Mimosas Chapter 1 Every morning, they woke to Romanian radio.

Through the intercom it blasted the news which let them know it was time to get up, make their beds, brush their teeth and go to breakfast. You didnt want to mess up the morning routine, either, because youd be confined in your room for the rest of the day. For the first time in her life, she didnt want solitude. She got out of bed and put on her jeans and tee shirt. A quick brush through her hair and she went out to breakfast. The fluorescent lights flickered as she walked down the bright hall. Good morning, said Mikaela the prison guard. In the caf, most of her jail mates were already sat down to coffee and eggs. Only this morning, everyone had light orange substances in up plastic glasses. Hi, Starr, said her new friend, Jana only it was pronounced hana. Mimosas today! She raised her plastic champagne glass and shook it lightly.

Starr smiled and said, Sweet! She walked up to the buffet and got a tray. Lately, shed been craving ice cream like crazy. Every morning, alongside her omelet, she had a bowl of the chocolate frosty. Something about the way the cold touched her tongue, followed by hot coffee made it taste even better. If youre not careful, youll turn into ice cream, said Jana. So be it! She took a large spoonful down. You know, said Janas friend, Morenia. You are very strange. I mean, this isnt hardcore jail, but even we arent entirely happy to be here. Well, lets just say that Ive been long overdue for a vacation. She took a long swig of her coffee and started on her eggs. You never told us what you did, Jana said. Starr froze with her fork midair. Then she took the bite and said, Im surprised you dont

already know. And since you dont, Id rather not say. Besides, you two havent been quick to tell me what youve done, either. In fact, it seems like no one wants to speak of why theyre here. Some of us have reputations to protect, Morenia replied. Oh, you assumed I dont? Well, no, but youre obviously enjoying yourself a little too much, I might add.

After breakfast, Starr, Jana and Morenia went outside and played a few games of tennis. Starr, occasionally, pretended to miss a hit, though she never let them win. You cant be beat said Morenia. You must come and play with me and my family at our country club. Youll be admired. Id love that, Starr said and smiled. Smiling was something shed done a lot of these days. Reading, movies, champagne and good company was her life the last few weeks. The only thought that brought her down was that it would end soon, and she didnt know what was next in her life.

You will come, both of you, and then Ill show you a real vacation! After a few more rounds, Jana and Morenia went to Mass off site while Starr was called to the visitors lounge. Marla and Shane sat at a table looking curious. So how are things in here? asked Marla with a smirk. Good. The construction crew arrived today. Theyre sifting through the rubble and trying to use as much of it as they can. Okay, great. We wanted to check up on you before we leave for Thailand. Are you eating well? Drinking well? asked Shane. Yeah, Im managing; its fine. Hows Council business? Everyones freaking out, but its only natural. Theyll get over it soon. Then she pulled out a tablet and said, I have some things I want to go over with you. The Monterey

Property: Since youre no longer working for the Council, you have to find other ways to fund it. Monterey was an old restored Victorian home in California. Reportedly, it was haunted and people regularly came to visit. It was a financial loss but it was a tourist attraction. Yeah, Ive been thinking about my situation, and theres no other way. I dont know what my future holds, and I have no idea where my next paycheck is coming from. So Im gonna start selling off homes and castles. Ill get Marxus on it. No, Ive got someone in mind. After wishing them a safe trip, Starr called Parker. He was an Englishman shed met many years ago. He was well connected. Starr had a feeling hed move her properties and get her good prices. Wow, what a surprise! he said. So are you calling me from jail? Starr laughed and said, Yeah! Is it bad? No, actually, its what Americans call white collar. Dont get me wrong, though; there

are some downer parts to being even in this kind of prison. How can I help you? I quit the Council, and unfortunately, I dont have enough income to cover reconstruction of my fathers castle. However, I have some properties to sell. But If I dont get enough to cover the construction costs, and the castle doesnt get finished, then the judge will come after me again. How much time have you got? At first, I need to sell quickly, because I need a few million euros to get started on what they called Phase I construction. How many properties are we talking about? Thats the problem: Im not sure because every few years, something pops up. It seems, in Credenzas time, property was worth more than money, so instead of growing bank accounts, she accumulated mass amounts of properties over the last two millenniums. Were talking houses, land, and castles that are too expensive to maintain. Some of which are a grain of sand away from tumbling and returning to dust. Starr sighed and then continued.

