Chapter 4: Mice
FLASHBACK: Summer
Fourteen young,
Beautiful,
But heartbroken and traumatized,
Summer held a small infant, snuggly wrapped in a blue blanket, in her arms as she walked on the lonely street, passing by a long row of tall bush. It was midnight and the street lamps glowed bright orange. She stared into the baby with sorrow,
"I'm sorry to do this to you but it's for your own good."
The infant cried and Summer sang a tune. Her voice was beautiful and soothing, making the infant falling directly back into slumber. Tears started to water in her eyes, then stream down as she smiled down onto the new life in her arms. Finally she arrived at her designation and she settled the baby down onto the front step. Summer knelt beside the baby and took her last moment to see her. Her eyes began to water then stream down onto her cheeks. Summer felt as though she couldn't leave the child with nothing. She unhooked a golden moon locket necklace, which was worn around her neck, and placed it on the baby's tiny hands. She stood up and rang the door bell then vanished.
NINE YEARS LATER
Summer napped against the yellow mop bucket, which rolled against the wall, as her hand held the pole of the mop.
"Please get back to work." The principle, with an Indian accent, strolled by her.
Summer awoke then went back on her feet and cleaned the hallways, tiredly. The school bells rang, causing her to startle. Suddenly, children began spilling out the classroom doors and run by the hallway, which she had just wiped clean. As she watched the mob run by, Summer couldn't throw a tantrum, since they were just children after all, and sighed. She placed the wet mop back on the floor and started sweeping, again.
"Need help?" She heard a womanly voice call her from above.
Summer's back was leaned down and her face was on ground level. As she looked up, she saw a pair of heels, a pencil skirt then a sky blue short sleeve dress shirt, all from bottom to top. There stood a beautiful young lady, with platinum blonde hair. Summer blushed but thankfully her blue cap hid her embarrassing expression.
The woman smiled,
"Here let me help you." She said then picked an another mop from the bucket and began cleaning next to her,
"I heard that your new in William Branch Elementary School." The woman started but all Summer did was nod and clean.
Elsa stopped.
"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Elsa Frost." Elsa greeted then gestured for a shake.
Summer stopped too then awkwardly shook it and resumed her work.
"I'm sorry that my fourth graders gave you more work." Elsa said, apologetic, but still Summer only nodded in response.
"Ms. Frost!" A voice from a distance summoned.
Only Elsa looked and she saw one of the school's staff calling her.
"I'm sorry, I have be the lookout for recess." Elsa dismissed and walked out into recess.
Summer's cheeks were burning pink and she smiled for what felt the like first time in forever.
{~}
Summer painted behind the school and stroked the white paintbrush at the brick wall. In abrupt, she stopped her work for a moment then arched her back behind her, stretching her exhausting muscles, as her hands held her waist. Out of nowhere, she heard crying from a distant. Summer checked both sides and found a little girl, curled up, crying on the other side of the unpainted wall. Summer dropped the brush back into the metal bucket and pulled out her gloves, revealing her small bare hands. She cautiously went towards the little girl, to avoid intimidation, and placed her arm around her small shoulders. The little girl sniffled then detached her face from her knees, looking straight into Summer.
"I-I'm okay, just please...plea-" The little girl stuttered but fell back into her knees and sobbed even deeper.
Summer's eyes looked down into her with pity and she didn't say a word. Her lips drew a frown but then they rose slightly for that an idea struck her. Summer placed her hand deep into her pocket and exposed out a snickers bar, her favorite snack. It was meant to be for her, incase she became famished before lunch but it was all she had to offer in effort to simmer down the little girl. Summer tapped her shoulder and drew it towards the small child. The little girl bowed her head back up again and took a short moment to look at it. She slowly formed a smile and accepted it.
"Thank you." She said, her voice returning back to its casual way.
Summer grinned,
"These are my favorites." She said.
It was rare to hear a single word come out of Summer's lips but for some reason, she felt the need too.
The little girl put the bar in her dress pocket.
"What's your name?" Summer said, softly, her voice sounded as if she had no experience with communication.
"Astrid." The girl introduced.
"Pretty name." Summer complimented and smiled again.
{~}
NOW
Elsa arrived in the cafeteria, just in time for breakfast. Elsa had a short wait, about five minutes.
"How's your eye, Frost." Hampt asked as she prepared Elsa's tray.
Hampt is an old inmate and the prison's main chef. She originated from Ireland, with a deep accent, and came to the US for a better cooking career. Hampt's appearance is quite interesting, especially to Elsa. She has short loose spiked dark purple hair and a bit of a wrinkled chubby face. Her figure isn't the most fit one but her strength was mighty.
