Episode 3.2

Nora lets out a yawn after waking up.

"Did you have a better night than I did?" I inquire kindly.

She shakes her head tiredly and exhaustedly. One of the guards steps into the corridor. I hadn't noticed anyone entering the room before. His gaze scans the quiet and less quiet cells, seemingly checking if everything is in order.

When he reaches my cell, I decide to try my luck.

"Hello!" I draw his attention. He looks at me silently and curiously. The guard is still young, barely in his mid-20s, if not younger. His short hair is the same brown as his eyes.

"I have a question." He steps closer to my cell.

He curiously observes me and Nora.

That look... I don't know how to express it, but there's a small part of me that would prefer to let every other sound drop. Against it stands my own curiosity about whether a shower in the morning is possible.

A silent struggle rages within me, with only one winner.

"Isn't the shower room accessible to everyone?" He listens interestedly to my words. "And we are only two weak girls. Isn't there a way for us to shower alone, without the crowds?"

He starts to smile. "No problem!"

He opens the cells by placing his hand on a part of the lock.

"You both need to hurry!" says the guard as he leads us along the cells.

Some of the prisoners shout. They ask if we need help with our backs or if we want to take them with us.

Nora presses her body anxiously against mine as we are led to the far corner where the shower room is located.

It's not exactly a small room, but it's not huge either, with nothing but tiled walls and towels inside.

I look at the guard questioningly. How are we supposed to shower here?

The answer comes immediately.

He pushes me against the wall, then presses one of the metal tiles. A bar of soap extends from the wall. I observe this function with interest. After another push on the tile, the soap bar retracts into the wall.

With pressure on another square, I suddenly find myself in the cold rain.

So, that answers another question! There's no hot water here!

Frantically, I press on the square, and the water stops flowing. My gaze falls on Nora, who is giggling beside me.

I run my hand through my soaked hair. "Okay, that's what you call fair punishment." I smile at her. At least now I know what it feels like to have me as a neighbor.

My gaze falls suspiciously on the guard, who is eyeing Nora with interest. I'm not entirely comfortable with the guy, and he sends a shiver down my spine. Especially the fact that he leaves the room with a grin unsettles me.

This guy makes me feel uneasy.

"I guess now you know how it often was for me," Nora chuckles amusedly as she undresses.

"Well, you always seemed to provoke it," I call out spiritedly.

"And did my father really pay you for it?" she asks. Her voice sounds sad when she mentions her father.

"Not at first," I reply. I retreat to the far corner, surprising her as she watches me. "But later, he would occasionally thank me with 50 mice." I trust Nora enough not to expose me to the other prisoners, but I don't want her to know that my family is responsible for her situation. Even though I can't stand her, guilt gnaws at me. Torsos mentioned – I don't know if it was just to torment my mother – that he had targeted me.

And now Nora is in this situation.

I pull the wet sweater over my head, then look at the bracelet.

Once again, the question crosses my mind whether the stones might have some significance. Curiously, I press on a few of them, but nothing happens.

They seem to be just decoration.

I take off the rest of my clothes, then press the square for the water. After I've taken a cold shower, I soap myself up. As I'm rinsing off the foam, a scream reaches my ears.

I immediately turn to Nora.

The guard presses her naked, trembling body against the wall. With one hand around her wrists, he runs the other over Nora's body.

"Don't resist!" he whispers in her ear.

"Let her go!" I command, but he doesn't let my interruption bother him.

I look around for any weapon, but I can't find anything. There's nothing here except towels and...

My hand instinctively reaches for one of the squares. A bar of soap extends, which I grab and throw at the guard. "I said leave her alone!" I shout at him.

I have no idea how to get rid of him. The soap bars don't seem to impress him much.

"Damn bitch!" he curses at me.

I press on another square. Again, I grab the soap to throw it at the guy.

Next time, I'll listen to my instincts, I vow to myself.

