nightshift //minizerk//

07

Days went by, all feeling the same. I woke up, showered, ate, stayed in my cell, ate, slept. Nothing eventful. Until I saw him again.

He looked exactly as he was when he'd let me out of isolation. That raven hair. That beard. Those green eyes. Of course, he was accompanied by another guard. Callum, I think it was. I smile as the two come up to my cell. They've already sent the others off to lunch. My cell's at the end of the corridor, anyway. But Callum's been given special orders. ''He's not to be trusted. Not to be left on his own when outside his cell,'' I think that's what was said. I'm surprised they didn't kill me then and there, really. Isolation only does so much.

But I'm getting off topic. This man, he's a night guard. Why is he here? I look him up and down with narrowed eyes as he unlocks my cell. Callum takes note of my suspicion and speaks up. ''He's training to work day shifts. So no funny business,'' he says, sternly but not harshly. I like Cal. He's the one guard I can tolerate. Deji isn't bad either, but he deals with the isolation patients.

My eyes drift up to the bearded man's as he slaps the cuffs onto my wrists. ''Are these really necessary?'' I ask, glancing briefly at Callum. ''You did this to yourself, Minter. Now get a move on,'' he said, humour tinting his voice as he gestured for me to exit the cell. One of the guys from isolation caught up and pulled me along by my handcuffs, leaving the other two to talk. I could just hear there conversation behind me.

''So, who is he?'' the bearded man asks in a hushed voice. Callum chuckles. ''Simon Minter. He was brought in last month. Suffers from extreme paranoia, but it only comes out sometimes,'' I glance over my shoulder at the other man. He's watching me curiously. ''You might think he's alright now, but wait til you hear about what he did...'' I block out the rest of Callum's words, not wanting to hear it recounted. I'm not proud of what I did. Not one bit.

Before I know it, my cuffs are being unlocked and I'm free to wander the cafeteria. I look back at the two hefty guards standing by the door, and I know there's no way I'm leaving this room without handcuffs. So I settle down at a table. My friends soon join me.

''Simon!'' I hear someone shout. I look around to see Vik heading toward me, with a tray of unappetising looking food. I smile at the cinnamon skinned boy, and he returns the grin. ''Aren't you gonna eat?'' he asks me, and I shake my head. ''I'm good. Thanks for the concern, though,'' I chuckle, leaning back in the hard metal chair. ''Where're the others?'' I ask curiously. Vik shrugs. ''Lux is prolly in here somewhere. I think Ethan's still in isolation...'' he says carefully. He doesn't like to talk about what happened either. ''He'll be out tomorrow,'' I tell him, and his face lights up slightly. ''I've been practising my sign language! D'you think he'll talk to us now?'' he asks, shifting in his seat. I shrug. ''He spoke to me before we went into iso. I don't suppose he'll talk at all when he comes out. Does he know sign language?'' I ask, and Vik nods. ''Yeah. He was deaf for a long time when he was a kid, so he kinda had to...'' I nod and smile. ''I'm sure he'll talk to you then. But give it time,'' I remind him. Vik's never been in isolation, but he understands that it can really do things to some people.

We talk for a while, and eventually Cal comes up. ''Heyy Lux,'' I greet him, and Vik waves. Cal smiles. ''Hi,'' he nods, sitting down beside Vik. He's still wary of me because of what happened. Doctor Lewis and Doctor Winsor tell me it won't last long. They say we're too close for something like that to ruin it. And Vik doesn't really mind. He's cool like that.

I watch the two eat their food. Cal even offers me his apple, but I deny it. I study the apple on his tray and it gets me thinking. That man. The one with the beard. Was he the one that gave me the apples in isolation? His voice matches that of the one who gave me them. I smile slightly, and I'm snapped out of my thoughts by Vik tapping my shoulder. ''You okay, Simon?'' he asks me, and I nod. ''Just thinking...''