Chapter 2: Permission
"Can you believe it?" Anthony asked, waving his head, allowing him to float around in the air while Althea sat on the bed, shaking her head. "Why the hell would they do this?" she wonders, bringing the paper up to her nose and sniffing. She then rolled her eyes at him as she continued, rereading the slip.
"Who knows, our school dean was acting strangely; I hope my mother will sign it; what a sight it would be to see the most well-known killer and rapist in the world!" she exclaimed.
"Ohh, where did you hear that?" Anthony inquired, puzzled.
"What do you mean?" she inquires.
"You didn't know about the famous handsome killer and rapist named Allan? Well, I didn't either; I only found out about it from my classmates," she added as she rolled her eyes.
"F*ck, you should be careful, Thea; if your mother agrees, you will be tagging along with me," Anthony warned. "Oh, my knight in shining armor, you are overreacting again," Althea laugh at him.
"Don't make fun of me, Thea; I don't want you to be in danger; it's better to tag along with me than to be sorry; I don't want to lose you, which is why I'm protecting you," he said, as she blushed quietly.
She then sighs and murmurs, "Oh God, we are going to die next week. If we were caught, we might be killed."
"Hey! stop it, you're attracting the universe to make that happen!" Anthony exclaimed.
"Ohh, I'm sorry, Grandpa," she said as she crossed her arms. "Whatever, I've got to go home," Anthony said.
"Come on, Anthony, I'll walk you," she says, grabbing his hand and dragging him out of her room.
"No! you'll be staying here since it's already eight in the evening and please don't be so ridiculous. I can go home on my own, and my house is right next to yours. It's not funny," Anthony said, rolling his eyes at her.
"Hahaha, okay fine, see you tomorrow," Althea said, kissing him on the cheeks. Before leaving, Anthony shook his head and laughed.
~
After a few moments, the front door swings open and slams shut. "Mom!" she yelled as she dashed downstairs, remembering to bring the papers and a pen. "I was going, no matter what you say! Anthony was going, too. Hey, mom!" she smirked as she walked around the corner of the wall but her mother just ignored her. "Hey, mom! mom??" Her mother smiles up at her with a tired face.
"So what's this commotion; what's that in your hand?" her mother asked, rating her eyebrows.
"A slip of permission, "She said this in the hope that it was obscure enough for her.
Her mother raises an eyebrow and asks, "So what is all this about?" Althea sighs. She knew her mother far too well for any of her pitiful ploys won't work for her.
"The University dean gave everyone at the school permission to go to the maximum-security prison, so we will be having a field trip in the prison," she explained.
"Is it not risky?" her mother asked, worried.
"Don't worry, mom, Anthony is coming as well; you can trust him to babysit me, I know it," she said, smiling at her mother, handing her the pen and paper as her mother nodded, sitting on the couch to fill out the paperwork as her excitement grew.
~
Althea awoke early the following week, overjoyed for the field trip. She raided my drawers and came up with a cute outfit for the event, consisting of a nude brown off-the-shoulder crop top, black boyfriend jeans, and white Korean shoes.
When she arrived at the university, all of the students had gone to their classes, except for three, which had been combined. This means that three classes are held at the same time every three hours. Fortunately, the class she merged into had Anthony in it.
Their history subject only takes 30 minutes as their professor dismissed them early since their professor have an urgent meeting. After five minutes professor Sue came in for another announcement.
"OK, class," the professor says, jolting her out of her reverie. Anthony didn't pay attention since he was listening to his favorite song on his phone. "Hey, the professor is talking. It's better to listen first," she said, tapping his shoulder.
"Listen, guys, as you all know, we are going to the highest-known prison in the world today, so I'd like you all to cooperate. First, rules," Professor Sue said, as the students sighed. "Never, ever, split away from the group; if you do, please contact me instantly or go to the nearest guard they will understand your situation and bring you back."
"Second rule: Do not approach or talk to the inmates, only observing is permitted. Taking pictures is not allowed too."
"How can we then interview them?" the girl with brown hair inquired.
"Well, the dean said we couldn't interview them; we'll just observe them since it is dangerous to talk with them," Professor Sue responded.
"Rule 3: Pay attention to every command. This is all for your protection. Any violation of these rules may result in disciplinary action by the prison authorities."
"So, if theirs is no question, we will proceed now," professor Sue said as she turned away.
~
"Welcome, students! I know that your professor has already informed you of the rules and regulations. So nothing is stopping us from passing through these gates," the prison guard explains, pointing to the oversized two-door entry.
"Now, please follow me and be orderly. I hope you all cooperate," he says as he motions for them to follow him.
Something strange was going on inside Althea. She was nervous for no apparent reason as if someone was staring at her. As they entered the main prison building, she took a look around. Her heart began to beat faster. She was getting more excited and a little scared, but there was also another feeling that she couldn't explain. She will attribute it to an unknown fear. But it's not a bad feeling.
"Thea? are you okay?" Anthony asked worriedly.
"Y-Yes," she shuttered a little.
"Stick with me, okay?" he said as he held her hands. Althea then nodded in response.
"She's mine!! no one can touch her!! she's mine!!"
"D-Did you hear that?" she asked Anthony as her hands tremble with fear.
"Relax, Thea. I didn't hear anything," Anthony replied.
"Just relax and hold my hand," he added.