Twin Towers Correal Facility is a pce that seeks to meet the requirements of the state of California. Fortunately, those art of this correal facility, don't have to endure major abuses pared to what could be experienced in other correal facilities. However, there is a dark underbelly, like stagnant water, that harms the surroundings.

  Billy exited the music studio with Spencer. After singing "What a Wonderful World," he left humming the soft melody. After singing the song five times, he could say he would never fet the feeling. Something awakened him from a dark stupor that he didn't think he could experience—a long bath of adrenalihe sports yard looked like a sandy beach, with some t isnds featuring basketball courts.

  He leaned against the exit ohird floor, by a window. The guards' office was right in front.

  -What are you doing, old man? - said Pablo, the small, dark-skinned boy, from the yard.

  -I'm the prison. I just arrived yesterday evening. Everything is so different from what I expected, - said Billy.

  Among the many ied emotions, he missed his mom. Pablo, uedly empathetic, with his short chocote hair and brown skin, would sometimes have a face of desotion and nostalgia, fitting for an old man living a long and sad life.

  -You know, for me, it's home. This prison is good. I eat three times a day, and even go for seds when the cook sees there's little left. At home, sometimes I 't even sleep, - said Pablo, words heavy with meaning.

  Bck clouds, Desote pins, lost youth, What will happen in my sad life, If only a push is o fall off a precipice?

  The lyrics hit Billy like a burst of songs. Pablo's white teeth and appearance gave him an unusual innoce.

  -What's jail like? I see there are many straitudes, - said Billy.

  -Well... it's a mess, -- said Pablo, turning to see if anyone was nearby. He tinued, -- There are issues. As long as you stay on the sidelihere's no trouble. The people here are good. In other correal facilities, the guards are crazy. But the most vicious ones are Austin and Dogface, - said Pablo.

  -Austin seemed like a det guy to me, - said Billy.

  -He's an idiot. The most wretched cheat, - said Pablo.

  -Is he? - questioned Billy.

  Pablo swallowed hard.

  -Believe me, he is. He's a full-fledged gangster, vengeful and dangerous. Dogface is with us; I take care of him. But if you join Austin's side, Dogface won't spare him. There's mutual hatred betweewo, but Bugs is the one you have to watch out for. Dogface hits and runs; Bugs is insane, - said Pablo, putting a fio his lips as if it were a poorly kept secret but a secret heless.

  -I see. Sounds plex. I'm here for six months, and then I'm out, - said Billy.

  -Hahahaahaha. What are you ughing at? - asked Billy.

  -Friend, nobody gets out in six months. You need approval from the superinte food behavior. He's a jerk; they pay him for each kid. That damn guy will stretch your sentence for one or two more years, - said Pablo.

  -'t be true, - said Billy, disbelieving.

  -It has happened, happeo or, and most of us give up. Fighting against the system is crap. Screw the people; just live in the moment here, - said Pablo.

  -It has happened! - said Billy incredulously.

  -Of course, the bastard does it daily. Many of my brothers have had issues with the superinte. I joihe musid for that. If Spencer helps you, he might vihe teachers to let you go, but... - said Pablo.

  -But Spencer is... - started Billy.

  -A coward, - said Pablo mogly.

  -So the ces are slim, from what I see, - said Billy.

  Depressed by the seemingly hopeless news, Billy shifted his focus to the sand and soil in front of him.

  -But he's a good person; he has helped some. He's a good Christian, that bastard, - said Pablo.

  -Not much help, - said Billy.

  -You better get used to it, - said Pablo.

  Adjusting himself, Billy asked, - And you? -

  -Well, prison is better than life at home, a thousand times. Besides, I have all my friends here. Why are you here? This is the biggest hole in California. You must have caused a lot of trouble, - said Pablo.

  Billy sighed, hating being locked up. -I skipped school for five months, had recurring problems with graffiti, and caused havo some stores. When they caught my friend ahe cop gave him a good sp that knocked him to the ground. I jumped on his bad scratched his face. I aimed for his eyes, but unfortunately, I missed. When they arrested me with my friend, I spat in the cop's face. He was red with ao the point that I got scared, pahat he would beat me to death, - said Billy.

  -Damn, friend! A Bck guy does that, and they shoot him, - said Pablo, as if it were a traditional phrase. Billy could only curse in his heart at Pablo's situation.

  -Not that bad, - replied Billy.

  -Ha, let's just go down for lunch; I'm starving, - said Pablo.

  The dining hall turned out to be another division, and what would be a quiet lunch for Billy turned into a pce of stares, an observatory for the newer. Would he join a gang? Would he be a friend or an enemy? Lunch sisted of a mix of sweet potato fries, lentil stew, and chi croquettes.

  -Take it easy, skinny, - said Pablo.

  -What's happening? I've got absolutely nothing, - said Billy.

  -Well, you better eat. Dinner is the same but older and colder. Eat all you , - said Pablo.

  Carrying his tray to a table with mostly Latinos speaking in Spanish, Billy decided to joihe food wasn't the best he had tasted; he was sure he'd get sick ter. Clearing his mind of others' doubts, he decided to focus on his path to perfeg his singing.

  Among all the songs he ever sang, there's ohat's stored in his memory for the number of times he sang it in his past life.

  …

  -when she was just a girl.

  She expects the world.