The guard releases Nora, angrily advancing towards me. "I'll teach you some manners, you bitch!" he barks.

Panicked, I flee to the opposite wall. While I managed to get the guy to let go of Nora, it also means I have no escape route since Nora stayed at the entrance. The guard stands right between us. If I try to escape, he'll surely intercept me.

But I also can't imagine that fleeing from the shower would do much good. It would only amuse the prisoners, and the other guards would surely side with their colleague.

"If you want to be first, I'm happy to oblige," he grins broadly. "You're not allowed to do anything to me!" I shout at him, holding the bracelet in front of his face while trembling with fear.

The guard doesn't seem impressed.

His hands grab my throat, squeezing tightly. Panicked, I grab his hands, trying to loosen his grip and scratching him in the process. But he doesn't let go.

"If I let you go now, be a good girl!" he whispers softly. He loosens his grip on my throat, allowing me to finally breathe again. I gasp for air like a fish out of water. "Nothing will happen to you! But if you resist, I'll kill you!"

If he thinks I'll just stay still so he can do whatever he wants, he's wrong. I glare at him defiantly.

"Do you know how easy it is for me to blame the prisoners for this?" he laughs. With his right hand, he gently strokes my cheek. "So, will you be nice to me?"

Fear crawls up within me. I press my trembling body against the wall. Damn, I can't think of anything. But I don't intend to be obedient either. He certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to let someone go who could be a threat to him. I give this creep that much credit.

"You seem to be worth little anyway, otherwise they wouldn't have sent you down here!" "Well, I heard that the prison is currently more of a shelter since there are hardly any free rooms left in the station," a man's voice comes from the door. "If you don't want to swap your room with the girls, keep your hands off them!"

A black-haired man enters the shower, his voice sounding familiar to me. He is tall, well-built, and damn good-looking. His raven-black hair is slightly longer than the other guard's, looking tousled as if he just rolled out of bed. A few strands fall messily onto his face. I almost guessed that I could thank him for my presence here, but his eyes are hazel-colored. And surely, no one like him would dare to come down here. I estimate his age to be in his mid-20s, maybe even a bit older than the other guard. The uniform he wears is that of a guard. Maybe that's why his voice sounds familiar to me.

"Damn it!" the first guard growls. He turns to his colleague, a situation I immediately seize to run to Nora. She throws herself into my arms, crying.

"Hey, come on, we'll share them," the first guard suggests, grinning at the other. "Before the prisoners beat us to it."

"Don't worry, that won't happen!" the second guard calls out. "I'll take care of that!" His gaze, directed at the other, seems warning. "If you're not gone in five seconds, you can pick a nice cell. Then I'll report it to the right person!" A angry snort comes from the other guard, but he leaves, swearing revenge.

"I want to go home," Nora cries in my arms. My gaze, despondent, falls to the ground. If my family hadn't landed on this planet 16 years ago, she would be with her father now, I think to myself. Even though I don't understand it myself, she somehow triggers such guilt in me.

"Are you both okay?" the guard who saved us inquires.

I briefly look up at him. His gaze is concerned, and he waits for an answer. In his hands, he holds two large towels.

Nora nods. I do too. "Yes, and thank you for the rescue."

He tosses the towels to me. "I've been instructed to look after both of you," he says. "So from now on, if you need anything or have any problems, you both come to me."

I immediately accept this offer.

"I have a request. Would it be possible for her to swap cells with the one behind mine? I don't mind my neighbor, but she's afraid to even sleep on her bed."

"No problem, we can arrange that," he says casually.

"Thank you!" Nora thanks the man.

One problem less.

The guard turns away from us and is about to leave the shower, but I stop him.

"I have another question." I hand one of the towels to Nora, wrap the other around my body, and stand up. "Is there a way to get dry clothes here?" I gesture towards the pile of clothes with my eyes.

"Let me see." He turns to Nora. "Once you're dressed, girl, I'll take you back to the cell."

She nods.

