Ch. 251..255: Breed Me, Daddy Alpha chapter 251-255
Breed Me. Daddy Alpha – Chapter 251
Coban Santorelli.
The name hung in the air like smoke thick and impossible to ignore.
It settled deep in my chest, as though Coban himself had just entered the damn room with us…
The guard flipped through the pages again, slower this time, like even he needed to make sure what he was about to say was real.
“I’ll be honest here,” he sighed heavily, voice dropping a little, “I never thought someone like him would come close to being approved for this program. Not with his hefty record.”
I swallowed hard, the dryness in my throat almost unbearable. “So what… what did he do?”
The guard exhaled through his nose, as if deciding how much to actually tell me before finally, he turned one of the papers around so I could see it for myself.
It wasn’t a mugshot – it was a still frame from a security camera. A blurry figure, tall and broad, who was standing over someone on the floor.
The image was grainy, meaning that I could barely make any of the people out, but the body on the ground looked crumpled. Limp.
–
“Serious assault. Multiple counts of battery. Gang affiliation. Drug trafficking. Was also suspected of mass murder though he was never charged for it because it couldn’t be proved.” The guard tapped the file like he was ticking off a shopping list. “His Daddy is a big shot gangster and he’s the next in line for his throne to put it lightly…”
I blinked.
A big shot gangster?!
He leaned forward, elbows on the table. “And now he’s suddenly your responsibility to rehabilitate.” He whispered across at me, followed by a breathless laugh.
A scream built up in my throat, but never made its way out.
I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak.
I was frozen
–
I was caught somewhere between fight and flight, except both options felt like suicide being this far in.
How the hell could I flee from a moving fucking tin can bobbing its way towards hell anyhow? It was too late!
“But hey,” the guard added with a shrug, gaining my attention again, “word is that he volunteered himself for this program. Said he wants to change. Make peace. Start fresh. So maybe he actually means it? Or maybe he’s desperate. But regardless, he needs to keep you alive and safe in order to earn his freedom… so you’ll be important to him.”
He gave me a long, unreadable look, like he was trying to see how much of that I actually believed.
I didn’t answer though. I couldn’t. It all felt like too much information bouncing between the walls of my mind…
‘Listen to me, Margot,” he said, finally using my name. “You’re going to be paired with him starting from tonight – like it or not – and there can’t be any swaps either. You’ll get to learn his schedule and you’ll follow it, along with having access to a red–alert panic switch in your cell, and a security camera in the room for only your first twenty–four hours to see how you settle. After that… it’s just you and him in that cell every night.”
My stomach turned violently. “Just me and him… in a cell? What if he tries to k–kill me?!”
“Then he loses his only ticket to freedom. So he won’t. He may be a grade A asshole Margot, but he’s a clever man, I’ll give him that much. The guards will patrol at night time too, so just yell if you need them.” The guard nods, checking his watch and becoming suddenly conscious of the time.
I let out a shaky breath, nausea swirling as I imagined the door closing behind me… locking me inside with a dark and unhinged criminal.
*I only have five minutes left with you here, so let’s quickly run through Coban’s own list of expectations that he wrote for us.” He clears his throat and straightens up, turning the page as my brows furrow.
He has his own damn expectations for me now?!
‘Quiet, obedient, not a whore… excuse my language, this is written in his own words, not ours… respectful, calm, hot… you get the idea, he just doesn’t want you to annoy him.” He sighs, flipping the page back again.
Hot?!
He may have just skipped right over that word but I heard it!
But besides that, it sounded like Coban expected for me to just sit in the corner in silence the whole time, which I guess I could make work if it would help keep the peace for the both of us?
“So uh… what actually happens each day? How will I know what my task is? Will I get to see my friend often too?” I push the words out, feeling a cold sweat break free from my forehead as the words left my lips quieter than intended.
The guard checked his watch again, causing for me to become suddenly stressed that this would be the only advice I would get before being thrown in the deep end by nightfall with Coban…
“You’ll get to see your friend around the compound during the prisoners free time, as long as Coban wants to be there that is he tends to want to visit the gym a lot so you’ll probably be in there quite a bit, so you best hope that your friend gets matched with a fellow gym goer. But if not, then you’ll be able to see her in the dinner hall where everyone eats three times a day.” The guard rants, his words seeming to get faster as he tucks papers back into the folder and prepares to wrap up.
