The only thing on Izzy's mind was escaping from the imposing stone prison as it closed in on her, squeezing the last bit of life from her lungs. She raced down a dark corridor, her heart throbbing, completely lost. The hard bottoms of her shoes smacked hollowly against the floor—she needed air.

The hallway seemed to wind on forever. Every turn brought her to another hall, as long and bleak as the first. She quelled the urge to scream. She just wanted to go home. To slide into the comfort of her own bed, bury herself in her handmade quilt, and never come out again.

Realizing she was getting nowhere, she stopped and leaned against the cold wall, smearing tears across her face with the back of her arm. She took a shallow gulp of air, her shoulders heaving.

The wail of a newborn baby pierced the silence, jerking her from her pool of self pity.There was an eeriness to it. The cry seemed so out of place in the cold, lifeless building. Izzy took a cautious step towards it, drying the rest of her tears with a sleeve. She'd traveled a few more feet down the hall when she realized the wails had multiplied. There was more than one.

When she turned the corner, she spotted a soft glow coming from a room on the left. The cries rang out from inside.

She crept up to the large double wooden doors, and peered through the crack where the light shown through. A line of metal cribs filled the room. No one was in sight. She held her breath, pushing the door forward, an inch at a time. Sneaking into the room, she edged towards the nearest crib. A pink skinned bundle stared up at her, its cries momentarily replaced by quivering sniffs—a hand travelling unsteadily to its mouth. Grayish blue eyes studied her, stirring something deep in her heart.

Her hand involuntarily rested on the small bump in her middle. She wondered if her baby would have Donny's eyes. He had beautiful eyes. It was the first time she'd thought about what her baby would look like. Her other hand reached timidly to the baby's soft cheek. A lump rose painfully in her throat. How could something so gentle and sweet completely ruin a girl's life?

"Izzy!" Rita's breathless voice shot from the door. "What are you doing? Get out of there! Hurry, before they see you!"

Izzy's hand snapped back to her side. The baby whimpered, its little face reddening, as if working back up into a full blown tantrum.

"Are you mad?" Gloria pushed through the door and clutched Izzy's sleeve, pulling her out into the hall. " It's like you're looking for trouble! We warned you about Sister Mary Thomas, and you went and did the exact opposite of what we said." She flicked Izzy an exasperated look. " You really are impossible, aren't you?"

Izzy ignored her as her eyes surveyed the corridor. "Where's Dottie?"

"She's in the kitchen for clean up duty, where we're supposed to be right now." Rita was already headed back, she gestured for them to walk faster, her face pressed with concern.

"Instead of here, trying to save you." Gloria added with a huff.

"It was awful what that nun said to her," Izzy blurted, struggling to keep up with the two girls. "She's so young. She could have had a little more compassion."

Rita spun around and faced Izzy, a stone cold look planted on her face. Izzy stumbled, nearly colliding with her. " If you're looking for compassion, you're not gonna find it here. The sooner you realize that, the better."

Izzy, shrank back, surprised by her sudden coldness. "Dottie reminds me of my sister, Marie," she explained softly, tears collecting in her eyes. "I'd never let anyone talk to her that way."

"Look," said Rita, her voice softening. "I've been here for two months now. I've watched girls come and go. I'm trying to help you. Please, believe me. When this is over you will get to go home and start where you left off. But, you have to be tough. If you let this place get to you, it will ruin you." She paused, and took a deep breath. The three girls footsteps fell together, echoing against the walls. "I've seen it happen."

***

The rest of the night drawled on, and Izzy found herself methodically carrying out her new found schedule. They scrubbed dishes in silence, the luke warm water sloshing about, such a contrast from her life at home. Her heart ached as memories of her family cleaning up in the kitchen sprang to mind. She and Marie always sang On Top of Old Smoky as they washed the dishes. Right at the climax of the song, their father would slide into the kitchen, carrying the last note with so much gusto, they'd collapse into giggles. Suddenly, it all seemed so far away. How she longed to go back to being a child again.

Sister Mary Helen floated by, wearing a scrutinizing look. Her presence further discouraged any exchange of words between the girls. There were about twenty of them, and the work went fast. Like clockwork, a bell sounded in the distance, and they made their way towards the chapel, where they recited familiar verses and asked for redemption from their sins.

Izzy's mind was numb and her feet aching when they finally made their way up the grand staircase towards their rooms. A small frame squeezed in next to her, pushing close. Izzy turned to see Dottie.

