The sun seeps through the curtains of Courtney's small townhouse as she sleeps alone. Loyal to the man she loves, Duncan. Tossing and turning in her sleep, she whispers "Don't go," "I'll find you," "Don't go."
"TIME TO WAKE UP"
The brunette shrieked and tore off her eye mask.
"Monday already? I can't believe it," she yawned, stretching her arms out.
Courtney took one look at her bedside wedding photo, blew kisses towards it, and hopped out of bed to begin the day.
Little did she know that those would be her last few moments of peaceful bliss...for God knew how long.
Everything started off smoothly; it was like a calm before the storm.
Courtney stopped on the way to work for her usual large cappuccino, no foam, and happily continued on her way to work until there was a phone call from her assistant.
"Beth"...
"Hi Courtney," her assistant said in a shaky tone of voice.
Courtney had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach as she heard Beth's voice crack on the other end of the phone while she was driving.
"The office," she said, her voice shaking. "Sorry, I mean your office. It's been trashed."
Courtney gasped and quickly shifted her vehicle into high gear.
"I'm on my way," she replied seething with anger. "You asshole, Chris!" Courtney added with narrowed eyes.
The office had been completely ransacked, just as Beth had said. Not only had two computers been smashed on the floor, but USB drives and paperwork had also disappeared. The alarms were blaring loudly.
Beth ran around in a panic.
"What do we do?" "I pulled the alarm" she cried, pacing back and forth.
She said, "I've called the people you usually call in these situations."
Courtney glared at her and snatched the mobile from the redhead's hands.
"The police Beth" "Have you called the police" she roared.
Startled and aggrieved, Beth took a few steps back from her frantic boss and nodded.
"Obviously."
"Okay, that's good. Thank you." The well-dressed brunette replied, as she placed her leather bag over her shoulder and slowly crouched beneath her desk.
"He did this, it was him" "The files, the records, everything." she cried into a tissue.
Beth crawled beside her and handed her more tissues.
"I'm sorry Mrs Jones" "Everything was locked on Friday."
Courtney clasped Beth's hand and told her not to apologize.
She said, "It's not you, Beth." Blowing her nose on the tissue.
"Call me Courtney; you've known me for years."
Beth smiled and took Courtney's hand.
She said those words in an optimistic tone.
Courtney admired the blissful ignorance and kindness, nonetheless, of Beth. In that moment, she had started to wholeheartedly regret her actions on Saturday.
Chris deserved much more than a simple yelling at, but she felt so foolish for barging in when he was having dinner with Lindsay, who, to onlookers, looked like a couple peacefully enjoying one another's company despite the sinister undertones beneath it. Chris had always had dark intentions.
The very girl who had settled out of court no longer even resided in Canada, only Courtney knew her location and of course her fiancé had forgiven her when it was found out the lewd acts she was forced to perform in order to keep silent, but to all intents and purposes she was "missing".
Courtney began to weep as she said, "I'm sorry I couldn't save them."
Beth pulled her boss out from under her desk .
"Save who Courtney?"
The brunette's eyes were streaming with tears like Beth had never seen before.
The vulnerability she had only shown to Duncan and her friend Gwen (not even Bridgette) was on full display for her employee.
She said, "You know who...she looked at Beth and sobbed into a handful of tissues.
"Duncan"
"Dakota" and "Sam"
"And...um...well, I need to warn her."
Courtney stopped crying rather abruptly and headed for the door.
"Stop who?" Beth asked as she trailed behind.
"Lindsay" Courtney replied. She opened her phone and started searching for Bridgette's number first.
"Lindsay Powell?" "Tyler and Linds"...
Yes," Courtney quickly responded.
"She's being Dakota'd...you know?"
Beth gasped. "Aww, no!" she exclaimed. "She was always so nice." "Lindsay never judged anybody," she added.
"I hate that Chris." The redhead seethed.
Courtney nodded in agreement as she waited for Bridgette to answer.
"Voicemail?" Courtney asked, arching a brow.
"Weird for Bridgette"
"Anyway I'll leave her a message"
"Heya It's me and I'm so sorry, but this morning all hell broke lose and .."
"Are you Courtney Reyes Jones?"
A stern voice inquired.
Courtney dropped her phone.
The two policemen approached her.
"Yes, that's me," she nervously replied.
"Can you come with us please Mrs Jones?"
As she was asked, her heart sank.
