I smiled at her, “So what do I call you? My name is Mikal.”She blushed, and I thought she looked cute. “Sorry, my name is Ryka. You’re not fro... around here, are you? Your accent and height suggest you come from the city to the east,” she asked as we got back to the shore.I slipped my clothes back on my damp body as I watched her get dressed in a long-sleeved tunic and pants similar to what the other girl had worn. I answered, “No, I’m not from here at all. Do your people know what. Security in these prisons is usually pretty good at night, but non-existent in the afternoon and early evening. I got lucky and watched a guy walk away on my fourth day. He went straight to a nearby street and entered a home with a 'For Rent' sign in front of it. He emerged in different clothes and with a backpack."From there he walked to a bus stop about four miles away and caught a bus to Chicago. I was able to follow him and then followed the bus to not far from here. The man walked to a. You're leaving us. Your two years are up."Julia had long ago lost all sense of time. A day, a week, a year... each hour had seemed like a lifetime to her since her arrest. Was it possible her sentence was up?One of the guards stepped into the corridor and returned carrying a package which he put on the cot beside her."Look inside."Apprehensively she opened the bag.She felt her eyes fill with tears as she saw what was inside.It was her clothes!The same clothes she'd been wearing when she was. Thule could tell when Marigold's hand found the gun. Her eyes widened and she hesitated in drawing it out. When she did, she eyed it with dread."Thule," she asked in a whisper, "You're not planning on going all Columbine, are you?"Thule smiled gently, "No. I don't want to hurt anyone unnecessarily. I carry that for defense sometimes. As far as I know, Randy and Brianne have never killed anybody. They deserve a lot, but they don't deserve to die. Besides, you'd want some sort of automatic weapon.