A/N : I wanted to say thank you for all of your reviews, they truly encourage me to keep going. Sorry about not updating in a while but I've been very busy. To Solitaire's Mornie : I understand what you're saying but I am basing this story on the movie, not on the book, so I think I should leave it where it is. Thank you for telling me that though. Whether or not Angela dies remains to be seen so please keep telling me what you think should happen. Once more, Joli Gamine means 'Pretty little girl'.

June 26, 1939

Angela sat on her bunk, a frown on her face, her book forgotten. Arlen Bitterbuck had been taken away the night before and this time he had not been brought back. Angela was generally very bad at estimating what things meant but she knew this had to be bad. Why would they take him away and not bring him back?.

A loud sound startled Angela and when she looked up, she saw Percy Whetmore standing at her bars. Angela got off of her bunk and frowned at Percy, who merely smirked and sadistically as he banged his baton on her bars again. Angela winced and Percy's smirk widened.

"What's the matter, pretty girl?. Can't take a bit of noise?" Percy mocked.

"Leave me alone" Angela said, trying to calm her nerves.

"Why would I wanna do that?" Percy asked, pretending to be puzzled.

"Because the lady said so" a voice said from beside Percy.

Angela's heart skipped a beat as Brutal stepped up to Percy and Percy stepped back. Angela broke into a smile as she watched Brutal scare Percy away just by looking at him. Percy scowled at Brutal and then turned to Angela, who had approached the bars.

"It don't matter anyhow, you'll be following in Bitterbuck's footsteps soon enough, let's see you smiling then" Percy spat before quickly walking off.

Brutal shook his head in consternation as he watched Percy go. Brutal turned to Angela, who was standing at the bars, her small hands wrapped around them, her head down and her eyes troubled.

"Damn him" Brutal whispered before stepping forward.

Brutal hesitated for a moment before placing one of his hands over one of Angela's. Angela looked up at Brutal, then down at their hands.

"You okay?" Brutal asked.

Angela nodded mutely, still looking at their hands. Brutal went to pull his hand away but Angela grabbed it in a flash of courage and held it for a moment longer before letting go. She blushed as he looked her in the eyes but there was a smile on her face.

"Thank you" she whispered.

Brutal smiled back and nodded before stepping away and walking back to the office. Angela slowly walked to her bunk and sat down. She sighed as she thought of holding Brutal's hand and rubbed her cheeks, trying to make them stop feeling so hot.

It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. Why did he have to go and leave me?. Angela winced as she heard the giggling start up again. She knew why Delacroix was giggling, she knew what was so funny and she couldn't believe it had happened.

"Damn him" she whispered before clasping her hands over her mouth and blushing.

She could barely believe she had just said that. So Del now had her companion. Big deal. Her heart sank as she heard the giggling again. Who was she kidding?. It was a big deal. Angela looked up to see Paul Edgecomb walk down the Mile and to Delacroix's cell.

Edgecomb walked off again and soon came back with Brutal and Stanton. By then Delacroix was cackling wildly and Angela scowled. The guards spoke with Delacroix and for the most part Angela couldn't hear what was being said but she could hear Del laughing and it bothered her.

"Mr Jingles?" Edgecomb suddenly questioned.

"Dat his name" Del said.

Angela scoffed and turned her head away. Brutal and Stanton turned to Angela in surprise as Edgecomb continued to talk to Del. Angela felt no surprise. She was in a huff and when she was in a huff, she said and did things she normally wouldn't say or do.

"Is something wrong, Angela?" Brutal asked.

But Angela didn't respond, she just kept her head turned away, her arms crossed, her fingers drumming on her arms.

"She's sulking" Brutal whispered with a smile.

"She's cute when she sulks" Stanton commented softly.

Brutal threw Stanton a sharp look, that he himself didn't quite understand, before turning back to Edgecomb and Delacroix, who had now been joined by Percy Whetmore.

"Well, well. Looks like you found yourself a new friend, Eddie" Percy said.

"Don' hurt him, 'kay?. 'kay?" Del asked.

Percy shrugged and looked at Edgecomb.

"That the one I chased?" Percy asked.

"The one you couldn't catch you mean" Angela commented, still in a huff.

Percy glowered at Angela as Edgecomb answered.

"Yes, that's the one. Only Del says his name is mr Jingles" Edgecomb said.

"Is that so?" Percy asked.

"Del was just asking for a box. He thinks the mouse will sleep in it, I guess. That he might keep it for a pet. What do you think?" Edgecomb asked.

"I think it'll shit up his nose some night and run away, but I guess that's Del's lookout. We oughtta find a cigar box. Get some cotton batting from the dispensary to line it with. That should do real nice" Percy said.

Percy walked off, leaving everybody dumbstruck. Edgecomb turned to the others. Of all the things they had seen in the last few minutes, Percy being nice was the most amazing of all.

"Man said get a cigar box" Edgecomb muttered only to be interrupted by Del's chuckling.

"Shut up, Del" Angela suddenly yelled.

"Angela" Edgecomb scolded, good-naturedly.

"Well…" Angela said "Why should I have to listen to him cackling away when all he did was steal my mouse?"

"Your mouse?" Stanton asked.

"Yes, my mouse" Angela said, with a look on her face that spelled out 'Do you have a problem with that?'.

"I didn't realize you two were so close" Edgecomb said.

"Of course you didn't" Angela said "And why should you care that I've been deserted?"

"Oh, joli gamine" Del said "He ain desert you"

Del put mr Jingles down and he ran over the floor to where Angela was. Angela smiled softly as the mouse entered her cell. She got off her bunk and put her hand on the ground and the mouse climbed on her hand and sat there, looking at her. Angela chuckled and stroked the mouse gently while the guards looked on in silence. Angela sighed, so he was now Del's mouse, she could live with that. As long as he was a happy little mouse.

Angela's mouth fell open as she read from her book, her eyes widened as the monster closed in on its victim.

She stood in the open field, her heart pounding madly, her bare feet aching from running on the harsh and cold ground. She saw nothing and heard nothing, but she could smell the scent of the beast. Its rotting odour too strong to be missed. Too strong to be ignored.

Slowly she backed away from where she believed the stench to be coming from but just as she prepared herself to turn around and run…

"You haven't killed nobody" a soft but deep voice suddenly said.

Angela yelped and dropped her book to the ground. She looked up and to her left, to Coffey's cell. She hesitantly got up and walked to the bars.

"What?" Angela asked softly.

"I can tell by looking at you, you haven't killed nobody" Coffey said softly.

Angela looked at Coffey in surprise and continued to look at him for a long while, trying to figure out where the wisdom in his eyes came from.

"You was set up, wasn't you?" Coffey asked.

Angela nodded slowly before saying "You haven't killed anybody either, have you?"

Coffey slowly shook his head and Angela's face fell. They were both in the same situation, they were both being accused of something they hadn't done and they were set to be executed for it.