Jade held up the marble in front of the sun and looked at it with one eye, the scene looked more alluring through the teal glass.
She gazed at it in delight, and carefully put in back in her pocket with the others, Luna would love them, she had a knack for sparkly gems, stones and such, probably a rich girl quirk.
Reagan from cell number four had been dumb enough to trade in her whole collection for just one of Luna's spare imported shampoos, courtesy of her weird grandma.
When she reached their cell, the sight unnerved her, Luna was sitting with Brie, both of them reading a novel together.
Jade pursed her lips, "Luna, come with me. I have to show you something."
"After this chapter." She replied without looking up, "Oh my god that is horrible! How can a person even think about doing that?!" She commented on what she had just read.
Brie giggled excitedly, "Fascinating isnt it? It's a wonder how the writer comes up with this kind of stuff."
"I know right, absolutely unfathomable." Luna agreed frustratedly, too immersed in the book.
Jade clenched her hands and stomped towards the two,
"Come here." She grabbed Luna's wrist and dragged her to the courtyard.
Brie looked up momentarily, ticked over the disturbance, and then went back to reading the book.
"Jaaaade." Luna whined, "We were on the exciting part."
"Oh I bet, murder novels are just so thrilling." Jade remarked sarcastically.
Luna pouted, "Its just a book."
"Not to Brie, they're not." Jade mumbled.
"What?"
Jade shook her head, "Nothing, just, from now on keep a distance from her."
"Why?"
"She's dangerous."
"So? You said it yourself, almost all of us here are potential killers."
"Its not the same with her."
"Well, then tell me the reason."
Jade sighed, "If I told you, you won't be able to sleep soundly in the same room as her."
Jade was trying to shelter her from the insanity that was Brie's past but stubborn Luna tended to show her childish side at times.
"Stop underestimating me, and tell me. Im not a kid."
Jade glared at her, she wanted to remind her that she was barely a teen,
"Fine. You want to know so bad? Well here it is,
You know why Brie is in here? For cold blooded murder of two women and one boy and these are just the ones she was caught for.
And you know how she killed them? Well the first one was killed Tana French style, and the boy and woman were killed Agatha Christie style."
"These are authors." Luna muttered.
"She executes the murder scenes from the books she reads, its her amusement, her obsession. Her rich parents are the only reason she's here and not in a mental institute."
Luna's eyes were the size of saucers, and Jade added solemnly, "She's just sick."
Luna's hands were shaking so she folded her arms to calm herself and tried hard not to start crying, "Just now, we were reading a scene where the man strangles the woman he's having sex with to death when their moment of passion reaches its peak.."
Jade grimaced, "I cant even imagine how she's going to perform that one."
"She's insane." Luna breathed out.
"Don't worry, I can protect you." Jade patted her head, "I'll teach you a few defense techniques too, okay?"
Luna agreed anxiously.
"But.. how do you know all this?"
"My aunt came to visit last week, her friend's cousin's daughter was an inmate here eleven months ago, she was also Brie's cellmate."
Luna frowned, "At least you're aunts and uncles visit you if your parents can't, because of your brother."
Jade sighed in dismay, "Out of all that, that's what you picked?"
Luna kicked the ground apathetically.
"Hey girls." Molly walked up to them and they both beamed at her.
"Officer Molls, how you doin'?" Jade fist bumped her and Luna gave her a small hug.
"Still drunk on all the merriment I brought along from cousin Mary's wedding."
Jade chuckled and whispered in Luna's ear, "As if you're not always simply drunk anyways."
Luna laughed.
Molly put her hands on her hips, "Come one, why do you two always team up against me, Im one of you."
Luna scoffed, "There is a decade gap, grandma."
Jade high-fived her, "Im training her well aren't I, Molls?"
"You're corrupting her is what it is, and speaking of grandmas, Luna I came to tell you, your's is here to visit."
"Oh boy. Good luck, Luna." Jade snickered along with Molly.
Luna rolled her eyes, "Oh leave her alone, no matter how she is, at least she visits."
"Only physically, mentally I swear she is in another dimension." Jade explained with big hand movements and Luna was tempted to flip her off.
When she entered the visiting room she squealed and ran to her grandma, "Nana, Iv missed you so much."
Grandma Brienne lightly caressed her hair absentmindedly and Luna went to sit in front of her.
That was it with her grandma, you had to make the first move, or else she wouldn't have even caressed her hair like that.
Some people have enough love in them to give generously to countless names in their lives,
Some have just enough for a few,
And some have only enough love for one person.
And that person they love ever so ardently, and after them they just can't.
Brienne was the third case, she had loved her first husband ever since high school, till the day they got married and till the day he had to leave this world and her.
After that, she married only for comfort and for her little one, and once a blooming Brienne was now like a withered rose.
"I brought you new undergarments and a game called Jenga, plus more toiletries." She uttered delicately.
Luna smiled, "I already have many toiletries and undergarments."
"Take more then. You can trade them for things you want from other girls, I even brought some accessories, nothing too extravagant, those can get you a target on your back."
Not that it was a surprise, Brienne almost always knew everything, Luna was still impressed.
"How do you know girls trade here?"
"Who else do you think paid for that officer Molly's plane ticket to Singapore for her relative's wedding? Did you really think she was nice to you for no reason?"
Luna smiled, "Leave her be, she's a good person."
Brienne gave a small wave, "Think as you wish. But don't be stupid enough to actually befriend anyone in there, you'll only regret it."
She chuckled, "Yes, my intelligent Nana."
Luna was used to dismissing most of what Nana said, actually their whole family was,
She was just a presence now, no one really bothered acknowledging her that much because she didn't acknowledge anyone either. Except for two "lucky" people, Changmin and miraculously, Luna.
"And ask Molly to bring you a knife from the kitchen or any sharp object that you can defend yourself with. And remember to stab deeply and firmly into the back of the neck,with the blade point angled toward the front center. Then firmly yank the knife towards the spine."
Luna touched her forehead dramatically, "Nana, we're under supervision 24/7, there's nothing to defend myself against."
At the back of her mind was Brie and her murder mystery novels but she didn't want to worry her grandma over something she could not help with.
Brienne brought forward her hand and flicked Luna's forehead, "Did this brain of yours really get you through SATs at age thirteen? Because it seems dumber than a 2 year old's right now. How can you be so naive?"
Luna feigned pain and held her head in her hands, "The only threat to my life is my beloved Nana's ferocious forehead flicks."
Brienne smiled a small smile and rubbed the area where she had flicked on Luna's forehead.
Luna grinned at her grandma's smile,
It always felt like an accomplishment to bring her joy.
"I'll be fine. I have been for months now." She held Brienne's hands, "Don't worry too much."