Behind Bars
Part Four: The Walls
Head pounding, Yang slowly dragged herself upright. Her ribs were stiff and she felt a sharp stab of pain in her side whenever she tried to breathe too deeply.
She could taste blood in her mouth, and the right side of her face had swollen overnight. The skin over her cheek and jaw was taught and shiny, stretched over a red-rimmed bruise.
Gingerly, she pulled her shirt off over her head and looked down. Her ribs and stomach were a patchwork of reds, blues, and purples. Under the gentle touch of her hand, Yang's skin was feverishly warm.
Lying back down, Yang closed her eyes and tried to lie as flat as she could. Wincing, she focused on taking slow, even breaths.
Cautiously, she tapped into the flow of her aura. Wary of the monitor around her ankle, she let the energy build. After a moment, she started to feel the comforting warmth of her aura settle into her muscles and joints.
She focused the energy towards her ribs first. Bit by bit, the bruises receded, becoming smaller and lighter. Feeling less fragile, she attempted to take a deep breath and was relieved when she felt only a small discomfort.
Reducing the flow of energy before it could set off the monitor, she paused for a moment before redirecting her efforts towards the wounds on her face. Working her jaw, she felt the bones of her face returning to normal. Gradually, the swelling in her cheek and lips decreased.
Releasing the energy, Yang opened her eyes and sat up. She had done what she could to relieve the worst of her injuries, but she couldn't completely erase the damage from Sasha's attack for fear she would set off the alarm in the device on her leg.
The right side of her face and ribs were still mottled with dark bruises, albeit smaller and less severe. Over the next few days, she would have to repeat the process before she'd be fully healed.
Hearing the buzz of the cell doors unlocking, Yang slipped back into her shirt and clambered down from her bunk to line up for count. Cadeja was already awake, setting aside a book she'd been reading.
Looking at Yang's face she studied the bruises. She nodded, saying nothing and went to wait for the COs to start count.
Yang flushed, remembering how she'd snapped at Cadeja. Going to stand beside her, she let her hair drape over her shoulder and block her eyes from sight.
A guard strolled down the two opposing rows on their level of D block. Yang recognized CO Lowell again, shuffling from cell to cell. She was a short woman with light red hair and a small smile almost perpetually affixed to her face. She had kind, dark blue eyes.
Passing Yang, a look of concerned spread over her face, but she didn't say a word as she moved on to the next cell.
After she was finished, she gave the all clear and the girls lined up to head for the cafeteria. Today they had evening rather than morning showers, and for once Yang would be looking forward to the icy water, hoping it'd bring some relief to her still sore muscles.
But she'd have to wait. Walking behind Cadeja, she filed into the mess hall and collected a tray-full of gray mush that passed for oatmeal. Sitting at their customary table, Yang looked up at her cellmate from under her brow.
Breaking the silence, she said, "We okay?"
Cadeja stopped nibbling on a piece of toast and met her gaze. Her eyebrows furrowed together for a moment, and then she gave Yang a small smile.
"Está bién. We're good," she said. "Just remember who your friends are next time you go biting people's heads off, okay little ave rota?"
Yang grinned and nodded.
"I'm sorry about what I said. I don't mind the nickname, really," she said, swirling her spoon in her oatmeal. "And I'd really like it if you taught me a few words of your language. The way you speak is beautiful."
Yang jumped as Cadeja started cackling, clutching her sides with laughter.
"I don't get it what's so funny?" asked Yang, smiling.
After a moment, Cadeja caught her breath. Still giggling, she said, "Woo, ha. If only you knew, Xiao Long." She grinned. "I have a very dirty mouth," she continued, winking conspiratorially.
Yang chuckled, shaking her head.
"My mother would not be proud," she said, looking pensive. "Used to box my ears for swearin'. She's a tough woman."
Feeling nosy, Yang wrestled with a thousand questions that popped into her mind. Finally, she settled on one.
"Where are you from?" asked Yang. "I've never heard anyone with your accent before."
Cadeja smiled.
"My people are nomads. It was said that we once roamed the great deserts of Vacuo, but at some point in history beyond our memory, we migrated north. We've never settled in cities or towns, preferring to keep to ourselves and our own ways. Currently, our family lives far to the north in Mantle where most wouldn't dare venture."
