent intentions towards me so far, and I'm not going to trust him yet, I'm just making an observation.

"I know it's a lot to take in." Ace says. "I hope you don't think I'm some kind of monster."

"I...I just don't know what to say." I say, still in shock. "I-I want to trust you, I really do. But it's hard to trust men when all they've done is taken that trust to use me."

A look of understanding crosses his face.

And for a moment, I think that maybe, just maybe, there is trustworthy men in the world.

Maybe their is hope?

He sighs and combs his fingers through his thick, jet black hair. "Just know that I'm not going to ask you to trust me, as trust is hard to fix once it's broken. I'm relieved to at least hear that you're going to try to trust me." Ace says.

I nod, and break eye contact with him to look down at my hands. His gaze is too piercing and confident, that it makes me nervous.

"I would never hurt you." He adds.

That's what they all say.

But I nod slightly any way, and thank him.

That night, we all return to our beds. I must admit that speaking with Ace a little bit has made me a little more comfortable around him. But it's hard to trust anyone when your life is spent alone, the darkness slowly eating away your soul as men steal what's left.

But I can't help but feel a sense of dread.

My dad still lurks out there, and he's probably looking for me. He's probably hunting me like a leopard hidden by the shadows, strategically planning my doom.

And it scares me.

It's as if I am never safe.

I toss and turn on the bed, and finally, my eyes start to close and my body finds rest.

But, that night I am awakened by a sound. It sounded as if quiet footsteps were nearing my bed, and I quickly sit up. My eyes quickly glance around the room, in an attempt to find the source of the sound.

But when my eyes catch nothing hidden in the dark, I sigh and give up.

I must be hearing things.

And as I am about to lie down and go back to asleep, I see something I had missed before.

A dark, solid and shadowed figure stands in the far corner of the room.

I quickly flip on the lamp next to my bed. The light illuminates the room, revealing something that was once hidden.

A man.

But not any man.

"Ready to go back yet, sweetheart?" He croaks. I recognize this man as Dave. He was one of my dad's men who was one of my many tormentors. He's dressed in all black, and the look in his eyes reads destruction.

My body trembles and I attempt to speak. "G-get away from me!" I scream. My breath comes out in short pants, and I feel a panic attack coming on as the crimes he committed against me flashes before my eyes.

"No can do." He replies as he pulls out a knife and charges at me.

I feel my adrenaline souring through my body, and in defense, I hurl the lamp at the charging beast. It shatters on his abdomen, and he halts and groans. He tries to catch his breath, and it is then that I notice the little shards of glass piercing him.

He looks up at me, and growls out.

He's blocking the door, so I have no choice but to run to the other side of the room. My back hits the wall and I'm trapped.

I raise my eyes to meet his dark ones.

Predator and prey.

I cry out as he approaches me, and I collapse to me knees. I sob and my body trembles violently. He harshly fists my hair, and jerks my head back so that my neck is revealed to the blade of his knife. Tears are streaming down my face now.

"P-please-"

He just darkly chuckles, and brings his knife up to my throat.

Tremors spread through my body like wildfire as Death nears, and I squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for the final blow.

But the sound of a gunshot takes Death's place, and I gasp as Dave's blood spatters on me. His lifeless body then topples on top of me, and I cry out as I look into the lifeless eyes of a monster.

I desperately squirm out from under the body, and press myself tighter into the corner. I panic even more when heavy, quick footsteps approach me, and I cower back into the corner, begging to be spared.

"P-please don't h-hurt me." I beg as my body trembles.

"Dakota, it's me, Ace. I'm not going to hurt you. Shhh" He says gently, kneeling down to my level.

He reaches out to touch me, but I slap his hand away as the possibility of trust vanishes into thin air. This incident has only brought up the past, which I am escaping from, and the touch of any man terrifies me at the moment.

His eyes soften at me, and he calls Katelin in.

Katelin rushes in, and helps me to my feet. My legs shake and tears stream down my face.

"I'll prepare a warm bath for you. You need to calm down, you are going into shock." Katelin tells me as she helps me walk to her bathroom. I sit down on the toilet seat as Katelin prepares the bath. All the while, I try to calm down, but struggle.

