Letters From Cages

I walked slowly through the racks of a local clothing boutique, knowing I couldn’t buy anything, but I needed to get my mind off of everything. My heart felt heavy in my chest, but I took a deep breath to shake the feeling off and took a floral blouse off of the rack and held it up to myself. Carter always teased me about how I liked flowers too much. I liked to wear clothing with flowers on them, and in high school, I did almost every day. Carter said it the patterns always matched my long dark blonde hair perfectly, and he called me his Flower Girl.

I put the shirt back and walked towards a different section of the store.

“Gwenith?” I heard a high-pitched voice behind me say. I turned around to see Piper Nguyen walking towards me. She was wearing an extremely tight leather vest that hugged her petite frame and dark jeans with high heeled leather boots. Her hair was long but in multiple layers, but her face didn’t hold any make up. She definitely changed since high school.

“Wow, Piper, hi!” I said, feigning enthusiasm. It wasn’t that I was not glad to see Piper, it’s just I knew for a fact that she’d be like everyone else and ask about the trial. It was highly publicized, which was another reason I didn’t want to return back to our hometown, or well, Carter’s hometown. There was so much media buzz and I knew everyone would be staring at me and judging me if I were to come back. They already were in Richardson, where Carter and I moved when he asked me to marry him.

Piper leaned forward and gave me a hug, which I politely returned.

“I forgot how tall you were,” Piper said with a laugh. “I didn’t expect you to come back here after you moved away to be honest.”

“Yes, I didn’t either,” I replied and adjusted the strap of my purse on my shoulder. “So I haven’t seen you in almost a year, I believe. How have you been?”

“Great!” Piper gushed. She pushed her dark brown hair behind her ears. “Things have been going great. I’m attending the University in town and majoring in Nursing. Today is my only day when I don’t have work or school. Retail therapy, of course.” She giggled and the n grabbed onto my hands. She looked up at me and I knew exactly what she was going to say before she even said it. “So… Gwenith, how are you?”

“I’m fine,” I replied. Piper eyed me as if telling me she didn’t believe me, but I shook off her concern and smiled. “Really, I am. Just trying to get my life back together.”

“Have you gone to visit Carter?” Piper asked. I eyed her and she laughed. “Oh, wow, silly me, that is definitely none of my business. I wish I could tell you that that will be the only time you’ll hear that question here but I’d be lying. Once people realize you’re back, things are going to get a whole lot more interesting. But hey, I’ve got to hit the road, but here’s my number,” Piper reached into her bag and pulled out a card with her number already on it. “I’m having a small get together at my lakehouse that I rent a room at this weekend. It’d be great if you showed up. It won’t be like a party or anything, trust me, but I mean, you are only nineteen, socializing could be fun!”

“Yeah, maybe,” I said hesitantly. Piper smiled and then pulled sunglasses out of her purse and put them on.

“I’ll see you around, Gwenith," She said nicely before turning around and exiting the store.

I looked down at my hand and looked down at the card before stuffing it into my pocket and leaving the store as well.



I remember Carter and mine’s first fight. It had been a Monday afternoon, and I was at school walking down the halls. I was biting on my lip and trying to figure out how I was going to pass my Biology test when I felt a hand on my back. I turned around to see a boy, who I remembered Piper showed me the very first day I met her, named Adam Powell. He had sandy blonde hair that was cut somewhat short and had ocean blue eyes that somewhat resembled Carter’s. Adam smiled at me while I awkwardly stood and looked up at his tall frame, waiting for him to say something. Once he realized he had tapped me on the shoulder and then didn’t say anything, he finally caught himself and spoke up.

“Hi,” He said. I laughed quietly and he rubbed the back of his neck. “Wow, I’m terribly sorry, this whole thing turned out way better in my head and now I’ve just created the most awkward situation alive.”

“It’s okay,’ I replied and then reached out my hand. “I’m Gwenith Hewlett.”

“Yeah, I know who you are,” Adam replied and then scrunched his eyes with a smile, embarrassed again. “I don’t mean for that to be creepy. I’ve just… seen you around and you’re in my Algebra class and I sit in the back and wow I need to stop talking.”

I laughed again, while Adam stuffed his hands in his pockets.

“Listen, Gwenith, I know that you’re probably already seeing someone, but I’d love it if I could take you possibly out for some pizza, maybe Saturday night?”

Suddenly I felt an arm snake around my waist and I looked up to my right to see Carter standing there with a small smile on his face, but his eyes were as cold as ice staring at Adam.

“Oh, hey Carter,” Adam said, trying to keep a cheerful tone. I was surprised at just how many people knew who Carter was at my school. It was quite a large school, but yet it seemed like every single person knew who Carter was. It was as if he was some kind of celebrity. Someone people talked about and wished they knew more about, but instead watched from afar and talked about his personal life.

