"I don't understand why you keep coming here."
"Because I know you Gambrel, and I know that you did not kill that man."
"You're wrong, you don't know me." Shook her head, her silver eyes scanned the room spotting three cameras and a tape-recorded.
"But you didn't kill him. You never admitted to it-"
"Yeah and I never denied it!" she shouted.
He leaned back and sighed. "If you didn't do it why didn't you say anything in court?"
She rested her head on her hand and starred out the window. "You know people are so afraid of me, that they keep me in my cell all day and all night and I don't have any cell mates, I have my own toilet, shower and sink? Did you know that? Of course you did."
He looked over at her narrowing his eyes.
"Don't brain pick Professor Xavier," she sighed. "It's not very nice."
He sighed again. "Then tell me you did, look me in the eye and tell me that you killed Charlie McGaffey."
She shook her head. "No,"
"Then you deny killing him?"
"No."
"Then you killed him?"
"No."
"Gambrel, I cannot help you if you keep pushing me away."
She jumped up out of her chair. "Who said I ever wanted your help in the first place Professor! You are so keen on helping mutants but ask yourself this…" she looked out the window again. "Do they all want to be helped?"
An officer walked into the cell and wheeled the Professor out. When the bar door closed he looked over his shoulder back at her.
"You have prayers that want to be answered, I can help you answer them."
She looked away and he left. After a moment she turned to the window and looked out. Professor Xavier was being helped into a van by Scott Summers. The Professor looked up at her window, waved and climbed back inside. Scott looked up at her; she flicked him off and turned back inside.
"Aww, Poor bitch lonely?"
Gambrel slammed up against the bar door scaring the taunting woman away a few feet.
"You ain't ever getting out of there sugar."
"Sugar my ass!" Gambrel hissed. "When I get out, the first thing I'll do is-"
"Get back into your own cell!" a officer shouted at the black woman standing outside Gambrel's cell. She looked over at him then walked off laughing at Gambrel.
Another officer walked down the hall handing out mail and packages. He slid a large package into Gambrel's cell, followed by a smaller one. She jumped down from her bunk and put them on her desk. She opened the smaller one first. Inside was a short letter asking for forgiveness. There was also a rose blossom and a good luck charm from Japan.
"The same old Tommy." She muttered and taped the charm to the wall with the rest of her charms. She then turned to the larger package and opened it.
Inside was a round canister full of brownies, some bottled water and three books. Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore, Breaking Rank by Kristen D. Randle and Under Fire By Web Griffin. She looked into the package one more time and found a letter at the bottom.
Gambrel:
I know you are innocent, why won't you tell me? Like I told you, you have prayers and they need to be answered and I'll gladly do all within my power to help you find the answer. Just give me a chance.
Enclosed there are some of Jean's brownies and some books I thought you would like. Did you like Moonchildren by Andrew Matthews?
I know your sentence is for life, but I hope that something will happen and you'll be free again.
Professor X
"Be free again," she muttered. "Yeah, I've been locked up for three years now." She shook her head and pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil.
Professor:
Thank you for the books and the rest of it, but I am not going to talk about it, the point of the matter is that I am in here with a life sentence. Here are some lyrics to a song I heard, I liked them, and I think you would too:
This Time Imperfect by AFI
I cannot leave here I cannot stay
Forever haunted more than afraid
Asphyxiated on words I would say
I'm drawn to a blackened sky, as I turn blue
There are no flowers, no not this time
There will be no angels gracing the lines
Just these stark words I find
I'd show a smile but I'm too weak
I'd share with you could I only speak
Just how much this hurts me
I cannot stay here I cannot leave
Just like all I loved I'm make-believe
Imagined heart, I disappear seems
No one will appear here and make me real.
There are not flowers, no not this time
There'll be no angels gracing the lines
Just these stark words I find
I'd show a smile but I'm too weak
I'd share with you could I only speak
Just how much this hurts me
I'd tell you how it haunts me [cuts through my day and sinks into my dream]
You don't care that it haunts me
There are no flowers no not this time
There'll be no angels gracing the lines
Just these stark words I find
I'd show a smile but I'm too weak
I'd share with you could I only speak
Just how much this hurts me
Just how much this hurts me
Just how much you…
Gambrel
She handed the letter to a passing officer and picked up Breaking Rank she crawled on top of her bunk and began to read.
*** *** *** ***
"I know she's innocent, the question is how can we prove it." Professor sighed.
"It sounds
as if she doesn't want to be saved." Scott said. "I mean, she doesn't talk to
you, she flicks me off, it sounds like she wants to stay in there."
"It might seems that way Scott, but if
you saw her, if you talked to her," he shook his head. "It just doesn't make
sense, she didn't kill him-"
"How do you know?" Logan asked.
"Because I knew her when she was growing up, she wouldn't hurt a fly as the saying goes. She grew up with her father and brother, her mother died when she was born, and when she was thirteen her father died. Her brother Tommy took her to a warehouse where they lived, he gambled on the streets after their house was sold out to pay off their father's debts. They social workers tried to get them, but they slipped away before they could be separated. When Tommy got enough money he rented an apartment then he began to get jobs so they could keep the apartment." He rubbed his eyes.
"It's late Professor," Jean cooed. "Why don't you go to sleep, we can talk about this in the morning."
"Yes," He nodded and she wheeled him off.
Scott sat there glaring up at Logan who was looking after Jean. After she disappeared from view Logan turned to leave.
"You know you'll never have a chance with her."
Logan stopped but didn't turn. "Oh? Is that what you think?"
"She's my wife Logan, stay away from her."
Logan grunted and left the room. he headed upstairs into his room and pulled out a sheet of paper.
*** *** *** *** *** *** ***
"Mail Call!" the officer declared and handed out letters.
Gambrel slept on her bunk, but even in her deep slumber she could fell the envelope flutter in from the bars and land on her arm. She opened an eye and starred at it.
The handwriting was no more then chicken scratch and the stamp was upside down. She closed her eyes, yawned and sat up. She ripped the letter opened and removed the paper.
How come you never told me you were thrown in jail Gambrel? Why didn't you call me? Write to me or anything else like that? Why didn't you contact me? Write back to me right now Gambrel and explain yourself!
LoganGambrel laughed outright and jumped off her bunk. She quickly grabbed a piece of paper and jotted down a quick letter. She addressed it and handed it to an officer.
*** *** *** *** ***
"She can't use that against me!" Logan shouted the next day when he read her letter.
Rouge came running into his room. "Are you alright?" she asked. "Why were you shouting?"
Logan looked over his shoulder at her then back down at the letter. "Nothing kid, I'm fine."
"What are you doing?"
"Aren't you supposed to be in class kid?"
"School's out for the day."
Logan nodded and tossed her the letter.
"One: you were nowhere to be found and two: You have amnesia, do you really remember who I am?" Rogue looked up at Logan. "Who is this person?"
Logan leaned over chair staring out the window into the warm afternoon. "She's Gambrel."
"Who's Gambrel?"
"She's…" he looked down. "She's my goddaughter."