Once the guard leaves the room, we both dry ourselves off.

"Nice guy!" Nora remarks.

"You probably thought the same about the other one earlier!" I express my opinion. But something inside me tells me I can trust him. Maybe it's his pleasant voice, reminding me of a warm summer day.

"What's that thing?" Nora asks, pointing at the bracelet, as she starts getting dressed again.

I lean against the dry part of the wall. "No idea!" I curiously inspect the bracelet, running my fingers over the stones. "But I'd prefer if you didn't mention it."

She nods and leaves the shower fully dressed.

And I wait.

When the guard enters the shower again, he looks at me curiously and somewhat amused. In his hands, he holds some dry clothes.

I blush slightly under his gaze. Pushing myself off the wall, I walk over to him and snatch the clothes from his hand.

A pair of pants and a long-sleeved shirt, both gray, which I find somewhat repulsive at first glance. Something like this definitely wouldn't voluntarily land in my closet at home! Here, I don't have a choice, as he immediately makes clear with his remark.

"I could have brought you a dress, one that's really pretty and would look good on you," he complains at first, but then his tone changes. Winking at me, he says, "I'm sure the other prisoners would appreciate it."

I grumble and turn away from him. I catch his grin before he turns around.

A sigh escapes my lips. I know I should be grateful to get something else to wear. It's also clear to me that he probably wouldn't be able to help me if I were to provoke the prisoners in any way.

So, I decide to steer the conversation away from the clothes.

"So, you're supposed to look after us," I mention. I wait eagerly for his reaction, although I can already guess the answer.

"Well, just you," he confesses. "But since you'll probably always be near them, I might as well look after both of you."

"And does my big protector have a name?" I ask him as I put on the pants.

"You don't need to know that!" is his reply.

"What's that about?" I wonder, looking confused into the distance.

"But I'd like to know the name of my savior," I try again. "I'm Janine."

"Tell me when you're dressed, kid," he says to me.

Anger rises within me. Wordlessly, I put on the shirt.

"Dressed," I say.

"Oh, if you want to thank me, I wouldn't mind," he mentions, turning to me. "Don't you usually thank saviors with a kiss?" A broad grin spreads across his face.

"Forget it!" I retort. After he rescued me and Nora, I really thought he was a nice guy, but that view is gradually fading away now.

I start to walk away, but he stops me. He takes my arm and rolls up the sleeve, revealing the bracelet. First, he turns it around, then he presses on some of the stones. Maybe they're not just decorative after all?

"Girl, do us both a favor!" he sighs. "Stay away from that thing!"

"What's that thing for anyway?" I demand to know.

"Normally, to spy on the guys down here," he explains. "But in your case, it's more for your safety. So, don't touch it anymore in the future!"

"I got it!" I say with a sigh.

"So," he calls out. "When you press the buttons." He examines the bracelet more closely and starts to think. "Or was it these?" He lets go of my arm. "Well, if you press a certain sequence of stones there, you can call me. I just need to double-check which ones. But only in emergencies!"

As I try to leave, he stops me again.

"There will surely be something for your friend soon," he says. "As for you, I have an offer." He grins at me. "Rooms are a bit tight, as I mentioned, but if you say yes, you'll have a nice soft bed from now on, a shower with warm water, several meals a day." There's something about the enumeration that doesn't sit right with me. I look at him skeptically until the catch comes. "And pleasant company when you wake up."

"And who would this company be?" I ask unnecessarily.

"Your dream guy!" he says with a wide grin. I can imagine he means a supposedly very good-looking guy - according to Kaia - with black hair and gray, almost black eyes.

"Not interested!" I start to leave the shower.

"You better not befriend Kaia!" he warns me in a serious tone. "She'll completely corrupt you, nice girl!"

I head towards my cell. The guard follows me part of the way but eventually turns to a door. Before leaving the room, he claps on the wall.

"Dinner time!" he calls out, just before leaving the room.