Finally having dealt with the book issue and with only a moment to spare, I rushed to my next post which was patrolling the recreation yard. I hadn't spoken to her after what she'd said, in truth I was a bit freaked out. How the hell could she have possibly known that I'd gone to the bookstore and bought the same book as her? I mean...I didn't believe in psychics or mind-readers but what I did believe in was stalking. Had she phoned someone to come and follow me? To stalk me after work? What if the person followed me home and now knew where I live?

I couldn't exactly ask her either. That would mean admitting to what she had accused me of and I didn't want to do that, if possible I wanted my doings to remain completely anonymous. 
Trying to think up reasons other than stalking for a few moments, I came up with something. Maybe...it was just a lucky guess after she saw me flick to the end of the book and smile when previously I had asked her what it was about...Yes, that's it! Finding what I thought to be a good reason, I calmed down. Stalker...pfft. Yeah right, why would she be so interested in me to send someone to see what I was up to anyway?

*******

The light partially blinded me as I walked out of the building to first conduct a search that all of the fencing was secure and not weak in any spots so that a prisoner couldn't try to get out on my watch. So on I went, kicking and shaking each section of fencing and deeming it all safe before I blew my whistle, telling my fellow officer that he could bring out the inmates.

Out they flowed, of course this wasn't all of them because the number was too vast to even contemplate bringing them all out at once. This was maybe half of them, the other half would have their break straight after these but I wasn't to watch the second lot. And as if luck was on my side...(not) guess who I just saw walking out of the doors? 

I found it strange how the prisoner's had just been walking out in a clump before she walked out alone and maybe two minutes after her another big clump. Okay, what's the deal with her and the rest of the inmates? They scatter as soon as they see her as if she had a disease or something, like anybody who would notice her would turn the other way and run. Surely it was her attitude, but then again I thought that sarcastic humour and creepiness was welcomed here with open arms? 

I kept my gaze on her, wondering where she'd go and saw she simply strolled around the first part of the yard before taking up a seat on one of the picnic benches in the corner, away from the others. She was staring out into what I thought was nothingness and a quick check of where she was looking proved to be only the fencing. With a frown I studied the fence to make sure she wasn't plotting some escape attempt with a flimsy section that I'd somehow missed on my security check but found nothing. I trailed my eyes back to her to see that now, she was staring right at me.

As if I'd been caught looking at one of her books again, I immediately pretended I was looking elsewhere and could almost hear the scoff she had most surely done. I told myself to stop looking for her and to stop giving her a reason to want to mess with me. If I ignored her, I wouldn't seem as interesting to wind up and maybe she'd move onto another officer or prisoner.

Unfortunately, part of this job required me to patrol the premises so walking past her bench was a necessity. With my head held up high and avoiding her eyes at all cost, I went on my way walking alongside the fencing. As I passed the first section, I saw a familiar face, the girl who had been sent to the nurse, only it didn't seem as if she had because she was still limping and still looked to be in pain. A frown etched it's way onto my face and I immediately headed over there, she smiled when she saw me approach.

"Good morning Officer Hwang" she bowed.

"Good morning" I replied. "Can I ask why you're still not putting any weight on that ankle? What happened with the officer?" Her girlfriend then turned around after having a separate conversation with a small group of inmates to her side.

"Hello" she smiled, putting her arm around the injured girl's shoulders. I froze momentarily at how her fingers were tracing what seemed to be a soothing circle around the top of her arm before snapping out of it and continuing the conversation.

"Hi, well?" I asked, the question directed at the girl who hadn't answered me yet.

 "I'm not sure I should say" she gave a shy smile and looked down.

"Of course you should. Listen, I'm not one of the heartless CO's you've probably come across alright? Tell me what happened"

She sighed, looked to her girlfriend for reassurance and then spoke. "I waited for a while after you'd left for the other officer to arrive. One did about half an hour later and he was called Officer Park." , there was no surprise to where this was going  "He asked what happened and when I told him..." She seemed hesitant to continue, as if fearing I'd tell him everything she said. 

"This is confidential" I replied with a smile but the sound of a loud laugh rang out, seeing who had done it caused that smile to disappear. Kim, still sitting at the bench that was a rather large distance between us but was looking over here...how could she have heard that?

"A friend of yours?" The injured girl asked, a question you'd expect to be paired with a smirk but her face showed nothing of the sort.

"Definitely not" I replied, shooting a subtle glare Kim's way before placing my attention back on the girl. I reassured her once again that it was confidential and with a little extra boost in the form of a kiss on the cheek from her...lover. She told me everything.

"I told him what I'd done and he laughed at me. He said I deserved it and that the pain would constantly remind me that I was a..."

"...." I gestured with my hands for her to continue,

"Worthless piece of ."

I couldn't help my jaw dropping open at what I was hearing. That guy really was a disgusting human being, the devil himself. I bent down and touched her leg, hesitating a little in fear I'd hurt her, it helped when she hopped over to a nearby bench to sit down so I could take a proper look. When I lifted up the bottom of her grey uniform trousers and pulled down her sock slightly, the sight really did shock me. Her ankle was mostly purple and very swollen. I didn't know much about first aid but what I did know was that this needed to be seen to immediately.

I wasted no time in getting out my radio and calling for someone to take over my shift while I personally took this girl to the nurse provided. She kept thanking me, I could see she was uncomfortable with accepting help like this from a CO but even she knew that this was bad.

Before long, her arm was around me and she was limping her way with my support down one of the corridors on our way to the infirmary. In truth, I hadn't even thought about how a lesbian was touching me this way. I was purely acting on instinct and I'd like to think I was getting better at accepting something like this. "Can I ask you something? Or at least give you some advice?" 

I gave a shocked expression before smiling. "An inmate giving a CO advice, that's a new one" 

"Sorry" she chuckled. "But I couldn't help noticing you and uh...Kim"

I frowned at that. "Noticing? Noticing what exactly?"

"Noticing that you two were pretty much staring at each other throughout most of recreation, if not staring then throwing glances." Immediately after she said that, I stopped fast and almost made her fall.

"Sorry" I said and got her stable again so we could carry on, on our little trek. We were almost there, just a little farther. "I don't know what you're talking about" that was to answer her previous comment. 

"Okay." She raised her hands in mock defeat. "But I just wanted to warn you"

"Warn me?" I scoffed, surely this was a joke?

"I don't know her personally, but she doesn't seem as nice as she may come across to you..." I opened my mouth to assure her that she wasn't nice at all but she continued to talk "I don't know what she's done, but there are rumours. And there's also rumours about you too"

"What? Rumours about what?" We had arrived at the infirmary but I wanted to know what the girl had to say.

"Rumours about you actively going out your way to try to get to know her, to communicate with her." She replied. I gave a nervous laugh and it seemed she noticed. "I'm just saying, be careful. Everyone steers clear of her for a reason."

"Which is what?" I urged her to continue, come on! 

 "She's rumoured to be a-"

Unfortunately, the nurses arrival to see who the yapping voices belonged to interrupted our conversation. She led the girl inside and I bid her goodbye, telling the nurse to call me on my radio when the girl had been treated so I could her back to her room. I then went back to the recreation yard only to get a radio message soon after entering the grounds.

"Hwang, there's a new group of four inmate's on their way. Some have already showed signs of aggression so keep an eye out" 

"Copy that" 

I was once again patrolling the yard, watching out for any dangers that could arise and also still trying to ignore that girl sat by hers