Chapter Seven
Axel
I do not like Wilder.
He’s loud, overly exuberant, and very, very, handsy.
“This way,” he directs as he grabs onto my arm and pulls me down a hallway.
After Thorne scolded him for touching all over Everest, he seemed to turn every bit of his attention to me instead.
The other two are following behind us, chattering away leisurely, but I’m stuck with this over-excited puppy tugging me around.
Even though he’s only touching my arm, I can feel his energy throughout my entire body.
It’s an untamable livewire that’s seconds away from arcing.
It’s a sensation that I’ve never experienced before and it’s…
unsettling. I try to remove myself from his grasp, but he just leans in closer to me.
“You guys will only have physical contact with the two of us this week. We’ll be overseeing everything, and we’ll be quarantined in the rooms across from yours.
You won’t be able to leave your living quarters.
It’ll be locked, for obvious reasons, but you’ll be able to communicate with us through a telecom system anytime you need something.
” He explains loud enough that Everest can hear him as well.
He opens a door and pushes his way inside, dragging me along with him.
My mouth drops in pure shock as I take in everything around me.
This is like… like a fucking penthouse. There’s expensive furniture, a fancy kitchen, and a huge sliding glass door that leads out to a patio with a pool.
“You each have your own rooms,” he points to the two hallways on opposite sides of the living room as he eyes us.
“Assuming the two of you don’t share?” The way he says it sounds like it’s meant to be a question, not a statement.
He looks up at me with a curious stare that I don’t quite think I comprehend, or maybe it’s just that I don’t care enough to bother trying.
“Oh, no. Definitely not,” Ev says from behind me. “Rulers have more curve than him.”
A smidge of disappointment appears on Wilder’s face before he shakes it away. I furrow my brows, because I legitimately don’t understand what the hell they’re talking about, or how we even got on the topic of rulers to begin with. I just ignore them and continue looking around at everything.
“We’ll see about that.” Wilder declares confidently, and Everest just laughs at him.
I try to pry my arm from Wilder’s grip again, but he just follows along with me as I move toward one of the bedrooms.
“Both bedrooms are identical. En suites, closets, basic necessities. Everything is yours to use, move, or do whatever you please with. Every room has a buzzer, like this…” He explains as he leads me over to the wall and points at the buttons.
“The red buttons are for emergencies. The med team will immediately be alerted if you press that, but these buttons are for Thorne and me.” He explains as he points to two colored buttons on the panel.
“We’re kind of dividing up responsibilities to make things easier on us.
Thorne will be who you call, Everest.” He says as he looks back at him.
“He’s the little green button. I’ll be helping you, Axel.
” His unwarranted excitement seems to have returned as he looks back up at me.
He’s so tiny. How tall is he? Maybe five and a half feet?
“I’m the pink button. I painted them all myself.” He says as if it’s something to be proud of. News flash… it’s really not. A little paint and a brush, easy-peasy. His excitement is kind of cute, but still unwarranted.
Wilder finally releases me and walks toward the counter to open a box. He starts to pull out some items before turning back to us. He hands Everest and I both a phone before he goes back to digging around in the box.
“For the first two weeks, you’ll be required to keep these with you at all times.
No matter where you go, or what you do, you’ll need to have those.
If you’re in the shower or pool, you’ll need to keep them where you can still hear them.
” He turns back around to look at us with two empty cups in his hands. He holds them up so we can see them.
“These have your name on them, so make sure to grab the right one. We’re going to need urine samples, and Thorne is going to take a quick blood sample.
” He informs us as he nods behind me to Thorne.
I hadn’t even noticed that he’d strolled over to the couch and started laying out supplies to draw our blood on the coffee table.
My brain feels like it’s been dropped into a blender. This is… a lot.
“Come on, Ev. You first.” Thorne summons Everest with a wave.
All I can do is roll my eyes, because of course Ev already has the boys drooling over him.
He’s a good-looking guy, I get it, but couldn’t we even get here before he had them all over him?
It’s so typical that I can’t even be upset about it.
He’s always winning over everyone’s attention, because he’s just that lovable.
He doesn’t even have to try. Hell, half the time I don’t even think he notices that people basically drool all over themselves because of him.
“Great. I’ll explain all of this real quick then.” Wilder says as he drags me over to a stool and then pulls it out for me. He stays standing, still bouncing with his never-ending eagerness.
“We’re going to leave these papers here for you guys, so you don’t have to remember all this, but I just wanted to go over it in case you had any questions.
We’re going to be doing a lot of activities this week.
They won’t be easy. They’re meant to be mentally and physically exhausting, actually.
I designed most of them myself. Well, mostly by myself.
I did have some help with a few of them.
They’re meant to test your fortitude. To make sure that you’re both capable of actually surviving life in Blightridge.
I do prefer that you not die, so please, don’t do that. ”
I look up from the paper to see if he’s joking, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. “Wait. Are you serious? We can die during these little tests?”
He furrows his brows before he chuckles at me.
“Of course you can. You can die right here in this room while watching television. Death is inevitable, unavoidable, and most importantly… unplanned. We’re just making the opportunities for it to happen a little more exciting. That’s all.” He says with a shrug.
