X: The Beginning

Chapter 4 - Babysitting

Chapter 4

"You may have gotten away last time, but your hero isn't here to save you now!" The man from the alley laughs as I try to get away. I trip over my crutches and the man grabs my feet and starts to drag me towards him. I kick him in the head with my good foot and roll away into the shadows.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Once I see him turn his back, I quickly roll to the next patch of shadows. I wait until he disappears into the furthest part of the alley and rush out the other way. All of a sudden, I am slammed against the brick wall, and a knife is at my throat. I try to move but my body won't budge.

"Oh, don't be scared. I'll take good care of ya." The man laughs again.

I jump off the couch and get into a fighting stance. It was a dream. The floorboards creek and I duck behind the couch.

"Jessie?" I hear Jaz call.

I peek over the couch to see her standing in the archway by the front door. I sigh in relief, "Oh, it's just you."

"Hun, you should not be up and moving around."

"I know," I sigh as I sit back down on the couch. "I just woke up."

She's quiet as she sits next to me. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I chuckle, "I swear, I can't hide a thing from you."

"Sweetie, talking about things like this make it a little easier to move on. It doesn't happen right away but knowing people are here for you helps."

"It happened to you... didn't it?"

She sighs, "Not quite... one day, a guy came in wanting to by some roses for his ex. He was trying to win her back. He must have just snapped or something and he pulled out a gun. The Guardian came out of nowhere and knocked him out before he could pull the trigger."

"Jaz, I had no idea... are you alright?"

She nods, "That was a few months ago," she takes a deep breath, "But I am just fine now. I'm sure you're experience was much more traumatic... I didn't even fight the guy."

I nod as the dream intertwines with my memories. I hear his evil laugh over and over again. I slowly bring my feet to my chest and wrap my arms around my knees. Jaz's voice brings me out of my thoughts.

"You okay?"

I shake my head.

I feel her put her arms around me, "It's alright. Everything is going to be fine. That guy is going to be locked up... once he's out of the hospital that is."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"His face was so swollen they had to use his fingerprints to identify him."

"Oh my God..."

"Jessie, I know you must have been so scared but that's going a little over the top, don't you think?"

"You think I did that to him? I got one hit on him at best with how dark that alley was. AND once I did hit him, he threw me to the ground and gave me one hell of a concussion. He was about to do God knows what when the Guardian came and knocked him down.... He saved my life."

"Jessie, what are you smiling about?" I'm smiling?

"Uh... um... Nothing! Nothing..."

"Now you're blushing..." She gasps, "Something happened between you and the Guardian!"

"What? No... no!"

The doorbell rings. Thank God! I limp over to the door as Jaz shouts something about having to stay off my feet. I open the door to see Chase.