The dress above is the dress Chasity wears at the end.
(Jackson's POV)
Her lithe figure was pressed to his chest, his arms wrapped around her slender waist. In any other circumstance this would be romantic. Unfortunately, that was not the case. A beautiful woman with scarlet red lips and ridiculously tall heels was sauntering across the room, her deadly panther-like gait sending shivers through the tiny girl in his arms. "You pathetic girl." She sneered through clenched teeth. "You thought that you could run from me." She threw her head back, long black curls cascading down her back as a loud evil laugh erupted from her painted lips. She was terrifying, even to Jackson. His arms tightened around Chasity, crushing her like a vice to his chest. She gasped. The sound momentarily distracted him, his gaze flickered down to her green eyes just long enough for the other woman to gain ground. She flipped a glittering, silver pistol from her thigh.
Jackson gasped, he spun around, attempting to shield the brunette beauty with his own body. When he never felt the piercing of a silver bullet, he looked down. Her pale lips were parted into a perfect 'o' shape and her hand was gripping his waist. That was when he saw it. The deep crimson red had begun to leak through the thin material of her silver cocktail dress. Her knees buckled under the her weight and she collapsed to the marble ballroom floor. Jackson rushed to catch her, looping his hand under her head before she could hit. He looked down to where the bullet had pierced her fair skin and felt his skin flush. He was so angry in that moment that the rage consumed him whole.
"Jackson!" She croaked. So frail, it tore at the remainder of his heart. Her beautiful green eyes that had captured his attention what seemed like a lifetime ago still glittered with mischief. "I will always be with you, my love."
"No!" He pulled her head onto his knee, looking at her face as if he were trying to memorize it. Those sharp eyes framed by delicate, light brown eyebrows and her high cheekbones. That stubborn chin. A small tear escaped the corner of her eye. His hand came up, almost by instinct to wipe it away gently. "This is not goodbye." He whimpered.
She smiled. Jackson knew that it had been forced but he appreciated the gesture. "I will love you forever." Her breath was coming out in short, wheezing sounds. Her eyes suddenly glazed over and her shallow breathing came to a halt. Chasity Habel was dead.
Jackson gasped, throwing himself off his bed. He was drenched in sweat and looked like a nightmare he was sure. Where the hell had that dream come from? Chasity wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. He slowly sat down again, pressing his hand against his racing heart. He picked up his phone off his solid wood nightstand. He smiled when he saw that his girl had texted him already.
*Beginning of texting
Chassy
Hey! What are you doing today?
Jackson
Well, I was thinking of sleeping the day away but I guess I could spend some time with my favorite girl :)
Chassy
Good!
Jackson
I'll pick you up in an hour?
Chassy
Ok :)
*End of Texting
Jackson couldn't help the huge grin that spread across his face. He couldn't wait to see his girl. She was not only sexy as hell, but she completed him. She was soothing and calm while he was a raging ass. His grin got even bigger. That was when he had a sudden realization. He had a date in an hour and he was still in bed.
Shooting from his now oddly comfortable bed, he raced to the shower in nothing but a pair of boxers. "Eew! Jackson!" His younger sister whined from behind him. He turned to see a little girl with dark brown curls spilling out of a sloppy up-do and a hand covering her eyes. "Get dressed you disgusting creature!" He grinned. She was just so adorable. He reached down, grabbing her childish cheeks in his fingers. He squeezed them gently. She hated that, a lot. A low growl rose in her throat, fury sparkling in her pretty brown eyes. "I am going to get you!" She screeched like a banshee. Jackson's eyes widened as she lunged towards him, arms outstretched and claws drawn. He bolted for the big bathroom, closing the door behind him and locking it.
She shrieked in frustration. "Sorry Charlie!" He joked. His sister's name was Charlotte Marie Smith and she was about to turn ten in a month. She was the most energetic, athletic and the smartest child that Jackson had ever met. She was really pretty and people often commented on her looks saying that one day, she was going to be a heartbreaker. In all honesty, she probably would be.
