2

Janice opened her eyes, which had been closed the entire time she spoke. It surprised Byron at how well the girl narrated her story, more like a memoir than a casual conversation. He wondered if she rehearsed all of this in her cell, eventually deciding that there was very little that Janice didn't rehearse. 

“Sorry I'm spending so much time on this crap.” she fiddles with her fingers nervously. 

“It's fine. Just talk about whatever comes to you.”

“I don’t think this is what you want to write about, is it?”

“You never know.” Byron gave an encouraging smile. “And it's good to have as much background as possible. It makes for a better book, even if I don't end up writing about any of this.”

Janice nodded, and Byron could tell from the girl's expression she was indeed thinking about what he had said. 

“I guess you're right. Besides… I'm not ready to talk about… about what happened to my friends. Not yet.”

“That's fine. Just go at your own pace.”

“I will talk about it eventually, I promise.”

“I know. Don't worry.”

“You're not wasting your time...” Janice looked genuinely worried that she was letting him down. 

What a strange girl. He thought to himself. 

“I never thought I was.” Byron replied honestly. 

“Alright.”

“But time's almost up for today.” The guard announced, pulling herself from the wall and looking to Byron. “You can come back next week.”