Okay. I'm not sure if this is in the right place so yeah....
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Her eyes opened a crack as she heard the familiar scraping of the food door as it was slid out of place. The sound came from next door. Breakfast.
She sat up, rubbing her sleepy eyes. “Sam, you better be up today,” Came a man’s voice, rough and hard as it came to her ears.
“I’m up, John.” She pulled herself to her feet and walked to the metal door. “What’s for today’s menu?” She asked as she put her hands around the bars of the window in the door.
“Oatmeal.” She stuck her tongue out with disgust. “With cinnamon and brown sugar.” Her stomach grumbled. John gave a small chuckle as he stepped in front of the door blocking any light that had shone on her face. “Hungry?” He asked with a grin, covered by a prickly beard.
“Yes.”
“Then move your foot. It's in the way.” Sam glanced down. One of his big fingers poked at her bare feet. She stepped back, releasing the bars. “Good girl.” With another scrap the metal plate slid across the floor to her and she picked it up.
“Thank you. Oh! Tell Tom he needs to get his act together. He’s been in and out of this place almost as many times as I have. He doesn’t need it on his file.”
“Tom looks up to you, Sam. He said he’s looking to beat your record.” With that John, the man with all the meals was gone. Sam gave a smile. Tom would never be able to get in here as man times as she could and had. She slumped against the wall as she ate. She sat there for a time and waited for the familiar nock.
“Sam? You decent?” The man in uniform didn’t bother to wait for an answer. He unlocked the door and walked in. He looked about. There in a far corner her body rose and fell to her steady breathing. Her light brown hair looked tangled as it lay about her head. “Sam,” He said once more, shaking her gently. She gave a light grunt in egnolagement and she sat up.
“Hm?” She said as she rubbed at her closed eyes. She always seamed to be asleep when someone came by her cell. This place is where she’d catch up on her missing sleep.
“You’re out. Ward said he’ll see you next time.” He handed Sam a brush and she took it.
“That so? I thought I had another day to go,” She mussed. She tugged the brush through her hair to get the tangles out. “I guess I’ll return to my assigned quarters when you march me back in.” She gave a smile. The cell was hers. Every one of the staff at the jail knew she was the one to use it always. It held her positions since the out side world destroyed them or took them from her.
“Don’t make it too quick, Miss Jaine. You may be a lady in our books but to the outside you’re a no-good.”
“I understand, Mr. Brown. I’ll try but I don’t make any promises. I saw that in just a bit I’ll be… sixteen. Not a great day in my books at all.” She gave a face of annoyance as Mr. Brown led her out the metal door. She heard a few whistles and ignored them.
“I understand, Miss. The day your mother and father were going to marry you off at if you hadn’t gone and run away.” The man gave a nod.
“I have a feeling it’s going to get worse as I get into these years,” She said with disgust a she gestured to the boys and men alike as most whistled in turn.
“You know. I heard just this morning one of the royalty was caught breaking one of the major laws. They say he’s not going to be put to death though. Just taught a lesson."
“That so? Then teach him well.” And with a wave she stepped out into the bright sunlight and into the crowds of people.
“Good-bye, Sam,” The man said more to himself than anything. She was shaping out to be a good looking woman. At that something might happen to her. Then his thought ran to the fact that she had beaten a thirteen year old to a pulp when she had been eight. She was a violent girl but she was still quite a good one. Her face masked the fact that she was still quite innocent under her dark, almost black eyes.
Brown’s thoughts jumped to the royal young lad that was waiting for him in the ward’s office. With a quick smile to a pretty lady, which he got back he turned to march back into the dark prison.
***
The lad was finely dress and spared no expense. Skinny for a rich boy, he stood when the officer entered. “Sir,” He addressed him. The man’s smiling face darkened a hair and nodded to him, turning on heel to talk with the ward.
“Which cell do I take him?” Brown asked the man behind the desk.
