The Bastard Queen (Viciously Yours #2)

Chapter Twenty-Three: Breakdown or Breakthrough

"When life gets you down, you know what you gotta do? Just keep swimming."

Grinning, I shifted around in the hard plastic chair and murmured the last three words that the crazy blue fish uttered. Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming. Bobbing my head around to the little tune, I went to grab the remote when the chain around my waist tightened. Huffing, I scooted forward in my seat and tried to grab it off the low table in front of me. The stupid chain linking my cuffs and the waist chain was barely long enough to drink from a cup. And even then, I had to curl over a little and bend my head to get a sip at all.

The other inmates in their colorful gray outfits milled about the room, wandering from place to place with nothing to do. They cursed and shoved at each other when they made eye contact or when someone else wandered a bit too close. Groups whispered to each other under their breath as newer inmates looked around at everything in hidden fear. Every single Fae locked up in Slykhelm was the absolute worst of the worst. There wasn't a Fae in here who hadn't committed some type of atrocity but unlike me, most of them weren't chained up every second of the day. Or had their faces blurred.

Which meant that in the minds of the other inmates, because I was one of the longest living inmates in the history of the prison and the extent of my sentencing tattoos, I was a target. A lot of them came in with the bright idea of going after the Fae with the deadliest reputation to gain respect or a sort of protection. They quickly realized that coming after me was a very very unwise decision but that didn't stop groups of them from trying. Namely the Unseelie.

From the corner of my eye, I watched as the inmates shuffled quickly from the room while another group entered. Sliding the back off the remote, I leaned back into my chair and snapped the edges off so it had a point. Relaxing my form, I placed my attention where it belonged. On the little blue fish swimming around the screen who reminded me of myself.

The soft clip of their lace-less shoes caused the hair on the back of my neck to raise in alarm as they came up behind me. Still bobbing and humming, I curled my hands around my little plastic knife and waited for the ringleader to speak. The talking turtles on a current had just popped up on screen when a woman stepped up and blocked it. Ignoring her, I tipped my head to the side to see the movie and then sighed in irritation when she moved to block me again.

Slouching in the hard chair, I raised my eyes to look into her yellow ones, "Move."

"You know, I've been hearing a lot about a faceless Unseelie. Gotta say, I'm not impressed."

"Gotta say, I didn't ask."

"They say you're crazy, that true?"

"I don't know, is the sky blue?"

The woman folded her iron bracelet clad hands in front of her as she spread her feet, "Your sentence might make you think your tough shit but you're not. Out there you might've been someone but in here? You nothing. I run this prison now."

Snorting, I flicked my gaze down to the silver sentencing tattoo that ran up her arm and touched her neck, "What'd you do? Burn down a tavern?"

"With an entire family inside. I don't like when people don't give me what I'm owed."

Blinking, I looked around at the other Fae around me with similar in-length sentencing tattoos, "You guys really shouldn't go around starting shit. Your sentences are laughable."

"Listen bitch, I don't care who you think you are or how long you've been here. Everyone in this prison pays fealty to me starting today. And it's time for you to pay up." She snapped, yellow eyes flaring.