*****

S-So...cold...

"Holy shit, you must be that little kid who was abandoned at that lot a few weeks ago!"

Jax's eyes opened, greeting him to the sight of a young woman standing before him. Her smooth white hair reached her shoulders, with her skin glowing in the dark alley.

He struggled to lift his heavy limbs, sighing as his head fell back into the dirt beneath him. With no strength to resist, the young woman was free to hoist him onto her back.

"The police have been searching all over for you, but you seem pretty tired. I'll bring you to my house."

His heavy eyelids began to close once more, leaving him helpless to wherever the strange woman was taking him. As they ventured deeper into the dark alley, a veil of light consumed them, casting a delicate warmth over his cold body.

She picked him up and put him on her back, "You look tired. I'll take you to my house..."

Am I dying?

Shouldn't I be scared?

I guess not...All of this will finally end.

I'm tired...

Regardless of what he believed his wishes were, his eyes opened once more.

The cruel streets of the city were gone, with him resting beneath a cover in someone's bed. The young woman from before was sitting in a chair, watching TV.

"Oh." she turned his way, "You're up."

What did she want?

How was she planning to torture him?

He would try to run, but he was entirely too weak.

"Can you hear me?" She paused, waiting for an answer, "I guess you're not a talker then..." As she reached out to rub his head, he flinched and backed away from her. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I treated all of your wounds and I cleaned you up. You can trust me kid."

T-Trust?

She held her hand out with a soothing smile, just as smooth as her voice. If she were to simply speak with no end, he'd probably fall back to sleep.

No...

He hated this feeling. No matter how bad he was crossed by everyone he trusted, he continued to fall into these traps. He trusted his younger cousin with a prized possession, only for it to be broken in seconds. He trusted his father to love and protect him, but he walked out on their family. He trusted his mother to have his back during a tough time, but she abandoned him in a ditch.

Even so, his desire to be loved was far more stronger than his fear of betrayal.

Mustering up the faint traces of strength left in him, he reached out to hold the young woman's hand.

She gently tightened her grip, "There ya go...I know you're hungry, so I already had some soup made for you. Sit here for a moment, and I'll bring it to you."

He held onto her hand as she tried to leave the room, "W-Will you come back?"

Her smile never left her face as she nodded her head, "Yeah...I promise."

A few minutes passed since she left the room, and the young woman was still gone. No matter how deep he buried himself into the sheets, the endless waves of chills continued to wash over him. The lingering scent of her perfume had faded, leaving him with nothing but the absent smell of the bedroom.

Before he knew it, this suffocating atmosphere was disrupted as the door flew open.

Sure enough, she did return, with a bowl of soup as promised. She joined him in the bed and held a spoonful of the soup out before him.

"It's warm...so take your time."

There was no malice hidden within her eyes, giving him the final push to lean in and eat the soup. Ever since he was tossed out into the world alone, food had turned into a forbidden treasure, one he'd never be able to obtain. For the first time in while, the refreshing sensation of nourishment came over him. He looked at her and noticed that she was still smiling at him. He felt like he wanted to cry.

"There you go." She reached behind his ear and rubbed it gently, "I'll keep feeding you, so don't worry about a thing. If you ever need anything, just call out to me. Okay?"

He nodded his head. "Um..." He cleared his throat, somewhat shocked at how raspy his voice had gotten from being so sick, "M-Miss, could I have a hug?"

"Of course..." She sat the bowl of soup down on the stand nearby and pulled him into a hug.

Jax felt warm. He felt loved, cared for. Even though he just met this woman, he could feel how sincere she was. Tears ran down his face as they embraced each other.

The woman held onto Jax, as if she were attempting to absorb all of the pain he's had to deal with for his whole life.

"Miss? What's your name? Mine's Jax."

"Oh? My name is Dakota. Nice to meet you Jax."

They continued to hug each other, for an infinite amount of time. And for the first time in forever, Jax felt comfortable. He felt accepted.

Just maybe it was time for him to trust someone else.

*****