Her voice rings out through the cell block, startling everyone.
“That’s just us — you see Laura or Christine anywhere? No. They’re in medical, dosed on all sorts of shit, thanks to that judge. He went at them all day, taking out his anger. And Hayden? She’s gone. Mr. R. took her because you got him in the mood. Don’t you get it, Quinn? Every time you fight, we suffer,” she says, holding her hands over my mouth. “You know what will happen to us, but you don’t care at all.”
I try shaking my head free, to protest,That’s not true!Of course I care, and I’m horrified about what happened. They need to know I’m not trying to hurt them, but Jacqueline doesn’t let go.
“We’re so sick of taking beatings because of you. Things were bad enough before you showed up, and you’ve only made it worse. Don’t you think we’ve tried to escape? We have nothing in here but time, but no matter what we come up with, it doesn’t work. Prescott owns a dozen prisons — they’ve seen everything imaginable. There is nothing we can do!”
Jacqueline lets go of me when she finishes. She wipes away a tear running down her cheek.
“You’re wrong,” I say. “You can’t give up. There are so many more of us than them! We can win if we join together.”
She grunts a laugh, shaking her head. “You’re so fucking naive. I once saw a group of girls try to jump the guards and take over. They were overwhelmed in less than a minute. Byron locked all of us in our cells for three days without food or water, just to make a fucking point. It took weeks for them to start feeding us regular portions again, and that was mostly because sponsors were coming and they wanted us to look healthy. That’s what you’re up against, Quinn! We’ve got nothing to fight with! They watch us all the time. They’re listening now. We can’t beat them.”
I’m the one crying this time when Jacqueline falls silent.
“I’ve only been at Walker a few weeks,” I say, looking around at everyone. “Some of you have been here for years. I can’t even imagine your despair. I feel for you, really. But that only makes it more important that we find a way to beat these fuckers — so that no one else has to suffer as you have. If we don’t, how can we live with ourselves?”
“In as little pain as possible,” Jacqueline snarls, driving her fist into my stomach.
I cough and writhe, stunned by the sudden shot.
“From now on, whenever one of us suffers because of you, I’m going to make sure you get it back in triple,” she says. Pointing to the security camera, she adds, “They’re going to let me, you understand? They’re going to let all of us take out our rage on you. It’ll be nice to dish it out for once. We’re looking forward to it. So remember that next time you try and pull some shit.”
As if to prove her point, Jacqueline jabs her fist into my side, sending spasms of pain arcing through my body. She pounds the spot a few more times, her teeth gritted in determination.
“Fuck you, bitch!” I shout, trying to twist away from her fist.
Jacqueline chuckles. “Hey, Amber, come here. Show Quinn we’re not fucking around.”
“I think she’s got it,” Amber replies, opting to look away.
“Bullshit. You’ve gotten it worse than any of us. Do it.”
Amber steps over, her stride noticeably pained. Her lip trembles as she stands over my cot, then she gives my cheek a soft slap. Lacking any serious conviction, I barely feel it glance off my cheek. As soon as it’s over, she hustles out, facing the floor and rubbing her forearm with her hand.
“Lame,” Jacqueline calls out after her. “You’d think she’d know how a real slap feels by now.” She swings her arm, delivering a hard smack to the spot Amber barely brushed.
This time I howl, thrashing against my cuffs. “Fuck you, Ja-”
Before I can say her name, Jacqueline punches me in the side again, knocking the wind from my lungs. I cough, trying to breathe, but I can barely pull in any air.
“Try that again,” Jacqueline growls, pulling her arm back for another punch.
“Enough!”
We all turn to see Reed pushing his way through the crowd, cattle prod in hand. “You’ve had your fun, bitch. Everyone get in line for the shower.”
I want to thank him as he unlocks all my cuffs, but I don’t dare. He grabs my wrist and yanks me to my feet, then pushes me out of my cell and toward the other girls. Walking again feels good, though my muscles throb angrily. For once, an icy shower doesn’t sound so bad. Frankly, considering I spent a day sweating in a box, I could use it.
Reed, Corbin and Edwin pay extra close attention during cleaning. I keep my gaze trained on Jacqueline, as if to say,You’re not sneaking up on me, bitch.The water soothes my aches and fills me with an energy I’ve never felt before. I’ve survived my time in the locker, I’ve taken the brunt of Jacqueline’s fury — and Reed is close by, keeping an eye on all of us. Maybe I should be numb with self-pity, but my heart pumps frozen blood through my veins. I’m ready to keep fighting.
Ravenous and impatient, I shovel down my cereal. I have to wait for the others to empty their bowls before we can make our way to the workshop, and I could really go for seconds, but I think better of asking.
After breakfast, we all get up for our march to the workshop. “Hold on, Harris,” Reed says, approaching me. He’s got something in his hand, a black bulb of some kind. “Hands on your head.”
I comply, though I ask, “What’s that?”
He says nothing, reaching into my pants, pressing the cool orb against my skin. I gasp as his hands move between my legs, finding my lips. Rubbing the object across them, I feel its smooth surface and the warmth of his fingers, and my juices begin to gather. He adds some pressure to his touch, slipping the device into my dampening entrance. As soon as it’s in, he pulls his hand out and slaps my ass again. “Go.”