Suddenly realizing the police weren't coming to help with the break-in, Beth saw a set of handcuffs emerge from one of the officers.
"Courtney Jones you're under arrest for Tax evasion"
"NO" "NO" "It's not true none of it, my office was trashed this morning look at it" she pleaded.
The words fell on disinterested ears.
"You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defense" "If you later rely" ...
Courtney knelt down and cried.
"I know the terms of my arrest."
Well then you'll make this easy for us, Mrs. Jones," said the officer as he placed her hands behind her back and led her away.
As she was placed in handcuffs, Courtney's large eyes sank to her feet in fear.
She quavered, "Remand?"
The officers escorted a near-frozen Courtney dressed in her finest pencil skirt, grey blazer, and pink blouse. She felt her earrings and necklace around her, wondering when she would be able to wear them again. The only reminder of her husband in those jewels and her lovely wedding ring.
"Beth" "Take my ring and my necklace"
Beth approached and took the jewels as requested.
Courtney cried a little. "Please keep them safe for me until I get back."
Beth smiled at her and held back tears.
"Um, this is now officially a crime scene, so you'll have to leave the premises," another young officer told her.
"Will you need me later as a witness?" Beth asked, racing down the flights of stairs. "I want to help; she's innocent, I tell ya."
"It's unlikely since this isn't a case involving human assault or abduction and or murder". The officer sternly replied.
Courtney was quickly placed in the police car and sent to the ferry terminal.
She knew, that horrid feeling inside of her had been confirmed.
"Wait, Roney Island? On remand? You can't do that," she screamed.
As her pleas fell on deaf ears, Courtney was loaded into the ferry to stand for one hour while it headed toward the female prison or "End of the World" as her and Gwen once joked about it being years ago ...
Cramped between officers with batons and surly, grumpy criminals awaiting trial (as Courtney saw them), the ferry swayed back and forth.
"Ow!" she exclaimed as the baton kept hitting her in the legs and back of the head.
Another woman fell backward and landed on an officer, causing severe consequences for the poor woman, who was only a small, petite thing with tatty red hair and a makeup-stained face from crying.
Courtney shut her eyes to the pokes and thuds she heard. The girl was pleading for them to stop, but two officers seemed to be enjoying using their batons a bit too much.
Courtney couldn't bear seeing a young woman being assaulted like that, despite her own crime. She was a lawyer specializing in domestic abuse cases after all.
"Stop it, you bastards!" she yelled.
The boat pushed on. An officer turned to Courtney and pulled her hair tightly.
"You like being a hero do you girly?"
He gruffly asked, his hot breath was too close to her, and his red beard matched his hair.
"Stop hurting her..." "oww" Courtney shrieked as the pull on her restraints tightened and the Red headed officer plunged his baton into her stomach.
The blow was so fierce that she fell to her knees and hunched over.
He hoisted Courtney up by her hair, which both scared and hurt her.
"Will you behave now, Missy?"
Courtney would never back down to a sexist brute in any other circumstance, but she had no choice.
Closing her eyes, she nodded her head and replied, "Yes, Officer." She pushed those awful thoughts and feelings of pain toward Duncan, her beau, who was waiting for her.
"He will be wandering where I am"
That was what plagued her mind the most as they were being led off the loading dock and made to walk the thirty minutes to the prison.
No food or water had been offered to the women since they stepped onto the ferry until the moment they met the creature's warden, McClean.
At the gate he introduced himself and reminded everyone that within the Island Penitentiary was his kingdom. He was in charge. "Understand that and you'll make it through," he said. "If you don't, well, a very miserable and let's just say painful existence awaits you." His usual welcome pitch.
Courtney was tired, aching, bruised and thirsty but she had to see The Warden. She was in luck. Not only did all new intakes enjoy that privilege after stripping to nothing and squatting and coughing to be searched by female guards for contraband. They were then given a whole cup of tap water to satiate their thirst and bandages for the bruising.
Pain relief depended on who you knew, what the Warden knew about you, and whether he was feeling generous or not.
A lot of the staff were pretty good at that sort of thing for the new arrivals, and when Eva saw Courtney she held back her disdain for the uppity Lawyer when she saw the awful bruised and battered condition she was in.
Eva slipped two Dihydrocodeine and one Orphenadrine muscle relaxers into her sweaty palm.
