A chill story

Chapter 6

A prison guard opens the door to their cell while Frost and Mark were nearly kissing.

"Are you all right Miss Frost?" he says interrupting them, as the two lovers pull their faces back, "I can take you to the infirmary if you like."

"Um, no it's okay, I'm fine." Replied the young woman, quite embarrassed by the situation to the point of blushing slightly while her roommate remained unmoved, hiding his game well.

"Don't hesitate to ask. I also came to tell you that both of your lawyers have arrived and wish to speak with you."

"Our lawyers?" questions Frost.

"Ms. Horton for Miss Frost and Mister Vincent for Mr. Blaine, isn't that, right?" explains the guard.

"Yes, that's exactly right. Why are they here at the same time?" Asks the meta-human, surprised at the coincidence while Mark remains silent.

"They arrived during lunchtime, but the visiting rooms aren't open until 2 pm, that's the rule."

Frost nods slightly, then removes the handkerchief since her nose has stopped bleeding and follows Mark as well as the guard to the visiting room where she finds Cecile while the handsome man sits a few chairs away to chat privately with his own lawyer.

"Cecile, I'm glad to see you. Do you have any news about the trial appeal?" the white-haired lady asks to get right to the point.

"Hi Frost," she replies with a smile "very good news."

"I get a reprieve?!" exclaims the young woman

"It's not really that..." starts to say Cecile before Frost is disconcerted by Mark who gets up from his chair and is escorted back to their cell, "Is everything okay Frost? Isn't he the guy who ratted you out?"

"Yes, yes." She replies still puzzled by the fact that he left so quickly.

"How come he's here?" asks her lawyer

"It's--it's a long story. Tell me the good news."

"The court accepted the appeal, we even have a new judge who seems to be on your side based on the last few trials she tried."

"That's great! When is the retrial then?" enthused Frost

"In about 3 weeks, it sounds short and it is but we'll have time to prepare for it by going all out. But you know what, I have even better news."

"Which one? What's better than that? You did a great job Cecile." the young prisoner asks

"Caitlin has posted your bail, you are on parole until the new trial. " Announces the lawyer in a delighted tone.

"That's... Thank you so much Cecile," she replies, having wanted to hug her at the time but the glass of the visiting room prevented it. "When do I get out of here?"

"You're doing the right thing by asking the question. I did all the paperwork during the lunch break; you can get out right away. The guards normally took your clothes back to your cell, you can go change, and don't worry I took the rest of your belongings, I'll be waiting in the car."

Frost simply responds with a big smile on her face, as if relieved to get out of here, to finally get out of here even though it's only been 2 days since she's been in there, it was 2 days of hell according to her. Well...maybe not so much. She gets up and is escorted out by a guard, thinking on the way what to say to Mark, how to tell him the news. She thinks about it and rehearses her speech in her head while walking through the long corridors of the prison. They arrive in front of the cell; the guard opens the door to her and leaves to do his work. The young woman enters and looks for the muscular man, without seeing him. She calls him but no answer and sees that he isn't there. She thinks about it and ends up thinking that he has gone for a walk in the yard or to talk with one of his "friends". Good for her, Frost doesn't like goodbyes, she already had to say goodbye to Cisco the day before without even seeing him, that was enough. She sees the clothes she was wearing when she arrived at Iron Heights on the table that served as a desk and comes to put them on, leaving the orange prisoner's outfit on the bed. As she does so, she sees Mark's finished drawing lying on her pillow. The drawing he did the day before and promised Frost to show it to her when it was finished. Now it's a done deal. She takes it to look at it better and smiles at this glorifying and at the same time frightening self-portrait.