20. Chapter 20 #2
I didn’t know what to say, so I stared at the road ahead as we drove away from the city lights.
It was hard to see in the night, but the landscape flattened out as Dax drove us north.
Buildings morphed into pastures, then into another smaller city.
I tried to relax in my seat as the next couple of hours ticked by, moving in the quiet night.
I could feel his eyes trail to me every now and again, but I just looked out the window as we trekked further into the darkness.
My eyelids grew heavy, but I kept them open as the topography continued to evolve in front of us.
The minivan began to climb at a slight elevation, the thick canopies of what I thought might be pine trees lining the steep road.
As my anger started to ease, I found myself looking to Dax out of the corner of my eye.
His arm was still leaning across the steering wheel, composed yet relaxed. He’d shift it now and again, the small movements smooth and efficient. I watched the way his tattoo moved under the moonlight that radiated from the window.
“All your tattoos, do any of them have meanings, or did you just get them to look tough?” I asked, suppressing a yawn.
I watched the corner of his lip turn up slightly. “They all have meanings.”
I pointed at the phoenix. “What about this one?”
Dax looked at me, then down to his arm as it rested against the wheel. “From the ashes of ruin, the phoenix rises.”
“Like in Harry Potter,” I mused curiously.
“No.” Dax rolled his eyes as his hand flexed on the wheel.
“Not like in Harry Potter. Life and death are the only two things promised to each of us. They’re the only things that are certain.
Death is final, but it’s inevitable. Without life there is no death, and vice versa.
After that fall, that break, there will always be pieces of that legacy left behind.
It is what one does with those pieces that determines what the next cycle of life will be like.
The opportunity not just to rebuild it with those pieces, but the capacity to use them to mold something different…
something stronger. It symbolizes renascence. ”
I thought about Bellissima, and how the beautiful space burned and crashed down around us only a few hours ago. I would have been surprised if the building was anything left but a pile of ash and rubble by now. My heart ached.
“I think you’re going to take those pieces and turn them into something beautiful.”
Dax’s features softened, and the hint of a sad smile ghosted his lips. “Right back at you, Luce.”
I was now struggling to keep my eyes open, tiredness closing in on my mind. Why do you always call me that? I wanted to ask him, but sleep pulled me into its heavy embrace as the minivan churred up the dark, winding road.
For the second morning in a row, I woke up in a bed that wasn't my own. This one was different from the black silk sheets and plush textiles in Dax’s Victorian, but equally luxurious.
Bright light shined through the elegant chiffon curtains onto the fresh white sheets of the bed I found myself in.
I vaguely remembered waking up in a deep haze, Dax carrying me into somewhere warm and soft.
Now, I took in the bright yet cozy bedroom I found myself nestled into.
I was alone and still in the same jeans and T-shirt I wore yesterday.
My backpack was settled on top of a large dresser in front of the bed, next to another bag.
When I got up to look at it, I found a note attached to its side.
In case you didn’t pack enough clothes.
No signature, but I knew who’d written it.
I reached into the bag to find a stack of sprucely arranged brand-new clothes.
I pulled out a stunning red sundress, the material flowing as I held it up to my frame.
I glanced over to the floor-length mirror.
My hair was messy in its bun, and despite getting some sleep, the dark circles under my eyes were unmissable.
The small bandages covering my arms were surrounded by bruises, and I tried to calm myself as emotion crawled up my throat.
I could have died last night. Ricky was in the hospital. Dax shot a man, and they blew up his restaurant. Yet here I was, nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises to show for it, swept away from the chaos to wherever this was…
I dropped the dress onto the foot of the bed and walked toward the window’s bright light bursting into the room as I peeled back the sheer curtains.
Holy Shit. A vast lake with the most glimmering shade of clear blue was splayed out in front of me, framed by snowcapped mountains, feathery green trees climbing up the sides.
The sparkling, cloudless cobalt sky glimmered in its reflection, a dazzling display of emeralds and blues, so picturesque I had myself wondering if it was real.
I stared in awe. No other houses were nearby, and I had no idea where the hell I was.