"Swallow them all now" "before you see the Warden", "Once you're in your Remand suit, I can arrange for some consumables"
Courtney thanked Eva profusely before being told to "shut up" and move along by a very tall and skinny guy with an evil look on his face named Mal. This guy looked all of 17 years old, but then again, Chris wouldn't care; the more sadistic the better.
The Warden was still drinking lattes with Lindsay ..one hour into her shift. Lindsay thought it was because of how she behaved on the weekend to which he told her "Would be rewarded."
Chris sighed. "Brace yourself, baby."
Lindsay looked very pretty and dazzling in her tight blouse and skirt, over stockings and blue boots.
She looked at Chris with those big blue eyes he adored so much.
"What's happening Chris" she asked.
Chris ordered two more mocha lattes without cream. He then explained how a new inmate would be joining the prison for the foreseeable future. Grinning evilly, Chris told Lindsay who it was and the horrific deeds she had done to get there.
Lindsay gripped her chest in horror.
Chris had her sit right next to him for "comfort her in this time of shock."
Stroking her long hair and gently grasping her waist, he said...
"She deserves this."
Courtney was led into the room by that same nasty-looking young man with dark hair named Mal. Courtney wasn't exactly concerned about him now. At least when she greeted her arch nemesis, the pain where she had been struck was starting to ease thanks to Eva.
"Here she is."
"Mal, would you mind waiting outside for a moment while I speak to Mrs. Jones?"
He nodded in compliance.
and hissed at Courtney, "I'll be waiting."
"So Mrs Jones, you're finally here" Chris held out his hand for her to sit.
Lindsay stood up to get a chair for Courtney, but Chris prevented her from doing so.
"Lindsay, after what she did, do you honestly think she deserves your kindness?"
Courtney looked at Lindsay with a tear-stained face.
Lindsay didn't know how to respond.
"Lindsay I'm so sorry" "I didn't mean a word of what I said" ...she narrowed her gaze at Chris laying back in his chair while he ushered Lindsay to sit back beside him.
"You are pure evil." "You're also the biggest pervert, and you can't be trusted." "You set me up." "You're going down; you hear me?"
Chris laughed and placed an arm around Lindsay, who forced a smile.
"You can rant and rave all you want but you are here for a very long time..." he looked at Lindsay with a sly smile. He then glared at Courtney "Well at least you will be Mrs Jones"
She shouted, "It's Reyes Jones!"
Chris snorted.
"Lindsay please," Courtney walked towards Lindsay who held her hands out. "Listen I'm trying to warn you". "I'm sorry for making you cry." she lowered her voice, "You have to believe me."
Chris began to grow increasingly furious with Courtney's honesty, even though he knew she was telling the truth.
"Chris is manipulating you, just like he did with Dakota," she said. "I know because she was my client." "Please don't feel you have to have sex with him." "Lindsay, whatever he has against you, I'm sure it's not as bad as what I have against this man's evil, vile, and disgusting ways."
"OKAY." Chris grabbed Courtney by the arm and told Lindsay to check on inmate King and the new intakes.
"I need to talk to Inmate Jones about a few things."
Lindsay nodded and said, "Yes, Chris."
The blonde guard headed out the door very apprehensively.
"Dakota?" she thought aloud.
Chris grabbed Courtney tightly and made sure she could feel his hand as it gripped her hair and pulled it sharply from behind. "Ahhh!"
He snarled, "Screaming won't help you."
"Now I suggest you stop talking, it hasn't gotten you very far since you have opened your mouth and spouted your lies."
Courtney wanted to shout "They're not lies!" as loudly as she could, but her strength was failing. She was also at the mercy of the man she had sworn to bring down; it wasn't looking good for Courtney Reyes-Jones right now.
Chris darted behind the security cameras and slammed Courtney's face against the wall.
She winced and whispered "Stop"
Chris simply laughed.
"Don't you see In-mate?" he hissed, clasping her hair in one hand while he held her body against the wall with the other.
"I have all the power in here "
Courtney's blood was boiling. Hot tears streamed down her cheek as she thought of her Husband lovingly waiting in Prison, only to be told she didn't show up.
"I suggest you behave yourself to avoid further punishment than what I've already planned." Chris hissed in her ear.
He then spun her around so her back was against the wall and her restrained hands nearly scraped against the wall and metal cuffs.
She shrieked "Ahh!"
He placed a finger over her mouth and whispered, "Shhh."
Courtney wanted to gag, but she held in her desire as hard as she could.