  But it flew away from her reach.

  So, she ran away in her sleep. –

  …Principio del formurio

  A song that required a very good orchestra, if he remembered correctly, involved a piano and a violin. With some practice, he could mahe piano. After finishing the less-than-appetizing lunch, he took his tray to return it.

  -Where are you going, kid? - said the grumpy guard from this m, Rico, the same one who woke them up.

  -To the musir. Spencer said I could go whenever I wao practice, - replied Billy.

  -' Whenever you want' is a stupid expression. Now it's ing time. You have to mop the floors, the windows, and do some ing, -- said Rico. -- Go to your ; they'll show you what to do, - he added, pointing to a sign.

  -Yes, sir, - said Billy, his uainty noted by Rico, who, despite being strict, was very kind. He had three children, all misbehaved initially, but he imposed his discipline, and now they were good boys.

  -I'll take you; you don't know the protocols well yet, - said Rico.

  Billy didn't respond; he just sang a Coldpy song from his past life. He memorized it during a road trip, and sihen, it has bee his favorite. Along with some Spanish songs he still remembered, his mother tongue was more promi in his memory than English when it came to singing.

  -The , just what I needed, - thought Billy.

  -Mr. Beins, take care of this boy, - said Rico.

  -Have you found your stay in prison pleasant? - asked Mr. Beins.

  -A bit, sir. I have a lot to learn, - replied Billy, sitting at his desk.

  -I took the trouble to check your notebook. You're one of the few who used it to take notes, - said Mr. Beins.

  -I didn't have much else to do, - replied Billy.

  -In fact, csses are meant to keep you occupied. We mahe ing in a certain scheduled way, and you're in the middle of the day. So, almost everything is already assighe bathrooms are ed once a week for each group. I've scheduled you for uesday. For the rest of the days, you choose what you prefer, - expined Mr. Beins.

  -The musi, - said Billy.

  -Very well, you'll the musi and the guard hallway every day from now on. I hope you won't regret it. There's no room for ges, - said Beins.

  Billy went to the guard hallway and asked about the ing. Throughout the entire jail, there were about twelve guards for a popution of almost 200 people, a very small number for the enlisted guard roster.

  Remembering Mr. Beins' thoughts, he asked the guard monit the cameras.

  Knog on the door, a white guy with a brown mustache, the typical guard, ope.

  -What's happening? - he said aggressively.

  -I have to do the ing, sir. I'm new and don't have much experience, - said Billy.

  -Ah... itle room, grab a broom and sweep the entire hallway. Then mop the floor. Professor Spencer will e, and he'll help you the musi, - said the guard.

  -All right, sir. I'll do my best, - said Billy.

  The hallway was long aed. The camera guard could observe everything he did from the window. Although he lost practice, he had an idea of how to sweep and mop the floor.

  Midway through, he saw or and two others apanying him.

  -Billy, it looks like you chose the musi group, - said or.

  -ing isn't my strength, but I've almost fihe hallway, - said Billy.

  -You're quick, buddy, - said a dark-skinned guy o or.

  -No problem. Let's wait for it to dry, and we'll only have the musi left. Mr. Spencer arrived a few minutes ago, - said Billy, sitting on the floor.

  -Great, let's finish this crap and go py basketball, - said the dark-skinned guy, sitting in front of Billy, while or remaianding.

  -Friend, this guy has issues; I'm telling you, in css, he was breathing so hard that I felt like pung him, damn Rocks, - said one of the kids.

  -Rocks? That son of a bitch lives in 21. He's probably with the Red Cat gang, - said another kid.

  -I don't think so, - he replied.

  -He is, I swear on my mother, - respohe other boy.

  They tinued with specutions about who had offended whom.

  -e on, we have to the windows, and then the musi -- said or. -- You guys the windows, and I'll take care of the room with Billy. --

  -Sure, man, I'll do that crap, - said the kid.

  -If you don't do it well, Guard Malik will mess you up, and you too, Brandon, - said or.

  Malik or Brando raised their hands in peace.

  -We uand, dude. well, and no messing around, - said the kid.

  -Let's the musi, - said or.

  Billy followed him, witnessing some tensioween his cssmates.

  Luckily, the musi wasn't very rge and was mostly .

  -Professor Spencer, we're here for the m ing. We have a new cssmate, - said or, smiling.

  -Ah, it's you, Billy. Didn't expect to see you so soon; my students usually don't st a full css, - said Spencer.

  -I uand, -replied Billy.

  He adjusted his prison guard suit, which felt suffog due to the heat.

  - with care; the instruments and the floor have some dust. A sweep, and it'll be as good as new, - said Spencer.

  He wasn't lying; the pded up perfectly in just a few minutes. When they went to put away the ing supplies, Billy noticed that Malik and Brando had disappeared from the pce, and the windows were left half-done.

  -They always do this, - said or.

  Passing by his side and ing up some imperfes, enough to leave the task halfway done.

  -They don't like you, - Billy whispered.

  -They don't, - replied or.

  Billy knew he shouldn't ent on what had happened. or wasn't willing to say more. He even realized that or's demeanor seemed more trustworthy than Pablo's, who acted friendly upon his arrival.

  Only time could provide enough insight into the atmosphere of the correal facility. Just stay on the sidelines, Billy thought.

  ...