Psycho. The guy is absolutely insane.
“Nothing about death is exciting, Wilder. Opportunities for death were definitely nowhere in our contract.”
“On the contrary. You signed a clause… right… here!” He says as he navigates a tablet on the counter besides the box and shows me a copy of my signature on a piece of paper. I swat his hand away so that I can zoom in on the words.
Mental and physical testing…
Not responsible for accidental death as a result…
Extensive testing will decide placement in the prison…
That makes me pause. “Everest and I won’t be together after the first two weeks?”
“Oh, most definitely not. We assumed that the two of you would prefer that anyway since you’re here for research, right?
You’ll have different experiences that allow for better coverage.
It was imperative that we place you where you best fit with your personalities though.
The inmates here are extremely… organized.
We separate people based on interests to avoid potential scuffles.
As much as possible, anyway. It’s not foolproof, and there are still fights, but no one has died in a while, so that’s a plus. ”
“The fact that you’re talking about people dying with nonchalance is extremely concerning. You do realize that, right?”
“You’ll get used to it.” He says with another shrug before pulling out some more papers from the box.
“Just don’t die, and you’ll be fine. Now, on to better things.
Those phones are specifically for Thorne and me to contact the two of you privately.
We’ll be doing tests with you individually as well as together, so sometimes it will be necessary for us to talk to you where the other cannot hear.
It’s safe to assume that if we contact you on the phone versus the intercom that what we’re discussing is to be kept private. ”
“Easy enough,” I grumble.
“Secrets, unfortunately, are a big part of surviving inside prison. Any prison. It’s highly suggested that the two of you practice and excel at keeping things from not only each other, but from everyone.
Never repeat things that people say, even when they aren’t said in confidence.
Please tell me that you understand how important this is. ”
“Keep the lips zipped,” Everest says from behind us. “Gotcha.”
“We’ve provided an easy dinner that we can pop in the oven to warm up tonight, but you guys have plenty of ingredients and stuff to cook meals for the rest of the week.
Since Thorne and I will be quarantined as well, we’ll be joining the two of you for most meals.
It’ll help us ensure that you’re getting adequate nourishment, and we’ll be able to make sure that you aren’t running out of any necessary supplies. ”
Okay, so we get lots of time with these two this week. That’s going to be extra fun. I feel mentally exhausted just thinking about it.
Wilder walks around and starts to preheat the oven as he continues to explain things to us. I’m in and out of listening, since half of the information is useless, but he says something that catches my attention.
“Goods and services are often exchanged for favors between both inmates and staff. Everyone in this facility has been tested for all transferable diseases. All inmates with the potential to spread illnesses are housed separately, and neither of you will be entering that facility at any point, for health and safety reasons.”
“Wait a second. You said the guards exchange… what? Sexual favors? For goods with inmates?” I choke out. Are they serious right now? Is that even legal?
“No. I said the staff. All staff. Doctors, cooks, guards, any and all staff. It’s mutually beneficial. You’re both being tested as well,“ he says as he nods to where Everest is having his blood drawn. “So, you’ll be able to take advantage of those same opportunities. Assuming that you’re clean.”
“There are female guards?”
Wilder laughs, like seriously laughs. “Oh… no… babe. There’s not a single female on this entire compound.
Not even upstairs.” He says as he points up to the mountain we just drove down.
I stop to think about it, and the fact that I didn’t immediately notice that there wasn’t a single woman anywhere in sight is…
concerning. This is one big gay prison, and I just voluntarily checked myself in without even realizing it.
It might as well be an insane asylum, because at the end of three months, that’s where I’m going to belong.
Sex isn’t even that big of a deal. It’s never really been a priority for me, but when you’re told that you can’t have it, then it seems a lot more important.
“Not even one?” I ask nervously as my eyes dart over to him. He just purses his lip and shakes his head.
“So, what are straight prisoners supposed to do?”
“Umm… close their eyes?” He answers unhelpfully with yet another shrug.
Asshole.
What feels like hours later, Wilder eventually stops rambling about all the bullshit we’re about to go through and pops a lasagna into the oven.
While it’s cooking, I have my blood drawn, and then we finally sit down to eat.
It’s… awkward. We barely know these two, and they are too eager to have us here.
I’m trying to keep my guard up because everything about this place is suspicious.
I have a feeling that there’s something they’re purposefully withholding from us.
Something important. It’s a very unsettling feeling.
“Well, that was delightful.” Wilder says cheerily as Thorne starts to take our plates to the sink. “Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day, so I do suggest that you go to sleep at a reasonable time tonight. We’re going to get out of your hair so that the two of you can get comfortable.”
Once Thorne cleans up dinner, Everest and I are left standing alone in the middle of the living room. It’s clear that neither of us really know what to do.
“I guess it’s time to get cleaned up and get some sleep.” Ev says as he strolls back toward the door to get his bag. I follow behind him to grab mine as well. He splits off to the room on the left, so I head into the closer room on the right.
“See you in the morning, Axel!”
“Night.” I reply as I close the door, locking it for good measure.
As I change clothes and start getting ready for bed, there’s one thing echoing on repeat in my brain.
Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.