Dabria

Chapter Five

We sat on the kitchen floor; Malakai staring at me, concerned, and me not staring at anything in particular. He waited patiently for me to say something, or even move. I'm not sure how much time has gone by. The memory keeps replaying in my mind. I wondered for a second if the memory Malakai gave me was just another false memory, but something in me knew this was my memory. I knew it to be true, I just didn’t want it to be. I wanted back the picture perfect family that we were.

Finally Malakai’s patience wore off. "Sapphire," he says cautiously, "Are you okay? Does your head still hurt?" Slowly I shake my head. The pain had mostly stopped after I let the memory in. Any trace of the headache I had was gone. 

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

"No!" I say almost too eagerly looking up at him. I rub 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 not alright, Dabria." He says softly. I give him a confused look and he mimics me.

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

"Oh," he says, realizing his mistake. "That was your name before. The one your mother gave you."

"My real mother?" I ask, getting a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I've thought about my real mother before, but never really... thought about her. I never had a reason to. Marilyn was always my real 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. "Your father is strict, but you always knew how to get what you wanted. He had a tough time ever saying no to you. Your mother... she uh..." He trails off, clearly unsure what to say.

I nod once, understanding immediately what he couldn't say. "She's dead." His sad eyes confirms 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.

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

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

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

I followed him back to my car where he again stole the driver's seat with a slight smirk. Once in the car I ask, "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. Actually looking at him, I notice he isn't really much taller than I am and was surprisingly skinnier than I had previously noted. His eyes were hidden beneath the dark hair. I wished he would remove the contacts so I could see his blue eyes. 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. I remember noticing it the other night but didn't get a good look. His sleeve obstructed my view.

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

He glanced at me then followed my gaze to his arm then tugged his sleeve up revealing a tribal looking tattoo with words in the midst of the pattern that looked like a different language. "Yeah. 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 and jokes, “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 fine. I’m sure it’s really complicated.” 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've gotten familiar with. "We're here."

I wonder if he really lives here. The building doesn't seem habitable and looks as if it could cave in at any moment. A few of the windows were broken and have a couple of boards nailed across. 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." He says.

"What?" Was he serious?

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

He guides me inside and continues to pull me along. He stops me then removes his hand from mine. "Open your eyes." He whispers from behind me. I open my eyes and find myself in the middle of the hollowed out building. I look around confused until my focus falls on the wall. My jaw drops and I cautiously step closer, examining the paint that stretched the length of the wall. It was much more detailed than I have ever drawn; almost like a map. Unlike the drawing he showed me earlier, this one was colored and expanded past what I've drawn.

"You did this?" I turn to look at Malakai. He nods, looking thoroughly satisfied. "Earlier, you said it was real?"

Again he nods as I admire the work more thoroughly. My fingertips graze the paint as I admire the details. "It's named Irredesia."

"And I used to live here?" 

He smiles answering my question. "Yes. Though you draw it the way it was about a hundred years ago. This is how it is now." He says coming to stand next to me.

"Why don't I remember it this way?"

"It wasn't allowed for you to remember it at all. I wanted you to at least know where your home is."

I smile at the thought of being right all along. This place is my home, where I belong. Everything felt like it was falling into place. As I study it, the memory starts to taunt me again, playing at the edge of my mind. This gives me an idea. "Can you give me the memory's back?"

He looks at the floor, clearly knowing I won't like the answer. "I can't all at once, but I can give you small memories, like today, once your mind has healed from earlier."

I frown. "How long?"

"A couple days." He says. I linger by the wall a moment longer and notice his presence getting closer next to me. I couldn't explain it, but I somehow felt comfortable around him, like I've always known him. His presence made me feel… safe. I turn my head and notice him frowning as he looks at my cheek.

“It's not as bad as it looks.” I said. I'm sure with all of the crying I've done today it's rubbed off some. Without warning his hand reaches up and lightly grazes my cheek. The warmth felt good on the bruise and for a moment I just stood there. He pushes a piece of hair behind my ear. I backed up, reminding myself who he is and what he is capable of. I find myself having to remind myself of that a lot. 

“What happened?” He asked. I know he was looking for the true story. "Don't tell me it was an accident." He says seeing through me. I take a few steps away from him looking at more of the mural.

“My dad had some business friends over yesterday for dinner. One of them had a little bit too much wine that evening, but to be honest, I don't think it was the wine. He had been overly interested in me all night. Then, as I tried to walk to my room he grabbed me and attempted to kiss me," I look down at my shoes, "among other things, but when he did I kind of punched him.” The memories of him touching me make me feel sick.

“Please tell me it was a good punch.” He says interrupting me.

I can’t help but smile. “There was blood.” He gives a small smile and nods. “After that he slapped me. Jonathan yelled at me, because naturally it was my fault, and wanted me to apologize.”

“He wanted you to apologize?” He asks his hands clenched into fists. “It was not your fault, you know that right?” He says sternly.

My eyes stay on the floor, “I do. I refused to apologize.”

I feel him slowly closing the distance between us. “Good.” His fingers lift my chin to meet his eyes. “I won’t let anyone touch you like that again.” The look in his eyes makes me believe him. I kind of like the thought of him protecting me, not that I needed protecting. He's close now, and I can feel his breath on my face as my pulse quickens. His face draws closer and I don't move, unable to break the trance I was in. Our lips graze each other before Malakai suddenly pulls back. His eyes looking past me as he hears something I don't. 

"Malakai-" He clamps a hand over my mouth, fear in his eyes. 

"You have to go. Now." He whispers, urgently pushing me to the door, but I protest.

"What is-" My words are interrupted by a pounding at another door that causes me to jump. My feet move quickly now and as I step out he grabs my arm, holding me in place. He then digs through his bag pulling out a purple vial this time. He grabs my necklace quickly, his hands slightly shaking, and places a little more than a drop in the middle, causing it to glow briefly. "This is just so that I know you're okay." I hear the banging again followed by a rattling. 

"Malakai!" A voice demands.

"Go." He whispers. I try to protest but he shuts the door in my face. The voice booms again, followed by a loud crash that sounded like the door being kicked in. I run to the car and quickly start in, and with only a moment longer of hesitation, I pull away from the building.