“Number seventy-two,” The man answered shortly.
“But Sir, That’s-” He turned slightly to look back at the boy and then leaned down to speak in the man’s ear. “That’s Sam’s cell. She’ll be pissed, Sir.”
“I don’t care, Brown. Sam will have to get over it. The boy needs a place and that’s the only one open at the moment. When Sam gets back we’ll look for another accommodation. Until then take the boy to seventy-two,” The man ordered to him. Brown straightened and nodded once before showing the boy to the door.
“Excuse me. Who is Sam?” The boy asked.
Brown turned and gave a shake of his head. “You’ll find out soon enough, Boy.”
“My name’s James,” The boy stated. Brown turned to look at him for a second.
“Around here we only show one prisoner respect and that’s Sam.” The boy followed mutely and wondered who the amazing prisoner was. If even royalty wasn’t getting respected compared to some lowlife he wanted to know who it was. He figured this Sam was some crazy man who loved to kill or something along those lines. “Seventy-two. Step in, Boy.” He did as said and marveled at the fact that this prisoner had belongings in his cell but they seamed to be girl things. Maybe Sam had a wife. A small wife. James picked up one of the dresses that lay about and found it quite slim. If only he could get his hands on a small petit girl that size.
He brushed the thought aside and sat on the floor with a light thud. There was no windows in this cell. Was Sam a vampire? He chuckled. Such a stupid thought. Those were legends they were just now making up. It was silly how things like people stickling dog teeth in their mouth could be classified as vampire. And in his musing James fell asleep.
“Such a stupid boy,” Brown mumbled to himself as he looked in on the slumbering figure. “Sam’s going to be mad,” He told himself as an afterthought. “Very mad.”
***
“Catch her!” The fat man cried. He held up a lettuce leaf and shock it in the air. “Thief!” At that many of the people in the street moved aside as she ran down all too quickly.
Sam took too sharp of a turn and skidded as she tried to turn a corner but tried to fix her mistake. She ran down the alley and out the other side to be hit gut first by something hard and warm. She doubled over with a groan as the huge soldier hoisted her over his shoulder and took her back the other way, towards the jail. Home. “That hurt, Sid. I’m going to have a bruise,” Sam finally got out to him.
“Sam, you need to get your act together. If not my son’s going to become a delinquent. Tom keeps getting in too much trouble. Some of the guards have tried to beet some sense into him but it hasn’t worked. You’re the only one that can right him. Help me, Sam. A guard does not need a delinquent son.” The man, Sid sat her on her unsteady feet and pushed the door open for her to go first. She saw Brown just down the hallway turn white at her sight.
“Hey, Brown. I kind of decided to join you early,” Sam called with a laugh. She heard aproval from one cell. She approached it. Who else would it be but Tom, the blue eyed boy. “Hey, Tom. Still trailing after me?” She asked him with a smile. His face broke into a grin and he nodded his head, his blonde, shagy hair flying.
“I’m intent on beating you fair and square.” His eyes gleamed.
“Brown, open the door will ya?” She asked, breaking into seriousness. Tom’s smile fell. He was only a year behind her and was catching up fast but he would be put out to most homes by now. Luckly Sid was a nice, generous man. “Tom.” Sam fell to her knees as she took his shoulders and looked him in the eye. “Please. Do me one favor.”
“Anything, Sam.”
“Stop breaking the laws.” His face fell once more and his eyes hardened slightly.
“No.”
“Please. You have a home to go back to. A wonderful home. One with family that still love you. Go back while you can.”
“What about you, Sam?” He asked as he looked with question back to her.
“I lost my true home many years ago. This has been my home since and I don’t think I could bare to change it but I promise if you stay out of jail I’ll come visit you on my out days.”
“Fine. I except your trade, Sam.” With a hug she pulled away from the boy.
“Three more nights, Tom and we’ll let you go with your father.” Tom nodded and gave a smile as the door was shut once more.
