Array
(
[text] =>
A/N : This song was playing in my head nonstop while writing this chapter. Can you figure out why🙃 (Also trigger warning, mentions of SA, abuse, etc. etc.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three days later, Samuel, Jayden, and Noel were standing in front of the prison where Charles was held, with their silhouettes dwarfed completely by the imposing structure of grey stone and barbed wires.
Jayden stood stone-faced as he looked up at the towering edifice. ‘It’s not too late to change your mind,’ he told Noel.
Noel was trembling slightly, but his voice was steady as he shook his head. ‘No, I need to see this through.’
Samuel took his hand and gave him an encouraging smile as the guards at the tower signalled for the gates to open.
Victoria Mills came up to stand beside them as heavily armed guards stepped out of the prison. The uniforms parted and a short, rapidly balding man made his way forward.
‘Mistress,’ he rasped excitedly as soon as he caught sight of Victoria. ‘Welcome, twice welcome and welcome thrice!’ he squealed, bowing so low the few strands of hair he had left almost touched the ground.
Victoria’s beautiful lips were curled slightly in disgust as she looked down at the grovelling warden.
‘Stop snivelling, Johnson. Have you arranged everything?’
The warden straightened up quickly. ‘Of course, my lady. Everything is set up exactly as you ordered.’
‘Johnson.’
‘Yes, your ladyship?’
‘Shut up.’
‘Of course, your ladyship.’
The warden quickly bowed his head in apology and turned to motion urgently to the guard who stood behind him.
The guard gave him a puzzled look. ‘Sir?’
Victoria was starting to get annoyed. ‘Well, what are you waiting for? Lead the way.’
The warden quickly sprang into action. ‘Of course, of course. Right this way, your ladyship.’
The gates of the prison loomed ominously ahead as they approached. There was a slight shift in the air as the gates slowly started to slide shut behind them. Noel took a deep breath and felt his resolve strengthen as they moved deeper with the walls.
With the warden leading the way, they passed through the layers of security without much hassle. They would have moved much quicker if the warden didn’t pause now and again to sneak awestruck glances at Jayden’s mother.
Victoria, for her part, pretended not to notice, and her face bore that cold mask of impassiveness that seemed to be a trademark of the Mills family.
Samuel leaned closer to Jayden and whispered in his ear. ‘What’s up with that guy and your mother?’
Jayden’s expression was slightly disgusted as he answered. ‘He’s been obsessed with her since high school. I am almost certain he even has a shrine dedicated to her in his basement. Honestly don’t understand why she even keeps him around.’ He sneered lightly. ‘I suppose even idiots like him have their uses.’
The warden’s short figure suddenly came to a stop before a large ornate door.
‘After you, Mistress,’ he said, opening the door into a large, tastefully decorated office.
They all filed in, and Victoria took a seat at the head of the warden’s desk. The warden wrung his hands together eagerly as he looked up at Victoria.
‘Shall I get you anything, Mistress? Some iced coffee perhaps? Or maybe some sweet tea? I am at your disposal, my lady. Just give the word.’
‘Stop snivelling and get everything ready.’
‘As you wish, my lady,’ the warden stated with a low bow before backing out the door.
The guards gave each other a weird look before backing out after their leader and closing the door behind them.
‘Really, mother?’ Jayden began after they were finally alone.
Victoria gave her son an innocent look. ‘What?’
‘Why do you still keep that pervert around?’ Jayden demanded. ‘You’ve seen the way he looks at you.’
Victoria shrugged nonchalantly. ‘We have history together.’ Seeing the look of utter disgust on Jayden’s face, she clarified, ‘Not that kind of history.’
Jayden shook his head and pulled Noel aside. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked with a concerned look.
Noel gave him a tiny nod. ‘Yes, I am.’
‘Your hands are shaking,’ Jayden pointed out.
Noel looked down, and sure enough, his hands were trembling slightly. He clasped them tightly to stop the tremors and looked back up at Jayden with a small but determined smile on his face.
‘I’ll be alright,’ he amended. ‘Really, you don’t have to worry.’
‘I’m always going to worry,’ Jayden muttered.
Noel’s smile widened slightly. ‘I know, and I will always love you for that.’
Jayden was quiet for a while before saying in a low voice, ‘It’s starting to feel real, isn’t it?’
‘It… it is,’ Noel admitted quietly. ‘Planning it in my head, it felt a like a far-off dream, but now…’ he paused. ‘What if I’m making the wrong choice? What if you’re right, and I’m just making another mistake?’
Jayden snorted. ‘Of course, I’m right. I’m always right.’
Noel looked dejectedly at his feet.
‘But,’ Jayden continued. ‘Mistakes are not always wrong.’
Noel looked up. ‘What are you saying?’
‘I’m saying that I am not the only one who is right. You were right as well. This is something you need to do and,’ Jayden’s features wrinkled in disgust as he continued. ‘Since we are already here you might as well go through with it so I wouldn’t have to set sight on the warden’s facetious features again.’
An amused smile appeared on Noel’s lips. ‘Thank you.’ His voice turned serious. ‘No really, thank you, Jayden.’
