For the First Time

Part 6 - She's the One

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I AM SO SORRY ABOUT THE SLOW UPDLOADING. I HAD SOME ISSUES WITH MY WATTPAD ACCOUNT. MORE UPLOADS SOON. THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING THIS STORY. PLEASE VOTE AND COMMENT XX

‘I’m scared’ I muttered, looking down at the floor. I couldn’t meet his gaze. I couldn’t let him see me so weak and well unprepared. I just couldn’t.

Adrian lifted my chin up with his hand softly and said ‘Look at me Sage’ I obeyed.

‘I’m scared too, but I know somewhere inside of you there is that Sydney that tackles everything head first and someone so charismatic and beautiful that can mesmerize anyone.’

‘She’s not going to like me’ I said, sounding like a child.

Adrian shook his head and brought me closer to his chest until I was leaning over to him and he said ‘She’s going to love you. Just like I do. If she doesn’t, then too bad, but it’s not going to stop me from loving you. Nothing can, Sydney.’

I looked up at his face expecting amusement but it was dead serious. I gingerly nodded and Adrian held my hand, reassuring me.

We entered the grey building that was discretely hidden among the neutral toned buildings among it. The prison towered over us and was heavily guarded. Black SUV vans circled the area. We entered through the main entrance after a plight of stairs. The walls closed in on us and the cold swamped me and I felt chilly all over. This is what I had imagined the Alchemist re education centers would be like in my nightmares. It was like all the happiness had been sucked out of me and the grey concrete walls had trapped me. In the far distance, I could hear screams coming from the prisoner’s cells. I looked to my left at Adrian, as his trembling hand intertwined with mine. My raging emotions settled slightly at this brief touch. I gave him a reassuring smile and squeezed his hand tighter to ease some of his fear. I could get through this.

A man approached us and we introduced ourselves.

‘I’m Sydney, I had arranged a visit with Daniella Ivashkov.’

‘Surely, please follow me into the meeting room.’

Adrian and I had been directed into a room with some plain wood chairs that didn’t look stable. This room still had that dreary air and was silent. Neither Adrian nor I dared to speak and stayed in silence, waiting for Daniella to arrive. Adrian’s excitement and exuberance from the car had completely vanished and he too was taken aback by the harsh way of this prison. I couldn’t imagine how Adrian felt.

 ADRIAN’S POV

I heard a loud racket come from behind. A woman was being forcedly pushed into the jail cell. Her hands were locked from behind in steel handcuffs and her clothes were torn and in bad condition. I had been rendered speechless. I couldn’t stop watching, my gaze did not leave the woman. She was locked up again and behind the bars while I was still standing in the room. The guard stood next to hear brutally forcing her to stay down. The eyes were the same, the hair was the same. But no it couldn’t be. This couldn’t be my mum. My mum had sympathy in her eyes. Her face was always assuring and youthful. She was beautiful and gentle. She was always silent, always silently agreeing and obeying the rules, accepting what she was told as she was now. Surely, this couldn’t be my mother. But it was.

She was fighting to be free but we all knew she couldn’t get anywhere. Her eyes were full of regret and fear. Disgust spread across the features of my face. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. There was no resemblance between this woman and my nurturing mother. No, this couldn’t be happening.

The woman looked up and stared at the wall and I felt cold all over. Her eyes were wide and her voice croaky and cold. The guard let out a humorless, cruel laugh as she was tied down to the chair. I stepped back knocking into one of the chairs and ran out of the room, before she got a chance to see me. A tear rolled down my eye. I always imagined me meeting my mother would result in some mother-son bonding and her being proud of me. But this was something I could never have prepared myself for.