He was trying to the best of his ability to ignore her tiny hands banging on the thin, wooden bathroom door. Unfortunately, it wasn't working at all. "Jackson!" She yelled. "Get out of the bathroom you big scaredy cat!"
Jackson cracked a grin. She was just so pleasant. Note the sarcasm. Charlotte was adorable but extremely annoying at times. Jackson had heard that most siblings were worse and he silently thanked the lord that he had not been stuck with one of the snooty ones, but she was horrible sometimes.
He was ripped from his deep thoughts by his phone ringing. Unfortunately, it was in his bedroom. Shit! Jackson pressed his ear to the door, listening for the soft pitter patter of tiny feet. There wasn't any. He twisted the lock, opening the door gingerly. Nobody was outside so he snuck into his bedroom, still wearing nothing except his boxers. He looked at the screen of his silver iPhone 6S and was shocked to see that 'Chassy' was calling him.
"Hello?" His voice must have betrayed his concern and confusion because a response came immediately.
"Jackson!" She sounded frantic and he heard things breaking and slamming against the floor in the background. "Help me!" She shrieked. That is when the line went blank. Jackson stood there, stunned. What the hell! He had just had a dream that night about her being taken away from him, it was a dream come true. Or a Nightmare. Breaking himself out of his stupor, he lunged for a pair of jeans, not even caring whether they were clean or not.
Two minutes later, he was in his truck, tires peeling out of the driveway. Anxiety and overall terror had consumed him. "Hold on Chasity, I'm coming." His voice was barely more than a whisper.
When he had finally pulled into her driveway, he was fully expecting to see an explosion of some sort or even a white creeper van parked out front. He was not expecting it to look exactly the same as it had every day. It was the same Victorian Style, brown house with vaulted ceilings and walls of just windows. In other words it was a really nice house. Jackson pulled the keys from the ignition, pulling the lever to his door and stepped out carefully. "Chasity!" He called.
Suddenly, Chasity walked outside in a very familiar silver cocktail dress. "Hello love!" She purred seductively. He had to admit that she looked ravishing, draped against the wall in her strapless gown. Her hair had been stylishly pinned back in a glittering swirl of chocolate brown. Her long, graceful neck was on full display and her collarbones were completely exposed. The dress was fitted to fit her slim figure, her large breasts were spilling from the top of her gown, down a little the dress was fitted to her slender waist before flaring out in a glittering waterfall of silver. She looked heavenly. Jackson had to admit that the makeup was a bit much but she still looked gorgeous.
"You look ravishing my darling." Jackson was now standing close enough to kiss her. She looked up at him, eyes gleaming with happiness. His hand rose, brushing his knuckle against her cheek affectionately. "You look elegant in silver."
A beautiful, bright smile spread across her face. She was radiant. Of course, Jackson had already known that. Suddenly, the lights in the house dimmed. "Hello." A feminine voice echoed through the empty house. That was when he saw it, the shadow of a woman perched on the leather couch. Her shadow stood, filling the already dark room with her sinister darkness. "I was wondering when you knight would show up." She sneered. Slowly, she stepped onto the porch. The light of day illuminated her face, revealing the woman to the world. She had ivory skin and raven hair. Jackson had to admit that she was beautiful, and yet she was so familiar. "So," She circled him. "I am going to assume that you had a nightmare last night about her death."
Jackson was stunned. How did she even know about that? It wasn't as if she had been there with him. Realization suddenly struck him. She had been the shooter! Her scarlet lips turned up in a mischievous smile. "That's right." She sauntered towards Chasity, grabbing a stray lock of her chocolate hair between her fingers. "She actually thought that she could run from me!" She laughed. "Her father owed me and then he died," Her black eyes flicked up to meet his. "So I guess that debt gets passed on to her." She reached down and produced the same silver gun that had been in his dream. This tie, Jackson did not hesitate. Leaping in front of Chasity, he shielded her unmoving body with his own. The other woman sighed. "Chasity! Come!" The younger girls emotionless green eyes settled on her, then she was walking.
