Chapter 6: The Name Lena Hid
For three years, I believed Lena Parker’s death was my fault.
I carried that belief like a sentence.
Every morning when the prison doors opened.
Every night when the lights went out.
Every time someone whispered my name.
Marla Hayes.
The monster of Block C.
The woman who let another inmate die.
I never corrected them.
Because I thought I deserved it.
But now I was standing inside a forgotten storage room, holding Lena’s notebook, and the first thing written inside was the one thing I had never allowed myself to believe.
*Marla did not betray me. She saved me.*
My hands shook.
Not from fear.
From anger.
Three years of guilt.
Three years of wondering if I had failed her.
Three years of accepting a story someone else created.
And now a dead woman was telling me I had been wrong.
Tiana stood beside me.
“Turn the page.””
I couldn’t.
Not yet.
Because part of me was afraid.
Afraid that the next words would destroy the only truth I had left.
“What if it changes everything?”” I whispered.
Tiana looked at me.
“It already has.””
She was right.
The world I had lived in for three years had already cracked.
There was no going back.
I turned the page.
Lena’s handwriting filled the paper.
*If you’re reading this, then I wasn’t able to tell you myself. I’m sorry.*
My throat tightened.
*You always thought you failed me, Marla. You didn’t. You were the only person who tried to help.*
I stopped reading.
Tiana noticed.
“Marla?””
I looked away.
“I don’t understand.””
“What?””
“Why would she write this?””
“Because she knew you would blame yourself.””
I stared at the notebook.
That sounded exactly like Lena.
She had always seen through me.
Even when I pretended not to care.
Especially then.
I continued.
*Grant wasn’t the person controlling Blackridge. He was only a messenger. He followed orders because he was afraid.*
My eyes moved faster.
*The person giving those orders sits above everyone. Guards. Administrators. Even the warden.*
A chill ran through me.
Tiana leaned closer.
“Keep reading.””
The next sentence was underlined.
*The person responsible is someone nobody would suspect.*
I turned the page.
And stopped.
Because there was no name.
Only a symbol.
A small mark drawn in black ink.
A circle.
With a line through the center.
Tiana frowned.
“What is that?””
“I don’t know.””
“You’ve never seen it?””
I stared at the symbol.
Then something moved in the back of my mind.
A memory.
Three years ago.
A photograph.
Grant’s hand shaking.
The image he used to threaten me.
I remembered the corner of the paper.
The same symbol.
My blood went cold.
“I’ve seen it before.””
Tiana looked at me.
“Where?””
“On the picture Grant showed me.””
Her expression changed.
“Are you sure?””
“Yes.””
“Then Grant wasn’t threatening you randomly.””
I looked at the notebook.
“He was showing me who was behind him.””
A sound interrupted us.
A footstep.
Both of us froze.
Someone was outside.
Tiana immediately closed the notebook.
“Stay behind me.””
I almost laughed.
“Really?””
“Yes.””
“I’m the one who just opened the door.””
“And I’m the one trained to deal with what comes through it.””
I looked at her.
“You’re impossible.””
“I’ve heard that before.””
The storage room door moved.
Slowly.
Someone was opening it.
Tiana positioned herself.
I reached for the nearest object I could use as a weapon.
The door opened.
And Officer Carter stepped inside.
We both relaxed slightly.
But only slightly.
Carter looked at the notebook.
Then at us.
“You shouldn’t be here.””
I held up the notebook.
“Neither should you.””
His face changed.
Just for a second.
But enough.
“You know about this.””
Carter looked away.
“That’s not what I said.””
“It’s what your face said.””
He sighed.
“You don’t understand what you found.””
“Then explain.””
Carter looked at the door.
Then lowered his voice.
“Not here.””
Tiana crossed her arms.
“Why should we trust you?””
Carter looked at her.
“Because three years ago, I tried to help Lena.””
The room went silent.
I stepped forward.
“What?””
Carter swallowed.
