I lay on my new suede couch with a mystery novel perched in my hands. The sun's golden rays are shining through the French doors of my contemporary styled living room. The plush grey blanket that is draped over my outstretched pajama clad legs billows slightly as the A/C kicks on. My hair, which is pulled up into a messy ponytail, tickles my neck as a figure walks past me. I glance over my shoulder as my mom hurries past me and towards the kitchen. Her caramel hair is pulled up into a low ponytail similar to mine and she is wearing a magenta blouse with black capris. The clip clop of her heels echoes as she walks to the fridge to grab a coke. I smile as she notices my staring and grabs me some cold pizza out of the fridge. She walks over and drops heavily into the silver arm chair across form the couch that I am lounging on and tosses me the container of pizza. I immediately dig into the delicious slice of heaven as my mom informs me that she is heading out to spend the day with a nice guy that she met in a bar the other day. My pink lips form a smile, despite my mouthful of pizza, and I give her a thumbs up to signal that I understood and good for her. She laughs and rolls her eyes in mock frustration. We sit, enjoying the sun's rays, in silence for a few minutes. My mom suddenly glances down at her watch and rises. She grabs her coat and brushes a kiss on my cheek as she walks out the door. I smile and go back to the novel that lies on my lap. My eyes skim the page, absorbing the words. I am enthralled as the girl in the book finds herself part of a secret organization in which she works with the stereotypical 'brains' and 'brawn'. I laugh at how unreasonable the story is, but continue reading (I even put myself in her shoes a few times). After a while of reading, I feel my eyes drifting closed; the warm sun, a full stomach, and the lilac air freshener all combined to lull me to sleep.
I wake up to some fight a few cells down. I look down and I am no longer laying on a sued couch. I am laying on the lumpy mattress of the bottom bunk of a prison bed. Over my legs is a thin set of dirty sheets, not a comfy cotton blanket. My mom isn't going to walk in and tell me about her date. My prison guard is going to come in and tell me to keep my hands where he can see them. I wish that I could just go back to sleep and live in the world that I had created. Sadly, I knew that this, this prison life, was reality. I hold my head in my hands as I try to remember what it was like to live outside of these stone walls. I briefly remember the dream that I had had. I can practically feel my mother's presence beside me. But every time I wake, I find no one in my cell but the lonely company of me, myself, and I.
This takes place shortly before Riley is recruited by Phoenix and when she is still in jail.
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