(un)Cuff me, Mister!

Black River Prison

Jasmine descended out of the bus that had brought her and several other people to the place that would keep her before her next court trial.

Taking a deep breath to calm her heart, Jasmine felt funny to think that the place had a clean, refreshing air.

She looked at the signage hanging on the tall gate.

[Black River State Prison]

She stared at the signage and wondered how long she would have to stay in that prison. Even the name is ominous. 'Why's black? Can't it name the prison White River Prison? Or Clear Water Prison? Death associated with death. I feel like if I stepped inside, I'll go out of this place in a body bag,' Jasmine's body shivered.

*Phewitt!

The sounds of whistles and cheers broke Jasmine's inner monologue.

Her emerald eyes switched from looking at the prison signage to the people that plastered themselves on the fences that separate them.

Women of all ages, and sizes, in prison attire were staring and checking them out.

"We got new company, b*tches~~" an inmate shouted out loud, seeing the new arrival of the prison residence.

"Looks like we have some fresh blood," another inmate commented.

"D*mn girl, look at that booty. Skimpy! you will love to smack this one."

"Yo, you all. Look! We have a 'mat salleh' here!"

More people came towards the fences when hearing there was a foreigner among the new inmates that came.

Jasmine had become the centre of attention. Her emerald eyes were rare among the citizens of Cratia. Thus, it was easy for them to know that she was probably not the residence of this country.

'But I'm half Cratia though,'

The officer that had brought Jasmine and the other new inmates to the prison led them inside the prison.

Crossing the gate that separated the prison from the rest of the world stirred something inside Jasmine's heart.

Although Jasmine put up a brave front, she was on a nervous rack inside.

Her palms sweated. Jasmine clutched the fabric of her clothes on her sides, hoping to wipe off the sweat and get her grip together.

She and the other inmates were led to a long corridor, and brought to a room.

Inside the room, they were asked to strip off their clothes.

Jasmine's eyes water, as she took off her dress. She folded the dress neatly and caressed it fabric.

A small painful smile was on her lips. The dress was a dress that she had carefully chosen to change into before the plane descended from the sky.

She wanted to look pretty and alluring as soon as Joshua saw her at the airport. The short white dress had a low back to show her skin.

When she put on the dress, she imagined how Joshua would look at her. With awe, like she was an angel that just descended from the sky.

'Well, I was indeed descended from the sky. From a plane,' her mind said.

From there, she imagined how Joshua would look unhappy with her showing the skin on her back. He would take off his jacket and cover Jasmine with it.

Jasmine smiled when she imagined those scenes in her mind.

Her smile fell and was replaced by a crestfallen face when she felt the cold air hit her naked body.

She had fully stripped out of her clothes.

The warden gestured for her to put down her clothes and belongings in a sealed bag and leaned against the wall.

With her face facing the wall, Jasmine was patted down by a female warden.

The hands of the warden roamed around her body roughly, reaching all nooks and cranny. Her breast was groped and her holes were checked to make sure she wasn't hiding anything in them.

Tears fell from her eyes when she felt like she was being violated. However, she knew it was all just a standard procedure.

She looked at her sides and saw that every other person that came with her was patted down the same way.

Next, Jasmine and the others were given a set of clothes to wear.

Jasmine slipped on the clothes to her body. The rough material of the clothes was rough on her body in contrast to the soft fabric that she wore before.

How day and night it felt the life she led before and the life that awaited her in the prison.

[2306]

She read the number that was stitched on her clothes.

From now on, that would be her ID, her name that people would address her to.

The name that her mother had carefully chosen for her, that was taken after a flower, was replaced by a string of numbers.

Other than the prison clothes that they have to wear gloriously, Jasmine was given a basket with essential items like toothbrush, soap and sanitary napkins in it.

They were lined up and asked to follow the warden into a long corridor where rows of rooms were on each side.

One by one, they were given a cell that would be their room for the rest of their stay in the prison.

In each cell, there were two inmates. These new arrivals weren't placed together, but had placed randomly, depending on the availability of the cells.

The last one to be placed was Jasmine. She was brought to the cell on the ground floor at the end of the corridor.

Opening up the lock on the door, the warden shouted, "Mama V, you have a new friend," she announced.

The warden gestured for Jasmine to enter the cell, and she locked it up when Jasmin had walked inside.

Jasmine scanned the cell room and her eyes landed on the other person inside.

Her cellmate was a middle-aged lady in her forties, who looked calm and collected.

Feeling Jasmine's gaze on her, the lady that the warden had called 'Mama V' looked up to meet Jasmine's emerald eyes.

"Ah, a 'mat salleh'" Mama V said.

Jasmine creased her forehead, it was the second time she heard the term, however; she doesn't know what it meant.

She could understand Cratia's language well, however, she couldn't understand what the word meant.

'Is that their local slang?'

"I'm sorry?" Jasmine asked in Cratia language.

"You can speak Cratia language," Mama V said, "that makes sense if they send you here," she mumbled her sentences.

"Yes, I can. I'm half Cratia," replied Jasmine. Although the lady wasn't asking a question, Jasmine gave the explanation.

Mama V nodded her head, "and the other half?" she asked.

"Alscot," replied Jasmine.

Mama V's eyes widened before it quickly turned to normal.

"I see," she uttered.