The journey from Seattle was fast, just as she had anticipated. Two hours and forty-six minutes from King County to Phoenix, Arizona was how long the flight took. The road up north to Garibay Penitentiary was longer, however. It had taken another two and a half hours to reach the destination and the fruits were worth it. The check-in process was pretty cumbersome as the two were asked a lot of questions in relation to their ages and even asked for some IDs. Ingrid had hers since she was sixteen years old, while Ayden lacked. She found it annoying when one of the patrol officers asked her if Ayden was her little brother then and were it not for the calming hand of her boyfriend, she would have caused some scene. Eventually, the two were given a table and they waited for him to arrive when the news had got to him.
"Are you nervous?" Ayden asked Ingrid whilst biting off his fingernails, black-rimmed eyes as wide and dilated. His eyes toured around the busy hall filled with inmates and their corresponding visitors.
"No... you?" Ingrid answered. She didn't need to fathom further to understand her boyfriend's situation. Ayden was shaking like a chameleon on a frail twig.
"I don't think he will be happy to see me," Ayden muttered.
"He's never even seen you, so you don't know what he'll do or say," Ingrid said. "Come on, don't be scared. Ethan's a cool guy, and understanding too."
"You're just saying that because he's your brother. The bond you two have together is nothing compared to waste trash like me who got his sister pregnant."
"Ayden, don't say that," Ingrid mumbled as she cupped his cheek. "Ethan might not like you but he will have to. What happened, happened and nothing's gonna change that. He will just have to bear with us."
"I hope it all goes well."
"It will. I'm sure of that." Ingrid affirmed, once again.
"How are you feeling though?" Ayden said as he put his hand on her belly, eyes locked all along.
"Ayden, get your hand off from there... people will think we are doing something fishy."
"What? Who? Give me an example. That boring police over there?" He said as he looked at the officer who had referred to him as Ingrid's younger brother.
"He's not a police officer, he's a prison officer and not only him. The million cameras around this freaking building." She said, eyes looking around.
"I can't believe we're actually in prison. I gotta say, it's not that bad at all." He toured his eyes around the dense hall. When he turned to Ingrid at last, she was raising an eyebrow. "What?"
"Really?" She asked.
"Wha- what... did I say something wrong?"
"Never mind," Ingrid answered with a small shake of her head.
"Hey, I'm sorry if it came out the wrong way." He told her, grabbing her hand. "All I meant was that um... it's better. I mean it's not like the worse ones in Columbia or something."
"Ingrid!" The familiar voice she could easily recognize came from their front. They both trained their eyes and saw him standing on his feet, using a cane for support. She noticed his injured eye that was healing and the minute bruises that were all over his face.
"Ethan!" Ingrid squeaked as she got up from her seat on the side of the table immediately. She quickly raced over to him, as fast as her feet could carry her, and hugged him tightly like he was a well-earned prize that was going to be snatched away if she didn't hold onto him menacingly. She heard him grunt when she was all over him, and couldn't hide her happiness at hearing his voice once again after what felt like millennia of division.
Words couldn't tell how long the time had been and how far the distance between them had become. And so they didn't bother to speak, as their emotions talked back and forth. He brushed her dark brown hair with his free hand, over and over, as she hugged on tighter and tighter. He kissed her hair, and she held on tighter. It was too heartwarming to be in each other's arms, and time and space froze all around them. The sound of the noisy hall died from their ears and what they heard were their own heartbeats bombard into each other.
"Hey, that's enough hugging now." They heard a voice shake them from their get-together abyss. Ethan and Ingrid both groaned at the same time, opening their eyes to see their common enemy. The same guy who kept pulling people apart when they either held hands too long or even embraced each other for a long time was the same guy who had almost sparked Ingrid to cause a scene too earlier on. The officer pulled Ingrid away, a small grin plastered on his duty plump face.
"Come on, officer Beleck. Her too?" Ethan inquired. "I mean is there a problem when I hug my sister too?"
"Oh... so she is your sister..." the officer said in return, "meaning that, that weird kid over there is your little brother?" He said as he turned to look at the young lad still seated and frozen in place. Ethan looked at Ayden, then at the shaken face of Ingrid... then lastly at the officer once again.
"Yeah." He answered.
"I don't see the resemblance." The officer said, in a cocky voice.
"Then I guess you have your question answered," Ethan muttered and he gave off a smile to the boy in blue.
"So... he's not your brother?" Beleck asked.
"No. He's not. He's my father. Satisfied?"
"Your father? What about the old man who was here on Monday. Wasn't he your father?"
Ethan sighed, as Ingrid watched the two, confused. "Do you have anything else to do boss?" Ethan inquired hastily. "I saw some woman holding her six-week-old baby by that table. Go tell her your favorite words."
"It's nice meeting this family of yours Ethan," Beleck said in return with a futile grin emerging on his face. "They do come the first years, kid. Be glad of that."
"Come on Ingrid, take a seat," Ethan said as he walked away from the officer. Beleck looked on as the two siblings sat down, opposite each other on either side of the table. Ingrid saw him walking away as he shook his head.
"Is he always like that?" Ingrid asked, eyes fixed on the disappearing officer.
"Yeah, I know..." Ethan muttered, "I hate him too."
"I guess that's something we can both agree on," Ingrid said as he looked at him, small laughter plastered on her face. He afforded the same laughter back, and it was warming enough for the little duration it had sprung.
"I've been looking for a name to give him ever since I saw him, there's just too many to choose from," Ethan said. "I mean, is it Captain solo rider? Mr. TEN, that's for Mr. That's enough now? Or..."
"Or... Mr. Idle TEN." Ingrid completed for him, and they both burst into soft wicked laughter. It was after five seconds that the laughter died out completely. Ethan wiped away his happy tears with the back of his hand. "What happened to your face, and um... why are you walking with that?" Ingrid asked as her focus twisted back and forth from her brother's face and the cane next to him.
"Long story short... we are here to talk about you. Not me." Ethan said immediately as his eyes drifted to Ayden, a cold look already on his face. "Who do we have here Ingrid? I'm pretty sure he's not my brother... nor my father."
"Oh," Ingrid said and gulped. "Ethan this is Ayden, my boyfriend. Ayden, Ethan." She could hear how fast Ayden was breathing and this worried her to the pit of her stomach.