Bullet In The Heart

-3-

  Cereal. "Granny Smith" apple. Black tea. The three recurring food items on Gemma's breakfast tray. She wouldn't dare to eat anything else, because all other "foods" looked as if they were injected with colour and were made out of flavoured silicone. Well, at least the apples were good. Some products, such as apples, were grown in the facility, in the orchard. This jail was completely isolated and located hell-knows-where, therefore it had to provide some products by itself. The rest were delivered every month, other prisoners told her. "Delivered, but how?" – she asked. Nobody knew the answer.

Gemma nodded to greet the overweight canteen chef in his greasy apron. He smiled back. He was the only "friend" she had there. All others had a real phobia of her. "Good, good." – she thought. They only spoke her name in a low, hushed whisper and cleared the way for her when she went past. There were some maniacs who tried to have their revenge on her for killing their fathers, brothers and friends, but they were kept away from her at all costs, so they wouldn't end up in the medical wing with severe brain damage and a couple of broken ribs.

Gemma seated herself at her usual table in the corner of the so-called canteen. She sat alone at the table at breakfast unless Dave, the chef, had time to join her. Today, he didn't, so Gemma covered the "b*tch" sign that somebody scratched on the metal table with her tray and began eating thoughtfully.

- "Hey", somebody called. Gemma ignored it, thinking that the "hey" was addressed to somebody else.

-" Hey", she heard again, "May I join you?" a young male voice called. Gemma didn't respond. Somebody knocked on the metal table, causing Gemma's tea to spill a little. She looked up at the troublemaker. In front of her stood a man of her age, quite short but well-built. She examined him for a moment then asked – "Do you know who I am?"

- "No," he replied, "but I'm sure it would be a pleasure to find out" he winked and slid his hand towards hers across the table.

- "Oh no you didn't" Gemma muttered.

***