Chapter 1

It was the walk of shame if I'd ever experienced it.

All eyes were on me as I was ushered down the long stretch of the corridor, sandwiched between two guards. Men jeered and spat obscenities my way, while others simply stared; their dead soulless eyes watching my every move. I tried to keep my head down and my feet moving. All I had to do was remember what Jerry had said.

Before I'd been sentenced he'd told me what I needed to do; don't fight, keep your eyes to yourself, do what they tell you do, never sass and always be respectful, that's how you get through prison life unharmed and even then it wasn't a sure thing, but I'd do it because jerry had once lived through this, he knew what it was like, I'd be safe as long as I followed his advice.

The guards weren't rough; they didn't push or snap like the first set who had transported me to the facility. They held me in a way which told me they'd done this a million times or more . They were used to this, this was their job and now it had become my life.

When we stopped at the end of the corridor I held my breath. I still kept my head down like jerry had instructed, but I could see the dark grey bars of the cell embedded deep into the concrete floor. I didn't have to look up to know this was to be my cell; my new home for the duration of my sentence.

I'd already shed my tears over that fact, already whispered goodbye to the life I'd had and now all that was left was cold hard acceptance but that didn't mean I wasn't scared stiff and terrified out of my mind at the daunting prospect.

As my eyes settled on the bars and travelled half way up I knew this day would make me or break me because this was when I would meet him. Jerry told me that throughout the entire prison experience, the most crucial point was the cell mate; the person you would spend the rest of your years with, the person you had to trust not to end your life while you slept.

You could have the entire reformatory population against you but if your cell mate wasn't on your side then you might as well have signed yourself up for a homicide and this was the reason my hands were shaking before me today.

I heard the buzzer go off signaling that the door would be opened and not a moment later, the bars were sliding to the side and I was taking a step into the small cramped space. The door closed behind me then they instructed me to turn and stretch my hands through the small rectangular space to the right of the cell bars where they pulled off the cuffs.

"What're you in for?"

It was only when I heard the deep voice resonating throughout the cell that I turned and got the shock of my life. In my mind prison was filled with guys with tats and weathered faces, huge angry scars and dirty sly grins, what I hadn't expected was the site before me; he lay on his back bare-chested, his hands behind his head, his skin smooth and tanned from just the right amount of sunlight.

He wore a buzz cut and just the slightest bit of stubble could be seen on his handsome face. He was cut...not 'gym' cut but looking as if his muscled frame was from hard manual labor than anything else.

He looked to be about mid to late twenties and his eyes...holy heaven those eyes; the brightest dark green eyes I'd ever seen stared down at me from the top bunk. He was nothing short of gorgeous and he was in my cell.

My eyes travelled further down the length of him and there was no doubt he was much taller than I was... a little over 6ft to my 5"5'. His feet were bare and like the rest of him; sculpted to perfection. I wondered briefly if I was dreaming, or if this was some kind of trick the prison guards played on the new convicts; show them something they had no chance of having then take it away leaving them wanting for more.

As my eyes swept over his frame I found myself wondering how such a man could be in a place like this, he looked so out of place among the slightly rusted bed frame and dirty marked up walls. He couldn't really belong here.

Jerry had told me never to tell any of the inmates I was innocent, he said the best way to fit in was to highlight whatever crime got you in, that would either gain you respect or cause someone to fear you in some small way, but as I looked at him I felt to need to tell him the truth, I didn't want this gorgeous creature to think I was like the rest. I needed him to know that I wasn't as evil as the very place that held him captive and so when I opened my mouth, that's exactly what I told him...the truth.

"I- I didn't do what they said I did...I'm innocent." I said, my voice just a little over a whisper as I willed him to believe me.

I watched as he straightened up on his bunk, his back now to the wall and in an instant those beautiful green eyes changed from casually bored to ruthlessly lethal. They glinted down at me and his mouth tightened causing me to shrink back against the wall.

"Listen kid." He spoke, his voice as cold as his eyes. "I don't give a fuck whether or not you're guilty, everyone here claims they're innocent ad you're no different but I have to room with you which means, you tell me what I need to know and everything goes smoothly...got that?" he asked and his tone brooked no argument. I swallowed hard, feeling trapped under his cold stare and the word tumbled out.

"M-murder." I whispered.

He stared at me for a few seconds, his eyes never leaving mine, then I watched as he pulled a blade from the waistband of his prison issued pants.

My eyes widened and my blood ran cold when I spotted it and my throat became dry. Then he raised it up and slammed it into the edge of his mattress so that it stood straight up; the handle wrapped with what looked to be strips of brown cloth.

It was only then that his eyes left mine and I watched; my entire body shaking, as he turned once more to lay on his back, placing his hands behind his head and his eyes drifted to the ceiling. Beside him he left the blade glinting and erect and there was no doubt what it signified...A warning.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

HOPE YOU'LL ALL ENJOY THIS ONE...I'M LOVING IT ALREADY!

-DoUbLe.A

-unedited.