"It's getting better, thank you." Elsa replied and rubbed her slightly bruised eye.
After a week, Elsa had recovered most of her wounds but still there were some cuts left. However, Elsa wanted to return back to the nurses and ask for some more healing balm but she was afraid to be near Barnes since he patrolled near the nurses office.
As she waited for Hampt, Elsa glanced at the area behind her. She saw the same mysterious inmate from the other day, only that she was wearing an apron. The inmate was carry a bin of dishes then entered into the kitchen by pushing the door so gently that her body fitted perfectly through the almost halfway opened door.
"Hampt?" Elsa called.
Hampt, not even looking at her, placed an apple on the corner of her tray.
"Hmm." She replied, almost finished with her meal.
"Who's the new inmate over there?" Elsa asked.
Hampt shifted her head back at the kitchen door then turned to face Elsa again,
"Oh, her?" Hampt's face was relaxed, "that's Mice."
"Mice?" Elsa questioned.
"She's a bit of a quiet one so we don't know her name." Hampt said and handed the tray, "anyways, get out of here your holdin up the line."
Elsa nodded then walked to her table and sat down. Right when she picked up her fork, she heard one of the women calling her,
"Hey Frost, what job you doin today?" Jade asked and sipped out of the straw of her orange juice.
"Laundry." Elsa took a bite of her bagel.
After a savoring it for a bit on her tongue, it tasted bland. Just like most of the meals that she had ate from the past few days.
"Hey, me too." Carol said and smiled as she raised her cup of water towards Elsa and sipped it.
Jade rolled her eyes in stress,
"You chicas are lucky, I got that stupid ass electric shop." Jade complained and bit the last of her bagel, "I don't know shit about electricity." Her mouth was partially stuffed.
"God dammit Jade, act like a lady and chew with your mouth closed." Kit said and gestured with her hand as a closed mouth.
Jade swallowed,
"Whatever, there ain't no boys around so."
"Well, she's got a point." Hal said while rubbing her hands with a napkin.
"Anyways, do you know who the new inmate is...um Mice?" Elsa asked, changing the subject, but felt that they wouldn't know either.
They all nodded saying, 'no' but only Greene answered.
"Oh..Mice, yea. She's a mystery alright." Her voice was a bit gloomy.
"What do you mean?" Elsa asked, interested.
"Yea, how would you know that? You don't even work in the kitchen." Hal commented.
"Well, I stop by there sometimes and Hampt gives me some free shit but yesterday when I went there, I saw Mice. She was actin really awkward and always wore that damn hoodie, lookin like she tryin to deal with some serious shit." Greene lost her train of thought then remembered, "Anyways, her hoodie covered her face and I couldn't really see what she looked like. Hell, I don't even think anyone knows what she looks like. Maybe the guards though."
Everyone in the table was silent and finally, Jade spoke up.
"Damn, she probably got some deep ass problems."
"Break is over! Get to work ladies!" Elsa heard an officer order from a distant, his voice was loud and clear.
{~}
Elsa stood in front of a tall and long metal table, folding laundry since right after breakfast. Already, she was tired or actually, bored but it was better than doing the other jobs in the prison. After finishing a pair of pants, she checked the clock,
"11:30"
Elsa sighed, tiredly.
"It goes by faster if you stop checking the time so often." She heard a woman say to her.
Elsa turned to her side, slightly startled, and saw a girl who looked Asian or Korean-American, Elsa guessed. Elsa was taken by surprise the moment she examined the entire girl; her face was strikingly beautiful and looked like of the them K-Pop stars (Korean celebrities). Her frame wasn't only thin but fit and tall, at 5'6. Her brunette hair was long and wavy that reached past her breasts.
Elsa's face was in awe and the girl began to notice. She kept a tough expression but her presence was passive.
"You okay?" The girl asked, concerned.
"Oh-um," Elsa snapped back to reality, "yea, it's-just-" Her mind out of words.
The girl showed a small smirk along with one of her eyebrows lifting, making Elsa even more embarrassed.
"Well...okay then."
"Yea..." Elsa said, awkwardly then snicker slightly.
"Hey! Asian!" They both heard.
The girl turned to where the voice came from and it was Carol, waving her hand.
"I got more laundry for ya to do." Carol said.
She nodded and turned back to Elsa,
"I'll be right back."
Right when she dismissed, Elsa heard another woman.
"Your not the only one child."
Elsa looked over her shoulder and found another inmate behind her, folding.
"She's drop dead gorgeous just like yo self." The inmate said again.
