May sat on the ground and waited. She could still feel Jericho's fingers on shoulders, strong and sure. And the way he had told her what to do. She didn't think, she just moved, and it had felt nice to be taken care of.
Then she started thinking about what Justice North had said. She was being sent to Fuller. She assumed it was a prison nearby, but she didn't know any of the names of California prisons, well, except for the ones in Johnny Cash songs. She picked up her head and looked at Jericho, who was sitting in a chair across from her cell.
"Is Fuller a prison?" she asked.
Jericho looked at her, his wine colored eyes staring at her seriously, "It is," he said in a low deep voice.
He continued to look at her, and May felt her eyes lower under his perusal. She snuck a look back up and saw that he continued to stare at her.
"A woman's prison?" she asked, "Will I have to go to court? Get a lawyer?"
She didn't know why she was asking him, but she assumed that was how it worked. She'd go to jail, she'd get a lawyer, there'd be a hearing, she'd get bail, a court date, and then there would be a trial and she'd go to prison again.
Jericho shook his head, "No," he answered seriously, "it is a human prison."
May tried to make sense of his words, a human prison? "I don't understand," she finally admitted.
"It is a prison run by humans but governed by New Species. It is the place where we sent the Mercile doctors, administration, investors, and technicians who tortured us. It is the place where we send the humans who try to hurt or kill us. There is no trial, there is no guilt or innocence. It is completely separate from the human justice system. It is New Species justice," he said all of that without a trace of emotion.
May felt her stomach sink lower and lower as he explained. She was going to jail and she would never come out. No one would ever know where she was, not that there was anyone who would care, and she would stay there as long as New Species wanted her there.
"Will I be there forever?" she asked, wondering what was worse, death or a life surrounded by sadistic bastards who got their jollies out of torturing people.
Jericho shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know," he answered, "That is up to our council to decide."
May nodded, she assumed that meant it was up to Justice North, who she had royally pissed off. She would be there forever if the look in his eyes was any indication.
She thought about her sister, and wondered…
"If a New Species is found, do they tell all New Species?" she asked.
Jericho narrowed his eyes at her but didn't answer.
"I mean," she said, "Would you find out? Do they introduce you to new people, I mean New Species, if they find a hidden facility or something?"
He continued to watch her, but didn't answer. May guessed that meant he wasn't going to.
"I just…" May said hesitantly, "I wondered if they made New Species welcome when they were discovered. If they found a way to help them get used to being free. If they found them friends or if there was someone to take care of them?"
The question wasn't out of nowhere; she worried about her sister, and when she went away to Fuller, she would never know if she was alright. She knew her sister must have been abused and tortured, and she wanted to make sure that she would have all the help she needed to adjust to freedom. She wanted to make sure there would be someone looking out for her, that she wouldn't be left on her own.
Jericho continued to watch her, and then suddenly stood up, approaching the bars.
"Come here," he directed.
May stood up and walked to the bars, standing across from him. This close, she could see all the shades of red and brown in his eyes. She could see that his hair, which he kept tied back from his face, was a dark brown, almost black. It looked like it would be soft to touch. She studied his face. He looked older than her, lines bracketed his mouth. She noted that he had no such lines around his eyes, like he didn't smile very much.
She loved the way his eyebrows were shaped, and how it added to his overall features. He was so very very handsome.
Jericho seemed to be studying her as much as she was studying him. His nostrils flared with each intake of breath, almost like he was scenting the air around them. He watched her, not cruelly, like she was some kind of circus freak, but like he was taking her measure.
"How old are you?" he asked suddenly.
May was surprised into answering without thinking, "Twenty-six," she answered.
"You look much younger," he replied.
May couldn't help the smile that teased her lips, "I know. It's partly because I'm so small, but I haven't changed much since high school. We…"
She stopped herself by pushing a finger up to her lips.
Jericho raised an eyebrow, encouraging her to continue, but May shook her head, "Nothing," she whispered.
He looked at her in disappointment. She could actually feel his disappointment rolling off of him and crashing into her.
"At least you didn't lie this time," he said thoughtfully.
May tucked her chin down, no longer able to make eye contact him as waves of shame covered her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
He surprised her then, lowering himself to sit cross-legged outside of the bars. May paused for a moment, and then lowered herself as well, mirroring his posture. May wished that she could tell him the truth about herself, tell him everything that was happening, see if he could find out if her sister was alive.
Then she had an idea, a way she could get to know him, and he could get to know her. It would give her something to think about while she was locked up, and maybe he would remember her when everyone else had long since forgotten her.
"Do you like to read?" she asked, tentatively.
His eyes widened, the pupils darkening and making his eyes look garnet colored, "Yes," he replied after a moment.
"What books do you like?" she asked.
He seemed to think about it, to think both about her question and whether or not he wanted to answer it, "The Shining," he said, "The Odyssey, The Great Gatsby, A Moveable Feast…" he smiled, "Jurassic Park."
May smiled as well, "What are you reading right now?" she asked.
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," he answered.
"Is it good?" May asked.
Jericho nodded, "What books do you like?" he responded.
May tapped her finger on her chin as she thought about his question, "Hmmm, Anne of Green Gables, To Kill a Mockingbird, Vanity Fair, Captain Correlli's Mandolin… Anything by A.S Byatt," she finished.
"Which book has resonated the most with you? she asked, and then retracted her question quickly when she saw his face darken, "I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that."
"Guess," he demanded.
May thought about the titles he'd listed, and then said, "The Great Gatsby."
The smile that broke out across Jericho's face took May's breath away, "Why?" he asked, "Why do you think that?"
"Well, for two reasons," she said, "The first is because of the narrator, he's watching all the action between Jay and Daisy, and trying to make sense of it. He assigns meaning to emotions, but from the outside. He has to figure it out and tell us, the readers, about it. It's like all of us, trying to make sense of what we see around us, not knowing what people's true motivation is, if they are being genuine or lying…" May trailed off, she'd basically just described his struggle with her.
Jericho watched her for a moment. May glanced up at his eyes and then glanced back down again.
"What was the second reason?" she heard him ask quietly.
May looked up at him, surprised, "Jay Gatsby," she answered.
"Gatsby?" he asked.
"Yes," she said, "Watching Daisy's house from the end of his dock, waiting for her light, always on the outside, yet every decision he makes has the end goal of getting Daisy... who abandons him," she adds.
"Am I Gatsby?" he asked her.
May shook her head, "I hope not. I don't like the idea of someone taking advantage of you. Of you feeling like you're an outsider. I would hate for you to waste your life on Daisy Buchanan."
May's face flamed as she realized what she'd said.
She hazarded a glance at Jericho, who was staring at her wide eyed with his mouth open. When she met his eyes, he snapped his mouth shut, and narrowed his eyes. He looked angry and stood up. He ran his hands through his hair, getting his fingers stuck in the elastic holding it back, and tore it out angrily.
"I will be right back," he said, "POUNCE!" he yelled.
May saw the other New Species arrive, "I need a moment," he said, "Watch her. I will be back in two minutes."
Jericho turned on his heel and walked away without looking back at her. May sighed. She'd really messed that up. But she couldn't help but wonder if she'd chosen the right book.
She could sense Pounce staring at her, but she didn't look up at him. Her face was still hot. She scooted back to the bars and leaned back, crossing her arms against her chest and leaning her head on the bar. She closed her eyes, feeling exhausted. She tilted until she could rest on the floor. She curled her legs up to her body, and fell asleep.