She hasn't visited me for a week now. She must have given up.

"I knew it," I mumbled. I continued to mop the floor of the prison cafeteria.

One of the gangster mobs bullied me by throwing more trash on the floor. They laughed as I silently picked the trash one by one, then, they kicked the bin I threw the trash in.

"What's a rebel like you gonna do? Stab me?" one of the gangsters joked. He laughed maniacally.

Punch!

In a flash before my eyes, I became the center of a riot. Fast-forward, I was wringing on the floor again from pain because the prison guards beat me up as punishment. Although this time, I had a few inmates who were going through the same thing as me.

"Damn, that asshole guard kicked me right in the nuts—ptooo!" one of the seemingly rough macho men said.

The other young guy, who might be the same age as I am, sat up and chuckled. "Yeah, right. I don't know why and how did you manage to endure that kind of bullshit?" He looked at me curious about my circumstances.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

They all stood up and helped me.

A guy about five foot seven and dons pink and blonde streaks with unruly black hair, the guy introduced their company. "The name's Nerine, this macho guy here is Weiss. Then that cranky man is Crane," Nerine said.

I was shocked that they helped me. "Why? Why are you helping me?"

"Are you kidding? A rebel? Anyone with a right mind of logic or reason would know instantly you weren't one," Weiss commented.

"Right, right. What does a guy with cartoon skills can do? I only know this guy right here only ever held a pen and brush." Nerine held my shoulders and flopped my hands.

They laughed as they joked about my story. I'm supposed to be offended, but I smiled instead.

Nerine saw my smile. "Ohhh—look at this guy. Never knew you were a handsome fella!"

"I am?" I asked confusingly.

"Yeah. Just shave your beard and cut your hair," Nerine gestured, his hands seemingly framing his fingers on my face. "You know, let Weiss's magick you up!"

After a few persuasions, Weiss cut my unruly hair. He combed it. Then, he shaved my beard and mustache. Crane handed me a mirror. To my surprise, I saw an unfamiliar face.

"................"

"Hey, say something fella!" Crane nudged me with his elbow.

My tears formed in my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. They smiled and made fun of me for crying at my twenty years of age.

Nerine chuckled. "Oh my, never in my life had I seen a tall lanky man like you cry like a baby. Told you were a handsome guy. Maybe, add some muscle by eating more protein."

"Been a long time, isn't it?" Weiss asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, this was...my face before everything was tainted black."