The 10

3

Day 3

Ms. Peters wakes at six-thirty in the morning. Sighing, she rolls over and tries to go back to sleep. Restless, she gets up and starts the shower. Checking her phone, she sees a text from her soon-to-be ex-husband. He's asking where she is, that he's been to the house and there was no sign of her being there, says he went to the school, and they said she was out of town for a school trip. He curses and says obscene things before he finally finishes his rant at three in the morning.
That's probably when he passed out drunk. Shaking off his harsh words but saving the messages for court, she makes her way to the bathroom and slips off her robe. Stepping into the steaming shower, she uses the incredibly tiny bottle of body wash provided by the hotel and uses it to rid of the bed sweat.
Stepping out of the shower and slipping her robe back on, she makes her way back into her room and checks the time. Not even seven. Calling the lobby, she asks if breakfast is being served, yet she is told not until seven-thirty after dealing with a rude clerk. Huffing, she hangs up and turns on the TV. She watches the news and flips through the channels trying to find something decent. She turns the channel and finds some soap opera and says it's good enough as background noise and begins to make her agenda for the day. Flipping through the notes she's taken of the past two days, she makes a judgment call for today. After seeing no progress from at least five students, she decides to sit with them today and help them make progress. She refuses to let her students fail this assignment because then they're failing her and her experiment. And if they fail her and her experiment, the Board decides not to renew her project for next year and the years after that. Writing the names of her students who have made no progress, she moves on to today's objective—the guard. Ms. Peters is obviously very attracted to him, and not just the uniform, either. She feels comfortable around him, more comfortable than she did with her husband in their nine years of marriage.

                                                                                              ❥

Meanwhile, seven rooms down, Kate continues to dream of Christopher Samuels. The dream is normal, just the two of them, sitting on a couch together somewhere. She's enjoying his company. He is enjoying hers. It's almost as if it was meant to be. It feels right for her to be there with him up until he stands and points the gun at her.
"Christopher, what are you doing?" Kate leans herself into the couch as much as possible.
"What I've done all my life. You met me when I was in prison. Did you really think I'd be some new man when I got out?" He laughs menacingly and then pulls the trigger.
Kate jumps up in fright, gasping, and holding her hands over her chest; her roommate Isabella is already awake and stares at her in concern.
"You alright?"
"Yeah, bad dream," Kate whispers.
"You're sweating. Better take a shower."
"Yeah, I will, thanks."
"No problem. While you do that, I'm going to go down and get some breakfast. Want me to bring you back anything?"
"Bagel and a coffee, please."
"You got it."
Isabella leaves, and Kate walks to the bathroom and starts the shower. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she places her hands on the sink and puts her head down. You've got to put him out of your mind. This is just an assignment. After the week is up, you will never speak to him again. Repeating her words in her head several times, she steps into the shower and lets the steam take everything away.
When Kate is walking back towards the beds, Isabella walks in with a tray. On the tray are two plates, two bagels, two cups of coffee, and one banana.
"Thanks," Kate says, taking her coffee and bagel.
"No worries." Isabella sips her coffee. "So what was that dream about?"
"I'd really rather not talk about it."
"Okay." She pauses. "So what's your inmate in for?"
"Assault that turned to murder." Kate takes a bite out of her bagel and responds with her mouth full. "Yours?"
"You know the guy that brutally murdered that woman and was on the run for a week?"
"No," Kate's voice is laced with shock. "Why would they even approve of giving him to you?"
"I don't know, but they did." Isabella peels her banana. "Wanna split it?"
"Sure," Kate says, taking half.