‘You dirty, slimy fuckin’ freak!’ shouted Adele. ‘Just what the fuck have you been doing while I’ve been asleep?’

Anna struggled to respond and Adele eased her arm away a little.

‘Nothing,’ Anna panted. ‘It was the first time, I swear!’

‘I don’t fuckin’ believe you. You dirty bitch!’

‘It was! Honestly, I’ve never done that before, and I swear I’ll never do it again.’

‘You’d better fuckin’ not!’ said Adele, easing her arm a little more. ‘Because if I ever fuckin’ catch you doing anything like that again, I’ll be straight off to the governor to demand a cell change. And I’ll make sure she, and everybody else, knows why.’

As Adele released her grip, a look of relief flashed across Anna’s face, which annoyed Adele even more. She jabbed her arm back tightly and spoke between clenched teeth. ‘But before I go to see the governor, I’ll give you the hiding of your fuckin’ life! Do you understand?’

She jabbed her arm even harder to emphasise her point until Anna’s eyes bulged. Then, feeling alarmed at how far she’d gone, she removed her arm and let Anna go.

Anna took a few sharp breaths before retreating to her own bunk and muttering something under her breath.

‘What did you say?’ demanded Adele, her adrenalin still pumping.

‘You seemed to be enjoying it,’ she murmured, more sure of herself now that Adele had let her go.

‘Don’t you fuckin’ dare!’ shouted Adele, stepping towards her again.

‘Alright, alright,’ Anna babbled. ‘Just saying.’

‘Well, don’t! You know very well that’s not my bag and, even if it was, you’d be the last person on my list. So, in future, keep your fuckin’ dirty hands to yourself!’

Anna grabbed at a magazine and held it in front of her face, pretending to read, but her shame was evident so Adele left her alone and busied herself tidying up the cell to take her mind off what had happened. She couldn’t help feeling troubled, however, at the thought of what Anna got up to once she was asleep.

*

Denise and Louise were in the recreation area when Anna went over to join them. She was still recovering from the shock of Adele’s recent attack.

‘What’s that mark on your neck?’ Denise asked.

Anna fingered the red swelling around her throat, which felt tender to the touch. ‘It’s that Adele. She’s a fuckin’ lunatic!’

‘What d’you mean?’ asked Louise.

‘She attacked me. She had me pinned up against the wall. I thought she was gonna fuckin’ kill me!’

‘You’re joking!’ said Denise. ‘What did she do that for?’

‘Nothing much,’ sniffed Anna. Then, with her head hanging low, she muttered, ‘I made a pass at her.’