Kids in the Dark

Chapter 26

Adam's P.O.V

I was led past cell upon cell on the way back to my own, many of the occupants' eyes following me as I passed. After around a 3 minute walk I was forced to a halt in front of the cell I now called home. The cuffs were taken off and I was pushed inside, the bars slamming behind me.

I took in the cell, from the flickering fluorescent lights to the 3 sets of bunk beds up against each wall. A toilet sink and mirror were hidden just out of view behind an alcove in the wall. With a slight sigh, I wandered over to my bunk and sat down, the low creaking of the bedsprings enough to stir Jace from his light sleep. He jolted up from where he lay, his head hitting the bunk above with a large bang. There was nothing I could do but laugh.

"Cut it out." Jace moaned rubbing his forehead to soothe the pain. I rolled my eyes, lying back, knees up and arms behind my head. "How was the call?" Jace asked and I turned my head to face him.

"Alright. Theo says that they're all good." I replied.

"And?"

"He says he wishes we were out there with them, and that Raven did get out on bail like you guessed." Even though Theo and I hadn't discussed these topics I knew it was what Jace wanted to hear. Jace smiled in relief opening his mouth to say more when voices came from the corridor beyond the bars.

"Can it, you." A guard said angrily before a younger voice replied,

"Nah, don't really feel like it." Just then the owners of the voices came into view, the two of them stopping in front of our cell. The guard, Vince, was not the sort of man you wanted to cross, but that's not what caught my attention, it was the owner of the second voice. As he was pushed into the cell I began sizing him up.

He looked around 16, 17, with choppy brown hair and inhumanly blue eyes. It was easy to tell that there was a good deal of muscle hidden by the orange he wore. The way he held himself projected an air of confidence and I could just make out a ring of black ink encircling his right wrist.

"What are you looking at?" He said in a standoffish manner, trying to gain a spot as top dog.

"You fish," I said standing up, my comment causing him to stand down slightly. "You got a name?"

"Charlie." The guy replied flatly.

"Okay Charlie," Jace smiled. "Pick a bunk." He said indicating those that were free. Just as I suspected he would Charlie went for the last remaining lower bunk.

"So, Fish, what you in for?" I asked, his blue eyes locking with my mix-matched ones.

"A stolen jeep, a smashed up 7-11, 3 critically injured people, and a cash register of missing money. He said leaning back against the wall. "You?"

"A group of us stole a few cars, and we crashed into someone. One of us is out on bail, the other two are on the run." I explained.

"What kind of cars?" Charlie asked.

"One '69 Camaro and a '70s Challenger," Jace answered.

"Nice," Charlie said in a kind of awe. I took a quick glance at my watch which told me it was only 20 minutes until lockdown, another hour until lights out. I began to untie the arms of my jumpsuit from around my waist, and Jace mimicked. I looked up to tell Charlie when I noticed something I hadn't seen before; a bright blue band was wrapped around his left bicep which could mean only one thing.

"Why are you an escape risk?" I asked as he undid the band, before pulling his arm out of the sleeve. I heard him laugh slightly before giving a reply.

"My brother and I have escaped a total of 3 prisons," He said simply. "So now I have to wear this damn thing all the time." He explained trying to do the band back up. "You couldn't help me with this could you?" He asked. I nodded, unhooking my foot from the leg of my jumpsuit, leaving me in a tank top and shorts. I hurried over to him and took the band from his grasp.

I had been right, Charlie did have a well-toned body. Now that he stood in the same clothes as me I could see he had not one, but two tattoos. The black around his wrist turned out to be a half sleeve of silhouetted trees, the second a set of 2 tribal wolves that writhed with the movement of his shoulders.

I felt my cheeks flush slightly as my fingers brushed his unusually warm skin whilst fastening the band. "Done," I said clearing my throat.

"Thanks." Charlie flashed me a smile and I returned to my bed. Jace made his way over to me as I adjusted my pillow.

"Kind of a pretty boy isn't he." He whispered in my ear which earned him a sharp jab in the ribs. The final call for lockdown rang through the building as I lay down on my bed, thinking of a topic of conversation to pass the time between now and lights out.