Crazy Not Zany

Chapter 18: Little Secret

Melody followed the officer inside another wing of the prison. Here they walked by many visitors greeting loved ones or family members who were behind bars. She watched with cautious eyes as they skipped by all the tables and made their way toward another door. She eyed the sign on the door. Authorized Personnel Only, it read. The officer held the door open for her and she slipped inside. A long hall was within, which she walked down. At the end of this hall was a doorway to another room. Instead of a table, there was a booth with glass meant to separate the prisoner and the visitor. Telephones remained on both sides of the booth.

Melody's tail twitched, realizing the chair on the other side of the glass wall was empty. She turned to the officer who remained behind her. "I thought you said he was ready?"

"Just a small delay, Ms. Cattington." The officer said with a reassuring smile. "They're bringing him momentarily."

"Oh, okay." Melody nods and takes her seat. The officer leaves the room to wait outside. Melody taps her purse, which she holds in her lap. It was a small wristlet purse, purple in color. She continues to tap on it while she stares at the glass wall before her. A smaller room was on the other side with a big metal door. Only enough room for one person.

The commotion of voices catches her attention as she begins to straighten up. Her ears perk up to the voices. Only seconds later, the door on the other side is opened. Melody's ears fall flat to the sides of her head when she sees him. Cuffs ran from his neck to his wrists and legs, Zekko had long chains running all over keeping his limbs secured. The officer leading Zekko makes sure he sits down in the chair provided.

"Thirty minutes." The officer says bluntly before closing the door behind him.

Zekko's eyes jump to Melody's. She swallows and scoots her chair closer to the table, daring to look back at the boy before her. His gaze on her is short-lived when he looks at the phone beside himself and he picks it up. Melody picks up the phone in front of her.

"Zekko..." She gasps into the phone speaker. "They never chain you during visits. What did you do?"

Zekko doesn't look her in the eye when he chuckles his voice crackling through the phone for her to hear.

"It's good to see you."

Zekko's gaze confronts hers. He stares at her with this light in his eyes that she can't help but notice. She shakes her head and narrows her eyes.

"You didn't answer me," Melody says firmly, gripping the phone.

"Is that really important?" Zekko questions. He leans forward, Melody can hear all the chains moving with him. He puts a hand against the glass, staring dead into her eyes. There's a sadness behind those eyes that makes her heartache.

"Why are you here? You never visit me anymore."

Melody purses her lips. She clutches the phone, her gut twisting and reeling. The longer she stares at him, the more she can see. He has bags under his eyes, which make him appear sick. Maybe he was, she didn't really know. If it was possible, since the last time she'd seen him, he'd lost weight. The clothes on him barely stick to him anymore. And his eyes, they looked so tired.

"I...wanted to see you."

Melody feels the lie thick on her tongue, like a bad aftertaste. She watches Zekko's face closely as it shifts from surprise to confusion. The hand on the glass clenches into a fist as he casts his eyes to the side. She notices a pink tint on his white cheeks.

"Really?" Zekko asks, sounding the least bit hopeful.

"Yes."

His eyes lock on hers. Melody finds a mesmerizing look in his eyes and bites her lower lip. She glances at his hand, which he had not removed once from the glass. She slowly lifts her hand and places it against the glass with his. Zekko's eyes jump to their hands and back to her. All sickness has vanished from his face. Melody's stomach began doing flips as he stared at her with a loving gaze.