Yang listened intently, more curious than ever about how the Faunus had ended up in Briarcliff.
Cadeja paused, grinning at some pleasant memory. "And sure, I will teach you some of our language, ave rota," she murmured.
After a moment, Cadeja's face grew serious again.
"Now, you gonna tell me what happened yesterday?" she asked, green eyes unwavering.
Yang grimaced. Looking down, she set aside her spoon and tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear.
"Sasha jumped me when I was cleaning the floors down by the bathroom. The rest of the crew was long gone so it was just me, her, and this other girl Roxie."
Cadeja shook her head. "I figured as much. What started it?"
"I turned down her offer of 'friendship,'" said Yang, punctuating her speech with air quotes. "I just… I have no idea why she's fixated on me."
Remembering Sasha's words, she continued. "And some of the things she was saying made absolutely no sense to me. She called me 'sister' again, and said that 'she' wouldn't be happy with Sasha for attacking me, whoever 'she' is."
Cadeja's shaggy white ears twitched as she shook her head.
"La Mala always has her secrets. Besides her little shadow – that icy blonde one, Roxie – there's not many in her inner circle, but she's definitely at the heart of something that stretches beyond these walls."
"Any clue what that is?" asked Yang.
"No. Even if I wasn't a Faunus, I wouldn't be going anywhere near enough to that one to find out. She has a way of making girls' lives miserable, especially here in the Wilds," said Cadeja, making a curious gesture with her hand over her heart – as if to ward off bad luck.
Yang frowned, staring at the table.
"I have a feeling that one way or another, I need to find out more about Sasha or else I'll never know how to deal with her." Biting her lip, she said, "But what I really need right now is to re-learn how to defend myself."
Cadeja glanced at Yang's hand as it rubbed the bicep of her right arm.
"I figured that happened not too long before you landed in here," she said, indicating Yang's arm with her chin. "You were a huntress right? Was it a grimm?"
"Huntress in training," Yang corrected. "And no, it wasn't."
Cadeja scrutinized her face. Meeting her eye, Yang said, "I was at the Fall of Beacon."
Cadeja nodded.
"I know – you talk about it in your sleep sometimes."
Yang flushed, the tips of her ears glowing red. Before she could respond, a broad hand with dirty finger nails fell heavily on her shoulder. Hot breath and the smell of onions rolled over her neck, wafting around her face.
"Inmate," said a guard with a rough voice, "you've been assigned a counselor. She's scheduled an appointment starting in five minutes. Let's get going."
Grabbing her tray, Yang caught Cadeja's eye before turning to leave. The Faunus looked deep in thought, her brow slightly wrinkled.
Sliding his arm to her elbow, the CO guided Yang out of the mess hall. Passing by the trash bins, she deposited her tray and was led down a hallway she'd never entered before.
Sneaking a glance up at the guard, she caught a glimpse of his nametag. It read, "CO Reilly."
Reilly had curly brown hair and a well-groomed mustache that curled over his top lip. A pair of horn-rimmed glasses sat high on his broad nose. His cheeks darkened under a five o'clock shadow.
As he led her through a series of locked gates, pausing at each as they were buzzed through, he never once looked down at Yang or removed his hand from her elbow. His palm was sweaty and warm, making her squirm beneath his touch.
After the third gate, he led her down another hallway lined with closed wooden doors. Stopping before one of the last ones on the left, he turned the knob and pushed the door open. Walking Yang into the room ahead of him, he maneuvered her over to one of two chairs that sat facing a large desk, behind which was perched a young woman in her twenties – presumably the counselor.
Finally removing his hand from her elbow, Reilly threw her down into the chair and patted her head like a dog.
To the woman behind the desk, he said, "All yours."
"Thank you, CO," she said, her eyes never leaving Yang.
He grunted and walked out of the room, closing the door shut behind him. Yang wiped her elbow against her shirt, still moist where he had touched her.
