Innocent Prisoners | COMPLETED

chapter.12

daisy

"He's changed."

Daisy looked up from the chocolate cake batter she was happily making and up at Mrs Patel, who was grating cheese into an enormous pot of macaroni. After seeing the meal they were preparing for the inmates, she was more than eager to witness their reactions.

"Who has?" She asked.

Mrs Patel gave her a fond smile. "That Seth boy. I heard you and him have got a thing."

Blushing, Daisy ignored the teasing tone in her voice and replied, "w-what do you mean he's changed? I don't think so."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Oh please. That boy was trouble before you were here. There were regular fights and all sorts of negative energy brought into the prison, more than there should've been. He was very quiet but still caused chaos. Kind of like fire - silent but deadly."

"Seth's a fart." Daisy mumbled.

"What, pet?"

Startled out of her unusual thought, she shook her head and said quickly, "n-nothing. Carry on."

"Hm. Well, now he's such a sweetheart and he's actually smiling too. Maybe not to other people but with you, oh goodness, it just warms my heart. It's the little things he does that shows how much he loves you." She gushed, while hastily rushing around the kitchen to gather vegetables for her soup.

Daisy was disheartened to hear how miserable Seth had been but it put a smile on her face to know that now she was around, he was happier, even if it was a little bit. He was just a moody person in general and honestly, it was a part of his personality she wouldn't want him to change.

"Like what?" She asked her to elaborate.

Mrs Patel paused her actions briefly to think about her answer, before grinning widely and saying, "there's this cute thing I noticed when I would look to see where you are in the canteen."

This made Daisy a little emotional as she knew the dinner lady didn't do this to be creepy. She did this to make sure she was okay and she wasn't lying unconscious underneath the circular dinner tables next to the forgotten peas and chips. She wanted Daisy to be safe and the little girl had never felt such motherly care from a person, not even from her own flesh and blood.

"Oh why are you getting teary eyed already, pet? I've not even told you the cute part." Mrs Patel huffed and wiped the lone tear that had fallen out of her eye with a tissue.

She laughed off her awkward overreaction and shrugged. "I'm on my period."

"Oh no. That explains why you've been eating the left over chocolate every time you think I don't see. Don't forget, I can always sneak you some painkillers if you need them." The dinner lady replied sympathetically.

"Thank you, Mrs Patel." Daisy said as she sheepishly pushed the empty chocolate wrapper away from her.

"No worries, pet. Now, back to the story. After I see you and your Seth boy get food and then go to your little table at the back of the room, he always takes the first bite out of your food."

Daisy pouted in disappointment. "N-no, that's just because he's greedy."

Chuckling, Mrs Patel shook her head and said, "there was an incident a week before you arrived when most of the food was contaminated. Luckily, only one person got hurt and that was Linda, who usually helps me and that was why I needed the extra help. So, Seth tries your food first because he's testing to see if it's poisoned. He'd rather risk his own life than yours." She returned to making dinner nonchalantly as if she didn't just tell Daisy that not only was there risk of food being poisoned, but that she also had a personal food tester that put his life on the line three times a day just for her.