Psychogenic ▸▸ Kellic

✝Five✝

        10-17

"I'm so sorry Kellin." I heard Vic whisper to me as the guards led us down the all to well known hallway.

"It's okay." I replied. And honestly it was. We tried and failed, now we just have to pay the price.

It just means the world he'd risk it to come find me before trying to escape. I can't say I would've done the same in that situation.

Surprisingly enough, we turned off into the regular cell hallway instead of towards Sister Margaret's office. I could've sworn we were going to be beat to pulp honestly.

They threw us into the cell as usual. Vic fell onto the floor, scraping his arm. I bent down quickly after the door was fully shut, pulling him up. His dark skin complexion was paler than usual.

He didn't look like the man I met on the bus.

"You should sit down." I said, tugging on his arm. We sat on the bed by each other.

His arm was bleeding, so I got up and grabbed my pillowcase.

"Really you don't have to." He said restlessly, yawning in between his words.

"Yes I do." Was all I said before scooting back over to him and pressing the fabric against his wound. I saw him bite his lip and look away.

When he looked back, his brown eyes caught my green ones. We kind of held the gaze for a moment, and I can't say I really disliked it. But there was a fresh atmosphere of awkwardness with it as well.

Vic cleared his throat and and looked away. We sat in silence for the next few minutes in the same position until I removed the cloth. It was already healing, probably because all he did was break the surface of the skin.

My pillowcase looked like a murder scene though.

"I bleed really easily." He admitted with a chuckle. I grinned.

"It's okay." I threw the case onto the floor and went back to my bed, plopping down on it.  "I want out of here." I stated, pointing my finger up at the black ceiling. "I want to see life again, my friends. I wanted to spend my Halloween with them. Not here." He sighed as my eyes traced his figure. He laid down too.

"Just imagine this ceiling blue, like the sky. Imagine we're outside taking in the fresh autumn air." I closed my eyes, savoring the images flowing through my brain every second. I let out a sigh of relief.

"I'd kill to get back to that." I watched him nod after turning his neck to the side to look at me. His hair slid off the side of the bed, just kind of hanging there. I chuckled.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"No, tell me." He urged, sitting up and crossing his arm. I laughed harder at his persistence in the situation.

"You're cute."

✝

"Children." Sister Margaret said to us sternly, smacking her cane down on the desk. I wasn't sure why exactly she had a cane with her, but she did and I wasn't going to question her authority. "I am very disappointed in your behaviors such as last nights." Her eyes blared into ours.

So much for no punishment.

"Escape attempts will not be tolerated." She pounded the end of the cane on the floor before standing up and encircling us. "Twenty-five strikes each" She said, and apparently Vic knew what she meant. He leaned forward against the desk, nodding for me to oblige. I did as told, resting my head on the desk.

I didn't here any cupboards being opened or closed, but I soon heard a loud smack from the left of me. I looked over to see Vic's eyes squint shut and his teeth grinding his bottom lip. The familiar smacking sound came back while I watched him in fright. Is he okay?

Twenty-five strikes and that was only two, three now.

Tears welled up in his eyes, and I had to try so hard to not reach out and wipe them away. The strikes came quicker, and eventually she stopped. Vic was silently crying, burying his head in his forearm.

Her shoes clicked behind me. The cane tapped the floor, so I bit on my lip, preparing myself for what was to come.

But I don't think it's actually possible to be ready for a blaring pain that makes your ass feel like it's on fire. The first five weren't bad, but soon after I began to ache and had to bury my head in my arm to stifle my cries. Vic hadn't looked up to me or done anything but cry. 

She continued to twenty-five, then stepped aside.

"Out!" She yelled, pointing towards the door. We scurried up and left the room, met by the usual guards. They led us back to our cell where I was planning to sit, but couldn't quite manage it. Neither could Vic.

"I'm so sorry." He mumbled.

"Cut it out Vic." I snapped, brushing some hair out of my eyes. "It's okay, really." He nodded and wiped at tears in his eyes.

"That wasn't what she did last time..." He mumbled again. Right now his voice was so soft spoken it was really hard for me to make out his words.

"What did she do last time?" I asked. "I mean if you want to tell me."

"Lashes." He said, looking up at me. "Forty times." I cringed.

Forty times for using derogatory language. That's too much.

"Was this better then?" I asked, and he nodded. It could've been worse, but I'm sore.

"I think we should sleep." I suggested after a good span of ten minutes passed between us. He laid down, stopping every now and then to make sure he was okay. When he was finally down, and so was I, his head turned to face mine like it had earlier today.

"I don't wanna sleep, when I wake up this pain will be worse." I nodded in agreement.

"True." Was all I said for the rest of the night.

We laid there on the beds, just kind of looking at each other and our surroundings. It was extremely quiet in a haunting way. I kind of miss the sound of crickets chirping, even though they annoy you after awhile.

And later on after my mind was no longer consumed of images of my friends and family, and all the crickets chirping, I watched Vic's eye close softly.

And with a smile, I did the same.