When she stopped fidgeting, she examined the woman in front of her. She had thin, mousey brown hair that peaked just past her chin, longer in the front than in the back. Even seated, Yang could tell she was a fairly small woman, with narrow shoulders and a slight frame. Her eyes – a soft, pale blue – stared intently into Yang's.
Self-conscious, Yang let some of her hair fall forward over the bruises on her face.
"So," she said, breaking the silence, "You're Yang Xiao Long. Pleased to meet you – my name is Adrienne Luna."
Yang nodded, saying nothing.
Shuffling some papers on her desk, Adrienne seemed to study them for a moment.
"Arrived just over a week ago – assigned to Cellblock D. Cellmate Cadeja Álvarez… shouldn't be any problems there…" she muttered, as if to herself. Continuing, she said, "A huntress in training, age 18, one younger sister and only one parent listed in your contacts. Born and raised in Patch, a student in Vale… present at the Battle of Beacon."
Yang had the feeling that she'd read all this before. Setting the file aside, Adrienne folded her hands neatly on her desk. Leaning back into her chair, her eyes flicked back up to meet Yang's.
"Yours are some interesting circumstances, Miss Xiao Long," she said, her eyes briefly darting to Yang's injured arm. "And also very public," she continued. "People all over the world were watching the tournament, myself included."
Yang's mouth settled into a frown. She knew full well the stigma of that video would follow her for years to come, even in here.
"And yet you don't strike me as the type to attack somebody who's defenseless," she said, tapping her finger on the desk. "Although," she said, "you clearly aren't averse to getting in fights."
Yang's foot was bouncing rapidly up and down. Unconsciously, her hand prodded her bruised ribs.
Sucking in a breath, Adrienne said, "Anything you want to tell me about what happened with that?" With a look she indicated the purple splotches on Yang's face.
"No ma'am, nothing to tell really," said Yang, staring at the wall behind the counselor. "Just fell outta bed one morning. Moving too much in my sleep I guess."
For a moment, her blue eyes flashed at Yang, hardening.
"Right," said Adrienne, stretching out the 'i.' "A lot of girls tend to have little accidents like that in D block – falling out of bed, slipping in the showers. Funny how that happens."
Yang simply shrugged.
Adrienne sighed, leaning her arms on the desk.
"Well if ever there's anything you want to talk about, my door's always open."
Like snitching would help, thought Yang. I'd probably just land my ass in the med bay minus a few teeth.
The counselor kept talking, her stern voice pulling Yang's attention away from her thoughts.
"I don't expect you to trust me right away, but it will come in time. You won't find a lot of friends in here, Miss Xiao Long. This isn't an opportunity you'll want to waste," her voice trailed off, watching Yang.
Pursing her lips, Yang couldn't quite tell if Adrienne's tone was one of welcoming or one of warning.
What is it exactly that she expects of me? she wondered. If she's worked here for any length of time at all – she knows that if I complain about a girl in here, it'll come back to me tenfold out there.
So what does she want me to do?
When it seemed clear to her that Yang wasn't going to reply, Adrienne continued – this time, speaking more straight-forward.
"For today I just wanted to meet in person, and let you know that your commissary has come in. Your approved visitors list should go through soon – probably just some hold up with the paperwork down at the clerk's."
When she said nothing else, Yang stood up – uncertain if she should leave. Adrienne's eyes briefly looked up from a file she had started reading and waved a hand towards the door.
"You can go. CO Reilly will escort you to the Yard for rec hour. I heard you missed your allotted time yesterday."
Yang nodded, mumbling a 'thank you' under her breath as she left the office.
Outside, CO Reilly was leaning against a wall studying the yellowed fingers on his left hand. Seeing her, he wordlessly took her by the arm again and walked her back in the direction they'd come.
On the way, Yang wrestled with the thought that she'd made a mistake by not saying anything about Sasha.
One the one hand, she mused, I know nothing about this woman or what her protocol is for reporting attacks on inmates. On the other, she could be one of those 'connections' of Sasha's that Cadeja mentioned – or at least, susceptible to her influence.
Either way, I can't trust her. At least not yet – not with anything that matters.
Yang's brow furrowed, puzzling over what to do about Sasha.
If I can't fight her, and I can't tell anyone what happened – what the hell am I supposed to do?
