By this time Caroline and her friends were curious to catch a glimpse of the new inmate, too. It wasn’t until she was around two metres away that Anna and Caroline recognised her. Caroline’s breath caught in her throat when she realised who it was… Sharon Bamford.

Her height, her broad, toned frame and her frizzy brown ponytail gave her away first. Then, as she became nearer, Caroline noticed those painfully familiar features that bore an all-round look of imperfection. Her face was too flat, her nose too wide and her vivid turquoise eyes were small and beady, and seemed to pierce right through you. Caroline had often thought, sardonically, that Sharon’s imbalanced face suited her imbalanced personality.

Oh no! Caroline thought, and her face must have registered her alarm, bringing her to Sharon’s attention.

‘Hi, Caroline. Hi, Anna,’ Sharon greeted them over-enthusiastically as she drew level and flashed Caroline a fake smile.

Caroline could only manage a grimace in return, but Anna returned Sharon’s greeting. ‘Hi, Shazza. How are you? Didn’t expect to see you back so soon.’ Her tone was false and obsequious, and Caroline knew it was masking an inner fear.

‘Ha-ha, I was missing you lot,’ Shazza laughed. Then, as she passed them, she turned and added, ‘Have you lot had your lovely prison dinner yet? What was it, Caroline, barbecued sausage and meatballs, as usual?’

She let out a raucous laugh and Caroline looked down at the floor in disgust. The prison officer tugged at Sharon’s arm. ‘Come on, Bamford. Let’s get you settled in,’ she ordered. Sharon turned face forward and carried on walking.

When Caroline raised her head again there was a look of astonishment on Anna’s face. But neither of them spoke. They didn’t want to risk being overheard.

‘What’s the matter?’ asked Cheryl. ‘Who is she?’

‘That’s Shazza,’ whispered Anna. ‘She’s been in before.’

‘So, what’s the big deal?’ asked Cheryl, picking up on their unease.

Anna didn’t reply. Caroline knew she was too scared to say anything negative about Shazza, so it was up to her to respond.

‘You’ll find out soon enough,’ she sighed, then turned and headed back to her cell.

Shazza was one of those people for whom prison was a way of life and it didn’t seem to bother her in the least. She had already served several sentences for various crimes ranging from shoplifting to possession.

Caroline thought with bitterness about Shazza’s previous sojourn. Of all the women Caroline had met inside, Shazza had been the most difficult. The woman was dominant, cruel and sadistic, and she always got her own way. She would put others down to make her look bigger and liked to gather allies in order to strengthen her position within the prison.