The Innocents

Chapter Nineteen

"Miles is here and he's looking delicious."

Marla and I were folded into my bunk, going over the Tybalt death scene for R&J when Alastair strode in, licking her lips like some hungry lion about to devour its prey. She was gross. Her hair was tangled and she was fat despite the portioned meals they so graciously fed us. Don't get me wrong, I am a friend of all shapes and sizes, but I despise gross people no matter how slow their metabolism is.

"Delicious as always," Marla mused with a laugh. She had never given Miles a second look. Maybe it was because she knew somehow of my developing feelings for him. We did have a strange psychic bond, if you believe in that stuff. Sometimes she'd irritate me with her looks like she's bouncing around in my head, knowing everything. But in that respect, there was a calmness in knowing that I didn't have to vocalize each and every thing to her.

Then I realized that it was Tuesday and it was his day off. Something hit my stomach and rolled around there for a few second before I had the chance to compose myself. I'm always on edge. Gladey was a witch and I didn't know how far she would go to destroy another person's life. I have zero doubts that she would rat out Miles for what they had done. She was diabolical like that.

I once had a dream that I had made Gladey a gift. It was a box, wrapped tightly with a neat, polka dotted bow. I told her it was a surprise and it was for in fact I really Trojan horsed her with a box full of killer bees.

Marla was going on and on about her preferred method of death for poor Tybalt. I couldn't focus on her. My mind was elsewhere and she was a hum in the background. I looked to the Bubble where Mrs. Warren sat and then to the hallway where a couple of girls were walking from. I slid off of my bed and headed toward Alastair who was standing by her bunk adjusting her bra from over her jumpsuit. Her breasts were so big that they seemed just want to escape. This reminds me of a joke:

What did saggy boob say to the other saggy boob? If we don't get some support here people are going to think we're nuts.

I would have gagged a little if my mind wasn't on Miles.

"Hey," I said to Alastair. I didn't beat around any sort of bush. "Where is Miles?"

She gave me a look and squeezed her eyebrows together. Then he wiggled her shoulders as if letting lose some tight muscle and her body rippled like jelly. Then she threw her head back, laughed, her chins like waves and I felt I'd be engulfed if I didn't leave soon.

"Why do you want to know?" she asked, her beady eyes inquisitive, suspicious.

I knew pushing for information would only waste time so I decided on the pity factor which consisted on a slight lower lip sag and my best puppy dog look. That always worked in the past. By this time Marla had come to see why I had left her. She stood behind me like a sentry, arms folded across her chest, eying Alastair like a beast in the night.

"Your pudding for a month," Alastair said tightening her scowl.

Seriously? My pudding? That's the exchange in this place? God help us if we run out. We'd be trading locks of hair for a kind word soon enough.

She's rattling my cage to see if I'd bite, but in this case, I let my claws retract for the good of everyone.

"Fine," I said to her. She then informed me that the guards were having a meeting of sorts in the visiting room downstairs which was the only area big enough I guess. I didn't thank her. Instead, I turned away toward Marla and gave her a sly grin. She shot one back and urged me to go.