Chapter One

A little girl sat quietly on a floor covered with beer bottles and wine flasks. She couldn't have been older than five years. Her dark brown hair looked as though she hadn't washed it in weeks, it was so greasy and filthy. Her clothes were the same way, and her fearful brown eyes gazed steadily at a closed wooden door. From behind the door she could hear muffled voices, a male and female. The male was yelling cruelly and there were also sounds of fighting and struggling. The little girl's wide brown eyes brimmed with tears when suddenly the noise stopped. For several seconds, all that could be heard was the little girl's ragged breathing as she tried not to cry or make a sound.

Suddenly, the wooden door burst open and the girl screamed with surprise, her eyes becoming wider as silent tears fell down her pale cheeks. However, there was nothing there. The door opened to nothing but a black void. The little girl sniffled back her tears and looked somewhat relieved. The blackness slowly leaked into the room like it was a living swirling thing, almost as if the darkness was swallowing the small apartment. The little girl only watched in wide-eyed fascination as the darkness surrounded her, swallowing her until all she could see was black. A small smile appeared on her tear-streaked face and her once fear-filled eyes become cold and emotionless. The darkness didn't scare her. It would have scared any other little child like her, but not her. She seemed to be at peace inside this darkness and that was what scared her the most.

The little girl moved her hand up to her face to wipe her wet cheeks. She felt something warm and sticky coat her face as she wiped her face. She looked down on her hands curiously, finding that her tiny little hands were coated with something red, thick and sticky. Her small little brain thought it to be strawberry jelly that she would sometimes find in the refrigerator next to her daddy's many cases of 'juice'. She looked further at herself and saw that she was covered in it. Her clothes, her hair, her tiny slim legs were all coated with this substance. However, she didn't remember it smelling like this. She remembered it smelling sweet and yummy, but now it smelt tangy and coppery like the time she tried to eat a penny when she thought it was chocolate.

A barely audible squeak brought the girl out of her curiosity. She turned around to find another little girl, hugging herself and frantically looking around as she silently cried to herself. This little girl appeared to be around a year or two older than her, with blonde hair and sad hazel-green eyes. She took a step towards her and the new girl snapped her head in her direction, her hazel-green eyes widening in fear.

"Hi," she replied to the stranger.

The blonde girl's bottom lip trembled with sadness and fear as her eyes again scanned the endless black void. "Why are you covered in blood?"

"Blood?" The younger girl echoed and shook her head with a smile. "It's not blood, it's jelly. I didn't get any owies."

The older girl stood up and dusted her flowery dress. "Do you know where we are?" The younger girl shook her head. "Aren't you scared?"

The younger girl immediately shook her head and smiled. "No. I like it here. No one can touch me…" She raised a dark eyebrow at the other girl. "…except you…" Her eyes glinted maliciously.

*           *           *

Faith's eyes snapped open. What the fuck was that? She ran a trembling hand through her matted down hair. Okay…that was different. She was used to her haunting nightmares of perpetually killing the Deputy Mayor and the professor, with the final touches of a certain holier-than-thou blonde Slayer sticking her own dagger through her gut and sending her off into eight months of endless nightmares. This time it was different. Sure the dream was a bit less violent and soul wrenching, but it was still eerie and strange. She suddenly felt guilty. She considered her plague of nightly terrors as a form of punishment. She was afraid that without them, she would forget the blood she had spilt, the lives she took, the pain she caused and would fall back into her deadly ways. How fucked up is that? Damn…prophetic Slayer dreams…

She wasn't able to finish her thoughts as the afternoon bell blazed through the prison halls. She immediately jumped to her feet with Jacinda landing right beside her and waited for the doors to open. She thought it funny that her prison life was meticulously ran through with these damn bells. Everyday was the same dull, boring thing.

The cell doors automatically swung open and she stepped out and placed her toes on the long white line lined up shoulder to shoulder with the other inmates. She could immediately feel eyes on her, either in contempt or lust, it didn't matter. She learned even before she went to jail how things were like on the inside. There were enough rumors about prison gangs, rapes, and every other things she had seen on T.V to know what she was in for.

Almost in synchrony, Faith and the other inmates held out their hands for them to be cuffed and linked to on a long chain so they could get into the cafeteria. Jacinda wasn't the only one who had their lusty eyes set for her. There were other suitors, but Faith had rejected them all. Some handled it well, others didn't. It didn't help Faith that some she turned down were leaders of prison gangs. And those gangs had their eyes set out for her still, to either teach her a lesson in the prison feudal system or force her.

Twenty-one…twenty-two…twenty-three…turn. Faith thought idly as she followed the person in front of her and made a sharp turn right, opposite the direction of where she was taken this morning to the visitor's quarters.

After the doors were locked down and only the doors leading out to the gym and yard were open, the guards unshackled the prisoners. Some fell into the lunchline, while others made their way to the gym or yard. Faith, who hadn't eaten breakfast because of her early visitor, headed towards the lunchline only to find it being blocked by a group of women with nasty looks on their faces. Her senses were all tingly, giving her a familiar surge of adrenaline. This looked bad and from her peripheral vision she saw that the guards that were usually there had mysteriously disappeared. She knew she should just turn tail and head out to the gym to release some of her pent up energy, but she needed some food. Her Slayer metabolism already didn't work well with prison food and her voracious appetite couldn't miss another meal.

