Peace & Protection

The second that Linda steps into her cell, her future sits in front of her like a locked door. Hope sits on the lower bunk, bare legs swinging, watching. "Elvira runs the yard," she says without looking up. "She'll bruise you for the fun of it. Eleanor on the top floor keeps the keys and owns half the guards. But the worst offer you can take is Bette's hand on your shoulder in the showers. Her price is skin, not cash." Linda swallows, tasting metal. Quiet Birdy stands near the bars, fingers twisting the fabric of her jumpsuit, already imagining the nurse's fingers somewhere inside her. She will call it protection. They will both call it something else when the lights go out.