Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
I spread the blanket out and climbed under it before laying my head down on the pillow for a nap. It was a nice change. I’d been sleeping in Vasilios’s cell, and everything smelled of him there. It made me unnervingly familiar with his scent, and I was already far too close to him. After all the hours we’d spent trapped in his cell during the riot, I’d come to understand him in a way I hadn’t before. It brought about new and confusing feelings I wasn’t prepared to examine.
When I woke up a few hours later, it was almost dark out. I instantly panicked because Mack would be waking up any minute now. I quickly splashed water over my face before hurrying to Vasilios’s cell on the fifth floor. When I entered, I found him and Sven sitting on the bed together, talking.
“You missed lunch,” Vasilios said when he saw me. “I came looking for you, but you were fast asleep in your cell.”
“Staying awake all night has begun to take its toll on me.” Right as I spoke, the bell chimed, and I smiled. “Looks like I woke up just in time for dinner, though.”
“Let’s go,” Sven said, and the three of us headed toward the dining hall. We’d become something of a recognisable trio around the prison, and it seemed to be a positive thing. People gave me far more respect now that I was associated with a group and not completely alone.
We got in line for food, and when it was our time to be served, Vasilios had a hushed exchange with one of the servers. He handed them what appeared to be a bar of soap, and the server handed him back a small square of something wrapped in foil.
I wondered what was going on when we went to sit at our usual table, and Vasilios pushed the foil-wrapped square across the table to me. “Happy Birthday,” he said in a soft voice. “It’s not much, but it’s the best I could manage in here.”
My eyebrows jumped all the way up to my forehead. He remembered it was my birthday? I was oddly touched. I hadn’t expected anything special, but it was nice that he remembered. I unwrapped the foil and found a square of cake with jam and icing spread across the top.
“And this is from me,” Sven added, placing a packet containing a travel toothbrush and tube of toothpaste in front of me. Was this real life? Was Sven giving me a birthday gift, too? I thought he tolerated me for Vasilios’s sake, but it seemed he wasn’t completely ambivalent toward me.
And then, emotion swelled within me. I was … touched. I’d been too tired to really think about it being my birthday, and now, I was being given gifts by two people who, by all rights, should hate my guts. I should hate them, too, and yet, there we were, forging a tentative alliance.
I refused to let any tears leak out, doing my best to keep a stoic face. “Thank you. Both of you. This is so thoughtful.”
I took the toothbrush and toothpaste and stuck them in my pocket. Then I lifted the small piece of cake and took a bite. It was a basic vanilla-flavoured cake with strawberry jam and plain sugared icing, but right then, it was the best piece of cake I’d ever eaten.
“I know you have a sweet tooth,” Vasilios said, clearly referring to how much I’d enjoyed the candied apple slices at Sarasin’s Midnight. “This is the best they had to offer in the kitchen.”
“It’s so good. Thank you. Again.”
He seemed pleased as he and Sven sat there watching me eat it. I almost finished it all in a few short bites before I realised how rude I was being. I set what was left aside. “You two can share the rest,” I offered.
Sven began to reach for the cake, but Vasilios smacked his hand away before levelling his eyes on me. “It’s my gift to you. I want you to finish it all.”
Sven didn’t look too happy about it, but I didn’t argue, instead picking the final piece up and eating it in two more bites. When it was gone, I was a little disappointed I hadn’t made more of an effort to savour it. Vasilios and Sven turned their attention to their dinners, as did I. There was a new vibe forming between the three of us, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Sven had still killed Mr Williams and attacked Angela, and Vasilios had still plotted to murder my parents. It seemed unthinkable that I could actually get along with them, never mind enjoy their company, but as I said, being stuck in prison changed things. It made you accept people and situations you might never have accepted before.