SABRINA & MARGOT: NEW YORK JAIL

[Wolfy]

The sun was beating down on the cement-filled city and it felt like heat was emanating from everywhere. Sabrina was carrying a box full of free groceries that had been given away by a soup kitchen. It was just after noon - the hottest part of the day, and Sabrina could hardly manage to carry the big box in the heat all by herself.

She set the box down on a bench and wiped some sweat from her forehead. She didn't feel like making the long trek back to her house in the heat of the day. So she ducked into an alley to hide her stash of groceries inside of another big cardboard box. She sat down by them and leaned against the side. She couldn't help herself - it was so warm in there. She soon drifted off to sleep.

When she woke up, there was nearly no light outside. "Uh oh," she said and picked up the box again. She hurried down the road toward the slums. On her way, though, she heard a car pull up next to her. The window rolled down and a man in a police uniform looked out at her. "How old are you, kid?" he asked gruffly.

"I'm fifteen," she answered nonchalantly. "Why?" She tightened her grip on her box and walked a little faster.

"Are your parents around?" he asked. Sabrina shook her head. "Are you aware that it's past curfew?" Again, she shook her head. The car stopped and the man got out. "Come here, you little slum mutt." He grabbed her by the arm and yanked her toward his truck.

After taking the box from her and putting it in the front seat, he shoved her into the back into a little section with only a bench inside the barred back door. As he started to drive off, Sabrina started to get very scared. She didn't know what going to happen to her if she got arrested.

Soon, the truck pulled up by the jail and she was led to a cell. After being thrown into a cell, the man walked away. Sabrina sat down on the small bench and sighed, looking bewildered and scared.

[Ellie]

Everything about today was ridiculously, but gloriously routine. From waking up in the morning, to sliding silently out of the house. From feeling the hot pavement beneath her feet, to climbing trees. From drawing the skyline, to laying right here, staring at the ceiling of the police station. Each day was filled with these ever so predictable events, right down to the police car that brought her home each and every night.

As Margot laid on the concrete bench and gazed up at that plain slab of gray above her, she could only look back on her day and smile. From the start, it had been wonderful. She was noticing how each day, the hot pavement on her feet hurt less and less, and Margot had even managed to get a hold of a new pair of glasses. They were small, thin glasses, the lenses only being surrounded by a measly wire frame. They reminded her of a pair that belonged to a teacher of hers, years ago, a fact that pleased Margot to no end.

Her trip to the station was relatively smooth tonight. Margot's favorite officer, Tom, picked her up, which left her with a quiet and lecture-free ride. It seems a majority of the force was exhausted by Margot's antics, and they were left with little to do in the way of punishing a sixteen year old girl.

While Margot ultimately preferred the outside, the cooler air in the cell felt substantially more comfortable to her exhausted body. Her mouse brown hair fell away from her tilted face, exposing Margot's harshly tanned skin, likely burned from today's extensive excursion. The police station was growing more and more silent, relatively speaking, and the night droned on. "Ugh. They're late." Margot frowned and wondered what could possibly be keeping her impressively overprotective parents away. Any other night, they often wasted no time to come and collect their daughter to happily whisk her home yet again. But tonight? It looks like Margot would have to make herself comfortable. Sitting up, Margot gently removed her father's flannel jacket from her figure. It was very possibly her favorite shirt ever, sporting a soft material and the comfortable smell of home. Margot rolled it into a thick, cylindrical wad of cloth and finally settled back in to her position, a tad more comfortable than before.

Just as she was about to fall in to blissful rest, there was a minute commotion outside, and another girl who looked to be about Margot's age was tossed in to a cell. At least, she looked like her age. Without her own glasses, Margot could really only make an educated guess. One thing she was sure of, however, was that the girl was nervous. Hanging her head back, Margot studied her out of the corner of her eye. "Don't worry. When your mom or dad gets here, they let you go, no problem," Margot assured the first-timer.

[Wolfy]

Jumping slightly at the sudden voice in the room, Sabrina looked over to see a girl in the cell next to her. She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them in a sort of protective position. She was about to answer when the man came back. "What's your phone number, mutt?" he asked.

"Uh, we don't have one," she answered sheepishly. "Not yet anyway - we just moved. But my name is Sabrina Matthews, and my parents live at..." With an irritated sigh, the man just left. It was evident that he wasn't about to go tracking through the slums to find her parents. She frowned and turned back toward the strange-looking girl.

