I walk quietly to where he’s pointing and sit down silently, clutching the plastic bag that contains all of my belongings against my chest. My whole life is in this bag.
“You were a juvenile when you were sentenced?” He phrases it like a question but he already knows the answer so continues before I get a chance to nod in confirmation. “In the eyes of the law you’re an adult now, and
as such, you will be treated as an adult.” He stops talking, letting me take it all in. I want to tell him that the law has seen me as an adult since I was fifteen when they tried me as one. “However, we have a new program for women who have been in the system since they were young. It’s to help reintroduce them into the world so to speak.”
“Okay,” I whisper.
“To get on this program, you have to be put forward by the warden, and as you know, you were.”
“Uh huh.”
He huffs out another breath, obviously annoyed at having to explain it all. “I’m from a district about two hours from here, that’s where the program in this state is run. You have a real opportunity here, Alexis. You can build yourself a life.” He pauses. “A good life.”
“What will happen?” I ask, still confused with all this new information. I was so shocked when the warden told me, I didn’t think about what would be happening once I was out of this place.
“We’ll get on the road and go right to my office, we need to fill in all the necessary paperwork and then I’ll take you to your new home before showing you your new place of work.”
“Let me get this straight…” I say, shuffling forward on the seat and narrowing my eyes at him as I wait for him to give me his name.
“Jake... it’s Jake Weathers.”
“Okay, Jake… so you’re going to take me to this new town and provide me with not only a place to live, but also a job?”
“Yeah.” He smiles.
I shake my head and stand up, not believing all this is happening. Things like this don’t happen to me.
“Are you sure?” I take a breath. “Me? You’re going to help me?”
He doesn’t say anything, only nods his head and watches me as I battle with my own thoughts.
Can I do this? Can I let these people help me to have a better life, or shall I go it alone and hope that someone will employ me with my history? Fat chance of that happening.
“Fine,” I finally say after several minutes before whispering, “Thank you.”
Jake stands up, smoothing out his shirt. “Good. Ready?”
“As much as I’ll ever be.” I follow him as he heads toward the main door. He pushes it open, the fresh air hitting me in the face with such brutal force that it makes my breath catch in my throat.
Even though we had outside time a couple of times a day, it never felt like this. The air smells cleaner—fresher. The green of the trees that surround the whole prison is vibrant, and I can almost smell the sap that flows through the wood. It’s like stepping out of a black and white movie and into full HD color. I can’t stop staring at all of the colors, the smells overtaking my entire being as I close my eyes and treasure every single second.
“Alexis?” My eyes spring open and I twist my head around to face Jake. The knowing look on his face tells me that this isn’t the first time he’s witnessed something like this. “Let’s get you home.”
Home.
I haven’t heard that word since I was a kid. The last time I felt at home was when I was a little girl at my grandma’s, baking cookies and making lemonade before running around the park opposite her house, trying to catch butterflies.
A lump forms in my throat at the thought of her and the funeral I wasn’t allowed to attend because I was locked up behind barbed wire and living inside four concrete walls. I was determined that nothing would break me while I was locked away, but that? That shattered my heart and created a dark shadow around my soul that I don’t think will ever disappear.
I push those thoughts aside—I’ve become good at that, blocking things out—as I step fully out of the door and follow Jake to his dark red car. I climb into the passenger side before placing the clear bag on the floor and wrapping my arms around myself, my eyes not leaving the brick building of the prison as he reverses out of the parking spot.
I stare out of the side mirror as it recedes in the background, becoming nothing but a dot as Jake drives down the road.
I’ll never be back here, I promise myself.
I stare out of the window and watch in awe as we drive through the town that will be my new home. As soon as we passed the sign and the town border, a sense of peace washed over me. Something that I’ve never felt before.
Trees line most of the sidewalks along with streetlights that look more like lanterns than actual lights, and there’s a few shops all on one main street. It feels like the epitome of small-town living: I love it.