POV Narrator:
Friday 4 May 2018, Arcturus Prison
The weeks of classes are already ending, in this also the summer holidays were approaching, to finish what would be one more year in the Luna Nova witchcraft academy, in these days the students started to make more efforts to get to be inside the approval grid of the witchcraft academy. In the middle of this the teacher Chariot that was the new arrival, but that was a long time being the teacher Ursula takes a little free time on the weekend to do something that her heart was asking for a long time, in this case visit Croix, although with much fear due to the events that happened during the first months of the year and also everything that had happened to her life as a result of everything that Croix ended up doing to her career, but finally the Du Nord decides to take the motivation and go to prison to visit his ex girlfriend.
POV Chariot:
I arrived here, in the cold mountains of Arcturus that are permanently snowed every year, I imagine what they must go through in a place like this, I land at the entrance, arriving at the reception, where I am welcomed by two minotaurs coming towards me and in the middle of them comes one of the witches responsible for the prison, it must be her that I should talk to.
"What are you doing here witch? This is a very high security prison" said the guard.
"I came to pay a visit, is that allowed here?" I ask her who shakes her head in agreement.
"Depending on who you are visiting we can authorise it yes, come in and we will search what you brought in that package as well" She said.
"This is a cake, it's no big deal" I say kind of being clear.
"You can't imagine what you can hide in a cake, so come on" she said.
With that I enter the prison, already dying of cold, even with sweaters to spare, I go entering the administration buildings, where I pass the cake in a metal detector and nothing is detected, I will not take a sander inside the business ... I don't want Croix to run away, I want her to pay, then they're also searching me, which I sincerely hate, but what the hell, it's the basic visiting process, after all that I sit in a chair where I'm filling out a form.
"Leave your name and also the name of the prisoner you wish to visit, we will see if in our grid you can be authorized, when you finish you can go to the visiting rooms" she said and I soon filled everything out.
After leaving the paper with the information, I went towards the visiting room and I was surprised that there was nobody there, just me, I was the only one to visit, the place is cold, it gives me a strange feeling, even of fear, especially with all those cameras, the guns that are also pointed, geez... They think we're going to do something, when the subject is making prisons the witches decide to mix technology with magic, but now in the normal they never cogitate this and even think it's a sacrilege, they are a bunch of hypocrites.
I'm even trembling a little with anxiety, a little tense for the environment of the place, but more anxious, for Croix's reaction, I don't know if she will receive me very well, but I hope so, when I wait a lot I see her arriving, wearing that orange prison uniform, where I stand up and give her the biggest hug, even with my hands handcuffed.
"You brought a cake, it would be wonderful if I could eat with my hands like this" she said laughing, but still in a good mood.
"Sorry for taking so long to see you, I imagine this place must be very uncomfortable to stay"
"It's a five star hotel but of the worst quality hahahaha, only if it is, the mattress is hard, the other prisoners are quite violent, but it's nothing I can't handle, at least I don't have to depend on my potions anymore, since down here my transformation was complete, the tense thing is to endure the violence anyway, it's not the lack of comfort, here it's still too strict" She said while I was passing my hand over her icy pale hands.
"Oh Croix, I imagine it must be terrible, I will visit you more often, whenever I can, I want to be able to spend time with you, talk about life and everything else... You are missed, I tried in this time to try to ignore you, but it's hard to forget you, you really stay in my head" I say to Croix while taking her hand.
"I don't know what that is, but at least I'm happy, I walk alone, in the cell itself are all solitary, with a mattress on a concrete bed, on the other side a toilet, without any dignity, we are still in the middle of the dark at night ... The magic here is not even spoken, the cells are all equipped with a seal that prevents, it's very annoying, I can not light a candle, and on top of that they search periodically the cells to see if we do not have something out of what they expect ... At lunch we eat the biggest gororoba, but I can handle it, what really makes me tense is dealing with the other prisoners, here there is a kind of hierarchy, in which I'm trying to get reputation to find out things" said Meridies and I can't believe she goes through so much, but still.
"What do you mean reputation?" I ask her.
"I don't know if I can explain it the way it is now, when you can have intimate visits I'll tell you, at least in these ones there are no cameras, but now with all this surrounding us it's not something I can tell, since there's a whole system on both of us" She said, and then even with her hands cuffed she opened the cake.
