Bird

Genesis stepped out into the prison yard, the sun beating down on him, and his eyes immediately fell upon a flower, nestled against the side of the wall. He leaned in closer to admire its delicate beauty, when he suddenly heard two voices behind him. Turning, he saw two inmates standing there, one with a shy smile, the other with a look of confidence.

"Hey there, I'm Coda," the first one said, taking a step forward.

Sirnake nodded in acknowledgement, his face stony. "I'm Sirnake," he said quietly.

There was an awkward silence as the two men took each other in, their eyes searching each other's faces for clues. Genesis shifted uncomfortably, wishing he were somewhere else.

He quickly turned away and resumed his examination of the flower, feeling a profound sadness settle over him. The beauty and fragility of the flower seemed to be a stark reminder of the fragility of life, and the reality of the choices we make.

Coda nervously shuffled up beside Genesis, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Look," Coda began, his voice shaking. "I know you're scared. I mean, we all are. But if you have no one in the prison, you won't survive." He paused, his eyes searching Genesis's face for some kind of response.

When Genesis remained silent, Coda continued, "If I'm being honest, I'm new here, too. Just like Sirnake. We're all alone, trying to figure out how to survive. We could be friends, you know? It might help us all get through this place, together."

Coda looked at sirnake as sirnake said," let's go to another group,he is new here so pretty much he doesn't have any power in here"

"You go" said by coda as he looked at sirnake as sirnake nodded at him and went away..

Coda looked at Genesis pleadingly, hoping his words had struck a chord deep within him. He desperately wanted Genesis to accept his offer of friendship, but the only thing that filled the air was the sound of their heavy breaths.

An hour has passed as the prisoners trudged back to their cells. As in the next day,Coda was in the yard,glancing back at Genesis who was still sitting alone in the courtyard. His eyes were downcast and he seemed lost in his own thoughts. Coda slowly approached him, his steps timid yet purposeful. he looked around warily and then sat down next to him. Their eyes met briefly and Coda felt a spark of connection. he opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat. Instead, he just sat in companionable silence with him. There was a weighty understanding between them, a connection that could not be described in words. It was something that had built up over the past week since Genesis had arrived, an unspoken connection that defied logic.

Coda was taken aback as Genesis had never spoken to him this way before. A hint of suspicion in his voice, Genesis asked, "Is it because I have power?"

Sirnake was the one who suggested they become friends, so Coda slowly explained, "Sirnake told me that the reason you wear this black is because of a murder. And because of your power." Coda glanced briefly, Genesis then continued, "So... you want to be close with me because of my power."

The air was thick with unspoken words, and Coda's brown eyes were heavy with the weight of the truth. He couldn't deny that his power was a factor in their newfound friendship, and both of them knew it.

"I will say it once, I don't have any power"

"what"

"I lost it, I lost my power when I was torture"

"power can't be lost like that"

"well it can"

"you are lying,aren't you"

"I am not if I was not lying I could have use my power"

"that is true but I still don't believe you"

"I already told you and once you find out that I really lost my power then don't blame me"

He was quiet for a moment, his face twisted in contemplation. "Even still," he finally said, his voice low and careful, "I want to be your friend. I mean, we should stick together if we want to survive, and you have this black outfit as you are just a kid. I can tell others are already thinking about how to get rid of you."

The air around them seemed to still, as if they were both holding their breath, waiting to see what the other would do. Coda could sense the fear radiating off him, but there was something else too, something more protective. His brow furrowed in confusion as he continued, "Wait, what?"

Coda swallowed hard, his hands trembling slightly. "Well," he said softly, "other prisoners are afraid of you, and if they knew you lost your power,, they might try to kill you."

"I lost my power though"

"Well we don't know anything about power so it may come back or we don't really know so better to kill than taking the risk"

Genesis let out a strained sigh. "Why would they do that?" His voice remained even, as if he had already resigned himselves to the situation.

Coda's shoulders slumped, eyes darkening with a heavy sadness. "They're afraid of you, of your power. People do all sorts of things when they're afraid. When their life is on the line, they'll do whatever it takes to get rid of the problem."

