Bette Porter clenched her hands tight around the bag of her belongings that rested on her lap as she felt herself being jerked about by the movements of the vehicle. Successfully she fought back the urge to cry. It wasn't that she was scared as such, nor desperate as many women in her situation would be. If any tears were to fall, they would be tears of anger. But Bette Porter didn't show emotion. She wore a mask that day just the same as any other. Leaning her head back against the cold white wall, she thought of those that she was leaving behind. Her girlfriend, Jodi. To tell the truth, she wasn't sure how long that would last. The thought of a girlfriend in prison who she couldn't have sex with didn't really fit in with Jodi's lifestyle. Then there was Kit, her sister. The only one who had really made an effort to stick by her during the trial, the only one who showed any real interest in proving her innocence. Maybe it was her way of making up for all the years that she had neglected Bette.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden jerk of the vehicle shuddering to a stop. She clutched her belongings to her chest as she prepared herself for what was to come.
"Come on, let's be having you" a young dark haired man said, trying to sound remotely cheerful as he opened the door to what she could only describe as a horsebox.
Slowly Bette followed him off the vehicle and looked up at what was to become her home for the next three to five years. 'HMP LARKHALL' stood out in black letters above the cold-looking brick entrance. As she was lead inside she took one last look back, one last glance at freedom. She soon found herself seated in a waiting room with what she imagined were the other women on her transit. Looking around at the sort of women that she was going to be sharing her living space with for the forseeable future brought a lump to her throat.
"Ah, Miss McCutcheon, I see you're back with us again" grumbled a miserable looking women on the front desk.
"I couldn't stand to spend a minute longer away from your beautiful face Sylvia" replied a young woman with scruffy hair and a cheeky grin.
"Give it a rest. And it's Officer Hollamby to you. Now follow Officer McAllister, you know the drill" the older woman scowled.
The younger women stood up and followed the male officer, who Bette presumed to be Officer McAllister.
"Right, Elizabeth Porter?" Officer Hollamby asked in a trill tone.
"That's me" Bette said, standing up.
"Follow me"
Bette took a deep breath and followed the podgy woman into a private room.
"Right, if you are concealing any contrabands I suggest you declare it now" Officer Hollamby ordered, giving Bette an evil glare.
"Nothing that I can think of" Bette replied, folding her arms.
"Right, strip!"
"You what?" Bette exclaimed in disgust.
"You heard me, now get behind that screen and strip"
Bette returned Officer Hollamby's scowl and moved behind the screen to remove her clothes.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the older woman.
"Be quiet and get on with it"
Bette laughed to herself and piled the remainder of her clothes on the floor. Realising that the old woman was probably more uncomfortable with the situation than her, she continued to be cocky while the officer checked her orifices for contrabands.
"You like what you see?" she asked cheekily.
"You better watch your mouth young lady. An attitude like that won't last long with the sorts of women you find in here" Officer Hollamby informed her as she handed her back her clothes.
"Aww, you're looking out for me. I'm touched" Bette said, trying not to burst into laughter as she pulled her clothes back on.
"That's it. Move it" Officer Hollamby barged passed her and Bette felt obliged to follow her as she was led down to a dormitory that seemed seperate from the rest of the prison.
"What's this, my private quarters?" Bette asked.
"Very funny. You'll stay here over night before you're transferred to the wing in the morning. Officer Kennard here will deal with any problems that you might have. You wanna watch this one, Tina, she's got a mouth on her" Officer Hollamby addressed the blonde Officer who was talking to some of the other prisoners who were already getting settled in.
"Nothing you can't handle I'm sure, Sylvia" Tina said with a smile.
Officer Hollamby simply huffed and left the room. Bette just stood on the spot, transfixed by the woman on the other side of the room. All of a sudden she was lost for words, which was something that literally never happened. The blonde woman couldn't have been more different to Officer Hollamby. Bette watched as she talked to the women, smiling, treating them as though they were human beings.
"Come on, you wanna get yourself a bed before it fills up and you're stuck with a broken one" called the scruffy haired woman that had been sat in reception earlier.
"Oh…right…" Bette stammered, walking over to the women.
