Thread: El Cereso Prison (Steel Butterfly & Adam)

The little 'applause' which she received in response to her questions confirmed what Joanne already knew - that the answer to her questions were indeed going to upset and frighten her. They would fill her with the same quiet sense of dread which had been creeping into her very bones ever since she had arrived back at her little motel on that fateful day a cold suspicion which would slowly but surely turn into a frightening cold which numbed her body despite the initial denial.. Only here, in this prison, such emotions tended to be magnified, accompanied by the physical pains of the events which always seemed to accompany if not predate such horrid revelations. The irony was that Joanne was well-aware that it was also much more dangerous to show such fear in an environment like this. Just like it could be equally or even more dangerous if one did not show fear, if one did not yield, at the right times the numerous injuries on her slender body being the painful proof to the cold truth - with the burning sensation which flared anew every time she set one foot before the other being the most arduous of her injuries. The fact that she realized that she had been right thus brought her very little in terms of a joyous victory. Instead, her facial expression went to a more trained neutral expression - the kind which Joanne had taught herself in order to deal with the more gruesome parts of her interviews and other research work. There had been few people who had detailed such cold truth without any sense of emotion however and Joaquin's disturbingly proud and always happy intonation filled her with both outrage and terror. The two emotions were barely hid underneath the guarded look on her face as he laid out the cold and grim reality of this prison and its inner workings. There was little doubt that she belonged in the cartel's category of people who had 'messed up very badly' - which made Joanne feel even more anxious as to why this man was dragging her along instead of simply cashing the currency which her body represented. However, when they entered the canteen, the young woman realized that perhaps that is what he was about to do after all. She glanced at her new surroundings, her eyes guarded as she recognized some of the more typical scenes within prison - the horrid food being one of the prime complaints of the prisoners. Of course, there were always those who managed to make arrangements for themselves - often with the help of threats, bribes and whichever currency governed a specific prison. The cold hard cash in this prison seemed to consist not merely out of cigarettes and better seating however the gaunt and butt-naked woman immediately drawing Joanne's attention. Her fierce eyes rested on the dark woman as the latter went on servicing the people of the privileged table. The emotional void in those dark eyes were what struck Joanne most and her half-hearted attempts at moaning and giggling only served to emphasize the woman's desperation. Yes, corruption was rife within prison and she had very often heard how men had been raped and abused behind those same prison bars - often under the supervision of the very guards who were supposed to maintain order. And yet, in this prison all of the corruption seemed even more scandalous, even more outrageous. Perhaps it was because of the more obvious wealth of some of its inmates - their meals a definite improvement on the unidentifiable grub which the rest of them had to endure. Perhaps it was the fact that the man who absentmindedly gestured that she ought to sit down next to him, the proportions to which his body had been swollen striking a stark contrast with gaunt woman who served him and the others at the table. Perhaps it was because Joanne's own petite body still resounded with the blows and humiliation which she had had to endure. Most likely all of it, blending together in the intoxicating and fear-inducing mixture which governed all of Mexico's prisons. Only worse. Far worse - especially since she was not merely observing this time, not merely taking notes - but instead, she too, was one of the people trying to survive within the confines of the cold prison walls this time. Still forcing her face to resemble neutrality rather than allowing hints of any of the strong emotions which ran through her body to show on her face, Joanne sat next to the rather well-fed man in silence. That was, she took care to do as he had wordlessly asked without allowing her naked legs to brush against his voluptuous form, her hands folded almost chastely into her lap. Lest they would tremble and betray her disgust at his appearance. Or the quiet indignation. Or that mind-numbing fear. Yes, especially that fear.