Faith squared her shoulders, made her way towards the line and, keeping her expression unreadable, replied with an even tone, "Excuse me."

One woman, a heavyset black 'Bertha' stood in her way, crossing her arms with a malicious smile. "I'm sorry, did you want something to eat?"

"Yes." You fucking idiot, Faith thought angrily.

"Sorry, but you don't get to eat today," the woman said with a smirk, eliciting chuckles from her group. "You still don't get it, precious. You're alone here. You don't belong in anyone's group. Loners don't eat until the rest of us are finished." She stepped closer to face so that they were nearly nose-to-nose if only the woman's fat belly wasn't in the way. "You should have joined us when I offered you."

Shit, control, Faith, control. Don't lose it…remember why you're here in the first place, Faith thought, trying to gain some self-control, saving her rage for a certain black punching bag later. Faith gritted her teeth, biting back the comments that were just at the tip of her tongue. She clenched her first angrily and controlled the urge to lash out. "Alrite."

Faith sighed resignedly. Forcing herself to bite down the rage swelling inside her. She knew some of her pride had been lost, but it was better than the other alternative. She backed away slowly before turning around and stomped off in the direction of the gym intent on blowing off steam.

Before she made it out the doors, a hand latched itself on her upper arm. Faith froze immediately, her anger nearly boiling over the edge. She jerked herself out of the hand's grasp and spun around, intent on bashing heads.

"Whoa, easy Fai, it's just me," Jacinda replied, throwing her hands up in a defensive gesture and taking a step back.

Faith cocked her head to one said, giving Jacinda the once over. "What is it, Jace?"

Her eyes darted around the cafeteria, looking to see if anyone was watching them. Jacinda had been in longer than Faith and therefore Jacinda was already a member of one of the prison gangs. However, Faith chose to be alone, not wanting the company of anybody. It wouldn't look too good if Jacinda was caught talking to the young 'loner'.

"Faith," Jacinda said roughly, bringing Faith's attention back to her.

Faith's brow wrinkled in suspicion as Jacinda gave her a secretive wink. As Faith contemplated the meaning of the gesture, Jacinda's fist flew out and crashed into Faith's abdomen while Faith's hands clamped over Jacinda's. She doubled over as the wind was knocked over her and Jacinda removed her hand. As she did so, Faith felt something in hers. She opened her palms and found a small roll in them. She looked up at Jacinda curiously.

"Ten cuidado," she whispered softly so only Faith could hear. Jacinda gave her the faintest of grins before walking away. "Don't ever wake me up in the middle of the night again," she yelled over her shoulder.

Faith allowed herself a small smile as she clamped her fists around the small bread roll and straightened up. It was all just an act. She knew Jacinda was just looking out for her. Why, she didn't know. But at least Jacinda was smart. It had looked like Faith just received an uppercut to the gut, when Jacinda knew full well it wouldn't hurt her. She made her way into the gym without any further delays.

It was empty, since all the other inmates were either eating lunch or out in the yard. She sat on a workbench gratefully and quickly finished off the small morsel of food. Her stomach rumbled in protest, wanting more. The dark Slayer exhaled softly, willing herself to ignore the hunger pangs. She had lived with the pain of hunger during her childhood and some days during her stay in Sunnydale, so it was a familiar thing for her.

She stood up, stretching her arms, loosening her shoulder muscles, and rolling her neck. She gave a look around once more and smiled gratefully when she saw that no one else was in there. She wouldn't have to hold back when there was no one looking. Usually she would have to because she didn't want anyone questioning her. This usually left her unsatisfied with a whole lot of energy rolling through her. Slaying would have gotten rid of most of it, dancing would burn off the rest, and picking up some hapless stranger to use for the night would help with the rest of her Slayer hormones. Now she didn't have those luxuries.

She casually walked by a bench press and lifted the 200-pound barbell with one hand with ease. She smiled and shifted it in the other hand, twirled it around her body, before placing it back. She flexed her arms, not feeling the burn yet. Her eyes rested on the punching bag.

Oh yeah, gonna wail on you big time, Faith thought sadistically as she sauntered towards it.

She balled up her fists, not caring that they weren't wrapped, and focused all her anger at the black punching bag. She thought of why she was in jail in the first place and all she could see was herself. She let loose on the bag viciously. She thought of the woman stopping her from eating lunch, it wasn't the first time nor would it be the last. Her punches fell fast and hard; a blur of movement. She thought of many things, all bad, all because of her and what she'd done. She didn't even feel the pain as her knuckles were being brutally ripped open, all she could feel was the burning hatred for herself and what she let herself become. She couldn't even hear the wet sounds of her blood covering the punching bag as each punch landed, she could only hear the voices in her head telling her how much of a nothing she was.

You're nothing! Disgusting! Murderous bitch! You're nothing! You're disgusting!

With a final scream of rage, Faith jumped and did a spinning kick, her heel crashing against the punching bag and effectively breaking it off its chains and sending it slamming with a loud thud against the wall ten feet behind it. Her chest heaved for oxygen, out of breath, from the rage inside her. She closed her eyes, collecting herself for a moment before shaking herself off. It was then that she noticed the dull burning sensations coming from her hands.

Shit! She cursed inwardly as she examined her torn and ripped knuckles.

She stomped off towards the showers, leaving the mess behind her, and grateful no one was there to witness her bout of rage.