Pauper Princess

Chapter Two

There had been talk of creating a separate prison for men and women, as well as talk of creating holding cells for those who had not yet been convicted. But that had not yet happened in London. Instead, I was thrust into the large cage, which was crowded- primarily with men and boys. There were so many bodies pressed together that it was hard to breathe- the heat, the overwhelming smell, the crowds of elbows that seemed to be at the perfect level to jab into my skull from every angle.

It was unbearable.

I hurried to make my way through the crowd, desperate to find an area with a bit of space, or a window, or a friendly face. But there was no reprieve. People piled atop one another, unable to find the room to even sit comfortably. Some lay sleeping against the concrete walls, heedless of what I hoped to be water dripping down on us from a higher floor of the prison. Others shouted and threw elbows and kicked, fighting to find room that simply did not exist.

"Come here," A voice called. It took me several moments to locate it in the chaos- it was a woman. Or, rather, a girl- she looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years of age. She was sitting against a wall, ignoring the men on either side of her. Both had arms around her, and one of them was leering as his hand traveled closer to the breast of her tattered dress.

She held a hand out to me. "Come here," She repeated.

Ducking and weaving and slightly shoving, I managed to make it to her. She grabbed my arm and pulled me to sit between her legs. wrapping her arms around me and resting her chin on the top of my head. It wasn't until I felt the vibrations of her chin against me that I realized my whole body was violently shaking.

"It's alright," She soothed, tightening her arms around me as a man stumbled backwards, falling into us. She covered me with her body, taking the brunt of the blow when he used his fist to catch himself on her shoulder. She winced, but didn't cry out. Her voice was still steady as she spoke to me. "You'll be alright. Stay low and don't move. Do not call attention to yourself. You're alright."

I leaned into her as a man nearby suddenly shouted, lunging at the man just beside him with no warning. They both fell in a frenzy of punches, taking several other men, a woman, and a small boy down with them. As they neared, the girl holding me covered my head once more, blocking one of the men's knees from hitting me. I still felt the impact, but surely not as brutally.

Keeping my head pressed to her chest, I closed my eyes in an effort to block out all that was around me. I had seen many horrors in my life, but had always been good at avoiding them myself. How had it come to this?

I could not keep myself from admitting to my fear. "I'm frightened!"

Her fingers did their best to make their way through my matted hair. "You musn't be. You must be brave. Just keep to yourself and pray."

I didn't tell her that I had never prayed. I didn't know how. But it seemed I didn't need to, because she began to mumble a quiet prayer for the both of us. I stayed silent and listened- it was similar to the prayer that the church officials said before handing out food on Sundays.

Several officers made their way into the cell, finally breaking up the fight with more violence. The girl's grip on me stayed steady. "I am moving soon. Once I do, immediately come to sit in my spot. Do not move away from the wall, and stay far from the middle of the cell."

"Where are you moving to? I want to come."

"You'll go soon enough. We all do. I'm going home."

My chest constricted. I was glad that this kind girl was getting out of this horrid place. But once again I would face it all by myself. "I don't have a home."