The Vow We Break

Prison "Time's up! You got to go now and let her get back to prison." One of the guards that worked in this prison told my friend Mary, who visited me inside this cold lonely cell. Mary was the only real friend standing with me through this ordeal. She was the only one who didn't turn her back on me during the time when the world turned its back on me. Every week, as if with clockwork precision, she came to see me, bringing with her food and books but, above all, companionship. And many times I used to think, what have I done to deserve her? It was the fifth year that I had already spent inside the prison for a crime I did not do. Painfully long years behind bars, away from the world, away from my home, all because of just one horrible lie. Memories came flooding in, memories of what I lost, as my eyes began to well with tears. They slid down my cheeks like rain falling from a heavy cloud, and no matter how hard I tried stopping them, they refused to let up. The more I thought ab

The Wicked Proposal His voice was ironic, the malice dripping off every word. Even in his tone, I could feel the wickedness in every word. "I know you're surprised to see me here," David began, his smirk growing big and a step closer to where I stood, frozen in shock. "But I have come to help you… that is if you are ready to dance to my tune." A cold run of fear ran down my spine. Help me? What sick game did he play now? David, of all people, wanted to help me? The same man who had brought me nothing but agony was standing in front of me, offering salvation. He leaned slightly forward, his voice low, dangerous. "I'm good with people, and I can pull a few strings, get you outta here in no time. Three days. That's all it would take for you to be free." I couldn't utter a word as the words swirled in my brain, too shocked. He leaned further forward, a nauseatingly cheerful grin pulled onto his face as he closed the space between us. "I still have feelings for you, Isabella. Believe it o

Unexpected And before Mary could get started, the guard curtly cut us off, "Time's over. You gotta go." Mary turned to me with an apologetic yet determined look. A look in her eyes said something I couldn't quite define but made me feel even more miserable. "Goodbye, Isabella," she uttered softly, her words now soft-soothed-and a gentle good-bye amid my storm. She'd turn and be gone; now this figure retreated slowly from my view. I watched her go, last fluttering flame in the dark, until her form was lost. How final the glimpse of her departure was. I was the lone wolf again, with the world weighing on my shoulders. The guard clutched my arm tightly and started pulling me toward my cell. The steps were miles as my heart was focused on the weight of what Mary had just told me. I hardly noticed the handling; my mind was racing with the storm churning inside, the recent days, and the import of Mary's revelation. Her words entered my mind, like splinters being driven deep. Flung back fin

Isabella sat on the cot in the dim light of her cell, staring at the cracked concrete walls that had become her world. It seemed impossible that it had been weeks since Mary had made that first visit to her. The walls felt like closing in around her, holding her hostage with her thoughts. But instead of defeated, a spark was beginning to light in her. She had waited long enough for somebody to save her. It was time to act.She shut her eyes and started going over in her mind every incident that led to the whole case against her. It was like a bad movie running in her head-the trial, the courtroom, the gavel coming down on her future. What could I have done differently? she thought. Who was really behind all this?Suddenly, clattering noises filled the hall and dragged her out of her reverie. A few guards were accompanying a new inmate into her cell block. She walked inside, head held high and an aura of confidence surrounding her. Dark hair combed back in a tight bun, with a fierce gl

Isabella sat on the bed and looked out at the dim light issuing from the small window high above her. Something was changed in the air within the cold walls that surrounded her, almost a spark of hope. Her prison time had bestowed upon her some very unexpected allies, and for the first time in a long while, she was not entirely alone.It was the others who have gradually, yet slowly, begun opening themselves to her: women beat down by life in ways similar to herself. The stories, the pain, and the anger were too much to count, but then again, so was she opening up to them in return. There was a sense of budding comradeship growing between them-a bond she never expected to find within a place such as this.But even as that strength in her grew, she couldn't be blind to the threat that was ever present. Every step closer she came to the truth, she stepped one step deeper into danger. Somewhere out there was David, and his reach wasn't confined within those prison walls. One mistake, and