"Shane McCutcheon, prison regular" the woman grinned and held out her hand.
"Bette Porter" Bette replied, shaking the hand that was offered.
"I'm Officer Kennard, I'm an Officer on G Wing which is where I'd imagine you'll be placed. Get all the best ones down there, don't we Shane?" the blonde woman said with a grin.
"Sure do. So, this your first time?" Shane asked.
"Yeah, can you tell?"
"You always can. Although pissing off old Bodybag is always a good place to start" the younger woman said, winking.
"Bodybag?"
"I think Shane means Officer Hollamby" Tina said with a disapproving look "And anyway, I thought she said you were lippy? You've been nothing but polite since you came in here" she said to Bette.
"Oh…well…some people just ask for it, don't they?"
"You know what, I think you're gonna fit right in" Shane said, patting Bette on the arm.
"Right ladies, I'm gonna leave you two to get acquainted. I'll be back to get you in the morning" Tina said leaving the dorm, unaware that Bette's gaze followed her until she disappeared out of sight.
"You swing the right way then?" Shane asked casually.
"Excuse me?" Bette said, trying to shake all thoughts of the blonde officer from her head.
"I've noticed the way you look at Officer Kennard. Come on, you can't pretend you're not into women"
"Very observant. As a matter of fact, yeah I am into women. But I've got a girlfriend. And besides, she really isn't my type. I like to be the one with the power" Bette said with a grin.
Shane laughed "Nice. Still, you've gotta have someone to fill your thoughts at night here. Or even better, to fill your bed"
"I'm sure I'll cope. So, you got someone on the outside?"
"Me? No. Never out long enough. And lets just say, relationships really aren't my thing. I prefer to keep it casual"
"I think you might just have the right idea there. Women, they're too much like hard work half the time"
"Couldn't live without them though, could you?"
"God no!" Bette exclaimed, and both women laughed.
Bette sorted out her belongings and got herself ready for bed. When she was done she sat back down opposite Shane, who was smoking a cigarette.
"So tell me, what's it like in here? Anything I need to know?" she asked.
"Well, in terms of prisoners, I'll let you make up your own mind. See if I'm right about you"
Bette raised an eyebrow "And what do you mean by that?"
"Well, you seem to be like you'll be quite good at making judgments. But we'll see"
"Fair enough" Bette nodded.
"Now, as for the Officers, well you've already had the pleasure of meeting Bodybag"
"I'd like to think the pleasure was all hers" Bette said with a grin.
Shane laughed "It seems you've got the measure of her already. Likes to think she's the Queen of Sheba, but no-one, not even the other Officers, respects her, so feel free to say whatever you want. Then there's Dominic McAllister, he was on booking in as well. He's decent, as far as blokes go you know, treats us cons with a bit of respect"
"That's good to know"
"Now your Officer Tina Kennard…she's a good one too. Sticks up for cons, doesn't believe that anyone is a lost cause"
Bette just smiled shyly, which Shane chose to ignore.
"Once you get on the wing you'll meet the others. The one to really watch out for is Principal Officer Jim Fenner. Dodgy as they come. He won't like you coz you're a dyke. Manipulative, sleazy, doesn't like to follow the rules. Just watch your back"
"I'll bear that in mind"
"Then finally you've got the Wing Governer, Helen Stewart. She's the best thing that ever happened to this place. She hates Fenner, which is always a good start. She gives you her trust and respect, but will come down hard on you if you take the piss. And if I'm not mistaken, she's got a thing for one of the lifers"
"Are you serious?" Bette asked incredulously.
"I don't know for sure, it's just my intuition. So don't say anything. Besides, they're both decent. I can trust you, yeah?"
"Of course. Wow, I didn't think things like that really happened" Bette said lying down.
"Don't go getting any ideas about Miss Kennard now" Shane said with a grin.
"Very funny"
"Right ladies, lights out" came the call from the door as the room was plunged into darkness.
"Night mate" Shane said.
"Night Shane" Bette replied, turning over onto her side.
She'd expected her first night in prison to be weird, but in reality, it hadn't been so bad. Silently she thanked God for Shane, and even more so for one Officer Tina Kennard.