Sabrina had never seen anyone quite like her. She dressed very strangely, in her opinion, and wore glasses with no visible rims. Compared to her, wearing a deep green skirt and a gray jacket. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't be caught dead in anything but a dress, but of course circumstances had been anything but normal lately.

After taking in the strange appearance of the girl, she sighed and shook her head. "Something tells me they're not coming," she said with a tiny laugh. She got up and walked toward the shared wall between them. "So who are you? And why are you in here?"

[Ellie]

The girl in the next cell over contrasted heavily with Margot's own relaxed and comfortable demeanor. Judging from her nervous manner, this was the girl's first time in such a situation. She seemed to be from the slums, so the cops would apply little effort to locate her family, and would release her sometime very soon. It was strange though, that for a slum dweller, she had never been caught being out over curfew.

Margot swung her legs down from the bench and straightened to face the girl talking to her now. Getting a better look, Margot noticed a discrepancy in her appearance. She came across so clean cut, however, the was garbed in unfortunate clothes. Pulling the flannel sleeves down around her hands and moving her glasses further up on her nose to a more comfortable position, Margot attempted to offer a comforting smile to the somewhat nervous girl in front of her.

"No, but I'm sure they'll let you go before morning comes," Margot offered, wondering if the circumstances were different for slum dwellers. But the girl was about her age, so the treatment couldn't possibly be too different. That wouldn't be fair! "Oh, well, my name is Margot St. Croix, and I'm here for the same reason you are." Margot chuckled a bit as she reflected upon this all-too-familiar situation. She was far to used to this happening to really worry about it anymore. Margot hoped that one day her neurotic parents would finally give up the game, though that notion was ridiculously far from reality.

"But I'm here all the time, so this is really just routine. It's not a big deal, I promise. You won't serve jail time or anything. What's you name?"

[Wolfy]

Sabrina couldn't help but let her eyes wander to take in the peculiar fashion sense of the girl in front of her. It was evident that they were from very different walks of life. She assumed by the look on the girl's face that she was also taking in how different Sabrina was, and she suddenly felt a little embarassed to be in such dissheveled attire.

She crossed her arms, as if trying to hide what she was wearing. This whole situation was humiliating... From needing to go to a soup line, to getting thrown in jail like an animal, to getting accused of being a slum mutt, and then having a neighbor who seemed to be silently critisizing her wardrobe. It was all very unfair.

"My name is Sabrina Matthews," she answered with a soft sigh. "And I certainly hope that you're right. But, may I ask, if you've been caught out past curfew so much, then why don't you just make more of an effort to be off the streets and at home? I would think you wouldn't like to spend your nights in this awful place..."

It made no sense to Sabrina why someone like Margot wouldn't just get to home on time. She had made it seem almost purposeful, while Sabrina's situation was simply an accident. Plus, she seemed amazingly at ease; Sabrina felt like she could lose her composure at any second...

[Ellie]

This girl looked familiar. Margot had most definitely seen her during her adventures, but she had most certainly not seen her roaming the slums before. There had definitely been a swift and painful chance in her life, but it wasn't Margot's place to ask. Her suspicions were further enhanced by her sudden self-consciousness in her attire. They would be friends. Margot knew she needed more of those anyway, and this girl... well, she would be the first addition! Margot often wondered what it would be like to really have the chance to hang around with those her own age. Margot told herself it would likely be marvelous and comforting. She knew she had likely glorified this idea, but the prospect of it was so fun to imagine.

"Oh, yay!" Margot smiled at the gir--- Sabrina. She had to remember that if they were to be friends. Sabrina. It was appealing to Margot how easily the name rolled off of her tongue. "You see, Sabrina, it's far more fun to be running around this wonderful city than to be stuck at home, don't you think?" The sleepiness had been vanquished from Margot's body, replaced by sheer enthusiasm. "And my parents almost always pick me up promptly!" Margot shoved the thin glassed back to the bridge of her nose, then smiled.

"I think you just need to sit back and enjoy the ride, Sabrina."

[Wolfy]

Sabrina sat down on the cement slab of a bench and smiled a little at Margot. "At least I'm next to you and not some scary, insane person," she said, doing her best to look on the bright side. She knew that she needed to be more positive. Margot seemed to be nothing but positive. And she liked that about her. It was admirable.

"I'll remember that," she said, folding her arms to make a sort of pillow. "You know what? You're pretty smart." She smiled and tried to get more comfortable on the little bed. "I don't think tonight's going to be so bad. It's sort of like a sleepover... Almost." She let out a little laugh.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, what's your story?" she asked. She was curious to know what walk of life this girl was from. She could be either rich, poor, or somewhere in the middle. Maybe she had a similar story to her own. It would be nice to have someone to talk to if that was the case.

