C.C.McKenna

Blood on the Field

Chapter Twenty-two

Torture

Aren't Misty May and Kerri Walsh your heroes? .... Well, they're definitely mine! And how about Mia Hamm.... and Jennie Finch! Man, those girls are great. Go USA!!

Ehem...ok, on with the story.

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"Prue... I'm innocent, you have got to believe in me" Lexie's eyes connected with Prue's for a couple of seconds.

"I know baby... Of course I believe you, and I swear I'm going to get you out of that place sooner that you think..." One of the officers pushed Lexie's head down and brutally shoved her in the back seat of the police car, shutting the door immediately afterwards. Prue glared at the hideous police officer and swallowed her anger to avoid her little sister unnecessary troubles with the nasty, egocentric cop. She then turned to the car, placed her hand on the window, and fixed her gaze on her sister's misty eyes. "I love you," she whispered. Lexie's almost imperceptibly smile was quickly sheltered in Prue's heart.

Piper hugged Phoebe tighter as she watched the car pulling away from them. She couldn't believe what was going on; it was ironic and stupid the way it all turned out to be for her sister, but she wasn't going to accept it; she had made a promise to her baby sister and she was going to keep it. "I'll find out the truth sweetie... just hang on" she whispered through the air but Phoebe listened clearly to her sister's words. "And I'll help you" She softly added.

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The doors of the Youth Authority opened and several prison guards smiled sneeringly at the new, frightened girl. She was still handcuffed and she was scared.

"Welcome to paradise sweetheart" The head guard sarcastically greeted her. Lexie walked slowly while her eyes thoroughly scanned the place; the guard behind her violently pushed her forward. "The nice lady here has just given you a warm welcome, the least you could do is say thank you"

"I'm sorry... thank you" her voice came out a little shaky, but she managed to control her nervousness. "Do you think you can take off these cuffs? My wrists hurt badly and my arms are starting to have muscle spasms."

"Oh... British... I should have known!" The guard made fun of her and the rest of the guards celebrated her comment. "The world belongs to the dreamers" She sarcastically added. "So, your little wrists hurt, huh?" The guard kept laughing. "Sorry love, you'll have to wear them for a while longer; we can't afford to risk our safety, you're a dangerous delinquent!" Every body burst into laughter.

Lexie's seriousness and indifference made the head guard frown with disgust. She got out slowly from behind the wooden reception counter and walked straightforwardly to the young girl. "Wise girl... huh?" The stinky-oversized guard slowly walked around Lexie and cruelly slammed the black baton behind her knees. The latter screamed in pain and fell harshly on her knees; one of the guards held her by the shoulders to prevent the handcuffed girl from falling forward. "People at CYA don't like disrespectful, insolent chicks, sweetheart, so you better clean up your act and try to be 'nice' to us" She grabbed Lexie's hair and pulled her head back. "Do you hear... love?" Lexie's respiration was still fast and uneven, yet, she gave the guard a sturdy yes. "Oh a feisty one!... how delightful" the guard went around the knelt girl, never releasing her hair, and violently hit her stomach with the baton. This time it happened so fast, that the guards didn't have time to keep Lexie in place; allowing her to fall flaccidly on the floor, hurting her face; Lexie desperately gasped for air, not believing for a moment what was happening to her. All the guards laughed loudly, staring at the struggling girl on the floor.

"Rose... remember to hit until we're ready to catch; she now has a split lip and maybe she'll form a bruise on her forehead" Dorothy spoke sternly.

"Aaahh... it was worth it; I love the element of surprise" Rose was thrilled.

"Yeah... but what are we going to tell her family when they come to visit her tomorrow?"

"Well... For starters, tomorrow is Wednesday, and 'unfortunately' visiting days are only Sundays from 1:00 to 4:00 PM, remember? So they won't be able to see her; it's a shame, isn't it?" Rose bent down, grabbed Lexie's cuffed arms, and pulled her harshly back to her knees. Lexie tightened her lips and did not make a sound.

"You better keep in mind that if you ever say a word about this to your family... well, I'll make your stay here a perfect hell ... do you understand?"

"Ye...s" Lexie's answer was again loud and defiant, but filled with pain. The sweaty guard lifted her baton to hit the young girl again but Dorothy grabbed her arm in the air. "That's enough for today" she added. Lexie's grateful eyes glimpsed at her guardian angel and smiled thankfully.

