Naomi Grim by Tiffany Nicole Smith

freedom
before being locked away.

Chapter 33
     
     
    We pulled up to a large box-shaped
building. Gattica had rows and rows of windows covered with metal. This would
probably be the last time I would see the outside world before my execution.
    We got out of the carriage.
I walked between Dunningham and Doyle. Two guards with rifles stood at attention.
They nodded at Dunningham and opened the gate. A fifty-foot walkway ran from
there to the building. I tried to walk as slowly as possible, inhaling as much
fresh air as I could, but Doyle dragged me along.
    Another rifle-wielding guard
stood at the door of the building. He greeted Dunningham and then opened the
door for him. The three of us stopped at the front counter, where a large woman
in a black-collared shirt and black pants stood. She wore a gold name tag that
read Kora . "Hello, Mr. Dunningham, Mr. Doyle. What do we have
here?"
    "This is Naomi,"
Dunningham answered. "The one we've been looking for."
    The woman nodded and glared
at me. "Is she going in the women's holding cell?"
    Dunningham shook his head.
"Solitary confinement. She may partake in meals with the rest of the
population, but other than that, she is to be in her cell alone, where she may
think about her unfortunate actions. She's a Forager, but don't worry. She
won't be here long enough to cause any trouble. Just three days."
    The woman nodded.
"Sure, Mr. Dunningham. I can take it from here."
    Finally, Doyle released his
tight grip on my arm and the two of them left.
    "This way," Kora
ordered.
    I followed her behind the
counter and to a little room off to the side. Another guard stood still by a
back wall, like a mannequin. The room was small and unpainted, just gray cement
bricks, a large metal cabinet and a bench attached to the wall.
"Sit," she said, pointing to the bench, so I sat. Kora opened the top
drawer and pawed through it. She stopped and looked at me. "Hmmm, I've
never had a female as young as you, so we're going to have to make due. Your
gown might be a little too big." She tossed me a black garment.
"You'll take a shower with the detergent we've provided. Make sure you
wash and then put that on. You got ten minutes."
    I took the garment and went
into the tiny bathroom. Removing my necklace with the scythe charm, I hoped
they wouldn't take it away from me. I stripped and then stepped into the
shower.
    At first I was thankful for
a shower, but then I realized the water was ice cold. I bathed quickly, using
the funny-smelling soap as I had been instructed. I lathered my hair with it
and then rinsed it out. The water soaked through my bandage that needed to be
changed anyway, but I doubted that anyone would do that for me.
    I turned the water off and
then stepped out onto the cold gray tile. A shot of coolness soared through my
body. I longed for the warmth of my comforter. I grabbed a dingy-looking towel
from the pile that sat in a corner, unfolded. I wondered if they had been used
before and if so, if they had been washed. Probably not.
    I dried off, rubbed the
towel on my hair, and then grabbed the garment Kora had given me. She had a lot
of nerve calling it a gown. It was more like a huge T-shirt. It was rough and
itchy like sackcloth. I put my necklace back on, tucking it into the
"gown" so as not to draw attention to it.
    Gathering my own clothes, I
exited the bathroom. Kora stood there with a garbage bag. A guard stood behind
her. She opened the bag and I put my clothes inside. She handed the bag to the
guard, who left the room.
    "Where is he taking
it?" I asked.
    "To burn it," Kora
answered curtly.
    I thought about my nice
leather boots he was about to destroy. "What about shoes?" I asked,
looking down at my bare feet.
    "Prisoners in Gattica
don't wear shoes, princess."
    "Underwear?"
    Kora frowned. "Well,
weren't you wearing underwear when you came?"
    "Yeah but—" Who
takes a shower and then puts back on their dirty underwear?
    Kora sighed and went back to
the large metal cabinet. She dug