[Ellie]

Margot smiled as thoughts of such a scenario entered her head. What adventures she could have. Despite the many, many nights she had spent in this cold, gray place, Margot had never once been able to meet a hardened criminal! She could only dream of the stories he would have to share with her. Oh, they must be wondrous! Margot's naive and sheltered upbringing clouded her judgment on a daily basis, the judgment that normally would have had her agreeing with Sabrina over the situation's potential danger.

"I don't know," Margot smiled, "I think it'd be rather neat to meat an insane person." She laughed with a dreamy-like quality. That's the thing about Margot; she never really had her head out of the clouds. It was helpful, she supposed, to always be off in her own world. That way, Margot didn't have to concern herself with the real world matters. She often didn't handle the serious aspects of life with poise. It wasn't something she could really handle.

"Aaahh, gee, thanks," Margot nodded, feeling gleeful at the prospect of a new friend. Margot never got out much as a young child, and the friends she had her own age were far and few between. The mere idea of even speaking with Sabrina once more after tonight made Margot incredibly excited. "I've never had a sleepover! This'll be great!" Margot sat up straight to face Sabrina as they spoke, seeming almost childlike in her movements.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, what's your story?"

Margot stopped to ponder this questions. It never seemed like she had much of a story to tell. "Well, I was born in Nice, France," Margot began slowly. She vaguely wondered why her accent had almost entirely left. Throughout bits and pieces of her speech, you could catch its presence, but it was fading slowly. "I moved here because my parents were looking for more opportunities. We live in a neighborhood called Cascade Heights on the outskirts of the city, but only because our grandparents help us pay for it. What about you, Sabrina? What's your story?"

[Wolfy]

"You've never had a sleepover?" she asked. "I'm surprised, you strike me as the 'party' kind of person." Smiling, she sat up and leaned against the shared wall between them, resting her head against the metallic bars. "Well, sleepovers don't usually involve getting arrested - so they're probably a bit more fun than this." She laughed quietly.

"And I always wanted to go to France," she said whistfully. "It looks beautiful in the pictures." She looked off dreamily for a second, thinking of what it must be like in Paris. They had been planning on going before everything went wrong. But, no use crying over something that would never be.

She was snapped out of her dreaming to Margot asking what her situation was. "Well, believe it or not, I'm really not a slum mutt like they say," she said. "Cascade Heighs isn't all that far from where I used to reside. Have you ever heard of my father, John Matthews? He owned a chain of factories and sales offices."

"But, you know how the economy is, so his business eventually went under," she said. "So we couldn't afford to keep up our mansion anymore, so we had to move to the slums a few months ago. It's unfortunate, but I'm sure things will turn around eventually..."

Smiling up at Margot, Sabrina showed that she wasn't always gloomy about things. She had done her best to stay positive about her current financial situation. Maybe that would help her seem like less of a wet blanket when it came to serious matters.

[Ellie]

With a despondent look fleeting across her face, Margot shook and head and shrugged. "It's not big deal. I just don't know very many kids my age," Margot conceded, silently wishing she knew what they were like. It was a relief to hear that this exotic activity didn't entail the situation they were in now, even though it would have been fairly entertaining. "I can only hope so," Margot sighed. "Because I'm getting awfully tired of this situation." Margot huffed, blowing her bangs out of her eyes momentarily. While Margot complained about her predicament, she knew she was grateful to be able to be outside all day. This was a minute penalty for the beautiful days she was able to witness.

"France is beautiful," Margot agreed wistfully, wanting to return one day. "It's even more amazing in person, I promise." Margot hoped Sabrina would make it there, one day. It was something that simply, in all it's splendor, be ignored. In response to Sabrina's question, Margot nodded her head in affirmation. "Yes,. my father almost worked in one of his factories! It's strange what a small world we live in, isn't it?"

Margot leaned forward to hear Sabrina's story. While it was devastating, the news was not surprising to Margot. It was evident that Sabrina had not grown up anywhere but uptown. Her naivety and innocence proved that she lead a decently sheltered life before. But her tale was an unpleasant one, ad abrupt change was never good for a person. "I'm so sorry, Sabrina, that's awful." Margot was momentarily saddened, but she realized immediately that her sorry state would not help Sabrina to feel better. Perking up, Margot offered a genuine smile. "I'm sure it'll all work out, though. It always does!"

