The prisoner rec room wasn't exactly a luxurious spot to attempt to relax, but the inmates themselves were probably at least partly to blame for it being in such poor shape. Every nice thing the staff had provided for them had been almost completely destroyed. There was a pool table with several missing balls which the girls instead used to play cards. A couple of vending machines had several of the buttons damaged beyond repair due to the convicts hitting them too hard. A television near the ceiling of the corner of the room was forever stuck on The Weather Channel (as though anyone there cared about what traffic would be like tomorrow) because some dumb bitch with a fat ass had sat on the remote control ages ago. And like most things in the prison, everything about it smelled terrible, like a bad bar where the staff never bothered to empty out its ash trays.
Still, Anna had taken to going there lately as a way to avoid having to spend too much time in the yard after the unfortunate incident involving Rapunzel (something about watching her friend get her leg shattered to bits there had somehow soured her to the place). For better or for worse, Giselle had a habit of hanging out there as well, and would chase Anna down any chance she got.
"Well I think it was very brave of you to open up to somebody about such a sensitive subject like the reason you're locked up here, master." Giselle was on her knees, giving Anna a foot massage that she hadn't even asked for. "Dr. Felix says that talking to others about our feelings is the only way we can ever find closure."
"Was it him so said that, or Mr. Rogers?" Anna was leaning back as best as she could on a seat that felt like one of those cheap lawn chairs they tried to sell outside of drug stores. "Besides, I blacked out. Can't say it was really good for my mental health, now can I?"
"You should really talk with Dr. Felix about what happened, master. It sounds like you may have a case of the P, T, S, an D."
"You mean PTSD." Anna had forgotten she had made Giselle into her "bitch" largely thanks to all of the insanity of the past few weeks, but her new "servant" was extremely eager to serve her in any way she could come up with (whether Anna wanted it or not). "And I'm in no real hurry to talk to Dr. Felix right now. I'm not sure if I could stomach his cheerful attitude without vomiting."
"Oh, you're just saying that because you haven't found enlightenment like I have." Giselle was using her fingers to click at Anna's toes, which actually hurt a little, but she was feeling too lazy to complain about it. "Dr. Felix is the smartest person I've ever spoken to in my entire life. Well, aside from you, of course."
"Gee, thanks. But I'm curious to hear more about this 'enlightenment' you won't shut up about. Are you like knocking on the cell doors offering the prisoners free reading material to spread God's word?"
Anna allowed herself to chuckle at her own joke despite it not being very funny.
"Oh, you're teasing me." Giselle's tone remained as upbeat as ever as she moved on to Anna's big toes, which she squeezed with such unnecessary force that she worried it might be hurting her circulation. "One day you'll see things as I do."
"You mean like a crazy person? I'm afraid I'm already halfway there."
"No, silly!" Giselle playfully slapped Anna's ankle (which hurt!). "I mean you'll realize we're all where we belong. I know you try to hide how bad you feel over the murders you did, but you shouldn't feel any regret. Guilt is a worthless burden that weighs us down. I used to wish I hadn't been a burglar. But if I hadn't been one, then I never would've been sent here, and then I never would've become your bitch. And I am so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so very proud to be your bitch!"
"Well, good help is hard to find these days." Anna wasn't sure how comfortable she was with Giselle's attitude towards crime, but hey, she wasn't being judgmental of her for killing two people (which was probably more than she could say of about half of the prison's population). She of course hadn't confided in her what she had told Cinder (news travelled quickly over her passing out, but fortunately not over the reason why), but she had a feeling that Giselle would nod with approval if she ever did.
"Would you like for me to wash your feet? Carry your ball for you? Wipe your ass?" Giselle's hands were clenched together as though Anna were a goddess who she was praying to.
"No, um, thank you, my ass is currently a good level of wiped. But say, if you can 'see the future' as you claim, how come you didn't warn me about what happened to my cellie?"
"Oh, but I did warn you, remember? I told you in the shower that one day that blood was coming to Frozen Heart. And it has."
"Gee, thanks, that was really useful." She sat herself up, suddenly feeling the need to stretch out her arms. "I have no idea how I didn't guess that was going to happen after that not-at-all vague prediction. But at least it's over now, right?"
"Oh, master, of course it's not over." Giselle let out a laugh which sounded more like a shriek. "You really are funny, master. But this is only the beginning."
"And what's that supposed to mean? Is my foot going to be smashed into Play-Doh too?"
"Oh, no. Goldie was the lucky one."
"Really? Because I'm pretty sure she'd very strongly disagree with that assessment."
Giselle sounded perfectly relaxed, taking a deep breath as though she was inhaling the smell of clean mountain air instead of the musk of the several dirty prisoners currently hanging out around her.
"I'm going to tell you some good news."
"Is it that Jesus loves me? Thanks, but I think I've heard that joke before."
"I had a dream last night. It was one of the clearest I've ever had. Like it was being broadcast in high definition. Normally, they're fuzzy. Like only little bits and pieces I can I use if I think hard enough about them. But not this one. No, this one was a God damn trailer for what's to come."
"Was it about my death? I'd rather not have that surprise spoiled for me just yet."
Giselle appeared to ignore her snark (or maybe she was just oblvious to it) and stood up from the floor, towering over Anna in a way that felt unexpectedly menacing, her long hair drooping from her shoulders as she smiled like a deranged villain from a comic book (no wonder she had expressed so much admiration for Merida in the past).
"This prison is about to go through some big changes. I can't say how, I can't say when. But they are coming. And you, my beloved master, are at the center of all of it. You are the reason for it. You will become the most powerful woman in all of Frozen Heart."
Anna felt her spine tingle a bit, but wrote it off as her back hurting from the crappy seat.
"Yeah. You might want to check your crystal ball again. I'm not powerful. And besides, I'm sure that both Elsa and Bloody Mary, despite being on opposite sides of the bars, would do everything within their ability to ensure I stay in my place here."
"Oh, I am in awe of how humble you are, master!" Giselle must've been getting excited, as a tiny bit of her spit was getting on Anna's face now. "You are nothing at like my cellmate. She's called Ping. Disguised herself as a man to commit her crimes, thinking it would keep her out of stripes. If only she had come to me beforehand. I would've warned her. But she imagines herself a badass. Works out a lot. Thinks she's queen of the prison."
"Huh." For whatever reason, it hadn't occurred to Anna that Giselle must've had a roomie (she also had to be feel bad for "Ping", who probably had to resist the urge to strangle someone as annoying as Giselle on a daily basis). "How come you've never mentioned her?"
"Because she's nothing. Most of the women here are nothing. And that's fine. We had our feast of law-breaking, and now we are getting our just desserts. But you're different." She gave Anna's cheek a gentle yet unnerving pat. "That's why I'm so glad I will be the one serving you as your loyal slave...when it happens."
"Christ, Sunshine, enough with the vague teases already. When what happens?"
Giselle looked up at the ceiling, her eyes growing even larger than they normally were.
"When my dream from last night comes true! When you become who you're destined to be. When you kill the warden."