Criminology

Ten

                  

The next morning Danny was called to her office, I assumed Alysha had gotten the laptop. I was leaning outside by the gates watching the guards. Mr. Conner appeared in front me from the other side of the gate.

"Good morning." He smiled.

I rolled my eyes and started walking, he followed me.

"Can I help you?" I finally said.

"Smoke?" He pulled out a box of cigarettes.

"One day you're beating me up threatening me now you're offering me a smoke?"

"Suit yourself." He shrugged his shoulders and lit one for himself.  He took a drag and deliberately let the smoke out towards my face. "You're pretty young to be smoking. When'd you start?"

"When I got here."

He took another drag.

"Your brother smoke?"

"No." I tensed up.

"You know I was around when you two were sent to that mental hospital. I remember reading it in the paper. I was almost honored to have you here." He took another drag. "I read into your brother before you came in, he was a good kid wasn't he?"

"Don't talk about my brother."

"Why not?"

"What is it you want? Oh I get it, you think you can get me to break by talking about my brother? Just to give you a reason to get me out of here faster don't you?"

"Aren't you smart?" He dropped the cigarette and put it out. "The question here is will you break or will it require help?"

"You're such a fake." I shook my head.

"People believe prison helps a man. Gives them time to think of all the horrible things they've done. Some believe it actually works, being away from society. You want to know why I'm the warden of a prison full of criminals sent in for life. Because monsters can't be cured, only controlled to an extent."

"I'm no monster."

"In these little mental hospitals they treat you like children. Try to convince you into something you're not. You're just like every other criminal in this place, a cold blooded killer. You will patiently wait for no matter how long, you'll strike again."

I walked away angrily. I could feel his smile burning through the back of my head. I got as far from anyone as I could and punched the brick wall letting out all my anger. All I could think of were Alysha's voice echoing "don't do anything stupid anymore." I took another deep breath and went back towards the crowd. They were letting us back into our cells. When I arrived into my cell Danny was nowhere to be found. I climbed up to my bunk when a bunch of papers fell onto the ground. I bent down to grab them, they were articles of suspected arson in different towns, and it said the fire started up the exact same way and there was no way it was an accident. It was well thought out. Danny had a black notebook on his bed. I went to grab it just as I heard his voice down the hall. I placed the papers back on his bed and sat on the edge.

"Good news." He whispered as the guard let him in and left.

"You got it?"

"Everything's set up for tomorrow at eleven, just as we're eating in the cafeteria."

"Good."

"She told me to tell you she has everything else planned. I'll help you guys for as long as I can."

"You should come with us you know."

"Thanks but no thanks. I don't even know what the world is like anymore."