Venomously Yours,

3.Sincerely Guising

A prisoner's daily life became the routine of indoctrination and as Val put it, tedious unwilling subordination.

Days and days have gone by, the same thing was repeated everyday.

Wake up at 6:30am. After morning roll call took place, they had morning exercises, making beds and taking care of personal hygiene.

At 7:00, those who didn't have work, they had what was called 'leisure time.' It included things like watching a small cable tv, playing and lastly reading in the library. Breakfast was bleak and small at 8:00. Can't complain.

Valora was engaged in work in the afternoon and evening slot. She was given to sew clothes and garments with several others.

Sitting by the sewing machine every day, they were to make small teddy bears and fill them with cotton and wool. Sometimes, doll clothes, small children outfits too. She heard it was sent to orphanages.

With that evening roll call at 10:30 and then it was time to retire to their cells.

At times, they had telephone calls that were scheduled at 8:00pm. Valora had no one to call so she would linger around her sewing machine, picking up cotton. It had become a hoarder's compulsion. It couldn't be helped. Not like anyone noticed.

Then, they also had walks by the prison ward.

Like today, as she walked over the rubble and sand, she felt eyes on her. She looked around but no one seemed to be paying her any attention.

She had been left alone for one small incident that took place right after she was beat up on the first day in front of the warden.

The police guards had escorted them to their new cells. When one of them roughly pushed her forward making her bang her head against one of poles. The impact it had on her was more emotional than physical.

Something snapped in her.

Without wasting any breath, she reached for the one who hit her. Using her rifle, she pushed the hilt of it against the guard's chest. It smacked hard, making her stagger back. With her leg, Valora kicked and landed a deathly blow onto the guard's stomach.

Before she could do further damage, one of the guards held her back from behind.

All the prisoners left her alone from that day.

She got her due though but it was worth it. She still had the bruises marking her skin. She didn't complain. She had endured far worse than a little beating. Not little but still.

As she moved forward, she still couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched. When she turned her head up, she saw the brooding warden at his window.

Hands behind his back, she knew he was staring right at her. 

When he had caught the wind of what she did, he had personally stood in a small room where she was dragged and beaten by Maxine, apparently the walking trotting blonde guard enjoyed making her feel the lash of 100 whips.

But Valora didn't dare utter a sound.

She wasn't going to show them any sign of weakness. Though, her back was faced to him while she received hit after hit, she had feeling he didn't like her more than he did with the others.

Now she wasn't short sighted to know he was shooting lasers of pure hatred to her. However, it made her feel funny. Something caught his unwanted interest in her.

Phoenix. What an interesting name. It suited him.

Whenever he was around her, if it was walking past the cells at night or looking over the dinner hall from the balcony. Theirs eyes inadvertently met. It was inexplicable.