21 Chapter 21 (1/2)

”So how was your first day in school, Damon?” my mother asked after we'd had our dinner.

”It was fun, mom.” I answered with a smile.

”How about yours?” she said again and looked at my sisters with a concerned expression on her face. At least she showed more than what she gave me. HAHAHA!

Mom was really not at ease with my sisters studying on the School of the Gifted. It was a benign worry I say. But I guess that was what mothers do.

”School is so exciting, mom! We learned many things and we made lots of friends already. Didn't we, Keira?!” Stephany who was the much livelier of the two replied first.

”Yes. And we even met some nice boys…” and the sister after me expressed her wonder of what had happened to them today.

”I'm going now, mom!” I said after two hours of listening to my family in happy banter. Mellisa and Faith was also there as usual and they too, seemed happy outside.

Only I knew that they were really not yet resigned to their fate.

But they would get used to it after some time especially now that a new member would make her appearance very soon. HAHAHA!

”Return before midnight, Damon!” she called as I was about to exit the house.

”Okay, mom!” I yelled back. They were currently watching some hit drama series on television.

The girls love that and only my father stayed in his corner to dabble with the unending strings of smokes from his cigar.

”Where to, Sir?” a mechanical voice queried.

”To Ashborne Penitentiary.” I replied.

”DING!” the gates closed behind me and I could feel the same humid air that blessed this hell hole.

”Who are you? And how did you get here?” a man asked but he did not confront me physically but only stood his ground in vigilance.

”Hello there, Quin.” And I answered nothing of the two. HAHAHA! You were always the brightest of us all, my dear leader.

I thought and missed the stalwart leadership of this man. He had died before me and passed the reigns of the group's welfare to my hands.

”How do you know my name?” he asked again and the rest of his cellmates all stood up and regarded me with cold eyes.

Pretty chilly, I say. I remembered before when I stood amongst these twenty pair of eyes and all I could do was look at my feet in subservience.

Of course, they did not hurt me because teamwork was needed in the block. Different competitions were thrown at us every single day.

The most productive team would get more food while the last would get nothing. Many people inside the prison died that way, in starvation and sickness.