‘Much. Thank you.’
‘Just doing my job.’
Scarlen tested her legs by standing, surprised by the sudden strength in her joints. ‘What happens to the man who died?’
‘Body goes to his family, if he has one. They’ll be told he had a fight. If there is no one out there for him, he’ll be burned and his ashes scattered in the bay.’
It seemed so cold. ‘And Horstal gets away with this?’
Posla gave a small nod. ‘That appears to be the case.’
She wanted to yell at him, scream, scratch his eyes out for his nonchalance. A man had been murdered under their watch. Their orders. Their wicked game. But no words came to her, just numbness and a wish for her bed.
Posla opened the door, and Scarlen saw Miss Goolan outside. ‘All fixed,’ he trilled.
Goolan grunted. ‘This way, Smithson.’
‘Are we going to the shower chamber, miss?’
‘You wish.’ She scoffed, then gave Scarlen the once over, her grimace firm in place. ‘You do realise what you did in the Zone?’
‘Survived,’ Scarlen muttered, fists clenching.
‘You broke the rules, Smithson. So, no, you won’t be heading for a nice warm shower and some breakfast.’
‘Am I going to see the warden?’
‘No. You’re going straight to a dark cell for three days.’
Even though she had no idea what that entailed, she still gasped. ‘What did I do wrong?’
‘You and yourboyfriendeither made a lot of mistakes or you just didn’t care.’ Goolan led her along a corridor she hadn’t been before. ‘You wore a different colour, Smithson. You’re still wearing Amber. And you stayed in one place longer than an hour, then there’s the fact Vyer joined in your fight.’
‘I wasn’t fighting.’
Goolan shrugged. ‘Looked that way to them.’ Her gaze went upwards, and Scarlen followed her eyes for a moment.
‘May I speak to the warden about this?’
A cackle of a laugh shot out of Miss Goolan. ‘No, you may not.’
Scarlen went to protest some more but was brought to a stop at a double-barred door and handed over to another guard. One she hadn’t seen before.
‘Scarlen Smithson,’ reported Miss Goolan as the door opened. ‘Three days.’
The plump woman with hollow eyes grabbed Scarlen by the arm and tugged her inside, bidding Miss Goolan good day.
Scarlen took in her surroundings, thinking it not too different from the family room. A small empty communal area was in the middle, and some doors like the ones in Red were to either side.
‘First time, Smithson, so here are the rules.’ The guard marched her over to a door. ‘When the flap opens,’ she tapped the opening in the door, ‘it’ll be for your food or water. You’ll be fed three times a day. Porridge each time. You have thirty seconds to eat. You’ll receive a cup of water morning and night. You drink it quickly and pass back the cup. Understand?’
Scarlen nodded at the harsh rules.
‘Now, strip and put this on.’
An off-white shift was waggled Scarlen’s way, and she wasn’t sure if she was supposed to go into the cell to get changed, as the door hadn’t been opened.
As if reading her mind, the guard confirmed the change of clothes would happen right where she stood.
