CHAPTER 48: TEMPORARILY AWAY

"You’re going to the mainland for a week?" asked Selene when she was in Caelum’s office when he called her to speak.

The man nodded his head. "That’s right, I’ll be gone for a while to answer the defense minister’s call. There’s something he wants to talk to me about, so I have to go to the mainland to meet him."

"Then who will replace you? One week is definitely enough time for a prison riot to break out in your absence," she asked.

Caelum was aware of that, so he said there would be someone to cover for him temporarily until he returned.

"He’ll be here tomorrow morning, so when he arrives I’ll go to the mainland," he replied.

Hearing that answer, Selene felt a little hesitant and she was worried that Caelum might not come back. The look in her eyes dropped, she didn’t want him to leave.

Realizing she was saddened to hear he was leaving, Caelum lifted Selene to sit on his desk. He locked her body with his hands on the left and right sides of her body.

He kissed her, to make her feel better. It indirectly soothed Selene’s current feelings. He slowly broke their kiss, then looked into her eyes.

"I will only be gone for a few days. I swear with all my life, I will come back to you. Do you understand?"

"I see, you treat me like a child who is scared to death of being left by its parents," Selene said with a chuckle and she gently caressed his cheek.

He leaned closer to her touch, nuzzling his face into her palm. Feeling those soft hands before he would leave for a week away from her.

Actually he didn’t want to leave her, but there was something very important that he would take care of later. Though he was pretty sure it had to be related to Selene’s case, the forum that had been created for her to get people to start sympathizing and wanting her to be released.

The case had gained international attention, and several international news websites had also started talking about it. Everything is so gray because there are so many pros and cons that collide with each other about her case. Is Selene really guilty or not?

People are now divided into two camps. Where there is a camp that defends that Selene is not a monster but an anti-hero who saved a lot of children from ped*philes and child abusers.

And of course there is the camp that thinks the opposite, saying after all they have the right to live and the right to forgive what these criminals have done to their children and other people’s children.

Which Selene thinks is ridiculous, why forgive the people who abused them?

"In exchange, when you come back you have to bring me something. How about it, honey?" she asked in a teasing tone.

"Deal, I’ll bring you something. While I’m gone, behave yourself with the other prisoners. I know you don’t usually start a scene first, but someone who will temporarily replace me will still dislike you," Caelum said.

She nodded in understanding and leaned back against him. Only in his presence did she not need to look strong.

"Come back soon. Otherwise, I may change my heart quickly."

****

The next day, Caelum stood in front of the prison’s exit gate. He and the other three walden watched as a ship arrived carrying a woman dressed in the Chief Warden’s uniform.

It turned out that the person who would temporarily replace him was a woman, with blonde hair and a stern-looking face. Her gaze was just as cold as Caelum’s, making the wardens around them feel that these two people were perfect for each other.

"They both look very similar. I think if they became husband and wife, I’m sure their house would be as quiet as a graveyard," one of the wardens whispered to his colleague.

"I’d feel sorry for their children if they had parents like that!" replied his colleague who laughed softly.

"Ekhem." Caelum cleared his throat quite loudly, making the wardens behind him instantly gasp and return to their ready mode.

The blonde-haired woman then walked over along with two other women who were her subordinates. They stood in front of Caelum and looked up at him.

"Good morning, Chief Rothwell. My name is Sarah Magaroon, I’ll be filling in for you temporarily here until you finish meeting the call from the defense minister," Sarah introduced herself while extending her hand.

"Yes, I’ll leave what’s in my prison to you until I return. Remember one thing, you are only replacing me temporarily. You can’t change the rules. Add or subtract. Including doing bad things to my prisoners outside of my knowledge," he emphasized while shaking her hand.

Getting that warning, Sarah already felt uncomfortable with Caelum’s overly authoritative words. However, she could not do anything about it because she was only a temporary replacement and not someone who had full control of the prison.

"Alright, I understand."

He then turned to one of his wardens, asking him to escort Sarah and her two surbodinates to their temporary rooms in the warders’ building.

After making sure everything went well, Caelum boarded the ship to leave the island for the mainland.

He wasn’t worried about anything, not really caring if Sarah ended up doing a good job with her prisoners.

The only thing he was worried about was that Selene might get into trouble when he wasn’t there.

Meanwhile, that morning as usual the prisoners went to the cafeteria for breakfast. They queued up as usual, with Selene choosing to be at the back of the queue. Blocking Hannah from queuing near the people from F Block.

"Breakfast this morning looks like carrot and mushroom soup with bread only. But I like their carrot soup," said Hannah.

"Me too," said Selene as she turned her head towards the glass vents in the room.

She looked up at the blue sky outside the canteen, thinking about who would temporarily replace Caelum in the prison.

Suddenly, the canteen door opened and three women in full uniform walked into the canteen. Everyone turned to them, and the long-serving warden made an announcement.

"Following the departure of Chief Rothwell for a one week assignment. Chief Sarah Magaroon has been selected to replace him temporarily!"