“Hey, Adam, I see you’ve met my girlfriend, Gwen,” Carter stated and I felt his grip tighten on my side. I looked up at him, somewhat taken back by the ice in his tone and his demeanor.

“Oh,” Adam said solemnly. “Yeah, um, well I feel stupid. Alright well I guess I’ll be going.” Adam then turned and sauntered off down the halls and into a crowd of people. I took Carter’s hand off of my waist and turned to look up at him.

“What was that?” I asked quietly. Carter just smiled, and I realized that his eyes seemed to shine whenever he did, and it was extremely attractive. I tried to push it back though, reminding myself that I was angry with him.

“What?” Carter asked innocently.

“Why did you do that?” I asked. “You didn’t have to go and make him feel like that. You know what you did. It was unnecessary.”

Carter grabbed my hand and lifted it to his lips. He kissed my knuckles and then pulled me close to him.

“I did that because I think it’s time that everyone knows that you’re my girlfriend,” Carter said with his eyes narrowed. “That Adam guy is seriously nobody, Gwen. I wanted him to know that you’re mine.”

“I’m not property, Carter,” I replied while pulling my hand away from his. “And where are we? Los Angeles? Since when was someone a ‘nobody’?”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Carter assured. He reached to grab my hand again but I didn’t let him. “Why are you getting so worked up about this?” He asked with a dark tone in his voice. “You don’t even know that Adam guy, why should you care about his feelings?”

“Are you listening to what you’re saying right now?” I whispered harshly. “Who are you right now? Are you the Carter who is nice to everyone and tutors a kid in his neighborhood for free, or are you the guy who goes to junkyards at night to visit his friends who smoke like chimneys and curse like sailors?”

I then turned and quickly walked away before Carter could say anything else. I walked into my next classroom, sat down and smoothed my knee length skirt before putting my head in my hands and wondering how one boy could be completely perfect one second, and then someone I didn't like very much at all the next.

Later on that night, after work, I was laying in my bed when I heard a knock at my window. I got up and pulled back the curtain to see Carter standing there, looking like some lost puppy. He had a deep red rose in his hand and written on his other hand was ‘Don’t close the curtains.’ He held it up so I could read it.

I sighed and opened up the tall window and he stepped inside. He handed me the rose and I hesitantly grabbed it and placed it on the nightstand near my bed.

“I got that from my mother’s garden,” Carter said, his deep voice sounding unsettling. “I picked the thorns off myself.”

I didn’t say anything and just sat down on my bed, Carter hesitantly walked forward and sat down next to me.

“Look, Gwen, I was out of line. It’s just… when I saw you with Adam Powell, for some reason I got so… angry. I should have been more respectful,” Carter began quietly. “I’ve just never had this before, you know, someone. I’ve always been busy with school, and my future and expectations of me, and my dad and doing what he thinks is best for me, and soccer and everything, so I never thought of girls really. I tried, but it never worked. So, I’m new at this, bear with me.”

Carter grabbed my hands and put them in his lap. He reached forward and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. I just shook my head and smiled, causing Carter to grin. He then leaned forward and kissed me, and as I felt him smile beneath the kiss, I was secretly praying that I wouldn’t have to worry about forgiving Carter for something he did ever again.



I entered my old bedroom where Carter had given me that rose and sat down on my bed. It was so hard to believe that he wouldn’t ever be knocking on that window ever again, that he wasn’t going to take me out to his mother’s garden or bring me to a random place in town that I had never seen. He was now behind bars, and I was known as the girl who’s fiancé was in jail… for murder.

Suddenly the doorbell rang and I got up and walked out of my bedroom and into the hallway.

“Dad?” I shouted. “Grandmother?”

There wasn’t a response, so I walked through the quiet old house as my feet creaked against the wooden floors. I opened the front door to see an older woman with brown hair and heavy wrinkles around her eyes.

“Hi, Gwenith Hewlett?” She asked.

“Yes, that’s me,” I replied while eyeing the woman, wondering whether or not I knew her and if not, who she was. Suddenly, the woman pulled out a tape recorder and aimed it straight at my face.

“Please, tell me, do you have any information as to why exactly your fiancé would want to kill young Daniel Cody? Do you have any comments?”

My mouth fell agape for a second before I slammed the door in her face.

“Ms. Hewlett!” She shouted behind the door. “Please, we all just want some questions answered!”

And as I sunk down by the door with my head in my hands, hearing the shouts and pounding of a ridiculous reporter on the other side of my door, I couldn’t help but think, that I, as well, was one of those people who wanted questions answered. And I wasn’t sure if they were ever going to be. But I knew I wasn't just going to sit around anymore wondering if I knew the truth or not, I was going to find out for myself.