‘You don’t have to thank me; my mother is the one who got us in.’
‘Not for that,’ Noel stated. ‘For being my friend. I never really had a best friend until I met you, and you’re honestly the greatest friend anyone could ask for. Thank you for that.’
Jayden’s nose scrunched slightly. ‘Why are you being so corny? You’re going to meet a putrid troglodyte not walking into the jaws of death.’
Noel stifled a giggle and a tiny smile flitted at the edges of Jayden’s lips when he noticed that his tremors had ceased.
The doors opened and the warden stumbled back in on his short stubby legs. He was holding a tray of drinks and snacks, which he placed devotedly in front of Victoria.
‘Everything is ready, Mistress,’ he squeaked excitedly.
Victoria didn’t even glance at the tray. ‘Well done.’
The warden almost preened at the praise. He shot a furtive glance at Jayden. ‘Would the young master be bringing his friends with him to see the prisoner?’
‘I’m not going,’ Jayden said shortly.
Noel stared up at him in surprise. ‘You’re not?’
‘If I see him, I won’t be able to hold myself back from punching him into oblivion,’ Jayden stated bluntly.
Samuel came up and patted Noel’s shoulder. ‘Looks like it’s just us. Are you ready?’
Noel clenched his arms tightly as he nodded.
Jayden’s gaze hardened at the warden who was sneaking nervous glances up at him. He kicked him sharply in the knees as he snapped, ‘What are you waiting for? Show them the way.’
The warden yelped as his short body stumbled in pain. ‘Of course, young master.’ He paused, and his voice was slightly aggrieved as he added. ‘The young master really shouldn’t be kicking me; I am still the young master’s senior after all.’
Jayden’s eyes narrowed and he raised his leg again. The warden yelped as he quickly jumped out of the way.
‘Right this way, young sirs. Right this way.’
He stumbled as he rushed hastily out of the door. Noel met Jayden’s eyes, and after seeing the quiet encouragement in them, he unclenched his fists and followed the warden out of the door.
Samuel walked up and placed a gentle hand on Jayden’s shoulder before walking out after Noel.
The office was quiet as Jayden was left alone with his mother.
‘Now that we are alone, I assume you’re going to tell me the real reason that you wanted me here today,’ Victoria spoke up absently.
Jayden’s face was impassive as he replied, ‘What do you mean?’
‘We both know I don’t need to be here. All I had to do was send Henry with my orders and you would have gotten in just fine, but you were very adamant in your message that my presence was required.’
Jayden didn’t deny it. ‘I needed to speak with you,’ he stated simply as he took a seat in one of the chairs facing the desk.
Victoria sighed. ‘I am assuming you are about to ask me for another favour, correct?’
‘Shrewd as always, mother. I need access to your dossiers.’
Victoria’s smile didn’t falter. ‘What dossiers?’
‘Don’t play coy, mother. I know for a fact that you keep secret dossiers of all the 52 families in case you ever need to blackmail them into submission.’
‘Are you planning on blackmailing someone?’
There was an evil smirk on Jayden’s face as he answered, ‘I am not as crude as that. I simply mean to persuasively help someone have a more perspective outlook on life.’
Victoria’s eyes narrowed slightly at her son who was far too much like her. ‘Just what exactly are you planning to do?’
‘Why are you asking such a useless question? Your network of spies and informants would whisper it to you soon enough.’
Victoria’s finger tapped lightly against the armrest of her chair. ‘You realize that the information contained in those files can only be used once?’
‘I do, and I wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t important.’
Victoria let out a heavy sigh. ‘Very well. Which files do you require?’
‘I need everything you have on the Bennetts.’
‘Henry will pass along their dossier to you tomorrow.’
A thought suddenly occurred to Jayden. ‘While you’re on it, have him pass along the dossier on the Wilsons as well.’
Victoria glanced curiously at him. ‘Why the sudden interest?’
‘There is a stubborn thorn that is insisting on making itself a nuisance,’ Jayden muttered darkly. ‘And if there is one thing I hate, it is problems I have solved refusing to stop becoming problems again.’
~
While Jayden was plotting with his mother in the warden’s office, Samuel and Noel were following the warden down a long hallway as he led them deeper into the prison.
The warden was talking excitedly as he walked ahead of them. ‘I had never met the young master before. He is the spitting image of his mother. And the way he looks at me…’
Samuel was frowning as he walked behind the warden. He didn’t know why but there was something about the way the warden spoke about Jayden that made him extremely uncomfortable.
He was right, of course. Since the warden was leading the group all they could see off him was his short back, but as he talked about Jayden a ravenous look began to appear in his eyes. If his guards had seen it, they would have recognized it as the obsessive glint he got whenever he spoke about Victoria.
‘I must say I was more than a little surprised when I heard he was the prisoner you were coming to see. He is a strange one, never gets any visitors. His mother used to come and see him a few times after he was first incarcerated, but she stopped coming after a while. It’s a bit sad when you think about it. He had just turned 18 when he was convicted so we couldn’t place him in juvenile detention, and this place is bad enough as it is. He never got one with any of the other inmates and they do bully him a little if I’m being honest. They despise him for his blood. He is the only member of the 52 here, and resentment has been brewing among the lower classes for a while.’
