Chapter 1

• (Sienna)
• Prison taught me one rule; mind your business if you want to survive.
• The keyword is survival, three years of seeing nothing and saying nothing didn’t mean I didn’t get starved, beaten or tortured, it just meant I get to live another day.
• And I had to survive, I needed to.
• So why did I forget about that simple rule? For that single moment I’d forgotten about every scar on my flesh, the receipts I got for each lesson learnt in this hellhole since my own family threw me in here.
• This morning during labor, I kept my hands moving. Erica spread the wet sheets on the space on the line beside me, she was my only friend in this facility.
• I knew she could feel it too, the hostile stares thrown at me by the other inmates. I already knew trouble was brewing. My instincts were always never completely wrong.
• “Why is she here?” Erica’s gaze was sharply focused on something behind me, or rather someone, I spun around.
• It was the new girl.
• She was young, maybe eighteen or nineteen, far too young to be in this wretched place. Her whole body was fidgeting as she glanced at us nervously.
• Maybe it was because of this particular timid look in her eyes, or because of her name that hit me with so much familiarity, but yesterday I’d broken my own rules for her.
• The bigger girls in our cell had tried to set her hair on fire as an initiation, laughing while she cried and begged.
• They loved the sound of terror, it entertained them, and normally I would have walked away because survival here depended on minding my business but the moment she held onto me for help, a strange instinct had taken over me.
• She’d reminded me so much of my baby sister, and coincidentally they both had the same name.
• Erica had warned me not to get involved, to pretend I wasn’t about to experience another girl’s scalp being set on fire, but my body moved on its own, even before my brain could catch up.
• I’d shoved one of them aside and snatched the lighter.
• That was it, a single stupid reflex.
• “What do you want?” I stared at her blankly, not perturbed if I sounded cold. It was already over, there was no need for her to try to get close to me, I was no savior, I couldn’t even protect myself in this place, let alone her.
• “S-sorry to disturb you, c-can you a-assist me with cleaning duties?” She stammered not quite meeting my eyes.
• “Why?” Erica asked before I could, her eyes narrow with suspicion.
• “Please, you have to follow m-me!” The girl’s voice was sharper now, I could hear the desperation and see the fear in her eyes now.
• “Sienna, it is a trap!” Erica hissed in warning, but it was too late, my eyes fell on the girl’s neck and I noticed the red bruises, deep angry lines like someone dragged a razor dipped in hatred across her skin.
• The guilt hit me in the chest. They had made her pay for yesterday, looks like my interference had only made her punishment worse. And knowing them, the torture wouldn’t stop.
• So, even though I saved her yesterday, she still chose to sacrifice me for the safety they probably promised her.
• I wasn’t surprised, this place destroyed loyalty, and kindness always twisted into betrayal here.
• “Sienna are you insane? You can’t follow her,” I could hear Erica’s frustration when I wiped my wet hands on my prison uniform and turned to follow the girl.
• Even if I didn’t follow her, they would still find other means to get to me. “A beating is the worst that can happen,” I smiled faintly at Erica’s horrified expression, and then I took the first step towards my doom.
• Besides today was also my last day here, no matter what happened, I would survive.
• “The heiress sure is brave, walking into her own death like this,” Someone snickered. Heiress, that was what I was called over here, but their voices always dripped with mockery like the word itself was a curse, I guessed it was.
• “I’m s-sorry, they were going to h-hurt me!” New girl suddenly whispered and backed away from me. The other girls came out of nowhere, and rough hands shoved me into the bathroom and slammed me forward.
• My chest hit against the sink first, earning a cry which I swallowed, for the next seconds I couldn’t breathe. I felt as though something in my chest cracked, a bone maybe, that was when I heard the door clicking shut.
• Panic swerved through me, I spun around despite the ache in my chest, there was Claire, the new girl who I helped yesterday. She was sobbing now, her path blocked by a tanned girl and two others.
