No Longer

Chapter 18

“I don’t know what else to say Laken.”

“It’s the first time you’ve ever been able to keep your mouth shut.”

“Very funny. I’m trying to be serious here and you’re making jokes.”

I smiled. He had a way with words. Always had, in fact, that’s how he finally convinced me to go out on our first date. He wrote me a poem. It was beautiful, all of it, but I only know the last line by heart.

‘No longer will you be alone,

I will always be there as

your rock; your stone.’

It may sound cheesy, but it was like love at first sight; the first time I saw him after I read the poem that is. Beforehand, he came across as an arrogant jerk. Which, I guess if I really think about it, he kind of is, but in a ‘jerky rock star’ kind of way. You know the type. They’re hot, every girl wants them and they know it. That’s how Jaxon was. I was never quite sure why, out of all the women that fawned over him, he picked me. But I suppose after being there for five months and already making more than any other of the assets had prior to me, I knew.  However, just to be sure, I asked.

“Jaxon, why did you pick me? Out of all the women you could have had, why me?

“Well, I don’t know. I mean, you were, are beautiful. And that smile of yours could knock a grown man to his knees.”

I pulled out of his grip and stepped back a few steps. I was kind of offended that he only “loved” because I was good looking, which was debatable.

“You only wanted me for my looks?! So all those things you ever said about my personality and charm, they were all lies? Just to get me to trust you?”

“No Laken, it’s not like that. Not at all. EVERYTHING I ever said about you was true. Your beauty is just one of the many reasons why I had to get to know you.”

“Yeah, I must have looked easy then huh?”

“No, Laken, listen to me, please? I mean, yeah, at first it was all about trying to get someone for my mom. But a week into it, I knew you were different. You just had this passion and drive that I have never seen anyone else possess. And you held a mystique that was quite intriguing. I always thought love was for people who lived outside of these walls, but Laken, you changed that for me. I love you, with every fiber of my being. I’ve never, in my life, loved someone so much and so deeply.”

I couldn’t help it. I started to cry, right then and there. I tried and tried to blame it on the hormones but I knew that was a lie. It was the love that Jaxon and I shared that brought the water works on. But not only that, it was the fact that, in spite of loving me so much, he took me to that horrible place.

In between sobs I managed to ask him how he brought himself to evidently drug me and take me there.

“I love my mom, very much. And she said I had to, that if I didn’t she would get someone else to take you away and I knew she would make whoever it was hurt you. I was gentle Laken. It broke my heart to put you into that trunk. You honestly have no idea how bad I felt afterwards.”

“HOW BAD YOU FELT AFTERWARDS??!! I am the one that is stuck here! I am the one who gets raped over and over and OVER again! I am the one that trusted you with my life, and I am the one who was let down by the man who was supposed to be ‘the one’.”

“Laken I-“

“No Jaxon, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I love you. So much and even now, I know you love me too. I just don’t understand how anyone who loves someone could do this.”

“Well, maybe if you knew how I actually grew up you would understand more.”

“Jaxon you don’t have to tell me that. I know it must be a heart wrenching thing to even think about, let alone articulate.”

“But I want to. I want you to understand. I can’t stand it when you are mad at me. It just kills me inside.”

“Okay, come; sit on the bed with me. You can tell me everything.”

“It all started even before I was born. My mom would go into a room where an asset was “working” and sit and listen to the sounds, all the moans, and sighs, and gasps. It was supposed to condition us for what we would be hearing for the rest of our lives. I only know this because I caught her doing it a couple of times when she was pregnant with Jared, my youngest brother. I don’t believe you have met him….  After we were born she would have porn playing all day every day in front of us no matter what room of the house we were in. At night she would put us to sleep to the sounds of orgasms. When we hit the age of five, we were ready for her training program. At first it was just learning parts of the body and their functions; nothing too bad. When we were six or seven it became more intense. She would have us in the room with her assets and make us watch what they would do for the clients. Eventually she and her trainers would do stuff to us to prepare us for what was to come. I was used as an asset until I hit puberty at 13. At that time, men and women no longer saw me as a little boy and lost interest. After that, she had me trained to be a ‘detective’ as she calls us. That went on for three years and on my sixteenth birthday, my gift was freedom. I had never seen the outside world; being trapped in here was all I knew. For my gift she let me out and made me put my training to use. I acquired my first asset four months later.”

“Jaxon, I- I don’t even know what to say.”

“What is there to say?”

“I was trained by my mother to be a monster.”

“You’re not a monster Jaxon, she is. She's a fucking psychopath.”

“But she’s still my mom, and after all that, I still love her.”

“Jax, can I ask you a question?”

“Always, anything.”

“The last time I saw you was when your mom barged in on us. Before she made you leave you and she kissed, passionately. What was that all about?”

“Even now, at the age of twenty, she still has sex with me. She still hurts me.” He hung his head and I could tell it was from shame. He had just relived his terrible childhood and even then, he was still in a living hell.

“Jaxon, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. She forces you. It’s not like you initiate it.”

“Yeah, but I still go along with it.”

“Only to survive. I can’t imagine what she would do to you if you disobeyed.”

“I don’t want to talk about his anymore. Okay?”

“Of course, and look Jaxon. I don’t think any different of you after hearing that. Except, now I understand why it was you felt like you had to bring me here.”

“She always kept us here, and she was supposed to love us. I thought this is where you kept the people you love.” After that word, he lost it. He burst into tears and fell back on the bed. His hands covered his face and the warm liquid pouring out of his eyes soaked the comforter. I knew better than to say anything to him; he was the strong, manly type. He didn’t need anyone’s sympathy or pity. So, all I did was curl up on the bed beside him, lay his head on my thighs, stroke his hair, and let him cry.

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A/N So, what did you think? I thought it was inportant to know the history between Laken and Jaxon as well as between him and Brenda. 

 So, are you guys team Jason? Team Michael? Or team Whoever Gets Her The Hell Out Of There? lol let me know and please, vote and tell your friends about this amazing story you all love so much! =D 

~Thanks

PS...A picture of Laken and Jaxon is to the right of the page.