Bette Porter clenched her hands tight around the bag of her belongings that rested on her lap as she felt herself being jerked about by the movements of the vehicle. Successfully she fought back the urge to cry. It wasn’t that she was scared as such, nor desperate as many women in her situation would be. If any tears were to fall, they would be tears of anger. But Bette Porter didn’t show emotion. She wore a mask that day just the same as any other. Leaning her head back against the cold white wall, she thought of those that she was leaving behind. Her girlfriend, Jodi. To tell the truth, she wasn’t sure how long that would last. The thought of a girlfriend in prison who she couldn’t have sex with didn’t really fit in with Jodi’s lifestyle. Then there was Kit, her sister. The only one who had really made an effort to stick by her during the trial, the only one who showed any real interest in proving her innocence. Maybe it was her way of making up for all the years that she had neglected Bette.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden jerk of the vehicle shuddering to a stop. She clutched her belongings to her chest as she prepared herself for what was to come.

"Come on, let’s be having you" a young dark haired man said, trying to sound remotely cheerful as he opened the door to what she could only describe as a horsebox.

Slowly Bette followed him off the vehicle and looked up at what was to become her home for the next three to five years. ‘HMP LARKHALL’ stood out in black letters above the cold-looking brick entrance. As she was lead inside she took one last look back, one last glance at freedom. She soon found herself seated in a waiting room with what she imagined were the other women on her transit. Looking around at the sort of women that she was going to be sharing her living space with for the forseeable future brought a lump to her throat.

"Ah, Miss McCutcheon, I see you’re back with us again" grumbled a miserable looking women on the front desk.

"I couldn’t stand to spend a minute longer away from your beautiful face Sylvia" replied a young woman with scruffy hair and a cheeky grin.