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As much as she hated to admit it, Caitlin was starting to get used to the routine of the prison. The lights came on in the morning at the same time, and this morning, she was awake and sitting on the edge of her bunk when they did. As soon as they came on, she stood and moved about the cell to use the facilities and get herself into a clean jumpsuit.

As usual, there wasn't anything to do past that. She looked back at the bed and she saw the little pile of papers under it that were the letter that she wrote the previous night. She didn't want to go back and relive the night, so she just left them there and crossed back to the window, looking out over the now-familiar landscape of the exercise yard and courtyard. Everything was the same as it was the last time she looked out. The white pole was still there, the chain was still hanging from it, and the dark spot on the grass still sat there as a morbid reminder of the purpose of that yard.

She was getting used to the routine, yes, but there was no way that she could get used to the thick bars on the window or the thick glass that took all her strength to open and close. Neither could she get used to the bars on the other side of the cell, where every day she could see hear some of the other girls making their ways around the walkway, from one errand to another.

Little by little, the familiar anxiety crept into her body as she looked out over the yard. She remembered Orfeo telling her that today would be the day of her hearing, and the more she thought about it, the more she had to force herself to remain calm. She took the deep breaths that her father had taught her, and counted way past the ten-count that he'd had her practice every time she was mad or anxious or upset. None of it helped.

She jumped and turned around fast with her back to the wall when she heard the soft voice behind her.

"Breakfast, Caitlin."

The usual trustee that brought her meals every morning wasn't there. Orfeo stood there instead, looking at her with her kind but stern face. The wolf keyed open the cell door and stepped inside carrying a tray full of food. Caitlin could see sausage, eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes and a pile of fruit on the tray.

"I didn't know what you liked, Kincaid, so I brought a little of everything. I try to bring a big breakfast to my girls when they're going to their hearings. Give them some energy for the day."

Caitlin looked at the tray and then back to Orfeo and she slowly shook her head.

"Not hungry, Momma Wolf," she said.

"Nonsense, girl," Orfeo said. She reached behind her and closed the door, then crossed the small cell space to sit on the bunk. "You might not be in the mood, but trust me, you'll feel a lot better if you eat something."

Caitlin shook her head again, but she crossed to the bunk to sit beside Orfeo, anyway. "I don't think I could eat anything, Momma Wolf."

It took a lot for Caitlin to say what came out next, "I'm scared."

Orfeo frowned and nodded seriously with a sympathetic expression on her face.

"I can see why," she said in a kind and quiet voice. "Listen, Caitlin, I know you're scared, but you want to make the best impression you can on the Magistrate. I've seen girls that don't eat and then they get up to the courtroom and they just pass out because they're too hungry."

Orfeo lifted a slice of bacon and handed it to Caitlin. "You want to make sure that you understand everything that the Magistrate says, okay, so you need to keep up your strength. Give it a shot."

Caitlin took the bacon from Orfeo and gingerly took a bite, chewing slowly. The salty, greasy flavor rolling across her tongue made the rest of her stomach wake up and she realized just how long it had been since she'd had something really substantial to eat. She'd been skipping some of her meals and merely picking at the ones that she HAD eaten. That was probably why she felt the way that she did, all run down and weak.

She took a deep breath and put the rest of the slice in her mouth, and then reached over to take the tray from Orfeo, sliding it to her own lap.

"I'll eat what I can, Momma Wolf," she said with a small, grateful smile.

She started taking small bites of the food on the tray and before long, her hunger overcame her anxiety and she finished the majority of the food. Orfeo merely watched her with a little smile on her face.

Finally when Caitlin was finished, Orfeo took the tray back and set it on the floor by the bars. She waited for a few minutes until Caitlin looked back up at her before she spoke.

"You better, girl?"

Caitlin nodded and couldn't help the little smile that crossed her face. "Thank you, Momma Wolf."

Orfeo nodded and her face grew a bit more serious.

"All right, Kincaid," she said, trying not to be too somber, "this is what's going to happen today."

Caitlin's eyes widened a little and she could feel her breathing start to speed up. She was expecting that Orfeo would be coming by to at least tell her what was going on, but having her here and actually going on with it sort of brought everything back to reality.

"Your hearing is for later this morning, so you have a couple hours. I asked your parents to bring something nice for you to wear, since you can wear regular clothes for the hearing. You don't want to look like a jailbird, even if you are." Orfeo chuckled quietly at the last sentence

Caitlin could only nod, wondering what kind of feelings her family had about the whole thing. She could picture her mother standing in the closet trying to figure out what she was going to bring for Caitlin to wear. Wondering if it would be the last thing they saw her in.

