The Lone Knight (Under The Cowl Book #1)

CHAPTER 48

     Barely able to sleep a wink against the cold steel slab called a bed, Stephanie spent most of her night gazing up at the starless ceiling of her cell.

The tiny window above her bed was nothing more than a tease. Perhaps in a different life with fewer snickers candy bars in her life and more ab crunches with a side of water for meals, getting through that tiny window wouldn't be so hopeless.

"Rise and shine, inmate!"

Blasted by the hallway light and the loud ring of the steel door slammed against the wall, Stephanie shielded her eyes from the light and quickly rose up off her back. 

She turned and dropped her feet to the floor, reminded by her situation thanks to the rattle of her chain against the edge of her bed. Cuffed around her ankle, she looked down at the chain tethered to the leg of her bolted bed frame. A short chain, so there was absolutely nowhere she could have gone within this cell except to her bed and fortunately to the toilet. And even then she had to stretch out her leg entirely in order to pop a proper squat.

Pulled by the cuffs on her wrist by two massive guards, Stephanie's lead into the hallway and stopped outside her door.

Forced to hold her arms up she flinched to the aggressive pat down.

"Looks like we got ourselves a field mouse." one of the guards teased.

Before she knew it, while getting her eyes adjusted to the bright ceiling lights, Stephanie watched her cuffs join the chain tied to another inmate in front of her, a chain gang.

"Where am I going?"

"Don't worry darling, where you're going you'll be praying for my touch."

Stephanie scoffed. "If I wanted to be felt up by breakfast sausages in the morning tell the chef I'm a born again vegan."

A few of the ladies in front of Stephanie either cracked a smile or stifled their laughter after Stephanie's jab at the guard's fingers he could barely bend because they're so fat.

"I can only imagine how suffocating the "ladies"" she air quoted, "must feel with that wide belly, jelly thighs, and tits bigger their own on when they see you without cloths. I mean between you and me, you've got me beat."

Humiliated, the guard raised his hand.

"Lay one finger on her and you will answer to me."

The guard froze in the face of the defiant Stephanie Brown staring back at him. Not the least bit intimidated when he was suppose to be the one with the power. Instead he's forced to yield to the superior he could see in the corner of his eye and make his way down the hall.

Stephanie didn't look either but louder the footsteps echoed across the hall, and with more than one, Stephanie watched as two Collectors pass her and the guard across from her.

Tim Drake and Darla Aquista.

Was this some kind of cruel and twisted joke set up by the universe to see these two together all the time?

Could this get any worse?

Dragged along, Stephanie watched as she and rest of her fellow inmates go on a long walk on the cold tile under their soles. A feeling of being pulled, every girl walked in unison, forced to slightly hunch over and nearly hug the wall where one side of their chain sat looped around the rail.

It's at the turn of the corner near the end of the hall where Stephanie found Daria standing alongside a few Collectors and dressed in fresh new uniform.

Stephanie almost didn't recognize Daria with her blonde bob cut. Perhaps she wanted a new look, forget the past and dive into a fresh start.

Relieved to see Daria well, it's at the push of a button on the collar of Daria's uniform when a mask popped up from beneath her collar to cover the lower half of her face. Showing off or hiding from me? Stephanie started scoffed until she noticed Daria lock eyes with her when she should be avoiding her.

Strange, Stephanie found it hard to look away from the intensity of Daria's gaze. She clearly had the attention of her fellow Collectors huddled around her and admiring her new gear. But Stephanie could shake the sense that Daria was trying to show her something.

The showers were cold and short, and the guards gave her hardly any time to dry herself off. By time she was back out in the hallway and in line with the rest of the prisoners, everyone came to an abrupt stop as they headed back to their cell.

"What the hell is this?" one of the guards complained. "Can you unlock the door?" he shouted to the other side.

Hair and body still wet, and jumpsuit peppered with random moist spots. Stephanie jumped and quickly stiffened her body against a sudden breeze against her back. "Goddammit!" she hissed between her teeth, the shortcomings of being last in line.

And if things couldn't get any worse, Stephanie looked down to find strains of her blonde hair on her arms and on the floor by her feet.

"Now I'm losing my hair." she said hopelessly and hysterically to herself, but low enough so she won't have to endure the eyes of ridicule from her fellow inmates. Why should my shame make them feel better about their situation in comparison?

Stephanie swept her loose hair on the floor towards the base of the wall before the line moved again.

In the corner of her eye, the fat guard Stephanie nearly came to blows with look at her strangely. Like there was something different he couldn't put his finger on.

Last to pass the gate Stephanie found her reflection along the way. It was a quick glimpse, but she could have sworn her hair been cut into a bob instead of falling out like she thought.

There was one more stop. And from where she stood in line Stephanie could see the exit. 

The girls in front of her didn't bother to dare stick their head out in order to see whatever the holdup was. They kept their head down and mouth shut. Like they must have done this before, aware of the consequences that came with getting out of line, Stephanie however didn't feel the need to follow such procedure of the submitted. But not one guard bothered to pay them any attention, they were all rather preoccupied huddled in front of another Collector with a chart in his hand.

Stephanie leaned a little bit further out of line where she found Cyborg standing with the guards escorting her and the rest of the prisoners to wherever they're suppose to go next. And though dressed in fewer animatronic prosthetics compared to when she saw him last, Stephanie could tell that it was him. First Daria, then Cyborg? If I was a better girl I'd say this was their way of saying goodbye.

It put a smile on Stephanie's face as she pulled herself back in line. Enough to know they cared when they spoke on her behalf, to see her off like this, Stephanie blinked as often as she could in order to avoid falling into a teary-eyed flushed face mess.

Once again the line moved. 

Stephanie caught Cyborg in passing as he stood off to the side. He wasn't a wave goodbye kind of guy. The short exchange of a simple look was all the two needed to express some semblance of an apology and thanks.