"Hey, do you think we'll get out of here someday?" Theo whispers from my right.

I officially lost count of how long we've been here. I think it's almost three days.

From time to time, they take us out of the cell for interrogations. When they realized none of us is going to say anything, they kinda left us to rot, only bringing the smallest amount of food they can once a day. Pricks.

No way this shit is legal, but hey. What can we do about it?

Currently, we are all lying on the dirty floor, trying to cool ourselves with it. It's disgusting, it truly is. It smells like millions butts, but growing up in an orphanage, where you shared everything with dozen more kids, made us immune.

I snorted and turned my head towards him. "Why? got somewhere else to be?"

He smiled tightly and brushed my nose. "You're so funny, Ollie."

I rolled my eyes and got back to staring at the ceiling.

"At least Keyla's dogs are out of sight." Ares mumbled from my other side.

He's lying on his stomach, while his head is buried inside his now-blooded shirt.

After a few seconds, he lifted his head in such a hurry that made me look at him alerted.

His intense gaze and squinted eyes put me on edge. "Ares? what's wrong? Are you-"

"I'm so fucking hungry."

Just from the thought of food, my stomach grumbled, loud enough for Theo to hear and snicker.

"Shut up before I make you our next meal." Ares growled, pointing at him. After that, he rose to his feet, stretching dramatically.

"No but like, seriously. How long we're gonna be in this shitty place?" Theo ignored the comment and got up as well.

He paced slowly around, something he often did when his brain ran a thousand miles an hour.

Shit, he's thinking of a plan. I couldn't help but smile, finally, we--

"I say we start a riot." Ares said from the side, all serious.

My smile faltered.

I didn't bother to answer, knowing that Theo will probably smack his head and tell him how stupid this idea is--

"Yes! A riot!" Theo exclaimed, stopping moving at once.

"What?" I cried out, shocked. "Do you even realize how dumb this is?"

I used my elbows to support my weight and looked up at them.

I thought for a moment before speaking. "We just need to tell them that we demand a lawyer or some shit like that, they'll have to provide us one, right?" I tried, offering a solution we can actually do.

Ares nodded slowly. "Fine. But I still prefer the whole 'riot' thing."

I laughed lightly, waving him off. "If it won't work, then I'll even help you burn this place down."

He scanned my face for a few seconds before he seemed satisfied. Then, his eyes glowed with a mischievous glint in it.

Oh, no.

"Since we're stuck in here for a while, how about you," he stretched out, pointing his finger at me.

I raised my good eyebrow.

"Braid my hair, style Mama Joyce?"

This idea made me smile. Mama Joyce was this old, Jamaican woman that worked as a cleaning lady at the orphanage.

All those years ago, we used to sneak out of our rooms at night while she cleaned. We would sit silently on the floor, and while she braided our hair and shared stories from her childhood, the other two would clean in her place.

She loved braiding, and even taught me how to do it myself correctly. She was all about how every woman should have that knowledge.

Once, she told me about the times when her own mama taught her how to braid, and how she never had the chance to teach anyone else but me, because she only had sons.

So, when she wanted to teach me, I agreed without hesitation. I tried so hard to believe that my own mama just couldn't raise me, but if she could, she would've taught me herself.

I was a child that needed to believe she wasn't abandoned.

With the sweet memory of old Mama Joyce, I nodded at Ares. "Sit down."

°°°

A couple of hours later, both Theo and Ares had the most fabulous hair. I didn't have hair ties, so I just had to pray they won't do something stupid.

When they decided to do something stupid and wrestle, I had to yank them both by the shirts and yell about how delicate the braids are.

My sore arms made such a sacrifice. I will shield that hair with my life.

All of a sudden, our heads jerked to the direction of the door.

A sound we didn't hear in so long. Keys.

We stood up the moment we saw the guards stepping in. "Let's go, girl. It's your turn." A man said. his eyes scanned us with a disgusted look.

I rolled my eyes and followed him out, not before catching the worried expressions of Ares and Theo.

I tried to smile reassuringly but suddenly got pushed away. "Dick." I muttered and shook the guard's hands off me.

All the way towards the all too familiar interrogation room, I reminded myself the plan. A lawyer. It's our right, right?

I know absolutely nothing about laws, only how to break them, but I do know how to get what I want. I've been fighting all my life.

Hands cuffed to the sticky table before me, I had more than enough time to imagine how I'll rip off the next officer's throat that I'll see.

But I also had time to think about what we're going to do.

We've been on the road for more than three years, sleeping wherever we could.

Ares often fought in the cages, while Theo and I dealt with pills. We're not drug dealers, no, we're simply... brokers.

That money is enough for us to rent shitty apartments at shitty neighborhoods.

We can't stay in this town, not when Keyla is hot on our tail, waiting to torture us or some shit like that.

And I can't be tortured! I like my fingers too much to lose them.

I mentally rolled my eyes. Boys are so annoying. If only Keyla could see it's clearly his girl's fault. She could've easily mention it to Ares that she had a boyfriend while they made out in front of my face for like an hour.

So, no. We can't stay in this part of the city.

I was really hoping to manage this one. It's stupid, but I just want a place to be at, somewhere I could call home. Man, I even bought a 'welcome' rug to our front door.

Theo's brother, Jace, lives uptown. We would've called him, but Theo can't remember his number. He does some shady shit, so he changes it quite often. I think he's in a really big gang or something.

It wont be a surprise, of course. Most of the people I know had to go down that path. It's inevitable that the three of us will end up either in a gang, or dead.

And see, I don't plan on dying soon.

I sighed and crashed my head on the metal table.

"God," I hissed and straightened myself the moment I realized my mistake. I still have a very nasty wound above my eyebrow.

In the heat of the moment, I brought my hands up to my painful forehead, but of course. I forgot I was cuffed.

"Fuck!"

My wrists are burning, my head is pounding, and I'm fucking pissed.

Just when I kicked the interrogator's chair from under the table, the door opened.

A tall, lean, grumpy officer that smelled of cigarettes stood there, looking at the chair crashing down the floor with a raised brow.

Under his one arm rested a big file, and the other held a fancy plastic cup full of coffee, by the smell.

I'm starving, and he drinks a seven dollars coffee.

I got pulled out of my thoughts when he shoved the chair back up with his foot. "Having a rough day?" he smirked and sat down.

His hair was full and gray, but his face showed almost no sign of his true age. If not for my building hatred towards everyone in this place, I'd say he looked good.

Glaring at him, he decides to keep talking. "I'm sure you know why you're here, Olive. I won't waste any of our times by repeating that-"

"What's your name?" I cut him through, calmly. He seemed surprised for a second before he smiled and put the coffee on the table. "Detective Joel."

Ignoring the pain in my wrists, I leaned forward. "Well, Joey," I smiled. "I don't know who the hell you are, but I know for a fact that you can't keep us here like that. I'm not saying anything until the three of us get a lawyer."

There was no trace of my smile anymore. This man, comes here all smiling and stuff, while we rot in a cell? No way.

His own smile faltered for a moment before it came back. "Well, good thing that you don't have to worry about your friends anymore. You just got bailed out."

Chapter 3!! Thoughts? Please make sure to vote! It helps me so much :)