Forbidden

𝔱𝔥𝔯𝔢𝔢

September 18th, 2089

Emelie had been with us for almost a month now. That also meant that Kai had been our daily overseer for about a month as well. The cherry on top was that it had been my seventh month here at Bayview. 

Marriage proposals from my parents had seemed to die down a little. Not once had they come to visit me with their offers. Instead, they sent them through the form of official letters passed down to the warden to present to me. It hurt a little inside to wonder why they never wanted to see me and never having an exact answer. 

Knowing my mother, it was probably tearing her apart. I'm sure it was done to save face and maintain their respect in our community, especially with my grandfather. But still... If you asked me to choose my child's happiness or my personal reputation, I'd choose the first without a doubt every time. Thankfully, I wasn't planning on becoming a mother any time soon, or at all for that matter. 

Now that things were a little quieter, I'd dare to say that I was actually happy at Bayview. Tosha had quickly become a maternal figure for me, offering me guidance and life advice when I needed it. Emelie was almost like a little sister who I felt the need to shelter from the world. I had already had several staredowns with Macintosh who would attempt to eye her down as we changed for the evenings. 

Howell had officially left Bayview, and we were all a little hurt to find out that he didn't so much as give us a goodbye or tell us when exactly his last day was going to be.

"Deep down, he did it because he'd miss us and saying goodbye would hurt him more than just simply walking away," Tosha had said.

She always had a knack for giving some people the benefit of the doubt and yet still holding others accountable for their bullshit.

Speaking about people and their bullshit, Kai had adjusted to our cell block rather quickly. When it came to our little trio, we were like his teacher's pets in a weird sort of way. He always seemed to linger near us even during daily activities like meals or free time. He seemed so protective over Emelie without being nearly as overbearing as myself. When it came to Tosha, they seemed to speak in code almost as if they had inside-jokes and knew each other from outside the compound, but I shook the thought off and chalked it up to them having similar energies. 

And then there was me. 

Kai loved to push my buttons and trigger thought-provoking conversations. He challenged all of my morals and my view on the world. They were the kinds of conversations that if any other guards had overheard us, he might very well lose his job. He rubbed me the wrong way in all of the best ways, if that makes sense. 

Tosha would often accuse us of flirting, which would only cause Kai to fall silent and cause myself to overreact and get angry. 

At the end of the day, we were like one strange happy little family.  

Today's free time period was spent in one of Bayview's several recreational rooms. Guarded by Kai and several others, we were given two to three hours every day to mingle and entertain ourselves within reason. There were game tables, televisions, magazines, books, and the like. 

Tosha, Emelie, and I had sat down to play a game of Uno. 

"A classic," Tosha had called it. "I was playing this game as a kid way back when you guys were still swimming around in your daddies' nutsacks."

Emelie had appeared mortified following her statement, but I laughed so hard I damn near shot my water I had been drinking from a little paper cup straight out of my nose. 

It was originally just going to be the three of us, but Kai narrowed his gaze and whispered to a nearby guard. 

"They sound like they're having too much fun over there. I'm gonna go see if they're cheating or conspiring or what have you."

The guard nodded sternly, and then Kai made his way toward us.

Was this guy for real? Did that guard seriously believe what he said and find it all perfectly okay? Then again, I had noticed rather quickly that Kai was so eloquent and passionate when he spoke. He could sell a man oceanfront property in the Arizona desert and get away with it. Attractive and cunning? There was something he had to have been hiding, I was sure of it. 

Maybe he had a wife who left him for another man. Maybe he was a secret agent for a faraway government. Maybe he was gay. Maybe he-

"Hello, earth to Dylan," Tosha mused from across the table.

I had been looking down at the rickety, sorry excuse for a gray folding table where we sat playing Uno. Tosha was looking at me confused, whereas Emelie had been concerned.

"It's your turn," Emelie nudged me gently with her elbow. 

"Oh, right," I sighed, "sorry."

In the center of the table was a red four that Emelie had just thrown down.

I scanned the cards in my hand, playing it safe and placing down a red four of my own.

The empty chair on my left creaked as Kai slid it out from underneath the card table and plopped down. Kai was so tall and muscular that he made the folding chair look like a child's toy. Add that to the fact that he was now pulling seven Uno cards into his hands. It made him look like a literal man child. I couldn't hold back my laughter.

"I'm jumping in this round," he said coolly.

My laughter turned into a snort. "Fat chance! You can't do that."

He grinned wickedly, his emerald eyes rising up to the challenge. "Watch me," he whispered as he placed down a draw four wild card. He reclined back in the chair with an eat-shit grin on his face. "The new color is blue, by the way."

Tosha's mouth fell open in awe and Emelie started to giggle.

"Fuck you," Tosha exclaimed as she drew four cards.

"Language," he tsked. 

"Fine," exclaimed Tosha, "baise toi."

I rolled my eyes. "Just put down a damn blue and call it a day, Tosh. No one here speaks French except for you."

Kai gave me a sideways glance from behind his cards. "Speak for yourself, beau petit imbécile."

Emerie and I stared wide-eyed at Kai while Tosha gave a smirk.

I slammed my cards face down on the table.

"Dear God," I exclaimed, "is there anything this man doesn't know?"

Kai chuckled. "You'd know a lot, too, if you'd get out from behind these walls and see the world."

I gave another snort. "That requires me to accept a proposal, and that's not gonna happen."

Just as Tosha was about to place down a card, the intercom in the recreational room crackled. Everyone in the room fell silent as they did their best to listen in.

"Will Dylan Lewis and her respective daytime officer please report to Interrogation Room C," came the warden's voice.

Several ooo's rang out from across the room.

"Damn, Lewis," came one of our cell block members' voices, "what'd you do this time? Don't tell me you punched Macintosh in the face again."

My eyes widened.

There was only one reason someone would be sent to an interrogation room without having actually done anything wrong. 

It meant there was going to be a private, in-person marriage proposal.

"Well," Kai stood up from his chair, "I guess that's us."

"Shit," I breathed.

Shit. Shit Shit.