#fletcher gray.

It happened quickly. The chants of the protest turned into screams as police stormed through the crowds, using their batons and force to gain control. Too quickly that Mitzi could not comprehend what had exactly happened or how it had happened. One moment they were protesting against arming weapons for war and the next she was in handcuffs and shoved into a jail cell with Genie Gray. Mitzi Zhang was in jail. Mitzi Zhang was in jail. She would have a criminal record. Mitzi Zhang. Criminal record. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. This is what you get for joining a gang. This is what you get for joining a fucking gang. 

It’s fine. You’re fine.

The words kept playing in her head as a form of manipulating her own brain into thinking she was in control, even if she could feel a numbing sensation take over her fingers, her heart pounding against her chest, she was fine. She had to be fine. Mitzi was fighting any other feeling, forcing it away so she could sit in the cold cell and pretend that this situation she was in right now was normal.  

You’re just nervous Mitzi. You’re in prison. It’s normal to be nervous. You’re fine. 

What was this feeling? She could not put a pin to it, it was nothing she had ever felt before and telling herself to stop being paranoid about it was like asking a fish to learn how to breathe above water, she just wasn’t capable of such a thing. If she was with War then there would have been nothing to worry about. Rita was there and Rita would protect her. She would always protect her. Who was going to save her from this? Fazal? Not likely. He would rather watch her burn. He did not care for Mitzi, her being locked up here would benefit him. Maybe Priscilla would come as her virtue? No. She wouldn’t get her out of this either. Neither of them would. She was disposable to them, easily replaced and not missed. Mitzi was in this mess by herself. 

She could feel her fingers trembling and instantly balled her hands into fists to try to stabilize herself, her nails digging into the palm of her hand as a weak attempt to shut down whatever this unfamiliar sensation was. Closing her eyes, Mitzi tilted her head back against the cold wall, the panic which had creeped inside her overrunning her tired, fragile body, a shooting pain of fear invading her, leaving her head spinning. This was not going to happen here. Mitzi was not going to break down in a prison cell in front of strangers. Shaking her head, unable to stifle her whimpers, sounding pathetic even to her own ears like some broken animal left by the side of the road to die begging to be saved. “You’re okay..” she whispered to herself, her heart was racing faster, heaviness on her chest crushing down on her lungs as she felt cold sweat on her temples yet also on fire at the same time. Mitzi had never felt this before. She was having a panic attack. But Mitzi being Mitzi was not going to allow that to happen fully. Not here. Deep breaths. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

A sudden wave of relief washed over when an officer told her that she had been released on bail. Stepping outside, trying to figure out who it was that came to save her, she did not expect him. “Fletch.” his name fell from her lips in a whisper.  Seeing a familiar face, seeing his face especially whilst feeling completely weak vulnerable, her body reacted before her head and heart could. Her arms wrapped around him. “Fuck Fletcher.” she sighed, realising her action and pulling away as quickly as she had embraced him and shaking her head. “What-what are you doing here?” Her brows furrowed, her arms wrapping around her own body. He was the last person she thought that would come here. He was also the last person she wanted to see, or so she convinced herself he was. 

 “Are you - what happened last night?” It was in that moment that Mitzi finally started to comprehend everything that was supposed to happen last night. “Did anyone get hurt? Fuck Fletch the truce. It’s broken. What happened? We tried to keep them away but the protest got too violent and the police they just took us in.” Her mind drifted to Rita instantly. Was she okay? Mitzi had to get home and call her cousin instantly.Pausing in the middle of her sentence, Mitzi’s senses had fully arrived back into her body. She straightened up and took another step away from Fletcher. 

“Thank you for coming here.” She nodded, her tone changing to formal instantly. How did she stand in front of Fletcher and behave normal? As if he was just anyone else rather than Fletcher? Mitzi was still searching for the answer to that. “I’m sure it was not out of choice and an order from so you don’t have to linger about. I’ll find out everything from someone else. You can go now, i’m going to go home. I’ll pay you back the bail money.”