“Ok… that’s good…” I nod, knowing that there would hopefully be plenty of opportunities to debrief with my friend throughout the project, knowing that without her, I wouldn’t be able to make it through this alone.
“On a Saturday, visitors come in to see the prisoners, and so you’ll have half of the day to yourself. You’ll bring us a full report on Coban for that week, giving us the pros and cons of his behaviour and how he’s treated you so far, along with passing over any important information we might need to determine whether he’s eligible for release or not. After that you’ll get to relax with the other females for a while.” He concludes, as I rub my sweaty palms down my trousers.
Ok well that didn’t sound too bad. If I couldn’t catch up with Cara during the week then I’d be guaranteed to see her on a Saturday for a real chat.
If I can manage to survive each week to make it to Saturday that is…
I swallowed, blinking back the nervous tears that threatened to spill.
Breed Me. Daddy Alpha – Chapter 252
I now sat alone towards the edge of the assembly room, legs folded up on one of the cold plastic chairs, nursing a lukewarm bottle of water like it was a lifeline.
My thumb worked over the crinkled label, peeling the edges absentmindedly as I just waited.
Cara still hadn’t come back yet, and I often questioned whether I had been gone for this long for my own debrief… it felt like it had been forever!
She had been unluckily called just minutes after I had returned from my own chat, the two of us only exchanging a brief glance not even words as we passed by each other like ships in the night.
–
–
I was now left alone with my own thoughts tormenting me.
Dangerous, spiraling, chaotic thoughts.
All swarming around the one and only Coban Santorelli.
I couldn’t stop replaying the name in my head.
Santorelli… was he perhaps Italian?
I couldn’t stop picturing that grainy security image either, with the crumpled body lying at his feet and the way the guard would slap the folder down onto the table like a silent warning sign.
My stomach churned as I recalled the guard’s words trafficking, gang affiliation, suspected mass murder, drug and he’s your responsibility now…
I took another sip of the water, grimacing at the flat taste but knowing that I had to take advantage of it whilst it was free.
Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, a new anxiety struck me as I gasped, one I hadn’t even thought to ask in the middle of my flustered panic earlier.
How old is he?!
The question hit me like a slap.
Why didn’t I think to ask that? But why didn’t the guard just tell me? Did he maybe know that it would have freaked me out?!
What if he was old?
Like really old?
A fully–grown adult man with grey hair and sun–damaged skin and prison tattoos older than my entire existence?
How was I was supposed to “emotionally rehabilitate” a forty–year–old man with blood on his hands who was no doubt facing a mid–life crisis being stuck behind bars?
The idea itself sounded ridiculous and totally laughable!
Little five foot nothing me? Teaching an old dude how to be a better person?
Sure!
That could never work! There has to be some science behind this whole project, right?
The idea alone made my skin crawl. The power imbalance, the discomfort… the sheer absurdity of being tossed in a cell with an older guy.
Nah! They couldn’t do that! Pairing freshly turned eighteen year olds with much older dudes? There had to be some thought process behind this to prevent such pair ups…
I buried my face in my hands, groaning quietly into my palms at my newest concern.
It all still felt so unbelievable and untrue…
“Well, my guy’s name is Leon, and I can just imagine already that he’s got one of those jawlines that could cut through glass,” a syrupy voice drifted from across the room, bursting through the fog of my anxiety like a pin.
I lifted my head slowly, gaze locking onto a group of familiar girls, the ones wearing the mint–green the same ones from earlier, all now huddled together on some chairs by the ship window uniforms
–
One of them, a girl with thick blonde curls and manicured nails, was leaned in like she was sharing the world’s juiciest gossip.
“And guess what he’s in for too?” she practically purred. “Drugs, gang ties, and aggravated assault. The real bad boy trifecta.” She claps suddenly, as the others break out in to excited screeches as if on queue.
