《FALLEN》CHAPTER NINE.
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Today was different. It wasn't my usual day at work. No, because instead today, the inmates were having a workshop. I found out earlier this morning when I went to have breakfast in the staff room like I had been doing for the past two days.
Only because Daniel wasn't here and I didn't want to be on my own in the cafeteria, surrounded by inmates.
I shuddered at the thought of it.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all inmates which I had a faint fear of. It was only specific ones that made me feel uncomfortable. And suddenly, I thought back to the other night. That horrific grin of his, his shiny bold head, the tattoo traveling up his neck as well as the one on his face, and his supposed to be seductive tone of voice.
Mark.
I think that's his name...I'm not sure. But I just tend to grow uncomfortable around him and especially the pet name he keeps calling me 'Sweetheart'. I feel as if I've had heard it before...but I'm not sure where.
Shaking off my thoughts, I let out a small huff, finding myself frowning. I put my focus back on the bowl of cereal in-front of me. It was simple, frosted cereal, coated with sugar. I kept to myself, sitting a seat away from one of the woman guards.
I could understand Daniel now. Before I was a little confused as to why he didn't get along with the other guards, or specific ones and held a disliking towards them, but I now understood where he's coming from.
They thought highly of themselves, treating the inmates like dirt. Daniel disagreed with that, and so did I. They talked about the inmates like trash and I didn't like it. I frowned to myself, taking small spoonful's of frosty flakes.
"And then the fucker tried to say he was innocent and he shouldn't even be here in the first place - yeah fucking right." A male guard told the others, earning laughter and snorts. I chewed down on my bottom lip, pushing up my glasses.
I was feeling uncomfortable.
The laughter quietened down and the guards began talking in small groups. I let out a soft sigh, missing Daniel more. It was only then I realized that Daniel was...my friend. Something I didn't have since I was twelve.
It was my own fault. I took full blame for it. When the tragic death of my parents took place, I began shutting people out. I had a small hope that some of them would understand and just give me space while I mourned over their missing presence - but I was wrong.
Ever since then, I'd never taken the time to befriend someone. I had realized the sad truth; no-one stays. Some pass away, others turn their backs on you and then there you are...left on your own.
"Hey," A female voice called, snapping me out of my negative thoughts. Pushing up my glasses, I glanced up, seeing one of the female guards staring at me. I arched a brow in response, a little confused and surprised.
"Can I help you?" I asked, not rudely, just curious. She eyed me, and I did it back. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, blonde locks of hair pulled into a slick ponytail, blue orbs like mine and dark red, thin lips. I arched my brow again.
"I'm Sofia, guard around here." She introduced, stating her status as if I wouldn't be able to tell. I nodded in response.
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"Isabelle; Belle for short." I told her, keeping my tone flat. I wasn't particularly interested in interacting with her. She just seemed odd.
"Nice name. You're the nurse around here, right?" She asked, a hint of suspicion laced onto her words. I found myself growing flustered, nodding at her.
"Uh, yeah." I mumbled, inwardly thinking that was a stupid question.
Could she not see my white lab coat, with my name on it?
"Welcome to the squad." She winked with a grin. I mustered up a false smile.
"Thanks." I muttered. After that, her focus returned on the group conversation going on around the table. I spotted a few familiar guards; Marco, James, and one I had seen Daniel talk to before...Noah? I believe his name was.
Ten minutes later, a bell rang, signalizing it was our time to start our day. It sort of reminded me of high-school, how their system worked. Sighing to myself, I stood up, straightening out my clothing. I was wearing a simple, dark blue, office dress. Paired with black flat shoes and black tights to cover my legs.
I followed the guards, reading over the schedule I received for the day. I would have the same lunch and dinner hours, but instead of therapy session, I would sort of be like a guard...I guess. But I was there for medical attention, if anything was to happen to any inmate, I'd have to take care of it.
I let out a soft breath, following behind the crowd of guards. I only wished Daniel would be back some time during the day, like he was supposed to be. Chewing down on my bottom lip, I stepped inside the hall I found the prison had. Once again, reminding me of a school.
