I'm not going to even bother making excuses this time… I just lacked inspiration… Here ya'll go!

Chapter 4: Suspicion

Shay's POV

I run a hand over my forehead catching most of the sweat before it stings my eyes and sigh. The urge for nicotine has never been as strong as it is now. My cravings for alcohol died away about two months after my incarceration. But unlike alcohol, which is impossible to get unless you somehow find your way into the guards' quarters, cigs are relatively easy to get a hold of. Unfortunately, no one new has been brought in about a month or too, and the cancer sticks I managed to intimidate out of the last dumb bastard to end up here, didn't last too long.

I find myself sighing again, and it occurs to me that I've been doing more of that lately. I give a dry chuckle when I hear something slip behind me.

"What's so funny?" Jack… no Kyra, I still have to remind myself sometimes, whispers as she steps up to me.

"Just noticed something about myself…"

"You wouldn't think that after thirty years of life and living with yourself, you would still be finding out new stuff about yourself."

I turn my head towards her and glare at her, before facing forward again.

"Careful whelp, you're showing your age and mine."

"I thought you are only as old as you feel." Jack smirks at me.

"This is very true, and as I still feel all young and sprightly, I guess I don't have to worry, eh?" I smirk back at her, while rotating my shoulder. I make my way toward a boulder behind us and seat myself. Kyra lowers herself to the ground beside me.

"Young and sprightly?"

"Yep, and of course I'm always finding out new things about myself. What else do I have to do, but sit around and think? Only the young live their lives assuming they know what they want."

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes," I pause and look toward Kyra, who in all actuality is still Jack to me, despite the events of the past five years, "Sometimes what you think you want and what you really want are two different things."

"You sound like you're speaking from personal experience."

"I am and you know it."

"Why have you never told me what happened between you and Riddick? I mean it's been five years since he left."

"He left us to fend for ourselves. That's all that happened." My blood runs cold like it does every time she mentions him; she doesn't hate him like I do. It's funny, it's like a child asking their single mother who their daddy is; unrepentant and unrelenting. You feel bad for not answering, but answering gouges another even bigger hole in your gut.

"But-"

"That's all that happened."

"Okay then, new question. What would you do if Riddick showed up?"

"Barf."

"I'm being serious, Shay."

"So am I. I would literally get sick, all over him… and I would cherish every moment." We hear some fight break out below us. I get up and walk over to the bars that separate our cell and the drop off into the cavern that makes up Crematoria. "Sounds like some fun might be going on down there."

"I doubt it." Kyra gets up and turns to leave, "Might as well go check it out, got nothing better to do."

"Kyra?" I call over my shoulder, no turning around, her footsteps stop so I continue, "I don't know what I would do, but luckily I doubt we'll ever see him again."

"He'll come back… he came back before."

I hear her footsteps get fainter and fainter as she walks away and I whisper, "Fry forced him last time, who's there to play his conscience now?"

I sigh again and watch as the fight begins to involve more and more prisoners. The guards are beginning to notice, better make myself scarce; they'll find some way to blame me for this. On my way out I run into Red.

"'Sup?" I tip my head towards him.

"'Ello Chief. I got some info for you." Chief... what an annoying nickname.

"Please, continue."

"We got fresh meat coming in."

"Really? Got any specs on the lucky bastard?"

"Just that there's a major ass bounty on their head and they're in for murder." Riddick… shit.

"Well that narrows it down, now doesn't it? Do we know when he's supposed to come in?"

"He?"

"How many female murderers with major ass bounties on their heads do you know?"

"You."

"My bounty wasn't that big…"

"Big enough. I'm assuming you know who it is." He raised a red eyebrow at me.

"I might."

"You might… you going to tell me?"

"Do I ever?"

"No."

He walks away, content in just knowing that I have an idea. His blind faith in me is disconcerting, it reminds me too much of the blind faith I had once placed in Riddick's hands. Riddick... I could lie to you and say I don't miss him, but I won't. I think it's rather obvious that I think about him daily, and sometimes my thoughts wonder in a way that makes me think I might not hate him as much as I would wish too. It's sad really, it's like I'm a little girl again, back in highschool crushing on the star quarterback; willing to forgive all of his little indiscretions as long as I'm still allowed to follow in his shadow. I don't know what I'll do if this new prisoner is Riddick, which it likely is. I supposed I'll just have to be careful around him, I can't afford to let my guard down again. My heart never recovered from the last time.

Okay here it is guys... hopefully next chapter will be up soon.