The Prison Project [-Editing-]

22: Linley

FINAL CHAPTER!!! Thank you all so so so much for reading, I love each and every one of you! I hope you have enjoyed this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. <3

22: Linley

When I wake once more, I am dressed in a white hospital gown, lying alone in my room. I groggily sit up. My head pounds and I sigh.

“Good morning, Linley,” someone says. I look up and see a nurse standing there. Her dark hair is pulled up into a bun, and red lipstick adorns her lips, making her smile seem even larger. “How are you feeling today?”

“A little nauseous,” I say honestly.

“That’s expected. You just went through a traumatic experience and you had a lot of drugs in your system. We’re flushing them out now. You’ll be pretty tired for a couple of days.”

“I’m just glad it’s over,” I sigh, lying back down.

“As are we, Linley. You should rest for a little while, but you can go visit your friend Trey in a little while, if you’d like.”

I smile. “I would like that very much.”

She gives me a few instructions about medicine and using the call button, then exits the room, leaving me alone once more. I rest for about three hours, which I pass by watching whatever I can find on the TV. When I see Trey, he looks weak, but happier and healthier than I am. We talk for a little while, but then we are told to go to sleep. He hugs me and kisses my head and tells me to sleep well. I tell him the same.

We stay for about three days, which pass in a blur. Lots of people come by to ask us questions and piece the story together. Annie was beat up really badly; we were told that three of her ribs were broken, and that she was blind in her left eye. She comes to visit me from another room on day two. She thanks me for telling them about her, and I tell her that she deserved the pardon. We talk for a while.

“What exactly was The Prison Project, Annie?” I ask.

She stares at the wall for a moment before answering. “The Prison Project was an experiment. The idea was to erase your memories, then set up an entirely new story for you to live off of. In this story, we would teach you that we were your leaders, that you were loyal to us, and that you would do anything we told them to. Jade and Keene hoped to slowly kill off important political figures without getting their own hands dirty. Slowly and surely, we would take over the country, and no one would be the wiser. The idea was, essentially, to turn you all into robots.”

“So that’s what all the treatments were for,” I say. “To brainwash us.”

She nods. “Yes. That was the basic idea. Of course, you wouldn’t be real robots. But you would certainly be acting like them.”

We are quiet for a moment. “Why did you resist, Annie?” I ask. “Weren’t they your friends? Did you ever want to truly follow their example?”

She sighs. “They were never my friends. They were friends with my sister. We’ve never got along. When we were kids, she saved my life and told me that I was indebted to her. Joining this project was my way of repaying her. But I hated every second of it. But I was being selfish. I was only trying to save my own skin. Looking back on it now, I wish I would’ve done the right thing and told them they were wrong. I would be dead, of course, but I would certainly feel a lot better.”

“You did tell them what was truly on your heart,” I say. “You helped us fight back; you helped escape. None of us would be here without your help.”

She smiled. “I suppose you’re right.”

We continue to talk until she starts to feel tired and says that she needs to get back to her room and sleep a little. She hugs me before she leaves to go back to her own room.

Day three comes around. I spend the day with Trey, Howie and Scott. We pass the time by cracking jokes and getting to know each other better.

“How did you end up getting out?” Trey asks him after awhile.

He starts to laugh. “I pretended I was some stupid drunk kid.”

I have to suppress a laugh. “You what?”

“Well, when they started threatening me, I started giggling and talking nonsense, and then I leaned on their shoulders and eventually fell over, still laughing. The leader finally told the others to throw me back out, so they did. I waited a few minutes after they left, and then I went to the police.”

Trey shakes his head. “I can’t believe you.”

“What? It worked, didn’t it?”

I laugh again. “Yeah, Howie. It worked.”

On day four, we are finally checked out of the hospital and put on a plane to go home.

“Are you excited?” Trey asks me as we take off.

“You have no idea,” I say, giving a small laugh. She smiles and puts and arm around my shoulders.

“Thank you,” I whisper..

“For what?”

“For coming after me.”

“You’re worth coming after.”

I smile. “I’m glad you think so.”

He gently strokes me shoulder with his thumb.

I spend the plane ride fidgeting and thinking about what will happen when we get home. I’m excited to be home again, but I’m not ready to return to the real world. My head still feels foggy and I feel restless. Yes, I was rescued, and yes, justice was served, but at the same time, I feel like we let people down. Poor little Marisol, for instance. We were too late to save her. Trey had to be the one to break the news to the Romero family. I was with him. It was one of the most horrible things I’ve ever experienced.

Once we finally arrive in Sacramento, we gather our things and make our way to the baggage claim. Mama and Papa Macnab are standing there, waiting with giant smiles and tears in their eyes. As soon as they see us, they rush forward and pull us both into hugs. I try not to cry, but I do. These past few weeks have taught me that it’s okay to show emotion, especially when it’s happiness and relief.

Upon arriving home, Mama Macnab starts making dinner, and Papa Macnab puts a movie on. I sit next to Trey on the couch, and Boone lays across our legs. We spend the evening just hanging out and talking, telling our stories and catching up with each other. We put on another movie, and I snuggle into Trey’s side. I feel such a need to be close to him, now more than ever. After all, he did cross half the country to rescue me.

Life goes back to normal. We return to school. Everything is the same as it was. But it’s not. I’m a happier person; we both are. I’m more thankful for the little things in life that I missed so greatly when I was in prison. I’m more thankful for policemen, and real doctors, and honestly, I’m even thankful for the jerk kids in school who make everything seem more real.

The Prison Project broke me. But, it also revived me. I talk to Trey about it after school. He agrees with me wholeheartedly, and explains how the experience changed him as well. I stay in his room for hours, just talking with him. It feels nice to just…talk. I start to fall asleep on his bed around midnight. Trey gets up and lays a blanket over me, and then curls up on the floor, just like the night when my parents died. I smile sadly. The thought of them makes me sad, but it makes me think of how much Trey takes care of me. And once again, I am thankful.

I will always be thankful.