“I saw what was happening.””
“Then why didn’t you stop it?””
His jaw tightened.
“Because I was scared.””
I laughed.
“Everyone was scared.””
“Yes.””
He looked at me.
“But you were the only one who acted.””
That surprised me.
Carter continued.
“You think everyone hated you because you were dangerous.””
He shook his head.
“Some people hated you because you were the only person who could stand against them.””
I didn’t know what to say.
Because that was the same thing Tiana had told me.
The same thing Lena had written.
Maybe the person I had become wasn’t who I thought.
Maybe it was only the version someone needed me to be.
“Who is behind this?”” I asked.
Carter looked at the notebook.
“The same person who made sure Lena’s complaints disappeared.””
“Name.””
He hesitated.
Then said:
“Deputy Director Evelyn Shaw.””
The name hit harder than expected.
Because everyone knew Evelyn Shaw.
She wasn’t a guard.
She wasn’t an inmate.
She was the person who supervised the entire facility.
She walked through Blackridge wearing expensive suits while everyone else wore uniforms.
She smiled at charity events.
She gave speeches about rehabilitation.
She shook hands with politicians.
And according to Carter…
she was the person who controlled everything.
“No,” I whispered.
Carter looked at me.
“You know her?””
“Everyone knows her.””
“That’s why she was perfect.””
Tiana picked up the notebook.
“Why would Lena write this instead of reporting her?””
Carter looked at the floor.
“Because reports went through Shaw’s office.””
A horrible silence followed.
“She controlled the system.””
“Yes.””
I looked at the notebook.
“Then why keep evidence?””
Carter’s expression changed.
“Because Lena knew someone would eventually need it.””
A noise came from the hallway.
A radio.
A guard’s voice.
“Search team approaching storage.””
Carter immediately looked toward the door.
“You need to leave.””
Tiana grabbed the notebook.
“Who sent them?””
Carter didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
We all knew.
Someone knew we were here.
I looked at the security camera above the door.
The small red light was blinking.
Someone had been watching.
Someone had seen us find the notebook.
Carter whispered:
“Go.””
We moved quickly.
Tiana hid the notebook inside her uniform.
I followed her through the back exit.
But before we reached the fence, a voice echoed behind us.
“Marla.””
I stopped.
Because I knew that voice.
Slowly, I turned.
Deputy Director Evelyn Shaw stood at the entrance of the storage building.
Perfect hair.
Perfect suit.
Perfect smile.
The same smile she had worn every time she visited Block C.
The smile of someone who believed she was untouchable.
“I was wondering when you would finally look for answers.””
Nobody moved.
Tiana stepped forward.
“Evelyn Shaw.””
Shaw smiled.
“So you do know my name.””
Tiana’s expression stayed cold.
“I know more than you think.””
Shaw looked at me.
“No.””
She smiled wider.
“You know much less than you think.””
My hands tightened.
“You killed Lena.””
The smile disappeared.
Only for a second.
Then it returned.
“Is that what the notebook told you?””
I stared at her.
“You know about the notebook.””
“Of course I do.””
The hallway went silent.
Shaw walked closer.
“You really believe Lena left you the truth?””
She stopped a few feet away.
“She didn’t.””
I felt my heartbeat change.
“What?””
Shaw looked directly at me.
“Marla, you still don’t understand.””
She tilted her head.
“You weren’t protecting Lena.””
A pause.
“You were protecting the wrong person.””
Tiana stepped forward.
“That’s enough.””
But Shaw ignored her.
She looked at me.
“The night Lena died…”
Her voice became quieter.
“You weren’t the only one who lied.””
My stomach dropped.
Because deep inside, I knew.
There was another memory.
Another moment.
Another piece I had buried.
And Evelyn Shaw knew exactly where it was hidden.
She smiled.
“Ask yourself one question, Marla.””
The lights above us flickered.
“Why did Lena trust you…”
May you like
She paused.
“…if you were the reason she was in danger?””
