The Prison of Deviants

Chapter 17: Idea for the Prison Break

"You're the warden's brother?!"

There is no surprise why he's so respected in this prison, then! If he's indeed the warden's brother, no one would dare mess with him. 

This simplifies things a lot - if Knut were the warden, it'd be too hard to penetrate into his room. Now, knowing he's only a brother to the warden, I might as well follow Annabelle's teachings and charm him so that he'd invite me to his room from time to time. That way, I'll be able to check the prison data as many times as it takes to memorize it.

Furthermore, Knut is a really nice guy (if we don't count his annoying attitude at times), so his being the warden would truly be upsetting. It would mean that he was the monster who frightened Honorée and then strove to calm her down. This way, he remains innocent and kind-hearted.

"Yeah, I'm his brother." He shrugs. "I wish he weren't the warden, though - it puts a lot of toil on him... Anyway, I have to go fetch him the book. See you later, Miss Sinclaire!"

He grabs a book from the shelf - some historical fiction about a beast - and leaves. I wave a hand at him. 

Now that I've learned everything I wanted, I retrieve the card from the librarian and leave the place. It is time to access my cell and prepare for the upcoming hunt, as well as devise plans for the prison break. Now when I know I can get all the prison data, escaping from this island doesn't seem unreal anymore. After all, Honorée has already done it, and if not for the warden, she'd be free. If I become closer with Knut, I'll manage to find out about the warden's weaknesses, and then, maybe, immobilizing him too, will no longer seem unreal.

I return the card to Rufus in his office and go back to my cell. Annabelle is already there, while Yelen has decided to stay in Rufus' chamber for the night.

"Hey, Annie." I take a seat beside her.

"Hey." She smiles. "So, how was the library?"

"Oh, it was nice. I found out that it is possible for us prisoners to pursue arts here. I'll access that place to resume my drawing, I guess."

"Yeah, that's cool." Annabelle uncorks a bottle of blood and drinks some. 

"How about you? What was your profession before you'd turn?" I ask. To be honest, I've never known what Annabelle and Yelen had been doing before they got infected and were sent here.

"I was a biker."

"A biker?"

Now that's a surprise - she does indeed have tattoos and all, but I never expected her to be into biking.

"Yeah, riding with boys, feeling the wind in my face, conquering the world, no worries on my shoulders... You know, right?" She bitterly chuckles and drinks the blood. "During my first months here, Rufus had quite a hard time keeping me in check. I wanted my freedom back, so I kept running around through different districts, to at least somehow quell my adventurous spirit. That is why I know all sorts of deviants from different districts."

"Wow, that is really... sad..."

A girl who loved freedom even more than me, and now, has to remain here for the rest of her life? The more I hear the stories of these prisoners, the more I realise how foolish this current system is. We don't deserve this. None of us does.

"Nah, I don't really care anymore." She shrugs. "Now that I can go on hunts, it somehow compensates for my lack of adventures. Whenever I chase after a deer or an antelope, I feel I've still got it in my blood, and I've not really changed. I've only become somewhat lustful for blood, and that's it. And then, when my wings finally grow, I'll have it all cool - I'll be able to fly all I like. Humans can't fly, so at least that's an advantage."

She laughs. I understand her - when we are sad about our fate, we begin to seek even the smallest positive details, in order to keep our spirits up. Otherwise, one can go insane, worrying about it all day long, when one can't change a thing.

"So, who are you going to hunt with, this evening?" Annabelle asks.

"Well, I don't know..." I shrug. "You're going with the merpeople, huh?"

"Yeah. Sorry that I can't accompany you, but I've promised them I'd go whale-hunting with them, today. We'll go to the shores."

"Wow, really?"

The shores are the border of this island, hence this prison. From what I remember, the fairy barrier stands in the water in a certain place in the south, while in other places, it stands on the land. If Annabelle says they're going to the shores, it means she's going exactly to the south, where the fairy barrier does not cross the land. Honorée escaped from the north, so she crossed the barrier before she'd reach the edge of the island. If she had flown over the water back then, the warden would've never stopped her - as Knut has said, even if he's a snow leopard, he's a fire wielder, not a water one. That creates an immense advantage for us - if we escape from the water the next time, the warden will be unable to get us.

"Say, Annabelle, can I come too?"

"Huh? You want to try whale-hunting? Aren't your hunting skills too dull for that yet?"

"Ugh, come on! I want to have some fun too!" I laugh. "I'll do my best!"

"Hmm, okay. I've got no problem with that." Annabelle shrugs. "If you die, it'll be your fault."

"Heh, I won't die!"

I shall go whale-hunting with them, and check the water barrier. If I get to know the area not only from the map but up close, it'll be easier to devise an optimal plan for breaking out, later on.