Samuel noticed the wicked gleam in the warden’s eyes and glanced at Noel to make sure he was alright. Noel, however, didn’t seem to be paying attention to the conversation.
They stopped before a glass door and the warden swiped a card through the scanners. The doors slid open, and the warden led them into a private visiting room with two chairs that were separated by a long metal table.
He frowned at the empty room before turning to the guards at the door. ‘Why isn’t the prisoner here?’
The guard flinched before responding quickly. ‘He is just coming in from the hospital wing. There was another… incident.’
‘Idiots! Why are you telling me about this now?’
‘I…’
‘Quiet,’ the warden snapped. ‘I’ll handle this myself. In the meantime, make sure my guests are comfortable.’ His voice turned docile as he faced Samuel and Noel. ‘I’m afraid that I need to take care of something. The inmate would be in shortly, I’ll leave a few guards behind in case you should need something.’ He turned to the guards who had come in with him. ‘The two of you are coming with me.’
The doors slid open, and the warden disappeared from sight with his two guards in tow.
Noel took several deep breaths as he tried to calm his racing heart. ‘This is it then.’
Samuel hovered around uncertainly as he looked concernedly at Noel. ‘Do you want me to stay?’
‘Please.’
Samuel understood what Noel meant. ‘I’ll be keeping an eye from the corner then.’ He hesitated before adding, ‘Don’t force yourself. If it gets too much, let me know and we can get out of here.’
Noel nodded gratefully. ‘Thank you, I really appreciate everything you are doing for me.’
Samuel gave him a small smile. ‘Don’t mention it and Noel, for what it’s worth I’m really proud of you.’
He gave him a small pat on the back before walking off to stand in the corner in order to give Noel and Charles some privacy.
Noel sat down at the table and tried to mentally prepare himself for the upcoming confrontation. Despite all his best efforts however, nothing could have prepared him for the sight that greeted his eyes when the doors at the other side of the room slowly slid open.
A small gasp came from the corner Samuel was standing in and he wasn’t the only one. Noel physically recoiled in shock as Charle’s figure slowly stepped into the room.
His handsome face was a painful canvass of cuts and vibrant bruises, and faint lines of scars could be seen peeking out from underneath his grey prison jumpsuit. Though his clothes, were almost pristine in their cleanliness they could not hide the painful wincing in his movements or the hunched way he protected his shoulders.
His movements were almost quiet except for the low jangle of chains and tiny rattling sounds in his chest as if each breath of air caused a sharp stab of pain in his lungs.
What shocked Noel the most, however, was the look in his eyes. Charles had kept his head bowed as he walked in and his long hair covered his face, but he had looked up briefly when a guard yanked on his chains, and in that instant, Noel had met his eyes and what he saw in there caused his entire body to grow cold.
It was the eyes of someone whose spirit hadn’t simply been crushed, but completely destroyed. It was the look of a person who had suffered experiences so inhumane that it had utterly stripped them of their humanity, leaving behind an empty shell that would forever be a shadow of the person they once were.
The guard who had escorted Charles in yanked his chains irritably as he glanced at the other guards by the door. ‘Are we allowed to take this off? They look pretty uncomfortable, and he’s already knocked up pretty badly.’
‘The warden asked the same question to the young master and his exact response was, “Keep him in chains like the dog he is” so I guess they are staying.’
The guard shrugged as if it wasn’t any concern to him either way. He pulled on the chains and directed Charles to the chair. ‘You be good now and don’t cause any problems for the warden. You know how nasty he can get.’
Charles nodded quietly and sat down with his head bowed. The guard connected the chains to the feet of the table and walked out of the room with his colleagues, leaving the three of them alone.
Charles kept his head bowed as they sat silently in the empty room. Noel glanced uncertainly at Samuel who was staring in quiet surprise at the prisoner who was once their schoolmate.
Noel swallowed nervously before opening his mouth to speak. ‘Ch… Charles?’
Charles didn’t respond but the slight twitch of his head showed that he was listening.
‘What happened to you?’
Charles continued to stare blankly at the grey tiles. Noel glanced helplessly at Samuel. This wasn’t going at all like he expected. He stood up to speak to Samuel, but the action caused Charles to flinch violently backwards.
‘Don’t.’
Noel started in surprise at the sound of Charles’s voice. It was so thin and rusty; it was almost as if it hadn’t been used in a long time.
Charles seemed just as surprised to hear his voice. He cleared his throat and spoke more firmly, ‘Don’t come closer.’
Noel stared at him. ‘Huh?’
He was honestly confused. What the hell was he talking about?
‘Please, don’t come closer,’ Charles repeated adamantly. His voice was still stiff from disuse. ‘I am… I am not safe. I don’t want you to get hurt.’
Noel was completely lost. He glanced at Samuel who simply snorted from his corner and remained silent.
He turned back to Charles and said, ‘But you already hurt me.’
