Part Four - Final Chapter of the Stolen Arc.

Chapter is a bit dark, just a fair warning.

I didn't sleep that night.

I couldn't.

How could you, when you've spent half a year trying to figure out a plan to break your crush out of prison, risking your own life and future, just for the finish line to be cut loose?

That morning, I went to church alone. I wasn't in the mood to eat and I spent more than half of my breakfast time lurking around the seats, staring at the clock go by. Once breakfast hour was over, we were given free time to spend in the courtyard. If you wanted to, you could use the pay phone to call a family member, but only for five minutes. 

I remember nervously rushing to the yellow pole, waiting for the person in front of me to finish. They gave me a strong glare when I mentioned the five-minute-rule, and hung up a few seconds later. I rubbed my arms, staring at the temporary tattoo I had etched into my wrist. 

"Hello?" A tired, low-pitched voice answered.

"Jessica, it's Tiff. I'm calling from the pay phone, so I don't have much time to talk."

"At least let me get some coffee.." She mumbled. I hear some noise in the background, but I didn't have time to wait. "Put me on speaker."

"Alright, what do you want?"

"Cancel." I firmly state. I can hear Jessica softly putting a mug down.

"What?"

"Cancel it." I repeat. I was certain that the calls were being recorded somehow, and I needed to get the point across as subtly as possible.

"What the for? , we spent six months putting th--"

"She's getting executed today."

".......What?"

"I can't save her." I bit my lip, trying to prevent any tears. "You were right, okay? I should have listened to you, god damn it, I know, I know. And I'm sorry."

"Can you.." She sighs. "Calm down, you said she's getting executed today? That's impossible. The court case said she had until the end of the year."

"Well that's what she told me. I don't think she'd lie about it."

"Jesus, Tiffany. This went to . It's too sudden, I can't formulate anything right now. Will you be okay?"

"Just leave me here. I'll call you back when I can."

"What the ? You do realize you still have 2 years right?"

"I don't care."

"God damn it Tiffany, I do!" I reared back from the phone, startled by the sudden loud bang. There's already a small line behind me, everyone glaring as they waited for me to finish my call. "I'm getting you out of there, with or without that stupid son of a ! You just wait-- and for now, don't you do anything stupid, you hear me?"

"Good bye, Jessica."

"Tiff--"

I hang up the call, shoving the phone to the person behind me.

X X X

Roy, one of the friendlier guards, came by my cell, tapping on the small little window to grab my attention. I weakly look up, trying to find his calm, brown eyes.

"I have a slip for you." He says, slowly sliding a small blue card in my slot. 

I ask. "What is it?"

"It's your final meal request." There's a short pause before he continues. He shows me a pencil and places it on top of the slot. "If you don't fill it out, you'll receive whatever the cafeteria is offering. You can order anything below $50, and it must be something we can buy locally. You can list a specific weight as well, nothing too absurd of course. Like an 11 oz. steak. You'll receive it later this afternoon before we pick you up." He waits for me to say something. "I'll pick the slip up in an hour."

"Is there.." I struggle to speak, my voice weakened by crying. "Is there anything else I can request before.."

"Well...nobody's mentioned this to you before, because you didn't have any family..but you can request and have family members over the preparation room to spend your last moments with them. They'll be with you until the execution. You can also share your meal with them."

I stand up. "Can I request friends?"

He clicks his tongue. "Isn't it a bit too late for that?"

"I have a friend in here." I continue. "She's in 3 East B." I blink, tears falling down my face again. "H-Her name's Tiffany..Tiffany Hwang."

Roy tilts his head, giving a small, but calming smile. "I'll try."

X X X

They lead me down this long, empty hallway outside of the usual cells. They're nicer about escorting me, at least, and take my handcuffs off before opening a door. Inside the room were a couple of chairs and one table. There's a large pizza box in the middle, and in the corner of the room, quietly reading the Bible, was Taeyeon.

"The execution's at 7." One of the guards state, checking his watch. There was a big white clock near the door, indicating it was just 1pm. "We'll pick you up at 6:30. Knock on the door if you need anything."

And he shut the door.

Taeyeon looked at me with a defeated stare, and softly closed the book, putting it aside. I didn't say anything, instead, pacing myself across the room where I found myself engulfed in a hug by the shorter, older woman. I promised I wouldn't cry, but the harder she squeezed, the more my tears began to fall. 

I also promised I wouldn't do anything I regretted.

"Tell me." I whispered, gently wiping her cheeks. "Tell me everything."

She started her story, occasionally looking at the clock, squeezing my hand every minute it ticked.

Around five years ago, when she was in her early twenties, she met a man. He was nice, handsome, smart, everything Taeyeon wanted in a person. She instantly fell in love, and moved together for college.

But he began to become manipulative. He didn't like it when Taeyeon hung out with her other friends, regardless of their gender. He went insane when she didn't reply within a certain amount of minutes, constantly thinking the girl was cheating on her.

He became controlling. Possessive. Abusive.

Until one day, Taeyeon couldn't handle it anymore.

"One night..it was worse than usual." She mumbled, resting her head on Tiffany's head. "He smashed my head against a table. I was bleeding, nearly unconscious, and he began to his pants. He dragged me to the bed, and kissed me. I--I lost it. I don't remember much, but the next moment, I was holding a knife against his throat, and he was already dead.

After that, I ran away. I gave up everything. I didn't tell anyone. I walked and walked, took rides, snuck into trucks. I tried to get away as possible. I ended up here, near a community college. There's a homeless shelter down the block. That's where I lived. I never trusted men after that, and I was constantly paranoid. I was too poor to afford anything, but I chose an empty room in case I needed to run away again. I tried not to become too dependent on anyone else.."

I let her finish her story, squeezing her hand even harder. Finally, she quietly ended. "Maybe that's why I trusted you so much. You didn't take anything away from me, instead, you gave me something. But I was too afraid to get attached, I didn't want to get you involved."

"I involved myself, okay?" I reassured her. "Do you mind me asking if...if you regret it?"

"...I don't know." She sighs. "Maybe. I don't want to think about anything anymore. I don't want to regret anything else."

I bit my lip, heavily resisting the urge. "I don't want to die with any regrets either, Taeyeon, so..." I cupped my