Tarry not towards the end,
Await and appreciate,
As you are now,
Your sorrow and your joy,
Each defines a part of you.
Confining you not,
To the Limitations of life.
Await for yourself,
Yet, a new hope,
That lingers not in the tribulations of Life,
Conforming one to the fraternities of it,
And leaving them ajar to the cruelties yet unseen.
Rather,
Guard yourselves with the bleeding truth,
Which suffers in it's own way,
But yet still harbors great luxuries.
Its tenacities are grave,
But reviving to the core,
Leaving no elements untouched,
And no brooding unanswered.
It serves as another urge,
That keeps the world revolving.
By Henrietta.
JUVENAL PRISONS

“ 086– Ben Hansel... you got a visitor.” The Officer's voice echoed from the corridor of the cells as he neared his cell. Ben who wasn't expecting any visitors after the past months of his arrest without anyone showing up~ flickered his eyes open as he shoot out of bed in confusion.
“ Me?” He asked with a surprised look, making sure he heard right.
“ Yes, come out now..” He added of which the keys ruffled as he unlocked the locks.
“ Who could it be?” He mumbled with the internal conflict within his heart as he headed towards the entrance where the officer stood in wait. With him leading the way, the officer followed after.
Soon, they made a halt in front of the visitors' hall to which an officer pulled the door open as he entered. “ This way.” He guarded him to his seat– that's when he took note of her; scanning at her face through the glass which separated them.
“ Alixies~?” He grumbled with mixed feelings and she smiled– joy and guilt tore at his heart and he buried his head in guilt. “ What are you doing here?...you shouldn't be here. You should go now.” He added on an impulse as he turned to leave.
“ Wait...” she instinctively howled while she rose to her full length– stopping him in his steps. “ Why do you keep doing this? ” her voice trembled with unshed tears as she stared at his back. “ Don't I also deserve an apology for what you did to me?~ ”
“ I'm sorry about that... ” His words swiftly cut in~ tears tore at his heart. “ I know words can't just erase those memories but i...if there's something else I could do, I will surely bow to it. Till then, stay happy.”
With this he, resumed on his tracks as the tears he fought back trekked down his chin.
“ How can I ?” She shuttered in tears. “ How can I when my heart already yearns for you each day of your absence. ”
Ben spontaneously froze, his limbs became heavier to move and his eyes instinctively went shut with the pain which pricked his heart with her words.
How...? – Do I deserve this? Where did I ever go wrong?” Her tears drowned her.
“ I don't deserve you, Alixi~ don't you see? ” He shot back with his back still facing her. He couldn't bear the pain of seeing her tears. “ This is what I deserve– to just rot here. I don't deserve to earn happiness for what I made my mum and everyone else go through in my hands. I deserve to die!”
“ STOP! ... stop this, please.” She cried. “ Is this all that you think about?– What about us? Have you ever asked us what we feel about this whole thing ~ Why still been selfish! ” She shouted and he just remained silent as his tears kept flooding. Soft yet pained and agonized sobs spilled out intermittently as Alixies spoke on.
“ I know what happened wasn't what you'd wanted. It was the cause of all the emptiness you felt without the presence of your brother and mother– and your dad? He was too busy to notice.” She went on and sorrow closed up his throat.
“ All you wanted was love~ you wanted people to love and cherish you but what you didn't know was how to earn it. But now that you've realized it, why don't you reset what you've done?~ Why not give yourself another chance? There's always a second chance for everyone if only you want to make a change and work out your errors. Don't hate yourself for them because each of them builds you into a better person. Just think about it.”
With her points clearly made, Alixies slowly drifted off towards the exit but then, made a pause. “ Laura had decided to call off the case so.... you'll be out in no time. I'll wait for you.” She stated. Before he could turn, Alixies had already left. His heart wrenched and he crumpled inside as he fainted to the floor.
“ I'm sorry, Alixi... So sorry.” He cried.
The ride back home for Alixies wasn't an easy one with the words of Ben which kept ringing in her thoughts. She couldn't keep it in anymore and burst out into tears.
“ Hey... are you okay? ” Lena queried on noticing the condition of her daughter. Alixies had called for her after the visit. “ What happened between you two in there?– I thought you would be happy for him but why those tears now?” She asked.
“ Why is he been so hard on himself?~ It really hurt to see him that way. Can't he give himself a chance for us to be happy together?” The words found their way out before she could know. A faint sigh spontaneously exuded Lena who feigned a smile.
“ It's not that easy as you think, Alixi~ just give him some time. Each one of us as humans got our own path of healing from our regrets. Trust me.” She opted an advice which in a way helped her brace herself up. She smiled.
“ Thanks, mum.” Lena nodded with a smile as she glanced at her through the rearview mirror.
THE ROBERTS' MANSION

LIBRARY
Laura's empty gaze remained settled in the novel in her hands without reading or flipping over the pages as her mind drifted off. The words of Alixies were the only song that rang in the thought. Mya who on the other hand had been working on a few documents next to her noticed her absurd attitude. She had been like that for the past hour since they got to the library.
“ I'm off to bed now, Mya – Laura,” Kelvin mumbled from his desk which got Mya's attention. “ Goodnight~ See you guys in the morning.” He added with a kiss on her cheeks.
“ Good night, love– don't forget to turn off the lights” Mya added as he pecked Laura on the cheeks. But then, her sudden flinch startled them.
“ Hey~ calm down... It's just me” Kelvin said noticing how startled she was.
“ Are you alright, Laura?” Mya queried after him. But she just answered with a nod of which Mya and Kelvin glanced at each other before returning their gaze to her. “ Sure?”
They chorused and the look on their faces made her chuckle. “ Yeah... just worked out with the final exams after all those months in a coma. This is the very final one that determines my next future, Mya– got it? I ought to be worried.” She explained but then Mya noticed the look in her eyes. That wasn't the point and she could clearly read through.
“ Alright... if you say so. I'm off to bed then, bye.” Kelvin announced. With a nod and smile from both ends, he took leave of his siblings.
Sure they were alone, Mya spoke up. “ Is this still about Rubin?~ You've still not heard from him.”
Realized she'd noticed, she nodded with no choice at all. “ Why is he keeping so long?– Do you think he forgot about me?” Her desperation verbalized.
“ Why not give him the benefit of doubts? – you might not know what the wait may bring across your path, huh?” Mya answered with a faint smile of which she nodded after a careful thought.
“ Since he was able to do it for me, then I can as well.” She replied with a smile.
“ Great... that's more like you.” Mya smiled and added on an impulse “ Now, how about we conquer the final exam?”
Laura nodded to that and they both laughed. “ Thanks, Mya” She hugged her to which Mya also hugged her back.
“ Welcome, dear ~ always here for you.”