Charles lowered his head. ‘I know,’ he whispered.
He didn’t say anything else after that.
Noel stared at him. ‘Is that it?’
‘I know saying sorry is not even close to being enough. It almost feels like an insult to cover everything I’ve put you through with one simple word and it feels selfish to even try. But for what it’s worth, I am sorry.’
Noel blinked. ‘You fucking bastard! You bloody bastard!’ he suddenly exploded. ‘You don’t get to say sorry.’
‘I know.’
‘At least have the guts to fucking look at me!’
Charles slowly raised his head, but he kept his eyes away from Noel’s furious gaze.
‘Look at me!’
Charles’s eyes met Noel’s through the mess of dishevelled hair covering his face and Noel was jolted when he saw the tears shining in the swirl of grey.
There was a sickening crack as his fists connected with the side of his jaw. Another bruise began to blossom on Charles’s face as Noel and Samuel stood frozen in shock at what he had just done.
‘That’s why I didn’t want to meet your eyes,’ Charles whispered as he ignored the rapidly darkening bruise. What was one more in the sea of wounds that pockmarked his face and this time it was from someone who had the most right to leave them there.
‘You’re right, I don’t even have the right to cry about it. I hurt you, it is my fault and no matter how much I regret it I cannot go back to change it. If it helps you feel better, you can keep hitting me. I won’t protest or fight back.’
Noel wanted to hit him again, but he held himself back. He was so angry but the one he was angry at wasn’t Charles.
That was what made him so furious. After everything, he wanted -no, he deserved to be angry at him. But when he looked at the broken person in front of him the only thing he felt was pity and he hated it.
He ignored the way Charles flinched as he took a step forward. ‘Charles,’ he waited until Charles looked up at him before asking his question. ‘Were you raped?’
Samuel flinched terribly at this unexpected question and Charles just stared at him in surprise.
‘Do you remember what you said?’ Noel’s gaze was unrelenting. ‘You owe me, so tell me the truth. Were you raped?’
Charles nodded quietly.
‘Bloody #@$*%!^~+*!’
Noel swore so loudly it caused both Samuel and Charles to flinch.
‘Who was it?’
‘I don’t know,’ Charles answered honestly. ‘There have been so many that they’ve all started to blend together.’
‘How long?’
‘Since my first day,’ Charles caught the look on Noel’s face and paused. ‘Don’t feel bad for me, I honestly expected it and it’s not close to what I deserve.’
Noel glared at him. ‘Shut up.’
Charles stopped talking and stood obediently silent as Noel let out a string of curses as he paced in front of him.
‘Fucking ———————————————————————- (in keeping with Wattpad’s guidelines the author has decided to redact the preceding words with a single line of static because not even special characters are enough to censor them (AN: who knew baby boy Noel could swear like that omg))
Noel stopped his pacing and glared at Charles. ‘I fucking hate you.’
Charles nodded and bowed his head, but Noel’s following words made him look back up in surprise.
‘But not even you deserve to live like this.’
Charles immediately started to frown but Noel cut him off before he could speak.
‘You owe me, right?’
Charles nodded.
‘And you think that by living in this twisted version of hell you are somehow making it up to me?’ He didn’t wait for Charles to answer. ‘So selfish.’
Charles stared at him in surprise, but Noel wasn’t done.
‘You are not doing this to pay me back, you are doing it to assuage your own guilt. What right do you have to decide how you are going to pay me back? If you want to pay me back, then do it by living.’
Charles met Noel’s eyes and after a while he nodded. ‘I understand.’
Noel walked up to give a sharp knock on the door and stepped back as it slid open.
‘Are you done?’ the guard asked as he peeked in.
‘Take me to the physician who treated his injuries,’ Noel ordered shortly.
The guard blinked at this sudden command.
‘The warden tasked you with making us comfortable, so why are you hesitating?’
The guard opened and closed his mouth several times before nodding and opening the door wider.
‘Right this way, sir.’
Noel stepped out and paused. He turned to point at Charles. ‘Bring him with you.’
They walked in silence down several narrow corridors and in the distance, they could hear the sounds of the other inmates going about their daily activities.
They soon arrived at the infirmary where several nurses were on duty. The beds were only a quarter filled and prison guards stood silently by the walls.
The guard who had escorted them walked up to whisper to one of the nurses, who took one look at them before disappearing into a corner office.
A few minutes later, a tall middle-aged man with thinning grey hair walked out of the office and came up to them.
‘You wanted to see me?’
‘We need to talk,’ Noel stated straightforwardly.
The doctor simply nodded and gestured behind him. ‘My office is this way.’
Samuel and Charles watched with respective degrees of curiosity and apprehension as they disappeared into the office.
‘Did you know?’ Noel demanded as soon as they were alone.
‘I’m not going to insult both of us by pretending to have no idea what you’re talking about,’ the doctor answered calmly as he sat down at the head of his desk. He gestured to the seat before him, but Noel stubbornly remained on his feet.
‘You knew and you did nothing?’
The doctor looked casually at the outraged boy standing before him and replied, ‘He is still alive, isn’t he? I don’t count that as doing nothing.’
