There was absolutely no need to worry about something that wasn't my business. But, that was exactly what I did—for the rest of the day, and for two weeks after that.
It didn’t help that for the next two Fridays, Dr. Liam seemed oblivious to this guy sneaking stuff, again and again, into his pocket. And with more confidence than before.
I kept wondering if it was my sickness playing mind games on me but as I got better, I realized there was definitely something off about Zion.Just like the first time, the same officer—who I later found out was Ryan's uncle—arrived first with a brown box.
Yeah, the same Ryan I had fought with in the past.But here’s the thing: that officer was always the last to leave after the other officers. And Zion—the guy with the curly brown hair, whose name I eventually learned—would always stay behind too.
He’d do this his thing by not-so-discreetly opening the box and retrieving something when he thought Doctor Liam and I weren't looking.It was kind of cute, honestly.
Like something straight out of a Kim Impossible book.
"Earth to Tyron! Jeez, I feels like I’m boring you with my story," Ariel says, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"You could never. So, your aunt discovered a treasure box in your cabin woods and...?" I trail off.
"Good to know you stopped listening like five minutes ago. What’s going on with you?"
She follows my gaze to Zion, standing a few steps away, currently being handed a tray by one of the matrons.
"Do you know him?" she asks.
"Not directly. Why is she giving him a different tray?"
"Well, Betty says he has some health needs, so he can’t eat certain foods."
A wide smile spreads across her face. "I have news."
I raise an eyebrow.
"Good or bad?"
"Well, it depends on how both of you take it, so I can’t say."
"Both of us?"
"Yeah, you and Shawn."
"Shawn and I?"
"Yep. I’ll explain everything later."
"I hate being kept in suspense, Ariel."
"Yeah, you've mentioned it before, Tyron."
"I shouldn't have told you my name."
"Too bad!" she says, sticking her tongue out playfully.
The sound of metal against metal echoes through the room, leaving a shrill sound in our ears.
I’m pretty sure the officers know how irritating that noise is and that’s why they keep doing it.
"Prisoner 1114, you have a visitor.”
Silence.
"Prisoner 1114?"
It takes a second to register in my mind that he's referring to me
Visitor? Me? My heart almost stops. I’ve never had a visitor since I’ve been here. Who could it be?
My mind races the entire time I’m led down the hallway to a place I'm not familiar with. The officer opens the door to a small room and I can't decide whether I'm relieved or disappointed at seeing Ariel. Any feeling of expectation is waved off as I sit across her, trying to understand why she’s here. The cold gray walls seem to stare back at me, matching the confusion on my face.
Ariel notices and gestures to the room “I needed time to talk to you.”
I glance down at the metal table. The cold surface stings my skin when I rest my cuffed hands on it, but strangely, I’m comforted by the sensation. I lean forward, trying to make sense of what’s going on.
YOU ARE READING
Behind Bars
EspiritualBehind bars; the last place you'll want to ever find yourself but at twenty-five, that's where he sees himself. All he wants to do is survive because that's all he can do. But prison is more than a place filled with evil people facing punishments fo...