How could he have gotten in?

Will I ever be safe?

"There you go, the water is perfect. I will get some fresh pajamas for you once you are done. You can sleep in my room tonight." Katelin says, offering a small smile.

"Thank you." I reply, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course." She says, and walks out of the bathroom.

I dry my tears, and strip from my clothes. I notice the blood that is splattered on my arms, and I look into the mirror, and shiver when I see a bit of blood tainting my features.

It's not because I am squeamish of blood.

It's because this blood isn't mine.

I take a deep breath, and carefully glide into the tub. The warm water slowly envelopes my body, until everything but my head is submerged in the bubbly jungle.

The warm water soothes and relaxes me. My tense muscles relaxing and my heart beat slowing down as I calm myself.

Fear grips my heart and still lingers on my mind, but I find myself shutting it out in an attempt to preserve my sanity.

I let out a shaky breath and start scrubbing my skin, ridding my body from the bit of blood that coated my skin. The water turns a slight brown color, so I drain the tub and rinse the rest of my body off. Once I'm done, I wrap my body in a towel, and Katelin gives me some clean pajamas to change into.

Katelin told me I could sleep in her room for tonight, since there was a mess to clean up in the room I was sleeping in. I gladly obliged to her request, and so Katelin happily got to work.

She stripped the cushions from the extremely comfy, fluffy couch and layed them on the floor of her room. Next, she layed out a large, thick blanket on top of the cushions. She then instructed me to lie down on the bed she had made for me. I did so, in which she immediately shoved a clean pillow under my head, and threw blankets over me.

She smiled at me. "Cozy?" She questions.

"Cozy." I confirm.

She smiles, and walks over to her bed, where she sits down.

"Thank you for doing this for me." I tell her.

"You are welcome. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask." She says softly and switches out the light.

We both are exhausted, and don't talk much. Katelin also knew this is a sensitive subject that I don't want to talk about much. So, I snuggle deep into my bed, praying that somehow life could just get better for me.

But little did I know that my life had some scary plans for the future.

* * *

In the dark part of the city, plans were brewing.

Plans for despair and hopelessness.

Plans to drag Dakota back down into the pit of destruction.

In the shadows lurks fear and his followers, using the cover of darkness to stalk their prey. Soon they will attack and sink their fangs of dark venom into their victim, injecting her with the poison of pain and abuse.

Because in the dimly-lit rooms of a broken down building that sits abandoned by the public, lies the very men behind the schemes.

Cigarette smoke fills the room, as a young man with auburn hair speaks up.

"We have a problem." The young man named Hawk says, as he leans against the wall and folds his arms over his chest casually.

"And what would that be?" The older man, who is known across the nation as John Warren. The very same John Warren who is known as a drug lord, gang leader, and mastermind behind the violence and crimes that torment the city.

He also happens to be Dakota's father.

Her own flesh and blood.

John blows a puff of cigarette smoke into Hawk's face as he impatiently waits for an answer.

Hawk was used to this kind of treatment, and responds, "When Dave and I were watching her, Dave had decided it was the right time to snatch her, when it clearly wasn't. Ace was around, and his guards were all over the place. But he had insisted, and was shot and killed in the process."

John throws his cigarette to the ground, and crushes it under his boot. The lines on his face indicate his anger.

He was useless any way. John thinks.

When he found out his daughter had run away to his enemy, he was furious. In his mind, his daughter was a traitorous slut who deserved to die. He would for sure get her back.

"Now Dave put them on high alert, and we are obvious suspects! Now he won't let Dakota out of his sight!" John hisses angrily.

He continues to rave his frustration and anger until a sly smile crosses his features.

"We will figure this out, and when we do, Dakota will be taken by surprise." John darkly chuckles out. "Laugh with me, Hawk!"

Hawk is just a bit more sane than his Boss, John. But Hawk doesn't want to face his Boss's wrath, and rolls his eyes.

This guy belongs in a loony bin. Hawk thinks before giving in and laughing like his Boss commanded.

If their laughter promises anything, it promises the certain storm that is about to cause a war between the enemies.