"But I haven't done anything," Genesis protested.

Coda shook their head, a long pause hanging between them. "And that's the scariest part. Who knows when you'll do something-- and they don't want to take any chances. I suggest you don't let anyone know you've lost your power." The words were heavy, carrying with them the unspoken worry and fear of what might happen if Genesis's power were to return.

Genesis gaze fixed on Coda, his expression unreadable. "What is it that you seek, that you think I have?" He asked in a low, authoritative voice.

Coda shifted nervously, a thin sheen of sweat beginning to form on his forehead. "I-I'm not really after your power," he stammered, "but the effect it can bring. I believe power should be used for good, to protect the weak, and I thought it could be a good thing if you used it to scare the others away from messing with you or anything."

Sirnake stood in the corner of the prison as he was behind a group of inmate, far from Genesis. His face was emotionless, but his eyes gave away a hint of sadness and he seemed almost resigned to his fate.

"Why are you even here" asked by genesis

"It's funny how I got here, considering all I've ever done is try to survive," he chuckled, but there was no joy in his laughter. "I never did anything remarkable, never confronted anyone, just stole what I needed. And eventually, I got caught and thrown in here."

He looked over at Sirnake, his voice growing softer. "I don't know much about him, but they say he did something awful but not murder."

Next day,

Genesis followed sirnake and coda into the rundown prison bathroom. Sirnake eagerly rushed in ahead of them..

"He likes to shower a lot" said by coda as he looked at genesis

Genesis opened the door, only to have a chunk of plaster fall from the ceiling and hit him on the head. He winced and touched the spot it had landed.

"See," Coda said, rolling his eyes. "This place is ancient. Things like this always happen."

"Come on, Genesis," Sirnake added, gesturing to the dilapidated bathroom. "Let's take our bath!"

Genesis stood in front of the bathroom mirror, his body enveloped in steam and water droplets cascading down his skin. He could feel the fear coursing through his veins as he looked upon his reflection, taking note of the numerous scars that littered his body. As if the sight of them had sent a jolt through him, he jumped back, startled. coda and sirnake seeing those scars had a feeling that couldn't be described and all they could do is nod to each other.

After they took a bath,

Sirnake anxiously urged genesis to hurry outside as genesis went outside hurry, he slipped on the ground as coda looked at it as he sighed.

Genesis and the two were walking outside when they heard a commotion ahead. Genesis asked coda what was going on.

"Probably some guy swiped something of another's, and the victim's facing off with him," coda replied.

The two of them rounded the corner to a heated argument. The accused was standing his ground, vehemently denying the charge. "I didn't take nothin' of yours!" he shouted.

The accuser stepped forward, and suddenly there was a glint of sharp wood in his hand. The inmate and Cado watched in horror as he lunged forward, the sharpened end of the makeshift weapon sinking into the other man's neck.

The guard on duty had heard the ruckus and came running. He broke up the altercation, diverting the injured to receive medical attention and the assailant to be detained in solitary confinement.

Genesis asked "Do things like this happen all the time?"

Coda replied, "Yeah, I'm afraid they do."

Genesis added, "And the other guy, is he okay?"

Coda said, "He'll be alright. He'll be back in a couple of hours. But as for the other one, they're going to put him in detention for a few days."

Genesis asked again, "What does detention do to someone?"

Sirnake answered, "It's a place of no freedom. No light. A room so small you can barely sit, let alone stand."

Sirnake continued, "And there's someone who's been in there for a month. That's crazy."

Sirnake shuddered. "What's crazier is that he chose to go in there. I mean, he could have blamed the other inmates for his own actions. I hear he's got some connections, some power in there."

They were outside as his two friends started to leave because they had something to do,

Genesis watched as his two friends stood and walked away, leaving him alone in the open air. He felt a pang in his heart as he watched them go, and he looked up to the sky to distract himself. There, he saw a bird, soaring effortlessly and gracefully through the sky. He admired its beauty and its complete freedom, something he didn't possess. He felt stirred by its calm, serene stillness and its unfazed, graceful movement forward. He longed to be that bird, to have that kind of freedom.