I watched on as they all gasped and giggled like she’d just described a celebrity sighting…
“Oh my god, serious?” the redhead beside her fanned her face with mock exaggeration. “That’s actually so hot. What age is he?!” She gushed, as I involuntarily leaned closer as though it would help me to hear the already loud girls, more.
Had she been told an age?
“He’s twenty–seven! Older than us which is what we had hoped for! The guard told me that he’s never had a ‘real connection‘ before,” the blonde continued, swooning. “Like, he needs me to help him feel something again. Isn’t that just… ugh. So raw?”
I stared at them, dumbfounded.
What the actual hell was this? I was over here freaking out and yet they were so… ecstatic about it all?
They were talking about violent crimes like they were designer handbags. Comparing felony charges like status symbols. Giddy over sociopaths and armed criminals like they were dating app matches with edgy profiles.
–
Something sour rose up in my throat. I didn’t mean to stare, I really didn’t but I just couldn’t help it. My eyes were locked on them like they were a train wreck happening before my very eyes in slow motion.
But suddenly, the blonde caught me.
She blinked, then narrowed her eyes. “Uh excuse me… can we help you?”
The others instantly turned toward me, following her gaze, as I snapped my open mouth closed and looked away instantly, heart lurching.
Shit, they caught me gaping…
“Do you have a problem or something? Staring at us as though we’ve grown three heads?” the redhead asked next, her tone sharp and smug at the same time.
“Probably jealousy, let’s be honest!” The blonde mutters, as the others laughed.
I blinked down at my water bottle, face suddenly burning before I frantically shook my head. “Ehh… no, I was just lost in a daydream, I didn’t mean to stare at you all…” I muttered, barely audible and hoping that it would be enough to move on.
“Oh, she definitely has a problem,” the blonde added. “Probably annoyed she got assigned someone boring I bet? You’re giving total inmate envy, girl.” She flipped her hair with a scoff, as I had to keep from groaning at her pathetic reasoning,
But I wouldn’t dare…
I wasn’t a fan of confrontation, especially on my own without Cara…
Laughter bubbled from their corner as I shrank back in my seat, wishing I could disappear into the floor.
I clenched the bottle in my hands, resisting the urge to launch it at their perfectly glossed faces.
But I didn’t move. I didn’t bite back. It wouldn’t help me in any way here.
“Whatever guy gets landed with her will be fucking gutted anyhow!” I heard one say in a ‘faux whisper‘, as though she was trying to be quiet but knew that I’d hear her anyway.
I stayed quiet. Took another shaky sip. Tried to breathe through it and avoid further eye contact.
“Right? I’m so glad we chose this colour too, you did say that only the desperate ones would go for pink!” A brown haired girl speaks out next, as they continue to turn towards me – desperate to catch me staring at them again, but I refused.
Let them laugh at me….
Let them act like this was all just a game…
They don’t even realise what they have signed up for yet…
—
Because when the reality of this all hits them the bars, the locked doors, the violent inmates – I had a feeling those giggles would fade real fast.
This wasn’t a game.
“Was that a bruise under her eye too? I didn’t know she had already been in there with them! Who knew you could get a head start to meet the inmates!” The blonde snorts louder this time, as I swallow the lump in my throat knowing that the bruise was clearly still noticeable.
Crap… the concealer didn’t last long… probably due to my profuse sweats!
Where the hell was Cara when I needed her?!
Please hurry up…
Breed Me. Daddy Alpha – Chapter 253
The second I saw Cara step back into the assembly room, it was like I could finally breathe again.
—
Her blonde hair was a little mussed from where she’d probably run her hands through it too many times, and her eyes scanned the room quickly landing on me with pinpoint accuracy. The moment she caught my expression, her brows tugged together in concern, and she hurried toward me without hesitation.
“Hey,” she said softly, reaching me like she’d been rushing back for miles. “You okay? You look like someone kicked your puppy and then ran it over.”
I opened my mouth, about to answer, but didn’t get the chance.
“Delilah Abbot, Jessie Wade, Samantha Collins… Heather Bowls, Leila Anderson, Erin Greening…!” The guards began calling out the names loudly from the doorway, clipboards in hand.