Next time you try anything at all, little 'Miss Tax Evasion', I'll be there to remind you of your past mistakes. Inches away from her face, his breath smelled like cigarettes and stale coffee.
Tears fell uncontrollably from her eyes, and her lips trembled.
He said, "I'll perform a cavity search on you in one of the showers, just you and I." He smiled as he added, "How does that sound, precious?" Then he threw her to the floor.
Courtney's body fell forward, and she lay shaking.
"Mal"
The same dark-haired face peered through the door.
"Please escort Inmate Jones to Solitary Confinement"
Courtney was held up and thrown over Mals shoulder
"Has she been a bad girl Warden?"
Chris shook his head and muttered. "So naughty, and on her first day too."
"It's a crying shame."
Courtney lay limp and humiliated as these two misogynistic pigs now seemed to be in control of her welfare.
"You better behave, naughty lady," Mal said as he headed toward the solitary confinement cell.
The brunette didn't answer. She was too tired and sore.
Only a handful of staff saw Mal take the new prisoner, and they were shocked when they saw who it was.
Lashawna gasped. "Courtney?"
"Courtney Reyes?" DJ sadly asked. "That is so sad". "With Duncan and everything."
Tyler was aghast at what he saw
"Can Mal hold the inmates like that?"
"It's Courtney Jones" "Who gives a damn." Heather said standing behind them.
They all said in confusion, "Heather?"
"Yes, the one and only," she sighed before heading to Chris's office.
I'm here to sort out some seriously screwed-up discrepancies on the Warden's behalf," she shouted out for everyone to hear.
Courtney was thrown into the concrete room; her knees hit the ground, and her hair was pulled back.
"You better get used to this, sweetheart," Mal snarled, nudging her with his baton.
Courtney winced and said nothing; words were irrelevant.
He warned, "If you don't behave here, I'll be back to visit you later."
He then kicked the brunette in the ribs, causing her to fall on her side, still cuffed.
She screamed "Ahhh."
"Oh and the Warden wants you to keep those cuffs on for your first night here"..
He laughed maniacally as she struggled to get up onto her feet, with restraints around her hands and pain coursing through her body.
"Welcome home" he snarled.
"How will... how will I eat or use the bathroom?" she mumbled.
"With great difficulty" Mal sniggered.
He then pushed her back onto the cold concrete floor where she lay sobbing uncontrollably.
Meanwhile
Lindsay walked down the corridors and halls feeling very uncertain and confused. The uneasy feeling lay dormant in her stomach until she saw Tyler in the staff room.
"Hey, babe." He smiled in between bites of his favorite sandwich.
Lindsay realised he'd made one for her as well with a bottle of grape soda in the staff fridge with her name on it .
She sat beside her boyfriend and cried.
What's wrong, sweetie?", Tyler asked, wrapping an arm around her.
"Oh Tyler I've been really really stupid"
"Please forgive me, please "
Tyler's eyes went from concerned to worried.
He rubbed her back gently.
"Whatever it is, I promise it's going to be okay."
Lindsay then looked at her beau and smiled, blinking back tears.
"Okay."
"Oh by the way I meant to tell you, Geoff messaged "
"Oh!" Lindsay replied.
"Did Bridgette try to call you?"
Lindsay checked her phone and found three missed calls - one from her mother and two from Bridgette.
"Oh she did, do they want to see us or something?" she asked, messaging Bridgette.
"Yip they sure do " "Tonight, dinner at their place." ..."They have some news."
Lindsay cheered, forgetting the tears and forcing down the guilty pangs.
"Yeah well who knows?" Tyler said, finishing his lunch.
He kissed Lindsay on the lips before embracing her.
"It's all good, Lindsay," he said, rubbing her shoulders. "Don't worry."
Lindsay returned the hug and kiss.
"Okay, baby."
As Tyler walked away back into the prison area, Lindsay pondered on what Courtney had said; she then remembered how Chris could be when she didn't do what he wanted. Granted, Lindsay was always the people-pleaser, trying to keep things quiet and everyone happy. The first time Chris had offered himself to Lindsay, she had flat-out refused in his office.
Two months ago
The cameras were off and the mood was growing dark.
The Warden forcibly removed her work clothes until she stood before him in the corner of the room, restrained in metal cuffs wearing only her lilac bra and skimpy thong.
Pulling on her long locks of hair, he demanded once more that she did as he asked; it was quite simple, really.