• My gaze focused on Barb, the big girl with a face tattoo covering half of her face.
• She'd always tried to make it clear that she ruled this place. From day one, she had always targeted me and I’d long suspected that maybe she was bribed, there were so many people outside who would want to hurt me, for example, my own brother.
• She marched towards me and yanked my hair with force, sending pain splintering through my scalp. “You silly little bitch,” She snarled, her next shove sent my forehead crashing against the mirror, I couldn’t swallow back the scream this time, the skin on head split instantly from sharp shards of glass.
• “So your pathetic ass tried to show off yesterday?” Her voice dripped with venom and then a loud chuckle tore through her throat. “Do you really think you are the heiress of the Miller's family? You look more like a lowly prostitute,” she spit out.
• I didn't utter a word, I winced at her grip, struggling to break free from her. But it was meaningless, she was huge and I could barely fight against her, her grip around the base of my neck remained firm.
• Then the other lady mocked with a smirk in place. “How can she be an heiress? If she is, why didn't her rich and powerful family come to visit her all these years?”
• They all laughed aloud at the statement.
• My heart clenched tightly but even as hurtful as their words were, it was the truth, my ugly truth.
• “Cat cut your tongue now? Thought we will let you off after trying to play savior yesterday?” Barb sneered and I could tell she was having a field day with my misery.
• I wasn't going to open my mouth, showing fear and begging her would only give her the satisfaction that they craved. They fed on it and I wouldn’t give them that.
• Her next move nearly forced a groan out of me, a loud hot slap, twice at my cheeks. Still, I swallowed back the pain.
• She looked irritated and I had always known she hated my guts.
• I looked up at her, then came another slap, and another, till I lost count.
• She dropped me to the ground and I fell, hitting my hand against the hard iron at the side.
• I groaned, tears prickling at the corner of my eyes but I didn't let it fall.
• “Still stubborn aren’t you? It’s perfect because today, I’m going to make sure that you break. Girls, are we ready to give her her last surprise, heard this bitch will be leaving us soon?!” She announced and the other girls cheered loudly, clapping and mocking me while my insides squeezed with apprehension.
• What could be worse than the usual beating?
• Then, she dug into her shirt and produced something from her bra.
• A lighter, another one.
• A wide smile curved on her face, “Guess whose scalp is going to be burned?”
• “No, you don’t have to take it this far!” Claire was screaming and crying hysterically now, but she was instantly silenced by another girl.
• “This is also a lesson for you to watch, this is what happens when you don’t listen!” The girl sneered.
• My lungs locked up and panic exploded in my chest. I tried to crawl away, desperate to get away from here, but the exit was blocked.
• Then, Barb attacked, her body collapsed on mine and I screamed out in fury and adrenaline. “Get off me!” I kicked her much larger body with my flailing feet, and drove my elbow into her ribs as hard as I could, earning a cry of pain from her.
• I wasn’t going down without a fight, my knuckles collided with her face again, her eyes reflected pure agony as blood spurted from her nostrils.
• “What are you all watching, hold her down!” She screamed like a banshee.
• The hands came from nowhere, and a fist connected with my jaw, exploding metal into my mouth. The tears in my vision finally fell down my cheek as pain rewired my whole body.
• “Look at her. Do you understand that you’re just a worthless empty little rat now?” Barb leaned lower, her voice thick with enjoyment. She flipped the lighter on, allowing the flames to dance in front of my face.
• I pushed, kicked, clawed, but the girls pinned my arms and legs, laughing while I struggled like they were enjoying a game made just for their sick entertainment. I felt humiliation and anger collide with terror, the three twisting in my gut like vomit.
• Something was burning, I could smell it. My hair!
• “No DON’T! Someone help me!” I screamed through my scratched throat and blurry eyes, despite knowing it would be useless, no one would come to save me.
• BANG!
• The loud noise forced everyone’s gaze to the door.