Chapter 5

Naval Consolidated Brig, Miramar, December 18, 1999, 15:00 PST

After being at Miramar for a few days in general, Skates was starting to get into the routine. It was true that it was less strict than Anacostia, but that was only because the guards had a much larger population to keep under control. The prisoners at Miramar were also allowed free roam of the common areas when it wasn't meal time, rec time in the yard, jobs, or hard labor time. They also did not have to remain silent the entire time like they were asked to do at Anacostia. Though Skates found it a little strange, she didn't think much of it.

For the most part, Skates kept to herself. She did get along with her bunk mate, Regi. There were a few other women she knew in passing, but she wasn't in any groups like some of the others were. However, today was Saturday which meant extra time outside in the rec yard. The rec yard was the place where either groups of people got to enjoy their free time, or the time when fights broke out. Once the women in her cell block were led outside, Skates went over to the track where she normally went first during rec time.

"Race?" A woman asked Skates as she approached the track.

"Why not," Skates said.

"Yo, Pinky!" The woman shouted. "Count us off!" The woman known as Pinky came over and counted them off.

"Tres, dos, uno, vamos!" Pinky shouted.

Skates and the other woman, whom she learned went by Blaze, took off running. Skates always considered herself to be more of a distance runner than a sprinter. Blaze took an early lead. However, as the race continued on, her speed decreased and Skates' consistent speed was enough to allow her to pull forward at the last second. Right before the finish line, Blaze tripped and fell. Skates crossed the line and smirked back at Blaze who still lay on the ground. By this point, a small crowd gathered.

"Way to go, Skates!" Regi shouted.

"No, no, no, no!" Blaze shouted, getting up. "Bitch tripped me!"

"I didn't trip you," Skates said.

"Wipe that smug look off your face and own up to it!" Blaze said louder, shoving Skates.

"Don't let her talk to you that way!" Regi shouted. Skates knew this was the moment. She could either back down and let Regi take on Blaze and never heard the end of it - or she could stand up for herself.

"I said, I didn't trip you. Your clumsy ass tripped over thin air," Skates said back, shoving Blaze back, harder.

No more words were exchanged between the two women. Instead, Blaze went after Skates. She threw a punch at Skates which she managed to block. Skates tried to retaliate by punching, but hers was also blocked. Blaze reached up and managed to grab a lock of Skates' hair. Skates was now looking down to try to alleviate some of the pain her scalp felt. She wasn't able to throw a punch due to lack of vision, so she kicked her leg up and nailed Blaze right in the gut. Surprised by this, Blaze let go of the lock of hair in her hand and fell backwards. Blaze's mates didn't want to see her beat up by a petite woman like Skates, so they joined in on the fight. Regi saw this as unfair, so she and some of her mates joined in, too. By the time the guards made it over to the track, there were eight women in on the fight. The guards managed to break up the fight. When it came time for questions, no one spoke up about who started the fight. As angry as they were with each other, no one wanted the reputation of snitch so they kept their mouths shut. As punishment, all eight women lost their yard time for the next week and it was to be replaced by hard labor work.

Naval Consolidated Brig, Miramar, December 19, 1999, 14:30 PST

"Next, Hawkes!" The guard yelled to the women.

Today was phone privilege day and Skates' first opportunity to make a phone call. She was allotted thirty minutes to call whomever she wanted. She was hoping to be able to check in with family as well as Harm. In all honesty, Skates was surprised she was still allowed phone privileges after the events of the previous day in the yard - but the replacement of yard time with hard labor was punishment enough. When she was led to the phone booth, she took her seat and dialed the number for her parents.

"Hello," Skates heard over the phone. A huge smile came to her face as she heard her mother's voice.

"Mom," Skates said.

"Elizabeth!" Her mother said, surprised and happy to hear from her daughter. "How are you?" She asked.

"I'm better now that I'm talking to you," she said.

"Oh, Elizabeth, it's so good to hear from you!" Skates heard her father say. She assumed that her mother had put the phone on speaker.

"Hi dad!" Skates said.

"Honestly," her father said, "how is it?"

"It sucks," Skates said. Her parents were surprised at the language she had used. Skates had never been one to use even slightly offensive language in front of her parents. For the next ten minutes, their conversation continued much in the same way.

