Aiko jerked awake, her cheek pressed against the freezing floor. Every inch of her body screamed in pain.

  Ow… everything hurts. Did I… black out?

  She hadn’t even been locked up for a whole day, and already she’d been jumped more than once. The guards just stood there while three older girls pounded on her like she was some practice dummy. One of them had brass knuckles—who even has those in here? She tried to block, but there were too many of them. Something hard smashed into her head and then—darkness.

  Her neck throbbed when she turned it. She forced herself to sit up, teeth clenched.

  Next time, I’m fighting back. No more taking this. No more looking weak.

  Uncle’s voice echoed in her head—Martial arts is for defense, not anger. But what was she supposed to do? Let them beat her to death?

  The lights above flickered, buzzing like dying bees, making the shadows crawl across the walls. The place felt like it was trying to scare her on purpose.

  I didn’t even do anything. Why am I here? I need to get out. I didn’t do anything.

  Movement caught her eye. A girl—older, maybe seventeen—strode toward her. Red hair, tattoos, eyes that looked like they could cut through steel.

  Great. Here comes trouble. Don’t freak out, Aiko. Just be ready.

  The girl plopped down right next to her. She smelled like cafeteria meatloaf and bad breath.

  “Name’s Ginger,” she said, low and rough, like she thought she was in some gangster movie. “You look like you could use some protection.”

  Aiko shook her head, trying not to sound scared. “No… I’m fine.”

  Ginger smirked. “You sure? Pretty face like yours won’t last long without me.”

  Don’t lose it. Uncle said, stay calm. Stay calm.

  “I said I’m fine. Leave me alone.”

  Ginger’s smile stretched wider. “Watch yourself, little one.” She stood and sauntered out.

  Aiko barely had time to breathe before another girl barged in—bigger, meaner, brunette with arms like tree trunks. She rifled through Aiko’s tiny pile of stuff and held up her toothpaste.

  “I’ll take this.”

  “That’s mine. Put it back,” Aiko said, her voice sharper this time.

  The girl sneered. “What? Is the little mouse squeaking at me?”

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  Another inmate laughed. “Show her who’s boss, Roxy.”

  The brunette slapped Aiko so hard her head smacked the wall. Something inside Aiko snapped.

  She launched forward, her fist sinking into Roxy’s stomach. Another girl rushed her, and Aiko’s kick landed before she thought about it. Everything blurred—yelling, fists, teeth. She grabbed the arm coming at her and twisted hard. The pop made her stomach flip, but she didn’t let go until the girl screamed.

  Then fire ripped across her side. She looked down—someone had stabbed her with a shiv. She gasped as her legs buckled.

  Guards stormed in, yanking everyone apart. Aiko’s vision blurred, her side wet with blood.

  They dragged her to the infirmary. The smell of disinfectant stung her nose. She was shoved onto a cold metal bed, a doctor leaning over her with sharp eyes that felt like knives.

  “Why did you attack those girls?” the doctor snapped.

  Aiko hissed as the antiseptic burned her wound. “I didn’t. I was defending myself.” Her voice shook but she forced it to stay steady.

  The doctor raised an eyebrow. “If you want to last here, you’d better toughen up. Self-defense is survival. Nothing more.”

  She wrapped the bandage tight and cuffed Aiko’s wrists to the bed. The metal bit into her skin, scraping over the rope burns Harold had left.

  The lights dimmed. Footsteps echoed in the hall, getting closer. Aiko’s stomach fluttered the way it always did before something bad happened. Breathe. Just breathe.

  The door creaked open. A man stepped in, his face hidden in the shadows. His voice was smooth but carried poison.

  “Hello, Aiko. My name is Malcolm.”

  Her chest tightened. “What… what do you want?”

  He chuckled. The sound made her skin crawl.

  “I need your help to solve a little puzzle your mother left behind.”

  Her nails dug into her palms. “I don’t care. Leave me alone.”

  His smile gleamed in the dark. “Think carefully. I can make your life here… very unpleasant.”

  Aiko swallowed hard, forcing herself to glare at him. “You’re lying. You can’t.”

  “Can’t I?” Malcolm leaned closer, breath hot against her ear. “Do you think your friends will stay safe forever? Even when I put pressure on them?”

  Her heart thudded painfully. No… he wouldn’t. Emma, Annabelle. Mrs. Henderson. He wouldn’t… But doubt sank sharp teeth into her chest.

  “Help me,” he whispered, “and this all goes away. Refuse… and you’ll regret it.”

  She clenched her jaw, tears burning her eyes. Liam’s lifeless face flashed in her mind. She couldn’t let that happen again.

  “…Fine. I’ll think about it.”

  Malcolm straightened, smug. “Good girl. You’ll hear from me soon.” He vanished into the dark hall.

  Aiko trembled, curling up on the bed as far as the cuffs allowed. She had to get out. She had to find answers. She had to make things right.

  Hours crawled by before her eyes shut from exhaustion.

  When she woke, dawn light bled into the infirmary. Her wrists ached under the cuffs until the doctor came back and removed them.

  “You’re healing,” the woman said flatly.

  “Thanks,” Aiko muttered.

  “You’re being moved to a new cell. Try not to make more trouble.”

  Aiko tried to stand, but her legs wobbled. “I feel dizzy.”

  “You’ll be fine. Pain meds.”

  The guards hauled her to a new cell barely bigger than a closet. The door slammed shut with a clang that rattled her bones. Aiko pressed her back to the wall, her chest tight.

  Her dreams of a normal life felt a million miles away.