When We're Free

Prologue Part I & II

Part I:
Panda

I narrowed my eyes into slits when the guard brushed against me and I would have kicked him in the shin if my hands and legs weren't cuffed.

My head turned to look out the window once again, watching the scenery blur by. Two years in Barbrook and now my mother decided it was time to get me transferred to Milton? I had finally built a proper empire in BB, but now I was forced to start all over again.

The bus stopped and the guard started shouting about us getting up even though we were all chained to the floor. They unlocked us and then we were led out of the bus, our hands and ankles still cuffed. I rolled my eyes at their antics but walked after them nonetheless.

Upon entering the building, I mentally groaned at the upcoming inspection. It's ridiculous that when they transfer us they still require a full body inspection before we enter the actual prison. We were inspected on our way out of the other one, we were attended to all the time, how could we possibly sneak something in?

My finger prints were registered, I got the honor of taking another lovely headshot before a female guard went into a room with two other girls and I. We were forced to undress and go through the cough ordeal.

I'm handed a set of underwear, orange pants, and a top along with black tennis shoes. I put the clothes on and wait for the rest to finish. The woman then handed us a bag each, before opening up the door with her card and typing in a passcode. We followed the woman and I let my eyes look around at my new surroundings.

Milton was by far a nicer institution than Barbrook but I didn't belong in there with those rich kids.

"Alright Courtess, you should know how it works. Keep your side of the room clean and there shouldn't be any problem. Your roommate will give you a tour," the guard explained before gesturing to the cell. I entered the room and was surprised to see there was no bunk. There was a thin wall set up where you could get partial privacy while peeing then the sink was on the other side of the wall along with a mirror like steel plate because it couldn't break like a mirror. There was a desk with a chair, a shelf, and the bed was in the corner, the other side looked exactly the same only no toilet section. The girl that was there had taken the side that was slightly smaller due to the "bathroom". She had wavy blonde hair and blue eyes, typical looks that Hitler would beat his meat to while eye-raping.

She was napping so I just put my bag on the bed and decided I'd give myself a tour.

Part II:
Roman

I rolled onto my back and sighed, knowing there would be transfers today. Sam looked at me from his bed before looking back down at his comic book. I never understood the big rave about those things, they weren't even that interesting.

Getting out of bed, I stretched and then trudged to the toilet. I took a piss, and washed my hands, splashing water in my face as well. I slapped my hand against the door before getting seated on the bed again. A guard arrived about 5 minutes later and opened the door for us.

Sam threw his comic on the bed before following me out of our cell. The guard, Hoffman, walked away while we made our way to eat breakfast. I moved to the front of the line, giving people the evil eye. I was handed a trey along with Sam before we made our way to our table. Sam chatted about the usual stuff, especially his super heroes.

"Hey look," he cut in suddenly. I blinked in surprise but followed his line of sight. In walked a petite girl dressed in the newbie orange. Her hair was short and her arms were covered in tattoos along with a few around her neck area.

I turned my body to see her properly and watched her walk around with a blank face, her eyes shuffling over every single detail in the room. Her eyes skimmed fairly fast over a few people with her hands in her pocket. She didn't cross her arms which showed me that she had no worries, she was completely open.

Then her eyes lingered and I looked to see her eyeing Margot for a bit. Margot stared right back at her but new girl moved on and stopped on Harrison next. Last but not least her eyes met mine. I watched as she pursed her lips, tilted her head to the side and then slowly nodded before getting into line.

"Holy shit, she's lit, Rome," Sam mumbled. I nodded, knowing fully well she was. I kept my eyes on her as she got her food then went straight through the cafeteria, not giving anyone a glance. She sat down at the back of the room, on the floor. Sam and I shared confused looks before looking at her in interest.

She ate her food without any commotion, or so I thought until she put her trey away and Harrison decided it was time to seize up the fresh meat.

"So... Transfer or fresh in?" he asked and gave her the smoldering look. I rolled my eyes at his antics. Harrison was all about the chicks while Margot took in the bad ass people, I stuck to Sam and that's it. I didn't want any trouble, they respected that, so I was left alone.

The small girl looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

"What do you think?" Her voice was soft and as unthreatening as it could get, but I knew she wasn't harmless.

"From where?" he asked, clearly showing that he knew she was a transfer.

"BB," she shrugged and started looking at the bulletin board that was there, checking out the things hanging there.

"Have you been in for like a month or so?" This time she turned her attention to him for real. I saw her stance change as she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin a little higher.

"More like two years, boy. Are you done with the interrogation? I have more important things to tend to, like taking a shit or picking my nose," she said and a smile slowly came onto my face. Harrison was stunned so she just snorted and rolled her eyes before leaving the room. We were all quiet for a moment until we all went back to normal. I decided to do some observations and put my trey away before I followed the direction she went in.

She walked around a lot and I kept my distance but I knew she was very aware of my presence. I noticed her glancing down corridors until she finally took a turn. I stopped at the corner, knowing it was a dead end.

The girl turned her back to the wall and looked at me. She met my eyes head on, so I leaned my side against the wall with my arms crossed, an amused smile playing on my lips.

"So I'm guessing you're the top of the prison pyramid, huh?" she asked and I slowly tipped my head into a nod. "Let me guess... Rich daddy, pretty mommy, you have two siblings, sisters, and you're in here for some bullshit reason like drugs or vandalism." She was mocking me.

"Nah, you're wrong," I shrugged.

"Oh?" she asked doubtfully.

"Yes, I have two sisters and a brother," I said. She narrowed her eyes before letting out a scoff and shaking her head a bit. "I'm Roman," I introduced myself.

"And I don't really care," she shrugged, moving to walk past me. I stepped into her path though, making her stop in front of me. I clenched my jaw and gave her a disapproving glare.

"You should," I said, but she simply rolled her eyes. "What's with the attitude?"

"I'm annoyed," she said simply. Newbie pushed me aside just enough to brush past me. I looked up at the ceiling in annoyance before turning around again, making my way to the cafeteria.