Lost in thought, she didn't realize they'd arrived at the Yard until Reilly was already releasing his grip on her arm. Leaving her side, he went to go stand by a group of COs milling around on an empty basketball court, "watching" the inmates while smoking a few cigarettes.
Walking over to a set of bleachers, Yang kept an eye out for Sasha. She only recognized a few faces – among them the Verté sisters and a few other women from D block. Sitting down, she took in her surroundings.
Yang had been here a couple times before – the Yard was a large, open field at the very center of the Birdcage. Walled in on four sides by the buildings that made up A through D blocks, it was heavily fortified. Each wall towered five stories overhead, reinforced by a latticework of steel bars.
These bars were a smaller version of the ones that arced up the outside of the building's massive, curving walls – from which Briarcliff earned its nickname. Looking like a giant, metal birdcage, the prison was situated on a rocky outcropping in one of the easternmost mountains that protected the kingdom of Vale.
Yang had only seen it once from the outside, on the day that she'd arrived here. Perched on the edge of the mountain, the surrounding cliff face plunged down into a sheer drop on three sides. These cliffs were called the Suicide Rocks – nobody, neither grimm nor human, could scale them. They were steep and rotting with loose shale.
The Yard itself was the only spec of green this high up the mountain. Sheltered by the walls, a giant oak grew up out of the center of the field. At its highest, the tree nearly brushed the protective force field that connected the tops of the four walls.
It was here that they were allowed to stretch their limbs and get some federally-mandated exercise. For the most part, the large square field was open grass, but around the edges were a few basketball courts (several sans hoops). Dotted throughout the eastern half of the field were picnic tables and bleachers. To the west lay a dilapidated set of weights and benches.
Feeling the skin crawl on the back of her neck, Yang's eyes darted around the Yard. Her hand gripped the cold metal bench under her, and she tensed – feeling like someone was watching her.
Ignoring Cadeja's advice, Yang searched the face of every woman she could see. Her gaze flickered from one to the next, not finding anyone who seemed to even notice her existence.
Yang shivered, jumping down from the bleachers. Pacing, she wandered towards the massive oak tree in the center of the grounds. Her heart fluttered slightly, wondering if Sasha or someone she'd sent was nearby.
Instinctively, she slid into a defensive crouch and put her back against the tree. Her fingers fought the urge to ball up into a fist.
For several minutes, Yang maintained her vigilant watch, scouring the field.
Something rustled in the leaves above her, and her head snapped up. In one of the branches – some twenty feet in the air – a Faunus crouched, staring at her.
Yang shoved herself away from the tree, creating some distance. The Faunus merely tilted her head, her eyes following Yang.
What the heck?
The girl looked young, although maybe not as young as Yang had first suspected. Her hair was a reddish-brown and it laid flat against her head, trailing down her back all the way to her waist. Sticking up from her skull were two tall rabbit ears, one of them horribly bent about halfway up. The crushed ear looked like something had snapped inside of it and was never properly set to heal.
Dangling from her neck on a long chain was a pale green stone, its surface smooth and cloudy.
Still facing the girl, Yang backed farther away before turning on her heel and striding across the Yard towards the weights area.
Still feeling the Faunus's strange gaze on her back, Yang pinched her shoulders together and shuddered, walking faster.
Trying to clear her head and shake the sensation, Yang stared up at the blue sky through the opening at the top of the Yard.
Looking back at her was a flock of small crow-like grimm, perched on the force field. Red eyes trained on the inmates in the yard below, they sat nearly motionless – one or two occasionally ruffling their feathers. A particularly large one seemed to meet Yang's eye, cocking its head.
Squeezing her eyes shut, Yang put her head back down and hastened the pace of her march across the field.
Shivering, she thought to herself, Why do they look like they're… waiting?
Author's note: Hey guys! I'm having a lot of fun writing this story so I hope you're enjoying what I have so far. I've got a lot more planned and I hope to be posting stuff fairly regularly (every two or three days or so? Not entirely sure – we'll see how it goes!)
As always, comments/reviews/suggestions are very much welcomed! Getting your feedback can really help the story along in certain places so please don't hesitate to reach out.