‘So, every time it happened you simply patched him up and threw him back to the wolves. How could you, doctor?’
‘Gregory.’
Noel blinked. ‘What?’
‘”How could you, Gregory?”‘ the doctor corrected. ‘I don’t like it when people call me doctor. It makes me feel far too much like my father and a madder scientist never drew breath.’
‘Alright then, Dr. Gregory.’
The doctor winced. ‘Gregory, just Gregory. And to answer your question, I could because it was none of my business.’
‘He is your patient.’
Gregory considered Noel for a moment before asking, ‘Tell me, Mister…’
‘Noel, just Noel.’
Gregory’s lips twitched briefly before he went on. ‘Tell me, Noel. Do you know where we are?’
Noel frowned at the odd question. ‘Of course, I do. We are in your office.’
‘Yes, we are in my quaint office which is located in a maximum-security prison run by our lovely warden who is more lunatic than man. The prisoners and guards, of course, follow the example of their delightful master and are more animals than men, making this not a prison but a jungle. And by the law of the jungle the strong prey on the weak. Who do you think is the weakest person in this prison?’
‘But he can’t be… convicted or not he is still a member of the Noble 52.’
‘No, he isn’t.’
Noel was stunned. ‘What?’
‘The first time he arrived, no one could touch him because of his family’s position. Even the warden, deferred to him hoping to get on his family’s good side. His mother came to visit him a few times and there were lawyers always hanging about, but those suddenly stopped. A few days later, we heard the news. His father had officially disowned him.’
Noel was staggered.
‘According to the rumours, he had even scratched his name from the family tree and banned everyone from ever mentioning his name again. There was a party at their manor one night and someone asked him about his son, and he famously replied, “What son? I no longer have a son. That disappointment who I used to call my blood has nothing to do with me. He could die for all I care and what a good riddance it would be. That way the stain on our family line would finally be gone.”‘
Gregory’s voice was emotionless as he continued.
‘The warden’s face was positively gleeful as he recounted the story to Charles who received the news with a blank expression. He seemed to be the only one who wasn’t surprised by the sudden turn of events. The warden was, of course, expecting some sort of reaction, and getting none, he ordered his guards to beat him up. Strangely enough, Charles didn’t react to that either. He silently took the beatings and despite how violent and brutal it got he never made a sound. The warden grew bored and finally left him alone and the guards carried him here. That was the first time I “patched” him up.’
Gregory looked down at his hands. ‘If I had known that in less than six hours, I would have to patch him for the second time, I would have never let him leave my office. The warden had drawn the first blood and the prisoners smelt it, and like sharks they began to circle around him. There were six of them in the showers that night, and when they were done his body was so broken, I wasn’t sure he would make it. But he made it and left my office only to return again and again and again. He never once fought back, and he never complained.
‘By the sixth time, I grew so frustrated that I snapped at him.
“Why are so complacent about it? I know you really can’t do anything but at least try to fight back.”
‘He had looked up at me with those empty eyes of his and I remember thinking, “This isn’t right. He is only eighteen years old. He may legally be an adult, but he is still a child, and no child should have eyes like that.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered so softly I almost didn’t hear it. But I did and I was so stunned that I dropped the bottle I was holding and let it fall to the ground.
‘He was apologizing to me. The little idiot. He was the one being beaten, tortured, and abused, and he was apologizing to me as if I was the one suffering.
“I didn’t realize it must also be difficult for you to see me like this. You don’t have to treat me, just tell me what I need to do, and I would take care of it myself.”
‘I stared at him for a full minute before subconsciously blurting out, “You crazy idiot, what nonsense are you saying? Shut up and let me do my work.”
‘I patched him up and sent him on his way, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The twelfth time he came into my office I asked him point blank, “Why do you put up with it?”
‘He was silent for so long, I assumed he wasn’t going to answer so I went on with my work. A few minutes later, in a voice so low I had to strain myself to hear it, he said, “It is my penance.”
‘Now, I did not know what he had done to get himself in here. I do not keep up with all the celebrity gossip or what goes on in the news, but I had picked up bits and pieces of what happened from the guards’ conversations.
“You crazy idiot, you can’t keep punishing yourself like this. At this rate, you will not live past a year.”
‘The bastard looked at me with those empty eyes and for the first time since I knew him, he actually smiled.
“This life of mine is such a waste anyway. It is good that I won’t be bothering you with it for long.”
“Crazy idiot,” I said. “If you want to die so bad, I can give you a pill that would help with that. You don’t need to put yourself through this hell.”
‘He shook his head slightly, “I don’t have the right to do that. The only one with the right to take it hasn’t claimed it yet, so I will keep living as best as I can. I’m going to have to bother you once again, so please patch this broken body to the best of your abilities.”
‘So, I did, and I have been doing that every night for the past eleven months.’
Gregory looked up at Noel who had sat stupefied throughout the whole story. He had withheld the worst parts of the story, but the kid didn’t need to know that.
‘Little kid, do you know why I am telling you this?’
Noel shook his head.
‘I am telling you because his eyes looked like that before he even walked into this prison.’
