~Mirrors are more than a fixture on a wall made of breakable glass and pretty frames. They are a portal to someone's soul, reflecting all of their deeply hidden fears, dreams, and desires🪞~
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TARAJI
My run in with Miss Taylor's wife was weird to say the least, but I didn't have time to mentally analyze my encounter with her before Miss Taylor was demanding that I come into her office. She was so pissed off at me that her dark skin was fire truck red and smoke was coming out of her ears. She looked like she wanted to rip my head off of my shoulders and soccer kick it across the room. I know that this is my second time being late, but I was late for a good cause. I went to visit Dani. When our visit was over, I knew that I had to get her out of there.
*Flashback*
Walking into NorthPoint Federal Prison, I felt like I was home in an unsettling, uncomfortable way. I'm still trying to adjust to the outside world and the people in it. There are so many rules. The only rules I had to live by in prison were don't drop the soap and snitched get stitches. I don't miss being here at all. Nobody misses being locked behind bars like a caged animal, but there were no great expectations of me on the inside, nor was there any pressure for me to properly fit into society as a mother and a working woman. All I had to do in here was survive, but now that I'm free, I have to be and do so much more. What if I fail and end up right back in this spot because I don't know anything else? I had to push these thoughts to the back of my mind so that I could have a clear head when I see Dani. My heels seemed to echo as they clicked on the cafeteria floors. Danielle was sitting at the circular table in the very back by a window, her hands cuffed under the table while a guard stood a safe distance away, but still close enough to step in if either one of us did something that we weren't supposed to do. I'm really good at doing things that I'm not supposed to do. As I got closer, I could see a darkening ring around Danielle's eye, and she had a matching ring around her neck as if someone had choked her to the point of near death. I was pissed off and I wanted answers about what happened to her, but she didn't need my anger right now. Right now, I knew that all she needed was my tenderness and comfort. I suck at being affectionate and trying to make people feel better, but I at least have to try for Dani. As soon as she saw me, her eyes widened and she jumped up from the table to throw herself into my arms. I hugged her and held her tightly, both of us disregarding the guard standing off to the far left of us. I could feel Danielle's tears wetting my shoulder, and I took a step back to cup her face in my hands and wipe her tears with my thumbs. I kissed her forehead, pressing my own against it and closing my eyes. I miss her so much, and I hate that this Godforsaken prison is the only place where I can be in her presence.
Taraji:*whispers* You can't cry in here. Save your tears for the pillow where nobody can see them.
Danielle: I know, but I'm so tired of trying to be strong.
Taraji: I'm gonna get you out of here. I need you to hold on for me baby girl, ok?
She nodded her head, finally pulling away from me to sit down. I took a seat across from her, feeling myself getting angrier and angrier the longer I looked at her bruised face that was somehow still so pretty. My biggest fear is that she's going to get killed in here. She should have never been here in the first place. She's being punished for being a victim. She would have never had to kill her boyfriend if he didn't constantly put his hands on her. If it wasn't him, it would have been her. The justice system failed her, so I have to be the one to save her.