"Take her away to the showers and bring her bag into my office!" Rose shouted with anger.

Lexie was taken into the showers and finally released from her cuffs. "Get your clothes off and get into the shower." Dorothy and Karla stared at the young girl. At first Lexie didn't want to strip in front of them but they laughed and forced her to do it. They took her to the opened showers and turned on the cold water. "There... cool water is the best" Karla chuckled. Lexie wrapped her arms around her naked frozen body and started crying; her body slightly shivering while her warm tears unavoidably blended with the cold-water.

"Stop crying!" Karla shouted loudly. "And spread your arms so I can check 'for possible hidden weapons'" She smiled wickedly. Lexie didn't even try to move and kept her eyes on the floor, staring at the running water. "Do it!" Karla slapped Lexie with cruelness and waited for her reaction. Lexie started crying louder and wrapped her arms even tighter around her. "Spread your arms!" She slapped her again. "Do it!" She shoved her against the wall and punched her ribs with the odious baton.

"That's enough!" Dorothy held Karla back and gave Lexie some recuperating time; just enough to get herself back on her feet.

"Come on out" Karla turned off the shower and delightfully watched the trembling body of the girl. Dorothy came forward and tossed a towel to her. "Don't dry your body just yet, come this way so we can sprinkle an antiseptic spray on that gorgeous body of yours" Karla scuffed. Lexie shamefully enfolded the towel around her body and walked towards the guards.

"Open it" Karla ordered. Lexie reluctantly grabbed the towel and stretched her arms to her sides, revealing once again her wet trembling body. Karla snatched the spray gun and sprinkled a sticky liquid on her body. Lexie turned her face to her side and shut her eyes tightly to avoid getting the antiseptic inside them. Embarrassment was the only thing she could feel, and she wanted to be dead at that moment.

"Wow... did you look at her?" Karla sounded delighted.

"Yes." Dorothy replied worriedly. "Those are some big nasty bruises on her stomach and chest; Rose really went out of line today, and so did 'you', for that matter"

"Bruises... what bruises?" Karla chuckled. "I meant those gorgeous..."

"I know exactly what you meant." Dorothy cut her words off. Lexie could feel herself blushing but pretended not to be listening; besides, she was too busy trying to get her respiration back to normal.

"Here kid... put these on" Dorothy tossed her a clean uniform and placed herself in front of the embarrassed girl to divert Karla's gaze.

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"This is going to be your master bedroom madam" Karla pushed Lexie inside the poorly illuminated room. "Enjoy it" She muttered and locked the door after she slammed it. Lexie stumbled inside and sat on a puke-tan colored sofa; she slowly scanned the room and fixed her eyes on the tubular bed; it was shabby and old, but she liked it; she had always loved antiques. She got up and sat on the smelly mattress, jumping a couple of times just to check its spring back, unfortunately, it was as stiff as a surfboard. She gazed around and saw a worn out, four drawer dresser, with a broken mirror on top and a three legged nightstand by the bed; it was not what she expected but it would do just fine.

She sighed and softly rested her aching body on the mattress; she was tired, sore, and hungry. The drive from San Francisco Memorial to the facility in San Fernando Valley had been long and tired ...and still, she hadn't been offered any food at all.

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The door loudly slammed open and Karla appeared inside, Lexie quickly tried to sit up but the pain on her ribs didn't make her that agile; she took a deep breath, grabbed her chest and tried again, this time she finally made it and painfully stood up in front of the intimidating guard.

"Here, take this schedule and memorize it" Karla threw the sheet of paper on Lexie's face. "You better follow it strictly or you'll get in trouble; and we wouldn't like that... would we darling?" She walked towards Lexie and pushed her on top of the bed. Lexie shook her head and slowly got on her feet again, she carefully knelt on the floor and picked up the piece of paper, she began reading it and slowly walked toward the door to fix it behind it with an old broken pin.

"I still think you shouldn't be pushing me around whenever you feel like it or just because you are angry at somebody else." Lexie spoke without looking at the guard, still reading the schedule.

