Chapter 1: I walked across the cold, gray room and had to shield my face from the sunlight shining bright through the windows. It was so early in the morning and the squeaks of shoes and whispers of people irritated my sensitive ears. I took my seat in front of the glass window. I don't want to be here, I thought, waiting for what felt like forever until the guard brought her. It's been so long...
"Hi mom," I said after picking up the phone.
"You." She spit. Her tone sounded much worse over the poor quality phone. "What do you want?"
"Just came by to check up on you. It's been a while. How are you?"
"It's none of your business how I am! How do you think it is in prison?" she said.
"I, uh, can't say I can compare." I answered with a nervous laugh, before changing the subject. "Grandma has been taking very good care of me, and she's doing really well."
"Is this what I got out of bed for? To be pestered by a child?" She said, more to herself than to me.
"Well I just thought since you've been locked in here-"
"IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT I'M IN HERE!" she snapped, causing me to fall out of my chair at her sudden outburst. She jumped out of her seat and started banging on the think glass between us. The guards were quick to restrain her and started to drag her away, kicking and screaming. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! YOU'RE THE DEVIL! DEVIL'S CHILD!"
Her screams faded away as the guards took her back to her cell and once again, she was gone.
I got up, still shaking, and left the building with tears streaking down my face. She's right. It is all my fault. Everything that's happened in my miserable life.
Looking back at the Orange County Penitentiary for Women, I hopped in my car and started on my way home.
My name is Nathan Holt. I'm 16 years old and currently living with my grandmother. My mother has been locked away for nine years now, and ever since, my grandmother has had custody over me. She always worries about me, although I don't know why. I don't cause a lot of trouble or hang out with bad people, and my life is pretty routinely ordinary.
Of course this all changed when life decided to slap me in the face.
