The loud buzzing sound of the doors opening to his cell block awoke the small boy on a dim winter morning. Below him, a thunk followed by a quiet "ow" signaled that Jiho was also awake. Sliding out of his bed some, Taemin patted the cold metal bar to get his roomie's attention. "Did you hear that too?" he asked with wide eyes. There was a quiet sigh that answered Taemin in the darkness. "Zico, what's going on?" he asked, scrambling to find the ladder in the darkness. The death row block began to come to life with quiet whispers as a flashlight and the sound of boots came echoing down the halls. "Zico!" Taemin asked again in a louder whisper. "What time is it? It's still so dark out.." he asked his tired friend who'd collapsed back into his sheets, yawning. "I dun know..." he finally replied, patting Taemin's back, "Maybe someone got some contraband in and they're doing a check at 2am? They'll do it sometimes..."

 Cautiously, Taemin inched to the locked metal bars that contained him, pressing his face up against the cold bars. The flashlight grew nearer and nearer until finally, he came face to face with the bright beam. Shielding his eyes with an arm, Taemin took a few steps back and in the squinted eyesight, he could make out the chubby shape of the warden. Quickly straightening himself out, Taemin bowed his head deeply in respect. 

"Good Morning Taemin." the warden greeted him gruffly. Beside him stood two guards who each held onto a restraining device. One appeared to be handcuff's, the other leg cuffs. By now, Zico had fully sat up in bed and was eyeing the warden and his "henchmen" as he liked to call them, with a watchful eye. Folding his arms behind his back the warden cleared his throat. "Lee Taemin, I am going to need you to please prepare yourself for transport. I'll give you 5 minutes to get fully dressed and once you're done I need to have you calmly come along with the guards. Everything will be explained to you momentarily in my office." he spoke in a monotone sort of voice. Without a word, Taemin bowed his head and turned away to dress quickly behind the bed. Once in his clothes, the guards cuffed him and led him out of the cell. He turned to look at Zico wide eyed for a moment before exiting. The older boy looked just as confused as he did. 

 The guards escorted Taemin down the hall in the darkness, the chains clinking together as they went. Suddenly, the whole block had quieted and had their eyes on the boy being led away. Envy, Hatred, Lust... Taemin could see it in their eyes as he walked past each barred cell. Another loud buzz, and the doors to the block opened. Leading him past these doors, the guards took him to an elevator and boarded it. The first guard pressed the floor number 1. For a few moments, they stood in the elevator quietly, Taemin stared at his feet wordlessly as nervous sweat droplets formed on the side of his face. What was going on?

 The elevator dinged and again, they began their walk. This time down a long carpeted hallway with a lighted room at the end. They entered the room quietly where Taemin was greeted with the face of the warden who sat at a large oak desk. A computer sat atop this desk along with photos, pens and pencils. The room was finely decorated with plants and very nicely accented. The Warden or, Mr. Choi, motioned for the boy to sit. Frantically, Taemin scrambled to take a seat in one of the large oak chairs that sat in front of the desk. With a wave of his hand, the guards were shooed away from the room, leaving he and just the warden alone. 

 Taking a sip of his coffee, The Warden sat back in his seat, "Now, I'm sure you're probably wondering why I brought you here so early in the morning. I promise, you are not in trouble."

 Taemin's eyes widened, "I-I'm not in trouble?" he asked.

 The Warden shook his head, "No, you're not. I've actually called you up here because you are being scheduled for a re-trial." he said, leaning forward in his seat to fold his hands together. 

"A retrial.. A.. Then that mean....?"

 The Warden shook his head, "Unfortunately, it doesn't mean you are innocent. Not yet I'm afraid. You are going to be re-tried because... a second set of fingerprints was identified at the crime scene. They did not match to anyone in your immidiate family or friends, so we can only assume it was someone else. We have also concluded that your brother is missing, not dead. Evidence suggest that he was kidnapped. However, his whereabouts are still currently unknown." he spoke. "We're going to need your help in this investigation. If you cooperate, we might be able to find your brother."

Ahh.. Short chapter... I'm debating whether or not to delete my AFF account and start over... 

What do you think?