Now, heres the second problem: Minister Gabor, of national culture and patrimony, has been eyeing all of my known properties and has served me several notices of impending take over. Right, he interrupted. Thats the law, here: If you dont maintain your historical asset, they can take them. Yes and I need you to sell those properties first. Yeah, otherwise youll lose money, he said. Anything else? No, thats all, except I just want you to sell until theres enough to pay for my fathers castle and so that I can start a new life. If you should reach that point, then you can stop selling. So basically, this could be a few years worth of work. Okay, can you send me some contracts? Ill have my lawyer look them over. Yeah, Ill have Shane send you everything you need.

Messing with Misses Chapter 2 That evening, after everyone was locked into their rooms, Starr got out of bed and slipped back into her clothes. Night was the best time to feed because they only had one staff member. Starr read her mind and knew she was bribable. Nia was a struggling mother of four. No husband and no family to help. She wasnt a bad person, either. All she had to do was freeze the camera for a few seconds twice per night. It would look like a glitch in the system, and as long as nothing went wrong, no one would notice. Nia knocked, lightly, on her door. Starr opened up and slipped her one thousand euros. Then she tip toed down the hall and out to the tennis courts. From there, she flew off into the sky and out to the forests where she tracked a boar. That area was dense with pigs, almost to the point of nuisance. At night, they were known for destroying crops. The city was in a bind because some wanted them poisoned

while others were worried about ecological ramifications. Immediately, she sensed them and selected a particularly aggressive male. Levitating, she chased him through the trees, and it grunted ridiculously. Then she leapt onto its back and broke its neck. A few minutes later, the pig was dry. But it was only 11 pm. Plus, what a waste it would be to simply leave the carcass there. So she gathered some wood and kindling and made herself a bonfire, over which she gutted and roasted the pig. At 1 am, she laughed at herself. What in the world was she going to do with all that meat? Ah ha, she said and smiled. She gathered the bits, still on its spit and flew back to the prison. Careful to avoid cameras, she snuck in through the kitchen door. There she found everything she needed to cut it up and package it, which she, then, gave to Nia. What is this? she whispered. The emotions on her face looked torn between fascination and worry that Starr had visitors.

Its a gift! Dont worry about how I got it! No one saw anything. If anything happens, Ill take care of you. Good night! She closed the door and climbed into bed. The sun was just rising, but she had enough time to catch at least one hour of sleep.

When she went out to breakfast later, it was to find Jana looking morose. Starr tried to read her mind, wondering what was wrong. All she got was images of an older lady and a young man hassling her. As before, she dug into her ice cream. You smell smoky, she said, like youve been near a fire or something. I dont smell anything, Starr lied. That day was much the same as before, except they spent the afternoon playing pool and exercising in the gym. Hey, Starr! said a woman name Ginny. She was the prisons contraband expert. Although the staff knew about her activities, they pretended not to in exchange for freebies. You want to buy some facial masks?

Starr laughed. Heck, yeah, I do! Jana butted in. What do you got? Come to my room after lunch. Then she walked to a couple more tables and invited a few others to her room. And come to her room, they did. There were already half a dozen people by the time they got there. Those who were her top clients got the first pick and paid her the most in credits. Credits were a monetary system the prison used to reward or punish the inmates; they were in turn used to buy things from the prison, like special soap or razors; snacks or drinks. Credits could be bought with cash, too. Starr, Jana, and Morenia had lots of credits; hence she was always trying to sell them things. On Ginnys bed were hundreds of individually wrapped mask sheets. They were all different kinds, like red ginseng, aloe vera, vitamin C, mushroom extract and etc. Holy cow! said Morenia, who immediately took to sifting through the many packets.