Daily Schedule at Sylmar Juvenile Hall

Monday thru Friday

6:15 a.m. Wake up

7:00 a.m. Clean up

8:30 a.m. School

11:50 a.m. Return from School

12:00 p.m. Lunch/Nurse's Clinic

1:00 School

2:40 p.m. Return from School

3:30 p.m. Recreation

5:00 p.m. Dinner

7:00 p.m. Homework

7:30 p.m. Nutritional Snack

7:45 p.m. Showers

8:30 p.m. Reading time

9:00 p.m. Lights out

"Careful with what you say" Karla walked towards Lexie and pulled her back from her hair. "You are playing with fire" She tossed her to the bed. "Oh, and next time, whenever one of us comes into your room, you must quickly turn to the wall and bend your arms behind your back... understood?"

"Yes" Lexie's reply was loud, as always. She was determined not to show any fear or any sign of weakness to anybody; not anymore; that's exactly what got her in trouble in the first place; Her stupid fear and her foolish, inexcusable shyness.

"Watch your tone, smart-ass... or I swear I'll break your jaw in two pieces with one simple blow"

"I did nothing wrong; I just answered your bloody question"

"Shut up"

"But you are not being fair"

Karla didn't say another world; she just tightened the grip on her baton and slammed it once on Lexie's upper body, right on her ribs. Lexie instinctively rolled over the bed and fell on the floor; she was trying by all possible means to stay away from her aggressor. She grabbed her side and unwillingly took a deep breath to regain her strength, but the pain inside her chest almost made her pass out.

"Get up!" Karla shouted. Her voice filled with so much rage and anger that she even scared her own self. Lexie tried to stand but she stumbled back, the throbbing inside her chest was just too much for her.

"I said get up" Karla pulled the girl's sore body with both hands; but Lexie's legs buckled up, immediately falling unconscious on the floor. Karla didn't even bother to pick her up; she just jumped over the girl's limp body and left the room.

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An irritating, strident buzz inside her ear made Lexie wake up with a massive headache.

She slowly raised her head from the cold and dusty floor but quickly leaned back again when she felt a sharp pain in the side of her torso. At first, she thought it was her heart and she swallow nervously at the mere thought of it; but when she slowly spun her body, she knew it had to be something else. "It hurts to move, it hurts to breath; it's my bloody ribs!" She finally figured out. "Jesus Christ, what time is it? ... I guess it's Thursday because...no, it's Wednesday... oh man, hate this freaking pain... yes, today is Thursday... but, day or night? ... I'm hungry... Phoebe, where's Phoebe... where are those so called sisters of mine...damn, I should have stayed in London...what the hell am I doing here, why did I have to come to this country...I need water, I need help, ... Mom... mommy". She was still resting on the floor, unable to get on her feet, divagating... rambling.

"Somebody... Anybody... I need help!," She shouted as loud as she could and at the same time she tried to get up as well but, with no avail. Her mouth was dry, her eyes were sandy and she felt her whole self filthy and dirty; she shut her eyes with frustration and slowly licked her lower lip; She was thirsty and she was tired, there was no doubt about it, weakness was starting to be a major issue.

"Leslie... I b-bet it was Leslie, who else could had been?" She whispered softly while she carefully rolled to one side of her body and grabbed tightly the end of the bed to pull herself up. "Why didn't I... th-ink of that before?" She hissed in pain, finally getting on her feet. "Yes, it was Leslie, I know she was, it had to be her." She kept thinking as she walked toward the door, but unluckily, it was locked. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!!!" She slammed her hand on the door with anger and desperation. "Open the bloody door!" She kicked it but quickly recoiled in pain. "Please... open the door...open the freaking door, I need help" She rested her forehead on the rustic surface in front of her and started crying; slowly sliding down her sore body until she reached the cold floor once again. Outside the room, Karla evilly smirked, enjoying every bit of Lexie's whimpers. She leaned back on the door, grinning, and lit another one of those special cigarettes of hers.

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"What do you mean there's no one here by that name?!" Prue placed both arms on the counter and nervously squeezed her fingers. "She was brought here yesterday... will you check again... please? ... Alexia Bennett" She motioned with her index finger, pointing at the computer in front of her. "Come on, come on, do your job and look her up"

"Of course she's here" Rose Vasques, the Warden, slowly approached from behind; She had been listening all the time to Prue's demanding and annoying inquiries. "Unfortunately... visiting day is until Saturday" She drew a sickening mocking smile on her face.

