Page 3 of Day Break

As we moved through the last gate, names were called out, along with a letter and a number.

Andrés, C2

Clark, C4

Marquez, C5

Meyers, C7

I jumped when someone shoved me from behind.

“You’re here,” they said.

I took two steps until I entered what would be my new world. When the door slammed behind me, I flinched, not prepared for the sound that reverberated in the small space.

“You get used to it,” someone said in the dark room.

I blinked a few times until my eyes adjusted. Then I glanced up and noticed a large Latino woman sitting on the upper bunk. Her hair was dyed a bright yellow and cut so short I could see her scalp in places. She wore the same jumpsuit I had on, only her sleeves were rolled up, showcasing arms that were covered in faded tattoos.

“I won’t bite. At least not when we’re alone.” She smiled. That was when I noticed that one of her canine teeth was missing. The other one was capped. “I’m Lucy.” She ran her eyes over me. “Do you have a name besides Meyers?” She mimicked the guard’s tone.

“That’s not my name,” I said quickly.

I knew what she was seeing when she continued to run her eyes over me.

I was skinny, lanky, pale.

My naturally blonde hair was ratted and pulled back into a ponytail. My skin looked washed out, almost translucent.

My blue eyes were no doubt red and puffy, even though I’d held back the tears. So far. They were dead inside, much like I was.

Lucy’s eyebrows shot up. “Okay, then what is your name?”

I looked back at my shoes as I stood rod straight just inside the room.

Sarah Meyers was dead. I’d killed her to survive.

I heard the woman moving around in the room but didn’t let my eyes waver from my shoes. I could feel the burning behind them grow.

I didn’t care.

I felt nothing.

No matter how many times I said it to myself, I just couldn’t force my heart to believe those words.

To my horror, tears fell from my eyes and landed on my dull gray sneakers.

Then Lucy’s face appeared between my nose and my shoes, blurry from the tears. She must have been bending over and practically upside down so she could see my face.

“You get one night of self-pity. That’s the rules around here,” Lucy said firmly, her eyes boring into mine. “After that, you gotta put on your big girl panties like the rest of us. Understand?”

I swallowed and closed my eyes as I nodded. When I shut my eyes, I sealed off the rest of my tears. I told myself that was all I would allow myself to shed.

“Good. The bottom bunk is yours,” Lucy said cheerfully. She jumped easily onto her bunk. “Those bitches even take that choice away from us.”

I set my things on the lower bunk before sitting down. The mattress reminded me of one I’d slept on at a motel long ago. Back when I had foolishly believed that I could fight for my freedom all by myself. The first and only time I’d tried to escape. That move had cost me dearly.

“Hey, not Meyers,” Lucy said from her spot on the top bunk. “I’ll trade you some smokes for that new bar of soap.”