"Who is she?" Elsa questioned.
The inmate cleared her throat,
"Parks. She's one of the hottest girls in this prison but also one of the toughest." She explained.
Elsa glanced at where Parks was, talking with Carol.
"She sure does look tough but for some reason she also seems...calm." Elsa said and looked back at the inmate.
"That's what I though too, but girl." Her voice deepened, "you don't want to get nasty with her cause she know that Karate or Taekwondo shit." The inmate finished folding all of her clothes and focused at Elsa, "when she first arrived here, some butch trieda make her her bitch, but damn, just damn, the moment Parks got touched, the butch was already down on the damn ground, crying, 'stop it dammit ! stop it!'"
Elsa heard someone march in the room. She looked at the doorway and found an officer standing in it.
"Everybody stop!" He commanded and everyone dropped their work, wherever they were.
A few more officers came in and stationed themselves at some of the women in the room. Barnes appeared behind Elsa,
"Hello gorgeous..." He whispered into her ear.
Elsa quietly whimpered as his hands began, 'patting' her down. She felt him start at her calves then moving up to her buttocks. He grasped them and she gasped. Elsa held her breath as her bottom lip began to tremor. Her waist was squeezed then finally, her breasts were groped. Elsa was breathing heavily from the amount of harassment she received from the officer as he fondled with them.
"Clean." He huskily said then instantly released her and walked, with the rest of the officers, out of the room.
Elsa was still breathing heavily, her neck was warm from experiencing his breath there.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to Barnes." Elsa heard someone next to her say and turned, discovering Parks, who returned after retrieving a bundle of clothes.
Parks dropped the bundle in the table and pulled out shirt from it, folding.
"He's a bit of a grabber." She said, her expression which never seemed to change and always stayed calm but still fierce.
"I can't stand him." Elsa said, still nervous
"I know but trust me, you'll get used to it as uncomfortable as that sounds." Parks said, in little more of a comforting manner.
"I shouldn't even be here..." Elsa sighed and mumbled, not intentionally wanting Parks to hear.
"I know, your too pretty to be in a place like this, Pff, prison." Parks said, teasing, and heard Elsa.
Parks stopped her work after finishing a few clothes and turned to face Elsa,
"So how'd you get in here? Did you steal some girl's Girl Scout cookies or some shit?" Parks guessed and teased again.
"No, I-" Elsa, almost revealing, but hushed herself, "forget it." And continued her folding.
Parks scoffed,
"Okay then. If you want to not want to be someone's bitch here then be my guest."
"What do you mean?"
Parks picked up a pair of socks,
"Everybody here has a reputation based on what they did to get in here."
Parks then glanced at Elsa, who still was in confusion. Parks smiled a bit and rolled her eyes then relaxed her smile.
"See that girl right there." Parks pointed her eyes towards a girl off the distant.
"Yes."
"Well, she got in because she killed her parents. Because we know what she did, nobody ever fucks with her." Parks explained.
Elsa giggled a bit,
"Okay then, well." Elsa began then toned her voice down to a mumble, "..I got in here cause of um...let's just say that I may have taken somebody in custody.."
"Damn, now that's cruel. If people knew then they might, and only 'might' not screw with you."
"Why only 'might'?" Elsa questioned.
Parks snickered and Elsa felt as though Parks had just given her an answer of, 'are you serious?'
"No offense but, you literally look like a twig or..fragile and peaceful." Parks insulted, but only truthfully.
Elsa felt a bit humiliated only for that she was right. Hating to admit, but she was frail and soft which made her an easy target. She tiled her head down as her eyes looked at the corner and murmured,
"I can get tough..."
Parks chuckled,
"Yea right and that's why you got a bruise in your eye by Tate."
"Oh come on, she's stronger than me..." Elsa argued, looking back up again.
"And so is everybody else here." Parks replied.
Elsa sighed and returned back to her work, becoming silent again.
"Look," Parks said and broke the silence, "you actually don't have to be strong but you still have to try to look as tough as you can. Take this advice from someone who knows how to adjust to prison."
Elsa smiled, minimally.
Thanks...and I guess I could try." Elsa said, a bit hesitant to take up the challenge.
{~}
After a meal of soup, Elsa walked out of the cafeteria and felt as though she had breathed new and fresh air since most of her day was in the laundry room but finally, she could take a break. She started walking down the hall and stopped for that she heard the door behind her open, again. Elsa turned around and found Parks, who greeted her with a friendly smile.
"Hey," Parks said and approached Elsa, "follow me."