This time I made the cake myself, chocolate cake with something written on it, in this case a "good luck Croix", I even made some handcuffs drawing on the cake and colouring it with food colouring, even though she was handcuffed she was kind of grabbing the pieces of cake and getting her hands dirty right there, which I was even laughing a little bit.
"Croix, wait for you to go into your cell with the cake, is there no spoon there?" I tell her.
"If I go in there with this, there won't be a piece for me afterwards, trust me, I'd much rather be eating here with my hand, it's been a long time since I've eaten such a good cake, did your mother make it? By the way you went to see your family?" She said with her mouth full of cake.
"I made it myself, I know how to make cakes remember, I learned from my mother, but about the family I did go to visit, Diana and Akko went with me, Du Nord misses you too, despite everything that happened, but without a doubt, the one who missed most of all was me, I miss your little face, your Croix way of being" I tell her, who smeared even her face with the cake, making me laugh a lot.
"Hmmmmmm... Chariot, I love these cakes, you really got it right, you never forget anything... And how nice that you went to see them, they must have been missing you terribly, it seems those two have really become your friends, but strange Cavendish... She didn't say anything bad about you on the first day of school, you even told me about that, besides she's all conservative and stuff" Meridies said.
"Yeah but both you and I know her secret, but that's not all Croix, I have to tell you something, I know you will be angry, but it is necessary to say, it was Diana who helped me, she broke into your lab made the evidence dossier and called WCI, she was helping me all the time, I called her to do that, but please don't come to be angry with her, it was just a way to have someone reliable on my side, she knew my identity" I tell her that even stops a little bit of stuffing herself to the point of afterwards, so much so that she takes a deep breath herself.
"Ahhhhhhhhh, so the cabbage head was responsible for leaving me here? Well, I kind of knew that someone would find evidence for me, in this case for you, but anyway, I prefer that it was like this, it was all or nothing, if I failed there was no way, if I succeeded, here I am, I won't be mad at Diana because she who worked on your side for this and you did well... And you know that her godmother was the person who took me in since I ran away from home, April would be furious with me if I hurt Diana, she is like a mother to me... The mother who treated me with respect and she was even the first person to visit me here" Croix said and I'm even shocked, I didn't expect that.
"Mrs. Jordan? She came here before me? I know it was going to take a while, but I didn't expect this" I say shocked.
"April gave me the biggest scolding, I had to explain everything to her, what even so I was in the worst, you know she is playful, but to give a scolding she leaves anyone against the wall ... Anyway, it was an interesting visit, now I'll finish this delicious cake, you are not the first Chariot... After her who came here was Laura, she also gave me the biggest lecture and Rosemary comes here almost all the time, she has the power to send me to a private room where I can tell without fear of being watched, she who knows the truth, one day you will also know... In reality I never did all this because I wanted to... There was a bigger plan that you have no idea, that made me obsessed" she said eating the cake.
Wow, I was perplexed, she is constantly visited, I didn't expect this, I think I'll have to win Croix's trust if I really want her to tell, but it's weird, how come none of this was intentional? I can't even say what to say, at the same time I get angry, because she did something stupid and a big one, but I can't stay too long, when I see her eating the cake as if it was the last thing in her life, this scene touches me a little, she must eat very badly in prison I imagine, so much that she finishes soon all the cake and getting very full.
"It's something bigger than what you're all stepping on, I say that really worried, your lives could be at risk if you know about it, as well as theirs, mine doesn't matter much, but I don't want to risk it, there are things in this world that prevent us from doing well in life and it's the system we live in" Croix said and I was really perplexed.
"And I can know about it how? I want to help too, remember that I am also part of this fight to change magic" I tell her that she is cleaning herself with a napkin.
"Rosemary has the information about this, Laura and April too, gain their trust and you can do it, or else try to get the intimate visits, it may take time but it is something of importance, if you really want to be in this fight for change then touch my hand, I trust you enough Chariot" She said with her hand outstretched.
I was a bit afraid, but I imagine how big something must be, I wouldn't say I'm going to trust Croix, but I want to know the truth, so I shake her hand, confident that I can find out more, I know there's a whole scheme to sabotage my career, I know that things that change magic are always put down in the name of keeping tradition, so there's nothing different here, in the end the alarm goes off, there wasn't even time to talk anymore.
