Burned Ones

Chapter 05

Cameron.
Fifteen years old.

"Hey."

I didn't look at the guy as I continued doing pull-ups outside. We had some free time and while it'd only been a year, eight months, and twenty-six days, each time I went outside it felt like it'd been decades since I'd felt the sun. I wanted to make the most of it, not chit chat.

Family visitation was later today. I clenched my jaw as I did more pull-ups. I wasn't expecting anyone. I hadn't had a single visitor this whole time.

All I did was work out. It left my limbs numb and I was too tired to do anything else for the rest of the day. If I tired myself out fast enough, it was easier to fall asleep without letting the worries consume me. It felt like I'd put on a lot of muscle but it was hard to tell. I avoided my reflection after the last time I caught it and saw the dark circles rimming my eyes.

Not having Jay around as a cellmate to make me feel semi normal was eating away at my sanity. I hadn't been given another cellmate which would seem nice but it felt like punishment. I had nothing to do but think. I went to bed picturing what my dad was doing and to who.

Sometimes, I even had enough time to think about my mom which was how I knew I was getting bad. She was the kindest woman I'd ever met. She always had time for me no matter what time of the day it was. She was the only one that could pull my dad back when he went a little too far. I liked to remember her standing in front of me when my dad was pissed off at me, her yelling at him that if he touched me, she'd slit his throat herself. Maybe it wasn't the happiest memory. But remembering her like that was better than the image of her lifeless body on the ground. She'd been murdered. I didn't see it happen but I saw the aftermath. We didn't have a funeral. My dad smacked me for crying.

She used to tell me stories with happy endings and when I told her one day that I didn't think happy endings existed, she told me even more stories. She said we'd have a happy ending, she was going to make sure of it. She told me she bought a house far away for us to be happy in. I was little, but I remembered her telling me her plans so vividly. She said it was a safe place we could go to. She died a week later.

"Hey, Casey."

I narrowed my eyes as they persisted. The guy started knocking on one of the metal poles supporting the bar I was using, causing an annoying ding-ding-ding to fill the space around us.

I dropped down to the ground and stared at him. His blonde hair was buzzed after he had to get stitches in his head a few weeks ago from a fight that landed him in here. I could still see the wound healing. His precious dad couldn't or wouldn't bail him out. Aggravated assault. Battery. Possession. Maybe it was to teach him a lesson: don't get caught, don't be dumb, don't look that ugly.

Sterling Dacosta.

His dad was the head of the Dacosta gang which took up a small section of Melkin. A great deal of the Dacostas had been Casey members at some point until they broke off and got greedy. My dad had taught me enough of the business so I knew the Casey gang didn't really need the territory the Dacostas were inhabiting. But my dad was a petty man and fights often broke out between the two gangs as a result.

Annoyance was on my face. Amusement was on his. Sterling stood there, with that rabid rat look in his eyes, not saying a word. He scratched the side of his head.

I didn't have the patience for this. I turned and started walking away.

"Hey, I was talking to you," he protested.

I groaned under my breath, trying to stay level. I was so close to my two year mark and this piss ant wasn't going to take my freedom from me.

Sterling caught up to me, scratching his neck. "Do you have any drugs?"

I shot him a look. Did he think I was crazy? Even if I did, I wasn't about to give them to him. The only reason I hadn't punched him yet was the three months and four days shining like a beacon at the end of the tunnel. I could do far worse to him than that little scratch on his head and then his dad would really be pissed.

But I needed to get out. I needed it. Every second I spent in this place, I was consumed with worry for Alex and Annabeth and what was happening to them, what my dad was making then do in my absence, and whether or not they'd end up in juvie for it. I wanted to go. I didn't know where but I didn't want to go to my dad's. I had a few ideas but nothing that I could fully figure out while behind bars because all juvie gave me was time to think, not actually sure do. I wanted to take Annabeth and Alex and run away to wherever I could actually keep them safe because it sure wasn't in Melkin and my dad already provided he had no problem with us sitting in jail for him.

Sterling didn't like my silence so he said, "I saw Annabeth before I came in."

I rolled my eyes even though my already decaying insides died a little more. Each day, a little bit of hope that they were perfectly fine fell away.

"She's finally growing up. How old is she? You think she's fucking guys yet? I wouldn't mind breaking that cherry," he rambled, a sick look in his eyes.

I grabbed him by the collar of his uniform and instantly, Sterling shut up.

He grinned.

I couldn't do anything to help Annabeth or Alex from in here and it was the only thing that killed me about being in here, the only reason I wanted to leave so badly.

"You don't like when I talk about her, got it. Don't worry, Casey," his arms came up to try to remove mine from his shirt but my grip was too tight. "I'll be gentle with her."

I pulled one of my hands back, ready to punch him in the jaw to shut him up when a guard came into view. He had his back turned towards us but it was only a matter of time before he turned around.

I flicked my eyes to Sterling, who was watching the guard like a hawk.

"Just imagine that, a Casey screaming a Dacosta's name," Sterling laughed like a giddy school girl, eyes trained on the guard still.

I wanted to dislocate his jaw until he couldn't talk about my family. My arm was itching to follow through. But I let him go, pushing him away from me. I stalked off, feeling more of that decay spread.

I was tense the rest of the day.

Short but things are about to get going (: (:

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