Jana was more interested in the few dozen Lancome lipsticks and mascaras she had lying on her bed. Where are you gonna wear makeup? What a waste! said fellow inmate, Mary. Just because were in jail, it doesnt mean we dont want to live like were in the world, Molly, another inmate, replied. Starr, you gonna buy anything? asked Ginny. Just for the fun of it, she grabbed a few masks. Sure, she didnt have to worry about treating her skin, but she found the cooling sensation and aromas relaxing. Sometime later, they sat in the common area watching movies. Many of the women had white sheets on their faces, were doing their nails and playing with makeup. Looks like Ginny did well, today, said Morenia. Starr turned and saw a long line of ladies waiting at the office window in order to settle accounts with Ginny. A few of the staff members had been more than mollified over her activities. They got free gift bags and last picks for free.

That night, lying in bed, Starr checked up on Shane and Marla. Shane could hold her own but it was Marlas first mission. Starr tried to convince Marla that it would be too dangerous, but she seemed to be looking for adventure lately. Shed become bored with accounting work and wanted to find herself. Starr closed her eyes and imagined she was talking to Shane and Marla; that she could see them in a hotel room somewhere. And like an astral projection, all of the sudden she felt like she was there. A vision came to mind. Marla stood in front of her bathroom mirror, applying makeup. Starr, are you here? she asked aloud. Yep, just checking on you. All is well. Were about to meet with Anchali. Glad to hear it. I have a few warnings: Be careful of Anchali and her associates. They can be tricky and manipulative. And since they dont show their emotions, they can be misleading, often saying one thing while feeling or meaning another. Theyre also very mentally disciplined, so dont rely on everything you read

from their minds. Many have been fooled before. Thanks for the advice. Well call if we need you. A few weeks passed in the same old fashion. Life was a social gala, though only in their small prison world. But the following week, the upper levels residents who were allowed the most privileges - were allowed out on the town. When asked about the activity theyd like to have on Friday night, they invariably agreed on going out to dinner. They were escorted to a fine restaurant in a van. It was quite an interesting sight, especially as all the ladies wore their best, only to arrive in what looked like a black maria. Did you see the look on the valets face, Jana said and laughed. Yeah, were a bunch of classy ladies, now! said Morenia. Despite funny looks, they were seated at decent tables. Some minutes later, a round of free drinks were sent by a party of men in suits. The ladies laughed as they raised their glasses to them in thanks. If only they knew, said Ginny.

Together, they ordered many Romanian dishes, but Starr was always partial to the simpler foods, like Galusta cu Prune and sarmale; or rather, plum dumplings and stuffed, spiced cabbage rolls. She supposed it had something to do with growing up on a simpler diet and basic American foods. When it became time to order dessert, the men from across the room sent them chocolate clatite crepes. The ladies giggled as the wait staff pushed chairs in between them, so the men who sent drinks could squeeze in. They were from the bank which was next door to the restaurant. Starr sensed they were all married, but like the stereotypes, were big flirts. After dinner, the bankers escorted them to their van. When they returned to prison, she saw Nia was working that night. Starr was glad because she needed to feed. Things would have been easier if there were rats in the jail, which there were, but the warden made pest control a priority. The result of her diligence was Starr having to lure mice from outside which took too much time and looked suspicious. Starr couldnt take small drinks from people, as just the mixing of saliva could turn someone.

The only other alternative was to feed on herself, and there was no way she was going to do that. You might as well drink your own urine. So that night Nia came to her room and let her out again. As before, she went on a hunt, but this time found a fox. She drained it, pulled off its fur and gutted it; then hung it on a spit. It wasnt so bad tasting, either. She tiptoed back to her room.