Caged Ivy | Prison Romance

IV

BIRDSWOOD

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Chapter 4

Clothes rustled from across the room. Ivy brought her arm over her eyes to block the blaring lights. The morning bell woke everybody. It was a new day but the last thing she wanted was to get up.

She could hear as the man, who she had not yet learnt the name of, moved around the cell. All the while leaving Ivy to her own devices as he blatantly ignored her.

The door to the cell had yet to be opened and so the two of them were still trapped.

She cradled her legs as she glanced to the stranger. He was sitting at the desk on the other side of the cell, the scratching of a pen filled the silence as he wrote with his back to her.

She felt almost at a loss as to what to do.

"Good morning" She mumbled, almost desperate to fill the silence. Ivy's vow of silence was much short-lived.

The cell went completely quiet, he had stopped writing. He turned towards her in his seat.

"Why are you here?" Was what he asked, skipping the pleasantries which he seemed to not care for.

"Um" Ivy was left surprised at the abruptness of the question "Well, um, they told me this cell was free so I-"

"Not that" He stopped her short "Why are you in prison, why are you in one for men, is what I'm asking"

"Oh" Was all she said, slightly flushed from embarrassment.

She shruged her shoulders. Her dainty fingers drawing circles on her thigh. She didn't really know why she should tell him, albeit willingly.

"What's your name?" She asked hesitantly, dreading that the conversation would die out or she'd be questioned further for what she was placed into prison for.

He rest his arm on the backrest to look up at her. It made him seem more intimidating.

She quickly averted her eyes, not being able to bring herself to continue staring at him.

"What's yours?" Was what he asked instead.

It took a moment for the words to come out, her cheeks pink from his intense stare.

"Ivy" She told him softly.

He hummed in thought, continuing to observe her. Ivy suddenly felt insecure and conscious of how unkempt she must look at that moment. Without a second thought, she tried to fix her hair blindly to tame the bedhead look.

A buzz resonated across the cell once more, the doors lock unlatched and was left to open.

Almost immediately, he stood to walk out. Before he made his exit, however, he cast her a fleeting glance. It was only when he left, that Ivy could sigh in relief.

.

It was straight after breakfast had been handed out, and a room full of men had an eyeful of her, that a guard came to stop beside Ivy.

She was taken to stand before the warden. Who tapped rhythmically against the desk in which he sat behind. 

"Take a seat" He gestured to the chair opposite to him, Ivy stiffly followed on.

"I'm sure your mother has told you what's happening here, Ivy, we've known each other for a long time." it was then that he stopped, and instead started to draw circles again and again and again. The clock against the wall ticking along.