Three of the mint–green girls instantly turned toward the voices like it was the ice cream truck rolling down the street. The red head – Delilah, I guess squealed after they said her name and clutched the brunettes arm, bouncing in place. “Oh my God, that’s us!”
–
“Yesss, I can’t wait to hear what they have in store for us,” said the brunette, grinning like she’d just won the prisoner prize draw.
“You better hope your guys sound as hot as mine!” the blonde chimed in, fluffing her perfect curls and flicking her gaze toward me for half a second with a smug little smirk.
I quickly averted my eyes again, biting the inside of my cheek and cursing under my breath for being caught guiltily staring for the second time…
The group of girls didn’t say anything else to me, too swept up in their own excitement as three of them strutted out of the room like they were heading down a fashion runway instead of to a serious conversation about their futures.
The room seemed to breathe again as the door closed behind the next lot of girls, their shrill voices finally muffled by the distance.
I didn’t waste a second, I grabbed Cara’s wrist. “Come on,” I whispered, tugging her out of the corner I was currently sat in, moving us toward a quiet row of chairs near the back, where the remaining two mint- green girls couldn’t annoy us.
Once we sat, I let go of her arm and exhaled shakily, glancing sideways to make sure the mint–greens hadn’t thought tofollow me.
“What the hell happened there?” Cara asked, watching me with narrowed eyes, full of concern. “Why did that girl look at you like that?”
“They were just being awful,” I muttered, rubbing my palms against my thighs. “Those mint–green girls – they are like a fucking horny prison cult back there. They caught me staring at them while they were going on about one of their inmates like he was some hot celebrity.”
Cara blinked. “Wait, what? You’re telling me that even after hearing all of the details about how dangerous these guys are, that blonde was still excited about this shit? Either she’s missing a screw or she’s just putting on a front and deep down, is actually shitting her pants!”
“She was boasting about him Cara! Literally gushing over charges like aggravated assault and drug dealing. You’d think they were swapping prom stories. She went on to say that her guy had never felt a ‘real connection’ before like she was about to star in some twisted romance movie.” I grumble, bobbing my head to see her through the crowd – smiling and flipping her hair around obliviously.
Cara made a noise halfway between a scoff and a gag. “You’re kidding? That’s insane.”
“I wish I was.” I grimaced. “Anyway… I guess I was staring a little too hard – I was just in complete shock that they weren’t freaking out like I was – but then they noticed. Started going on about how I must be jealous, how whatever guy I got was unlucky. One even commented on my bruise.” I touched my cheek self- consciously. “Didn’t realise it was still showing through that makeup.”
“Oh, hell no.” Cara’s voice dropped an octave, her jaw locking tight. “I’ll knock her mint–green teeth down her throat.”
“Please don’t,” I said quickly, trying to smile as though things were ok. “We’ve only just gotten here, and I’d really rather you not start a fight with a pack of wannabe inmate–groupies on day one.”
Cara muttered something under her breath that sounded like mint–colored morons, but she settled back in to her seat, arms crossed.
“It was just some stupid comments,” I said. “Let’s focus on the important stuff?”
She gave me a look like she wanted to argue, but I pushed on before she could get the chance.
“So what about you? What did they tell you?” I leaned forward slightly. “Who’s your lucky psychopath?”
That made her smile a little- crooked and unsure – but it was still a smile.
“His name’s Luca James. Twenty–five. Drugs. Gangs. Armed robbery. A few assault charges. He sounds… intense,” she said carefully, licking her drying lips quickly. “Apparently he’s the strong, silent type. Doesn’t say much. Spends most of his time in the gym but if he gets angry, he can snap, so I’ve not to push his buttons.”
“The gym?! My prisoner likes the gym too so hopefully we will be together a lot! They also said I could see you during meal times and on a Saturday we get a sort of ‘day off‘ together.” I rant, happy that at least one thing had seemed to align for us both.
“Tell me about him anyway? Who did you get landed with?” Cara shuffles to move closer, evidently intrigued to hear my details.
