The man stood from his seat on the bed suddenly as soon as the grant left my mouth. I looked up startled by his movement. My gaze never leaving him, I saw him slowly reached down to his belt. Angling my body forward to see what he was getting, my heart jumped into my throat as he grasped the hilt of his machete!

My eyes widened in fear. "But you gave your word!" I cried out.

The man didn't respond, and swung down his blade right at me. I let out an ear piercing scream as I blocked my face out of defensive instinct, waiting for the white hot pain of a severed limb to explode through me.

But surprisingly...I felt nothing.

A loud metallic break echoed down the tunnels, and no harm came to me! Looking down after several seconds of hesitation, I opened my eyes to see that I was no longer bound to the wall! My binds to the wall were shattered! I held up my wrist and watched as a section of chain dangled freely.

I looked up at the masked man perplexed as to why he did that. My question was answered when I was suddenly scooped up off the bed bridal style with the quilt cocooned around me and into the care of his arms! I let out a surprised cry and curled up against his chest for balance. My small hands grasped upon the leathery feel of his hunting jacket and I watched him as he carried me down the dark and narrow corridor. We passed by nests and nests of squeaking rats scurrying around his monstrous feet. I looked behind my shoulder as the light of the room started to dim out into darkness, and we were engulfed by shadows. I whimpered and buried my face into his shoulder sleeve. The foreign darkness was something I feared. Not knowing what was around you was frightening. I felt the man almost flinch when I did, and he held me a little closer as if he was reassuring me that I was OK.

Who was this man?

Within a few minuets of trudging through the tunnels, we came at a hatch installed into the ceiling. With a swift move of his arm, he swung the hatch outward and stepped out into the open air. I looked out from his arm and saw that I was in a very messy and run down shack of sorts. Rotting wood and old furniture was littered around the room. There were broken windows that were boarded up from the outside and draped with soiled curtains

on the inside. Slabs of wood and metal made up the inner walls and doors of the place, making it look very, very poorly built.

He must've built this all himself with whatever he could find...I felt kind of bad for him.

He carried me out the front "door", and out into the open night air. The storm had completely passed now and a bright moon lit up the sky. I was thankful he kept the quilt around me, it was chilly on my bare arms and face. The twigs and debris rustled and snapped under his weight, making all the near forest fauna bound away into the brush or take flight into the stars.

"Where are we going?" I asked him.

He didn't respond or acknowledge I said anything.

I shied away from him with a small whimper scared that I could have annoyed him, and I pulled my quilt almost over my face. I felt like a dog who displeased his master, and had my ears flat against my head awaiting a brutal beating. I stayed silent through the rest of the hike to wherever he was taking me. Slowly, I closed my eyes and hoped that I could get a small nap into my system, and not risk infuriating him with my hundreds of questions.

Several minuets had gone by and Jessica hasn't said a word. Looking down at her, she looked like she was sound asleep. A small glow warmed my heart to see her so content next to me. Even after all she went through tonight, it was a miracle she could be so calm in my arms. A small smile formed on my chapped lips; she looked like an angel...

My angel...

After another ten minuets of trekking through the foliage, I parted away a branch and stepped out onto the beach. Gentle waves washed up on the shore, blowing a sweet tasting wind into the land. The bright moon held high over head casting a magnificent glow upon the lakes glassy surface. Anyone would call this place paradise...this place was my hell and sanctuary alike.

I got one last shot at this.

Looking down at Jessica, I nudged her face gently. Her eyes squinted and nose crinkled in the cutest way as she began to stir. Her beautiful emerald eyes slowly opened, glistening in the light of the moon. She looked up at me with a tired expression, and looked around to see where we were. Her eyes widened in surprise when she recognized the area. Looking back up at me, she asked "Why did you bring me here?"

I gently sat her down on a fallen log nearby, and knelt down to her level. She seemed confused about what I was doing but stayed silent and watched respectively.

Looking down at her neck, I pointed a fat finger at her pendant mother gave to her. She looked down and held it gently in her tiny hands. "This?" she asked. I nodded, and slowly I took my thumb and index and popped the locket open. She held up the aged picture to her face, inspecting it. "What is it?" she further questioned.

I pointed at the image of my younger self, and turned to look at the lake. She followed my movements and pieced the two together. "Yes...he drowned a long time ago" she remorsefully whispered.

Looking back to Jessica, I placed a hand on her knee and shook my head. When she saw my reply, her eyes narrowed in confusion. "What are you trying to tell me, that Jason didn't drown?"

I shook my head once again. Her eyes widened greatly and I felt her heart skip a beat. A jolt of electricity shot though her as she straightened up. "Jason's alive?"!

This was my chance!

I slowly placed a hand upon my chest looking her dead in the eyes. Untying snowball from my belt, I placed the stuffed animal back in her hands. Her expression changed once again in to a look of disbelief, and she looked back up at me. "Wait...can it..."