"Thanks for coming Chariot, I'll be waiting for you to come here once again, see you next time" She said waving to me afterwards and the guards appeared.
I then stand up and walk out of the room, kind of looking back and seeing that she also gave the same look, giving me a nice stare... Croix... I hope that everything between us gets better, I also hope that she is not threatened, in prison, I imagine how bad it must be, as I leave I am searched again, which I find even strange.
"You have searched me before" I say confused.
"You would never imagine what these fangs can put inside you" Said the girl after searching and releasing me, which I then take the broom and walk out of there.
I look back at the huge prison and I even go breathing half relieved, the place has a horrible atmosphere, but I am happy to see that Croix is better, really she must go through a lot, I don't even want to imagine, if not I would lock myself up too just to protect her from all this, for the nine witches, how can this place be so like this? How can they still allow such an archaic system of punishment, the prison must only make the witches there more insane.
POV Croix:
A pity you have no idea how things are here Croix, it's not even close to hell, it can be much worse, I only don't say much because I don't want you to lose your life living in this prison, as soon as I step through the doors I get hit with a truncheon.
"Hey Croix, you didn't leave a piece for us, what kind of prey are you? Next time you lay a finger on the cake we'll have to leave you in the fridge," said one of the guards, already being a big ass to the point of stepping on me while I was on the floor.
"Intimate visit, huh? As long as you don't respect our orders you won't get any of this with the redhead, I think you better behave yourself, there's no agent Morris to protect you in here, in this prison you respect our orders" She said still stepping on me.
"And if I do not want?" I say provocatively, this was the first time they treat me like this, until then they were shitting themselves in the presence of Rose and with this they even take me by the back placing me handcuffed sitting on a chair.
"What are we going to do?" said one of them with the truncheon in her hand about to hit me.
"What you don't want us to do Meridies" Said another who then hit me full in the face with a slap.
"You can't do that, I'll report you to the manager here" I say as the two go off laughing.
"The manager here is hardly calling, she knows who you are Croix Meridies, she's asked us personally to look after you, you don't want to go on the fridge do you?" Said the bastard guard Jones.
"Oh she doesn't want to go in the fridge, poor little witch, she'll be so cold" said Ranger Thatcher.
I don't even want to imagine what this fridge is, so much so that I remain quiet, just looking at them kind of scared, so much so that the manager appears in the middle of the two of them, showing an intimidating pose, which I was getting a bit scared of, but she came in kind of laughing.
"It's been a very quiet month for you Croix Meridies, but from now on you're going to live and work for us, or else we're going to make your life in this place a real hell, capiche?" Said the manager Callaway, which I was getting even scared, these people are going to kill me in here.
"You can't do this to me, the WCI will find out and you will be fired, this is abuse of..." I don't even finish my sentence when I see the manager signaling for one of the guards to hit me in the stomach with her baton.
"Understand one thing Croix, my prison, my rules, if you want to continue to see the little redhead you better be well behaved to my demands, if you want to stay here the 20 years equally, or else I will make it increase to 50, so you will do as I say and you will work hard, don't try to make any jokes, or talk nonsense, or you'll go to the fridge, and you don't want to stay in the fridge, not really, who stayed in the fridge never stopped disobeying me, now that the message has been given, you take Croix to teach a lesson that way" said the manager and I don't know what that way is.
I swallow saliva, imagining what can happen, they were holding my arms, I was crying already, I think that now I will really catch, I am thrown in a room, I get confused, looking at everything around, where the guards then point to a chair and then start to tie me up, I still don't understand anything.
"Are you going to spank me? Speak up" I say in despair until I get slapped in the face.
"Spanking wouldn't be the right word, we do it to you all the time, you better get used to it and you better not get hurt either, we don't want Rosemary Morris to find out, or else you'll end up meeting the nine witches"
After what ended up happening...
I leave the room traumatized, even more so that the guards themselves are on my side in the greatest tranquility, until I am taken to the cell, I don't feel any physical pain, but I feel an ache in my heart, it's not the same as what happened before... By the nine lesbian witches, I don't believe they allow that, I am taken to my cell and from there thrown, where I didn't even feel the pain in falling on the hard concrete floor.
"Behave yourself Croix Meridies, I hope you got the message" I just nod.
