Hello :) New story for you all.
I'm trying something new with this one. It's the first time I've written in first person, and it's also the first time I've alternated POV, so I hope it turns out alright. Let me know what you think.

It's an AU fic but I'll try to keep as much of the characters' backstory and mannerisms as accurate as I can. I will also make the setting as real as possible to the location and time frame; however as I have never been in a 1980s Women's prison, I can make no promises here.

On that note, I hope you enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters etc etc

x x x x

I flinch at the harsh crunch as the metal doors seal me into my latest cage. The guard mutters something that I don't even pretend to hear over the sound of my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.

I stare pitifully at the bars for a few seconds before turning in a slow circle to survey my new surroundings. Everything I have ever heard about jail is true.

Cold. Dark. Blank. Empty.

Or perhaps not so empty after-all.

As my eyes adjust to the dimness, they settle on the metal bunk-beds against the left hand wall. To my utmost surprise, there is a woman staring back at me, her head cocked to the side curiously.

As I regain a sense of composure after the shock I begin to fidget under her intense gaze, not quite sure where to put myself in the small space. Not wanting to spark any fights on my first day, I move to lean against the opposite wall, as far away from her as the tiny room will allow.

The woman continues to stare for a few minutes longer before seemingly getting bored with the new attraction and returning to the book she is reading.

I use this opportunity to observe her from my safe spot.

She is slightly older than myself, in her mid-to-late twenties perhaps. She has reddish-blonde hair which she subconsciously twirls through her fingers. Her blue eyes, though piercing, are more inquisitive than cold and on the whole she seems relatively unthreatening.

"You planning on staying there all day?"

The voice startles me back to reality and I blink at her in surprise.

"What?"

Smooth.

The blonde offers a mysterious sort of smile, putting her book aside and leaning closer. "You got a name?"

"Maybe." I shift uncomfortably, not entirely sure that I am calm enough to engage this woman in conversation just yet

She laughs, shaking her hair out.

"Cagey." She comments. "I'll soon break that."

Unsure of whether I am supposed to be scared by that veiled threat, I opt to remain silent.

X x x

Cath's POV

I jump, startled by the unexpected intrusion to my concentration, as the door to my cell is thrown open and a scared young girl is flung inside.

"Congratulations, a room with a view." The guard mutters sarcastically, slamming the door shut behind him. The girl flinches at the noise, before scanning her new home apprehensively.

Putting my book to one side, I sit forward on the bottom bunk and analyse her movements carefully. It has been a long time since I have had a roommate. I think.
To be honest, time means very little in here.

"Hey." I say at last, although the girl appears not to hear me. Not wanting to freak her out further, I wait until she spots me in her own time. For a moment we just stare at each other before she moves to the far wall and drops her gaze to the hard stone floor.

I scrutinise her with intrigue. She barely looks old enough to even be in an adult prison. It is obvious from her demeanour that this is her first time in a place like this; the latest victim of California's iron-fist approach to the growing crime rates. That or she'd drawn a really hard-ass judge. I can't help but feel pity for the kid.

When it is clear I am not going to get anything out of her just yet I resume reading my book, giving her a few minutes to acclimatise.

It isn't long before I begin to sense that I am being watched and peer over the top of my book at her.

"You planning on staying there all day?" I ask at last. She jumps, blinking at me with startled brown eyes.

"What?"

I smile, discarding my book altogether and moving to the edge of the mattress. Upon closer inspection her eyes are hazel, not brown and they continued to appraise me with suspicion.

"You got a name?"

"Maybe."

I can't help the laugh that bubbles out of me at her evasive answer. Apparently this girl has more sass than first glance would suggest.

"Cagey." I comment. "I'll soon break that."

At the scared look I receive, I realise how that must have sounded and soften my voice a little.

"Really not talking, huh?" I continue rhetorically. "Alright, well let me know when you find your tongue." I roll onto my back, folding my arms under my head and staring at the underside of the top bunk. "I'm not going anywhere."

I neglect to add that neither is she. If she isn't already well aware of that, she soon will be.