The Outliers

Detention | Chapter Five

Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved

Detention By Claire Chilton

Chapter Five | Broken Rules

Carla sat on Jeremy's bed and frowned at him. "So, let me get this right. You've been up here for five years," she asked.

"Five years, seven months and thirty-two days, yes." Jeremy nodded.

"And the big crime you committed was kissing too many girls when you were eleven?" she asked, appalled by the thought.

"Yep, I'm a bad boy." Jeremy sighed. "But you know it wasn't really my fault. I mean the last girl, Becky, she kissed me, and I'd been really good and avoided girls for months. But my dad just wouldn't believe me. He said it was for my own good..." Jeremy trailed off and looked a bit sad as he peered down at his boots.

"Then he hired that therapist." Jeremy glanced up with anger flashing in his eyes. "And she twisted everything I said and declared me perverted. Well, I thought what you said to doctors was confidential, or I'd have never told her about the, er..." He paused.

"The er?" Carla asked.

"Well, we had a babysitter, and she was sixteen, and um..." He paused again. "I was curious, and..." He trailed off again, appearing helpless as he fumbled over his words.

"You had sex with your babysitter!" Carla gasped. She moved further along the bed to put some distance between them.

"No, eww! I walked in on her getting changed one day." He peered at his feet. "I am sick, aren't I?" he asked.

Carla chuckled. "No, don't be silly. You can't help what you see. I mean, I think all boys are a bit weird, but you're not any weirder than the other ones."

"Oh." Jeremy frowned. "Then why am I locked up in here?"

She frowned too as she thought about it for a moment. It really doesn't make any sense. "Who's your dad?" she asked.

"Archibald Whitcomb. You might have heard of him, he used to be a judge, but I think he gave it all up to find a cure for me."

Carla felt a smile spread across her face. The judge who sentenced me is his dad! "I've just had a very good idea," she said.

Jeremy appeared concerned.

"You can do that singing thing without the music, right?"

"Yeah, but why would I?" He pointed to the corner of his room, which contained a microphone, a mixer and massive speakers.

"Oh, that's just perfect!" she said.

"For what?" He frowned.

Carla grinned, causing his frown to deepen.

***

"How is this going to get me out of here?" Jeremy asked as the wind blew through his blond hair, causing it to ruffle in the breeze.

Carla plugged the microphone into the mixer, wincing as it squealed for a moment. "The world is going to see how amazing you are. All you've gotta do is sing." She glanced over the balcony railing toward the gates of the institute. "They'll hear you. They'll all hear you." She nodded.

"But my dad always said my music was bad." He looked unsure of himself.

She glanced back and smiled at him. "Don't you want to find out if that's true? I liked it, so it can't be bad, but there's only one way to find out."

He frowned. Then his blue eyes lit up with passion. "It's like a stage." He stared out over the balcony rail.

"For tonight, it is. It's your debut performance." She smiled.

"Thank you for doing this. Even if I end up back in that cell forever, I'll never forget this."

The sadness in his voice tugged on her heartstrings. "If this works, you won't have to go back to that cell ever again. Just... just promise me one thing, okay?"

"Anything." He beamed at her.

"Whatever happens, don't stop until you've finished all the songs in the set. Don't stop for anything."

He nodded, but then frowned. "Aren't you staying?"

"I have to help some people out. I made a promise to them that I plan to keep." I have a war to fight.

"Okay." He nodded. "I'll start in thirty minutes. I just need to warm up my voice first."

"Perfect." She patted him on the arm, and then hurried back into the corridor. With one final glance back at him, she turned and hurried down the back staircase that led into the guards sleeping quarters. It was the perfect position to be in when the riot started.

She smiled. By pure accident, Jeremy's roar of music would fulfill the other inmate's prophecy while providing a message that was so loud, the parents of the missing kids would have to hear it. Tonight, Derobmi was going to be rocked awake. Her mother was going to hear it. And then she'll come to get me out of here.

Carla yelped when someone grabbed her in the dark stairwell. She struggled to escape as an iron grip encircled her.

"Miss Mainston, fancy seeing you here. I think it's time we administered that cure, don't you?" She shivered when she heard Nick Rancy's voice.

He shoved her into the arms of a nearby guard. "Take her to nurses to station before she can cause any more problems."

"What are you going to do to me?" she cried.

"You're just going to get the same treatment that Nigel here got. He seems to be doing fine." Rancy pointed to the blank-eyed guard who was holding her.

She peered into Nigel's blank eyes. "What does it do, enlarge every muscle but your brain? Thanks, I think I'll pass on the steroid lobotomy. I prefer to be able to form more words than Oog."

"Oh, if only you had a choice." Rancy laughed as Nigel carried her down the stairs.