Prue spun around immediately at the sound of Rose's voice behind her, offering a weak smile in return. "I know... I know... it's just that, well, she's so young and she needs... ok, ...we need to see her, to let her know we care and... and... that we love her" Prue smiled wider at the insensitive, appalling face of the sweaty guard.

"Sorry ma'am, but rules are rules, and we do not want to break them, now do we?"

Prue lowered her head with disappointment, and glanced back at the guard. "But she's fine, isn't she? ... I mean, physically, that is... 'cause I, I, I know she... well, no one could ever be fine in this place, and it's not... I mean, that is,... or you... oh God..." She smiled nervously. "...I think I'm rambling, sorry about that" She shook her head with embarrassment. "I can't believe I just did that," she thought, lowering her head and pinching the bridge of her nose.

"She is fine, I can assure you that" The guard coldly snapped back.

"But her pills? ... Has she taken her pills?" ... It's very important that she does 'cause you see, she has this heart condition and..."

"We know all that... we read her file you know."

"Sorry, I, I was just trying to make sure, that's all"

"Yeah, yeah, I know... now, if you excuse me; I have other things to do... important ones"

"Oh, yes, I was just leaving, thank you... for your cooperation, that is" she added with a little pinch of sarcasm.

The guard left without responding; obviously, she was fuming and she knew exactly where to go to release her stress. She pushed the doors open with a strong blow, revealing her 'not so happy mood'

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"What?! Piper walked forward to meet her sister as soon as she saw her coming out of the building. She had been impatiently waiting outside with Phoebe, and both of them were desperate and tired.

"No such luck!" Prue replied with anger. "That, that stupid bitch didn't let us see her"

"I told you so" Phoebe spoke softly. "They have very strict rules in here, and rules have to be followed"

"Damn... I really wanted to see her," Prue whispered softly.

"I know" Piper placed her arm on her sister's shoulders and pulled her near. "We'll be back on Sunday"

"Come on, lets get out of this place... I'm hungry" Phoebe whined as she skillfully unfolded her blind stick.

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Lexie's door to her room was opened with a single quick thud. Rose and Karla walked inside and found the girl's unconscious body on the floor.

"What did you do to her? Rose asked as she knelt on the floor, beside the pale kid.

"Nothing... I did nothing to this slimy worm"

"Then why is she unconscious?"

"Oh, she's British, she's probably a big arrogant and snooty, daddy's girl; and I bet she's not used to this kind of life"

"Yeah, riiight; help me put her on bed" Rose grabbed a hold of Lexie's arms and waited for Karla to pick up her legs. "There" They awkwardly placed Lexie on her bed and wiped the sweat from their forehead with the bedspread.

"Take off her boots... and her uniform too"

"My pleasure" Karla grinned.

After a couple of minutes, Lexie's body was free of clothes and covered with the white, worn sheets of her bed, but still unaware of her surroundings. Karla slapped Lexie's face

several times until the girl's heavy eyelids finally ajar with difficulty.

"Welcome back" Rose sarcastically greeted the drowsy kid and cruelly slapped her face again. "Come on... wake up brat, I don't have your time"

"Water, I need water, please" Lexie's words were barely a whisper.

Rose laughed loudly. "What happened with the 'I'm the queen of the world' pose?"

"Just give me a bloody glass of water" Lexie raised her voice. "I don't know why are you doing this, but, I swear you are going to get in big trouble once I tell my sisters about this"

"I'm so sorry..." Rose muttered. "...Truly, I am, but you are not getting any food or water until you re-consider"

"Re-consider? ... What are you talking about?"

"Come on, you are a grown-up, think like one!"

"Oh, now suddenly I'm a grownup" Lexie slowly bent over. "I'm not scared of you, you'll get what you deserve, eventually" She leaned back on the slender, smelly pillow and smiled. "What? ... You are not scared are you?"

Karla stood beside the bed and slowly reached out for the pillow; she folded it and placed it on Lexie's body; the latter saw what was coming to her, but couldn't help it. Karla smirked and landed the baton on the girl's legs, followed by another blow on her back. Rose covered Lexie's mouth with her hand to suppress the loud screaming. "No... we're not scared... but we bet you will be after this!!"