gonna get the collar!” someone yells out with excitement.
Sure enough, as soon as Beast starts shifting on all fours, some of the prison guards rush over and clamp a metal collar around his neck. His body pauses mid-shift. Everyone winces and oohhh’s. It looks painful as hell, and a shiver runs up my spine at the sight of a shifter stuck in their shift. The unnaturalness of it messes with me, and I watch as he’s led away like a stray to the pound.
The female, Zen, turns to me and shakes her head. “Damn, girl. I’ve never seen Beast hate someone so much at first sight.”
I shrug and pick up my tray again. “I’d say that was a new experience for me...but I’d be lying.”
Snickering again, Zen follows me as I continue back to the food. The rest of the inmates in line are still paused, watching me. They’re blocking the goods, though, and I really am hungry, so I start to elbow my way between two of them as they watch me, shuffling over awkwardly. “I’m just gonna slide past you and get some of that coleslaw.”
I serve myself, piling up the creamy cabbage deliciousness in one high mountain. I don’t know what it is, but I just love cafeteria food. I flourished in elementary school. “Mmm. Perfect.”
One of the cafeteria servers comes up and dumps down some tuna casserole next. I fill up the rest of the plate with that and some red Jell-O. I love red Jell-O.
Pleased with my collection, I turn to figure out what table I’m going to sit at, but Zen stops me as I pick out a small carton of milk. “Can I get some strawberry milk instead?” I ask the servers. The female in the hairnet rolls her eyes and dumps more plain milk into the barrel. I guess that’s a no.
“Come on,” Zen says to me. I notice she’s opted for a plate full of cornbread. I respect that. “You can sit with me.”
“Which one is your group?” I ask as I follow her.
“Does it matter?” she asks, cocking a brow at me.
I nod. “It does. It’s very important to assimilate myself in the correct prison gang on my first day,” I explain. “It has to be a group strong enough that the other gangs won’t fuck with us, but not top dog because then that would mean we would always be fighting for dominance, and that shit is exhausting.”
“You’ve thought a lot about this.”
“Oh, yeah. I’ve been getting ready for prison for months now. I had to up my time table last-minute though, so I’m not as up-to-date on all the pruno recipes as I’d like to be, but it is what it is,” I tell her on a shrug.
Zen eyes me for a beat before she chuckles and jerks her head in the direction of a cement picnic-style table with a matching cement bench on each side. Immediately, two inmates grab their trays and move, clearing the way for her. She gestures for me to have a seat, her golden eyes gleaming. I cop a squat and take her in with a new light.
Hmm, Zen is someone here. I can tell by the way the other inmates react around her.
I shove a massive spoonful of coleslaw into my mouth and chew while I wait. She’ll either explain the deal around here, warn me, challenge me, or continue to size me up like she’s currently doing. Surprisingly, I don’t get a threatening or even a dominant vibe from her. But it’s clear by the way others are side-eyeing her that she should be added to my do not fuck with list.
I try the tuna casserole next, and I can’t help the face I make or the noise that sneaks out of my mouth. “So damn good,” I chirp as I swallow the delicious bite down and immediately shove in another. I know I should be getting the lay of the land right now, but this is delicious.
Zen chokes on the bite of cornbread in her mouth and gives me an incredulous look. Huh, maybe the cornbread sucks here? I make a mental note to avoid it.
“What’s your name?” she asks after she clears her airway of the offending bite. She opens a carton of milk and downs it.
“Sinclair,” I offer around another massive bite of tuna casserole and coleslaw. Man, this combo is fucking glorious. “But if you’re handing out nicknames, I’m a fan of Rainbow Dash, because..lor, and let’s