“What does my tattoo mean?”
Her mother’s eyes darted back in shock, She felt the fear coming back but she got out of the bad memories quickly.
“Mom,” Jasira called impatiently with a racing heart. A part of her was eager to know the answer, another part was scared, afraid of the truth behind it, and heartbroken because she had been living with lies for years.
The pain felt like a needle but slowly dissolved into anger, pure anger for her mother and her stalker.
“Say something, Mom.” She snapped getting impatiently every second, tired of her silence.
“Nothing.” Her mother said blankly dropping her drink beside her.
“It’s just a rose flower tattoo.” She added nonchalantly and stood up.
“Mom!”
“Why are you lying to me? Why must do it?”
“To protect you.”
“I don’t want to be protected!” She half yelled standing up also, her chest heaved up and down.
“My life is messed up because of the stupid tattoo.”
“What did you mean?” Her mother asked fearfully turning back to her immediately.
“What did you mean, Jasira?” She asked again worried and scared as she grabbed her shoulder, staring deep into her eyes.
Jasira chuckled sadly; “Just tell me the truth.”
“I can’t.” Her mother said sadly dropping her hands from her shoulder.
“Why? Why can’t you tell me?” She asked breaking into tears.
“To protect you! To fucking protect you, Jasira.”
Jasira broke into a sad hysterical laugh, this was the first time her mother swore so that meant she was serious and not ready to reveal anything to her.
“Okay, mom.” She said with a sad smile before releasing a heavy breath.
“Protect me, my foot.” She scoffed.
She didn’t want to end today’s outing like this but if her mother won’t say anything then there was nothing to talk about anymore.
She typed some words into her phone telling Melina she was leaving and thank God she responded immediately.
“Melina is on her way here. When you are ready to say something, call me.” She rolled her eyes and puffed out annoying breath storming away but stopped on her track.
“Here.” She dipped her hand into her tote bag and brought out the cookie’s container.
“I baked it.” She dropped it on the bench and walked away without glancing back.
Each step she took away from her, broke her heart, her body clenching for her warmth and for her soft voice to call her back and tell her the truth. She would gladly run back to her if she reached out to her but it didn’t happen till she got outside the hospital, flagged down the first taxi she saw, and sat comfortably in it.
She threw her head on the headrest with her eyes closed, trying not to let the tears stinging her eyes fall. It hurts to be lied to. For someone you trust all your life, doing everything for them and you found out they lie to you and claimed they are protecting you.
A drop of tears slowly escaped from her closed eyes. She let it fall off freely and then come the second one and the third till she was crying lowly.
She slowly opened her eyes and blinked as more tears fell out. Her eyes suddenly caught a strange sign board which made her wipe her eyes quickly.
Fear gripped her as reality dawned on her. She had been kidnapped.
“Where is this? Stop the fucking car!” She yelled as she stood up frantically going to drag the steering with him. The car suddenly came to a which made her collapse her head with the roof and jump back to the seat.
“I’m not kidnapping you.” Her heart skipped at the familiar voice. The man at the club.
“You… you again?” She shuttered stupefied. Panic set into her gut as she glanced around. They were in the middle of nowhere, bushes and thick tall trees dominated each side of the lone road.
She quickly grabbed her bag and brought out her phone but was stunned to see no network. She reached to the door and it was locked. She ran to the other door and it was locked as well.
She gasped covering her mouth. She was kidnapped! Nobody was going to save her. Sweat dampened her body with her shaking already.
“Did you wanna know who you are?” The man asked turning back to her. His face was covered in a cat mask leaving out his sharp eyes, nose, and lips only.
His black outfit sent shivers through her spine and his thunderous cold voice.
“Who… am I?” She managed to voice out as she rubbed her thumbs together. Fear tingled her skin continuously.
“Whom you are?” She flinched at his icy voice that cut deep into her skin. She nodded unable to stare at him.
A loud sinister laugh filled the room. It sent goosebumps to all her body. She bit hard on her lips scared of the monster she was with. She felt the coppery taste in her mouth but she was too scared to notice.
Her hand searched into her purse once again finding her pepper spray but it was absent instead she saw the tracker.
She could feel his eyes on her watching her every move. She glanced up and their eyes met, she broke the contact quickly and swallowed the clot in her throat.
“Finding what?” He taunted. She only swallowed her lump and glanced up.
“Tell me who I am?” She asked taming her shivering voice.
“You belong to the dark worlds.” He said coldly. “And you need to revenge your father and brother!”
“What?” She asked gobsmacked. “How… how did you know that?” Her voice trembled as she crawled up on the seat. Her knees slowly brought to her chest.
“I know you more than you knew yourself.”
“Then tell me!”
He chuckled darkly before throwing an unsolved puzzle box to her.
“There!” He said and clicked a button beside him.
“Get down!”
“Huh?” Jasira asked shocked as her lips were partly open.
“Out!”
“Okay, okay!” She rushed at his loud voice throwing the door open and scurried out dropping the tracker under his seat swiftly without his knowledge.
The car sped up immediately after she got down leaving her stranded on the lone road. She glanced at the puzzle in her hand and dropped it into her tote bag.
Her eyes dart back to her phone which now has a network and she dialed the only number in her mind.
“Alejandro!”