Caitlin shook her head firmly and thrust the image out of her mind. She couldn't afford to think about that, she had to keep her focus on what was coming. She had to keep her composure so she didn't break down in front of Orfeo or the magistrate. Or, heaven forbid, in front of Sinclair.

"So we'll get you dressed after your morning yard time and I'll escort you to the courtrooms. It's not far from here, so I'll walk with you. Your parents will be allowed in the visitor's gallery, so you'll be able to see them during the hearing."

Orfeo watched Caitlin carefully, secretly proud of the way that the girl was coping with all the information and all the things she was facing. After her first night on the wing, Orfeo was afraid that Caitlin would be one of the hysterical ones, the ones that they had to drug and wheel into the courtroom in a wheelchair. One of the ones that never did understand what was happening to them. She couldn't decide if the fact that Caitlin was strong was a blessing or a curse.

"You'll get your chance to tell your story to the magistrate, and he'll ask you any questions he has. He already has the investigator's report, so Inspector Corbett won't be there. Once he's talked to you and he has all the information he needs, he'll deliberate and then make his judgment. What happens after that will depend on his judgment. Either way, I will be there, okay?"

Caitlin's eyes quivered with fearful tears and she couldn't help the slight shaking that rocked her body as she nodded. She knew what came with either judgment. Either she would be going home with her parents, or she wouldn't ever see them again, and she'd be the one at the pole.

Orfeo nodded and stood up from the bunk. "All right, then. I'll come and get you for yard time and then we'll go from there."

The guard turned and picked up the tray from the floor, then keyed open the door and walked out, closing the bars firmly behind her with soft click that sounded almost out of place from the massive door. Caitlin could hear her familiar steps down the hall. This morning, the friendly voices were back, though they continued only in hushed tones.

Caitlin reached under the bed and pulled the little bundle of paper and envelopes up on to the bed. Without looking at the letter again, she folded the papers into neat little thirds and slid them into an envelope. On the front of the envelope, she wrote "Mom, Dad, and Sarah," then sealed the envelope and put the whole bundle on the floor by the bars, planning to give it to Orfeo when she came next. There was no one else to write, and she didn't think she had the motivation or will to write to anyone else, anyway.

The thing that bothered her more than the anxiety of the day was the boredom of being stuck in the little cell with just the small window on the far side to see out into some sort of other world. That world wasn't something that she wanted to look at, yet she found herself drawn back to the window time and time again, even though she'd move to the bunk or walk to the bars for something different to lean against, she always found herself standing in front of the window, looking out over that cursed courtyard.

Little movement from across the yard caught her attention and she saw Poppy looking out her window as well. The girl turned away from the window as if something had caught her attention and Caitlin saw her hang her head and walk away from the window until she could no longer see the other girl's feet.

The sound of the door keying open made her turn around and as she was expecting, Orfeo was there.

"Yard time, girl," she said and stepped back from the door.

Caitlin walked out of the cell and down the stairs to the door, and then stepped through to the yard. She took the same path around the central courtyard to the bench where she and Poppy met the last time, and then sat there, waiting for the other girl.

As she waited, she watched the rest of the girls filing out through the door and, as usual, none of them paid her the slightest bit of attention. Soon, the line ended and Orfeo closed the door, but there was no sign of Poppy. Then she remembered the girl telling her that her hearing was the same day and the realization hit her hard. Poppy must have been taken to her hearing.

Caitlin hung her head and leaned her back up against the wall trying to still the hard beating of her heart while she tried not to contemplate what was going to happen to her friend. Poppy had already admitted her guilt, so her conviction was a foregone conclusion, and Caitlin idly wondered whether she would be coming back to this yard that her friend Lilly so recently occupied.

Caitlin was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't notice the girl walking across the paved space to her bench. She didn't look up until she felt the bench sagging under the weight of another girl, and when she finally looked at who was next to her, she found Daisy looking at her. Daisy's eyes were concerned and she had a serious look on her face.

"Hey, Kincaid," she said quietly. "I've heard you talking with Momma Wolf. Sorry I was a bitch when you came in."

Caitlin had to think back for a moment. The two days that she had been incarcerated had started to seem like an eternity, and it took her a moment to remember the exchange on her first night.

"It's okay, Daisy," she said. "Honestly, I didn't even remember until you told me."

"We're praying for you, Kincaid," Daisy said as she reached out a hand and laid it on Caitlin's shoulder.

Caitlin nodded. She could feel the telltale lump rising in her throat, but nothing came. It surprised Caitlin to realize that there was nothing left to cry. She'd shed so many tears that no more would come, even in the situation she was in right then.

"That means a lot, Daisy, thanks"

Daisy gave Caitlin's shoulder a couple pats and then sat with her for the rest of the yard hour, content to merely sit with her without saying anything. Of anything that someone could have done for her, Caitlin realized, this gesture went the farthest towards what she needed.