"It was great talking to you guys," Skates said to her parents, "but I want to make sure I have time to call Harm about the appeal."

"Please let us know anything you find out," her mother said. "I love you,"

"I love you, too," Skates replied and they said their goodbyes. Skates disconnected the call and then dialed Harm's number. She had made a point to memorize it before her confinement started.

"Rabb," Skates heard after the phone rang two times.

"Harm!" Skates said in a more excited voice than she had meant to.

"Skates!" Harm replied with a sigh of relief. "How are you?" He asked.

"I wish I could say I was fine but I'm not. I just spoke with my parents and I know they could tell I'm not myself," Skates admitted.

"Well of course you aren't," Harm told her. "Your entire world has changed. How is it being at Miramar versus Anacostia?" Harm asked, remembering how harsh they had been when he had dropped her off.

"In some ways easier - in some ways harder."

"How do you mean?" Harm asked.

"We can actually talk to each other here. That means it can be enjoyable until a fight breaks out," she said to him.

"Does that happen often?" Harm asked.

"Sometimes," Skates said.

"You fight anyone?" Harm asked in an obviously joking tone.

"Yes," Skates replied in a very serious tone.

"Wait, really? I wasn't serious."

"I am," Skates replied.

"Skates, you can't be getting into fights. If you want to get out of there on time you have to be a model prisoner," Harm lectured her.

"What, and let them walk all over me and beat me up?" Skates said, defending her actions. Harm was at a loss of words. He never took Skates as the type to become aggressive when standing up for herself.

"Just, be careful," Harm told her.

"Yes, sir," Skates said in a mocking tone. She was a little annoyed at Harm because to her, his priorities were not straight. "Any news on the appeal?" Skates asked, trying to quickly change the subject. Harm tried to let it go, but the tone of her voice lingered in his mind.

"Not really," Harm told her. She sighed. "I tried to talk to Boomer again but he isn't budging."

"I know you won't get any luck from him, that lying son of a bitch," Skates said softly, but loud enough that it was picked up on the phone. Again, Harm was shocked by the words he was hearing coming from his former RIO's mouth.

The remainder of the conversation felt stiff. Harm could tell that the woman he was speaking to was not the same woman he dropped off at Anacostia or that he used to fly with. Skates could tell that Harm was avoiding talking about certain things and that made her a little angry. It was not how either one of them expected their conversation to go. When her phone privilege time was up, Skates said goodbye to Harm and hung up the phone. She wanted to sit in the chair a little longer to process the conversation but the prison guard wasn't allowing it.

"Get up, Lieutenant. Your time's up," the guard told her.

"Give me a minute," Skates said back.

"Now I'm gonna pretend like I didn't hear you because I know you're new here. When I tell you to get up, you get your ass off of the chair. Now, your time is up, Lieutenant."

"I'm not making another call, just give me a damn minute!" Skates said sternly.

That was a mistake she instantly regretted. The guard requested assistance from another guard and they each took one of Skates' arms. They pulled her up from the chair and escorted her back to her bunk. As they were walking through, many heads turned to see what was going on. It wasn't every day that someone had to be escorted in this fashion. Some of the women were shaking their heads while others were nodding in approval and smiling. Regi was part of the latter.

"Newbie, this is your final warning, get your act together before you're put in solitary!" The guard told her before departing.

"Damn!" Regi said to Skates. "What did you do to deserve that?" She asked. "Impressive, by the way," she added. Skates recounted the story to her bunk mate. During her story, one of Regi's friends, Paityn, came over and listened in.

"I used to be like you," Paityn told Skates. "I was soft-spoken and tried to keep to myself, but then I quickly realized you can't survive here like that. You need to have a voice, someone to watch your back, and tough skin to survive. You don't leave Miramar as a goodie-two-shoes," Paityn told her, "and if you try, you'll likely end up black and blue."

"I think she's figuring it out," Regi said, smiling. "I'm proud of you, Skates. You're proving to everyone that you're not one to mess with."

"And if they try, you'll retaliate," Paityn said.

"And if they gang up on you, we've got your back," Regi added, winking at Paityn and holding up a prison gang sign with her hand. Skates smiled, returning the gesture for the first time.