[Wolfy]

Picturing the scene of France that she'd always looked at in her parents' travel magazines, Sabrina tried to imagine it as if she was there. Closing her eyes, she tried to feel the cool, green grass under her back instead of the cold cement slab. She tried to hear the rustling of a stony brook instead of the distant talking of jail guards - and smell the scent of lilac bushes instead of the dank odor of the prison.

For a moment or two, she was able to hold up the imaginary scene, but she was snapped out of it by Margot. She looked up and smiled at the interesting turn of events. "How odd," she said. "It is quite a small world. I never would have guessed that our fathers might know each other."

She waved her hand dismissively to Margot's sympathy. "No, no," she said. "I've mostly gotten used to it by now." She let out a small chuckle and corrected herself, "Well, except for when things like this happen. I've never been in any situation like this before." Shrugging, she sat up and leaned against the concrete wall behind her as if trying to get comfortable.

"So, Margot, you don't know very many people our age, and you don't have any siblings," she said. "Any pets? Anything? Or do you just wander the streets all on your lonesome?" she asked. She wasn't trying to be mean or anything. She just felt like she was always around someone. In fact, she couldn't really remember the last time she had been completely on her own.

[Ellie]

Margot smiled at Sabrina earnestly, her heart aching for the girl across from her. Margot had a simple, happy life, and the notion that all of it could be torn away was never something that crossed her mind. But it happened, and Sabrina was a perfect example for it. Scrunching her jacket mindlessly in her hand, Margot nodded at Sabrina. "Yeah, it's weird how small our world is sometimes," Margot dropped with a sigh.

Sabrina was tough. She fought the extenuating circumstances with enviable optimism, staying strong in the face of the depression. Thinking about it, Margot wasn't so sure that she could handle the situation with such skill. She was lucky to live a stable life where everything was provided for her. The economic downfall seemed like it was eons away. If a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it, did it make a sound? The news today could really only be accurately epitomized by one word. Surreal.

Margot shrugged when Sabrina mentioned her discomfort with the situation. When something becomes so frequent and routine, it begins to take on a relaxing sort of way. Over time, the cold, desensitized surrounding began to feel warm and safe, and the officers became calming, familiar faces. "I promise you it's not bad at all," Margot assured, wanting to offer her new friend at least a vague sense of solace. "The people here are really nice, and I'm sure you won't be in any trouble." Margot offered a laugh and flashed Sabrina a thumbs up.

"So, Margot, you don't know very many people our age, and you don't have any siblings," she said. "Any pets? Anything? Or do you just wander the streets all on your lonesome?"

Margot paused and then proceeded to shake her head. It was true. She didn't really have anybody else in her life, not even a dog, but it had never struck her as lonely. The silence surrounding Margot's everyday life was comfortable for her, with each moment of emptiness filled by the heavy summer air of the city. She was so enthralled in her own little world of exploration, she had never stopped to wonder about to potential of company. "Now that I think about it, I am alone almost always," Margot nodded to herself. "But I definitely wouldn't say it's been a bad thing," Margot nodded reflectively, comfortable with her words. "What about you? How do you spend your time?"

[Wolfy]

Though she wasn’t fully convinced, Sabrina decided to trust what Margot said. So far, they hadn’t hurt her, so they couldn’t be all bad. “Yeah,” she agreed. “Sometimes strange things happen like that. I wish that I could convince my dad to hire him, but it’s a little late now…” She laughed just a little bit. “Sorry about that.”

Sabrina nodded, contemplating this. She was usually always around people, especially before she’d moved to her ‘new’ home. “I don’t know if I could spend that much time alone,” she said honestly. “I’m usually always around somebody.” She folded her arms and sighed softly.

“Well, that depends…” she replied with a smile. “I spent a lot of time around the mansion before.” She hoped that didn’t sound snotty… She didn’t want to sound like a rich snob – especially after being accused of being a ‘slum mutt’ less than an hour ago. “You know, exploring the grounds… Riding the horses in the stable… Bossing around some servants…”

She laughed and shook her head. “No, I was never like that.” Pausing, she thought about how she spent her time now. “Well… I mostly spend my time now looking around for a job, trying to get food for us, cleaning up our house.”

From down the hall, the policeman who’d arrested her opened the door. “Lights out, kids,” he said cynically and flipped off all the lights except a couple very dim wall lights. “Sleep well.” With that, he left them in the near-darkness. Sabrina looked over to Margot. Would they get in trouble for talking? She definitely didn’t want to get on that man’s bad side.

(We could timeskip to another day for now, since I already said that Sabrina was there for a few days, or we could continue from here. It’s up to you.)