"Prisoners, line up against the wall," a loud voice boomed out, startling me out of my sleep.
"What's going on?" Jean Ray, my cell mate groused as she climbed down from the bunk bed above me.
"It's time for a routine check to confiscate or contraband and hidden weapons. Anyone caught with such things will be duly punished," the guard continued.
I had been in Chicago state prison for the past two weeks and it had been hell on earth. I wasn't one of these criminals, and the other prisoners could tell that I wasn't one of them. It came as no surprise that I was being bullied even here in jail.
I wondered if I would ever be able to catch a break or if my destiny was just to go from one bad situation to the next.
"Not again," my cell mate groaned, "I'm getting really sick of these new prison ward. if he was as obsessed about feeding us like he is about routine checks, I'd have gained at least twenty pounds by now."
Without a word, I obediently climbed down from my bed and made to head to the far wall where we were being instructed to stand.
"What do you think you're doing?" Jean-Ray barked at me.
I turned to face her, wide eyed and startled, "W-what?"
"Aren't you going to help me hide my contraband, or is your plan for me to be caught?" She hissed furiously.
I blinked at her, confused. It wasn't like I had been enjoying the benefits of her contraband with her, in fact, she had made it a point to warn me against touching any of her Ill gotten property.
"I don't understand," I replied, "I have nothing to do with that. I don't want to get in trouble."
"I can't believe this," she laughed coldly, "Are you that much of a bitch that you won't help a friend out?"
I couldn't remember when I had agreed for her to become my friend. I didn't have a lot of knowledge on the matter, because even back at home, I hadn't really had any friends except Mira, but I knew that friends weren't supposed to steal your food, knock you into the wall and steal your clothes from the bathroom.
I narrowed my eyes at her, and finally decided to take a stand, "We aren't friends."
"Oh really?" She narrowed her eyes back at me, "Fine, do whatever you want. I guess it's hard to find people who know the world loyalty these days."
Scoffing she turned to start gathering her junk food and other contraband. I turned away, not wanting to have any knowledge of it at all. Pressing my face to the wall, I waited for the guards to get to our cell.
Moments after the other girl came to stand at my side, I heard the clanging of keys at the gate, followed by heavy footsteps.
To my surprise, I heard the guard call my name, voice full of fury, "Inmate 203?"
"Uh, yeah?" I turned around slowly only to see all of Jean-Ray's contraband spread out on my bed. My eyes went wide with horror, "They aren't mine."
"They were found stuffed into your pillow," the uniformed guard growled, "Do you take me for a fool? Who would keep them there if not you?"
I snapped my head to the side to stare at my cellmate who was still facing the wall, acting completely oblivious to what was happening.
"They're hers, I swear! I've never tried to smuggle in contraband. They aren't mine! You have to believe me!"
Scowling at me, he banged his baton against the steel gate, "We have one of them here."
"No, no! No, please," I begged but all my pleading fell on deaf ears.
The sound of hurrying footsteps thundered down the passage and then two other guards burst into the cell, staring between the bed and me with hard, forbidding expressions.
Oh God, not again. Hadn't I had enough of this cruel torture that was my life? Didn't I deserve one little show of grace from the hands of this twisted fate?
One of the men seized me roughly by my shoulder and I let out a pained cry as I was yanked out of the cell.
I looked over my shoulder to see Jean-Ray smirking like the evil bitch she was.
"You monster!" I screamed at her as I was dragged kicking and screaming, "I'll get back to you for this."
Just before I disappeared fully out of sight, I saw her raise her hand in the air and blow me a kiss.
Tears streaked down my eyes as I was taken to the courtyard and forced to my knees with some other hard eyed prisoners.
"So you have chosen to turn this prison into a grounds for crime?" The warden boomed, mustache twitching, "While you should have been getting rehabilitated and changing from your life of crime, you still insist on being criminals. Well, you will be treated how criminals are treated."
"I'm innocent," I roared, jumping to my feet, "I'm not supposed to be here, and neither are the contrabands mine. Please, you have to believe me. I had nothing to do with this."
The older man threw his head back and let out a loud roar of laughter, "You're not the first person that thinks their presence here is a mistake and neither will you be the last."
I didn't know what was better between being surrounded by family who were supposed to love me, but instead treated me like I was the dirt under their feet or strangers who treated me the same way.
My so called prince charming was the reason I was here. Time and time again, my destiny had been decided by others. For once, I needed to be the one making the decision. I wanted to be in charge of my own life.
"Their punishment will be heavy labor for the next five days with only one meal per day."
My empty stomach clenched painfully and my head bowed in misery. The tears that leaked from my eyes weren't tears of sorrow, this time around, they were tears of fury.