Horror settled in his gut like rotten milk. She had somehow managed to strip away everything that made her human, emotion, fear and even free will. It was horrifying in a way that Jackson had never experienced in his short seventeen years on Earth. He was genuinely scared. Chasity's movements seemed off. It lacked her usual grace and poise. She looked like a robot. Her face went slack and she came to a halt.
The other woman looked back at Jackson and grinned. "My name is Scarlett. Scarlett Heil." Jackson didn't know why she was telling him this, he had never met her once so it wasn't like he would remember her. "This is my daughter-in-law." The pieces suddenly clicked. This was Chasity's step-mother. It was ironic really. The evil step-mother cliche had never suited anyone better than it did her. She was spiteful, malicious and an overall terrible person. Jackson guessed that made Chasity Cinderella in a way. That made him smile. If she was Cinderella, he was going to be Prince Charming.
"So you killed her father, didn't you?" It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement. It made perfect sense. Who would have suspected his beautiful wife of murdering him in cold blood. Obviously nobody. The simple nod of her head confirmed it. Oddly, he wasn't even angry. He wasn't surprised either. She must have been tampering with his emotions too. "Get out of my head!" He roared. To say that she was shocked would be a gross understatement. Something must have happened because she lost her hold on Chasity. His girl stumbled.
"Where am I? Why are you here?" Her green eyes were once again filled with emotion and were now wide with fear. "Scarlett?"
The other woman shot her a grin. "In the flesh." She gave a small curtsy. "I am truly sorry about your father, he was just in the way."
Chasity's eyes widened even more. "You killed my father!" She shrieked. "You bitch!" With that, she flew off the rails. Lunging for Scarlett, she wrapped her fingers around her throat. She was furious beyond anything he had ever seen before. It was surprisingly sexy to see her like that. Standing there in her silver gown, fingers crushing another girl's esophagus, he couldn't be prouder.
"Chasity!" He yelled. She would never be the same if she killed someone. He knew how much it could change you, he had never done it himself of course but he had seen somebody else do it. "You cannot do this." His voice had dropped to barely a whisper.
She flicked her eyes over to gaze into his. "Actually," She growled. "I think I can." She tightened her fingers around Scarlett's throat. There would definitely be bruises later. That is when he decided that enough is enough. Twisting mid air, he grabbed her wrists, pinning them behind her back and pressed her against the wall. "What the hell!" She shrieked.
"Under any other circumstance, this would be a major turn on." He whispered into her ear. A violent shiver shook her small body. She wailed in defeat. The sound was heart wrenching, especially coming from a creature as sweet as her could make a sound like that. It was probably the worst thing he had ever heard. She was so beautiful and strong, yet somehow Scarlett had broken her.
"I am sorry!" Not feeling the need to hold her wrists anymore, he released her. Spinning her gently, so that he could look into her eyes. What he saw in them disturbed him greatly. A war was raging inside her and the darkness had won for a split second.
"Now what do we have here." Jackson turned just a moment too late. He saw the flash of silver and then blood staining Chasity's gown. Oh no! His damn dream was coming true. Chasity was going to die. She collapsed to the ground. Jackson managed to grab her limp body before she smacked her head against the floor, it was also marble, just like his dream. "So tragic." The evil step-mother muttered. If ever somebody sounded so insincere.
"I am so sorry!" He whimpered, pressing his face into the crook of her neck. He breathed in her familiar scent of Lavender and Honey and sighed. He had been too late. He pulled back, looking into her watery green eyes for any sign of regret. All that he saw was undying love and a hint of fear.
The look in her eyes betrayed her. She knew that she was going to die, and she was glad that at least Jackson was safe. "Don't worry about me." She forced one last smile for his sake. She forced her hand up to rest it against his cheek. "I will love you forever."
"And I you." He felt a tear escape his eye. He couldn't lose her now. He had just found her. The universe was a cruel place.