He leaned back and took out a bottle of port and a small glass from beneath his desk. ‘I’m not going to explain further, the crazy idiot said you are smart so I’m sure you’ll figure it out easily enough.’
Noel watched as he popped the lid of the bottle open and poured the strong liquid into the glass.
‘I can’t leave him here.’
‘Why not?’ Gregory asked. He threw back the drink in the glass and looked at him. ‘If you leave him here, he will die in a month or so. Either way, he would still be free from his misery and we both know which option he would go for.’
‘I don’t care about what he wants. I am going to be selfish and take him with me.’
Gregory studied him carefully. ‘Despite what he did to you?’
‘Because of what he did to me. I know better than anyone that no one deserves that not even him and to go through it repeatedly for as long as he did…’
‘I knew I wasn’t wrong about you.’ He knocked back another glass before getting to his feet. ‘Let’s be on our way then.’
He stepped away from the desk and made his way to the door only to pause when he touched the handle.
‘The funny thing with having your soul broken is that it also destroys all the façades and illusions that we build around ourselves, leaving behind our true nature. I’ve treated the crazy bastard for eleven months and I can confidently say that I am one of the few people in the world who know him best, I daresay even more than his own parents. And judging from his father’s actions and what I’ve heard about him, the crazy idiot is a prime example of a good person who was brought up in all the wrong ways.’
He shook his head and opened the door. ‘Ignore what I said. I must be growing sentimental in my old age. Shall we? The crazy idiot is probably wondering why we’ve kept so long.’
Samuel and Charles looked up as they emerged from the office and walked towards them.
‘Seems like I won’t be saddled with you anymore, you unlucky bastard,’ Gregory stated happily as he patted Charles on the shoulder.
Though he didn’t put much force behind his hands, his strength was still enough to almost send Charles tumbling to the ground.
‘Tsk, tsk,’ Gregory tutted in annoyance as he raked his eyes over Charles’ frail body. ‘And a good thing too, you wouldn’t have lasted much longer in here.’
Charles looked down and muttered, ‘I don’t…’
‘What nonsense are you going to spew now? That person with the right to your life has come to claim it so shut up and go with him.’
He turned to Noel. ‘When would you come for him?’
‘I’m leaving with him today but…’ Noel trailed off. This next part was going to be difficult. ‘I need to get things ready first. Could you keep an eye on him for a bit?’
Gregory sighed. ‘Guess I can put up with him for a bit longer.’ He glanced at the chains on Charles. ‘Do you think we can get those off?’
Noel frowned as if he was just noticing them. He turned to the guard who had come with them.
‘Take them off.’
The guard stuttered as his mind worked furiously trying to figure out what to do. The warden had said to keep them on, but he had also said to keep the young master’s friends happy.
He sighed and took out a jangle of keys. Hopefully, it would be alright if he followed the latter.
There was a click and Charles winced slightly as the chains fell off, revealing angry red marks where they had been.
Gregory stared at Charles’ wrists with a complicated expression on his face. How could one person be this unlucky?
He shook his head to himself. The crazy idiot probably didn’t care.
‘Come on, kid. This would be the last time I’m going to treat you.’
He placed a hand on Charles’ shoulders and steered him in the direction of his office.
Even though his voice sounded annoyed, he was secretly glad and though he would never admit it, even to himself, he was also a tad bit sad. After eleven months, the unlucky idiot had grown on him, and he would miss him.
Despite that, he wished to never set eyes on him again. This prison was no place for a child, no matter what he had done. It wasn’t even a place for him but he had already made his choice.
When he was young, he had wanted to be a doctor to save people, but he had a bad habit of getting too attached to his patients. He couldn’t save everyone and losing patients he had grown attached to had sent him into a destructive spiral.
After coming out of rehab, he had taken a job amongst the worst lowlifes in the country, hoping that being amongst the scum who deserved worse than death would stop him from getting attached.
It had been largely successful, but there were still times that he saw his patients as human and that was when his bottle of port came in handy. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he would have to treat an unlucky eighteen-year-old child who was placed in this twisted version of hell on earth.
It only served to show how useless and rotten their judicial system had become. He had shaken his head to himself and had made up his mind to ignore him, but the unlucky bastard kept getting into all sorts of mess that placed him in the infirmary, so he was left with no choice but to confront it.
There wasn’t much he could do, however. The true nature of the prison was a dirty secret. This was where the elites sent people they wanted to disappear, and the warden was their cruelly efficient minion. All they had to do was manufacture some trumped-up charge and bribe a judge to pass the sentence, and once they were brought in, depending on the warden’s orders, they would either depart shortly after in a body bag or spend the rest of their lives being slowly tortured to insanity.
This was not a prison; it was a torture chamber and he doubted that even the elites knew the full extent of the depths of the warden’s depravity.
How the kid managed to end up here on a simple charge of rape was beyond him. He suspected that even the kid’s parents didn’t know what he was in for, but even if they did, he doubted they would have cared.
There was nothing a simple doctor like him could do. Go to the press? The last time someone had been foolish enough to try that they had turned up slaughtered in the most brutal way possible.
