Blue on Blue

Chapter Twenty-Three

Leisure time in the rec room is the only place in the JDC where all the residents are allowed at one time -- that's about sixty juvies in one room. 

There's a menu of controlled choices at each resident's fingertips: drawing or painting, playing cards, watching movies, listening to music, or reading books. By no means is doing nothing on the menu – idle hands and all that stuff, you know. Guards loom on the periphery of the room holding the thin line between order and chaos. 

Chaos is what Bear and Eli are counting on.   

Eli holds a fan of spades and hearts in front of him, waiting for his opponent to draw a card. He eyes Bear, walking toward the wall of dormitory-style chairs in front of the tv. On his way there, Bear whispers something to Skully, a kid from another pod with a tattoo sleeve of skulls and roses stacked up his right arm. Skully's mouth twists into a scowl and his dagger eyes dart to Peanut, across the room. 

You'd think someone called Peanut is small in size, but not this juvie. Rumor has it that it's his severe peanut allergy that got him the name. With the way this kid picks fights with just about anyone who looks his way, Nut would be a more fitting name. Everyone on the Hall, including most of the guards, make it a practice to never look Peanut square in the eyes, unless you're looking for trouble, that is. 

The way Skully is dagger eyeing Peanut at this very moment, it's obvious he's looking for a fight. There's no doubt about it. He's looking straight into Peanut's wide, unblinking psychopath stare.

Eli scans the periphery of the room where two rookie guards are casually standing, neither one remotely aware of the brewing mayhem that is unfolding in the center of the room. 

Bear saunters toward the outer edge of the room in a measured stride. He lifts his chin, signaling Eli to move toward the window. 

Eli springs up, pushing his chair back, clearing the space just in time to escape Peanut's path of destruction. 

Peanut lifts the card table and flips it, sending a tornado of playing cards swirling into the air. Teeth clenched, he charges toward the center of the room where Skully is squaring off, fists clenched, eyes wide. 

The two juvies collide like rams locking horns. 

Chummy, Peanut's bunk-mate jumps into the mix. He sucker-punches Skully in the back of his head. 

More juvies leap into the madness until an orange mountain of fists and feet fills the center of the room. 

The rookie guards call for backup, clamoring for order and control.

Bear meets up with Eli. "This one's lose," he says, kicking at a panel below the only window in the room. 

Eli kicks too until the panel busts apart. 

Bear sprawls his hand across Eli's back. "Go! Go!"  

Eli crawls through the splintered pieces of wood, out into the yard. He grabs a hold of Bear's orange jumpsuit and pulls him through.

The winter wind is like a punch to the face, but Eli barely feels it with the adrenaline pumping through his veins. 

Bear waves his arm. "This way." 

Eli follows, running as fast as he can toward the razor wire fence surrounding the yard. 

"There's a weak spot," Bear says, pointing. "Here." He lifts the chain link up from the snow-covered dirt. 

Eli slides under on his back, streaking his orange jumpsuit with mud. His exposed skin is red and numb, but he doesn't care. He's in open space now. There's nothing between him and the streets except for the night air. He pulls up the fence. Bear slides through and bounces to his feet.

The two of them run along-side each other, their arms and legs a windmill of orange. 

Alarms echo behind them. 

Juvies have found their way through the panel and are spilling out into the yard. "This way," a juvie shouts. "Under the fence!" 

Guards are yelling. 

Police dogs are barking. 

Juvies are hootin' and hollerin'.

Eli and Bear sprint through the city streets, staying close to the buildings sprawled along the concrete. 

Despite the freezing temperature, Eli's panting like Briggs on a ninety-degree day. His throat is dry as sandpaper. His lungs burn in his chest. There's no stopping. He has to keep going. Police will be canvasing the city soon.

"Look out," Bear says, lifting his chin to an oncoming set of headlights. "Get down!" 

Eli crouches behind a mailbox, as still and small as a snail. He gulps at the air, swallowing icicles with each breath he takes. Sweat drips down his back. His orange jumpsuit is soaked. He scans the street. Bear is nowhere to be seen. 

Eli lowers his head as a taxicab passes by. It's covered in snow, far more than what has collected on these city streets.       

A giant man wearing a baseball cap sits in the driver's seat. In a blur, a face appears in the backseat window. Eli's eyes widen. He would know that face anywhere. He has drawn it a thousand times. Maggie!

                                                  💙💙💙

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