January 5th

“Do you really think that we have a chance?”

The dreadful silent resonance was painfully loud. It echoed against the walls of my heart and made for an uncomfortable ponder.

“Of course, we do.” I lied, knowing very well that the odds were slim.

There was no way we were all going to get out of that mess of a plan squeaky clean, but I had no choice but to go along with the lie that I’d told myself to the point that it almost seemed true.

“The plan will work,” I continued to beguile;“It has to.”

This respite moment felt surreal as we took a moment to calibrate the seriousness of the danger that we’d placed ourselves in. We couldn’t back out now; it’s too late to walk away from all this. Plus, we were caught in the act by the two James Bond wannabes. It’s not like we can just walk away now and resolve to spend the rest of our lives here. They couldn’t possibly get us executed should they turn on us. We have to go for it.

“If there is even a remote chance that I could see her again, I have to try,” Alex mumbled.

“By her, you mean your sister?” I inquired.

“Yes.” He sighs, “I need her to understand why I did what I did. And that it wasn’t her fault." And then, to my surprise, he dropped his head in pain, revealing a more vulnerable side to him.

I wasn’t sure how to respond, to be honest. I realized that, no matter how I looked at it, this guy is still just a kid. He did something monstrous, I know. But for a while now, I have been eerily puzzled…

What really went on that day?

*Ding*

*Ding*

The bell rang signaling the end of dinner time. Alex decided to head back to his cell early to have a rest. It was a busy day, to say the least. Plus, it gave Ray and I a chance to talk. I met him in the Recreation Area for a few minutes.

RAS 1

“And you’re sure that this will work?” I cross-examined.

“It’s as good as done.” He asserted. “I told you, this will override any security lock in the shipment room as long as you time it right.”

Placing my trust in the hands of a criminal was more or less one of the stupidest things I’d ever done. But unfortunately, it’s the only choice. Besides, tomorrow he will give a little preview in order to prove his word. I just hope he isn’t just working an angle with me to get to something else. I know he isn’t telling us the whole truth about why he’s doing this. But I’m just hoping for now that he wants to get out as badly as we do. I will deal with what comes after that.

“Just remember,” He went on, “One second off… and it’s game over for you. The Guards will be on you faster than a hobo at the soup kitchen.

“Okay, got it.” I shook my head then positioned myself to leave. But as I was about to, something held me back.

“What is it?” I asked.

Raymond sat up straight in his chair, crossed his fingers then smiled, “Where’s your boyfriend?”

In trying to circumvent his wasteful antics, I simply pulled away and said, “Don’t screw up tomorrow.”

“You should talk to him you know. You might want to be careful of who you’re actually planning on helping to walk out of here and back into society.”

“You mean, like you,” I retorted, “Don’t worry, I have my suspicions. But for now, you don’t seem completely useless so we’ll see how that works out.”

“Ha-ha,” He unctuously smiled,“Silent Rivers run deep, my friend. Folklores and Parables are more than just poems. You’d take heed to remember that.”

I walked away without giving him a second glance. His words carry weight, but his intentions may be vindictive in trying to place serious doubts and concerns in my head about Alex. He may be right, but he is also working an angle, for sure. I had better keep a close eye on him.

It was time to head back to our cells. I had my free call, but I didn’t take it. At this point, I had no intention of getting Alaya any more involved. Should this new plan go south, I don't want to take her down with me. Tomorrow, phase 1 will initiate. And I was oddly pumped about that. But, for some reason, I couldn’t get what that jerk said out of my head. So, I decided to do something about it.

It was time to shower. I slipped Alex a note.

Everyone got in and then got out as quickly as they could. No one liked to stay in the shower anyway, so it was the perfect meeting place. As the place cleared out, I timed how long we had left before the alarm would go off to be back in our cells.

He came over to me by the corner, just as I’d asked.

“So, what is it?” He asked, “Something changed about the plan?”

“No.” I quickly responded. “That’s not why I called you here.”

“Hmm, okay,” He nods, “Then what is it?”

“I have to talk to you, to ask you about something.” I started.

He again nodded, “Go on.”

“It’s not going to be easy, but I need you to be honest with me if we’re going to do this.”

“Be honest about what?”

Okay, here goes nothing.

“Why are you really here?”