Elsa followed and Parks led her to her cell. Inside were a few other inmates, loitering, whom she didn't recognize except for Kit. Some of them sat on the floor and some on the beds. One inmate held a tall glass bottle in her hand, and sipped it slowly.
Parks and Elsa stood by the doorway.
"Hey guys this is," Parks waved her hand at Elsa.
"Oh, um I'm Frost." Elsa said and waved, awkwardly.
They all greeted her and resumed their conversation.
"I'm Parks, by the way." Parks introduced, "anyways, this is Elliot, Kit and Dark." Pointing at the women one by one.
They all were beautiful in their own unique way, just like Parks herself.
Elsa sat on the floor next to Dark, who smiled at Elsa, while Parks sat on one of the beds, scooting her bottom to Kit to make room. Elliot finished her bottle then rose it in the air,
"How bout some good ol' spin the bottle girls!?" She cried, excitingly.
They all cheered and Elsa reluctantly did, just to fit in.
Dark took it and placed it in the very center of the room. Her hand positioned it, looking as it she were about to spin it,
"Who would like to go first?" Dark requested.
"I'll go." Kit said and high five Elliot, next to her.
"Okay." Dark then twirled the glass bottle while all of the women eyed it.
Elsa felt herself rushing as the bottle slowed down and the tip of the bottle almost faced her but instead stopped at Elliot. Elliot shrugged and gave a simple kiss to Kit.
"Who's next?" Dark asked again.
"Me." Parks said.
Dark span it, she spun forcefully. The bottle circulated then pointed at Dark. Dark, and Parks, smiled and both held each other's neck with one hand as they gave a quick kiss. Elsa was actually quite entertained to play a silly game like this. Just by playing made her recall a fond memory in college, playing spin the bottle with a few of her girl roommates. It was the first time when she had experienced, 'contact' with another girls lips, which Elsa actually enjoyed. However, because of the exciting experience, it made her open not only to men but her own kind as well..women. Elsa smiled, just by contemplating about it, and Dark gave her glare,
"Your next."
Elsa's eyes widened right when she read her expression and Dark spun. Elsa, who felt the shivering stirring return, watched it carefully as it spun fast then becoming decreasingly slower and stopped. She turned around and found Parks sitting on the bed behind her, waving seductively. Parks pointed with her finger, while her palm faced up, and flicked it back and forth, giving a message of, 'get over here'. Elsa quivered and her heart raced. She couldn't believe what she had gotten herself into. After all, she still loves Jack but however, Elsa couldn't say no. Elsa cautiously drew herself forward towards Parks and in a flash, Parks grasped her shoulders. She slammed her lips onto Elsa and Elsa felt them; they were warm but soft and had a comfortable feeling, even better than Jack. Elsa finally gave in and wrapped her arms around Parks neck. The inmates, in the cell, whooped as they went on longer, passionately. Finally, Parks released and smiled. Elsa's face looked innocent as her eyes were big and luminous. She read Parks eyes, which seemed to be telling her, 'not too shabby'. Elsa sat back down onto the ground and looked over at Kit, who smiled as her eyebrows lifted up and down. Elsa faintly snickered and watched as the bottle span, again.
{~}
Elsa was sound asleep. She laid in her bed, and dreamt that her head had been pounded by something, something that she wasn't able to recognize. Then, sirens echoed, only growing louder and louder. She then awoke and the lights switched on. Her eyes squinted as they were sensitive to the light. She then heard guards shouting and giving commands, but to summarize it, she heard them saying something about an inspection of cells. As Elsa was about to sit up, she thought that something was agitating the back of her head. Elsa placed her palm on behind her head and felt nothing then she snuck it beneath the pillow and felt some sort of bottle, she guessed it would have been toothpaste just by the shape of it.
"Hey! Didn't you hear us!? Cell inspection!" A guard, that stood in the doorway, screamed.
Without second thought, Elsa took the bottle and held it tightly in her hand. She sprung out of her bed, along with the covers flying, and stood outside of her cell. While waiting, Elsa viewed the item. It was a tiny yellow plastic bottle of 'Neosporin'. The guard exited the room and Elsa swiftly, hid it behind her back.
"All Clear!" She informed then marched away.
Elsa watched the item again, and remembered about the last item she obtained. The only thing that filled her mind was, 'why?' or 'who?'
"First shampoo, now Neosporin? What's next?" Leaving Elsa with a puzzle, desperately wanting to solve.
Note: I'm sorry I don't update often. But I promise, after my school is out, I will update a lot more! Haha. Anyways, please understand...review? Btw, the idea of the items under the pillow came from To Kill A Mockingbird of when the tree hole had items in it.