I lie on the floor in the fetal position, I can't believe that here it is not enough that the other prisoners beat me, I am also the target of the guards too, what do I do now? If I don't respect the manager I can die, if I don't do what the others want I will die too? I am lost, I thought the prison would only be an uncomfortable place, I kind of feel bad, I try to get up, I go to the bed where I sit still feeling down and one of the inmates goes to the door of my cell, kind of to talk.
"Oh, the guards Jones and Thatcher are really tough, I heard you're the new one here, I can come in and talk" Said a lady with long braided hair, I've seen her before.
"Whatever, if you want to stab me you can" I say this to her who then comes to my side, sort of caressing me.
"I have no ties with the guards or with the prisoners, I am neutral, respected for not taking any disrespect, it's been years in here... You have no idea what I've been through and how I walk alone... What did you do to end up here, I heard you got 20 years, it must have been something heavy" she said.
"They sabotaged my Noir Rod and turned it into a missile to destroy Luna Nova, I was also convicted for other crimes I committed, like destroying the career of Chariot Du Nord by stealing the magic of children" I tell the lady who is even a bit shocked.
"You really did some pretty horrible things, so it was you. But anyway, I am Naomi Well Asher, I was framed for the death of my wife Eleanora, which I did not do, there was not even evidence, I only ended up sentenced here for 5 years, when I went to see the guards and the manager has been increasing every time my time here, I've been here for 18 years, I know how it is ... I don't even know when I'm going to leave here, I try to be honest, without getting carried away by the guards, or getting into the alliance, being neutral has its price, everyone wants your head... Just be careful not to stay in the fridge, it's a cell in the top of the mountain without any sealing to the cold, that's why they call it that way... Your face is familiar, I must have seen you before" She said even being friendly and as I imagined, the fridge was to pass cold.
"I am Croix Meridies, I think I must have seen you too" I tell her.
"Oh I remember, you were the little girl with long hair and glasses that April adopted, I remember you ran away from home when you were 11, you were a little boy weren't you? I remember April mentioning that you were just like her" She said and I nodded my head in agreement.
"Magic works miracles" I say to her who hugs me.
"You've grown up a lot, now I can trust you more, next girl, be careful here, the alliance is dangerous, if you don't do anything they want they'll kill you, the guards are too, but if you want to get out of here, you'll have to serve them, there's no agent Morris to protect us, I know she's probably watching your ass too, ah and you can't run away, this place has machine guns everywhere, the goblins that work in these towers are crazy to shoot any fugitive that shows up, anyway, be careful with this place, I was here all the time and I didn't notice you, anyway I'm going, any help, my muscles can help you" She said after patting my back.
18 years old... She was arrested for only 5, this is too unfair, she looks like she is innocent and trustworthy, now that I remember, she had a blonde wife too, but she was fatter, not strong like that, the prison must have changed her in a way, from my side too, I hope those scumbag guards pay dearly for that, I'm honestly thinking of killing the manager here and staying in a perpetual prison than anything else, or else running away, because I can't, this is hell, whoever thought of this place just wanted to see the disgrace, I hope Chariot can find out what I left in the sleeve of her blouse, I sewed something really fast that the guards won't even notice when they search her.
POV Chariot:
I arrive at Luna Nova, I have a strange feeling that there is something that gave me a pang in my heart, for the nine witches... I don't even want to imagine the worst that can happen, I really worry about Croix, the prison is not an easy place to live, I arrive waving to the girls, feeling a much lighter climate that prison really knocks down anyone, who steps in the place has all the soul drained, I never felt so uncomfortable as when I stepped in that prison, as I enter I go taking off my dress when I feel a relief in his sleeve, when I notice I see a seam... Ahhh Croix your smart, I knew you were going to leave something, I make a point to go unraveling the thread and in that a little folded paper falls from it, I start to unfold it, noticing that in it there was something written.
"A mobile phone number?" I'm even shocked, how did she get that? Well I shrug and get excited.
I start to type the number on the mobile phone and then I send a message just to check if it was really Croix, I wait a little, I kind of think it will take a while, she must be committing a crime using the mobile phone, but it's Croix, I know she's smart, so I get up, I'm kind of doing something else, until the message comes. I
start to tidy the room, a bit relaxed, at that time there's also a knock on the door, it was Akko, which I let in and even offer her some tea.
"So how did it go with Croix?" she asks.