"Have sex with me from time to time"
"Your life will be easy, and I'll reward you."
He said, "Say no." pulling her long hair harder.
Lindsay tried to scream, but Chris held her mouth shut.
"Your family is exposed for paying for Paula's way into College and Tyler finds out about this little fling of ours" There hadn't been an affair yet but Lindsay was so scared and intimidated she listened to every word the Warden said.
"Not to mention how miserable and painful your life will become and... those you love."
It was then that Lindsay gave in and did as Chris had told her to do and she removed her handcuffs so she could kneel down and orally please him while tears flowed.
Present day.
Lindsay snapped herself out of that Post Traumatic event.
She messaged Bridgette and asked her if she was trying to get in touch about dinner with Tyler at her and Geoff's place.
"That's right." "Don't bring anything, just yourselves."
"We need to talk, I'll see you soon hon."
Lindsay didn't have time to ponder what this news was or if it applied to what Bridgette meant by "needing to talk." So for the rest of shift as Supervisor in training, Lindsay got on with her day the best way she knew how, faking it with a winning smile and a made up face.
Feeling extremely conflicted, she set to see out her working day as quickly as possible.
She talked to Gwen and helped settle new inmates into the Penitentiary as best she could.
I'm so happy for you Gwen" Lindsay smiled.
Gwen gave The blonde a large hug.
"Thank you." "I can't believe it." "Heather of all people getting me my life back."
Lindsay sat beside her and sighed. "It's great news and I guess even Heather has heart Afterall."
"Doubt it." Gwen snorted.
She then noticed quite obviously that the happy go lucky guard wasn't so jovial on this very day.
"What's up?" Gwen asked.
She scooched beside her on her Prison bunk where Lindsay sat looking tense and uptight.
Lindsay simply smiled and kindly handed Gwen a protein bar and a can of Pepsi.
"Thanks, much appreciated." Gwen replied. "You still didn't say what's wrong?"
Lindsay looked at her blankly.
She replied, "There's nothing wrong; I'm fine," and forced a smile.
"Okay then." Gwen replied, arching her eyebrows in suspicion.
"Oh okay fine" she lowered her voice.
Courtney has been arrested and sent to Solitary." Lindsay added sadly.
Gwen nearly spat out her Pepsi.
"What?" "Why?"
Lindsay shrugged. "I uh something about her taxes."
"Lindsay, when did this happen?"
"Earlier this Morning" she replied sadly.
"I shouldn't have told you but you're my friend and she is yours so ..." She bit her lip nervously.
Gwen was shocked.
"No, there's no way she's guilty of Tax fraud."
Gwen then pressed Lindsay for more information but the blonde was already too afraid to say anything else.
"I uh have to go," "I've already said too much." Lindsay replied, as she walked out of Gwen's cell and wiped tears from her blue eyes.
"Lindsay wait".. Gwen followed her.
"I'm sorry Gwen I can't say anything else."
Lindsay then hurried off in the other direction.
Gwen leaned against the prison walls and sighed.
"Courtney what have you gotten yourself into." she sighed to herself.
Later that night
Bridgette and Geoff set the table. They placed four glasses on the table and the same set of plates and cutlery.
"You know this isn't really about dinner," Bridgette said.
Geoff went to prepare the ingredients for their meal.
"Obviously, bridge," he replied. "But we need to discuss something else as well."
Bridgette began to peel and chop a handful of potatoes.
She groaned in frustration.
"I just want to rip that jerks head off and shove it up his.."
Geoff interjected. "I know, baby, I do too."
"We need to find a way to keep Lindsay away from that Prison and that vile asshole"
She began chopping up a few carrots so fiercely that she nearly cut her hand.
"Sweetheart, why don't I take it from here?"
Geoff offered with a soft kiss on his Fiance's cheek.
Bridgette smiled. "You are the best."
She went to the bedroom to check her phone and noticed a voicemail from Courtney.
She sighed. "You can wait, Courtney," Bridgette said as she lay down on her bed and tried to calm her thoughts.
Geoff then ran up the stairs.
He peered into the room and said, "Uh, babe."
"Yeah." Bridgette sat up.
"Courtney has been arrested and sent to Roney Island."
DUN DUN DUN.
So Chapter four will be dinner and the chat.
Will Tyler be able to forgive Lindsay?
Will Chris be exposed?
Will Gwen be released in six months
What about poor Courtney?
Find out in the next chapter of
Total
Drama
Prison