Prison Yard

Chapter one - Sentencing

"Please rise for sentencing." The judge's loud voice echoed throughout the courtroom. Marinette followed instructions and shot to her feet. The room grew quiet and all she could hear was her heartbeat ringing in her ears. She could feel the panic rise inside her. She stood completely still beside the shaking in her legs. She walked over to the podium and wrapped her fingers around the wooden edge of the stand. Her hands gripped tightly on the podium and she felt her knuckles grow white. She bit her lip as she tried to keep her composure.

Marinette glanced over and saw a pale, white woman rise from her seat. Her hair was a washed-out beach blond color and was pulled back into a tight ponytail. She wore a grey blouse with a charcoal skirt. Her face was cold and lifeless. Marinette's entire fate laid in this woman's hands and she seemed merciless. The woman avoided eye contact with her and Marinette didn't see that as a good sign. Maybe the woman didn't want to see the blue-haired girl because she knew she was about to destroy the future of the 18-year-old. Maybe not seeing her made it easier.

"We judge the defendant guilty, your honor." And with that the woman sat down and looked at the floor with a blank stare.

Marinette's world crumbled. She felt any hope for justice die inside of her. Marinette's knees buckle under her weight, the podium being the only thing keeping her upright. She heard her mother sob behind her. Marinette felt tears start to swell in her eyes and she choked down a sob. Marinette had her future planned and had only just started living a life of her own and now it would be ripped away from her. The judge's loud booming voice broke her out of her trance. "I sentence Marinette Dupain-Cheng to life imprisonment for the attempted assassination of Mayor Bourgeois, treason, attempted murder, and illegally using a firearm. The defendant will have the possibility of parole after serving 30 years of her sentence." And with the smack of a gavel her fate was sealed.

She was taken out of her thoughts by the feeling of someone grabbing her by the arm. The rest was a blur to Marinette. She felt the stares of the jury pierce into her like a double-bladed sword. Marinette felt nothing but helplessness. Marinette stood in between two officers as they escorted her out of the room. The officers pulled her arms behind her back and twisted her forearm into an uncomfortable position. She then felt the cold metal of the handcuffs wrap around her wrists. She was placed in the backseat of a police car. The car door slammed shut, trapping her inside. She shrunk into her seat, trying to hide herself from the rest of the world. Fear shot into her, her anxiety eating away at her mind. She couldn't keep her thoughts straight, her mind was spinning with thoughts about her college plans, her future, her parents, her friends. Her heart was beating at a speed Marinette wasn't able to comprehend. The car ride to the state prison was long but Marinette's racing thought kept her occupied. Finally they arrived.

Marinette looked out the car window to see tall chain link fences with rings of barbed wire wrapped around it. Tall stone towers watching over the prison. Guards standing at their posts surrounding the compound. A female guard opened the car door and dragged Marinette by the arm. Marinette went through metal detectors and was patted down before she was admitted. She was given a tan jumpsuit and a long sleeve white wool shirt. She put on the wool shirt and put the tan t-shirt over top. She finished getting dressed and went to her cell.

Marinette walked down a wide corridor, two guards standing at her sides. The hallway was lined with prison cells filled with women wearing the same tan uniform. Some of the women glared at her through cell bars, others couldn't care less about her. One inmate pounded on the steel bars causing Marinette to jump. One 0f the guards told off the inmate and she just snickers. Marinette internally scolded herself for jumping at the sound and showing weakness. She felt so out of place. The bright fluorescent light made everyone look washed out and worn. Their stares made her uncomfortable and she felt the need to hold her head high and erase all sense of vulnerability from herself. She was in prison, she was a prisoner, and it's time to start acting like one.

Marinette tried her best to not seem intimidated but all she wanted in that moment was to get to her cell where she would be safe from their hate filled stares. The guards suddenly stopped and turned right and walked into an empty cell. On each side of the cell laid a metal bed frame with a mattress. The guards then shut the metal bars locking her inside. The left bed had a pillow and blankets folded neatly on the foot of the bed. The one on the right had sheets and blankets tossed around and spread across the floor. Marinette let out a sigh and the neat freak in her got to work. She picked up the scattered sheets and folded them up and placed them on the mattress. As she was making the bed she noticed a carving in the wall. The lines on the brick were shallow and were difficult to read like they had been carved with a dull butter knife. Marinette squinted as she read. "Lila Rossi was here"  

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Word count: 942 (not counting this)