"Are you alright?" she whispered.

"I'm okay." Dottie didn't look at her. Her little fingers weaved along the banister rails as they climbed. Keeping her eyes on the rail, she hummed softly, barely loud enough for Izzy to hear. It sounded like Skip to My Lou.

Izzy sensed the little girl had purposely placed herself next to her. She wanted to tell her it would be alright, to comfort her in some way, but she couldn't find the right words. When they finally reached the dormitory, all she could think of was curling up in her bed. Sleep would bring her some welcome peace.

A small dresser sat next to each bed. She pulled open the drawer and placed the folded gray dresses inside. The top drawer held several pairs of white under garments and a long white nightgown. Her pulse raced a little when she thought of venturing back to the bathroom to change into it. She didn't want to encounter the screams again.

"You never told us your story."

Izzy's hands froze as they held the hem of the nightgown. Gloria was eying her from her bed.

"Ugh, Gloria, " Rita shot from across the room, struggling to remove her shoes from her swollen feet. "Leave her alone. It's been a long day."

Gloria sprung up from the bed, twisting a golden lock with her finger. She held her gown over her arm. "I have a boyfriend back at home," she confided, her eyes sparkling. "We wanted to get married, but my parents forbid it."

"Why?" Despite herself, Izzy was immediately drawn in. She pulled the nightgown from the drawer and sat on her bed, holding it in her lap. Selfish as it might be, it was comforting to hear the heartache of someone other than herself.

"My father didn't think he was good enough to marry me. He said he wouldn't have his only daughter with a man who'd never amount to anything." Without warning, Gloria reached down and lifted her gray dress up over her shoulders.

Izzy quickly turned her head, but not fast enough to miss the lacy lingerie Gloria had hidden underneath. Her mouth dropped open. Gloria beamed at her reaction. Izzy's cheeks flushed as she stumbled over the words, "How—where did you get that?"

"Oh, this old thing?" Gloria struck an indecent pose, running her hand down a long leg over the lace garment, making Izzy want to run and hide. The round lump of her pregnant belly looked out of place in revealing attire. "I've got plenty more risque ones at home. I snuck this one in the first day I was here."

She reached down to her thigh and pulled out a small square photograph from the lace. "This is my Billy," she sighed, resting her lips on it for a second, then turning it so that Izzy could see. "He's waiting for me at home. We'll get married when I return, even if we have to run away to do it. He's simply crazy over me."

"Go on now, put your gown on," Rita chided, unpinning her long hair to brush it. "No one here wants to see your derriere."

"So, what about you?" Gloria's voice was muffled as she slipped on her white gown.

Izzy gulped, she'd hoped that all of the girls had been through something similar to her. Maybe she was the only pitiful one. She couldn't tell her that Donny had broken up with her after she told him she was pregnant. Or that he had accused her of sleeping around and denied the baby was his. Not after the story Gloria had just told. Her beau wanted to marry her, he was waiting for her to come home. She bit down on her lip. Lying had never come easy for her.

" My Donny was on his way to the Army when I found out," she rattled nervously. " We wanted to get married too, but he was shipped off." She swallowed hard. "We plan to have a big wedding when we get back."

Gloria's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at her words, but quickly widened again with her smile. "What did your parents say? When they found out?"

Izzy pulled at a loose thread on the hem of the gown in her lap. Another lie. "They were upset, of course. Because we weren't married yet." She paused, desperately wanting to put an end to the conversation. " But, they like Donny and they are excited that we'll be married when he gets back."

"Did he leave that soon after you told him?" Gloria pressed. " Seems like you could've gotten married before he was shipped off. Lots of people back home had last minute weddings before their beaus enlisted. Then, you wouldn't have had to come here. You could of kept the baby."

"Gloria." Rita shot her a threatening look.

"Just curious." Gloria shrugged her shoulders innocently, her long lashes fluttering.

Izzy rose and headed towards the door, her gown in hand. Suddenly the terrifying screams of girls in labor seemed easier to cope with than Gloria's probing questions. She felt like slapping the perfectly poised girl as she stormed past her.  

Hello there! Sorry for the delay with this update, life happened. Thanks once again for coming to read and if you enjoyed it, please vote. So, what do you think about the girls? How about Gloria? Next chapter there will be a revelation for one of the characters. After that, you will meet the love interest of this story (for those of you how are anxiously awaiting the romance part.) Let me know you thoughts please, this is a rough draft.