The Prison (Book 1)

Library

Library

I was set to be released from prison and taken on a boat to the mainland tomorrow.

Gathering my strength, I gingerly rose from the bunk with the bunk bed's metal posts for support, and slowly wobbled to the cell's closed door.

It finally opened for me.

I sighed a breath of relief; it had been locked, keeping me prisoner in my own cell all week by order of Schneizel, I suspected.

Determined, I left my cell in order to find my runaway boyfriend. He'd successfully avoided me for the whole week -not once did he return to our cell- but now I really was running out of time.

No matter what, I would find him. When I did, I'd demand to know why the hell he was avoiding me like I was the black plague, and then... then I'd say my goodbyes?

My heart squeezed painfully until I thought it was going to pop in my chest.

I hadn't quite figured that part out yet. I would just have to go with the flow.

The first place I searched was the cafeteria. I knew for a fact that Schneizel didn't eat the garbage served out of the prison's kitchens, but it wasn't Schneizel I was looking for here.

My eyes zeroed in on the dark-haired twin the moment I stepped foot into the cafeteria.

When he saw me coming, a guilt-stricken expression flashed across his face.

It played with my heartstrings.

I sighed; I didn't hold any grudges against Schneizel for trying to entertain me and include me in the prison's 'activities', nor did I hold him responsible for what happened to me. I hated having him think that I did.

"Hey," I greeted and pulled up the chair opposite him. Carefully, I slid into the chair, watching that I didn't hurt myself. My injury was still far from healed.

"Hey yourself." Schneider finally greeted, but his voice lacked its usual gusto.

By now, his beat up face was almost fully healed, save for a little swelling around his nose.

From the way he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest, I realized that he was being careful around me. There was an invisible barrier between us and I didn't like it one bit.

"You don't seriously think I blame you for what happened to me, do you?" I questioned with drawn eyebrows.

"I wouldn't blame you; I would if I were in your place," he said in all seriousness. Guilt trickled from his words like poison, clouding his heart.

Schneider was in a dark place, that much was clear to me.

Seeing him like this didn't bode well with me.

"Well, you're not, and I don't, so would you relax already?" Then, when my words didn't seem to appease his worries, I added, "Please?"

He shied his gaze away. "I'm embarrassed," he said truthfully.

I blinked a few times in surprise. "About what?"

He sighed wholeheartedly. Clearly this was something that weighed heavily on his chest. To elaborate, he said, "Schneizel's right; I should have protected you."

"No, it was he who was supposed to be protecting me. Him and I, we made a deal. But he went and left without even telling me, and now I'm pretty sure he's avoiding me," I blurted all in one breath. As soon as I was done, I inhaled deeply. For a while now, those suspicions had been weighing heavily on my chest and playing havoc in my mind. It felt surprisingly good to voice them, like letting off a bit of steam.

Schneider didn't look surprised by my suspicion.

"You know where he is? I need you to take me to him. I need to talk to him," I said pleadingly, my eyes bright with hope.

Schneider nodded in understanding. He said, "He's in the library."

I gaped. "We have a library?! How come I never knew about that?"

Schneider eyed me with an amused glint in his eyes. "Every prison has a library. Come on, I'll take you to it and help you look for him."

Relieved and grateful for the help, I followed him to the other side of the prison where I rarely went; no wonder I hadn't stumbled upon the library sooner. By my estimation, I'd only been here two or three times, and only because I'd been lost.

It proved to be quite the distance to the library.

As we walked in silence, I wondered if leading Schneider to Schneizel was a good idea. After all, they'd parted in less than friendly terms.

Ha! Talk about an understatement.

Indeed. Schneizel had warned Schneider not to let them meet. Was I stoking the fire by dragging him along on my search for Schneizel?

Fuck, things had gotten so complicated since my exoneration.

Finally, we came to a metal double-doors that opened to reveal a magnificent library straight out of New York Public Library. The library's bookshelves were solid wood and a gorgeous mahogany color, and they were filled to overflowing with books of all shapes, sizes and genres. It had everything one could want to read about from quantum mechanics to cookbooks. There were a few rectangular tables scattered about the large library, also mahogany. And to my ultimate surprise, there were more than a few inmates reading silently at the tables. Some were even diligently taking down notes.

"You look this way, I'll look that way," Schneider said.

A guy with a mohawk and many, many facial piercings suddenly shushed him, then raised his head to see who it was he'd shushed. The moment he did, the inmate paled and hid his face behind the quantum physics book he was reading.

I started looking for Schneizel on the left side of the library.

"Schneizel!" I called to him in a hushed whisper as I went from row to row. "Schneizel, are you here?"

I finally found him at an unexpectedly darkened corner of the library where barely any light reached. The books here were noticeably dustier than any other section.

If only I hadn't found him.

"What a cliché," I said bitterly, holding back a barrage of tears that threatened to spill down my face. Dread coupled with disappointment coiled in my gut like a slithering snake. It was like someone had tossed at me ice water and lava at once.

With his back to one of the bookshelves, Schneizel and some guy were locked in a tight embrace, swapping spit in the library for anyone to see. Upon noticing me, Schneizel shoved away the guy rather roughly, slamming him into the opposite bookshelf thus knocking down a few books.

I recognized who the guy was instantly.

It was the King's previous lover, the one I'd first met at the meeting in the boiler room.

Hazel.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~*

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