Alone In the World

Chapter 7: Someway Over The Prison Gates

The ride to Juvie was overbearing. Not only do I hate the fact that the trip was longer than I thought, but because the horrible cop who arrested me was the man who knew my parents more than I did.

Biting my lip, I turned away from Aaron's head then stared at the glass. Suddenly, the anger I felt inside instantly exploded. "So what's with Thing One and Thing Two?" I asked in a snarled voice.

Aaron drove until he was stopped by a red light. Annoyed, he rummaged through the glove compartment, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it with a lighter. After he puffed out the smoke, he told me that they were his colleagues.

"From where?" I snickered. "Law and Order?" Aaron stopped smoking then looked back at me. "Don't joke," he warned. "You are going to prison, Ben?" "For kicking a nobody in the crotch?" I guessed. "Or for the accusations that I stole some useless silverware?"

"Both," Aaron sighed. "Really Ben, this is bad-" "Not for you and your goons," I muttered. "Ben," he sighed. "I am going to give you some advice about how to survive."

"First of all, don't talk like some tough guy. Second, use your head, not your anger." "Wow," I said sarcastically. "That's some advice. "Can you give me some advice on how to get out of New York?"

Aaron fell silent for a moment then stared hard at the drizzling windshield. "You can't escape your fear," he said quietly. "You can't forget your past and you can never go back." I stared at him in shock.

"I understand," he added. "This city has its bad news, so is trying to be a reckless person. A fourteen year old kid, like you should have known that by now." I crossed my arms and stared at my black cushioned seat.

"I want to get out of here," I insisted. "When I turn eighteen, I am going to get full custody of Seth and go somewhere new." "Good luck with that," Aaron chuckled. The red light automatically turned green, allowing Aaron to move forward.

While he was driving, I unlocked my handcuffs then set them besides my seat. I hated these cuffs. I hate that they nearly scarred my wrists. "I know that this is hard for you," Aaron replied, still letting out a steam of smoke out of his mouth.

"Trust me, I have been there." After a long silence, I asked Aaron if he could look after Seth. "I don't know, Ben." he said. "I am not sure that your social worker can let me do that." Yet, he smokes in the car. I thought miserably.

"You need to do that," I insisted. "That snake is going to put him in another terrible foster home, and because last I checked, it will be a mistake for the NYPD." Aaron's eyes remained on the road, tossing out his cigarette from a nearby trashcan.

As soon as we reached to the juvie detention center, I put on my handcuffs and stared blankly at the flying dust. As the car parked in an empty parking lot, Aaron got out of the driver seat, walked over to my side, and opened the door.

"Let's go," Aaron sighed. He tugged my arm and marched over to a tall, gray building. The detention center was surrounded by electric wires and gates, straight down from me was a huge searchlight. I saw two burly guards carry German shepherd dogs and the look on prison guards' faces when they saw Aaron and me. As soon as we entered into the center, everything became a blur to me: we both walked inside to a white reception area, which reminded me of a hospital's.

I couldn't hear anything out of Aaron's mouth, because I wondered if Seth was doing okay. The next thing I knew, I removed my gloves and stamped my fingers into the ink and rubbed them on a piece of paper. An overweight prison guard handed me my clothes then pointed me to the bathroom, where I changed into my orange jumpsuit.

Aaron dragged me into a huge white room, where a solemn old woman in a brown satin shirt, black pencil skirt, and heels sat in a three-wheeled chair. She handed me a black card with my name and numbers then made me stand in front of a camera.

After she snapped my picture, Aaron gave the photographer a brief nod then led me into another room, but this time, it had full of iron cells filled with damaged kids. This room wasn't like the others; it didn't have too much white, old people, and quietness. The gray floor calmed me as I headed straight down to my cell. As much as I wanted to look at the ceiling, I didn't want Aaron to think that I was like the juvie kids.

While Aaron wasn't looking, I slipped into his pocket and stuffed his lighter into my pocket. "Careful Ben," Aaron whispered. My eyes widened in fear. Did he see it? "Remember what I said before," he added. "Don't look and don't talk. Trust only yourself, okay?" "Yes," I whispered, grateful that he didn't see me take his lighter.

"I will make sure that your brother is safe," Aaron promised. "If Seth dies or something bad happens to him," I threatened. "I will never forgive you." Instead of lecturing me, Aaron nodded as he unlocked the cell, allowing me to go inside, and then shut it behind me. The door made a rickety sound when it closed, reminding me of a train coming around the tracks.

He gave me a small smile then left the cell room. I stood idly in my empty new cell, toying with the lighter inside my pocket. Just then, I heard the sound a page turning and saw a kid lying in his bed. He looks two years older than me, has blond hair, charming freckles, a face that attracts chicks, and a pale face.

Like me, he wore an orange jumpsuit. When I came a bit closer to him, I saw him looking at a catalog full of motorcycles. As soon as he saw me, a sneering grin appeared on his face. "Welcome Roommate," he coldly greeted. The boy pointed his finger at his stack of motorcycles and Victoria's Secret summer catalogs on the nightstand then at me.

"Just so we are on the same page," he said. "I make sure no one touches my things. Do it, and you will have a knuckle sandwich. If you sit on your side of the cell, don't tick me off, and mind your own business, I'll mind mine. Got it?" I nodded very quickly. The boy flashed a smile then beamed. "Great," he said. "See you in the morning."

I walked over to my blanketless bed and stared at the ceiling. It's going to be awhile before I figure out a way to escape this dungeon.