There was nothing he could do, so he closed his eyes and pretended to be blind to the things that were happening right under his very nose.
But he wasn’t blind, and he had to open his eyes eventually and what he saw made him sick. He had wanted to hand in his notice, but he couldn’t leave the little kid here alone.
So instead, he spoke to the warden and managed to get the kid a work assignment in the infirmary. At least then he would be away from the other inmates for the most part of the day and he would also be able to keep a closer eye on the unlucky kid as well.
He was pleasantly surprised to find that the kid was a studious worker and though he never spoke to anyone, he did his job quickly and efficiently. The other workers avoided him to prevent a target on their backs, but they found that they had nothing to complain about.
However, he couldn’t keep the unlucky kid here forever so when their shift ended, he would leave the infirmary only to limp back in a few hours later bloody and bruised.
He would patch the kid up and instead of sending him back, he would point to the corner of his office and make the kid sleep there instead.
Those were the good days. On the bad days, he would be carried in on a stretcher and would end up spending a few nights in the infirmary.
He had kept trying to encourage the unlucky kid to spend more time hanging around the infirmary, but the crazy idiot never seemed to understand. He did manage to succeed in getting the crazy idiot to eat his meals in his office so that had been one victory at least.
He suddenly recalled the one day that had been more awful than the rest. He had noticed that someone was breaking into the infirmary closet and stealing medical supplies. He had reported it to the warden and the warden must have launched a secret investigation because they managed to catch the thief in less than two days.
He had walked into the warden’s office and was thunderstruck to see the unlucky bastard kneeling before the warden. Someone must have seen him using the supplies he stole and reported it to the warden.
Even in this situation, the crazy idiot didn’t speak and had kept silent throughout the warden’s furious questioning. His silence drove the warden into a rage, and he soon gave the order for his whip.
Everyone in the room had immediately flinched at those words. “The Warden’s Whip”, a twelve-foot strip of leather lined with razor-sharp teeth, was a terror that starred in the nightmares of both prisoners and guards alike.
The warden wasn’t a very talented person. One could almost call him sub-standard, however there was one thing he was exceptionally excellent at.
Torture.
It was almost ironically cruel for a person to be so talented in the art of torture, and though the unlucky bastard’s life was almost close to it, it hadn’t fully been hell because until now, the warden hadn’t considered him worth his special attention.
He had sent urgent looks to the unlucky kid to prod him to say something, anything, but the crazy bastard had refused to meet his eyes.
The whip was brought, and the warden had caressed it in an almost loving manner before squaring up to the kneeling boy at his feet.
There was a sickening crack as the first lash landed on his back. The whip’s teeth buried itself in the skin and it took a bit of effort from the warden before it pulled free, taking with it strips of shirt and skin, leaving behind a bloody gash.
The room was silent and the only sounds that filled the space were the sickening sounds of leather striking flesh.
He didn’t turn his head. He knew better than to turn away, but he kept his eyes on the wall, on the ground, anywhere but on the bloody sight in the centre of the room. Nothing, however, could stop him from smelling the distinct coppery scent of blood that permeated the space.
He had prayed that the unlucky kid would make a sound, any sound because he had been here long enough to know that silence only fuelled the warden’s bloodthirst.
He hadn’t realized when the room grew silent, but he had noticed it when a pair of eyes landed on him.
The warden was studying him thoughtfully as his eyes briefly moved away from him to the bloody kid at his feet. He had felt his body immediately tensed up because he knew the warden was starting to suspect something.
The warden had then walked up to him and said, “Forgive me, I wasn’t being thoughtful. I had forgotten that at the end of our session you would be the one to take care of him. It must be frustrating to do all the work and not get anything in return.”
Warning bells had started to go off in his head, but he had kept his expression neutral and replied, “I still get a check at the end of the month but if you are feeling bad, I wouldn’t complain if you increased my salary.”
The warden had laughed, “Always thinking of how to benefit more, that’s why you are my favourite. However, I feel a simple salary increase wouldn’t be enough to reward you for your stalwart service.”
The warden had then raised the hand which held the now bloody whip and smiled at him. “Here, why don’t you have a turn? You were the one who got robbed after all, I’m sure you have some feelings of anger to let out.”
His eyes landed on the bloody mess of rope before him, and his stomach gave a violent lurch. Instead of throwing up, however, he had grabbed the handle and walked up to the centre of the room where the unlucky kid lay bleeding.
He had run his eyes quickly over the kid as he performed a rapid mental analysis of his condition. Though the kid was no doubt in a lot of pain and still bleeding, he wasn’t anywhere close to death.
He had let out a mental sigh, the warden really was too good at this. He knew exactly when to stop.
“Whenever you are ready,” the warden stated.
The unlucky kid forced his head up and looked into his eyes as if trying to tell him it was okay.
His mouth settled into a grim line.
Crazy idiot.
He had almost thrown up when the first lash landed on the kid’s already bloody back. He had felt the skin give as the razor-sharp teeth drew away and for the first time the kid let out a tiny whimper.
