THE ALGORITHM

16.

Bilal wasn't a fan of him leaving his family in California, but quickly dismissed his thoughts when he realized Theo's wife didn't want to return to Manhattan. She liked California and felt it was the perfect place to live and raise their daughter.

"What's wrong?" Theo questioned Bilal.

"Everything. It's a long fucking story..." Bilal trailed off, scratching his head.

###

Being confined had a lot of disadvantages, but Penny felt mentally prepared for it. She'd been living in the mansion and couldn't go outside unless accompanied by security. Jail was a little different. She couldn't walk around and leave her cell like she wanted, and that bothered her. She sat in the small room with nothing to do for the first couple of days.

Jail was jail to Penny. She wasn't scared, but the place was weird for her. Most of the inmates stayed to themselves or hung around their designated cliques. She was a lone sheep, deciding to stay out of the way. Penny was surprised no one tried her. She showered, ate her disgusting meals without being bothered, and spent a few minutes in the yard.

She became acquainted with her routine as the days passed and felt numb to the entire situation. Penny didn't know what was going to happen. She was a natural pessimist and assumed everything would eventually fall on her. Penny knew she wouldn't stand a chance.

The courtyard was a little sparse, but people were around, taking in the fresh air. Penny decided to step out and let the sun's light cast against her dark skin. It had been a while since she was able to do this. With all the nonstop rain, she had to put her sunbathing on pause.

"Every time I come out here, you're standing near the fence. What's up with that?"

Penny didn't bother to respond to the gruff voice. She was too busy tugging at her shirt. Here she was again, dressed in color-coordinated clothes. The only difference is that she was matching with several people.

"You don't hear me talking to you."

She looked over her shoulder and realized a short, light-skinned woman stood there. She had several tattoos on her face. Her hair was in locs, similar to Penny's, but thicker. She held a disoriented look as she scrutinized the woman.

"Yo, you cool?" The girl continued until she realized who the Penny was. She took a step back and snapped her fingers. "I know you."

"How?" Penny asked, curious to know. "Because I don't know you."

"The same people fostered us—you don't remember me? Kincaid."

The wheels started to spin as soon as Penny heard her name. She nodded in realization while turning around to view the woman. They were fostered together, but it was a short-lived thing since Penny requested to be removed from the home. She remembered something happening between Kincaid and their foster parents, specifically the father. She heard molestation was involved, but didn't know if it was true or not.

"Oh yeah, I remember you." Penny looked her up and down with a subtle expression. "What are you doing in here?"

"Shit..." Kincaid cursed, "Armed robbery charges. I'm waiting to see what they're going to do with my charges. I got me a lawyer."

Penny shook her head and scoffed. She wasn't too surprised since Kincaid was always being scolded and punished for having sticky fingers. Now, she found herself incarcerated.

"But I'm innocent." Kincaid continued, shrugging. "I was at the wrong place and my gun was hot...that's all." She pinpointed Penny and asked, "Now, why are you here? I never expected you to be in this place. You was a nerd. You always stayed to yourself and read books."