Help Comes in Weird Ways

Prologue

It was Maralynn's first night shift of the year. Everything had been going as planned, the prisoners were asleep and everything seemed quite peaceful. The smell of smoke roamed the air, but that was typical. On a usual night, prisoners would stay up talking and waiting for the guard to fall asleep. After three hours of waiting, the prisoners decided to give up. Maybe this job was right for her after all. 

The prison continued to stay at rest until around midnight. Sounds of screaming filled the hallways. A young kid around the age of fourteen was being pinned to the wall by a couple of officers. With only a quick glance at the kid you could tell he was busted for selling drugs. His eyes were puffy and red and he smelled of weed. As the kid fought back, the officers began to be more rough with him. Slamming him up against the wall in a way that no kid should ever be treated. 

Maralynn watched, concerned for the child. She rushed over pushing the officers aside. "I'll take it from here" she said with ease. The officers gave her a nasty glare before roughly letting go of the kid. As they walked away, the kid began to become more relaxed. The boy muttered "thank you" beneath his breath. As the two stood there you begin to hear the other prisoners become riled up. "We should probably get you a cell. It's late, you're going to need rest if you plan to survive."  Maralynn quickly leads him to a cell with confidence, barely paying attention to the other prisoners calling her insulting names. 

As the two of you walk down the halls the boy could only help but to admire the prison guards confidence. "Do you think i'll be here for a while?" asked the boy with a worried tone in his voice. Maralynn could only help but to shake her head in silence. There was no telling how long any of the prisoners would be staying. Some kids who came from predominantly rich families would only spend a night. Those who didn't have that kind of support would end up staying up to years. Maralynn didn't know what the boy could have done, although she knew that he didn't belong there. He was misunderstood and lost. Memories of her own teenage years came flooding back to her. 

Maralynn decided to place the boy in a cell with another young boy named Henry. In her eyes, she believed that Henry would guide the boy into a brighter direction. Just like the boy, Henry was lost and misunderstood. What lead him to prison was an armed robbery. He never hurt a fly, and the only reason he committed the crime was to save his brother. Henry's parents were abusive and they refused to feed him or his brother. In Henry's mind, the only way to survive was to steal. 

As Maralynn opened the cell door she could see the boy tear up. Unable to hold back her compassion she gave the boy a hug. "You'll do fine, Henry will guide you" she said in a sweet tone. The boy nods as he hugs back, only before making his way into the cell and sitting on the bed. The first night was always the roughest and Maralynn knew that. She wished she could do more for these children, although her job didn't enable her to do so.