A couple of days went by and each evening Jackson would sharpen the blade of his knife. It became his most sacred of rituals; a means by which to maintain his tenuous hold on survival and a future.

On the third night, while honing the blade of the knife against the wall, he heard the warning sound of keys jingling in the lock of the cell door. He had but a few seconds to act. In the darkness of the cell, he moved to Raquel's bunk and hurriedly hid the weapon beneath the pillow.

As he'd expected, it was Bubba being let into the cell by one of the officers. As the door was closed, he moved towards Jackson, who stood by the bunks as darkness encroached upon them again.

Bubba slipped off his robe and it fell to the floor. In the gloom, Jackson could see he was naked, and eager.

"I need you, my pretty child," he said softly as his hands reached out to take the youth, fumbling to strip him.

Bubba pushed Jackson down on the bed, so that he lay on his stomach. Bubba climbed on top of him and parted his buttocks, entering him from behind. Jackson merely laid there, ignoring what was happening to him. His hands slipped under the pillow and there they found the knife. He held it tight, so tight that his knuckles ached as if he were trying to strangle the life out of it.

It felt good in his hands. It felt as if the knife was merging with his flesh. He realised that he could probably drive it into Bubba’s heart then and there, and no jury could possibly convict him.

Bubba had Jackson lay on his back, his legs lifted up, soles of his feet pressed against the underside of the top bunk, while Bubba penetrated him. Jackson could feel the man's sweat dripping onto his loins and it made him feel ill. The pain that Bubba was ramming into him turned his guts inside out, but it wasn't as bad as in the past. He was beginning to learn how to make it easier on himself, at least physically.

He wondered if he really could kill Bubba. Could he kill any man, he asked himself, as he held onto the knife hidden beneath the pillow.

As Bubba’s grunts became moans of ecstasy, as he achieved his climax, Jackson bit down on a scream.

Yes! He could kill Bubba! He had just found the strength within himself to do it, and he could do it now. But he wouldn't.

He regained control of his emotions and mind, telling himself that killing Bubba now was pointless and not nearly enough for his crimes. Bubba deserved an infinitely slower death, and infinitely more cruel. Bubba would come to curse the day that he had ever taken pleasure from his 'pretty child’.

For the time being, Jackson left the knife in its hiding place. He lay on his back beneath Bubba, telling himself that some things were worth waiting for; taking his revenge on Bubba would be one of them.

The following morning during work, when Jackson had been mopping out the toilet block, an officer had approached him and informed him that Raquel had wanted to see him immediately. Glad of the opportunity to get away from the tedium of his duties, Jackson made his way quickly to the infirmary and went on over to his friend.

"Hey, you did it again!" Jackson cried. "You've got these screws running around like they're your personal servants or something, " he said, giving his friend a beaming smile. "So how are you anyway?"

Raquel said that he was feeling fine, but Jackson could see that there was clearly something troubling him.

"I really had to see you ...before - before I... " He paused, in order to collect his thoughts.

"Before you what?"

"Before I'm released," Raquel replied.

Jackson couldn't mask his surprise at hearing this piece of news. Released? He felt overjoyed for his friend - glad that Raquel would be getting out and getting on with his life again, but another part of him felt betrayed, and jealous. He tried to push these ugly feelings away, knowing in his ashamed heart that Raquel hadn't done anything to him to deserve such petty and uncharitable thoughts.

"I'm as shocked as you are, bunny," Raquel assured him. "But it's true. My solicitor had my charges dropped. You see Johnny - my ex - had me charged with assault after I hit him over the head with a bottle of Bollie and threatened to rip his balls out with a pair of scissors. Stupidest thing I've ever done, bunny" Raquel said, shaking his head. "What a waste of perfectly wonderful champagne!" he cried.

"But apparently" Raquel went on, "he's sold every single thing we ever owned and disappeared, owing some rather scary people a lot of money...! All things considered, my solicitor had little trouble in having the charges against me dropped," Raquel explained. "They're releasing me this afternoon, Jacky.”

"So soon?" he said, trying not to sound disappointed, and Raquel nodded.

"I shouldn't have been put in here in the first place. They don't usually put my kind in here with hardcore inmates. Usually we get in low risk, low security wings. But with all the over crowding, I just got lumped in here. Now that I'm to be released, they want me out of here fast," he said.

"I see," Jackson said, not knowing what else to say, his mind still reeling at the news. "I guess this means good-bye, huh?" he stated quietly.

"I suppose," Raquel agreed. "But only for awhile. I'm going to give you my address. I want you to come and see me just as soon as you get out, alright...?”

"Raquel, I -"

"I mean it, Jacky-bunny. I know that you've got no money and no body here to go to. But you have got me. And I don't want you getting out of here and ending up on the streets, finding yourself in even worse trouble. So promise me, Jackson, please?"

"Well… um, if you really want me to," he replied.

"Of course I want you to! God, I wouldn't have said anything otherwise, now would I?" Raquel cried, near to tears. "You're a great kid, and a good friend, and I don't want to see you ending up in this place again. I don't want to think of you maybe making the same mistakes I did when I was your age." He paused. "So you'll come and see me then?"

"Yeah, I'll come see you," he said with a faint grin.

"Good," he said with a sigh of relief. Then he became serious once again. "I'm sorry to be leaving you, Jacky. I don't want to. I know you're scared, and I'm scared for you. Bubba - be careful of him."

Jackson saw the image of the sharpened knife glint in his mind's eye. He shrugged casually. "I'll be fine, Raquel," he said with that hint of a smile that seemed misplaced and somewhat less than wholesome to Raquel’s eye.

Raquel reached up and hugged him affectionately, tears on his cheeks. "I'll miss you. Take care."

"You too," Jackson said, his voice dry and cold.

He would take care of himself… and Bubba.