I swallow, preparing myself to offload all of my anxieties on to my friend like she could easily fix my problems; “Coban Santorelli is his name… the guard was shocked to even see his file, claiming that he shouldn’t have been accepted to take part in the project! Said his father’s a big mob boss and so he probably pulled some strings to get him in… obviously they’re in it for the early release.” I shrug, knotting my hands together to keep myself still.
“I guess they’re all in it for the early release though, right?” Cara adds, as I nod and sigh.
Breed Me. Daddy Alpha – Chapter 254Time had passed in a blur of anxious conversations and shuffling feet as each remaining group got called in and out for signing and prisoner debriefs.
Girls came and went in cycles – some returning looking pale and shaken, others concerningly giddy, clutching their papers like souvenirs from a bizarre school trip.
Cara and I kept mostly to ourselves after our chat, sharing whispered thoughts and exchanging nervous glances as more and more names were called from the ever–dwindling list.
The atmosphere was clammy – the type that made your lungs feel like they were wrapped in wire. I was just beginning to think we might get a moment of real silence when the main doors creaked open once again.
hush fell across the room like a switch had been flipped.
The scarred man had returned amongst the last group of girls.
He stepped inside with that same slow, calculating pace – every step echoing with quiet authority, even over the low buzz of the fluorescent lights above us. His dark suit looked a little rumpled now, the collar open and his sleeves pushed up just slightly, like he’d had a long day at the office but wasn’t even halfway through it yet.
He was seeming to be the one who carried the weight of this whole place on his shoulders and looked like he’d gotten used to it too…
Without a word, he climbed back onto the low platform near the front of the room, eyes sweeping across us like we were recruits preparing for war.
Then – with one shrill, metallic screech – the microphone came to life.
A few girls winced. I physically recoiled, the sound rattling straight through to my teeth.
“Ladies,” he began, voice low and gravelly, now booming from the mounted speakers, “thank you for your cooperation today – and for your bravery in signing the final contracts for The Prison Project following your inmate briefings I can imagine it was a daunting task for many of you.”
A strange ripple passed through the room at the word bravery as praise or as a warning.
But he continued before we could figure it out like no one was quite sure if it was meant
“I want to personally acknowledge the commitment you’ve made. Each of you now holds a legal binding agreement. You’ll be housed inside the prison compound for the duration of the project – assigned to live and work alongside your selected inmate.”
A few girls giggled together at the word live. Others shifted uncomfortably in their seats, the gravity of that sentence settling in.
“For your contribution and participation,” he went on, “each of you will be compensated with a payment of twenty–five thousand dollars. That’s only for completing the full term of the program. The money will be held in escrow, released only at the end of your successful stay.”
There it was again successful stay – as though there was a genuine chance of failure.
And deep down we all knew what failure might look like…
“In just over an hour now,” the man continued, his voice taking on a clipped edge, “our transport vessel will arrive at the compounds dock. We have taken you directly to the private island where the prison is situated. After today, the only way to leave the project early, will be on a Saturday – when you will have some time away from the prison to report back to us and to unwind – this is when you will be given the option whether to leave or to stay. Please understand though, that early leave means zero cash!” He paused briefly to allow that part to sink in, before continuing on.
“During the week, there is only very little that our guards can do to get you out of there unless, of course, the circumstances are extreme. By this I mean that our prisoners will be severely punished if they break any of the strict rules laid out to them prior to starting the project in terms of causing harm to any of you. But right now, I recommend that you use this quiet time wisely. Return to your temporary quarters if you need rest. Freshen up. Mentally prepare yourselves. Because soon, there’s no more waiting around. No more chats. No more practice runs.”
He paused, letting that sink in.
“You’ll be introduced to the inmates and will be settled in your permanent cells by nightfall.”
A final beat passed before he gave a nod, then turned and strode off the platform again, leaving a trail of silence in his wake without another word…
“That was intense!” I breathed out to Cara, who was watching the man leave through the door.
The room erupted into hushed chatter almost immediately after he left- everyone speaking at once, everyone suddenly realising that this was it. No more theory. No more speculation. The boat was approaching our fate.
“We should go,” Cara said beside me, already rising to her feet and tugging on my sleeve. “Come on, before it gets too crowded in the hallway.”