She softened the look in her eyes as if she was uncertain or cautious, but placed her frail fingertips upon the edges of my mask. I was a little timid but let her do as she pleased.

"Are...you...?"

Slowly...she started to peel off my cover.

Who was this man really?

My heart was beating a mile a minuet in my chest. Feeling the chipped edges of his mask felt like salvation. I was finally going to understand who he was after all that's happened.

Lifting the bottom half, It revealed a set of chapped cracked lips, overgrown with scars and beard stubble showed itself. Lifting it further out of curiosity, a large crooked nose started to appear and high cheekbones. When I went to go further, the man pursed his lips together nervously. I noticed this and went to bring the mask back down, but the man's hand launched up and grasped my wrist gently. I flinched back in surprise. Looking into his eyes, something within them called out to finish what I started, that it was alright. My throat dried up making it difficult to breath, but I didn't faint again. I refused to fall victim to my own weakness any more! All night I've been dying to find out who he is, and the time is now to bring this shadow into the light!

Swallowing the knot in my throat, I slightly nodded...and peeled the mask off completely taking in his appearance. What I saw caused me to freeze. My grip loosened on the mask, and it dropped into the sand.

He had the same complexion...

The same deformity...

The same smile...

His chocolate brown eyes...

My mind drew a long blank as the air around us stilled. It seemed as time had halted and the world revolved to slow motion. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears and eyes dry up.

It...it couldn't be!

I looked down into my hands Snowball and Pamela's locket. Glancing up over his shoulder into the lake, the distant cries of a little boy echoed within the rear confinements of my mind. This...this couldn't be possible. My hands started to unconsciously wander up his clothing, and I felt his sculpted features ripple beneath. From his thick biceps, to his rolling shoulders, to his unique defined torso...and a looked dead into his eyes. They told the tale of years worth of hardship's and suffering. But if he's still here today, he's persevered through it all and fought the unbeatable and won! The strength and heart of a warrior dwelled within him...an unbroken, pure spirit.

My eyes began to water up, and everything began to come back to me. All in one fell swoop, my body launched off of the log and I flew into his chest. His arms spread out and caught my flying body and held me against his own. I could feel his strong heart beat against his chest. I could tell he was as nervous and excited as I was...but relaxed as soon as I said his name. For the first time in so many years, I could now say his name without pain. And these tears weren't of sadness...but of extreme joy

"Jason..."

I couldn't believe it...

She-she remembered.

I...I didn't think that it could be like this ever again.

I slowly sat up from the sand and held her tightly to my chest. Her face was buried deep within my shoulder, sobbing quietly in my lap. Her delicate frail hand grasped on firmly to my under shirt keeping herself up. Her auburn hair bangs draped messily over her peachy face and the rest cascaded down her back. She felt so warm and soft in my arms. It's been so long that I forgotten what It felt like to cry. All these years of pain and abysmal loneliness has made me stone cold to any emotion besides sadness and anger, and I haven't cried a single tear since the night of my mothers murder. To feel happy to the extent to shedding tears...it felt so alien to me, but felt so good.

It felt right to do it.

My crooked teeth grinded together roughly, thick bushy brown knitted together in strain, face churned to a slight red. I tightened my embrace upon Jessica, scared that if I ever let her go again, I would loose her and never get her back again. She felt my anguish, and she pulled herself into my lap, never seizing her hold on me. She felt as light as a feather in my arms, like I was cradling a baby. A warm feeling blossomed in my heart; I never wanted this moment to end.

After a good ten minuets of quiet crying, she wiped her flushed face dry and looked up into my eyes. Never before in her life did she look more happy. Seeing her smile like that for me gave me butterflies in my stomach, but good ones, great actually. It made me feel like I actually had a purpose to live now other than ridding the world of rotten children. I'm alive today not for them...but for Jessica. I didn't die that day in the lake for this sole reason...

To be Jessica's protector.

God gave me a second chance...to be her guardian angel!

We stood up for and helped each other as children, she tried to save me but I ended up saving her, she never stopped believing in me, I rid of the bad children who tried to corrupt her...it has to be the reason.

All the while this theory was running through my mind, we never broke our gaze. With a quivering lip, she spoke with a sniffle. "Jason...I missed you so much..."

My eyes narrowed with equal concedement, and brought her to my chest once again. She reached around my barrelled chest and hugged me under my arms, grasping at my broad shoulders. I could feel her heart flutter gently against me. It brought a smile to my face, and adjusted her so she laid across my legs like a child.

I then noticed something.

Throughout the whole day of following her, watching over her, if any boy that tried or said anything sexual around her, she would flush red as a tomato. But here, in my arms, across my lap...she looked so calm and peaceful. At any given moment, she could fall asleep on me and not react in any negative way.

Was it because we shared something together?

Because we're best friends?

It puzzled me, but I didn't bother with it now. I wanted nothing more than to have her all to myself tonight, and make up for all those years kept in the dark alone. Nothing was going to break us apart again...and this time, I made sure of it.

Nothing.