1 Chapter 1

When I meet her in the B wing corridor not long before bang-up, I can tell straight off it’s her first time in prison. She’s standing there hugging herself with that rabbit-in-the-headlights look, that whole this can’t be happening to mething going on.

“I can’t believe it. How could anyone think I’d dosuch a thing?” she says when she sees me looking at her, and her bottom lip quivers. I want to kiss it still. She’s small and pretty, her hair a mass of blonde curls she hides her big, brown eyes behind.

“First time inside?” I ask her. I don’t soften my voice much.

She nods. “They said I stole—I didn’t, honestly. You’ve got to believe me.”

“Going to appeal?”

She looks like she’s going to cry. “Yes…I think so…I don’t even know. And how…They said I can’t even phonepeople from here. Not until I’ve filled in a form with all the numbers on it. But they haven’t given me the form, and all the numbers were in my phone anyway…”

“You can write,” I tell her. “Write to someone on the outside, and they can send you in a list of numbers. Don’t write anything you don’t want the screws reading, ‘cos they read it all. Even stuff you send to your solicitor ain’t safe, not all the time, so be careful, all right? Where’s your pad?”

“You mean, my…cell?” She says the word like it hurts her as she points down the hall.

“Hey, you’re only two doors down from me. I’m Mel,” I add.

“Ella.” She bites her lip. “The woman I’m in with—she scares me. She’s so strange, and she keeps staring. Someone told me she’s called Mad Addy.”

“Nah, Addy’s all right. She ain’t mad. Just not all there. Shouldn’t even be in here, just there’s no one on the outside who gives a shit.”

Ella shivers, and hugs herself, looking up at me through her hair. “Can…can I ask to be moved?”

“You don’t wanna do that. Take ‘em months to sort it out, and that’s if they don’t lose the form. Nah, you hang on here a minute.” I look at the clock. Still half an hour before bang-up. Plenty of time. I walk down the hall to Addy’s cell. She’s in there—probably hasn’t even twigged the door’s open. “Hey, Addy. You’re moving. Get your stuff.”

She stares at me, ‘cos, well, Addy

“I’ll help you,” I tell her, and I start bundling her stuff up. I’m careful taking her kitten pictures off the walls ‘cos they’re all she’s got, poor cow. “Got a bar of chocolate waiting for you in your new room,” I add, and that gets her on her feet and picking up the rest of her gear.

Riz sees me bringing Addy into our pad. She comes on over from down the hall where she’s been chatting up some tart who’s in for extortion. “Oi, what’s goin’ on?”

“Got you a new roomie,” I tell her. Addy smiles, looking a bit nervous.

Riz sighs. “You owe me, you slag. Come on, Addy. You can have my bunk.” I grin. Riz never liked having the bottom bunk. Addy sits on the bunk, wide-eyed and smiling like it’s something special. When I toss her the chocolate she probably thinks it’s Christmas.

It don’t take me long to pack up my stuff. No point keeping much inside ‘cos some tea-leaf’ll only come in and nick it. They’re a bunch of bloody criminals in here.

I chuck half my stash of cigarettes at Riz on the way out. She blows me a kiss and gives me the finger.

Luckily, it’s Colly on duty today. She’s one of the decent screws, which means she’s only a bitch if she don’t like your face. She likes my face just fine, so we’re gold. “I’ve swapped bunks with Mad Addy,” I tell her after I’ve dumped my stuff in Ella’s pad. “That all right?”

Ella’s hovering at my shoulder. Colly gives her the eye then smirks at me. “Whatever. Long as you keep the noise down.”

“What did she mean?” Ella asks on the way back to her pad. My pad too, now. “About keeping the noise down?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I tell her. “Screws. They fuck with your head. Come on, there’s still ten minutes of sosh left. Might as well make the most of it.”

“Sosh?” Ella pauses, about to push the cell door open.

“Association time. Before they lock us up in the cells for the night.”

“Oh. No, I think I’ll stay in here, anyway. It feels safer in here. Thank you.” And she gives me a shy smile as she goes inside, sits on the bottom bunk, and hugs herself.