Shaking off my thoughts, my eyes grazed over the sight. The inmates sat on chairs, facing the front of the hall, where a small stage was set up. Standing on the stage was the familiar face, Mr Joan's, but he wasn't alone.
An African-American woman, with beautiful, curly, black hair, stood beside him. She was dressed in smart clothing, a black pencil skirt and white blouse tucked in, a black blazer on top. I held in gasp when seeing her heels, they were so high, yet she managed to walk in them.
I inwardly applauded her.
I wasn't exactly fond of heels, mainly because I couldn't walk in them. And I wasn't exactly a girly girl. I wore dresses and skirts, but I kept to sneakers when it came to footwear. Snapping out my daze of staring, I pursed my lips, looking around the hall on where to go.
Most of the guards were walking around, some standing by the doors which were exits, while others stood lent up against the walls, eyes scanning the rows of inmates. I suddenly felt a hand being placed on my shoulder, startling me.
I turned around, relief and surprise flooding my stomach.
"Daniel!" I whisper yelled, not wanting to interrupt the silence. He stood dressed in his usual uniform, his curly hair combed back and a small smile playing on his lips.
"Hey Belle," He greeted and I couldn't stop myself as I threw my arms around him and pulled him in for a hug.
"I missed you so much! You don't even know how boring those two days were for me!" I told him, squeezing him. I felt him hug me back, patting my back gently.
"Belle...I can't b-breath," He choked out, making me pull away. He cleared his throat, grinning down at me.
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"Jesus. You sure know how to hug." He playfully muttered, rubbing his chest. I shrugged, still smiling. Daniel's eyes darted behind me, making me follow and I then blushed when seeing a few inmates and guards turned to stare at us. I bowed my head.
"Let's go." He cleared his throat. I nodded, sighing as I followed his movement. He walked over to the wall, nodding his head in greeting at Noah (I think his name was). I stood beside him, feeling a few number of eyes on me. The blush burned against my cheeks.
"Relax, B." Daniel mumbled, and I nodded, slowly feeling the blush fade. A few murmurs sounded throughout the crowd of inmates, who were sat in their seats. I played with my hands, trying to occupy myself.
"Hey, do you have my keys?" I heard Daniel ask.
"Yeah," I whispered back, my left hand searching through my pocket. I felt the cold metal under my finger tips, making me pull it out.
"Thanks," He mumbled, taking the keys from me. I lightly smiled.
"So, how was your day off?" I quietly asked him. A grin grew onto his lips and a small glint danced in his eyes.
"Great. I took the kids out for dinner and received loads of kisses and hugs. And Sherry, well you know how that went..." He trailed off, a smirk growing onto his lips. I chuckled, shaking my head.
"I do...unfortunately." I playfully rolled my eyes, earning a laugh from him.
"SILENCE!" A deep voice yelled, instantly silencing everyone up. I frowned to myself. I glanced towards the front, seeing Mr Joan's nod in approval at James, another guard.
"Thank you." Mr Joan's said, his voice sounding out of speakers as he spoke into the mic.
"As you already know, today is not your usual day, we have a guest speaker in today and she will be holding up a work shop for you all." He continued to speak. But I drained out his voice, feeling a familiar pair of eyes on me.
My brows knotted in confusion and concentration as my eyes skimmed over the crowd of inmates, searching for whoever was looking at me. And then my eyes landed on him and my breath hitched inside my throat.
Sam.
He was dressed in his usual hat and sweats, the hood over his head. His hazel eyes bluntly stared at me, skimming over my body slyly. I blushed, pushing up my glasses as I glanced away for a second. His jaw was naturally clenched, defined as he looked in my direction.
I arched a brow at him, smiling at him. His lips twitched back slightly and I received a small smile.
My heart jumped.
I glanced away, chewing down on my bottom lip as I felt my blush heat up.
Once again I was feeling like a little school girl.
Daniel and I walked back inside of the hall, the workshop about to begin again after our lunch break. We didn't do much the first part of the session, instead we listened along with inmates to the spokeswoman. She was talking about; mistakes, change and improvement.
The three aimed, so the inmates would listen and hopefully have a change of mind on their wrong doings.
I let out a small yawn, going to stand where Daniel and I were before. The inmates were already settled down and some guards were walking in, putting on tough looks. I understood that part. In order for them to seem intimating to the inmates, they'd want to look hard and for someone not to mess with them.
I bit down on my bottom lip, something I found myself doing a lot lately. It was becoming a bad habit.
Soon after, everyone arrived ready for session two to start. I sighed, feeling a little tired from standing all day, but there was no other place to sit, so I'd have to bare with it. And then again, I felt as if someone was watching me, so I scanned over the inmates.
But the little hope in my stomach deflated when my eyes landed on someone other than Sam. A bubble of fear rose in my stomach as I stared back at the same inmate from yesterday.
Mark.
A toothy grin was on display for my eyes. His eyes scanned over me, making me grow red in discomfort. I shifted on spot, frowning at him. And then he winked, pressing a kiss to his hand, before blowing it off to me. I gasped.
A few chuckles and snorts sounded in my ears, only encouraging him to continue with his horrible act of flirting. He was only making me feel uncomfortable and definitely violated. I inwardly cringed.
I tore my eyes away from him, not wanting to please him further. He wanted my attention, just so he could continue with whatever he was doing. I bit down on my bottom lip, glancing up for a second, only to find a confused looking Sam.
His jaw was clenched in what seemed like anger, and his eyes were narrowed as well as his brows. His eyes darted to me for a second, before moving to someone else. My stomach churned as I followed his gaze, a frown growing onto my lips when seeing him look at no other than Mark.
The bold man was still staring at me, a grin on his lips. I tore my eyes away, glancing back at Sam who no longer looked confused. He looked angry. A sudden urge to go over and comfort him grew in my stomach, but I shook it off, blushing to myself.
Control yourself, Belle!
"Inmates! Can I have your attention!" The spokeswoman's voice echoed in my ears as she spoke into the mic. The room silenced and everyone faced the front.
"Thank you. We'll now begin session two." She chirped. I zoned out, shifting on spot as she continued to speak on. Daniel tapped my shoulder, making me look up at him. He held a frown.
"Are you alright? I can remove the inmate from here if he's making you uncomfortable?" He asked in concern. I shook my head, half-smiling at him.
"No, it's fine. I'm just going to ignore him, like you said before." I cleared my throat. His eyes lingered for a second, before he sighed and eventually looked away.. The woman continued speaking and began talking about the work shop she was going to start.
The inmates were instructed to stand up and move to the back as the guards were going to change the layout of the furniture. Tables were brought in and placed around. Both Daniel and I joined in to help them, placing six chairs around one table, as it was a group task they'd be doing.
It was when we finished and the inmates took their seats, a sexual comment was thrown my way.
"Come take a seat in my lap, your sexy ass looks like it needs a rest."
It received its usual response, laughter, snorts and snickers. I blushed in embarrassment, suddenly wishing I hadn't chosen to wear this dress. Bowing my head in shame, I walked over to where Daniel was standing.
He eyed me with a concern and hint of anger danced in his eyes. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but instead he sighed.
"Are you alright?"
I nodded my head, still feeling the blush on my cheeks as well as a few lingering eyes.
"Just...just ignore them." He lowly said. I bobbed my head in reply, inhaling a deep breath. Once again the room silenced and eyes turned to face the front. However, one pair of eyes didn't. When I glanced up, I saw the familiar pair of golden orbs staring at me.
His jaw was clenched and his body was heaving. I noticed his hands were pulled into fist. He looked ready to strike. His eyes traveled over to someone else, but I didn't follow, knowing he was going to be looking at Mark.
An odd feeling built in my stomach.
He was angry.
•••••
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