Conquering The Darkness

Chapter Two

"Oh, Franny," Lorna says into the phone, tears running down her cheeks, "I-I don't know if, if I can survive here for three long years... It's unnerving, and I – it's just too much for me!" She grips tightly on to the phone as her vision becomes blurrier with all the crying she's doing.

Franny Morello, Lorna's older sister, sighs sadly on the other end. "I know it's hard, Lorn. I hate that you have to spend three years in there, but sweetie...you kinda did this to yourself. Anyway, try to keep yourself calm and don't do anything stupid! I'll come visit you this weekend...and if you're up for it, I can bring the baby."

The simple suggestion of Franny's bringing the baby for a visit brings a batch of fresh tears to her eyes. Another reason she hates herself for getting thrown in prison. "Franny...prison is no place for a baby," Lorna sobs out. "I don't-I don't want him to think this is normal...for his mommy to be rotting away in fucking prison!"

"He's a baby, that's exactly why I should bring him. He won't even remember any of this anyway. So, what's the trouble of bringing him to see you? Maybe if you see him you'll feel better and try to stay somewhat sane in that place." Franny does her best to try to convince her sister to allow her to bring her son. She knows, deep down, it will be in the best interest of Lorna for her to do so. "Look, I gotta go – the baby's crying. Please try to be okay, Lorn. I love you; call me tomorrow and let me know your decision."

That night as Lorna lays restlessly on her bed, she bolts up and realizes where she is. "I'm, I'm in prison," she whispers, pinching her arm to make sure this isn't all just a horrible nightmare. It's certainly not a nightmare, she internalizes, this is real – she's really in prison. Teary-eyed once again, Lorna slowly climbs down from the bunk and starts heading out the door.

"Morello, where are you going?" Anita's voice sleepily calls out, her brown eyes barely peeping out of their lids. "The COs get real antsy if they see anyone out in the hall this time a night...especially Mendez. And trust me, you do not wanna accidentally be caught by him."

Lorna bites her lip. "Erm, I'm just going to the bathroom real quick. Is that allowed?" She nervously looks at the older inmate, who just gives a slight nod and falls back asleep. Very silently, the young brunette walks out of the room and down the hall in the direction of the restrooms. She tries to be as quiet as possible so that none of the COs notice she's outside of her dorm.

Fortunately, there are no officers around – making it much easier for her to enter the bathroom. She goes over to the sink and stands there while giving a hard look at her reflection in the mirror above it. "You did this to yourself," Lorna repeats the words her older sister said to her. She turns the water on, splashing it angrily onto her face. "Oh, you did this to yourself all right...and your family! You ruined your family and yourself!" Her voice gets louder as tears flow down her cheeks.

"Is that you, Morello?" The Russian chef questions, coming out of a stall and over to the sinks to wash her hands. She gives an empathetic look over to the tiny brunette, knowing how easy it is to dwell on the past. "You know...beating yourself over whatever it is you did to get in here isn't going to change the fact that – well – you're in here. Believe me, I've been in here for many years and blaming myself hasn't helped me one bit."

Lorna turns away from the mirror to stare at her. "Oh, uh, hi – Red ya said it is?" She watches as the other nods to answer her. "I guess that's true. It doesn't matter how much I yell at myself, I'm not gonna get outta here sooner... Just really sucks knowing I could have prevented myself from getting sent here."

Red frowns slightly, reaching over to give a gentle pat to Lorna's hand. "Don't worry – the first night is always the hardest. You'll be okay. Pretty soon they'll assign you a job and you won't have to let your thoughts wander on about how you ended up here. You should go back to your bunk and try to get some sleep, sweetheart."