I followed her numbly, like my body had gone on autopilot, legs moving without needing my permission.
Once we reached the room we had been in previously, I let the door shut behind us before finally collapsing down onto the small bed, the thin mattress creaking under my weight.
Cara tossed her papers onto her own bed. “You should try and nap again for a bit,” she said over her shoulder. “Even if it’s just closing your eyes for the hour. You still look exhausted.”
“I feel like I’ve been awake for three years,” I groaned, rolling onto my side in agreement of the idea.
“Yeah, just try. I’ll touch up your bruise before we leave here too.” She reminds me, as I allow for my heavy lids to weigh down.
I closed my eyes, but sleep felt like a joke. My mind was still buzzing, still spinning around the name Coban Santorelli like it was some curse whispered in the dark.
He didn’t feel real to me.
Not yet.
But amongst my thoughts, there was always another whisper… twenty–five thousand dollars.
That was the hefty reward for surviving a stranger. A dangerous one. Someone with bare hands big enough to probably snap a neck like a twig.
And I was going to be locked in a cell with him by tonight, praying that he doesn’t just decide to end my little life in under twenty–four hours.
I just lay there, my breathing steady and the gentle rocking of the ship offering some form of comfort to my situation as I allowed for time to pass on, unsure after a while of how long it had actually been.
“Here,” Cara said gently a little while later, nudging me upright as I grumbled but complied.
I watched as she pulled open the small compact concealer kit from before, dabbing the fresh layer on beneath my eye, her touch careful and practiced. “I don’t think it will ever be totally invisible until it starts to heal, but it looks a lot better with it less fresh.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, blinking up at her. “How are you so calm right now?” I comment.
She smiled softly, even though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Because I’ve already accepted my decision. There’s no going back now. Might as well get through it for the cash.”
She’s right.
Breed Me. Daddy Alpha – Chapter 255
The whistle hadn’t even stopped ringing in my ears before we were herded into the hallway like cattle.
Everything moved quickly, too quickly for my legs to keep up. Girls whispered nervously around me, clutching one another, brushing shoulders as we all fell into line.
Cara found my arm and looped hers through it, grounding me just enough to stop me from getting swept away in the current of movement and becoming separated from her.
We were arranged in pairs, shoulder to shoulder, and marched out under the sharp watch of three armed guards.
The weight of their guns slung over their chests was no longer something I could pretend not to notice. This was no school field trip. This was a prison transfer and we now looked like a bunch of colourful prisoners.
Outside, the early evening air was warm and sticky, thick with the scent of salt and soil. We followed the dock down to a row of hulking grey transport trucks with mesh windows and steel siding.
The kind you’d see in the background of a war movie…
The guards suddenly barked at us to move faster – “Let’s go ladies, let’s go!” – and the girls obeyed without hesitation, clambering into the open backs of the trucks, shoulders hitting, legs knocking, breaths quickening.
Cara and I fought to stick together, squeezing onto a bench in the back of the third truck. I had just enough space to press my knees together and grip the metal seat beneath me.
The doors slammed shut behind us before only a moment later, the truck shuddered itself to life.
The low drum of the engine rattled up in to my chest, and the sudden lurch forward nearly threw me into Cara’s lap. The girls around us gasped, some laughing nervously, others staying completely silent, staring ahead with wide, unblinking eyes.
I reached for Cara’s hand, finding it without even having to look. Her palm was damp. Mine was ice cold.
Looking outside of the small slits in the reinforced glass, I caught glimpses of the island – dense trees stretching up high into the sky, the thick canopy casting heavy shadows across the uneven dirt path. Everything was surrounded by fences high, military–grade fences laced with coils of barbed wire, as if the trees themselves were prisoners too.
Armed men jogged alongside the trucks as we moved at a steady pace, shouting commands at each other through radios clipped on to their vests. The entire place thrummed with intensity, like we’d been dropped right into the middle of a military operation.
But I suppose in some ways, we had?
I leaned closer to the window just in time to see the tops of tall security towers ahead in the distance, each one manned by a silhouette holding what was clearly a rifle with the tip poking out.
