The Prisoner's Daughter

Chapter Two - The Visit

­Copyright © 2012 Emma Richards All Rights Reserved

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Chapter Two

Darius did nothing that day. After breakfast had been served at the cafeteria, he had settled on a bench outside in the courtyard; a spread of paper laid out before him. He had intended to start a new drawing, an image that had come to him in a dream, but he just couldn't get his ideas on to the white sheet. Instead, he bathed in the warmth of the late spring sun and watched several of the guys kick a worn football around the cracked concrete. He usually hated sitting about and doing nothing. In prison, it was best to keep a mind occupied. But on that particular day, he had no desire to do anything but precisely nothing.

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"Violet!" The shrill screams belonging to two teenage girls sounded.

Violet looked up from the patch of grass at her feet, which she had been staring at for quite some time, spotting her two dearest friends rushing to meet her. She forced a smile in their direction. They joined her at the oak tree, their usual meeting place, and set their bags around its trunk.  

"How's the birthday girl doing this morning?" Rayna grinned, nudging Violet playfully.

"Fine." Violet replied flatly. Neither girl noticed her tone and continued grinning at her.

"What did Kelly get you?" Olive asked.

"Oh I know," Rayna interrupted. "She wouldn't stop talking about it last time I came round. She was dead proud of it."

Violet nodded as enthusiastically as she could, but she couldn't help but let Rayna's choice of words get to her. Dead. Like her mum. She swallowed the rising lump in her throat and raised her chin a little higher. "It was lovely, really it was. I'll plant the bulb after college, it'll have to go under the bed for now, but once its bloomed it will look wonderful."

"Speaking of presents..." Olive began, picking up her bag and rifling through it with her free hand. Rayna's smile widened, if that were actually possible.

"Oh no," Violet murmured. "I told you not to."

Rayna dismissed her friends objection with a swift wave of her hand. "You always say that and every year we always get you something. You're our best friend and we both agree that the government should fork out more money to give kids in care more birthday presents. The amount of times I've written to the council about the funding, it's ridiculous!"

"Shh, Rain." Olive shook her head gently. "Now really isn't the time for one of your political rants. I think we've heard your views on the spending cuts more times than the alphabet."

Violet smiled. Her friends meant the world to her, they're crazy little quirks made them special and unique. Honestly, Violet had never met a teenager with an avid interest in politics before Rayna, or a girl who could read anywhere near as much as Olive did. They really were extraordinary.

"Here." Olive handed over a delicately wrapped baby blue parcel. It was flat, rectangular, and felt heavy. Violet weighed it in her hands for a moment, fingers teasing the corners of the glittery white ribbon, wondering what could be behind the paper.

"Oh sweet Jesus, just open it already!" Rayna moaned impatiently.

The birthday girl laughed musically then pulled on the ribbon. It fell away from the present easily, Olive held out her hand to catch it, muttering something about saving it for next time. Violet rolled her eyes at her then began to carefully unfold the wrapping paper. She could tell that the ever-patient Olive had been the one to wrap the package, it had been done to methodical precision. Wrapping paper now torn away, straightened and refolded for Olive to stow away, Violet was left holding a beautifully blue hand stitched notebook, embellished with her name in swirly calligraphy.