𝚁𝚄𝙽𝙰𝚆𝙰𝚈 ° racetrack higgins

|TWO|

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟸
"𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚘 𝙰𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗"

☁︎︎

It was no surpise that, when Tatum arrived at the Refuge, the warden himself was there waiting for her. Since having heard of the girl's arrest, Snyder hadn't been able to wipe the wide, devious smile off his face. And it was clear by the slight reddening of his fatty cheeks.

The fifteen year old was yanked off the carriage and dragged by her arm towards the gates of the building, no doubt filled to the brim with beaten, starving, orphaned children. The cop dragged her, literally, over to the warden before shoving the girl towards him.

"Welcome back, Ms. Kelly." He said with a sick smile, grabbing quickly onto her arm before she could even think about running. The man's grip was so tight that she could already feel the forming bruise. "Your brother has been waiting for you."

The girl had to bite her tongue to refrain from shouting at the man, knowing her punishment would be one of the worse things she would endure. So, she stayed silent as the warden roughly dragged her into the rundown building.

The stench was almost overwhelming as Tatum was pulled down a long hallway, rooms on either side filled to the brim with children, all of whom turned to loom as she was brought in.

Some of the kids' eyes widened at the sigh of the younger Kelly, having just seen her a few weeks ago; her and her brother had stolen supplies to sneak in to the children, knowing from experience that they weren't getting it from the warden. It's how Jack got arrested again.

Snyder stopped in front of a door at the end of the long hall, using his free hand to dig into his pocket and release his keys. He never let go of the girl. If anything, his grip tightened.

Tatum winced slightly as she heard the high pitched squeal the old door made as it swung open, revealing the pack room that it concealed. All the kids were standing straight and polite as they saw the warden, all avoiding eye contact.

Except one boy.

He stood tall at the other end of the room, his back to Snyder as he looked out the window and onto the street below, watching as people made their way throughout the city. Even despite being turned away, Tatum would recognize her brother anywhere.

"Mr. Kelly," The man greeted in his cold tone, pulling the girl forwards slightly. "I have something...or someone, for you."

Just as Jack turned around with furrowed brows, the warden shoved the girl forwards harshly, causing her to stumble until she rammed right into the older boy s shoulder. His hands immediately shot out to catch her, not realizing who it was until the fifteen year old lifted her head with a sheepish look.

"Tate?" He said in confusion, briefly glancing up as he heard Snyder leaving the room once more, slamming the door on the way out. "What are you doing here?"

"Uhh," She drawled out, seeing the disappointed look her brother was giving her. "It's a long story?" The statement sounded more like a question than an answer, but Jack didn't seem to notice.

Instead, the seventeen year old sat down on one of the bunks, crossing his ankles as he looked up at his little sister. "I have time."

𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 𝟻𝟼𝟸
𝙳𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙰𝚞𝚐𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝟷𝟾𝚝𝚑, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟶