Chapter 13
Behind Bars
Aphmau

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"We find the Defendant..."

"...guilty."

No...

We lost.

I'm guilty.

I can't stop the tears from flowing, as everyone starts yelling.

"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"

"I WANT A REDO!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!"

"I KNEW IT!"

"YES!"

"WE NEVER SHOULD HAVE TRUSTED HER!"

I tune it out.

Suddenly I'm crying.

I'm full on sobbing.

Curled up in ny chair, and nobody can hear me.

No, they are all too busy.

Too busy arguing.

Too busy yelling.

Too busy fighting.

Someone pulls me up.

I just follow.

Everything is a blur.

Then I wake up.

"Get up! It's breakfast time!"

Dreaming again.

We lost.

I've been in this prison for 3 weeks now.

Aaron visits me every day.

Sometimes he brings the girls.

Sometimes he brings the boys.

The others visit too.

Except the ones against me.

Aaron updates me on Zane every day.

He's getting better, but still hasn't woken up. The doctors say he won't be able to walk again.

"Come on, your fiancé is here." The officer says. I follow him away.

Unlike the other prisoners, I often spend time in the visitors area because people visit me so often.

I smile when I see Aaron, and he smiles back.

"Hey Aaron." I say, sitting down. He sits across from me. Glass stands between us, with a hole so we can hear each other.

"Hey Aph. How are you?" He asks.

"Same as usual..." I sigh.

In jail. Alone. Upset. Tired.

"I'm sorry... I really am, I thought we would win-"

"Aaron, it's not your fault." I say.

"I... yeah... I know..." he sighs, looking down.

"If it helps... I think I've almost recovered all of my memory." I say.

That's true. I remember almost everything. Just a few things here and there are missing.

"That's great! Katelyn, Kaiya, and Taiya are the same way." He smiles. Then he leans forward. I do the same.

"Be careful. Tonight, we're going to get you out of here. I promise." He whispers in my ear. I pull away, and stare up at him, a smile finding it's way to my lips.

"Thank you..." I murmur, leaning my forehead on his.

"I have good news." He says quietly.

"Really?" I ask.

"Yeah." He pulls away. I sit back in my chair. "Zane woke up today."

"Really?!" I exclaim, overjoyed. Thank Irene Zane is okay.

"Yeah. He can't talk yet, but he woke up. And smiled at Kawaii~chan. I... think she may have exploded from happiness."

"That sounds like Kawaii~chan, heh..."

"Yeah. Other then that... well things have been a little boring without you."

He reaches over, and we hold hands.

We stay like that for a long time, until he sighs.

"I need to go... I'm sorry Aph..." he murmurs. I lean towards him, and he does the same.

"Tonight okay? We're getting you out of here. I promise." He murmurs, brushing his lips over mine. I nod, and we kiss. Slowly, passionately, kiss.

When we pull away, he stands up. I stand up to.

"I love you. See you later." He says, backing away. I nod, and smile. He leaves.

I'm dragged back to the other prisoners.

"Hey Aphmau. Your fiancé visited again?" My cellmate, Lucy Hawkins, asks. She has brown tanned skin, black hair, and is a meif'wa with black fur. She has dark green eyes as well.

"Mhm." I smile a little at her. She's surprisingly nice for a criminal.

"Figured. You seem happier then normal." She smiles. I nod.

"Yeah. What are you doing?" I ask.

"Kicking this guy's butt at Go Fish." She replies.

"You haven't won yet Lucy." The prisoner across from her says. I recognize him as Joseph Parkerson, a guy with brown hair and hazel eyes, and pale skin. He's a human.

"Oh shut up Joseph, you've never beaten her and you never will." The girl next to him replies. Her name is Mikatsune Ketemeh, but she goes by Mika. A ginger-haired woman with soft red eyes and pale skin. Mika and Joseph are cellmates.

"Mika, your supposed to be encouraging me!" Joseph argues.

"Go Joseph. Woo hoo." Mika says sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Joseph glares at her.

"You two are cute together." I say.

Joseph gives me a confused look, while Mika glares at me, suddenly bright red.

"I don't know what your talking about." She says firmly. I laugh.

"Eyes on the game Joseph, it's your turn." Lucy says. Joseph nods.

"Got any 3s?" He asks.

"Go Fish." She replies. He groans and grabs a card. I laugh.

A loud bell ringing says it's time for lunch. We all stand up, Lucy and Joseph abandoning the game, and go to the cafeteria.

"Is this supposed to be food?" I ask, staring at the brown mushy... thing in front of me.

It's supposed to be some kind of soup I think.

"Bleh." Lucy turns her nose up at it. "No thank you." She pushes it away. Mika and I do the same. Joseph is the only one who eats it.

"What?" He asks, "I'm hungry."

"Your disgusting..." Mika grumbles.

"All boys are." Lucy sighs.

"Not all, but most." I say.

"Oh yeah, your fiancé isn't." She mutters. I blush and nod.

"Aaron isn't gross. He's much more mature. Especially compared to Joseph." I say.

"Are you suggesting I'm immature?" Joseph asks.

I nod.

"Hey!" He glares at me. Mika snickers.

"Hey... thanks." I say.

"For what?" Lucy asks.

"For being nice to me, I know you all are friends, and you really didn't have to let me tag along with you all, but... thank you. It makes me feel... more welcome I guess." I say.

"Pfft. You are our friend dummy. Anyone who can withstand Joseph's stupidity, combined with my attitude, Lucy's naivety, and Talon's absolute lack of brain, is a friend of ours." Mika says.

"I'm right here." Talon says. He's a boy with tanned skin and blond hair, matched with warm silver eyes.

"Add, Aphmau's potato-ness, to that list then." I say, laughing.

"Hah! Once we get out of here, Ellie's temper, and Pearl's unnerving calmness is going on too." Mika replies, smiling.

"What about Chris?" Joseph asks.

"Chris can go f*** himself. He's just rude." She retorts. Lucy snickers.

"I can hear you!" Chris yells from across the room. A boy with black hair, cold brown eyes, pale skin, and a lot of eyeliner. He's emo to say the least. Kind of like Zane was back in high school.

"Whatever, any plans? This prison is awesome. Mostly because they allow cell sleepovers." Lucy says.

"Ooh! Let's have a cell sleepover tonight!" Mika exclaims.

"Oh no..." Joseph grumbles.

Mika whacks him over the head.

"Ow! Okay okay..." he mutters.

"Good idea! Whose cell?" Talon asks.

"Me and Aphmau's how about?" Lucy suggests.

"Tonight okay? We're getting you out of here. I promise."

Aaron promised to get me out of here.

I love him, but...

I don't want to leave these people behind. They're my friends too.

"Why not ours?" Talon asks.

"Then we have to deal with Chris." Mika says.

"We have to deal with him anyway. Rule say cellmates have to stick together." Joseph says.

"I hate it when your right..." Mika sighs.

"No. Ours." I insist.

"I dunno, Talon's cell is pretty cool." Lucy shrugs.

"Ours." I insist again.

"Why do you insist on your and Lucy's cell?" Mika asks.

"I... uh... quietly, okay? I don't want other people to know." I lower my voice.

"Okay, what is it?" Lucy asks.

"My friends from outside the prison are getting me out of here tonight. If we're having a sleepover, we should do it in mine and Lucy's cell, so we can all get out." I whisper quietly.

Nobody but them show any signs of hearing, as they all nod.

The bell rings again, signaling free time. We all get up.

"Where are we hanging out?" I ask.

"Cells. More comfortable then outside." Mika says.

"Doesn't matter to me." Joseph shrugs.

"I prefer the cells." Talon says, "But I'll have to being Chris."

"As long as I get a sunbeam to lay in." Lucy says.

So we all go hang out in the cells. More specifically, Lucy goes to sleep on her bed in a sunbeam, Mika, Joseph, Talon, and Chris find spaces on the floor, and I lay in my bed while we chat.

Finally, it's time to go to sleep.

Now I guess we wait.