Thread: Jail-House Bitch (books and Magi)

Kaci's eyes had lifted along with the rest as the screens upon the wall burst into life, a fanfare blaring harshly into the uneasy silence, heralding the warden's welcome. Her mouth felt dry, her tongue clinging to the roof of her mouth as she forced herself to swallow. Life imprisonment... The rang in her ears, echoing over and over within her mind. That small, panicked voice within her once again strained to be heard, to make it known that there had been a mistake, that she didn't belong here, she wasn't like these other people. She clenched her jaw, pressing her lips into a thin line in order to conceal the lower's trembling, blinking hurriedly as she fought down the emotions that had threatened to break to the surface. Breaking down in tears wouldn't help her, it would just reveal how weak she was, fragile...easy pickings. Instead Kaci fixed her attention upon the screen in front of her, focusing upon the words that were being spoken to her, but there was little comfort to be found in them. Never see the stars again, likely possibility of death, apathy of the guards, no escape....no escape. The vid came to an end, the warden's face looming above them for a moment before the screens snapped off and a pregnant silence fell over the group of inmates. A small party of guards had arrived in the meantime to escort them to the mess hall, each armed with shock batons and stern faces. Let's go, ladies... They shuffled from the entry hall, none too eager to meet this new life that awaited them, briskly led through the facility and down several flights of a broad metal stairway. It was the noise that hit Kaci first the whoops, the hollers, the sounds of fists banging against tables, the cat-calls and jeers. One of the guards said something, something related to cells, but the din of the mess hall quickly swallowed it up and then they walked away, leaving the new inmates to fend for themselves. A number broke away fro the group, calling out to people in the crowd and embracing others as if they were old friends reuniting. Others moved awkwardly through the tables and toward a wall of screens on which a few had writing - the cell allocations, she assumed. Still others seemed to back-pedal, choosing to escape the mess hall all together, or slink off to find some forgotten corner of the vast room. Kaci hesitated, just as eager to take herself away from this sea of people and escape the many pairs of eyes that watched on with interest but equally as uncertain as to where she would go. First, find out your cell number... Swallowing uncomfortably, the teen forced herself to move, stepping quickly after the other inmates who crowded around a couple of the monitors, scanning the lists for their names. Blue eyes swept the text, searching for the familiar arrangement of letters that constructed her name and the cell number next to it. 127-C That was it. No further details, no hint as to who her cell-mate might be. Turning away from the monitors Kaci scanned the mess hall apprehensively most appeared to have gone back to their discussions or their food, the moment of excitement having passed and daily routine resumed. Only now did she realise how hungry she was, which wasn't all that surprising considering she had eaten barely anything in the last couple of days. Wrenching her gaze over to the serving station, the young blonde began to weave her way between the tables, careful to avoid eye contact with anyone that might glance her way. Better to be ignored, invisible perhaps if she could just remain unnoticed she might survive. Lifting a tray from the stack, Kaci inched along the line, picking out the least unappetising thing on offer which, even still, was an unrecognisable sludge and a cup of water. Clutching her tray tightly in the hopes to keep her shaking hands steady, she surveyed the the hall again, this time searching for a table to sit at. All of them appeared to be occupied, most by a number of people sat huddled together. She had been about to simply select the least intimidating group of people to sit with when her eyes fell upon an empty table, well almost empty - a lone figure was the sole occupant, leant over their meal. It was the most promising option and so she worked her way toward it, steeling herself for the conversation that was invariably going to take place, even if briefly. Pausing next to one of the unoccupied chairs, she cleared her throat faintly, Can I sit here? Was it wrong to ask? Did it sound weak? Perhaps she should have just sat down and dealt with the other woman's preferences after ward.