I’m more than a prophecy!

Taking charge

I woke up in the morning to the light shimmering strangely through the open window. Fresh, forest breeze coming in, birds chirping away, where am I? And then, the memories of yesterday started flooding in. Martin, drugs, the investigation and the incredible s*x. s**t. I slept with Rafael. I’m so getting fired. What was I thinking? And why do I still feel like I’m drunk on his scent? I really need to get home.

As I slowly turn around in bed, looking for my phone, I realise the bed is empty. I should be relieved, at least I can look for my clothes and sneak out without being seen, but part of me feels disappointed.

I sneak out of the bedroom fully dressed, but before I can even think of looking for the door, I see a half dressed Rafael, frying pan in one hand, his phone in the other and a murderous expression on his face.

“165?! You must be kidding. No, I won’t calm down, are you sure? How can we have 165 inmates on drugs, without knowing about it?” He looks at me almost desperately to tell him it’s not true, while whoever is on the phone answers back.

“Ask how many tested positive for the first time” I whisper. As every prison in the country, we have always struggled with drugs. This is bad though. 165 out of 600? Something else must be going on. I hear Rafael give the instructions as I collect my belongings and try to make do with spare clothes from the car, there’s no way I’m making it home before work.

“I guess breakfast will have to wait, this is getting huge” he exhaled, looking at me with a strange expression. Is it sadness? Pity? Regret?

“Listen, about last night” I start, but Rafael cuts me off, crossing the cosy kitchen in 3 strides and putting his finger to my lips.

“Now is not the time.” He grunts. “For today, we need to stay professional, until we have time to talk. But I want you to know, I don’t regret it.” He adds, leaving me a little speechless.

On my way to work I try to focus on what to teach today, I’ve only planned my morning lessons yesterday, before I was distracted. The afternoon was supposed to be another visit to town, but I can’t see that happening with what’s going on, so will have to come up with an alternative. And I have to remember to ask about how much I’m allowed to say to the other learners, they’re bound to notice something is going on.

I arrive in the carpark a couple of minutes after Rafael as we agreed, however as soon as I get through security my pager goes off, calling me to his office. Taking a deep breath I set on my way, wondering what happened to staying professional.

The door opened before I even manage to knock, and I see Rafael’s office is crowded with angry looking people.

“Why is she here?” The doctor snarls in my direction.

“I called for her.” Rafael replies in his coldest voice, his eyes flashing dangerously and his palm showing the dr to stop talking. “As I called for you Lucia, you would do well remembering it. Kristina is the reason we found out something is going on, you should be thanking her. Now, tell Kristina what you said to me.” He orders.

I can see in Lucia’s green eyes she has quite a lot to say, yet she manages to swallow it.

“165 prisoners tested positive for drugs. 67 of these tested positive for the first time.” She pauses for a second, swallowing. “That’s not all. Almost all of the 67 tested positive for heroine. And most of them are on the rehabilitation program.” She adds, victoriously.

I groan, not knowing what to say. One of the main conditions set for the prisoner rehab program is they must be clear, as we’re reintroducing them into the community. I feel Rafael’s eyes on me, and I can tell he’s thinking the same thing. This can’t be a coincidence. The room around me starts arguing about the source and who the dealer is, but Rafael’s eyes stay on me. Eventually, I sit down and draw everyone’s attention.

“ We need to speak to them. Lucia, do you have a list of all of the inmates who tested positive? Can I have a copy?” I glance at Rafael who nods, but I can see the confusion behind his brown eyes. “I’m good at analysing data” I shrug. There’s no point being modest now, I have exceptional analytical skills. One of the good things about being autistic. “Maybe I can find a pattern. In the meantime, if you have all of the inmates that tested positive for the first time brought together, I’d like to speak to them.” I add, sounding a lot more confident than I feel.

I quickly explain my plan of letting the prisoners know their test was positive, watch their reaction and then, with a bit of luck and honesty from their part (yes, I know it sounds naive, but we believe in second chances, right?) finding out who decided to experiment and who believes they might have been drugged.

When I finish talking, the room is silent. Everyone is just staring at me, not saying a word. For the first time since coming in, I take everyone fully in.

Lucia, standing with her arms crossed, staring daggers at me. Her peroxide blond hair in careful curls, fake pink glasses and pink nails. I’ve always wondered how she does anything with the size of these claws.

Arthur, or whatever the inspectors name is, trying to look stern, but I can see the humour in his eyes as he’s scanning and assessing the room. He’s tall and slim, and would look impressive next to anyone but Rafael.

The head prison guard, Rick I think, stands with his arms folded. I don’t really know him well, but I believe he gets on well with Rafael, so he can’t be a bad person. Rafael might not be very friendly at work, but he is very careful about who gets promoted, making sure they have the same vision for Hartley Well as he does.

My feelings for Rafael might be all over the place right now, and I’ve never particularly liked being around him, but there’s one thing I know. The inmates don’t exactly like him, but they respect him. They know that with Rafael, they reap what they sow. He treats everyone with respect, but you do not want to be on his wrong side. Bad word from him, and your prison sentence could be extended indefinitely. However a recommendation from Rafael pretty much guarantees you a job on the outside.

Rafael is the only person in the room I can’t read. But those chocolate eyes are burning a hole into me.

“Sounds like a plan to me.” He says, causing everyone to jerk. “Do you have a plan B if that doesn’t work out?” He says with a slight smirk.

Now that’s an expression I can read. He’s mocking me. While everyone else is in shock to see me speak up and offer suggestions, Rafael seems to be having fun. Did I overstep here? I didn’t mean to.

“How are we doing this boss?”asks Rick, looking slightly panicked. “There’s no room big enough for 67 prisoners plus guards.”

Rafael just looks at me “How do we do this boss?”

If I was uncomfortable before, I must look like a real tomato by now, heat spreading into my face.

“I wasn’t trying to overstep.” I mumble, and for the first time, I hear Rafael laugh out loud. I should probably be scared like everyone else in the room, but somehow, the sound makes my heart swell with happiness. I don’t feel like he’s mocking me now, he sounds genuine.

“I was teasing you.” He says, still laughing softly. “But it’s your plan, so I’m assuming you have thought of the details?”

Hesitantly, I give everyone instructions on the next steps, seeking confirmation from Rafael. His expression seems to be changing between amused and worried all the time, but he agrees to my plan and we proceed to get all of the affected inmates into the dining hall.