Title- Criminal
Author- Stacie C.
Disclaimer- I do not own the Vampire Academy Series or anything related to the series. This is purely for entertainment and nothing else.
Summary- Tasha Ozera is imprisoned for murder. This is her experience.
Author's Notes- This is set right after Last Sacrifice.
Feedback- Is appreciated.
Less than three days had passed since Tasha's arrest and she felt like she was crawling out of her skin. Tasha was used to being alone, but this was entirely different. She was trapped in the unfamiliar, confining place. The fluorescent lighting buzzed and flickered all day causing Tasha's eyes to burn and her head to throb.
The day before, several Guardians had escorted her to what looked like a small locker room. It consisted of a small sink, a toilet, and a non-enclosed shower.
Tasha eyed the female dhampirs the blocked the door in disdain, "Can I have some privacy?"
The female Guardians looked at the wall behind her, ever watchful without truly looking at her, "You have 30 minutes, Lady Ozera."
No matter the uncomfortable circumstances, Tasha was grateful to be able to shower and freshen up. With her hair damp and air-drying, she felt slightly more like herself. As soon as her thirty minutes were up, the Guardians ushered her back to the cells. Instead of taking the hallway to where her holding cell was, the Guardians steered her down a separate hallway and they stopped in front of a new cell.
"Why are we stopping here?" Tasha asked softly, not really expecting them to answer her.
"This is you new room, Lady Ozera," One of the female answered stiffly. "These cells are a bit more...long-term."
Tasha studied the jail cell before her. Indeed, it was 'more long-term'. This cell looked like a small living area might. A small cot was in the corner, with a small couch on the wall next to it. A cushioned chair and desk was on the other side of the room and a tiny, semi-partitioned bathroom area was stashed away in the corner of the room. Tasha wanted to laugh at the fact that though this room was indeed than her last, it was smaller than her bedroom in her apartment.
"So, what does this mean?" Tasha asked as the door to her cell was unlocked and she was ushered inside.
She received no answer as the door was locked in front of her. Tasha let out an annoyed sigh and turned to study her new living area. Atop the desk, she saw several books, magazines, notepads, and, laughably, a box of non-toxic crayons. Tasha chuckled darkly, she wasn't even allowed to have pencils or a pen, for fear of it being a weapon.
"Perfect." Tasha muttered sharply and searched the rest of the room. Under the cot were folded piles of clothing, her own clothing, that must have been found within her luggage in the Palace apartment she had been renting while at Court.
While Tasha was cheered by these little bits of normalcy, she was fast realizing that this was most likely her future from now on. Locked in small quarters with little belongings and no freedom. Tasha let out a long sigh and fell into the cushioned chair. Closing her eyes and slumping further into the chair, Tasha tried not to think of the despairing situation she was in.