He had steeled his mind and whipped him again, and again, and again. After the fifth time, he couldn’t take it anymore and had tossed the whip aside, consequences be damned.
The warden had tutted in disappointment, but fortunately, he had seemed to have grown bored because he didn’t press further and simply threw them out of his office.
The guards had carried the kid to his office and left him on the examination table, and while he tended to the kid’s injuries his mind had been a violent mess. He had ended up swearing and cursing at the unlucky bastard while he treated his wounds.
The crazy bastard had said nothing and simply sat quietly throughout his angry spiel. He had sighed and just shaken his head as he wondered, what could have possessed the idiot to steal.
If he needed treatment, he could have just come to him. There was no need to steal. That was when it hit him. Though the unlucky kid still came to his office every night his wounds were much milder than before. He had thought that the others had finally grown tired of abusing the kid and were starting to lose interest. But instead, the kid must have been trying to hide the worst of his injuries from him in order to spare him.
He had sighed again and this time it was much heavier. What crime had he committed in his previous life to be saddled with this crazy and unlucky bastard?
“You crazy idiot.”
Charles looked up at him at his sudden words and he quickly drew his mind back to the present. He stared at the unlucky kid who is finally having a bit of good luck and will soon be leaving this rotten place.
He couldn’t help but voice out his honest feelings. ‘Crazy idiot, I really wish I never have to see you again.’
~
Back at the infirmary, Noel had just watched them enter Gregory’s office. He turned around and sighed before sitting down on the nearest bed.
Samuel who had been quiet this entire time came up and softly sat beside him. Noel glanced up as he felt the bed gently dip beside him.
‘What are you thinking?’ he asked carefully.
Samuel considered it for a moment before replying, ‘I don’t know. I’m thinking about a lot of things really.’
‘You think I’m crazy, don’t you?’
‘Not really.’
‘But you think this is a bad idea?’
‘Not bad, just unexpected.’
Noel looked down at his feet. ‘You understand where I’m coming from, right? We can’t just leave him here.’
Samuel sighed. ‘No, we can’t.’
‘I didn’t think,’ Noel paused and gathered his thoughts. ‘I didn’t expect it will be like this.’
‘Neither did I,’ Samuel replied honestly. ‘I actually feel bad for him and those are words I never thought would come out of my mouth.’
Noel let out a scornful laugh. ‘I must be crazy. Can you imagine it? Trying to help your rapist get out of prison. I must have lost my mind.’
‘It’s not craziness.’
‘If I’m not crazy, then what am I? Who else would try to help their rapist get out of prison?’
‘A good person,’ Samuel answered firmly. ‘That’s what you are. You are a good person with a pure heart and not many people would be able to say the same.’
Noel didn’t say anything, and Samuel continued. ‘What are you are doing also takes bravery. You are honestly one of the bravest people I know and back then when you were giving orders to the guards do you know who you reminded me of?’
Noel looked up. ‘Who?’
‘Jayden,’ Samuel answered with a small smile.
Noel stared wistfully at the door. ‘He’s going to be absolutely livid, isn’t he?’
Samuel let out a loud snort. ‘That might be the understatement of the century.’
Author’s note: Did you figure out why that song kept playing in my head 🙃
Also can we all agree that as the author I have been ruthless in dispensing justice to Charles? So please no one should come for me for giving him a redemption arc 🙈
To be very honest, this chapter did not need to be as dark as it was. I was planning to spare y’all from most of the grisly details but it’s pretty obvious from how the chapter turned out that I was having a horribly dark month and writing is my therapy so…
I’m sure y’all caught on to the warden’s thing with Jayden. As I said, everything in my book is there for a reason and the reason has something to do with why this update took so long. Trigger warning for this next part (don’t worry I will tell you when the trigger warning is over).
I have been writing a pretty dark fanfic where Victoria is dead and Roger threw Jayden into this very same prison to save his family’s name. Of course, because Jayden looks so much like Victoria, he becomes the object of the warden’s obsession and instead of being killed like Roger ordered, the warden kept him alive to basically keep SAing him. Of course, it’s not all doom and gloom, (well, it’s mostly doom and gloom). It’s a kind of alternate universe so Samuel does show up and after Jayden warms up to him they plan their escape.
Do they escape? Oh yes, they do but they are caught. Every time they escape and have hope that everything would be fine they get caught again and go through the brutal experience all over again. I mean it’s tagged hurt/no comfort for a reason. I’m not done with it so I’m still not sure if I should give it a happy ending or not. We’ll see how my life goes. And before y’all come for me, yes I know it’s terrible but all my trauma has to go somewhere and better there than here.
Anyway, it’s up on AO3 and no, I’m not going to tell you what it is called. I hid it for a reason but if you do find it on your own you’re welcome to read it, just don’t talk about it here. I doubt anyone would find it though because I hid it so well. It’s my own little trauma dump fanfic.
Trigger warning over. Anyway enough of the doom and gloom, hope y’all had an amazing sun-filled month and your summer is going swimmingly (do you get it🤭)
Next chapter would be up soon🙃
[text_hash] => d6814adf
)