"It was heavy, the whole prison brings you down, I never want to step foot there again, but I still want to see her, you know how Akko is... She's a good person, even for what she did, even more so there's something all behind her, we're fighting something huge" I tell her as I go to drink tea.
"The missile was also big, but we managed, I think we have to believe more in ourselves, but anyway, do you still like her? Like love and all that? I've been kind of having similar feelings and wanted your help" Akko even made me swallow the half-hot tea burning my throat so much I kept shaking my hand.
"Akko! Sacre Bleu! Oh how can I say, I am not as experienced as you think, Croix was my first and only love, I still have attachment and appreciation for her, because I try to see the good side of people even when they have something to hide... Anyway, you are liking Diana aren't you? The signs are very clear of an atmosphere between the two of you"
"Oh? Yes it's her, I've noticed that she likes me and lately I've been feeling the same, but I don't know how to go on from here, I don't want to ask for a date now, we are new and inexperienced, I want to know her better, but at the same time I want to be able to hold hands, to kiss around, ahhhhhhh, I don't even know what to do" she said all sweet.
"Just let the time flow between you, it's clearly just a matter of that, that's how I and Croix got together, she only came to ask for a boyfriend when she was about to graduate and we dated very little because you already know, but it relieved all the tension about the staff, the tip I give is that you try to be more natural, be yourself, be understanding with your friend and future girlfriend, there will be moments that you will argue and disagree, but do not try to conflict, be balanced" I try to pass the little I know and then she leaves my room thanking me.
Ah Akko, how I envy you for having someone like Diana, she is very companionable, you two will be a couple that will be the happiest thing in the world, I can see it, but anyway it's good to know that she is so well and happy with Diana, I get all excited about these two, they will be the future of magic, I'm sure, then I hear my phone beeping, which I run to see the message from Croix.
"Hey Chariot, good you managed to get my number, we'll be able to talk here, but we'll still try to keep a low profile okay, I'll keep you informed about how I'm doing in prison, so I don't worry you too much"
Oh that's wonderful, I love the idea, she'll be able to tell me that she's safe, which I'll soon want to know more about and another message will follow, which I get all excited about.
"Things are going to get a lot worse, I didn't want to say this so as not to worry you, but the prison management is very corrupt and I have to bow my head to them otherwise I might end up in prison forever, my cell neighbour has been here for 18 years even though she was sentenced to only 5 years because of this management, I want to warn you that it's a danger here, I'm afraid of what might happen, but I'm fine, better now that I'm able to talk to you Chariot... Ti Voglio Bene".
"I knew you weren't well Croix, I will do everything I can to get you out of there and into another prison, it is very unfair that you are going through all this, if they lay a finger on you I will not answer for myself"
Then Croix doesn't answer, she must have put her mobile phone away or something, or she must have been scared, they are assaulting my Croix... I don't believe it, I knew that those guards had something very rotten, by the nine witches, why is she going through this now, I swear if they touch a finger on Croix I'll break their faces and I'll be the one arrested... I better keep calm, I still have to wait for the least worst to happen.
"Please Chariot, just don't do it, we'll play their game and then we'll break the system, I'll find a way to manage to coexist here in peace, even if it costs a lot, I'll be well protected, Naomi is strong and she's my ally in this, if they try anything, she'll break one's face"
"I hope this Naomi really cares, but I don't want her getting funny for your side"
"Chariot, she's 46, she knows me, she's Naomi Ben Asher, she was Laura and April's classmate, she's reliable, she watched me grow up"
"ah so all right then, but I still worry, take care Croix, I'll finish tidying up the room, don't do any nonsense there"
Then I block the mobile phone, I take the opportunity to tidy the room, I'm just thinking about her, I'm kind of worried, now there's this, the guards must abuse their authority and beat Croix in every way, for the nine witches, I get my heart pounding when I think of the worst that can happen, even more that her hands are tied, I hope Rose does something, honestly, if not I'll help her escape from there and we'll live on the run, I don't want Croix to be tortured and killed in prison, I want to see her redeem herself, but not like this.
POV Narrator:
After a month and some days Croix has the long awaited visit of Chariot Du Nord, but after it she herself discovers how the prison system will work on her, how she will be treated since then feeling the weight of a corrupt system for her to fulfill some favors in exchange for her freedom, besides constant abuse of authority by the guards who will treat her with the utmost cruelty.
See you, jail witches...