I swallowed hard, knowing that each of them had the power to end us with a single movement of their finger, if they ever wanted to…
This place wasn’t just shaping itself up to be a prison.
It was a fucking fortress!
“Holy shit,” I whispered under my breath.
Cara squeezed my hand tighter. “Don’t look out there too much. You’ll psych yourself out before we even get in there.”
Too late.
I was already psyching myself out.
I wanted to run for the damn hills…
Not that it would even get me anywhere, considering we were both now on an island in the middle of nowhere!
Luckily, the ride lasted for only around ten minutes all in, as I had worried that time would begin to warp itself if we were to be stuck in the moving steel box for any longer.
But with that, it still felt like ten hours crammed in to ten seconds all at once, simply due to my anxiety and racing thoughts on how to escape this…
But it was too late.
When we finally rounded a bend in the road and came to a halt, the sudden stillness made my stomach churn.
The truck doors were yanked open.
“Move out!” a voice barked. “We are already behind schedule girls. Let’s go! Now!” He yelled, increasing my heart rate as we plodded our way towards the exit.
My feet eventually hit the solid ground, and I looked up – instantly freezing in place.
Ahead of us was a huge building that looked like it had been cut from a slab of concrete and dropped down into the dirt.
No windows from what I could see at the front. No personality. Just grey walls, steel doors, and a large sign bolted above the main entrance in bold, black letters:
‘PROJECT COMPOUND’.
Cara leaned in and whispered, “This must be a separate building from the main prison… it has to be. That’s gotta be a good thing, right? Means fewer prisoners. Just the ones in the program.”
I nodded quickly – but the words didn’t soothe me.
The name itself sounded clinical. Cold. Like we were walking into a science experiment more than anything else.
Because we were.
We were the variables.
The guards led us across the gravel and into a clearing in front of the compound’s entrance. A few other trucks were pulling up behind us, and girls were funneling out, all of us gathering into messy lines once again as the guards reestablished control with their raised voices and commanding glares.
We stood in rows as a man with a thick folder began calling out names.
My stomach instantly turned to stone.
He had a bullhorn this time, and each name was louder than the last.
“RACHEL LIN. WILLOW FRENCH. HARPER DEVINE. DELILAH ABBOTT. ELOISE MARTIN. MOVE OVER
THERE. YOU’RE IN BLOCK A.”
The selected girls peeled off and were guided toward one of the side doors by a new cluster of guards.
‘LEILA ANDERSON. JENNA STARK. ERIN DUPONT. HEATHER BOWLS, NORA JENNINGS, OVER HERE.
BLOCK B.” He continued,
Another group gone…
One by one, the girls around us began disappearing into doorways like cattle through a sorting gate.
My heart pounded, waiting for our names, waiting for them to be called together, but the longer the list stretched on without us, the more I began to realise something awful was about to happen.
They weren’t pairing us with our friends.
They were pairing us with our inmates.
The knot in my chest twisted hard. “Cara…” I breathed, turning toward her, but she was already looking at me, her eyes wide, scared, the same realisation passing over her face like a shadow.
“They’re splitting us up now,” she said, voice quiet.
“No… no, maybe not. Maybe it’s just-”
“CARA OWENS,” the voice boomed. “BLOCK E.”
“No–wait-” I grabbed her wrist, like holding her would somehow stop the inevitable. But a guard was already stepping up behind her, gesturing for her to move over with him.
Cara’s face turned toward me, eyes locking. “It’s all okay, I’ll see you again soon!” she whispered, though she clearly didn’t believe it. “We’ll see each other on Saturday if we don’t get to see each other before then, remember?”
She stepped backward, hands still gripping mine until the last second.
Then she was gone – led off down the path, her head held high but her shoulders tense.
I stood frozen, the world suddenly louder around me. Girls chattering. Guards shouting. Names being flung through the air like grenades.
And then –
“MARGOT BELLE. BLOCK F.”
That was me.
My turn.
My fate.
A guard motioned. I forced myself forward, legs barely working, heart a rabbit in my chest. My thoughts were too loud,
Block F.
That was where he would be.
Coban Santorelli.