SINNER'S REGRET

I awoke to the harsh light of the morning creeping through the small window in my cell. The faint sound of the other girls moving around the yard outside reached my ears, muffled and distant.

I wasn't sure how long I had been asleep, but something was different.

It was like a shadow was following me, a constant reminder of what I now carried inside me.

I didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse, but one thing was certain, I had to learn how to control it. I couldn't let it control me or harm the ones I loved.

I struggled to sit up, wincing at the pain in my back from the whip. The marks from the lashes were still raw and tender, but they were nothing compared to the ache in my heart. The girls had watched me get punished, but none of them had tried to stop it. They were all too scared. Scared of Mother Olga, scared of the guards, scared of their own survival. I didn't blame them. I wasn't even sure I was brave enough to stand up to mother Olga myself.