Black Rose

Chapter 22

Valerie

I looked down at the glob of food that the lunch lady had just served me. I frowned at the "food" on my tray and continued down the line.

After the officer had left me to fend for myself, I had decided to get some food and make myself useful. I grabbed a carton of milk from the counter. I turned around to step out of the line and ran into a boy.

Oh no.

I was afraid I had angered him. With further inspection, I noticed that the person in front of me was not, in fact, a boy. It was a girl.

This girl towered over me. She had an athletic build and was very strong. I looked up at her and gulped in fear.

Her dark eyes narrowed as she readjusted her long, brown hair into a ponytail. Her voice was deep and commanding.

"Watch where you're going," the girl said. I nodded quickly and tried to sidestep her. "Where do you think you're going?" she asked, blocking my path.

"I was going to sit down," I squeaked. I needed to get away from this girl at once. She spelled trouble and that was the last thing I needed at the moment.

"You're not leaving," the girl thundered. By now, a small crowd was forming. They were probably ready for a fight.

"Leave her alone, Alisha. Stop picking fights and deal with your anger some other way," a girl yelled from within the crowd.

Suddenly, a blond-haired, blue-eyed girl emerged from the crowd. I couldn't help but notice how much she resembled Caitlin. I shook the thought off. I had more pressing problems to worry about.

"Get out of this, Hope. Why don't you mind your own business for once?" Alisha threatened.

Before I knew what was happening, they were fighting. Alisha, being the bigger person, was attempting to punch Hope, who was successfully dodging the attack. There was so much shouting that I barely heard the whistles. Police officers dashed into the circle and broke the fight.

One of the officers motioned for me to follow him. Alisha, Hope, and I were led into a small conference room away from the cells. This was probably where all the disagreements were settled.

"Who started the fight?" one officer asked.

Alisha pointed straight at me. You have got to be kidding me, I thought. Two can play at this game.

"I was getting milk and this girl blocks my way. I tried to get around her but she insisted on fighting," Alisha lied. She directed her finger to Hope. "Then, her other friend jumped in and began fighting too."

"You're such a liar! I'll have you know that you were the one starting the fight. I interfered so I could help Rose," Hope retorted. Judging by the way this conversation was going, I knew that Hope was trustworthy (to an extent) and Alisha was not.

And my name was not Rose.

"Enough! One of the officers witnessed the fight and called for backup. We know that Alisha did, in fact, start the fight. Hope and Rose, you are free to go. Alisha, you will be punished," one of the officers stated.

Hope and I were led to our cell. One of the cafeteria workers was ordered to bring our food. In less than fifteen minutes, Hope and I were seated on our beds, eating the food that had been brought to us.

"You better watch yourself. Alisha's trouble, but so are some of the other inmates," Hope warned.

"Like who?" I asked curiously. I knew I should be thanking her, but I was still a bit shaken up.

"Her friends. I don't need to describe each one for you. Just notice all the people that follow her around," Hope answered casually. I wasn't sure that answered my question, but it was an answer nonetheless.

"Hey, um... thank you," I said. Hope looked up from eating her food and nodded.

That wasn't the response I expected, but it looked like this jail has not been meeting any of my expectations thus far.

"Better watch your back. By the way, what did you do?" Hope asked. I looked at her quizzically before she added, "Why are you in jail?"

"Oh." I debated telling her the whole story or not. I finally decided not to. It was best to keep things simple. "I was involved in an illegal business deal and broke house arrest. What about you?"

I wondered what Hope had done. I was scared to know, but I thought it was only fair to ask since we were on the topic.

"I used to, um, drink a lot. Yeah," she answered awkwardly.

"Oh. You didn't..." I trailed off. I was going to ask if she had killed anyone, but did not think that was appropriate.

"No, go on. What were you going to say?" Hope pressed.

"Never mind. It's not relevant," I replied, dismissing her plea.

"No, tell me. Now," Hope ordered.

I knew that she wouldn't give up so easily. "You didn't kill anyone, did you?"

"No! Of course not. I'm not some deranged killer. I just couldn't control my drinking problem, so that's why I'm here," Hope retorted.

I nodded slowly. "Sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"It's fine. So do you have any siblings?" Hope asked, changing the subject.

"No, I am an only child. You?" I asked.

"I have a twin sister. I don't remember the last time I saw her. My parents called the jail once to tell me that she had joined some organization. If I remember correctly, she thought she was a spy," Hope explained, laughing softly.

"Caitlin," I whispered. I don't know what made me say it, but I knew that there was some connection that I had missed earlier. Could it be possible that Hope was related to her?

Suddenly, Hope was pinning me to the ground. I struggled under her grip. She was stronger than she looked.

"What did you say?" she growled.

"I said Caitlin. What's wrong with that?" I replied.

"How do you know my sister?" Hope steadied her gaze on me.

"I was a spy for Black Rose, the organization your sister is a part of. That was the illegal business deal I was telling you about," I explained.

"So you're saying that my sister is part of some illegal spy organization?" Hope asked, a sharp edge to her voice.

"No! I'll explain if you get off me," I said, massaging my wrists when Hope released me.

We each sat back on our beds as I told Hope everything. I made sure not to leave any details out.

Come to think of it, I wasn't sure why I was telling her so much. I guess I wanted to get it off my chest. But it was also more than that. We both needed someone to trust. If I was honest with Hope, she might trust me.

And, in this dump they call jail, trust is crucial.